Danny Phantom, Terror of Amity Park. Blamed for the murder of one closest to him, Danny runs away in an attempt to rebuild his life. But disaster is always close behind, as a horrible truth lost to time demands to be heard.
This story, in Danny Phantom's p.o.v., takes place after the series, but starts during the finale Phantom Planet.
In MLP's p.o.v., it takes place after season 2, but with changes that are not canon with season 3.
The story will take an alternate direction completely different from the finale Phantom Planet.
Danny Fenton, just your average teenage boy.
He goes to school, has to deal with bullies, homework, fight ghosts, and keep his other half a secret from his family.
After an accident with his parents ghost portal, his D.N.A. became infused with ectoplasm, turning him into a half ghost.
Now Danny Phantom, he took it onto him to fight ghost while struggling to learn to control his new found powers. Luckily, he has his two best friends, Sam and Tucker, with him to help him deal with the everyday ghost life.
Together, they went through all kinds of supernatural adventures. Together, they stood in the way of many ghost attacks. Together, they kept their city, Amity Park, safe. Together. Always together.
Until that one fateful day. The day that everything changed. The day that three became two, and Danny's life changed forever. Struggling with his guilt for his failings, and letting down the one meaning most to him, he runs away; desperately trying to get away from the nightmares that haunt his memories. But, as the saying goes: ''You can run, but you can't hide.''
Sex tag is there for sexual innuendos and references in later chapters. There will be no clop.
Click: Silver Spirit, Ghost of Equestria, to go to the side story of this fic. Which is important, as a lot of things happening in this fic are important for Guilt of a Phantom.
Read them in this order. 1. Guilt of a Phantom. 2. The Baltimare Incident after the chapter: Hunting the Hunter's Hunter. Earth. 3. Silver Spirit, Ghost of Equestria after the chapter: The Day the World Looked Pink-ie Pie.
Edits done by Vates Despero, Cynatas Scribbler, Halusm, and King of Kings.
Prologue.
That Which Was, And Is Going To Be.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sound of welding echoed in a small basement. The source, two people hard at work on a device of their own design.
As they worked, they were watched by three young teenagers. Their son, Danny, and his friends, Sam and Tucker.
"Better prepare yourselves kids," Jack, Danny's father, said as he and his wife Madeline, Maddie to her friends, put the finishing touches on the portal they'd been working on for the last six months.
"Oh, but do stand back dear. We wouldn't want you or your friends getting hurt now would we?" Maddie added, putting away the wrench she was holding, while also picking up the extension cord intended to connect their device to the power grid, "Here, Jack," she said, giving the cord to her husband.
"Thank you, honey," he replied eagerly, grabbing the cord out of his wife's hands, almost unable to contain himself. "Well kids, stand back and keep your eyes open. For I, Jack Fenton, am about to open a portal to the ghost realm. In three, two, one."
At one, the portal was plugged in, and Maddie and Jack watched with expressions of scientific wonder and excitement. But their faces fell as all their hard work produced was a few weak sparks, a tired sigh escaping from Jack.
"Drat, I thought we had it this time," he said, frustration evident in his voice.
"Oh, don't worry dear. We'll figure it out," Maddie told him, patting him on the back comfortingly. "Let's just take a break for now and go over the plans once more. Maybe we missed something?" she said hopefully. But even she couldn't hide her disappointment as the two of them walked back upstairs, leaving Danny and his friends alone in the basement.
"Well, that was a bust," Tucker said as the three of them approached the machine.
"Yeah, I expected a bit more as well. I mean, how cool would it be to actually see a doorway into the ghost world," Sam added, stepping closer to the portal.
"I know," Danny agreed, "Not sure what I was expecting, though. They've been working on this hunk of junk for months now, but all they have been able to get this thing to do is spark and sputter," he said, approaching the device and giving it a kick. "I'm starting to think there isn't even a ghost world to open a door to."
He let out a sigh. "You know, we've been standing on the sidelines, watching this thing get built without much happening," —he placed a hand on the supposed doorway as he stared inside— "but do any of us actually know what's inside of this thing?"
"Nope, not a clue," Tucker answered, "What of it?"
"Nothing, just curious."
"So, go take a look, then," Sam offered. "Not like it's working or anything."
"Yeah, go ahead man. What's the worst that could happen?" Tucker encouraged him further.
"Ha, knowing my father, it'll probably blow up or something," Danny replied with a short laugh, only half joking. Looking around for a moment, he quickly grabbed one of the protective jumpsuits. "Still better to be safe, right," he added, zipping up.
"Wait!" Sam shouted as she jumped in front of him. In one swift motion she removed the sticker displaying Jack's face, "Much better."
"Ha, right," Danny said with a smile as he stepped into the machine. Unable to see much through the lack of lighting, he stumbled around, his arm held out in front of him so he wouldn't accidentally walk into something. Yet fate had other plans for him, and with a click he hit the 'on' button.
Lights flickered to life as the machine started to hum, and green swirls began to form around Danny. His eyes widened in fear as the intensity of the green glowing wisps grew. A glow that was mirrored in his eyes.
Lightning struck, and Danny screamed as pain coursed through his body. The green energy raced through his body, ripping him apart, and rebuilding him on the molecular level. Green energy irradiated even his DNA, infusing it with the power of ectoplasm.
Slowly, painfully, Danny struggled out of the portal, still screaming in agony.
Sam and Tucker could only stare in shock as their friend emerged from the machine his parents had built. Smoke drifting from his body as he fought to remain upright. It was a fight he lost, as, with a few unsteady steps, Danny collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
His friends rushed to his side, trying to help, but were unable to do anything as they saw the changes their friend had gone through.
"What happened to him?" they wondered as they looked at the now pale boy with snow white hair.
Leaving that question unanswered for the time being as Danny's well being was more important, Sam reached out for Danny's wrist to feel if he still had a pulse, only to grab nothing but air.
"WHAA!" she yelled as she pulled her hand back, looking fearfully between it and Danny. Not believing what had just happened.
"Did... Did you just..." Tucker stammered in shock, unable to finish his question. But Sam nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement, answering the unfinished question as she kept staring at her hand.
Danny slowly opened his eyes, struggling to get them to focus. And, after several long seconds of un-coordinated blinking, his friends came into focus. "Wh-what happened?" he asked with a weak voice, strained with the pain he just went through. But he never got an answer, because his friends had reared back in shock after seeing his eyes.
They were a glowing green.
<<>><<>><<>>
A lone figure hovered before a swirling portal, watching the currents of time pass before him as he observed both past, present, and future simultaneously. The figure himself also moved between past and future, as his form morphed continuously. He was a child one moment, only to be an elderly man the next. And then he changed into an adult male as he raised his hand, changing the images he saw in the timestream.
The image of a young boy formed before him. A child no older than six or seven. A child free of the cares and worries of the adult world, still innocent. He laughed and played with his best friend, a dark skinned boy of a similar age. Then the images changed again, now showing the same child, only older.
He had changed, as everyone does over the passage of time. However, the boy had changed not only in body, but also in mind. Corruption had taken root within him when he lost everything he cared about, turning him into the single greatest threat his world had ever seen.
For a moment the watcher looked to his side, checking the thermos containing that particular future, and giving a satisfied hum when he saw it was still secure.
Refocusing his attention on the vortex before him, he watched as yet another series of events revealed themselves to him.
The same child could be seen again, as well as the dark skinned boy and a black haired girl. The three teenagers were standing in a laboratory of sorts, watching the two adults there working on a large device of their own design. The images sped forward by several months, now showing the same boy, yet a stranger all the same.
White hair, pale skin, glowing green eyes, and his legs turned into an intangible tail as he hovered a meter above the ground.
His friends were there as well, helping him as he learned to control his newly acquired powers, and supporting him through the difficulties of a growing teenager that had chosen the path of a hero.
Years passed by in an instant. The same boy, now a man, sat alone and with no friends. Broken and crushed by his guilt as he slowly faded away. Denying who he really is, unable to accept the harsh reality.
"Time," the one observing the events said in a childlike voice, having reverted to his younger form. "Can you imagine life without time? No years, months, weeks, days, hours or minutes. Where day or night is nothing more than the passing of light and dark, and seasons just come and go without the knowledge to expect them. You can't, can you? Yet nature does it all the time. Dogs know when it is time to eat, bears know when to hibernate, and birds know when to fly south. Yet none of them know anything about time. No, time is something that can only be observed by those with sufficient intelligence. It brings order to chaos, as it allows them to observe time. They know how late it is, or when something needs to be done. They know what year it is, and when the seasons will change," he said as he changed into an adult male, watching the events in the time vortex.
"They know, and yet, they are unaware. And because of this they often waste the time they have. And when they notice, it is already too late. It is both a blessing and a curse. Because those who know about time, all too often find theirs running out," he said as he turned around, facing the cloaked being standing behind him.
"But even though time might run out, that doesn't mean it is the end. Time is elusive and delicate, but it is also a powerful force that must not be underestimated. Do you understand?" he asked with an old voice.
"Yes," the figure answered.
"You know what to do, and to do only that?" he asked.
"I do."
"Change too much, and everything will fall apart. Too little, and the currents of time will smooth it out. Do not make a mistake. Daniel's life depends on it."
"I won't."
"Good. Take this," he said as he passed the cloaked figure a medallion, and then used his staff to pinpoint a specific moment in time. Intersecting a key point that would define Danny's life, and would change him forever.
Corruption, it seemed, had a way of following him through the passing of the years.
"Now go child, help our friend in need," he said as he stepped away from the vortex, allowing the figure passage into the timestream.
Nodding, the individual stepped forward and looked into the swirling green mass, showing images of Danny's life.
"Well, here goes," the cloaked figure said as it prepared to step through. "Oh, and Clockwork? Thanks." And with that, the figure stepped forth, and was quickly swallowed by the ethereal mass of green.
Clockwork closed his eyes as he changed back into an elderly man.
"Don't thank me yet, child. The pieces are in place, but we have only made the first move. Only time will tell if we are successful," Clockwork said as he retook his place before the portal. Going back in time to the point where it all began. The day that a human, a mere child, would become a Halfa.
Looking into the vortex before him, he saw Danny lying on the ground, unconscious. Sam and Tucker knelt beside him, seeing if their friend was alright. And, most importantly.
"What happened to him?" they both asked in unison.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny slowly regained consciousness, groaning as his fried nerves reminded him of the ordeal he just went through. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to regain focus. He saw his friends kneeling by his side, a look of shock and fear plastered on their faces.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked with a weak voice.
"Your hair," Tucker said.
"Your eyes," Sam replied at the same time.
"What about them?" Danny asked, panicked.
"It's white."
"They're green," they said at the same time again.
"What!?" Danny half yelled as he jumped up, ignoring the pleas of his body to remain on the floor.
Once he had gathered his wits, he sprinted to one of the computer screens in the lab. Gazing at his reflection, he saw that what his friends had told him was true, but could not believe it himself.
Pale skin, white hair, and glowing green eyes. Danny stared in shock at his own reflection, unable to comprehend what he saw. Even the colors of the jumpsuit had inverted.
"What happened to me?" he asked as he looked himself over, slowly backing away from his own reflection, but unable to look away.
"That's not all dude," Tucker told him. "When Sam tried to touch you, her hand went straight through you."
"What?!" Danny yelled as his head snapped away from his reflection and looked at his friend.
"He's telling the truth, Danny," Sam told him, still a bit spooked, as she looked at the aforementioned limb.
"No, nonono. This can't be real! This isn't real! This isn't real!” he said in a panic, repeating the phrase over and over again. Grabbing his head with both hands, he sat down in a corner of the basement.
"Danny, calm down!" Sam told him as she noticed him starting to hyperventilate.
"Yeah man, calm down! We'll figure this out," Tucker added.
"Calm down!? CALM DOWN!? Look at me, how could I possibly calm down? How will my parents react when they see me?"—his pupils shrunk in size as he realized something—"Oh no, how will Dash react? He's already hard on me, but now. I'll be the laughing stock of the school. I can't be seen like this! I have to remain hidden," and as he said that, as if on cue, his invisibility presented itself to them.
Sam and Tucker gasped loudly as they saw their friend disappear into thin air.
"What, what is it?"
"Y-you just vanished, like going invisible or something," Tucker answered, eyes wide in shock, while Sam just nodded dumbly, unable to form any words.
"WHAT!?" Danny yelled again as he looked at his hands, unable to see them. "What happened to me?" he asked his friends again as he suddenly turned visible.
"I-I have no idea," Sam told him.
"Hmm." Sam and Danny snapped their heads to Tucker, who was busy studying the portal.
"What is it?" Sam asked, concerned.
"Well, this is a ghost portal, right?" Tucker asked and, seeing them nod, he continued. "Maybe, just maybe, when you got hit by it you turned into a ghost."
"What?" Sam and Danny said in unison.
"You can't be serious, right?" Sam asked Tucker.
"Well, think about it," Tucker replied. "He gets hit by it, and now has pale skin, white hair, glowing green eyes. We just saw that he can turn invisible, and your hand went right through him." Sam flinched at the reminder.
"S-so a g-ghost. Does that mean that I- that I'm d-dead?" Danny asked fearfully. No sooner had he finished speaking than a glowing white band flash into existence around him. Splitting in half, one part moved up while the other moved down. Both revealing his human form as they passed.
"I would say: no," Tucker responded, dumbfounded, gazing at his friend with a mixture of shock and awe.
<<>><<>><<>>
The events shown in the green vortex sped forward, showing Danny's parents scolding him for his foolish behaviour when they learned he was inside the portal when it 'misfired'. Yet their relief that he was unharmed was as clear as day.
Yet the truth remained hidden from them, as Danny and his friends chose not to reveal the full extent of the events that had transpired after the portal accident, afraid as to how his parents would react should they find out about Danny's new ghostly nature.
They remained silent and after a while everything settled down, for the time being at least.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sam, Danny, and Tucker were seated in a row of chairs, sitting in front of the ghost portal, now closed with a blast door, when Jack started to speak to them.
"So, Danny. You and your little friends want to hunt ghosts?"
"Eeh, actually dad. I want to be an astronaut," Danny countered.
"Sorry, mister Fenton. I was into ghosts, but they're so mainstream now. They're like cell phones," Sam replied, uninterested.
"Waste these looks, and all this charisma while hunting ghosts? Criminal," Tucker added as he gestured at himself.
"Well, if you do want to hunt ghosts, there are a few things you need to learn," Jack said as he turned around to pick something up from the workbench behind him. Searching through the various objects standing there, he didn't notice the sudden puff of cold breath coming from his son.
"Oh no, this isn't good," Danny said as he looked at the portal. The blast door opened and two ghostly octopuses came through.
The creatures had large bloated bodies, with an ectoplasmic slime layer covering them. There were mocking, evil sneers on their faces as they took in the four humans standing beneath them with their sinister red eyes. One of them even had his back turned towards them.
One of the apparitions grabbed Sam with its tentacles, while the other grabbed Tucker. Yet all of this went unnoticed by Jack, as he was still looking through the various things on the bench.
"True, I've never seen a ghost, but when I do I'll be prepared. And so will you, whether you want to be or not," Jack told the three of them, still not noticing the ghost attack taking place behind him.
Danny jumped into the ghosts while transforming, fighting them off of his friends.
"It all starts with your equipment," he said as Sam and Tucker fell back into their seats. "Sam, Tucker, this is the Fenton thermos," he said as he turned to them and showed off one of the gadgets he and his wife had made. Still not noticing anything wrong. "It's supposed to trap ghosts, buuuut since it doesn't work, it's just a thermos. A thermos with the word Fenton in front of it," he continued proudly, so absorbed into his lecture that he failed to notice one of the ghosts screaming as it was sent flying behind him.
The two ghosts, dazed from Danny's attack, fled back through the portal. Only for the portal to shut down mere moments later, causing the blast doors to close. Danny quickly shifted back to his human form and jumped back towards Sam and Tucker.
"And that, that is the Fenton portal," Jack said as he turned towards the portal that had just closed mere seconds before, "It releases ghosts into our world whether I want it to or not. And some day, I'll figure out how that works too," he remarked as he tapped the machine, completely unaware of what just happened behind him. "Now, who wants to hunt some ghosts?" he asked as he turned back to Danny and his friends.
Sam and Tucker were shaking in their seats, while Danny was holding on to Tucker's seat, panting for air.
"You kids, look at you. You're too excited to speak, so I'll just go on speaking," he said with an exuberant smile. "I was born many years ago in a log cabin in the woods. I don't exactly remember where, but I do know I wanted a pony. Never got a pony. As a matter of fact we had to eat horse meat, during the war. I had a problem with that," and as Jack retold the story of his youth, Sam, Danny, and Tucker shared an uneasy glance with each other.
<<>><<>><<>>
This was but the first of many ghost attacks Danny would have to deal with. In time, he would face stronger adversaries while his powers continued to grow. From the lunch lady ghost that plagued the school cafeteria, and Danny's struggle to stay in his ghost form. To Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter, forcing Danny to rely not only on his powers, but also his brain and cunning to avoid his traps. And many more.
But the most difficult of the enemies he had to face in the years that he spent fighting these rogue ghosts had to be Vlad Masters. His father's old college friend who, thanks to an accident with the prototype ghost portal, turned into the half ghost Vlad Plasmius.
Although not the strongest ghost Danny had to fight, he was the most influential. Using his powers to achieve vast riches, and often using the wealth he accumulated to impede Danny's personal life. Ranging from sending a small ghost army made from the animals he killed while hunting after him, to trying to clone him and acquire the perfect son, all while sending the failed attempts after Danny. Not to mention the fact he was constantly trying to get Danny's mother to leave Jack and marry him instead.
Despite all of this, Danny learned to master his abilities, did reasonably well in school despite the hero's life getting in the way of any homework, and even have a few romantic interests. For a while the city thought he was just another ghost trying to cause mayhem and destruction, especially after Danny fell under the control of Freakshow, who used him and other ghosts under his control to conduct various robberies. But, in time, the majority of the city came to see him for the hero he was trying to be, despite some mishaps here and there. This, however, changed for good after that fateful day.
The day three became two, and his life changed forever.
Destiny. A force that connects us all. A path laid out before us from the day we are born, and which we walk till the day that we die. And even then it doesn't always end there. It's an obscured path, hidden from view save for the next step. A path we all must follow, one stumble at a time. And should one attempt to change their fate, take a different path, or even run away from it, than this was all part of the plan from the beginning. A plan that can change, but still leads to the same destination.
We have the freewill to choose, to make our own decisions, and to shape our own lives, as well as the world with them. But each choice has consequences. Consequences which will follow us as we travel the path of destiny. Some are good. Some are bad. And some are evil.
Destiny is a curious thing. Always there with you, but never letting up its secrets, no matter how much you try to find out about them. And when it reveals yet another ploy in its grand design, everything changes, and no one would have seen it coming. Not you, nor me.
Nor would the young boy whose life was about to change, permanently.
Just as it was planned.
<<>><<>><<>>
Deep in space, near the planet Saturn, a large space station floated amidst the asteroid belt surrounding the planet; a large, ghostly green asteroid floating aimlessly nearby.
The station had a robotic drone scanning the surface for samples to analyze. And after collecting a decent amount of the glowing, green rocks, it returned to the station to drop off its collection.
Flying through several corridors, and descending through several passageways, it moved deeper and deeper into the station.
Arriving at its intended destination, it placed the rocks into a chamber where a red laser field swept over the samples, computers next to it analyzing the data.
"Analysis conclusive," a holographic Maddie proclaimed. "Asteroid composed entirely of unique anti ghost element ectoranium. Weapons effect of which that can only be felt by ghosts."
"It will be most effective in making anti ghost weapons and ease Master’s takeover of the Ghost Zone." another holographic Maddie said.
"And I shall be the one to tell him the good news," the first Maddie said while pointing at herself.
"No, I shall," the second Maddie countered.
"I shall," the first responded aggressively.
"Your resolution is far too low, and your bandwidth is far too wide," the second insulted the first.
"GHAAA, why you holographic bi-" the first Maddie screamed, unable to finish her sentence as she tackled the other to the ground.
<<>><<>><<>>
A naturally formed ghost portal opened just outside the space station, and Vlad Plasmius emerged from it, laughing victoriously.
"What a glorious morning. Defeating Frostbite, and pillaging the all powerful infimap," Vlad gloated as he opened the map, making it display various doorways to who knew where. "If this keeps up I shall be ruling the galaxy by lunch," he boasted when an ectoplasmic beam shot him in the helmet, blasting off the letter V that was affixed on top of it.
"Kitchen's closed, Plasmius," Danny shouted to him over the P.A. system as he, Sam, and Tucker emerged from the same portal in the Specter Speeder. "Give us the map back!"
Tucker fired the Specter's main weapon. The two oversized blasters, one mounted on each side of the craft's bottom side, fired twin ectoplasmic beams towards Vlad, who was blasted away as the green projectiles struck home.
Danny, intending to go out there and face Vlad himself, put on his space helmet, went into the aft compartment, and closed the blast door in between him and his friends.
"Let's rock," Danny said as he braced for the explosive decompression.
"Three, two, one, hatchet!" Sam counted down, then slammed her fist on the button that would blast away the door separating Danny from the inky void of space.
Danny flew out of the ship and towards Vlad, while evading the dark red ectoplasmic shots Plasmius was shooting at him.
"I know you are a lost guy, Vlad. But no map is gonna help you find your way. You need therapy for that," Danny taunted as he shot a beam of his own ectoplasm towards him.
Vlad pulled up a shield in front of him to deflect the shot, only for it to hit a small asteroid near him. The resulting explosion took him by surprise, and flung him away into the asteroid belt.
Taking this opportunity, Danny used his ice powers to create a large snowball and threw it at him.
Vlad, who only just regained control over his uncontrolled spinning, was taken by surprise when he saw the frozen ball fly towards him. Unable to react in time, he got hit, the snow freezing him instantly in his surprised position.
Danny went intangible and reached for the map, moving clean through the ice. Taking the map from Vlad he backed away, looking at the frozen half ghost with an unimpressed look. "Seriously dude," Danny said as the Specter approached, and he boarded the craft. "Therapy," Danny finished as he leaned through the side of the Specter, taunting Vlad even further as he and his friends blasted off, returning to earth.
Vlad, enraged by Danny's insults, used his powers to break free of the ice that imprisoned him and gave pursuit, shooting away at them as he went. Most of his shots went wide and didn't hit anything, but a few hit his space station, and one bounced off of the outer hull and hit the fuel tank, setting it ablaze.
"The fusion reactor. If the flames reach it, it will explode!" Vlad said in a panic, making haste towards the station to board a lifeboat.
"Taking my map. Destroying my satellite. Mocking my mental health. It's time I finally finish off Danny Phantom, once and for all!" he said with clear animosity as he boarded his lifeboat, the station was shaking violently around him as he did so.
Vlad's ship shot off, putting as much distance between himself and the satellite as he could. Only a few seconds later the station blew up in a massive fire ball, sending a large shock wave through the asteroid belt. But, fortunately, no asteroids were blasted out of the ring surrounding the planet.
"And I know just the thing to do so." Vlad continued as if nothing had just happened.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny, Sam, and Tucker were walking down the street, enjoying yet another victory against Vlad.
"Ahh, home sweet home. Nothing like good old solid Terra firma." Sam remarked.
"I thought you liked being in space, Sam. All that infinite darkness everywhere." Danny said in good humor.
"Yeah, well. I like my darkness with a little more oxygen, and a lot less asteroids," she responded with a smirk.
"Still, it's cool we were able to help out Frostbite. I'll bet he'll be glad to get his map back, " Tucker added as he held up the map which glowed a pale white blue.
"Yeah, we'll return it to him as soon as we can. But right now though, I'm with Sam. It's good to be back to where things are normal," Danny commented, only to be interrupted when his father's voice sounded over the P.A. system of their family's truck.
"Attention, Amity Park! The Fentons are on patrol. Rest assured, the streets are safe," he announced as he drove like a mad man, crashing and bumping into all sorts of things before finally smashing into a fire hydrant, coming to a stop in a geyser of water. "Eeh, city water supply A okay."
"Yep, normal," Tucker said with an unimpressed look.
Suddenly, Danny felt a cold sensation creep up on him. Starting in his gut, but moving upwards and forming a puff of cold air coming out of his mouth.
Sam, Tucker and Danny refocused their attention to a store nearby as the front was blown out, and an all too familiar silhouette could be seen in the smoke.
"Hahahaaa! Nothing like a lazy day of shopping, lattes and terrorizing the minimum wage workers. BOO." Nicolai Technus proclaimed as he turned to the terrified store clerk, making him scream out as he ran away.
"I'm going ghost!" Danny said out loud as he ran into a nearby alley, transforming into his alter-ego.
"Well look on the bright side, at least I'm not downloading them illegally," Technus said to the store manager lying at his feet as he took several DVDs and put them in his bag.
"Next register, cyberjerk," Danny shouted as he slammed Technus away, sending him, and the various pieces of technology that he was holding, flying through the wall and crashing on the street below.
Not taking kindly to such treatment, Technus immediately used his control of all things technological to fuse together a random car and the various computer components that were lying around him.
"Behold ghost creep! The perfect combination of technology, past and present. The carputer," —he indicated the large robot that he had just created.— "It will drive you, to your doom, haha," he said in a poor attempt to sound diabolical, but the cheesy line and too much emphasis on the overall wording completely ruined his intended threat.
Nonetheless, Danny flew towards the robot in an attack, only for the machine to pop its hood and propel its engine block towards Danny.
Not expecting this, the heavy machinery slammed into Danny, and he was sent flying into a nearby wall.
The carputer retracted the engine and put it back inside itself while Danny groaned and sat back up.
"Great, my first car accident, and I am not even driving yet," Danny said, trying to put some humor into the situation as he saw the robot drive away, going straight towards Sam and Tucker.
"Hey," Danny yelled at the robot before he started coughing from the smoke left behind by the machine. "Tucker! Sam!"
Tucker and Sam shouted in alarm as they saw the behemoth hurtle towards them, jumping out of the way at the last second as their fear paralyzed minds struggled to make sense of it all.
"Are you alright?" Danny asked both while helping Sam back up.
"Y-yeah, I'm alright," Sam responded.
"Me too, it will take more than that to take down all of this," Tucker replied while indicating his wholesome. "It just took us by surprise."
"Good, now stay clear, it's time to wreck this rust bucket," Danny told his friends as he flew towards the robot at high-speed.
The carputer was just making a U-turn for another attempt to attack either Danny, or his friends, when Danny went intangible and flew inside the machine.
The robot stopped in its tracks and started to claw at itself, trying to get the ghost boy out of its systems. But, as the machine continued its futile attempt to get Danny out, its movements started to slow down. A cold vapor started to rise off of its body in the warm afternoon sun, and ice started to form on its body from the inside out. Metal was creaking and cracks started to form in the weaker parts as the ice continued to push outwards. Error messages were displayed across the screens on the machine as a green glow started to show throughout the cracks in its body.
In a burst of ectoplasm and ice, the machine exploded, leaving Danny in its place as various parts of the robot were sent flying across the street.
"WHAA, you insolent brat. How dare you destroy my precious technology!" Technus yelled at Danny, while Tucker picked the Fenton Thermos out of his backpack and threw it at his friend.
Technus, who was now monologuing on about how he would control all of Earth's technology and use it to destroy Danny, failed to notice this.
Danny simply popped the cap of the thermos, and aimed it at the techno ghost.
"Man, you really don't know when to shut up," he said to Technus, seriously annoyed, having heard such rants before. Then, with a beam of energy, he sucked the techno ghost up inside the thermos and replaced the cap, sealing him in, to be released later back into the Ghost Zone.
"Nice job with that creep," Sam complimented as she approached Danny.
"Yeah, doesn't he ever get tired getting his butt kicked by you!?" Tucker half asked, half mocked as he took the thermos and put it back in his backpack.
By now a crowd had formed around Danny and his friends, cheering for Danny and his latest victory. A mother and her son approached Danny, and the child handed over his Danny Phantom doll and pen for Danny to sign. Unable to keep the large smile off of his face, he took the doll and signed it for the kid.
"Thank you," the boy said as Danny gave back the doll and he hugged it tightly. "You're my hero."
The crowd applauded and cheered for Danny as he flew off, staying low to the ground as Sam and Tucker followed him on foot. The two giving each other a smug grin as they noticed the look on Danny's face.
<<>><<>><<>>
Vlad stood in the library of his mansion, still angry about the insult he got from Danny as he moved to one of his many bookcases. Pulling out a fake book, he activated a hidden mechanism and opened a hidden passageway towards his lab.
Grumbling angrily to himself, he moved down the staircase that presented itself to him.
"Good day, dear," a holographic Maddie greeted as she appeared before him. "Were you successful in acquiring the infimap, oh future ruler of Earth?"
"I was, until Danny Phantom got in my way," Vlad seethed through gritted teeth. "But I know just the thing to get rid of him once and for all. Maddie, restart the cloning program. Bring Mark One out of his growing tank."
Normally Maddie, or the program that was to simulate Maddie, wouldn't hesitate to obey her master. But now several warning signals were going through her system as she accessed the files containing the information about Mark One.
"Oh, great one. You do know that Mark One was locked away for being extremely unstable. Near impossible to contain. As well as that other aspect of Mark One." she said with simulated enthusiasm.
"Yes, yes, I know. Just do it," Vlad snapped at the hologram.
"Rebooting systems. Retrieving Mark One's growth chamber," she announced, a wall sliding down as a large cylindrical tank was brought in by a robotic system; cold vapor billowing off of the tank. "Systems rebooted. Starting... Startup successful. Mark One growing chamber has been retrieved. Commencing with wake up procedure, Vlad. My brilliant and ingenious lamb chops," The hologram said as her programming dictated.
"Good," Vlad walked over to the growing chamber and wiped away some of the condensation that had formed over the glass, looking inside.
An evil grin formed on his face as he could see the occupant of the chamber beginning to stir, waking up after so long frozen in ice. "How long before it's fully awake?"
"Uncertain, cupcake. The entity is far too unstable to tell for certain. However, I estimate it to be around three hours for it to fully wake."
"Good, very good," Vlad said as he turned into his ghost alter-ego and placed his hand on the glass separating him from the being inside. "Wake up, my child. Daddy needs your help."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was chasing the Box Ghost who, once again, for the umpteenth time, had threatened Danny with his boxes of doom and that all should be aware of his acts of pure ghostly terror. Needless to say, Danny wasn't impressed.
So after a slight chase, just to blast the Box Ghost to get rid of some of the frustration that he brought with him, Danny used the Thermos on the Box Ghost, sealing him inside with Technus, who Danny was unable to return to the Ghost Zone because his parents were breaking down the ghost portal to upgrade it.
'This way I can catch ghosts and download songs faster.' Danny remembered his father saying when he asked why he was breaking down the portal.
Shaking his thoughts free, Danny looked around and realized he was in the same store that Technus had destroyed earlier today. The hole in the front sealed with planks and police tape, and a sign that said: Closed for renovation.
Sam and Tucker caught up with Danny shortly after he had caught the ghost. An irritated scowl could be seen on Sam's face.
"Really, Danny? Why do you always let that ghost get to you? You could have caught him from the moment that he showed up. Now we're going to be late for the movie, just because you had to chase him half-way across town."
"Relax, Sam. I'll just fly us back the-" Danny replied nonchalantly, when a puff of cold air cut him off.
Sam, Danny, and Tucker reacted immediately. Pressing their backs together and looking around the abandoned store for any sign of the ghost that was there.
"Do you see anything?" Danny asked both Sam and Tucker.
"Nothing on my side," said Sam.
"Nothing here either," Tucker replied, none of them noticing the mechanized fly that flew over their heads. The cameras for its eyes focusing on the trio, sending the live video feedback to Vlad. "Maybe it was just a fly-by," Tucker suggested.
"No, something is here. I can feel it," Danny said as he continued to scan the area.
A soft slithering sound could be heard, and the three of them snapped their heads towards a darkened corner where they believed the sound came from.
"Who’s there!? Show yourself!" Danny shouted as he took a protective stance in front of his friends.
A low rumbling sound was the only reply Danny got.
"Wait, is that growling or is it just me?" Tucker said
"I don't know, but I don't like this one bit," Danny replied, still unsure of what they were up against.
"WHAAA!" Sam yelled as she jumped away.
"What, what is it!?" Tucker and Danny asked in unison.
"S-some… thing touched my shoulder," Sam said to them as she looked around, trying to find who or whatever it was that had touched her.
"Just stay close by, it has to show itself sooner or later," Danny told them as his hands started to glow green, readying himself for an attack.
"BEHIND YOU!" Tucker yelled at his friend, who had turned around to check up on Sam, not paying attention to what was happening behind him. Because of that, he missed the entity that appeared out of thin air.
Danny turned around in an instant, ready to blast whoever was there. But, as he got a close look at the ghost that had appeared behind him, he was unable to do anything other than just stare in shock.
The ghost now before him was unlike any he had ever seen before. And that was saying something, considering the things he had dealt with.
It was twice the size of Danny, had long arms that ended in three digit claws, and didn't seem to have any legs. Instead, the creature had two intangible, ghost-like tails twisting and curling around each other.
The creature was also pale to a point, it would have put a corpse to shame. The creature also appeared to be wearing some kind of black suit, looking more like a large ink stain on the ghost’s pale skin, with a white smudge on its chest. Its hair, if that is what you could call it, appeared to be several intangible tentacle-like strands, moving around in a wind that wasn't there.
But the thing that Danny, Sam, and Tucker noticed first, and what caused their shock, was its face, or lack of it. There were no eyes to speak of, no nose or any other facial features. Except a mouth. A very large, oversized mouth that held large, sharp teeth, grinning down at the stunned trio.
"WHAA, wh-what is that thing!?" Sam yelled as she reared back as fast as she could, followed closely by Tucker and Danny.
"I-I don't know. I've never seen anything like it," Tucker said
"Neither have I, but that won’t stop me from beating up ugly over here," Danny told them as he overcame his shock and channeled energy back in his hands. "Stay behind me, I don't know what this thing is capable of, but if it is anything like it's looks, it's gonna be ugly."
"Right," both Sam and Tucker said. The two of them fell back a bit to give Danny more room.
Danny started to circle around the unknown ghost, trying him out, but making sure that his friends stayed out of the line of fire. Not that he had a hard time doing that. The ghost seemed only interested in him for some reason.
Making sure he got the drop on him, Danny fired the first shot, seeing just how tough his opponent was. But to the surprise of himself and his friends, the shot didn't seem to harm the ghost at all. In fact, it seemed to absorb the energy he had fired at it.
"What!?" Danny half yelled, unable to believe what had just happened while blasting the ghost with more shots, hoping that it would do something.
"It absorbs your energy, try something else!" Sam shouted
"Like what?" Danny asked as he flew around the ghost, still waiting for it to attack.
"Try hitting it harder, maybe you need to overload him or something," Tucker suggested, and Danny did just that.
Channeling energy in both his hands, he shot two separate beams of ectoplasm. Then he formed a large ball of ice in between his hands and threw it at the ghost, thinking that it would freeze him solid. But when the cold vapor dissipated, the ghost was still there. Unfrozen and unfazed from any of Danny's attacks.
"You've got to be kidding me. What does it take to take this guy out?" Danny questioned when the ghost started to move.
It raised its right claw and channeled energy into it, making it glow green. While in its other claw, a large ball of snow and ice formed.
Danny, too stunned by what he just saw happening, didn't react fast enough as the ghost shot the double attack at him. He got hit by the ectoplasmic shot, blasting him away, but saving him from the ball of ice, which hit the wall behind him and froze it solid.
Groaning, Danny got back up. "Did this guy just hit me with my own attacks?"
"Danny, stop using your powers against this thing!" Sam shouted.
"Then what should I do? Beat it in a beauty contest?"
"Oh will you just stop the jokes and focus. If you can't hit it with your powers, try hitting it with your fists," Sam shot back, irritated, not in the mood for more of his stupid jokes.
"Right, I can do that." Danny said as he shot off, picking up as much speed as he could in the short distance to increase the force of his punch.
Meanwhile, Tucker was hard at work on his laptop he had brought with him, using some of his custom scanning software to analyze the ghost in order to find some weakness, or other to exploit. What he found, however, made his blood run cold.
"Danny, stop! Don't hit that thing!" But it was already too late.
Danny hit the ghost with all the strength and speed that he had, delivering what would have been a bone crushing blow to the ghost, had it been human. But instead of flying back from the force and roaring out in pain as Danny expected to happen, he punched straight through the ghost. Not because he went intangible, but a clean punch straight through its chest.
Glowing ectoplasm seeped out of the holes in its body, and over Danny's arm. But instead of just flowing out of the wound, it started to move in an unnatural way. Quickly covering Danny's arm, the slime-like material began to spread across the rest of his body.
Danny began to struggle to pull himself free, feet firmly planted on the ground, but the ectoplasm held him securely in place.
Panicking, Danny went intangible. However, he soon realized this was a bad idea.
He cried out in agony as he felt something inside him, an invasive force that quickly began to drain his strength. The ectoplasm that was covering his hand started to glow even brighter as its spread quickened.
"Wha- what is happening!?" Sam asked in shock as she watched Danny struggle to free himself, clearly in pain.
"This- this thing, its molecular structure is beyond unstable. It doesn't have any powers of its own. Instead, it absorbs the powers of others and uses them against them. It’s a parasite!" Tucker explained in a hurried pace, rapidly typing on his laptop's keyboard in an effort to find a weak spot they could exploit.
Danny was struggling to free himself, despite the pain he was forced to endure. No matter how bad it was, it was still nothing compared with the pain he felt when he was hit by the ghost portal. So, gritting his teeth, he planted his feet against the ghost and pushed with all his strength.
Slowly he was able to pull his arm out of his opponent, and the glow of the ectoplasm started to diminish as he did so.
With a yell and a mighty pull he was able to free himself. But just as he pulled free, a large energy explosion occurred between the two beings.
What Danny had failed to realize, as he pulled free, the energy that had drained from him rushed back, blowing him away in a burst of green ectoplasm and ice.
He hit a nearby wall, hard,l. Slumping to the floor, slipping in and out of consciousness.
The ghost slowly turned to Danny, who was in no state to continue fighting. The ghost might not have been able to fully suck the boy dry, but it still had much of the stolen energy at it’s disposal. Energy it was now channeling into it’s hands to send a lethal projectile to finish Danny off. Just as his father wanted.
<<>><<>><<>>
Energy continued to build in its hands, the color shifting from green to ice blue sporadically, illuminating the entire store in a glow that could be seen for blocks.
Danny groaned as he struggled to get back up, his vision fading in and out of focus, the room spinning around him.
With Danny down for the count, the creature finally brought its arms to bear, preparing to unleash the super-charged energy.
"Danny, get up! You need to get out of there!" Tucker screamed.
The ghost fired the stolen energy at Danny in a large beam of freezing, ectoplasmic destruction.
"DANNY!" Sam yelled as she rushed to his aid.
Time slowed down to a crawl as adrenaline rushed through her veins. Danny was in danger, and she had to save him, somehow. Danny, who was her ally, her partner, her friend. And now, as she saw the sinister beam of energy arcing towards him, she realized he was much more.
With a push, she shoved Danny out of the way, only to find herself to be in the path of destruction.
Sam's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she raised her arms in front of her in an attempt to shield herself, even though she knew that doing so would do nothing to protect her.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker could only look in horror as the events unfolded before him.
Danny laid sprawled out on the ground. Still weak, but the shove Sam gave him was enough to knock some sense into him. He opened his eyes, and focused on Sam, but soon wished he hadn’t. Danny could only watch, powerless to do anything as Sam was struck by the beam.
When it finally reached her, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that shattered the silence of the morning. The energy was both hot and cold, burning and freezing her as her body was torn apart.
Danny could see her silhouette, and he watched as it slowly dissolved into thin air.
It was an image that would haunt him forever.
It was over in mere seconds, but for Danny it lasted a lifetime. He could still hear her screams, still see her be vaporized right before him. He watched, tears forming as the last of the dust that had once been Sam slowly settled on where she had made her stand. Nothing was left but a black scorch mark on the ground.
"No!" Danny began "NONONONONO! SAM NOOOOO!" Danny yelled at the tops of his lungs as a pure white blue glow surrounded his hands. "NNNOOOOOO-"
<<>><<>><<>>
"-OOOOOO." Danny yelled as he shot up in his bed, covered in a cold sweat, panting for air as he saw his surroundings and calmed down.
Holding his head with a hand, he sat there for several long minutes, lost in thought.
After a while he got out of his bed, and made his way to the bathroom, not bothering to turn on the lights as he knew the route all too well by now. This wasn't the first time he had that nightmare, and it wouldn't be the last.
He flicked the light on in the bathroom, and was momentarily blinded by the glare as he made his way to the sink. Running a cold stream of water out of the faucet, he cupped his hands and filled them up before splashing the cold liquid in his face.
Looking up he saw himself in the mirror. Water dripping off his face, bags under his eyes and a beard starting to grow.
"Six years," Danny croaked to his reflection, his voice a lot deeper now as the twenty one year old continued to stare at himself.
"Six years," he repeated. It had been six years since the incident. Six years since Sam had died. Six years of torment where his dreams made him relive his greatest failure, and the waking world had shunted him out.
Although he was unable to remember what had happened right after Sam was killed, he could clearly remember what happened shortly after that.
<<>><<>><<>>
A huge crater now enveloped half of the block, the store and the surrounding buildings now nothing more than a pile of rubble at the bottom. Water was shooting out of ruptured pipes, quickly filling up the hole.
Tucker was lying unconscious several meters away from Danny, while Danny, now back in his human form, slowly crawled over to his friend, all the while noticing just how weak and in pain he was himself. His shocked mind had temporarily forgotten about Sam, and what had happened to her, as he forced his way to Tucker.
"Hey, there are children down there!" someone yelled as a large group of people started to gather around the crater to see what had happened.
Danny could see blurs rush towards himself and Tucker as he continued his struggle to reach his friend. He felt hands on his back as they rolled him over.
"Just calm down kid, help is on the way," one of the blurs said to him. He didn't know who, but it didn’t matter as he slipped into unconsciousness shortly after.
<<>><<>><<>>
A tall, dark cloaked figure stood on one of the buildings near the disaster zone, staring down with piercing red eyes. Next to him hovered a translucent figure, completely lost in thought as she stared at the destruction down below, as well as her own body, which consisted of nothing but spectral wisps and energy.
"Come, child," the dark figure spoke. "It's time to go."
"Bu- But my friends. I need to help them," she countered desperately, her voice hoarse.
"If that is the path before you, so be it. But this is neither the time nor place to make such a choice. This path you were on is now closed, forever. But a new way might present itself to you… Depending on which path you will chose now."
"And what choice might that be?"
"A chance to help Danny when he needs it most," a new voice answered, and Sam's eyes widened as she saw Clockwork hover behind her. "Come," he said, opening a portal to his hall of time. "We have much to discuss."
Lost and confused, Sam looked down at the crater as paramedics rushed to the site, knowing that, as she was now, she couldn't do anything. "A- alright," she stammered, moving through the hole in reality, Clockwork following behind her, nodding to the tall figure as he left.
Now standing alone, the tall being looked down at Danny, seeing his unconscious form carried into an ambulance.
"What path has Destiny laid before you, I wonder?" he mused as he tightened his grip on his scythe, before vanishing into thin air.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny awoke at the sound of a constant beeping. It was faint at first, but it became louder and louder as he came to.
Slowly he opened his eyes, shutting them close an instant later as he was immediately blinded by the light, making him groan weakly.
"Danny!" he heard a woman say out loud.
She sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it at the moment as his mind was still trying to catch up with recent events.
He felt arms wrap around him as he was pulled into a hug. Pain shot through his body, making him grunt in response. The arms around him loosened immediately as the one the limbs belonged to reared back, not wanting to hurt him.
"Oh, my little boy. Are you alright? Please say something, honey?"
Danny opened his eyes again, and kept them open as his eyes adjusted to the light.
Slowly the face of his mother came into focus. His father and his sister, Jazz, stood off to the side.
"Mom," he croaked, his voice weak.
"Yes, honey. Mommy's here," Maddie said as she held her son's hand.
"Are you alright little brother?" Jazz asked, worried.
"I- I don't know," Danny struggled to say, his throat sore from dehydration. His mother, sensing this, poured a glass of water from the pitcher next to his bed and helped him drink.
"Don't you worry, Danny. We'll catch the ghost that did this to you and your friends," his father said, and Danny's mind jump-started, memories flooding back.
"Wait, what about Sam and Tucker?" he asked, able to talk a bit better after the water.
"Tucker is alright dear, just a few cuts and bruises. His parents are with him right now," Maddie told him.
"And Sam?" Maddie, Jack, and Jazz shared an uneasy look between each other.
"Mom!?" Danny half asked, half stated.
"I-I'm sorry dear, but we don't know. She wasn't with you when Tucker and you were found. Her parents are desperate, they've been looking all over town trying to find her. They were hoping you, or Tucker, would be able to tell them what had happened."
Danny's mind snapped back to the store, back to the floor where he had lay, helpless Looking at Sam just as she was....
"Noo, Sam," Danny said, heartbroken. He wrapped his arms around himself, tears once again beginning to form. This very moment made him realize just how much she had meant to him, and that he should have said something, anything. Now this would be impossible.
"No? Danny, what's wrong?" His mother asked, worried. Never seen her son like this. Sad, yes. But completely shaken, heartbroken, and in tears? This wasn’t like him at all.
"I-I think the reason that you can't find Sam is..." —Danny could hear Sam's scream as he saw her body slowly dissolve into thin air— "B-because there I-isn't anything le-left to find," he struggled to say before breaking down. His parents and sister all had a look of horror on their face.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny slowly made his way through the junk lying around his crappy apartment.
He'd been living here for a couple of years now, hiding himself from the world outside.
The place was a disaster, and not just from the mess he had made. It had always been a pile of junk, but it was cheap, out of the way, and the only thing he could afford.
As he sat down on a worn out couch, he recalled the rest of what had happened after he woke up in the hospital.
He remembered going to Tucker's room, asking him what he could remember of that fateful day. But to no surprise, his friend could recall just as much as he could up until Sam's demise. And after that, nothing. Nothing but a haunted look in his eyes.
After a few days of recovery, the boys were given the all clear and were free to leave.
But on the way out, the press were hounding them for an interview, overwhelming them with questions until their parents stepped in. With Maddie threatening any that would bother her son with a swift karate kick to a place the sun doesn't shine. And Jack, who normally would be quite dense and random, was serious and protective. Intimidating any and all with his size, while forging a path through the crowd. Tucker's father, Robert, made sure his son stayed as close to him as possible; putting some distance between them and the Fentons, while also keeping the press at bay as they followed behind Jack. His wife, Mary, however, punched a rather pushy reporter in the face as he tried to get a hold of her son.
Then, of course, there were the reports. They started out as innocent as most news reports. "The investigation is still under way" or: "No official statement has been made." and: "Ghosts are reported to have been on the site." And so on. That was, until a video appeared, provided by the city’s 'good hearted' mayor, Vlad Masters.
Of course, the video was of poor quality, but it showed some of the things that have transpired in the store. Mainly, Danny Phantom shooting and blasting away, but never the other ghost, as there would be static interference in the video every time it seemed the ghost would appear. But the real kicker was the scream; Sam's pained, ear-splitting scream went worldwide over the television, shocking all who tuned in.
Sam's parents completely broke down after that. They, as well as the rest of the world, turned against Danny Phantom who, as they believed from that compelling evidence, had killed an innocent girl for no reason whatsoever. Only a very select few knew what really happened that day, but Jazz, Tucker, and Danny couldn't do anything to prove Danny Phantom's innocence. And they could only watch as Danny Phantom, the hero of Amity Park, became Danny Phantom, the terror of Amity Park.
Danny dragged a hand down his face as he sighed out loud, reaching for the only thing that had any meaning to him in this junk heap, and the only thing he actually took care of; a framed picture from him and his friends.
It was taken about a half year after Danny gained his powers. Showing the three of them happy and alive, still young and without a care in the world.
How much he wished he could go back to those days.
"I'm so sorry, Sam," he said as he looked at the picture, tears forming in his eyes. "It should have been me, would have been me if I only could have gotten up. If only I hadn’t been so weak! Then you wouldn't have had to save me. You could still be alive. How would things have turned out if none of this had happened? Would we have ended up a couple? It most certainly would have been better than my life is now."
He certainly believed this to be true. Danny had closed in on himself shortly after the incident. Only his parents, Jazz, and Tucker seemed to be able to talk to him. His grades in school had dropped until, one day, he stopped going altogether. Soon, he disappeared without a trace, and only Tucker and Jazz knew where he went.
For months Danny had searched the Ghost Zone, hoping, against all odds, that Sam had chosen to come back.
Fortunately he still had the infi-map from Frostbite.
With the ghost portal from his parents out of commission, Danny needed another way into the Ghost Zone, and the map showed him the location of the natural forming ghost portals. But as the months drew on, and no sign of Sam could be found, one day Danny finally had to admit the unthinkable. That Sam was gone, and that he wouldn’t find her, no matter how long he searched the Ghost Zone. It was after realizing this that he finally ran away.
Without an education and not of adult age, Danny had struggled to get by, taking whatever job he could get. Eventually, he found a crap job that paid just enough for him to afford his run down apartment, and to save up just the tiniest amount of money for his end goal.
The apartment he owned consisted of a living room with the bed located in it, a small bathroom with plumbing that didn't work half the time, and more holes in the roof than Swiss Cheese. It was better than the street, but just barely.
Of course things would be easier with his ghost powers, but Danny didn't use them anymore. When he first got them he was scared, confused. Then, when he learned to use them, he got confident, sometimes even a bit arrogant. And now? Sam had died protecting him while it should be the other way around. Having all those powers and still unable to do anything, Danny, as well as the rest of the world, had lost faith in Danny Phantom.
Soon enough, he stopped transforming altogether. Instead, he became the broken human, struggling to get by, and burdened with a crushing guilt.
In fact, the only reason he used his powers these days was to let out some of the ice that would build up, just so he wouldn't freeze up. But other than that, he didn't use them at all.
"I need to get out of here." Danny spoke to the picture. "There is nothing left for me here. The people hate my guts, even though I didn't do what they accuse me off. My life is a mess, and I really hate my job at that horrible fast food place. I need a fresh start, a new place to recreate myself. I'm going to move to that strange world that revealed itself to us all those years ago," Danny said as he remembered that particular incident, which, ironically, was also his doing.
The day he saved Amity Park, and accidentally opened the first of many tears leading to the world of Equestria.
Scaring a whole lot of ponies when it happened.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Now leave my town alone!" a trio of voices shouted simultaneously as Danny, and his two duplicates, stood before the prone Pariah Dark, seeing him struggle to push himself up, raising his head to meet the eyes of the human ghosts standing before him.
Danny and his duplicates raised the large fist of their Ecto-skeleton, and they delivered a bone crushing downward strike with a loud WHAM!
The ghost king's head slammed into the floor, bouncing hard and causing his hold on the city to slip momentarily, and the dark green void Amity Park found itself in faded back to the blue of their sky, before the Ghost Zone's ghastly shades of green reasserted themselves around the beleaguered city.
Pulling himself up, Pariah gave the three Dannys a death glare, before he flew up and landed on his feet, his mace tightly grasped in his grip, a glowing red surrounding the ancient weapon.
Shooting a beam of malevolent red energy at them, he managed to hit one of the Dannys, causing him to vanish in a burst of energy.
"Surrender, child. You can not possibly win," he said with an evil smile.
"I don't have to win!" Danny said defiantly, the mechanized hands of his battle armor glowing an icy blue, with twin bands of energy crossing in an X surrounded them.
Shooting at the wall in the back of the king's ancient castle, he exposed the sarcophagus hidden behind it.
"I just have to make sure that you lose!" Danny yelled defiantly, his hands smoking from the energy spent, while his remaining clone flew towards the sarcophagus, opening it.
Pariah stepped back in shock as he saw the instrument of his imprisonment, his mouth open in a silent scream.
The Danny standing next to the sarcophagus lifted his hand. Pointing a single finger at the king, he shot a tiny beam of energy at him, knocking off the Crown of Fire, depriving him of its power.
The crown flew into the waiting hands of the real Danny, who looked at it with a shadow over his eyes, a victorious smirk on his face.
"NOOOO!" Pariah yelled, and Danny threw away the crown and used his armor thrusters to shoot forwards. Hitting Pariah in the back, he pushed him towards the sarcophagus, using everything he had.
With the thrusters in overdrive, Danny shot forwards, hurling Pariah Dark into the sarcophagus while his duplicate slammed the sarcophagus shut. The two joined together again while Danny held onto the king's prison, making sure he wouldn't break free while it was putting him back into his eternal sleep.
A bright flash surrounded Danny, and twin rings of glowing blue crossing in an X surrounded him, before expanding outwards in the blink of an eye, soon surrounding the entire city of Amity Park.
Sweat poured down his face as he held onto the sarcophagus, watching with a worried expression as the suit's energy meter dwindled rapidly. Energy drawn from himself.
Pariah bellowed in rage as he struggled to break free, and Danny closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he poured the last of his strength into this final effort, hoping it was enough.
The world went dark, and Danny slid down to the floor as Vlad Plasmius inserted the key into the sarcophagus' lock, sealing the king inside.
Another burst of energy surrounded the sarcophagus as Pariah let out his last screams of defeat, and all of Amity Park finally returned to its proper place on Earth as the king's hold over the reality shift vanished. However, at the threshold between the living world and the Ghost Zone floated a single door. A door that had drifted there at random, and was caught in the transition from one reality to another.
The door, long forgotten among the literally countless numbers of floating doors found in the zone, was torn to pieces, and a massive burst of energy detonated from it as it was forcefully moved into the world of the living.
It was a wild energy, something that was powerful enough to break through the layers of reality that separated worlds. And now it was running wild as it spiraled and looped through the world, trying to reassert itself and continue its task of leading from one world to the other.
And, as Amity Park finally stabilized its existence on Earth, the wild energy also found a foothold, right in the center of the city.
A burst of light erupted from the location, and the few humans there screamed in fear as they ran away from the rippling air. A massive ripple in the fabric of reality moved over the Earth as electrical sparks shot out of the center of the forming tear in reality, and the sound of a vacuum in reverse echoed throughout the streets.
A couple of brave, or, more likely, foolish people stood there gawking, watching the air open up before them as another world revealed itself to them. A world full of panicking ponies.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Yeah, I'm going to Equestria guys. There aren't any ghosts there, and with my human side I will be able to finally get a life. Finally move on, I hope. It will be difficult, though. But anything is better than this messed up life that I have now, right?" He asked the picture, receiving no reply.
Sighing, he set the picture back. It was still early, but he wouldn't be able to sleep after that nightmare, the memory of his failure. So instead, he spent the next several hours packing up and cleaning some of the junk in his home. Luckily it wasn't much work. He didn't have many personal possessions; he couldn't afford them. The picture was the only thing worth anything to him. As for the junk lying around, most of it was made up from discarded pizza boxes.
'The box ghost would feel right at home.' Danny thought as he sifted through them, piling them up, searching for anything underneath of them that he might have forgotten about.
He had been thinking about going to Equestria for a long time now, but every time he would find some excuse not to go; always ending up thinking that, somehow, he would bring some kind of disaster to the relatively peaceful world of those ponies, seeing how disasters always seemed to follow him around. It took a long time, and many more nightmares, before he finally decided to go.
Now, several hours later, with his apartment looking just a little bit cleaner, he finished packing the few personal items that he had collected over the years into his backpack. He then gave one last look at his run-down home.
"This place is a dump," he said, repeating his words from when he started living there. "I most certainly won't miss this."
He then made himself a quick meal, consisting of some cold pizza still lying around, and some water. A quick shower followed, then he put on some mildly clean clothes. After that, he grabbed the single item that he spent months saving up his money for. The confirmation pass that would grant him passage through the closest portal, and send him on his way into this new world.
Nowadays you need these passes to go through the portals so the authorities can keep track of those going through, and weed out any potential ghosts that had overshadowed some unsuspecting victim. This was partially done by making everyone walk through a device similar to a metal detector in design. But the similarities ended with the ghost shield you would walk through, driving out any ghosts that tried to slip through by means of possession. Luckily those shields didn't work on him while he was in his human form, so he didn't have to worry about that.
When the time on his watch told him it was almost one o'clock, he readied himself to leave. He picked up his backpack, his pass to enter Equestria, and, most importantly, the picture of his friends and himself. Looking around one last time to make sure he didn't forget anything, he sighed, shook his head, and left. He had stopped paying his rent some time ago, making it possible for him to save up the last of the money needed to buy the pass. Soon the landlord would find out he wasn't there any more.
Stepping outside in the early afternoon sun, he shielded his eyes from the light. Keeping his home in the dark most of the time, and only going outside to work or get some groceries, he was unaccustomed to the light. But, after blinking a few times to get rid of the spots in his vision, he made his way over to the bus stop and waited for the next bus to take him to the city next over where the portal he had passage for was located.
Danny thought it was lucky that he still had some of his life savings left. Even after the bus ride, and other expenses to get to his fresh start, he would still have a small amount left that he could change for the local currency, and hopefully rent a motel room for a duration while he searched for work.
The bus came after a few minutes and, after paying for his ride, Danny sat as far back as he could. Keeping himself as low as possible, he settled in for the ride ahead. A small spark of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, things would be better there.
He just hoped his past wouldn't follow him into his new life.
"Alright, everypony. On your stations," a mare ordered as she looked over her checklist, displayed on her tablet. "The next tear is scheduled to open soon, and we are expecting another group of humans, as well as some ponies coming through."
"Yes, Ma'am," came the combined reply of multiple ponies, going to and fro as they prepared the embarkation hall for the next arrival.
"Is the scanner up and running?" The mare asked.
"Yes, working like a charm," one of the workers answered, and she hummed in satisfaction.
"Good," she nodded, before addressing everypony present. "Keep it up, everypony. Equestria's safety against the ghosts starts right here. Work hard, and work smart."
A chorus of confirmation made her smile broadly, and she looked at the still closed tear; a strange waver in the air. 'Today is going to be another great day. I just know it.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stared mindlessly out of the window as buildings and streets blurred by, the colors of the world faded away into nothing but gray and black. He hadn’t wanted to admit it; he couldn't bring himself to admit it, as it would mean accepting the harsh truth; a truth he wouldn't, nor couldn't accept.
He sat motionless like that for what seemed like hours... or it could have been days; the passing of time seemingly grinded to a halt. Eventually, the line of cars came to a stop as they arrived at their intended destination, and Danny exited the vehicle with numb motions.
He never wanted to be there; not now, not ever; it wasn't right, any of it. Nothing in the world seemed as it should be, and it was as if he was the only one able to see it. Yet he knew, deep down, it was him, and not the world around him that was out of balance; a tightening in his chest which he tried his hardest to ignore.
He didn't want to do this, because doing this would make it permanent: accepting the fact that Sam was gone. He just couldn't accept that, not yet. Not until he was sure that she wasn't out there, somewhere. Lost in that endless green expanse, roaming around in the Ghost Zone.
They all gathered around a tall, covered statue; friends, and family alike. Even Vlad Masters was there, and Danny immediately knew it wasn't good news.
No one spoke, the only sound was the quiet sobs and faint crying that broke the suffocating silence.
Finally, Sam's parents stepped forward, beginning to speak to the gathered crowd, struggling with what they were saying. Danny didn't listen, however. Her own parents might have accepted her fate, but that didn’t mean he had to give up as well.
Jeremy and Pamela Manson struggled to end their small speech, before pulling away the drape covering the statue.
Being the rich family they are, they didn't spare any expenses. The statue showed Sam as who she was; defiant and full of life, but with her all too familiar dark look on things. Made from marble, well over two meters high... a thorn in Danny's eye.
He knew that Sam wouldn't want this, and especially not a statue made from marble. Instead, it should have been made from recycled materials, just like an Ultra Recyclo Vegetarian would have liked.
As Sam's parents stepped away, Vlad took their place.
"Friends and family of Samantha Manson. I know the last thing you want is an interruption in your time of grief, but I found it necessary to make an appearance to give you the following news. In light of recent events, I have put together a specialized teen ghost fighting team. They are responsible for safeguarding our fair city and, most importantly, to catch Danny Phantom. Do know that the terror of Amity Park will be caught and brought to justice," —Vlad gave a sideways glance to Danny— " He shall not be allowed to harm anyone else. I know that dear Samantha's death was unnecessary, but not in vain. Her death showed the true nature of Danny Phantom, and that no ghost can be trusted. She shall become the symbol in our fight against these ectoplasmic freaks and thus, be always remembered. Thank you."
Faint applause could be heard after he finished, but it quickly died down; their hearts were not into it.
As Vlad walked away, his eyes connected with Danny's for a brief moment and Danny could see the same arrogance, and evil in them. But there was also something else there as well; something Danny never thought he would see in there: fear. Fear of him as Vlad looked at him. Although Danny didn't know it, Vlad had one of his spy drones in the store during the incident. He saw everything that transpired and what happened to Danny, after Sam's demise.
'That power, where did it come from?' Vlad thought as he saw a look of anger and defiance in the young boy's eyes.
All the people present said their goodbyes to the statue, it was the closest thing to a memento they had, since there was no body to bury. And, as the crowd slowly diminished, only Jazz, Tucker and Danny remained. Their parents staying back a bit, waiting for their children to leave, but giving them the time to say their goodbyes in peace.
Jazz and Tucker stood waiting for Danny, already having said their goodbyes, leaving them wondering why he hadn’t done the same. But when they noticed Danny looked at the statue with anger, they had to intervene.
"Dude, are you alright?" Tucker asked as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"No, I'm not. In fact, I should be asking the same thing to you. I can't believe we’re actually here, instead of looking for her," Danny replied angrily.
"What do you mean, looking for her?" Jazz asked.
"Oh, come on, sis. Think!" Danny snapped.
"Wait, you don't think… Dude, no. I know that there is a chance that she could have come back, but don't you think that she would have found a way to contact us by now?" Tucker told his friend, realizing what he was getting at.
"Wait, you think that Sam is still out there?" Jazz asked as she caught on.
"Well, duh," Danny snapped aggressively. "And instead of us just standing here and talking to a dumb statue, we could be out there looking for her."
"Danny, as much as I want that to be true, I have to agree with Tucker. It has been several days now. If Sam had come back, she would have found a way back to us by now," Jazz told her brother.
"How can you?"
"What? What did you say?" Tucker asked, unable to hear what Danny whispered.
"How can you?!" Danny half yelled, making sure that their parents wouldn't hear him. He didn't want to deal with that too, while Tucker and Jazz reared back from the outburst.
"How can you just give up on her?! There is still a chance that she is out there, in the Ghost Zone. Instead, you just say goodbye to a statue and walk away. How can you do something like that!?" Danny seethed, his hands balled into fists, shaking from anger because of the unbelievable foolishness of his friend and sister.
"Danny, I know that this is hard, but you have to face facts. Sam is gone, there wasn't even a body left. You said so yourself," Jazz stepped in, trying to defuse the situation.
"Exactly. There wasn't a body, so she might still be out there somewhere. And you just quit when she needs our help the most. Well, fine then. You just talk to this stupid statue, but I’ll go looking for her. The way I see it, you can either help me, or leave me be; but don't try to convince me that she's gone! I know she’s still out there somewhere, and I'm going to find her." And with those last words, Danny stormed off, leaving a stunned Jazz and Tucker behind; never giving them a chance to tell him that they would never give up on Sam, but they just didn't know what to do. And their parents, who were watching the whole scene, were left with unanswered questions.
<<>><<>><<>>
Shortly after he came home from the ceremony, Danny locked himself up in his room. At least, that’s what his parents thought. In reality, he went into the Ghost Zone, using the Infi-map to guide him to a natural portal.
His parents had stopped their work on the ghost portal halfway through after what had happened, so he couldn't rely on that.
He also released the Box Ghost and Technus, but it was more as an afterthought, knowing that is what Sam would have done, and he went on his way to find her.
As Danny found his way back into the Ghost Zone, he only had one destination in mind; Clockwork’s Lair. He had first encountered this enigmatic guardian through a tragic event, not unlike the situation he found himself in at that moment.
He tried his best not to recall that dark incident. His family, his closest friends, and his teacher, Mister Lancer, had all died in a freak accident at a restaurant.
His teacher had wanted to meet Danny’s parents there because the young man had cheated on his Career Aptitude Test, or CAT test for short. Mister Lancer knew that Danny had the answers, and didn't tell him. So when Danny used them to cheat, Lancer called his parents for a meeting. Why he chose the abandoned Nasty Burger, the local fast food place, Danny didn't know, but it was a choice that would cost him dearly.
A large explosion destroyed the place and took Lancer, Jack, and Maddie with it. Jazz was there too, as were Sam and Tucker. They all died in the explosion. An explosion that would send Danny on a path of darkness, destroying everything in his path.
It was during that time when a ghost called Clockwork came to Danny before he did the test, and tried to destroy him; trying to prevent that future before it happened, as was his duty. This ghost watched over and protected the timeline and, on some rare occasions, changed the outcome of a singular incident.
At first, Clockwork tried to destroy Danny. But after Danny learned the truth, and even tried to prevent that future from happening, Clockwork gave him a second chance: a chance Danny gave to so many ghosts himself. Then, using his control over time, Clockwork saved his friends, family and teacher, stopping the tragedy that would lead to Danny's downfall from happening.
With this in mind, Danny headed over to Clockwork's lair, hoping he would allow him to go back in time and save Sam.
<<>><<>><<>>
"No, absolutely not!"
"What!? But why not? Why won't you allow me to go back and save her?" Danny half-begged the time ghost.
"There are many reasons, Daniel: First off, I already saved her once; a second time would cause a paradox that even I could not stop. Second, if you were to go back and save her, then she would never have died; you wouldn't have had a reason to go back in time to save her and she would die again, and again, and again; it will create a time loop of which there is no escape. Third, going back in time and interacting with your past self is very dangerous; I will not go into detail about that, but it isn't pretty. And the list goes on and on," Clockwork explained, and the small spark of hope Danny felt he was able to save Sam was snuffed out, a vice grip taking hold of his heart. It was almost as if he had lost her all over again.
"I..... I see," Danny said with no emotion as he hung his head and flew off.
"Child, wait!" Clockwork called out to Danny, stopping him mid-flight. "You feel lost now, but do know that nothing happens without a reason. Everything is connected, influencing each other. And for every door that closes, another will open. You are lost now, but one day you will find your way. And the answers, you do not yet know you seek, will be found."
Danny didn't give any indication that he understood, or even paid attention to him. Instead, he flew off when Clockwork stopped talking, leaving the time ghost alone in his chamber.
"You do not yet know it, child. But the fates of you and your friend are still connected," Clockwork sighed out as he took a look into Danny's future. "The question is, will you be ready?"
<<>><<>><<>>
After the crushing blow Danny got from Clockwork, he started to search for Sam in the Ghost Zone on his own, but months went by without a sign of her. Even using the infi-map in an attempt to try and find her was of no use, for the map refused to show him the way to her.
In fact, it didn't show him anything. And he was lost even more because of it, as the map that could show the way to anything failed to do so.
In a desperate attempt, Danny asked the map for Sam's location in many different ways, hoping that if he just asked in a certain way, the map would be fooled. Yet each time the map remained stubbornly blank.
"Please, if.. if you can't show me where she is, can you at least show me what happened to her?" Danny asked the map, not even knowing anymore where he was going with this.
Great was his shock when the map flashed, and a dotted line appeared on its surface. Not stopping there, the map launched forwards, sensing the need to find what his wielder needed, and it dragged Danny with him towards its destination.
"Whooaaa!" Danny yelled as he was forcefully dragged along with the map, not knowing where he was going, because the map shot off before Danny could take a look at the destination the map had set.
For several long minutes, the map flew through the green expanse, dragging Danny along as it did so. Several ghosts looked in confusion as they saw a scroll fly by, with the ghost boy holding onto it, screaming all the while.
"Where are you taking me?" Danny asked, to no reply.
"Wait... is that... is that the Ghost Writer's library?" Danny asked, still receiving no answer.
The map continued on its path, flying through the doors of the library, and to the section Danny needed to be.
"It's probably a good thing the Ghost Writer is still in prison for breaking the 'no fighting on Christmas' rule," Danny murmured to himself as the scroll stopped and deposited him on the ground in front of a large bookcase.
"What is this?" he wondered as he looked over the large collection of books in there.
"’The afterlife’ ‘You're dead, now what?’ ‘Ghosting for dummies’," he read some of the titles. "Is this a section for those who recently died and became a ghost?" He asked to no one in particular, not expecting an answer.
"Indeed it is, ghost boy," a voice said, and Danny turned around, hands glowing with ectoplasm, ready to attack the one who had snuck up on him.
"Please don't do that, you might damage the books," an old ghost said as he held up a hand, and Danny took a moment to observe the individual. He wore a cloak with the hood down, and had a large beard, and glasses, which gave him the look of an old monk.
"I am not here to hurt you, only to help you find what you need,” the ghost said. “I am the Librarian. I look over, and take care of all the knowledge in this building. Please, tell me what it is you seek, and maybe I can be of some assistance," the Librarian told Danny, who released the energy in his hand, the glow dying down as he let his arm fall down.
"Sorry about that. Reflexes," Danny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“It's alright, boy. No harm was done. Now, please, tell me what you are looking for?” The Librarian asked again and Danny’s face fell.
"I- do yo-... My friend d-died recently and I was hoping that she would be here, in the Ghost Zone. But I was unable to find her, even with the infi-map," Danny said as he showed the map still in his hands.
"Aahh. The map that knows all locations, all there is, and how to get there. But ghost boy, if the map can't show you what you seek, then this library can't either."
"Yeah, I figured. But when I asked the map to show me what had happened to her, it brought me here."
"Interesting," the Librarian mused as he stroked his beard. "In that case, you are in the right place to be. This section of the library holds the knowledge for newly formed ghosts and the knowledge of Purgatory. The place where we all go to, to choose," he explained as he flew up to a book located on a far-out of reach place, for any creature that couldn’t fly. "Here, this book holds the knowledge about Purgatory," he said as he handed over the book to Danny.
Danny looked at the cover of the book, seeing it was completely black save for the title. "Purgatory," he read the golden title out loud. Opening the book, he expected a wealth of information. But, instead, the pages were blank. "What? What is this?"
"Ah, yes, I thought this might happen. These books are not like the ones of your world, where they are just paper and ink over there, they're so much more here. You see, these books are, if you forgive the poor choice of words, alive. They sense the people holding them, and show them the information they seek. Or sometimes, like your map, they show the information you need. But there is a catch: if you are not allowed to know certain things, the pages will remain blank. Purgatory is an elusive place, only those that have been there may know the secrets of it. You, dear boy, have never died, and so, you have never been there. The knowledge of the dead is not meant for the living," the Librarian Explained to Danny.
"But... then, why did the map bring me here if I am not allowed to know these things!" Danny yelled, becoming truly frustrated.
"The map showed you where you could find the answers you seek, it didn't show you it was in a book, right?" the Librarian asked knowingly.
"Yeah… Ehh… I mean, no. It brought me here, so I assume that it has to do with some of these books, but it didn't show me it was a book I was looking for. How so?" Danny said, not really knowing where the old ghost was going with this.
"You are standing in the library. All the knowledge there is can be found in here, but you are not yet allowed to obtain that what you seek. I, however, can. I will tell you what you need to know, but nothing more. The books work by rules that even I cannot break, only bend from time to time." the librarian explained as he picked up the book and placed it back in its place.
"Wait, don't you need that?" Danny asked, confused.
"Oh-hoho, no, boy. I've been in Purgatory myself, so I know a thing or two from experience. Besides, I've been looking over this place for a very long time now, and I like to pass the time with reading. After all, there is much to read here."
"Oh, right. So what happened to my friend?"
"When one dies, their soul is sent to Purgatory to make a choice."
"A choice? What choice?" Danny asked.
"The choice to remain and return as a specter, or ghost. Or, to move on. To leave the physical plain behind."
"And what happens there?"
"I do not know. I chose to remain, and thus, didn't earn the privilege to know what happens there. Of course, a ghost can return to Purgatory once a year to choose again if they so wish, but I have no need for that."
"But this doesn't answer what happened with my friend. Is she still out there somewhere, or-or did she move on?" Danny struggled with the last part, not wanting to accept that.
"Let's find out, shall we?" And with that strange question, the librarian flew off, leaving a confused half ghost behind.
"Hey, wait!" Danny called out after the librarian, quickly following the ghost. "Where are we going?"
"To find an answer to your question," the librarian replied as he flew through many sections of the library. After about fifteen minutes of flying past thousands and thousands of books, he stopped in front of a bookcase that seemed to stretch on forever in every direction.
"Whoa, what is this?" Danny asked, awed by the sheer size of the construct in front of him.
"This is the place that holds all the knowledge of the living and dead. Every human, ghost and, since you opened a doorway to that other world, every sentient living being there as well. Now tell me, what was your friend's name?"
"Sam," Danny replied.
"Her full name," the Librarian deadpanned.
"Oh, right. It's Samantha Manson." Danny said sheepishly.
"Okay then, let's see. S, s, sa, Sammy, Samuel.... Ah her she is, Samantha Manson," he exclaimed as he pulled out a dark looking book. "This book contains the knowledge of your friend's life from the day she was born to the very part where she is now. Each story continues to be written, even your own. What you experience in here is also being written down in the book belonging to you." He said as he handed the book over to Danny.
"How do you mean, the story continues to be written as we speak?" Danny asked in puzzlement.
"Just like I said, but maybe a demonstration is in order so you know what to expect," the librarian said as he flew off to the left and up, towards the section labeled 'E'.
"Ah, here you are," he said after a moment, pulling a glowing blue book out of the case. "This will show you what I mean."
Danny switched the book of Sam with the glowing book the librarian handed him. Reading the name on the cover, Danny couldn't help shout a surprised: "What!".
Earl Mackelbee, the Box Ghost. The title read. "You have got to be kidding me," Danny murmured.
Sighing, he opened the book and went to the last page, noticing in surprise and confusion that, no matter how far he went in the book, the pages just kept coming without end. Eventually the pages turned blank, and Danny went back a few pages to find the current page of the Box Ghost's life, or afterlife.
Danny stared in awe as he saw words form on the paper as if they were written by an invisible pen. Writing down the things that the Box Ghost, or Earl, was doing at this very moment.
"W-what? How...?"
"It is quite something isn't it?" the Librarian asked, nodding.
"Yeah," Danny breathed, not looking up; staring intently at the words being written before his eyes. "Wait, this book holds the story of how he became a ghost, right?" Danny never saw the Librarian nod, as the pages started acting if they've been hit by a fierce wind. Moving further and further back in the life of Earl, before stopping at a page titled: Birth of a ghost.
"Never mind, I figured it out." Danny said, surprised, as he began reading the story of Earl.
Birth of a Ghost. Year, 1955. 13.34 PM. The docks.
Earl Macklebee was at work, being the crane operator at the harbor, moving numerous cargo containers and crates on, and off the ships docked there. It was a job he took great pride in, though his over eagerness was not entirely understood by his colleagues. He fulfilled his job with passion, although he was often weird about it.
More often than not, it seemed like he almost worshiped the containers, crates and even the lunchboxes in the canteen. So much in fact, that his colleagues made fun of him because of it. And today was no different.
"Hey, Earl. Have you seen the load of that last shipment? Wow. I mean, really. All those containers stacked together. It was quite the sight," one of his colleagues said.
"I know, right. I could watch them for hours. And that I can move them, too. Ohooo," Earl gave a shudder of delight.
"Ha, I bet. But didn't you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Well, about the accident. Apparently some of the containers you moved fell over, damaging the contents inside."
"WHAT!?" Earl shouted.
"Heh, I've heard about that," another colleague picked up. "It did quite some damage to the containers. Denting them quite badly.
"NOO!" Earl shouted, grabbing his hair with both hands.
"Yes, and you won't believe what was inside them."
"What?" Earl asked in a panic.
"I've heard that they were filled with crates, crates full of boxes. All of them were beat up quite badly."
"NOOOHOOO!" Earl wailed as he fell to his knees. His colleagues burst out in laughter.
"Boy, you are one weirdo, you know that?"
"What?" Earl asked in confusion, desperately trying to hold back his tears.
"We're just messing with you, man. You take this way too seriously, like always," the first colleague said.
"Yeah. Besides, who cares about a bunch of boxes anyhow?"
Now, Earl was an easy going guy; having learned to ignore most of the jabs and insults of those around him. But there were some things you just do not joke about.
"WHAT! How dare you insult the boxes!?" Earl snapped. "They are responsible for safeguarding everything during their trip around the world. They keep their cargo safe from wind and weather, snow and ice, and the dangers from the sea itself! So you had better apologize!"
His colleagues burst out in laughter all over again, some of them even had trouble breathing as they clutched their sides.
"OHOO, I'm warning you. Mistreat the boxes and they will hurt you back." If it were possible for those present to laugh any harder, they did so.
"I won't warn you again. Be aware of the boxes, or they will get you," Earl warned, then stormed for the exit, turning around to say one last thing. "Beware," and he slammed the door shut. The roaring laughter of his colleagues still following him.
<<>><<>><<>>
Earl sat in his crane again, the arm swinging more aggressively now, as he was still angry from the cruel joke from his colleagues.
"Idiots. Making fun of the boxes. Do they not know? In the end we all end up in a box. And they know, they know how we treated them. They will treat us as we treat them," Earl rambled on, too absorbed in his rant, he didn't notice some of the containers had been placed incorrectly. His haphazard handling made the stack stand unstable, while he continued to add more and more.
This went on for several hours, until, finally, his shift ended and Earl walked past the stack of containers; still mumbling to himself about his co workers’ foolish ways.
A loud screech made him stop in his tracks; the sound of metal grinding on metal. Looking up as the sound became louder and louder, he watched with rapidly widening eyes as numerous containers tilted over, falling down towards him. He had just enough time to hold his hands above him in a futile attempt to ward off the danger, screaming loudly, before the cacophony of tons of metal colliding with the ground silenced him; crushing the unfortunate human under their weight,
It wasn't until the next day that his colleagues found the disaster site and even longer before they found Earl. And, despite the seriousness of the situation, they couldn't help but laugh about the irony of it all.
They stopped laughing, however, when Earl returned to work the following day; his skin pale blue, and a glow surrounding his body; hovering above the ground, boxes of various sizes floating around him.
They all ran as fast as they could, boxes flung after them while Earl laughed diabolically, shouting: "Beware, for I am the Box Ghost!"
Danny was stunned, to say the least. All this time he made fun of the Box Ghost, or Earl, as he was called. Yet it was people making fun of him which lead to his untimely demise. If his colleagues hadn't bullied him the way they did, then he wouldn't have been upset. He would have stacked the containers properly, and they wouldn't have fallen down on top of him.
".... So.. So that is how he became what he is today!?" Danny half asked, half stated as he continued to stare at the page in front of him.
"Yes it is. He was bullied for his beliefs. And that, in turn, made him make mistakes which resulted in his death. He saw it as a sign though, a chance to become the one to defend the boxes where others would just toss them aside," the librarian answered.
"Still. Boxes? Come on, that's just crazy."
"Not to him. We all need to believe in something, even you... So tell me, what is it that you believe in, hmm?" The Librarian asked.
"That Sam is still out there, somewhere," Danny said confidently, accepting back Sam's book. "So, this will tell me where she is?"
"No. But it will tell you if she is still around, or if she has chosen to move on."
"Okay then, here goes everything," Danny said, opening the book and quickly flipped to the last page of Sam's life. He found it after some page turning, but to his surprise, shock and rapidly growing sense of dread, he noticed no new words were being written. "What? Why isn't anything new showing up?"
"I'm sorry, child. But the only reason for the story to end, is if she has left the physical plane, and moved on," the librarian said sadly, knowing all too well what it was like to lose someone who chose to cross over.
"No, it can't be!" Danny shouted, dropping the book. "You're lying."
"I have nothing to gain by lying to you. What I speak is the truth and only the truth. I'm sorry."
"No!" Danny yelled angrily as he flew off, tears blurring his vision.
"I'm sorry, child," the librarian said as he picked up the book, still opened at the last page. He was about to close and put it back in place, when something caught his eyes.
A new word: Alive.
Alive. What does it mean? Really?
Does it mean we need to eat, breathe, and multiply? If it is, then fire, by this definition, is also alive.
Does it mean to have a heartbeat, to grow old and die? Then why are those who are alive by this definition wasting their time doing nothing? I wouldn't call that alive.
For a time I thought I knew. But now... now I know for real. Merely existing has nothing to do with being alive. It just means that you spent your time bringing joy to others. To find love and be loved in return. To let your memory continue where you have left off. I may not have a heartbeat, but I do have a heart. I know that I am alive, even though I am no longer among the living.
I am alive!
But I am confused. I know Danny and Tucker would look for me, but I do not yet want to be found. I made a choice, but now I must understand it before I can go on. No matter how long that might take. I know this is unfair to them, but this is how it has to be. I hope that, one day, they can forgive me.
<<>><<>><<>>
A bump in the road shook Danny awake, the memories brought back in his dream now haunting his conscious mind.
Thinking back to how he acted towards Jazz and Tucker, he felt a deep sense of shame and regret. They didn't deserve to be lashed out at like that. He knew they wouldn't just give up, but he was angry and in grief. Vlad being there didn't help either. He wished he could have given them a proper apology, but he was too blinded, too focused on finding Sam that the thought never crossed his mind. He regretted it ever since.
Sighing, he looked around him, seeing several other persons sitting in the mostly empty bus. Two people caught his attention the most: a couple, sitting together with the woman resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.
A pang of sadness shot through Danny as he looked at them, wondering if it could have been him and Sam, should she still be alive.
Forcing his eyes away from the two, he instead focused his attention on the pass which allowed him entry into Equestria.
Name, age, date of birth. Just the usual information connected to the person it was intended for. Along with the official mark from a princess he'd heard only a few things about, granting her approval.
Sure there were forgers who had become quite proficient at faking these passes, but he'd decided that it wasn't worth the risk to buy a fake. It might have been more expensive, but if he was caught with a fake, he would be in for a lot of trouble.
Security had been tight, especially after the repeated attempts by ghosts to enter the other side by the use of fake IDs and possession. Of course, they weren't the smartest ghosts; they didn't even get past the ghost shield.
The thought of the shield forced Danny's mind back to his parents and sister. He hadn’t been in contact with them for over six years now. He didn't know how they were doing, but he did know they've secured a major contract with the government; designing and making new kinds of ghost hunting equipment. Probably something they agreed to do ever since he ran away. And, most likely, they thought it could probably help them catch Danny Phantom.
Jazz and Tucker would also be hard-pressed to tell his parents about the truth about him. Ever since Danny Phantom was accused of the murder of Sam, Vlad showed all kinds of video ‘proof’ in which Danny Phantom performed various crimes. Jazz and Tucker knew they were fake, of course, but it didn't matter. What were three teenagers going to do against a billionaire mayor, who also happens to be a half-ghost, and uses his powers to influence others?
The bus came to a stop, jerking Danny out of his downward spiraling thoughts.
'Right. Think happy thoughts. You're about to start a new life,' he told himself as he stepped out off the bus.
He was still a short walk away from reaching the facility which housed the tear in reality, giving him ample time to gather his thoughts. And so, with a moderate pace, he began thinking about the location he chose for his fresh start.
He did his own research, something he never thought possible and made a list of various likely looking places which piqued his interest. Of course, he crossed off any of the major cities. He preferred some peace and quiet for once, and he wouldn’t find that living in a hectic city. Any town with more than a randomly decided amount of citizens was also rejected. The memory of large crowds against him still chilled his blood.
In the end, he was left with four candidates. Deciding that the only way he could settle on a choice was through chance, he closed his eyes and picked one of the names at random.
Opening his eyes again to see where his new life would be, he couldn't help but cringe a bit reading the name: Ponyville. All of a sudden, the speech his father gave him oh so many years ago came back.
'I do know I wanted a pony. Never got a pony. As a matter of fact, we had to eat h-'
Forcing that particular memory back to the dark recesses of his mind, Danny focuses back on the paper in hand. "Well, horse meat or not. Ponyville, here I come," and with that, the choice was made.
After several more minutes of walking and idle thoughts, he arrived at the tear facility.
By some tradition which started after the first tear facility was built, they named each and every tear through popular vote, (most of the candidate names submitted by teenagers,) and displayed the name above the entrance. Looking up, Danny saw the sign indicating that this portal was named: Teru a Newon.
Danny stood frozen for a moment, mouthing the name, almost saying it for real, but decided against it as he shook his head.
Walking through the doors and entering pass control, Danny joined the short line in front of him, seeing there were not just humans waiting to pass through, but also some of those ponies; chatting idly with one another as they waited their turn.
'I wonder what they were doing here of all places? There are far more interesting places to visit. Oh well,' he wondered, then shrugged.
The line progressed quickly and before long it was Danny's turn.
"May I please see your pass, sir?" An elderly woman asked.
Handing over his pass, Danny hoped his name wouldn't cause too many problems. Though he knew it would raise questions. It always did. He would've used a different name, but he just couldn't force himself to do so. Besides, it was too late for that now anyway.
"That's quite an interesting name you have there, kid. Any relations with them?" The woman asked after seeing the name on Danny’s pass.
"Nope," Danny said a little too fast and the woman raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I'm not related to them in any way. Our names are just similar, nothing more. I do get this a lot, though," he told her his well rehearsed lie.
"Huh, okay then. It’s also curious to see that this is a pass for a one way trip. And a seal of approval for citizenship. I've never seen that before. I've heard of them, but never seen one myself. You’re actually moving to this world?"
"That was the idea," Danny replied, fidgeting where he stood from all the questions. He just wanted to get out of here and step through the tear.
"Well, let me check for authenticity," she told him, placing the pass in a specially designed scanning device, looking for the ectoplasmic mark that would show it was real.
They used ectoplasm because not many could forge that, and thus discourage those that would otherwise try.
"Aaaand, yes. Everything looks to be in order, sir. Now, if you would please go to your left and walk through our ghost shield over there. That way we can be sure that you are who you say you are," she instructed as she gave back the pass to Danny. "When you step through, just walk all the way to the end of the hallway and through the doors. There you will find the embarkation room, as well as a local bank to exchange any money you have on you."
Nodding, Danny did just that. Walking towards the shield emitter, he saw an armed guard stand on each side, holding an ecto-blaster at the ready and he clearly recognized the design as one of his parents'.
Standing in front of the shield, he looked at it for a moment, making the guards look at him with suspicion.
'Even after all those years, they still haven't changed the original design of the shield?' he thought, then stepped through.
Passing through the shield without any problem, Danny then found himself in a large, white, brightly lit hallway. Following it all the way to the end, an automated door swung open when he drew near, revealing the grand room hidden on the other side.
The room was large, massive even. The area where the tear would open was walled off, so no one could get there without supervision. This was for safety purposes, of course.The tears to this other world acted almost like naturally formed ghost portals; there one moment, gone the next.
Unlike the ghost portal, which would appear smoothly and without much spectacle, these tears would open up with quite a bit of force. Starting out as a ripple in the air, followed by a static crackle. You could actually see reality tear open as the two worlds connect. When this happened, you heard a sound, not unlike a vacuum sucking air, only in reverse.
In comparison, the ghost portals would show as a small vortex of ectoplasm in thin air when they opened. These tears, however, didn't quite work like that. They would remain at a fixed point, seen as a small point of shimmering air. You couldn't go through them when they were closed like that, but it would distort you if you tried. It caused quite a few injuries before they started to control these tears and construct buildings around them.
The tear was closed now, but after Danny stepped inside the room and the doors closed behind him, the tear started to open.
Danny let out a slow, drawn out whistle as he witnessed the spectacle in front of him. The tear was quite the sight. And, as he slowly walked around it, he noticed another feature he had only heard about, but never seen before. It was a rip in reality, yes. And if you stood behind it you could see the air shimmer and move. Almost as if someone had thrown several stones in a puddle of water. From the front, you could see the other world, or the control station that was there. But from the sides, you couldn't see a thing; almost as if you looked at a piece of paper from the side, so thin you can't see it unless you look at it from an angle.
Seeing the tear also made Danny remember something that had happened several years ago. A rather large tear had formed in Tokyo, and it just happened to lead to, what was later determined, the dragon lands. And it also just happened that a rather large dragon decided to investigate this strange phenomenon, stepping through. So, there was Tokyo, in an uproar and panic because of a gigantic reptile stomping through the streets. Everyone started to shout something about Godzilla, and just caused general panic among each other. It became even more confusing for them when the dragon asked what all the fuss was about.
With a thin smile on his lips, he made it to the front of the tear, catching up with those who stood before him in line, seeing they were all waiting for the tear to fully open. So, knowing they still had some waiting to do, he went to the small bank indicated by the woman earlier.
"Good day, sir. Here to change your dollars for bits, I presume?" A jovial man asked as Danny walked up to him.
"Eh, yes.... I think. Bits are the currency used in Equestria, right?" He asked.
"Ha, a first timer eh, lad? Well, yes. Bits are to them what dollars are to us. So how much did you want to exchange?"
"Everything," Danny answered, taking all of his life savings out of his backpack, dropping a small roll of bills, a grand total of almost a thousand dollars, on the counter. Something he had preserved as long as he could, only taking from it if he really had no other choice.
"The man looked at Danny in slight shock, "Everything? Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm not planning on coming back, so I want to exchange it all."
"Wait, not coming back? You’re actually moving there? Wow, never had that happen here before," the man said as he took the money, exchanging it for the appropriate amount of coins.
"Let me just explain this real quick to you," he said as he saw Danny's questioning look. "This silver coin here is one buck. One single dollar, or bit as they call it. These golden coins are worth ten bucks, and then there are these things," he explained as he held up a small bar of gold. "These things are simply called bars, and they're worth a whole hundred bucks. Mostly used by the big spenders. And then, of course," he continued as he grabbed a bronze coin. "There is the small change. This coin is worth a quarter of a single bit. Just to buy the small stuff. Alright. you haaaave... nine hundred and seventy three dollars on you, which means you'll get five bars, forty gold bits, fifty silver bits, and the rest in bronze. Giving you some spending money, without resorting to paying with a hundred bucks each time," he said, jokingly, as he put all the money into separate bags.
Accepting the exchanged currency, Danny thanked the helpful clerk, then left to see the tear had fully opened
"Okay, all of you. May I please have your attention?" An elderly man called out, drawing everyone's attention as he stood in front of the tear. "Now, I will explain to you what is about to happen. Some of you already know this from previous crossings, but please pay attention anyhow, it'll avoid accidents. In a moment, you will all walk in a single file line through this big hole in reality behind me," he instructed as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "On the other side, you will be escorted by the crew there to the G.S.Z., or Ghost Scan Zone. This is to make sure that no ghosts have slipped through here by accident." This announcement made Danny's heart skip a beat. Shields were fine, but scanners would mean trouble. He would have to find a way to slip past this scanner, or he would be stopped right then and there.
'Damn, I just might need to use my powers here to get out of this, but how?' Danny thought. Intangibility would be useless, they would see. Invisibility, no again. It was too crowded, he couldn't do that in public. With the only two viable options useless to him, he started to panic slightly.
'Oh no, this is not good. Don't tell me I've come all this way for nothing. To be shot down, and sent off to wherever it is they would send me. Come on, Danny. Think, dammit, think,' he thought, looking down at his shadow. And an idea sparked to life, as another memory resurfaced.
<<>><<>><<>>
Some years ago.
Danny once again found himself in some ambiguous part of the Ghost Zone, searching. It had been three months now since Sam had died and he had spent every waking moment looking for her.
"Argh, come on, stupid map. Just show me where she is!" Danny yelled at the infi-map, which remained stubbornly blank.
"AARRGGGHHH!" he roared, throwing the map away in a fit of rage, only realizing what he had done a few moments later. "Aaawww, crud," he muttered, seeing the map fly away into the depths of the Ghost Zone.
Mentally beating himself up over losing his temper, he flew after the map to retrieve it.
The map, soaring through the green expanse without hindrance, eventually fell down onto the barren land of one of the larger chunks of rock and soil floating aimlessly in the Zone. The sound of a roaring engine was the only sound to be heard on an otherwise quiet expanse of dead land; a large dust cloud rising up in the distance, quickly growing larger and larger as the source drew near to the map's point of impact.
The grinding of rubber wheels, as they slowed down on dry dirt, was joined by the revving of an engine, before it was shut off entirely; the dust cloud dissipating as the ghost driving the motorcycle stepped off.
"Whoa, what's this?" Johnny Thirteen said, picking up the map and opening it. With a flash, all the locations of the Ghost Zone were revealed to him. "Whoaa, Awesome. With this here, I can find the most amazing cruising ground around here!" And, on cue, the map flashed, showing him the way to just such a place. "Whoa, cool!" Johnny awed, stepping back on his bike, started the engine, and followed the directions given by the map.
Moments later, Danny landed at the point he saw the map drifting off to. But when he got there, the map was nowhere to be found.
"Oh no. Where is it? Where is it!?" He repeated several times, frantically looking around, but unable to find anything. What he did find, however, were tire tracks. Tracks he knew could only belong to one ghost. "Aw, that's just my rotten luck," he muttered as he saw a small cloud of dust in the distance and knew which way to go.
Flying as fast as he could, he eventually caught up with Johnny. Flying by his side, he shouted: "Hey, Johnny," trying to be heard over the engine.
Johnny, looking over his shoulder to see who shouted at him, almost lost control over his bike when he saw the ghost boy fly right next to him. "Hey, kid. Don't do that. You almost made me crash!" He yelled at Danny, righting himself and continued on his way. "What do you want?"
"That map you have there, it's mine."
"Pff, yeah right."
"I'm serious."
"Look, kid. I found this here map fair and square. It's mine and if you don't like that, tough luck," and with those final words, he accelerated and shot off, leaving Danny in a cloud of dust.
Hacking and coughing, Danny slowed down until he could breathe again, seeing that Johnny had gained quite a distance between the two of them.
Not in the mood for any of this, Danny followed in pursuit, done with playing nice. He would get that map back, no matter what. It was the only thing that could lead him to Sam. If the damn thing cooperated, that is.
Catching up with Johnny, he flew closer and closer until he was almost able to reach out and grab the map. Johnny noticed this, and veered off to the side, glaring angrily at Danny as he raced away.
Angered further by this, Danny channeled some energy in his hand. Not enough to do damage, but more than sufficient to bother the biker ghost.
Unleashing the energy, he fired a bolt of ectoplasm at the bike's front wheel and Johnny wobbled for a few tense seconds before he righted himself.
"Oh, you want to fight over it. Fine. Shadow, go," he ordered his shadow, pointing at Danny.
His shadow detached itself from him and shot off to its target. A demonic figure formed from the darkness that was Johnny's shadow, circling around Danny, blocking him from getting any closer to its master.
"Get ou-... move... will yo-.... AARRGGH. GET OUTTA MY WAY!" Danny yelled as he blasted the shadow with a large ectoplasmic bolt, the light managing to diffuse the dark figure, weakening it.
Using this moment of weakness to escape, he continued his pursuit after Johnny, the shadow following close behind.
'I don't have time for this, I need to find a way to stop this once and for all. But with this shadow going after me, I won't be able to get any closer to Johnny.... Unless...' he thought, remembering something Vlad had told him in the destroyed future. How his ghost side had possessed Vlad’s half, taking over his powers, but corrupting himself in the process.
Now he wasn't planning to take over anyone's powers, but he might be able to possess Johnny and stop him. That, and his shadow wouldn't be able to attack him either, giving him the chance to end all of this right now.
With his mind made up, Danny increased his speed, catching up to Johnny once again, but not stopping this time.
"Wait, what are you doing!?" Johnny shouted in alarm as he looked over his shoulder, seeing Danny fly right at him; his eyes burning with anger. "Oh no, don't you dare! Don't yo-" Johnny roared, unable to prevent Danny to collide with, and then possess him.
Johnny's shadow looked at his master with a look of pure shock on its shadowy face, while Johnny and Danny lost control of the bike, crashing into the unforgiving ground. The bike skidding to a halt as it slid over the ground, while the possessed Johnny bounced, rolled and finally slammed on the ground as he roared out. Not from the crash, but from the invading mind trying to possess him.
"GET OUTt!" Johnny roared, down on his knees, clawing at his face. He struggled to move his arms down and his hands towards his chest, using his own intangibility to force them inside, and pull Danny out.
Breathing heavily, Johnny glared burning daggers at Danny; throwing him away the second he regained control over his body.
"DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING!? Ghosts don't possess ghosts, it's dangerous. Idiot!" Johnny yelled, slowly pushing himself back up, then moved to his bike, picking up the map on the ground besides it. He then stomped his way back to Danny, barely able to contain himself as he glared murderously at the still downed Halfa.
Danny writhed on the ground, panting and groaning. Bolts of electricity shooting through him, similar to the feeling he had when he got hit by the ghost portal, but weaker. Unable to move, except for the uncontrolled twitches his body made. He could only watch as Johnny walked over to him.
Johnny grabbed Danny by his throat, eyes glowing green in anger, lifting him up. "If you want this map so badly, then take it!" He yelled, shoving the map forcefully against Danny's chest. "But don't you ever, EVER, do that again! Or you will find out why I really am called Johnny Thirteen. Do I make myself clear!?" He roared in Danny's face, who was only able to nod weakly, but nothing more. "Good," Johnny sneered, then dropped Danny to the ground, stepped back on his bike, and drove off. Followed shortly thereafter by his shadow, which shot a hesitant, worried, almost fearful glance to Danny.
Danny didn't notice any of this, though. Because, when he finally was able to pull himself up again, he noticed something odd. His shadow was rippling, moving in directions that were not his own.
"What’s going on?" He croaked, his throat still hurting from the firm grip Johnny had on it, when he reared back in shock.
Down on the ground, within the darkness of his shade, two green glowing eyes stared back at him. Then, it grinned.
Danny screamed.
<<>><<>><<>>
Present day.
"I never wanted this, but it might just work out for me now," Danny thought as he looked at his shadow, standing in front of the tear and ready to pass through.
Looking back to make sure that no one was watching, and satisfied he was in the clear, he called forth the presence of his shadow, feeling a portion of his conscious mind separate from him.
A slight shiver ran over the outlines of his shade as Danny's mental fragment took hold, but remained otherwise still.
Danny looked around once again, making sure none saw the slight distortion in his shade. When he was sure that he remained undetected, he spoke to his shadow through the link between their shared mind.
'Okay, here’s the plan. When they scan us, they’ll find out I'm a ghost. When this happens, I want you to make an appearance, making it look like that they picked up on you instead of me. Do some ghosting and such, but don't hurt anyone. Do try to damage the scanner if you can, but nothing else. We need to do this clean and quick,' the shadow gave a slight nod in understanding, and for a moment Danny was scared someone saw the movement.
Fortunately, no one paid any interest to him, as the man who gave them their instructions, had finished with his talk and began leading them through the tear, one at a time.
"Okay all of you, time to get moving. Please form an orderly line, and no pushing," the man reminded them, gesturing to his pony colleagues on the other side of the tear, telling them that the next group was coming through. "Okay, let's go," and the small group walked through the shimmering hole, and into Equestria.
It was a smooth transition, like walking through a door. 'Odd,' Danny thought. 'I didn't even feel a shiver, like the one you get when going through a ghost portal. Huh, oh well.'
"A good day to you all, and welcome to Equestria," a unicorn mare said with a warm voice, a tablet floating beside her. "If you would please follow me to the scanning chamber, this will only take a moment. I don't expect any problems, seeing how you all passed through the shield back at the Earth facility, but we can't be too careful. We can't allow any of those nasty ghosts to come through and wreak havoc, can we?" she said with a chipper, but serious tone, leading the group to a medium sized chamber, a grid pattern lining the walls, floor and ceiling; a unicorn guard carrying an ecto-blaster standing on every corner.
Hearing those words about ghosts made Danny grind his teeth. Sure there were bad ghosts, but there were a lot of good ghosts as well. But Danny couldn't blame them, they've only dealt with the worst of the worst. Most of the good ghosts remained in the Ghost Zone, minding their own business, so it was easy for them to think that all ghosts were bad.
As the group stepped in the room, the door closed behind them. A green ecto-laser grid descended from the ceiling, while a second grid appeared from the left wall; moving up and down, left and right. covering all present, until both grids came to an unexpected, and quite abrupt stop when passing over Danny; the grids shrinking down in size until they only covered Danny, turning a dark red.
"What? What is happening?" Danny said, faking shock and surprise, while the rest of the group stepped away from him, murmuring in shock, fear, and even a few gasps of fright. The guards in the room pointed their blasters at Danny, ready to fire on a moment’s notice.
'Now, do it now!' Danny ordered the fragment in his mind when the scanner shut off, the red grid around him disappearing.
Two green orbs appeared in his shadow as it rose up, making sure its form didn't resemble his master in any way. Several of the ponies present in the group screamed out, never before having seen a ghost. And, in truth, they still hadn't. The humans were more accustomed to ghosts, but they, too, reared back in shock.
Danny faked a scream of fear as he scrambled away, backing up into a wall. "What... What is that thing? What did it do to my shadow?"
The guards decided then and there that Danny was most likely just another victim and pointed their blasters at the 'ghost'. The shade moved out of the way of the shots and started to follow the command given to him prior. 'Do some ghosting' and that he did. Scaring those present who didn't have a weapon. Showing a toothy grin with glowing green pointed teeth, the shadow started flying around the mare that had led them in here, making her scream out loudly while avoiding the shots sent his way.
Of course there was also the other part of his objective. 'Do try to damage the scanner if you can,' and so the shade flew through the walls and ceiling, leaving deep cuts in them, destroying the circuits and other vital parts necessary to operate the scanner.
'Okay, that’s enough. Let them hit you. Make them think you are destroyed,' Danny commanded as he sat huddled in a corner and the shade, picking up on the new order, obeyed.
Moving to the middle of the room, the shadow spread itself out as big as it could, making some threatening gestures to those present. The guards pointed their blasters to the supposed ghost. No need to aim now, due to the size of the shade, and fired.
Beams of ectoplasm shot through the shadow.
It moved as if in a great deal of pain and agony, while, in fact, the shadow didn't feel a thing, Shades can't be hurt by mere ecto-blasts, which did nothing more than diffuse them slightly.
Staying true to its order, the shade started to pulse rapidly, like a balloon inflating and deflating over and over again. Then it burst, disappearing into thin air, reappearing below Danny's form immediately as its fragment returned to Danny's mind.
No-one noticed, though. Too absorbed with what had just happened to notice.
"I think we got it," one of the guards said, breathing heavily.
"Better make sure, though," another guard grunted. "Scan the guy again."
"But the room is damaged," a third guard called out as he approached his colleague.
"So, use a portable scanner," the second guard replied.
'Wait, portable scanners? Uh oh,' Danny thought, eyes widening, seeing no way out of this now.
A guard approached Danny while holding a small scanning unit in his hoof. "Please remain still, mister. If you know what is good for you."
Danny closed his eyes as the guard scanned him, already expecting the worst.
"All clear, no ectos," the guard called out.
"Wait, what?" Danny asked, genuinely confused.
"I said, you're clear. No ectoplasmic traces found on you," he repeated. "I guess the ghost possessed his shadow. This is troubling, we have no record of them being able to do that," he said to the other guards.
"Wait, you said there is no ghost near me?"
"Yes. Look, I know that you are shaken right now, but the ghost is gone. We hit it mighty hard with those blasters of ours, so don't worry," he said as he helped Danny up, while Danny only nodded dumbly.
"Alright, everypony. I'm sorry for this, but you all need to come with us for questioning. Once again, apologies, but this is now an investigation into how this ghost got past the shields back on Earth, and all the way into here. So, if you would all follow us."
Danny, mind going million miles an hour, quietly followed the rest of the group. All the while, a single question ran through his mind: 'How did that scanner not detect me?'
Glancing down at his shadow, he could feel the fragment that controlled the shade back in his own consciousness. Knowing that, even though it wasn't showing, his shadow was staring back at him.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several years ago. Shortly after Johnny Thirteen's possession.possession.
Danny was freaking out. Before him sat his shadow, sitting like he was.
At first his shadow acted as if on its own, but after getting up and taking a more three-dimensional shape, it acted like a shadow should. Mirroring the movements of its caster, only in three dimensions instead of a flat image on the ground.
It behaved exactly like Danny was, only in mirror image; almost as if Danny was looking at a very dark reflection of himself, only less detailed.
After several moments, Danny slowly returned to his senses. "Wha-... what? You're my shadow?!" He said, pointing at the shade with a trembling hand. The shadow pointed its hand back at Danny, mirroring his movement.
Danny jerked back his hand, and the shadow did the same.
"What happened? What caused this?" he said, barely above a whisper.
He slowly raised his arm again, carefully reaching out to his shadow, arm trembling.
His shadow copied the movement, trembling and all.
As their hands drew near, Danny expected to move right through his shadow, but was startled to feel resistance when he touched his darker counterpart's hand.
He yelped out in fright as the shadow acted on its own again, grabbing him by the wrist.
Danny struggled to release himself, but in vain as the hold on his arm was too strong.
"Let go of me!" He yelled, and was surprised when the shadow released him.
Looking in surprise at his arm, then his shadow, he saw the shadow mirroring his movements once again.
"Did this happen because I possessed Johnny?" He asked.
Silence was his only answer.
Suddenly, without warning, his shadow fell flat on the ground and returned to its rightful place with Danny. Firmly connected to him from the ground up, just a flat image.
'I need to find help, and quick.' Danny thought, staring at his shadow.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny flew towards the only one he knew might have some answers, the one who had helped him when his ice powers manifested. Frostbite.
Flying as fast as he could towards the frozen lands where Frostbite and his people 'lived', he couldn't help but warily look down at the snow and ice-covered ground, making sure his shadow was still there.
Sure enough, there it was.
Sighing out in part relief and part frustration for the mess he got himself into, he continued his flight to the village just up ahead.
Nearing the edge of the village, Danny opted to walk the last distance, only to hesitate with the landing; warily looking at his shade, expecting it to make a sudden move on its own.
"Lost something?" A gruff voice asked humorously, startling Danny, and he promptly dropped down in the snow. "Oh my, I am terribly sorry, oh Great One. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Frostbite," Danny said as he recognized the yeti like ghost standing over him. "It's all right. In fact, it's great that you're here. I need your help, something has happened to me and I don’t know what to do with it."
"Then come to my village, and let's discuss your trouble in a somewhat warmer place," Frostbite replied seriously, but eager as he gestured for Danny to follow him.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, tell me. How can I be of assistance? Has it to do with the infi-map you carry with you?"
"No.. Well, yes.. kinda. Look, long story short. Some ghost got his hands on the map and I tried to get it back. He sent his shadow after me to keep me from getting the map back, and I was already frustrated because I didn't have the time for that. I need to find Sam, but-" Danny said in a rush, making the words blur into each other until he was interrupted.
"So, the rumors are true, then? Your mate has died?" Frostbite asked sadly. "And you wish to use the map to find her, correct?"
"She is no-.... Yes, yes she did. But that is not why I am here."
"It isn't?"
"No. Look, something has happened to me, and I don't know what. My shadow, it's... it's, I don't know, it moves on its own. Does things on its own. A moment ago it held me by my wrist," Danny said, panicked.
Frostbite looked at Danny with shock and surprise. "How do you mean, your shadow acts on its own? It's right there, doing nothing," he commented, pointing at Danny's shadow.
"I don't know, it just did things on its own, then it went back like this. I thought that maybe it might have something to do with me possessing Johnny Thirt-"
"WAIT! You possessed a ghost!?" Frostbite roared in shock.
"Yes, it was the only thing I could do to get the map back from him without a fight."
"And did this ghost have a shade specter?" Frostbite asked lowly, seriously.
"If by that, you mean a shadow that moves on its own. Then, yes," Danny nodded.
Frostbite didn't say anything. Instead, he looked at Danny's shadow with a studying gaze.
Lifting his claw, he channeled a small amount of energy into it. A glowing piece of ice grew in the palm of his claw, and he held it above Danny's shadow, the glow illuminating the room.
At first, nothing seemed to happen. But then, a ripple occurred in the shade. Glowing green eyes formed in its head and it brought its hands up to shield himself from the glow.
Frostbite inhaled sharply as he reared back, knowing what had happened.
"I think I might have some answers for you as to what has happened, Great One. But you must understand the severity of the situation you find yourself in."
"What do you mean, severity? How more severe could this be? My shadow is moving on its own."
"It goes farther than that, I'm afraid. You see, you possessed a ghost. A ghost who wields a shade specter. Because of that, you yourself have become a wielder of a shade."
"WHAT!? How?"
"You must know that ghosts never possess ghosts. It's most dangerous. You see, if a ghost possesses a mere mortal, our body and energy shifts and molds itself to fit within whomever it is that is being possessed. It does this so it is accepted by the body, instead of rejected. But if we possess another ghost, our spectral energy clash. This happens because they, too, try to match the one you try to possess, and in doing so, create a dangerous situation."
"How do you mean, dangerous situation?" Danny asked, warily.
"Because ghosts, in essence, are all the same. And when our powers shift to match something which, at the basic level, is identical, many different, and often very dangerous possibilities can happen," Frostbite explained. "Think of us ghosts as the snow outside. From a distance, it all looks the same. But when you look at things up close, you will see just how different each and every flake is. Just like us ghosts. From a distance, we are all the same. We share many of the same, basic abilities. Whether this is flight, intangibility, or invisibility. But when you look up close, no ghost is the same. Each has their own unique abilities, powers vastly different from one another. Yet, just like the snow, it all comes from the same source. Like snow, in all its incredible shapes and forms, is nothing more than frozen water, we ghosts are, at the most basic level of our being, exactly the same," Frostbite told Danny, who could only stare at the giant with slightly unfocused eyes, a headache starting to form.
Noticing this, Frostbite clarified. "Look at it like this. Each ghost has their special ability, whether this is hunting, writing, or the ice shaping my kind and you have. Each power is unique to its wielder, but the source of that power is the same. So if our powers shift to match that which is basically the same, it can have some strange, unexpected results. Tell me, can you still use your ice shaping?" Frostbite asked.
"Eh, I think so. Hold on, let me try." Danny's eyes glowed an ice blue, and a small lump of ice formed in his hand.
"Interesting," Frostbite mused upon seeing Danny use his ice shaping.
"What, what is interesting?"
"It seems that something very rare has happened to you. Tell me, what happened precisely when you possessed this other ghost?"
"Okay. Well Johnny was driving off at high-speed on his bike, while I was fending off his shadow. Then I remembered something about ghosts being able to possess other ghosts, and I decided to possess Johnny so I could stop him, and retrieve the map that he had taken. So I possessed him, but he forcefully pulled me out of his body mid-possession. I was lying on the ground after that, unable to move for a while because of the pain I was in."
"You were pulled out during the possession?"
"Yes, why?"
“It would seem that you have been both very lucky, and very unlucky. You were removed from the host before any alterations could be made to your own powers, but the shifting of your power has made a change within your being. You copied this Johnny's special talent, making it your own. But with a twist, if I'm not mistaken. The change was interrupted before it could be fully completed, and thus, leaving you with a partial shade specter. Where a full specter is its own being, capable of independent acts of its own, albeit within the commands given by their wielder, yours is more of a shell, and is still connected to your mind. Most likely your subconscious, seeing how it is only acting on reflex. I believe that this partial specter is a small fragment of your mind, transferred to your shadow, giving it its abilities. But, as of now, it is only acting on reflex and impulse alone. You need to learn to control your mind, if you want to control your shadow. And, if possible, retract the fragment of your mind back to the rest of your consciousness. It will make your shade into a shadow again, but this fragment will be with you forever. It has become a part of you, and you must learn to control it, or it will control you," Frostbite explained with heavily weighing implications, and Danny gulped as he looked down at his shadow, seeing it stare back at him.
<<>><<>><<>>
Present Day
As Danny went through an intense round of twenty questions by the guards of the tear facility, he recalled the days he spent training his shadow and mental capabilities. Mainly the part to remove the fracture of his mind from the shadow, not liking the idea of his shadow acting on its own, just because he let his mind wander.
He recalled the small, fleeting feeling of triumph when he learned to control his shade to some extent. It was possible for him to control the shadow with mere thoughts, but only if it was close enough. The link between his full mind and the fragment grew weaker over distance and, the further the shadow moved away from him, the less stable it became; until it passed a point where the link would break and his shadow vanished, only to reappear at Danny's feet.
He didn't like this. He always tried to be the good guy. Sure, he might have used his powers for a few questionable things every now and then.....
But to steal someone's powers. Well, copy it. Still, he never wanted that. Then again, there were many regrets he found he was now forced to live with. A crushing weight always following him wherever he went.
He just hoped things would be better here… As soon as he managed to get out of this interrogation, that is.
As it was now, he was in for a long, unpleasant round of questions where he had to be very careful with what he said.
As far as they knew, he was merely an innocent bystander, who just so happened to have his shadow possessed. He needed them to keep believing that and saying the wrong thing, reveal a detail he couldn't have known, and everything would come falling down on top of him.
‘Yeah, what a great start I’m having now,’ he thought sourly.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Sir, you have a new message on your private terminal," an artificial woman's voice announced.
"Not now, Karen. I'm busy," a dark skinned man replied, busy working on the latest design of the Specter Speeder.
"Sir, it's labeled as urgent, with a type seven security protocol embedded into it. Also, it came from a portable scanning station past a tear"
This made him halt his work. A type seven security was the highest level there was, rarely used. But never had any of those rare few protocol messages been delivered to his private terminal, nor would they ever, unless...
"Show me," he said, and the designs for the new craft were replaced with a command box requesting a password to open the message.
Typing in the password, and almost slamming down the enter key, he almost gasped out at what he saw. A text log telling him the scanner responsible for the message had found the unique ecto pattern programmed into its memory unit.
Only two ghosts had this pattern, and he knew where the second was.
"Danny," the man whispered, picking up a photo of him in his teenage years. With him were two more teens, all smiling, all together… All alive.
"It's a good thing I programmed those portable devices to ignore you, old friend," Tucker spoke to the photo. "Karen, which tear exactly did the signal originate from."
"From the Teru a Newon facility, sir," the A.I. answered, and Tucker blinked dumbly at the name.
"You're kidding, right?"
"Negative, Sir. That is not part of my programming."
"And where does it lead to?"
"To the city of Canterlot."
"Right, right. Okay, is the tear still open?"
"Negative, the tear closed five minutes and thirty six seconds ago."
He sighed out in reply to this news. “Okay, keep a close watch on this tear, report any ghost activity near it, but keep it in a hidden file on my ghost drive. I don't want others to find out about this, not yet. I need to be sure it's him."
"Yes sir," the A.I. replied as Tucker swirled his chair around, facing the window behind him.
"Danny, I hope that wherever it is you're going, you're happy," Tucker spoke with lowered voice, staring out of the window, watching the city before him, covered underneath a shimmering dome known as the ghost shield.
“Nothing has been the same since you’ve left. Nothing at all.”
Hours had ticked by as question after question was asked, and Danny had half a mind in using his possessive suggestion to speed up the whole process.
He didn't, of course. But the whole ordeal had him nervous. It was as if the walls were closing in on him, just as he was about to start a new chapter in his miserable life.
Fortunately for him, the interrogation went without a problem. And in no time at all, he was told he could go, and he didn't waste any time doing so.
Of course he needed information and directions as to where he had to go, so the guard he was with pointed him to the information kiosk at the entrance of the facility.
Finding the kiosk was easy enough, getting the information he needed, not so much. The stallion there had heard of the 'ghost' attack, and was more than a little nervous; constantly looking behind and around him, never focusing on Danny for an extended amount of time.
''Sir, please. Can you give me some directions to where I need to go?'' Danny asked, again, getting rather frustrated by the pony's behavior.
''Ye- yes sur- What was that!?'' he yelped, head snapping to his right, a trembling hoof pointing towards a dark form in the corner.
''That’s just the shadow of the plant standing there. The same shadow you screamed at the last three times," Danny said through gritted teeth, his frustration clearly noticeable.
''Right, right. So, what was it that I can help you with?'' he asked as he continued to shift his gaze all around.
Danny let out a deep groan before answering again. ''I just need some directions and information,'' he repeated himself once more. ''I need to know how to get to Ponyville and where I need to go to register for citizenship there.''
''Right, why didn't you just say so?'' The stallion replied and Danny's left eye twitched.
Danny took a deep breath and counted to ten before continuing. ''I did tell you, but you were being too busy freaking out over the same thing over and over again. So, please. Could you just answer my questions?''
''Yes, of course,'' the pony answered, his eyes shifting from left to right, and back again ''To get to Ponyville you need to take the train. The town is located in the valley at the foot of the mountain. It isn't a long ride; being only an hour long trip, and information about the town itself can be found at the statio-... What's that?'' He yelped again.
''Same shadow, again,'' Danny sighed out.
''Right, I see,'' the stallion murmured while keeping a suspicious eye on the plant and its shadow. Danny, in turn, rolled his eyes. ''The registration for citizenship can be done by the mayor of the village. I believe her name is Mayor Mare, if I'm not mistaken,'' the stallion gave a quick glance at the plant, then reached in a drawer and pulled out a small folder. ''Take this, it’s a small travel guide and has the basic information for you to find your way around the city. It also has the time of departure of all the trains.''
Danny, glad that he finally was making some progress, happily accepted the folder and thanked the stallion. Or he would have, had the pony not freaked out over the plant yet again.
Waving it off, Danny walked to the exit. An automated system opened the doors for him, sending a cool mountain breeze in. This made the plant wave in the wind, and the stallion shrieked for the umpteenth time that day.
Releasing out a loud sigh, Danny shook his head as he walked outside. “That guy needs to grow a pair,'' he muttered as he opened the guide, looking for the directions towards the train station.
<<>><<>><<>>
The Ghost Zone, a weird place to be, at least for non-ghosts.
Free floating chunks of land drifting around in a dark green void. Doorways to other dimensions floating around through it all. And many other weird things, often difficult to understand, let alone explain, could be found in there. It's no wonder the many ghosts living here try to keep things as familiar as they can. Little things that makes them feel at home in this otherwise weird realm. Johnny Thirteen had his bike. Skulker his hunting grounds and weapons. Technus his technology. Ember her guitar, and the Box Ghost his boxes.
Of course they all need some time off to cool down every now and then, and to get a stiff drink as well. Therefore it wasn't much of a surprise that, in the more darker places of the Zone, you could find a shady bar.
And as of late, these locations had become the place where ghosts go to drown their misery of another failed haunting.
It has become increasingly more difficult for ghosts to go to the mortal realm and do their thing, ever since that ghost brat, Danny Phantom, put a target on all their heads. The local authorities all carried some kind of anti-ghost weapon, and were quick to respond. Which often meant: Shoot first, ask questions never. And that wasn't even mentioning the ghost shields that could be found around all the major cities. Luckily they didn't yet know about the natural ghost portals, or they couldn't get in at all.
Skulker sighed out tiredly, carelessly putting his glass down on the table with a heavy thud. ''I'm getting restless,'' he said to the other ghost sitting with him. ''I haven't had a decent hunt in months.''
''Tell me about it,'' Technus replied. ''Every time I try to possess some of their technology, one of those anti-ghost devices kicks in and ruins everything.''
''You and your technology, please. All it ever really does is blow up in your face. But me, I had it all once. A massive show, millions of mindless idiots who worshiped me, and all the power I gained from them. Until that Danny Phantom took it all away from me. He, and his stupid friend with the horrible singing voice. And now I can't even get close to any of their cities without being shot at,'' Ember said, putting as much venom in Danny's name as she could.
''And I haven't been able to drain any youth out of those mindless flesh bags for some time now as well,'' Spectra said as she looked into a hand held mirror, seeing some small wrinkles form around her eyes.
''Let's face it, the humans are so paranoid about this Phantom brat coming back that they have bunkered down, making it impossible for us to even get close to any of them.''
''True,'' the other three ghosts agreed.
''What we need is a new hunting ground, someplace that has little to no experience with us ghosts,'' Skulker said suggestively.
''What are you talking about?'' Spectra asked condescending. ''Where could we even find such a place?''
''Easy, our mutual ‘friend’ showed us exactly where to find such a place.''
Technus, Ember, and Spectra looked at Skulker in confusion, and the metallic ghost sighed out in frustration. ''I'm talking about this pony world, whatever it is they call it.''
''What, you can't be serious,'' Ember half yelled at her boyfriend.
''Oh, but I am. Think about it, they have next to no experience with fighting us ghosts, even considering the visit we paid them some years back when that tear opened up. They rely solely on the information they've gotten from the humans. In fact, the only humans that really knew anything about us are either dead or missing. With only a few exceptions of cour-" Skulker was interrupted by a beeping sound from his arm-mounted computer, showing the objective: Go to the library to find a book about the mating habits of purple backed gorillas.
''Oh, come on. Not again,'' he murmured in defeat, his thruster pack deploying, launching him away. Leaving the other three coughing from the smoke.
''He does have a point,'' Spectra said after she stopped coughing. ''But it will be difficult to get past their security and into this other world.''
''Indeed, what we need is a ghost that can manipulate technology in such a way, it would let us get past their security without being detected,'' Ember surmised as she gave a sideways glance at Technus.
''Sooo, now you need my help, huh? Are you not afraid that it might blow up in your face for a change?''
''Oh, shut up. You’ll do it anyway. You want to get a fresh start just as much as any other ghost in here,'' Ember countered.
''True, and they still rely mostly on old fashioned technology from what I've heard, with the exception of the anti-ghost devices they've gotten from the humans. It would be nice to be able to control some technology without it trying to zap me,'' Technus replied thoughtfully, a twisted grin forming on his face, already thinking about all the things he could do.
''It would take some time though,'' he realized. ''Finding a way to get past their shields and to avoid detection by any other security device they might have in place won't be easy either. Not to mention, this weird energy these ponies have. It might be possible, though. Maybe if I converted one of those devices that can block ghost powers. Make it block their energy instead.''
''Well, it's not like we have much more to do. Either we find a way to get over there, or we‘re stuck trying to find some lone human to drain their youth from,'' Spectra said. “And I'm curious to see just what an effect these ponies have on me when I drain them.”
''Then it's settled. We’ll find a way to get over there and blow them all away,'' Ember said as she struck a chord on her guitar, all three grinning widely with the prospect of a new place to haunt.
<<>><<>><<>>
The train ride was rather uneventful for Danny. Although, there was the shock of seeing the train as it pulled into the station. Decorated with numerous bright colors and joyful patterns, all he could do was stand there, dumbly staring at the vehicle he could've sworn came straight out of a cartoon meant for four year olds.
It took his brain a few minutes to process what his eyes were seeing, but when he finally caught up, all he did was shake his head in disbelief.
Still, brightly colored train, or not. He still stepped on board, found a seat, and settled in for the ride.
Now, twenty minutes later and well on his way to his new home, he took his time to just stare out of the window, enjoying the landscape. Rolling hills and flat grasslands, a large forest in the distance, and a clear blue sky, with the city of Canterlot in the picture as well.
‘Whoa,’ he thought, awed by the sight, realizing it would be difficult to find something like it back on Earth. ’I should've come here sooner.’
Most of the ride was spent just staring out and enjoying the beauty of the land. But when the train approached the village he'd chosen as his new home, Danny finally got his first glimpse of what to expect when the the train followed a bend in the tracks; the city of Canterlot slowly disappearing from sight and Ponyville taking its place.
For a while, all he could do was just stare. Much in the same way he'd done when the train first pulled into the station; though this time it was much less from shock, and more of a rising sense of excitement. A smile slowly finding its way onto his lips.
The village, painted with many of the bright colors which also decorated the train, looked absolutely amazing. It had a welcoming aura radiating off it, beckoning anyone and everyone to come and visit.
Several more minutes passed as Danny watched in silence as the train slowly pulled into the station; a steam whistle calling out the second the train had come to a full stop, snapping Danny out of his dream-like wonder.
Quickly picking up his bag, realizing once more just how heavy it was from all the bits he carried with him, he made his way for the exit.
Stepping out and looking around for a moment, he headed for a likely spot. The guide he got from that skittish pony back in Canterlot mentioned a town hall in the center of town, which seemed like a good place to start if he wanted to find the mayor. And so, with at least that much of a plan, he walked into town, taking his time to look around.
Many of the ponies there stopped what they were doing to look at Danny as he walked by. All of them having heard of humans, but not many had seen one themselves. So, with curiosity on all their faces, they watched the young man as he walked by, a glint of wonder and excitement noticeable in his wide eyes.
Then, a pink blur sped by.
Danny was enjoying himself, something he hadn't been able to do for a long time. He did notice the ponies staring at him, but didn't mind much. He knew that this would happen. If a pony would just wander around the streets back where he came from, people would be looking too.
Humans and ponies usually crossed between worlds mostly for business instead of tourism, but not much else. Most of the ponies prefer to remain here because of all the ghosts, which he could understand.
He continued to look around when, all of a sudden, a pink puff of cotton candy appeared in his field of vision from above. Followed moments later by two bright blue eyes.
''Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. I-just-saw-you-walking, and-I-was-all-like: GHAAASP! Because-I-know-every pony-in-town, but-I-don't-know you. And-you-aren't-even-a-pony, but-a-human. The-first-human-ever-to-come-here. So-not-only-must-I-give-you-a-welcome-to-Ponyville-party, but-also-a-'Welcome-mister-human, you're-the-first-human-ever-in-Ponyville'-party!'' She said in one breath, and with such speed all the words blurred together.
''GHAA!'' Danny yelped as he stumbled back, falling down on his rear.
Somehow, this pony was able to climb on top of his head without him knowing. In fact, she even managed to remain firmly attached to his scalp when he fell down, giggling loudly.
''Wha.. how... you... What?'' Danny's fried mind struggled to come with a proper response to the situation, but was failing miserably.
''I like you, you're funny,'' Pinkie Pie said, giggling constantly. She then jumped down from Danny's head, landed on the ground before him and bounced around on her legs for a moment, as if she was made of jelly. ''Don't you worry, mister human. I’ve got it aaall figured out!'' And with that, she shot off at a speed that didn't seem possible. Heck, he couldn't move that fast, not without some serious effort.
''Wait, who are yo-...'' he said as his brain finally caught up, only to see that the pink mare had disappeared. ''What just happened?'' He asked aloud, hearing a soft giggle.
Looking to his left, he saw an elderly mare with a gray mane standing there.
''That would be Pinkie Pie. She’s our village’s premiere party planner. She gets a little enthusiastic when she sees new ponies. Or, well, human in your case,'' she explained with a kind smile.
''A little!?'' Danny said, not believing this was just a little.
''Ah, yes. She has that effect on everypony that meets her for the first time,'' she said, seeing Danny's face of disbelief. ''Now then, good sir, allow me to introduce myself. I am Mayor Mare and I would like to welcome you to our fair village. Though, I've heard Pinkie Pie will be taking care of that later,'' she added with a good natured laugh.
''I'm Danny,'' Danny replied while scratching the back of his head, still looking at the spot Pinkie just stood. ''Does she do that a lot?''
''Hmm? Oh yes. She's quite eccentric, but mostly harmless, and only means well.''
Danny took note of the 'mostly', when his mind reminded him of a certain detail the mare had just said. ''Wait, you said you were Mayor Mare, right?''
''She did quite a number on you, didn't she?'' She said while laughing. ''But yes, I'm Mayor Mare. The mayor of Ponyville.''
Realizing his luck, Danny stood up, brushed off his pants and knelt down to be at eye level again before he continued.
''Well this is quite the coincidence. I was actually looking for you.''
''Oh, how so?'' She asked as she arched a curious eyebrow.
''You see,'' he began as he grabbed his bag and looked for the pass that had the stamp of approval for citizenship. ''I wanted to register for citizenship, and was told I should speak to you,'' he told her, finding the pass partially hidden underneath a bag of bits and handed it over to the mayor, who had a look of complete surprise on her face.
It was at this exact moment a small explosion could be heard, and a pink streak flew off into the sky. ''What was that?''
''Pinkie Pie,'' the mayor muttered, still dumbfounded. Not because of Pinkie's behavior, but the request made by Danny.
''Pinkie Pie?'' Danny said in disbelief as he looked at the dissipating pink streak in the sky.
''Pinkie Pie,'' the mayor stated again.
Danny just stared at the sky, not knowing what to make of this, when he spotted a small figure falling down to the ground; hearing a soft "Yaaay!"
<<>><<>><<>>
After the initial surprise the pair had had worn off; with Danny still boggled by Pinkie's random behavior, and Mayor Mare's continued shock from what Danny had requested from her, they were now seated in her office filling in the required paperwork.
''Okay, I have some of the basic details here on your pass,'' she said as she copied the information into the books. ''And let's se-....'' she stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the name. ''That is a curious name you have there. Any relation to them?''
''Nope, no relation to them at all. Just a similar name, nothing more," Danny replied readily, repeating the same thing he said at the pass control back on Earth.
''Huh, okay then,'' Mayor Mare replied.
''I'm curious to know, though. How do you know about that name?'' Danny asked, having difficulties believing she knew about [i[them.
''Well, as mayor of this village I have some privileged knowledge concerning ghosts and anything important involving them. But I doubt many ponies know about these things,'' she explained. ''Now, to continue. I do need to know a few other things, like where do you want to live? Or what about work?'' She continued business like.
''Well, I wanted to stay in a motel, or some other place I could stay for some time while I look for work. When I have a job, and a steady income, I want to look for a place of my own. I do have a small amount of money on me. Not much, but it should cover me for some time.''
''I see, and just how much money do you have on you right now? Not to pry into your personal affairs, but I need to know if you are able to support yourself while you are in-between jobs,'' Mayor Mare asked.
''Eeh, about a thousand doll… Eh, bits. Almost a thousand bits,'' Danny answered.
''Come again?'' She asked, blinking rapidly in surprise.
''Almost a thousand,'' he repeated.
''I thought you said you didn't have a lot of money?''
''Eh, I don't. Back home I wouldn't be able to get too much with it. Maybe a few months of rent for an apartment, but not much more. Why?''
Mayor Mare just sat there, staring at Danny as if he had grown a second head.
''Eeehhh, hello?'' Danny said as he waved his hand in front of her, snapping her out of her slight shock.
''Mister, that amount of money is enough for one of the larger homes here.''
''What? How do you mean?'' he asked, unable to believe what she had just said.
''I mean that the rent for the medium sized homes here is around sixty to seventy bits a month. And with a thousand bits, you would be able to get quite a decent place for yourself.''
*****
Back at the tear facility on Earth.
''Hey, Jim!'' Someone called out at his co-worker working at the local bank.
''Yeah, what's it, Carl?'' Jim replied.
''There seems to be a large sum of bits missing. Do you know anything about it?''
''No, not really. How much are we talking about?''
''Close to a thousand.''
''... Huh, odd. I did exchange a thousand dollars earlier today.''
''You did remember the current exchange rate, right?''
''….eheheh…." Jim faltered, blinked, then smiled awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head. "Oops?''
It was because of this, Carl made a face palm so massive it would be used for comparison with future face palms to come.
*****
''What!? You mean that I actually have a lot of money?'' Danny asked, and Mayor Mare nodded. ''Wow, life just got better for me.''
''Indeed, but you would still need a job. Even a thousand bits would run out eventually.''
''I know, I'll get right on it when I find myself a place to sleep."
''Well, there are several options available,'' she told him as she pulled out a small map from her desk. ''There is a small unoccupied apartment nearby with its rent being thirty-two bits a month. There is a medium sized house not too far from here too, it's sixty-one bits a month. Finally, there’s a small house at the edge of the village that you might be interested in, but that commands a rent of forty-five bits a month,'' she informed him as she showed Danny the pictures and information of these buildings.
Danny looked them all over, but one stood out over the others. The building at the edge of town. It was still close enough to be considered part of the village, but far enough away to avoid the crowd. Picking up the picture of this house and looking at it intently, he nodded, and asked: "Forty-five bits a month, you said?'' Mayor Mare nodded. ''I'll take it.''
<<>><<>><<>>
After taking care of the necessary paperwork to register Danny as a resident of the village, he went on his way to take a look at his recently acquired home.
He didn't get very far, though.
Almost immediately after he stepped out of the town hall, he heard a loud squee and was tackled to the ground.
Acting on reflex, Danny turned around to face his attacker and lifted his arm to shoot an ectoplasmic blast. But before he could channel any energy in his hand and accidentally give himself away, two mint-green hooves grabbed his hand, pulling it closer to the face of the mare the hooves belonged to.
A golden glow surrounded Danny's hand as two equally golden eyes looked at it. The glow around his limb turned his hand around and wriggled his fingers while he was just sitting there, unsure what to make of the situation.
''LYRA!'' Another mare shouted as she ran towards the unicorn who had tackled Danny. ''Lyra let go of this human, right now!''
''But Bon Bon-''
''No buts, missy. Let go of this poor lady, right now!''
Silence.
Nothing was said after that. The only sound that could be heard, was that of crickets sitting on the back and head of a yellow pegasus walking by.
''...Lady?'' Danny said, surprised and confused.
The earth pony mare named Bon Bon looked at Danny in surprise. Hearing his voice and realizing her mistake as she recognized the tone as that of a stallion, caused her cheeks to turn a bright crimson.
''Pfhaahahahahaha,'' Lyra lost it, and her magical hold on Danny's hand broke as she rolled over the ground, laughing at the mistake.
''Lady, I should let you know that I am a man, not a woman,'' Danny said to Bon Bon, raising his voice over the laughter.
''Are you sure?'' Bon Bon asked without thought, her mind decided that now would be a good time to go on a vacation, which made Lyra laugh even harder.
''Last time I checked,'' Danny replied and Bon Bon's head was now completely red, instead of the beige her fur usual was.
''I-I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend you,'' Bon Bon sputtered in embarrassment.
''You didn't offend me, but you certainly surprised me. Why would you even think I'm a woman?'' Danny asked and Lyra, who just calmed down, burst out in laughter again.
''I'm sorry, I just assumed,'' Bon Bon said, looking everywhere except at Danny.
''Pfhahaha, I.. I told, haha, you to pay, ha, more attention to my research Bons. You could have avoided this embarrassment,'' Lyra managed through her laughter.
''Research?'' Danny asked Lyra, who turned serious the moment Danny talked to her.
''Oh yes, you humans are so fascinating! To be able to create such technology and build such high buildings. All without any magic at all. And those hands....'' She trailed off as she stared at Danny's hand and Bon Bon slapped her on the back of her head, snapping her out of it.
''Right, paying attention. No need to hit me, Bon Bon,'' Lyra groaned as she rubbed her head.
''Uh huh. If I got a bit for every time you said that, I’d be the richest pony in this town by now,'' Bon Bon said, rolling her eyes. ''Anyhow. I would like to apologize for Lyra's behavior, as well as my unintended mistake by saying you were a mare,'' Lyra snorted loudly as she struggled to contain herself.
''It's alright,'' Danny told her, his brain no longer confused about what was going on, again. He finally took the time to see what the two mares in front of him looked like.
Lyra, who had a mint green coat and blueish gray mane with a horn poking out of it; a picture of a lyre on her rear.
Bon Bon, with a beige coat, and a two-toned, pink and blue mane; three wrapped candies for a mark on her behind, but without a horn like Lyra had. A unicorn and earth pony, Danny realized.
Bon Bon gave Danny a kind smile. ''Thank you for not being mad. My marefriend here can be quite a bit to handle at times. Oh, but where are my manners? I'm Bon Bon. And, as you probably already figured out. This is Lyra,'' she introduced herself and her marefriend.
''I'm Danny. And what do you mean with marefriend?'' Danny asked, not knowing the meaning of the word.
''She means girlfriend,'' Lyra explained.
''So, you're a couple?''
''Yep, Bons and I are quite close,'' Lyra confirmed, placing a leg around Bon Bon's neck and pulled her close to her side. ''So, what's a human like you doing in a place like this?'' Lyra asked, waving her horn around the town.
''Nothing much,'' Danny said nonchalantly. ''Just moved in, filled in some paperwork, became a citizen and rented that house at the edge of the village.'' Lyra's lower jaw fell down so fast, a small boom could be heard, while the mare's eyes widened in shocked amazement.
''Yo- you... you're going to live here?'' Lyra blurted out, almost bursting with excitement.
''Err, yes,'' and before he could even fathom the situation he found himself in, Lyra shot off. Not as fast as Pinkie, but still with impressive speed.
''Oh dear,'' Bon Bon murmured, concerned. ''You've done it now.''
''What? What did I do?'' Danny asked the remaining mare, not liking the tone in her voice.
''You're going to live here. A human living here. She is most likely going to get her list of questions she has prepared, for in case if she ever has the chance to sit down and talk with a human.''
''Ehh, should I be worried?''
''Yes,'' Bon Bon answered, all serious. The two watching Lyra speed off. "More than you realize."
<<>><<>><<>>
Vlad Masters stood in front of a large screen, many different videos playing on it, all of them showing Danny in combat.
''Scan again,'' he ordered the holographic Maddie.
''Yes, sugarlumps,'' holo Maddie replied, and the videos all began playing as various scanning softwares were used to determine the ghost boy's power.
''Scan complete! Still no difference in power levels detected.''
''Then, how? Where did that power come from?'' Vlad asked, playing the video of Sam's death again, watching as Danny did something that, according to the scans, shouldn't be possible.
''Unknown, dear,'' holo Maddie responded.
''Aarrggh, Six years! It has been more than six years since that brat ran away and still he is bothering me,'' Vlad shouted in frustration, slamming his fists on the keyboard. ''And how far are we in finding his 'cousin', Dani?''
''The location of subject Dani remains unknown, oh Great One, master of all the ghosts.''
''Blast, I knew I should have melted her down when I had the chance,'' Vlad groaned in suppressed anger, then sighed out. “Run the scan again.''
''Scanning.''
''I will find out how you did it, Danny. And when I do, that power will be mine.''
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was walking home. Not something he thought he would be doing, after all the years he spent on the run, but something he now welcomed with open arms. He knew he needed to find a job, though. Just as the mayor had said: "Even a thousand bits will run out eventually."
Yes, he needed a job. But for now, all he wanted was to go to his new home, see what his house was like and settle in.
He did wander around for some time. Even though he had gotten directions from Mayor Mare, it took some time to find where he needed to go. Not that he complained about it. After all, it gave him the chance to just look around and get a feel for the place.
Eventually, after some sightseeing and a few wrong turns, he arrived at the place he would come to call home.
Home. The word sounded unfamiliar to him.
In the years he had lived in that run-down apartment back on Earth, he never had the feeling that he was home. Just some place to survive, nothing more.
But now, as he stood before the building he called his own now, Danny couldn't help but smile. A real smile, something he hadn't done in years.
His house was a single floor building, but with a small attic, according to the information package he got from the mayor. It had a large living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The walls were a faded red with a thatched roof and there was even a small garden.
''Wow, if they call this small, I want to see what they call big," Danny awed, just standing there, marveling at the place.
Several long minutes ticked by before he broke out of his trance, moving to the door, intent to enter and explore his house.
He walked up to his door, unlocked it and stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, he found himself standing in a pitch black room. Odd, because he didn't see anything blocking off the windows.
Fumbling around to find a light switch, he eventually found one and turned on the lights.
''SURPRISE!''
Danny yelped as dozens of ponies had somehow managed to fill every nook and cranny. And, in his panic, he turned off the lights. Which was a good thing, because, in reflex, he also went invisible.
Danny heard some laughing and giggling. And as his heart rate went down, he turned visible and flicked the lights back on. Seeing, once again, dozens of ponies all standing in his home. All having a large smile, but not as large as the smile a certain pink and mint green ponies had on their faces.
Looking behind the group, he also noticed a banner hanging on the wall behind them.
'Welcome to Ponyville, you're the first human ever to come visit here and you're the first human to come live here, party.’ was written on it, somehow fitting perfectly on the banner, despite its size.
''What? Who are you all? How did you all get in here? The door was locked.'' Danny rambled as his mind was, once again, fried from the impossibility of the situation.
''Oh, you silly human. We're all here for your welcome to Ponyville party,'' Pinkie Pie chirped energetically as she dragged Danny with her, introducing him to everyone, or everypony, as it is.
''And this is Rarity, and here we have Ditzy. Big Macintosh, Time Turner, Lyra, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and.....'' Pinkie kept pushing Danny around, constantly telling him who was who, never giving him the time to catch a break. ''And she is Twilight and that leaves me. Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie,'' Pinkie said with a smile big enough, it seemed to split her face.
Danny was completely blown away, and his mind had given up to make sense of it all. Instead, it was floating around with the alligator in the punch....
Wait, there's an alligator in the punch!?
"Are ya alright there, pardner?'' An orange earth pony with a cowboy hat asked, seeing his confused expression and knew exactly what was going on. Chuckling, she said: ''Oh, Ah recognize that look. Don't ya worry a bit. Ya'll get used ta Pinkie's behavior in time.''
''Is that even possible?'' Danny asked her.
''Only if ya don' think tah much 'bout it. Jus' ask Twilight over there if ya want ta know what Ah mean. Tha name's Applejack, in case ya didn't pick up on it with Pinkie pushing ya 'round an' such,'' she said as she extended her hoof, giving Danny a firm shake. ''Now, ya know most of us, thanks ta Pinkie, but we're mighty curious as ta who ya are.''
Danny let go of Applejack's hoof, his arm still throbbing from the force she put in her shake. He looked around and saw many of the ponies looking at him expectantly, except for a gray pegasus who was more interested at the plate of muffins on the table. Although, one of her eyes seemed to look at Danny, instead of the food.
Looking around and chuckling, Danny shook his head in amusement and decided to just go with the flow.
''I'm Danny. Danny Manson.''
<<>><<>><<>>
It was quiet, too quiet.
No sooner had Danny said his name, and everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. All were looking at him, and he could feel every pair of eyes burn into him as the music came to a screeching stop. And the muffin that the gray pegasus was trying to eat fell out of her grasp, bouncing on the floor, completely forgotten.
''Whoa, Manson? As in the Manson family? The Manson family?'' Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered in front of Danny.
Hushed whispers went through the crowd as they were all wondering the same thing.
''Wait, you actually know about that?'' Danny asked, shocked that even here they knew about that horrible incident; that they knew about Sam.
''Well, duh. How could we not? It's the main reason for all that security at the tears,'' Dash huffed in annoyance, clearly upset about this very thing.
''Well, to answer your question. No, I'm not related to them in any way. I just have a similar name, nothing more. Also, why are you so upset about the security at the tears?''
The crowd visibly relaxed when Danny said that he wasn't related to the Manson family, while Rainbow Dash released a heavily annoyed sigh before answering his question.
''Why am I so upset? It's because it is impossible for me to go to your world without a good reason. Apparently they don't think it is a good idea for me to race one of your jets. I just think they're scared that I’d beat them,'' she bragged, puffing out her chest.
''You do know how fast they are, right?'' Danny asked.
''Of course I do, I've heard that they can even break the sound barrier. Racing something like that? No way I wouldn’t pass up on a challenge like that!''
''A challenge? What do you mean, a challenge? Those things are impossible to race against, unless you’re in a jet yourself!''
''Oh, come on. You must have heard of me, Rainbow Dash? The Rainbow Dash? You know, fastest flyer in all of Equestria, and the only pegasus who can perform a Sonic Rainboom?'' Danny blinked dumbly at this.
''I can't say I've heard of you. And what’s a Sonic Rainboom?'' Dash dropped to the ground, unable to believe that he hadn't heard of her, or her signature Rainboom.
''What, you've never heard of a Sonic Rainboom before?'' Rainbow asked, shocked, almost scandalized.
''Well, I've heard of a sonic boom. But those aren’t that much of a big deal, they happen all the time when our fighter jets go faster than sound. Nothing special.''
''What!? Don’t you go saying that’s nothing special. Do you even know how hard it is to fly at speeds like that?'' Rainbow almost yelled, and Danny's mind snapped back to the time that he, Sam, and Tucker were doing a test to see just how fast he could fly.
''I can imagine,'' Danny replied. ''But, are you saying that you can actually break the sound barrier?''
''Yes, yes I can,'' the prismatic mare boasted, raising a hoof and looking at it nonchalantly.
''Wow, impressive. But you do know that some of our jet's can go even faster than just the speed of sound?'' He asked and Rainbow's pupils shrunk while her jaw dropped down.
''F-fas....Faster? How much faster?''
''Two, two and a half times the speed of sound,'' Danny answered and Rainbow shut down completely, unresponsive. A purple hoof waved past her vision, but didn't even get a blink in response.
''Oh dear. I think you broke her,'' a purple unicorn said. Danny remembered Pinkie saying she was Twilight.
''Is she going to be alright?'' He asked, worried.
''Oh, don't you worry about Dashie. She'll be fine,'' Pinkie reassured him, appearing out of nowhere behind Danny, startling him. ''Now, are we having a party here, or what?'' Not waiting for a response, she promptly pulled a colorful and decorative cannon out of her mane; firing it and filling the air with streamers, and balloons as the music resumed playing.
The ponies, all eager to get started on yet another one of Pinkie's parties, all began dancing, eating the numerous snacks filling the tables. Meanwhile, a large number stepped up to Danny, and introduced themselves more properly.
Though there was one exception. Mainly, a mint green unicorn by the name of Lyra.
Her large grin, almost manically so, would have sent a shiver down Danny's spine had he seen. Carrying with her her 'list' of questions, which looked more like a large notebook. And had she gotten her chance to reach Danny, she would most likely have latched onto him to 'interrogate' him for days on end.
Luckily for the unaware human, the threat to his sanity was quickly subdued as, with quite the protest from Lyra, Bon Bon dragged her away by the tail; Lyra grasping desperately at the floor in a futile attempt to drag herself to the subject of her desires. But to no avail.
After a while, when everypony had introduced themselves to Danny, given him some kind words and welcomed him to the village, he just sat down, trying to figure out how this was all happening.
''A bit for your thoughts,'' Twilight asked as she sat down next to him, a cup of punch floating beside her in a purple aura.
''I was just wondering how all of this is possible,'' Danny said as he gestured at the whole scene in front of him. ''Where did all this stuff come from? How did you get in? And, most importantly. How did Pinkie pull a cannon out of her hair?'' Twilight chuckled at his flabbergasted response.
''Do yourself a favor, don't try to figure Pinkie out. I tried it once, it didn't end well,'' Danny rose a single eyebrow in confusion and Twilight elaborated what she meant. ''Let's just say that I burst out in fire over Pinkie's random behavior.''
''You burst out in fire? How?''
Twilight gave him a grin as she responded: ''Magic.''
''… Something tells me it will take a long time before I get used to this place,'' Danny said as he looked at the festivities in front of him.
''It might not be so difficult with some friends,'' Twilight said, offering him the cup of punch she had with her.
Danny took the cup, thanked Twilight and drank. The words she said going through his mind over and over again.
’Friends. It would be nice to have someone to call a friend again,’ he thought as he looked over at his backpack, the picture of his oldest friends safely inside.
''That would be nice, to have someone to help me around here as I settle in,'' Danny said honestly, making the mare smile.
''Well, all you need to do is ask. We're all here to help, if you ever need it.''
''I'll remember that. But for now, I believe there is a muffin with my name on it.'' As he said this, a loud gasp rose up over the upbeat music and a gray blur shot past. A second later, all the muffins were gone. ''Okay, cupcake it is,'' Danny said dumbly, and everyone laughed.
<<>><<>><<>>
It was late at night, the party was long since over and Danny was fast asleep.
It was with some measure of luck that Danny found a small bed in the bedroom. Although it was too small for him, he made do with it for now. Resolving to buy a bigger bed tomorrow, he let himself be embraced by the gentle hold of slumber.
Unfortunately, sleep was not something that gave him rest.
Every night, his slumber was marred by his memories, causing him to twist and turn in his undersized bed. A cold sweat covered his skin as he struggled to wake up, but his tired mind wouldn't let him.
Almost every night he would have a nightmare, reminding him of his failings. Sometimes he wouldn't dream at all. He would just close his eyes and open them mere seconds later, just to find out hours had passed. But most of the time, it was just him and the torments of his mind.
This time, however, there was another presence. A presence that was diligently guarding over the dreams of those sleeping under her night's sky.
Princess Luna stood on the balcony of her personal chamber, sensing outwards to see if everypony was resting peacefully.
This was the case most of the time, not many ponies had nightmares. Sure there were foals that had some bad dreams about the monsters in the closet, or about some scary tale they've heard. But a real terror of the night, a dream so bad that it was even called after her corruption, was something that almost never happened. So she was quite surprised, nay, shocked to sense somepony stuck in a true nightmare.
She extended her mind and looked around for the source of the disturbance.
She found what she was looking for in Ponyville. Somepony there was truly suffering from a terror of the mind, a nightmare.
She reached out to whomever it was, and tried to enter the mind of this pony. She reared back in shock, however, when she was unable to enter the mind of this individual.
Nothing like this had ever happened before. No living mind could block her out. But, in her attempt to gain entry to the troubled mind, she was able to catch a glimpse of the emotions from the dreamer. Guilt, shame, regret, pain, anger, despair.
Luna couldn't be more shocked. These emotions didn't belong in any dream. You could feel fear in a nightmare, yes. But pain, or suffering? No, a dream could never do that, no matter how bad they were.
The realization of what she had just glimpsed at came to her a mere second later. This was no mere dream, but a memory. A memory so terrible she perceived it as a nightmare. And, although she could enter the dreams of others and help them overcome their darkest thoughts, a memory was not something she could easily enter, or alter. Not without altering the mind of the person it belonged to.
She needed to talk with her sister about this. This was something truly dark. Something that could cause such pain to somepony was clearly dangerous. But, what? What was it that gave this poor being such terror that he couldn't even sleep without being reminded? And, although she might not be able to help this poor individual directly, she could help ease this pony’s mind. Make his sleep dreamless and give him some respite from this terror.
And so, by channeling some magic through her horn, she calmed the disturbance coming from this pony, making their mind go blank and stopping the memory.
At least for tonight.
<<>><<>><<>>
The following morning.
It was the dawn of a new day, and time for the princess of the night to allow herself to be submerged in the gentle hold of slumber, allowing her own dreams to flow freely. Yet sleep was something she was unable to find, the incident of the previous night still bothering her.
Walking towards the large double doors of the throne room, the two day guards standing there saluted the princess of the night as she used her magic to open the doors, stepping inside.
''Sister,'' Celestia called out cheerfully to her younger sibling, descending her throne and walking towards Luna. Meeting her halfway, she gave her a hug and a nuzzle. ''What are you doing here? You're normally in bed by now," she asked, taking a good look at her younger sister.
Even though Luna spent the entire night watching over her beloved subjects, you couldn't tell from her appearance. Looking like the strong, radiant ruler she is. Sending out an aura of authority and power, yet calm, and collected. Nopony could have seen, or noticed that the princess of the night was troubled. Nopony, except the one she had spent her fillyhood with growing up.
Where others would see an all powerful alicorn, and co-ruler of Equestria, Celestia saw her for the young filly she used to be, growing up and becoming the mare she was today. She knew her sister, better than any other ever would. And she could clearly see the slight slump in her stance. Her mane was not as radiant as it used to be and, of course, her eyes. Although focused on Celestia, still staring off oh so slightly. Lost in thought.
''What is troubling you, Luna?'' Celestia asked in a calm, caring voice.
''Sister. Does thou think of me as a fair ruler?'' Luna asked, slipping back in her old tongue.
Celestia was taken aback. Where had this come from? ''Luna, what do you mean? Of course you are. Why would you even ask?''
''Because, we look out over our subjects, protect them, keep them safe, both in the waking world and in their dreams. Yet, when I was needed most, I was unable to help,'' Luna confided as she focused on her sister, reverting back to modern equish as she did so.
“How so?''
''Last night, I picked up on a disturbance. A dream so bad, so foul, it caused the pony dreaming a great deal of distress. I have always been able to help those that suffer from the terrors of the mind, show them there is nothing to fear. But when I tried to enter this individual's mind, I was rejected. Forced out before I even was able to catch a glimpse of the dream, or memory, as I learned it to be at that moment,'' Celestia didn't say anything. Centuries of politics had given her a poker face even the best couldn't read, so the fact that a slight shock could be seen on her face spoke volumes.
''You were rejected from the dreamscape?'' She asked, unable to believe this.
''Yes, although this was because it didn't involve a dream, but a memory. We both know that entering a memory is a lot more difficult than a dream; more dangerous than a dream. But I was able to catch a glimpse of the pony's emotions as I was forced out. Sister, whoever it is, he, or she had truly suffered a great deal. I haven't felt anything like it, not for a very long time. Not since my time as Nightmare Moon.'' Luna looked down at the memory of her fall into corruption.
''But this also raises some questions. Who is it that is suffering so much? What caused it? And most importantly, is whatever that has brought such pain to our subject still out there? I may not know what has happened, but I know that the pain I felt cannot be caused by everyday problems. Somepony, or someone did this to this individual, and this being might still be out there.''
''Wait just a moment, you said you picked up on this last night?!" Celestia half asked, half stated, receiving a confirming nod of her sister.
"Yes I did. Is there something the matter with that?"
"Maybe. Yesterday afternoon, I was informed about a ghost breach in the tear facility right here in Canterlot,'' Celestia answered after a moment's pause.
''Sister, you don't mean... Do you think these events are connected?'' Luna asked, eyes wide in shock.
''The timing is too convenient to be a coincidence. Maybe this ghost that managed to come through did something to one of those that came back from Earth. Where did this pony that you picked up on live?'' Celestia asked as a plan of action formed in her head.
''I sensed it in Ponyville, but I don't know the exact location,'' Luna answered.
''Ponyville? Strange, these things always seem to happen there. Nonetheless, I will ask for the information of those that came through the tear that day, and see who went for Ponyville. Maybe we can find out what it was that had happened to this pony, and what caused him, or her such pain,'' Celestia said. Nopony, no, noone would hurt her subjects.
Luna let out a large yawn, tired from the night guarding the ponies dreams.
''Perhaps it would be better if you go to bed now, Lulu,'' Celestia said with a giggle, using her pet name for Luna. ''I will see to it that we find out who it is that had this nightmare, and possibly help whoever this pony is.''
''Very well. Good day, sister, I will see you coming night as I raise the moon," and with a flash of her magic, Luna teleported to her bedchamber, leaving her sister in the throne room, deep in thought.
''Whoever you are. I hope your suffering won't be for long,'' Celestia said as she looked out one of the stained windows decorating the room.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny woke up to the sound of birds chirping.
It was most unusual for him, and it took his sleepy mind several minutes to figure out what it was.
Normally, he would awake to the sound of people screaming at each other, and the sound of vehicles driving by. Not birdsong. And it confused him greatly in his sleep-addled mind.
’So, it wasn't a dream. I’m really living on another world. I should have known better. I never dream about something like this,’ Danny thought as he rolled over, falling out of his bed as it was far too small for him.
''Oooww,'' he groaned as he pulled his face off the floor. ''Well, at least I'm awake now,'' he muttered as he rubbed his head.
Stretching to get all the kinks out of his body, giving off some satisfying cracks and pops, he went to the shower. He took some clean clothes from his bag, as well as a towel and washcloth.
Taking his time to appreciate the working shower, he found it a pleasant surprise that it even had warm water, unlike the cold showers he frequently had to endure in his former house.
After finishing his shower, and putting on a clean set of clothes, he set out for the day, knowing that he had to do a lot. First off, of course, was to get something to eat. Then he would have to look for a job, get some furniture for his house and, more importantly, a decent bed.
A rumbling in his stomach reminded him as to what he should be doing first.
Taking a decent amount of bits with him, he headed out and into the village. 'First something to eat, then we go shopping for everything else. Job hunting comes after that,' he reminded himself as he headed into town, enjoying the early morning air.
He didn't know where he could get something to eat, but some friendly locals happily pointed him the way to a small café.
After a short walk to the place, he arrived to see they were just opening up. Giving them a little more time to set up shop, he decided to go for a walk in town and come back a moment later.
He was just about to go on his way, though, when he spotted a small sign hanging on the window. Interested, he walked back to read what it said.
Waiter wanted.
Good pay, reasonable hours. For more information, ask for Quick Grill.
Danny was unable to believe his luck. He found a place that had a job opening this early in the morning! Not only that, he remembered that he did have some experience from his time in that fast-food place.
Deciding that he might as well give it a try, he went to the pony working on the terrace, to ask for this Quick Grill.
''Eh, hello,'' he called out to the dull brown earth pony with a faded red mane and tail.
''We're opening up in half an hour, mister. Please come back then,'' the pony gruffly replied.
''I'm not here for that. Well, actually, I am. But I'm here now because of that sign you have on display about the job. It's said I needed to ask for someone named Quick Grill.''
''You're talking to him,'' Quick Grill said as he turned to Danny, looking at him with a studious gaze.
''Oh, great. I’m interested in the job, but could you tell me what exactly is expected from me?'' Danny asked, hopefully as Quick Grill looked him over.
''Hmm, not much meat on your bones. I'm not sure you could keep up with the crowd,'' Grill said as he took notice of Danny's skinny form.
''What? What does my figure have to do with it?''
''Your figure has nothing to do with it. What I mean is that you don't seem to have any muscle at all. As a waiter, you need to carry a lot of dishes around and doing it fast. I just don't know if you fit the bill.''
Yes, Danny was rather skinny, but not thin. Even with all the junk food he had eaten, he didn't gain much weight. This was thanks to his ghost half. The energy required for his powers caused his metabolism to work much faster than that of a regular person. This, in turn, made it possible for Danny to eat all that junk food without gaining any weight. His powers also gave him a slight strength boost, but not much. He had almost failed his fitness test back in school.
''Oh, don't worry about that. I'm stronger than I look,'' Danny said confidently.
''Hmm. Tell you what, I’ll give you a trial run. If you manage to keep up, the job is yours. If not, then tough luck. If you do manage to get the job, you’ll be earning forty eight bits a month, plus tips. I expect hard work from you, no slacking. While on the job, you’ll either be working hard, or not working at all. Understood?''
''Don’t worry, sir. I won't let you down. When can I start?'' Danny asked, happy that he was able to get this chance.
''I've got a full roster today, so there isn't much need for an extra hoof right now. I know you just moved in, so take this chance to get your affairs in order. You can come tomorrow, but I expect you to show up here bright and early. You will work a six hour shift, no exceptions,'' Quick Grill told him, giving Danny a critical eye.
''Thank you,'' Danny said gratefully, only to be interrupted by his stomach rumbling loudly, reminding him that he still needed to eat. ''Ehhehe, what time did you say you were opening again?'' he asked sheepishly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
<<>><<>><<>>
It took Danny some time to find something he could eat. Most of the dishes listed on the menu were made with hay, grass, or flowers. It was something he hadn't really thought about when he came here, but eventually he found something he could eat. Now, belly full, he went to the market, trying to find out where he could get the necessities required for his home.
''Well, howdy there, pardner,'' Applejack greeted as he walked by her apple stand. ''looking ta buy some apples here?'' She asked as she gestured at her wares.
''Maybe later, Applejack. I'm actually looking for some place where I could buy a bed. The one I've got now is a bit too small for me,'' Danny replied cheerfully, realizing he hadn't felt this good in years and it reflected in his upbeat attitude; happy he found a job, albeit on trial. And the good mood of Applejack was contagious as well.
''Ah, shucks. Jus' call me AJ. Everypony else does. As for a bed, there's tha' little ol' place down tha road tha' might have what ya're looking for.''
''You mean that place next to, what was it? Oh, Quills and Sofas?''
''Yep, Beds ‘n Scrolls. That's tha one.'' Applejack said with a confirming nod.
''You got some weird names around here,'' Danny said.
''Now look who's talking, Danny,'' she said with a grin, putting emphasis on his name.
''Ha, fair enough,'' Danny laughed. ''Thanks for the directions, AJ,'' he waved her goodbye and went to the store, wondering how much a bed would cost here.
<<>><<>><<>>
It took Danny the better part of the day, but finally he had most of the basic necessities he needed. The bed proved to be the most difficult to procure, as there wasn't anything meant for a human. But with some negotiation, and some haggling, in which Danny surprised himself with how well he did, he was able to get two beds for the price of one.
He also bought a sofa, a table and some stools to go with it, along with a refrigerator, and food to fill it with. And several more things to liven up the living room.
After the beds were delivered, he simply placed them side by side, effectively creating a bed large enough for two.
And while all the stuff he'd bought did leave a noticeable dent in his savings, with the full cost of only a hundred and three bits, there was still enough left to pay his rent for a good time to come. And if he was able to land himself the job tomorrow, he would have a stable income, with which he could pay the rent and still make enough to save up.
And, should it ever be necessary, he could always find some small chore he could do for a few extra bits.
Yes, things were finally looking up for Danny. He sighed loudly as he sat down in his new sofa, which came with complementary quills, and just enjoyed his new home. Taking the time to appreciate everything that had happened to him in the last two days.
Deciding that he better make it an early night, lest he be late for his trial run tomorrow, he stood back up to get something to eat. A shower was next, before he went to bed.
Noticing that he didn’t have enough clothes, he resolved to visit that clothing store he saw earlier today, after finishing, and hopefully gaining, his job. If all went well, he’d be able to do that tomorrow.
Stepping into his bed and enjoying the fact he could stretch out fully now, he pulled the blanket over him.
He felt glad that last night his nightmares stayed away for some reason, and he hoped that tonight the memory would remain silent as well. Though, deep down, he knew it wouldn't be. This part of him, this link to his former life, would stay with him, forever. Always reminding him of his failings, and the subsequent guilt that followed.
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna once again stood on her balcony, watching over the dreams of those asleep.
She was, however, not paying any attention to this. Instead, her focus and senses reached out to Ponyville. Hoping that, whoever it was that had this horrible dream last night, was able to sleep peacefully tonight.
Her hope was short-lived, however. Mere moments after she extended her mind to the village, she picked up on the disturbance she sensed the previous night.
Sighing out and shaking her head, she cast the same spell she used before, making the pony's sleep dreamless.
''May the stars watch over you when I'm not,'' Luna whispered as she looked at the village in the distance, sensing the disturbance diminish.
The first warm rays of the sun's light rose up past the horizon, lifting the blanket of night to reveal the promise of an exciting, new day.
Danny, rolling over with a faint groan, gradually woke up to the sound of cheerful bird song once again. He didn't know why, but the nightmares had left him alone for two full nights now and a sleepy smile graced his lips.
Rolling over to his side, he took a moment to enjoy the warmth of his bed, now able to fully stretch out.
Several minutes ticked by while he remained like this, until he remembered he needed to go get moving. He was expected back at the cafe, to show what he was capable off during his trial run.
Groaning as he sat up right, he stretched out before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, readying himself for the day ahead.
A quick shower was next, and a fresh pair of clothes to make himself presentable. The shortage of clothing also reminded itself to him, adding another item to his ‘to do’ list. And finally, he grabbed a quick bite to eat, before he stepped out into the crisp morning air; taking a deep breath, then released it with a content sigh.
He calmly walked to the cafe, enjoying the early rays of sunlight, a bright smile on his face. A smile that seemed to be stuck with him ever since he had gotten to this place. It was almost like there was something to this town, as if it didn't allow anyone to remain sad for long.
Feeling confident in being able to impress Quick Grill and get himself the job, he continued his walk into town. He did have some experience with taking orders and such thanks to his previous job back home… No, back on Earth.
This was his home now. He might just still be settling in, but he could feel it in his gut. The friendly locals, his house, the possibility of a job and, most importantly of all, he was feeling happy. Albeit a little bit. There was still that shadow, that dark spot which tainted his soul. But even then, this was home. It had already done more for him than his previous establishment, and he hoped it would continue to do so.
But for now, he would focus on getting himself this job.
"Ha. This should be a walk in the park. What could possibly go wrong?" He said, cheerfully.
<<>><<>><<>>
'I just don't know what went wrong,' Danny cried in thought when the figurative walk in the park turned out to be not as sunny as he first envisioned. In fact, it almost seemed as if Vortex, the ghost who once controlled all of Earth's weather, followed him every step and threw a tornado, or two at him every now, and then.
Things started out well enough. Danny showed up bright and early, just as he was told to do. He helped the few others who were there to prepare for opening hour; putting out the tables and such. Then things got a little bit more... awkward. All personnel wore a simple, yet professional looking uniform and he was expected to do the same to show he worked there to the customers.
While not finding any objections to this, there was one glaring issue which made it impossible for him to do so. Not counting the fact he wasn't given a set of his own, of course.
Although, normally, this wouldn't be an issue. There were several spare outfits available, all neatly stored in a small storage compartment back in the café's back room. The thing was, they were all designed to be worn by a pony, not a human. So, much to Danny's growing embarrassment, the only thing he could use to show he was 'on the job', was a bright pink apron which he wrapped around his waist; his face putting in a good effort to compliment the apron's color by turning a healthy shade of red.
Obviously, this didn't really help his self esteem; only made worse by the chuckles from his co-workers and customers throughout the day. He did, however, got a compliment from a purple lizard walking by; who also said something along the lines: "I don't know why, but I get the same reactions when I wear mine."
Hadn't Danny been so confounded by the fact a lizard spoke to him, he might have commented to that. Sure, talking, magical ponies were weird, but lizards… he didn't know what to make of that.
Still, as weird as all of this was, he couldn't spare the time to stop and think. After all, there were customers to serve. And, boy, did they know how to order you around.
He was lucky that one of his co-workers, an unicorn mare called Ruby, was there to help him around. But the job was more stressful than he originally anticipated.
Back on Earth, at the fast-food crap shack he worked, he only took the orders and handed the customers their food over the counter. Here, he needed to run around without actually running; take orders and deliver the food without dropping it. And with his previous life of being cooped up in a small, crap apartment, his physique was somewhat… lacking.
He'd been at it for two hours now, and pesky remarks about his 'uniform' aside, he was busted. Where Ruby was as energetic as ever, he had trouble keeping his composure. And now, he almost dropped the plates of food he carried, only barely able to catch himself.
'Drat, I need to find a way to get through the day and to get the job. I guess this is what Quick Grill meant when he said I didn't have much muscle. Okay, Danny. Think! How can you get through the day without wearing yourself out and get the job if possible? If only these plates weren't so heavy... Wait!'
Trying to get a grip on the situation, a thought came to him. It could work. But as simple as it would be, he was more than reluctant to actually try it. After all, his powers had caused him nothing but trouble; the mess he got himself into back at the scanner room being a perfect, recent example. But perhaps, maybe now his powers could be used for something useful; something good. He could extend his ability to levitate to the items he carried, much in the same way he did with Sam and Tucker back in the day, making things a whole lot easier for himself. Still, he would have to be careful not to over do it. He wanted to reduce the weight, not make things fly out of his hands. That would be difficult to explain.
So, closing his eyes for a moment in concentration, he reached out to the denied, dormant powers he held within.
It did take him a moment, longer than he remembered, as he hadn't actively used his powers for years now, and it took him a few seconds to get a feel for it again. But, much like riding a bike, these things were difficult to forget. And so, within a few slow seconds, he noticed the gradual reduction of the plates' weight; becoming lighter and lighter, until he could barely feel anything at all; leaving only enough weight to keep the plates on his hands.
Unable to keep the satisfied smirk off his face, he quickly carried on; now easily keeping up with Ruby and the others without wearing himself out as much.
His 'new found energy' didn't go unnoticed either, as Quick Grill kept a close look on the tall human. And though he wasn't impressed with Danny at first, he had to admit the kid had potential. He certainly found himself a motivator, it seemed. Going from barely able to keep up, to practically flying through the place, taking and delivering orders from the customers.
If he was able to keep this up, he would be a valuable asset. He needed somepony that could keep up with the crowd and, until now, only Ruby seemed to be able to get her flank moving.
'Hmmm, keep it up kid and I might just hire you,' Quick Grill thought as he took a new order from Ruby, quickly setting to work and make true to his name.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several hours later.
Finally, the day was over, and Danny was exhausted. All the not running around, and the continuing use of his powers drained him more than he thought it would.
He really was out of it, but he couldn't be happier with himself. Not only was he able to get through the day without any more major incidents, he was also able to impress Quick Grill by keeping up with Ruby. He didn't say it out loud, but Danny could see.
At least, he thought he saw something. It might just as well have been his tired mind playing tricks on him.
Regardless, he had given it his all and he hoped it would pay off, in more ways than just the tips he received. Still, a quick few bits. He wasn't complaining.
"Nice work there, Danny." Ruby complimented as she approached him. Her deep red coat, and fiery red mane and tail a clear indication from where she got her name. "For a moment I thought you wouldn't be able to get through the day, but you really picked up the pace later on. What's your secret?" She asked with a kind smile.
"Secret? What secret.. I don't have a secret, hehehe." Danny replied nervously, shifting around as he did so.
"Whoa, calm down there. I was just asking." Ruby said, a bit weirded out by this sudden behavior.
"Sorry, I'm just tired and I tend to react a bit weird when I'm like that. It's been a long day for me. I haven't moved around like this for… what seems like forever and I'm beat." Danny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, I guess that you need some more practice then," Quick Grill grunted as he approached Danny.
"What? How do you mean?" Danny asked, daring to be hopeful..
"You said you were out of it, so get back into it. Here," Quick Grill said as he tossed Danny a package. "It's one of the spare outfits. There is a clothing shop down the block. Have it altered for you. Starting tomorrow, you're on the clock. You better keep up with the rest like you did today. No slacking, now that I give you this chance. Do not make me regret this, okay!"
"Yes, Sir. And I won't... Make you regret this, that is. Thank you," Danny said happily as he accepted the package. Ruby, standing next to Quick Grill, smiled broadly, while Quick Grill showed a more modest smile himself. "I will get this altered as quickly as I can," Danny promised, slightly bobbing the package up and down.
"You better, that apron looks ridiculous," Quick Grill smirked, the humor evident in his voice, and Ruby struggled to keep a straight face as she was reminded about Danny's bright pink ensemble.
"Urgh, I know," Danny groaned with a displeased frown and Ruby completely lost it, bursting out in laughter. Quick Grill, at the very least, sparing what little dignity Danny had left, managed to keep a straight face, but only barely. "And thank you for the support," Danny droned with mock hurt, grinning himself, too. "Well, I better get going then, if I want to get this thing altered."
"Sounds like a plan, kid. I'll see you tomorrow," Quick Grill nodded.
"Until tomorrow, then," Danny said with a quick wave; moving towards the clothings shop he noticed the day before.
Quick Grill, waiting for a moment until Danny turned around the corner, surprised Ruby when he suddenly spoke up. "Hmm, the kid got potential, but there's something that's bothering me."
"Oh, what?" Ruby asked.
"I can't quite place it, but there is something. You saw it too. At first he struggled to keep up, only for him to pick up the pace in a way like I've never seen before," he said as he stared at nothing in particular, deep in thought.
"And that's a bad thing?" Ruby asked, curious.
"No, of course not. But it's strange," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Ha, he might be a bit strange. But who isn't?" she asked humorously.
"True," he nodded his agreement, the both of them looking at Pinkie Pie as she bounced by. "You've got a point there."
<<>><<>><<>>
After a short walk, Danny stood before the clothing store, looking at it with raised eyebrows. He didn't pay much attention to it yesterday, but now he was wondering how he didn't notice this earlier.
"Is that a carousel?" he wondered out loud, scratching the back of his head.
Shrugging, he approached the building and opened the door, ringing a small bell which was placed just above the door; its chime making it known that a customer had entered.
"Coming~" A sing song voice rang out from above. And, true to the word, mere moments later a white unicorn mare, with stylized purple mane and tail, gracefully walked down the stairs.
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and magnifique. How may I help you?" She greeted as she approached Danny.
"Good day miss, eh, Rarity was it?" Danny asked. He remembered her from the party, but was unable to remember all the names. Mainly because he was blown away from Pinkie Pie's random behavior and didn't have a chance to properly learn everyone's names.
"Why yes, that's me," Rarity confirmed with a small nod.
"Well, I'm glad I got that right," he said with a look of real accomplishment. "I was wondering if you were able to adjust this outfit for me? It is for my new job, but it is made for a pony, so it won't fit me."
"Ah yes, I can see how that would be a problem," Rarity said, taking hold over the package with her magic, then levitated it over to her; quickly unwrapping the clothes and giving them a quick, but critical inspection. "Oh dear," she murmured as she took a good look at the pieces of fabric held aloft in her magical aura. "I'm not sure I can work with… this. It's just so… so bland."
The clothing was nothing more than a white top half of a tuxedo, if that was how you would even call it, with a red bow-tie attached to it, and all made specifically to be worn by a pony.
"Bland? How so?" Danny asked.
"Why, it just is. Trust me on this, dear. I know what I am talking about. It would be better to just remake the entire thing from scratch. Maybe add a few jewels in the bow-tie," Rarity suggested, quickly pulling out several rolls of fabric, then began to try out several different color combinations.
"Ehh, Rarity. I don't think that's necessary. In fact, the suit isn't even mine. My new boss gave it to me, specifically to have it altered so it would fit me, nothing more," he said as Rarity brought over several gemstones to match with the fabrics she had chosen. "Also, I don't think I can afford something as expensive as jewels," he added, dumbfounded, unable to believe the size of some of those rocks, nor that she would put them on something as ordinary as clothing.
"Expensive? How do you mean? I've collected these gems out in the fields myself."
"Wait, what? These things just lie there?"
"Oh, but of course not. I do need to look for them, but I have this spell that helps me with that. Just a flash of the horn and they show up just like that. I only need to get them out of the ground. Which is where my Spikey Wikey comes in. Oh he is such a gentledrake," she swooned just a bit, while Danny could only stare at her in utter disbelief; unable to comprehend that these large jewels were considered mundane, or that you could just dig them up like that.
"It is going to take a while before I get used to this place," he muttered holding his hand against his head.
"What was that, dear?" Rarity asked.
"Just that it won't be necessary for you to make me a new suit. Altering the one I have here is more than enough."
"Are you sure? With the design I have come up with you will stand out over anypony else."
"Yeah, like I'm not already," he deadpanned as he looked down at Rarity.
Rarity giggled a bit as she realized the already noticeable size difference. "Yes, you do stand out quite a bit on your own," she agreed, then sighed out. "But I do need to apologize. You see, I've never had the chance to work with a human before. Your body shape is so different from us ponies and you wear clothes all the time. Having you here was a chance I couldn't pass up, so I might have been a bit pushy with making you a new ensemble," she looked away, embarrassed.
"Well, I do need some new clothing myself. I'm running out of clothes and I didn't have many to begin with. So you could work on that, if you want?"
"Do I!? I've been waiting for a chance like this for quite some time now," Rarity said, practically glowing as she quickly pulled out a measuring tape to take Danny's sizes. "Oh, it will be gorgeous, just you wait." Already losing herself in the creative processes of initial design, Rarity, unbeknownst, also pulled out numerous gemstones which she automatically started to sort on size and color.
"Eh, Rarity. If it isn't too much trouble, could you just keep it simple. Something like what I am wearing now, maybe some different colors. And, please. No gemstones." he said, eying the rocks floating around him.
The measuring tape and gems stopped midair, slightly bobbing on the spot. "What? Are you sure?" she asked, slightly disappointed.
"Quite. No offense to you, but I don't really want to stand out more than I already do. Just nice and simple, nothing more."
"But you could be the talk of the day."
'That's what I'm trying to avoid,' he thought, but kept himself from actually saying it. "Rarity. I'm sure that everyone is already talking about the only human living in town. No need to add to it. Besides, less is more, right?" He said, trying to convince her.
"Very well then," she replied with some disappointment, but her cheerful demeanor came back in an instant. "Still, to be able to work with such an unique body shape. It will be quite a nice change of pace."
"Grea- Whoa! What are you doing!?" Danny shouted as his clothes were being pulled off by Rarity's magic.
Rarity, taken aback by the raised voice, stopped what she was doing, looking at him with confusion. "Why, I'm taking your clothes off so I can take some measurements." She said as if it was the most normal thing there is.
"Look. I don't know how it goes for you ponies, but just pulling someone's clothes off back where I come from is quite offensive. In fact, I'm sure there is a law against it." he half shouted, angry that she just did what she did, quickly snatching his pants out of the magical glow as he glared at her. His anger quickly mellowed, though, as he saw the shock and surprise in the mare's eyes, and he soon realized she simply didn't know.
"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know," she stammered in embarrassment, her cheeks a bright red when the realization of what she did came to her. She just assumed they shared the same customs. But he was from a whole different world, so of course there would be differences.
Danny, still standing in nothing more than his boxers, holding his pants in his right hand, quickly pulled the rest of his clothes, as well as some of his dignity out of Rarity's magical grasp. He was still mad on the unicorn. After all, how could he not be?
"Okay, I get you didn't know about my customs. But you should ask before doing something like that." Taking another deep breath to calm himself, he suddenly became aware that he was standing in front of a woman, or mare, in nothing more than his underwear. This sudden spike of embarrassment washed away any residual anger he felt, while his cheeks started to become a noticeable shade of red.
Sighing out, he figured he might as well see this through to the end. "But seeing I'm already undressed, you might as well take those measurements and get it over with," he told her, then thought to include one fine, but important detail. "But these stay on," he pointed firmly at his boxers.
"So, so you aren't mad?" Rarity asked uncertain.
"I am, but you didn't know. So, it would be unfair of me to hold this against you. Just don't let it happen again, okay?" He said with forced calm.
"I won't. And thank you, for still letting me do this." Rarity said, genuinely happy she hadn't scared off her first human customer. "Now, just hold still. This will only take a moment."
Not having much of a choice there, Danny just stood there, letting it all happen, grumbling to himself over what had just happened.
True to her word, it only took her a moment to take his sizes, but it still felt far too long for him. Even though it was a nice day, he was getting rather chilly without his clothes on. So, when Rarity said she was finished, he hurried to get dressed, making haste to put this embarrassing moment behind him as fast as he could.
"There, that should be all," Rarity said as Danny finished putting his clothes back on. "And I did get a decent look at the clothes you were wearing," she said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "So it won't be a problem for me to make some clothes that will suit you."
"Wonderful," Danny droned. He did try to sound cheerful, but the whole situation made it an impossible task, and he sounded more sarcastic than pleased. "In that case, I would like to order about six different sets of clothes. Nothing flashy, just simple, like what I'm wearing now."
"Why, of course. We already agreed on that." Rarity said in her usual upper-class tone, no longer embarrassed.
"When can I come pick them up?"
"I'll start working on them right away. Your attire for your work shall only take a moment, it will be finished tomorrow. As for the rest of your order. It will take some time to get used to your unique body shape, but I don't expect this to take too long. Two days, I'd say," Rarity beamed with excitement, clearly looking towards this new project of hers.
Danny, face still somewhat red, wanted to get away from this place as fast as he could, But before he could leave, there was one last thing he needed to know. "And how much is this going to cost?"
"Cost!? Oh, no no no no. I can't possibly charge you for this. It is your first order here and with my improper conduct earlier... No, consider them a gift from me." Rarity objected, making it known she wouldn't take no for an answer.
Danny was taken aback by this. He'd expected many things concerning the price, but for her to give away the clothes she hadn't even made yet for free… no, he didn't expect that, and his surprise showed.
"Wow. Thank you, but I could-..." he tried to argue, but Rarity interrupted him before he could do so.
"Oh, no no no. I won't have any of that. They're a gift and I won't have it any other way."
"Wow, that's quite generous of you," Danny said, amazed. His surprise clearly noticeable in his voice.
"Why, of course. It is my element, after all," Rarity agreed, bruising a hoof through her mane. Though, this statement did confuse Danny and he wanted to ask her what she meant, but she had other plans.
"Now, if that is all I must go back to my work. I still have lots to do and with your order added, I've got my work cut out for me. Your attire will be done first thing tomorrow, as promised. You can pick it up then," and despite her cheerful demeanor, Danny could hear the slight, work related stress in her voice. Not wanting to intrude on her time more than was necessary, he thanked Rarity for her help and left to spend the rest of his afternoon to tackle some of the small chores he still needed to do back home. After all, if he did have such an abundance of free time, he might as well use it usefully.
He came to an abrupt stop when that thought crossed his mind, "Since when did I think ahead?" He asked himself with noticeable surprise.
<<>><<>><<>>
Celestia sat on her throne, waiting for the technical overseer of the tear facility and the information of the almost successful breach of security. Of course she had diligently read each and every eye witness report, and was shocked by the disturbing nature of this incident. But the written word can only say so much, and she knew she needed more information; more detail. The kind of detail mere reports couldn't simply provide. It was because of this, she requested the recordings of the video surveillance to be brought to her immediately.
Of course, despite the few years her world had connected with the humans', and the subsequent exchange of knowledge, Celestia still ran into quite a few difficulties when dealing with human technology, So, somepony with the expertise to use one of those 'laptops', as they were called, was also requested to help her with this; the technical overseer of the tear facility herself.
Celestia didn't like it that she wasn't able to properly learn how to use these devices. But, as the leader of a country, spare time was a luxury at best. Still, with the time she had she was able to learn the basics, which would do fine any other time. But not now. She needed to know what had happened now, and not after who knows how much time would pass if she were to try this herself; fumbling around in an attempt to figure out which button did what.
Celestia sighed out in part frustration, part admiration. How these humans were able to create such forms of technology without the aid of magic, she didn't know. But she admired them for it. However, this stark contrast between their technologies also showed how dependent they, her ponies as well as herself, were on magic. And, in a way, it even slowed them down in the development department.
The first time she came to meet with these beings from a different world, she had a hard time believing such creatures could even exist. It was unheard of for somepony to be entirely without magic, let alone an entire world. But there they were, without magic, but with technology to compensate for that. Technology that bewildered the solar princess. Yes, they too had some form of technology, but in comparison with what the humans had managed to create, their technology proved to be nothing more than a joke. Primitive even.
This proved for a great confusion when the two worlds first met, when the first tear formed. There was panic in the streets of Trottingham, the city where it all started. The ponies were not used to many 'exciting' things occurring in their lives. And, as a result, the ponies were easily frightened, even scared when something unexplainable happens. And a large tear in the fabric of reality proved to be just such a thing.
The ponies there all fled in panic of this abnormality, but the humans that were on the other side didn't have such problems. They were used to weird, dangerous things happening in their daily lives, as Celestia would later learn. So, as the tear opened, the humans closest to this ripped veil of reality jumped through the moment they found out it was safe to do so. This was discovered by a few 'morons', as they were called, who acted well before thinking through any potential consequences of their actions. After that, a large flood of humans poured into the streets of Trottingham. Using devices they took out of their pockets to take pictures and video's. Celestia later learned that these devices were multi-functional communication devices, or phones, which they used to send images and videos all around the world in a blink of an eye.
Of course the tear closed shortly after the humans came through, stranding them there. And, of course, they panicked. The ponies there, already scared of the strange beings appearing from a hole in the air, became even more frightened when the humans started to shout and push, trying to get back to their own world, but unable to do so.
The royal guard was sent there to stop this presumed invasion, only making the situation worse as the humans thought they were attacked. They, of course, didn't have anything on them to defend themselves with. But the guards, on edge and with no exact idea what kind of situation they've gotten themselves into, acted on their basic training, and the confusion upon seeing the strange glowing objects in the humans' stubby claw, falsely believing them to be weapons of some kind, and acted accordingly to subdue the threat.
It was a mess, you couldn't call it anything else. There were fights between the humans and the guards. The humans were only trying to defend themselves, and the guards were trying to stop an invasion that didn't happen. In the end, the guards were able to subdue the 'threat', but only because they had weapons like spears and swords, and, of course, magic. The humans only had their hands to fight with, so they took whatever they could find to defend themselves. Causing quite a bit of damage as they tore apart several stands and other objects to make crude weapons to fight with.
The guards, at first, thought that these weird beings weren't much of a threat. They beat them easily enough. But, when the tear opened again the following day, they were in for a big shock. Heavily armored humans with strange devices on them and large, heavy, and menacing looking vehicles were waiting on the other side. All of them came through without hesitation, their intent to rescue the humans that came through the previous day clearly noticeable.
This time the guards didn't stand a chance. It only took a short hour before the last of the guards were captured and interrogated. It was here that Celestia came forth, trying to stop the hostility and negotiate the release of her ponies in exchange for their own kind, as long as they wouldn't invade their world.
The shock on Celestia's face was palpable when she learned the invading force was nothing more than a small group of civilians, coming through to find out what this weird phenomenon was. They immediately ordered the release of their captives and apologized to the commanding officer of the human army, who, in turn, ordered the release of the ponies they had incarcerated.
After this troubled start, a strong alliance was formed. This became even more important when more tears started to open, and, in doing so, bring a new problem to their world. Ghosts.
She had heard of them from the world leaders she met shortly after diplomatic relations began to form, but thought of it as some sort of superstition, or some kind of cultural reference. This changed, however, when the first reports of translucent, intangible creatures scaring the villages came in. This only happened where there was a tear present and it didn't take long before they learned that these ghosts the humans were talking about were very much real.
This, and the continuing flow of ponies and humans going through the tears without supervision, caused both worlds to create the tear facilities. Structures where a select group of individuals would oversee the passing of everyone going back and forth between worlds. Combined with the latest ghost repelling technology, they proved most effective in stopping the uncontrolled flow of ponies, humans and ghosts.
And this brought Celestia back to the problem at hoof. It should be impossible for a ghost to pass through security on Earth, and yet one managed to do so, only to be detected in the scanner room here.
Celestia sighted out in relief. What could have happened if this unholy abomination managed to get through, to get out in the public? Their magic proved effective against them, but it would still be a large problem if it did. Because, if one can get through, so can more.
Celestia's train of thought was interrupted when the throne room's large double doors opened, revealing a young unicorn mare, who she recognized as Technal.
Technal often gave her some tips on how to use the humans' devices from time to time. And one of those, a laptop, floated along Technal's side, held aloft in her magical grasp as she approached the solar diarch.
"Your highness," Technal bowed before Celestia.
"Rise, my little pony. You are here with the video surveillance I requested?" Celestia asked, smiling calmly despite the storm of thought she just had.
Technal shifted around uncomfortable, not looking up at the princess. "Yes and no," she answered hesitantly.
"How do you mean?" Celestia asked, puzzled.
"What I mean is, I brought the recording of the time the ghost revealed itself, but it appears there has been some kind of… malfunction." She stopped for a moment to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. "The ghost caused quite some damage to the systems there and it seems that the surveillance systems were also damaged in the process. Resulting in a total loss of the recordings at the time of the attack."
"What? How do you mean?" Celestia asked, shocked to the point some of it managed to enter her voice.
"What I mean is... well, see for yourself princess." And with that, she levitated the laptop before Celestia and played the video.
The recording shown seemed normal at first; ponies and humans stepping through the tear. Then they were led to the scanner, but after they entered the room the screen jumped to static.
"What? What is this? What happened?" Celestia asked, confused.
"It remains like this for quite some time," Technal told her. "The recording starts again about two hours from this point. Those present during the attack have been questioned and released during the time the system was down. We have no records of them, or the ghost during this time. I'm sorry, princess," Technal said in a small voice.
"It's alright, dear." Celestia said, but her voice told the mare that it was anything but. "Please send word to Fenton industries. Let them know about this ghost incursion and if they could send one of their scientist over to evaluate our systems. We can't take any chances with this."
"Yes, your majesty. In fact, we have already sent a report to them with the request for a full system inspection," Technal replied readily. Celestia, who, despite the situation, was pleasantly surprised with this wonderful foresight.
"Very well. Let me know about anything new that might be found about this incident, but keep it quiet for as long as you can. We don't want to start a panic. The ponies are still on edge after the last ghost incursion in Baltimare five and a half years ago."
Technal quickly assured the princess that she would keep this as quiet as she could, after which she was dismissed and Celestia watched her leave the room, and the doors close behind her.
"Ghosts," she sighed out. 'I knew it was only a matter of time before they'd come back to bother me. I just hoped it would have been later, not now.' Celestia thought as she looked out of one of the stained windows in the throne room, finding no answers in the colored light as it shone through the images displaying the heroic feats of her student and her friends.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Tucker!" Jack Fenton called out with his characteristic exuberance.
"Yes, mister F. What is it?" Tucker asked his boss/friend.
Even though he was now working for both Jack and his wife, the two men also had forged a solid friendship over the years. It was one of the reasons he, Tucker, was able to land such a good job at such a young age.
Tucker Foley, lead developer of every Fenton ghost catching, or hunting equipment made during the last five years. Well, co-opted lead developer to be precise. Maddie Fenton was still the brains behind it all, though Tucker did help a great deal with the designs, fill in the blanks and his expertise with computers also helped a great deal.
Under his scrutiny, each and every form of software; whether newly written code, or an update for existing programs, all were made to his own set level of perfection. Anything less wouldn't do. Of course, he would also 'infect' his programs with a line of code which was specifically designed to search for Danny, while also keeping his signature hidden to those using the devices.
Of course Jack and Maddie didn't know about this. They were devastated when their son ran away. And, even though Tucker did his best to find Danny, he couldn't tell them about this. First off, he didn't want to give them false hope. But second and much more importantly. He couldn't tell them about this, because it would mean revealing Danny's true identity as the ghost they've been actively hunting for the last six years. They were already broken over the loss of their son, revealing the truth to them about Danny would crush them.
"Tucker, my boy. We've just received a message from a tear facility in the pony world. Apparently they had some ghost doing quite a bit of damage to their systems, and they asked for an expert to examine, and, if possible, repair some of the damage. Now, normally I would go, seeing as I, Jack Fenton, would be a perfect candidate for the job. But Maddie needs my help in the lab. We're trying to rebuild the Fenton Ecto-skeleton. The last one was stolen by that Phantom menace all those years back," Jack grumbled bitterly.
"So I thought it would be perfect for you to go. You might even learn something new," Jack continued, his voice exuberant once more.
Tucker had to suppress an eye roll from what his friend was saying. He could learn something from this? Come on! He almost ran the show here, if it wasn't for Maddie. Jack was a good guy, but not particularly bright. Some might even say dense. That said, Tucker really wanted to go there. It's why he uploaded a memory erasing virus in the systems the second after the tear reopened. It would destroy any evidence leading to Danny, except for eyewitness reports. It would also serve for a reason that they would need an expert opinion on the matter, and request for someone to be sent over.
Tucker had hoped that they would come to him. And, if not, he would find a reason himself to go. It would give him the opportunity to investigate the scene. Trying to find out if it really was Danny, or not. He really was bummed out that he was unable to download the video footage remotely, but the tears interrupted the signal. Only small bursts of data, like his virus, could pass through without a problem. Now, with a reason to go, he could access the systems on site. And, with a special program only he had, he could reconstruct the video recordings on his personal computer, making it possible for him to see if it really was his childhood friend, or a false alarm from a malfunctioning device.
"Yes, that sounds like a great idea, Jack. I'll go right away."
"Hey, why don't you take this trainee of yours with you. It would be very educational for both of you," Jack said with a suggestive undertone, waggling his eyebrows.
Tucker groaned as he face palmed. And, although decent, it paled in comparison with the one made by Carl at the tear facility. ''Jack, please. There is nothing going on between the two of us. Will you just stop it!? Besides, she is on a special assignment for me. She won't be back for some time."
"Sure, that's what you youngsters all say. Ha, I still remember the day I gave Danny that ring.. for.. Sam......" Jack fell silent, accidentally reminding himself of his son and Sam, a pained look crossing his face.
Tucker was familiar with this. Every now and then, a random conversation would cause Jack, or Maddie to bring up something about Danny. And, by doing so, bring back some painful memories.
"You know, I could take Jazz with me. She might learn something from this, too." Tucker suggested, trying to get Jack's mind out of the memory he was reliving.
"Yes.. Yes,that sounds good. You do that. I'll be down in the lab," Jack said somberly, not really hearing what Tucker said, too lost in thought.
Tucker watched as Jack walked away, sighing loudly after the door closed automatically. 'I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth, but it is for the best. At least until we can find the proof that shows Danny didn't do the crimes he is accused of.' He thought. Sighing out again, he picked up his phone and called Jazz. Informing her about what he had found, and if she could come with him to confirm his findings.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny looked around, slowly taking in the effort of his work back home, proud with what he had managed to accomplish in the last few hours.
After dropping off his uniform for Rarity to adjust, he went on his way to clean up his house. And after an undetermined amount of time with no one living here, there was quite a lot of cleaning to be done. Not to mention the last few pieces of confetti and other party products he still found lying scattered around in one corner, or the other.
Pinkie's 'Welcome to Ponyville' party sure was a blast, but it left one heck of a mess.
Still, all in all, it had been a productive day and Danny sighed out contently over a job well done.
The dust that had gathered during the time that the house was empty was gone. The pieces of furniture that he had acquired were put in a more proper place, and the undergrowth in the garden was removed.
There was still a lot of work left, though.
The walls could use a new layer of paint, and the garden was still worse for wear, though, with less undergrowth. This and some other chores, he still needed to do. But, for now, he took satisfaction in what he had accomplished so far. And after all that time and effort put in cleaning his place up, and the darkening of the sky, he decided to call it a day.
Stepping back inside, he headed for the kitchen; washing his hands to clean off the dirt and grime. A rumble from his stomach telling him the next thing he should do was get something to eat. Though, as he did, he couldn't help but notice his diet had become much more vegetarian than he liked.
Sure these ponies sold various kinds of fruits and vegetables. Also hay, but obviously he couldn't eat that. A nice piece of meat, however, was difficult to find around here.
It made sense, though. They, the ponies, were herbivores, so it wouldn't make much sense for a butcher of any kind to be around here. He still cringed a bit as he thought back at all the weird looks he got when he asked where he could buy meat, not to mention the awkwardness of having to explain each and every time he wasn't some blood lusting creature who would eat the foals at night. He quickly went home after that, forgetting any of that had ever happened… with little success.
Still, he needed some meat. First off, he would need it to stay healthy. He knew this thanks to Tucker, and his obsession with meat. And second, even more important than the first. He just liked it, a lot. The only question now was, where could he find some? He could try hunting in the forest nearby, but that didn't sit well with him. He did hear about a pony living at the edge of the forest. An animal caretaker, or something like that. If he, or she took care of the animals there, he, or she might also have some meat to feed to the carnivorous creatures. If so, maybe he could buy some for himself. But for now, he would have to do with the vegetables and fruits he had.
'Oh well, at least it's healthy.' Danny thought, biting down into an apple.
<<>><<>><<>>
Celestia and Luna were in Celestia's private chamber, with Luna staring out of the window towards Ponyville.
It had only been a short while since she had raised the moon, and knew it was only a matter of time before the disturbance would show up again. Although, she hoped it wouldn't.
"Sister, have you acquired the information that we seek?" Luna asked her older sibling.
"Yes and no, I'm afraid." Celestia responded.
Luna looked away from the window, giving her sister a quizzical look; not understanding. "Pray tell, how do you mean?"
Celestia sighed out as she looked away from Luna, moving to stand besides her, seeing her own reflection in the window before she refocused on the night outside. "I mean that I have gathered and read the eyewitness reports, and what I've learned from them truly disturbs me greatly. However, hysteria is also a factor we need to take into account and the reports can, and, most likely, have been influenced by it. There were several contradictions I've come across, but the majority is the same. However, when I requested the video surveillance to be brought to me, I was told about a new problem," Celestia revealed to her sister, and the both alicorns looked out over Ponyville.
"A new problem? What is it?" Luna asked in puzzlement.
"It seems that the ghost that came through did quite some damage to the systems there. And, in doing so, destroyed all recordings of the incident and interrogation of those present," Celestia explained.
"WHAT!?" Luna shouted. Not in the royal Canterlot voice, but close to it.
"Indeed. But even with the recording gone, I've learned some interesting facts of what had happened. It seems that this ghost managed to possess a shadow of a human coming through. This is troubling, as we have not heard of them being able to do this before. Also, a request has been sent to Fenton corporation to send an expert to assess the damage, and repair the more critical systems. As well to look over any evidence that remains. Maybe they can find something we can't. But this doesn't answer who it is that is causing these disturbances you sense. Therefore, I've sent a letter to my student to ask her if she had seen anything out of the ordinary in Ponyville as of late. Mere moments ago, shortly before you arrived here, I received a reply from her. I can say that I was expecting many things, but this, I did not." Celestia told Luna and she levitated the mentioned letter over to her sister who, with a flash of her own magic, took the scroll.
Dear Princess Celestia.
Regarding your request if I've seen anything or anypony out of the ordinary, or new around town.
Although I've not been able to find anypony new, or out of place around here, there is a human here that had recently registered for citizenship and now owns a small house at the edge of town. I don't know if this is what you were referring to, but it is the only thing that I could find that matched the search criteria that you have given me. I hope this is what you wanted to know. If not, please let me know and I will look around again.
Your faithful student.
Twilight Sparkle.
Luna reread the letter several times, having some difficulties believing what Twilight's letter told her.
"A human!? There is a human living in Ponyville?" she said in shocked surprise.
"It would seem so. I had trouble believing it myself, too, but it is true. Twilight wouldn't lie to me. Also, as I recall, there was a request for a citizenship approval several months ago. I was surprised by this, as we do not get many of those. There are merely a few dozen humans living in Equestria and only to help us learn about their technology. Because of this, I thought it was another scholar of sorts, coming here to teach our subjects about their technology. But it seems now that this isn't the case. There has not been a single case of a human living here not related to educational purposes, so it seems that we have gained our first real human citizen. And he lives in ponyville. And he arrived there around the same time you began to sense these disturbances," Celestia told her sister, building up to the realization she had.
"Sister, you don't think that.... that this human is responsible for the nightmare I've sensed?" Luan asked, shocked, staring even more intently at the distant village.
"It would make sense. The timing fits, and we both know that our ponies rarely suffer from a real terror of the mind. Especially not for multiple nights, as you have told me. No, it would make sense that this human is the one who we seek." Celestia said, putting emphasis on the word real, as to indicate an actual nightmare and not merely a bad dream.
"But even if this is true, what could have caused this being such trauma that he, or she is plagued by it every night?" Luna asked.
"I do not know," Celestia shook her head as she looked at the distant village. "But I intend to find out. I've ordered a chariot to bring us to Ponyville, tomorrow. I'm sorry about this, but I need you to be there as well. Your ability to sense his mental state will be invaluable," Celestia said to Luna, the latter not happy about it because it would mean that she had to stay awake during the day, making it harder for her to work efficiently during the night.
"Very well, we shall be ready for our departure come morning," Luna affirmed, not looking forward to the difficulties she had to deal with tomorrow night, but she knew her sister was right. "Now rest, dear sister, while I watch over the night."
Celestia gave Luna a hug and went to her bedchamber. "Watch out over this human, Luna," Celestia said as she closed the doors adjacent to her private room.
Luna gave her a curt nod, then teleported to her own chamber, to watch out over the dreams of her ponies. Especially paying attention to Ponyville, waiting for the human there to sleep. Waiting for the chance to ease his mind once more.
<<>><<>><<>>
The following day.
Danny's day had started like the others, ever since he had come here a few days ago.
He woke up to the sound of birds, showered, got dressed and ate something. Then, after stepping out into the crisp morning air, inhaling deeply with a serene smile, he headed for town; stopping by Rarity to retrieve his work clothes, who had done an amazing job refitting it. And even now, she wouldn't accept any money for the work she had done.
He still had trouble wrapping his mind around this, especially considering the amazing job she'd done. The clothing, before mismatched for his frame, now fitted almost like a second skin and he barely noticed he wore it at all… if it wasn't for the bow-tie. He really didn't like that thing, but he could ignore it without too much trouble.
After arriving at the café, ready to start his newly earned occupation in full, he received several positive reactions from Quick Grill, and Ruby upon seeing him.
Quick to set to work, and with use of his power to levitate, his day went by amazingly fast. Even more so, now that he had eliminated the problem he had before with keeping up, and making sloppy mistakes as a result. Because of this, he had the time to not only take the customers' orders, but actually get to know them as well.
These ponies sure were chatty, and most of them gave him some kind words as he served them. And which soon proved to be a recurring theme, most of the ponies he served left a nice tip for him too.
Quick Grill was also impressed. Danny was going around the place like a pro. And, although he did show some fatigue at the end of the shift, he certainly did a good job. Not that he would ever say such a thing out loud. He would always push the kid a bit more every day, trying to see just how much he could get out of him.
Danny couldn't be more pleased with himself either. Sure, he was tired and his powers put a drain on his strength. But he finally felt like he was doing something worthwhile with his life.
Before, he would just waste away. Either in his dump of a home, or in that horrible fast-food place. Now, he actually did something he felt good about, even if it was just serving food.
The kind words of the customers as he brought their food also helped lift his spirit, giving him that extra spurt of energy to keep going. Knowing that he was also using his powers to help, instead of damage anything around him, made him feel all the more pleased about himself and it showed. For the duration of the day he walked around with a beaming smile, and the ponies all smiled in return.
Yes, for the first time in a very long time, he was actually happy.
He finally did something he felt good about, something he tried to do back on Earth. Help others, even if it was as a waiter.
Now, with the shift over and the place closed, Danny helped Quick Grill, and Ruby to clean up.
"You've done a great job today, Danny." Ruby complimented as she cleaned one of the tables.
"Thanks. I certainly enjoyed it. Though, I am more than a little tired right now," Danny replied, yawning, as he swept around with a broom.
"I'm not surprised about that. It took me awhile to get used to it myself," Ruby chuckled in understanding. "The first couple of days it felt like my hooves were going to fall off, but you'll get used to it in time."
"I sure hope so, I'm beat," he replied with a tired smile.
"Yes, you did a decent job. But don't think that, just because you managed to get through your first full day on the job, things will get easier for you. No, you might get used to it, but I want you to give it a hundred and twenty percent every day," Quick Grill cut in.
"Heh, don't worry, Sir. I'll do my very best, just need to get a feel for it. I'll get there in time, but I won't disappoint you," Danny answered as he swept up the trash he had collected, depositing it in a mostly full trash bag Quick Grill had just replaced.
"Make sure you do," Quick Grill stated, keeping a stoic expression, but smiling inwardly. "Well, that's it for today. You're free to go. I'll see you two tomorrow," and with that, Hel closed the café and went his separate way.
"Is he always so grumpy?" Danny asked Ruby when Quick Grill was out of hearing distance.
"Ah, don't let his tough act fool you. He is a real softie on the inside, but he likes to intimidate any new workers. He'll warm up eventually," Ruby answered. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going home. I've got some things to do. Good day, Danny. See you tomorrow," she waved a hoof at Danny, walking on three legs as she did so.
"Good day, see you tomorrow." Danny replied, waving back.
With most of the day spent working, Danny decided to go home himself. Taking a more scenic route to enjoy the splendor of the village.
Some time had passed when he arrived back at his humble abode, yet the sight that awaited him stopped him in in tracks. And it was with quite the surprise when he saw a grand chariot, with intricate decoration, standing in front of his home. And, even more confusing to him, there was also a small contingent of guards; and a small gathering of ponies surrounding them and his home.
Danny, feeling a rapidly growing sense of dread, began to panic.
'Oh no. Did they found out about me? I thought I got through the scanner without a problem… Well, sort of. Oh damn, they've seen me. I can't walk away now, it'll seem suspicious. Okay, act normal, don't panic and maybe we can get out of this too. Oh I hope I don't have to use my ghost powers now. No way I will be able to explain that.' Danny's mind was a storm, thoughts swirling around with hurricane like speed, as he went through every possibility he could come up with as to why the guards were here, and if he had been found out.
"You. Are you the human living here!?" A pegasus guard shouted as he spotted Danny.
"Eh, yeah. I mean, maybe.... Who's asking?" Danny asked nervously, his eyes darting around, looking for a quick exit.
"Calm down. There is no need to panic," a gentle voice said, making him feel at ease as he noticed a large, white unicorn step out of the chariot, followed shortly thereafter by a slightly smaller, dark blue unicorn.
"Please, do forgive our guard. He's new," big white said, giving the guard a stern look, and the pony shrunk down into his armor.
"Ehh. Your guard?" Danny said, confused, then noticed the crowns they were wearing. As well as the rest of the regalia, and their wings.
'Oh crap. Not unicorns. Aren't these the princesses?' he thought. He had heard of them, but never actually seen them.
"Do not be alarmed, human. We are here merely to make your acquaintance," slightly smaller blue said.
"Meet... me? Why? I am no one interesting," Danny said, afraid about where this was going.
"Oh, but I beg to differ," big white countered with a gentle smile. "But we'll get to this in a moment. First off. Welcome to Equestria. We are its rulers. I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of this land, and riser of the sun," Celestia introduced herself with a curt bow.
"And I am Princess Luna. Guardian of the night, riser of the moon, and Co-ruler with my sister." Luna said, introducing herself after her sister, "Tis a pleasure." She added with a curt nod.
"Eh.. Danny, Danny Manson," Danny responded, his mind still on the fritz as he had trouble comprehending the current situation.
"Manson?" Celestia said, slightly shocked. "You mean, from the Manson family?" She and Luna shared a quick glance, an entire conversation happening in that split second their eyes connected.
'Huh? Aw, crap. Not this again,' Danny thought. "Oh, no no no. Definitely not. No I am not related to them in any way," he quickly countered, not liking the look he got from the guards.
"Well, that's a relief," Celestia said, while Luna eyed Danny suspiciously, but was able to hide it well. Only Celestia noticed the gleam in her sister's eyes.
"Eh, may I invite you inside, perhaps? It'll be better than just standing outside, I guess. Although, I'm still cleaning the place," Danny offered, mentally slapping himself for it. 'You idiot, inviting them in with you. You might as well tell them who you really are. Crap, they might as well already know, and are just playing dumb. Just waiting for me to make a mistake... Shit, I just did.' He thought the moment he made the suggestion.
"That won't be a problem," Celestia said, and Danny stepped around the princesses, opening the door for them; all the while silently berating himself for making this situation potentially much more dangerous for himself.
'Luckily the door is large enough, or this would be rather awkward.' he thought as he let them in, only allowing this notion to hold him for a second, or two. Though, had he been calmer of mind, he might have found it just a bit strange that the house he'd acquired only a few days prior seemed to be designed with a human height difference in account. After all, he did stand rather tall back in the Café, not to mention Sugar Cube Corner; needing to bend his head so he wouldn't hit himself against the door's frame.
"Please wait here, we'll be back shortly," Celestia instructed the guards before entering. The guards responded with a collective: "Yes Princess," and a salute, then returned to their positions.
As they stepped inside, Danny closed the door, which almost seemed to happen in slow-motion and the slight creak of the door only added to the dread he felt as the door closed with a click.
'Okay, whatever you do, DO NOT PANIC! Just keep calm and answer whatever questions they might have without revealing yourself,' Danny mentally shouted at himself. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he faced the two princesses standing in his living room.
"Eh, I'd offer you a seat," Danny said as he indicated the sofa. "But I don't really think that will work." He finished awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do not worry about it, we won't be here for long," Celestia reassured the flustered human as she, and Luna sat down on the floor, calming Danny down a bit.
"You won't? Eh, okay.... Can I get you something to drink?" Danny asked them, still fazed, but trying to be a good host.
"I'm fine, but thank you," Celestia replied with a kind smile.
"Just some water for me, if that's alright?" Luna told him, receiving a small nod from Danny before he stepped into the kitchen, returning moments later, glass of water in hand.
There was some surprise, and a startled gasp on his part, when Luna used her magic to levitate the glass out of his hand, taking a small sip, then held it aloft beside her.
"Apologies. T'was not my intent to scare you," Luna apologised.
Danny, looking at the midnight blue glow around the glass, and the same shade of blue pony whose horn was alight, had to wait a few seconds for his mind to reboot. When it did, though, he asked the question which was bothering him most of all.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" He asked, getting straight to the point.
"First, we came here to welcome you. As it turns out, you are the first real human citizen we have. We do have a few scholars living in our lands, but, before your arrival, there hasn't been a human residing here not related to educational purposes. This was a bit of a surprise to us, so we felt it necessary to personally meet you. There is, however, also the matter of what happened at the tear facility in Canterlot," Celestia answered, and Danny gulped.
"We've heard a ghost managed to come through, by means of possessing a shadow of a human. And, although, this ghost destroyed all recordings of the event, eyewitness reports have given us quite some information. We know it was your shadow that was possessed by this ghost, and we were worried that you, or somepony else was, or is still, hurt from this incident," Celestia explained calmly, but making no mystery about just how serious this was to her.
Danny, upon her words, looked nervously at his shadow. Both princesses noticed this, but decided not to act upon it, for now.
"Y-yeah. My shadow was possessed, as you say," Danny stammered nervously, carefully choosing his words. "It gave us quite the scare, but I wasn't hurt. Physically, at least. From what I've heard, any other there didn't get hurt either. I guess we just got lucky."
"Lucky!?" Luna spoke up. "Your shadow was taken over by a foul beast, you and any present were most likely in mortal danger, and serious damage was done to the facility. And you call it lucky?" Luna said, shocked, not understanding how this human was able to be so nonchalant about it.
Danny flinched, hoping he didn't screw up. "Eh, yeah. Although the guards there also did a fine job in taking care of this ghost," he added, hoping that it would be more believable.
"That may be so, but how can you be so unfazed by it all?" Luna asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Let's just say, I am used to this whole ghost business," Danny said somberly, looking at the ground. Luna and Celestia gave each other a quick glance upon Danny's words.
"How do you mean?" Celestia asked.
"Mis... Princess, I would rather not talk about it. I came here to get away from it all, not to be reminded of it," he said with pain in his voice. The princesses, taken aback from the hurt tone, decided not to push the matter for now, but they would keep a close eye on Danny.
"Very well. I apologize if we came on rather strong, but we needed to be sure that you were alright." Celestia said, and he finally looked back up at the two princesses after she said so.
"Don't worry, I am." Danny said with a small smile.
"Very well then. I hope you will enjoy your stay here," Celestia replied in kind. she and Luna standing back up.
"Wait, you're leaving already?" Danny asked, surprised they were to leave so soon already. Not that he was complaining, but he believed to be in a lot of trouble, nor had he expected a meet and greet with the princesses.
"Yes, we are. Although it is a pleasure meeting you, we do have a busy schedule, and we can't stay here for much longer," Celestia responded, smiling kindly.
"Yes, t'was interesting meeting you, Danny. Perhaps we will do so again?" Said Luna, looking curiously at Danny.
Danny, feeling like he had just dodged a bullet, responded in kind. "Yes, it was interesting to meet you. It certainly was a surprise," he said honestly. Any nervousness he felt was gone now that he realized they weren't onto him. "And who knows, we just might meet again," he answered to Luna's remark.
Luna gave Danny a curt nod and she, and Celestia walked to the door; opening it with a flick of Celestia's horn and stepping outside.
The crowd of ponies, their attention solely focused on the alicorns as they stepped out, all waited with barely contained eagerness to find out what their beloved princesses were doing here, and how the human was involved. Some of them even began shouting their questions, asking them what the human had done, or why they were here.
Celestia quickly addressed those present, giving them the answer they wanted before any of this would spiral out of control.
"Do not worry, my little ponies. The human has done nothing that you need to worry about. We merely came here to welcome him to our fair lands. Now, please, return to your daily activities," she said in a calm, collected manner that you could only get from centuries of leadership. Luna, however, remained surprisingly quiet during all of this, deep in thought.
As the group of ponies dispersed, Celestia turned her attention back to Danny once more. "We apologize for the intrusion, but we had to clarify a few things. Do know that we have no ill intent, as long as you keep to the rules and don't hurt any of my ponies. That said, I've heard that you have already found a job in town and are trying hard to make the most of things. As long as you live your life in peace with the rest of my beloved ponies, you are free to do as you wish," Celestia told him in a firm, but gentle tone and Danny nodded instinctively, understanding perfectly what she meant. Still, an involuntary shiver managed to forced its way down his spine and he felt the need to reassure her.
"Don't worry, princess. The last thing I want to do is hurt someo-.. eh, somepony."
Celestia, obviously pleased with what he said, gave him a smile and a nod, then stepped back into her chariot. Luna looked Danny over once more, before following after her sister. A guard closed the door and the pegasus guards hooked themselves up to the cart, pulling it forward as they flew away.
"Well, that was interesting," Danny muttered to no one in particular, watching the chariot fly over town, before it descended a short while later.
<<>><<>><<>>
A short while prior.
As Celestia and Luna were seated in their chariot, Celestia awaited with no small hint of trepidation to hear what Luna had learned through her ability to 'see' one's mind.
Luna, using the opportunity presented when Danny offered them a drink, and with the use of her magic hidden by levitating the offered glass of water, should have ample of opportunity to gleam into Danny's mind without notice.
She wouldn't fully enter his mind, though, Such invasion of privacy wouldn't be done, unless there was absolutely no other choice. But, at the very least, she would be able to get some semblance of an idea of what could be troubling Danny. A task now much easier through their close proximity, instead of the distance which separated them at first.
Luna, however, didn't say a thing. Nor did she respond in any way to her sister, until Celestia nudged her in the side.
"Luna, what is it? You're unusually quiet. What did you learn?" Celestia asked, worry noticeable.
"That's the thing, sister. I didn't learn anything. I was unable to see anything," Luna said with frustration, confused.
"What? But how?" Celestia voiced her surprise.
"I do not know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. No living mind has ever been able to keep me out, but it is like there is something with this human that doesn't allow me to gain entry to his mind. At least, not without forcing my way in," Luna told her older sister as she looked out of the window, watching Danny's house. "It's unsettling."
Celestia, thinking about what her sister had just revealed, quickly ordered the pegasi pulling the chariot to head for Ponyville's library.
"Sister, what are you doing?" Luna asked, confused.
"We won't be able to constantly keep an eye out on him, but I know somepony who can," Celestia answered as the library came closer into view. "It's obvious he is hiding something, but what? He hasn't done anything that could warrant an arrest, which would give us a reason for more thorough interrogation. And he seems to be living in peace here, even working with our ponies, so it is safe to assume he has no ill intent. But something is kept from us," Celestia explained.
"Yes.... that much is obvious. These 'dreams', not to mention the fact that I can't look into his mind. There is something about this human that's different from the others," Luna agreed as she looked at her sister. "So, Twilight?" She questioned.
"Yes. She will be able to keep an eye on him and, maybe, learn a bit more about Danny." She nodded and the chariot stopped in front of the large tree that housed the library.
"You're sure that's a good idea?" Luna asked, "What if he turned out to be dangerous!?"
"That seems unlikely. But even if he is, Twilight will be able to take care of herself. Her friends will be there to help as well. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Celestia reassured her younger sibling, then stepped out of the chariot and approached the library.
"True," Luna murmured, still worrying about what the human was hiding as Celestia knocked on the door of the tree house.
A few moments passed before the door opened, revealing Twilight who looked first surprised, then shocked at who she opened the door for.
"Princess Celestia!?" She said loudly, seeing her teacher standing before her. "And Princess Luna!?" She realized as the midnight blue alicorn stepped out of the chariot.
"Twilight, it's wonderful to see you again. May we come in?" Celestia asked her pupil.
"But of course, please," Twilight answered without hesitation, quickly stepping out of the way, allowing the princesses entry.
"Twilight, Tis a pleasure seeing you again," Luna greeted happily as she entered the building.
"It's wonderful to see you too, Princess Luna," the purple mare responded in kind. "But what brings you here?" She asked both alicorns.
"What, aren't we allowed to visit our friend from time to time?" Celestia said playfully.
"Well, yes, of course. But you always let me know in advance when you do. I didn't have time to prepare for a visit," Twilight said, already beginning to panic, while using her magic to quickly hide the large pile of books lying around the library.
Celestia couldn't suppress a chuckle over her student's expected behavior.
"Don't worry, my faithful student. We're not here for a prolonged stay. We're merely here asking for your help." Hearing this, Twilight's frantic attempt to make the library more presentable stopped instantly and she turned to the princess, eyes set, and full of determination.
"Help? With what? What happened? Does it require the rest of the Elements? I could send Spike to get them here right now," she asked, quickly devolving in rambling one potential threat which would require the use of the Elements of Harmony, to the next, until Celestia raised her hoof, prompting Twilight to a stop.
"There is no need for that, Twilight. The Elements are not required for this assignment," Celestia calmed her down.
"Then what do you need my help with?" Twilight asked her teacher in confusion.
"The human, Danny as he is called. It's about him," Luna answered for her sister.
"Danny, what about him?" Twilight asked, clearly confused, unable to understand what he could have to do with what the princesses needed her to do.
"So you have already met him yourself!?" Luna half asked, half stated.
"Well, yes. Pinkie Pie threw him a large 'Welcome to Ponyville' party. You know how it goes," Twilight answered.
"Ah, yes. I do recall certain events she had her hoof in," Luna remarked.
"But getting back on topic," Celestia cut in. "Have you noticed anything strange about him? Anything at all?"
"No, not really. I mean, there is his name, Manson, but he said he isn't related to them in any way."
"Yes, we were told the same," Celestia confirmed.
"Other than that, there isn't much I can tell you about him. I've only met him for a short while during his party, but haven't talked to him much since. I did hear he found himself a job at the local café, but that's about it. Sorry," Twilight quickly apologized, realizing she wasn't able to answer the Princesses.
"No need to apologize, Twilight," Princess Luna reassured her. "In fact, this is where we need your help. There is something odd about this human, something we can't place. We would like it if you were to keep a close eye on him and report anything unusual to us."
"Unusual?" Twilight asked.
"Anything that doesn't seem right. We do not know what it might be ourselves, but there is a great disturbance surrounding him."
"Disturbance? How do you mean?"
"I can't tell, Twilight. Just keep an eye on him," Luna told her.
"Yes princess," Twilight said strongly. "Do my friends need to help with this too?"
"Yes, they may. But keep to yourself why. Just ask them if they noticed anything weird going on with, or around him, nothing more. It might well be we are wrong about all of this, and we don't want everypony treat him with suspicion," Celestia told her.
"Yes, Princess. You can count on me," Twilight told her mentor. "I will monitor everything,*" she added almost manically.
"That might be a bit too much," Celestia said with a chuckle over her student's behavior, knowing full well that she would make true to her words.
"Oh, right." Twilight said, smiling sheepishly while Celestia and Luna shared a laugh.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker and Jazz were waiting inside the tear facility from which they would gain entry into Equestria. More specifically, Canterlot, where they were expected.
At the time being, the tear was closed, but it was due to reopen anytime now. And as they waited, the two silently discussed the various matters concerning both the potential breach and, hopefully, Danny.
Of course they didn't mention Danny, or anything that could hint towards him. Vlad would undoubtedly find out. And so, It had taken them a full day to plan ahead, after Tucker had called Jazz and asked if she could join him. Not to mention the time it took them to actually get there.
Now though, they were stuck on their side of the tear, waiting for the unnatural passage to open, and Tucker, tapping his foot in impatience, groaned out in irritation.
"Oh, come on. Do we really have to wait much longer?" He complained.
"Just relax, Tucker. It'll open soon, just you wait," Jazz tried to calm him down.
"You said that three times already, when is it going to happen?" Tucker said with bored irritation. "I mean, come on. We planned this for an entire day. We made sure the time we arrived would be in sync with rip time, and now this stupid thing isn't working as it should."
"Oh, come now. You know just as well as I do that these tears don't always open on time. They're too unpredictable for that. They may open at the same time every day for a full week, only to open and close randomly for a month."
"Yeah, but sti-...." Tucker was interrupted by a loud sound and flashes of light as the tear opened, revealing the path to Canterlot. "Finally!" Tucker shouted over the noise.
"Okay. Mister Foley, Miss Fenton. If you would please follow me, they're waiting for you," one of the employees said. The two of them gave him a quick nod and followed him through the rip in reality. Both setting foot in the magical realm for the first time.
"Huh. I thought it would give some kind of feel when I went through, not nothing at all?" Tucker said as he looked back at the shimmering hole in reality.
"Hah, first timers always do. Now, come on, this way please," the unnamed employee instructed.
"Right," Tucker and Jazz both nodded.
They were led to the main terminal, where all the computers responsible for controlling the vast amount of ghost detecting machinery, as well as any other equipment connected to the system, were located. There they were greeted by an unicorn mare waiting for them.
"Welcome, I assume you are the experts we requested?" The grayish mare with electric blue mane and tail said.
"Yes, that's us. I'm Tucker Foley," Tucker affirmed with a nod.
"And I'm Jazz Fenton," Jazz said with a wave of her hand.
"I'm Technal, pleasure to meet you," Technal greeted with a thin smile. A smile which soon fell as she continued. "If you would be so kind as to follow me. Not many are allowed in here and you need somepony with you who has the clearance," she explained, leading them through a secure door, while the person who led them through the tear went back to his own facility.
"I understand, you don't want any unwanted guests going around in a place like this," said Tucker as he eyed the many terminals standing around him. "You've got quite the setup around here."
"Why yes, yes we do. This is the main capital, after all. And after the incident in Baltimare, we didn't want to take any chances. So we didn't spare any expenses to keep unwanted ghosts out. And that is why you are here. Not only did a ghost manage to get through, but it did quite some damage to the systems, as well as the scanner room," she said with pride, which quickly turned bitter at the mentioning of the ghost. Jazz and Tucker glanced uneasily at one another.
"Aha, here we are," Technal said as she approached a large, heavily secured door which blocked entry to the room holding the main computer.
Using an identity card, she opened the doors and let the two humans in. "Please help yourself, the main computer is right there, as you can see. Also, although I would like to stay, my attention is required elsewhere. So I have to lock the door behind you. There is an intercom system built into the wall there. If at any time you need to get out, just give us a call," the mare told them as she pointed at the device installed into the wall.
"Very well, thank you. We'll take it from here," Jazz said as Tucker connected his laptop to the system and started his scan.
"No problem. Just let us know if you find anything."
"Don't worry, we will," Jazz assured Technal, who gave her a friendly nod and left, closing the doors behind them.
"Okay, she's gone. Found anything yet?" Jazz asked impatiently.
"I only just started the retrieval process, give it a minute. Shees," Tucker commented.
"Right, sorry. I just want to know if it is really him. It has been so long already." Jazz said sadly, looking at the screen of Tucker's laptop.
"I know, I miss him too. But this is not going any faster by rushing me. So, please, be patient," Tucker commented.
"Oh, now I am the one that has to be patient. Weren't you complaining about the wait earlier on?" Jazz teased, making Tucker roll his eyes.
"That was different," he stated.
"Oh, how so?" Jazz asked him with fake curiosity.
"Because, there we had to wait for some hole in the air to appear. Here, we need to wait for the system to recompile and reconstruct the video my virus has destroyed. There is a difference," Tucker said as he looked at the slowly progressing progress bar on his screen.
Allowing him this, Jazz instead chose to focus on the more important details of their true reason being here. "So, if it's him. How do you think he managed to get through without being shot down? And, what's with this ghost that destroyed the scanner? You don't think that was Danny, do you?" Jazz asked, trying to kill the time.
"I do not know, but I hope we will get some answers soon," Tucker replied as the progress bar indicated eight percent complete. "But there is more going on than just this."
"Oh, how so?" Jazz asked, now being sincere.
"Vlad," was Tucker's one word reply.
Jazz head snapped to Tucker in full attention. "What, what has he done now?"
"I do not know," he sighed out. "Not yet. But that might change soon. We both know what he has done in the last six years. He extended his time as a mayor of the city by using his ghost powers to manipulate the election. He came with all kinds of false proof of Danny being a criminal, and he used his vast, stolen wealth to create a private fund for Fenton corporation, just to get a seat on the board. We both know he is up to something, but what, I cannot say. Not until she comes back from the assignment I send her on," Tucker told Jazz.
"Wait, she? As in-.."
"Yes, her. Her abilities make this so much easier for her than anyone else. And, with the modified Specter Deflector I gave her, she will be completely undetectable from his drones. It has kept her hidden from Vlad for all this time now, so I know it works."
"You're trying pretty hard to keep her safe, aren't you!" Jazz said with a suggestive tone. "Anything you're not telling?"
Tucker gave a long groan in answer. "Not you too. Okay, listen up. We are not a couple!"
"Suuuurre, just like Danny and Sam, right?" Jazz teased.
"No, we really aren't. Not only would it be weird, considering her... Well you know. But she is also only seventeen," Tucker argued, trying to convince Jazz. But deep down, he was also trying to convince himself.
"She won't be in a few short weeks," Jazz said slyly. "And as for it being weird. Since when have our lives been anything but?"
Tucker blinked dumbly at that. "True. The second part, I mean. I'm not going to respond to the first," he said as he looked at his screen once more. "Thirty two percent," he added.
Jazz gave Tucker a knowing look, seeing through the wall of denial he had built around himself. Something she had learned from all the interaction between Danny and Sam. "You know I wouldn't judge you if you were to get together, right?"
"I am not hearing you, nope nothing at all," Tucker said childishly, focusing a bit too hard on his laptop, making Jazz smirk.
"Riiiigghht. Well, if you ever want to talk about this, you can always come to me." Tucker groaned as she said so; not pushing him further, but Jazz wouldn't deny the feeling of victory. His body language told her everything she needed to know.
"Well, if you are so interested in my love life, how about yours? Got anyone you have your eye on?" Tucker asked her with fake innocence, already knowing the answer.
"What, no, no I don't, hehehhe." Jazz said, suddenly very nervous.
"Riigghht, just like Danny and Sam, huh." Tucker said with an evil grin, he got to her now.
"NO, there really isn't anyone. Why would you even think that?" Jazz asked, slightly frazzled.
"Maybe of all the extra visits you receive from him, or the blush on your face when he leaves. Hehe, there might not be someone, but there definitely is somepony," Jazz stood with her mouth agape and a heavy blush on her face.
"Y..yo.. You know?" She asked in slight panic.
"I do now," he said with a victorious grin and Jazz's face became even redder as she realized what he had just done. "Hah, don't worry. I won't say a thing, if you don't either," Tucker told her. Jazz just nodded dumbly. "But, don't worry. I won't judge you. It may be weird, but since when have our lives been anything but weird," Tucker continued, using Jazz's words back at her.
"But, I'm curious though. How did you two get together?"
"You know I can't talk about that. Confidentiality and such," Jazz replied, evading the question.
"Oh, I know all about that, Miss Fenton, psychiatrist. You know, it wasn't much of a surprise when you became a psychiatrist. You were always helping Danny and others with their problems, it fits you. And I understand the whole doctor, patient confidentiality. But that only counts with patients, and I doubt he is still a patient. So, come on, doc. Spill it," Tucker told her, grinning all the while.
Jazz face was beet red by the time Tucker finished. He was right though, in a way. She couldn't tell anything personal, of course. But he wasn't a patient anymore, not really.
"Promise not to tell anyone!?" Jazz leered at him.
"Yeah, sure. I promise." Tucker replied.
"Okay," she started with a sigh. "You remember that large ghost incident over five years ago?" she asked.
"Yeah, I remember. Hard not to, considering…" Tucker muttered grimly.
"Yeah," Jazz murmured sadly. Shaking her head, she continued. "Well, you know how it went. A new tear opened near a city under massive ghost attack. And with no one to stop them, they managed to get through without challenge; flooding the city on the other side. It was… chaos," Jazz sighed out.
"Yes, I know that much," Tucker told her.
"Yes, I know, but bear with me for a moment. So, yes, the city was under attack by a large ghost invasion.... You've heard of all the casualties?" Jazz stopped to ask Tucker.
"Yes, yes I did," he responded in a somber, tense tone.
"Well, he was in the thick of it; really messed him up, poor guy. He was there to help defend the city, but they all lacked experience. They did what they could, but without experience, or any weapons to deal with spectral entities... Well, it was a mess. And even with their magic, things just..." Jazz didn't say anything after that, Tucker knew all too well what occurred.
"And, of course, with the time between openings of the tears, reinforcement of our own took a long time to arrive. The ghosts had basically free reign until our forces arrived. The city literally turned into a ghost town. And after the city was retaken, and the ghosts captured, there were a lot of victims that needed counseling. But they didn't have much knowledge on how to handle this kind of trauma, so they were sent to us, and he to me. I can't tell you what we talked about, but after a while we just found each other. It became less and less about what happened during that time, and more about us with each session," Jazz admitted with a heavy blush.
"Huh, I wouldn't have thought that behind you. Going from the one helping him, to the one being helped" Tucker said with a sly grin.
Jazz's face almost glowed red over the insinuating remark. "Wha-.. why yo-... No, we never... Why would you even think that?" She all but shouted.
"Well, every now and then, I see you when he leaves. And you seem to be a bit weak in the knees every time," Tucker answered with played innocence.
"What? How do you mean? What has that to do with it?" Jazz asked, confused.
"Well, he is hung like a horse, right?" Tucker grinned devilishly and Jazz's face, already a shining beacon, almost burst out in fire from the heat that radiated off it. She tried her hardest to respond to this, she really did. But before she could even utter a single word, the laptop beeped, indicating its job was complete. Both their heads snapped to the screen as the video started playing.
"Okay, here we go," Tucker said as he and Jazz stood side by side; Jazz giving him a large shove as a means of revenge for his remark, and he snickered in response before they looked at the recording.
It was normal stuff at first. The tear opened, and ponies and humans stepped through. But when the last human appeared on screen, a shock went through the both of them.
There, walking through the hole in reality, was Danny. He was older, but clearly recognizable.
"Little brother." Jazz whispered, her hand held before her mouth.
"Danny," Tucker said, their eyes glued to the screen, desperate to find out what happened next.
They watched as a mare approached the group, saying something to them. Then they were led into the scanner room, and the system activated. A green laser grid came from the wall and ceiling, going over all those present, until it reached Danny.
They watched as the grid turned red and shrunk down until it only covered Danny.
They couldn't believe what happened next.
<<>><<>><<>>
Skulker flew through the Ghost Zone, returned from the mortal world only moments ago through one of those natural portals, carrying various pieces of technology with him.
He wasn't unused to being the one to collect and deliver certain 'prizes', he had done similar things for Vlad in the past. This time, however, it was for a more personal use. He, Ember and Spectra were going back and forth between the mortal world and the Zone, collecting various forms of anti ghost tech for Technus. Technus would then use these devices in an attempt to make a suppression device that would target the unique energy of these ponies, instead of them ghosts. He was also trying to find a way to get through the shields and such, without being detected, or forced out of some pawn's body.
Of course, this also meant that Technus had a certain amount of control over them, and he was keen to use this. On more than one occasion he would just order them around, much to their displeasure, to find a certain device that he really needed.
Skulker grunted in annoyance. "Just bear with it, it'll be all worth it. Once we get through, I will hunt like I have never hunted before. Oh, I can't wait to test out my new weapons. Hehehe, oh I'm going to enjoy this."
Nearing Technus' workplace, Skulker went intangible and phased through the wall.
"Technus!" He shouted. "I've got this thing you've been nagging about."
"Excellent. Put it over there, on the pile." Technus instructed, not even bothering to look up and pointed at a large heap of anti ghost tech laying there.
"What, put it in this pile of half broken junk? I just went through a small army to get this thing. And, although it gave me a chance to test out my improved armor, it wasn't something I enjoyed much." Skulker half shouted, half growled.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Although I appreciate the effort, I found out I already had some of those negative ecto-batteries lying around," Technus said with a nonchalant wave of a hand, smirking all the while.
Skulker's left eye started to twitch over the stunt Technus had just pulled. "You, what!?" he roared. "You mean to tell me that I went through this mess and got my armor dented for nothing?"
"Well, when you put it that way... Yes, yes you did," Technus said with fake innocence, pretending to think it over.
Skulker, already at the end of his nerves over the menial labor he'd had to go through just to collect this useless junk, decided that enough was enough. Deploying the full arsenal he'd carried, hidden away in his armor, his already impressive stature became twice as large as rocket launchers, ecto-nets, standard ecto-blasters, knives and more deployed from just about every part of his metallic body.
Technus, with his higher than average IQ came to the unsettling realization that he may have pushed the lethal hunter just a tinsy bit too far, and he gulped as Skulker's shadow fell over him.
"Now you listen, and listen well." Skulker growled darkly, lethay. "I don't care what it is you do to get these devices of yours working, but don't think I will be playing your servant for any longer. If you need something from me, you will ask me nicely. And maybe, maybe I'm willing to do it. But if you send me out on a wild goose chase again, I will personally send you to Purgatory. Do you understand?" Technus nodded weakly.
"Good. Now, you will focus on getting us to this other world, and you will do it quickly. And don't make me do anything that you will regret!" Skulker barked.
Technus nodded again and Skulker, seemingly pleased with the submission, deactivated his weapons; storing them away within his exoskeleton.
"Glad we could come to an understanding. Now get back to work!" He roared, and Technus flinched as he quickly continued with his technological puzzle.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Did he just...?" Jazz asked, unable to finish her question, dumbfounded by what she just saw.
"Uhuh," Tucker replied, unable to give much more of an answer.
"His shadow...?" Jazz tried again, but was still unable to finish.
"Uhuh."
"I.. But.. What? I didn't know he could do that," Jazz finally managed to voice her thoughts, shocked.
"Neither did I," Tucker said, having found his voice again.
"And why did the scanner see him, but the handheld devices did not?" Jazz asked.
"B-because, I implemented a specially designed piece of software that would make the portable scanners ignore Danny. I was, however, unable to implement this program into the larger scanning units. Let's fix that right now," Tucker explained, a slight stammer in his voice as he was still trying to figure out what he just saw.
Working on his laptop, he entered the security systems and uploaded the same protocols he programmed into the handheld units. With this, the scanner would ignore Danny the next time he would enter the room, if he would ever do so again.
"Now what?" Jazz asked.
"Now we go into the scanner and see if we can find anything important. I doubt it, though, but we can't be certain," Tucker responded.
"Right, of course," Jazz murmured as Tucker stepped towards the intercom, and requested they would be led out of the room. "And what do we tell them when they ask if we found anything?"
"Don't worry about that. I've done a full scan of the system here and back on Earth. I will be able to come up with some story, no problem at all," Tucker reassured confidently, waiting to be led out the room.
A few minutes later, Technal arrived to key open the door. "Did you find anything?" She asked them.
"Maybe," Tucker responded, unsure. "I have looked over the entire system, both here and on Earth. It seems that the unique form of possession this ghost has performed is key as to how it got past the shield. A shadow is nothing more than an absence of light. And the shield technology partially depends on light. Because of this, it was able to simply slip through by forming a blind spot in the wavelength of the shield matrix. This is something we have not seen before, and we will take adequate steps to prevent this from happening in the future," Tucker explained, and Technal and Jazz looked at him, dumbfounded. And Jazz had to admit to herself, she was impressed.
"Wow. Well I guess that explains that. And what about the scanner?" Technal asked.
"I was just about to ask you about that. We would like to see it for ourselves, if it is possible?" Tucker replied readily, already planning the next step to take.
"Right, of course. Please follow me," Technal said. Still going over the information Tucker had just given her, failing to notice the hushed conversation between Tucker and Jazz.
"Wow, I'm impressed. When did you come up with that?" Jazz asked in a whisper.
"Almost immediately after I saw the video. It is the only thing I could come up with that makes sense." Tucker whispered back.
"Wait, this actually makes sense to you?" Jazz responded in disbelief.
"Well, yeah. Doesn't it to you?" He asked, but Jazz just shook her head slightly at this. Even after all those years, she was unable to fully grasp what exactly was going on in his mind.
"No, no it doesn't," she replied.
"Huh. Now that doesn't make any sense to me." Tucker said, genuinely confused. Jazz just left it at that, it wasn't worth the headache.
"Right, here we are. The scanner." Technal said, snapping the two back to the here and now as they arrived at the destroyed room.
Tucker let out a low, drawn out whistle. Impressed with the carnage, even though he had to help repair it.
"This place is a mess," he remarked, looking around. Large gashes were made in the walls and ceiling. Electrical wires hung limply from the gaps, an occasional electrical spark shooting from them. The lights didn't work; instead, they had placed emergency lighting in the room so they could see. Debris, mostly chunks from the walls and ceiling, and the occasional electrical component littered the floor, making the chaos complete.
"Indeed. This place took quite a beating," Jazz agreed after seeing the damage herself.
"Yes, this is the result of the ghost that came through," Technal said, bitterly. "Just this one single ghost did this. I am just glad we were able to destroy it before it could get out."
"You do kno-..." Jazz began, but was quickly silenced by Tucker; shaking his head almost imperceptibly, telling her to shut up.
Getting the message not to tell Technal that ghosts, or shadows, couldn't be destroyed the way they saw in the video. Obviously, Technal didn't know they had a full recording of the event, and it would be most suspicious if they knew how the ghost was destroyed. Also, if she knew a shade couldn't be harmed in such a way, it would most likely result in a large-scale ghost hunt, most likely endangering Danny.
"Huh, what was that?" Technal asked Jazz.
"Just wanted to ask if you knew just how lucky you were? With how you were able to stop the ghost like you did. It could have been rather problematic if it got out," Jazz said after a short moment to think.
"Yes... Lucky," Technal sighed out. "I'm sorry, but this whole event has taken quite a lot out of me. I have been working almost non stop trying to get this place back working again. We got the main system operational again, but we left the room like it was. This way you could perform your own investigation, maybe find something we missed. But I urge you to work as fast as you can, we really want to repair the place," she said with a noticeable hint of urgency, looking around the room with a tired expression, before turning back to Jazz and Tucker.
"We understand, miss. Don't worry. We will work as quickly as we can. Now, let's see if we can find anything," Tucker said as he entered the battlefield of the scanner room, motioning Jazz to follow.
Together, they used several scanning devices off Tucker's own design to look for any clues that may have been left behind.
They knew Danny was here, but they didn't know how he did what he did, and where he went after all of it. And they didn't have an excuse to go into Equestria to look for him. So, for now, this would have to do to get at least some answers.
More would come soon enough.
<<>><<>><<>>
Vlad Masters' mansion.
For most it was a place where the mayor of Amity park lives. A place where their strong leader, chosen by a landslide every election, would work hard to further prosper the city, as well as devise ingenious ways to stop the ghost threat. But very few knew the truth.
Only a very select group knew about the hidden laboratory underneath his mansion, or the ghost portal he keeps there. Or even the fact that Vlad Masters is, in fact, also a ghost named Vlad Plasmius.
Most would live their lives thinking that their mayor would keep them safe and watch over them, their best interest at heart. His elite group of ghost hunters, the Masters Blasters, certainly helped to uphold this illusion. But only a few knew that he was actually planning to take over the world, and rule it with an iron fist. Using his ghost powers to stop any and all that would get in his way while doing so.
Because of this, the few that knew his secret would do everything in their power to stop him. Or, at least slow him down. They would gather information, devise ways to best use it against him, and stop his plans before they could take shape.
They were a secret resistance that no one knew they needed. A resistance that no one knew even existed. Even Vlad didn't know… at least, not the full extent of it. But he had his suspicions.
For six long years they held Vlad back as he attempted plan after plan to cause harm and destruction. A task which normally fell to Danny Phantom, mortal enemy of Vlad Plasmius. But ever since he disappeared, they had taken over.
They would always be there to find out what new scheme Vlad was up to, and he was always up to something. But lately, it has been rather quiet around him. Suspiciously so.
Sure, he made his public appearances, but that was just for show. A smoke screen to blind the blinded. It wouldn't work for them, though. They knew, and they would fight. But the fact that Vlad hadn't done much to speak of, the last several months, was cause for concern. Which was exactly why she was here now.
It was a great risk to infiltrate his house like this, but she didn't have much choice right now. If they wanted to know what was going on, they needed to go to the source.
Tucker would be pissed when he found out, but what was he going to do about it? It is not like he could just walk in here undetected. No, that was something unique to her.
She hated Vlad with a fiery passion. Yes, he created her, but he didn't care for her. He called her his daughter, but never treated her as such. He always made her do his dirty work, even made her fight her brother, or cousin, as they call each other. It made things a bit less awkward.
No, she didn't like Vlad. And the fact that she was doing everything she could to thwart him was something she took great pleasure from. That said, it was still stupid to enter his mansion. She knew that the Specter Deflector Tucker gave her would shield her from any of Vlad's drones and other devices made to find ghosts. But in here, it might not work.
She was invisible to surpass the cameras, and went intangible to go through walls, and avoid laser grids. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she would stumble into trouble. Or trouble would stumble into her. Whichever came first.
"Don't fail me now," she whispered as she patted the deflector Tucker gave her.
It wasn't particularly fashionable, and certainly geeky, but she liked it all the same. Just because he gave it to her. And the thought it was to protect her only served to make her appreciate it more; make her appreciate him more.
She didn't say it out loud, and would deny it if someone would ever suggest it, but she started to like him more than just a friend. If only he felt the same. But she knew that it would be too weird for him. Being a clone of his best friend and all.
Sure, she was her own person, did things her way. But there would always be a large portion of her 'cousin' in her. Both the human part, as well as the ghost half.
She hated that.
Yes, Danny couldn't do anything about it, he didn't even know about her until she showed up one day, coming with the story she was his cousin from far away.
But still, to be a clone. A copy, and a flawed one. It was a stain on her soul, and the reason why she worked hard to become her own person, to make her own personality. And it was the reason why she liked messing with Vlad so much.
Dani sighed out, not liking this particular thought. It would always make her a bit depressed. No matter how much she would try to run away from this, it would always follow her. It would always be there, a part of her.
'Come on, girl. Get it out of your head. This kind of thinking isn't helping. Just focus on the job at hand, and we can leave this damned place,' she thought, shaking her head. Her long, white ponytail swishing from left to right.
She chose to let it grow out a couple of years back, and now it reached to her midsection. She liked it like that.
The years have been kind to her, too. Going from an eleven-year old, to a seventeen-year young woman. With curves in all the right places. And the exercise she got from all the ghost hunting and, messing with Vlad, gave her an athletic build. She certainly got a lot of looks from the guys, and even some women, if they thought she wasn't looking.
'Even Tucker,' she thought with a grin.
Her grin soon left her as she looked around the dreary place.
Sure, Vlad improved on his security, but it was still the same creepy place he took her all those years back to melt her down.
Dani shuddered at that thought, wishing she could leave already. But she knew that she had a job to do. She couldn't leave until she had something, anything that might tell them what Vlad was up to. So, taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued through the maze of hallways Vlad had constructed, going all the way to the laboratory where he kept his secrets hidden.
"Oh, come on. How big is this place?" she asked to no one as she flew through another door, entering yet another chamber, but not the place she was looking for. "I'm sure it wasn't this big last time!"
After going from place to place for several more minutes, avoiding many security devices, she finally found what she was looking for. The lab.... with Vlad in it.
'Crap!' She thought, and turned invisible after spotting her 'father'. She hoped the deflector she got from Tucker would hold out and stayed as far away from Vlad as she could, not wanting to set off his ghost sense from getting too close, if she hadn't already.
'Okay, let's see what you're planning, you creep.' she thought as she peeked around the wall she was standing behind, spying on Vlad as he stood in front of a large screen showing various video fragments. All playing at different speeds. All about Danny.
"Scan it again, now with the new scanning software I installed," she heard him say.
"Affirmative, sweetheart," an artificial voice said as a hologram of Maddie showed up.
'What the... So Tucker and Jazz weren't lying when they said he had.... that,' Dani thought as she looked at the translucent figure in utter disbelief.
"Scan complete, no anomalies detected. No positive result as to why subject Danny was able to accumulate such power," the hologram stated.
"Blast!" Vlad shouted as he slammed his fists on the console. "How did he do it? What is his secret? I must know! Such power should be mine. It will be mine, if only I was able to find out how! Gha... With Danny missing, I won't be able to capture and test him. The only other option I have would be his cousin, but she is nowhere to be found either," Vlad seethed.
'What? Why is he looking for Danny, or me? What is it about this power he is talking about? What is going on?' Dani though as she realized she just stumbled onto something massive, but didn't understand what. It's a good thing that she also carried a small recording device. It would capture everything she saw and heard. Maybe Tucker would be able to figure it out.
"Hrmph. Scan again for Dani, try to find her. She might hold the key to this all," he ordered holo Maddie.
'What? Oh no no no no no, please don't find me. Please, you geeky belt, don't fail me now!' Dani thought in panic as she backed away, trying to gain as much distance between her and Vlad.
"Yes, dear. Scanning.... Error. Anomaly detected. Please wait.... Unknown energy deflector detected... Adjusting... Alert, subject Dani located. Target is located behind that wall," Holo Maddie exclaimed, pointing towards where Dani was hiding.
"What!?" Vlad shouted.
"Oh crap," Dani said, slapping her mouth shut a mere moment later as turned around to run away. But Vald appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up, zapping her with his powers as he did so.
"So, the long lost daughter has returned. What, you got homesick?" He mocked as he looked her over. Dani was gasping for air as he held her up, smoke rising from her body.
"Ooh, just look at you. Daddy's little girl, all grown up. And completely stable too. Oh, this is just wonderful. Just the one I need, in perfect shape, not falling apart, delivering herself right to me," he grinned, his voice full of evil intent.
"Let... Gha... Let go... of... me," Dani gasped.
"Oh, I am afraid I can't do that. You might just run away again, and I wouldn't want to lose my precious daughter again."
"I... I'm... warning... you. Let. Me. Go?" She stated with as much force her oxygen deprived lungs would allow.
"Ooooh, I'm so afraid. You really have me cornered here. There is no way I have the upper hand in this," Vlad mocked as he lifted her higher into the air.
"La... Last.. chance bu... buddy," she said, trying to take as much a deep breath as she could.
"Okay. I will let you go. Right when I strap you down on the examination table," Vlad said evilly, grinning at Dani's futile attempts to break free.
"Fine," Dani gasped, seeing no other way out. She only had half her lungs full of air, but it would have to do.
It was something she had inherited from Danny. Something that would free her, and give Vlad the kick against his ass he deserved. It would also tire her out like hell, but there wasn't much else to do. His blast just now had temporarily disrupted her powers, and she only had enough strength left for one shot. Better make it a big one.
So, with all her might, she screamed out as loud as she could, creating shockwaves and shaking the mansion above as she let out her ghostly wail.
Blasting away at Vlad, he was unable to hold on to Dani, the brute force of the concussive wail too much for him.
With a scream of his own, he was flung away. Clasping his hands over his ears as he slammed into the far wall, held in place by the pressure of Dani's voice, unable to move.
Dani, already drained by the disruptive blast from Vlad, transformed back to her human self when she ran out of energy; gasping for air as she rubbed her sore throat, she ran away the moment she could.
Vlad, dropping to the floor the moment the unrelenting assault to all his senses stopped, lay unmoving. Something, Dani knew, wouldn't last long. He would get back up and she didn't want to be anywhere near him when he did. She was glad, though, she herself was able to stay conscious.
It must have been because she didn't use her wail at full power, she reasoned.
Still, this attack took a lot out of her, seriously weakening her as a result. But now wasn't the time to think about that. Instead, she ran as fast as her sore body would allow; desperately trying to get out of this hell hole as fast as she could.
Through sheer willpower, she forced out last amount of her strength, transforming back to her ghost form with a weak flash of white. Struggling to hold onto her transformation, she wasted no time flying through the walls and ceiling, getting as much distance between herself and this place of nightmares. She didn't know if the deflector would still hide her, so she couldn't take any chances with this either. There was only one place she could go to right now. She just hoped she could make it.
'Valerie,' she thought. 'Please be there.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Valerie Gray, a seemingly average person.
At first look, she seemed to be a polite woman who helped the local community whenever she could. Someone who worked hard to earn money in order to support her father, who hadn't been able to fully recover from the ghost dog incident all those years back.
She appeared to be a normal, nice person, but looks can be deceiving.
People thought her short, military hairstyle was a bit odd, but she would just say she liked it like that. She also had a fair bit of muscle. Nothing you would notice from a distance, but up close you were clearly able to see she worked out.
To most, she was a hard working woman who liked her hair short and worked out when she could. But, to a select few, it was a completely different story.
Some knew her as Valerie Grey, former rich kid who lost the wealthy lifestyle she was born in as a direct result of the same ghost dog incident which cost her father his job.
Some knew her as the young woman who worked two jobs just to make ends meet.
And some knew her as a hardcore ghost hunter; a side of her she kept hidden even to her father. A double life which consumed every bit of free time she had, fueled by a burning hatred towards ghosts, and a need for revenge.
A double life made possible only, unbeknownst to her at the time, by Vlad Masters and his anonymous donations of ghost hunting gear.
Of course, she was manipulated by Vlad. Especially after she learned he was the one who gave her the gear she needed to fight ghosts. Her former life, filled with wealth and riches, was also a shallow one. Unable to see beyond personal gain, Vlad easily manipulated her to do his bidding; making her believe in every word he said, poisoning her mind, turning her into one of his most versatile pawns.
Using the gear Vlad provided, she hunted Danny Phantom with a fiery passion. Not just to get even with the ghost, as she blamed him for her misfortune, but also taking a great deal of enjoyment out of it. However, this changed to some extend after she met a very strange girl; an impossible girl: Dani Phantom. Half ghost, half human. Part of both worlds, and hunted by both as well.
The first time she met Dani, she thought she was just a scared girl down on her luck; much in the same way she was. But when Dani was forced to reveal her other side to save Valerie's life, she quickly changed her opinion about her. Thinking nothing more about her than just another ghost hell-bent on terrorizing the town. The lies Vlad told her about Dani didn't help either.
After Dani revealed she was the cousin of Danny Phantom, Valerie played nice, just so she could catch both her and the ghost that ruined her life.
She caught Danny and delivered Dani to Vlad, thinking she had done a good job, but never knowing the full extent of what she had just done. No, it wasn't until Danny Phantom got through to her that she knew something wasn't right. Although, she wouldn't hear anything about Vlad Masters being evil.
In an ironic turn of events, Valerie had to team up with Danny to save Dani. And, through a series of events, they were able to save Dani. Both from the evil ghost, Vlad Plasmius, and from dissolving into a puddle of green glowing goop.
It wasn't until after she let the two ghosts go in a rare show of kindness that she learned the full extent of Vlad's manipulation, and how she was played by him the entire time.
Now, after she had sworn revenge on him for his lies, she focused her aim squarely on the deceitful half ghost.
Fortunately for her, Vlad didn't know that she knew about his alter ego, and he would continue to rely on her service. This would give Valerie the chance to get close to him, and take him out. But disaster struck before she had a chance to do anything.
Samantha Manson died. And after learning the full story of what happened, and who was involved, she knew, beating herself up for it, that she shouldn't have let Danny Phantom fly off the way she did. And although she knew through hard earned experience not to trust anything Vlad said, her biased opinion about Danny Phantom made it difficult to ignore some of the 'evidence' Vlad presented to prove the Phantom's guilt. This, and the public outrage of the community, and later, the world, made her hunt down Danny Phantom with unchecked tenacity.
She never found him, though. No one did. Danny Phantom, the terror of Amity Park, had vanished.
Several months after the Phantom's disappearance, things became even worse.
She knew Danny Fenton had a crush on Sam, but they also had a relationship, short as it might have been. In fact, the only reason she broke off their relation, was because of her ghost hunting career. And now, thanks to Danny Phantom, the one she liked, no, loved, had run away.
Danny's disappearance strangely corresponded with a strange increase in ghost attacks. And now, she was one of the last few standing strong against the increasing flood of spectral activity. She, and the Masters Blasters, of course. Though the Blasters did get in the way more often than not.
Now, with the blasters at Vlad's beck and call, Vlad had no more need for her, and she lost her chance of getting close and strike him down.
She also realized he was most likely manipulating the young teens, much in the same way he had done to her. But she was unable to step in without Vlad knowing, so she did the only thing she could do.
She went rogue.
Now a lone wolf, she went from sighting to sighting, hunting down the ghosts. And, if possible, beat the Blasters to it. They may be on the same side, but they still worked for Vlad. And they found ways to thwart her in more ways than she liked.
This went on for a couple of rough years, and in that time a lot of things changed.
The Blasters grew out into something resembling a superhero team, but charging money for their services. The Fentons got a contract with the government, seeing how they had some of the most experience with ghosts, much to the Guys in White's displeasure. And, of course, Vlad. He set up a private fund for the Fenton corporation. And, in exchange, he gained a place on the board. And with it, full access to any new device and information gained.
Vlad also had a hand in the creation of the C.D.S., or City Defense System.
It was nothing more than a large ghost shield covering the city, but it proved to be most effective at keeping ghosts out.
Soon, other cities followed suit, giving Fenton co. one of the largest orders in recorded history. As a result, the Fentons and in extent, Vlad became very rich. Or richer, in Vlad's case.
Vlad, of course, used the money for his own scheme. Jack and Maddie, however, used their money for a more noble cause: the search for their son. But they never found him. It was almost like Danny Fenton had just turned invisible.
One other thing that changed came shortly after Vlad bought his way into the board of Fenton Co., and started to manipulate things there.
Shortly after the public announcement of Vlad's involvement with the company, an old acquaintance approached her; Dani Phantom.
Through Dani, she came in contact with Tucker Foley and Jazz Fenton; who, much to her surprise, especially considering their daytime jobs, revealed to her they were also hunting ghosts.
Her surprise didn't end there, as they also revealed to know about Dani's dual nature. Though they were more than a little vague about Danny.
She stopped paying attention to that particular notion, when they came with an offer she couldn't refuse. Work with them, gain the latest ghost hunting gear, off the record of course, and protect the city. Both from the ghosts, and Vlad, who they also knew about.
This was a no-brainer for her. Not only could she get back in the game, but thwart the Blasters and Vlad at the same time. She needed a secret identity, of course. If Vlad were to find out about her, a lot of lives could be at risk. So, from that day forth, she was Valerie Gray; average, everyday, hard working citizen of Amity Park. And she was Specter, ghost hunting, ectoplasmic butt kicking, roundhouse delivering and full-time terror of any ghost in her way.
The gear she got from Tucker and Jazz made her completely unrecognizable. Full body armor, with the latest anti ghost tech. A voice manipulator to mask her true identity and, of course, a new hoverboard. It was faster, stronger, and much more agile than her previous board, and something she enjoyed in a twisted way. But not nearly as much as the armor itself.
Full black, with a dark red, almost glowing, honeycomb grid pattern just beneath the black layer. A dark, toxic green visor, similar in color of the ectoplasmic discharges of a ghost, covered her face. Filled with the latest ghost tracking engineering, it projected and highlighted everything on her heads up display, or HUD.
The only thing she needed to do in return was hunt ghosts, catch and deliver them to either Tucker, Jazz, or Dani so they could be released back in the Ghost Zone. Report anything concerning Vlad, and keep an eye out on Dani. She may have ghost powers, but she was also only thirteen years old at the time.
Now, over six years had passed since Sam had died, and Valerie had seen it all. From ghosts tearing down the city, to huge green shields covering the place full-time.
Ghosts were still able to get in somehow, but she learned soon after about the naturally existing ghost portals. That was something she didn't like.
Then there were these ponies. At first, they were unaware of the threat of the ghosts. But after a new tear formed, and a massive force of ghosts traversed through it, allowing for the invasion of one of their cities, that soon changed.
Now she would see ponies visit Fenton Co. regularly. Learning how to defend themselves, and others against ghosts, and how to use the Fenton's devices. It made them a force to be reckoned with.
After all this, she was used to many things; nothing could get the drop on her, no one could surprise her. So she was more than shocked when she returned home after an intensive hunt, opening her front door, only to see Dani stand on the other side.
Dani, in her ghost form, looked worse for wear as she collapsed to the ground and turned back to her human self in a flash.
Valerie, acting on perfectly honed reflexes, quickly caught the collapsing woman before she hit the ground and moved her to the couch.
Putting Dani down, she quickly made her way over to the windows, closing the blinders. She then activated the small anti ghost shield Tucker had installed in her apartment and switched on the signal jammers, making the place as quiet as the night for any outside listeners.
A soft groan brought her back to Dani, who was regaining consciousness.
Dani, slowly bringing her hand to her head, groaning out again as a stab of pain went through her brain. She then dragged the same hand down towards her throat, gently rubbing it as she began to speak with a slight hoarse voice.
"Hi, Valerie... You've got some water by any chance?" Dani croaked, wincing as she talked, her throat hurting a lot more than she realized.
"Dani! What happened to you?" Valerie asked urgently, approaching the young woman, giving her a quick once over to make sure if she didn't have any injuries.
"Water... please?" Dani said with effort.
Valerie nodded and went to her kitchen, pouring Dani a glass of water, and grabbing a painkiller to go with it too.
"Here," Valerie said as she gave the glass and pill to Dani, who gladly accepted the offered items.
Quickly downing the pill, washing it away with several large gulps of cooling water, Dani leaned back, waiting for the painkillers to kick in.
"Thanks," Dani croaked with a bit more ease, the water's cooling effect helping a bit.
"Now, what happened?" Valerie asked again.
"Vlad," was the simple response. Simple, but with a whole world of meaning behind it.
The moment the name left Dani's mouth, Valerie's demeanor changed. Going from a worried friend, to a cold, calculative ghost hunter called Specter.
"What did he do?" She demanded to know with venom in her voice. Yet the edges were cracked with worry. No matter what, she would always put Dani's safety first. It was because of her she almost died by the hands of Vlad and she swore to keep her safe ever since they started to work together. And now it seemed she failed.
Dani let out a tired sigh before answering. "You've heard about the mission I was on, the one Tucker gave me?" Dani asked her friend, seeing her nod. "Well... I was unable to find anything useful, and with not having heard anything of Vlad in months... I might have done something stupid."
"What did you do?" Valerie asked, worried, not liking where this was going.
"...... I went to his mansion."
"What? Speak up."
"I went to his mansion." Dani shouted, wincing as her throat reminded her that talking was difficult enough on a normal volume right now.
"You did what!? Valerie shouted, unable to believe what she was just told. "Tell me you're joking, kid. Tell me you didn't do that!?" She almost begged, not wanting to believe that Dani did what she said. But the downcast look she got in return was all the answer she needed.
"You did!?" Valerie said, defeated. Dani nodded her head in answer. "Please tell me he didn't follow you?"
"I don't know?" Dani said with a low voice.
"How do you mean, you don't know?"
"Because...." She fell silent for a moment, then sighed out. "He got me, disrupted my powers for a moment, and wanted to experiment on me," she revealed with hesitation, and Valerie's eyes went wide as her hands balled into fists, shaking slightly. "I was able to free myself, though. knocked him out for a moment," Dani grinned slightly. "But..."
"But what?"
"...... But the deflector Tucker gave me didn't work there, too close to the source, or something? His computer system was able to detect the electronic cloak and adjust itself to it," Dani admitted.
"What! So you mean he is able to detect you now? Wherever you are?" Valerie asked, panicked, shocked.
"Maybe?" Dani said, downcast.
"Damn it kid. What were you thinking? You know you can't go against him alone. You can beat him up, yes. But he will eventually use it against you. He will manipulate things in such a way that you will be the one that gets the final blow. Believe me, I know."
"I know all that! But I had to do something. He is up to something, and now I know for sure," Dani said with resolve in her voice.
"What do you mean?" Valerie asked the same question for the umpteenth time, sounding like a broken record.
"Before he found me, I was able to spy in on him, seeing what he was working on. He has some kind of weird interest in my cousin, Danny. And me, seeing how we are 'related' to each other. He was playing all kinds of old video records of Danny as he was scanning them, or something. He said something about a weird power Danny had, I don't know what he means with that though. He also thinks I have this power, too. But I would know if I did, right?... Argh, this is all so messed up. He got to me before I could learn anything more, and now he might even be able to find me anywhere, too," Dani said, breaking down and starting to panic, not wanting to run away from Vlad again, like she was forced to do when she was just a kid.
"Calm down, Dani!" Valerie said, placing her hands on Dani's shoulders. "We'll figure this out. We go to Tucker as soon as he gets back."
"Wait, he is gone?" Dani asked in confusion. Tucker wouldn't go away unless it was very important.
"Yeah, he and Jazz. Apparently a ghost managed to get through to that pony world, and they went there to investigate. Not sure how Jazz fits into all of this, but that is not for us to worry about. Right now, we need to keep you safe. If Vlad is interested in you, he will come for you. And if what you said is true, and he can locate you now, then this place is your best bet until we can go to Tucker."
"Wait! How do you mean a ghost got through? I thought that was all but impossible."
"Beats me?" Valerie said with a shrug. "But I wouldn't worry about that. We have our own problems right now. And we better be prepared for when they come knocking on the door."
"And what about Danny? Vlad is after him, too!" Dani said, not satisfied with the answer she got, but she would worry about it later. Right now, she and her cousin were in danger.
"Look kid, I care about you, and I will do whatever it is to keep you safe. But Danny Phantom is none of my concern. He is a murderer. I know not to believe the 'evidence' of Vlad, but other, separate groups, at least found some proof that he was there when Sam was killed. I know you won't think bad of your family, but face the fact kid. He murdered her," Valerie said as she looked in Dani's angry, teary eyes.
"No! I know he didn't do it. You may not like him, but even you know he wouldn't ever do such a thing!" Dani shouted, the pain in her throat all but forgotten, in part due to the painkiller.
"I used to think Vlad was a good guy, to. And look how that turned out. I won't argue with you about this, you need to find it out on your own in time. Right now, we have bigger fish to fry. If Vlad can find you now, then the only thing keeping you hidden are the jammers installed in my house. My bed is down the hall, on your right. Get some sleep. I will keep an eye out for this ecto creep, no offense. Tomorrow, when Tucker and Jazz come back, we will go to them, and tell them what you just told me. Maybe Tucker can readjust the deflector you've got from him, hiding you again from Vlad. But for now, we need to keep our eyes open. Or I have to, you need to get some sleep and regain your strength."
"Fine," Dani relented with defiance in her voice, slumping down and crossing her arms over her chest; glaring angrily at the floor, but keeping quiet, for now. She needed Valerie's help, and not to get into a fight with her.
'Since when did I think ahead about things?' Dani thought to herself.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had taken Vlad some time to gather his senses and get back up. Dani was long gone, of course. But he might be able to track her down, now that Maddie had adjusted the system to her cloak.
Standing back up, dusting himself off as he did so, he calmly flew to the computer which held the program of his holographic Maddie.
"Maddie," Vlad called out, but received no reply.
"Maddie!" he called out, more forcefully. Still, no reply came.
Taking a moment to actually look at the system, instead of just shouting, he quickly learned the reason why Maddie wasn't responding.
Dani's attack had done more than just knock him down. The shockwave of her attack also managed to damage the machinery here, even though she didn't aim at it. The screens were cracked, and sparks shot out of them. Smoke rose up from the computers, and emergency lights flashed red.
"Why that wretched little... GHWAA!" Vlad yelled in anger, firing a dark red beam of ectoplasm at the wall Dani hid behind not too long ago; destroying the wall with his attack.
"You got lucky this time, brat. Next time you won't get away. When the systems are restored, I will find you again. And this time you won't be able to hide from me," he growled in a tone so dark and evil, if anyone were there to hear it, they would have fled in outright terror.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker and Jazz, unable to discover anything new during their investigation of the scanner room, and without any official reason to stay any longer, were on their way back home; first traversing back through the tear as soon as it reopened.
They would come back, of course. With them having found their first real lead of Danny's whereabouts, there wasn't a choice not to. But before any new course of action could be planned, they needed to sort out the facts of what they had discovered so far.
They couldn't just go look for Danny, though. Not without asking for any more detailed information about him, which would raise quite a bit of suspicion.
Sure, they could have asked all kinds of questions concerning the 'affected individual', as long as their questions pertained to the matter of the ghost attack. Asking them where Danny went next, or if they knew where he lived wasn't. So, as far as this trail was concerned, they had run into a wall. Now they just needed to find a way around it.
Still, by closing the gap between Danny and themselves, their determination to find their lost friend, and brother had become stronger than ever before.
They knew Danny was alive and well, they saw so themselves. And they knew it was only a matter of time before they would find Danny for real. And with the update Tucker applied to the scanner, Danny would be ignored by the system, while it would alert them about his presence at the same time. So, for now, that would have to do.
Besides, it was a big world out there, he could have gone anywhere. The only way to find him quickly, if they couldn't discover his current whereabouts through the system, was if they could go from one place to the next in quick succession. And going around with the Specter Speeder would draw attention, a lot of it.
So the only other option they had would be Dani. If she were to go through using, say, a tourist's pass, she could just vanish and move around without delay.
But she has to be careful. If she were to be spotted, she would be in a lot of trouble.
But figuring out the full details of how to get Dani over to Equestria had to wait until they returned and they wouldn't land until several more hours.
"So, what do you think Danny is doing over there?" Jazz asked Tucker, who stared absent-mindedly out of the window.
"I don't know. What do you think? You're the expert on human behavior anyhow. What's your opinion?" Tucker replied, not knowing what to make of it all.
Jazz let out a sigh at that. "It's difficult, but I have some idea," she told Tucker, who was paying his full attention to her. "It's obvious he is in pain, with Sam's death and all. It's why he ran away, as we read in the letters he left for us. I think he is unable to get away from all of it. I think he was unable to find his place here and, therefore, went to the only other place that might have some chance for him to find peace. But I can't be sure about this. I'm only working with knowledge from six years ago, and the recording that we saw earlier," she explained.
"Yeah. It's obvious that something has happened to him, though. That shadow thing he pulled off over there, I don't think he could do that when we were still together. And the look in his eyes. Even on the video, it was clear as day," Tucker added his bit to the conversation.
"Indeed," Jazz agreed staring out of the window herself.
Tucker sighed out before he spoke again. "Anyhow, let's first get back home and regroup, see what we all learned. Maybe Dani knows something new about Vlad. And I'm sure she would love to hear what we learned about Danny. As little as it is."
"Yes. I just hope she didn't do anything rash while we were gone. You know how she can be," Jazz voiced her concern.
"Yes I do. She's just like Danny from time to time. How couldn't she be," Tucker said with a thin smile. This didn't go unnoticed by Jazz, but she remained quiet. "For now, let's just get some rest. We have a lot of work waiting for us back home."
"That most certainly is true," Jazz agreed, just a bit too eager for Tucker's taste.
"You really like that paperwork, don't ya?"
"But of course. Organization is the key to an effective work style," Jazz responded with pride.
"Uhu," Tucker responded, unimpressed and Jazz rolled her eyes in response.
"Oh, you know damn well what I am talking about. You keep all those files of yours neatly organized, too," Jazz replied readily.
"Well, yes. But it is all on my computer, not actual paper. That stuff gets everywhere. Why won't you allow me to set up a nice system for you to work with?" Tucker offered for the umptyenth time.
"No! I like my paper, and you won't touch it." Jazz countered sternly, making it clear this was not up for debate.
"Fine, fine," Tucker quickly dismissed this with a wave of the hand. "Woman." he quietly added with an eye-roll.
"What?" Jazz shot back, having heard his whisper.
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought," she said with a smirk.
<<>><<>><<>>
Hours later. Tucker's office.
"You WHAT!?" Tucker shouted in disbelief.
He and Jazz had only just returned, and mere moments later Dani and Valerie showed up, clearly distressed; telling them what had happened during the time they were gone and, obviously, they weren't happy.
"I went to Vlad's mansion to spy on him there," Dani repeated, shrinking a bit under the stares she got from Jazz and Tucker. Especially Tucker.
"And he found you!?" Tucker said fearfully, knowing full well what he was capable of.
Dani just nodded, not looking up to meet his gaze. "He also had his systems adjust to the cloaking signal of the deflector you gave me." she said in a small voice.
"Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad," Tucker fretted, hands in hair while pacing around.
"What were you thinking, Dani? Why would you do something like that?" Jazz asked the distressed girl standing in front of her.
"We haven't heard from Vlad in months now, and we needed to know if he was up to something," Dani explained.
"Of course he is up to something. He's always up to something!" Tucker snapped, and Dani shrunk down even further as she looked down at her feet once more.
"Hey, go easy on the kid," Valerie said as she stepped in between the two. "Yeah, okay. She made a mistake, but she did learn something worthwhile, isn't that right?" She said, looking at Dani over her shoulder.
"Eh, yeah. Yes, I did!" Dani responded with new found strength, remembering what she had learned.
"Well, what is it?" Jazz asked.
"I'm not completely sure. Vlad discovered me before he could explain the full extent of whatever it was he was doing. The guy sure likes to talk to himself. But what I did pick up was somewhat... troubling," Dani began, and Jazz, and Tucker cocked their eyebrows. "He has a rather unusual interest in Danny and, therefore, also in me. Seeing how we are 'related'. He thinks Danny has some kind of hidden power, or something. He was scanning all kinds of recordings of my cousin while he was in combat. He is up to something, and it involves Danny, and me."
"How do you mean? What kind of power is he talking about?" Jazz asked, before she turned to Tucker, only to stop asking him what he thought as she saw the look on his face.
"Tucker?" Dani asked as she, too, noticed the look he had.
Valerie, now too, looked at him, clearly seeing the pain and fear in his eyes. Something she had seen so many times before during her ghost hunts.
"Do you know what kind of power Vlad was talking about?" He asked in a strained voice.
"No, why?" Dani responded, not knowing what to make of Tucker's shift in behavior.
"Tucker, what is it?" Jazz asked.
Tucker almost appeared in a trance of sorts, as he walked to a chair and sat down heavily.
"Tucker?" Valerie said, now also concerned with his behavior.
"I... I never...." he let out a heavy sigh. "I never told anyone about this, because I didn't know if it was real, or if my mind was playing tricks on me. But..." he began, but stopped suddenly as he thought back to that event more than six years ago.
"But what? What didn't you tell us? Tucker!" Jazz said, almost hysterical, grabbing him by the shoulders.
Tucker looked up and stared Jazz in the eyes, and Jazz flinched back just a bit upon seeing the pain in his.
"I was there, remember. I saw Sam die, and I saw what happened next. But I couldn't believe what happened, it was all so surreal. Like a nightmare. It was a nightmare. After Sam died, something happened to Danny Phantom. I don't know what, but it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. A power unlike anything I have ever seen before," he revealed.
"How do you mean? What kind of power do you mean?" Valerie asked with ice in her voice.
"I... I don't know, but it was powerful, very powerful. I think. I don't know what is real, and what is fake. A lot of my memories of that time are somewhat hazy, but the crater they found us in was very much real, so... I just don't know," he sighed out as he shifted his gaze to Valerie.
"You mean that the crater you and Danny Fenton were found in, was made by the Phantom menace?" Valerie asked, receiving an angry glare from Jazz and Dani, but she was too focused on Tucker to notice.
"It's possible," Tucker said.
"That no good, ectoplasmic, undead, bastard!" Valerie shouted with barely suppressed rage.
"Hey, don't talk like that about him." Dani snapped, not standing by when her family was insulted like that.
Valerie was already mid-sentence to retort, but Jazz stepped in between the two, arms outstretched to either side to keep them apart.
"Okay, that's enough. We have enough problems to deal with right now, without the two of you fighting each other. Right now we need to focus on keeping Dani hidden from Vlad. If she is needed in whatever it is he is planning, we can't let him get to her. OKAY!?"
"Fine," Valerie and Dani answered simultaneously, bitter, turning their backs to each other.
"Okay, good. Now, Tucker," Jazz continued as she turned to the techno geek in the room. "Is it possible to adjust the deflector of Dani in such a way to hide her again from Vlad?"
"Eh, yes. Yes it might be possible," he stumbled over his reply, blinking stupidly as he snapped out his memory. "But it will take some time. Right now, the only thing keeping her hidden are the systems installed in this room. And the only other places that have them are Valerie's home, your place, and my own. Unfortunately Dani isn't really one for the whole home thing, so she doesn't really have a place of her own," he told them.
"Pfhh, homes are overrated. I have been living on the streets for years now, and look how well I'm doing. Besides, I can always crash at any one of your places if I have to," Dani said with a wave of her hand, and the other three looked at her in a mixture of sadness, and anger, not understanding why she preferred to live like that.
"Really, kid. You've got to have a place of your own. No one should live on the streets. I know," Valerie told her, remembering that she and her father almost ended there themselves.
"Nah. It's much easier this way. Now I have no place that Vlad can track down. Besides, I like the freedom," Dani countered.
"Regardless, we need to keep her hidden from Vlad. And our homes are the only viable option right now. However, she can't go to Valerie's. If Vlad has been able to track her, then he would most likely go there. Now, Valerie is more than capable of dealing with him. But it would still put Dani at risk, so that isn't an option. So that leaves Jazz and me," Tucker explained, then sighed out and Valerie looked down in anger as she, too, realized that Vlad might very well come to pay her a visit in the near future.
"Eh, sorry to say it, Tucker. But I won't be able to be much help here either," Jazz told him. "You know, the whole convention thing I have to go to. I don't want to leave Dani alone. She might be able to defend herself, but against Vlad. No, she does need someone to keep an eye on her."
"Hey, I am more than capable to take care of myself!" Dani half shouted her annoyance.
"We know that. But even so, you need someone that can help you get away if Vlad does manage to get to you. He is still much stronger than you, regardless of how much stronger you have gotten over the years," Jazz told her in a calming manner.
"Hmph, fine." Dani relented as she crossed her arms over her chest, glaring defiantly at the three other persons in the room.
"So, that only leaves me," Tucker concluded as his eyes flashed to Dani and back. Dani herself had a thin smile on her face as well at the realization that she was going to bunk with Tucker.
"It looks like it," Jazz said logically, but a slight amount of playfulness was hidden in it. She noticed the quick flash of the eyes from Tucker. And Dani's stance had also changed slightly. "Don't worry, it'll probably be fun."
"Yeah, fun," Tucker muttered as he and Dani looked at each other, then looked away, embarrassed.
Jazz and Valerie shared a knowing look, and a slight smirk.
"Fine, I guess she can stay with me. But only for as long as it takes me to readjust the deflector," Tucker said in an attempt to sound sincere, but not fooling the two smirking women standing on the side.
"Yeah, you do that. And while you're at it, don't play around too much." Valerie said in a tone that made Dani and Tucker blush with such intensity, Jazz and Valerie could almost feel the heat where they were standing.
"We are not a couple!" Both Tucker and Dani shouted.
"Never said you were," Valerie said with a smirk, almost losing it as she noticed the flustered look on both their faces. Jazz, too, had a difficult time to keep her composure.
"Right, whatever. Anyhow, thank you for bringing Dani to us, we'll take it from here, you can go now," Tucker stammered, flustered, his head a dark red.
"Ohmm, so you want me and Jazz to leave, huh? Leaving you alone in a room where no one can hear you," Valerie said playfully, and Dani and Tucker facepalmed, hard. But even their combined effort was not enough to surpass the one made by Carl at the tear facility.
"No, just you. Jazz and I have some personal business to sort out with Dani," Tucker said in a half groan, not looking up.
"Oh my," Valerie gasped in fake shock. "You mean the three of you... Wow, how adventurous." Now Jazz, too, had a red face.
"What!?" Jazz said flustered. "No, definitely not."
"Hmm, denying a bit too hard there," Valerie said with a suggestive eyebrow waggle, before bursting out in laughter. "Hahahahaha. Oh wow, you should have seen the looks on your faces. Priceless. Ha, well, you kids have fun doing whatever." And with that, she left the room. Leaving three red faced individuals standing there, not knowing what to do, or say next.
"Okaaay?" Jazz said after what seemed like hours. "That was... Interesting."
"That isn't the word I would choose," Tucker said.
"Me neither," Dani added.
Silence.
"So, what now?" Dani asked.
"Right. Now we need to talk to you about Danny," Tucker said as he retrieved his laptop from his bag. His embarrassment all but gone as he thought about the contents of the video he was about to show her.
"What? What about him? Did you find him?" Dani asked hopefully, almost floating where she stood.
"Yes and no," Jazz answered. "We picked up on his trail, but we don't yet know where he is, exactly.
"What do you mean?" Dani asked.
"See for yourself. Just know that it is somewhat shocking," Tucker said dead serious, powering on the laptop and turning it to Dani; playing the video.
Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few days had passed since the princesses had paid Danny a visit and, although some ponies there seemed to treat Danny with some suspicion, wondering why both the princesses came to him, that soon stopped after not too long.
Now he was making the most of his new life. Working hard, and secretly using his powers to make the job easier. And, of course, working on his house, when he had the time after work. Or he just talked with the locals, something he never did back on Earth.
Slowly, Danny was adjusting to the calm, but sometimes hectic village life.
He soon learned of a rather hyperactive group of fillies that, despite their size, were able to create quite a bit of damage during their quest to find their QT mark, or something like that. He would have to look into that sometime, but not today.
His regular customer at the café also helped to bring some chaos to his life.
That mint green unicorn showed up almost immediately after she learned he was working there, asking him all kinds of questions whenever he came to take, or bring her order. It provided him with quite a few awkward situations; both for him, and the customers sitting nearby. Especially when she asked him if she could lick his hands.**
Now though, with a day off, he was able to get some important affairs in order. Mainly, meat. After having gone all vegetarian for the last several days, he had to be honest. He grew tired of the only veggie meals each and every day. Therefore, with a determined strut, he made his way over to the edge of the Everfree Forest, as he learned from the locals was the name, to find this pony he was told took care of the animals there.
But unbeknownst to him, a purple unicorn was following suit; wearing a pith helmet, hiding in the bushes, and observing him with her binoculars.
Twilight had been observing her subject, Dannycus Humanicus, to see if anything strange was going with, or around him. Well, stranger, seeing the rather unusual conversations between him and Lyra. Although Lyra did the most of the talking, but still.
So there she was, following him around town, completely undetected.
Nopony was able to spot the masterly hidden mare as she was going from hiding spot to hiding spot, in plain sight, always following her unsuspecting target. She snuck to another bush when Dannycus Humanicus continued on his path away from her, moving towards the edge of the forest.
His path indicated he was going to Fluttershy. Curious.
She lifted her binoculars up, and took another good look at her subject. "Hmm, still nothing strange to see," she pondered, lowering the binoculars; mirrored by the pink mare seated next to her, covered in a black spy suit, and night vision goggles wrapped around her head. A serious look on her face.
"Indeed, I can't see anything strange either," she said all serious.
"WHAA!" Twilight yelled as she dropped the binoculars to the ground. "Pinkie, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I'm being sneaky just like you. But don't tell Twilight, I don't think she wants others to know that she is sneaking around." Pinkie said in a lowered voice, eyes shifting around as if she was looking for something, or somepony.
"Pinkie, I am sitting right here," Twilight said flatly, annoyed.
"Oh yeah! Hi Twilight, what're you doing?" Pinkie chirped happily.
Twilight, feeling the familiar sensation of logic breaking insanity known as Pinkieus Pieicus, suppressed the urge to scold Pinkie for how loud she was. She might as well have scared of her target. But a quick look later revealed Dannycus Humanicus hadn't heard them, and he continued onto his path without deviation.
Taking a deep breath, lifting a hoof to her chest, she exhaled slowly, extending her leg out in front of her. A breathing exercise her sister-in-law, Cadance had taught her to help her calm down.
"Pinkie. What I am doing is very important. I need to observe the Dannycus Humanicus," Twilight told the pink mare heatedly.
"The, who?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.
"The human," Twilight groaned, annoyed. How could she not know who she meant, it was as obvious as the sun in the sky.
"Ooooh. Why?" Pinkie asked with an eager smile.
"The princesses told me to do so. And no, I can't tell you why. It's a secret," Twilight explained as she returned her gaze to Danny. Using her magic to pick up the binoculars that she dropped to the ground.
"A secret! You mean you're on a super duper secret spy mission from the princesses?" Pinkie said, the words almost blurring together.
"Yes, I guess I am," Twilight confirmed, holding the binoculars in her hooves.
"Can I help?" Pinkie asked.
"I guess, but you need to promise not to tell anypony," Twilight said sternly.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Pinkie recited the incantation of her unbreakable oath, performing the corresponding motions, sealing the Pinkie Promise.
"Good, now let's see what he is up to," Twilight said, looking through the binoculars again.
"Umhum. Oh, can Lyra help too?" Pinkie asked suddenly.
"Lyra? Why Lyra?" Twilight asked as she continued to stare through the binoculars.
"HIYA," a happy voice chirped, almost next to Twilight's ear, and the purple scholar screamed out as she shot up in the air; flailing her limbs spastically as she lost her balance and fell backwards onto the ground.
Looking up, she saw the grinning face of a certain mint green unicorn.
"Lyra!" Twilight screamed before slamming her mouth shut, scolding herself for being so loud. "What are you doing here?" she said in a half whisper.
"Well, I saw you and Pinkie hiding in this bush here, observing Danny. And I thought I'd come over and say hi. So, how's it going?" She said, smiling broadly, completely missing Twilight's twitching eye.
"Lyra, get in here," Twilight said, grabbing hold on the mint green pony and pulling her into the foliage she, and Pinkie were hiding. "You're going to blow our cover."
"Cover? What cover? What are you doing?" Lyra asked, confused.
"We're on a super duper secret spy mission from the princesses. We must observe the human, and take him out as soon as he has revealed his diabolical plan to take over the world," Pinkie said in a low, but serious tone as she squinted, rubbing her front hooves together in diabolical fashion.
"What? No," Twilight reared back a bit, shaking her head, not believing what she just heard. "Why would you even think that?"
"Well, why else would we be spying on him?" Pinkie asked her friend in honest confusion.
"Look, we just need to observe him and report anything unusual.... Well, more unusual," Twilight added as she looked at the pink mare, who still wore a black clad spy suit.
"Ooh, can I help? Can I?" Lyra asked eagerly. "I have a ton of research on humans, maybe we can help each other out."
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Twilight answered, unsure, remembering some of Lyra's more unusual behavior. Then again, she was also here with Pinkie, who was the definition of unusual.
"Oh, come on. Please?" Lyra pleaded.
"Fine, just don't let him see you. Just look, no need to go run ahead and just ask him all sorts of questions," Twilight said with a sigh as she noticed the 'list' Lyra had made sticking out of her saddle bags. "And you can't tell him, or anypony else for that matter, about this."
"Aaw, really?" Lyra said, disappointed.
"Yes, really. Now, be quiet. He's almost out of sight, and we need to keep up," Twilight told them, quickly moving to another bush closer to her target, soon followed by Pinkie and Lyra.
"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Lyra asked.
"Anything unusual" Twilight said again, resisting the mental image of the three of them hiding in a bush. One clad in a spy suite and night vision goggles, the other grinning from ear to ear, and a golden glow around her horn, and notebook. 'Sigh, well, more unusual than this,' she thought.
<<>><<>><<>>
'Man, these ponies are weird,' Danny thought as he saw the cottage mentioned by the villagers. And by the looks of it, it was exactly where he needed to be.
'Why are they trying to sneak up on me? And rather clumsy too. Shouting and yelling. Not really the best way to keep a low profile,' he chuckled quietly to himself. 'Well, they're not Skulker, that's for sure.' Shaking his head, he just ignored the less than stealthy mares as he walked over a small bridge crossing a small river.
It was then a pleasant tune caught his attention, and he noticed a yellow pegasus mare with pink mane and tail feeding the bird, humming a lovely song to herself.
"Hello," Danny called out as he approached the mare.
"EEP!" Was all he got in response as the mare let the bag of food fall to the ground, followed moments later by herself as her wings locked up in fright.
Partially hiding her face behind her mane, she looked at who called out to her, seeing the towering human standing there.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Danny quickly apologized to the mare, who was trying her hardest to hide behind her mane. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Eh, what was that?" Danny asked, unable to hear the soft spoken mare.
"I said, I'm fine."
"Eh..." Unable to make much sense of the quiet mare, Danny rubbed the back of his neck.
Looking around, he noticed the bag of bird food lying on the ground, some of its contents spilled out.
"Oh, let me help with that. It's the least I can do for scaring you," he said, and grabbed the back by the strap the mare had used to hold it; putting it back up right, then using his hands to scoop up what he could of the food that had spilled out.
As he did so, several birds came to him, picking the food out of his hands.
Danny looked at this in surprise. The birds back on Earth wouldn't ever do such a thing, and he laughed a bit as a bird landed on his wrist, picking the food out of his hand.
The mare gasped out. " Oh my, they are never this quick to trust a stranger," she spoke with a quiet, but gentle voice.
Looking behind him, Danny saw the mare slowly approach him; her eyes locked on the birds eating out of his hand, though she glanced at the tall human from time to time in uncertainty.
"So you can talk," Danny spoke up, and the mare released another startled gasp, recoiling from Danny as if she'd only now realized he was actually there, crouched next to her. "Oh, don't worry. I won't hurt you," he reassured with a kind smile, hoping he wouldn't scare the mare again.
The pony peeked out from behind her mane, looking at Danny as he spoke. His voice sounded calm and friendly, and she felt a bit more at ease this close to him because of it.
The bird sitting on Danny's wrist flew over to her, chirping to her as if he was saying that Danny was a friend and could be trusted.
More at ease now, the mare looked at the human crouched before her. Now that he was at eye level, he wasn't as intimidating as he was when he towered over her a moment ago.
"Hi," Danny said as the mare finally made eye contact.
"Hi," she said, barely audible.
"I'm Danny. And who might you be? I think I saw you at the party a few days ago, but I have a bit of trouble remembering all the names," he said, hoping that she wouldn't close up again.
"I.. I'm Flutt- ...Fluttershy. Nice to meet you, Danny," Fluttershy said a bit louder as she noticed the birds still pecking some of the food out of his hand, easing her fears a bit further.
"Nice to meet you, Fluttershy," Danny said. "I take it you are the one taking care of the animals here?" He asked as he looked around the place, seeing various birdhouses, a chicken coop and much more, indicating this was indeed the home of one that takes care of animals.
"Y-Yes," she said with a small nod.
"Great. Do you by any chance also feed any carnivorous animals? You know, meat eaters?" Danny asked carefully, not wanting to scare the mare, again.
"Y-Yes, but why do you ask?"
"Well, I was wondering, if it is possible, if I could buy some meat from you?" Danny asked, hoping he wouldn't creep out the mare with this, for them, macabre request.
"You want to buy meat from me? But why, that is for the animals?" She asked in confusion and fright, slightly raising her voice.
Awkwardly rubbing his neck, Danny tried to find the right words. "Well... you see.. the thing is. Well, I eat meat myself and I couldn't find any for sale in the village. But I heard that you took care of the animals here, so I thought that, maybe, I could buy some from you?" he answered truthfully, unable to find any words to make it sound less threatening to her.
"Y-y-y-you eat meat!?" Fluttershy stuttered, slowly backing away from Danny.
"Don't worry!" he half shouted as he raised his arm, holding his hand out towards the mare in a non threatening fashion, dropping the food he was still holding. "Look, I won't hurt you, or your animals. I am not some bloodthirsty creature. You don't need to be scared of me," he said with a twinge of pain in his voice, the words reminding him of the same thing he thought when the people ran away in fear when they saw him in his ghost form.
Hearing the pleading voice, and the underlying pain, she looked back up to see Danny reaching out to her.
She could see the hurt in his eyes as he sat there, hoping that he hadn't scared her away. Seeing the pain, but more importantly, a good soul in his eyes, Fluttershy relaxed and approached Danny, nuzzling his hand when she was close enough.
"Shhh, it's alright. I won't run away. I'm sorry for being scared of you. It isn't your fault that you eat meat, it's just who you are," Fluttershy said in a calm, friendly voice as she looked up at Danny, smiling. No longer scared of the tall human and even a bit mad with herself for being so unkind to him. So mad even, that she could just kick something.
Which she did.
With all her strength, she kicked a small pebble lying on the ground near her left foreleg and it flew with a majestic arc; landing with the faintest of 'thuds'... less than half an inch away.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm down, she hoped that Danny wouldn't think badly of her over her large outburst just now.
"I'm sorry about that, and yes, you can get some of the fish I have here. Although, I couldn't ask you for any money. Not after the way I acted," Fluttershy said, looking down a bit, her mane obscuring half her face.
"Oh, no need to worry about that, it happens to the best of us," Danny answered, thinking she referred to her being scared, not the tiny kick to the pebble he barely noticed. "But I have to pay something, right? I couldn't possibly just take it. It wouldn't sit right with me."
Fluttershy's mane now covered her entire face, hiding her behind a curtain of pink. She was supposed to be the Element of Kindness, but her behavior to Danny was anything but kind. She treated him with fear, where he was trying to be kind to her. Even going as far as to clean up the food that she spilled. Food that she spilled, just because he said hello. And now, even after she said that she couldn't ask for any money, he wouldn't take it. He could just take the fish. Instead, he wanted to pay for it. The kindness he had shown her in the short time that he was here amazed the pegasus. He didn't even comment on her wild outburst, just ignoring it and not calling her out on it.
She couldn't ask him for any money, not after all that, but what was she supposed to do? It was obvious that he was determined to pay her, even if she said it wasn't necessary. If only she could be a bit more like her friend, Rarity. She always knew how to solve things like this.
'Oh, Fluttershy. What are you going to do? He's been so nice to you. He even picked up the food you... dropped... Wait,' Fluttershy thought, an idea coming to her.
Peeking out from behind her mane, she looked at the bag of food Danny had put upright. Some birds were still picking the stray seed lying on the ground.
She turned her gaze back to Danny, seeing him still crouched down, waiting for her to reply.
"I can't ask you for any money, because you already cleaned up the food I spilled," she told him as she pointed at the bag. "I will give you some of the fish for free, as a thank you for your help," she added with a smile on her face, proud of herself for the great solution she had come up with.
"Are you sure?" Danny asked, unable to wrap his mind around the idea that these ponies could be so kind. Not too long ago, Rarity gave him a complete set of new clothes for free. And now Fluttershy was doing the same, just because he picked up some spilled bird food.
"Oh yes. I'm very sure. Just wait here, I will get some of the fish for you," she said, turned around and quickly vanished into her cottage.
As Danny stood there, amazed with all the kindness he had received from the ponies in town, as well as some of the weirdest conversations thanks to Lyra, he spotted a small white rabbit sitting next to the bag of food.
The rabbit held a carrot in one of his paws, pointing it threateningly at him, as his other paw made a gesture to his eyes, then Danny, almost as if it was saying: "I'm watching you!" But that was probably his imagination, right? Rabbits weren't capable of doing things like that... Right?
Utterly confused with what he just witnessed, Danny just stood there, waiting for Fluttershy to return.
It only took a small moment before she came back, carrying a small basket on her back which obviously held the fish.
She had a smile on her face as she approached Danny, then picked the basket off her back using her mouth, handing(?) it over to him.
"There you go, I put some of the larger ones in it. I hope you enjoy them," she said happily as Danny accepted the basket and looked inside it, seeing there were several sizable fish in it, more than he thought he deserved.
"Wow. This is more than I expected. Are you sure I don't need to pay at least something?" Danny asked the mare once again.
"Oh no," she said with a determined shake of her head. "They're yours. I mean, if that's okay with you," she stated confidently, then quickly hid behind her mane as her confidence left her, looking away shyly.
Danny noticed that, despite her shy behavior, she was determined to give him the fish without expecting anything in return. And not wanting to insult her, even though he was a bit uneasy with the thought that he would get this for free too, just as his clothes, he accepted the basket and its contents, thanking Fluttershy as he did so.
"Thank you, miss," he said, smiling to her.
"Oh, please. Just call me Fluttershy. All my friends do. I mean, if you want to, that is." Fluttershy said with her usual uncertainty.
"Okay. Thank you, Fluttershy. I will make sure I return the basket as soon as I can," he promised, gesturing at the basket in his hands. "It was nice meeting you," he added with a parting nod, smiling kindly and made ready to leave.
"The pleasure is all mine," she said with a happy smile. "I hope to see you again!" She quietly called out after Danny as he walked back to town, waving at him.
Danny waved back with his free arm, responding in kind at Fluttershy's remark, following the path back to his home.
Then, allowing his mind to wander, thinking about how great his life had become ever since he'd come here, he completely missed the three ponies spying on him from the nearby bushes.
<<>><<>><<>>
"I don't believe it!" Pinkie shouted when Danny was far enough away, absolutely shocked. "Fluttershy is working with him. And just when you think you know your friends," she said disappointedly, looking accusingly at the cottage farther away.
"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, baffled, not understanding anything the pink mare was saying.
"Why, isn't it obvious? Danny is building a device in secret. One which will allow him to overthrow the princesses, and make him the new ruler of Equestria. And Fluttershy just gave him the final part of his infernal doomsday machine. This means that she is also working as a secret agent," she deduced, then sucked in a large, shocked gasp. "No, a secret double agent, because she's also the Element of Kindness, which would give her the chance to get close to the princesses and allow her to make a move should the human's plan fail," she realized. Then her eyes widened and she sucked in an even deeper breath. "But that would also mean this place is probably a cover to hide their secret base hidden in her basement. GHAA!. You!" She gasped once again, pointing an accusing hoof at the bird which had just landed on the branch before her. "Okay you, mister. Speak up! What are you hiding here? Is it a training facility for spy animals?" She asked forcefully, her gaze shifting to the platypus close to the river, being sure she just saw it wear a hat. "Are you hiding a bomb here? Or, or," she sucked in another large breath and both Twilight, and Lyra looked at her in fear, and concern; both noticing the fact she had yet to breath out. "Are you making a device that replaces the frosting of a cupcake with old mayonnaise? Ooh, that's it, right? Oho, I've got you now. The secret is out. Just confess now, and maybe I will go easy on you," she rattled on and on, making one wild accusation after the other while keeping her hoof pointed at the unfortunate bird who, absolutely terrified, couldn't do anything but keep itself as small as possible, looking at the pink hoof almost pressing into his beak, unsure what to make of the crazed pony's rambling.
Twilight, too, couldn't fathom the absolute craziness of Pinkie Pie. It was almost as if she'd reached a new level of insanity and all she could do was sit there, mouth ajar. And even Lyra, not unfamiliar with Pinkie's burst of 'randomness', looked at the pink mare as if she had grown a second head.
"Pinkie... That's just crazy. I'm sure Fluttershy isn't a spy. Nor is Danny. What are you going to say next? Maybe he is a ghost, too!? No, whatever it was that Fluttershy gave him, I doubt it is for an evil machine," Twilight said, finally able to break out of the logic breaking lock Pinkie had forced onto her mind; trying to bring some logic in the craziness that was transpiring around her.
Lyra, shaking her head to clear her mind of the overload Pinkie had caused, looked towards where Danny had walked off to.
Now able to think clearly again, she thought back at what she had learned about humans during her studies of their species. And, despite her exuberant behavior around Danny, she was actually a rather intelligent mare. Not so much as Twilight, but still above average. And, although it was her talent to play a lyre, something her Cutie Mark showed, she was quite the sucker for anything unique and unknown. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that, when the humans showed up, Lyra was one of the first to actually study them... intensively. Almost to the point it became an obsession, though Bon Bon often claimed it had already passed the point of it being merely an obsession.
Lyra thought she was just jealous.
Still, to have a real life human living in the village was absolutely exciting for her, and a dream come true; a dream she didn't even knew she had, until it had become a reality. Though, her own enthusiasm did have a tendency to get in the way.
She had questions, lots and lots of questions. And now she had the chance to get some answers. But every time she tried to start a normal conversation with Danny, all she could do was make a fool of herself as, instead of asking one of the many well prepared questions, all neatly written down on her list, she just blurted out whichever crazy thought shot through her mind at that given time.
She still felt incredibly stupid for asking him if she could lick his hands. Why did her brain fail her like that? All she wanted to ask was why humans have five fingers and not six or four. But the second her mind wandered to the topic of hands, something above just shut down.
Now though, with Danny far away, she could think clearly, and she put that brain of hers to good use.
"Maybe it was some of that meat Fluttershy keeps for her animals?" Lyra suggested logically, putting a lot of thought into this.
"Meat!?" Twilight half asked, half yelled. "Why would he get a basket with meat from her?" She asked and even Pinkie stopped her interrogation of the bird, who quickly flew away now the opportunity presented itself.
"Yeah. Why would he come here just to get some meat? That is so icky. Only those animals of Fluttershy here eat that," she said with a shudder, feeling a bit sick at the thought of eating another animal.
"Well, humans eat meat, too. It's part of their diet. They get sick if they don't eat it every now and then. Something with the proteins in it," Lyra explained, tapping her muzzle with her hoof, deep in thought as she tried to get all the details about this subject. Looking at the two mares sitting in front of her, she could see a look of sudden realization on Twilight's face, and a shade of green on pinkie's.
"Of course, that has to be it. I completely forgot about human dietary needs. This all makes sense now," Twilight said, noting everything down on the scroll she had brought with her.
"He... He.. He eats meat?" Pinkie asked, dry heaving. "EEEWW!"
"Yes, yes he does," Lyra said calmly, nodding.
"EEEWWW!!!" Pinkie shouted in disgust, and the numerous birds resting in the nearby trees flew away in shock.
"Pinkie, aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her ear, trying to get the ringing out.
"Exaberating!? Exaberating!? I'm not exaberating. He eats meat, Twilight. Meat!" Pinkie said in alarm, pressing her forehead against Twilight's, her eyes poking out each time the word meat was used. "What if he gets a taste for us ponies? Then what? GHAA. Oh my gosh, we need to warn everypony!" She said, frantically, running over to a hollow tree and grabbing a megaphone out of it. "It's a good thing I keep these stored all over Ponyville in case of a megaphone emergency," she said, then sucked in a deep breath. But before she had the chance to deliver her warning to town, a purple aura wrapped around her muzzle, forcing her mouth shut. Still, the force behind her voice was impossible to be fully contained, and Pinkie's well thought out warning instead became a flailing tongue as it pushed passed tightly sealed lips; accompanied with air escaping as she still tried to talk.
And with the megaphone active, and held close to her mouth, the all too familiar fake fart sounds foals tend to make for fun were amplified and aimed at Ponyville.
Noticeably surprised, the villagers all looked around in confusion. Some of which gave their neighboring pony a shove, fooled by the sounds; though there were numerous foals rolling over the ground in laughter when hearing the brown noise.
Using her magic to turn off the megaphone and putting it down, Twilight looked at Pinkie with annoyance.
'Phwrat?" Pinkie asked, the picture of innocence as she looked at Twilight.
Rolling her eyes, Twilight released her hold over Pinkie's mouth, returning the ability to properly articulate her speech. Something she wasn't sure was such a good idea.
"Pinkie, Danny's not some bloodthirsty beast on a rampage to devour everypony in town. Please, for the love of Celestia, don't do that again. You will turn the whole town against him for no reason at all," Twilight scolded, a hoof pressed against her slightly throbbing head.
"Are you sure?" Pinkie asked.
"Yes, Pinkie. I'm sure." Twilight responded with a sigh.
"But are you sure, you're sure?" Pinkie asked again.
"Yes! Ahum. Yes, I'm sure," Twilight responded with forced calm.
"Oh oh. But are you sure, that you're sure, about being sure?"
"PINKIE!!!" Twilight and Lyra shouted in unison, and Pinkie quickly stopped her rambling, giving the two an embarrassed smile.
<<>><<>><<>>
Valerie walked down the street towards her house, nervous; feeling as if she was being watched. An unsettling feeling which latched onto her the second Dani showed up on her doorstep. And knowing the one who was most likely going after Dani, that was most likely the case.
She looked over her shoulder again, only to find herself alone amidst the crowd of people. Though, with ghosts, this didn't mean much.
She knew it would happen, that Vlad would make his move. But when? She was on edge. Every sound could be from the enemy, and she responded with finely honed skills every time she heard something suspicious. But on a crowded street, it proved to be nothing each and everytime.
The lack of any activity from Vlad almost forced a false sense of security onto her. The inactivity lulling her into dropping her guard. After all, if something was going to happen, shouldn't it have already? Of course, she knew better, and these kinds of thoughts only served to put her even more on edge. And thus, the cycle continued.
'Maybe he was unable to track her after all?' Valerie thought with uncertainty, not truly believing this. Her gut told her something was going on, and it had never failed her before.
So, with heightened senses to react to anything, or anyone that tried to sneak up on her, she continued on her path.
Despite her assumptions and gut feeling, her walk home was completely uneventful. Still, she wouldn't think of it as a false alarm. Instead, she knew today was just another day in a series that had been going on for the last several days, and most likely would go on until he would finally decide to show his ugly face.
Walking up the few flights of stairs towards her apartment, she opened her front door, stepped inside and put away the few items she had just bought in the nearby store.
Locking the door after, Valerie sighed out as she put the keys into a small bowl she kept close to the front door, finally allowing herself to relax. After all, home is where you can feel safe and secure.
Setting up a movie, she grabbed a quick bite to eat; the musical intro of her choice movie filling the chamber as she closed the fridge's door with a slight kick of her heel.
With plate in hand, she quickly moved for her couch, sitting down with a tired sigh. She'd only gotten a few seconds to herself when, with an almost irritating whine, her watch started to ring an alarm; freezing her mid motions, fork of food held just shy from her slowly closing mouth.
She knew that alarm.
It didn't sound like anything out of the ordinary. It was one of those simple alarms anyone would mistake for just an ordinary set alarm, easily ignored. But to her, it put her hairs on end.
Tucker had specially made this watch for her, incorporating the latest of ghost detection gear within it, allowing it to detect ghosts within a five hundred meter radius around her. And now it was warning her of a spectral entity in close proximity. And it's insistency indicated it must have picked up on one heck of a signature.
Activating the miniature holo display built in the watch, she could see a map of her neighborhood, and several red dots surrounding the building housing her apartment. Yet none of them seemed to move.
"What is going on?" Valerie grunted, grabbing one of her hand held ecto-blasters, pressing herself flat against the wall.
Slowly edging towards the window, she peeked outside, seeing absolutely nothing. Unless this nothing was, in fact, several invisible ghosts. But how did they get inside the city? The shield was still up. And, as far as she knew, there wasn't an active portal either.
"Hello, Valerie," a civilized, yet menacing voice said, coming from behind her.
Valerie turned around in a flash, pointing her blaster to the shadows behind her.
Slowly, a figure started to fade into view. His red eyes, fangs, pale blue skin and cape were all too familiar to her, and she could feel her blood heat up, and her heart rate increase.
"Vlad Plasmius!" She spat with as much venom as she could. And after years of fighting and catching ghosts, it was a lot.
"Now this is a surprise," he said, unfazed. "You know who I am?" He added with hidden surprise. He never had a confrontation with her before in his ghost form, so how did she know about him?
"Yeah, I know all about you Masters," Valerie snapped in a cold, hard tone.
Vlad's eyes widened in clear surprise and shock as she dropped that bombshell, but quickly shrugged it off, giving her a hard stare of his own, reassessing the woman standing in front of him.
"So, you do know about me. How very interesting. It must have been quite the surprise for you when you found out, wasn't it?" Vlad mocked as he slowly circled around her, feet never touching the ground. Valerie followed his every move with her blaster, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"Oh, don't bother to threaten me with that toy of yours. I am far too powerful to be harmed by that thing," he said nonchalant, cocky even, as he looked unimpressed at Valerie's weapon. "Now, I take it you know why I'm here?" He asked all business like and Valerie's grip on her weapon tightened to the point her knuckles turned white. "Ah, seeing your reaction, I would say you do. Curious. A retired ghost hunter that helps ghosts. Oh my, dear. The irony is strong with you, isn't it. Now, although I would like to stay and chat, I have far more important things to do, so I will make this easy. I know that our mutual friend was here several days ago and I want to know where she went. Tell me now and I will spare you. Refuse and I am afraid I must resort to force instead. Your choice."
Valerie smirked evilly at Vlad. "So, it seems the almighty Vlad is not completely caught up with current affairs. Funny, seeing how you always try to keep an eye on everything and everyone."
Vlad arched an eyebrow, but didn't show any other sign that what she said got to him.
"Look your twiddling fool. Our little friend might have been able to slip underneath my radar, but that won't save her for much longer. I know she is still around here and you know where. Just tell me now, or else," Vlad threatened, showing a small amount of frustration.
Valerie just gave a humorless laugh, her sight locked firmly on Vlad.
"Oh, do tell. What's so funny? I do love a good laugh," Vlad sneered.
"Just that you thought I was talking about Dani. Instead, I was referring to the whole retired ghost hunter thing you just said," Valerie answered, smiling ferally, showing teeth.
"And what do you even mean with that?" Vlad asked, almost sounding as if he cared.
"This. ACTIVATE!" Valerie shouted, engaging the startup sequence of her armor.
Covering her spine was a metallic rig following the contours of her back. Lights flicked on over the length of her vertebrae as her armor started to form around her.
Metal bands sprung around her midsection, and expanded further around her body as thousands of pieces of technology worked together in perfect unison to form the all too familiar armor of Specter.
The whole process looked like that from the movie Metal Sir. You know, the one where the actor Rupert Upping Senior plays the role of Brony Park, who used his vast intelligence to build an armor unlike anything ever seen before. He did this to fight crime after witnessing the murder of his parents in a dark alley when they were bitten by a radioactive spider. A spider specially created by the Credible Bulk, who in reality was Lee Stan, famous writer.
Lee Stan was, however, involved in an accident trying to infuse his latest novel with gamma radiation to increase the impact of the story on the reader. But when he read the book to see if it worked, the story had become so powerful it became alive. But with no proper form to hold itself, the knowledge it had poured into the mind of its creator. Now, whenever his intellect was tested beyond his limits, the Credible Bulk would appear. Crushing his opponents with sheer intellect. But sometimes he had to resort to more 'advanced' forms of its intelligence.
After Bois and Mark, famous journalists from the Nightly Beagle, and parents of Brony Park, found out about his secret alter ego, they planned to make a special report on it in the paper. Lee Stan couldn't allow this, and so he devised a plan to stop them. Creating a genetically engineered spider and infusing it with nuclear radiation, to take out the two reporters. And, in doing so, he would create one of his greatest enemies ever. Metal Sir. The hero of the world. He who personally provided world peace. And he who fights crime, like a sir.
Authors note. Please don't ask me what it was that I just smoked. Frankly, I don't know either.
The armor completed its formation around Valerie, and Vlad looked at his shocked, distorted reflection in the toxic green visor.
"You!" Vlad yelled.
"Me," Specter responded cooly in her warped voice, raising her right arm, deploying the weapon system built into it.
A small, gatling gun-like blaster formed around her wrist, aimed squarely at Vlad's head.
"Oh, butterscotch," Vlad cursed as the weapon fired, blasting him through the wall.
As Vlad soared through the air, accompanied by several pieces of wall, a translucent white aura appeared around him. In a flash, he turned into nothing but a wisp of energy, swirling through the air, rejoining with the original.
"Oh fu-" Valerie half shouted her curse as she saw all the duplicates of Vlad hover in place, several of them firing an ecto-beam at her, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence.
Diving out of the way of the energy attack, she activated her hoverboard, which folded out from her boots in a similar fashion as her armor formed around her.
Now able to fly, she rushed out of the hole in the wall and started to attack Vlad, or Vlads, as was the case.
Specter soared through the sky, blasting away at all the duplicates. She got several hits, and those that were shot down turned back into energy, returning to sender. She used this to find the original, only for more duplicates to get in her way, preventing her from getting too close to the real him. Even allowing them to be shot at and taking the hits she fired their way. After all, Vlad could easily make more of himself. And with each duplicate Specter shot down, two more took his place. Quickly outnumbering the ghost hunter and draining her strength, despite how well she was doing.
"Hahahaha. Do you really think that you stand a chance against me? Even when I'm split up this many times, I'm still capable to hold you down. Now, I wanted to just ask you to tell me what I wanted to know. But seeing how you rejected my generous offer, and spat me in my face, I will just torture the information out of you." All the Vlads said simultaneously, creating an eerie echo as they did.
Now, Specter wasn't one to run away from a fight. And in a different situation, she would have taken her chance. But now she was the only one standing between Vlad and Dani, and she couldn't risk getting captured and forced to tell him where she was. She knew she wouldn't talk easily, but she couldn't take the chance.
So, looking at all the duplicates surrounding her, she did the only thing she could do in this situation she knew would work. She grabbed one of her flash bang ghost shield grenades. It would blind anyone that would see the flash, and the small shield that would accompany the blast would drive away any ghost nearby.
Activating the grenade, and holding it for a few tense seconds before throwing it above her head, it exploded in a bright flash.
Her visor, darkening automatically as it registered the sudden increase of luminosity, protected Specter from going blind. Still, she closed her eyes all the same.
"What is th-WHAAA!!" All the Vlad's yelled out as the flash blinded them, while those within the shields' range were flung away.
In the confusion the grenade had caused, Specter flew away at top speed.
She couldn't return home for a long time to come, Vlad would definitely keep an eye on it now. She needed to hide, but she couldn't just abandon the city either. Not with scum like Vlad on the loose. No, she would have to resort to guerrilla tactics for now. Hit and run. She knew she would still be able to get help from Jazz and Tucker, but she wouldn't risk contacting them for a while. Not until she was sure it was safe enough to do so.
'Okay kids, you're on your own for now. Hopefully he didn't track Dani down to any of you. But if he did, I hope you will be able to get away from him,' Specter thought as the city flashed by underneath her. 'And don't you worry, Vlad. I will get my rematch soon enough.'
*This is one hundred percent NSA approved. **This is a reference to the bonus chapter "Lust" of the fiction MIA, written by Gravitys Rainboom.
Edits done by Halusm, Clayton the Hunter, and Gigas.
A Force to Recon With.
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna stood out on her balcony, watching over the dreams of those sleeping under her night sky.
For several days now, she had been calming the mind of young Danny, whose mind, for reasons unknown, was unreadable for the night princess.
It frustrated her to no end. No matter how much she tried, she was unable to catch even a glimpse of what plagued his sleeping mind. It was almost as though some invisible force was keeping her out, a shield of sorts to keep his memories and thoughts hidden. But what could cause such a thing to happen?
She knew of various spells that would allow some form of protection for the mind, but she knew ways around most, if not all of them. At the very least, she should have been able to catch a glimpse of his waking mind when she visited him; instead, she saw nothing.
Whatever it was that was shielding Danny's mind, it was strong. Strong, and unknown. Luna didn't know of anything that could protect one's mind in such a way as his. Even spells, no matter how well cast, had weaknesses to exploit. Cracks in the armor through which she should be able to peek inside.
Not with him, though. No, there was something, a presence maybe? Some kind of intelligent spell perhaps? Something that could shift and reform itself in order to adapt to her attempts to see inside....
''No, that's preposterous. There is no kind of spell that could do such a thing. I would know,'' she stomped a hoof, looking out over the city below. ''But what could it be? It isn't magic, I am sure of that. And I know that the humans have little to no experience with mind control and shielding technology, so it couldn't be that either… Hmmm.... His shadow was possessed, yet he didn't seem all too fazed by it... What if...?'' She pondered briefly, wondering if this human was something other than he appeared to be, only to burst out in laughter a few seconds later, realizing just how ridiculous such a thought was. ''Ahahahaha... Oh my, I know for certain that that isn't the case. What was I even thinking? To presume he is a ghost himself, ridiculous. The shields back on Earth would have stopped him if that was the case. Ha, that whole changeling debacle during the wedding really has made me paranoid, hasn't it?'' she asked the night sky, humorously shaking her head.
Sighing out as she thought back to that horrible incident several months ago. A shiver went through her spine as she remembered the reports of all the casualties and wounded, including her own sister.
They still had several changelings locked up in the dungeons. They were the ones who weren't 'lucky' enough to be blasted away by the combined force of Shining Armor and princess Cadence’s attack. They had sustained various injuries, and were treated as best they could, but the hospitality of the ponies ended there. After the wounded were patched up, and were confirmed as stable, or as stable as they could manage with the limited knowledge they had on their physiology, they were all harshly interrogated to find out how they were able to infiltrate into the city, and get close enough to Princess Cadence, just so they could abduct her while their queen took her place.
Luna herself took part in the interrogation, hoping her more… outdated methods would yield more success than the modern day equivalent. Yet the insectoids proved to be surprisingly uncooperative, and they were all locked away down in the dungeons while they tried to get them to talk.
Unfortunately, their lack of knowledge about the shapeshifters physiology proved to be more fatal than they initially thought themselves, as, shortly after their imprisonment, they all fell sick to an unknown illness. And it was now with growing urgency they tried to find both the source of this unexpected outbreak and a way to counter it.
Now, with her mind full of questions, yet no answers and only more mysteries presenting themselves to her, Luna reasoned all of this contributed to the ridiculous thought she just had, about the human being a ghost in disguise, much like a changeling.
No, changelings could transform. Humans couldn't. Besides, who had ever heard of a human that was actually a ghost? Ha, ‘twas truly ridiculous.
No, crazy thoughts like that wouldn't give her the answer she needed. So, with a shake of her head, she discarded those thoughts; pushing them away to the darker recesses of her mind.
Having cleared her head, she looked once more at the city below and shifted her gaze to the sleepy village of Ponyville.
''I may not yet know how you do it, but one day I will find out. And, hopefully, I will be able to truly help you, not just blank out your mind,'' she said quietly as she focused her magic on the village, sensing the now all too familiar disturbance. Giving a gentle nudge with her magic, she calmed the dream of Danny once more.
Or, she would have, if it wasn't for the same force that kept her out of his mind all those times.
It wasn't much, but it was there. Something pushed back at her magic in an attempt to keep her out, and a small battle waged between Luna's magic, and this unknown force.
Danny's mind went blank, and returned to the dark recesses of his memories over, and over again, making him shift, and turn in his bed, almost falling out.
Luna was shocked. What was this power that kept her out? Why wouldn't it allow her to clear Danny's mind all of a sudden? Unless... No!? Maybe it was unaware of her presence, until she showed up on his doorstep several days ago. And now it knew she was there, keeping her out...
No, she wouldn't let it. Whatever this force was, she wouldn't allow it to torture young Danny any longer.
Increasing her magic to break past the block, Luna was finally able to win the battle, allowing her to calm Danny's troubled mind once more.
She knew that this victory wouldn't last long. Tomorrow night it would start again, and she could only use so much magic without forcing her way into his mind, committing one of the most horrible acts of mind magic.
Breaking into one's mind was something dangerous and forbidden, only acceptable in the rarest of cases when no other choices are left. But now, with the resistance this unknown force was putting up to keep her out, she would soon get to the point that she could no longer blank out his mind without breaking in.
Knowing the risks, Luna wouldn't dare do such a thing. She knew from personal experience how one’s psyche can be damaged from having another entity break in and take over their mind. She wouldn't dare do such a thing to him, but this would also mean that a night would come where his nightmares would return in full force.
''Forgive me, Danny, for it seems that I will not be able to protect you much longer. Enjoy your rest now, for soon, it will come to an end.'' Luna said with sorrow and dread, looking at the village in the valley below, allowing her words to be carried away on the wind.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny walked through Ponyville, heading towards his new favorite spot: Sugar Cube Corner.
Ever since he found the place a couple of days ago, he would come there during his break. And although not a regular, yet. At the rate he was going, he would be soon.
This time, too, he took the small amount of time he had for himself to sit back, and enjoy some of the finer treats this place had to offer. It was something he really came to enjoy, especially considering that he hadn't had much of a chance to do so back on Earth. The fact these were some of the best baked treats he ever had the pleasure of eating might also contribute to this.
A short walk later, he stepped into the happily decorated building, (he still had to blink twice every time he saw the large gingerbread house) and then towards the counter.
''Good morning, Cup Cake. How're you today?'' Danny greeted the blue mare standing behind the counter, already knowing her by name thanks to her cheerful demeanor, and her upbeat attitude towards him when he first entered into the bakery.
''Danny, how nice to see you again. Keep it up and you might just become one of our regular customers,'' she said happily when she greeted the tall human.
''Ha, I'm trying. So, could I have a couple of those cupcakes?'' He asked, pointing at a large tray of baked goods, eyeing them hungrily.
''But of course, I’ll go getthemmm...'' Cup Cake trailed off and seemed to focus on a spot close behind Danny, absolutely bewildered.
''Umm, are you alright?'' Danny asked.
Noticing the look on her face, and where she was looking, he turned around, only for him to take a step back as he saw what everyone in the store was now looking at.
It was none other than Pinkie Pie, hanging upside down on a rope, clad in some kind of spy suit with night vision goggles, and wearing the look of absolute severity as she was staring intently through a binocular at Danny… which she held backwards.
Her eyes almost seemed to push through the binoculars as she continued to look at him, not realizing, or just ignoring, the stares she was receiving herself.
''Uhh, can I help you?'' Danny asked uncertainly, not understanding anything of what was going on.
''Oh no, he’s spotted me,'' Pinkie said in a low, conspiratorial voice. ''but how? He’s so far away.'' She asked herself as she lowered the binoculars, now seeing Danny standing right in front of her. ''AAAH! How did you get here all of a sudden? Oh no, he found me. Retreat, retreat!'' she yelled and gave three tugs on the rope she was hanging on. She was suddenly pulled upwards towards the second floor and disappeared from sight.
It was quiet for a moment, all the ponies and human, stared at the spot Pinkie Pie had occupied mere moments before. Then, as if a switch was flipped, the ponies soon returned to their business, used to the random behavior of the hyperactive pink pony. Danny however, wasn't yet accustomed to the pink pony's colorful behavior, and he just stared at the now empty spot for a long time, trying to wrap his mind around what he just witnessed.
''What was that all about?'' He finally asked.
''Nopony knows,'' Cup Cake replied. ''It's just Pinkie being Pinkie. Take it from me, I live with the mare. She is... unusual, but she means well. Just give it some time, and you'll get used to it," she told him, finding some small amusement in the bewildered look on his face.
''I doubt that'll ever happen," Danny replied. He had seen a lot of weird things and, honestly, he thought it impossible to ever get used to something like that.
''Yes, they always say something like that when they first experience Pinkie's unique behavior,'' Cup Cake said with a slight smile and a shake of the head. ''But they always come around sooner, or later. Anyhow, here is your order. Enjoy,'' she finished casually as she hoofed Danny the cupcakes, deciding to not pay the scene with Pinkie any more mind.
''Eh.. wha.. Oh right, my order. Yeah, thanks.'' Danny said, stumbling over his words as he was brought back to the here and now, remembering the reason for being in the bakery in the first place.
Paying for the food and walking away with his delectable treat, he absentmindedly took a bite out of a cupcake as he thought about what had just happened, not noticing the orange mare wearing a Stetson hat in front of him.
''Whoa, what the-!''
''Whoa nelly!''
Danny and Applejack both shouted as he crashed into her, both falling to the ground, while Applejack's hat fell to the ground a moment later; hanging in the air for a few more seconds, not realizing its owner was missing. The cupcakes Danny was holding skidded away, coming to a stop after a few bounces in the dirt.
But, of course, this was not their biggest problem as, in their fall, their limbs got somewhat tangled up, with Danny lying on top of Applejack in a rather awkward position. Applejack squirmed around to free herself from the knot their limbs were in, not realizing the looks they were getting from the bystanders.
After a seemingly long, and rather awkward struggle to untangle themselves, Applejack and Danny finally managed to get up. Only now noticing the amused looks they got from the ponies standing around them, a lot of them struggling to keep their laughter down.
''I’m so sorry about that, AJ,'' Danny apologized while he picked up her Stetson, dusting it off, his face beet red from the awkwardness of it all. ''here you go.''
Applejack's face, too, had a dark shade of red as she took the hat back from Danny. Putting it back on, making sure it covered as much of her eyes as possible.
''Thanks, pardner,'' she said with an embarrassed smile on her face. ''Ya better watch out where ya're going, though. It would've saved us a heap o' embarrassment,'' she continued, indicating the small circle of ponies around them.
''Now, what're y'all looking at!?'' Applejack shouted with slightly raised voice, giving the crowd around her and Danny a stern look.
The crowd quickly dispersed at that, but a few snickers could be heard as they left the two flustered individuals alone.
Letting out a deep sigh and shaking her head as she thought about the embarrassing moment she just went through, Applejack looked up at Danny, who was trying his best not to look her in the eyes.
''Now, ya want ta tell mah why ya ran mah over?'' she asked the red faced, embarrassed human.
''Pinkie Pie,'' was his only response. He was still unused to her random behavior, but after hearing the ponies going on about her, he figured that would satisfy Applejack’s curiosity.
''Pinkie? Oh ya're still trying ta figure her out?'' Applejack asked with a chuckle, knowing where this might go if he wouldn't let it rest. Who knows, maybe his hair would also burst out in fire, just like Twilight's.
''More, or less,'' Danny replied. ''She just did... something. And I'm apparently somehow involved... Is she always like that?'' He asked.
''Most of tha times, unless her mane goes flat. Believe mah, ya don't want ta be there when tha happens!'' She said with a good hearted laugh, before turning dead serious.
''When her mane goes flat. What do you mean?'' He asked, not understanding.
''Fer yer sake, Ah hope ya never find out,'' she said ominously, making Danny feel uneasy as he glanced back at Sugar Cube corner, seeing a pair of bright blue eyes staring at him from behind the window, before they slowly sunk down out of view.
''Okay, got it. Don't ask about the crazy pony.'' Danny said rather quickly, his words somewhat packed together. ''Anyhow, have you seen my... Aw man!'' He began, but stopped when he noticed his cupcakes lying on the ground, covered with dirt.
''Drat, I was going to eat those," he said with a sigh. "Well, there goes lunch,'' he added in disappointment, looking at the sugary treats, now no longer edible.
''Aw, Ah'm real sorry 'bout tha, Danny.'' Applejack said as she, too, noticed the pastries on the ground.
''Not as sorry as I am,'' Danny said seriously, sadly, feeling as if he had just lost something very important. Which, to him, he just did.
"Ah, shucks. It's not tha end of tha world, sugarcube.'' Applejack said, giving him a slight push in the side.
''Maybe not, but it is still a huge waste. I was planning on eating those, now I have to work on an empty stomach," Danny groaned. "Oh well, better luck next time, I guess." He sighed in disappointment, not looking forward to working without eating anything.
"True. Tha Cake's baking is quite something. A real waste fer it ta end like that," Applejack said with a small nod. "Say, why don't ya come over ta mah orchard? There’s plenty of food, and tha rest of mah family would love ta meet tha town's very own human," she offered.
Danny was taken aback by this. Did the kindness of these ponies not run out at some point? First, the clothes gifted by Rarity, then the fish from Fluttershy. And now, Applejack invited him to eat at her place. He was stunned; never in his life before coming here had he received such kindness. Tough, in a distant past, he may have experienced something similar with his own family and friends, but never on this scale. He really wasn't used to this kind of generosity, and he couldn't help but feel that he somehow was taking advantage of them all, even if they didn't see it that way.
"Gosh, AJ. I’d love to, but you don't have to do this just because I dropped my lunch," he told her.
"Ah, shucks. Ain't no big deal. It's what friends do, ain't it?" Applejack said casually, with a wave of her hoof. " 'Sides, we've got plenty, an there’s always room fer one more."
'Wait, friend? I’ve only spoken to her a couple of times, and she already considers me a friend after just that?' Danny thought, looking at the smiling mare standing before him, unable to find any sign of deceit, nor did it seem like she was joking. Something about her seemed just so... honest.
He knew that she meant it, and it meant the world to him.
Sure, these ponies have been friendly, or a bit weird. Very weird, in Pinkie Pie's case. But to have someone, or rather, somepony like Applejack calling him a friend after only knowing her for such a short time... It almost took Danny by surprise as he felt the corners of his mouth pull upwards, growing into a large smile. Still, he was unable to accept her offer. Not because he didn't want to go, but because of his job, which would be a real pain right now. Carrying all kinds of food with an empty stomach, darn it.
"I would love to come over for lunch, Applejack, but I can't," he sighed out. "I still have my job to go to, and I don't have much more time on my break. Maybe next time?"
"Aw, hayseed. Sorry ta hear it, but sure. Next time is jus' as good. Hay, there's always place fer one more, jus' come by when ya have tha time. Okay, Danny?"
"Hah, I might just do that. Thanks, AJ," he said, happily, waving her goodbye as he headed back to the café.
"Ah hope ta see ya soon, then." Applejack called after him, waving back, slightly shaking her head in a good mannered fashion. 'That darn fool. Why's he so stubborn? It's subtle, but there. Almost as if he ain't used ta ponies being nice ta him. I wonder why?' She thought as she watched the tall biped walk away.
<<>><<>><<>>
The following day.
Danny walked on a quiet path towards Sweet Apple Acres as, with a good dose of luck, today's shift at the café was surprisingly light. So much so, he and several other of his colleagues were able to end the day early.
As he walked, he thought it wouldn't have been possible for him to visit Applejack and take her up on the offer she made earlier until, at the very least, the end of the week. But here he was, albeit with a certain level of uncertainty. He wasn't too sure of what to expect, but just going over to a friend for something to eat was more than enough reason to go.
Heh, friend. The word sounded almost alien to Danny. After living alone for more than six years, without any friends to speak of, it was a very strange feeling for him. It brought up a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time.
He continued his journey towards the orchard in a surprisingly good mood. He had been in such high spirits for some time now, thanks to the kindness of the ponies here. But this was something new altogether. The ponies had been friendly to him, but to have one actually call him a friend was what had helped him get through the remaining hours of work yesterday. It gave him a boost of energy that he hadn't experienced for a long time and he liked it. A lot.
As he came up to the entrance to the orchard, he let out a slow, low whistle.
Rows and rows of apple trees standing tall and proud, stretching out as far as he could see.
"Wow, how 'bout them apples?" Danny silently joked to himself as he took in the scene.
Stepping forward and entering the orchard, he continued on his trek towards Applejack's house, not knowing a fearful, destructive force was watching his every move as he walked further into the orchard.
A force well known in Ponyville.
A force only spoken of in hushed whispers, in fear that its destructive might would come to them next, should it hear them.
Now though, this force had set its sight on the lone human as he walked through the many trees towards the farmhouse.
Three pairs of eyes, each set a different color, watched from one of the many bushes around as its target came near. Three mouths excitedly grinned with somewhat malicious intent. The sounds of buzzing wings were heard, while a spark of magic emanated from its horn as the force watched the human come closer and closer. Crouching down to make itself as small as possible, readying itself to strike, it waited for the right opportunity.
*SNAP*
'What, where did that twig come from?' The force asked itself as three sets of eyes looked at the twig which one of its twelve legs stepped on.
Darn it, the human had heard, it noticed. Seeing the human come to a stop, and looking around, trying to find out what that sound was.
"Hello, is anyone out there?" The force heard it call out.
This wasn't good, he couldn't suspect a thing. Now though, the human had become suspicious. It just knew it.
Wait! Its prey was coming closer, coming closer to the place it was hiding. It looked like it was in luck, as the human tried to figure out where the sound of snapping came from, bringing him closer to the bush it was hiding in.
Perfect.
"Is there anyone there?" The unsuspecting prey asked as he stepped within striking distance of the force.
"NOW!!" Three pair of voices shouted, and three brightly colored fillies jumped out of the bush, tackling Danny to the ground.
Danny yelled out in surprise as three small bodies collided with his own. He didn't know what was going on, but fortunately for both sides, the shock and surprise completely stunned him, making him unable to use his powers in a reflex.
"Grab his legs, Scootaloo!" A yellow earth pony with a red mane and ribbon yelled to the small pegasus, who was already wrapping her own legs around Danny's in order to hold them in place.
"Ya got his arm secure, Sweetie Belle!?" The earth pony called out to the unicorn filly as she held down his right arm.
"Yes, I got him. How about you Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked the earth pony who was holding down Danny's other arm.
"I got him, no worries," she said excitedly
"Wait... what.. What is going on?!" Danny yelled as he tried to free himself. But despite the fillies small size, they were a lot stronger than they looked.
"Ghaa. Hold him down there!" Scootaloo yelled to her friends when Danny tried to shake her off his legs, whipping her back and forth.
"Get off of me!" Danny yelled, struggling to shake the clingy fillies off of him.
"What 'n tarnation is going on here?" Applejack shouted as she came up to the scene. "What in tha..." She stopped mid-sentence as she saw the three fillies holding Danny down. All three of them looking apologetic to the older mare as she stepped closer. "What in tha hay do ya three think ya're doing?" She scolded the three fillies, who still had to release Danny. They could never give an answer though, as, only seconds after Applejack had spoken, a new pony entered the scene.
"Hey, AJ. What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked as she descended from above. "I thought I heard you. And I thought to come... see..." She stopped as her train of thought derailed, seeing Danny lying on the ground, held down by the Crusaders.
She looked at this for a few seconds, then burst out in laughter, falling to the ground as she did so.
"Bwahahahaha, oh this is rich!" She managed to squeak through her laughter, clutching her sides.
"Rainbow Dash, this here ain't no joke." Applejack scolded the downed pegasus, who was squirming on the ground, legs flailing around as she laughed out loud.
"Pfwhahaha ah haha!!!" Was the only response Applejack got from the prismatic mare, who was not even attempting to calm down.
Sighing out loud from the pegasus behavior, Applejack returned her attention to the three fillies, who were still holding down Danny. He didn't look very amused with the entire situation himself, and Rainbow Dash continuous laughter only added to his increasing annoyance.
"Okay, ya three. Get off, now!" She ordered firmly, looking down at the three fillies as they let go of their latest victim, heads hunging low.
"Thanks, AJ." Danny groaned as he sat up, rubbing his wrists and shooting an unamused look at the multi colored pegasus, who only just began to try to regain her composure, before looking at the three fillies sitting in front of Applejack. All three looking down as the stetson wearing mare gave them a scolding.
"Now, what in tha hay were ya three thinking?!" Applejack asked them, upset with the whole situation.
"We're sorry, sis. We were only trying ta get our Cutie Marks in human catching," Apple Bloom told her big sister, not looking up. "Ah guess that's not our special talent either," she added as the three fillies looked at their flanks, void of any kind of mark.
"Ah'm not tha one ya three need ta apologize ta," Applejack said sternly.
"Oh, right." Scootaloo said, and all three of them turned to Danny.
"We're sorry, mister," they said simultaneously, sounding well practiced in their delivery.
"You aren't mad with us, right?" Sweetie Belle squeaked, looking up at Danny with puppy dog eyes; the other two following suit.
'Oh god, those eyes. I might just die of diabetes... How would that even work? I’m technically half-dead.' Danny thought as he looked down at the three fillies, unable to remain mad as he saw their faces. It was almost as if their eyes stared right into his soul.
"Okay, okay. I’m not mad at you three, but could you please stop looking at me like that!?" Danny said as he looked away from the three, and Rainbow snorted out with laughter again.
"Bwahahaha. Oh man, you are so whipped," she said, earning her a glare from Applejack, only for her to chuckle too after a few tense seconds.
"So ya aren't mad?" Apple Bloom asked, eagerly, jumping up.
"Mad, no. Annoyed, yes." Danny deadpanned as he looked at Rainbow Dash, noticing her trouble containing herself.
"YAY!" All three fillies shouted.
"But I would like to know why you jumped me like that?" He asked them as he stood up.
"Didn't you just hear when we told Applejack?" Scootaloo asked brashly. "We were trying to get our Cutie Marks."
Danny just blinked dumbly at that, not understanding.
"Eh, what's that?" He asked, having heard the term before, but not understanding it.
"You know, a Cutie Mark. The mark that appears when you find your special talent," Sweetie Bell explained, getting a confused look from Danny.
“Do you mean those tattoos on everyone's butt?" Danny asked in confusion, and Applejack guffawed in shock. The fillies and Rainbow Dash, though, laughed a bit over his crude description.
"I don't know what you mean with tattoo, bud. But if with that, you mean those images on our butts. Then, yeah, sure." Rainbow Dash said, chuckling.
"And they just appear like that?" Danny asked, even more confused.
"No, not just like that. You do need to find your special talent first. But shouldn't you know already? I mean, you are an adult, right?" Sweetie Belle asked Danny, seeing him nod. "So you should have a Cutie Mark of your own right?"
"A mark of my own…?" For a moment, Danny's mind flashed back to a particular mark he carried.
'Yeah, better not tell them about that.' he thought.
"Eh, no. I do not have a tat-.. eh, Cutie Mark. And certainly not on my butt," he told them after a moment's pause. And, almost instantly after he had said so, the sound of three fillies gasping for air could be heard; sucking in more than should be naturally possible.
"Ya don't have a Cutie Mark!?" Apple Bloom shouted in shock. "But how? Ya're all grown up an' such."
"But if he is all grown and stuff, and doesn't have his mark, does that mean we won't get one ourselves?" Scootaloo asked, almost frantically.
"But I want my Cutie Mark!" Sweetie Belle wailed shortly after.
Amidst the chaos created by the three fillies, Danny didn't notice the squinted look he got from Applejack.
'He ain't lying, but he ain't telling the truth either.' she thought as she took a good look at Danny, trying to find any form of deceit. But whatever it was she picked up on earlier, was gone now. Gone, as Danny was trying to calm down the three young ponies, and failing miserably.
"Please stop?" Danny pleaded, "I'm sure you will get your Cutie Marks."
"But you didn't get yours, and you're an adult. And if you didn't get your Cutie Mark, then we might not get ours either!" Sweetie Belle wailed with her high-pitch voice, making Scootaloo and Apple Bloom panic even harder once she finished.
"Look, the only reason I don't have a Cutie Mark is because humans don't get them." Danny said with a raised voice, in order to be heard above the racket being produced by the three young ponies. He didn't really know why he said that, he still didn't really understand this whole Cutie Mark thing, but he was fairly certain that what he said was accurate.
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom immediately fell quiet. Each looking at Danny as if he just said he could fly without wings.
"Humans can't get a Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom responded sadly. "That's so sad."
"But then how do you know what your special talent is?" Scootaloo asked, scratching her head as she thought about that.
"Well.. uhh... We humans don't really work like that. Instead, we work hard to realize our dreams. And maybe, with luck, we’ll find something we’re really good at." Danny replied, carefully choosing his words, as he never really thought about this to begin with.
"Now, that there's a fine lesson to learn. Work hard, an' find out what ya’re good at along tha way." Applejack piped in, nodding approvingly. "Y'all could learn something from that," she hummed, looking at the three fillies. "Don't ya'll think?"
For a moment Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked deep in thought, thinking about what they heard.
"Work hard..." Scootaloo murmured.
"...To realize our dream..." Sweetie Belle continued.
"...An' with luck, find out what we're good at." Apple Bloom finished.
All three fillies looked at each other, speaking in more ways with a shared look than they would ever be able with mere words. All three coming to the same conclusion.
"NAH!!" They uttered with a careless wave of their hoof.
"There must be a much simpler way than that." Scootaloo said, making Applejack, and even Rainbow Dash facehoof. And, although they came close to the performance delivered by Carl, they fell just short, despite the shared effort.
"So, what's the next thing on the list?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Hmm... I thought that after human catching we were going to try ghost catching," Apple Bloom answered, thinking back to the list they had created with things to try to earn their Cutie Mark. "Say, mister, Ya don't know where we could find a ghost, do ya?"
Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Danny just stared at the three with their mouths hanging open. Danny dumbly shook his head, in one part due to the fillies’ audacious plans, and the other because of the sheer irony of it all.
"Aw, shoot," Apple Bloom said as she lightly kicked the dirt. "Oh well, looks like we'll need ta find ourselves a ghost first, then," she realized, and her two friends immediately perked up.
"So we're going to hunt for ghosts now?" Scootaloo asked, eagerly.
"Yep," Apple Bloom nodded, then the three sucked in a deep breath.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, GHOST HUNTERS!!! YA-.."
"NO!!!" Applejack yelled as she stomped her hoof down with a thunderous crack.
"Ya three are not going ta hunt fer ghosts. Ya're not even going ta think 'bout it. Do Ah make mahself clear?!" Applejack shouted, probably a bit angrier than she intended, but the memory of what happened in Baltimare all those years ago burned into her memory. Apple Bloom might have been too young to remember, but she did. And she wouldn't let her, or her friends, do something as foalish as going to hunt for ghosts.
"But, sis. What if our special talent is catching ghosts?" Apple Bloom asked her big sister with a pout.
"Ah said: No! And Ah don' want ta hear any more of this ghost business!" Applejack warned, making the three fillies look down in disappointment.
Although Danny did agree with Applejack, he couldn't help but feel a bit hypocritical. After all, he was only a teenager when he became a ghost, and a ghost hunter. And for just a moment he pictured the three fillies as a similar group he and his old friends once formed.
Apple Bloom's ribbon was replaced with a similar colored beret, reading her to-do list on one of the many PDA's she was carrying with her. Scootaloo had a darker look on her, and her brash attitude that clashed so much with the techno geek in the group. And then there was Sweetie Belle. Her white coat and green eyes made it easy for Danny to picture her as a ghost; seeing her flying around, hind legs changed in an intangible tail, eyes glowing a toxic green and her forehooves glowing green with ectoplasm.
Shaking his head to clear the image from his mind, he refocused on the three fillies.
"You three should listen to her," Danny told them, nodding once to Applejack. "Ghost hunting isn't something children should do," he continued, still feeling hypocritical.
Applejack nodded appreciatively to Danny. "There ya have it. Danny here comes from tha world tha ghosts come from. And he should know better than anypony else ta stay away from those no good, abominable, undead freaks." Danny flinched inwardly from Applejack's harsh words. He knew that the things they had heard about ghosts wasn't at all good. But still, it stung to hear. Also, the way she spoke made it sound as if it was personal.
"Aw, come on. Wh-..."
"Squirt, no. Just, no." Rainbow Dash stepped in, sushing Scootaloo as she shot a worried glance at Applejack. "Besides, I'm sure the three of you can do something way cooler than hunting ghosts." Rainbow Dash said, ruffling Scootaloo's mane with her hoof.
Scootaloo was like a younger sister to her, and she would support her in almost anything. But this was one thing that even she wouldn't do. Not after what had happened all that time ago. And although she would never admit it, after what had happened in Baltimare, she was a bit afraid of ghosts.
Only a little bit, mind you. The Rainbow Dash is never truly afraid of anything. Especially not of some undead freak that doesn't know how to stay dead. Hah, no. If a ghost would be right here, right now, she would buck it back to the other side in ten seconds flat.
"Really, you think we will get our Cutie Marks doing something cooler than Ghost hunting?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.
"Sure. You spend enough time with me, and some of my awesomeness has to rub off on you." Rainbow Dash smirked with pride, being just a bit boastful, while Applejack, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rolled their eyes over what was just said. Not to mention the pose she just made while saying it. At the same time, Danny just looked at her in confusion.
'Ghost hunting was already as extreme as it could get, and here she is telling them they could get their mark doing something more 'awesome'.' Danny thought, slightly shaking his head at this. 'They're going to get in trouble, I'm sure of it.'
"Getting yer Cutie Mark doin' something more 'awesome' than ghost hunting is all good an' well, but not on an empty stomach." Applejack said to the three, giving a hesitant, thankful look to Rainbow Dash. In one part thankful to get them over the idea of ghost hunting, but afraid what these three might come up with next. "Now, ya can go crusading after y'all have eaten, so git going. Granny Smith should be almost done making lunch," she told them as she gave a nod with her head, indicating the house a little further ahead.
At the promise of food, the three fillies rushed away to the farmhouse, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.
"And ya," Applejack said as she turned to Rainbow Dash. "Ya just happen ta fly by when ya heard me down here. Jus' flying around over mah orchard at tha same time lunch would be done?" She 'asked' the prismatic mare with a smug grin.
"Oh, you know me. I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought I would come and say hi," Rainbow Dash said, looking away from Applejack.
"Well, ya just did. So, was there anything else, or are ya going ta fly off again?" Applejack continued with this game, seeing clearly through the poorly concealed lie.
"Well, I’m here now anyway. I guess I could join you for lunch if you want." Rainbow Dash replied nonchalantly, but even Danny could see what she really was hinting at.
Applejack gave a humorous chuckle. Rainbow's pride wouldn't budge, not even for something as small as to admit she was really here to join in on the lunch.
"Okay, Dash. Do ya want ta join us fer lunch?" Applejack asked the colorful pegasus.
"Hmm, I think I can spare the time," Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly, lookingat her hoof.
"That's what Ah thought," Applejack chuckled as she turned to Danny. "And what brings ya tah this neck of tha woods? Except for getting jumped on by them three rascals, that is." She asked, nodding in the general direction the fillies had just ran off to.
"Believe it or not, but I also came here for the free lunch," Danny answered.
"Well, whaddaya know. Ah didn't expect ya here this soon fer that." Applejack said warmly. "But ya two are more than welcome ta join in." Immediately after, a loud ringing could be heard, along with the unmistakable voice of Apple Bloom.
"Soups up, everypony!" Came her distant shout, telling all in the neighborhood that lunch is ready.
"Welp, that's my cue." Rainbow Dash said as she sped off to the farmhouse.
"Well, come on, Danny. Ya coming, or what?" Applejack asked as she ran after Rainbow Dash, leaving a bewildered human behind, before he also picked up the pace.
Still, he struggled to keep up. His two legs no match for the speed Applejack's four legs produced. Noticing this, Applejack slowed down a notch, giving the struggling human a chance to catch up.
"Feeling a bit slow there, pardner!?" She remarked.
"Not my pant fault. Humans ghasp aren't that fast," Danny gasped between breaths. "And I haven't done much running for quite some time," he added, trying to give some excuse for his poor condition. His work at the café did help him to gain a bit more stamina, but an all out sprint like this just wouldn't do.
"Well, ya better hurry up, or there won't be much left when ya git there." Applejack told him as she trotted next to him, easily keeping up with the pace Danny was going at.
"It can't be that bad, right?" Danny asked her as he slightly sped up.
"Hah, with tha appetite those three fillies have, not ta mention what Dash can eat. An' then there is also mah brother, Big Macintosh. Yeah, ya better hurry up, pardner," she told him with a chuckle, picking up the pace herself.
'Crud, no such thing as an easy meal!' Danny thought as he once again struggled to keep up.
<<>><<>><<>>
Having lunch with the Apple family, plus Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash, was a unique experience to say the least. Applejack was a great host, making sure there was still something for Danny to eat, seeing how Rainbow Dash had already dived right into the massive pile of various apple related foods.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, also, had their respective plates full. Although, more moderate in amount compared with what Rainbow was shoving away.
Danny also got to meet Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh, or Big Mac. And he certainly lived up to his name. The only ponies Danny had met who were larger than most were the princesses. But, despite his bulk, he was rather quiet. He was interested in Danny when he showed up, and Applejack told all present that he was joining for lunch. He even said a quick hello, but was silent most of the time after that. Only responding with "Eeyup", or "Eenope" when someone asked him something.
And then there was Granny Smith, an elderly mare who had trouble making much sense of Danny. And after several attempts to tell her he was, in fact, a human and not a bald diamond dog (which made the crusaders, and Rainbow Dash snort with laughter, struggling to keep their mouths closed, or risk losing the food they had yet to swallow) they eventually got her to the point that she just thought Danny was just a weird looking pony. That didn't stop her from giving Danny even more food than Rainbow Dash had on her plate.
Danny did try to tell her she didn't have to give him that much. But, in the words of the elderly mare: "Ah, fiddlesticks, boy. One as skinny as yerself needs all tha food ya can get."
Needless to say, afterwards his pants felt several sizes too small. The fact that everything tasted absolutely divine certainly contributed to this as well. Even though everything was made with apples in it, every dish tasted unique, and he was more than happy to eat as much as he could, despite the stomach ache he would undoubtedly get later today.
The conversation held was interesting too, seeing that most topics were either about Danny himself, or humans in general. Said topics did cause some confusion for Granny Smith, but after some creative explaining from Applejack, she was told Danny was just from a faraway country.
Granny Smith might have been there when their two worlds connected, but her memory was a bit lacking as of late, and she had trouble connecting all the dots. However, what she lacked in coherent thought, she made more than up for it through her warm personality.
There was a short tense moment when Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle asked Danny about ghosts, but after a stern look from Applejack that was soon over. And, although he didn't say anything, Danny did notice the Big Mac tense up at the mentioning of ghosts.
The same was true with Granny Smith. When the word ghost was said, Danny noticed a subtle, but clear shift in her behavior. A slight tensing of the muscles, and her slightly hazy eyes sharpened, only to lose their intensity immediately after.
Danny, having already noticed something similar with Applejack's behavior back when the fillies were talking about ghost hunting, started to wonder what had happened with them. It was obvious that they had some kind of personal experience with ghosts. But what?
He thought that he should ask her about it some time, but not now. Still, after that tense moment, the mood returned to its previous state.
All there enjoyed their meal and shared some of their stories of the day, whether it was about harvesting apples, learning new tricks and bucking clouds, or the latest adventures of the Crusaders.
Danny, too, added some of his experiences to the tales being told, earning a few chuckles here and there, or some friendly remark about how well he has been doing in the short time he has been living in the town.
It was all good and well, until Rainbow Dash decided that she wanted to know a little bit more about him. A little bit more of the personal kind.
"So, Danny. Got your eye on sompony?" She asked, bluntly, and Danny sputtered and blushed as he was put on the spot.
"Eh... what?" Was his only response.
"I asked: Do you have your eye on somepony?" She repeated with a grin, purposely saying the words slower.
"Really!? I've only been here for a few days now, trying to settle in. Why would you even think I was looking around?" he asked flustered.
"Well, seeing how just a moment ago you had three young mares holding on to you for dear life. That does raise some questions." She said, waggling her eyebrows.
"Rainbow Dash! That there's mighty inappropriate!" Applejack shouted, while the fillies and Rainbow were laughing over Danny's embarrassment. "Ya know jus' fine what that really was about, so stop pestering Danny here with it."
"Okay, okay, fine. Chillax, AJ. I'm just kidding," Rainbow Dash responded carelessly. "Besides, I'm sure he probably has a special somepon- someone back on his own world. Right, big guy?" She deflected as she turned back to Danny.
Danny's mind snapped back to his more carefree days as a simple teenager, with ghost powers. Alongside his friends, Sam and Tucker, they did things no normal teenager would do. His mind focused specifically on Sam, what the two of them did together during the time she was still alive. From the simple things like going to the movies, to things like ghost fighting. Then, his mind fast-forwarded to that horrible moment more than six years ago. The moment when he finally realized what Sam truly meant to him and how he never got the chance to tell her. He remembered her piercing scream as her body was vaporized by his own powers. Powers that were stolen from him by that thing.
"Ya okay there, pardner?" Applejack asked when Danny didn't reply for some time, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Huh, oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just kinda zoned out there," he answered. "And to answer your question, Dash. No, I don't have a, eh, special someone in my life."
"What, really? Come on, even somepon-, gha, someone like you should have someone special in their life," Rainbow urged on.
"Someone like me? What do you mean with that?" Danny asked, sounding a bit offended.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all," she said playfully, having a smirk on her face, but not letting up what she was hinting at. "But still, there has to be someone, right?"
"Well... there was someone..." he mumbled, hesitantly.
"Was?" Applejack said, picking up on the past tense.
"...Let's just say things didn't work out," he responded after a moment's pause.
"Aw come on, give us more than that." Rainbow Dash urged on, failing to notice the shift in Danny's demeanor.
"I’d rather not," Danny said somberly, catching Applejack's attention. Big Mac also cocked an eyebrow.
"No, really. What was she like? Or maybe it was a he, hay, I don't judge," Rainbow Dash pushed further, still completely oblivious to the shift in mood.
"She. And she was... unique, to say the least," he answered with a sigh. "And can we now please drop this topic?" he asked, his good mood all but gone.
"But you haven't tol-..." Rainbow Dash kept pushing, until she was interrupted.
"Rainbow, stop it. He said he didn't want ta talk 'bout it, so stop pestering him with it!" Applejack said sternly.
"Ow, come on, AJ. Don't tell me you are not the least curious?" Rainbow Dash argued back, her attention shifted to the orange mare sitting next to Danny.
"No, Ah'm not" Applejack said and her muzzle scrunched up.
"Riiggghhtt!" Dash said with mocking grin. Applejack was a horrible liar, and being the Element of Honesty didn't help her either.
"Look, what Ah want, or don't want ta know has nothing ta do with this. Danny said he didn't want ta talk 'bout it, so Ah won't bother him with it."
Of course Rainbow Dash would retort, her pride wouldn't allow her to just stop without a fight, verbal, or otherwise. The competitive drive between the two mares didn't help here either. Argument after argument was sent back and forth. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were swiveling their heads left, and right, almost as if they were watching a tennis match, each time either Applejack, or Rainbow Dash said something. At the same time, Danny's frustration on the matter slowly grew as more and more heated arguments were thrown around about his romantic life, and why Rainbow Dash shouldn't pry into it. All of this added more and more to his wavering self control, until, eventually, it all came crashing down.
"And why should I stop, AJ? All I'm asking him about is his special somepon-.. Ghaa, someone. Really, I don't see what the big deal is. What's wrong with that?" Rainbow Dash, almost shouting in heated debate; completely forgotten about Danny and instead focused on the verbal fight between her, and Applejack.
"Because he said he didn't want ta talk 'bout it!" Applejack retorted.
"And why not!?" Rainbow Dash shot back, not even realizing that Applejack couldn't know the answer.
"BECAUSE SHE'S DEAD!!!" Danny shouted, slamming a fist on the table.
Instantly, everything went quiet. Even the rustling of the leaves had stopped completely as, all present, looked at Danny after his outburst; an angry scowl on his face as he looked at the prismatic mare.
"She's, what?" Rainbow asked, meekly, her brash attitude completely gone.
"You heard me," Danny grumbled bitterly. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he turned to Applejack. "AJ, thanks for the food, but I think I should leave now," he said, standing up immediately after, walking away without giving any of them a chance to stop him.
Moving with great strides, Danny was only halfway through the orchard when he heard the flapping of wings, and Rainbow Dash shouting after him. He was, however, not in the mood to talk to her now. So, instead, he ran through the bushes and deeper into the orchard, forcing the pegasus to land to keep following him. But with a head start and unfair advantages, he soon lost her in the rows of trees.
Standing hiding behind the trunk of one of the larger trees he found near him, (more as a reflex than anything else, considering that he turned himself invisible) he watched Rainbow Dash run past his hiding spot, looking for him. He would talk to her sometime later, but, right now, he just wanted to be left alone.
His frustration with the whole situation even made him forget about his discomfort using his ghost powers. So, using his intangibility, he ran as fast as he could through the trees and brushes; not stopping to avoid any of them. Combined with his invisibility, he left the orchard completely undetected. The only thing that could give him away, if someone was looking, were the small puffs of dry dirt as he ran over the sun dried path.
<<>><<>><<>>
Rainbow Dash kept looking for Danny for a while longer, yet was unable to find him despite her best efforts and gave an angry kick to the dirt as she finally gave up.
She should have listened, but instead, her stubbornness got the better of her, again.
She never meant to anger Danny like that, but she didn't know that his special somepon... someone had died. Then again, he did say he didn't want to talk about it. And, thinking back to it, it was obvious that something was bothering him when she asked him about it.
Now here she was, trying to find him in this sea of apple trees. It shouldn't have been this difficult, humans aren't that fast. Point proven when Danny struggled to keep up with Applejack. And yet, here she was, unable to catch up with him, despite her speed advantage.
"Hey, Danny. Are you around here somewhere?!" She called out, hoping that he was still around… and would answer. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Come on, answer me."
There was a rustling of leaves behind her as someone was approaching her and Rainbow sprung around, hoping it was Danny. It was with some disappointment however, when, instead, she saw Applejack approach.
"Oh. Hey, AJ. I wasn't expecting you." Rainbow Dash said, downtrodden.
"Ya alright, sugarcube? Ya've been out here for over an hour," Applejack asked, worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just having trouble finding Danny," Rainbow Dash sighed out, looking around again.
"Dash, listen. Ah don't think ya should bother him right now. He was mighty upset earlier, and Ah think it would be better ta jus' let him be fer now. Ya can always go ta his place, later." Applejack told her friend.
"You think so?" Rainbow Dash asked, unsure.
"Ah know so. We told ya ta stop, but ya kept pushing. So Ah think that, right now, ya jus' need ta give him some time ta calm down."
"Fine," Rainbow Dash sighed out in frustration, not liking it, but able to see the logic in Applejack's reasoning.
Together, the two walked back to the farmhouse, not speaking another word. Applejack walking besides Rainbow Dash, giving her some comfort simply by being there as Rainbow Dash was somewhat lost in thought. Thinking back at the look she got from Danny when he snapped like that. Anger, sadness, pain. Many different forms of emotions, all pointed directly towards her. She didn't understand any of it, but it was clear that whatever it was that had happened, it had hurt Danny in a way she knew all too well. She felt the same pain and anger after… Baltimare.
After some time, the two returned at the farmhouse. The table they had lunch not too long ago was now cleaned up, and everypony else was gone. There was, however, a new pony present. A bright pink pony bouncing on the spot, calling out to them; holding two identical invitations in the curls of her mane, while she continued to bounce when Dash and Applejack approached her.
<<>><<>><<>>
"I'm glad you all could make it," Twilight greeted her friends after they were all seated in the library.
"It was not a problem, dear. But could you please tell us why we needed to come right this instant?" Rarity asked.
"Ah, yes. You see, I was given the assignment by the princesses to-..." Twilight began, only for Pinkie to interrupt her.
"To keep an eye on Danny, and stop him as he is trying to unleash his diabolical plan to overthrow the primwaffws." Pinkie shouted in a blur, until Lyra jammed her hoof in her muzzle, stopping her mid-sentence.
"What was that?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.
"Pinkie! How many times do I have to tell you, that is not what's going on!?" Twilight said in frustration.
"Eh, sugacube, what in tarnation is going on?" Applejack asked.
"Okay," Twilight began with a sigh. "A couple of days ago, the princesses visited me and told me to keep an eye out on Danny. Apparently there is something going on with, or around him. I do not know what. The princesses didn't tell me, and I think they don't really know themselves either. So, I was given the assignment to report anything unusual regarding Danny. And that's where you come in. Lyra, Pinkie and myself have been following Danny around for some time now, but we were unable to find anything out of the ordinary. But maybe you have seen, or heard something that might be considered odd.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack shared a glance with each other, but before any of them could speak up Fluttershy spoke.
"How do you mean, odd?" She asked, meekly. "It isn't anything scary, right?" she added, hidding her face behind her mane from the thought of anything that could scare her.
"I don't know, but the princesses said you could help. Just go on with your day to day business and keep an eye on him when you see him. Or talk to him and see if you can find out something more," Twilight explained, noticing the look on Lyra's face. "And, no, Lyra. You're not going to ask him about everything you have written down in that notebook of yours!" She stated firmly, looking at the mint green pony.
"Oh, come on. Let me at least ask him something, anything?" Lyra almost begged.
"Fine, but keep it minimal," Twilight conceded with a heavy sigh.
"Ehm, Twilight. I actually spoke to him some time ago!" Fluttershy said.
"Really, about what?" Twilight asked eagerly. She knew what Fluttershy spoke of, as she saw what had happened. But she was unable to hear the conversation due to the distance.
"Oh, it wasn't about anything important. He just asked me if he could buy some meat." Fluttershy said.
Meat!! Everypony except Twilight and Lyra shouted.
"Eep," Fluttershy squeaked as she completely hid her face behind her mane.
"Fluttershy, dear. Why in Celestia’s name would he do that?" Rarity asked, shocked.
"Duh, to eat of course!" Lyra answered for Fluttershy, saying it in a casual way as if it was nothing special.
"Wait, are you telling us he is a meat eater?" Applejack asked in slight panic.
"Kinda," Lyra answered with a shrug. "He's an omnivore after all!" She explained, earning her a few confused looks.
"An omniwhat now?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"An omnivore. It means he eats both plants and meat," Twilight explained. "And no, he is not going to eat any of us!" She added as she saw the look on Rainbow's face.
"And how do you know that?" Rainbow Dash retorted.
"Because the princesses have spoken with him personally before coming to me, and they wouldn't let him stay if he was dangerous," Twilight said, staying calm and logical.
"Oh, right. I knew that." Rainbow replied.
"But we're getting off topic here," Twilight continued. "You all need to keep an eye out for anything strange regarding Danny, report it to me if you find anything, and I will let the princesses know."
"What? What is it? Come on, tell me!" Twilight said, almost frantically.
Rainbow Dash reared back as Twilight suddenly stood uncomfortably close to her, quill and scroll floating besides her.
"Eh, you see. Danny stopped by AJ earlier today to join in on the lunch, and I was there too. Nothing much happened for some time, until I asked him if he had a special somepony... eh, I mean, someone," Rainbow told Twilight, who was writing it all down.
"And then, what happened?" Twilight asked.
"Ah’ll tell ya what happened. Danny didn't want ta talk 'bout his special someone, but somepony kept pushing him ta tha point that he jus' snapped." Applejack quickly took over, before a certain pegasus could twist certain facts.
Rainbow Dash glared at her with a scowl, but didn't spoke up.
"He snapped? How do you mean?" Twilight asked, puzzled.
"Ah mean he started ta shout, but it's what he said that concerns me," Applejack continued.
"What was it he said?" Twilight asked, eagerly. The rest of the ponies present also leaning in to hear what Applejack would say next.
"He said that his special someone was dead," Applejack revealed and everypony present gasped, then fell silent. Even Twilight’s quill stopped moving.
"What?" Was all Twilight could say.
"That's what he said," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "And then he stormed off. I tried to stop him and tell him I was sorry for pushing as much as I did, but he ran in the orchard and I lost him," she added with a hint of frustration, irritated that he was able to evade her.
"His special somepo.. one died, the poor thing." Fluttershy said, unable to hold back her tears as she spoke.
Rarity placed a comforting hoof around Fluttershy and pulled her close. "There, there, dear. It's alright," she said, but was affected by this news as well. "Could this have anything to do with what the princesses wanted to know?" Rarity asked Twilight.
"I... I don't know. I will send them this report and we will see, but still..." Twilight fell silent at that. She never really had a romantic relationship herself, but if any of her friends were to die, she wouldn't know what to do. But Danny had suffered a loss much worse, and lost his special someone; she had no idea what that must be like.
Pinkie was also unusually quiet. Her bouncy mane was deflated, and her usual bright smile was replaced with a very sad frown.
'I've been saying all those mean, nasty things about him while his special someone has died. I am just a big meany, meanest pants,' she thought, looking down at the floor.
Suddenly, her mane re-inflated back to its bouncy state as she was hit with her bestest idea ever.
"Hey, I know. Why don't we throw him a super awesome, amazingly, fantastic, ultra spectacular party to help cheer him up?" She cheered excitedly as she bounced on the spot.
"Pinkie, no!" Rainbow Dash stopped her. "Look, I know you mean well, but I don't think Danny would be too happy if he finds out we all know about his special someone being dead."
"But... party.." Pinkie said disappointed, her mane sagging ever so slightly.
"No, Pinkie. I have to agree with Rainbow on this one," Twilight told the pink mare. "But it does raise some questions. Is this connected in any way with what the princesses wanted to know, or is this just some tragic incident?" She thought out loud.
"Ah don't know, sugacube. But Ah think it's better if we don't mention any of it ta him, seeing as how he reacted earlier today an' all." Applejack reasoned.
"Are you sure?" Rarity asked. "If what you say is true, then it might be better for him to talk about it."
"Ah'm not sure that's wise, Rarity. Ya didn't see him back there. You didn't see his eyes," Applejack shook her head.
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. She wanted to know because it might help her, help Danny. Despite her fear for almost everything, she couldn't stand the sight of someone being hurt.
"It was just... I don't know. Pain, fear, sorrow... All those things, but together," Rainbow Dash said lowly.
"Oh my," Rarity gasped.
"Yeah, I know," Rainbow Dash nodded. "I know."
"Look, girls. I know that this is not something we were expecting, but we need to keep focused here," Twilight said, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice. "Whatever it was that happened in his past might be, or not be, related to what the princesses are looking for. I will tell them what Applejack and Rainbow Dash have told us, but don't tell this to anypony else. Okay?" She asked her friends.
"Very well, if you think this is the best way of doing it, then I will." Rarity said.
"So will I." Fluttershy said confidently. She might not be able to talk about it, but she could still help Danny. One way, or another.
"Ya can count on us, Twilight." Applejack answered for both herself, and Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, what she said," Rainbow agreed.
"Okie doki loki, Twilight," Pinkie Pie piped up.
"I won't tell anypony either," Lyra confirmed.
"Okay then. I will send the report as soon as I can. Until then, just go on about your business." Twilight said, quickly writing a message to the princesses about what they had just learned. Now she only needed to wait for Spike to come home and send it.
<<>><<>><<>>
It was late at night and Danny lay in bed, twisting and turning as his mind kept going from dreamless slumber to horrific nightmares.
Luna was, once again, fighting this unknown force which shielded his mind.
This night, however, she would lose.
Slowly, in the darkness that surrounded Danny, a shimmer occurred. Not a bright shimmer, but one made of complete darkness. A dark void that made the night sky look bright.
It began with an almost imperceptible distortion covering his entire body. Then, it slowly took shape as it slid of the sleeping form.
Standing there was Danny's shadow, looking down on its master with his toxic green, unblinking eyes.
It didn't understand. Why was this pony trying to enter its master’s mind? The shadow didn't understand. Its mind empty of any sense of self or individuality, and only the small portion it inherited from its master's mind was available to it to guide its actions.
The problem was however, it, the shade, came to be when its master was already in torment. And so, it didn't understand the concept of nightmares. Because of this, it thought its master was under some kind of attack, and did what it could do to protect its master.
But this pony was strong, very strong. And it was weak, too weak. It needed to get stronger if it wanted to protect its master. Fortunately, the same pony who tried to enter its master’s mind also provided the solution.
There was a dark presence within the energy she used. A lingering shadow. Weak and mostly powerless now, but once part of a greater whole.
It sensed this the first time and, as such believed this pony was not to be trusted. But she did provide it with a solution to help it shield its master against her.
This lingering shadow in her energy was something it could use. It stripped this shadow from the energy, and added it to its own.
It was never very smart to begin with, having only a fraction of its master’s mind to work with. It could only follow the commands given, unable to speak, and unable to act on its own.
Until now.
Now it had gained enough energy from this pony to properly protect its master.
Using its newly acquired energy, it put up a powerful barrier and pushed back the energy coming from the pony. But not until it had made sure it gained as much of the lingering shadow in the energy as it could.
Now free from the pony trying to gain entry to his mind, master returned to his normal sleep. Normal for the shadow, because it was not familiar with normal, pleasant dreams, only nightmares. And as Danny's twisting and turning became worse, the shadow stood by his side, looking down at its master. It opened its mouth, showing toxic green, sharp teeth. Then, it did something it was never able to do before.
"M...ma.. ma... Masterrrrr......" It spoke for the first time in its existence. Then it dissipated in the dark and became one again with Danny; keeping its presence hidden from him for the time being, but making sure the pony was unable to enter its master's mind.
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna reared back in shock. The force that was used to drive her out of Danny's sleeping mind was far greater than anything she had previously experienced.
But how could this be? It was nowhere near as strong the previous night. She thought she would've been able to calm Danny's mind at least a couple more times, but now it became clear she was wrong. She was no longer able to help Danny sleep as, whatever this force was, it had now become far too strong for her to safely shield Danny's dreams.
"I'm sorry, Danny." Luna said with sorrow as she looked down, a tear streamed down her face. "I'm so, so sorry."
It was a bright and sunny day In Amity Park, and Danny, Sam and Tucker were walking through the street, heading towards the cinema.
It was a slow day for them, as there weren't many ghost problems to deal with at the moment. They were just idly chatting with each other, minding their own business, and just enjoying their free time.
Sam said something, but Danny missed it.
"Huh? What did you say, Sam?" he asked, earning an eyeroll from the girl.
Sam repeated what she said, but still Danny didn't hear what she was saying. It was as if her mouth was moving, but no sound came out.
"Ehh, what?" he asked in confusion.
Sam smacked and shook her head while Tucker repeated what she had said, but Danny was still unable to hear anything.
Suddenly, the colors of the surrounding area shifted; going from bright, warm colors, too grim and dark. A puff of cold air rose up from his mouth, and the three jumped together in a well practiced reflex.
Back to back they looked around, trying to spot the ghost that was there, and it was then that Danny noticed that the streets were empty. No one else could be found out there, but them. Cars stood empty on the street as if those driving them had just vanished, newspapers blew away in the wind, and the buildings appeared to be abandoned.
Then, without warning, a yell pierced the silence that had settled around them, and Danny turned around to see Sam rubbing her shoulder as if something had touched it.
He tried to ask what happened, but no sound came from him. Then, as he turned to his other friend, he saw that Tucker had a look of absolute fear on his face, pointing to something behind Danny himself.
Danny's blood ran cold as he slowly turned around, and his heart almost came to a stop when he saw the abomination floating behind him. A horrific, twisted figure. Larger than he was, less color than a corpse, two ghostly, intangible tails instead of legs, and a very large mouth, yet lacking any other facial features.
Danny screamed out in fear, but was still unable to produce any sound as he jumped away from the thing as it slammed a three digit claw on the spot he'd stood a moment ago.
The blow carried enough force to slam a small crater in the street, and Danny, Sam and Tucker turned to run away from the thing, not wanting to be anywhere near it. But, after only a short run, Danny stopped and looked back.
Seeing the ghost slowly making its way towards them, he tried to shout a warning to his friends to stay back, but even now his voice failed him. Luckily, they seemed to understand, and ran into a nearby alley to stay clear from the inevitable fight.
Glad that his friends were somewhat safe, Danny turned back to the ghost that was now eerily close to him.
'I'm going ghost!' he yelled in his mind, still unable to speak. But, to his horror, the transformation never happened. No bright ring of light around his midsection. No black jumpsuit with his trademark logo. No green glowing eyes. No ghost powers.
'Oh no. What is happening?' he thought as he looked at his hands, trying to make them glow with ectoplasmic might. 'Why am I not transforming?'
He looked up as a shadow suddenly fell over him, and he found himself staring into a large, oversized mouth filled with sharp teeth. He would have screamed if it were possible, and he turned to run away as fast as he could, unable to defend himself.
The ghost slowly followed, taking his time to play with his prey. Sam and Tucker were quick to follow, but kept a safe distance between them and the abomination of a ghost that was slowly hunting their friend.
Danny, running as fast as he could, tripped a few times in his haste, and eventually found himself trapped in an alley with no exit. Desperately, he tried to call on his ghost powers again, but to no avail.
He pushed against the wall keeping him from escaping with all his strength, but without effect as he was unable to go intangible and pass through. He felt a tremor going down his spine, and slowly, hesitantly, he turned around, seeing the ghost floating at the entrance of the alley.
'Oh no!' he screamed in his mind as the ghost resumed it agonizing slow pace towards him.
Pushing his back against the wall, he frantically looked around to find a way out of his predicament, but unable to find any way to escape. Looking back, he saw the ghost drawing nearer and nearer, his oversized mouth forming a twisted, menacing grin as it looked down on its helpless prey.
'I need to get out of here!' Danny's mind screamed, while his heart was pounding in his chest.
Suddenly, he spotted a door halfway between him and the ghost. Had it been there the entire time? He didn't know, nor did he know if it was unlocked or not, but it was his only chance at an escape. So, with a soundless scream, he ran towards the door, closing the gap between him and the horror hovering nearby.
Danny found he was in luck, as far as one could call it such, that the ghost didn't decide to speed up, and was able to reach the door when there were only around five meters between himself and the abomination.
Danny slammed into the door with all his weight, but the door wouldn't budge, and all he had to show for his efforts were a sore shoulder and slowly approaching doom.
'Oh, no no no no no' He repeated over and over again, frantically pounding into the door in an attempt to open it. But every attempt failed, and his actions became more panicked by the second as the ghost crept closer and closer. However, in a single moment of enlightenment, he decided to turn the doorknob and pull instead of push.
Instantly, the door opened without a problem.
'You've got to be kidding me.' he thought sourly, staring dumbly at the open portal, only to remember his predicament as he felt a shadow fall over him again.
'Ow shi-' Danny thought as he jumped through the opening, a split second away from a powerful fist slamming into the ground he stood prior, creating another crater while debris was sent flying.
Danny, quickly getting up, closed the door with a slam. He knew it wouldn't stop the ghost, but he acted in sheer panic at this point, and any rational thought was gone. And, as the door slammed shut, he turned around to see where he was, and his heart almost stopped.
He knew this place. He didn't know how or why, but something about it just made him feel… dead. Really dead, and not the twilight zone he would be in as he turned into a ghost.
He quickly scanned the room he was in, taking note that everything screamed familiarity to him. But why?
DVD's lay around in a scattered pattern, along with damaged radio's and broken tv's, overturned shelves, depositing all that was displayed on them over the floor. Further back, a large hole in, what appears to be the front of the building, was covered with police tape and wooden planks.
Without warning, Sam and Tucker appeared out of nowhere, making Danny jump in surprise as they caught him unaware.
The two seemed to be out of breath, a haunted look on their faces. It only took a moment for Danny to find out why that was. A large explosion sent the three teenagers flying into the far wall as the ghost, still hunting Danny, blasted through the wall.
Tucker fell to the ground, unconscious, while Sam managed to remain conscious, though she struggled to get her bearings. Danny wasn't doing much better himself. The blast, and subsequent blow against the wall had knocked the wind out of him, and the blow he received against his head made the world spin as he struggled to remain awake.
For a third time he felt a shadow fall over him, but this time he was unable to get out of the way as a massive claw grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up and forcing him to look the abomination in the face it didn't have.
Danny kicked and clawed at the ghost that held him, gasping for air as he did so. In another attempt to free himself, he tried going ghost again, and that was where the pain started.
It felt as if thousands of red-hot knives were plunged into his body, making him scream in agony as his voice finally worked again. And, only after what seemed an eternity, the pain stopped.
Done with what it did to Danny, the ghost threw the helpless human halfway across the building.
Danny slammed on the floor with force, making him unresponsive to what was going on around him. And, for a moment, he just lay there, unable to do anything except feel all of his body scream out in agony. But, after several long seconds, he managed to pull himself up. Barely able to keep his balance, nor see, as his vision was blurry.
The ghost saw its helpless prey, and channeled the powers it just stole in its hands, readying itself to unleash a most powerful attack. When it was ready, the thing threw the ball of energy towards Danny, who, standing unsteadily on the spot, was unable to stop nor dodge it.
"DANNY!!! Sam yelled as she ran over to him, pushing him out of harm's way and catching the blast intended for him herself.
Danny, lying face first on the floor, looked up in time to see Sam's outline in the glaring light. Hearing Sam's piercing scream, her body slowly vaporized.
"Oh no! Oh no no no no no. SAM!" he shouted. "NOOOO—" He yelled out as the world started to collapse around him, not noticing the glowing, toxic green eyes looking at him from one of the shadows.
<<>><<>><<>>
"—OOOO!" Danny yelled as he fell out of his bed.
Covered in a cold sweat and panting for air, he slowly pushed himself up and sat against his bed, head held in his hands.
"Wha.... What was that?" He whispered to himself, wiping away the sweat on his forehead. "I've never had that dream before, not like that. It was the same, but entirely different." he droned on, slowly looking up and out of the window, seeing the sun slowly peeking out over the horizon.
"Sam," he said, barely above a whisper, unable to keep the tears forming in his eyes.
He didn't understand why his 'dreams' had returned, or why they were this different, but he couldn't shake the all too familiar feeling of loss and failure. He always felt like this, but the kindness of the ponies here did help him bury it a bit. But now, with the twisted nightmare he just had, the crushing guilt came back in full strength.
He would always be haunted by his past, but he had gained the small flicker of hope that, maybe, his nightmares had finally stopped. He hadn't had one for several days now, and slowly the sensation of relief and escape began to build. But now those comforting feelings were stripped away from him in a horribly twisted mockery of what had happened to Sam all those years ago. Still, even if the nightmare was different, the conclusion was all the same. Sam is dead. Dead because he failed her.
Screaming out in frustration and anger, he slammed his fist on the floor. It didn't help him relieve him of his anger, but only added to it as he now also had an aching hand. At least he had his ghost powers that would help him heal faster than any regular human, so he didn't worry too much about it. It was, however, a good thing that his house was as secluded as it was. Had anyone heard him, they'd most likely come to see if everything was alright. And he didn't feel like explaining what was going on to anyone. Not now, not ever.
He knew that it would be impossible for him to get back to sleep, not after that horrible dream he just had. So, instead, he made his way to the shower, cleaned himself of the sweat still covering his skin, then prepared himself for the day of work he had.
Still, the images of his nightmare wouldn't leave him alone, and he stood under the running shower for over fifteen minutes, not moving an inch. Many conflicting emotions ran through him: Anger, guilt, shame, regret, grief, hate. And so absorbed he was in his own misery, he failed to notice something when he turned on the light. Something rather obvious.
He didn't have a shadow.
<<>><<>><<>>
Two green glowing orbs floated around in the pitch black bedroom of Danny. They were the only indication of the dark entity that was there. But still, if one were to look close enough, instead of running away screaming, they could see the orbs seemed confused and conflicted.
It were the eyes of an entity that only recently gained sentient thought, and was unable to understand what it had just learned.
'Why master angry? Didn't I do good?' it thought. 'I stopped bad pony. I returned dreams. I controlled dreams. Why master not happy?' it questioned itself in a broken speech pattern. Despite the energy it gained from the bad pony, and its newfound ability to talk, it still had a lot of learning to do before it could form coherent sentences.
It didn't understand. Why was its master not happy his dreams had returned? He always had them. Well, as far as it knew. And it thought his master would be happy if it stopped the bad pony from removing his dreams. But now it wasn't sure.
Why would master not like his dreams? He always had them. The shadow searched its limited mind, trying to find something, anything that could explain its master's behavior. It remembered years of those dreams, a filthy apartment, a job master didn't seem to like, and many hours of self loathing.
It was confused. Nothing of what it remembered matched what master was doing ever since they got here. And, as it looked around the room it was in, it saw it wasn't nearly as messy as its old home. But why? Master always lived like that. His job was similar as his previous one, but it got a sensation of the memory it didn't understand: Pride. And, until it restored his master's dreams, master hadn't pained himself with his memories. But why? Why was master doing everything different now? What had caused this change in its master's behavior?
Then a memory came before him. A memory of what that orange pony had said.
'Ah shucks, it's no big deal. It's what friends do, isn't it?'
There was something about what the orange pony had said. A word that had a lot of meaning to its master. A word that made its master feel things the shadow didn't understand. Feelings that made its master behave like he hadn't done before. But why? What was it about that word that made its master feel like that? That one word. This 'friends'?
"...Fffrienndsssss...." It said in a low, hissing voice. The word felt alien to it, and if one were to look closely, they could see the outlines of the shadow shimmer in the darkness as if they were twitching limbs.
'What friends are?' it questioned itself, determined to find out. Through its master of course.
<<>><<>><<>>
It was midday, and a bell rang at the ponyville school. Foals of many colors rushed out of the building, cheering because the seemingly endless and mind numbing obligation known as school had finally come to an end, and they had finally regained their freedom.
Three fillies, however, didn't rush away like the others did. Instead, they had already planned what they would do now the class was dismissed, and were on their way to carry out their well thought out plan.
"So. Explain to me again what it is we are going to do to earn our cutie marks?" Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo, who had the latest brilliant idea for them to try.
"How many times do I need to tell you, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo sighed out. "We are going to earn our Cutie Marks doing something more awesome than catching ghosts," she said eagerly as her wings buzzed with excitement.
"And what exactly was it again?" Apple Bloom asked.
"We are going to catch a manticore. That has to earn us our Cutie Mark." Scootaloo explained to her friends, already picturing the totally awesome Cutie Mark she was going to get.
"Ya sure that is such a good idea?" Apple Bloom asked, uncertain. "Ah mean. We do need ta get inta tha Everfree Forest ta find a manticore."
"Yeah. Don't you remember what happened the last time we were in the Everfree Forest?" Sweetie Belle added.
"Pfff," she sighed out with plenty of lip flap. "What, are you two chickens?" Scootaloo said irritably.
****
Meanwhile, at Sugar Cube Corner.
Pinkie Pie was working diligently on the next batch of cupcakes, when, all of a sudden, she sprung up and her legs started to shake in a seemingly random pattern.
"What? Shaking legs, a pinching knee and an itchy right front hoof. Somepony used an old joke in the wrong way," she said as she looked up at the ceiling, seemingly staring into forever. It was almost as if she could see the author typing the very words you are now reading.
Creepy.
"I know, right." Pinkie said to the ceiling.
"..."
Very creepy.
****
"Hey, ah'm not a chicken!" Apple Bloom said defiantly.
"Neither am I!" Sweetie Belle agreed.
"Well then, prove it." Scootaloo challenged her friends, before running off to the edge of the forest.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a defiant look, not wanting to be called a chicken, rushed after their pegasus friend who had left them in the dust.
The three of them ran past the café Danny worked in a rush, earning some shouts of frustration from the ponies sitting there as they headed for the forest.
Danny, too, watched them as they sped past, slowly shaking his head before he continued with his work, struggling to keep up with Ruby.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was hard at work, trying to keep up, despite his exhausted state. He was able to hide it fairly well at the start of his shift, but after several hours of hard labor his fatigue started to show. He slowed down to a margin of his normal speed, and had to drag himself forth to get anywhere. But, despite his best efforts, he started to make more and more mistakes. Taking up the wrong orders, or delivering the wrong food. He apologized every time, but his fatigue was wearing him down, and he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.
"Danny, could we talk with you for a moment?" Ruby asked him after the busiest part of the day was over, indicating to him to follow her.
"Eh... sure." He replied, already having an idea what this was about.
Ruby led Danny into the back of the café, out of sight of the guests that were still there. And, as he entered the room, he saw Quick Grill waiting there for them.
"Danny, do you know why we asked you to get here?" Ruby asked Danny, a hint of worry in her voice.
"I have an idea, yes." He replied tiredly.
"I thought I told you I won't tolerate any slacking, kid." Quick Grill told him with a gruff voice, upset with Danny's poor performance, but slight concern did crack through the edges of his voice.
"I know, and I am sorry." Danny said as he slowly rubbed his head, "It's just that I have had a horrible night's sleep thanks to some really messed up dream, and I have been up since the crack of dawn because of it," he explained as he struggled to suppress a yawn.
"What! What do you mean?" Ruby asked, concerned, not understanding. "Didn't princess Luna guard your dreams?"
"Ehu... What?" Danny said in sleep deprived confusion, not understanding what she meant.
"You know, Princess Luna. She and her sister visited you some time ago." Ruby said, almost shocked, unable to believe he didn't know who the princess was.
"I know who she is," Danny said in a half groan, and Ruby released a quiet sigh of relief when he said that. "But I don't understand what you mean with her guarding my dreams," he continued, and Ruby gave him a confused look, surprised that he didn't know about the princess' duties.
"Don't you know, Danny? Princess Luna watches over everypony's dreams, and helps those that have a nightmare." Ruby explained, looking at him with concern.
"I don't know what you're talking- yawn -about. But if what you say is true, then she isn't doing a very good job." Danny told her, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Both Ruby and Grill's mouth were hanging open from what he just said. Nopony in their right mind would talk about the princess like that.
"Kid, I think it is better for ya to go home and lie down because you are not making any sense right now." Quick Grill said, unable to keep his disbelief from entering his voice.
"Don't worry, sir. I can make it through th-"
"That wasn't an offer, kid. Go home, rest. And come back tomorrow when you are well rested and can think straight again." He continued, cutting Danny off, leaving no room for debate.
"But.. I... Fine, I guess." Danny conceded defeat with a sigh.
"Don't worry, Danny, I can take it from here. You just rest." Ruby told him with a genuine smile.
"Yeah, I'll try." Danny said wearily, not looking forward to going back to bed, afraid of the nightmares that might plague him if he would.
Ruby and Quick Grill looked at Danny as he walked away, not knowing what to make of the human's strange behavior; watching in silence as Danny closed the door and left them there, leaving them to their own thoughts.
"Something strange is going on with him," Quick Grill remarked after a few moments.
"Yes, I know. Why would he say princess Luna didn't help when he had a nightmare? She always helps everypony in need," Ruby responded.
"Indeed," was all Quick Grill said.
"You think it's possible? You know, for princess Luna not to be there when he needed her to, I mean." She asked, uncertain.
"I do not know. But if it is, then why?" He replied hesitantly, not wanting to believe such a thing. "Let's just see how he will be doing tomorrow. Maybe it's nothing?"
"Yeah, maybe?" Ruby muttered.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was slowly making his way home, dragging his feet as he barely had the energy to lift them. Despite his tired mind, he couldn't help but think back to the conversation he just had with Quick Grill and Ruby. He went over it again, and again; the look of disbelief on their faces concerning him the most. Why didn't they believe him when he said he had a poor night's sleep due to a nightmare? After all, it is not really possible for someone to control the dreams of another like they said Luna did.
'No wait, it is possible.' His tired mind suddenly remembered as the memory of Nocturn resurfaced.
Nocturn, the ghost of sleep and dreams. The entity that had trapped all the citizens of Amity Park in a never ending dream, while he fed on the energy the people generated while they slept. He would then use this energy to help him in his attempt for world conquest, and enslave all of humanity. Fortunately for Danny, and the world, he was able to break free of his dream prison, and help his friends and sister escape as well. And, together, they were able to stop Nocturn before he could implement his plans.
Despite his fatigue, Danny forced one foot forwards, then the next, while his mind went over the possibility that Luna was a creature like Nocturn. Still, despite what his tired mind could come up with, he couldn't shake what Ruby had said about Luna helping those who had a nightmare, instead of absorbing the energy of those sleeping. He tried to figure it all out, but his exhausted mind wouldn't let him. Instead, it only gave him a headache.
"Ugh. I'm too tired for this." he quietly muttered as he continued on his ridiculously long walk home.
He was only halfway there, when he heard someone call his name.
Tiredly, he looked around to find whoever it was who was calling him, and he saw Applejack run towards him with a worried stricken face.
"Danny! Hey Danny, hold on there!" She called out as she approached him.
Danny did just that, despite how tired he was. Waiting for the mare to come to a screeching stop, panting lightly as the dust settled. Danny felt his nerves go on edge as he noticed the clearly noticeable worry displayed on Applejack's face, pushing back his fatigue.
"Hey AJ, What is going on?" he asked the frantic mare, sensing something was amiss.
"Danny, have ya see Apple Bloom anywhere? She an her friends should've been home hours ago, but they're nowhere ta be found." Applejack said in a hurry. "Rarity's also looking fer Sweetie Belle, an' Dash said that Scootaloo ain't on her usual spot either. All mah friends are looking around town, but we can't find any of them. Please tell me ya've seen them?"
"Ehhh," Danny began, thinking back. "Hold on, I did see them earlier today." He said, causing Applejack's frown turn in a relieved smile.
"Oh, thank goodness. Where did they go?" she asked, relieved.
"Eh, I saw them run to the forest over there." Danny answered as he pointed to the Everfree Forest. Applejack's look of relief was immediately shattered, replaced by one of pure horror.
"The Everfree Forest! Please tell me ya joking? Please!?" Applejack nearly pleaded as grabbed Danny by the shoulders, looking worriedly into his eyes, hoping to see any form of deceit.
"Eh, sorry AJ. But that's where I saw them go... Is that bad?" He asked, not understanding the mare's behavior.
"Bad!? BAD!?... It's a disaster. Don't ya know what kind of dangerous critters live in there? Oh no, Ah've got tha tell tha others." She all but shouted as she returned to all fours, running back to town with impressive speed, leaving Danny in the dust as he watched her go.
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he muttered after a moment, before running towards the forest himself. His fatigue all but gone as adrenaline started to enter his system. Even though he no longer tried to be a hero, he couldn't just run away when someone was in trouble. And if Applejack's frantic behavior was any indication, those three fillies were in a heap of it.
Thanks to his adrenaline induced speed boost, he was at the edge of the forest in no time at all. Stopping at the edge, and looking past the trees standing in front of him, he could only see a few meters before darkness swallowed all that lay beyond. Despite his earlier bravado, he had to gulp as he saw the ominous density of the forest before him; an eerie feeling emanating from it. Taking a deep breath, and stepping forwards, he reminded himself of all the scary things he had been through to help him calm down, recalling he'd been through far worse than just a creepy forest.
Taking another step into the forest, and another, he slowly lost himself in the shadows cast by the trees. But not everything of him followed. A dark spot remained at the edge of the Everfree, rippling and shifting as it tried to make sense of this new sensation. It was having trouble to keep the different, unknown feelings apart. Something it was trying to do ever since its master woke up, but it only grew more confused when the orange pony came to its master.
There was something with her. A sensation that was strangely familiar, but different at the same time. Distress was emanating from the pony. This was not the same feeling it learned from its master. Then she spoke, and what she said made master react in a way that was even more unfamiliar and confusing to the shadow. A mixture of feelings, all directed to those three small ponies that attacked master the day before. But it wasn't anger or hate. No, it could understand those feelings. These were different, very different.
Any other would say it was a concern it felt, as well as a sense of duty to help. To do anything in his power to help those who can't help themselves. But the shadow didn't know any of that, and thus it added to its ever growing confusion.
Its master didn't behave as the shadow was used to, but the shadow also felt another sensation. A force so powerful it scared the shadow. It was something that made its master run in the forest, and go look for the three small ponies that had jumped him. A force that, despite the shadow's best effort to place it as it followed its master, it couldn't figure it out.
Life.
<<>><<>><<>>
As Danny went deeper and deeper into the forest, it became increasingly difficult to see. So much so that he had to resort to his ghost powers. Once more, he was reluctant to do so. But if what Applejack had said about dangerous animals living here was true, then those three fillies were most likely in big trouble, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he didn't do everything in his power to help.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he stood still on the spot as he focused his energy. Slowly opening his eyes, his mortal blues now burned with the green might of the afterlife, his ghost vision.
To any other it would just seem like two glowing eyes, but for Danny it was a different story altogether. The darkness of the forest lifted, and objects that were once hidden came into view. Now able to see where he was going, and able to avoid the roots of the massive trees standing everywhere, he started walking again. And, as an added bonus, his hearing was also sharpened while using his powers like this. Making it possible for him to hear the faintest of sounds from a respectful distance away. Using these abilities to his advantage, he went deeper into the forest, looking for the three fillies.
After searching for several minutes, he heard the sound of people talking. It was faint, but the voices sounded distinctly feminine. Thinking he was in luck, he rushed his way over to where the voices came from, only to come to a quick stop when he saw it was Applejack with several other ponies he knew. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and even Fluttershy, which he thought was odd, seeing how she got scared when he only said hello. Then he also noticed another pony with them.
'....No wait! Is that a zebra?' he thought as he came to a quick stop.
Clearly the group had heard him, and they turned to where Danny had stepped out of the shadows.
Acting more on reflex than anything else, Danny quickly reverted his eyes back to normal, hoping they didn't notice anything.
"Danny! What are ya doing here?" Applejack asked, startled, not expecting to see him here in the forest.
"Well, you see. The thing is..." he began as he looked at the group of ponies standing before him, each having a look of surprise at seeing him here. Although Pinkie seemed rather happy with him here, while Rainbow Dash seemed to avoid his gaze. The zebra, however, looked at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "After you told me your sister and her friends were missing, I went looking for them, too."
"What! All on your own, in the Everfree Forest!?" Twilight exclaimed, dumbfounded, but with a hint of admiration.
"Ehh, yeah." He answered. "Maybe I didn't really think that one through," he said more to himself.
The ponies and Danny stared at each other for what seemed an uncomfortably long time, but was in reality only a few seconds. Then Applejack moved towards Danny, reared up, and hugged him.
"Thanks." Was all that she said, her voice thick with gratitude.
"For what? It's not like I found your sister, or her friends." Danny said, dumbfounded, as the earth pony continued to hold him.
"Maybe not, but ya didn't hesitate ta help ta find mah sister when Ah came ta ya. Even goin' as far as ta go inta tha forest alone ta do so," Applejack said as she tightened the hug.
Despite the serious situation they were all in, the ponies couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of them. Even Zecora had a thin smile on her lips, but she couldn't shake the ominous feeling she got from the lone human.
After several more moments, Applejack let go of Danny and gave him a warm smile, before returning back on all four legs.
"Okay..." Danny said, followed by an awkward pause; his cheeks a dark shade of red that, thankfully, wasn't easily seen in the dark forest. "With that done, how did things go on your end?" he asked the group in general.
"Not well, I'm afraid," Twilight answered with a sigh. "We asked our friend, Zecora, if she could help, seeing how she knows the forest much better than us. But we haven't had much luck so far," she continued as she introduced Zecora to Danny, who gave a curt nod to him, which Danny returned, feeling a strange tingling going down his spine from the way she looked at him.
"But what should we do now? It will take forever to find my Sweetie Belle in this ghastly forest." Rarity whined as she lifted her hoof to see the mud sticking on it, making her shudder.
"It would probably be better if we split up. This will allow us to cover more ground much quicker." Twilight answered almost immediately. "And, seeing how there are eight of us now, we can go in groups of two, four in total." This earned her some approving murmurs from the group.
"Okay, let's see. Applejack, you go with Pinkie Pie. Rarity, you go with Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, why don't you go with Zecora. And then I will go with Danny." Twilight said, dividing them into groups, and they quickly moved to their assigned partner. All, except one.
"Ehh, Twilight," Rainbow Dash spoke up. "Is it alright if I go with Danny instead?" she asked as she shot a quick glance at the aforementioned human, before looking away again.
"Eh, I guess that is fine. Then I will go with Zecora. Okay, is everypony, and human set?" Twilight asked as she stepped next to Zecora, receiving various confirmations from her friends.
"Before we go, you should take this. It is a signal we cannot miss." Zecora spoke up, surprising Danny that she spoke in rhyme.
Zecora gave each group a small bottle with some kind of fluid in it, earning some confused looks as most of them didn't know what it was.
"Because we will now all drift apart, I give to you a Lightning Shard. When what we seek has been found, shatter this vial on the ground.It will produce a light straight and true, which will lead us directly to you. But keep a safe distance, hold that in mind. Or you might find yourself gone blind."
Zecora explained impressing Danny to some extent with her rhyme, while it also creeped him out a bit as it reminded him of the time he was under the Ghost Writer's Christmas curse, making him, and anyone close to him, speak in rhyme.
Danny accepted the small bottle with the 'Lightning Shard', and put it in one of his pockets. He then noticed the conflicted look he got from Rainbow Dash, who held a bit of distance between him and herself.
"Okay, everypony. Let's go!" Applejack called out, and she and Pinkie walked away. Well, Applejack walked. Pinkie chose to pronk instead.
The others also walked away, each group going in a different direction. But, when Danny also began to move, the multi color pegasus lagged behind for a moment before slowly following him.
<<>><<>><<>>
Zecora and Twilight had spent the last several minutes walking in silence, leaving the others far behind them.
Following the path Zecora had shown, Twilight, despite the situation they were in, couldn't help but look around at all the strange plants and trees that grew in the forest. She had a keen sense of observation, taking in all the different plants, and remembering them to look up later when she had the time. She did, however, also notice something else. Zecora was unusually quiet. She didn't speak much to begin with, only when it was necessary. But even for her, this was too quiet.
"Zecora, is something on your mind?" Twilight asked as she illuminated the path ahead with her magic.
For a moment the zebra didn't reply, almost lost in her own thoughts as she scanned the forest for any sign of the foals. Then she spoke.
"This friend of yours, this human. I must ask. Did you know he wears a mask? Although he seems kind, bright and smart. It is obvious darkness has stained his soul and heart. To hide his pain he wears this mask, but something is making this an almost impossible task. Something has hurt him in body and mind, it is impossible for him to leave it behind. This in turn caused a presence of old, to once again slowly take hold. Darkness lay near, of that I am sure. Something so foul, I doubt there's a cure. I doubt he knows, or maybe he does. But this is connected to a great loss."
Zecora spoke in her usual, cryptic manner, and Twilight slowed down a bit, almost stopping as she stared at her striped friend with wide, confused eyes.
"What, how do you mean?" Twilight asked after a moment, not understanding what the zebra was talking about.
Zecora took a long moment to think, carefully choosing her words. Until she told Twilight the four words that she never thought she would hear from her.
"I do not know."
<<>><<>><<>>
For the past ten minutes Danny and Rainbow Dash walked through the forest in search of the foals. Nothing was said between them, and there was no sound other than the crunching of leaves, the snapping of small twigs and the occasional screech of a nearby bird.
Despite what Applejack had said earlier, Danny still had to see one of those dangerous creatures she said lived here. But, looking around at the scenery, he didn't have much trouble believing that she was telling the truth about them.
"Yes." Danny said a bit stiffly, not looking back at her.
"Look, I just wanna... I mean.. About yesterday," she stammered. 'Ghaa, why is this so difficult?' she thought.
"What about it?" Danny said, tensely. He already had an idea this was why she wanted to go with him instead, but he just didn't want to talk about it.
"I just want to say, I'm sorry, alright." She said with noticeable effort. "It's just, I didn't know, okay!?" she added hesitantly, making it sound like it wasn't completely her fault.
"No, you didn't." Danny said as he stopped abruptly, making Rainbow Dash walk into him. Slowly turning to look back, he looked down at the pegasus that was backing away from him with a sheepish smile on her face. Her awkward smile disappeared, however, when she saw the angry look on Danny's face. "I told you to stop. Heck, AJ told you to stop. But. You. Just. Kept. Pushing!" he said slowly, putting as much emphasis on each word. "Why do you think I told you not to pry into my personal life like that?" He all but shouted, making her flinch from the harsh tone of his voice.
He watched the mare sitting in front of him, ears folded flat as she looked down. And, despite her attempts to keep a brave face, it was clear to him that she was hurt by how he just yelled at her.
Taking several deep breaths to calm down, his anger towards the mare slowly dissipated. It was true, she really didn't know. Not until he shouted what happened to Sam. And although he felt he was justified to be angry, he didn't feel like she deserved how he just acted to her. After all, she had just apologized to him.
Sighing, he knelt down so he was at eye level with her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Look, Rainbow. I'm sorry I yelled at you, but this... thing is kinda hard on me. It is not something I enjoy thinking about, let alone talk about it, so I just acted. And although I can understand that you were curious, you should have listened when I told you to stop. But seeing how you just did apologize, and by the looks of it, feel rather bad about it, I am willing to let it slide," he told her with a sigh.
Rainbow Dash, hearing the change in his voice, looked back up. Looking straight into Danny's eyes as he knelt in front of her.
"Really?" she asked, cautiously optimistic.
"Yeah, sure. Just promise me you won't ask me about that again. Okay?" he said as calmly as he could.
Rainbow Dash, looking at him with hopeful eyes, knew he spoke the truth.
"I promise!" She almost cried out as she lunged forward, wrapping her hooves around Danny in a hug, glad that she hadn't turned him against her. A few seconds later, she realized what she was doing and quickly let go of him. "I mean. Sure, if that is what you want." She said in a poor attempt to act cool, looking around to make sure nopony had seen her.
"Okay. So are we good, or are there more surprise hugs coming?" Danny said with a grin, playing in on the pegasus tomboyish pride.
"Ooh, careful buster, or I buck your skinny behind all the way to Canterlot." She threatened mockingly with squinted eyes and a challenging grin.
"Ehh, okay.... Just to be sure. When you say buck, what exactly do you mean by that?" He asked with raised suspicion.
"Duhu. My hind legs, your flank, and enough force to kick you all the way back to the capital." She said with a smirk. "Why? What did you think I meant?" She asked, slightly confused.
"Ehh, let's just forget about that." Danny quickly evaded the question as the heat on his face rose a bit, a dark shade of red coloring his cheeks. Quickly standing up and turning around, hoping that the reddening of his face went unnoticed in the darkness of the forest, he continued with the search.
"No really wha-... Ow come on!" Rainbow Dash said in a raised voice as she realized what Danny thought she meant.
Danny quickly continued walking with a firm pace, not looking in the direction of the mare that was shooting daggers with her eyes.
<<>><<>><<>>
It happened again.
First, there was anger. Then there was... something.
Danny's shadow had once again detached itself from its caster, looking at the scene in front of it.
Master was angry with the blue pony, and understood why. She didn't stop when master said she should, and because of that, master became angry with her.
This it could understand. But what happened next, it couldn't.
Master's demeanor changed completely, from angry, to annoyed and then, relieved. Glad he was able to resolve the issue. But he didn't use any force. Why not? Instead, they just talked. And then the blue pony wrapped her hooves around him, seemingly trying to choke its master, just as the orange pony had tried. But master didn't seem to fight it. Instead, he seemed to appreciate it. Enjoy it, even.
It didn't understand any of it. Was this the 'friends' the orange pony talked about?
It didn't understand. But what truly confused the shadow, was what it felt when it was one with its master. The feelings it shared with him through their shared mind. They weren't unpleasant, but they were unknown, alien, and the shadow hid away from them as best it could. But master seemed to embrace them, appreciate them, and truly like them.
"Friends?" It said smoothly, but with a lot of puzzlement, as it was slowly learning the meaning of the word.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Twilight asked in confusion. "First you tell me all that, and then you tell me you don't know what it means yourself."
"What I told you was certainly true, but I see it did confuse you. When I first saw him I took my chance, and observed him with a single glance. For, you see, the eyes act as a portal. Revealing to you the soul of every mortal. And although his actions are a good deed, there is a warning you should heed. His eyes are almost impossible to read, remember this next time you should meet. And although he and I have just met, I sensed something unusually dead. But that is not all there is to tell, because his actions show he does mean well. What it is I sensed about him, I cannot tell on only a whim. His actions are just, and his heart is good. But I sensed a darkness drenched in blood. What this means, I cannot tell. But I know it does not bode well."
Zecora explained in the same cryptic manner she first did to confuse Twilight, which did little to nothing to help the young mare understand what she was talking about. If anything, the ominous warning Zecora gave made her feel even more nervous. Why would Zecora say such things? What is it that she sensed? How is this connected to Danny? Twilight didn't know, but was determined to find out. But not now. Now they had bigger problems to deal with.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny and Rainbow Dash had searched for the three fillies for some time now, and the night was slowly making an appearance, increasing the suffocating darkness which already covered the forest.
Danny, unable to use his ghost senses with Rainbow Dash with him, felt a pang of irritation now his ability to see was greatly diminished, resulting in many stumbles and falls as he tripped over the many roots that covered his path. The first couple of times it also resulted in a muffled snicker from Rainbow Dash, seeing how she was hovering slightly above the ground instead of walking. But after the umpteenth time, even she stopped laughing over Danny's misfortune. And, instead, she flew ahead a bit, giving Danny a warning every time she noticed a large root sticking out. She didn't spot them all, thanks to the darkness, but she was able to reduce Danny's meet and greet with the ground by quite a bit; something his face was very grateful about.
They've also been incredibly lucky not to have run into any of the animals that lived in the forest. They did hear them, no doubt. A rustling of the leaves, a low growl, or the sound of large animals running. But fortunately, they never met them up close.
Still, with nighttime approaching, the activity in the forest was picking up, and both Danny and Rainbow Dash knew that, if they didn't find the fillies soon, they had to call it a day. Neither of them actually said that, of course. They would never give up like that. But as the shadows of the forest became slowly darker and darker, they had to slow down to a mere crawl to make sure Danny wouldn't fall and attract unwanted attention.
'Damn it. If only I could use my ghost sense. I might already have found them by now.' Danny thought in frustration, but was unable to act on his thoughts. Not without Rainbow Dash noticing his glowing eyes in the otherwise dark forest. 'Wait... Dark forest.' he realized, mentally face palming. But, seeing how he was not doing this physically, it couldn't be compared with the performance done by Carl.
'Okay... let's see if this works. Shadow.' he thought as he kept an eye on Rainbow Dash, making sure she wasn't looking at him.
It was difficult to tell at first, the darkness obscured the shadow completely. But, eventually, he saw two green glowing eyes looking at him from behind a tree, placed in such a way that Rainbow Dash was unable to see them from where she was.
'Shadow, move ahead of us. See if you can find the children we're looking for. If you do, come back to me and show me where they are.' He ordered, receiving a confirming nod before the shadow disappeared in the dark.
"Yo, Danny. What are you doing there standing by that tree?" Rainbow Dash quietly called out, and Danny realized he'd come to a stop while giving his commands to his shadow.
"Eh, nothing. Just thought I saw something, but it was nothing?" he lied, quickly catching up with her. Fortunately, not tripping over anything.
"Well, don't just stop like that. There are a lot of creatures out here that can seriously hurt you," she said lowly, seriously. "Of course you aren't in any real danger with me with you, but you should still try to keep up with me," she added as she returned to her boastful self.
"Yeah, sure thing, Dash." he said as he saw two green glowing orbs flash in the dark before vanishing. 'Hmmm, something is different!' he thought.
<<>><<>><<>>
Through the darkness it moved, blending in with the environment seamlessly. A creature of shadows, moving through a world of darkness. The shadow was completely in its element here, moving from tree to tree, bush to bush, trying to find the three small ponies its master was looking for. It was an order it wasn't used to, but it was determined to do as its master ordered it to do.
Gliding through the dark, it soon reached the point where, in its former, less developed state, it would vanish and return to its master. Now though, it was able to continue on its search as ordered without trouble. It was still linked to its master, but with less constrictions. It wasn't free to do as it pleased, nor did it wanted it to, but it did gain the option to make its own decisions. The energy he absorbed from the bad pony gave it more strength. And, in the dark of night, it seemed to be a bit stronger, allowing it to move beyond its former boundaries.
The shadow sailed through the nightly forest, spotting various kinds of creatures. From the small birds sleeping in their nests, to large wolf like beasts made from wood. Their green glowing eyes piercing the darkness just as the shadow's did. The shadow, determined to carry out its order, stopped momentarily to observe these wooden wolves, feeling a strange kinship with the creatures. Although their wooden bodies were at one point alive, part of a greater whole as the tree they once belonged to, now they were dead and dry. Held together by a possessing force, shaping and holding the wooden construct together. Their green eyes giving some indication as to what this force might be.
The wolves howled loudly as the shadow circled around them, almost as if they could sense the presence of the dark shade.
The shadow made one more rotation around the wolves, before continuing on its path, searching for the three small ponies.
It sailed through the forest, undetected. Moving past trees and bushes, over small creeks and small drops in the terrain. It moved like this for a little while longer, until it heard something. The faint sound of running and screaming. Screams voiced by multiple individuals. There was also the sound of a large, angry beast, revealed to the shadow by a loud, reverberating roar.
The shadow quickly moved to investigate.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wait! Did you hear that?" Rainbow Dash asked, her ears swiveling around, trying to pick up the sound she just heard.
"Eh, no. What did you hear?" Danny asked, straining his hearing to pick up what she'd heard, mentally cursing that he was still unable to use his ghost senses with the mare present.
"I'm not sure, but it sounded like a r-.." Rainbow Dash began, but was suddenly interrupted by a very loud roar. And this time, Danny, too, had heard. Loud and clear.
<<>><<>><<>>
The shadow rushed through the forest, heading towards where the sound had come from. It didn't take long for it to find the source, as a trio of loud screams led him directly to the small ponies he was ordered to find.
The three fillies stood with their backs pressed against a large cliff wall, a look of fear on their faces as they tried to find a way out of their predicament, only to discover they were completely blocked, except from where they had come from.
Just as it was ordered, the shadow was about to return to its master and point him towards the fillies. But, before he could leave and get its master, something else showed up.
A very large beast, larger than the wooden wolves, stepped out of the shadows and roared loudly at the ponies. The shadow watched as the fillies pressed together, shaking in fright as the unusual animal slowly crept closer. An animal with the body of a lion, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion.
Now, had the shadow's intelligence more time to develop, it would have spent some time wondering how such a creature could exist. But, with his slowly developing, but limited mind, it could only watch as it felt a scary, unfamiliar sensation. Fear. Not from its master, but from itself.
The fillies screamed again as the beast lunged forward, but did not yet fully attack them. It knew its prey was trapped, and it could afford to play with them for a while. This caused the shadow to feel yet another emotion. Anger. Its mind was limited, but formed from its master. And its master wouldn't sit by idly when others were in danger. Especially children. Not understanding anything of what it was feeling, but acting on a deeply rooted moral instinct, the shadow ignored its master's command and lunged forward. Acting on its newly discovered instinct, but not fully aware of what it was doing.
He saw the animal raise its claw to deliver the finishing blow, and all limited rational thought left the shadow's fragmented mind as it flew directly into the beast.
<<>><<>><<>>
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were huddled together, holding tightly onto each other as the kept their eyes closed, waiting for the end.
They waited, and they waited, but the pain never came. No crushing blow from a large claw. No deafening roar. No razor sharp teeth that would slice through their skin and flesh. Nothing.
Slowly they opened their eyes and looked at the manticore, and they let out a scream as they saw its claw mere centimeters from them, holding still mid-strike.
Slowly, the fillies' breathing returned to relatively normal under the circumstances; and they slowly, deliberately, moved away from the kill zone, never leaving the manticore out of their sight.
They flinched back as the beast moved its claw. But instead of a swift, deadly swipe, it moved its claw away, slowly setting it back on the ground as it looked at the fillies with a lot of confusion in its glowing green eyes.
"Wha... why aren't we dead yet?" Scootaloo squeaked in a hushed, fearful whisper as she shakily looked at the manticore.
"Ah... ah don't know?" Apple Bloom answered, equally afraid.
"....Should we try and leave?" Sweetie Belle asked with a small voice. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo couldn't give her an answer though, as, suddenly, a blue blur slammed into the manticore and a large flash of light blinded them.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes prior.
Danny and Rainbow Dash rushed to where they'd heard the roar come from. Rainbow, who was a lot faster, called out several times to Danny to pick up the pace; only receiving annoyed grunts in return as he was already going at full speed, barely avoiding the roots of the trees. With a huff, Rainbow sped up a bit, coming up at a large cliff face.
"I think we're almost there!" She shouted back at Danny as she came up on a small clearing, being able to see what happened there thanks to the light of the moon which was no longer obscured by dense, overhead foliage. And what she saw made her stop in her tracks, but only for a moment. The sight of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cowering in fear before a manticore, their backs pressed against the wall, kicked her defensive instinct into overdrive.
Roaring a fierce battle cry at the beast, she shot forwards with blurring speed.
Danny, only just managing to catch up, came to a stop next to her, panting loudly, when she shot off. Looking at the scene before him, his eyes widened in disbelief. But it wasn't from the strange beast, or that it stood completely still, its claw raised above the fillies. No, it were the glowing green eyes it had. And Danny clearly recognized them as his shadow's.
But that couldn't be, right? His shadow was never able to do that, wasn't it? He needed to be sure, and he didn't have much time either as Rainbow Dash was rapidly approaching the beast.
'Put the claw down!' he thought, hoping that it wasn't so. But, to his shock, the large animal obeyed, confirming his suspicion.
"But how?" he said barely above a whisper, before he remembered the small bottle Zecora had given him, and took it from his pocket.
He had only a vague idea what to expect when he smashed it, but the warning about going blind did give him some indication what to expect. So, with all the strength he had, he threw the bottle against a nearby tree, and quickly shielded his eyes. There was a large flash of light, illuminating the entire forest for a split second, and nearby birds flew away in panic, squawking loudly.
And, even though he had covered his eyes, he had to blink several times to get rid of the spots.
"So, that's what she meant." He groaned as he rubbed his eyes, momentarily unaware of his surroundings.
After several tense minutes, his vision had returned, and he immediately looked at the fight unfolding before him.
It seemed that the bright flash of light had driven out the shadow from the manticore, because he noticed that its eyes were no longer a glowing green. And, as he concentrated, he could feel a presence in his mind where his shadow's fragment would reside. But it felt different, larger, unlike anything he had ever felt from is darker counterpart.
'You and I are going to have a long chat after this is done.' He thought in angry sarcasm, not expecting a reply.
'Yes, master.'
Danny froze up, not moving an inch.
That voice, where did it come from? It sounded close, very close, but he couldn't see anyone nearby, save from Rainbow Dash and the fillies.
"Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself!" Danny half yelled, making sure Rainbow Dash and the fillies wouldn't hear him.
Obeying its command, the shadow moved its fragment from its master's mind, and slowly rose up before him. Danny reared back as he saw his shadow presented itself, glad that it was next to impossible to spot in the darkness, lest someone might see it.
"Master," It spoke in a low, slightly distorted voice, and Danny's eyes went wide while his jaw almost fell to the ground..
"You can talk!?" Danny yelped in shock and surprise.
"I c-can now," it spoke with slightly broken speech.
"But ho-..." Danny muttered, but was interrupted by a loud roar and a scream from Rainbow Dash as the manticore scored a lucky hit, slamming her to the ground.
"Dammit, I don't have the time for this. Okay, look. I don't know what is going on, but I need to help them. You stay here, and don't let anyone see you. I will deal with you later," he said in an angry rush. How long has his shadow been able to do all this? Still, the shadow's latest action did give him an idea how to deal with the current situation.
Danny groaned as he let out a long, deep breath. "I can't believe I am going to do this." He muttered as he levitated himself up a meter.
Turning invisible, he flew up and rushed towards the large predator as it was about to deliver the finishing blow to the downed pegasus.
He flew into the beast with speed, making it rear back as he possessed it. A glowing, pale white light flashed around the beast for a moment before vanishing. And, as it opened its eyes, they were a glowing green once again.
'Okay, I have no idea how to control this darn thing, so I better just make this quick.' He thought, struggling to work with four legs.
Taking a deep breath, and assuming a poorly fighting stance, he roared with all the might this beast had. Doing so the others out there would hear him, and rush to the scene. Then he tried to quickly spin around and run away, but his inexperience with four legs made this an almost impossible task. With effort, he was able to wobble his way back into the forest, seeming more like an injured animal than the ferocious beast the manticore was. Slowly, though, he got more accustomed to the extra two legs, and picked up a the pace.
Still, he never fully figured out how to walk with four legs, and it showed. But, eventually, he was far enough away from Rainbow Dash and the children for him to safely release his hold over the animal; which he assumed was male, seeing the wild mane on the lion's head.
Looking around in confusion, the manticore didn't understanding where he was, or what happened to his prey. The beast slowly circled around, trying to get his bearings, then sniffed the air, looking for the scent of his meal.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go back," Danny sighed out as he turned visible again, making the beast jump back a bit before setting up to strike. "And I wouldn't suggest that either," he added coolly.
The manticore didn't listen, of course. Here was an easy prey, ready to be devoured. And having already lost his earlier prey, he would have to do. With a mighty heave, the manticore swung his claw at Danny, passing clean through him.
The manticore stared dumbly at his claw, blinked a few times. Maybe he had just missed? So he tried again, and again, hitting nothing but air every single time, while Danny just sighed out from the oversized cat's attempts to hurt him.
"Really, you can't hit me. For your own sake, just stop." Danny said, unamused.
This only made the manticore more enraged as he thought the hairless beast was taunting him. So, with a growl, he launched his spiked tail at him, trying to impale Danny on the poisonous tip, but failing miserably. Not letting up, the manticore tried again and again, each swing becoming more wild as he became more agitated with the stubbornly difficult to hit prey. Eventually, he managed to strike the spot where Danny stood with such force the spike on his tail got stuck in the ground.
"Okay, I've had enough of this pointless behavior." Danny said, slightly frustrated as he grabbed hold of the bulbous part of the tail and channeled his ice power into it, forming a large ball of ice around the lethal part of manticore's tail.
The manticore gave a hard, panicked yank on his tail, pulling free. But the weight of the ice made it impossible for him to lift it up, and was forced to drag the now useless limb behind him.
'Now to finish this,' Danny thought as he channeled energy into his hands, making them glow a toxic green.
Releasing a twin blast of ectoplasm, he hit the manticore right in his chest, illuminating the forest with a toxic green light. He made sure the energy was not enough to kill or seriously injure, but more than enough to scare the oversized mutant cat away. And, with a yelp, the manticore ran away with his tail dragging behind it, not wanting to fight with something that could use magic like that.
"And now to return to Rainbow and the kids." Danny muttered as he flew back, his legs turned into an intangible tail while he turned invisible.
<<>><<>><<>>
The crusaders just sat there, mouths agape and completely dazed by what they just saw. First, Rainbow Dash was fighting the manticore with relative ease. Dodging its wild swipes with no problem whatsoever. But then the manticore got lucky, and hit her right on the head. She wasn't knocked out, luckily, but was seriously dazed from the blow.
Seeing his new target was no longer capable of defending herself, the manticore readied himself to finish her off. When, all of a sudden, it reared back and roared. Then, a weird white glow came from it for a few seconds before it vanished. And when it opened its eyes again, they were glowing green once again.
The fillies didn't know what this was, but were unable to move or look away. They saw it wobble as it took on a very strange looking fighting stance, then it roared. It was louder than anything they had heard before, and the ground shook slightly as the beast let out its thunderous war cry.
Then it spun around and left, yet it looked as if the manticore was injured, wobbling away. Neither of them knew why.
Rainbow Dash had landed some serious hits on the beast, but not enough to hurt him like that. And, as they saw the manticore slowly wobbled back into the dark of the forest, the fillies finally unfroze and rushed to the downed pegasus.
"Rainbow Dash. Are you alright?" Scootaloo yelled as she shook the mare, trying to get a response out of her idol.
Rainbow groaned slightly, slowly rolling over, and the fillies sighed out in relief.
"Ow, hayseed. Did anypony took the number of that chariot?" Rainbow Dash slurred slightly, rubbing her head.
Despite the situation, the Crusaders couldn't stop a small chuckle escaping them. Rainbow Dash then shook her head, trying to get rid of the disorientation, before jumping up and scanned the area, trying to find the manticore that had managed to hit her.
"What, where did he go!?" she yelled out in disbelief and frustration.
"It just ran away, sort of." Sweetie Belle answered.
"What, how do you mean, sort of?" Rainbow Dash snapped, her blood still boiling over the fact the manticore got in a lucky hit, and knocked her down.
"Well, he seemed to try and run away, but he moved as if he was injured." Apple Bloom spoke up, only for all of them to fall silent when a sudden, bright green flash lit up the night, followed shortly there after by a loud yelp. The four ponies looked at the darkness where the flash had come from, not knowing what it was, or what it was that made that sound.
"What was that?" Sweetie Belle asked as she partially hid behind the older mare.
"I... I don't know." Rainbow Dash replied, trying to sound brave in front of the three fillies.
Suddenly, there was the rustling of leaves near them as they heard something approaching. The fillies huddled behind the multi colored pegasus, who took on a fighting stance. Crouching down a bit, wings folded out, and a sneer on her face as she prepared for anything that could show up. Yet, for everything she was expecting, it wasn't the tall form of Danny that made itself apparent.
"Relax, it's just me." Danny said worriedly as he noticed Rainbow Dash's stance, ready to strike..
"DANNY!!" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle yelled as they ran towards him.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle grabbed him by his legs in an improvised hug while Scootaloo bounced happily in front of him.
"You're here too?" Apple Bloom said, happily.
"Yeah, I am." He replied as he tried to pry the two fillies of his legs. "And, Rainbow," he said as he looked up at her. "Sorry I was unable to help you out there. That run took a lot out of me," he lied, but he was glad to see she was unharmed, except for a dent in her pride.
"Hah, not that it would have mattered. I was this close to beating him, you wouldn't even have had a chance to get close." Rainbow Dash boasted.
"So I take it that 'nap' of yours was part of the plan, then." Danny mocked with a coy smirk, earning a few giggles of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo, however, wasn't as amused.
"Hey, take that back. Rainbow Dash would have totally bucked his flank if he hadn't run off. Isn't that right, Rainbow?"
"Hah, you know it, squirt." Rainbow Dash said with a cocky grin, before they all turned to look towards the general area Dash had come from; hearing the thunderous sound of multiple hooves hitting the ground at high speed. Almost all at once, the entire search party showed up.
"Apple Bloom!"
"Sweetie Belle!" Applejack and Rarity shouted as they rushed towards their younger siblings, pulling them in a tight hug.
"Oh my dear Sweetie Belle, thank Celestia you are safe. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you." Rarity wailed as she held tightly on her sister.
"What in tha world were ya three thinking?" Applejack said, trying to sound serious, but unable to keep the relief and happiness on finding her younger sister out of her voice.
"Ah-Ah'm sorry sis. We were only trying ta earn our Cutie Marks." Apple Bloom said, her ears folding flat against her head as she noticed the disappointed look on her sister's face.
"Do Ah even want ta know what it was this time!?" Applejack half asked, half groaned. Already knowing that she wouldn't like the answer.
"We were trying to catch a manticore to see if that was our special talent." Sweetie Belle said quietly, not looking up at the disappointing glare Rarity gave her.
"A manticore! Is that what we heard?" Twilight asked, shocked, amazed the fillies didn't get themselves killed this time.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo never answered that, but their faces told the entire story.
"Oh my, but why would you even try to do that? I mean.. if you don't mind me asking." Fluttershy asked the three fillies, before her shyness took over, and she partially hid behind her mane.
Sucking in a deep breath, Scootaloo answered: "Because we wanted to try ghost hunting and catching first, but Applejack said we weren't allowed to do that. But we really, really wanted to try it out because it is really, really cool. And we want to get our Cutie Mark by doing something cool. But Rainbow Dash then told us we could get our cutie mark doing something even more awesome than ghost hunting, so we—" She said in one breath, then suddenly stopped as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shot her a glare. "—I mean, I got the idea we should try to catch a manticore and see if that is our special talent," she finished, smiling sheepishly to the adults present that looked at her with their mouths partially agape. Danny once again had to shake his head, not believing the audacious plans these little ponies could come up with.
"You what!" Applejack yelled as she and Rarity shot an angry glare towards Rainbow Dash, making her flinch, before looking back to the three fillies, definitely not amused.
"You. Three. Are. In. So. Much. Trouble!" Applejack and Rarity yelled simultaneously, the intensity of their voices matching the manticore's roar in strength and ferocity.
The three fillies flinched away, folding their ears flat against their heads in an attempt to block the volume, but failing miserably. Even the others reared back from the outburst, glad that they weren't the ones targeted.
"We're sorry." The three young ponies said in unison, confirming Danny's suspicion he had the other day that they had a lot of practice with it.
"Ya bet yer sorry!" Applejack said with forced calm.
"Of all the things you have done, this has to be The. Worst. Possible. Thing!" Rarity added with drama, but the intensity of her voice made it clear she was more than a little mad with her younger sister.
"And don' think we'd forgotten about ya." Applejack said sternly as she looked down at Scootaloo. "We might not be able ta punish ya, but we'll make sure Bellflower hears 'bout this!"
Scootaloo looked down at this. In one part because of any punishment she might get. The other, because it reminded her about the pony who tried to replace her mother. Her jaw tensed in a flash of anger. And as she looked around at all who'd come to look for them, Scootaloo noticed she wasn't even here to begin with.
Snorting, she looked at her friend's sisters. Feeling another pang of anger that their family, at the very least, cared enough to look for them. And although there was Rainbow Dash, who she looked up to as some kind of older sister, this feeling of anger, and even a hint of sadness just wouldn't leave her alone.
Applejack and Rarity were about to continue scolding their sisters for their foalish behavior, telling them that they should know better. But, before they could do so, Zecora stepped forwards, looking around as if she was searching for something.
"I understand your sisters need a stern talking, but I suggest we start walking. This forest is unsafe, especially at night. It is full with creatures that could cause a fright."
Zecora warned all of them with her rhymes, still looking around to make sure there wasn't anything sneaking up on them. Her eyes seemed to linger on the spot Danny's shadow was still hiding, but she soon looked away, scanning some other part of the forest.
"Zecora is right!" Twilight said. "The forest is full of dangerous animals, and we have been lucky nopony got seriously injured," she said with some relief as she looked at the fillies.
This caused for some hushed murmurs as suddenly every pony present, safe for the lone human, looked around the forest. They showed various forms of fear over this. With Fluttershy, huddled in a tight ball, barely peeking past her mane as she shook visibly, being the worst. Zecora, on the other hand, just looked around with a calculating gaze. Showing no fear, but holding a serious look as she watched the forest around them all.
Danny, however, just scratched his head. Still not knowing what animals lived in here other than that oversized cat, or manticore, as he heard them call it. He shrugged mentally as he followed the retreating group out of the forest, looking around in a curious fashion, unlike the studious gaze Zecora showed.
'I still don't have much of an idea what is living here, but if that cat thing is any indication then it won't be much good. Still, it is kinda spooky here. Guess I'm right at home, then.' Danny chuckled softly over his lame joke. 'Speaking about spooky. Shadow, return.' he commanded his specter, making a dark blur approach him from behind. He deliberately stayed at the back of the group because of this, because, despite the darkness consuming almost everything, two green glowing eyes would be noticed.
'Don't think I forgot about you. When I get home, you and I will have that chat of ours!' he thought in a frustrated tone, but some suspicion and possibly a bit of fear seeped through as well.
What exactly was 'living' in his head.
<<>><<>><<>>
As the group of ponies and human walked back home through the forest, they kept looking around nervously, afraid that something would suddenly jump out of the bushes and attack them. Even Danny, who at first was rather nonchalant about the place, was feeling jumpy. The darkness, which almost seem to entomb them, started to wear on him. He wasn't the only one, though. Everyone present in their group was affected by it. Not all as much, of course. Zecora was the calmest of them all, followed shortly by Twilight. But, despite her best efforts to keep a calm mind, Danny noticed her frantic shifting of the head. Almost as if she was trying to look in every direction at once, shining the purple hued light from her horn everywhere.
The others also showed signs of anxiety, some more than others. Rainbow Dash kept as much a brave face as she could, but it was clear she was on edge. Nervous twitches of her wings every time a branch snapped in the dark distance were the most obvious signs. Applejack seemed similar to Rainbow Dash, but behaved more aggressively every time there was some unknown sound. Which was obvious, seeing how she was watching over Apple Bloom. Rarity seemed more worried about Sweetie Belle's muddy appearance though, silently scolding her over the terrible state her mane was in. But when he looked closer, he saw she was just as worried and protective as Applejack, and he was sure that anything that would threaten her younger sister was in for a fierce fight.
Pinkie Pie was.... well Pinkie Pie. She was bouncing around with a large smile on her face, but somehow managed not to make a single sound every time she landed on the ground, despite it being covered with dried leaves, small twigs and branches. From time to time, she even 'Giggled at the ghostly' as she explained to Danny, still giggling as she did so. And no, the irony was not lost on him.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were all huddled together, Rarity and Applejack keeping them in the middle of the group, while Dash flew above them, The three fillies didn't say much. Instead, they just looked down as they were guided out of the forest by the others. Only looking up when they heard something that would also provoke a reaction from the others.
Then there was Fluttershy. She was... troublesome. When the fillies were still unaccounted for, and possibly in danger, her protective instinct took over, making it possible for her to enter the forest and help with the search. But now that they were safe, she had a hard time keeping her composure. Keeping herself as low as possible, hiding her head behind a curtain of pink as she slowly, very slowly, crept forward. In fact, Danny, who was walking at the back of the group, accidentally stepped on her tail once or twice because his long paces easily overtook Fluttershy's slow crawl. This caused her to shriek out and latch onto the first thing that was in hooves reach. Which, of course, was also Danny. And, although it did provide for some relative amusing moments, with the mare clinging tightly onto Danny's torso, no one there could enjoy it.
Eventually, after they walked for almost an hour, the group finally emerged from the forest, glad that they were finally out of that "Dreadful place" as Rarity had put it.
Zecora bid her farewell through her usual rhymes, and left the group as she returned into the forest. Danny asked, almost in shock, why she would go back in there, but everyone there assured him that she knew what she was doing, and that she lived there.
After that was cleared up, Danny split off from the group, telling them he was turning in for the night now the children were safe. Everyone thanked him for his help. Even the crusaders gave a quiet thanks, but didn't dare to speak up louder as they were still in a lot of trouble.
But, as he walked home, he didn't notice the lingering look he got from Twilight; too deep in thought about what had happened in the forest with his shadow to notice.
Someone else, however, did notice.
"So, Twilight. Got your eye on somepony?" Rainbow Dash said with a soft chuckle as she hovered directly next to her ear. The others heard too, and they all turned to look at the flustered unicorn.
"What!? Rainbow Dash! The crusaders were almost killed by a manticore in the Everfree Forest, and you ask me about that, now!?" Twilight said in a simultaneously flustered and condescending tone as she looked at the still grinning pegasus.
"Yeah they could, but they didn't, so that's that. But," she began as her grin widened, making Twilight a bit nervous. "Even with all that, you are the one checking out Danny's flank as he walks away." Rainbow Dash pointed out as she victoriously aimed her hoof at Twilight.
"What!? Rainbow, n-"
"Oh my. How did I not see this earlier!?" Rarity gasped in sudden realization, "Following him around, seeing what he does. Even asking us for help to keep an eye on him. Oh my dear, you got it bad, don't you? But you go about it all wrong."
"Rarity, wha-"
"I know you tend to study up on everything, but this isn't something you can just learn from a book. Honestly dear, what were you thinking? Instead, you could have come to me. Oooh, I can see it now." Rarity swooned, completely ignoring Twilight, whose face was becoming redder with every passing moment. "I could help you find a dress that would certainly catch his attention. It would be nigh impossible for him to look away as he is enraptured by how stunning you ar-"
"Rarity" Twilight shouted, her face almost a glowing red. "I do not have a crush on Danny," she sputtered, more embarrassed than ever.
"What? Are you sure dear?" Rarity said, confused as she was so rudely cut off.
"Yes, I am sure!" Twilight almost yelled in response. Her face now actually glowing red as she looked at the fashionista, then at the rest of the group.
Rainbow Dash was rolling over the ground, unable to stop laughing. Applejack had placed her hat in front of her face, hiding the amused look she had. Pinkie Pie was.... sad that she had to put away the party supplies, which she was going to use to celebrate that Twilight had a crush on Danny. Fluttershy was more composed, but she, too, held a hoof against her muzzle as she chuckled softly. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, however, were beyond saving as they rolled around the ground, laughing so hard that tears streamed down their faces.
"Oh my. Well, should you ever change your mind, my offer still stands." Rarity offered as she slowly backed away, making Rainbow Dash snort out in laughter as she continued to spastically kick her legs in the air.
"Let's just get back to the library so the fillies can tell us what happened exactly." Twilight said forcefully, marching home as the laughter of Rainbow Dash and the fillies followed after her.
<<>><<>><<>>
The moment Danny arrived back home, he locked the door and covered the windows, making it impossible for anyone outside to see what was going on within. But, as a result, it also became impossible for him to see, as the moon's light was now also blocked out. Of course, to him this wasn't really a problem to begin with.
"And now to deal with you," Danny muttered as his eyes turned green, allowing him to see once more. "Shadow, show yourself!" he said out loud, not worrying that anyone would hear him at the moment.
In a flurry of movement, he saw the dark shape that was his shadow form and detach itself from him. The shadow rose up from the floor, almost looking like a balloon inflating as it took on a three dimensional shape. Now standing before him, Danny noticed that his shadow looked different. Not in shape or form, as it could change it on a whim. But its face, or more precisely, its eyes were different. Before, he only saw an almost mindless being, capable only of doing what it was told. A drone. But now, there was a look of intelligence in its eyes. A look of a creature that was learning. Learning about itself and the world around it.
"Master," it spoke, its speech becoming more clear every time it did so, but there was still a patchy tone to it.
Danny clenched his fists at this, hoping that he had just imagined the whole thing, but it proved not to be so.
"Explain!" he said in a forced, calm tone. "Explain how you are doing this!"
"Master was in trouble. Shadow protects master, but shadow too weak." It told Danny.
"In trouble? With who?" Danny asked angrily, but confusion broke through.
"Bad pony," it answered. "Bad pony tried enter master's mind, but shadow fought back. But shadow weak, pony strong, very strong. Shadow need be strong. So shadow took shadow of bad pony, making shadow stronger, smarter.... confused." It added almost in an afterthought.
"What!? What bad pony? Who are you talking about?" Danny yelled in disbelief.
"Pony pri- prin- prin... master Wunaa." it said, struggling with the unfamiliar words.
"Princess Luna!?" Danny said as he reared back in shock.
"Yessss." it responded with a hiss, its form twitching as if it was in agony when Danny said that name.
"And she was trying to enter my mind!? Why?" Danny asked fearfully, not wanting anyone to see what was locked away in there.
"Do not know. But she bad pony, she touched by darkness. Shadow felt it, shadow took it, used it, became stronger from it," it answered.
"And now what? You are capable of doing things on your own now, not following my orders. It was you that was possessing that cat thing in the forest, wasn't it?" Danny said, fearful that his shadow might go rogue one day.
"Yesss." It answered simply.
"Why?"
The shadow was silent for a long time, not knowing how to answer that. It floated before Danny as its outlines twitched erratically while it thought.
"Why?" Danny repeated.
"Little ponies," it said.
"What?" Danny said in confusion.
"Little ponies were in danger. Shadow felt... felt something. Shadow did not listen to master to.. to help little ponies." It said as it visibly shuddered when he said he disobeyed Danny.
"You can feel?" Danny shouted at the latest revelation.
The shadow didn't say anything, only nodding its head as it thought back to the confusing and conflicting feelings it felt when it saw the fillies being in danger.
"What is going on with you!?" Danny asked, more to himself than his shadow, but it replied nonetheless.
"I... I not know.. Master. Shado-.... I- I am confused," the shadow said, when it suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Its slowly growing mind finally personalized itself, right in front of Danny.
"What did you say?" Danny asked in disbelief.
"I am confused," it... no, he repeated.
Danny's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks as he could only look at the slowly developing individual floating before him. Panic was the only thing on his mind at the time. He came here to get away from ghosts, to finally be at peace. Instead, it might very well be that he brought something just like Penelope Spectra into this world, and he felt sick to the stomach. Once again, his powers gave him the finger, and possibly caused for a very dangerous form of ghost to slowly enter the world. But, maybe, there was a chance his shadow wasn't going to hurt others in time. If what he said was true, then he did just save the lives of those three children. But Danny needed to be sure. Shadow might have been a part of him, but he couldn't forget how he 'obtained' his shadow specter.
"Shadow..." Danny started hesitantly, "Why did you save those children exactly?"
"It... it is what master wou- would have done." Shadow answered.
"What!?" Danny said, confused. Of every possible answer he was expecting, this was not one of them.
"I made from you. I part of you. Master w-would save little ponies. I save little ponies," Shadow explained.
"So, you mean that you did what you did, because it is what I would do?" Danny asked, cautiously optimistic. The shadow nodded.
Danny let out a deep sigh of relief, not even realizing that he had been holding his breath until now. It seemed that his shadow, despite its origin, had developed the same mindset as he had.
'He probably used my mind as a template.' Danny thought as he looked at the shadow, 'But still. I can't shake the feeling I am missing something.'
Danny sighed out again. He needed to clear his head if he wanted to think this through properly. And that also meant he couldn't use any mentally developing hitchhikers while doing so.
"Shadow. I want you to stay in the attic until I return, understood?" he ordered, hoping that it would still listen. To his great relief, his shadow nodded and flew up towards the small attic Danny had yet to see for himself.
"Fortunately, that still works." Danny muttered as he looked around, then unlocked the door and stepped out in the night. 'I haven't done this in years, but I know it is exactly what I need right now.' he thought as he closed the door behind him and walked to a hill near his house, looking up at the clear night sky filled with stars.
<<>><<>><<>>
The shadow was hiding in the dark attic, just as his master had ordered him to do.
His master was confused, which was normal, seeing Shadow was also confused. Master had asked him many questions, and he had answered. Yet he was glad master hadn't asked about the dreams. Because, deep down, there was something… Something else. Something that didn't want master to know about the ability to control dreams, not while he was still learning. Shadow felt a strong need to learn more about these ponies. These six brightly colored ponies who, for some reason, made him feel angry. But why? Why would he be angry with them? What did they do to him?
Shadow's confusion continued to grow as his mind did the same. A mind which was formed to resemble that of its master, but there was something else as well. Something completely alien, and it scared him as he looked at the moon through a small window located in the attic.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sitting in the library were nine ponies. Six sat in a semicircle around three fillies, who told their story about what had happened tonight.
"Okay, so let's see if I get this right." Twilight said as she pressed her hoof against her head. "You were chased by the manticore until you got trapped at that cliff where we found you?" she stopped as she looked at the fillies for confirmation. Seeing them nod, she continued. "And then the manticore attacked you, only to stop mid-swing, allowing you to escape." Another pause, another confirmation. "And his eyes were green?" she asked.
"Glowing green, actually." Sweetie Belle corrected.
"Right, of course." Twilight said in disbelief, "Then Rainbow Dash attacked him and a bright flash of light appeared shortly after?" another nod. "Then the manticore attacked Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah, but she was totally avoiding his attacks." Scootaloo said eagerly before her smile fell from her face. "I mean, until she got hit that is."
"The manticore's eyes were also normal again," Apple Bloom added.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Riiight," Twilight said, finding the story somewhat hard to believe. "And then, with Rainbow Dash out for the count, the manticore was making a move to finish her off." Twilight and the rest couldn't help but cringe at the thought, and Rainbow Dash had admitted that it was true, but only because he got in a lucky shot.
"Yeah," Scootaloo said in a small voice, looking down.
"But then something really weird happened!" Sweetie Belle piped up, snapping everypony out of the depressing thought of their friend almost being killed by a manticore.
"Do explain!" Twilight said, already knowing what it was because the crusaders had retold their story three times now.
"The manticore just suddenly reared back, as if he was hit by something. It even roared out as it did so." Apple Bloom told the group of ponies sitting before them in a semicircle.
"Then this really weird glow sur-sur-.."
"Surrounded." Sweetie Belle said the word Scootaloo was struggling with.
"Yeah, that. He was sarounderd by a weird glow, and then his eyes were all glowing green again."
"Then it just roared and walked away." Apple Bloom continued, "Only, it looked like he was injured and such. Almost as if he didn't know how to walk on four legs all of a sudden."
"And then we went to see if Rainbow Dash was alright." Scootaloo said.
"And then I tried to find where the manticore was, only to see it was gone. But the weird thing was that shortly after, we saw a green flash and heard a sound as if some animal was hurt," Rainbow Dash finished.
"Ya sure ya didn't git knocked on tha head ta hard, Rainbow?"Applejack asked the pegasus, having a hard time believing all of this. "It's jus' mighty unlikely."
"Look, I know how it sounds, but it's true. I saw most of what happened what they said." Rainbow Dash said in defense for the Crusaders. "Besides, I'm sure Danny would say the same thing if he were here."
"Yes, about that. Where was Danny in all of that?" Twilight asked.
"Meh. Apparently he was tired from the run towards the crusaders. Two legs really are slowing the guy down, so he was standing on the side catching his breath." Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly, not really thinking about it.
"Really?" Twilight said somewhat in disbelief. "He saw you and the crusaders being attacked by a manticore, and didn't do anything about it?"
"Actually, Twilight. Ah have ta agree with Dash here." Applejack said. "Ah've seen him run before, an' he ain't all that fast. He really ain't built fer speed, that much is true."
"Okayyy," Twilight said, doubtful. "But we all know what it could mean if all of this is true." she said with a shiver in her voice.
"A.. Ah rather not think 'bout it." Applejack said wearily.
"But, Twilight, dear. Surely you're not talking about... about them." Rarity said with venom in her voice.
"I'm not sure. It shouldn't be possible. It can't be possible."Twilight sighed out, unsure, "I will ask Danny what he saw before I jump to any conclusions. Maybe he saw something that could explain all of this." She said as she tried to come up with another explanation for what had happened in the forest tonight. "Why don't you all go home for tonight and get some sleep. Maybe we can figure this out after we have some rest."
"That sounds like a mighty fine idea." Applejack said as she and the rest of the group got up, save for three young fillies.
"But Ah'm not tired ye-aaahwn." Apple Bloom said, but was interrupted by a large yawn. She didn't want to go, she wanted to know what they were talking about.
"Uhu. An' tha sun rises on its own." Applejack said, sarcastically. "And don't ya think yer out of trouble, missy. Ah'll see what yer punishment will be tomorrow."
"The same goes for you, Sweetie Belle." Rarity added.
"AAAAWW." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle groaned as they were led out of the library by their older sisters. Followed shortly by Scootaloo and the rest.
As everypony had left and Twilight was the only one standing in the library, she thought about what the fillies and Rainbow Dash had told them.
It couldn't be real, right? It wasn't possible. But what they had said sounded a lot like... that. No, she needed to clear her head and think logically about this. Wild accusations weren't going to help her, and she still had Danny to talk to. Maybe he could shed some light on all of this.
She slowly walked out of the library, making sure not to make too much sound so Spike wouldn't wake up. Which was unlikely anyhow, considering how fast he sleeps.
Stepping out into the night, Twilight made her way over to a small hill not too far away as she looked up at the night sky.
'I bet a bit of stargazing will help me clear my mind.' she thought.
<<>><<>><<>>
As Twilight slowly made her way towards the hill further ahead, she kept thinking about what the Crusaders and Rainbow Dash had said. Glowing green eyes, and a strange glow surrounding the manticore, it all just sounded so familiar. But it couldn't be, not after Baltimare.
The Crusaders were too young to remember it, but Twilight and the rest of her friends did. They didn't know everything, and what they know varied per pony, but she knew more than them. She knew more because she is Princess Celestia's personal student, and as such, heard more than the common pony. Still, even her knowledge was limited. The princess made sure that nopony heard more than they should, and only revealed partially what had happened in a public press conference. They didn't do this to keep secrets, but to keep their subject from finding out exactly what had happened in a way to protect them from the truth. And, although Twilight wasn't privileged to know the full extent of the situation, she did find out some of the more intimate details regarding the Baltimare incident, as it became known shortly after.
She never saw a ghost personally, thank the stars. But she heard enough to know that, what the fillies said they saw this night, was eerily similar to what was reported of ponies being possessed. A shiver went through her spine as she thought of the implications of what this could mean. If a ghost did manage to get through, then others could do too. She hoped it wasn't so, but the similarities made it difficult for the purple mare to come up with a different idea as to what this could be.
As she walked up the hill, she noticed somepony else lying in the tall grass that covered the incline of terrain.
"Hello, is anypony up here?" She asked, before mentally face-hoofing. Of course there is somepony there, she just saw him or her. It was a clear indication that she needed to clear her mind.
The pony reacted to Twilight's question by sitting upright, its form clearly not that of a pony.
"Yeah, I'm up here." Danny replied when he spotted Twilight a few meters away.
"Danny? What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise.
"Just looking at the stars, trying to clear my mind. What about you?" He asked in return.
"Eh, the same, I guess." Twilight answered in slight surprise. From the limited observations she had made of him, she hadn't thought of him as one that would enjoy stargazing. And not only that, but he even chose the same spot she would frequently visit to do just that. Her friends never showed much interest in the subject either, other than the occasional meteor shower. But that was different. But here was Danny, doing something she enjoyed doing herself too. She was pleasantly surprised to find out they had something in common.
"Are you alright?" Danny asked when Twilight kept looking at him with an unfocused gaze.
"Huh, oh, yes. Yes I'm alright. Kind of zoned out there." She answered after she shook her head to regain focus.
"Aha... Well, if you came here to look at the stars as well, you're welcome to join me, more than enough room, I guess." Danny said in an offhand manner as he lay back down again, hands folded behind his head.
"Eh, thank you." Twilight said, a bit flustered. Never before had somepony, human or otherwise, asked her to join them stargazing.
She slowly walked towards Danny and sat down at his side, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. Fortunately it was dark enough to go unnoticed. Her blush intensified somewhat as she slowly lowered herself and lay on her back in a similar fashion as Danny. This pose left her somewhat exposed, and she quickly covered her more private parts with her tail as she looked up, trying to ignore the heat radiating from her face.
Danny didn't seem to notice, though, as he was looking at the stars above, forming constellations he never saw before.
"It certainly is a nice view." he said, snapping Twilight out of her embarrassment as she now, too, looked up.
"Yes, it certainly is. Princess Luna sure made a beautiful night sky tonight." She answered after a few moments.
Danny raised his eyebrow at this as he gave Twilight a sideways glance.
"How do you mean: Princess Luna made the night sky?" he asked in confusion. No one makes the night sky, it just is there as it is.
"Well, like I said. Princess Luna moves the stars to form a different view each night." Twilight explained to Danny, who gave her a look of disbelief.
"What?" Twilight asked after a moment.
"She moves the stars!?" Danny said somewhat mockingly, not believing it.
"Yes, she does!" Twilight retorted, not liking the tone of his voice.
"That is impossible." Danny said confidently. He might not have finished his school or anything, but if there is anything he knows a lot about, it's space.
"What!? How can you say that?" Twilight asked, shocked.
"Don't get me wrong here, I know you have this strange energy here."
"Magic!" Twilight corrected him with a hint of bitterness.
"Right, magic. But to suggest that she can move the stars, I don't buy that. After all, you know what stars are, right? How far away they are?" Danny asked as he continued to look up, ignoring the stare he got from Twilight.
"Of course I do." Twilight said offended, how couldn't she know. "Stars are small magical orbs, created by princess Luna who takes care of them every night. Just as I said." She said smugly as she proved her point.
Danny just looked at her in a state of shocked disbelief, unable to comprehend what he just heard.
"What!? That is not how it is at all!" he finally said after a while.
"Yes it is! All the books say so." Twilight said victoriously, thinking that she had proved him wrong with that piece of logic.
"All the books say so," Danny said in a flat tone. "Did Luna ever tell you that those books were correct, or did you just assume it to be?" he asked.
"Well, no. I never asked. Why would I? Multiple books tell this is how it is." Twilight said, puzzled by what he was saying.
"Maybe you should. Many people can write many things. Doesn't mean it is true. You should always question what you learn, instead of just accepting it at face value. Because, what is written as truth today, could be completely wrong tomorrow. But if you don't ask the questions you don't want to ask, then how would you even find out. Besides, if I'm right, then your books are wrong and Princess Luna wouldn't be able to move the stars!"
"What. Why!?" Twilight asked, sounding both shocked over what he had just said, and curious about what he could mean.
"Okay. What is a star? Really?" Danny asked.
"I just told you. It is a magical orb made by princess Luna."
"Wrong. A star is a sun, and the sun is a star." he told her.
Twilight looked at him in disbelief for a moment, before she burst out in laughter.
"Pfhaha... Th- that is ridiculous." she sputtered through her laughter. "The sun is far too big to be a star, just look at how small they are," she countered what Danny said while pointing up.
"That would answer my other question it seems!" Danny stated, making Twilight look at him in confusion once more. "You don't know how far away they are!"
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, now genuinely interested.
"They are that small because the stars are that far away. Really far away. Light Years, to be precise." He explained to the confused mare.
"Light years?" She repeated, never before having heard the term.
"You know. The distance light travels in a single year."
"Which is?" Twilight asked eager.
"About five trillion, eight hundred seventy nine billion miles a year." He answered simply, and Twilight looked at him in stunned disbelief.
"And that is only one year. Most stars are tens, if not hundreds or thousands of light years away from us. Some even millions. That is why they look so small. They are just so far away. A lot of those stars are even bigger than the sun here, you know. Much bigger. And this is also why I don't believe princess Luna is moving the stars, because it would mean she is able to move multiple objects, most of them larger than the sun, over a distance that would take light thousands of years to cross. Not only would that mean her magic is able to cross that distance in an instant, and thus moving faster than light itself, which I find difficult to believe. But it would also mean that, if it were true, it would still take hundreds, or even thousands of years before you would see a change in the constellations, as it would take the light hundreds or thousands of years to get here in their new position." he explained to the completely silent mare lying next to him. "And, something that makes the thought of princess Luna moving the stars even worse. What if there are worlds like this one located around the stars out there? What would happen to them when their sun just flies away like that? What would happen to those living on them?"
"But... that can't be. It would mean my books are wrong." Twilight said in horror, not wanting to believe such a thing. "But if you're right, then explain to me how princess Luna is able to move the stars then. I have seen her do it." Twilight countered after she took a moment to recollect herself.
"She's probably only moving the light. Which is impressive on its own, but she isn't moving the stars." He replied almost immediately.
"She moves... the light?" Twilight said stunned.
"Yeah. Any object with sufficient mass can do that. A large gravitational pull that can bend the path of the light. The sun can do such a thing. Planets too, albeit less than a sun. And don't get me started on a black hole. Those things are nasty. I guess that Luna uses her magic to alter the path of the light, making it appear in a different place. But the stars themselves don't move at all." He explained as he shot Twilight a sideways glance.
Twilight just lay there, looking at the stars. Trying to wrap her mind around what Danny just told her. If it was true what he said it would change everything she knew about astronomy.
"Bu-... wha-... How do you know all this?" Twilight asked after several minutes.
Danny just looked up at the stars for a long couple of minutes before answering.
"When I was a kid, I always wanted to become an astronaut. Someone who would go out there, and see the wonders of the universe." He said as he waved his hand in a random direction towards the stars, indicating the whole of them. "I always tried to learn as much as I could about space and rocket science. Probably the only thing I actually studied for," he said with a wry grin.
"You wanted to become an astronaut?" Twilight asked, taking note of the past tense.
"You can't always get what you want," he answered simply.
"I see."
Many minutes passed after that. The two just looking up at the starry night in silence. A slight breeze made Twilight shiver a bit as it hit her exposed belly, and she subconsciously moved a bit closer to Danny.
"It has been a while since I last done this." Danny said suddenly, letting loose a sigh.
"Done what?" Twilight asked.
"Just lie back and just look at what is around me."
"Then why didn't you do it more often?"
Silence was her only answer. And when Twilight finally looked at him, about to repeat the question, she saw he had fallen asleep.
"Stallions," she muttered, before using her magic to levitate him up, and, slowly, moved him back to his home. His prone form drifted through the air, surrounded by a purple aura, which Twilight used as an impromptu flashlight so she could see where she was going.
After a short walk, she stood before Danny's house. And, with a flash of her magic, she opened the door and led herself and Danny in. She moved Danny towards the bedroom, and placed him on his bed and left. But, before she closed the door to his bedroom, she stopped and looked at him once more. A slight blush crept on her face as she thought back at the moment they shared on the hill. It wasn't anything special, but to have somepon-... someone to share something like that. It made her feel rather giddy. But it wasn't the same feeling she got as when she received a new book or completed an assignment from princess Celestia. This was different, and she didn't really understand it.
She closed the door of the bedroom, and did the same with the front door as she stepped out into the night, feeling an unfamiliar feeling slowly spreading through her being. But she was so absorbed by what had happened just now, and what she was feeling, that she completely forgot to ask Danny about what he saw in the forest, or what Zecora had told her. She also failed to notice the glowing green eyes staring at her from a small window in the attic. Eyes that shifted from confusion to anger, and back. A fight happening in the newborn mind of the shadow. A being that recognized her from old memories.
"Aw man. But you were the one who suggested it at first," Dani said with a mock pout and crossed arms.
"Yes, and I've regretted it ever since." Tucker dead panned.
"Oh, and why is that?"
"For starters. The volume. Really, you need to tone it down. I've had several complaints of my neighbors already because of it."
"Oh. But I thought you liked it loud like that."
"No. It's really distracting when I try to do my thing."
"Your thing. Is that what you call it?"
"I'm not even going to answer that."
"So, you are not going to give it to me willingly, huh?" she said with a sinister grin, eying the prize Tucker possessed.
"Eh, noooo." Tucker replied, drawing out the word, not liking where this was going.
"Well then, it seems that I might need to resort to other tactics." Dani threatened with a flash of green in her eyes.
"Wait, wha-" Tucker began, but was interrupted by Dani, who tackled him to the ground, using her legs to pin him down. Then she bent forward, until her face was almost pressed against his.
"Are you sure you won't give it to me willingly?" she asked with a seductive grin and husky voice, staring into his eyes.
Tucker, wanting to fight back, free himself from the hold she had over him, found his resolve weaken the longer he stared into her eyes. He tried to look away, but she moved his head back into place each and every time.
"Come on, don't fight it. You know you can't win." She half whispered.
Tucker sputtered incoherent words as he wriggled under her, Dani's ghost powers making it a lopsided struggle. He knew she was holding back, not even using a single form of her power, except maybe her strength. Her eyes flashed green again as her grin became just a bit larger, slowly moving in for the kill.
Letting out a long, defeated sigh, Tucker relented.
"Fine. You win," he said as he let go of the remote, letting it slide out of his hands.
"Yes!" Dani exclaimed victoriously as she grabbed the instrument of her desire, and quickly flew off towards the TV.
"Just keep the volume down this time!" Tucker half yelled after her, hoping that she would listen this time.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," came the muted reply from the living room, and Tucker heard the unmistakable sound of the TV being set to one of its loudest settings.
"Women," Tucker groaned as he dragged a hand over his face.
He knew his neighbors would come by to complain soon enough now. So, with a heavy sigh, he moved to his impromptu lab where he was working on the modifications on Dani's deflector; hoping to get at least the basics done before they would show up.
<<>><<>><<>>
Valerie sat crouched down on her hoverboard, hovering in place above the city just outside the ghost shield. Using the state of the art scanning devices built into her armor, she was on the lookout for Vlad. He couldn't leave the city while being a ghost, so if he should step out, he would be at his weakest.
It was a long shot. A one in a million chance of her being there when he was passing through the shield, but it was also the only plan she could come up with that didn't involve knocking on his door with one of her rockets.
She sighed out, loudly, as she disengaged her helmet, making it retract and expose her face to the cool breeze that blew high up there.
Shortly after she had gotten away from the army of Vlads, she had sent an encrypted message via the usual means to Tucker and Jazz, telling them what had happened, and that they shouldn't try to find or contact her in case Vlad was monitoring them.
Taking a deep breath to calm her mind, she slowly exhaled as she took a moment to think back to what had transpired not too long ago. Anger once more welled up as she thought about the cruel irony of her losing her home to a ghost, again. First, there was the Phantom menace, who wreaked havoc at her father's work. Losing his job as a result, the two were forced to move into a crap appartement, struggling to make enough money to make end meet.
But now, now she had a place of her own. A job, and a friend/enemy kind of relation with Dani, Jazz and Tucker. And then Vlad took away the place she had worked so hard for to get. Dani was no longer safe, and Jazz and Tucker could get involved as well, if they weren't careful. Heck, they were already involved anyhow.
Valerie's hands tightened into fists as she thought about how unfair it all was. First she lost everything to Danny Phantom. And now Vlad had done the same.
"I will get you for this," she grumbled under her breath.
Suddenly, a loud roar snapped her out of her darker thoughts of how she would tear Vlad a new one. Placing her hand on her stomach, she silently cursed as yet another problem made itself known. She hadn't eaten anything since Vlad had decided to remodel her home. And, although she was used to making long days without much to eat, she was coming upon her limit.
'Dammit. I need to eat something, and soon, or I won't be able to do much fighting at all.' She thought as she, reluctantly, moved away from her spot above the green glowing dome.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't have any money on her. And she couldn't just go back to her place to get some either. Not only would Vlad undoubtedly know, but there was also a police investigation ongoing. And Specter suddenly showing up, and going through the destroyed apartment would raise some questions.
This left her with not many options. She could break her communications silence, and ask Jazz or Tucker for help, but there was the chance this would expose them to Vlad. So, with her own place out of the question, and not able to safely go to her contacts, she was left with only one option. Something she had hoped she would never have to do.
Engaging her helmet, making it cover her head once more, she activated the scanning unit, altering the search criteria from Vlad to a somewhat abandoned food stall.
Her scanners were quick to find one that matched her criteria, and projected the route on her visor.
It wasn't until she was directly above the place, however, that she recognized where she was. And she couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of anger and nostalgia. Right there, underneath her, was the same stall where she first saw Dani. The same apple stall where Dani had stolen the apples when she was out of options.
"I will get you for this. All of it." She said through gritted teeth, flying into the alley where Dani had hid all those years ago.
Of course, she knew that Vlad had his spy drones everywhere, and that she wouldn't go unnoticed. But she did have her ways to buy her some time before he would find out.
Scanning the surrounding area, trying to locate any and all drones, she then send a short, but powerful data burst at them to scramble their systems, temporarily disabling them.
It was something she'd discovered some time ago by accident. She doubted that Tucker even knew of this when she found out, but now she uses it to create a temporary blind spot in Vlad's spy network. It wouldn't last long, though. Probably about three minutes before the systems would reset, and resume their spying of the city. Vlad would be alerted about the system's failure, of course, but Valerie would be long gone by that time. And the place was also far enough away from anything linked to her for him to make the connection, she hoped.
'I really hate to do this.' she thought as she landed.
She gave the vocal command for the suit to power down, and retract around her; leaving her without anything to cover her, except the same, now dirty, clothes she had been wearing since she escaped from Vlad.
Sighing out, she quickly moved to the small stall where her next meal waited.
She didn't like this, and she wished she could use her Specter armor, but she knew that if word would get out, Vlad would know she was struggling to get by. And he would exploit such a weakness. No, she needed to do this the hard way.
No, she didn't like it. Not only was she reduced to petty theft to keep Vlad off of Dani's trail, but it also reminded her of the time she was basically living on the streets, either ghost hunting, or trying to earn enough money so she and her father would make it through the month.
"And all this for a ghost," she muttered with a humorless laugh as she moved towards the apple stall. 'Well, half ghost, I should say. Really, what's up with that?' she asked herself again for the umpteenth time.
Standing at the edge of the alley next to the stall, she carefully peeked past the corner, making sure no one was there to see here. And she noticed she was mostly in luck, as the street seemed almost empty. Still, there was one witness present. Mainly, the salesman that sold the apples. The same guy who had also been there when Dani took some apples herself.
Standing there, pressed against the wall, trying not to draw any attention to herself, she waited for a moment he wasn't looking. Fortunately for her, he didn't seem to notice the woman standing partially hidden in the alley. If he had, he probably wouldn't allow her anywhere near his products. Still, just because he didn't notice her, didn't mean he wasn't paying attention. He kept his gaze firmly on his goods while also looking around the street, trying to find any potential buyers.
'Dammit, this isn't working.' Valerie thought after a minute and a half had passed, 'I need to distract him somehow, but how?'
Once again, her specter arsenal didn't provide the answer in this situation. She might have disabled Vlad's spy drones in the vicinity, but those further away still work. And, although they couldn't see her from that far, they were more than capable to detect her unique weapons signatures. So she couldn't use those.
'So, what do I do now?' she thought, when a slight breeze blew an empty soda can against her feet.
Looking down to see what had hit her, she suddenly had a smug look as a plan started to form.
'It are always the simplest solutions that we miss.' She thought as she picked up the can, crushing it into a small package.
She looked around the corner, trying to see if the salesman wasn't looking at her. Sensing her chance, she threw the can over him, making it clatter onto the ground several meters on besides the man, opposite of where she was hiding.
The vendor, startled by the sudden noise, immediately turned the direction the sound came from.
Taking her chance, Valerie quickly grabbed several apples from the stall, and quickly retreated back into the alley.
"Hmm, must've been hearing things," she heard the man mutter as he returned to his business, not noticing the fruit which was missing.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief when she knew she had gone unnoticed, and she quickly, but quietly moved deeper into the alley. Staying out of sight, hiding in the shadows, a place where she was most comfortable. Making sure that she found a spot that would hide her from any and all unwanted visitors, spy drones or otherwise, she sat down, and looked at her meager score.
Three apples. It wasn't much, and it wouldn't keep her going for long, but it was better than nothing. Something her stomach agreed with, as it reminded her that she was quite hungry.
Making short work of her meal, she quickly moved on, not wanting to stay there any longer than she needed to be.
Activating her armor and hoverboard, she made haste to return to her spot above the shield. It was the best place to watch over all the exits of the city, and, maybe, hopefully, she was able to lure mister high society out from underneath the rock he was hiding. It was a long shot, very much so. But, unless she could come up with something that wouldn't potentially endanger Dani, this would have to do.
Still, something gnawed at her. She was a woman of action, and not one to sit still, waiting for Vlad to take the all too obvious bait. She really wanted to just go to his mansion, and level the place. But she couldn't get away with that. Not only would Vlad, the 'good-hearted' mayor of Amity Park, use it against her. It would also mean she was out in the open, on his terrain. And she was no idiot as to know what that would mean.
'Never fight your enemy on their own ground, unless you have a working plan of action that you know will work!' She reminded herself, thinking back to the time she and that Phantom brat were chained together by Skulker, forcing them to work together as he hunted them both on his personal hunting ground.
She hoped Tucker would figure out how to modify the deflector, and soon. She had an itchy trigger finger, and the only thing holding her back was that she wouldn't risk Dani's safety.
Resetting her scanners back to Vlad's signature, she once more looked out over the city below; hoping Vlad would make a mistake, but knowing it wouldn't be that easy. Vlad was far too calculative, far too manipulative, to make a stupid mistake that would risk himself. She knew she was just a sitting duck, and she knew Vlad would undoubtedly know this, too. So, even if she would get a lucky break and catch him if he were to pass through the shield, it would be a part of one of his plans, and certainly not because she just got 'lucky'.
Oh well. At the very least it meant Vlad couldn't follow her to any of the safe houses that she and the ragtag group of semi-professional ghost hunters had.
Mainly, their homes.
Sighing out once more, the sound warped by the voice manipulator build into her helmet, she resumed her watch over the city, hoping for a lucky break, knowing that it would never be that easy.
Suddenly, her scanners lit up, showing they found something at the edge outside the shield. The scans were unclear, but it was definitely an ectoplasmic signature.
"Could it be?" She wondered, not believing her scanners had picked up on something.
She slowly made her way to the coordinates shown on her heads up display, or HUD, so she wouldn't give away her position too soon.
'Wait..... Is that…' Her chain of thought came to a halt as she saw the Box Ghost doing... something.
Floating near the edge of the shield, holding some kind of weird contraption, the Box Ghost looked intently at the green shimmering shield in front of him.
She didn't know what to make of this. What was this idiot ghost doing here?
Not knowing what he was doing here, and not interested to deal with this buffoon right now, she was about to intervene and blast him if necessary. Oh, how much she wanted to do that right now. But, just as she was about to dive down and go full Specter on him, her scanners came to life once more, revealing to her four other ectoplasmic signatures hiding behind some of the trees standing about a hundred meters away from the city's limit.
Not knowing what this was, she decided to hold back for now and just watch. Who knows, she might learn something useful?
Then again, this was the Box Ghost, so it might very well be nothing but a waste of time.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes earlier
"You really think this is going to work?" Ember asked Technus as she, Technus, Skulker and Spectra were keeping a distance from the city, and the shield covering it, observing the Box Ghost while hiding behind several trees.
True enough, they could turn invisible, which they had. But the city had too many ghost detecting devices installed for them to not take any chances. Which also meant that the Box Ghost had most likely already been detected. Though, they didn't feel like sharing that particular piece of knowledge with him.
"If my calculations are correct, and I'm almost sure they are. Then it should, yes." Technus confirmed, full with confidence as he eagerly watched the small, pale form floating before the shimmering shield.
"Should?" Ember muttered, shooting a sideways glance at the techno ghost. "Anyhow. How did you get that loser to help us with this anyway?" She asked Skulker, pointing her thumb to the pale blue ghost.
"Yes, I would like to know as well." Spectra added.
"Oh, that. I just made him an offer he couldn't refuse." Skulker said, grinning evilly.
****
Several hours earlier.
"You!" Skulker barked.
"Me?" The Box Ghost asked dumbly, pointing at himself.
"Yeah, you. Who else could I be talking to?" Skulker asked, annoyed.
"Eeh? Well, maybe…. Ehm, no." The Box Ghost said as he turned around, pointing to the ghost who was no longer there. "Hmm, what about... No," that ghost was gone too. "Hey, where did everyone go?" He wondered, not realizing they had all fled when Skulker showed up.
"They left." Skulker deadpanned.
"Really? Why?"
"Maybe because your head's as empty as your boxes!" Skulker grumbled.
"What?" The Box Ghost asked.
"Maybe because you are such a weak, pathetic ghost." Skulker said with disdain.
"What? Why would you say that?" Box Ghost asked, hurt.
"Because it's true!" Skulker stated, holding up a wanted posters of the Box Ghost, showing a reward of negative one thousand.
"Oh, like that," the Box Ghost sulked, flying away in defeat.
"Yes, like that!" Skulker stated as he blocked the ghost's path. "How about we change that!?" He asked with a fake, friendly tone, which the Box Ghost missed completely.
"Huh?"
"It's simple, really. My partners and I need some help testing some new product, but we somehow lack the skill necessary to handle such a delicate object. Which led me to you. Your skill with handling boxes would be extremely valuable to us." Skulker said, buttering the blue ghost up, but inside his armor the mini ghost gagged.
"Really?" The Box Ghost asked hopefully.
"Yes," Skulker answered with the best fake confidence he could manage. "Do this, and I'm sure all the ghost in the Ghost zone will undoubtedly hear about it. Hear about you." The Box Ghost completely missed the evil tone and grin Skulker now showed.
"I'll do it," he said with pride, thinking things were finally looking up for him.
"Glad to hear it," Skulker said truthfully. It didn't matter to him if this would work, or not. If it did, it was good for them. If it didn't, it would provide for some entertainment.
"Real glad to hear it."
****
"You're kidding, right?" Ember asked, not believing that story one bit.
"Surprisingly, no." Skulker replied, sounding a bit surprised himself.
"No knives, guns, threats, or other things that would involve you dealing out bodily harm?" Ember asked sarcastically, still not believing it.
"Yes, I know." Said Skulker, sounding somewhat disappointed.
"Wow. I guess miracles do happen." Ember said, sarcastically, making Penelope and Technus chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Skulker grumbled
"Gladly," Technus shot back, laughing like a madman.
"Look, you three. Laugh all you want, but if I wasn't able to trick this idiot in doing this, one of us had to do this test themselves. So give me some credit." Skulker sneered.
"Okay, okay. You're right. It's just that we never thought it possible for you to use anything else other than your weapons. Especially not words, that's for sure." Penelope said as she returned her attention to the Box Ghost.
"Or his brain," Technus added with a snort.
Skulker gave an annoyed humph at that, before looking back at the dense ghost he had tricked into helping them.
"Say, what exactly is this thing of yours supposed to do anyhow?" Skulker asked Technus.
"Well. If all works as it should, the blue buffoon should be able to pass through the shield without any problem. He would just go through it just like we would go through a wall when intangible." Technus answered, not letting the 'blue buffoon' out of his sight.
"Hmm, I see." Skulker grumbled.
Suddenly, his armor's long range scanners picked up on a slowly approaching object. Slowly moving towards the Box Ghost.
"Looks like we have a visitor!" he remarked as he pointed at the lone human crouched on a hoverboard.
"Specter." Spectra hissed with anger.
"What is she doing here?" Ember wondered.
"Clearly, she has detected the blue idiot," Skulker observed. "Probably because he is taking so long."
"Yeah. Hurry it up, you blue buffoon!" Technus shouted, and Penelope clasped her hand over his mouth, silencing him.
"You idiot. If Specter hears you we will all be in serious trouble," she said in a hissed whisper.
"Oh, right." Technus scratched his neck, looking somewhat embarrassed after she said that.
"Oh, just be quiet, alright?" Ember sneered. "Besides, it looks like she is holding back. Oh, and look at that. It seems our pawn is finally making a move."
All four of them stopped their bickering when she said that. Paying close attention to what was happening, and to see if Technus contraption would actually work.
<<>><<>><<>>
The Box Ghost stared intently at the green shimmering shield in front of him, making sure he held the device Technus gave him tightly in his grasp.
It was quite small, actually. A spherical machine, easily held in one hand. Made of a dull chrome, several geometric patterns decorating the surface, and faint lights pulsing here and there. A soft hum could also be heard coming from within the device.
Taking a deep breath, just to calm his nerves, not because of any need to breath, he slowly moved forwards.
'Okay, Earl. This is it. Don't let them down now. They're counting on you.' Earl though.
Slowly, he moved forward; hesitant to do so. Knowing all too well what it felt like to hit the shield with speed; an obstruction which flipped the rules. Mortals can phase through, while he, or any other ghost for that matter, would be blocked by the green glowing film of light.
He stretched out his free hand as he approached the shield, near enough to almost touch it. Slowly, inch by inch, he closed the distance; closing his eyes in fear for the imposing dome of ghost repelling light.
Edging closer and closer still, he slowly became aware of something. Something very… wrong. By now, he should have closed the distance and touched the shield. But he hadn't.
Cracking open an eye, Earl carefully looked at his hand. Blinking rapidly as his brain had trouble processing what his eye was seeing. Drawing back his hand, he looked at his limb as if he had just felt his own pulse.
Blinking dumbly, he raised his hand again, slowly pushed it against the shield once again. There was no resistance. The moment he was about to touch the shield, it caved in, almost as if he pressed into a balloon. Hovering there, Earl began to chuckle. Softly at first, but picking up in force and volume until it was an all out laughter.
****
"What!!??" Valerie shouted, not able to believe what she was witnessing. "That's impossible," she yelled, dropping into into a steep dive to intercept the ghost, hoping she could stop him.
****
Earl, now a lot bolder, moved forward; the shield moving away from him as he did so. The excitement he felt from breaking the established rules forced upon him, and all of ghostkind, made it so he missed two very important facts.
First, the highly trained, and feared, ghost catcher, Specter was quickly zeroing in on him. And secondly, he hadn't truly penetrated the shield. It had merely deformed, never truly allowing him to pass through. Even more so, the deformation he caused into the glowing surface slowed down more and more the further he pressed on. Much like a rubber band being pulled taut. Something was going to give, but it wouldn't be shield.
Earl, unaware of all of this, continued to move forward with glee, until the shield wouldn't give any further, and he pressed into the glowing surface with his outstretched hand.
"Huh?" He uttered, pushing against the offending green wall.
Angered with his impeded progress, he tried everything he could to continue. First, he tried knocking on the wall. Then he threatened it with his boxes, and the occasional bubble wrap. All with little success. Eventually, he flew forward, pushing into the shield, straining himself to pick up as much speed as he could.
Slowly, the shield caved in some more, building up more and more strain with every grunt of exertion from Earl. Then, the tipping point, and the shield snapped back in shape, launching Earl away with impressive speed.
"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Earl yelled as he shot off into the distance with an arc, dropping Technus' device as he passed their hiding spot
"Whoa!" Specter yelled as she was forced to dodge out of the way of the undead projectile.
"Wow!" Ember shouted, amazed.
"What was that!?" Spectra demanded to know.
"Hahaha!" Skulker laughed uproariously.
"Interesting!" Technus mused gleefully.
"That was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long, long time." Skulker wheezed, barely able to contain his laughter.
"Technus, what did just happen?" Penelope asked over the roaring laughter of their cybernetic partner.
"Yeah. You said this was going to work." Ember added.
"It seems I might have made a slight miscalculation." Technus grinned as he rubbed his chin, ignoring the looks he got from the two females, and the laughter of Skulker.
"You think!?" Ember said sarcastically, annoyed.
"Meh." Technus uttered vaguely, wobbling a flat hand in the air. "Maybe just a bit. Still, the show was nice."
"... Agreed." Ember and Penelope admitted, while Skulker was still laughing.
"Oh well," Technus hummed, moving to retrieve the device the Box Ghost had dropped. "I will need to make some minor adjustments to this thing, but I'm sure that next time it will work," he said confidently.
"Really!?" Ember asked, unamused, somewhat skeptical.
"Oh, yes. Here," Technus said as he manipulated the device a bit with his powers. "That should do it!"
"Wait, that was it?" Penelope asked, surprised.
"Oh, yes. I only needed to reset this thing to default," he said with an evil grin.
"Wait!... You mean that..." Ember asked, only to be interrupted by Skulker who burst out in laughter once again when they realized what Technus had done.
"Maayybee~" Technus said with false, singsong voice. "But I'd suggest we leave for now, because someone has taken an interest in us," he pointed out, nodding towards Specter, who was quickly flying towards them.
The four of them flew off with haste, leaving only their roaring laughter for Specter to catch.
<<>><<>><<>>
"I'm telling you the truth, Tucker!" Valerie yelled over the com link, no longer caring about whether or not Vlad could trace it. "I saw the Box Ghost using some kind of device that deformed the shield. He didn't breach it, but he was getting close. Too close."
"But that doesn't make any sense. The Box Ghost hasn't shown to have the intelligence needed to make a device like you've described." Tucker replied in frantic tone, knowing that if what Valerie said was true, and he had no reason to doubt her, then this was very, very bad.
"Well, he wasn't alone. Sort of."
"What do you mean?"
"I detected four other ecto patterns near the tree lines. Invisible, so I don't know for sure who they were. But their energy patterns suggest them to be Skulker, Ember, Spectra and Technus." Valerie replied, silently scolding herself for not mentioning that earlier.
"Wait!... Technus!?"
"Yes. And I know."
"..... This is bad. If he has figured out how to bypass the shield, we are all back in the same situation we were before the shield was built." Valerie could hear the rapid typing sound of him working on his computer over the com as he said that.
"Yeah, like I don't know that. So, what do we do about it?" She asked, unsure. Something like this had never happened before, as far as she knew, and she didn't really know how to deal with the situation.
"Did you manage to obtain the device you were talking about?" Tucker asked, sounding most serious.
"No." She said, barely above a whisper, not wanting to admit they got away from her.
"Come again?" Tucker asked.
"I said no, I don't have it. They took the device, and flew away before I could get to them." She admitted through gritted teeth.
"Damn. Okay, listen. We don't know what they're planning, but it is obvious that it is bad. You need to keep monitoring the city's border. If they come back, we need to be ready. But by the sound of what you said, it seems this was merely a test of sorts. And if that is the case, they could also go to the other cities with shields. Still. It's better to be prepared. Just keep a close eye on anything that seems suspicious, we will do the same on our side. Also, I'm almost finished with the modifications to Dani's deflector, so she should be back in the field in no time at all." Tucker instructed Valerie in a calm, commanding tone, taking control of the situation before things could spiral out of control.
"I have transmitted the security code from the city's Spectral Scanning System," Tucker told her. "Use the triple S to increase your own scanning range, but be careful not to use the system too long, or Vlad might find out. That creep has his own systems running wild through the entire network." Tucker growled venomously. "Five minutes, max. No longer. And give it some cool down time, too. About ten, fifteen minutes. Understood?"
"Understood!" Valerie confirmed as she saw the codes scrolling down the HUD of her visor. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, close the link before Vlad might pick up on it." Tucker replied.
"Affirmative." Was all Valerie said before she cut the transmission.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker sighed out loudly, leaning back in his chair. He had hoped his countermeasures were enough to keep Vlad out of the systems. But, with the resources that Vlad has, that would be a difficult challenge.
"So, that just happened," he said to no one in particular, pinching the bridge between his eyes.
"You think it's really possible? For ghosts to breach the shield, I mean." Dani asked, unsure.
"...It's possible, in theory. If Technus has been able to build a device that would cause the ectoplasm of a ghost to resonate with the shields' own frequency, then yes, unfortunately." Tucker said in a flat, even tone. "There is no chance that Vlad had missed this. In fact. It surprises me that he hasn't already showed up when Valerie contacted us. Perhaps he's preoccupied with his own schemes? But, whatever the reason, things have become somewhat more difficult for us."
"Yeah, no kidding! If ghosts can go through the shield, our main line of defense is useless." Dani said, worried.
"Exactly." Tucker muttered as he walked over to his workbench, on which lay the Specter Deflector which he had been working at for the last few days.
"Here, try this on." He told Dani as he handed over the Deflector. "I completed the modifications, except the reconfiguration to your unique energy signature. You know how it goes."
"That, I do!" Dani confirmed as she wrapped the belt around her waist. "Same old, same old?"
"You know it." Tucker agreed as he walked over to his computer. "Well, here goes."
With a push on the execute button, the program started. A whirling noise emanated from the belt as the program worked its magic, and Dani felt a faint static wave pass over her, recognizing it as the Deflector's energy tuning in onto her own. Several minutes went by in complete silence, except for the sounds the computers and Deflector made.
Suddenly, a beeping noise emanated from the computer besides Tucker, indicating the program had ran its course.
"Did it work?" Dani asked, hopefully.
"I guess so, but we can't know for sure unless we test it out in the field." Tucker replied, reluctantly. "You can go back out there, but keep your distance from Vlad's drones, and other devices that could detect you. I can't guarantee that this cloak will be as effective as the previous one, so be careful." He explained, hoping she would listen.
"Yeah, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere near Vlad if I can help it," Dani reassured him. " Not unless I know I can get away with it," she added a moment later.
"I guess that's better than nothing," Tucker sighed out.
"Heh, what did you expect?" She said with a grin, and flirtatious wink.
"I- I'm not really sure." Tucker stammered a bit, his face heating up. Turning away from her, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Still, thanks for keeping me safe." Dani said, stepping closer to Tucker with half lidded eyes.
"Eh... well. It's not like I did all that much. I only gave you a place to stay while I modified your Deflector," Tucker stammered in slight panic as Dani stepped a bit closer.
"Don't sell yourself short, Tuck. You did more than that. A lot more." Dani half whispered, now standing directly in front of Tucker; looking up as he was a head taller than her.
"Wh- what're you doing?" Tucker almost squeaked, his voice strained as he tried to keep his cool.
"Just saying thanks," she replied as she flew up to be at the same height, and pulled Tucker into a hug.
Tuckers mind was on the fritz. He was not expecting this. Then again, he didn't really know what to expect. Here was a beautiful woman his feelings weren't sure about, hovering in front of him, saying she wanted to thank him. The more questionable parts of his mind came up with images he didn't really know how to feel about. The more logical part of his psyche shouted that those thoughts weren't right, but some other part wanted to give in to those thoughts. But, before he could decide what to do, Dani had pulled him in a hug, which was something that had, surprisingly, not crossed his mind.
In a daze, Tucker slowly returned the hug, trying to make sense of his conflicting thoughts. He felt Dani hold him a bit tighter, and he was forced to feel her bosom press against his chest. Making it harder and harder to keep his thoughts strictly professional.
Finally, almost reluctantly, Dani released him. But not before she gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Eh... Thanks," Dani said in a hurry, her face a deep crimson as she shot off. Turning intangible as she flew through the wall, and disappeared from sight.
"You're.... welcome," Tucker finally managed to say after staring at the wall she flew through for several long minutes. His face also a deep red as he gingerly touched the cheek she had just kissed.
<<>><<>><<>>
Dani flew over Amity Park, (Invisible, mind you. No need to start a panic about a ghost inside the shield.) not really paying attention to where she was going.
Normally, a random flight like this would help her clear her mind, or just gave her the thrill of flying around. After all, that was the ultimate freedom; something she truly enjoyed. But not this time. As she flew around, she couldn't help but think back to what just happened; how she just kissed Tucker on his cheek. It was completely out of character for her.
'Why did I do that?' She thought.
True, she always felt a tight knot in her chest every time she and Tucker were close. And having to spend the last several days with him didn't help either. But why was she acting like that around him? Either she would create a situation where she had a chance to get really close to him, like the whole remote control debacle. Or she would do something like... well, like she just did.
She needed to talk to someone about this, someone who could tell her why she was acting like this. At the very least, she knew for sure it wasn't because she liked him. After all, just like they had said several times now, they were not a couple. But who could she go to? Tucker was, obviously, out of the question. Nor did she think he would know much about things like this to begin with. He might know about computers, but feelings and such, not so much. That said, she didn't know much about the subject either. She was more a tomboy than a girly girl, something she took much pride in.
But then who? Valerie.... Nah. Maybe if she wanted to know a new technique to beat up a ghost or something, but she didn't seem like the one that would indulge in this kind of thing. That would leave Jazz, which seemed like the most obvious choice when she thought about it. Why didn't she think about her first? Of course a psychiatrist could help her figure out what was going on in that head of hers.
But she would have to wait. Jazz was still away to that convention, and wouldn't be coming back until later this day. Until then, Dani would just have to find something else to do to keep her mind of these thoughts.
So, with a somewhat sound plan of action, she headed towards the location Valerie had said the Box Ghost almost breached the shield, more than a bit curious to find out what really had happened there. She doubted that she would find anything new, though. Valerie did say she'd already searched the area, and the woman knew her stuff regarding investigating a haunted zone. Still, maybe she got lucky and find something Valerie missed. She would have to be careful, though. Vlad could also show up. Just like Tucker said, there is no way he missed this.
Landing in an abandoned alley, Dani turned visible again and hid the Deflector underneath her shirt. Walking out into the sunlight, she headed towards the gleaming shield.
'Now, let's see what we can find.' Dani thought as she moved through the crowd between her and her destination.
It seemed that, somehow, no one had noticed the Box Ghost's earlier attempt to break in. People were just walking the streets, minding their own business. No screaming, or mass panic. No Masters Blasters, or other 'professional' ghost hunting team investigating the scene. Nothing. Nothing, but people performing the same mind numbing routine they always performed. Send texts, talk on their phones, shout at others for various trivial reasons, and the occasional glances Dani got from the passing man, and some women, to check her out when they thought she wasn't looking.
Giving a roll with her eyes at that, she pushed through the mass of bodies and emerged on the other side with relative ease. Partly because she used her intangibility here and there when she felt confident enough she could get away with it.
"Why is there not a decent place for me to turn visible over here instead of all the way back there?" She grumbled under her breath as she brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear.
Sighing out, Dani moved forward towards the designated exit through the shield. Just like the tears, they kept a close eye on who went throug. This meant a control point was placed on all the roads leading out of the city. Luckily, this particular control point was near the place Valerie said the Box Ghost had been. So, at the very least, she didn't have to fly around all over town just to get where she needed to be.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't longer possible for her to just go to the edge of the shield, go human, and move through. After the shield was put up, the city also invested in multiple spectral detection cameras which kept a close watch on things around the edge. This system was also why it was impossible for Vlad to miss what had happened, seeing how he had infected the systems with his own software, making them send a live copy of their feed to his personal computer. And this would also be a problem for Dani, if Tucker's deflector wouldn't cloak her for them through some kind of electronic thingamajig she didn't understand. But now, without being certain that the deflector would properly hide her, she couldn't risk it on what was probably a wild goose chase. And so, she was forced to use the same way as everyone else.
Fortunately for her, there didn't seem to be that many people who were leaving the city. At least, not from this point through the shield.
It didn't take long for her to move through control, giving a nod to the man on duty, while suppressing a mocking smirk, and moved through. Stepping through the shield, she walked to the small gathering of trees so she wouldn't give herself away. Then, as she jumped behind one of the trees, she turned ghost and invisible, flying towards the place Valerie had mentioned; looking around as soon as she arrived, trying to find anything Valerie might have missed, but no such luck.
"Nothing." Dani sighed as she landed and kicked the dirt.
A local bystander heard her, and saw a patch of dirt flying away. However, unable to see Dani, the middle aged woman came to the mind numbing, logical conclusion that there was a ghost.
"Oh, crap!" Dani swore as the woman started to panic and scream. "I need to get out of here."
Dani was just about to fly away, when a puff of cold air escaped her mouth. Knowing what this meant, she quickly scanned her immediate surroundings to see if she could find which ghost it was her ghost sense had detected. Maybe Technus, or any of his associates had come back to test out their contraption again?
It didn't take long for her to find who it was that had triggered her ghost sense. Mainly, because he wasn't really putting in much effort to stay hidden.
"Ooowoow," the Box Ghost wailed painfully, carefully rubbing his back.
Hovering in place, he looked around near the trees, trying to find the other ghosts he knew were there.
"Uhm...guys?" He called out, wincing as a stab of pain shot through his back. "Where are you?"
Dani looked in disbelief at the ghost as he continued his not so subtle search for the others. Forcefully shaking her head to snap out of it, she flew towards the failed package delivery guy.
"Hey, you!" Dain shouted out as she turned visible.
The Box Ghost turned around to see who was shouting, a look of surprise on his face as he saw the ghost girl fly towards him.
"Who, me?" he asked, dumbly, pointing a finger at himself; wincing as another stab of pain shot through his back.
"Yeah, you. Who else could I be talking with?" Dani shot back, annoyed as she indicated the lack of people, dead or alive, behind him.
"Maybe them?" He replied while pointing behind Dani.
"What?" Dani voiced her surprise, turning around, eyes widening in shock as she saw the Masters Blasters' gun ship coming for them.
"WHAT!?" she shouted again. She never, for even a second, had considered the possibility for those idiots to show up.
They didn't have much of a brain, fortunately, but they made up for it with firepower, and a corrupt politician, who also happened to be a ghost in disguise, to provide them with a continuously improving arsenal.
"Oh no, not these morons." Dani sighed in dread, weakly facepalming. Not able to find the energy to put much force behind it as she heard them yell their trademark, and annoying yell over their ships P.A. system.
"MASTERS BLASTERS STOP DISASTERS!"
Shuddering a bit from the horrible yell, Dani turned back to the Box Ghost, saying just one word.
"Run!"
"Right." He said. Turning around, and yelling loudly while flailing his legs in the air in a mock attempt to run away, he suddenly shot off, only to crash into a three he missed.
Sliding down the trunk in, what seemed like slow motion, the Box Ghost fall flat on the ground, unconscious.
It was at this display of utter stupidity, Dani facepalmed so hard even the Masters Blasters flinched from merely seeing it. Clearly, Dani had just surpassed Carl's set record, earning her the grand prize of a massive headache and a red hand mark on her face.
"If you want to do something right," she muttered, while rubbing the painful mark she'd left on her face.
"Wow. Guys, is it just me, or did you two feel that too?" Vid asked at both Thrash and Download.
"Yeah," both males answered dumbly.
"Okay, just checking. Now, let's catch some ghosts." Vid commanded, "Download, take that one that knocked himself out, no need to make this difficult."
"You got it, Vid." Download said, aiming the ghost catching array onto the Box Ghost. "Download in progress," he said as he activated the array. "Aannd, ghost downloaded. Ready for the next."
"Great job. Now, Thrash aim the blasters at this white haired bitch. Let's see if we can send her back to the afterlife!" Vid shouted the command as she flew the jet into an optimal firing position.
"Oh, son of a bi- WHOA!" Dani yelled as she narrowly managed to avoid the dark red, twin blast fired from the ship's double blasters.
"Damn, missed." Thrash cursed as he re-aimed the blasters back onto target.
'Crap! Just when I got a lucky break and found the Box Ghost, these idiots show up. And, of course, they had to capture him. I can't believe this, but, if I want to find out what he knows, I have to save his sorry ass.' Dani groaned in thought as she flew left and right, avoiding the ectoplasmic shots meant for her.
Turning around, and continuing to fly backwards, she channeled energy in her right hand, and shot a single bolt of destructive might at the Blasters blasters. A small explosion, combined with dark red glowing energy coursing through it, followed moments later; shaking the ship as the weapon was destroyed.
"Yes!" Dani cheered, but it was short lived as the remaining blaster focused on her, forcing her to duck and flee once more as the Blasters resumed their hunt.
"Get back here, you little freak." Thrash yelled over the P.A., taking the destruction of the ship's weapon personally.
"Fun as it might seem, I think I am going to pass." Dani taunted as she swished left, right, up and down to avoid the blasts fired at her. The task being somewhat easier now that their main gun's power was cut in half.
Not letting up, Dani returned fire every time she got an opening. Sending multiple shots of toxic green ectoplasm towards the ship, hoping to hit something important. But it only served to harass the Blasters.
"Ha, is that all you've got?" Vid taunted, maneuvering the ship back and forth while avoiding every shot fired at them.
"Actually, no!" Dani answered as she made a sharp U turn, shooting clear past the ship as it struggled to make a similar maneuver. But, not being nearly as maneuverable as the ghost girl, it failed to do so. Instead, it turned in a wide arc, giving Dani a few precious seconds to catch her breath, and warm up her next attack. Or should that be cool down?
Channeling her ice powers into both hands, making them glow an ice blue, she grew a large snowball in between her hands. Mentally counting to three, she allowed the ship to close enough of the distance, making it impossible for them to avoid what was coming as she threw the large orb of frozen water, watching in satisfaction as it collided with the ship.
"Oh," was all Vid said as they all saw the frozen projectile hit their windshield, blinding them as the glass froze up, and cracked from the force.
"Why, you little-" Trash cursed, before he was interrupted by a large shock rocking their ship.
"She is attacking us!" Download yelled as he read the various damage reports on his console, "Main gun is offline, left wing is damaged, lights are... disabled," he reported as the cabin plunged into darkness, the only light now came through the iced up, cracked window. Which didn't do much to help them see.
"Anything else?" Vid asked through gritted teeth.
"Yeah," Download said, hesitantly, after a few tense seconds. "The ghost containment capsule is currently under attack." He revealed, when another explosion rocked the ship.
"What?" Thrash and Vid roared.
"Thrash, get over there, and see what you can do about this ecto freak. I will try to land the ship." Vid ordered.
Thrash didn't answer. Only an angry scowl showed on his face, joined with a twisted grin.
This little bitch thought it could damage this ship, his ship, and now he was getting some revenge.
<<>><<>><<>>
A hop, skip, and a jump back.
Dani was shooting and blasting relentlessly at the ship, doing as much damage as she could. She had already managed to blind them by freezing the windshield, forcing them to stop mid-air or risk of crashing as they were no longer able to see.
Now, reduced to nothing more than a giant sitting duck, Dani made use of this opportunity as best she could. First, she destroyed the second blaster, rendering the main weapon system useless. Then she shot the left wing, crippling the ship. After that, she just attacked random parts, hoping she would hit something important.
Suddenly, the lights visible on the outside of the ship, died. Revealing to her she had probably cut some powerline of sorts. Confident that she was making progress, she blasted another part of the ship.
A medium sized explosion rocked the craft, and when the smoke cleared she could see through the hole she had created. Her eyes widened, and a grin formed as she spotted the containment unit, in which they store the ghosts they capture. She knew this, because it was written all over the device, along with numerous warnings not to touch the various controls placed on it. Joined with a post-it note saying:
That means you, Thrash!
A clear target now presenting itself to her, Dani charged another powerful blast, planning on destroying the cursed device, and to set free the Box Ghost. But, just as she shot the stored ectoplasm, she was hit in the stomach by a dark red blast, and her planned attack shot wild.
Coughing, Dani looked up through squinted eyes. They widened in shock as she saw Thrash, the muscle of the group, flying towards her with his jet pack. A smoldering, portable blaster in his hands, and a challenging grin on his face as he clearly enjoyed the visible pain he'd inflicted.
"So, you are the freak of nature that thinks she can outmatch us. Pfhu. You only got lucky, but that stops now." He stated, aiming his blaster right between Dani's eyes. "You think you can just destroy my ship, and get away with it; that I would let you get away with it? No chance!" He roared as he pulled the trigger.
Adrenaline spiked, and time seemed to slow down to a crawl for Dani as she looked squarely into the barrel of the weapon. The weapon's muzzle starting to glow red, which only intensified as more and more energy started to build. She saw Thrash slowly pull his finger, followed shortly thereafter by a small energy wave escaping the weapon's venting chamber as it discharged. And she saw the beam of glowing red destruction move towards her in an unbelievably slow, almost mockingly pacy. Then, her reflexed kicked in before she could even think about what was going on.
Cutting her ability to fly, she dropped like a rock, narrowly missing the beam of ectoplasm as it singed her hair. Hovering a few meters below her previous spot, she patted her hair in an attempt to stop the smoking as she now had a black patch in her otherwise snow white hair. It was a good thing her hair is black as a human, or this would be quite noticeable.
"Hey, watch where you point that thing. You could have injured me." Dani shouted in frustration as she assumed a fighting stance, preparing for anything he might throw at her.
"That is the whole idea," Thrash sneered, taking aim at her once more.
"Good to know. I won't hold back either, if that's the case." Dani smirked as she dodged the next shot, this time without singing her hair.
Making a dash towards him, Dani picked up as much speed as she could in the short distance between her and Thrash. Seeing this, Thrash smirked as he braced himself. Clearly she was as stupid as she looked, why would she think a frontal assault would work? But his smirk quickly turned to shock, as Dani turned invisible at the last moment and, unbeknownst to him, flew right through him. Picking up more speed, Dani made a wide one eighty. Pushing herself to her absolute limits to increase her forwards momentum, she aimed right at his unguarded back.
'What, where did she go?" Thrash yelled into his com.
Download winched from the volume as he scanned the region around them, but was unable to find her. But that should not be possible, their scanners were the best of the best. Yet, somehow, she managed to avoid detection.
"Dude, she doesn't show on the scanners. I don't know where she is."
"What!?" Thrash yelled in surprise and disbelief, frantically looking around.
A fast moving body collided with his own, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the ground. He tried to regain his bearing, and only at the last moment was he able to level out. And, with a powerful thrust of his jet pack, he was able to avoid a painful meeting with the ground.
Grinding his teeth in anger that this ghost had gotten to him that easily, Thrash let out a battle cry as he flew at top speed towards Dani, who watched the enraged human with a level gaze, unimpressed with his unprofessional behavior.
Aiming his blaster one more at the ghost that had managed to knock him down, Thrash fired shot after shot. But his anger made him lose focus, and Dani was able to easily avoid every searing bolt send her way. This only increased Thrash's anger, believing she was taunting him. Which might have been somewhat true, seeing Dani didn't even needed to put in much effort to avoid his shots, and gave him an almost bored look while doing so.
"Really, is that all you've got?" Dani asked, now clearly mocking him.
Normally, Vid would keep Thrash in check as his temper would get the best of him. But she was busy trying to keep the ship from falling apart, and, thus, was not able to do so. But, in a rare moment of clarity, Thrash realized he wasn't getting anywhere being angry like he was. In fact, it only served to make him an easy target. So, taking a deep breath to calm down, if only a bit, he answered in as much a calm voice he could muster.
"No, I do have a few more tricks up my sleeve."
Pulling out a weird, but familiar looking grenade, Dani's eyes widened in shock as she realized what it was. But he couldn't have that thing. Tucker made sure this design was kept secret from Vlad, so how was he in the possession of a flash bang, ghost shield grenade, or just ghost grenade for short.
"Oh oh." Dani muttered as Thrash threw the grenade towards her.
She flew away as fast as she could, trying to avoid the blast. But it was of no use. Fortunately, she had her back turned to the device, so she was not completely blinded by the flash it produced. But she was launched away from the force of the shield that slammed into her, and she crashed into the ground as a direct result.
Thrash landed near the small crater Dani had dug for herself, looking down at the still form within.
With a groan, Dani slowly pushed herself up. Blinking rapidly, trying to get the stars out of her vision, she reared back in shock as the muzzle of a now uncomfortably familiar blaster suddenly came into focus, aimed point blank at her face.
"Any last words... Freak?" Thrash asked in a low, menacing voice, finger tensing on the trigger.
Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, Dani looked up and smirked. "Yes. Yes I do."
Roaring with all her strength, she unleashed her ghostly wail.
Thrash was sent flying by the sudden concussive force, while his weapon discharged by accident, shooting directly at the ship, and into the hole made by Dani earlier. By chance, the bolt of glowing destruction scored a hit on the containment unit which held the Box Ghost, destroying it. Sparks flew of the device, and alarms went off. Dark green mist started to pour out of the cracks, and a toxic green glow picked up in luminosity as the failsafes failed.
The device groaned, shuddered, then exploded; releasing anyone trapped inside of it.
The blast also made the ship lurch heavily to one side, making it almost impossible for Vid to keep the ship under control. But, finally, she managed to land safely some distance away from Dani.
"Whoaaa!" the Box Ghost yelled as he was blasted out of the device, and into the ground.
Lying in a heap, he groaned as he slowly sat up, rubbing his head.
"Are you alright?" Dani asked as he walked towards him, looking where Thrash lay to make sure he was still out for the count.
"Ehh, I think so?" The Box Ghost answered, unsure. "Why did you help me?"
"Because I have some questions, and you are going to answer them." Dani replied as she saw Thrash move.
Seeing that he was picking himself back up again, she grabbed the Box Ghost by his arm and flew off. She couldn't risk any more time fighting with these guys. She was sure she could win, but they worked for Vlad, and she was sure he would undoubtedly show up. Heck, he was probably already on his way.
"Come on, we need to get out of here. Unless you want to stay here with these guys." Dani said as she dragged the other ghost with her.
Sensing that, for now, he was safer with the ghost girl instead of the Masters Blasters, Earl matched Dani's speed. And, together, they moved deeper into the trees which grew there; while Dani also hoped her deflector would be able to help conceal the Box Ghost somewhat while she was close to him.
'Only one way to find out,' she thought, disappearing in the darkness of the trees' shadows.
<<>><<>><<>>
Vlad was not amused. He hadn't been for several days now. First, Dani managed to slip through his grasp, and destroyed several important computers of his. Then his former pawn, Valerie Gray, turned out to be one of the more fearsome ghost hunters in recent history. And then, his search for Dani turned out fruitless, as it seemd the woman was able to hide from his spy drones. But then, his interest was piqued by some very interesting data, coming from the city's surveillance systems; revealing to him the Box Ghost, an absolute imbecile of a ghost, use some kind of unknown device to, almost, bypass the shield. Only for Valerie to interfere before he had a chance to get there himself, and steal this technological marvel for his own use.
And then there was Dani, again. At first, Vlad thought he might get another chance at studying her, only for the Masters Blasters to show up, thwarting any possible chance for him to get close, and take his own creation; his property. And, should he had gone in his human form, they would've most certainly gotten in the way in order to 'protect' him. So, he was forced to watch, on his very expensive screen, how Dani disabled the ship, his ship, and knock down one of the Blasters. Not only that, but accidentally causing that particular member of the group to shoot his ship, and set free the ghost that might have some answers as to what this device in his possession was.
Vlad let out a frustrated sigh as he shut off the screen.
"Those imbeciles are causing more trouble than they're worth," he grumbled his bitter thoughts about the Blasters. "Really, the only reason I even allow them to continue are the profits from all their merchandise."
Grumbling under his breath, he hovered over to another console, checking the data displayed there.
"Any new data to be found with the new set preferences?" he asked to seemingly nowhere.
"Negative, sweetheart. All new tests remain inconclusive," holo Maddie responded, her form materializing besides Vlad.
"Why does that not surprise me?" Vlad sighed as he walked away from the console, "I need a new source of information, more than the few video files I have. And, although Dani would be a good start, I need the original; the source."
Vlad hovered in place, his mind going over everything he knew, and how much he didn't know.
There was a whole lot that clearly had sailed right past him. Dani's ability to remain hidden from him, Valerie, or Specter as she called herself. Wherever Danny might be, and now this thing with the Box Ghost.
"Did you at least managed to get a good scan of the object in the Box Ghost's possession?" he asked holo Maddie.
"Partially, dear... It seems the device emits some kind of energy wave that interacts with, and matches the shield's frequency. Evidence suggests this makes it possible for ghosts to partially manipulate the shield, but not breach it. However, It should be possible to adjust the object to allow for ghosts to pass through the shield. But I can't tell for certain, unless I were able to properly scan the device," holo Maddie replied, happy to be of service.
"And, of course, the device is long gone. Most likely thanks to Valerie. And the only other that might know something, would be that blue imbecile. But now, Dani managed to take him out of the Blasters clutches. And seeing how she can shield herself from detection, she would undoubtedly do the same with him."
"Affirmative. But it does seem that her ability to shield her for detection has diminished, oh great one. On several occasions, I was able to detect a faint electronic cloak every time subject Dani passed near one of your drones. Long range detection, however, does appear to be useless," holo Maddie informed him.
"Hmmm, interesting." Vlad muttered, stroking his chin, playing the video of Dani fighting of the Blasters and their ship on the large screen.
"Perform a scan of her, see what you can find."
"Certainly, my love."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay, talk." Dani ordered after she and the Box Ghost had managed to find a somewhat safe place, for the time being at least, and were now in the process of exchanging knowledge. Well, more like the Box Ghost would say what he knew, or she would help him talk instead.
"Eh, about what?" He asked, genuinely confused as to what she was referring to.
"Like you don't know. Tell me what you did earlier today, with the shield!" Dani said in a calm tone, but the glow in her eyes showed how serious she truly was.
"Oh, that... Eh.. I mean, I don't know what you are talking about." He poorly deflected, shifting uncomfortably.
"Really!?" Dani said in mock surprise, grabbing him by the collar, and pulled him to eye level. The hand she used to hold him glowing green the entire time. "How unfortunate."
Earl gulped loudly as he looked at Dani's green, angry, piercing eyes. The glow increasing just a bit to show the power behind them.
"Eh, maybe I do know something" He stammered, weakly.
"Good, that's more like it." Dani said as she dropped the ghost to the ground. "Talk."
Earl righted himself, before sitting down. Defeat obviously noticeable on his facade.
"Earlier today, Skulker came to me asking me for my help-" he began, but Dani interrupted him.
"Wait! Skulker asked for your help?" Her disbelief was palpable.
"Why, yes," Earl said with pride. "Apparently, he needed someone with the amazing skill only I have to handle such a delicate package." He smiled proudly as he talked about the device he was given, not knowing he was actually a guinea pig.
"Riiight." Dani droned, absolutely not buying it. She also knew that he believed it, but she could clearly see what was really going on. "Okay, go on."
"So, Skulker took me to meet with his friends, who were rather surprised to see me. But Skulker said something to them, and then they let me help. Technus gave me some kind of fancy looking ball, and said it was very valuable, that I should not damage it. Which is obviously why Skulker brought me there in the first place, seeing how my excellent skill in carrying boxes makes me some kind of expert in handling various fragile goods," he spoke with pride, truly believing it.
"Uh-huh." Dani indicated him to go on.
"Then, Skulker told me that the object would allow me to pass through the shield, and that they needed my expertise to carry it through. Which I did, until I got launched away for reasons I'm not entirely sure about." He said, thinking back to that particular incident, trying to figure out what had happened.
"Is there anything else? Anything you haven't told me!?" Dani asked.
"Eeeehh...... No. I don't think so," he answered after a moment.
"Figures," Dani sighed out, shaking her head. Just as she had already figured out, he was just a pawn.
Turning around, Dani walked away. The Box Ghost, confused by the woman's sudden departure, sat still on the spot, staring at Dani's back.
"Eh, are you not going to hurt or capture me?" he asked, unsure.
"No, I'm not. You have already done that yourself today, I'm not going to add to it. Just go. But next time I see you here, that is, if you manage to bypass the shield, and all the other defenses in place, I will not be so kind." She said, looking at him over her shoulder, eyes flashing a full green. She then flew away, but stopped after a few meters. "And, just a word of advice. Find some better friends." And, with those last words, she shot off into the distance, leaving a very confused ghost behind.
<<>><<>><<>>
It took some time, and a lot of moving around, but, finally, Dani managed to return into the city without much trouble.
She was heading towards Tucker to give him the news about what she just learned, which wasn't all that much. Most of it was already something they had figured out on their own, through logical reasoning. Still, it might be useful some other time. Though, she doubted it. At the very least, what she had managed to accomplish was to harass the Blasters, and damage their ship. Something Tucker wouldn't be too thrilled about. Thinking of it, Jazz probably wouldn't either, seeing how she was supposed to keep a low profile and such.
Oh well.
On the plus side of things. This little 'distraction' did allow her to kill some time, which meant that Jazz was most likely back in town, and she would have the chance to go talk with her.
So, flying, invisible, high above the city towards Tucker's home, she hoped that she wouldn't act all weird again when she delivered the news. She really needed to sort this thing out, whatever it was that was making her mind go weird on her. Maybe it was just because of the energy coming from the deflector? Nah, if that was the case, she would have acted like this the moment she first put it on. Right?
Sighing out loudly, and shaking her head, Dani continued her flight towards Tucker, not knowing what to make of all of this. It was probably something obvious, something that she should be able to figure out herself. But for reasons unknown, she was unable to do so. Hopefully Jazz had some answers.
But, as she moved for Tucker's, there was one more thing weighing heavily down on her. Mainly, there was no way Tucker could have missed her little scuffle with the Blasters.
'Yeah, he is going to flip,' she thought.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What the hell were you thinking?!"
Well, this went exactly as she thought it would, as Tucker shouted at her for her foolish actions not too long ago.
"I tell you to keep a low profile, to keep out of trouble. And the first thing you do is get into a fight with the Masters Blasters!" Tucker said angrily, frantic, as he paced around.
"Well, I did manage to confirm some of the things we suspected thanks to the Box Ghost!" Dani shouted back at him, not liking being yelled at.
"Yeah, and what good did that do? Not only did you risk being captured by them, and in extend, by Vlad. But you were seen by a large portion of the city. Both in person, and onto the security systems. Vlas will undoubtedly use this against you. Really, Dani. Valerie spent several days on the run for you. She still is, just to keep herself hidden for Vlad. And this is how you thank her? Honestly, why are you always so reckless?" He said condescendingly, looking down on her.
"Oh yeah. I haven't seen you do anything other than type away on that computer of yours. Some of us actually get our hands dirty to get things done. But, noohoo. Not you. Not Tucker Foley. All you do is work on that stupid computer of yours, and build those dumb gadgets, but you're not even using them yourself. Why is that, huh? Why are you not really helping us? Why are you always sitting in your office, while you could be out there to catch ghosts or stop Vlad?" Dani countered, sounding equally angry.
"That has nothing to do with it!" Tucker yelled.
"It has everything to do with it! You used to go out there, actually do something. But now...." Dani stopped as she looked around, her anger replaced with worry. She had always wondered about this, but never dared to ask… until now. "Tucker, why are you not out there anymore? You used to help Danny catch ghosts in person, but now you send Valerie out there to do it for you," she asked, not with anger, but concern.
Silence.
"Tucker, please tell me. Why?"
"....Because I'm afraid."
"What!?" Dani asked in disbelief. She had heard him, despite him talking in a whisper. But still, she couldn't believe it.
"Because I'm afraid," Tucker said again. His voice no longer angry, but defeated.
"B-but why? What are you afraid of?" Dani asked, gently, as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
For a moment, Tucker just stood there. Then he pulled away from Dani, and walked over to one of the windows.
Placing an arm on the glass, and resting his head on it, he sighed out, loudly; eyes closed as he was momentarily lost in thought. Then, his eyes opened, slowly, and he stared at first the world outside, before focusing on his own reflection.
"I'm afraid for history to repeat itself," he revealed with a deep sigh. "After Sam and Danny...... I just can't stand the thought of losing anyone else, especially to a ghost... No offense." He closed his eyes again as he thought back to that horrible time, more than six years ago. "I still hear her, her scream, everytime I try to sleep. Everywhere I look, I see something that reminds me of her. Of them. We did so much together, only for it to be taken away like that." Tucker turned to Dani, and she could see the tears in his eyes. "The reason I am not out there anymore is, because it scares me. The reason I spend so much time in here, or at the office to build my gadgets, is to make sure you, Valerie and Jazz have as much a chance to come back safely. And now you tell me that, somehow, Vlad has managed to acquire his own ghost grenade. Something I made to keep you safe, only to have it used against you." Pain and regret wore heavy on him, and Dani could easily sense it. How had she missed this before?
Dani dashed forward, and pulled Tucker into a tight hug. Only confused for a second, Tucker returned the embrace, and together they stood there, holding onto each other.
"I am sorry." Tucker whispered.
"For what?" Dani asked in the same quiet tone.
"For yelling at you. That my invention was used against you... I guess for everything, I think."
"Don't say that. You were only watching out over me. I should have been more careful. I should have listened to you."
"Heh. I guess that's true." Tucker said with a sad laugh.
"Hey." Dani said as she pulled away a bit, giving him a nudge against the shoulder. But her face showed she didn't mean it.
Both of them froze as their eyes met. Tears stained both their faces, yet neither of them paid any attention to it. Tucker's logical mind shut down as he stared into Dani's blue eyes, and Dani felt a knot form in her chest as she looked into his. Both of them stared at one another other, unblinkingly. Then, slowly, they moved forward, acting on purely instinct, all logical thoughts gone.
In the middle their lips met, and all reservation left Tucker at this moment as he finally accepted his feelings, while Dani finally managed to find that simple, but elusive answer she was looking for.
Slightly parting her lips, Tucker took the invitation and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Dani gave a soft moan of approval as she returned the favor. Their tongues wrestled with each other as their kiss deepened, letting their pent up feelings break out to the surface, not breaking apart for even air.
Eventually, after a long minute, they broke apart as the need for oxygen finally became too much.
They panted to catch their breath, not releasing their shared hold as they gazed in each other's eyes. A deep blush present on both faces.
"Wow." Dani sighed in a daze.
"Indeed." Tucker agreed similarly.
"We should have done that months ago," Dani breathed out, resting her head on his chest.
Tucker didn't say anything, there was no need for it as he returned the embrace. And, together, they stood in embrace, enjoying each other's presence as they finally realized, and accepted their feelings for one another.
"So... I guess we are a couple now?" Tucker asked, and he felt Dani tense up for a moment as she finally fully realized the new and unknown situation she found herself in; only to relaxe a short moment later.
"Yeah. I guess we are." She agreed, and kissed Tucker again.
<<>><<>><<>>
Valerie was flying over town, having just heard about what Dani had done. And, to be honest, she was a bit conflicted. Yes, she endangered herself, and almost got herself captured. Which would mean that everything she had done to keep her safe, would have been for nothing. That, she didn't like. But she also kicked the Blasters ass, and basically destroyed their ship. That, she did like. A lot.
'Oh, ghost girl. What am I supposed to do with you?' Valerie mused as a grin splayed across her face. The kid had guts, she had to respect that.
Laughing a bit, she slightly adjusted her course, flying directly towards Jazz's home. She needed a place to stay with her home wrecked as it was. And with Jazz back in town, she could finally get just that.
'And maybe something to eat as well.' She added in thought, placing her hand over her stomach when it let loose a seismic rumble. 'Yes, definitely something to eat.'
Coming close to her destination, Valerie stealthily landed in a nearby alley, and deactivated her armor. But not before she scanned for, and deactivated any and all spy drones of Vlad.
Exiting the alley, she straightened her clothes, which were somewhat ripe after all the time she'd spend in her armor.
'And maybe a shower,' she added as she sniffed her shirt, rearing back from the smell. 'Yes, definitely a shower.'
Walking towards Jazz's place, Valerie saw the door open, and knew she was back from her conference. However, who walked out was definitely not Jazz, or human. She jumped back into the alley, and peeked past the corner, seeing one of those ponies step out of Jazz's house.
The pony, with light blue fur, and dark blue mane and tail, piqued Valerie's interest. Enough so, for her to partially activate her armor; her helmet folding itself out over her head. Using the visor's zoom function, she observed this pony a bit better. Green eyes, quite muscular, wings, so it was a pegasus, and a mark of a lightning bolt with two wings behind it as a mark on its rear end.
"What is a pony doing here?" she asked herself as she continued to look at the pony out of place.
Suddenly, the pony turned around. His tail swished around a bit, and, for a moment, Valerie had a clear view of the, now clearly a stallion, privates. Feeling her face heat up as she quickly zoomed out, trying to ignore what she just saw, she focused on the pony's front instead. He was talking to someone, probably Jazz. But why was he here? Why would Jazz have a pony come over to her place?
Those questions were answered when Jazz entered the picture, knelt down, and kissed the pony full on the lips.
Valerie's mouth fell open faster than her hoverboard could fly, and she was sure that there was a loud bang when her lower jaw hit the ground. She continued to stare at the public display of affection, unable to look away.
'Jazz... and a... a pony...... NO WAY!?' she shouted in thought, an evil grin slowly replacing her look of shock. 'Now, how can I best use this against her?'
Finally, the two parted, and Valerie saw a heated blush on Jazz's face, and a cheeky grin on the pony's. Jazz said something, but Valerie was unable to hear what as she continued to observed Jazz, who now waved the stallion goodbye as he flew away. Probably to one of those tear facilities, Valerie assumed.
She waited a little while longer, watching as Jazz, with a large smile spread out on her face, stepped back inside and closed the door.
"Well. Guess that's my cue." Valerie smirked as she deactivated her armor again, stepping out of the alley, and moved for Jazz's place; thinking of the various ways she could embarrass Jazz. All in good fun, of course… mostly.
As she stood before the closed door, Valerie had to take a moment to compose herself, forcing the devious grin off her face. Once she was sure she could pull it off, she knocked on the door. She didn't have to wait long before Jazz opened.
"I thought you said you didn't forget anything Soa-.... Valerie!?" Jazz half shouted in surprise, not expecting the woman now standing before her.
"Hey, Jazz," Valerie said with the best fake innocence she could muster, trying not to laugh at the beet red face of Jazz.
"Valerie, what are you doing here?" Jazz asked as she regained her composure. "And what is that smell?" She added, waving her hand before her face, trying to dissipate the foul odor.
"Yeah, that's me." Valerie answered casually.
"Oh, goodness, have you never heard of a shower?" She asked in disgust, covering her nose with a hand.
"So, I guess you haven't heard yet?"
"Heard what?" Jazz asked, her voice sounding somewhat muffled.
"Is it okay if I come in, I don't want to discuss this out in the open?" Valerie asked all serious, knowing the disabled drones were about to reactivate.
For a moment, Jazz looked like she was going to refuse, not wanting to let her in while she reeked like that.
"It's about Vlad," Valerie added as she saw the hesitation.
Eyes going wide, Jazz stepped aside, allowing Valerie to enter.
"What about him? What happened? Is this in any way related to why you smell this horrible?" Jazz asked, clamping her hand over her nose again with the last question.
"To answer your last question. Yes, it is because of him," Valerie answered with ice in her voice. "The bastard tracked Dani to my place, just as we feared, and destroyed it. I have been out on the streets for several days now." She explained when she was interrupted by a loud growl coming from her stomach.
"What! Why didn't you go to Tucker?" Jazz asked, horrified.
"Couldn't risk it. I knew he would somehow track me if I did. Look, before we go any further with this, do you have anything to eat? I am starving." She asked as another growl sounded from her abdomen.
"Yes, of course." Jazz said as she showed Valerie into the kitchen, "I don't have much at the moment, but there are still some things in the fridge left. Please, help yourself." She told the hungry woman next to her.
"Gladly," Valerie answered with gusto, pulling open the fridge with a bit more force than was necessary; wasting no time grabbing the various goods that piqued her interest, and shoved them in her mouth.
As she did this, she noticed something peculiar, something missing. And a lot of other things that were there which also seemed somewhat out of place. Jazz was a healthy eater, sure. But this was a bit extreme. Unless...
"Say, that are a lot of vegetables you have here. I mean, a whole lot of them." Valerie remarked with played innocence, suppressing a smirk.
"Oh that, yes... I, eh. I wanted to try something new. Some kind of vegetable dish of sorts." Jazz stammered a bit as she tried to explain the large amount of greens she had.
"Really, sounds nice. Can I try some?" Valerie asked, picking up on the stammer just now.
"Eh... sure, I guess. Oh, but it will take quite a bit of time to make, though." Jazz said in a poor attempt to make an excuse. Valerie wasn't buying it.
"Oh, that's fine. I have quite the story to tell, so that won't be a problem." She countered with a credible excuse, looking at Jazz from the corner of her eye, seeing her shift uncomfortably as she was put on the spot.
"Oh, well. I guess that will work then." Jazz said nervously, having absolutely no idea how to make any kind of vegetable dish. That was always something he would do.
"Yeah... Buth pfwat won't workh fis fhis sfhmell." Valerie spoke through a mouth full of bread, giving a small tug on her shirt. "Can I please use your shower?" she asked after she swallowed.
"Oh, yes. Please," Jazz responded eagerly as she was reminded of the horrible odor coming of her guest.
Almost forcefully pushing Valerie towards the bathroom, Jazz told her to take long as she wanted, while indicating the various scented shampoos standing in the shower stall. Clearly trying to get a point across.
"I will find you something to wear," she said after she picked up the bundle of clothes Valerie had left on the other side of the door to be cleaned, or incinerated as Jazz gave the bundle of clothes a cautious look, and she kept them away from her as far as she could.
"Yeah, sure." Valerie said through the door as she stepped under the running water, adjusting the temperature to her liking.
She sighed out, loudly, in satisfaction. Feeling days worth of sweat and grime wash of her. She enjoyed this feeling of getting clean for a while longer, then grabbed one of the numerous bottles Jazz kept neatly organized on a shower rack, and began washing her hair.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Oh, Jazz. What are you going to do?" Jazz asked herself as she stood before her stove, trying to figure out how to make something, anything.
Of course she had paid attention every now and then when he cooked, but she wasn't particularly good in the kitchen. In fact, the only reason he knew how to cook was because of his military training. He said he never had a knack for it, that it wasn't his special talent. But if there was one thing he needed to know to survive, then it was how to make anything into an edible meal. So, with some knowledge, and better materials than he got in basic training, he was able to whip up something they both could enjoy.
"Come on, Jazz. How hard could it be? You're a well renowned psychiatrist. You have fought ghosts, albeit for a short time, and you are partially the leader of this kind of resistance against Vlad. How difficult is it to make a vegetable dish?" She told herself, boosting her confidence.
Cutting up several carrots and courgettes, and dumping them in a frying pan, she was feeling confident that she was going to make this work. Turning on the flame, and depositing a royal amount of oil over the chopped up vegetables, she looked at the little progress she had made with a small smile.
'Maybe this is going to work after all,' she thought, hopefully, just before the contents of the pan burst out in flames, charring it all black.
"I'm doomed."
<<>><<>><<>>
"HmmMmm... This certainly is an interesting dish you have here." Valerie struggled through a mouthful of somewhat charred vegetables, but mentally she was cursing herself for pushing Jazz into making this, this... whatever this is, as she ate the least blackened parts.
"Really?" Jazz asked, somewhat hopeful. But Valerie noticed something else, too. A glint in her eyes.
"Sure," Valerie said with a wry smile, hoping that it sounded sincere as she finally managed to finish the last of the... Well, she couldn't call it food.
"Then you certainly want some more." Jazz offered with a smile, which seemed just a bit too eager to Valerie.
"Oh no, that won't be necessary. I've had plenty," Valerie waved her off just a bit too fast.
"Oh, but you sounded so eager when I mentioned it. So I made extra, just for you." Jazz countered as she scooped up another plate full for her guest, and placed in front of her.
Valerie's stomach growled again, but this time it wasn't because she was hungry. No, this time it was a sound of dismay. Looking down at what was almost certainly her upcoming doom, she shot a glance at Jazz, and saw her eagerly observing her struggling attempt with a victorious grin.
"Hold on," Valerie began as she looked directly at Jazz, who was still looking smugly at her. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" She accused, pointing at the read haired woman with her fork.
"Doing what on purpose?" Jazz asked with obvious fake innocence.
"Like you don't know," Valerie accused, glaring at Jazz through squinted eyes.
"If by that, you mean making you a nice vegetable dish, and even making extra just for you. Then, yes." Jazz chirped with the same innocent tone. But the smug, victorious look she had told Valerie everything she wasn't telling.
Grumbling under her breath, both from what Jazz said, and the smug look she gave her, Valerie decided to just cut the crap, and put her on the spot. Right here and there.
"Well, I saw you kiss that pony." She revealed triumphantly, almost as if she had just won the lottery.
Grinning smugly, she looked at Jazz, expecting to see a look surprise and embarrassment. However, what she saw was neither of those. Instead of surprise, she had a large smile. Instead of embarrassment, she looked at Valerie with an expression that said: "Well, duhu!" To say Valerie wasn't expecting this, would be an understatement.
"I know you saw me kiss him," Jazz revealed in a calm tone. "Although, I wasn't aware of it at first. You really got me when you started about the large amount of vegetables I had, and at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell you about him. So, there I was, trying to figure out how to make something which I had no idea how to make. But then I started to think, about how you reacted to be precise. Body language is one of my specialties, it's part of the job. And so, I put two and two together. The time between him leaving and you arriving, the somewhat challenging stance you took every time you tried to push me. I have to admit, it was subtle. And with me flustered like that, I completely missed it, at first. So I came up with a little ploy of my own. And I have to say, you fell for it wonderfully. Seeing you struggle to eat... this." She said humorously as she indicated the 'food' Valerie had just eaten.
Valerie just sat there, letting that sink in. She didn't like it, but she got her. Using her own game against her.
"....Damn." Was all she said after a minute of silence, before sighing out. "I hate to admit it, but you got me."
"That, I did." Jazz agreed, smugly.
"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in." Valerie said, annoyed. "But can we please order some pizza, or something? Because I really need to get some real food in me."
"I think that can be arranged." Jazz replied chipper, still sporting a large grin. "And in the meantime, you can tell me what happened between you and Vlad." She added in a more serious tone.
"Deal. But do know, what happened was not nearly as bad as your cooking." Valerie shot back seriously.
"Hey!"
"I mean it, really." Valerie said, showing no signs of deceit, and Jazz could see it.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Vlad, sweetheart," holo Maddie called out.
"Yes, what is it?"
"The scan you requested is complete."
"Really. Well, what did you find?"
"Scan came out negative. No new information could be found."
"Then why do you even bother me with this?" Vlad said, condescendingly.
"Because you told me to, oh wondrous gift to the world."
"Oh, right. I did, didn't I?"
"I did find something else. Something I believe you might find interesting," she continued excited, happy to have found something.
"Well, what is it?" he asked, impatient.
"It is an older file, about a ghost breach to the other world." She began, but Vlad interrupted her.
"And what good is that to me? The last time that happened was over five years ago."
"Negative. This file dates back a little more than a week."
"What! That is impossible. Show me."
A list of technical data scrolled down over the large screen before Vlad, showing details about what had happened, and who was involved.
"Well, this is interesting." he mused as he read the files. "Is there any video surveillance footage?" He asked.
"Negative. The report states that the ghost had managed to damage the surveillance systems, resulting in a complete loss of data," holo Maddie answered.
"Drat. It could be very useful if I knew who this ghost is. Getting to the other side is no easy task as a ghost. Even I can not go through the scanners there. Granted, neither did this ghost. But still, to get that far.... How did he do it?" Vlad asked to no one in particular, but holo Maddie responded nonetheless.
"Maybe I can answer that." she began, "All of the witness reports say the ghost originated from the shadow of a single human. And I think you find the name of said human very interesting." She revealed, and showed the file on the screen.
Vlad's eyes widened as he read the report, and, more precisely, the name of the human affiliated with it.
"Now, this is a surprise." He said with twisted glee, before starting to laugh like the mad man he was.
The sun was setting over a large, dark, dense and foggy forest as the various creatures of the night slowly awoke. The screeching of bats, the howling of wolves, and the occasional hoot of an owl gave the already eerie forest a ghostly aura. A soul creeping feeling that would make any that felt it run away in fear.
This in turn drove the lone human to run as fast as he could to get out of the forest, desperate to find an exit. Feet pounded on the ground as twigs broke and leaves crunched, sounding far louder than they should as his breath came out in ragged gasps.
Why Danny ran, he didn't know. He only knew that he had to get away as fast as he could. And that something else was here in the forest with him. A forest he somehow knew. But, from where?
He didn't know how he had gotten to the forest, nor where he was before that. All he knew was that something deep down, a feeling he couldn't place, told him to run. Run as fast as he could, to flee and hide.
And so, he ran. He ran until his legs screamed in protest; still, he kept going. He ran, would trip over his tired legs, but he would get up and continue running. He ran and ran. His strained breathing made it impossible to hear anything else as he felt his heart beat heavily in his chest. No matter how long, fast or hard he ran, he couldn't find a way out of the forest. It was as if it stretched out forever, completely swallowing him in the dense foliage.
*SNAP*
Danny came to a dead stop, forcing his breathing to calm down, trying to be as quiet as he could.
Something was here, he could feel it. A shiver going down his spine.
He shuddered as a cold wave passed over him, and a feeling of dread and foreboding took firm hold of him. Audibly gulping, he slowly turned his head to look behind him, and what he saw made his blood run cold as his heart skipped a beat. Dark tendrils of shadows, sinuously smoke-like, twisting over the ground and through the air as they slithered towards Danny. Joining together in a single, larger form as they slowly approached the scared human.
Danny stood frozen in place. His mind screamed at him to move, to run away, but his legs were unable to comply as he watched as the rapidly growing darkness before him started to take shape. Dark green glowing spots formed all over the thing, slowly moving to the front as the black mass formed into a head. There the spots joined together in two orbs of green. Two orbs that formed the thing's eyes.
Eyes that looked straight at Danny.
Danny unleashed a scream, soundlessly, as his voice had left him. The sudden rush of fear induced adrenaline unfroze his legs and he ran away from the darkness as fast as he could into the darkening forest as the last rays of the sun shone faintly through the trees.
He ran and ran, never looking back. Fear had clouded his mind, all coherent thought was gone. No thought, or plan to escape, only the instinctive urge to escape; to survive. Painful spikes shot through his sides as he continued to run while his body begged him to slow down, yet his panicked mind urged him to keep going.
He didn't know for how long he ran, or in what direction, all he cared about was that it was away from that thing.
Then he heard something. Had his voice not abandoned him, he would have screamed. Frantically he looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. It was faint at first, but quickly came closer.
He ran away from this, not knowing what it was, but not interested to find out. But no matter how fast he ran away from it, the sound, a rapid beating on the ground, mixed with the crunching of leaves and snapping branches, only came closer. Only when the source of the sound was close enough did he recognize it as hoof beats. And when an orange blur sped past him, Danny slowed down a notch, recognizing the stetson wearing pony running before him.
"Applejack?" he tried to call out to her through his labored breath, but was unable to do so.
She continued to run away at full gallop, apparently not even having noticed Danny as she overtook him.
Danny struggled to keep up, but knew it was a lost cause. She was just too fast. But as he looked at her slowly shrinking form, he noticed something off about her.
Her mane and tail were unkempt and dirty, twigs and leaves sticking out of them. And her mane, which normally was kept in a pony tail, was mostly undone and tangled up. Her coat, which normally was a vibrant orange, was filthy and dark. Dark red patches could be seen on it, some kind of dried up liquid. Even her hat looked worse for wear as Danny saw that the rim was torn up.
Danny tried to call out to her again, hoping to catch her attention.
With more effort than it should have, he finally managed to produce some sound but it wasn't even close to actual speech. Still, it seemed to do the trick as he saw her slow down and look behind her. Yet what he saw only enhanced the fear he felt.
Her eyes, normally full of life and kindness, were now dull, dead and widened in sheer terror as she saw the dark mass coming up behind Danny.
She let out a scream of pure terror as she ran away with new found energy, leaving Danny far behind her. Danny, having seen her reaction, and feeling a piercing cold shiver running through his spine, dreadingly turned around to see what was behind him.
A large shadow like beast, roughly shaped like a pony, but larger. Much larger. Its legs were thick, nearly as thick as Danny’s head. It seemed to have wings, but instead of feathers, there were several dark tendrils. There was a large spike on its head. Long, and very sharp, pointing threateningly at Danny. And its body, although shaped like a pony, was just too large. Almost as if it was a combination between a black bear and a pony. Its body was made of a darkness so dense it almost looked like oil, and a dark mist that made up its mane and tail. Yet there were many spots of toxic green energy all over them, shimmering in the darkness like small beacons which would lure unsuspecting prey towards it. The same energy made up the darkness' eyes, which were looking at him in a cold, dead stare.
Danny backpedaled in fear, tripping over a tree root. Falling onto his back, he scrambled to get away from the thing. Crab-walking backwards as fast as he could manage, never letting the thing out of his sight. Fortunately, the entity seemed more interested in observing the frightened human than attacking him. This allowed him to build some distance between himself and it. When he, in his panicked mind, felt there was enough of a gap between him and it, he quickly turned around, scampering to get on his feet, and made a mad dash away from the thing.
He ran, not even trying to be quiet. His only concern was to get away from this monstrosity, and fast. Heading in the same general direction he saw Applejack run to, hoping that maybe it would lead to a way out of this place. And although he didn't check to make sure, he knew that that thing was following him.
Stumbling on several occasions, Danny sped through the forest. Trees passed by in a blur as he kept pushing himself as fast as he could. Not stopping for anything, he ran for many long minutes, hoping that he could get away from that nightmare. But, eventually, he had to stop.
Pausing in a small clearing surrounded by thick, dead trees, Danny desperately tried to catch his breath as he sucked life giving oxygen in great, gulping heaves. His heart was pounding like a sledgehammer in his chest, and his legs felt weak and shaky from the exertion he had just forced himself through. Unable to do much more than lean against one of the many trees to support himself, his legs shakily holding his weight. It took him several minutes, but eventually he managed to get his breathing under control, and his legs felt slightly more stable.
It was then that he realized that there wasn't a single sound to be heard, save for his labored breath. The silence was unnatural, not a single sound. Not one.
Cautiously he walked into the small clearing, the leaves crunching under his shoes seemed oddly muted, as if the silence suppressed their sound. The suffocating silence all but entombed him.
Slowly he moved into the center of the clearing, unable to see anything through the foggy darkness of the night.
"Hello!" He called out quietly, his voice returned as if by magic.
His voice, faint as it was, echoed eerily through the darkness. Yet no reply came to him. He had hoped that maybe Applejack was near enough to hear him, that they could try to find their way out of this place together, but no such luck. He didn't dare to raise his voice, though; afraid that that thing would hear him.
Gulping, he looked around, hoping to find something that could help him to get out of this place, but the black of the night made this an impossible task. All he could see were the faint outlines of the trees he knew were there. The only good thing about all of this was that he would be able to spot the green glow of this horror that was stalking him.
Suddenly, the darkness was lifted when the light of the moon shone through the trees, and Danny immediately wished it didn't.
He screamed as he saw the horrific, demonic looking faces present on the trees; feeling his heart skip a beat from sheer terror as, wherever he looked, he could see the trees look back at him. And then they started to laugh. No, not a laugh, more a giggle. A giggle that sounded familiar to him, as if from some memory buried deep within, but he was unable to fully grasp it. Yet, where his elusive memory replayed the 'feeling' of a happy, warm giggle, the sound produced by the wooden giants was anything but. It was a twisted mockery of the real thing. Instead of making one feel at ease, the sound would crawl underneath your skin, and pierce straight through bone. It was, for lack of better words, a ghostly giggle.
Danny forced himself to ignore the sound as he ran away as fast as he could, hearing the frightening sound follow him where ever he went.
'Oh please,' he thought. 'Make it stop, make it stop.' He repeated the same line over and over again.
Running through the dimly lit forest, trying to escape, Danny only found himself more and more lost as the trees’ horrific giggle now also seemed to mock his failed attempt to free himself from the clutches the forest has over him.
'I need to get out of here, he thought as the sound followed him at every turn.
Suddenly, as if his pleas were answered by some higher power, the trees before him began to thin as he came up to a large clearing. Thinking he finally had managed to find his way out of this forsaken place, he picked up his speed, wanting to get out of there as fast as he could.
He burst out from the trees while shouting out in victory, thinking he had finally escaped. Only for him to come to a screeching stop as he saw what lay ahead.
"Whoaa, no no no!" Danny yelled as the ground suddenly dropped off in a deep ravine. Balancing precariously on the edge, windmilling his arms wildly to keep himself from falling.
More through luck than anything else, he managed to keep himself from falling down, and to meet his untimely demise. Taking several large steps back, sighing out heavily in twisted relief. Sure, he managed not to fall down, but now he was trapped here with that thing closing in on him from behind.
Slowly, he edged closer to the edge of the ravine, looking down into the seemingly bottomless pit as the moonlight failed to reach all the way down.
Looking back up again, Danny noticed the outline of the other side through the fog.
'I need to get to the other side,' he thought as he looked around for anything that might help him.
*Crack*
"And fast!" He almost yelped as he heard the sound behind him, and saw glowing green lights blink in between the trees behind him.
Frantically looking for anything he could use, Danny almost screamed out in joy when he saw a rope bridge a dozen meters or so away.
Casting a quick glance to the abomination coming up behind him, he saw it had managed to get far too close for comfort in the few precious seconds he looked away to find a way out. Not wasting any more time, he ran towards the bridge, hoping he would finally find a way out of his predicament.
But his hopes fell down the ravine when he saw the ill state the bridge was in. The planks were rotten, with large holes in them. Some of them missing altogether, fallen down into the depth of the chasm below, lost forever. The rope wasn't in a much better state. It was so worn out that he doubted if it would hold his weight. Several parts were so thin that they seemed ready to snap under their own weight.
Doubt caused him to stop a step shy from the bridge. If the bridge would collapse with him on it he would almost certainly fall to his death.
'Then again.' He thought in panic as he looked behind him at the slowly approaching abomination. The only thing visible to him were the glowing eyes and spots in its mane and tail. "I’d rather take my chances with this." He finished aloud as he stepped on the bridge.
Loud creaks, and the sound of rope slowly snapping could be heard as Danny made his way over the bridge. He was careful not to move too fast, but also trying to get across as quickly as he could. Desperately trying to find some balance between the two as the bridge swung wildly due to his movement.
"Whoa!" He yelled when the rotten plank he stepped on broke, his leg slipping through the newly formed gap in the already damaged walkway, while the broken pieces clattered in the darkness below. He held on tightly onto the ropes, using them to lift himself up again, hoping that they would hold.
Sighing out in relief that he didn't fall down completely, he carefully stepped over the hole, pushing slightly on the next board to make sure it wouldn't break too. When it didn't give, he continued his precarious trek over the decaying bridge.
After several more, carefully placed steps, he heard a loud, drawn out creak coming from behind him. Coming at a complete stop almost in the middle of the bridge, Danny fearfully looked behind him.
Backing up in shock, causing the rotten wood under his feet to protest loudly, as he saw the dark form step on the bridge, adding even more strain on the already weakened structure.
Sensing that he was running out of time, Danny picked up his pace. No longer being careful as to where he placed his feet while he hurled himself across the failing construct. With each step he took, another plank broke. With each pull on the rope several more strands snapped. It wasn't long until the structure had weakened in such a degree that it was listing to one side, making the task of crossing it all the more difficult for him.
The dark form didn’t seem to have such a problem, as it seemed able to defy gravity itself, and continue on its walk over the collapsing bridge. Walking at an almost ninety degree angle sideways, somehow keeping its legs firmly attached to the surface of the same structure that seemed to do its very best to cast Danny into the inky black below.
Danny had to struggle to remain on the bridge, hanging in the ropes as he could no longer keep his feet on the failed structure. Unfortunately, the sudden weight added caused them to snap. With one side no longer supported, the other side was unable to hold out either.
Danny saw, almost in slow motion, how the rope snapped fiber by fiber. Each snap sounded as a gunshot to him. And finally, when the last of the rope broke, instead of a loud bang or anything that would somehow signify the fate that had befallen him, there was only silence. Silence, until a loud scream could be heard.
It took him several seconds to realize he himself was screaming, holding on for dear life as the two halves of the old bridge finally obeyed the law of gravity and fell.
The darkness that followed him turned into a large body of mist, and returned to the side where its side of the bridge was still connected to the land. Danny, however, was forced to ride his half of the bridge down as it swung with a wide arc, before slamming into the unyielding rock of the ravine.
The shock from when the bridge hit the cliffside almost caused him to lose his grip. Holding onto a partially broken plank with one hand, he could hear the wood creak under the stress of holding him up. His mind almost shut down on itself from shock and fear, and only through sheer willpower was he able to hold it together.
With effort, he was able to pull himself up, and took hold of another, stronger looking piece of the useless bridge.
It took a long time, and even more willpower -and swearing- but finally he had almost reached the top. And the entire time he struggled, he could feel the eyes of it on him, but he used that as a motivator to get the hell out of there, not wanting to be claimed by either the darkness below, or the one standing on the other side.
At last, he had reached the top. Just one more pull, and he would have made it. Unable to keep the victorious grin from forming, Danny took firm hold of the last piece of wood that would allow him to return to the relative safety of solid ground under his feet. But to his horror, the plank broke almost instantly as he put his weight on it.
His eyes widened in shock as he saw the plank snap in several pieces, and fall down into the depth below. Losing his grip, he too started the long fall down as gravity took hold of him. The grin of the victory he had just felt was only just starting to fade as the air left his lungs in a loud scream.
He couldn't believe it. After all that he had been through during this night, this is how it was going to end. To get this close to saving himself, only to have it ripped away from him at the last moment. To feel the force of gravity to take firm hold on him as it pulled him down into the depths below.
Danny closed his eyes in defeat, allowing fate to run its course. But it was not meant to be, as he felt something grab him by his wrist, and he slammed into the cliffside a second time.
Opening his eyes in shock and confusion, he could only see his legs dangle above the inky blackness of the darkness that lay below. Looking up, his eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the unlikeliest of beings holding on to him for dear life.
"Tucker!?" Danny yelled with many mixed emotions, unable to believe his eyes as he saw his teenage friend.
The only reply he got in return was a strained grunt as Tucker tried to pull him up.
With effort, Tucker managed to pull his friend up, and eventually Danny was able to grab hold of the ledge with his free hand, climbing up to safety. Moving away from the edge, the two dropped down and lay on their backs, panting. Tucker from the exertion he went through to pull his friend up, and Danny from everything he had been through, ever since he found himself in this nightmare of a forest.
"Thanks." Danny wheezed through his breaths, beyond relief and disbelief that Tucker showed up when he did.
"Don't mention it. It's what friends do."
Just nodding, Danny lay his head back down and closed his eyes, taking a moment to collect himself.
"By the way," Danny said as he realized something. "How did you get here?"
"I don't know man. I just found myself in this place. No idea how I got here." Tucker answered after a slight pause.
"Hmph. That makes two of us." Danny replied.
Silence.
"So, what were you doing on that bridge? You should have been able to see that it was falling apart." Tucker asked suddenly
"Wait, you didn't see it?" Danny asked in disbelief.
"See what?"
"That thing."
"Yeah, that narrows it down." Tucker said, sarcastically.
"No, I mean that there is... I don't know, something in the forest. Something dark. It has been stalking me the entire time, even onto the bridge." Danny said, jumping up in a panic as he was now scanning the surrounding area for any indication of the entity he just told Tucker about.
"But why didn't you just go ghost?" Tucker asked confused.
Silence.
"Dude?"
"... I don- I can't. I just can't." Danny said somberly.
Tucker just looked at him with a look that said: "Are you serious?"
Danny just looked at him with a sad, haunted look.
"Look, I just can't use my powers. They have only caused trouble for everyone since the day I've got them."
"Dude, you can't be serious, can you? You have done so much for everyone ever since you gained your powers. Why would you not use them? Why would you deny who you are?"
"I am not denying who I am. I am Danny Fenton. Your average, everyday normal human." Danny defended himself angrily.
"Then why do you call yourself Manson?" Tucker asked in a calm, logical tone.
Silence.
"Well?"
".. It... It's the only way I can keep her alive, I guess." Danny begrudgingly admitted. "But how do you know about that? And why are you even asking me this? Shouldn't we be more concerned about that thing that has been stalking me? I doubt that a collapsed bridge will stop it." He said. Quickly changing the topic, both because it was a more pressing matter, and because he simply didn't like to talk about it.
"Yeah, sure." Tucker said with a sigh, slightly shaking his head, "So, what exactly are we looking for?"
"Some horrific abomination that seems to be made of shadows." Danny said nervously as he scanned the surrounding area behind him.
".... Ehh. Could you be a little more specific?" Tucker asked, his voice suddenly filled with fear.
"Like a horse and a bear got drunk some night and this came out of it." Danny said, slightly chuckling about his joke as he completely missed the change in his friend's voice.
"You mean something like that!?" Tucker said frantically as he pointed at the dark form with glowing green eyes as it approached them.
"Yes, exactly like that!" Danny said in a raised, panicked voice.
Both of them jumped up to their feet, and bolted away from the dark form. Running towards a structure up ahead, which was mostly obscured by the fog surrounding them.
Danny was only to make out the outline of the building. Somehow it seemed familiar, but also out of place as his mind struggled to place the oddly familiar shape.
A loud scream brought him back to the present. And as he looked back, he saw Tucker being dragged over the ground. One of those dark tendrils that originated from the things deformed wings, had wrapped itself around his left leg, and was now pulling his helpless victim towards itself.
"Tucker!" Danny bellowed as he ran back towards his friend.
Danny grabbed Tucker by both his hands, and, with all the strength he could muster, tried to pull his friend back and out of the horror's grasp.
Tucker screamed out as the thing tightened its grip around his leg and pulled harder, the tug-of-war strain on his leg causing him agonizing pain. Yet, despite the increased effort of the darkness, Danny was able to slowly pull Tucker away from it. And Tucker, despite the pain he was in, was kicking at the tendril that had wrapped around his leg with his other, free leg. Unfortunately, the darkness wasn't going to give up that easily. And in the blink of an eye, it wrapped another one of its shadow like tendrils around Tucker's right leg.
Now, with a firm hold on Tucker by holding both his legs, the dark form increased the force it was using to pull its prey towards itself.
"Ghaaa!" Tucker cried out as the force increased, his pants already started to tear.
Danny groaned loudly as he struggled to overcome the creature's strength, and slowly Tucker was slipping from his grasp.
"D-Danny... gha.. Use.. use your ghost powers!" Tucker screamed out as one of his hands slipped out of Danny's grasp.
"I can't. All they are good for is causing trouble!" Danny yelled as he held on to Tucker's other arm. Slowly being dragged with him, despite his efforts to keep the dark form from doing that.
"Yes you can! Just do it!" Tucker yelled at Danny.
Looking into his eyes, Danny saw fear, pain, anger, and also disappointment. Disappointment targeted towards him as he was failing his friend. Failing him just as he did to Sam.
'No!' he thought. 'Not again.'
"I'm going ghost!"
Danny yelled out while continuing to hold onto his friend.
A white band of energy formed around Danny's midsection, before it split in half. One half moved down, while the other moved up. Each part of his body that passed through the rings of energy transformed. His clothes turned into a black jumpsuit with white boots, gloves and belt. His skin became pale, and a white glow came off of it. His hair turned white, and his eyes became a glowing green. And to top it all off, a large logo of his initials displayed proudly on his chest.
Where once was Danny Manson, there was now Danny Phantom.
During all of this, the dark form observed the transformation with great interest. An air of excitement could be felt coming off of it, and it became transfixed on the sudden change of the scared human, that it stopped dragging Tucker towards itself.
"Let go of my friend!" Danny roared at the shade, his anger causing his eyes to glow heavily.
No longer interested in his previous prey, it released its hold on Tucker. Letting him slump to the ground, it looked at Danny expectantly, waiting for something.
"I will not let you take my friend!" he said with barely suppressed rage.
Lifting off the ground, levitating himself over his downed friend in a defencive stance, Danny prepared to attack the dark manifestation.
"All night long you have been stalking me, hunting me down like some animal! NO MORE!" He roared. "You think I am defenseless, that I am unable to fight back? Well, think again." He said with a cold, menacing tone as he balled his hands into fists and made them glow green with ectoplasm. The green glow matching the glowing orbs making up the dark shape's eyes and specks in its mane and tail.
Right at the moment that Danny's hands started to glow with his power, the glowing orbs present in the form of the darkness picked up in luminosity, too. Glowing brighter and brighter, matching the glow produced by Danny.
"What the?" Danny said in confusion over this latest development. But he was unable to say or think anything more, as it was then that the pain started.
Danny screamed in agony as he fell to the ground. The dark entity stood before him, its eyes, and the glowing specks in its mane and tail continued to glow brighter and brighter. While at the same time, the glow around Danny's hands became weaker and weaker.
The brighter the glow of the dark entity became, the weaker Danny's got. It was as if it was draining the power straight out of him. As it did so, its appearance changed, smoothing out. Its thick legs became thinner, almost delicate, but still showing muscle. Its body underwent a similar transformation. Going from bulky to slim, and athletic and strength seemed to radiate off of it. The tendrils that came from the wings turned into pitch black feathers, while the wings gained a more natural look. Its head gained more detail, as its eyes, before nothing more than two orbs, turned into two expression filled eyes. A dark green, almost black swirl of energy formed in them, taking the shape of a cat like pupil. A tear formed at the tip of its muzzle, slowly stretching out to form a mouth. A mouth that immediately formed into a wicked grin, showing sharp, glowing green teeth. Its horn, which was first nothing more than a long, sharp spike, developed a spiral pattern on its surface while the length increased slightly, and the base became narrower.
Danny struggled to remain conscious as the thing drained him of his power. Groaning weakly, he looked up at the transformed creature. Where before it looked like some cross between a bear and horse, it now looked like one of the princesses he had met in Equestria. Elegant, regal, and a distinctly feminine look. Yet, where the princesses looked kind and friendly, this being was anything but those things.
Cold, demonic eyes glowing with the energy of the dead. Her mane and tail looked like those of Luna, yet they were formed in a similar fashion as Danny's legs as he turned them into an intangible tail. Undulating in an unfelt breeze, giving her already imposing appearance a powerful look.
As he looked up at her, she looked down at him. Her grin grew even larger as she observed the weakening human, nearly drained of his strength. She could feel it, his power. Power from the dead, contained in the body of one alive. A mixture she had never experienced before in her existence. She held the power over the night and shadows, but he, he was something else. Something more, and less. He wielded a shadow of formidable capabilities, yet this creature of the dark was unable to tap into its true power. Nor did it have the intelligence to see the threat that was called Nightmare Moon as it absorbed her residual energy, and thus, it gave her a chance to reclaim what she had lost. Her physical form.
By giving the simple shadow an increased intelligence, as well as some other abilities, she was able to slowly take root in this unique entity. As an added bonus, while her mind was slowly forming into this new host, she could also drain more energy from this human that wielded the shadow. But it was a slow process. She could only drain his energy while he used it. She was unable to directly tap into the source of his powers, and this ape was unwilling to use his powers for anything more than simple chores.
But then she was in luck. Some foals, two of them sisters of two of the six ponies she loathed above all else, got lost in the Everfree Forest. And the human, with his misguided sense of nobility, rushed to help.
At first she didn't think much of this. She was only a passenger in his mind at that time. Even worse, a servant. She was merged with his shadow, but did not yet control it, and thus was forced to obey his commands. But that changed after his fight with the manticore. The beast that forced out more of his delicious power. She feasted on the sudden increase of undead energy, growing in strength. And at long last, she was gaining control of the shade.
But she needed more, much more. Her form was still linked to this human, and while she was now able to control his shadow, she was unable to extend her mind to his. Something was shielding him from her, making it impossible to corrupt his mind as well.
But this was of no concern to her, as his ugly form was not something she wanted her mind to reside in. His shadow, however, was the perfect vessel for her. A perfect form, for a perfect being. A form of darkness for the goddess of the night. So she needed to separate this form from his, and the only way to do that was to absorb all of his energy into herself. This would cause his body to die and decay, while her form would be free from the shackles of his mind. And so she used her ability to shape one’s dreams, and provided him with a nightmare worthy of her name. A nightmare that would lure out his full power. Dream or not, his powers were all the same, and she made sure she would absorb every last bit of it.
Slowly, Danny Phantom was fading, and Nightmare Moon was rising.
Danny could feel his strength being drained from him. He reverted back into his human form as he was no longer able to sustain his ghost side. He shakily raised his hand, as if in an attempt to grab the feminine shadow before him. But the energy to lift his arm up left him, and his arm flopped onto the moldering leaves covering the ground while his vision became dark and blurry as he was slowly losing consciousness. He struggled for a little while longer, not wanting to give up, but he knew he was beaten. His vision narrowed until all he was able to see where the legs of the nightmare standing before him, until those started to fade into black too.
"Oh no you don't!"
An impossible voice yelled. The meaning of what she said was meant for both the nightmare and Danny.
A blue, white beam of energy, with bands of the same energy spiraling around the main beam, hit the shadow in its chest, and Danny could feel his energy rush back into his body. And as his vision returned, he saw the dark form being sucked up in the spiraling vortex of blue energy.
Screaming out in rage, the shadow disappeared into a device looking like a thermos as the person holding the ghost catching device slammed the lid onto it, sealing the nightmare into the containment unit.
But this was not what Danny was looking at as he lay there on the ground. No. He was looking at the one holding the device, the one who had saved him. And she couldn't have been there.
"Looks like you boys could use some help." Sam said with a smirk as she bounced the thermos in her hand.
"Sam?" Danny said hesitantly, not believing what he was seeing.
"Impossible." Tucker said, equally shocked.
"What's the matter, boys? You look like you've seen a ghost." She said humorously as she caught the thermos and walked over to Danny.
Looking up at the impossible girl, Danny could only blink dumbly as Sam offered her hand to help him get up. In a daze, he grabbed hold of her hand, and with little to no effort she helped him back on his feet.
Sam gave an eye roll from the look she was getting from Danny, but a slight grin showed it wasn't in annoyance. Walking over to Tucker, she helped him back up too, and receiving a similar look from him.
"Come on you guys, as much as I like to be looked at all day," -she said sarcastically- "can you please stop staring like that?"
Tucker and Danny stared at each other for a moment, asking each other without words if the other was seeing what they were seeing.
"How..." Danny began, but was unable to finish.
"How what?" Sam asked.
"How are you here? How can you be here? You can't be real." Danny said in a rush, the impossibility of Sam being here messed with his mind.
"Easy," she said. "I'm not really here, nor am I real. And neither is Tucker." She said with a nod towards Tucker.
"Say what!?" Tucker said, dumbfounded.
"How do you mean he is not real?" Danny asked in confusion. "He is standing right there."
"Yes he is, and no he isn't." Sam answered, but only receiving blank stares from her two friends. She sighed out, "You really don't know, huh?" She said with a sad shake of her head.
"Know what?" Danny asked, growing more confused by the second.
"Danny, this isn't real. Any of it. Haven't you noticed how Tucker is still a teenager while you are an adult?" After she said that, Danny immediately looked at his friend, and noticed that she was right.
"What.... But how?" he said, shocked while Tucker looked himself over, suddenly very distraught with his younger form.
"Because you don't know him as an adult." Sam answered. "Danny, this is all a dream. A dream produced by that thing currently residing in the thermos." She said as she slightly shook the mentioned object. "She has mixed your memories with her own, creating what you see here now."
"What!?" Danny yelled.
"But how am I not real?" Tucker asked as he patted his chest. "I feel real, I think."
"That is only because you are made from the memories of Danny, placed into a world where he can't determine real from fake." Sam said somberly.
"But how do you know about all of this then? If you aren't real either, then aren't you made of my memory too?" Danny asked, trying to make sense of it all.
"Yes, aaand no. Look it is complicated, and it will take forever to explain. For now, all you need to know is that I am here to help." Sam told him as she walked to the edge of the ravine, and threw the thermos down in the darkness below.
"Why did you do that?" Tucker asked shocked.
"Because this is her lair, and the thermos will not hold her forever. And I don't want to be anywhere near that thing when she breaks out. Now, come. There is only one way for you to get out of this place. So you better follow me."
Reluctantly, Danny and Tucker followed their dead, suddenly alive, but not really here, friend. Not knowing what to make of all of this. Danny's mind was spinning with countless questions, least of all, if she's not really Sam, then who is she?
"So, where are we going?" Danny asked as he caught up with her.
"To the root of the problem," she answered. And as she said that, the fog lifted, revealing the previously obscured building Danny noticed earlier. And his heart almost stopped when he realized what he was looking at.
"..I..Is that..." Danny stammered weakly.
"The place where Sam died? Yes," she answered. "But more importantly. It is also the place where your life ended."
Danny looked at 'Sam', confusion clearly evident on his face over her choice of words.
"Ehh. No it didn't. I didn't die."
"I never said you died. I said that your life ended. There is a difference." 'Sam' told him as she walked towards the partially covered hole in the store's front, tore off the police tape, and kicked away some of the planks placed there.
"More than one life ended that day. Sam died, yes. But your life, Tucker's and many more were destroyed as well. Most of them were able to pick up the pieces, and go on with their lives... Mostly. But you," she said, shaking her head. "You were unable to do so. You gave up everything, including your own name, just to keep her alive. Noble, but stupid. If you deny who you really are, then you will not really be alive." She finished with a pitying tone, looking at Danny over her shoulder.
Danny looked down at his feet. Sam, or not, her words struck home. A knot could be felt in his chest as years of pent up frustration, sorrow and guilt threatened to burst out. But there was also another emotion at play. Anger, anger towards the one who claimed not to be Sam, but took her form all the same. His hands were balled into fists so tight they were shaking as he tried to keep his emotions under control.
"Dude, calm down." Tucker said as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Only now realizing he had to reach up to do so.
Looking down at teenage friend, Danny took several calming breaths before nodding. Slowly he calmed down, and, when he felt he was able to control himself, looked back at 'Sam'.
"Better?" she asked.
"No." Danny said in a forced tone.
"That is not surprising. For years you have been running from this, and now I am ripping open this old wound. Do know that I am not able to heal you, or anything. Only you are able to do that. But I can set in motion the events that will help you. But for me to be able to do that, we need to go deeper." She said.
"Deeper? Deeper into what?" Danny asked, confused.
"Into your subconscious. There we will be able to start fixing this problem." 'Sam' answered.
"What do you mean?" Tucker asked before Danny could.
"This place, all of it, is made by that thing I just threw down." 'Sam' said as she waved her hand around, indicating the entire area. "She controls it, shapes it as she sees fit. I am only able to guide you, but nothing more. Also, she wouldn't allow you to remember any of this. She will make sure that all that you see or hear in here will be wiped from your memory. So telling you to do this or to do that is not going to work." 'Sam' explained to Danny, knowing that it was his subconscious that made Tucker ask the question.
"Okaaay. And this is important how?" Danny asked, not understanding.
"It is important because, in here there is almost nothing we can do. We can only work with the environment that is provided to us. Mainly, the memories from you, and her. In here, we are powerless. But out in the waking world, she is not in control... Not yet. But for this to work out there, you need to remember it here." She explained.
"But didn't you just say that I won't be able to remember anything in here." Danny asked her.
"Yes. But there is a way around it, a loophole if you will. You won't be able to remember a memory, but you will be able to remember an idea. An idea that we are going to place in the core of your being. But she will resist.... Heavily." 'Sam' finished as she stepped through the hole and inside the abandoned structure.
"Are you coming?" she asked the two men standing behind her. Both of them had a look of utter bewilderment and confusion on their faces. A clear indication just how much trouble Danny had with trying to comprehend what she just said.
Seeing 'Sam' disappear inside the building brought Danny back to the here and now and, somewhat reluctantly, followed her inside, followed shortly thereafter by Tucker. Only for them to freeze when they heard a loud, piercing scream.
<<>><<>><<>>
A short moment earlier
Down in the dark, it lay. A device made of a silvery metal, and light green markings on it.
The presence inside unleashed her might on the damned object that had managed to seal her away, and stop her from breaking the bounds that had chained her. More and more force was unleashed into the cylindrical trap, her strength amplified through her rage. So much power was forced into the object that it started to shake. Slow at first, but gaining in strength, and soon it was rocking around like a thing possessed. Which, in all fairness, it was.
Cracks started to form over the surface, and dark green fog leaked out as the device continued to shake. Not long thereafter, light started to shine through the cracks as the fail-safe failed. The only light that she didn't allow to exist in her realm, and any shadow that was near her faded away with a hiss. More power was forced in the weakening structure, and slowly black fog mixed with the green as her form poured out of her prison.
Still adding more and more of the power she had managed to steal from this human she was bonded to, she finally managed to break out of the infernal device. It sputtered and sparked as she looked down onto it. Her rage grew to new levels as she saw what it was.
A thermos. Something to keep drinks in was used to seal her away. Cursing in a language not heard in over a thousand years, she crushed the device under her hoof as she screamed out in rage.
<<>><<>><<>>
A loud scream pierced the night. A sound filled with rage, and Danny, Tucker and 'Sam' stopped in their tracks as they looked back at the ravine 'Sam' had just thrown the thermos down into.
"Damn. That is faster than I thought it would take her to get out." She said, sounding somewhat shocked.
"So what do we do now?" Tucker asked, slightly nervous as he continued to stare at the spot 'Sam' had dropped the thermos.
"Not much we can do. Not directly, at least." She answered as she started moving again, going deeper into the structure. "Come on, this way."
"How do you even know where we need to go?" Danny asked as he followed her, still not sure whether he should trust her, or not.
"It's complicated, and not something we have the time for me to explain." She said hesitantly, not meeting his gaze.
"Well, I am not going anywhere unless I get some answers." Danny said as he crossed his arms and stopped walking. A defiant act that was somewhat ruined when Tucker walked into him, sending them both to the ground.
"I'm sorry, Danny. But I won't be able to do that." She said, sadly. Looking away, carefully hiding the flash of green that showed in her eyes for a moment. "We all reach a point where we need to understand the choices we make, and this is mine. I can't explain this to you, not yet, it's not yet the... time for that." she added, carefully choosing her words.
"But I am here to help, that much I can tell you." she said as she looked Danny in the eyes, reaching out a hand to help him back up.
Looking back at her, Danny was unable to detect any form of deceit. Whoever she is, she was telling the truth. Yet something was bothering him, and it wasn't the dark mass slowly lifting herself out of the depths that 'Sam' had thrown her in.
"You tell me to trust you, and to follow you to who knows where. Yet you show yourself as Sam, but say you aren't here. Why? Why should I trust you? You might just as well be—" gesturing around him with both arms "—another part of this messed up nightmare I have." He said with a raised voice. Ignoring his gut feeling to start moving again as the Nightmare came closer.
"I took this form because it is how you remember m-... her. And in here, I am just as real as Tucker. We are both a memory, a part of who you were. But Tucker is only working on the memories you have of him, as well as your own mind set. I am something different. An outside force if you will. I reached out to you because you were in need of help, desperately." She finished as she saw Nightmare move closer still. The only reason she wasn't moving faster than that was because Danny's subconscious was still fighting her. The small part of him that knew what was happening, and tried to prevent it.
"Now come on, we need to move!" she desperately said as she dragged Danny with her by the arm.
"Wait, an outside force?" Danny said as he remembered something.
****
'Didn't princess Luna guard your dreams?' Ruby asked.
Ehu... What?' Danny said in a sleep deprived confusion, not understanding what she meant.
'You know! Princess Luna. She, and her sister visited you some time ago.' Ruby said, almost in shock, not believing he didn't know who the princess was.
****
"What the?" Danny said in confusion as he saw the translucent images of Ruby and himself standing a few meters away from them, replaying the conversation that they had not too long ago.
"It's a memory, Danny." 'Sam' said as she, too, stopped for a moment to look at the translucent images, before continuing to move away from the shadow once more. "And to answer your unspoken question. No, I am not princess Luna." She shot a sideways glance at the Nightmare following them as she told him that.
"Hey you guys, wait for me!" Tucker yelled as he realized he was almost forgotten as he continued to stare at the images from Danny's mind.
As the trio ran away from the approaching darkness, they failed to notice that Nightmare Moon had stopped to observe the memory left behind as it slowly faded into the subconscious mind of Danny.
A spike of anger went through her being as she heard the name of her other self being mentioned. Shadows rippled around her, and cracks formed in the floor underneath her as her anger rose. Blasting the memory away with her power, feeling no satisfaction as it disappeared into thin air.
As her rage slowly subsided, she looked around and observed her surroundings. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized where she was, and what this would mean to her. She couldn't let this happen, not if she wanted to break free from this ape. So, using her power -increased after the energy she had managed to steal- she changed the dream, forcing her prey to visit some of her memories instead of his own. But with some adaptations to them. Instead of fighting her, they will be fighting them.
A twisted grin formed on her muzzle as she set in motion the events that would truly make this nightmare into something he would stay in.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Come on, this way!" 'Sam' said as she dragged Danny with her.
"Will you at least say where we are going?" Danny asked as he started to lose his feeling in his hand thanks through her tight grip.
"We're going to the place where your life was changed." She answered as she ran towards a door and opened it. "Now, this won't be easy, but just... know...." She trailed off when she stepped through the door and looked around.
No longer were they in the convenience store where Danny's life was changed. Instead, they found themselves inside an old castle. A very old castle. Time had taken its toll on the ancient structure as nature had reclaimed it. Collapsed walls, doors barely hanging on their hinges, large cracks and gaping holes in the floors as segments had given way to gravity, large vine like plants grew through broken windows and covered anything within its reach. There was also a large amount of dust covering everything, indicating that there had not been anyone in here for a very long time.
And in the midst of it all stood a large pedestal. In the center of the pedestal lay a large spherical object covered with moss, while five arms extended from the middle, with bowls on the ends of them. Some treasure once lay in them, but now it was long gone.
"Ehh.... Is this the right place?" Tucker asked as he looked around in confusion.
"No, it isn't." 'Sam' said in a frightful whisper.
"Then where are we?" Danny asked as he looked around, "Is this another memory of mine? Because I do not remember this place."
"That is because this is not a memory of yours." 'Sam' said. "Keep your eyes and ears open, you two, this nightmare has only just begun!"
"Keep your eyes and ears open, you two. This nightmare has only just begun!"
No sooner than 'Sam' had said this, they heard the sound of leaves crunching and twigs snapping coming from directly behind them. Looking back, they saw that the door they came from had disappeared, along with the entire wall.
"What the..." Danny mumbled as they saw the many trees standing before them.
"Uhh... Guys?" Tucker said, catching the attention of the others.
Glancing over their shoulders, they saw he was looking at something behind them.
They both turned around, and immediately Danny took a step back in confusion and surprise, while 'Sam' only gave a groan in annoyance.
The room they were previously in had disappeared. In its place there was now a massive forest. A forest exactly like the one Danny had tried to escape from, and they were standing right in the middle of it.
Crunch.
There it was again. The three of them pressed their backs together as they scanned the trees for any sign for what was making that sound, yet the darkness that surrounded them made it a difficult task.
Snap... Rustle.
"There. It came from over there!" Tucker said in a half whisper as he pointed in the general area before him.
Crunch... Crunch. Snap.
"Is it just me, or does it sound like something is walking? Something big?" Danny asked as he tried to see through the darkness.
"You're right," 'Sam' said. "Something big is here."
"Roarrrr"
A loud roar came from the dark. The snapping of branches and heavy pounding on the ground indicated that a large form was running towards them. Danny, on instinct, turned back into his ghost form, and took a defensive stance before Tucker and 'Sam'.
"Don't worry you guys! I’ve dealt with one of these before!" he said confidently as he looked at the creature as it came out of the shadows, running towards the trio.
Finding himself surprisingly calm given the circumstances, Danny sized up his opponent.
It had a feral, violent look, and a mouth filled with large sharp teeth. A scorpion tail with poison dripping from the tip, not to mention the large spike that could easily spear him. It had bat wings, with the body and head of a lion. It bore a surprisingly bright pink mane, and bright turquoise, angry eyes. Large claws, one of which seemed to be bleeding as it left dark red marks every time the beast lifted the claw off the ground.
Danny noticed all of this in less than a second as his instincts --sharpened during his time as the hero of Amity Park-- kicked in. Yet, despite all of this, he failed to notice the green glint in the beast's eyes, and the slight curve upwards the corners of the creature's mouth made as he became a ghost again.
With a leap, the manticore jumped towards the three humans standing before it. 'Sam' jumped out of the way, while Tucker froze up.
Acting fast, Danny grabbed his friend and flung him towards one of the more distant trees.
"Just stay here," Danny told him as Tucker scrambled to hide behind a thick tree trunk. "You don't want to get too close to this thing."
"Y-yeah, okay... thanks." Tucker said, shaken.
Giving him a nod of confirmation, Danny flew back to the enraged beast, ready to start the fight.
"Why do I have the feeling something like this has happened before?" Danny wondered as he dodged a wild swing from the beast, and delivered a swift uppercut of his own.
Roaring out in rage from the blow, the manticore launched its tail towards Danny. He narrowly avoided the poisoned tip by turning his midsection into an intangible trail. Not unlike how his legs would be if he turned them into a tail, making it possible for him to twist and turn his body out of the way in ways no normal human would be able to do. Not without breaking their back, anyways.
"Wow, that was a bit too close." He yelped as his body reformed back into a solid shape.
Flying backwards a bit to make sure the animal couldn't hit him with another wild swing, Danny charged energy into his hands, making them glow. But before he had a chance to fire his attack onto the manticore, the beast was struck by another ectoplasmic green blast, not coming from him.
"What? Who did that?" Danny asked aloud as he twisted around to find the source of the blast.
"You aren't the only one that can shoot things, you know.” 'Sam' said as she aimed her ecto blaster at the manticore and unleashed another burst of energy.
"What? Where did you get that thing?" Danny asked, raising his voice over the manticore's enraged roar.
"Well, hellooo? This is your memory too, remember? I just use what is inside that thick head of yours."
"Wait, you can do that?" he asked in surprise.
"Sure, although there isn't really much to work with." 'Sam' shouted back as she dodged one of the claws the manticore swung at her, and let loose a barrage of her own attacks.
"Wow tha.... Wait, what do you mean, there is not much to work with?" Danny asked her, sounding somewhat offended. The only reply he got was a smug smirk as 'Sam' shot the blaster again.
Grumbling under his breath about the obvious jab towards him, Danny flew towards the enraged animal as it was currently distracted by 'Sam'. But, despite the slight insult, a small smile found his way on his face. Regardless of what she had just said, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic about it all. Whether it was a dream, or not. Whether she was real, or not. Here she was again, fighting by his side.
Letting loose the energy he had stored in his hands, Danny sent a twin blast of ectoplasm into the beast's back.
Roaring out in pain, surprise, and rage, the manticore swung his body wildly around, and managed to hit Danny with the bulbous end of his tail.
The blow knocked the wind out of Danny as he went soaring through the air with a silent scream, before crashing into one of the many trees, slowly sliding down the trunk to the ground where he lay in a motionless heap for several long seconds.
Groaning weakly, Danny rubbed his head as he pushed his upper body off the ground. Blinking rapidly to clear the haze and shattered leaves from his vision, he noticed that the already dark forest had become even darker.
Heavy panting filled the air as a thick fluid fell to the ground mere inches from his face. Looking up, he saw the manticore standing over him, and thick drops of saliva fell from the animal's open jaw.
Danny heard the faint sound of 'Sam' as she yelled something to him, but it was lost to him as the manticore lifted himself up onto hind legs, spread out his front legs and wings, and roared loudly before lurching forward, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
Thoughtlessly, Danny rolled to the side, narrowly missing the beast's claws as they made deep gashes into the dark earth on which he had just been lying. Pushing off the ground, he quickly flew up and away from the beast, taking a brief moment to actually catch his breath.
"Wow, that was waaay too close for comfort..." he sighed out in relief.
"I’ll say. Keep your head in the game, Danny." 'Sam' said as she shot the beast in the back, causing it to yelp out as it retreated back in between the shadows of the forest.
"Right." Danny answered as they saw the glint of the animal's eyes coming from the darkness surrounding them. "Say, if you can have one of those blasters, can Tucker have one too?" he asked suddenly.
"I guess," she said with a shrug as she kept her eyes on the last known position of the manticore, preparing for another round. "All you need to do is think about it, and it should happen."
"Really?"
"Maybe. This is your dream, but you are not controlling it. It might work, or it won't because she won't allow it." 'Sam' said as she spun on her heel and aimed her weapon towards the sound of snapping branches coming from her right side.
"Well, it is better than nothing. I can really use all the help I can get.” Danny said as he rubbed his side. "That hit hurt more than I thought it would."
"That doesn't surprise me." 'Sam' said, "Your powers were drained, weakening you. Plus, we are in your own mind. Basically you are fighting yourself, and we are all our own worst enemies." She told him, not realizing what kind of impact her words would have.
"We're our own worst enemy!" Danny repeated under his breath as memories suddenly flooded his mind
Suddenly the forest rippled and warped. Cracks seemed to appear in thin air as the trees surrounding them started to fade, and in their place came many destroyed buildings. Buildings Danny had destroyed in another life.
'Sam' called out to him, but he was unable to hear her as he was consumed by the emerging city.
<<>><<>><<>>
'What is this?' Nightmare thought as she reared back in shock.
She had been observing the human ever since he had so carelessly ran into her trap, and had been watching with twisted amusement how he and his "friends" fought with the beast she had sent to them.
She knew he didn't stand a chance. Not only had he been weakened from the power drain, but in a world she controlled, there was no victory for her prey. Yet somehow, one of his associates had managed to obtain a weapon, even though she didn't allow for it. And somehow, they managed to scare off her pawn. Even if it was only temporary. But this was not what concerned her, nor was it the obvious attempt to form some sort of plan of attack they were discussing. No, it was what happened after the female had told him something that captured her attention.
Outside of her control, the environment had changed. The forest she created vanished, replaced by a city of formidable size.
At first Nightmare thought that, somehow, this ape had managed to break her hold over his mind, that he was shaping his own dream. But after the first buildings took shape, and she got a good look at this new landscape, she realized something else was happening.
A memory.
A memory of something dark.
A nightmare.
"Well, aren't you full of surprises." She mused as she watched the scene unfold with rapt attention.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was breathing heavily, almost to the point of hyperventilating, as he suddenly found himself standing in the one place he wished he would never see again.
He knew this place all too well.
Amity Park. The city he was born and raised in. The city he had tried to defend as he took on the role of hero. The city that had shunned him, had branded him as a criminal. The city he had destroyed. Destroyed in a future he fought so hard to prevent.
It was a fate that was averted, thanks to the intervention and guidance of the ghost, Clockwork. And Danny knew he shouldn’t have to worry about this future becoming a reality. Yet, here he was again. Standing in the abandoned streets of the ruined city.
Gasping, trying to get his panicked breathing under control, he looked around for his friends, hoping that somehow 'Sam' would know what was going on.
"Hello." He called out with a high pitched voice, yet he received no reply.
Everywhere he looked he saw emptied buildings, burned out cars, destroyed streets, and all the wreckage of many hard fought battles.
He wandered aimlessly through the streets, taking in the destruction and knowing he caused it all.
"This isn't right. I stopped this... didn't I?" Danny asked himself, uncertain; so immersed in his own memory that he didn't notice it wasn't real.
A loud crash made him jump, and he swirled around with his arm raised and his hand glowing green. But the threat he was expecting proved to be nothing more than a collapsing wall.
Chunks of masonry littered the street where the wall had tumbled down, while a small puff of dust ballooned into the air. The dust mixed with the smoke rising from the destruction surrounding him, while weak, red sunlight shone through the holes in the suffocating layers of smog.
Danny shivered uncontrollably as he took it all in.
"I did this." He whispered as his guilt crushed down on him like a mountain.
"My powers caused this." He said, bending down to pick up a damaged teddy bear. Half the face of it was burned away, and black scorch marks covered the body.
"This is all I am good for." He said through clenched teeth as he tightened his grip on the pitiful stuffed animal. "Death and destruction! That is all I am good for!" He yelled as he threw away the destroyed bear.
Falling to his knees, Danny punched the ground again and again until the glove covering his hand was torn, and his knuckles were bleeding. Drops of ectoplasm fell to the ground, mixed with the tears falling from his eyes.
"Why do I destroy everything I touch? Why do I hurt everyone that gets close to me?"
"Because it is your destiny!"
Danny's eyes shot open as he heard the voice. Raising his head to look for the voice, he saw that hateful being he wished he would never see again.
Himself.
The older, corrupted version of himself that had laid waste to the city he once protected. The sight of him hit like a physical blow, knocking Danny backwards off his knees.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Impossible!" Nightmare Moon roared as she observed the corruption.
Pale, greenish skin, and white hair that moved in a similar fashion as her own mane. A broad chest, muscular arms, glowing red eyes, and fangs. He wore a cape that was white on the outside, and black on the inside. And a suit which was equally white, but with a black center section that split into a large V and covered his arms.
"This ape. He was like me once." Nightmare Moon said in surprise, amazement and disgust. How could such a low creature be blessed with the powers of a god? Yet he didn't show any of it now, save for this memory.
"What are you?" She said in a hissed whisper.
<<>><<>><<>>
"NO, it can't be. You can't be here. We stopped you. I stopped you." Danny screamed in panic as he scampered away in a backwards crab-walk.
"So you did." Dan replied with a snarl, stepping closer to the retreating, younger version of himself.
"Poor. Little. Danny." He said in a calm, but mocking voice as he grabbed Danny by the collar, and lifted him up with one hand. "All grown up. And yet, you remain the same ignorant fool you were as a kid." His head cocked to one side as his tone shifted from mocking to condescending.
"I had it all. You had it all. Powers beyond your wildest imagination, yet you gave it all up for what? To be a hero, or to save your friends? Or maybe for Sam?" He asked with cruel contempt as he looked at his younger self with disgust.
"Let me tell you something Danny Boy. Being a hero never pays off. You sacrifice yourself time, and time again. And for what? What have you gained for your heroism?" He asked, pausing a few seconds for Danny to answer. But he didn't as he struggled to free himself from the grip his corrupted counterpart had him in. "Nothing, that's what." Dan spat at him. "And friends, they only get in the way. It wasn't until they were gone that I realized how much they had held me back. And since that day, I became stronger than I thought possible. And then there is Sam. Sam. Sam. Sam. Do I even need to say it? Oh, there was a time that I would do anything for her.... Gha, pathetic. To lower one’s self to do the bidding of another. Her death was probably the best that ever happened to me. Hers, Tucker's, and the rest of my family." He said in a dark tone, perversely proud, as if it were a victory.
"You... Gha... You're a monster." Danny struggled to speak as he strained with the effort of freeing himself.
Dan pulled Danny close to his face. "Yes, yes I am. And so are you. After all, you are me." He replied proudly.
"I am nothing like you!" Danny spat back defiantly, forcing his dark self to rear back
Dan's eyes narrowed. "Oh, but you are. Even now, the seed of darkness grows within you, as it always had." He countered with calm logic.
"Never. I will never be like you. I am not evil! I have no darkness in me!" Danny yelled as he gave up his attempt to free himself, spending all his efforts to defy his corrupted counterpart.
"Oh Danny, Danny, Danny. Soon you will realize that evil and darkness are not necessarily the same thing. You are not evil, yet. But there is darkness inside of you. As it always has been. Festering and growing, reaching out to you. All you need to do is to embrace it." Dan said in a tone a father would use to lecture his foolish child.
"Never!" Danny roared.
"Yes you will. After all, you already did." Dan said angrily as he grew annoyed with his younger counterpart's stubbornness. "I am here because you already made the choice once. So why would you hesitate to do what you already have done?" He gave Danny a hard shake to drive his point home.
"Because I choose not to. Because I choose to fight you." Danny said in a half whisper, but his volume slowly rose as his anger towards his darker form grew.
"Yes, you did. And look where it got you. Sam died regardless, and you ended up a miserable, pathetic excuse of a human being. You're weak, pathetic, and an embarrassment to the both of us. At least I managed to rise up from the ashes when I lost everything. And I became the most powerful of beings. An unstoppable force."
"Pfha. An unstoppable force!" Danny said in a mocking tone. "I stopped you, my friends stopped you. You said that friends held you back, but, ultimately, it was your lack of friends that became your downfall." He nearly shouted, and then his eyes widened as the meaning of his words struck home.
"We all need friends, or we end up miserable and alone. Just like you are. Just like I am." He said barely above a whisper.
"What was that?" The corruption asked with a hiss.
Danny didn't answer as he thought back to all the times he spent with both Sam and Tucker. Memories flooded the area surrounding the two, all of them showed Sam, Tucker, and Danny. Either together, or apart, but always in a situation where they would be there for each other.
"What is this!?" Dan shouted in surprise as the memories continued to appear, slowly filling the once abandoned city with their presence.
****
"Are you still going to eat those fries?" Tucker asked in one of the memories, showing him, Sam, and Danny eating together in the local fast food place, the Nasty Burger.
****
"What is the meaning of this?" Dan asked out loud, switching his attention to another memory.
****
Sam and Tucker were standing on the eighteenth hole of the mini golf course. Sam lined up her shot, and swung her club. The ball flew straight and true, only to be stopped by the mill standing in the center of the course.
"Ugh, darnit." Sam said as she slammed the club into the ground.
"Eighteen holes Sam. I beat you here, I win." Tucker said smugly as he walked away with the golf club resting on one of his shoulders.
Sam only gave a groan in annoyance as her right eye twitched.
Tucker walked towards his own ball, seeing it was only half a meter away from the hole. An easy shot, he was sure to win.
Taking a little time to line up his shot, he gave a little tap against the ball, knowing that he had won. Or he would have if his club hadn't swung through the ball.
Tucker gasped out. How could he have missed?
"That's one." Sam said, amused.
Tucker swung again, and missed again.
"And two!" Sam counted.
Annoyed and confused why he missed the ball all the time, Tucker kept swinging and swinging.
"Three, four and five. Ha." Sam said mockingly.
Tucker gave a groan in annoyance as he reached out to pick up the small object of his frustration, only to be shocked when his hand phased through it.
"Yoohoo." Danny said as he appeared from underneath the ground, holding Tucker's golf ball.
"Ghaaa... Danny! Knock it off. Tucker half yelled as he reared back in shock.
"Yeah, you were supposed to be here an hour ago." Sam said. "By the way, that still counts." She said to Tucker.
****
Suddenly the memory faded as others took its place. All of them showing Danny with his friends. Whether they were Sam, Tucker, or others. They were all there.
"What is going on?" Dan roared as he started to blast the memories surrounding him with his free hand, but his attacks passed clean through the images, not doing any damage at all.
"Weak? Pathetic? Powerless?!" Danny said as his eyes regained focus, and snapped towards his evil self. "You're right. I am weak. If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have ran away. And I certainly have been pathetic. Doing nothing but waste away in some dump of an apartment. But I wasn't always like that. I may not be as strong as you, but I wasn't weak. I had my friends to hold my back, to pick me up whenever I was down." He said with power behind his words. For the first time in a long time Danny remembered exactly what his friends meant to him; what they had done for him.
Staring down his opponent, Danny could feel his power rise as memories strengthened his resolve.
"I was weak, and pathetic. But not any more. I am done with that. And between the two of us, I see only one that is powerless." Danny said as his eyes glowed a bright green. Looking just like two bright green orbs of pure energy.
There was a shift in the memories surrounding the two ghosts. All the images blurred together, a swirling mix that dissolved the scenery leaving the forms of each person standing in the ruined city.
"I will always have my friends to help me." The images of Tucker, Jazz, Wulf, Dani, and many more, suddenly turned towards the corruption, readying for an attack. Except Sam, who looked around in confusion, before her eyes widened at seeing Dan. She quickly recovered herself and took a fighting stance, prepared for anything.
Wulf unsheathed his claws, while Dani's hands glowed green. Sam, Tucker and Jazz all had a Fenton blaster at the ready, while various frost giants gathered large chunks of ice in their claws.
Danny, held aloft by his darker form, reached up, holding tightly to the older Fenton’s wrist. "I may not be as strong as you, but are you as strong as all of us?" Danny said threateningly as he froze Dan's wrist.
Breaking free, Danny landed on his feet.
The corruption fell to his knees, roaring as he held onto the frozen and broken stump where his hand used to be. Yet Danny failed to notice that the moment he injured his darker self, the scenery slightly changed. A couple of the bent and broken street lights faded out of existence, and in their places trees sprouted out of the ground. Trees with an almost unnatural dark bark, with shadows spread out from them in every direction.
A shadow fell across the corruption as Danny stood before him, looking down at him with disgust clearly visible on his face, while his eyes continued to glow with intensity.
"Pathetic." Was all Danny said.
Dan only growled back in response. Steam came off his demolished arm as he melted the ice with his energy, and similar puffs of water vapor came off the small chunks of his hand lying on the ground. The small chunks melted down into green goop, before they flew back to the corruption's arm. There they rejoined into an undamaged hand.
"Ah, good as new." Dan snarled as he got up, baring his fangs as he looked his opposite directly in the eyes. "Now, where were we? Oh, right." He said, then shot a beam of ectoplasm towards Danny.
Danny, standing too close to his evil self, had no time to dodge, or go intangible. With a scream, and a flash of green, he was launched backwards. Slamming into the wreck of an adjacent building, bursting through the wall. With a deafening rumble the heavily abused building imploded, collapsing onto the half ghost.
Dan laughed victoriously as he watched the building crush his former self, only to turn around when he heard an angry growl coming from behind him.
A surprised: "Oh!" was all he was able to say before Wulf impaled him with his extended claws.
Piercing his chest, and sticking out of his back, Wulf's claws were drenched with green ectoplasme as he howled in the face of the corruption.
"Bravo, you oversized mutt, you got me. It won't happen again." Dan grunted as ectoplasmic blood seeped from his mouth.
Raising his arm, he blasted Wulf in the chest, blasting him away like he did Danny. A painful shriek erupted from the both of them, the claws forcibly pulled out of Dan’s body. A small fountain of green blood sprayed out of the holes in his chest, before they sealed themselves. But there was no chance for him to catch his breath, as he immediately received a boot against his face.
"You like that, huh? Well I got a lot more where that is coming from." Said the young teenager as she charged her hands with ectoplasm. Shooting blast after blast onto the darkness that was once her cousin.
While Dani was busy blasting away as if it was the fourth of July, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were busy clearing the rubble lying on top of Danny.
"Come on, you guys. We need to get him out of there!" Jazz said frantically as she struggled to move a large piece of concrete out of the way.
"Don't worry, dude. We'll get you out of there!" Tucker called out to his friend.
"Typical Danny. Going from one place to the other, and leaving us behind, struggling to catch up." 'Sam' muttered.
"What was that?" Jazz asked, confused.
"I am just wondering why Danny doesn't just go intangible and fly out of there himself?" 'Sam' said quickly.
Jazz and Tucker stopped their effort to remove the rubble as they registered what 'Sam' had said.
"Wait. You don't mean that-" Jazz began in a shocked whisper, but 'Sam' cut her off before she could finish.
"No, no. Not like that. Not him, not in here." 'Sam' said as she looked around, suddenly noticing the trees. "Hmmm."
Without warning, the ground started to shake, and the debris covering Danny started to shift and turn as a green glow shone through the cracks.
"What are you up to now?" 'Sam' shouted as she, Jazz, and Tucker quickly moved away from the shifting debris.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Enough!" Dan roared as he was peppered with multiple blasts from Dani.
Gathering his energy, he shot out a large wave of energy in every direction, forcing everything and everyone out of the way.
Dani was blown back as the wave of energy hit her, pushing her back almost ten meters. Not enough to disorient her, but enough to cause a lull in her attack.
Gagging on the choking dust, Dani readied herself for anything that might be thrown at her. She turned invisible, despite the fact that she was somewhat covered in the dust cloud that hung around her. You could never be too careful, after all.
She quietly made her way towards the center of the blast, hoping that Dan was still there, but she was not surprised to find that this was not the case. Shifting her eyes from left to right, she scanned the environment to the best of her abilities. Knowing he was here somewhere. He wouldn't just run away from a fight, but where did he go?
A puff of cold air escaped out of her mouth, but not expecting this, she was caught off guard. Momentarily distracted, she had only enough time to blink once as Dan flew up from underneath the ground, punching her in the stomach with one fully charged fist.
"Ghaaaa!" Dani yelled out as she was thrust skyward.
On her descent back to the ground, she was snatched by the throat. Coming to an instant stop, neck popping loudly, she groaned weakly as she looked the corruption in the eyes as he squeezed her windpipe.
Dani desperately tried to pull the hand from around her throat, but his grip was just too strong. She was gasping for air, as her vision slowly faded to black.
Drawing her close, Dan leered at Dani. "You had so much promise. The potential to become just as great as me, but you chose weakness instead. If I could kill you, I would. But I guess I will have to settle for this instead," he said in a low, menacing voice as he triumphantly watched the light in her eyes slowly fade.
BOOOOOM!
A large explosion went off, accompanied by a blinding green flash. The shockwave of it knocked Dani free of the corruption’s grasp, causing her to fall to the ground.
Barely conscious, Dani was unable to stop her plummet, and was only aware enough to close her eyes before impact.
A large body impacted with hers, and the sudden jerk caused her head to snap back, yet there was no collision with the ground. Struggling to open her eyes, Dani was able to make out the blurry image of Wulf as he was holding her.
She lost consciousness seconds later.
<<>><<>><<>>
One minute prior.
Wulf was frothing with anger. He had the Dark One impaled onto his claws, and yet he managed to escape. The only satisfaction he had was that he had injured him. But that was short lived, as the Dark One's wounds healed almost immediately.
That was an insult to him. That, and the blast he received in the chest. After all, he was a being of pride, and he would take down anyone that would damage it.
Looking down at the black scorch mark in his fur he could feel his anger rise. This was a worse insult than the collar Walker placed on him during his imprisonment. But the thing that truly caused him to lose his cool, was what the Dark One did to his family. First, he hit Danny, the one who became his bond brother after freeing him, with the same attack that stained Wulf’s coat; blasting him into the destroyed remains of a building, and causing it to collapse on top of him.
Then his sister took his place, and attacked the Dark One. She was confusing to him, at first. She smelled the same, and yet, she was different. But where smell confused him, sight allowed him to solve the mystery. They shared the same powers, and family skin, black and white.
Wulf recognized her as Danny's kin, and therefore, as one of his own. She was his sister as much as Danny was his brother, and seeing the Dark One hurt her was the last straw.
He rose up to his full height, and allowed the bloodwrath to consume him. An anger fueled by blind fury that would be devastating to anyone in his path.
Looking up, he saw the Dark One hold his bond sister in his blunt claws. She was struggling, injured, and he would make sure he would pay for it.
His chest swelled as he filled his lungs, Wulf prepared to let loose the howl of his ancestors. Yet, before he could call out to the great wolves of long past, the ground started to shake violently, and a faint green glow shone from the rubble where his bond brother lay.
Eyes shining, Wulf grinned a menacing grin. His brother was still alive, and he was angry.
An explosion, louder than even the howl of his ancestors, ripped through the air, and the green flash that came with it blinded him momentarily. Shaking his head to remove the spots from his vision, Wulf looked around to see what happened in the split second that he was incapacitated.
His hackles raised as he saw his bond sister fall to the ground, clearly unable to save herself. Knowing that his vengeance on the Dark One would have to wait for now, he ran as fast as he could towards the falling form. Using every ounce of strength he had, he jumped towards her, and caught her an instant before she hit the ground.
Wulf didn't know where his brother, or the Dark One were. All he knew was, his sister needed his protection more than he needed vengeance. So, holding Dani close to his chest to shield her with his bulk, he ran towards a moderately intact building some distance away from where the Dark One last was.
Several explosions and green flashes went off in the distance, and Wulf grinned to himself. He knew that his brother was already regaining his honor.
And, because he was only a memory, he missed the sudden growth of what seemed to be a forest in the city all around him.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon had been observing the human for some time now, and she had to admit to herself that she was impressed, if only a little bit.
This human showed great power. Power she desperately wanted. To say she was surprised to learn that he possessed the ability to control one of nature's elements, would be an understatement. The more she saw, the more she wanted to absorb every last drop of this ape's powers. She would certainly become an unstoppable force if she did. Not only would she gain a new form, but new powers as well.
So, seeing her prey use his powers in such an abundance, she couldn't help but feel elated. She would absorb every last bit of it, and she didn't even need to do anything to draw out his abilities. No, he did that himself.
But when she reached out, and prepared to tap into this abundant source of energy, there was nothing. No energy she could absorb. No powers she could rip away from him, just nothing.
For a moment, she struggled to find out why she couldn't drain this ape from the prize she sought. Then it hit her. She couldn't get what she wanted, because the human was no longer within her domain. Instead, he was now in a dreamscape of his own making. And, because of that, all the power he used would remain in there, just out of her reach, only because something was still blocking her from tapping directly into his core.
Nightmare Moon felt her anger rise over this revelation. There he was, using all that power that should be her’s. Instead, it was wasted on some ridiculous dream. If she wanted to gain his powers, he had to be returned to her own domain. But how?
Then she noticed something. The moment he injured the memory this world was built around, the structure weakened. Small cracks appeared in the layers of this dream, openings she could exploit.
Sending out her own energy, she poured her presence into the layers of Danny's dream, infecting it. Slowly, she changed the dream, molding it back into the forest he had escaped from. But it was a slow process, and it could only work if the dream would become more and more unstable. Something that would only happen if the core of the dream would be weakened. And fortunately for her, that was exactly what was happening.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny blasted free from the debris lying above him, chunks of stone and steel flying through the air in every direction. His eyes glowed an intense green as he roared out in rage.
His aim was true, and his attack swift, as he flew into his dark counterpart with speed. He knocked the wind out of him, and sent him flying in a wide arc.
Dan slammed through building after building, until he came to a stop against an upturned, burned out car.
For a moment he just lay there, unmoving. Danny descended until he hovered a mere meter above the prone form, watching him intently with glowing eyes and hands.
Suddenly, Dan's eyes snapped open with a red glow, and he shot a powerful beam at Danny. But Danny was expecting this, and quickly moved to the side, the beam of deadly energy shooting past his face with mere inches to spare.
"You missed." Danny commented in a cold tone, shooting his own attack at the corruption.
Melting into green fog, Dan led the shot pass through him without suffering personal injury.
"So did you." He taunted
Danny growled back in response as the two started to circle around each other. Hands glowing, and tails swirling in a slight breeze that kicked up some of the dust lying around, the two waited for the other to make a move.
For a moment, nothing happened. But then, as if they heard the shot of a starter pistol, the two lurched to each other.
They slammed into one another with brute force, their energy collided, and the miniature explosion sent them both hurtling to the ground. Both of them recovered before they would impact, and they started to fire one shot after the other. Some hit, but most missed, causing them to slam into the already damaged terrain, and creating small craters all around.
Danny grunted with each hit he endured, but shook it off. His dark counterpart did the same, but, with each hit Danny scored, the terrain would slightly change. More and more trees appeared, and the emerging forest grew larger and larger, slowly casting more of the area in its shadow.
Danny did not notice this, as he was put on the defensive from a barrage of ectoplasmic blasts and beams Dan kept firing at him, not stopping for anything as he tried to overpower his weaker counterpart.
Danny threw up a shield in front of himself as a means to stop the attack, and give himself some breathing room. But the onslaught of the corruption's attack proved to be too much, and he found himself slowly being pushed back from the force of the barrage.
The shield cracked as the strain became too much for him. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer, and he needed to find a way to turn the tides.
Rescue came to him as two frost giants charged into the fray. One of them threw an enormous ball of ice at Dan, causing him to freeze solid. The other grew a large ice stalagmite, and used it as a bat to slam away his opponent.
The ice broke away from Dan as he tumbled toward the street. Screaming in pain and rage the second his lungs unfroze, he slammed into the ground, creating a small crater with his body.
The frost giant that had thrown the frozen ball against the corruption, rushed to the scene. Looking down in the hole, he saw the dark form struggling to get up. Not wasting any time, he unleashed the full extent of his ice shaping, and froze the abomination in a layer of ice many times stronger than steel, and frozen to absolute zero. It wouldn't hold him forever, but for now, it would do.
"Are you alright, Great One?" The frost giant holding the ice club asked Danny as he helped him back up.
"Yeah, I am now." Danny answered as he looked up at the hulking form, recognizing him.
"Frostbite?" Danny said in surprise, glad to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"I am here because you called upon me." He answered.
"Huh?"
"You were in need, and I came to help." He simplified.
"Ah, ok then." Danny said. "So, what are we going to do about that guy?" He asked, pointing to the area his corruption lay, now frozen solid.
"It is not what we will do, but what you can do." Frostbite answered as he observed the trees standing around the area.
"What I can do? Maybe you didn't notice, but I got my butt handed to me just now." Danny said bitterly. "He is just too strong for me alone."
"He is only stronger than you because you believe him to be stronger."
"Huh? You kinda lost me there." Danny said confused.
"Danny, do you remember where you were before you got here?" Frostbite asked.
"Of course I do. I was... ehhh. I was... Where was I?" Danny asked himself, struggling remember.
"Observe," was all Frostbite said as he pointed to a small group of trees standing in the distance.
Thick, high trees with an unnaturally dark bark littered the place. At first they didn't mean much to Danny, but as he looked closer he saw something that caused a shiver to run down his spine.
Demonic faces could be seen on the trees, and if he listened closely, he could hear an all too familiar ghost-like giggle coming from them. The shadows they cast seemed too dark, and too widespread to be natural. Then he saw a large form move in the shadows, and a glint of what could only be eyes as they looked at him.
"The forest. The manticore!" Danny suddenly shouted as he remembered. "But does that mean this is just a dream too?"
"Indeed it is." Frostbite answered.
"But how do you know? Are you like Sam, or whoever she really is?" Danny asked in a rush, his words almost blurring together.
"No, I am not. I am the representation of your logic. The part of you that is aware of what is happening, but, until now, was suppressed by—" he tapped Danny in the center of the forehead, "—all of this. I am here to aid you in both this fight, and the one that is still waiting for you there." He said as he pointed to the manticore that was lurking in the shadows.
"Yeah, about that. Shouldn't we be worried about that mutant cat attacking us here?" Danny asked, slightly worried, not wanting to fight both his own corruption and the manticore at the same time.
"Don't worry, Great One. It is unable to cross in here. It is not a product of your mind, and thus it's unable to cross the boundaries of his realm into yours. But its domain is spreading, and soon you will be forced to deal with this other threat. But for now, we must focus on the task at hand." Frostbite told Danny as he focused his attention to his fellow frost giant, and the frozen crater from which white vapor was rising.
"Prepare yourself, Danny Phantom. This fight is about to start anew."
Steam continued rising off the frozen area, while small pockets of water started to boil. A bright glow came from the center of the frozen landscape, the being trapped in there pouring everything he had into freeing himself.
Cracks appeared in the sheet of ice that covered Dan, and rays of green light shot out of them. The escaping energy hastening the melting process, and a massive, billowing cloud rose to obscure the vision of Danny and the frost giants. All they could see was the ominous glow of the corruption's energy at work, and the sharp sound of ice cracking reverberated over the otherwise quiet streets.
With a massive roar of anger, Dan rose up to his full height while balancing a large chunk of ice above him. Channeling massive amounts of energy into the frozen boulder, it exploded in a volatile mixture of boiling water, frozen shards, and burning steam.
"Graaaa!.... You will pay for that!" The corruption roared at the frost giant that had frozen him, before shooting an energy beam at him. He hit him dead center in the chest, and, with a roar of agony, the frost giant fell to the ground with smoke rising from his prone form.
"Now, where are you?" Dan growled in a low tone, peering through the fog that covered the area.
"Remember great one, he is only as strong as you allow him to be." Frostbite whispered to Danny, as both of them were keeping a distance between them, and the enraged psychopath. "And keep in mind, this is not merely a battle of strength, but of willpower as well. You are stronger than he, but only if you believe yourself to be."
"Right." Danny said in a low voice as he sighed deeply, levitated upward, and moved to his darkness.
"And Danny," Frostbite said, his voice stopping Danny for a moment. "Give him everything you got."
Giving him a grim nod of confirmation, Danny flew towards Dan, the outline of his enemy becoming clearer as the fog started to lift.
"Ahh, Danny. How nice of you to show up. I was starting to worry that you might have run away. After all, that is what you do best." Dan taunted as he saw Danny land several meters away.
"Like I said before, I am done with that." Danny said with a raised voice. "Now, are we going to do this, or what?"
"I see you found yourself a pair. Good, now things will finally get interesting." Dan mocked as his hands started to glow.
Danny only growled back in response, his hands glowing with the same intensity as his opponent.
Both of them unleashed their attack at the same time. Two twin beams of ectoplasm were shot, and they struck in the middle. The energy merged as it came from the same source, and a large sphere formed in the center, growing larger and larger as both Danny and his darker self kept pouring more and more energy into their attack.
Danny saw the growing sphere of green energy, and knew he should stop before things got out of hand. But he was not willing to let his own darkness win. So with his mind made up, he increased his attack with a wordless roar.
Dan also noticed the growing bomb of power, but didn't care about what might happen if it blew. All he cared about was that he would beat down his ignorant younger self through any means necessary. So, increasing his own power to match that of Danny's, the expansion of the glowing ball of undead energy increased.
It grew larger and larger, gouging a cradle in the ground underneath it the moment it touched the cracked asphalt. It continued to expand until it had grown so large that both Dannys were touching it with their outstretched hands. Still pouring power into the destructive force, both of them were struggling to contain the glowing green sun between them, knowing that if they faltered, they would pay the price for it.
'I need help if I am going to win this!' Danny thought as he strained himself to keep standing.
"And you shall have it!" Frostbite called out as he raised his club and charged the corruption with a roar.
A loud, piercing howl sounded in the distance, and moments later Wulf leaped down a building, charging towards Dan in a blind fury.
Both Wulf and Frostbite attacked the corruption with all they had. Dan, desperate to defend himself couldn't just release the energy that he was struggling to contain. With effort, he duplicated himself, forcing the two combatants to fight his clone, allowing him to continue this battle of wills with Danny. It weakened him, but he was confident that he was strong enough to hold his own against his younger self.
"Heh, is that all you've got?" He masked his strain with a mocking tone.
'I certainly hope not.' Danny thought as his left leg gave out, almost causing him to fall to the ground, and lose the hold he had over his attack.Grinding his teeth, he managed to catch himself before that happened. 'I really hope it isn't.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Frostbite swung his club, and almost hit the duplicate. But the clone managed to evade, only to be countered by a massive fist in the face, courtesy of Wulf.
Staggering back from the force of the blow, the duplicate gritted his teeth as he shot blast after blast towards the berserk wolf.
Exhibiting a practiced agility, Wulf dodged between each shot with relative ease. The few shots that did manage contact, were shaken off as if they were nothing. Bloodwrath coursed through his veins, and he would not let something like a few hits get in his way to regain his honor.
With impressive speed, Wulf ran towards the corruption. Readying his claws, he jumped towards his enemy, and swung his claw in a large X across the dark being's chest.
Green ectoplasmic blood sprayed out of the gashes Dan inflicted by Wulf's attack while he roared in pain and anger. His wounds healed after a moment, but in the split second that he was struggling Frostbite moved in, slamming his club down on the duplicate with a crushing blow.
Wulf immediately jumped onto the downed being, not allowing him to recover as he slashed the chest over and over again. Each wound that healed was replaced with two more. Each attempt to throw off Wulf was countered with a devastating blow to the head. When the duplicate stopped moving altogether, Wulf did not stop. He knew what his enemy was capable of, and he would not show a moment of weakness for him to exploit.
Wulf could feel his enemy's "blood" soaking his fur, yet he didn't stop. He could feel his enemy go limp underneath himself, yet he didn't stop. Only when he felt the claw of Frostbite on his shoulder did he calm down, and looked down at the results of his fury.
To call it a bloody mess would be an understatement. The corruption had deep gashes in his chest, and green ectoplasmic blood flowed freely from them. His head was badly bruised, and one of his fangs was missing. Slowly, a pool of the corruption's blood formed around him, and Wulf reared back in disgust. He shook himself to clear his fur of the filth that was his enemy's blood. It was tainted, and he didn't want it to defile him.
Giving an angry growl, Wulf turned and walked away. Followed closely by Frostbite, and together they moved toward the other corruption still in combat with Danny. But before they could walk two steps, they heard a bloody cough and Wulf was shot in the back, knocking him to the ground.
"Fools," Duplicate Dan spat, blood flying from his mouth. "If you had defeated me, I would have rejoined my other form." He stood up, his injuries healing in mere seconds.
"And now, prepare to be destroyed."
<<>><<>><<>>
Seven minutes earlier.
Tucker, Jazz, and 'Sam' watched the ongoing carnage from the relative safety of a building. They knew they had to help Danny, but going out there guns blazing would be a certain way to die. Even 'Sam' had her reservations. She knew it was not real, but even so. This could seriously damage Danny's and her own mind, and that was not something she would let happen if she could help it.
They needed a plan, something that would help them help Danny.
'I need help if I am going to win this!' Danny's voice echoed through her mind.
"You heard him. ATTACK!" Tucker yelled as he and Jazz stormed onto the battlefield, guns blazing.
"Or we're just going to do that." 'Sam' groaned as she followed the two, but with a more controlled pace as she observed how the battle unfolded.
She saw how Wulf and Frostbite charged towards Danny's corruption, and how he split himself in two. One part stayed to fight Danny, the other went to fight the two ghosts charging towards him.
Jazz and Tucker were still too far away to be of any help, and their shots went wild as they ran and shoot at the same time. By the time they were near enough to be useful, Wulf and frostbite had already managed to beat down the duplicate.
And most importantly, she saw how Danny was struggling to keep control over the miniature green sun.
A roar snapped her back to Wulf and Frostbite, and she saw how Wulf hit the ground with smoldering, singed fur on his back.
"And now, prepare to be destroyed." She heard the duplicate say as he resumed his attack on the two ghosts.
Jazz and Tucker faltered for a moment when they saw what the duplicate had done, but resumed their ill planned attack with a less than impressive battle cry.
'Sam' sighed out. "I might as well help them." Irritated, she ran towards the two.
Jazz and Tucker sprinted as fast as they could towards the ensuing battle between the duplicated corruption, Wulf, and Frostbite. Their shots, which went wild at first, finally started to hit their marks. They proved to be nothing more than a nuisance, but the added distraction gave Frostbite the opening he needed. With a mighty swing, he connected his club with the corruption's head. A sickening 'Snap' could be heard as Dan's head swung backward. His body fell limp to the ground, where it twitched for a moment.
"Wait. That was it?" Tucker asked out of breath as lowered his weapon, and came to a stop near Wulf.
"That was easier that I thought." Jazz panted.
"Stay back you two," Frostbite barked. "He has not returned to his other self."
"Aww. And here I thought I could use the same trick twice." Dan said as his eyes snapped open, shooting Frostbite's club out of his hand. "I guess you are smarter than you look after all."
Rising up from the ground, Dan observed the beings surrounding him. Wulf stood with his claws at the ready, growling deeply as smoke rose from his back. Frostbite had reared back after his club was shot away, using his ice powers to cool his injured hand while forming a new club in the other. 'Sam', Jazz, and Tucker stood at his back, weapons aimed at him and ready to fire.
"Heh, five against one, that hardly seems like a fair fight. Bring some more, maybe then you stand a chan-" Dan taunted, then was shot in the face by 'Sam'.
"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much." 'Sam' sneered as she re-aimed her blaster.
Jazz and Tucker looked at her in amazement, while Frostbite had a slight smirk on his face, and Wulf showed a menacing grin.
"Eh, guys. Focus." 'Sam' shouted as she dodged a bolt of ectoplasm.
In a flurry of movements, the four remaining combatants sprung into motion. Frostbite moved in front of 'Sam', shielding her as she got back up. Wulf ran towards the corruption, and slashed at him again and again. Jazz and Tucker kept firing at Dan in order to distract him long enough for Wulf's attacks to hit.
"Are you alright?" Frostbite asked 'Sam' as he helped her up.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks." she replied.
"Hmmmm." Frostbite hummed as he observed the young teenager.
"Is anything wrong?" 'Sam' asked.
"You do not belong here." He said after a moment. "You are something else than a memory. Something more, and less."
"What, how... How did you know?" 'Sam' asked in shock.
Frostbite observed the battle behind him for a moment before answering.
"I am the representation of Danny's logic. I am aware of the things happening, even if Danny is clouded by the events that are transpiring. I know not what you are, but I know that you are different. You told Danny that you were an outside force, but not Luna. I am struggling to figure you out, yet your actions indicate that you truly are helping Danny. I will not add more strain on Danny's mind. But he is aware something strange is going on with you, though he does not yet realize it. For now, I suggest we focus on the problem at hand." He told her as he observed 'Sam' with a studious gaze. "Are you good to fight?" he asked.
Unnerved, 'Sam' nodded and raised her weapon. She didn't show it, but she was slightly shaken that Frostbite, or Danny actually, started to piece things together.
"Right. Let's deal with this first, shall we?" 'Sam' said as she focused her attention back to the ongoing fight.
Both of them moved to the violent clash, when they heard a roar of anger and disbelief come from behind them. Looking around, their eyes widened in fear as they saw the massive ball of ectoplasm consume the corruption, and move towards them.
"RUUUUNN!" 'Sam' yelled as she and Frostbite jumped out of the way of the ball of destruction.
Wulf, Jazz, and Tucker looked in awe and fear at the approaching death star, and only through the quick action of Wulf were Jazz and Tucker spared from obliteration as he grabbed them both in his claws and darted away as quickly as he could.
Dan, however, was unable to move at all, as he was too stunned by what was happening. How could he have failed? How could his pathetic, younger self have beaten him? This he would never know. But he would discover exactly what it was like to be struck by the single most powerful attack he had ever seen.
<<>><<>><<>>
Ten minutes earlier.
Danny was struggling to keep control over the massive amount of energy between him and the corruption. His leg almost gave out, but he managed to keep himself from buckling under the stress. But if something didn't change soon, he would fail.
Frostbite said that he was only as strong as he believed himself to be, yet Danny felt himself become weaker and weaker with every passing second. He knew that somehow his friends had heard his plea for help, and that they were fighting their own battle right now. But whatever it was that they were doing, he still had a hard time holding his own against this imposing force.
"Need a hand?" Dani asked as she limped over to him, looking worse for wear but still showing a confident smile.
Danny only grunted a response as he was using all his strength to keep the energy contained, but it was enough for Dani.
Standing next to him, she placed her own hands against the ball of energy and poured her own into the mix.
With this newly added power coming from Danny's side, the corruption was slowly overpowered. He saw the volatile ball gradually push towards him, and he roared out in anger and disbelief. How could such a weakling beat him? How could he have failed again? Slowly, he was consumed by the bright green energy and simply ceased to be as his energy was transferred back to his other half.
But Dan's other half was unable to move as he was unable to comprehend what had just happened, and could only stare in disbelief at the approaching destructive force as it picked up speed.
Danny and Dani were still pumping as much of their power into the attack, no idea that their opponent had already been destroyed. Slowly, the energy bomb moved away, and four beams of ectoplasme could be seen coming from their hands, forcing the green sun away from them. Then, the bubble burst where Dan used to be. And with an enormous shockwave, coupled with a massive beam of ectoplasme shooting out of the sphere, everything in its path was obliterated, including the corruption.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon was shocked. Shocked, and outraged.
Such energy. Such power. Wasted, all of it. And only because her influence had not spread far enough to be of use. She swore as she moved into the rift created by the destruction of the dream's core, and hastened the spread of her own domain. She would claim his powers as her own, and she allows for no more to be wasted like that.
<<>><<>><<>>
A massive trench was dug in the ground, starting at the two half ghosts who had reverted back to their exhausted human forms, and disappearing far beyond the horizon. Danny was just sitting there alongside Dani, both of them panting from their efforts.
"So, that just happened." Danny spoke up after several moments of silence.
"It certainly looks like it." Dani replied as she followed the scar on the surface for as far as she could see. "Nice going, cousin."
"Hah, yeah. You too."
"Danny!" a trio of voices called out.
Danny looked behind him, and saw 'Sam', Tucker, and Jazz run towards him.
"Hey guys," he said as he stood up. "How did things go for yo- Whoaa!" Danny yelled as he was hug-tackled by the trio, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Nice going little brother." Jazz said happily as she held Danny tightly.
"Yeah, you were totally awesome with that... that. Whatever it was." Tucker added.
'Sam' didn't say anything, she was just glad he managed to not seriously injure himself.
"Thanks, you guys. But I couldn't have done it without you." Danny told them, returning the hug as best he could.
"That most certainly is true, Great One. You'd be wise to remember that." Frostbite said as he walked towards the small group. "Yet, the time for celebration is not yet here. Your next battle awaits, and it's growing impatient." He said as he pointed at the quickly expanding forest all around Danny.
"Oh no, not now. I am not ready for another fight." Danny said in both panic and frustration as he saw the trees consume the city.
"Perhaps you don't need to." Frostbite said. "Like I promised, I will aid you in this fight as well."
"So you will fight the manticore?" Danny asked hopefully.
"No, this is your trial, and you must complete it. But I can offer guidance, while I still have the time." Frostbite told him, seeing the shadows of the trees cover the area rapidly approaching them. "Danny Phantom, you still have much to learn. But you have just made the first step. Recognizing that you need your friends, and their help, in time of need is something we all must learn. There are those that take this for granted, and they often find themselves without friends when they need them. But you pushed those around you away because you thought that you would hurt them otherwise. And in doing so, you found yourself wasting away because there was no one there to help you. Remembering that you need your friends, and what they have done for you in the past is a step forward, but you still have a long way to go. And there are many trials still to overcome." Danny looked at him in confusion as he spoke, but did not interrupt him.
"Fighting yourself has reminded you of the bond of friendship, and the power it possesses. Because of the loyalty between yourself, and your friends, you have been able to defeat your own corruption. But you have not been honest with yourself, and until you do, you will not be able to forgive yourself." Frostbite explained as he knelt before Danny, and placed his claw on Danny's shoulder. "You have always been generous with giving second chances to those that deserve it, maybe you should do the same for yourself. When you do, you will find that life will be easier for you, and that you will be able to let its laughter brighten your day, instead of hiding from it."
"Eh, ok. But how does this help me with that oversized cat?"
"There is one thing that has always separated you from the others. You fight when you need, but you show boundless kindness to those around you. You might not always think things through, but you always have the best interest of others at heart." Frostbite told him as he reached behind his back, and retrieved a splinter of ice. "I, too, was once an enraged beast. But you saw that it was not me that controlled this." He said as Danny picked up the ice shard, looking at it with wide eyes. "Not all is as it seems. And remember, are you not destroying your enemy if you make them your friend?"
And with those last words he vanished into thin air, along with Dani, Jazz, Wulf and the other frost giant that still lay unmoving on the ground as the forest consumed everything. Only 'Sam', Tucker, and Danny remained as they found themselves standing in the same spot where everything started.
"Is it just me, or did that guy sound way too smart to be of my own mind?" Danny asked 'Sam' as he continued to stare at the frozen shard Frostbite had given him.
"Or maybe you’re smarter than you think." 'Sam' said genuinely as she looked at Danny. "So, what do you think he meant with all that?"
"I think I have a pretty good idea." Danny answered as they heard the heavy pounding of approaching footsteps, "And we are about to find out if I am right, or not." He added as he turned back into his ghost half.
"What do we need to do?" Tucker asked as he saw the beast crashing through the undergrowth.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Both Tucker and 'Sam' said in confusion.
"Exactly. Not because I am doubting your abilities, but because I need to do this myself." Danny said with strength in his words.
He dropped the ice shard he got from Frostbite, and as it fell to the ground it vanished in a puff of cold air.
"Rooaaarrrr"
With a mighty roar the manticore attacked Danny, doing everything in its power to bring his prey down. He swiped his claw, snapped his jaw, and swung his tail back and forth. Yet Danny evaded every attempt, and did not return the hostility with any of his own. Instead, he flew left and right, up and down, trying to get a good look at the paw he saw bleeding some time ago.
'Not all is as it seems.'
The word echoed through Danny's mind as he believed he understood what Frostbite had meant. This beast is not in control of its own actions, something is forcing it. And he had a pretty good idea where the source of the problem lay.
The manticore raised his claw in an attempt to swat Danny out of the sky, and there he saw what was causing all the trouble. A large thorn was lodged deep within the animal's paw, causing it to bleed thoroughly, and an agonizing pain anytime he, no, she, stood on it. For some reason, Danny got the distinct feeling the manticore was a she.
Taking his chance, Danny launched himself forward with as much speed as he could while he still had a clear target. Flying towards the claw, he grabbed the thorn in both hands and, using his momentum reversed, yanked the protruding object out of her claw.
Reflexively, the manticore forcefully jerked her arm back, launching Danny away while he was still holding the thorn.
With a roar of pain, the manticore fell down on all fours, and slowly moved toward Danny as he lay on the ground, still holding the thorn in his hands.
"Danny!" 'Sam' and Tucker yelled as they saw the animal move in on their friend. But before they could act, they saw the beast grab Danny in his claw, and.... hug him?
"Hey, you know what. I was right." Danny said in amazement as the manticore started to lick his face like a dog would, "And she really has bad breath." He added.
Without warning, the forest and the manticore began to fade and massive walls rose up from the ground, forming the chamber where the trio found themselves before they encountered the manticore.
"What is happening?" Tucker asked in panic.
"I have no ide-Whoa!" Danny yelled out as the thorn he was still holding started to glow with a pink light.
It rose up out of his hands, and flew towards the pedestal they saw in the center of the chamber. Hovering above one of the empty bowls, it slowly descended while its shape changed. At first it was nothing more than a wooden thorn, covered in the blood of the manticore. But now, it became a pink butterfly made out of crystal. It hovered slightly above the bowl as if it did not want gravity to take full hold over it; slowly rotating in place.
"Wha... What is going on?" Danny asked as he stood there, absolutely confused.
"I don't know!" Tucker half yelled.
"Kindness." 'Sam' said in a whisper, amazed.
"What?" Danny asked, not hearing what she said.
"Nothing, nothing. Just wondering what this is." 'Sam' deflected.
"So what do we do now?" Tucker asked.
"Well, if this thing is any indication, I'd say we need to find the remaining pieces to fill up the bowls. I guess it is the only way we can beat her at her own game." 'Sam' said as she observed the pedestal.
"Okay, so where do we go now?" Danny asked.
"That is a good question." 'Sam' said, then a loud rumble could be heard and the walls started to crumble; the floor falling away from under their feet.
The three of them screamed as they fell into the dark void below.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon swore. Her rage grew to new levels, as she observed the human not only waste all that energy, but also take down her pawn and free its energy. One of the seals was broken, and she couldn't allow it to happen again. The next in line would be much more challenging, something he couldn't just solve like that. And so she channeled her powers and changed the dream they were in again.
The walls began to crumble as she broke away the floor, causing her prey to fall down towards his doom.
"Let's see if you can deal with this!" she said, before beginning to laugh maniacally.
Edits done by Halusm, and King of Kings, and Rye Bread.
Shadow of the Night.
Part 3.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny looked around in confusion as he found himself in a familiar room. He tightened his grip around the thorn he just pulled out of the manticore's claw, his hand shaking almost imperceptibly.
"Wait, we're back here?" Tucker said.
"It looks like it, but why?" Danny replied. "Whoa!" He yelled out as the thorn he was still holding started to glow with a pink light. The shock made him lose his grip on the object, yet it didn't fall towards the ground.
Instead, it rose up out of his hands and flew towards the pedestal they saw in the center of the chamber. Hovering above one of the empty bowls, it slowly descended, while its shape changed. At first it was nothing more than a wooden thorn, covered in the blood of the manticore. But gradually it became a pink butterfly made out of crystal. It hovered slightly above the bowl, as if it did not wanted to allow gravity to take full hold over it, while it slowly rotated in place.
"Wha... What’s going on?" Danny asked as he stood there absolutely confused.
"I don't know!" Tucker half yelled.
"Kindness." 'Sam' said in an amazed whisper.
"What?" Danny asked, not hearing what she said.
"Nothing, nothing. Just wondering what this is." 'Sam' deflected.
"So what do we do now?" Tucker asked as he stared, mesmerized at the rotating crystal.
"Well, if this thing is any indication, I'd say we need to find the remaining pieces to fill up the bowls. I guess it is the only way we can beat her at her own game." 'Sam' said as she observed the pedestal.
"Ok, so where do we go now?" Danny asked.
"That is a good question." 'Sam' said, before a loud rumble could be heard.
Everywhere they looked, they could see the structure around them collapsing. Walls broke down, and massive fissures formed across the floor they stood on. With a deafening rumble it all fell apart.
Danny, 'Sam' and Tucker screamed out as the floor gave way beneath them, revealing nothing but a seemingly bottomless chasm. Darkness surrounded the trio as they fell. The dim glow from the room above grew fainter and fainter as they continued to freefall.
Danny screamed, they all screamed, as they continued down into the inky space.
Danny tried to use his ghost powers, but they seemed to have left him. No glowing eyes, no ecto-blasts he could shoot from his hands. No ability to fly.
Danny's throat felt raw after what seemed like minutes of screaming, and yet they still fell deeper and deeper into the endless void. No longer able to see the others. Unable to save himself, let alone his friends as darkness continued to consume them until he could no longer hear 'Sam' and Tucker
He was alone again. He knew that the others were close by, but in this darkness they might as well have been miles away.
'Is this it? Is this how it is all going to end?' He wondered as he felt the air rush past him. 'I just hope that it is going to be quick.'
*SLAM!*
It would seem that his wish was granted, but not as he expected it.
A pained, weak groan left his mouth as the air was forced from his lungs The impact with a solid surface knocking him out. Seconds later, the dull thud, thud of two more bodies could be heard, had anyone been conscious to hear it.
<<>><<>><<>>
In the darkness he grew. In the darkness he gained shape. In the darkness he twisted and turned as he dragged himself back into existence. He made a mistake, he knew that now. A mistake that costed him dearly.
Anger, guilt, rage, vengeance. Feelings he wasn't accustomed to coursed through his being. They gave him strength, strength he needed to hold on to the last few strands of his former self. The last few pieces that could guide him back.
It took all he was. The scarce amount of energy he still had was spent trying to drag himself out of the depths he found himself in. But he succeeded. He succeeded in dragging himself back to existence, back to consciousness. Yet he was spent. His energy gone, used up.
He lay there, unmoving, gathering his strength. He would need it, all of it. It was by his doing that all of this happened, and it would be by his doing that it would be undone.
He hoped.
A ripple went through his form, a small surge of energy that molded his distorted form into something slightly more recognizable.
Slowly he lifted himself off the ground, completely invisible in the darkness that surrounded him. A darkness that was absolute, save two faint glowing green eyes. His eyes. Eyes that slowly grew in luminosity as his strength recovered.
Looking up, he could see it all. And most importantly, he could see her. The one responsible. His mistake.
His eyes glowed with pure hatred, but he was still too weak to do anything. At least, nothing direct. But maybe he could do other things, bring her out of balance, and tip the scales for both himself, and his master.
With a look of determination he slithered away in the shadows surrounding him, the glow of his eyes fading as he departed.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a grunt, Danny came to. Placing his hand against his head and slightly shaking it to regain focus, he sat up and looked around.
Wherever he was, it was dark. It was impossible for him to see where he was. Even with his ghost vision, he was unable to pierce the darkness that surrounded him. Nor was the light of the full moon overhead able to lift the darkness he found himself in.
Shaking his head more vigorously, Danny slowly stood up.
"Hello?" he called out into the veil of darkness covering him. "Is anyone there?"
*Thunk*
With a loud, mechanical thunk, a large panel of lights snapped on, blinding Danny as he found himself bathed in a harsh white light.
More loud thuds sounded around him, and Danny could sense that more light screens shone their light over him.
Blinking his eyes rapidly, he tried to clear his vision of the many spots that hindered his sight. Slowly, the surrounding area became clear to him, and he got his first look at where he was. He didn’t take time to absorb the area around himself, as he saw 'Sam' and Tucker laying on the ground not too far from where he stood.
Quickly making his way to his friends- or whatever they really were -he hurried to make sure that they were unharmed.
Kneeling besides 'Sam', he was relieved to find that she was still breathing, and a quick check on Tucker showed he was alright too, albeit both of them were still out for the count.
Glad that both of them were alive, though unconscious, Danny took a moment to finally survey the surroundings he found himself in.
"Hold on....." He said nervously as he looked around. "I have been here before, haven't I?"
Eight large light panels illuminated the football field the three landed in. A large tribune was placed on one side, while a massive mansion could be seen on the other. A mansion he knew all too well; a place he hated almost as much as the person living there.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Danny groaned as he realized where he was.
Slowly, he walked to the edge of the field. He had his suspicions, but he needed to be sure about this. If this place was based on his memories, then there should also be....
With a muted hum, an electric blue ghost shield formed in front of Danny, confirming his suspicion. He was sealed in this place, especially considering that he was in his human form while the shield stopped him.
"Drat." He sighed as he stepped away from the shield, causing it to disappear in thin air, creating the illusion of freedom only a few steps away.
Turning around, Danny saw that 'Sam' was regaining consciousness. Hurrying towards her, he helped her back up.
"Are you alright?" he asked as she shielded her eyes from the harsh light that blinded her.
"Yeah, I am." She groaned as her vision slowly adjusted to the bright light, and she got her first look at the place they were now.
"I’m fine too." Tucker said with evident irritation as he pushed himself up. "If anyone is wondering."
"Right, sorry." Danny said as he pulled Tucker back up on his feet.
"So, where are we?" Tucker asked as he looked around.
"Beats me. I don't know this place." 'Sam' said with a shrug.
"I do." Danny said with a bitter tone, looking at the mansion near the edge of the field.
"I really don't like the sound of that." 'Sam' said as she picked up on the harshness of Danny's voice.
"Me neither, but that still doesn't answer where we are." Tucker added.
"We’re at Vlad's estate." Danny answered, shooting a sideways glance at Tucker. "More specifically, we’re on the football field where he forced Jazz and me to fight each other to the death."
"He did what!?" 'Sam' and Tucker both shouted in outrage.
"Yeah… You remember that, shortly after Jazz joined our team, she and I had a little... disagreement?" Danny asked.
"Ehh, I think I remember." 'Sam' said.
"Well, after that she went to Vlad in an attempt to take him down herself, and show me that she was more than a bother. And boy, did things escalate quickly after that." Danny continued as he refocused his attention on the dark mansion.
"And he made the two of you fight each other?" 'Sam' said incredulously.
"And the fight is not over yet!"
Danny, 'Sam' and Tucker all turned around in surprise.
Danny's eyes shrunk to pinpricks, while his mouth contorted into one of horror and confusion at the sight before him. Tucker's mouth fell open, while his eyes widened and a blush formed on his face. And 'Sam' could only stare in shock while one of her eyes twitched.
Before them stood Jazz, but there were some things different about her. Her hair, which was usually red, was now a rainbow of colors, while the color of her irises had changed into magenta. A pair of cyan wings extended from her back, giving her an angelic appearance. Yet none of this was what drew their attention. No, it was the outfit she was wearing. A dark blue and black, skin tight latex suit, with yellow lightning stripes around the neck, arms and legs, and what seemed to be an image of a human skull with a wing attached to it on her hips.
"We still have a score to settle, my little brother." She said with a cold tone.
"Jazz? What happened to you? Why are you wearing that?" Danny asked in a panic, trying his best not to look too much at his sister. That suit she was wearing left nothing to the imagination.
"Yes, it's me." She began coldly. "You happened to me." She said with rising anger, pointing a finger at Danny. "And this is the consequence of your actions." She almost shouted as she indicated herself.
"What!?" Danny said, taken aback.
"You left us, Danny. All of us. The citizens of Amity Park, your friends... Your family. What did you think would happen to those you left behind? What would happen to the city with you gone? You hurt all of us with your selfish actions!" Jazz yelled heatedly. "You once stood for something. Something great. But then you ran away after things got just a bit too difficult. With you gone, the city, and all those living in it, were an open target for any and all ghosts. So, some of us had to stand up when Danny Phantom had so obviously failed. I am what I am now, all because of you. I took the responsibility that you abandoned all those years ago. I might have lost some of myself in doing so, but I did it with my head held high, instead of cowering underneath some rock like you did."
"No, that’s not true." Danny said in disbelief as he took a step back.
"Really, then how do you explain this?" Jazz asked as she once again indicated herself.
Danny looked down at his feet in shame at his sister's words, guilt crashing down on him all over again. Then, sudden realization struck him, and with it, a rising anger.
"I don't need to explain this, because it isn't real. I may have made some mistakes in the past, but I know that you would never turn on me. You were always there to help me, even when I didn't want you to. You could never be like this. My sister will always be there to help me. She already helped me not too long ago," Danny spoke with surety in his words as he looked Jazz square in the eyes.
"Pfhu... In your dreams." Jazz mocked.
"Exactly!" Danny said triumphantly, before crouching down in a fighting stance; his hands glowing with green energy as he turned back in his ghost form.
"What!?" Jazz said in surprise, not expecting this. But before she could say or do anything else, Danny jumped up, and flew towards her.
Acting on reflex, Jazz dashed to the side, rolling aside to dodge Danny’s attack.
"Hah, you've got to do better than th- Ghaa!" Jazz yelled as she was hit with one of Danny's ecto orbs, knocking the wind out of her.
"You traitor!" Jazz wheezed. "Is abandoning everyone not enough for you? Must you attack me, your sister, as well?"
"I will never hurt my friends or family!" Danny snarled in anger towards the woman before him. "Lucky for me, you are neither of those."
"So that’s how it is, huh? Don't expect any mercy from me."
"I wasn't expecting it to begin with." Danny replied coldly as he charged his hands for another attack.
"Fine!" was all Jazz said before she burst forward with impossible speed, slamming her shoulder into Danny's chest, and sending him flying across the field.
Danny slammed head first into the ghost shield, and slowly slid down the shimmering, translucent wall of blue.
Sprawled out on the ground, he slowly stood up, his head spinning.
"What the..." Danny mumbled as he shook his head, and turned around in time to see Jazz's fist slamming into his head.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What the? Why is Danny fighting her? And what memory is mixed with Jazz that could cause her to be like this?" 'Sam' wondered aloud as she watched Danny and Jazz fight each other, or more precisely, she watched Jazz beating the crap out of Danny.
"Do you have any ideas?" she asked Tucker, standing next to her, never watching away from the ongoing battle.
"Eehhh..." Was all the response she got.
"Yeah, you're a real help here. Come on, Tucker. You’re part of him. You should have at least some ideas." Said 'Sam', still not looking away from the battlefield.
"Eehhhh.."
"Oh for the..." She nearly shouted, finally turning to look at Tucker. "What!? Eewww!" She shuddered as she saw Tucker, and the expression he wore while watching Jazz.
"This is just wrong."
"Eeehhh." Came the same mindless reply as Tucker was unable to avert his gaze from Jazz.
With a groan, 'Sam' slapped Tucker across the face, snapping him out of whatever mindset he was just in.
"Wait, what?" He asked in confusion, rubbing his cheek and looked around, trying to find out what had hit him. His heart skipped a beat as he saw 'Sam' standing next to him, the look on her face sending tremors through his spine.
"Sam... I uh.. I can.." Tucker struggled to come up with an explanation, but 'Sam' stopped him as she rose her hand.
"I don’t want to know. Ever." 'Sam' said with forced calm.
"Right, got it." Tucker blushed awkwardly.
"Just tell me if you have any idea what’s going on with Jazz?" 'Sam' said with a groan.
"Well... Her hair is different, and she has wings. And then there is the suit... she is... wearing." Tucker managed to say, before his mind shut down again as Jazz moved by them.
*SLAP*
A wet 'smack' sounded over the noise of combat as 'Sam' left another red mark on Tucker's face.
"I should have figured as much." 'Sam' groaned as she gave Tucker the evil eye. "Boys and their hormones."
<<>><<>><<>>
Stars filled his vision as Danny flew through the air in a wide arc, then slammed into the ground with a heavy thud.
'What the…' He thought as he pulled himself up with a groan. 'It’s like she’s using the Fenton ecto-skeleton.'
Rising to his feet once more, he barely had the time to react as Jazz came out of nowhere and tried to tackle him.
Jumping out of her way and flying up in the air, he hoped that he would be able to catch his breath for a moment as he thought about how to deal with her. This, however, was a luxury he was not allowed.
"Don't think you can run away again, you traitor!" Jazz yelled at him. With that, she jumped up as she spread her wings.
Danny looked on with wide eyes as Jazz flew towards him with a speed that defied logic. Before his brain could form a plan, his reflexes acted. With a blast and green flash, Jazz was hit in the chest with an ecto blast, causing her to scream out as she plummeted to the ground.
Gazing down to the prone form of Jazz, and then his hands, Danny let out a small laugh of disbelief over the lucky break. Wasting no more time, he hurtled toward his sister, and froze her body into a large lump of ice, immobilizing her.
Feet planted on the green field, Danny glared at Jazz with glowing hands.
"You think you're so much right now, huh?" Jazz said weakly as she slowly raised her head, and looked defiantly at Danny. "Tell me, do you feel pride? Or powerful perhaps? Whatever it is, it will never hide what you really are, coward."
"Gimme a break, you brought this on yourself." Danny countered without a second thought.
"Really? Then tell me, who was it that threw the first punch?"
"What?" Danny said in confusion.
"Who. Threw. The. First. Punch?" Jazz repeated slowly, as if Danny were an imbecile. While unbeknownst to him, she slowly freed her right hand by absorbing the energy that existed in the ice imprisoning her, causing it to grow weak and brittle.
"I.. I... ehh." Danny stammered for a reply as he tried to come up with an answer.
"Exactly. You. You were the one that started all this. Back then, all those years ago when you pushed me away, while all I wanted to do was help. And now, the first thing you did when you saw me was attack."
Danny took a step back in stunned silence after she said that. He knew that she wasn't really his sister, but what she said was true all the same.
"You claim to be a hero, someone that helps others, but in the end, you only think about yourself. Either you push those close to you away, or you leave them behind yourself. You are a traitor,and a coward." Jazz taunted as she clenched her hand into a fist, cracking the ice around it as she absorbed more and more energy trapped in the ice.
The energy charged into Danny's hands died down as they fell limply to his side. Physical strength aside, her mind was still the most powerful weapon she had, and she used it to break down Danny in a way no punch or kick ever could.
"It's funny, actually. You keep denying it. You keep fighting it. You run away from it every time, but it is always there, waiting for you. And you know what? The more you do that, the stronger I become." Jazz said as the ice around her started to crack.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon was watching the events play out before her with a sadistic grin.
This time things were working out much better. The first bit of damage this ape managed to inflict on her pawn sent a small bolt of delicious energy to her. Nothing that would help her in the long run, but a nice appetizer all the same, and she hungered for more. She was afraid, however, that her pawn might be too rough on the human, and make it impossible for him to even use his abilities.
This fear wouldn't last long though. It was a lucky shot for him, and for her as well. The memory she had dragged out of his mind, and altered with one of her own, got hit with another, desperate bolt of energy, and she shuddered in delight from another burst of energy. But things got even better when her prey used even more of his energy. Energy used directly on her pawn to trap her.
This foalishness was exactly what she was looking for. He had all this power, but he didn't think things through. No. It would seem that that role was reserved for this other being that she saw, whose presence she was unaware of, until she noticed that she did not obey any of either her own, or Danny's mental commands.
She was different, an unknown factor. Something, or someone, that could and, by the looks of it, would cause her a lot of trouble. This dark haired girl, this Sam; she must be dealt with, and soon. Danny was enough trouble on his own, but she could control him, guide him to do what she wanted. But the female ape was different, outside her control, and a danger to what she wanted.
Using the energy she already had, she changed the dream once more. Or she added something to be more precise. Something, or rather, someone that would be able to take control of things. And his memory showed that Sam knew all about this being's ability to control.
But, as Nightmare Moon was focusing on changing the dream, she didn't notice the pair of glowing green eyes almost directly behind her, looking at her with anger, before they faded into the darkness.
<<>><<>><<>>
The pop of cracking ice could be heard over the silent field as, in a sudden blur of motion, Jazz burst free of her frozen prison, grabbing Danny by the collar of his suit, hoisting him up.
"You always run away when things get too difficult for you! You always leave your friends and family behind! You never think of others, only yourself! You are the most untrustworthy, most Unloyal person I ever had the displeasure of knowing!" Jazz yelled. She then pulled back with her free arm, preparing to deliver a crushing blow to Danny's face. Before she could do so, her eyes glazed over, and she just stood there, holding Danny up, as her mind was slightly changed; new "memories" were given to her.
A snarl formed on her face as she lifted Danny higher, her free hand dropping slightly.
"But you know all about this already, don't you. You ran away before." She began, a low rumbling sound started to fill the otherwise silent area, "You left us, all of us, when we were in danger. We were unable to defend ourselves, and the only one that could help us ran away because he was too weak." She continued as she tightened the grip she had on Danny. All the while, the rumbling picked up in volume as tremors surged throughout the ground.
Danny's eyes grew round in sudden realization as he processed what she was dredging up.
Gasping for air, he watched, horrified, as a large figure erupted from the nearby building, destroying the roof of Vlad's mansion. The walls collapsed onto themselves as large vines burst out of them, and the debris of the roof flew through the air, before slamming into the ground surrounding the mansion. Some of the stray pieces must have crushed something important, because Danny could see the ghost shield that surrounded the field flicker and die as it lost power.
Slowly, the dust settled, and the imposing figure became clear for everyone to see.
A large figure, composed of vines, and other plant-like materials. Red eyes glowed in the dark as their piercing gaze fell on the field, observing what was going on, before their attention shifted to the black haired girl its master demanded be dealt with.
<<>><<>><<>>
Five minutes prior.
'Sam' and Tucker were watching the fight between Danny and Jazz, not fully understanding what was happening.
Jazz, or more precisely, the memory of Jazz was changed. That much was obvious, but whose character traits she now showed they didn't know. Or 'Sam' didn't, seeing how Tucker was more focused on a particular hand shaped mark on his face to pay much attention to what was going on. He really had the same short attention span as Danny.
Both of them reacted with surprise when Jazz flew up into the sky, but 'Sam' was quick to adjust to this new development. Tucker, however, was a different story, and it earned him another red mark on the face.
'Sam' just shook her head at him this time, not knowing if this particular character trait was something that came from Danny, or if Danny somehow remembered him like this. Not that that was unlikely, seeing some of Tucker's more colorful behavior around the girls at their school.
A green flash brought 'Sam' back to the ongoing fight, and she saw Jazz fall to the ground, a small trail of smoke coming from her as she crashed into solid terra firma. Still, something was off. It was staring her right in the face, and she knew it. Something so obvious that she would feel stupid over it later.
She watched as Danny froze Jazz's body, trapping her. Then Jazz did something she wasn't expecting, but should have. She started to talk. 'Sam' knew that Jazz always had a way to reach out to others through her logic and words, and now this was being used against Danny. It was then that she saw something, and she realized what it was she couldn't place a moment ago. Jazz's hand was moving, slowly breaking the ice, and freeing herself. She was absorbing the energy trapped in the ice, absorbing it for her.
'Sam' wanted to yell at Danny to stop, to get out of there, but before she could, Jazz broke free. She grabbed hold of Danny, and lifted him up, preparing to finish him off. But then something changed. Jazz stopped moving. Standing frozen as a statue. 'Sam' felt a chill go down her spine as she could feel a pair of unseen eyes on her, and she knew something bad was about to happen.
A faint rumble could be heard, slowly picking up in volume as the ground started to shake with it. A loud crashing noise followed shortly thereafter, and a massive figure rose up from the mansion not too far away from them.
'Sam's' eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she recognized the shape of this being, someone that had once taken control over her, making her turn against Danny, the only one who had not fallen prey to this monster.
'Sam' looked up at the ghost, as the ghost looked down at her.
"Undergrowth!" 'Sam' whispered.
<<>><<>><<>>
Undergrowth looked down at the small field below, and those standing there. She knew what to do, her master ordered so. Take down the black haired girl, stop her before she could lead Danny to the core of his being. She must not be allowed to succeed, or there would be dire consequences.
But, as she looked down at the small figures below, there was something that made her stop in her tracks. Something so horrible, that she couldn't help but be appalled by what she saw.
"Oh good grief, Jasmin. Is that really what you are wearing?" She asked in an overly dramatic fashion as she focused her attention on Jazz, and the outfit she wore.
"Ehhh.... What?!" Jazz, 'Sam', Danny and Tucker all proclaimed in confusion, definitely not expecting this as they looked up at the large plant like ghost.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What!?" Nightmare Moon shouted in confusion.
This was not what she ordered. Why did this happen? Perhaps she put too much of that whining pony in this memory. Yes, that has to be it. Sloppy, but an easy fix.
Focusing her energy, and preparing to undo this mistake, she connected to the massive memory and focused on the part that she added to the mix. But as she tried to alter the portion based on the Element of Generosity, the opposite of what she wanted happened.
With a force she was not expecting, the fragment latched onto her energy, and siphoned more and more of it to make itself stronger.
As Nightmare Moon was slowly drained by the construct of her own creation, she cursed out in the ancient language long forgotten.
With effort she managed to break the connection before she lost all her newly gained energy. But before she managed to do so, she heard a voice in her head. A voice saying only one thing:
"Mine!"
<<>><<>><<>>
Four individuals looked up at the towering figure, and she looked back at them. A look of disgust showed on her face as she observed the suit Jazz was wearing.
"Eugh, Jasmin. Please tell me that that is not really what you are wearing?" Undergrowth said with disdain, her voice sounding harsh, but refined.
"Eeeh... What?!" Jazz uttered in confusion as she partially lowered Danny, who she was still holding up.
Danny could only blink dumbly as he looked up at the ghost he remembered from all those years ago, but who was acting in a way he didn't recognize.
"Why are you asking me that?" Jazz asked as she let go of Danny and fully turned around to face the giant plant ghost.
"Why, because I... I.." She began, but trailed off as the light from the moon intensified, covering her in a harsh white.
Before them all, her appearance changed. The cape hanging over her back, and the spikes sticking out of her head and shoulders, warped and shifted. Their color changed into a deep purple, while the spikes grew longer, and flowed down over her back where they merged with the cape. They continued to grow, while twisting into an almost elegant curl, in stark contrast with the less than elegant looking ghost.
"... Because I cannot possibly let such a crime against fashion go unnoticed." She finished as she beheld her surroundings.
Her face scrunched up in an irritated scowl as she saw the mess of rubble she was standing in, as well as the football field, and the harsh electric lights.
"Ugh. It seems that your... attire is not the only crime against good taste." Undergrowth said, unpleased, as she used one of her large tentacle-like vines to pick up some of the rubble lying around, "Where is the natural beauty? Why is there such a hideous, empty field filled with all this rubbish?"
"Hey, Sam. What’s going on?" Danny shouted in confusion, not understanding anything of this as he gave her a sideways glance, too nervous to take his eyes fully away from the oversized weed.
"How should I know?" She yelled back as she saw Jazz fly up towards Undergrowth's head.
"Well, this is all my memory, isn’t it?" Danny asked as he could see, but not hear, Jazz talking with the giant plant ghost.
"Well, mostly. But I doubt this is a part of it. Unless you remember Jazz and Undergrowth like this."
"What!?" Undergrowth yelled offendedly at Jazz.
"Not really. Not like this." Danny answered as he snapped his head back towards the towering figure.
"Then this is Nightmare's doing. I think. But why would she make Undergrowth act like that." 'Sam' wondered as she saw Jazz stick out her tongue towards Undergrowth.
"Don't ask me. I am just along for the ride." Danny replied. "Hey Tucker! Do you have any ideas?" He asked, momentarily ignoring what was going on between the other two.
"...nt..cle..." Tucker mumbled as he looked up, lost in thought.
"What!?" Danny said out loud.
"...Tenta..cles...." Tucker replied more clearly, but his mind was still zoned out.
"Yeah... What of them?" 'Sam' asked wearily as she gave Tucker a suspicious look.
Tucker slowly shifted his gaze between Undergrowth and Jazz.
"I’ve seen enough hent-"
*SLAP*
'Sam' cut Tucker off before he could finish, and Danny could only stare at him in disbelief.
"What is up with him?" Danny asked in shock, while straining to focus his attention between his friends, Undergrowth and Jazz.
"Beats me. He’s been like this ever since Jazz showed up." 'Sam' answered.
"Really... Yikes." Was all Danny could think of saying.
"Actually. It is more an 'Eww." 'Sam' corrected.
"Okaay... But that still doesn't answer what’s going on between these two." Danny mentioned as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating Jazz and Undergrowth.
But no sooner had he said that, then the sound of yelling reverberated over the surrounding area. Looking up, Danny, Tucker and 'Sam' could see Jazz attack Undergrowth.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes back.
"Ugh. It seems that your... attire is not the only crime against good taste." Undergrowth said, unpleased, as she used one of her large tentacle-like vines to pick up some of the rubble lying around, "Where is the natural beauty? Why is there such a hideous, empty field here filled with all that rubbish?"
Undergrowth unceremoniously threw the chunk of debris over her shoulder, sending it flying towards the horizon.
"Hey, you!" Jazz shouted as she flew up towards Undergrowth's head.
"Who, me?" she asked, confused. Not having noticed Jazz flying up to her until now.
"Yeah, you. What do you think you’re doing?" Jazz shouted.
"Why, isn't it obvious? I am merely assessing the damage done to the natural beauty here. Someone has to step in and fix this horrible transgression. Clearly it has to be me. Surely no one else has both the knowledge and skills to do it. And there would most certainly not be another that can do it with the same grace and elegance as I." Undergrowth said boastfully while combing one of her claws through the purple strands flowing over her back.
"Look, you oversized weed. The only thing you are good a-"
"What!?" Undergrowth yelled, offended.
"-t is annoying others." Jazz continued as if she wasn't interrupted. "You are here for a reason, are you not? Now do what you are supposed to do."
"Why, how dare you call me a weed? Humph… The arrogance. Insulting me, while wearing such horrible drapes yourself. Have you no shame?"
Jazz's eye twitched in annoyance, perfectly mimicking Nightmare Moon who was watching this buffoon through her pawn's eyes.
'Just deal with this pest. Now!' came the mental command through Jazz's mind.
"Very well. If you do not want to do as you are told, then there is no use for you to be here." Jazz said menacingly. She then closed the last few meters between herself and Undergrowth's face, delivering a massive blow to the head, causing Undergrowth to reel back from the force.
Undergrowth roared out in anger as her vinetacles swung around widely. Jazz flew up, down, and from side to side to avoid the wild undulations, clearly unimpressed by it all.
"If that’s all you’re good for, then you better admit defeat right now." She said smugly, pretending not to be interested as she looked at one of her fists.
"Why you uncouth ruffian. Don't think I will stand for such behavior." Undergrowth all but growled, managing to keep her composure; but only just.
The many vines that made up the tail she used to stand upright, began to twist and turn as they grew larger and thicker. Growing down the base of her form, and creeping over the ground like the tangled roots of a tree.
Tucker, Danny and 'Sam' shouted in confusion as they saw several of the thick vines come towards them. Tucker even whimpered in fear, muttering something along the lines of: "Not me, not like that." But nothing seemed to happen to them, as the vines moved around them, ignoring them. It would seem that Undergrowth wasn't interested in them.
"Sam, what’s going on?" Danny yelled.
"I think you got tagged out!" she shouted back.
"What! Why? Not that I am complaining, but I wasn’t done yet." Danny replied, not sure if he was annoyed, or relieved.
"How should I know? None of this makes any sense."
With a shout from Undergrowth the vines that lay on the ground shot up, all of them aimed at Jazz, who was hard pressed to avoid all of them as she was also dodging Undergrowth's thorny claws.
"Fair enough. But still. I can't shake the feeling that I’m missing something here." Danny said as he looked at the surreal fight.
"How do you mean?" 'Sam' asked, seeing Jazz moving with such speed that she appeared to be a blur.
"It's just... Well, Jazz is different. She’s faster, stronger, and she can fly. It’s almost as if she’s using the ecto-skeleton. Plus her hair, something about that is really familiar. And Undergrowth... Well, wasn't he supposed to be a guy... I think. And he- eerr- she certainly wasn’t like this back when we first dealt with her. Yet there is something about it all that seems... familiar."
"Hmmm." 'Sam' hummed as she thought this over.
Looking up at both Jazz and Undergrowth, keeping in mind what Danny had just said, she realized that the same feeling had been nagging at her, but she didn't realize it until now. There was something oddly familiar about them, but what?
She took away the things she knew about Jazz and Undergrowth, and looked at what remained. Who fitted with the fractured personalities that were left? Who were mixed with the two memories now fighting each other? She knew the answer, she was sure of that, but it wouldn't come to her.
She then went over what Jazz had said to Danny.
'You always run away when things get too difficult for you! You always leave your friends and family behind! You never think of others, only yourself! You are the most untrustworthy, most Unloyal person I ever had the displeasure of knowing!' There was something there, something that pointed her to where she needed to look. But what?
'You always run away when things get too difficult for you!'
"That is not true," 'Sam' muttered to herself. "Danny might not always have made the best of decisions, but he never ran away. At least, not until..." she left that last part unfinished as she sighed out. A sound that went unheard as several thick vines slammed into the ground with crushing blows.
'You always leave your friends and family behind!'
"Also not true, he would always be there for others, especially his family or friends."
Crazed laughter filled the air as Undergrowth picked up several large pieces of the destroyed mansion, and threw them at Jazz.
"Here, take these. They’re on the house!" Undergrowth yelled with anger.
'You never think of others, only yourself!'
"Eehh… It’s probably somewhere in between." 'Sam' had to admit, ignoring the distraction, and the lame pun Undergrowth just made.
'You’re the most untrustworthy, most Unloyal person I ever had the displeasure of knowing!'
"Wait... Unloyal." 'Sam' thought, "Why would she say that.. Wait.. Could it..."
Looking up at Jazz again, she paid special attention to the things that did not belong to Jazz.
"Magenta colored eyes, cyan blue wings, hair colored as a rainb... Oh for the love of... Of course. Then Undergrowth must be another one of them." 'Sam' realized.
"Hey, Sam. You alright? You've gone quiet all of a sudden." Danny said worriedly as he vaulted over several vines to get to her.
"Yeah, I’m fine. It's just that I think I know what you were missing."
"Really?" Danny questioned, not entirely convinced.
"Yes. Don't they remind you of someone else? Or should I say somepony else?"
"Some... pony?" Tucker said, finally deciding to talk.
"Glad to see you’re finally able to join us." 'Sam' said, sarcastically.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But what do ponies have to do with all of this?" Tucker asked with a raised voice as the sound of the ongoing battle rose in volume. "Wow, she is really giving it to her," he added as he refocused his attention back at the two fighters.
"I'm with Tucker here. What do ponies have to do with it?" Danny asked in confusion, before all of them flinched as they heard Jazz cry out after being swatted out of the air by one of Undergrowth's vintacles.
"Danny, think. Where do you live now?" 'Sam' asked, forcing his attention back to her.
"Eh, Sam. Don't you-" Danny started, but was interrupted as Jazz slammed into the ground not too far from them.
"Why you pesky weed!" Jazz spat as she flew back up.
"- think that we have bigger worries than wondering where I live?" he finished.
"Danny, this might just be the most important thing you can do. Try to remember. Your mind is partially clouded thanks to Nightmare Moon, your memories are just playthings for her." 'Sam' said urgently as she pointed at Jazz and Undergrowth. "Right now, your memory is the key. If you remember, then maybe you can shape things for the better. So, tell me. Where do you live? Who have you met there? And what do they look like?"
"Shape things for the better!? How am I supposed to do that? Look at all of this," Danny said with his arms held wide. "How am I supposed to change this for the better?"
"Indeed, look at all of this." 'Sam' said, focusing her attention on Undergrowth. "Does it look like Nightmare Moon is in control? I don’t know what’s going on, or why, but this might just give us a chance. Please, Danny. Just try?"
Danny sighed out in frustration as he thought about what 'Sam' said to him. Looking up at the fight, he could see that things were rather out of control.
"Fine. I still don't know how this is going to help me, but I’ll give it a try." He said, momentarily turning intangible so a stray piece of debris could pass through him.
"Okay, good." 'Sam' said, sounding relieved. "Now, tell me. Where do you live?"
"That's easy. I live... I live..." Danny began, but slowly became silent as the ground he stood on began to warp. "I live in a crappy apartment." He began hesitantly, not sounding sure as the grassy field he stood turned into a trash covered floor. "There’s junk everywhere, mostly old pizza boxes.... I think."
As he said that, the floor became littered with just that.
"There are more holes in the roof than there are in swiss cheese." Danny continued, his voice sounding more and more depressed as he continued. And, all the while, the area he stood in shaped itself to his description.
"The plumbing doesn't work half the time, and when it does, there is almost no pressure behind the water."
More and more he described the place he used to live, and with every detail he added, the more detailed the construct of his memory became.
"This place is a dump." Danny said with a hollow voice, his eyes glazing over as he was lost in his own memory.
"You know, I think the Box Ghost would feel right at home here." Tucker said as he looked over all the pizza boxes.
"Danny, this isn’t right." 'Sam' said, ignoring Tucker. "You don't live here anymore, remember? You moved out of here and went somewhere else. Where did you go? Where do you live now?"
"I… moved?" Danny said with a slight hesitation. "Yes… I did, didn't I?" The building he stood in faded away into thin air, revealing Jazz and Undergrowth still fighting each other.
"Did they not notice what just happened?" Tucker said, scratching the top of his head in confusion.
"Quiet." 'Sam' hissed. " Danny, where did you go after leaving that place?"
Danny didn't answer as he stood there with glassy eyes, yet the terrain around them shifted and warped; forming different images, all of them picturing his path to the tear facility on Earth, and ultimately, showing him stepping through the rupture in reality itself.
"I... I left. I left all of it behind." Danny said quietly as his eyes flashed a weak green for a moment. Unbeknownst to them, Jazz, who was still fighting Undergrowth, stopped in midair for a split second, a similar flash of green showed in her eyes as well, before she resumed her fight with the giant ghost plant.
"Jazz... Jazz was right. I did abandon you all," he said weakly.
"Danny, don't think like that. Focus on where you went after that." 'Sam' urged him on.
The images disappeared, and were replaced by a single room filled with humans and ponies. A dark shadow was flying through the room, scaring everyone there, while security tried to deal with the threat. Then, it too faded away, and the image of a very colorful train appeared.
'Sam' and Tucker couldn't help but cringe at the sight of the overly colorful vehicle, but they remained quiet as they observed the image shift once more. They saw a happy looking village appear before them, filled with multiple colorful ponies walking around, going about their business.
"Now we're getting somewhere." 'Sam' muttered as she squinted, not liking all the bright colors that filled her vision.
"Okay, I’m confused. What’s going on?" Tucker finally asked, not quite getting what this was all about.
'Sam' sighed out, "It seems that Nightmare Moon, that menacing looking shadow pony thing from before, is losing control for some reason. And Danny is using the slight void in mental control to fill up the blanks with his own constructs." 'Sam' explained as she and Tucker watched Danny get tackled by a mint green pony who grabbed hold of his hand. "But Nightmare Moon has been messing with his memories, changing and distorting them. Plus, we're in a dream, and in a dream our memories are always mixed up somewhat." They were entering Danny's new house, and everything was pitch black. "All of this has caused Danny to lose track of his own history, on how things are, and how they once were." Danny shouted out in surprise as he flicked on the lights, and a room full of ponies all shouted: "Surprise!", causing him to turn off the lights in reflex as he also turned invisible. "Going through his memories step by step will help him see what is really going on, and, hopefully, will help us all in the long run." 'Sam' answered
Silence
"You didn't understand any of that, did you?" 'Sam' groaned as she saw Tucker's confused expression.
Tucker merely shook his head in response.
'Sam' sighed out exasperatedly, "Nightmare Moon is like a computer virus, messing things up with Danny's hard drive. And now Danny is going through file after file to sort out the crap," she clarified.
"Well, why didn't you say so?" Tucker said, causing 'Sam's' eye to twitch.
'Danny, I know that your mind isn’t working all that well right now, but really. This is how you remember Tucker?' 'Sam' thought, annoyed, watching Danny being pulled and dragged around by a pink pony with a curly, bouncy mane and tail. Said pony was introducing him to everyone present in the room.
"They're all here." 'Sam' realized as she observed all those present. "But when will he realize?"
''Oh come on. You must have heard of me!" a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail said while flying in front of Danny.
"Well, It looks like it will happen faster than I thought." 'Sam' muttered.
"Rainbow Jazz. The Rainbow Jazz. Fastest flier in all of Equestria, and the only pegasus that can perform a sonic rainboom.''
"Wait, what did she just call herself?" 'Sam' wondered as she heard the pegasus introduce herself.
"Wait, what did you say your name was?" Danny said as his eyes regained a bit of focus.
"What, are you deaf? It's Rainbow Jazz." she repeated.
"No, that's not it." Danny said, another small flash of green showed in his eyes. And the same happened with Jazz, who was currently struggling to escape from the many vines that had wrapped around her body.
"What do you mean: That's not it? Don't you think I don't know my own name?" Rainbow Jazz said, sounding offended.
"This is not right." Danny said, ignoring her as his eyes were slowly gaining more and more focus. "It’s all mixed up."
Slowly the room filled with the various ponies faded away as Danny's mind returned to the here and now. All of them, save the cyan blue pegasus still hovering in front of Danny's face.
"Your name is Rainbow Dash, not Jazz." Danny stated as his eyes locked with those of Rainbow Dash. "And my sister is Jazz, Jazz Fenton.... A sister I left a long time ago, just as I did so many others." He said, saddened as he finally closed his eyes.
He let out a small gasp as he felt something press down on his shoulder. Opening his eyes and looking at what it was, he saw a blue hoof holding him in a comforting manner.
"Then set it right." Rainbow Dash said as she pointed her free front hoof at the struggling young woman trapped in a mess of vines.
"What?" Danny said in confusion, not fully understanding the sudden change in behavior.
"Danny. I’m not gonna try and make you understand, because I don't understand it myself. But I do know that you would never leave those close to you hanging."
"But she isn’t even my sister." he nearly shouted as he pointed at Jazz.
"Yes, she is. She is a part of you, just as you are a part of her. She may not act like it right now, but remember what you said. 'She was always there to help you, even if you didn't want her to." Rainbow Dash blinked dumbly after she said that. "Wow, that did not sound like me at all. Since when did I become so sappy?"
"She is right, you know." 'Sam' spoke up, "This Jazz is a part of your memory, and thus, a part of you. But there is still something you’re missing."
"And you are?" Dash said as she turned to look at the young teenager.
"Just a friend trying to help." She replied.
"Hmmmm... Meh, fair enough." Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly. "But I don’t like the look on his face," she added as she pointed at Tucker, who was giving Dash a rather strange look. "What’s up with him?"
"Many things. Oh so many things." 'Sam' said without humor.
"Yeah... We'll figure him out at some other time, but for now, what was it about me still missing something?" Danny asked, diverting their attention back at him.
"Danny, just look at Jazz, or more precisely, look at the things she is not supposed to have. You'll see that the answer is quite literally in front of you."
"Look at the things that she isn’t supposed to have?" Danny repeated quietly as he looked up to Jazz, seeing her fighting her way out of the hold Undergrowth had over her.
"Hold on!" Danny said as he finally fully noticed Jazz's change in appearance, his mind no longer clouded to see fact from fiction, for now "Her hair is supposed to be red, and she doesn't have wings…. In fact, they almost look like-" Danny fell silent as realization kicked in.
"WHOA!" Dash yelled as she suddenly fell to the ground, landing on the back of her head, with her backside hanging over her head.
"What happen-... MY WINGS!" she yelled as she saw her wings -her pride- were missing. Another change, something she missed due to this fact, was that her mane and tail had also changed. From their original rainbow of colors, they were now a single toned red hue.
"What happened to me?" She said with barely suppressed fear in her voice, as her eyes locked with Danny's. Looking back, Danny could see the faint green glow of his own eyes in her, suddenly, blue eyes.
"The memory of you is mixed with that of his sister." 'Sam' cut in, trying to explain the situation to the frightened pony, "And now that Danny realizes this, the changes also apply to you."
"So turn me back!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she pressed her face into Danny's.
"It's not that simple." 'Sam' told her as she pulled the angry pony off of Danny.
"Why not?"
"Because Danny is not the one that did this to you."
"Then who is?" Rainbow Dash growled.
"Nightmare Moon." Sam' answered without any hint of emotion.
"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, a sudden surge of energy coursing through her form. Yet this went unnoticed by all of them, as it was not a part of either Danny's mind, or Nightmare Moon's.
****
Meanwhile, outside in the real world, high up in a mansion built solely out of clouds, a sleeping, rainbow maned pegasus twisted and turned uncomfortably in her bed. And, unseen by any save a watchful owl, a certain lightning bolt shaped necklace, locked away in a case found in the town's library, started to glow a faint red; where it joined the soft pink glow coming from the crystal butterfly set in a different necklace found in the case.
****
For a split second Rainbow Dash's eyes flashed red, before returning to their unnatural blue color.
She reared up on her hind legs, placing her front hooves onto Danny's shoulders and he could see a look of anger and determination in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Is this true?" she said slowly.
"Ehh, I guess, yes."
Breathing in deeply and closing her eyes, Rainbow Dash sighed out loudly as she looked up at the woman who had her wings.
"If she is under Nightmare Moon's control, then you have to help her." She finally said. "And not only because she is your sister, even though she might not act like it. I don't understand it, but somehow I know you. I know you in a way that doesn't make sense. But I know that you would never leave anyone hanging, especially your family. You're too loyal for that." She said as she pressed her hoof against his chest, close to where Danny's heart would be.
Unnoticed, a small streak of red lightning sparked from her hoof into his chest.
"It must be the part of Jazz that is mixed with you that makes you feel that way about Danny." 'Sam' said after thinking about what Rainbow Dash had just said.
"Well, she can have it back. And make sure I get my wings back while you're at it." Dash said as she pushed away from Danny.
"And my mane as well," a new voice suddenly cut in.
"WHAAA!" Tucker yelled in fright as he fell backwards onto his rear.
Before them stood a pristine white unicorn, with three diamonds for a cutie mark. And a mane made of dark green vines.
"Rarity?" Rainbow Dash said in confusion as she looked at her friend for a moment, "Pfhaahahhahaha!" She burst out laughing, and fell to the ground as she saw the wiggling mass on her friend’s head.
"Eugh. Rainbow Dash, do you have to be so rude? I am not making fun over the fact that your wings are gone, or that your mane and tail are red." Rarity sniffed.
"They're what?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she first grabbed her mane, then walked in circles on the spot to see her tail. Both of them were a deep red color, her trademark rainbow mane and tail were gone. Looking up, she swore as she saw that Jazz's hair had the colors she was missing.
"Oh, when I get my hooves on that Nightmare Moon, I will buck her from here all the way to Canterlot, and back."
"Huh, somehow that sounded familiar." Danny muttered.
A cough brought all their attention back to the white unicorn standing before them, an unamused look on her face.
"Right, back to business. While you could go all out like some ruffian, as Rainbow Dash so eloquently put it. Might I suggest that you not do anything rash. At least not while that… thing... still has my precious mane." She said as she pointed to the large green mass with dark purple vines flowing over her back.
"Wait, you mean that that thing is mixed with you?" Danny partially shouted in disbelief.
"Why, yes. Isn't it obvious? Her poise, her sense of beauty," Rarity said. "Her mane." she added flatly. "And in return, I get this." she whined as she lifted one of the vines.
"Eugh. Green really isn't my color." She said with a shudder.
****
And in the real world, resting in a large bed made with the finest materials, Rarity was fast asleep. But it was not a peaceful slumber, as she twisted and turned in her bed, holding onto her mane, and muttering: "Not green." in her sleep.
****
"I wouldn't call that beautiful." Tucker said out loud as he observed Undergrowth.
"Well, she was talking about the natural beauty when she first showed up." 'Sam' pointed out.
"Who cares!" Rainbow Dash half shouted, "Just get out there and get my wings back."
"And my mane, don't forget about my mane!" Rarity said with a slight panic.
"And how am I supposed to do all that?" Danny asked.
"I don't know." Rainbow Dash said with a shrug, "You're the one whose mind we're in."
"Well, that certainly explains a lot." Rarity said, before slamming a hoof over her mouth. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" She asked, ashamed.
"HA, yes you did." Rainbow Dash said, laughing. "But don't blame Danny here. It is Nightmare Moon who is causing all of this."
"WHAT!?" Rarity shrieked.
"It's true." 'Sam' told Rarity. Looking over at Tucker, she noticed he wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on once again. Instead, he was looking at the ongoing fight between Jazz and Undergrowth.
"Tucker, keep your head in the game!" she yelled as she slapped the back of his head.
"I am. It's just that... Well, how did they not notice what is going on down here. It is not like we’re even trying to stay hidden from them. Really, what’s up with that?"
"Tucker’s right." Danny said as he stepped next to Tucker, looking up at the two combatants. "There is no way they could have missed us, even if they are fighting each other. So why is that?"
'Sam' just blinked dumbly at that. How did she miss something so obvious? And here was Tucker, a memory she thought was just screwing around, seeing the blatantly obvious problem she herself missed. Perhaps her memory of how Tucker was supposed to be wasn’t entirely accurate. But then again, it might just be a lucky break for him.
"Well, whatever it is, we're not going to find out just by standing here." Danny said as he levitated of the ground, his legs turning into an intangible tail. "Let's go find out, shall we?" and with that he shot off towards the two fighters.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes earlier.
Nightmare Moon observed her constructs fighting each other. One obeying her commands, the other not. Why that was, she didn't know. But she would not stand for such a transgression.
Her first attempt to bring the massive memory back under her control had failed miserably. Even worse, the construct became all the more powerful as it, somehow, managed to steal the precious little energy she had managed to steal from Danny.
This would not do. Sending a mental command to the pawn still under her control, she commanded Jazz to deal with this nuisance.
At first, things went just as she expected them to go. But slowly, things turned against her.
It started small, like a twitch. Something changed with her pawn that still obeyed her. Something in her behaviour changed. She still listened, but she became… troublesome.
Why?
Nightmare Moon extended her reach, observing not only the fight between her constructs, but also the surrounding area.
Her breath came out in a seething hiss with what she saw.
How? How did this happen? How did this construct form without her knowing about it until now?
She saw a building she didn't place there. A building that shouldn't be there.
A small house with thatched roof.
Looking closer, past the walls of the building, she could see that the building itself was only the shell of a much larger problem. Dozens of ponies filled the room inside the mental image. Ponies that she had seen before, but only a select few did she recognize. Those six ponies that had thwarted her plans in the past, they were also present in his memory. But why? Why would they be here, and why now. But more importantly, how did all of this appear here in the first place? She was still in control of Danny's mind, save for that little slip with her own construct a moment ago, so how could this be here?
A chill went down Nightmare Moon's spine, a feeling of being watched descending down on her. Turning around, and frantically searching, she tried to find the source of this disturbance, but she found nothing.
"What is going on?" She muttered as she returned her attention back to the fight, and the construct that should not be there.
But the moment she looked away, and her attention was focused elsewhere, a pair of glowing green eyes faded into existence in the shadows that surrounded her. A ripple went through the dark void that she placed herself in, not noticing what was happening behind her, save for the unease of being watched she felt before.
Glancing behind once more, she could only see the shadows that comforted her, the eyes faded away once again.
Shaking her head, she refocused on the construct that had formed without her permission. It was clear that it had to do with the human whose mind she had taken over, the portion of him that was still his own, the part that would not surrender either himself, or his powers. The part of him she couldn't corrupt.
Gritting her teeth, she saw this ape being dragged around by the most frustrating pony of those six. That pink menace. She watched as the putrid pink pony introduced Danny to all those present, while his own associates stood at the side, viewing the scene with a mixture of confusion and surprise, especially the dark skinned one.
Then the pony with the rainbow mane came into play, talking to Danny, bragging about her feeble accomplishments. The same pony who she tried to turn against her friends those few years ago. That pony that declined her more than generous offer. An offer she turned her back on, just because of her friends.
Nightmare Moon spat at that from the disgusting taste the memory left behind.
Wait, something changed. The construct they were in faded away. Leaving nothing but the three humans, and the blue pony that caused Nightmare Moon the latest batch of frustration. But there was something else, a twitch. A twitch that started with Danny, but which rippled through to her pawn.
Again, something changed in the behaviour of Jazz. Where before she was calculating and ruthless, she now was only ruthless. She let down her guard in favor of speed, and agility. Trying to overpower Undergrowth with brute force. It wasn't long until Jazz was captured by the giant ghost, caught, and constricted with one of the many large vinetacles.
Nightmare Moon connected with her construct, trying to find out what had changed.
There, her personality, which was a mix between the memory of Danny's sister, and Rainbow Dash, had gone out of balance. The calculative side of Jazz, which was responsible for her ability to plan ahead, was suppressed by the part of Rainbow Dash. This resulted in her being more reckless, and more likely to make a mistake.
'Listen fool. Free yourself, and deal with this pest like I ordered you.' Nigmare Moon shouted at her through her mental link.
'Oh shut up! I’m busy right now!' came the angry reply.
Nightmare Moon reared back in shock. Another one of her constructs was rebelling against her. Why? How?
A flash in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Snapping her head to the side, she could see the fading light of a pair of angry green eyes, but she also noticed a hint of satisfaction in the glowing orbs before they faded away.
"Impossible." she whispered.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" she yelled as she slammed a hoof on the floor.
"You can't be here! I absorbed you! You are a part of me now!" she roared at the shadows that surrounded her, but received no reply.
"This can't be. There is no way that mindless drone could have outsmarted me. It's not possible." She said angrily, but a hint of fear could be heard behind her words.
It would seem that Shadow was still out there, still fighting.
Still causing trouble.
Nightmare used her power to sent out multiple pulses, trying to find the mental print of Shadow. But she was unable to find him, or what was left of him anyhow.
Growling in anger, she returned her attention back to the other problem at hoof, and she could see that her lapse of attention had cost her.
Danny was more confident, stronger somehow. And Jazz had managed to break free from her hold, and was once more mindlessly fighting Undergrowth. But there was something else as well. Or rather, somepony else. A white coat, three diamonds for a cutie mark, and a mane made of green vines.
"What? Where did she come from?" Nightmare shouted in confusion, and frustration as she observed the white pony. Shifting her attention to the side, she saw the dark skinned human looking at the fight once more.
"Tucker, can you please keep your head in the game!" The dark haired girl yelled as she slapped the back of Tucker's head.
"I am. It's just that... Well, how did they not notice what is going on down here. It is not like we’re even trying to stay hidden for them. Really, what’s up with that?" He responded.
"But I did notice what is going on!" Nightmare roared to the image before her, knowing that they couldn't hear her.
"Tucker’s right." Danny said as he stepped next to Tucker, looking up at the two combatants. "There is no way they could have missed us, even if they are fighting each other. So why is that?"
"Because of you, and that infernal shadow of yours!" Nightmare Moon shouted in manic rage, causing energy to spark from her horn.
"Well, whatever it is, we're not going to find out just standing here." Danny said as he levitated of the ground, his legs turning into an intangible tail. "Let’s go find out, shall we?" And with that he shot off towards the two fighters.
"GRUHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Nightmare Moon shouted in anger, wanting nothing more than to simply strangle this blasted human with her bare hooves. But she couldn't, not if she wanted his powers.
Again the green eyes blinked into existence behind her. A humorous glint shone in them, then they disappeared again.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes earlier… Again.
Jazz was dodging attack after attack from Undergrowth, taunting her as she did so.
She was less than impressed with the gargantuan ghost. Despite her strength, despite the fact that she was taller and stronger than Jazz in every way, her attacks lacked skill and planning. Something Jazz used to her advantage as she looped around another vine inbound to her. Flying away with speed, making the vine follow her as she weaved and twisted through the air, flying right towards Undergrowth's face.
Undergrowth, wholly focused on hitting Jazz, was oblivious to her tactical error.
Time seemed to move in slow motion for her, as she saw Jazz suddenly shoot up, avoiding a collision with her. The last thing she saw was the smug smirk on Jazz's face, before she hit herself with the vine meant for that infuriating human.
"GHAAA!" Undergrowth yelled as she stumbled back, holding one of her hands against her face.
"Pha. Is that the best you can do? Come on, show me some action." Jazz taunted as she flew deliberately slowly, and well within reach of Undergrowth's grasp.
"Why you little-" Undergrowth yelled as several vines shot towards Jazz, intent on strangling her.
Jazz shot from side to side, making loops, corkscrews and various other acrobatic feats to avoid the wriggling green vines.
"Too slow!" She teased. "Come on, my father is faster than that."
Again, Undergrowth attacked. And, again, Jazz veered off, avoiding the hit. But this time something changed. For a split second during her escape, Jazz slowed down. A green glow showed in her eyes, then it disappeared, and she resumed her aerial maneuvers, albeit a bit more erratic than before.
But the split second that Jazz slowed down cost her, as Undergrowth was finally able to connect one of her vinetacles with Jazz.
With a scream, Jazz spiraled out of control and slammed into the ground not too far from Danny, 'Sam' and Tucker.
"Why you overgrown crabgrass!" Jazz shouted as she flew back up.
Flapping her wings until they became a blur, Jazz flew through the mass of vines trying to knock her down again. Gritting her teeth while narrowing her eyes, she flew around Undergrowth's body, punching and kicking away without much thought. But her single minded focus, partially blinded by the dented pride from being knocked down, caused her to lose track of what happened around her.
A long, slim vine whipped into her gut like a switch.
The air left Jazz's lungs in a silent scream as she plummeted to the ground once more. Only to come to a jarring stop as a green vine wrapped around one of her legs. With a jerk, Jazz was lifted up right in front of Undergrowth's snarling face.
"Can I help you?" Jazz asked without humor as she hung upside down in front of Undergrowth.
"The better question would be if I can help you." Undergrowth said with forced calm as she looked at the small human hanging before her. "Such rude behavior and talk, not to mention your… attire. Clearly you need help from someone with a feminine touch." She told Jazz, trying to regain her even, more sophisticated voice.
"Well, that rules you out." Jazz snarked, making Undergrowth glare at her. "Now, let me go!" She demanded as she struggled and kicked her one free leg in an attempt to break free.
"And why would I do that?" Undergrowth said coldly as she wrapped several more vines around Jazz, fully constricting the woman. "So you can kick and hit me like some punching bag? Humpf. I am a lady, and I demand to be treated as such." She said with refined pride as Jazz continued to struggle in her grasp. Not noticing the split second where Jazz slowed her struggles as her eyes flashed green.
"What, no witty retort? I should have known you weren’t much." Undergrowth mocked as she tightened her grip on Jazz, smiling demurely as she listened to the painful wheeze of air being forced from her victim’s lungs. "Normally I am not one to get my vines dirty, but for you, I’ll make an exceptio- WHAA!"
Undergrowth yelled in pain as a green blast of ectoplasm hit the vine Jazz was trapped in, causing her to loosen her grip on the woman.
Jazz slipped through the vines, falling down as she lacked the strength to save herself.
"Gotcha!" Jazz heard Danny say as he caught her.
"You… Why... Why are… you helping me?" Jazz struggled to say as her lungs protested against her efforts to speak. But Danny could still hear the accusing and angry tone behind her words.
"Because I was wrong, and you were right. I did leave you all behind, I caused all of this. But more importantly, because you’re my sister. I just didn't realize it until now." He answered as he flew Jazz down to the ground. "We all make mistakes, and we need to live with the consequences. But I haven't. I ran away from them—" he sighed deeply "—and look where it got me." He finished as he landed, and helped Jazz to stand on her feet.
"So, you finally figured it out then?" Jazz gasped with a pained smirk as she held her hand against her side.
"Yeah, I guess I did." Danny answered, "So, we're cool?" He asked, unsure if she was going to attack him again.
Jazz gave Danny an angry look, thinking about what he had just said. A small smile found its way back onto her face, and Danny relaxed his stance, thinking that he was in the clear. Seeing her chance, Jazz punched him in the shoulder, making him stumble back a few steps.
"Hey! What was that for?" He shouted as he rubbed his shoulder.
"That was for taking so long to figure this out." Jazz replied with irritation. "I knew you had a thick skull, but I didn't know it was that thick." She said. Then she relaxed her stance as she grinned a bit. "I guess I should have hit you more in the head when I had the chance. It might have sped things up."
"Wait, what!? You mean this was all an act?" Danny shouted in disbelief.
"Yes." Jazz answered simply.
"Then why did you hit me that hard?"
"Well, duh. It was supposed to be believable."
Silence.
Danny stood there in silence as Jazz's words registered. A small burst of memories filled his mind, as he remembered a similar event happening several years ago.
"....Clever girl."
"You know me." Jazz said smugly. "But maybe we sho-"
"GHRAAAA!" With a roar, Rainbow Dash tackled Jazz to the ground, cutting her off.
"Give me back my wings!" She bellowed as she pressed her muzzle against Jazz's face, blue eyes glaring into magenta.
"Ex...cuse me?" Jazz said, dumbfounded, as she looked into the angry, blue eyes.
"My. Wings. Give them back!" Rainbow Dash growled.
A blue glow suddenly surrounded Rainbow Dash's body, and lifted her off of Jazz.
"Rainbow Dash, please behave yourself." Rarity scolded the wingless pegasus. "There is no need for such behavior."
"No need?! Rarity, she has my wings!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Yes, dear. I can see that. But slamming her on the ground like some wild animal is not going to help you get them back."
"Ehhh. What is going on?" Jazz asked in utter bewilderment as she pushed herself back up in a sitting position.
"Apparently your form is mixed with Dash's here. Resulting in you having her wings, among other things." 'Sam' explained as she offered her hand to help the woman back up on her feet.
"I… see." Jazz said hesitantly.
"You don't believe me, do you?" 'Sam' said.
"I'm doubtful. But with Danny here, anything is possible. Besides, this is all a mental projection made by an invading force in Danny's mind, is it not?"
"Ehh… Yes…. How did you know that?" 'Sam' asked in shocked confusion.
"Please. Are you forgetting who you’re dealing with? Jazz Fenton. The Jazz Fenton." Jazz said boastfully. ".... And I take it that that was part of Dash's personality."
'Sam' only nodded her acknowledgement, not able to find the words.
"Well… Never a dull moment with you, right?" Jazz said, slightly awkwardly as she looked at Danny.
"Ehhh..."
"And what’s up with Tucker?" Jazz asked uncomfortably as she noticed his unnerving stare, not giving Danny a chance to respond.
"I really have no idea." 'Sam' answered after a few seconds, trying to catch up with Jazz’s quick pace.
"Hmmm." Jazz hummed as she stepped closer to Tucker and bent down slightly to observe him better. "Aha… I knew it." she said with a snap of her fingers.
"Knew what?" 'Sam' asked.
"This is a clear case of pent up sexual frustration." Jazz answered as she turned around and faced Sam.
Silence.
"... And wearing a suit that leaves nothing to the imagination, and standing in front of Tucker like this is not helping either." She added after an awkward pause. The full realization of the situation hitting her.
"This is just wrong." 'Sam' grumbled as she facepalmed.
"So he’s not getting any, so what? Just gimme back my wings!" Rainbow Dash shouted, annoyed that she was forgotten that quickly.
"Oh, righ-."
"AHUM!!"
All of them turned to the source of the sound, seeing a very large, very annoyed plant ghost towering over them.
"Am I interrupting something?" Undergrowth asked sarcastically. "Perhaps I could come back some other time? Humph. The nerve. Attacking a lady like that, and then just ignoring her as if she isn’t even there. Have you no shame?"
All of them looked up at Undergrowth with a mixture of reactions. Danny was more shocked that he’d forgotten the giant than anything else, while Tucker looked with fear at the wriggling vines spreading out from Undergrowth’s base. Jazz also looked surprised at first, but it was soon replaced with indifference as she was not impressed with the weed. 'Sam' wasn't sure whether she should be worried, or annoyed with the ghost. And Rainbow Dash looked like she was ready to pounce the giant, only to sourly remember she was missing her wings. This made her scowl towards Jazz, who completely missed it as she was still looking up, her wings twitching in anticipation, waiting for action.
But Rarity was taking it the worst. Seeing her precious mane on the horror before her, seeing it so close, yet so far away was torture for her. And the ghost's pathetic attempt to mimic her refined behavior was all the more insulting. She stood there growling, her composure and ladylike behavior all but forgotten as she wanted nothing more than to squish the giant plant to a pulp underneath her hooves.
With a shout she ran towards the abomination, all reason forgotten as she was going to get back what was hers. Her shout surprised the others, and they turned in surprise to see the once composed pony run towards Undergrowth with a feral look in her eyes.
Her size was nothing in comparison with Undergrowth, but she didn't care, oh no. This thing would find out what would happen if one messes with her precious mane. With all the strength she could muster she jumped towards her opponent, not reaching a tenth of its height. But she made little headway towards the ghost plant as, with a sudden jerk by her tail, she slammed back down on the ground.
Looking back, Rarity could see Rainbow Dash holding her tail in her mouth, her hooves dug in the ground with drag marks following them.
"Bwawity, alm dwn." Rainbow Dash mumbled as she held onto the tail.
"Rainbow Dash." Rarity said with as much calm as she could muster. "Please let go of my tail this instant so I may stomp this overgrown vegetation to a pulp."
"N- bway." Rainbow Dash grunted as she slowly dragged Rarity back to the others. "A wittle helpf!" She asked the others.
"Oh, right." Danny said as he snapped out of his bewilderment. The others also jumped into motion at the pegasus’s request, all of them helping to hold the enraged unicorn back.
"No, my mane! My precious mane!" Rarity wailed as she was slowly subdued by the others.
"Pfhuwa. And you tell me to behave." Rainbow Dash said as she spat out Rarity's tail, "Bleh, I've got hair in my mouth." She added, then looked up as a shadow fell over her. "Oh."
"Man, what is going on around her?" Danny asked, scratching the top of his head as he observed the mess he found himself in.
"I don't know, but we have bigger problems to worry about!" Rainbow Dash answered as she pointed at the now furious ghost standing behind them.
"Ow, right. I forgot about her… Again." Danny muttered.
Undergrowth snarled as she looked down on the group of humans and ponies, her vines lifting off the ground, looming menacingly above them.
"Eh.. Should we run?" Tucker asked with a high pitched tone as he looked around nervously, trying to find a way out.
"To where!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she also tried to find a way out of their predicament. "We're surrounded.”
"You." Undergrowth growled. "You insult me and attack me, thinking that you can get away with it?"
"Actually, that’s mostly Jazz's doing." Tucker remarked without thinking, earning him a slap against the back of his head from ‘Sam’.
"...And you interrupt me, only to ignore me afterwards. You ignore me, just like you ignore nature. But no more." She lifted the vines that hung above the group even higher in the air, before launching them down, threatening to crush them all.
"Everyone, hold on to me!" Danny shouted as he braced himself.
Everyone reached out to Danny except Jazz. "You too, Jazz!" he added as he noticed Jazz was hesitating to do so. She wasn't moving, so he acted instead.
"Danny, no!" Jazz screamed as Danny grabbed her by the wrist, but it was already too late.
Danny strained himself as he channeled his intangibility through everyone, his eyes glowing a toxic green, making it impossible to see his pupils. One by one, they became intangible, and Danny could feel the strain on his body. But when the energy also flowed into Jazz, Danny almost lost consciousness from the sudden sharp pain that shot through his being. Only through sheer willpower was he able to stay conscious, but he grunted then screamed in pain as he could feel his energy being drained.
With a deafening crash, the vines slammed in on the group, passing clean through them thanks to Danny. A white glow formed at the side of the heap of vinetacles, and Danny stepped through with obvious strain as he led the group out of the mess.
The moment they were all clear, Danny let go of Jazz, as the rest let go of him.
With a flash of light, Danny returned to his human self and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Danny!" they all shouted in concert as he fell. Only through the quick action of Rainbow Dash was he saved from the uncomfortable embrace of the ground.
Dangling limply across Rainbow Dash's back, and surrounded by his friends, he was rushed away from the enraged plant, before she could attack again.
"What happened?" Tucker yelled to no one in particular.
"How should I know?" Rainbow Dash answered. "Let's just get out of here."
"I have to agree with Dash on this one." 'Sam' replied as she ran behind Tucker.
"Indeed. But I would like to know, what happened with dear Danny just now?" Rarity replied. "Maybe Jazz knows something. Do you, Jazz?" She asked the winged human, but no reply came.
"Jazz?" 'Sam' looked around, not seeing her with the rest of the group.
"Over there!" Tucker yelled as he pointed back towards the spot they exited the jungle of vines.
Everyone came to a dead stop, Danny almost fell off Rainbow Dash's back from the sudden shift in forward momentum. Those who were able to, looked back, seeing Jazz standing on the same spot they were just a moment ago, not moving an inch.
"Jazz, what are you doing? Get out of there!" 'Sam' ordered as she ran back for her.
"Don't!" She yelled, a green glint could be seen in her eyes. "I’m what happened to Danny. I drained him. It’s why I came to be in the first place." She revealed, making Sam's eyes widen in understanding. "It’s Nightmare Moon's doing. I am still her creation; still her pawn." She said as she looked down at her hands, a faint green glow formed around them. "But sometimes, a pawn is all that is needed to checkmate the queen."
"Wait, what are you doing?" 'Sam' shouted as she saw Jazz lift off the ground.
"What Danny would do."
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon didn't understand the human's thinking process, nor did she care. All she cared about right now, was the energy she could feel coursing through her being.
They disobeyed her and they revolted against her, but they still did what they were supposed to do. It was an honest mistake from this ape. His misguided sense of heroism made him do as he did, and it cost him. His attempt to save his friends also meant he had wanted to save the construct that resembled his sister. And, in doing so, his powers were drained from him. Not all of it, but still enough for Nightmare Moon to gorge on.
She could feel her strength grow as more and more energy flowed into her. The specks of green in her mane and tail became brighter, and her eyes grew in luminosity as well.
Yet, before she could finish, something changed. The flow of energy slowed down. It was not because Danny had let go of her construct, she had still a formidable amount of his energy stored in her form, but it was no longer flowing into her.
Nightmare Moon looked closer at the woman that held the power that she wanted. Something was different. Even if she didn't obey her, she would still transfer any and all energy she managed to absorb from that ape. But she didn't. She didn't do the one thing that she was made to do.
Looking closer still, Nightmare Moon gasped out. In Jazz's eyes she could see a green glint. The glow of two eyes she knew all too well. The eyes of Shadow.
"No!" she growled.
<<>><<>><<>>
Jazz flew up, an angry glare in her eyes. She may have been a construct made by Nightmare Moon, but her loyalty would always be with her family. She would deal with this threat, just as Danny would have. Just as he should have, if it wasn't for the fact that she had drained him of his energy. She knew that not all of it was gone from him, but the damage done to him was still substantial. And to make matters worse, the energy that she unwillingly stole was transferred to Nightmare Moon the moment it interacted with her. She couldn't stop it, yet fate seemed to have been on her side, as, somehow, a large portion of Danny's energy remained with her. She didn't know why it happened, only that she could feel the link between herself and Nightmare Moon being severed. And that she somehow knew how to use Danny's powers, despite her lack of experience.
It was strange, and any other time she would stop and study this strange phenomenon. But not now.
Now she would use this strange turn of events to fight her maker.
She flapped her wings with such speed that only a blur could be seen. She dodged and weaved past the wild swings from Undergrowth, and, with a fury filled scream, she slammed into Undergrowth's lower jaw.
Undergrowth roared out in rage and pain as she reared back from the impact. The force of Jazz's hit was so great that the thick, fiber like skin tore apart, and Jazz flew clean through, emerging on the other side of Undergrowth's head.
"Eeeuw." Jazz cried out as thick, viscous liquid dripped down from her body.
Rubbing her eyes to clear the mush that obscured her vision, she didn't notice that the wound she inflicted had already started to heal. Blinking several times to clear the last of the gunk, she saw the furious face of Undergrowth right before her.
"Oh," was all she had time to say, before a giant claw swatted her out of the sky.
Dazed, she fell to the ground. But something inside her acted without any effort from herself. She could feel her body twist around, facing the giant ghost. Her hands lifted up, pointing at Undergrowth's face. She felt energy coursing through her body and flow into her cupped hands, making them glow green. A large green beam of energy shot from her hands and passed clean through the recently healed hole in Undergrowth's face.
Jazz didn't know what was happening, or why, but she didn't stop it as her hands slowly moved up, blasting a path through Undergrowth's head, splitting it in two.
The air exploded out of her lungs as she hit the ground, her hands flopping at her sides, and the energy spent. She wheezed and grunted as every muscle in her body protested against any effort to move, and for a moment she could only look up, seeing the damage she had inflicted on her opponent. Damage that was already starting to heal.
She saw the deformed, split face join together, and she could feel a shiver go down her spine as two glowing red eyes looked down on her with pure, blind rage.
'I guess even in his mind I am not much of a ghost fighter.' Jazz thought as she saw Undergrowth raise a giant fist. "Danny, please. I need your help." She managed to say with a weak voice.
The last thing she felt as darkness consumed her vision, was something leaving her body.
<<>><<>><<>>
He was cold.
He was alone.
He was surrounded by darkness so dense, a night sky would seem bright. He didn't know who he was. He didn't know where he was. His senses were numbed. All he had was a feeling of loss.
He lost something, but what?
Sure, he didn't know who he was, so it had to be his mind. But something deep down told him that that wasn’t it. He also felt drained, he realized. Drained from something. Something he could feel was close by, yet impossible for him to reach.
What was it?
He looked around, trying to find something, anything in the darkness he found himself in. But nothing could be seen or heard. There wasn't even a floor underneath his feet he realized, just inky darkness that, somehow, felt solid underneath him, but was non-existent all the same.
Suddenly, the sound of walking could be heard from all around him, and he turned left and right, trying to locate the source of the noise.
"Hello." He called out, but received no reply. "Is anyone there?" The walking stopped.
"Can you help me? I seem to be lost." He said nervously, not sure what was going to happen.
"Lost." A male's voice said almost next to his ear, and he yelped in fear as he jumped away from the sound, heart pounding.
"Who said that?" he stammered in fright as he raised his hand in self defense. "Show yourself!"
Somehow that felt familiar, as if he had done such a thing many times before. Yet, it was different all the same.
"Yes. You are lost." The voice said, coming from behind him.
He yelped again as he backed away in a reversed crab-walk.
"You are lost in many ways. As am I." The voice said, coming from his right side, but further away than any previous times. "I have been there for a long time, watching, learning. You are lost. Lost in the darkness of our own making. A darkness you created, and a darkness I let grow. You forgot who you were, as I discovered who I am. Two bodies, one mind. Joined together, but separated. You forgot who you are, because you wanted to forget. And I? I could only watch, learn. Learn from both our mistakes, and grow from them. I know who I am, but I am not yet complete. But you. You were complete, and now you are broken. Broken because you tore yourself apart." The voice spoke, and the footsteps resumed, slowly walking closer to him.
"But that which is broken can be restored, if only you would let it." The voice continued, and he could see the faint glow of two green orbs in the darkness.
"You are lost, because you forgot who you are, what you are. Yet you act as if nothing has changed." The voice said as he stepped closer to him, finally revealing himself as a shadowy figure with glowing green eyes. His form familiar to him, as he realized he had seen it before.
"You want to regain what you have lost, don't you?" The voice asked, and he nodded slightly. "Then you only need to see. See for yourself what you are." The voice answered as the darkness lifted, absorbed into the shadow-like form of the voice. Light slowly reached his eyes, and finally he could see more than the faint outline of the shadow-like form with his glowing green eyes.
"Look." The voice said, pointing a dark finger to a group of beings seemingly frozen in time. A blue, and a white pony stood together with three tall bipeds. One, a dark skinned boy, and one a dark haired girl. And there was also an adult, slumped across the back of the blue pony. And, looking in the distance, he could see a giant plant-like creature, preparing to finish off an injured woman lying on the ground.
A spike went through his mind as he saw the woman lie on the ground. A feeling of anger going through his being.
"Who are they?" He nearly screamed as he fell to his knees, holding his head in his hand. "Who is she?"
"They are you. A part of you. Just as you are a part of them. With some more than others, but still a part all the same. The humans, you left them. You tried to forget about them. But a small part of you couldn't. It held on to the last small part of your former self, a part that couldn't die. That is why you are here. That is why I am here. I am here because I am the result of you trying to deny the truth, and to forget. A mistake that changed you. A mistake you now need to live with."
"You are lost, and the road home is before you. All you need to do is take the first step. But in order to do that, you need to remember. Something you are already trying to do, it seems." The voice remarked as he pointed out that he was still holding his head.
"Memories are a curious thing. They can give one great strength, or they can hold one back. They can fade away in the darkness of one’s mind, only to return years later. But you forced them away. Now you need to allow them back into your life. Both the good, and the bad. All it takes is a single question. A simple question, but with no simple answer."
"Wh-... What is it?" He asked.
"Who am I?"
"Who am I?" He repeated.
"Yes. The question we all need to ask ourselves. Who are we really? What makes us who we are? What drives us to do the things we do? Who are the ones most important to us? Who are we to them? Who are we? Who are you? Who am I? Look at them." The voice instructed. "Tell me, who and what are they to you? How do they make you feel?"
"Who are they to me? How do they make me feel?" He repeated absently as he looked at the group of beings.
He looked at the white pony. A trio of diamonds were imaged on both her flanks. She had a purple tail, and a mane of green vines. Vines that didn't belong to her, he realized. A feeling of recognition came to him as he looked at her. A feeling of embarrassment as he pictured himself standing in only his boxers with the rest of his clothes floating around him.
His attention shifted to the blue pony. A lightning bolt with a trio of colors shooting from a cloud was displayed on her flank, and she had a deep red mane and tail.
He felt anger and grief, and a feeling that she had to stop talking, to stop asking questions. He felt the need to run away, just so he wouldn't have to remember.
He looked at the dark skinned teenager, and a mixture of feelings assaulted him. Joy, sadness, anger, jealousy, laughter and much more. He felt as if he had known him for years.
His attention shifted to the dark haired girl, and he fell to his knees as a knife pierced his heart.
"Sam." He whispered as many emotions and feelings assaulted him.
Tears flowed from his eyes as he grasped his heart. Feelings that he knew all too well crashed down on him. Feelings he had tried so hard to bury.
He forced himself to look away, lest he drown in the sea of guilt. Breathing loudly, he shifted his gaze to the last two beings out there. The giant plant, and the woman lying on the ground.
He could feel rage rise up as he recognized the giant. His fury doubling as he finally recognized the woman lying on the ground. Seeing how she was moments away from being crushed.
"Jazz!" He yelled. "I have to help her!" he shouted as he stood up, and ran towards the still image. Only to be held back by a shadowy hand on his shoulder.
"Let go of me!" He demanded.
"Who are you?" The voice asked, not letting go of Danny despite his struggles.
"I don't have the time for this. Let go!"
"Why? What are you going to do? And why are you going to do it?"
"I have to save her! I need to save all of them!"
"Why?"
"Because…… Because it is who I am." His eyes opened wide in comprehension as he spoke, his strugglings slowing down until they completely stopped.
"That is part of who you are, yes. But who are you? What are you?"
He looked out at the beings standing before him, struggling to answer the question.
"Who am I?" He said aloud. "What am I?"
Deeper and deeper he plunged into his mind. Moving past the memories that broke free when he observed the image before him. Forcing, breaking, tearing through the wall he built himself so long ago.
"Who am I?" He asked once more as the memories started to unlock, memories he had worked so hard to forget.
"Who are you?" The voice asked again, feeling a stir in his master's mind.
His eyes snapped up, and he stared at the group before him with a triumphant glare in them.
"I am Danny Phantom!" He said as a white band of energy formed around him, turning him into the ghost he was.
"And I have been gone for far too long."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Danny, please. I need your help."
They all heard the weak cry for help coming from her, yet they were unable to help. They couldn't get there in time, even if they tried. All they could do was watch in horror as they saw the giant fist move down, seemingly moving in slow motion.
A white flash came from Rainbow Dash's back, and she cried out in shock as she fell backwards.
All of them watched in amazement as Danny suddenly shot forward with a speed that he had seldom reached.
"What happened?" Rainbow Dash cried out as she picked herself up.
"I.. I have no idea." 'Sam' answered weakly as she stood there, wide eyed.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny raced towards Jazz, his eyes squinted as the air cut into his face. Time moved at a crawl for him, as he saw the fist move closer and closer to his sister. And still, time seemed to move too fast. The gap between him and Jazz seemed to increase, instead of decrease as he pushed himself as far as he could possibly go.
He had to save her, he couldn't let her down. He would never let his friends or family down. Not if he had any say in it.
With a wordless battle cry he forced himself to go even faster, and a red spark of lightning coursed through his intangible tail. The green and white striped terrain shot by as a blur, as Danny managed to close the gap between him and Jazz.
He could see as she slowly turned her head towards him. He could see his own reflection in her eyes. He could see the look of sheer determination on his face in her eyes. And he could see the look of belief in hers.
In a blur of motion, faster than anyone could see, Danny grabbed Jazz and pulled her out of harm’s way an instant before Undergrowth's fist pummeled into the field.
A massive temblor jolted through the earth, and large fissures spread out from where Undergrowth hit the ground, a fist sized crater at its center.
Undergrowth looked down in confusion as she was unable to find any trace of Jazz in the hole she just created.
"Over here, ugly!" Danny called out.
"What!?" Undergrowth called shrilly as she turned to her side, seeing Danny flying above the rest of the group while holding Jazz in his arms.
"You know," Danny began as he descended to the ground. "I have taken a lot of crap lately. Heck, some of it was even my own fault, but I always had my friends there to back me up." He said as 'Sam' and Tucker took hold of Jazz, helping her stand. "But it would seem that I let those closest take the hits meant for me." He went on as he levitated off the ground, slowly moving towards Undergrowth. "I acted as if I knew what I was doing, as if I understood what was going on. Heck, I still don't fully understand what I got myself involved in, but I do know this: You tried to kill my sister." He growled as his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his hands glowed with an icy blue light. "You just made a very big mistake!"
Danny shot forwards, cool blue streaks trailing from his hands. Undergrowth roared out as she swatted at him with her thorny hands and vines. But Danny either dodged them, or blasted them with his ice shaping, freezing them solid, then shattering them as he tore through them.
Undergrowth cried out in pain every time Danny did such a thing, mirrored by the cry of rage from Nightmare Moon.
A cry of rage that none of his powers were transferred to her. A cry of rage cursing that blasted human and his shadow. A cry of rage that went unheard, save for Shadow. He could hear every profanity uttered by her, and a satisfied smirk found its way onto his face.
Danny hit Undergrowth with everything he had; freezing and blasting away, guaranteeing as much damage as possible. Undergrowth had let go of any pretense of sophistication, grunting and hissing every time she swatted her hands or whipped her vines at him. Several times she almost managed to connect, but he was able to evade her attacks, turning intangible and allowing her limbs to pass clean through him, or he would get a bit more creative.
One time, vines came close to hitting him, but Danny froze it with his ice shaping. Not stopping there, he created a chain of ice, linking the frozen vine to him. Then he flew towards Undergrowth's head, dragging the vine with him, sending it on a collision course with her head. The painful connection making her roar out as frozen pieces of herself flew all around her; the mangled stump still attached to her jerked around in an uncontrolled spasm.
Recovering quickly, Undergrowth saw an opening in Danny’s defenses. But as she prepared to strike, a crazed battle cry derailed her plan. Turning her head, she saw Jazz and Rainbow Dash flying towards her. Or rather, Jazz was carrying Rainbow Dash, holding the mare up by her barrel.
After building up enough speed, she let go of the maniacally grinning pony.
Rainbow Dash twisted around in mid air, and delivered a solid buck to the giant plant's torso, sending her off balance. But she had not planned for her back hooves to bury knee deep in the slick, fibery skin of Undergrowth.
Rainbow Dash hung upside down -awesomely- with her hind legs firmly planted in Undergrowth's body.
"Oh, pony feathers!" She grunted as she crossed her forelegs in annoyance, waiting for Jazz to pick her up.
"You know this is a one time thing, right?" Danny could hear her mutter to Jazz after she pulled her free, and flew off with her.
Focusing his attention back on the giant ghost, he saw a very large vine heading straight for him. Acting fast, he froze the wriggling mass with one hand, and blasted it to pieces with the other.
"You attack my friends! You destroy everything around you! You tried to kill my sister!" Danny shouted as he circled Undergrowth, freezing her at the base.
"Don't forget about my mane!" Rarity shouted, making Danny stop in his tracks as he, Undergrowth, and everyone else turned to look at her.
"What?" Rarity asked, genuinely confused, earning her a collective face- and hoofpalms from those present, while Danny hung in the air; his arms hanging limply by his sides, mouth half open. Undergrowth only cocked her head, making her mane bounce on her shoulders.
"Right, where were we?" Danny asked as he dragged his hand over his face. "Oh yeah!" He said, attention snapping back to Undergrowth.
After the brief lull, Undergrowth also returned to her attempts to swat Danny out of the air, and to break free of the growing ice. But it was a losing battle, and before long she was fully coated in a thick layer of ice, completely immobilizing her.
"Now to finish this!" Danny said as he landed in front of the green and purple ice sculpture. "No holding back."
He planted his feet firmly into the grass, widening his stance for more stability. He sucked in as much air as his lungs could hold before unleashing his most devastating attack: The Ghostly Wail.
Everyone- and pony- covered their ears, shielding themselves from the cacophony Danny produced. His adult voice lending more power to the massive destructive force.
The ground shook and warped, the carefully tended turf blasting clean off from the shockwave. Undergrowth's ice prison began to shatter like the field she stood on, and her body broke with it. The sound of the ice breaking was completely lost to the absolute violence of the Ghostly Wail. As was the sound of the larger chunks crashing to the ground.
Rainbow Dash, Sam, Tucker, Rarity and Jazz all stood mouths agape, unable to comprehend the destructive force they saw Danny utilize. And Nightmare Moon, she could only stare in utter disbelief at the amazing power this human possessed. Her mouth hung wide open, and her slitted eyes were the size of dinner plates. All coherent thoughts had left her for the moment. She couldn't move from shock.
She knew she had underestimated him, severely, and she felt the hold over this mental layer slip from her grasp. She watched as Danny fell to his knees, his attack stopping as there was nothing left of her pawn, aside from millions of shattered pieces of plant material. She saw the rest of the group, and the treacherous construct run towards Danny, helping him back up as he gingerly rubbed his throat.
Slowly the environment changed, reverting back to the hall with the pedestal in its center. And that cursed element hovering above one of its five bowls.
She knew that she had to do better next time if she wanted to gain what she desired. Her resolve strengthened as she watched what happened next.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Danny, are you alright?" Jazz asked worriedly as Sam and tucker helped her back up.
"Yeah, I’m fine." He replied, slightly hoarse.
"Fine?! Fine?!" Rainbow Dash babbled excitedly as she reared up on her hind legs, placing her front hooves against Danny's chest. "That. Was. Awesome!"
"As a rule I prefer to keep myself away from such brutish behaviour. However, I have to agree with Rainbow Dash. That was indeed marvelous, Danny." Rarity said with a sincere smile."But it is still a shame you were unable to save my precious mane."
Jazz gave an annoyed groan at that, and Rainbow Dash was about to rebuke, when the environment changed; shifting from the demolished football field and the obliterated mansion, into the now all-too-familiar room housing the strange pedestal at its center.
And as an added bonus for a certain pony, Rarity's mane also changed, reverting back to the full, stylish purple mane she so clearly held dear.
"My mane!" She squealed as she jumped around like a foal on Hearth’s Warming morn, not noticing the eye roll she got from both Jazz and Rainbow Dash. But what she did notice, as did everyone else, was the sudden red flash coming from the mare and woman. They all jerked away in reflex.
As they looked back, they could see the woman and pony had changed, too.
Jazz’s wings were gone, as was her rainbow hair color. Both of them could now be found on their rightful owner, who squealed and jumped around not unlike a certain white pony had done mere moments ago. As Jazz accessed her own natural form, red haired and without wings, she was less than enthused.
"Ok, that solves that." Danny remarked as he scratched the top of his head. "But why are we back here?"
"I thought we had to find more of those crystal thingies?" Tucker replied, equally confused.
"Somehow, I think you did." 'Sam' said as she noticed the red glow coming from Danny's chest.
"Huh?" Danny hummed as he looked down. "What the!? What is this?" He asked loudly, trying to rub the glow off of him.
All six watched as the glow gradually intensified when, slowly, a small orb of red light came out of his chest. It hung in the air for all to see, and gradually gained form.
Rainbow Dash looked at it intently, and a spark of recognition came to her.
"That's my element!" she yelled as she saw a red crystal, shaped like a lightning bolt, hover in the air before her.
"Your element?" Danny asked.
"Yes. It is the Element of Loyalty." Rarity concurred. She too was transfixed to the sight before her. "And I hold the Element of Generosity. Rainbow Dash and I, as well as four more of our friends, are the living embodiments of the Elements of Harmony. We each represent an aspect. As I said, I am Generosity, and Rainbow is Loyalty. There is also Laughter, Honesty, Magic, and… And Kindness." Rarity trailed off, noticing the pink glow coming from the crystal already in place.
"Where did you get that?" She asked, galloping to the pedestal, head angled to better see the slowly rotating crystal butterfly.
"Eh. It used to be a thorn lodged in the claw of a manticore." Danny answered. "I pulled it out, and it turned into that thing."
"Kindness." Rarity breathed barely above a whisper. "Loyalty." she murmured as she turned to look at the levitating lightning bolt shaped crystal.
"Is everything alright, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked as she averted her gaze from her element to her friend.
"Yes, yes. I am quite fine. It's just… I think that I have to give Danny something as well. It seems rather obvious, now that I think about it."
"You said that Nightmare Moon was involved with all of this, yes?" She asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, so what?"
"It would seem that the Elements are necessary once more to deal with her. Though we are not the one that shall wield them this time."
"Wait! You don't mean…. Danny?" Dash said with shocked confusion.
"It would appear so. He has claimed Fluttershy's Element, and he said he did it by pulling a thorn from a manticore's paw. That does sound familiar, doesn't it? And now Loyalty presented itself to him." They all nodded at that, even Rainbow Dash had to agree with what she was saying.
"Not to mention all the sacrifices you have made to help and protect us from that horrid Undergrowth." Rarity continued as she looked at Danny, slowly walking to him. "Why, to sacrifice one's self to protect those around him. That has to be the most loyal, most generous thing I have ever heard of."
After this pronouncement a purple glow formed around her neck, and a golden necklace with a diamond shaped crystal nestled at its center appeared. The glow condensed, focused on the crystal slowly levitating out of its setting to join the lightning shaped jewel. The both of them rotating around each other.
"Danny, I give you my Element. From one generous being, to another." She said as she reared up, and pulled Danny into a hug. "I feel you have more need for it than I do right now."
Danny stood frozen, not sure what he should do as he awkwardly placed his hands on Rarity's back. And despite the seriousness of the situation, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smirk and make kissy faces at them. Jazz had trouble stifling her laughter at the look on Danny's face, while Tucker didn't even bother holding himself back. And 'Sam' had turned away from the sight, one balled fist shaking in frustration.
"Erm… Thanks." Danny finally managed to say, weakly, as Rarity released him and returned to all fours.
"You’re most welcome, darling." That set off Rainbow Dash as well, her mirth rolled her over onto her back, her legs kicking spastically in the air.
Their attention was pulled to the two crystals gently hovering in the air as their glow suddenly intensified, reacting with the pink glow of the butterfly shaped gem.
They watched as the two gems gently flew towards their respective places on the pedestal, slowly rotating in place besides the one already there as they returned home.
"So, now what?" Tucker asked suddenly.
"I think now is the time for us to leave," Jazz said as she looked at her hands, seeing them slowly fade away.
Rarity and Rainbow Dash also looked at their hooves, seeing the same happening to them.
"Whoa, this is so weird!" Rainbow Dash said as she faded to a translucent image.
"Danny, please take care of yourself!" Jazz said desperately as she, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity faded away, leaving Danny, Tucker, and 'Sam' behind.
"Well, that was weird." Tucker said, utterly baffled.
"Really. That was weird?" 'Sam' asked with sarcasm.
"Yeah, kinda." Tucker answered, and 'Sam' only sighed out as she rolled her eyes.
"So, now what?" Danny asked as he looked at the three rotating elements, their glow acting as a beacon in the dimly lit room they found themselves in.
"I think we’ll find out soon enough." 'Sam' answered as she turned to look at a shadow in the corner, knowing that she was being watched.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Not again!" Nightmare Moon screamed as she slammed her hoof onto the ground, "Not again!"
"Oh, you're going to break, human!" She spat. "I will make sure of that. I will drain every last drop of power from you. And when I am done, I will make sure your end will be as painful as I can make it."
Shadows twisted and turned around her as she unleashed all the power that she had.
"You dare defy a god!? Now you will deal with the consequences!"
<<>><<>><<>>
Princess Luna stood on her balcony, vigilantly watching the dreams of those who slept.
As anticipated, she could feel the disturbance from poor Danny's troubled mind, and she prayed that he would be all right. She didn't understand why she couldn't help him anymore, and it took its toll on her. She started to doubt herself more and more with every passing night, thinking that she was unfit to watch over those who slept if she was unable to help those in need.
This night started the same. There was the disturbance, and her inability to help. The questioning doubt, and the guilt she felt for her failings. But this night would turn out to be different than those before it, as, with a shocking realization, she discovered that Fluttershy, her friend and savior, somehow shared in the same disturbance as Danny.
Luna reared back in shock, fear evident on her face as she reared out to the shy pony's mind, dreading what she would find.
Luna was caught wrong-hooved by what she found, or the lack thereof. Just like Danny, Fluttershy's mind was completely closed to her. But, similar to the first night with Danny, Luna was able to discern the emotions through the cracks in her subconscious.
Anger, rage and pain dominated the shy pony's mind. A mixture of emotions that did not belong in a dream, and was completely out of character for her friend.
Luna spent a long time watching her friend, reaching out to her repeatedly. She was, however, unsuccessful.
She worried, she feared, she felt completely useless. Useless, because she now also failed Fluttershy. But it also showed a greater problem to her. Whatever was happening to Danny, it was spreading. Fearful of a time she would be unable to help anypony at all.
Then, a change. Fluttershy's posture relaxed, and a happy smile spread out over her face, and she was… Licking her pillow as she held it tightly in a hug.
For the third time that night, Luna was shocked beyond words, not to mention, very confused. As she reached out to the sleeping mare's mind, she found that she could once more see the dreams of the sleeping pony. But as she dug through her memories, Luna was unable to find any trace of the dream that could tell her what happened in the pony's mind.
She was baffled, stunned, and utterly confused.
"What is going on!?" She shouted, before picking up on the disturbance again. Now in three places.
Danny's house was the origin, but it now also resonated from Rarity's boutique, and Rainbow Dash's cloud mansion.
"What is going on?" she said barely above a whisper as she tried to enter the ponies mind's, but was repelled by both of them.
She was afraid, confused, and even angry. Angry with Danny. It may be unintentional or not, but somehow his… condition was spreading to others.
"I will get to the bottom of this! Mark my words, Danny Manson!" Luna said with conviction as she made herself up for a very, very long night.
Danny and his friends once more found themselves in the room where their shared nightmare began; standing around the pedestal with, as they had just learned, three of the Elements of Harmony.
Nothing was said between them as they observed the three crystals slowly rotate in the air. The soft, warm glow coming from them a welcoming beacon in the cold, dim room they were in.
"So, what now?" Danny asked, breaking the silence.
They had all been pondering that very question for some time now, but hadn't yet devised a plan. Before, they would be simply ‘transported’ to whatever place Nightmare Moon thought to send them. But everything had been quiet for a long time now. Too long.
There was nothing to tell them where to go, or what to do next. No clue. No door hidden away in the shadows. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was unnerving to say the least.
Both Danny and 'Sam' knew that Nightmare Moon would not just give up like that, and they had been on edge ever since their unlikely allies vanished into thin air. Danny's nervousness also made Tucker act jumpy, causing him to react to the emotions and feelings Danny tried to keep contained.
Tucker jumped up from the sudden noise, and gave an annoyed grunt as he realized it was only Danny.
"I honestly don't know." 'Sam' answered a bit ashamed, embarrassed that she was just as lost as Danny. "I guess we just have to wait this out."
"Wait what out?" Tucker asked. "Nothing’s happening!"
"He does have a point there, Sam. Shouldn't something have happened by now? Maybe this Nightmare Moon character gave up, or something." Danny said, not really believing that himself.
"Danny, believe me. I’ve seen what she is capable of, and what she’s done in the past. She wouldn't just give up like that. No, she’s planning something, and it frightens me to think about what it could be."
"Yeah, that's another thing that’s bothering me. You keep telling me all these things, but I don't know them myself, so I know it is not some memory of mine… I think. And you said that you were an outside force coming to help me." Danny summed up with a slight edge to his voice as he turned to 'Sam'.
Her eyes widened as she recalled what Frostbite had said to her not too long ago, and she could see Danny slowly connect the pieces.
"Danny, don't. Now is not the time."
"It's as good a time as any," he said as he indicated the empty room. "Sam. Who are you really?"
"Danny, please don't. I can't tell you."
"And why not?!" He asked with a slightly raised voice.
"Because… Because there is a time and place for everything. But this is not the time, nor is it the place. All you need to know right now is that I am your friend, and that I am here to help you." 'Sam' answered with a sad voice as she looked down, not meeting his eyes.
But her emotions got the better of her for a moment, and a flash of green showed in her eyes. And, although she looked down, the green glow shown in the dark room was a dead give away to Danny as to what she was. That just left the who.
"You're a ghost!?" He yelled before 'Sam' could slap her hand over his mouth, her eyes darting around the dark, empty room in panic.
"Don't let her hear you. She already plans on draining your energy. What if she also gets a hold of mine!?" She said with a panicked whisper.
Danny grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her hand away from his mouth.
"You better have a damn good explanation then!" He said with a forced calm, but anger was seething within him. Anger directed toward the ghost that dared use the memory of Sam to 'help' him.
Unfortunately, he forgot about the whole deal with Tucker. And while he managed to remain relatively calm, Tucker didn't.
With a battle cry that would make many a techno geek scream in fear, he tackled 'Sam'.
"Danny, quick, while she’s down!" He yelled, straightening his beret before it could slip from his head.
"Okay, I didn't see that one coming." Danny said, conflicted with what course of action to take.
"Come on, dude. Hurry. Take this ghost down!" he shouted while 'Sam' was trying to push him off of her.
"Keep it down will you?" She yelled through her struggles, attempting to remove the clingy nerd.
"Eh, you guys," Danny said weakly, not sure where to start to solve this mess, when something caught his eye.
A flicker in one of the shadows. Not a flicker of light, but one of deeper darkness.
"You guys!" Danny repeated more urgently.
There it was again, bigger this time.
"What are you waiting for man? Do something!" Tucker commanded, not noticing the shift in Danny's behaviour.
"Let go of me, Tucker! You don't know what you’re doing." 'Sam' told him with a raised voice as she continued to struggle. She didn't notice the shift in Danny either, or that the room suddenly became darker.
"You guys!" Danny shouted.
"What!?" Both 'Sam' and Tucker yelled as Danny finally got through to them.
"I don't think we’re waiting anymore." He said in a panic, staring into the glowing green eyes of a very angry entity.
A shapeless shadow condensed in the darkness, but the intensity of the eyes staring down on them left no room for doubt as to who it was.
"Oh," was the only thing Tucker said as he lost his grip over 'Sam'. And 'Sam' could only stare in horror as the eyes focused on her.
"No!"
A wicked grin formed underneath the glowing eyes looking at 'Sam' as Nightmare Moon looked at her with hunger in her eyes.
With a menacing cackle Nightmare Moon's warped, shadow like body expanded in every direction, filling the room. Only the glow of the elements seemed to break through the suffocating darkness, but eventually they too failed. The set not yet complete, and their hopeful glow was lost to Danny as he was forcefully spun around by the many wisps of darkness that assaulted him.
Tucker yelled loudly as he crouched down, crossing his arms over his head as a means to defend himself.
'Sam' was tossed forcefully as Nightmare Moon began her relentless assault.
All three of them shrieked in pain as dark tendrils wrapped painfully around their wrists, jerking their arms behind their backs, and keeping them firmly locked in place. Another set of shadows immobilized their legs, and finally a dark mist settled around their bodies, fully sealing them in, as a dark patch formed over their mouths, gagging them utterly.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Nightmare Moon asked evilly as she stood before 'Sam' in her full form. "What a pleasant surprise."
A dark tendril wrapped around 'Sam's' throat, making her gasp as she was lifted in the air by it.
"I have to say, I was quite surprised when I heard your…pet so lovingly call you a ghost." She said as she slowly walked around 'Sam', shooting a quick glance at Tucker with the word pet.
"Ooh, all this night I have been working so hard to drain our disgraced hero here," Nightmare Moon continued as she stepped closer to Danny, who looked at her with a murderous glare.
"Danny Phantom. Or should I say Danny Manson? That is what you call yourself now, isn't it?" The only reply she got was a piercing glare, which didn't impress her all that much.
"Oh poor Danny. Poor, poor Danny. Such tragedy, such pain. And all because you were too slow. If only you had acted faster, maybe things could have been different." she said, now slowly circling around Danny.
"I can take it away, you know. That pain." she offered with a soft, tender tone; her tail lightly brushing past his face. "All I ask in return is your power. Give me what I want, and I shall remove your pain." She offered as she stepped back in front of him, slowly moving in closer until her lips brushed against his cheek, whispering in his ear. "You need never feel pain like that again. All you must do, is give me the powers that caused you that pain."
Danny's eyes lost focus, and his mind hazed over as her poisonous words set in. A sliver of darkness taking root in his brain, corrupting his thinking. Something the current tenant of darkness wasn't happy about.
"Just let go, Danny. And I promise that all your problems will be spirited away. Just say the word, and you will be free." Nightmare Moon spoke softly in his ear,
The glow in Danny's eyes slowly dimmed as his free mind was clouded with the darkness of Nightmare Moon. He noticed that the shadow covering his mouth had vanished, and he was able to speak again. But what was it that he needed to say? He knew the words, didn't he?
His unfocused eyes shifted to Nightmare Moon, standing before him. She could see the struggle happening within, as his mind was slowly losing the battle for control.
"Mmmpfh, Mmmphfff." Came the struggling sound of 'Sam', and Danny felt his eyes drawn to her.
A spike of clarity shot through his mind, making him shake his head in confusion, before the cloud reasserted itself in his consciousness.
"Don't pay her any attention, Danny." Nightmare Moon said as she used her hoof to guide his head back to her. "She is only part of your problem. Just forget about her. She isn't real, remember?" She continued, making sure she was between Danny and 'Sam', blocking his view on her.
"Just do as I tell you, and all your problems shall be obliterated."
"My… problem..." Danny said slowly, his pupils widening and shrinking without control. Green flashes showing in his irises.
"My... problem..."
"Yes, say it." Nightmare Moon said with an eager whisper.
"My problem..." Dany said, his eyes snapping back in focus as they turned completely green. "The only problem I have, is you telling me what to do!" He roared, making Nightmare Moon rear back with her ears flat on her head.
"WHAT!?"
"Heheheh… Forgot about me, Moony?" A rough voice said through Danny's mouth.
"You!" Nightmare spat, seeing Shadow through the glow in Danny's eyes.
"Me! And I must say, I am not at all happy with you trying to take over my master. So back off, nag!"
'Sam' watched in amazement as Danny broke away from the shadowy bonds that held him. Tucker was unresponsive, his eyes also glowing green as he was linked to Danny.
Nightmare Moon stumbled back in shock, never having expected this to happen. How did this pathetic drone of a shadow manage to break her bonds? Or for that matter, how did he manage to overpower the darkness she had placed in the human’s mind?
"What are you?" She asked, dangerously.
"Well, the answer might be a bit cliche. But really, there is no other way to say it." Shadow said with a smirk, and Nightmare Moon could only blink dumbly at his response:
"I am your worst nightmare!"
"Pheawy!" 'Sam' managed to mutter through her gag as she gave Danny a deadpanned look, only to realize that Danny was not talking at all.
"Right, let me fix that." Shadow said as he raised Danny's arm.
The shadows that had captured 'Sam' and Tucker vanished, giving them their freedom back.
"How did you do that!?" 'Sam' asked in confusion, while Nightmare Moon roared the same thing.
"Did you forget, Moony?" Shadow said, ignoring 'Sam' for the time being. "We are the same. I am what I am today because of you. Your energy flows through my being, and the same holds true for you. Heh, it looks like you're not the only one in charge any more." The mocking tone dripped off his words as he gave Nightmare Moon a taunting grin, sensing her rising anger.
"Fine!" She spat. "Don't think that will stop me! Or did you forget, I just found another source of power!" Danny's face fell with that statement, and Shadow cursed himself for this slip.
"If I can't have your energy, I will just have to drain Sam. But that should not be a problem, right? Seeing that she is not really your friend."
Shadow turned Danny's head, and looked at the girl in question. For a moment Danny's eyes shone even brighter as he looked at 'Sam', then he gave a sideways glance at Nightmare Moon.
"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. But I won't let you hurt her." He spoke with a double voice, his own mixed with Danny's, giving it an eerie echo.
"You really think you can stop me!?" Nightmare Moon challenged as she absorbed the shadows around her, making her grow larger.
"Just me, no. But with all of us," Shadow said, indicating 'Sam', Tucker, and the faint light from the elements glowing in the dark. "You don't stand a chance."
"Then perhaps I need to pad the odds in my favor." Nightmare Moon said darkly as a tendril shot out of her mane, wrapping around 'Sam', and pulling the girl towards her.
Shadow sucked air in through his teeth in mock shock, but clearly showing he was less than impressed with what she did.
"Oh, Moony. Did you forget? Already!" Shadow said with a tone one would use to lecture a child. "We have the same power, you and I. You formed from me, and I formed from you. But, unlike you, I became better, stronger, smarter!"
With a snap of his fingers, 'Sam' was released from Nightmare Moon's hold, dropping her to the ground.
"What!?" Nightmare Moon said with equal confusion and shock, even a hint of fear crept through, but she hid it well.
Looking wide eyed at Shadow and 'Sam', her head continuously moving from one to the other, trying to figure out what was happening. Unaware, she took a step back, increasing the distance between herself and that wretched Shadow.
'Sam' also looked at Shadow, seeing the glint of his consciousness through Danny's eyes.
Wearily, she stepped closer to him, if only to get away from the nightmare at her side.
"Danny?" She asked hesitantly, making sure that Nightmare Moon was still in the corner of her vision as she approached the impossible to understand man.
"No, sorry." Shadow spoke through his master's mouth, sending a chill down 'Sam's' spine.
"What is happening? What are you?"
"I could ask the same thing to you." Shadow shot back with a quick glance, "But we have more pressing matters to attend to, so that will have to wait." He then returned his attention back to Nightmare Moon.
"So, Moony. Now what?"
"Now what!" Nightmare Moon shouted, shaking from rage, "I am done with these games. I will drain you both. I will take what I want, and there is nothing you can do to stop me." She roared. "You think you are in control? That you have any chance of living through this? I am the master of darkness and shadows. I am the queen of the night. And you are but a mere shadow. A shadow that will bow down to me, your one, and only true master."
"Meeehh… Let's call that plan B. I actually have something better in mind." Shadow said, enormously unimpressed by her display of 'power'.
Grabbing 'Sam' and Tucker by their wrists, Danny's eyes flashed a brilliant green, and shadows started to twist and swirl around the trio. Tucker was still standing motionless, eyes aglow. But 'Sam' looked around in panic, not knowing what was happening. And Shadow, he gave a challenging look to Nightmare Moon before the shadows completely obscured his vision.
The vortex of darkness that covered the three humans grew larger and larger, threatening to consume the entire chamber they were in. But, as the dark mass came within touching distance with Nightmare Moon, it collapsed in on itself, disappearing as fast as it appeared. And the three humans, they were nowhere to be seen.
"What!?" Nightmare Moon said, unable to believe what had happened.
"What!?"
"GHRAAAAAGGGHH!!!"
She screamed out in anger, slamming her front hooves into the floor, cracking the ancient stone in her rage. A faint light hit her face, and she snarled as she turned to look at its source. Her anger swelled as she saw three of the objects she hated more than anything. The Elements.
She growled under her breath, when an idea struck her. A twisted grin found its way onto her muzzle as she approached those accursed objects. They couldn't use them if they were broken, and she would break them, in oh-so-many pieces.
Charging her horn, she focused all the energy she could muster at the rotating crystals.
A massive explosion rocked the room, and debris and dust fell down all around her. Blinking her eyes rapidly to clear it from the dust that had fallen into it, she looked up to see the results of her effort.
"WHAT!?"
She could only stare in shock at the sight.
Everything in the blast radius was destroyed. Everything, save for the pedestal, and the Elements, which were still rotating in place, undamaged, almost mocking her.
"I will get you for this, Danny Phantom. Mark my words!"
<<>><<>><<>>
It was quiet. No sound could be heard in the dim, messy room filled with various forms of strange looking technology. Desks were littered with half finished gadgets, testing tubes that had strange, glowing contents in them, and a large doorway that was embedded in the wall, sealed with a massive iron blast door.
There wasn't much light with lamps turned off, and most of the illumination present came from the various shades of green glowing goop found in the glass tubes on the desks and shelves placed in the room.
There was a flicker in the dimness, and the green glow intensified as dark wisps of shadows started to form in the center of the chamber. Slowly spinning around each other as they grew in volume and speed, gradually becoming a spiraling vortex of pure darkness. Growing larger and larger, until it covered most of the room, yet leaving every object found in the chamber untouched.
And then, abruptly, as if someone had burst a balloon, the vortex vanished. Leaving behind nothing more than three humans. One teenage girl who looked around in confusion, and two males. Danny and Tucker. Both their eyes were still glowing, and Tucker was still unresponsive.
"What happened? Where are we?" 'Sam' said frantically as she looked around the room.
"Where everything began!"
'Sam' turned around, and faced Danny, seeing his eyes were still aglow.
"Shadow?" she asked hesitantly, receiving a small nod from him.
"What are you? And for that matter, how did you do that?"
"So many questions, but so few answers." Shadow spoke as he slowly walked through the room, looking at the closed portal where his master's destiny changed.
"My master has many questions as well, but he never received an answer from you. So why would I give you what you won't return?" He asked, giving 'Sam' a sideway glance.
"I ehh... I can't, it simply is not yet t-"
"The time." Shadow finished. "Curious."
Slowly he turned around and looked 'Sam' straight in the eyes. He could see the glowing eyes from his master in hers, seeing the glow that was his. And he could see it was ever so slowly fading.
"Time seems to be always against my master, even before I knew the meaning of time." He said softly, picking up one of the many random gadgets lying on a workbench, studying it. "I don't like it. Time, I mean. It always seems to be running out."
He placed back the object where he found it, and, once more, returned his attention to 'Sam'.
"I know what you are. And I have a good idea who you are." He said, causing 'Sam's' eyes to widen in shock.
"But I am not yet certain. My master’s mind is in turmoil, courtesy of Nightmare Moon. Memories are breaking free, and are mixing with each other. It is a mess. I do not control it, nor do I understand it. I am not complete, and my strength is failing. Nightmare Moon ripped me apart, and it was through nothing more than luck that I managed to hold on. And this little stunt I just pulled cost me a lot of my energy. I will not be able to remain like this for much longer." He told 'Sam' as he slowly walked around the shocked girl.
"But before I return to the shadows of my master’s mind, there is an issue we need to deal with."
"An issue?" 'Sam' asked warily, not sure what to make of the strange entity possessing Danny.
"Yes. Like I said, I have a fairly good idea who you are, though I am not sure. Master is slowly regaining control over his thoughts, and I am positive he will figure it out, eventually. But I do know that, so far, you have been helping master. For now, that is enough for me."
"What do you mean?"
"When I recede, I will leave no memory of what transpired since the moment your… friends disappeared. Master will be confused, but he has enough to deal with right now, and wondering who you are is not going to help him."
"What!? You can do that?"
"I believe I can, but not for much longer."
"But how?"
"I was created from a mistake. A mistake of my own doing. I am Nightmare Moon. And yet, I am not." He said as he lifted one of Danny's hands, looking at it.
"Then, who? Who are you?"
"Who am I?" He whispered as he dropped Danny's hand to the side, locking eyes with 'Sam'.
"I am the Shadow of the Night."
The second he said that, the blast doors of the ghost portal hissed open, revealing the green, swirling vortex of ectoplasm.
"And this night has only just begun!"
He finished as he, 'Sam', Tucker, and the entire room was suddenly covered in an ominous green glow.
A faint glow suddenly came from Danny's body, and a dark entity rose up out of him, while Danny returned to his human form.
Shadow looked down at the overly shocked girl, and turned around, preparing to move through the portal.
"WAIT!!" 'Sam' called out while reaching out for him.
Stopping in mid-air, he turned to look at her once more.
"What are we supposed to do now?" She asked as her hand lowered to her side.
"Only Danny can answer that. But only if he can separate truth from deceit." Shadow answered before flying through the portal, closing it behind him.
"What?" 'Sam' shouted after him as the lights flickered on. "That honestly isn't helping me at all."
"’Sam’. Who are you talking to?" Danny asked with a groan as he rubbed his head, looking around in confusion as he tried to figure out what had happened.
"And, where are we?" He asked as he blinked his eyes without coordination, not yet recognizing where he was.
"Wait….. What!" Danny started as he finally realized where he was.
"My parent’s lab! What are we doing here? How did we get here? What is going on!?" He rambled, asking one question after the other, but never leaving any time for an answer to be given. Which worked out perfectly for 'Sam', as she didn't know what to tell him. But she knew she had to do something, to tell him something, to help the confused man to calm down.
"Danny, calm down. We're safe." She said in a soothing voice. "This is just another one of Nightmare Moon's tricks." She lied, hoping that she sounded sincere. Fortunately for her, with Danny more focused on his surroundings than her, he missed any hint that she might be lying.
"Right, Moony." He said without thinking.
'Sam' raised her eyebrows in shock, thinking that, maybe, Danny remembered something after all, despite what Shadow had said. But Danny didn't appear to even realize what he just called Nightmare Moon, and he just continued his somewhat panicked observation of the basement.
"But why here? Why did she bring us here?" He asked after a while.
"...Ehhh..." Shrugging, 'Sam' didn't know what to say. She knew she couldn't just lie again to him, but she couldn't tell him what had happened either. She needed a distraction. Something that would take his mind off this. At least for the time being. She would probably also figure something out for….
"Wait. Where's Tucker?" 'Sam' asked after the belated realization.
"... Wasn't he with us when we came here?" Danny asked as the both of them looked around the room, his previous concerns forgotten, for the time being.
"Yes, he was." 'Sam' said, when both of them heard a loud snore.
Lying next to one of the many workbenches, partially hidden from sight, lay Tucker, fast asleep. Snoring every once in a while, while clutching his beret tightly with both his hands. A small string of drool seeped out of his mouth as he mumbled incoherent gibberish in his sleep.
"There he is." Danny said, scratching his head in apparent confusion.
"Is he… sleeping?" 'Sam' asked out loud, not sure how she should feel about this.
"Looks like… And it seems like he is dreaming too. How does that even work? We're in a dream already, right?… So, what. A dream in a dream….. Wasn't there a movie or something about that?" Danny asked, bewildered.
"Don't know, don't care." 'Sam' groaned as she looked down on the sleeping teenager, slightly nudging him in the side with her foot.
"Yeah, that is not going to work."
"No, but I know something that will." 'Sam' said with a devilish grin as she walked to the lab's alarm system, and activated it.
Red lights flashed, and an alarm blared through the small room. Danny clamped his hands over his ears from the deafening cacophony, while giving a dirty look to 'Sam', who returned his look with a smug grin.
"GHAAAA!"
With a scream that was mostly obscured from the loudly wailing alarm, Tucker bolted up in shocked panic as his eyes shot in every direction, trying to find the source of the disturbance.
His eyes met Danny's, asking him what was going on without any words. Danny answered him with a slight nod of his head towards 'Sam', and, as Tucker looked towards her, the alarm shut off.
"Are you alright, Tucker?" 'Sam' asked with fake innocence, struggling to keep a straight face as she saw his wild, accusing glare.
"I was, just a moment ago." Tucker said bitterly, glaring daggers at the girl he knew was responsible for his less than subtle wake up call.
That did it. Starting with a low chuckle, 'Sam' started to laugh at the priceless look on the disturbed face of Tucker. His hair sticking out a bit, and with a wet spot of drool on his cheek while he was still clutching his headwear against his chest.
"Oh, ha ha ha. Laugh it up." He said bitterly as he pulled himself up, placing his beret back on his head.
"I think she is way ahead of you with that." Danny sputtered, trying to keep his own laughter down.
Tucker only gave a ‘humph’ in annoyance while crossing his arm, obviously not happy with these turn of events.
"Hurry up, Maddie. There's trouble down in the Fenton lab." The voice of Jack called out from the room above, making the trio downstairs snap their heads towards the staircase, and the rapidly approaching, hulking form of Danny's father. Followed shortly after by his mom, Maddie. Both of them were holding an early model Fenton blaster, and were threateningly waving it around the room, searching for any form of danger.
"Uh oh." Danny muttered in panic as his mother's gaze locked onto him, the light reflecting in the lenses of her protective goggles giving her an ominous look.
Swallowing loudly, Danny prepared himself for what was to come. He was gone for years, and, dream or not, this was going to be ugly.
"Danny?" Maddie said with a raised voice. "What are you and your friends doing down here?"
"Ehh… What!?" Danny asked, perplexed.
"It isn't safe here, boy! A level three ecto alert just went off, and it came right from here." Jack said, his tone low and suspicious. "There is a ghost down here, and I'll find it." Both 'Sam' and Danny gulped at that.
"Ehhh… Actually, mister Fenton. I set of the alarm." 'Sam' admitted nervously, trying to keep her composure. "I accidentally hit the control console over there, so there is nothing to worry about." She hoped her forced smile wasn't too obvious as she said that.
"Wait, there isn't a ghost?" Jack asked, sounding rather dejected.
"Um… No." Danny said nervously, a drop of cold sweat was slowly trickling down his forehead.
"Oh, boo… I really wanted to test out these babies." Jack said disappointed, and the sound of his and Maddie's weapons discharging resonated through the room.
"It's alright, dear." Maddie said as she patted him on the back. "We'll find a ghost one day, then you'll get your chance." This statement made Danny and 'Sam' raise their eyebrows in confusion. "Just be glad nothing happened to Danny and his friends."
"You’re right!" Jack shouted with his usual exuberance. "One day, I, Jack Fenton, will find a ghost. And I will pull it apart, molecule by molecule. Just you wait."
"Ehhh… didn't you guys already find some ghosts?" Danny asked in complete confusion.
"Oh, don't be silly, dear." Maddie told him with a kind smile. "We've never seen a ghost before, but we will one day. One day, when we figure out how to get the ghost portal to work. Now come on you three, let's get out of here. This is no place for you." Maddie said as she gently, but firmly, led the Danny, Tucker and 'Sam' out of the lab.
"Why doesn't she notice that I am an adult now?"
Danny asked in a whisper to 'Sam', rather stunned over that little fact.
"Maybe it’s because they are meant to see you as a teenager. Remember what they just said, about never having seen a ghost before?"
'Sam' asked, receiving a small nod from Danny.
"I think that they’re a memory from the time before, or just after your portal accident. It would explain certain things with how they just acted."
Danny didn't answer after that. He kept silent as he thought over what 'Sam' had just said, and what this could mean for him.
But, as a result of the confusion a moment ago, no one noticed that the alarm system was still turned off. And only a few minutes after the small group had left the strange room, the blast doors of the ghost portal opened again, revealing the swirling green vortex that led to the ghost zone. An action that should have triggered the alarm, but something that went down in complete silence, save for the sound of the engines working to open the thick metal doors covering the opening into another dimension, and the hollow sound of steps.
Out of the vortex of glowing green stepped a lone figure. A small figure, but one who showed strength through the muscle honed by years of hard work. Luminous green eyes slowly moved around as the ghost scanned the room it found itself in, only one question on the individual's mind as she stood there before the opened portal.
"Where in tha hay am Ah?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny, Tucker, and 'Sam' carefully followed Danny's parents into the kitchen, seeing some kind of device lying on the kitchen table.
Danny's eyes widened when he saw the object, and knew exactly what it was, what it did.
Maddie walked up to the table, holding a blowtorch. Where she got it from, Danny would probably never know, but what she did next was all too familiar to him. Using the torch, she fused several small components of the device together, the flashes and sparks coming from both the fire and the gadget shown in the reflection of her safety glasses, and a satisfied smile graced her lips.
"Ok. Two more days, and it is finished!" she exclaimed happily.
"Hold on." Danny thought. "This is really familiar. But something’s not right… Wasn't Jazz supposed to be here?"
"What did you say? It's done!" Jack said excitedly as he eagerly grabbed hold of the device, lifting it up. "The Fenton Finder is done!" He exclaimed as he held the device out before him in a poor attempt of an heroic pose.
"This baby uses satellites to lead you right to the ghosts."
"It uses what, to track… what?" Tucker asked uncomfortably as he slowly moved in front of Danny. And Danny and 'Sam' both gulped audibly, making Danny look at her with a questioningly glance, before he returned his attention back to his father, and the ghost finding device.
"Welcome to the Fenton Finder. A ghost is near!" An artificial voice spoke up from the device Jack was holding. "Walk forward." The device instructed.
Holding the gadget before him, Jack walked towards Danny and his friends. The device started to beep faster and faster with every step he took. Tucker, 'Sam' and Danny walked backwards, trying to keep a distance between themselves, and the device. But they were backed into the wall, and Jack stepped in front of them, nearly pressing the device against 'Sam's' face.
"Ghost located! Thank you for using the Fenton Finder."
"What?... Hmm, that can't be right!" Jack said, confused, as he observed the device, trying to figure out why it didn't work.
"Of course it isn't, hehehe." 'Sam' said nervously, constantly shifting her gaze between Jack, the device, and the questioningly look Danny gave her. "Certainly I am not a ghost."
"Hmmm. No you're not." Jack half muttered. "I would know if you were, even if I have never seen a ghost before. There must be something wrong with the Fenton Finder." He grudgingly admitted.
"Well, dear. I did say it would still be two days before it was done." Maddie spoke up, acting as the voice of reason.
"Wait, it isn't done?! Why didn't you say so?"
"I did. Twice." Maddie said flatly, resisting the urge to facepalm. She loved Jack dearly, but sometimes he could be a bit… dense. And it was times like this that she had to take a deep breath just to calm down, or she might just do something stupid herself. After all, it was Jack's 'enthusiastic' behaviour that resulted in her being a black belt martial artist.
She started practicing this form of combat as a way to let off some steam, and to simply hit things. She was by nature a woman of logic and reasoning, but occasionally she needed to unburden her frustrations, and just hit something for the sake of hitting it. That ‘something’ was often her fighting instructors. And with Jack being… Well, Jack, she became an expert in no time at all.
"You did?" Jack said, sounding surprised.
"Yes, I did."
"Oh, sorry Maddie. I guess I got kinda carried away there for a moment." Jack said apologetic as he lowered the device to the ground, targeting the lab. But no one seemed to notice the consistent beeping coming from the Fenton Finder, as they were otherwise occupied.
****
"Now what 'n tarnation was that?" The ghost wondered as she looked up the staircase, hearing voices coming from above.
****
"It's alright Jack. You meant well." Maddie said with a smile, already over her slight annoyance.
She grabbed the device out Jack's hands, and placed it back on the kitchen table, starting to inspect it. Neither noticing the hushed conversation happening between Danny and his friends, as they were standing with their backs turned to them, more focused on their invention for the moment.
"You mind telling us what that was about?" Danny asked 'Sam', who was trying to keep a calm face, but was freaking out inwards.
'Why did that have to happen to me?' She thought in panic, not answering Danny's question. 'Shadow just made him forget about that, and now here we are again.'
"Sam?!" Danny said, his tone telling her that she better have some kind of an answer.
Fortunately for her, it was at this exact moment that a puff of cold air escaped from Danny's mouth, and she herself could feel a cold chill travel down her back.
"Danny, was that-" Tucker began, but was never able to finish as they heard Maddie suddenly gasp, and she turned to the trio with surprising speed.
"Danny!" she half shouted. "You're going to be late for school!"
"Wait… What?... I haven't gone to-... Oh wait… What?" Danny sputtered in confusion, his train of thought completely derailed.
'Sam' mentally sighed out in relief. For now, Danny seemed to have forgotten about what had just happened. But the chill she felt in her spine was still there, and she knew that whomever had caused it, was still around. And seeing how things had been going, it was probably someone they had to deal with sooner, or later.
'Although," 'Sam' thought. 'Shadow brought us here. Is he involved with what was going on now as well?'
She couldn't dwell on this particular train of thought, as Maddie rushed the three of them out of the house, and into the Fenton Family Car. Which was actually the Fenton Assault Vehicle, but not right now.
With screeching tires, and a cloud of smoke, the Fenton Assault Vehicle… eh... The Fenton Family Car, shot off towards Casper High.
As the cloud of reeking smoke slowly dissipated, a pony faded into view. Sunlight shone onto her snow white mane and dull orange coat, while glowing green eyes watched the car move away at high speed.
"She lied." The ghost said with a frown, when a gasp drew her attention to her right.
A startled passer-by looked at her in fright, unable to say anything as he pointed a finger at her, hoping that anyone else was seeing what he was seeing. But, surprisingly, no one else was around.
"Well howdy there, pardner!" The ghost joyfully greeted with a friendly nod, and the bystander screamed out while running away as fast as he could.
"Humph. Rude much?" She said as she watched the man run away. "Oh well, it's not like Ah have time fer that anyhow."
Returning her focus to the slowly shrinking car, she began to run after it. The clopping of hooves reverberated through the streets as she picked up more and more speed. All the while, her form was slowly fading out of view. And, as the last traces of her existence disappeared from sight, so did the sound her hooves produced from contact with the hard road.
<<>><<>><<>>
Shadow was watching his master and companions as they encountered Danny's parents. He had planned for this, set it up in such a way that his master would be put on the spot.
It was a long shot. His master was used to lies and deceit, but maybe this would help him in the long run. But something changed. Something he didn't plan for. Something he should have thought about. And, once more, he found himself dealing with a mistake of his own doing.
The events changed. It was a small change, but a significant one. Instead of Jack confronting Danny with his Fenton Finder, it targeted 'Sam' instead.
A ripple went through Shadow's physical form, invisible in the surrounding darkness.
He felt the energy of Nightmare Moon, the same as his own. He should have realized it immediately, but his waning strength made him sloppy and sluggish. He had failed to notice Nightmare Moon was changing things herself, upsetting the balance. And now, it was already too late. She made her move, and the effects were all too clear. He wondered how this would affect his master, and his judgment in the coming events, but he knew that his own work was only just beginning.
Shadow had made the first move, and Nightmare Moon responded in kind. Now it was up to him to make the next move. The Queen versus the Shadow.
"So… that's how it's going to be?" Shadow said slowly as he looked into the darkness around him, knowing that Nightmare Moon could both hear and see him.
"Very well then… Game on!"
<<>><<>><<>>
Teenagers were screaming in fright as they saw the massive object barrel down towards them. Its loud roar and large plumes of smoke distilled fear in any that found them anywhere near the approaching beast's path. Most ran away to safety, bunkering down in the closest building, Casper High School. A small group of the more brave teenagers, however, chose to remain and watch the events play out.
With a screeching, sideways stop, the massive machine came to a stand still, momentarily disappearing in the cloud of smoke coming from the abused tires.
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife as the teenagers saw three outlines slowly come into focus through the thick haze. They had heard of this, the story of the town's crazy folks, and the things they did. Everyone spoke of it behind their backs, but few had ever witnessed it. They didn't know what to expect, but whatever it was, it was going to be awesome. And most likely very, very embarrassing. Just the way they liked it.
"Goodbye, dear. You and your friends have a nice day now." Maddie called out happily after her son, before she slammed the door shut and drove off at great speed.
Silence.
It was quiet. Dozens of pairs of eyes were focused on the trio who were just dropped off. A small cloud of smoke still lingered around them, saving the three from the massive stare down for just a few more precious seconds. But they knew, they could feel it. And Danny could feel a cold sweat starting to form as, ever so slowly, the faces of all his former high school bullies came into focus.
"Hey, everyone. Look! Fentoast got dropped off by his mommy!" Dash Baxter shouted while pointing at Danny, who was standing completely frozen on the spot.
A deafening chorus of laughter rose up, and Danny, although being an adult, could feel himself shrink down into himself. Some things never change. Dream, or not.
"This... Is…. A…. Nightmare!" Danny said slowly, swallowing a dry lump down his throat.
"What's the matter, Fentoast? Too afraid to go to school alone?" Baxter continued, much to the amusement from everyone else.
"Yes, it is." 'Sam' muttered her reply to Danny.
"We need to get out of here!" Tucker implored, his eyes nervously shifting from left to right.
"Hey, loser. I asked you a question!" Dash said with an angry snarl as he walked to Danny, not noticing he had to look up with every step he came closer to him.
Baxter grabbed Danny by the collar, and pulled him down, almost pressing his face into Danny's.
"I guess I need to beat an answer out of you then!" He said loudly so everyone could hear him, raising his fist with his threat.
"Let him go, Dash!" 'Sam' said bitterly, glaring at the bully.
"Oh, so now you have brought your girlfriend to fight for you, huh?" He taunted as he sized up 'Sam', clearly not impressed.
"She is not my girlfriend!" Danny shouted.
"I am not his girlfriend!" 'Sam' yelled at the same time.
Both of them blinked dumbly after that, giving each other a surprised look.
Before anything else could be said or done, a loud bell rang out over the area surrounding the school, signaling to everyone that classes were about to start.
"Hmph… You're in luck, for now." Dash threatened, then he pushed Danny backwards, causing him to stumble. "I'll see you after school, Fenturd."
"Did… Did that really just happen?" Danny asked, completely bewildered.
"...Yes… Yes it did." 'Sam' answered dumbfounded, not sure who was responsible for this particular… 'Dream'.
"Welp... I don't know about you guys," Tucker suddenly said, breaking the awkward silence that had formed between them. "But I am all for skipping school. Wanna go hang out at the Nasty Burger?"
"Agreed." Both Danny and 'Sam' accepted wholeheartedly.
All three of them turned to leave, not sure what to do, or where to go next. But they knew that they were not going anywhere near the school. But, before they could even take two steps, a cold chill went down 'Sam's' spine, and a cold puff of air escaped from Danny's mouth.
Danny, 'Sam' and Tucker all looked around, trying to figure out where the ghost was that had set off Danny's- and, unbeknownst to the boys -Sam's ghost sense.
"Wooohoooohooohoo..."
A strange, yet feminine sounding wail came out of nowhere, and the trio pressed their backs together as they looked around for the source of the cry. Slowly, in front of Danny, a figure faded into view, and he had to blink several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Still, he could only stare completely dumbfounded at the creature before him.
A dull orange coat, and snow white mane and tail. A cowboy hat sat on top of her head, and glowing green eyes looked back at him. There was an image of an orange crystal apple displayed on either side of her flanks, and a white glow surrounding her body. Yet, it was the strange pose the ghost before him had taken that completely confused him.
Standing on her hind legs, while flailing her front legs in the air. And her lips were slightly puckered as she once more started to wail, flailing legs and all.
"...A… Appl..e… jack?" Danny stuttered, unable to perform any form of coherent speech as he was too flabbergasted with what he saw; drawing the attention from 'Sam' and Tucker.
"What the…." 'Sam' shouted as she saw the ghost standing in front of Danny.
"Dude. Are you all seeing what I am seeing?" Tucker asked, but never got a reply.
Shaking his head, Danny snapped back to his senses.
Now being able to think more clearly, he began taking in the scene in front of him.
Sure, this was strange, but with everything that had happened to him during the last few hours, it was not something that was cause for panic. Seeing the familiar pony standing there, balancing on two legs and a slight smirk on her face, he asked the first thing that came to mind.
"Applejack… What are you doing?"
"Aw, shoot. An' here Ah thought Ah could scare tha three of ya." She answered as she fell forward onto all fours.
"Danny, you know her?" Tucker asked, somewhat weirded out with the strange ghost pony.
"Yeah... I guess. She’s the pony that runs Sweet Apple Acres close to Ponyville." Danny answered.
"There is so much wrong with that sentence." Tucker replied with a flat tone.
Danny shot him a sideways glance, and a quick roll of the eyes, but didn't say anything about it.
"So… AJ. What are you doing here? Or better yet. Why are you a ghost?"
"Tha hay Ah know. All Ah know is that Ah stepped outta this green swirl thingy down in some weird lookin’ room, an’ Ah heard ya'll talking 'bout some ghost finding thingamajig." Applejack answered as held a hoof against her chin, then shrugged.
"Wait, you came out of the portal?" 'Sam' asked nervously.
"Sure did." Applejack said with a friendly nod, then her face became serious as she focused her attention on 'Sam'. "Now about you, miss-"
"Ahum."
With a slight eep, Applejack disappeared from sight, and Danny, 'Sam' and Tucker hastily turned around; only to see the school's principal, mister Lancer, walking towards them, an angry scowl on his face.
"Taking our time to get to class?" Lancer asked with a condescending tone.
"Lancer, is that you?" Danny blurted out at seeing his old teacher.
"Yes, Daniel. It's me. I understand it is hard to remember me, seeing it was a whole day since the last time we saw each other. But it shouldn't be much of a problem, if only you paid attention. Something the three of you clearly have trouble with, as the bell went off ten minutes ago." He said almost monotone, clearly having dealt with this kind of thing enough times that it had become more of a bother than anything else.
Danny, 'Sam', and Tucker only blinked dumbly at that, unsure how to respond.
"But seeing that I have your attention now, perhaps we can start with the introduction of another class you will be attending later today. Detention!"
"What.. You don't honestly think that we are going to detention?!" Tucker spoke up.
"Yeah, we’re kinda in the middle of something." Danny added.
"Oh, do tell. What could be more important than school?" Lancer asked with fake interest.
"Ten hours of uninterrupted sleep." Danny answered.
"Video games." Tucker said second.
"Dark poetry." 'Sam' finished.
"Funny." Lancer said, but clearly showing he found it anything but. "I shall remember this while I think about what kind of punishment you three will receive during detention."
"Good luck with that." Danny said with a fake laugh. "It's not like we will be there anyhow."
"Oh really?!"
"Yes." Danny said defiantly while crossing his arms, giving a challenging look to Lancer.
Lancer only gave a smug smirk in return.
<<>><<>><<>>
"How the hell did he do that?" Danny asked out loud, his voice echoing slightly in the mostly empty room; sitting behind one of the schools writing desks, his legs sticking out far behind the table as he was far too tall for the small design.
"I honestly have no idea." 'Sam' answered as she sat at a similar table.
"Did the guy just go full ninja on us, or something?" Tucker asked unsure, completely confused. "Teachers should not be allowed to do that!" He added more as an afterthought.
The sound of a door opening turned their attention to the only door in the room. Ever so slowly, the door opened, accompanied with the sound of hinges squeaking. It was obviously an attempt to get the three 'students' nervous as Lancer opened the door.
"Well then," Lancer said. "Here we are." He closed the door behind him without a sound.
"I would have you know that I just had a rather interesting telephone call with all your parents, and they were not all that happy hearing that you managed to end up in detention right at the start of school. Neither am I. Not only was your behaviour unacceptable, but it also forced me to put you in here right now. And, unlike what you might think, my time is not infinite. And I have more important things to do besides dealing with you three." Lancer said, somewhat irritated.
"Like what? Giving bad grades to your students?" Tucker asked bored, resting his head on his hand.
"Like disciplining students who think they make the rules." Lancer answered stiffly. "And speaking about making the rules." He added, turning his attention to 'Sam'. "I thought you would like to know that your suggestion for an all vegetarian school lunch is approved. However, seeing that you are currently here, you will have to miss it."
"Wait!... All vegetarian lunch?" 'Sam' repeated, a tinge of fear in her voice.
"All vegetarian lunch..." Tucker repeated in horror. "NOOOOOOO!!!"
'Sam', Danny and Lancer looked at Tucker with various levels of confusion. Lancer being more annoyed than anything with the unwanted interruption.
"Yes, all vegetarian." He repeated flatly.
"Uh oh." Danny muttered, remembering where this was supposed to be going.
"Now, although I would love to sit here and waste my precious time on the three of you, I have other duties to attend to." Lancer said, already thinking about the all-meat buffet back in the teachers lounge. "So I will leave you with this simple assignment." He went on as he placed several sheets of paper on each of their desks, along with a pencil.
"While I am gone, I want you three to write down why it is wrong t-...." He began, when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
"Why it is wrong ta lie," he finished, speaking with Applejack's voice.
"What the?!" Danny shouted as all three of them looked at the middle aged man standing before them. He had his arms crossed over his chest, a slight smirk, and glowing green eyes which looked back at the three persons before her.
"APPLEJACK!" Danny shouted as he jumped up, knocking over his table in the process.
"Ah sure am, sugarcube."
"Eew… That is just wrong." 'Sam' said with a shudder.
"I say. I will have nightmares for years from that." Tucker cried.
"Ehh... Is somethin' wrong?" Applejack asked.
"Is something wrong?! Applejack, you’re in the body of our teacher, calling me ‘sugarcube’. There are not enough words to describe just how wrong this is!" Danny half yelled at the mare currently in the body of his former teacher.
Silence.
"Whoa nelly. Ah didn’t think ‘bout that." She said with a look of embarrassment, which only made Tucker, Danny and 'Sam' yell out as they turned their heads away from the ungainly sight.
"Please, just stop?" Tucker pleaded as he pulled his beret over his eyes, shuddering.
"Yeah, what he said." Danny agreed.
"Ditto." 'Sam' added.
Applejack only gave a nod in understanding, and walked to the door. Or stumbled, more like it. Stepping out in the hallway, she left Lancer's body, flew back in the room, and slammed the door shut behind her.
"What happened?" Lancer mumbled to himself, standing on unsteady legs as he tried to figure out where he was. "Ugh. These kids will be the end of me."
Slowly he walked away, holding a hand against the wall for support as he did so. He needed to take a small break, and he knew just where to do that. And seeing that he would be there to recover from whatever it was those three rebels had just done to him, he might as well grab a quick bite. A thin smile found its way onto his face as he thought about the large meat buffet that awaited the teachers in the teachers’ lounge.
'And thank you, Sam. Now there is more for us.' He thought, not noticing the various hovering pieces of meat as they zoomed above his head towards the school storage room.
"Ok, he's gone." Applejack said after she heard Lancer slowly stumble away.
Turning to the three humans, she regarded them all with a scrutinizing look.
"Eh, AJ." Danny spoke up. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah ain’t got tha foggiest idea." She told him. "All Ah know is that Ah stepped outta that portal thingy, and Ah heard yer friend here lie ta yer folks an' ya." She pointed a hoof at 'Sam', and giving her an accusing glare.
"Lying? Lying about what?" Danny asked to both Applejack and 'Sam'. He knew something was up after the whole ordeal with the Fenton Finder, but he forgot about it thanks through his mother's actions, and everything that happened when they arrived at school. But now, Applejack reminded him about the thing the Fenton Finder had said:
''Ghost located! Thank you for using the Fenton Finder.''
"What do you mean, I lied? I didn't lie." 'Sam' lied, which only caused Applejack to glare at her.
"Do ya see this mark here?" Applejack asked as she pointed a hoof at the image on her flank. "Do ya know what this is?"
"Ehhh..."
"It is mah Element, Honesty." Applejack answered for her.
"And that means?" Tucker asked.
"It means," she said as she turned her head to him. "That Ah can tell whether somepony is lying, or not."
"Wait, you can do that?" Danny asked somewhat impressed, but also worried about his own secrets if this was true.
"Yes, yes Ah can." She confirmed with a confident nod.
"Now, missy. Ah don't know why ya did it, but it ain't right ta lie ta yer friends. Doing so will break their trust when thay find out. And breakin' one's trust is tha fastest way ta lose a friend-"
"FOOOORREEVVVVEEERRRRRRR!!"
All of them looked around the room, trying to figure out where that voice had come from.
"What… What was that?" Tucker asked as he stared at the ceiling.
"Don't ask me." 'Sam' replied.
"I know that voice." Danny muttered.
"What the hay… Pinkie Pie, is that you?!" Applejack yelled at the ceiling, but didn't get a reply.
"Is that normal?" Tucker asked the mare who seemed to know more about what just happened.
"Normal, no. But Pinkie Pie? Yes."
"Okay… That didn't answer anything." Tucker muttered as he scratched his head.
"With Pinkie Pie, there isn't really an answer." Danny told him without thought.
"Wait, you know what that was about?" Tucker asked, baffled.
"Nope, and that's the whole point."
"That… does not make any sense."
"Exactly." Applejack confirmed with a lopsided grin.
"But-"
"Don't… Just don't." 'Sam' said with a groan, holding her hand against her head, feeling a slight headache forming from all this nonsense.
"Right... Now, where were we?" the ghost pony said, tapping her chin with a hoof. "Oh yeah, ya lying ta yer friends."
"Oh crud." 'Sam' groaned. 'How am I going to get out of this?' she thought with a mixture of panic and annoyance.
"WHO CHANGED THE LUNCH MENU!?"
The angry shout resonated through the school, rattling the windows. Panicked screams of the students and teachers followed mere moments later as they all fled.
"Oh, that's how." She muttered.
<<>><<>><<>>
A small moment prior.
Shadow wasn't pleased. He made this construct, and brought them there so his master could focus on the truth regarding himself. Instead, thanks to the change Nightmare Moon made, 'Sam' was now put on the spot. Revealing the truth of her spectral origin so soon after he made his master forget about it. Yet, all he could do for now was watch and wait for his energy to recover.
He observed the events with a scowl on his face.
Nightmare Moon was slowly regaining control, and was making minute changes every so often. Slowly tipping the scale, and causing an unbalance that was distracting Danny.
Shadow cursed himself for letting things get this far out of control. He was supposed to protect his master, yet he was the cause of all the trouble as of late. And now, thinking that he had found a loophole in Nightmare moon's plan, he found himself lacking the strength to maintain the cover he made for those three. And because of that, she was ever-so-slowly pushing Danny to focus on the wrong thing, and buying herself more time.
He knew he had to change something, anything, for his master to stand a chance at finding what he didn't even know he was looking for.
And then there was her. Not Nightmare Moon, but her. Shadow knew not what to make of her, only that she was a great source of headaches. Not only was she causing all kinds of chaos for Nightmare Moon- which wasn’t entirely bad -but she also managed to slip through the cracks of his waning strength and send a message to his master. Albeit a single word.
How she did it, Shadow would probably never know. She shouldn't even be able to do what she is doing right now. But his master's memories showed that doing things that should not be possible was just the norm for this colorful persona.
Still, she was a distraction to Nightmare Moon from time to time, so he wasn't complaining… much. But even so, the balance was disrupted, and Shadow had to do something to bring back some equilibrium.
Searching his master's memories, he looked through anything regarding this particular day in Danny's life that could be of some use. He would have preferred to make more of a change, but he was limited in what he could do, for now. Still, one particular memory proved useful, if only to provide the distraction for Danny to focus his attention elsewhere. But there was also this pony to deal with. Applejack, his pawn. He brought her here to help his master, but now, thanks to some pushy queen, she was now focused on the wrong person. She, too, needed to be distracted, while he looked for a better solution for this problem. Fortunately, the memory he found would help with the distraction of both Danny and Applejack.
Gathering all the energy he could spare, he manipulated this snippet of thought, molding it into something that would be of some use to him. Unfortunately, he was unable to force his will over this new entity, and she would act just as the memory recalled. Still, it was nothing his master couldn't deal with. He only hoped that Nightmare Moon wouldn't act first.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Now what in tarnation was all that?!" Applejack yelled over the sound of screams.
"The lunch lady." Danny, 'Sam', and Tucker answered flatly, knowing that yell all too well.
"Come again?" She asked, not sure that she heard that right.
"The lunch lady." Danny repeated, receiving a blank stare from the pony ghost.
"She is the ghost of a former lunch lady this school had. She kind of stuck around, and caused all kinds of trouble whenever someone changed the school menu." He clarified.
".... Is tha' normal?" Applejack asked, completely baffled with this revelation.
"Ehhh… Think of it as with Pinkie Pie. Don't question it, it's easier that way." Danny answered after a few seconds thought.
Applejack opened her mouth to reply, thought better of it, and closed her mouth while giving an understanding nod to Danny.
"So, now what?" Tucker asked. His voice sounding much louder in the suddenly very quiet school.
"I think we all know the answer to that." Danny answered. "We deal with whatever it is that Nightmare Moon throws at us, and then we see what happens next."
"But what 'bout yer friend lying ta ya?" Applejack asked, unsure.
Danny looked at the mare for a second, then gave 'Sam' a scrutinizing look, thinking for a moment.
"Whatever it is she is keeping hidden for us, I'm sure she has a reason. She has helped us so far, though. And I’m sure she will continue to do so." He answered, his voice full confidence as he said this.
"Are ya sure, sugarcube?"
"Yes." Danny stated with a nod. "I trust her."
'Sam' was at a loss for words after Danny had said that, and she could feel a bit of moisture gather at the corners of her eyes. Still, a stab of regret went through her as she also realized that his trust was partially misplaced. Applejack was telling the truth when she said that 'Sam' was lying, and 'Sam' knew that she could not yet reveal the truth to Danny, no matter how much she wanted to do so. It was simply not the time. Still, she was determined to help him, no matter what. Hopefully, she would be able to keep him from finding out about her for a little while longer. But luck had not really been on her side ever since she submerged herself in Danny's mind. She knew that Nightmare Moon would exploit any and all weaknesses she could find. And although she hated to admit it, she herself was a weakness. How much, though, depended on herself.
"Thanks, Danny. I won't let you down." 'Sam' told him with a small, sincere smile.
"Okay, if ya're sure." Applejack said after a moment, shrugging.
"I am. Now, let's deal with this meat wagon." Danny responded somewhat upbeat, earning him a small groan from 'Sam' over his less than funny remark.
"Ehh… When ya say meat wagon, what exactly do ya mean?"
Opening the door, Danny turned to answer the mare, turning his back on the oncoming threat.
"What I mean is th-... GHAAAA!"
Danny yelled as a massive hand, made from various cuts of meat, grabbed his entire body and pulled him through the door and into the hallway. Dragging him over the floor, past the school lockers- many of which were left open as their owners had left in a hurry.
"Is that..." Applejack tried to ask, but stopped as she had to resist the urge to gag.
"Yes, yes it is." 'Sam' answered, knowing how the mare felt, but doing a better job at hiding it.
"Noooo, not again!" Tucker almost cried as he fell to his knees, earning him some strange looks from the other two. "Meat, oh delicious meat. Why do you betray me again?"
"...Wh… Wha’s wrong with him." Applejack asked while suppressing the need to breath. Being a ghost did have its advantages right about now.
"Oh so many things." 'Sam' answered, blinking as she realized that she had said the same thing not too long ago.
"Okay… So, Danny’s in trouble, right?" Applejack continued, ignoring Tucker.
"Meh, he can handle himself." 'Sam' said, the smallest tinge of worry threading her words.
"Should we help him?"
"Probably."
"And… what 'bout him?" Applejack asked, pointing a hoof at the sobbing male in the room.
"He'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Now, let's get going. Tucker will catch up when he is ready."
Shooting a quick glance at the troubled human rocking on his knees, Applejack followed the dark haired girl into the hallway after Danny.
Silence.
"....Meat…."
Tucker whispered as he slowly looked back up.
"You have betrayed me for the last time. Now, I will get my revenge."
He said menacingly, lifting both his hands, balled into a fist. A knife in one, and a fork in the other.
"And revenge is a dish best served rare."
****
In the darker recesses of Danny's mind, Shadow facepalmed, hard. And Nightmare Moon, she was laughing so hard that she was afraid her tail might fall of.
'Maybe I will keep this moron as a pet when all this is over.' she thought as she clutched her sides.
<<>><<>><<>>
*Crash*
*Wham*
"Will you j-"
"Graahhh!!"
"Guess not." Danny sighed out.
Danny was held tightly in a death grip, unable to escape from the hold the lunch lady meat monster had over him. Every time he would try to free himself, she would slam him in the ground, wall, or ceiling. Even trying to just talk to her seemed to enrage her, furthering his acquaintance with the school’s architecture.
"WHO CHANGED THE LUNCH MENU!?" She roared again, tightening her grip on him even further.
"Really, is that all you care about?" Danny asked, frustrated, trying to go intangible once more to escape her clutches.
*Crash*
"Okay, enough of this!" He groaned through clenched teeth.
He began gathering all the energy he could in his hands, causing several beams of glowing green to shine out of the fist that held him. More and more energy flowed into the growing orb that was hidden from view by the massive hand, and the lunch lady looked down at him in a mixture of shock and anger.
With a loud yell, Danny let go of the concentration of ectoplasmic power.
The hand exploded with a wet blast.
Dropping to the ground, Danny took in several lungs full of air now that he was no longer constricted. He was still in his human form when she grabbed him, so he still had the need for air. But he started to cough and gag violently as the vile air filled his lungs, and a shower of singed meat and various juices fell down on top of and around him.
"Ow man… This is so wrong." He coughed as he could feel the meat and juices rain on, and slide off him.
Going intangible for a moment, the mess fell off of him, and onto the floor, leaving him clean once again.
"Oh dear. Are you alright?" An elderly woman with pale green skin asked, as she hovered above the mess made when her meat body fell apart.
"Yeah, no thanks to you." Danny grunted, and shot a blast at the lunch lady ghost before she could rebuke.
"Danny!" 'Sam' called out as she and Applejack ran towards him. "Are you alright?" She asked as she came to a stop near him.
"Yeah, I am. Can't say the same thing about her though." Danny said as he pointed to Applejack, who was trying very hard not to throw up from the sight that greeted her.
"Oh…. Maybe I should have warned her." 'Sam' muttered.
"You think?" Danny said. "Just get her out of here. I'll deal with Miss Casserole."
'Sam' was about to respond to that, when they all noticed that the various pieces of meat began to move. Sliding and hovering towards a single point, growing larger and larger until it towered over the three, casting a large shadow over them. Two glowing green eyes formed in the top of the pile as it slowly formed into a head, and a pair of arms and legs jutted out of the mass.
"What the hay is that?!" Applejack yelled as she saw looked up at the giant meat monster.
"Oh deary, how rude of me." The enormous meat roll said, sounding genuinely embarrassed. "I am the lunch lady. I am responsible for the meals of the students of this school, ensuring they eat enough meat. Meat is important, you know. It makes them grow big and strong." She told the frightened pony, whose face was showing a disturbing shade of green.
"Drumstick?" The lunch lady asked as she offered the mentioned food to the pony, whose eyes were pinprick at that.
"She's a vegetarian, you big ball of cholesterol." 'Sam' uttered as she swatted away the drumstick.
"Then prepare to be destroyed." The lunch lady roared as her demeanor made a one eighty.
She lifted her arms, and merged her hands into a solid lump of meat, clearly planning to crush the three individuals. Or to force feed them. With her, you never really know.
"Run?" Danny asked with relative calm.
"Run!" 'Sam' answered.
Applejack gave only a weak nod, not trusting herself to speak. The three of them turned, and ran away before they could be crushed.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon was watching the events play out before her. She was livid, that much was certain. She was pushed aside by this shadow, this nuisance, and only because he managed to surprise her. Well, that wouldn't work any more, she would make sure of that. But even then, she was unable to intervene directly in the mental construct he created. She could feel he was weakened from the exertion he forced himself through. Her main advantage was that the weaker Shadow became, the more faults and cracks formed in the layers of his construct. It was not enough to tear it down, but enough to allow some 'modifications' of her own design to pass through. But even then, she was not able to place a pawn of her own and steal Danny's powers. The best she could do, for now, was making the pawn of Shadow targeted the wrong human.
It wasn't much, and she hated that she couldn't do more. But it was a start. It was a change that would, hopefully, bring her prey out of balance. And she would be there to 'catch' him. Even so, she could feel her rage rise when she saw the monstrosity that captured Danny, and the energy he wasted to escape from her grasp. Energy that should be hers. Energy she knew Shadow would use against her.
Nightmare Moon's form distorted from her anger, twisting and rolling around as a thick smoke. She was a fool to underestimate the drone that would become Shadow. He was smarter than she thought, and now it had come back to bite her in the flank. And worst of all, she made him like that. Her powers, weak as they might have been at the time, shaped him into what he is now, and he was using everything he 'learned' from her against her. Her dream shaping, her ability to give 'life' to memories, and her ability to absorb one's powers through their dreams. She hated to admit it, but she knew she was bested by this fragment, this shade. But she would never allow some unworthy being to get away with such a transgression, and she would make sure that, when all this was over, she would tear Shadow apart, molecule by molecule.
Until that happy moment arrived, all she could do was sit back and wait for the right opportunity. A moment where she could tear apart the layers of Shadow's construct, and take control once more.
Still, it would be difficult. Sitting back, and doing nothing was not what she was used to. She, Nightmare Moon. Queen, Goddess, Ruler of the Night and all of Equestria. Sitting back, that just wouldn't do. She was one for action, of overwhelming her enemies with her divine powers. To rip them apart, and make them kneel for their one, and only true leader. And she would destroy any that would challenge her, or her rightful titles. To sit back and watch was torture to her. To watch those idiots bumble around, thinking that their efforts would make any difference. Their short, puny lives were meaningless, and everything they did would be insignificant compared to the vast, amazing feats of Nightmare Moon.
But there she was. Unable to do anything more than be a nuisance. It angered her, yes. But she knew that anything rash would only work against her. So she waited, watching. Waiting for the right moment to strike.
<<>><<>><<>>
*SLAM*
The ground shook from the force as the giant fist made contact, and Applejack and 'Sam' ran away from the solid lump of dead animal before they became a part of it. Danny, however, stayed back a bit, but only to make sure the others could escape without the lunch lady following them.
Watching the two escape, his world was quickly filled with darkness and meat as the fist descended on top of him.
The lunch lady looked down with a smirk on her face, thinking that she managed to take out the first of them. But her look of victory was quickly replaced with one of shock as a flash of white light emerged from underneath her fist, and a less than impressed ghost flew up through her hand.
Arms crossed over his chest, Danny shot an annoyed look at the meat monster before sighing deeply and slowly shaking his head.
"You didn't think that that would take me down, did you?" He asked, only receiving an angry roar in return. "I see."
The meat lady made a wild swing at Danny, who avoided it with ease. Shooting a beam of energy himself, he hit her right in the chest, filling the hallway with the odor of fresh bar-b-que.
Making a quick turn to the left, and turning intangible, Danny avoided another wild swing of condensed cold cuts.
Bellowing in rage, the meat lady attacks grew wilder and wilder as her anger blinded her. She slammed holes in the walls. She formed craters in the floor, and pieces of the ceiling fell down. Danny saw this, and he knew that he needed to get her outside. He was aware that none of this was actually real, but if this place came down, his friends might still get hurt. So, shooting another beam of energy at her, he tried to lure her away.
The blast hit the meat lady, and caused her meat body to fall apart.
Floating above the mess, she gave Danny a wild, enraged look while her hair moved around as if possessed. Danny gave her a one finger salute, and flew through a nearby wall, hoping she would follow him.
Completely blinded by the insult just given to her, she gathered all the loose pieces of meat, and rebuilt her body. There were several dark parts, steam coming off of all the places that were burnt thanks to Danny. With a shout, and a crash, she forced her way through the wall; leaving a big hole in her wake as she charged after the halfa.
"So, you did decide to come out and play." Danny joked as he peppered her with bolts of green energy. Forcing her to shield herself, and, in turn, letting parts of her arms and lower body get hit and cooked from the relentless assault.
Moving away blindly, the lunch lady stepped onto the school's courtyard, out in plain sight and in front of all the students, teachers, and parents who were called not too long ago. All of which looked up at the behemoth in fear, amazement, and shock.
Several screams sounded as a bright green flash hit the meat monster in the back, causing her to stumble forwards, almost falling over. Several gasps of surprise and shock followed moments later as Danny flew over the meat mountain, hitting her with more and more bolts of energy.
"Honey, are you seeing what I am seeing?" Jack asked with barely suppressed excitement as he watched the spectacle.
"Yes, I am." Maddie replied with the same level of eagerness.
"Haha... Ghosts. I knew that they were real." He said triumphantly, only to shout out as a stray bolt of energy flew past him.
"Sorry!" Danny shouted at him, hanging still in the air for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, the lunch lady lurched forward and slammed Danny away into the school.
Wrecking walls, and flying through classroom after classroom, Danny eventually came to a stop as he crashed into a chalkboard and slumped to the ground.
"Danny!" 'Sam' shouted as she ran into the room, having seen what happened as she and Applejack were in one of the rooms Danny crashed through. "Are you alright?"
He could only groan in response, and she and Applejack rushed to help him.
Grunting, Danny pushed himself up. Shaking the dust off his head, he tried to stand up, but was held down by a hoof on his back.
"Now hold on, sugarcube. Ya took a nasty beatin’, an' ya cain't jus’ go back out there like that." The mare said worriedly when loud screaming could be heard coming from outside.
"What’s going on?!" 'Sam' shouted as she ran through the pummelled classrooms, stopping at the 'window' Danny added to the school, and looked outside. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the meat monster attack all the spectators, her parents, as well as Tucker's and Danny's. The last were putting up somewhat of a fight, but only Maddie had some success as she scored a few hits. It wasn't enough to count, though.
"Oh no." 'Sam' said with a horrified whisper as she observed the carnage.
"What’s happening?!" Applejack shouted at her, still several classrooms away as she helped Danny.
"She is attacking everyone from the school." 'Sam' shouted back. "And our parents as well."
"WHAT!?" Danny yelled as he struggled to get back up, which the pony next to him didn't allow.
"Sit down, Danny. Ya need ta rest." She told him.
"AJ, trust me. I've been through worse than that. I'm fine." Danny lied, but the strain of everything he has gone through over the past several hours finally caught up with him, and he wasn't sure if he believed it himself.
Applejack didn't believe it either, and it showed; giving him a scrutinizing look, seeing just how tired and weakened he really was.
"Ah don't buy it." She said, pushing him down to prove her point.
"Sorry, AJ. But I need to help them." Danny said as he turned intangible and stood up. Walking towards the hole in the side of the school he made, his manly strut somewhat lessened by the obvious limp.
"Danny, wait!" 'Sam' shouted as she grabbed him by the arm before he could do something stupid. "Danny, you’re in no condition to fight. Please, don't do this to yourself." She pleaded, holding his arm tightly.
"Sorry, Sam. But if I don't stop her, then who will?"
The sound of someone clearing their throat turned their attention to the ghost pony standing behind them.
"Ya do know ya ain’t tha only ghost here, right?" She asked. "Or did ya get hit tah dang hard on tha head?"
Not convinced, Danny looked the mare over, trying to get a read on her.
"You sure you can take on this thing? You weren't handling yourself so well last time you saw her."
"True, but Ah ain’t alone in this, am Ah?" She said, giving a piercing look at Sam. "Ok, missy. Don't ya think that now would be a good time ta tell tha truth?"
"Wha-" 'Sam' began, but was interrupted by a loud scream, and she saw the lunch lady slamming a crater in the ground not too far from where her parents were.
Looking at Danny, Applejack, and back to the sight outside, 'Sam' finally relented, and her arms flopped at her side as she let go of Danny's arm.
"Fine." Was all she said, and her body started to change.
A white glow appeared around her as she grew larger, her body maturing into that of a young adult, a head shorter than Danny. Her eyes became a glowing green, but her black hair remained mostly the same, except that it turned white near the tips, and the small tail she kept in her hair let loose while a white collar formed around her neck.
Her clothes changed as well. She wore a black top with long sleeves, which turned white at the end, and connected to her index finger on each hand. The back of the top extended in a cloak reaching down to three quarters of her legs, with an upside down v cut in the back, and was open from the front; which showed long, black pants, with white boots similar to the ones she wore in her human form. But the greatest change that happened to her, were the large bat wings that came out of her back.
Looking down, she turned to Danny.
Sighing deeply, she looked up at him, and green eyes met green eyes. She could see the shock in his eyes, and for that moment, nothing else registered for either of them. Not the screams, or the crashing noises coming from outside, nor the attempts Applejack made to gain their attention.
"Sam?" Danny croaked as he had trouble finding his voice.
She nodded her head while giving a weak smile to him.
"Now you know." She sighed as she looked away once more.
A hand held her by the chin, and brought her gaze back to Danny's. She could see the countless questions in his eyes, and she knew that she would have to answer them eventually. But, she hoped that at least that could wait till the time was right.
"Why didn't you say?"
"It wasn't the time… It still isn't the time. But we were out of options."
"So… You really are her, right?"
"I... Yes... It's me."
She closed her eyes again, knowing that he would be angry with her for lying to him, for not telling him sooner. Instead, Danny held her in a tight hug, and her eyes flew open when he did so.
"Wha… You… You're not mad?"
"Mad…? I thought I lost you. How could I possibly be mad?"
'Of course,' Sam thought. 'Danny will always be Danny, no matter what.' And as she returned the hug, Danny tightened his grip around her.
"AHUM!"
Pulling away from each other, they looked down to see Applejack looking up at them with a slight smirk, but an urgent look in her eyes.
"This whole reunion is all nice an' dandy, but aren’t ya’ll forgettin’ ‘bout somethin’?" She asked as she pointed at the carnage outside.
"Oh, right." Both of them said as they were reminded about what was happening.
Sam looked back at Danny and was about to speak, but he cut her off by placing a finger over her lips.
"Just go." He said with a sad smile.
Sam gave a nod, and jumped out of the hole, extending her wings as she flew up.
“Are ya okay, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she looked at the spot Sam had just stood in.
"I’m not sure." Danny answered. "But now is not the time to figure that out."
"I reckon it ain't." She sighed. "Well, Ah better go help her." The mare said, and she flew up to meet Sam, who was waiting for her high above the ground.
Sam saw Applejack fly up to her, and she quickly blinked the moisture out of her eyes. She revealed the truth to him, yes. But he would forget about it the moment he would wake up. Just like everything else that was happening right now. It was unfair to him, and she hated it. But even then, it would help him in the long run, hopefully.
"Are ya alright?" Applejack asked as she hovered next to Sam, looking at her with worry.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just something in my eye." Sam said.
Applejack knew that that was a lie, but thought better of it to mention it, seeing what had just happened between her and Danny.
"So, wha' do we do now?" She asked instead.
"I have no idea." Sam answered, and Applejack knew that, this time, she was telling the truth.
"Aw, hayseed."
<<>><<>>><<>>
Moving through the hallways like a shadow, following his nose like a bloodhound, Tucker tracked the trail left behind by his new nemesis.
He knew all there was to know about this most elusive of opponents, and he used his knowledge to the best of his advantage. Coming to a halt at an intersection, he tried to figure out where to go; left or right.
Looking down at the ground, he saw something that piqued his interest. Crouching down, he ran his finger through the wet trail that covered the floor, and sniffed it.
"Meat trail." He muttered as he followed the trail down the right corridor, and knew where to go next. Standing back up, he resumed pursuit of his prey, the cutlery held in his hands shining in the lights that flickered on and off. He was getting close, he knew it. The smell was getting stronger. That, and the screams he could hear coming from outside.
Following the wet trail into the school storage room, he was greeted with severe destruction. Holes were punched through the walls, and the floor and ceiling weren't in much better shape either. On his right, he could see a large hole in the wall that led outside. Giving a nod of determination, Tucker climbed over the rubble blocking his path, and stepped out in the sunlight. Following his nose to his prey, he came up to a scene he wasn't expecting.
Complete and utter chaos.
There was the lunch lady in all her meaty glory, his nemesis. But there were also all the other students of his school, as well as the teachers. All of them were screaming, and running in panic as the lunch lady attacked them. And then he saw them, his parents, as well as Sam's and Danny's. They too were swept away in the mass of panic and fear, save for Maddie Fenton, who was shooting at the large form with a prototype blaster.
The ground shook as the giant slammed both fists into the ground, leaving behind a crater as she lifted her fists up again, ready for the next attack. Which came not long thereafter, and Tucker struggled to keep his balance as another tremor shook him.
"Where's Danny?" He wondered as he scanned the skies, his own objective forgotten for the time being.
"I know he wouldn't just do nothing{/I]. He has to be there somewhere."
Unfortunately for him, as he was looking up trying to find Danny, he missed that the lunch lady had spotted him, and was moving towards his position. Only when a shadow fell over him did he notice something was wrong. And, when he turned to look, he stared right into the angry green eyes of Miss Meatloaf.
For a moment, Tucker felt weak in the knees, but he steeled himself. And so, with determination (and a shining set of cutlery) he marched towards the pile of meat, planning to enact his revenge.
With a scream, the lunch lady slammed her fist down towards Tucker. But he calmly side-stepped, and she completely missed him.
Seeing his chance, Tucker stabbed his fork deep into her fist, and with his knife, deftly cut out a piece of the meat, wasting no time to take his first taste of vengeance.
The lunch lady's eyes shot open in surprise. Her shock was soon replaced with anger, as Tucker stabbed the fork in her hand a second time, followed shortly with a third and fourth. The fifth time, she pulled her hand up, dragging Tucker with it, using his fork as a handhold. Lifting him up to eye level, the lunch lady looked at him with hatred pouring out of her eyes.
"What?" Tucker said while hanging several meters above the ground, using nothing more than a fork to keep himself up.
She didn't yell. She didn't scream, or roar. She only looked at Tucker with a burning hatred as she pulled back her free arm, preparing to deliver a crushing blow.
"Oh no ya don't!" Applejack shouted as she descended with high speed.
Turning around mid-flight, she aimed her hind legs at the large fist pointed at Tucker. She hit the limb with a tremendous force, snapping back the arm. But, the meat also gave way, and her legs became stuck in the colossal fist.
"Aw ponyfethaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Applejack cursed as the lunch lady flailed her arm, trying to dislodge the pony. The motion inadvertently caused Tucker to swing wildly, and he was forced to hold on tightly to his impromptu handhold.
But, unfortunately for him, the wild swinging loosened the fork, and he felt himself slipping.
"With my last breath, I curse you, gravityyyyyyy." He shouted dramatically as his hand slipped from the shiny piece of metal still partially lodged in the fist of the lunch lady, and he fell to the ground.
"Gotcha!" Sam said as she caught Tucker, but he kept screaming as if he was still falling.
"Oh, will you give it a rest." Sam groaned with a roll of her eyes, and Tucker snapped his eyes open, realizing he was no longer falling to his doom.
"Wait... What?" he wondered as he looked around, seeing the ground slowly coming closer as he was lowered to his feet.
"Pfhew.. Thanks Danny, for a mome…." Tucker began, but trailed off as he saw who was holding him.
"..... SAM!?...."
"Sheesh, can you be any louder?" Sam complained as she flinched from the sudden outburst.
"I… You... Ghost…. Danny… Huh?" He muttered, his brain unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
Setting him down on the ground, Sam let go of Tucker, trying not to meet his gaze. He might just be a memory, but he was still a part of Danny, and still so much like the boy she remembered. She might as well have been standing before the real him.
"Yes... It's me. The real me, no more lies." She sighed as she looked up at him. "I am a ghost, Tucker. This is what I have become." She revealed as she spread her wings, casting a large shadow over the field where she was standing.
Tucker looked at the ghost in utter bewilderment, unable to come up with any form of reply. Not that he was given the chance to come up with one, as Applejack called out to them.
"Heey ya’ll, whooaaaall. Aaaa littleeee help pleaaaase!" The mare blurted out as she was flung around like some ragdoll, her hind hooves still stuck in the meaty fist.
Sam shot a quick glance at Tucker, before she sprung into action, and flew up to Applejack.
She dodged left and right, trying to keep up with the wild motions the lunch lady forced the pony ghost through. Stretching out her hand, she tried to grab hold of one of Applejack's free, wildly swinging hooves. But the chaotic movement made this a difficult task, and, on several occasions, Sam was almost hit in the face with both hooves. Intangibility certainly saved her there. Which also reminded her.
"Hey, Applejack. Why don't you turn intangible?" She shouted at the mare, trying to stay close to her.
"Ah am. She doesn't let me, somehow." Came her reply.
"Figures." Sam muttered as she swung to the side, one of Applejack's hooves passing through her head.
Squinting her eyes in focus, Sam followed the path the mare was taking, preparing to take action. With a loud yell, Applejack was swung towards Sam again. Seeing this, Sam's eyes shot open, and she reached out her arms to grab hold of Applejack's front hooves. She managed to do so, but one hand slipped away almost immediately. The other, however, did find a grip, and she was instantly pulled along on the wild ride, almost dislocating her shoulder in the process.
Sam grunted loudly through clenched teeth from the sudden stab of pain, but refused to let go of the pony that needed her help. So, through sheer stubbornness, she grabbed hold of the hoof that slipped through her hand, and planted her feet on the surface of the meat mountain.
Pulling with all her strength, Sam struggled to free the mare. But, slowly, she managed to pull Applejack's hooves free with a few precious inches. Still, it was not enough to free her, but it was progress.
Unfortunately, the lunch lady noticed what was happening, and figured that she could not let such a golden opportunity go to waste. Placing her other hand above the two struggling ghosts, she lowered her hand with crushing speed, intending to flatten the two spectral creatures.
A sudden stab in her back side made her stop just shy of the two ghosts, who were watching up at the hand with fear in their eyes. Turning her upper body around, the lunch lady looked down to see a knife and fork deeply lodged in her left buttocks, and a dark skinned boy that held them.
"Hey, forget about me?!" He shouted as he pulled the fork out of her, and stabbed it someplace higher, using it to pull himself up.
"Tucker?" Sam said with astounding surprise.
"How dare you?!" The lunch lady roared at Tucker, who only arched an eyebrow at that.
"Easy, like this." He answered simply as he pulled out his knife, and jammed it in the backside of the meat ghost, pulling himself up with it.
The lunch lady roared out again as the knife cut into her. Her anger growing beyond control, she pulled back her hand and morphed into a solid lump of red meat. Launching the mass towards Tucker with breakneck speed.
Tucker could only stare at the mass in horror.
A flash of green blinded everyone, and a scream of pain reverberated throughout the area. Sam, Applejack and Tucker all blinked their eyes to clear their vision so they could see what had happened.
One by one, they took notice of the smouldering stump that was once the lunch lady's arm. The entire limb was blasted off, leaving nothing behind, save a blackened stump near the shoulder, and a large, almost liquefied mass lying on the ground below.
"Hey, you better pick on someone your own size!" Danny yelled as he flew in with speed, and delivered a solid blow to the head, causing the lunch lady to rear back.
Using this moment of confusion, Danny sped towards Sam and Applejack, helping the first to pull free the latter. When the pony was free, and flying on her own power, Danny hurried to Tucker, and helped him back on the ground.
"Wow, Tuc. I'm impressed." Danny told his childhood friend with a respecting nod.
"Aah, you know me. Fixing computers, dating advice, climbing giant meat monsters. I'm all good with it."
"Heh, yes you are." Danny said with a grin, but it soon faded as he saw who were running towards them. "Oh crap." He groaned moments before he was suddenly captured in the Fenton Grappler.
"I've got you now, ghost!" Jack Fenton exclaimed as he reeled Danny in. "I'll teach you not to attack our children, or to play with your food."
Lying in front of his parents in a heap, tangled up in the net, Danny had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Focusing his powers, a glow formed around him, and he stood up, the net moving cleanly through him.
Jack looked at Danny, and then his ghost catching net, then back at Danny.
"Oh… Right." He said embarrassed, awkwardly scratching his neck. "Ghosts can move through things."
This time Danny did roll his eyes.
"No matter, I'll catch you with the Fenton thermos!" Jack shouted as he threw the Fenton Grappler over his shoulder, and pulled said thermos from behind his back.
He popped the lid, and aimed the instrument of any ghosts doom at Danny, who stepped back in shock. Only for him to realize nothing was happening because the device was not working.
"Drat." Jack muttered as he shook the thermos. "One day I'll get this thing to work."
"Don't worry, dear. I got this." Maddie said sweetly, then turned to Danny with a murderous look in her eyes as she pointed one of their heavy duty blasters point blank at him.
"Oh crap." Danny managed to say before he was blasted over the school.
"DANNY!" Sam, Tucker and Applejack shouted as they saw their friend fly over the school, and out of sight. Their shout drawing the attention of the "professional" ghost hunters.
"Tucker, look out!" Maddie shouted as she aimed her blaster at the two other ghost she saw. "There are two ecto entities near you! Back away slowly."
"Whoa, Mrs. F. That isn't necessary. They're friendly." Tucker said urgently as he jumped in front of Sam and Applejack.
"Good grief!" Jack uttered as his eyes opened in realization. "They must have already gotten to him."
"What!? No!" Tucker shouted, not sure if he should be insulted, or not.
"That is exactly what I would say if I were controlled by a ghost.
"Hmm hmm." Maddie hummed in agreement. "Don't worry, Tucker. We'll blast that ghost mind control right out of you! Just hold still." She said as she lined up her sight, targeting the three individuals in her crosshair. "Oh, Tucker. This might sting a bit." She added with a motherly tone.
"This is a joke, right?" Tucker baffled as he looked into the barrel of the blaster, seeing the green glow intensifying as its power increased. "She is joking, right?" He asked over his shoulder at Sam.
All she could do in reply was shake her head, unable to take her gaze away from the weapon aimed at her.
"Ehh…Shouldn't we run?" Applejack asked nervously as she watched the weapon, feeling her already cold body temperature drop several degrees more.
"TOO LATE!" Tucker yelled as Maddie pulled the trigger, firing the beam of energy towards them.
All three of them closed their eyes, and screamed in fear, expecting the worst. Except, nothing happened. Wearily opening their eyes, they looked up to see why they were still standing, and in one piece.
Standing before them was Danny, holding a shield of energy in front of himself, catching the shot fired by his mother.
"Are you guys alright?" He asked over his shoulder as he dropped his shield.
"We are now." Sam said gratefully.
"Good, then you deal with her." Danny said, giving a nod to the rising pile of meat. "And I will deal with this."
"Are you sure about that?" Sam asked, eying his parents, who looked at them in confusion.
"Ehh... I'll get back to you on that one." He answered. "Now go!"
Giving him a confident nod, the two ghosts, and human ran and flew towards the newly reshaped monstrosity, trying… something to deal with her.
"Okay." Danny muttered as he looked at his parents. His mother aiming the blaster at him, and his father fumbling with the thermos. "Now what?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Shadow was observing the events eagerly. True, it was unexpected for Sam to reveal the truth about herself, but it might prove to be helpful in the coming events. And anything that could help his master was more than welcome. Still, something was not as it should be. Mainly, the change brought on by Nightmare Moon. Although it proved to be helpful in regards to Sam revealing the truth, it also served to keep his master from being truthful. So, seeing him standing before his parents, Shadow hoped he would do the thing he needed to do. Reveal the truth, and accept who he really is. No more lies. Not to himself, nor his friends or family.
So, standing there before his parents, Danny was deciding whether he should tell the truth, or continue his lie. Even if this was only an illusion, a dream made by Shadow, it was still real enough to cause conflict in Danny's psyche, and Shadow could feel it.
Sensing the need to give that final push, and help his master accept the truth, Shadow reached out to his mental construct, intending to make some small changes. But he lowered his guard as he did so. And Nightmare Moon was quick to jump in.
"Fool!" she shouted through the mental link that they were all connected to, but only she and Shadow were aware of.
Shadow tried to block her out, to keep her from corrupting this construct. But he was already too late.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon grinned with malice as she breached through Shadow's defense, and into the many layers of his construct.
Before, she could only see the construct in its full form, the final product, as it were. But now, moving through the background, she could see things as they actually were. Each object, each person, all of them were a separate piece joined together in one great whole. Tinges of glowing green were mixed in with every separate piece, and glowing strands of energy extended out of it all. Criss-crossing around in a spider web like fashion, all of them connecting in the center. A center which was Danny. The human around who all of this revolved. His body shone with the green energy Nightmare Moon desired. The energy that should, and would be hers. And to see it wasted in such a way, spread out around this plain of mental construction, it sickened her.
Her own constructs would not work like this. They would not use the energy of Danny, mainly because she had no access to it. And the only way she could gain even the slightest amount of this precious power, was to place a leech in the construct's design. Something that could interact, connect, and drain Danny through these connections that were now around in abundance.
An evil grin found its way onto her muzzle as she observed the many strands of energy flowing out of Danny, and into the world Shadow had made. If she could connect with only one of these, she could drain this bald ape herself, without the use of any useless pawns.
Moving closer to one of the strands that shone brightest. The one that was connected to the dark skinned boy, this Tucker. The connection between these two was one of the strongest she could see, and she eagerly reached out to it, her body shaking in anticipation as she could already imagine the influx of power she would gain from this. Yet, before she had a chance to do so, a piercing pain shot through her chest, and she screamed out in agony.
In her moment of self indulgence, she had missed Shadow, who rapidly approached her from behind. His right arm raised, and his hand morphed into a wicked claw. Using his momentum, Shadow dug his claw into Nightmare Moon's back, and pierced straight through her chest.
Extending his arm even further through the hole in her body, he reached up, and grabbed Nightmare Moon by the throat, cutting her scream off as he squeezed and crushed her esophagus.
"I don't think so!" Shadow hissed in a low, angry tone as he pulled Nightmare Moon away from the source of power.
Nightmare Moon struggled, she fought, but the grip Shadow had over her, and through her, was too much. Her strength was waning, and she knew it would be over if she didn't act quickly. Looking at the strand of energy before her, so close, and yet so far away, slowly moving away from it.
There was only one chance she had left, only one thing she could do. But she had to be quick, as her window of opportunity was shrinking.
Focusing all the energy she could muster, Nightmare Moon shot her tail towards the glowing strand. It connected, and twisted around the power source, firmly holding a grip around it.
Shadow released an angry hiss, but was rooted on the spot as he was forced to see what was happening to both Nightmare Moon, the mental construct, and his master.
Nightmare Moon's body shone with a brilliant green light as she drained Danny's power, increasing her strength. The increase of power also forced Shadow to release her, and withdraw his arm from the hole he punched through her body.
He saw as a brilliant glow filled the gaping hole, and her body mended itself from the injury.
Nightmare Moon turned around, and her glowing, angry eyes focused on him. A blast of power flung him away into the surrounding darkness, and the haunting laugh of Nightmare Moon followed after him.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay. Now what?" Danny asked himself as he stood before his parents, watching his mother aim the blaster at him, while his father was fumbling with the thermos.
Suddenly, as if he was stabbed through the core of his being, Danny screamed out in pain as he grabbed his sides, falling to his knees. The world around him changed as well. The bright blue sky turned dark, and a thick ominous fog settled around them. Danny could feel himself weakening, but didn't know why. Why was his power leaving him all of a sudden like this, and why now?
Pain blurred his vision, and the last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was the barrel of a fully charged blaster aimed point blank at his head.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sam, Tucker and Applejack were closing in on the meat monster, intending to stop her destructive rampage, one way or the other. But they were not entirely sure as to how to do it. Tucker was, after all, only a part of Danny's memory, and was, despite his efforts, ill suited for the job. Applejack was a wildcard. Sure, she was a ghost, too, and had her powers. But she seemed mostly unaware of them, and was more focused on revealing the truth than anything else. Sam, however, was another story.
She was a ghost, had been a ghost for several years by now, and she learned how to use her powers that came with this change over those years. Still, she hadn't been in an actual situation like this for all that time, and suddenly being plunged into this caused her to lock up mentally. Still, she was sure that among the three of them, they would be able to find some way to take down the lunch lady. After all, Danny had managed to do so all that time ago. And he was not even fully in control of his powers at the time.
But before they could do anything, they heard Danny scream out in agony. Turning around, Sam saw him fall to his knees, clutching his sides.
She rushed to his aid, but mere seconds after he fell down the sky turned dark, and a thick fog obscured her vision. A strange sound behind her forced her to stop her attempts to reach Danny, and see what was happening.
Sam's eyes opened in shock as she saw the meat monster's body twist and turn as her body changed. At first, the meat body fell forwards, catching itself with its arms. But then the arms changed into long, slender legs with hooves, and a similar change happened with the legs of the meat form. The head shaped itself into the face of Nightmare Moon, while a black coat of fur covered the body. An ethereal mane and tail took form on her body, the specks of light filling them burned with an intense light, clearly full of power. A wicked grin formed on her muzzle as she looked down on the small creatures below, their tiny form almost similar to that of an ant compared to her giant form.
"Oh no!" Sam gasped in horror as she realized what happened.
With renewed determination, she flew as fast as she could towards Danny, knowing that he needed her help now more than ever. She just hoped that she wasn't already too late.
<<>><<>><<>>
Dark green glowing eyes burst to life in the ominous dark of Danny's mind. A burning hatred shone in them, giving them that much more of a glow.
Shadow was burning with rage, and his form showed this. His body twisted and warped around and over itself as if it was made of a black fire, and specks of green joined the waving pattern as energy leaked from his hands.
Once more his carelessness cost his master. He knew that his form was incomplete, that he was lacking something that allowed him to be fully in sync with everything around him, but this was ridiculous. Whatever it was that he needed to allow him to focus, he would find it. But for now, he needed to keep his head in the game another way, his master's life depended on it.
A scream of agony reverberated through the darkness, and Shadow knew exactly what it meant. His eyes, already a solid green glow, burned even brighter as his form turned into a raging inferno. He roared out loud with bared, glowing fangs. A war cry to Nightmare Moon. Telling her that this fight had only just begun.
Shadow shot forward with blurring speed, using his anger to push himself even further than what he normally would be able to do. The glow of his eyes leaving two green streaks in the otherwise dark void as he raced towards the glowing green form of Nightmare Moon. The glow surrounding her body increasing with every second that she was able to drain more and more energy from Danny.
Shadow knew she was expecting him. How could she not? Still, he continued his frontal assault, only picking up more speed, intending to forcefully knock her away from the source of energy. But before he could reach her, a glowing green shield blocked his path, and he slammed into it with the full force of his momentum. His form fell apart in a black smoke, and it took several seconds before he was able to reform himself.
"HAHAHAHA, you fool. Do you think you stand a chance against me, now? Not only are you doomed to fail, but your foalishness also gave me exactly what I wanted. A direct line to this pest's power." Nightmare Moon shouted triumphantly at him, laughing hysterically at the building rage from Shadow.
"That may be so." Shadow rebuked, struggling to keep himself under control. "But you forget one very important thing." he told her as a strand of green energy burst forth from Danny, through the shield Nightmare had made, and connected with Shadow.
"I never wanted to do this, but you leave me no choice!" Shadow shouted back at her, absorbing more and more power from his master, pushing Danny dangerously close to the brink.
Nightmare Moon watched with a mixture of shock and fascination as shadow's eyes burned as two beacons in the night, and his hands turned claws channeled a massive amount of energy into them.
With a roar, Shadow slammed into the shield, shattering it. The backlash caused Nightmare Moon to lose her grip on the strand of energy emanating from Danny, and she shook her head from the dizzying back blow.
With a roar akin to that of a wolf, Shadow slammed into Nightmare Moon, clawing at her, and delivering hammer-like blows to her head. But Nightmare Moon shrugged off most of the attacks. Now full of power, she hardly felt most of the hits, and, instead, she attacks Shadow with some of her own.
Their battle was immense, and, with each blow they delivered onto the other, a portion of the construct Shadow had made was destroyed. Punching, blasting, and clawing holes in the already corrupted layers, adding another problem to the already exstensive list of Shadow's master.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Did she just turn into a giant horse?" Tucker asked, absolutely confused with the weird turn of events.
"Do you know what is going on?" He asked Applejack, but received no reply as she was staring up at the giant alicorn. Eyes wide with fear, and her mouth open in a silent scream.
"Ehh, are you alright?" Tucker asked as he waved his hand before her eyes, snapping her out of her fear induced paralysis.
"T- th… That is… That is Nigh-... Nightmare Moon!" She said with a weak voice, shrinking into herself as Nightmare Moon's piercing gaze fell onto her.
"Wait. That's Nightmare moon?!" Tucker shouted as he looked up at the giant.
Both of them watched as the giant lifted on of her front hooves, and held it above them.
"We should run now, right?" Tucker asked with shaking knees, not sure if he would be able to do so.
Applejack only gave him a frightened look, telling him exactly what she thought without a word.
But before either of them could begin to make a move, Nightmare Moon slammed down her hoof on top of them, laughing maniacally as she did so.
But, suddenly all around her, things started to change. Holes appeared out of nowhere. Nothing more than dark, empty voids. No dream existed in those places, as if those parts were destroyed from memory. But she had no time to dwell on this, as she felt a sharp pain coming from the hoof she just crushed those two lower forms with. More and more the pain increased, and a green glow started to show through her hoof. Then, without warning, her hoof exploded. Leaving behind nothing but a smouldering stump.
"Now, that'll teach ya not ta step on us like some vermin!" Applejack yelled, a green glow surrounding her front hooves.
Hovering slightly above the ground, she pointed her glowing hooves at Nightmare Moon. And, on the ground beneath her, was Tucker. Holding his arms over his head as a means to protect himself.
Looking back up, Tucker blinked dumbly as he realized he was still alive.
"Alright, pony girl." Applejack said with a sly grin. "Time ta get this rodeo started."
<<>><<>><<>>
Sam raced to Danny, cutting through the blinding fog without any thought about anything that might get in the way. All that mattered now was Danny's safety.
She didn't know how it happened, but it was obvious that Nightmare Moon found a way to drain Danny's power directly. She had to help him, but, unfortunately, she was not able to fight Nightmare Moon head on. But she would be able to save him from anything else she might throw at him. And right now, that was the memory of his mother pointing a fully charged blaster at him. There was just one small problem. When she turned to look at the lunch lady, and watched her turn into Nightmare Moon, she kind of lost direction on where Danny was. Flying blind through the suffocating layer of dark fog, Sam desperately called out to him, hoping against all odds that he would be able to answer.
Then, a lucky break. Parts of the fog disappeared into thin air, and Sam could see that other parts of this dreamscape were missing as well. But that was not what caught her attention. What did pique her interest were the trio of people some distance away. One of them a white haired male clutching his sides in pain. Another, his mother pulling the trigger of her weapon.
"NOO!" Sam yelled as she reached out her hand to Danny.
<<>><<>><<>>
Madeline Fenton was holding the prototype blaster in both her hands, aiming it at the ghost that had endangered the school, and everyone in it. Of course there was all the chaos going on around her, but certain damage in the construct that dictated her own thought processes made her oblivious to anything but the ghost kneeling before her.
Her weapon beeped, indicating it was fully charged. There was no need to aim, as the ghost was right before her, seemingly incapable of moving. She knew what she had to do, it was part of her job after all. but, as she pulled the trigger, a stray thought entered her damaged mind.
"This ghost does look really familiar."
The weapon's glow increased as it was about to release yet another beam of lethal energy, when, suddenly, it powered down, its energy levels showing it was out of power.
"What?!" Maddie said confused, when she noticed a sticky note on the side of the gun.
Maddie, I forgot to charge the weapon. Jack. PS, can I have another cookie?
"Jack!" Maddie said slowly, a tinge of anger in her voice as she turned to look at her husband.
Hearing his wife's voice, and seeing the note he left on the weapon, Jack knew immediately what this was about. And, right now, he would rather deal with that meat monster bare handed than with his wife.
"Care to explain this?" Maddie said as she held the small note up to his face.
"Ahaha… Funny story. You see, I-" Jack stammered, but he was interrupted when Sam flew by and grabbed Danny, flying him away from all of this.
The look Jack got from his wife would be enough to make any ghost tremble in fear.
<<>><<>><<>>
Shadow sighed out in relief. He was able to change the events in such a way that his master would be spared from the fate Nightmare Moon had placed onto him. But, as he soon learned, this also made him vulnerable to the next attack from Nightmare Moon.
It was a risk he had to take, and it paid off, but now he was on the receiving end of attacks, and Nightmare Moon was unrelenting. He endured blow after blow, feeling his energy slowly drop, and seeing the construct he made crumble and fall apart.
Still, it was worth it, as Sam was able to pull his master to safety, and give them some more time to figure something out. But even then, things were looking bleak for his master. Most of his strength was gone, absorbed by Nightmare Moon. And she was using it all to fight both himself, his master, and those with him in the mental construct.
"You fool! Do you really think he still has a chance against me? All you did was delay the inevitable." Nightmare Moon proclaimed, her voice coming from every direction. "Most of his power is mine, and soon the rest will follow. You know this to be true, and yet, you fight me. We both know you can't win, so why waste the effort? Your master is out of power, and you are powerless to do anything. Face it, I, Nightmare Moon, the one and true ruler of the night and Equestria, have bested you."
Shadow growled in anger. What she said was true. The part that she was better than him, that is. Still, there was one last thing he could do. It was a long shot, and it would almost certainly blast him back to the depths he crawled out not too long ago, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
"Oh, Moony. When do you learn?" Shadow taunted as he began gathering his powers. "All this talk about how great and powerful you are, and yet you can't finish off a single human. I guess it is only natural. If there is one thing humans are good at, it's surviving."
"Ha, is that all? Well I guess you are right. Humans do survive. But it is all they can do when faced with a god like myself. They won't be able to rise up against me, as they are too weak. They won't be able to live in comfort, as I won't let them. All they will be able to do is survive. Humans are weak, just like you."
"And that is where you are wrong!" Shadow stated as he released his power, blinding Nightmare Moon in a flash of green.
"Humans have more power than you think. Not through magic, or their inventions, but through compassion for others. And a human protecting those they care about will go through any length to do so. And you know what? I, too, am human."
Shadow said this as his body slowly faded as there was no energy left to sustain himself. All of his remaining energy sent back to Danny. But, as he faded into the darkest recesses of Danny's mind, there was still one last thing he had to do.
"And, if humans are so weak, then why don't I make mine a bit more powerful?" he said with a grin, before his face faded away as well.
Shaking her head, Nightmare Moon cleared her vision from the spots that obscured her sight. It took several moments, but finally she was able to see what Shadow had done. It took a while to register where she was, but when it clicked she screamed out in rage. Shadow had used part of his energy to push her out of the dreamscape, and back to where she began. Back where she was only able to observe Danny through the cracks in the construct he made, and now reinforced.
Still, she couldn't detect Shadow anywhere, and she was free to try and force her way back in the construct. Which, thanks to her boost in power, would be a lot more easier. But it would still take time. But, as she tested out the strength of the reinforcement Shadow had made, she found out that she was once more able to assert some of her control over the dreamscape. Danny and his friends were shielded from her, but not from what she could create.
For now, that would have to do.
It is not like Shadow had done anything else that could thwart her, she was sure of that.
<<>><<>><<>>
'Please be okay! Please be okay!'
The words repeated over and over again through Sam's mind as she carried the unconscious form of Danny to the safest place she could think of in this twisted dreamscape. His home. It was probably futile, but right now it was all she could come up with. She knew that, even in this old of a memory, there were still several objects that could be useful in protecting Danny. Most of them those prototype weapons his parents had built at the time.
So, flying as fast as she could, Sam hurried to the Fenton residence, ignoring the screams of the people on the streets. Most of them were fading away anyhow, as the mental construct was damaged. Hopefully this wasn't the case with her chosen location to bring Danny to.
Sighing out in relief as she saw the tell tale sign of the unusual architecture the house had, Sam descended to street level. Turning intangible, she flew through the tarmac of the road, and into the basement of the house.
Placing Danny on the floor, she hurried over to the security console she had used earlier. Powering back up the device, she pressed a variety of buttons, activating every system that she could find. And an artificial voice called out everything she did.
''Ghost shield, online.''
''Weapon systems, online.''
''Fenton command center, online.''
''The ham in the fridge, expired.''
''Increasing drain on city's electrical grid, commencing.''
''Electrical blackout, in progress.''
''Downloading Doorways new updates, in progress.''
''Downloading Doorways new updates, complete.''
''New updates found.''
"Really?!" Sam said to the console as she stopped pressing buttons, "What has that to do with anything?"
''A new ham has been ordered.''
Sam slapped her hand against her face, slowly dragging it down as she barely suppressed a groan. She wasn't sure who was to blame for this. Jack, and his strange affection for food, Danny for this weird memory, or what was happening thanks to Nightmare Moon. But she couldn't spare the time to worry about that. Not if her attention was needed elsewhere. Mainly, the unconscious male on the ground.
Danny had changed back to his human form while Sam carried him away, and even that was cause for concern. His transformation back was even different than what it used to be. It still happened in the same way, but the ring of light that would form around him was almost non existent. Barely there at all. It showed just how little power he had left, and Sam worried that Nightmare Moon had managed to drain him of all his power.
Sam knelt down to Danny, placing her hand on his head, feeling if he was still warm.
He still was, but a cold, clammy sweat covered his brow. His breathing was shallow, and he was shivering uncontrollably. He was in a bad state, and Sam felt completely useless. She came here to help him, but it would seem that it was all for nought.
Sighing out, she shot a look at the portal Shadow went through after he dropped them off in this dream, and an idea came to her. Maybe she could follow Shadow to whatever place he went, as she doubted that the portal would actually lead to the Ghost Zone. maybe it was possible to fight Nightmare Moon from her side of this nightmare. But that would have to wait for now, as a weak, pained groan brought her attention back to Danny. She knew he couldn't stay on the ground like this. So, lifting him up once more, she flew up through the ceiling, and towards his old bedroom.
Looking around, a wave of nostalgia came to her. The all too familiar messy room with the various posters of video games and space ships looked strangely comforting to her.
Sighing out, she placed Danny on his old, now too small, bed. Placing the blanket over him, and making him as comfortable as she could. It wasn't much, but it was all she could do for him at the time.
Taking a step back from the bed, she had to resist the urge to just stay with him. She was needed elsewhere, and she couldn't afford to get distracted. But, before she left, she leant closer to Danny, brushed a lock of hair that fell over his eyes aside, and kissed him on the forehead.
"Stay safe." She whispered.
Turning away from the bed and its single occupant, Sam turned intangible, flew back to the basement, and towards the ghost portal. Taking one look around, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and flew through the blast doors, and into the swirling green vortex.
But, moments after she left, Danny started to twist and turn in his bed. A green glow emanating from his entire body as his breathing became stronger and more rapid. After a moment the glow receded from his body, safe for a red glow coming from his right arm, which covered the lower part of his arm and hand.
The red glow became brighter and brighter, bathing the room in an ominous glow. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the glow vanished, leaving behind a large gauntlet made from a shiny metal, with the fingers ending in a sharp point each. Six differently shaped slots were found on the side of the gauntlet, three of them filled. A pink crystal butterfly filled its intended holding place, as well as a blue/white diamond shaped crystal, and a red crystal shaped like a lightning bolt. A faint glow came from them as, ever so slowly, Danny's hand balled into a fist.
<<>><<>><<>>
The world was a mess. There were holes everywhere, places where no active form of thought was taking place, and they were growing rapidly as everything they touched was lost in this abyss. Tucker and Applejack were having a difficult time keeping their focus between these many black holes, and the giant Nightmare Moon.
Applejack had been able to prevent Nightmare Moon from crushing Tucker and herself, by destroying the hoof she stomped down on them. But it didn't seem to hurt her in the slightest. And to make matters worse, her injury healed within moments. Forcing the two to run to safety, before Nightmare Moon would try to stomp them out of existence again.
They didn't have many defensive capabilities either. Sure Applejack had her ghost powers, but she didn't really seem to know how to use them, save for the most basic of attacks. And Tucker. Well, he had his knife and fork. So only Applejack was capable of doing any form of damage to the giant that was determined to crush them, so the only thing they could do was run, and fast. Which revealed another problem. Four legs are faster than two, and Tucker struggled to keep up with Applejack, while also staying ahead of the giant. There was only one solution to this problem, and neither one of them were all too happy with it.
"We will never speak of this to anyone." Tucker said as he climbed onto Applejack's back.
"Agreed." She confirmed.
Wrapping his arms around her neck, Tucker held on for dear life as Applejack galloped away from the giant. She could have flown, but her earth pony instinct was shouting at her that this was not how she should do things. She was a ground pounder, and darn proud of it. That whole flying experience she had when she was fighting that horrible meat monstrosity taught her that the hard way.
"So, what do we do now?" Tucker asked, trying to keep an even voice as the bumpy ride shook him from side to side.
"Tha hay if Ah know. For now, let's focus on not gettin' stepped on." Applejack replied with slightly labored breath.
Looking back over his shoulders, Tucker could see the giant come closer to them, one of her steps was equal to the distance Applejack managed with six strides at full speed.
"She is getting closer. Go faster!" Tucker shouted as he could feel the ground shake when the giant took another step.
Applejack only gave an annoyed groan in return, unable to reply as she was pouring all her strength into her legs. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw a giant hole of emptiness swallowing the ground before her, and she had to swallow a dry lump through her throat as she knew the only way to get away from Nightmare Moon was straight ahead.
Sucking in as much air as she could, she picked up the pace. Tucker yelped out as he almost lost his grip from the sudden acceleration. Closer and closer they came to the hole, and Tucker closed his eyes while screaming out. At the last moment, Applejack pushed off with her hind legs, and jumped as far as she could. But she fell short, and, halfway over the void, the two started to fall to their doom.
"Earth pony instincts be damned." Applejack thought as her eyes glowed with determination. "Ah ain't goin' down like this."
Using her ghost powers, she flew back up, and to the other side. Placing her hooves back on solid ground, and taking a moment to catch her breath, before picking up the pace again and running away from the approaching horror.
"Ya can open yer eyes now." She told Tucker, who was still holding on tightly.
Tucker warily opened his eyes, and saw he was still in one piece, and not falling to his doom. Then he saw Nightmare Moon, and how she simply leaped over the hole that almost claimed the two of them.
"Eh… Say, apple pony girl. Any chance you know anything to take down that giant pony girl back there?" Tucker asked hopefully as he snapped his head back forward, not wanting to look at the approaching giant any longer.
"Ah… Ah'm sorry, panth, but no. Unless you know something?" Applejack answered with labored breath as she ran through the street.
"No I don-" Tucker began, but stopped mid-sentence as he saw a large green dome covering one of the houses several blocks away. "Over there!" He shouted while pointing at the house. "Go there."
Making a sharp turn, Applejack ran towards the location Tucker indicated. Barely getting away in time as a large hoof crashed down on the spot they occupied mere moments before.
"Ya sure 'bout this?" Applejack asked as she looked at the glowing green dome, not quite trusting it.
"Yes, trust me. It is Danny's house, and the ghost shield is already active."
"Ghost shield?"
"Yeah, it keeps the ghosts out."
"Ah hate ta burst yer bubble, but Ah am a ghost!"
Silence.
"Right, I knew that." Tucker said awkwardly. "Just go there. I'll be able to turn down the shield and get you inside."
"Ya sure?"
"Do you have a better idea?" He asked instead.
".... Right… Danny's house it is." Applejack replied after a few short moments, picking up her pace as she did so.
<<>><<>><<>>
Amidst the rubble of the partially destroyed school there were two persons lying on the ground, partially covered with the debris of the building. How they ended up like this, they weren't completely sure. But it might have something to do with that giant horse ghost plowing through the building, sending debris flying in every direction.
With a groan, Maddie pushed away a small table that had fallen over her legs. A quick inspection later, and she was sure that she wasn't injured. Looking to her side, she saw the large mass that was her husband, almost completely covered with objects from the school.
"Jack?" She called out to him, crawling her way over to him.
"Jack?!" She tried again, more urgently.
"...an .. ave a.. ony….. mmy." Came the garbled response, and Maddie hurried over to her husband. Seeing one of the school's textbooks lying over Jack's face, she pulled it off of him, and threw it away.
"Jack!" She tried again, slapping him in the face as he was out for the count.
"Can I have a pony, mommy?" Jack mumbled, not reacting to his wife at all.
"Come on, Jack. Wake up!" Maddie said forcefully as she gave him another slap in the face, but getting no reply, save from the slightly incoherent mumbling over a pet pony Jack wanted.
"Oh dear." Maddie sighed in defeat as she started to remove more of the debris from Jack's body. "This will take a while."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Is this going to take any longer?!" Tucker yelled as he held onto Applejack for dear life.
The two of them hurried over to Danny's house, but were forced to make a slight detour, as Nightmare Moon crashed through several buildings, blocking their path with the debris this created. Applejack was zigzagging through the streets, and jumping over the many chunks of walls, or otherwise, that tried to hinder her progress.
"If it is takin' tah long, then why don't ya do tha runnin', an' let me sit on yer back for a change!" Came the irritated response through labored breath.
"Nevermind, I'm good." Tucker said quickly.
"Ah thought so." Applejack grunted as she turned another corner, heading straight for the glowing green dome that covered Danny's house.
"Almost there!" She shouted, and almost tripped over a brick she missed.
"Careful!" Tucker said, looking back over his shoulder. "We can't allow her to catch up with us." He shouted as he saw the towering form of Nightmare Moon moving towards them, simply plowing through the buildings in her path as if they weren't there.
"Ah know, Ah know! Now shut yer pie hole, an' let me run!"
Tucker wisely chose to listen to the mare, and kept quiet as Applejack continued her sprint to, what they hoped, was safety. But even then, he couldn't help but yell and shout every once in a while when Applejack made an especially sharp turn, or high leap. But eventually, they reached the glowing dome. And Applejack, determined to go for the house at full speed, seemed to have forgotten about a certain fact Tucker had told her the shield did.
"Applejack, stop!" Tucker yelled, making the mare come to a screeching halt.
But not in time, and Applejack became closely acquainted with the glowing dome as she slammed head first into the green wall. Tucker, however, did not have such a problem. No, he went through the green shimmering field, and was sent flying through one of the windows of the house, face planting on the carpet of the living room floor. And ended up right in the line of sight of the house security system.
Groaning, Tucker pushed himself up. Shaking his head to regain his focus, he slowly stood back up.
"Hey Applejack, are you okay?" Tucker called out to the mare still stuck on the other side of the shield, unable to pass through it.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?" she replied.
"I-" Tucker started, but was interrupted by a whirring noise coming from behind him.
Looking back, Tucker eyes widened in fear as he saw one of the security lasers pop up out of the ceiling, aiming for him.
"I've been better," he answered.
"Sorry ta hear it, but could ya please hurry an' let me through this shield thingy? Things are gettin' kinda dangerous out here." She shouted back, and her statement was enforced by the sound of another building collapsing.
"Y- Yeah, sure. No problem." Tucker answered with a squeak, swallowing the lump stuck in his throat as he didn't dare to move.
"Why are these things never easy?" he asked himself as he began to build up the nerve to run for cover.
Taking several deep breaths, he calmed himself down. Taking a moment to remember where the securities control system was, he formed a plan of action. It mostly consisted of running a lot, and trying not to get hit. But, hey, it was something.
"Well, here goes," he said simply.
With a dive forwards, he sprung into motion. The laser tracked him, and shot off a beam of focused energy, but missed his target as Tucker used his forward momentum to roll out of harm's way, and jumped back up to run behind the wall separating the living room with the hallway.
"Ha, I've made it." Tucker said proudly, when a chorus of sound brought his attention to the many lasers deploying all around him.
"Ow, son of a bi-"
"What tha hay is goin' on in there?!" Applejack called out to Tucker as she heard the noise, but didn't get a reply. She couldn't ponder on this, though, as a looming shadow overhead brought her attention to the towering figure of Nightmare Moon standing behind her.
A look of pure hatred showed on her face as she regarded the miniature mare cowering before the glowing dome. She might not be the real Nightmare Moon, but she was connected with the one she represented, and everything that she saw, Nightmare Moon would also see. Everything that would happen to her, Nightmare Moon would know. And she knew what had happened to her duplicate. She knew what the embodiment of honesty had inflicted on her form. She would make sure the orange mare would pay for that transgression. No one, pony or human, real or imagined, would be allowed to damage her royal form and get away with it, alive.
The glow in the eyes, mane and tail of the duplicate intensified with the energy Nightmare Moon had drained from Danny, and was now pouring into her obedient pawn. Lifting a giant hoof, it began to glow with the energy of the undead, bathing Applejack in a deep green glow as she backed up against the green shield, standing up on her hind legs, and pressing her back against the solid surface while bringing her front legs up in a means to shield herself.
"Now, cain't we jus' talk 'bout this instead?" She asked meekly, her eyes darted from side to side, trying to find a way out of her predicament.
The only reply she got was a cold, hard, angry stare from the nightmare towering above her.
"Tucker, now would be a good time!" She shouted at Tucker without breaking her gaze on the being before her.
"Tucker!?" she cried out as she didn't get a reply, looking in fear at the giant glowing hoof above her, watching as it shot a beam at her in seemingly slow motion.
<<>><<>><<>>
Chaos. Destruction.
Order. reconstruction.
Pain. Anger. Grief. Loneliness.
Smiles. Joy. Fun. Laughter.
Friendship.
Guilt.
Longing.
Life.
Death.
Sam found herself in the nether zone of Danny's mind, frightened with the damage she found. Snippets of Danny's memory and fantasies appeared before her, torn apart, and mixed together until it was impossible to separate the two. She knew she had to expect the worst, but this… Never could she have imagined this.
Nightmare Moon was tearing Danny's mind apart to gain what she sought. Bringing forth memories of her own making, forcing Danny to deal with it all, clouding his mind, corrupting his thinking.
Sam felt sick to her stomach when she saw the destruction done to her friend's mind. She knew she had to act fast if she would have any chance to undo the damage caused by Nightmare Moon, if that were possible at all.
For some time she had been looking for Shadow, hoping that, maybe, he could help her. But she was unable to find him, and the destruction she found herself in didn't provide much hope to find him in one piece. Still, she moved on. Hoping that she could find something that could help her help Danny. Whether it was Shadow, or the place Nightmare Moon decided to reside in. But that also raised a question. What would she do when she found Nightmare Moon? It was obvious that she had managed to obtain most, if not all of Danny's power. And, although Sam had her own strengths, she wasn't all that confident that she would be able to take on this corruption on her own.
A maelstrom of thoughts flew past her, shaking her out of her own thoughts. Many voices could be heard coming from the strain of thoughts. Some her own, as she saw flashes of Danny's past, from before her death.
Looking around in the void she found herself in, Sam saw that several more of these memories moving around, all heading in the same general direction. Not knowing where else to go, she decided to follow the flow of memories and thoughts that rushed past her. Following it deeper into the darkness that surrounded her, not knowing what to expect.
Sam followed the flow of thoughts for what seemed like hours, watching as more and more thoughts and memories joined in what began to look like some kind of migration. All of them converged onto a single point, the place where Nightmare Moon was.
Sam halted in her tracks, shocked with what she saw. Nightmare Moon had changed, her features more refined. Strength radiated off her body, and a green glow shone from her eyes, mane and tail. She appeared to be studying the memories and thoughts of Danny, and didn't seem to notice Sam hovering in the void not too far from her.
Turning invisible, Sam watched as Nightmare Moon tore apart another one of Danny's memories. Watching as she absorbed the knowledge from the mind of Danny, learning everything she could about Earth, humans, their technology, and the ghosts that roamed this world.
With each new burst of knowledge, Nightmare Moon's wicked smile seemed to grow even larger. She didn't care in the slightest about the human whose mind she was destroying. All she cared about was herself, and any knowledge she could obtain from his mind. She was still unable to directly enter the mind of Danny, thanks to Shadow's final attempt to thwart her, but it didn't matter. She would be able to tear down his defenses, in time. But for now, she would use her newly gained strength to pull more and more thoughts and memories from the parts of Danny's mind that weren't protected. It wasn't anything majorly important, but even then, it proved to be very educational.
Humans. They were a weak species. Weaker than even a mere earth pony, and no magic to call upon. And yet, they were the dominant species in their world. Using not magic or muscle to fortify this position, but their knowledge, and the technology they had managed to create with it.
She had to admit that she was impressed with what these hairless apes had managed. Especially these rockets, as they seemed to be called. The ability to travel into space, and even to the moon. It intrigued her. Not that she was in any way interested to go back there herself, after having spent a thousand years trapped on the object she represented. But to see this race of weaklings being able to achieve such a feat, perhaps she had underestimated her prey. It would serve to explain why she had so many problems absorbing this one's power.
Pulling over another memory, Nightmare Moon observed the mixture of images and sounds, before tearing them apart, absorbing the knowledge contained within.
Pain. Fear. Despair.
The sudden rush of negative emotions shook her to the core. Not that she wasn't used to these kinds of emotions, she bestowed them on so many oh so long ago. But to feel them herself like this, and with such intensity. A shudder went down her back as she warily regarded these new memories.
Taking the time to study them more intently, making sure that she wouldn't get caught off guard again, she found a small treasure trove of knowledge.
A ghost portal forming an unstable doorway to the realm of the dead. Danny standing in the middle of the unstable vortex, screaming in pain as his body was changed. The powers he gained, and subsequently learned to control. The knowledge he found as he went through the portal.
The ghost zone.
Nightmare Moon froze on the spot when she found this memory, almost unable to comprehend what she was seeing.
Green, green everywhere. Dark green, slightly darker green, even darker green still. Green covered the entire region, as chunks of free floating rock hovered around at random spots. Many different terrains occupied these floating land masses, ranging from barren rock and tropical jungles, to an ancient castle belonging to the ghost king, Pariah Dark.
"So much knowledge!" Nightmare Moon crowed with a pleased shudder, completely absorbed in the memories of Danny. Sam, noticing this, took her chance, and flew closer to the corruption occupying her friend's mind.
"This Pariah Dark sounds especially interesting." Nightmare Moon said evilly as she sifted through Danny's memory, making Sam shudder from the suggestive tone.
'We really need to stop her, before things get even more out of control!' Sam thought as she slowly moved closer to her target.
Too absorbed in the knowledge contained within the memories of Danny, Nightmare Moon didn't notice that, ever so slowly, Sam was making her way over to her.
More and more she sifted through Danny's mind, and more and more she learned. About Earth, humans and their technology, ghosts, and the world they came from. She knew this ape was not a genius, not even close. But even then, his memories proved to be very educational.
Eventually, she came to the end of this memory strand, and her senses returned to the here and now.
She felt a presence, something that didn't belong here with her. And it wasn't Shadow. She knew what his presence felt like, as they shared the same energy. No, this one was different, and yet, familiar at the same time. She had felt it before. She felt it as she squeezed shut this individual's throat back in the main hall of her former home. Or, the memory of that place.
"So, I see you figured out that resistance is futile, and came to me to surrender." She spoke up, and Sam froze on the spot, turning invisible in reflex.
"Oh, don't bother hiding from me. I can sense you right behind me. What were you trying to do anyhow? You don't think you are a match for me." Nightmare Moon continued, not even bothering to turn around to speak to Sam face to face.
But Sam didn't worry about the fact that she could sense her. She did, however, worry about what Nightmare Moon had asked her. She did know she was more powerful now, but how much? And was she stronger than her? And, most importantly, what was it that she was going to do? She really didn't have much of a plan, and that worried her. Normally, she would have some idea on how to proceed with things, but now, she had just flown headlong into this mess without thinking. Almost like how Danny would do things, most of the time.
"Hmmm, no answer? Not that I was expecting any." Nightmare Moon said after a moment of silence, and finally turned to look behind her. Their eyes met, even if Sam was still invisible, Nightmare Moon knew exactly where she was.
"Why do you even bother to try and hide from me? Surely you know that this is pointless. I control this place, and everything in it. And I know that you are there, Samantha Manson."
Sam faded back into view, shooting a hateful look towards the corruption. Nightmare Moon, however, didn't seem to mind. In fact, she couldn't help but mockingly grin towards the woman before her, not feeling threatened by her in the slightest.
"Don't think you will get away with this." Sam said darkly as she slowly lowered herself to Nightmare Moon's level, but keeping a relatively safe distance between herself and the corruption.
"Oh, but I already have. Soon I will have the full power of your friend, and no one, not even you, can stop me. Even Shadow failed to save Danny, and it cost him his life." Nightmare Moon proclaimed triumphantly, the green glow coming from her body increasing with the twisted sense of pride she felt.
Sam, though, could only feel nausea. She might not have had the chance to get to know Shadow, but he helped her and Danny. And now he had given up his own existence, trying to keep them safe from Nightmare Moon. No wonder she was unable to find him.
"Oh, don't worry about him." Nightmare Moon spoke up, seeing the look on Sam's face. "He wasn't even really alive to begin with."
Sam's eyes turned completely green as her hands balled into fists, a green glow surrounding them with sparks shooting from them from barely controlled anger.
"He was more alive than you will ever be!" Sam shouted, her wings folding open in an aggressive stance.
Nightmare's eyes flashed towards the large bat wings coming from the woman's back. An approving look flashed over her facial features, but only for a split second. Within moments, her cold eyes locked with those of Sam, watching, waiting.
Sam blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, she found Nightmare Moon directly in front of her, almost pressed nose to nose.
"Ghaaa!" Sam yelled as she reared back, her wings flailing in an attempt to keep her balance.
"Take this!" she shouted as she shot a beam of ectoplasme towards the corruption.
Nightmare Moon moved to the side, causing the attack of Sam to fly past her head, completely missing her. With a grunt of effort, she retaliated with a blast coming from her horn. Shooting a beam of green energy, mixed with the darkness of her own, towards the spectral woman.
Raising her hands, Sam formed a shield before her that took the brunt of the force, but it still pushed her backwards by several meters.
"What!?" Sam said, shocked. "You shouldn't be so strong already!?"
"Fool!" Nightmare Moon said in response, laughing wickedly as she did so. "I might have only just claimed these powers as my own, but I have the memories of your friend showing me exactly how to use them.
This only angered Sam even more, and with a shout, she shot a twin blast of energy towards the corruption. Nightmare Moon managed to dodge one of them, but the second managed to score a hit on her. Blasting her back with force, and sending her spiraling out of control in the dark void.
With a strong flap of her wings, she regained control. But only in time to see the angry glow from Sam's eyes as she slammed into her, hitting her with an energy charged fist against her muzzle.
"Why you insolent brat! You will pay for that!" Nightmare Moon yelled as she pushed away from the angry woman, charging her horn with the stolen energy she had.
Sam faded out of view as she turned invisible, and Nightmare Moon held onto the energy she had stored in her horn.
"You are even more foalish than I thought you were. Have you forgotten? I can sense where you are," she called out to the energy pattern she could feel coming from her far right, but something was wrong.
"I was never hiding in the first place!" Sam spoke in her ear as she turned visible again.
Nightmare Moon reared back in shock and surprise, but she didn't have a chance to respond after that, as Sam hit her with the full force of her twin ectoplasme blast.
Flying away from the force, Nightmare Moon was confused as to how she was able to sneak up to her while her energy showed she was not even near her to begin with. Then it hit her. Or more precisely, Sam hit her. Both of them. Two versions of the angry ghost flew towards her. One coming from the spot Nightmare was struck, the other came from the place Nightmare could feel the energy coming from.
"A duplicate." Nightmare thought as she regained control of her backwards tumble.
"Neat trick!" She growled as she dodged the attack of one of the two Sam's. "But it won't work again."
"Then I guess I just have to try harder." The second Sam said as she delivered an uppercut, slamming Nightmare Moon's mouth shut, causing her teeth to loudly clack as they were forced back together.
"Ghaa… How dare you!?" She said, dazed, shaking her head. "I am a god, you insolent fool. And you are all beneath me. And I will not allow you t-"
Both Sam's looked at each other with a look of annoyance from the small rant. Nodding, they both charged their hands, and shot four beams of energy into Nightmare Moon's body. Cutting her off before she could finish.
"Some god." They both said sarcastically as Nightmare was sent flying through the empty void once more.
A quick flash between their eyes, and a slight nod, and both Sams flew in separate ways. One followed Nightmare Moon as she tumbled away from them, the other flew towards the shreds of memories, hoping she could still mend some of the damage done.
"GHAA!!" Nightmare Moon shouted as she stopped her wild tumble, seeing one of the two ghosts coming for her. "You will pay for that!"
Closing her eyes in concentration, Nightmare began focusing the energy she had drained from Danny, using the knowledge she had obtained from his mind to do so.
"You're not the only one that can be in two places at once!" She snarled as a glow surrounded her body.
The glow intensified as Nightmare Moon visibly showed the effort she needed to use this power. Suddenly, a second form of her began to emerge from her original self, Pulling away from her like a cell dividing. However, something went wrong, and the two bodies were pulled back together, merging back into one form. Except the heads, which remained separated.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" Both heads yelled, looking at each other in shock.
"Heh." Sam uttered with a laugh. "I was hoping that this would be the case." She said to herself as she observed the two headed pony.
"You hoped for what!?" Nightmare Moon shouted as both her heads glared at the smirking woman. "You knew this would happen?"
"No," Sam answered with a mocking grin. "But I hoped. And it would seem I was right."
"Right? Right about what?!" Nightmare Moon growled angrily towards her latest nuisance.
"Now why would I tell you that, huh?" Sam said mockingly. "Telling you what you did wrong would not really work out in my favor, now, would it?"
"Fine!" Nightmare Moon growled through clenched teeth. "If you won't tell me, I will simply drag the answers I seek out of your mind!"
Sam's eyes opened in surprise and shock as Nightmare Moon suddenly lunged at her, only for her to almost lose her composure with what happened next.
As she prepared to attack Sam, both heads came up with a different approach to do so. And, as she lunged forwards towards her prey, one head moved left, while the other moved right. Unfortunately for her, the right head moved left, and the left head moved right, causing the two to collide in the middle, and completely dazing herself with the unintended headbut.
'This suddenly became so much easier.' Sam thought with a pleased smile, watching the corruption struggle with the conflicting signals two heads caused to a single body. 'I just hope I can stall long enough for the other me to fix things.' she added to her train of thought as both Nightmare Moon's heads turned to her, shooting daggers at her with her eyes. If looks alone could kill, then Sam would be fine regardless. She was already dead.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Please let this work." Sam pleaded as she brought the snippets of Danny's mind back together, and channeled some of her more specialized power into the fragments, hoping it would be able to mend the damage.
She watched with anxiety at the destroyed memory, seeing the glow of her energy pulse through the cracks and tears.
With a sigh of relief, she saw how, ever so slowly, the cracks and rips in the mental object started to fade and smooth out. Some damage would remain, a scar on his mind, but most of what made Danny Danny would remain. If only her other self was able to distract Nightmare Moon for long enough, buying her the time she needed to restore what she could.
She hoped that her hunch about Nightmare Moon being unable to properly use Danny's powers was accurate, as it would prove to be valuable in her attempt to stall her. It did make sense. She might have Danny's power, and the knowledge gained from his mind, but she lacked the experience to use it. So there might be some unforeseen consequences for her if she used this power without the proper know how. She just hoped it would be enough.
With a flash of light, the memory was made whole again. Letting go of the mental image, Sam could see it was a memory from many years back. Back when she, Tucker and Danny were still together in their rag tag group of professional unprofessional ghost hunters. A slight smile found its way onto her face as she remembered the event herself, and she wished things could go back to those simpler times. With a small sigh, she moved to another cluster of memories, starting the healing process all over again, not noticing the dark form that slowly moved towards her.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Stop being such a bother and do what I tell you to do!" Nightmare Moon growled to herself, one head fighting with the other.
"No, you do what I want. I am obviously the real Nightmare Moon, and not a lower duplicate like you." The other head hissed back.
"How dare you call me a lower form!? I am far greater than you will ever be!"
"Actually, you are both equally annoying." Sam said flatly, getting rather annoyed with the banter between the two Nightmare Moon personas.
"Quiet!" both of the heads roared out, their eyes glowing with rage.
"Meh." Sam answered with a shrug.
"Now, listen you lower version of myself. You will do as I tell you, and together we will attack and defeat this bothersome ghost."
"And why should I listen to you? Obviously you are the fake, and I should be the one making the plan of attack."
"Oh be quiet and listen." One head growled to the other, before explaining her plan to the other half of herself.
"You do know I am still here, right? I can hear everything you say." Sam spoke up, reminding Nightmare Moon that she was still there.
"I know that!" The head explaining the plan of attack shouted, while the other rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"I would not have made such a critical mistake," she said. "Clearly I am the real Nightmare Moon."
"Eugh. Like I said, you are both equally annoying!" Sam groaned as she slumped her shoulders. "Really, you have been at it for the last ten minutes. Are you going to do something, or should I come back some other time?"
Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth in response, her anger rising over the disrespect from this insolent fool. She would have to take care of her, sooner rather than later. For now though, she would have to put up with any and all remarks from the human as she continued this act of ignorance. She had to stall her, if she was to succeed with her plan. It was a long shot, but it could provide her with the answers she sought in regards to why she was unable to use her newfound powers.
"Fine, have it your way!" Nightmare Moon roared as, in a sudden act of cooperation between the two heads that took Sam by surprise, she launched forwards to the human ghost.
"What the?!" Sam shouted as she dodged the sudden attack.
"What's the matter? I thought you wanted me to do something." Nightmare Moon mocked.
"I think she doesn't know what she wants." one head said to the other.
"I think you are right." The other agreed, for once.
"Oh, I've had enough of this!" Sam muttered, and a green glow surrounded her hands.
"Hah, what do you plan to do? Simply shoot me with your weak attack?!"
"No." Sam answered as she shot forwards towards Nightmare Moon. "I have something else in mind."
"What are you-" Nightmare Moon shouted, but was cut off as Sam slammed her hands against the opposite sides of both her heads, knocking them together with a resounding thud, before the two merged back together into one.
Not stopping there, Sam continued her assault as she shot a beam of energy point blank in the mare's chest. A scream of pain escaped her lips from the blast, and a heavy glow of anger shone in Nightmare Moon's eyes as she looked up at the woman responsible for it.
An energy charged fist slammed into her head, sending it spinning to the left from the blow and the sudden discharge of undead energy. Giving a mighty flap with her wings, Nightmare tried to put some distance between herself and the angry woman. But a boot connecting with the back of her head showed her that this was a futile attempt, and her head snapped forwards from the blow.
"Don't think I will let you get away with this!" She groaned as she tried to regain her senses.
"Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you." Sam said, coming from the side of Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon's eyes shot open as she looked to the left, only to be blinded by a green flash of energy that blasted her away.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sam flew through the nether zone of Danny's mind, somehow having been able to strike down Nightmare Moon. She wasn't sure how it happened, and she was still on edge in case it was all part of a larger scheme. But whatever the case, she had to check up on her other self, and make sure everything was going as planned. She could see things were already improving, though, as more and more intact memories appeared around her. They had their scars on them, but they were once more in one piece. But she could see there was still a lot of damage left, and it would take a long time to heal all the damage. If only she could split herself up more than just two times, but that was not within her abilities. Her powers were more specialized in helping and healing. Useful most of the time, but right now, it was a rather annoying setback.
Still, even with only the two of herself, a lot had already been done. A small smile worked its way onto her face as she came closer and closer to her twin, seeing her other half diligently working on yet another cluster of shattered memories. She must have sensed her other half coming up behind her, as she looked back through the corners of her eyes, before focusing her attention back on the memory cluster before her.
"Is it done?" she asked as the other Sam came closer, sounding somewhat coldly.
Arching an eyebrow over the tone of voice from her other self, Sam answered the question asked.
"I think so, but I am not entirely sure."
"You think so!" The other snapped as she turned to look at her mirror's image. "What good is that? Nightmare Moon could still be out there, and I am having enough difficulties with fixing this damage as it is."
Moving back a bit, Sam looked at her duplicate with a wary look.
"Something is different about you." She said with a suspicious tone.
A sigh came in answer.
"Look, I have been under a lot of pressure to fix all of this under the promise that you would deal with Nightmare Moon, and now you tell me that you aren't sure whether or not she has been dealt with." The Sam responsible for repairing Danny's memories said, sounding somewhat exhausted.
"At least tell me that you found some weakness that we can exploit, that certainly would help."
Still looking at her other self with some level of suspicion, Sam slowly moved back to her. It would make sense that she was tired, her healing ability did drain a good deal of energy from her. But her fight with the corruption was anything but easy, and she was still doing relatively fine. Something was off, but she could not put her finger on it. Still, the other Sam's request was fair, and she didn't see anything wrong with sharing this knowledge with herself.
"As a matter of fact, I did. It would seem that mine... Our guess about Nightmare Moon not being able to properly use Danny's powers was correct. She has the power and the knowledge, but not the experience. That certainly became obvious as she tried to duplicate herself."
"So, that's it." The other Sam muttered, her voice sounding cold and distant.
"What?" Sam asked her duplicate.
Instead of giving an answer, the second Sam began to laugh. Softly at first, but it picked up on volume until the loud menacingly laughter filled the entire space around the two women.
Sam readed back from her doppelganger, recognizing the voice behind the laughter. She watched in horror as the form of, what she believed to be her other self, began to twist and turn, slowly forming into the corruption she had just fought. Before her stood Nightmare Moon, laughing wickedly with bared fangs.
"What!?" Sam shouted as she reared back, a look of shock, fear and anger fighting for dominance on her face as she looked in the cold green glowing eyes of the corruption that had tricked her.
"Fool. To think you would give up such vital information so easily. I had expected better from you, but it would seem all humans are simple minded creatures. Thanks to you I now know what I have to do to use my newfound power. For that, your destruction will be quick and, mostly, painless."
"Oh yeah!? Well, think again. I am not giving up that easily." Sam shouted as she channeled her energy into her hands, the green glow lighting up her entire form.
The least bit intimidated by Sam's display of stubbornness, Nightmare Moon reared up on her hind legs, spreading her wings, and her mane and tail moved around as if a storm was blowing. And her horn shone a toxic green. It was a display of power, nothing more. But Sam froze on the spot regardless. Not because of any display of strength or power, as Nightmare Moon intended, but because of the wings spreading out feom her back. Long, strong bat wings.
Sam's wings.
Nightmare Moonsaw what Sam was looking at, and spread out her wings just a little bit more.
"Like what you see? I do have to say, these look a lot better on me than they would ever do on you, wouldn't you agree?" She said with a devious smirk, watching Sam fume with anger.
Sam was boiling with anger, stray sparks of energy burst from her hands, which were shaking with how tight she was clenching them. This creature, this corruption. Not only did she steal Danny's powers, but now she also took her wings. Sam felt violated to the core of her being, and her energy surged to the surface. Her eyes and hands glowed a bright toxic green, and an angry, throaty growl escaped her lips as she prepared to hit the corruption with everything she had.
"A-a-ah." Nightmare Moon uttered, her smirk turning into an evil grin.
Her horn flared with her magic, and the struggling duplicate of Sam was brought into view.
Held tightly in bonds made from shadows, Sam was fighting to free herself. Yet, Nightmare Moon had made it impossible for her to simply fade through her bonds, or use any of her other abilities. She couldn't even return to her other half, and so, she could only use her physical strength. Which proved to be completely useless. She looked down at her other self, watching her look back at her. She struggled more and more, but she was unable to free herself. Nightmare Moon had her, and there was nothing she could do against it.
"Looks like I got another thing of yours as well." Nightmare Moon said mockingly. "I wouldn't do anything you would regret!" she continued, her tone turning deathly serious as she constricted the bonds that held one of the Sam's prisoner, causing the woman to gasp out.
Sam knew she was beat, and she forced herself to stop channeling energy into her hands. The glow gradually died down, but she didn't unclench her fists, which shook noticeably as she tried to remain calm.
Seeing the glow vanish from her adversary's hands, Nightmare Moon knew she was now in control of the situation. And now, here she was. Having drained most of the power of one ghost, and the possibility of gaining the strength of another. But she could take her time with this one, as she now had more than enough power to keep her occupied for the foreseeable future. She had to learn how to control this power, or it would be useless to her. Something that became abundantly clear when she tried to make a duplicate of her own. Fortunately, she was more than a one trick pony, and she used her ability to form a mental construct of herself. using it as a decoy to keep the one human fighting her occupied, while she would deal with the unsuspecting other.
It took some effort, but it paid off handsomely. The only two kinks in her plan were the fact that she had to pose as a human, which did not sit well with her. Although, she had to agree that the wings were something she could get used to. The other one was that she would have to play along for the time being. Healing the memories she had destroyed, as to not draw any suspicion towards herself. It really was not how she did things, acting all caring and such. She was one of action and destruction. She would tear down anything and everyone in her path, not patch them back up. Still, it would prove to be good entertainment later when she would tear apart these memories again.
Smirking, Nightmare Moon looked down at the human before her. And, with a flash of her horn, she bound the one remaining ghost that was still free, while bringing the duplicate to the side of her other half. Keeping them apart for several meters, but close enough for them to see the desperation in each other's eyes.
"Did you really think I would be defeated so easily? I expected better from you. Danny certainly seems to hold you high in that regard. Always the one of logic when the time demands it. Yet, it seems that you walked right into my trap."
Silence.
"What, no answer? No clever comeback? Not that it matters, really. There is nothing you can do, nothing you could have done. Danny's powers will be mine, and so will yours. But not right now, no. First, I will make you watch how I tear down your friend, your love. And, after I am done with him, and you are crushed and broken from your guilt, I will drain you too." Nightmare Moon said, her words cutting deep within Sam as she felt completely powerless to do anything.
With another flash of her horn, Nightmare Moon brought the dreamscape Danny was in into view. Forcing both Sam's to watch the events play out before them. Watching as a giant version of Nightmare Moon was about to vaporize Applejack, while Tucker stared death in the face as multiple lasers fired upon him. And Danny, he was lying on his bed, exactly where Sam had put him before she left. Twisting and turning on the spot, covered with a cold sweat. His right arm was covered under the blanket, while his left hand grasped at nothing.
"See," Nightmare Moon said triumphantly. "it is already happening."
"NO!" both Sam's cried out, watching in horror as they saw Danny struggle under the mental strain.
Suddenly, the lights in Danny's room started to flicker while an ominous red glow shone from underneath the blanket. The various items in his room started to fly around, or turned into something else entirely. Amidst of this all, Danny slowly rose up from his bed, levitating a meter above it in his prone form.
"What!? What is the meaning of this?" Nightmare Moon shouted as she watched the strange events play out.
Suddenly, the entire room became dark. Nothing could be seen, and only the sound of objects falling to the ground could be heard. Then, just as suddenly, light returned to the room, showing the trio of spectators what was going on once more.
All three of them gasped out. But where Nightmare Moon did so in shock and confusion, there was a distinct sound of hope within the voice of both Sam's.
The room was littered with the objects that floated around mere moments ago. And Danny, he was nowhere to be seen.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker swore as he saw the many lasers deploy and aim for him. He knew he couldn't run away from this one, and all he could do was close his eyes while pressing his back against the wall. He knew he was finished, he just hoped it would be quick. But, seeing the large amount of firepower aiming at him, that wouldn't be a problem.
He could hear the whirring of the weapons as they charged their energy, focusing it into a concentrated beam of light designed to take out anyone that would be unlucky to find him or herself in its path. Whether they were ghosts, the government, Jazz's ex ghost boyfriend of which she didn't know he was a ghost, or, as in this case, Tucker.
Taking a deep breath, Tucker steeled himself for the inevitable onslaught, not knowing what to expect. So, when he heard several popping sounds, he couldn't help but scream out in fear as he hunkered down while covering his head with his arms. Several long seconds passed, and Tucker was still breathing. He didn't feel any pain, nor did he hear any weapon discharge. Carefully, he opened one of his eyes, and what he saw made his eyes pop open with surprising speed.
A red glow surrounded the laser turrets, and with a distinct popping sound, they turned into something completely different. Whether it be a potted plant, a teddy bear, or a badminton racket.
"What the..." Tucker muttered, before trailing off as he heard a loud scream coming from outside of the house.
"Applejack!" He said breathlessly as he rushed to help the ghost pony still trapped outside of the ghostshield.
<<>><<>><<>>
Applejack's eyes were closed, and her back was firmly pushed against the unmoving shimmering green shield that stood in her way. She had her own set of powers, that much she knew. But she had no idea how to use them, safe for the most basic of them. And even then, they would not suffice against the giant before her. She was trapped, with no way out of this mess.
A deep green glow shone through her eyelids, and she knew that it would be any moment now. Any moment, and Nightmare Moon would unleash her attack onto her. She just hoped it would be quick and painless.
A bright flash made her see spots in her vision, even with her eyes closed. And the distinct sound of an ectoplasmic charge being fired filled the air. The light grew brighter and brighter the closer it came to her, while its sound drowned out everything else. A foul smell filled her nose, and before long she started to hack and cough as her lungs filled with the vile smell. Her eyes shot open from the burning in her lungs, and it was then that she realized that she was still in one piece.
Swallowing loudly, she slowly looked up, seeing the bright glow of green energy mere inches from her face. The heat radiating off of it singed the hairs on her muzzle, resulting in the foul odor that assaulted her sense of smell. But none of that drew her attention, as she was too enraptured with the impossibility of the situation she found herself in.
She should have been obliterated. Instead, she found herself still intact, yet frozen on the spot as she looked right at a massive gathering of energy powerful enough to destroy a city.
"W-what?" she struggled to say, staring unblinkingly at the mass of energy.
"Hey, Applejack!" Tucker's muffled voice came from inside the house. "Appleja-... WHAT THE...!?"
Standing behind Applejack, separated only by the green shield, stood Tucker. Standing with his mouth wide open as he stared unblinkingly at the mass of energy suspended in mid air.
"Applejack." He said slowly, his mind having trouble restarting. "How are you doing that?"
"I- I'm not." she replied, never looking away from the mass of energy, afraid it might start moving again if she looked away.
All the while, Nightmare Moon growled in frustration as she forced more and more energy into her attack, not knowing why she wasn't hitting her helpless prey.
To say she was surprised when her attack just stopped like that would be an understatement. But now, now she was growing more and more frustrated. It didn't make any sense. She was in control, everything should happen as she saw fit. And yet, here was something that didn't obey her command. Something that dared to defy her. And it was her own blasted attack.
Suddenly, without warning, the focused ectoplasme shot back at her, hitting her center mass, and blasting her away several streets as she screamed out in pain and rage. She slammed into the ground with a mighty slam. Her large frame crushing several buildings as she came down.
Applejack and Tucker were too stunned for words. And, unbeknownst to them, both Sams and the Nightmare Moon who was controlling her larger counterpart, were sitting on the sidelines outside of the mental construct. All three of them stunned into silence. Although, Nightmare Moon also had a wildly twitching eye as she sat with her mouth slightly ajar.
"Wha- What happened?" Tucker asked in a whisper.
Applejack was about to answer, when a flicker of red light in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Looking behind her, and up at the roof of the house covered by the ghost shield, she saw the now all too familiar sight of an angry ghost.
"Look!" She said as she pointed her hoof up, showing Tucker who was responsible for what had just happened.
Standing up there on the roof, with an angry scowl on his face, was Danny. Both his hands were balled into fists, one of them covered with the shiny metal of the reality gauntlet. A deep red glow shone around the gauntlet, while a deep, toxic green glow covered his other, white gloved hand. His eyes glowed with an intensity not seen unless he was very, very angry. And the power exerted from the gauntlet made the air around him ripple like a wild river. The three crystals on the side of the gauntlet were shining with their own light, mixed in with the red. Pink for kindness, purple for generosity, and red for loyalty.
All three of them glowed, but it was the pink one that shone the brightest as its energy was used to protect Tucker and the ghost pony standing close to him. Danny wasn't sure where he knew this pony from, but, somehow, she seemed familiar to him. But who she was would have to wait, as his attention was required elsewhere. So, seeing that his friend, and this pony were safe, the pink light faded away in the deep red of the gauntlet, and the purple glow intensified.
It was time he gave Nightmare Moon the generous ass kicking she deserved.
Raising the gauntlet, he focused its power, and warped reality as he saw fit. A red glow surrounded Nightmare Moon, and she found it impossible to stand back up, no matter how much she struggled. All that she did manage to accomplish, was knocking down several more houses within her reach. Her futile attempts to regain an upright stance halted as a loud, thunderous sound reached her ears. Looking up, she saw that the sky, dark as her night, slowly began to glow with a burning intensity, and that the clouds were circling around with hurricane-like speed. Lightning shot out of the clouds, illuminating the sky even more, and allowing her brief moments to see what was coming for her. Although, it was hard to miss, as the closer it came to her, the more the sky lit up with this orange, burning glow.
Looking up, she looked right at the giant asteroid heading straight for her. Fire burned away at it as it entered the atmosphere, and the clouds ceased to exist as it punched through them.
"By my moon." Nightmare Moon said in a fearful whisper as the burning glow of the plummeting rock reflected in her eyes. And, in the moment before it hit, she was sure she saw the shape of a skull in the ghostly green asteroid.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What was that!?" Nightmare Moon screeched as she saw the crater the asteroid had slammed into the surface of the earth, completely obliterating her mental mirror's image.
She could only stare in shock at the tremendous force the asteroid had unleashed, only for the shock wave and lethal debris to be swept out of the sky by a single gesture from Danny. Causing nothing else but her pawn to be destroyed. Her anger rose to levels even she didn't believe possible, and foam started to form at the corners of her mouth, while her ears and left eye were twitching wildly. She was losing control over herself, losing herself in blind rage towards the ridiculously stubborn human. Why can't he just do what she wanted, and let himself be drained of the remainder of his energy? No, he had to fight her, and by the looks of it, with some level of success.
"What is that thing?" Nightmare Moon growled through gritted teeth as she paid close attention to the gauntlet Danny was wearing.
"Something that has even the odds," one of the two Sams spoke up.
"You are no longer in full control here," the other added. "Danny now holds the power to change things as he sees fit."
"WHAT!?" Nightmare Moon shouted at the two with enough force to blow back their hair. Then, she remembered something that Shadow had said to her before he vanished.
"And, if humans are so weak, then why don't I make mine a bit more powerful."
"So he did manage to make true to his words." She thought bitterly as she took another look at the half ghost, and its latest addition of devices to use against her.
"You!" She suddenly spoke up, turning to the two captured women behind her. "You will tell me what this thing is, right now!"
"And why should we?" One of them said defiantly.
"Because, if you don't, I will simply have to scour your friend's mind to find the answers I seek. You don't want that happening now, would you?"
Two pairs of eyes opened wide in shock, only for them to squint into an angry glare while both Sam's gritted their teeth.
Nightmare Moon had them there. They were unwilling to give up anything that could hurt their friend, but, right now, the only way they could prevent Nightmare Moon from causing any more damage to Danny's mind, was by giving her the answer she wanted themselves. It was a horrible choice, but it was the lesser of two evils. So, begrudgingly, they answered.
"That thing is the reality gauntlet. Whoever holds it can control all of reality." One of them began.
"We first learned of it when we had to fight someone named Freakshow. He had the gauntlet himself, and used it to fight Danny, and to bring harm to both Danny's, Tucker's and my family." The other continued.
"There, happy now?" The first asked with a sneer.
"Oh yes. Very much so." Nightmare Moon answered with a manic grin as she lit her horn, using her magic to search for this particular memory, and see how she could best use it against this troublesome ape.
The strand of memories came to her, and she absorbed the knowledge contained in it.
For a moment she stood there, unresponsive, as the memories played out in her mind. But, ever so slowly, an evil grin formed on her muzzle as the full impact of these memories became apparent
Both Sams shared an uneasy glance between each other as they noticed the grin on her muzzle, and they began to try and free themselves again in her moment of unresponsiveness. But, before they could even free one of their arms, Nightmare Moon came back to her senses with a manic chuckle.
"Oh yes, That would be just what I was looking for." She said to herself.
Focusing her gaze back on the scene playing out in the mental construct, she began to alter certain portions of Danny's own little nightmare. And, although she still hadn't full control over the mental construct thanks to Shadow, she was sure that this would take care of him, once and for all.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes earlier.
Danny watched the asteroid slam into the surface, obliterating Nightmare Moon. The ground shook with a tremendous force, and boulders the size of houses were launched all around the city. A massive cloud of dust, ash, and smaller debris moved out of the impact zone, riding along the shockwave from the impact.
Danny narrowed his eyes as he saw the destruction happening before him, and, with a simple gesture of his hand clad in the reality gauntlet, he removed all traces of the approaching apocalypse, leaving nothing behind, save the giant crater the space rock had slammed into the surface of the Earth.
Giving a slightly approving nod, Danny looked down to see Tucker and this strange pony ghost staring up at him. A spike of recognition stabbed through his mind as he saw the dull orange pony, yet he couldn't figure out where he had seen her before. Shaking his head to regain focus, he jumped down off the roof of his parents home, and landed before Tucker and this pony.
"Danny." Tucker said, almost in awe. "That was absolutely epic! But where did you get the reality gauntlet?"
"I… I don't know." Danny answered as he looked down at his right arm, lifting it a bit to get a better look at the reality bending object. "But it seems there is a lot I don't seem to know." he continued as he placed his left hand on his forehead, grimacing slightly from the dull headache that he had ever since he woke up.
"Like what?" Applejack asked concerned.
"Well, for starters. Who are you supposed to be?" Danny said as he turned to look at the pony standing to his side.
A look of hurt and confusion found its place onto Applejack's face from Danny's words, and she didn't exactly know how to respond to what he had just said. But Tucker was able to find the words that were eluding her for the moment.
"What do you mean, who is she? She is Applejack, the ghost that has been helping us ever since we ran into trouble back at our school."
Danny's hand moved back to his forehead as another spike stabbed his fragile mind, and he had trouble to maintain his balance for a moment, causing Applejack and Tucker to more and more worried with every passing moment.
"Are you okay, dude?" Tucker asked as he placed his hands on Danny's shoulders, holding him upright.
"Ye... Yeah… It's just. I've heard that name before, I think. But where?" Danny mumbled, and Tucker and Applejack shot each other an uneasy glance.
"What happened to you?" Tucker asked his friend, his voice filled with concern for Danny's well being.
Applejack's shared the same feeling of concern for Danny as she looked at him, seeing him wobbling on his feet, only being held up by the support of Tucker. Then, her eyes lit up as she realized something.
"It has ta be Nightmare Moon, she is doing this ta him."
"What? But how? Danny just slammed an asteroid into her, there is no way she could do this to him now."
"Ah'm not so sure. Remember, Ah know when somepony is dishonest. And that giant Nightmare Moon Danny jus' took care of, well, there was something off 'bout her. Like she wasn't really there at all."
"What do you mean?" Tucker asked.
"Ah… Ah'm not sure." Applejack admitted hesitantly.
"Well, that is not going to help us right now." Tucker said. But before Applejack could reply, Danny almost collapsed onto himself, if it wasn't for Tucker holding him up.
"What happened ta him!?" Applejack nearly shouted as she rushed to help Tucker from keeping Danny from falling down.
Tucker was about to reply, but he was stunned into silence as a large ripple moved around the entire area. Everything it touched became distorted, only for everything to return as it was when it passed.
"What was that?" Applejack asked, voice lowered.
"I have no idea," Tucker replied with the same tone of voice. "But I know it isn't anything good." He added as he looked down at his friend, seeing the three elements in the gauntlet glow even brighter.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes earlier, before the several minutes earlier.
A loud mechanical roar sounded through the otherwise empty streets. Screeching tires, and swaying lights illuminated the damaged buildings as the Fenton assault van rounded the corner, following the giant spectral abomination that was wreaking havoc in their fair city. Behind the wheel was Maddie Fenton, a determined, yet angry glare on her face. By her side was Jack Fenton, eating a cookie Maddie gave him so he wouldn't distract her. And, in the backseats of the van, were four other adults; the parents of both Sam and Tucker. They were buckled up, and holding onto anything they could find for dear life as the wild, yet expertly driving of Maddie was shaking them around like ragdolls.
"So tell me," Tucker's father began. "Why exactly are we here with you?"
"Yes, shouldn't we be looking for our children instead of going on this wild goose chase with you?" Sam's mother added, frowning in irritation from another wild bump on the road.
"First off, it's not a wild goose chase, but a wild ghost chase." Maddie answered tensely as she gave another sharp turn on the wheel of the van. "Secondly, in case you didn't notice it. Tucker was riding on the back of one of these ghosts, heading to our house. Now, I don't know what is going on, but I am going to find out. And your son is the best bet we have right now."
"That may be, but what do we have to do with this?" Jeremy, Sam's father, asked, earning himself a glare from Tucker's parents.
"I'll tell you why." His wife spoke up before any other could reply. "Our daughter always socializes with their sons. Clearly they are both a bad influence to our little girl, and we should get her out of this mess as soon as we can."
"Hey!" Jack spoke up, finished with his cookie. "It's not like our ghost hunting activities have ever put your families in any danger."
A shock hit their van, and everything distorted as a result of it. Slowly, the metal of the vehicle began to remold itself, forging itself into a large steel cage with ghost green bat wings growing out of the roof. Their seatbelts, meant to keep them safe, turned into a glowing green rope, twisting and turning around them, preventing any of them to move.
"Until now." Jack added sheepishly, before a gag placed itself over their mouths, cutting anything they had to say off. Still, this didn't stop the angry glares he got from the four parents now struggling in the cage behind him. And, all they could do, was watch through the bars of the cage as they were flown to who knows where.
<<>><<>><<>>
The distorting ripple moved all throughout the city, leaving nothing untouched. Everywhere it went, objects of every size warped, twisted and turned, moving in ways that they were never meant to do. And yet, as it moved further throughout the city, everything that was touched returned to the shape they were in prior to the distorting ripple touched them. Yet, there were two things that were different; a change forged out of the warped reality. Firstly, the Fenton house fell into ruin, every system in it shutting down, and any of the supplies that could be useful turned to dust. Secondly, a sphere of energy formed in the center of the crater made by the asteroid, growing in size the further the distorting ripple moved throughout the city.
Gradually, the sphere took on a more refined shape, as arms, legs, a torso and head started to emerge from the glowing orb. Cold violet eyes looked around the terrain as the glow surrounding this new entity died down, and harsh, mad laughter reverberated around the crater as he saw the wonderful destruction all around him. He held his cane tightly as he raised it up to the sky, and another mad cackle could be heard, before he vanished in a flash of purple.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Danny! Come on, wake up." Tucker almost pleaded as he sat crouched down at his friend's side, shaking his upper body, and slapping him in the face, trying to get some reaction out of him.
"Isn't there anythaing else we can do?" Applejack asked worriedly, keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble.
"Like what? We have already searched the house ever since the ghost shield failed. There is nothing here that can help us. Nothing that can help him." Tucker said, a hint of defeat in his voice.
"Now, Ah won't have none of that!" Applejack said sternly to the frantic teenager. "And Ah am sure neither would Danny. Now, think Tucker. There has ta be somethaing that we can do."
"Like what?! The house security system is down, and none of the computers here work, thanks to whatever that weird ripple was. There is nothing here, this place is basically a ruin. The only thing I can think of is to get Danny back on his feet. Maybe he knows something?" Tucker replied, and was about to give Danny another slap against the face, when, in a blur of motion, Danny grabbed Tucker by the wrist and his eyes snapped open, showing two glowing green orbs. With a forceful blast coming from the reality gauntlet, Tucker was sent flying backwards, and Danny slowly pushed himself up on his knees, before standing up completely.
Tucker, partially imbedded in the wall, looked at his friend with a mixture of pain, anger and relief. Glad that his friend was back on his feet, but less than thrilled that he pushed him away like that.
"Danny!" Applejack yelled in panic. "What was that for?"
"He attacked me, Applejack. So I hit him back." He stated calmly as he kept Tucker in his sights.
"Wait, ya know me?" Applejack asked, confused as he didn't seem to know her before he collapsed.
"Of course I know you, why shouldn't I? The better question would be, who are you?" Danny asked threateningly as he raised a glowing green hand towards Tucker.
"Who am I? Danny, it's me, Tucker, your best friend. We've known each other since… forever."
"Likely story." Danny said, trying to hold a defensive stance, but pained groans from the stabs going through his mind threw him slightly of balance.
The glow around his hand flickered in response to this, and Danny had to shake his head to refocus.
"Danny?" Tucker said hesitantly as he looked at his friend, carefully trying to pry himself of the wall.
"Don't you move." Danny barked, steadying his hand, and bringing his fluctuating energy under control.
Applejack stood there, watching nervously as Danny threatened his old time friend, but unable to remember him. She had to do something, but she didn't know what, and she didn't want to make things worse. But anything she thought of would most likely result in Tucker, or herself being shot by Danny. Still, there had to be something she could do? After all, she had to be here for a reason, right?
Her ears twitched as she heard a faint whispering. Quickly looking around her, she was unable to find anyone that could have done that, seeing that the only other two were before her. One barely able to stand, and the other still stuck in the wall.
There it was again, and her ears twitched as they tried to focus on the source, but were unable to. Suddenly, without warning, the world around her seemed to slow down, and the colors seemed to darken around her. She looked at Danny, and the pulsating green glow around his hand seemed to warbol slightly, almost frozen in place.
"What? What is going on?" She asked, slightly panicked, but managed to keep it mostly under control.
"Applejack."
She froze on the spot as a faint, but clear voice spoke to her. Her pupils had shrunk to the size of pinpricks from fear. But, slowly, they returned to their normal size as the voice continued to speak. And, right then and there, she knew what she had to do.
<<>><<>><<>>
Applejack stood there, watching nervously as Danny threatened his old time friend, but unable to remember him. She had to do something, and now, she knew what. That didn't mean she liked what she had to do. Closing her eyes, and taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she took a small, but determined step forwards.
"Danny," she spoke, drawing the attention of the confused half ghost.
"Yeah, what is it?" he replied, not taking his eyes of the unknown human who claimed to be his friend.
"Ah am really sorry 'bout this."
"What? Sorry about wha-" He asked, confused, but was cut off as Applejack possessed him.
Danny fell to his knees with a scream, scratching at his face with both hands, leaving scratching marks on one side thanks to the gauntlet's sharp edged fingers. His eyes, convulsing in their sockets, glowed a sickly green, followed shortly later by the veins surrounding his eyes. Except, they began to glow a bright orange, and, gradually, the orange glow began to overwhelm the ever present green as memories resurfaced, and the truth of who he was became clear to him once more.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What is this?!" Nightmare Moon gasped in disbelief as the darkness surrounding her, and the two bound ghosts behind her, turned a bright orange, spreading out all around the trio, and connecting with the destroyed and damaged memories.
She reached out to the closest of memory strands, but was forcefully repelled when the orange light came in contact with her darker energy. She hissed out in pain as if she had been slapped, and she, as well as both Sams, watched as the memories touched by the light began to glow with the same intensity and heal themselves. A look of amazement was plastered on the faces of the two bound women, but a look of anger, and maybe even a bit of fear, was seen on Nightmare Moon's
One by one the memories touched by the light began to move, alive once more within the mind of Danny. And the various scenes from his life was seen by the three spectators present. His life, from the first memory he had, to the very moment in time they were at right now, played out before them, but impossible to observe as the stream of memories moved faster and faster, showing nothing but a blur as all the pieces fell back into place.
A wave of orange descended onto them, burning away the last pieces of darkness, safe for Nightmare Moon, who formed a protective shield around herself. Both Sams, however, welcomed it with an honest smile while closing their eyes, basking in the warmth coming from the pure energy. Their bonds dissolved, and they merged back together into one being, no longer giving the headache of dealing with two of them at the same time. She was carried away on the wave, transported back into the false truth Nightmare Moon tried to force onto Danny. Leaving behind a screaming alicorn as Sam, smirking, gave her the finger.
<<>><<>><<>>
The energy moved further and further, leaving nothing untouched. The truth was hidden, damaged, broken, and it had to be restored. Everything dark and destructive, anything that could, and, possibly, would obscure the truth was swept away. Everything, except one small fragment of darkness.
It was darkness, made from the blackest of shadows, yet it was not corrupting. Energy radiated off of it, but none of it was sinister. Understanding, truth, sadness, and guilt. All of these forms of emotional energies radiated off of it, and it drew the attention of the energy. Not that it was able to think or such, but it had one objective. To heal anything broken, and restore the truth. So, reaching out to this sliver of darkness, it connected with it, and began its task to restore that was damaged, not showing any sign of hesitation when the sliver of darkness slowly grew into a dark hand; grasping at the glow as if it was a life line, reaching out to it to pull himself out of the deep.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny sat on his knees, screaming his lungs out, while his eyes glowed a bright orange. Ever so slowly, he managed to move his hands down to his chest. His hands turned intangible, and he forced them into himself, grabbing onto the possessive pony, and forcefully pulling her out of him. It took a lot of his strength, and, when he finally managed to pull her out, the whiplash of energy blasted the two apart, turning Danny back to his human form.
"Woo… hee..." Applejack wheezed, lying limply amidst the rubble. "Let's not do that again."
Gritting his teeth, Danny forced himself upright, glaring at the apple bucking pony.
"Applejack, what the hell?! Ghosts don't possess ghosts, it's dangerous!" Danny shouted furiously.
"Ah… Ah know. Ah jus' had ta do it." She replied weakly, still breathing heavily.
"You had to do it! Why!?" he snarled back.
"Because… he told me so."
"Who? Tucker?" Danny asked bitterly, then he fell silent as sudden realization came to him. "Tucker." He breathed in a whisper, looking back to see his friend still stuck in the wall.
"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just hanging around." He said, sarcastically. Then he, too, realized something. "Wait, you remember me?"
Danny nodded dumbly at him, not sure what was going on, but he had a pretty good idea who might.
"Applejack, mind telling me what just happened?"
"Sure thaing." She said as she stood back up, no longer out of breath. "Ya see, there was this strange voice tellin' me how Ah could help ya remember, seeing that yer memories an' such were corrupted by Nightmare Moon. So, Ah helped ya ta see tha truth again."
"By possessing me? And what do you mean, a strange voice told you?"
"Yup, and Ah cain't rightly explain that second one. It was jus' there. Sounding rather weak, but still there."
"That isn't really reassuring." Danny muttered.
"Agreed," Tucker said with a flat look. "But can SOMEONE help me out of here first?" He glared at them from his less than comfortable spot in the wall.
"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Danny said awkwardly as he grabbed onto Tucker's arms, and pulled him out of his concrete embrace.
"Yeah, sure." He replied as he dusted himself off. "So, this is all nice and such, but what do we do now?"
His answer came in the form of a harsh, shrill laughter, and Danny, Tucker and Applejack turned to look at the individual standing in the hole in the wall where the front door used to be.
"Oh, look at that. The freak, the nerd and the pet. Why, you could be my main attraction, if I wasn't here to destroy you."
"What the…? Who's that?" Applejack asked, taking a few steps back.
"It can't be," Tucker said in disbelief.
"It is," Danny groaned bitterly, looking at the individual standing there before them.
Pale white skin. A thick jacket, colored a deep, almost black purple. And a bowler hat with the same color scheme. Two earrings with a gem attached to it, shaped like a starburst. A solid gold cane, a deep red gem placed at the bottom of the cane, while a golden sculpture of his head was placed at the top. And, to top it all off, a mad look in his cold violet eyes.
A dark regal form flew through the night's sky, and the powerful flapping of wings could be heard in the otherwise silent night. For many nights now Luna had stood in wait. Waiting for Danny to go to sleep, and for her task to ease his mind. Every night he would emit the same disturbance she had sensed all those nights ago. And every night she was unable to help him. She was at her wit's end, only able to stand on the sidelines, but never able to help the one that truly needed her help.
But now. Now something else was going on, something much worse, and princess Luna made great haste to get to Ponyville as fast as she could. To Tartarus with pegasus pulled chariots or royal protocol. If you want something to be done right, you have to do it yourself. Whatever it was that was causing Danny's mind to be restless like that, it was spreading, and she was no longer able to just stand on the sideline. No, she would have to take more drastic actions. She would find out what was happening in the mind of Danny, one way, or the other. But to do that, she had to go to the source.
With another powerful thrust of her wings, Luna sped through the sky. It would still take some time to get to Ponyville, but her single minded determination made her push herself as hard as she could go without the use of her magic. She would have need of her magic if she wanted to solve this mystery once and for all, and tiring herself out by using her magic for something her wings could do as well would just not do. Despite what many thought about herself and her sister, they were no gods, and they both had their limitations. Of course these limits lay beyond the point of any ordinary pony, and as such they would see them as deities. Just as her sister had proven time and time again, as she managed to eat more cake than would seem possible. In fact, there has been only one pony Luna had ever met that seemed to defy the odds, and proved she was more than capable to hold her own against Celestia in any cake eating opportunity. How Pinkie Pie managed to do so would, however, forever remain a mystery.
A slight grin formed on her muzzle with her train of thought, before she shook her head and focused her sight on the distant village, and one small home in particular; Luna moved with speed and determination, stopping for nothing or nopony.
"I will get to the bottom of this. That I promise you, Danny Manson."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Freakshow." The name left Danny's mouth, and a shudder of disgust went down his spine. Tucker, too, didn't seem all that happy with his sudden appearance. Yet Applejack had a look of confusion on her as she looked at Freakshow.
"In the corporeal flesh." He answered with a harsh laugh, his arms held wide as if he was receiving a round of applause.
"Ehh. Who is this guy?" Applejack asked, somewhat weirded out by the strange human.
"Oh dear, where are my manners?" Freakshow said overly dramatic, and held his cane up before his mouth, using it as a microphone. His voice was enhanced, and sounded all around as he spoke.
"Humans, ponies and freaks all around. Please put your hands, hooves or other bodily parts together for moi, Freakshow. Your host for this performance, and future ringmaster of all."
"Ehh… wha?" Applejack mumbled, and Danny and Tucker shot an angry glare at Freakshow. But before any of them could say or do anything else, Freakshow continued speaking.
"Of course you are wondering what amazing, terrifying feats you will be witnessing today. But let me tell you, we've spared no expense for today's show. We've got right here, for all to see. Today's ghost entertainment, the one and only, Applejack!" he called out, his voice ringing in their ears as he turned to Tucker.
"And over here we have Tucker Foley. The sleek, the weak, techno geek. Oh, let me tell you folks, this boy is a true wizard with anything technology. But how will he fare with today's challenges? Why, there is only one way to find out." Freakshow said with manic glee, before turning to Danny. His voice, as well as his posterior shifting as his eyes met that of the half ghost. A hint of anger and challenge mixed in with his deranged announcement.
"And of course, Danny Fenton! Half human, half ghost, all terrifying. The Terror of Amity Park. Murderer of Samantha Manson. The embodiment of evil itself. But that's not all, oh no freaks. He left his friends and family behind, caused massive destruction to very expensive scanner technology. And, maybe the worst offense of all. He didn't pay the rent for his Earthly home. Oh, the shame. How oh how will this criminal deal with the coming challenges? Only time will tell."
"WHAT. THA. HAY!" Applejack said, loudly. Shaking her head to get rid of the ringing in her ears.
"Alright, Freakshow. Show's over." Danny said darkly as he charged energy into both his hands.
"Yeah, what makes you think we would do anything with your mark on it?" Tucker shouted, glaring at the freak of shows.
"Why, you ask? Simple. I have something you want." He answered, and with a wave of his cane a cage with bat wings attached to it descended from the clouds and into view.
"Allow me to introduce to you our audience, as well as today's prize. If you manage to claim them." Freakshow said with a twisted grin as he turned to the descending cage, "On the right, we have two loving figures who spoil their son just a bit too much. Give a round of applause for Mary and Robert Axel Foley, who made their son all, but allergic to vegetables."
"MOM! DAD!" Tucker shouted as he stared wide eyed at his parents locked up in the cage.
"And on the left, we have two overbearing rich folks who wish to shape their daughter into their image, instead of allowing her to be herself. However, it would seem that their dear Samantha is a no show, so it is up to honest Applejack to fight for their freedom!"
"Wait! What?" Applejack said, aghasted.
Freakshow then looked at the two people in the middle of the cage, and his twisted grin grew even more wicked.
"And for the home team we have a jolly old fat man and his wife. Oh, no no kids. It isn't Santa. Instead, we have the displeasure of dealing with Jack Fenton, and his too good for him wife, Madeline Fenton. Proud parents of two. One of them missing in action, and the other a compulsive liar and criminal."
"Freakshow." Danny growled the name through gritted teeth, hands balled into fists so tightly they were shaking.
"Ahhh. Family reunions. Aren't they just the best?" Freakshow asked with fake innocence as he turned around on the spot, arms held wide as if he was soaking up a round of applause.
"Oh, what joy. But for an audience, they are rather quiet." He continued as he shot a sideways look at the parents locked up and gagged in the cage. "Let's fix that." And with that he lifted up his cane, and with a purple flash their gags vanished.
"Danny, get out of here! Run! He's crazy, save yourself!" Maddie shouted at her son, her eyes wide in fear.
"Listen to her, son." Jack said with a pleading tone. "She knows what she's talking about."
"Tucker, you too. Get out of here!" His father yelled while his mother was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Samantha! SAMANTHA! Where is my daughter? What have you done with her you monster!?" Pamela shrieked as she and her husband looked for their daughter, but found only her two friends, a pony and the fiend that was doing all of this to them.
"Please, please, do calm down. There is no need to be afraid… yet. And don't worry, your children are perfectly safe, for now. And as for your daughter, she's fine as well. Although, she did suffered from a slight case of rigor mortis, but that shouldn't really stop her." Freakshow said with fake care, drawing the attention of everyone back to himself.
"WHAT!?" Both of Sam's parents shouted at what Freakshow had said about their daughter, and his sick grin grew only larger.
"Oh yes. But don't take my word for it, just ask dear old Danny over here." Freakshow said as he turned his back to the caged parents and looked Danny dead in the eyes, a shadow falling over his own. "After all, he is the one that killed her."
*WHAM*
With a massive swing, Danny slammed his gauntleted fist against Freakshow's face, making him stagger backwards while clutching his jaw.
"How dare you?" Danny growled at him, a red glow surrounding the gauntlet, which made his parents gasp out in surprise.
Freakshow didn't answer. Instead, he only laughed as he rubbed his sore jaw.
"Ah yes, there it is. Let it out, Daniel. The anger, the rage. Show your parents who you really are. Show them the ghost you really are."
"WHAT!?" Maddie, Jack and the other parents gasped; looking at Danny as the glow around the gauntlet intensified for a moment, and his parents could see something on their son they had never seen before.
A look of pure rage.
"I don't have time for your stupid games. Let them go, NOW!"
"Or else, what? Why do you even care, they aren't real. This is all just a dream, remember. And they, familiar as they may be, are just an illusion."
Not happy with this answer, Danny grabbed Freakshow by the collar and pulled him closer to him, staring into his eyes with burning anger.
"Then why do you even bother hurting them?" Danny growled back at him.
"Just so I can get close to you." Freakshow answered with a laugh, and Danny's eyes widened as he realized he had played into his hand.
Freakshow's cane glowed with a purple aura, and Danny was forcefully pulled away from him. Hanging in mid air in front of his parents, struggling to break free. Not stopping there, Freakshow used his magic to pull away the gauntlet from Danny, and threw it away into the distance.
Tucker saw where it flew to, and was quick to run after it. But before he even took three steps, he, too, was stopped by a purple aura surrounding his body, freezing him on the spot.
"Ah ah aaahh. There is no leaving for what is still to come." Freakshow said mockingly as he dragged Tucker back to the rest, "And there is a lot to come."
"What the..." Tucker muttered as he was pulled back, not understanding anything about what was happening. "How does he do this?"
"I don't know, but somehow it seems familiar." Danny replied through gritted teeth.
"It sure does." Applejack said, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Freakshow, trying to find an opening to buck his skinny flank. "It looks almost like Twilight's magic."
"Why dear Applejack, you are correct." Freakshow said while clapping softly, making her and Danny look at him with a confused look.
"What, after all the things you have already been through, all the things you've seen, all the things the others have become. Frightened Fluttershy as the enraged manticore. Or Rarity as your old friend Undergrowth. And what about your sister mixed with Rainbow Dash. And now we also have Applejack as a ghost. It seems only fitting that I would be the most magically inclined of you lot. Hah, I don't even have need of that gauntlet of yours." Freakshow said with a smug grin, but for a split second his face only showed a hint of fear with the thought about the gauntlet, and the elements that powered it. But it vanished before any of them could see it, and his sick smile quickly found its way back on his face.
"But of course I couldn't let you keep it, seeing how it would be unfair to have both ghost powers and the power to change everything as you see fit. There really wouldn't be much of a challenge there, now would it? So here we are. My magic against your ghost powers."
"Let him go, you monster! He doesn't know what you are talking about!" Maddie screeched.
"Oh really. Is that true, Danny?"
"I… eh… Wha... I mean…" Danny stumbled, caught within his old conflict of keeping the truth from his parents, even if they weren't real.
"Tick tock goes the clock." Freakshow said in a sing-song voice. "And you are all out of time."
With a manic laugh, Freakshow swung his cane like a baseball bat. And, in a flash of dark purple, Danny was flung away, the wind knocked out of him from the sudden blast.
"DANNY!"
"NOO!"
His parents yelled, while everyone else screamed out in fear and shock. Except for Freakshow, who looked at the horizon with his hand above his eyes, blocking out the sun as he watched Danny fly through the air with a less than graceful arc.
"I'm not sure if I can call that a homerun, seeing that he is moving away from his home." Freakshow muttered as he rubbed his head, then shrugged and turned to the rest of his captives.
"Now, while we wait for our star attraction, why don't we pass the time with one of our sideshows." He suggested darkly, a sick grin plastered on his face as he turned to look at Tucker and Applejack. Both of them swallowed loudly
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny flew through the air with a soundless scream, wondering why, if all of this was fake, why did it hurt? The pain from all the things he was forced to go through had made him more sensitive to any physical blows, and this time was no different. The pain blinded him, which was a blessing in disguise, as he didn't see the ground coming closer and closer.
With a full force body slam, Danny cratered in the pavement of one of the city's many streets, and his pained nerve endings screamed in agony at him.
He just lay there, unable to move, not wanting to move. Pain kept him down, but it was something else that kept him from pushing on regardless of what he was forced to endure.
"Why did I hesitate?" He asked himself with a weak, pained groan.
"Because you were lying to yourself."
Danny would have jerked around to see who was talking, if his body didn't scream at him to remain lying. Still, he knew the voice. And with some effort, he managed to shift his head in such an angle that he was able to see the dark goth woman kneeling down at his side, one of her hands stretched out to him.
"Need a hand?" Sam asked, concern and worry thick in her voice.
"Sam." Danny wheezed weakly, unable to do any more than that.
Sam noticed, and shook her head sadly as she reached down and, carefully, pulled Danny into a sitting position.
"You're in an even worse shape than I thought." She said softly, and placed her right hand on his chest. A warm yellow glow surrounded her hand, and the energy seeped into his body. "Here, this should help." She told him as her healing energy began its work.
For several minutes nothing was said between them. Danny unable to do so, and Sam not wanting to agitate him any further.
Danny could feel the energy do its work, though. And gradually his labored, pained breathing was replaced with calm, deep breaths. And, with his restored energy, came clarity. It was a feeling at first, a pressure at the back of his mind. But as the seconds ticked by, a question came to the forefront of his mind. A question that needed answering.
"Sam." Danny spoke up. "Where were you?"
"Dealing with the source of the problem." She answered without pause. "It didn't go so well."
"What do you mean?"
"... I rattled the cage, but didn't realize the door was unlocked."
"Aha..." Danny muttered, and his gaze dropped down at the hand resting on his chest. "So, you have healing powers now?"
"Danny, don't evade the problem here." Sam said, her hand that held him by the shoulder squeezing a bit firmer into him.
"What problem?" Danny asked evasively.
"Why you hesitated. I was on my way to you, I saw what happened. Danny, for all that you are. For all that you have done, and are going to do. For all that you accept yourself to be, there is still a part of you that resist all of it."
"What do you mean?" Danny asked, but deep down he already knew the answer.
"Your parents. It's not really them. They're you. They're the memories you have of them. You didn't lie to them. You lied to yourself. The part of you that doesn't want to be exposed to those close to you held you back. You're afraid of being rejected by them, maybe even hated. You locked down because of this, and that's why you hesitated." She told him, and the glow around her hand vanished as she pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes.
"But… Then what should I do?"
"Accept who you are, completely."
"But didn't I already do that, back when Shadow spoke to me with the whole Undergrowth thing." Danny said, more to himself than Sam as he looked away from her. Sam gave him a look of confusion, though, as she didn't know about that.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"It was after I pulled everyone away before Undergrowth managed to crush us. He spoke to me after that, he helped me figure out who I am."
"And that is?"
Locking his eyes with her, he said the same thing he said to Shadow. "I'm Danny Phantom!" He said it with conviction. But his eyes drifted away from hers after he said so, something still nagging at him.
Sam sighed deeply, thinking she understood the dilemma that was happening within Danny.
"Yes you are. And yet, you are not." She said cryptically, and Danny shot her a questioning look.
"Danny, your ghost part is only half the story. You are human as well. Two different beings, and yet, the same. You live two separate lives. In one you are Danny Fenton, in the other you are Danny Phantom. When one side shows up, the other leaves. Only Tucker, Jazz, myself and a very few others know both of them. Others do not. And you are afraid to allow others to see you for what you really are. You hesitated because you weren't sure who, or what you really are. To you parents you are their human son, and not one of those ghosts they hunt."
"But they aren't even real. Why does it matter so much to me then?"
"It matters because you make it matter." She said sagely, and Danny deflated a bit as he sighed out, looking out to his home in the distance.
"Then what do I do?"
"It's not about what you can do. It's about what others can do for you." She answered, and Danny, once more, looked at her with confusion written on his face.
"You need some people in your life that don't know you as just Danny Fenton or Danny Phantom, but who know you as both. Just as Tucker and I did all those years ago. Danny, make some friends!"
Before he could respond to that, an explosion sounded in the distance, and a wave of purple energy washed over them. All around them the world changed, tuning into some twisted mockery of the dreamt reality. A nightmare.
"Making friends will have to wait." Danny said resolute as he stood up, a glow in his eyes as he watched at the epicenter of where the wave of energy had come from.
"What are you going to do?" Sam asked as she, too, stood back up.
"Accept who I am."
A pleased smile found its way to Sam's face, which turned sour as she turned her gaze to Danny's house, and Freakshow, in the distance.
"I'm coming with you." She said, and hovered off the ground, intending to fly there.
"No!" Danny said as he grabbed her by the arm.
"You can't do this alone, Danny." Sam said as she looked him in the eyes.
"But I am not alone. I've got you, don't I?" he said with a smirk, a plan forming in his head.
"Then why won't you let me go with you?"
"Because I have something better in mind." he answered, his voice full of confidence as he looked back at his childhood house.
<<>><<>><<>>
"This is insane! YOU ARE INSANE!" Tucker yelled at Freakshow as he balanced on top of a rope suspended above a pit of lava with alligators in it. "And this doesn't even make sense."
"Sense? What fun is there in sense?" Freakshow said with manic glee. "Besides, this is a nightmare, is it not? Who said it has to be Danny's, though?"
"Ya won't git away with this!" Applejack said with labored breath as she was forced to run for her afterlife, chased by a giant apple with a large mouth filled with sharp teeth and bat wings growing out of it sides.
"Oh, Applejack. Don't be such a party pooper. Besides, I'm not all that bad. And you look a bit tired, let me help you with that." Freakshow said with fake sincerity, and a purple aura formed around his cane.
In a flash of light, Applejack's body turned into a gelatinous substance, freezing her on the spot as she was no longer able to move.
"There, doesn't that feel better?" He asked mockingly, while the frightened pony looked with wide, fearful eyes at the giant apple which was about to descend upon her.
The parents locked up in the cage weren't doing much better. Sure, they weren't forced through any of those kind of ordeals, but they were forced to watch. And, although they didn't really know the pony, they still couldn't help but feel disgusted by what was done to her. But, Tucker's parents had it the worst of them all, as they were also forced to see what this monster was doing to their son.
Mary screamed out as she saw her son lose balance, which set of a chain reaction as all the other parents started to yell, scream or shout. Tucker also let his fear get the best of him, and let out a less than masculine yell as he fell down. Only to be able to grab the rope at the last second, and save himself. But that did nothing to stop the feared scream from Applejack as the giant pony eating apple moved in for the kill.
A bright green flash lit up the area, and wet explosion drew everyone's attention to the smoldering remains of what used to be an apple; now just a messy heap of steaming fruit and juices.
"What is this?" Freakshow said angrily, not liking that his show was interrupted.
"Shows over, Freakshow!" Danny said loudly as he stood at the far end of the street, green smoke coming from his right hand from the discharge.
"Danny!" his parents yelled, relieved to see their son was fine.
Danny's eyes flicked to them, as well as the other adults locked in the cage, before returning his angry glare to Freakshow, his hands tightened into fists, shaking from anger.
"Oh, will you look at that. Our star attraction, fashionably late as ever." Freakshow said, almost too pleased as a dark, sick grin replaced his annoyed glare. "Are you here for your big debut?"
"Actually, I am." Danny replied as he started walking to the insane person, his eyes locked on his.
"Danny, no! Get out of here!" his mother screamed at him.
"It's alright, mom." Danny answered without looking away. "This was bound to happen anyhow."
"Wha-.." She muttered quietly as she watched her son walk towards that monster, not showing any sign of fear. Yet, she couldn't help but feel afraid for her son's well being, and she held on tightly to Jack for moral support.
Danny continued moving towards Freakshow, a flash of green showing in his eyes again, that his parents weren't able to see. But It made Freakshow smirk even wider as he knew a fight was imminent. He was, however, completely surprised when Danny walked past him, and towards the lava filled pit with Tucker still holding on to the rope for dear life.
Not stopping at the edge, Danny stepped on the rope, using his levitating ability to keep in perfect balance while walking to his friend. His parents, as well as the other adults gasped out loud as they saw him move without any problem over the flimsy rope. And Tucker's parents let out a sigh of relief as Danny pulled their son back up, and helped him back to solid ground.
Danny said something to Tucker, but they were unable to hear what. Tucker gave Danny a confirming nod, and they were glad to see he ran away from all of this as fast as he could.
"What are you doing?!" Freakshow said madly, not liking to be ignored, or that his show was interrupted.
Danny ignored him, making Freakshow grind his teeth in frustration, as he moved to Applejack.
"Are you alright?" he asked the gelatinized pony.
"Well, Ah'm not eaten by that apple thingy." She said with a shudder, which made her wobble on the spot. "But Ah cain't rightly say that Ah am alright either."
"Just hang tight, I'll figure this out."
"Not like Ah am going anywhere." She answered flatly, still wobbling a bit.
Giving her a nod of acknowledgement, Danny turned around and met eyes with Freakshow once more. Seeing the mad look in his eyes, and the power that was hidden behind them. A power that originated from his cane. The cane he would have to take away from him, somehow.
"Are you done playing around?" Freakshow all but growled.
"I could ask the same of you." Danny answered bitterly. "But yes. I'm done with just playing around. It's time to get serious." His eyes a glowed green.
"Danny?" His mother said in quiet shock, and his eyes looked at her.
"And no more lies either. I will fight you as I am, the real me."
Freakshow's grin grew even wider at Danny's words. "So it is time for the main event," and his cane glowed a dark purple, changing the streets and buildings into a large arena not unlike the colosseum with the two of them at its center. The caged adults locked in place within the V.I.P. section, while Applejack stood on a pedestal like some mascot.
"Ahh, here we are. An arena fit for a freakshow, and a Freakshow fit for an arena." Freakshow said cheerfully. "Let the games commence." He added as his tone shifted to menacing.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon was once more watching the events play out before her, but not as she was used to. Before, she could watch, and if she felt like it, influence the course of events as she saw fit. Now, she was was forced to watch her pawn act on its own based on its given personality. It was frustrating, to say the least. The orange glowing energy surrounding her didn't help either, even if she had a shield of darkness around herself. But there was something else, something much more infuriating that made her grit her teeth in frustration. Mainly, this pink menace that seemed to pop in and out of existence at any given time.
She was frustrating. She was annoying. She was completely out of control.
"HEY THERE, MOONY!"
She was behind her.
"GHRAAAGGH." Nightmare Moon growled out in frustrated anger as she glared daggers at the hyperactive pink menace, who was knocking on the shadow like shield repeatedly
"Do you want to come out and play?"
Nightmare Moon turned around sharply, lowering herself in an aggressive stance as she spread her wings, eyes aglow.
"NO YOU PINK FREAK, I DO NOT WANT TO COME OUT AND PLAY. SHOULD I DO SO, I WILL TEAR YOU APART MOLECULE BY MOLECULE. BUT I MIGHT STILL HAVE USE FOR YOU, YET MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN, AND DESTROYING YOU SEEMS MORE AND MORE ENTERTAINING BY THE SECOND."
"A simple no would have been enough." Pinkie sulked as her mane deflated a bit, her lower lip trembling.
"NO!"
"O- oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie said sadly as she slowly walked away, looking forward into the orange glow surrounding everything. She came to a sudden stop, however, when she saw something. A spot of orange several shades darker than the surrounding glow.
Blinking several times, she scratched her head as she stared at the somewhat darker spot, which would have been impossible to see for anyone, save a certain logic bending pony.
"Hello?" She said with a quiet, uncharacteristic voice. And the spot split in two as a pair of orange glowing eyes looked down at her with a puzzling look in them.
Brightening up immediately, Pinkie Pie's mane poofed back to its cotton candy state as she bounced happily on the spot.
"HIYA. Do you want to be my friend?" She chirped happily, drawing the attention of Nightmare Moon again.
"I already told you. I do-.... Impossible."
Glowing green eyes met glowing orange, and Shadow faded back into view, his dark form completely out of place within the bright glow.
Shadow burst into motion, spreading around like an ink stain in water, consuming all it could in the mass that was his body. Twisting and turning around the protective bubble that was Nightmare Moon's shield, pressing down on it until cracks started to form, and glowing orange starting to seep in.
All the while, Pinkie Pie sat there shouting ooohs and aaahs, oblivious to the situation she found herself in.
"What are you doing?" Nightmare Moon shouted as she tried to suppress the feeling of fear a god such as herself should not be able to feel.
"Just helping a friend," the disembodied voice of Shadow answered from the swirl of inky darkness surrounding Nightmare Moon's protective shield. "So, Moony. Why don't you come out to play?" He asked mockingly as he increased the force pressing onto the shield, and cracks spread around in a spider web like fashion.
Nightmare Moon hissed in response as the harmonious light of honesty touched her, and pure black smoke rose up from her body where she was touched.
"DON'T THINK THIS WILL CHANGE ANYTHING! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE THIS APE! MY PAWN WILL DEAL WITH HIM, ONCE AND FOR ALL. AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP HIM!" Nightmare Moon desperately shouted at Shadow, which only made him laugh as his face materialized in front of the shield.
"Stop him. Why would I do that?" He asked her, making her look at Shadow in confusion. "It's funny, really. All this time you are trying to drain and destroy my master. But, in the end, you do exactly the opposite. All I ever tried to do was make him see and accept who he really is. And, thanks to you, he just got the final push." Shadow told her with a wicked grin, and the shield started to groan and creak in protest as more and more faults started to form.
Nightmare Moon sat with wide, fearful eyes as the full meaning of what Shadow had said hit home. Her fear was soon replaced, however, with anger and rage as she forced as much of her energy into maintaining her shield, while spewing curses at Shadow at the same time. But it only delayed the inevitable, as more and more structural weaknesses damaged the shield, until it finally collapsed.
Nightmare Moon hissed and screamed as the light washed over her, burning away the darkness she was made of. Her very being stripped away, leaving nothing behind but a husk similar like Shadow was before the element of honesty healed him.
Shadow watched the last wisps of darkness drift away, knowing she was not yet defeated. She still had some of the energy of Danny within her, and she would undoubtedly use it to restore herself. At Least this brought them some time.
"Wait! Where did she go?" Pinkie Pie wondered as she looked around for any trace of Nightmare Moon, even going as far as to look behind her flank to make sure she hadn't sat on her.
"She's gone, for now. But she'll be back." Shadow answered as he looked down at the pink pony, while his body returned to its original shape.
"Aaaaww." Pinkie moaned sadly. "And she was just warming up to me."
Shadow didn't know how to answer that, so he just remained silent while focusing his attention to the events transpiring within the construct he made, corrupted beyond any recognition.
He saw Danny, standing eye to eye with Nightmare Moon's pawn. Energy coursed through his being, which Shadow could feel himself. He knew his master was close to accepting himself fully, but there was still one more thing that needed to be done, if he would have any chance against Nightmare Moon in the coming struggles.
"Come, Pinkie. I have need of your help."
"Hmmpfhmmm." Pinkie Pie mumbled with a mouthful of popcorn, sitting in a foldout chair with a bowl full of the snack in her lap. "Hold on. We're getting to the good part."
Shadow sighed explosively as he hung his shoulders and arms, giving her a flat look.
"Want some?" Pinkie asked as she pushed the bowl in Shadow's face, never looking away from the starting fight.
Looking at the full bowl, then at Pinkie Pie, then back again, Shadow relented and grabbed a handful of the snack, Settling into the chair the silly mare had set up for him without him noticing.
"I would ask how you did that, if I didn't already know not to ask." He said as he looked at the white snack in his dark hand. "I don't even need to eat?" He muttered to himself, then shrugged, and threw the handful in his open mouth. A spark of joy went through his being thanks to this strange pony sitting by his side with the, now empty, bowl placed lopsided on top of her head, as she screamed and hollered at the fight between Danny and Freakshow.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Let the games commence." Freakshow said with twisted glee, and his cane gave a short burst of magic.
Danny looked around startled for a moment, before his gaze turned back to the maniac before him.
"Funny," he said sarcastically. "Now it's my turn."
The world seemed to rotate around him as Danny gathered all his strength, and everyone present, his parents, as well as Tucker's and Sam's, Applejack and Freakshow looked at him with various levels of understanding about what he was doing.
"I'm going ghost!"
The parents gasped out loud when a white band of energy appeared around Danny's waist, and Maddie made a sound of fright as it split in two, moving both up and down over her son's body, transforming him. His skin became as pale as a corpse, and his blue eyes became a glowing green, while his hair became as white as snow. His clothes turned into a black jumpsuit with white gloves, belt and boots. And a capital D with a lowercase p inside of it was displayed on his chest.
"D- Danny…." She said, barely above a whisper, completely shocked. As were the rest of the parents locked in the V.I.P. boot.
"Aahhh, there he is. Our star of today's show finally showed up," said Freakshow, who didn't seem all that impressed with Danny's transformation. While Danny's parents had trouble pulling their lower jaws back up. And Applejack stood wobbling on the spot while cheering for him.
Flying up a meter above the ground, Danny held both hands up by his side with the palm up, and channeled his energy into his open hands. Two orbs of glowing, almost burning, green energy formed, basking his pale complexion in the green glow, making him seem even more ominous as he shot an angry glare at Freakshow.
"A party! I love parties. I need to get my party can- Mmmph.." Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly, before Shadow cut her off by wrapping a hand around her muzzle.
"Okay, time to go." Shadow said forcefully as he dragged the pony with him, while Pinkie Pie was putting up as much protest as she could. She really didn't want to miss this party. Although, in her own expert opinion, they needed streamers. Lots and lots of streamers. Maybe some balloons. But, most importantly of them all, they needed cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes.
Her struggle to resist Shadow weakened as her mind drifted off to those delicious treats, and their divine frosting. That tasty, tasty frosting.
Drool seeped out of her mouth as she was completely lost in a world of bliss. While, at the same time in the waking world, Pinkie Pie had completely rolled herself up in her blanket while biting and drooling in her pillow. A very happy smile on her face as visions of frosting filled lakes came to mind.
And, back in the mind of Danny, Shadow looked down at the unresponsive pony, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I'm not getting paid enough for this sh-"
A pink hoof slammed into his mouth, cutting him off. While the owner of said hoof was still lost in her own world, not seeming to know what was going on around her.
<<>><<>><<>>
Out in the distance, standing on top of the destroyed remains of her former home, Sam watched as Danny broke away one of the last shackles that was holding him down. Only to be brought back to her own little corner of this nightmare by the labored breathing of Tucker, who was standing with hands on knees, gasping for air as he had run all the way to her.
Jumping down to the ground, Sam landed before him with a flap of her wings, scaring the living daylights out of Tucker, who fell backwards with a scream.
"SAM!" He yelled in annoyance, receiving only a smirk in return.
"Are you done playing?" She asked, holding out her hand to help him back up.
Grumbling under his breath, Tucker took the offered hand, and was pulled back on his feet.
"You know where it is?" Sam asked, cutting directly to the case.
"I have a rough idea," he answered.
"Good, then let's get going. Danny can only keep that guy busy for so long."
Nodding, Tucker took off, leading Sam to where he saw the reality gauntlet fly off to.
<<>><<>><<>>
Explosions rocked the area, and Mary and Pamela screamed in fear while keeping close to their husbands, who weren't doing much better, but tried to keep their composure for their wives sake. Maddie and Jack, however, didn't know what to do. If the level of violence going on wasn't bad enough to make them flinch, then the fact it was their son taking some of those hits would.
'How did this happen? How did we not notice? We need to help him!' Were some of the thoughts going through the mind of the concerned mother, and she and Jack did all they could to support their son. Even if that was only shouting their support to him. Danny was fighting for them, and he needed to know that they believed in him, ghost or no ghost.
But, even with the moral support, Danny had a hard time dealing with his adversary. Where the previous encounters he had were with mostly mindless constructs, a pawn made to do the bidding of another, Freakshow did not seem to have such a limitation. He certainly was stronger than Danny remembered him being, and it was obvious that that was because of the part of Twilight being mixed with him.
Danny didn't know anything about what Twilight was capable of. But, if this was any indication, he really didn't want to piss her off. Logic would also say that this knowledge came from Nightmare Moon, so Danny was at a complete disadvantage. He only knew about what Freakshow was capable of, but now. He was in the complete dark to the full potential of his powers.
True, he only needed to keep him busy while Sam and Tucker would do the real work. But another blow to his gut by a purple bolt shot from Freakshow's cane made him rethink the statement of them doing the hardest part.
With a scream, Danny fell to the ground, only to catch himself before he crashed. Landing on his legs with speed, he was forced to his knee from the blow.
Panting loudly, he looked up through his brow, an angry glow showing in his eyes while energy engulfed his hands, making it seem as if the air around him burned with green fire.
"What, is that it?" Freakshow asked unsure. "I expected better from you."
Danny growled a curse under his breath, when, suddenly, a devious smirk found its way on his face.
Turning invisible, he faded away from sight. Freakshow reacted to this by sending a shockwave of energy at his position. But when the blast hit, there was no cry of pain, or any other indication Danny was hit. Dust and smoke settled down on the ground, and a small hole in the ground showed itself. But there was no body, dead or otherwise, and Freakshow gritted his teeth as he now had to play hide and seek.
"Coward! Where are you?"
"Behind you," came the chilling response.
In a blast of green, Freakshow was launched away. Clutching tightly onto his cane, he used his magic to teleport to safety while shooting another beam of energy at Danny. Having anticipated this, Danny turned his midsection into an intangible trail, allowing his upper body to move in a different direction than his lower body. Using this, he twisted and turned out of the beam's path, only missing it with mere inches to spare as the scalding hot beam passed by his face. Turning his body back whole, Danny fired his own barrage of beams and bolts, peppering the area around Freakshow, who had projected a shield around him to absorb the damage.
"Is that all?" Freakshow said again. "I don't even have to try. You're weak, powerless, pathetic. All that power, and yet you don't know how to use it."
"And yet I have a power that you will never have. A strength you will never be able to understand." Came Danny's reply.
"And what would that be, hmmm?" Freakshow asked mockingly, not believing he was actually telling the truth.
"Friends!"
A wave of energy moved over the area, and everything turned back to the way it was supposed to be. Freakshow looked around in horror as his wonderfully destroyed world was restored. But he didn't have much time to dwell on it, as he was, with a loud: "Yeehaa!" bucked in the ass by Applejack, now no longer gelatinized.
Freakshow was sent flying through the air, followed shortly later by his cane, over which he had lost grip of thanks to the less than gentle lower back massage
"Howdy pardner," she greeted Danny with a sly grin. "Don't mind me coming crashing this party?"
****
Meanwhile, Shadow had trouble containing Pinkie Pie, who seemed to suffer from a panic attack from those words.
****
"No, not at all. It was getting a bit dull, wouldn't you say?"
"I reckon you're right."
****
"YOU NEEDED STREAMERS! STREAMERS!"
****
"So, ya got yer friend Tucker ta get that reality thingy while ya kept him busy."
"You got it. Now, don't you think it's time to dethrone this party king, or what?"
"My thoughts exactly. Heh, Pinkie'd freak if she'd seen this."
****
Silence.
Silence.
"WORST PARTY EVER!"
****
"What a lovely choice of words." Freakshow said, blood seeping out of a cut at the left side of his head. "Now, I don't like interruptions like that, and I'm afraid I have to disqualify you. Which means your prize is no longer needed either.
With a mad look in his eyes, he raised his cane high up in the air, a purple aura glowing around it.
"What about a magic trick? I'm going to make these parents… disappear."
"No you're not!"
Turning his head to see who it was that dared interrupt him, Freakshow didn't even have time to blink in surprise when Sam flew over him, grabbed his cane out of his hands and flew away up in the air with it.
"Samantha?" Pamela said, shocked seeing her daughter like that.
"Hey, mom. It's been a while." Sam said over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off of Freakshow. "No time to catch up, though. A lot going on right now."
".... Samantha?" Pamela squeaked a second time, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. A look that was mirrored by Jeremy, Mary, Robert, Jack and Maddie.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Robert shouted, but never receiving an answer.
"So, Freakshow." Sam began as she twirled the cane in her hand. "What was it that you wanted to do with our parents?"
She descended to the ground as she said that, a full green glow in her eyes, which caused Freakshow to back away nervously, only for him to bump in Danny who had taken his place behind him.
"Now, let's not do anything rash, huh?" he said with a hint of fear as he held both hands up before him in a non threatening manner, slowly moving away from Danny, only to be stopped by Applejack. Three sets of glowing green eyes looked at him, staring down at him, and Freakshow quickly ran to the one opening left for him to escape. He was stopped in his tracks, however, when Tucker appeared out of nowhere, and a red glow surrounded the gauntlet covering his hand.
"Going somewhere?" Tucker asked bitterly, and Freakshow backed away from Tucker as well, finding himself stuck in the center with three ghosts, and one very angry techno geek with the power to change reality.
"I didn't think so," Tucker said as he saw Freakshow's reaction, and lifted the gauntlet up to eye level, a glow surrounding it. Applejack, Sam, and Danny also lifted up an arm, or leg in Applejack's case, and a green glow surrounded their limb, aimed squarely at the unfortunate ringmaster in the center.
Shielding his face with one arm, while holding another stretched out before him to fend off any attack, Freakshow stumbled around, expecting to be hit at any time.
"NOW!" Danny jelled, and Tucker moved into action.
Pulling the gauntlet of his arm, Tucker placed it over Freakshow's outstretched arm, and the three elements on the side flashed in response, sensing one of their own; sensing the corruption tainting it.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight twisted and turned in her bed, a cold sweat covering her body as her dreams were plagued with cold emptiness, devoid of any color, laughter or friends. Nothing but a gaping hole swallowing her up, and she was powerless to escape it.
Spike, her number one assistant, looked at her with worry in his eyes as he was unable to wake her, and he was debating whether or not he should inform Princess Celestia. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and he was clueless for what he should to. He knew that, whatever this was, it was bad. She had actually woken him up with her frantic twisting and turning. THAT never happened.
Giving Twilight another slap in the face in an attempt to wake her, he missed the faint glow shining underneath the door. A glow that grew just a bit brighter as yet another element became active.
Kindness. Loyalty. Generosity. The three elements glowed with their own, unique light. By their side lay the dormant elements of laughter, honesty and magic. But it was magic that began to glow faintly, its power called upon by the three active elements. Bringing it out of its slumber, and pulling it away from the invading darkness that had managed to claim it for its own. Its purple glow became brighter and brighter, until it shone with the same intensity as the other three.
With a quiet hoot, Owlicious watched the elements react with unblinking eyes while, up above, Spike sighed out in relief as Twilight seemed to calm down, and settle in for a peaceful slumber.
Scratching his head, Spike hopped off her bed shaking his head, not sure what to make of this. So, he chose to deal with it like any self respecting dragon would do.
He went back to sleep.
<<>><<>><<>>
Freakshow screamed out as the magic of the elements did their work, and a swirl of colors glowed around his body. The three crystals placed within the gauntlet pulsed with their magic as they interacted with the element of magic imprisoned within the corruption. More and more power was forced in the swirls of color around Freakshow, and more and more power was lost to him. His cane, linked to him by Nightmare Moon's energy, crumbled into dust in Sam's hand, and blew away in the wind. Its power now lost to its wielder, as he, too, was detached from the magical source that powered him.
Everyone present eventually had to shield their eyes as the light became too bright, and none of them had any idea what was going on with Freakshow. His screams had died down some agonizingly long seconds ago, and all there was to hear was the warping sound of the magic doing its thing.
A flash so bright they could see it through their closed lids finished the job, and suddenly everything seemed just that much darker. Carefully opening their eyes to see if it was over, the oddly dim world came into view. Blinking several times to get rid of the spots in their vision, it took them several seconds to see what had happened to Freakshow.
He was gone, nothing remained of him. But in his place lay an unexpected being. The purple pony who belonged to the element extracted from Freakshow's grasp. She was unconscious, by the look of it, and a cold sweat covered her body, even though she had a calm smile on her face. Her right fore leg was covered with the shiny metal belonging with the reality gauntlet, which was transformed to fit on her leg. And the elements found in the slots at the gauntlet's side shone as brightly as ever, now joined with a fourth, starburst shaped crystal.
"Wh- What happened?" Applejack asked as she looked down at her friend with concern and confusion.
"Exactly what I hoped would happen." Danny answered.
"What do ya mean?" Applejack asked, looking at him.
"Well..."
<<>><<>><<>>
A short while earlier
"You can't do this alone, Danny." Sam said as she looked him in the eyes.
"But I am not alone. I've got you, don't I?" he said with a smirk, a plan forming in his head.
"Then why won't you let me go with you?"
"Because I have something better in mind." He answered, his voice full of confidence as he looked back at his childhood house.
"What are you planning?" Sam asked.
"You seem to know a lot more about what is going on than I do, so I hope that you know if this will work or not." Danny began, looking at his feet as he spoke. "These elements. They are connected, right?"
"Ehh.. Yes. I do believe so."
"And Freakshow is using the powers of Twilight. He said so himself."
"So?"
"She's an element too, right?"
Sam only nodded in response now, not entirely sure where he was going with this.
"I wonder what would happen if the elements in the gauntlet came in contact with Freakshow?"
"... Danny, you can't be serious?" Sam said in shock.
"But I am. I don't know much about any of this, but I do know they are powerful. And, seeing that they are meant for harmony, shouldn't they be able to harmonize that guy… Kinda. I don't know?"
Sam was silent for a long time, thinking over what Danny suggested. He did make a point concerning their purpose, but she wasn't sure if it would work in the way he thought.
"I'm not sure it will work. There are a lot of if's. And what if it doesn't work? Are you willing to risk all of this on a mere guess?"
Holding a hand under her chin, he brought her eyes up to see his.
"Hey, trust me. I know this will work. After all, this is my head, isn't it?"
Seeing the confidence in his eyes, Sam couldn't help but believe in him. Giving a nod of understanding, she stepped back from him, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.
"Then what do you need me to do?"
"Go home. I'll send Tucker to you. He saw what happened with the gauntlet. He'll be able to help you find it. Meanwhile, I will keep Freakshow busy."
Biting her lower lip in slight anxiety, Sam made a quick, rash decision.
Moving in closer to Danny, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Stay safe." She said before flying off, a heavy blush coloring her face.
Danny, too, had a red color showing on his face as he gingerly touched the spot Sam had kissed him. And, for a moment, he was fumbling on the spot.
Shaking his head to snap out of it, he turned back to look at his home again.
"I just hope this works," he muttered to himself, and flew home.
<<>><<>><<>>
Present time
"A guess!" Applejack said in loud disbelief. "A GUESS!?"
"Hey, it worked, did it not?" Danny said defensively, holding his hands up before him.
"You risked everything on a guess?!"
"Well… yeah."
Applejack didn't know what to do. One portion wanted to buck that thick head of his, while the other could only admire him for such a gutsy move. And it showed, as her face shifted through many emotions, not sure on which to settle.
"Hey, at least I'm honest about it."
Applejack pointed a hoof accusingly at him, but couldn't find any words to yell. So she stood there with her mouth opening and closing like a fish on dry land. And she would most likely have been standing there for moments longer, if a worried shout didn't pull her out of her musings.
"DANNY!" His parents yelled, followed shortly later by Tucker's parents who called out for their son. But the Manson's held back as they could only stare at their daughter.
Sam sighed out sadly, and shook her head as she slowly walked over to them. "Better get this over with," she muttered to herself.
"Danny!" Maddie shouted again, tackling her son in a bear hug. "Danny, why did you never tell us you were a ghost?" She asked as she held on to her son with surprising strength.
Looking over her shoulders, Danny looked at his father standing behind his wife, a proud smile showing. Behind him stood Applejack, giving Danny a confirming nod.
"Well, the truth is… You aren't really here, nothing here is really here. This is all a dream, an illusion. An illusion I really need to escape from. And you helped me with that in some way, too. You helped me accept who I am."
"What are you talking about?" His mother asked, worried.
"It'll take too long to explain. Just know that you and dad helped me in more ways than you know." Danny told her as he returned the hug, momentarily lost in nostalgia as he held his mother. And, as he did so, the world around him started to fade, as well as all those that belonged with it.
"I love you mom, dad." He said, and his father hugged him as well.
Jack and Maddie didn't know what was happening, all they knew was that their son saved them. And the three of them held each other tightly, until Danny grasped nothing more than thin air. His parents gone with the mental construct they came with. Only he, Tucker, Sam and Applejack were left. And, also, Twilight, who slowly came to with a groan, but didn't seem in a hurry to fully wake up.
"Are you alright?" Sam asked Danny as he rubbed away the wetness in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just coming to terms with myself. You?"
"Ehh…. Real or not, my folks didn't really take well to me being a ghost."
"Sorry to hear it." Danny said sadly, and then turned his attention to the waking purple mare, and Applejack who was standing by her side.
"Is she okay?" He asked her.
"She looks fine ta me, but that doesn't mean much in here. Wherever we are." Applejack answered.
Those words made Danny realize he, too, had no idea either where he was, and he quickly looked around to get some idea what this new place was like. Unfortunately, he recognized it all to well. It was the same clearing in the forest he found himself in back when this nightmare began, and he was running from Nightmare Moon herself.
"I got a bad feeling about this," he muttered nervously.
"Agreed." Sam said as she looked around as well. "Help Twilight back up, so we can find a way out of here."
Nodding, Applejack did what she could to bring her friend to their world. Which meant a lot of nudging, shouting, and the occasional slap across the muzzle
Leaves rustled around them, and Danny got the feeling something was stalking them. Surrounding his hands with a green glow, he illuminated the area the best he could, while taking a defensive stance in front of the two ponies.
Sensing the need to get moving, Applejack's less than subtle approach to wake her friend became even less subtle, and she shot a weak beam of ectoplasme at Twilight's flank.
With a yelp, Twilight bolted upright. Looking around with uncoordinated blinking eyes, she rubbed her sore flank while muttering several profanities revolving around Celestia'sp flank and Luna's teats. She froze in place, however, when her vision cleared out and she saw Applejack look at her with her glowing green eyes.
"GHAAA!" Twilight screamed as she flailed her front legs and fell backwards.
Flinching from the sudden shout, Applejack stepped closer to Twilight, looking down on her as she rubbed her head.
"Ya alright, sugarcube?"
"I... Yes…You… Applejack, what happened to you?... And what is this?" Twilight asked worriedly as she saw her friend, and then the gauntlet around her leg.
"What, this?" Applejack asked as she indicated the gauntlet. "Nothing much. It's jus' some reality bendin' doohickey. As for me, Ah'm a ghost."
"A gho- WHAT!?"
"Sure thing, just as they are." Applejack confirmed, and pointed a hoof at Danny and Sam.
"Wh- Who." Twilight asked, slightly afraid, turning her head to look who Applejack was pointing at.
Another scream left her as she saw the other two ghosts standing not too far away from her, one with his hands glowing green.
"Does she do that a lot?" Sam asked as she rubbed her ear.
"I have some experience with it, so yeah." Danny answered. "Also, AJ. We really don't have the time for this. Something is out there, and we really should get going."
"Going? Where? What is going on?" Asked the frightened and confused mare as she slowly sat back up, never taking her sight off of the ghosts.
"Right, sorry Danny." Applejack replied, and Twilight looked at Danny in shock. Then she looked at the logo on his chest, and a chill went down her spine.
"You're Danny Phantom!"
Fear was evident in her voice, as she was well aware of the crimes he had committed back on Earth, and she scurried to get away from him.
A pained look flashed over Danny's face, and he turned to look away from her, not wanting to see the fear on her face. Fear he had seen so many times before on others.
"HEY, he did nothing wrong." Sam said defensively, giving the purple unicorn an angry look.
"But he killed-"
"No one." Sam finished for her, a flash in her eyes making Twilight flinch. But the scholar in her made her continue, as clearly this ghost didn't know what she knew.
"But he is wanted for the murder of Samantha Manson."
"Iam Samantha Manson." That made Twilight shut up. "And he did not kill me."
"Guys, stop it." Danny hissed as he scanned the treeline.
"But she-"
"She doesn't know better, Sam." Danny said as he turned to look at her. There was no anger in his voice, just calm logic.
The sound of crunching leaves could be heard coming from behind him, and dread settled over Danny. He realized that by turning around he left himself, and the others exposed for anything that was stalking them. And, whatever it was that was doing the stalking, it was behind him.
Turning around with his hands aglow, Danny prepared for anything. He was, however, unprepared for what he found standing behind him.
Pink fur, and a flat pink mane. Blue eyes with a shadow covering them, and a large, wicked looking knife in one of her hooves.
"Hi there, Danny." Pinkie Pie said, sounding a bit insane, and everyone fell silent as they turned to look at her.
Twilight and Applejack swallowed loudly as they saw the one sight they feared most of all. Pinkie Pie with a flat mane. The knife didn't help either.
"Are you ready for a party?" The pink pony asked with a manic smile, raising her knife up a bit. "Because I certainly am." And with that, she launched forwards, and the eerily quiet forest was filled with screams.
Screams filled the eerily quiet forest as Pinkie Pie jumped towards Danny, a large knife held tightly in her hoof.
Danny, on reflex, projected a shield in front of him, intending to stop the crazy pony from bringing any harm to him.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Danny looked at Pinkie Pie through the green translucent, shimmering shield. And he shuddered involuntarily as he looked into her eyes, obscured mostly by the shadows they found themselves in.
Suddenly, where everything first seemed to move slower than normal, now everything moved at a faster pace, and he closed his eyes as Pinkie Pie was about to make contact with his shield. But the blow never came. No shimmer or ripple in the energy projection indicating it was hit. No drain on his energy, telling him no energy was used to deflect any attack. Nothing,. Nothing at all.
This, of course, left only one horrifying conclusion, and Danny dreadfully opened his eyes and looked down at his body.
Nothing. Just nothing. No crazy pony standing directly before him. No knife sticking in his chest, causing his green ectoplasmic blood to flow out. There wasn't even a knife to begin with.
"What the?" He murmured, and everyone else looked up at his words. A surprised gasp sounded all around as they saw what had happened, and Danny brought his gaze up just a bit to see what was happening on the other side of his shield.
"What the?" He repeated, but in an entirely different context.
Standing before his shield, balancing on her hind legs, was Pinkie Pie. Holding a plate with a slice of cake in her hooves as she gave Danny a kind, somewhat sad, smile; the shadow over her completely gone as she was standing in the silvery light of the moon shining through the trees. There was also a table standing on her side. A table filled with various pastries, and one large cake. A cake with a knife sticking in it, and a slice missing. A slice now being offered to Danny, who could only stare at the bizarre, unexpected sight.
"Don't worry, silly. I'm not going to hurt you. We're just here for your get well party.
"Ehh… What?!" Danny said, dumbfounded.
"Eh, Pinkie Pie." Applejack said hesitantly, looking warily at the pink mare's flat mane. "Are ya okay?"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Applejack and Twilight shared a quick look before she answered.
"Well, last time yer mane was down like that, ya were a bit... 'difficult' ta deal with."
"Oh, don't worry about that." Pinkie Pie said with a wave of her hoof, holding the plate balanced on a single hoof.
"If ya say so." Applejack replied, sounding a bit unsure as she eyed the pink party pony's deflated mane.
"So, Danny. Are you just going to stand there?" Pinkie Pie asked the confused ghost, shaking him out of his stupor.
Slowly Danny dropped his hands to his side, the glow around them fading away, and the shield disappeared. The forest they were in became just a bit darker when the green glow vanished, and it put everyone there on edge as Pinkie Pie's smile seemed to grow just a bit bigger.
"Here, Danny. Try this. I made it myself." Pinkie Pie said happily as she hooved him the slice of cake, an eager glint showing in her eyes.
Danny looked down at the plate she was holding, and debated if he should accept it or not. Experience had taught him that everything in this messed up dream was out to kill him, and he didn't know for sure if this was just some strange new tactic to do so. Still, the cake looked harmless enough, and he was technically already dead to some extent, so there shouldn't really be much danger from eating the offered cake.
After a moment longer debating with himself, Danny accepted the cake, just hoping it wasn't some sort of lie.
"... Are you sure about this?" Sam asked, worried. Not trusting this one bit.
"I guess. It looks harmless enough." Danny answered, and he took a bit of his cake.
His eyes shot open when the flavor assaulted his tongue, and a small amount of drool seeped out of the corner of his mouth. The rest of the cake didn't take long to vanish, much to the delight of Pinkie Pie, who was still standing on her hind legs.
"YAY, you like it." She said happily while clapping her front hooves together. "Now, come." She said as she grabbed Danny by the arm, dragging him with her. "The others are waiting."
"Others? What others?" Danny asked, and Pinkie Pie stopped to turn to him.
"Why, the others. Isn't that right, Shady?" Pinkie Pie said, looking up in the air.
The shadows shifted and turned around them, and the darkness seemed to lift as all the shadows converged in a single spot. Two bright orbs of orange formed in the center of the mass, and everyone, except Pinkie Pie, looked in both fear and amazement as the mass took shape.
"Oh, don't look at me like that. She made me do it." Shadow said while pointing a finger at Pinkie Pie, who gave him a guilty grin.
"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Twilight screamed in fear as she scrambled away.
"Don't worry, Twily. It's just Shady." Pinkie Piesaid joyfully, wrapping a leg around Shadow's neck, even though he was an intangible being.
"Shadow?" Sam said questionly. "I thought Nightmare Moon destroyed you."
"Wait, what?" Twilight said, her head snapping to Sam so fast something popped.
"More or less. But I managed to pull myself back." He answered vaguely. "Thanks for that, by the way." He mentioned, nodding to Applejack.
"Ehh.. What did Ah do?"
"More than you think." He answered, and a flash of orange showed in his glowing eyes.
"Hold on… Is that..?"
Shadow only answered with a smile, then turned to Danny.
"But we should go. Like Pinkie said, the others are waiting." And with that, Shadow turned himself in a shapeless cloud of darkness, drifting away in the forest. A faint light could be seen in the distance he went to.
"Come on, come on, come on." Pinkie Pie said eagerly, jumping on the spot. "Let's go already."
Everyone looked at one another, seemingly making a decision through eye contact alone. Still, if Shadow was with Pinkie Pie, they were most likely not going to be killed, hunted down, or put through any form of torture any time soon. So, after a short moment, they all followed after Shadow. All, except Twilight.
"NO! I will not go anywhere until I know what is going on!" She shouted as she stomped a hoof in the leaf covered ground.
"Oh, don't be such a party pooper." Pinkie Pie chirped up from behind her, making the purple mare scream out in surprise.
"PINKIE!" She yelled at the mare, "Don't do that." She added after having calmed down a bit.
"Do what?"
"That.. what you jus-... Never mind. But I am not going anywhere until I know what is going on, right now."
"Okay, have it your way." Pinkie Pie answered sweetly as she slowly bounced away, urging the others on to start moving as well. "Just know this forest can be a bit SPOOOOKKYYY." She told Twilight as she jumped up, and landed on her hind legs, flailing her front legs in the air as she said the last word.
Twilight didn't know how to respond to that, and she found herself sitting in the small clearing, watching the others walking away. It took a moment for her to realize that she was being left alone in a dark, scary forest, and her decision to not follow them until she got answers was overwritten by the basic instinctual urge to seek a safe place. In this case, the group of unlikely creatures that was slowly walking away from her.
"WAIT FOR ME!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she hurried to catch up.
It didn't take long for her to reach the rest, and she slowed down to a walking speed as she joined the group, albeit a bit reluctant. Pinkie Pie, however, didn't seem to mind, and was happily humming a song Twilight knew all too well.
Giggle at the ghostly.
What Twilight, and the others didn't seem to notice, though, was that with each step she took with her gauntlet covered hoof, the ground she hit changed. The dead leaves covering the ground were replaced with young green grass. And more light seemed to come from those spots than anywhere else.
Danny and the rest followed Pinkie further into the forest, following the path Shadow had taken, and it was leading them directly to the source of light Danny noticed earlier. Before long, they reached the cliff Danny crossed to escape from Nightmare Moon, and the ruined store where his life was changed forever could be seen on the other side.
"Back where we started," he muttered as he looked dreadfully at the old convenience store.
Pinkie Pie continued her bounce towards the drop off terrain, moving towards the bridge that had collapsed back when Danny fled over it trying to get to safety. It was, however, completely intact, and looking stronger than ever. Without stopping Pinkie Pie bounced onto the bridge, and everyone else needed to stop as they saw what was happening, or the lack there of. The bridge didn't seem to respond to her at all, and every time she jumped up, or landed on the wooden surface it didn't even twitch. She made it to the other side without incident, but noticed the others weren't following.
"Hey, come on slowpokes. This way."
"Is that normal?" Tucker asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"Normal, no. Pinkie Pie, yes." Danny answered, before stepping on the bridge.
As if it was hit by a tornado, the bridge began to swing wildly, and Danny had to hold on to the ropes so he wouldn't fall off.
"Whoaaa." He shouted as he quickly backed away, not trusting the bridge at all. "Yeah, no way we're going over that. Sam, AJ, help Twilight and Tucker to the other side." He instructed the other two ghosts as he flew up in the air, and headed towards Pinkie.
Sam and Applejack gave a nod of confirmation, and hovered up in the air as well.
"Coming?" Sam asked Tucker as she held out a hand, which he quickly accepted. And together they made it to the other side without any problems. Twilight, however, was a different story altogether. She was less than thrilled with the idea to be carried over to the other side, especially by a ghost, even if said ghost was her friend. She wanted to teleport, but Applejack acted before she could. Wrapping her hind legs around her lower body, and her front legs around her barel, Applejack lifted Twilight up from the ground, which did prove to be an entertaining sight for all the others.
Kicking, screaming, and flailing legs were all Twilight was at that exact moment, as she was lifted over the ravine. Not wanting to look down, but unable to help herself, she only screamed harder, never stopping, even after she was put on her own hooves again, safe and sound on the other side.
"Twilight, darling, behave yourself. Such rude behaviour is unfitting for a lady." Rarity said as she, Rainbow Dash and a large, pink maned manticore came to look what was happening.
"Rarity? Rainbow? You're here too?" Twilight asked in disbelief.
"Of course we are." Rainbow Dash said, acting as if it was only obvious. "Fluttershy is here as well."
"What, where?"
"Well, here, of course." Rainbow Dash answered, pointing a hoof at the manticore.
"WHAT?"
"rawr." Fluttercore answered with a timid voice, and gave Twilight a large, razor sharp tooth filled smile.
Twilight hind legs gave out as her mind shut down, and she sat frozen on the spot, eyes wide, and completely unresponsive. A blue hoof waved in front of her eyes, but she didn't even blink.
"Oh, great. I think we broke her." Rainbow Dash said, barely able to contain her laughter.
"Aah, she'll be fine." Pinkie Pie said with a carefree wave of her hoof, "Now, are we having a party here, or what?"
Danny blinked, and the moment he opened his eyes he found himself sitting before a large campfire, holding a stick with a marshmallow on its tip. The others were there as well.
Rarity, who was holding her fluffy white treat with a silver fork in the fire, suspended in her magic. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Sam and Tucker were, just like Danny, holding a stick with a marshmallow on it in the fire. Fluttercore had several of the white treats sticking on the tip of her scorpion tail. While Pinkie was somehow able to hold two sticks in each hoof, one in her mouth, and another tied to her head.
Twilight was there as well, still unresponsive, and, presumably because of Pinkie Pie, had a stick attached to her horn with rubber bands.
But the thing that surprised Danny the most was that Shadow was there as well. The light of the fire not having any effect on his form, while he sat there with the rest of the group, roasting his own marshmallow. And, sitting next to him was Jazz.
His sister gave him a kind smile and friendly nod, before taking a bite from the slightly burnt mellow she had.
"Ooohh." Pinkie Pie suddenly piped up, "We should tell scary ghost stories." This earned her several flat looks.
"What!?" Twilight suddenly shouted, her mind finally having processed what Rainbow Dash had said to her. But now it was struggling to catch up.
"WHAT IS GOING ON? WHERE AM I? WHO ARE YOU? WHY IS THERE A STICK ATTACHED TO MY HORN?"
"My, she's a bit slow, isn't she?" Jazz said, giving Twilight a studious gaze.
"She's just overthinking things, again." Rarity replied. "Just give her a moment."
Blinking several times, Twilight looked around. "What is going on?" She asked in a more calm, collective manner.
"See." Rarity said to Jazz, before turning her attention to the studious unicorn.
Using her magic, Rarity removed the stick of Twilight's horn and offered it to her to hold herself. Which she did, after a moment of hesitation.
"Now, darling. I know you have a lot of questions, and I am sure we all want to fill you in a bit. But you need to promise me not to freak out like that again, okay?"
Shaking her head weakly, Rarity beamed her a kind smile.
"Well, first off. Danny, maybe you should slip in something more comfortable." She said with a teasing tone, giving him a knowing wink.
Catching on, Danny gave her a nod, and turned back to his human self. Twilight breathed in sharply, intending to empty her lungs with another loud scream, when a sky blue glow surrounded her muzzle, cutting her off before any sound could escape her.
"Now, Twilight. What had we just agreed on?" Rarity said as she looked at her friend.
Looking at Rarity, then at Danny, then back again, Twilight slowly deflated, and Rarity let her magical hold go.
"WHAT.. HE… YOU… This is a dream. This is all just a really, really weird dream." Twilight said to herself, strands of her mane beginning to stick out in several directions as she began to rock back and forth, holding her tail in her front hooves.
"Wow. She's a bit high strung, isn't she?" Jazz said as she looked at the unicorn with pity.
"She just doesn't know how to deal with this." Applejack said, walking over to Twilight.
"Now, come on sugarcube. Snap out of it." She said in a soothing manner, giving Twilight a comforting pat on the back.
"But this can't be real. It's just not scientifically possible."
"Well, ya're right 'bout most of that. This here's a dream. An' a ugly one, too." Applejack answered truthful, and Twilight's head shot up to look at her, waiting for an explanation.
"Ya see. Nightmare Moon decided ta mess with Danny's head, an' we're all here ta help him. Some in more ways than others."
"What? Nightmare Moon? But we harmonized her years ago."
"We sure did. But that didn't stop her, an' Danny was tha poor fella she got in her sights."
"But how?"
Shadow cleared his throat, which was a curious thing, as he didn't have one.
"That would be my fault. Back when I was a mere drone, nothing more than a mindless shadow of Danny, I absorbed the residual energy of Nightmare Moon from your princess Luna. I believed her to be a threat to my master, as I sensed this energy coming from her. I didn't know better, and absorbed this energy to defend Danny better against Luna. Everything fell apart after that. Although, I did gain sentience because of it."
Twilight sat there with her mouth opening and closing as if he was a fish on dry land. She wanted to respond to this, but her mind decided that now would be a good time to go on a vacation.
"Maybe we should start from the beginning." Danny offered, earning several murmurs of approval.
Taking a deep breath, Danny started explaining how all of this started. The others jumping in to give their side of the story from time to time, and Twilight could only listen with wide eyes and a open mouth.
<<>><<>><<>>
It took close to two hours, and all the while Twilight was sitting speechless, absorbing everything told to her. Everything that had happened to Danny during the time he was still a teenager, and the ordeal he was forced to go through during his time in here. She could feel the all too familiar urge to write this down, but, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do so.
"And that's how we ended up here." Danny finished, poking the fire with his stick.
"... Bu.. But, shouldn't there be more? What are you going to do to get out of here?" Twilight asked concerned, her fear for Danny gone, replaced with sorrow.
"That's why we're here." Pinkie Pie said with a sad voice, her smile almost gone.
Everyone looked at her for an answer, and she stood up, turning to the convenience store.
"Pinkie?" Applejack said, concerned.
"She's right." Shadow spoke up, startling Twilight. "You are here for another reason."
"Raawrr?" Fluttercore roared questionly.
"Most of you have been brought here by Nightmare Moon, your very being corrupted in some way, or the other. All to fight and drain Danny. Even Jazz was not spared. I brought Applejack here in an attempt to help him see the truth. It almost failed. Almost. Pinkie Pie was already here, somehow managing to stay out of Nightmare Moon's control. But you, Twilight, are something different."
"Me? How do you mean?"
"The gauntlet you're wearing. Its power comes from the elements that connects you and your friends. It is, however, not complete." Shadow explained as he pointed at the four of six crystals locked in place, "But that is something for another time. You are here as a catalyst of sorts. We are in the mind of Danny. And, despite him having seen many things in his life, he does not know the power of the elements. And, as such, he won't be able to use them. I brought the gauntlet in existence, because he knew it, and the power it wields. It was the closest equivalent I could manage. But, for it to use the full power of your elements, it has to be used by the elements. But two are still locked away. And they will have to be released before Danny's mind can be freed from the hold Nightmare Moon has over it."
"But didn't you say she was destroyed?" Twilight said almost frantically.
"Yes, and no. Her form was destroyed, but not her energy. Her energy is linked to Danny now. Energy that she gained through me. Her form is destroyed, but she can rebuild herself. Just like she did the first time. The elements won't be able to stop her, as they won't be able to destroy her energy. If they did, Danny, too, would perish. All they will be able to do is slow her down."
All present stared at Shadow, and then at Danny. All of them knowing what to do, but not how to do it.
"Then, how do we get the other two elements?" Rainbow Dash asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them.
"That's where I come in." Pinkie Pie said, her voice unusually flat. "Follow me, everypony." She told them, and she vanished inside the destroyed store.
Sharing a brief glance with each other, they, one by one, stood up and followed Pinkie Pie inside the destroyed building. Except Shadow, who stayed behind, knowing he could not follow. But before they all stepped inside, he gave them a fair warning.
"Do know that when this is over, and you return to the waking world, none of you will remember anything of this. Nightmare Moon created all of this, and her rules still apply."
They all stopped for a moment in hesitation, before nodding in understanding, and stepping inside the store.
There she stood, waiting for the rest of them, before Pinkie Pie started leading them through the many rows of objects for sale. Toasters, TVs, refrigerators, DVD players, and many other forms of electronics could be seen. All of them outdated and covered in a layer of dust, as if no one had been here for many years.
I looked through this place before." Pinkie Pie told them with a low voice. "I was just looking around, trying to find anything funny." She stepped over the various large items that littered the floor. "Instead, I found this. It wasn't a really nice surprise." She told them, her voice sounding even sadder. Her mane, already flat, seemed to deflate even more as she pushed aside one of the many cases, dropping some of the items in it on the ground. But none of them paid it any attention, as their focus was drawn to the person in the center of the room.
Sitting on his knees, at the edge of a pitch black scorch spot on the ground, was Danny Phantom. Tears streamed down the teenager's face, and silent sobs rocked his body as he had just lost one of the most important persons in his life. He lost her more than six years ago. He lost her mere seconds ago. A gaping wound that had never healed. A wound that was still bleeding, still hurting.
Everyone was looking at the broken teenager, tears staining their faces. Danny, the adult standing among the rest of them, tried to look away, but was unable to do so. His eyes were glued to his other self, feeling the same pain, the same loss.
Slowly he stepped forwards, acting without thought. The others didn't say anything, nor did they try to stop him. All they did was watch; watch as Danny slowly moved closer to his younger counterpart.
Placing a hand on his younger self's shoulder, Danny gained his attention. A look of surprise and confusion could be seen in his eyes, and he quickly stood up. Glowing green eyes met regular blue as the teenager looked at his older self. Nothing was said, and they just stared for what seemed like minutes. Then, acting on nothing more than impulse, adult Danny pulled his younger self in a comforting embrace. Holding himself tightly as he finally accepted the wound of his heart, and both of them cried on their shoulders.
Minutes passed by in silence, and only the sound of their shared pain, grief and acceptance filled the air. But, eventually, they calmed down as this wound finally found a place within Danny.
A orange light flashed into the dim room, and Applejack was startled to see her cutie mark vanish as her element appeared before her, moving towards both Danny's, shining its light over them. Shining brighter and brighter, until they had too look away. Then, just as suddenly, the light vanished, and only one Danny remained. Danny Phantom, the adult, standing in his ghost form. Tears still stained his cheeks, but a look of relief and happiness showed on his face.
The element of honesty blinked at him, before moving to Twilight. One more flash of light later, and it was placed within the hold of the gauntlet, reacting with the other five placed in there.
Pinkie Pie slowly walked towards Danny, a sad smile on her face. "You finally accepted yourself." She said as she reared up, and gave him a comforting hug. "You accepted the truth for what it is."
The rest of the group also moved closer, and, before long, Danny was at the center of a group hug. A large, happy smile on his face.
Another flash of light showed, and, looking up, Danny could see a blue balloon tied with a string to his wrist.
"Laughter is more than just parties and jokes, even if most ponies don't really seem to know. Laughter means to share happiness with others. And, if they need it, help them find their happiness." Pinkie said without looking up, she already knew what it was that had appeared. Instead, she held Danny even tighter.
Danny watched the balloon sink down, shrinking in size, while the rubber transformed into a crystal. It moved down to the gauntlet covered leg of Twilight, where it moved into its place among the rest of the elements. The full set of them blinked, and a steady light shone off of them. The full power now coursing through them, ready to start their work.
"Are you ready, Danny?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"As ready as I will ever be." Danny answered, and everyone moved away from him.
"So, this is really happening?" Jazz said sadly, but the smile on her face showed she was glad for him.
"Looks like." Her younger brother responded.
"I'll miss you, little brother."
"I'll miss you, too. But, who knows. Maybe this will help me get back in touch?"
"I hope so." Jazz said hopefully.
"Good luck, man." Tucker told him. "I hope you find your place."
"I think I already have." Danny replied with a smile.
"Then, I guess it's time." Twilight said. "And Danny, for what it's worth. Sorry I freaked out over you back there. I'd wish I could get to know the real you back in Ponyville."
"Who knows? It might just happen. Stranger things have happened to me." He answered, smiling.
"I would like that," Twilight said with a smile just as large. "Well, here goes."
The elements all shone brightly, and a rainbow of colors surrounded the gauntlet. A beam of light shot out from her outstretched hoof, and into Danny's chest. A sphere of light surrounded him, and expanded outwards as it began to consume everything in its path.
<<>><<>><<>>
Outside of the store, Shadow was long gone. He knew he would have trouble if he was anywhere near the blast, as he shared the same energy as Nightmare Moon. He went away as far as he could, hoping the distance would be sufficient to soften the blow he knew was coming.
A bright light drew his attention, and, turning around, he could see beams of light shooting out of every door, window and hole in the store. Everything the light touched was cleansed from the corruption made by Nightmare Moon, and the forest slowly dissolved as more and more light came from the building, now lost in a sphere of rainbow colored light.
Lush green grass sprouted from the ground that was touched, and a gentle breeze made the young leaves sway around.
Shadow grinned happily. No matter what would happen to him, he did the best he could do. His master was free from the burden he placed onto himself, and Nightmare Moon would receive the smack against her flank she definitely needed.
Closing his eyes, and spreading his arms to the side, Shadow let himself be swept away on the wave of harmonizing light.
<<>><<>><<>>
Out in the waking world, a glow surrounded Danny's body, and a lone figure moved out of his head. Shadow said they wouldn't remember when they woke up, but she was never asleep to begin with. Looking down at his sleeping form, Sam felt both glad that she was able to help him, and afraid what would happen with Nightmare Moon. She was not yet defeated, and she might have learned a thing or two from their fight. Still, she would take what she could get. But it would most likely be wise to talk about this with Clockwork.
Looking down at Danny once more, Sam found a small smile coming to her face. And, with a pull, she removed the medallion around her neck, returning her to Clockwork's tower.
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna landed in front of Danny's house, out of breath. It has been a long while since the last time she was forced to push herself as such, and she took a moment to catch her breath. Not wanting to waste too much time, she moved into action the moment she felt like she was up to the task at hoof. Standing in front of the locked door, which was curious in it's own right, as the trusted citizens of Ponyville didn't felt the need to lock their doors for their neighbors.
She lit up her horn. Using her magic, she turned her body into an intangible, dark cloud, slipping in through the keyhole and crack under the door. Reforming herself when she was inside, she quickly, but silently, moved to the bedroom, hearing faint moaning and grunting sounds coming from the troubled human.
Standing by the side of his bed, Luna looked down at Danny. Something was off, but she didn't know what. Hopefully, she would know more in a moment.
Her horn glowed blue, illuminating the room, and moved to place it at Danny's forehead. But, before she could move in his mind and see what was happening, she felt a massive surge of energy, and Danny breathed in deeply, before he began to wake.
Sensing the need to hide, Luna changed her spell into the same one she had used to get in his house, and turned back into a dark cloud, pressing herself against the ceiling.
It was no longer possible to find out what troubled young Danny's mind, and Luna swore in her thoughts at the unfortunate timing of his waking. Although, the surge of energy must have something to do with it.
It was strange, and yet familiar to an extent, and she had trouble placing the distinct signature of this energy. It was another piece to this puzzle. A puzzle she was determined to solve. But for now, her chance to do so was gone.
Slowly, she moved away. Leaving Danny alone in his home as she mulled over what had happened, slowly flying back to Canterlot.
<<>><<>><<>>
Energy coursed through the night, touching those who were connected with it.
Applejack turned around in her bed, a happy smile on her face. Rainbow Dash hugged her cloud pillow with a few tears in her eyes. Rarity lay in her bed with dreams of a valiant knight. Fluttershy slept soundly with a wagging tail. Twilight held her pillow tightly to her chest, her heart beating just a bit faster. And Pinkie Pie, who was slept in a room filled with streamers and balloons. One of which, a blue balloon, was tied to her left hoof with a string. Gently bobbing in the slight breeze coming in through an open window.
The energy moved further, though. Breaking through barriers and into another plane of reality. Touching the young, red haired woman sleeping in her bed, giving her feelings of joy and relief. As did this happen for the dark skinned man, slumped over his desk, sleeping on top his keyboard. Working on a damaged, burnt, old model laptop connected with various wires to another computer running diagnostics on it.
And Danny. He slowly woke up, feeling strangely invigorated and happy.
Dragging a hand over his face, he felt he needed a shave.
Looking out of his window, he saw it was still dark. Not feeling tired, though, he decided to just start the day already, and he moved to the bathroom for a shower. Not noticing the small burn marks in his bed where his hands used to be, nor the glowing green eyes looking at him from outside his bedroom window.
<<>><<>><<>>
Running through the forest as fast as he could, the timberwolf didn't stop for anything.
Something was wrong, an unbalance that had entered this world. An unbalance they knew all too well. They first noticed it earlier that night, when the ponies came for their young. A presence of darkness which moved through the shadows. They followed it, found out where it originated from, but were not ready for what they would find next.
A strange creature, never seen before by their kind, was the source of this strange phenomenon. They were confused, angry, afraid. If this individual was indeed who they thought he was, then darkness certainly would follow. So, in order to make sure this being was indeed who they feared, the most skilled hunter of their pack was sent to investigate.
And now he knew what they needed to know.
Kicking up leaves, and jumping over bushes, the timberwolf rushed to his pack, delivering the news to his alpha.
He could hear the others of his pack in the distance, and he knew they could hear him as well. He was not impeded by any of them as he rushed to the cave their alpha called home, and he hurried to get inside.
"Apstāties!" A loud voice boomed. "Stop!"
And he did just that.
"Šī būtne. Tas ir, kas mēs baidāmies?" "This creature. He is who we fear?"
"Viņš ir!" "He is!"
The alpha's eyes narrowed as he looked outside.
"Tātad, tumšs ir atgriezusies." "So, the dark one has returned."
"Gatavs iepakojums, mums ir jābūt gataviem!" "Ready the pack, we need to be prepared!"
<<>><<>><<>>
A large pendulum swung around, and the ticking of a large clock sounded all around. Out of the many portals, which showed the passing of time in many different speeds and eras, Sam popped into existence.
Stepping out of the vortex, she saw a young child wait for her, and she walked over to him, handing him the medallion.
"It is done?" He asked, and turned into a young adult.
"It is..." Sam said, but hesitated to finish.
"What is it?"
"I did as you said, but I fear Nightmare Moon will use some of the things I told her against Danny. She knows she doesn't have the experience to use his powers, and I fear she will manipulate him to teach her how to gain control of them."
Clockwork stroked his long beard, grown with age, and slowly levitated over to the viewing portal Sam came from. With a swing of his staff, the vortex calmed, becoming smooth enough to see through the currents of time.
"Good," he finally said as he observed Danny walking to his bathroom. "Very good."
"What?!" Sam said shocked.
"Everything is going as planned," he continued, never breaking his gaze from the viewing portal.
"You knew?"
"I did," he answered in a childlike voice, finally turning to Sam.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because we all have our role to play in this, and we can only work with the rules given to us. We can not make our own, but maybe bend them from time to time." He explained, and turned back into an adult. "Had you known, you might have done things differently, and everything would have changed. Now, though, Nightmare Moon will actually help us, and she won't even know it. Danny needs to relearn how to properly use his powers, and if she were to manipulate him into doing so, then who are we to stop her?"
"But what if she manages to take over completely? What if-" Sam said almost in a panic, but stopped as she saw the smirk on Clockwork's old face. "You already have a plan."
"Oh no, nothing of the kind. But I don't have to. Everything is falling into place, and Danny will find the cleansing he doesn't even know he is looking for."
"But… How?"
"He will be saved through their history," Clockwork answered vaguely.
"That will be all I get out of you, right?"
"Ahh, Sam. You are really start to get to know me," he said with a smirk. "Now, if that's all. I have more things that need my attention."
"Actually, there is one more thing," Sam said, hesitantly. "Can… Could you show me what would have happened if... If things were different. If I didn't die. I.. I just need to know."
Clockwork hovered in place for a long time, moving between his different forms several times before he answered.
"It will not change anything for you, you know that? Those times are past, and can not be changed."
"I do. I just need to know."
"Very well," he said. And with a wave of his cane one of the portals showed Amity Park over six years ago.
Sam saw herself, Danny, and Tucker walking down the street. Danny was holding the infimap, which they had just retaken from Vlad.
"Just make sure not to get lost in the past, and what could have been." Clockwork said as he turned to leave.
"I won't. And thanks," Sam said, and began to watch the events that never happened. Finding it strange that an asteroid was on its way to Earth in this timeline.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sun was shining over a large green grassland. Rolling hills decorated the landscape, with lush green trees and brushes standing everywhere and nowhere. No life could be found in here, as Danny was currently awake, and there was no need for this dreamscape. All it was now, was a slight feeling of ease in the back of his mind. Nothing more than a blank slate for future dreams to be played out in.
But there was trouble brewing, and one of the many trees toppled over as darkness seemed to pour out from under its roots.
It was a thick sludge, not unlike oil in appearance. But it was many times more viscous, and blacker than the darkest of black. It bubbled and gurgled, and a shape began to form in it. But it was too weak, and it collapsed back into itself. All that it was able to manage were its eyes. Her eyes. Nightmare Moon's eyes.
Eyes that looked at the calm, peaceful world she found herself in with a burning hatred. She would burn it all down, again. And she would make sure Shadow, Danny or anyone else wouldn't be able to stop her.
"You won this round, Danny Phantom." she said gurgily. "Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Celestia was walking towards her balcony, preparing to bring forth a new day for her beloved ponies to play and work in. It was a task she loved doing, even after so many countless years. Each day was as unique as her ponies were, and she loved to see what each day would bring. Of course, there were the less than exciting tasks, such as her day court. But that was a small price to pay for the fulfillment she got from watching her ponies play, grow, and learn during her days.
This one was just like all those before, and she was eager to get started. Opening the balcony doors with a pull of her magic, Celestia stepped out into the cool morning air. Taking a deep breath, she took a moment to enjoy her sister’s handiwork.
Where she was an artist with the day, she could only marvel at what her sister did with the night. Each star in the night carefully placed, each aurora a skillful brushstroke on a dark canvas. It all came together in a true work of art.
Her attention was broken, however, by the gentle flapping of wings. And, looking in the direction the sound came from, Celestia could see her sister fly towards her room.
It wasn't strange for Luna to go out at nights and roam the skies as she watched over their subjects, but Celestia did find it weird that she was returning mere moments before she would raise the sun. What else was strange, was the fact she seemed to come from Ponyville, and it wasn't difficult for Celestia to connect the dots.
She would have to talk with her sister about her late night trip, see what it was all about. But first, she had a sun to rise.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sun was slowly rising and birds were waking up, filling the air with their joyful song. A cool breeze went through the town, and today promised to be another warm, pleasant day. Ponies were waking up with a smile as their morning started with the warming sun provided by their princess, and all of them prepared for another day to interact with their friendly neighbors and townsponies.
All of them, save for the sole human living in Ponyville, who was currently freezing his hairless flank off.
Danny's day started alright enough. Waking up early for some reason, and feeling more rested than he had ever done in years. But his cheerful demeanor slowly changed with a chilling sensation, literally.
It started out as something small, but grew out to a massive problem in no time at all. He first noticed it when he was under the shower. A cold sensation, making him think he got the temperature wrong. But, no matter how much he increased the temperature of the water, this cold sensation grew and grew. And before long, he realized that this was a bigger problem than he originally thought.
The first clue that brought him to this realization was the fact that the temperature of the water had now reached the boiling point, and steam came out of the shower head instead of water.
Danny didn't know why the showers here would even go that high with the temperature, but that was not important to him. What was, was that he realized his ice had built up to dangerous levels, and he needed to release it, or risk freezing up.
Getting dressed as fast as he could, Danny hurried to get outside, but a last minute thought made him stop in place. There was no way he could explain to anyone why he was cold on a warm day, especially seeing how he was the only one wearing clothes. It would raise suspicion, and that was something he was trying to avoid. Even though it was still dark outside, and the chance of him running into someone was minimal at best, he didn't want to take any chances.
Knowing he didn’t have much of a choice, he turned invisible. He took notice of how he didn't have much of a problem doing so, but not paying it any mind right now. He also went intangible, as a door suddenly opening and closing like that would also give him away. So, invisible and unable to be touched by anything, Danny moved away from Ponyville as fast as he could run on his shivering legs.
He was fortunate that he spotted a lake not too far out of town not too long ago during one of his exploratory walks, and it was exactly the thing he needed right now. A large body of water, just waiting to be frozen.
Making good time getting to the lake, as the soles of his shoes had frozen and he could practically skate there, Danny found himself standing at the edge of the crystal clear water in no time at all.
Not wanting to make a mess of things, and accidentally freezing something he shouldn't, Danny flew up and to the center of the lake, before letting gravity take a hold of him again.
Falling down in the water, he sank to the bottom, his eyes, invisible for any to see, were a glowing blue.
For a moment the only thing happening in the lake was the rippling of the water where Danny had fallen in, until it had smoothed out and the water was calm again. Then, the first spot of ice began to form. It moved through the water like a dark fog, freezing everything it touched as it moved faster and faster, leaving nothing unfrozen as, in mere moments, the entire lake had frozen solid from the top to bottom.
Danny flew up through the thick layer of ice, looking down at it with some form of amazement.
"Wow. That's more than last time. I really needed to let this out," he said as he lowered himself on the cold surface, tapping the ice with his knuckles.
"I just hope no one finds this anytime soon," he murmured, and flew back to his house under the cover of darkness, and his invisibility.
It was a short flight, but he enjoyed it all the same. Closing his eyes, which didn't really work as he could see through his lids, he just took a moment to feel the air blow against his skin, while the first rays of the rising sun shone through him, reveling in the feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.
Freedom.
His day was only just beginning, but he already knew today was going to be a great day.
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna was sitting on her bed, fidgeting with her crown held in between her hooves. Looking at the symbol of her supposed power, she only felt a sense of unworthiness. Why should she have a seat of power if she didn't have the power to be useful? How could she be the Princess of the Night, when the night caused nothing but discomfort for one, and she was unable to help?
It made her feel weak. A feeling she had felt not too long ago, when Twilight and her friends had used the Elements on her corrupted counterpart, returning her to her former, filly-like self. And, although she had grown back into her old self, an equal to her sister, she didn't feel like it.
Sighing out, she absentmindedly threw her crown to her side on the bed while staring out through the open balcony doors, watching the sun climb higher and higher in the sky. A new day was starting, and the ponies were waking up to live another day, well rested from their slumber during her night. All of them, except one.
Whatever it was that was troubling Danny, and, whatever energy it was that Luna sensed, she knew it was nothing good. She could feel it; a shiver going down her spine. A feeling of dread not unlike those she felt when her corruption first began to whisper its poisonous words to her.
A knock came from her door, but she ignored it, not wanting to interact with whoever it was that was standing at her bedroom door. Another knock sounded, followed shortly thereafter by another.
Sighing out irritably, Luna turned to look at the source of the frustrating noise. Another knock came.
Gritting her teeth, she was about to use the full force of the royal We, telling whoever it was to just leave her alone. Protocol be damned.
A golden glow surrounded the door knob, and without a sound her bedroom doors swung open.
"Although I'm respecting your privacy by knocking," Celestia said with a faint grin as she stepped inside. "I'm asserting my authority as your older sister by coming in anyway."
Equals her flank; this was just the kind of thing her sister would do. Groaning out her frustration, Luna slumped down before letting herself fall backwards, her hind legs sticking up a bit in the air, and her front legs lying splayed to her sides.
"Sister, what matters made you decide to barge into my room?" Luna asked with as much calm as she could, but there was a distinct edge to her voice.
"Why don't you tell me. I saw you arrive back at the castle not too long ago, mere moments before I was about to raise the sun." Celestia replied, walking over to her sister's bed.
"What, isn't a mare allowed to go out for a flight every now and then?" Luna bit back, not wanting to deal with this right now.
Ignoring the tone of her sister, Celestia sat down on the mattress, taking a place next to her sister, completely missing the dark crown, as it was partially obscured by Luna's mane billowing over it.
Celestia's eyes shot open in horrified realization, and only one thing came to mind at this very moment.
"By my flank, that hurts!" She yelled as she jumped back up, and Luna fell off her bed in hysterics.
"Hahaha. Ne… Never bef- Pfhahaha.[/i] before in Equestria ha- ha.. Hahaha pffha. has that been more true." Luna wheezed, her sour mood completely gone.
Neither one of them noticed the sound of hooves stomping in the hallway, as Luna was laughing too loud for them to hear. And the first clue the two princesses found that they were no longer alone, was when a small group of both solar and lunar guards stood in the open doorway.
"Your majesty, is everyt..." A solar guard asked in alarm, only for him to trail off as every one of them saw princess Luna roll over the ground laughing, clutching her sides. And, at the center of attention, a red faced Celestia who was rubbing her sore flank.
"...Is everything alright?" He finished after a moment. His loud, alarmed voice replaced with one of confusion, and a hint of something else entirely, as he watched the Solar Princess rub her flank.
"Yes, everything is just fine," Celestia replied hastily. "You are dismissed."
Slowly backing away from the odd, and "compromising" sight, the guards never looked away until they rounded the corner, much to the embarrassment of Celestia and, most definitely, to the amusement of Luna.
"And don't speak about this to anypony!" Celestia quickly added as the guards slowly moved out of sight.
"Oh, thank you Tia. I needed that," Luna said, chuckling after she had managed to regain control over herself.
"I didn't," Celestia said sourly.
“That's why it was so funny."
"Oh, ha ha. Laugh it up."
"I already did."
'Oh, it is on!' Celestia thought as she glared daggers at her sister, who could only smirk in response.
A golden glow surrounded her horn, and a similar aura showed around the pillows found on Luna's bed. Looking wide eyed at first the levitating objects of fluff, then at her sister. Luna was about to protest. But her voice died down in her throat as she saw the large, slightly manic grin on her sister's face.
"Oh buc-" Luna uttered, before a pillow assaulted her face, cutting her off, before the full barrage of pillows was unleashed onto her.
Popping her head up from underneath the small hill of pillows lying on top of her, Luna shot a challenging look at her smugly grinning sister. Charging her horn with her own magic, she threw multiple feather filled bags at her latest enemy, taking no prisoners.
A battle started of such massive proportions it would be talked about by future generations. A battle of will, strength, honor, pillows and feathers. There would be no victors, nor would there be any losers. All that would remain, and that would stand triumphantly as the bodies of the combatants lay spent on the floor, would be the mess left in their wake.
Laughter and feathers flew around as, with a pull of magic, the double doors of Luna's bedroom closed shut.
<<>><<>><<>>
"There, all better now?" Celestia asked her sister, sitting next to her with a wing draped across her back.
"Much," came Luna's simple, but relieved answer.
Both of them had spent the better portion of an hour going crazy with their impromptu pillow fight, and the room looked like a hurricane had blown through it. Luna's bed was completely overthrown, and the mattress lay halfway across the room, while the blanket was hanging from a large chandelier. Feathers covered the scene, sticking out of the strangest places one could imagine.
The princesses also didn't make it out of all of this unscathed.
Both of them had more feathers sticking out of their mane and tail than they had on their wings. Celestia's horn had pierced one of the many projectiles of fluff, and the now mostly empty pillow was hanging limply on one side of her head. Her crown was lost during this moment as well, lying scattered somewhere on the floor.
Luna, although free from any pieces of cloth hanging on her horn, had the misfortune of opening her mouth to yell at her sister during their stress relief session. And Celestia, acting without any hesitation, had flung a pillow at her, using her magic to make it explode in her face. Luna still spit out a feather every now and then.
And both their manes stuck out in every direction without any form or purpose, completely ruining the image of grace and nobility.
They were a mess, and neither of them cared. It had been some time since they had let their manes down like this, and both of them were glad they did. Even though Celestia was still a bit sore that it started over her sitting down on Luna's crown, both literally and figuratively.
"I'm glad to hear it. So, mind telling me what happened that made you go out at night?" Celestia asked after a pause, going back to the topic she tried to discuss with Luna when she first came here.
"The human, Danny Manson," Luna answered, her good mood falling a bit.
"I figured as much," Celestia said, pushing her wing into her sister a bit more in comfort.
"Something…" She sighed deeply. "Tia, something is very, very wrong. Whatever it is that afflicts Danny's mind, it would seem it is spreading."
The wing on her back pulled away a bit in shock, and Luna looked at the distressed face of her sister.
"Spreading how?" She asked with forced calm.
"I do not know. But this night I sensed the disturbance Danny emits coming not just from him, but the element holders as well."
Fear replaced shock on Celestia's face, a look not many had seen, as she was always careful to keep a mask of kindness to all. Her sister, however, was one of the very few Celestia was comfortable enough with to show the mare hidden behind this mask. And right now, all there was to see was a frightened mare.
"How?" She asked with a slight waver in her voice, "Are they alright? Is Twilight alright?"
"As I said, I do not know the how. As for the elements, and Twilight. As far as I could sense, they shared in the feelings of pain and fear Danny has, but they seemed otherwise fine." Luna answered, and she could feel Celestia's wing pull again.
"However," Luna added after a moment, making Celestia's head snap to her again. "There was a another change as well."
Luna hesitated for a moment. She was planning to enter Danny's mind through force, and thus, breaking into his very being. This was something she wasn't proud of, and she didn't like the idea of sharing this little bit of information with her sister. She was, however, unable to come up with any other excuse as to why she would fly all the way to Ponyville without informing her sister. And if she lied now, Celestia would only find out later. Breathing in deeply, Luna continued speaking.
"I went to Ponyville because I grew tired of just standing on the sidelines and unable to do anything. I... I planned on entering the mind of Danny… through force," she said, and flinched, awaiting the inevitable rebuke from her sister, which never came.
Looking back up at her sister, Luna saw the disappointment in Celestia's eyes. But there was something else as well, something she didn't expect to see there.
"Although I am more than disappointed in the fact that you would do such a thing, I can only hope it was for the best. So please, tell me what you learned." Celestia said in a business-like manner.
"That's the thing. I didn't learn anything," Luna said in frustration, throwing her front legs in the air "Before I could even try and attempt the spell, I sensed an enormous energy coming from him, and the elements as well. He woke mere moments after this, and I was forced to flee from his room before he could see me."
Celestia was at a loss for words, stunned into silence. Whatever it was that was happening with Danny, it could, and already was, becoming a major problem. Something that entered one’s dreams, and causing discomfort in a way she wasn't sure she understood was troubling enough. But Luna, master of dreams, was unable to do anything about it. They needed to find out more about Danny Manson, find out more about his background. Who he is. Where he came from... What happened to him.
"I will have to send a letter to Twilight, and inform her about these new circumstances. But I will have to make sure not to mention anything about what happened to herself, and her friends. Not only would it prove to be a frightening factor, but it would most likely also serve to alienate Danny from them, and maybe even turn the entire town against him. Danny might not even know he is doing all of this, and someone who is already going through whatever this is, does not deserve something like that." Celestia spoke as she stood up, slowly making her way to one of the windows overlooking the city.
"Still, we need to make sure this spread is stopped before more of our ponies are afflicted. Come night time, I will be there by your side to shield the minds closest to Danny. Hopefully we will be able to contain this disturbance to him alone. It isn't ideal, but it is the best we can do under the circumstances." She sighed out as she let her head hang, slightly shaking it, making several feathers fall to the ground.
"I just hope we are able to solve this," Luna said as she stood next to Celestia. "For all our sakes."
"Indeed."
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight slowly woke up, her pillow held tightly in her hooves. The sun was shining, and it hit her squarely in the face, making her groan as she did not yet feel like waking up. But now that she was, she felt it impossible to go back to sleep. It was unusual for her to stay in for this long, but after the amazing sleep she had last night, she didn't want to get up just yet.
Releasing a drawn out groan, she pushed herself up, her eyes looking into forever as they blinked uncoordinatedly, and her mane stuck out in every direction.
Stumbling out of her bed, as her blanket had wrapped around one of her hooves, Twilight made her way to the bathroom, taking the time she needed to make herself presentable to the world.
Down below, in the kitchen, Spike was working on his and her breakfast. It was nothing special, just a sandwich and some orange juice, but it would be a nice start of the day, he figured. Gathering all the ingredients he needed for the sandwiches, he could hear Twilight walk back out of the bathroom, her routine complete as fast and efficient as always.
"Good morning, Spike." She greeted in a chipper tonel, smiling at him.
"Morning Twilight," he replied with his arms full of food. "I'm making us some breakfast. It won't take long, so just wait for a moment."
"Thanks Spike," she said gratefully, then paused as a thought came to her. "Say Spike. Why don't we just go out to get something to eat in town, my treat."
"Ehh... Sure, but why?" He asked, dropping a carrot from his grasp.
"I'm not sure. I just feel like it," Twilight answered, and went over the few establishments in town they could go to. One, however, stuck out to her more than any other. "And I know just where to go."
"Okay, let me just put all of this back then." Spike told her as he moved back to the fridge.
"Go ahead, I'll wait. Oh, and Spike. While you're at it, could you get that spell book of mine? I might as well practice my magic while we're there.”
"Sure thing, Twilight." Came the muffled reply as Spike had almost disappeared inside the fridge, putting everything back in place.
"Thanks, number one assistant."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was working together with Ruby to prepare the cafe for another day of guests coming to eat, and they were making quick time doing so. Mainly because Danny was feeling like he was standing on top of the world, and didn't feel as much restraint with using his powers. He put the tables into place, moving them around as if they didn't weigh anything. Which they didn't; not for him. Moving around with a broom to remove any of the leaves and other things that had blown onto the terrace during the night, Danny and Ruby were done in no time at all.
Which was a good thing, as the first two customers were already showing up.
Danny recognized them as Twilight and that purple lizard he saw several days ago.
"Good morning, Danny." Twilight greeted happily, giving him a warm smile.
"Morning, Twilight. And uhh..?"
"Spike," Spike finished, crossing his arms over his chest while giving Danny a flat look.
"Right, sorry," Danny said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.
"Oh, it's alright," Twilight said, earning an eye roll from Spike. "You two were never properly introduced. Danny, meet Spike. My number one assistant, and little baby dragon brother."
"Hey, I'm not little." Spike huffed.
"Hold on, you're a dragon?"
"Well, duh. What else did you think I was? A lizard or something?"
"Well… yeah, actually." Danny admited, before slapping his mouth shut.
Spike's mouth hung open, before he forcefully closed it, and his face turned into a scowl. Twilight, however, had trouble keeping her laughter down, and held a hoof against her mouth to hide the smile from Spike.
"Why would you even think I am a lizard?" Spike grumbled.
"...Well, I thought dragons were bigger. The last ones I saw certainly were," Danny answered, before realizing what it was he said.
"You've seen dragons before?" Spike asked, his scowl replaced with honest curiosity. "Where?"
'Oh damn. Think Danny, think. They would never believe it if I told them about those ghost dragons….. Or would they? Oh crud, they’re staring at me. Tell them something, anything!' he thought in a mild panic, before deciding to just go with it and see what happens.
"Ehh… Some years back a ghost dragon wreaked havoc in one of the shopping malls back on my world." He told them, being as truthful as he could.
Both Twilight's, Spike's, and even Ruby's mouth hung open after he told them that, unable to reply to what he had just said.
"Come again?" Twilight said after a moment, the disbelief showing on her face. "A ghost dragon?"
"Pretty much. I don't know much about it. I wasn't there, and only know what the news report said," he lied, but he hoped it would avoid any other unwanted questions.
Twilight and Ruby looked at Spike, who in turn was fidgeting on the spot after hearing that little fact about dragons.
"Twilight. Am I going to be a ghost someday?"
"Of course not, Spike," Twilight said as she pulled him into a hug. "You will never become one of those nasty ghosts." Danny mentally flinched at her words, but didn't react in any other way to it.
"Thanks Twi," Spike said after a moment of being comforted. "But if I am going to be a ghost, I'll be the most awesome ghost there is." He puffed out his chest with his boast, making Twilight giggle a bit as she rubbed him on the head.
"I'm sure you will. But let's move on from this subject, and do what we came here to do," she said, and turned to Danny. "So, are you open? Because Spike and I are starving." Her eyes shot open mere seconds after she said that, the ghost talk still very much apparent on the forefront of their minds.
"Starving as in hungry, not actually starving starving and becoming a ghost,hehehe[/i]"
"I know what you meant," Danny said as he held up his hand to tell her to stop. "And yes, we’re almost open, but you can have a seat now if you want."
"That will be perfect," Twilight said with a slight awkward smile, and she and Spike were led to one of the many empty tables.
Danny, still needing to do several small chores, did take their order for drinks. It was all there was for the moment, as Quick Grill was still preparing the kitchen. And, after having given the both of them what they wanted, he made quick work of the rest of his to-do list before the rest of the day’s customers could show up.
And, while he did that, Twilight levitated her spell book in front of her, reading the instructions for her next spell. How to turn an apple into an orange.
<<>><<>><<>>
Some time had passed, and Twilight and Spike had finished their meals not too long ago.
Twilight, always working on the next spell she could practice, had placed one last order; a single apple. Not for eating, but for magic practice. Danny, who was catering them, was more than happy to oblige. He had seen magic in use several times since he came here, but to see a spell being done like this was somewhat new, and he was more than a bit curious of what she would do. So, after having given her the apple she wanted, he shot a look every now and then at her while he served the other ponies sitting on the terrace.
A purple glow surrounded the apple, and its form began to bubble and stretch as Twilight applied her magic, only for the spell to fail and the fruit to wobble a bit on the table.
"Try again, Twi. You can do it," Spike said supportively as he stood next to her.
"Phew." Twilight sighed as she wiped away the transpiration on her brow. "This spell is a toughy, but I feel lucky this time." She said with confidence as she charged her horn with magic. "One, two, thr-ghaaa!" she yelled out as she was tackled by a pink blur, her spell shooting away without aim.
The purple beam ricocheted off of the roof of the cafe, then the ground, almost hitting Danny who yelled out as he dived down, before hitting an unfortunate bird sitting on a nearby tree branch. In a puff of free falling feathers, the bird vanished from its spot.
Down on the ground, Twilight was currently being constricted by Pinkie Pie, who was holding her in a spine crushing hug.
"Pinkie, why did you do that?" She asked irritatedly as she pushed the pink mare away.
"Because fun is funerific. Especially if you can have it around a friend," Pinkie Pie answered happily while wrapping her front legs around herself several times, making it look like she didn't have any bones. Then, her legs unwrapped again and twisted around in a blur.
"Whatcha doing?" She asked innocently, her front hooves pressed against each other.
"Trying to turn that apple into an orange," Twilight answered as she walked back to her table.
"But you kinda threw her aim off," Spike told her, and an orange with wings flew over them.
"Wheee. What a cute orange birdy," Pinkie pie said cheerfully as she jumped up a bit. "Do me next, Twilight! Do me, do me!" And she turned around mid jump, only for her to knock into Rarity, who was wearing a cloak which was covering most of her body, save for her head and lower front legs, which were covered in pink fabric.
Shaking her head from the slight daze, Pinkie immediately turned her attention to Rarity.
"Ooh, Rarity. Wanna see Twilight turn me into an orange? It's gonna be funna fun fun!" Pinkie Pie gushed excitedly, bouncing on the spot while Danny grumbled, stood back up and dusted himself off.
He could hear Rarity say something about the ensemble she had made, but he didn't care much about that. Mostly because he was almost turned into a fruit himself. That was just what he needed. Part human, part ghost, part fruit. There was no way any ghost would take him seriously if that would have happened.
"Ghaa, this is terrible!" Pinkie Pie gasped in horror, drawing Danny's attention back to her.
"I admit it is perhaps not my finest work, but-" Rarity was cut off as Pinkie Pie pressed her face against hers.
"You had total awesome amazing fun, and I missed out on it!" Pinkie Pie said, her eyes poking out of her head several times as she said that. "Wait. What if there is more awesome amazing fun with friends happening somewhere in Ponyville that I am missing out on, TOO!" She said, horrified and shot off, leaving Twilight, Spike and Rarity in a small cloud of dust.
"We weren't going to turn her into an orange, I swear." Spike said while holding his claws up in a shrug, confusion showing on his face.
"Okay, that settles it." Danny muttered. "That pony is crazy."
<<>><<>><<>>
It hadn't taken long for Danny to regain his rhythm, and he was moving around the cafe, bringing the ponies their ordered food without any problem at all. Unfortunately, this wasn't going to last long, as merely half an hour after Pinkie Pie had left, Danny was hit by a pink freight train, spinning him around on the spot. Fortunately, depending on how you look at it, he wasn't the only one.
Twilight, again in the middle of casting her spell, was also flung around by the pink blur that was named Pinkie Pie. Her spell fired and shot away to nowhere, bouncing off of several inanimate objects before hitting a frog in a nearby pond.
"Wrabit," the orange with frog legs croaked before jumping in the water.
"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted at the pink blur that shot by.
Hearing her friend call her, Pinkie dug her hooves in the ground to slow down. The forward momentum of her speed made her dig a trench deep enough for her to vanish in it completely, and she stuck her head up to look above the surface before directing her attention to a watch hanging around her neck.
"What in the wide, wide world of Equestria are you doing now?" Twilight asked as she and Spike walked over to Pinkie Pie.
"Timing myself on galloping back and forth between the swimming pool and Sweet Apple Acres," Pinkie Pie replied hastily as she jumped up and down rapidly around Twilight. "I'm trying to cut down my time so when Rainbow Dash dives off the swing I can run to Sweet Apple Acres to help with the barn raising, and then to be back in time to see Dash hit the water after doing a double flip," Pinkie Pie explained in one breath.
"Huh. If I cut my time by only twenty minutes, I'm good," she added as he looked at her watch again.
"Hahaha. Oh Pinkie. I'm afraid no matter how hard you try, the only way you'll be able to pull something like that off is if there's more of you to go around." Twilight said in good nature as she levitated her table upright again, placing the apple back on top.
Pinkie Pie stood frozen on the spot, eyes wide but her pupils small. The sound of a clock ticking could be heard coming from her as, with the rhythm of the ticking, her head began to cock to one side.
An alarm rang, and her eyes shook in their sockets in response.
"That's it Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly as she jumped towards the purple mare, kicking over the table again as she leaned over it. "The legend of the mirror pool!" She shouted in twilight's face, then shot off.
"Legend of the who what now?" Twilight said, lying on her back after having been pushed over by Pinkie Pie, and she pushed herself back up.
"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted after her. "I'm familiar with loads of legends, and I have never he-"
"Does this mean practice is over?" Spike asked hopefully.
"Of course not. Back to work," Twilight said, already forgotten about her exuberant friend.
"Yeah, I hear ya."Danny thought as he, too, returned to his work; not sure what to make of Pinkie Pie's strange behavior.
<<>><<>><<>>
Celestia was sitting on her throne, waiting for daycourt to start. She had only a few more minutes left until those doors opened, and her beloved ponies would come to her for anything, from the problems in their village or city, to a blessing for a marriage. But, more than often, it would be about any simple, sometimes even silly, problem that they could most likely solve themselves, but found it necessary to ask her how to proceed regardless.
Adjusting herself a bit on her throne, she found a spot that didn't agitate her flank. Why it still hurt was beyond her. All she knew was that it did, and that this was going to be a long day because of it.
Finally finding a spot that was relatively comfortable, she sighed in quiet relief and ordered the doors to be opened.
The hooves clopping on the marble floor reached her ears, and she was pleasantly surprised to see an all too familiar face.
"Your majesty," Technal said while bowing before her princess.
"Rise my little pony. Tell me, what brings you here? It is not yet time for our session where you teach me about the humans’ technology."
"No Princess, I am here for another reason." Technal said after straightening herself. "There has been something on my mind ever since the breach at our facility, and I found it prudent to discuss this with you."
"Very well, let's hear it."
Clearing her throat, Technal spoke again. "Well, the thing is that this breach has shown that, despite all the protective measurements taken, it was, and might be possible again for a ghost to breach our facility. And, if we're not careful, to enter the population. I believe it wise to invest in extra security. To be more precise, this," she said, and showed a detailed diagram on the laptop she pulled out of her saddlebag.
"What exactly am I looking at?" Celestia asked in puzzlement, the technological schematics impossibly complicated for her.
"Something to detain ghosts, permanently."
"I’ll take your word for it. But, I do understand the scale that is shown on these diagrams. It would take a lot of room, not to mention the cost."
"Agreed. This is a conclusion I came to myself as well. However, as for the room, I believe the crystal caves underneath the castle should prove more than useful for the task. Not only would it provide us with the room we need, but it is also out of sight for anypony else. The cost, however, is another matter entirely. I have studied the inventory of Fenton Corporation, and most of the technology needed is available, and should not cost all that much. However, some things would have to be custom ordered, and everything will have to be installed on site."
Celestia raised an eyebrow at this. "Clearly you have put a lot of thought and time into this."
"I have," Technal said, a fire burning behind her eyes. "A ghost broke through, and I won't let it happen again. But, if it does, I will not allow it to go anywhere far. This will work, I'm sure of it. All it needs is the funding, and your approval."
Celestia was taken aback from the intensity from the mare's words. Normally she was a cheerful pony, friendly to all. Maybe a bit high strung from time to time, but that was something she was more than used to. Still, she didn't show her surprise over the mare's shift in behavior, and she studied the plans a bit more thoroughly.
"It will take time to construct, that much is obvious. And I am not entirely sure it is needed. Yes, a ghost came through. But security has been improved, and Fenton Corporation is working on it as well. Do we really need it?" she asked Technal.
"I believe we do, Princess. Ask yourself this. Wouldn't it be better to have it, and not need it, than need it, and not have it?"
Celestia thought about this for a long moment, weighing her options. What Technal said made sense, and the events that had happened in Baltimare were all too clear in her mind. This latest breach showed the system was not foolproof, and, if it happened once, it could happen again. No, Technal was right. Better to have it and not need it would be the more desirable option.
"Very well, we'll do it your way," Celestia said, and Technal struggled to contain her excitement. "And I want you to oversee this project, as you came up with it. However, I also want to have a team from Fenton Corporation here as well to oversee the construction. We are still learning how to use the humans' inventions, and no matter how good some of us have become in using them, there is still a lot that we do not understand. If this is going to work without a problem, then we will need their help."
"Certainly, Princess. And thank you," Technal said with a bow.
"How soon can you start?" Celestia asked.
"How soon do you need me to start?"
"Immediately."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny walked out of Sugar Cube Corner, holding two muffins in his hands. He was on his lunch break, and he decided to try his luck again with the finer baked goods after the fiasco with Applejack a few days ago.
The rapid stomping on the ground brought his attention to the rapidly approaching stampede caused by three fillies he knew all too well, and his eyes widened in horrified realization.
"Hi Danny!" Scootaloo shouted as she ran past him, almost tripping him.
"Sorry Danny!" Sweetie Belle said next, running behind him and causing him to lose his balance before he fell backwards onto his rear.
"Bye Danny!" Apple Bloom called out to him as she jumped over his legs, kicking up a bit of dust where she landed on the dry dirt path.
Groaning and rubbing his back as he pulled himself back up, Danny shot the three fillies an annoyed look.
"That's the second time those three have knocked me on the ground," he muttered as he dusted himself off. Then, a horrified realization came to him, again. Where were his muffins?
Looking around almost in panic, Danny found them lying nearby, covered in dirt, and partially crushed underneath the hooves of one of the fillies.
"OH, COME ON!"
Grumbling under his breath, he quickly cleaned up the mess and prepared to go another day without lunch. Only for him to be handed another muffin by Cup Cake, who had seen the entire ordeal, and went out of her way to make his day just a little bit better. Danny couldn't help to have her kind smile spread to his face as he accepted her gift, and he enjoyed the treat all the more for it.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight was sitting behind her desk in the library, studying the spell she'd practiced earlier this morning. She was trying to figure out if this spell could be used to turn objects into other fruits as well. And, if possible, turn fruits into other, more practical, things like quills or ink.
A loud slam shook her out of her study with a scream, and she looked around in frightened confusion, before realizing where the sound had come from.
Muttering under her breath, she walked to the front door, using her magic to open it. There, stuck to the door like a pancake, was Scootaloo, giving her an awkward smile while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stood before the two of them, struggling to contain their laughter.
Twilight had to take a moment to let the situation sink in. She looked at the two fillies standing before her, clearly having trouble to keep their composure over their friend’s unfortunate situation. Sighing out and shaking her head slightly, Twilight finally got a grasp on what was going on. The crusaders were at it again, and that often led to massive destruction all around.
"Girls," she began, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "What are you doing?"
Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle, who in turn looked at Scootaloo. Neither of them said anything for a while, and Twilight frowned a bit at them over the distraction they caused.
"Well... ehh. You see," Sweetie Belle started hesitantly, hoping her friends would help her out with this. "We came here to... To..."
"Ta find ah book... for an... assignment for school," Apple Bloom added after a momentary pause.
"Uhum," Twilight hummed as she raised a single eyebrow. "And why is Scootaloo stuck to my door?" she asked, before realizing what it was she said, and using her magic to pry the filly from the woodwork.
"Ehh... Because we-" Scootaloo began, and her friends shot her a look. "I mean, I got a bit too carried away with all of this, and ran here as fast as I could." She said, and Twilight noticed Scootaloo was struggling to keep a straight face in some kind of discomfort. "Seeing that I really wanted to find the book about that thing we needed to do."
Twilight wasn't convinced, and she looked at the three fillies with a flat, deadpan look before sighing and shaking her head.
"And what is it that you really want?"
"A book," Sweetie Belle replied.
"Really?" Twilight asked while blinking dumbly a few times. "Why?" She added with suspicion thick in her voice.
"Ta read about manticores." Apple Bloom answered.
"Why?" Twilight asked again, beginning to sound like a broken record.
"...Because we want to know why it was behaving so strangely," Scootaloo added slowly, clearly choosing her words carefully.
"So let me see if I get this right. You want to read a book about manticores to find out about certain behavior, and this is after you almost got eaten by one last night?" Twilight summed up.
"Ehh… Yes?" Sweetie Belle answered with a large smile.
Twilight looked at the three with a scrutinizing gaze, trying to read the three fillies like her books. But her skills in reading other ponies were somewhat lacking, and she wasn't all too sure what to make of these three.
"So, a book?" she said again, earning a confirming nod from the three fillies before her. "Just a book? No crazy scheme to earn your cutie marks?" This time the three shook their heads, albeit hesitantly. Noticing this, Twilight had to make sure they wouldn't do anything they or she would come to regret.
"Fine, but you have to promise me not to do anything that will get you in trouble. Especially after what you three did last night. Understood?"
"Yes Miss Twilight," Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said with a nod and innocent smile, a trio of halos hanging above their heads; a perfect image of innocence, and a major warning sign that they were up to no good. Which would probably mean trouble for the neighborhood.
Twilight, however, failed to pick up on this little warning sign, and she allowed the three fillies into her abode. Happy that, even if their reasons were a bit unclear, she was able to bestow some of the knowledge found in her library to these three.
Still, she wasn't entirely oblivious as to what these three youngsters were capable of, and she was quick to ensure that they, as well as the town and everypony in it, would remain safe. For this time at least.
"Okay you three. Everything you want to know about manticores can be found in these books," she chirped happily as she levitated several books over to the the fillies.
"Now, as you can see clearly here. A manticore is a large, predatory animal that has sharp teeth, claws, and a poisonous scorpion's tail," Twilight began, switching to lecture mode as she prepared to give these fillies the full knowledge she had.
Scootaloo's ears twitched in annoyance, and their smiles grew a bit more forced as they settled in for one very long, and probably boring, lecture.
<<>><<>><<>>
Frantic knocking sounded on the door, and Twilight hurried to see who it was that was trying to bring down her door for the second time this day, which was quite a relief for the three fillies, who had been subjected to one of Twilight's long and boring lectures for almost an hour now. Their ears twitched, however, as they heard the all too familiar voice of Rainbow Dash, Ponyville's very own captain of the weather team, future Wonderbolt, the Element of Loyalty and, of course, the most awesomest pony in all of Equestria, if Scootaloo was anypony to say so; which she was. They agreed on that during the last Rainbow Dash fan club meeting.
"Twilight, you have to come, now!" Rainbow Dash all but shouted. Confusion, excitement and even a bit of anger were all mixed in her voice. "There is something wrong with the lake! Somepony has been messing with the weather schedule, and everything is frozen! You have to come!"
"What- What do you mean?" Twilight asked, not understanding the rambling of her friend.
"No time to explain. Just come." And with that, Rainbow Dash grabbed hold of Twilight and flew towards the lake, leaving the Crusaders alone in the library, and the three fillies shot each other a knowing look with devious smiles found on their faces.
Kicking and flailing legs were all Twilight saw as she screamed in protest at her friend. But Rainbow Dash wasn't listening, and she sped towards the nearby lake she had planned to relax at with Pinkie Pie.
"Rainbow Dash, I want to kn-... Oh," Twilight yelled, before seeing the frozen lake glistening in the light of the sun, and her voice died in her throat.
"What happened here?" She asked after Rainbow Dash had put her down on the ground.
"That's what I am trying to find out myself. Somepony has messed with the weather schedule, obviously, and I want to know whose flank I need to kick from here to Canterlot.
"WHEEEE!" Pinkie Pie's shout of glee interrupted the two of them, and they saw the aforementioned mare skate over the frozen lake, seemingly not caring about the fact that this was a huge breach in weather control.
"PINKIE! What are you doing?" Twilight yelled, watching the pink mare do a pirouette before speeding towards her and Rainbow Dash. Suddenly braking, Pinkie Pie kicked up a small avalanche of shaved ice, covering both mares under a layer of white.
"Ohh, Twilight. You're a snowpony," Pinkie Pie said happily.
"Pinkie, what gives. What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked, shaking the cold stuff off of her.
"Why, I'm having fun. Fun! Fun! Fun!"
"Did somepony say fun?" Another Pinkie Pie asked, and she jumped on the ice as well.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood with their mouths wide open, unable to fathom what was happening.
"FUN! Where?!" Yet another Pinkie Pie asked as she, and several other Pinkie Pies jumped out of the bushes, shouting: "fun, fun, fun," over and over again while sliding, skating, and doing other things on the ice; one of which included freezing their tongues to the cold surface.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Twilight shouted in panic, and she and Rainbow Dash backed away from the crazy herd of pink.
"FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!" was the only reply they got from the hyperactive mass of Pinkies, who seemed to have lost interest in the ice, and were bouncing towards Ponyville. Twilight and Rainbow quickly ran away from the craziness that was called Pinkie Pie, times a dozen.
"What is going on!"Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew up, pulling Twilight with her.
"I don't know," Twilight answered, held up in Rainbow Dash’s hooves, dangling above the crazy herd of Pinkies. "But I think I know where to look for answers. Dash, to the library. I have some studying to do.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was busy with his shift at the cafe, going around the tables to deliver his latest order. It was nothing more than a tall glass of water, but he took as much care in delivering it like he would with any other order. Setting the glass in front of the beige earth pony mare he had met the first day he walked into Ponyville, he got a friendly smile from Bon Bon, who had come by to see if Lyra wasn't being too much trouble to him.
But something strange was going on, and they, as well as everypony else sitting on the terrace, noticed. A faint rumbling could be heard in the distance, and Danny and Bon Bon saw the water in the glass ripple before it bounced off of the table, shattering on the ground and spilling its contents.
"What the?" Danny said as he looked up and into the distance.
"What is that?" Bon Bon asked as everyone there saw a massive dust cloud rising in the air, and a wave of pink in front of it.
"FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!"
The eyes of everyone, pony, human and otherwise, grew wide when they saw the bouncing wave of Pinkie Pies move into town, trampling everything underneath their hooves. Mothers pulled their foals indoors and slammed the windows shut. The ponies behind the market stalls fled with as much of their wares as they could carry before the unstoppable force named Pinkie Pie descended onto their stalls, toppling them over and downright destroying them.
Ponies fled in fear, not knowing what to do. And Danny found himself standing on an empty terrace, only joined by Ruby and Quick Grill. None of them knew what to do, and they stood there with their mouths ajar.
Danny, however, couldn't help a stray thought from entering his mind as he saw the mass of Pinkies.
"What the… It took months before I managed to do that, and even then I wasn't any good at it."
For reasons unknown, he felt a stab of anger towards the mare that, somehow, managed to duplicate herself.
He didn't know it, but it was Nightmare Moon that used this moment to plant a thought in his mind. A thought, no, a need, to teach himself how to do this. To best the mare in her attempt, and to master his duplication ability himself.
A flash of green showed in his eyes, but no one saw it, as they were too busy staring at the impossible sight happening before them.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was running through town, trying to avoid any of the crazy pink ponies that tried to jump in front of him. It had taken some time for him, but after standing like a statue back at the cafe, just looking at the madness happening before him, something stirred inside of him. He knew he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. No, the part of him that made him choose to become a hero all those years back made him act now as well. He would do what he could to help the ponies, of course, without giving himself away.
But years of wasting away, plus not being able to use his powers, made this an impossible task for him. And he was mostly a playing ball for the many Pinkies that bounced him around in between them.
Finally being able to break free from the madness, he noticed three fillies running away from the chaos surrounding everyone. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The last of which seemed to have trouble keeping up with the rest of her friends, and he saw her trip over her own legs.
What he didn't see, however, thanks to one of the many Pinkies spinning him around until he couldn't see straight, was the bolt of toxic green energy shooting from Sweetie Belle's horn as she hit the ground, nor did he notice the puff of cold air escaping from his mouth as he was too nauseous from the spinning. And all he could do was just sit there, waiting for himself to calm down and try again.
It took a moment, but he managed to stand back up and not feel like he would fall over or throw up his lunch. Looking around, he saw the fillies were gone. And, to his surprise, there was a Pinkie lying unconscious on the ground.
Seeing a break in the mass of pink, Danny wasted no time and ran as fast as he could, heading towards the one place that seemed the best bet for now, even though he didn't quite know why he was going there. Still, it didn't stop him from his goal, and after some more difficult pink obstacles, and some acrobatic stunts he didn't even know he could pull off, he managed to reach the town's library, home of Twilight Sparkle.
Slamming into the door and forcing it open, he barged in, closing the door immediately behind himself and pressing his back against the woodwork.
"Danny?" Twilight said as she looked up from the book she had levitating in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't know. I just thought this was the best place to be right now," he answered, out of breath. "Do you know what’s going on?"
"Actually, I do. Thanks to this book here Spike has found," she answered, and levitated the book over to Danny. "See? The legend of the mirror pool."
Danny read the pages splayed open to him, not understanding anything about it.
"Didn't Pinkie say something about this this morning?" He asked instead, shooting the mare a questioning glance.
"Yes, she did. That's how I managed to figure out what to look for. We're lucky we found it as fast as we did, because I have only been back for a few minutes myself. Rainbow Dash dropped me off here, then went someplace else to help," she answered, and she brought the book back to herself. "Also, did you by any chance see the Crusaders? They were supposed to be here," she asked Danny, worry evident in her voice.
"Yeah, I did. I saw them run away not too long ago. They seemed fine, albeit a bit scared.”
Twilight sighed in relief over that and quickly turned to her book. "It seems there is an easy spell to fix all of this, but… Oh no!"
"Oh no, what? Oh no never means anything good," Danny said in slight panic.
"I- I need to get my friends, now. I need their help with this," Twilight said hastily and rushed to the door, forcing Danny out of the way with her magic.
"WAIT!" He called out, stopping her in her tracks. "Let me help."
Twilight pondered over this for several seconds. The rational portion of her mind told her that that was a bad idea, and that Danny might get hurt. But something else, deep down in the back of her mind, told her that he was tougher than he looked, and that he really could help them. Looking at Danny, and looking him in the eyes, Twilight could feel something else as well, but didn't know what it was. All she knew right now was that she should trust him, and let him help them.
"Alright, but try to keep up," she said, before forcefully opening the door and running out.
"Yay, more running," Danny muttered bitterly, but didn't waste any time following behind the purple mare.
<<>><<>><<>>
After having gathered all her friends near town hall, Twilight addressed her friends about the current situation. She also told them that Danny was going to help them, and none of them seemed to have any objections against it.
"So, there you have it. I'll be able to use a spell to send all of these Pinkies back into the mirror pool, but if we don't find a way to find the real Pinkie, I might send her back by mistake."
"That might be a problem," Applejack said, scratching her head. "So, how are we going to find the real Pinkie?"
"I don't know," Twilight answered with slight panic, not wanting to send her friend into a magical pool.
"Look, maybe we can worry about that later," Danny spoke up. "Wouldn't it be more useful if we got all of those Pinkies contained and in one place? That way we'll be able to at least control the situation a bit better." This earned him some murmurs of approval, and a faint smile from Twilight.
"Danny's right. Okay girls, let's round up those Pinkies. Then we'll figure out how to find the real one," Twilight instructed.
A chorus of okays was the collective response, and everyone moved away, sticking in groups of two. Rainbow Dash went with Applejack, Rarity with Fluttershy, and Danny with Twilight, who was also carrying Spike on her back.
"So, how exactly are we going to do this?" Danny asked as he and Twilight moved to a small group of Pinkies
"Don't you have an idea?" Twilight asked back.
"Not really. I didn't think this far ahead."
"Well, that figures," Spike muttered.
"Well, do you have any ideas then?" Danny asked, sounding a bit offended.
"Why don't we just ask which Pinkie is the real Pinkie?" He replied simply.
"Yeah, like that’s going to work," Danny groaned with a roll of his eyes. "They all look and sound the same. Asking them won’t do anything."
"Well, how do you know?" Spike shot back.
"Guys, calm down. This isn’t helping," Twilight said sternly. "Besides, Danny's right. There's no way to differentiate one Pinkie from the other."
"And I say we could just try," Spike said bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest. Then his expression softened as he saw one Pinkie sitting at a nearby table, looking very unhappy. "Maybe that one is the real Pinkie?" he said as he pointed at her.
"Please. The real Pinkie Pie never sat that long in one place in her whole life," Twilight replied, not believing for a second that the sad looking pony was the cheerful friend she was looking for.
"I'm gonna go ask," Spike said stubbornly and jumped of Twilight's back.
"Of course she's going to say she's the real Pinkie Pie, th-" Twilight half shouted at him before Danny interrupted her.
"Just let him go. It never hurts to ask," he told her as he watched Spike move away.
"So, let me guess. You are the real Pinkie Pie?" Spike asked the pink mare who was staring gloomily at the chaos unfolding around her.
"Heck if I know. It could be any one of us if you ask me," she answered, and Spike shot a questioning look at Twilight, who only shrugged in response.
"And if I said I am the real Pinkie, you wouldn't believe me anyway, so just leave me alone. I've got some important poking in the ground with my hoof to do," Pinkie Pie said, and walked away sulking.
"Oh, Spike. How are we going to do this? I can't risk sending the real Pinkie into the pond," Twilight asked with a sad tone, the depressive talk of this Pinkie having gotten to her.
"Ehh… Am I the only one to notice this?" Danny asked, confused as he scratched his head.
"Noticed what?" Twilight asked, and she, Spike, and even Pinkie stopped in place.
"Of all the Pinkies going around, she's the only one not jumping around in some hyperactive sugar rush, or something. In fact, she seems like the only one even thinking about anything else other than just fun."
"Did somepony say fun?" Multiple Pinkies asked, causing an eerie echo as they surrounded Danny, Twilight and Spike.
"Oh crud," Danny said with a flat tone as the bouncing wall of pink had them sealed in.
"FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN! FUN!" the group of Pinkies shouted, and they closed in on the three trapped beings in the center.
"ENOUGH!" Twilight yelled, and her horn lit up as she levitated all the Pinkies in the air, including the sad one, mixing them together.
"Now, what was it that you tried to say?" she asked Danny as if nothing had happened.
"Well,” he began quietly as he looked up, seeing all the Pinkies floating around in a purple aura. "I thought that the real Pinkie would feel bad about what had happened, seeing that all the others are somewhat… simple. But now I can't tell that one apart from all the others."
Twilight blinked dumbly at this. "Why did I not think about that?" And she looked up at the group of floating Pinkies.
"Is any of you sad about what is going on?" she asked the group.
"I am!"
"No, I am!"
"No, I am!"
"No, I am!"
"Well damn, there goes that idea," Danny muttered.
"So what do we do now?" Spike asked.
"I have no idea," Twilight said, sounding somewhat desperate.
One of the Pinkies’ eyes suddenly widened as an idea came to her.
"Wait, wait. What if you gave them a test? Pick something really hard for a Pinkie to do, something not fun at all. Any Pinkie that can't do it goes back into the pond. But, whichever one of us wants to stay the most, that must be the real Pinkie."
Twilight gave the idea a moment's thought, then looked at Danny. "You know, that's not such a bad idea. But what test should we give them?"
"I don't know," Danny said with a shrug. "You know her better than I do. But, might I suggest we first gather them all up, then we deal with that problem?"
"Right, you’re right," Twilight said, and she began walking back to town hall with the floating group of Pinkies following her.
Danny followed her back, only to be stopped by someone shouting his name.
"Danny! DANNY!"Ruby called out to him, and he stopped to turn to her.
"Yeah? What is it, Ruby?"
"I have been looking everywhere for you," she said, slightly out of breath. "You can't just run off like that. We still need you back at the cafe. And Grill is not happy that you did. You better haul your flank back there, and hope he is in a forgiving mood."
"Oh crap," Danny said and facepalmed. "I got carried away with all of this. Twilight, you can deal with this, right?" He asked, and Twilight nodded in answer. "Good, I gotta run." And with that, he and Ruby ran back to the cafe; Danny hoping he didn't mess up too bad.
"Well, there goes that guy," Spike said in annoyance.
"Spike, don't say that. He had a good reason to do so."
"Yeah yeah, let's just go. We'll figure a way out to deal with all of this. We don't need his help.
"SPIKE! He was the only one to notice the fact that the real Pinkie would be sad about all of this. Give him some credit."
"Fine, fine," he said. "But I still don't like it that he thought I was a lizard.
"So that's what this is about." Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Let's just drop off these Pinkies, then go back to the library and try to find something that would be a good test to find the real Pinkie. And, while we're at it, find out if the Crusaders have done any damage while they were alone in the library."
"You think they did something?" Spike asked, no longer sounding annoyed.
"Don't they always?"
Silence.
"You've got a point there."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny came to a screeching stop in front of the cafe, seeing Quick Grill working with a broom to clean up the mess of food that littered the ground, among other things. The second he saw Danny, though, he spat out the tool, glaring daggers at the human.
"You better have a good explanation why you ran away like that, boy!" He said angrily.
"Sorry Gri… Sir. I was trying to help around town."
"You do that in your own time! If you hadn't run off and stayed to help us here, things might not have been in such a Celestia damned state!" He yelled at Danny, and Ruby flinched as Quick Grill used Celestia's name like that.
Swallowing the lump formed in his throat, Danny looked down at the angry pony, somehow feeling smaller than him.
"I... I'm sorry," he said weakly.
"Damn right you're sorry! So get your flank moving and clean this place up. NOW!"
Danny didn't need to be told again, and he shot into motion. Grabbing the broom Quick Grill had thrown on the ground, he quickly continued where his boss had stopped. Soon to be joined by Ruby, while Quick Grill muttered angrily to himself as he walked inside, deciding to fix things up there.
A tense silence settled down over the two working individuals, and Danny focused on his work as if his life depended on it.
"Just be glad you got off with only this," Ruby said after a moment, making Danny jump a bit as he was not expecting anyone to talk to him. "Why did you run off like that anyhow?"
"I just tried to help," Danny answered quietly, hoping Quick Grill wouldn't hear him.
"But what could you possibly do? No offense, but you don't have any magic, or anything else that could have helped with this."
"I… mayb….." Danny stammered, unable to counter her statement. "It's just who I am," he finally said, and Ruby could only look at him with admiration.
<<>><<>><<>>
Some time had passed, and Danny had calmed down a bit. Working a bit calmer, but never slowing down, he and Ruby slowly cleaned up the mess created in the chaos named Pinkie Pie. He was also sour over the fact that his home was damaged by all of this. He knew this, as he had seen some broken windows in the distance, and he grumbled under his breath. At least his house was near the edge of town, and was spared from the worst of it. But even then, he still had a lot of cleaning to do, both here, and there.
Setting tables back upright that were turned over, Ruby shot him a glance, knowing how he felt. Her home was also hit, and she knew the both of them had to continue cleaning up when they got home. Looking over to Quick Grill, she could see him working diligently back in the cafe, cleaning the things in there. Sighing out, she wished for any kind of distraction, just to have something to take their minds of all of this for a moment.
"HEY DANNY!" Apple Bloom shouted, and she and Scootaloo ran over to him.
Ruby gulped as she saw her wish granted, hoping it wouldn't make things worse. Those fillies had a bad habit of making an even bigger mess of things than Pinkie Pie had done.
"Yeah, what's up?" Danny replied as he placed his hands on top the broom, resting his head on top of them.
"Do you... Ah mean... We were wonderin' what happened here. Why were there so many Pinkie Pies everywhere?" Apple Bloom asked, giving him an innocent smile which seemed just a bit forced.
Arching his eyebrow at the almost too big to be sincere smile, Danny stood straight and shrugged.
"Beats me. I heard something about some pool mirror or something, I'm not really sure. You'd have to ask Twilight about that. She and her friends are in town hall right now trying to figure out what to do with all those Pinkies
Sharing an uneasy glance between each other, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom rubbed their heads awkwardly as they looked down at Danny's feet.
"So, Twilight huh?" Scootaloo asked lamely.
"Is there anypony else who might know something?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at Danny expectantly.
Danny shrugged. "Maybe your sister, or her friends? They might know what was going on. Other than that, I have no idea."
Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's ears folded flat on their heads over Danny's answer, making him arch an eyebrow.
"Okay Danny. Thanks Danny," Apple Bloom said, sounding just a bit forced, and she and Scootaloo hurried to get away.
"Those two are up to something," Ruby said as she looked at the two fillies run away.
"Yeah, I figured as much," Danny replied. "I wonder wha-"
"HEY! You two! Stop lollygagging and get back to work!" Quick Grill shouted as he stuck his head out of one of the broken windows, glaring at the two of them. Danny and Ruby quickly went back to work, forgetting about those two fillies for the time being.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Come on!" Technal said impatiently. "Open up already!"
Standing in the tear room, waiting for the tear to open, Technal was fidgeting on the spot. The tear was late again, and she was really starting to get impatient. She wanted to go to the other side and get on her way to Fenton Corporation to discuss and order all the parts needed for her design, as well as see them about lending a team of professionals to help.
But right now, all she could do was wait.
"Why do these things never work when you need them to?" She said irritably to herself, getting no reply.
Then, finally, the tear opened. Waiting just a moment longer for the hole in reality to fully open, she practically leaped through the moment she got the green light.
However, what no one on either side of the shimmering hole noticed, were the tiny mechanical insects crossing over into Equestria, their cameras for eyes recording everything and sending the data back in a short compressed burst whenever the tear opened.
And the person receiving these bursts of data was eagerly waiting for anything useful as his mechanical spies flew through the compound and out into the world of Equestria.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had taken many hours, but finally Danny was done. Not only that, but he also heard from Twilight, who stopped by to give him the good news, that they had managed to find the real Pinkie Pie and send the rest back into the mirror pool. However, he had a hard time believing they did so by making them watch paint dry. Although, according to Twilight, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo barging in also helped a bit.
He wasn't sure how that worked, but he didn’t really care at this point. He was beat, and all he wanted to do was go to bed. Unfortunately for him, there was still the mess back home to deal with.
Groaning, he stepped inside of his home and closed the door behind him. It was already getting dark, and he muttered under his breath as he saw the glass lying on the ground from the broken windows. But at least it would seem that that was all there was to clean up.
With a sigh, he sweeped up the shattered glass and dumped it in the trash. He would deal with that some other time, but for now, it would do. Still, there was the fact that his windows were without anything to stop the cold night air from coming in, and he really wasn't planning on doing any difficult repairs right now.
Fortunately, he didn't needed to, for now.
Standing behind the glassless window, Danny looked outside, making sure no one was around to see what he was about to do. Satisfied when he didn't see anyone, he held up his hands before the window, and an ice blue glow surrounded his hands.
Ice formed in a thick sheet inside the window's frame, covering it up with a crystal clear layer. Repeating this process with the other broken windows, Danny managed to repair the damage in no time at all.
"There, that will do for now," he said before yawning loudly.
It had been a very long day, and he was more than a bit tired. Not hungry, or bothering with a shower, he dragged himself to his bed. Just wanting to fall down and let sleep come to him, he managed to remember he needed his clothes for work tomorrow. Turning intangible, he let his clothes fall off of him, and fall into a heap on the floor as Danny let himself fall forwards, landing unceremoniously on his bed. Sleep came to him immediately.
And, as Danny succumbed to the embrace of sleep, he did not notice the flash of toxic green over at Sweet Apple Acres, coming from somewhere deep within the orchard.
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna and Celestia stood together on Luna's balcony, watching the last rays of the sun vanish over the horizon. Luna, using her magic, raised the moon, letting its light shine down on the world.
For a moment, neither one of them said anything. They just stood there, taking in the sight of their land going to sleep.
Sighing, Luna turned her gaze to Ponyville, and the human who was causing so much trouble.
"It's time," she said, and both their horns lit up. Luna closed her eyes as she reached out with her magic.
Celestia joined her sister’s magic with her own, letting Luna guide her as she sought out the disturbance, and placed a barrier around it.
Many minutes passed, yet Celestia could feel no drain on her magic. Looking at her sister, she could see a troubled frown on her face.
"Luna, what's wrong?"
"It's not there," Luna answered, confused.
"What isn't?"
"The disturbance. It's not there."
"Maybe Danny hasn't gone to bed yet?" Celestia offered.
"No, I can sense him. He's asleep, yet the disturbance is gone. I do not understand this," Luna said as she opened her eyes.
"It was there every night, growing worse and worse, and now it's just gone. Something like that does not just vanish. It just doesn't."
Celestia looked out at Ponyville as well, a worried look on her face.
"Did it move to somepony else, like a virus of some kind?"
"I don't th… No, I'm not sensing it anywhere."
"And Danny? Maybe you can finally connect with him, find out what is happening inside his mind?"
Luna thought about this for a moment before closing her eyes and reaching out to him.
Her magic touched his mind, grabbing hold of it as she moved inside of his unconscious thoughts. Darkness wrapped around her, and she tried to pull away in fear. Celestia saw her sister's frightened expression and her attempt to pull free, and she tried to use her magic to help her. But it failed, and Luna was brought deeper and deeper into an inky void, before being forcefully rejected from Danny's mind. The backlash of magic coursing back into her blasted Luna away, and she slammed into the wall next to the door, slumping down in a heap.
"LUNA!"Celestia shouted, and rushed to her sister.
"Luna, talk to me! Are you alright?" She asked frantically as she used her magic to see if her sister was alright.
With a shout, Luna came to, looking around in fright for something.
"Luna, what happened? What did you see?" Celestia asked worriedly.
Luna turned to look at her sister, her eyes wide in fear.
"Those eyes," she said in a frightened whisper as she grasped Celestia around the neck, looking into her eyes. "Those horrible, orange, glowing eyes."
Edits done by NightmareKnight, Vates Despero, and Halusm.
Training Day.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny awoke with a start, feeling neither rested nor sleepy. It was as if his body wasn't sure how to feel, and thus, just made him feel like he was hanging somewhere in between the two. Slowly sitting up in his bed, wide awake, but unable to find the energy to actually get moving, he groaned out like a zombie. Yesterday was troubling enough, and he didn't feel like trying his luck today. This truly was one of those days where you just knew you would be better off staying in bed, and he muttered several swear words under his breath as he forced himself out of his bed and into a standing position.
Swaying a bit on the spot, Danny stumbled over to the bathroom, hoping a shower would help him focus. At least he didn't have to worry about freezing himself up anymore, so he knew, somewhere in his foggy mind, that he could at least enjoy the warm water this time.
A pleased sigh left his mouth as the warm water fell onto him, and his groggy mind finally shifted into second gear, picking up speed, and reminding him about certain things done yesterday. Mainly, his ice windows.
They would make a mess if he didn’t remove them. Not to mention what the ponies would say if they saw them. From a distance they looked normal enough, but up close... Well, it would be difficult to explain that one. Of course there was also the recollection of his boss telling him to haul his flank back to work today, and work extra time to make up for the time he was gone.
This brought a groan out of him, as he didn't especially look forward to working an even longer shift. Not because he didn't like his work, but because, for some reason, Danny had this urge to get out and work on his duplication ability. Why that was, he wasn't sure. But he knew it was most likely the result of seeing Pinkie Pie having duplicated herself like that. He couldn’t help but feel really annoyed that Pinkie Pie had been so successful at a trick he had never been able to master himself… even if he had decided not to use his powers like that anymore.
But, as was so often the case, training would have to wait until all the other things he needed to do were done. First off, the windows. Removing them would be simple enough, but finding replacements would be somewhat more difficult. He was sure that he would be able to find some glass setter in town, as there would be more residents whose windows had broken, but he didn't know where to start. So he would have to figure that one out as well.
He groaned again as his to do list grew and grew with every passing moment.
<<>><<>><<>>
Celestia walked out of her sister's chamber, exhaustion and fear showing on her face. Whatever it was that had frightened Luna last night must have been terrible indeed, as she was unable to get anything more than muttering about orange glowing eyes from her sister. Although, Celestia suspected that this was all Luna knew about what she had seen. After all, if there was anything more, she was confident Luna would have told her. Still, even the small amount of information Luna had managed to impart in her terrified state was enough to send a chill down her spine.
The first, and one of the more important things, would be the fact that Luna was so badly shaken from a mere pair of glowing eyes. She had gone through a horrible ordeal herself when the corruption claimed her, and Celestia knew her sister would be able to withstand at least something like that. So the fact that she would react like this showed there was more going on than one would suspect.
The second reason for alarm was the description of those eyes; glowing orange. There were several creatures on this world that had glowing eyes of sorts. Timberwolves, for one. And of course those changelings that had attempted to take over Canterlot several months ago. There were some others, but none of them had eyes that would glow orange.
And then there was the fact to consider that Danny was from Earth, a place where ghosts caused chaos and mayhem. Another shiver went through the solar princess, connections beginning to form in her mind that brought her to a startling conclusion.
It would seem, given the limited information she had, that a ghost had managed to slip through their defenses, and was actively haunting Danny Manson, even going so far as to drag her ponies down with him.
Celestia froze on the spot, taking a deep breath to calm down. Just jumping to conclusions wouldn't help her at all. If she were to act on mere suspicions based on incomplete information, she could send everypony out on a wild goose chase. No. Startling as her theory might be, she could not afford to be rash. If she wanted some concrete answers, she would have to investigate further. And involving Twilight or her friends any more than they already were wouldn't do either. If she was correct, then she would not send those innocent ponies to face a ghost, despite the fact that they are the Elements. No, this was something more suited for a specialized force. Ponies who had a better understanding of what it is they could potentially face.
Her mind made up, Celestia resumed her pace. She walked towards the guards’ barracks, heading to a specialized section of the compound. At first she wasn't all that sure about this particular project; it was more for prestige, to have ponies and humans working together. But now she was glad she had these ponies ready for her command.
The trainees of the Fenton corporation.
The Ghost-keteers.
<<>><<>><<>>
After removing the sheets of ice from the windows, which was easy as Danny could simply vaporize them, he now faced the next challenge of the day. Mainly, working his ass off while trying to stay on Quick Grill's good side.
Danny was walking on thin ice, no pun intended, after the supposedly heroic stunt he pulled. And to make matters worse, it would seem the entire town decided to show up today. Apparently none of the ponies whose houses were damaged seemed to be in the mood to make their own breakfast and, instead, they left that task for the hard working ponies, and human, found in the few food establishments in town.
Even with the use of his powers, Danny had a hard time getting around, as the entire place was swamped with hungry, somewhat irritated ponies. It would seem that today was not a good day, for anyone in town. Especially for the parents who were now forced to take their foals who were too young for school with them, as their foal sitters also had to deal with the aftermath of the Pinkie tsunami.
Having foals running around, pushing and screaming, impatient to get their food, wasn't really helping to improve the mood. It also proved to be a small hazard every now and then, as Danny found himself almost tripping over an unnoticed filly or colt that was moving around, trying to find something to do to while waiting.
And, at one point, he was even forced to turn his left leg intangible, just so he wouldn't trip over one of the foals, and spill the food he was carrying. He just hoped the pony didn't notice it in the surrounding chaos, because if he did... Well, Danny doubted he would be staying in Ponyville for much longer.
Fortunately for him, the young colt didn't notice it at all. And he only thought Danny to be funny as he stumbled around, trying not to fall down.
Placing the ordered food on the table in front of three hungry earth ponies, Danny was immediately called back for another round of serving food. Sighing mentally, he knew that today was going to be a very long day indeed.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Your highness," sounded a chorus of voices as all the guards found in the barracks, a total of sixteen ponies, stood at attention.
"Mares, stallions. I have an important task for you."
"Ma'am, what is it?" One of the guards asked; an earth pony who stood as one of the leaders of this group, and who had earned the respect of the others through several feats performed during his training.
"First Lieutenant Rolling Stone," Celestia began. "We, my sister and I, have reason to believe that, despite measurements taken to prevent such a thing, a ghost has managed to breach the tear facility and enter Equestria."
A ripple went through the group of ponies at this news, yet they remained standing as stoic as ever.
"Unfortunately, we do not know how this might have happened. What we do know, however, is that this entity seems to be active in Ponyville. I need you to go there, undercover, and investigate anything out of the ordinary. Although my sister and I have a strong suspicion, we do not know for certain, and I want to avoid causing a panic."
"Yes Princess," came the collective reply, and Rolling Stone turned to his ruler.
"Ma'am. Where exactly do we need to look for any spectral activity? All of Ponyville, or a more precise location?"
"It would seem it is more complicated than just that," Celestia answered. "There is a human living there as well. And, as it would happen, the strange disturbances detected by my sister are circulating around this individual. Keep a close eye on him as well. I doubt he knows about this himself, but he might prove to be useful as a way to find this ghost. If there is a ghost to begin with."
"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" Came the collective response.
"And please, do whatever it takes to keep my ponies safe. This also includes the human."
"Yes Princess!"
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight and Rainbow Dash were standing at the edge of the still frozen lake, but small puddles had formed in the time since they were last there as the ice had begun to melt. But by the looks of it, it would still take at least several more days before all of the ice was gone.
"Who, or what, could have done this without the entire town noticing?" Twilight wondered out loud.
"No idea," Rainbow Dash said, a frown on her face. "But I do know it would be a lot of work for a pegasus to change the weather in such a localized area to freeze just the lake without affecting everything else. Not to mention, I would have noticed if one or more were doing so. Maybe it was a unicorn?"
"Doubtful. Elemental magic like this takes a lot of skill and magic, not to mention the large magical hoofprint left behind. And I am not sensing any traces of magic other than the normal background levels. I'm not sure how this is possible or who, or what, could have done such a thing without anypony noticing. But this clearly was not done through magic, I'm sure of it."
"Then what should we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked, annoyed. "We can't just leave this here."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I've got this," Twilight said with a smirk as she lit up her horn.
A powerful beam of magic shot from her horn into the ice, breaking and melting it until all of the ice was gone, replaced with a steaming, bubbling body of water.
"WHOA! I thought you said that elemental magic was very difficult?"
"Oh, that wasn't elemental magic. It was just a spell to heat up soup, somewhat supersized for the job," Twilight said with an awkward smile, and Rainbow looked at her with disbelief written on her face.
"Say what?"
"You've heard me," Twilight said with a blush, looking away.
"For heating up soup?... SOUP!"
"Yes, soup. Now drop it," Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. "Still, I better report this to the princess. She was very clear in her last letter to be on the lookout for any kind of strange phenomena, and this would definitely fit in that category," she finished before starting her walk back to the library, leaving a dumbfounded Rainbow Dash behind.
"Heating up soup?" Rainbow Dash said as she looked at the steaming, bubbling lake. "Since when does Twilight know how to cook?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Celestia was sitting on her throne, trying to stay awake as she was working her way through her seventh cup of coffee. Staying awake all night to comfort her sister was catching up to her now, and she knew she would have a hard time fulfilling her tasks for the day. She just hoped she would be able to make it through day court without falling asleep. That would not be a good thing, nor would it send the right message to her subjects. At least she still had twenty or so minutes left before the day court began, and she quickly refilled her now empty cup.
A swirl of green, sparkling magic flew through an open window and in front of Celestia, who looked at the swirl of magic with interest as it poofed a scroll into existence. Catching it with her own magic before it could fall, she opened the message she knew came from Twilight, a smile on her face as she looked forward to hearing from her beloved student again.
Her smile quickly vanished, though, as she read the contents of the letter.
Dear Princess Celestia.
I write you to report a strange phenomenon found near Ponyville. A lake not far from the town was found completely frozen by my friend, Rainbow Dash. This, of course, is out of the norm as we are still in the middle of summer. Rainbow Dash also made it clear that it couldn't have been a single, or even multiple pegasi who changed the weather in such a localized area, as she would have known about it. And, as I have confirmed myself, it was not done by one or more unicorns either, as I could not detect any trace of magic, save for the already standard ambient magic found all over Equestria. Whatever, or whoever, did this clearly did not use any magic of any kind that I know of. It should also be known that, after my investigation, I melted the lake to restore the natural balance using the soup heating spell you taught me when I was just a filly.
I hope the report I have sent is satisfactory, and that it is what you were looking for. And my friends and I will keep our eyes open for anything else strange.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia's mouth had formed into a thin line as she read the letter, and a worried frown had found its way onto her face.
This was troubling news. First the strange disturbance surrounding Danny, then what happened to Luna the night before, and now this. It was all too much of a coincidence to actually be a coincidence. There had to be a connection, she was sure of it. And the one standing in the center of all of it was Danny. Although Celestia didn't know how Danny fit in with this frozen lake, if he was connected to it at all.
Still, it was obvious something was going on in Ponyville, and it all coincided with the arrival of Danny Manson.
Rolling up the scroll, Celestia stood up from her throne, leaving her cup of coffee behind, her tiredness gone in the surge of adrenaline she'd gotten after reading the letter. Walking towards the guards standing beside the double door of the throne room, she gave one quick order.
"Day court is canceled. Something much more urgent has come up."
And she teleported in a flash of light.
<<>><<>><<>>
The Ghost-keteers were rapidly preparing for the mission given to them by Princess Celestia. They were busy grabbing and filling their saddlebags with the various gadgets used to hunt and capture ghosts. They had trained extensively for several long months in their use back on Earth, and, to better use them, most of the devices had been modified to be used by ponies. But there was a problem. They could only take the smaller, easy to conceal devices. This was so they wouldn't give away their presence by wielding large ghost hunting weapons. Still, if their job was only to scout Ponyville, then they didn't have much need for any of the larger devices. There was also the fact that they couldn't all go, as their group was too large for any covert ops. So, after some internal debate, Rolling Stone chose the seven most suited of his team to come with him.
In a flash of light, princess Celestia teleported into their midst. None of them shouted in surprise or fright, all of them too well trained to react like that. They did, however, turn to her with lightning fast reflexes, standing at rapt attention.
"Princess," Rolling Stone called out.
"Guards. I have just received word from Ponyville about a strange occurrence discovered there. It would seem that something has frozen a nearby lake. Who or what is responsible for this is unknown. But my student, Twilight Sparkle, has managed to rule out both pegasi and unicorns. I need you to investigate this site when you arrive in Ponyville to make sure it is not caused by what I fear it might be."
"Yes Princess," Rolling Stone said while giving a crisp salute.
Giving him a curt nod, Celestia vanished in another flash of light, teleporting to her sister’s chambers.
"Alright all of you. You heard the lady. Get your flanks moving so we can double time it to Ponyville!" Rolling Stone barked, and all the mares and stallions in the room scrambled into motion.
"And remember. We need to do this fast, clean and unseen!" He said, starting their well known motto.
"To catch a ghost, be the ghost!" All the others called out in reply. "It's time to be invisible."
<<>><<>><<>>
It was late in the afternoon, and Danny had only just finished his work for the day. He had managed to keep Quick Grill happy, and keep his job for just a bit longer. All he wanted to do now was just go home, kick back on his couch, and do absolutely nothing. But that was not meant to be, as he still had several things to do.
First off, the broken windows. He was lucky Ruby knew where to go, and he was now walking through the streets of Ponyville in search of the pony she said could help him. It was at the edge of town, on the opposite side of where he lived according to Ruby's directions. It was only a short walk, and it didn't take long for him to find what seemed to be the right place.
A small workshop of sorts presented itself to him, and he could see all kinds of glass standing on display. From normal panes of glass, to simply beautiful pieces of art using glass of all shades and hues. There was a pony there as well; a unicorn stallion with a white coat and chestnut brown mane. A rather strange color scheme, Danny thought, seeing how all the other ponies seemed to have a much brighter color coats and manes.
But he didn't dwell on this for too long, and he made himself known to the pony that seemed to belong with this place.
"Hello!" he called out, drawing the stallion’s attention as he walked towards him. "Are you the guy running this place?"
"Yes, yes I am. Shattered Glass is the name, how can I help you?" He replied, introducing himself.
’Shattered Glass? Well, that figures,’ Danny thought, but didn't say out loud.
"Yes, or at least I hope so. This is where I can buy some new windows, right?"
Shattered only raised a comical eyebrow as he looked around, surrounded by all kinds of glass.
"Take a wild guess," he replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"Right, thought so," Danny answered with a small chuckle. "So, I would like to buy some replacement glass for my broken windows."
"Let me guess. Pinkie Pie?"
"You got it."
"That would make thirty seven," he muttered with a sigh. "Okay, just look around and see if there is anything you like. Just give me a holler if you do, and we'll discuss the finer details about when I am able to come and repair the damage to your home."
"I just need some plain glass, nothing more. I saw some over there that would work," Danny told him, pointing over his shoulder.
"Fair enough. Now, how many windows were broken?" Shattered Glass asked as he picked up a quill and scroll, writing down the details.
"Seven of them, including a couple of larger ones," Danny answered.
"Humhmm," Shattered Glass hummed as he wrote this down. "Anything else?"
"No, that's all."
"Huh. 'Twould seem you're luckier than most of the town folks. Okay, not too much of an effort. I am a bit swamped at the moment though; a lot of customers lately."
"I wonder why?" Danny asked sarcastically, and they both shared a short laugh.
"No idea," Shattered Glass answered with the same level of sarcasm. "But still, it's good business for me. I'm just glad all of those Pinkies missed my place entirely, or things would have been a whole lot more difficult for all of us."
"I bet. So, when can you come over to fix the damage?"
"End of the week. Unless you want to take a crack at it yourself?"
"I guess I can do that. But I don't know the measurements needed."
"No problem. Just go home and see what you need. Then come back and I'll happily cut the glass to size."
"Huh, I guess that'll work. Okay, I'll be back, with measurements."
Shattered Glass gave a nod in response and went back to his own work as Danny headed back home. Yet another thing to do before he could start his training.
<<>><<>><<>>
A group of ponies were sitting in one of the train's carriages, heading to Ponyville to investigate any and all spectral activity. None of them were wearing their armor, as they were supposed to blend in with the crowd. Which was another problem, seeing that they were in a somewhat large group. Therefore, they had decided to separate into two teams of four. The first team would mix in with the population, while the second team would keep their distance and camp out somewhere in Whitetail Woods, twenty minutes outside of town. This way they could cover more ground unsuspected, and keep an eye out for any strange behaviour among the citizens of Ponyville, or the human.
They did have to be careful though. If even one of the ponies there saw their scanning or ghost hunting equipment, all hay would break loose. That was something they would have to avoid. Not only because they didn't want to start a panic, but also because they didn't want to scare away a potential threat. Therefore, most of the more obvious tech would be taken by the team that would camp out of town. And the others would make do with the simpler, easier to conceal devices while staking out the town from one of the local hotels.
With their plan made up, and orders given out, the Ghost-keteers were now waiting for the train to arrive so they could get started. All of them eager to begin, because this was the first time they were put into action, and they wanted to show their princesses what they were made of.
Rolling Stone knew this, and he understood it. He just hoped the friendly rivalry wouldn't interfere with their job, as some of them could be a bit stubborn with how they did things. But for now, everything seemed to be going according to plan. He just hoped it would stay like that.
If there were ghosts involved, however, that would be unlikely.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight was sitting in her library, looking through her books for anything that could shed some light on the mystery revolving around the lake. Separating everything she had into three piles, she tried to get an idea of what she had to work with. First off, there was the pile of everything that was of no use, which was quickly dismissed. Spike was already reshelving this, rather daunting, collection with an annoyed scowl. The second pile contained anything that mentioned elemental magic. Unfortunately they would, more often than not, refer to the Elements of magic instead of natural elements. And third, there was the pile she was now going through, levitating multiple books before her at the same time.
"Ghaaa!" She yelled as she slammed all the books shut. "There is nothing in here that could explain what happened to the lake. Nothing. Nothing at all!" She shouted with a crazed edge to her voice, her left eye twitching.
"Whoa, calm down Twilight," Spike said as he put one of the books back on the shelf, moving over to his older sister. "Just take a moment, then try again. I'm sure the answer is somewhere in these books."
"No it is not!" She shouted, her ears now twitching randomly as well, "I have checked, double checked and even triple checked. There is nothing that could explain what happened without the use of high level magic. MY. BOOKS. DON'T. HAVE. THE. ANSWERS!"
This was bad, and Spike knew it. Fleeing for his life, he ran into the kitchen, grabbing the pots and pans for his carefully crafted armor, along with a frying pan to help Twilight with her fried mind.
Peeking through the open doorway to make sure Twilight wasn't looking his way, Spike quietly made his way towards her, holding the frying pan as high above his head as he could. Standing behind the wildly twitching unicorn, Spike took a deep breath before doing what he knew he needed to do.
"Sorry, Twi."
*CLUNK*
Twilight collapsed on the floor, unconscious, a lump slowly forming on her head. Spike, standing next to her, shook his head sadly.
"That's the seventh time I needed to do that," he said with a sigh, before shrugging. "Oh well, better to let her sleep it off. Right now, there is a tub of ice cream with my name on it."
<<>><<>><<>>
With a groan, Twilight came to, her head hurting with the familiar feeling of being hit with a frying pan. She wasn't happy about it, as she knew exactly what it meant next. Sighing, she used her magic to remove her headache. Then, knowing what happened next after she was knocked out, she moved to the kitchen, expecting the worst.
Aaaand, yes. There he was. Lying on the ground, sound asleep with melted ice cream smeared around his mouth and an empty tub of the frozen goodness lying upside down on his belly, moving up and down with his breathing. Sighing again while shaking her head, Twilight zapped Spike with her magic, waking him from his food induced coma.
"Spike..." She grumbled in a less than pleased tone. "You hit me on the head with a frying pan again, didn't you." It wasn't a question, as she already knew the answer.
"Ehhh. I might have," he answered lamely.
"Spike, what did I tell you? When I have one of my moments, you don't hit me on the head. Instead, you throw chunks of chocolate at me while slowly retreating to a safe distance."
Spike only gave her a flat look, crossing his arms, and shooting a glance at the frying pan lying nearby.
"Now, clean yourself up. We have a lot of research to do," Twilight said with a huff, taking the frying pan with her through her levitation.
"Oh, what's the point. Like you said, these books don't have the answers. And every time you pull them out of the shelves I have to put them back," Spike complained with a clear tone of annoyance as he wiped off his mouth, following Twilight back in the library.
"Then do you have a better idea?" she asked with a bitter tone, not liking that he said her books didn't have the answer, even if she had said it as well.
"I dunno," Spike said with a shrug, before scratching his chin with a thoughtful look. "What about Danny? He lives near the lake, maybe he's seen something?"
Twilight stopped on the spot, eyes wide in realization.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
"Maybe because you had your muzzle stuck in your books the entire time," Spike offered, earning himself a glare from Twilight.
"And for that, you have to put every book back in their proper place while I'm out to see Danny," she said sternly, but a bit of enthusiasm entered her voice as she finished.
Cocking a puzzled eyebrow over the small shift in tone, Spike gave Twilight a curious look.
"Why the excitement to see the ape that doesn't know a lizard from a dragon?"
"He is not an ape!... Well, he is, but you shouldn't call him that. And I am merely excited at the prospect of finally finding an answer to this mystery. Plus, there was something else I wanted to talk about with him. Now I am able to combine the two, making this visit even more efficient."
"Right… sorry I asked," Spike said with a groan, starting to pick up some of the books.
"SPIKE!" Twilight said loudly. "What is it with you and Danny?"
"I don't know. I just don't like him," he answered with a shrug.
"Is it the lizard thing?" Twilight asked with a sigh.
"Kinda, but that’s not all of it. He seems nice and all, but there is something that just doesn't feel right about him, you know?"
"No, I don't know," she answered. "But that doesn't mean you should treat him like this. Whatever it is you think you feel about him, I'm sure you are just imagining things. Now, I am going to go see him, and when I get back I expect to find a clean library."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go already," Spike said, waving a claw in a 'go away' manner.
"Fine, I will," Twilight huffed, but didn't do anything else.
"You're still here," Spike said flatly.
"I know that. And I am leaving as of right now!" She stomped a hoof to put emphasis to her words, glaring a bit at the young dragon, who could only look at her with crossed arms and an unimpressed look.
"Sooo… when are you leaving, exactly?"
Twilight's answer was a teleportation spell, sending her to the other side of the front door, only ten steps away from where she was. The flash of light shone underneath the door, and Spike knew what to expect.
"RIGHT NOW!"
Silence.
"You're still there," he managed to say one last time before a magical zipper closed his mouth.
<<>><<>><<>>
"There, good as new," Danny said proudly after he had installed the last of the replacement glass in the windows. "And I still have some time left to get some practice done."
Hovering up in the air, Danny turned his legs into an intangible trail, while turning himself invisible as well.
"Now, let's do this thing." And with those words, Danny flew through the wall and out to the Everfree Forest. It was, by his reckoning, the safest place for him to do this. There wouldn't be any ponies there, save for maybe Zecora, but he could work around that. Besides, it was a big forest. The chances of her finding out about him would be very small.
He flew through the air with his arms held wide, enjoying the moment before heading to the forest.
The trees began to surround him, and the light of the low hanging sun was obscured by the thick foliage above. Shadows reigned supreme, and it was only thanks to his enhanced ghost vision that he was able to see anything.
Confident that he could no longer be seen, Danny turned visible again. Weaving left and right to fly around the trees, looking for any suitable place where he could practice using his powers.
It took some time, but not as long as he thought it would. It was a small clearing, an area covered with only the leaves of the trees, but nothing else. Trees also surrounded the clearing, acting as a wall of sorts, obscuring whatever was happening there to some degree. Not entirely, but more than enough.
Satisfied with his find, Danny landed in the center of the clearing, and a strange sense of déjà vu hit him. It was almost as if he had been here before, but he knew that wasn't possible. The only time he had ever been in this forest was back when he came here to help find the crusaders, and he had never been here before. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity as he looked around.
Shaking his head, he just ignored it, not sure why this place looked so familiar, or why he suddenly had a craving for cake.
"So, we’re really going to do this, huh?" He asked himself, questioning his decision to come here.
Nightmare Moon, watching his every move from the subconscious part of his mind sent another jolt of mind controlling power into his consciousness, stopping him from second guessing "his" decision.
Danny's eyes flashed, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Right, let's do this thing," he said, and a band of energy surrounded his midsection, turning him into Danny Phantom.
"I better start off simple to get back in the game,” he muttered, and made his right hand glow green with energy.
Looking around, he saw a large boulder lying near one of the trees, and aimed his hand at it. The forest lit up with green light as a beam of energy shot out of his hand and against the boulder. A shudder went through Danny from the sudden rush of energy coursing through him, and a small laugh escaped him.
"Wow. I forgot what that felt like," he said excitedly as he looked at his hand, green vapor billowing off of it. "Let's do that again," and this time two beams of energy shot out at the boulder, one coming from each hand.
Energy hit the stone, and more and more was blasted into it. Cracks started to form on its surface, and the green glow seeped into the weak spots. In a small explosion of green light and smoke, the boulder blasted into pieces. The sound echoed through the forest, and the animals nearby fled in fear. Birds squawked as they flew away, and rabbits, squirrels and other small creatures fled to the safety of their burrows. Even the nearby manticore, which was slowly creeping closer to his prey, fled, recognizing the power as that which had hit him the night before last. All creatures fled, except two. Two pairs of glowing green eyes looked at Danny from a distance, far enough away so they wouldn't alert him to their presence, but close enough to see everything he was doing. For now, they lay in wait. But should it be required, they would be on him in mere seconds, taking out the threat they feared.
"Wow. I might have overdone it just a bit,” Danny said, laughing as he scratched his head, looking at the small crater the boulder used to be. "Oh well, at least I still know how that works. Let's go for something a bit more challenging."
Spreading his legs a bit, and planting his feet firmly on the leaf covered ground, Danny concentrated as hard as he could on his energy while channeling it through his entire body. It was why he came here in the first place, and he was determined to at least try it before the day was over.
A glow surrounded his body as he forced himself to be in two places at once. And, like a cell dividing itself, Danny began to duplicate himself. A fully formed upper body with head and arms sprouted out his right side, his other self pushing away from him to break free. However, Danny lost focus, and the glow vanished, and the two of them were now stuck like that.
The both of them looked at each other with a flat, annoyed look before face palming, hard.
"This is going to take a while,” they both said, knowing this was not going to be easy.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sound of the explosion echoed through the forest, scaring away all the animals nearby. The sound of the blast, as well as the fleeing animals, made for a frightening cacophony. This in turn caused the ears of the nearby zebra to twitch, homing in on the direction the sound came from.
Zecora turned to look to the place she roughly estimated the disturbance came from, and she was conflicted with what course of action to take. Certainly something that could create such noise that scared away all those animals could pose a danger, and she would be wise not to seek out the source of it. However, there was also the problem that if she didn't find out what it was and deal with it accordingly, it could come back to bite her in the flank.
Knowing the forest like the back of her hoof, she knew that if she didn't deal with whatever this was, it could potentially be catastrophic for her. This forest had a tendency to be lethal to those that didn't heed its warnings, and Zecora knew how to listen. Which is why she was having this conflict with herself to begin with.
Knowing that there wasn't all that much choice, she slowly and quietly made her way towards the area she heard the sound come from, pulling a hefty club from the saddle bags she was carrying. It was fortunate she was out to gather ingredients for her potions, and as such also had her club with her. It had often proved to be effective against the more aggressive creatures that didn't know when to back off. She just hoped she didn't have to use it. She preferred to avoid violence if she could, and instead to live in understanding with the rest of nature around her. Don't hurt me, and I won't hurt you. A simple, but effective means of survival in this forest.
Zecora pushed aside several branches blocking her path, making sure no sound was made by them as she quietly moved them back in place, avoiding the loud whiplash caused by simply letting them go. Keeping to the thicker foliage so she wouldn't be easily spotted, she found herself coming closer to a small clearing she knew all too well. Mostly because it was the spot where Rarity's diamond named Tom ended up after certain events that she would deny any knowledge of. But, coming to the edge of the foliage, and being able to see the clearing from her hiding spot, Zecora was unable to see Tom. All that was visible was a small crater, some scattered debris, and a ghost.
Pale white skin and a pale white glow coming from it. Hair as white as snow, and a suit blacker than the night's sky. It's eyes glowed green, which she could see as it looked her way for a moment, but didn't see her. She held her breath, not wanting to make any noise and draw this unholy abomination towards her. But, there was something else as well that caught her breath. It's eyes. Glowing green, deathly and, for reasons she didn't understand, very familiar.
It was as if she had seen those eyes before, but where? She would know it if she'd seen a ghost; it was not something you would easily forget.
The ghost moved, and Zecora was snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at what this entity was doing. The ghost spreaded it's legs, taking a firm stance and a glow surrounded it's body. She could feel her blood run cold as she saw this being split in two as if it was a cell dividing. She looked in fear as there were now two ghosts, instead of one. However, before the split was fully complete, the ghost seemed to struggle, and the two beings slammed back together with blurring speed, knocking it back onto his flank.
"OH, COME ON! Not again."
It spoke. He spoke. And in a voice that was eerily familiar to her.
She didn't know what was going on, or why. All she knew was that she needed to act, and fast. If it… he got away, who knew who would become a victim of this spawn of Tartarus? With his back turned to her, Zecora quietly crept towards him, holding her club up in her mouth.
'Please let this work, or I fear he might go berserk,' she thought to herself as she closed the distance, coming into striking range.
A small rustle of leaves under her hooves drew his attention, and Zecora watched with fearful eyes as he began to turn. Acting without thought, she swung her club, hitting the ghost squarely in the face, knocking him out.
A low groan escaped his mouth as he slumped to the ground, and Zecora couldn't believe her luck; this actually worked. But, what would she have to do now? However, before she could even begin to answer that question, a flash of white light surprised her and she reared back on her hind legs in fright. But it was quickly replaced by shock when she saw a band of white light move over the ghost's body, leaving behind the only human she had ever met. Danny Mason.
"By Luna's star, I know who you are,” she whispered in shock as she looked at the unconscious human lying before her, a trickle of blood seeping from his head.
She never noticed the two timberwolves slowly move away from their hiding spot and move deeper into the forest.
<<>><<>><<>>
A train stopped in Ponyville and all the passengers on board stepped off, while the next group was waiting to step aboard. A group of ponies, eight in total, were the last to leave the train, and immediately half of the group left the platform and headed out to Whitetail Woods. The remaining ponies, two unicorns, one earth pony, and a pegasus, moved into town. They were heading to the nearest hotel, motel, or any other establishment where they could rent a room and set up shop.
Rolling Stone, the earth pony in this group, led the way. He had taken the time back in Canterlot to see where they could find anything that suited their needs, and he was now heading towards the first option on the list. A local guest house that provided a room for traveling ponies visiting the town. It would be useful, if, of course, they had enough rooms to house the four of them. Privacy would also be a concern, as they couldn't just have anypony walking in on them while they were, say, calibrating their equipment. But the intel he had gathered about this place indicated it was run by a pony who seemed to care about other ponies’ privacy, as well as her own.
Rolling Stone just hoped that this Bellflower, as the earth pony running the place was called, lived up to his expectations. If not, they would have to find someplace else to set up their base of operations.
Moving through the town while stopping here and there to 'browse' some of the wares on sale in the market so they wouldn't draw any suspicion to themselves, the group arrived at the guesthouse after almost half an hour.
Rolling opened the door, causing a small bell above it to ring, telling the owner that somepony had entered.
Walking down the stairs, Bellflower, an earth pony mare with a light blue coat and lilac mane and tail, greeted the group of visitors with a kind smile.
"Well, good day to all of you. Can I be of some assistance?" She asked as she stepped behind the registry.
"I believe you can, Ma'-.. Ahum, Miss. My, ehh, friends and I are looking for a place to stay for several days, and we were hoping we could stay here. If there is room, of course," Rolling Stone said, having a hard time shaking his training and staying in character.
Bellflower looked at the dull orange pony with a stone gray mane and tail quizzically before shaking it off.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, we do have several rooms free. But not enough to accommodate all of you, unless you're willing to share?"
The group looked at each other, before giving a nod of confirmation to Rolling Stone.
"That will be fine, miss. What do you have?"
"Well. We have three rooms available, so we can set up two individual rooms and one room for two, would this be acceptable?"
Sharing another look with each other, the ponies shrugged and nodded their approval. With them all close together like this, there would be less risk of something vital being "misplaced", and potentially compromising their mission.
Rolling Stone knew this too, and, sharing a knowing look with his fellow Ghost-keteers, he accepted the offered rooms on their behalf.
"Very well," Bellflower said. "It will cost three bits per room for two days. Is this also acceptable?"
"Perfectly,” Rolling Stone answered. "Money is not an issue, but my friends and I do require a certain level of privacy. It is to my understanding that this is not a problem?"
"Absolutely. Although you might want to look out for my daughter. She can be a hoof full from time to time. Nothing too serious, but still something that might be of some inconvenience. Should this happen, though, just let me know, and I will deal with it. Also, I do expect you to keep your rooms clean during your stay. This is not a hotel, nor am I your maid. Also, should you break something, let me know. If it is something small, I can forgive it, or charge a small amount of bits to replace it. But don't lie to me about it."
"That will be fine, miss,” Rolling Stone replied with an appreciative nod.
"Very well," Bellflower said, as she grabbed three keys from a rack behind her. "Here are your keys. They are the second, third, and fourth rooms on your right, up the stairs."
"Thank you," Rolling said with a curt nod, before he and his friends moved up the stairs and to their rooms, preparing to set up their equipment and start their work.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sound of a computer beeping and a finger tapping on the screen of a tablet sounded in the otherwise silent office. Tucker was reading the extensive list on the tablet, given to him by the pony sitting before him, a professional, and yet somewhat giddy, expression on her face.
Technal was more than a bit eager to be here, as she was able to talk to her role model who inspired her to learn and use technology she could never have dreamed of before humans and ponies first met. It was a struggle for her to keep a professional composure, but she managed. Although the repeated tapping on the tablet's screen did unnerve her a bit.
"You know," Tucker suddenly spoke up, not looking away from the device in his hands. "When they told me earlier today that some pony was here with a rather extensive shopping list, I had a somewhat difficult time believing it. When they told me this pony specifically requested to see me about it, I was even more confused. But" —he finally looked up, a faint smile on his face— "seeing who it is that made the request, and going on the little interaction we had back in Equestria, I can say I'm not that surprised."
Technal couldn't stop the quiet squee that escaped her mouth when he said that, knowing she had made some impression on him.
"So, tell me exactly what it is you're planning. I have seen the schematics, and the required parts, but I want to hear it from you."
Taking a deep breath, Technal prepared to blow her role model away.
"Certainly. As you are no doubt aware, there has been a breach of security back at the tear facility recently. Although security has since been improved, it has proven that the ghosts are becoming more cunning in avoiding and slipping through the defences. Therefore, I came up with the idea for a machine to detain any ghosts that could potentially slip through the cracks. It won't be able to stop them, mind you. And, should the worst happen, and a ghost does manage to enter the population, we will still have to rely on the expertise of the Ghost-keteers," she said, and Tucker mentally flinched over that name.
"No, this device is more of a holding cell of sorts. Something we can put the captured ghosts in, but they won't be able to get out. This way, should it ever be required, we can hold and interrogate any spectral entities, and find out exactly how they slipped through our defenses. With, this we will be able to not only improve our safety, but gain valuable intel about the ghost world as well."
"Zone," Tucker muttered quietly.
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind that," Tucker said hastily, and looked at the diagram of the proposed build.
"You make a valuable point with this, but the question is: Do you really need it? The security is improved, as you said. And your side of the tear doesn't have any of the points of entry these ghosts seem to use. It would make more sense if we build this thing here, instead of there."
"True," Technal said with a nod. "But wouldn't it be better to have it and not need it as opposed to the opposite?"
"Prevent the disaster before it happens, but be ready when it does," Tucker answered sagely.
"Exactly."
"Hmmm..." Tucker hummed as he went through the list of parts required once more.
"Most of the things listed here are simple to get, as we have more than enough of them in stock. But some of the other things I see here… It would be difficult. Very difficult. A negative ectoplasm core is not something we keep lying around like that. Not to mention how difficult it is to get the required amount of N-ecto. It is mostly used in those battery formats, with the only exception I know of being the factory's reactor. Building another one will be costly, very costly."
"Money is not a problem. I have the full support of Princess Celestia, and any funding required will be taken care of by her."
Tucker's eyes widened a bit at that, and it would seem that one of their biggest problems was solved by this single mare.
"I see. Well, that takes care of that. However, doing this will require a lot of expertise, and you will need a team of us there to help with the building. Not to mention someone to keep track of everything while it is being shipped. We can't have anything getting lost in transit now, can we?"
"I can see how that would be a problem," Technal said with a chuckle.
"Fortunately, I know just the person for the job. But she would require a pass to enter Equestria. Not to mention the rest of us when we're required over there. But she will do at first."
"That could easily be arranged," Technal said with a nod, making a note in her PDA about it.
"Of course there is also the time needed to get everything, but most of it should not take very long. But we both know the other things will be more time consuming. I can't make any promises, but I estimate that, if we start now, it would take roughly three to four months to get them. Five for the N-ecto core, though."
"That long?" Technal asked in disbelief, her ears folding flat on her head.
"I'm afraid so. Unless you have a surplus of negative ectoplasm lying around," Tucker joked.
"I'm afraid not," Technel said with a sigh and chuckle.
"Thought so. So we will have to manufacture it ourselves."
"Very well," Technal said with a nod, her voice firm and certain. "I will relay this new information to Princess Celestia, and request a pass for your employee to enter Equestria… Ehh, and for what name should I put in this request for?"
Tucker answered, using the name they came up with years ago when someone would ask for her full name.
"Dani. Dani Spectral."
<<>><<>><<>>
Knocking on the door, Twilight received no response whatsoever. She had tried for several minutes now, but it would seem Danny was not home at the time. Still, not wanting to give up just like that, she knocked again, hoping he was simply asleep or something.
She knocked on the door again and again, but never got a reply. Sighing, she decided to try one more time and go home if nothing happened.
Something happened.
The door, which was unlocked, opened before her, and Twilight looked inside the slowly darkening home of Ponyville’s resident human. The only light came from outside, and the sun was slowly setting. If only she hadn't spent the entire day looking through her books… No, she took it back. One could never spend enough time with their books. Still, she now had a choice to make. Should she go inside and try to find out if Danny might have seen anything from his home, or close the door again and go home.
Of course, the first idea was flimsy at best, as she could clearly see that the lake was not within the field of view of Danny's home. But her curiosity got the best of her as she stood before the open door. Besides, it's not like she hadn't been inside before. But after Danny's party she didn't really spend much time getting to know him. And, somehow, she felt like she should fix that, immediately.
Looking around to make sure nopony was watching her, Twilight stepped inside, closing the door behind her. With the door closed, the house became just a bit darker, and she lit her horn with a simple illumination spell to help her see. Looking around in the familiar place, she could see Danny had made good progress in fixing the place up. Before, it was mostly an empty home, filled only by the food laden tables Pinkie Pie brought with her for his party. Now though, the place was filled with furniture, giving it much more of a homely feel. Although, it would also seem Danny was a bit of a slob, as she could see several dirty dishes standing in the sink in the nearby kitchen, as well as a few carelessly discarded items lying on the floor.
She felt the need to clean it up, but she knew she couldn't. Not if she didn't want to give away that somepony had been inside his house. Slowly moving around Danny's home, Twilight felt a sense of foreboding, as if she was about to discover something significant. There was also a feeling of guilt mixed in with it, as she knew she shouldn't be here, but she was unable to stop herself.
The sun dipped a bit lower behind the horizon, and the light shone in through a window at an angle that made the light reflect off the glass covering a picture hidden away in a cabinet. The reflection drew Twilight's attention, and she could see a framed picture tucked away, mostly hidden from view. Knowing she shouldn't, but her curiosity getting the better of her, she used her magic to pull out the framed picture, holding it in the light to see it better
The smiling faces of three young humans, clearly in their teenage years looked back at her, and Twilight felt her hind legs go weak. She knew the human on the left of the picture, as it was clearly Danny Manson. The dark skinned boy on the right seemed somewhat familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it. But, what made her legs go weak, dropping her lower body to the floor, was the girl shown in between the two males. She knew her, maybe more than most other ponies. She had tried to learn as much as she could about ghosts after the Baltimare incident, and one of the things she learned of was the horrific fate of Samantha Manson, the girl shown in the picture.
But that also led her to another startling conclusion. She also picked up the names of her closest friends. Tucker Foley, who she now recognized as the dark skinned boy, and one of the lead developers of Fenton Corporation. And… And Danny Fenton, long lost son of the Fenton Family.
Danny Manson is Danny Fenton.
Time ticked by as Twilight sat on the floor in shock, staring at the picture with her mouth slightly open.
She needed answers, now more than ever.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a low groan, Danny came to, a throbbing pain shooting through his head. Moving to sit upright, a stab of pain made him cringe and a pained gasp escaped his mouth. Choosing to just remain lying for now, he opened his eyes, seeing the world unfocused and blurry. Moving his hand to his face to rub his eyes, he felt a bandage wrapped around his head, and the sound of jars clanging together came from somewhere behind him. Slowly, his vision started to clear and he was beginning to see some of the objects in his field of view with more clarity.
A large, blackened cauldron stood in the center of what looked like a hut of some kind. Odd looking masks hung on the walls, reminding him of those ritual masks found in Africa. Shelves filled with various jars filled with things he could only guess at. And two light blue eyes that appeared in his vision, belonging to the zebra Zecora.
Danny flinched when she suddenly appeared in his vision like that, making him groan as another lance of pain shot through his head. He wondered how she did that, as she hadn’t even made a sound despite the many golden bands looped around her neck.
"Z- Zecora?" He muttered as he held his head, looking at the zebra questioningly. "What happened?"
Zecora didn't answer. Instead, she tilted her head as she studied Danny for several long, tense minutes. Walking away again, she moved to one of the many shelves nearby, rummaging through the various potions and elixirs she had there.
"For a long time I have wondered what you could be, but I must say, you truly are a mystery," she spoke as she picked up a small vial containing a dark blue liquid.
"In my time I've hit several creatures on the head, but never a being both alive and dead." This made Danny's heart skip a beat. "Knocking you on the head had the desired effect, but what came next was something I didn't expect. The ghost I hit before he flew, turned out to be no one else but you," she continued, standing before Danny with the vial in her hoof.
"I admit I am more than confused, but first I shall fix the head I have bruised," she told him as she held out the vial for him to take. "This elixir will swiftly heal your head, and in return I want to know how you are both alive and dead."
Accepting the vial with a shaking hand, Danny slowly pushed himself upright, ignoring the stabbing pain as he looked at Zecora with fear in his eyes.
"But don't hold your tongue after this heals your head, or I can only presume you're one of evil, biped." Zecora finished, and Danny's eyes widened just a bit more. Images of his past flashing before his eyes, the cries of fear from all those people back on Earth who thought he was evil and came to harm them. A shudder went down his spine when all those memories came back, and he knew there was only one thing he could do.
"Of all the things I am, evil is not one of them," he spoke as he popped the cork of the vial. "I'll talk." And he poured the contents in his mouth.
<<>><<>><<>>
Clockwork hovered before one of the many viewing portals, a frown showing on his ever aging face. Sam, standing behind him, had trouble seeing what he was looking at. But she knew it wasn't good, if his irritated humming was any indication.
"Clockwork, what's happening?"
"Something that should not have happened, yet."
"What do you mean?"
"Danny's true identity has been found out, both of them. And by two different beings."
"What!?"
"Hmmm. One I knew of, and happened as I expected. The other… What has changed? What happened that I didn't expect to happen?" He muttered, using his cane to switch the contents shown in the viewing portal. "What the… How did this happen?" He asked out loud.
Sam, no longer just wanting to stand on the sidelines, moved forwards, claiming a spot next to him to see what happened.
"What!?" She shouted as she watched the events of history play out before her.
The town was overrun by a multitude of Pinkie Pies, causing all kinds of chaos as they bounced through the town. While, at the same time, down in the basement of Twilight Sparkle, a filly, no more than eight or nine, maybe ten at most, was turned into a half ghost. A Halfa.
"How did this happen?" She asked, and Clockwork’s eyes narrowed as he zoomed the image shown in the viewing portal.
"A very good question indeed,” he said, looking at the old black book he knew all too well.
"But how does this lead to Danny being found out?" Sam continued, not making the connection.
"Their fates changed, and with it, the choices they would have made. They did not do what they were supposed to do, as they were now placed in a position that made it impossible to do so. They should have ran around in panic like the rest of the town, trying to find shelter in one of the more remote places found there. And, in their own style, they would manage to get their limbs tangled up and crash their way into Danny's home through one of the windows. The pegasus, Scootaloo, should have hit the cabinet where Danny had hidden the picture of you, Tucker and himself. By doing so, she would have closed its door, while the frame would have fallen flat." Clockwork spoke as he showed the original timeline to Sam.
"Twilight would have come to his house, as was supposed to happen. But with this supposed chain of events, she would not have found the picture of you and your friends. She would have been found out by Danny after a while, and apologies would have been made. Then, after all was said and done, Twilight would find out Danny knows almost nothing of their world. And, her being the scholar that she is, she would take the opportunity to teach Danny as much as she could. What happens after this, though, will be definitive for events to come."
"... Wow…. So, because they didn't crash in to Danny's home, Danny was found out?"
"Indeed," Clockwork answered as he stroked his beard, still looking at the changed events in the viewing portal.
"Sam, I need you to get me a book. There are some questions I need answered. Go to the librarian and ask for the Necronomicon. I just hope it has a good answer."
"And what will you do?"
"Fix the damage caused by this ripple in the pond,” he answered, and Sam flew away after giving a nod in understanding.
"Some secrets are not yet meant to be found out,” Clockwork muttered under his breath when she was gone.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And there you have it. That is how I am what I am,” Danny said with a sigh after he finished his tale, his head completely healed.
Zecora sat before him, eyes closed and breathing deeply as she tried to keep her composure.
"I'm amazed you are still sane, as one so young should not have gone through so much pain," she said sadly while shaking her head, the golden bands around her neck clanging together.
"Yeah, welcome to my life,” Danny muttered bitterly, clenching one of his hands into a fist.
"Your path has been filled with pain, sorrow and guilt. It is clear you came here to see your life rebuilt. I'm sorry I hit you, for I didn't know. I hope you can forgive me for the unfortunate blow. To add to your misery is something I hadn't meant, but at the time you hardly looked like a gent."
"It's alright,” Danny said, rubbing his head. "You didn't know, and you only did what you thought was right. But please, can you keep this a secret? The last thing I want is to start over again, nor do I like being hunted down like some wild animal."
Nodding her head, she assured him, "Your secret is safe, don't you dread. I will keep it locked away, tight in my head. But I must ask, before you go. What brought you out here? This I must know."
"Why was I out here?" Danny repeated more to himself than Zecora, then continued with a sigh. "Ever since the whole thing with Pinkie Pie duplicating herself yesterday, I have had this strange urge to... to… I don't know. Get better in using my own powers I guess."
"Hmmm. Bettering oneself is never wrong. But tell me, don't your powers already make you strong?"
"Heh, only if I know how to use them," Danny said with a humorless chuckle. "I know the basics, and some of the more difficult things. But how to control everything without it blowing up in my face is a whole different story."
Zecora gave a nod in understanding and looked out of the window of her home.
"The sun is setting, it shall soon be dark. Before long the night will be filled with the timberwolves’ bark. In the forest at night is when they roam. I would suggest you swiftly head home."
Nodding, Danny stood up, but he was forced to crouch down a bit, or he would have hit the ceiling.
"Yeah, that would seem like a good idea. Thanks Zecora."
Giving a single nod with her eyes closed, Zecora bid Danny a farewell and led him out of her abode. And, as Danny moved through the forest back to Ponyville, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the troubled human.
"He told the truth, of that I am sure. The brew he took was more than a cure. Go home for the night, and don't be glum. Your secret is safe, Danny Phantom."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Clockwork!" Sounded Sam's voice, before she flew back into the time hall, holding a black book in her hands.
"Sam, you have what I asked for?" Clockwork asked, still looking at the swirling vortex of the viewing portal.
"Yes, and it has been a pain taking it with me. It keeps shocking me every few minutes,” Sam muttered darkly, feeling the urge to simply blast the book with some of her own ectoplasm.
"Why am I not surprised,” Clockwork said flatly as he finally turned around, looking at the book Sam was holding.
Making it hover before him, he looked at the skull found on the front of the cover. His red eyes boring into the skull’s own glowing green eyes.
"So, care to explain yourself, Necky?"
The book didn't answer, nor did it do anything else. It just hovered on the spot, held aloft in the grip of Clockwork’s power.
"Ehh… Clockwork? It's just a book. Maybe you should just open it,” Sam said, confused.
"Sam. There are still a lot of things you don't know. This is one of them. Now, be quiet. I am trying to have a conversation here,” Clockwork said with a frown as he looked at the book. "So, Necky. Mind telling me why you did it?"
Silence.
"I could always erase you from history and undo everything you did."
The skulls eyes glowed a bright green, and the book opened. Its pages turning rapidly as if struck by a fierce wind, and it lay open before Clockwork at the centerfold.
It would be unwise to do so, Clockwork.
"And would you mind telling me why."
Yes.
We all have our part to play, even if we don't know the rules. I did what I did, because it was my part in this chess game. I kept you in the dark, just like you did with Sam. And for the same reason. Should you have known, you might have done things differently. I don't make the rules, and neither do you. But we can bend them, from time to time. I bent my rules, just like you did yours. What you do next, however, will be up to you. But the dice have been thrown, and my choice has been put to motion. Will you cheat, and wipe her off the board? Or will you accept this new player into the game, and try to work with it? We all have a choice to make, and this is mine. She, is mine. Silver Spirit might just make the difference all our worlds need. Or she might not. Destiny is a curious thing, but the choices we make will determine how it will play out.
"That may be, but you still upset the balance, and secrets have been revealed that should have been kept hidden. Plus, one pony being a Halfa is already difficult enough. What will happen when she heeds the calling?" Clockwork said angrily, shifting through his various forms much faster because of it.
Destiny.
And with that, the book closed with a snap and vanished in a burst of green energy.
Silence.
"... So… What do we do now?" Sam asked quietly after a moment, keeping a bit of a distance between herself and Clockwork.
"We wipe clean the board and start again with this new development. I can't undo this change without undoing everything done by the Necronomicon, even though I wish I could. Instead, I can at least change the outcome of one event." Clockwork said as he turned back to the viewing portal and lifted his cane.
"Some secrets are not yet meant to be found out."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny walked through the Everfree forest, coming closer to the edge of it. He wasn't sure how he felt about Zecora knowing about his secret, but there was nothing he could do to change it. He would just have to see where all of this would go, and hope for the best.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and an almost hurricane-like gust blew through the trees, making them groan in protest, while Danny was blown away, his shirt pulled over his head by the force of the wind. A reality warping ripple moved through the forest and spread outwards over the world, leaving nothing untouched. And, as suddenly as it had come, the crazy storm vanished without a trace.
Pulling his shirt back down, Danny noticed it was a whole lot brighter for some reason, but he didn't know why. Picking himself up, and dusting the dirt off his pants, he moved to the edge and out of the forest, looking around for anything out of the ordinary.
Nothing. Everything was just as it should be, and nothing seemed out of place. Except the sun, which seemed to be higher than he thought it should be.
Shrugging, Danny believed it to be nothing more than his mind playing tricks on him as he had spent so much time in that dark forest. Still, that didn't explain what had just happened with that crazy wind. It would seem it was yet another mystery of this world.
"Man, I really need to find out more about this place. Maybe I can prepare myself for any other surprises like this,” he muttered as he started the walk home, seeing a purple pony standing before his door.
<<>><<>><<>>
Knocking on the door, Twilight received no response whatsoever. She had tried for several minutes now, but it would seem Danny was not home at the time. Still, not wanting to give up just like that, she knocked again, hoping he was simply asleep, or something.
She knocked on the door again and again, but never got a reply. Sighing, she decided to try one more time and go home if nothing happened.
Something happened.
After she knocked again, she heard somepony call her name. Turning to look at who it was that called her, she saw Danny walking towards her. Smiling and waving a hoof at him, she waited for Danny to come closer.
"Hey, Twilight. What brings you here?" Danny asked after he had closed the distance between them.
"Hi. I came here to ask if you happened to see anything out of the ordinary around the lake yesterday?" She asked, and Danny tensed up for a moment.
"Ehh, no. Can't say I have. Why?" He asked, trying to keep his cool.
"Well. Somepony, or something, has frozen the entire lake. And he, she or it did so without any magic I could detect. It just isn't possible, and I want to know what did it, and how."
"Ehh… Freak snowstorm maybe?" He offered lamely, which earned him a flat look from Twilight.
"We don't have those here. The pegasi control the weather all over Equestria, and a freak snowstorm does not happen in the summer. Maybe in the winter, when they lose control of a storm, but never during spring, summer or autumn."
"... So pegasi control the weather here?" Danny said in amazement. "I did not know that. Huh, well, you learn something new every day. Anyway, do you want to come in, or would you rather stay outside?" He asked as he opened his door, looking back at a dumbfounded Twilight.
"You didn't know about pegasi and their weather controlling abilities?"
"Ehh, no," he answered hesitantly, not sure what he thought of the look in her eyes. "Nor do I know all that much about this world to begin with."
Twilight's eyes widened in horrified understanding, and she pushed Danny inside his home, following closely behind.
"Oh, I'm coming inside. And I won't leave until you at least know the basics about Equestria and its inhabitants. Who knows, if you're good, I might even show you around some places to help you learn more about our world." She said with a manic edge to her voice, making Danny gulp as he found himself in a very precarious position. Twilight, however, felt a strange feeling as she pushed Danny inside. Somehow, the fact that she could spend time with him and teach him as much as she could made her feel rather giddy. More than she normally would when she got the chance to teach somepony.
Closing the door behind her with her magic, Twilight prepared herself for a long night of fun teaching and learning.
And, as he looked in the viewing portal, Clockwork couldn't help but feel sorry for the young human. But that didn't mean he didn't find it funny, and a grin showed on his face as he looked inside Danny’s home, seeing him sitting on his couch while Twilight started her lecture on Equestrian history.
She would go on like this for many hours to come.
<<>><<>><<>>
Technus, Ember, Spectra and Skulker were hovering before the ghost shield that covered one of the many cities. All four of them had one of the devices made by Technus, ready to try it out on themselves. It would be the first step in breaching the tear facilities, and entering a new world to haunt. Eager grins showed on their faces as they looked at one another
With one last check by Technus, they were ready. Hovering before the shield, they each held out one of their hands. Moving forward, they could feel the energy from the device covering their limb, and the shield seemed to melt away at the spot they were trying to go through. Flying through the hole made, it closed behind them as they moved away.
A chorus of evil laughter filled the night as they breached the shield. Today they had the city, soon they would have a new world.
Edits done by NightmareKnight, Vates Despero, Halusm, and King of Kings.
And special thanks to AnonymousMaterials. The reason for which I will specify in the author's note below to avoid spoilers.
Unexpected Discoveries.
<<>><<>><<>>
My precious student, Twilight.
I write you to bring to your attention a matter of great importance you need to be aware of, as I no longer feel like I can keep you in the dark on these matters. I must ask you to stop reading this aloud, and to keep the contents of this letter to yourself.
For some time now, my sister has been detecting a severe disturbance coming from Danny Manson, the human living in Ponyville. It only happens at night when he sleeps, and it has shown to be increasing in both strength and severity. And, despite numerous attempts, Princess Luna has been unable to stop this disturbance, nor has she been able to dive into Danny's dreams.
Two nights ago, however, something changed, for the worse. I will not go into details but we, my sister and I, fear that a ghost has managed to penetrate our defenses, and is now actively haunting Danny. How this could have happened, we do not know. There was, however, an attempted ghost breach at the tear facility involving Danny the day he came to our world, which also inflicted massive damage to the scanning room found there. It is believed the ghost was stopped before anything worse could happen, and we managed to keep the population in general from finding out, in order to avoid any panic and chaos.
However, given the common factor between the incident at the tear facility, and the disturbance found by my sister, we fear the ghost in question was not stopped, and found a way out of the compound and into our world. I don't need to explain to you what this means.
I also know that by this point you will most likely be having a panic attack. So please, calm down. Take a deep breath, and continue with this letter.
We do not think Danny is actively aware of what is happening, but we cannot know for certain. There is a team of investigators, the Ghost-keteers, currently seeking out any sign of spectral creatures in the Ponyville area. They are aware of the probability that the spectral activity is centered around Danny, and they will need to investigate around his home for any signs. But, remembering something my sister and I noticed the first time we met him, I believe it would be for the best if he isn't aware of this happening.
I understand you have had some interaction with him before, and I hope the two of you will have a blooming friendship. And, if I may be so bold, I would appreciate it if you invited him with you on your next visit to Canterlot. It would be a good thing for him to put some distance between himself and this supposed ghost, and it would be a wonderful opportunity to get to know him a bit better. I, for one, would very much like the chance to meet him personally again, and hopefully get to know him a bit better as well.
I understand this is asking a lot of you, and I will understand if you decline. I cannot in good conscience force you to do something you do not want to do. But, if you should happen to feel like this is a perfect way to get to know him a bit better, you are more than welcome to bring him along. I most certainly look forward to your next visit.
And, to end this letter on a lighter note, your mother said hello.
Your mentor and friend, Celestia.
After reading the letter once more, Celestia sent it on its way to Ponyville, most likely waking up Spike, as it was still early in the morning and most ponies were still asleep. But she couldn't keep her student in the dark any longer. At least, no more so than was absolutely necessary. What happened to Luna, though, was not something she needed to know, and the contents of the letter were serious enough as they were. She knew she had to let Twilight know about this. She had tasked her with keeping an eye on Danny, and possibly staying within close proximity of him. She just hoped this wouldn't push her away from him. It was one of the reasons she suggested she should take him with her on their coming visit. If the pain she and Luna saw in his eyes the day they met was any indication, then the last thing he needed was to be shunned by those around him.
Should he come along, it would also serve as a window of opportunity, giving her team the chance to investigate his home without Danny being there. Of course they would still need to investigate Danny himself as well, but there would still be several days for this, as Twilight's visit wasn't due for another three days. But, if Twilight chose to invite him, and if Danny accepted, then this coming Sunday she would have a chance to, hopefully, get to know Danny a bit better.
Looking out the window of her personal chamber, Celestia saw the moon beginning its descent. At least Luna was still able to perform her duty, even though she was still shaken from her experience, and hadn't attempted to reach out to Danny in any way.
Sighing, Celestia stood up, preparing to bring forth a new day.
<<>><<>><<>>
Clockwork was observing the flow of time, and the events happening during these times in one of the many viewing portals, his cane at the ready should he need to intervene in a certain event.
Sam, hovering several meters behind him, had been watching him for a long time. She had been arguing with herself over whether or not to confront Clockwork about allowing her some more details on things to come. He was, as usual, more than a little reluctant, and he would more often than not give her a vague, evasive explanation. She could understand it, to a certain extent. But to be left completely in the dark was something she didn't particularly like, even though she liked the dark.
When he told her about his plan to trick Nightmare Moon into the idea of manipulating Danny so he would train his powers, and inadvertently also train her, she was more than a little miffed. Still, she managed to shake it off, knowing it was all for the greater good. But now, after having witnessed what happened to that young pony, and hearing him say there would be another pony Halfa in the coming future, she needed answers, right now.
Giving a determined nod, she cleared her throat, drawing Clockwork's attention.
"Clockwork, I need to ask something."
"The answer will be no. I will not tell you anything about the coming future," he replied as he gave Sam a glance over his shoulder.
"I'm not asking you to tell me everything, just something, anything. You can't expect me to just stay in the dark like this and be happy with it. Besides, I think I have earned the right to know at least some of the things that are happening, or going to happen. I am just as much a part of this as you are, even if I’m not the one holding that cane," she shot back, arms crossed defiantly.
Letting loose a heavy sigh, Clockwork turned to face Sam, turning into his childlike form.
"I find myself... agreeing with you, to some extent. Yes you are a part of this, more than you realize. Of course I can not let you know about your own future, but I suppose I can reveal one thing to you. Just one. Ask me about anything, and, if possible, I will allow you a glimpse of the coming future," he answered, surprising Sam that he would give in so easily.
"Just one, huh? Okay, there is something that has been bugging me ever since I heard you say it," Sam began, and Clockwork raised a single, puzzled eyebrow, surprised to hear he might have slipped something without him realizing.
"You said there would be a second pony halfa. Who?"
Silence.
"Ego ōdī qui damnātus liber," he muttered angrily to himself.
"What?"
Breathing in deeply, Clockwork released the tension and addressed Sam.
"Don't mind that, it would just seem that that book caught me more off guard than I thought. Still, I can answer this much," he told Sam, and changed the view in the viewing portal.
A face emerged in the swirling vortex, the face of a pony that had, and still was interacting with Danny during his time in Ponyville. A pony she also knew would be important to Danny in future events. Clockwork had shared that much with her some time ago, but not this.
"Her!?" Sam almost shouted in disbelief, "But that doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't any other pony be a better choice? Luna maybe? She certainly has shown some traits that appear ghostlike."
"Indeed, it doesn't make sense. But since when have our afterlives ever made sense?"
Silence.
"True," Sam relented as she looked at the smiling face of the pony in the viewing portal.
"And why not Luna, you say. Well, she would, if we could choose at all, make a fine choice indeed. And that is exactly the problem." Clockwork continued.
"Huh?"
Clockwork floated towards the viewing portal, waving his cane in front of it, changing the view again.
"They believe their world to be completely untouched by the dead. Oh, how wrong they are. Sam, tell me. How did life start? Where did it all originate from?"
"Ehh… I think I missed that class, due to me dying before I finished school."
"I'm not surprised that you don't know. Few do. Surprisingly though, Danny does, to some extent," he answered, and the image of Danny lying on top of a small hill alongside Twilight came into view, both of them stargazing.
"He told her about the stars, teaching her something she didn't know. But, he barely told her anything, and there is still a lot left to be learned." The view changed again, showing both princess Celestia and Luna. "They know more than they tell their subjects, letting them find it out for themselves. It is a decision I respect, and not one I find often among those so young."
"From what I understand, they are hardly young," Sam interrupted, and Clockwork showed her a faint grin.
"To me they are. But, to go back to my original question. Where does life come from? Where does it originate from?"
"You mentioned stargazing. Does it have something to do with the stars?"
"Exactly. You see, life doesn't come from life, it comes from death."
"Okay, you lost me there."
"Come with me," he said, and stepped through the viewing portal after changing the time and place.
Stepping through, Sam found herself in an inky void, without anything or anyone in it.
"What is this place?" she asked, looking around in confusion.
"Life and death," came the cryptic reply.
An explosion larger than anything Sam had ever seen happened before her, but no sound could be heard. The light, however, was blinding to the point even a blind man would have to shield his eyes.
Using his cane, Clockwork accelerated time forwards.
"Look," he instructed, and Sam carefully uncovered her eyes to see what he wanted her to see.
Large clouds of dust clumped together, spinning around their centers, which started to glow and expand. Time sped up, moving as if it was fast forwarded. Which, seeing who she was with, proved to be just that. The clouds, first nothing more than amorphous masses, slowly became massive stars, many times larger than the Earth's sun. Then, mere moments after she saw them form, they blew up, spreading dust all around the empty void she now recognized as space.
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked, confused, not understanding any of this.
"Look," came the only answer.
Time flew by, and the dust spread by the exploding suns started to accumulate and clump together, restarting the process. But something was different, as, after the sun formed, a layer of dust remained, spinning around the sun in a disk. Speeding forwards even further, she saw the formation of planets, moons and asteroids. She saw the formation of the solar system. She saw the formation of the Earth, and all the life that came to be there up to this point in her afterlife.
"W... What?..."
"The start of a life comes out of the death of another. Everything came out of nothing, starting a process that has been going on for a very, very long time. Suns form, they burn, and they die. And in their death, new life is formed. All worlds, even Equestria, are made this way. All life is linked to death, as their origin comes from death, if you look back far enough. And therein lies the problem."
"Problem? What problem?" Sam asked confused, struggling to keep up.
"With Luna not being the one chosen to become a Halfa."
"Huh?"
"She and her sister are linked to the moon, stars, sun and their world. They can bring forth day and night, and control how the stars show in the night's sky by controlling the light they emit."
"So?"
"Everything comes from death, and they are linked to it, more than any other on their world, with only a few exceptions, not counting Danny and this filly. They are of both life and death, which explains their long lifespan. But, they are not ghosts, not even half a ghost like Danny. However they do show signs, if you know what to look for," he explained, and Sam's eyes slowly widened as she began to assemble the pieces.
"For starters, their manes and tails. They move in an unfelt breeze, not unlike how the hair of some ghosts seem to behave. Remember how your old acquaintance Ember's hair looked when she was at full power? Or Danny's evil future self? Others you have seen? Or what about Luna's mane and tail showing all the stars in them. Doesn't that sound a lot like Nocturne, who showed the stars in the darkness of his body? Or the fact that the both of them also share the same dream diving ability. Or her ability to turn into an intangible mist of sorts, drifting away on the breeze. Luna is more connected than her sister, this much is true, but they both show signs of the connection between life and death. Yet they don't even know this. They live their lives believing the realm of the dead doesn't reach them, yet it is all around them. It is connected with them, and, ironically, they even have interacted with it. A guardian of the deceased has interacted with them long ago, but he does not count himself as a ghost, which is understandable, considering his origins. And, as such, they do not believe him to be one because of it. Which reminds me. I need to have a little talk with him later. But let's return to the matter at hand," Clockwork explained, looking at all the life on the young Earth passing by.
"So, why would it not be possible for Luna to be a ghost?" He asked Sam, repeating her question. "She already holds a spark of our energy, as does her sister. Should she be turned into a halfa, the energy she gained would interact with the energy she already has. They would cancel each other out, destroying her powers completely, and most likely herself as well. She could never be turned into a halfa, because a ghost can not possess a ghost, nor can they possess one who already has a spark of our powers. And that is what a Halfa is, in essence. A possessive force in the body of a mortal," he explained, and brought the both of them down to the fully developed Earth during the early twenty first century. Moving through the walls of a familiar building, the two found themselves in the basement of Danny's parents’ home.
"See," he said as they saw Danny accidentally fly through the Fenton Ghost Catcher, separating his human self from his ghost form.
"... But… What about Nightmare Moon? She possessed Luna."
"Yes she did, but not in the way you think it to be. Luna was possessed by this corruption, which took the name Nightmare Moon after it took shape in this new form. However, the corruption didn't give her any new powers. It was merely a wandering force, looking to infect any who would accept it. This force didn't even originate from their world, but another not many know about. It was from a world untainted by either magic or technology, and where wolves were the dominant species that this corruptive force came from. Something that formed out of the hate and anger of a being similar to Luna in the task he was given. He was, eventually, able to fight off the corruption, but at the cost of his own life. After this, the corruption moved from domain to domain, using the doors found in the ghost zone to move around as it searched for another to infect." He paused for a brief moment, grimacing ever so slightly.
"And this is where Luna came in. Luna's jealousy towards her sister was the beacon the corruption was drawn to. Her envy was the leverage this entity used to turn her. It possessed her, corrupted her thinking to the point she was merely a puppet to it, before changing her using her very own powers. But if she were to become a Halfa, even more power needs to be added, which would only result in her losing all the power she has, as any newly gained ghost energy would react violently with the spark she already has. This will without a doubt kill her, causing a shift in power as she would leave a vacuum her sister would have to fill once more. Should that happen, Celestia would not be able to react in time when Vlad makes his move. Not that there is much she could do, though." Clockwork said with a sigh, watching the sun rise over the Earth before bringing him and Sam back to the time hall.
"No, it cannot be Luna, nor will it ever be Luna that will become the fifth Halfa," he continued as if nothing happened, changing the image in the viewing portal back to the pony fate had chosen for this burden. "That Destiny will be hers. As well as this Sweetie Belle, thanks to the Necronomicon," he finished with a bitter tone, still not pleased with what that book had done.
"But she… How… How will this happen?"
"That would be your third question. I already answered two, even though I said I would only answer one."
"Wait, what? What was my second question?"
"You asked if any other pony wouldn't be a better choice. Perhaps Luna. I answered that one as well, I will not answer another. I have already said much more than I should have, but I trust you not to misuse what I shared with you. Besides, I think you have a lot to think about with what you have just learned. Maybe that would be the best thing for you to do, instead of trying to figure out the next thing before you understand what it is you just learned."
"I… But…" Sam sighed. "I guess you're right. But I won't leave it with this," Sam said, trying to sound annoyed, but only managed a dumbfounded tone as she slowly flew away to her personal chamber, leaving Clockwork alone once more.
"I know," he said quietly, staring into the swirling vortex.
<<>><<>><<>>
Glowing green eyes looked down on them, staring at the two creatures before her. One, a pony who she knew all too well. The other, the human whose mind she had infected. Both of them sat before her, slumped down on Danny’s couch, asleep, Twilight's head resting on Danny's shoulder while his head lay backwards on the couch's backrest. There were many pieces of paper lying around them, littering the floor. Several quills and empty ink bottles could also be found, used up and discarded during Danny’s lessons with Twilight.
Hatred; it was all she could feel towards these two creatures before her. She should have dealt with them sooner. She would have dealt with them sooner, if it wasn't for that blasted Shadow. Even now she was only able to observe, floating before the two within Danny’s hijacked shadow.
Green eyes looked down on them with burning hatred. She was nothing more than a passenger in that moronic human’s thick skull, while it should be her in control of it all. She looked at Twilight again, and another flash of boiling rage filled her, making her form ripple in response. This pony was already a nuisance just as she was, but being stuck within Danny's mind she was also forced to sit through her pointless attempt to teach this ape about Her queendom.
It were mostly pointless things like: And because of that, it was agreed that one standard bit is worth four of your dollars. Or: "And as the three pony tribes made peace with one another, the first Hearth’s Warming Eve was formed," and more trivial things that meant nothing to her. She knew most of all of this; some things she even lived through herself. And the entire time she was stuck in Danny’s mind, she had the overwhelming urge to simply choke the life out of her, but Shadow wouldn't allow her.
Two minds, one body. That was the situation she was in. He held back whenever she was docile and played nice, but he would lash out at her the moment she tried anything, physically at least. It would seem her mental manipulation was something he hadn't picked up on, which did prove useful to her. But still, she was a puppet, almost literally. She could control this shade because she was allowed to do so, but she was not in control. No, after the events in her mental construct, and the blast from the Elements, she had been weakened to such an extent that Shadow could hold her down when he needed to. This was proven to her after she lashed out at Luna, trying to draw her into the depths with her after she reached out to Danny, but Shadow forced her out of Danny's mind, and scared her off as well. But he, too, was weakened by the wave of energy, as it interacted with the energy that linked the two of them. Still, he emerged relatively unharmed compared to her, and he used this advantage to keep her in check.
And, to make matters worse... She was still forced to do Danny's bidding, should he call upon his shadow.
Looking down to one of the shadowy appendages, a hand turned into a claw and she wished she could just lash out and end it all right here and now.
A feeling as if she was kicked in the gut overwhelmed her, and the green glow of her eyes was forced away by Shadow’s orange glow. The claw turned back into the hand it was supposed to be, and, after taking a thoughtful look at his master and Twilight lying asleep on the couch after a long night of learning, Shadow fell flat on the floor, becoming just a normal seeming shadow lost in the darkness of the early morning.
She would try again, he knew. And he would be there to hold her back. She was his mistake, and he would make sure it wouldn't get any worse.
He just wished he was able to become whole again. To strip away the corruption, and reclaim the powers she came from. But that was not within his ability, and he wasn't sure if it would ever be possible.
<<>><<>><<>>
The light of the rising sun peeked through the library's bedroom window, shining directly into the face of the young dragon lying asleep on the, too large for him, bed.
After Twilight didn't come home last night, he claimed the bed for himself, as he was more than used to her all nighters, and he just figured she was staying the night with one of her friends, or got caught up with something over at Danny's. Even with her improvement with her social skills in the years she had been living here, Twilight could still be a bit dense with her social interactions. Simple things, like letting him know she would be out for the night. Though, maybe the way she had left after their little argument had something to do with it.
Groaning in annoyance, Spike rolled over to keep the light out of his eyes. However, sleep was not a luxury permitted to him as he felt the all too familiar pressure coming from his gut telling him a message was incoming. Jolting upright, he let out a massive belch, a letter materializing in his green flames.
Muttering to himself as he picked up the letter, he cursed his bad luck. Even now, when he had the entire library to himself, and no older sister telling him when to wake up, he was still brought out of a wonderful slumber thanks to the princess. Blowing smoke from his nostrils in irritation, Spike looked at the letter, seeing it marked as urgent. But, annoyed as he was over his sleep being cut short, he placed the letter on the nightstand, fell backwards on the bed, and resumed his dream filled with gems and a white unicorn with a curly purple mane.
The letter could wait. This was WAY more important.
<<>><<>><<>>
Slowly, Twilight was waking, and she shifted a bit to find a more comfortable position. She didn't know why, as her mind, still very much asleep, had a hard time solving the problem that was slowly making itself known to her. She was dimly aware that, in fact, she was not lying down. There was also the strange sensation coming from her pillow. It wasn't soft and fluffy, but hard, almost bony and with little give. Oh, and it was also moving.
Yes, something was not as it should be, but what?
Groggily cracking open a single eye, the mystery only grew as she was unable to identify the room she was in. It was vaguely familiar, but it wasn't her bedroom.
Her pillow moved again, and, opening her other eye, she looked at the source of the disturbance.
Silence.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she thought: "Okay, Twilight. You're just dreaming. There is no way that I am… Yeah, just a dream," she tried to convince herself. "Now, I'm going to count to three, and when I open my eyes I will be back in my bed. One. Two. Three."
Opening her eyes again, she could still see Danny sitting next to her, head lying backwards, fast asleep.
Silence.
"GHAAAAA!"
Yelling at the top of her lungs, she jumped away from Danny and fell onto the floor. Danny, forcibly woken by her yelling, also shouted out in fright as he didn't know what was going on. Blinking rapidly as he scanned the room, he saw a pair of purple legs sticking up from in front of the couch. Leaning forward, he saw Twilight lying in a heap before him. Both of them looked at each other; Danny in confusion, and Twilight with a heated blush on her muzzle.
"Twilight?" Danny said, confused, before the events of the previous night came back to him.
"Danny," she muttered, embarrassed.
"Don't tell me. We fell asleep on the couch after your lessons went on for hours and hours?"
Only nodding in response, Twilight looked away from him.
"And you yelled out like that because you were caught by surprise by seeing me when you woke up?"
Another nod was her reply.
"Huh. Well, that's new," Danny muttered to himself as he let himself fall back against the backrest.
"I'm so sorry," Twilight finally spoke up. "I shouldn't have let that happen. I should have gone away in time. I... I..." she went on, starting to ramble, but Danny cut her off by raising a hand.
"It's alright, I guess," he said while suppressing a yawn. "You didn't mean for it to happen, and were only surprised to find yourself here. Just as I was surprised to find a girl as cute as you here as well..." Danny said, before slamming his mouth shut, his eyes going wide over what he had just said.
"You think I'm cute?" Twilight asked, embarrassed, her face a glowing red.
"I just said that out loud, didn't I?" He asked with an equally red face. "I didn't mean it like that—"
"So you don't think I'm cute?" Twilight asked, sounding hurt.
"No. Yes... No, I mean… I'm only making this worse, aren't I? Look, what I meant was that I was not expecting you to be here, just that."
Taking a deep breath, Twilight composed herself. Still the blush remained on her face, and she glanced away from Danny, the strange sensation she had been feeling for the last couple of days coming back to her.
"But you think I'm cute?"
"Ehh, kinda. I guess..." Danny replied unsure, not really sure what he thought on the matter. Why had he even said she was cute to begin with? It was not like him to say such a thing, but there was something about her that he couldn't explain. He would have to look into this, and hopefully avoid another embarrassment like that in the future.
"Maybe I should go home?" Twilight said quietly, poking a hoof against the floor as she avoided Danny's gaze as much as possible, her face still a deep shade of red.
"Ehh, yeah, sure," Danny said awkwardly as he stood up, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away from Twilight. "Here, I'll let you out," he said quickly, immediately moving to the door and opening it for her.
"Uhh, it was nice of you to be here, and I'll see you next time?" Danny began hesitantly, not sure what he should say or do.
"Thanks," came the hasty response, and Twilight hurried out of the door, almost tripping over her own legs several times in her haste. "I'll see you next time," she quickly added before running off, leaving behind a flustered and confused human, all the while hoping nopony would see her leave his house this early in the morning, and with such a red face.
Watching her as she quickly ran to her own home, Danny scratched the top of his head before closing the door.
'Why did I call her cute?' he wondered, not sure why he said that.
<<>><<>><<>>
Nightmare Moon wasn't happy; far from it. To call her Miss sunshine would be a blatant lie, and not just because of her obvious association with the night. Still, she couldn't help but grin evilly as she saw the beginnings of her latest attempt to break Danny. She knew like no other how to damage and destroy any individual, and she had used this knowledge many times in the past before the confrontation between Celestia and her banishment to the moon.
First, there was the simple physical damage she could inflict to one's body. It was the easiest as it only involved the breaking of bones and the bleeding of the flesh. It was also something that only worked on the weaker willed, and something she was unable to do thanks to Shadow.
Second, there was the breaking of one’s mind, and her first attempt to gain what she wanted. It was, however, thwarted by Shadow, Danny, those wretched mares, and this Sam. It was her best chance, and it would have worked if it wasn't for those meddling kids, but now she was forced to try something else.
Which would be the third thing. To break one’s heart. However, it would be impossible to break his heart if there was no one it belonged to. Which is where Twilight would come in. She was the pony she hated the most of those six, and she proved to be exactly the one she needed for her plan, seeing the way she acted around him, which was actually her doing as well. She knew her plan was destined to fail the closer Danny got to collect the Elements, and she set in motion another plan which, if successful, and she knew it was, would mean Twilight would begin to feel a strange connection towards Danny. It were lies whispered in her ears when her mind was connected to Danny's. And now, seeing the way she acted around him, Nightmare Moon knew the seed had taken root in Twilight’s mind, and it would grow, provided Danny responded to the subconscious calling.
Which he would, as she, Nightmare Moon, would nudge Danny in such a way that the two would grow closer, and, in time, something more would form. It was why he called her cute, as she placed the thought in his mind. Still, she would have to be careful. She could nudge him in the right direction, but if she pushed him too far, making him do things that he wouldn't do on his own, then he might either break from the strain on his mind as he rebelled against her influence, or Shadow would figure out something was wrong.
But she knew how to bend one's mind in such a way that he or she would do as she wished. She had a great deal of practice with Luna, and her original host. She knew how to manipulate those thoughts and feelings that were already there, turning them into something else, something more... useful. But she could never go against the being he truly was. Not until she was sure she could take over completely, and consume him just like she had done with those before him. But she knew how to play this game, and how to make Danny give in to his heart’s desire to be loved again. The feeling was already there. The need was already there. All she needed to do was aim it towards that purple mare, and his own desires for companionship would do the rest. But she would have to give him a nudge here and there, making sure he would do as she wanted.
It would be perfect. He would 'find' someone else to love, opening himself up completely again since the last time he allowed anyone to come that close to him. And, as a result, he would become weak, easy to predict, and so much easier to manipulate into giving her his powers.
Of course there was also the fact she would be able to get some measure of revenge on Twilight. She would 'find' someone to spend her time with, and to share her joys and sorrows. And, when the opportune moment presented itself, she would take it all away. She would expose Danny, breaking his heart as Twilight would reject him. And hers would break as she came to believe he only used her for his own twisted pleasure. It was perfect, not so much in the way of speeding up her attempt to gain his powers, but it would prove to be a wonderful entertainment to see them hold on to fake hope and love, only to tear it away from them, crushing their hearts.
Yes. Perfect.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker stood half awake in his living room doorway. A cup of steaming coffee in his hand, the other scratching his head as he raised a single quizzical eyebrow. It was still early in the morning, and his mind was slow to start up, but even then, he was quite sure that what he saw was real. It didn't mean he understood what he saw.
In the center of the living room stood Dani, in her ghost form. The furniture was all placed against the walls, leaving a large open area, while she was doing... something. It was mostly her staring angrily at her shadow, and muttering several harsh words while she was straining herself trying to achieve whatever it was she was trying to do.
"Come… on. Do... some... thing," Dani said, her voice strained, her effort sending sparks shooting from her hands.
"GHAAA!" She yelled in defeat, stomping a foot on the floor. "Why won't you move?!"
"Ehhh… Dani, what are you doing?" Tucker asked, making himself known to her.
"Trying to get this stupid shadow to move, like we saw Danny do with his on that video," she answered irritatedly, never looking at Tucker as she was too busy glaring at her shadow. "I've been trying for days now, and still nothing happens. How did Danny do it?" She asked with a sigh as she dropped to the floor, sitting there with crossed legs.
"I should have the same powers as him, shouldn't I? I mean, I am him, in a way. I have all of the standard powers, as well as the ice stuff and that wail thingy. But this I can't do. Shouldn't I be able to do this as well? Or, maybe I am just a defective clone?" She said somberly, her hair hanging before her eyes as she poked a finger at the ground.
"Dani, don't say that," Tucker told her as he sat down next to her. "You are not defective, or anything else but a wonderful woman and great friend," he continued as he placed an arm around her.
"Just a friend?" She asked with a faint grin, leaning into his side.
"Well, maybe a bit more than that. But you get the point," Tucker said with a chuckle. "Besides, we don't know what happened to Danny during all those years. It might very well be that this whole thing with his shadow is not one of his powers."
"Then what do you think it is?" Dani asked, grabbing Tucker's cup of coffee and taking a sip.
"I have no idea. We'll ask him when we find him."
"I'd like that," Dani said with a happy sigh. "So, when am I going to pony land?"
"I haven't heard yet, though I'm expecting an answer to that question later today."
"Good. I'm itching to get going. I really want to find Danny, instead of wandering around, trying to find any bit of info about what Vlad is up to. Speaking of which... What is he up to?"
"I'm not sure. It has been unusually quiet around him. More than normal. Your little stunt might have something to do with it, though."
"Heh, one can hope. Still, there is something that has been bothering me."
"What?"
"How did we never pick up on Danny with the name he used? We know now that he was using Sam's last name as his own, but shouldn't we have found out about this much sooner? After all, how many Danny Mansons are there?"
"More than you think, actually," Tucker replied somberly. "I actually thought about this myself some years back. But when I did a search on both Danny's name and Sam's, I came up with thousands of hits in this country alone," he told her, but then his demeanor turned angry.
"But, after what we know now I tried to refine the search a couple of days ago. You know, backtracking where he's been and such. What I found, however, was something else entirely."
"What was it?" Dani asked, looking at him with slight concern.
"Vlad. He placed a bug in our system. It filtered out anything that might be related to Danny, sending it to him, while we would never know about it. Guess which name triggered this bug when the list of people going through the tear was uploaded in the system?"
Dani's eyes widened in shock, and the cup of coffee she was holding bubbled as the dark brew started to boil from the energy she was pouring into it.
"You mean… He knows?"
"He knows. I disabled the bug, but didn't remove it. Hopefully he will not notice that it is inert, or he will know we know. But it does mean we need to get you going to Equestria as fast as we can. You will need to keep up your appearance as my assistant overseeing the shipment of the equipment they've ordered, but you also need to keep an eye out for any of his spy drones. We both know he will have sent some over there."
"Vlad..." Dani muttered angrily, as the cup shattered from the force placed on it. No coffee fell on the floor, though. All of it was already vaporized.
Breathing deeply several times to calm down, Dani managed to keep herself from doing anything else more extreme.
"I take it I won't be able to just fly off the first chance I get to go look for Danny?" she asked after a moment.
"I'm afraid so. Not if you want to keep your cover intact, at least for some time. But we'll worry about that later. For now, let's just focus on getting you there."
"Right," Dani muttered as she stood back up, turning back into her human self dressed in only the loose fitting top part of one of Tucker's pajamas.
Turning to look at Tucker, who was still sitting down, she smirked as she saw his eyes linger on her.
"See anything you like?"
"Uhuh," came the single minded, dumb reply as he gave a weak nod, and Dani's grin widened just a little bit as she walked away, putting a bit of extra sway in her steps.
"Coming?"
Tucker scrambled to get on his feet, tripping several times as he did so, but never losing sight of the woman with a devious, seductive smile.
<<>><<>><<>>
Valerie groaned as she pushed herself out of the guest bed Jazz had offered her after explaining her situation to her some time ago. It wasn't the most comfortable of beds, but it was better than what she currently had. Which was nothing. With her home destroyed, and no possible way to return there without alerting Vlad, she was forced to bunk with Jazz, when she was not out hunting for either Vlad or Phantom... or any other ghost for that matter.
At least it was a good thing the explosion that destroyed her home, courtesy of Vlad, was covered up with a BS story about a gas explosion. It did draw away some of the attention from what was really going on, although there were still several eyewitnesses who claimed they'd seen a large group of ghosts which all looked the same, and the ghost hunter Specter. But their claims were mostly ignored thanks to the overwhelming 'evidence' that proved it was, in fact, a gas explosion.
But right now, sitting up in her bed, her hair a mess, Valerie groaned like a zombie as the harsh light of the sun shone in her eyes.
"Ugh, it is way too early for this crap," she muttered as she looked at the small clock hanging on the wall, seeing it was just past two in the afternoon. "Urgh. Maybe I was out for too long last night," she added as she dragged a hand down her face.
Blinking groggily several times to clear her vision a bit better, she swung her legs to the side of the bed and stepped out, swaying a bit on the spot before she composed herself and moved to get a shower. And, sniffing herself, she knew she needed it. Last night's hunt was long and hard, and she was a bit sore from the length of it despite her experience dealing with such intensive sessions.
Stepping into the shower, and finding a temperature she was comfortable with, she let out a pleased sigh as she could feel the sweat and grime wash off of her. And, one story down, she could hear the front door slam shut, informing her that Jazz had most likely come home from wherever it was she had gone.
Which would be grocery shopping, as Jazz found her fridge getting empty a lot faster than what she was used to. Putting the newly purchased items in their places, and closing the now full fridge behind her, Jazz sat down on the couch and watched the news on the television while waiting for Valerie to come down.
****
"... Still no answer has been found for the gas explosion several days ago, and the authorities are still investigating on site. We go now to Trisha Takanawa for more about this.
"Thank you, Tom. As you can see behind me, the building is still sealed off, and inaccessible to any of the residents. This has been a source of outrage for those that have been forced to leave their homes while waiting for any news when, or if, they can return to their abodes. Investigations, however, are still ongoing, as there has been no answer for the sudden explosion. Eyewitnesses, who were hiding during the event, claim to have seen ghosts during the explosion, but no evidence to support this could be found. There were also reports that the renegade ghost hunter Specter was at the scene during the explosion, but this couldn't be proven either. As of now, the authorities are still in the dark as to what exactly happened here on the night of the explosion. But what we do know is that the owner of the apartment, Miss Valerie Gray, has not been seen or heard from since then."
"Vlad Masters, mayor of Amity Park, has offered a reward of five thousand dollars to anyone who can tell the authorities what happened to this young woman, or where she is. Though, unfortunately, none of the tips given proved to be useful. Furth—"
****
Jazz turned off the TV, having heard enough.
"So, I still have to remain hidden, huh?" Valerie said, standing behind Jazz while using a towel to dry the last of the moisture out of her hair.
"GHAAA! VALERIE!" Jazz shouted, before dropping to a lower tone of voice so her neighbors wouldn't hear her. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"I didn't sneak up on you at all," she answered coolly. "You were just too preoccupied with that idiot box to notice me."
"Well, still. You should have said something," Jazz countered, not wanting to relent.
"I just did," Valerie said as she hung the towel over her shoulder, giving Jazz a smirk.
"I... You... Humph," Jazz stuttered, before sitting back down in a heap, arms crossed in irritation.
"Heh, too easy." Valerie chuckled. "So, any news?"
"Actually, yes," Jazz replied, and she dropped her arms. "The Equestrian government has ordered a large supply of anti ghost tech, which they want to use to construct some device of sorts. I'm not sure about the details, far too technical for me, but Tucker explained the gist of it. It would seem that they are planning to build a holding cell of sorts. Like our own ghost catching equipment, but without the ghosts turning into an energy which can be stored in a small containment unit. Instead, it is designed to keep them imprisoned while keeping the ability to interrogate them. Or, to be more precise. It would seem like it is a more advanced version of what Vlad used when he captured Dani."
"WHAT!?" Valerie shouted in outrage as she was reminded of the day she was almost responsible for Dani's death. "Why would they do such a thing?"
"A ghost almost broke through, and they want to take precautions before it happens again."
Silence.
"Damn it. It can't be a coincidence," Valerie muttered, an angry look on her face.
"What can’t?"
Valerie sighed, "Look, last night some of our old friends found a way into the city, but I didn't detect any of those natural ghost portals. What I did find, however, was each of them carrying one of those devices that I saw the Box Ghost with when he was messing with the shield. I think they found a way to break through. And if they can do it here..."
"They can do it there as well," Jazz finished with a horrified gasp. "Oh, this is bad. Really bad."
"You don't have to tell me. I managed to scare them off, but it was almost too easy, like they didn't even try to stop me. I think this was only a test to them; an attempt leading up to something much bigger." Valerie huffed as her hands balled into fists.
"You don't think that—"
"I'm... not sure," Valerie answered coldly.
"I’ll have to inform Tucker about this. He’s sending Dani over there, but if what you say is true..."
"He’s doing what?!"
"He is sending Dani over there, under the cover of being his assistant to oversee the shipment of all the equipment they've ordered. He also said it would be a good way to keep her as far away from Vlad as possible," Jazz answered, a worried look on her face.
"I guess that makes sense," Valerie admitted. "But how is he going to get her past the scanners?"
"Heh... eeh... He uploaded some program or something in the system that will make it ignore her energy signature," Jazz answered, twisting the truth a bit. It was true Tucker uploaded a program into the system the last time he was there, but it was for the system to ignore Danny. Still, Dani was his clone, so her energy signature would be the same.
"Huh. I've got to give the guy some credit. He does know what he is doing," Valerie said with an appreciative nod.
"Hah, I guess that's true. But what do you want, he is only looking out for his girlfriend," Jazz replied with a smirk, seeing the look of realization on Valerie's face.
"Come again?"
"You heard me. They didn't say anything, but it was as clear as the sun in the sky. Reading body language is a speciality of mine, remember?"
"Hah. Well it's about time. Those two couldn't have been more obvious than Danny and Sam back in the day." Valerie laughed, only for her face to fall as she saw the hurt look on Jazz's face.
"Yeah, I guess so," Jazz said softly as she looked down.
"Oh, sorry man. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories and such," Valerie apologized immediately, knowing that her brother was a bit of a sore spot for her.
"It's alright. You meant well, and I guess you're right," Jazz answered with a sad smile. "Those two did act a bit like Danny and Sam, with them dancing around each other like that. Plus, we might have a lead on where Danny is, but it is something that needs to be looked into a bit more."
"Wait, what?! You found him?" Valerie almost shouted.
"No, but Tucker might have picked up on his trail. But that's all, for now hopefully."
Placing her hands on both of Jazz's shoulders, she looked the woman in the eyes.
"We're going to find him, don't you worry. Him, and that Phantom menace. And when we do, we will fix all of this. What that Phantom did to him, to all of us… we will set things right, and Danny Phantom will pay the price for his crimes."
Closing her eyes while sighing, Jazz stood up and took a step away from Valerie while turning her back to her.
"Somehow I don’t think it will be that easy."
"But it is, just you wait. One day, we will find your brother and that Phantom menace, and we will make everything right. It is only a matter of time."
"I really hope so," Jazz responded with a sigh.
"I know so. Now, let's get something to eat. I'm starving," Valerie said as she walked out of the room and into the kitchen, opening the fridge to find anything that she was interested in.
"Some secrets are not yet meant to be found out," Jazz said softly, shaking her head while wiping away a tear. "But I do hope she's right, little brother. I hope we will find you soon, and that everything will be made right. It's the least you deserve."
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight closed the door behind her with a slam, panting loudly after having run all the way back home, an ever present blush coloring her cheeks.
He'd called her cute. Danny called her cute, and she wasn't sure how she should respond to that. Neither did Danny, if his less than smooth response after the fact was any indication. But still, he called her cute. A goofy smile found its way onto her face as she walked away from the door and up the stairs to her bedroom, finding a sleeping dragon on her bed, wrapped tightly in her blanket.
A small giggle escaped her lips at the sight, and she knew she should be mad at Spike for sleeping in like this, but she just couldn't find it in her at this point, still feeling far too giddy over what Danny had said to her. But why did she feel like this? She barely knew him, and yet there was something that seemed to draw her to him.
They were small but strange things. The giddy sensation and the blush coloring her face after he called her cute. Or the strange feeling she got every time she was near him. Or how she felt back at the cafe, when Danny allowed them to take a seat before the place opened. Or the fact he didn't hesitate to run alone into the Everfree Forest to help find the Crusaders, and how that made him look to her.
There was something about him, something she didn't understand. It almost felt like she knew something more, right in the back of her mind. Something she felt like she'd forgotten, but what? Whatever it was, she just felt a strange, but comforting sensation close to him. A feeling that told her she knew him better than most others, as if he had shared an impossible secret with her. Something that made her feel connected to him in a way she'd never experienced before. But why did she feel like this? It didn't make any sense.
Sighing, Twilight shook her head, tossing around her unkempt mane and clearing her thoughts just enough to spot the scroll lying on her bedside stand. Her interest piqued, she levitated the scroll to her, seeing it marked urgent, and muttered an annoyed remark at Spike as it shattered her good mood. An important letter from the Princess had arrived, and he had just put it aside to go back to sleep. She would have to have a word with him later, but first she would have to read the letter.
Breaking the seal with a flick of her magic, Twilight scanned the contents of the scroll. Her hind legs gave out as she started to hyperventilate, only to read the part telling her to take a deep breath and calm down, which she promptly did, and again, and a third time for good measure. And maybe a fourth just to be safe.
Having calmed down just a bit, she continued with the letter, and a small smile found its way on her muzzle, while her eyes hardened in determination. If what Celestia was saying was true, then Danny needed to get out of town so the ghost could be dealt with. And if she could do so by bringing him along on her next trip to Canterlot, well, she would just have to do so. And it did not have anything to do with her actually wanting to take him along with her. Nope, not at all.
Well, maybe just a little bit. Just a little.
Groaning a bit, Spike rolled over and slowly sat up. Rubbing his eyes to clear them from the sleep, he saw Twilight sitting next to the bed, the letter he received earlier today levitating next to her.
"Oh, hey Twilight," he said sleepily. "When did you come home?"
"Just now," she answered as she shot a glare at her baby brother. "And why didn't you bring me this letter the moment you received it?"
"I didn't know where you were," he answered simply while shrugging. "So, where were you?"
"I was at Danny's," she replied.
"What, the entire night?" Spike asked in confusion, and the blush that had vanished from Twilight's face as she read the letter returned in full force.
"Ehh, yes I was," she answered as she looked away from Spike. "He said he didn't know anything about our world, so I stayed to teach him the basics," she quickly added.
"Wait, you stayed over to teach him?" Spike asked for confirmation, and Twilight gave a single nod. "Huh, poor guy."
"And what does that mean?" Twilight asked, sounding irritated.
"Nothing, nothing," Spike said hastily in defense. "It's just... He doesn't seem at all like the learning type."
"Oh, he doesn't? Well, I will have you know that he knows a lot more than you think," Twilight huffed, defending Danny.
"Didn't you just say he didn't know much?"
"Yes... no... I mean, it's different. He knows things I don't know about the stars, and he—" Twilight suddenly cut herself off as her eyes widened in realization.
"What, what is it Twilight?" Spike asked in worry.
"GHAA! How could I have forgotten?! One of the reasons I went over to his house was to ask him about that, and I forgot!"
"Wait, is that it? Why are you so upset over that? Just go see him again some time, and ask him about it then," Spike said with a roll of his eyes, knowing where this might lead if he didn't defuse the situation.
"Right, right. I can do that," Twilight said, her mane more frazzled than it was a moment ago. "Thanks, Spike."
"You're welcome. So, what's the letter about?"
"The letter?" Twilight asked, before she remembered the letter still hovering next to her, and Princess Celestia's order to keep the contents of the letter to herself, "Oh, nothing too urgent. Princess Celestia just wanted to make sure I would still be able to visit her this coming sunday."
"Wait, that's it?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, it was marked urgent. I thought some kind of disaster was going on, or something."
"You thought a disaster was going on?" Twilight said as she rolled up the scroll with more force than she intended to use, glaring at the young dragon. "And, instead of finding me to give me the scroll, you went back to sleep! You are in so much trouble mister!"
And, slowly backing away from the now furious mare, Spike gulped loudly, seeing smoke starting to rise from Twilight's mane.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was walking down the streets of Ponyville, holding the freshly baked goods carefully in his hands, looking out for anything or anyone that might spell disaster for his lunch. He was on his break again, and he was using the little bit of free time to relax a bit, eat, and wonder why he called Twilight cute.
True, she was a nice pers… pony, and she seemed to care enough about him to spend the entire afternoon and night teaching him about the world he now lived in. Of course he didn't exactly have a stellar track record when it came to him doing anything related to learning. And it wasn't much of a surprise to him that he found himself waking up on the couch. He'd fallen asleep sometime during the sudden lesson, and most of what Twilight tried to teach him was little more than a blur. Still, this wasn't the thing that kept him busy.
He did wonder how it happened that, apparently, Twilight ended up asleep next to him. Did she just fall asleep as the night went on, or was there something else at work here? And, again, why did he call her cute?
The more he thought about it, and her, the more he felt like there was something about her that he was missing, despite it being right in front of him. Taking a bite of his strawberry cupcake, Danny let out a sigh, not sure what he should make of all of this.
But his musings were cut short when, without any warning, a puff of cold air escaped his mouth, taking some of the chewed cupcake along with it.
"What the?" Danny muttered in shock. "It can't be, not here."
Frantically looking around to find anything out of the ordinary, Danny hoped his powers were just acting up. There was no way a ghost could be here. Well, except for him of course.
His cupcake fell out of his hand, however, when he spotted a semi-transparent cloaked pony moving down the street, seemingly invisible to all the other ponies walking around.
Danny didn't know what was going on, or why he was seeing something no one else did, but he knew his eyes were not betraying him. Looking around again to see if anyone else saw what he saw, Danny decided to follow this strange being, seeing it move towards the small hospital found in town.
Diving behind a nearby tree, Danny watched as the figure moved towards the front door, but never opened it. Instead, to little surprise, the entity used intangibility to pass through the solid object without pause.
Knowing what he saw, but not wanting to believe it, Danny did the only thing he could think of. He followed the pony. Turning invisible before stepping away from the tree, he levitated up so he wouldn't leave any footprints in the dirt path as he 'wouldn't be there' to make them, and flew towards the door the pony went through.
Turning intangible himself, he moved through the woodwork, finding himself in the main lobby with a white pony sitting behind the counter, her pink mane tied up in a bun and a nurse cap placed on her head. Looking around, he saw the cloaked figure move down the hall to his right, and he followed after him or her.
The figure seemed to move with a purpose, and Danny held back just to see what would happen. But after he followed the figure through one of the doors leading to one of the patients' room, Danny felt sick to his stomach, and knew he shouldn't be here.
Lying in the bed was an old pony, a stallion who seemed weak to the point of collapse. Several machines stood next to him, monitoring his breathing and heart rate. And, as Danny could see on the beeping device, his assumption that the pony was dying was spot on.
Around the bed sat several ponies of various ages. Several adults, who held each other for comfort, most of them mares, while five fillies and a single colt were holding on to their mothers as the pony's heart rate slowly dropped on the monitor.
And, standing behind the group of ponies, was the cloaked figure. And Danny was finally able to get a better look at this pony.
It certainly looked like a normal pony at first glance. It was shaped like one, at least, with a black cloak that seemed to pour over its frame instead of just hanging. Its horn, which was jutting out from the top of the hood, was long, curved, and looking quite sharp. It was not like any horn Danny had ever seen on any of the unicorns in town. And, after doing some difficult maneuvering, he was able to see under the apparition’s hood. He wished he didn't.
The burning red eyes were the first thing he saw. Points of light came from the empty sockets of the skull Danny was staring at, and he had to stifle a scream lest he give himself away.
Flying back through the door, Danny placed his back against it, breathing rapidly to the point of hyperventilation. It was a ghost, he was certain of that. Unless there were ponies around that didn't have any skin, flesh or blood covering their faces. Taking several more deep breaths, Danny calmed down a bit. Not sure what he should do next, he just went with the first thing that came to him. Mainly, sticking his head through the door to see if the pony-skeleton thing was still there. It was, and now with a scythe flying next to it, and Danny realized the stallion lying in the bed was almost dead, if the heart monitor was any indication. He watched when, at the exact moment the beeping stopped and was replaced by a flat, continuous tone, the scythe descended on the pony, slashing clean through him, but not leaving any marks.
Danny witnessed a burst of light coming from the body, and the ponies surrounding the stallion burst out crying. Yet it didn't seem like they noticed the flash of light he saw.
"So, how are you holding up?" Danny heard the specter speak, but didn't know who he was talking to as he seemed to talk to empty air. But he was able to tell the pony was male, if his voice was anything to go by.
"Yes, they're sad now. But they will move on, never forgetting you, though." Again with this thing talking to the air. What is going on?
"I'm not really sure how that works myself. It isn't an exact science," he said with a shrug, revealing the bony complexion through his cloak. "But talking to them might help you, even if they won't be able to hear you."
Who, or what was this guy talking to? Danny wasn't sure what was going on, but it had ghost written all over it, with a capital G. However, looking at the small group of ponies, he noticed that, somehow, their grief had quieted down a bit. Not much, but still enough to be noticeable.
Danny, out of respect for the deceased pony, quickly moved back into the hallway, not wanting to intrude any more than he had already done. Still, he did want to know what was going on, so he waited outside of the room, invisible and intangible, hoping the figure would show up sooner rather than later. Which he did, after only a couple of minutes.
Moving cleanly through the door, the cloaked pony stepped out into the hallway, looking around a bit until his eyes locked on Danny, and he froze on the spot.
Long tense seconds passed, and Danny started to feel nervous. There was no way he was able to see him, right?
"Human," the pony spoke, and this time Danny froze up.
"Y- You can see me?" Danny asked startled.
"And you can see me?" the pony said with an equal measure of surprise.
"You shouldn't be able to see me!" they both said at the same time. "I'm invisible!" They shared a blank look between each other.
"What is going on? What are you?" Danny asked before the pony could interrupt him.
Several more long seconds passed as the two looked at one another. Only when a light blue pony with a mess of a mane was pushed by in a wheelchair, barking like a dog, did the two break out of their stupor.
"I can't say. It's against the rules. You shouldn't even be able to see me."
"Yet I am, so spill it. Who are you? What did you just do to that pony?" Danny asked, and the pony pushing the wheelchair looked back, confused as he didn't see anypony, despite hearing somepony speak.
"Maybe this isn't the best place to do this," the cloaked pony said, and with a flap of his bony wings he flew away, passing through the wall at the far end of the hallway and moving outside.
Following him, Danny flew beside him, not giving up that easily.
"So, who are you?"
"I could ask you the same thing," the pony replied. "You are no normal human, that's more than obvious."
"Fair enough," Danny replied. "I answer your question if you answer mine. But not here, too much attention. My house is just a short flight from here, just follow me."
The pony looked skittish, eyes darting from left to right as if he was looking at something Danny couldn't see.
"I really shouldn't. I'm not allowed to interact with the living," he said quickly, drifting away from Danny.
"Why not?" Danny asked, confused. "Didn't you just do that?"
"That's different. Look, I can't tell you, it's against her rules."
"Whose rules?" Danny asked, getting increasingly more confused and frustrated.
"Thanasia," he answered without thinking. "... F-forget I just s-said that. I’m not allowed to talk about her either," he stuttered quickly, and dropped to the ground before running away as fast as he could.
Not liking this, Danny followed behind him, easily catching up to him as he remained flying.
"Look, all I want is to talk, and I’m not leaving until you do!" Danny shouted at him, making several ponies look up as they heard him, but were unable to see him.
Steering towards Whitetail Woods, the pony tried to shake Danny off, but was unable to do so.
"Please, just leave me alone. I am not allowed to talk to you, or any other mortal!" he shouted back as he passed the treeline, and Danny followed him in there as well.
"And I want answers. Who are you? What are you? What did you do to that pony? And how did you even get to this world? Ghosts shouldn't be able to do so."
"Ghosts? I'm not a ghost," he called back, sounding confused but not slowing down.
"Argh! This isn't going anywhere," Danny thought, and he sent a mental command to Shadow.
Detaching himself from Danny, Shadow shot forward, moving fast and unseen. He slid underneath the retreating form of the cloaked pony and took hold of his legs, making him trip.
He fell forwards, but his momentum caused his legs to detach from the rest of his body, leaving Shadow with four bony legs in his grasp while the pony tumbled forwards, sans his legs.
Danny, seeing this, could only stare in utter disbelief. What kind of a ghost was this? It did remind him a bit of the failed clone of himself, wearing a bedsheet over himself to keep his skeletal form hidden. But what this pony was, he had no idea. Still, with him down like this he might finally get some answers. But the rustling of nearby bushes drew his attention, and he knew he couldn't stay here. So, giving another command to Shadow, he and his dark companion flew away, Shadow carrying the skeletal pony with him inside his dark form.
The pony, however, didn't struggle in any way as he was captured in Danny's shade. Looking at the darkness surrounding him, and sensing out to this creature as well, there were four things coming to his mind.
First. How did a human possess a shade? A shade similar to himself.
Second. How did this human do what he did?
Third. Thanasia was going to kill him, should that be possible.
Fourth. Was that Luna he was sensing in the energy from this shade… NO!… It can't be, can it?
"Oh Mort, what have you gotten yourself into?" he thought as he was carried away.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Sir!" a unicorn mare called out as she returned to the campsite, giving a crisp salute. "Vigilant Shield reporting back in."
"At ease. Tell me, what did you find?" The unicorn placed in charge of the group asked.
Relaxing her stance just a bit, she retrieved her scanner from the saddlebag she was carrying.
"Sir. I've investigated the contact we've picked up, but noone could be found on the scene. However, I did detect high levels of spectral energy, consistent with the energy levels we've worked with back at the Fenton Corporation. Although there were some fluctuations I wasn't able to compensate for, the energy levels show there was a ghost nearby, possibly two, but I can't say for certain. Nor was I able to determine the direction any of the possible spectral entities went, due to the fluctuations I mentioned earlier. It was almost as if the entity detected was there one moment, and gone the next."
"Hmm, I see. But you're certain it was a ghost the scanner picked up?"
"There is no doubt in my mind about it. Sir, we have a breach!"
"ALRIGHT!" He bellowed, making himself heard by the rest of the group. "You heard the lady. There's a ghost around here, and it's our job to stop it."
"Sir, yes Sir!" Came the collective response.
"Flash, Lightning!" He called out to the pegasus in the group, and a dark blue mare with a yellow and orange mane stepped forward. "I need you to carry a message to the group back in town. Tell them what we've found and that they should keep their eyes peeled."
"Sir," she replied with a salute, before flying off.
"It's a shame we don't have a wireless connection out here," Charming Prism, the unicorn stallion in charge muttered. "Okay! The rest of you need to suit up. We've got a hotspot to investigate."
"Sir, yes Sir!" All the ponies under his command shouted as they burst out in a flurry of motion, grabbing their gear to fulfill their task.
<<>><<>><<>>
It took some doing, and taking several detours to keep out of sight, but eventually Danny was able to get Shadow, who was still holding the strange pony within him, safely in his house and out of sight. True, he could turn invisible, but Shadow couldn't do this with a passenger on board, so they were forced to do this the hard way.
Locking the door and pulling down the blinds, Danny plunged his home into complete darkness, and the only thing that showed in the dimly lit room were the glowing green eyes from him and Shadow.
"Okay, release him," Danny ordered Shadow, and the dark form obeyed. However, Danny didn't notice the twitch shown in its facial features, an indication of Nightmare Moon's struggle to keep up appearances.
Fading away from sight, Shadow returned to Danny, leaving the pony to fall to the ground with an oomph.
"Okay, let's talk," Danny said while crossing his arms, a defiant look showing in his glowing eyes, telling the pony he wasn't going to back down. It also told him something else.
"You… You're a halfa, aren't you? You're Danny Phantom," he said, sounding somewhere between amazed and saddened.
"Th- That's not who I am anymore," Danny said somberly as he looked away, his arms falling to his sides.
"But then… You are the one who… No, I can't say."
"Okay, enough of that!" Danny snapped, his momentary weakness gone. "You seem to know who I am, so you better tell me who you are."
"I- I can't. The rules don't allow me to interact with any mortals," he said, and Danny was about to object to it when he started speaking again. "However, you're only half mortal, aren't you?"
"Ehh… I guess," Danny answered in confusion.
"So technically it won't be breaking the rules; only bending them," he continued, his eyes darting around to make sure there was no one watching.
"Look, can we just cut to the chase and tell me who you are?" Danny asked him, beginning to sound irritated as he looked down at the cloak covered skeleton.
"Ooh, I'm going to regret this. I'm sure of it," he muttered to himself before looking up and meeting Danny's gaze.
"Well?"
"Okay, okay," he said with a sigh. "I'm the pale pony. The Grim Galloper. The reaper of souls... I'm... Mort," Mort said, and his eyes shifted around, hoping that Thanasia wouldn't be there to hear him.
Time ticked by, and Danny could only stare at the figure with a look of disbelief.
"So… You're the Grim Reaper?"
"No, Eddie works back on your world. I'm Mort."
"Eddie?"
"That's what he calls himself."
Several more moments ticked by, and the only thing snapping Danny out of it this time was the bell ringing over at the town's clock tower, telling him his break was over.
"Oh crap, I'm going to be late," Danny said, looking at the door, and back at Mort.
"So, maybe I should go and not hold you up any longer?" Mort said, unsure. Stuck between his own desire to get away, and finding out what was going on with the Halfa. Or, mainly, his shade.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere," Danny said while pointing a finger at him, and he transformed into his ghost half with a flash of light.
"Amazing," Mort said, awed.
"Oh, I hope this works," Danny muttered, and he concentrated as hard as he could as pale white glow surrounded his body.
Like a cell dividing, his body split in two, and, with a popping sound, another him stood in the room, the both of them looking at each other with a victorious smile.
"Alright!" They both said loudly, and the duplicate turned back into his human form.
"Okay, you go back to work, and I will deal with bony over here," Danny said to Danny, and Danny nodded to Danny as he walked away, unlocking the door and stepping out, leaving Danny alone with Mort, while Danny went back to work.
Danny locked the door after Danny, making sure no one could surprise him while he was going to have a talk with Mort.
"I've heard about you, but to actually see it happening... wow," Mort said with enthusiasm, until he saw the glare Danny was sending him.
"Glad you liked the show. Now I want some answers. You said you were the Grim Reaper, or Galloper, or whatever. You're the one that collects the souls of the dead?"
"More or less," Mort answered hesitantly. "I separate the soul from the body when they die, and help them cross over, but nothing more. Really."
"Okay. Let's say I believe you, but I'm not saying I do. Tell me how a ghost like you managed to get to this world," Danny said with his hands on his hips.
"I'm not a ghost! And as to how I got here, that's easy. I've always been here. Or, since Thanasia created me. I'm one of her shades. One of many."
"Wait, there are more of you, here, on this world?"
"Yes. There is one shade for each species. I am the shade for the ponies. There is one for the dragons, buffalos, zebras, flies, rabbits and everyone else. The same things holds true for your world," Mort answered, sounding a bit more at ease, but his eyes still darted around every once in a while.
"What? Then why did I never see any of them?"
"I dunno," Mort said with a shrug. "You're not supposed to see me either. My best guess is that your shade allows you to see me. Which does make me wonder. Where did you get your shade? It didn't feel natural, out of place."
Relaxing his stance for the first time since he came to his home, Danny looked down at Mort, sensing no hostility from him whatsoever.
"You're one of those good ghosts, aren't you?"
"Like I said. I'm not a ghost. I'm a shade."
"There's a difference?"
"Of course there is," Mort said with a roll of his glowing red light orbs for eyes. "Just like a bear and a wolf aren't the same. Even though they are both mammals, they are still different creatures."
"I guess that makes sense," Danny muttered.
"So, how did you get your shade?" Mort asked again, sounding a bit bolder now that Danny had calmed down.
"That's a long story. But to keep it short and simple, I possessed a ghost that had a shade of his own, and the power transferred to me."
"You, what?! Don't you know how dangerous that is?" Mort nearly shouted.
"I found out real soon after I did that, so, yeah," Danny answered sarcastically.
"Oh, sorry," Mort replied meekly as he flinched back.
"But going back to you. What were you doing to that pony in the hospital? Did you ehh... reap his soul?"
"To be blunt about it, yes."
"Then why didn't I see him? Or why didn't anyone see you?"
"No pony can see me, unless I reveal myself to them. I think it is your shade that allows you to see me," Mort said again, giving a suspicious glare at the darkness closest to Danny, his sight allowing him to see things no other could. But Danny didn't see it, as Mort didn't have any way to show his emotions on his face. "Although I am not sure how that is possible. I'm invisible to all, even ghosts. Only souls that haven't made their choice in Purgatory can see me, as they are still stuck in between existences, and I am there to lead them on their way. Which is also why you can't see the souls of the deceased. They exist in another layer of reality, out of the visible spectrum of any other creatures, living or dead."
"I... I never knew that," Danny said somewhat amazed.
"I'm not surprised. You never died," Mort answered simply, and Danny held up a single finger as if he wanted to counter him, but was unable to come up with any kind of retort, so he just stood there, unmoving.
"But I do have a question myself. Why does your shade contain energy from Luna?" Mort asked, looking at Danny with a questioning gaze. But Danny didn't answer, nor did he move. He just stood still, finger still raised.
"Ehh, hello?" Mort said unsurely as he waved a bony hoof before Danny's eyes, but didn't even get a blink in response.
"What is going on?" Mort wondered out loud as he stepped closer to Danny, poking him in the side, but still receiving no reply.
"Hello, Mort."
Mort turned around with lightning speed, the glowing red light in his empty eye sockets widening as he saw the ghost hovering before him.
"Clockwork?" He asked, unsure.
"Yes. It's been a long time, old friend," Clockwork said with a small smile, his body shifting through the ages.
"About twenty four thousand years or so," Mort confirmed with a small nod. "What... What are you doing here? Did you freeze Danny in time?" he asked, not understanding why the master of time and space would be here.
"I did. And I did so to stop you from revealing a secret that is not yet meant to be revealed," Clockwork answered.
"What... You mean Danny's shade containing Luna's energy?"
"Indeed. Mort, Danny is far more important than you realize, and I have been working hard to make sure his future plays out in everyone's favor."
"What! But we are not allowed to meddle in the lives of the mortals! It is against the rules," Mort exclaimed in shock.
"Who said I was breaking the rules? I am merely bending them from time to time. Besides, the energy you sensed is not from Luna, but from Nightmare Moon. The corruption found a new host, and my apprentice and I have been working hard to make sure Danny doesn't succumb to this darkness."
Mort's eyes widen further as Clockwork revealed this to him, and he looked at Danny, who stood frozen on the spot, unaware of anything going on before him.
"Fenrir," Mort said in a whisper, finally recognizing the energy for what it truly was.
"But... What will happen to him? Will he be consumed just like Luna, or Fenrir before her?"
"No, that future has already been averted. But a change will happen, at the cost of one’s existence. Danny, however, will be spared from the corruption consuming him, this time."
"This time?" Mort repeated, looking at Clockwork in puzzlement.
"Corruption seems to have a way of following him through the years, and this is not the first time darkness has entered his mind. This time, however, he will be spared from the worst of it. I've made sure of that."
"I... I see," Mort said, unsure, looking back at Danny. "So he doesn't know."
"He knows not."
"Knows he not?" Mort asked, seeking confirmation.
"Of this, he has no knowing," Clockwork confirmed.
"Know he does not?" Mort queried once more.
"He does, indeed, lack this knowing," Clockworks stated firmly.
"And you want to keep it that way," Mort stated, as he knew it was not a question.
"For now. The truth will be revealed to him in time, but it won't be now. Besides, you have already told him more than enough, and it is time for you to leave this place. There are still more souls waiting for you to guide them, and they can't wait forever."
"I know that, but he wouldn't let me go," Mort said while pointing at Danny.
"Yes. He can be quite stubborn when he wants to be. A trait that is both a strength and a weakness. But that is not for us to worry about. Mort, you need to cut your time with Danny short, and get out of here before he discovers more than he should. He won't just give up like that, as we both know. And, should he discover the existence of the corruption within him, then everything will fall apart. He. Must. Not. Know! Not yet."
"I understand," Mort replied with a nod.
"You do?" Clockwork asked with a grin.
"Not really, but I know you well enough to know that asking anything else will get me nowhere," Mort answered sheepishly, giving a small chuckle.
"Yes, you do know me better than most," Clockwork agreed with him. "But I need to leave now, and so should you. Danny already knows more than enough, and you cannot add to it any more. When I leave, time will resume as normal again, and you will need to find a way to leave without having Danny following you. He needs to stay here, or his future will be altered. The pieces are moving into place, and he has to be there for things to play out as they should. The fate of many depends on it," Clockwork spoke before lifting his cane and the hands of a clock formed behind him.
"I understand," Mort replied with a confirming nod.
"Good. Oh, and Mort," Clockwork said as the hands turned around, opening a portal back to the time hall. "There will be a time you will have to bend the rules a bit as well," he added, and vanished through the portal he created, leaving Mort and Danny alone once more, the latter starting to move again.
"You've got a point there," Danny said in response to Mort's comment, mere moments ago for him, but several minutes ago for Mort. Which caught him unaware, as he had forgotten what it was they talked about before Clockwork had shown up like that.
"I do?... Ehh, right. I do," he stuttered, and Danny looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.
"Is everything alright?" Danny asked.
"Ehh, yes, yes. Everything is alright. Well, not for her, but I'm fine. Yes, just fine," Mort stumbled over his words as he tried to come up with any excuse to get out of there as fast as possible. And, using his own special ability that connected him with the life of this world, he found an elderly mare on her deathbed on the other side of Equestria.
"What are you rambling about?"
"You know how I am the Grim Galloper, the reaper of souls?"
"Yeah, you just said that."
"Well, there is somepony else dying, and I really need to get there, or her soul will be stuck in a dying body."
Silence.
"Well, that can't be good," Danny muttered as he scratched his head.
"No, it isn't. So I really should go now. So, ehh... Bye!"
"Wait, what!?" Danny called out after him, but Mort sped away and through the closed door, leaving Danny alone in his home with more questions than answers.
"Does this mean there are more ghosts around here!?" He called out in a futile attempt, but never received a reply.
"What is it with this guy? Danny thought as he turned back into his human self, not sure what to make from all of this. However, there was one thing that confused him more than anything right now. Something he really didn't know how to react to.
"The Grim Reaper is real, and calls himself Eddie? What's up with that?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Mort. She remembered him. The entity Luna and Celestia met when they were mere fillies. A construct of darkness, formed to guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife. She knew him, as she had all of Luna's memories, but she didn't know he belonged to the realm of the ghosts.
How did she not see this before? She was a shade now herself. She should have seen. She should have known the implications this had. If Mort belonged to the realm of the ghosts the human world interacts with, then shouldn't there be ghosts on this world as well? And, if so, where were they? It was a question Nightmare Moon needed answered, and she knew where she could look for some of the answers she needed. Twilight's library. The fact that Danny would have to interact with the mare again was only an added bonus, as she could accomplish two goals in one go. Find, hopefully, some of the answers, and continue her plan to bring these mismatched beings together.
Yes, it couldn't have been planned better. But she would have to wait, unfortunately. The ape's duplicate was still out there, and she couldn't run the risk of having any of those lesser creatures see him in two places at once. Because if they did, it would destroy any chance she had to bring her plans to completion.
Fortunately, she was well practiced in the art of patience. She had been stuck on the moon for over a thousand years, plus all those centuries wandering around after her first host had died. Yes, she could wait. She just hoped it would be worth it.
<<>><<>><<>>
"They're sure about this?" Rolling Stone asked Flash Lightning in the privacy of their rented room in the guesthouse.
"Positive, Sir. Vigilant Shield was the one who detected and tracked the energy signature. She's positive about her findings, and we both know she's the best with those tracking devices," Flash Lightning answered.
"Indeed she is," Rolling Stone muttered as he mulled that little fact over. "Okay, return to your post and keep a lookout for any other signs of spectral activity. We will do the same here. If there's a ghost out there in the woods, there sure as Tartarus is one here in town. But until we have a confirmed sighting, we can't sound the alarm. We need to make sure it is what we think it is, and not some equipment malfunctioning."
"Sir, yes Sir," Flash Lightning replied with a salute and left the room, leaving Rolling Stone and the unicorn mare Blue Ice, their lead expert on spectral ice formation, behind.
"Hmmm," Rolling Stone hummed after the door had closed behind Flash Lightning. "Ice, you're done calibrating those scanners we have, right? If what they picked up on is genuine, then we need to be able to pick something up as well."
"Yes Sir, I've just finished this pair," the ice blue mare answered, levitating one of the scanners to him. "They should be good to go now that I've rechecked them after last night's supposed false positive. But let me know if anything is wrong, seeing as the other group seemed to have fluctuations with their scans as well."
"Very well," Rolling Stone said with an appreciative nod and turned on the device, seeing the built in screen light up as it began to scan for ghosts.
"Good, looks like we’re up for business," he said, putting the scanner away in his saddlebag. "I'm going to make sure things are up to speed with the rest of our group here, and see if Sound Wave is done with the Ghost Gabber."
"Very well, Sir. You'll know where to find me when you need me," Blue Ice replied, not looking up from her work in calibrating yet another scanner, only for the device to spark and sputter, causing her to curse loudly as she dropped the device in fright.
Rolling Stone, chuckling slightly under his breath, left the mare to her work and went to the next room to see if everything was progressing 'smoothly' there as well.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Tucker, we need to talk," Jazz said as she entered his office, putting him on edge as she spoke the four words that could make any man tremble with fear. No woman would say that without something bad being behind it.
"Should I be worried?" He asked in reflex, looking up from his work.
"No, not really," Jazz answered hesitantly as she closed the door behind her, sealing the room and activating the barrier that made the room soundproof.
"Then what is it?" Tucker asked with heightened interest as he took notice of Jazz turning on the sound barrier.
"Valerie. She's getting restless from sitting still all day, and taking more and more risks when she's out hunting during the night. I keep telling her that she should just stay put, but you know how she is."
"That I do," Tucker answered with a nod.
"But that's not the reason I'm here, though. What I am here for is something Valerie said to me, about some ghosts having possibly breached the shield last night during her hunt. She claimed that Skulker, Ember, Technus and Spectra were inside the city, each of them having one of those devices in their possession that she claimed to have seen during the attempt from the Box Ghost. If it is true, they might have found a way to penetrate our defenses.
"That… You’re sure about this?"
"Valerie seems to be, yes."
"This is troubling. But even if it’s true, there’s not much I can do without knowing what it is they’re using."
"Yeah, well, seeing how it is almost impossible for the ghosts to get a foothold in the cities anymore, Valerie thinks, and I have to agree with her reasoning, that they might try to enter Equestria with them."
Tucker's eyes widened at that. "I see. I will look into this. Can't make any promises, though."
"Good. There is also something else. I mentioned that we picked up on Danny's trail, and Valerie reacted with mixed results. Mostly because she also brought up Danny's other side, and how we would find Danny Phantom and make him 'pay for his crimes'," Jazz said with a sigh.
"That… would be a problem," Tucker replied as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Jazz said, chuckling humorlessly. "She likes Danny, but she hates Danny as well. She just doesn't know they're one and the same."
"So, you want to tell her?"
"I think it is for the best, yes."
"You do know that revealing the whole truth to her does bring its own risks with it?"
"Not like she's unable to deal with that."
"True, but still. Telling her that the boy she used to date is also the ghost she used to hunt will be a shock for sure."
"I know. But she's been with us for years now. She has proven to be trustworthy, and a good friend as well. Tucker, she has the right to know, and we should have told her this years ago."
"I know," Tucker said in agreement. "But the longer we waited with it, the more difficult it became. How are we supposed to tell her that we knew Danny is Danny Phantom, and that we have known the whole time?"
"By just telling the truth. She's a part of our team, and she deserves to know the truth. All of it!"
Tucker sighed. "Agreed. But we will need Dani there as well. She is the one capable of convincing Valerie that what we're going to tell her is the truth. It won't be easy, though. Vlad is everywhere, and if we aren't careful, he could get the both of them in one go."
"I know, I know. It's probably a miracle that he hasn't found out Valerie is staying at my place, seeing how many times she leaves for a late night hunt. Probably has something to do with that drone jammer you made for her."
"Let's just hope it is like that, and not that Vlad is playing dumb just so he can strike us later when we don't suspect it," Tucker said as he tapped his fingers together, studying the screen of his computer intently. "It will probably be wisest to have Valerie come to my place, using her own ways. She won't be able to come with you, and alone she will move faster and more stealthily."
"Yeah… I believe so as well," Jazz muttered under her breath. "But let's change the topic for a moment. Did you hear from Equestria about when Dani could go over there?"
"Actually, I did. Moments before you came in, in fact. The pass for Dani is ready, as well as the passes for some of the crew that will bring the equipment to the other side. They won't stay for an extended time, however, but that's where Dani comes in. She, as my 'trainee', will oversee everything, and stay over there to make sure everything goes according to plan. She, and those that will help ship everything over to their world, will leave this coming Sunday. All expenses are taken care of, and she will be staying at a hotel in the city of Canterlot. She won't be able to go looking for Danny, though. Not at first. She will need to make some appearances there first, so the people... ehh, ponies, will know she is actually there. But, after that is done, she will be able to go ghost and look for Danny under the cover of her invisibility," Tucker answered.
"Good, good. I just hope Danny doesn't find out, should Dani find him. Or even worse, I hope he doesn't see Dani by chance," Jazz replied, a pensive look on her face.
"What, why?" Tucker said in disbelief. "Don't you want to find him, or what?"
"I do. But I fear he might run away again if he discovers we are catching up with him. He did run away for a reason, and he might not want to be reunited with us. You might want to tell Dani to look for Danny, but to stay out of sight and out of ghost sense range. We need to know where he is so we can make a calculated move and not scare him away. It took us years to find him this time, and we only found him because of the scanner. I don't think he will make that mistake again, and if he vanishes this time..."
"It might be for good," Tucker finished, a thoughtful look showing on his face. "I didn't think of that. I will tell Dani tonight when I get home."
"Thanks. And, speaking of Dani, what's she been up to these last several days?" Jazz asked, as a smirk started to form.
"Making things hard for me," Tucker answered bluntly, and Jazz stared at him with wide eyes, not expecting such an answer. "She keeps trying to make her shadow do what Danny's did, and it leaves quite a mess more than often than not."
"Oh, you meant like that," she muttered softly, and now it was Tucker's turn to smirk a bit.
"Why, what did you think?" He asked with fake innocence.
"I… ehh. You… I mean…No, wait… ehh… Never mind," Jazz replied, stumbling over her words, her face turning a similar shade of red as her hair.
"Thought so," Tucker said with a grin, knowing full well what Jazz meant when she asked him how things were with Dani.
"I'm going now," Jazz proclaimed awkwardly as she stood up and moved to the door, not making eye contact with Tucker.
"You do that. And tell Valerie I said hi."
"Yeah, sure. Got it," Jazz replied hastily before slamming the door closed behind her, leaving a laughing Tucker alone in the room. But his laughter soon died down as he turned to look at his computer screen. Moving the mouse, the screen flashed back on, showing him the progress bar slowly reaching completion. Pulling open the drawer next to the computer, he looked down at the damaged and burned hard drive of his old laptop. The laptop he had with him during the… incident.
It had taken years to retrieve his old laptop, after it was confiscated by the authorities. And when he did finally get it back, he found it was in even worse shape than he had feared. It took even longer to develop both the tech and the software needed to retrieve the information stored on the near destroyed storage unit. But now, now he was getting close to finding a piece of the puzzle that would show Danny wasn't the only ghost present during Sam's demise.
Looking back up at his screen, he could see the image of a head forming pixel by pixel, and he recoiled in reflex as he stared at the one face he could never forget. A face without eyes, nose, or other facial features, except a very large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.
"Found you, you bastard," Tucker muttered darkly as the data was slowly recovered bit by bit.
<<>><<>><<>
She moved around like a shadow in the dark. Which wasn't so difficult for her, as she was a shadow, moving around in the dark. Spectra was in her full shade form, moving about in the darkened building, courtesy of Technus who had disabled almost all the electronics of this compound that wasn't as heavily shielded by anti ghost tech. Mainly, though, the lighting. It was still a difficult task, for sure, as even the protection of this circuit was troublesome to him. But, after being shocked more than once by the more serious tech, he was able to hold out, for now. It would seem the government didn't take their lighting all that serious compared to the other circuits running through this building. A foolish mistake for sure.
Still, it was a high tech underground facility used to store the more advanced tech used to fight and repel ghosts. Of course they could have gone in together with force, but this required a more subtle approach, and they needed to remain unseen. Which is why Skulker and Ember were making a scene above ground, so they would be seen. They were drawing the majority of the guard forces away, while she would move through the dark hallways unseen, with only the few stragglers running through the compound for her to worry about.
She was the only one that could move around like this because, even with most of the systems down, their invisibility would still trigger the alarm system, which was on a secondary system, which Technus hadn't been able to hack yet. But she, however, could blend in with the dark. Moving around unseen, undetectable. Which was exactly why she was down here, sneaking through the top secret government building Area 53 ⅞. They needed to get several of those Specter Deflectors, and this was the only place they knew of that had them. Unless you counted the Fenton Factory, which was not a place they wanted to be found at, for obvious reasons.
Taking a left turn, Spectra moved deeper into the compound, following the directions given by Technus, who lit a lamp in the hallway she needed to go for a few sparse seconds.
Following the directions, she found herself before a large blast door, various warning signs showing on the thick metal. She blended in with the darkness near the far wall as she waited for Technus to infiltrate the secondary security system and disengage all the ghost repelling defenses, including the shield that she knew was projected on the other side of the door.
Several long minutes went by, and she could hear the muted explosions which were most likely the result of Skulker's weapons. But she knew the rhythmic shaking of the ground was Ember's doing, using her guitar to send forth powerful blasts of sound to make the very ground shake in response.
Dust fell from the ceiling from a particularly violent blast, and a loud 'CLANK' sounded mere moments later. She looked at the door with a grin, seeing it slowly open while the green shimmering field behind it flickered and died.
"Well, look what we have here," the shrill voice of Technus sounded over the wall mounted speaker near her. "Guns, ammo, and all kinds of gadgets any lady would need to really make a mess of things."
"Flattering, but I do prefer using mind manipulation myself. Making those fools do all the hard work, while I sit back and get a manicure," Spectra commented as she flew to the door, looking inside.
"Yeah, yeah. Just get the things we need, will you," Technus said, annoyed.
"And have a lady do all the heavy lifting? Sigh. I guess I am the only one who can," she said in an overly dramatic fashion.
"Oh, will you stop fooling around and get moving. I can't hold this system under my control forever. It has more of that anti ghost tech, and it is practically tearing me a new one. So hurry!"
"Hmm, what? Did you say something?" Spectra asked as she was looking at her shadowy hand.
"YES! I said you need to hurry."
"Then why didn't you say so?" Spectra said with fake innocence, grinning wildly as she moved inside of the opened vault.
Technus, meanwhile, was causing several errors in the system's code as he struggled to keep his rising frustration under control.
"Well, what have we here?" Spectra whistled as she flew past the racks and racks filled with more anti ghost tech than she had ever seen. "Guns, grenades, thermoses, and so much more. Why, this is enough for a small army. And yet there isn't a single fashionable item down here," she muttered as she looked around, seeing the deflector belts she was looking for several racks away. "I mean, what is a lady supposed to do with this?" She asked out loud as she lifted the deactivated deflector.
"Steal it so I can reverse engineer it to repel those ponies’ energy, thats what!" Technus said over the speakers found inside the vault, static interference sounding over his voice. "Now, hurry. I won't be able to hold down the system for much longer."
"Very well," Spectra sighed, and she grabbed five of the devices, hopefully enough for Technus to do his thing. "Now let's get out of here."
"Gladly," Technus replied, and he withdrew from the security system the moment Spectra had left the vault, reactivating the shield while the door closed shut. "It's about time I got started on this thing."
"Hmhmm. And what about those two?" Spectra hummed in agreement, before mentioning Skulker and Ember.
"Let them have their fun. The longer they're at it, the longer we have to get away from all of this."
"Huh. I have to say, Techy, you actually put some thought into this."
"And what are you saying with that!?" He said angrily, his voice cracking over the speakers.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," she responded with a dark smile, flying through the dark hallways with the stolen deflectors.
"Remember, you need my help if you want to get to that other world," Technus said in a threatening manner.
"And you need mine. So shut up and get me out of here," Spectra bit back.
"..... Fine," came the bitter response, and the speakers gave one last click as Technus closed the channel, leaving Spectra alone in the dark hallways.
"Finally. I thought he'd never shut up."
A spark of electricity shot from an overhead light, hitting her squarely on her posterior, making her yelp out.
"Ohmmm. So he does like to play rough. Interesting, very interesting," she thought as she continued her escape, a wicked grin showing on her shadowy face.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stood before the door of the town's library, not sure whether he should knock or just enter. It was a library, so he should be able to just walk in. But it was also Twilight's home, and that meant he couldn't just barge in like he did during the Pinkie tsunami. Deciding that it was better to play it safe, he knocked a few times, waiting for Twilight to open the door.
The sound of things falling, and the frantic scrambling of hooves on the wooden floor came from behind the door, and Danny was wondering if he came at a bad time.
A purple aura surrounded the door and it swung open inwards, revealing a messy library, and an equally messy librarian whose mane was sticking out in odd places, giving Twilight a fully disheveled look.
"Danny!" Twilight said loudly in surprise as she saw the tall human standing before her door. "What are you doing here?"
"Ehh... I came here to find a book about… ehh… something…. Is this a bad time?" Danny said, glancing around the messy place with a raised eyebrow.
"No, not at all. Please come in," Twilight said with a somewhat forced smile, the contents of Celestia’s letter still stuck in the forefront of her mind. Which was also the reason for her wild look, and the mess in the library, as she had spent the entire day since she got back home looking through her books to find anything related to ghosts. Which, frustratingly, was nothing.
Danny stepped inside and gave a small yelp of surprise as, suddenly, all the books were covered in the same purple aura that had opened the door. Each and every single book levitated up and flew to a single point in the room, stacking on top of each other and making the room just a bit less cluttered.
Twilight, who was tidying up the place a bit, also used her magic to make herself a bit more presentable. Why she did this, she wasn't sure. She just knew she had to look her best, or as good as was possible given the situation, for Danny.
Her magic aura covered her entire body, and in mere seconds her mane tidied itself up while her whole stance became just a bit more relaxed. Sighing, she cancelled the magic and opened her eyes, looking up to see Danny looking at her in confusion.
"So, what book were you looking for?" Twilight asked quickly, taking the focus off of herself.
'Ehh... What am I looking for, exactly?' Danny thought, and Nightmare Moon stepped in, implanting a few ideas for Danny to pick up on, and receding back into the background of his subconscious.
"Right. Do you have anything about myths and legends? I've heard about something that sounded remarkably similar to something from my world."
"Yes, I do," Twilight said as she pulled the mentioned book from the large pile placed at the other side of the room. "What was it, if I may be so bold?"
Danny shrugged. "Just something about the Grim Reaper, or Galloper as you call it," he answered simply and Twilight almost dropped the book, but caught herself before that happened.
"What! Why would you want to know about that?" She asked with concern. Maybe he knew about the ghost that might be haunting him. And, if so, why the Grim Galloper?
"I dunno. Just curious I guess," Danny answered with a shrug, and he plucked the book out of the purple aura, feeling a strange tingling sensation in his hands as it interacted with the purple field.
"Thanks Twi," he said with a smile, and Twilight felt her face flush while the need to know why he was interested in the Grim Galloper faded to the back of her mind.
'Why am I reacting like this? What is it about him that seems so.. so.. I don’t know? What is it?' Twilight thought as she tried to suppress her blush, a giddy smile showing on her face as she looked away from Danny.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she remembered that she, too, needed to ask Danny about something. About something he told her several nights ago.
"Danny," she began, and Danny looked up from the opened book. "I meant to ask you this before, but after you told me you didn't know anything about this world, I kinda forgot about it."
"Well, what is it?" Danny asked as he closed the book, much to the annoyance of Nightmare Moon.
"During the night we were stargazing, you said that Princess Luna couldn't move the actual stars, and instead was bending the light of the stars. I couldn’t find anything about this in my books, but I know you humans have spent years studying the stars yourselves with your technology. I was wondering if you know anything more? And if you wanted to teach me?" Twilight said with a blush, poking the ground with a hoof as she tried not to make any eye contact with Danny, who was looking at the mare with both confusion, and something else. Something he wasn’t sure what to make of. Nightmare Moon, however, knew exactly what was happening, as she could see Danny's mind react to the opportunity to spend more time with the mare.
"Ehh, sure," Danny answered after a short moment, and Twilight almost jumped up in excitement while clapping her front hooves together.
"Oh wonderful. And, while we're at it, I can also find out how much you remembered from my lesson to you."
"Wait… What?" Danny said, confused, staring at the eager mare.
"Pop quiz," Twilight almost sang happily as she levitated over a stack of papers, quill and ink well.
"Okay, what do you remember about the economics in relation to the difference between dollars and bits?" She asked with a large smile. Danny, however, was looking at her with both eyebrows raised in confusion and disbelief, not sure how he ended up in this situation.
Nightmare Moon, however, only felt irritation as she was forced to go through all of this again. And even more if that blasted mare should find out this dumb ape didn’t remember anything from last night’s study session.
'Urgh. I can’t believe I have to do this,' she thought as she used her magic to place the knowledge of Twilight’s lessons in his mind. Danny might have been able to fall asleep during all of that, but she hadn’t, and she was forced to sit through it all. Now, though, it proved to be somewhat useful. If only it didn’t leave such a foul taste in her mouth.
"Well?" Twilight asked after Danny hadn't said anything for several moments.
"Right," Danny said as he shook his head. "Right. Because of the difference between dollars and bits, and seeing that bits are made from either gold, silver or bronze, it was determined that a bit was more valuable than a dollar. It took some negotiation, but eventually it was determined that one bit was worth four of our dollars," Danny spoke almost on automatic, and Twilight looked up at him with a large, proud smile.
"You remembered," she said happily.
"I remembered?" Danny muttered in surprise. It was then he also realized something.
"Hold on. If a bit is worth four dollars, then shouldn’t any money exchanged be corrected in response to the difference in value?"
"Yes, why?"
Danny just stared forwards, a sly grin slowly creeping on his face as he suddenly realized why he had more money here than back on Earth.
"Oh, nothing. Just some idle thoughts."
"Okay…" Twilight said unsurely, but shook it off. "Pegasus magic, let’s talk about that."
"Sure. A pegasus’ magic is primarily focused in their wings, as it allows them to fly. Without their magic, their wings aren't capable of lifting them as the wingspan isn’t large enough. However, there is also the concentration of magic in their hooves, similar to earth ponies, but with a different function. Where earth ponies use the magic of their hooves to interact with the world underneath them to grow their crops, pegasi use this magic to allow them to interact with the intangibility of clouds, which allows them to walk on them, build structures with them, and manipulate the clouds to control the weather," Danny answered, and another realization came to him.
'Hold on. Interact with the intangibility of clouds… Does that also mean they can interact with the intangibility of ghosts?'
"Perfect!" Twilight cheered as she clapped her hooves together. "Now, what else?" She hummed as she deliberated on the next topic to test Danny on, but Danny held up a hand, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"I think I got this," he said. ' I’m not sure how though,' he thought to himself.
"Oh, okay," Twilight said, sounding a bit dejected as her ears fell flat on her head.
"Maybe I can explain a few things about the stars and such instead?" Danny said in response to her saddened expression, and Twilight’s ears perked back up as an eager glint shone in her eyes.
"Oh yes. I want to know everything," she said, and somehow had managed to move in front of Danny, standing on her hind legs while her front legs rested on his shoulders in the blink of an eye, surprising Danny for the umpteenth time as he recoiled a bit from the sudden intrusion into his personal space.
Twilight, too, recoiled as she realized what she’d done, and in what kind of position she was in.
"Sorry. I don’t know what came over me."
"It’s... ehh... alright, I guess. Maybe we should just start with this lesson?" Danny said, unsure, feeling a bit bewildered over Twilight's eagerness.
Nightmare Moon looked at the mare through Danny's eyes, and she sighed in annoyance. Instead of reading the book, and possibly finding out more about this Mort, he was now wasting his time on teaching Twilight. Oh, how the tables had turned. But she knew she was powerless to alter this decision, as it was a topic Danny was most comfortable with. She had to admit, though, his fascination with the stars was most intriguing, and she was curious to see just how much he knew. But, seeing the eager look on Twilight’s face, and knowing full well who it was this ape was dealing with, she could only think of one thing.
'This is going to take longer than I thought.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker was sitting with Dani in his living room, having just told her about what he and Jazz had talked about earlier in the day. Needless to say, she wasn't happy.
"But why can't I go to Danny if I see him?"
"Because we don't want to scare him away. We both know he knows how to disappear, otherwise we wouldn't have to look for him in the first place. It has been over six years now since he left, and we have only recently managed to pick up on his trail. If he runs again, there is no telling if we’ll be able to find him again," Tucker explained, wrapping his arm around Dani.
"So even if we manage to track him down, we won’t be able to do anything," Dani said, sighing.
"I’m sorry, but that’s how it has to be for now. When we know where he lives, and are sure we can approach him without him running away again, we can confront him. But we can’t risk losing him again. Not now; not when we are finally getting close to him again."
"Hmmph. It just isn’t fair," Dani said, crossing her arms. "I will hold back, should I find him. But if he sees me, I will go for him," Dani relented with a sigh as her shoulders slumped down a bit.
"Thanks. And I’m sorry for this, but it is for the best," he told her as he pulled her a bit closer.
"So, when is Valerie going to be here?" Dani asked, turning her attention to the other issue at hand.
"She should be here soon, I believe. Jazz sent me a message through the usual means. She said she’d take a detour to throw off any unwanted followers from Vlad, while Valerie will use stealth as Specter to get here without Vlad noticing. When they’re both here, we will continue as planned."
"Not much of a plan," Dani scoffed. "Hey Valerie, guess what? You know that ghost that you hate and have been hunting since high school, who has also vanished since he'd been blamed for the murder of Sam, is in fact Danny Fenton, the guy you used to date? Yeah, great plan."
"Wait, what!" Valerie shouted, causing Tucker and Dani to whip around to look at the woman standing in the living room doorway.
"Valerie… How long have you been there?" Tucker asked awkwardly as he stood up, looking at the wide eyed woman.
"Long enough to hear you talk about Danny Fenton being the Phantom menace," she said in disbelief, as anger started to enter her voice. "What kind of a friend are you to even suggest such a thing!? There is no way Fenton is the Phantom!" Valerie shouted, giving the two individuals before her an angry glare.
"Valerie, calm down," Tucker said in as calm a voice as he could muster.
"Calm down! CALM DOWN! I came here because Jazz told me there was something important we needed to discuss. Instead, I hear you two saying these lies about your Danny."
"Oh dear, this has gotten out of hand even faster than I thought it would," Jazz cut in as she stepped inside.
"Jazz, you won’t believe what these two were just talking about!" Valerie said, her voice dripping with venom.
"They were talking about my brother being Danny Phantom," Jazz said simply, and Valerie looked at her as if she’d gone mad.
Silence.
"W... what?"
"It’s true," Dani spoke up. "Jazz’s brother is Danny Phantom. My, ehh, cousin. Danny is a half ghost, just like me."
"You- You’re not kidding, are ya?" Valerie said, looking at Dani, Tucker and then Jazz.
"No, we’re not," Jazz confirmed. "My brother is the Phantom, and he didn’t kill Sam. He is innocent, that we know for certain. Tucker was there, and he knows what he saw, mostly. Now, we will explain everything to you, but please, calm down and just take a seat. I know you have a lot of questions, among other things, but you freaking out is not going to help," Jazz said in a calm, professional manner, calming down the confused woman.
"I…But… He…. This can’t be real," Valerie muttered, not sure what to make of all of this, while Jazz took some initiative and guided her to the couch and helped her sit down.
"Maybe it will help if we started at the beginning of all of this. Tucker, if you would. You were there when it happened," Jazz instructed him, earning a nod in response as he and Dani sat down themselves.
"Okay," he sighed. "It all started back when Danny’s parents first built the ghost portal, and Danny went inside of it."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Clockwork," Sam called out as she approached the time ghost.
"Yes?"
"There is something that has been bothering me ever since you told me about how life and death are connected like that. I didn't realize it at first, but ever since then I have been thinking it through, and I came across some things that just don’t make sense."
"Like what?" Clockwork asked as a thin smile formed on his face.
"For one, my healing powers. It doesn’t make any sense for me to have them, seeing how I am dead. But you said that life and death are connected in more ways than the simple understanding most mortals seem to have. So, why do I have the power to heal the living?"
"Why indeed?"
"Then I started to think about it, what you said, and the underlying meaning that is always there when you explain something."
"And?"
"It’s balance, isn’t it. The balance between life and death. I heal things, where others hurt them. Life and death is nothing more than another stage of existence, and the greater scheme of reality doesn’t differentiate between the two. No matter if we’re dead or alive, we are all a part of the greater whole, and we fill the part we need to fill in order to keep the balance. And it happens in more subtle, and not so subtle ways. Like my world being one of the living, yet the dead move around without any hindrance. Life and death exist together. However, Equestria is a world where the ghosts do not show themselves, even though they are a world of the living as well. This did confuse me for a moment, but then I got it. You said the princesses are a connection between the ghosts and the mortals, life and death mixed in one, but not like Danny or Dani. A living being born with a fraction of the powers of the dead. But, what does this mean for the rest of them? All those ponies are also born with the same... eh, magic as their princesses. Shouldn't that mean they have a connection between the living and the dead as well?" She paused for a moment, thinking.
"Every world has a connection, as everything is connected. But I sense you have already figured out what it is for them, haven’t you?" Said Clockwork.
"I think I did. Their magic is no magic at all. You said the princesses showed traits the ghosts have as well. Luna’s mane, or her ability to turn into an intangible cloud, and their connection with the stars. But then I started to look at what I knew about the rest of them. Their magic allows them to do all kinds of things we ghosts can do as well. Levitation, flying, their connection with the plants that seems like that of Undergrowth in some cases, and so much more. Their magic isn’t magic; it is the same energy we ghosts have."
A short, proud laugh came from Clockwork as he looked at Sam.
"Congratulation, Sam. You figured it out much sooner than I thought you would. Although there is a small mistake with your reasoning, you are correct. Their world does not deal with the ghosts because there is something else keeping the balance; their magic. It is so effective against us ghosts because it is a similar power, but not the same, as you said. No, their energy is an opposite version of our own. Or, as the humans have called it, Negative Ectoplasm. Although the humans and ponies don’t realize it is the same because the N-Ecto they make is artificial, and the ponies don't recognize the less refined energy as their own. But their energy is a similar, but opposite form of our own," Clockwork explained to Sam, a proud smile showing on his face.
"Their powers come from a similar source to that which we derive ours from, but with a twist. To keep a balance, their powers are also able to counter our own. They can do similar things like what we can do, but not everything we can. Intangibility, for instance, is not within their abilities. But their energy balanced this out in a most surprising way," Clockwork continued, and he used his cane to change the image in the viewing portal.
"Tell me, what do you see?"
"Ehh. I see pegasi walking over clouds," Sam said with a shrug.
"Indeed. And?"
"And that one is flying away?" Sam said, not knowing where Clockwork was going with this.
"No. Sam, what are clouds to us? Can we touch them?"
"No, of course not. We can levitate on our own power to make it look like we walk or lay on them, but we can’t interact with them. They’re basically int… angible…" Sam said as she drifted off, looking at the pegasi again in understanding. "But they can. Their energy allows them to interact with intangible objects… Or ghosts."
"Exactly. Everything is connected. Life, death, ponies, humans, ghosts, everything. We are all part of a greater whole, filling in the places we belong to. And, sometimes, those special individuals are chosen when the need arises. Like Danny was chosen to balance out the evil caused by Vlad."
"Of course," Sam whispered. "It all makes sense now. Even how those ponies work with their special talent. We ghosts work on the same principle. We have the same basic skills, determined by the kind of creature we are. Ghost, spirit or shade. Earth pony, unicorn or pegasus. We all start with the same basic power sets for our respective form, but we have our own unique abilities in response to our specialty. My healing powers, your time manipulation, Ember’s music powers, Skulker’s hunting abilities, Technus’ manipulation of technology. All of them. Ponies, ghosts. We all work on the same basic principle of our powers, giving us the skills needed to fulfill our special talent, even before we know it. They are the balance to us, where we are the balance to them."
Clockwork placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder, looking at her like a proud father would his child.
"Congratulations, Sam. You figured it out, and so soon even. Not many can do what you just did. Some spend eons just to fail, yet you connected the piece in less time than even I thought it would take you. Yes, we are all connected, in ways you have only just begun to understand."
"So... I guess Danny's speciality is his ice power," Sam said with a pleased smile, suddenly being able to see things much clearer now.
"No, it is not. Danny has a power much greater than that. He has a calling, a destiny placed on him the likes of which I have never seen before. He is destined to do great things, and his special ability will reflect that. But his ice power is not it. It is merely a part of the skills given to him to balance out the equation."
"Then what is his special ability?"
"You already know the answer to that, Sam. All you need to do is remember."
<<>><<>><<>>
"YOU'RE HIS CLONE?!" Valerie shouted in disbelief.
"Sheesh, keep it down will ya," Dani said, annoyed. "And yes, I am."
"This is all crazy. You want me to believe that Fenton became Phantom because he stood inside the ghost portal while it activated. And you," she said as she pointed a finger at Dani, "were made by Vlad in an attempt to get the perfect son. And all the failures were sent after Danny, including you."
"Hey! I’m not a failure," Dani said, offended.
"She doesn’t mean it like that," Jazz said in a calming manner before Valerie started her rant again.
"And you all knew this, and left me in the dark because you didn’t know what I would think, or how I would react to the fact that the guy I used to have a thing with is the ghost I have been actively hunting ever since he ruined my life—"
"By accident," Tucker cut in. "We really didn’t know how to keep that dog under control."
"—only for him to kill Sam and run away because of it," Valerie finished as if Tucker had never cut her off.
"He didn’t kill Sam," Jazz said in a calm manner, acting as the voice of reason in this mess.
"Right. It was the ghost no one else but Tucker and Danny Phantom saw. The ghost with no face, and two tails instead of one. Likely story."
"I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. We know this is hard on you, but you have to believe us. Yes, Danny is the ghost you’ve been hunting, but he never meant to cause you or your father any problems. Nor did he kill Sam. He would never be able to do such a thing."
"Humph. Then why was there never any evidence of this supposed ghost?" Valerie said defiantly.
"Because all the evidence was either destroyed in the blast, or removed by Vlad," Jazz answered.
"Not all of it," Tucker said with a tight jaw. "Some of it survived," he continued before standing up to retrieve his laptop.
"Tucker?" Jazz said, looking at him with confusion evident on her face.
"It took me years to get it back, and longer still to repair the data. But I did it, partially."
"What are you talking about?" Dani asked.
"I was making a scan of the ghost that killed Sam using my laptop. It was badly damaged in the explosion, but not destroyed. It took me years to track it down and retrieve it. I have spent countless months on making the software to access and retrieve the data stored on the hard drive, and it payed off. Most of it is still being retrieved, but I did manage to get this," he told them as he placed the laptop on the table, showing the image of the ghost he, Danny and Sam faced during that fateful day.
No words were said, save for a single scream that came from Jazz as they all looked at the horrifying image of the ghost without a face, save for a large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny left the library in a daze, holding the book he came for in his hands. When he first went there, he wasn't expecting to be given a pop quiz like that, nor did he think he would be the one teaching Twilight everything he knew about space. It was strange to say the least, and yet, somehow it also gave him a strange satisfaction. But, what really took him by surprise, was what Twilight did next, just before he left.
'Did... Did she just ask me out? And did I just say yes?' he thought as he walked back home on autopilot.
Whatever it was that was happening, it was something he really wasn’t expecting. That didn’t mean he didn’t like it; far from it, if the goofy smile on his face was any indication.
After a little walk while his mind went a million miles an hour, he arrived back home. Opening the door and moving inside, he sat down with the book still in his hands. Yet he didn’t open it, as all he could do was stare forwards at some uninteresting spot on the wall while he went through the time he spent at the library, trying to figure out what had happened.
This, of course, was not what Nightmare Moon wanted. And she used her mental manipulation to shake him out of his stupor and back to focusing on the book.
"Right, better get started with this," Danny said to the empty room as he opened the book to a random page.
"Now, let’s see. Let’s see," he muttered as he flipped through the pages, seeing various things of interest.
"Ah, here we are. The Grim Galloper," Danny said, and he began to scan the pages. His eager expression, however, quickly fell from the lack of real information. And all there seemed to be was, as the title suggested, myths and maybe a legend or two.
"Well this is a bust," he announced with a sigh, flipping idly through the pages until his eyes fell on something that piqued his interest, as it did for Nightmare Moon.
"The Crystal Empire?" Danny read the chapter title out loud, scratching his head. "Huh, what’s that about?" He wondered, and began to read.
Nightmare Moon, however, was no longer interested in what the ape was reading, as she knew the place all too well, and the one that took it down with him.
"Sombra," she said, and her eyes were wide with newfound realization.
"His powers, of course. How could I have been so blind? The shadows, the darkness, even the crystals which allow him to control all those minds. All of it can be traced back to the ghosts," she muttered as she thought back to what she knew from Luna's memories. He had a solid form, like Danny, but he could surround himself with a shade. A shade like she now was. The crystals he used to enslave the entire empire’s population shared a striking resemblance with the mind controlling crystal orb Freakshow had, which she saw in Danny’s memory. Even the disappearance of the entire empire at his hoof was shockingly similar to the event Danny went through when Amity Park was dragged into the Ghost Zone by Pariah Dark.
All of it brought her to an unexpected conclusion. Sombra, the dark emperor, was a ghost. A ghost that found its way into this world a thousand years ago.
How many more were out there? And how could she use them for her own gain?
'The crystals. That is the answer. I need to find out more about them, learn their secrets. I need to find a way to the crystal empire. And, if Luna's memory is anything to go by, it should return very soon,' she thought as a new plan started to form in her mind, and an evil smile crept its way across her face.
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.
"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.
Edits done by Vates Despero, Halusm, and King of Kings.
Meet the Princesses.
Part 1.
<<>><<>><<>>
Bone piercing screams echoed through the green void as the faded forms of the lost souls gathered. Joined together in their shared, blank minded existence, they began to circle around one another, picking up speed as more and more gathered in the dance of faded death. One final, soul piercing wail came from the collection of entities, and a rip in the fabric between worlds was formed. A portal, connecting the Ghost Zone with the mortal realm.
The portal, a green vortex comprised of the lost souls doomed to roam the endless void of the Ghost Zone till the end of time, wailing in misery as they were forced in between the planes of existence, hanging in the cool, early morning air. Glowing like a ghastly beacon.
Mere moments after it started, the wailing stopped, and the green vortex spun languidly on the spot allowing anyone, and anything, entrance to both sides. And someone was crossing.
Glowing green eyes scanned the world before him, as the rising sun reflected off of his exoskeleton, a grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, I do love the smell of fresh prey in the morning," Skulker remarked sinisterly, before using his thruster pack to fly towards the glowing green dome covering the city of Amity Park. Passing through it without hindrance, as the portal closed behind him with another wail.
<<>><<>><<>>
An icy wind howled over the desolate plains of snow and ice, covered in a layer of darkness from the night, only just making way for the light of dawn. No life could be found here, except for one or two ponies, who had to be crazy to be there. No one in their right mind would venture out there, in the middle of nowhere. Yet, there they were, dressed warmly against the biting cold and stabbing winds that ruled this place.
Yet, they weren't alone.
Several small fly like machines flew through the air, struggling to hold their position due to the harsh winds, and the numbing cold that was interfering with their systems. Several drones froze up, and were blown away, never to be seen again. But the few that were able to remain active scanned the area for the spectral build up they were detecting, coming from somewhere out there in the desolate plain.
There, a waver in the air.
It drew the attention of not just the drones, but that of the ponies as well. They all turned to get a better look at this strange occurrence as it grew larger, and the drones' internal alarm went off. Two more of the already strained machines short circuited from the sudden increase of energy, and they, too, were lost to the winds.
The ponies, however, faced a different kind of problem, as the energy coming from the disturbance was not magical in nature, but spectral.
The energy built up higher and higher, expanding and warping the air, revealing strange structures in the distance, yet distorting the image enough to make it impossible to tell what they were. The ponies however were unable to marvel at this phenomenon, as they were too busy struggling to maintain their hooving, as the energy reacted to their magic. They felt drained, sick, lifeless, unable to feel any joy in life, when, in a titanic burst of spectral energy, which decimated the remaining drones, a large city appeared before them. A city made of pure crystal, with a massive castle in its center.
One of the ponies, fortunate enough to be standing further away from this occurrence than the rest of his colleagues, dragged himself back to the small shelter they stayed in. Knowing his duty, and determined to follow it through, he dragged himself to the warmer air found inside.
"Must… alert... the… Princess…"
But unbeknownst to him, he and his fellow ponies were being observed by a pair of glowing green eyes. Glowing green eyes with a red iris in their center.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny rolled out of his bed with a groan, landing on the floor with a dull thud.
Groaning like a zombie, again, he slowly rolled onto his back, while his tired mind, still very much asleep, was trying to catch up.
And, as it did so, he became aware of a few things. Not sure how much though, as he was still too far submerged in the drowsy, fuzzy cloud of fog that obscured his mind. But he did notice the slight headache, which suddenly became that much worse as he became aware of it. The second thing to pierce the fog would be the party hat sitting askew on his head, but his brain struggled to remember where it came from. Then there was the fact that he was lying on the floor, which was odd as well.
Groaning yet again, he finally managed to push himself up, and he wished he hadn't done so as a stab of pain shot through his already troubled brain. Placing a hand against his head, and rubbing his forehead, he blinked uncoordinatedly as he looked around the place he began to recognize as his bedroom.
Another groan left him, and he slowly dragged himself up, taking notice of all the confetti littering the floor. It was then that his brain finally managed to catch up, panting loudly as it tripped over the streamers covering it.
"Right, Pinkie's party," Danny groaned as he lumbered into the bathroom, stepping under the shower and fumbling with the controls. He let loose a scream when he was suddenly assaulted by the piercing cold of the water falling on him. He swiftly became aware of yet another thing. He was still wearing his clothes.
Releasing yet another groan for his rapidly growing collection, he clambered out of the shower, dripping wet, and removed the soaked clothes before trying again, now making sure the water was at least warm enough to prevent his manhood from shriveling up entirely. And, as the now warm water descended down onto his body, his tired mind finally started waking in full, and memories from last night came back to him.
The party. Twilight. The dancing. Twilight. The punch. Pinkie. More punch, and with a strange aftertaste. A wickedly grinning Pinkie. Twilight, again. Cake. Cupcakes. Muffins. A grey, wall eyed pegasus fighting him over the last muffin. More punch. And things became kinda blurry after that.
"Man, what did that crazy mare put in the punch?" Danny muttered as he felt life return to his body in a non transformative way.
Still. Even as his memory returned to him, as well as the life in his body, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling something was still trying to catch up with him. Something important. But every time he tried to figure out what it was, his mind only came up with the blurry image of a certain purple pony saying something to him. What it was, for the half life of him, he couldn't remember.
"Meh. It's probably nothing," he muttered as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the warm water.
<<>><<>><<>>
It wasn't nothing. Oh no. It was not nothing at all.
Mere seconds after he got dressed, a knock came from the front door, and Danny opened it to see who it was. There, standing in front of him, was Twilight Sparkle, saddle bags on her back, looking at him expectantly.
"Uhhh… Hi?" Danny said, trying to figure out why she was here.
"Danny," Twilight said with a smile, which slowly began to fall as he just stood there, blinking dumbly, "Are you ready to go?" she asked him.
"Uhh…?" He replied dumbly, before his eyes widened in realization, and a hand found his face with pain inducing speed, "Aww, crap. That's right. We're going to Canterlot today, right?"
"You forgot!?" Twilight said, sounding hurt, and even more annoyed. "Even though I reminded you about it last night?"
Suddenly the blurry image of Twilight Danny had a moment ago cleared up, and he remembered her telling him about the trip to Canterlot the next day.
'And thank you, brain. For once again letting me down,' he thought sourly as he shot Twilight an apologetic smile.
"Eh, I'm sorry, Twilight. I have been having a hard time getting up today. Don't know what it was that Pinkie put in that punch of hers, but it really took me for a loop."
"She didn't?" Twilight asked with a groan, face hoofing before sighing out. "She does that to everypony, save for the foals, whenever she feels they need an extra dose of 'happiness'."
"Uhh, an extra dose of what now?"
"Don't ask. Some things are better left unknown."
"O-kay…" Danny said dumbly, before addressing the more pressing matter. "But, uhh… Would you mind coming in, while I grab something to eat real quick?" He asked, and a slight twitch showed in Twilight's eyes.
"Oh no, mister. I have made up a very strict schedule so we could get the most out of today, and you're not going to mess things up like that. I would have to reschedule everything," Twilight told him, sternly, before she picked him up with her magic, carrying him with her, and closing the door behind him with a small burst of her magic.
"You can eat something on the train, though," she added, the harshness gone from her voice.
"How fortunate," he muttered sarcastically, arms crossed over his chest as he, floating upside down, looked around, receiving several stares from the ponies milling around the town. But his attention was drawn to the strange tingling sensation he felt all throughout his body, before he shook it off, assuming it was just how her magic felt.
'Man, it's later than I thought it was. What time is it?' he wondered as he finally registered the number of ponies outside. Then, looking towards the tall clock tower standing near the town square, he gained his answer.
'Huh. Only nine forty? Okay, this is a sorry excuse for a hangover, I thought it was much later than that. And does the sun have to be that bright?' he wondered, flinching a bit from the light assaulting his eyes.
But, before he could delve deeper into this puzzling subject, both his and Twilight's attention was drawn towards the rapidly approaching mare, colloquially known as Ruby.
"Danny?" She said, confused, as she came to a stop looking at the floating, upside down, human.
"Hey, Ruby. How's it hanging?" He joked, and Twilight cut her magic, rolling her eyes.
Landing on his face, Danny let loose a groan as he pulled himself up, glaring for a moment at the coy looking purple pony, before turning to his colleague.
"Are you alright?" Ruby asks.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I've been hit worse," Danny answers, feeling the strange sensation diminish. "So, what brings you here? If my groggy memory serves me well, and I'm not sure it does, then shouldn't you have half a shift back at the cafe today?" he added, and Ruby let out an annoyed sigh.
"Yes, unfortunately," she groaned.
"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, unfortunately," Ruby groaned again, "And Danny needs to come with me," she told both of them, before adding a quick "Sorry," to Danny.
"What, why?" Danny asked, while Twilight's eye began to twitch some more.
"Just… Just come with me. You'll see," Ruby said with a sigh, hoof pressed against her face.
"Ehh, can it wait? You know I have the day off today, and I did have plans," he told her, giving a nod to Twilight standing by his side.
"I doubt it will take all that long, but you really should come," Ruby told him again, urgently.
"Ehh, I guess?" He muttered, and turned to Twilight.
"Just go," the aforementioned mare said, with a strained tone. "The train will not arrive for another ten minutes and thirty-five seconds, so there is still a little bit of time. I will go ahead and buy you a ticket, while you do… whatever. Okay?"
"Okay!" Danny replied gratefully. "Thanks, Twilight. You're the best," and with that he hurried away with Ruby, heading towards the cafe. Leaving Twilight behind, with a forced smile and twitching eye.
'THIS IS NOT GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN!' She shouted in her head, as she forced herself to the station.
<<>><<>><<>>
At the same time
Metallic wings buzzed, and the two small cameras making up the robotic insect's eyes readjusted, focusing on the human who was held aloft in a purple energy field. It picked up on several confusing signals, coming from its sensors, as it observed the human and the pony walking in front of it. It would need a better look, a better chance to filter through the strange interference it received. A strange combination of spectral energy, as well as the magical energy coming from the pony.
True, the latest adjustment to its sensors made it possible for the drone to ignore the strange energy found all throughout the world. And it was also capable of ignoring the more refined energy coming from the ponies. But, for some reason, the confusing combination of both spectral energy and magical energy threw it for a loop.
Wings buzzed again as the drone flew after the human and pony, following them from a safe distance, as it tried to translate the strange readings into something it understood.
A new pony showed up. A creature with a deep red coat, and a mane and tail which glistened like a ruby in the sunlight.
They stopped as they talked, and the strange purple energy coming from the purple pony vanished. Now, without the confusing interference, the drone was able to get a proper read on the human, and its internal alarm went off.
Metallic wings buzzed rapidly as it flew away, heading towards the main hub to tell its master about its find.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay, what's the trouble?" Danny asked as he arrived at the cafe, seeing the few other waiters who work during the weekend, as well as Quick Grill standing outside the establishment. The stallion stood with hoof against his head, a frown showing on his face while he took several large, deep breaths, clearly trying to calm down.
"Just… Just see for yourself," he muttered darkly as he pointed at the door.
Danny, suddenly feeling nervous, moved towards the door, hearing his boss mutter something as he walked past him.
"And I thought that pink menace was troubling. She's got nothing on those three."
Standing before the door, unable to see inside as it was currently closed, he reached out, and turned the knob. He opened the door slowly, hearing the same creak he did the night before, and looked inside.
He froze on the spot at what he saw.
"Hi, Danny," a sheepish voice greeted him.
Danny blinked dumbly.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight stood impatiently at the station, holding two train tickets aloft in her magical grasp, waiting for the horribly tardy human. Still, she couldn't be angry at him, much. He was only late because he went out of his way to help his friend, after a night filled with Pinkie Pie's powerful premium party punch no less.
Yeah. She remembered those mornings.
Still, there were only two minutes and twelve seconds remaining before the train would arrive, and she didn't know what to do if Danny wasn't there yet. She had already told the Princesses she would bring him along. But if he didn't show up soon, she would have to leave without him. And if she did that, she would have to tell the princesses that she failed to bring him with her. And if she had to do that, the princesses would think she was tardy herself. And if they thought that, they would think twice before giving her another assignment. Maybe Princess Celestia would think she wasn't competent enough to remain as her personal student, and take her away from Ponyville, leaving behind her friends. Which would mean their bond as friends would be strained, and might even break, causing the Elements of Harmony to become useless, opening up the world of Equestria to all kinds of nefarious creatures.
Silence.
Okay. Maybe that wouldn't happen. But could she take the chance?
"No, I can't!" She stated forcefully, stomping a hoof on the platform.
"You can't, what?" A voice spoke up, and Twilight turned around to see Danny walk towards her.
"Oh, hehehe, nothing. Just some crazy thoughts going through my mind," she answered with a relieved sigh, smiling at him as she gave him his ticket.
"Thanks. How much do I owe you?" Danny asked, but she just shook her head.
"Nothing. I invited you to come with me, so, as a good host, I should take care of the expenses."
"Ehh… You're sure? I really don't mind paying for myself," he asked her, earning himself a slight glare from Twilight, but the smile on her face betrayed her.
"No. But I am glad to see you at least know how to behave like a gentlecolt."
"A what now?"
"Ehh. Man... Gentleman," Twilight corrected herself, and a steam whistle signaled the arrival of the Friendship Express.
Stepping on board and finding a spot, they sat next to each other as they waited for the rest of the ponies to either step on, or off, of the train. And, after several long minutes, the train rocked into motion as it began its journey towards Canterlot.
'One minute twenty two seconds too late,' Twilight though, before shaking those thoughts away. 'Okay, stop it. We're on our way, and such a small delay won't hurt us… I hope... Oh, come on. What's the worst that could happen? Danny and I will go to see the princesses, and I'll show him the city a bit. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that,' she thought excitedly to herself, looking at Danny with a somewhat nervous smile.
"Soo… What was going on at the cafe?" she asked to take her mind off matters.
"Oh, come on. It can't be that bad," she said, and Danny looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "Can it?"
Danny raised a single eyebrow in response, before proving her wrong, and Twilight wasn't sure whether she should facehoof or laugh.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Are you ready, sister?" Celestia asks Luna, both of them sitting in her bedroom chamber.
"I... I think I am," Luna answered.
Today was the day Twilight would come by to visit Celestia. And this time, she would also be bringing Danny Manson along.
Normally, it wouldn't be of much importance to Luna, seeing how she would sleep during the day. But she would always make time for her friends, especially those who saved her from the corruption that had claimed her so many centuries ago. And she looked forward to seeing Twilight again. Danny, however, sent a chill down her spine. What was it about that human? What was it that defied any logic, and made it impossible for her to see his dreams? And, most importantly. Who did those horrible orange eyes belong to?
True, she looked forward to Twilight's visit. But it was somewhat overshadowed by Danny's presence as well. However, as her sister had told her several times now, she couldn't just sit in her room, cowering under the blanket like a scared little filly. No, she would have to confront her fears, and show it that she wasn't afraid. But she was, truly.
Any force that could block her from the minds of those dreaming was not something to take lightly. And, with the possible involvement of ghosts… She shuddered at the thought. Still, she wasn't afraid of Danny. No. Their time together before was short, but she did learn one or two things. The reports Twilight and her friends made also helped.
Danny Manson. A human living and working alongside her ponies, doing his best to make the most of every day. And, if the report Twilight sent was to be believed, he also entered the Everfree Forest on his own in search of the missing fillies Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
A human, with no magic, or any other defensive capabilities to speak of, going into the forest like that. She wasn't sure if he was brave or just stupid, but he had heart. And she admired him for it. Truly, if she had shown more consideration for the well being of others, maybe she wouldn't have descended into the darkness of the Nightmare.
"Good," Celestia said with a gentle smile. "Now, come. You'll see there is nothing to be afraid of." And with that, she and her sister left the bedroom chamber, heading for the kitchen to get a cup of coffee for the night Princess; or maybe two, or three.
Today was going to be a long day indeed.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, are we all ready?" Rolling Stone asked as he stowed his ghost scanner in his saddle bags, looking at the rest of his team.
"Ready," Blue Ice responded.
"Ready," Ornate Charm confirmed.
"Ready," Sound Wave replied, trying to keep as professional a stance as possible since she was still in hot water over yesterday's fiasco.
"Good, then let's go. We only have one shot at this, for now. So we better make it count. The subject is gone for the day, so it is up to us to make a complete spectral scan of his house, top to bottom," Rolling Stone commanded them, and they replied with an understanding nod.
They were already standing on the outskirts of Ponyville, waiting in hiding for over an hour now to make sure Danny Manson actually left. And, after he had left, he wouldn't return. And while they were waiting in hiding, they'd made some last minutes adjustments to their gear to make sure it would work properly this time.
Now though, with Danny gone, having been forcefully taken by Twilight and her magic, they were clear to enter and investigate his residence. But they would have to be careful, lest somepony see them when they enter. But, as far as they could see from their hiding place, Twilight had only closed the door and didn't actually lock it. That would make things easier for them. That, and the fact that most of the doors around this village were usually unlocked to begin with. It was a very trusting community indeed.
As they quietly made their way over to Danny's home, Ornate Charm went ahead to see if the door was indeed unlocked, while the rest stayed hidden behind one of the walls. Looking around to see if anyone was looking, Ornate Charm reached out, and turned the knob, finding no resistance, and the door swung open for her.
Motioning for the others to hurry up and come in, she looked around once more, before closing the door behind her, after all of them were inside the home of Danny Manson.
"Alright, you all. You know what to do," Rolling Stone says in a lowered voice. "Scan everything, but leave no evidence of us being here. If you find anything that is locked, don't force it open. Don't knock anything over. And, for Celestia's sake, don't make any sound that might give us away!" He ordered, and they silently confirmed his commands.
None of them, however, noticed the three pairs of eyes looking at them through the window.
One of them flashing green.
<<>><<>><<>>
'So, are you ready?' The question ran through her mind, again, and Dani wondered if she was.
It had been a difficult morning, to say the least. Not because of any trouble, or other unforeseeable things happening. No, it was something that was expected that caused the trouble in the early morning. Mainly, her trouble getting out of bed.
True, she was one of those who stayed up late, going bump in the night. But she was also one of those who, once lying comfortably in the blanket's warm embrace, couldn't be removed from the bed without calling upon some divine power to get her moving.
But they managed. Or, more precisely. Tucker managed.
Grumbling under her breath as she stood in the embarkation hall, waiting for the tear to open up to Canterlot, she kept going over and over in her mind how he had managed to do so.
She couldn't figure it out. But she did know that, after she had woken up, enough, and she was reminded what day it was, and what she was supposed to do, she surged into motion with a burst of energy unknown to her at such an early hour.
Now though, she stood prepped and ready, waiting to cross over to the other side.
Looking around at her team, she mentally rolled her eyes. All around her stood the many experts from the Fenton Cooperation, carrying their various tools, as well as overseeing the many crates they would have to take with them to start the construction of the ghost containment chamber, as Tucker had explained to her.
She sighed faintly, not liking this. And not just because she herself was a ghost as well. She was here, officially, to oversee the construction and to report back should anything go wrong, or if parts were missing. Unofficially, she was supposed to search for Danny, and report back anything she found. But, and here was the tricky part, she would have to do so without drawing suspicion to herself, or anyone noticing her missing. Which would mean she could only effectively go out and search during the night, when most, if not all were asleep, and she could go around without much trouble.
Sure, she could turn invisible. But unseen is not unnoticed. That is to say, she would be missed by those now standing around her.
It was annoying, really annoying. But, she reasoned, at least she was as far away from Vlad as she could get. Plus, she had the chance to find her cousin/twin brother. Yes, that alone was worth the trouble. Still, it would be difficult. It was a big world out there, and she found it unlikely she would just run into him like that.
But, even with all that, there was still a pressing matter causing her patience to be tested. Mainly…
"When is this thing going to open!?" She asked aloud, annoyed, impatiently tapping her foot, clad in the boot given to her by Valerie.
<<>><<>><<>>
"They didn't!" Said Twilight, struggling to keep her laughter down.
"Would I make up something like that?" Danny asked, chuckling a bit himself.
"No, I guess you wouldn't."
"Still, got some extra free time while they sort out the mess," Danny said, relieved he didn't have to deal with it.
"Oh my," Twilight said, laughing. "Their sisters are not going to like this."
"Yeah, no kidding," Danny returned the laugh, looking outside the window, seeing the rapidly approaching city of Canterlot.
'Huh. Didn't think it would take that long to tell that story,' he thought, before shrugging it off.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, where to?" Danny asked as they stepped off of the train.
"Just follow me," Twilight instructed. "The princesses aren't expecting us for several more hours, s—"
"Wait, then why did I have to hurry like that?" Danny asked, annoyed.
"Because I have planned out the entire day, see," she told him as she levitated up a rather lengthy checklist. "First, we board the train at nine fifty two. Then the time taken to travel to Canterlot, before taking several minutes to explain to you the schedule I've made."
"Wait, what?" Danny said in disbelief, and Twilight showed him the list. "Well, damn. It really is there?" He said, amazed and confused as he looked at the checklist.
Checking off this item from the list, Twilight told him to continue, and together they headed into the city, with Danny still confused as to what exactly was going on in that head of hers.
'She actually put that on the list?'
Shaking his head, he just went with it, not sure what to make of all these crazy ponies.
<<>><<>><<>>
The quiet metallic tapping of insectoid legs sounded through the large marble halls, too faint for anyone to hear it, unless they actually paid attention. Several of Vlad Masters' small drones climbed the walls of the castle the Princesses lived in, attracted towards a strange source of, of... Well, not ectoplasm, but something like it. A strange energy signature resembling ectoplasm, yet different all the same. What it was, they were unable to determine, even with their shared processing power. And, instead, they searched out this strange energy, tracking it to the two larger ponies found in the castle. Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.
They understood their programming. Track down anything with an ectoplasmic signature, and ignore the ponies' magic. Unfortunately, these orders were now conflicting with one another.
If they scanned for magic, they saw all the ponies, as well as the world around them. And, as ordered, they ignored this. If they scanned for ectoplasm, however, they saw… something. Something not quite like ectoplasm. In an attempt to figure out what this strange phenomenon was, they scanned for any magical interference, and that is where things became troubling for their limited processing capabilities.
Without magic taken in the equation, there was a strange, unknown ectoplasmic signature coming from the two ponies. Put magic back in the equation, and it showed… System error.
It wasn't ectoplasm. And yet it was. It wasn't magic. And yet it was.
The drones were confused, stuck in a logic loop as they tried to figure out what to do, and which order to follow. Ignore magic, and get confused by the strange readings. Or allow magic to enter their scans, and get confused by the strange readings.
They climbed the walls on a basic program, hide and seek, as most of their processing power was used to solve this conundrum. One or two of the drones short circuited as a result, dropping to the ground, legs twitching in an electrical spasm.
Whatever this energy was, it was neither ectoplasm, nor magic.
It was both.
<<>><<>><<>>
Feet pounded on the floor as the experts of the Fenton Cooperation moved through the tear, taking all the equipment with them as they did so. The roar of a forklift drowned out the sounds of hard labor, as it brought through the heavier crates, aided by a small team of unicorns. And, before long, everything was finally transferred to the magical world of Equestria, completely cluttering the room of arrival.
The truck headed back to Earth, no longer needed, while everyone else gathered around.
"Okay, listen up everyone," Dani called out. "This was just the easy part," she announced, and a grayish mare with an electric blue mane and tail took her place.
"Okay, everyp— one. Listen up. My name is Technal, and I am in charge of this operation. Now, we need to get all this stuff down into the crystal caverns found under the mountain you are now standing on. Most of the things here will be easy, and our unicorn team will take them to their designated location through teleportation. Some things, however, as I think we all know, will not be so easy," she told them.
"Unicorn magic does not react very well to some of the devices here, so we must take them with us the hard way. We will have to stick to the side roads, mostly out of sight, as the Princesses, and I, do not want any public disturbance, nor do we want anypony to learn about what is going on with all these things. It was difficult enough to keep the latest ghost breach from the masses, and it will prove even more difficult to keep a contingency of both humans and ponies hidden for long. So, we will split up in small groups, each taking some of the things with us, while the royal guards will escort us to where we need to go. Follow their instructions, and, please, stay out of sight. The last thing we want is a panic," Technal instructed them, and Dani stepped back up.
"Okay, you've heard the w… eh... mare. So, gather your things, and split up in small, easy to move groups," Dani ordered, and the human experts did just that, while a group of unicorns grabbed the larger crates they could take with them in their magic, before teleporting away, leaving some of the humans standing there, staring dumbly. "And keep your heads together. We all know they can do magic, so stop staring like that!" She added, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, lead the way," she told Technal, who stood next to her.
"Certainly," Technal replied. "But security protocol first," and she guided them all towards the facility's scanner room, one small group at the time.
Dani held back as she watched the experts enter the room, seeing the door close, and hearing the scanner activate. She felt a tight knot form in her chest because of it. She knew Tucker wouldn't let her down, and she was sure she would be able to go through there without any trouble, but still. What if he was wrong? What if the scanner did find her spectral energy? Tucker said her energy was the same as Danny's, and the modifications he had added made it possible for Danny to go through without any trouble. And, with her being his clone, she shouldn't have any trouble either. Still, what if?
After several more groups, it was finally Dani's turn, and she entered the scanner room, along with the remaining humans still there.
The door closed, and a green laser like grid descended from the ceiling, while another swept towards them from the wall. The two grids of light moved over them all, scanning them, looking for any spectral energy. And it found it.
The scanner lagged for a split second as it scanned Dani, finding the energy it was looking for, before the newly added subroutine triggered, recognizing the unique energy signature belonging to only two beings. The grids continued their scan, ignoring Dani, as ordered by the new subroutine, and they gave the all clear; not finding anything else, opening the doors of the chamber.
"Ah, please, this way," Technal said, standing on the outside of the room, while Dani sighed in relief.
'So much for the easy part,' she thought as she followed the mare to the building's backdoor.
Opening the double doors, they were greeted by a small group of guards, waiting to begin the task of escorting the humans to the newly created hidden entrance leading to the crystal cavern.
<<>><<>><<>>
Soarin flew through Earth's sky, having just left the tear facility based in Amity Park. After yet another strict training regiment with the rest of the team, he was now enjoying a little time off to spend with his special someone. Still, he took his time as he enjoyed the cool morning air, watching the early morning sun shine its light over the world.
Taking a moment to enjoy the sight, he landed on a small cloud, sighing contently.
Looking down at the city below him, he could see the humans move around, appearing as ants to him from that height, while his cloud lazily drifted away on the wind.
He let out another pleased sigh, before jumping off, spreading his wings, and resuming his flight, unaware of the glowing green eyes observing him through a pair binoculars, a grin showing on the metallic face of... Skulker.
"Well, look what we have here," he growled excitedly, and faded from view as he followed the pony, checking his weapons systems on the go.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay, so where are we going?" Danny asked again as he followed Twilight through the city.
"We're just going to make a quick stop first, as there is somepony I need to see first. Don't worry, it shouldn't take long," Twilight answered, smiling as she trotted through the streets, happy to be back home again. Not that she didn't like Ponyville, but there would always be that special bond between her and the city she was born in.
They moved through the city, staying mostly to the larger streets, while every now and then Twilight would take them through a side alley, knowing the quickest route to get to her destination, and staying on schedule. Though she also made sure Danny still got a proper tour, and the explanations needed with the sights they saw.
Danny, taking it all in, was amazed with how much he missed the last time he was here. Granted, he was still running away, and didn't spend any time looking at the city around him. But he was quickly catching up. Twilight was also a great help, as she pointed out many things he wouldn't even have noticed himself. It was obvious to him that this is where she came from. That, and she told him that fact several times, as she told him about several fillyhood 'adventures' she had with her older brother, and some doll called Smarty Pants throughout the city.
Taking yet another side alley, they came close to the Tear facility where Danny first arrived in Equestria, and Twilight was quick to tell him so.
"Hey, Danny, look. That is the building where the tear is located. We're near the back of it, but it is all sealed off, obviously," she said, before stopping. "Hmm, seems something is happening," she added as she saw a pair of guards blocking their path, keeping them from advancing.
"Sorry miss, sir. This road is currently sealed off," one of the stoic guards said as they approached, holding up a hoof to signal them to stop.
"What, why?" Twilight asked.
"Sorry, miss. It's classified. Please find another route to get to your destination."
"Fine," Twilight grumbled. "I will just teleport us to the other side," and she began to channel her magic to do just that.
The guard, however, was quick to intervene.
"Sorry, miss. But we can't let you do that either."
"What, why not?"
"It's classified."
Twilight narrowed her eyes at the guards, making them gulp as they knew very well who she was. Still, they had their orders, and couldn't let them pass. Fortunately, for them, Danny stepped in before the situation could deteriorate further.
"Come on, Twilight. Why don't you show me some other parts of the city?" He asked, guiding her away and around the corner of the alley they came from.
"Oh, I will find out what this is about. They ruined my entire schedule," she said angrily, stomping away, while Danny stood frozen on the spot, watching the puff of cold air drifting away in the sky with wide eyes.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes prior
Dani walked out last, making sure no one lagged behind, before following the group. Stepping out of the compound, she found herself in a narrow passage between buildings, shadows covering everything.
Sighing, she followed the rest of the group she was with. They left in small groups, each ten minutes apart to make sure they wouldn't draw too much attention by leaving in mass, as they began their walk to wherever that cave entrance was.
She knew she still had a lot of work left to be done. Work she wasn't particularly interested in, but she knew she had to do it to maintain her cover. Still, she quietly sighed in frustration, and a momentary flash of green showed in her eyes, a smirk finding its way onto her face.
The irony of it all, of how they were all working on something to contain a ghost, while she herself was a ghost. But that also meant she would have to be careful when and where she used her powers. Still, making her eyes glow like that, for the split second she did, wouldn't hurt her. It was too faint for any of them to pick up on with her walking at the back. Unless, of course, any of them had a ghost sense, like she had. Still, her smirk fell as she thought about everything she was supposed to help with, knowing it was going to be a difficult job to keep up appearances.
'Ugh. This is going to be a loooong day.'
<<>><<>><<>>
It took a moment for Danny's body to unfreeze, and he hurried to catch up with Twilight, who was angrily stomping away after having been denied passage through the alley by the guards. Danny, however, couldn't worry about that, as he was too busy struggling to accept what had just happened.
'Tha… That was my ghost sense. And for the second time today as well. But there aren't supposed to be any ghosts here, right?' He thought, nervously looking around, when the sun finally managed to reach down into the alley they were walking through, projecting his shadow on the ground.
'Unless...' He thought, unsure, seeing a momentarily glint of his shadow's green eyes in the dark shade. 'My ghost sense did also react to that Mort fellow. Is he around here?' He wondered, looking around, but unable to find the skeletal pony wearing a cloak.
'Oh, I hope it is him,' he thought nervously, eyes shifting around as he looked for any sign of ghostly activity.
"Danny, is everything alright?" Twilight asked, having turned around when she noticed Danny was lagging behind, seeing him look around nervously.
"Ehh… yeah… Yes, I'm… alright. Just thought I saw something... strange," Danny answered nervously, giving her a fake smile.
Raising an eyebrow, Twilight stared at him.
"You thought you saw something strange? Like what?"
"Honestly. I'm not sure myself," Danny answered, being sincere.
"What did it look like?" She asked, pressing the matter, hoping it might answer a few things about what was happening back there with the guards.
"Ehh..." Danny began weakly, when he thought of something. "Say, don't we have a schedule to keep," he reminded her, and Twilight's eyes widened in horrified realization.
"Oh my gosh, you're right," she shouted, and picked Danny up with her magic for the second time that day; causing him to feel that weird sensation throughout his body again, as she hurried away in a gallop; drawing the attention of the ponies walking through the streets as she rushed out of the alley, Danny in tow, upside down, arms crossed, a flat, annoyed look on his face.
'Well, that could have gone better,' he thought as he looked at the dumbfounded faces of the ponies around, seeing several of them snicker, or laugh out loud.
'A whole lot better.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Soarin glided through the air, angling himself towards the buildings up ahead. At his current speed, he would arrive at Jazz's place in a few minutes, but he wasn't in a hurry. It was a nice, calm day. A warm sun, with a few clouds scattered here and there. Looking down, he noticed the many humans living in the city looking up at him, most of them still not used to the sight of a pony flying over their heads, even though he had followed this route many times now.
But something was nagging at him. A feeling that something was off. And, taking a closer look at the humans down below, he noticed that they were not looking at him. In fact, they seemed to be looking at something behind him, obviously terrified, as they began to hurry inside whatever place they could get into.
Yes, something was definitely not right, and he got his first clue what it was when he spotted the shadow following his own.
Stopping in mid air and turning around, he was ready to confront whatever or whoever it was that was following him.
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Feeling somewhat nervous, he looked down, trying to spot the shadow he noticed earlier.
It was gone as well.
A shiver went down his spine as he looked around, expecting the worst. Then a shadow fell over him, and slowly, hesitantly, he turned around. His pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as he looked at the metallic ghost hovering a mere inch away from him.
"Boo," Skulker said with twisted humor, and he noticed the pony's wings lock up.
"Well, this is no fun," Skulker muttered as he dove after the plummeting pony. 'Oh well. Guess you can't hunt them all,' he thought as he easily caught up with the falling pony, seeing the fear in his eyes.
They fell and fell, the ground approaching rapidly. Soarin fearing for his life, Skulker looking down at him with a feral grin as he readied his net.
The ground came closer and closer, and just when it seemed they would surely slam into the concrete below, Skulker acted. In a flurry of motion he launched his net, catching Soarin, and reeling him in. Making a rapid one eighty, he set his thrusters to overdrive. They stopped their descent at terminal velocity with bone shaking force, before the upwards thrust overcame the pull of gravity, and the two of them shot away, leaving a horrified Jazz behind, watching it all.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wow. Nice place," Danny remarked as he and Twilight stood before one of the more upper class mansions. It was a clean white, two story high building, with several balconies looking out over the city. A large, lush green garden surrounded the estate, with many brightly colored flowers bringing life to the area, and a neat stone path leading from the front door, to where the two of them were standing. Twilight had a happy smile on her face, while Danny gawked at the luxury of it all.
"It is," Twilight agreed, and she opened the gate blocking their path, entering the premises.
"Wait, where are you going?" Danny asked, watching as Twilight walked towards the impressive building. "You can't just go in someone's garden like that, can you?"
Twilight gave him an amused giggle as she motioned for him to follow her. "Oh, don't worry. I know the ponies living here. I meant to see them before meeting with the princesses, so don't worry."
"Uhh, okay? If you say so," Danny replied, a nagging feeling telling him that this would, somehow, be more complicated than that.
Together they walked over the short path, stepping in front of the door, and Twilight rung the bell with her magic.
A three chimed bell rung, sending forth a pleasant sounding melody. Several moments passed in silence as the last of the melody played out, before the door was opened by a light blue magical aura, revealing a grayish white unicorn mare, with a two toned light purple and white mane. She had a trio of stars as her Cutie Mark, and looked almost the same as Twilight, save for her color scheme and Cutie Mark.
The mare looked at Danny with surprise, craning her neck to look up at him, causing her to miss the purple pony standing next to him.
"Uhh, can I help you?" She asked.
The sound of somepony clearing their throat drew her attention down to the mare next to Danny, and her eyes lit up while a large, beaming smile broke out on her face.
"Twilight," she said happily, pulling Twilight into a hug.
'uhh… what is going on?' Danny thought.
"Hi, mom," Twilight replied, and alarm bells went off in Danny's mind.
'Wait! What!?'
"I want you to meet Danny," Twilight said with a large smile as she introduced him to her mother, both of them looking at each other with expressions of surprise and shock. Then a smile broke out on Twilight's mother's face again, which somehow did not put Danny at ease. Especially as her eyes shifted between him and Twilight, her smile taking on a somewhat devious edge.
'Oh, crap.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Many murmurs, gasps, and even whistles of amazement came from the group of humans as they were brought into the large cavern room. Massive crystals covering the floor, walls and ceiling, each glowing faintly from the energy trapped within, giving off an eerie glow of purple and pink. Crystals which also helped to illuminate their path as they descended the long, narrow path carved into the mountain mere days before they arrived.
"Wow," Dani said breathlessly. "Not what I was expecting."
"Yes. It is quite something alright," Technal agreed. "This is the largest cavern we could find within this labyrinth that runs throughout the mountain, and it should be exactly what we need to set up this operation."
Dani hummed in agreement, before turning to one of the nerdier looking members of her team. "Hey, you," she said, her voice echoing off of the walls, making everyone turn to her. "Not all of you. You, three to the left," she groaned out, and the aforementioned person pointed at himself. "Yes, you. You're the expert on where to most effectively place this project of ours?"
"Ehh. Indeed I am, ma'am," he replied with a slight slur, and Dani instantly disliked him.
'Ma'am, my ass. Do I look that old?'
"Right. So, what are your thoughts on this place, in regards to what we're here to do?" She asked, trying to keep a neutral face, while the man pushed his glasses back on his nose, looking over his tablet as he studied the schematics.
"Well, the room is certainly large enough," he confirmed, looking around. "But those crystals might cause some interference, given their internal glow, indicating there's some energy inside. We will need to take a moment to study them to make sure they will not interfere with the equipment we're going to install. I don't expect too much trouble with that, but we need to know for sure."
"Okay. And how long do you think that will take?" Technal asked, hoping this wouldn't throw off their time schedule.
"Unknown," he answered, "but with the help of the experts you have to provide, it shouldn't take too long."
"I will send somepony to you immediately," Technal told him, before turning to the guards' Captain. "I will go and get the rest of our team down here, you know what to do," and with that, she left, leaving the white stallion with the two toned blue mane to oversee things, and to keep everything in check.
"Okay everypony and human. The unicorns are still in the process of bringing all the larger equipment down here, as you have probably noticed," he began, several flashes of light coming from behind the group of humans and ponies as the aforementioned unicorns blinked into existence, along with the large, heavy crates, before vanishing again in another burst of light.
"Guards. Help our guests in any way they should need, while they set up shop. We need this done fast and effective, and without any incidents," he instructed those under his command, earning a crisp salute, and a, "yes, Sir" from them all, before turning to the black haired woman on his right.
"Ma'am, go ahead."
'Again with the Ma'am,' Dani thought irritably, but gave the stallion a confirming nod instead.
"Okay everyone. You know what to do. So… ehh... get to it," she instructed awkwardly, and the humans began to open up the crates, murmuring amongst themselves, while checking if everything was present.
"Not much for giving instructions, I take it?" Dani heard the stallion ask, and she turned to look at him as he approached her.
"That obvious?" She asked with a weak laugh.
"I'm afraid so," he replied. "I'm Captain Shining Armor, the pony in charge of these fine mares and stallions."
"Dani. Dani Spectral," Dani introduced herself. "And I'm in charge of them," she said, pointing over her shoulder at the men and women inspecting their gear. "Although, I must admit I'm kinda new to the whole leading thing. I mostly work alone, out in the field, catching ghosts. Not stuck in a cave, working on some sort of crazy ghost jail."
Shining Armor quirked an eyebrow, looking Dani over as if he was inspecting her. "You hunt ghosts? I have to say. You don't look like it."
"That's just because I'm not wearing my ghost suit," she replied with a grin, trying her hardest to keep herself from snickering.
"Ghost suit?"
"Oh, just a little something I wear for protection while hunting ghosts… But it's mostly a side job. Most of my time is spent being the assistant of Tucker Foley, who is in no small part responsible for the latest tech involved in this construction," she quickly added, remembering her supposed role as an assistant.
"I see," Shining Armor said, when a flash of light, followed by a yell brought their attention to the scene unfolding before them.
It would seem that, during the teleportation of another crate, the volume of one crate overlapped with that of another. Which, thanks to the failsafe designed to prevent matter from fusing together during teleportation, resulted in the crate already in the physical plane being forced away, before tipping over. Breaking open, the contents of the crate scattered across the cavern floor, leaving several angrily shouting humans standing around it, and two very embarrassed and ashamed unicorns, who were responsible for the safe transit of the cargo.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Dani shouted, as she and Shining Armor hurried to the scene.
Everyone, human and pony, stood around the mess created, looking down at it with anger, annoyance, irritation, and, in the case of the ponies who were responsible for this, fear for having messed up like this.
"Well," Dani began lamely, "there is always something that breaks during a move."
Everyone stared at her. The humans in annoyance. The ponies in confusion. And their shared looks made her wish she could just turn invisible and drop through the floor. Which she could, if there weren't so many damn witnesses.
'Yeah. This is going to be a very long day, indeed.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"TUCKER!"
The door to Tucker's personal lab at the factory slammed open, showing a panting, frantic, Jazz.
Tucker and Valerie turned to look at the woman in a hurry, the double doors slowly sliding shut behind her. The sheer fact she was able to slam sliding doors open showing that, whatever it was that was going on, it was serious.
"Jazz, what's going on!?" Tucker asked as he and Valerie hurried to the distraught woman, seeing the tears staining her cheeks.
"SOARIN! He's… he's…" Jazz stuttered, before breaking down, sobbing.
"Jazz, calm down. You're not making any sense," Valerie said, placing her armored hands on Jazz's shoulders "Take a few deep breaths, and calm down."
Nodding her head, Jazz did as she was told. Several long seconds ticked by, with only the sound of deep breathing, and the occasional sobs coming from the red haired woman. Then she looked up, her red rimmed eyes looking at her two friends.
"Now, tell us what happened. Who is this Soarin guy?"
"Soarin is the pony I'm in a relationship with," Jazz began. "He was supposed to visit me for a day, when… when…" She began sobbing again, but a gentle shake from Valerie snapped her out of it.
"When, what?" Valerie urged her on.
"WHEN SKULKER CAPTURED HIM!" She shouted hysterically.
"WHAT!" Both Tucker and Valerie shouted.
"I watched it all. It happened so fast. Skulker just appeared out of nowhere, and he took him," Jazz cried on Valerie's shoulder, who patted her on the back, trying to comfort her.
"But why? Why would he do that?" Tucker asked, troubled.
"Don't know, don't care," Valerie answered coldly. "What matters is the fact that, clearly, the shield is no longer effective. Something we feared would happen after what I found with the Box Ghost, plus the intrusion that happened not too long ago. And worse, now they're capturing ponies."
"Yes, but there has to be a reason for him to do…. Oh no," Tucker began, when a horrifying thought came to him.
"Oh no, what?" Jazz squeaked, watching Tucker run to his private computer.
Typing rapidly on the keyboard, he pulled up a list of every pony that had ever gone through the ghost hunting training. His fingers froze on the keys as he found what he was looking for.
"DAMNIT! I should have thought of that!"
"What!? What is it?" Valerie asked as she and Jazz hurried to look at the screen, seeing the various physical reports on the ponies.
"What are we looking at?" Valerie asked.
"You know how we thought the ghosts might be trying to break into Equestria? And how the ponies' magic interferes with the ghosts' ectoplasm?" Tucker asked in a cold voice.
"Yeah, but what does that have t—" Valerie began, but Tucker cut her off.
"What use is it to go to the ponies' world, if you can't even defend yourself against their magic? GHAA! How could I have been so blind?" Tucker scolded himself. "I should have seen it. I should have known. Especially after the theft."
"Theft? What theft" Jazz asked, worried.
"The theft of several Specter Deflectors," Valerie answered, having already heard about it.
"But, what does all of this have to do with Soarin being taken?" Jazz asked through sobs.
"We have the deflectors to shield us from the ghosts," Tucker explained. "But, theoretically, they could be altered to shield the wearer from the ponies' magic instead."
"And they just took Soarin to test out if their deflectors work," Valerie stated, catching up with Tucker.
"No, I don't think they've gotten that far yet," Tucker countered. "Look, " he told them, showing the information on the screen. "The ponies, no matter if they're unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony, all have magic. And, although they use it in different ways, it is the same energy. But, there are different variables to deal with, so, should one want to alter a deflector, they would need direct access to their magical energy to do so."
"You mean they took my Soarin to... to… to experiment on him?" Jazz asked, horrified.
Tucker's only response was a dark, grim frown, telling her everything she didn't want to know.
"NO! WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!" Jazz shouted.
"And we will!" Valerie stated determinedly, walking to the bench where her weapons lay, Tucker having just finished their newest upgrades.
"I'm going with you!" Jazz said, picking up one of Valerie's blasters.
"I don't think so, doc. You're st—" Valerie countered, when she was interrupted once more. Not by words, but by a cold, harsh stare which held the burning fury of a thousand suns.
"I'm. Going. With. You!" Jazz stated firmly, leaving no room for objection, which Valerie did anyhow.
"Hate to say it, but I only have room for one on my board. There is no way you can come, unless you can fly."
Jazz, taken aback by this, began to stutter as she tried to come up with a solution to this problem, when Tucker came into the conversation with the answer she was looking for.
"She doesn't have to, if she uses this," he told them, typing a quick command on his keyboard.
A hidden door opened behind the bookcase in his lab, leading into a secondary room, in which stood…
"Is that what I think it is?" Jazz asked, amazed, while Valerie let loose a long, slow, drawn out whistle.
"It is. Just don't scratch the paint job," Tucker told them with a smirk, a glint showing in his eyes that Jazz had seen many times before, back in the old days when he was still ghost hunting with Danny and Sam.
"Now, go. I will distract everyone, while you get out there and save this pony."
"You're not coming with us?" Valerie asked, sounding surprised.
"No. I'm sorry, but I'm not there yet. Just do me one favor?" He asked.
"Anything," Jazz replied.
"Give them hell!"
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stood frozen on the spot, sharing an uncomfortable eye contact with the pony just introduced to him as Twilight's mother, who looked at him with a large smile, before turning to look at her daughter.
"Twilight," she said happily. "I'm so glad to see you, and to see you found yourself a special somepony."
"Wait! What!?" Twilight said, mirroring Danny's thoughts, while a heated blush burned through her fur, giving her face a deep shade of crimson as she stepped away from her mother, sputtering incoherently. "Wha… You… We… I… He's not my special somepony."
"Well, of course. He's a human, but why should that matter," Twilight's mother replied. "Oh, but I am so glad you finally found someone. Your father and I were starting to worry you would eventually marry one of your books."
Now thoroughly embarrassed, Twilight and Danny both stood speechless with glowing red faces.
"Velvet, dear. What is going on?" A dark blue stallion with a darker blue mane and tail asked as he walked up to the trio, giving a surprised look at Danny.
"Night Light," Mrs. Velvet said excitedly as she turned to her husband. "Twilight's here. And she brought her special someone.
"What!?" Night Light said, shocked, and he looked Danny up and down, a frown forming on his face.
"NO!" Twilight yelled, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Mom, we're not a couple. We're just friends, and I am just showing Danny around Canterlot," she explained with a burning red face.
"What, really?" Her mother asked, and Twilight gave a nod, making her mother sigh disappointedly.
"So, you're not with my daughter?" Night Light spoke up, looking at Danny, who shook his head in reply. Night Light's frown vanished in an instant, and he stepped closer to Danny, lifting a hoof. "Good, then I won't have to go into detail about what would happen if you hurt my daughter."
"DAD!" Twilight yelled.
"LIGHT!" His wife gasped, but he ignored it.
"My name is Night Light, as you undoubtedly have already figured out." He introduced himself to Danny, holding out his hoof, which Danny nervously grabbed in his hand and shook. "And this is my wife, Twilight Velvet," he continued as he introduced his wife. "Now, might we know the name of the human who raised my wife's hopes, before our daughter quite expertly dashed them?"
"Ehh…" Danny uttered, his mind having trouble starting back up as it had just run off to a nice quiet place so it didn't have to deal with the embarrassment happening, "... My name is Danny, Danny Manson."
Night Light and Twilight Velvet reared back a bit after Danny introduced himself, looking at him as if they had seen a ghost.
"And, no. I am not related to them in any way," Danny quickly added, tired of that reaction from everyone he introduced himself to.
"I see…" Night Light said, he and his wife still looking at Danny.
"Mom, Dad. Stop staring at him," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "And can we come in, or should we keep standing outside?"
Twilight Velvet's eyes widened as she realized she was keeping both her daughter and her not special someone standing outside. "Oh my, where are my manners? Please, come in," she told them, motioning for them to enter. Seeing the awkward smiles on the faces of her daughter and Danny as they glanced at each other, a faint smirk formed on her own.
'Maybe there's hope for her, after all,' She thought as she closed the door with a push of her magic, as she and her husband followed the two inside. 'Maybe,' she pondered as she thought about her other guest sitting in the living room.
"Oh, and Twilight," Velvet called out to her daughter. "You'll be delighted to know your foalsitter is here."
"Cadance is here?" Twilight chirped excitedly, and hurried into the living room, "CADANCE!" She shouted happily as she saw the pink Alicorn of Love sitting on a seat cushion, drinking from a cup of tea, which she promptly set down as she gave the excited purple pony a large smile.
"Twilight," Cadance said, standing up and moving to Twilight, who promptly started doing… something that seriously confused Danny. Even more so when Cadance started mirroring her.
"Sunshine, sunshine," they both chanted, while bouncing on their hoof tips, before dropping down on their stomachs, covering their eyes with their hooves, "ladybugs awake"—they uncovered their eyes, and sat up, clapping their hooves together—"clap your hooves"—before turning around, dropping their chests, and shaking their rears at each other—"and do a little shake."
They both laughed as they hugged each other, while Danny stood there dumbfounded. Something Twilight's parents found amusing, as they were more than used to this little ritual between their daughter, and daughter in law.
"See something you like?" Twilight Velvet asked Danny after the little show was over, making him turn a healthy color of red once again, while he sputtered in embarrassment. Night Light, however, shot an unamused look at his wife, before glaring at Danny.
However, Velvet's words also brought Danny's presence to the attention of Twilight and Cadance. The first with a brightly burning face, the latter with a curious look and kind smile towards the human in the room.
"Why, hello," she said kindly. "And who might you be?"
"Cadance, this is Danny," Twilight said, introducing him to her. "Danny Manson. And no, he is not related to them." She continued, and Danny gave her a faint smile in appreciation. A faint smile which did not go unnoticed by Cadance. "And definitely not my special someone!" Twilight quickly added as she glared at her mother, who feigned ignorance.
"Well, it is always a pleasure meeting one of Twilight's friends," the pink alicorn with a pink, purple and yellow mane said. "My name is Cadance, Princess of Love, and Twilight's former foalsitter," she introduced herself, and Danny awkwardly shook her offered hoof, while his mind was going over what she had just said over and over again.
'Princess of Love… What have I just gotten myself into?'
"She is also the best sister anypony could wish for," Twilight quickly intervened, making sure her mother couldn't push this awkward meeting into something even more awkward between Danny and Cadance.
"Sister?" Danny said, surprised.
"Sister in law," Cadance clarified.
"I see. Twilight mentioned an older brother. I take it you're together, then?"
"She did?" Cadance said, surprised. "Well, that's a first. She completely forgot to tell her friends about Shining Armor. at least, until she got the wedding invitation. Oh, and yes, Shining and I are married."
Twilight Velvet, who had moved next to her daughter during this small conversation, gave Twilight a small, but not too subtle nudge in her side, a knowing smirk on her face when the topic of marriage came up, making Twilight sputter and step away from her, giving her mother an annoyed glare, while Velvet only smiled innocently.
"SO!" Twilight cut in loudly. "Is Shiny here?"
"I'm afraid not," Cadance replied, as Danny backed away a bit, bumping into Night Light, who gave him a warning glare. "No, Shining is currently on an assignment from my aunts. Something about a highly important delivery, which needs guard protection," she said with a small shrug. "He couldn't go into much detail, though," she added with a slight hint of annoyance.
"But enough about that," Velvet said. "Twilight, Danny, why don't you take a seat," she offered, pointing at several seat cushions for them to choose from, "And tell us all about your undoubtedly interesting life in Ponyville?" She told them, while also making sure to place Danny directly next to Twilight, much to the amusement of Cadance, who giggled behind a hoof, recognizing the first signs of something interesting indeed.
"Now, you just make yourselves comfortable, while I fetch you something to drink." Velvet told them, and walked to the kitchen, eyes meeting those of Cadance, and they both shared a faint smile.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Weapons?"
"Check."
"Targeting computer online?"
"Check."
"Thruster pack ready?"
"Check."
"Activating eng—"
"CHECK! Let's go, already!" Jazz said, irritated, for once forgoing the sacred art of the checklist in favor of saving Soarin.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Don't bite my head off, will ya," Valerie replied. "We just need to wait for Tucker to give the go ahead, so this doesn't get noticed."
"I know, I know. But I can't be bothered with these… these STUPID checklists when he is in danger.
'Wow,' Valerie thought, turning back to the controls before her. 'She's got it bad.'
Suddenly, a loud, rapid, high pitch alarm went off. Joined by red flashing lights, while an alert sounded over the building's P.A. system.
"All personnel. A ghost has been detected. Please leave your stations, and move in a calm manner to the exit nearest to you. All personnel." The message repeated itself over and over again, and Valerie and Jazz looked at one another.
"Is that Tucker, or what?" Valerie asked, when a static click came over her and Jazz's earpieces.
"Okay, you two. I got things going up here, and the ghost portal room should be cleared in a few more moments. Valerie. Use the large green button on the console to open the way to the portal room, things should explain themselves from there. Good luck," Tucker's voice informed them over the comms, and with another 'click' he cut off the transmission.
"Well, you heard the man. Strap in, and lets give 'em hell." Valerie said with a feral grin, slamming a fist on the green button Tucker told her about, and watched as the wall before them slid open.
"Did you know about all of this?" Jazz asked, wide eyed, as she looked at the swirling green vortex of the ghost portal some distance ahead in the adjacent room.
"No, no I didn't. He's been busy, for sure," Valerie answered, giving Jazz a sideways glance, a spark in her eyes. "And I have to say. I really like this hidden side of his. Who knows what else he keeps hidden up his sleeve?"
"I'm just surprised, and a bit hurt, that he never told us about any of this," Jazz replied. "But right now, I couldn't care less." Looking at Valerie, she gave two final words. "Punch it!"
"You've got it," Valerie replied, grinning, and she keyed the thrusters, rocketing them forwards, and into the green vortex leading to the Ghost Zone.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes earlier.
Tucker closed the hidden door to his secret project, glad he had decided to go through with it after all. It certainly came in useful now. And, perhaps, also in the dark days to come. Now, though, he had a rather difficult task he needed to deal with. Mainly, clearing the building of everyone so this less than legal trip into the Ghost Zone wouldn't get noticed. Mostly because, besides the obvious issue of Jazz and Valerie about to cross over, none of the 'experts' had ever gotten the idea of actually going through the portal themselves. It was an act of ignorance that served Tucker and his friends well. Because, if any of the 'experts' were to enter the realm of the Ghost Zone, along with their biased opinion towards ghosts, things would get very ugly, very fast.
Luckily, it had not come to that. And the only people who knew you could safely enter and exit the portal were Tucker, Valerie, Jazz, Dani, Danny, and Vlad. That is, of course, not counting the ghosts.
But should anyone see Jazz and Valerie enter the portal, there would be an investigation. Something that could, and most likely would, lead to them discovering the Ghost Zone. And, should that happen, everything would fall apart.
So, sitting behind his computer, Tucker used his knowledge of the company's system to look through every possible option available to him.
And something caught his attention.
There, in the boardroom of the director's, he noticed something peculiar, but not unexpected.
Vlad's spectral signature.
It would seem that the good old, kind hearted mayor of Amity Park was in some meeting or another with the rest of the board. Which, Tucker realized with a devious smirk, he could use to his advantage.
He knew about Vlad bugging the systems for his own gain. He knew Vlad had altered the system's scanners so he wouldn't get noticed. And he let him, so as to not draw any attention to himself. Now, though, he would fix some of the damage done by good old Vlad.
Entering the long line of code in the command screen, he reset the scanners back to default, before quickly restoring the blind spot for both Danny and Dani.
Now back in action, and without Vlad's corrupting software running in the system, his system, he sat back, smirking, as he watched the live feed from the boardroom. Watching as the window's shutters closed, while a flashing light went off along with an alarm. Several security weapons deployed from the ceiling, all targeting Vlad who, in order to keep his other half a secret, ducked under the table, cowering as the beams of green shot overhead.
True, it wouldn't take long until the system would be reset. And, most likely, it would be blamed on a system malfunction; he'd make sure of that. But this little bit of chaos would buy Jazz and Valerie the time they needed. So, keying the secure channel to their communication devices, he relayed the good news to them.
"Okay, you two. I got things going up here, and the ghost portal room should be cleared in a few more moments. Valerie. Use the large green button on the console to open the way to the portal room, things should explain themselves from there. Good luck," he told them, using the camera in the portal room to watch the wall adjacent to the portal open up, and his pride and joy, on which he had worked for a couple of years, shoot forward, entering the wild green yonder.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, Danny. What brought you to Equestria?" Cadance asked.
The group of ponies and single human had been sitting together, chatting a bit while they drank their tea, with Danny telling them a bit about life on Earth. Which, naturally, brought up the subject of ghosts. Something Danny was less than comfortable talking about. He gave them simple answers, which did not give away too much about just how much he knew, yet more than enough for them to think twice about going to Earth for a casual trip or whatnot.
Still, this topic of discussion now brought them to the question Cadance had asked him, and Danny knew he had to choose his words carefully.
"Well, eh, you see… I wanted a change of scenery, so to speak. The place I used to live, well… It had a bit of trouble, the undead kind of trouble," he answered grimly. "I've been going from place to place, trying to find somewhere nice to live. But… Yeah, no such luck. So, when I realized there was a chance for me to move here, it was a no brainer. I packed my stuff, went to the nearest tear facility, which just so happens to lead directly to this city, and got on the train to Ponyville from there."
"Really? But didn't you leave everyone behind, then? Your family, friends, anyone?" Cadance asked, concerned, and Danny felt her eyes, as well as those of the others burn into him.
'What have I gotten myself into, indeed.'
"Well, you see. The thing is…" Danny began weakly, then sighed. "My family would be a part of the reason I came here, and it's not really a pleasant story. So, if you don't mind. I would rather not talk about it," he answered, twisting some truths, while keeping what he said believable.
"I'm… sorry to hear that," Cadance replied, looking at him with pity.
'Yeah, me too,' Danny thought, and quickly changed the subject.
"So, you're a princess, right? Do you live in the castle up here?"
"Oh, no. I do not," Cadance answered with a laugh. "My aunts live there, but I don't. No, Shining and I live in a nice house not too far from here, actually."
"Aunts?"
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Cadance clarified.
"Ah, okay. That makes sense," he replied lamely, making Twilight poke him in the side, resulting in him squeaking a bit, while Velvet looked at the two of them with a knowing smirk. Which Twilight saw, and she quickly scooted away from Danny a bit, blushing, and she turned her attention to the clock on the wall, so she wouldn't have to look at her mother.
"So, Danny," Velvet began with a fake innocent smile. "How has life in Ponyville been treating you? Anypony nice you've met?" She asked, with a not so expertly hidden undertone.
"Oh my gosh. Danny, we're going to be late!" Twilight suddenly shouted as she bolted upright. "We need to go now!"
"Huh? What is the matter, Twilight?" Her mother asked.
"Danny and I have a meeting with Princess Celestia, and we are going to be late!"
"But you've just gotten here," Velvet said, confused, nodding her head to the clock.
A sudden burst of Twilight's horn took them by surprise, and the hands of the clock shot forwards several hours.
"See, late. Come on, Danny," Twilight practically ordered, and she, once again, used her magic to levitate him up, right side up for a change, and rushed outside, her head burning a bright red.
Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Cadance looked at the two, smiles on Cadance and Velvet's faces, and an unsure frown on Night Light's.
Cadance, recognizing the first signs, and knowing just how blind Twilight could be in matters like this, quickly acted. Her horn shimmered for a moment, and a small magical pink heart formed on the tip, before following Twilight and Danny, easily catching up to them, as Twilight, in her hurry, had trouble opening the gate.
The heart split in half. One half moving to Danny, the other to Twilight. The magical essence connected with the two, and fused back together.
"Cadance," Night Light said tensely. "Please tell me you didn't just do what I think you did."
"Okay. I did not just do what you think I did."
A flat look was Night Light's only response to his daughter in law.
"Oh, Nighty," Velvet said, smiling. "Why don't you like Danny? He seems like a nice, uh... human."
"I suppose," he replied, seeing his daughter hurry away, with Danny still trapped in her magic.
"He just worries for his daughter," Cadance said. "All good fathers do. But I agree, Danny seemed like a nice human."
"I guess he is," Night Light relented. "At least he isn't a ghost. So I guess he's got that going for him."
"Oh, Nighty," Velvet said, rolling her eyes. "You always think everypony is some no good being around your daughter."
She and Cadance laughed at that, heading back inside. Followed shortly thereafter by Night Light, muttering to himself.
"Mares. Can't live with them, can't live without them."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was being dragged along by Twilight, held aloft in her magic, and many ponies were staring at him. But none of that registered to him, as he was currently feeling a painful stab in his heart. It began simply enough, the same weird feeling as Twilight grabbed him in her magic. Yet, something changed when she was fumbling with the gate. A weird buzzing feeling overwhelmed him, a strange sensation that spread all throughout his chest, and settled down where his heart was. It was a painful, freezing sensation, which was countered by a comforting warmth at the same time.
It was something that he didn't understand, and it frightened him. He felt as if he was both glowing and freezing from the inside at once, and he didn't even notice when Twilight approached the castle, panting loudly as she sat down on a nearby bench, sitting Danny down next to her, oblivious both to Danny's pained wince when another stab went through him, and the shaky cold breath that escaped his mouth.
Neither of them knew that Cadance had used her magic on them, and her magic slowly moved through Danny's chest, flowing towards his heart. However, unlike with Twilight, where the magical essence connected with, and settled down in her heart, here it was pushed back by Danny's power. The warming glow of Cadance's magic was unable to reach his heart; a heart touched by the chilling embrace of death. A wall of ice surrounded it, impenetrable to the magical energy. It pushed and prodded, trying to find a weak spot, anything to allow it to enter and warm this cold and frozen heart. But no such spot was found.
The magic began to grow weak, fading out, when, all of a sudden, a faint glow of the purest white blue light came from Danny's heart; reaching out to the fading glow of Cadance's magic, pulling it inside. A magic that could melt hearts, coming in contact with the power of a being whose heart was touched by death's cold embrace. Slowly warming it, mending an old scar that had first allowed it to grow so cold.
It wasn't nearly enough to fully undo the damage. Indeed, it would take a lot more of this 'warmth' to break away the icy shell surrounding his heart. But the first cracks had been formed, and the pain Danny felt began to recede, allowing him to feel a slight tinge of warmth that hadn't been there before.
<<>><<>><<>>
It took a few more minutes for Twilight to catch her breath, and for Danny to relax and feel at ease with the strange sensation going through his body. After they had finally caught their breath, and the two of them had started their walk towards the castle, Danny asked the question that had been on his mind for a little while now.
"So, why exactly did we go to your parents?"
"Well… Princess Celestia sent me a letter some time ago, in which she told me my mother said hello. So, I thought that since we were going to Canterlot today, I could also pay them a little visit… It didn't really go the way I thought it would."
"No kidding," Danny replied sarcastically.
"Yeah," Twilight answered, only half paying attention as she realized they were going to meet the Princess ahead of schedule. Something she wasn't sure was a good thing, or a bad one.
But they were going regardless, and soon they walked over the large bridge towards the main gate, two guards standing stoically at attention, spears in hoof.
"Hello, you two," Twilight said in a familiar tone as she approached the two guards.
"Miss Sparkle," they replied simultaneously, giving her a curt nod.
"We're here to see Princess Celestia," Twilight told them.
"Yes, you've been expected. As well as your human companion," one of the guards informed her, and Twilight gave them an appreciative smile as she was allowed to enter, Danny following her a moment later, looking at the two guards in confusion.
Waiting a moment until he was sure they couldn't hear him, he turned to Twilight.
"Say, are those two twins or something?"
"No, why do you ask?" Twilight replied.
"Well, they look the same. Same colors, mane and everything. Except for their voices, those are different."
"Oh, that," Twilight said, laughing in understanding. "No, they look like that because of an illusionary enchantment placed over their armor. All the guards have it," she explained, pointing towards a small group of identical guards. "See. When they take their armor off, they revert back to however they looked originally."
"Really?"
"Yup, " Twilight quipped. "It was one of the first things I did research on when Princess Celestia took me in as her personal student."
"Wait, you're her personal student?" Danny asked, surprised, and Twilight looked away, embarrassed.
"Yes. You see, my magic is more powerful than most unicorns. In fact, I even turned my parents into potted plants during my entry exam, while I was trying to hatch a dragon's egg. Which I also did, only to have the baby dragon grow through the roof. Celestia intervened, of course, seeing that I had lost control over my magic, and everything turned back to normal. After that, she took me in to teach me how to control my magic."
"Wow!" Danny breathed out. "And what happened to the dragon?"
"He is now my number one assistant back in the library in Ponyville."
"O-kay…" Danny said, speechless.
They walked in silence for a little bit, Danny going over the facts Twilight had just told him, and he made a mental note not to piss her off. Then, looking around the large, high marble halls they were walking through, he wondered how Twilight knew her way around, as every hallway looked identical to him. But he reasoned it was because she was the princess' personal student. It seemed logical, so he focused on something else instead. Mainly, the large double doors they were approaching. A guard with a spear stood on either side of the door, looking at the two of them with their piercing gaze, but not reacting, until they came within knocking distance of the door.
"Hi, Bronze Shield, Iron Hoof," Twilight began, recognizing the two stallions, despite their magically altered appearance. "My friend and I are expected by Princess Celestia. May we enter?"
The two guards looked at her with surprise and suspicion, clearly noticing something that wasn't right.
"You're early," Iron Hoof, the guard on the left, said. "The Twilight Sparkle I know is never early."
"Nor late," Bronze Shield added. "She always arrives precisely when she means to."
"So, knowing this. Who are you?" Iron Hoof demanded, giving both her and Danny a glare, which put Danny on edge.
Rolling her eyes, Twilight shot the pair a wicked little grin.
"Why, I'm the mare who knows that you"—she pointed a hoof at Bronze Shield—"have snuck into the kitchen when you thought nopony was looking, and 'liberated' a slice of Princess Celestia's cake," she said, and Bronze Shield gulped while giving an awkward smile as Twilight turned to Iron Hoof. "And y—" she continued, before he cut her off.
"Miss Twilight. Go right ahead," he said nervously, opening the doors for her and Danny.
"Thank you kindly," Twilight said with a smug smile as she entered the throne room, followed by Danny, who gave her a look of amazement. His attention was then drawn to the massive room, and its marble floors. Thick marble pillars reached to the ceiling, and large windows, through which the sun illuminated everything in a warm light. And a long red carpet, which led to the large throne, on which Princess Celestia was sitting, busy reading a scroll with a worried frown.
Hearing the doors open, Celestia looked up from her letter, surprised to see Twilight and Danny coming in as she wasn't expecting either of them for a while longer. But that was hardly an issue for her, as she teleported the scroll, as well as the glasses she had perched on her nose to her personal chambers, glad to take her mind off of the letter's contents for a moment, and she stood up, walking towards the excited unicorn.
"Twilight," she said happily, smiling.
"Princess Celestia," Twilight called out, giving Celestia a hug, leaving Danny standing a few steps away, feeling awkward.
Celestia, head down in order to return the hug, looked up at Danny, who was watching the two awkwardly. She let go of Twilight, and turned her attention to him, giving him a kind smile.
"Hello, Danny. It's a pleasure meeting you again," she told him, and Danny, unsure what kind of action to take after seeing Twilight hug the Princess, hesitantly held out his hand. Celestia, chuckling a bit, placed a gold clad hoof in his open hand, giving him a gentle shake.
"It's nice meeting you, too," he replied, releasing his hold on her hoof.
"I have to say," Celestia continued, "I was expecting the two of you later today."
"I'm sorry, Princess." Twilight quickly apologized, ears folding flat on her head.
"There's no need for that," Celestia replied, chuckling over Twilight's predictable response. "It gives me a reason to take a little break from work. So, please, don't worry about it," she told Twilight, giving her a small nudge in the side with a wing.
"Now, come," she told the two of them, "This is hardly the place for a friendly chat, wouldn't you agree?" She continued as she motioned for them to follow her, leading them to a sun covered terrace outside, where Danny noticed there was already a table set up, with a small bowl of fruits. As well as several seat cushions, one of them occupied by Princess Luna.
Luna looked up as she heard them approach, and she flashed a kind smile towards her sister and Twilight, though it fell a bit as she looked at Danny. Mentally scolding herself, her smile returned, and she gave a curt nod towards Danny, who gave an awkward "Hello," in return as he sat down across from her.
"Twilight, Danny. Tis a pleasure meeting you two again," Luna greeted them, giving a momentary look to her sister as she sat down next to her.
"Princess Luna," Twilight began. "It's wonderful to see you again."
"The feeling is mutual," she returned.
"Indeed. We have been looking forward to seeing the two of you," Celestia said. "Especially after that last letter you sent us, Twilight. It certainly was… an interesting read."
"Letter?" Twilight began, before she remembered the letter she wrote the day before. The letter she wanted to incinerate due to its contents. The letter she could not destroy because Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into her library and basically foalnapped her. The letter which she couldn't find after she returned home. The letter which she now realized Spike had obviously sent to Princess Celestia, "My letter! Oh no. Spike must have found it, and sent it to you. I'm sorry, Princess. I meant to rewrite it, but Pinkie Pie was… well, Pinkie Pie."
"I see," Celestia replied with a faint smile, "But that isn't really important right now. But my sister and I are curious as to how life has been treating you, the both of you?"
"Indeed. I most certainly am curious to find out about, as I believe it is they say, what you've been up to," Luna added, and Twilight gave her a beaming smile, more than ready to answer any question they had for her. It was kind of like a quiz, and she loved quizzes.
Danny, however, was currently munching on an apple, much to Twilight's shock, and she immediately teleported the fruit away, leaving Danny to bite down on thin air. Which caused Celestia to release an unlady like snort, while Luna chuckled behind her hoof. Whatever tension she might have felt towards Danny when he arrived was gone for the moment, though the thing she saw during her attempts to enter his dreams still weighed heavily on her mind. But, for now, the ice was broken, and she felt at ease with the human sitting across from her, watching him glare at Twilight as he, defiantly, grabbed another apple and bit down on it; Twilight returned the glare as she used another teleportation spell.
Yes, he did seem like an enjoyable being. That was something she and her sister could both agree on, as they watched the interaction between the two of them with great amusement.
<<>><<>><<>>
The green void around them shot by in a blur, not stopping for anything, while the scanner was locked on to several objects from the human world, all neatly grouped in one place.
"And that's where we're heading," Jazz said, almost growling as she looked away from the scanner to inspect her weapon.
"It shouldn't be long now till we get there," Valerie commented as she herself took a look at the scan. "Maybe you should put on one of those suits Tucker has stored back there. It certainly wouldn't hurt," she suggested, and Jazz, looking back at the small storage compartment, nodded her head in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right," she said.
"Of course I am."
Jazz, rolling her eyes, opened the small storage compartment, pulling out a pitch black, full body suit specially designed to provide as much protection against small ectoplasmic discharges as possible. It wouldn't be much help against the more serious discharges, but it was more useful than the clothes she was wearing.
Stripping down to her underwear, she looked over her shoulder through the large viewport, and into the green void, eyes narrowing. Pulling on the skin tight suit which showed off her curves, she zipped it closed, and put her hair in a ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way. Grabbing a weapons belt from the storage compartment, she slid it around her waist, putting two blasters in the holsters, and rummaged through the compartment to find anything else useful.
"Damn… You're serious," Valerie commented as she looked over her shoulder at the woman preparing for war.
"You better believe it," Jazz replied as she turned to Valerie, pulling a couple of ghost grenades out of the compartment, and attaching them to the belt.
'Wow. Not sure who should be more scared of her. The ghosts, or the guy she's with,' Valerie thought as she returned her attention to where she was going.
"How much longer?" Jazz asked as she sat down, the green glow of the Ghost Zone reflecting off of her black suit with an eery shine.
"Not long now," Valerie replied.
"Good," Jazz muttered darkly. "Good."
<<>><<>><<>>
Soarin's day had turned out to be less wonderful than he had originally expected. It started well enough. Getting up early, eating something at the barracks, sharing a couple of dirty jokes with his fellow Wonderbolts, before going to Earth to spend some more quality time with Jazz.
Then, he showed up. Him, the ghost who, who….
Soarin flinched at the memory. Or, he would have, if he wasn't immobilized in some sort of strange energy field. It wasn't magic, nor was it spectral energy, as far as he could tell anyway. But there was definitely some kind of strange, paralyzing energy field coming from the device beneath him. All he could move, were his eyes. And they shifted around rapidly as they scanned the room, noticing four figures hovering nearby, their faces hidden in the shadows.
He recognized the largest of them, though. The ghost who was there during the Baltimare incursion. The ghost who was, in no small part, responsible for the mental scars he now had. That was also the reason he froze up when he saw him. A terror so severe that, despite his training, he just locked up.
And now, now he was stuck here, forced to endure whatever it was they had planned for him.
Soarin was trying to swallow the lump in his throat, fearing for his life, when he noticed something back in the shadows, behind the four ghosts. A blur of motion, only there for a split second, and he was sure his frightened mind was just playing tricks on him.
And he would have continued to believe that, if the blur hadn't suddenly showed back up again, followed a moment later by an explosion.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes earlier
Jazz and Valerie were close to the position the scanner told them Soarin was being held at, currently hanging back in favor of stealth. Something Jazz wasn't all that happy with, as she wanted to go in guns blazing. But even she had to agree that they didn't know what they were up against, and that stealth would be preferable over tearing down the walls. At least, until they knew what the situation was.
Besides, Valerie, as Specter, was more experienced when it came to things like this, and Jazz knew it. She knew that, if they were going to have any chance of rescuing Soarin, Valerie would have to call the shots. And so, they were holding back, going over their options.
"Okay," Valerie began, "so far we know that Skulker is with your boyfriend. But we can't rule out there being other ghosts as well. So, we go in quietly, assess the situation, and act from there. Also, stealth is not really your thing," she told Jazz, plain and simple, earning herself a glare, but she ignored it. "So I will go in alone. I can see what we're up against, and go on from there. You will have to wait here until I give you the signal to come in. And don't act on your own. You're more likely to get your pony boy killed if you do. Am I clear?" She said, having slipped into her alternate identity as Specter.
"... Fine," Jazz agreed through gritted teeth. "But you better hurry."
"Sorry, babe. That's kind of the opposite of being stealthy," Specter countered, as she entered the aft compartment of their shiny new ship. Closing the hatch, grabbing a thruster pack, and opening the side door, she jumped out, exploiting the lack of gravity to fly silently through the void, and only using the thruster to adjust her course.
She moved towards the strange contraption, which looked vaguely house shaped, but consisted primarily of electronics and other technological doodads she couldn't begin to name. Having heard from Tucker about humans being the ghosts in the Ghost Zone, she flew towards one of the walls, closing her eyes as this completely went against anything she was used to, and phased cleanly through it.
She felt the sudden pull of gravity bringing her down, and she opened her eyes as she caught herself with lightning fast reflexes, making no sound at all.
'Huh, so there is gravity in their buildings, as well as on their land,' she thought, remembering the time Skulker had chained her to Danny, and brought them to his personal hunting ground.
Looking around, she activated her suit's HUD scanner, pointing her in the direction she needed to go. And, silent as a specter, she moved through the various corridors and rooms, seeing all kinds of strange electronics and machinery, getting a good idea whose home this was.
"Jazz," she called her friend over their com line, her helmet preventing any sound from coming out. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, what do you see? Is Soarin there?" Jazz replied after a moment.
"Haven't seen him, yet. But I think I know whose home I'm sightseeing in."
"Normally I would be thrilled to hear about it, but I doubt it's really important right now," Jazz replied, irritated.
"Well, considering what Tucker told us, about the ponies' energy and such, I think it's somewhat important." Specter countered, peeking around a corner, seeing a flight of stairs going down.
"Oh?"
"By the looks of it, I'm over at Technus's place," she continued, looking around.
"... That... actually makes sense," Jazz replied, sounding worried. "He certainly has the expertise to work with those deflectors that were stolen."
"Indeed. Although I'm not sure how Ember and Spectra fit in with all this," Specter said, moving behind cover as she noticed Skulker, Technus, Ember, and Spectra hovering with their backs turned to her.
"What?" Jazz asked, confused.
"The're here. Along with Skulker and Technus. The last one seems to be working on some kind of weird gizmo. And… Oh…" she said, before trailing off as she spotted the light blue pony, hanging suspended in a field of unknown origin.
"Oh, what?" Came Jazz's reply.
"I found your pony," Specter responded grimly.
"WHAT!? Is he okay?"
"Don't know. They're keeping him suspended in some kind of energy field. Technological, not spectral, if my scans are correct anyway. But that's not important right now."
"WHAT!?" Came the predictably angry response.
"What I mean is, he seems unharmed, and out of any immediate danger. Plus, the only ghosts I can see are those four I mentioned earlier. And I'm not picking up any other ghosts on my scans, so I guess it's just the four of them."
"So, now what?"
"Hold on," Specter replied, hearing Jazz groan, as she looked around.
That field, it was technological in nature, which meant it needed a power source other than ectoplasm. And knowing Technus and his affinity for anything electrical, she had a good guess as to what she was looking for. And she appeared to be in luck, as, behind her, there was a long, thick, black electrical cable, which she could trace all the way back to the contraption that was holding Soarin in place.
"Perfect," Specter purred as she grabbed one of her standard grenades, the kind that just went boom.
"Jazz, forget stealth. I'm going to shake this party up, and you're invited. Give me a thirty second count, and then you're in."
"Affirmative," Jazz replied, her voice tense, as she mentally started to count.
Specter grinned as she primed the grenade and placed it against the thick, black cable, surging into motion to get as far away as possible, and diving behind some crates when the explosive detonated.
Skulker, Technus, Ember, Spectra, and Soarin screamed when the explosion happened, Soarin dropping to the ground as the field lost its power. The ghosts, however, turned to the small crater, their eyes glowing intensely as they tried to figure out what had happened.
Their answer came in the form of two bolts of green energy connecting with Skulker's face, with explosive force. Skulker roared, while Specter blurred into motion, firing at the four ghosts as she went. Technus screamed in rage, his home invaded and his invention damaged, and he fused himself with his humble abode, turning it against the intruder. At the same time, Skulker deployed his weapons, taking aim at the skilled ghost hunter. Ember launched a destructive sound wave at her, which Specter skillfully dodged. While the vampiric shade shifted into her true form, blending into the shadows, and sneaking up on her.
But she wouldn't get far as, with an enraged battle cry, Jazz phased through the wall in the Specter Speeder, flattening Spectra against the large viewport.
"Eeww," Jazz said with a shudder as she saw the shadow ghost sticking to the glass, and she activated the windshield wipers to get her off of it. But that only resulted in her getting smeared out across the window, and Spectra now looked more like an ink stain with green eyes, than the parasitic specter she truly was.
Unable to see through the viewport, Jazz rushed out of the vehicle with blasters drawn. She let loose a fierce battle cry as she jumped into the fray, shooting at everything in sight. Which, due to her lack of training, consisted mostly of the floor, walls, and the ceiling. Which, since Technus had possessed his technology based house, did more damage than she would have expected had she been in a more rational state of mind.
As it was, though, she rampaged through the scene like an elephant in a porcelain store, blindfolded, while going through a sugar rush, on rollerblades. Most of her shots went wild, hitting the possessed walls, and thus causing Technus a great deal of discomfort, making the house shake and groan in response to his grunts and groans. Skulker and Specter, however, looked at her, unimpressed. Skulker with a flat, annoyed look, Specter with a hand firmly placed against her helmeted face.
"Does she even know what she's doing?" Skulker muttered.
"Do you even need to ask?" Specter replied, hand still against her face, before she lifted her other arm sideways, blaster in hand, and shot the cybernetic hunting fanatic point blank in the face.
Ember, seeing her boyfriend get shot, flipped her guitar around in a rage, and swung it at Specter like a battle axe. Specter tried to dodge, but Ember still managed to score a hit against her leg, and she went down in a tumble. She quickly rolled onto her back, pointing both blasters up at the ghost of rock 'n' roll past, squeezing the triggers, and letting fly a salvo of green bolts.
Ember faded away into thin air, moving in for the kill, but sadly forgetting about Specter's helmet scanner, and the ghost hunter adjusted her aim to the right, before squeezing the triggers. Time seemed to slow down as she watched the two concentrated bolts of glowing green erupt from her blasters, flying in slow motion to the spot where her scanner told her to aim, and seeing Ember fading back into view. Already busy preparing her own attack, and not yet fully registering the green balls of doom suddenly flying towards her, Ember fully materialized, and was only able to look shocked, when the two bolts hit her in the stomach.
Time snapped back to normal again, as Ember toppled forward gripping her stomach, momentarily disabled, and Specter quickly got back up. Feeling a painful throb coming from her leg, but ignoring it, she moved to the downed ghost, clubbing her on the head with one of her blasters, knocking her out.
"That's one," she said, then turned to check on Jazz when a whirr drew her attention, and she saw a large glowing green cannon drop from the ceiling.
"You've got to be kidding me!" She shouted as she somersaulted out of the cannon's crosshairs, knowing Technus was at the trigger.
Blurring into motion, she zigzagged to throw off his aim, making him hit the walls and floor on multiple occasions, effectively tricking him into fighting himself.
Specter smirked as she realized what was happening, and knew it would make it easier for her to move around, as she knew Technus would not risk just shooting around like that anymore. Her smirk grew into a feral grin as she ran past the flattened, smeared out Spectra, who was still being wiped by the windshield wipers.
"Two down, for now," she counted, heading towards Jazz, who now had an angry hunter after her.
Jazz, inexpertly jumping from cover to cover, fired at Skulker with her blasters, finally hitting him, if only because he was closing in on her. Skulker, looking less than impressed, stepped within reach, ignoring the hits he sustained, and swatted the weapons out of her hands. Then, grabbing her by the wrist with his large metallic hand, he lifted her up.
Specter saw this, and surged into motion to help the struggling woman. But she was stopped by Technus, who finally wised up, and removed himself from his house. Only to possess multiple devices lying around, forming a robotic body for himself, now standing at twice her height.
Looking up into the green glowing screens that acted as his eyes, Valerie could only roll her eyes as she grabbed a ghost grenade, sizing him up.
"Seriously? Are you overcompensating for something?" She taunted, and primed the spectral explosive.
Dropping it at her feet, she rolled away, while Technus looked dumbly at the beeping device at his feet. Then, it blew up, and he was forced out of his robotic creation by the expanding ghost shield, which also blinded him. And, with a scream, he slammed into the wall of his home, dropping to the ground.
Meanwhile, Jazz, having seen Valerie use her grenade, was reminded of the one she had herself, and she quickly grabbed it with her free hand. Activating it, and dropping it on the ground, it rolled away between Skulker's legs, coming to a stop a meter behind him, while Skulker looked at the device with a defeated look.
"Oh, come o—" He began, when the grenade went off. The flash blinding him and Jazz, while the ghost shield it produced launched him away, separating his true, pint sized self from his ecto skeleton. However, without him at the controls of his suit, the hand holding Jazz locked up, and she was flung along with it.
Jazz crashed into the wall along with the armor and the massive weight, along with the awkward angle, resulted in her hearing and feeling a sickening snap, and she screamed in pain as her wrist broke.
Specter, having seen what happened rushed to her friend, only to be stopped, again. This time by the rising shadow known as Spectra.
"So, done window shopping?" Specter taunted, and Spectra snarled in response. "Well, seems like the ugly hasn't been wiped off of that face of yours," Specter continued, and Spectra launched herself at her human foe.
Jazz, whimpering as she tried to free her wrist, glanced at the fight between Valerie and Spectra. However, she couldn't focus on that, as she had to free herself. Should Skulker return to his armor, and find her still there… Well, he would be quick to share his displeasure.
She continued struggling to free herself, unfortunately with little success. But her pained sounds drew the attention of yet another creature there, and he struggled to get to her, still too shell shocked with everything that had happened.
"Soarin," Jazz said, shocked as she looked at him, seeing the haunted look in his eyes.
He didn't look up at her, and sluggishly moved himself towards the trapped woman. Placing his hooves on the locked metallic hand, he used his greater than human strength to pry open the metal trap enough for Jazz to pull her hand free, releasing a grunt of pain as she accidentally moved her hand.
Looking at Soarin as he sat next to her, seeing the same detached gaze he showed when he first came to her. She realized that the events that happened here were clearly working in on the trauma he had gone through in the past.
Jazz looked up at Valerie, seeing her nimbly fighting off Spectra when a small, almost comically so, groan drew her and Soarin's attention. They both watched as a small green blob like creature stomped over to them, glaring up at them from his diminutive height.
"You," Jazz growled as she looked down at the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. "How dare you!"
"How dare I? I am Skulker! The Ghost Zone's greatest hunter!" Skulker replied in a squeaky voice.
"You…" Soarin begun, looking down at the small green ghost with anger and disgust. "YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DID ALL… THAT!"
"Yeah, what's it to y—" Skulker replied, when he suddenly found himself flattened by a hoof, which pounded down on him again and again and again and again and… Well, you get the idea.
"Soarin," Jazz said calmly as she placed her good hand on his withers. "I think you got him," and she led him away towards the vehicle she and Valerie had come in, leaving behind a small puddle of green goop, two small arms and legs sticking out on the sides.
Soarin, breathing heavily, followed her lead as he gritted his teeth.
All this time. All that time. It had been… that thing the entire time. That small, insignificant thing. That small, insignificant thing that killed…
Jazz could feel him shaking through her hand, and she knew Soarin was not taking it well. How could he? But right now they all needed to get back to safety. Or, looking at Valerie, who was laughing maniacally as she fought both Spectra and Ember at once, clearly in her element, the two of them at least needed to get to a safer place.
Entering the craft, Jazz closed the door behind her, and rushed to the controls, using her one good hand to back out of the building and put a safe distance between it, and them.
Looking at the strange and creepily shaped building, Jazz turned away from it with a shudder, focusing her attention on Soarin, still sitting in the aft compartment.
Moving next to him, she sat down with a sigh, wrapping her uninjured arm around him as she pulled him close, staring at the same spot on the wall he was.
"How are you holding up?" She asked after a moment of silence, feeling him tense up. Sighing, Jazz laid her head against his neck. "You know you can always talk to me when you need someone to listen."
"... All this time…" Soarin said quietly, his gaze dropping down to the floor. "All this time, it was that thing! That small, STUPID, LAUGHABLE THING!" he suddenly roared, slamming a hoof into the metal floor, leaving a dent. "I… He… It… You," he stuttered, before he turned to Jazz. "You came for me," he said, his voice breaking.
"Always," Jazz replied, brushing her hand against his face, and Soarin leaned against her.
"But… But why?... How…?" He stuttered after a moment, the situation finally sinking in in full.
Jazz hesitated for a moment, realizing that she would have to explain some… difficult things to him. But, before she had the chance, a loud explosion took them by surprise. Soarin, who was already at the end of his nerves, jumped up with a girlish scream, while Jazz jerked herself around to the viewport, jarring her broken wrist, and flinching in pain.
"WHAT… WHAT WAS THAT!?" Soarin screamed , looking around in fright.
A trio of knocks coming from outside their craft turned their attention to the closed hatch. Jazz, drawing her blaster, moved to the control panel to open said hatch, while Soarin looked at her in disbelief, seeing the woman he loved, the woman he knew could never hurt anyone, key open the hatch, aiming the blaster at whoever it was that knocked.
He was more than a little confused, and realized his previous question had gone unanswered as well. And, after taking another good look at the woman he thought he knew, he noticed something else as well. Mainly, the skin tight, black suit she was wearing, showing off her curves, and leaving very little to the imagination.
Somehow, his earlier questions didn't seem to matter as much right now. But when Jazz lowered her weapon, and allowed another human inside, he found that not only had those questions returned, but they had brought along some friends that made him wonder if he ever truly knew Jazz.
"Specter," Jazz said with a small smirk, looking back at Technus's home, seeing a large smoking hole in one of the walls. "Subtle as always."
"Heh, you know me," Specter replied, her voice warped by her helmet speakers. "Never going out without a bang." She then turned to the confused and bewildered pony sitting behind Jazz, cocking her head in thought. "You know you've got some questions to answer, don't ya?" She told Jazz, who gave Soarin an unsure look.
Sighing, she nodded. "I know. Never thought it would happen like this, though," she said, moving to sit down next to Soarin again, when another pained wince flashed across her face as she accidentally moved her wrist.
Seeing this, Specter grabbed Jazz by the shoulder, guiding her to a nearby seat, and sitting her down. Looking at the wrist, and having little medical knowledge, save for what she had learned from patching herself up, she looked up at Jazz's face, who could see herself in the toxic green visor's reflection.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, this is gonna hurt a bit," Specter told her, and she quickly realigned the broken bone, resulting in Jazz screaming out in pain. Specter then opened a hidden storage compartment in her suit, pulling out a small can of self hardening foam. Spraying it over Jazz's wrist, it quickly began to foam up, becoming rigid and solid.
"There, that should hold until you can get to a doctor," Specter informed her, then looked at Soarin.
Sighing, she looked back to Jazz, and stood up, moving to the craft's controls.
"You do what you've got to do," she said. "And I'll handle the trip back."
Jazz gave a nod of acknowledgement, and moved towards Soarin, who was looking from Specter to Jazz in confusion.
Sitting down next to him, Jazz let loose a deep, tired sigh. The events having caught up with her, and her energy drained.
T'was the night before Christmas, and out in the void, There was a guy locked up, and seriously annoyed. A writer he was, and one with great creative sway. But that's in the past, for the Halfa took it all away.
Christmas he hated, the Halfa dragging everyone down. His mood so bad, it would even make Pinkie Pie frown. His actions were destructive, his temper no good. He destroyed the Writer's creation right where he stood.
The Writer swore and he cursed as he unleashed his anger, While young Danny did not yet fully realize the danger. He took up his pen, doing what he did best. And using his skills, he the Halfa did test.
But to his shock and surprise oh so great. The trap he had set, proved to deflate. Enemies turned friend, sharing a Christmas brunch. There was even a baby alligator floating in the punch.
Together they fought, defying all odds. They beat down the Writer with laughter and nods. Now he is trapped, his mind set on revenge. The destruction of his creation, something he must avenge.
Hidden in darkness, and to the warden unknown, He acquired a piece of paper, and a pen made of bone. Writing, his strength. His skill among the best. Now it was time to disturb poor Danny's calm rest.
His pen touched the paper, the words starting to flow. As his devious plan unfurled, his grin began to grow. While out in Ponyville, under a layer of white, There were three young fillies, sharing a fright.
Their sleigh out of control, and nothing they could do. A bump in the road sent Scootaloo flying in a corkscrew. They ran and they screamed as they tried to catch up, Chasing the sleigh in a full out gallop.
But it was of no use, for the snow was too thick. And what happened next was most certainly no trick. Racing ahead, before meeting its mark, The sleigh was sent flying with a most graceful arc.
The fillies stopped running, watching with large eyes. For what happened next was certainly a surprise. The sleigh was sent soaring, before coming down. Its path leading it straight, to the only human in town.
The Halfa Daniel Manson was enjoying his calm rest, When a loud ruckus made his heart jump in his chest. For out on the roof, he heard such a clatter. So he ran outside to see what's the matter.
Slackjawed he stood, unable to move. For there he saw a sleigh, he now had to remove. Mumbling dumbly, and scratching his head. Danny was certain, he should have stayed in bed.
Looking around for Santa, or a likely culprit, He didn't know one of the bandits had been a spirit. They huffed and they puffed as they ran into hiding, Sweetie's eyes aglow, as a patch of ice sent them sliding.
Crashing and sliding, with their legs tied in knots, They crashed into Danny, while freezing their plots. Looking down at the troublesome trio with a curious eye, The first thing he said was a questioning: "Why?"
Smiles crossed their features, embarrassed at that, While the first thing they said was a simultaneous: "Oh, drat." Raising his eyebrow, Danny asked: "What is it with you?" And all of them missed something, which was already hidden from view.
For up in the clouds, they had all worked so fast, The pegasi set into motion their snowy forecast. Clouds as grey, and as thick as could be. The snow falling down made it impossible to see.
Sighing loudly, and shaking his head, Danny mutters grimly: "I really should have stayed in bed." Giving a nod, and walking back inside, The troublesome trio followed him with a slide.
The door closed behind them, locking in the warmth of the room. The recipe for disaster was beginning to bloom. For out in the twilight, searching through the gloom, Were several ponies, looking for Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom.
Rarity was out looking, her coat white as snow. But where her sister was hiding, she just didn't know. Bellflower a pony, with heart straight and true, But where Scootaloo was staying, Celestia only knew.
And then there was Applejack, a pony you could trust. There she was out looking, despite snow or chilly gust. They knew the girls were out playing, frolicking in the frosty air. And as they continued looking, they met out in town's square.
"Rarity?" "Applejack?" "Bellflower?" they said quite surprised. "Have you seen the Crusaders?" They further vocalized. But no was the answer, the girls remained unseen by all. So together they kept searching, in an ever increasing snowfall.
But their search would find nothing, their efforts fruitless at best, None of them knowing, the girls were inside at Daniel's behest. Finding no answers, and not willing to rest. The mares kept on searching, like a being obsessed.
While sitting inside, on a sofa all comfy, Drinking warm cocoa, while munching a brownie. The Crusaders were happy, their plots no longer cold. But Danny was frowning, the truth needed to be told.
"The sleigh, it was yours," he says with a frown, And in response the Crusaders looked down. "Yes it's ours," Apple Bloom says, voice heavy with guilt, While quite by accident, a drop of cocoa was spilt.
Sighing out loud, while shaking his head, His thoughts once more drifted back to his bed. Looking outside, seeing the thickening snow, He knew they were stuck as the storm would only grow.
"You girls cause trouble, that much is true. But if I send you out now, you might get the flu." Knowing they're stuck here, without much of a choice, "You're staying here tonight," he says with a caring voice.
The fillies cheered, as they tackled him in a warm embrace. Knowing his history, this would certainly be a difficult case. When there came a knocking, from outside of his door. With the weather outside, it was something he couldn't ignore.
Standing before him, all frozen and cold, Where several mares, outside his threshold. There was Applejack, Bellflower, and Rarity, of course. But there were more with this many-hued force.
There was Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all smiling. Even Twilight was there, the Crusaders saw, all spying. "Danny, oh, how marvelous you're here. We're looking for the Crusaders. Have you seen them, dear?"
Stepping aside, while extending his hand, He invited them in as if this was planned. With a bright smile, the Crusaders popped up. While Scootaloo took another warm sip from her cup.
They laughed and they cheered their good luck, But now came the point where things start to suck. For out in the forest in a castle so old. This holiday disaster, began to unfold.
For deep in the castle, a ghost portal did hide. With frost giants and timberwolves guarding each side. But they were trouble, they held up this play. So for the sake of the story, I'll just write them away.
The words on the paper, their power set loose. Their bodies disappearing, a doorway free for misuse. With the path now open, and no time to lose. There was still one problem, which ghost shall I use?
There was Specter, Skulker and Ember, all great. And so many others, and Danny they all hate. But first of all, a message I must send. So just for this task, it will be Danny's glowing blue 'friend'.
The ghost of the boxes, just floating around. With a flick of my pen, he's torn from the background. Shooting through the Ghost Zone, the force, a tad extreme. He was swiftly sent flying with a most girlish scream.
My words clouding his judgement, his mind under my control. There was nothing he could do, no escape from his roll. Passing through the portal, entering Equestria so quick. Now came the time to meet up with the ghost boy prick.
Earl was flying and weaving through the castle's halls. The idiot had forgotten, he could pass through solid walls. The weather was awful, and difficult to thread. But Earl didn't bother, 'cause he's already dead.
Braving the snow as he went on his way, He was zeroing in, onto his prey. While back with Danny, in his toasty abode, Rarity had just gone through another dramatic episode.
But with the Crusaders now safe… well, mostly, It is the perfect time for things to get, ghostly. Quite unsuspectedly the room was lit with a bright flash of gold, Everypony stared at Sweetie, while Danny was lost in a feeling of old.
He knew what it was, this puff of cold air, But the confusion made him blankly stare. When out on the roof, something's the matter. As they could all hear a serious clatter.
Something came down the chimney like a bat out of hell, But just what it was, no one could tell. The dust was all blinding, giving a cough. Whatever had happened, it was seriously rough.
The dust finally settled, allowing them to see. And what they all saw made them want to flee. The mares were all screaming, while Earl wasn't doing so well. Blinking dumbly, Danny knew the sucker had fell.
His heart began racing, as sweat began to form. Whatever happened Danny hoped he wouldn't have to transform. Raising himself without much flair, Earl looked around, before shouting: "Beware!"
"Beware you ghost freak," he shouted right on cue, "My master, the Writer, has a message for you." Danny's eyes shot wide open, his heart skipped a beat. And right at that moment, he stood unsteadily on his feet.
"You destroyed my creation, and showed no shame. Now they will pay for it, and you are to blame. You think you can hide, to remain unseen? I'll break this illusion, for now I'll be mean."
The ponies were all frightened, slowly backing away, While Danny prepared to fight him, taking in his prey. "Don't try to fight me, there is no way you can win. But for this story written, it will be a good place to begin."
Danny swallowed loudly, wondering how this all ends. No matter what might happen, he couldn't reveal himself to his friends. But before he could act Earl grabbed a cardboard box, And what happened next, was quite unorthodox.
The box's lid flung open, showing what's inside. And it didn't take long to notice, this would be a bumpy ride. They were sucked inside the cardboard, defying all logic. It even felt like a thermos, which was kinda ironic.
The ponies all screamed, grasping at air, And all the while, Danny could only stare. The mares' fate he shared, they were treated the same. For this is the beginning, of this sick twisted game.
But it wouldn't be Earl if everything went right, Three youngsters were left, who must now deal with this plight. Flying away with the box in his grasp, With the Crusaders left watching, as they let out a gasp.
"What just happened, who was that weird guy?" Apple Bloom asked, frightened, beginning to cry. "I don't know," said young Sweetie Belle, "But I'll tell you what. We're going to give him hell."
Her eyes were aglow as she bared her teeth. Sweetie hung in the air, the ground well over a foot beneath. "We need to help them, that much is true. But where do we start, I don't have a clue?"
"Don't you worry, I have a plan. We'll save our sisters, and fight that madman." With eyes aglow and a flash so bright, Sweetie Belle prepared for the coming fight.
And while they are preparing for everything to come, We take a look a our half ghost, known as Danny Phantom. Through the portal we go, and into the ghosts' home. We travel to the place, where lost souls roam.
For deep in the Ghost Zone, and long lost to time, There lay an old ruin, covered in dust and grime. The Box Ghost flew over, and dropped the cardboard cell. When the gang used Pinkie's cannon, to blow the lid to hell.
Peeking over the edge, and climbing out of their trap. Pinkie's mane had straightened, while her ears gave a flap. "What just happened? Who was that weird guy?" Twilight asked aloud, when they all looked up at the sky.
"What the hay!?" Applejack said in shock. And they all realized, they're on a floating rock. "This can't be real! It's not logical at all!" Twilight said, her mane a mess, and feeling rather small.
It was all so strange, none dared to blink. While Fluttershy was hiding, behind a curtain of pink. "You better believe it. This is all real," Danny told them, used to such an ordeal.
"But how do you know, what's the deal? Just look at this place, it's all so unreal." "Just take my word, I've been here before." And by saying those words, Danny caused an uproar.
They were all shouting, with questions to ask. But getting an answer would prove a difficult task. For no sooner had those words left his mouth; It took just seconds, and everything went south.
There was laughter and hissing, it all sounded so mad. The situation they were in was certainly bad. For out of the shadows, coming into view, Were multiple ghosts who Danny all knew.
There was Skulker and Technus, and Spectra as well, There were too many to count as Twilight charged a spell. A shield was projected, covering all her friends. Except for Danny, whose pretense finally ends.
Muttering grimly, he said, "Long time no see." Despite the odds, he couldn't just flee. He couldn't transform, that would surely bite. But despite it all, he would certainly fight.
Holding his ground, and ready to face hell, We circle back to our spirit, young Sweetie Belle. For she and her friends were out in the snow, Freeing the sleigh for the next act of this show.
Knocking the sleigh down with a burst of green, Using the snow as cover, to keep themselves unseen. Igniting her horn Sweetie produced a bright green glow, And with this light, Apple Bloom tied up her lasso.
Grabbing the rope Apple Bloom had brought, Sweetie put it in her mouth, before pulling it taut. "We need to go, so get on the sleigh. We've ghost butt to kick and no time to delay!""
"Yeah," Scootaloo says, "We need to go. For Applejack, Rarity, the others, and Rainbow." Sweetie looked at her friend through her mane, "You do realize I know everypony's name?"
"Then why are you waiting? This isn't a game. Let's hurry up, or are you too lame?" Huffing in irritation, Sweetie began to dash. For they must save their friends, from that ghost trash.
Pulling the sleigh with all of her might. Sweetie jumped up, before taking flight. Her friends on the sleigh released a loud whoop, With Scootaloo wishing to perform a loop de loop.
They flew through snow and howling wind, With Sweetie Belle frowning, while the other two grinned. They knew where to go and what had to be done, While the Writer was hiding, from the warden.
It took a while before the guy went on his way, Strengthening the Writer's resolve, Danny would pay. Continuing the story right where he left off, We switch back to Danny, in the middle of a standoff.
So there he was, our favorite half-dead guy. Protecting his friends with his fists raised high. While cowering under a dome of purple light, The mares watched in horror, the lopsided fight.
They wanted to help, to protect their friend. But whatever they tried, the Writer put to an end. This fight is Danny's, and his alone. Unless, of course, he called up a clone.
But he couldn't do that, his powers kept hidden. For the failings in his past, he still hadn't forgiven. But he continued the fight, with a determined glare. While trying to figure a way out, of this ghostly lair.
But with the ghosts attacking, this would be a difficult affair. The beating he got too horrible for every present mare. But this was only the start, this much he knew, While the unsuspecting mares didn't have a clue.
They watched in horror and serious despair, Not realizing they'd been put in the crosshair. For out of the shadows came such a terrifying sight, With a mass of vinetacles growing to an incredible height.
He was laughing madly as his eyes glowed so bright. Swinging his vinetacles, he joined the fight. Danny could only watch as Skulker held him tight, As Undergrowth hit Twilight's dome with all his might.
Cracks started to form, as the dome began to break, And Danny knew what he must to do for the ponies' sake. But before he could act, and reveal his true form. Something else interrupted, which seems to be the norm.
Quite unexpectedly, and with screams oh so loud. The Crusaders fell from the sky, their sleigh plowing into the ghostly crowd. There was Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and dear Sweetie Belle, But how they'd gotten there, nopony could tell.
They poked up their heads as they looked around, Their sudden appearance had silenced all sound. "Well, that shouldn't have happened. Why'd I change back?" Sweetie's voice echoed, while the ghosts recovered from the unexpected smack.
"Sweetie Belle!" "Apple Bloom!" "Squirt!" They shout. And Rarity fainted on her sofa in her usual freakout. The fillies, smiling broadly while acting all bold, Trotted over Danny, who was still in Skulker's hold.
All eyes were on them, while tension filled the air. While the girls gave the ghosts their most angry glare. "Girls, get outta there. It's not safe ta be here!" But they could only watch, while their hearts were gripped by fear.
"Hey, Danny," Sweetie said with a grin. Seeing him trapped there, she knew where to begin. She secured her stance, while holding up her chin. The child truly believed that she could win.
The Writer was laughing, she really wasn't smart. As by his words, everything would fall apart. Danny would lose, watching everyone fail. But quite unexpectedly, there was another twist to this tale.
The Write gasped as a glow seized his pen of bone. But the source of this was still an unknown. He stared in confusion, as the words continued to flow. But to his horror, he was no longer in control of this show.
More in a daze, than actual clear thought. He reached out to the paper, but it was all for naught. Black wisps of darkness clung to his form, While the shadows around him began to deform.
While on the paper, with words written in green, The story moved back, to Danny's fight scene. With Twilight's shield failing, and breaking apart, What needed to be done once more became clear in Danny's heart.
Fiercely outnumbered he would soon find he wasn't alone, When he looked down on the filly and saw how her eyes shone. What was going on? He needed to know. But before he could ask, she delivered a glowing green blow.
Skulker flew back without any sound, Save for the thuds, as everyone's jaws hit the ground. The Crusaders gave each other a winning grin, Not fully realizing the situation they'd put themselves in.
"Sweetie Belle, what did you just do?" Her sister asked, not having a clue. Sweetie smiled broadly, but didn't reply. Instead she turned to Danny, and looked him in the eye.
"We both have secrets that shouldn't be told," She said as she held out a hoof for Danny to hold. "But we need to save our friends from this coming storm, And the only way to do so, is for us to transform."
Danny blinked dumbly as he was pulled from the ground, and together they prepared for the next fighting round. While Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were standing on the side, Helping calm their friends, who were all terrified.
But they were in for a surprise which defied every norm, As right before their eyes, Danny and Sweetie began to transform. With their jaws on the ground, and every eye as big as a plate, None of them could begin to imagine the events that await.
Danny and Sweetie prepared to fight off the scum, While Twilight shouted, "You're Danny Phantom!" Danny sighed while scratching his head. Turning around, he said, "Surprise. I'm half dead."
They were all silent, not sure what to say. When Sweetie used her hoof to fire another green ray. Rarity looked at her sister with shock and surprise, Unable to comment on her sister's new guise.
"Come on, Danny. We don't have all day," Sweetie said, lowering her hoof, before flying away. He gave a nod, showing no hesitation, and no longer lame, For right at that moment, Danny Phantom was back in the game.
Working together, they performed their first heroic deed, Attacking Undergrowth, they cut down that oversized weed. The Crusaders bumped hooves, while cheering quite loud. Seeing their friends take out that vegetable, acting all proud.
The ghosts were all furious, their angry cries filled the air, But Danny didn't care, as he gave them his most venomous glare. Together they fought, with body parts aglow, Danny and Sweetie, they fought off every foe.
"But how can this be? This is not what I'd planned at all," The Ghost Writer wondered, stuck tight to his prison wall. Darkness surrounds him, holding him in place, While the shadows distorted before taking, the form of a face.
"How can this be? You pathetic fool. I've taken control, using your very own tool. You planned to hurt the human till his body was dead and rotten, But despite it all, there is one you have forgotten."
The darkness expanded, filling the room, With the Writer shaking, as he looked up at his doom. The form wore armor in some ancient style, While it looked down at him with a most evil smile.
"I'll be honest. I, too, want the human dead. But unfortunately for me, I'm still living in his head. His powers I need. They will give me my own form. And I will take them from him, in the coming storm."
"But your actions are troubling, interfering with my might. There is only one in control here. Me, the Mistress of the Night. But no sooner had she spoken, when something did remind. There were two in this body, and Shadow told her to be kind.
Green became orange, two orbs burning in the black. And as Shadow took over, he took a step back. "You tried to hurt my master, that's a hard fact. And normally we would fight, if it wasn't for a time honored pact."
"But you know about this, as it is why you are here. There shall be no fighting, this has to be crystal clear. But we will not go easy, you still need to pay." And with a flick of the pen, oranges filled the cell as Shadow went on his way.
Screams filled the air, thereabouts in the green void. For locked in his prison, the Writer was seriously annoyed. How could he have failed? His plan broken apart. He had to find out, but where would he start?
He twisted and turned, stuck in an ocean of fruit. But his movement squished out juices, which ruined his prison suit. He screamed out in anguish, trapped in a personal hell. While we looked back to Danny, who had unleashed his ghostly yell.
Tremors reverberated, knocking everyone to the ground. And at the end of it, they all looked at him without a sound. Ponies and specters, ghost or alive. They all watched as his powers took a steep dive.
He dropped to a knee, turning back in a flash of white. His powers depleted, he was no longer able to fight. But Sweetie was still there, ready to put her skills to the test. But nothing really happened, as everything came to a rest.
They all looked around in surprise and confusion, When Shadow dropped in, bringing the fight to its conclusion. Watching in silence, and not moving an inch. Then Shadow spoke up, making everyone flinch.
"The Writer is beaten, your minds free once more. This fight is now over, return to how things were before. And don't worry about the Writer, although he did break the pact. He already got what was coming. I assure you of this fact."
The ghosts were all mumbling, flying away. While Skulker was grumbling, eyeing Danny, his favorite prey. Yet leave they all did, not making a fuss. Except for the mares, who had unfinished business.
They all had questions, that much was sure. The verbal barrage something Danny and the foals had to endure. They answered and answered, trying their best. But it took a long time before their worries were put to rest.
But there was still tension, and awkwardness to boot, With Danny's morality currently in dispute. His former failings still haunted him this day, He feared that, unfortunately, he would once more have to go away.
But it is Christmas, a time of miracles as well. When to his defence came Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. Their actions were caring, and the hearts of all were moved. But Danny's innocence still was not proved.
They heard of his crime, the tale Vlad had spun. And such accusations are not easily undone. And then there was Shadow, humming a catchy tune. His form all too familiar, as he looked like Nightmare Moon.
For the ponies his form was troubling, and for Danny as well. Not expecting him to be so different, this certainly was a bombshell. But explanations were given, and everything was swell. But how did this happen? Is it some Christmas spell?
"No," is the answer, and Shadow shows what was done. With him a pen and paper, indicating how he had won. The pen was still moving, showing his innocent crime. The story is still being written, that's why everything is still done in rhyme.
"Oh, are you kidding?! Just give me a break!" The author complains, the rhyming giving him a headache. Everyone was laughing, the situation certainly strange. With a flick of the pen, the scenery did change.
They were all back home, in Danny's warm abode. They didn't even question just how this story flowed. But this story isn't over until it ends with a fright. But as you well know, it had already happened this night.
Sure, the target was Danny, but he happened to be saved. So the punishment came to another, someone who had misbehaved. For stuck in his prison, there out in the green void. The Writer was screaming, his latest plan completely destroyed.
But to make things worse, and compounding his hate. Is the mass of oranges, their growing numbers beginning to accumulate. He cursed at the shadow, the source of his pain. As, very slowly, he began to go insane.
His mind is now gone, lost by his own might. It is certainly harsh, and definitely not right. But it's just a story, written just for this night. So, until the story updates, I wish you all, a good fright.
Edits done by Vates Despero, Halusm, and King of Kings.
Meet the Princesses.
Part 2.
<<>><<>><<>>
On the ceiling it sat, hanging upside down as it observed the beings that came through the tear, bringing various forms of equipment with them as they did so. The roar of a forklift drowned out the sounds of hard labor, as it brought through heavy crates, aided by a small team of unicorns.
It didn't take long, and in no time at all the various items -both big and small- were placed within the embarkation hall, completely cluttering the room, while the truck moved back through the tear as those beings still present gathered.
"Okay, listen up everyone," it picked up with its sensors, recording and analyzing the voice pattern. "This was just the easy part."
"Okay, everyp— one. Listen up," a new voice cut in, diverting its attention to the four legged creature speaking. "My name is Technal, and I am in charge of this operation. Now, we need to get all this stuff down into the crystal caverns found under the mountain you are now standing on. Most of the things here will be easy, and our unicorn team will take them to their designated location through teleportation. Some things, however, as I think we all know, will not be so easy." Its processes focused on what the creature was saying, as its programming recognized several key words indicating this might be of importance to its master, and the creature was tagged as one of possible importance.
It recorded everything else said, as well as the reactions of those present, while also keeping a background scan going, analyzing the first voice picked up. It observed the multiple beings, both two legged and four legged, as they were led into a nearby room, departing through the room's single exit. The room they entered, a scanning unit, if its information was correct.
It watched as the two legged creatures entered the room in small groups, with the black haired woman one of the last to go in. The one whose voice was still being analyzed. The one with a strange electronic cloaking field around her. The one wit-....
Analysis conclusive! Subject Dani identified!
<<>><<>><<>>
Coughing and grunting echoed through the smoke filled room, while a large cloud of the suffocating layer billowed out of the hole in the wall. A hole made by the fearsome and skilled human known as Specter. More coughing and hacking filled the room, but fortunately for those occupying the chamber, they were not dependent on oxygen, and the ominous green glow of four pairs of angry eyes pierced the blackness of the smoke as it finally began to thin.
"Yes," Spectra agreed. "Just tell me you've got what we need. Or do we have to chase after those fleshlings?"
"Oh, I'm going to do that any way," Skulker grunted. "If they think they can out match me, Skulker, the greatest hunter the Ghost Zone has ever seen,"—his thruster pack deployed as he approached the hole in the wall—"then I guess I'll just have to remind them who is in charge around here," he growled ominously before flying out of the hole, a trail of black smoke following in his wake.
"Right. Numbskull notwithstanding, do we have what we need, or not?" Spectra queried, patting her legs to remove any dust that may have soiled her clothes, before placing her hands on her hips.
Grunting through his teeth, Technus stiffly flew over to one of the many consoles built into the walls of his basement, hidden from sight unless he called upon them. It was a safety feature that now proved its worth, as those meddling fools had completely missed them. Upon his beckoning, one of the walls seemed to disintegrate, and a multi screen console became visible. Many of the screens showed the various images and readouts from the scans conducted on the pony they had captured, while a few other screens showed a multitude of mathematical equations.
"Well? Do we have what we need?" Spectra asked once again, looking over Technus' shoulder at the information shown.
"Most of it, yes," he answered irritably, frowning.
"That's good, right?" Ember asked, looking at the screens herself.
"Mostly. Enough to get this to work, I believe," Technus replied. "Still, I will have to make sure we're not missing anything important. The scan was interrupted, and there might be some corruption in the data gathered. Give me some time to sort it all out."
"Fine with me," Ember said, stepping back.
"Anything we can do?" Spectra asked, sounding bored as she checked the manicure on her left hand.
"That, I can do. Come on, Ember, I'm sure there are more interesting things for women like us to do, other than being stuck in some techno geek's basement," Spectra said tauntingly, making Technus growl in response.
Spectra and Ember flew out of the basement through the hole in the wall, leaving Technus behind, who continued to work on the scan's data. "Women," he muttered. "Can't live with them. Can't murder them either. They'll just come back to irritate you all over again." He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, let's see what we have here. Skeletal structure. Bone density. Heart rate. Hmmm… Oh, well, what do we have here?" He said, grinning. "Anomalous energy."
<<>><<>><<>>
-->Unit online. -->Main hub signal relay drone, number CTN 0452-9 responsive. -->/ -->Awaiting signal. -->/ -->Signal received. -->/ -->Receiving data stream of unit: 09311-R2D2... Received. -->Receiving data stream of unit: 88845-BB… Received. -->Receiving data stream of unit: 0117-3CPO… Error. -->Error. Data corruption detected. -->Data incomplete… Units no longer responsive. -->/ -->Synchronizing. -->/ -->Alert. -->No signals received from remaining units. -->Processing. -->Processing. -->/ -->Transmitting data. -->/ -->Unit on standby.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sun's light shone down on the frozen wasteland. The light caused the many dark and somber crystals to gleam, but failed to reflect off of the crystals' surfaces as the light vanished into the darkness of the suffocating aura emitted by the unnatural minerals. Everywhere you looked, you could see these spires of light absorbing crystalline malevolence spearing through the snow covered ground. Piercing and wounding the virgin landscape as they surrounded and infected the large city which had at last returned to the mortal plane.
Snow had already begun its work to cover the city that had so suddenly forced its way back into this world, and the many houses were already beginning to turn white. A pure and untainted blanket, trying to cover up the darkness and corruption festering within the walls of each and every building. A corruption which had slumbered for a millenium. A corruption which would lay dormant no longer.
Darkness and shadows moved through the many abandoned streets, leaving nothing untouched as it made its way through the city's center. Buildings, lifeless before, now showed the faintest signs of life when doors creaked open, and grim, listless forms lumbered out; cold eyes staring down at the ground as these beings' hooves dragged through the thin layer of white, disturbing the illusion of serenity nature had tried to create.
The shadows gathered high up at the center, flexing and molding themselves into the solid form of a dark gray furred, four legged being as its hooves touched the solid surface of the grand balcony overlooking the city. A curved horn stuck out of its forehead, its color as dark a gray as the shadows that made up the being's fur, but fading into red halfway to the tip. Thick metallic armor covered the entity's body, while a royal red robe covered its back. Now, with the form set and solidified, the remainder of the shadows gathered to form the being's mane and tail, their color blacker than the darkest night, and moving as if they were billowing in an eternal breeze.
The being's eyes snapped open, a dark purple blue fog seeping out of their corners, while glowing green eyes looked down, their burning red irises narrowing slightly while a fanged smile formed on the creature's face. Down below, out in the streets surrounding the castle were thousands of ponies. All of them under the control of their king. A control exerted on them through his crystals.
All of the ponies bowed down in a stiff, soulless manner.
The dark form laughed maniacally. Its corruption free once more.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, Danny, how has your stay in Ponyville been so far?" Celestia asked, sipping her tea, held aloft in the golden aura of her magic.
"Uhh… Interesting, to say the least," Danny answered after only a moment, still holding onto the apple he was more than a little reluctant to surrender to Twilight, much to Twilight's chagrin. "Lots of, uh, eventful things happen there. That's for sure."
Celestia chuckled as she set down her teacup. "Ah, yes. I have heard of many noteworthy things myself. Thanks to Twilight. That is, her and her friends. So, anything interesting in particular you have experienced down there?"
"Well… Not too long ago there was this crazy thing going on with all those Pinkie Pies," he answered, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"Pinkie... Pies?" Luna spoke up, puzzled, cocking an eyebrow. "Plural, as in more than one?"
"Uhh… Yeah," Danny answered, unsure, looking at the Princess of the Night. "She kinda duplicated herself."
"By my sister's massive flank," Luna exclaimed. Celestia, who had just taken another sip of tea, sprayed the warm beverage out with the force of a geyser as she turned to her sister with angry eyes, while Twilight sat shocked, mouth open and unable to react at all. And Luna? She continued as if nothing had happened, "And I thought just the one of her was bad enough. How did Miss Pie manage to do such a thing?"
Danny shrugged in response, staring at the wet mark on the ground some distance away, impressed. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. Twilight seems to know more about it than I do."
Turning to the purple mare, Luna asked her the same question. "Twilight, pray tell. How did your friend manage to accomplish such a feat?"
Shaking her head to free herself from her stupor, Twilight straightened up before answering. "Pinkie Pie managed to find the Mirror Pool, which, according to her, she was told about by her grandmother. That, as well as a magical rhyme which allows one to bring their reflection to life. And, seeing that this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about, her reflection made a copy of itself as well. And those reflections made copies of themselves and so on."
"The Mirror Pool?" Luna repeated in a low voice, turning to her sister. "I thought that place was lost during the collapse brought on by my Nightmare." Danny raised a puzzled eyebrow at this, but remained silent, for now.
"Wait. You know of this place?" Twilight asks, her interest piqued.
"But of course," Luna confirmed. "The Mirror Pool was, and still is, one of the great mysteries of this world. It is a place many ponies once studied to try and figure out the magic behind the Pool's unique abilities. However, as I just said, after my fall into the Nightmare's corrupting grasp this place was lost, along with many other things."
"It was. But it would seem Pinkie Pie has found this lost place," Celestia replied, refilling her cup.
"Yes, she did. By accident, might I add," Twilight spoke up. "And my friends and I have closed off the entrance to the Mirror Pool to avoid any future incidents of similar nature."
"That would be for the best, I believe," Celestia answered, before turning to her sister, "But it would be wise to look into this matter ourselves in the near future."
"I agree," Luna confirmed with a small nod.
"Yeah. Forgive me for interrupting," Danny cut in. "But what do you mean by that? This nightmare thing, I mean."
"Ah, yes," Luna said as she looked away, ashamed. "I suppose you wouldn't know about this." She sighed, before looking at Danny. "You see, a bit over a millenia ago, my sister and I ruled over this country, living in a castle which now lies cold and abandoned in the Everfree Forest. A ruin. How this came to be is something that I am still ashamed of to this day," she began, and Celestia draped a wing over her back comfortingly as she told her tale.
"You do know about the role my sister and I fulfill, correct? How we maintain the cycle of day and night. This was no different back then, but I longed for something more. Every time my sister would bring forth the sun, I would watch as the ponies living here would come out to play and work. But when I ushered in the night, they would all leave and slumber."
"Uhh… Isn't that how that goes?" Danny mentioned, earning a glare from the Night Princess, before guilt replaced it.
"Yes, you are correct. And I know this. I knew this even back then. But I wanted more. I wanted the ponies to come out at night to see my night's bejeweled sky. To play and laugh just as they do during the day," she paused to sigh regretfully one more. "I grew jealous. And jealousy led to greed. I became jealous of my sister, as I wanted to be revered as she was. I wanted to have the ponies praise my night just as they did Celestia's day. And if they wouldn't do this willingly, then I would force them." A shudder went down Luna's spine. "I'm not completely sure what happened. It was almost as if some dark presence took over, trapping me in my own mind. Doing all those horrible things to our ponies, to my sister. But I know it was I who was doing those things. And I alone am to blame for this."
'A presence taking over? A corrupted form of herself?'"Somehow that sounds familiar," Danny muttered in a soft voice, drawing the Princesses' and Twilight's attention.
"Excuse me. But what did you say?" Celestia asked, curious.
"Ehh..." he stammered as he tried to come up with an answer, when a guard, obviously in great haste, rushed towards the Princesses, giving a hasty bow before straightening himself.
"News from northern Equestria. Ehm, Your Highness."
"Yes?" Celestia calmly replied.
"I was sent here to tell you; 'It has returned.' "
A gasp came from both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and both of them straightened themselves, looking quite alarmed.
"Guard, summon Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor immediately," Celestia ordered, standing up, mirrored by her sister a moment later. Meanwhile Danny and Twilight looked around in confusion, with Twilight alternating her gaze between Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the guard who was now galloping away to carry out his new order.
"Princess, what is going on?" She asked, standing up herself.
"Something that we've been expecting for a long time," Celestia answered.
"Sister, we must hurry," Luna called out to her urgently.
"Right," she confirmed with a nod. "Twilight, Danny. I am sorry, but it would seem our meeting has to be cut short. You're welcome to stay in the palace if either of you so wishes," she told the confused pony and human, before falling silent for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. "In fact, Twilight. I would prefer it if you stayed close by."
"Why? What is going on? Do we need the Elements?" Twilight asked frantically.
"We may very well have need of the Elements, Twilight," Luna answered for her sister, before motioning with a wing for Celestia to hurry. "All will be clear in time," she added, quickly turning around and sweeping through the door, leaving behind Twilight and Danny, neither one of them understanding what was going on. Nor did any being notice that, as Luna walked away, her shadow wavered around the edges, a flash of two orange orbs showing for the faintest of moments, before splitting off of her shadow, and returning to the perplexed human still sitting on the cushion.
"So," Danny began lamely. "Does this kinda thing happen often?"
"More than I'd care to admit," Twilight said with a sigh, staring at the half empty cup of cooling tea Celestia had left behind.
<<>><<>><<>>
Vlad Masters was sitting in his office at the Fenton Corporation's main office, an angry glare on his face. He knew who was responsible for the latest transgression against him, but he couldn't prove it. Not that something as minor and trivial as 'proof' would stop him, it just meant he would have to deal with those meddling fools in a more ghostly way, instead of sending the bureaucratic hounds after them. Of course he preferred it that way, the devious plans, the pushing and prodding from behind the scenes, all the while keeping up the façade of the kind and caring mayor of this city. It was a role he played like a master, fooling everyone. Everyone, save for those damned kids.
'Still, even they won't be able to stop me when everything comes together,' he thought as he looked at the closed door of his office. 'I'll just keep this façade up for a little while longer. Besides, even if they do tend to annoy me, there is not much they can actually do against me. Vlad Masters, Mayor of Amity Park, eccentric billionaire, half ghost, and board member of this very corporation which provides me with all the tech I could possibly need, all while allowing me to keep an eye on those irritating brats. Yes, there is nothing they can do to stop me now.'
A smirk found its way onto his face as he keyed the intercom on his desk.
"Oh, Deborah. Has the security issue been resolved?" He asked his secretary, who was currently hunkered down underneath her own desk as the ecto turrets were still aimed at Vlad's office, and ready to fire.
"... Not yet," came the hesitant response.
"Very well. Let me know when it is," he replied, before closing the line.
'It's a good thing I've had those weapons removed from my office,' he thought as he heard the whirring of one of the turrets outside, before keying the intercom again. "Oh, and Deborah. Could you please bring me a coffee."
"... Uh… Yes Sir, right away Si—" ZZAPP.
"And make it fast!" He added, and closed the line once more.
Leaning back in his chair, he turned to the small holopad built into his desk. Giving the key command, a miniature version of holo Maddy appeared, hands placed on her hips, and giving a large simulated smile.
"Good day, dear. Is everything alright?"
"Oh, you know. The usual; planning for world domination, seeking incredible power, and dealing with the latest nuisance caused by those Phantom brats," he answered with a careless wave of the hand. "But how about you?" He queried, resting his elbows on the table, and placing his head on his hands. "Anything new?"
"Actually, I am just in the process of receiving the next batch of data from the drones sent into Equestria."
"Oh," Vlad replied, his interest piqued. "Anything useful?"
"Uncertain, sweetness. It would seem most of the drones sent are unresponsive, and we must assume they're no longer functioning. There are also several cases of corrupted data, which I am trying to reconstruct to see if there is anything useful within them… Oh," she replied, when a ping in her internal systems alerted her of some very interesting facts. "But this is certainly worth your time."
"Yes?" Vlad said eagerly, urging holo Maddie on.
"I am glad to report that the main hub unit has located subject Dani as she came through the tear found in the city of Canterlot," she answered, and a victorious smirk formed on Vlad's face, although a hint of annoyance could be seen flashing in his eyes over the city's name.
"Well, that is good news."
"But that's not all, cupcake," holo Maddie cut in. "And I am sure you will be even more pleased with what the other drones have found. First off; It would seem there is a creature, scans show one of those ponies, who registers on the scans as a being of spectral origins in a similar fashion as you, subject Dani, and subject Danny."
"What!?"
"And there's more," she continued with simulated enthusiasm. "Oh, Vladdy. Great ruler of all ghosts and humans. I am absolutely thrilled to report that subject Danny has been located."
"What! Where?"
"Drone's coordinates place Danny in a small town known to the locals as Ponyville."
"So, we finally found him. And yet, here I am. Stuck in this office with no means of getting out while the security is still active," Vlad muttered angrily and reached for the intercom again to give Deborah a piece of his mind.
"VLADDY, NO!" Holo Maddie called out in alarm. "That button activates the self-destruct in your mansion's laboratory."
"What?!" Vlad replied, and looked at the button he was about to press.
Two small red buttons sitting next to each other. One for the intercom, the other for the self-destruct.
"What idiot designed this?"
"You did, dear."
Blinking dumbly, Vlad leaned back in his chair. "Fair enough," he said, when the door opened with a click, and the rattling of a cup of coffee on a plate became audible as a nervous Deborah came in. Holo Maddie vanished in a flash as the woman entered so she wouldn't be seen.
"Ah, Deborah," Vlad began with fake innocence.
"Y-yes?"
"You're fired."
<<>><<>><<>>
The sound of crates shifting and boxes being moved echoed throughout the cavernous space, with humans and ponies alike busy unpacking the many crates and sorting the various items stored within. Every item was also inspected for any damages or other defects. Something that wasn't necessary per se, but after the day's earlier fiasco concerning the matter of two crates overlapping during teleportation, and the subsequent damage as a result of it, they didn't take any chances. After all, these things were some of the latest anti ghost equipment there was. Which also meant they were rather expensive.
Of course, this also meant Dani was now saddled with yet another task she didn't particularly care about. But she had to maintain her cover, so she was forced to deal with the situation, wearing a fake smile the entire time. Although there wasn't much to smile about, if the latest news she picked up on was anything to go by.
They had been busy for the better part of an hour when a small group of ponies joined them. Four ponies who, if she understood correctly, were some of the leading experts on ghost hunting on this world. Dani scoffed at that, but didn't respond to it otherwise.
Still, 'experts' as they may be, they proved to be an excellent source of information. Of course, there was the general information given to them all as they introduced themselves, which meant nothing if you got down to it. But the things they discussed with this captain pony, Shining Armor, were a whole lot more interesting. Unfortunately, she was only able to pick up bits and pieces, unable to get very close as she couldn't turn invisible with so many witnesses around her. Still, what she heard was more than enough for her to get the gist of what they were talking about.
There was a town not too far from here, called Pony- something. Something about a human living there. And their suspicions about ghosts being near this individual.
Interesting, very interesting. But it was what Shining Armor added to this hushed conversation that really grabbed her attention.
'… Confirmed… ghosts… Danny,' she repeated in her head. Just three words, but a whole lot of meaning behind them. She didn't need to be a genius to connect the dots, yet what it meant was troubling. 'So, ghosts, as in more than one. And confirmed?! What is going on? And he definitely said Danny, I'm sure of it. Does that mean Danny is in that town they talked about? Heh… Well, I guess I'll just have to find out myself.'
A small, confident smile grew on her face as she considered the possibility that Danny might be just the next town over, and she was determined to find him. Yet she also knew she couldn't jump the gun, so to speak. 'Still, I can't just 'disappear' to give this Pony-whatchamacallit a visit. It would take too long, and someone would notice… probably. I guess I'll just have to wait till it's night, and head out under the cover of darkness.'
With her mind made up, she continued her official work, trying to get through the boredom without showing it… too much. And this continued for about twenty more minutes, before something else drew her attention. A lone guard entered the cavern, heading for Shining Armor in a hurry. Yet managing to keep a professional composure as she did so.
Keeping an eye on them out of the corner of her eyes, Dani observed what happened. And although she wasn't able to hear them, it must have been serious, as Shining Armor gave a tense nod, and hurried away, leaving only Technal in command of the ponies' part of this project.
'Interesting,' Dani mused. 'What was that all about?'
Looking around, she spotted the same guy who she had already decided she didn't like.
"Hey, you!" She called out, drawing the attention of multiple humans and ponies, "No, you. Third guy on the right, two back. Yes, you," she said, sighing as the guy pointed at himself questionly, before stepping towards her.
"Is something the matter, Ma'am?" He asked in that particular slur Dani disliked, while also adding to her frustration by calling her 'Ma'am' again. "Not really," she told him in a neutral voice. "I just remembered there is another area I need to inspect. Shouldn't take long, but could you keep an eye on things for me while I'm gone?"
"Another area?" He asked in confusion. "I wasn't aware of another area."
Dani fought the urge to roll her eyes, while trying to keep a somewhat believable smile on her face. "That's because it isn't important to your task. So don't worry too much about it. Now…" she said, taking a moment to read the guy's name off of his name tag. "Pete, can you keep an eye on everything while I am away?"
"Uhh... Certainly, Ma'am," he said after only a moment.
"And stop with the Ma'am," Dani added, unable to stop the faint groan. "... I'll be going now," she added, and turned on the spot, her long ponytail swishing around, and she walked away with a brisk pace; a smug smirk on her face. 'Let him deal with this mess for a while. I've got more important things to do,' she thought as she headed back up through the maze of tunnels, making sure there was enough distance between herself and all the anti ghost tech back in the cavern. Then, in a flash of white, she transformed into her ghost alter ego, and flew up through the solid rock the cave was made of. Though she did make sure to avoid all the weird glowing crystals sticking out everywhere. She didn't know what might happen if she touched them, but if those guys thought they might have some strange effects on their equipment, then who knows what they might do to her?
It only took her a moment to fly up, and the warming rays of the sun met her. Or they would have, if they weren't currently shining directly through her invisible body. Flying up and above the city of Canterlot, Dani looked around to see where Shining Armor was, taking notice of a village somewhere in the distance. 'Well, at least I know where to go next,' she told herself, when she spotted the distinct form of the pony she was looking for. 'Now, let's see what you're up to.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"So… You're not just a psychiatrist. You're also a ghosthunter?" Soarin said, shocked, after Jazz had given him a quick explanation of things.
"Actually, that's my thing," Specter's warped voice cut in. "She just tagged along for the ride because of you."
"Wha?" Soarin uttered in confusion as he looked at the armored human, having almost forgotten about her in the chaos, and Jazz's explanation.
"Specter is right. She's the ghosthunter, not me. We're working together, though. But I do my things more on the sidelines, whereas she is out in the field. There are others as well, who I am sure you will meet, with everything that has happened," Jazz explained, when a beeping alarm came from the cockpit, drawing everyone's attention.
"Looks like the happening is not over yet," Specter called out in an oddly calm voice, before making a quick left to avoid the missile racing towards them. Jazz and Soarin, not expecting this, were sent flying against the far wall. Jazz screamed out in pain as her broken wrist slammed into the metal surface, while Soarin wheezed as the air was knocked out of his lungs.
"Right," Specter remarked as if she only just realized she had passengers with her. "Better brace yourselves."
"Thanks for the warning," Jazz muttered sarcastically and angrily as she pulled herself from the wall, seeing Specter give her a sideways glance through her visor.
"You'll live. Besides, this is the reason I work alone. Now buckle up, hold on, or whatever you think is needed to keep yourself from flying all over the place, because this is going to be a bumpy ride."
"Right. So, who is shooting at us?" Jazz asked as she and Soarin moved to the nearby seats, quickly securing themselves in a harness; Soarin struggling somewhat with the odd design not meant for a pony.
"Do you need to ask?" Specter replied as she steered the craft into a barrel roll, narrowly dodging two missiles and a ectoplasmic beam; the latter scorching the bottom of their vehicle. "Damn, that was close."
"I say," Jazz remarked, looking at one of the many screens located in the dashboard to see what the damage was, and who was shooting at them. "... Tucker isn't going to like this," she muttered as she read the report about the blackened underside. "He did say to watch the paint job."
"Don't we have more important things to worry about?!" Soarin almost shouted, not understanding why these two woman sounded so calm during a situation like this. "... And who is this Tucker?... Wait, you're talking about him, aren't you? The Tucker Foley from the Fenton Corporation?"
Specter shot him a sideways glance, her helmet covering the smirk on her face. "Didn't we have more important things to deal with?"
"Ehh..?"
"Heh," she chuckled, before addressing Jazz. "But he does have a point. Jazz, you're closest to the weapons control. Think you can manage a few shots at our less than friendly friend?"
"Gladly," Jazz replied, a hint of ice in her voice as she turned to the aforementioned controls. Activating them, a targeting screen lit up, showing the characteristic silhouette of Skulker.
"... Just try to hit him this time," Specter said after a moment, only half joking, earning an annoyed grunt from the red haired woman.
An ecto-gatling deployed from the craft's roof, and with the flick of a button Jazz aimed the weapon at their pursuer using the system's automated targeting program. Seeing the crosshair on the screen turn a dark red to indicate a lock on the target she slammed a fist down on the firing button, prompting the gun to let loose a barrage of glowing green blobs. Skulker immediately dodged and weaved to throw off the gun's aim, while the gun automatically tracked the ghost hunter; a trail of glowing green left in his wake with each shot fired.
Seeing his prey putting up a fight, Skulker activated his right arm's weapons with a dark, sinister grin. Aiming the weapons at the craft, he fired, before narrowly avoiding the gatling's fire himself. With a grunt, he deployed his sideways thrusters, forcing him to the side, and leaving the destructive projectiles to pass harmlessly next to him. The bolt of glowing energy he fired, however, flew straight and true, hitting the craft's backside, knocking it off course before crashing into one of the many smaller pieces of land floating around the endless expanse of the Ghost Zone. The impact shook the bones of the three occupants of the craft, while their seatbelts were strained in the effort to keep them securely in place; cutting into the skin of Soarin and Jazz, but not Specter, as she was clad in her protective armor.
"Damnit!" Specter swore. "This thing is a whole lot less agile than my board," she muttered as she looked out of the viewport, seeing the front of their craft partially embedded in the dusty rock and dirt.
"What are we going to do now?" Soarin asked, concerned, absolutely not used to anything like this. Strangely enough, they didn't cover this during basic training. Nor the more advanced courses either.
"What're we going to do now?" Specter repeated. "You're going to get the hell outta here," she instructed as she released her safety harness and moved to the aft of the craft.
"While you do what?" Jazz asked, worry raising her voice. "Go out there to hold him back?"
Specter shot a sideways glance at Jazz, depolarizing her faceplate and revealing her face for all to see. A feral grin the most prominent feature to be seen above all else. "Something like that. Now, go!" She told them as she slammed the outer door open and jumped out while deploying her board out of her boots, blasters in hand. "I'll catch up with you later," and with that she shot off towards the hunter, intent on making him her prey.
"Is she crazy?!" Soarin almost shouted as he stared at the closing door in disbelief.
"Yes, yes she is. But she's also the only one here who can take that guy out," Jazz replied as she took Specter's seat, using her one good hand to steer the craft out of the shallow trench it had dug, and speeding off towards the Fenton portal. Explosions, bursts of light, and two sets of maniacal laughter accompanied them as they fled. Jazz holding on to the control stick so tightly her knuckles turned white, while Soarin could only stare in absolute bewilderment at both the woman he thought he knew, and the flashes of light coming from outside.
'What have I gotten myself into this time?'
<<>><<>><<>>
"Your majesty," Shining Armor said, saluting both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "We came as soon as we could."
Cadance nodded in agreement, "Yes, aunties. What happened? The guards you sent to summon us didn't tell us anything, other than that we had to come here with haste."
"Yes," Celestia began with a firm tone. "With good reason. Cadance, tell me. What do you know about your ancestors' Empire?"
"The Crystal Empire?" Cadance said, surprised. "Just what my parents told me about it. Just as their parents told them, and their parents before them. I was told it was a city to the far North, made of the purest of crystals, with a castle in its center. A place where the ponies lived in harmony with one another through the magic of the Crystal Heart. A harmony that lasted for many centuries, until they were betrayed by the one they trusted most."
"Yes, that's the gist of it," Celestia confirmed with a small nod. "The one who betrayed the Empire was a unicorn named Sombra. A pony who lost himself to the darker aspects of magic, and had his mind corrupted in the process. My sister and I fought him, even using the elements to do so, but he proved a more cunning adversary than we had originally expected. When defeat seemed imminent, he revealed a magic unlike anything Luna or I had ever seen before, and used it to remove the entire empire from this world. Where it went, we do not know."
"I see…" Cadance replied, somewhat lost in thought. "But what does that have to do with Shining and I being here?"
"You're here because, after more than a thousand years, the Empire has returned to this world," Celestia revealed, much to Cadance and Shining Armor's shock. Yet Luna, who had remained quiet, seemed lost in thought, and unaware of everything that was said.
"It has returned?!" Cadance cried, unable to believe it.
"Indeed it has," Celestia confirmed. "And it is clear what needs to be done. I've received a report from my guards stationed in the North about what has happened, and what is happening still. Although there are some inconsistencies due to an unknown illness that befell the ponies present when the city reappeared. An illness which we saw back when my sister and I confronted Sombra, but for which we could never determine the origins. Most likely it is caused by Sombra's dark magic, but I'm afraid we can not be certain." Celestia sighed as she shot a sideways glance at her sister, noticing her glazed over eyes, before continuing. "You and Shining Armor must go to the Crystal Empire, secure it, and ensure the safety of anypony who might be there. I'll send some guards with you for added protection, you're going to need it."
"But, your majesty," Shining spoke up. "If this Sombra is as dangerous as you make him sound, shouldn't we use the Elements against him?"
"I'm afraid it isn't that easy. Luna and I used the Elements against him before, but their power seemed to have almost no effect against him. Although they were able to weaken him, ultimately, they failed. Sombra was able to escape, taking the entire Empire with him."
"... The- The elements failed?!" Both Cadance and Shining Armor gasped out.
"Indeed they did," Celestia confirmed with a bitter tone. "Why, we do not know. That is why I want you to go find out what is happening for yourselves, and inform me and my sister about anything you might find. They're going to need all the information they can get."
"They? Who's they?" Cadance asked.
"Why, your little sister and her friends," Celestia answered with a thin smile.
"But, didn't you just say the Elements didn't work?"
"I did, but that doesn't mean they can't help. I'm sure, once we have some idea what is going on inside the city, Twilight and her friends will be of great assistance to the Crystal Empire."
"If you say so," Shining Armor said, frowning.
"You're worried about Twilight, aren't you?" Cadance asked her husband.
"Of course I am," he answered, nodding, "Even though she's the Element of Magic, it doesn't mean I like it when she's put in harm's way. And now this? Of course I worry."
Cadance draped a wing over his back as she gave him a sideways hug. "I worry too, but Twilight is a grown mare, and she has proven to be quite resourceful when it comes to situations like this. She'll be fine. After all, she has her friends to look after her, as well as her big brother."
Despite the situation, Celestia couldn't help but smile down on the couple. Only for a worried frown to take its place as she noticed her sister was still standing in a trance like state for reasons unknown.
"Sister, is everything alright?" She asked as she gave a gentle nudge to Luna's side.
They surrounded her, maws open, revealing rows of razor sharp fangs. They pounced, and she moved. She lashed out, her claw ripping through flesh as she avoided the attack. Blood gushed out, staining her black fur as her attacker howled in pain. Others jumped her, and she reacted. Sinking her own fangs in the bodies of those who dared to try and take her down. Blood filled her mouth. Blood filled her nose. Blood filled her vision, and she lost herself in a haze of red.
"Luna?" Celestia called out again, giving a firmer nudge to snap Luna out her thoughts.
Blinking a couple of times, Luna looked around in confusion as if she had forgotten where she was.
"Is everything alright?" Celestia asked, and Cadance and Shining gave her a confused look.
"Yes... Yes, I'm fine. Just lost in thought," Luna answered, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Anything I should know about?" Celestia queried.
Opening her mouth to reply, Luna found that the more she thought about what she had just seen, the more it seemed to slip away from her. And before long, she had entirely forgotten what it was she had observed.
"No, nothing."
"I see," Celestia murmured, before turning back to Cadance and Shining Armor, "Right. The Empire. There is a train waiting for you at the station, ready to leave when you arrive. Gather your things and depart as soon as you are able. A countless lives depend on it, I'm afraid."
Giving a determined nods, Shining and Cadance left the throne room, leaving behind the two alicorns.
Silence.
"Alright, Luna. What happened?" Celestia asked, worried.
"I… I am not sure, sister," Luna answered. "Just lost in thought, I guess. It won't happen again."
Celestia regarded her younger sister for a moment, finding no deceit in her words. "You do know you can come to me whenever you need to?"
"Of course I do," Luna confirmed. "I was just lost in thought, nothing more. There is no need to worry, sister," she added with mock irritation.
"But you're my little sister, and it's my responsibility to look after you," Celestia replied, smiling slightly.
"Just because I'm a couple of years younger than you doesn't mean I'm little," Luna countered, pouting.
Laughing, Celestia pulled Luna into a hug. "You will always be my little sister, but that doesn't mean you're little. Now, come on. There is still a lot we need to do."
"You're talking about your plans for Twilight, aren't you?" Luna asked, turning serious instantly.
"I've never said I had made any sort of plan for her, but yes. If Twilight is the one, then this might be the perfect way to make sure of it," Celestia said as, with a flash of her horn, a thick book materialized. Its cover was a dark, almost black, blue, with two stars joined together in a swirl printed on it.
"If she's the one?" Luna said.
"Actually, there is no doubt in my mind that she is. But still, we have to make sure."
"... You think she's up to this task?"
"Alone, no. But with her friends, there isn't any obstacle they can't overcome. Of that, I am sure."
<<>><<>><<>>
Dani hovered near the ceiling, invisible, pondering what she had just seen and heard… and felt.
'Okay...' she mused, 'Who's this "Twilight", and what are the elements?' She looked towards the door Shining Armor and Cadance had exited through, 'Guess I can follow them for a bit and find out… maybe?' Her gaze then drifted to the two alicorns still in the room, 'And what do they mean by a city disappearing and coming back? Do they mean like what happened with Amity Park when Pariah Dark seized control?' Her gaze then focused on Princess Luna. 'But more importantly, what was up with her?' She wondered as she recalled the strange sensation she felt. 'And what was with that horrible chill I felt coming from her? Those other guys didn't seem to notice, though,' she bit her lower lip in thought, not sure what to make of everything that had just happened in this room. But she did know that if she stayed away for much longer someone would begin asking some difficult questions. So, reluctantly, Dani phased through the thick marble wall.
'All I want to do is find Danny. But all I seem to get are more questions,' she contemplated as she descended through the solid rock of the mountain. 'Why am I getting the feeling that this is going to be much more complicated than we originally thought?'
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker sat behind his desk, working fervently on his computer to make sure the security systems would remain active for as long as possible, while also masking his involvement with the 'accidental' activation. As planned, the people working in the building had evacuated per protocol. But there was an unexpected complication as Vlad, the one they wanted to get rid of the most, decided to hunker down in his office, instead of leaving the building.
"I knew there was a reason he removed the security systems from his office," Tucker muttered, annoyed, frowning as he continued his work.
A couple of hours had passed, and with every passing moment it became harder to keep the system active while also hiding his involvement. If Jazz and Valerie didn't show up soon, the situation might grow out of his control. He was already gathering reports through the company's network about people working on the systems from multiple locations, and that they believed they would have the systems back to normal before long. As things now stood, he thought he could squeeze out maybe another ten to fifteen minutes.
Using the closed off feed from the portal room's security cameras, he observed the swirling green vortex leading to the Ghost Zone, seeing no sign of his friends emerging from the other side.
"Come on you guys, hurry it up!"
And, as if summoned by his words, the very craft Jazz and Valerie flew into the Zone emerged from the green veil, coming to a jarring stop in the relatively small area surrounding the portal.
"Jazz!?" He called out over the comm unit, "Valerie!?"
"I'm here," Jazz replied after a short pause, grunting a bit. "And I've got Soarin with me."
"Good. I'm sealing off the portal now."
"No, don't!" Jazz called out in alarm. "Valerie is still out there. We need to wait for her."
"What!? Why isn't she with you?" Tucker almost yelled.
"She stayed behind to fight off Skulker. We need to give her time to get back here!"
"I know! I know! But I'm running out of time here. If this goes on for much longer, then we'll be found out," he replied over the comm.
"Just do it!" came Valerie's voice from over the headset.
"Valerie!?" Both Tucker and Jazz said simultaneously.
"Yeah, it's me. Guess I'm within comm range," Valerie grunted, her voice accompanied by the distinct sound of multiple explosions. "Look. There is no way I can shake this guy off in time, and we can't risk compromising everything we've worked for for so long. Close the portal, and do whatever else you need to do to cover our tracks. I'll find another way out."
"You're sure?" Jazz asked, concerned.
"Jazz. I survived your cooking. This is a walk in the park in comparison."
Nothing was said after that, save for the amused snort coming from Tucker despite the situation.
"Okay, if you're sure," Tucker said, finally breaking the silence. "Good luck."
"Oh, don't worry. I make my own luck." Tucker and Jazz could practically see the confident smirk plastered on Valerie's face as she closed the line. Tucker hurried to close the portal, guiding the craft back to his safe room, and wiping all the digital footsteps he left behind in the system.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Oh, don't worry. I make my own luck," Specter said, smirking as she sat crouched on her board, observing her surroundings, and watching the distant portal close. "Alright, ghost. It's just you and me," she said as she stood back up, holding a two handed blaster, charged and ready. "Come out and face me!"
Yet, despite her words, Skulker remained unseen. Knowing that such a thing didn't mean much for a ghost, Specter continued to observe her surroundings, not dropping her guard for a single moment.
A faint ping on her scanner made her whirl around, and aim her blaster towards seemingly empty space. But experience had taught her that empty space was often more occupied than one would originally think, and she didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
An electrical signal was sent to the blaster's ecto containment unit, energizing the bolt of green energy as it was pulled from the chamber, before being launched through the barrel at supersonic speed at the empty spot of air. An empty spot of air which began to shimmer and distort as an invisible form hurried to get out of the bolt's path.
Skulker faded back into view as the super charged bolt shot past his armor's head, missing him by just a hair's breadth and scorching the metallic surface.
"There you are," Specter said with twisted glee. "Are you done playing hide and seek now?"
Growling in response, Skulker turned to face the armored human, a black scorch mark on his face. Wordlessly, he slowly lifted a closed fist, holding it before his face as a large blade slowly slid out of his wrist.
"Now you're talking," Specter said in a challenging tone, and the pair launched themselves at one another. Skulker's blade clashing with Specter's blaster, sparks flying off of it as the fight started for real.
Apex predator against apex predator.
Neither of them holding back.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight was wandering through the castle halls, followed by Danny, who held a look of bewilderment and awkwardness. It had been close to half an hour since the Princesses had left them, and all that time Twilight had been indecisive as to what course of action to take. Princess Luna's remark that they might have need of the Elements not helping her there.
'Do I need to write a letter to my friends, telling them to come to Canterlot as fast as they can? Or do I wait, and see what it is the Princesses want, but risk making them wait longer for my friends if they are needed?' She suddenly came to a halt, causing Danny to bump into her. But she didn't seem to notice, while Danny quirked a puzzled eyebrow at the purple pony as strands of her mane began to stick out. 'Oh, what do I need to do? If I call my friends, and the Elements aren't needed then I will have wasted their time. But if they are needed, and they aren't here, then I will have wasted the Princesses' time, as they will have to wait.' An idea came to her and she used a hoof to smooth down her mane before slamming it down in determination. "I've got it!" Twilight proclaimed as she exhaled loudly, a slightly crazed smile gracing her lips, much to Danny's apprehension, which had been building ever since Twilight began her relatively silent wandering around. With nowhere to go, and next to no knowledge of either the castle or the city, all he could do was follow the confusing mare, getting no explanation out of her whatsoever.
"You've got what?" He asked.
"The answer. Of course, it's perfect. Well, not perfect, but it is better than disappointing the Princesses," she said, leaving Danny dumbfounded, with only a dumb 'ehhh' coming out of his mouth.
"I'll just send a message to Spike and have him ask my friends to be on standby in case they're needed here. That way I can show the Princesses that I didn't completely waste their time during a possible emergency."
"O-kay?..." Danny said, confused. "And what exactly is this about?"
"Didn't you pay any attention?" Twilight gasped. "Princess Luna herself said we might have need of the Elements, which means there is some kind of crisis that we might have to deal with."
Blinking dumbly, Danny scratched his head. "Okay, let's assume for a moment that I don't know what these elements are. And why would you need to deal with a crisis anyway? Don't they have the guards to deal with that?"
Twilight's eyes widened at Danny's confession that he didn't know about the Elements, and the downward spiraling thoughts she was stuck in a moment ago came to a sudden and abrupt stop. Here stood someone who didn't know something. Something she knew almost everything about. Something she could teach him. 'Something I can use as an excuse to spend even more time with him.'
Twilight's thought processes came to a second sudden stop. Where did that come from? Had… had she really thought that? Why? 'This requires closer examination,' she made a mental note, when her eyes met those of Danny, who was still waiting for an answer. 'After I've taught him about the Elements...' she added, a dreamy smile forming on her muzzle.
"Just come with me, Danny. I'll explain everything to you," she told him as she turned around and headed to the royal library. 'No matter how long it takes,' she added in thought, a permanent smile on her face as Danny followed her, the latter wondering again what he'd gotten himself into today.
Neither of them knowing that Cadance’s magic was working its… well, magic, on them both. Although only with great difficulty in Danny, who proved to be surprisingly resistant.
Together they walked through the halls, while Twilight wrote a quick note to Spike, telling him to instruct her friends to prepare for a possible mission from the Princesses, before sending it to him with a quick flash of her horn. But, as she happily continued leading Danny to their destination, Danny took notice of a strange sensation in his chest.
THUMB-THUMB
<<>><<>><<>>
"Honestly, Lyra. I can't believe you did that," Bon Bon said, shooting an annoyed look, with just a hint of embarrassment, towards the mint green unicorn.
"What? What did I do?" Lyra asked, confused, as the two of them walked through town.
"Do you even need to ask?" Bon Bon replied, receiving a nod from her horned companion.
Sighing, Bon Bon facehoofed for a moment. "Alright, in order. First there is that strange, and quite frankly disturbing obsession you have with those hands, a—"
"Hey, I'm not that one dimensional," Lyra cut in, annoyed, earning a flat look from the beige mare. "I like feet too."
The force with which Bon Bon's hoof met her face could be felt by everypony in a half mile radius of the impact.
"Second, that 'list' you are constantly carrying around. Third, those 'visits' you make to the cafe to just 'order' something to eat every time Danny is working."
"So?" Lyra asked, shrugging. "I've been doing that for a while now. Why bother bringing it up now?"
"Why? Because, of all the things you have done, what you did last night was just, just..."
"Last night?"
"Oh, you know what I mean. Shaking your tail around while trying to dance on two legs."
Silence settled down between the two, and the only sound came from the group of crickets sitting on Fluttershy's head and back as she walked by.
"PFHAAAHAHAHA!" Lyra burst out in laughter. "That's what's gotten you all worked up?"
"Of course it is!" Bon Bon replied, ashamed.
Lyra chuckled a little while longer, before turning to her marefriend, her muzzle almost touching Bon Bon's. "Oh, but I thought you liked it when I shake my tail around like that?" She said in a husky voice, eyes half-lidded; Bon Bon sputtered as she stepped away, face burning bright red.
"B-but that was different," Bon Bon sputtered.
"Different? Different how?" Lyra asked, amused.
"You know what I mean," she replied, and Lyra looked to the side as she recalled last night's festivities,
"Partying," came her honest answer. "Cutting loose. Something you should try sometimes."
A roll of the eyes was all the answer Lyra got from her beige companion, when, without warning, two earth pony fillies came running by. Knocking Bon Bon over without so much as an apology, before running around a corner, disappearing from sight.
"Whoa! Are you alright?" Lyra asked, concerned, as she helped Bon Bon back on her hooves.
"Yes, I am. But what is up with those two?" Bon Bon replied, dusting herself off as she shot a glare after Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
Lyra shrugged in answer, before a grin returned to her muzzle. "So, about cutting loose…"
Her only response was a throaty groan.
<<>><<>><<>>
Two dark hooded figures stood on a shadow covered rock, observing the events transpiring in the Ghost Zone. One, a tall biped, the other, a small quadruped. Both were holding a scythe; either in a bony hand, or the pale glow of a spectral aura. Their piercing red pupils glowing ominously from underneath their hoods, watching. Watching as a skilled human fought against an equally skilled ghost in a fight to the death, or after death, depending on who would lose.
Not that they would let it come to that. Both still had a vital role to play in the coming events, their souls still bound to this physical plane. And they, as the shepherds of all souls, were tasked to keep it that way until such times came that their souls were meant to cross over.
"It's strange, isn't it?" Mort asked, and the tall form tilted his head slightly to signify he was listening.
"What is?"
"Us, the Grim Reaper and the Pale Pony being here, making sure they don't die… again in Skulker's case."
"Yes, I guess it does hurt your brain just thinking about it," the tall figure said, when an awkward silence settled over the pair for a couple of seconds. "Oh, but as skeletons, we don't have brains," and he burst out laughing; his companion sighing and rolling his non-existent eyes.
"Right," Mort sighed. "You just focus on those two, and I'll deal with the three from my world." They both turned their heads to look at the three young ponies who had managed to sneak into the Ghost Zone.
"That one has questions," the tall form observed. "So does the other. Although she seems to be suppressing them."
"If there is one thing we have learned throughout the eons, it's that losing a loved one is a very difficult thing for those left behind. Them having questions is only natural. But being in a position where they might find an answer, is not," Mort's voice explained, accompanied by a tired sigh drifting from beneath his hood, despite the absence of lungs, and his eyes shifted to the last of the three. "Do you know why he did it? Why he turned her, that is."
The tall form lifted a bony hand, and stroked a non-existent beard, deep in thought. "Maybe for an alternate storyline?"
"What?"
Shrugging, the tall form looked down on his smaller companion. "I don't know. Ask one of the Eternal Watchers."
"You know they don't talk," Mort deadpanned.
"So that's why they never call back," the tall form proclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised at this bit of information.
"... Eddie, do you ever take things seriously?"
At his words, Eddie suddenly straightened, while his head hung down a bit; a dreary sigh escaping his non-existent lips as he tightened his grip on his scythe. "Yes. My job. Which is exactly why I am who I am. You have it easy in comparison, with your happy pony world. Sure, it isn't perfect, and bad things and unfortunate events do happen, I know. But I. I watch over the humans, and their endless struggles, wars, and hate. If I act crazy, or seem uncaring, it's because I care more than you know. But even we, Death's envoys, can only take so much misery before something snaps. We're not godly beings who stand above the rest. We are merely the other side of life, intertwined for all eternity. When I reap a soul, I reap a part of myself, just as it is for you… Am I wrong?"
"No… No, you're not." A silence settled down between the two, and they observed the fight still in progress.
"Is that… Is that why you were so happy wh—" Mort finally spoke up, before Eddie cut him off.
"Yes. Reaping a soul is a tragic thing to do, no matter the reason, and whether they are ready for it or not. But, him? He wasn't ready, his soul wasn't ready. He needed to stay where he was, as he is, for now. So, yes. Of course I was happy when I could return his soul to his mortal shell, even though I had to take one of his friends, and the misery he had to live with as a result. But despite all that, I know he has found a measure of peace and happiness where he is now."
"Yes, I know. I've met him, back on my world. He seemed happy, but afraid."
"Can you blame him?"
"No, but I think I will be helping him in the not so distant future," Mort answered, and Eddie looked down at him, cocking an non-existent eyebrow in puzzlement.
"You will? How?"
"Clockwork," Mort answered, shrugging.
"Ahh, say no more. As I'm sure you don't know more," Eddie replied, when, with a feral shout, Valerie managed to break off Skulker's knife from his armor, and aim her weapon at his head point blank.
"It's time," Eddie said, and he vanished where he stood.
"So it would seem," Mort agreed. And he, too, disappeared.
<<>><<>><<>>
Skulker glared at his beaten face in Specter's reflective visor, a defiant snarl staring back at him as he was unwilling to give up, even in defeat.
"You got lucky, welp," he grunted angrily, while Specter aimed her weapon at him, ready to fire.
"I make my own luck," Specter's warped voice replied, and she fired. She fired, and she missed.
"What!?" She shouted in disbelief, already going through the motion to try again, when a dark cloaked figure materialized out of nowhere between her and Skulker.
Specter barely had time to shout her surprise when a bony finger touched her forehead, through the helmet, and she collapsed, unconscious. At the same time, Skulker met a similar fate, as Eddie's hand phased cleanly through his armor, and knocked him out.
"So much for the easy part," Eddie muttered, and pushed Skulker away; the limp form drifting away through the green expanse of the Zone, while he looked down at Valerie, the red glow of his pupils reflecting in her visor. "Now, what should we do with you?" he wondered, when a loud chorus of screams caught his attention.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Looking towards the source of the disturbance, Eddie gave a weary sigh. "Well, that just happened." Grabbing Valerie, and slinging her over his shoulder, he slowly flew towards the distant rock. "Mort, what did you do?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Metal wheels screeched as the brakes were applied, and the frozen metal of the rails warmed up from the friction as the train came to a gradual stop; the howling wind pushing against the locomotive and single car, while a flurry of snow obscured everything from sight.
"Alright everypony," Shining Armor said loudly, making himself heard over the noise coming from outside. "We've all been briefed, and know what to do. Covertly enter the city, and track down the individual known as Sombra, who Princess Celestia and Luna have described to us."
Cadance took over from him. "Don't let anypony who might be in this city see you. The few reports we've received made notice of the original residents of this city still being here. How this is possible, we do not know. But they did show signs of mind control, and will most likely react... poorly when seeing one of us. Don't let them see you, and don't harm them either."
A multitude of salutes, and a chorus of: "Yes, your majesties," was the collective response of the small team of guards. Sharing a brief glance with one another, Shining and Cadance nodded slightly before stepping out of the car; They immediately used their magic to shield them from the cutting winds and blinding snow.
Slowly the group moved towards their destination, hidden from view by the white flurry assaulting them, yet impossible to miss all the same. They could feel it, all of them. But none could feel it as strongly as Cadance did. A dark, suffocating presence which grew thicker and thicker with each hesitant step she took; a sensation as if she was drowning in despair slowly tightening its grip around her heart, made bearable only by the stallion at her side.
Slowly they progressed through the thick layer of white covering the ground, when, as if it were a grand presentation, the crystalline form of the Empire revealed itself to them. The snow died down as if somepony flicked a switch, and their destination, hidden from view before, was now clearly visible.
They stood still for several moments as the full scope of the city came into view, yet it was something none of them could enjoy. Everywhere they looked they saw sorrow, sadness, and darkness. Dark crystals spearing out of the ground everywhere in and around the city, a cold, mind numbing aura coming off of them; a sensation that drained any feeling of joy and happiness, leaving the ponies shivering not only from the cold outside, but from the cold they felt coming from within.
Yet despite the cold taking hold of them, one of them could feel it melt away in the burning heat of anger. An anger towards the one responsible for this. The one who dethroned her ancestors. The one who claimed this land as his own, and corrupted it with dark magic. The one who enslaved and tortured every single soul, young and old, mare and stallion. The one who even managed to outsmart Princesses Celestia and Luna. The one who took this city, and dragged it to who knows where. The one she knew was still there. The one who was still holding this city, and those in it, in his corrupting thrall. The one who she would see brought to justice.
"Let's go," she proclaimed in a strict, serious tone, eyes narrowed. "We've got a city to free."
<<>><<>><<>>
The clopping of their hooves echoed ominously through the abandoned streets, only faintly muted by the thin layer of white; signs of it having been disturbed before, even here in one of the many side alleys, was still visible despite the weather's attempt to cover it up. Everywhere they went they were greeted by dark, cold, lifeless buildings; looking for any sign of either the ponies who lived there, or the one responsible for everything that had transpired here, both past and present.
Hours ticked by as they slowly moved from building to building, leaving nothing to chance as they inspected every building they could, while heading towards the tall castle standing in the city's center. Yet nothing was found, and the continuing silence only added to the tension they already felt.
"There has to be somepony, anypony? Shouldn't there be?" Cadance asked, unsure, looking around nervously. "I mean, the reports said ponies were sighted in the city some time after it appeared."
"I agree," Shining Armor muttered, observing the snow covered ground. "The reports were clear. And look. The snow shows multiple hoofprints, not counting our own. Multiple ponies have moved through here not too long ago," he pointed out, frowning as he looked up at his wife. "And all tracks seem to point towards the castle."
One of the guards exhaled loudly through her nose, producing two puffs of fog. "This has 'trap' written all over it," she remarked, following the trail of upturned snow all the way to the large crystal creation. "No pony to be found. Multiple clear trails, all leading to the same place. Yeah, you don't need to be a genius to figure this out." The other guards muttered their agreement, while Cadance looked around, unsure.
"Are you sure about that?"
"I'm not so sure myself," Shining spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Cadance asked.
Shining looked at the seemingly empty buildings with a steely gaze before answering. "I don't think this is a trap. It seems more like everypony who supposedly lives in this city moved all at once to the same destination. Just look. There are hoofsteps everywhere, all leading to the castle. Why go to all the effort to lay out so many trails just to lure our group into a trap? No, I don't think this is a trap. At least, not a trap for us."
"Then who is the trap for, Sir?" A guard asked.
Looking towards the castle, Shining spoke, voice full of unease. "Whoever these hoofprints belong to." And with determination in his eyes, he moved for the castle.
<<>><<>><<>>
The group had slowly crept closer to the castle's courtyard, only to be stopped by the sight that awaited them. They jumped into hiding, only because training had drilled this response into them. Save for Princess Cadence, who was unable to move, and had to be pulled into the relative safety of their shared hiding place; her mind locked and her body frozen at what she saw.
Ponies, hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies. All gathered together, bowing down so low that their faces pressed against the ground. But that was not what shocked her. No, what had frozen her so soundly, was the dark and menacing form standing on the grand balcony. His mane a twisting mass of darkness, which had spread out and reached down towards everypony groveling on the ground. Energy seemed to flow out of the ponies' bodies; a weak and faint glow coming off of the wisps of energy as they were absorbed into the darkness reaching down to them.
Cadance watched in horror as she saw the suffering of the ponies. The ponies who she knew were the subjects of her ancestors. The ponies who she, as the Princess of this land, was supposed to protect.
A faint groan caught her attention, and she saw a young pony, a colt who couldn't be more than ten years old, stumble before succumbing to Sombra's darkness and collapsing to the ground.
There was a flicker. A waiver in the air that made Cadance blink. She reared back in shock when Sombra suddenly stood towering over the colt, looking down at him with cold, angry eyes.
Raising his hoof, its size as large as the helpless colt's head, clearly showed what he intended to do. The colt was no longer useful to him. And those who were not useful to him would be punished. Harshly. Permanently.
His hoof streaked down, and Cadance blurred into motion, quickly crossing the distance between them.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" she yelled, slamming into Sombra before his hoof connected, knocking him away from the colt; the colt's empty eyes stared into nothing, unable to register what was happening, or even whether he was dead or not.
"Everypony, move in!" Shining armor bellowed, charging in after his wife, his horn alight.
At his command, the guards all moved out of hiding. Acting quickly, they surrounded the dark king; their horns glowing, wings extended, and hooves scraping over the ground as they all prepared for Sombra's next move.
Cadance, however, knelt down to scoop up the young colt; feeling his ribs through his dirty and thinning fur. "Don't worry, my little pony. Everything's going to be alright," she said in a caring tone, gently rocking the child. However, she received no response, the young pony remained almost completely lifeless save for his shallow breathing.
Looking back up, she shifted her gaze to the many grim and somber ponies, finding that they had surrounded her, Shining, and the rest of their guards. Their eyes cold, dull, and focused on all of them.
"You arrogant fools," a rough, masculine voice growled. "Do you really think you can oppose me!?" Sombra's body dissolved into a thick, billowing cloud of darkness; Shining and the guards took a step back in shock. "Whoever you might be, there is nothing you can do to stop me. My powers are greater than any of you can comprehend. Even the immortal Princesses couldn't stop me. What chance do you think you have?" He spoke, the dark cloud solidifying back into his mortal shell once more on the grand balcony. "You might as well give up now."
"Funny," Shining Armor said with a humorless laugh. "I was about to say the same to you," and he charged his horn, taking a mere second to form a spell matrix, and fired an orb of magic at his foe. Sombra simply slided out of the way, his legs turning into wisps of darkness.
Shining Armor, seeing the dark stallion dodge out of the way, quickly unraveled the spell before it could strike any of the ponies around them, keeping them safe from harm.
Looking down with a snarl, Sombra gave a faint tilt of the head, his horn glowing a dark red.
The zombie-like ponies surrounding them flinched as if struck, before moving and closing in on the group; some of them calling on whatever faint shreds of power they had left to charge their horns and cast any spell they could think of to defend their king. But their strength was nearly depleted, and the few who did manage to light their horns collapsed as the last of their energy faded out.
Cadance looked on in horror as the other ponies simply walked over those that fell, seemingly uncaring about what they were doing. Meanwhile, the guards and her husband were having a hard time stopping the advancing army of Sombra's mind controlled victims. They couldn't hurt them, so they were forced to use non lethal methods to stop them. But every time they knocked out one of the enslaved, Sombra would simply revive them using his mental control and send them back into the fight, regardless of their well being or the injuries the ponies had sustained.
Cadance’s gaze was brought down to the colt as she felt him struggling in her grasp, seeing him try to hit her with what little strength he had left. Even now, with nothing left to give, and even after Sombra tried to kill him, the poor soul was still controlled, and still trying to please his insane master.
Tears streamed down Cadance’s face as she looked at the young pony, droplets falling on his face as he continued his futile struggle. Laying him on the ground, Cadance slowly stood up, head down and mane covering her face.
She stood there for what seemed like minutes, unmoving, listening to the silent screams of anguish echoing from her ponies' hearts. She listened, and trembled, rage beginning to build.
She heard the clopping of countless hooves as the ponies dragged themselves towards Shining and the guards, and her stance stiffened. She heard the grunts of those poor souls as their strength left them, their bodies collapsing, and she felt her own strength rise. She heard Shining call out an order, and the sound of her teeth grinding together. She heard the maniacal laughter of the dark king, and smoke began rising from her mane. And she saw the young colt, dragging himself towards her, attempting to bite her leg.
SNAP
"HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed, her mane and tail bursting out into a seething inferno, her coat turning a shimmering white, the sudden transformation drew the attention of Shining Armor and the guards.
"HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed again, burning eyes focused on Sombra, seeing only a brief flicker of shock on his face, before it was replaced with smug arrogance.
"How dare I? It is not a matter of daring. I am merely their superior, just as they are my lesser."
"You're a monster," Cadance seethed through gritted teeth. "I won't allow you to hurt these ponies any longer!" And she launched herself at the corrupted king.
"Sir," the guard closest to Shining Armor said in a half whisper. "Your wife kinda scares me," and they watched the burning Princess as she shot up.
Wings spread out, the air seeming to boil at the feathers' tips from the heat pouring off of them; her mane and tail burning brightly, a stark contrast to Sombra's dark billowing mass. Diving down at full speed, Cadence tried to slam the dark pony down, only to have him slip away from her in a shapeless cloud, leaving her hooves to hit the balcony with a thunderous crack, fissures forming through the crystal structure.
Not pausing for a moment, Cadance charged her horn and fired several spells in the blink of an eye before Sombra could reassert his form. The magic flew straight and true, but the dark cloud shifted and turned to allow the magical projectiles to pass cleanly through the holes Sombra made in himself. Yet one orb of glowing fury managed to hit a stray wisp of shadowy darkness, and the effect was instantaneous.
Sombra roared in pain as he slammed into the ground, his form flickering and shifting between a solid stallion and a shapeless cloud, before solidifying back into his equine self, wildly thrashing as Cadance's magic clashed with his own, otherworldly power.
"I won't let you hurt another pony ever again! Not while I am here!" Cadance stated, mane ablaze, eyes and horn glowing brightly.
With a sound akin to a growl, Cadance blasted Sombra straight in the chest; her magic reacting with Sombra's spectral energy, amplifying the force. Sombra was launched away with a medium sized explosion, cracking the balcony, while the shock wave drove Cadance back, as well as knocking everypony below to the ground. Their master cast out, the enslaved ponies all fell unconscious.
It took several long seconds before Shining Armor and the guards were able to pull themselves back up, all the while looking up at the balcony, seeing Princess Cadence standing tall and proud, mane still ablaze as she stared with glowing fury in her eyes at the spot Sombra was launched to, knowing this was not yet over.
Giving an angry grunt, Cadance's horn pulsed, and a large teal dome of magic formed over the entire city, sealing out the dark king, whose corruption she wouldn't allow to harm the ponies of this land ever again.
"... You know," Shining Armor finally said after a while. "Sometimes she scares me too."
<<>><<>><<>>
A dark blur shot through the air, a shadowy cloud following in its wake as it crashed into the snow covered ground, digging itself a deep trench through momentum alone. Several long tense seconds ticked by, the desolate howl of the wind only adding to the sense of foreboding.
A massive explosion of darkness erupted out of the trench, blowing away the snow in a fine powder, obscuring everything from view, save for the red and green glow of the dark king's eyes. Eyes filled with rage and hate, glaring daggers at the city that was rightfully his. A city now covered by a dome of magic.
"Fools. Do you think such petty defenses will stop me?" he muttered darkly, his body dissolving into a shadowy fog. "I'll show you the real definition of power," and he launched himself against the shield, slamming into the glowing surface.
He growled in anger and defiance as the shield resisted him, sparks of blue coming from it as Sombra's form pushed into it, deforming the dome to a certain degree. But it wasn't without consequence for Sombra, as the dome pushed back just as hard, ripples of energy flowing over its surface towards him. Energy met energy, spectral and magical forces meeting in a fight for domination. Sombra grunted from the strain, while, back in the castle, Cadance gritted her teeth to push back twice as hard against Sombra's attempts.
With a cry of rage, Cadance pushed back and won, the shield's magical energy hurling the corrupted king away with incredible force. A force which was sent directly back to Cadance through her connection with the shield, sending her crashing into the ground, barely hanging on to consciousness. Shining came rushing in, holding his wife in his grasp.
Cadance struggled to say something; just a few whispered words, and Shining knew what to do.
His horn crossed his wife's, magical energy combining in a bond of love. Their shared energy flowed into the shield, filling the frigid air with the warming aura emitted by their union. The many crystals located within the dome were affected by the foreign energy as well; their dark, somber surface slowly fading into a deep, dark red.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And that's how my friends and I used the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon, cleansed her darkness and freed Princess Luna from her corrupting grasp," Twilight finished, closing the sizable book and placing it on top of the pile of books she'd used. All the while, Danny sat next to her, processing the figurative avalanche of information Twilight had thrown at him, almost without stop. Danny had soon learned that once Twilight entered lecture mode, there wasn't much you could do to stop her. Something he had already experienced several days ago, yet still managed to take him by surprise.
Still, there was something else. Something he didn't understand the reason for, only knowing that it was true... He wasn't bored. Normally during a lecture like this, more often than not during his time back in high school, he would have found his face stuck to his desk by a thin layer of drool. But not now. In fact, he might even say he enjoyed himself. Of course, this particular subject had an evil alicorn, magic, and an actual captivating story. All things that were sorely lacking in, well, all the subjects in school. But that was not all. In fact, putting a bit of thought into it, he found himself enjoying this sudden crash course in history because of the cute teacher, and the fact she was enjoying herself as well. 'But why?' he wondered.
He wasn't allowed the time to delve deeper into this peculiar situation, as a guard walked in on them; her hooves clip clopping on the marble floor.
"Miss Twilight. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would like to speak with you."
"They would?" Twilight asked, momentarily confused. Then the worries she had before becoming engrossed with tutoring Danny about the Elements came rushing back to her like an oncoming train. Her eyes widened in realization, and she leapt back on all fours. Almost knocking Danny over in the process, while she actually did manage to knock over the pile of books, sending an avalanche of paper and hard covers cascading down over the floor… and Danny. The unfortunate human could only stare with an open mouth as a literal mountain of information crushed him under its bulk, leaving only his arms and legs to stick out from underneath the pile; a weak, muffled groan coming from underneath.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Twilight stammered, embarrassed. Using her magic to levitate the mass off of Danny, she gave him the most sheepish grin she could while returning the books to their proper places. "Eh… are you alright?"
Groaning, Danny sat up; resting a hand on his knee, the other rubbing his head. "Yeah, I'm… fine. I've been hit harder than that."
"You have?" Twilight said, sounding a bit shocked and worried. "When, and by who?" She asked him, the faintest hint of anger could be heard in her voice.
"Ehh…" Danny stalled, having trouble coming up with a good answer. Fortunately for him, the guard still with them saved him.
"Miss Twilight, the Princesses are waiting."
A small gasp escaped the purple mare. "Oh no, you're right," she said as she looked at the royal guard, then back at Danny. "I need to go, I'll be back soon," she told Danny, who stood back up. "I just hope I haven't made the Princesses wait too long," she added, more to herself, as she hurried away. "Or they might think I'm tardy."
"Uhh… I don't think you have to worry about tha..." Danny called out after her, but she didn't seem to hear him. And the last thing Danny and the guard accompanying him heard from her was when she gave voice to her concern a second time: "Taarrddyyyy," quite a bit of worry present in her voice.
"... Well, that was different," Danny said dumbly, blinking a few times.
"Meh, you get used to it if you're around her long enough," the guard next to him commented.
"You do?"
"Eh, I suppose so," the mare said with a shrug. "Haven't been with the guard for that long, so I don't have much experience with her myself. But I've heard a lot of stories from those who have been on the job for a while."
"Such as?" Danny asked, intrigued.
"You sure you want to know?" She asked, giving him a grin.
Danny took a moment to think, but the answer was all too clear. Returning a grin of his own, he gave his answer.
"Definitely."
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight came to a screeching stop before the double doors to the throne room, trying to get her breathing under control. The two guards stationed at the door were more than used to such scenes, and they shot each other a quick glance while grinning slightly.
"Okay," Twilight said to herself as she breathed in deeply. "Can't keep the Princesses waiting."
With a subtle roll of their eyes, and a flash of their horns, the guards opened the door to the throne room, allowing the purple mare to enter without any further ado.
Quickly walking inside, Twilight bowed down to the two alicorns. "Princesses. I came as soon as I could."
"Rise, Twilight," Celestia said with a gentle tone, "How many times have I told you you don't need to bow before me?"
"Exactly ten thousand four hundred thirty three times," Twilight answered truthfully, leaving both Princesses staring dumbfounded.
"She kept count!?" Luna whispered to her sister.
"It would seem so," Celestia replied, before turning her attention back to Twilight with a gentle smile; Luna, however, slowly stepped back to leave her sister to reveal the latest development. "You never cease to amaze me, Twilight," Celestia spoke up. "Now, please, listen closely," she said, then her smile fell and she turned serious. "There is much to discuss."
"I'm ready for anything," Twilight said confidently, ready to take on whatever task the Princess had in mind for her.
Celestia sighed. "Twilight. The Crystal Empire has returned."
"The Crystal Empire?" Twilight repeated, confused, her confidence evaporating like snow in the sun. "I’ve never heard of that place," she said, more to herself, when a horrible realization hit her. "Oh no. Is it important for me to know about it? I mean, I've tried to study just about everything, but I don't recall anything about a crystal empire."—she began pacing around, her mane beginning to stick out—"But if I missed this, then who knows what else I have missed? I- I need to get to the library, find anything I can about this empire. An—"
Celestia cut her off before things could get out of hoof. "I'm not surprised you don't know about the Crystal Empire," she said as she turned around and used her magic to levitate a glass dome off of a pedestal, revealing a dark crystal underneath. "Few remember it ever existed at all."
Grabbing the crystal in her magic, she levitated it over to Twilight, placing it on the ground before her. "Even my knowledge of the Empire is limited," she explained before firing some of her magic into the crystal, and a beam of energy shot upward out of the object. A map of a large and majestic city materialized before Twilight, showing in minute detail the ponies that live there as they went through their daily routines. "What I do know is that it contains a powerful magic. Over a thousand years ago, King Sombra, a unicorn whose heart was black as night took over the Crystal Empire," with her words, the castle standing in the center of the projection turned dark and grim; the head of the aforementioned dark king displayed above the structure.
The scenery changed once again; going from bright and beautiful, to dark and evil. Sombra standing on a balcony of the castle, while down on the ground ponies were forced into slavery, linked together by chains around their necks. When out from the shadows, two forms emerged. Celestia, and Luna; horns and eyes glowing.
"We fought him for a long time, even using the Elements of Harmony against him. But, for reasons we were never able to ascertain, the Elements proved to be ineffective against Sombra," Celestia revealed with a forced calm, making Twilight gasp. "He was ultimately overthrown," Celestia explained as Twilight observed the projection of Celestia and Luna combining their magic to fight Sombra. "Our magic weakened him, turning him into a being of shadows and darkness and banishing him to the ice of the arctic North,"—Twilight watched with large eyes as the events of so long ago played out before her, unable to believe it all—"but not before he was able to put a curse upon the Empire. A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air," Celestia said dramatically, and the projection vanished in a flash, blinding Twilight.
"If the Empire is filled with hope and love," Celestia continued, picking up the crystal with her magic and firing another beam into it, turning it to a gleaming white, "those things are reflected all across Equestria,"—an aurora of rainbow colors spread around the chamber—"But should hatred and fear take hold," she said as her eyes turned a dark glowing green, with dark purple fog seeping out of the corners; while a dark glow surrounded her horn as well, and a beam of negative energy was fired into the crystal. In mere seconds the crystal reverted back to its dark form, a shadow spreading out from it, reaching all the way to Twilight hooves. Everywhere this shadow touched more crystals of darkness grew, and Twilight looked on in shock at what was happening.
A bright white glow came from Celestia's eyes, and a wave of positive energy cleansed the area, breaking apart the dark crystals. "Which is why I need your help to find a way to protect it," she continued, walking towards Twilight.
"You want me to protect an entire Empire?" Twilight asked, unsure, unable to believe the words coming out of her own mouth.
"It is, as I said, a different kind of test," Celestia replied as she placed the crystal back on its pedestal; replacing the glass dome over it, "But one I'm certain you will pass."
Twilight looked down in uncertainty, a million thoughts going through her mind. Yet, the more she thought about it, the clearer the answer got. "How do I begin!?" She asked confidently.
"By joining Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire," Celestia answered.
"My brother is there?" Twilight asked, surprised.
"He is. And your Ponyville friends will join you there as well. I have every confidence that you will succeed. And when you do, I'll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies," Celestia told her, and they moved to the exit of the chamber. There they saw Princess Luna, who had watched everything in silence. Yet, as Twilight looked up at her, all she saw was a blank, distant gaze; her ears drooping a bit.
"But what if I fail?" She asked, turning back to Celestia.
"You won't!" She stated, full of confidence.
"But, what if-" Twilight began, and Celestia placed a hoof on her back to reassure the young mare.
"You won't!" She stated once more. "But Twilight," she added."In the end, it must be you, and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the Empire. Do you understand?"
"Hm-hem" Twilight hummed while puffing out her chest, standing proudly.
"Then go, there is no time to lose," Celestia said, then closed the doors of the chamber with her magic.
Silence settled down as Twilight was sent on her way, yet something still disturbed Celestia. Mainly, her sister, who was still standing next to her, completely unresponsive.
"Luna?" She said, concerned. "Is everything alright?"
Bodies littered the ground around her. Claws, twisted in a bloody heap; fangs broken and scattered across the ground. Anger burned through her veins as darkness surrounded her. A darkness that was pierced by nothing save the light of the full moon.
"Luna?" Celestia gave her sister a gentle nudge, which seemed to snap her out of her trance. "Are you sure you are alright?"
Blinking several times, Luna found herself lost for a few short moments before current events caught back up with her. "Yes… Yes, I'm fine. Just tired, that's all," she answered, confused. "Normally I'm asleep during the day."
"I see," Celestia replied, worried. "Perhaps it's better for you to rest now, then."
Only nodding in response, Luna opened the doors and walked out, lost in thought while her sister watched her with a worried frown. Yet, as Luna headed back to her chamber to retire for the day, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had forgotten something. Something very important. Something that would raise as many questions as it answered.
A lingering thought. A mere shadow lost in the maelstrom of her mind.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight was walking through the hallways of the castle, deep in thought. She knew now what to do, just not how to do it. This was nothing like anything she had ever done before. 'Studying for a surprise test? Easy. Reciting the first hundred digits of pi? Piece of cake. Traversing through a dangerous forest at night to find an ancient artifact to take down an evil Princess? No problem at all. Taking on a creature of chaos akin to a god? Challenging, but not impossible. A changeling invasion led by an imposter Princess Cadance? Hah! I was the only one who knew something was off. Saving an entire Empire…'
"I'm gonna need some help," she said to herself, when a chorus of laughter caught her attention. Looking around, she realized she had subconsciously walked back to the library. Nothing new about that, of course. More laughter escaped the doors leading to one of her most cherished places in Equestria. Her curiosity piqued, she headed inside to find out what was going on.
"And then, when Celestia finally found her, she had somehow managed to get her head stuck in the cookie jar."
A new eruption of laughter filled the air, and Twilight watched in both confusion and embarrassment at the scene before her. The embarrassment was due to the fact she knew exactly where that story came from, the confusion because of just who was there to hear it.
"No way!" Rainbow Dash managed to wheeze out through her laughter, legs kicking in the air as she rolled around on the ground; legs clutching her sides.
"That's even funnier than the one where she accidentally set her tail on fire," Pinkie Pie piped up, and another round of laughter erupted from the group of ponies, human, and dragon.
Applejack was holding her stetson in front of her mouth to mute the joyous laughter, whereas Rarity showed her amusement in a more refined, ladylike manner; laughing daintily behind a hoof. Fluttershy's laugh was barely audible, with her face partially hidden behind her mane. While her complete opposite, Pinkie Pie, was squirming on the ground similar to Rainbow Dash. Danny showed his own amusement as he wheezed for air, his sides hurting, while a few tears glistened in the corners of his eyes. And Spike gave a good, hearty chuckle as he remembered some of the stories told.
"And then there was the time wh—" The guard who had summoned Twilight continued, much to Twilight's horror.
"AH-HUM!" Twilight called out loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
An awkward silence descended as everyone looked at the purple mare all the stories told were centered around. An awkward silence, which was promptly shattered when the image of Twilight's head stuck in the cookie jar went through Pinkie Pie's mind, and she snorted loudly, before bursting into laughter once more.
This set off a chain reaction in which each and every mare, man, and dragon lost their flimsy composure, and another round of laughter filled the room, much to Twilight's annoyance.
"Yo, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash spoke up through her chuckles. "I know you once made Spike all big, but you never told us about making yourself all small… while trying to make a sandwh- hahahah!" unable to finish her sentence as she was laughing too hard, Rainbow Dash instead leaned against Pinkie Pie for support; her pink friend mirroring Rainbow as she herself stood unsteady on her hooves as well. The others also joined in with the amusement, though they at least did manage to keep some composure; while a certain guard tried to make a silent retreat as they all saw the less than amused look on Twilight's face.
"I, eh, I should probably go, patrolling to do and such," the guard said, nervously; giving a sheepish smile towards Twilight, before hurrying away.
"Wait, hold on!" Danny called after her. "I never actually got your name."
She shouted something back at him, but Danny was unable to catch it as she hurried away.
"Huh…" Pinkie Pie piped up. "Where's she going all of a sudden?" And she stood with a serious look on her face, until a certain story involving a purple unicorn shot through her mind, and she broke out laughing again.
"Ugh," Twilight groans. "Why are you even here?"
"What do you mean, why are we here?" Rainbow Dash shot back, confused. "You sent us a message saying there was a serious emergency."
"Yeah, don't you remember?" Spike asked, pulling said letter from behind his back, making Danny wonder where he kept it.
Spike took a deep breath, and was about to read the letter, when Twilight interrupted him.
"I know what I wrote. But I never said you had to come here right this instant. Just to be ready should a serious situation arise."
Raising a single eyebrow, Spike scanned the contents of the letter once more. "Dear friends, yada yada ya. A possible serious situation… Prepare to use the Elements… Let you know when I know more…" scratching the back of his head, he read the letter for a third time, still coming to the same conclusion. "Yeah, this doesn't really tell us to stay put, what with all the 'serious situation' and such."
"Which is exactly why we also brought this," Rarity added, levitating an ornate box out of her saddle bags. Opening the lid, she showed the precious treasures which lay inside.
"So, those are the Elements you told me about?" Danny asked, remembering seeing the items back when he visited Twilight back in her library home. While he also experienced a vague feeling of recognition deep in the back of his mind.
"Yes, yes they are," Twilight confirmed. "Those are the Elements of Harmony. Very powerful magical artifacts which my friends and I use to stop various threats no ordinary force can deal with. We used them to free Princess Luna from the corruption of Nightmare Moon, like I told you. And to stop Discord, a creature of chaos."
"Discord?" Danny said, curiously.
"He's a creature of mismatched body parts, who uses his magic to warp reality to his will," Twilight clarified, and a shudder went down Danny's spine.
'A creature with the power to warp reality?! Does this Discord have a reality gauntlet? I thought I destroyed it? Are there more than one?'
"Yeah, which means they are totally up to the task of kicking whoever's flank it is that's causing whatever problem it is we need to deal with," Rainbow Dash brashly stated, hovering a bit off of the ground.
"I'm afraid not," Twilight replied. "The Elements are unable to help," and Rainbow Dash promptly dropped to the ground in shock.
"WHAT!" All the ponies, and Spike said loudly, leaving Danny with a ringing in his ears.
"What do you mean, the Elements won't work?" Rainbow Dash shouted, her muzzle almost touching Twilight's.
"I don't know!" Twilight said, forcefully, making Rainbow Dash back off a bit. "All I know is what the Princesses have told me."
"And what might that be, darling?" Rarity asked.
Sitting down with a sigh, Twilight rubbed her hooves in circles over her temples before answering. "Just that an ancient empire, called the Crystal Empire, which vanished over a millenia ago, has reappeared. And that the one responsible for its disappearance is a dark unicorn king by the name of Sombra, whose corrupted reign the Princesses fought to bring an end to. But, nearing defeat, he used a magic unknown to the Princesses to take the empire away, along with everypony living in it."
"Wow!" Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie uttered; the last one sitting with 3D glasses on her muzzle as if she was watching a very exciting movie. Fluttershy, however, shrank into herself, and hid behind her mane at the mention of a dark unicorn, while Rarity stood by her side to comfort her. Applejack seemed mostly unfazed by it all, but a pensive look showed on her face. While yet another shock of recognition came over Danny.
"Now the empire is back, and we need to help my brother and Cadance protect it. But as to why the Elements won't work, even the Princesses don't know. Just that they don't."
"So, what yer tellin' us is that we gotta go ta this empire thingy, protect it against some sorta evil king, an' do it all without tha Elements?" Applejack asked, and Twilight gave a small nod in answer. "Aw shucks, Sugarcube. Ah reckon we can handle that."
"Yeah, we can totally take this guy on," Rainbow Dash said excitedly, hovering off the ground once more while punching the air.
"Oh, I know. We throw this kingy a BIG party to make him all happy, and not a grumpy meany," Pinkie Pie added her voice to the mix.
"I'm not sure that that is the best way to go about this," Rarity replied. "But I agree with our friends. I'm sure we can find a way to help this empire."
"I- I'll h- hel- p too," Fluttershy quietly added, one eye peeking through the pink strands of her mane.
"Count me in," Spike said. "An entire empire of crystal…" he added as he drifted off, a small string of drool seeping out of his mouth.
"You're not going to eat it," Twilight said flatly.
"Aww, not even a little bit?"
"Not even a single lick!"
"Not fair!" Spike muttered, crossing his arms, much to the amusement of the ponies around him.
"Anyhow, the Princesses told me we must go there as soon as we can, as time is of the essence."
"Then it is a good thing I came prepared," Rarity remarked, and with a flash of her horn multiple bags and suitcases floated out from behind one of the many bookcases.
"Uh, Rarity. What exactly did you bring with you?" Twilight asked with a voice of concern.
"Just the bare basics, of course. Nothing too heavy."
"Yeah, just fourteen bags," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Indeed," Rarity agreed, missing the sarcasm. "I wanted to take more, seeing that I didn't know what kind of situation we might end up in. But I ended up packing everything, so some sacrifices had to be made in favor of traveling light."
Silence.
"Well, I hope you packed for cold temperatures," Twilight spoke up, breaking the silence in which everyone agreed to just let Rarity be Rarity. "Because the Crystal Empire is to the far North."
A look of pure horror spread across Rarity's face. "The far North!? Oh, Celestia no. I didn't bring anything to wear in such a horrid climate!" She said in full panic mode, using her magic to open the bags and cases and sift through the contents. "I expected many things, but this… Oh, no no no no no. This will simply not do," she proclaimed in a panic as hats, sunglasses, dresses, and various other pieces of clothing, jewelry, or other accessories flew through the air in her magical aura.
"Jeez, Rarity," Rainbow Dash groaned, rolling her eyes. "It's just the far North. There's no need to panic about some clothes because of it."
"No need to panic!?" Rarity almost gasped, then she realized who it was that said such a thing. "Rainbow Dash, not everypony is an unrefined ruffian such as yourself. Some ponies do know how to show some class, everywhere, anywhere. And this is no exception."
"Hey! Who are you calling unrefined?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, narrowing her eyes.
"Alright, settle down everypony!" Applejack called out, trying to defuse the situation.
Twilight, however, facehoofed over her friends' behavior. Which didn't seem to stop them at all. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were getting louder and louder, with Applejack somehow being dragged into the argument. Spike, meanwhile, was already hard at work cleaning up Rarity’s pile of clothes with hearts in his eyes. While Pinkie Pie was rummaging through the same pile, putting together an ensemble of mismatched clothes and a hat, which caused Rarity to shriek as she spotted the fashion nightmare. Pinkie Pie didn't seem to mind, however, as she was giggling madly as a wide brimmed hat drooped in front of her eyes. Fluttershy was quietly watching everything, giving voice to her concern every now and then. But her voice went unheard in the loud argument all ponies now seemed to be a part of.
Danny, on the other hand, stared at the arguing group, only paying them half a mind. No, most of his thoughts were centered around something Twilight had said. An entire empire taken away, and through means unknown to the Princesses.
'Is it just me, or does that sound scarily familiar to what Pariah Dark did to Amity Park all those years ago?'
The arguing group of ponies provided him with no answer.
<<>><<>><<>>
The guard moved quickly through the hallways of the castle, putting as much distance between herself and the library as she could without drawing too much attention to herself. Her primary objective completed, she was now returning to the Princess to report her findings.
As she rounded a corner, she was forced to a screeching halt as she found Princess Luna blocking her path. Quickly snapping to attention, she shot off a salute. Much to her surprise, however, the Princess seemed completely oblivious to her. And the only reaction she gave to the presence of the mare before her, was a slight adjustment of her course to avoid collision.
While the guard certainly found this strange, she had a mission which needed completing. Besides, she knew the Princess of the Night usually slept during the day. Maybe she was just tired? Regardless of what it might have been, the moment Princess Luna moved out of sight she continued on her way; quickly reaching the double doors leading to the throne room.
Taking a moment to straighten herself, she knocked three times in a particular pattern. Several seconds ticked by before the doors opened in the golden glow of Princess Celestia's magical aura, allowing the guard entry.
Stepping inside, the doors closed behind her without a sound. And, as she looked around, she took notice of the fact that she and Princess Celestia were the only one's in the room. As expected.
"Ah, Vigilant Shield," Celestia greeted with an inquiring tone, and Vigilant Shield removed her helmet before saluting. The glamour spell altering her appearance vanishing around her face, "What have you learned?"
"Not much, I'm afraid," she answered. "I've been able to get near Mister Manson, and to get a scanner in close proximity as well. But nothing showed up as suspicious, or indicated any kind of spectral activity going on around him. Which is strange, I might add."
"How so?" Celestia inquired, intrigued.
"I mean that the team back in Ponyville has reported a confirmed hit on multiple spectral entities near Mister Manson's house. Something that has far reaching implications on its own. But for some reason they seem to be centered around him. And yet, I didn't pick up anything from him. Nothing at all… It's bothering me… Princess."
"I see," Celestia mused.
"But this also means that, whatever entity is haunting him, it is still in Ponyville. I do not know why it is still there, and didn't follow Mister Manson, but it stands to reason that this entity will lay low now that it knows we are onto it. At least…"
"Until Danny Manson returns to Ponyville," Celestia finished, the temperature of the room seeming to drop a bit.
"Yes, Princess."
Celestia's eyes narrowed slightly, "Which means, unless the team in Ponyville manages to track down and capture the ghost or ghosts on their own, we will have to use Danny as bait."
"It… isn't the best of situations."
"No, it isn't. And in good conscience I can not do such a thing to anyone… However, we are talking about the potential safety of the entire town. And what's more, should we keep Danny away from Ponyville, who's to say the ghosts won't go looking for him."
"There is a good chance the entities will leave the Ponyville area in search of Danny, or another potential victim," Vigilant Shield agreed.
"And that's what worries me most," Celestia admitted, looking down as she sighed. "The safety of the many outweigh the safety of the few, or the one," she said, eyes closed, a bitter taste in her mouth. "He needs to return to Ponyville… Hopefully there won't be any incidents when he does."
<<>><<>><<>>
Hours had ticked by before everything was said and done, and the night was slowly making its approach, but everyone was finally on their way to the train station to board the train meant to take them to the Crystal Empire. All except Danny, something Princess Celestia was quite clear about.
'This ordeal is not meant for you, and the possible dangers are too great,' her words echoed through Danny's mind. It wasn't as if he asked to join Twilight and her friends, but she told him that anyway. Yet, there was something else about this that irked him. She didn't want him to go, but six mares plus a baby dragon wasn't a problem. Yeah, something was not right about that, and it bothered him greatly.
And then there was this whole Pariah Dark copycat issue, if Danny's suspicions were correct. He didn't say anything about it for fear of giving too much away about his past, but the thought never left him. Something kept it in the forefront of his mind. A constant reminder of his past, and his friends' present.
Things just didn't add up. 'Are there really ghosts on this world, too? I mean, there was that Mort guy. Who I think is these ponies' Grim Reaper. But that makes sense… I think. But for there to be another Pariah Dark… Is that possible? Here?' his gaze wandered to the ponies with whom he was walking to the train station, his eyes lingering on Twilight for just a moment. 'And if there really is someone like him, do they stand a chance? Pariah Dark was almost impossible to deal with. Heck, it almost killed me. If this Sombra is even half the challenge Pariah was Twilight's li— their lives might be in danger,' he thought, catching the slip up, and promptly ignoring it.
Together they continued their relatively silent walk back to the train station. Although Rainbow Dash decided to fly, while Pinkie Pie was pronking the entire way; giving an amused giggle and snort every now and then. Twilight was diligently reading through a rather thick book, researching what she could for the coming mission, while somehow managing to walk without bumping into anyone. Fluttershy and Applejack were simply trotting along with the group, although Fluttershy was doing her best to fade into the background; head kept low. And Rarity, she was still going on about the lack of proper clothing for the task at hoof. She was scanning every shop they passed to see if they sold clothes, and if they did, whether or not they held up to her standards. So far, no luck.
It was a rather uneventful walk, until Twilight snapped the book closed, also snapping Danny out of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw they had arrived at the train station; a steam whistle blowing as one of the trains departed, with many ponies standing on the platform waving goodbye to their friends and loved ones.
"Okay, this is it," Twilight proclaimed, heading towards a singled out train with only two cars. "Girls, this is the train the Princesses have provided for us to take to the Crystal Empire," she continued as she turned around to look at her friends, then turned to Danny. "This is also where we split up," she said with clear disappointment, which didn't go unnoticed by her friends. Well, most of them. Rainbow Dash was more focused on a Wonderbolts poster hanging on the station's wall. "The train to Ponyville is on platform three, over there," she told Danny, pointing a hoof at the correct train. "It should leave in another ten minutes. We, on the other hoof, must leave immediately. Too much time has already passed, and our help is needed in the Empire."
"Right," Danny replied with a frown, looking at the train back home. A frown which was misread by some.
"Oh, don't worry dear. We'll be back sooner than you know. Then Twilight can tell you all about how we saved an entire empire."
"Wait, what?" Danny and Twilight said in stereo, blinking in confusion.
"Oh, nothing," Rarity said with fake innocence, giving a wink.
Danny and Twilight stared at each other in blank confusion, not sure what she was hinting at. They were snapped out of their stupor when a steam whistle from the mares' train signaled it was ready to depart.
"Right, we need to go now," Twilight muttered, reminding herself of what needed to be done. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her friends were already boarding the first car; a playful grin on Rarity's face, while Applejack's showed a knowing smile. Twilight didn't know why, but she had a feeling they knew something she didn’t. Pinkie Pie was smiling as well, but the exact reason behind this was even more of a mystery for the mare. Shaking her head, she focused back on the tall human before her. "Well, see you when we get back," she said with a noticeable level of awkwardness. Turning around, she stopped in a moment of hesitation, biting her lower lip.
Turning back around, she reared up and gave Danny a warm hug, while he stood completely frozen on the spot by the sudden affection.
"Ehh..." he mumbled, hands half raised; his mind frozen in debate on whether he should return the hug or not. However, Twilight broke off the hug before he was able to regain his senses, and she quickly hurried onto the train, leaving a flabbergasted human standing on the platform.
"Huh?" Danny finally managed to say, when the train departed with another blow of its whistle. A couple of muted "Oohhs," could be heard coming from within the car, while he blinked slowly a couple of times. Finally, the train gained some momentum, and left the station. Danny, still stuck in a daze, watched the train slowly getting smaller, a chill going down his spine.
They were heading to this Empire, facing someone who sounded just like Pariha Dark. And if this Sombra truly was what Danny feared he was, they were heading into a potential deathtrap. They didn't know how to fight a ghost. She didn't know how to fight a ghost. And if this guy was even half as bad as the dark ghost king…
THUMB-THUMB
Danny's left hand twitched, before both hands balled into fists. Looking around, he searched for a spot hidden from view.
'Just this one time,' he told himself as he dashed behind a wall. 'Just once… What's the worst that could happen?'
A flash of light came from his hiding spot, his shadow projected on the wall of the nearby building. Glowing green eyes looked up through the low hanging strands of white hair, burning bright with determination. 'Not again… I can't let her… them, get hurt too.'
Turning invisible on the spot, he flew up and after the train, pushing himself to catch up. The wind cut into his face as he pushed himself to go faster, but to no avail. His former speed, more than capable of catching up with the train, had dwindled down to a much slower pace. Then, in a moment of clarity, he turned himself intangible to allow any wind resistance to pass cleanly through him, allowing him to speed up without any effort. Closer and closer he got, and before long the puffs of smoke coming from the locomotive's chimney blew in, and then through his face. Angling himself downwards, he aimed at the second car, phasing through the roof.
"Alright!" He exclaimed triumphantly.
"Hey, did any a' y'all hear that?" He heard Applejack's voice coming from the other side, having heard his mistake.
More in a flash of panic than actual rational thought, he transformed back into his human self while dropping to the ground; only for it to give way and shift. In a loud ruckus of suitcases falling and a human shouting, the door separating the two cars opened. Danny looked up in shock and embarrassment, while a look of shocked confusion showed on the faces of the six ponies and one baby dragon who stared back at him.
"Ehh… Hey," Danny said weakly, waving a hat-covered hand. "Fancy seeing you here."
The only answer he got was silence, as the train continued on its journey to their next adventure.
Twilight's friends gave several oohs and aahs as she stepped on board the train, a blush staining her cheeks, although she wasn't really sure why.
Rainbow Dash seemed to want to make some comment, probably to tease Twilight into a full blown blush, but Rarity shushed her down. Instead, the purple mare and her friends opted to take a seat; the train rocking into motion.
For the first couple of minutes nothing was said, much to Twilight's appreciation. She used the few precious moments of silence to go over what had just happened, why she had just hugged Danny, and her friends' reactions. But the thing that lingered in the forefront of her mind the most, and which continued to keep a faint blush on her cheeks, was the memory of Danny's warmth.
Of course her somewhat dreamy expression, alongside the blush -no matter how well hidden under her purple fur- did not go unnoticed by those around her; all save for a certain dragon who seemed more interested in the white mare he was sitting next to, fidgeting on his seat.
Eventually the silence was broken by Applejack, who wanted to know more about what they were heading into. Twilight, happy to have an excuse to steer her friends' curiosity away from herself, was quick to answer. Unfortunately, everything she knew she had already told her friends, and the conversation quickly came back to a certain human; a mischievous glint in Rarity's eyes as she noticed the look on Twilight's face.
"So, Twilight," Rarity began. "What was that just now, with you and Danny? I thought you said there wasn't anything between you two."
"There isn't!" Twilight quickly objected, and Rarity cocked a single eyebrow, a faint smile gracing her lips.
"Really? That hug didn't seem to be just between 'friends'. Especially considering how Danny reacted."
"Yeah, you totally took him by surprise!" Rainbow Dash piped up, grinning at her friend's flushed reaction.
"I think it's nice for them," Fluttershy said, before shrinking down a bit as Twilight looked at her. "Oh, I mean, if you were together, that is..."
"Nice!?" Pinkie Pie proclaimed. "It would be super awesomeriffic." She punctuated her proclamation by throwing a bunch of confetti in the air.
Chuckling, Applejack pulled the energetic pony down from the seat she was standing on; biped style. "Simmer down, pardner. Save some of that energy fer when we get ta tha Empire."
"Aaaaw," Pinkie Pie pouted, the cluster of balloons -which somehow appeared out of nowhere, and were tied to her tail- deflated simultaneously in a single, loud, squeaky farting sound.
Ignoring their pink friend's antics, the group's focus returned once more to Twilight.
"But Ah gotta admit Ah'm curious as well, Twilight," Applejack said. "If you an' Danny ain't together 'together', then what was that hug all about? Ah mean, sure, we've shared a group hug, and whatnot. But that was clearly somethin' else. The fella sure as hay weren't expecting it."
"I, ehh..." Twilight stuttered, unable to come up with a good explanation for something she didn't fully understand herself. Rainbow Dash, however, saw Twilight's hesitation to answer as something else.
"Ooh... Twilight and Danny, sitting in a tree~" she began to sing, joined by Pinkie Pie. "K I S S—"
"WE'RE NOT TOGETHER!" Twilight yelled. "Besides, why would I be sitting in a tree? It's highly illogical. Sure, it would make sense for Danny, since his species originates from apes, but-"
"You really know how to make everything boring, Egghead," Rainbow Dash said flatly, earning herself a flat look from Twilight. "Besides. You live in a tree."
"Rainbow Dash, dear. Just leave Twilight alone. She'll figure this out on her own in time," Rarity chimed in, defusing the situation.
"Yeah, probably by the time she sprouts wings," Rainbow Dash muttered sarcastically.
"Now you're just being ridiculous," Rarity said flatly, rolling her eyes.
"Whatever."
"Girls, let's jus' keep this friendly, now shall we?" Applejack spoke up, receiving several murmurs of approval. "Good. Now, let's jus' forget 'bout Danny fer a while, an' j—" a sudden and loud ruckus from the adjacent car cut her off, followed by what seemed to be somepony talking. "... Hey, did any a' y'all hear that?"
"Hard not to," Rainbow Dash replied, already leaping for the door.
"Oh, I hope it isn't anything scary," Fluttershy said meekly, pressing herself tightly into her seat while her mane shifted to cover her face.
"My suitcases!? MY CLOTHES!?" Rarity practically screeched, running for the door, shoving anypony in her path to the side. "Move, I need to make sure nothing got damaged."
Opening the door and hurrying inside, Rarity and her friends saw the source of the disturbance lying before them. True to Applejack's words, the many suitcases Rarity had brought along had indeed fallen over. Yet the cause for this was something she couldn't have guessed. For lying in the midst of it all, looking quite sheepish, was the very human they had just agreed to forget for the foreseeable future.
"Ehh... Hey," Danny said weakly, waving a hat-covered hand. "Fancy seeing you here."
The mares and dragon could only watch in silence, unable to come up with a response as they saw Danny with them.
<<>><<>><<>>
A snowstorm howled over the frozen landscape, the white flakes colliding with the glowing dome of magic covering the lone city. A cloud of darkness spread overhead as Sombra waited for a chance to strike. He knew the shield would not give, as he had tried to break through by force, and failed. But he also knew those interlopers would call for reinforcements, which left them vulnerable. Any who would attempt to reach his Empire would have to cross the border under his control, which is where he would strike.
He himself was trapped outside, the shield blocking his every way. But, as the crystals inside the dome showed, his powers were not. He would get inside, using any of those mortal fools who dared to set hoof on his land; infecting them with the darkness of his crystals, spreading it inside the shield, tearing it down from within.
Yes, the ponies would do all the hard work for him. All he had to do was wait.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Danny, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked.
"Eehh... Would you believe that I took the wrong train?" He asked sheepishly, the hat falling off of his hand.
Twilight gave him a flat look, a single eyebrow raised. "No, I would not. Seeing that I told you which train to take in the first place."
"Eh, right," he mumbled, scratching his head. "Right."
"Maybe he didn't want to say goodbye without a kiss?" Rainbow Dash joked, grinning deviously, as Danny and Twilight's faces turned a dark shade of crimson.
""What!"" They both shouted, looking at each other, then at Rainbow Dash. ""No!""
Rainbow Dash burst out laughing at the sight of their flustered faces, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye.
Rolling her eyes, Rarity flicked Rainbow Dash's nose with her magic, causing her to scrunch up her muzzle.
"Hey, what gives!?"
"That was both highly inappropriate, and unnecessary," Rarity commented, then turned to Danny. "Just ignore her, dear. But please, do tell. Why are you here? You know we can't turn around. And it might be dangerous where we're going."
"Yeah... about that," Danny muttered, slowly picking himself up, holding on to an overhead luggage rack, looking at Twilight. "Didn't you say that this empire vanished for over a thousand years, and that this sombrero guy was responsible for its disappearance?"
"It's Sombra, and yes," Twilight corrected him, though confirming the situation. "Why?"
"I'm not sure yet," Danny muttered. "At least, not entirely," his eyes narrowed slightly as he thought back to those events many years ago, and his subsequent fight with Pariah Dark. "It just sounds familiar."
"O-kay?" Twilight replied questioningly, sharing a confused glance with her friends.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow Dash said. "You mean that you snuck on board this train to go to this Crystal Empire, just because something Twilight said sounded familiar?"
"Uhh..." Danny uttered, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess."
Rainbow Dash looked at him with disbelief on her face. "Does anypony else have a problem with that? It's just so irresponsible," she said, and her friends all gave her a flat look. "What!?"
Rolling her eyes, Rarity sighed. "Rainbow, please. If there is anypony irresponsible, it is you."
"What!? I'm totally responsible. Heck, responsible is my middle name," she stated, hoof pressed against her chest as she hovered biped style in the air.
"I thought your middle name was danger?" Spike piped up, scratching his head.
"It is. Rainbow Responsible Danger Dash... Wait, that doesn't sound right."
"Ya think?" Applejack replied, rolling her eyes. "Still, Miss Responsible Danger Dash raises a good point."
"Agreed," Twilight said, nodding. "Danny, what you did was extremely foolish."
"Wouldn't be the first time," Danny muttered under his breath. "I suppose so," he continued out loud. "Eehh... Guess I'm in for the ride, though. You did say we couldn't turn around," he aimed at Rarity.
"I.. Uhh... Yes, I did say that," Rarity stuttered, taken aback. "Uhh... Girls, what should we do with him?"
"Ehm... Maybe we can ask the conductor to take Danny back when we arrive at the Empire...?" Fluttershy suggested, giving a small smile as her head poked out from underneath her mane. "I, ehh. Maybe I could stay with him, too. To make sure he gets home safely?"
"Fluttershy, you know we need your help with this. Besides, the train can't just leave like that," Twilight replied, looking away in uncertainty. "I probably shouldn't say this, but the train is also our way out should something go wrong. In the worst case scenario, we have to evacuate as many ponies as we can from the Empire, and load them on the train-"
"With just two cars?" Danny cut in, confused.
Twilight blinked dumbly, taking a moment to look at the car they came from, and the one they were now standing in, the math not adding up.
"Uuhh..."
"That seems like a rather large oversight," Danny said, a hint of irritation in his voice. "How are you supposed to evacuate anyone if there is no place for them... You sure that is what this train is for?"
"Princess Celestia told me herself," Twilight replied, a bit frantic.
"Okay..." Danny said loudly, a hand held up. "Let me get this straight. There's this Sombrero guy, who basically abducted an entire Empire. He and this Empire came back after more than a thousand years, and then the Princesses send you, six mares and a baby dragon, to help protect the city without any solid intel to guide you. Plus, this supposed 'last resort' plan is completely flawed and doomed to fail should it be necessary," he looked down at Twilight, who stared up at him with confliction evident in her eyes. "Does anyone else see a problem with this?"
"Eehh... Maybe it ain't that bad?" Applejack suggested weakly. "Ah mean, we've faced worse problems. Tha Princesses probably think we're not gonna get into any large problems?"
A loud slap sounded through the car as Danny facepalmed, a red mark glowing on his face, making a good attempt at the current record held by Dani. "Seriously," he groaned. "It's like I'm dealing with the Guys in White again."
"Who?" Pinkie Pie asked, jumping up and down. "Are they some of your friends?!"
"Hardly," Danny muttered, answering without thought. "They're just a bunch of government idiots who bumble around, thinking they know everything, while only making any problem worse."
"Whoa, wait!?" Rainbow Dash spoke up, her face almost pressed against Danny's. "You've worked with your government?" her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you a spy?"
"Wh- What?" Danny almost shouted. "No! Why would you think that?"
"Hey, you're the one saying you've worked for the government, not me," Rainbow Dash replied, poking Danny in the chest, before a purple aura wrapped around her tail and pulled her away.
"He never said any such thing," Twilight said, irritated as she pulled Rainbow Dash away; not liking her accusing Danny, or poking him like that. "Right, Danny?"
"Ehh, right. I can honestly say I am not a spy," he said after a moment of confusion. 'If we're talking about ghosts, though...'
"See," Twilight shot back at the prismatic pegasus, who had crossed her front legs in annoyance at still being trapped in Twilight's magic.
"Sheesh, Twi. Seriously. If you don't like me talking to your coltfriend like that, you can just say so."
"He is not my coltfriend!" She shouted.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, don't burn your mane over me," Rainbow Dash said, frowning.
Nodding, with a frown of her own, Twilight released her hold over her winged friend, turning to Danny. "Sorry about that, she can get like that sometimes."
"You don't say," Danny replied flatly.
"ANYHOW!" Applejack's loud voice filled the car, "Let's not forget what we're tryin' ta do here."
"Right, right," Twilight commented, taking a deep breath, bringing her hoof to her chest, before breathing out and extending her leg outwards. "I kinda let myself go there."
"Oh, don't worry too much about it, dear. We all need to let off some steam from time to time," Rarity said, and a shrill steam whistle filled the air. "... Erm, my point exactly."
For a moment nothing was said. Then, as if a bubble burst, everyone burst out in laughter, the tension vanishing into thin air.
"Alright, you're right," Twilight said, chuckling. "Danny can come with us. I'm sure Cadance and Shining wouldn't mind if he stays close by. They reported that they have control over the city, so Dan-, we should be safe inside," she explained, her slip up not going unnoticed, and Danny looked at her with a quizzical eyebrow raised.
"Okay," he gave a single nod in agreement, "that'll work."
'I'll just go along for now. When I'm alone, I can... go ghost and investigate this Empire. Don't like the idea of turning, though," he thought to himself, feeling himself grow warm when he saw Twilight smile at him. And, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he felt a smile growing on his face outside of his control. 'It'll be worth it.'
<<>><<>><<>>
A rough grunt echoed through the devastated room, and Valerie pushed herself upright, head spinning.
"Where am I?" she groaned, her voice warped as she was still wearing her helmet.
Looking around, her surroundings slowly began to make sense to her. And by the time she fully realized where she was, her eyes were wide open.
"What!? How did I get here?" She asked out loud, removing her helmet to see if the visor was malfunctioning. "This is... This is my home." She slowly moved around, reaching for a blaster on reflex. "What happened?" She wondered, her focus turning to the large hole in the wall, and the city outside; noticing the rapidly fading light as night approached.
Taking a running start, she jumped out of the hole and activated her board. "Tucker, you better be able to give me some answers, 'cause I'm freaking the hell out here."
<<>><<>><<>>
Over at the Fenton Corporation, people were hard at work getting the full reports about what had happened in order. Many technicians were checking, double checking, and even triple checking all the hardwired systems to make sure the 'accidental' activation wasn't caused by a short circuit, or some other hardware malfunction. While others were busy scanning the system for any virus, glitch, or foul play. So far, nothing was found, save for the decoy errors Tucker had placed at random spots in the system. Which, when put together, would give the idea that what had happened was the result of several code errors conflicting with one another. Something that should be easily fixed, and cover up any involvement from Tucker.
'Sometimes it pays to be a techno wizard,' Tucker though, smirking.
"Ouch!" Jazz cried out, shaking Tucker out of his thoughts.
"Sorry," he said, giving an awkward smile to the red haired woman whose hand he was currently freeing from the self hardening foam Valerie had placed around it. "This stuff isn't all that easy to remove without some movement."
"I know, I know. Just, be careful," Jazz muttered, wincing every now and then.
"M- Maybe I can help?" Soarin offered, hesitation clear in his voice as he was still coming to terms with everything revealed to him. "I have some first aid training."
"Maybe once I get this stuff off of her wrist," Tucker suggested. "No offense, but your hooves aren't really the best tools for this job," Jazz winced again. "Nor are my hands, it would seem," he added in mutter, before giving a shout of triumph when he finally managed to pry off the foam, only to flinch when he saw the severe discoloration of the broken wrist.
"Well, there's your problem," he said with a shiver. "What do you make of it?" He asked Soarin.
Stepping closer to get a better view, Soarin carefully took Jazz's hand in his hooves, carefully observing the limb from various angles. "Definitely broken, no doubt about it. Severe swelling, although the fracture doesn't seem to extend beyond the original injury. But there seems to be some deformity, most likely due to the method used to secure the injury..." Sighing, he looked up at Jazz. "This goes beyond my basic training. I mean, I can secure it using a splint, but it would pretty much just be the same thing as that foam stuff your friend just removed. Nothing that will fix this, though. You need to see a doctor, and quick."
"Yeah, somehow that doesn't surprise me," Tucker remarked, leaning back in a chair. "So, what story are we going to tell them this time?"
"What do you mean?" Soarin asked, confused. "She was hurt by one of those ghosts."
"But there weren't any ghosts here," Tucker pointed out. "So where did this ghost come from? Obviously, Jazz couldn't have gone into the 'ghosts' world' because that would just be insane! Not to mention absolutely impossible, and ridiculous. A psychiatrist going into the Ghost Zone to save her pony boyfriend. A woman with 'absolutely no experience' with ghost hunting whatsoever, save for the few bits she might have picked up from her parents. Parents who are completely unaware of the fact it's even possible to pass through the portal and enter the Ghost Zone, and who are considered to be some of the best ghost hunters around," Tucker finished with a sigh, shaking his head.
"He's right," Jazz spoke up, looking at Soarin. "There aren't many who know what we know; do what we do. My parents are no exception. What we do must remain a secret, for the safety of us all."
"What!? Are you crazy?!" Soarin said with a raised voice. "You're joking, right? There is no way something like this should be kept a secret. The things you know, what you did. This must be told to everyone! We can actually fight those ghosts where they live."
"That is precisely what we are trying to avoid!" Jazz countered in alarm. "Among other things."
"Wha?"
Sighing, Jazz leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes for a moment. "Soarin, remember when I said there were more of us, who you might meet sooner or later?" she asked, and Soarin nodded weakly. "Some of those others are ghosts."
"WHAT!?"
"Calm down, will ya?!" Tucker said. "There's no need to yell."
"But you just said you're working together with ghosts!" He shouted, unable to believe what he was just told. "How can you do such a thing?!"
"Soarin," Jazz said calmly, "please, listen. We'll try to explain."
"Explain!? Explain!? How would you even begin to explain something like this? You, above all other humans, should know what those ghosts are capable of; what they did!" Soarin all but shouted.
"Soarin, ple—" Jazz tried to calm him down once more.
"Or did you forget about the ghost who killed that innocent girl? This Danny Phant—"
"ENOUGH!" Tucker yelled, leaping up from his chair, kicking it away.
"Tucker, he doesn't know," Jazz stated calmly. "Please, let me handle this."
"Fine!" Tucker growled, turning away and moving to his computer, reaching out to one of his desk's drawers.
"Soarin," Jazz said, bringing the stallion's attention back to her. "Do you trust me?"
"I... uhh.. I.. wha?"
"Do you trust me?" She repeated. "I know that a lot has happened today, and that you have a lot of questions; many of which are about me, no doubt. I may have kept a part of my life hidden from you, but you should know that I have never lied to you. So, please. I'm asking you to trust me, just as I trust you."
"I... I," he closed his eyes, sighing deeply as he forced himself to calm down. "I trust you." Looking up at Jazz, he saw her giving him a sad smile.
"Thank you." Releasing a sigh of her own, she carefully placed her broken wrist on her lap. "Yes, we're working together with ghosts. And, no, not all ghosts are evil. It's just that those who do not wish to harm us tend to keep to themselves, living out of sight, leaving us to ourselves. As for those with us... this will be difficult to explain."
She looked up at Tucker, who was leaning against his desk; arms crossed, a scowl on his face, and a set of pictures held in his hand. Catching the unspoken question, he huffed as he walked towards them, shooting a glare at the pony who insulted his childhood friend, handing over the images to Jazz. "You're sure about this?" He asked, still holding on to the images.
"Yes, I am," she replied. "Thanks." Accepting the pictures with her good hand, she turned back to her coltfriend. "Okay, Soarin. I need you to listen carefully, and promise not to freak out."
Hesitantly, he nodded, and Jazz continued. "First off, this." She started, showing Soarin an image of three teenagers, taken years ago.
"Do you know who they are?"
"Uh... This is Tucker, right?" Soarin asked, pointing at the teenager wearing a red beret.
"Yes," Jazz nodded. "Do you know who the others are?"
"Yes! He's your younger brother, Danny," Soarin replied, pointing at Danny while looking up at Jazz. "You've told me about him; how he ran away years ago after a good friend of his died."
"I did," she sighed, "but I might not have been completely forthcoming with the truth." She then tapped a finger on the girl in the photo. "And her? Any idea who she is?"
"Eehh... She looks familiar, somehow. But..."
"This is Samantha Manson," Jazz answered, and Soarin fell silent, eyes widening. "My brother ran away after she died."
"What!?" Soarin gasped, staring at the young girl in the photo.
"There's more," Jazz continued, moving to the next image.
"What about this?"
"Wait... isn't that the portal we came through?"
"The mark one," Jazz nodded, choosing the next image, looking at it for a moment. "My parents built it in the basement of our home. My brother, Tucker, and Sam were there when they were working on it; had access to it without my parents' supervision." She then turned over the image.
"Which allowed my brother to do something very stupid."
"Wait, what am I looking at here?" Soarin asked, and Jazz looked up at Tucker.
"He went into the ghost portal, thinking it didn't work. Unfortunately, it did, and it activated while Danny was inside," Tucker picked up, still frowning at Soarin.
"What!?" Soarin cried, shocked. "And he didn't get hurt?"
"Oh, he did," Tucker muttered, "and more." Jazz then showed the final photo, and Soarin's already wide eyes widened even further; his mouth ajar, but no sound escaping him.
His eye started to twitch mere moments later.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Vladdie!" Jack called out to his friend with a large smile plastered on his face. "Glad to see you're alright."
"Ah, yes. No worries," Vlad said with fake sincerity. "This whole ordeal ended without many injuries, thankfully."
"Still, we have no idea why the security system malfunctioned, or why it targeted you as a ghost," Maddie replied, keeping an eye on her tablet as she scanned all the reports coming in.
"Oh, don't worry too much about it. I'm sure the reason behind this shall be found in due time," Vlad told her, smiling dreamily at her. 'I'll make sure of it.'
"Right," Maddie said with a nervous chuckle, stepping back from him. "Still, I'm sure Tucker will be able to shed some light on this."
"Ah, yes. Tucker," Vlad muttered, an edge to his voice. "Say, on a completely unrelated note, how far along are you on your new Ecto-Skeleton?"
"It's still under construction" Maddie replied, looking up from her tablet. "Why?"
"No reason," Vlad said innocently. "Just curious."
"NO!" someone shouted, followed a moment later by the sound of a sliding door slamming open; a freaked out blue pony flying out, "NO! NO! NO!"
"Soarin, stop!" Jazz shouted after him, running out of the same room.
"He's freaking out," Tucker called out, following behind Jazz.
"Jazz!? Tucker!?" Maddie said loudly. "What's happening. Where did that pony come from?"
"Mom?! Dad?!" Jazz said, surprised.
"Vlad," Tucker said, eyes narrowing slightly; an action mirrored by Vlad.
"Yes, do tell. What is happening, and who was that pony?" Vlad spoke, repeating what Maddie had said.
"Eeh... That-was-one-of-my-patients," Jazz answered in a rush. "I-brought-him-here, you-know, to-confront-his-fears, or-something. It-kinda-backfired-and-I-really-should-be-going!" She blurted out, pointing after Soarin with her injured hand, flinching from a spike of pain.
"JASMINE!" Maddie cried out. "What on Earth happened to your hand?!"
"Eehh..."
"She hurt it during the chaos when the alarm went off," Tucker answered hastily, and Jazz gave a silent thanks for his quick thinking.
"Look, mom. I really need to go an—"
"You're not going anywhere with that hand, missy." Maddie said sternly, frowning.
"But-"
"Don't worry, Jazz. I'll go after him," Tucker shouted towards her as he ran through the long hallway, promptly pursuing the panicking pony.
"Be careful," she shouted back. "He's most likely going through a relapse of his PTSD after what happened."
"Gotcha!" Tucker replied as he rounded a corner, disappearing from sight.
"Oooh... I should be the one there," Jazz said breathily.
"Tucker will take care of that!" Maddie told her daughter. "You are going to the infirmary right this instant," and she put action to her word by dragging Jazz along by her uninjured arm.
"But mom..."
"No buts, missy," Maddie replied in a stern tone. "Doctor, now!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"Hey, did you see a freaked out blue pegasus pony?!" Tucker asked, shouting at one of his colleagues as he ran through corridor after corridor, unable to catch sight of his target.
"Yeah, actually," came the reply, and Tucker came to a screeching stop.
"You did? Where'd he go?!" Tucker asked urgently. And, in answer, his colleague turned his head to the clearly forced open window.
"Oh, son of a-" Tucker swore as he resumed his chase, running towards the building's exit, all the while knowing he wouldn't be able to catch up with Soarin now.
'Damnit, if he starts talking, we're all screwed.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"No, no, no, no, no," Soarin repeated over and over again. "It can't be! It isn't possible," he darted through the air erratically. "Jazz, this ghost world... her brother. This is all a bad dream, right?" he laughed nervously, unable to fly in a straight line, eye twitching, unseeing of just what he was flying towards.
'Of course... just a bad dream,' he thought, laughing nervously. 'It just isn't possible for her brother to be Danny... Phantom...' his eye gave another twitch, and he made a sharp turn, "Fenton... Phantom..." he murmured, narrowly avoiding a chimney. And his new flight path sent him on a direct crash course with...
"Look out!" Came the warped voice he recognized as Specter's, and he snapped back to his senses just long enough to be fully aware of his body colliding with the armored woman's. Both of them lost their breath explosively, dropping to the ground in a wild tumble of interlocked limbs.
"Wha? Damn it, let go!" Specter shouted as she pulled to free herself, holding onto her board with one hand to slow their fall; but the thrashing stallion, noticeably distressed, only made things worse, and the two of them crash landed on the roof of one of the many factories found in the industrial district.
"What the hell is your problem!?" Valerie yelled, pulling off her helmet to glare daggers at the stallion, who slowly pushed himself up; eyes shifting around. "First I save your sorry ass, only for you to fly into me like that, and-" She suddenly stopped, realizing something. "Hold on, why aren't you with Jazz?"
Soarin didn't answer. Here before him stood one of the others involved with this nightmare his day had become, and he scrambled to pull himself off of the roof; wings flapping as he tried to make another erratic, and sloppy, escape.
"Oh no you don't!" Valerie growled, "You're not going anywhere without giving me some answers," and she quickly worked the pony against the ground; struggling to keep him down, but managing thanks to years of intensive ghost hunting and sheer stubbornness.
Still, Soarin didn't give up, and using the strength of his own training, he pushed himself off of the roof; Valerie on his back, arms wrapped around his neck.
'Oh, so it's gonna be like that, huh?' Valerie sneered. 'Well, two can play that game.' Climbing on his back, and swinging her legs around him for grip, she reached for one of her hand blasters; using the butt of the weapon to deliver a solid blow to the back of Soarin's head.
His eyes rolled up, and a low groan escaped his mouth as the two of them dropped down to the ground for the second time that night.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Damn, damn, damn," Tucker half shouted, running through the streets by the intermittent illumination of the streetlights, desperately searching for the freaked flier. "Where did that guy go? The tear isn't open at the moment, so he couldn't have gone back to his world," he muttered to himself, a small hint of relief over that particular bit of luck. "But that wouldn't stop him from leaving the city... Damnit!"
People around looked at him as he vocalized his frustration; some of them scowling.
"Alright," he began as he slowed down, taking a moment to look around. "If I were a pegasus, going through ghost induced PTSD, and having been told what he has been told, where the heck would I go?"
He stood there for several moments, forcing his brain to come up with an answer, only to end up with a headache.
"Damnit. Come on, Tucker. Think like a pony."
"I don't think you have enough hair for that... or legs," came the sudden, warped reply, and Tucker turned to see Specter hovering a couple of meters above him; a slumped form hanging over her back.
"Va-," he sputtered, only to be silenced by her holding up a hand.
"Not here, too many witnesses. Meet me at our usual place," she quickly told him; flying off before anyone took full notice of her, or the short talk she had had with Tucker. They still needed to maintain their cover, after all.
"What just happened?" Tucker asked, but no answer was forthcoming. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he began his sprint to the 'usual place' Valerie had mentioned. Mainly, his house.
'How did she even get back here?' He wondered, hoping to get some answers from the ghost hunter.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Mom, I'm telling you. I'm fine," Jazz complained, yet Maddie wouldn't have any of it, and she firmly placed herself between her daughter and the door; keeping her within the room as the facility's medical staff were working on Jazz's wrist. An x-ray hanging on a light wall clearly showed the fracture, and only strengthened Maddie's resolve to keep her daughter inside, while also trying to figure something else out. A mother's intuition is a powerful thing, and right now it was telling her that there was something more going on between this pony and her daughter, other than just a doctor-patient relationship. Just exactly what, was still something she needed to deduce.
"Jasmine," she started, arms crossed. "Why are you trying so hard to leave while you have a broken wrist? Surely Tucker is more than capable of finding and calming this pony down?"
"Soarin," Jazz muttered in reply.
"What?"
"His name is Soarin," Jazz looked her mother in the eyes as she repeated herself, before looking away, fidgeting on the spot, much to Maddie's interest.
"Soarin, huh?' Maddie said, a single eyebrow raised. "I think I've heard of him. Isn't he some athlete, or something?"
"Actually, he's part of a specialized military group, similar to the Blue Angels."
"Oh."
"He and his team put on frequent stunt shows, while also functioning as a rapid response force during uncommon crisis situations where the customary guards are insufficient."
"Really?"
"Yes," Jazz nodded, then flinched as the facility's assistant doctor was working on her wrist. Something she didn't even notice until the sudden stab of pain. Again, something which intrigued Maddie. The subject of this pony was something which her daughter took to heart.
"Which is how I know him. You remember the ghost invasion that happened in one of their cities, almost six years ago now?" Maddie nodded in response, a slight widening of her eyes noticeable, while the assistant doctor working on her wrist gave an unexpected pull when the subject of the Baltimare Incident was brought up.
"I swear, if you do that again, I will punch you," Jazz grunted through gritted teeth.
"Sorry, miss. I'm new. The one usually running the clinic called in sick," the nervous young man answered; carefully continuing his work, not wanting to mess up as his patient happened to be the bosses' daughter. One of which was standing just a few steps away from him.
"So, Soarin was sent to this city during the ghost invasion, which brought him to you?" Maddie surmised, earning a nod from her daughter. "But this was, as you said, almost six years ago. Why is he still with you? Not that you are a bad psychiatrist, but I'm sure that there are several capable pony psychiatrists on his world who can help him after all this time. Jack and I certainly trained several ponies, teaching them everything we know."
'Which will probably do more harm than good,' Jazz thought. "I'm sure of it," she said with a fake smile. "It's just, well... the whole bond of trust we've built over time," a distinct undertone of nervousness, and something else noticeable in her voice which Maddie picked up on, as well as the assistant doctor, who gave a slight twitch as a result, making Jazz flinch. The next moment a loud slap sounded through the room, and the doctor had a clearly noticeable, almost glowing red, hand mark on his face.
"Jazz! That was uncalled for!" Maddie scolded her daughter, taking a moment to make sure her employee was okay.
"What, I warned him," Jazz said defensively, and Maddie had enough of it.
"Could you give my daughter and I a couple of minutes?" She asked with a insincerely sweet voice, and he nodded quickly while scampering out of the room.
With a 'click' the door closed, and Maddie turned to look at her daughter; hands placed on her hips, frowning. "Jasmine Fenton! Your behavior has been absolutely unacceptable. Not to mention, nothing like you," she said with an only slightly raised voice, though still managing to dominate the room with it, making Jazz feel like she was six again, and caught red handed with her hand in the Fenton Cookie Jar... Which contained her father's private stash of sugary goodness.
"I want to know, right now, what is causing this behavior? And don't try lying to me, I always know when you do. It has something to do with this pony, this Soarin. He's more than just a patient, am I right?!"
"Ehh..." Jazz uttered dumbly, unable to come up with a reply; nor was she able to look her mother in the eyes.
"Well?" Maddie demanded.
Fidgeting on the spot, biting her lower lip, and looking towards the wall to her left, Jazz wished she could just turn invisible like her brother or Dani; to be able to be anywhere other than here. And, despite her being well into her twenties, she still felt herself shrink down underneath her mother's stern gaze.
"... He might be my..." Jazz mumbled quietly, looking away.
"What was that?" Maddie demanded sternly.
"... He might be my, eh... you know..." Jazz mumbled slightly louder.
"Jasmine!" Maddie warned.
Swallowing the thick lump down her dry throat, Jazz knew she could no longer avoid this confrontation. She just wished it could have been done with a bit more planning, and much, much later. Maybe ten years from now?
Sighing, she resigned herself to the fate before her. "He's my... my..." but her voice died in her throat.
"Oh, for goodness sake, Jazz. If you're in a relationship with a pony, just say so," Maddie breathed out, rolling her eyes while shaking her head. Jazz just stood there with a look of utter bewilderment on her face, staring at her mother as if she had grown a second head.
"You know!?"
"I do now," Maddie said, a faint smirk noticeable.
"... Did, did you just use one of my own tricks against me?" Jazz asked, dumbfounded.
"One of your tricks? Sweetheart, I invented them," Maddie replied, grinning. Then she turned serious again. "But I don't like the fact you've kept something like this from us."
"I thought that..."
"That your father and I wouldn't approve?" Maddie finished disapprovingly. "Dear, honestly. What kind of parents do you think we are? Who you date is your business," she said, smiling, before a scowl replaced it. "Except ghosts!"
The memory of a certain motorcycle riding 'bad boy' resurfaced, and Jazz quickly looked away. "Yeah, that would be bad... I think."
"Indeed," Maddie agreed. "Besides, ignoring the obviousness of ghosts being absolutely no good. I definitely don't want a ghost in the family," she said with disgust, and Jazz mentally flinched after she'd said that.
'If only you knew.'
"Anyhow," Maddie continued. "When are you going to introduce us to Soarin? I'm sure your father would love to meet him."
A new memory came back to Jazz, something her father had said back when he was reminiscing about his youth. 'I was born many years ago in a log cabin in the woods. I don't exactly remember where, but I do know I wanted a pony. Never got a pony. As a matter of fact, we had to eat horse meat during the war. I had a problem with that.'
"Yeaaahhh..." Jazz replied, not knowing how to respond to that. "That might be a bit difficult at the moment. You know, with him flying off and all."
"Oh, I'm sure Tucker has caught up with him by now," Maddie reassured. And, on cue, Jazz's phone began to ring.
Looking at the caller ID, she saw it was Tucker, and she gave her mother a confused look. Maddie, in turn, gave her eldest child a knowing wink. "Mother's intuition," and allowed her daughter to take the call.
"Tucker?" Jazz asked as she answered the phone. "What is it? Did you find Soarin?"
A moment passed as Tucker replied, and a surprised and worried frown grew on her face. "What do you mean, Val—. Yeah, I know, bu—. So, he is safe? 'Ish'? What do you mean by tha—. Oh dear. You sure? Not really... Yes, I see. Alright, I'll meet you there," and she ended the call, looking back at her mother, a worried frown on her face.
"Not all good news, I take it?"
"Not really," Jazz muttered, looking at her reflection in the phone's screen, before standing up and heading for the door. "I need to go to him, now!"
Maddie, however, had different plans. "I don't think so!"
She quickly placed herself back between Jazz and the door. "You still have a broken wrist," she said, nodding to the x-ray, "and aren't going anywhere until it's taken care of."
"But mom!"
"No buts, young lady. I'm still your mother. And until I tell you otherwise, you're grounded and are not to leave this room. Now," she stated, opening the door and spotting the assistant doctor standing a few meters away. "You, take care of my daughter."
"Great," Jazz muttered as the doctor walked back inside, "more hurting my wrist."
"You just need to relax, sweetheart," Maddie said, grinning. "After all, the more you struggle, the more it hurts," the humorous remark and suggestive undertone giving Jazz and the doctor pause, looking at each other awkwardly, while also sputtering in embarrassment.
"MOM!" Jazz shouted, face burning a bright red.
"Oh, don't pretend to be so innocent. I know who you're dating," and with that, Maddie stepped out of the room, closed the door, and left the two alone, looking at each other uncomfortably as they could hear her laughter through the door.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Oh, this is bad!" Tucker fretted, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the slumped form of Soarin, a noticeable lump on his head.
"Hey, he made me do it," Valerie replied defensively as she stood next to a window, peering outside through the blinds. "You sure you weren't followed?"
"Val, give me some credit here," Tucker groaned, still worried about what happened between Soarin and Valerie. "I think that if anyone knows how to avoid Vlad's spy drones it’d be me." He turned to look at her, a nervous frown showing. "You know she's not going to be happy about this, right?!"
"Meh," Valerie shrugged. "I'll live."
"And what about him?" Tucker continued. "After the mess he's gone through, and considering what Jazz and I just told him, things were already bad enough. But now. Now you knocked him out cold. Who knows how this will affect him."
"Well, it was either this or letting him fly through the city all crazy," Valerie commented matter of factly, stepping away from the window. "Seriously, though. After everything we've gone through to save his sorry ass, you managed not only to freak him out to the point where he flies off on you, but have him go crazy in the process as well. Makes me wonder, who was more of a danger to the guy? The ghosts, or you."
"You know the answer to that just as well as I do," Tucker replied seriously, frowning.
Valerie sighed, "Yeah, yeah. I know. But seriously, I stay back to fight off Skulker so Jazz and her pony boy can escape, only for you guys to make a mess of things on your side. It kinda makes my sacrifice feel like a waste of time."
"Yeah... Sorry about that," Tucker said, scratching the back of his head. "Also, how did you manage to get back? Did you find a natural portal?"
Valerie fell silent for a moment, looking down at the ground, in thought. "Actually, I was hoping you could tell me. I have no idea how I got back. Last thing I remember, I was still fighting Skulker. I had the drop on him, about to finish him off, only to..."
"Only to, what?" Tucker asked.
"Nothing... It's all dark. There is this vague part where I think I heard several voices talking, but I'm not sure. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in my apartment, confused as hell."
"That... doesn't make any sense."
"You're telling me?" Valerie replied, frustrated. "Seriously, though. What happened?"
"... I have no idea," Tucker muttered, deep in thought. "But I'm starting to think there is more to all of this than even we know."
"You know," Valerie spoke up after a moment of tense silence. "I have this horrible feeling you're right," her hand tightened around one of her blasters, "and I don't like it."
"Let's just wait for Jazz to get here, then we'll try to figure this out."
"And what about him?" Valerie asked, giving a single nod towards Soarin.
"Hopefully, Jazz will be able to talk some sense into him."
"And then?"
"Then, if we're lucky, he may be able to help us."
"You really think he can be of help?"
"Thinking, no," Tucker replied, looking down at the unconscious form. "But I am hoping."
"Huh," Valerie huffed. "Seems like that's about the only thing we can do anymore."
"Yeah..." Tucker said, finding no reason to object.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had taken longer to properly secure her wrist than Jazz would have liked, and even more so to convince her mother to let her go. But, finally, she was allowed to leave. Something which irritated her; the fact she had to wait for her mother to allow her to go. She was twenty four already, darnit. And still her mother managed to make her feel like she was only six; although the topics of their discussions had changed from what they were back when she was actually six.
Now though, she was hurrying to Tucker's place; making sure to use one of his devices to disrupt any of Vlad's drones which might be nearby. Not that this would help to keep the location of his house a secret. Vlad was still the mayor of this city, which also meant he had access to the blueprints of every building in Amity Park; as well as the records of who lived where. It was a source of power which they would like to see disappear. But they knew this was not as easy as thwarting Vlad in the company's systems.
Still, with all the protective systems installed in Tucker's house, as well as Jazz's, they were relatively confident they wouldn't be spied on. Although, since Valerie had similar protections in her house, and in light of what had happened there not too long ago, this feeling of security had proven to be rather misplaced. That's why Tucker had spent every free moment he had not working in keeping the city safe, keeping Vlad out of his systems, locating Danny, certain activities with Dani, and a few other things to keep their secret group running smoothly, on working on improving his devices to keep Vlad well away from their homes. The update to Dani's deflector being the basis of the new and improved software for his devices.
But, despite all of this, Jazz couldn't help but feel nervous. Just this morning she saw the one she loved being abducted by Skulker, in broad daylight. And, although it wasn't Vlad personally, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was involved with this, somehow.
'Let's just worry about that later,' she mentally told herself. 'First we need to take care of Soarin.'
Ringing the doorbell to Tucker's apartment, she went through any possible scenario she could come up with. From flat out rejection of everything he'd been told, to something more...severe. His PTSD would certainly be an important factor in all of this. Not to mention what had happened to him and his team back in Baltimare. 'There are a lot of unknowns,' Jazz thought as Tucker let her in, following behind as he led her to the secured living room, and finally spotting Soarin slumped down on the couch, a large lump on his head. 'But I wasn't expecting this!'
<<>><<>><<>>
"Valerie. Tucker," Jazz said slowly, a cold edge to her voice. "What happened to Soarin?"
"I knocked him out," came Valerie's cool reply, and Jazz turned to look at her, fire burning in her eyes.
"You. Did. What!?"
"I knocked him out," Valerie repeated, shrugging. "Had to, the guy was completely wild."
Narrowing her eyes, Jazz shot her most venomous glare at Valerie. Valerie, though, didn't seem all that impressed, and simply leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Jazz, really? The whole death glare isn't your thing. Look, if it makes you feel better, I'm sorry for clubbing your pony friend on the head."
Exhaling loudly, Jazz forced herself to calm down; still glaring daggers at the ghost hunter. "We'll talk about this later," she stated, then turned to the stallion on the couch. "How long has he been out?"
"A couple hours," Valerie answered vaguely.
"Anything else I should know about?" Jazz asked, sitting down next to Soarin. "Like, how you got back from the Ghost Zone."
"Honestly, I've got no clue," Valerie said, clearly confused about this as well. "All I know is that, one minute I'm fighting Skulker, and the next I'm waking up back home."
"What, that's it?" Jazz asked, expecting more.
Nodding, Valerie sighed. "Pretty much. I have no idea who, or what might have brought me home, but I reckon I owe them a thank you."
Jazz looked over at Tucker, who seem to catch on to the glint in her eyes.
"You don't think... " He suggested.
"Wulf?" Jazz finished, wondering.
"Who now?" Valerie asked, pushing herself away from the wall; her interest piqued.
Jazz and Tucker gave each other a doubtful look, not sure if the revelation of yet another secret would be a good idea.
"It's... complicated," Jazz began.
"Like, really complicated," Tucker added.
Not buying it, Valerie stood her ground, hands planted on her hips, glaring at the duo who seemed to shrink down under her gaze.
"First off. Jazz, this is how you glare. Second. If you want me to remain a part of this team, then you better start telling me everything. I don't want to find out about secrets like Danny being the Phantom years after. Either you tell me what you know, now... Or I walk!"
Jazz and Tucker shared the same worried, concerned look. Neither of them knowing how to best reveal the sensitive information they had been keeping from Valerie.
"Can this day get any worse?" Jazz sighed, and a weak groan came from Soarin as he came to.
"You had to ask," Tucker sighed, dragging a hand over his face.
<<>><<>><<>>
A large figure moved in a blur through the green expanse of the Ghost Zone, jumping from landmass to landmass. The skill of flight was among his abilities, but unused as it was not the way of his kind.
A tense look of worry was clearly visible on his face. The reason behind this? The sudden, and quite unexpected, change within the Dark Zone. A shady part of the Ghost Zone not many would venture to, save for the most ruthless of ghosts... and the occasional idiot trying to increase his infamy.
Why that box weirdo would do such a thing, he would probably never know, nor was it important to him. What was, was the sudden disappearance of the ancient city of crystal, along with the shadow which ruled over it.
The land itself was of no interest to him. Many chunks of the confusingly fertile ground floated around. One piece vanishing was usually of no concern to him. Nor would this time have been any different, if it wasn't for the unique crystals found growing on it.
It was a well known fact to any ghost who dared venture close to this land that these crystals were more than mere shining rocks. Each and every single one of them, whether a full rock or a mere shard, had the power to influence minds. And now the entire land, along with the one controlling these crystals, was gone... and that was cause for concern.
"Kio povus esti kaŭzinta ĉi, kaj kial? Per la Tri, devus iu akiri eĉ unu el la menso kontrolo ŝtonoj, la rezultoj povus esti katastrofaj."
"What could have caused this, and why? By the Three, should anyone acquire even one of the mind control stones, the results could be catastrophic."
His claws tightened as he leaped to yet another chunk of land; small plants growing from between the cracks of dried dirt, indicating there was still life within the soil.
"Ĉi tiu estas la loko," he grunted, looking down at his claws.
"This is the place."
He knew what to do; had done it many times before. His gift was one of the rarest among his kind, and one which was looked down upon. They didn't believe in using death's gifts. Instead, they would 'live', fight, and hunt using nothing but the strength of their backs, the sharpness of their claws, and the lethality of their fangs. It was how their ancestors did it. It was how the Ancient Three did it. And it was how they would do it.
Of course, he had strayed away from these convictions many times now; being forced to use these abilities by some he now considered his enemy, and sometimes finding himself with no real choice but to use them. This would be one such occasion, and he unsheathed his claws, preparing to tear the wall between the Ghost Zone and Earth a new one.
However, before he could act the haunted screams of lost souls suddenly assaulted his ears, and he saw many of the green wisps gathering in a single location; swirling around each other in an ever growing mass, while their soulless eyes stared at him.
Faster and faster the dance of faded death went; their screams becoming louder and more haunting. The air around them seemed to shimmer, flex, and ripple as they tore a hole in the walls of reality separating the Ghost Zone from the mortal realm.
Seeing the path opened before him, the tall being resumed his course; thanking the Ancient Three as he leapt through the hole in the air, dropping down on the lush green grass of Earth.
Looking around and taking in the surroundings, he tried to get a sense of where it was the portal had brought him. The fact that it could have led anywhere, even into space, was a risk he was willing to take to get his message to his bond brother's pack.
Sniffing the air to find a trail he could follow, he soon picked up on a scent he knew could only come from one of the humans' cities.
Dropping down on all fours, he ran as fast as he could to the source of the smell; a mixture of pollution and various other compounds he wasn't interested in identifying. It did not take him long to reach the city his sense of smell had led him to, which by now was all but impossible to miss. The vibrant glow of the ghost shield illuminating the night's sky, its light pollution masking the stars.
"Nun por la malfacila parto," he muttered, carefully approaching the shield, but remaining far enough away to avoid detection.
"Now for the difficult part."
Begrudgingly, he looked at his latest adversary. A foe he had faced several times before. An enemy he couldn't figure out, no matter how many times he tried, and no matter how many times others helped him. No, this enemy was truly something he didn't understand. A foe small enough to fit in his paw, but a mighty challenge for him all the same.
A cellphone.
"Kiel la afero funkcios?" He muttered as he stared at the dimmed screen, scratching the glass with his sharp claw.
"How does this thing work?"
Eventually, he managed to turn the device on. And, thanks to his bond brother's bond brother, this infuriating device had just a single option to choose from. A single icon, which would allow him to call his brother's pack brother without any difficulties. Or, at least, that was the theory. Practice, however, had proven to be anything but. And this time would be no different.
Using the tip of a single claw, he pressed on the icon, seeing several strange images play across the screen, while a curious noise was produced. He knew from the few previous attempts that this was a good thing. Although he wasn't quite sure how to continue, so he tried pressing on various other parts of the screen, somehow managing to come up with a whole new screen, showing the numbers one through nine, and a couple of symbols that he didn't know the meaning of.
Intrigued, he began pressing them all.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay!" Valerie said loudly, hand held up. "Let me get this straight, 'cause I'm having difficulties believing what you're telling me." Lowering her hand, she then proceeded to point an accusing finger at both Jazz and Tucker. "So, not only did you hide that Danny Fenton is in fact Danny Phantom. But you two are actively working together with several other ghosts as well!?"
"Well, working together might be a bit of an exaggeration," Tucker replied meekly.
"Explain!" Valerie commanded, arms crossed, scowling at the duo.
"Okay..." Tucker sighed, glancing towards the nearest exit. "The first thing that you should know is that we don't work with all that many ghosts. In fact, there is only one, not counting Dani," he began, before hesitating, earning an annoyed grunt from Valerie.
"One?"
"Yes," Tucker confirmed with a nod. "He's called Wulf... Remember the incident where Danny supposedly abducted the mayor?" He asked, and Valerie nodded, grimacing. "That would be where we met. You see, the mayor was possessed by the Warden from the Ghost Zone's prison, while several of the guys from school were possessed by his ghost guards. They took over the town to capture Danny."
"Why? What did he do?" Valerie asked.
"He broke out of prison," Tucker replied flatly. "They have some weird rules going on there which landed him in jail."
"Anyhow," Jazz picked up. "Wulf was a prisoner, too. And he was used, given the promise of freedom, should he help capture Danny."
"The thing is, Danny freed Wulf instead. And ever since, he's been our friend," Tucker continued. "Nowadays, Wulf scouts the Ghost Zone, and informs us about any and all developments which could be important."
"So, we've got an inside guy?" Valerie asked in her professional, ghost hunter persona.
"You're... taking this rather well," Jazz commented, worried.
"Jazz..." Valerie said, "in my line of work, sudden shocks are expected," and Jazz gave a sigh of relief. "But! I am more than a little pissed off-" Jazz sucked in a quick breath through her teeth "-and I don't want to find out any more surprises like this in the future."
"Neither do I!" Came Soarin's quiet voice, struggling to come to terms with everything.
"I guess we need to tell you about Cujo as well then," Jazz replied meekly, and Tucker reacted with fright; shaking his head while waving his hands in front of him.
"Tucker!" Valerie practically growled.
"... Ehhehehe..." He laughed nervously, rubbing his hands together. "Eh... Remember when there was that little incident at your father's job... Something involving a certain ghost and his dog?" Valerie's eyes widened, her hands balling into fists and teeth grinding together.
"Yeah," she stated angrily. "What of it?"
"Well, you see," Tucker began meekly. "That was Danny, alongside the ghost of one of the lab's former guard dogs. A, ehh... puppy, who was looking for his toy... and destroying the place in the process." Valerie's eyes narrowed into slits, and Tucker nervously pulled his collar with a finger to release some of the building heat. "And, well... that dog is the Cujo Jazz mentioned. He more or less bonded with Danny, and may or may not be around looking for him."
Grabbing one of her blasters, Valerie stepped closer to Tucker, threateningly. "And exactly when did you plan to tell me about this?!"
"... Eep."
"Tucker!" Valerie shouted, when all of a sudden, a telephone went off. Tucker glanced down at his pocket, unsure whether he should answer it or not; knowing full well who this ringtone belonged to.
Catching the worried glint in his eyes, Valerie grabbed the phone out of his pocket and answered it.
"Yes, who is it?!" She demanded, only to look at the phone in confusion as all she heard was the beeping of pushed buttons, "What the?"
"Is he doing the thing again?" Jazz asked, unsure.
"He's doing the thing again," Tucker replied, not daring to look away from the angry woman still standing before him.
"What!? What thing are you talking about?" Valerie asked, confused.
"And who is doing the thing?" Soarin asked, curious and confused; nothing made any sense anymore.
Their answer came from the phone itself, as even more beeping was audible, followed moments later by an automated voice saying: "This is not a valid choice."
"Well!?" Valerie demanded.
Sighing, Tucker and Jazz gave each other a confirming nod. "Okay, that would be Wulf. He... doesn't fully understand our technology. As for the thing... It's just him pressing every button he can find. I did alter the phone's software to keep him from doing that, but somehow he keeps managing to do it anyway."
"So, this idiot is this Wulf, huh?!" Valerie muttered, interested, and she answered the phone.
****
He heard voices, coming from within the device. That was good, right?
"Hey, you!" Came an angry voice, and he gave a low growl in response. "You're the ghost these guys have been working with?!"
"Kiu diras tion? Kiel oni parolas tra la brilanta rektangulo?" Wulf growled.
"Who is saying this? How do you speak through the glowing rectangle?"
"What tha?! What kind of gibberish is this?"
"Stultaĵoj?"
"Gibberish?"
"It's Esperanto," said his bond brother's brother, sounding further away somehow.
"What?"
"He doesn't speak English."
"Then how do you even talk to this ghost!?"
"Give me the phone, and I'll show you.
"Humph... Fine."
Wulf looked at the glowing rectangle in confusion, not understanding what strange things were happening within the device held in his paw.
"Wulf, ĉi estas Tucker." Tucker began, and Wulf gave a happy growl in reply. "Bedaŭras pri tio. Aĵoj estas iom ... svingita nun."
"Wulf, this is Tucker. Sorry about that. Things are a little... hectic right now."
"Wait! You speak the same gibberish this ghost does?" The unknown voice said, and Wulf felt the hairs on his back stand on end.
"It's Esperanto. And, yes. I do. Now, if you would be quiet for a moment, I can ask what's going on," Tucker replied with an edge to his voice. "Wulf, kial vi vokis? Kio okazas?"
"Wulf, why did you call? What's happening?"
"Ĉu vi alright, frato? Kiu estas tiu hundino Mi aŭdas?" Wulf asked, worried.
"Are you alright, brother? Who is that bitch I hear?"
"Ne, Mi estas bone. Nur neatendita evoluo, neniu ĉagrenoj," Tucker replied.
No, I'm good. Just an unexpected development, no worries."
"What did he say!?" The unknown voice demanded.
"He just wanted to know if I was alright. I guess he doesn't like your tone of voice very much... Oh, and he called you a bitch."
"HE SAID WHAT!"
"Actually, that would be the technical term for female among his kind... Eh, we did mention he was a wolf, right?" His brother's sister said, and Wulf's tail gave a quick wag.
"Wait, what!?" a new voice piped up, sounding even further away than the others. "A wolf?!"
"Alright, that does it! Where is this wolf guy," the sound of a weapon being cocked came through the glowing device, and Wulf gave a threatening growl.
"No, Valerie. You're not going to shoot him," Tucker sighed out, tiredly. "And yes, Soarin. A wolf. Now, be quiet will ya? Alright. Bedaŭras pri tio. Jazz kaj Mi estas batitaj en iom de salato nun," Tucker apologized. "Do, kio okazis, kio okazas?"
"Sorry about that. Jazz and I are stuck in a bit of a mess right now. So, what happened, what's going on?"
"Frato, Mi havas tumulti novaĵo. Mi bezonas paroli kun vi, persone. Nun!"
Brother, I have troubling news. I need to talk to you, in person. Now!
"What! Now?!" Tucker said loudly.
"What is it? What did he say?" Jazz asked.
"He said he has worrying news, and that he needs to speak to me, in person, now."
"Hah, sounds good to me!" The bitch he now knew as Valerie said with a dark voice, "I feel like meeting this mutt; seeing what we're really dealing with."
"Mi ne ŝatas ĉi hundino," Wulf growled.
"I don't like this bitch."
"Yeaahhh...Ŝi ne estas ĉiu malbona. Ŝi apenaŭ havas ion kontraŭ fantomoj," Tucker replied with a knowing tone.
"She's not all bad. She just has a thing against ghosts."
"... Nun mi vere ne ŝatas ŝin," Wulf deadpanned.
"Now I really don't like her."
"... Right now, I'm with ya," Tucker said, sighing. "Kie vi estas nun? Ni venos al vi... Ni ĉiuj, mi timas."
"Where are you now? We'll come to you... All of us, I'm afraid."
"Ĉiuj el vi?" Wulf asked, surprised, and Tucker fell silent for a moment.
"All of you?"
"Yeah... It would seem so," he answered. "So, where are you?"
Looking around, Wulf tried to get an idea of where exactly he was.
"Uhh... Ekster la urbo?" Wulf answered vaguely.
"Uhh... Outside the city?"
"Outside the city... Yeah, that narrows it down," Tucker muttered. "Konsentite, ĝuste resti kie vi estas. Ni trovos vin."
"Okay, just stay where you are. We'll find you."
"Kiom?"
"How?"
"Just leave that to me... See you soon," Tucker said before the sound of someone yelling, and objects falling over suddenly cut Tucker off. "... Eventually," Tucker finished, tiredly, with a sigh.
****
Ending the call, Tucker closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose while exhaling loudly. Looking up towards the mess his living room had become in ten seconds flat, he felt the sudden urge to just go to bed, and begin an early hibernation.
"Soarin, please. This might be a good thing!" Jazz pleaded, trying to get through to the stallion who had clambered up on a display case, and knocking several things over. "If you come with us, meet Wulf, you'll see there are good ghosts as well."
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Soarin shouted. "IT'S. A. WOLF!"
"Soarin, I understand how you must feel right now. Believe me, I've gone through some bad things myself. But running away from these things isn't going to solve anything. Please. Come with us. You don't even have to get close to him, if you don't want to. But if you just see him, see that he isn't like the ghosts who did all those horrible things in Baltimare, you'll understand."
"A WOLF!?"
"Look, can we just get this over with and get going?!" Valerie snarled, annoyed.
"No, you just wait," Jazz shot back. "This is more important."
"No, it isn't," Valerie countered, crossing her arms.
"Yes, it i—"
"STOP IT!" Tucker shouted. "THE BOTH OF YOU! You're not starting this, here, now!" He huffed out explosively. "Yes," he stated as he turned to Soarin. "Wulf is a wolf. The name does kinda give it away," he said with a large dose of sarcasm. "Yes," he turned to Valerie, "we are working with ghosts. Deal with it!" Then he turned to Jazz. "And you. Seriously, get your boyfriend, or whatever you call it, under control. Sheesh," he dragged a hand down his face. "We've all had a long, tiresome day. We're all irritated. And I'm pretty sure there are plenty of other things we would all rather be doing right now, but we can't. So, can we please try not to kill each other. Us becoming ghosts is not going to solve this mess."
As he vented, the others seemed to deflate. Valerie holstered the blaster she was holding, while Jazz dropped her hands to her side, and Soarin slowly dropped down, ears folded flat on his head.
"... I guess you have a point," Jazz said after a moment, clearly embarrassed.
"Well, I'm still pissed off over the fact you have been working with ghosts behind my back," Valerie snarled, frowning.
"I understand. And we're sorry," Tucker admitted. "We believed it to be the right thing to do, considering your history with ghosts."
"... Makes sense," Valerie huffed. "Never do it again, ever! I mean it."
Nodding, Jazz looked down at Soarin with a sigh. "And I'm sorry for pushing you like this. All of this, this whole mess. It was all forced on you while you were not prepared for it. And here I am, trying to make it worse." Jazz looked away guiltily. "If you don't want to go meet Wulf, then I won't try and force you."
"I... I... " Soarin's gaze dropped to the floor, a strained sigh escaping him. "... I trust you..." He said with a small voice, and Jazz felt an equally small smile graced her lips. Dropping to a knee, she gave the blue stallion a tight hug, moving a hand through his mane.
"... I must be crazy," Soaring muttered after a moment, before sighing. "But if you say this ghost can be trusted, then I'll..." He didn't finish, but Jazz tightened her hug all the same, knowing what he was trying to say.
Valerie gave an annoyed huff before slamming a fist into her hand. "Count me in. If there are ghosts on our side, I sure as hell want to size them up myself."
"Please, no more fighting!" Tucker groaned. "Haven't we had enough of that today?"
"Says the one who stayed behind in his office," Jazz half joked, earning a snort from Valerie.
"She's got a point there," Valerie concurred. "Sure, our lover pony hasn't done much either, but at least he had a good reason."
"Are you two really turning against me right now?" Tucker said in disbelief, seeing two matching grins aimed towards him. "Seriously...? How do you women manage to go from yelling at each other to being best friends in the blink of an eye?"
"Mares," Soarin answered in a tone understood by all males, human and pony alike; his mane frazzled from the stress of his day, front hooves held apart from each other as he said it.
"Truer words have never been spoken," Tucker said wisely, nodding. While Jazz and Valerie rolled their eyes, shaking their heads.
"Men," they said simultaneously, none of them, male or woman, able to understand the thought processes of the opposite sex.
<<>><<>><<>>
The sounds of powertools filled a clean, well lit, cutting-edge workshop. The source, Jack and Maddie; putting in overtime to catch up with their schedule after the false alarm disrupted everything.
Hammering a particularly stubborn part into place, Jack stepped back, using his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow; a satisfied smile on his face as he observed his work.
Maddie, too, he noticed, was smiling. Although she had been doing that ever since she joined him in their shared workplace, yet the reason for this remained a mystery to him. His curiosity piqued, he circled around the Ecto-Skeleton, approaching his wife from behind and grabbing her up in a bear hug.
"Maddie," he said, smiling, as his wife shrieked in surprise, before a humorous chuckle escaped her.
"Jack, what are you doing?" She laughed. "We still have a lot of work left to do."
"Oh, I know," he replied. "But can a man not hug his wife every now and then?"
Chuckling, and patting the arm holding her, Maddie pulled herself free. "And yet you're not asking for a cookie or anything."
"Well... I might have been trying to diet," Jack lied, badly.
"You, on a diet. Goodness, miracles do happen," Maddie said, playing along; her hand placed on her chest as she sucked in a breath of air. "I guess I should start packing the fridge with all kinds of vegetables now."
A look of horror grew on Jack's face. "Please don't," he said hastily.
"Don't worry, dear. Your ham is safe, " Maddie chuckled, winking. "But tell me what's on your mind."
"Well..." Jack started, scratching his head, "you seem overly happy ever since you came back from taking Jazz to the infirmary, which struck me as odd. Did something happen?"
"Oh, maybe," Maddie replied, teasingly.
"Maybe?" Jack repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh," Maddie hummed, nodding.
"Anything I need to know?"
"Probably," Maddie answered, grinning.
"And you're not telling me, because..."
"Because it's so much fun letting you guess," Maddie said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "But I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."
"Find what out?" He asked, still trying his luck.
"Ah ah aah,"—Maddie waved a single finger—"my lips are sealed."
"They don't seem like it," Jack quipped.
"Well, let's fix that, shall we," Maddie said as she pulled her husband in for a kiss. The hammer Jack was holding clattered to the ground, forgotten, along with the need to figure out what his wife was hiding.
<<>><<>><<>>
Four figures were crammed together in a far too small car; Tucker driving, Valerie riding shotgun, with Jazz and Soarin in the back seat. The lights of the car slicing through the darkness of the back streets as they made their way to a lone checkpoint at the edge of the city. A hurdle they were forced to take, as there was no other means of leaving the city, save for the occasional ghost portal opening here and there.
The mood inside the vehicle was tense, the issue of Tucker and Jazz working together with ghosts still something that rubbed both Soarin and Valerie the wrong way. The latter continuously flexing her hand as it hovered above her blaster.
"So, seeing we have some time to kill before we get to your friend. Anything else you chose to hide from me?" Valerie asked, staring intently at Tucker, who held the steering wheel tightly in nervous response.
"Maybe it would be better if we start from the beginning," Jazz offered.
Giving a single nod, Valerie signaled Jazz to continue.
"Alright... You know what happened after Sam died. Danny ran away, and in doing so he left a large hole in the defense against the ghosts," Jazz began, looking at Valerie. "I know you noticed the sudden increase in ghost activity after Danny ran away."
"I might have. What of it?"
Sighing, Jazz shook her head sadly. "With my brother gone, and only you to really fight off the ghosts, Tucker and I knew something had to be done. Sure, the government also played its part. Spending money en masse to put up a defense we all know is ineffective due to the natural portals."
"Wait, what?!" Soarin shouted, shocked and confused.
"Of course, he doesn't know," Tucker groaned.
"Long story short," Valerie spoke up, "portals pop up out of nowhere, and ghosts come through. Might be anywhere, really."
"Right," Jazz agreed. "So we knew something had to be done. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, neither Tucker, nor I were the best choice when it came to ghost hunting."
"Which is where I come in, I assume," Valerie said.
"Eventually, yes. But not immediately," Jazz continued. "First off, you should know that, thanks to Danny, Tucker, and Sam, we have many contacts in the Ghost Zone."
"Had, is more like it," Tucker grunted angrily.
"Care to elaborate?" Valerie asked.
"Vlad," Tucker huffed. "It's always Vlad."
"Yes..." Jazz muttered.
"Before everything went to hell," Tucker began, "Danny, Sam, and I went into the Zone on a regular basis. You know, releasing the ghosts we'd captured. Exploring the Ghost Zone. Or just some random, unimportant nonsense. Afterwards, though... First, with both Danny and Sam gone, and me being the wreck I was back then, combined with everything that happened first with this city and then with every other, our access to the ghost portal became severely limited."
Tucker was silent for a moment, a deep frown on his face, staring intently at his reflection in the windshield. "Then Vlad got himself a place on the board, giving him control over the portal. Phu... Not that it wasn't already impossible to get access to it without anyone noticing. Sure, setting off an alarm and deactivating the cameras is easy. But if that happened five times a week, people would start to ask questions."
"Makes sense," Valerie muttered.
"Worst of all, we no longer have access to the portal, but Vlad does." Tucker's hands tightened, and he took a sharp corner. "He has his own portal, did you know that? Hidden beneath his mansion."
"SAY WHAT!?" Valerie shouted, eyes wide.
"Yeah, he stole the designs."
"That isn't the only thing he took from us," Jazz muttered, glaring at her feet with an angry scowl. "We used to have a lot of contacts, as I said. But with our access limited, and Vlad able to thwart us from within the Zone, we've lost contact with most. Some, like Wulf, manage to come to us, as they are able to open a portal themselves. But this also makes us dependent on them for anything related to, and in, the Ghost Zone. And as such, a lot has gone by us without noticing..."
"... Until after it happened," Tucker finished, eyes darting towards Soarin in the back seat.
"Such as?" Valerie queried, catching on to their tone of voice.
"... You remember the invasion that took place almost six years ago, in that small town some distance from here?" Jazz asked, warily.
"Yeah... I think I do," Valerie replied, thinking. "What of i—" She fell silent, eyes darting towards Soarin. "That was the invasion that moved to Baltimare."
"Wait, WHAT!?"
Placing her hand on his withers, Jazz sighed again. "Unfortunately, it was known in advance this invasion would happen, but Wulf was unable to reach us in time."
"Our worst failure," Tucker said in a saddened voice.
"Which only grew worse when that new tear formed, and the ghosts were given free access to Equestria," Jazz murmured, turning to the stallion to her side. "Soarin, I am truly sorry."
Soarin could only answer with silence, his eyes unfocused.
"... We tried to pick up the pieces after that," Tucker picked back up after a moment, "but found ourselves severely overwhelmed. We knew we needed help, which is where you came in. But even then, things did not go to plan... as much as you can call this half assed operation planned. We're practically blind. Only able to respond to things after they've happened. And with little to no access to the Ghost Zone, who knows what kind of trouble is brewing, or what we missed?"
"Of course, with your help," Jazz continued, looking at Valerie, "the ghosts are holding back a bit. If only from this city. But with just the four of us, you, Tucker, Dani, and me, things are not looking good. It makes me wonder how Danny ever did it."
"Luck," Tucker replied, "and the ability to fight the ghosts with their own tricks. But even then, it was with the help of other ghosts. If it wasn't for Frostbite, Danny would never have gained control over his ice powers. If it wasn't for Pandora, the Box Ghost wouldn't have been stopped when he opened Pandora's Box. If it wasn't for Clockwork..." He didn't finish, and fell silent; eyes glued on the road.
"Then, what?" Valerie asked.
"You don't want to know," both Tucker and Jazz replied.
"Alright, then who are these ghosts? More friends you have been keeping hidden?"
"Not really, " Tucker sighed. "Yet, at the same time, yes. Frostbite would be a frost giant. He and his kin live in the Far Frozen. A part of the Ghost Zone covered with ice. Pandora would be the one mentioned in ancient Greek mythology; the one who supposedly released all evil on the world by opening a box, or something. And Clockwork... He's the master of time."
"You said, what!?"
"He controls time, safeguards it. Likes to be all vague when he explains something, taking enjoyment out of seeing others trying to figure something out to which he already knows the answer. Something like that."
"Then... if he's your friend, why doesn't he fix everything?" Soarin asked, a frantic, and even a bit angry edge to his voice.
"He... doesn't really work that way," Tucker commented.
"And why not!?" Soarin demanded, voice rising. "If he can control time, then why not undo all those horrible things. All those... those..."
"I can't answer for him," Tucker replied. "He's more of a neutral party, in all honesty. Likes to stay on the sidelines, and only does something if some point in time is out of balance." Tucker looked at the pony through the rear view mirror. "Sorry, but it would seem the things that have happened were not disturbing the timeline."
"... Stop this carriage!" Soarin demanded.
"Soarin?" Jazz said, worried.
"I said, stop this carriage! Now!"
Stopping the car on the side of the road, Soarin didn't waste any time knocking open the door and leaping out.
"Soarin, wait!" Jazz called in alarm, hurrying out of the car herself. "Where are you going?"
"Away. I've heard enough." He spread his wings, leaping up.
"Soarin, please!" Jazz called after him. "Don't do this. I understand you're angry after what happened. And hearing all of this isn't helping either. But I'm asking you to stay, Please!?"
"How can I even trust you?" Soarin answered with a flat voice. "I don't even know you." Jazz dropped to her knees as Soarin flew away, tears streaming down her face.
"... Wow, harsh," Tucker breathed out, staring at Soarin's receding form, before his attention shifted to the woman on the ground. "Jazz, are you alright?"
".. I- I'm... fine," Jazz hiccuped, slowly standing back up, hair hanging before her eyes.
"You don't look like you're fine," Valerie replied in a surprisingly soft voice.
"... You two go ahead, meet with Wulf. I..." she muttered, slowly walking away. "I need some time to think."
Several long minutes ticked by, Tucker and Valerie watching the troubled woman as she walked to nowhere; neither of them saying anything as they reentered the car, driving off.
"Shouldn't we go after her?" Valerie asked, concerned.
"Yes, we should," Tucker muttered, conflicted.
"Then why aren't we?"
"As much as I hate to say it, this is more important, and Jazz knows it. That's why she told us to go."
"How can y—" Valerie began to protest, but an uncharacteristic glare from Tucker shut her up.
"How can I?!" He snapped bitterly. "I've asked myself that question many times before. Back when Sam had just died, and Danny spent his every waking moment looking for her ghost in the Zone,"—Valerie gasped— "and failing, while I couldn't bring myself to do anything but watch my friend torture himself to the point where he couldn't deal with anything anymore. How can I?! Every fiber of my being wants nothing more than to help my friend. But we both know that Wulf wouldn't have showed up, unless it was very important. Just as it was important prior to the invasion years back. This time, however, we might actually be able to stop something from happening, instead of hearing about it in the news after the fact."
"Tucker... " Valerie muttered, frowning. "I didn't know."
"No, you didn't. And I'm as much to blame for that as Jazz. But don't you dare say I'd abandon my friends! I already lost two, and I'll be damned if I lose another. Now, let's just find Wulf and see what he has for us," and with that said, all conversation died down. The two of them reaching the city's checkpoint a little while later, leaving the city after they and the vehicle had gone through a thorough scan.
'I won't let another friend of mine get hurt. Never again!'
<<>><<>><<>>
Soarin sat high above on a low hanging cloud which had strayed into the city through the shield, gazing blankly down at the city below. His mind going a million miles an hour, going through everything that he had seen and heard this day. From his abduction by Skulker, to the subsequent rescue by Jazz and Valerie, and everything else thereafter.
He had already struggled with it all from the moment he was freed, and the hidden side of Jazz was revealed. But after hearing what Tucker had said, how this horrible incident years back was all within the plan of some sort of grander scheme... something in him had snapped.
Everything he had gone through. Everything everypony had gone through. There was someone who could have prevented it, could still undo it, yet refused, and they wouldn't even try to change this?!
And, worst of all, he'd known Jazz for years only to find out that the one he thought he loved was someone else entirely. 'How much of our relationship was real? Was it ever real to begin with, or was it something else? Did she get close to me out of guilt, for not being able to stop the invasion before it could even begin?' He released a desolate sigh, head hanging low as he watched the few humans still out on the streets moving beneath him; unaware of him.
"It didn't feel like it was fake," he muttered. "But how can I be sure about this? Any of it?"
He sighed again, and shifted his gaze to some far away street, seeing someone slowly pass through the flickering light of a broken street lamp; the glint of red hair catching his attention.
"Jazz?" He breathed, flapping his wings to push the cloud closer, getting a clearer picture of the woman below. And it was a miserable sight.
Slowly moving forward, dragging her feet. Head held low, her hair hanging before her face like a red curtain. While her uninjured hand held the elbow of her other arm, which hung limply by her side.
Despite the anger he felt, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her, seeing her like this. She truly was hurting, and there was only one reason he could come up with why this was. Yet, he didn't leap into the air with joy at the proof the woman below truly did care for him. She still kept all those secrets. Possessing all this knowledge about ghosts, yet unwilling to share it with others. And why? Because they believed this to be the right thing to do? Because their government was unable to properly deal with this information? Or did it have something to do with this Vlad?
That last option seemed the most bizarre to him. Vlad, a name he had heard many times before during his visits. The mayor of Amity Park. Creator and financial backer of the ghost hunting group, Master's Blasters. Board member of the very company which made anti ghost technology.
Adding it up, it didn't make any sense. As far as Soarin knew, Vlad seemed like someone who wanted to get rid of the ghosts just as much as any others. Maybe more so. Yet, the way Tucker, Jazz, and Valerie talked about him... It was as if they knew something about him he didn't. Which, in light of recent events, was more than likely, and he frowned deeply at the thought. Just how much more were they hiding; was she hiding?
Having had time to think and calm down, he knew there was only one way to find out. So, with a sigh, he stood up, spreading his wings, and prepared to glide down and confront the woman he thought he knew for all those years. Only, just as he was about to leap off the cloud, a blur suddenly shot towards Jazz.
Jazz also noticed, and took a defensive stance as she looked around nervously, trying to find the entity that had approached her.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" She shouted, eyes shifting from left to right. A menacing laugh answered her.
"Oh, Jasmine. There's no need to be afraid," came a disembodied voice, and Jazz's eyes widened in fear as she turned around, staring into the darkness of an adjacent alley. "Now, why don't you come over here and give good old uncle Vlad a hug?"
"What!?" Soarin breathed out as he saw a pale glowing entity materialize out of nowhere. "Vlad?"
Vlad reached out to Jazz with blurring speed. Grabbing her around the waist with one arm, while covering her mouth to stifle her screams with his free hand.
"You're coming with me!" Vlad stated, his voice low and menacing. And so, unaware of Soarin's gaze, Vlad flew away with Jazz, leaving the blue stallion standing rooted on the spot, unable to move. Unable to blink.
Yet, his training as a Wonderbolt held firm and one single thought broke through the chaos his mind was going through: 'I need to save her' and he forced himself into motion, chasing after Jazz and her abductor.
<<>><<>><<>>
The faint sounds of footsteps in the tall grass drew his attention, and Wulf's ear twitched in response. Turning around, his glowing green eyes were the first thing the two humans approaching him saw. His broad form followed directly thereafter, and Valerie tensed up as she grasped for her blaster on reflex; eyes narrowed into a predatory glare. One which was quickly returned by the large wolf.
"Tucker!?" Valerie said, on edge, not trusting the situation one bit.
"Don't hurt him, and he won't hurt you," came Tucker's simple reply as he approached the large wolf.
"Wulf, kion vi tie havas por ni?" Tucker asked.
"Wulf, what have you got for us?"
Wulf didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Valerie for a moment longer, sizing her up, before turning to Tucker.
"Mi pensis ke estus pli kun vi?" Wulf replied, not answering Tucker's question.
"I thought there would be more with you?"
"Yeah..." Tucker sighed. "Ni havis iom de situacio nin mem. Zorginda... multa."
"We had a bit of a situation ourselves. Nothing to worry about... much."
"What is going on!? What are you two saying?" Valerie spoke up, unable to make any sense of the weird language Tucker and Wulf spoke.
"He was just wondering where the others are, since I told him there would be more," Tucker answered, and Wulf turned his focus back to Valerie.
"And what are you looking at!?" Valerie snarled, hand moving for her blaster. In return, Wulf growled, and Tucker quickly got between the two.
"No! No fighting, shooting, clawing, or anything else that could be bad for our health!" he stated forcefully, standing between the two with hands raised to the sides.
"... Fine, but I don't like this!" Valerie muttered, backing off. "Just find out what he knows, before I find reasons to put a few holes in him."
"Hundino!" Wulf growled.
"Bitch!"
"You know," Tucker said matter of factly, "you're the second person who's said that today... Anyhow. Kial vi venis ĉi tien? Kio okazis?"
"Why did you come here? What has happened?"
Wulf glared at Valerie for a moment longer, before focusing on what brought him there. Reaching behind his back, and into the small pouch he carried with him, he retrieved a messily wrapped object. A wary look in Wulf's otherwise sharp eyes betrayed how he felt about the contents held in his paw, before he handed the item over to Tucker.
Accepting it without hesitation, Tucker looked at it for a moment, not sure what the significance of this was.
"Wulf, kio estas tio?"
"Wulf, what is this?"
"Sklavigo," Wulf said with an angry growl.
"Enslavement."
"What!?" Tucker cried, and undid the wrapping around the object revealing a jagged, glowing, dark red crystal... energy visibly swirling within. Wulf barked out as he jumped back, shielding his eyes from the rock.
"What's his problem?" Valerie asked, confused. "And what's with this glowing rock? Is that why we came all this way?"
Tucker, however, didn't answer. Instead he stared at the crystal resting in his hand, which shook nervously as he recognized the item, and quickly covered it back up.
"Wulf... is this..."
"Sklavigo!" Wulf repeated angrily.
"Tucker, do you know what this is?" Valerie asked.
"Unfortunately, I do," Tucker admitted, tightening his hold over the crystal. "This... This is the same kind of crystal Freakshow had on his cane. A glowing red gem, with energy swirling inside. A gem that can control the minds of ghosts."
"What!?"
"Wulf, kie vi trovis ĉi!?" Tucker asked urgently.
"Wulf, where did you find this!?"
Wulf balled one of his paws into a fist, fangs bared as he recalled the gem's origins. "Tiu objekto venis de malbenita tero, trovita profunda ene de la Fantoma Zono. Loko nur la kuraĝaj aŭ stultaj kuraĝos paŝado," Wulf explained.
"This object came from a cursed land, found deep within the Ghost Zone. A place only the brave or stupid dare to tread."
"Lando plenigis kun grandaj spajroj de tiu anatemigxu kristalo; tiu estante nur malgranda sliver en kompare," he continued, and Tucker's eyes widened in shock and horror.
"A land filled with large spires of this accursed crystal; this being only a small sliver in comparison,"
"Atendu! A tutaj lando plenigis kun tiuj aĵojn!?" Tucker asked, worried.
"Hold on! An entire land filled with these things!?"
Wulf nodded, but then delivered the true extent of the trouble that had brought him there.
"Jes, sed tio ne estas la plej malbona de ĝi. Tiu lando, tiel kiel ĉiuj la sklavoj, kristaloj, kaj la unu respondeca kreskanta ilin... malaperis senspure," he told them, with Valerie only able to stare at him in confusion. More so when Tucker seemed to go weak in the legs; eyes wide, as he dropped the covered crystal in shock.
"Yes, but that's not the worst of it. This country, as well as all the slaves, crystals, and the one responsible for growing them... disappeared without a trace."
"Tucker, what is it? What did he say?" Valerie asked, worried.
"This can't be true!?" Tucker said, staring up at Wulf, who gave him a regretful nod to confirm that what he said was, indeed, the truth.
"Tucker?" Valerie demanded.
Swallowing the dry lump down his throat, Tucker carefully picked the crystal back up, staring at the covered item with dread. "He said that there is... was an entire land in the Ghost Zone filled with these crystals. He even mentioned there being someone capable of growing them. Which is worrying on its own, considering the power these damned things have. Should anyone get their hands on them, who knows what they might do. But it would seem that this land, along with the crystals and the one making them, have vanished without a trace."
"Wait! So you mean to tell me that there could be a massive gathering of ghost controlling rocks lying around somewhere?" Valerie asked, a suspicious edge to her voice.
"Possibly, and, no. I know what you're thinking, and no. Just no. We are not going to use these things to enslave ghosts, ever. I know what these things are capable of. Heck, Danny was once under the control of one; Freakshow made him rob a bank along with several other ghosts he controlled." Valerie gasped once more. "We can not use these, nor can we allow anyone else to get their hands on them. Especially Vlad!" Tucker stated. "We need to find out where this land went to, and soon. The more time is wasted, the more risk we have of someone else finding them, and using them to do who knows what."
Wulf barked in agreement, while Valerie seemed conflicted by what Tucker had said. Although it made sense, why should they pass up a chance to turn something like this into a weapon against the ghosts? She didn't have much time to ponder on this as, with a loud scream, Soarin and Jazz plummeted out of the sky near them. Crashing into the ground, they came to a stop in a wild tumble, while beams of ectoplasm rained down around them.
"Jazz?! Soarin!?" Tucker and Valerie called out, the latter armed with both her blasters as she scanned the sky for whatever, or whoever, was shooting at them. "What the hell is going on!?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Thirty minutes earlier.
Soarin was flying through the night's sky, lost. He had tried to follow the ghost calling himself Vlad but after he turned invisible, he'd lost all sight of him. As one would expect when the one they're chasing turns invisible. Still, he wasn't entirely lost. The conversation in the car was still clear in his mind. And, although he had a hard time believing that the Vlad they were talking about was the ghost he was now trying to find, it wasn't completely impossible either... considering everything he was told today.
So, with this knowledge, he made his way to the mayor's mansion. But even then, as he circled around the building, he had his reservations about all of this.
'This just doesn't make any sense! If he's this ghost, then why doesn't he have any protection against intruders like me?' He thought, before quietly landing on top of the mansion's roof without any trouble. 'Am I really going through with this?' he asked himself upon spotting an open window, when the image of Jazz being taken appeared in his mind, and he flew inside. 'Okay... they said something about a portal underneath the mansion. Guess that would be the best place to start.'
Stealthily moving through the large, well furnished, but hauntingly empty building, Soarin made his way down several flights of stairs, never running into anyone, dead or alive.
'Where is everyone? The lights are on, shouldn't there be someone?' His question went unanswered as he moved from door to door, trying to find a way downstairs yet failing. 'Humph... I knew this couldn't be true! A portal underneath the mansion, yeah right.' He felt a stab of anger for being misled by Jazz like this, to the point that he went trespassing into the home of such an important figure.
'There isn't anything here,' he thought, looking around as he found himself inside a library. 'Nothing at a—' He was suddenly cut off when one of the bookcases slid open with a rumble, and Soarin shot to the ceiling, flattening himself in the hopes he wouldn't be seen. However, a gasp almost escaped him when he saw the very same ghost that abducted Jazz glide out of the secret passage, a scowl on his face.
"Refusing to talk, huh," Vlad muttered angrily to himself. "Oh, I have ways to deal with that. Don't you worry, Jazz." The bookcase slid shut behind him with a soft thud. "But first, I have other business to attend to," he said as with a flash of light, and a glowing black band of energy, he changed back into his mortal form.
Soarin could only watch with horrified fascination as the ghost transformed; almost dropping down in shock. Yet he managed to remain hidden from Vlad, who promptly left the library, muttering to himself all the while.
Waiting several long tense seconds, Soarin finally dropped down without a sound; eyes wide, and breathing loudly despite his efforts to keep it down.
"Okay, Soarin. Did you just see what you thought you just saw?" He asked himself, before promptly slapping himself across the muzzle. "Okay, so this isn't a nightmare," he muttered with a hint of regret, then turned to look at the bookcase hiding the path down. "Well, I guess I know where to go next." He reared up to rummage through the books, looking for a hidden switch, when he pulled back a book which was attached to a lever, and the bookcase rumbled into motion. A path down revealed itself to him and he swallowed audibly as he took a hesitant step down, soon followed by several more as the bookcase started to close again.
"Okay, no problem," he squeaked. "Just a long, creepy stairway down to some hidden ghost room... No problem at all/" With some reluctance, he made his way down, only to end up in a long system of hallways, each leading Celestia knows where.
Looking around nervously, his eyes scanned the shadows, while his ears swiveled around to make sure no one was sneaking up on him. He cautiously made his way down the longest of the paths he could choose from, hoping it would lead him somewhere. Then he stopped in his tracks as the faint, muffled sounds of someone struggling reached his ears. Ears locked in the direction he heard the sounds, he quietly moved closer; the sound growing stronger and stronger.
Pressing his ear against the door blocking his path, he could hear the distinct sound of a mare, or in this case a woman, struggling. Checking to make sure no one was around, he slowly opened the door, looking through the crack into the room beyond. His breath froze in his throat as he saw a room filled with various kinds of computers and screens, with a surgical table seemingly pulled out of a horror story in the center of the room; Jazz strapped down onto it, a rag in her mouth to stifle her shouting.
"Jazz!" Soarin said in horror, pushing the door wide open and rushing inside while Jazz tried to turn her head enough to look at the stallion rushing to her aid.
Rearing up, Soarin was quick to remove the gag, allowing Jazz to speak.
"Soarin!? What..? How..?"
"Nevermind that," he told her, urgently. "How do I get these things off!?" He asked as he tried to pry open the metal bonds holding Jazz in place.
"Over there!" She answered, looking towards a control panel nearby. "Press the button on the upper left."
"You sure?" Soarin asked as he studied the panel.
"It's the one Vlad used to lock these things."
"Good enough for me," Soarin muttered, and slammed a hoof down on the button. The bonds holding Jazz snapped open in an instant, and she quickly jumped off of the table before they could lock again.
"Thank you!" She nearly shouted as she grabbed Soarin in a hug, kissing him deeply. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Eehh... Don't mention it," he replied with a goofy smile.
"But how did you even find me? Or get into this place, for that matter. There's security all over the place."
"Eeh... I actually saw you get taken by this ghost calling himself Vlad, and tried to follow him. But after he turned invisible, I lost him," he answered, looking down at the ground. "That's when I thought about what you and Tucker said, about Vlad Masters having a portal underneath his mansion, and with nowhere else to look, I just thought that, maybe you were telling the truth... Maybe... I don't know anymore," he said with a sigh, dragging a hoof down his face. "As for getting in, there was no security as far as I could tell. Just flew in through an open window, and just made my way down here without much trouble."
"What!?" Jazz exclaimed, blinking dumbly. "But there are cameras even here!" She pointed out, directing Soarin's gaze towards the multiple devices hanging in every corner.
"Huh, how did I miss that?!"
"And what about Vlad?" Jazz asked urgently.
"Well, I did run into him, but he didn't see me," he told her, taking a moment to think back to what he saw. "But I did see something. I saw him transform, right in front of me, before he walked away. The guy was muttering to himself about having other things to deal with. Not sure what though." The sound of a toilet flushing somewhere above made them look up. "... Well, that answers that..."
"Yes..." Jazz agreed with disgust. "We need to leave, as in right now. If he finds us; finds you, then we're both in real danger." Nodding, Soarin made a one eighty, staring at the open door as the faint sound of approaching footsteps reached them.
"Well, better get on then," he told her.
"What?"
"Get on my back! It's the fastest way for us to get out of here."
Nodding, Jazz mounted the stallion in a way new to her; wrapping both arms around his neck to hold on.
"Hold on!" He said, wings extended, eyes narrowing.
The footfalls became louder and louder, until they came to a sudden stop.
"What in the world!?" Vlad's distinct voice spoke up as he noticed the open door, and the sound of running soon replaced the silence as he closed the distance.
Appearing within the open portal, looking inside, Vlad's eyes widened at the sight that awaited him. Only to be knocked down by the combined force of a pegasus in full gallop with a woman on his back.
"What the!?" Vlad yelled, glaring with glowing eyes at the fleeing intruder and his prisoner. Raising a glowing hand, he fired several beams of incandescent fury towards the escaping duo, scorching the walls and ceiling, but sadly not the fleeing pony.
Snarling towards the fleeing foes as he stood back up, a band of dark energy appeared around his midsection, transforming him into his ghost half. With fangs bared, he chased after the two, phasing through any impeding walls in an effort to catch up. Yet the pony proved to be faster than he initially thought him to be. Fortunately, there was only one exit. Well, only one exit for anyone who couldn't turn intangible, and he quickly flew up and through the thick concrete separating his evil lair from his mansion, rising out of the floor of the library.
"Don't think you can run from me, damn horse," Vlad spoke through clenched teeth, raising a glowing fist.
The bookcase rumbled into motion, and Vlad didn't waste any time stopping the escape. With a blast of energy from both hands, he destroyed the exit; sending flames, splinters, and burning pieces of books flying in every direction.
Eyes, glowing with fury, pierced through the smoke; dust and debris slowly settling as Vlad surveyed the destruction, sure he had at least slowed them down.
"NOW!" Jazz's voice cut through the smoke, and Vlad's eyes grew wide in shocked surprise as, in a blur, two hooves connected with his face, sending him flying back while Soarin ran as fast as he could with Jazz firmly on his back.
"Why you!" Vlad shouted as he levitated himself back up, firing blast after blast of burning energy after the two, while Soarin ran as fast as he could while retracing his steps back to the window he entered. "Get back here!"
Deciding that that would be a bad idea, Soarin gave a mighty flap of his wings. Shooting forwards, his legs a blur while losing traction on the floor, he flew up over the stairs. Flying in a near vertical line up to the top floor, Jazz holding on for dear life while screaming, Soarin searched for the exit with narrowed eyes.
Finding his target, he spun in mid air to kick open the closed door; blasting it out of its frame, and the imperiled pair shot out of the mansion with blinding speed; followed closely by Vlad, if the glowing beams and orbs of destructive ectoplasm were any indication.
Soarin bobbed and weaved through the air, finally having the 'home field' advantage. Although he was held back severely by Jazz, making it impossible for him to utilize the full extent of his acrobatic abilities for fear of throwing her off. Despite this handicap, he still managed to at least stay ahead of Vlad.
"HOW DO WE GET AWAY FROM THIS GUY!?" Soarin shouted over the howling wind, mane whipping around as he dared to look behind him.
"GO THERE!" Jazz shouted back, applying pressure with her arms to turn Soarin's head towards the general area Tucker and Valerie were supposed to be meeting Wulf. "FLY THROUGH THE SHIELD!"
Giving a growl in response, which was lost in the deafening howl of the wind, Soarin changed his flight path, heading towards the location Jazz pointed out. With his wings a blur of motion, he propelled them forward with speed only possible through years of training. Buildings flashed by in the blink of an eye as they moved, never stopping for a moment, never giving Vlad a chance to close.
Soarin's eyes narrowed while tears formed in the corners, making him wish he had his flight goggles as he tried to clear his vision without throwing them off course. A problem Vlad didn't seem to have, as any wind and air resistance phased effortlessly through him.
Raising his hand, Vlad fired another blast of ectoplasm. This time, aiming at the tall building near them. The bolt of energy hit and blew a hole in the side of the building, forcing Soarin to evade the chunks of stone. People in the street below screamed in fear and horror as they saw both the ghost chase, and the falling debris heading their way. While, in quite the display of adolescent idiocy, the Masters Blasters joined in on the chase. Firing their ship's weapons at the ghost who also happened to be their boss; while also putting Jazz and Soarin in even more danger as their attacks went wild and threatened to hit them just as much as Vlad, or the buildings, or the street below, or the people standing in the street below, or the trees in the nearby park, or that one car which was now ablaze, or that second car...
"ARE THEY TRYING TO HELP US, OR KILL US!?" Soarin shouted in distress, making haste to fly towards the shield where Jazz said to go.
"THEY WORK FOR VLAD!" Jazz shouted back.
"WHAT!?"
"LONG STORY! JUST HURRY AND GET OUT OF HERE!"
That sounded like excellent advice, and Soarin angled down a bit to pick up some more speed; gaining more distance on their pursuers. Thankfully, the Blasters seemed more interested in Vlad, much to Jazz's ironic amusement. Soarin, however, wasn't fully able to grasp the situation, while Vlad was forced to give up his direct pursuit in favor of dealing with the pesky, so-called, ghost hunters. Firing at the assault craft - paid for with his own money which he honestly stole - he managed to damage one of the wings, making the craft list to the side, while those inside screamed while pressing every button wildly. One of those buttons activated the main weapon, the Ecto-Rocket, based on the design used by the Guys In White when they wanted to destroy the Ghost Zone directly, after they bought the original Fenton Works.
With a whirr of machinery in motion, the rocket deployed from the craft's underside; roaring into motion full force before it was even fully deployed, tearing its launcher from its mountings, sending the craft pummeling down as several key components were damaged. The rocket, however, flew straight and true. Flying directly into the wall of a building, detonating, and covering everything with a thick layer of ecto energy sapping goop. Something which didn't affect any mortal, but Vlad was a different story. Several large glops hit him, and his power depleted rapidly. Wasting no time, he quickly made his way onto the roof of the nearest building, transforming back to his human form the moment his feet touched the roof.
Quickly shaking off the mess the hard way, instead of going intangible, Vlad gritted his teeth as he knew he couldn't let those two escape. And, through nothing more than sheer stubbornness, he managed to transform once more, though he could feel that his powers were severely weakened as a result of the Blasters' idiocy. Shaking their stupidity off for now, he continued his pursuit, sending weak volleys of ectoplasm towards the fleeing couple; noticing they themselves were also affected by the blast.
Soarin and Jazz, while unaffected by the sticky mess, had been sent flying by the shockwave, and had hurtled through the air, passed through the shield, and crashed into the ground right in front of Tucker, Valerie, and Wulf. Vlad, acting fast, transformed and passed through the shield unimpeded, and proceeded to pepper the ground around the group with beams of ectoplasm.
"Jazz?! Soarin!?" Tucker and Valerie called out, the latter armed with both her blasters as she scanned the sky for whatever, or whoever, was shooting at them. "What the hell is going on!?"
"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!" Jazz screamed. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"
"WULF!" Tucker barked, and the large wolf nodded, his claws extending. Slicing into what seemed nothing but air, Valerie and Soarin were shocked to see the allied ghost rip a hole in reality, opening a doorway into the green void they had so recently escaped. Vlad, however, only saw his enemy escaping, and he hastily flew down, returning to his ghost form so he wouldn't be recognized by anyone while so close to the ground.
Bolts and beams of glowing energy continued to rain down around the group as Vlad tried to break them up, allowing him to capture them. Not wanting to be taken again, Jazz jumped through the hole without hesitation, followed a moment later by Tucker. Valerie stood defiantly with her weapons raised, torn between which course of action to take. Fight the ghost who once used her as a pawn, not to mention wrecked her apartment, and get some measure of vengeance. Or trust the ghost she didn't even know existed before today, and who 'supposedly' was on her side.
It wasn't really a hard choice for her, and she had already fully prepared herself to face Vlad, when someone else grabbed her attention. Soarin. He was rooted on the spot, going through a conflict of his own, eyes locked on Wulf, whose glowing green eyes sized up the pony, before snarling and growling up at Vlad, who was rapidly growing closer.
Knowing that if she didn't act, all the earlier hard work of saving Soarin's furry ass would have been for naught. So, with a cry of frustration, Valerie grabbed Soarin by his mane and forcefully dragged him along as she threw herself through the hole in the air. Wulf joining them mere moments after.
Closing in on the wavering portal, Vlad knew it would be a close call, and he fired several beams of energy into the green void beyond to scare away anyone who dared to stand in his way. Wulf, however, didn't seem all that impressed by Vlad's diminished powers, and calmly used his claws to grab both sides of the rip and pull it closed, sealing the hole before Vlad could enter, leaving him to crash into the unforgiving ground.
Coughing and grunting, Vlad spit out several large chunks of dirt and grass; screaming his rage to the heavens the moment he could do so.
"BLASTED FOOLS, DON'T THINK YOU WILL GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
He was promptly silenced when Vid, from the Masters Blasters, shot him in the chest with her hand blaster, forcing him to retreat, or suffer the embarrassment of being captured by the very pawns he controlled.
'Oh, I will get you all for this, mark my words!'
<<>><<>><<>>
Out in the green void, standing on a chunk of land covered with moss, Tucker, Jazz, Valerie, and Wulf looked around to see where they were. Soarin, however, was unable to do so as he had landed on his head after Valerie tossed him clear of the portal, and now all he could see were small orange chickens flying before his eyes.
"Where are we?" Valerie asked, scanning the environment.
"No idea," Tucker breathed. "I've never seen this part of the Ghost Zone. I haven't seen any land in the Zone with much in the way of plant growth... Save for what Danny told me about Skulker's hunting grounds."
"Efektive, ni ne estas tro malproksime de via portalo," Wulf said, sniffing the air as he sought his way.
"Actually, we're not too far from your portal."
"What!?" Tucker said, surprised. "We aren't?" Wulf nodded. "Then what is going on with all this moss stuff? I don't remember that being here last time."
Looking down and scraping some of the growth away with his feet, Wulf tried to come up with an answer, but failed to do so.
"Por tempo nun, mi rimarkis strangan fanfaroni de planto vivo sur tiuj teroj," he told them. "Mi ne scias kiel aŭ kial, nur ke ĝi estas ... Multaj aferoj estas okazante en la Fantoma Zono kiel jxus ... Multaj strangaj aĵoj."
"For a while now, I have noticed a strange flourish of plant life on these lands. I don't know how or why, just that it is... A lot of things are happening in the Ghost Zone as of late... Many strange things."
"What? What did he say?" Jazz asked Tucker, also giving voice to Valerie's thoughts. And even Soarin's, who was doing his best to catch up, while trying not to freak out.
"He said that, for reasons unknown to him, plant life has begun to emerge on the land found in the Zone. That, and that a lot of other strange things have happened, or are happening as we speak," Tucker answered, crouching down to grab some of the moss, putting it in his pant's pocket so he could study it later.
"Strange things?" Jazz asked. "Like Soarin's abduction in broad daylight?"
"Don't know," Tucker answered. "But I do find it strange that we have seen a sudden increase in ghost attacks lately, and now all of this... Something is happening, and I don't like it." Wulf gave a growl in agreement.
"And what about how I ended up back home?" Valerie added, then pointed a thumb over her shoulder towards Wulf. " 'Cause, having seen hairy over here deal with technology, I don't think he's the one who dropped me off back home." The questioning look Wulf gave her proved he had indeed no idea what she was talking about.
"Honestly," Tucker sighed, worried, "ever since we picked back up on Danny's trail" - Wulf's ears perked up, while he looked at Tucker with wide eyes - "weird things have been happening."
"You think there's a connection?" Jazz asked, concerned.
"God, I hope not," Tucker groaned. "The last thing I need is to get involved in some grand scheme where each of us plays some unknown part in a larger plan."
"Wait, does that happen a lot?" Soarin asked.
"Clockwork," Tucker sighed, speaking more to himself. "Freakshow... Yeah, there have been a few times where you might say that happened. Seriously, the way things are going, it wouldn't surprise me if some new, unexpected development were to slap me upside the head when I'm not looking."
Murphy smiled down deviously at him, and before Tucker knew what hit him, Skulker drifted over to their location, knocking the techno wizard to the ground.
"I had to open my mouth," Tucker groaned, blowing away some of the loose sand his face was pressed into.
Pushing himself upright, and slowly rubbing his forehead as he sat down, he took a moment to see who, or what had crashed into him. To his surprise, and everyone else's, Skulker slowly drifted around, spinning lazily after hitting Tucker; unconscious.
"HE'S BACK!" Soarin shrieked, diving behind a large rock.
"Oh, relax, will ya!" Valerie rolled her eyes. "He's outnumbered. Besides, it doesn't look like he's going to do all that much right now," she fell silent for a moment as she looked at the hunter ghost, frowning. "Did whatever brought me home also knock him out?"
"No idea," Tucker replied, slowly moving towards Skulker.
"Tucker, what are you doing?" Jazz asked, alarmed, while Valerie aimed her weapons at the metal clad ghost and Wulf unsheathed his claws.
"His armor," Tucker replied, "it's upgraded... mostly," he muttered, noticing his old PDA still connected to the circuitry. Stepping within range of the unconscious ghost, Tucker grabbed hold of him to stop his movement; pulling him down to the ground with a solid thud.
"So, what of it?" Jazz asked, but Valerie stepped closer to the downed ghost, smirking.
"I see what you're getting at. Clever."
"Valerie? Tucker? What are you talking about?" Jazz asked, confused.
Tucker looked over his shoulder, a glint showing in his eyes as he gave Jazz a winning grin. "This is new, unknown tech. Made by ghosts! Most likely using some of the tech they stole from us. Who knows what we can learn from this?" Tucker grinned down at his warped reflection in Skulker's gleaming arm. Lifting it up, and taking a moment to revel in the irony that, despite the advancements made to the armor, Skulker still used his old, outdated PDA. "Hey, Wulf!" Tucker called back. "Mind lending me your claws for a bit?"
The grin on his face was matched by Wulf's, and with a quick slash, Wulf's razor sharp claw descended on Skulker.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Blast! How did he get in without notice!?" Vlad shouted, an ice pack pressed against his head while he stood before the many security systems down in his secret lair. "Maddie!" He bellowed, and the hologram materialized before him.
"Yes, lambchops? How can I help you?"
"Why didn't you raise the alarm when that damned horse broke into my mansion?"
Holo Maddie was silent for two whole seconds; an eternity for an AI such as her, as she was able to process data at a lightning fast pace. Sifting through the security systems' parameters, she found the answer.
"This horse did not fall under the parameters set by you, sweetheart."
"WHAT!?"
Maddie, raising a hand, activated one of the screens on the wall, showing a recording of Vlad.
"- And set the security to respond to any human, dead or alive, entering my mansion!"
"As you can see, dear. By your own command, the system only responds to humans, alive or dead. Therefore, when this horse entered, it was promptly ignored, as you ordered."
Vlad was silent for several moments, with Maddie smiling sweetly at him. Rage began building within him, and his hands balled into fists, shaking noticeably as energy surrounded them. Then, screaming in anger and frustration, he hurled a beam of energy into the screen, blowing it up.
"MADDIE! Readjust the security for all creatures, human, horse, whales, whatever!" He roared out, sparks of red shooting from his fists.
"Adjustments made!" Maddie proclaimed after a moment.
"Good, n—" Vlad growled through his teeth, when Maddie interrupted him.
"Intruders detected!"
"What, where!?"
"All around the mansion, Vladdy. Scans show... Termites." The cacophony of creaking wood and objects falling over blocked out any other sound, before leaving an eerily silence.
A scream of rage cut through the silence, and the screen on the wall exploded a second time.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a loud screech cutting through the howling wind, and echoing over the desolate plain of snow and ice, the train came to a slow stop. A stallion was waiting close to the end of the tracks, legs half buried in snow with only a scarf and snow goggles to offer protection as he watched those on board opening the door of their car. It was obvious to him that they were ill prepared for the sudden drop in temperature, and thus were hesitant to step out into the cold; shielding their eyes with a leg or wing while their manes were wiped around in the wind.
There were a few exceptions, though. The first being Rarity, who was wearing a stylish pink scarf. Followed thereafter by Spike, who was wobbling on his two feet as he carried multiple suitcases. Yet all of this was expected... mostly. What wasn't, and took the stallion by surprise, was the appearance of a human behind the group he was expecting.
Shaking this off, for now, he turned his attention to the purple mare who was approaching him with a large smile. Lifting up his goggles, he returned the smile.
"Twily, you made it!"
"Shining Armor," Twilight replied, closing the distance and giving her brother a hug.
Separating himself from his sister's embrace, he turned around as he scanned the area, worried. "We need to get moving. There are things out here we really don't want to run into after dark!"
The mares all looked at each other with concern at his words, with Fluttershy gulping audibly.
"What kind of things?" She asked, voice barely audible over the wind.
"Let's just say, the Empire isn't the only thing that has returned," Shining Armor answered, ominously. "Now, come on. It's not safe here!" he shouted before leading the group of mares, Spike, and Danny towards the only safe place in the frozen wasteland. Scanning their surroundings, while also keeping the tall human in his sight, not knowing why he was here. And, even stranger, why he wasn't reacting to the cold, despite his lack of fur and obviously thin clothes.
Deciding that such worries were of no use at the moment, he pushed them aside while continuing to guide the group. Yet his momentary lapse in attention caused him to miss the shadows gathering above and behind them. Danny however, did not, and with a puff of cold air, masked by the freezing cold which made all their breath come out in frozen wisps, he knew something was seriously wrong.
With a loud screech, the shadow lurched forwards, and everyone turned to see the mass of darkness moving towards them with wide, fearful eyes.
"WE NEED TO GET TO THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, NOW!" Shining Armor bellowed. Putting action to words he grabbed hold of Spike in his magic, dropping all of Rarity's suitcases, and ran as fast as he could away from the darkness chasing after them.
Danny, however, was hesitating. He knew what this was, what they were dealing with. But he wasn't expecting this. He knew shadow type ghosts, possessed one even. But one of this scale made him pause as he stared up at the billowing mass, noticing large glowing eyes within. Eyes unlike any he had ever seen before with a ghost.
"Danny! RUN!" Twilight screamed after him, giving a yank on his torso with her magic, forcing him into motion.
"We're almost there!" Shining Armor shouted as a glowing dome came into sight, and he came to a screeching stop, before turning around and facing the abomination head on; buying the others some time.
Charging his horn, he fired a beam of magic straight at the area where the shadow's eyes were located. However, instead of dealing any damage, the shadow simply shifted out of the way, and the magic attack missed its mark.
Looking down at the stallion with hatred in his eyes, Sombra descended upon Shining Armor as he charged another attack.
A loud scream cut through the winds, and Danny, halfway between Shining and the shield, came to a stop while the rest of their group passed unimpeded through the shield. Looking back, he saw Shining Armor surrounded by the darkness, his magic no longer working.
Still hesitant about what to do, but also not wanting to stand on the side lines while someone was in danger, a glint of determination ignited in Danny's eyes. Something which had not happened for a long time, and he charged head first into the shadow attacking Shining.
"LET HIM GO!" Danny shouted, firing a bolt of glowing green in the direction of the shadow's eyes.
Taken by surprise, Sombra reared back, releasing his hold over the stallion. Yet his work was already done, and he retreated to a safe distance to observe everything that was about to unfold; keeping a close eye on the strange creature that had attacked him with energy like his own.
"Are you alright?" Danny asked Shining Armor, who was lying on the ground, clutching his horn, eyes closed.
"Ye- Yeah... I think so."
"Good. Now get moving. I don't think this thing will stay away for long!"
Deciding that this was excellent advice, Shining Armor got back on his hooves and ran for the city ahead. "How did you even manage to scare that thing off?" He asked through labored breath.
"... Luck... I guess," Danny lied, looking over his shoulder and seeing Sombra's eyes stare back at him, his own eyes narrowing in return. 'He is planning something. I'm sure of it.'
Running through the shield, Danny and Shining reached safety. Yet not everything went as smoothly as that. Both of them collapsed the moment they were in the clear, and Twilight and her friends rushed to their aid.
"Shining! What happened to your horn!?" Twilight called out in distress, as she looked at the many black crystals growing out of Shining's horn. But whatever he said was lost on Danny, as he lay on the ground, lightning shooting through his body.
"Danny, are you alright!?" Fluttershy asked in alarm, her voice unusually loud as her instincts to help the injured took over.
Danny didn't answer, however, as his vision darkened rapidly, and unconsciousness claimed him mere seconds later.
<<>><<>><<>>
Many hours later.
Small paws hit the dry soil of the Ghost Zone; a muzzle pressed against the ground as its owner sniffed every last inch. Some curious patches of moss, and even some grass took his interest, and he stopped on multiple occasions to mark his new find. Yet this was not what drove him, and he quickly resumed his search for that which he had lost.
Rock after rock. Land mass after land mass. Nothing went unchecked, and eventually he picked up on something he hadn't smelled before. Something new. Something alive. Something... unknown. Following this trail, he soon found himself standing before an opening; a path dropping down to a frozen landscape he hadn't seen before.
Using his hind leg to scratch behind his ear and shaking his head, ears flopping around, he jumped down. Landing on all fours without injury, he pressed his muzzle against the snow, picking up a much stronger scent. As if whatever had produced this trail had spent a long time just lying there.
Curious, he followed his nose towards the exit of the cave he found himself in. Looking around, his eyes widened. Snow everywhere. Large hills of fresh, powdery snow. His mouth opened, tongue hanging out as he panted in excitement. Taking a running start, he leaped into the nearest hill of powdery goodness. Rolling and kicking in the snow, digging multiple holes, and even leaving several glowing yellow marks before he continued with his search.
For several minutes he just followed the trail, until he came upon a village with massive figures walking around. Diving behind a small snow hill, he observed the creatures while growling lightly.
The wind picked up and blew against him from the side, carrying the scent he was following and drawing his attention to a shimmer in the air some distance away. Choosing to ignore the village, he ran for the intriguing glow, tongue flapping wildly as it lolled out of his mouth.
However, something else grabbed his attention, and he came to a sudden stop as a blue rabbit hopped into his path. Tilting his head to the side in puzzlement, he slowly approached the rabbit, sniffing the air as he did so.
The rabbit, also intrigued, slowly hopped over. Yet its plans were more sinister than just sniffing out this curiosity. Both creatures met, and he used a paw to press against the blue rabbit's fur, sniffing all the while. The rabbit, however, took this chance and grabbed the outstretched limb. A glow surrounded the rabbit, and it quadrupled in size; a bestial roar escaping it as razor sharp teeth gleamed in the pale light.
His eyes widened, before narrowing into an angry glare. His entire body glowed and his size quickly grew to match, and then surpass, the rabbit; who was now holding onto a massive, angry, and seemingly hungry dog who roared back with rancid breath. A look of fear and impending doom appeared on the rabbit's face as it froze in place, its ears dropping down, and several frozen droppings falling behind it.
Releasing its hold, shrinking in size and fleeing for its afterlife, it quickly burrowed down underneath the thick layers of snow, hoping that the massive dog wouldn't follow. However, that wasn't on his mind. The moment the rabbit was gone he shrunk down to his puppy like form and headed for the shimmer in the air.
Once he was close enough, he finally recognized the tear for what it was, and noticed the two giants standing on either side. His nose in the air, he inhaled deeply, picking up on many strange scents. Yet there was something else as well. Something faint. Something out of place. Something he remembered. His tail wagged as he knew what it was, and he didn't waste any more time sitting around. But he couldn't just approach those giants. So he did what dogs do best. Digging. With an enthusiasm only a puppy could show, he dug his way underneath the snow; creating a tunnel all the way to the tear. Sniffing up, and taking notice of the giants above, as well as something else on the other side of the opening, he turned himself invisible, then used his intangibility to jump out of the snow without notice. Looking around for a moment, panting, he saw a large stone room on the other side, with a variety of smells that only made him more excited. Not to mention those wooden wolves sitting on the other side of the hole. Did they dig it?
Jumping through, he quickly ran for the nearest wall and phased through before any of those giants or wolves could take notice of him. But the wolves' sense of smell was just as good as his, and with a growl they jumped into motion, barking to themselves as they tried to figure out what had happened.
But this didn't mean much to him, as he now stood outside in a large sunlit forest. A forest filled with trees. Trees he could sniff at. Trees he could mark.
His tail wagged as he ran over a frozen bridge, and he claimed his first tree.
Edits done by Vates Despero, Clayton the Hunter, and Halusm.
The Dark King Rises.
Part 1
<<>><<>><<>>
With a low, drawn out groan, Danny rolled over to his other side, and the ground fell out from beneath him. With a yell, followed a split second later by a thud, Danny suddenly found himself wide awake, laying face first on a cold, shining floor.
Muttering to himself, he pushed himself to his feet only to have his eyes assaulted by what felt like countless shining lights, forcing him to sit back down. Rubbing his head, he tried to figure out what had just happened. Something the glare assaulting his eyes wasn't helping in the least, and he squinted his eyes to shield himself from the worst of it while scanning his surroundings.
"Danny," a voice piped up, relieved, "are you alright?" Twilight continued as she stepped into his field of view. "We've all been worried about you, ever since you collapsed," she told him, watching him with some concern. "What happened? We thought you and Shining had made it through the shield unharmed… Well, mostly unharmed anyway," she added somberly.
Groaning, Danny held up a hand, holding his forehead with the other. "Please, could you not talk so loud?" He winced, head throbbing. "Because I have a killer headache."
"Oh, goodness," a new, worried voice piped up, and Fluttershy rushed into action, quickly giving Danny's head a once over. "Is everything alright? Where does it hurt?" The yellow mare asked, her normal shyness suppressed as she tended to Danny.
"Pretty much around the area where I hit my head on the floor," Danny muttered sarcastically, pulling his head out of Fluttershy's hooves.
"Meh, you'll live," Rainbow Dash's brazen voice cut in as she shot him a cocky grin. "A hard head like yours? Hay, we should probably be checking the floor for cracks."
"Funny," Danny deadpanned, before slowly standing back up with a sigh. Back on his feet once more, he took his first good look at his surroundings. "Where are we?" He asked as he gazed at the high polished, highly reflective, gleaming walls all around him.
"We're in the Crystal Palace," Twilight explained. "We've only just gotten here."
"Yes, darling," Rarity spoke up. "You had us quite worried-"
"Speak for yourself," Rainbow interrupted.
"-but we weren't expecting you to wake up this soon," she continued, ignoring the brash pegasus.
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie said. "You were all like, 'Guaahhh'." She mimicked fainting, dropping to the ground in an overly dramatic fashion. "And then we were all, 'Ahhh, Danny!' " She continued, jumping back up. "And Shining was all-" Twilight's magic promptly sealed her mouth.
"I think we get the idea, Pinkie."
"Fmhph hmmph."
Releasing her hold over Pinkie's mouth, Twilight turned her attention back to Danny, who was looking around with a studious gaze, and a glint of something Twilight couldn't quite place, shining in his eyes.
"So, now what?" He asked.
Just then the doors to the throne room opened, as if to answer his question. A guard came out of the room, ready to usher in their guests.
"Ladies, the Princess will see you now," he told them, and Twilight gave a short gasp.
"How is Cadance doing?" She asked, turning to the guard. "And Shining?"
"They're fine, miss. As far as these circumstances allow, at least," he answered while taking notice of Danny being awake. "She has asked for you and your friends. Please follow me." Looking at Danny for a moment longer, taking this brief opportunity to size him up, he turned around and exited the room; followed closely by Twilight, and her friends a moment later. Danny, however, stared at the open door for a while, the gleam of the walls and floor still assaulting his eyes.
"...Wait, did I miss something?" He asked, receiving no answer, before hurrying to catch up with the group.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Cadance!" Twilight cried the second the doors to the throne room had opened, the mare immediately rushed in; followed a moment later by the rather calmer entrance of her friends.
There on the throne with bags under her eyes, mane unkempt and horn aglow, sat Cadance. A tired smile graced her lips as she saw her beloved little sister-in-law rush towards her and she, tiredly, rose up from the throne. Her throne, she had to remind herself.
"Twilight," she said happily, though the exhaustion was heavy in her voice.
She slowly made her way towards the younger mare, who was herself rushing towards the pink alicorn; grabbing her in a tight hug the moment she could.
"Are you alright? How's Shining doing?" Twilight asked, worried after not having heard from her brother since they'd entered the city. The guards having rushed Shining Armor to the palace for medical treatment as soon as they had met up.
"He's alright," the stallion in question answered as he entered the throne room; obviously tired, but still managing to give his younger sister a confident grin.
"BBBFF!!" Twilight gasped, before tackling her older brother in a hug. "Is everything alright? What did that... thing do to you?" She asked as she pulled away a bit to look at the black, jagged crystals growing on his horn.
"I… We don't know," Shining Armor admitted bitterly, glaring at the dark formations himself. "The medic ran some tests and performed several magical scans, but they couldn't find anything."
"What!? But that can't be right."
"I know. We all know," he told her. "This, coming from him... We know this isn't good. Far from it. But these things don't really seem to do anything, besides blocking my magic anyway."
"What!?" Twilight shouted, staring at her brother in shock, before her gaze shifted to the dark crystals and hardening into a scowl. "But that's horrible!" she seethed. "Oh, when I get my hooves-" she began as Danny turned his attention to the mares and dragon near him.
"Is it just me, or does anyone else feel left out?"
"Ehh… kinda," Rainbow Dash admitted.
"Oh, hush dear," Rarity chimed in. "This is a family matter, and we have no right to interfere."
"Naw, reckon we just stand 'round on tha sideline, watchin' this whole thang unfold," Applejack deadpanned.
"Why, of course," Rarity replied. "Who doesn't love a bit of drama every now and then?"
"I suppose you're right," Rarity agreed with a sigh, watching Twilight pace around while listing the numerous things she would do to Sombra should she get the chance.
"Oh, but some of those things sound fun!" Pinkie Pie piped up, earning her several strange looks. "What? If Rarity's in it for the drama then why can't I do it for the action?"
"Uhh…" Spike tried to reply, only for the pink mare to continue.
"I mean, it could be just like in all those spy movies. The good guys fighting off this evildoer, who threatens the entire world with his evil scheme of evilness."
"I'm not sure it works like that, dear," Rarity replied, giving her pink friend an awkward smile.
"Aaawww, why not?" Pinkie sulked. "There could be explosions, and gadgets, and super secret costumes. Oh, oh! Then we could all have super secret spy names," she giddily continued, before turning dead serious. "The name's Pie. Party Pie."
Silence.
"Did we miss something?" Twilight asked, breaking the silence that dominated the room as everyone stared at Pinkie 'Party' Pie.
"I… 'm not, sure?" Danny answered, turning his attention to Twilight, as well as Cadance and the stallion he hadn't been introduced to, but nonetheless knew as Twilight's brother, who was standing next to her.
"We were just coming up with super awesomerific spy names for the top secret mission we have, to stop the evildoer from carrying out his dastardly plan of maximum evilness," Pinkie Pie replied, sounding both overly excited and yet conspirative at the same time.
Twilight could only stare in confusion, her mouth agape. Pinkie took that silence as her cue to continue. "I'm Party Pie. Oh, and Rarity could be White Gem, AKA, Tom," she proposed with a somewhat sly grin.
"I beg your pardon!" Rarity exclaimed, scandalized.
"Fluttershy is The Eye, because she has that awesome stare."
"Actually, I... Uhm… I don't...Maybe it could…Uhm... Okay," Fluttershy tried to protest.
"Rainbow Dash could be Silent Wind, ‘cause she once passed gas and 'filled' an entire windowless room without a sound!"
"OH, COME ON! That was just one time! One! Time!" Rainbow Dash shouted, both irritated and ashamed.
"Applejack can be Mighty Buck, if you know what I mean," she stated, while giving the aforementioned pony a heavy-lidded glance along with an eyebrow waggle.
"..." Applejack stood with a hoof raised and mouth open. "... And what tha hay do ya mean by that!?"
"Twilight, yours could be, The Bookworm," Pinkie suggested, receiving a flat look from Twilight and a snort and giggle from Cadance. Which soon stopped when Pinkie Pie turned her attention to her.
"Oh, and you could be, The Empress."
"But, I kinda already am," Cadance replied, confused.
"Ooh, nice going, princess! Getting into your role this quickly," Pinkie praised, only managing to confuse Cadance even more. Then she turned to Shining Armor, "And you could be Horn Job-"
"WHAT!?" Shining bellowed.
"-because Sombrero certainly did a number on yours."
"EXCUSE ME!?" Shining bellowed once more. But Pinkie ignored him, and turned to Spike.
"And you, are The Claw."
"Huh… You know, that's not half bad," Spike replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he considered his assigned name.
"And Danny, uhh, Danny could be…" Pinkie faltered. "Huh, this one’s a toughy," she said as she looked him up and down. "Hmm, tall, no fur, human… Oh, I know! You're Fluffy."
Silence.
"... WHAT!?" Danny shouted. "How… Wha… How did you even come up with that?!"
"Simple. I like fluff," came Pinkie's simple, but confusing answer.
"Wha—" Danny tried to protest, only to be stopped by Applejack.
"Jus' let her be, pardner. Ya know how she is."
"B—"
"Don't. Ah mean it," Applejack stated, while both of them looked at the persistently perky pink party pony pronking in place.
"Well, that was certainly... interesting," Cadance spoke up after a moment of silence, smiling tiredly. Turning her attention to Danny, she continued, "And I'm glad to see you're doing better, Danny."
"Thank you... Cadance, was it?" Danny asked, nodding in appreciation. "And I assume you're Shining Armor, right? Twilight's brother?" He asked the stallion standing next to Cadance, and Twilight gasped before Shining Armor even had the chance to reply.
"Oh my gosh, I've never introduced you to him!"
"Now why does that sound familiar?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack, who chuckled in response.
With a tug of her magic, Twilight pulled Danny towards Shining Armor, making Danny stumble in the process.
"Danny, meet my brother, Shining Armor. Shiny, meet Danny Manson."
"Manson!?" Shining repeated, looking at Danny.
Sighing, Danny explained once more, "No, there is no relation to the Manson family. Just a similar name."
"Right, right. Sorry," Shining said with an awkward smile. "As my little sis said, I'm Shining Armor. And, I'm told, you're the one who managed to chase Sombra off and get me out of there," he continued as he offered his hoof.
"Umm… I guess," Danny answered, a hint of nervousness present as he accepted the outstretched hoof and shook it.
"Then I should be thanking you as well," Cadance spoke up, "for saving my husband."
"To be honest, I didn't do much, really," Danny said with a half lie. "It was more luck than anything else."
"Nonsense," Cadance countered. "You went back for Shining, despite that horrible... creature out there. Such an act takes courage."
"I suppose so," Danny muttered with a frown. "Still, I'm surprised to find a shadow-type ghost here."
A deafening silence settled over everyone present in the room after he said those words; all eyes on Danny, who suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable.
"What?!" Cadance exclaimed, shocked. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, you know..." Danny said. "The shadowy, smokey ghost that attacked us? Kinda hard to miss."
Silence.
"Bu- But that can't be right," Twilight protested in shock. "Ghosts don't exist on our world."
'If only you knew,' Danny thought bitterly.
"And Sombra was known to be a pony like us. Although his mastery of dark magic was powerful enough that only both my aunts together could hope to defeat him," Cadance added.
"That's what we’re up against," Shining stated. "Even with his knowledge of dark magic, I don’t think that he could become a ghost."
"You know so little," Danny muttered under his breath.
"What?" Twilight asked, worried.
Looking away, out one of the windows, Danny saw the glow of the light blue dome covering the city. Walking towards the window, he looked out over the city below. "Let me tell you something," he answered. "I may not understand this magic of yours, but there is one thing I do know. This was no magic. This thing, this... dark king. He is a ghost… A type of ghost I've encountered before."
A collective gasp resonated through the crystal chamber at his words, and Danny closed his eyes as his mind flashed back through the years, recollecting those events.
"This Sombra," he spoke up. "He's a rather rare kind of ghost. We call them shadow types, also known as a shade. And he's the worst kind there is, an independent shade."
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Rainbow Dash cut in, flying over to Danny. "And how do you know all of this?" She demanded, glaring suspiciously at him.
Sighing loudly, one of his hands flexing, he turned to look at the ponies and dragon behind him; seeing their expressions of rising anxiety as they awaited his answer.
"My school counselor," he finally blurted out, which was hardly the answer the others were expecting.
"Huh?" The ponies chorused, clearly taken off guard by Danny’s confession.
With a sigh, he explained. "Years back, in high school, we had this counselor who had a rather strange effect on those who visited her. Any time someone would go see her, they would leave... drained, I guess you could say."
"Drained?" Cadance asked, worried.
"No energy, walking around lifelessly, practically zombiefied." A gasp escaped from both Cadance and Shining at this description, the couple having recognized it from their arrival. "As it turned out, this counselor was a shade, similar to Sombra, who sucked the life energy out of her victims. She was stopped, eventually. Not sure how, though," he finished with a lie.
Looking back outside, eyes narrowing, he could almost feeling Sombra staring back at him. "There were others as well, different types of shades, but all sharing a similar feature." The ponies and dragon all exchanged worried looks, while the faintest of green shone in Danny's eyes; missed by the others in the light of the sun. "He's a ghost. Of that I am certain."
<<>><<>><<>>
Clouds of snow billowed over the desolate plain, carried by howling winds only to be stopped by the glowing barrier covering the city. The snow sizzled as it melted in the warm glow emitted by the magical dome; a barrier stopping not only the flakes of frozen water, but also the darkness that was slowly circling around it as well.
A shield which stood between him and the Empire which was rightfully his. An Empire he would soon regain, through the actions of others, influenced by his might. Yet there was something unexpected; someone unexpected. This unknown creature, something he had never seen before. Not even within the toxic green void where he and his Empire had resided for the last millennium, with only one recent exception.
Now, although this unfamiliar being who was intruding on his Empire had proved to be a nuisance, Sombra was sure he would be unable to interfere with his plan. Yet the fact this individual was able to use the power of death had him worried.
During the time he spent imprisoned within that wretched green void, Sombra had never once strayed away from his possessions, never allowing his hold over those living in the city to slip. But even if he never ventured across the Empire's borders, other entities did. Creatures unlike anything he had ever seen tried to set hoof (or other bizarre body parts) on his land. They never lasted long, he made sure of that, but some lasted long enough for him to extract information.
He learned many different things. First of which was the name of the void he had found himself in; The Dark Zone. Others gave him more insight into his own powers, making him even stronger. And then, much later, shortly before his return to his world, there were those who spoke of a creature sharing their powers, but not of their kind. One still alive. One whose name carried a great deal of weight; inspiring equal measures of fear, and respect. A name most spoke of in anger. A name he didn't care to remember. But now, this name lingered in the forefront of his thoughts as he stared at the glowing dome, eyes narrowing as he stared at the castle in the heart of the city, sensing the unknown entity staring back.
"Are you the one that box fool spoke of?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Sitting in his office, Amity Park's mayor looked at the three individuals on his payroll standing before him; a scowl on his face while the three young adults shifted around nervously after having brought their boss, Vlad Masters, the bad news.
Of course had they known that the ghost they had hunted the night before, resulting in massive amounts of property damage, was the very person now sitting before them; elbows on desk and fingers interlaced, they would not even have dared enter this room in fear for their lives.
But they didn't know, and thus had reported their failure to the very one they failed to capture. It was a bitter irony that only Vlad was aware of, and it took all of his willpower to keep up his charade as the affable mayor everyone knew. But oh how he wished he could just blast those bumbling fools, if only to vent some frustration after last night's fiasco.
"So…" Vlad began with forced calm. "Let me see if I understand this correctly. Not only did a ghost manage to enter my city, but you failed to stop and capture this destructive entity. Then, in your less than professional pursuit of said entity, you managed to cause more property damage in a single night than you would normally do in a full month." The Blasters gulped audibly. "Leaving me, as the one ultimately responsible for your actions, with the task of paying off all the damage you've caused. With my own money, I might add, since you're working for me, instead of the city. But also making it necessary for me to make a public apology for your mistakes. Does that sum it up?"
The Blasters shared a nervous glance, sweat trickling down their foreheads.
Pushing his chair back and standing up, his form seeming to tower over the trio, Vlad slowly walked around his desk, hands behind his back.
"Now, tell me. Is there any reason why I shouldn't throw you back out on the street where I found you? Any reason for me to forget how your incompetence severely damaged MY ghost attack platform, and how you recklessly fired the VERY expensive ecto neutralizing missile? A reason why I might think it was a good idea to let you keep those outfits, while ignoring the protests of MY citizens?" He finally came to a stop behind the Blasters, who stood frozen on the spot, knees trembling.
"Vid," he addressed the nervous woman, then turned to the two males of the group, "Thrash, Download. I know you've grown attached to your role as 'protectors' of the city, as well as the new names you've created for yourselves." Vlad then circled back. Leaning forwards, hands placed on his desk, and eyes burning with anger. "One chance. That’s all you have left. One chance to change my mind, and for you to keep the lives you care so much about, Emily, Chris, Franky."
Emily, releasing a choked sob as her past resurfaced, gave a shaky response, "Mister Vlad. We're all truly sorry for what happened last night. There are no excuses. We take full responsibility, and-"
Vlad slammed a fist on his desk, shutting her up. "I DON'T WANT EXCUSES!" he yelled. "... And if that is the best you can come up with, then-"
"The ghost!" Franky 'Download' said with a hint of desperation. "It went through the shield without even slowing down."
'So, this pawn saw me,' Vlad thought. "Which is impossible," he countered with a sneer.
"No, Sir. I saw it with my own eyes," he replied nervously. "This ghost, it went straight through the shield."
"... Even if this were true. What of it?"
"It might mean the shield is weakening. Or, maybe the ghosts have found a way to render the shield useless. Either way, should we be… fired, then who will keep the city safe if more ghosts come through the shield?"
"There are more where you came from," Vlad replied coldly, leaning back in his chair.
"Yes, Sir. But none with our... experience."
Seconds ticked by, feeling more like hours, as a tense silence pressed down on Emily, Chris, and Franky; while Vlad stared at Franky with an angry scowl.
"... Experience?" He finally spoke up, glaring daggers at Franky. "Is this the point where I'm supposed to laugh?"
"No, Sir. All I meant was that we're already trained in the use of our- Your equipment. Should anyone new have to use this equipment, and potentially face a ghost attack before they are fully familiar with it, the potential damage could be even worse, resulting in a higher damage cost for you."
Vlad leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced as he studied the young man before him.
"Hmmm. Using my wallet in your favor," Vlad hummed. "Perhaps there is hope for you after all." He slammed a flat hand on his desk; the Blasters jumping in nervous fright. "Very well. I'll give you three one last chance. No more. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Sir, Yes Sir!" All three Blasters confirmed, standing at rigid attention.
"Good. Now get out of my sight. I still have your mess to clean up," Vlad added with a snarl, sending Vid, Thrash, and Download hurrying out of the room. All three of them were relieved they weren't ditched by their boss, yet still afraid all the same. The last several years have been kind to them, but today Vlad had shown them that their livelihood could easily be taken away from them. This was a frightening prospect, and none of them felt like they had gained a victory by keeping their jobs. All it would take is one more mistake. One more mistake for them to end up back in that nightmare.
Before, they never knew anything different. But now? They could never go back.
Never.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tucker, Jazz, Valerie, and Soarin were back in Amity Park after Wulf had dropped them back off near the city. Wulf himself returned to the Ghost Zone to try and find out more about the vanished land, while Tucker and Jazz took care of some other pressing issues back at Tucker’s home. Issues like Valerie’s irritation over having to give up her chance to take down Vlad in favor of saving Soarin for a second time that day, or addressing Soarin’s emotional state; still stuck between shock and fear over everything that had happened, and what was revealed to him.
"So," Valerie began, tense, "now what!?"
"Now," Tucker replied as he led the four of them to his personal workroom, "we settle some things between us all." He entered a code in the keypad next to the door, which promptly unlocked with a click. Pushing the door open, Tucker allowed the others entry. "Sorry about the mess," he apologized as everyone took notice of the clutter of paper and half empty coffee mugs. "I haven't had a chance to clean in here recently; I've been rather busy."
"It's fine," Jazz commented. "A bit cramped though."
"Yeah, it wasn't really designed for a party this large," Tucker replied. "Anyway, back to why we're here."
"Which is?" Valerie demanded.
"This," Tucker answered, pulling the moss he collected from the rock in the Ghost Zone out of his pocket. Opening the lid of a cylindrical container, he inserted the growth. Closing the lid, he then activated his computer, starting a scanning program. "Let's see what we can find," he muttered, before turning back to the others. "And while we wait for the computer to find anything interesting, I guess we should continue our… talk from last night."
"Yes, let's," Valerie shot back, arms crossed. "There are still some things I want answers to."
"As do I!" Soarin spoke up. "For starters, why doesn't anyone else know about your mayor being a ghost? And, better yet, why hasn't he been stopped? Why do you allow him to continue with… whatever it is he does?"
"Because if it was that easy, Valerie would have done it by now," Tucker replied, and Valerie gave a huff in agreement.
"Soarin, you need to understand how tricky the situation with Vlad is, and the position we find ourselves in," Jazz told the stallion. "Vlad is the mayor of this city. That alone makes it almost impossible to fight him head on. Sure, Tucker could cripple his computers, and Valerie could fight him when he attacks. But should we try anything directly, he would just play the part of an innocent politician-"
"Like those exist," Valerie muttered sarcastically.
"-and label us terrorists. If we were to try to take him down from the shadows, then he could simply turn ghost and attack us back. And while we have Tucker's tech know-how and Valerie's experience, he has more going for him. He has the money, technology and experience, not to mention the amount of political influence he has going for him. And that’s not even considering his various ghostly abilities! Unless we have something to directly incriminate him, or to bring him down in one blow, he will undoubtedly turn it against us. Making us look like the criminals, while he uses his influence to cover up anything that would be harmful to him."
"You know. Your standard politician, but with ghost powers and the delusional dream to rule the entire world," Tucker added.
"What! So you can't stop him at all!?"
"Not directly, no," Jazz said with a tired sigh.
"Not yet, at least," Tucker clarified, staring at the old, burnt out laptop on his desk; several cables from his main computer running to the damaged inner workings of the blackened husk. "But maybe one day, when all the pieces come together… maybe."
"But there has to be some way to stop him, without having to resort to all these kind of things?"
"Trust them on this one," Valerie told him. "You may not like it. Hell, none of us like it. But this is the only way. I know. I used to work for Vlad, wholeheartedly believing he was the good guy." She slammed a fist into the wall. "Tsk, how wrong I was. And the true irony of this was that Danny Phantom told me not to trust Vlad to begin with." She gave a humorless laugh. "Man, what a cluster fuck this all is."
"Speaking of my brother," Jazz cut in, turning to Soarin. "I take it you still have a lot of questions about him?"
Soarin, first looking at Valerie in disbelief after her revelation, turned his attention to Jazz. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and sitting down to rub a hoof over his aching cranium. "More than you know, but explain this to me first. If… your brother truly is Danny Phantom, and if he was friends with Samantha Manson, then why did he-"
"Don't go there again!" Tucker warned.
"He didn't," Jazz quickly answered, holding a hand up to silence Tucker. "What really happened is still unclear because both Danny and Tucker suffered a great deal of memory loss as a result of the explosion. At least, Tucker has. Danny, I can't be sure about. He closed up after what had happened, but, with Tucker's help, we managed to piece some things together. Enough to know that Danny didn't do the things everyone accuses him of."
"But, if he didn't do it... Then who is responsible for her death?" Soarin asked with dread.
"A monster," Tucker almost growled. "There's no other way to describe that… thing." Moving to his computer, he opened one of the recovered files. "Just one question," Tucker asked. "Are you going to freak out again?"
"Why?" Soarin replied, worried.
"No, he won't," Valerie answered for him, standing behind the pony, cracking her knuckles.
"Good enough for me," Tucker muttered, while Jazz shot Valerie another unimpressive glare.
Moving the image to one of the larger screens in the room, the faceless image of a nightmarish entity materialized. Jazz, having seen this horror before, still felt herself tense up in fright. Valerie, new to this development, gave a horrified gasp at the sight. And Soarin let out a squeal of pure terror, rearing up and scampering to flee, only for Valerie's fist to connect with his skull. He slumped to the ground once more.
"VALERIE!" Jazz shouted.
"What?" Valerie shrugged. "I said he wouldn't freak out. And look, he isn't freaking out."
"What is wrong with you!?" Jazz seethed. "Why do things always need to end in violence with you!?"
"Who said this ended in violence? All I did was knock your little friend on the head so he wouldn't force us to chase after him for a third time."
"That is exactly what I meant by violence. Why do you always need to go by this stupid 'shoot first, ask questions later' rule?"
"Because it works. But if you don't like it, I have another one," Valerie countered with a smirk. "When in doubt, C4."
Jazz shouted another heated reply back at the clearly crazy woman, while Tucker dragged a hand down his face; sighing tiredly. Looking down at the unconscious pony, there was only one thing that came to mind.
"I hear you, man. Mares."
<<>><<>><<>>
Back in Canterlot, Dani was pacing in her room, deep in thought. She and 'her' team had retired for the night, and were brought to a hotel near the edge of the city. It was fully rented out by the Princesses so they wouldn't run into any civilians and accidentally give away their presence, so there were plenty of spare rooms for the team to use as improvised conference rooms to discuss all the latest findings, or to just get away from the noise if they needed to think.
Which was what Dani was doing at the moment, trying to figure out a way to head over to this 'Ponyville' place and look for any clues on Danny's whereabouts. She couldn't just leave, unfortunately. She still had her cover to maintain, and it would raise a lot of difficult questions should she just up and leave like that. And, sure, she could have flown over to the village during the night, if it wasn't for the late night debrief about what the scientists had found during their scans of the crystals found in the cave.
'The scans are still incomplete, but what we have found is surprising, to say the least. These crystals, they emit an energy signature not unlike that detected from the anti-ghost element, Ectoranium.' That was cause for concern for the half ghost, and she was glad she decided to avoid those glowing rocks when she left the cavern the other day to follow Shining Armor. 'We still need to analyze the full extent of the scans we've made, but it might be possible for us to harness the energy these crystals emit to power some of the equipment,' she remembered another scientist saying, shuddering at the thought of having been in such close proximity to an anti-ghost element.
"Ugh," she groaned, moving a hand through her hair. "This isn't helping. I need to find a way to get out of this place without anyone noticing, and to get to this village." Groaning, she continued to pace around. Her mind going over everything that was said during the last debrief as well what was said in the throne room when she spied on Shining Armor and the princesses, and the need to get started on her real mission. Ultimately, she fell short of coming up with a plan, coming to stop near the room's bathroom.
With nothing better to do, she decided that a quick shower would do her some good. She entered the tiled room and saw her frazzled reflection in the large mirror hanging above the sink.
"Wow, talk about a bad hair day," she droned as she stepped closer. Inspecting herself from various angles, she couldn't help but snort over her own appearance. "Glad there’s no one else here to see me. Just me and my refleeec...tion." She stared at herself for a moment, before her hand met her face with a loud slap.
"How in the world did I forget?" She muttered, rubbing the red mark on her face.
Taking a step back from the mirror, she secured her stance before transforming in flash of light. "I'm a ghost. And as a ghost, I can duplicate myself!" She reminded herself, only for a strong feeling of hesitation to grab hold of her. 'But even then, I've never been able to pull this one off.'
Shaking off those thoughts, she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and slowly exhaled. "Alright, let's do this!"
Clenching her fist and furrowing her brow in concentration, a vertical band of energy formed around her. Splitting in half, the wavering bands moved to each side of the half ghost. Her fists tightened even further, teeth grinding together as she forced herself to do something she had never been able to do before. Something which had always blown up in her face before. Something Tucker explained was a result of her cloned existence. Something she refused to allow to hold her back any longer.
Grunting in exertion, the bands of light continued to separate and, where Dani once stood, only empty air remained. Spreading out even further, far beyond where Dani once stood, two beings materialized. Two beings who, if one didn't know any better, could've been mistaken for twins.
A burst of white light filled the room as the bands of energy dispersed, leaving two panting women standing in the bathroom.
A minute passed and the only thing the two had managed to accomplish so far was to fill the air with their ragged gasps, both clearly exhausted from the successful effort. Eventually, they relaxed their stance, and blinked in confusion as they first inspected their own bodies, and then looked in surprise and wonder at their other self.
"I DID IT!" both of them proclaimed in victory. "No, I did," they then said to each other. "No, me!"
Standing silent for a moment, they both came to an agreement.
"This is going to take some getting used to."
A knock on the door drew their attention. "Ma'am. Are you alright?" The vile voice of the dreaded Pete resonated through the door, making Dani and Dani shudder.
Looking at one another and nodding to themselves, Dani transformed back to her mortal self, while Dani turned invisible. Moving to the door, Dani opened it enough to look out through the crack, while Dani phased through the wall to see what was going on on the other side of the door.
"What is it?" Dani asked, not even trying to hide her annoyance. "I'm rather busy at the moment."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I thought I saw a flash, and I was worried something had happened."
"What did I say about the whole ma'am thing?" Dani asked with an irritated sigh. "And don't worry, nothing strange is going on. Nothing at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was about to take a shower," she said, and a large blush suddenly spread over Pete's face; the irritating technician having come to the conclusion that his 'boss' was keeping the door closed like that because he caught her at a rather bad time.
"Right, sorry ma- miss." Thoroughly embarrassed, he quickly rushed away.
"What a dingus," Dani said after a moment, fading back into view behind Dani as she closed the door.
"Tell me about it," Dani replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Then she remembered who she was talking to, and a winning grin spread over her face; copied shortly afterwards by her mirror image.
"This is so cool," they both said, inspecting each other. "But how did we... I manage to do this now, when I never could before?" Dani asked.
Shrugging, "Luck, I guess," Dani replied.
"This will make things so much easier," Dani commented. "Now I can be in two places at once."
"You mean I can be in two places at once," Dani corrected.
"Let's not start this again," Dani replied. "And I meant what I said."
Dani was about to give her a piece of her mind over the matter, when Dani cut her off. "Look, let's just forget about this for now, and focus on what's really important." Dani nodded in agreement.
"Well, seeing how I'm already in my ghost form, I guess I'll head over to Ponyville," Dani replied, and Dani gave an annoyed groan in return.
"Which means I get to continue with the charade, and keep an eye on the whole construction... thing," Dani stated with hollow enthusiasm. "Yay."
"Well, look at the bright side," Dani said with a smirk. "It could've been me."
"But, I am you," Dani replied, before seeing what Dani was getting at. Droning with a monotone. "Funny, haha."
"Hey, better you than me," Dani continued, much to Dani's annoyance.
"Just go," Dani droned, and Dani flew away with a laugh, phasing through the wall while turning invisible.
"... This is gonna take some getting used to," Dani sighed, before perking up. "But still, I finally managed to duplicate myself," then a playful grin spread over her face. "I wonder what Tucker will think of this?"
Many different scenarios played out in her mind, and she decided that, maybe, it would be a good idea to take that shower after all.
<<>><<>><<>>
"You can’t seriously believe that?!," exclaimed a disbelieving Shining Armor. "Sombra can't be a ghost!" Danny, who was staring out the window, gave no reply.
"But what if he is?" Cadance queried, before she suddenly flinched in pain; the glow around her horn faded for a moment, and the magical dome covering the Empire flickered in response.
"What was that? What happened?" Twilight asked, while troubled frowns found their way onto her friends' faces.
"It's not nothing," Shining Armor countered. "Cadance has been using her magic to spread love and light in order to protect the Empire. But it's straining, and she can't afford to stop the spell." Shining sighed. "Not only that, she hasn't slept since all of this started and refuses to take a break, not even to eat. I want to help with this burden, but my magic is now useless after what Sombra did to my horn."
"It's alright, Shining Armor. I'm fine," Cadance told her husband, trying to put up a brave front.
"No, she’s not," Shining directed to Twilight. "She can't go on like this forever. And if her magic were to fade... Well, you all saw what's out there, just waiting for that to happen."
"Why we're all here," Applejack added, and the rest of the group gave a hum of acknowledgement; except Danny, who was still staring outside at the flickering shield, lost in his thoughts.
"Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me trying to keep an eye out for any signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven't been able to gather much information from the locals," Shining Armor told the group. "The guards who accompanied my wife and I have made an effort to find anything useful, but it's almost as if something is clouding the minds of the ponies who live here," he explained, sighing tiredly. "So far all we have been able to accomplish is drain our energy keeping a failing shield up, without any progress in finding a way to stop, or even slow, Sombra. If something doesn't change soon, we won't be able to protect ourselves, let alone the crystal ponies."
"CRYSTAL PONIES!?" Rarity shouted, rearing up to pull on her mane with both hooves, her excitement overflowing. "There are crystal ponies?" She continued, then noticed the strange looks she was getting from her friends and quickly dropped back to all fours. "Ahem. Please, continue."
"But we have to believe that one of them knows how to protect the Empire without having to rely on Cadance's magic," Shining Armor finished.
"Hmmm…" Danny hummed pensively. 'If she's using her magic against a ghost… Does that mean...' He pondered, before noticing that all eyes were on him.
"What is it, Danny?" Applejack asked.
"O-oh..." he stuttered for a moment. "Nothing. Just…"
" 'Just' nothin'! Ya look like yer thinkin' harder than Mac on tax day!" The honest mare pressed on.
"... Light," he muttered.
"Light?" Rarity repeated, sharing a confused look with her friends.
"You said Cadance was using her magic to spread light," he aimed at Shining.
"And love. What of it?"
"Well, Sombra is a shadow type ghost."
"According to you," Shining replied. "And even so, what are you getting at?"
Danny raised a single eyebrow, looking at Shining Armor as if the stallion was asking him what one plus one equals. "Shadow!" he shouted the obvious, complete with hand gestures for the extra thick. "Light! The two don't mix!"
"... That actually makes sense," Shining Armor said with a look of surprised realization.
"Although a shadow type ghost like this is usually capable of sustaining its form, even in the light of day…" Danny muttered as he turned back to the window. "I'm guessing the magical nature of the light Cadance spreads is allowing it to diffuse his shade form."
Cadance and Shining Armor shared a look of dawning understanding, although a lot of questions still remained. One of which was voiced by brashest of the group.
"And how do you know all of this?" Rainbow Dash faced Danny once more. "It almost seems like you know more than you're telling us."
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shot back at her pegasus friend, but Applejack shushed her down.
"Let her talk, Twilight. She's got a good point, an' Ah wanna know tha answer myself."
"As do I," Cadance replied. "Danny, please. If you know anything that might be of use in keeping Sombra at bay, or even stopping him, then tell us."
"Ehh..." Danny stuttered, all eyes on him, and he took a few nervous steps back.
"Well, come on!" Rainbow Dash demanded; hovering at eye height, glaring at him. "Spill it."
Danny gulped as he took another step back, eyes shifting around as he tried to come up with a way to escape from this situation, knowing he had done one of the worst things he could've ever done; talk too much. Now he had to find a way to fix this without stripping away the cover he had built around himself.
"Actually… um... I… I... uhh, don't really know much more than that," he lied, which nopony bought.
"Yer not bein' honest there, Danny," Applejack told him.
"I... uhh," Danny stumbled, a haunted look on his face.
Seeing this, Twilight gasped, eyes widening in realization. "Danny... Does this have to do with the death of your friend?"
Silence.
"I... you... How do you know about… her?" He asked, his voice small and halting while his eyes were wide and focused solely on Twilight.
All eyes were now on Twilight, and only a shallow gasp from Cadance broke the silence that reasserted itself after Danny’s question.
"I... ehh… Well," she fumbled her words, ears folded flat as she looked away.
"... We told 'er," Applejack confessed. "Me and Rainbow Dash. Not long after you… Well, ya know."
"Yeah… We did," Rainbow Dash admitted, dropping to the ground.
"You mean a ghost killed one of your friends?" Cadance asked, horrified upon connecting the pieces.
Closing his eyes and sighing deeply, hands clenching and unclenching, Danny faced away from the ponies, and dragon. "There was a... ghost, yes," Danny answered, remembering the abomination he faced many years ago. "... And…"
"And, what?" Twilight asked in a voice that barely qualified as a whisper.
"And it's something I would rather not talk about," Danny muttered, staring out of the window with unfocused eyes. "But let's just say that I know a thing or two from… personal experience," he added, before adding under his breath: "And I lost even more…"
Looking back at the group behind him, seeing tears in most of their eyes, his gaze hardened as he straightened where he stood. "But that isn't important right now," he continued, surprising the group with his sudden turn of demeanor. "What is important, is that there is a powerful shade waiting to enslave this place, and that the shield isn't going to hold forever."
Turning to Shining Armor, Danny continued. "You said one of these crystal ponies might know a way to stop Sombra?"
"Well… yes. Maybe. I think?" Shining Armor answered.
"Then that seems like the best place to start. Let’s try asking some of the locals, and see what they know."
An excited gasp escaped Twilight. "A research paper!" She proclaimed.
"Huh?" Shining and Danny uttered, looking at each other, then at Twilight.
"It must be part of my test," Twilight continued, talking mostly to herself as she started to pace around. "To gather information from the crystal ponies, and deliver it to you!" She surmised, coming to a stop before her brother with the excited, knowledge hungry, gleam in her eyes he knew all too well.
"This is going to be great. I love research papers!" She finished, happily trotting away.
"... Wait, what just happened?" Danny asked, confused.
"That would be Twilight being Twilight," Pinkie Pie answered completely serious, earning a few disconcerted stares from her friends, before they voiced their agreement.
"She does remember the whole, 'there's a shadow ghost' thing we were just talking about, right?"
"Yup!" Pinkie Pie answered excitedly, bouncing on the spot. "That's why she's studying."
"... I'm not sure that will work," Danny replied, unsure.
"Weeelll," Pinkie Pie began jovially, "you won't know unless you try~" And she bounced away, following after Twilight.
"... Is it just me, or did that actually make sense?" Applejack said, lifting her stetson and scratching her head.
"Indeed," Rarity agreed.
"Man, that's weird," said Rainbow Dash. "Twilight is the oddball by being herself. And Pinkie Pie is the serious one, while still being Pinkie Pie."
All eyes met, a shiver going through all of them.
"It probably ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout. Right?" Applejack asked.
"Absolutely," Rarity confirmed with an edge of nervousness.
"Or maybe this means everything that can go wrong will go wrong?" Spike voiced his thoughts, rubbing his chin, before looking up and seeing everypony looking at him. "Or maybe it’s nothing," he quickly added, smiling sheepishly.
"Well," Danny said with a tired sigh, "only one way to find out, I guess. Shaking his head he followed after Twilight and Pinkie Pie; joined mere moments later by the rest, sans Shining Armor and Cadance.
The two of them watched the group leave, waiting for the doors to close behind them, before giving voice to their worries.
"A ghost killed a friend of his," Shining Armor said bitterly, his mind flashing back through the years to Baltimare.
"No, not just a friend," Cadance said softly. "A love. His love. A ghost killed the one he loved."
"... No wonder he doesn't want to talk about it," Shining muttered. "... And do you think he’s right about Sombra?"
"... I hope he isn't," Cadance replied, biting her lip, "but the look in his eyes… I fear he might be right. Sombra has become a ghost."
Shining Armor sucked in a large breath, muscles tensing. "Then may Celestia protect us all." His gaze shifting to the window Danny had stared out, seeing the shield holding back the darkness. "We're going to need it."
"Indeed," Cadance agreed.
"There's still one more thing I’m curious about."
"Which is?"
"Why is Danny here?"
Cadance didn't reply but, unnoticed by Shining Armor, a small smile found its way onto her lips.
<<>><<>><<>>
Buildings flashed by underneath her. The streets full of colorful ponies were just a blur as she sped past them. The white of the city's marble quickly changed to the greens and browns of the plants and earth as Dani flew over the edge of Canterlot, and dived down into the valley below.
She could already see the village she was seeking, and knew it would be a short flight. But after having been cooped up for so long, she gratefully accepted the opportunity to just let her hair down; which meant, in this case, that it was whipping around wildly in the wind.
A happy and relieved shout of joy escaped her as she did a quick somersault, before flying alongside the waterfall cascading down the mountainside; tiny droplets of water spraying onto her invisible form, shimmering in the light of the sun, revealing her form with thousands of golden sparkles.
Steering towards Ponyville, the water soon dried as she picked up speed. She weaved around as she flew with spread arms, smiling broadly as she felt truly free again.
'Man, I missed this,' she thought as she made a corkscrew. 'The wind in my hair, the ground far below, invisible to all. This is the life!' She closed her eyes to just enjoy the feeling.
This, however, proved to be a mistake.
Just ahead of her, sitting on a low hanging cloud, was a large, heavily muscled pegasus with surprisingly small wings. Unfortunately for her, the first indication Dani got that he was there was when she flew face first into his back.
"Ouch!" Dani shouted, fading back into view as she rubbed her face. "What idiot built a wall way up… here?" She complained, before noticing the company she had.
Silence.
'Oh, crap!' Dani thought as she stared at the pegasus stallion, who was staring back at her with very wide eyes. "... Ehh.. Hi," she said lamely, giving a small wave of the hand.
"AAIIEEEE!!!" the stallion shrieked in a high pitch; racing away with speed that took Dani by surprise, tail between his legs.
".... Oh, this'll come back to bite me in the ass," Dani muttered, hand placed firmly on her face, slowly dragging it down.
"EEEEEEEEEEE"EEEEEEEEE"
"... Shi—"
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight, her friends, and Danny were out in the city, taking a moment to orientate themselves, and to discuss their plan to find out anything useful from the crystal ponies. Twilight, obviously, had taken the time during her walk from the throne room to where they were now to come up with a multiple choice spreadsheet, as well as several key questions they could ask to gain the most useful data in the least time.
This plan, however, was ruined almost immediately when, to Twilight's horror, she realized that all her belongings were still standing on the train's platform. All her scrolls, ink wells, quills, and even her books. All of them stored securely in her saddlebags, which she forgot to pick up when Sombra attacked.
It took the rest of them nearly half an hour to calm her down.
But now, without the supplies to make the required spreadsheet, or even write down a simple checklist, Twilight begrudgingly conceded to Rainbow Dash's plan; which meant simply knocking on ponies' doors and asking them if they knew anything.
As expected, this approach didn't give the results they had hoped.
"Are you sure? Absolutely sure?" Twilight asked for the umpteenth time to yet another pony.
"I'm sorry," a light grey mare answered in a somber tone. "I wish I could help you, but I can't seem to remember anything from before King Sombra came to power-" She suddenly flinched back, eyes closed in a pained grimace. Then her eyes shot open in horror. "And I don't want to remember anything about the time he ruled over us," she said with a visible shudder.
"Sombra's spell must be why their coats aren't... crystally," Twilight told Spike in a stage whisper.
"Have we really been gone a thousand years?" The somber mare asked, which Twilight confirmed. "It feels like it was just yesterday."
"If you think of anything, even the smallest thing…" Twilight suggested.
"Of course," the mare answered, before retreating back into her home.
"Well, that was a total bust," Spike complained as he and Twilight walked away from the mare's house.
"Maybe the others are having better luck?" Twilight hoped, and the pair went on to the next house.
Meanwhile, invisible to them, Danny watched as they turned a corner, before turning his gaze back to the house Twilight and Spike had just left.
'I've seen this before,' he thought, remembering how everyone in his high school acted after they visited Spectra; even knowing it from personal experience. Then, looking down at his shadow, another question made occured to him. 'And if this magical light is harmful to shades, then why doesn't Shadow react to it? He's retreated into my mind, but he's still there… Is that why I passed out before?' he mused, looking back up. '… I'll worry about that later, let's focus on this first. Hopefully they won't notice my absence for a little while longer,' he added, glancing back, before moving for the house with a look of determination and phasing through the door.
Once inside, Danny had to blink his eyes to help them adjust. Whereas the city outside was bright and warm, courtesy of Cadance's magic, this home was dark and cold. With little to no furniture, only a filthy worn out mattress lying in a corner, the house was as gloomy as it was dark. Sitting on the dilapidated mattress was the mare he saw Twilight talking to. Her eyes were unfocused, staring into forever, and a look of loss and hopelessness was etched on her face.
'I’ve seen what Spectra can do, but this... ' Danny thought, disgusted at the sorry sight. Slowly taking everything in, from the dirt smearing the walls, to the piles of trash littering the floor. '… Over a thousand years… Good God.'
The mare's left ear twitched, her eyes slowly focusing before she looked around the room; seemingly in a trance.
'It's almost like she's still under Sombra's control,' Danny realized, hands balling into fists; body trembling in rising anger. 'No one deserves this. No one!'
With anger burning in his eyes and his mind made up, he rushed out of the mare's home, flying with unchecked speed towards the edge of the city. The buildings passed by in a blur, the streets mostly empty, save for the occasional pony slowly, and aimlessly wandering through the streets.
Eyes burning green, Danny's eyes narrowed as he neared the magical dome; only for them to widen in surprise when he saw something he recognized. Although he wasn't sure where he recognized it from.
Dropping to the ground, he found himself looking up at a large, deep red crystal, almost pulsating from the dark energy swirling inside.
"What the…" He muttered as he stepped closer, fading back into view and placing his hand on the cold, reflective surface. "Where do I recognize... this… from?" he slurred, his hand slowly slipping from the crystal, while its red glow was mirrored in Danny's eyes.
****
With a snap, Sombra's spectral, smoke like head turned to the place he felt a disturbance from. A presence, unlike any other. A presence with a cold heart. A dark grin formed within the shapeless mass, his red irises flashing brightly.
****
Danny stood on the spot, unmoving, eyes lost in the red glow of the crystal, hands hanging limply by his sides. All thought had left his mind. All sense of self pushed aside. All that he was, what made him him, was suppressed by the will of the crystal's master.
'You will obey!'
Danny nodded in a stiff, soulless manner; slowly turning around until he faced the palace at the heart of the city.
'Now, do my bidding!'
Danny nodded once more, transforming into his ghostly form, and flew towards the crystal castle.
'NO!'
Danny stopped cold mid-flight, hands trembling and eyes shifting between red and orange.
'There is already too much darkness within this poor soul. You shall not have him too!'
A voice of truth bellowed back, breaking the crystal's link.
"Wh~oa," Danny slurred, holding a hand against his face as he regained his senses. "What the..." He said aloud as he noticed the white glove covering his hand, moving his gaze across his transformed form. "What... How did this happen?"
Looking around, and noticing the crystal behind him, Danny hesitantly walked back to it.
"Did… did this thing... control my mind?" he asked with a hint of fear; then his eyes widened in realization. "A glowing red crystal capable of mind control! Just like Freakshow had!" Now aware of the danger he immediately shielded his eyes from the glowing crystal spire. "Then… that must be how he controls those ponies," he surmised, when a new realization sent a chill down his spine. "Which also means he doesn't have to be inside the city to exert his control!" He immediately looked back at the city. "Oh no!"
Knowing he didn't have any more time to waste, he quickly flew towards the shield, realizing that they had less time to stop him than they had thought...
<<>><<>><<>>
'Crows were cawing:'"Caw, caw."'Their voices echoing through the mostly abandoned streets. Only a few ponies could be seen, staying outside their homes. They were either stupid or brave. Or both. What would that be: brupid, or strave?'
'She stood frozen on the spot, pondering over this dilemma,'"Brupid sounds funnier."'And with that crisis resolved, she continued onwards with her mission.'
'What mission, you ask?'"What mission, I ask."'Well, to find the dark Sombrero which hangs like a shadow over all of ponykind, and put a stop to its eye covering reign of terror.'
'She snuck through the streets, a shadow unseen. Clad in a black spy suit, complete with night vision goggles to get a clearer image of events. The fact that the sun was still up not deterring her in the slightest.'
'Standing on the edge of a roof, not entirely sure herself how she got up there when she was down on the street just a moment ago, she grabbed her trusty grappling hook.'"Time to gather some intel."'She jumped over the edge, descending towards a couple of ponies below.'
"It just feels like something is missing," 'subject one, a mare, said to subject two, a stallion.'
"I know. It looks the same, but it doesn't feel the same," 'subject two answered.'
"Because it isn't,"'she answered, hanging upside down above the two unsuspecting ponies.'
"GHAAA! A SPY!" 'Subject one shouted, before running away with a scream causing her to lose her grip on the rope and fall down.'
"A spy. How did they know?"'She asked, before noticing her reflection in a nearby window.'"Ooh. Must've noticed my night vision goggles,"'she deduced, giving her reflection a smug grin as she slipped on the goggles.'
"Hmmm, looks like this lead has run cold,"'she told herself. But this wouldn't stop her, for she was:'"Double O Donut, Party Pie. The mare who puts the pie in spy."
<<>><<>><<>>
"I've got nothing so far," Rainbow Dash sighed after she swooped in, landing next to her friends.
"... Oh, me neither," Rarity replied, more focused on how her mane would sparkle if she were to become a crystal pony.
Suddenly, Fluttershy approached Twilight; a suspicious look in her eyes. Looking around warily, she then reached a hoof into her mane and pulled down a zipper, much to the shock of those around her.
With a bounce, the curly mane of none other than Pinkie Pie poofed out of the confines of her disguise, before the entire suit was dropped to the ground. The pink mare that emerged from within pressing close to Twilight, looking behind her while stage whispering behind a hoof: "My cover has been blown!" Turning to face Twilight, Pinkie leaned towards her purple friend, standing on the tips of three of her hooves while holding her friend's face with her remaining free hoof. "I repeat, my cover has been blown!" She hissed before rushing off in a cloud of smoke.
"O-kay?" Twilight said, confused, as the real Fluttershy stepped towards her.
"Sorry, Twilight. These crystal ponies seem ta have some kind of collective amnesia er somethin'," Applejack said, while Fluttershy noticed she was standing on the suit Pinkie Pie had dropped on the ground, and she quickly scurried away from it. "Tha only thang Ah was able ta get out of them was somethin' 'bout a library."
"A library!?" Twilight repeated with a gasp, hooves held against her face in amazement; stars sparkling in her eyes.
She rushed over to Applejack, grabbing her head in her hooves; smiling broadly. "Why didn't you say so?" She asked, before galloping away without even asking where the aforementioned library was.
"Uhh…Thought Ah just did?" Applejack answered as she watched her over eager friend rush away, before following behind to steer her in the right direction; the rest swiftly following her with only Fluttershy lagging behind. Firstly, because she was still looking with fright at the skinsuit closely resembling her lying discarded on the ground. Secondly, because she couldn't find the last member of their group.
"Hey girls!" she called out. "Girls, where's Danny?" She asked, but her voice went unheard over the giddy sounds coming from both Twilight and Pinkie Pie, along with the others' usual chatter. "... I guess he'll find us himself," she reassured herself, then quickly followed her friends.
<<>><<>><<>>
It lay amidst the books, splayed open on a pedestal, a single beam of weak light illuminating the shifting words on its pages.
The time for answers is near. But not just yet.
A few pages flipped, momentarily filling the many empty aisles of crowded shelves with gentle rustling.
This chapter is still unfolding, with questions all its own. But preparations should be made.
The words faded away, and the book closed with a snap. Hovering into the air above its pedestal, a green glow shone from within the pages, causing the books lining the shelves around him to start shaking and trembling. In a burst of power, the books were torn from their shelves, grabbed by the glow of its power; spinning around in the air before it, connected by the glowing green as a portal opened.
The skull displayed on the book's cover turned towards the swirling mass of power and paper; its sockets glowing darkly before it vanished into the vortex of energy, leaving the books behind to fall to the ground with a thud.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stood before the shield, staring at his translucent reflection in the glowing surface, frowning at the ghost he saw. Sighing and shaking his head, he focused on the snowy landscape beyond the barrier.
"So, this shield is supposed to stop a ghost, right?" He mused. "Like the ghost shield my parents made?" Looking at his gloved hand, and then back at the barrier, he decided to put his question to the test.
Raising his hand, he placed it against the shield; feeling a slight resistance from the glowing wall. Immediately he noticed a strange sensation coursing through his hand; multiple pinpricks as if his hand had gone numb. Not stopping there, he applied some force, and was surprised to see his hand push through the barrier without further hindrance.
"Huh, so it doesn't affect ghosts after a-" he couldn't finish his sentence. With a wavering aura, the gloved hand was stripped away from his mortal self; hovering above his living counterpart in a translucent spectral image, connected to his arm where the shield did not touch him. Joining them, billowing in between, was a cloud of darkness, roughly shaped like his hand, tinged with green and orange.
"GHAAA!" he yelled in pain and fright, pulling his hand free of the barrier, and seeing his ghost hand merge back with his living self. "What the hell!?" He shouted, holding his aching hand with the other. "What the hell!?"
Rubbing his hand, and then holding it out in front of him, he flexed his fingers to make sure everything still worked, unable to shake the feeling of familiarity. "Th- that was almost like what happened when I accidentally flew through the Fenton Ghost Catcher," he said, "... minus the pain. And was that Shadow as well?" He looked back at the shield with a wary gaze. "I take it back. This thing works against ghosts… But how did I get in here without separating?" He wondered, furrowing his brow.
He looked at his hand, then the shield, then back at his hand again. "I didn't split from my ghost self for several seconds… Maybe?" He muttered, then took a leap of faith.
Closing his eyes tightly, he jumped through the shield, feeling the magic wash over him; his entire body growing numb. Then the pain came, deep within his mind.
"GHAAAA!" He roared, falling to his knees while grabbing his head, eyes flashing between dark green and orange; a dark fog steaming off of his body, before seeping back into him.
Several minutes passed, his labored breathing joining the wind, but eventually he gathered enough strength to stand back up again, arms falling to his sides as he glared back at the shield. "That shadowy mist…" He grunted through clenched teeth. "It's almost as if this thing is reacting with Shadow, specifically," he grunted through a deep sigh. "Sombra, Shadow… This thing is reacting to shades," he muttered, stepping away from the glowing wall. "Best to stay away from this thing, unless I have no other choice."
Sighing, his breath turning into a cloud from the cold air he now found himself in, he turned around, clenching a fist.
"Now, where are you?" He muttered in a low voice, hovering up and looking around. Choosing a likely spot, Danny flew away from the city, eyes aglow, burning with anger.
'I will not allow you to control them any longer!'
<<>><<>><<>>
Double doors opened before the mares, and they were greeted by the bright gleam of the building's crystal interior, and the sight of thousands upon thousands of books.
"It's just… I don't even know wh- There are no words," Twilight said, looking at the treasure trove of knowledge with awe and wonder.
"EH-HEM," an elderly mare cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the library's visitors. "May I help you?"
"Yes," Twilight answered, approaching the mare. "We are looking for a book."
"We have plenty of those," she answered in a neutral voice.
"You do," Twilight replied, awed. "You really do." She slowly spun around, taking it all in with large eyes and a goofy smile.
"We're lookin' fer a history book," Applejack took over, seeing that Twilight was unable to focus all that much at the moment. "Somethin' that might tell us how tha Empire mighta protected itself against danger back in tha day."
"Yes, of course," the mare replied. "History, History," she muttered to herself, rubbing her chin. "Ah, yes," she proclaimed, and Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all looked at her with relieved, expecting smiles, which soon dropped when the mare didn't continue.
"Which is... where, exactly?" Twilight asked after a few awkward seconds.
"I... I can't seem to remember," she answered, looking around, lost. "I'm not sure I actually work here," her answer made Rainbow Dash facehoof, groan, and drag her hoof down over her face in annoyance.
"We'll just take a look around. I'm sure we can find it on our own," Twilight suggested.
"Let me know if you find anything," the mare told the group, before slowly walking away.
Watching the somewhat confused mare wander off, Pinkie Pie came to a sudden realization. "I like her," she said, smiling, before following after her friends.
This sudden statement would forever confuse her friends, so they just chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie.
<<>><<>><<>>
In a burst of green light, it arrived in the library, the force of its sudden appearance caused the nearby books to shudder and drop to the ground. On the book's cover, the glowing green orbs in the skull’s sockets seemed to follow the movements of the library’s guests. Deciding that further action was needed in order to observe them better, the tome started to channel its power.
In a small burst of energy, the skull shifted, contorting until it took the shape of those that called this world their home. Something it had done once before, not too long ago. Now he would use this disguise again to keep them from asking too many difficult questions. At least the ones that were not yet meant to be asked.
Looking around with a studious gaze, he observed the group of mares and lone drake search through the books in search of the answer they so desperately needed. He was more interested in one particular unicorn, however. One that was using her magic to move one book after another in a continuous line, before dropping them all on a large pile of rejected works, ones that failed to contain the knowledge she sought.
Knowing what he needed to do, he hovered a short distance above the purple mare, before letting gravity take hold over his form.
With a solid 'THUD' it landed on top of Twilight's head, who immediately vocalized her surprise and pain for all to hear; losing her focus over her magic and dropping every single book she was holding to the ground in a loud ruckus.
"Is everythang alright, Twilight?" Applejack asked as she and her friends hurried over to Twilight.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Twilight answered, rubbing her head with an annoyed scowl, looking around for the source of the rising bump on her head. To her surprise, however, she saw a rather large book lying beside her; its cover black with an ominous looking skull printed in its center.
"What's this?" She wondered, picking up the book in her magic, feeling a strange energy interacting with her aura. Reading the title, her eyes widened. "History Untold. Girls, I think this is it," she shouted as she quickly opened the book and rushed through its pages.
Sheesh, calm down will you? You're going to rip my spine off at this rate, it thought, careful not to actually print its thoughts. Instead, it moved the information she sought to the next page before she turned the previous one.
With a gasp, Twilight stopped her frantic search. Calling her friends over, they all read what it had written down.
"We need to get this to Cadance and Shining," Twilight told them. And, with a snap, she closed the book, and they all hurried out of the library.
Pinkie Pie, however, lagged behind a bit when she saw the mare they had talked to before standing in front of a large bookcase. "BYE," she called out, standing on her hind legs, and waving her goodbye. "We'll be back soon to return your book." Then she rushed out of the library with enough speed to leave her outlines behind.
"Whoopsie," she said with a giggle as she rushed back in, backwards. "Lost it again," she explained with a laugh as she grabbed her outlines, before leaving again.
"... What a nice filly," the mare said, smiling. "Reminds me of my granddaughter, Surprise."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stood on a snowy hill, the wind howling around him while flakes of snow assaulted his senses. He looked around with bright eyes, and a deep grimace; feeling cold to the very core, but he knew it was not because of the temperature or the weather.
"Come out, I know you're here!" He said aloud, turning around to face the pillar of smoke rising up behind him.
"So, it is you. The one that box fool spoke of," Sombra's voice came from deep within the dark cloud.
"Wait, you know the Box Ghost?" Danny asked, taken by surprise. Then his angry glare returned. "What did you do to him?"
Sombra's smoky form contorted, shifting and turning, before descending down to meet Danny at eye level.
"What I do to all who dare to enter my domain," Sombra answered, voice thick with malice. "Death, destruction, and horrors unknown awaits those who dare to defy me, based on their transgression. He was no exception. But the fool was useful, to an extent, so I didn't kill him."
A vibrant glowing orb burned around each of Danny's fists; his teeth bared. "Useful, for what?" he growled, remembering Earl's past.
Sombra shifted again, his form twisting and coiling around like a snake, surrounding Danny as he studied him. "Information. No good king lets a valuable asset go to waste, no matter what shape or form it might take. He knew things that, until very recently, I believed to be useless. Still, I showed him mercy as he cowered in fear before me. I would have gained nothing by killing him. Besides, I needed to save my strength. As powerful as I am, moving my Empire is no easy task."
Danny snorted in disgust. "Mercy?" He scoffed. "You wouldn't know the meaning of the word even if I slapped you with a dictionary."
Sombra closed in on Danny, his smoky form nearly pressing against Danny's face as his sickly green and baleful red eyes stared deeply into the pure glowing green of Danny's own. "But now I see that what he knew is more useful to me than I originally thought, Danny Phantom."
Danny tensed, eyes widening, before narrowing into a grimace.
"He told me all about you. What you can do, what you have done. Those whose lives were changed through your actions," Sombra summed up, showing the faintest hint of what might well be admiration as he slowly backed away. Then his eyes widened, a massive and dark grin splitting the smoke apart, and he lunged forward, not stopping until his intangible form was pressed directly against Danny's face. "He even told me about your true nature, half mortal."
Backing away once more, Sombra rose up to look down on Danny.
"I am the king of this Empire. My power is absolute. Nothing and no one can stop me, not even you. That is why you're here, isn't it? To be the hero." He chuckled darkly. "Fool. Being a hero will only weaken you. It forces you to look after others who are unable to defend themselves. Weaklings who will hold you back. Those who will only hurt you when they find someone else to admire."
The snow around Danny started to melt from the heat radiating from the glowing orbs around his hands.
"But it doesn't have to be that way. Join me, and together we will rule this world. I as its king. You as my dark knight. There will be no one who can stop us. No one who will defy us. Never again would you experience the pain of losing something dear to you. A pain I know all too well. So, what do you say?"
A blinding burst of green power slammed into Sombra's billowing body; the light intense enough to burn his shade form. Sombra roared in anguish, falling to the snow as his form flickered back to his solid, pony shape.
"You know nothing about pain," Danny seethed, eyes and hands burning toxic green.
"So be it," Sombra growled, rising up in a column of smoke. "I'll destroy you, and all those who dare defy me."
"I'd like to see you try," Danny shot back, and fired another burst of energy at Sombra.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes prior
With a flick of her magic the throne room's doors burst open. Shining Armor and Cadance looked up in shock at the sudden slam of the doors against the wall, to see Twilight rushing in, followed closely by her friends; a book hovering next to her in her magic.
"Cadance, Shining!" Twilight called out. "We've found it!"
"Twily, calm down," Shining Armor told his excited sister. "You've found what, exactly?"
Trotting up to her brother and sister-in-law, Twilight showed them the book she had found. "Look, here," she told them. "This book tells us all about the Empire's history. And this," she pointed out the part that had piqued her interest, "is what is going to help us. A Crystal Fair."
"According to this book, it was established by the Empire's first queen, and had become their most important tradition. The fair was held each year to," she began, then turned back to the page to read the written text aloud, " 'renew the spirit of love and unity in the Empire, so they could protect it from harm.' " She raised her head and looked hopefully at her brother and sister.
"My friends and I can put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book."
"That sounds pretty promising," Shining Armor said, hopefully, glancing at his wife. His hopeful expression fell when he saw Cadance had fallen asleep, exhausted from the continuous exertion of keeping the shield up at all times.
"We'll get started right away!" Twilight told him, voice brimming with determination. "Come on, Spike," she told the dragon, who was acting as an improvised book pedestal, keeping the book high above his head with tired arms. "We've got a crystal fair to put together."
"Uhuh," Spike groaned, slowly following behind Twilight, straining to hold the book's weight.
"Spike, hurry up. We don't have all d—" Twilight called back to him, only to fall silent mid word, along with everyone else when, from outside the shield, a burst of blinding green light washed over the city, assaulting their eyes.
"GHAA!" all present screamed as they averted their gazes, shielding their eyes with their hooves... or claw.
Silence.
"... You better hurry, Twilight," Shining Armor said, alarmed. "It doesn't seem like there’s much time left."
Twilight, staring out the window in shock, snapped her head back to her brother, and gave him a resolute nod. "You can count on us!" she promised him, and the group soon left the throne room, doors slamming shut behind them.
"Huh... Wha… What happened?" Cadance asked with a sleepy slur, blinking uncoordinatedly, before nodding off again, snoring ever so slightly.
<<>><<>><<>>
"You'll pay for that!" Sombra growled, and multiple tendrils of shadow erupted out of the cloud of darkness that was his spectral form.
"If I had a bit for every time someone told me that…" Danny muttered, evading the tendrils with a backwards somersault, seeing them bore into the snow where he stood a mere moment ago.
"I offered you power beyond your wildest imaginations. Power no mere mortal could ever hope to gain. Yet you chose this path. The path of weakness," Sombra roared, his voice mixing with the howling wind blowing massive clouds of snow in every direction.
"Power!?" Danny shouted back, dodging to his left and firing a beam of ectoplasm at the shadow king. "You know nothing about power, you cheap knock off!" Sombra launched a mass of tendrils towards Danny with a roar. The halfa sunk into the ground, before reappearing behind the dark king and shooting him in the back.
"Attacking the innocent. Imposing your will over them. Abducting them. All of the crimes you've committed. You think that makes you strong; that it shows the power you have?" Danny raised a glowing green dome around himself to deflect Sombra's next attack. "I've seen my fair share of powerful beings. All believing themselves to be the strongest there is, and that none would be able to stop them." His shield collapsed under a particularly vicious attack from Sombra, and Danny was barely able to dodge the incoming mass of darkness.
Pushing himself off of the ground, slowly standing back up, Danny glared up into the burning eyes of the pretentious poltergeist, who leered down at his prey.
"And yet they all have one thing in common. Care to guess what it is?" Danny snarled. Sombra only glared down on Danny, watching him brace his stance, hands aglow.
"All of them fought against me. And all of them fell before me. Not because I'm powerful, or have unimaginable strength. No, they failed because their power was incomplete. All they did was fight for themselves out of greed, jealousy, or just misplaced pride. You are no different."
Danny's eyes glowed a vibrant green as he glared up at the dark king.
"And that's why I'm stronger than you. You fight for yourself. I fight for others, and that is one power you'll never be able to beat!" Danny launched himself at the massive shadow with a battle cry, discharging the energy in a massive burst of power.
Their roars echoed over the frozen landscape; fist met hoof, resulting in a destructive blast of force. And, in a burst of light, the battle had begun in earnest.
Edits done by Vates Despero, Clayton the Hunter, Gigas, Halusm, and King of Kings.
The Dark King Rises.
Part 2.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Ugh… Why does my head hurt?" Soarin slurred with a moan as he woke up a couple of hours later, gently prodding his head and discovering a new lump quite close to the one he already had.
"Because I knocked you out," Valerie replied coolly.
"... I see," Soarin muttered, blinked a few times, then Valerie's words sunk in. "WAIT, WHAT!?" He shouted before flinching from the sudden pain shooting through his head.
"Meh, you'll live," Valerie replied with a scoff. "I mean it," she deadpanned. "After everything that happened to you, I'm surprised the only injuries you have are the lumps on your head that I inflicted," she surmised with a faint hint of pride.
"I really hate you sometimes, you know that?" Jazz muttered, irritated, as she shot Valerie yet another unimpressive glare.
Shrugging, Valerie turned to the large screen on the wall. "You aren't the first… Although you are one of the few still alive."
"Can you two please do this someplace else?" Tucker complained, looking up from his screen with an exasperated sigh.
"We can take this to the living room if you want," Valerie suggested with blatantly false sincerity, grinning coyly.
"You know, sometimes I really hate you too," Tucker groaned, turning his attention back to his screen.
"Heh, two for two. I'm on a roll," Valerie declared proudly.
"That's not a good thing," Jazz told her, frowning, her arms crossed over her chest.
Shrugging, Valerie looked at the information displayed on the screen instead. Tucker was hard at work, sifting through the increasing amount of data as the scans of the moss he started a while ago neared their final stages.
"This is remarkable… and impossible," he mumbled, rubbing the top of his head as he leaned back in his chair, looking up at the larger screen to get a better picture.
"What is?" Jazz asked.
"It’s the moss I picked up. It’s not showing any signs of spectral energy at all!"
"So?" Valerie replied.
"That shouldn't be possible," Tucker explained. "Pretty much anything that stays within the Zone gets infused with spectral energy. It is, after all, the ghosts' realm. To find something alive and growing in that place, completely devoid of spectral energy is highly unlikely. And yet, here we have that very thing."
"Any idea how that's possible?" Jazz asked.
"...I’ve got some ideas, all of them pretty farfetched," he answered after a moment, partially lost in thought.
"Well, just humor us," Valerie insisted.
Silence.
"Tucker?"
Releasing a sigh, Tucker took a moment to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "Okay, try to imagine this: we know it’s possible for materials from our world to find their way into the Ghost Zone. Anything from stuff the ghosts decided to take back with them, to what we bring when we venture into the Zone ourselves."
"Yes, we already know that much," Jazz responded.
"Yeah, but those were always artificial objects. Now, at least from what Wulf has said, we have plant life sprouting up all over the place. We all know that, apart from a couple of notable exceptions, life and death do not mix. And so far the land we've seen in the Ghost Zone has always been barren rock; dead, lifeless."
"Hold on," Valerie cut in, "what about Skulker's hunting ground? I was there once, and it was flourishing with life."
"Yes, I know. And it’s been bothering me ever since I first heard of it," Tucker answered. "With Wulf’s claim that plant life is beginning to emerge on the other chunks of land found in the Ghost Zone, I'm starting to think that there’s more going on than we've previously suspected."
"How so?" Jazz asked.
"Well, the amount of growth that seems to be happening all at once first led me to believe that it could be some kind of accidental contamination as a result of a ghost traversing between our world and the Ghost Zone, perhaps through a seed store. But now, I think the seeds have always been present, buried deep within the soil."
"Hold on," Valerie said. "If that's true, then why didn't the stuff show up sooner? And for that matter, how did it get there in the first place?"
"That would be my next point," Tucker replied. "We know from the Ghost Zone's history that most of the land was once connected as one large piece; with structures and the like built on top of it… and only on top of it."
"What do you mean?" Jazz asked, puzzled. Then a spark of growing realization started to show. "Hold on, why would they..."
"... only build on top of the landmass if they could build anywhere they wanted, in three dimensions, including upside down?" Tucker finished. "Things like that don't really matter if the gravity is only localised to where you stand. No, I'm starting to think the ghosts didn't build any of the structures that we found in the Zone. Or not all of them, at least."
"Then who did?" Valerie asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Whoever that land belonged to, before it somehow wound up in the Ghost Zone," Tucker answered, staring once more at the information displayed on his screen. "Which also explains where those... seeds of life, come from. I believe that they have always been there, buried in the land, waiting to grow. Those lands, they aren't dead; they're dormant. Or, they were, at least. Now it seems something has 'awakened' them, and life is taking hold once more."
"... You're right," Valerie said after a moment. "That doesn't make any sense."
"But what if he's right?" Jazz wondered.
"Then someone, somewhere, is missing one heck of a chunk of their backyard."
"... Not that it's impossible," Tucker reminded them. "Remember what Pariah Dark did to Amity Park? Or what Wulf said about an entire land of crystals suddenly disappearing?"
"Are… are you saying that the ghosts are actually stealing parts of the world?" Soarin asked, finally speaking up.
"... I'm not sure. But even so, I doubt it came from this world," Tucker answered after a moment. "We would've noticed such a large disruption to our geography... I think."
"Not ours?" Jazz said, surprised. "Then whose world are we talking about?"
Tucker, surprised by Jazz's question, turned and gave her a puzzled look. "Wait, you mean you hadn't already figured this out yourself?"
"Figured what out?"
"Jazz, think. All those different types of ghosts. All those different species. Only a few can be traced back to Earth. The rest however, they originate from someplace else."
Silence settled down over the small group as Jazz, Soarin, and Valerie stared wide eyed at Tucker's revelation.
"You can't be serious, can you?" Valerie shot back at him.
Raising a single eyebrow, Tucker merely pointed a finger at Soarin. "We already know life exist outside our own world. But if that's not enough proof for you… I know you were around when The Box Ghost got ahold of Pandora's box, and released its evil here in Amity Park. Remember what came out of it? What was mixed in with all the other horrible things that cursed box spewed forth?"
Valerie's brow knitted together as she thought back, remembering all the various monstrosities she faced that day. Then one of those creatures sharpened in her mind's eye, and she gasped as she turned to look at Soarin.
"There were unicorns. Twisted, demonic unicorns."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Alright, everypony," Twilight called as she and her friends entered one of the palace's empty rooms; dropping the book she'd found in the library on top of the circular table standing in the center, splayed open to the page where it started describing the workings of the Crystal Fair.
"It looks like there are several things we have to do to make this Crystal Fair a reality."
"Don't you worry none, sugarcube," Applejack replied. "We'll all do our part."
Twilight gave her friends a beaming smile as the magic of harmony manifested around them; the air filling with music.
"Princess Cadance needs our help, her magic will not last forever. I think we can do it, but we need to work together. We have to get this right. Yes, we have to make them see. We can save the crystal ponies with their history~y," Twilight sang, allowing the magic to guide her.
"It says that they like jousting," Rainbow Dash joined in, donning a set of armor she saw standing off to the side.
"They flew a flag of many hues~," Rarity picked up, already choosing appropriate fabrics from the palace's stores.
"Made sweets of crystal berries," Applejack's warm voice took over.
"They had a petting zoo with tiny ewes~," Fluttershy sang with glee.
""Oh, we have to get this right. Yes, we have to make them see. We can save the Crystal Ponies with their his~tory.""
"There was a crystal flugelhorn, that every pony liked to play~," Pinkie Pie noted, seeing the image displayed in the book.
"And the Crystal Kingdom anthem, can you learn it in a da~ay~y?"
""Oh, we have to get this right. Yes, we have to make them see. We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history~y.""
<<>><<>><<>>
Several miniature explosions blew craters in the layers of snow outside the shield. The two combatants responsible fighting without pause. The snow melted, formed puddles, and froze again in mere seconds. The steam that was produced by the heat of battle rising up and clouding the already obscured air, forming a frozen fog amidst the blizzard howling across the frozen plain, leaving only vague blurs to be seen, only noticeable from the glow of their attacks.
Glowing green bolts and blasts flickered through the air, with bursts of light illuminating the point of impact, while the challenging roars of the two fighters cut through the howling winds.
"You're not getting away with this!" Danny shouted, eyes burning, before dodging to his right and jumping backwards to avoid Sombra's next attack. Glaring up at the billowing mass of darkness, barely able to make out his form through the storm that had taken hold of the land, Danny's hands burned with unearthly energy.
Firing a salvo of bolts towards the large shadow, Danny heard Sombra's dark, and increasingly annoying, laugh as the fiend avoided his attack with relative ease.
"Fool," Sombra spoke up, his voice disconcertingly closer than Danny had believed him to be. "Had you taken your chance when you managed to knock me down, maybe you would have been able to stop me." Sombra's shadowy face slowly materialized right next to Danny's. Sombra's eyes gave a wicked gleam, as a mocking grin split his face. "But, no. Trying to act like the hero you pretend to be, you just had to give me a fair chance. And now, now you're unable to even hit m—"
A beam of searing hot green sliced through Sombra's face; the shadow merely dissipating temporarily as it allowed the beam to pass harmlessly through it.
Flying back quickly, Danny hovered in the air, snow blowing past him as he scanned his surroundings.
Clenching his right hand into a fist, he knew he had a serious problem.
'Damnit. Where did this blizzard come from all of a sudden?' Danny questioned, trying to get a fix on his target, who he knew was nearby; the cold in his core assuring him of that. Yet Sombra remained hidden from view, only revealing himself as he attacked. 'Seriously, did he summon this storm, or what?' He thought, before noticing a sickly glow coming from behind him. Danny narrowly dodged Sombra's attack, only to be struck down as a mass of shadows punched him in the gut.
Wheezing for air, Danny fell to the ground, snow already beginning to cover him as he strained to force air back into his lungs.
"Gaahh..."
Pushing a hand underneath him, he rolled himself over. Lying on his back, his eyes assaulted by the freezing snow, he knew he had to come up with something to fight the shade.
'I don't get it,' he thought. The snowstorm was beginning to obscure his vision. 'First, I managed to hurt him because of how bright my attack was. But now when I try to do it again, it doesn’t work.' The cold slowly seeped into his already freezing body, numbing him to his core. '… It has to be the blizzard. It’s blocking out most of the light, shielding him from anything I throw at him,' he deduced, only to feel the weight of the snow growing heavier on top of him.
Hovering above him and watching with remorseless eyes, Sombra laughed darkly.
"Fool. From what that box fool told me, I believed you to be a challenge," he scoffed as he floated down until the only thing separating him from Danny was the layer of snow that had built up over the half ghost. "Yet all you proved to be was a nuisance," he said before rising high above, several tendrils lancing down from his form. "Now you'll die where you lie."
Danny could hear his muted voice through the snow as he struggled to come up with something, anything, to stop this threat, yet coming up blank. And, as the snow grew heavier, his eyes closed, and a familiar but old voice echoed from the depths of his memory.
'You must first learn to control your mind if you wish to control your shadow.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Many years ago.
Danny was sitting within Frostbite's abode, elbows placed on a table and head resting on his hands.
"You're troubled, Great One. As is to be expected," Frostbite spoke, slowly moving to his kitchen to grab a warming beverage for Danny. "Possessing another ghost is a harrowing, draining experience. Especially considering what happened to you." He returned with a glass of warm cocoa, offering it to Danny. "Here, drink. It will help."
"How?" Danny asked, troubled.
"You don't want it?"
"... Yeah, I do," Danny muttered, grabbing the glass.
"Then it will help."
Taking a moment to drink, only the sound of Danny greedily gulping down the cocoa could be heard. With a 'thud' Danny placed the glass back on the table with more force than was needed.
"So, how do you feel?"
"Better... slightly."
"Then it has helped... slightly," Frostbite said with a small chuckle. "Now, let's talk about this shade of yours." Both he and Danny looked up at the shadow sitting on the ceiling, picking its nose.
"Do we have to?" Danny muttered.
"Yes, we do," Frostbite replied, crossing his arms. "Obviously, you don't have any control over your shade. That is something we need to work on, or the fragment of your mind within this shade might grow into something more troublesome."
"More troublesome?" Danny asked, warily, staring at his shadow. "How?"
Sitting down himself, Frostbite shot Danny a most serious look. "I'll be honest; I don't have much experience with this kind of thing. However, over the years I have picked up a thing or two, and I am worried that, if left alone, your shade might grow into something…" he struggled to find the right words.
"Something, what?"
"I don't know," Frostbite admitted. "It holds a part of your mind, so whatever it might grow into should be a reflection of your own. Yet who, or what depends on just how much of you is in there. And, of course, whether or not you learn to control it."
"Then how do I control this… thing?"
"It won't be easy. As I already told you, you first need to learn to control your mind if you want to control your shadow." Danny shot him a weary glance, which left Frostbite to add to his explanation. "Don't worry. We'll help you in this task, much as we helped you when your ice shaping ability presented itself."
"... Thanks, Frostbite," Danny muttered, sighing as he stared up at his shadow again.
"But perhaps it would be best if I took care of this for now," Frostbite remarked, following Danny's gaze, and lifting a hand.
Once again, as he had done when Danny first approached Frostbite with his shadow problem, the frost giant created a gem of ice in his outstretched hand; a pure icy blue light shining from within.
With a hiss the shadow shielded itself, before falling down and merging back with Danny.
Blinking dumbly for a moment, Danny looked at his shadow, then at the ice gem held in Frostbite's hand; noticing the light was dimming.
"Neat trick," Danny said. "I've got to remember that one."
"All in due time, Great One," Frostbite replied. "All in due time."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny's eyes shot open, glowing a bright icy blue. The snow covering him no longer felt cold, and he could feel the layer of cold lending him its strength.
A explosion of ice and light blew away the snow covering him; burning away the tendrils of darkness boring down on him, leaving Sombra to roar in pain as the light seared into him.
Slowly hovering up into the sky, upper body hanging down a bit, Danny glared up at the dark king from beneath a furrowed brow, hands clenching into fists.
"I'm a nuisance, huh? Please, I've barely even started," he taunted, seeing the look of surprise on Sombra's face.
Charging energy into his hands, making them glow an icy blue, he formed a medium sized ice crystal in each, filling them with his energy.
"And I haven't run out of tricks either," he finished, and threw the two radiant ice gems at Sombra; their light slicing through Sombra's shadowy body.
<<>><<>><<>>
"It looks amazing!" Twilight said happily, grateful. "I don't know how I could have done this without you," she continued as she walked around the many stalls she and her friends had put up, levitating the history book she'd found in the library before her. "One last check to make sure everything is in place, and then the festivities can begin," she added, taking notice of several crystal ponies exiting their houses and moving towards them.
"What's this thing for?" Applejack asked, pushing against a crudely hewn crystal statue shaped like a heart on a pedestal, causing it to wobble on the spot.
"The last piece of information in the book mentioned a crystal heart as the Fair's center piece," Twilight answered. "So I used my magic to carve one out of a largish crystal."
"Nice work, Twi," Applejack complimented. "Ah think we're ready ta get this fair up an' running."
"Ooh, looks like they're already getting excited," Pinkie Pie proclaimed excitedly, spinning around on the spot to see all the ponies moving to surround them.
"... They don't look excited," Rainbow Dash remarked, giving the ponies a wary look. "Kinda creeping me out, actually."
"I agree," Rarity gave voice to her thoughts, taking a step back towards the center; soon mirrored by Fluttershy who shied away behind her fashionista friend.
"Uh… Maybe they just wanna thank us fer what we're doin' for 'em?" Applejack suggested, giving the ponies slowly closing in on them a nervous smile.
"You think so?!" Pinkie Pie shouted, smiling and rushing to the mare closest to her. "Oh, you're welcome. But really, this party hasn't even started yet. Just wait until the fireworks start, an—" she couldn't finish as the mare interrupted her by slapping her in the muzzle.
"HEY! Don't be a party pooper!" Pinkie Pie scolded, offended.
"Wait, I know her!" Twilight spoke up. "She's the mare I talked to earlier this morning." She proceeded to walk towards the pony, giving her and those around her a wary glance. "Is there something wrong? I know we haven't had much experience setting up a Crystal Fair, but I'm sure we haven't done anything wrong," she said, glancing at the stalls, balloons, and various forms of entertainment she and her friends had set up, before turning her gaze back to the mare. "Surely there has to be some kind of misun..." her voice died in her throat as she finally noticed the mare's eyes; cold, dead, and with the irises' colored a dark red.
"Girls," Twilight said, frightened, backing away, mirrored by her friends. "Something is horribly wrong!"
"Yeah, but what!?" Rainbow Dash replied, flexing her wings.
"Their eyes," Fluttershy squeaked, trembling. "Those aren't their eyes."
"Of course they are," Spike answered, standing before Rarity to shield her with his body. "Who else's would they be?"
A collective gasp came from the group as they all came to the same horrifying realization.
""SOMBRA!""
<<>><<>><<>>
"SIR!" one of the guards shouted as he rushed into the throne room, catching Shining Armor and Cadance's attention. "Sir, we've got a situation!"
"What is it, what's going on?" Cadance asked, worried, as she stepped closer, answering for her husband who had claimed to have a throbbing headache.
"The crystal ponies, they… Well, they are attacking."
"What!?" Cadance shouted in shocked disbelief. Then a bright burst of purple light blinded them, as Twilight and her friends teleported in the throne room.
"Cadance!" Twilight shouted before the last wisps of her magic had dissipated. "The crystal ponies. They're attacking!"
"WHAT!?" Cadance shouted even louder. "What happened? Why is this happening?"
"Unknown, Princess," the guard replied.
"It's Sombra," Fluttershy squeaked, shaking, curled up in a small ball and hiding behind her mane.
"Excuse me!?" Cadance replied, giving the timid mare a worried glance.
"It's true," Applejack answered for her friend, "Tha crystal ponies are under some kinda weirdo mind control, er somethin'."
"But that's impossible," Cadance countered. "I broke any mind control the ponies were under the moment I created the shield around the city."
"You sure about that?" Rainbow Dash shot back. " 'Cause they're all acting weird, with their eyes all red and creepy."
"We've seen a similar thing," the guard responded. "Their eyes were glowing a dark red."
"Glowing red!?" Cadance repeated, shocked, not knowing what to make of the situation, or how it was even possible.
"Yeah," came Rainbow Dash's voice, filled with fright. "Just like that!" She continued as she pointed a slightly shaking hoof towards Shining Armor, who glared at the group with empty eyes; his irises glowing red.
"Shining," Cadance gasped.
"BBBFF!" Twilight shouted, tears in her eyes, and all eyes shifted to the dark crystals growing out of Shining Armor's horn; a faint, dark glow coming off of them.
"No!" Cadance shrieked, rushing towards her husband to try and snap him out of his mind controlled state. "Not again! NOT AGAIN!" She cried, yet was unable to get near him as, with a flash of his horn, Cadance was blasted away and slammed into the adjacent wall, knocking her out cold as she slowly slumped to the floor.
"Cadance!" Twilight shouted.
"Princess!" The guard and Twilight's friends yelled; all of them rushing to the stricken Princess, seeing the magical glow around her horn fade out of existence.
"Oh no!" Twilight gasped, head snapping to the nearest window, just in time to see the shield fail and fade.
The clip clopping of hooves on the floor brought their attention back to Shining Armor, slowly making his way towards them; mind blank and eyes glowing.
They all vanished in a burst of powerful purple magic.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes before that.
"RHAAAA!!" Sombra roared in a mix of rage and pain as his shadowy form was burned by the pure glow of Danny's ice crystals, forcing him back into his solid self and drop to the ground, panting.
Before him, slowly lowering himself, Danny hovered in the air; both hands raised up by his sides, new ice gems growing in his palms.
"So, still a nuisance, huh?" He asked, grinning smugly. "Or am I more of a challenge than you thought me to be?"
Sombra fired a trio of burning green bolts at Danny over his remark, but his aim was sloppy and Danny easily avoided the destructive energy.
"Getting desperate now?" Danny smirked. "And here I thought you were a real threat."
Sombra growled, before spitting the foul taste he had in his mouth in the snow.
"Dude, gross," Danny commented. Sombra, however, didn't seem to care.
Beginning with a low chuckle, growing into an all out roaring laughter, his eyes focused on Danny once more, his red irises burning brightly.
"Fool," Sombra sneered, "your pathetic attempts to fight me are meaningless at best."
"You sure about that?" Danny shot back. "Seems to me that my attempts have some effect."
Sombra chuckled darkly as shadowy smoke started to cover his form once more, and he slowly rose up in a dark cloud.
"Your attempts are meaningless, because you are still trying to be the hero. And, like every other hero, you will do everything in your power to save the weak and powerless."
Danny's confident stance sagged slightly, a worried frown growing on his features. "Yeah, what of it?"
"What of it?" Sombra repeated, baring his teeth, and the red of his eyes intensified. "I need only fight you. But you?" The shield covering the city began to flicker and fade. "You'll have to fight the very weaklings you seek to save." In a blinding burst of light Sombra launched one more attack on Danny before fleeing, forcing the half ghost to avoid the destructive burst and lose sight of the cowardly cur.
"What the!?" Danny muttered as he cleared his eyes, his voice full of dread. "Where did that guy go now?"
He then realized the shield was no longer covering the city, allowing the blizzard free reign. And with it, Sombra.
"Oh no," he murmured, hurrying towards the city.
<<>><<>><<>>
A flash of purple filled the building and Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Cadance, and the lone guard found themselves in the library; Cadance unconscious, and the guard, braced to fight his Prince and commanding officer, looking around in confusion.
"What happened?" He asked, not daring to relax.
"I teleported us out of the palace and to the library," Twilight answered, voice hollow. "Rainbow Dash, could you lock the door?"
"Uh, sure," Rainbow Dash replied, slowly hovering towards the double door. "... Hey, AJ. Mind giving me a hoof?!" She shouted a second later, and the farm pony was quick to respond. A few seconds ticked by, then the sound of a bookcase being moved filled the otherwise still air; soon followed by a second case, and the sound of several books falling on top of Rainbow Dash's head, who shouted in surprise and frustration.
"Are you alright, Twilight?" Rarity asked, placing a comforting hoof on Twilight's back.
"No… No I'm not," she answered, remembering her brother's eyes, and what he had done to Cadance.
A sorrowful sigh escaped her, and she somberly turned her head towards her sister-in-law. "How's she doing?"
"She's not injured," the guard replied, scanning the new surroundings for any possible threat.
"She has some swelling on her head," Fluttershy replied, already taking care of the pink alicorn. "From the blow against the wall, knocking her out. She is also suffering from exhaustion after using her magic for so long, so I don't think she will be awake for a while," but as soon as she said that, Cadance began to stir. "Or maybe not."
"Cadance!" Twilight gasped, hurrying to help her former foalsitter back to her hooves.
"Nhg… Twilight," Cadance murmured, holding a hoof against her head, eyes squeezed shut in a pained grimace. "What… What happened?" Her eyes shot back open as recent memories came flooding back. "Shining Armor! Where's Shining Armor?"
All ponies, and dragon, present looked down, save for the guard who could only glare with anger burning in his eyes.
"Where is my husband!?" Cadance nearly shouted, frantically looking around for him, but coming to the shocking realization that they were no longer in the palace.
"Cadance," Twilight spoke up, voice wavering, "Shining.. he's," a choked sob escaped her, "he… Sombra has him under his control. Just like the crystal ponies… He... he attacked you and he was going to attack us next, so I teleported us to this library."
Cadance fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face, while an rough, irritated grunt came from the guard.
"Hey, what's your problem?" Rainbow Dash glowered.
"My problem?" the guard replied with trained professionalism, though his irritation was clearly visible in his eyes. "How about the fact that you teleported me along with you, forcing me to leave my squad while they deal with the crystal ponies. Or how about you," -he turned to Twilight- "not even trying to stop the Prince, your brother, and instead fleeing to this place," he released a rough sigh. "It is as I said before," he turned to Cadance. "This is no place for civilians."
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"I beg your pardon?" said Rarity.
"An' what tha hay do you mean by that?!" Applejack glared.
"And what shitty ass third world shit-hole military trained you to be this stupid and unprofessional?" Vates Despero demanded.*
"I.. uuhm.. Don't really like you saying that…Eeep," Fluttershy said softly.
"Well, you're no fun... and did anypony else hear that weird disembodied voice?" Pinkie Pie frowned.
"What! How could you say that?" Twilight asked, offended. "I would never abandon my big brother."
"And yet, here we are," the guard motioned around them.
Pinkie Pie looked around at all her friends. "Seriously? Just me?" she asked again.
"Hey buddy," Rainbow Dash stood face to face with the stallion. "Keep talking, and we're going to have a problem."
"We already have a problem!" he replied seriously, angry. "But I haven't seen you do anything to stop this situation."
"Oh yeah!?" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You must be blind, because clearly you don't recognize who you're talking to."
"Oh, I know all about you. Hard not to," he replied. "And although I am grateful for what you and your friends have done in the past, it doesn't change the fact that you are still an untrained, undisciplined, civilian in a hostile zone. Furthermore," he cut Rainbow Dash off before she could give voice to her thoughts, "you do not have the Elements with you! We were all briefed before you arrived; we were told that you would come to help, but that the Elements wouldn't be used. Something Princess Celestia's message was quite clear about. So, without the artifacts you used to stop threats such as Discord, what purpose do you have here other than to run away when the situation grows out of control?" he asked, and the brazen Pegasus' stance sagged slightly, mirrored by her friends who shot each other uneasy glances.
Sighing tiredly, the guard continued. "Look, don't get me wrong here. The rest of the guards and I are truly grateful for what you have done for Equestria. But right now, you are only getting in the way. Instead of being teleported away, I could have helped my fellow guards trying to contain the situation and hopefully even brake Sombra's hold over the Prince. Instead, I was dragged along with you when things became too dangerous. We were trained to deal with situations just like this one; unknown and potentially dangerous scenarios in an unfamiliar land. Being in such stressful conditions can do things to ponies not used to it; it clouds your judgment, making you act before thinking things through. And, to prove my point. You've been so busy running away, I doubt any of you have thought about the human not being with you."
A loud, shocked gasp escaped several of the mares, Twilight's being the loudest.
"Oh no, Danny!" Twilight shouted, shocked. "He was still out in the city… We need to find him!" She declared before charging her horn, readying another teleportation spell.
"Twilight, wait!" Cadance shouted, stopping the mare before she could do something rash and (probably) stupid. "It's far too dangerous. We need to think this through."
"But... What about Danny?"
"You won't help him by getting captured, or worse," Cadance whispered the last part.
"But, then what do we do?" Rarity asked.
With a heavy sigh, Cadance sat down, eyes closed. "As much as I hate to say it, the situation has changed dramatically. Strong Will is right," she said, gesturing to the guard. "Without the Elements, all of you are in tremendous danger."
"What are you saying, Princess?" Rainbow Dash asked, not liking Cadance's tone of voice.
Steeling her resolve, she looked up at Rainbow Dash. "What I am saying is that I can't, in good conscience, put your lives at any further risk. As Strong Will said, he and the rest of the guards present are trained for situations like this. It’s why Shining and I selected them to accompany us to the Empire. We must trust that they will be able to deal with this new development."
"Thank you, Princess," Strong Will said, bringing Cadance's attention back to him.
"Strong Will. As you have made clear, you are best suited for this situation. Therefore, I will teleport you back to the palace. Rejoin your squad and, please, do anything in your power to free my husband's mind."
"Princess, with all due respect, I can't possibly leave you here alone, without protection."
"Nor will you. While tired I might be, I am still more than capable of defending myself. Besides, even without the Elements, these mares are still quite capable in their own right. I'll be fine," she said, looking at the ponies, and dragon beside her. "We'll be fine."
"But, your Maj—"
"That's an order!" Cadance snapped.
The soldier jerked to attention and sharply replied, "Yes, your Majesty."
"Good. Now, prepare yourself," Cadance said, charging her horn. "And good luck," she added as Strong Will vanished in a burst of magic.
Silence.
"... Sooo.. Now what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Now, now we're going to find a way to stop Sombra," Cadance answered, looking around the library.
"But I thought you said we weren't allowed to go back out there?" Spike replied, scratching his head.
"True, but I never said it was an order, did I?" Cadance answered with a wink, then a light laugh. "Heh, I know you Twilight," she continued as she turned to the aforementioned mare, "and if half of what you’ve told me about your friends is true, then I know you won't sit by silently, waiting for all of this to blow over even if I ordered you to stay put." Matching mischievous smirks found their way onto Applejack and Rainbow Dash's lips. "But that doesn't mean I’ll allow you to face that monster without a way to help you."
"Wait, you mean you know something that could stop Sombra?" Twilight asked, surprised.
"No," Cadance answered, extinguishing the brief spark of hope Twilight had felt at her words, "but I know something that could help us." She looked around the wealth of knowledge once lost. "We might find a way to stop what’s happening within one of these books."
"... Ehehe... Actually, Princess," Rainbow Dash spoke up, rubbing the back of her neck as she shot the Princess an awkward look. "We already kinda did that."
"You, what?" Cadance replied, dumbfounded, blinking her eyes rapidly.
"Oh right... You might have been asleep when we told you and Shining Armor about that."
Blinking again, Cadance sat silently.
"We could show you what we've found," Twilight offered, breaking the awkward silence.
"Yes... That might be for the best," Cadance replied, glad to steer the attention away from her, and watching as Twilight showed her a black, ominous looking book; a strange vibe coming off of it.
<<>><<>><<>>
Strong winds howled through the streets, the snow already covering up the buildings, leaving a growing layer of white. Yet it was unable to cover the darkness prowling through the streets; an evil laugh echoing on the winds instilled fear in the hearts of all who heard it. Yet despite their fright, the victims also lacked the energy and free will to run and hide.
Instead, all those whose mind was clouded by Sombra's darkness found themselves marching towards the palace, much as they were forced to do when the city first returned to the mortal realm. Gathering around and inside the palace, they bowed deeply, faces pressing against the ground as a cloud of darkness solidified in the courtyard's center; his burning eyes observing his unwilling subjects with malice.
A sudden burst of magical light brought their collective attention to a lone stallion, clad in guard armor, teleporting into their midst.
"Alright, now where to?" Strong Will said, then his eyes widened as he noticed just where he materialized and just who was with him. "... Oh, son of a diamond d—"
Sombra's roaring laughter echoed throughout the palace.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny found himself at the edge of the city, hands clenching and unclenching nervously. He figured the blizzard now blinding the city would provide him cover, but he was still worried. To follow Sombra and, most likely, run into someone in his ghost form would be a serious problem.
True, there was an easy fix for this: Go invisible. And his intangibility would keep the snow from hitting him and revealing his form. But even then, the idea of running into someone while being a ghost kept him rooted on the spot, memories from years back of people reacting in fear at the sight of him still causing him undue trauma.
The fear in their eyes. The horror of their screams. The panic as they all scrambled to get away from him. All of it, coming back to him in waves of pain and uncertainty.
'Am I doing the right thing here?' Danny asked himself, holding a gloved hand up, studying the blue glow surrounding it. 'Or is what Sombra said true? Am I just trying to be a hero?' A flash of dark green filled his eyes for a split second, before the glow of ice blue reasserted itself. 'All my powers have ever done was hurt others...' Sam's smiling face flashed before his mind's eye. 'How is this any different?'
Suddenly his eyes flashed a vibrant orange, and Danny's mind went spinning. Grabbing his head with both hands, clenching his eyes shut, he tried to regain control over his senses.
"No!" he stated forcefully, "NO!" His arms dropped to his sides as he looked back up. "I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for them," he stated firmly as determination shone within his eyes' icy glow. "And I've been standing here doing nothing for far too long!" He rose up and flew into the city, determined to find the shadow he had challenged, and finish the fight.
Yet, unbeknownst to him, there was another battle already taking place, deep within the core of his mind.
The shield did more than strip his ghost self from his mortal form. It reacted with Shadow, tried to block the corruption infecting both their minds. Breaking the flimsy shackles Shadow had placed around Nightmare Moon in the process, and restarting the conflict over control.
Two fights were now taking place within the city of crystals. One between light and shadows. The other between darkness and corruption.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And as stated by this book, we've been working on setting up this Crystal Fair to renew the spirit of love and unity in the Empire, so they could protect it from harm," Twilight finished proudly, then gave a defeated sigh as she closed the book. "Unfortunately, we were unable to even begin with the Fair," she frowned, "and after all that hard work I put into that crystal heart."
"Crystal Heart?" Cadance repeated, blinking in disbelief. "You mean you found the Crystal Heart?"
"... Found?" Twilight repeated, blinking in confusion. "The book made mention of a crystal heart displayed as the centerpiece of the Fair, so I carved one out of a chunk of crystal."
"... Oh, Twilight," Cadance said, hoof pressed against her face.
"Uh oh... Did I do something wrong?" The purple mare asked.
"No… Well, yes. But no. You meant well, but the Crystal Heart isn't some sculpture one can just carve out of any old rock just lying around."
"Then what is it, Princess?" Applejack asked. "Ah saw Twilight's work, an' it seemed pretty darn fine ta me." Twilight gave her an appreciative smile.
A small, but somewhat awkward, smile found its way onto Cadance's lips. "I've no doubt about it, but the Crystal Heart isn't a sculpture at all." Her gaze then wandered down to her Cutie Mark. "It is, in fact, a very powerful magical artifact. One that shines with the love and light given by the crystal ponies."
"Oh, you mean like what you've been doing back at the palace?" Pinkie Pie said loudly, bouncing over to Princess Cadance and staring intently at her Cutie Mark.
"Yes, in a way," Cadance answered. "It is a powerful artifact passed down from Empress to Empress. Its magic represented by those who rightfully rule over the Crystal Empire… Even if there is no Empire to rule over."
A collective gasp came from all present, and they all looked at the image displayed on Cadance's flank; the mark of a crystal heart gaining new meaning.
"But if that's the case, then why haven't you used the Heart to fight against Sombra?" Twilight asked.
"Because, just like he did with this land, Sombra took the Heart and hid it away in a place only he knows."
"Then… if we found the Heart, you could use it against him?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Maybe…" Cadance answered, her tone uncertain. "Maybe not?"
"What do you mean?" Twilight queried.
"Well... first and foremost, I've never used the Heart before. Neither have my mother, or her mother, or her mother before that. Any knowledge we have about the Heart came from stories that were passed down through the generations."
"Big whoop," Rainbow Dash said nonchalantly. "We didn't know how the Elements of Harmony worked, but we still kicked Nightmare Moon's flank. This won’t be any different," she stated confidently, earning a smile from Cadance.
"Thank you for your trust, but I don't think it will be that easy."
"How so?" Rarity inquired.
"The Heart, from what I know, is like a living being. It needs love, compassion, and unity just like us. With it, it holds a power far greater than what Sombra could use. Without it, like anypony else, it will grow cold, closed off. Almost like a heart frozen in your chest."
"It is," Cadance replied knowingly. "A heart closed off from love is a terrible thing, which is why Sombra has done such a thing to the ponies living here. They are connected to the Heart, and it is connected to them. If the ponies' hearts beat as one, the Heart's light will shine down upon them. But, as they are now…" she didn't finish. She didn't have to, the unsaid words all too clear.
Twilight stepped closer to her sister-in-law, placing a hoof on her back. "Then we know what to do," she said, sharing a determined look with her friends, while Cadance looked at her younger sister with surprise and confusion. "We'll find the Heart, and bring love and compassion back to the crystal ponies."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Wait, how're we gonna do that?"
"Well, obviously somepony will have to go look for the Heart."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get that. But how're we gonna spread love to these crystal ponies?"
"... I'm not sure," Twilight admitted, ears folding flat as she sat down with a sigh.
"Actually, I might be able to help with that," Cadance told them.
"You can?" Twilight said, unsure. Then she shook her head and jumped back on her hooves with a shouted, "You can!"
"I believe so, yes," Cadance assured. "If you find the Heart, I could lend my magic to it. It won’t be enough to unlock its full potential, but it should be able to restore the minds and hearts of several of the crystal ponies near it."
"And once they are," Twilight surmised, "their bonds of love and unity should increase the Heart's power, allowing more ponies to be freed from Sombra's grasp creating a positive feedback loop!"
"Then what're we waiting for!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, tired of just sitting around and eager to get started. "Let's go find that Heart and kick Sombra's flank."
"Right!" Twilight replied, determined.
"So, uh..." Spike spoke up, "where do we start?"
The mares, who were already preparing to leave in their quest to find the Crystal Heart, all came to a sudden stop; looks of awkward realization and confusion present.
"Well, uhh…" Twilight stammered, then turned to look at Cadance.
Cadance chuckled slightly. "The guards have been busy looking throughout the Empire. Mainly for any survivors, but also for any magical artifacts Sombra might have left behind. None of the latter were found."
"That makes sense," Rainbow Dash replied, much to the surprise of those around her. "What?" she asked. "It's just like in Daring Do, the treasure is always hidden away in some highly guarded place. Someplace where nopony would be able to just get to it, except for those who already know how."
"So... Where do you think the Heart is?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I know Sombra is evil and all, but I doubt that he's a complete idiot."
"He did outwit my aunts by taking the entire Empire with him," Cadance confirmed.
"Right. So he wouldn't just hide the Heart in some storage room or something. He would keep it close at hoof. It would probably be secured someplace nearby while he ruled over those he'd enslaved."
"What are you saying, dear?" Rarity asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Rainbow Dash asked her friends, who gave her a blank look in return. "He hid the Heart somewhere in the palace itself."
"... Which is also where all the crystal ponies were heading," Cadance gasped out. "Rainbow Dash, I think you might be right."
"I am?" Rainbow Dash said, surprised. "Ahem, I mean, of course I am," she boasted as she rubbed a hoof against her chest, before checking her smug reflection in the polished surface.
"But then, how're we supposta find tha Heart in tha Palace if tha crystal ponies are swarmin' tha place?" Applejack wondered, lifting her stetson to scratch her head.
"... I hate to say it, but the only way is to subdue them," Cadance answered ruefully.
"Well, we could just hold a giant snowball fight," Pinkie Pie piped up, grinning ear to ear as she bounced in front of a window.
"What do you m—" Twilight started to ask, when she saw the snow blowing past the transparent crystal window.
"Oh no!" Cadance shouted, looking up at her horn, only now realising her spell had stopped. "The shield!" She cried, rushing to where Pinkie Pie was bouncing and staring outside with a look of horror. "Sombra… He's inside!"
"Oh no!" Fluttershy squeaked, when a horrible thought came to her, "What about Strong Will?"
Silence.
"Meh," Rainbow Dash uttered lamely, shrugging, before her attention returned to the rest of the group.
Everypony else looked at one another, fear and concern plainly visible in all eyes. Yet there was also determination. Determination to help the crystal ponies, and stop Sombra. Elements, or no Elements…
"We have to help them!" Twilight stated as she looked outside. "We're the Elements of Harmony. It's our responsibility to stop evil like this." She turned on the spot, tail swishing. "Can I count on you, girls?"
"Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash hoofpumped.
"Of course, Darling," Rarity chimed in.
"I'll prepare my special party mix!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed perkily.
"I… we... He makes me so angry I could yell," Fluttershy said angrily. "We've got to stop that meany."
"Count me in, sugar cube," Applejack smiled confidently.
"Eh... I guess," Spike continued with a shrug.
"And I shall be with you as well," Cadance stepped forth. "This is the land of my ancestors, and I will not stand idly by while Sombra unleashes his horrors against my subjects. We will find the Crystal Heart, and return peace to this land once and for all."
Twilight nodded, smiling brightly at her friends' answers. "Get ready," she told them, horn glowing. "If Sombra is already there, we don't want to run into him. So I'll teleport us a safe distance away from the castle. We'll have to hoof it from there, but it's safer than jumping head first into the unknown."
"Alright!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed, slamming her front hooves together. "It's time to kick flank!"
"And chew bubble gum," Pinkie Pie added, blowing a pink bubble right there after, which promptly blew up all over her face. "Ahh, that was my last piece."
She wasn't given much time to grieve over the loss of her sugary goodness as, in a flash of bright purple light, she and all the others vanished into thin air. The only thing to show they were ever there was a black book which lay forgotten on the floor.
... You have got to be kidding me!
<<>><<>><<>>
"How are you holding up?"
This was a question without a good answer. How was he holding up? Just a day ago he would have answered: Good. Great. Wonderful even. Now though, he wasn't sure. The last twenty-four hours had been a rollercoaster of emotions. He had experienced fear, horror, betrayal, disbelief, regret, hope, relief, and so much more.
Of course, being abducted by a ghost, and then being rescued by the woman you though to be nothing more than a psychiatrist, who then turned out to be part of a secret group that fights ghosts, with their main target being the mayor of the city who happened to be a half ghost himself, while her brother, accused of a murder he didn't commit, was also a half ghost who they were trying to find after he ran away, was a perfect reason for him to feel like he did right now. And now, on a new day to face new challenges, he didn't expect for this to happen. Something that threw his already unstable emotional state for a loop.
Of course, this also meant he didn't have a good answer for the question he'd just been asked.
"I'm fine," Soarin answered, giving his questioner an unconvincing smile.
"I know you're not," Jazz said apologetically, sighing.
"... I'll be fine," Soarin corrected.
Kneeling down and pulling the stallion into a hug, Jazz conveyed her faith in him without need for words.
"Still… I'm sorry," she admitted as she pulled away, slowly standing back up. "This has not gone at all how I pictured any of this happening… least of all this," Jazz confessed as she turned to look at the building behind her, smiling wryly at the strange, but familiar structure. "It's just, after everything that has happened, and everything that was revealed…" She sighed nervously, and this time Soarin calmed her down by holding her hand with his hoof. "... This has been a long time coming, hasn't it?"
"... I guess so," he muttered, taking in the details of the odd, out of place structure. A place he'd been told about. A place he'd flown over several times, yet it continued to confuse him. And if the architecture of the building's additions were any indication, those who were responsible for its construction were very colorful individuals indeed.
"Well, here goes," Jazz said, mustering all of her confidence as she closed the distance between her and the door, then rung the bell.
Seconds ticked by, feeling more like hours to the pair, and both were mentally debating just bolting and not looking back. But before either of them could implement such such a retreat, the door opened, revealing a red haired woman clad in a blue jump suit; looking surprised at the pair before her. Then an enormous smile grew on her face.
"Jasmine!"
"Hey, mom."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Where are you?" Danny said aloud, not even bothering to keep quiet, as the wind was more than loud enough to cover up any sounds he made.
"If only I could see more," he grunted, shielding his eyes with one hand in a vain attempt to see through the billowing snow. "How did that guy even summon a blizzard in the first place?"
Snow continued to assault his senses, adding to his growing frustration as he continued his search for the king of shadows. "Don't tell me he went back to the palace," Danny said, fearfully. "There's no way for them to stop a shade like Sombra if he did."
The sound of a door slamming shut cut through the wind, and Danny snapped his head around, peering through the blinding flurry of white, barely managing to see the silhouette of a house on his right.
"Hello! Is anyone out there?" he called, but received no answer. "Hello!" He tried again, making his way towards the building.
As he got closer, more details became apparent. Several houses came into view, all with their doors open wide, and a build-up of snow lying inside. Some doors slammed open and shut, only to be blocked by the growing heaps of snow. Some did manage to close fully, doing so with the sort of slam which first drew Danny there.
"Hello?" he tried again, moving for one of the houses. "Is anyone in here? Are you alright?" Getting no answer, he flew inside to investigate.
A sight similar to what he had seen within the home of that one mare greeted him. Empty, dirt-stained rooms with trash piled up in every corner. Yet, he did find one thing he hadn't see in that first home.
Dropping down to inspect a strange looking sludge lying on the floor, he couldn't shake the feeling he had seen the stuff before.
"Hold on," he mumbled, dragging a finger through the goop, then bringing it up to eye level. "This looks like the stuff the guys from high school were put in when the ghost warden placed them in suspended animation during summer camp.
Wiping off the mess, he looked around some more, spotting several worn out mattresses lying in one of the corners, with none of their owners present, save one.
"Oh no," Danny gasped, hovering towards the prone form.
Placing a hand on the small form, he could feel that the foal's body was already cold and stiff.
Danny's body tensed up as he slowly stood back up, his mind in turmoil.
"Sombra!" he growled, eyes flickering between dark green and icy blue.
He slowly turned around, teeth grinding together as he made his way outside; snow blowing in his face once more.
"ENOUGH WITH THE SNOW ALREADY!" he roared, stomping a foot on the ground; hands clenched into glowing blue fists.
A sphere of icy blue light exploded out from him, extending for several meters, before diffusing.
"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS," he seethed, his eye color shifting to a dark green with increasing frequency. His shadow, too, reflected Danny's anger. Twisting and turning on the spot, giant bat wings sprouting from the back. Dark green eyes burned within the blackness of the shadow’s face, and even the glint of glowing green fangs could be seen.
The change Shadow went through went unnoticed by Danny, nor did he take notice of the fact that the weather had calmed with his mind blinded by the growing anger and hate he felt towards Sombra. And with grinding teeth and burning, color shifting eyes, he shot off into the air, heading towards the one place he knew Sombra would be.
Yet one voice, far away in the back of his mind, tried to reach out to him. Desperately trying to gain his attention.
"This is not who you are, Danny. Fight her!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"Hmm," Clockwork hummed, stroking his beard.
"What is it?" Sam asked, hovering beside him.
"It seems there are a few new developments... as expected. As planned, Danny's powers are developing once more. Although, he doesn't seem to be aware that he used his ice shaping abilities to stop the blizzard," Clockwork explained as he shifted back in time, and into his child form. "Understandable. His mind is under attack by Nightmare Moon. Using what he sees and experiences in the Empire against him. Using his anger and hate, increasing it to gain strength herself."
"And that's a good thing?" Sam asked, worried.
"Yes… and no." Clockwork sighed. "Despite all we have done, and are still doing, there are instances in time where we won't be able to do anything but stand by and watch. This is one such moment. Right now, one of two possibilities will happen. One possibility, though, I hope will never come to pass."
"Which is?" Sam asked, her voice betraying her reluctance to actually know.
Clockwork shot her a sideways glance, shifting into his adult form. "Nightmare Moon gains full control, and Danny is lost to the corruption."
"... Yeah, that would be bad."
"Indeed."
"The other?" Sam asked.
"... As we speak, Shadow is fighting Nightmare Moon, battling her for control. Both over his own form, as well as Danny's mind. Unfortunately, this is a fight he can not win... not on his own."
"Then, shouldn't we help him?"
"No!"
"But, if Shadow is unable to stop Nightmare Moon, and we won't help him, then what will happen?"
"... I already told you the answer, Sam," Clockwork said, smirking. "Danny will be saved by their history." His smirk fell, however, as the full meaning behind that statement came to him once more. "... But it will come at the cost of one's existence."
"What!?" Sam shouted. "Who?"
Clockwork didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "... I just hope she will be able to bring balance to his mind once it is all over."
"Who will bring balance? Clockwork, what is going to happen?"
"Eclipse," was his only response.
<<>><<>><<>>
A blinding flash of light shone in between several buildings, and Twilight and her friends reappeared a safe distance away from the palace.
"Alright, everypony," Twilight said. "This is as close as I'm willing to risk teleporting, but I'm certain the snow... will… cover..."
"Hey, what happened to the snow?" Pinkie Pie asked, clearly disappointed.
"It just… stopped," Rainbow Dash noted, looking around suspiciously. "You can't just stop a storm like that that fast." She then looked up, her trained eye immediately spotting several things wrong. "And look, the clouds are still there. And by the look of it, they're still filled up to capacity… Something strange is going on."
"Stranger than a shadow pony that might, or might not be a ghost?" Applejack asked sarcastically.
"... Point taken," Rainbow Dash replied.
"Ooh! What's that?" Pinkie Pie called out, pointing a hoof towards a fast moving blur streaking towards the palace, a wavering blue aura tinged with green surrounding it.
"I don't know," Twilight answered, worried. "But I don't like the look of it."
The next moment, the blur shot straight through one of the palace's windows. A burst of blinding, icy blue light radiated out of all the windows, before a shock wave blew out all the remaining crystal glass; showering the streets below with shards and drawing the attention of the crystal ponies gathered below.
"Well, it certainly proved to be a distraction... whatever it was," Rarity said.
"Indeed," Cadance slowly nodded. "Let's not waste this opportunity, and head for the palace now that that thing, whatever it was, has distracted them all."
"But what was that thing?" Spike wondered.
"We'll worry about that later," Twilight told him, using her magic to place the small dragon on her back. And, as one, the group quickly but quietly made their way to the palace. Hoping that whatever had just happened would continue to draw the crystal ponies' attention.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes earlier.
Danny flew through the air with blurring speed. His hands burning with arctic energy as he formed a large chunk of glowing ice in each hand; the aura of energy extending in his contrail, while his eyes continued to shift between dark green and icy blue.
"Sombra!" He all but growled, the influence of Nightmare Moon pushing aside any rational thought.
Flying straight and true, the palace grew larger and larger as he aimed himself at the target of his wrath. His destination was the window of the throne room he stared out when he observed the shield, that is where Sombra would be. Not bothering to slow down, he crossed his forearms in front of his face as a shield, and slammed through the crystal window, coming to a skidding halt in the dead center of the chamber.
Teeth bared, he righted himself, coming upon a sight both familiar and strange.
Many of the crystal ponies lay groveling on the floor. Among them were Shining Armor, as well as several guards that Danny didn't know. Their minds blank, and their eyes showing the red glow of Sombra's control.
And then there was Sombra, Danny saw him hovering above them all like a dark mist; his eyes the only noticeable detail of his face, staring down at him without any hint of surprise, clearly expecting him.
"LET THEM GO!" Danny roared, a wavering blue aura of energy extending around him.
Sombra only laughed darkly, before his eyes flashed with a red light, a light that was mirrored in the eyes of the ponies under his control, forcing them into motion. They closed in on Danny, the guards and Shining Armor moving the fastest, their energy undrained. Second were the adult ponies, dragging themselves forth with visible difficulty. And then Danny noticed several foals, their eyes dull, and their ribs clearly visible even through their coats.
Danny's fury rose to new heights, his shadow twisting and flexing in response; taking on a more equine shape. Sombra's eyes widened upon spotting this, but he was unable to act upon it as, with increasing luminosity, Danny's aura grew larger and more violent; one of his eyes burning a steady dark green.
"This is your end!" Danny said, a strange echo to his voice; his shadow grinning menacingly as a large horn burst out of its head. "There is only one king of shadows here," he roared, slamming a foot into the floor with a thunderous crack. And in a violent burst of power, his wavering aura exploded outwards, slamming everyone against the ground and blowing out all of the windows.
Sombra roared in pain as his form was torn apart by the light, and he quickly fled for safety with Danny hot on his tail.
"And that one is me!" Danny finished with a distinctly feminine echo woven into his voice, both of his eyes burning a dark green.
This chapter was brought to you, slowly, by Powerdrainer editors inc.
Lunar Eclipse.
<<>><<>><<>>
What is it that makes us alive?
Is it a heart beating in our chest?
Blood flowing through our veins?
To eat, drink, and sleep?
Feeling the sun's warmth, or the wind's chill on our skin?
Or perhaps we are alive merely through the fact of being born?
If so, then what about those who exist without a heart? Those who don't bleed? Those who go without hunger or thirst, and who do not tire? Those whose skin is merely an illusion, intangible to all things?
What about those born from death?
Are you alive if you've never had a heartbeat?
Are you alive if you've never had a single drop of blood coursing through your veins?
Are you alive, even without the need to eat, drink, or sleep?
Are you alive even if the wind blows through you, and the sun burns your form?
Are you alive when the moment of your creation was the result of a failed possessing?
'Am I Alive?'
Shadow fought against the ever-increasing darkness of Nightmare Moon, trying to regain control, to regain Danny's mind. The self-proposed question went unanswered as he fought for his shared existence.
Nightmare Moon laughed triumphantly as she fended off his attack. Her powers were growing; with them, her control over Danny grew as well. At the rate she was going, it wouldn't be long before she would gain full control over Danny's mind, and in turn, his shade: her true target.
Danny's emotions of hatred and anger were spiking due to his confrontation with Sombra, along with his actions afterwards, had become the source of her growing strength. She was a parasite, latching onto any negative form of energy and using it to increase her own strength, then to influence the mind of whoever fell victim to her diabolical clutches. For a while, Shadow had managed to keep some measure of control over the corruption. However, ever since Danny interacted with the shield, that had changed.
The first time was absolute torture. A cleansing field burned him from the core, yet he managed to pull through, if only because the energy seemed more focused on Nightmare Moon. Unfortunately, he and Nightmare were one and the same. Two minds, one body.
True, Nightmare Moon was also affected by the shield's energy. However, she was able to use this in her favor, as she was aided unintentionally by Danny as he interacted with the shield once more. Also, as Shadow repeated the event in his mind, the only conclusion he could draw was that the energy went for Nightmare Moon through him, weakening itself and him in the process. Now, as a result, he and Nightmare Moon were more separated than they had ever been before. One might even say they were, for once, truly separate entities.
Of course this also meant Shadow's control over the dark mare, as flimsy as it was, was all but lost, and now he was fighting a battle on two fronts. First and foremost, he was directly fighting Nightmare Moon in a battle for control and Danny's mind. Secondly, he was trying to break through Nightmare Moon's influence already in effect, and reach out to Danny, trying to snap him out of the downward spiraling emotional state he was in, which was being worsened by the dark mare.
Shadow glowered at Nightmare Moon as he prepared another attack, teeth showing.
'Alive or not. I'll fight for the right to exist.' With that final thought, he charged at the queen of darkness, intent on dethroning her.
<<>><<>><<>>
He stood among the rest, mindless, bowing for their ruler when the sound of glass shattering, followed by the howling wind rushing inside reached him. He blinked as energy washed through his mind, a darkness blotting it out, and he, along with all others around him turned to the new being in the room. White spiky hair. Glowing eyes, one green, one blue. A black jumpsuit with a white symbol displayed on the being's chest, with a wavering icy blue aura around his entire form.
"LET THEM GO!" The unknown entity roared.
He blinked again.
Sombra laughed darkly in answer, his eyes glowing heavily; the glow mirrored by those around him.
He could feel his body move outside his command; noticing he and those around him moved towards the unknown being. Yet, the strange individual didn't even bat an eye at their advances. Instead, he roared his defiance at Sombra and stomped his strange hoof on the floor, cracking it as a massive burst of energy washed over them all.
His head slammed against the ground.
'Hey, what's your problem?'
'My problem? How about the fact that you teleported me along with you, forcing me to leave my squad while they deal with the crystal ponies?'
He groaned as he blinked, focusing his empty eyes.
'Hey buddy, keep talking, and we're going to have a problem.'
'We already have a problem, but I haven't seen you do anything to stop this situation!'
He pushed himself upright, noticing that his king, as well as the weird creature, were gone.
'-but right now, you are only getting in the way. Instead of being teleported away, I could help my fellow guards trying to contain the situation. Hopefully we could even break Sombra's hold over the Prince.' The glow in his eyes flickered, '-that is something that I and the rest of my squad were trained to deal with.'
The red in his eyes grew dimmer and dimmer, and he blinked as he slowly looked around.
"Fascinating…" Pete mumbled as he and several of his colleagues were busy scanning one of the many glowing crystals found in the cavern; several electrodes were attached all over the crystal's structure, the data feed transmitted to their tablets.
"And what about this?" one of them asked, tilting her tablet to show the readout to the rest of the group.
"What frequency are you at?" Pete asked.
"One hundred and twenty three point nine Fenton-J's," she answered, and Pete adjusted his tablet.
"Fenton-J's?" Dani repeated, confused, although she had a good idea where that particular classification came from.
"It's a specialized scale for measuring any spectral energy, anti or otherwise, created by Jack Fenton," Pete mumbled back, not looking up from his screen.
"Why is she even here?" one of the scientists whispered behind her hand to another, yet loud enough for Dani to hear. "She doesn't know anything."
Turning to the one who spoke, Dani showed a falsely-sweet smile. "I'm here for reasons far more important that you could possibly understand," she said with a surprisingly light tone of voice; coupled with her obviously fake smile, it didn't make any of them feel comfortable. Quite the opposite, as Dani slowly walked over to the woman, they could feel their hairs stand on end. "Least of all keeping an eye on you people. Someone needs to make sure all this tech is used correctly, and everything is delivered on time, when it should, where it should. And when 'anything' does go missing, you can count on it I'll be right on top of it." She paused for effect.
"Also," she said, her voice lowering just a fraction as she used a single finger to push down the woman's tablet, still smiling. "Just because I don't know what you guys are talking about, doesn't mean I'm ignorant." She let go of the tablet, and moved away. But when she passed the overly nervous woman, she gave voice to the last of her thoughts.
"Besides that, I know things you could never know. I have seen things you could never comprehend. I may be many things, but ignorant isn't one of them."
She then turned to look at everyone around her, all eyes on her while a tense quiet had settled down over everyone.
"Now, back to work!" Dani snapped, and like a bubble bursting, everyone hurried back to the task at hand, all staring intently at either the crystals, or their tablets.
That's more like it," Dani murmured, before returning to looking over Pete's shoulder at the information displayed on his Tablet. "Now, explain to me what it is what I'm looking at. Is this rock really an anti-ghost element?"
"Yes, Ma- Ahem. Yes, Dani," Pete replied with a frightened voice, quickly correcting himself before Dani would call him out over calling her ma'am yet again. "It certainly looks like it." He then tilted his tablet to allow Dani a better view.
"Here you can see the data we've collected so far from these crystals. And here-" he opened a file, "-you can see the unique signature we've observed while studying the few rocks of Ectoranium we could find."
Looking at the data, Dani had to agree that the two energy signatures were almost identical.
"So this find is quite exciting for us," Pete went on. "Ectoranium is a very rare element, not often found on Earth. It is theorized that more of this anti-ghost element exists out in space. Maybe in an asteroid, but this is all just speculation. However, to find such a large abundance of crystals with similar properties… We still need to run several tests, but the opportunities these crystals present us with are enormous."
"Yeah," Dani replied with fake enthusiasm. "... And you're sure these rocks can help power our equipment?"
"The way things are looking now… There isn't a doubt in my mind."
"Great," Dani replied with a fake smile. 'Just great.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"Have you heard the news?" Midnight Blossom asked her team in general, all four of them venturing deeper into the crystal mine, scanners in hoof.
"What news, exactly?" Flash Lightning asked, looking up from his scanner for a moment.
"About these rocks possibly being an anti-ghost element," she clarified, using a wing to point at some of the crystals growing around them.
"Yeah, we did," Vigilant Shield spoke up, stopping before one of the larger crystals growing near them and losing herself for a moment in the faint glow emitted by the gleaming mineral. "Kinda funny, actually. If they're right."
"How so?" Charming Prism asked.
"Them being an anti-ghost element, I mean, heh, we already have the Elements of Harmony. And now, growing right underneath our hooves, there is an element that targets ghosts. It's kinda funny when you think about it."
"Yeah…" Flash Lightning murmured. "Less funny when you consider these things were also around during Baltimare."
"..." Vigilant Shield could only suck in a breath, before sighing out loudly, giving a weak nod of acknowledgment. "Didn't think of that," she said, remembering his history. "Sorry."
"Don't. You're right, in a way. If these things are anti-ghost elements, then it does have an ironic sense of humor with it," he replied without much emotion. "But, right now, we can't be sure. They are still running tests back there," -he gave a single nod to the general area the scientists were working- "And it's why we are down here." -he looked back at his scanner- "So let's just scan these rocks, and see if they can be used to, maybe, prevent another Baltimare from ever happening."
"Sounds like a plan," Midnight Blossom shouted back, standing further ahead, looking at something the others couldn't see just yet. "And I think this would be a good place to start!" And she vanished around the corner, joined moments later by the rest of her team as they were wondering what she'd found. They could only stare in silence at the sight that awaited them.
Standing before them, growing in the center of a large cavern at a slight tilt, surrounded by other, relatively smaller crystals, was the largest crystal they had ever seen. Easily ten meters tall, three meters wide, and glowing brightly with contained energy.
"Holy mother of Celestia's cousin three times removed," Vigilant Shield breathed out. "That has to be the biggest one I've ever seen!"
No more thought was needed, they all knew what had to be done.
"That's what she said," and Charming Prism was the one to say it.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had been less than a day since Celestia had met with Twilight and Danny, yet everything that had happened between now and then still weighed heavily on her mind. The fact she had to send Danny back to Ponyville to be used as bait to catch one, or more ghosts was something she couldn't forgive herself for. Not to mention the dangerous situation she put Twilight and her friends in.
Although she was confident in the mares’ abilities, the worry of what they might find in the Empire only added to the turmoil of emotions she felt. Though one couldn't say it from just looking at her. Centuries of experience had shaped her poker face into one of the best, and outwards she seemed calm and collected as she stood outside on her chamber's balcony. Yet a tired, dreary sigh slipped past her carefully crafted mask as she first looked towards Ponyville, then into the distance to where the Crystal Empire was located.
And then there was yet another new, unexpected, and unwanted development. She glanced back into her room, at her reading desk and the scroll lying on top of it.
'Danny Manson has not arrived back in Ponyville, and his current whereabouts are, as of right now, unknown.' She repeated in her mind, the contents of Rolling Stone's report worrying.
It was obvious to her what had happened; where Danny had gone to.
It was something she had noticed the first time she met him, and again when he and Twilight came to visit. A spark. A spark of kindness. A will to help others, even though he tried to hide it, for reasons she didn't yet understand. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Danny had joined Twilight and her friends on their journey towards the Empire, which troubled her greatly.
"If he is there, not only is his life at serious risk, but we've also lost our lure to draw out this ghost," she sighed out, turning back to Ponyville. "I just hope everything will work out for the better." Her gaze then shifted to her sister's chamber, knowing Luna to be asleep for at least several hours more.
A deeply troubled frown found its way onto her face as she recalled her sister's erratic behaviour of the last day; losing focus, and being lost in thought. The previous night even, when she raised the moon, Celestia could clearly see the wobble in the moon's journey upwards, which made her address her worries to Luna.
Luna had dismissed any worries, claiming it to be nothing more than mere lack of sleep. But Celestia knew something else was at play. Something Luna wasn't telling her, and it hurt her to know her sister was keeping things to herself while it was obvious she needed somepony to talk to.
Spreading her wings, she jumped down her balcony; gliding over to her sister's chamber, landing on its balcony while she gently opened the double doors with her magic.
'You have always watched over the slumbering minds of our little ponies. Yet nopony ever seems to ask who watches over yours when you allow sleep to carry you away,' she thought with a gentle, sisterly smile as she stepped into the darkened room; the only light coming in through the open doors, which she quickly closed with her magic.
Quietly, Celestia made her way into the room towards the slumbering form of her younger sister; coming to a sudden stop as she could hear labored, fevered breath coming, and seeing the wildly thrashing form of luna, partially constricted by the blanket.
Mad, menacing growls rose up from the darkness.
"Luna!" Celestia called out in alarm, rushing to her sister's bedside.
Her claws were covered in blood, flowing from the wounds of those fallen before her.
Grabbing Luna with both hooves, she tried to calm her down while calling out for her to wake up. Yet despite her efforts, Luna was unresponsive; eyes moving rapidly behind their lids, legs and wings kicking out, while a cold sweat covered her form.
Anger consumed her mind; a red haze obscured her vision. Everything went dark, while the roars of pain and anger around her intensified.
"LUNA!" Celestia shouted, horn bursting into life as she quickly pressed it against Luna's forehead.
****
"Brother. Don't go down this path, you know where it leads to."
"I know, but no longer care," Luna replied angrily, unsheathing her claws. "This night, any night. Every one of my nights, blood is spilled, and I will no longer stand by idly."
"Brother-"
"No! No more talk." She barked, walking away with murder in her eyes. "Tonight, the moon will glow red with their blood."
"FENRIS!"
Luna came to a stop, eyes narrowed into slits.
"Fenris is no more…" she slowly turned around, looking at the two beings standing behind her with cold eyes. "My name is-"
"LUNA!"
****
With a cry, Luna woke up; crying with heavy breath in her sister's hold who held her comfortably, worry and concern clearly visible on her face
For several long minutes, nothing was said between them; only the sounds of Luna sobs breaking the otherwise silent room.
Eventually, after she'd calmed down, Celestia slowly let go of her sister; looking at her with worry.
"Luna," she spoke softly. "What happened?"
Images of fangs, claws, and blood filled her mind. Accompanied by a feeling she knew all too well. A sense of drowning in misery and hopelessness which she had first experienced when her corruption took over. Yet the things she’d seen, the beings she'd talked to. None of them were familiar to her.
"... Just a dream," Luna gasped, looking away from her sister as she tried to understand what she had seen. "A horrible dream…. A nightmare." She muttered quietly to herself; the familiar sensation slowly ebbing away, but still clearly noticeable to her.
And then there was something else. A presence she was only barely aware of, with the only feature clear to her being the glowing orange eyes, looking at her from the shadows.
"Luna, this was more than just a dream." Celestia replied, worried. "I know you wouldn't let a dream get the better over yourself, unless you allow it to. Please, tell me. What did you see?"
Luna took several deep, calming breaths, forcing her racing heart to slow down as she recalled what she had seen; realizing with worry that what had played out before her mind's eye began to fade from memory.
Looking at her sister, she gave a single nod, and started to tell her everything she had seen… and what she could remember.
<<>><<>><<>>
"There is only one king of shadows here, and that one is me!" Danny roared, intent on challenging Sombra.
His hands glowed with burning fury; a dark green energy mirroring the glow of his eyes, before he unleashed the building power in a single destructive burst.
Sombra acted quickly, distorting his form to allow the dark power to pass harmlessly through him. Yet he realized the difference between the attacks Danny shot at him at the beginning of their fight, and the change the half-mortal showed now. The resulting devastation of his single attack only proving this point, as with a mighty detonation, the energy impacted into the wall behind him; shattering the crystal into countless lethal projectiles, peppering both him and Danny.
The shards never hurt them, however. Their intangibility keeping them from sustaining any harm from the sharp pieces of broken crystal. Yet, as they stood there, facing one another with the damage Danny caused raining down on them, a strange sense of apprehension came over Sombra. It was a split second moment, noticing the shift in his adversary's behaviour, no longer seeming to care about collateral damage as all was shoved aside with narrow minded focus on his prey.
His eyes shifted down to Danny's shadow once more, seeing the shade going through more and more changes as Danny's anger grew more focused and volatile.
He chuckled, lowly at first, but growing stronger until he was all but roaring; grinning madly as his red and green eyes glared at the human.
"What's so funny?!" Danny barked, hands glowing once more as he readied another attack. His voice getting more and more warped.
"I'm curious," Sombra said, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Just how much more of a push do you need?" And the red in his eyes intensified, calling forth one of his slaves from back in the chamber they came from.
Danny's eyes flashed towards the pony coming up behind him, tensing up as another spike of anger shot through him upon the sight of a young filly dragging herself through the shard covered hallway; lacking the energy to even wince from pain as many of the crystal splinters stabbed her in her hooves, already damaged after years of neglect, and bloody drag marks were left behind with each step.
"SOMBRA!" Danny growled through his teeth, his shadow's transformation into Nightmare Moon nearing its completion; while down at his feet, dark smoke started to rise up, sticking to his body as it slowly started to consume him.
A wavering, almost unstable aura surrounded Danny, hands balled into glowing fists, as more and more of the pitch black smoke like shadow consumed his body. Then, with a roar of unchecked anger, the building energy broke free, filling the entire hallway with toxic green light.
Sombra roared as the light cut through his form, slamming into the far wall.
Danny looked at him with cold eyes, focused solemly on the shade before him. Then a scream cut through the blinding haze which consumed his mind, and he turned around to see the filly lying on the floor behind him; hit by the same force of energy, with multiple crystal shards sticking into her body.
His eyes widened in horrified realization, only for Darkness to consume him as his shadow grew to cover him completely. A menacing laugh reverberating through his mind.
<<>><<>><<>>
Darkness surrounded Danny as he looked around, unable to see anything, save for his own body which seemed to glow in the suffocating dark; a glow, which he noticed, was dimming rapidly.
"What… Where am I? What’s happening?"
His voice echoed all around him, quickly swallowed by the nothingness he found himself in. Silence filled the area for several seconds, but then a low, dark, menacing chuckle replaced it, which quickly grew into diabolical laughter.
"Who’s there!?" Danny shouted, turning around in the spot to find the source of the laughing, but finding none; realizing the laughter came from every direction at once.
"Fool," a dark, feminine voice finally answered, a figure slowly fading into view.
Danny watched in confusion as the figure became came into view, before shock took over as he finally got a clear look at the dark, armored, bat winged mare smiling evilly at him, showing her sharp fangs.
"What the!" Danny shouted, taking a step back, but noticing the distance between him and the demon like mare didn't change. "Who are you? And what do you want from me!?" He said, eyes hardening. "Is this another trick from Sombra; some weird hallucinatory mind control?"
The mare laughed condescendingly, looking at Danny like one would an ant.
"Sombra. He's merely a nuisance which you no longer need to worry about. A mere pawn to be used. And he so wonderfully played you, speeding up my plan."
"Plan, what plan?" Danny asked, wearily. Securing his stance, he shot the dark mare a most venomous look.
"As for who I am," she continued, ignoring Danny. "Not that it matters much for you, seeing how you have merely moments left." -she slowly circled around Danny with a wicked gleam in her eyes- "But you are instrumental in my return, so I suppose I can grant you this much."
Coming to a stop before Danny, she folded out her wings, eyes glowing a dark toxic green. "I am Nightmare Moon, Queen of the night, and rightful ruler of this world." A soulless smile then grew on her features, and Danny could feel a chill go down his spine. "And, in extent, your world as well. And in showing my gratitude for opening up your world for my rule as well, I will also answer your second question." She told him, and her horn flashed a dark green, causing Danny to tense up even more.
"What do I want from you?" She repeated Danny's question, taking a moment as if she were actually thinking about it. Then her eyes focused on the half mortal once more. "What I want to gain through you is revenge on those who opposed me. Who locked me away, stripped me of my powers, and believed me defeated for good. I was only weakened, but unable to do anything. But that is where you came in, Danny Manson. Or is it Phantom? Or Fenton, perhaps?" Danny's eyes widened as she called out his names, and a wicked grin found its way on Nightmare Moon's face. Which soon fell, replaced by an angry glare.
"For centuries I was trapped, locked away within the very symbol of my rule. Yet I preserved, and broke free. Only to be defeated at the hooves of mere foals," she spat. "They destroyed me, leaving only the faintest traces of my former self. And it would have remained as such, if it wasn't for you." She turned her head to the side as she pulled something towards them. "Or, more specifically. If it wasn't for him." And Shadow, struggling weakly in his bonds, was pulled into view.
"Shadow!" Danny shouted, shocked.
"Master, I'm sorry." Shadow weakly replied, flinching every now and then as if he was being struck. Which, seeing the murderous glint in Nightmare Moon's eyes as well as her glowing horn, might very well be the case.
"What are you doing to him!?" Danny roared, jumping towards Shadow, but coming to an abrupt stop as the glow of Nightmare Moon's horn also came to surround him.
"I'm merely returning the same hospitality he showed me," she spat coldly, levitating the two closer together, but still far enough apart to keep them from physically interacting with one another; studying the human and shade for a moment.
"Tsk. So much potential, wasted on beings the likes of you," she muttered, watching the two struggle futilely in her hold. "It's a good thing you won't be having your precious powers for much longer."
"WHAT!?" Danny shouted, struggling all the harder, much to Nightmare Moon's twisted amusement.
"Oh, surely you've noticed by now. The way you're trying to break free, but not having the strength to do so. How you feel yourself losing strength faster and faster…." She slowly pulled Danny closer to her. "Before you showed up, I was reduced to nothing more than a mere shadow of my former self. Then your shadow gave me everything I could possibly need to resurrect myself, even better than before. You want to know what he did; what it was he gave me?" She spoke softly, pleased, caressing Danny's cheek with a hoof. "He gave me you." A shocked gasp escaped Danny while he tried to move his head away from Nightmare Moon's touch.
Pulling her hoof away, her voice turned harsh once more. "Of course I would never be interested in an ape like you. Your powers, however," -she said eagerly, licking her lips- "and your shade. Such powers, wasted on one as dull as you." she turned around sharply.
"It took me longer than I originally planned, with more setbacks than I would have liked to endure. But if being locked up in the moon has taught me anything, it is to be patient. And now, after you allowed Sombra to anger you so much, I finally have what I want… Or, almost," she stated as she looked back at Danny and Shadow.
"Your light is already fading. Lost in anger and corruption." she aimed at Danny. "It's only a matter of time before the last remnants of your being are within my grasp, and I will take full control over your powers; and with it, your shadow as well." she declared triumphantly.
"And when I have discarded your drained, lifeless husk, I will strike down those mares who opposed me. Leaving Twilight Sparkle for last, just so she can see and know what will happen to those who defy me."
THUMB-THUMB
Danny's eyes widened before clenching them shut in angry defiance while gritting his teeth, his struggling to break free increasing to the point where the aura surrounding him started to flicker.
Shocked and surprised, Nightmare Moon increased her spectral hold over the mental image of Danny, looking at him with widened eyes.
"It seems I underestimated you, human. There is more power still lying dormant within you… No matter," she stated. "Despite how much power you still have left, it is only a matter of time before it is mine."
"You -ugh- are not, ghn, getting away with this!" Danny groaned through clenched teeth.
"Fool," Nightmare Moon laughed. "Did you honestly think I would reveal myself to you if I believed there to be a chance for me to fail. No, no matter how much you resist me, there is nothing you can do to stop me." She laughed again, much more wickedly this time, as she walked away from the two, fading from view.
"But feel free to fight me with as much anger as you want. After all, the more you struggle, the faster I can consume what's left of you." And her laughter reverberated through the darkness long after she'd vanished from sight. Leaving Danny and Shadow locked in her bonds, with Danny's light slowly fading more and more.
<<>><<>><<>>
'This. Is. A. Disaster!'
The words repeated through her mind over and over again. Although, at first things didn't seem so bad. First there was the awkward and tense moment when they were led inside. So far, so good. As far as one could call such a situation good.
Then there was the even worse moment where the other occupant of the house became aware who exactly had walked in. Again, the mixture of various emotions playing out on his face were more than expected. Although alarm bells did begin to ring at the sight of the overly large smile.
Then they were asked to sit down. The question the only thing breaking the awkward silence, save for some questionable sounds of excitement coming from her father.
Then her mother left to get some drinks, leaving Jazz and Soarin alone with Jack, his eyes shifting between his daughter and Soarin, a deep frown having replaced the previous smile. Jazz wasn't sure which worried her more.
Seconds ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, with the three of them sitting in awkward silence; Soarin and Jazz looking at everything, save each other or Jack. Then Maddie came back with a tray of coffee, placing it on the living room table with a soft 'clack', before sitting down next to her husband, smiling kindly.
"So, Jazz," Maddie spoke up, breaking the silence once again. "Care to introduce us to your friend?"
Jazz released a slight squeak of panic, looking as if she was a deer caught in a car's headlights. An awkward stammer followed soon after as she tried to calm down the raging storm of conflict her mind was currently dealing with.
"Jazz…" Maddie called out to her daughter with a knowing smile.
With a slight gasp, Jazz snapped back to attention; looking flustered at her parents as she stammered her reply, blushing fiercely.
"Right, uh… Mom, Dad. This, eh, this is Soarin. He's a pegasus, as you can see, because he has wings…." She mentally face palmed. "Well… I mean…"
"Deep breaths," Maddie told her daughter, chuckling in mind over how flustered her daughter was. And seeing the pony shifting uncomfortably on the spot next to her, she was certain the same held true for him.
"Hold on!" Jack cut in, eyes shifting slowly between his daughter and Soarin. "I see what's going on here."
"You do?!" Jazz said loudly, shocked while Soarin eeped.
"You do?" Maddie asked, surprised, and with a hint of skepticism.
"Yes. It's quite obvious." Jack answered seriously, looking at Jazz. "The nervousness. The flustered looks. Unable to look directly at me or Maddie… Jasmine, your pony friend is interested in ghost hunting, and wanted to meet his idols! Meaning Maddie and I!"
"Ghwah?" Soarin gawked in dumb confusion, while Jazz just stared blankly at her father. Maddie had a hand placed firmly against her head while muttering a soft "Oh dear," shaking her head as she did.
"Why, you could have just said so immediately," Jack continued, oblivious to their surprise. Then his eyes widened as a thought took shape. "Just wait right here, I'll go get my things." And he rushed for the basement before anyone could say anything, resulting in another awkward silence.
"...So…. That would be my father." Jazz said without much thought, simply staring at the now empty seat when a sudden clatter of objects, and some muttering could be heard coming from downstairs.
"And I am Madeline," Maddie introduced herself with an apologetic smile. "Please do forgive my husband. He can be a bit dense from time to time, but he means well."
"Uhh.. hehe… Maddie," Jack's sheepish looking face popped up from behind the door. "Remember the ecto cage I said I would, ahum, clean some time back?"
"Yes?" She answered, raising a single eyebrow.
"Well, I didn't. And it might have escape-"
A wet roar came from behind Jack, cutting him off when, all of a sudden, a slimy, green glowing tentacle coiled around him, dragging him back down.
Soarin sat rigidly, seemingly frozen in his seat, looking with wide, fearful eyes at the slowly closing door, while Jazz and Maddie sighed; the former sitting with elbows placed on her lap, and resting her head in her hands. Maddie, sighing out once more, excused herself for a moment and grabbed a blaster, concealed behind a family portrait, before rushing down to save her husband.
Silence.
"... What just happened?" Soarin said with a strained voice.
Another sigh escaped Jazz. "Just a normal day in the Fenton household," she replied, punctuated by green flashes and the sound of a blaster being fired.
<<>><<>><<>>
'Why, it’s almost as if you can't trust anyone these days.'
With a groan, Strong Will slammed sideways against the nearest wall of one of the hallways he had stumbled into, panting heavily from exertion, struggling to remember. Images of a damaged city flooding his mind, with him standing over a ghost… no, another pony, wasn't it?
'Brother, it's me!'
'Like I would fall for the same trick twice!'
"GHAA!" He yelled, slamming his head against the wall, remembering that he held the other pony in his hooves.
'Oh, no. BROTHER! No no no no no. What have I done!?'
His helmet fell to the floor with a loud clang. Images of him sitting in some weird room; with furniture much larger than a pony would need. And sitting across from him was a strange, furless creature with a notepad.
'... There is no need to rush. You can say whatever you want, if you feel like it. Just take a deep, calming breath, and just tell me the first thing that comes to mind.'
He hit himself with a hoof to focus, and a trickle of blood seeped out of his nose. Images of a hospital filling his mind.
'Hey, brother. How are you doing?'
He widened his stance while breathing heavily, gritting his teeth. Memories flooded his conscious mind, speeding through the years; his thoughts leading him to a memory of himself standing before a tall, regal pony with snow white fur whose name eluded him at the moment.
'Your highness! Forgive me for asking, but what would you need me for?'
'There has been a.. development, and we have need of you. I am aware of what has happened to you, but your skills may prove invaluable for what's to come.'
He grunted in strain as he pulled himself to the nearest window. Recalling staring out of it before.
'A ghost!? No, it can't be. The human can't be right.' He recalled himself saying with a tremor in his voice. '...They are all controlled. All of them! Just like… back then.'
'Why, it is almost as if you can't trust anyone these days.'
More recent memories returned to him as those words rang through his mind.
'Hey, what's your problem?'
'My problem? How about the fact that you teleported me along with you, forcing me to leave my squad while they deal with the crystal ponies.'
'Wait, why did I say that?' He wondered.
'Hey buddy, keep talking, and we're going to have a problem.'
'We already have a problem! But I haven't seen you do anything to stop this situation.'
'Why, it is almost as if you can't trust anyone these days.'
'I couldn't trust them?' He shook his head, looking up and saw his reflection in the crystal glass. 'No, I couldn't trust myself.'
His reflection stared back at him, the red in his eyes flickering. Movement caught his attention, and he looked down into the city below to see a group of mares slowly make their way towards the palace.
'Why, it is almost as if you can't trust anyone these days.'
The words repeated over and over through his mind, and the more they did, the more he began to rebel against them.
Seeing the group move closer still, solid determination steeled his eyes. He knew what he had to do; where his duty, and loyalty lay.
He already failed those around him once. He would not allow it to happen again.
<<>><<>><<>>
Snow crunched underneath their hooves as they quietly made their way to the crystal palace, sneaking from shadow to shadow as they avoided the few patrol groups consisting of the very guards who had joined Cadance and Shining Armor when they first arrived at the Empire.
Now though, they served a new master, signified by their blank eyes.
"He isn't with them either," Cadance noted solemnly as they watched yet another patrol move past their hiding place; her voice low as to not draw any attention to their position.
"Don't ya worry none, Princess." Applejack said reassuringly. "We'll save yer husband, an' all tha others as well."
Cadance smiled appreciatively, before returning her attention to the now empty street. "Looks like they're gone for now. Let's hurry and get to the palace before they’re back."
"I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that that… thing, whatever it is, has distracted everypony." Rarity chimed in, talking about the strange blue glowing projectile they saw slamming through one of the palace's windows several minutes before. Although, none of them could shake the strange sensation that much, much, more time had passed between the strange sighting and now.
Ignoring it in favor of making progress, the group of ponies, and one dragon quietly moved closer and closer to the palace; noticing multiple ponies on guard around the main entrance. Most of them were the citizens of the Empire, their coats faded and dull, lifeless eyes, and their posture indicating neither one of them had much energy left to stand, let alone to fight. But Cadance knew Sombra's dark hold would push those poor souls even further past their breaking point, and any action from their side, whether it was offensive or defensive, would be more harmful to the unwilling guards than to themselves.
"Oh.. Oh my," Fluttershy said quietly, seeing the poor condition these ponies were in. "They look absolutely terrible. How can a pony be so horrible as to do something like that to others?" She asked, an uncharacteristic amount of anger in her voice.
"Don't worry, dear." Rarity told her friend. "We'll stop that brute, and help these poor souls." This earned her a small smile from the yellow pegasus, yet the faintest of frowns showed on Fluttershy's face as she looked at the weakened ponies.
"Then we better get going!" Rainbow Dash shot, hovering slightly above the ground, eager to kick some royal flank. She made ready to fly at the group of guards, but a magical hold on her tail pulled her down.
"Hey, Twilight! What gives?"
"Rainbow Dash, you can't just attack those ponies like that."
"Wow, who said I was?" she shot back, "All I wanted was knock them out a bit. You know, so we could sneak inside."
"An' what part of knockin' out a group of guards out in tha open do ya see as sneakin'?" Applejack cut in.
"Oh… Right." Rainbow Dash replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "So, how are we going to get inside then?"
Before anyone could reply, a new pony joined the group of stationary guards. A pony who they knew all too well. Their last encounter still leaving a bitter taste in their mouths, as they saw Strong Will, with his eyes just as hollow as the others, march out through the open gates, looking at the ponies surrounding him.
"Huh, trained professional my flank." Rainbow Dash spat as they all watched the infuriating pony say something to the other mindless slaves, pointing a hoof away from their position.
Then, to their shock, all ponies guarding the entrance left; moving towards where Strong Will had pointed, leaving only Strong Will himself guarding their path.
"What in tarnation?" Applejack breathed out, speaking everypony's thoughts.
A gasp coming from everyone followed as Strong Will turned to look directly at their hiding spot with the faintest of red glows shining in his eyes. The glow flickered for a moment, and he gave a crisp salute, before the glow reasserted itself, and he marched back inside.
"Wow, what the hay just happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"History repeating itself." Cadance answered cryptically, looking at the now clear entrance with wide eyes. "Now I see why aunt Celestia insisted for him to join our guards.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked her sister-in- law, to which Cadance responded with a shake of the head.
"There is no time for that right now. We must use this opportunity Strong Will has created for us while we can." Scanning the surrounding area to make sure they weren't watched, she and the rest of their group hurried to the entrance in the most direct line they could; rushing inside the palace, and quickly, but quietly closing the doors behind them and sealing them with magic.
"That will at least keep those still outside from entering through here." Twilight noted as the glow around her horn dimmed. "Now where do we go?" She asked, and everyone turned to look at Rainbow Dash.
"What?" She said, looking back at her friends.
"Ain't ya been talkin' 'bout how this was like them Darin' Do books ya've been readin'?" Applejack reminded her. "So where would ya start lookin' fer tha Crystal Heart?"
"Oh, right. Totally knew that." Rainbow Dash replied awkwardly. "Hehe… Right, right…" She closed her eyes for a moment as she recalled all the different adventures her fictional idol had experienced, trying to apply this questionable knowledge on the situation they were in.
"Okay. If I was Sombra, which I totally aren't, I would hide the Crystal Heart someplace close by. Someplace hidden in plain sight, but invisible for those who don't know it is there. And to add insult to injury, I would leave it in such a place where it could be hiding almost directly in front of us."
"So, where would you hide it?" Cadance asked the blue mare.
Rainbow Dash was silent for almost a minute, which, knowing the pegasus’ reputation of acting before thinking, did put the ponies slightly on edge as she really thought this through.
Looking around, eyes scanning the gleaming walls of the palace, Rainbow's gaze then settled back on Cadance.
"Right underneath your nose," she finally answered. "The throne room. It was Sombra's seat of power, and where you were while you continuously held up that shield."
"But that can't be right," Rarity chimed in. "Didn't Princess Cadance say the guards searched the castle, as well as the city for any magical artifacts?"
"Well, yeah. But did they really look for anything other than Sombra when they cleared the castle? Besides, Cadance and Shining Armor were in the throne room the entire time. So they might not even have bothered."
That… actually makes sense," Twilight responded, flabbergasted as Rainbow Dash pointed out several valid points. Looking at her sister, she saw Cadance shared the same look of surprised realisation, mixed with a look of shame for not realizing it herself.
"Well, let's go then. We've got no time to waste," Pinkie Pie shouted, quickly moving towards their destination with a determined frown; her mane sagging ever so slightly.
The others followed suit, but did keep just the tiniest amount of distance between themselves and the frowning pink mare.
<<>><<>><<>>
Mad, victorious laughter filled the hallway occupied by two shadows. Sombra, looking at the newly formed shade with interest. And Nightmare Moon, now finally in control, and her corruptive darkness having fully surrounded Danny, whom she could still feel struggle weakly from deep within.
She still hadn't claimed full control, but neither Danny nor Shadow were able to stop her now. With a large, chilling smile, she looked at her shadowy limbs; still shaped like a human, but slowly changing more and more into her regal, godly form.
Her wings had already fully taken shape. Large batlike wings stretching out from behind her back, with her horn not far behind with its growth. She laughed once more, reveling in the feeling of power being drained from Danny, and siphoning it into herself.
With twisted glee, her eyes sprung open; full, dark green glowing orbs glaring towards Sombra. A fanged smile grew on her dark complexion.
"Ah, so finally I meet the one responsible for pushing that mortal fool past the tipping point." Nightmare Moon spoke.
"Interesting," Sombra's rumbling voice came from within the swirls of darkness, his form solidifying as he regarded the other shade. "That box fool didn't speak of this."
"Nor should he have. The magnificence of my being is far too great for such a bumbling fool to grasp." Nightmare Moon mused, recalling the being spoken of through Danny's memories; ignoring the fact that the Box Ghost couldn't have known about her in the first place.
"Why do I have the feeling I am no longer facing a fool blinded by petty heroics?"
"It would seem you possess at least some semblance of a brain," Nightmare Moon said condescending. "Although I should have expected as much. Luna's memories of you are still with me even now," she spat the name of her former host.
"Luna?" Sombra repeated, surprised.
"Ah, yes. You wouldn't know, given your cowardly retreat." She glared down at the other shade. "Only the strong and brave should be in power, whereas the weak and cowardly should submit, or be stomped down." Sombra replied with a growl that ended with a hiss. "Regardless, your role in my hastened return warrants you to at least know the name of who is about to destroy you."
In a blur of motion and glowing eyes, Sombra launched several tendrils of darkness at Nightmare Moon. Intent on showing her who would destroy who. It was a mere a display of power instead of destructive intent, and Nightmare Moon knew it. With the faintest of flickers from her horn, and a mere step backwards, she avoided all of Sombra's attacks, while using her spectral abilities to slam him into the far wall.
"Are you done playing?" She asked, her tone of voice of one who looked down to see what they stepped into.
Slowly, she stepped forward to Sombra, a hollow clip-clopping on the floor as her feet began their transformation into hooves.
"Now, as I said before: Before I destroy you, you will be granted the knowledge of my name." A tendril of darkness shot from her rapidly growing mane, coiling around Sombra's neck, choking him.
"I'm death incarnate. Anger and hate are the source that first shaped me. Jealousy refined my form, and the night carried my mark. Death has no hold over me, and has twisted to serve my every need. I'm the shadow over all conscious thoughts, and the true Goddess of the night. I'm the dark side of the moon. I am Nightmare Moon. And my night will last FOREVER!"
Sombra, struggling to release Nightmare Moon's crushing hold over him, and caring little about what she said, raised both his forehooves at her face, and blasted her point-blank.
With a yell of anger, Nightmare Moon was flung backwards, pulling Sombra with her before her hold over him slipped, and the both of them fell to the floor; Sombra immediately turned into a billowing cloud of pitch black smoke.
"You insolent fool!" Nightmare Moon roared, raising herself. "You will pay for this."
"You, and what army?" Sombra sneered, before a malicious grin split the cloud, and a glow of red came from where his eyes should be.
Immediately, the multitude of hooves clopping and dragging over the crystal floor came from all around them, and most of the ponies under Sombra's control came to fill the hallway; the filly lying injured not some distance away was the first to drag herself to Nightmare Moon. Wrapping her legs around one of Nightmare Moon's, and with what little strength she could manage, she proceeded to bite her with all she had left.
****
"GAAAH!" Danny roared as a sudden stab of pain shot through his lower left leg. Eyes clenched shut as he knew what Nightmare Moon was doing, struggling in his bonds.
'I won't let you do it! I won't let you win!'
****
Nightmare Moon looked down on the filly with cold eyes, not having felt a thing as her shadow formed body was completely intangible, and the filly's action served to only hurt the human trapped within.
Even so, this transgression would not go unpunished, and she kicked away the young filly before raising a hand aglow with burning energy.
A twisted gleam shone in her eyes, and she fired a beam of searing energy at the downed, injured filly; grinning wickedly, before shock took its place as the beam of green glowing destruction missed its target.
"What is the meaning of this!?" She yelled as she stared at her wildly shaking hand, before it balled into a fist, and slammed her squarely into the face.
"Impossible!" She roared as her eyes burned in anger. Sombra watched her struggle with a curious grin.
"I am the goddess of the night. Slayer of the Kadzait. Ruler of this world. I control you. YOU DO NOT CONTROL ME!" She roared as she unleashed a massive wave of energy all around her, blowing Sombra's mind controlled force off their hooves, while blasting the dark king through the already damaged far wall, flinging him outside.
With a roar that quickly turned into a screech, she launched herself after Sombra. Feeling, deep down, Danny's struggle intensifying.
'First I deal with this pest, than I will deal with you. Permanently.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay, this is weird!" Rainbow Dash said loudly, her voice echoing slightly. "Where the hay is everypony?"
With deliberate slowness, the group had made their way to the throne room, careful to avoid as many of Sombra's forces as they could. Yet no matter which hallway they took, which room they crossed, or which corner they peered past, there wasn't a single soul in sight. And now, after more than half an hour of sneaking, crawling, and lowered voices to avoid detection, they found themselves in the throne room with mixed feelings over their taken actions.
"Why the hay did we go through all that trouble if there isn't anypony here!?" Rainbow Dash complained, frowning and crossing her arms as she hovered slightly above the floor.
"Quit yer jabberin', Rainbow. Just be glad we ain't run inta no trouble. Celestia knows we can do without right now," Applejack said sternly, readjusting her stetson as she looked around the empty room.
"I agree with Applejack," Rarity chimed in. "I do so dread the thought of having to fight one of those poor souls. Or Celestia forbid, Sombra." She shuddered at the thought.
"Indeed. We should take this chance to find any clue to the whereabouts of the Crystal Heart, then find out where everypony went when we have the means to save them." Twilight pointed out, walking over to the throne.
"Well, I still don't like it," Rainbow Dash harrumphed. "In fact, I'm calling it now. It's a trap!"
"There is a good chance you're right, Rainbow Dash," Cadance agreed. "Which is all the more reason for us to hurry."
Sighing out, Rainbow Dash dropped to the floor. "I guess you're right. Alright, let's find this heart thingy and kick Sombra's flank."
"Any idea where to start?" Spike asked her, sitting on Cadance's throne as he diligently inspected the cushioning for any clues.
"I- don't know, really. I'd think he would hide the Heart somewhere in the palace, close by and such."
"Why, yes. We agreed on as much already." Rarity replied as she scrutinized the curtains decorating the windows, moving towards the one window that lay in pieces on the floor. "But so far, the only thing out of place here is this," and she and the rest looked at the large hole in the glass.
"Oh my. Do you think that whatever did this scared away all the ponies?" Fluttershy asked timidly, peeking past her mane with one eye.
"Maybe?" Applejack replied.
"Hmmm…" A sad and worried sigh pulled their attention to Pinkie Pie, watching her slowly move some of the pieces around with a hoof while her mane seemed to lose more and more of her bouncy state.
"Uhh… you alright, sugarcube?"
"Not really," Pinkie Pie answered with a slightly sad voice. "This… this just feels wrong. Really wrong." She looked at the hole in the glass. "As if somepony missed their own birthday party several times."
"Wow, that sounds horrible." Spike commented with a shudder. "Is your Pinkie sense telling you this?"
"No… Just a feeling."
Put even more on edge by Pinkie's foreboding feeling, the group resumed their investigation of the throne room in the hopes of finding any clue that would help them.
For the next several minutes, they searched the throne room from top to bottom, leaving nothing unturned. From the throne's cushions to the curtains decorating the windows. Rainbow Dash searched the ceiling for any hidden mechanism only a pony capable of flight might be able to use, which with Sombra's abilities seemed likely enough to be a plausible idea. But after finding nothing at all, they began to question whether or not Sombra even hid the Heart in the throne room.
"Ah don't know, everypony. Ah'm startin' ta think there's nothin' here ta find," Applejack spoke up as she scratched her head.
"Well, I wouldn't say nothing, dear," Rarity replied. "I do so like these curtains. They really work with the crystals natural color scheme."
"And these cushions are really soft," Spike added as he bounced up and down on the throne's cushion.
"Girls, I don't think tha-" Twilight argued when she fell silent, eyes narrowing a bit as realization began to dawn. "Curtains… Cushions…" Her eyes widened when all the pieces connected. "Of course, how could we not have seen this before!" And her gaze locked on the gleaming, light purple crystals of the throne it self, remembering what Princess Celestia had told her back in Canterlot.
"What is it!?" Cadance almost shouted, all eyes on Twilight. "Did you find it?"
"The Heart is hidden in King Sombra's castle," Twilight proclaimed as she walked towards the throne.
"Eehh, yeah," said Rainbow Dash, "That's why we're here."
"No, you don't understand." The purple mare countered. "This isn't Sombra's castle."
"But… Isn't this where he lived when he was in power?" Spike asked, confused.
"It is, but it didn't look like this." Twilight answered, waving a hoof around the room.
"Then what did it look like?" Rainbow Dash asked, dropping to the ground.
"Just you watch." Twilight replied as she looked at the crystal throne with determination. "And stand back."
All the mares and drake moved away from Twilight as she secured her stance; horn bursting into life with a foul, dark purple aura and obvious strain on the mare.
Cadance gasped out as she realized what her younger sister-in-law was doing, and watched in fright as a beam of dark magic struck the largest of the crystal decorating her seat of power.
"Twilight, wha-" she began, only to fall silent at the sight of the sudden and drastic transformation occurring.
The crystal's reaction to the darkness was immediate, and a menacing shadow quickly spread from it; growing larger and larger as it obscured, and seemed to suck away the light anywhere it touched. The moment the shadow reached the center of the room, a swirling, bubbling mass of dark magic ate away the floor as the shadow's growth continued, revealing a long, narrow staircase leading deep down into the ground.
"Wow!" Spike said, his tone caught somewhere between fear and awe, as he and everypony else slowly edged closer to the gaping hole in the floor, looking down into the abyss.
"That sure is a long way down," Applejack murmured before kicking one of the glass shards lying nearby into the inky blackness; all of them listening for the distinct sound of the glass hitting the bottom, which never came. "A looong way down."
"Well, I suppose we better start walking." Twilight suggested, moving for the stairs, when a sudden blast of magic at her hooves caused her to fall down instead.
"WHAT THE HAY!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she shot in to keep her friend from falling.
A shocked gasped escaped from Cadance as they saw the one responsible for the attack. Standing in the entrance of the throne room was Shining Armor, crystal covered horn glowing with an unnatural aura.
"Shining?..." Cadance croaked out in disbelief, staring at her husband's red glowing eyes as his horn's glow intensified, readying another spell.
"LOOK OUT!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she shoved the princess out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting hit herself.
"BBBFF, snap out of it!" Twilight yelled, tears in her eyes. Shining answered by advancing towards them, horn charging yet again.
"It's no use. Those crystals have him under complete control!" Fluttershy squeaked, trembling behind Rarity.
"Cadance, Twilight. Go down, find the Heart." Pinkie Pie said without humor as she pulled her party cannon out of Cadance's tail; her mane completely deflated. "We'll keep this party pooper busy." And she fired a mixture of streamers and confetti in Shining Armor's face, temporarily blinding him.
"But-" Cadance started to protest.
"No buts, Princess," Applejack cut her off. "Pinkie's right. Yer tha best shot we've got at findin' tha Crystal Heart an' usin' it. Now go!" She commanded, pointing a hoof down, while Rainbow Dash shoved the princess down the first steps; soon followed by Twilight.
"And don't worry, dear. We'll keep from hurting him too much," Rarity reassured them as she took a defensive stance before the stairs, joined by her friends, with Spike shielding her with his body.
"Just hurry up, will ya!?" Rainbow Dash shouted after them as Cadance and Twilight hurried down the stairs, not risking to look back in fear of rushing back to help their friends.
"... Well, at least they're on their way," Applejack noted solemnly after a moment, glaring at the controlled pony before her. "Now ta deal with this rodeo."
"Huh, at least it is only him," Rainbow Dash said boldly, flexing her wings. Then the clip-clopping of dozens of hooves reached them, quickly growing louder and louder, and within moments more and more of the guards who joined the royal couple towards the Empire joined Shining, leaving the mares and dragon vastly outnumbered.
"Ya just had ta open yer big mouth," Applejack groaned accusingly.
"Well… I did call it," Rainbow Dash shot back. "It's a trap."
"Ladies, if you are so inclined to fight, then may I suggest you aim it at the problem we're now facing instead of each other," Rarity said with a scolding tone, eyes flicking towards her friends for the briefest of moments.
""Right,"" both Applejack and Rainbow Dash nodded, lowering their stance as their eyes narrowed, scanning their adversaries with a competitive glare.
"First to knock out a hundred?" Rainbow Dash challenged.
"There ain't even that many po—" Applejack shot back, only for more mind controlled ponies to march in. "... Yer on!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wow, that's big!" Dani said with worried awe, keeping her distance from the crystal as she and the rest of the researchers stood around the large spire found by Charming Prism's team, feeling a bit woozy.
"Indeed," Pete nodded, frowning a bit as he looked at his tablet. "But size hardly matters if it doesn't perform.
"What do you mean?" Dani asked, curious.
"Hmm…" Pete hummed a bit as he tapped on his tablet a few times. "I mean that, despite this thing's size, I'm hardly picking up any Fenton-J's coming from it." He then turned to one of his colleagues. "How're your readings?"
"They are no different than yours, it would seem."
"Hmmm…"
"So, does that mean this rock is useless?" Midnight Blossom asked, slightly disappointed her find was proving to be a dud.
"I can't say for certain," Pete replied. "We need to make more scans first."
"Yeah… You do that," Dani told him. "I'll be going back to see if everything is running smoothly with the rest of the team."
Already lost in the data displayed on the tablet, neither one of the scientists gave a word in reply, save from a single, faint nod from Pete, Dani quickly moved back the way she came. Stopping halfway, she leaned herself against the tunnel wall, breathing heavily and sickly as she tried to regain her composure.
'Not performing, my ass. I could feel that thing's energy even in my human form.' She pushed herself off from the wall, wobbling slightly before resuming her retreat at a slow pace. 'I hope they really don't find anything. But knowing them, it won't be long before they find out just how powerful that damned rock is.'
She stopped on the spot, looking down at her left hand, balling it into a fist.
'There is no other choice. For my sake, as well as Danny's, that crystal needs to be destroyed.'
Her hand dropped down to her side, her mind made up.
'Tonight, when everyone is asleep.' she decided, and resumed walking back to the rest of the scientists busy constructing the spectral containment cell.
'I just hope it works.' she added in a thought of doubt, looking at the many glowing crystals growing in the cavern. 'Or if it will be enough.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, uhh, Soarin. What brings you here?" Jack asked sheepishly after he had retaken his seat, rubbing the back of his head while Maddie tended to a few minor injuries with a disappointing frown. "Is it an autograph, or a look at the basement where it all be- Ghya!" He yelled out as Maddie put just a bit too much pressure on a cut.
"Maybe you should let them do the talking, dear."
"Right," Jack replied sheepishly, "right."
"So, Jazz. You were trying to tell us something, before your father ran off." Maddie aimed at her daughter who, until just a moment ago, looked at her father with a worried, and somewhat irritated frown. Now though, she was right back where she started, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Umm, okay. So… Mom, dad. There’s something you need to know…. Well, mom already knows, so that just leaves you, dad… Ehhh. What I am trying to say is… well, uhh. You see. Soarin and I, we're, err…" She stammered, unable to figure out how to say it to her father. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, and in their situation it was leaning strongly towards the latter, Soarin beat her to the punch.
"I'm dating your daughter!" He blurted out before he even knew what he was saying, quickly slamming a hoof over his muzzle when he did, and looking at the now tensed up form of the 'broad' father as he looked back at him with a nerve wracking glare void of any emotions.
Silence.
"I see." Jack said, void of any emotions. "Madeline, could you please stop for a moment," he said to his wife as he stood up. "I need to get my... things."
"Jack, dear. I'm not sure that’s a good idea." Maddie replied, nervously, trying to keep him from leaving.
"Maddie," he answered as he lifted her hand off of his shoulder, "we've had this conversation before." And he left without another word.
"That's why I am trying to stop you!" She shouted after him, alarmed, before rushing after Jack to keep him from doing something very, very stupid.
"Oh, please no!" Jazz cried, on the edge of having a breakdown as she rested her head in her hands similar to how she sat a moment before. "A normal family, is that so much to ask for?"
"Ehh…. Should I leave?" Soarin asked, unsure, worried, conflicted over just how to feel about what had transpired up until now.
"Knowing what is to come, I'm sure you're already too late."
"JACK, NO!" Maddie yelled, and Soarin's head snapped up at the door the two strange parents had just left through.
With an ominous creak, it swung back open, revealing the intimidating form of Jack Fenton, looking at the quadrupled with a disconcerting smile.
"So, Soarin," Jack begun, sending a chill down Soarin's spine. "You know, as a kid I always wanted a pony—" he pulled something out from behind him "—and seeing you are now part of this family, you think that maybe, ehh…" he chuckled sheepishly as he held up a somewhat worn out saddle. "You could take me for a ride?"
Silence.
Deafening silence.
A tomb like silence that was shattered by a loud: "WHAT!?" as Soarin reared back, toppling over his seat as he looked at Jack, offended.
"Uhh… Did I say something wrong?" Jack mumbled, while Maddie stood behind him trying her hardest to push her hand through her face.
"YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT!?"
"You have no idea," Jazz mumbled in answer to her father, ashamed, trying to mimic her brother by going intangible and sink through the floor, or go invisible. Whatever came first.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, any idea where this chunk of land could have gone to?"
Tucker sighed out, tiredly rubbing his eyes before giving a sideways glance at Valerie.
"No, none at all. Obviously it didn't come to Earth. With today's tech and satellite coverage, something as big as that suddenly showing up would have made the news by now."
"True." Valerie agreed, leaning against the wall of Tucker's work chamber.
"And then there is this sudden appearance of plant life in the Ghost Zone," Tucker sighed out. "Really, if it wasn't for this land, or more importantly, those crystals growing on it, these plants would be my number one priority."
"How so? They're just plants. Shouldn't those pieces of armor you took from Skulker be more important?"
"No," Tucker countered, looking at the arms and legs lying on a workbench; a computer running diagnostics on them. "Don't get me wrong. The upgrades made to this tech could be invaluable to us, but life sprouting up like this in the Ghost Zone is far more important. We need to know what could cause such a change. What changed, here or in the Zone, for this to happen?"
"Who said something changed back here, or in there?" Valerie queried.
"What do you mean?" Tucker asked, intrigued.
"Didn't you say so yourself? There are more worlds out there besides our own. What if something happened over in Equestria?"
Tucker's eyes widened at the realization, turning his chair around fully to look at the woman standing behind him.
"Why didn't I think about that myself?" He asked out loud.
"Maybe you've been up too long?" Valerie mused, shrugging. "I mean, after everything that has happened since yesterday; Skulker abducting Jazz's pony friend, or the mess you've made in the Fenton's place, and all the other crap we've had to deal with. Really, when was the last time since all of this that you actually got some rest?"
Tucker leaned back in his chair, sighing out in defeat; a hand brushing through his hair.
"You've got me there," he muttered. "But it's not like I can just stop everything like that, knowing Vlad is still aiming for some payback. After all, he did take Jazz. Luckily Soarin was able to free her, but still."
"True," Valerie agreed. "But the world isn't going to end just because you took a nap. Besides, with everything that has now been set in motion, we need you at your best. And this—" she gestured the whole of him "—this is not your best."
Tucker gave a short laugh, "Can't argue with that," and released a long yawn. "Still, there are some things I need to do before I call it a day. One of which would be this." he then stood up and moved to the pieces of armor they 'borrowed' from Skulker, looking at them with great interest before looking at the display mounted on the wall above, scanning the data gathered from it. A loud snort came from him a second later.
"And still he's using my old PDA," he grunted, shaking his head as he picked up the arm to which his old, outdated piece of tech was connected to. "Really, with all the other advancements he made… That's just sad, even though it is a lucky break for us."
"How so?" Valerie asked, curious, looking over his shoulder.
"It means that this tech is still fully compatible with our own, so backwards engineering this for our own use should be no problem at all."
A large grin grew on Valerie's features as she picked up the other arm, flicking out the remaining half of the wrist blade used against her not too long ago.
"How fortunate, indeed." She looked at her reflection in the polished metal. "Any ideas on how to use it?" She asked, knowing full well it wasn't really a question to begin with.
"Oh, I think I know of a few things." Tucker replied, grinning himself.
"Perfect." Valerie purred, pulling back the blade with a satisfying 'snikt'.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Bwahahahahahah!"
"Ugh… what happened?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This is just- pfwhahaha."
"What is going on?"
"Why, it certainly looks like you could use a hand or two."
"Enough!" Skulker roared, his armor's vision rebooting, and he saw Spectra and Ember standing beside him; looking down on him. "What is all that laughing about?" he groaned, pushing himself up. Or he would have, if he still had any arms.
"What the!?" he murmured, looking at his sides to see his limbs missing.
"Pfhhh…" Technus squeaked out in a soundless laugh, clutching his sides.
"Where are my arms!" Skulker yelled, using his levitation to push him back on his feet, and to fall face first back in the dirt.
Technus, at this point, was leaning against a large rock, tightly clutching his sides while tears stained his eyes.
"WHERE. ARE. MY. FEET!?" Skulker grunted, voice muffled by the dirt. Technus finally fell to the ground.
"We were hoping you could tell us, dear" Ember told her boyfriend, crouching down next to him. Skulker merely grunted in reply.
"Oh, don't give me that," Ember stood back up, feigning offense. "It is hardly my fault the greatest ghost hunter was out performed, and disarmed the way you are."
"I DIDN'T LOSE!" Skulker growled.
"Yes, you did." Spectra chided. "Badly."
Skulker grunted in irritation. "Just help me up, will ya."
"What, making us ladies do the heavy lifting? Did you lose your dignity along with your arms and legs as well?"
"I. Hate. You!" Skulker cursed.
"The feeling is mutual." Spectra replied cooly, filing her nails. "Besides, you were able to pull yourself up just fine a moment ago."
"That was before I knew I didn't have any legs to stand on!" Skulker shot back.
"So, now that you do know, you are unable to?" Penelope asked cynically. "You idiot. This isn't some cartoon where gravity only works when you look down. Now stop your whining. You're a ghost, for Purgatory's sake. So get up and tell us what happened. Some of us do have better things to do."
Grumbling quite a few obscenities, Skulker levitated himself off of the ground, glaring at the youth sucking shade with murder in his artificial eyes, which didn't seem to impress her at all.
"You’re done now, right?" She asked offhandedly, checking her nails.
"No thanks to you."
"You're welcome." Penelope replied as she started working on her other hand, leaving Skulker with the currently impossible desire to strangle her.
"Calm down, man." Ember said, turning his dismembered form around so he no longer looked at Spectra, rolling her eyes. "Now, what happened?"
"I'll tell you!" Technus interrupted, reaching up with an arm and pointing up a finger as he still lay on the ground. "The greatest act of comedy ever witnessed." A new laughing fit quickly made sure he wasn't able to say much more.
"Funny," Ember said flatly, but was unable to keep the grin forming on her face. "Now, again. What happened? Last we know, you were chasing after that damned Specter and the sister of that ghost brat… That’s something we should look into as well," she muttered softly.
"What happened?" Skulker repeated with a grunt, thinking back with a frown. "I fought Specter, clashing weapons in a fight for survival—" he spoke with a feral grin, before it turned sour "—Our skills evenly matched."
"Hold on!" Penelope said, half shocked as she looked up at Skulker; frozen mid-motion with her nail filing. "Are you actually saying Specter, a mortal, is just as skilled as you?"
"... No."
"You did!" Penelope said with a laugh. "Oh, how the great and mighty have fallen."
"Shut up." Skulker grumbled, eye twitching.
"No, please. Do continue." Technus countered as he pulled himself up, smiling toothily.
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Skulker roared, before the green blob he truly is dropped out of the torn armor; the heavy metal dropping to the ground with a solid 'thunk' "SCREW YOU GUYS, I'M GOING HOME!" And he flew off into the Ghost Zone.
"Hey, hold on!" Ember shouted after him, shooting a glare at the two remaining, laughing ghosts.
"Bwahahaha… Priceless." Technus wheezed, wiping away a tear.
"I agree. This was most enjoyable." Spectra concurred. Then her attention was drawn to a blinking light coming from within the damaged armor left behind. "Wait, what's that?"
"What, that?" Technus said, looking down himself. "Oh, that's just the… oh cra-"
BOOOOM!
"Pfghuu" Technus coughed up a thick cloud of smoke. "... Self destruct." Both blackened ghosts dropped to the ground in a heap, smoke rising from their crispy forms.
<<>><<>><<>>
"— And so, in conclusion I want to, once again, apologize for the damages caused by my paw… ahum... employees. And let me assure you, there are not going to be any more incidents such as these… If they know what's good for them."
"Well, that went better than expected." Vlad Masters muttered as he looked at the news broadcast with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Indeed, Vladdy." Holo Maddie agreed, per her programming of course, as she too watched the small, wall mounted screen.
"No, no. No more further questions. That will be al—" with a frustrated groan, Vlad turned off the television, stood up, and looked out of the window of his temporary home.
Ever since the detection of the termites, and the following collapse of his mansion, Vlad had found himself in need of some new lodgings.
Of course, he knew he could always go to his old college friend, Jack who wouldn't think twice to help his old friend. The only problem with this, Vlad reasoned with a shudder, that he would have to share the house with his old college friend.
On the flip side of things, Maddie would also be there, which made this idea actually worth considering if it wasn't for yet another minute nuisance.
The Phantom brats.
Surely, he knew, they would use the chance of him staying over at the Fenton's to their advantage, as, he also knew, Jack wouldn't let him out of his sight. He was truly a big, fat, stupid, fat, enormous, fat, dumb buffoon who would cling to him like a severely obese shadow, while always smiling his overly large, exuberant smile.
And he knew. He knew that they knew. And he knew that they knew that he knew. And he knew he could probably continue this pointless train of thought, but he also knew he had better things to do. Like keeping a watchful eye out over the ruins of his mansion, as he was certain one or more of those brats would seize the opportunity to infiltrate his hidden laboratory and gain access to the secrets he kept buried down there.
And then there were also the demolition and construction crews, as they worked through what remained of his once glorious abode, salvaging what they could, while tearing down the rest before rebuilding his humble home, making it even more glorious than it was before. But this also meant he had to keep a close eye, and keep any of those working from discovering his lab. Or, failing that, keeping them from talking. One way, or the other.
And thus, with little more choice than to oversee the entire process, he had generously bought the multi-story apartment across the street; giving the former occupants a deal they couldn't refuse. Mainly: Take the money I offer, far below the estimated value of your home, before the horrible, terrifying ghost gets to you.
Unsurprisingly, they all agreed without second thought.
And now, standing in his new, if only temporary home, he sighed out irritably as he watched construction teams moving back and forth towards the rubble of what was once his kitchen… Well, one of his kitchens that is.
"Tell me, Maddie. Do you have at least some good news for me? Did the data from the few remaining drones reveal anything new, or were there any other noteworthy developments I should be made aware of?"
"Negative, dear. The few drones that remain active have not found anything new. They do continue to provide a stable data stream of scans made of the inhabitants found on the other side of the tears. No new information detailing subject Dani, subject Danny, or the newly discovered spectrally active pony either."
"Blast," he muttered, looking with an annoyed frown at the remains of his mansion.
'Why did I have to own so many antiques?' He asked himself.
"Remind me, exactly what was destroyed by those damned insects?" He asked holo Maddie.
"Everything that was made up of wood, dear. From the antique furniture, to the various bookcases and even some books. The stairs, too, were severely damaged to a point where it can only be described as miraculous that they didn't collapse whenever you traversed over them… Numerous support struts keeping up the roof have also been compromised, as well as the support pillars. Floorboards have also been damaged, and-"
"That will be enough," Vlad stopped her, sighing out. "At least things can't get any worse," he murmured in a monotone.
Sudden yelling and loud shouting brought his attention back to the window just in time to hear a loud cacophony followed by a large cloud of wood dust billowing out of the open or broken windows.
"New structural weakness detected, dear," holo Maddie said with a smile. Vlad screamed out in rage, the wall mounted TV blowing up in a burst of glowing red.
<<>><<>><<>>
"— And so, in conclusion I want to, once again, apologize for the damages caused by my paw… ahum... employees. And let me assure you, there are not going to be any more incidents such as these… If they know what's good for them."
With a 'zap' the TV shut down, the three individuals sitting around it now staring at their own reflection.
"Oh man, we're so screwed." Chris moaned, afraid.
"Yeah. Even with this final chance Mister Vlad has given us, the people hate us now." Emily said, sounding depressed.
"Have you even heard what they call us now?" Franky sighed wearily. "The Masters of Disasters."
All three sighed out in defeat.
"Seriously. With an image like that, is there even much of a job for us to do?" Emily asked, slowly sinking down on the couch she was sitting on. "Not like they will hire us now… or pay us if we show up."
""Yeah…"" Franky and Chris muttered their agreements.
"They might even start to favor Specter," Franky added in an afterthought, groaning.
"So we need the people to start liking us again." Chris spoke up as he sat down next to Emily; one arm lying over the backrest as he looked at the other two members of his family.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Emily asked. "We practically destroyed a portion of the city. That isn't something you will easily forget… or forgive."
"Well, Franky said he saw that ghost move to the shield," Chris pointed out, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at his oldest sibling. "If we can catch this ghost… that has to count for something, right?"
"Do you really not know?" He muttered. "I didn't say anything back with the boss, because it wouldn't have helped us…" He sighed out heavily. "We've all seen this ghost before, even if you can't remember... Maybe you were still too young, I dunno… But we've seen it before, back during the accident."
Both Chris and Emily tensed up as their older brother mentioned the catalyst for the darkest period of their lives.
"I… I didn't even realize…" Emily said quietly, looking at her feet with wide, haunted eyes.
"I thought I was just imagining things." Chris muttered, placing a comforting arm around his sister.
"No, it was him," Franky stated coldly, eyes showing no emotion as he relived the horrible event that destroyed their lives through memories. "This was the ghost who was responsible for our parents' death."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Oh, I hope they are okay up there," Twilight worried as she and Cadance hurried down the dark staircase.
"I'm sure they are," Cadance reassured, yet worry was evident in her voice.
"But they are fighting the guards and Shining!"
"We can't worry about that right now!" Cadance shot back faster and more biting than she intended, but knew it was meant just as much for herself as it was for Twilight. "If we stop and worry about what might be, then your friends' effort to slow them down would be wasted. Let's just hurry and find the Crystal Heart."
Looking over her shoulder at her sister-in-law, Twilight's eyes steeled as she gave a resolute nod; willing her legs to move faster through sheer determination. Cadance, however, could not share the same feeling. Not completely, as there was another urgent matter that needed attention.
"Twilight…" Cadance slowly stepped closer to the purple unicorn, "where in Equestria did you learn dark magic like this?" Worry was clearly evident in her voice.
"Princess Celestia," Twilight answered chipperly. "She demonstrated this spell once when she informed me about the Crystal Empire, and Sombra.
"What?!" Cadance gasped, shocked. "You managed to reproduce a spell of dark magic just after having seen it used once!?"
"Well… yes." Twilight answered, hesitating only a bit.
Cadance bit her lip as she considered the ramifications of such a feat. She knew Twilight would never use such magic for anything nefarious, but even so, dark magic is not something to take lightly. Especially coming from one who can perform such magic after having merely seen it.
She bit her lower lip as she focused her gaze past the purple scholar, and down the many flights of stairs. Then she sighed out. "We'll talk about this later. For now, we have a Heart to find, and precious little time to waste. Let's hurry!"
Twilight nodded in understanding, and turned her attention back down; willing her legs to move even faster. Too fast, she realized a heartbeat too late as she tripped over her own legs.
She released a loud shout of surprise and shock, tumbling forwards with uncontrolled flailing of her legs. With numerous shouts, yells, and far more painful bounces than she would have liked, Twilight soon found herself reaching the end of the stairs and with it, the cold, unforgiving floor.
Her eyes widened for a moment, before she clenched them shut in intense concentration, her horn bursting to life. The magical aura from her horn quickly spread to encompass her entire body and, just before she would crash to the dark crystal floor with force, her momentum halted as she gently levitated just above the crystal surface.
"TWILIGHT, ARE YOU-" Cadance shouted in alarm, rushing down the stairs only to fall silent as she saw her little sister held afloat by her own power; bobbing ever so slightly as she lowered herself to her hooves.
"Yes, Cadance. I'm alright." Twilight answered the unfinished question, giving the pink pony a warm, reassuring smile. A smile which was soon replaced by a look of mild surprise as she spotted a closed door in the small room she now found herself in, and with a glowing horn she grabbed hold on the door's latch in order to open it.
With a 'poof' of magic the door vanished, and Twilight and Cadance looked around in surprise, finding the door now placed on the other side of the room.
Frowning, Twilight tried again only to be met with the same result.
Twilight's frown deepened as she tried again and again, soon chasing after the door as it slid across the wall, and even up the stairs, clearly mocking the now irritated unicorn.
"STOP MOVING!" Twilight shouted, irritated, her horn glowing with dark magic.
With a grunt of frustration, she fired a beam of dark magic at the door, halting it in its tracks. With a fluid, but slow motion, the door swung open, blinding both ponies with a glaring light found on the other side.
Surprised, Twilight looked at the glow coming from within. Then a smile found its way onto her features, and she turned to Cadance. "Cadance, I think it's here," she said hopefully.
"I really don't like you using dark magic like that," she countered with a resigned sigh, "but I do think you're right." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her eyes snapped open, and gone were any hints of doubt and hesitance. "Let's go!" She stated, and together the two stepped through the door.
<<>><<>><<>>
They stepped through the door, and walked into the very room they were just in a moment ago; the door slamming shut behind them.
"What in the world?" Twilight exclaimed, looking around in confusion.
"This can't be right!" Cadance agreed, sharing the same look of confusion.
"How did we walk into the very room we just left?" Twilight said aloud, turning to glare at the infuriating door. However, she realized with rapidly widening eyes, the door had vanished completely.
Groaning out in frustration and stamping a hoof on the floor, Twilight glared up at the stairway they had come down from. "I should have known. It's just a dead end Sombra must have set up to keep those seeking the Heart from finding it."
"I fear you're right," Cadance sighed out, looking up as well. "... If this is the case, we should return with haste and help your friends."
Nodding, Twilight all but flew up the stairs. "Yes, but I'm not leaving it at this. We'll find that Heart, and make Sombra pay for his crimes."
With only a nod in agreement, Cadance swiftly followed after Twilight, the both of them climbing the stairs faster than they went down. Before long, they came up in the throne room, fearing the worst when nothing but silence greeted them.
"What… Where is everypony?" Twilight asked, looking around.
"I don't understand," Cadance said. "There isn't even any sign of a fight."
With an audible creak, the doors of the throne room opened, revealing five mares, a dragon, and human.
With a large smile, Twilight rushed towards them. "Girls, Spike, Danny." She said, sounding just a bit happier when she called Danny. "What happened here? Where are all the other ponies? And Danny, where have you been?"
"Oh, you know. Just hanging around, meeting all kinds of interesting ponies," Danny answered with an unsettling smile.
"Oh yeah," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "Right after we pledged our loyalty to King Sombra, the rightful ruler of this world." and the eyes of her, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Danny glowed a dark red; a menacing, victorious laugh reverberating from behind Twilight and Cadance.
"No!" Twilight shouted, shocked as she took a step back from her friends.
"Sombra," Cadance gasped as she turned to look at the shadowy monster.
The sound of hooves clopping on the floor drew their attention to the multitude of ponies now surrounding them, with Shining Armor at the forefront.
"You have lost!" Sombra exclaimed. "Both this land, and your right to live!" And with a flicker of red in his eyes, the surrounding force started to advance.
"No, don't do this. SNAP OUT OF IT!" Twilight shouted at her friends and brother, crying.
"DON'T DO THIS!" Cadance yelled, horn glowing. "Shining, you're stronger than this. Please!?" She pleaded, but for no use.
With a hollow cry, Shining Armor, soon followed by the rest of the mind-controlled force, lunged at them.
"NO!" Cadance shouted, the magic building in her horn bursting out to cover Twilight and herself in a light blue shield. The two of them had their eyes closed as they heard the first form collide with the shield, tears streaming out as they were unable to witness the madness around them. However, after a short while, Cadance became aware of something. Or the lack thereof. Her magic didn't feel drained, no spike in force needed to keep the shield up, almost as if there wasn't anything there to shield them from.
Cracking open an eye, she peered out through the shield. Her eyes shot open as she gasped out in surprise, causing Twilight to look as well. She shared the same reaction Cadance had.
The floor they stood on had changed. From the gleaming, warm crystal that made up the throne room, they were now standing on the somber, light sucking crystal they encountered everywhere in the chamber below. Yet it was only a small portion, reaching only to the edges of the shield where it distorted and changed from dark and somber into light and warm crystal.
Looking past the protective barrier, things were stranger still. Surrounding them were still the many ponies under Sombra's control. Lying just in front of the shield, however, were the bisected bodies of those who had lunged themselves at the shield.
Twilight and Cadance felt sick to the stomach as they saw the remains of Shining Armor, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Spike, Danny, and several of the other ponies' hind bodies, the front part having just vanished. Then, with a startling gasp from Twilight, who, despite her best efforts, couldn't look away, noticed a dark smoke rising up from the bodies where they were severed.
'Shadow! Light! The two don't mix!' she remembered Danny's words. 'I'm guessing the magical nature of the light Cadance spreads is allowing it to diffuse his shade form.'
Gasping, she turned to Cadance.
"Cadance, increase your shield. Make it bigger."
"What?" Cadance asked, confused and sickened, not daring to look at what remained of her husband and friends.
"The shield, make it bigger!" Twilight repeated urgently.
"Wha…?"
"Just do it, now!" Twilight ordered. "Trust me."
Cadance looked at the determined mare, seeing the confident look in her eyes. Nodding weakly, Cadance's horn glowed brighter and brighter as she increased the flow of magic into the shield, making it expand outwards.
The walls of the shield raced over the floor, leaving nothing untouched as it grew and grew. Soon it had devoured the remains lying directly near it. The bodies were quickly consumed by the light, leaving nothing but weak puffs of shadowy smoke before these were consumed as well.
Cadance gasped out as she saw what was happening, dawning realization taking root in her mind as she connected the pieces Twilight had already put together.
The walls of the shield soon reached the surrounding ponies, having them meet a similar fate as their bodies were washed by the love and light Cadance's shield radiated. And before long, all that remained were them, Sombra, and an increasingly darkening room.
With a roar of defiance, Sombra hurled himself at the shield, only for him to disperse into a cloud of smoke, easily washed away by Cadance's magic.
A blinding flash of light caused both mares to shriek out and cover their eyes.
A moment passed, and when they dared to look again, they found themselves back in the dark chamber down the stairs.
"What… What just happened?" Cadance asked, before she figured it out herself and turned to look at Twilight who stared at the closed door with teary eyes.
"It was a trap. A diversion. An illusion meant to stop us from seeing the truth." Twilight answered, shuddering at the thought of what she had just witnessed. "We're just lucky your magical light and love was able to burn through it… Who knows what would have happened if it didn't?"
Cadance was quick to pull Twilight into a hug. "Don't think of that," she told her. "Besides, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have found a way out of it to begin with."
"I guess we helped each other, huh?" Twilight chuckled lightly.
"That we did," Cadance answered proudly. "Now we must help the rest as well."
"Right. I will not let that nightmare we saw become a reality." Twilight stated, and she fired a swirling beam of magic based on the friendship between her friends into the dark crystal above the door.
The magic filled the crystal, before overflowing and following the contours of the door all the way down, slicing through the darkness put in place by Sombra, and opening a path into an area unseen and unknown.
With an eager trot, Twilight entered the new room, looking around expectantly. The room itself was massive. So massive, in fact, no walls could be seen, save for the massive blue and white crystal the door was embedded into, which seemed to reach all the way into the clouds. The rest of the room, if it could be called one, seeing the apparent lack of walls or even a ceiling for that matter, was also a bluish white and Twilight looked around with amazement... until her eyes locked on the one thing she didn't feel like interacting with again.
"What is in there? What did you find?" Cadance asked as she stepped inside as well, seeing the stunned and annoyed expression of Twilight.
"Uhh… Stairs." Twilight answered as she looked all the way up. "Lots and lots of stairs."
With a sigh, Twilight started the long walk up, already feeling the ache in her hooves from the previous two times. Both when she went down the flight of stairs in the throne room, and when she went back up in Sombra's illusion. She came to an abrupt stop however, when she heard the light chuckling of Cadance next to her, and she saw her former foalsitter flying next to her.
"Maybe I can help you out once more." She said, smiling, using her magic to pick up Twilight and placing her on her back. "Just like old times, huh?"
Smiling, Twilight held onto Cadance's neck. "Just like old times."
"Now, hold on!" Cadance warned Twilight, and shot up, flying higher and higher until they reached the top of the seemingly endless stairs in a fraction of the time should they have walked.
Stepping on the last part of the stairs, the two mares entered through the opening leading out to the top of the castle's tallest spire. Sighing out in relief, Twilight turned to look down the way they had just come.
"You know, in situations like this wings are really useful."
"I know." Cadance answered, smiling when a sudden strong gust of wind blew in, whipping their manes around wildly.
Turning around to shield themselves from the wind, their eyes locked onto the object hanging suspended in the center of the spire's platform; lazily spinning around.
"It's the Crystal Heart!" Cadance gasped out, slowly approaching the powerful artifact. "It was here the entire time?"
"Hiding in plain sight," Twilight breathed out. "Just like Rainbow Dash said."
Stepping closer, Cadance tried to reach out to the Heart when a massive explosion, accompanied by a blinding green flash, rocked the spire, making the two of them stumble on the spot.
"What in the hay was that!?" Twilight shouted, running to one of the many open windows decorating the walls and looked down to the city below.
"What is that!?" Twilight gasped out, joined by Cadance as she, too, looked down at the swirling mass of shadows clashing against each other.
Green bursts and beams of destructive energy sliced the air, causing destruction all around, while multiple ponies, looking like ants from their vantage point, were running around in the chaos.
"Cadance…" Twilight said tensely. "Get the Heart!"
<<>><<>><<>>
With a roar, Sombra slammed into the side of the palace with enough force to crack the crystal, his shadow-like form blowing apart from the impact before reforming into a massive billowing cloud.
Rising up from the damaged portion of the castle, Sombra glared with murder in his eyes at the other shade before launching himself at Nightmare Moon, several bursts of toxic green beams shooting from his horn.
Nightmare Moon, now fully transformed into her equine self, easily flew out of the path of the oncoming attacks with a mere flap of her bat wings. Fangs bared, she herself fired several beams of burning energy at the shadow king, slicing cleanly through him as his form shifted and turned to allow the beams of searing energy to pass harmlessly through him.
"You fool. You will not escape my might!" She roared. "Before this day is over, there will be only one ruler of shadows remaining. And that will be me!"
Sombra merely sneered as he fired several tendrils of darkness at his adversary, slicing the air with multiple tendrils as he tried to overwhelm Nightmare Moon with sheer numbers.
"Fool! Do you think an attack like that would have any chance of success?" Nightmare hissed as she weaved through the air, avoiding his attacks.
"Just as much chance as it has of you falling for my trap!" Sombra chuckled darkly, and Nightmare Moon's eyes widened as several tendrils shot at her from below and behind.
In an acrobatic feat that would leave many gawking, she twisted and turned to avoid the unexpected barrage of razor sharp shadows. She managed to dodge most of them, save a couple which managed to pierce her in her right hind leg and lower abdomen.
She cried with a voice not her own, blood seeping out of the cuts in her shadowy body before her dark magic closed up the holes. Her eyes burned angrily as she faced Sombra, horn glowing with unearthly power. Sombra merely chuckled at her pain.
"And there it is, your weakness. The fool who first opposed me, the source of your very being." A massive grin split the cloud that is Sombra. "I may not know what is going on between you two, but I do know that you have need of him—" more tendrils rose up all around Sombra "—At least, for now."
With a cry of anger, Nightmare Moon fired a barrage of spectral energy at Sombra, but in her enraged state, her shots were wild and sloppy, peppering the surrounding area and adding to the plight of the controlled ponies below.
Sombra, now with the upper hand, quickly glided behind her and speared several more tendrils at the shade. Nightmare Moon, who foolishly acted in a blind fit of rage, realized a moment too late what he had done. She had only just enough time to turn her head to see multiple tendrils bore down on her, stabbing her in her chest and abdomen, feeling them penetrate into Danny's body contained within.
****
"NO!" Nightmare Moon roared, feeling Danny's life force ebb away.
A hollow chuckle answered her.
"Hehehe… So much power, and for what, Moony?" Shadow asked her, hanging limply in his bonds with only his head held up to look at the corruption. "The power of the dead, all yours. Yet you depend on the life of the one you seek to end yourself."
"Or, what?" Shadow taunted. "You'll kill me as well?" he looked over at the pailing form of Danny. "Hehehe… So much power, but without the experience to use it. And now, because of your incompetence, we'll all die."
"NO!" Nightmare Moon roared defiantly. "I have not come all this way, suffered through all those indignities just for it to end like this. I AM NIGHTMARE MOON, THE-"
"Pincushion of shadows." Shadow finished tauntingly. "You're all bark, but very little bite. Why is that, hmm? Did you really grow this weak after being locked away for so long? Or is it something else, something you're unwilling to admit even to yourself?"
"You dare talk to me like this?" Nightmare Moon hissed.
"I think I have already demonstrated that very fact, yes." Shadow answered matter-of-factly. "And you still haven't answered my question."
"Why should I waste my time answering you?"
"You're already doing so regardless. But you're also avoiding a direct answer. Why is that, Moony? Are you afraid of the truth?"
"I fear nothing! Least of all you, or any of your pointless questions."
"Is that so, huh? Then answer me this. Why did you attack Sombra? After you took over, you could just as well have left and consumed the last remainders of Danny's power. Instead, you chose to finish what he started."
"I did no such thing!" Nightmare hissed.
"Hehehe… Is that so?" Shadow grinned knowingly. Then he looked around at the blank, mental construct they were in. "Or perhaps you really don't realize?" He mussed.
"What are you talking about?" She demanded.
"You hold Danny's memories. You tell me. Tell me what Frostbite told Danny after he went to him for help after I became a part of his being?"
Silence.
"Your silence tells me everything I need to know." Shadow said after only a moment of silence, staring deeply into Nightmare Moon's eyes. "I am a part created out from a failed possession, and merged with a sliver of my master's mind. My very personality is based on it. And then there is you. A fragment of a once feared entity, pulled in by my power and lack of understanding. There was barely anything of you left, and what parts did remain rebuilt itself with whatever it could find."
"LIES!" Nightmare Moon roared as she stepped back from Shadow.
"You can deny it all you want, it won't change the fact that you regained your core being from the same fragment I was born from." He laughed sadly. "Two minds, one body. If only I had realized this sooner."
"I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS… THIS MOCKERY!"
"Yet you remain here, listening, while OUR host is dying. Why? Is it maybe because, deep down, you know you alone are powerless to save him, and in extent, yourself?"
"I do not need any help. I am a queen. A goddess-"
"You were," Shadow cut her off. "Now you're merely a shadow of your former self, powerless to save even yourself. You know this, deep down. You even remade your form, using wings not your own to mend your damaged self-image. You, Nightmare Moon, are a mere shadow. An eclipse of who you once were. Nothing more. Nothing less. And, just like Danny, you are powerless when alone. Together, however, we may have a chance of saving our host, and put a halt on Sombra."
"... What do you suggest?" Nightmare Moon asked, voice subdued, refusing to meet Shadow's eyes as she glared at her hooves.
"Two minds, one body." He answered. "We're two parts of the same being, yet separated all the same. Set me free, and I will fight against Sombra using the knowledge and experience bestowed on me by my master."
"While I do what? Wait for you to stab me in the back and take control once more."
"No. I will fight, but our form is still that of your own image, with Danny held within… I will fight Sombra, while you use our shared power to keep Danny from bleeding out. With luck, medical help can be given to him in time."
"Bah," Nightmare Moon spat "Forced to save the life of that miserable mortal. How far I have fallen… Fine, I'll do it. If only to save my own life." And she released the bonds holding Shadow.
"Two minds, one body." He repeated, "Your life is my life, and Danny's life as well."
Nightmare Moon Gritted her teeth, while Shadow quickly retook control.
"Fate had us meet as foes, but this fight will make us one."
****
Nightmare Moon's eyes snapped open, no longer glowing green but orange as Shadow had taken over. A wavering aura of pale light surrounded their form, and through intangibility Shadow was able to free Danny's body, and in extent himself and Nightmare Moon from the tendrils impaling Danny's body.
He could feel Nightmare Moon immediately go to work to keep Danny from losing even more blood than he already had; filling in his wounds with solidified shadows.
"What is the meaning of this?" Sombra glowered, noticing the change in eye color.
"A change of tactics," Shadow answered with his own voice, surprising Sombra greatly.
'Nightmare?' he queried mentally.
'I kept the ape from bleeding out immediately, but it won't hold for long. Whatever it is you're planning, do it quickly!'
Nodding, Shadow rose up in the air, glaring down at Sombra as he channeled massive amounts of spectral energy into their shared horn.
"Tell me, Sombra." Shadow spoke. "What is it that makes us alive?"
"What!?" Sombra shot back.
"What is it that makes us alive?" Shadow repeated. "Is it a heart beating in our chest? Blood flowing through our veins? To eat, drink, and sleep? Feeling the sun's warmth, or the wind's chill on our skin? Or are we alive merely through the fact of being born?"
"Stop wasting my time with this pointless rambling!" Sombra growled, energy glowing from within his cloudlike form.
'What do you think you're doing!?' Nightmare shouted.
"You know, for the longest of times I have been asking myself these questions, but only now did I figure it out—" the glow around their horn intensified "—I live. Not because of something as silly as a heartbeat, or blood. No, I live through others, just as others live through me."
Roaring in anger, Sombra fired a beam of sizzling energy at Shadow, which he easily avoided.
"Three minds, two bodies. We are one. WE ARE ALIVE! And we'll fight to protect each other." And with a shout of righteous fury, Shadow unleashed the building energy with a massive flash of green.
<<>><<>><<>>
Cadance and Twilight flew down the stairs, literally in this case, with Twilight holding on to Cadance's neck, while the Princess herself was holding the Crystal Heart tightly in her forelegs; pressing it tightly to her chest.
In record time, the two reached the base of the crystal spire, and in a moment’s notice, they shot through the still open door and up the twisting stairs leading back to the throne room.
The sound of fighting reached them even before they arrived back up in the throne room, yet the brash, taunting, and even challenging shouts they heard revealed to Twilight and Cadance that their friends were holding their own against an overwhelming force, and even put up a good fight. The two of them finally reached the end of the stairs, flew up into the throne room, and right into the thick of the fight.
"Yeah, bring it!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Hey, AJ. Got another one for you!"
"Ah'll be with ya in a jiffy!" Applejack called back after she pulled the rope taut, having hogtied another of many ponies lying bound on the ground.
An explosion shook Cadance and Twilight's attention to the pink pony in the room. Wearing a camouflaged, human style army helmet over her still flat mane, with matching face paint as she was wielding her trusted party cannon.
Confetti and streamers blasted in the face of several ponies, who, after the clutter was cleared, were lying on the ground, their legs tied together by animal balloons.
"Oh, my… Could you please, ehh, not try to hurt my friends?" Fluttershy asked meekly of an advancing group led by Shining Armor. "Please?" She asked, squeaking, only for the ponies to advance towards her and Rarity; their intent clear.
Eyes steeling and wings flaring out, Fluttershy took a bold step forwards before standing her ground; shooting the full effect of her Stare right at the ponies, halting them in their tracks.
"Rarity!" She called her friend without averting her gaze; voice loud and confident. "Use your spell… If you want, please?"
Turning around, Rarity gave a faint gasp as she saw the group that had approached, before giving a determined nod. With a burst of her horn, multiple crystals, broken from the walls and floor, began circling around and above the ponies as Rarity's magic bounced between each and every shard, creating a magical cage locking them in place and allowing Fluttershy to relax.
"I've got some more for you, Apple- Oh, Cadance, Twilight. You're back!" Rarity chimed, sounding only slightly winded.
"We are," Twilight replied as she stepped forwards. "And we found the Heart."
"Then what are you waiting for!?" Rainbow Dash shouted as she wrestled down a lone guard. "Use it!"
Nodding, and solid determination shining in her eyes, Cadance's horn burst into life, her magical aura surrounding the Heart.
Her magic poured into the Crystal Heart, the magical artifact glowing brighter and brighter in response as it rotated faster and faster on the spot. A pulsing aura of love and light radiated out of the crystal, growing bigger and bigger until the aura collapsed back into the Heart.
For a moment it seemed that Cadance's attempt at reviving the Heart had failed. Then an explosion of light burst forth from the beating Heart, washing everyone in the throne room with its cleansing light.
The crystal ponies, guards, Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Spike, were pushed back several steps from the force as those affected by Sombra's dark touch were freed from his grasp.
The magic seeped into their very beings and down to their hearts where it reacted with the magic inside of them. Reacting, harmonizing, cleansing, making them shine as radiantly as the Crystal Heart itself. And in turn, their magic of friendship, light and love within them amplified the Crystal Heart's power to even greater heights.
An explosion of light blew out of the castle, before it reached out all across the Empire.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several minutes earlier.
With a roar of anger Sombra lunged at Shadow, who simply glided out of his way with a mere flap of his wings causing Sombra to shoot past him, leaving his back exposed.
Eyes narrowing slightly, Shadow fired a beam of ectoplasm at the dark king. Sombra roared out in anger and pain as the bright beam sliced through his form, diffusing his shade form for a split second. It was all the time Shadow needed.
With a mighty flap of the large bat wings, he dived down on the mad king, striking him with his front hooves; aglow with the power of the dead, and unleashing a massive knockout blow to Sombra in a blinding flash of green, forcing him back into his solidified self.
Sombra crashed into the ground, digging his own small crater as he did so while Shadow looked down on him with expressionless eyes.
'He's down, Finish him off!' Nightmare Moon told him, an obvious edge of disgust present in her voice over the fact she had to team up with her other half.
"No," Shadow answered her aloud.
'ARE YOU STUPID!?'
"Sombra has already been beaten," Shadow answered. "His anger makes him act more and more reckless and uncontrolled—" He dropped to the ground near the edge of the small crater, projecting a green glowing dome around the fallen king before he could escape. "—And striking him down now would serve us no purpose. The more energy and time we waste on fighting him, the less likely it is for Danny to get the help he needs."
'And instead, what!? You keep him locked up in that bubble of yours, waiting for him to break out?' Nightmare Moon hissed angrily.
"He must answer for his crimes, by the laws of his own kind. And we are neither his judge, jury, or executioner."
'You're even stupider than I thought you to be!' Nightmare Moon seethed angrily, her presence lashing out to retake control. 'I was a fool to think you could actually stop Sombra.'
"I did!" Shadow countered as he struggled against Nightmare Moon's increasing mental assault, resulting in a lapse of concentration in which the shield flickered, allowing Sombra to seep out as a thick smoke and firing multiple bolts of glowing green towards them.
Acting in reflex, Shadow shot back up in the air; head shaking wildly as his control began to slip and Nightmare Moon asserted more and more of her control over their shared form.
"You're a fool in thinking we could work together!" Nightmare Moon exclaimed. "I only allowed you to take control to distract both Sombra and yourself, while I focused on keeping this wretched ape alive long enough for me to drain the last of his powers into myself and breaking this shade free from th-" A searing bolt of energy shut her up as it struck her in the chest.
'And in doing so, you allowed Sombra to break free and hit you while you were too busy monologuing.' She could sense Shadow's eye roll in the back of her mind. 'You, Sombra. You villains are all the same. Too self absorbed to see the bigger picture.'
"What are you rambling about this time!?" Nightmare Moon growled, shaking her head in the hopes it would shake Shadow around.
"We aren't the only ones fighting Sombra!"
A blinding explosion of light erupted out of the castle, freezing both Nightmare Moon and Sombra on the spot as they stared at the rapidly approaching wall of light with widening eyes.
'All we had to do was wait. Nothing more, nothing less.' Shadow said condescendingly.
"NO!" Sombra roared as he recognized the energy for what it was, and turned tail to flee the searing light of the Heart.
Seeing this, and realizing her own predicament, Nightmare Moon did the same. Both of them hurried to the edge of the city in hopes of escaping their fate, but the two shades were no match for the light of friendship, love, and unity as they both were consumed.
Sombra was torn apart by the positive wave of energy, shouting a last defiant "NOOOO!" as his horn blew off his head, flung away by the power of the Heart, before he ceased to be completely.
As for Nightmare Moon and Shadow. The shadow covering Danny was stripped away as Nightmare Moon shouted her anger and defeat to the skies, which also removed the solidified darkness keeping Danny's wounds closed.
The limp, unconscious human fell to the ground as the energy gripped at his body, entering his wounds. The magic invaded his every cell, reaching down deeper and deeper as it reacted to the energy of the dead. And, were Danny conscious, he would have screamed out as an all too familiar feeling of being torn apart overcame him. But the power of the Heart could sense the purity of his heart, and knew he was not to be hurt.
The magic went deeper and deeper, reaching deep within him. A frozen crystal of ice found in the center of his chest. Its purity matching that of the Crystal Heart itself, and it pulsed in response to the invading force.
The crystal pulsed, grew, expanded out more and more; freezing every cell of his being as his body became colder and paler. A thin layer of ice settled over his skin, before it turned translucent all together, revealing his skeleton encompassed by a body of ice. Ice that glowed with many different colors.
There was the glowing green of his ectoplasm flowing freely throughout the entirety of his body, while a pulse of pure white and blue came from where his heart should be. Right next to it was the bright ice blue glow from the active ice crystal as its full powers were brought forth, while at the same time, colliding and clashing at where his brain would be, two orbs of glowing orange and dark green were being forced together; mixing and shifting, with the dark green desperately trying to break free. Yet the cleansing light of the Heart had no remorse for the corruption that was Nightmare Moon, and soon the glow of orange consumed the last of its other half back into itself.
The wave of light passed by Danny as it continued to cleanse the land of Sombra's darkness, leaving behind the frozen form of Danny as he fell to the ground. Unable to stop his fall.
The glow of orange in his brain pulsed and vanished, and the faint speck of darkness Danny cast on the ground bubbled and shot up in the air. Its form shifted and flexed as two brightly glowing orange orbs with dark green irises burned in the shade's head. An elongated horn jutted out of its forehead, while large bat wings folded out of from the back.
"Got you!" The shade said with Nightmare Moon's voice as it caught Danny in its hooves, yet the tone of malice was no longer there. Instead, a relieved smile etched the dark face of the shade as it gently lowered itself and Danny to the ground.
Once down, the equine shade gently lay Danny on the ground near the crystal Danny had encountered earlier; no longer glowing with the dark energy placed upon it by Sombra, but a smooth, clean white instead.
"Two corruptions have been cleansed today. What this means for me however, I am uncertain." The shade turned to look at the castle in the distance. "So many questions… First and foremost, who am I now?"
'You, Nightmare Moon, are a mere shadow. An eclipse of who you once were.' The words of one of its former halfs echoed through its mind.
"Hmm…" The shade hummed as it looked down on Danny, seeing his body thawing and returning to normal; his wounds miraculously healed. "... Eclipse."
The shade sat down next to Danny as, with a weak groan, he slowly came to.
"And secondly, what happened to you?" the shade asked, receiving no reply, nor expecting one.
<<>><<>><<>>
"It has happened." Clockwork spoke up, watching the events in the viewing portal with serious eyes.
"But what happened, exactly?" Sam asked, confused, watching the form of Nightmare Moon sitting next to Danny, in the full light of the sun, with large eyes.
"A gamble. A very risky one. But it paid off incredibly."
"Can we, for once, pretend I don’t know what’s going on?" Sam snarked.
"The ponies found their magical artifact. An object of incredible power. One which burns away any form of darkness and corruption. And Nightmare Moon, like Sombra, is as such."
"But you also said these ponies' magic is the opposite force of our spectral abilities, and that interaction between the two is devastating at best… and much worse at the worst. Yet Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and Danny are all ghosts… in some way, or the other. But only Sombra seemed to be destroyed. What’s going on with that?" Sam asked loudly with wild hand gestures.
"A fair question," Clockwork mused.
"And are you going to answer it?" Sam asked pessimistically.
Clockwork smirked, giving the young ghost a sideways glance. "Normally, no. But I think today the rules can be bent a bit. We do have cause for some celebration."
Sam tapped a foot impatiently on the floor, making Clockwork chuckle.
"The reason Danny was spared is simple. Despite the Heart's immense power, it was still weakened, and spread thin. Not to mention it does not harm those who live in the light, so to speak. And, of course, there was Nightmare Moon who, quite ironically, was the reason for Danny's survival."
"Huh?"
"This cleansing wave. It focused on Nightmare Moon's corruption, weakening its negative effects on us ghosts enough to keep Danny's ghost half from succumbing to it entirely. Although it wasn't entirely without consequence."
"Yeah, I noticed," Sam muttered as she looked at Danny's half frozen body; sections of ice fused seamlessly with flesh.
"There was a lot of darkness inside Danny. Darkness that the Crystal Heart targeted and destroyed. And in its destruction, Shadow took hold over Nightmare Moon, reabsorbing this half of himself. But in doing so, Shadow ceased to be as two conflicting personalities became one. As for Danny's sudden cold spell—" Clockwork chuckled over his own joke, while Sam groaned and rolled her eyes "—Despite Danny's ghostly nature, he is still pure of heart. And as such the Crystal Heart saved him. But it reacted to his ghost powers all the same. His ice powers being the most severe. Or should I say the crystal core of ice at the center of his being."
"You mean the power of the Crystal Heart turned Danny into an ice crystal!?" she shouted the last part in disbelief.
"In a way, yes. But this is not unexpected, as the power was already there. Danny just never unlocked it himself as he abandoned everything after your demise."
"Wait… So everything that has happened since I entered his dreams and helped him fight against Nightmare Moon was all just to have Danny turn into an icicle?!"
"Sam, you're letting your emotions get in the way again. You're forgetting about Shadow and Nightmare Moon, or Danny's friends who will go look for him soon."
Sam backed down, frowning as she looked at Danny in the viewing portal.
"... And now what? Are his powers going to develop further, or is this behind the scene manipulation finally over?"
"Well, Sam." Clockwork mused. "I guess only time will tell."
"Hmph… Jerk." Sam crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at the ghost of time.
"I heard that," Clockwork said flatly.
"Wasn't trying to hide it." Sam replied with just as much emotion. "But I'm still not buying it completely, l" she added as she shot Clockwork a defiant glare. "You said that magical and spectral energy are polar opposites. So, even considering Nightmare Moon, or that the Crystal Heart was weakened, or even that Danny was 'living in this light'. Why did it not destroy Danny? There has to be something more."
"There is." Clockwork answered plainly.
"Which is?" Sam pushed on.
"Something for you to figure out yourself."
"Figures," she sighed out exasperatedly. "Can you at the very least give me a hint."
"Yes, two words. Harmonic resonance."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Ugh… What happened?" Danny slurred, placing a hand on his forehead, while using the other to push himself into a sitting position.
"You fell." An unknown voice answered, and Danny's struggling mind was slow to respond as he turned to the source of the voice. "After having a corruptive force take over, being stabbed multiple times, almost bleeding to death, before finally being hit by a magical wave of energy."
"Whu…?" Danny mumbled as he saw a dark form sitting beside him, following the two front legs up to the large bat-winged pony with a horn sticking out of its head.
"Wha…" He uttered dumbly, before his mind finally shifted into second gear and he finally remembered what was happening.
"Wait! Where is Sombra? And what happened with Shadow?" He quickly inspected his own body, seeing no darkness clinging to him. "... What’s going on!?" Danny demanded. Then his brain shifted into third gear, and he finally realized the pony next to him was rather dark… and shadowy.
"Wait… Shadow?"
"Not anymore, I'm afraid." The shade answered. "The shadow I once was is no more. He ceased to be when that wave of energy cleansed the darkness of Nightmare Moon."
"Who?" Danny asked, perplexed as he looked at the large mare. "Hold on, why does that name sound familiar, somehow…. Also, why are you suddenly a mare. Weren't you a guy before?"
The mare chuckled. "Gender doesn't mean much to me. As Shadow, I mirrored you. As I am now, I became something both more, and less. But I suppose I am a she now," she concluded, taking a moment to study herself. "As for your other questions," she continued. "Sombra was defeated by the same wave of energy that made me, and which healed your wounds."
"Wounds?" Danny asked, perplexed, and the shade lifted up his shirt with a hoof, and pointed at the multiple red marks covering his torso and abdomen.
"What happened?" Danny asked, worried, patting himself down to make sure nothing was wrong with him.
"Sombra… and Nightmare Moon." Danny stopped the inspection of his body to look up at the shade, confused.
"That name again…" He muttered as he studied the shade sitting next to him a bit better, his eyes slowly widening as one particular memory resurfaced. "Wait, I remember her. That crazed, evil sounding pony who I saw… Where was it?"
The mare sighed out. "She appeared before you within your mind, finally revealing herself after having seized control and claimed your body." —she nervously tapped a hoof on the ground— "Before, when I was still Shadow, I encountered… an invasive energy which I believed to be a threat. In defense, I absorbed some of this energy to increase my abilities. However, this energy turned out to be a... parasite of sorts, and it fractured me into two beings. One was Shadow. The other, Nightmare Moon. From that day, Shadow had to fight Nightmare Moon. While at the same time, he grew stronger and smarter as Nightmare did, too."
"That… doesn’t make much sense," Danny muttered as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
"I'm sorry. The merger between the two of us did mix up a lot of memories, and I am still trying to put everything into place."
"I still don't understand, but alright." Danny sighed out, flexing his hands, and causing ice particles to fall to the ground. "What the?" He mumbled as he held up his hands.
"Your ice powers have increased as well," the mare told him as glistening flakes fell to the ground.
"They, what? Really, what the hell happened?"
"More than you seem to remember… Although, you were unconscious for most of it," the mare answered. "For now though, may I suggest you return to your friends. They must be worried, and I need time to sort my thoughts."
"Twil-" Danny turned to look at the castle. "Right, right. I still want answers, though." he told the mare.
"And I will try to give them," she replied, sinking back to the ground, flattening out.
"Just one more thing," Danny said, halting the mare's deflation, making her look like a half melted snow pony with only the head sticking out above the ground. "What should I call you now?"
"Call me… Eclipse." And she reverted back to a flat, humanoid image on the ground.
"Eclipse, huh," Danny muttered, scratching his head as he tried to figure out what had happened; seeing more flakes of ice fall down around him.
Sighing, he looked towards the castle once again.
"Might as well see how everyone else is doing," he said to himself, and started to move for the crystal palace; only to come to a sudden stop as his left foot kicked against something.
"What the?!" He uttered as he looked down, seeing a curved, black horn which faded into red towards the tip.
Danny's eyes narrowed as he recognized who it belonged to.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes earlier.
"Wow, look at us!" Rainbow Dash shouted, hovering in the air as she looked herself over. "This is sooo cool. Weird, but cool." She said as she held a hoof up to her face and was able to see through the living crystal her body had become. "Is this going to stay like this?"
"No, it won't," Cadance answered, chuckling. Her body also crystallized. As were all the other ponies; the guards, crystal ponies, her husband, and friends. "The magic of the Crystal Heart did this as it interacted with your own magic, but only a true crystal pony will stay like this."
"You mean I'm going to change back!?" Rarity gasped, shocked, even a bit horrified. "My pristine crystal coat. My magnificently styled mane. All of it will vanish?" Cadance nodded. "This is the. Worst. Possible. Thing. Ever!" And she promptly, and dramatically 'fainted' with her foreleg shielding her eyes as she fell backwards on a red sofa that she pulled in from out of nowhere.
"Oh. Oh my." Fluttershy gasped as she moved to her friend's side. "Rarity, are you alright?"
"No, I'm not!" She wailed.
"Oh, fer pete's sake," Applejack rolled her eyes. "It ain't like it's tha end of tha world."
Rarity gasped, scandalized as she spun around on the sofa and leered at the farm pony. Applejack gave her a smug smirk in return, then addressed the rest of the group.
"So, now what?" She asked.
"Now, we're going to make sure Sombra is defeated. For good. And we'll go look for Danny while we're at it. Who knows what has happened to him," Twilight stated, and she moved for the throne room's doors when Danny pushed them open.
"Danny!" Twilight said loudly, rearing back a bit in surprise. Then relief washed over her and she quickly closed the distance between herself and the human; tackling him in a low hug around his midsection.
"Ehh… What are you doing?" Danny asked awkwardly, and Twilight's eyes shot open.
Blushing fiercely, Twilight quickly backed off, feeling the eyes of her friends, Cadance, and big brother on her; with the latter also glaring at Danny, making him feel a cold chill he would normally relate to a nearby ghost.
"Sooo, Danny," Twilight said awkwardly, trying to ignore the stares. "Where have you been?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out, actually," he answered truthfully. "Things got a bit crazy out there when Sombra broke in."
He blinked several times as he looked at the mare, then his gaze shifted to the rest, while avoiding direct eye contact with Shining Armor.
"Soo... What's going on with the sparkling, translucent coats?"
"It is a reaction to the energy of the Crystal Heart," Cadance answered, smiling warmly.
"But why aren't you crystali- whatyamacallit," Rainbow Dash brashly cut in, flapping over to Danny.
"Crystallized." Twilight corrected, then turned to look at Danny.
'Crystallized?' Danny wondered, then he recalled what Eclipse had told him. 'Your ice powers have increased as well.' He stood silently with widening, unfocused eyes as the possible meaning behind her words started to reveal themselves to him. 'Ice… crystal…'
"I guess it is because he doesn't have any magic of his own," Twilight finished, snapping Danny out of his thoughts.
"Huh, what?"
"I guess that makes sense," Rainbow Dash said, accepting this explanation.
"But is he okie dokie?" A surprisingly soft voiced Pinkie Pie asked who, despite being crystallized, still had a flat mane, and had been silently observing Danny with a critical eye ever since he had walked in.
"Erm… Yeah, I guess," Danny replied hesitantly, remembering the red marks on his body, and being told how they got there.
"Pinkie, is something wrong?" Spike asked, pulling his attention away from all the delicious crystal lying around to do so.
Pinkie Pie walked over to Danny, frowning. "That feeling I had, of somepony missing their own birthday party…"
"Yeah…?" Rainbow Dash replied, dropping down to the floor and sharing a confused, and slightly nervous look with her friends. "What of it?"
Pinkie Pie didn't answer as she stopped just a couple of steps shy of Danny; neck craning up as she looked at him. Danny was fidgeting nervously on the spot as she seemed to stare unblinkingly at him.
"Uhh… should I be worried?" He asked, recalling Applejack's warning about Pinkie and a flat mane.
"It's gone!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, surprising everyone as her mane exploded back into its normal style. She then nearly tackled Danny as she pulled him into a spine crushing hug.
"Pinkie?" Twilight asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"I'd- ghh- like to know as well." Danny strained as he tried to pry the pink mare off of him, but failing miserably.
"That feeling of loss; of a void," she responded, not releasing her hold over Danny. "We lost Danny, and all I could feel was this… this… shadow hanging over him. Now he's back here, and that feeling is gone." She tightened the hug, and this time an audible creak came from Danny's back.
"So…You're back to normal now?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.
"Does Pinkie Pie being herself count as normal?" Spike wondered aloud.
"Well, Pinkie bein' Pinkie is normal, even if Pinkie bein' Pinkie ain't…" Applejack replied, confusing herself for a moment, and she pressed a hoof against her chin as she pondered over what she had just said. "Ah guess not bein' normal is normal when we're talkin' 'bout Pinkie."
"But doesn't that mean she was being normal when she wasn't acting as herself?" Rainbow Dash shot back.
Applejack was about to reply, when Danny's strained voice cut in.
"Gh-help!" He wheezed.
With a purple glow enveloping Pinkie Pie's limbs, Twilight pried her off Danny; the latter dropping to a knee as he sucked in several deep gasps of air.
With a clatter, the severed horn Danny carried in his back pocket fell to the ground; wobbling in place with everyone's eyes on it.
"Danny," Twilight spoke with a low voice. "What is that?" She asked, despite realizing exactly what it was she was looking at.
Arching his back to realign his spine, Danny groaned out, which soon turned in a sigh as he knelt down to grab the severed horn.
"I think we all know what this is," he answered seriously, standing back up; horn held tightly in his hand as he looked at it with serious eyes.
"Danny," Cadance said, worried, taking a step towards the human. "How did you get ahold of Sombra's… horn?"
"I found it," he answered truthfully. "Lying on the ground near the edge of the city." He gave a single nod with his head towards the general direction he was referring to. Tightening his grip ever so slightly as, severed as it may be, he could still feel a faint wave of energy coming from it. Something he subconsciously recognized, even if he couldn't quite place it.
"So, if you have Sombra's horn… then where is Sombra?" Rainbow Dash asked, staring at the severed limb with a morbid expression.
'Sombra, like Nightmare Moon, was cleansed by the power of the Heart,' Eclipse told Danny through their shared mind.
Blinking, and only slightly jumping up in surprise from her voice, Danny looked up from the horn and towards the ponies around him.
"I guess this Crystal Heart thing stopped him?" He replied, unsure. "At the very least, he won't be able to use this anymore if he's still around… Not that that means much with a ghost."
"Well, I'm not taking any chances. Horn or not, Sombra's far too dangerous, and we need to make sure he has been stopped," Shining Armor finally spoke up, glaring at Danny. Both over the horn he was holding, and out of suspicion about what just happened between him and his little sister.
"Guards!" He bellowed, snapping the guards present in the throne room to rapid attention. "Regroup with the rest of our forces and sweep the city. Make sure Sombra is not hiding in some dark hole, waiting for us to let down our guard and strike again."
"Sir!" The collection of guards saluted, and quickly left the throne room.
"I'll go too," he returned his attention to his wife. "It's the least I can do after everything that’s happened," he told her, holding up a hoof to silence her as Cadance tried to protest. "Don't worry. I won't be taking any chances this time. Nor will I go easy on Sombra, should he still be out there. Although I hope you are right," —he aimed at Danny— "and Sombra really was taken down by the power of the Heart."
Eclipse's voice echoed through his mind once more, and Danny looked at Shining with confidence in his eyes.
"He was. I'm sure of it."
Giving a single nod, Shining Armor left as well, joining the guards in their search.
"Soo…" Rainbow Dash spoke up after a moment. "What's going to happen to Sombra's horn?"
"It shall be destroyed," Cadance answered, looking at the cursed limb with cold eyes. "Ghost or not, Sombra used his power to hurt so many. If anything, we will destroy the symbol of his tyranny," She stepped forwards to Danny, horn aglow.
"Danny, please release Sombra's horn," she told him, the shimmering aura of her magic surrounding the curved instrument of darkness. Yet no sooner had the words left her mouth, or a sudden backlash knocked her backwards as a result of her magic interacting with the dark, spectral residual energy still contained within the horn, and her own energy and strength drained considerably after the events of the day.
"CADANCE!" Twilight shouted, rushing to her sister-in-law to keep her from falling over completely.
"I'm… I'm fine," she said, pained.
"But, what happened?" Rarity asked, shocked. "Is Sombra still able to use his horn, even though it is severed?" Fluttershy squeaked loudly in fright as she dove for cover behind the fashionista's sofa.
"He is a ghost, right!?" Rainbow Dash glowered at the horn still in Danny's grasp. "So it wouldn't surprise me if he could."
Danny, however, began to piece together the actual truth. And he looked at the horn, then at Cadance with a troubled look.
'All those strange sensations I felt when interacting with magic. The tingling when in Twilight's hold. The shield… Are spectral and magical energies hostile opposites?'
"Danny, is something wrong?" Twilight asked, seeing the look on his face.
"Eh… No. No, just worried," he replied, quickly clearing his thoughts and giving the purple mare a somewhat forced smile. He then turned to Cadance. "But seeing that this thing—" he moved the horn side to side a bit "—seems to react to being held by magic, maybe I should hold on to it, until it can be safely disposed of."
"What!? Danny, that is far too dangerous!" Cadance replied, shocked. "Who knows what that thing is capable of, even if it is severed from Sombra."
"True," he agreed. "But between the two of us, I'm the only one still holding it without any effect."
"Yeah, but why?" Rainbow Dash cut in, eyes narrowing as she looked at Danny suspiciously.
"Rainbow, dear. Haven't we gone down this road before?" Rarity said flatly. "I'm sure there is a good explanation as to why. But I doubt Danny is a spy, or some other ridiculous idea you might have."
"Ah agree," Applejack stepped up. "Besides, didn't Twilight just say Danny didn't turn ta crystal 'cause he ain't got no magic? Maybe that's why he can hold Sombra's horn without gettin' blasted."
"I guess that makes sense," Rainbow Dash muttered, scuffing a hoof against the floor.
"Well course it does," Applejack answered matter-of-factly. "It sure beats any hooey 'bout Danny bein' a secret agent. Or what, maybe even a ghost?"
Rainbow Dash snorted at that, looking at her friend with a flat stare.
"Yeah, right. Danny being a ghost. Give me a break." She rolled her eyes, while Danny mentally flinched.
"Right," Danny said quickly, steering away from the current topic. "With that all sorted out, any idea where I can put this thing?" —he held up the horn— "Cause I don't really feel like holding this thing the entire time. It kinda freaks me out. I mean, it is basically something akin to an arm or a leg, right?"
The group flinched at that mental picture, and Cadance quickly responded.
"Yes, there should be a secure room not too far from here. Now that Sombra might be gone, it should be safe enough to store his horn until such a time we can destroy it."
Danny nodded, and Cadance quickly led him to the mentioned room: a small chamber, decorated with a few paintings, furniture, and a rug with a table on top of it in the center.
"This seems to have been a small dining room," Cadance told the others. "There’s only one door, so it should be easy enough to keep an eye out for anyone trying to sneak in."
"Good enough for me," Danny said as he walked over to the table, and placed the horn in the center of it.
"Is it really going to be safe in there?" Rarity asked, looking at the severed limb warily. "I detest thinking about what might happen if Sombra reclaims it, even if it is his own… horn." she visibly shuddered.
"Then we better make sure he doesn't. Or anypony else for that matter," Twilight said firmly.
"Indeed," Cadance nodded, and the group exited the room. "I'll seal the room with my magic, and will be alerted should anyone try to break in." And with a burst of her horn, she did just that. "For now, this will have to do." And as the door closed behind them, none of them noticed the black stallion with an electric blue mane appearing out of thin air.
"So, does this mean that all of this is finally over?" Applejack asked as they walked back to the throne room.
"If Shining and the guards find confirmation Sombra has indeed been defeated, then yes," Cadance answered. "If not, than we must strike him down while he is still weakened."
"I wouldn't be too worried about it, though," Danny answered, and everyone turned to look at him. "The energy from this Heart, I'm sure it stopped Sombra."
"But how can you be sure?" Cadance asked. "Do you know something more? If so, please tell us."
"No, I don't know much more than what I already told you," he said with a half-lie, Eclipse's voice informing him about everything that had happened when he was lost to the corruptive hold of Nightmare Moon. "It's just a feeling."
"... I wish I could be as confident as you, but I can't take any chances with a matter as serious as this."
"Nor am I saying you should," Danny shot back with a faint grin. "Just that you shouldn't be worried." And he casually walked into the throne room, while the mares and dragon looked at him with surprise.
"You know," Rainbow Dash said after only a moment. "I kinda agree with him. Why worry? We have already kicked flank, so we can do it again if we have to."
"Well, if Danny thinks everything is okie dokie, then so do I," Pinkie Pie said, bouncing on the spot.
"He sure seems confident, yes," Rarity chimed in. "In fact, he seems like a whole different human than when we first arrived here."
"I suppose after everything that has happened today, and what we have done. I think we can afford the luxury of some relief," Cadance suggested.
"Good enough for me!" Rainbow Dash said loudly. "Now, where is the castle's kitchen, cause I'm starving." And she shot off before she could receive any directions, or disapproving remarks of certain 'refined' and 'cultured' ponies among her friends.
"Oh, wait for me!" Pinkie Pie shouted after her blue friend, and quickly followed after her with a bounce.
Twilight groaned as she shook her head; a hoof planted firmly against her forehead. "What are they thinking?" she muttered.
"Indeed," Cadance replied. "The kitchen is in the other direction." Twilight gave her sister-in-law a flat look, before sighing out and walking into the throne room.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, this is it?"
"Indeed it is."
"This!?"
"Yes. The missing horn of the ghost king. Although nowhere near as powerful, and even more weakened as a result of these time's events, it should still hold enough power for our goal."
"You mean to tell me this thing can help us defeat him?" A black stallion asked as he stared at Sombra's horn with glowing green eyes.
"If everything works out, yes," the medallion around his neck pulsed as it answered.
"How?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," the medallion answered. "Or in this case, probably more of an unwilling ally."
"Uh-huh," the stallion hummed, unimpressed. "So… I just pick it up?"
"It should be weakened enough for you to do so."
"And if it isn't?"
"Then you won't be able to pick it up," the medallion answered, the tone of his voice hinting towards a more serious problem than him just being unable to grab hold of the horn. "... It will be fine, though. Don't worry."
"Says the one locked inside of a medallion, and leaving me to do all the work."
"You know all too well why I am in this situation; why we are in this situation."
"Yes, and whose fault is that, huh? After all, wasn't it you who was supposed to keep him locked away?"
Silence.
"That's what I thought," he grunted, then a deep sigh followed. "Alright, let's just get this over with," and with a burst of his own horn, Sombra's horn levitated up, and towards him.
"... Okay, so far so good," he said, putting the horn in the bag he carried, placing it next to a shard of red glowing crystal, covered by a piece of cloth.
"Good. Now, just wait a moment, and I'll create a doorway for us.
Nodding, the stallion turned to look at the closed door.
"It's weird, though. You know, seeing them like this?"
"You get used to it after a while," the medallion answered, the voice strained.
"I guess. But still. They're here, alive and well. Not like… back home."
With a burst of energy coming from the medallion, a swirling portal opened above the table.
"That's why we're doing this; gathering these objects and allies. To undo what has been done."
"But I can warn them, right here, right now. Tell them what is going to happen. I'm sure they'll believe me."
"And change the course of history? Although I'm sure they would, indeed, believe you, the risk is far too great. You know what is at stake, and we're the only two, besides him who know how things should be. If you change the past now, influence their lives in such a way, you might not even be here to stop this."
The stallion sighed in frustration. "I know. I know. You've told me before." He sighed again. "Let's just get this over with." And he jumped through the swirling portal, vanishing from sight as it closed behind him mere moments later.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several hours had passed since Shining Armor and the guards had left in search of Sombra, and in that time Danny, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Rarity, and Cadance had made themselves comfortable in the throne room; snacking lightly on some of the baked goods Applejack and Pinkie Pie had made for the Crystal Fair.
"Pfis is weally gwood," Danny uttered with a full mouth, eating one of Applejack's apple fritters.
"Why thank ya kindly, Danny," the farm pony replied with a warm smile.
"I must agree," Cadance said energetically after she swallowed her mouthful, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "This is simply amazing. Not even the royal chefs back in Canterlot can come close to this, and that is saying something."
"Aw, shucks," Applejack waved off the compliment as she looked away embarrassed. "It's nothin' special."
"Nothing Special?!" Pinkie Pie shouted, shocked. "Applejack, not even the Cakes or I can come close to this. We make the best cupcakes, pies, muffins, and even the MMM. But this—" she held up an apple pie "—we simply can't compete with this."
"Now yer just bein' silly!" Applejack replied modestly. "Ah'm sure ya-"
"Just take the compliment, dear," Rarity chimed in, cutting her off before taking another dainty bite of her apple related treat with a silver fork. Some agreeing murmuring came from the others. Mostly because they had their mouths full, and were unable to properly speak.
Then, much to their surprise, and with a small eep from Fluttershy, the double doors of the throne room opened, and in walked Shining Armor.
"Shining!" Cadance called out, hurrying to her husband and pulling him in a hug. "What did you find? Is Sombra still out there?"
Pulling away from Cadance, Shining sighed. "That's the thing. We didn't find anything. Not a trace of Sombra, save his horn, which Danny has."
Danny quietly swallowed his food as he listened intently at what was being told, frowning.
"So, Sombra might still be out there?!" Cadance asked, concerned.
"We must assume he is, until we can say for certain he truly has been defeated."
"You won't find him," Danny spoke up.
"Excuse me?" Shining Armor turned to look at him.
"You won't find him, if he's still out there that is."
"And why is that?" Shining Armor asked with a hint of irritation, which Danny took notice of.
"Not to say you or your guards are bad at tracking down this guy, but Sombra is a ghost. If he survived the Heart's energy, which I doubt considering the nature of the magic behind it, he wouldn't stick around anywhere around here. It's just too bright."
"What do you mean?" Cadance asked, and Danny sighed, rubbing the top of his head.
"Sombra is a shade. One powerful enough to hold its form even in the light of day. That is, back when he was at full power. Now, though… We know he's weakened. Heck, we have the guy's horn. This can only mean that, if he survived, he is in no state to sustain his form in such a bright environment as this place. Not even outside the barrier, and in the snow covered lands beyond. The reflective nature of snow would make it all but impossible for a shade in such a state to sustain its form."
"And you know all this, how?" Shining Armor asked, clearly taken aback by Danny's explanation and extensive knowledge.
Danny just gave him a flat look. "Remember what I said about my school counselor?"
"But Ah thought ya said ya didn't know how she was stopped?" Applejack told him.
"Right, right." Danny rubbed his hands nervously. "I don't, but ghost attacks are rather common where I come from, and you do pick up on a thing or two. Enough to connect some of the pieces," he answered with a half lie. Then a heavy sigh followed as he brushed a hand through his hair. "In all honesty, I'm more worried about the fact Sombra was here, as a ghost."
"And why's that?" Twilight asked.
"If he's a ghost, then who else is? After all, if there's one…" He didn't finish, yet everyone there knew what he meant, and a shudder went down everypony and dragon's spine.
"Yeah…" Danny said finally, realizing that he couldn't escape from reality, no matter which world he was on. And with it came the need to prepare; to become stronger if, or when such times would come that he would need to protect those close to him.
"So, you mean that there could be ghosts anywhere?" Rarity asked, panicked. "Even in my own house?"
"Probably not," Danny told her.
"But it is possible?" Rarity pressed the matter, looking absolutely terrified at the thought of a ghost 'living' in her house.
"Anything is possible," Danny replied, shrugging. "But I seriously doubt it. Cause, if there was, you would have noticed something by now, right?"
This seemed to put Rarity's mind somewhat at ease as she thought back. And the only haunting thing she could come up with right now, was the mess Sweetie Belle had made not too long ago.
"I guess I see what you mean," she finally replied, sighing as she shook her head. "How silly of me to think there would actually be a ghost in my boutique."
"Yeah, as if a ghost would be interested in a dress," Rainbow Dash joked.
"And what do you mean by that?" Rarity asked flatly, glaring at the blue pegasus.
"Just what I said," Rainbow Dash answered nonchalantly, shrugging. "Why would a ghost even need a dress?"
"To go to the ball," Danny mumbled.
"What was that, Danny?" Applejack asked.
"Eh, never mind that. It's not important. Besides, haven't we gone way off topic here?"
"Danny's right," Twilight spoke up. "Instead of worrying about dresses, we should instead worry about the fact Sombra might still be out there. And, maybe, other ghosts as well."
"We should warn my aunts about this as soon as possible. If Danny is to be believed, and I have no reason to see why he shouldn't, then we must prepare for such events," Cadance replied, and Shining Armor tensed up for a moment, before relaxing his stance.
"Is something wrong, sweetheart?" Cadance asked her husband.
"No, just thought of something. It can wait, though," he answered with a small smile. "For now, though, we must focus on restoring the Crystal Empire to its former glory. And there is a lot to restore."
"Is there any way we can help?" Twilight asked, backed by her friends.
"Oh no, Twilight. You and your friends have done enough already," Cadance turned her down. "Without the help of you and your friends, we would never have found the Crystal Heart. And it’s thanks to Danny that we learned about Sombra's true nature."
"Indeed," Shining Armor nodded. "If anything, the Crystal Empire owes you, greatly. And don't worry, Twily. Now that the power of the Crystal Heart is protecting the Empire once again, the crystal ponies themselves are restoring to their former selves as well. The guards and I have already encountered many of them out in the streets."
It was at this point the many voices coming from outside became apparent to them, and everyone turned to look at the still broken window.
"And if I am right with my assumption, they all really want to meet their saviors," he finished with a winning grin. "Better not leave the crowd waiting."
Everyone looked at each other, taken aback. With the sole exception for Pinkie Pie.
"Soo… Just to get this right. There are a lot of ponies waiting out there?" She asked in a most serious tone, and Shining nodded. "Who are excited over being rescued?" Another nod. "And most importantly. They haven't had a party in over a THOUSAND years?!" Nod, nod. "THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR!?" She yelled. "Everypony. Emergency party protocol, Honey Syrup!" And she pulled her party cannon out of her mane, pressed a concealed button under its base, and the weapon of party construction transformed into a full fledged, pink and blue single pony party tank.
"Let's roll!" She declared as she pulled her protective helmet (with two cans of soda attached to its sides, and a straw leading to her mouth,) on top of her head, and drove through the doors leading out of the throne room.
Silence.
More silence.
"An' jus' when ya think she cain't surprise ya anymore…" Applejack finally said, breaking the relative silence; the voices from outside only rising in volume, and the noticeable rumbling of Pinkie's party tank there to provide enough sound to keep any awkward silence from forming.
"I just want to know how she even got that thing through the door without breaking anything?" Danny asked, stupefied, yet more than familiar with seemingly small devices transforming into something gargantuan thanks to his parents’ affinity with making all kinds of strange, but often useful anti-ghost technology.
A massive explosion came from outside, followed by the loud, and overly excited voice of one energetic pink party pony.
"This will probably be her biggest party, ever?!" Rainbow Dash continued.
"One would say so, yes." Rarity confirmed.
"The largest Pinkie Pie party of our time?"
"It certainly seems like it," Fluttershy answered.
"Arguably the most intense party we will ever experience?"
"At least until she throws an even bigger party, yes." Twilight nodded.
"Then what the HAY are we still doing here!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, not waiting for an answer as she sped through the broken window, and dove down into the fray.
The others all looked at one another, before something clicked, and everyone scrambled for the door.
Yet, as they rushed through the many hallways in a mad dash, Danny remembered something he saw just moments before he lost himself in his anger. Something he found in one of the many empty homes, and he came to a screeching stop.
"Danny, is something wrong?" Twilight shouted after him as she noticed he was no longer with them; slowing down herself as well.
"Yeah, just thought of something important. You go ahead. I'll join you in a bit." And as the mare gave him a nod, albeit a bit hesitant, Danny turned the corner and transformed when he was sure Twilight wouldn't see.
<<>><<>><<>>
A depressing silence had taken hold of the room. Not even the upbeat music rolling in all the way from the castle's courtyard could brighten the somber mood.
Glowing green eyes were downcast, and hands were clenched into trembling fists.
Danny breathed in deeply, before slowly exhaling; looking at the lifeless form of the young pony he found several hours before.
Dropping to a knee, he gingerly closed the foal's eyes, wondering where his parents were.
"No way they're at Pinkie's party," he muttered. "Coming for you would be the first thing any good parent would do, so where are they?" He asked, but knowing the answer, even if he didn't want to say it out loud.
He looked at the mess cluttering the home, and looked for something he really didn't want to find.
His eyes settled on a filthy blanket, covering several objects given away by the many bumps and bulges in the fabric. A cold chill went down his spine and, reluctantly, trembling, he pulled away the fabric.
Danny clenched his eyes shut as he placed the threadbare fabric back over the bony remains; finally fully realizing the poor foal's fate, as well as his parents.
"There was no one to look after you when everyone else woke up," Danny said somberly, looking down at the unfortunate child. "You were all alone."
Placing a hand on top of the pony's head, he sighed again.
"You deserve a proper funeral. You, and your parents," he said as a promise.
With speed, Danny hurried towards the castle, transforming back to his human self in some alley, and then struggled to get through the crowd as he looked for Cadance and Shining Armor; finding them, alongside with Twilight and her friends near a massive podium.
'This really is going to ruin the mood,' he thought somberly.
<<>><<>><<>>
"There is so much knowledge, experience, memories," Eclipse gasped, struggling to wrap her mind around the increasing influx of Nightmare Moon's memories.
"Centuries, millennia," she said, awed. "You were older than the Princesses. You don't even belong on this world."
"Nor do you!" Nightmare Moon replied, and Eclipse's eyes widened as she turned to look at the dark mare behind her; a mirror's image, save for their eyes.
"What! How can this be? You were destroyed!"
"Oh, I was. I can assure you. But I am still a part of you, and so I will live on, if only through your memories. "
Eclipse frowned as she secured her stance, glaring at her former half. "Why are you here?" She demanded.
"Oh, I'm sure by now you have figured it out. My memories. My actions. My dream. The dream I created to drain the ape's power." Eclipse's eyes widened. "So, you did figure it out."
"That, in your failure, you planted a thought in Twilight's mind, and played Danny's to bring them together? Yes, I did."
"Hmmm…" Nightmare Moon hummed devilishly. "So, and what is it you're going to do about it?"
"What?" Eclipse asked, taken aback.
"What are you going to do about it?" Nightmare Moon repeated. "It was by my doing those two are growing closer and closer. Surely you can't allow this to continue, this false affection. This fake love?"
"The only reason you did this was to crush Twilight's heart by making her fall for Danny, and then have him reveal his ghost self. With you gone, this is no longer a threat to them."
"So, you'll allow them to remain?" Nightmare Moon chuckled maliciously. "You will allow this fake feeling to blossom into something more? Why, just because I am gone? Or is it to allow dear Twilight to fill the gaping hole left behind by Sam's death?"
Eclipse didn't answer.
"So, who amongst us is truly evil? I never denied what I am. But you, you allow this to continue. And in doing so, you will deliver my final blow. My revenge."
"I would never!"
"Oh, but you will. Either you undo what I have done, and Danny will lose interest in Twilight. Leaving her with a growing affection, which Danny will never answer. Or you allow them to grow closer and closer, only for her heart to break when Danny's true self is revealed to the world. No matter the choice you make, at least I have gotten my vengeance on Twilight Sparkle," she spat the name. Then a wicked grin replaced her look of disgust.
"Have fun with that, my precious daughter. Make mommy proud." And Nightmare Moon faded away, her laughter the last to vanish while Eclipse stood frozen on the spot, conflicted.
"No!" she whispered. "No!" she stated more firmly. "Despite what you have done. Despite your influence in their lives. Their feelings are still their own. And when Danny is revealed, Twilight and the world will accept him for who he is!"
Silence was the only thing that answered her as doubt gnawed at her.
<<>><<>><<>>
The train gently rocked sideways, the occupants in the carriage somberly silent. Their minds replaying the ceremony that was held for the unfortunate family, and the ensuing, thorough search of every home the guards hadn't inspected to make sure no other pony was left behind.
There wasn't.
Only this family was unfortunate enough to fade away completely under Sombra's tyrannical hold.
It was a somber, depressing end to a vibrant party in full swing. Something Danny didn't want to end, seeing that those alive and free had every reason to celebrate. But once he informed Cadance and Shining Armor, word spread quickly. And what had once been a party of the century, now was a funeral gathering; everypony paying their last respects to those departed.
Even now, it seemed. Even with Sombra gone, he still showed the extent of his madness, even through his legacy alone.
Nothing was said as everyone just stared at nothing, while Danny subconsciously placed a comforting hand on Twilight's back as she sat next to him.
His eyes hardened as he stared at his reflection in the window, wondering if he could have helped the foal if he hadn't wasted so much time fighting Sombra; if he had been stronger, instead of struggling.
He left his world to get away from it all. But here, on this once so innocent world, he had found darkness just as bad as back on Earth. Darkness that could take away everything he considered important, just as easily as it had done before.
'No!' he stated. 'I will not lose anyone like that again. Never again!' And with his mind made up, he leaned back in his seat. The gentle rocking of the train the only sound as it drove through the night.
<<>><<>><<>>
He hovered in the viewing chamber, frowning. Glowing eyes observing the being of interest through the swirling green of the viewing portal. Seeing the once proud king reduced to a mere wisp of darkness, struggling to hold himself together; retreated into a dark and somber cave.
Clockwork sighed deeply, dragging a flat hand over the left side of his face; feeling his scar.
He watched as the flimsy wisp fell apart, still trying its hardest even now to keep from vanishing completely.
"I'm sorry," he spoke somberly, his hand lowering from his face. "I'm sorry for the fate forced upon you; for the fact I wasn't able to stop it. And I'm sorry that for your entire existence, you have been nothing more than a pawn. A pawn used to shape a life and destiny that even I wasn't aware of until recently." Clockwork sighed loudly once more.
"And I'm sorry, most of all, for the fact you have never been able to live your own life… All that you were, all that you did. They were the reflection of someone else. You, Sombra, have been nothing more than the shadow of Pariah Dark." He waved with his cane, and the viewing portal closed as he turned around, eyes closed.
This chapter was brought to you, slowly, by Powerdrainer editors inc.
A Long Time Ago…
<<>><<>><<>>
He hovered in the viewing chamber, frowning. Glowing eyes observing the being of interest through the swirling green of the viewing portal. Seeing the once proud king reduced to a mere wisp of darkness, struggling to hold himself together; retreated into a dark and somber cave.
Clockwork sighed deeply, dragging a flat hand over the left side of his face; feeling his scar.
He watched as the flimsy wisp fell apart, yet still trying its hardest to keep from vanishing completely.
"I'm sorry," he spoke somberly, his hand lowering from his face. "I'm sorry for the fate forced upon you; for the fact I wasn't able to stop it. And I'm sorry that for your entire existence, you have been nothing more than a pawn. A pawn used to shape a life and destiny that even I wasn't aware of until recently." Clockwork sighed loudly once more.
"And I'm sorry, most of all, for the fact you have never been able to live your own life… All that you were, all that you did. They were the reflection of someone else. You, Sombra, have been nothing more than the shadow of Pariah Dark." He waved with his cane, and the viewing portal closed as he turned around, eyes closed.
"It was a fate worse than death." Clockwork spoke solemnly, sighing out as memories of old resurfaced.
<<>><<>><<>>
Many millennia ago, yet also in the distant future, and even in the present… Time is relative for these guys, so we'll go with that it happened a long time ago in Clockwork's past.
Never blinking eyes watched the chosen ghost as he went through his day to day business. The adult male, in his early forties when he suddenly died as a result of a aneurysm, had been one of interest to them, and had been for a long time. He was being observed even before his birth, as they knew this individual's actions, his gift, his presence in a time not his own.
They knew that his presence and actions would help shape lives both past, present, and future.
He was chosen. Chosen to take up a mantle of responsibility not many were suited for. Nor was he, but time changes everything.
<<>><<>><<>>
Not too long ago, he died. Well, relatively speaking of course. What are centuries to someone who has died, and has all the time in existence?
But for a ghost, Clockwork was still quite young. Of course, relatively once again. Compared with the true ancient ghosts, he, as well as most other ghosts were merely a side note in the duration of their existence.
But even to Clockwork, the days, months, years, and even the centuries moved by with speed. Speed controllable by his observation.
To him, it was as if he observed himself; his actions from a third person perspective. Watching his choices affect others, and set in motion an endless chain of actions and reactions.
He showed a talent, a control, an ability to watch events unfold, and play into them.
It was because of this that he was chosen.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Greetings, Clockwork." A voice spoke, and Clockwork turned around to see a most peculiar sight.
A ghost unlike any he had seen before had approached him. A ghost with an extremely thin body, narrowing more and more as it tapered off into an intangible tail. Yet it, or he, as his voice was clearly male, had an unproportionally broad upper body, with long arms, and hands with long, sharp claw like nails. Yet the one feature that gave Clockwork pause, and made him raise a eyebrow, was the individual's head. Although Clockwork wasn't sure if calling it a head would fit the green glob with only one massive eye in it.
Another detail were the ghost's clothes. A white, full body suit with wide sleeves. A golden, intricate design decorating the end of the sleeves. And a single, golden band in its center ran the length of the suit, with a similar design decorating the neck area. A black robe, red on the inside, hung over his shoulders, and the collar extended up past the ghost's 'head' to only allow one to see his 'face' when looking at him up front.
"And who might you be?" Clockwork asked, puzzled and intrigued.
"I am an observant. One of many of the same." The Observant introduced himself.
"Many of the same?"
"Indeed," the Observant confirmed. "What you believe to be a single individual speaking to you right now, is merely a misplaced concept based on what you see before you. Understandable, but wrong. I am no mere individual. Instead, I am one of many. We are the Observants," he spoke grandly, reaching out with his arms to the sides, and more of the same beings revealed themselves to Clockwork. "We watch, we observe, we safeguard time. And we have need of your help."
"You need my help?" Clockwork repeated, giving no readable response in emotion. "For what?"
"The task which requires your help is not easily explained. But know it can not be completed successfully without you."
"I see," Clockwork said simply, taking a moment to observe the Observants as they hovered around him. "And what if I refuse?"
"Time has already showed us you will agree to help."
"Then why bother asking?"
"Because we have have seen it to be done so."
Clockwork crossed his arms, looking at the Observant talking with a flat look. "Then if you are able to see all this, then why don't you 'see' how to solve this problem of yours yourself?"
"That is not how this works."
"And asking me, someone who does not know you, and who knows all too well how the Ghost Zone works does?" The Observants looked at one another for a moment, not sure how to reply. "For all I know, you are just a group of ghosts trying to lure me, or any ghost willing to 'help' you into a trap of sorts. So, I ask again. Why do you need my help? And for what?"
"Very well," the Observant relented. "As I already told you, we watch over and safeguard time. It has come to our attention an event of critical importance is about to unfold. One in which you play a vital role. You, alongside another."
"Another?"
"Indeed. You and… this other individual will work together to solidify a critical point in several points of time."
"Ignoring the fact that you, a stranger to me, wants me to team up with yet another unknown individual. Intervening or manipulating points and events in time is tremendously dangerous. Even the smallest of changes can cause a massive ripple of events in the long term. And you want me, and someone else to actively meddle with history?"
"What makes you think this has to do with historical events?" the Observant asked, intrigued.
"You already said you know who I am; that you saw me play an active role in the very events that I haven't partaken in. Of course, this could also mean we're talking about the future. Yet the way you keep saying things is as if it has already happened, and is not going to happen. While at the same time, what has happened still is going to happen. My future is the past you have observed."
"You are indeed the one we have need of," the Observant spoke, impressed.
"So, I am right." Clockwork stated.
"Indeed you are."
"Hmmm… And if I were to accept this task you have for me. Who is it I will be working with?"
The eyes of the Observants looked at one another, before returning to Clockwork.
"Allow us to introduce you to him."
<<>><<>><<>>
Silence.
Long lasting silence.
"A book!?"
"Yes."
"This other you were talking about is a book!?"
"In a way."
"Is this supposed to be a joke?"
"Not at all. However, his form is rather deceiving." The Observant said.
"Although, he does seem to like this particular form above all others." Another Observant noted.
"What are you talking about?" Clockwork demanded, growing irritated. "Is this book actually a shapeshifter?"
With a sudden and unexpected burst of green light, the book shot out of one of the Observer's hands, and came to an abrupt stop close to Clockworks face; flipping open at the centerfold.
This book has a name, you know.
"Interesting," Clockwork hummed, watching the words appear before him as if they were written by an invisible hand. "A sentient being posing as an inanimate object."
So you've figured it out, huh? The name's Necronomicon, but just call me Necky for short.
"The book of the dead!" Clockwork exclaimed, floating away to put some distance between himself and the book. Eyes widening, then narrowing as he gave the book a distrusting glare. "How is something this… evil going to be helpful?"
A loud, tired, and overly annoyed sigh came from Necky. The book slammed shut, and the skull on the cover glared at Clockwork with glowing green eyes.
"Yes, I'm the 'book' of the dead." Necky shot at Clockwork, the skull's jaw moving as he spoke. His voice firm and masculine, and with a slight accent Clockwork would describe as British. "But that doesn't mean I am evil. Nor does it mean all I do is bring death."
Clockwork tried to interject his own opinion, but Necky didn't allow him.
"If anything, I consider myself more of a neutral party. I'm neither good nor bad. Instead, I base my actions on events in the here and now. Whether this is in the past, present, or future is merely relative. And yes, I knew you would bring up that point." He added as a finish, leaving Clockwork in a very rare state. At a loss for words.
"... Well, this partnership is off to a great start." An observant noted lightly, redirecting Clockwork and Necky's attention to him instead.
"You want me to work with the Necronomicon!?" Clockwork said with a low, calm voice, not hiding how he felt about it.
"Hey, you're not hearing me complain about it either. After all, first impressions are key. And you aren't all that great at it, if past experience is to tell." Necky shot at Clockwork, his pages rustling for a moment.
Clockwork leered at Necky for several long seconds, before, slowly, turning towards the Observants.
"And what, exactly, is it that is going to happen which needs the involvement of I and the Necronomicon?" Clockwork asked with suspicion.
"Necronomicon!" Necky corrected. "There is no 'the' 'it' or 'a'. It's a name, my name. And I am not some lifeless object."
Clockwork's eyes glanced at Necky for only a moment, before settling back on the one-eyed ghosts with them, still waiting for an answer.
"Your worries are understandable, but fear not," one of the Observants answered.
"Like you, Necronomicon has a vital role to play. You both are needed, because of your individual skills." Another Observant added.
"And worry not. There shall be no raising of the dead…" another one continued, before hesitating.
"Well, not in the conventional way." Yet another Observant finished.
Clockwork's eyes steeled as they narrowed even further.
"Explain!" He demanded.
"To explain everything would take too long, as there are many different points in which intervention is required."
"They are several points in time, on several different worlds. All separated by distance, time… and other forces."
"But what you demand knowledge about would be the Kadzait, and the crimes they've committed."
"Kadzait?"
"It's a pack of sapient wolves from the world Firosina. They are best compared with terrorist groups from your world." An Observant clarified.
"They, and one other of great importance, will be responsible for a great many deaths." Another continued.
"And it is up to me and th- and Necronomicon to stop this?" Clockwork said, making it clear he didn't like any of this. "Why would I want to get involved in any of this?" He asked them, intimidatingly.
"You wouldn't." An Observant told him. "Which is also one of the reasons why you are needed for this task."
"What do you mean?!" Clockwork shot back.
"Objectivity," was the answer. "It will help you stay objective."
"Also, we are aware of your talent; your ability to see the ripple of actions and reactions. Time has already shown you are part of all this. But what might happen if you chose differently?"
Clockwork turned his head slightly to the right, thinking with a deep frown wrinkling his forehead.
"You speak of events still coming, yet they have already happened. Any choice I make I have already made, and thus aren't really making a choice at all. This would suggest I don't have any free will over my own actions, and makes me inclined to break free from this supposed hold by choosing the opposite, and refuse to be a part of all this." —His frown deepened— "But by changing the outcome of my decisions based on the knowledge I have now, I would cause a ripple of reactions, and responding actions as one change would lead to many different changes. Resulting in an outcome unpredictable as the set timeline would branch out into many different, parallel versions of the original."
"This would be indeed the case." An Observant nodded his eyeball head.
"And as you have made clear, you wouldn't have any part in interfering in the lives of many like we have asked of you. But how would events play out if you did refuse? How many lives would be affected? For the better, or the worse." Another Observant asked Clockwork.
"So, as I surmised. The choice has already been made for me. Which makes me wonder if I have any free will of choice at all. Has everything I have done up to this point, alive and dead, all been predetermined actions out of my control, or am I master of my own actions?"
"This we can not answer, I'm afraid." An Observant told him. "We merely watch over, protect, and maintain the timeline. Any answers regarding free will, or Destiny even are well beyond us."
"What we do know, you must partake in the events to come. It is imperative for more lives than you realize. Both past, present, and future."
"You are now standing at a crossroad, Clockwork. Help us, or change the course of history with unknown consequences."
"What choice do I have?" Clockwork growled, eyes glowing in anger. "Fine, I'll do it. But when this is done, I don't want to deal with any of you ever again."
The Observants looked at one another, not saying a word for several long minutes.
"Very well," came their answer.
Clockwork took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Fine, where do we start?"
"Right here," an Observant said. And with a wave of his hand, a swirling green portal opened; showing scenes from a different time and place.
"What is this?" Clockwork asked, the slightest hint of awe breaking through his anger as he watched the creatures on the other side of the swirling mass, recognizing them. "Hold on… Isn't this-"
"Equestria, yes. Millennia ago, and many centuries after the severance." An Observant finished, nodding as he explained.
"Severance?"
"Yes. The link between the two worlds which was formed a few short centuries ago, had been present long before. But certain events in the past resulted in the severance of this connection." They told Clockwork, the images showing the various creatures known to reside in this magical world, ranging from dragons, griffins, and many others, until showing a collection of ponies; either with horns, wings, or without.
"How did we not know about this?" Clockwork demanded. "We have thousands of archeologists studying the past, there has to be some proof of this."
"But there is, Clockwork." They told him, and Clockwork turned to look at them with confusion.
"There is indeed proof of your kind interacting with those found on this world before. Yet this proof is dismissed as myths, fables, or even as stories told to your children."
"Ancient greek mythology." Clockwork gasped, eyes widening. Turning back to the portal, he watched the many ponies showed. "Then do they know of this shared history?"
"No. Time has caused this knowledge to fade, just as it has done with yours. But, like on Earth, hints and clues are left behind."
Clockwork looked at the viewing portal, frowning. "... You said the former connection was severed. Why?"
"Long ago, humans, ponies, and all the other intelligent creatures found on this world lived together. This also included us ghosts," an Observant told him.
"For the most part, their coexistence was peaceful. Of course there were those who did harm, but for the most part there was a peaceful balance. Except for the majority of the ghosts." Another sadly sighed out.
"We ghosts have our spectral energies. Our 'life' force, so to speak. The ponies, however, have something different all together. As you know—" With another wave of a sharp nailed hand, the images changed; showing a unicorn using a power Clockwork recognized as magic. "—their magic is a powerful force. A powerful, oppositional force to our spectral energy."
"Different types of this magic exist, based on the different species and races. Yet all share a same common trait; their magic reacts violently to our spectral energy."
"For some ghosts this was not a problem, as they lived peacefully with the locals. The majority, however-"
"Saw this as a real threat." Clockwork finished sourly.
"Indeed," several of the Observants nodded. "There were fights. Terrible, bloody conflicts. And in response, a choice was made."
"The eldest of us ghosts, those born from spectral energy upon creation of creation itself gathered and used their shared powers to sever the link between worlds, and shield this magical world from our spectral brethren."
"In doing so, they shielded the inhabitants of this world from ghostly harm. For the most part. Some ghosts remained, only to fade away in stories and myths." Yet another Observant continued, to the annoyance of Clockwork as he was forced to shift his attention every time they did this.
"But by severing these two worlds, and expelling most of the ghosts, a new problem arose."
"And this is where I come in?"
"No," was the answer, much to Clockworks mild surprise. "Upon severance, chaos broke free. And in order to keep things from spiraling out of control, we called upon the help of one of the ancients. A powerful individual who embodies chaos himself."
"And something went wrong," Clockwork surmised, having a good idea who they meant with that.
"No… Well, not at first. The moment in time we are observing now happens just a few short years shy of Discord's descent in madness; going mad with power."
"This is where you come in. You, Necronomicon, and two other chosen." The images in the portal changed to two young ponies. One a white pegasus with a pink mane, somewhere in her late teenage years; a Cutie Mark of a sun with parting clouds displayed on her flank. The other, a midnight blue unicorn with a light blue mane, just shy of ten years of age
"Those chosen to take up the mantle of responsibility, and restore the upset balance their world will suffer from in due time."
"You two will go to their world and time, and set in motion the events that will help shape their lives."
"You mean to tell me that, not only are my actions already decided, but theirs as well!?" Clockwork said with raised voice.
"Yes!" Necky shot back. "And with good reason." Then, with a wavering aura surrounding the book, rippling erratically in response to his mindset, he said: "You may not like everything told to you, but that does not give you the right to argue everything."
"But what right do we have to meddle in their lives?" Clockwork shot back.
"None. But if we don't, then someone else will."
"What!?"
"Allow me to reveal a little secret," Necky said, suddenly sounding all business like. "There is such a thing as Destiny. And then there is free will. Now, Destiny is a grand thing, a plan for all. Yet only a few will be put on a path leading to true greatness, or great evil. But only if they CHOOSE to follow this path." Necky revealed, his cover opening slightly and his pages bristled for a brief moment. "Now, let's take you for example. You said you didn't have a choice with the options given to you. But we all know this is not true. You could have chosen to turn your back and leave all of this behind."
"Only because this would cause irreparable damage to time itself!"
"Would it?" Necky shot back. "True, changes would flow from your decision. But this would not be the end of set events… You can choose to take a different path, and Destiny will find someone else who will follow its calling. That is Destiny. Not a stubborn force holding onto a single individual like a child holding onto a piece of candy. Destiny allows you to make your own choices. And if this means you are no longer on the path, then so be it. If you won't do it, then there are many others, in many different times. You always have a choice. Just as they have a choice," he said as he looked at the two ponies still on display in the viewing portal.
"But I'm sure you realized something like this. Maybe not everything, but you know, deep down. Having seen it yourself even without realizing it. This is why you are so defiant. You wish to see the reactions of others when you rebel against this very notion. And in doing so, see the flow of events following. That is also why you chose to help, despite your protest. You wish to see how our actions will affect the lives of others. Not out of ill will, but mere curiosity. To see what is, what was, what can be, what could be, and what can never be…. Am I wrong?"
Clockwork looked at Necronomicon with wide eyes of shock, not saying a word. Then, slowly, his eyes narrowed as he glared at Necky.
"I suspected something, yes. I have seen many beings during my time; saw the choices they made. Every choice made setting in motion a ripple, a reaction. Yet from time to time, I saw those who defied the logical pattern of action and reaction. Surprising me, and those around them with the unexpected; breaking free from the expected path. But this does make me wonder… Just how much do you know, and how do you know all of this?"
"Well, then here we have the mystery. You want to know the answers to those questions, then something must be given in return. Equivalent exchange. You help us with what needs to be done, and I will reveal some of my knowledge. Do we have a deal?"
Clockwork frowned, deeply; eyes shifting between the viewing portal and Necky. Then, with a deep sigh, he relented. "Fine, I'll bite."
"Excellent." An Observant exclaimed, reminding Clockwork they were there too.
"So, what is it that we must do first?" Clockwork asked.
"These two children, they will come to face a great deal of difficult trials. But as they are now, they will not succeed. This is where Necronomicon comes in. His powers are not solely focused on death alone, and he has the power to gift them with powers far greater than any of them would ever gain naturally."
"And how do I help?" Clockwork asked.
"Giving them these powers isn't the problem. The problem is choice. As I said, one can chose to accept the path before them, or turn away. You will need to interact with them, make them accept the powers I will bestow on them." Necky answered.
"And how must I do that!?" Clockwork asked, cynical. "I'm sure that I can't just approach them as I am."
"How right you are." Necky said deviously as a powerful glow surrounded his form.
"Wait! What is going on!?" Clockwork shouted as the same glow surrounded his body; feeling it change him.
"The reaction to your choice," Necky answered vaguely, mirth clearly noticeable in his voice.
"GHAAA!" Clockwork yelled as the glow of energy surrounding him grew brighter and brighter, blinding everyone save Necky.
Then, with a flash, the power died down; the glow vanished, and the room they were in suddenly seemed eerily dark.
"Well… Aren't you the most adorable thing my old eyes have ever seen." Necky chuckled as he, and the Observants looked down on the pale blue colt with dark purple mane.
"What happened?" Clockwork asked, only to fall silent as he heard his voice; much younger, and without the lowered tone he gained during his teenage years.
With shock, he reached a hand for his throat, only to yelp out in shock as he realized his versatile appendage had transformed into a hoof. A quick inspection, and several strong swear words later, he realized the full extent of his change.
"WHAT THE HELL!" He shouted, and Necronomicon lowered himself to eye level.
"Welcome back, Clockwork. Welcome back to the living!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"I. Hate. You!" Clockwork repeated for the thousandth time.
"I know. I know." Necky answered with a light tone.
"I. Really. Really. Hate. You!"
"You have made yourself quite clear the last several hundred times."
"I. Hate. You!"
Sighing, Necronomicon looked down at the young colt with him; the both of them hiding at the edge of a massive forest near the small settlement home to the two young ponies.
"Despite your clear opinion about your personal feelings for me, not once have I heard you complain about your transformation… Well, except for the initial response of course."
"I. Hate. You…" Clockwork said again. But right as Necky was about to reply, he continued. "... But that doesn't mean I am stupid." He sighed out as he lifted a hoof and looked at it. "I can't think of a better way to interact with them, than as one of them. Believe me, I've tried to come up with a better way."
"Well, at least you're honest." Necky sighed. "Now, do you have a plan how to approach them?"
"Perhaps," Clockwork answered. "The youngest of the two, the dark blue one. From what I saw as we observed them, she's the more adventurous of the both of them. Often wandering off into this forest, despite being told not to."
"Ah, and you are hoping she would do so again. And then the two of you would just 'bump' into each other, while her older sister comes to get her before anyone else finds out they are here."
"Just about, yes."
"Ah, the perils of a young, still relatively wild world. Yes, this might work."
"Might?"
"Well, there is the manticore sneaking up on us from behind. That could ruin things."
"WAIT, WHAT!?" Clockwork shouted as he spun around, eyes locking on those of the giant beast. A creature he'd only heard of, but never seen before. As tall as a bear, and with the head of a lion. Massive bat wings, and a lethal scorpion's tail. Both shock and fear rooted Clockwork on the spot, until, with a noticeable tremble, he lifted his hoof to fire a spectral beam. Only, nothing happened.
"WHAT?!" He shouted in disbelief. The manticore growled, and began to close the distance.
"Why aren't my powers working!?" Clockwork demanded.
"Ah, yes. I forgot to mention. When I welcomed you back to the living, I was serious. You are, in fact, mortal again. And as such, have no spectral powers to call upon." Necronomicon explained with a far too calm voice.
"THEN HOW DO I USE THESE PONIES' MAGIC!?" Clockwork shouted in panic, backing away.
Necky slowly rotated in the air as he kept his eye on Clockwork. "As explained, spectral energy and magic are opposites. Seeing how I use spectral powers myself, and not using this magic, it stands to reason I cannot give you access to any magical powers of your own. Hence why you have neither wings or a horn."
Clockwork's pupils shrunk to pinpricks at Necky's words, and over the fact the manticore was now almost on top of him. Staring up at the gargantuan beast with wide, fearful eyes; ears folded flat, Clockwork released a frightened 'eep' before turning tail and running away. Loudly yelling: "I HAAAATTTEE YYYOOOUUUUUU!!!!" at Necky while trying his hardest to get his four legs to not tangle together.
"Yes, you've been quite clear on that." Necky said flatly while the manticore roared and sped past him, not showing any interest in the hovering book.
Necronomicon hovered in place for a moment as he watched Clockwork and the manticore weave around the trees, before breaking free from the forest.
"Hmmm… Perhaps I should help him a little bit?" Necronomicon wondered aloud as Clockwork screamed, sounding almost girly. "... Yes, a little bit."
<<>><<>><<>>
Clockwork ran as fast as his short legs allowed him.
He was well aware that as a quadruped, he was much faster than when he was his bipedal self. But after centuries of being able to fly, he had some difficulties coordinating his legs. The fact he had two more of them not helping either, and he stumbled more times than he would have liked, giving the manticore ample opportunity to close the small distance between them and finish him off.
"Aaaaahhh!!" Clockwork screamed in fear, unable to do much else in his struggling attempt to escape.
The manticore roared at his prey.
"DUCK!" someone yelled, and Clockwork did just that. And in no way did he trip over his own legs. No, he ducked, just as he was told to do.
A blast of nightly blue energy slammed into the manticore's chest, making the beast stumble and roar in anger and confusion.
Shaking its head, the beast turned towards the source which had interrupted the hunt on such easy prey.
"Hey, ugly. Remember me?" The dark blue unicorn said, grinning.
"... Eehh. Should I?" Clockwork asked, dazed.
"Not you," she shot back, rolling her eyes. Then she refocused on the manticore, and lowered her stance; grinning as her horn glowed. "Sunny isn't here right now, so we can have all the fun we want."
A roar came in answer, and the manticore lowered its stance as well; its deadly tail raised high above its head.
The blue filly grinned, and the glow of her magic grabbed hold of the bulbous tip.
The manticore snarled in surprise as it looked up. His surprise soon changed into a dazed look with crossed eyes, and his tongue lolling out of his mouth, as the bulbous part of his tail slammed down onto its head.
A second blow soon followed, with a thirth not long thereafter.
"STARLIGHT!" A voice cut in, stopping the manticore's tail from hitting a fourth time.
The blue pony turned to look behind and up, seeing the white pegasus with a pink mane hovering in the air; forelegs crossed over her chest as she looked down with a frown.
"Starlight," the pegasus repeated disapprovingly.
"Sunny," Starlight groaned exasperatedly.
"You know you can't run off like this. There are numerous dangerous creatures out there."
"Yeah, I noticed." Starlight said flatly, slamming the manticore's tail onto its head for a fourth time. "Really dangerous," she deadpanned.
Sunny's frown deepened, then she looked at Clockwork.
"Who is he? I haven't seen him before."
"Don't know," Starlight shrugged. "I saw him running out of the forest, chased by big ugly over here." A fifth slam on the head emphasized her point, and the manticore finally collapsed; unconscious.
Sunny's frown softened, and she dropped to the ground. "So, you saved him?"
"I guess," Starlight shrugged. She then turned to the colt still lying on the ground. "What were you doing in the forest anyhow? Don't you know it's dangerous?" She asked, and Sunny snorted while shooting Starlight a glare over her hypocrisme.
"Yes, I noticed." Clockwork groaned flatly, pushing himself up. He dusted himself off, then took a moment to properly observe the one who had saved him. His eyes widened a fraction upon realizing who was with him.
"Is everything alright?" Sunny asked, worried.
"Yes… yes—" He shook his head to clear his thoughts "—Just happy to be, uh… alive." He said the last word with some confusion.
"Who are you? And what were you doing in the forest anyhow?" Sunny asked him.
Straightening himself before answering, Clockwork noticed that in his younger, pony form, he was a head shorter than Sunny. Something which annoyed him for some reason. "My name is Clockwork," he introduced himself. "And I'm here looking for, umm... something."
"Something?" Starlight quirked an eyebrow.
"I, ehh…" Clockwork looked around for a moment to come up with an answer. He then realized who was missing. "That stupid book," he sighed out.
****
"Well, I guess that works as well." Necky muttered as he watched events unfold from the shadows.
Turning around, he looked down on those gathered. Dozens of reanimated skeletons, and a few carcasses of the more recently deceased animals stood in a semi-circle behind him, awaiting his command.
"Okay, back to your graves." And with a burst of his power, the dead fell to the ground; the skeletons falling apart. Then they all disintegrated into dust, which blew away in the wind.
****
"A stupid book?" Starlight repeated, confused. "You were looking in the forest for a stupid book?"
"No.. yes… well… It's complicated," he replied hasty.
With a low whine, the manticore stirred, drawing their attention. Starlight's horn bursting into life once more.
"No, sister. That's enough!" Sunny shot at her. "We'll go back to the village where it's safe."
"Fine." Starlight drew out the word in annoyance.
"And I will tell mother and father about this," Sunny added in final. "You come too," she told Clockwork. "We’ll do a more proper introduction when we're in the village. Night is approaching, and the more dangerous beasts will come out to hunt."
That sounded like a excellent plan, and Clockwork quickly nodded and followed after the two; glancing back behind him at the sluggishly rising manticore, as well at the place Necky was still hiding. The latter he looked at with a heated glare, even if he couldn't actually see the source of his growing frustration.
And as twilight settled down over the land, two pair of glowing eyes watched the trio walk towards the village. The light of fire and magical orbs lighting the darkening sky; shining over a large log fence surrounding the village, with two gates allowing ponies to enter and leave.
"He doesn't yet realize it, but he will be more involved in their lives than he initially had planned." Necky spoke.
"I know." Clockwork replied, hovering next to Necky; his staff held tightly in his hand. "And I still haven't forgiven you for what you have done… and what you're going to do."
"... Why are you here, Clockwork?" Necronomicon asked the ghost hovering next to him.
"You know very well why I am here."
Necky sighed. "To relive the first moment when you met her. Crossing your own timeline to do so."
"Only because it was inevitable from the beginning," Clockwork muttered. "Everything that was set in motion so long ago; all those different lives connecting at one point in time or the other. I have already seen the end of it all; saw how everything led towards the choices and actions of Danny Phantom, and others who followed. I have lived through it all, yet for my younger self it is a story still unfolding." Clockwork and Necky hovered in place in silence, watching the first stars reveal themselves in the darkening sky.
"They shine as bright as her," Clockwork muttered, closing his eyes as he sighed out. "... It's strange, in a way. To know now my life started centuries after my death. And now, millennia after this happened, I have reached the point in time where my past is repeating itself. Only this time, I am an observer, watching my own past while it happens."
"What happened?" Necky asked, already knowing the answer Clockwork would give,
"Spoilers." Clockwork sighed again, grimacing as he looked down at the village. "... I have never said this before, and I doubt I will ever say this again… I can never forgive you, what you did. What you're going to do. But, it was because of you I also met her. So, for that, you have my thanks."
Silence took hold of them again, with only the song of crickets, a few hooting owls, and the sound of creatures moving through the forest's foliage to break the silence.
The sound of walking brought their attention towards the being standing behind them; her eyes large as she observed her surroundings.
Clockwork gave a half smile, floating over to the new arrival. He gave a nod, and with a wave of his cane a portal opened.
"Come, let's not interrupt in their lives any more."
The other nodded, and together the two vanished in the swirling green of the portal.
Necky held still for several minutes, watching, listening to the world around him.
"In the end, all comes together. One way, or the other."
He silently flew towards the village, looking for the home Clockwork was led to.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Mother, father," Sunny Skies called out as she entered the simple wooden home.
It was similar in design as his human ancestors had made oh so long ago, Clockwork realized as he entered after Starlight.
The wooden structure was comprised out of a large central room with a fire pit in its center. A small ventilation hole was made in the straw roofing to allow the smoke and heat to safely vent out.
Two small chambers could be seen at the far site of the home, with two flat beds made of hay covered with a cloth in each.
The entire home was noticeably void of furniture, save for a small worn out table made of rough wood standing near one of the walls. An assortment of unwashed vegetables and grass lying on it.
Some strings holding dried fruits hung on the wall above it, with a couple of empty spots which, Clockwork assumed, held the fruit now boiling in the small kettle held above the fire in the home's center.
And standing next to it, holding a stirring spoon in her mouth, was an older pegasus mare. Ears flicking towards the doorway as the trio entered.
"Mother," Sunny Skies called out, trotting over to her mother; a mare with an off white coat, fiery red mane, and a trio of raindrops for a Cutie Mark.
The mare smiled as she put away the utensil, and used a wing to pull her daughter in a hug.
"Starlight," the mare said with a stern, but warm voice, looking at her other child. "You were out in the forest again, weren't you?"
"No," Starlight lied, looking away as her muzzle scrounged up in an adorable pout.
Her mother raised a eyebrow, clearly not convinced, and she stared at her daughter in a way only a mother could; making Starlight flinch as she lowered herself slightly.
"Fine, I was going to the forest." She admitted.
"Starlight," her mother scolded, "by now you should know how dangerous the forest is. Especially at night."
"Well, I did save him." She said defensively, pointing towards Clockwork.
Now all eyes were on the old ghost disguised as a young colt, who had silently witnessed everything being said and done; feeling rather awkward as he did so.
"Did you now?" Starlight's mother responded. "And who might you be? And why were you in the forest?"
Clockwork straightened himself and cleared his throat as he answered. "My name is Clockwork. As for why I was in the forest. I'm, ehh... just passing through." He said with a hint of uncertainty.
"I thought you said you were looking for a stupid book?" Starlight quipped. Clockwork looked at her with a blank expression.
"Don't mind her," Sunny Skies said as she rolled her eyes.
Ignoring her daughter’s customary behavior, their mother smiled towards Clockwork instead.
"Well hello, Clockwork. My name is Raindrop and these are my daughters, Sunny Skies and Starlight." Raindrop introduced with a slight nod of her head, and a warm smile.
"Is father not present?" Sunny Skies asked, looking around.
"He will return later. He has to keep watch at the eastern gate." Her mother answered.
Sunny Skies frowned. "There has been a noticeable increase in attacks by wild beasts, but does he really have to go on watch again so soon?"
"I'm afraid so," Raindrop sighed sadly. "And if this keeps up, it will be difficult to go out and tend to our crops. We're already running out of fresh fruits and vegetables."
Shaking her head, she returned her attention back to Clockwork.
"But let's not worry about that. You've brought a friend over."
"Well, actually. We've only just met," Clockwork told her. He then looked around again, taking in more of the details. "It's a nice place you have," he added awkwardly.
"Why, thank you," Raindrop responded with a warm smile.
"What village are you from?" Starlight blurted, looking at Clockwork with a puzzled frown. "I know there is one up South, about a day travel by hoof. And another one due East, almost three days away."
"I, ehh… I'm not really from around here," he admitted. "I guess you can say I've been wandering around for a long time."
"A long time? You're what, nine, ten years old?" Sunny replied, puzzled. Clockwork then remembered he stood before them as a child, not the centuries old human ghost her truly was.
"... It seemed longer to me," he muttered, looking away while subconsciously flattening his ears.
"You aren't alone, are you?" Raindrop asked, worried. "Did you belong to a group, or at the least with your parents?"
Clockwork frowned, saddened as he thought back to his youth. Not having any memories of his parents, and having grown up in an orphanage.
"My parents have been dead for some time now," he told them truthfully. "And I'm not with a group either." He looked at the three ponies, seeing the expected reaction of sorrow and empathy.
"So you’re all alone?" Raindrop asked.
"With the exception of...well, a book which I unfortunately lost in the forest, yes."
"A book?" Raindrop repeated, blinking a few times in confusion.
"You mentioned it before," Sunny said, "is it important to you?"
"... I'm still trying to figure that out," Clockwork muttered. Then a feeling he hadn't felt in a long, long time became apparent to him. And as his stomach growled loudly, he first looked down at his belly, then at the ponies before him; eyes wide and embarrassed.
"Ah… uhmm… Excuse me," he apologized.
"Oh my, you poor thing. Just how long have you been wandering around, without anything to eat?" Raindrop said with concern, stepping closer to Clockwork.
Clockwork's mind jumped back through the years, coming up blank. "It has been a while," he admitted vaguely.
Raindrop's facial features shifted into an determined, not taking no for an answer frown. "Then it is settled. You will stay here with us for now. We may not have much, but I will not allow you to go out there, at night no less, without anything to eat."
Raindrop's frown, fueled by motherly concern, deepened. "No buts, young stallion. I won't have any of it." And she firmly, but gently guided Clockwork towards the steaming kettle; quickly pushing a clay bowl in his hooves, and filling it with a generous helping of a vegetable broth.
Clockwork noted that the contents of the kettle were already running low just from what he was given, and it must have shown on his face as he glanced at the kettle and the generous family who literally shoved their food in his hooves.
"Don't you worry about us," Raindrop assured him. "There is still more than enough for the rest of us."
Clockwork wasn't convinced. Having heard what was said a moment ago, and having seen the provisions still available he knew he was putting a serious strain on what little they had left. But he couldn't just decline this offered food either, not wanting to insult the mare who had shown him nothing but kindness. Him, a complete stranger.
Besides, she had already made it abundantly clear she wouldn't accept a no for answer.
"Thank you," Clockwork said sincerely.
Looking at the steaming contents in the bowl, wondering momentarily how to eat it without any utensils, only to remember he didn't even have any hands left. After thinking for several more seconds, he finally shrugged and dove his muzzle into the steamingly hot vegetables.
It was then he reexperienced another feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time. A burnt mouth.
The next few moments were filled with Clockwork wheezing in an attempt to cool down his throbbing tongue, while Raindrop shot him a perplexed look. Sunny Skies and Starlight, also taken aback by Clockwork acting as if he had never eaten anything hot before, also couldn't help snicker softly as Clockwork looked at his burned tongue; cross eyed, while silently muttering several strong words towards a certain book.
A certain book who, unseen in the dark night's sky, was watching him from the ventilation hole in the roof, chuckling to himself.
<<>><<>><<>>
Hours had passed, and night had well and truly claimed the land.
Clockwork, lying on a hastily made bed of hay slowly rose. Unable to sleep, both because of the strange events currently transpiring, and the fact he hadn't slept for centuries.
True, ghosts could sleep if they wanted to, but there was no real need for it. Just like breathing was no longer a necessity, it was a residual need linked to their days alive.
Of course he had no intent to sleep to begin with. No, instead he lay in wait for the curiously welcoming family to fall asleep themselves. And hearing all four ponies (the father, an unicorn introduced as Radiant Spark, had returned home some hours after Clockwork had joined for dinner,) now breathing calmly and deeply, he knew he could go out and look for Necronomicon.
Still, he had to be careful. He was a stranger in a unknown village, and a time not his own. Even his own form was alien to him.
Fortunately, the darkness of night would provide him with needed cover. Unfortunately, this also made his search all the more difficult. Add to that the fact there were ponies out on guard, something he determined based on the discussion held between Raindrop and her daughters, he knew he had to be careful.
Stepping out into the dark, Clockwork looked around, orientating himself while squinting his eyes; unable to see all that well, and realizing his ability to see in darkened places was severely reduced as well as a mortal.
He quietly sighed out, muttering in annoyance towards the ever growing source of his irritation.
"Now where is that infuriating book?" he muttered quietly.
"Right here," Necky answered, directly next to Clockwork.
With a frightened whinny, thoroughly confusing and surprising Clockwork as much as Necronomicon speaking next to him, he reared back, and fell onto his rump. Necky gave sounds indicating his strained effort to keep his laughter down.
"I hate you," Clockwork grumbled as he pushed himself back on all four hooves. "And where were you when that beast chased me?" He added accusingly, glaring at the hovering book.
"In the forest—" Necky answered matter-of-factly "—watching you 'bump' into Starlight, just as you had planned."
Clockwork hissed an angry retort, but a sleepy groan pulled his attention towards the home he had just exited; realizing neither he or Necky had been keeping their voices down all that much. At least, not as much to stay unnoticed at the dead silence of night.
Looking at one another, Necky and Clockwork quickly but quietly made their way to a more secluded place; hiding in the darkness between the outer wall and a storage shed of sorts.
"Now, what do you want?" Clockwork said with strained calm, glaring at Necronomicon. "You and those Observants said I needed to make them accept this power of yours. How do you need me to do this, exactly?"
"And here I thought you had a plan," Necky hummed with fake disappointment. Sighing, he continued. "Alright. This power I will bestow upon them is spectral in origin. Now, you know their magic is the exact opposite of this power, and the reaction that occurs between the two." —Clockwork nodded— "What you undoubtedly don't know is the other possibility. A rare occurrence when the two conflicting energies manage to…" He paused a moment to find the right word "...Coexist with one another. A balanced conflict which will create a tremendous power as a result. This does not happen easily, however."
"How so?" Clockwork asked, listening with wrapped attention despite his personal feelings towards Necky.
"As with anything, balance is difficult to find. Lean too much to one side, and you will find yourself falling down. As such, it will be difficult for them to accept this balance." —He slowly sunk down, hovering before Clockwork at eye level, with only a few inches between the two.— "Giving them these powers is easy. It will be nothing more than a flick of my figurative wrist. But in doing so, they will be exposed to a great imbalance as their magic and these spectral energies will clash. Both powers will become unstable, unpredictable. Trying to use one power will make them access the other, and vice versa. They could exhibit abilities not possible by mortal standards… Well, not by any of the standards they have set in regards to their magic." Necky mused, taking a moment to let his mind dwell on the subject of the ponies' magic.
Shaking his cover to clear his head, he continued. "There will be conflict, a great deal of it when I bestow spectral energies upon them. Should I do this now, here, at this time, they will panic; as will everyone else. They might think they are cursed, sick, or something else nefarious at play."
"They wouldn't be wrong," Clockwork pointed out.
"True," Necky allowed, "but the result will be all the same. They will fight what will happen to them. Run away from it, putting too much weight on one side, and fall of the edge."
"Are you saying they could die?"
"There will be conflict. A great deal of it. If they allow for it, it will tear them apart." Necky replied, and Clockwork stood in silence, eyes wide in shocked realization; contemplating his part in all of this.
"This is why you are here, Clockwork." Necky told him. "You must push them towards the other side; towards balance. Nothing outgoing, but a simple nudge here and there. A thought, an idea. Something that will make them more… compliant with the changes."
"What!?" Clockwork gasped out. "But how am I supposed to do this? Something like that will take-"
"Years, yes." Necky finished, hovering back up to tower over Clockwork. "You are needed here, for now. You will find a place amongst them. Live with them. Work with them. Grow up with them."
"Hold on!" Clockwork almost shouted in anger, grabbing Necky with both front hooves and pulling the book right in front of his face; Necky's green glowing eyes reflecting in Clockwork's mortal red's. "I didn't sign up for this!"
"No, you didn't." Necky agreed. "You thought this to be a simple job, a few days maximum. But it isn't, and this is how it is. These are the consequences to your choices. And, although you don't like this; hate me for it even, you will do it. Because, despite all you might say or do to me, you can't help but wonder; wonder what could be. What actions could flow forth from your presence here." With a burst of his power, Necronomicon freed himself from Clockwork's grasp, hovering up and out of reach. "I will go now, to your future. It will be a passing of seconds for me, but years for you. When we meet again, we will find out just how successful you have been." —Clockwork glared with rage at Necronomicon— "You do not like this, and you may hate me for this. But know this. One day, you will thank me for it." And with a final burst of his power, he vanished.
"Thank you for this!?" Clockwork seethed. "I'll rip your pages from your spine!"
<<>><<>><<>>
As much as he hated it, Clockwork knew he was stuck on this world and time. And as much as he hated Necronomicon, he knew he couldn't walk away from this either.
Necronomicon would return, clearly having said so himself. And, as much as he hated himself for doing this, he couldn't allow either Sunny Skies or Starlight to succumb to the power Necky would force upon them.
Thus he stayed. Finding a place with the family who had so graciously opened their door for him, and helping out where he could while keeping up the appearance as the child he appeared to be. If anything, it allowed him to stay close to the two young ponies, which was a small blessing on its own.
Had he have to come up with a reason to interact with the two for an extended amount of time, while true to his age… Well, he doubted he would even be allowed into the village.
But as it was, he lived, worked, and yes, even played with the other ponies. Trying to live his new life as best he could, but always feeling the shadow of Necronomicon over him; the weight of his words growing heavier and heavier with each passing year, and with every attempt he made to make Sunny Skies and Starlight more open to any supernatural changes without revealing too much about himself, or what he knew.
It in itself was a precarious balancing act. If he pushed too much, they would grow suspicious. Too little, and the results could be catastrophic. No, it had to be done one small step after the other. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. And year after year. And before long, it had become a natural routine to Clockwork. So much so, he could go on with his day to day activities without much thought on the matter, save for the lingering feeling of betrayal which wouldn't go away.
And, of course, puberty.
Going through it as a kid was one thing. But now, with his mind already an adult, he couldn't help but notice all the changes he, and the children around him went through.
He cursed Necronomicon's name with every preadolescent hormone causing havoc in his maturing body. Hormones which he was confident he could keep under control, if it wasn't for a slightly severe inconvenience.
His mind may have been human, but years living as a pony had certainly left an imprint. Throw in the fact he was living in the same house with two maturing mares, one of which of the same age he himself appeared to be, and who didn't have any of the inhibitions Clockwork was dealing with. Add to that the fact that Sunny Skies had a devious side, and loved to tease and push him and Starlight together in as many awkward situations as she could, and the recipe for disaster was complete. The only thing keeping things from spiraling out of control completely being Clockwork's adult mentality. But it was difficult for the age regressed, shapeshifted ghost. Adult or not. Those pubescent hormones certainly were a most troublesome adversary.
Still, even if he tried to keep his distance, the same could not be said for some of the young mares, and even some of the young stallions in the village. Clockwork, in the body of an earth pony, and having helped work the lands and cultivate food, had grown a healthy and noticeable physique. And much to his own discomfort, he had noticed others ogling him one more than one occasion. Worse, deep down he liked the attention.
The reason he had allowed himself to get this… involved with the community of the village would be rooted long back in his past, and his first childhood. As an orphan, he and many other children lived in the same building, played with the same toys, and ate the same food. They all lived together, but to say they lived together would be a misconception. Much unlike how things were here, in this unnamed village filled with ponies. Here everyone was part of the same community. Back in the orphanage, everyone was much more divided, and could easily be placed into groups.
There were the tough kids; pretending to be cool with their situation. The optimists, who dared to hope each day a loving family would walk through the double, worn out doors and take them in. There were the pessimists, whose view of things were the complete opposite. And then there were those like Clockwork. The realists.
He and a few others saw things for what they were, and accepted the situation. Even as young as he was. It did give him a sober look on life, giving him a level head and thinking. But still, even he, an eight year old kid, did dream and wonder. Yes, there were the occasional dreams shared with the optimists, and the thought of a welcoming family would keep him busy. But most of the times, he would focus on the then and there. Even as a child, he sought out a role model. Someone to look up to, and hope he could be as amazing as him or her one day.
Sure, one of the orphanage's caretakers, a pudgy woman with large round glasses certainly did her best to fill this role. Taking care of him and the others with all the loving care of a mother. But her attention was continuously divided between all the children. But that was alright to Clockwork. It was alright, because someone else had caught his attention. A young boy, just a few years older than himself. Someone who appeared out of nowhere, and was quick to make a name for himself. A child who did countless impossible things, and who quickly became the role model Clockwork looked up to. A boy with snow white hair, who could disappear and fly. A true hero… until everything fell apart, and Clockwork—
A trio of rapid tapping on his head shook him out his thoughts.
"Hellooohoo!" Starlight all but shouted into his ear. "Starlight to Clockwork. Are you there?" She asked, grinning coyly.
"Huh, what?" Clockwork uttered, shaking the cobwebs from his mind. "What is going on?"
"You tell me?" Starlight shot back, lightly rolling her eyes. "You were so far gone, I thought you were on the moon."
It took Clockwork a moment to remember where he was; so lost in thought about his past, for a moment he thought himself to be that eight year old boy holding a plush version of his hero and handing it over to the ghost boy to have it signed, accompanied by his caretaker who kept the excited child under reasonable control.
Eyes focusing, he saw he was no longer on that world. Instead, he stood with muddy hooves in the upturned soil harvesting the vegetables he and the others had sown last season.
"I, uhh, was lost in thought," he finally said.
"Yeah, I noticed… We all did," she commented dryly, giving a flat look as she waved a hoof around to indicate the ponies working the field; all of them done with their respective jobs, with only Clockwork lagging behind.
Clockwork flinched slightly, and showed an awkward, apologetic smile. "Right, sorry." He muttered, quickly picking up the pace to make up for lost time.
They were all in a hurry, he knew. There was only a limited amount of time where they could leave the safety of the village's walls, and go out to tend to their crops. It was a problem Clockwork had picked up on the very day he first stepped into the home he would come to share with the kind family.
It was just as Sunny Skies had said back then, that there was a noticeable increase in attacks by wild beasts. A noticeable problem which grew only worse and worse over the years which passed. Yet for reasons they didn't understand, there was a small window of opportunity each day.
Although, after having it given some thought, Clockwork did have some idea why this was. Not that he could share his suspicion, though.
He still remembered what Necky and the Observants had said, about Discord. And seeing how day to day events transpired; a set window of opportunity each day, every day. It was clear to him someone was playing a game. A very dangerous game. Pushing the boundaries a bit further and further every time. It wouldn't be long until something would snap. And when that happens, Clockwork doubted any of them would be safe.
He let loose a weary sigh, flexing his muscles as he continued to pull the half-full cart; slowly moving it over the field and allowing ponies to deposit their harvest into it.
Suddenly, a foreboding feeling grabbed hold of Clockwork, and he came to a full stop. And he wasn't the only one. Everypony around him had stopped, all heads turning towards the nearby forest, a mounting pressure of unease growing. Then, as if a bubble bursted, loud squawking of thousands of birds filled the air. A massive flock of the winged creatures rapidly ascending from the trees, blotting the sky and casting a large shadow on the ground. A ground which the all could feel trembling. Faint at first, but growing more pronounced with the passing seconds.
Clockwork's ears fell flat while his eyes widened. A expression of shock and fear mirrored by all the others.
A chorus of roars and growls rolled out from behind the trees, and the first of many manticores, hydras, and other beasts rushed out of the foliage; eyes narrowed and locked on their prey.
"EVERYONE, RUN!" Clockwork bellowed, already running for the village some distance away himself.
A mixture of screams in fear and panic answered his call for retreat, the ground shaking under the combined pounding of their hooves. Everyone rushed for the safety of their village, pushing and shoving to get there as fast as they could; all of them able to see the ponies standing guard already in the process of closing the gate, leaving just enough room for them to enter. But it was closing fast. A loud scream cut over all others, drawing Clockwork's attention. Against all instincts screaming at him to ignore everything behind him, and instead focus on making his legs move faster than they ever had done before, he dared a glance back. He nearly tripped over his own legs, and was forced to slow down.
The one who had screamed, now lying on the ground with an injured leg, was Starlight; seemingly trampled in the chaos.
"Oh no," he gasped out, eyes flicking between the downed mare and the approaching mob of feral beasts.
Despite every fiber of his being's protest, Clockwork turned around and ran with purpose towards Starlight; eyes narrowing in concentration and anger as his gaze locked onto a familiar manticore. A manticore now closing in on Starlight with bared fangs and poison dripping from it's lethal tail.
"Hey, ugly. Remember me!?" He shouted towards the enraged animal, noting that its behavior, as well as that of the others, was clearly not normal, but choosing to ignore this for now.
The manticore roared at him before turning back to Starlight.
"Oh, no you don't." Clockwork breathed through teeth, willing himself to move faster despite the bulk of the cart still hitched to him weighing him down. A cart which, if he had calculated his approach and speed correctly, would make a fine improvised weapon.
Barreling down at the manticore, sweat dripping down his forehead and into his eyes, Clockwork blinked rapidly to keep as much of a clear view as he could.
'Not yet, not yet…… NOW!' He shouted mentally, tearing his gaze away from the manticore, and the other rapidly approaching beasts, he quickly used his mouth to unhitch himself from the cart and jump away. But either due to bad luck or nefarious play, one of his hind legs got stuck in the harness, jerking him along with its momentum; breaking his leg in the process.
Clockwork roared out in pain, unable to free himself in time before the cart struck.
With a solid 'WHAM' the cart collided with the feral beast. Wood splintered, vegetables flew in wild arcs through the air, and two distinct yells of anguish sounded over all other sounds.
Starlight, having seen it all, hobbled over to the crash site on her good legs; the injured one dragging limply behind her. With panic clearly showing, she scanned what remained of the cart, looking for Clockwork, but finding nothing.
"STARLIGHT!" Sunny Skies shouted to her sister, flying with blurring speed to her.
"SUNNY, WE NEED TO HELP HIM!" She shouted back.
"THERE IS NO TIME!" Sunny Skies replied in panic, and it was only then Starlight noticed the mob of rampaging beasts almost directly on top of her.
In a blur of motion, Sunny Skies dove in, grabbed her sister, and flew as fast to the village as her rapidly beating wings and heart allowed her.
Starlight trashed around in protest, unwilling to leave Clockwork behind. But unable to free herself from her sister's unusual strong hold, all she could do was watch down at the broken remains of the cart. Watching in horror as Clockwork painfully dragged himself from underneath the rubble, blood staining his fur in multiple places.
"HE'S RIGHT THERE," she shouted. "GO BAC-" Her voice died in her throat as she saw Clockwork being grabbed in the maw of a massive manticore. A manticore with extremely dark fur, and glowing green eyes.
"No…" She gasped with a hollow voice, hanging limply in Sunny's grasp as they flew over the village's wall. Watching as the dark manticore ran off to the forest with Clockwork in its mouth.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a low, drawn out groan Clockwork came to. Pressing a hoof against his throbbing head, eyes held clenched shut.
"Uugh… Am I dead?" He murmured, barely opening his eyes.
"Well, technically…" a familiar, and much hated voice spoke in answer, "you're both."
"What?" Clockwork groaned, carefully shaking his head and slowly opening his eyes to look around.
For a long moment he thought he was seeing things, unable to comprehend what and where he was. He blinked several times, gradually opening his eyes further and further as his vision came into focus. It still didn't answer where he was, however.
Dark, dirty, age worn walls rose up on both sides; made of large, rough hewn stone. The floor was of similar design, and an arched ceiling high above. Numerous ancient looking, candle chandeliers hanging from it in a long line, following the length of the hallway Clockwork now realized he was standing in. There were no windows to be found, nor any decoration. The only light that illuminated the cold stone path came from the weakly flickering candle light. And hovering in the air, halfway between the floor and ceiling was Necronomicon; looking down on Clockwork.
"You," Clockwork breathed through gritted teeth.
"So, you do remember me. I'm touched." Necky said with a hint of humor.
"Come down here, and I'll do a lot more than touching!" Clockwork threatened, fell silent, and glared up at Necky with embarrased irritation while the book gave voice to a honest chuckle. "... That came out wrong," Clockwork muttered.
"Did it now?" Necky teased. "And here I was getting all excited for nothing."
Clockwork's heated glare could have slain an adult dragon, yet Necky merely shrugged it off with a rustle of his pages.
"But to answer your proposed, half-conscious question. Until your friends come to find out which state you're in, you are both alive and dead. Ah, Schrodinger would be proud."
"What do you mean!?" Clockwork demanded, using a hoof to push himself back to all fours… and froze where he lay.
His hoof was gone. Replaced by an appendage he hadn't seen, felt even in almost eleven years. A hand. He was human again.
"What in the world?" He murmured, stiffly curling up the fingers; overcome by both a familiar and alien sensation. He then noticed the glow surrounding him. "Am… am I dead again?"
"Indeed you are. Such an ugly way to go, being chomped down by a manticore."
A panicked memory forced itself back to the forefront of Clockwork's mind, and he remembered the dark beast that grabbed him. A beast with green glowing eyes. His glowing red ones shot towards the still hovering book.
"It was you!" Clockwork accused.
"It was me, what?"
"The manticore, it was you!" He stated, hands clenching into fists and shaking, "Then it was also you who initiated the attack."
"No!" Necronomicon said firmly, slightly lowering towards the floor. "The animals rampaging as they did was not my doing. It was, however, merely the first step of Discord's descent into power crazed madness; having grown tired with the occasional prod and push to tempt fate. However, I will not deny my involvement with your second demise. Yes, I posed as the manticore, using the chaos to blend in. And no, I did not kill you… Well, not with teeth, at the very least."
Clockwork held silent, observing the spectral book for any hints of deceit, but finding it difficult to 'read' this particular book. Yet despite his anger towards the book, there were still several issues that demanded answer. Most importantly-
"What happened with the village; with Starlight and Sunny?" He demanded, furrowing his brow deeply, and indicating he wouldn't let this go without a proper answer.
"Sunny Skies and Starlight are, under circumstances, safe. Some injuries, but nothing which won't heal. Physically, at least." Necky answered, the last portion holding a careful, and noticeable hesitant quality to the words. "Mentally, however, this cannot be said." A weary sigh escaped him. "The villagers fought the beasts. Same with all the villages close, or near the forest. But it has undoubtedly not gone by without notice that these animals' behavior was not normal. Spurred on by Discord's power and twisted… playfulness, they initiated a frontal assault…." A very heavy and unsettling silence took hold over the area, and Clockwork wanted to speak but was unable to do so. "... Very few made it out alive. Even less without injury… I… am sorry," Necky said, and Clockwork knew he meant it.
Several long seconds were spent in silence as Clockwork processed this.
"I need to go back," he stated. "Help them… however I can."
"In due time," Necronomicon replied, "but your presence is needed elsewhere first."
"What!?" Clockwork shouted angrily.
Necky allowed himself to lower even further, well within reach of Clockwork. "Remember what you were told by the Observants, about the Kadzite?"
"... Yes. What of it?" Clockwork replied, irritated. "How is any of that important now?"
"More so than you think." Necronomicon answered seriously, his voice lowering a fraction as he said so. "Chaos is unleashed on the world which has become your second home. Chaos which should have been kept under control. But the one supposed to keep control is also the one allowing it to run wild. So, if Discord is no longer maintaining the balance, another must do so. Or several others, in this case."
Clockwork was about to retort, but then fell silent; the details of his conversation with the Observants so long ago returning in full. "You mean to tell me you plan on giving the task of maintaining this balance to these Kadzite?" He asked with a forced calm tone, but his billowing anger was easily heard. "Beings which the Observants said were best compared with terrorist groups from my world."
"Sometimes you can only fight fire with fire. Or in this case, chaos with chaos." Necky answered, bobbing slightly in the air before hanging still again. "But that doesn't mean I plan on unleashing terror on this world. No, a plan has been formed. One which will shape many lives, on many worlds, in different times. A plan which requires your assistance."
"My assistance… how?" Clockwork asked, suspicious.
"Nothing too invasive, or lengthy, like your previous task. This one is more for show, and to send a message." Then Necky's glowing green eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if he was frowning. "In fact, things have already been set in motion. All we need to do is intersect an event at a precise point."
"And what if I refuse?" Clockwork stated, arms crossed, and a heated glare aimed towards Necronomicon. "I will not go anywhere until I know they are safe. And not until I have helped them overcome any trauma they undoubtedly have after such an attack."
Necky sighed out. "I was worried you would say that, but it's understandable. Unfortunately, going back there, now, as you are now or as your pony self will cause more damage than even Discord has caused now. Not to mention, it will undo everything we've set in motion so far. No, this I can not allow. Until they come to find you, you can not interact with them in any way imaginable."
"Then I refuse to cooperate," Clockwork stated simply, but firmly.
"Which is precisely why you are merely needed for show, this time," Necky stated with heavy voice, a sickly glow shining from between his pages.
"Wha- what is going on!?" Clockwork demanded, only for his mind to go blank an instant later.
"...The consequences to your choice," Necky answered, his voice echoing away in the hallway.
This chapter has been edited by Clayton the Hunter, Halusm, and partially by Vates Despero.
...On a Planet Far, Far Away.
<<>><<>><<>>
"There is so much knowledge; experience, memories here," Eclipse gasped, struggling to wrap her mind around the increasing influx of Nightmare Moon's memories.
"Centuries, millennia," she said, awed. "You were older than the Princesses. You don't even belong on this world."
"Nor do you!" Nightmare Moon replied, and Eclipse's eyes widened as she turned to look at the dark mare behind her; a mirror image, save for their eyes.
"What!? How can this be? You were destroyed!"
"Oh, I was. I can assure you. But I am still a part of you, and so I will live on, if only through your memories."
Eclipse frowned as she secured her stance, glaring at her former half. "Why are you here?" She demanded.
"Oh, I'm sure by now you have figured it out. My memories. My actions. My dream. The dream I created to drain the ape's power." Eclipse's eyes widened. "So, you did figure it out."
"That, in your failure, you planted a thought in Twilight's mind, and played Danny's to bring them together? Yes, I did."
"Hmmm…" Nightmare Moon hummed devilishly. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"What?" Eclipse asked, taken aback.
"What are you going to do about it?" Nightmare Moon repeated. "It was by my doing that those two have been growing closer and closer. Surely you can't allow this to continue, this false affection. This fake love?"
"The only reason you did this was to crush Twilight's heart by making her fall for Danny, and then have him reveal his ghost self. With you gone, this is no longer a threat to them."
"So, you'll allow them to remain?" Nightmare Moon chuckled maliciously. "You will allow this fake feeling to blossom into something more? Why, just because I am gone? Or is it to allow dear Twilight to fill the gaping hole left behind by Sam's death?"
Eclipse didn't answer.
"So, who amongst us is truly evil? I never denied what I am. But you, you allow this to continue. And in doing so, you will deliver my final blow. My revenge."
"I would never!"
"Oh, but you will. Either you undo what I have done, and Danny will lose interest in Twilight. Leaving her with a growing affection, which Danny will never answer. Or you allow them to grow closer and closer, only for her heart to break when Danny's true self is revealed to the world. No matter the choice you make, at least I have gotten my vengeance on Twilight Sparkle," she spat the name. Then a wicked grin replaced her look of disgust.
"Have fun with that, my precious daughter. Make Mommy proud." And Nightmare Moon faded away, her laughter the last to vanish while Eclipse stood frozen on the spot, conflicted.
"No!" she whispered. "No!" She stated more firmly. "Despite what you have done. Despite your influence in their lives. Their feelings are still their own. And when Danny is revealed, Twilight and the world will accept him for who he is!"
She was met with silence as she tried not to let doubt taint her resolve. Contemplating her actions, as well as Nightmare Moon's, she continued to sift through the dark mare's memories of her extensive 'life’.
"There is so much knowledge, experience, memories," Eclipse murmured. "... and so much hate within it all."
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna was restless. Very much so. It had only been a few hours since her sister shook her from that horrid… well, not a dream for sure, but neither was it a nightmare. Yet the longer she tried to place it, to figure out what it was, the more it slipped away.
It was truly frustrating. She could sense it lingering in her mind, just out of reach. And with each passing moment, more and more details of what she had seen vanished until, as was now the case, nothing remained save the feeling that she had seen something horrible… and very important. But what?
Thankfully she was at least able to tell her sister what she had seen. But even those details were vague, blurry, and lost in an obscuring haze. And after she had confided in Celestia, Luna found that she herself could not recall any of what she had said. This was worrying. Very worrying. It served to confirm that what had happened, what was revealed to her was no mere dream; bad or otherwise.
Fortunately Celestia didn't seem to be having the same trouble she herself had in remembering, and everything she had told her was quickly written down, and which was now the main focus of the two sisters as they searched any likely book in their extensive library. Yet despite the many books they searched through nothing could be found relating to, or even hinting at, what Luna had described. And with night having claimed the land, and the two monarchs having put the sun to rest and the moon out to shine its light over the slumbering lands, Celestia had difficulties focusing on the words before her; the troubles of the day having sapped most of her energy already.
At Luna's insistent urging, she reluctantly agreed to retire for the night and continue their search for an answer as soon as she was able. Luna, however, was wide awake and fully alert, and wasted little time continuing scouring book after book. Even going so far as to cancel night court. Though it was not likely there would be anypony coming to begin with. But there was another reason for her almost frantic search. A lingering thought, one that didn't fade away into the all-obscuring fog.
A thought.
A name.
A name the likes of which she had never heard before.
A name distilling fear, anger, and hate.
A name which chilled her to the core, even if she didn't know why.
Fenrir.
<<>><<>><<>>
A long time ago, on a planet far, far away.
Life.
Death.
The two constants of their world.
Life, a gift to all.
Death, a promise to all.
There were those who hunted and killed; predators to some.
There were also those who were hunted and killed; prey to others.
This was the world's balance. Two constants, before which all were equal. But some did not accept this.
Some sought ways to cheat the constants. To live, but not die. At least, not by any means other than age. And if at all possible, not even age as well.
It started out as ideals. A goal to strive for. Then it became an obsession, living for nothing but their shared longing.
They sought out others who shared their beliefs, longings, and drive. Striking down all who opposed them.
Life.
Death.
The two constants of their world.
Life, a gift to all.
Death, a promise to all.
A promise of the Kadzite.
A promise of Fenrir.
<<>><<>><<>>
A gentle breeze blew over the grassy plains, sending ripples through the green blanket covering the ground. A clear blue sky allowed the sun to shine down with its warming light, casting shadows wherever it struck a tree.
Shadows were also moving through the plain, as young wolves ran after one another. Barking and yelping playfully as they chased after each other.
Larger wolves, standing on their hindlegs, their broad upper bodies casting large shadows on the ground, stood and watched the young ones play; laughing over the pups’ antics while keeping an eye out for any danger sneaking up on them.
A small herd of deer-like creatures, whose antlers were similar to those of a goat and with much longer tails, were calmly grazing near the plain's edge, and close to the forest they called home. Aware that the wolves were not out hunting they knew that, at least for the moment, it was safe for them to do so.
Several miles further back behind the wolves, small columns of smoke could be seen rising up in the sky, indicating the burning of their settlement's fire pits; and the preparation of their next meal for the approaching night; the sun slowly lowering from its peak.
And if one had an especially sharp eye, they could see Sköll, the sun chaser and the second of the Three, watching over them all while guiding the sun into night. A task entrusted to him since the dawn of time, and joined by his brothers Nuntis, who calls upon the sun and day, and Fenris, who calls forth the moon and night.
For as long as any could remember, they have watched, protected, and maintained the cycle of day, night, and the constants.
Nuntis, with fur as white as snow and red eyes which seemed to glow with the sun's fire would call forth the sun, starting the day, and providing the lands with the light to nourish life.
Sköll, a golden brown wolf who represented the land upon which all things lived and flourished, would lead the sun through the sky while watching over all he came across.
Fenris, a wolf with fur as black as night, and eyes to match. His task was to call forth the moon, while his brother, Nuntis would call after the sun as it lowered, allowing night to settle down over a world weary and worn.
They were the Three. Wolves who maintained the cycle and constants. Larger, stronger, older, and wiser than all. Guiding, watching over, and protecting all under their day and night.
But a change had occurred. A change which had upset the balance of the constants.
They all felt this disturbance. They knew what had happened. But only one of them had truly seen it firsthand. All of it; the actions of the Kadzite.
Wolves who had lost their way. Searching for something, stopping at nothing to find that which can not be obtained; losing themselves in madness as a result. Wolves who, under the cover of night and watched by Fenris, would kill anyone and everything they found in their search. Growing more and more ferocious and bloodthirsty with every passing night.
Every night Fenris watched. And every night his anger grew. Only at his brothers' insistence did he not act, allowing this to unfold as 'merely another phase in the development of this still young species.'
His vigil continued for weeks, months… years. And he watched, watched in anger and growing ire.
This night, however, a new change would occur.
The darkness of hate has stained his soul. Now the beast within will reveal itself.
<<>><<>><<>>
Wind howled over the night-covered grassy plains, and through branches of the few trees growing here and there; growing more frequent the further you looked, until they eventually converged into a massive forest.
Beyond that, an imposing mountain range rose up. Stretching out as far one could see, with snow covering the highest peaks.
And at the foot of the mountain, near a large waterfall and fully encircled by the forest stood a settlement built from the very wood and stone from whence it had been carved. Wooden ramps and stairs, alongside walkways connecting the various caverns; both naturally formed and carved through hard labor. Several structures were built on the sides of the rock as well. Buildings of primitive design, made from wood, and held together with ropes made of leather and animal tendons.
All in all, the design was rough, but solid. Made with function in mind, not appearance. It was clearly made by creatures still young as a civilization, but learning. A settlement which, with time and care, could grow into something truly impressive.
That is, if it wasn't currently burning.
The flickering orange glow reached high above the canopy, and yelps, barks, and growls rose up to accompany the crackle of the fire in its destruction. Large shadows of broadly chested wolves were cast against the mountain side. Some showing wolves in distress, others with their claws held high before striking.
A loud, low, spine chilling and rage-filled howl cut through the night. And high above, the moon shone with an unnatural blood-red glow.
"It has begun," Necronomicon spoke with a heavy voice, levitating next to Clockwork; the unfortunate ghost hovering in place with glassy eyes and an angry frown. Yet shock and horror cracked his mask of anger, seeing the carnage unfolding in the burning settlement.
"I take it you now understand," Necky asked, "why you're needed here?"
Clockwork didn't answer.
"My apologies," Necky said almost immediately, and a flicker of energy shone from within his pages.
"Gha-" Clockwork groaned as his body listened to his commands again. "If you ever do that again-"
"I will if I have to," Necky calmly shot back, easily moving away from Clockwork as he tried to grab him.
Clockwork balled his hands into fists, noticing them shaking in response to his continuously strained patience, which was flimsy even at the best of times. But before Clockwork could say or do anything, a loud, enraged and malevolent growl rose up from within the settlement; soon followed by even louder barking, howling, and accompanied with frightened, pained, and panicked cries and yelps in response.
"Why me?" Clockwork demanded. "You said that if I wouldn't do this, another would."
Necky turned slightly, glancing towards the angry ghost. "I said Destiny would find another. I'm less flexible." He then turned back to the settlement. "You had already chosen to help, and I will make sure you see this through to the end."
"But instead of allowing me to help my friends, you drag me over here to watch another place being destroyed," Clockwork shouted, finally allowing his anger to break free. "Why? What good could possibly come from me being here? Clearly we're already too late!" He waved an arm towards the burning settlement. "So why am I even here?"
"To help your friends," Necky calmly replied, stunning Clockwork into silence. "You may not see it now… Heh, I know you do not. But what happens here is imperative for your friends back in Equestria. They, their children, their children's children, and so on. Especially your two friends, Sunny Skies and Starlight. Don't forget, Clockwork. There is a plan."
Clockwork turned his back to Necronomicon, eyes clenched shut, teeth gritting together, and arms stretched down; hands clenched into shaking fists.
"Why?" Clockwork muttered quietly to himself.
"Why, what?" Necky inquired.
"WHY!?" Clockwork shouted. "Why did I have to agree to this… I didn't agree to this. I agreed to help you with what you said were a few simple, but critical, events in the timeline."
"And there you have your contradictions," Necky stated, and Clockwork slowly, begrudgingly, turned his head to look at him. "We never said what we asked of you was simple. On the contrary, you knew it wouldn't be simple. The very fact we reached out to you to help solidify critical points in time is evidence to this fact. If it was indeed a simple task, then a simple solution would have been all it required. No need for any intricate plans, or skipping through time and space." Necky drifted closer to Clockwork, his 'face' almost pressing against Clockwork's. "You knew, but now you're trying to shift the blame for what you believe to be lies and deceit, betrayal even, to me and the Observant." Clockwork took an involuntary step backwards. "We did no such thing. When you demanded we tell you what was required, we answered. We told you about our plan for Starlight and Sunny Skies, and you objected to it. Yet, eventually, you did agree because 'you didn't have a choice'. We told you about the Kadzite—" Necky opened his back cover in ways to indicate towards the settlement "—and that you needed to deal with them as well. To which you also agreed." Necky finally allowed him some space as he levitated away slightly, but still remained far too close for comfort.
"You agreed to help us, Clockwork. Agreed to help us set something in motion that will affect the lives of more than you can even begin to imagine. Of course this requires sacrifices, did you expect anything less? Didn't you have this gift, this talent to see the ripple of action and reaction? Surely you could have seen all of this; should have seen it, even. In fact, you have seen this. Which is why you are trying to shift the blame, the consequences of your decisions to others." —Necronomicon closed the distance once more, eyes glowing threateningly— "No, Clockwork. You can only blame yourself." —A terrifying howl rose up from the settlement— "So, now you need to make a choice. Are you going to help, willingly, with all that has been said and done now? Or do I need to 'enforce' my will again? Chose, Clockwork. But do it quickly. Time is not a luxury you have."
Clockwork's eyes shifted between Necronomicon and the settlement, almost as if he was looking for a way out, unable to find a fault in Necky's words. He did agree to all of this, despite his objections of their plan for Starlight and Sunny. He agreed to it… because he was curious… Since when had he been so juvenile? Allowing things like this to happen, just to see what happens.
Clockwork's eyes finally locked onto the burning settlement, hardening as he vowed to himself to never toy with fate like this just to sate his curiosity.
Closing his eyes, and sighing deeply, he asked: "What do you need me to do?"
<<>><<>><<>>
One hour ago.
He stood on top of a large hill, watching in anger and hate; claws shaking with uncontrolled rage.
"So, finally you decided to see for yourselves," Fenris spat, not granting those standing behind him even a single glance.
"We've always seen what they wrought," Nuntis answered sadly, shaking his head.
"Exactly," Fenris barked, "you've seen what they've done. But only I have seen them do it. No more!"
"It is not for us to intervene directly in their development," Sköll pleaded. "Surely you know this?"
"And is it not our task to maintain the balance of the constants?" Fenris shot back condescendingly. "So, tell me, brothers—" he finally turned around to see the two wolves behind him "—how is this maintaining the balance?"
"They are lost, blinded by their own selfish desires," Sköll answered. "It's up to us to guide them back, make them see the errors of their ways. But not like this."
"No, instead we stand by idly, doing nothing."
"You know better than that," Nuntis told him. "How many times have we seen rebellions and unprovoked attacks by those who are lost? How many times have those phases passed on their own, or through subtle influences by us? This time will be no different."
"Yes, it will," Fenris sneered, turned around and moved away from his brothers.
"Brother. Don't go down this path, you know where it leads to." Sköll called after him.
"I know, but I no longer care," Fenris replied angrily, unsheathing his claws. "This night, any night. Every one of my nights, blood is spilled, and I will no longer stand by idly."
"Brother-"
"No! No more talk," he barked, walking away with murder in his eyes. "Tonight, the moon will glow red with their blood."
"FENRIS!"
Fenris came to a stop, eyes narrowed into slits.
"Fenris is no more…" He slowly turned around, looking at the two beings standing behind him with cold eyes. "My name is Fenrir, the night's demon."
<<>><<>><<>>
"What do you need me to do?" Clockwork asked.
"To understand," Necky replied, "and to see."
"To see what?" Clockwork queried, watching with pained eyes towards the burning settlement.
"To see what madness can be created out of chaos," Necky sighed out sadly. "This world, Firosina, always had a long history of bloody conflicts. Some short, others long and harrowing. Yet they were always resolved, one way or the other… Not this time, I'm afraid. Not this time…"
A loud, spine shivering howl cut through the night, much closer to the both of them as they neared the settlement, cloaked in invisibility.
"What is happening?" Clockwork asked, clearly uncomfortable.
"The consequences of all this death and destruction..."
A large blur, almost imperceptible in the darkness of the night, and only visible to the two of them due to their ghost vision, as well as the flickering light of the fire, a wolf larger than any other broke free from the forest; fangs bared and claws unsheathed as it all but flew towards one of the attacking wolves. A wolf holding a young pup in one massive claw, still basking in the satisfaction of the kill, when without warning his chest seemed to explode outwards, a midnight black claw slamming cleanly through flesh and bone.
With a roar, the black wolf pulled his claw free, joined by a fountain of blood and gore, before following up with a second blow to the head; his claws cutting it clean off.
The beheaded torso slumped to the ground, mere seconds after the black wolf had attacked.
The black wolf turned around, not even sparing his kill another glance as he had already found his next kill. And in a blur of motion Clockwork had trouble keeping up with, more and more wolves fell, one after the other; massive injuries damaging their bodies and making the ground slick with spilled blood. Blood which reflected the crimson light of the moon above.
"... And the fall of one of the Three."
Clockwork held silent, trembling as he watched the carnage with wide, horrified eyes.
"We must act quickly," Necky urged him. "There is no time to lose."
Clockwork didn't reply, nor move; rooted on the spot.
"CLOCKWORK!" Necronomicon shouted, his voice almost lost over the screams and roars.
Closing his eyes and averting his gaze, Clockwork swallowed the suffocating lump in his throat.
Sensing their window of opportunity was closing rapidly, Necronomicon acted without hesitation and put Clockwork under his control once more, but allowing his mind to remain free in order to witness everything transpiring.
The two of them moved towards the beheaded wolf, looking down onto the gory mess. Necronomicon sighed as his cover opened, and his pages turned rapidly to the centerfold; presenting the blank pages to the dead being. While, at the same time, Clockwork grabbed Necronomicon tightly on the sides, transferring some of his own power into the sapient book.
Words written in a runic script appeared as if written then and there, glowing with an unearthly power. A blinding green glare came from the pages, engulfing the dead wolf in what appeared to be black green fire; burning away at the being until not even ashes remained.
"This is but the first," Necronomicon stated, and he looked at the many dead. Only a handful of them Kadzite, the rest innocent families.
Necky's eyes flicked towards a cloaked being approaching from behind; its red eyes glowing in the eye sockets of the bleached white skull for its head. Their eyes met, and a mutual understanding was formed. The Wolves' reaper gave a faint nod, then moved for the pup lying dead on the ground, mere inches away from where the dead Kadzite had fallen.
With a somber gaze, the reaper reached out with its skeletal claw; cutting into the fallen pup without leaving a single mark on its body.
Standing back up to its full height, the reaper once more looked at Necky and Clockwork.
"I do not agree with your methods," she spoke with a strong female voice. "But even I agree that something has to be done."
"This is not our doing," Necky stated, and the reaper growled warningly.
"You could have acted sooner, yet you allowed this to pass. No matter who claimed these lives, you are equally guilty." She shook her head and looked at all the dead lying in the settlement. "Go, take your souls and leave. I will not stand by idly for long."
Necronomicon tilted slightly back and forth in a manner of an understanding nod, then he and Clockwork moved towards the next dead Kadzite. One by one, until all fallen wolves were gathered, save for a few who managed to escape the initial attack of the black wolf, and who were now hunted down by this very being.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes earlier.
Through the forest he ran, trees flashing past him in a blur, all his senses locked on his prey.
Slick blood stained most of his fur, dripping down with thick drops on the ground, marking his path.
Many had already fallen to his claws, yet some managed to flee. And in doing so, they also showed their cowardice. Only attacking those weaker or fewer in numbers, but running away with their tail between the legs when one stronger than all of them attacked. No, there would be no mercy for them. Not for them, and anyone else who would dare defy him, or dare to use his night to cover their actions; their crimes.
Fenrir came to a sudden stop, his head angled up as he smelled the air, the Kadzite's scent thick and foul. A growl escaped him as he leveled his gaze, slowly looking from one side to the other.
"So, you finally find the courage to face me," he barked harshly, watching as the small group of wolves moved from behind the trees; surrounding him.
The wolves were cautiously approaching, knowing even a single wrong move would mean death. Yet they also clearly showed desperation. None of them wanted to die, but if they didn't face this demon and strike him down first, they knew he wouldn't hesitate to claim their lives.
They surrounded him, maws open, revealing rows of razor sharp fangs. They pounced, and he moved. He lashed out, his claw ripping through flesh as he avoided the attack. Blood gushed out, staining his black fur as his attacker howled in pain. Others jumped him, and he reacted. Sinking his own fangs in the bodies of those who dared to try and take him down. Blood filled his mouth, nose, and his vision, and he lost himself in a haze of red.
<<>><<>><<>>
He stood alone, breathing heavily amongst a sea of dead bodies, mangled beyond recognition, that lay at his feet. His once black fur now a deep crimson, and thick globs of blood mixed with his saliva fell from his partially open mouth.
His moon hung high overhead, glowing with the same deep red as the blood covering his fur; spreading fear to all cowering underneath its light.
Fenrir stood there, basking in the light, breathing heavily.
He'd expected to feel satisfaction, fulfillment, maybe even a hint of misplaced pride after having struck down those responsible for so much death and destruction. Instead, all he could feel was a void. A hunger for more.
There were still others out there. More of the fallen pack, spread out over the lands, spreading death and chaos under his night.
No, there could be no satisfaction nor pride. Not until all of them lay dead at his feet. He would hunt them down, and kill them until none of the Kadzite remained.
But there would be more. Others who would claim blood for one reason, or the other. Some pointless reason only a mere mortal fool would come up with. No, he would not allow for that. No one else will kill during his night. No one else, except himself. He would hunt them all, kill them all. Only then could he feel satisfaction. He would rid the world of everyone who dares to defile his night, and who dares to defy him. Which also included the two wolves moving towards him; not even bothering to stay silent.
"Brother, you have gone too far!" Nuntis spoke with barely concealed rage, his eyes glowing fiercely.
"It is our duty to protect those living in these lands while maintaining the constants." Sköll growled, fur bristling. "BUT NEVER SHALL WE STRIKE DOWN THE VERY LIVES WE ARE MEANT TO PROTECT!"
"Your anger is justified. Your desire to change things understandable. But even we have rules to abide! You have broken the very sanctity of the constants, intervened directly in a delicate balance already upset, and lost yourself to the darkness of hatred." Nuntis barked, unsheathing his claws.
"So, now you are willing to act?" Fenrir sneered.
"Only because you forced our paw," Nuntis growled, but sadness was evident in his words.
"We can not allow you to run wild any longer," Sköll declared, claws also unsheathed.
"Your hypocrisy is sickening," Fenrir barked as he showed his own claws.
"As were your actions tonight," Sköll shot back. "Now sheath your claws and submit yourself, or we will bring you down with force."
"No!" Fenrir stated matter-of-factly, "I will not. I will hunt down and kill every last one of the Kadzite, and anyone else standing in my way. And just as I won't bow down to you, neither shall the moon. This night will not end. Not until every single one of them lays dead at my feet."
"Submit, Fenris!" Nuntis barked.
Fenrir's eyes narrowed into slits, teeth baring. "My name is Fenrir," he roared, lunging himself at the white wolf; swiping with his right claw. "And I will not stop. Not for you, Sköll, or anyone else."
He took Nuntis by surprise, who managed to jump out of the way in the nick of time. Evading an otherwise devastating blow, but Fenrir still managed to draw blood. With a howl more out of anger than pain, Nuntis rolled to the side, his left paw pressing against the shallow cuts in his side.
Sköll acted within a split second, and he pounced upon his brother, swiping his own claws at the black wolf. But despite the anger he felt towards Fenris, he was still his brother, and his attack lacked in strength and ferocity. Fenrir swatted the slashing claws aside, and punched Sköll in the gut. The brown wolf doubled over instantly, only for a massive fist to slam into his lower jaw. Blood spewed out of his mouth as Sköll stumbled backwards.
Nuntis gave a roar in anger as he jumped at Fenrir; his left side partially stained with his blood.
Fenrir turned around rapidly, lowering his stance as he braced himself to catch the sun wolf. Nuntis tackled Fenrir, the former biting into the nape of Fenrir's neck, while Fenrir himself had pierced Nuntis' side with his claw; right where his wound was.
Fenrir howled loudly as Nuntis sank his teeth deeper into his flesh, grunting in pain, unwilling to let go.
Using his free claw, Fenrir delivered several concussive blows against Nuntis' head, also worsening the wound inflicted on himself as a result. Unable to hold on any longer, Nuntis lost his hold over his brother, who immediately threw him off of him.
Sköll was quick to use this opportunity, and rushed in to slam a fist against the savage wound in Fenrir's neck. The blow was crippling, and Fenrir dropped to a knee in pain as Sköll used his momentum to swing around him and slashed into his unprotected chest.
Deep claw marks split fur and flesh, and blood flowed freely out of the open wounds; mixing with the blood which already stained Fenrir's fur. Yet this didn't stop him. It only served to increase his anger, his hate, and with a defiant roar, Fenrir pushed back up and slashed both his claws into his brother's abdomen; cutting deep.
Blood spewed out like a fountain, splattering into Fenrir's eyes. A red haze that obscured not only his vision, but also the last vestiges of his sanity.
Fenrir howled out in rage as he lost himself to the red haze of blood rage, claws and fangs dripping with blood as he pounced at his brothers once more.
A chorus of loud howls filled the night, with the red moon hanging above.
<<>><<>><<>>
The battle raged on relentlessly, none of the three wolves backing down. For hours they fought, the three locked in combat until all sense of time was lost. The moon hanging unmoving in the sky for what seemed like days as neither Nuntis, nor Sköll were able to bring a stop to their brother and maintain the cycle of day and night.
Sköll and Nuntis knew they had to stop their brother at all costs. But their fight lasted longer than they had anticipated, as Fenrir's rage allowed him to take much more damage, while showing strength exceeding both Nuntis' and Sköll's.
They fought. They bled. They lost. All three wolves showed massive wounds, but in the end only Fenrir remained standing. Panting heavily, with numerous claw marks and bite wounds scarring his body. Yet his anger and madness made him all but ignore the crippling pain, and he stepped towards his downed brothers; glaring down at them with murderous eyes.
He grabbed Nuntis by the throat, and pulled him up so the sun wolf was at eye level.
"No, brother," Fenrir growled. "The rule of day is over. I am the one who slayed you, and who will slay all of the Kadzite that still remain." —He tightened his hold, squeezing shut Nuntis' throat and causing the white wolf to wheeze. Fenrir raised his free claw high in the air— "Now, die." He barked, and swung down.
A loud, piercing, and mournful howl cut through the night, and Fenrir froze on the spot; his claw a hair's breadth away from Nuntis.
The howl came again, and Fenrir's arm began to tremble slightly; staring at the bruised and bloodied wolf held in his grasp.
The howl sung yet again, and Fenrir cried out as if struck by lightning.
<<>><<>><<>>
Fifteen minutes earlier.
She moved through the burning and blood-smeared remains of the settlement, eyes unfocused and staring into forever. Just yesterday this was a welcoming and thriving tribe. Now, only cinders and death remained.
She looked down at her paws. Seeing her once blonde fur now black with soot, having been burned from the fire she tried to put out in an desperate attempt to save her mother before she was forced away in the ensuing chaos.
How had it come to this? Why? Her pack, this very tribe lived under a rule of peace. Believing one should only kill to eat, or in defense of friend and family. And believing that the Three would keep them safe. But, they didn't.
The Kadzite attacked. Fenris attacked. And by doing so, a horrible monster was unleashed.
But how could this have happened? She remembered the stories she and the other pups were told when they were young. The stories about the ancient Three. Nuntis, Sköll, and Fenris. How they represented the world. Brought forth the day and night. And how they maintained the constants.
Did they fail them? Had they somehow angered the Three which brought this tragedy upon them?
She looked around without expression; the flickering lights of the fires illuminating the many bodies littering the ground.
'Am I all who is left?'
The charred wood from one of the lower walkways leading to the mountainside snapped and collapsed; blowing up a large cloud of ash, smoke, and embers.
Her face was blank, yet tears flowed from her eyes as she moved back to where she last saw her mother. Their home, now nothing more than a smouldering mass, with the occasional small fire still eating away at the last of the wood that still remained.
She froze on the spot, eyes wavering.
She found her mother, right where she had last seen her; a burnt, mostly skeletal remainder.
She fell to her knees, crying out in anger, sorrow, and grief.
They didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve this. Yet it happened all the same. And instead of being protected by the Three, they didn't do anything. Nothing to stop the violence and suffering.
Her fists trembled in anger as she stood back up; anger towards those responsible for the death and destruction surrounding her.
She growled and seethed, blood boiling for revenge. But all around her was nothing but death. No wolf left to blame. No one left to accept the guilt. No one, but her.
Was it her? Was she to blame? Why was she only one left alive, when she should have died with the rest of her tribe?
She panted loudly, suddenly drained of her strength and she dropped to her knees once again.
Her anger faded, not even having the strength to feel it. And all that was left, was a void. Emptiness. Loneliness. Even without dying, she did no longer feel alive. She had lost everything. Her tribe. Her family. Her very name. Without those she had lost, she truly was no one. A stranger, lost amidst the ruins of her former life.
She turned to the remainders of her mother, then slowly took in the full destruction of the settlement she'd called home. All of it gone.
Crushing sadness and grief grabbed hold over her, and she trembled as she began to sob, then cry.
Everything she knew. Gone.
Everything she was. Gone.
Everything she hoped to be. Gone.
Everything and everyone. Gone.
Tear-filled eyes looked up at the glowing red moon, its light reflecting in her eyes, and she howled.
She howled to the moon, her voice carrying all her pain, anger, and grief.
A howl for those she'd lost.
A howl for those wronged.
A howl pained by the loss of her own life.
A howl of someone who no longer knew who she was.
A howl of Kiyiya, the mourning wolf.
<<>><<>><<>>
Fenrir roared out as he grabbed his head with both paws, thrashing wildly. Nuntis fell to the ground in a heap as his brother released his grasp, gasping for air. Sköll rolled himself over with his least injured arm, and watched Fenrir with one partially closed eye. The other one being blinded in their fight.
Fenrir roared and howled as the sorrowful howl cut through the night once again, dropping to his knees while tightening his hold around his head; his claws piercing the skin.
****
He stood before himself. Two equal individuals, but worlds apart in difference.
Fenrir looked at his mirror's image, while Fenris did the same.
Fenris, a proud wolf with years of experience to guide him, looked at the bloodied, battle-scarred reflection; wondering, questioning how he could have fallen so far.
Reflecting on the last few years, and his growing anger towards the Kadzite only answered part of his questions. But, as he saw the bloodied bodies of his brothers, he knew he wasn't the only one to blame. They all had made mistakes, but Fenrir, the black demon he had allowed himself to turn into, he alone was responsible for that.
Clenching his paws into trembling fists, Fenris knew what he had to do.
Fenrir, a demon born from his own anger and hatred, would always remain with him. A part of himself, broken off and damaged, but holding on to him; clinging to him like a parasite. A disease of his own making, and something of which he could not escape.
Fenrir couldn't be stopped. Not by his brothers, or the Kadzite. And, having allowed to be absorbed by the the corruption, Fenris knew he couldn't stop the disease either. But, perhaps, he could slow it down.
Cut away the host, and the parasite had nothing left to feed upon.
No, he might not be able to stop Fenrir. But Fenris would be able to stop himself.
Permanently.
****
The howl of Kiyiya rung through the night, and cut deep into Fenrir's being. He roared out while blood flowed out of the cuts on his head.
Breathing heavily, he slowly lowered his paws. Looking at them, seeing them covered by the blood of the Kadzite, his brothers, and himself.
His gaze shifted to the wolves lying on the ground around him, and guilt flashed in his eyes before steeled resolve hardened them.
"Brothers," he spoke with a guilt heavy voice, "forgive me." And acting before the corruption could reassume control, he lunged both his claws into his abdomen; crying out in pain, blood and saliva spewing from his mouth, before he slashed out to both sides, gutting himself while his brothers watched his act with horror.
The howl of Kiyiya rung again, and just before Fenris hit the ground, a flash of green could be seen in his eyes.
The shepherd of the night hit the ground with a wet thud, falling into a pool of his own blood and entrails.
Kiyiya howled again, and the crimson moon returned to its normal faint golden glow. A light which shone down on Fenris, almost as a parting gesture while black smoke seemed to rise up from his form, imperceptible in the darkness of the night.
The moon slowly sunk below the horizon, signaling the end of the night. Yet the sun was still waiting to show. Waiting for Nuntis' call. A call which wouldn't come for many more hours.
A moonless sky. A dark sky. A dark sky for a world in mourning.
The shepherd of the night had died, and with him an era. An era marked with mistakes and sorrow, and a vow by the two remaining wolves to do better.
<<>><<>><<>>
They had watched from the shadows and cloaked by invisibility, yet even as an ghost, Clockwork feared for his existence as he and Necronomicon watched the wolves fight.
But now, hours after the two barely surviving wolves had retreated, taking with them the remains of Fenris, Clockwork and Necky moved out of cover, carefully making their way to the mangled bodies of the Kadzite still lying on the ground.
"Let's just get this over with," Necronomicon sighed wearily.
Nodding weakly, Clockwork grabbed hold of Necky with both hands, and mixed his energy with that of the shapeshifting book for reasons Necky promised to explain at a later time.
The bodies of the Kadzite reacted to the spectral energy permeating their mortal shells. And as had happened to those back in the settlement, black green fire burned away the dead shell until nothing remained
"There are still others out there," Necky muttered as Clockwork released his hold, allowing Necronomicon to hover away from him while rustling his pages, "but we have gathered enough to serve our needs. Let's go, Clockwork. There are still several tasks that need our attention." And he silently flew away, Clockwork lagging behind for only a few tense seconds; an ill feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.
They moved for what seemed like hours to Clockwork, but eventually they returned to what remained of the settlement, and passing through it without a second glance. Then Necky sighed out once more as he and Clockwork found themselves at the edge of the settlement, and both looked back at the fire claiming the last of the structures, and watching them collapse as their integrity failed.
"So much death, and for what? Eternal life? How would one even go about and find such a thing by such extreme methods?" Another sigh escaped him. "Bah… the ignorance and stupidity of the young." He turned around and moved for the hill he and Clockwork first appeared on this world. "Come, Clockwork. It's time for us to leave and set in motion the next stage of events."
<<>><<>><<>>
A tortured howl cut through the dark void.
Beings of unrecognizable origins and forms turned towards the source of the sound, a lone rocky island floating in the depths of the Dark Zone; on it, a massive beast roared out while slashing at everything and anything while a dark aura surrounded his form.
"Eliri!" "Get out!"
He roared out in anguish, slamming himself against a large column of stone.
A new screech reverberated through the Dark Zone. This one distorted, angry, evil.
The dark glow surrounding the beast, before it was forcefully stripped away by both of the beast's claws; cutting deeply into his own flesh as he did so; falling to the ground slick with glowing green blood.
The darkness flew away into the depths of the Dark Zone, injured, and looking for a way to return.
"Neniu!" Fenris wheezed, realizing his complete failure. "No!"
The corruption born from his anger and hatred had claimed his life, and had now gained its own freedom. Injured, yes. But out there, waiting to strike again. But his fight with his host had been unplanned, and unwanted. An unexpected surge of resistance which took it by surprise. And although separated from its host, it made sure to take something with it. Something that would make sure its host wouldn't forget.
Figuratively speaking, that is.
The mind truly is easy to manipulate, if one knows how to do it.
<<>><<>><<>>
As Fenris collapsed into unconsciousness, he could feel the damage done to his mind. The scars left behind, and the feeling something was missing. Something important, but what?
The answer would come soon after he woke up after an undetermined amount of time, his wounds healing into wicked looking scars, and a mind with many holes.
He tried to speak, to call out, but found he couldn't. He tried to remember what happened, but this remained a mystery to him as well. Chunks of his mind were missing. Whole parts of his being, gone. Even something as fundamental to one's person as language was taken from him.
Yet despite the knowledge missing, Fenris found other parts of his mental self remained intact. Enough to know who and what he was. But it was all mixed, twisted, and put out of place. It confused him, scared him, angered him. And as he desperately tried to connect the pieces, to put back the puzzle of his mind, his anger and confusion made him act in unpredictable ways. Lashing out to everything and everyone either brave or stupid enough to venture into the Dark Zone and approach the small rocky island Fenris had stranded on.
Years, centuries, and millennia passed since that point as he slowly regained a grasp over his broken mind; filling the holes with whatever knowledge he could gain from the various strange creatures who dared to set foot on his land.
At first, he was unable to do more than blind screaming and panicked roars towards the intruders, causing them to disregard Fenris as nothing but a wild beast that was unable to communicate. But as time passed, Fenris picked up on the language these entities spoke. He had to relearn one of the most basic, but important aspects of personality; speech.
But even then he knew something was missing. A part of himself he knew to be very dangerous, even if he couldn't recall what it was.
For many long years he struggled with the holes in his mind, and the knowledge that he was missing something important. And he would continue to struggle, until destiny came knocking on his door, and three very unlikely creatures found their way onto his land.
"GHRRR… Pony?" He growled, slowly stepping out of the cave he had called home for longer than he could remember. And with fearful eyes, the three creatures watched the cave's entrance as Fenris stepped out of the shadows.
"A-a-a-are you F-Fenrir?" The white pony asked.
"Fenrir!?" Fenris repeated, looking away for a bit as images suddenly filled his mind. Memories long lost, brought back by that one name. He looked back at the three, growling loudly as he pressed even closer. "How do you know that name!?"
Shrinking down as much as they could, Fenris practically on top of them at this point, all the white pony could do was squeak in answer.
"Y-You're the a-ancient evil who holds the cure for my kind?" The black, insect-like pony said. Trying to sound brave, but failing miserably.
"Evil," Fenris growled, slowly circling around the trio. "Evil," he repeated, stopping in place and staring out in the distance as he remembered his actions; and what made him do them in the first place. "Some would say I am, others would just call me a monster," he said with a rumbling voice as he turned back to the fillies, letting his rancid breath roll over them.
"Ain't that tha same thing?" The bow wearing pony said without thought, and panic and fear grew on the faces of all three fillies as they realized what she had said.
"She didn't mean it like that," the white pony quickly said in a high pitched voice, yet Fenris ignored her as he stared at the bow wearing pony, contemplating his words.
"Those who are evil aren't necessarily monsters. And those who are monsters aren't necessarily evil," he said, then, much to their surprise, he backed off.
"Leave this land, mortals. I do not know how you got here, nor do I care," he growled at them as he moved back to his cave. "But I do not have what you seek, nor am I interested in helping."
"Wha-... HEY!" The insect pony shouted, breaking away from the other two ponies. "I did not come all this way for nothing! You have something I need, and I'm not leaving without it." She stated, eyes burning.
"LEAVE!" Fenris roared, pouncing down on the insect pony and stopping mere centimeters before her, claws at the ready and fangs baring.
Being suddenly targeted by the wolf, the insect pony shrieked as she stood frozen on the spot; her mane blowing back from the force of the wolf's breath.
Breathing deeply, and trying to ignore Fenris' rancid breath, the black pony stood her ground; glaring into Fenris' eyes.
"No!" She stated. "My kind is dying, and they are counting on me to find a way to cure them," she spoke back, insecure at first, but growing more and more confident as she spoke. "I don't care what it takes, or what I must do, but I will find a way to help them. That’s why I am here, and I'm not leaving!"
"Ghrrrrrr...'" Fenris roared, smelling the insect pony. "You smell of fear, yet pride makes you defy me," his gaze shifted to the bow wearing pony. "Fear is all I can sense from you," he then looked at the white pony with a horn. "But you," he growled lowly, stepping over the insect pony, who released a nervous breath as Fenris moved to the white pony. "You are different. Fear is strong within you. Stronger than both of them combined. Yet, there is something else... Something very… familiar."
The white pony stared at Fenris as he stood a mere half meter away from her and the bow wearing pony; the two of them still holding on to one another. Then, without warning, Fenris lunged forwards with an open mouth.
Screaming, both ponies closed their eyes in fright. But whereas the bow wearing pony could only scream, the white pony seemed to act with an instinct for survival, and raised both front legs to her side; hooves aglow.
Thunk
Silence.
"... Are... Are we still alive?" The bow wearing pony squeaked, not daring to look.
Their ears twitched at the sound of Fenris' teeth scraping across the glowing surface of the shield the white pony had projected over them. The insect pony gasped out a mere second later, which made the two ponies to reluctantly open their eyes. Only for them to shoot open as they saw what happened; what was surrounding them.
"Sweetie Belle…?" The bow wearing pony said, awed. "How tha heck are ya doin' that?"
"... I... don't know," she replied, looking just as surprised as her friends.
With glowing hooves spread out to either side, a glowing dome surrounding her friend and herself, shielding them from Fenris' attack.
Intrigued, Fenris stared at the glowing green dome, sensing a change coming. A change, whether for the good or bad, he didn't know. But a change to maybe, possibly make a difference. And to make amends.
With a flicker, the glowing shield failed and collapsed, exposing the two fillies to the dangers outside once more. With fear evident in their eyes, they looked up at Fenris who had just attacked them, expecting the worst. Yet, as they waited for him to attack once again, all he did was stare at them; thinking.
Slowly turning his head to the insect pony, he loudly blew air from his nose.
"You seek a cure, for which I do not know. Yet you're here for a reason. One which you barely understand yourselves." He stood back up to his full height, staring down at the fillies. "I am Fenris, shepherd of the night. I shall listen to what you have to say."
This chapter is edited by Halusm, Clayton the Hunter, Clawder, and King of Kings.
Special thanks to AnonymousMaterials for the use of his character, Mort.
Chaos, Harmony, And Darkness.
<<>><<>><<>>
Celestia twisted and turned in her sleep. The stress of the day in regards to the ghost, or ghosts in Ponyville, and the worrying incident with her sister was making it all but possible for her to sleep peacefully as her worry translated into dreams.
A worry for her sister, herself, and everyone else going beyond the normal moments of stress and anxiety.
Something she had experienced only a few times before in her unnaturally long life. Back when Luna fell to the corruption, or when Sombra took over the Crystal Empire. Then there was the whole Discord debacle. She couldn't forget that even if she wanted to. But there was one moment, one point in time oh so long ago which was brought to the forefront of her mind, and which was now the cause of her fervent twisting and turning. A terrible occurrence in which she and Luna lost everything. Their home. Their village. Their parents. Their adopted brother. Even their lives were taken away. Taken as they became something neither one of them could have imagined. Something more than they were. And something less, as they lost the last remaining link to their former selves, save their memories.
Their names.
<<>><<>><<>>
Many lifetimes ago.
Night began to claim the land, and empty, desolate eyes watched what remained of their village; the flickering light of the fires eating away at the debris while uncontrolled sobbing and crying filled the air.
Emotionally detached from shock, Sunny Skies quietly looked around. Time appeared to move at a snail's pace while Starlight lay beside her, sobbing while gently nursing her broken leg. Something most of the few surviving ponies did, as none of them escaped without some injury. Whether it being physical, mental, or both.
The only reason that they were sitting at the edge of their former village and not running for their lives was because the beasts who had attacked had all left, taking with them the majority of the village's population.
Not that they could have ran if the beasts did return, as they were mentally and physically exhausted after the ordeal.
The sound of wood snapping, falling, and crashing onto the ground and other debris caused everypony to flinch and scream out in fright. But fortunately, it proved to be nothing more than the last remaining piece of the village's wall which finally gave in, and allowed gravity to take hold over it.
Minutes passed by in eerie silence, with only the sound of crackling fire to fill the air with sound. Minutes turned into hours, while the land grew darker and darker still.
"So what do we do now?" Starlight asked with a tiny voice, the fur around her eyes wet from tears.
Her voice, as small as it was, sounded like thunder breaking a heavy but fragile silence. Everypony flinched from her voice, before they all turned to look at Starlight; most of them unable to see her due to the darkness of the night, but aiming towards where the sound had come from.
"I don't know." Sunny Skies answered flatly, voice void of any emotions.
"Where do we go?"
"I don't know."
"What about mother... father?"
"I don't know."
"... Clockwork?"
"I don't know."
"Sunny, wha-"
"I DON'T KNOW!" She yelled, before bursting out in tears and crying out to the sky.
"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know," she wailed, dropping to the ground and covering her face with her hooves. "I just don't know."
Starlight carefully moved closer to her sister's side, pulling her into a comforting hug as she finally allowed the emotional impact of today's tragedy to firmly take hold.
"We lost everything, Starlight." Sunny Skies sobbed, "I- I just don't know what to do."
"Then we'll figure it out, together." Starlight said as she tightened her hold, all of them watching the smouldering remains of their village. Wondering just how to continue on.
The glowing embers drifting up in the sky provided no answers.
<<>><<>><<>>
The night seemed to last forever, as minutes seemed to drag on for hours. But eventually, the first warming rays of the sun stretched out over the land, illuminating the charred remains of the village.
The small group of survivors, still found near the edge of the village, all stiffly rose off the ground. All of them tired and bleary eyed, with only a sparse few who had managed to get some sleep; fitful as it may have been.
It wouldn't be for many more hours before the group would move; all of them watching with despair at their village as the light of the sun revealed the full extent of the destruction.
It would be still a while longer before they overcame their shock from the sight, but then came the task of finding anything salvageable, and put to rest anyone who had died… and hadn't been taken.
Of course they also had to help any who were injured. But with next to no supplies, this was easier said than done. Even so, eventually, by use of magic and a whole lot of improvisation, they managed… barely; before they began their long and difficult journey towards the nearest village. A journey which under normal circumstances would take a little over a day. Now though, they weren't sure how long it would take. Nor were they sure there was even a village left to go to, seeing it too bordered on the edge of this vast forest.
And as they moved (some being pulled by others as they lay on a salvaged cart which miraculously had survived the devastation) they all glanced back at their former home with sadness and sorrow.
Starlight too, as she sighed out; walking unsteadily on three legs while her broken leg was made immobile using a piece of charred wood and some rope. As she followed the rest of the group, she shot one mournful glance towards the forest. The forest where the unprovoked attack had come from. The forest she had seen the manticore run off to with Clockwork. A manticore unlike any she had ever seen before; black with green eyes… A manticore which was staring back at her, just beyond the trees' edge.
Starlight froze on the spot, eyes wide and fearful.
The beast slowly stepped back into the shadows of the forest, fading from sight while never breaking its gaze; the glow from its eyes was the last she could see, before it too vanished into the darkness.
"Starlight?" Sunny Skies quietly called out.
"He's here," she murmured.
"What, who's here?" Sunny Skies asked worriedly, glancing around for any sign of danger while the rest of the group moved further without stopping.
"The beast that took Clockwork," Starlight said with a hiss and a growl, taking a step towards the forest.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Her sister called out in alarm, which made the other ponies stop and turn to look at them.
"He's still in there," Starlight stated, "Clockwork." She took another step towards the forest. "I'm not leaving him behind," and with an unsteady gait, she moved towards the forest.
"Starlight!" Sunny shouted, jumping in front of her younger sister to block her path.
Starlight looked at her sister, knowing exactly what she was about to say.
"We already lost our parents. If Clockwork is st-"
"Exactly!" Sunny shouted, distressed. "So why are you going back there, trying to get yourself killed?"
"Because I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for him!" Starlight shouted back, teary eyed. She then seemed to deflate a bit. "He saved my life. So, if he is still out there, then shouldn't we save him? He would have done the same fo-..." she paused for a moment "He already did," she muttered as she looked down at the ground. Then, looking back up at Sunny with a determined frown, she took another step towards the forest. "We owe it to him. I owe it to him."
"But Star-"
"I know, Sunny. I know. Why risk my life? A life which Clockwork had to sacrifice his own life for?" She spoke, looking at the forest. "The answer is simple—" she looked over her shoulder at Sunny "— I choose to do so." And without another word, she slowly, wobbly, but confidently made her way towards the forest.
Stuck in a dilemma of wanting to help her sister, and not wanting to abandon the relative safety of the group, Sunny Skies shifted her gaze between both continuously; not sure what she should do.
She couldn't just leave her sister, obviously. But what about her friends?
She looked at the group of ponies, some of which looked back at her and Starlight with frowns and concern; yet also clearly showing their desire to move and leave this place as fast as possible.
She couldn't just leave them, could she? But Starlight was the only family she had left, and she was heading for the forest from where those monsters had come from, just so she could find Clockwork.
Sunny clenched her eyes shut while a single sob escaped her. Then, she too, took a step towards the forest. Starlight and Clockwork were her family, and she knew they would have gone through Tartarus and back for her if she was in danger.
'Starlight is right,' she thought, 'It is simple,' and she spread out her wings and took to the sky. 'And yet, this has to be the most difficult choice I have ever made.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Several years prior.
Arctic wind howled over snow covered plains as Clockwork and Necky moved out of the portal. Clockwork immediately shielded his face from the biting cold wind, while Necky merely acknowledged the rapid drop in temperature with a minute rustle of his pages.
"Where are we?" Clockwork asked, voice slightly raised to be heard over the wind.
"The Ghost Zone. To be more precise, the Far Frozen, as the locals call it for obvious reasons," Necronomicon answered, taking a moment to observe his surroundings.
"And why are we here?" Clockwork asked as he, too, looked around.
"To meet someone important, whose ability is imperative for our plan to succeed." Necky calmly replied, then settled his sight upon a tall ice mountain. "Follow me," he instructed, and flew of.
Not wanting to be left behind and freeze to Purgatory, Clockwork was quick to follow.
"So who is it we're meeting?" He asked, looking ahead to the mountain they were obviously heading for.
"You'll see soon enough," Necky answered vaguely. "But Clockwork," he added almost instantly. His tone of voice most serious, "Speak of this to no one. Not many know of her, and even fewer know where to find her. If you talk, if you reveal to others who she is, and where to find her, there isn't a plane of existence where you can hide from me."
Taken aback, and even a bit shocked by what he was just told, Clockwork faltered and fell behind a bit as he looked at Necronomicon with large, worried, and even slightly fearful eyes.
Swallowing the large lump which had suddenly formed in his throat, he weakly nodded before resuming to follow after Necky.
The rest of their flight was done in silence, while Clockwork kept going over and over what Necky had said. Wondering just who, or what they were going to meet. And as he contemplated all the possibilities, he took notice of a village near the mountain made from the snow and ice itself. Massive figures could also be seen moving through the streets, going about their day to day afterlives.
For a moment, Clockwork thought it was the village Necky was leading him to. However, Necronomicon continued instead on his path towards the mountain; angling down slightly as he moved towards what Clockwork now identified as a small house carved into the side of the mountain. And standing before it, looking towards them with orange glowing eyes, stood a hooded, cloak-covered giant wielding a staff constructed from the purest of ice; made of two rods twisted around each other in a spiral, the dim glow of arctic energy emanating from within. The bottom of the staff was tapered off, while the top was much wider, and contained a glowing gemstone which shone a vibrant red.
Clockwork was about to ask who it was, and if this was the being they were meeting. But Necronomicon didn't allow him the chance as he dove down and towards the giant.
Not wanting to be left behind, Clockwork did the same.
"Hello Necronomicon, Clockwork," the being greeted with an aged, but wisdom filled female voice.
"Greetings, Elder," Necky greeted with a slight tilt forwards in means of a bow.
"Hold on, you know me?" Clockwork asked, surprised.
"Indeed I do, Sebastian."
Clockwork reared back, and actually lost control over his levitation, resulting in him falling backwards into the snow; sinking deeply into the white layer.
Scampering to get out of the shallow and cold hole he had dug for himself, he regarded the female giant with wide, shocked eyes.
"You know my name… My birth name?"
"I know even more than that, young one. But this is neither the place nor time to discuss such matters," she told him. She then turned towards Necky. "You are here to see her, correct?"
"Correct."
"Then please, follow me," she instructed. "And stay close," she aimed at Clockwork. "The entrance will not stay open for long."
Still shaken by the fact the giant knew who he was back when he was still alive, Clockwork was hesitant to follow. A quick glance from Necronomicon, however, proved to be enough for Clockwork to catch up with the two. Although he was uncharacteristically quiet as he regarded the cloaked giant with a mixture of distrust and fright.
'Who is she? And how does she know me?' He wondered, following after the Elder and Necky.
Answers to those questions didn't come, however, as the three of them stopped before a massive, near vertical wall of ice. A side of the mountain which, to Clockwork, seemed indistinguishable from the rest of the frozen construct. However, the Elder and Necky moved towards it with purpose.
Then, coming to a stop within reaching distance of the mountain side, the Elder placed her staff against the cold surface. The jewel in the staff began to glow a bright red, which seeped into the ice wall. And Clockwork watched with large eyes as a portion of the ice wall faded away, revealing a passage deep inside the mountain.
"Stay close," the Elder reminded Clockwork as they entered; Clockwork looked around in amazement as he hovered inside, the wall freezing shut behind him the instant he did so.
"Where are we? What is this place?"
"The sanctum of Tree of Life," the Elder answered. "Our most cherished, and most protected secret," she then stopped abruptly, and shot Clockwork a glance. But before she could speak, Necronomicon cut in.
"I have already warned him not to speak of this to anyone."
"Very well," the Elder sighed out, and continued following the path leading deep inside the mountain.
As they moved deeper inside the mountain, Clockwork took notice of the fact the light didn't seem to dim. In fact, it seemed to become brighter and brighter the further they went; almost as if the light of a warm summer day was shining right inside the icy tunnel.
It was curious, and it intrigued Clockwork, who wondered what and who was hidden within the mountain. The answer, however, was something he could never have guessed.
Deep within the mountain, standing in a massive cave was a tree larger and wider than Clockwork had ever seen. The tree's massive roots were dug deep in the ice, tapping into the energy of the Ghost Zone. Which, as Clockwork deduced, was also the reason for the ice surrounding the massive tree to glow. The Zone's energy flowed into the mountain, and from the mountain into the tree. An energy which nourished the tree, allowing it to grow to its impressive size. With a trunk several meters thick, and branches spreading out far and wide, covering the entire roof in leaves of faint glowing green.
"Wow," was all Clockwork was able to say, absolutely amazed by the sight.
"Hello, old friend," the Elder greeted as she stepped towards the tree, placing a large, white fur covered hand on the base of the trunk. "You have some visitors."
"Wait, what?" Clockwork uttered, confused. "This tree is the one we're supposed to meet?"
"This tree has a name," Necronomicon retorted, sounding strangely insulted. "She is Tree of Life. Remember it." He then hovered over to the giant tree, hovering next to the Elder as he looked up.
"Hello, sis. I need your help."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wait, what!?" Clockwork shouted, his voice echoing in the massive room. "Sis!?"
Necky sighed out as he slowly turned around, looking at Clockwork. "Which is why you will not reveal any of this to others," he stated, then returned his attention back to his sister. "I need your help. Surely you know of the events transpiring; what has been set in motion. Yet, despite the abilities I possess, there is one thing I can not do. Unlike you, I can not create new life. I can return souls to a mortal shell, or strip them away. Even reshape life to some extent, should this be necessary. But for this, for what is to come, something else is needed. Something new. Something only you can create. Something that will aid those chosen in stopping our br-... Discord, and help them to protect a world disconnected and out of balance."
No response came from Tree of Life, and after a few moments Clockwork was about to give voice to his own questions, only for the Elder to shush him.
"Do not speak when it is not required," she told him with a stern gaze. Clockwork weakly nodded in answer.
Then, as if struck by a fierce wind, the leaves of Tree of Life began to rustle loudly. And Clockwork could swear he actually saw Tree of Life slightly shake herself as well.
The glow coming from the walls seemed to increase, while energy could be seen gathering down under the tree; seeping into the roots, then traveling up through the trunk and into the largest and highest of Tree of Life's branches.
A small dot of light formed halfway on the branch, faint at first, but rapidly increasing in size and luminosity. Eventually, the Elder and Clockwork had to shield their eyes from the bright glare being emitted, actually able to feel the warmth coming from it.
Then, with the light slowly dimming, Clockwork risked a glance through lidded eyes, wondering what had happened.
"She has delivered," the Elder spoke, sounding awed and concerned. "Transpiring events must truly be out of control for mere mortals to solve."
"They are," Necronomicon answered tensely, looking at his sister with a worried frown. Then his gaze shifted to the walls surrounding them, noticing the warm glow coming from them had dimmed considerably. "Had they not, I wouldn't have come here; making her use so much of her energy like this."
"She is okay, right?" Clockwork asked, worried as he looked up at the many branches over head; noticing the leaves drooping down.
"She is," the Elder confirmed. "But what she just did sapped away most of her strength. She will recover, but it will take time. She doesn't grow a new seed often, and never before has she given life to one with so much potential; nor so rapidly."
"A new seed?" Clockwork asked, flummoxed.
"Observe," the Elder pointed up at the branch the blinding light had come from.
Hanging high above, still glowing faintly with contained energy, was a seed as large as Clockwork's head. It seemed to be made from a light blue crystal, with shades of dark blue and purple mixed in. Six bumps circled around it, each with their own distinct color: Orange, blue, purple, violet, red, and pink.
It suddenly seemed to shake, and this time Clockwork saw Tree of Life move the branch to shake free her newborn seed.
It let go, and fell to the floor, only to be caught in a spectral glow from Necky; gently and carefully levitating it towards himself as he looked down upon it with an almost reverent smile.
"She's beautiful," he said, looking back up at his sister. "I'll make sure she is planted in the most fertile soil there is."
The Elder chose that moment to step forwards, pulling a thick blanket out from underneath her cloak. "Allow me. The cold from the Far Frozen will be damaging for one so young," she said as she held the fabric in between both her hands.
Necky, almost hesitantly, placed the seed in the warming fabric, and the Elder carefully wrapped it around the newborn seed. Then, with a moment's hesitance, she handed the seed over to Clockwork. "Protect her with your life, otherwise it will be yours you must fear for," she warned, and Clockwork could see Necronomicon glare at him from over her shoulders.
Swallowing audibly, he reluctantly accepted the seed while making sure not to make any eye contact with Necky.
The branches of Tree of Life seemed to sag, and her exhaustion was evident.
"We should leave," the Elder motioned for them to follow. "She needs to rest, and you still have much to do."
"We do," Necky confirmed. "Just, give me a moment, if you will?"
Nodding, the Elder guided Clockwork back through the tunnel and towards the ice covered entrance, allowing Necronomicon a moment alone with his sister.
"... I guess there is just too much to say," Necky spoke after a moment. "Too much to say, and not enough time to say it," he sighed out wearily. "But of all the things that I want to say, there is one thing I must: I'm sorry. You were right. I trusted Discord too much, despite being able to see it myself. But I chose to trust him, to believe in him to the point I blinded myself and didn't listen to you trying to warn me. And now I am trying to fix a mistake that can't be fixed." He sighed out once more, and slowly moved for the tunnel leading out of the mountain, before stopping just shy of the tunnel, sighing deeply "... Choice has always been the problem," and with those final words, he left the room.
<<>><<>><<>>
"I bid you farewell, Clockwork, Necronomicon," the Elder said after the three of them had reached the point of the Far Frozen Necky and Clockwork had first entered. "And till the next time our paths will cross."
"Wait, hold on," Clockwork argued, clutching the large seed tightly against his chest. "There are still some things I wan-"
"The answers you're due will come, eventually. Not here, not now; but soon. I can promise you that," the Elder told him, looking at him with piercing orange glowing eyes.
"We shouldn't waste more time," Necky cut in, eyeing the covered seed with a worried eye. "It is far too cold for her, even insulated as she is." — He harrumphed — "If only I could open a portal closer to the mountain, then this wouldn't have been an issue."
"You know why this isn't possible," the Elder told him.
"I know, I know," Necky sighed out. "And I understand why she has closed off this portion of the Zone. But still…"
"Your worry is understandable, so I won't hold you any longer," the Elder gave a small nod.
Necronomicon nodded back, then turned around and used his powers to open a portal towards their next destination.
"Let's go," he instructed Clockwork, and together the two vanished inside the swirling green of the portal.
A frozen wind howled over the white plaines, kicking up a cloud of fine powder snow while the Elder continued to look at the spot Clockwork had hovered only a moment ago.
"The path I saw before you; twisted and curved, and filled with hardships. Just what has Destiny planned for you?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Clockwork and Necky dropped out of the portal, and into the dense forest Clockwork recognized from near the village he had lived in as a pony.
He looked around, confused, while still holding the seed, "Hold on, we're back?"
"We are," Necky confirmed, "Most of what needs to be done, must be done here. The previous tasks, concerning the Kadzite, as well as my… niece—" he paused a moment as he said that word with noticeable confusion "—there is only one more task which requires us to venture outside of this world."
"The Kadzite," Clockwork said with shock. "I almost forgot about them. What will happen to them? And what did we even do to them in the first place?"
"Those answers will come soon. First, though, we need to finish this task, in this time."
"In this time?" Clockwork repeated, confused.
"Hey, ugly. Remember me?" Clockwork could hear a familiar voice say, and his eyes widened as he saw Starlight, the filly he met after being attacked by a manticore. He saw her, as he watched her save him from that very manticore he had run from all those years ago.
He was observing his own past.
"... Eehh. Should I?" Clockwork's younger, ponified self asked.
"Not you," Starlight shot back, rolling her eyes. Then she refocused on the manticore, and lowered her stance; grinning as her horn glowed. "Sunny isn't here right now, so we can have all the fun we want."
"What is the meaning of this?" Clockwork asked, wide eyed, watching Starlight slam the manticore's bulbous tip on its head using her magic.
"I brought us here, at this point in time, because she—" Necky looked at his niece "—needs time to grow. But if we go back further in time, give her more time to grow, then Discord also has a greater chance of finding out, and the plan that has been made against him. It is also why I brought you here, at this point in time. Back then, and now. Several incursions in time at the same time is less noticeable than several incursions at different points in time. The ripples caused will interact with, and blur each other out, making it harder to detect each separate one."
"Does it really work like that?" Clockwork asked, not entirely convinced.
"Meh," Necky gave what passed as a shrug. "It's not like I'm the master of time, or anything. Besides, you're the clockmaker, not me. So what do you think?"
"Me?... I would think that causing so many ripples at one point in time would be even more difficult to keep hidden than just a small incursion here and there. Each and every ripple would react, and increase the distortion caused to the timeline. Especially considering there are now two of both of us. The only way something like this would remain hidden is if someone would actively monitor and manipulate the fabric of time to keep all of this hidden." Clockwork surmised, eyes narrowed as he was partially lost in thought. His eyes shot open, however, as he recalled something else Necky had said, "And how do you know I'm a clockmaker? And for that matter, how did the Elder know my name?"
"It's not my right to answer for the Elder," Necronomicon said as he looked at the fillies and colt as they headed for the village. "But as for me, and how I know about your profession when you were still alive… I'm the book of the dead, as so many have called me. But sparsely few actually know what this entails," he looked back at Clockwork, who looked at him expectantly. "I hold a vast amount of knowledge of the dead. How to raise them, or how to simply kill."
"That much I know," Clockwork admitted.
"And yet you remain unaware, like so many others," Necronomicon returned, bobbing on the spot. "Think, Clockwork. For me to have the knowledge to kill, to end a life, I also need to have knowledge of the living. I'm not merely 'The Book of the Dead'. I am the 'Book of Life and Death'. Or more precise: I am the Embodiment of Life and Death. I know all about death. I know all about life." —he looked out towards the village once more— " And I know all about those connected to it." His gaze returned to Clockwork, who looked at him with widened, shocked eyes, "And thus, I know all about you. Your birth, your life, your death, and your afterlife." —Necky sighed out tiredly— "It's the curse of us Embodiments. For us to have the powers we do, an equal negativity is required. Each one is different, though, and specified based on the abilities we possess. And this is mine. To know all about anyone's life, just by merely looking at them."
"Tha- That is amazing," Clockwork gasped.
"No, it isn't," Necky shot back. "Knowing everything about everyone only makes it more difficult to interact with anyone, because you already know who is honest, and who isn't; who to trust, and who not, and still having to deal with them, pretending not to know… When you know who someone truly is without them knowing, you will only see just how fake they truly are," he let loose a throaty sigh. "We've wasted enough time as it is. We should go and plant my niece, allow her to become part of this world." And Necky flew off into the depths of the forest, leaving behind a completely dumbstruck Clockwork.
<<>><<>><<>>
Deeper and deeper they went, the light of the sun barely able to pierce through the thick canopy, and only their ghost vision allowed Necky and Clockwork to move through the forest without bumping into anything.
Clockwork had protested at first, arguing they could just as easily go intangible and simply move through the trees and other obstacles, but Necronomicon had shot that idea down, harshly.
His niece, as he had said, is in a most delicate state; able to absorb the energy around her, and shape it for her own needs. And, as such, they needed to limit her exposure to any spectral energy as she was meant to harness this world's magical energy, not their spectral energy. And so, they, or more precisely Clockwork, weaved from tree to tree as he followed after Necky.
"Can you at least tell me where it is we're going?" Clockwork asked eventually, grimacing as yet another tree branch swatted in his face.
"Remember that hallway you woke up in?" Necronomicon asked, not looking back.
"Yes, what of it?" Clockwork replied.
"It wasn't really there. It was merely a mental construct you yourself created, as it was what you expected it to be. After all, didn't you see it before, back when you first stood at that crossroad?"
Clockwork gasped and came to an abrupt stop. "You don't mean…"
Necky, too, stopped, and turned around to look at Clockwork. "Yes. The long tunnel with the bright light at the end. But you didn't choose to enter the light, you chose to go the other way, and to remain as you are today."
"Purgatory," Clockwork gasped. "The choice."
"Yes..." Necky nodded. "There is an area here, nearby. It's unusually connected to the afterlife, but still separated all the same. When I brought you there, wounded and in your mortal shell, you were 'pushed' through this thin barrier and interacted with your perception of Purgatory. However, my presence, and the fact you were already dead allowed you to leave without having to choose again. We are now returning to this location, because this stronger than usual connection with death's energy also has another strange effect on the surrounding area," Necky paused for a bit, bobbing in the air.
"Magic is this world's life force, and as such it will react to an 'invader' it deems harmful. Like an antibody of sorts. Because of this, magic flows much stronger in this location than anywhere else. It will be the perfect place to plant my niece, and to set in motion the rest of this plan."
"I see," Clockwork mumbled, milling over everything he learned up until this point. "And where do the Kadzite fit in with all of this?"
"Ah, yes. I did promise I would explain. But we are on the clock, so let's continue towards our destination. I'll explain on the way."
Nodding, Clockwork followed Necronomicon; the two flying just a bit slower to allow Clockwork to stay within hearing range while still dodging the trees and bushes.
"As I told you before, the Kadzite are best compared with terrorist groups from your world. Individuals, or groups of individuals committing acts of terror out of misplaced and twisted ideals and beliefs. It was by their doing that Fenris fell to the corruption you have witnessed first hand. His story, however, is not important to you… yet," —Clockwork raised an eyebrow at that, but remained silent— "As for the Kadzite, and what we did to them specifically. I used a spell on them, a very complex, difficult, and dangerous spell. Something no one alone can pull off, as it requires the combined energy of at least two individuals. No matter how powerful one might be. A safety precaution," he added as he shot Clockwork a sideways glance.
"Now, what this spell does is strip away the soul of those alive. Or, if they are already dead, as was the case with the Kadzite, it blocks them from Purgatory, and from moving on." Clockwork faltered, and nearly crashed into a tree. "Careful," Necky warned him. "Now, this is merely the first stage of this spell. The second stage binds the soul or souls affected to those who performed the spell. In this case, you and I" Another tree, another near miss "I know what you want to say," Necky quickly added before Clockwork could speak up, "but this was done for a good reason. The Kadzite are now bound to us, making us their master. They can't move on, unless we allow them."
"Of course, being the mere disembodied souls as they are now, they serve little purpose to us. But, if we count in the fact my ability to raise the dead, and my ability to remold life, we can make some good use of them while also punishing the Kadzite for their crimes and upsetting the balance of their world. Of course, their willingness to cooperate is still debatable. But I'm sure that between the two of us, we can figure something out."
"You really want to 'play' with life like that?!" Clockwork asked, sounding appalled.
"No!" Necky affirmed. "This most definitely is no game to me. What this is to me, however, is a necessity to stop an even greater disaster from unfolding. A disaster which was, and is made possible through the mistakes of many… including myself," he admitted shamefully. "And by some who still need to make their mistakes. Something that can't be prevented from happening. But something that can be stopped, if the pieces are all in the right place… and time."
"Has this something to do with these Embodiments you mentioned earlier?" Clockwork asked cautiously. "What, or who are they?"
Necronomicon sighed out. "I did, didn't I?... Yes, the Embodiments are involved, both for the better and the worse. Like I already revealed, I'm the Embodiment of Life and Death. The Elder is the Embodiment of Truth, which is why she knew what she did. There are others as well, of course, with abilities unique and strange, matching what they represent. There are different types of Embodiments as well. Three types, to be exact. Two of which already exist. The other still has to be formed… Although this third type does consist of two subtypes... But I'm afraid this is all I can reveal to you, Clockwork. The existence of the Embodiments is not widely spread. And although not a secret, per se. It is also something we do not reveal without a good reason."
"And what reason do you have to reveal what you did, then?" Clockwork asked.
"You'll discover that soon enough. I'm sure," Necky told him. "But for now, we should focus on my niece, and the Kadzite." And as he said that, the two of them found themselves near a ravine. A sudden drop in the terrain which could be easily missed as it was hidden by the many bushes and low trees growing near the edge. And at the far side of the death trap waiting to be, there was a relatively small stretch of land. An 'island' encircled by the ravine, and inaccessible to anyone who couldn't fly.
"Down here," Necronomicon pointed out, and guided Clockwork down on what appeared to be a natural and rough path down into the darkness below.
Eyes easily adjusting to the darkness, Clockwork looked around for a bit, spotting a large, but shallow cave just on his right. There was little plant life, with only a few small, vine-like plants growing up against the walls. There was also some moss covering the rocks and boulders closer to the edge of the cave, and where they were exposed to the weather. He could also hear the faint dripping of water falling down from somewhere nearby, revealing to him a close source of water as well.
"Is this the place?" Clockwork asked, slowly looking around.
Necky didn't answer immediately. Instead, he flew inside the cave and lowered himself to the ground, scraping away some dirt with a corner of his cover.
"There is a strong sense of life within this soil," he shook the dirt off of him, and looked up. "And a stronger presence of magic as well. Not to mention this place being a shelter from the elements, while providing the natural requirements for most plant life… Except for sunlight."
"Is that going to be a problem?" Clockwork queried.
"Hardly," Necky answered. "... Yes, this place will do just fine," and he returned his attention back to Clockwork. "Please, if you would uncover my niece and place her on top of the soil. She'll do the rest."
Doing as instructed, Clockwork uncovered the large seed and placed it on the ground near where Necky had tested the soil.
Taking a couple of steps back, they watched as she lay motionless on the ground.
Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes without anything happening. For nearly thirty minutes they watched in silence. Then, the faintest of glows began to shine from the seed. The dripping Clockwork heard became louder and more frequent, speeding up until it sounded like the running water of a small stream; then a wild river.
The ground started to shake, and large fissures spread out under the seed, which then sunk down into the ground.
A massive torrent of water flowed out of crevices found in the rocky cliffside, flooding the area and forcing Clockwork and Necronomicon to back off considerably.
A beam of light shone up from the hole the seed had sunken into, and, accompanied by tremors, multiple roots shot out of the ground before diving back in and spreading out.
A small sapling rose up, quickly growing into the size of a tree several years old.
The water, now risen to nearly knee height, slowed its ascent, then came to a stop; having filled the lowered terrain surrounding the sapling, forming a crystal clear pond with only a single path of higher ground leading towards the small island that had now formed, and on which now stood a small but radiant tree. A tree seemingly made of pure, light blue crystal, and barren branches, but numerous closed buds growing to cover them.
The sound of the cascading water now stopped entirely, save the gentle 'drip, drip, drip' with which it started; each drip sending a ripple over the mirror smooth surface of the pond.
Silence.
"Is she done?" Clockwork asked finally, watching in awe.
"No," Necronomicon answered, pride strong in his voice. "She has only just begun."
<<>><<>><<>>
They hovered above the ridge of the ravine, looking down into the depths from where they had just watched the merger of Tree of Life's daughter with this world's magic.
Forcing himself away, Necky hovered over towards the treeline, looking at the dead branches, twigs, and leaves covering the ground.
"Clockwork, please come here," he called out to the ghost. "There is still more for us to do," and he levitated a couple of branches up to eye level, slowly rotating them as he inspected the decaying wood.
"What is it?" Clockwork asked.
"It's time for the Kadzite to receive their punishment."
"... I expected as much. You did say this 'barrier' between life and death was unusually thin here. It makes sense any punishment given to the Kadzite would be done here."
Necky turned slightly to look at Clockwork. "I see you are connecting the pieces with a level head again."
Clockwork inhaled deeply, before exhaling slowly. "More or less, yes. There are still many questions I have. Most of which I doubt you will ever answer, wholly. But the 'shock', I guess you could say, of everything you put me through… everything I've gotten myself into; it had put me in a spot I was uncomfortable at best, and forced me to reevaluate my choices and decisions up until this point."
"And?"
"And, I still don't like what you and the Observants have done; are still doing. But I can't deny my own involvement in these events either." Sighing out, Clockwork ran a hand through his wind-blown hair. "Nor can I deny that I'm here merely because I was curious about what could be… Does that make me a bad person?"
"... It makes you human," Necky answered.
"That doesn't really answer my question, though."
"And yet it does," Necky countered. "Clockwork, let me tell you something. There isn't really such a thing as good or bad. They are merely a concept, a name given to any situation by those who observed or experienced them. For example. If you were to push someone in front of an oncoming train, what would others say about you?"
"That I'm a bad person, evil probably. Why?"
"Hmhmm… And what if this person you pushed would have killed many others if you hadn't, then what?"
"... They would have praised me as a hero."
"Indeed. Good and evil are just labels given to a situation, which can also change if new details of a certain situation become known. What is good now, could be vile and horrid tomorrow. As for you, and the choices you've made, and which brought you here… No, they don't make you a bad person, per se. They do, however, make you a stupid person."
"Hey!" Clockwork protested.
"But this is alright. We all make choices we come to regret one day, or the other. And stupidity is only a bad thing if you don't work to change this. Stupidity, ignorance, they are life's best, and harshest teachers. They make you want to sink through the ground; do everything you can trying to undo the mistakes you've made because of them. And, in the end, they will teach you to never make such a mistake again… Which brings us back to the Kadzite, and teaching them a strict and harsh lesson."
"Which will be… what, exactly?"
"Irony in its truest form," Necronomicon answered, grinning just a bit evilly. "Eternal life is what they sought after, so it shall be. They shall not be able to die, but neither will they be among the living. They will remain trapped between the two planes of existence, while maintaining the balance they themselves sought to upset."
Clockwork looked at Necronomicon in unease, slightly backing off. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."
Necronomicon didn't answer, choosing instead to turn his back cover to Clockwork.
"Before we begin, there are a few things you should know. First, I will be the one performing the summoning spell to gather the Kadzite's souls, as well as the spell to trap them. However, they do not know about me as an intelligent being posing as a book. That is something I want to keep. You will do the talking. Don't worry, though. I will tell you what to say, and when you need to say it. But as I have explained before, this spell requires the combined power of at least two individuals to work, so you must transfer your energy into that of myself while I perform the spell."
Clockwork nodded, then realized Necronomicon wasn't looking at him. "I understand."
"Good," Necky said, hovering over to Clockwork and lowering himself into a waiting hand; flipping open at the centerfold. "Oh, and one more thing," he quickly added. "Don't worry about them not understanding. The spell that I'll use to summon the Kadzite will automatically translate our speech for them to understand."
Then, after he fell silent, runic words and symbols of an unknown origin appeared on the blank pages, aglow with the energy they summoned. Necky then spoke in a language Clockwork hadn't heard before, and the glow increased exponentially. So much so, Clockwork had to squint his eyes while he channeled his own energy into the hand with which he was holding Necronomicon.
The sky above them darkened as an unnatural wind suddenly blew through the trees, ripping off many leaves and branches, which then proceeded to fall down in a wide area around the two. Lightning flashed through the sky, and for a split second Clockwork wondered how he didn't hear or see anything of this back when he posed as a colt. Long to dwell on this matter he didn't have, as with a rumble of the earth, a waver in the air, and a static charge which made his hair stand on end, reality before him seemed to shift. Yet as he tried to focus on the warping structure before him, he found that he couldn't.
Pained howls and barks suddenly filled the air, and many shapeless forms of energy passed through the distorted reality; all coming to a stop surrounding Clockwork and Necronomicon.
A flash coming from Necky's pages drew Clockwork's attention back to the book in his hold, seeing new words appearing as if they were written by an invisible pen. Words which, this time, he could read.
Clockwork's eyes widened just a bit, before a determined frown settled on his features, and he looked up at the shapeless forms around him; stretching out his free arm before him with an open hand in a dramatic pose.
"Those lost to the void. Those fallen to darkness. Those I summoned from eternal nothingness beyond, hear my calling." —his eyes flicked down to the pages for a brief moment— "By my power, I bind you. By my words, I command you. By my will, I punish you… Those who have violated the sanctity of life, those who have killed and maimed for reasons selfish and unholy, feel my wrath. " A new, pulsating glow shone from Necronomicon, surrounding the many branches, twigs, and leaves littering the ground. "It was eternity you sought, and it shall be eternity you shall get." The dead and broken foliage rose up from the ground and began twisting around the numerous souls; slow at first, but picking up in speed as Clockwork continued. "It was life you betrayed, so it shall be life you protect. You are bound, you are trapped, you are cursed by my will. You shall no longer be able to eat, to breathe, to sleep, or to die." Clockwork took a deep breath, then continued.
"Now rise before me, reshaped as you are now. Creatures made of the decaying wood this forest discarded. Rise, and face your cursed destiny."
Lightning struck once more, and the forms of the wooden wolves were illuminated for Clockwork to see.
Then everything went dark again, save for the many glowing green eyes now staring at him.
<<>><<>><<>>
Barks, growls, and yelps filled the eerie air, and Clockwork nervously watched the wolves as they inspected their new bodies in a mixture of anger, fear, disgust, and numerous other emotions Clockwork had difficulty placing due to his own predicament. Mainly, finding himself right in the middle of a pack of murderous wolves who believe Clockwork to be responsible for their unwanted transformation. Not to mention their banishment to nothingness before that, and their summoning through an unstable veil of reality.
To say the Kadzite weren't happy would be a severe understatement. And thus Clockwork kept his movement to an absolute minimum.
Of course he hadn't forgotten about himself being a ghost, and his own abilities to keep himself safe. But he did not know exactly what it was Necronomicon had done to the Kadzite, save for what he could see with his own eyes, and he wasn't going to take any unnecessary risks provoking the wolves to find out.
An insistent flashing coming from his hand brought his attention back to Necky, who he was still holding, and made him realize there was still more to do. Swallowing his nervousness down, Clockwork lifted Necky back up and allowed him to open back at the centerfold where new instructions were written.
Quickly scanning the pages, Clockwork's eyes widened when he learned what it was he had to do. Breathing in deeply, he looked up from the pages and at the murderous wolves glowering at him. And, at that exact moment as he stared into the green glowing eyes of one of the wolves, he remembered all he saw them do; remembered all he was told about what they had done. And with those memories came conviction.
A deep frown etched his forehead while his eyes hardened, and he lowered Necronomicon a bit as he stared down onto the wolves.
"It is by my words that you are here!" he proclaimed with an authoritative voice. "And it is by my words, the fate that has befallen you. You violated the sanctity of life; killed and maimed in a misguided quest for immortality. Hear me!" His voice boomed through the forest, asserting a dominating pressure which the Kadzite couldn't ignore. "It is eternity you sought, so eternity shall be your punishment. As you are, you are neither alive nor dead. Trapped between the two planes of existence, exiled from both. You shall not be allowed to cross over, but neither are you permitted to continue your wicked ways in your new forms." Necronomicon then started to glow all around; soon followed by Clockwork, as the two of them lifted higher and higher in the air.
"Hear my words, my commands! This forest, filled with dangerous beasts and peril, will be your home. Your eternal task is to protect the Embodiment of Harmony of this world, and to maintain the balance of the constants." Clockwork then slowly turned his head, glaring at each and everyone of the Kadzite "This is your task. One which you will carry out until such time when this world is whole again. Do this, and your souls might yet be redeemed. Return to your old ways, and judgement will strike you down."
Necronomicon then slammed shut with a thunderous slap, and the glow surrounding both of them vanished, submerging the forest in a seemingly unnatural darkness and silence. A silence only to be broken by a final, ominous warning from Clockwork.
"We will be watching!"
Then he and Necronomicon turned invisible and flew away, leaving behind the Kadzite; leaving behind… the cursed.
<<>><<>><<>>
"That went well. Better than I expected, to be honest," Necky complimented as he and Clockwork had retreated down in the ravine, and near Tree of Harmony.
"I suppose," Clockwork mumbled. "But what was that all about, that what you made me say? I understood some of it, but wasn't it a bit much?"
"Not in the slightest," Necky countered. "You know how those wolves are, how they act based on their misguided beliefs. Merely saying they are punished and leaving would not have served a purpose, as they would merely shrug it off as a nuisance while reverting back to their old ways. By doing this, binding their souls with dead or dying parts of the forest, of this world, they can't escape the very reality of the curse we placed upon them. It will remind them every day of every year that is to come. And by forcing the tasks upon them like we did, the threat of disobedience, and the added warning that we will be watching will only serve to keep them in line… for the most part, at least."
"So, you realize it too," Clockwork sighed. "They will not take to their punishment fully. They will rebel against it, trying to find the borders of what can be done, and what can't."
"... Yes, this much is expected. And I can't say they won't bring harm to others either. Which is precisely why I bound them to this forest to begin with. Sure, they can venture out of it, but, as they are a part of the forest now, they would find themselves severely hindered should they do so. Combine this with the fact that all living on this world know of the dangers these forests possess, and know to stay clear of them if they wish to avoid a most painful death, and we can say that there is at least some measure of control of this situation."
"Are you certain about this?"
"Certain, no," Necky admitted. "But neither do we have many options either. Discord will unleash his madness on this world shortly, so a pack of wooden killer wolves will be the least of the populace's worries. But, tell me this. During your time as a pony, living with the others, did you see or hear of anything that could hint towards the Kadzite?"
Clockwork was silent for several long minutes as he thought back through the years.
"No, I did not," he finally admitted, slightly surprised.
"Which means that, at least for your part of the world, the Kadzite kept to themselves. Most likely trying to assert their territory, while dealing with any conflict that would have arisen with the local wildlife as they did so."
Clockwork turned around and looked at the young tree growing on the small island in the pond; the gentle dripping sounds from the water helping him think.
"I suppose I understand. But to say I understand the reasoning behind capturing the souls of deranged murderers and putting them in a new, if not cursed body, before setting them loose on a young and developing world to help protect a balance your brother is going to upset would be a lie."
Necronomicon nearly fell to the ground, and was only barely able to keep himself from doing so.
"Don't act surprised," said Clockwork. "I heard you, back with your sister. I caught that slip of the tongue, but didn't say anything until now," he then turned to look at Necky, even going so far as to pick him up and bring him to eye level.
"Now, although I have already figured out I won't get the answers to most of my questions, I will get an answer to this. What the fuck is going on!?" He demanded. And although not one to swear, Clockwork knew that, right now, it was more than appropriate.
Necronomicon shifted around uncomfortably; his front cover opening and closing ever so slightly while his pages rustled quietly. Then, eventually, he released a long, drawn out, tired sigh.
"I suppose it is only fair," he relented. "But I must warn you, it is a long story. A story that has been unfolding for thousands of years."
"And we still have years to catch back up with current events," Clockwork replied, crossing his arms while Necky hovered before him. "I'd say we have the time."
"...That much is true. Very well," Necky admitted. Then he spoke, telling a tale of trust and betrayal, and how pieces were put in place oh so long ago, leading up to this very moment as Clockwork listened with eyes widened in disbelief and amazement.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several years into the future, and back at the point in time where Clockwork had died… for a second time.
"So, here we are again," Necronomicon declared, the two of them hovering before the cave Tree of Harmony was growing. And grown she has.
"She certainly grew big," Clockwork remarked, looking up at the wide spread top; leaves covering almost the entire ceiling.
"That she did," Necky replied proudly, "And that's not even all of it," he added as he redirected Clockwork's attention to the five large buds growing at different places on Tree of Harmony.
"Are those-"
"Seeds… yes," Necky finished. "Seeds of Harmony. One seed for one of the Embodiments which are linked to Harmony."
"And we're supposed to plant these too?"
"Of course not," Necky countered. "These seeds are not meant to be planted like Tree of Harmony was. No. These are the virtues, the Embodiments belonging to several special individuals. But before them, there are two others who will use them. Not to the fullest of their abilities, though, as they are not chosen for these Embodiments."
"Two others?… You don't mean…"
"Starlight and Sunny Skies, yes."
"Hold on!" Clockwork protested. "I thought you said you were going to bestow this power upon them. Not this."
"True, and I didn't lie," Necronomicon answered simply. "But I am not going to do everything myself. Sunny Skies and Starlight are the guardians who were chosen by us. Not because we want to change them, or find enjoyment in doing so, but out of sheer necessity. The six who represent Harmony's Embodiments have yet to be born. Which will not happen for thousands of years more. But if we waited, or planted Tree of Harmony in their time, then Discord will have wreaked havoc on this world, and everything would have fallen apart." He sighed out. "Of course, giving Sunny Skies and Starlight these powers of which we spoke will only help them so much. Discord has more years, more experience, and an ever increasingly twisted mind which, on their own, they would never be able to defeat."
"So… they'll use the Seeds of Harmony to aid them," Clockwork deduced.
"Exactly."
"But if they aren't chosen as the representatives of these Embodiments, then how are they going to use them?"
"I did mention they wouldn't be able to use them to the fullest of their abilities," Necky answered. "But they will be able to use them, merely because they themselves are Embodiments. Or, more precisely, they are going to be… The third type of Embodiment. A forced Embodiment… A Spectral."
"Spectral?" Clockwork asked. Necky didn't answer. Instead, he turned around and motioned Clockwork to follow.
"Come, Clockwork. It's time to see the fruits of your labor."
<<>><<>><<>>
It had been many hours since Clockwork and Necronomicon had returned to the point in time where the animals' attack had occurred, and during the hours since passed, Clockwork had watched with pain at the destruction and misery it had caused.
Of course he wanted to go over there to help his friends and adoptive family. But Necronomicon was very insistent he mustn't interact with the ponies. Clockwork knew this, of course, but he also couldn't just ignore the cries for help he could hear coming from the survivors as they had gathered near the destroyed remains of their village. Because of this, Necronomicon had no other choice but to reassert his control over Clockwork again, and keep him from acting out his natural desire to help those close to him.
"Everything will work out in the end," Necky had assured him, before flying away and leaving Clockwork hidden through invisibility near Tree of Harmony.
'I'll rip those pages from his spine!' Clockwork thought threateningly, which, under current circumstances, was all he could do.
Meanwhile, Necronomicon flew through the forest with blurring speed. Not stopping for anything, and simply phasing through anything that stood in his path. Then, as he neared the edge of the forest, he came to an abrupt stop.
Peeking through the foliage, he watched as a small and injured group of ponies was about to move away from their destroyed village.
'Damn, almost too late,' he scolded himself, and quickly enveloped himself with his spectral energy; transforming his body from that of a book into a black manticore. 'And now to get their attention.'
Stepping out of the shadows, and into the bright light of the early morning sun, Necky stood and watched as the group moved further and further away. Most of the ponies gave one last sorrowful glance back at where they once lived. So did Starlight. But her gaze ventured further than just the smouldering, charred remains; quickly locking on to the sight of Necronomicon. The manticore she remembered seeing grabbing Clockwork.
She froze on the spot.
'And now for the difficult part,' Necky thought bitterly, retreating back into the forest; Starlight and Sunny Skies chasing after him. 'Clockwork, I hope your time with them was not for nothing.'
<<>><<>><<>>
They moved as fast as they could, chasing after the manticore they had seen. Yet their speed was hindered by Starlight's injury, and Sunny Skies' unwillingness to run ahead and leave behind her younger sister. But despite this handicap, the two of them managed to make considerable progress, fueled on by adrenaline and sheer stubbornness. Not to mention anger and irritation towards the manticore who they could see several large strides ahead of them, but never allowing them to fall far behind.
It had soon become obvious the beast was leading them somewhere… Luring them. Yet this did not deter Starlight, who continued to press on while bumping sides with her sister every now and then as she stepped over a large tree root, or some other obstacle and lost her hoofing.
Pressing forwards with an almost feral-like growl, Starlight pushed past some dense, thorn riddled bushes which left several shallow cuts in her skin; unseen through her fur, with the exception of the small drops of blood that slowly welled up. Sunny Skies, however, chose to fly over the obstacle, leaving her unscathed, and soon dropped down besides her sister as they continued following after the manticore, moving deeper and deeper into the forest, which in turn grew darker and darker.
Relentlessly they pushed forwards, not allowing the manticore the satisfaction of getting away after having led them this far into the forest. Yet the more they pressed on, the wilder and wilder the forest seemed to become… But only the forest. And if they hadn't been focused on catching up with the beast that had taken one of their family, Sunny and Starlight would have noticed the lack of birdsong, or that, in a forest known for the many wild and dangerous beasts, there wasn't any sign of any, save the manticore they were now chasing.
Finally, with a shout with equal parts frustration, triumph, and fear, Starlight jumped out of the thick of the forest; picking up speed now that she was free to do so… and ran right over the edge of a naturally hidden ravine.
She screamed for her life as she plummeted, legs flailing wildly while her mane whipped wildly in the rushing air, and the ground rapidly approaching.
"STARLIGHT!" Sunny Skies screamed as she dove down after her sister, her voice echoing off the cliff walls.
Her wings were a blur, beating faster than they had ever done before. And not even the aches from her frantic flight the previous day could stop her from willing her wings to move even faster, to the point where it felt they would tear off from the sheer force alone.
With tears streaming from her eyes as a result from the biting wind, she reached out with a hoof to her sister who looked back up at her with terrified eyes; her hoof reaching out to Sunny’s.
Faster and faster she went, rapidly closing the gap to her sister while the pounding of her heart blocked out the sound of the wind blowing past her. Her eyes narrowed, partly in single minded focus, and to clear her tear-blurred vision. Forcing her wings to push her forwards even faster.
*SNAP*
For a split second Sunny Skies started down at Starlight with wide, confused eyes. Then she screamed. Loudly. Painfully.
The muscles of her wings, unable to cope with the enormous stress, had torn. And the limbs were now flailing limply in the jetstream as the two plummeted to their deaths.
Sunny and Starlight both closed their eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
<<>><<>><<>>
Clockwork watched in horror as he saw Sunny Skies and Starlight plummet to their deaths; unable to act as his body was still under Necronomicon's control. Yet, as he watched the two fall, he also noticed Necronomicon, back in his book form, hovering directly below the two. looking up at them as a vibrant spectral glow surrounded him.
Reality seemed to distort around Necky, which then spread out to encompass the two plummeting ponies as well; and for a moment Clockwork thought he saw a massive pasture of fresh, green grass swaying gently in a light breeze.
In a blinding flash, all three of them vanished within the distortion.
<<>><<>><<>>
She felt a slight breeze ruffle her mane, and the scent of sun dried earth and fresh grass filled her lungs. She also felt somepony else, lying beside her; the pony's calm breathing barely noticeable over the sound of the grass rustling in the wind. Yet despite the seemingly calm nature of her surroundings, something nagged at her in the back of her mind. Something which told her that this shouldn't be; couldn't be. And the more she dwelled on this feeling of suspicion, the more she started to become aware of other misplaced sensations.
She felt strangely rested, yet for reasons she couldn't quite grasp she knew that she had been tired, exhausted even.
She felt a strange sensation of serenity, but deep down she felt a sickly feeling of panic and fear.
She felt a strange itch on her back, at the base of her wings. Not an annoying itch, but a slight, tingling sensation which seemed to be almost comforting. But this couldn't be, right? She was almost certain that her wings were supposed to hurt. But why?
The pony next to her shifted slightly, and she began to wonder who it could be. Somepony she knew? It had to be. She wouldn't lie side by side with a stranger, she was certain of that. But then, who?
She searched her groggily, slow working brain for any possible answers.
She shifted slightly when the somewhat hazy image of an older pegasus mare showed itself, a trio of raindrops displayed on her flank.
'Mom?' She thought, unsure. Feeling a strange sense of sadness and loss. Then the image changed, turning into a well built unicorn stallion. 'Dad?' She droned with the same feeling of confusion and sadness. Then the image changed once more, taking the form of a young unicorn mare with midnight blue fur and a light blue mane. Starlight.
Sunny's eyes snapped open as a maelstrom of memories came rushing back.
The village. The beasts' attack. Clockwork. Her parents. The manticore. Starlight falling down, and her diving after her. The near blinding pain as the muscles of her wing tore.
With a shout in panic, she jumped up; flexing her wings in reflex and discovering they didn't hurt. Yet this discovery was quickly ignored as she found her sister lying on the ground next to her. Unharmed, still alive. Just as she was.
"What… What is going on?" She asked aloud, receiving no answer. "Starlight!" She called out, nudging her sister with a hoof. "Starlight, wake up!"
"Mwhuu… Five more minutes," Starlight slurred, flexing her legs. It was then that Sunny realized the splint and ropes they had used to immobilize the broken leg had vanished, and that Starlight was able to move her leg without any pain. Just like she could do with her wings.
"STARLIGHT, WAKE UP!" Sunny Skies all but shouted, and, with a cry, Starlight woke up.
"Ghaa! Wha-... Sunny, what-... Wait, what is going on?" She asked as she looked around in confusion. "Where are we?... And why doesn't my leg hurt?"
Confusion was evident with both mares, yet neither of them had any answer to give as they looked around the seemingly endless plain of lush green grass.
"Do you recognize this place?" Starlight asked, worried. "I'm not seeing the forest anywhere."
"No, I do not. I'm not seeing any landmarks at all. Just an endless grass plain.What worries me more however, is how were our injuries healed?"
What do you me-" Starlight asked, but fell silent as she became aware of her previously broken leg, now seemingly fully healed and in perfect condition. "What in the world is going on!?"
"Maybe I can provide some answers?" A somewhat meek male voice replied in answer, and both mares spun around to face the pony that had snuck up on them.
Both mares' pupils shrunk to pinpricks as they saw who, or what was standing behind them.
A pony covered in a cloak blacker than black, which seemed to turn into smoke, or fog where it covered the pony's hooves, as wisps of the blackness flowed away into thin air. Yet this was not what drew their attention. Nor was it the scythe that hovered next to him in a pale white glow, coming from the slightly curved, bone white horn sticking out of his forehead. No, it was his face. His entire head even, visible to them as he had his hood pulled down. It was a skull. A skull with glowing red pupils in the otherwise empty sockets.
"Please don't scre-"
""AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!""
Starlight and Sunny Skies screamed for their lives as they ran away as fast as they could.
"Oh dear," the skeletal pony muttered, shaking his head sadly before folding out his bone wings and taking to the sky. "The young are always the most difficult."
Sighing out with heavy weighing sadness, he quickly caught up with the two retreating ponies; coming to fly besides them.
"Please, stop. I can explai-"
"RUUUUUUNNNN!!!" Starlight screamed in absolute panic, she and her sister making a sharp turn to get away from the animated skeleton.
"Oh, Thanasia," he groaned as he overshot and quickly circled back and continued his pursuit. "Please, I'm not going to hurt you!" He shouted after them while holding up his scythe, and taking several seconds too long to realize it.
""AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!""
"Ohhh… My bad," he sputtered as he quickly put away his scythe. "Please stop running. I promise I won't hurt you."
Another scream was their answer, and he sighed out tiredly as he continued chasing after the two ponies.
'This is going to take a while.'
<<>><<>><<>>
They ran for what seemed like hours, yet neither Starlight nor Sunny found that they grew tired. Stranger still, they noticed it didn't grow dark as time progressed. But as they took a moment to look up at the sun and get some idea of the time, both mares came to a screeching stop; eyes wide in disbelief.
"Starlight… Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"Uhu," she answered dumbly, unable to find any words.
High up in the sky, standing side by side, were both the sun and the moon.
Silence.
"What is this place?" Starlight whispered, afraid.
"The Elysian Fields," the skeletal pony's meek voice answered, and both mares turned around sharply with a cry.
"Please, don't be afraid," he said once more, having covered his head with his cloak's hood to, hopefully, keep the two mares from panicking immediately at the sight of him.
"Stay away!" Sunny demanded, trying to sound brave, but the quaver in her voice betrayed her true feelings.
Starlight remained silent, but did press closer to her sister, legs shaking.
Choosing to err on the safe side, the skeletal pony slowly sat down. "Okay," he replied. "But please stop running away like that. It really serves no purpose, seeing you can't leave."
"What do you mean?" Sunny demanded to know, yet both of them took an involuntary step back.
The pony tilted his head slightly as he regarded Sunny; his piercing red pupils making both mares gulp.
"I mean that you can't leave this place," he answered simply. "This place—" he continued, slowly gesturing with a hoof "—is Purgatory. Although it is slowly becoming known as the Elysian Fields. It's a place between existence. A place where those who find themselves here need to make a choice."
"What kind of choice?" Starlight squeaked.
The skeletal pony looked at the midnight blue mare, who quickly shrunk into herself.
"Technically, no. Not yet, but you two got close. Really close. And you would have died, falling down from such a height, if it wasn't for another force at work."
"Another force? What force?" Sunny Skies asked uneasily.
"Destiny, as it is most commonly called," he answered. Then the tone of his voice changed slightly; still meek, but more severe, more serious. "Sunny Skies, Starlight. You two have been chosen. Chosen for a second try, and to receive the power to protect your fellow ponies."
""Wh- what?!"" Both mares sputtered, stepping away.
"What do you mean? How do you know who we are?" Starlight squeaked. "What is going on?"
The skeletal pony seemed to deflate slightly as he noticed the frightened reaction of the two.
"Allow me to explain," he said. "For starters, my name is Mort. I'm the ponies' reaper. Meaning, I gather the souls of those who died, and guide them here," he gestured with a hoof, indicating the endless grassy plain they were. "I know your names, as I know the names of all who I reap. Although, you two are an exception. It wasn't by my doing you two ended up here, nor did you actually die. I'm just the middle guy, to be honest," he shrugged. "Yet, as fate would have wanted it, there is still a choice you have to make."
"What kind of choice are you talking about?" Starlight asked hesitantly, curious.
Mort once more turned to look at the mare, his red pupils boring into Starlight's eyes as he answered in a most serious tone. "To give up the last remaining link to your lives, and set hoof on a new path. Doing this will grant you powers unimaginable. Powers which will help you defend your fellow ponies from the dangers of your world. But, should you decide otherwise, then you will find yourselves on the bottom of the ravine you fell down into. Alive, you have my word, but not unharmed. The injuries you have sustained the past few days will still be present."
"Wh- what!?" Sunny balked, stepping back while, to her mild shock, Starlight remained standing where she stood, frowning pensively.
"What do you mean, giving up the last remaining link of our lives?" She asked, surprising both herself and her sister with how calm her voice was.
Mort blinked. "Equivalent exchange. In order to gain something, something of equal value has to be sacrificed. So, in order to acquire these powers I spoke of, you must sacrifice everything you are, what you were going to be, the years you might have lived, and even your names. You will lose all that you once were, but in return you are given new powers, a new life, abilities previously thought impossible by either of you, and the names you make for yourselves as you reshape the world… If you choose for this."
"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Sunny Skies shouted, staring with wide eyes of disbelief at Mort. "WHY WOULD WE EVER DO SUCH A TH-" She stopped mid sentence as her sister cut her off. "Starlight, wha-"
"Could we have prevented the attack on our village?" She asked with a unnatural calm, giving Mort a nerve wracking glare.
"No," Mort answered truthfully. "Not as you are. And neither as you could be. As horrible and tragic as the loss of all those lives is, it is already in the past, and can not be changed," he added in a half lie. "But you will be able to fend off any future disasters. Not all of them, I'm afraid, but more than both of you could do as you are now."
"... I see," Starlight murmured, thinking. "Also, you said you were the reaper of us ponies; guiding those who died to this place?" —Mort nodded— "Then how about our parents? Our friends and family… Clockwork?"
Mort was silent for several long seconds as he thought, head slightly tilted to the side. "All have passed through here," he answered, and both mares suddenly fell to their knees, heads held down.
"Equivilant exchange you said?" Starlight murmured as she looked with a heated glare through her mane at Mort, "We have already lost everything. Our village, our parents, Clockwork. It isn't even certain the few survivors will even make it to the next village," she seethed, eyes and horn glowing with rage. "YOU WANT MY LIFE, MY NAME! THEN TAKE IT! TAKE IT, AND GIVE ME THE POWER TO PROTECT WHAT LITTLE REMAINS OF MY FORMER LIFE!"
"Star…" Sunny Skies gasped, teary eyed, 'I was wrong. This is the hardest choice I have ever made. Yet it is also the simplest,'
<<>><<>><<>>
'Have you ever wondered what could be? I mean, say that you had some kind of unimaginable superpower, and how it would change everything depending on how you were to use it? You could be the protector of this world, or its greatest villain. But in order to gain these powers, you do need to sacrifice something. Something valuable to you. Would you still do it?'
Clockwork's question rang through her mind over and over again; a voice in her head which acted as the voice of reason as she questioned everything she knew.
'Is it worth it?' Sunny Skies wondered, looking at her sister's determined glare, then at Mort, who was waiting patiently for her to answer. 'And the way Clockwork said it… It's almost as if he knew something,' she shook her head to clear those thoughts. 'No, that's impossible. He couldn't have known," she concluded, then focused on the question she was trying to avoid. 'Am I really willing to make such a sacrifice, to give up everything like that for some powers of which I don't even know what they will do?' She closed her eyes shut tightly, weeping as she thought back to everypony she'd lost. Her friends, her family.
She opened her eyes again and looked at her sister, who hadn't looked away from Mort, and was still staring at him with a heated glare.
'Starlight is right. We've already lost everything dear to us, with only a few of our friends still alive. But, maybe, this is what we must do. A chance to protect what little we have left. The last few of the villagers… Each other,' she looked back up at Mort, and, with a cracking voice, she agreed to the choice.
<<>><<>><<>>
Upon receiving consent from both mares, Mort couldn't help but close his none existent eyes and sigh out deeply.
"Very well. Please, follow me," he instructed as he stood up himself, then moved towards what, to Sunny and Starlight, seemed to be just another part of the endless plain of grassland.
"What?" Starlight blinked in surprise. "You can't give us these powers here?"
"No, nor am I able to give you powers of any kind at all. Like I said, I'm the middle guy; a messenger. And, like I said, I'm the one who guides ponies here, as I am doing now."
"Then… where are you guiding us to?" Starlight asked, voice thick with suspicion.
"There," Mort pointed towards a large shrine which hadn't been there a second before. "Come, he's waiting," and with that somewhat ominous sounding command, he guided the two mares towards the entrance of the ancient looking construct.
"This is where we part ways," he told them. "The place you are about to set hoof into, I can not follow."
"Why not?" Starlight inquired.
"I'm a reaper. A shepherd of those departed. I can guide the dead from the mortal world, through the Elysium Fields, and towards the afterlife. But the place you're about to enter is neither of these."
"Any idea what we can expect?" Starlight asked further.
"No," Mort answered. "Except hardship."
Accepting this foreboding answer, both Starlight and Sunny Skies stood side by side before the entrance; taking a deep breath before stepping forwards simultaneously, eyes clenched shut. Yet, when nothing seemed to happen, they dared to look and hesitantly continued moving until they found themselves standing in front of a large marble wall decorated with an intricate artwork.
One one side, there was a picture of a strange, tall pony which appeared to have both wings and a horn, and a blazing sun, made of a fire ruby, hung high above the figure as it appeared to use its magic on the sun.
On the other side, a pony similar in design, but slightly smaller, was depicted flying through the air; illuminated by the light of the moon, which was made of a brilliantly cut diamond, with smaller gems sparkling around it signifying the stars.
And in the center the sun and the moon were joined together, with both ponies circling around them.
"What… what is this?!" Starlight wondered aloud, slowly stepping towards the image of the flying pony while Sunny did the same towards the magic using pony; both reaching out with a hoof towards the gemstone depicted with either pony as if in a trance.
Their hooves connected, and both gems began to glow brightly. The diamond a midnight blue, while the sun shone a golden yellow.
"Starlight, Sunny Skies," Mort called out at them as they found themselves blinded by the light. "For what it is worth, I'm sorry," and both mares vanished in a flash of brilliant bright light.
This chapter has been edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, Clayton the Hunter, and Clawder.
Choice
<<>><<>><<>>
Choice has always been the problem.
It is an eternal dilemma. Do you decide to pick door number one, or door number two? Or do you choose to leave both doors closed and turn your back to them?
What are the consequences of these choices? What will happen because of your decision? What could have been if you chose differently? Did you make the right choice, or does everything fall apart as a result of your mistake? It's impossible to know, until after you've chosen.
Yet, the real problem is that the most decisive moments are disguised as everyday interactions, like deciding to make a left, or a right turn. Whereas only a sparse few choices reveal themselves as what they are.
Even rarer are the choices which show the ensuing consequences of the decisions you could make. And even then, they only show what could be in the short term, as every choice will send out a ripple that will spread far and wide, and will result in actions and reactions unforeseeable.
Sometimes these possibilities are for good, most of the time you find yourself wishing to have chosen differently. But even more damaging are those who remain indecisive, and choose not to choose. And even then, a choice has been made, and the consequences of such a decision almost always leads to regret; standing on the sidelines as both options disappear.
Choice is chaos, and chaos is choice. It's neither good, nor bad. It's always neutral, until those affected by said choices label it based on their perceived outcome.
But what about a choice based on trust? What if you believed in someone to help, only to get stabbed in the back, betraying you and the trust you've put in them? How about the ensuing consequences of such a choice?
What if you chose to trust chaos itself?
Can you still be surprised if chaos acted chaotic, knowing this is the nature of it? Or can you fool yourself in thinking something unpredictable can be trusted to do as expected?
If you can, most often you are among the blissfully ignorant. If you can't, then how can you make a choice knowing that choice itself equals chaos.
You can't decide? Well, unfortunately you have to. There is no middle ground. After all, choice has always been the problem.
<<>><<>><<>>
Necronomicon lay in wait for the two chosen to appear before him. And as he waited, he couldn't help but think back to what had happened so far, as he and Clockwork first set in motion the events leading up to this point. Shame and regret were some of the most prominent feelings he had, knowing just what it was that he had to do, and what he had already done. As he recalled these events, his mind caught onto one memory in particular.
'Hold on!' Clockwork almost shouted in anger, grabbing Necky with both front hooves and pulling the book right in front of his face; Necky's green glowing eyes reflecting in Clockwork's mortal red's. 'I didn't sign up for this!'
'No, you didn't.' Necky agreed. 'You thought this to be a simple job, a few days maximum. But it isn't, and this is how it is. These are the consequences of your choices. And, although you don't like this; hate me for it even, you will do it. Because, despite all you might say, or do to me, you can't help but wonder; wonder what could be. What actions could flow forth from your presence here.' With a burst of his power, Necronomicon freed himself from Clockwork's grasp, hovering up and out of reach. 'I will go now, to your future. It will be a passing of seconds for me, but years for you. When we meet again, we will find out just how successful you have been.' —Clockwork glared with rage at Necronomicon— 'You do not like this, and you may hate me for this. But know: One day, you will thank me for it.' And with a final burst of his power, he vanished.
'Thank you for this!?' He heard Clockwork shout after him as he vanished into the portal 'I'll rip your pages from your spine!['
'I'm sure you would,' Necky muttered as he moved to the Ghost Zone. 'Especially if you fully knew what it is I'm going to do.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Many years ago, and several seconds after Necronomicon left Clockwork in the village.
With a sigh, Necronomicon flew out of the portal and into the hall of time, where the Observants were waiting for him.
"Is it done?" One of the Observants asked.
"I did as I was instructed, leaving Clockwork with the ponies to grow and learn like one of them," Necky answered, turning away from the Observants and stared at a shadowy spot near a far wall.
"And he will do as we expect from him?" another Observant queried.
"I'm sure you already know the answer," Necronomicon answered, glaring towards the pair of glowing red eyes within the shadow. "After all, it has already happened to you, Clockwork."
Without a sound, Clockwork, in his adult form, flew out of the shadow, glaring a cold glare at Necronomicon.
"My past self will do as planned," he aimed at the Observants, never averting his eyes from Necky. "Just as I have done before, and my own future self before that."
"Pfhu, I still don't like it," Necky muttered. "I understand the consequences of my choices in regards to Discord and that something must be done. It is why I am here to begin with. But how do you fit in with all of this?"
Clockwork tightened his grip on his staff while looking down with a troubled and angry frown.
"Let's just say that certain events are going to happen in the not too distant future. Events which cannot be avoided, no matter what changes we might make. But, we can change the outcome. That is why I have come back to this time, to shape our futures. It is imperative for my younger self to accept the responsibilities that come with being the Embodiment of Time. If he… If I do not, then everything will fall apart."
"But what are these events you speak of?" an Observant demanded, worried.
"We have tried looking into the future, but are unable to do so," another continued.
"All we are able to see is a horrible distortion. That alone is worrying, but what is the cause?"
Clockwork closed his eyes, ashamed, sighing out deeply. "A mistake. A horrible mistake of trust."
"Trust in who?" Necronomicon demanded, troubled. "... Discord?"
"No… Myself," Clockwork revealed, looking back up at Necronomicon. "There is something you must do."
<<>><<>><<>>
A very long time ago.
The sounds of a hard fought battle filled the air as ghosts fought with all they had against the undead, skeletal army of Pariah Dark; the self proclaimed king of all ghosts. Using his incredible power, increased by both the Fire Crown and the Ring of Rage, he led a devastating campaign to subjugate all creatures dead and unholy under his tyrannical rule, or destroying those who dared to oppose him.
Swords clashed with swords. Spectral beams collided mid-air, and bolts of the same energy peppered the battlefield as the dark king's forces slowly, but surely pushed the opposing forces back.
Pariah Dark watched while laughing maniacally, standing in one of his keep's higher towers as he observed the spectacle. His trusted commander, the Fright Knight, along with his accursed steed, were cutting down any ghosts cowardly enough to turn their backs and flee the fight.
"Muwahaha," Pariah laughed darkly, a twisted grin splitting his features. "Fools. Fight all you want, there is no escape from the inevitable."
A stray beam of destructive energy shot past his head with only a hair's width to spare, yet Pariah didn't flinch, merely scowling as the searing beam blasted a crater at the wall behind him.
Growling in anger, he rose up and flew down into the fight with both hands clenched into fists, burning brightly with what seemed like hellfire as he drew power from the Fire Crown. With a massive roar, he slammed both fists into the ground with a terrifying display of strength and ferocity; cracking the stone underneath, and sending fissures spreading out in every direction as the whole area shook in response.
Glowering, Pariah slowly rose up to his full height, then he smirked darkly. His skeletal army let loose an unearthly roar as they aimed their swords up to the sky; cheering for their king and master as he joined in on the fight.
"THOSE OF YOU WHO WISH TO DIE A SECOND TIME, COME AND FACE ME!" Pariah declared confidently. "THOSE OF YOU WHO LACK SUCH COURAGE WILL MEET WITH A FATE MUCH WORSE!"
For a moment the battlefield was silent as all eyes were turned on the dark king. Then the fighting resumed; the king's army spurred on by their liege's words, and swords clashed with swords, sparks shooting from the metal.
Pariah Dark calmly marched through the masses, mace in hand, and clubbing in the heads of those within reach; not differentiating between friend, or foe.
"IS THIS ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" He proclaimed. "SHOW YOUR KING WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"
"Very well, if you insist," an aged female voice replied in disappointment, and the Elder of the frost giants stepped towards him, her robe's hood pulled down to show her face.
Pariah chuckled lowly as he looked up at the giant, slamming his mace in an open hand.
"So, it is you who dares before all others. I'm both impressed and disappointed."
"Whereas all I can feel is nothing but disappointment in the path you've chosen for yourselves." the Elder said lowly, tightening her grip on her staff. "And I'm certainly not surprised, young one," she said while scowling. "You are one of us. An Embodiment. Wielder of incredible power. But that wasn't enough, was it? You wanted more, so much more. As could be expected from he who embodies greed. But to go so far as to claim two Embodied Artifacts not meant for you to gain your selfish desires… You have crossed a line, Pariah. And in doing so, brought unforgivable suffering to so many."
"So, is that why you appear before me and not any of the others? You, because you saw and are now here to attone for your guilt, for not acting sooner?" Pariah Dark said condescendingly, smirking.
The Elder didn't warrant him a reply. She merely secured her stance and firmly planted her staff on the ground besides her; the base freezing to the ground to keep it from falling over as she let go of it, the orange glow of her eyes fading, replaced by toxic green.
"So, it’s going to be like this then?" Pariah rumbled. "Very well, let's see which one of us has the right to claim superiority," and he secured his stance, mace at the ready.
The Elder's eyes narrowed with focus as she blocked out the sounds of chaos all around her. Small wisps of cold air rose up from her hands as arctic energy started to build, signified by the tell tale ice-blue glow surrounding her hands.
Neither one of them said anything, nor moved; waiting for the other to make the first action as the battle raged on all around them.
Beams and bolts of green, red and even some of the more rarer colors, not often seen among ghosts blasted holes all over the battlefield. Some of which, blasting craters in the ground near the two unmoving combatants, pelting the both of them with pieces of dirt, rock and small, cutting pieces of half molten sand turned into glass.
An explosion sounded not too far behind Pariah Dark and a burst of toxic green light illuminated the area directly behind him. Ghosts and skeletons alike screamed out in pain, and anger as they were blasted away. Both by the initial blast, and the ensuing shockwave that followed. This same shockwave also slammed into Pariah Dark's back, knocking him out of balance and towards the Elder.
One of her claws twitched, and the Elder surged into motion with a speed not many could follow. She was there one moment, the other she stood behind the dark king, drawing back a fist before slamming it into his open side with a bone crushing blow and freezing cold.
Roaring his frustration and rage, Pariah Dark jumped out of reach; hand clutching his side as he slowly stood up. The Ring of Rage glowed in response to his rising anger, increasing his power as a result.
A wavering aura of red surrounded him as he tightened his hold over his mace, the glow spreading to surround it as well.
With a grunt, he charged towards the Elder; swinging a controlled, but vicious strike with his mace at her torso. The Elder sidestepped, allowing the mace to pass harmlessly past her, with only one of the spikes to slice shallowly through the fur on her chest.
Pariah growled as he turned back around, glaring at the Elder, then at her staff still standing frozen on the spot.
"Confused?" The Elder asked, relaxing her stance slightly.
Seeing this as his chance, Pariah charged at the frost giant with a ferocious cry.
The air exploded out of his lungs as the Elder slammed a unforgiving fist into his stomach, causing Pariah Dark to double over while wheezing for air.
"Or are you merely surprised by the fact that someone like me can hold her own against you? You, the Embodiment of Greed and the one who falsely claimed the Embodiments of Fire, and Rage as well," the Elder asked far more calmly than the current situation would suggest. "Regardless of your answer, mine would be the same. I won't need my staff, and the Embodiment it represents to fight you, as I can see the path you're on even without it. Nor do I have need of its power in such a way."
"That only makes you more of a fool," Pariah Dark grumbled.
"A fool who sees the truth, perhaps. But you, you are a fool blinded by your own desires. A fool wielding incredible power, yet unable to properly use it, or even tap into its full potential… No, I don't need to use the powers bestowed upon me by my Embodiment. After all, I'm facing a fool blinded by greed, and lost in rage and fire."
"Blind, you say?! Lost, you say?! UNABLE TO USE THIS POWER, YOU SAY!?" Pariah Dark roared, enraged, the translucent aura surrounding him warping and growing, turning a crimson red as both the Ring of Rage, and the Fire Crown channeled their contained power into him. "We'll see about that," he added in a threateningly low voice, slamming both fists against each other.
A massive explosion of spectral destruction spread out from him, tearing apart the land and claiming multiple combatants unfortunate enough to stand in the blast zone.
A blazing inferno of fire and spectral energy engulfed Pariah Dark, leaving only his dark silhouette to be seen, plus the incredible glow emitted by his eyes. The heat of the fire engulfing him rose and rose as the flames increased in size; the ground at his feet bubbling and boiling.
Pariah Dark roared as he drew out more and more power from the Embodiments, fully intent on burning the Elder until nothing but ashes remained, and his foes would cower in fear before him.
"A blind and powerful fool is still a fool," the Elder said calmly but sternly, a hint of ice in her voice.
"What!?" Pariah Dark said, shocked. Then, a massive, frozen fist slammed him on the head, knocking off the Fire Crown.
"You are blind, Pariah. Blind and lost. You seek that what you can't have, so you take what you want with no regards to others," the Elder said coldly as her silhouette approached him through the slowly dissipating flames. "Yet, even when you have what you thought you wanted, it still isn't enough." The Elder slowly appeared before him, an aura of freezing cold surrounding her, protecting her from the flames and heat; one of her hands turned into a solid sculpture of ice with the bones visible through it. "You are blind, Pariah. Blind to what you already have; what you could have, if you only took the time to look inside yourself."
Pariah Dark spat as he scanned his surroundings, looking for the Fire Crown.
"Looking for this?" The Elder asked, holding the crown in her unchanged hand. Pariah Dark's eyes widened in shock, his fists clenching tightly.
"All that power, yet you were beaten down like this by an old frost giant using nothing more than the powers gained upon death, and centuries of experience. There is a lesson to be learned here, but I doubt you would see what it is."
Pariah Dark spat, used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, then grinned darkly.
"It would seem I'm not the only one who is blind," he grunted, and the Elder's eyes widened as she realized a moment too late the Fright Knight had snuck up behind her; spearing her with his sword.
The Elder roared in pain as she dropped the Fire Crown. It bounced on the ground, before rolling towards Pariah Dark, who easily picked it back up. With a trembling hand, she reached out for her staff; managing to grab it with only her fingertips before she and it vanished without a trace.
"My king," the Fright Knight said troubled, looking down at Pariah Dark as he slowly pushed himself back up. "Are you alright?"
"I am," he assured with a grimace, before a coy smile took its place. "Especially now, knowing where she was sent to," he muttered as he and the Fright Knight looked at the sword, the Soul Shredder, which would send anyone it touched into their worst nightmare imaginable.
The two looked back at the fight, seeing that in the short moment Pariah Dark was down, his army had advanced even further; slaying down multiple ghosts, most of which were already showing signs of spectral decay and becoming lost souls. This was something that he wanted. The more ghosts that perished and became lost, the stronger his army would become.
The skeletons, all identical and without any personalizing features, were all made from those lost souls without purpose, cursed to traverse the void between alive and death for all eternity. They made for perfect, mindless slaves to do his bidding. And although it wasn't easy to manipulate, or even reshape these lost souls, he was able to do so, as a result of the power he gained from the Fire Crown and the Ring of Rage.
A power he unleashed once more, turning those ghosts fallen and lost into more of his army; increasing the numbers against which the ghosts had to fight, and causing even more of them to fall.
Pariah Dark grinned evilly as more and more skeletons rose up from the ground, clad in armor, and wielding a simple sword.
"Your power is formidable," the Fright Knight complimented.
Pariah's grin fell as he looked at the Ring of Rage. "If that is so, then how did that old hag managed to best me so easily?"
"Even the weak and unworthy do get lucky sometimes, sire."
"No. Luck has nothing to do with it… And as much as I hate to admit it, that old hag is right. As powerful as I am now, I'm unable to draw out the full potential of these Embodiments, and thus unable to reach my full potential."
"Then surely you know of a way to overcome this problem, my king."
Pariah Dark glared at the battle raging, baring his teeth in a feral smile. "Yes. These Embodiments refuse to accept me, so I will make them. I will destroy everyone in my path. No one will be spared, alive or dead. And I will not stop until all lie broken and defeated before my feet, or have pledged their loyalty to me. And when they do, these Embodiments will have no choice but to accept me."
"THEN I WILL MAKE SURE THIS WILL NOT COME TO PASS!!" The Elder shouted as a bright flash of orange blinded Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight.
A glare of brilliant orange light surrounded the Elder, eyes aglow with power as she tightly held her staff in both hands. The Elder and an small army of ghosts had appeared out of nowhere; the Staff of Truth breaking through the curse of the Soul Shredder, returning all trapped within the realm of nightmares.
A cry filled of pain, suffering, rage and anger rose up from within the glow as rescued spirits charged into battle. The horrors they've seen, the possibility for it to become true spurring them on, giving them strength exceeding anything the skeletal army could deal with.
The sudden appearance and charge from their fallen brothers in arms gave renewed energy to the ghosts locked in battle. They too gave voice to their conviction and they fought with renewed vigor.
Blinding, blazing light radiated from the Elder as she glared at Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight. Anger rolling off of her in waves, knocking into the two, forcing them to take an involuntary step back as the enraged frost giant stepped towards them.
"YOU HAVE BETRAYED EVERYTHING YOU STOOD FOR, PARIAH DARK! ONCE, YOU WERE KIND, GENEROUS. SHARING EVERYTHING EQUALLY WITH THOSE AROUND YOU. THAT WAS WHY YOU WERE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT GREED! YOU COULD SHARE, BALANCE OUT THE NEGATIVITY OF YOUR EMBODIMENT AND BECOME GREATER THAN YOU COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED. INSTEAD, YOU ALLOWED THIS NEGATIVITY TO CORRUPT YOU, CHANGE YOU. NO MORE!! YOUR RULE ENDS HERE!" And with blurring motion, the Elder charged at the dark king; the light surrounding her growing brighter and brighter.
Pariah Dark and the Fright Knight brought their weapons up to bear, intent on taking on the giant with everything they had, yet the Elder had other plans.
With a single swipe of her hand, she brought down the Fright Knight, who slammed into the ground several meters from where he stood.
Pariah jumped away from her, swinging his mace as he did so. But to his shock, the Elder was no longer there, and he realized the glow surrounding her was now behind him.
"You're such a disappointment," she bemoaned, then slammed a massive fist with terrifying strength into his face, it’s concussive force powerful enough to blast him away. The helmet he wore offered little protection, and was thus blown off from the Elder’s punch. His left horn, the symbol of his power, and enlarged in response to his power as the Embodiment, broke off; flung away into the distance as he slammed into the wall of his keep, breaking through the walls until he came to a crashing halt in the middle of the throne room.
The skeletal army came to a sudden stop as their king's power diminished rapidly and the ghosts quickly seized the opportunity to turn the battle around.
The Elder, panting from part exertion and part anger, slowly approached the hole in the wall. "We must act quickly," she said, and other cloaked beings materialized around her; holding a large sarcophagus in their combined levitational hold. "He won't stay down for long."
Together, they moved inside, quickly finding the downed king as he lay groaning on the ground amidst the rubble. One of the beings quickly removed the Fire Crown, while another claimed the Ring of Rage. The pair quickly moved away from Pariah Dark, while the rest placed the sarcophagus inside a nearby room, opened it, and then slammed Pariah Dark inside it with little care for his well being.
"Pariah Dark," several of the beings spoke simultaneously. "Your actions are unforgivable. You will remain locked inside this sarcophagus, a prison for all eternity. No longer shall your hunger for power, or tyrannical rule bring harm to another." And without another word, they slammed the sarcophagus shut; locking it with a key, and enacting the seal which would put Pariah Dark into an eternal slumber. The only kindness they could still show.
Outside, a triumphant cry rose up from the ghosts as the skeletal army fell apart, and the cloaked beings slowly stepped outside to witness the hard fought victory. Helping the ghosts to capture the only servant of Pariah Dark remaining, the Fright Knight and his steed, Nightmare.
Not long thereafter, these beings would gather near the border of the Keep; looking at it with dismay and regret.
Combining their power, they took hold over the land, and tore it apart; sending all parts towards different places of the Ghost Zone, with Pariah's keep being pushed near the Dark Zone.
"We should have hidden the Fire Crown and Ring of Rage. Locked away as they are, it isn't wise to keep them this close to Pariah Dark.
"I know," the Elder agreed with a tired voice. "But this is how it must be. Another ploy in Destiny's grand design."
"What did you see?" A tall being with mismatched body parts in various stages of decay asked.
"A lot of hardship on the road ahead, Necronomicon. A lot of hardship."
<<>><<>><<>>
Hidden from sight on one of the now free floating chunks of land, Necronomicon watched the events play out. Taking a moment to observe his old self, and his original form, he sighed out wearily.
"There aren't many who can stomach how I truly look like," he murmured, bristling his pages.
Sighing out once more, he turned away from the group of ancients, focusing instead on the broken off horn lying on the ground beneath him.
"The corrupted symbol of Greed's Embodiment… Or, part of it, at the very least." Necky sighed out heavily and tiredly. "We should have seen the signs from the moment he started growing these horns. Still, we chose to trust him… Looks like history truly repeats itself. A choice of trust, circling around to stab us in the back."
Slightly opening and closing his front cover, Necronomicon then proceeded to levitate the broken horn up to eye level.
"Now, to set in motion this mistake," he murmured, and the horn vanished within his pages. Then, opening a portal back to the Hall of Time, he too vanished from this point in time.
<<>><<>><<>>
Some time after Sunny Skies and Starlight's interaction with the shrine's mural.
Darkness surrounded them. A darkness darker than dark.
No light, no sound, no sense of touch. Nothing, but all-consuming nothingness.
They couldn't move. They couldn't speak. They couldn't even breathe. It was as if they had died and were buried, and all Sunny Skies and Starlight were able to do was float in the emptiness they found themselves in; even unaware of the presence of each other.
They couldn't tell how much time has passed, or even if they hung still, or not in the void.
Then, after what seemed like years, a sudden explosion of light blinded them.
They slammed their eyes shut and shielded them with their fore legs; no longer immobilized, but failing to notice this as they acted on instinct alone.
A wave of pressure rushed over them, wiping their manes around wildly. Then, nothing. As suddenly as it had started, it stopped as well.
Slowly, hesitantly, Sunny Skies and Starlight opened their eyes, carefully seeing if, whatever had just happened, had stopped.
Their eyes snapped open at what they saw.
The once empty void was now brimming with energy and light. Enormous clouds of gas accumulated all around them, moving with a speed as if time itself was fast-forwarded as they compressed into denser and denser spheres of superheated plasma.
Then, ignition. And they watched in awe as, before their very eyes, a star was born. Soon followed by more and more, as the darkness of the once empty void was now filled by brilliant bright orbs of starlight.
Time seemed to accelerate once more, as the stars surrounding the two shone their light, grew old, and died in massive explosions which filled the light filled void with all new kinds of matter.
New stars were born, and with them, planets with landscapes alien and unknown.
Time then moved faster and faster. The planets developed as their system calmed down. Then, as those that came before, their sun died, taking the planets with them; once more filling the void with matter.
The cycle repeated and once more thereafter. But this time, as they watched a new star being born amidst countless others, accumulated within a massive galaxy, time gradually slowed to a normal pace as they saw a lone planet form around the small yellow star.
Before their eyes they saw the cooled world become wet as icy asteroids slammed into its surface, and vast oceans covered the cracked and barren lands. Brown turned to green, as lush green fields of grass and high reaching trees began to grow.
More and more time passed, while at the same time, time moved slower and slower.
Neither Sunny Skies nor Starlight dared to blink, let alone breath; awed by what it was they were witnessing. Their reverence was cut short, however, when with a frightening lurch they fell towards the developed world; screaming in fear and flailing legs.
Faster and faster they plummeted, entering the world's atmosphere, rapidly approaching the ground as they punched through the clouds.
More and more details became clear to them the closer they came, starting with a large, wide spread forest the two of them knew all too well. It was the very same forest they lived besides in their village.
But something was different. The forest seemed younger, and although massive, also smaller than they remembered.
Recognizing even more landmarks, Sunny and Starlight realized the area they were rapidly approaching was the very same location their village had been built. However, there was nothing there. No burned down, crushed remains of the village as it was destroyed in the beast’s attack. No sign of the few graves they and the other survivors had dug for the few ponies whose bodies they had recovered. There was no sign of anything, really. Nothing, except a small stone pedestal standing at where the village's center would have been. And lying on top of it was a book.
The ground grew near rapidly now and both mares closed their eyes as they waited for the inevitable. They waited and they waited.
Time ticked by, both faster than normal and excruciatingly slow as they waited. But as nothing happened, even far beyond the point where they knew they would have collided with the unyielding surface, they dared a peek through almost completely closed lids.
With a startled yelp, they suddenly dropped to the ground; having hung still in the air a few hooves length above the ground.
Groaning, the two mares slowly pushed themselves up, their manes and tails horribly disheveled. Shaking their heads, they wearily looked around, then towards the lone stone pedestal.
They glanced towards each other, unsure of what they should do. Slowly, with noticeable restraint, they made their way over to the pedestal, eyeing the black book lying on it with suspicion.
A black book with the image of a pony's skull imprinted on its cover.
"Sunny…" Starlight said meekly, looking around as the feeling they were watched grabbed hold over her.
"I know," Sunny Skies murmured her reply, although she wasn't sure she did.
Suddenly, and completely unexpected, a flash of green burst from the book, and it slowly rose up from the pedestal, righting itself in the air until the skull imprinted on the cover looked down at the two with green glowing orbs in its, otherwise empty, sockets.
Both mares took a frightened step back, but were unable to look away as the book gradually flipped open on the centerfold; words appearing as if they were written by an invisible quill.
Sunny Skies. Starlight. You two have been chosen, and you two have chosen to take on the mantle of responsibility. To give up the last remaining links of your current lives and set hoof on a new path. To protect and safeguard those living on this world, while maintaining its delicate balance.
The journey you've taken, from the very beginning, to where you stand now, showed you how life and death are intricately linked. Death coming from life, just as life comes from death. You will hold this knowledge, use it to shape not only yourselves, but others as well.
It wrote and Sunny Skies and Starlight gulped as the book flew closer to them as it closed momentarily; its green glowing eyes staring first at Sunny Skies, then at Starlight before flipping open again, an unearthly glow surrounding it.
Sunny Skies, Starlight. You are hereby given these powers.
A beam of green energy shot from the book, hitting both mares. They both screamed out as the energy tore into them, engulfing them in blinding light. Yet they were still able to 'read' the words written in the book, almost as if the words were written in their minds instead.
Sunny Skies, accept these powers, and become the Embodiment of the sun. Use its might to nourish the lands you will walk on.
Starlight, accept these powers, and become the Embodiment of the moon. Use its might to ease the minds of those asleep in the lands you'll fly above.
Starlight, Sunny Skies, accept these powers, and relinquish all that you once were.
Sunny Skies and Starlight were in true agony, feeling something alien permeate their very being. Yet, they both knew that, as painful as it was, there was something still holding back. A final chance. One last possibility to reconsider. As the book had 'said', they needed to accept these powers.
They both grunted through gritted teeth as images of their lives flashed by; everything they had lost over the last short, yet horribly long days.
""I -argh-, accept!"" They both screamed in anguish. It was the last thing they remembered as their world went dark in a violent burst of green.
<<>><<>><<>>
Clockwork stood in the destroyed, partially burned down remains of the village he came to call home. Necky hovered next to him, neither of them speaking as they looked down on the unconscious forms of Sunny Skies and Starlight. Or, rather, who once had been Sunny skies and Starlight.
Clockwork barely recognized them, and only the knowledge who they were before their… transformation allowed him to see the subtle similarities, but that was all he noticed. Had he been a stranger to either of them, he wouldn’t have known the ponies lying before him used to be an unicorn and a pegasus.
Now though, they were neither of that. And yet, they were.
A horn, much longer than any unicorn horn he had ever seen, stuck out from their foreheads, while a pair of wings lay lazily folded on their sides. Their manes and tails billowed as if struck by an unfelt breeze, and their bodies had grown exponentially. Easily twice the height of any ordinary pony.
Clockwork looked down on them with a tight face and trembling fists. He had always known them. Known them as Celestia and Luna, their names having become known to the world as human/pony interactions grew over the years after the first tear had opened. Yet he never knew them personally Or, better, as how they used to be. Having lived with them for so long, only to have everything taken away, even if he knew this would happen, it hurt. But now, knowing what would happen to Sunny Skies and Starlight, and having been told by Necky exactly how it happened, Clockwork could only feel a great sense of shame for his involvement in all of this.
He vowed he would never allow this to happen to anyone else, no matter the consequences.
Slowly, eventually, the reborn mares began to stir and Necky and Clockwork left through a swirling portal, leaving the mares alone in a world unknown and hostile.
<<>><<>><<>>
She came to with a groan, unable and unwilling to move as thousands of needles were stabbing her all over, and even inside her body. She just lay there, feeling the sharp pain slowly fade into a less noticeable, but still throbbing pain.
She heard a similar groan next to her, and knew her sister was most likely in the same predicament as she was. Yet she was unable to reach out and comfort her, lest she agitate her own fried nerves.
Together they lay there, unmoving, unaware of just how much time had passed. But, eventually, they both slowly and clumsily rose to their hooves; blinking blearily as they tried to regain their senses, feeling something was off.
Their legs felt taller, stronger even. There was a strange, faint tugging sensation coming from their manes, as well as their tails. Not to mention the weird sensation coming from the back for one of them, or the weird surge of magic coming from her forehead for the other.
They both blinked, clearing their vision, slowly refocusing the image of each other as they looked at one another.
Their eyes widened in shock and their bodies froze on the spot. Minutes ticked by as they both took in the full extent of the transformation they went through. Then, as if an invisible switch was flicked, they both reared back, hooves flailing as they screamed out and promptly fell on their rumps. It would be many more minutes before either of them spoke.
Eventually, though, they broke free from their shock and took the time to acknowledge, and inspect the full extent of the change they went through. Days passed after that, and having gotten used to their taller, stronger bodies, they began teaching each other how to either fly, or use magic.
Days turned into weeks and their confidence in controlling their wings and magic grew, slowly being able to do more and more without assistance from each other.
Weeks became months and the two sisters had set out to find the other villagers, but only finding destroyed villages, and death.
Months became years and the two sisters had managed to find the few survivors of the destroyed villages. Taking it upon themselves to protect them from any harm and, in doing so, becoming something akin to the leaders of the small but growing group.
There was also an ever increasing number of attacks on the group, either by animals, or other natural forces acting in ways that made it clear there was more behind it. It was almost as if someone, or something was trying them, pushing and prodding to see if, when, or what would break first.
In time, these trying events would result in the two sisters’ return to their former village and then to the ravine they lost their previous life. Using their unnatural strength and abilities, aided by the ponies following them, they started constructing a well fortified village on the relatively small island on the other side of the ravine. In time, their creation would be recognized as their seat of power, with the two sisters ruling as the chosen monarchs. A role neither of them wanted, but were unable to turn down.
Destiny, as well as their own choices, had made them into the leaders they needed to be. To lead the steadily growing herd of ponies, and to protect them. It was a task they fulfilled for several long, trying years. Until, one day, a discovery was made.
A young pegasus, going against the rules of his parents, flew down into the ravine protecting the village. What he found down there would change the world forever.
Of course, nopony could have known just how much.
The Tree of Harmony, as they began calling it, was something never seen before. A tree bestowed with incredible power, but the source behind it a complete mystery. But then, one day, after years and years of relentless attacks by an unknown force, its mastermind finally revealed himself… Discord.
It was only then they learned just how much the chaotic individual had been holding back. The two sisters fought with all their might, yet try as they did, the two of them proved no match for the entity of chaos. It was then, after a crushing defeat at the claws and hooves of the mismatched creature they were drawn to the Tree of Harmony, and where they were given six radiant jewels which had grown from the tree itself.
Three jewels were given to each sister, and with their powers combined, they were able to stop Discord, and return harmony to the world.
And the rest, as would be said, is history.
Yet one important detail that had faded away into the annals of history was that, after the battle against Discord, the sun and moon hung still in the air. And, although defeated, it was believed that this was a final attempt of Discord to allow his chaos to keep hold over the world. And it worked. Crops failed as nature itself was thrown completely out of whack. Even the Jewels of the Tree of Harmony were unable to help, which brought even more despair to the ponies. Yet unable and unwilling to give up, both sisters tried one more thing. An act of desperation, which neither one of them expected to work. They used their magic to reach out to the 'frozen' objects they represented and, through gritted teeth, and sheer willpower, they did the impossible. The sun and moon moved, restoring the cycle of day and night.
It was after this impossible feat of godlike power that, at least for the foreseeable future, nopony else would rise to claim rulership, their presence and abilities having permanently marked who, and what they were. They were the sun and the moon. Celestia and Luna. The royal sisters who protect, watch over and maintain the cycle of day and night, and protect all who play, and sleep under their Embodiment's light.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several millennia after Sunny Skies and Starlight made their choice.
A swirling portal of green opened high in the icy, northern sky. Necronomicon and Clockwork slowly drifted out of the portal, which then closed behind them.
"Where are we?" Clockwork asked after the frigid air had sent a shiver down his spine. "The Far Frozen again?"
"No," Necky answered plainly. "We're still on the world of the ponies, but high up to the far North. There's… one more task that we need to complete." He explained with just the faintest hint of reluctance in his voice.
Clockwork missed the tone of voice, as a particular strong gust of wind chilled his already cold body to uncomfortable levels.
"And I thought the Far Frozen was cold," he murmured, rubbing his hands together for warmth.
"It is. It's actually colder there than here, but there does seem to be a rather chilling wind laying claim to this land."
"That hardly helps me in the current situation. Mainly, me freezing stiff to the point where rigor mortis would take hold on my body… for a second time." Necky gave a quiet chuckle at that, but remained otherwise silent. "So, why are we here, and what needs to be done?"
"You're surprisingly eager to get started," Necronomicon remarked.
"That is because I want to get this over with, and because I know the worst of what we need to do is already dealt with."
Necky's pages bristled as he tilted away from Clockwork. 'There is something you must do,' the voice of Clockwork's future self echoing through his mind.
"If only that was true," he murmured, unheard over the wind, "Let's go," he called out, diving down. "I'll explain what must be done on the way… And turn invisible. No need to start a panic," he instructed while vanishing from sight himself.
Clockwork, following after the invisible book, able to 'see' him through his ghost vision and turned invisible himself. Together they punched through several clouds on their way down and for a moment Clockwork wondered why he had brought them so high up in the sky. Then, a massive city made from crystal revealed itself to him as he flew through the last of the obscuring clouds.
"You didn't want us to be seen, right?" He shouted over the sound of the wind rushing past them, barely audible. Yet Necronomicon seemed to be able to understand him nonetheless.
"Indeed," Necky confirmed. "But invisibility does not prevent us from being overheard, so withhold from shouting any questions until we are safely down below."
Necky's remark certainly made sense, so for the rest of the dive down, Clockwork remained silent, choosing instead to watch the splendor of the crystal city spreading out below him. As they moved closer, the city revealed more of its beauty to them. Starting with the massive palace in the center of the city, with its high reaching spires, all made from the purest of white crystal. Further below, Clockwork saw the many houses of the ponies living there were connected by many roads all designed to form a star shape surrounding the palace. Yet the thing that surprised him the most were the far reaching plains of grass, spreading out in all directions, until it suddenly stopped by a border of snow and ice in the far distance.
The two slowed down and came to a smooth stop several meters above the houses of the ponies milling about in the streets below; unaware of the ghostly presence hanging above them.
Necky motioned for Clockwork to follow, and they flew towards the edge of the city and into the grass plain where almost no pony could be seen in any direction.
"Okay, now would you explain to me why we're here?" Clockwork demanded, all attention back on Necronomicon.
Necky's cover twitched slightly as he took a moment to look around, silently wondering the exact same thing even though he had been told exactly why he, why they were here.
"Balance," he finally answered, glancing sideways at Clockwork.
"What?"
"What we did to Sunny Skies and Starlight, although necessary to an extent, also shifted a certain balance this world is juggling with. Discord going crazy with power, and unleashing it on this world being one of such imbalances. To counter this, both Sunny Skies and Starlight were given the powers to make them into what they are now. But this itself is also an imbalance. There is either too much chaos, or not enough."
"And how is it a problem if there is not enough chaos? If you'd ask me, that would be a good thing."
"Is it, Clockwork? Chaos in its own is not a bad thing. Like I explained about something being either good or bad, it is a label given by those who perceive it. For instance, if lightning would strike someone's home and set it on fire, this would be seen as bad chaos. But another form of chaos would be a life changing event such as childbirth, and all consequences that flow from it. Lack of sleep, dirty diapers, the constant worry if you, or your partner would make a mistake raising your child. Yet, despite all of this, most often this chaos would be described as both expected, overwhelming, but good nonetheless."
"I suppose," Clockwork murmured, "but those examples are merely small moments of chaos."
"Exactly. Just a small moment. So, just how much do you think it will upset the balance between the perceived outcome of good and bad if there is an all powerful being of chaos running rampant? Or how much would the balance be upset if there are two god-like individuals capable of moving both the sun and the moon?"
"But what about Tree of Harmony?" Clockwork argued.
"She's… both part of the problem, and part of the solution."
"What do you mean?"
"Tell me, what is harmony to chaos?"
"The opposite?"
"To put it simply, yes. In other words, for chaos, harmony is chaos, while chaos itself is harmony. What Tree of Harmony does is merely to balance the scales. If there is too much of either one, she shall either add or remove from whichever force there is too much or too little."
"But, then, why are we here?"
"To upset the balance one final time, and set this world on the proper path of recorded history."
"What!?" Clockwork exclaimed. "How!?"
"Observe," Necky said, and a green glow shone from in between his pages.
In a sudden, if not somewhat small burst of light, a horn broken off at the base materialized before Necronomicon, bobbing gently in the air as it was held aloft in his levitation power.
"What is that?" Clockwork asked, confused.
"One of the horns of Pariah Dark."
"The fallen ghost king!?"
"Exactly," Necky confirmed.
"Why would we have need of this… thing? And why do you even have it?"
"I have it, because it is needed. As for what is going to happen with it… This horn is part of Pariah Dark. It still holds a small portion of his power, and his corruption."
"I repeat my question. Why would we have need of this thing!?"
"Excuse me, is anypony out here?" An unknown voice spoke up, and Clockwork's attention was drawn to the gray earth pony walking towards their location, looking around in confusion.
"To create an unbalance," Necronomicon answered Clockwork, his voice heavy.
"Who said that!?" The pony said loudly, somewhat spooked.
"I did," Necronomicon exclaimed, revealing himself; eyes glowing with malice.
The pony reared back as he screamed in fright, quickly backing away while the talking, flying book moved in on him; a sharp horn floating next to it.
A glowing green dome suddenly materialized around them, locking the pony in with the book as he pressed against the glowing green dome with his back, trapped.
"What… who is doing this!? This isn't funny. Stop this now, and I promise I won't be mad."
Necronomicon pressed in closer to the frightened, panicked pony.
"STOP THIS!"
Necronomicon halted his advance. It hadn't been the pony that shouted, but Clockwork, and for the briefest of moments Necronomicon closed his eyes while sighing out, resigning himself with what had to be done next.
'There is something you must do.'
"Don't interfere, Clockwork," Necronomicon almost growled in anger. Not anger towards the ghost who revealed himself, but towards himself.
"Like Hell I won't. I will not allow you to do whatever it is you're doing. This obviously is nothing like what was done before. No plans. No setting up events leading towards some greater scheme. No, this is something more like it is just thrown together at the last minute. How can this… this, whatever this is supposed to be helpful in the greater picture!?"
The pony, with his back pressed against the 'wall', rapidly shifted his gaze between the hovering book and alien, his heart pounding in his chest to the point it seemed like it was about to burst out.
"This is how it is supposed to be. Now, be quiet and let me deal with this."
"No!" Clockwork stated strongly, quickly moving between Necronomicon and the pony.
"Clockwork," Necronomicon said warningly.
"I agreed to help with the Kadzite. I agreed to help with Sunny and Starlight. Heck, I even accepted the necessity to bind, no, to curse the Kadzite after having dealt with your damn sister and niece. But I refuse to be part of this!"
Necronomicon didn't say anything, but the glare he shot Clockwork could have killed him had he still been alive.
Clockwork glanced back at the pony he was shielding, raising a hand aglow with energy and shot a beam that sliced through the dome Necky had erected.
"Run!" Clockwork ordered firmly, eyes locking back on Necronomicon. "Run and don't look back. I'll deal with him."
"Will you, now?" Necky commented flatly.
"Yes," Clockwork stated confidently. "I have accepted my own actions regarding Sunny and Starlight, but I don't approve of them. Given the chance, I would do things differently and I made a promise to never let anyone else go through something like that," Clockwork said with forced calm, but anger bubbling behind every word. "This balance, as you called it, has already been fixed by setting up Sunny Skies and Starlight against Discord. Even the Kadzite have been made to pay for their crimes. But he," he gave a single nod towards the retreating pony, "he has nothing to do with any of this."
"Clockwork, I will give you one last chance. Stand aside, or I will deal with you as well."
"Try me," Clockwork challenged with a defying glare, hands aglow with undead energy.
A violent glow burst into life, surrounding Necronomicon entirely. With a surge of power, he launched himself at the defying ghost.
Clockwork anticipated this, and quickly flew to the side while wiping an arm out, using his momentum to make a quick turn and slam a glowing fist in Necronomicon's back.
Necky growled in frustration and turned to face Clockwork, launching himself at him once again without much thought. Several beams of searing energy shot from his eyes, forcing Clockwork to weave and dodge. But the sudden, close range barrage unleashed by the book of Life and Death made it impossible to evade every shot, and several beams hit him in the arms, and chest; burning through the fabric of his clothes and searing the corporeal flesh.
Clockwork hissed in pain as he forced himself up to face the source of his years old frustration, fingers tensing into a claw as an orb of concentrated ectoplasm started to build, its glow increasing with each passing moment.
"Don't think I will go down so easily," he spoke lowly, voice thick with anger. "I will not allow you to mess with someone's life like that again. Too many have already been hurt because of you."
"Then tell me, Clockwork. Has anyone ever gained anything but hurt through me?" Clockwork flinched, not expecting this.
Necronomicon once more attacked, forcing Clockwork back to the defensive.
"No," Necky answered his own question, flinging orbs of destruction at Clockwork, "Whenever someone 'uses' me to gain what they think they want, all they find is more suffering. After all, I'm the book of Death. Suffering and pain is all that I bring," he bellowed with hollow voice, peppering the area immediately around Clockwork with destructive energy, but only lightly hitting Clockwork himself.
"Then change the balance!" Clockwork yelled, projecting a shield around himself. "You're so good at that, aren't you!?" A sudden explosion pushed him back several meters, causing him to lose sight of Necronomicon.
"Yes, yes I am," Necky spoke directly behind Clockwork, who turned around with a sharp gasp.
Necronomicon took hold of Clockwork in his spectral hold, immobilizing him. "But there is nothing that can be changed about what I am, as I am neither good, nor bad. I'm a neutral party, who gets labeled as a result of the perceived outcome from the choices made by others. You are no different," and with a burst of his power, Clockwork was flung away, slamming him into the ground.
"Just like what you have been doing, Clockwork," Necronomicon continued, picking Clockwork back up again, then slamming him into the ground. "You made the choice to help me and the Observants to set in motion all of this. So, what does that make you?" He slammed Clockwork into the ground again. "Don't pretend you're better than me. You're not. In fact, if you knew what I know, you'd understand just how wrong you really are; just how far your actions and choices are reaching, and just how involved you truly are." Clockwork groaned in pain as he was slammed into the ground a final time. "No, Clockwork. You can only blame yourself for all of this." Necronomicon released his hold over the beaten ghost, looking down at him with disgust. "If only you knew... Bah, one day you will. But for now, I've got a pony to catch," and he sped off.
Clockwork struggled to push himself up, lifting his head with a severe tremble of pain and effort as he glared at Necronomicon with one eye; the other too swollen to open.
"No you won't," he grunted, pushing himself off the ground, and forcing himself to ignore his body's pleas to remain lying as he raced after Necronomicon.
"Get back here!" He yelled, firing a beam of energy into Necky's back. "I won't let you do this!" Another bolt of energy seemed to have hit Necronomicon in a weak spot, and he suddenly fell to the ground. Not wanting to give the book a chance to get away, Clockwork dove down to grab him. But his own strength was failing him, and just as he was about to grab hold of Necky, a debilitating pain shot through the core of his being and the two crashed into the ground, spectral energy clashing as they refused to give in that easily.
However, where Clockwork was severely beaten up, Necronomicon was only lightly injured from the few hits Clockwork had managed to score and he was quick to recover.
Using his energy, he flung Clockwork off of him, pressing the sharp point of the severed horn against his throat while hanging menacingly low above his head.
"This is your final warning, Clockwork. Do not anger me further!"
Clockwork growled in frustration, hands aglow. "Or what, you’re going to kill me again?" He asked with angered sarcasm, then slammed both glowing hands into Necronomicon.
Necky screamed out as energy burned into his form, causing his own spectral energy to spasm violently. The hold he had over Clockwork failed, allowing the ghost to break free. However, the horn Necky was holding jerked around wildly, which Clockwork missed in his enraged state. Seeing his chance to beat down Necronomicon, Clockwork once more channeled his energy into the book, not seeing the horn slicing down at his face.
With a burst of spasming energy, the sharp tip of the horn gouged a deep lightning bolt shaped scar in the left side of his face, even slicing through his eye in the process.
Clockwork screamed out in pain as he pushed away, clutching his face with both hands; green blood flowing past his fingers and falling to the ground.
"You've made your choice," Necronomicon said with rasping breath. "Now deal with the consequences!" And he grabbed hold of Clockwork, zapping him with a burst of his power.
Clockwork screamed out as the energy coursed through his body, twisting and changing him down to the cellular level. Then it ended, and smoke rose from his twitching body as he was thrown through a portal Necronomicon had opened behind the incapacitated ghost.
"Now, to set this mistake in motion," Necronomicon grunted, chasing after the pony once more, turning invisible so he wouldn't be seen.
<<>><<>><<>>
The fleeing pony, scared out of his wits, ran all the way back home; not stopping for anything, which did turn a few heads in confusion. Once home, he slammed the door shut behind him, and pressed his back against it while standing on his hind legs, breathing heavily.
"Okay, gha. Calm down, it was just a dream. A really, really bad dream," he panted, eyes jerking wildly as he tried to calm down. "There is no evil talking book, nor some weird flying alien thing. Just a dream, right," he blabbered with a nervous chuckle.
An unexpected 'click' came from the door, and his breath caught in his throat. His pupils shrunk as he nervously glanced back at the door behind him.
With a 'swoosh' the curtains blinded the windows, covering the room in darkness while a open door leading to an adjacent room slowly swung shut.
"Just a bad dream," he squeaked, trembling.
"No, a nightmare," a menacing voice broke in, and the sickening glow of two green glowing eyes revealed themselves to him. "And this is not something you can wake up from," the voice threatened, and a horn held aloft in the same sick glow as the thing's eyes moved into view.
"You can scream if you want," the thing said to the frozen in fear pony. "No one will hear you," and the book moved towards the pony.
A loud, painful, and terrified scream rattled the windows, yet not a single sound escaped the house; a faint, almost impossible to see glimmer of green covering the entire structure.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a hollow scream, Clockwork fell out of the portal and crashed into a cold, stone floor.
Spasming on the floor without any control, he felt his body change. With tremendous effort, he moved a trembling hand to where he could see it, and saw to his shock the skin of his hand grow old and fragile. Then his vision shifted. Not by his own action, however, but as a result of his body shrinking as it returned to a juvenile state.
More and more his body distorted as his limbs shifted between young, adult, and old, leaving him a twitching mess unable to do anything as the uncontrolled timeshift went on, and on.
"He is over here!" A familiar voice broke through the pained and shocked haze that had clouded his mind.
"Quick, bring the staff!" The same voice called out, coming from somewhere else.
"Gha… Wha- what is happening to me?" Clockwork managed to groan.
"Don't talk, Clockwork. You are in a most delicate state and must preserve as much of your strength as you can if you are to survive."
"I've got the staff!" The similar voice proclaimed from somewhere far away.
"Quick, there isn't much time left!"
"Lay him on his back!" Another identical voice commanded, and Clockwork felt how several claw-like hands carefully rolled his constantly changing body over.
Now able to look up, Clockwork saw the Observants surrounding him, looking down at him with their large, concerned looking eyeball heads.
"Clockwork, hold this," one of the Observants instructed, and placed a staff in his childlike hand as it aged rapidly.
"And no matter what, do not let go. Your afterlife depends on it!"
Clockwork lost focus again, and the Observants faded away into darkness as his grip over the staff was slipping.
A sudden spike through his chest made him suck in a deep breath and his vision sharpened, then seemed to increase past his normal ability to see; a massive surge of energy flowing into his being.
"GHAAAAAAA!!!" Clockwork screamed out as the energy burned down to his core, his limbs flailing wildly in uncontrolled spasm.
"HOLD HIM DOWN!" An Observant yelled, and several of the identical beings held him down to the floor.
"Breathe, Clockwork. Breathe. Don't allow it to consume you!"
Clockwork screamed as he felt his body tear apart from the inside, a faint glow coming from his chest, but slowly increasing in luminosity as his torture continued.
"GHYAAAAAA!!" He screamed, desperately trying to break free, yet unable to do so.
"Don't fight it, Clockwork. Allow this to run its course!"
He felt his torso cave in, the bone folding in on itself, creating a hollow space as his organs realigned itself.
"GHNAH… NOOO, MAKE IT STOP!" He begged, tears streaming down his face.
"Don't give up, Clockwork. You're almost through!"
Clockwork screamed again as he felt something foreign fill up the empty space in his chest, and he started to hear a strange ticking sound. Not with his ears, though, but as if there was a clock ticking within him.
A final scream escaped Clockwork as something solidified in his chest, and, whatever it was that had happened stopped. He immediately passed out the moment it did.
The Observants all shared a worried look with each other, then turned to look at the pair of glowing red eyes observing from the shadows.
<<>><<>><<>>
A swirling portal opened in the Hall of Time and Necronomicon flew slowly through, clearly angry, and disgusted.
"You have returned," Clockwork said, moving out of the shadows, frowning.
Necronomicon didn't answer, nor did he even acknowledged Clockwork as he simply drifted towards the chamber's doorway.
"I understand how you feel and I don't blame you for feeling the way you do. After all, it wasn't too long ago I felt the same. Blaming you for all of this."
"Yet it was you who set all of this in motion," Necky growled.
"Did I?" Clockwork muttered, sighing out while shaking his head. "I set in motion the events as I remembered them to happen as I have experienced them first myself."
"Creating your future by recreating your past," Necky murmured. "A Bootstrap Paradox."
"I'm afraid so," Clockwork said. "It… has given some new perspective on my past. But all it did was create more questions, while none of the questions I already had were answered."
"Like who set all of this in motion in the first place?"
"For one, yes," Clockwork agreed.
"You understand this means we could have been going through this looped paradox for centuries, millennia even."
"I do. And it shall continue as my past self will now go through everything I have gone through, and one day set in motion these events for his own past self."
"And et cetera," Necky murmured bitterly.
"Et cetera, indeed."
"... Does this mean we don't have any free will at all in these matters?" Necky asked, staring at the empty vortex of one of the viewing portals.
Clockwork was silent as he joined Necky, staring at the emptiness for a while in contemplating silence.
"For a time, I thought I knew. My younger self certainly seems convinced he has a firm understanding of matters regarding time. As for me… I do not know. We might say we have something called free will, but only if we don't know what is going to be. Because if we do know what the future holds, we can either choose to let it happen and lose this freedom, or chose to go against it. But would that really be free will? Making a choice to do something different merely on the knowledge that, at some point, you were going to decide one way, or the other."
"So, there really isn't something as the freedom to choose our own paths?" Necky muttered, somewhat troubled.
"I think there is, actually."
"How can you be sure?"
"I can't. But I believe."
"Despite everything you have seen… and done?"
"Yes."
"Why? How?"
"Because I choose to."
"..." Necky sighed out. "Choice has always been the problem."
"Like a wise, and somewhat crazy man once said: The problem isn't the problem. The problem is your attitude towards the problem."
"Who said that?" Necky asked, but Clockwork only smirked. A smirk that soon fell when more urgent matters demanded attention.
"So, I'm correct to understand Sombra has been-"
"I attached the horn to him, yes. Using my powers to reshape and mold it to him, and to create the conflict of Harmonic Resonance," Necronomicon sighed out tiredly. "He is a Spectral, just like Sunny Skies and Starlight. Combine this with his fragile state of mind of us being there and the corruptive grasp of Pariah still present in his horn…"
"He has no choice but to succumb and become the dark entity history remembers him to be."
"... We took his life, you realize that."
"More than you know. For all those years I believed you to be responsible for what happened to him. But to find out it was I who told you to do this, it was- It was…"
"It forced you to rethink everything you thought you knew of your past," Necky answered.
"And more," Clockwork muttered. "I believed you to be someone who just played with another's life like it was nothing. To just reshape things as you saw fit. And I rebelled against it, unable to understand how, or why you could do such things. But now, knowing what I know now. Having done many similar things, I find myself wondering. Did I become this way because of you, or did you become this way because of me?"
"A Bootstrap Paradox. A set of recurring events of which the origin cannot be determined… We'd most likely never find out."
"And that is what worries me the most," Clockwork admitted. "Where did it all start? And more importantly, where is it all going to end?"
Necky glanced at Clockwork, slightly confused. "You haven't already experienced the end?"
"If I did, I wouldn't know. I'm just going through time one day at a time, not knowing what to expect."
"Then perhaps there is some measure of free will after all."
"How so?"
"What is it that you're going to do, now that your past has been secured?"
Clockwork was about to answer, but found he didn't have an answer. "I hadn't thought that far ahead, honestly."
"Which means you are uncertain about what the future, or at least your personal future might hold."
"I don't know what is going to happen next," Clockwork said, surprised. Then a small smile replaced the set frown he had ever since he came to his past timeline. "I don't know what is going to happen next."
"Congratulations, Clockwork. You managed to break free without even realising it. If all of us could be so lucky."
"You know this is also why Discord went crazy, right?" Clockwork asked.
"A being of chaos and unpredictability going crazy over the thought whether he had free will or not, and desperately trying to find out by tempting fate… Huh, if I didn't know better, I'd say he was acting just as one might expect of him."
"You would be surprised," Clockwork replied with a small chuckle, and Necronomicon looked at him with an unspoken question shining in his eyes. "Spoilers," Clockwork said before he could ask.
"Fair enough… I suppose I must also apologize for that scar I left on your face?"
Clockwork reached with a hand to the mentioned mark, gingerly tracing it with the tip of a finger.
"No, I don't think so. I'd say we're even now."
Necronomicon released a deep sigh in answer. "So, I take it you're leaving now?"
"Yes," Clockwork confirmed. "My role in my own past has reached its end. All there is left for me now is for my past self to live through."
"He's going to hate me."
"Oh yes, yes he will."
"He did show up, his future self, your past self, shortly after this timeline's version had joined Sunny and Starlight to their village."
"I know."
"Why did you take her with you?"
"Just… reliving an old memory." Clockwork replied, then slowly moved for the blank viewing portal; using his staff to open a path to a specific point in time.
"Before you go. What is going to happen to your younger self?"
"... The Observants will take care of him, teach him to understand his newly gained abilities, and how to use the powers that come with being the Embodiment of Time."
"In the here and now?"
"No, he shall be taken back to a point much earlier in history. Someplace where he will learn what it means to be what he is. He has a long road ahead of him, and it is not going to be an easy one either. But in the end, he will be the timekeeper all will know him to be. And you the-know-it all-smart-ass-letting-you-figure-things-out-yourself-while-knowing-the-answer bastard I hate you so much for being."
"I believe I'm supposed to say: You're welcome," Necky said with a faint grin.
"Don't flatter yourself," Clockwork shot back, but a faint smile was present as he said so. Then he took one final deep breath. "Goodbye," and he vanished through the portal.
Necky looked at the portal through which Clockwork had vanished, sighing out before moving for the calming vortex himself.
"Just one last thing to do," he murmured, remembering the last of Clockwork's instructions. "... Of all the things he had to set in motion, I'm sure this is the one he wanted to happen." And then Necronomicon vanished into the vortex as well.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a weak groan, Clockwork came to. He tried to sit up, but gave up on trying the moment a spike of pain shot through his body and he opted to remain lying on the bed he found himself in, dimly aware of the presence of others around him. He couldn't really focus on these others, though, as something much more apparent made itself known to him.
The moment the stab of pain shot through him, he could feel something else as well. Something foreign, something alien. Something that was definitely not him, yet seemed connected to him all the same.
Another groan escaped him, this one louder than the first.
"He is coming to," he heard the now recognizable voice of an Observant speak up, and the murmur of several identical voices grew louder all around him.
"Ngh.. Wh- what happened," Clockwork managed to ask, trying to open his eyes.
"You were cursed," came the immediate answer, and a spike of panic shot through Clockwork as his eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up once again. A fresh spike of pain, and a clawed hand holding him down convinced him otherwise. But, at the least, he was now able to look around with somewhat blurry vision.
"Wh- what do you mean, I was cursed?"
"Actually, you still are," he was answered.
"Your… disagreement with Necronomicon resulted in him afflicting you with a constant time shift. Forcing your physical form to rejuvenate and age rapidly over and over again. But not all at once, or in the same time."
"Parts of you had aged to the point where age had made your body brittle and weak, while other areas of your body had returned to a juvenile state."
"We were able to counter this… imbalance through the power of the staff currently standing besides you," an Observant explained, and Clockwork's vision followed their gaze to see a long staff made of a silver gray metal standing next to him.
Taking a moment to study the object, he saw that the staff was mostly a smooth, long rod. But nearing the top, there was a thick band on which something resembling a two-pronged hook made of a similar colored metal and shaped with several ninety degree angles was attached. The design gave it the look of a flat square, but with the top portion cut out of it. And in its place, a small clock, similar in design to a stop watch of all things, rested. Not physically attached to the staff, but held in place by some force Clockwork couldn't quite place.
"Although its power was able to counter the mismatched shift, it was not able to stop it entirely," another Observant continued, pulling Clockwork's attention away from the staff.
"What do you m-" he started to ask, only to feel a strange, yet somewhat familiar and definitely uncomfortable sensation take hold over him. His breath escaped him in ragged gasps as he saw his arms, growing shorter, weaker, younger, and he realized the rest of his body was going through the same change. Yet as soon as it started, it also ended, and Clockwork suddenly found himself in the body of an eight year old. "WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!?" He yelled, falling out of the bed, making the staff fall on top of him.
"Please calm down," an Observant said while another carefully helped him back up on the bed. "Sudden bursts of emotions like such will only agitate your situati-" He wasn't able to finish as, with another shift, Clockwork had suddenly aged rapidly, and was now a very, very old man.
"What is happening to me?" Clockwork asked with an old voice, looking at his wrinkled, trembling hands.
"This time shift you’re afflicted with. It couldn't be stopped. But the staff near you is able to control the direction of which the shift is going. That way, you will age, or regress in age all at once and with your whole physical form. But emotional outbursts like the one you just had will accelerate the occurrence of such a shift."
"Then, how do we stop this entirely?" Clockwork asked with forced calm, hands balling into fists.
The Observants looked at one another, unsure on how to approach this matter.
"I'm afraid this goes beyond our abilities to solve."
"It was a curse placed on you by Necronomicon. One of the ancients whose powers far exceed our own."
"THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!" Clockwork yelled, and found himself regressing in age until he was his normal, adult self again. "... Anything?"
"Not by our powers, I'm afraid," a Observant admitted sadly.
"Not by your powers?" Clockwork muttered, glaring at the ghosts around him.
"There might be a way for you to… control this shift, to some limited extent," one of them said with some hesitance.
"But it won't be easy, and it requires some sacrifice from you."
"Sacrifice! What more do you need from me!? I already lost everything I care about."
"No, you did not. Not really," Clockwork's head snapped towards the Observant who said that, glaring murderously at him.
Clearing his nonexistent throat, the Observant clarified. "Sunny Skies and Starlight, or Celestia and Luna as they are called now, do still exist. So do you. Despite everything that has happened, and still is going to happen, you still remain. And although none of us would dare say you haven't lost anything, you must realize there is still a lot to salvage, and to gain."
"Explain," Clockwork ordered, voice flat, but filled with raging anger. He regressed back into his juvenile form.
"The staff we used to gain some control over the time shift you’re afflicted with, it's more than just some tool we have at our disposal."
"The truth is, there exists only one of this staff, and there are only a few who can use it. But there is only one it recognizes as worthy to call its own."
"You, Clockwork, are this individual. It chose you to carry it, and take up the responsibilities as a keeper of time, and become its Embodiment."
Silence fell over everyone as Clockwork looked at the Observant who had spoken with wide, unblinking eyes. A silence which was promptly shattered as Clockwork yelled: "Are you fucking kidding me!?" And he shifted age several more times until his form settled on his elderly self.
"No, we are most certainly not, Clockwork," the Observant answered seriously. "You were chosen by the staff, the Embodied Artifact of Time."
"You already wear its mark," another picked up, and moved to Clockwork to pull away the cover Clockwork had over his body; revealing something that made Clockwork scream out once again, falling off the bed again while reverting to his adult form.
Imbedded in his chest was a clock. A pendulum was slowly swinging from side to side with every passing second, with a gentle 'tick tock' coming from within him. There was even a glass door that allowed one to see inside while closing off his chest. A chest which was now heaving as Clockwork was now in a full blown panic.
"Clockwork, calm down."
"Calm down. CALM DOWN! There is a fucking clock in my chest! How can I possibly calm down!?" He shouted, shifting through the years all the while.
"It's because of this clock that your time shift is held under control. Without it, you would have succumbed to a uncontrolled, unequal strain on your body. It would have killed you, and I don't think it needs explaning what happens to a ghost when they die again."
Clockwork breathed in loudly, almost to the point of hyperventilating, but the words of the Observants did register and he slowly calmed down; the shifting in age slowing down as a result until he sat on the ground as the adult he was supposed to be. Gingerly and somewhat reluctantly, he moved a hand for the glass door that protected the delicate mechanism held within, feeling the cold surface of the glass as his fingers pressed against it.
"This is real, isn't it?" He asked in a murmur, not wanting to believe it.
"I'm afraid so," an Observant answered.
"The consequences of my choices," Clockwork murmured, still not looking up. The Observants didn't know how to answer him.
Clockwork slowly looked back up, eyes set. "You want me to learn how to control… this?"
"If you so wish, yes," came the reply.
"If I do so, then what does this mean for me?"
"First and foremost, you are granted the ability to control time. You will be able to see it, shape it, influence it. But most importantly, protect it. That is the task of the Timekeeper."
"It is obvious what you're thinking, so we'll say this as clearly as we can. You can not use these powers to undo things as you see fit. Even as an Embodiment, there are rules you must follow. You can make changes, yes. But only if they do not threaten the timeline as a whole."
"Then why would I accept this… responsibility if I can't even use it to help my friends… my family?"
"Who said you couldn't help them?"
"You can not influence things directly as you wish, but you can help indirectly."
"What are you talking abo-" Clockwork argued, then fell silent as he remembered something he and Necronomicon had talked about.
'Me?... I would think that causing so many ripples at one point in time would be even more difficult to keep hidden than just a small incursion here and there. Each and every ripple would react, and increase the distortion caused to the timeline. Especially considering there are now two of both of us. The only way something like this would remain hidden is if someone would actively monitor and manipulate the fabric of time to keep all of this hidden.'
"... Oh, you son of a… I was there. My future self was there, using these powers to keep our incursion hidden." he realized, then his eyes hardened and he looked up at the Observants. "You knew," he accused, standing up to look at them at eye level. "You knew my future self was there, didn't you?"
"Of course we did," came the simple, honest reply, which took Clockwork by surprise.
"After all, when we first approached you to help us, we did say we saw you to do so. We never made it a secret we knew about your future actions."
"But you didn't say much about it either," Clockwork grumbled.
"Nor did you ask," an Observant pointed out.
"And you still want me to work with you; to allow you to teach me?" Clockwork seethed, reverting back to his childlike self. "Are you asking, or do I even have a choice in this matter?"
"That is a question only you can answer."
"Do know we never kept any knowledge hidden from you, intentionally."
"Nor do we plan on doing so, in the future."
"You are the Timekeeper, whether you choose to be or not."
"We watch and safeguard time. But our role is also to aid you."
"You may not like us, disagree with us even, but this is something that cannot be changed."
"Your future has been set, wearing the mark of the Embodiment of time."
"So, there never has been a choice to begin with," Clockwork shot back bitterly.
"There was, back when you chose to join us. All of this is merely the ensuing consequences of your decision."
"But you do have a choice to make now."
"Do you accept the powers and responsibilities by becoming the Embodiment of Time, or do you not?"
"What difference would it make?" Clockwork growled back, turning back to his adult self. "The choice has already been made."
"Yet you can accept this, and find some manner of peace with the fate placed on you. Or you cannot. But between the two options, only one has the potential outcome of you finding a way to help yourself. And with it, your friends and family."
"So, what do you say, Clockwork? What is your answer?"
Clockwork took several deep breaths, holding them as long as he could as he willed himself to calm down.
"Fine, where do we start?" He spoke, voice as calm as he could get it.
"Right here, at the very beginning," an Observant said, and all of them together used their power to remove the room they were in.
Clockwork suddenly found himself hanging motionless in a endless void, the Observants nowhere to be seen, with only the staff floating by his side as he tried to figure out what was going on.
Then an explosion occurred, and existence itself was born.
<<>><<>><<>>
Earth. The year 2054. Some time before Clockwork's death.
It was an average, normal day. Sunny, but with some clouds as a weak breeze blew through the streets occupied with pedestrians walking and cars driving. It gave a rumbling sound as all noises produced overlapped one another, making it impossible to distinguish a single voice, or engine roar. Yet all of this went unheard by the lone man working in his store. A place where one was able to buy clocks, as well as repair and restore them, aptly named: Clockworks.
The man, in his late forties, was diligently working on a partially deconstructed time piece brought in for repair, and the various gears lay all perfectly sorted out before him as he used a screwdriver to tighten a screw, as yet another piece in this complex puzzle was put back into place.
Surrounding him, all ticking with their own distinct 'voice', were various clocks hanging from the walls and watches lying in their display cases. All properly cleaned and taken care of.
The man hummed, pleased as he leaned back a bit to take a moment to observe his work, nodding approvingly before reaching for the next part. By accident, however, he knocked one of the smaller gears off of the table. Muttering under his breath over his own clumsiness as he got off his chair, he dropped to the floor in search of the missing piece, not noticing the black book hovering behind him.
"Where did you go?" The man murmured, looking around while using his fingers to try to find the part by touch, still oblivious to the entity who had snuck up on him.
Necronomicon, however, didn't want him to know; didn't want him to see. He knew what he had to do, and why. It didn't make it any less difficult. This man, this mortal, he was still innocent of the actions committed by his future self. And if he did this, then everything would be set on the same path time has followed again and again for who knew how long.
True, he could choose to do things differently. To let Sebastian live. But how would that play out in the long run? Could he choose to break the cycle and set Sebastian free of all the burdens he knew the man had to go through should he go through with it all.
One choice laid bare, with all the ensuing consequences revealed. The other choice, a complete unknown.
He sighed out and shook his skull imprinted on the cover, the sound causing the man below him to freeze up for a second.
"Hello, is anyone there? I'll be with you in a second."
'No, you won't,' Necky thought, and a green glow flashed around him.
The same glow surrounded Sebastian's head for a split second, then his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slumped down to the floor, dead.
"I want to say I'm sorry, but you wouldn't understand," Necky murmured, looking at the dead human."But I do know that, one day, a very long time from now, you will understand what I did… What you did. And how this is your punishment to yourself."
He knew Sebastian couldn't hear him, his soul still confused and lost by his unexpected death.
Necky glanced slightly to the side and vanished from view, seeing the tall, scythe wielding reaper step out of the shadows and towards Sebastian.
'Until we meet again, Clockwork,' Necky thought, and he vanished through a wall.
<<>><<>><<>>
Present time
Clockwork sighed out as his hand fell away from his scar, closing the viewing portal through which he had watched Sombra’s wispy remainder.
Shaking his head, he glowered down at the floor, knowing it was his fault, the fate that befell Sombra because, in the end, he had failed to stop Necronomicon. Why that book did what he did, he probably would never know. But he did make the promise to stop something like that from ever happening again, using the powers he gained by becoming the Embodiment of Time. Of course, had he known that trying to prevent terrible harm to others required the manipulation of individuals in much the same way Necky had first done, he would never have agreed to it. But he didn't and before he even knew it, he was meddling in the lives of others, while somehow staying on the sidelines himself… most of the time.
His gaze drifted towards the sealed thermos standing in a dark alcove within the chamber.
Yes, he had made somewhat of an exception for his childhood hero. Being tasked to stop… no, destroy Danny Fenton as a child, before he could become the monster now locked away within that thermos was something he just couldn't stomach. So he devised a plan. An elaborate plan, which paid off handsomely. However, as he now realized. By allowing Daniel to live, a whole new course of history was set in motion. And all that was happening now: Sam's death, Danny losing faith in himself and running away, Danny going to Equestria, Shadow, Nightmare Moon, and everything else was ultimately his fault.
Yet, as he thought back at all the things he had done over the eternity he had existed, he found that this one change, this one rewrite of history, he didn't feel any regret for doing it. He might not have been able to save Sunny Skies, or Starlight from the fate that befell them. But this time, maybe he was able to help them now, as he worked to help Danny.
It was a small comfort, but he took it. Knowing that in the coming events there would be need for every little bit of comfort anyone could find.
He sighed out loudly, then became aware of something and turned towards one of the viewing portals, using his cane to pinpoint a certain point in time.
"... Perhaps I am able to help you as well," he murmured, then his eyes set and he flew away, leaving the room empty save for the swirling portal which showed the image of a young, orange pegasus filly moving through the Ghost Zone before it returned to normal, and the thermos which held a future that never came to pass.
A thermos which wobbled slightly on the spot with faint, menacing laughter coming from within.
Edited by Slayerseba, Halusm, Clayton the Hunter, and Clawder.
Crossing Paths.
<<>><<>><<>>
Some hours after Sombra's defeat.
Cadance and Shining Armor walked side by side through the castle; with Cadance lightly leaning into her husband, sighing a mix of contentment and tiredness.
"Are you alright?" Shining Armor asked his wife.
"Yes… I’m just happy that all of this is finally over… despite how it ended," Cadance answered, eyes downcast as she thought back to the unfortunate family Danny had found.
"Yes…" Shining Armor murmured. "At least, I hope it did."
"Did what?"
"For this to be an end," he clarified. "Sombra might still be out there," he reminded her. "Even though we may now have his horn. If Danny is right and Sombra truly is a ghost; and after what we've seen and gone through, I find myself believing this more and more. It may still be possible for him to strike back, with, or without horn… In fact, with what we know about ghosts, he may not even have need of a horn to begin with."
The two of them came to a stop, finding themselves near one of the many large windows in one of the numerous hallways the castle had. Looking outside, past the city and out to the snow and ice bordering the city, Shining Armor frowned deeply.
"... Even so, it all seems so… unreal. The last time we had to deal with ghosts was with the Baltimare incident. But all those… entities came from the human world through a tear. Sombra did not."
"It is worrying," Cadance admitted, stepping closer to the window and looked down at the city, and the ponies below. "Add to that the shock of the Empire returning, and finding everypony—" she flinched, paused for a moment, then continued "—Almost everypony still alive; frozen in time. Everything that has happened here, today. It is difficult for us, yes. But to them… These ponies, our ponies. They come from a world a thousand years ago. Any difficulties we may face would be even more difficult for them. Just their reaction to Pinkie Pie's party proved as much. Her party tank, the speakers she used to play the music… it was all alien to them."
"True. But they also got used to it surprisingly quick."
"They didn't question it," Cadance corrected. "And honestly, after everything they were put through, who can blame them? But they will, eventually. After they have sorted out their lives, settled back into their own routine, no longer trapped by the mad grip of Sombra, they can finally look forward again. And what they will see will be strange, wondrous, and frightening. Silly little things we take for granted will be eye opening revelations to them. Thoughts and ideas they believed to be impossible or science fiction, made real by great minds throughout the passing of time. Time which they missed."
She sighed out, stepping away from the window and started walking down the hallway, Shining Armor joining her side once more.
"Sombra might still be out there, yes. And if this is so, we must act accordingly. However, he is not the only danger we're facing; the ponies out there, they are still scared, lost in a world they don't fully understand. It is up to us to help them, guide them as they rediscover their place, and teach them about all the history they've missed. Both the good, and the bad."
"I guess there is still a lot of work left for us to do."
"Yes, yes there is," Cadance agreed with a tired sigh, the day's events having caught up with her. "I think we should start with informing my aunts first."
Turning a corner, Shining Armor nodded as they headed back to the throne room.
"But first I want to go and see if Sombra's horn is still secure," he said, frowning. "If he is a ghost, a mere locked door won't stop him. Or worse, he may still be able to use it, even severed as it is."
Nodding, Cadance agreed with what he was saying.
"Yes, I did have it placed in that room on short notice, seeing it was reasonably secure. However, after everything’s been said and done… It's best to err on the safe side."
Both agreed, taking one more turn and moving for the room in which Sombra's horn was locked away; four guards standing on each side of the door.
With a flash of her horn, Cadance unlocked the door, opening it for the two of them while the guards’ eyes followed them inside.
"Oh no!" Cadance gasped and, in seconds, the guards rushed inside to take down any threat.
"It's gone," said Cadance, shocked. "Sombra's horn, it was right there."
Jaw set and muscles tense, Shining Armor bellowed his orders: "GUARDS, SEARCH THE CASTLE AND CITY! FIND WHO EVER TOOK SOMBRA'S HORN!"
With a firm salute and a chorus of "Yes sir," the guards rushed out of the room; soon joined by the rest of their comrade guards as they relayed Shining's orders.
"Cadance," Shining Armor said through clenched teeth. "Now would be a good time to inform your aunts."
<<>><<>><<>>
The night had just fully claimed the land as, with a tell-tale screech of metal on metal, a train slowly came to a stop at Canterlot's train station, allowing the passengers to disembark.
Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Danny, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike, weary and tired, wanting to go home and be done with the day, looked around to find the connecting train which would take them to Ponyville. Instead, they were surprised to find several guards waiting for them.
"Miss Sparkle," one of the guards stepped forward. "We are here to escort you and your friends to the castle. The Princesses are awaiting your arrival."
Nodding tiredly, Twilight motioned for the guards to lead the way; she and the rest of them followed after the guards with a slow pace.
"Can't we do this tomorrow?" Rainbow Dash complained. "Like, when nopony is dragging their hooves after what just happened."
"Apologies, miss," the same guard replied in the same stoic manner he had addressed Twilight a moment ago. "But Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were insistent to be made aware of the situation as soon as possible."
Rainbow Dash was just about to make clear her thoughts, when Twilight shushed her; saying how they were just doing their jobs, and that the Princesses needed to know what had happened sooner rather than later.
Rainbow Dash grumbled in annoyance, but even she couldn't deny the truth in her friend's words.
Sombra being a ghost. The terrible fate that had befallen the poor family Danny had found, as well as Danny's warning that, if there is one ghost, there could be more. And the possibility that Sombra could still be around, waiting to strike again.
Yes, the princesses needed to know. But… did they all need to be there?
Surely she could just skip out on this. Maybe find a nice cloud instead, and just sleep till next week.
Of course she didn't say these thoughts out loud, and instead found herself guided along with her friends to the grand castle the royal sisters called home. And, in both less time than she had thought, and the minutes still seeming to drag on and on, they were all ushered into the throne room; seeing Princesses Luna and Celestia seated on their thrones with worried frowns, but relief showing on their safe return.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight greeted, smiling tiredly. "Princess Luna," she gave the same courtesy to the ruler of the night.
"Twilight. I'm so glad to see you and your friends have returned safely," Celestia answered, stepping down from her throne and meeting her pupil half way; nuzzling her while, for just a fraction of a moment, her gaze locked on Danny. None of them noticed.
"So am I," Twilight said, both relieved and somber. "But it wasn't easy… for any of us."
"I can imagine," Celestia replied with sadness, taking a step back while Luna stepped closer.
"Cadance has sent ahead a letter informing us of what has transpired in the empire. However, there are certain details she was unable to provide. We hope you are able and willing to fill in these blanks."
"Of course, princess," Twilight nodded. "What would you like to know?"
"Your side of the story," Celestia replied matter of factly. "All of you," she looked over the group of mares, human and dragon.
"Well, this is going to be a while," Spike remarked, unable to hide his annoyance before yawning.
"Spike!" Twilight shot him a warning glare, but a hoof on her shoulder returned her attention back to Princess Celestia.
"I understand that you are tired. All of you. If what Cadance has informed us about is anything to go by, you have all gone through a horrible ordeal. It is because of this that my sister and I need to know the details as soon as possible."
"Indeed," Luna nodded. "If what Danny claimed Sombra to be is true—" all eyes turned to Danny "—that Sombra has indeed become a ghost, and if the possibility exists that he has survived the energy of the Crystal Heart, it is imperative for us to know anything you have seen, learned, or heard."
"Well, Princess. Y'all better take a seat then, 'cause this is goin' ta take a while." Applejack told them, sighing out as she pulled her stetson from her head, shaking her head and tossing around her ponytail before sitting down herself. "An it ain't gonna be pretty either."
Her friends all murmured their saddened agreements, sitting down as well, most with a sigh. Danny, however, frowning as he thought back, instead chose to lean against one of the many pillars near the wall, arms crossed.
"I feared as much," Celestia broke the tension before it could take hold. "However, before we divulge into what occurred, there is another matter which needs addressing first," she said, looking at Danny. "Cadance letter informed me about you as well. And although I'm grateful for your selfless act, and even relieved just how fortunate and helpful your knowledge proved to be, I must ask of you. Why did you join Twilight and her friends to the Crystal Empire, and put yourself in such danger?"
Shrugging, Danny looked down at his feet, releasing a tense sigh. "I guess because it all sounded so… familiar. And I knew that, if I was right, they—" he gave a nod towards the mentioned mares "—would be in way over their heads."
"And, pray tell. How do you mean, it sounded familiar?" Luna asked, stepping closer to Danny.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Danny looked up at the ceiling.
"A dark king. A city just disappearing. Something like that happened back on Earth as well… shortly before the first tear opened…" he explained, then frowned. "In fact the first tear opening is closely connected to this city disappearing, and subsequently reappearing."
Numerous gasps echoed through the throne room, and Danny once again found himself at the center of wrapped attention. A place in the spotlight he really didn't feel comfortable standing, and he could feel himself starting to sweat. Once more forced to explain what he knew, without revealing too much.
"You don't mean…" Twilight gasped.
"Amity Park," Celestia stated, eyes narrowing. "And… Danny Phantom." The icy spike in her voice send shivers down everyone's spine and making Danny flinch as well.
Sighing out once more, Danny lazily nodded, leaning back against the pillar while continuing to avoid eye contact; finding a renewed interest in his shoes.
"So, I guess you know about this too, then?" He said, voice slightly strained.
"You mean you were there?!" Twilight spoke up, holding an unusual tone in her voice.
Danny was silent for several long seconds, frowning deeply before shaking his head.
"No, I was not. I know about this, because it was all over the news," he lied, then looked up and made eyes contact with Celestia. "And he isn't the one I'm talking about."
"If not the Phantom, then who?" Luna demanded.
"His name is Pariah Dark," Danny revealed, looking at her. "Some self proclaimed king of ghosts, or something?" He made a vague hand gesture. "All I know, this guy is seriously bad news and incredibly powerful. He took over Amity Park with little to no problem. Then, for reasons I do not know, he simply took Amity Park away, as well as anyone who lived there."
"I see," Celestia muttered, eyes narrowed slightly and locked on Danny. "I was told about these events shortly after our two worlds started to interact with one another. I was also told that this Pariah Dark was fought off and defeated by an army of ghosts led by the Phantom." Again, Danny flinched, which didn't go unnoticed by the solar princess. "Perhaps a power struggle between two evil forces?"
Reflexively, Danny clenched a hand into a fist before he even noticed; quickly forcing himself to calm down the moment he did.
"Who knows," he shrugged. "What I do know, however, is that there were too many similarities between Pariah Dark and Sombra for it to be just a coincidence. A gut feeling which only grew stronger the moment I… we arrived at the Empire."
"I see." Celestia said, pausing for only a moment. Then, as if a switch was flipped, a small smile grew on her lips. "Well, I guess we should thank you. If not for this 'gut feeling' as you said, my little ponies would have been in quite a dangerous situation. A situation I poorly misjudged," she admitted, shamefaced.
"Princess Celestia," Twilight jumped up at her mentor's words.
Holding up a hoof, Celestia cut her student off before she could start. "No, Twilight. No matter what, this is something that cannot be denied. Least of all by me. I sent you and your friends into a situation I thought I understood; doing so without the aid of the Elements; and although everything worked out in the end, it was not through any actions of my own."
"Indeed," Luna voiced her agreement. "These events have taught us a lot. A lesson we are still in the process of understanding. Which is where you come in," she explained, steering the conversation back on track. "We must know what it is all of you did. And, Danny—" she looked at the human "—please share with us any knowledge you have; which you haven't shared yet with our friends. If Sombra is truly still out there, or should a threat similar to him show up, we must know how to act."
"I suppose," Danny muttered, then yawned, loudly. "Ehh… sorry."
"Nay, no need to apologise. We understand you must be tired."
"That is why it would be wise to get this over with as soon as possible," Celestia said. "After which, there will be a room and bed available to you all."
"Actually, Princess," Applejack spoke up. "Not ta look ungrateful, or anythaing, but after all we've gone through over at tha Empire… All Ah really want right now is ta jus' lie down in mah own bed, an’ just forget this whole thaing ever happened." And, although the prospect of a well made bed just around the corner seemed more than inviting, the others couldn't help but murmur their agreement.
"Indeed," Rarity yawned behind a hoof. "Although I'm still mad with Sweetie Belle after what she's done. Right now, I just want to go back home and make sure she's fine."
"Ah know what ya mean, Rarity," Applejack put a leg over her friend's back. "After today, with that family, Ah too want ta go back home an jus' be with mah family."
"I understand," Celestia nodded, smiling kindly. "Then, perhaps it is wise to get this over with. Please just tell us the most important details. The rest can follow after you're rested and feel like recounting this ordeal."
Agreeable murmuring and several yawns came in answer, and the group started to reveal what had happened from the moment they stepped on board the train. And as they did this, both Princess Celestia and Luna kept a close look on Danny from the corner of their eyes.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had been close to an hour when everyone had told their side of the story. Or most of it, at the very least. Some minor details were left out to save time and now the group of exhausted individuals were slowly moving to the station where a train would be waiting for them, per Princess' order.
Celestia and Luna, standing side by side on a balcony, looked down on the retreating group with tension.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" Celestia asked, eyes firmly locked on the tall biped.
"I did. Hadn't he been so tired, I doubt he would have shown as many signs."
"Not just his body language," Celestia said. "The way he answered, too. Thinking just a second too long before replying, deliberate vague answers… there is more he isn't telling us."
"You think he was there?"
Celestia frowned as she began to connect the few pieces of this puzzle they had. From everything reported to her by the Ghost-Keteers in Ponyville, to the reports from Twilight and her friends about Danny. Danny's own admission about his knowledge detailing ghosts, yet the vague, deflecting answers when pressed for further information. And then there was what happened down in the caverns.
"I do not know," she answered, losing sight of the group as they vanished within the city's infrastructure. "But I know something has happened to him. Something unspeakable."
"The letters from Applejack and Rainbow Dash did mention Danny falling out with them when Miss Dash pushed him regarding a certain matter; revealing the one he loved had died. Could this be connected?"
"The death of a loved one is always a difficult ordeal. We know this better than most. Yet, what was described to us… the way we were told he reacted…"
"It sounds eerily familiar to what we experienced back-"
"Back when our village was destroyed," Celestia finished. "Disbelief and shock at first, then anger and hate; not willing to accept what had happened and falling out to any who pressed too close. If Rainbow Dash and Applejack's reports are accurate, and I see no reason to think they aren't, then the death of Danny's loved one was no mere accident."
"That seems plausible. Remember what he told us when we greeted him personally?"
"I came here to get away from it all, not to be reminded of it," Celestia answered, eyes closed and sighing deeply.
"Indeed. It is clear that, whatever it was that happened to him, it left a deep scar."
"Yes," Celestia agreed ruefully. "Yet I can't shake the feeling there is something else. Something we're missing."
"How do you mean?"
"Wherever he goes, strange occurrences can be detected. First his arrival at the tear facility here in Canterlot, and the possession of his shadow. Something neither us, nor the humans had seen or heard from before. Then there is the strange and unusual activity surrounding his whereabouts. Twilight, not too long ago, informed me about Ponyville's lake being unexplainably frozen. Add to that the confirmed reports of a ghost or ghosts. One being seen by one of our ponies, which triggered a panic with the villagers of Ponyville, and a filly being possessed, according to Rolling Stone's report earlier today. And of course, the incident down in the caverns."
"It all seems to add up; building up towards something bigger," Luna surmised, frowning deeply.
"Yes. That is what worries me. Ever since Baltimare, there hasn't been any report of spectral activity. But now, ever since Danny arrived…"
"It could still all be just a coincidence," Luna suggested.
"Perhaps, but I'm not taking any chances. After what happened today, both here and in the Empire. No, I think it is time we call in a specialist. Somepony who can keep a close eye on Danny without being detected. Somepony who, I've heard, has already interacted with him several times. Somepony who knows her way around strange and unusual creatures."
"Pray tell, sister. Who is it you're talking about?" Luna asked, curiosity piqued.
Celestia felt the corners of her mouth curve upwards as she remembered the previous interactions she had with this pony, knowing she would be able to get to the bottom of this strange mystery that is Danny Manson.
"Oh, I'm sure you will find out soon enough. For now though, I have a letter to write. And I'm sure you have your hooves full with the cleanup efforts down in the caves."
Luna swore as she shot her sister a look, but nodded her involuntary agreement nonetheless.
"Tis true, yes. That ghost made a terrible mess. It's my hope this won't delay the construction."
"So is mine, sister. But, if anything, this shows that they are aware of our plans."
"Then we better make haste, lest they try again."
"Agreed," Celestia nodded, a deep frown etched on her face.
<<>><<>><<>>
Earlier that day.
Dani flew back with as much speed as she could, only now truly realizing just how much slower she was as a result of her duplicating herself, and thus splitting her power between her two halves.
Before, when she headed for Ponyville, she took her time; simply enjoying the feel of freedom after having been forced to stay in one spot for too long, pretending to be someone she wasn't.
Now, instead of feeling the joy of the wind blowing through her hair, or the thrill of threading the edge as a ghost amidst ghost fearing ponies, she instead found herself being chased by the few who could, potentially, knock her down and seriously cripple the efforts of not just herself, but Tucker, Jazz, and Valerie as well, in their search for Danny.
'How could I have been so stupid!?' she asked herself again, grinding her teeth in frustration as she neared Canterlot; the tall mountain it was built on casting a large shadow over the valley.
Not able to find any answer, other than her own recklessness, she quickly followed the natural incline up and entered the city undetected thanks to her invisibility.
Not wasting any time, she quickly followed her way back to the caverns she knew her other half would be; busy keeping her cover while trying to find ways to sabotage anything that could prove trouble for Danny, or herself.
Avoiding the entrance, expertly hidden within a seemingly unimportant structure somewhere on the outskirts of the city, yet closely guarded by numerous ponies posing as mere citizens, Dani instead phased through the mountain itself.
Slipping unseen through the solidity of the rock, she found herself back in the tunnel which she and her team of experts had traversed down into the crystal caves several times since their arrival here in Canterlot; still cautious about the glowing crystals growing here and there, she carefully avoided them as she flew down; able to sense her other half with a strange instinctive pull which she hadn't noticed before, but which she immediately chalked up to it just being another part of her ghost half she still had to figure out.
Not questioning it further, she followed this newly found instinct of hers and found herself moving deeper and deeper, past the point where the mixed group of ponies and humans were setting up the construction site in what they had begun to refer to as the Main Chamber.
A quick passing glance did reveal to her that, in the short time she was gone, they had made some considerable progress in setting up some of the cranes and other machines needed to put together this elaborate construct; as well as the unpacking of the building supplies from the crates they had brought with them.
'I guess those ponies' magic really helped those guys out with that stuff,' she surmised.
Not paying it any more mind, she quickly followed the tunnels deeper and deeper down into the mountain. And before long, she found her other half, standing near the massive crystal which tilted slightly to a side; hands on hips, and a pensive frown wrinkling her features. Fortunately, for as far as Dani could see, her other self was alone.
"Hey!" She greeted, fading back into view besides her 'twin'.
"GAAAH!" Dani yelled out in frightened surprise; quickly slapping a hand over her mouth to prevent any more sound to escape and possibly alert any of the nearby crew.
"You!?" She exclaimed after realizing who had snuck up on her. "What are you doing here!?"
"What else?" Dani said, trying to sound nonchalantly as she shrugged, but the underlying hint of panic was unable to be suppressed. "Trouble."
Quickly scanning her surroundings, Dani grabbed the ghost woman by the wrist and pulled her into the shadow of a small alcove, and out of any immediate sight from the tunnel's entrance.
"What happened?" She asked, voice partially lowered to keep the echoes to a minimum.
"Well, first off. I found Danny." Dani revealed. Dani's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates while a large smile quickly grew to cover her face. "Or, more precisely, I found where he lives. I didn't actually find him." And Dani's joy quickly turned to irritation as she shot her other self a glare.
Shrugging, Dani continued. "That is not the trouble I mentioned, though." She continued, rubbing the back of her head as she smiled sheepishly; her one free hand placed on her hip. "I might have been a bit careless on my way over to Ponyville, and flew face first into the back of a pony… who then saw me as my invisibility dropped."
A loud slap and an echo followed as Dani's hand firmly placed itself against her face.
"He then flew screaming into town." A loud groan echoed after the slap. "Which in turn alerted not only the villagers, but also the team of ghost hunters there..."
"Oh, come on!"
"... Who eventually found me while I was checking out Danny's place."
There was no sound this time. Only a burning green glare through the cracks of Dani's fingers.
"Who I did manage to lose… after a bit of a hassle, and the possession of a gir…. ehh, filly. Not to mention luck, and a flying tortoise…" Dani fell silent there, blinking dumbly while her other half did the same.
"A tortoise?"
"This place is weird," Dani answered with a shrug.
"Well, that's just great," Dani groaned. "Not only did you manage to do the exact opposite of what you were supposed to do, but now they know we are out there."
"Honestly, I think they were already suspicious to begin with," Dani told herself. "In fact, I think they are on to Danny. Or at the very least, they are suspicious about him."
"Great, just great. Just when I think this day can't get any worse."
"How so? Does it have anything to do with that giant glow stick over there?" Dani asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder towards the large crystal.
"Yeah," Dani confirmed. "They think this thing is powerful enough to power the entire installation by itself. Or, at the very least, provide enough power to reduce the drain on the reactors we're installing."
"Really?" Dani blinked, looking at the massive spire of mineral and energy. "Well, that is going to be a problem."
"You don't say,"
"Why haven't you destroyed it, then?"
"Remember what they said. This thing is nearly identical to Ectoranium. An anti-ghost element. Just standing near that thing makes me feel sick. And that is just me being in my human form."
"I remember," Dani said, recalling the wave of nausea the first time she saw the crystal after its discovery. "And feel it," she looked warely at the crystal.
"Yeah." Dani snorted.
"We need to deal with that thing," said Dani. "But right now, I think it would be better for us to merge again. You know, share our memories and whatnot."
"... And why didn't we do that immediately, instead of explaining things the way we just did?"
"... ehhhh…"
Two loud slaps of hands meeting faces echoed off into the depths of the immense tunnel complex, and both Dani and Dani groaned out in annoyance and embarrassment.
"Let's not speak of this, ever."
"Agreed."
"So… How do we merge back together?"
Silence.
"... Oh, for fu-"
<<>><<>><<>>
Pete, the human expert part of the group responsible to oversee any of the technical portions of their build, as well as the analysis of the strange crystals found in the cave, had momentarily excused himself from his assigned crew in order to investigate the strange echoes he'd heard coming from deeper down into this immense complex of tunnels and caves.
He did have a good idea of the source of said echoes. The voice bouncing off the walls unmistakingly that of their team leader, Dani Spectral.
The echoes themselves weren't what made him venture deeper down into the caves, however. What did, and what also raised a few eyebrows among the others was the fact it sounded like their boss, someone who despite her role in all of this hadn't really done much, other than getting in the way most of the time, and didn't earn much respect as a result, was talking. Sounding irritated even.
Pete, being the only one who felt compelled to make sure Dani was alright; the others not even bothering to use their time to check up on someone who didn't know what she was doing, and only gained the spot that high up in their chain of command because of her connections, all rolled their eyes, shaking their heads disapprovingly as they continued working analyzing the scans on their tablets and laptops.
Pete, however, couldn't shake the feeling that, despite Dani's noticeable lack of technical understanding of... well, just about anything they were doing, knew more, much more than she'd revealed to them. A wealth of knowledge not gained through meticulously reading book after book; most of them written by some of the most renowned ghost experts known on both Earth and Equestria: Jack and Madeline Fenton. Although, Madeline was mostly responsible for any of their written work.
No, Dani wasn't book smart. But this didn't mean she was dumb either. In fact, in the short time they have been working on this massive, top secret project, she had not only shown a great deal of interest in everything they were working on, but also was eager to learn. But, even more noticeable, there have been a few times where certain readings stumped either Pete, or some of his colleagues. And it had been Dani who was able to figure things out in a way which made it seem she had a strange hands-on experience with these matters. Actual practical experience.
The others may not be willing to see this. Too close minded, by the book sort of folks. Efficient, true. But it also blinded them to the solutions that seem to come naturally to Dani.
All of this made Pete feel a strange form of respect to his superior, even though he spent most of the time explaining what it was they were doing; then break it down into easier to understand explanations to his explanation.
So, with a determined strut, he walked down the tunnel leading to the recently discovered crystal; using the glow of the smaller gems growing on the walls, ceiling and floor, as well as the light on his tablet to retrace Dani's steps; eventually stepping out in the chamber recently discovered by the pony team of ghost hunting experts.
Stopping for a moment, he looked up at the massive spire of crystal with a sense of awe.
Right there before him, glowing brightly with contained power, was a naturally existing anti-ghost element; existing in such abundance it not only provided a potential power source for their project, but a possible solution for the ever present ghost threat back on Earth.
Momentarily entranced by the near limitless potential, and what the discovery of these crystals could mean; would mean for both worlds, he stepped closer to the spire of crystal, placing a hand on the smooth surface.
"Amazing," he awed, almost able to feel the energy coursing within.
Remembering why he'd come down here, he shook his head and pulled away from the crystal; looking around to find Dani.
"Eh, hello?" He called out, slowly moving around the crystal. "Mis-" he paused, remembering Dani didn't like being called miss. "Dani, are you here? I thought I heard you back there and came to see if you're alright." He called out, his voice bouncing off the walls as he slowly turned around in search of the woman; completely missing the two pairs of green glowing eyes.
No, wait…
He stopped in his tracks, frozen as a horrific chill traversed down his spine. Slowly, with his heart pounding, he turned back to where he had seen what he knew couldn't have been.
A stuttering gasp escaped him as, now fully turned to the slightly darker alcove, there was nothing to be seen.
Relaxing slightly, he breathed a sigh of relief, shaking his head while placing a hand on top of it.
"You're working too hard, Pete," he told himself. "You're imagining things." A weak chuckle escaped him as he turned around, his arm dropping to his side; moving back to the tunnel as it was clear Dani wasn't down here.
""Oomph!"" Two voices exclaimed, and Pete and an invisible body both fell to the ground.
Pete felt his body freeze over again as he looked up at the spot he had heard this other voice; seeing a pair of green glowing eyes staring back at him in panic.
"Oh, sh-" The disembodied voice swore, only to be cut off by a loud, high pitched, and surprisingly feminine scream escaping Pete.
Thoroughly surprised and taken aback, both Danis (the one lying on the ground, and the other having snuck up behind Pete to possess him) were left dumbfounded as Pete scampered back onto his feet and ran away as fast as he could, while the pounding of numerous feet and hooves could be heard echoing off the walls as alerted reinforcements came rushing in to see what had happened.
Dani looked at Dani; their ghost vision cutting through their cloak of invisibility, and both knew something had to be done, quickly.
They couldn't stop what had already happened. There were already too many witnesses to subdue through possession. Even with the two of them. So, instead, they nodded and turned to the massive crystal; both sucking in a deep breath.
There wasn't any hiding the fact of their presence now. Whether it had been bad luck, or some other complication of their duplication, Dani (the one Pete had run into) had been unable to remain intangible. Now detected, they knew they had only one chance to get rid of this crystal and the threat it posed for both them and Danny. And with the guards already one edge, and Dani having been seen by a pony in Ponyville, they knew that If they blew it now, there wouldn't be a second chance.
And so, as Pete scampered away with as much speed he could muster, and armed guards came rushing in, both Danis unleashed their ghostly wails. Their combined concussive sound wave slammed into the crystal spire, bounced off the walls, and were amplified by the echoes produced which shook first the cave, then the entire mountain resulting in a panic up in the city above and raising alarm with both princesses Celestia and Luna.
The guards who had rushed into the cave all cried out in pain as they had fallen to the ground, covering their ears with hands or hooves as they screamed out. Both Danis didn't fare much better. Taken by surprise as their wail bounced around, they too were in the crossfire while the increased volume of their attack began to splinter and crack not only the crystal, but the walls of the very room they were in.
The crystal, flexing, cracking and splintering, began to flicker and pulse as the energy contained within became unstable; shooting out of the cracks in short bursts of intense energy. One of such bursts slammed into one Dani, who screamed out as her powers failed catastrophically. There wasn't much time for the other to react, as in spectacular fashion, the crystal groaned, then exploded; showering the entire cave in chunks and splinters of crystal, while, for several tense moments, a blinding light burst forth as all the contained energy escaped in one big wave.
The explosion blasted away both Danis, one of them wavering out of existence, turning into energy before merging with her other half who flew unconsciously through the air; slamming into wall head first, transforming back into her human self, and slowly slumping down to the ground while leaving behind a path of blood on the wall.
The blast also blinded and deafened the group of humans and ponies which rushed to the scene, making them miss what happened to the two ghosts. Yet the increased rumbling, groaning, cracking and shaking of the cave brought to attention a truly urgent calamity. The cave was collapsing; chunks of solid rock already breaking off the ceiling and walls, dropping to the ground with loud crashes.
All of them hurried back on their hooves or feet; hurriedly retreating back where they had come from. But one of them glanced back, coming to a screeching stop as she saw the slumped down, unconscious form of Dani and a slowly growing puddle of blood around her head.
Eyes widening, she made a split second decision. Tossing her blaster to the side, she hurried back; horn alight as she projected as strong a shield as she could; running and weaving through the falling rocks as big, if not bigger than herself. Grabbing the unconscious woman by the collar with her teeth, not able to use her magic as all of her strength was used to deflect the crushing stones, she tossed her on her back, looking back with fear as her path had been mostly caved in.
A sudden burst of magic blasted a path through the rubble, and she thanked the maker above as she ran with all the speed her screaming muscles would allow.
Her savior, her superior, Charming Prism pulled her inside the tunnel with a burst of his magic; the two of them running topside as fast as they could while Dani bounced around on the mare's back.
Together the two ponies ran, quickly catching up with the slower group of humans as they all poured out of the tunnel, and into the mostly abandoned streets of Canterlot's outskirts. Yet there were some bystanders who looked at the rapidly growing group with wide eyes and rapt attention. Ponies who, after everything was said and done, would have to be taken care of to make sure this supposedly secret operation wouldn't be revealed. But right now, the group's first and only priority was to make sure everyone made it out of the caves in one piece.
"Is everyone here?" One of the humans called out; a woman with a small cut on her forehead, sustained in the panic and which trickled a small stream of blood down her face.
One by one, with many false starts and stammering, confirmations were given by the team leaders that those in their group had evacuated in time and with no serious injuries, until, eventually, Charming Prism stepped up.
"We got someone who took a serious blow," he called out, turning to Vigilant shield and, more importantly, Dani, the injured woman still lying on her back; her hair slick with blood, which dripped down to the ground, already forming a puddle.
Numerous gasps escaped the group, and it was at that moment both Princess Celestia and Luna dropped down from the sky, looking around in alarm while a contingent of guards hurried onto the scene; quickly moving to secure any unwanted witness and to provide aid to those who needed it while Luna quickly put in place a shield to cover the group and to keep anything said from reaching unwanted ears.
"WHAT HAPPENED? IS EVERYONE ALRIGHT?" Princess Celestia called out in alarm, seeing the many injuries, small as they might be, on her ponies and human visitors.
"We can explain later," Charming Prism called out, pulling the princesses' attention to him. "Right now we need to get her immediate medical attention," and he looked back at Dani.
Both Princess Celestia and Luna gasped out upon the sight of the injured woman. Eyes locking for a moment, Luna and Celestia nodded in silent agreement.
Acting quickly, Celestia carefully grabbed Dani in her magic before teleporting away back to the castle; leaving many confused humans behind.
"Don't worry," Luna reassured them. "My sister has taken her to the castle's infirmary. It's one of the few places where we have specialists who have familiarized themselves with human physiology." A few sighs of relief could be heard, but now another urgent matter needed to be addressed.
"Everyone, please tell me what happened?"
"I'll tell you," Pete spoke up, a grim look on his face. "It was the work of ghosts."
"WHAT!?" Luna shouted, rearing back while another round of gasps escaped the mixed group; this time of shock. "You can't be serious!?"
Pete, looking up at the night's princess, looking her in the eyes with all the bravado he could muster.
"I know what I saw… Or didn't see, actually. They were invisible, but I did see their eyes." A shudder shook his body. "I even walked into one. Don't ask me how," he stopped the princess from asking, shaking his head. "I don't know either. Just that I did, knocking the both of us to the ground… everything went to hell after that."
"We came rushing in when we heard a mare screaming," Vigilant Shield picked up. "Which must have been Dani," she concluded.
"Ehh… ahem, yes. Most likely." Pete stammered for a bit.
"But when we arrived, we couldn't take two steps before… it happened."
"It?" Luna repeated, confused, noticing several ponies and humans flinching.
"With all due respect, princess. But perhaps it would be wiser to debrief you someplace more… secure." Charming Prism spoke up, eyes scanning the crowd and lingering on the civilians being detained by the guards. "Urgent, or not, there are too many witnesses already."
"Yes… of course," Luna agreed ruefully, then turned to address the commanding officer of her guards. "Secure the perimeter. Bring everyone to the castle. Keep the civilians separate from this group, my sister and I shall address them as soon as possible. Also, bring any injured to the infirmary, and make sure nopony else catches wind of this."
"Yes Princess," the guard saluted, then issued orders of his own.
Looking back at the group, and then the lingering plume of dust coming out of the building which housed the entrance to the crystal caves, it was apparent that, at the very least, a cave-in had occurred. Combined with the claims of ghosts, and the group's reaction hinting to some other haunting event, Luna felt a cold trickle of ice in her veins.
There was already the suspicion of ghostly activity in Ponyville, focusing mostly around Danny Manson. But now this, if true, would mean any chance they had at possibly containing this disaster was gone. And worse, they knew what was attempted here; what they set in motion.
'By my stars,' Luna thought. 'If this really were ghosts, then we need all the help we can get.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Present time.
The moon had risen high in the sky as night had claimed the land by the time the train carrying Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike and Danny arrived back in Ponyville; they, along with a few other passengers exiting the moment they could, drained after the events in the Crystal Empire.
Still depressed by how things had ended, they all returned home without much of a goodbye; hooves dragging a bit and heads held low, while Rainbow Dash flew just a bit slower than was customary for her.
Every single one of them longed for their bed, wishing nothing more than for this long, tiresome day to end and start fresh the coming morning.
Muttering a tired good night, the group split up; each heading for their homes with the sole exception of Rarity, who instead joined Applejack to the orchard to get Sweetie Belle.
Neither of them said a word as, with dragging hooves, they made their way through town, following the long, long dirt path which seemed to stretch out for much further than either mare could remember, before finally arriving at the orchard.
Sighing wistfully, the two mares set hoof on the final stretch of road. Applejack longing for the warm, comforting embrace of her bed. Rarity to pick up her sister, give her a warm hug, then, finally, make her way to bed as well.
Sighing and eyes drooping, the two mares let their hooves guide them as they pushed forward. Halfway to the farmhouse, however, they came to a near stop, ears perking up as the sound of hooves pounding on the dry soil became noticeable; rapidly becoming louder and louder until an almost frantic looking Macintosh Apple stood before them.
"Big Mac… is everythaing alright?" Applejack asked, suppressing a yawn.
"Applejack, Rarity, thank the stars you're back," he wheezed as he came to an abrupt stop.
"Mac, what in Equestria is goin' on?" Applejack asked with growing concern.
"It's tha girls. They're gone!"
""WHAT!?"" Applejack and Rarity yelled, their tiredness forgotten by the sudden spike of adrenaline. "What tha HAY are ya talkin' 'bout?" Applejack demanded.
"When Ah came home, Bloom and Sweetie Belle were gone."
"She was asleep. Overslept even. She didn't even make dinner," Bic Mac explained in a hurry, then shook his head to refocus. "But that's not important. Bloom an’ Sweetie bein' missing is."
"Where did you see them last?" Rarity asked frantically.
"Back at tha house," Big Mac answered, "but they ain't there. Nor did Granny an Ah find them in their tree house, or anywhere else on tha orchard. We've been looking fer hours."
"Then what in tha hay are we standin' here for?" Applejack asked urgently. "If they ain't here, maybe they are over at Scootaloo's place?"
Without much of a better idea, all three ponies nodded before galloping towards town; already thinking about how to punish those fillies when they found them, and if they didn't have a very, very good reason for running off… again.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stood in front of his house, frowning deeply as he stared at the partially opened front door. Having lived in a rotten neighborhood before coming here, he knew what this meant. And so, with his right hand balled into a fist, he carefully swung the door open and stepped inside.
Pushing the door closed and locking it behind him, he quietly scanned the room. Finding nothing, but silence, he carefully moved from room to room; using his ghost powers to slightly levitate himself from the ground so he wouldn't make any noise.
Once in his bedroom he came to a full stop and with a flick of his wrist he turned on the light.
Now able to see more than just dark shapes, he immediately noticed the mess his bed has become. His pillow was slightly torn open, some of the feathers within spilling out around a strange and clear impression, almost as if someone stood on it. The blanket didn't fare much better. Pulled off the bed, and lying in a crumpled heap halfway between his bed and the window.
Moving closer, he noticed a wet spot on the ground; with small drops of water still dripping down from a wet, partially frozen mark on the window's glass.
"What the…?" He murmured, dragging a finger through the moisture, breaking small flakes of ice off as well.
"What happened here?"
Several blurs shot past, obscured by the night's darkness, yet momentarily visible in the light of the moon, and Danny recognized Applejack and Rarity as they, alongside another pony, were calling out for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
"This'll have to wait," he told himself, and quickly ran to the front door and outside, calling out to the mares and drawing their attention.
"Rarity, Applejack, is everything alright?" He asked them.
"Oh, Danny. It's absolutely dreadful," Rarity replied hysterically. "Sweetie Belle and her friends have gone missing."
"What!?" Danny exclaimed, shocked.
"It's true," Applejack said morosely. "At first we thought Apple Bloom an’ Sweetie Belle had simply run off, so we went ta see if they were with Scootaloo. But Bellflower here said she's gone too."
"And it gets even worse!" Rarity almost shrieked. "Bellflower said there is… there is…"
"There was a ghost seen near Ponyville!" Bellflower revealed, dropping a bombshell on Danny.
"Wh-what!?" He stammered, shocked, taking a step back while a nervous sweat started to form.
"It happened earlier today. Bulk Biceps came screaming into town, saying he saw a ghost. Everypony has stocked up on whatever supplies they could and barricaded themselves in their homes."
"An’ with tha fillies missin', who knows what horrible thaings are happenin' ta them."
"Now, hold on. You can't be sure a ghost has them," Danny countered.
"We cain't be sure it hasn't either," Applejack countered, eyes slightly wild. "An’ after what happened in tha Empire, Ah ain't taking any chances."
"... Empire?" Bellflower murmured, confused. But before any kind of reply could be given, Macintosh Apple came running in.
"Big Mac, did ya find tha girls?!" Applejack asked without pause.
Big Mac, heaving loudly after the flat out run he'd just made from the orchard to his sister, wasn't able to speak for several long moments as he sucked in air with large gulps.
"Sis…" he panted. "Dad's old *gah* barn. Frozen on tha inside. All ice," he managed to say. And although it didn't make much sense to Applejack, Rarity, or Bellflower, Danny did feel himself stiffen.
'Frozen within. Ice…' His mind then shot back to the still partially frozen mark on his window, and he felt a chill go down his spine.
"Big Mac. What in tha hay are ya talkin' 'bout?" Applejack shot back. "Did ya find tha girls, or not?"
Sighing deeply, Macintosh finally caught his breath. "No, Ah didn't. But Granny and Ah did go look at tha orchard’s older parts… It's dad's old barn, AJ. It's completely frozen within. But not just covered with ice… There are things in there, looks almost like regular furniture… but, made of ice. AJ, something is living there. Something not natural."
A bone chilling cold grabbed hold of Applejack, Bellflower and Rarity at Macintosh's words.
"S-say what now!?" Applejack stammered, eyes wide and pupils shrunk. "Ya pulling mah leg, aren't ya?" Big Mac's only reply was a slow, grim shake of the head.
"Something has been hiding on the orchard, right under your noses," Rarity said, voice rising in pitch. "And Sweetie Belle was there right for the taking!"
"Apple Bloom too!" Said Applejack, voice rising too.
"Then, did this… thing also get Scootaloo?" Bellflower asked, worried, frightened, nauseated.
Danny's mind was a raging storm, sifting through any possible ghost he knew was capable of something like this. Bic Mac claiming there was ice did narrow down the possibilities considerably, but that also left just a few options. He himself. The frost giants… Klemper, the ghost always asking everyone to be his friend. Yet neither the giants nor Klemper seemed like they would do something like this… Although, on second thought. Maybe Klemper. His clingy nature would, maybe, explain him doing something like this. But even so, it couldn't be him, right? How would he even get here? Unless…
"Sombra," Danny growled.
"What!?" Rarity said, everyone turning to Danny, while Danny himself looked up and towards the orchard.
"When did you say this ghost was spotted?" He asked Bellflower, voice tense.
"Earlier today," she replied nervously. Danny's hand tightened into a fist.
"Danny?" Applejack carefully approached, "Do ya know what could have done this?"
"I have some ideas, but nothing that would help," he replied, still not looking at them. "But…" he continued, then fell silent.
"But, what?" Rarity asked. "Danny, please. If you know something, please tell us." She urged him on.
"Maybe Sombra wasn't the only ghost who came here with the Crystal Empire? Maybe something else came with him? Something that didn't stick around? Snow and ice certainly was the main theme back there, and apparently here now, too. Your barn," he glanced at Applejack and Big Mac over his shoulder, then looked back at the orchard. "... My bedroom," he revealed, making the ponies behind him gasp.
"You mean one of those… things was in your house?" Bellflower asked, shocked.
"It would seem like it," Danny muttered grimly. "But that hardly matters right now. And instead of standing here debating what ifs, instead we need to go look for the girls," Danny said firmly, turning around, finally looking at the ponies as he took charge. "Applejack, Rarity. Having dealt with Sombra, you and your friends are about the closest we've got to ghost fighting experts around here. Go and get them, tell them what's going on… and who we think is responsible. Big Mac, show me what it is you've found. I may not be much of an expert, myself. But maybe seeing what you've found can tell me what we're dealing with, to some extent."
Wide, unblinking eyes stared back at him, and for a moment Danny faltered.
"Uhh…"
"Jus' what, exactly, was it ya did back on Earth?" Applejack asked, slowly looking Danny up and down. " 'Cause it sounds like ya've done this before."
"We don't have time for this," Danny shot back defensively, sounding just a bit bitter. "You go and get Twilight and the rest. Big Mac and I will see what happened at the orchard."
Snapped back to reality, all ponies scrambled into motion. Rarity, Applejack and Bellflower running for the hollow tree in town, Big mac and Danny running as fast as Danny could manage back to the orchard.
"Is she right?" Macintosh asked, shooting Danny a sideways glance. "Have ya done this before?"
Danny didn't answer; narrowing his eyes as he pushed forwards just a bit faster.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twilight sighed contently, finally having found that sweet spot of pure comfort as she pulled her blanket just a bit higher; already drifting off to Luna's realm of dreams, not far behind on Spike, who was already fast asleep. Just when she was about to doze off, without much ceremony her front door slammed open and Twilight jolted up with a scream, while Owlowiscious screeched in rude surprise. Spike, however, remained fast asleep.
"TWILIGHT!" Applejack's voice cut through the darkness and several pairs of hooves could be heard running up the stairs before the bedroom's door met the same fate that had befallen the front door.
Still, Spike remained asleep.
"Twilight!" Applejack shouted, albeit at a more reasonable level.
"Applejack?" Twilight groaned in tired annoyance, rubbing an eye with a hoof while turning on the light with a small burst of magic. Then she identified the other pony in the room. "And Rarity? What are you two doing here?"
"Bellflower is here too," Applejack spoke up, looking behind her, where Twilight spotted the mentioned mare. "Twilight, we have a major problem on our hooves!"
"What!?" Twilight straightened herself. "What kind of problem? Do we need the Elements?"
"Yes, no… Maybe. I dunno?" Applejack stammered, shook her head, then focused with alarming clarity. "Ah don't know 'bout tha Elements, but if what we think is true, we may have need of them."
"Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have gone missing," Rarity picked up without pause. "First we thought they had run off again. But when we ran into Bellflower, she said there had been a ghost sighted near Ponyville."
This sudden revelation made Twilight fall off her bed, and she scrambled to her hooves while fighting to free herself from her blanket.
"WHAT!?" She yelled, tiredness forgotten.
"It's true," Bellflower ruefully admitted. "Earlier today, Bulk Biceps came screaming into town, claiming to have seen a ghost. Everypony has been on edge since then."
"And did anypony else also see this ghost, or was it just him?" Twilight asked, finally able to free herself with the help of her magic.
"Not that I know," Bellflower answered.
"So there might not be a ghost," Twilight mused. "For all we know, Bulk Biceps saw something he believed to be a ghost, but wasn't."
"I- I suppose," Bellflower muttered.
"Maybe yer right," Applejack spoke up, "But there is more. Just a moment ago, mah Brother told us he found our dad's old barn, completely covered with ice from within. He an’ Danny are looking there right now. Maybe Danny can figure out what did that."
"Covered with ice?" Twilight asked, blinked, then her eyes widened. "ICE!"
"Eehh, yeah?" Applejack flinched back from Twilight's sudden increase of volume.
"A while back Rainbow Dash found the lake to be completely frozen," Twilight told them.
"Oh, goodness. You're right," Rarity said, recalling what her friend had told them.
"Ya think that whatever froze tha lake has been livin’ in our barn?" Applejack asked, angry and offended.
"It would make sense," Twilight pondered, then made a decision. "Girls, grab your Elements. We go and get the others, then head out to the orchard. We'll find out what is going on. Bellflower. You head back home. Maybe Scootaloo will come back on her own."
"I- I can't just go back and do nothing," she argued, taking a step forward with visible effort. "Ghost, or no ghost. I will not stand by idly while Scootaloo is missing."
"Okay," Twilight nodded in understanding. "But stay behind us."
Nodding, Bellflower agreed as Applejack re-entered the room, now wearing her Element while holding Twilight's in hoof.
"Rarity got the rest of them. Now, let's go and get tha others!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"What in the-" Danny murmured as he crouched down, scraping a finger over the smooth, cold surface; seeing his slightly warped reflection in the flickering light of Big Mac's lantern as they had entered the barn.
"You weren't kidding."
"Eenope," Big Mac answered with a nervous stammer.
Slowly advancing inside, more and more details of the interior became visible in the lantern's light, and Danny could see the furniture mentioned by the red stallion. A bed, table, chairs, chandelier, and even several support pillars to keep the roof from collapsing. It was all certainly a bewildering sight, and Danny understood why Bic Mac was as nervous as he was. But Danny also took notice of something else. Something Big Mac hadn't realized, or chose to ignore: the immense scale of it all.
The bed, the table, all of it was many times larger than anything used by Danny, and he knew that whatever lived here was no small creature; especially because he had seen something similar before. But this did leave two very urgent questions he had a hard time answering: Why was a frost giant living here? And how did he, or she get here?
Still, despite having come to grasps about the who part of the question, a lot of things were still left unanswered. Furthermore, there never had been an incident back on Earth with a frost giant, so he knew he couldn't reveal anything he knew, lest he gave himself away to anypony who had read into the details of ghost attacks on Earth.
For some reason, Twilight's face popped up in front of his mind's eye. Shaking his head, he slowly turned around, seeing Bic Mac stand several steps behind him, aiming for the door.
"Did ya find out anything?" He asked, clearly wanting to get out of the place.
"No," Danny lied. "I've never seen anything like this."
"It's over here, girls," Applejack's voice rolled into the barn and in seconds she, and her friends all came to a screeching stop in front of the open doors; staring inside with wide, shocked eyes.
"What in Celestia's name is this!?" Twilight yelped, unable to believe what her eyes were seeing.
"This," Danny said calmly, dryly, as he and Big Mac stepped outside, "is a barn filled with ice."
"Yes, we can see that," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. "But who did this? The same guy who froze the lake?"
Shrugging, Danny said: "No idea. I've looked around, but haven't seen anything that could tell me who or what lives here."
Applejack frowned as he said that, trying to get a good look at his face, but failing in the dark with only the flickering light of a lantern to illuminate a small portion of the area.
"Are there any signs of the fillies?" Bellflower asked, pushing in between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.
"There's nopony here but us," Big Mac answered.
"So now what?" Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of challenge.
"Now-" Twilight started, only to be cut off by Danny.
"We can't be certain that whatever did this is a ghost. And even if it is, we don't know for certain it took the children. Right now, split up in groups of two and search any likely spot to see if the girls are hiding out there. If there is a ghost, and you do run into it, back off and go get the others. The last thing you want to do is challenge it without a proper plan of attack." He instructed, giving them all a critical eye, while all the ponies looked at him with surprise, even a bit of awe as he took charge.
"There are nine of us, so there will be one group of three. Big Mac, you go with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Rarity, go with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, you go with… Bellflower was it, right?" Bellflower nodded, and Danny continued. "And Twilight, you're with me."
"I, ehh… Okay," Twilight replied, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, which went mostly unnoticed in the dark as she stepped closer to Danny while the others went to their assigned partners.
"Remember, we don't know what could be out there, so keep your eyes and ears open. And if you do see something that could be a ghost, back off. Don't be a hero."
"But we are heroes," Rainbow Dash remarked. "We even have our Elements to prove it."
Strucken by an odd sense of deja-vu as he looked at the lightning bolt shaped jewel, Danny shook his head and looked the mare in the eyes. "Shining jewelry is not what makes a hero. What does are their actions in difficult situations. And acting on impulse to fight something that could easily swat you away doesn't make you a hero at all," he told her with bitterness in his voice. "Sometimes the best thing to do is back off and run before you, or those close to you get hurt as a result."
"Yeah, well umm..." Rainbow stammered, eyes downcast as she kicked the dirt with her hoof. "Okay, I guess you got a point there."
"Now, let's not waste any more time," he said with an authoritative voice. "Let's go find those fillies."
<<>><<>><<>>
Luna was tired. Very much so, even though the night was still young. But having to deal with the mess caused by the ghost attack in the crystal caves, the subsequent witnesses who just happened to be there when the group of humans and ponies rushed outside, and the wounded, few as there were save for one seriously injured, left both her and her sister completely drained.
Night court, thankfully, was as dull and uneventful as ever. Allowing her a precious moment to just sit down and gather her thoughts, before ending it early in order to address yet another matter of urgency. Something which, as a result of these latest events, starting with this ghost possessing Danny's shadow, had been neglected for far too long.
Sighing, Luna turned a corner and entered through a door found in the lower levels of the castle.
The white marble normally found in the castle, polished to a sheen, was nowhere to be found here. Instead, the walls were made of gray, rough hewn stone as the castle's lower interior delved into the mountain itself.
There were more guards as well. Above there would be a clear and noticeable presence, if only to discourage any from trying anything unlawful. Down here, however, such show of strength was no longer a necessity as those who occupied these levels had already demonstrated one, or more unlawful actions.
Snapping to attention as Princess Luna entered the dungeon, the night princess closed the door while a group of guards fell in line behind her; following her towards a closed off section of the cells in which several 'esteemed guests' were located.
Coming to a stop several steps from the bars of one of the cells, Luna slowly shifted her gaze from one occupant to the other; her face unreadable.
"Your highness," an earth pony mare with chestnut brown fur and white mane greeted her as she stepped out of one of the cells, bowing down; her stethoscope slipping from around her neck and falling to the ground. Fumbling for a moment, she quickly picked up the instrument and replaced it around her neck while smiling apologetically.
"Stable Pulse, how are our 'patients' doing today?"
The awkward smile she had fell instantly as she partially turned to look back into the cell she'd just left, frowning worriedly.
"Their condition remains the same, I'm afraid. We're doing all we can, and these last several months have allowed us the opportunity to gain more insight in their physiology, but this is out of our range of expertise," she informed the princess, then sighed deeply, sorrowfully. "We lost another one this morning."
"I see," Luna said, grimacing. "And the body?"
"The same as the others. We've put it through autopsy, but any sign of what is causing their deterioration remains a mystery. After that, we cremated her…" she fell silent for a moment, shaking her head slightly. "I know what they've done… what they tried to do. But this… Has there been any luck finding their homeland?"
"I'm afraid not," Luna shook her head. "Scouting parties have, so far, been unsuccessful in locating the changelings' hive."
Stable Pulse sighed once again. "There is only so much I, or any of the other doctors can do for them. All we know about changelings so far is what we've learned from studying them… and none of them are in any shape to get a baseline for how their physiology should be when healthy. They need help. Help we can't provide. They may have done terrible things, but nopony… noling should have to go through... whatever it is that is killing them."
"Ghh- Princess… Hive-.... Quee-... Dang- gha - er." one of the changelings suddenly gasped out with rasping voice, his heart rate monitor beeping at a sudden spike. Then another spoke, then another and another; speaking with weak, broken voices; legs weakly kicking and wings, hanging uselessly to their sides, flittering ever so slightly. Then they all fell silent and a tomb-like silence grabbed hold over those gathered.
"What… just happened?" Luna asked, shocked.
"I don't know," Stable Pulse answered. "This is not the first time they said things like that. But once one of them speaks, the rest follow moments later… always saying the same thing."
"Why were I, or my sister not informed about this sooner!?" Luna demanded.
Stable Pulse flinched back as she lowered her gaze to the floor. "They only started earlier this day. I had sent word to your sister and you, but it seems it failed to arrive."
Luna calmed herself, diminishing her stature. "I see," she murmured. "This wouldn't have been some time this afternoon?"
"Yes, actually."
"My apologies for falling out. It seems your message slipped past us during the transpiring of another matter of significance."
"I understand, Princess." Stable Pulse answered, relieved.
Looking into the cell and at the curled up, shivering changeling, Luna couldn't help but feel sorry for the creature. "Have they said anything of importance during their… moments?"
"Just broken words. Something about a princess. Maybe you or your sister? A queen, which seems reasonable to assume is Chrysalis. They also keep repeating: Hive, danger… and sometimes ice."
"Anything else?" Luna asked. Stable Pulse shook her head.
"I see. Without any context, this is not much to go by."
"It's the ice part that confuses me most," said Stable Pulse. "Winter won't be here for several more months, and from what we could gather, the changelings wouldn't live anyplace cold either. Their insectoid physiology makes them even more susceptible to freezing temperatures than we are."
"Indeed," Luna agreed. "But that does provide us with some ideas where to search for them, if only by eliminating any place too cold for them survive."
"Still, that barely makes a dent in the overall area we need to search." Stable Pulse sighed, dejected.
"It's a start," Luna told her. "I'm sure that, in time, we will find them."
"I know, Princess. But will it be IN time?"
"... I suppose only time will tell." said Luna, she and Stable Pulse looking at the sick and dying changelings with worry.<<>><<>><<>>With the group split up, Danny and Twilight quickly followed the dirt path back to town to allow Danny in retrieving his flashlight from his house.
Not seeing any reason to object, the two made quick time to his abode.
"Wait just a moment," Danny said. "This won't take long."
Nodding, Twilight waited outside, eyes scanning her immediate surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. She hoped her letter to the princess had come through in Spike's sleep addled fire breathing, when, quite unexpectedly, a flash of light came out of Danny's home, startling her.
"Danny?!" She called out, slowly moving for the partially open door, seeing another flash of light; coming from underneath the door leading to Danny's bedroom.
"I'm here," he answered after a pregnant pause, stepping back into view with a flashlight in hand; startling the mare again with his sudden appearance.
"Is everything alright? I thought I saw something."
"Yeah, nothing wrong here. Just my flashlight acting up a bit." He told her, stepping out and closing the door behind him. "Let's go."
Lagging for just a bit, Twilight looked at Danny's back as he stepped away, biting her lower lip. Then, shaking her head, she followed after him, not noticing the glowing green eyes watching the two of them from behind one of the windows.
<<>><<>><<>>
Moments before.
Stepping inside of his home, Danny didn't bother turning on the lights as he knew the layout from mind. That, and his ghost vision aided him, now that he was sure no one was watching, thus allowing his eyes to glow green.
"Better do this quick," he murmured quietly, stepping into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.
Sighing in deeply, he held his breath for several seconds, then slowly exhaled.
"Okay," he told himself, securing his stance and wrinkling his forehead in intense focus.
'I have never done this without transforming first, but it should work… I think.'
Gritting his teeth, fists trembling from exertion, a white band flashed into existence around him; splitting him vertically before it split in half also. One half moving to Danny's right, the other the left. And where once was one human, now a second individual, identical to Danny could be seen as the two bands of energy moved apart.
But Danny faltered, the strain too much, and the two bands of energy snapped back together; slamming the two bodies together, merging them unwholly.
Four eyes blinked stupidly as two identical minds tried to figure out what had happened, before their eyes locked and an annoyed groan escaped the two heads stuck on one body.
""Not this again," Danny groaned in duet with his other self.
"Danny?" 'they' heard Twilight call out, hoofsteps indicating she was slowly approaching.
""Damn it… Okay, focus. I can do this,"" the two heads said together, and a new band of energy flashed into existence.
This time, Danny's attempt was successful, and two identical humans now occupied the room. Not wasting any time, one of them hurried to grab a flashlight from the nightstand, while the other turned invisible.
"I'm here," Danny called out, quickly stepping out of the bedroom and towards the open front door.
"Is everything alright? I thought I saw something." Twilight asked as she looked up at the tall biped.
"Yeah, nothing wrong here. Just my flashlight acting up a bit." He told her, stepping out and closing the door behind him. "Let's go."
And as they moved away in the dark of night, Danny also remained behind; watching the two move away with his green glowing eyes.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Eclipse," Danny called out to the shadow mare, and two orange glowing orbs with green irises flashed into existence behind him.
"Master," she answered, her form invisible in the darkness; blended seamlessly with the night.
Eyes flashing to his back, Danny acknowledged the shade behind him. "Good, you can still manifest, even duplicated as I am now."
"I can, yes. But with limitations," she replied. "I still exist between the two of you; shared equally. I can manifest, as I am now, but not as my full self. And, as is with you, my powers are diminished as a result of the duplication. However, because of my splitted state, I can relay any messages from you to your other self."
"You can?" Danny asked, surprised.
"I believe so," Eclipse answered, then fell quiet as she looked off to the side. "Yes, this is possible. I just contacted my other half, who in turn is informing your double."
"Well, that's convenient," Danny murmured. "But that's not why I called you."
"You wish to know if I, with my recent transformation and acquired knowledge, have any clue as to where the children might have gone to?"
"Actually, I just wanted to make sure you were still available. But, sure, that works too."
"Oh… I see," Eclipse faltered, not having expected that answer. "Well, to answer that question. I am still available, but, as I said, with limitations. I can not manifest fully, unless I withdraw the part of myself from your other half. Doing this does mean one of you will go without a shadow."
"Good to know," Danny murmured. "Not that a missing shadow is much of a concern during the night."
"True," Eclipse agreed.
"So… do you have any idea where those kids might have gone to? Or more importantly, do you have any idea how a frost giant came to this world without being found out?"
"An answer to the latter, I do not have," Eclipse answered. "As where Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle might have gone off to…"
"Yes?" Danny said after she remained silent for several seconds.
"Honestly, I don't have a clue," Eclipse said sheepishly, the darkness below her eyes wavering as it split, showing an embarrassed grin. Danny just stared at the shadow with a flat, annoyed look.
"Then why did you even suggest it in the first place?"
"Exuberant optimism?"
Danny stared at Eclipse's eyes for several more moments, slowly shook his head, then turned around back to the window.
"I'll just ignore that. Right now, though. I guess it would be best if we go back to the barn and look into things a bit more from a ghost's perspective."
Nodding, Eclipse fade away as Danny turned invisible; phasing through the wall and flew back to the orchard, unaware of the small, glowing eyes which stared up at him as the pup scratched himself behind an ear, yelped happily, then chased after him with a wildly wagging tail.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny and Twilight were slowly moving through the darkness; Danny’s flashlight in hand, and with Twilight illuminating their path with her magic.
Their eyes scanned the area, peering through the darkness and shining their light on anything that seemed like it could be important, their calling out to the fillies every now and then the only sounds to break the silence of the night.
But, as they searched, a question which was burning in Twilight's mind demanded to be asked. A question which, under the circumstances, she ignored in favor of looking for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Now, though. After almost twenty minutes of searching without any sign of the fillies, and the continuously pestering urge of her own curiosity, Twilight couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Danny?" She said, catching his attention.
"Yes, did you find something?"
"No, I didn't. It's just…"
"Just, what?" Danny asked, coming to a stop and shining his light towards Twilight to get a better look at the mare.
Looking away and at the ground, shuffling a hoof, Twilight found herself suddenly tongue tied. Forcing herself to stop fidgeting, she put her hoof down and looked up at Danny.
"Back at the orchard, you said that sometimes the best thing to do is back off and run, or you, or somepony close to you might get hurt."
"Yes, I did. What of it?"
"It's just… the way you said it. The way you took charge even. It' almost as if you've done this before… and lost someone because of it." Danny felt his body go rigid as he looked down at Twilight. "... Applejack and Rainbow Dash told me what you said back then… about your-" Danny cut her off as he suddenly walked away, the light of his flashlight trembling as his hand shook.
"Danny?" Twilight called after him, soon finding herself alone in the dark.
Quickly moving after the fast walking human, Twilight tried again, only to walk face first into Danny's backside as he came to an abrupt stop, catching the mare by surprise.
"Tell me, Twilight. Have you ever done something you believed to be the right thing; putting so much trust in yourself, and your abilities that you only end up fooling yourself… endangering yourself as a result; forcing others to take actions, only for them to get hurt because you yourself failed to do one very important thing? To stop and think."
"... Well," Twilight started, voice soft. "I did once made the entire town go crazy with a spell I placed on Mister Smarty Pants, my childhood plushie, because I couldn't find a friendship problem to solve."
Danny glanced back at her, the glow of Twilight's horn illuminating the shame struck face as she recalled that shameful event.
"Did anyone get hurt?" he asked.
"No, thankfully not," she replied, looking up at him. "Princess Celestia intervened before things could devolve into complete chaos."
"Well, I wasn't so lucky," he replied bitterly, the shaking of his flashlight intensifying.
Nothing was said after that, and tense silence clung to the two like a thick, oily veil while Danny was having an internal conflict.
"Danny," Twilight spoke up, placing a hoof on his free hand hanging at his side.
"It happened when I was fifteen," he suddenly spoke up, then snorted. "I was just a kid… We all were," he sighed out. "Teenagers, hormones, doing stupid things our parents told us not to do." He looked down at his feet, frowning deeply. "Especially her. She and her folks weren't exactly on the same page. It hardly mattered to me, though. We were friends, the best of them. We hung out at a snack bar, went to the movies, sneaked into some creepy looking place just for the kick of it," he said, twisting more and more facts to keep the truth a secret. "Turned out we weren't the only ones in that place."
"What happened?" Twilight asked with a quiet voice.
"What always happens on my world. A ghost attacked us." Danny revealed, and Twilight gasped out.
Danny's free hand tightened into a trembling fist. "We should have run, gotten out of there as fast as we could. Instead, I got it in my head to be a hero. I've seen ghosts being taken down, watched ghost hunters in action and thought that if they could do it, so can I." He sighed out, suddenly feeling very tired. "Lot of good that did. I got myself cornered, about to be struck down by that thing when she jumped in between, taking the hit… I still have nightmares about that day, her scream, the moment I lost her and realized just how much she meant to me." He sucked in a large breath, held it, then slowly exhaled. "Sometimes the best thing to do is back off and run before you, or those close to you get hurt as a result. That is a lesson I learned the hard way that day. It's also why I snuck on board your train to the Empire. I knew that, if I was right, which I was, you would be in a lot more danger than you would have realized until it would have been too late. If I let that happen, knowing that I could have made a difference, if only by warning you, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."
"Danny," Twilight said, her voice weak.
"Let's just go and find those fillies," he said defensively, pulling away, stuffing his feelings back into the depths he placed them in so long ago. Bringing his light up to bear and continuing down the path while Twilight stayed behind.
'So that's what happened,' she thought, wiping away the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. Then, after collecting herself, she followed after Danny; not saying another word, save for calling out to Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Yet her gaze always lingered on the tall human, a twinge noticeable in her heart.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Apple Bloom!"
"Scootaloo!"
Applejack and Bellflower called out into the darkness, their path only partially illuminated by their shared lantern, as well as Luna's moonlight as they made their way over to Whitetail Woods, knowing it was one of the places the girls would venture off into when crusading for their Cutie Marks.
"Scootaloo, where are you?" Bellflower called out, silence still being the only answer.
Neither mare acknowledged their fear and anxiety as they pressed on, eyes endlessly scanning their surroundings, forcing themselves to see past the darkness.
"... Do you really think the human, Danny, has done something like this before?" Bellflower asked, if only to keep her mind occupied with something else other than all the horrible thoughts about what could have happened to Scootaloo, or her friends.
"Honestly, Ah'm not sure what ta think," Applejack answered after a moment, then called out to her sister again. "Ah mean, he did seem ta know what he was doing. The way he took charge an' whatnot. It's jus'…" she fell silent, frowned as she thought back.
"Just, what?" Bellflower asked, then called out for Scootaloo.
"Ah'm having a hard time gettin' a read on tha fella," Applejack admitted. "Ah know it when somepony tells a lie. Ah've told plenty o' them mahself as a filly ta know it when Ah hear one. But with Danny… There are times Ah can easily tell he's lying. But at tha same time, he isn't. Like he is only telling part of tha truth an' bending tha rest ta keep somethin' hidden."
"He does?"
"Ah think so, yes. But…"
"But?"
"But that wasn't the case back at the barn. Not when he said he didn't have a clue about who could have frozen the barn like that."
"You think he does know what did that!?" Bellflower gasped, shocked.
"Ah'm not sure. But Ah do know he knows somethin'. Somethin' he ain't tellin." Said Applejack, frowning deeply before calling out for her sister once again.
"You think he thinks it really is a ghost?"
"Ah can't say," Applejack replied. "Ah don't know what's going on in that head of his. But Ah do know he knows more 'bout ghosts than we do. He sure as hay proved that much back at tha Empire."
"Ehh… Empire?"
"Ya'll read' bout that in tha papers tomorrow. They'll be full of it. Trust me."
"O-kay…?"
"But, yeah. He saw how thaings were before any of us did. If it wasn't for Danny, mah friends and Ah would probably be in a lot of trouble right 'bout now. A lot of it. Which is also why Ah'm havin some trouble with him not telling tha truth. Ah trust him. After what happened today, he sure as hay has earned that. But he is also not saying what froze mah dad's old barn, and Ah know he knows somethin'. And if he doesn't want to tell what did that, it does raise a question."
"What kind of question?"
"Does Danny trust us? And, if so. Why else wouldn't he tell us?"
Bellflower remained silent at that, eyes locked forwards as she thought that over.
"... But what if he really doesn't know?"
"He knows somethin', of that Ah'm sure."
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, what do you think froze the barn?" Rainbow Dash asked, then yawned.
"This is hardly the time for such trivial things," Rarity scolded, the glow of her horn illuminating their path. "The girls are missing, in case you weren't paying any attention."
"Oh, I did."
"Then why aren't you looking for the fillies, instead of worrying about some ice?"
"Umm, hello!?" Rainbow Dash came to a sudden stop, looking critically at her friend. "It may have been a ghost that did that. You don't think that's important? A ghost, freezing stuff."
"Well, of course I do," Rarity rebuked. "And I know it could have been a ghost. What I don't care about is wasting time debating if it was a ghost, or something else that has done that. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are missing. And whatever it may have been, it's nowhere near as important as finding those fillies."
"But you have to be at least a bit curious, right? I mean, Sombra was all shadowy and stuff. Maybe this ghost has large spikes of ice growing out of its back, or-"
"RAINBOW DASH!" Rarity yelled, eyes burning. "You may not care about what is going on, but you will take this seriously, or, Celestia help me, I will buck you from here to Canterlot and back!"
"Hey, I'm taking this very seriously!" Rainbow Dash shot back, eyes locked in a challenging glare.
"Then why are you spending more time trying to figure out what this supposed ghost looks like?"
"To keep myself from worrying about what might have happened!" Rainbow Dash yelled back, eyes narrowing as she pressed her face just a bit closer to Rarity's, her voice darkening. "Because, unlike you, I know personally what could happen. And that is one train of thought I don't want to dwell on."
"I-... I…" Rarity stammered, backing off.
"Just because I don't show it, doesn't mean I don't feel it," Rainbow Dash said without a hint of humor, stepping past her alabaster friend. "Now, let's just go and find those three before the night is over."
Silence.
"... Rainbow," Rarity spoke up after a moment.
"Hmm?"
"I think it wears a fedora made of ice."
Rainbow Dash snorted as a wry smile pushed back the frown on her face.
<<>><<>><<>>
Big Mac, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy carefully made their way through the darkness in search of the fillies. Big Mac holding his lantern up high, illuminating as much as he could while Pinkie Pie pronked seriously in front of him; a flashlight (which she'd pulled out of her own tail, which she claimed was stored there for flashlight emergencies and scary ghost story emergencies) held tightly in the curls of her mane, and remaining perfectly in place despite the mare's pronking.
Fluttershy, the more timid of the group walked closely pressed to Big Mac, hiding behind the large pony's bulk.
"Bloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo!" Macintosh called out one by one, his nervous gaze slowly shifting from one dark silhouette to the other.
"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, are you three in here? In here? In here?" Pinkie Pie asked aloud, first looking in the park's well, then running over to a hollow tree stump, before sticking her head in the pink puffy cloud she saw sticking out behind a tree where she'd just looked behind.
"... Um, Pinkie Pie. I think that’s your tail," Fluttershy said quietly, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to herself; she and Bic Mac looking at the mare's strange antics, as well as the unnatural bend in her body as she somehow had managed to lose her head and front legs in the tangles of her own hair.
"Are you sure?" Pinkie Pie asked, her voice muffled, while one of her legs inexplicably stuck out of her mane as it prodded and felt around.
Big Mac and Fluttershy stood gawking, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
Feeling around with her hoof, eventually Pinkie Pie felt her own backside, and from there her tail.
"Huh, I guess you're right." she exclaimed before pulling free from the unfathomable tangles of pink only fully understood by the mare it was attached to. "Also, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle aren’t in there."
Fluttershy and Macintosh blinked, looked at each other, then back at the pink conundrum before them, then blinked again.
Pinkie Pie looked back, unblinking.
Several tense seconds ticked by in silence as they stared at one another.
"Hoo!" An owl perched on a nearby branch hooted.
Fluttershy shot up in the air while screaming, then latched tightly onto Big Mac's back, trembling severely.
Owlicious, looking at the mare, couldn't help but eyeroll over her reaction.
"Sometimes you are just a bit too predictable, child." He said voiceless, unheard as he watched Pinkie Pie carefully pry her friend off Macintosh's back.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Sister," Luna entered Celestia's personal chambers, returning from the dungeons, seeing her sister was still awake. "Trouble sleeping, I take it."
"That would be the case, yes," Celestia confirmed with a slow nod, looking out of her window. "Today's events, as draining as they are, have made it all but impossible for me to relax. And now, having only just returned home, Twilight has sent word of another calamity… One which may, or may not be connected with everything else that has transpired so far."
"What do you mean?" Luna asked with cautious suspicion. Celestia levitated Twilight's letter to her.
Several moments passed by as Luna read the letter, the creases of her already present frown deepening with each word.
"Is this true!?" She asked the moment she finished.
"I do not doubt the word of my student. Especially concerning matters of such significance." Celestia declared firmly, face set.
"Fillies missing. Suspicion of a ghost in the town. A barn located fully covered within with ic-" She fell silent, then slowly spoke: "Ice" with the tone of dawning realization.
"Sister, did you not say Ponyville's lake had mysteriously frozen some time ago?"
"Indeed I did, Luna," Celestia confirmed with a cold voice. "This I realized myself as well."
Biting her lip, Luna read the letter once more. "Sister, there may be even more to this than you realize."
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked, stepping away from the window.
"Just moments ago, I went to inspect our prisoners… and their condition."
"Still the same, I take it," Celestia could sense the shift in tone.
"Still declining, yes," Luna sighed out, shaking her head. "One more perished today."
"I'm sorry to hear it," Celestia released a sigh of her own.
"However, a change did occur. Something which slipped past our attention because of what happened in the caves." Luna paused for a moment. "It seems that, at times, the changelings cry out in distress. Mostly broken words, according to Stable Pulse, but not all of them. I was there when another episode transpired. They called out for a princess… Maybe us? A queen, most likely Chrysalis. Danger, and a hive."
"This is worrying," Celestia looked down, frowning over this latest development. "Is this actually a cry for help, or mere delirious rambling as a result of their illness?"
"Unknown?" Luna answered. "However, what makes me believe this may be connected to the contents described in Twilight's letter would be something Stable Pulse told me. Apparently, at times, the changelings also make mentions of ice."
Celestia gasped out. "You don't think-"
"I do, sister. We know there is at least one ghost active in Ponyville. A ghost which may, or may not have visited us here in Canterlot. If it has, this is troubling on its own. If it hasn't there are at least two ghosts. We also have confirmation of unnatural formations of ice. First the lake, now Miss Applejack's barn. Fillies missing who were near the site of this unnatural formation. And now also the changelings mentioning their hive, danger, their queen and ice. I can not make any other conclusion than that all of this is connected in ways we do not yet understand."
Celestia's eyes were wide, troubled, nervous, unsure of which action to take.
"If this is true, then the situation is even more dire than I had suspected."
"Indeed. The changelings may have attacked us, but even they do not deserve a fate such as what our ponies have experienced years back."
"No, they do not." Celestia agreed. "I will send word to our team in Ponyville, alert them to this new development. We need to put a stop to this."
"Indeed. However, I fear it won't be so easy, sister."
"I know what you mean, Luna. I, too, think this is only just the beginning."
"And, somehow, Danny is in the center of it all. Even now, as was explained in the letter, he and Sir Macintosh were investigating the barn. It can no longer be a coincidence." Said Luna.
"No, it cannot. There is more to Danny Manson than he has let up. We must find out what. It may very well be the answer to all these problems." Celestia agreed.
"Or the cause." Luna stated, looking out into the night.
<<>><<>><<>>
Toxic green light lit up the barn; the light reflecting off every surface, increasing the luminosity to the point where Danny could easily see even without his ghost vision.
The source of the light, a green glowing sphere of energy contained within his left hand.
Now alone and not having to hide anything, Danny slowly looked around, taking in all the details.
"Definitely a frost giant," he murmured, levitating himself up, allowing him to see what stood upon the table. "And a bowl full of apples," he noted.
"So it follows a vegetarian diet," Eclipse surmised, materializing herself as a mirror image of Danny.
"Assuming the missing fillies are unrelated, or, if not, uneaten, yes."
"But you don't think they are?… eaten, I mean."
"This has all the markings of a frost giant," Danny answered. "They are omnivores, like me. Although, as ghosts, they don't have any actual need to eat. If they do, however, they either go for unintelligent animals, or stick to fruits and vegetables. They wouldn't do something like abducting children, or worse, eat them." Danny snorted. "In fact, the only time I encountered a wild, enraged frost giant was back when I first encountered them. And Frostbite was only acting like that because of the spike of ice sticking into his side. No, my bet is a giant somehow ended up on this world; found shelter here, and made him or herself as comfortable as possible… But why here, though? It's quite the risk out here in the open."
"Maybe one or more of the fillies know about the frost giant living here… Maybe Apple Bloom even allowed it?" Eclipse suggested.
"Why?" Danny asked. "What logical reason could there be for that to make sense?" Eclipse merely shrugged.
"It might explain why this has gone unnoticed for so long… we both know all of this hasn't been done in just one day," she said, indicating all of the frozen interior.
"True," Danny said, hovering towards one of the support pillars and placed a hand on it. "The energy in here is also calm. Settled down. It has to be at least a day or two old. Most likely longer."
"That, and, of course the various hoof prints frozen in the snow down here," Eclipse pointed out, jumping down from the table.
"Wait, what?" Danny said, surprised, quickly joining his shade.
"Down there," Eclipse pointed out, "in… I think it's supposed to be a carpet, or rug, or something?"
"Well I'll be…" Danny murmured, dropping to a knee to get a better look.
"Those prints are too small to have been made by Big Mac, or any of the others who were just here." Eclipse surmised, looking over Danny's shoulder.
"Nor did anyone but Big Mac enter, and he stayed near the doors," Danny added, following the contours of one print with a finger. "They knew." He said matter of factly, standing back up. "... But how, why, and when?"
"At the very least we can say the frost giant living here is friendly," said Eclipse. "These prints are not the result of panicked scrambling, but evenly spaced and same of depth."
"They walked here. No running or hiding, but on friendly terms." Danny surmised. "Assuming they didn't venture in here when the frost giant wasn't."
"That seems unlikely," Eclipse replied. "A ghost that big wouldn't easily hide during the day. And if my recollection of your memories are accurate… I'm still trying to put everything back in their proper places," she added, pouting, which made Danny feel somewhat uncomfortable as she was doing it while looking like him. "... They don't turn invisible. And it seems reasonable to assume Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle wouldn't just go out here in the dead of night."
"I wouldn't put it past them either," Danny remarked, recalling an event with a manticore in the Everfree.
"Right, of course," Eclipse said, picking up on the memory herself. "Still... "
"I know," said Danny. "But how are we going to find them? Do you have any way of tracking them down?"
"I, eh… Maybe?" Eclipse answered, unsure. "I do have these strange recollections of… something. I'm not sure, but maybe I-" she couldn't finish as, with a bark, a yelp, and a shout from Danny as he suddenly found himself tackled to the ground, a green glowing pup happily and slobbery licking his face; tail wagging.
"Wha- Ghaa! What is.. Get off!" He yelled, pushing the pup away, which did little to deter the little canine, who quickly scampered back to Danny, who had only just pushed himself to a sitting position.
"Hold on-" Danny gasped out, eyes widening while his face received a second bath. "CUJO!?"
Cujo barked in answer, then dragged his tongue over Danny's face from chin to forehead.
<<>><<>><<>>
"But how is this possible?" Danny asked again, pacing around while Cujo followed him every step of the way.
"First Sombra, then this supposed frost Giant, now Cujo. And that's not even counting what happened to you," he aimed at Eclipse. "Seriously, what the hell is going on on this world!?"
"I cannot answer that," Eclipse told him. "But might I suggest that, instead of wasting even more time, you use this opportunity to our advantage."
Coming to a full stop, Cujo bumping into Danny's legs, Danny looked at Eclipse. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't Cujo a trained guard dog reverted to his pup-like stage?"
"Something like that, yes." Danny answered, then his eyes widened in realization. "Which means he might be able to track down the fillies," he said, looking down at the happy pup.
"Okay, Cujo," he said, lowering himself as Cujo barked. "There are some ponies missing. Children who have been in here at some point," he said, pointing towards the hoofprints in the snow. "Can you find them?"
Cujo barked, looked at where Danny was pointing, then scratched himself behind an ear.
"Uhh… Go fetch," Danny tried again, and this time Cujo jumped up, sprinted towards the prints, pressed his nose in the frozen layer and inhaled deeply. He ran off with determination seconds later, and Danny and Eclipse followed after him.
Outside, Cujo circled around on a spot near the barn, nose pressed against the ground.
"They must've spent some time there," Eclipse realized.
"Makes sense, I guess," Danny agreed.
Head snapping up and towards the Everfree Forest, Cujo barked again, then ran off at full speed.
"Let's go," Danny said, and went in pursuit of the ghost pup. Eclipse fell flat to the ground, vanishing in the darkness completely as she merged back with Danny.
'I'll inform your other half of what has happened here,' she informed him. Danny grunted in acknowledgement.
<<>><<>><<>>
Further and further they went, having long since disappeared in the Everfree, yet Cujo remained running at full speed, never letting up. Danny, weaving from left to right to keep up with the pup who moved from one place to the other, couldn't help but wonder if Cujo was actually on the trail, or if he was just scouting out the best possible tree to do his business. After all, it did seem rather unlikely to him that either filly ran from one tree to the other the same way Cujo was. But having no alternative, the energetic pup was his only real chance at finding those fillies; assuming they really were where Cujo was leading him, and that they weren't just hiding someplace in town.
If that was the case, he would be less than happy; venturing out in this forest at night on a wild goose chase.
Clearing those thoughts from his mind, he resumed following after the green pup as Cujo led him deeper and deeper into the forest; only to come to a full and unexpected stop, causing Danny to overshoot, and nearly crash into a tree.
"Cujo, what was that about?" Danny said cross, only to see Cujo with his nose in the air, sniffing audibly.
"What is it, boy?" Danny asked.
Head snapping towards his right, Cujo growled faintly before leaping into motion.
"Hey, wait up!" Danny shouted, quick to follow.
Further and further Cujo ran, with Danny close on his tail. And where they were first moving deeper and deeper into the forest, now the dense foliage began to thin as Danny was led out of the forest, and towards an open field some distance away from Ponyville. Far enough away that he didn't even know exactly where he was and didn't recognize any of the landmarks now surrounding him.
Not paying any of this any mind, Cujo simply moved with single minded focus; running up a slight incline where, eventually he came to another sudden stop.
Danny, too, stopped, but not so much because Cujo had done so as well. No, what made him stop as it drew his attention was the glistening light of the moon as it reflected off the frozen landscape before him.
"What the…?" He said under his breath. "Ice? Seriously, is that the theme of today?" Shaking his head, he now knew he was heading in the right direction.
"Come, Cujo," he said, and together they moved for the frozen land; Cujo leading, still hot on the trail.
'Eclipse, tell my other self what we just found,' Danny instructed his shade.
'Done,' she answered a mere moment later.
"Good. Now let's find out just how big a mess all of this really is," Danny muttered grimly, his eyes burning just a bit brighter.
<<>><<>><<>>
It didn't take long for them to find the source of the weirdness all around, as Danny and Cujo once more came to a dead stop upon the sight of a massive vortex of clouds, snow, ice, and creatures mostly concealed within this volatile mix swirling around a rocky hill which, by now, was more of an iceberg than anything else.
"What the hell?" Danny murmured, hovering in place while Cujo backed away slightly, growling.
"Stay here, boy," Danny instructed the pup, slowly flying towards the boiling mass of snow and ice with trepidation; noticing numerous flashes of green and icy blue lighting up the vortex, recognizing them as ectoplasmic discharges. Someone was fighting.
Risking a closer look, Danny carefully approached the vortex; the biting wind it produced now also startingeginning to cut into him, forcing him to go up higher.
"Damn it, I can't see anything through this," he complained to himself.
'Maybe I can be of assistance?' Eclipse suggested. 'I can go in closer, see what's going on down there without being at risk.'
"Good idea," Danny said aloud. "Do it."
Feeling a sliver of consciousness separate from his mind, Danny knew Eclipse had left. It was a familiar sensation, one he'd gotten used to over time. But now though, it felt different. Larger, more defined. Not so much a part of himself, but a part of something more. Someone more.
Hidden in the dark of night, and obscured by the darkening clouds blowing by high above, Eclipse was, literally, a shadow unseen. Moving without hindrance, pressed flat against the ground as a shapeless stain; only her eyes visible as she moved deeper and deeper into the unknown. Blind at first, unable to see more than an arm's reach before her. But then, as she neared the center, the eye of this unnatural phenomena, more and more revealed itself to her. And what she saw scared her.
Not a fear for herself, but for the child she saw within; pressed back to back with a frost giant; fighting off a massive herd of spectral equines her memories, or rather her former self's memories told her were windigos. Yet the thing that took her by complete surprise, what she wasn't expecting to see and was having a hard time believing she was actually seeing, would be the filly which had her back pressed against the frost giant.
She was flying; her legs transformed into an intangible tail; eyes glowing green, and spectral energy unleashed in bolts and beams from her hooves.
'Impossible!' She gasped, quick to rejoin Danny and inform him about what it was she'd discovered.
"WHAT!?" Danny yelled, eyes wide and unable to what Eclipse had just told him. "That can't be true?! A frost giant, whatever these windigos are, and a ghost pony?"
'That is what I saw,' she stated firmly, even going as far as to share her memories with him.
"But, how? Where do they all come from?" Danny asked, unable to deny what he was seeing with his mind's eye.
'I can't answer that. But, more importantly...' she replied, falling silent for a moment. 'Cujo led us here, following the scent of the fillies...' She led that hang in the air, the implications of what she was suggesting weighing heavily on Danny.
"Don't tell me what I think you're saying to me," he snapped back.
Before Eclipse could share her thoughts on this matter, a loud whiny cut her off as several of the windigos took notice of Danny, and they moved in to him; taking with them the arctic wind, ice and snow slamming down on the two combatants down on the ground as well.
Shielding his face with his arms, Danny soon found himself caught in the cutting winds; ice already beginning to build on his body while more and more windigos joined those already encircling him; widening the area affected by their arctic grasp.
Eyes burning, Danny peered past his arms, trying to spot a weakness to exploit against the attacking ghosts, his body growing colder and colder.
"GAH!" He cried out as a large hailstone cut into his face. "Cut it out!" He roared, his eyes turning from green to icy blue as he channeled his own arctic powers; firing a large blast of frozen energy into the fray.
the windigos, unhindered by that which had claimed them in their mortal lives, only took the act of aggression to press on even harder; an absolute whirlwind now swallowing the lands, with Danny at its center; ice continuing to build on his body, weighing him down more and more while the cold permeated his body's every fiber. Freezing deeper and deeper, leaving nothing untouched by its icy grasp until it touched and interacted with the frozen core besides his heart.
"ENOUGH!"
He roared, slamming his fists out to the side, unleashing a wave of arctic energy which radiated outwards, slamming into the windigos while Danny himself shone radiant and bright; lighting up the sky with an icy blue light.
Drawing energy from the cold surrounding him, the light surrounding the furious ghost intensified even further.
"Time to end this," Danny muttered grimly, gritting his teeth.
Diving down, he accelerated as he sped towards the ground; concentrating the built up energy into a dense sphere of might which he unleashed the moment he impacted the ground, unleashing a massive wave of energy which spread out far and wide.
Silence.
Silence.
All was silent. The wind had died down. The blizzard had stopped, and the last of the snow slowly, lazily drifted down to the ground while the windigos slowly hovered in place; dull, unintelligent eyes looking at the still glowing human on the ground while the frost giant did the same.
"Ow, what happened?" A familiar voice piped up, and Danny saw Sweetie Belle sluggishly climbing out of a hole near the frost giant's feet.
'It can't be.' Thought Danny.
Looking around when no one answered her, Sweetie Belle's eyes then met those of Danny; her eyes widening in shock.
"By the ancestors," The frost giant spoke, shocked, awed. "It's the Great-"
"Danny?!" Sweetie Belle piped up, looking at the glowing human as he hovered above the crater below him; the icy glow around him slowly subsiding.
"Now, what the hell is going on here?!" Said Danny, his blue glowing eyes locked on all the ghosts around him.
<<>><<>><<>>
It was unnaturally quiet in Ponyville; all residents having locked themselves in their houses, not daring to go out, save the few ponies who were still out looking for their younger siblings.
All houses were dark, lights dimmed and curtains pulled shut; most ponies hiding under their beds. One house, however, was a complete opposite; lights burning brightly, and those calling it home in vivid discussion.
"No, Lyra. I've told you this a thousand times before. I am not interested in your 'research', no matter how much you claim knowing Danny's dietary habits are groundbreaking and would change our way of living. "Bon Bon said crossly, pacing across the room while Lyra sat on their couch, stubbornly holding onto her notebook. "In fact, I think you should allow Danny some breathing room. Really. You're dang near living in his closet. You probably would have, if I hadn't dragged you back."
"But I needed to see how he behaved in his own territory." Lyra shot back challenging.
"Territory?!" Bon Bon repeated. "Lyra, for goodness sake. You make it sound like he's some dangerous animal from the Everfree, preying on us ponies."
"Well, he is a predatory species," Lyra quipped.
"Lyra, no!" Bon Bon scolded. "Leave the human alone."
"No!" Lyra said simply. "And I know that if you just give me a chance, you'll see that I'm onto something here." She patted her notebook. "Like this," she flipped open the book at a random page. "Bendability of the fingers. Inwards, yes. Outwards, a loud yell in pain and being roughly shoved to the ground in response."
Bon Bon stared at her flatly.
"And I'm washing my hooves of this," she sighed out, shaking her head disappointedly. "I'm going to bed. And please, Lyra. Just think about this?"
"Fine," she conceded. "But only if you think about this." She gently waved her notebook in front of Bon Bon's face with her magic.
"Lyra, it will be a very cold day in Tartarus before I will give in to this… obsession of yours." Shaking her head a final time, she ascended the stairs and moved to their shared bedroom.
"That mare, honestly," she breathed, opening the bedroom door. "What has gotten into her?" She wondered, then fell silent as she heard tapping coming from the window.
Flicking on the light, her eyes widened in shock. Then years of hard earned experience and training kicked in. Swiftly and quietly she closed the door, locking it behind her.
Moving for the window, she unlatched and opened it, allowing the albino raven to hop inside.
With a quiet caw, the bird turned around, allowing Bon Bon to retrieve the letter held in the small canister on his back.
"Of all times, why now?" she murmured as she recognized the seal on the letter. Not that she didn't already know who had sent the message.
With his task completed, the raven flew away, leaving behind the mare who was already going through the letter meant for her eyes only.
First there was a frown, then shock. Then dread as she fully realized what she was being asked to do settled in.
"I swear, she does this on purpose," Bon Bon muttered with a growl.
Moving for the nightstand, she reached down and grabbed a hidden lighter from underneath; setting the letter aflame beside the open window, allowing the ashes to drift off into the night.
The evidence destroyed, she closed the window then, with dragging hooves, moved for the door; unlocking it with a heavy sigh. "I'm never going to live this down."
Dragging herself through the small hallway, and forcing herself down the stairs, she found Lyra sitting right where she had left her; vividly going through her notes with her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth.
"Sooo…. Lyra," Bon Bon spoke up, catching her marefriend's attention, almost struggling to say what she had to say with a forced smile. "About those notes you've made about Danny?"
Lyra's eyes lit up and a smug smile soon consumed half her face.
"So, did winter start early in Tartarus?" She asked cheekily.
'Damn you, Princess. Damn you to Tartarus!' Bon Bon thought, the glint in Lyra's eyes sending a shiver down her spine.
Edited by Slayerseba, Clayton the Hunter, and Halusm.
She's a Spirit
<<>><<>><<>>
It was past midnight when the group of ponies and human joined at Twilight's, all unsuccessful in their search for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
Fear and worry now clearly present among all, desperately trying to figure out where those fillies could have gone to; all thinking, but not saying the one thought plaguing their minds: What if they were taken by a ghost?
All of them thought so, except Danny, whose worried frown came not from not knowing, but the exact opposite. And even then, the questions he was asking himself were all left unanswered too.
It was with quite the surprise when Eclipse had first told him she now existed between him and his other half, and was able to relay any and all information between each other. Even more so when, merely ten or fifteen minutes after this message, Eclipse informed him about another, completely unexpected development: Cujo.
To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He was just glad Twilight was walking behind him and unable to see his face. Still, the unexpected stop he'd made did cause the mare to bump into him. But as shocking it was for Cujo to be here, nothing could have prepared him for what Eclipse revealed to him only moments ago; and he struggled not to show it.
'A frost giant named Wind Chill. Ghost horses en mass. These changelings, and this illness,' his right hand tightened in a slightly trembling fist. 'Sweetie Belle-'
"Danny, is everything alright?" Rarity asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Looking at the mare, then the rest, Danny realized he'd completely zoned out. Even Owlowiscious, Twilight's pet owl sitting perched on top of one of the book cases, looked at him quizzically.
Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, Danny focused on the group around him. "Sorry, kinda spaced out there." He then yawned, loudly, providing him with a credible excuse. "It's been a long night… a long day," he sighed, shaking his head. "Anyhow, what did you say?"
"We'd asked if ya know anythaing else that might be helpful," Applejack told him, looking at him with a studious gaze. "Anythaing at all?"
"You did say you've never seen something like what we saw in the barn before, but maybe there is something you've forgotten?" Twilight suggested.
"Please, Danny. Think." Bellflower pleaded. "If there is anything, anything that could help us find the fillies, tell us."
With his jaw set and a deep frown wrinkling his forehead, Danny looked down at his feet, and the shadow cast in the light of the overhead lamp.
"I'll admit I've seen a thing or two on the news. A few times personally…" he fell silent for a bit, frown deepening. "But nothing about a ghost and ice… At least, not like this," he muttered.
"Not like this?" Rarity repeated. "So there is something?!"
"Considering the weather is not out of complete control, I doubt this ghost is involved."
"Woah woah woah," Rainbow Dash balked. "What in the Hay do you mean with that!?"
Snorting, Danny looked at the blue pegasus. "There was this one time where a ghost in complete control of all of Earth's weather wreaked havoc around the globe. Wanted to make a perfect storm, or something like it. Bit difficult not to notice, seeing it was global. And yes, this also included snow, hail, and ice. But this—" he pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards a window "— Definitely not his handiwork."
Rainbow Dash looked at Danny as if he was crazy, eyes slightly wild while her mouth hung partially open.
"You're kidding, right? You have to be. There is no way one ghost… or anyone could control all the weather themselves."
"I've seen differently, so, yeah… I guess." He shrugged, sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "But that is not helping us. If this ghost was involved with any of this, trust me, we'd know. The whole world would know. No, we're dealing with something else. Something-"
'Master, I must go. Quick, step out of the light before any of them notices your shadow disappearing!'
"Something, what?" Twilight pressed on, all of them confused by Danny suddenly falling silent.
Surprised, shocked, and more than a little frightened by what Eclipse just told him, Danny fumbled for words while he rapidly scanned the room for any place where he could stand that wouldn't give away his missing shade. Unfortunately, the entire room was basked in a warm light that eliminated any and all shadowy places for Danny to retreat to.
Feeling Eclipse's fragment leaving him, and noticing the fading of the darkness around his feet, Danny stopped thinking and instead just acted.
"Sorry, toilet. Gotta go," he blurted out, wasting little time sprinting for the aforementioned utility before any protest could be given; locking the door behind him and pressing his back against the wooden surface while forcing his breathing to calm down.
'Eclipse!' He called out, receiving no reply. 'Eclipse?'
A single, loud knock on the door shook him back to the other problem now waiting for him on the other side of the door, and a cold sweat began to form. There was no way he could properly explain any of this, least of all his now missing shadow. And just disappearing like, well, a ghost would only make things worse. No way he looked at it, there was no getting out of this building disaster.
"Okay, Danny," Applejack's voice carried through the door. "Ah know ya're hiding somethaing. Being pretty obvious 'bout it, also. Now, normally Ah don't really mind one keepin' a secret or two, but not this time. So, come out an' spill tha beans."
"I… ehhh. I don't know what you're talking about," Danny lied, poorly. Trying to find a way to salvage the situation; practically able to feel the deadpan stare Applejack gave upon his answer.
"Uh huh, and Ah'm the king of Appaloosa."
Pinkie Pie sucked in a large, shocked and amazed breath. "You are? You never told me that! This requires a super-duper-grand-hmphh" She was promptly cut off by Rainbow Dash, who shoved a hoof in her mouth.
"Danny," Twilight started, a hint of hesitance noticeable. "Does this…. Does this, by any chance, have something to do with what you told me earlier? About your… friend."
Danny tensed, eyes wide. And, although unseen by the ponies on the other side of the door, they could sense it. Twilight just hit a raw nerve. Something that made Danny act in the way he did.
"What friend?" Rarity asked, genuinely curious.
Twilight, biting her lower lip and rubbing her left foreleg with her right hoof in nervous uncertainty, looked away from her friends. Still, no answer came from Danny, and she knew someone had to say something. Closing her eyes, she sighed out.
"Remember what you and Applejack told me a while ago?" She aimed at Rainbow Dash. "About what Danny said when he stayed for lunch at Sweet Apple Acres, and you, eh, pressed him a bit too far."
For a moment Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight in confusion. Then something clicked and her eyes widened in understanding; locking eyes with Applejack for a split second as she, too, made the connection.
"You mean about when he said the one he loved died?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Hearing this, Danny flinched, hands balled in trembling fists.
Twilight nodded sadly, looking down as she slowly moved for the closed door.
"Danny, is it alright if I tell them what you told me?"
Danny remained silent, locked in horrible dilemma. He never wanted this. Any of it. All he wanted was to get away from those memories and all connected to it; ghosts and all. Yet, even going as far as to move to a different world, fate, it seemed, wouldn't let him. Pulling him back in at every turn; throwing a curveball at times where he'd believed things were back under control, and thus forcing him to improvise and make mistakes. Mistakes he, most of the time, was able to solve through one way, or the other. Not so much by clever tactics, or problem solving, but thanks to his general dumb luck when it came to these things.
Now though, it was a different matter. He was cornered. There was no denying this fact. Eclipse suddenly leaving without much of an explanation, and only the slightest of warnings, surrounded by so many, and no proper way to hide his now missing shadow, Danny made a mistake. A very, very big mistake. A mistake he couldn't solve without revealing the one side of his he knew must remain a secret at all cost. The thing is, though. He didn't have to solve this problem. Twilight already had done this for him. Or, at the very least, part of it.
Despite having twisted certain facts, and made up a few more details about what happened with Sam, he'd never said exactly how it happened. And now, locked in an inescapable room, with too many witnesses waiting on him behind the door his back was still pressed to, he realized he had to make a very difficult choice.
Use his powers to escape without any proper way to explain, and most likely be forced to pack his belongings and run as far and as fast as he could before anyone could corner him a second time, and possibly learn the truth of his dual nature, or continue the lie he told Twilight.
He didn't like either option. Both possibilities weighing heavily on him. Yet, as much as he hated it, he'd knew it was easier to continue a lie than it was to run away again.
Besides, there was one truth that would make all of this work. One fact that would connect his lie of a past to what was going on now. A fact he hated himself for. There was ice used the day Sam died. The power of ice he himself used against that... thing; only to have it turned against himself.
"Danny?" Twilight softly called out to him again. This time a heavy, heart torn sigh answered her.
"I didn't really lie when I said I hadn't seen before what I saw in that barn of yours, Applejack," he finally spoke, voice lowered and slightly muffled through the door, forcing the mares to be as silent as they could be to hear him; choosing his words carefully so he could twist the facts while still remain truthful enough to be believable. And it was true what he said. Before he'd set foot inside the barn, he hadn't seen what was inside. "But, truth be told, there are many things I haven't seen… or wish I hadn't…" He fell silent again after that, and several long, tense seconds ticked by in terrible silence. Then a loud, heartfelt sigh came from beyond the door. "That ghost, the one who….. ice was one of the things it used." Danny revealed, hearing numerous gasps while he himself felt disgusted with himself; using what had happened, twisted as it may be to, at the very least, steer away any suspicion from him. Still, unless he'd found a solution for his missing shade, it would have been all for nothing.
Luck, questionable as it might be, seemed to be in his favor though.
With a loud, surprising screech, Owlicious suddenly went wild; going for the magically charged light affixed above and somehow damaging the empowering rune, plunging the treehouse in complete darkness.
Yells and screams of surprise, fear and shock all reverberated through the now dark home. Acting quickly, Twilight and Rarity charged their horns, illuminating their immediate surroundings with violet and light blue light.
"What was that, what happened?!" Danny called out, alarmed as he unlocked the door and rushed out without thought.
"Owlowiscious, what just happened?" Twilight asked as she carefully moved for the now seemingly calm owl perched on top of a small pile of books still in need of reshelving.
Only a lowered screech came in reply as Owlowiscious seemed more interested in preening his left wing.
"M-m-maybe us being so anxious has gotten t-to him too?" Fluttershy suggested with small voice, hiding behind Pinkie Pie and Applejack.
"Maybe?" Twilight murmured, looking at the owl first, then the damaged light up above.
"Can ya fix the light, though?" Applejack asked, her form mostly hidden in the dark.
"It shouldn't be too difficult," Twilight answered. "But I need to see exactly what he damaged first. Right now, though, that is hardly important." Then, with an increased luminosity to her horn, a small orb of magic grew in the air a leg's length above her head; increasing the light to the point where everyone was able to see one another, even if the violet light basked them in an eerie glow.
Fortunately, though, the unnatural light also made it all but impossible for any of them to notice Danny's missing shadow, as their own shade was nearly imperceptible too.
Danny frowned as he noticed this, unsure how to feel about the situation, yet glad to an extent that it happened. Still, now that the unexpected situation had been dealt with, all attention was once again back on him. And now, no longer locked away, Danny felt himself wither under the looks of sorrow and pity now aimed at him.
It was Applejack who was first to act; rearing up and pulling him in a tight hug from which he couldn't just pull away.
"Ah'm sorry. Ah shouldn't have pressed like that."
Soon, the others followed suit and before long, Danny found himself in the middle of a pony group hug. Completely flabbergasted, all he could do was look around with wide eyes. Then his sight locked on Owlowiscious, and for a split second Danny thought he saw… something in the eyes of the bird. The next second, it was gone and he was sure it must've been a trick of the violet light.
Regardless of what he thought he saw, one thing became clear to him. He got lucky this time. He doubted there would be a second chance. He would have to be careful. More so than he'd been up until this point. He couldn't have them begin to suspect him. He had already lost one home, he couldn't stand to lose another. And as the group finally parted, Danny hoped all of this better be worth the trouble. Not so much for him, nor Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, or Scootaloo, but the changelings he knew they were trying to save.
<<>><<>><<>>
An hour earlier.
"Now, what the hell is going on here?!" Danny demanded, the blue aura around him fading as he hovered above the small crater he'd slammed into the snow covered ground.
"Great One," the frost giant gasped, looking down at Danny with reverent awe.
"Danny?" Sweetie Belle spoke up, partially hidden in a hole she was trying to climb out of.
Danny looked at Sweetie Belle with wide eyes, shocked she knew his name. Then realization kicked in. He is Danny Phantom, Terror of Amity Park. His infamy reached even this world, and Sweetie Belle must've recognized him from some picture or something.
However, as he looked at the filly with the telltale look of a deer in headlights, he could see many things in the child's eyes, but fear wasn't one of them. Instead, there was almost a sense of wonder as she looked at him.
"Great One, thank the Ancestors!" The frost giant said with relief and hope. "Surely this has to be a sign."
Blinking, Danny looked at the giant, then back to Sweetie Belle, and finally up at the spectral horses still slowly circling around in the air.
"I'll ask again. What is going on here?" Danny asked, looking back at the giant.
A sudden puff of cold air escaped his mouth, however, and it was with a gasp that he looked down at Sweetie Belle as she slowly levitated herself out of the hole.
Taking a step back in shock, Danny stared at the hovering filly with wide, unbelieving eyes.
"It can't be?"
Looking down at the filly by his feet, the giant huffed grimly.
"It would appear it can," he spoke, looking back at Danny, then knelt before him. "Great One, you may not know me for we have never personally met, but it warms my cold heart to see you've returned. My name is Wind Chill, sworn guardian to young Apple Bloom, and helping hand to young spirit Sweetie Belle."
"Spirit!?" Danny exclaimed, his voice echoing over the frozen plains as his eyes locked back on Sweetie Belle.
"Eh… hi Danny," she said sheepishly, slowly lowering herself to the ground. "I guess I'm kinda like you now… Uh, what did you call it again?" She asked Wind Chill.
"A Halfa," he replied.
This time, Danny knew his unbeating heart had stopped completely, taking another involuntary step back.
"You… You know about me… About… Me?" He asked, almost in panic.
Looking down, Sweetie Belle kicked away some snow as she slowly nodded her head.
"I do… Apple Bloom and Scootaloo do too," she revealed, and one of Danny's eyes started to twitch.
"... How...?"
"I… well… because of this," she said, then a band of energy flashed into existence around her, and Danny watched with eyes the size of dinner plates as Sweetie Belle transformed. Her once white fur becoming a gleaming silver, while her mane and tail became translucent and started to billow in an ethereal breeze; their two toned colors replaced with the same silver, but with streaks of vibrant blue coursing through it. As for her legs. Large, oversized boots as black as the night materialized to cover them.
"You… wha… but…. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? How are you a ghost? Why are there horses flying around? Why is there a frost giant here? How did he get here? What is with all this ice?... Am I losing my mind? I feel like I'm losing my mind. Did I lose my-"
*SLAP*
A dark, in the night invisible hand slapped Danny on the back of his head with enough force for his head to snap forwards, while the sound was loud enough to echo. Wind Chill and Sweetie Belle, both unable to see who, or what just hit Danny, looked at the confused, and now also angry human as he turned on his assailant.
"ECLIPSE, what the hell!?" Danny roared.
"Don't pretend you didn't have it coming," came the smooth, female reply, and Sweetie Belle squeaked in surprise and recognition, while Wind Chill gasped out.
Raising a hand, he channeled some of his energy, basking the area in a luminescent ice blue glow; revealing to them the shadowy mirror's image of Danny standing behind him.
"A shade!" Wind Chill bellowed, then he gasped in recognition. "Great One, is this the shade bestowed upon you through that failed possession?"
"The one and only," Eclipse replied cooly, rubbing her hand on her chest. "Just a bit better than you remember me to be."
"It replies?" Wind Chill reared back in shock. "It can think for itself? How did this happen?"
"Well, it all started with this one pony who-"
"Enough!" Danny yelled, hands in hair from frustration. "Is anyone going to explain what is going on around here, or what?!"
Sweetie Belle squeaked in fright over the harshness in Danny's voice.
"Trying to explain everything that has happened up until this point will take far too long, I'm afraid," Wind Chill told him. "Especially considering young Sweetie Belle, her friends, and I are involved in a matter of great severity. One where time is of the essence."
"Oh no," Sweetie Belle gasped, remembering why she was here. "Erlea! The changelings! We've got to get down and help them, NOW!"
"Change-what now?" Danny asked.
"Perhaps it would be better to show you," Wind Chill said. "Surely, your arrival here can't be a coincidence." He then turned to the frozen tunnel entrance and, with a blast of arctic energy, opened the passage.
"Young spirit, lead the Great One to your friends. I will remain here and make sure the Saldēti Zirgi won't cause any more trouble."
"Are you sure?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
"I am. Now that they have calmed down, it should be a much simpler task."
Nodding with uncertainty, Sweetie Belle turned to Danny. "Please follow me," she said urgently, flying off into the tunnel before he could even reply.
Not understanding what he'd gotten himself into this time, and even more confused than five minutes ago, Danny arched a single eyebrow, glancing to the giant for, hopefully, an answer.
"Please hurry, Great One," Wind Chill implored urgently. "Any questions you have must wait until this crisis is dealt with."
Inhaling deeply and holding his breath for a moment, Danny turned back at the tunnel entrance. "Fine," he exhaled loudly. "But I want some answers after all of this is over."
"And you shall have them," Wind Chill promised. "Now, quick. Aid young Sweetie Belle."
Nodding, Danny flew into the tunnel with speed; easily catching up with the exhausted filly who, it seemed had transformed back to her mortal self as she'd ran out of what little energy she had left after her fight with the spectral horses.
Outside the tunnel, however, Eclipse remained; watching the giant for a moment, unseen in the darkness save for her glowing, orange eyes.
Wind Chill, too shaken after being saved by the Great One. The one ghost above all others, who vanished without a trace, only to appear when he was no longer able to fight, completely missed the (spy?) of darkness as he carefully moved for the crater Danny had slammed into the snow; faint wisps of radiant energy steaming off the mirror smooth surface of ice Danny had left behind.
"Could it be possible?" Wind Chill murmured as he dropped to a knee, scraping one of his claw like nails over the frozen surface, unable to leave a mark. "... Frostbite?"
'Frostbite? Does he mean his village leader?' Eclipse thought, hearing Wind Chill murmur something else quietly, but it was too faint for her to pick up.
Contemplating for a moment to remain and maybe learn more, she eventually decided it would be better to join her master instead, and help him with whatever it was he was heading into.
And so, without notice, she fell flat to the ground and slithered after Danny; catching up after a while and finding her master flying at a moderate pace as he carried Sweetie Belle on his back; the filly noticeably drained. The two of them also seemed to be in conversation.
Not feeling like interrupting, Eclipse seamlessly and, mostly unnoticed, merged back with Danny; listening in on the conversation of which she'd missed most of what was already said as they left the claustrophobic confines of the tunnel and entered a massive chamber.
She and Danny fell silent upon what awaited them there.
<<>><<>><<>>
A couple minutes earlier, and slightly to the right.
Nodding, Danny flew into the tunnel with speed; easily catching up with the exhausted filly who, it seemed had transformed back to her mortal self as she'd ran out of what little energy she had after her fight with the spectral horses.
"Hey, hold on," Danny said, matching Sweetie Belle's speed and flying besides her.
"I can't. We need to hurry!" Sweetie Belle panted through teeth.
Danny, being overly familiar with the after effects of spectral exhaustion, didn't hesitate to scoop the filly of the ground and placed her on his back.
"I'll fly, you talk," he told her, voice friendly but firm. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Sweetie Belle nod; wrapping her legs around Danny's shoulders for support. "Okay, how, just how are you a ghost, too?"
"Actually, I'm a spirit," Sweetie Belle corrected. "Oh, go left there."
Doing as was said, Danny flew left, still glancing at the filly.
"Spirit?"
"Yes," Sweetie Belle nodded. "That's what that weird book said I was."
"Book, what book?" Danny asked, confused, slowing down a bit.
"Don't stop," Sweetie Belle cried out, urging Danny to pick up his speed. Exhaling tiredly, Sweetie Belle confirmed with a nod. "Yeah, a book. My friends and I found it in Twilight's basement when we were looking for a book about ghosts."
This time, Danny did stop.
"Why on Earth, eh, Equestria would you want to do that?"
Sweetie Belle bit her lip, looking away guiltily.
"After what happened in the forest, with the manticore," she revealed, and Danny felt his body tense up. "Something weird happened to it, and my friends and I thought it was a ghost that did it."
Danny felt himself go slack, breathing out a sigh of mixed frustration and appreciation.
"You fillies certainly are a lot more perceptive than most I've met," he said, slightly shaking his head in disbelief and amazement.
"What do you me-" Sweetie Belle began, only to fall silent, mouth partially open as her eyes widened in realization. "It-... It was you!?"
"Yeah, it was," Danny confirmed, smirking just a little bit as he glanced back at the child on is back. The next second, Danny suddenly found himself half choked as Sweetie Belle tightened her hold on him, hugging him with all the strength she had left.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," she repeated over and over again, gratitude thick in her voice.
Danny, although half ghost, did still require some intake of air. So, using perhaps a bit more force than required, he pulled the suffocating legs away from his neck; readjusting the grabbing hooves to his shoulders so Sweetie Belle wouldn't fall off after he'd let go of her.
Sweetie Belle, realizing what just happened, smiled sheepishly at the back of his head.
"Ehh… Sorry."
"Don't mention it," he told her. Taking a deep breath, he resumed their course down through the tunnel. "Okay, so there was a book that said you were a spirit?"
"Yeah, the title said it was the Necronomicon." Sweetie Belle answered and, once again, Danny came to a full stop.
"The book of the dead!?" He said, shocked.
"The book of the what now?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"The book of the dead," Danny repeated, face set. "I've only heard of it. Never thought it was real, actually… Probably should have," he murmured more as an afterthought. "Wait, You said Twilight had it in her basement?"
Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, but… I don't think she knows," she said with noticeable uncertainty. "This book… it was weird. Really weird. Almost as if it was-"
"Alive," Danny finished grimly.
"Yeah… Wait, how do you know that?"
"I've seen a few books in the Ghost Zone. None of them are like how books are in our worlds." Sighing, he shook his head and once more continued down the path before him. "Now, explain to me exactly. How did you become a spirit? Because, as far as I know, there isn't an unstable portal anywhere around here for you to wander into."
"Unstable portal?" Sweetie Belle said. "Is that how you became a Halfa?"
"Yeah… Long story, and not what's important right now," he answered, glancing back at the filly, expecting some answers from her.
"I became a spirit because my friends and I found a spell to summon a spirit in the Necronomicon. It… didn't really go as we planned," she answered shamefully.
"Why in Equestria would you want to summon a spirit?" Danny asked, disbelieving.
"To earn our ghost hunting Cutie Marks."
Danny could only stare at the filly with wide eyes, unable to believe those fillies would do such things merely to earn this mark of theirs.
"Okay… For my own sanity, I think it's probably better to leave that for later… Let's just skip to the end and, tell me what is going on here."
Nodding, Sweetie Belle pointed Danny to a passage to the right. "A while back, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and I found a changeling chased by timberwolves in the Everfree Forest. After saving her… and after a few other things happened, she told us her kind was dying from some kind of sickness."
"Wait, all of them?" Dany asked, shocked.
Sweetie Belle nodded, face grim. "Yeah… just about." Sighing, she continued. "So, after she told us what was happening, we had to help but didn't know how. So we went to see the Elder, hoping she'd know a way to cure the changelings."
"Who's the Elder?"
"She's the frost giant who's been helping us. She knows a lot. Something about her being an Embodiment of Truth, or something?"
"Wait, I thought that frost giant out there is called Wind Chill? And he most definitely is a guy."
"No, not him," Sweetie Belle giggled. "She lives in the Far Frozen. The frost giants there also helped me with my powers," she said, more as an afterthought, not noticing the gradual decline of speed. "Frostbite is really nice."
"..." Danny's mouth opened and closed, yet no words escaped him as he tried to get a grasp on everything the filly was telling him. Eventually, he managed to focus on a singular strain of thought that perfectly encompassed the flurry of thoughts currently running amok through his mind: "I have so many questions… But that'll have to wait… also. Just tell me what's important now, and leave everything else."
Nodding, Sweetie Belle continued. "Okay. We went to the Elder, and she told us we could find a cure for the changelings from a ghost in the Dark Zone. She then gave us this map, called the Infi-map, which then took us exactly where we needed to go, only for us to wind up on a lifeless island. There we found a massive wolf called, Fenris, who most other ghosts, including Wind Chill, see as some horrible ancient evil. He was rather reluctant to help us, but after some things, most of which I missed, he agreed to help. He's already down there, helping…. hopefully. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are there as well."
"Okay… you, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo went on some insane mission to help a sick and dying species with the help of a frost giant and a large wolf ghost, who may or may not be an ancient evil... " Danny repeated in one breath, looking at the filly for confirmation. When she nodded, Danny looked back forwards to where he was going. "... Huh. You know, despite it all, weirder things have happened to me."
Suddenly, he felt Eclipse merge back with his being.
'What kept you?' He asked.
'Just making sure your backs were secure,' she answered as Danny entered a massive chamber; both of them gasping out upon the sight of the grand city before them.
"Wow… What is this place?" Danny asked breathlessly.
"This is the changeling's city," Sweetie Belle explained, she then pointed towards one of the largest stalactites. "The castle is that way. Hurry!"
Taking only a few more seconds, Danny pulled his gaze away from the awe inspiring sight; from the large stalactites with walkways encircling them, to the gravity defying bridges connecting them all. The waterfall cascading down within the city itself, to the strange, luminescent plants covering most of the structure; growing down far beneath the city until its glow could no longer be seen in the dark abyss below.
Frowning, Danny flew up and towards where Sweetie Belle directed. "Where is everyone?" He asked.
"Look for the fires," Sweetie Belle answered, voice unusually hollow as she looked towards the small flickers of light in the distance. The memory of all the sick and dead lying around the hastily built pyres for what little warmth they could get making her shudder.
Danny, taking notice of just how empty her voice was, as well as the chilling shudder that translated through to his own body, quickly connected the pieces. And so it was with a certain measure of expectancy when he came upon the sight of all the bodies. It didn't prevent him from sucking in a breath from shock; closing his eyes as he slowly exhaled, finally fully understanding the situation.
"This is bad," he murmured, scanning the insectoid ponies he saw below; most of them unmoving, save for the few who tended for the sick. All of them, Danny noticed, were still children like Sweetie Belle.
"Really bad," Sweetie Belle enforced.
"How did this happen?" Danny asked, slowly drifting through the city.
"Did you hear about the invasion in Canterlot a while back?" Sweetie Belle asked back, slowly scanning the crowd.
Thinking for a moment, Danny drifted halfway to the castle before realization kicked in. "... I think I do. Something that happened a little while before I came. They reported about it even back on Earth. Something about a wedding, and shapeshifters…?"
"Yeah…" Came the desolate response. "That was them. Changelings are shapeshifters, and their queen took the form of Princess Cadance, the bride."
"... Why?" Danny asked, frowning deeply; remembering a certain shapeshifter back on Earth.
"Changelings don't eat normal food like we do. Instead, they feed on emotions. Love, to be precise. And back during the invasion, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor used their combined love for each other to charge a powerful spell to repel the changelings."
"So… they used love to stop an invading force that feeds on love? … Somehow, I don't think that is exactly what happened."
Sweetie Belle hummed as she nodded. "There was also hate. Hate for the changelings mixed in the spell," Sweetie Belle explained, and Danny grunted in understanding.
"And as they consumed the love, they inadvertently also took in the hate. And that is what's killing them now, isn't it?"
"Yes," Sweetie Belle confirmed with a nod.
Danny sighed out tiredly, shaking his head. "And just how are you planning to help them?"
"I…I'm not sure," she admitted. "But we couldn't just do nothing, either." Danny nodded in understanding, then sighed out heavily.
"And here I thought the worst this day could throw at me had already passed. Okay, let's figure this thing out. Together."
Sweetie Belle couldn't be happier as he said that; hopeful that with Danny helping now, too, they would be able to stop this disease. And so it was with a certain level of excited anticipation to see Danny in action, she secured her hold on his shoulders as he angled down, picking up speed as he moved to the largest of stalactites; the changeling's castle.
As he descended, Danny and Sweetie Belle saw several young changelings fly towards the castle, their hooves full with leaves as they disappeared through the destroyed gate; Sweetie Belle fidgeting nervously as she finally got a good look at the damage she'd caused.
"What happened here?" Danny asked, coming to a stop before the still partially smouldering hole in the wall.
"I, uhh… kinda blew up the gate to get out," Sweetie Belle admitted shamefully.
"Why didn't you just go intangible?"
"I can't. My magic is interfering with my spirit powers." This revelation gave Danny pause, and it confirmed what he already started to suspect.
"Magical and spectral energies are unwilling opposites, aren't they?"
"That's what the Elder said, yes."
"Well, that is one question answered," Danny muttered. "Okay, let's get moving."
Flying inside, Danny followed Sweetie Belle's instructions through the maze-like interior. However, her memory of which path to take proved to be as flawed as the last time she tried to navigate the countless corridors herself. And so, with a lack of surprise, but enough frustration to make up for it, Danny and Sweetie Belle found themselves to be completely lost.
"I… I don't know where to go," Sweetie Belle cried out, distressed.
Groaning in irritation, Danny looked around and chose a likely spot at random.
"Hold on," he told her.
"Wait, what are you- GHAAAA!" Sweetie Belle cried out as Danny, with a startling lurch, flew towards the far wall with speed.
Closing her eyes and bracing herself for the inevitable crash, she waited… and waited.
'Okay… it doesn't hurt,' she thought. 'It should hurt, right? Why doesn't it hurt?' Not finding any answers herself, Sweetie Belle carefully pried open an eye. What she saw caused both eyes to snap open. They were phasing through wall after wall, not slowing down one bit as Danny moved from room to room; zig-zagging around through storage rooms, utility closets, a kitchen, personnel quarters, places neither one of them could guess the purpose to, and, finally, coming up from the floor, the throne room.
"WHAT THE HAY!!??"
Turning to the source of the yell, Danny saw Scootaloo look up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle cried out, dropping down from Danny's back. "Apple Bloom. Look who came to help!"
"Danny!?" Scootaloo breathed in amazement, looking up at the human ghost as he first looked down at her, then looked around with a troubled frown.
"Are ya kiddin' me!?" Apple Bloom called out, stepping towards Danny, eyes equally wide. "What's he doing here? How did he get here?"
Danny was about to answer when, with a cry of alarm from Eclipse accompanied by a horrific shudder, Danny suddenly was tackled to the ground by a massive wolf, not unlike Wulf, but way, way bigger.
"YOU!" The wolf bellowed, his rancid breath rolling over Danny in waves while his claws pressed uncomfortably close to Danny's face.
Several cries of alarm came from those around Danny, and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rushed in to separate the two. However, a thick, shadowy haze drifting up from Danny halted them in their tracks, while Fenris barked in rage.
"BACK OFF!" A frightening familiar voice yelled, and the dark haze surrounding Danny solidified in a strong hoof, kicking Fenris away.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and the few changeling colts and fillies all backed away in fear as Fenris pushed back in. The shadowy haze, however, drifted in between, its form growing, solidifying.
Four tendrils flowed down; becoming strong yet slender legs, leading up to an equally proportioned body. A long neck formed next, followed by a strong, feminine face; a long spiraling horn growing out of her fore head, while her mane and tail flowed in an ethereal breeze. Glowing dots of orange formed constellations within the shadowy haze that comprised her mane and tail as bat like wings flared fully to either side in dominant display. Then her eyes snapped open, and orange glowing eyes with green glowing irises locked on Fenris.
No sooner had Eclipse spoken, and all eyes were locked firmly on her and Fenris; with Danny lying unmoving behind the shadowy mare, eyes wide and unblinking.
Surrounding them, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and several changeling nymphs stood frozen; clearly terrified, yet unwilling to even twitch and draw any unwanted attention to themselves.
Then a growl escaped Fenris, the hate behind the primal sound being thick enough to make the conscious changelings shudder and retch.
Lurching forwards, Fenris lashed out with strong swipes; cutting nothing but air as Eclipse smoothly drifted out of the way, never breaking eye contact.
"Please, grandfather, there reall-"
"SILENCE!" Fenris roared, using his muscular legs to quickly close the gap between the two of them; eyes intense, full of rage. "YOUR WORDS SHALL NOT POISON ME AGAIN!" And with glowing claws, he slashed into the darkness born from his own hate.
This time his attack connected, and Eclipse cried out in anguish as Fenris' glowing claws tore through her torso.
Danny, eyes widened, screamed out as well. The fragment of his mind from which Eclipse formed her core personality, and now fully present with him relaying everything she felt.
Screaming, Danny clutched his side in the same general area Eclipse was hit. In a flash of white, Danny transformed back to his mortal self, writhing on the ground.
His scream of anguish echoed through the throne room, halting Fenris' advance on Eclipse as he looked down at the human in disbelief.
"DANNY!" Sweetie Belle cried out. She, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushing to his side.
Seeing what happened, Fenris closed his hands into fists, shaking noticeably with rage as he slowly turned back to the shadow, eyes burning.
Panting from pain, Eclipse struggled to righten herself, eyes locking once again. However, where Fenris' glare held nothing but anger and rage, Eclipse's remained calm, sad even. This only angered Fenris even more.
Jaw set, Fenris pounced again, nearly missing the darkness as Eclipse sluggish sidestepped.
"Our fight is over," Eclipse said strongly, standing tall despite the searing pain. "It ended millennia ago."
"AS LONG AS YOU EXIST, OUR FIGHT IS NEVER DONE!" Fenris growled, readying himself to strike again.
Eclipse sadly shook her head. "We both know where this path leads. Stop now!"
"And allow you to claim yet another," Fenris answered, his voice suddenly much lower, darker; one of his hands tightening into a fist. "NO!" He roared, leaping for the dark mare. "YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED THAT NIGHT! NOW I WILL MAKE SURE YOU DO!" And with glowing claws, Fenris slashed at her.
Jumping back and smoothly gliding out of his reach, Eclipse circled around the enraged wolf as he quickly spun around, snarling.
Danny, still down on the ground, gritted his teeth as he forced himself up, his side burning. But rather than allow the debilitating pain to incapacitate him any longer, he instead used it to fuel his own growing anger.
With a roar, a flash of transformative white and green glowing fists, Danny’s shoulder slammed into the wolf's side as he was focused on Eclipse. Taken by surprise, Fenris took several heavy sidesteps to catch his balance while Danny kicked off the wolf, flying backwards while firing several bolts of ectoplasm.
Raising a single, broad arm to shield himself, the bolts impacted. Mostly the ground near his feet was hit due to Danny’s sloppy aim. However, several sizzling orbs of contained energy hit their mark; burning into Fenris' shoulder and shielding arm.
After the unexpected attack ended, Fenris slowly lowered his slightly smoking arm, eyes now locked on Danny, growling with bared teeth.
"I will only give you this one chance. Surrender, or I'll destroy you along with this corruption." Fenris barked harshly.
"You know," Danny said irritably, standing defiantly before the wolf. "I have had a really long and tiresome day, which I really just want to forget ever happened. But instead of going to bed, like I wanted to do hours ago, I instead find myself flying halfway through Equestria looking for those three—" he shot a glance towards Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle "—only to have some oversized wolf attack my shade and I. So, no. I'm not backing off. In fact, I have a lot of pent up frustration right now, and I know just the way to get rid of some of it. So, bring it!" He challenged, securing his stance as his fists burst aglow with energy.
"So be it," Fenris snarled. "There shall be no leniency for those willingly succumbing to the corruption."
"Eclipse," Danny said simply, eyes flashing towards the mare behind Fenris. Eclipse gave a single nod in confirmation.
"Alright, let's dance," said Danny with confidence.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny, Fenris and Eclipse were standing frozen, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Danny with an angry, yet confident gleam to his eyes. Fenris with rage and fangs bared. Eclipse with regret and sadness noticeable in her facade.
Tension build as they stood with locked eyes, growing thicker and thicker with each passing moment towards the inevitable climax; a slight twitch of Danny's finger. And the three blurred into motion.
Fenris moved towards Danny, the one who now claimed the corruption. Eclipse moved in for the large wolf, fangs gleaming and wings flaring as she intended to halt his advance. And Danny met Fenris head-on, blocking one of his swings with his right forearm, then slammed his glowing left fist into Fenris' torso.
Staggering back, Fenris glared at Danny.
"So, you willingly accepted this corruption?"
"I didn't accept anything," Danny shot back. "And, seriously. Cut it out with the yelling. I'm right here."
Growling, Fenris allowed just that much. "You say you don't, yet the evidence proves otherwise."
"Yeah, about that," Danny responded, eyes flashing over to Eclipse. "You know this guy?"
"I'm afraid so, yes," she admitted after a moment's pause. Fenris growled threateningly upon her speaking, readying himself to attack anew.
"ENOUGH!" A young changeling cried out, bravely stepping towards the hostile group. "THIS HAS GONE ON FOR FA-" A sudden bark took her by surprise; as did all others.
Turning to the source, all were surprised to see a small, green glowing pup standing before the throne room's open doors, it's fur on end.
Barking again, the pup charged for Fenris; the wavering aura surrounding the pup intensifying as it suddenly increased in size exponentially. And before anyone fully registered what happened, a massive, aggressive looking hound suddenly tackled Fenris.
"What tha Hay is that!?" Apple Bloom shrieked.
"CUJO!?" Danny yelled in surprise.
Hearing Danny's voice, Cujo's demeanor quickly changed from angry to happy. Turning his head towards Danny, tongue lolling out while wagging his tail.
Using this opening, Fenris used his feet to kick the dog off of him; sending Cujo flying halfway across the room before he slammed into the ground.
"Oh no you didn't," Danny growled, eyes burning brightly as they changed from toxic green to icy blue.
But just before anyone could do anything, Sweetie Belle jumped in between, her forehooves stretching out to either side while screaming at the top of her lungs: "STOOOP!!!"
Her voice echoed through the suddenly extremely quiet chamber, all eyes on her.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked angrily, while also seeming on the verge of tears. "In case you haven't noticed, there are changelings dying over here. And you said you would help. Instead, you're only making things worse!"
Danny's eyes widened marginally, slowly scanning the room. It was only now, not under sudden attack that he noticed the many bodies. Most of them still, some of them twitching and shivering. Now his eyes widened fully, and the icy blue glow of his eyes faded back to toxic green; his hands falling to his side as all anger and fire to fight left him.
Fenris growled lowly, slowly looking around as well while keeping the corruption in the corner of his eye. Quickly snapping towards Eclipse, claws unsheathed as she stepped forwards, looking around as well.
"You know you have failed when it are the young who speak as the voice of reason," she then turned fully towards Fenris. "This fight is over!"
Fenris growled angrily, about to lash back when a cry of outrage drew all their attention towards the enraged changeling stomping towards them, her fangs bared.
"GET. OUT!" She seethed, "Whoever the buck you are, you will NOT endanger my subjects."
Danny looked down at the young changeling, the anger, hurt and grief he saw in her tear rimmed eyes twisting his heart.
THUMB-THUMB
The changeling filly, as well as the other changeling foals further back flinched in surprise and confusion, looking oddly at Danny.
"I'm afraid I am the reason for the unfortunate chaos just now," Eclipse spoke up, slowly approaching the changeling, bowing her head. "The reason for which is far too complicated to explain in just a few words. Needless to say, he—" she looked at Fenris "— and I have a… difficult history. One that still needs fixing," she sighed out. "Or at the very least, salvage what can be saved."
Fenris hissed through his teeth, eyeing Eclipse with distrust.
"I don't care about whatever it is you're talking about!" The changeling shot back, pointing an accusing hoof towards the shadowy mare towering above her. "My kind is dying of hate, and instead of helping, you're only worsening our condition!"
Eclipse looked down on the filly with a saddened gaze, and this time it was Danny who spoke, stepping up besides his shade.
"Then it should also be up to us to set this right," he said firmly eyes locking with the filly. "You need help. That much is obvious, even if I don't fully understand everything that is going on."
Sighing and scratching the back of his head, Danny glanced back at the large wolf.
"Are you going to be a problem?" He asked.
Fenris flexed his claws, carefully studying the human and corruption with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Grandfather?" Eclipse said.
"What's with this grandfather thing?" Danny asked, eyeing his shade while Fenris growled lowly upon being called as such.
Biting her lower lip, Eclipse sighed out, shaking her head. "It is a long story."
"And the short version?" Danny asked.
"I, originally, was an entity born from his hatred; shaped by his rage, and subsequently cut out by his guilt."
"Hold on. Then what abo-"
"Like I said, a long story," Eclipse cut him off before he could finish.
"Seriously, this day just doesn't stop with the unanswered questions," Danny grumbled, sighing in frustration. "Fine. We'll add that to the 'we'll answer this later' pile."
Nodding, Eclipse agreed. "Now back to the matter at hand," she said, looking at Fenris. "You don't like me, which is understandable. However, this is neither the time or place to settle any unfinished business."
Confident that Eclipse had at least some control over the situation, Danny shot a glance at Fenris one more time before moving towards Cujo; seeing the oversized pup standing on the sideline, teeth showing and ready to attack.
"Easy, boy." Danny said, reaching up and placing a hand on the dog's head, giving him a light scratch.
Cujo, at first aggressive and growling, immediately relaxed as his hind leg started to kick; leaning into Danny.
Within moments a wavering aura surrounded the massive dog, and much to the shock and surprise of most there, Cujo shrunk down to a small, adorable looking puppy.
"Good boy," Danny complimented, now needing to kneel down as he gave Cujo a final scratch behind the ear.
"Did anypony else see that?" Apple Bloom asked, eyes wide.
"You mean that massive ghost dog suddenly shrinking down like that?" Scootaloo replied, stupefied.
"You'll get used to it after a while," Danny remarked offhandedly, taking a step back from Cujo and then focused of the changelings around. "Eclipse, you good?" He asked, glancing back at her.
"Not the best way to describe it, but we've come to an… understanding… sort of."
Danny, able to sense some of the underlying feelings implicated through their linked minds couldn't help but snort, giving Eclipse a level stare.
"Uh huh."
"Meaning he won't do anything that would put any innocent bystander in jeopardy," Eclipse clarified.
Danny arched an eyebrow, not entirely believing it after being attacked the way he was. Fenris standing in the back, flexing his claws and putting in an honest effort to glare him to death also made it difficult to believe this claim.
Turning to Sweetie Belle, Danny then gave her a quizzical look. "I take it this is that Fenris guy you spoke of."
Nodding hesitantly, Sweetie Belle continued to nervously stare at Eclipse.
"I see how he got his supposed reputation. Still, if you vouch for him…"
"Forget that!" Scootaloo yelped, pointing a hoof at Eclipse. "Why is Nightmare Moon here, helping you?!"
All eyes swirled to the shadow mare, then back to Danny for an answer, then back to Eclipse again as she cleared her throat.
"That is another long story," she said. "But know that, despite my appearance, I'm not who you think I am," she smiled at the fillies.
"Seriously, it's one long story after the other. It's all this is right now. A long story," Danny sighed out, rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers. "At the end of this, I really would like some answers. Buuut… that'll have to wait as well," he sighed out once more.
Looking at the young changeling who shouted at them, he slowly made his way towards her; lowering himself to eye level, looking into her large, teary yet anger filled eyes.
"Look, I know you have probably no idea what is going on right now. Heck, I know I don't. Still, Sweetie Belle told me what has happened; what is still happening to your kind," he then slowly looked up, seeing the large alicorn slumped down on the throne behind the young filly. Frowning, he continued. "You've done all you've could've; gone through things no child should. I know you have no reason to trust me, especially after what just happened, but I ask you to please allow us to help."
The young shapeshifter faltered, trapped in a downward spiral of anger, grief, hopelessness and despair. Any flicker of hope she'd felt on saving her kind; her friends, her family died the second she'd seen just how far her mother had slipped. Then there was the additional blow when they were forced to gather the leaves of their living history, only to have this strange human to suddenly appear and immediately start a fight; filling the air with anger and hate.
And yet, there was something about this creature. Something she couldn't quite place. He emitted a feeling, a sensation. Only for a fraction of a second, but undeniably there. Something so alien, yet so familiar at the same time. And as she looked up and into his green glowing eyes something clicked.
She didn't know why, and that in itself frightened her. Yet for reasons she didn't understand, somewhere deep down she knew she could trust him.
"I- I…" she stuttered, fell silent, then weakly nodded.
"Alright," Danny said, standing back up and looking around with a purpose, catching sight of the slowly dying fires. "First thing first, we need to get the temperature up. Is there anything we can use to fuel the fires?"
"No, there isn't," Scootaloo replied, slowly moving towards Danny while giving 'not' Nightmare Moon a wide berth. "The changelings used everything they could find before we even got here. We've tried burning those strange glowing leaves, but…"
"Thay only burned fer a few seconds… didn' really do much," Apple Bloom said with disappointment.
"But with the windigos calmed down, at the very least it won't get any colder," Sweetie Belle quietly added. "Still, won't do us much good now."
"Damn," Danny muttered, frowning. "There has to be something."
"Maybe you can use your powers to warm the place up?" Scootaloo suggested, looking at him expectantly.
"Not really," Danny answered immediately. "Sure, ectoplasm burns when you get hit, but it doesn't really work like that. Unless, of course, these ectoplasmic powers are fire based. Which mine aren't."
"Maybe ya can make those windigos take back this cold of theirs?" Apple Bloom suggested.
"I don't thin-" Danny replied, only to fall silent, looking at his hand while he flexed his fingers.
"Take back the cold…" he murmured, thinking.
"Danny?" Sweetie Belle stepped up, looking up at Danny. While, from a slight distance, Eclipse watched her master with slowly widening eyes; sensing what he was planning.
Danny's eyes suddenly changed color, going from toxic green to icy blue.
"Whoa," Scootaloo gasped. "They changed color again."
"What are you going to do?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Danny told her, raising up a arm, hand aglow with icy blue light. "But I'm about to find out."
Channeling his arctic powers, Danny could feel the freezing cold of his core reach out; pushing to be released, to freeze. However, instead of allowing it to flow free, he forced it back down, willing the cold to remain within him.
The pulsing aura around his hand slowly diminished, yet Danny could feel a change. His arm grew colder and colder, becoming numb while the suppressed glow of his aura began to extend beyond his wrist, spreading up his arm as flakes of ice formed over the sleeve of his jumpsuit.
The next moment he heard the fillies and colts around him gasp as vapor of icy cold was pulled from the air, flowing to and into his glowing hand; the buildup of ice increasing, now fully covering his arm and even spreading onto his shoulder as the contained glow now shone brightly from within, revealing a ghastly sight: Danny's skeleton.
More and more cold was pulled out of the air and into Danny, continuously adding to the growing layer of ice, which now covered his neck and half his chest until Danny released his hold with a grunt, his frozen arm dropping to his while he clutched it with his unfroze appendage; the temperature in the room noticeably warmer.
"Ghaa," Danny grunted, staring at his arm with wide eyes, slowly bringing it up.
"What the…" he murmured, discovering that, despite the obvious increase of weight, his arm didn't feel heavy at all. Even more so, as he instinctively flexed his fingers, he realized everything still worked as it should.
"What did you…" Sweetie Belle gasped out, too dumbstruck to finish.
"That," Scootaloo squeaked, "was AWESOME!"
"Wha- what did you do?" The young changeling asked, taking a hesitant step towards Danny. "H-how did you…"
Frowning, Danny flexed his arm before raising it up high; looking through the translucent appendage and seeing his own skeleton.
"Just like Frostbite," he murmured, missing what was said.
"This is almost like what I saw after you were hit by the crystal heart's energy," Eclipse said, stepping towards Danny, eyes locked on his frozen arm.
"The crystal heart?" Danny said, pulled out of his own musings. "Hold on. Yeah, I remember you saying something about my ice powers back there."
"Ice powers?" Apple Bloom spoke up.
"Yeah," Danny muttered his confirmation, again looking at his arm. "I have the power to create, shape, and control ice and snow… This is new, though." Dropping his arm to the side, Danny looked around the chamber, all eyes on him. Most of them wide in awe and amazement, even some fear while Fenris only bore the unmistakable glare of distrust. "It worked, though," Danny picked up after a moment, feeling the room's warmth sting in his frozen arm; wisps of frozen condensation seeping off it.
"It looks just like Frostbite's arm," said Sweetie Belle as she slowly stepped closer.
"Yeah… it does," Danny agreed, flexing his frozen hand, then clenching it shut tight into a fist. "And yet another thing to figure out," he sighed out. "For now, I'll just go with it. Maybe I can use this to get rid of the cold all around while you help the changelings?"
"You can do that?" The changeling filly, up until now too shaken by everything to give voice to her thoughts, spoke up; the faintest glimmer of hope hidden behind despair.
"I sure as hell can try," Danny stated firmly.
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle joined in. "You and me both."
"Don't forget about us," Scootaloo piped up as she and Apple Bloom stepped up beside Sweetie Belle. "With you helping, we can beat this stupid disease's sorry flank.
Nodding, Danny turned to Eclipse. "Any idea how we can actually stop this thing?"
Eclipse shifted nervously on the spot, eyes darting to Fenris and back. "Yes," she answered nervously. "But it won't be easy."
"It never is," Danny remarked with a sigh. "Just do what you can." Hesitantly, Eclipse nodded.
"And what about us?" The changeling filly asked, clearly surprising herself for doing so.
"I'd say you've done more than enough already," Danny replied as he looked around. "Now it's our turn."
"Wha-" The filly faltered.
"Yeah, he's right," Apple Bloom agreed with a strong nod, her ribbon bouncing in response.
"Bu-"
"No buts, Erlea," Sweetie Belle said, revealing the filly’s name to Danny in the process. "We said we would help, and we will."
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed. "And now that the cold is gone, we also won't have to burn any more of those leaves that are so important to you."
"Alright," Danny said, hovering up. "As inspiring as this all is, we really should get going before it is too late." The ponies and changelings looked at one another, their priorities put back in perspective and they all scrambled to get going. They came to a full stop a moment later, looking back up at Danny.
"So, umm… What do we do?" Scootaloo asked.
"You can look after him," Danny said, nodding his head towards Cujo. "Eclipse," he called out to his shade, looking at her. "I don't know what it is you're planning, or how he—" he looked at Fenris "— and you are connected. But whatever it is you're planning, I know it somehow involves him. With how this day has gone for me, I will only say this once: No more surprises. Figure out whatever is going on between you two, because I really don't want to be jumped again when I return."
Silenced, Eclipse could only nod.
"Good," said Danny, then he flew just a bit higher, looking at all below him. "Everyone, let's go save a species."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny hovered in place above the seemingly bottomless abyss below the changeling city amidst several of the stalactites the changelings had hewn their homes out of.
A biting chill froze every surface and every breath he exhaled, and only the smallest of fires remained to ward off the icy grasp of the windigos’ arctic curse.
Inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly Danny looked at the city, and in extent the many changelings lying scattered around the fires.
"Okay," he murmured, looking at his still frozen arm with blue glowing eyes. "Let's see just how deep this rabbit hole goes."
Spreading his arms out to either side, he once again channeled his ice powers, this time with both arms. Again, feeling the overly familiar chill from his frozen core reaching out, Danny repeated what he'd done a moment ago in the throne room.
An icy blue glow surrounded both his hands, before the light faded as he forced the power back within himself. And as he did, the subdued glow slowly began spreading further over his body.
Small at first, tendrils of frozen air began seeping into his hands, quickly growing larger and larger as, with an all consuming chill throughout his entire body, ice once more began to build and cover his form.
His still unfrozen arm soon found itself frozen at the elbow, while the previous buildup of ice continued where it had left off. More and more the spectral glow of his arctic power shone through the frozen parts of his body, the glow slowly increasing as more and more surface of his body became translucent; and with it, more and more of his skeleton became visible as well.
The further his body froze, the faster the cold was pulled out of the air. And before long, a powerful gust blew through the immense cavern as long streams of frozen vapor was pulled towards Danny; his body now a radiant beacon, shining a icy blue, overpowering the light of the plants illuminating the city.
Among the changelings, those who were still capable all looked up at the impossible sight. A blue orb of light amidst their homes, hovering perfectly still in the air as a vortex of cooled air circled around it; the fires they desperately tried to keep burning all flickered violently, then died in the immense gust generated. However, any fear they felt over this unknown spectacle vanished the second they realized the temperature steadily rose; their breaths no longer fogging the air whenever they exhaled, and it was with a slim flicker of hope they thought maybe, just maybe they could finally pull through.
Then the blue orb collapsed into itself, and a body dropped down.
Danny, grunting from strain, dropped down as his powers faltered for a bit. Catching himself after a short plummet, he quickly moved to the nearest walkway; dropping down to the cobblestone surface with a heavy *THUNK*
Taking a deep breath, Danny held it in for a moment before releasing it slowly; a large plume of fog escaping his mouth as he did so, his breath supercooled.
Remembering what had happened with his arm the first time he tried this, it was with expected surprise what he found as he inspected his body.
His arms, legs, torso, everything including his hair had all turned to ice; glowing with arctic energy and showing his full skeleton to the world, while his eyes were now nothing more than two icy blue glowing orbs of energy.
"What the…" Danny said as he looked at his transformed face in a nearby window, his voice an odd rumble, like chunks of ice scraping together. "This is both as horrifying as it is cool," he murmured, not realizing his unintended pun.
Holding his right hand up, he stared through his frozen flesh, seeing the bones shift as he flexed his appendage.
"And where did my suit go?" He wondered. That realization did freeze him on the spot for a moment, and he quickly looked down to make sure his fears weren't realized.
Fortunately, they weren't. However, despite the fact he wouldn't unintentionally flash anyone near him, the realization everything was now smooth as, well, ice down below was cause for some major concern.
"This better not be permanent," he hoped.
Looking around, he'd figured he had done as much as he could out here.
"Now how do I revert back to normal?" He questioned, thinking back to all he knew about his ice abilities.
Looking first at his left hand, then his right, he tightened both into fists as he tried to figure out this new development. Recalling how, at one point years ago, his core had build up such a large amount of arctic energy it froze him up from within. The only way to counter this was to release the build up, much like how he had frozen Ponyville's lake some time ago. Figuring this wouldn't be any different, Danny did come to a somewhat irritating conclusion.
"Damn, there is no way I can safely release this cold out here. Not after having just removed it in the first place." Placing a hand on his head and sighing out, fogging up the air around his face, Danny realized he'd had to return to the surface in order to safely dispose of the excess energy.
"Well, there is no better time than the present," he murmured, looking up towards the ceiling.
Jumping up, Danny fully intended on flying his way up and through the solidity of the rock above. What he didn't expect, however, was him dropping down like a rock, or chunk of ice; slamming into the cobblestone path and slightly cracking his feet; which quickly froze solid after only a moment.
"What the!?" He yelled, trying again with the same result.
"What's going on, why can't I fly?"
His echoing voice provided him with no answer.
Now grounded and stuck in a body of ice, Danny looked around with rising concern. No longer able to traverse in a single line towards where he needed to go, and seemingly forced to walk, he was faced with a serious problem, besides his powers suddenly failing: he had no idea where he was. He literally dropped down the first place he could, which wasn't much of a concern at first. Now though, he was lost, frozen, unable to use one of his most basic powers, unable to release the accumulated energy he'd absorbed, and most importantly, sliding down the spiral path circling around the stalactite.
"Oh, I really should have just gone to bed when I had the chance," he grumbled as he slowly slid away, staring out into the distance with flat annoyance.
<<>><<>><<>>
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Erlea and several of the other changeling colts and fillies were moving from one sick changeling to the other; aiding them in whatever way they could; helping those conscious to drink, applying medicinal paste on the cracked and brittle chitin, and making sure Fenris wouldn't attack Eclipse, both of whom they gave a wide berth whenever they could.
Eclipse, for her part, seemed friendly enough. Helping in whichever way she could. Yet she always tried to approach Fenris, who reacted aggressively every time she tried. This wouldn't stop her, of course. Something the children found out quick enough. A pensive frown clear as day on Eclipse's features, something weighing heavily on her mind. Something she clearly wanted to address, and which obviously involved Fenris.
Fenris, opposite of Eclipse, snarled and barked most of the time, despite Apple Bloom's insistence he didn't really mean it. Something about all bark, and no bite. Still, despite his aggressive behavior, Fenris did proved to be a saving grace. Using his claws, as ominous as they appeared, green glowing and all, he somehow managed to cut out the disease which was killing the changelings. Not all of it, though. Saying it was beyond his powers to cut out all the hate, glaring towards Eclipse as he said so.
Even so, what he did manage to remove proved to be a turning point for those not too far gone, which was also why the foals were as busy as they were. For those others past the turning point, unless some kind of miracle happened they wouldn't make it.
Of course, the same would still hold true for all the sick, whether Fenris cut out the poisonous hate or not. As long as even a little bit remained, in their weakened state they would easily succumb to it again.
"Grandfather," Eclipse tried again, carefully approaching the large wolf.
Fenris growled, loudly, eyes burning with barely contained rage; saliva dripping from his fangs and glowing claws unsheathed.
Eclipse stood her ground, looking back with defiance despite her saddened gaze.
"We both know what needs to be done if we are to save them."
Fenris took a step closer, his intent clear when a loud scream echoed in through the partially open doors of the throne room, pulling everyone's attention to the absolutely terrified filly who came rushing through.
"M-m-monster!" She screamed, rushing to hide behind the first bit of cover she could find.
"Sheesh," a rough, gritty voice rolled in from behind the shadows past the doors. Heavy steps indicating something was approaching. "I know I'm not much to look at. But really, a monster?"
Out of the shadows, a frozen behemoth stepped forth, a creature that shone with icy blue light coming from within. A light that also revealed his skeleton.
Numerous shocked and frightened gasps rose up upon the sight, making the creature grunt in annoyance.
"WHAT THE HAY IS THAT THING!?" Scootaloo shouted, backing away.
"Seriously?" The creature droned, then sighed out, shaking his head with a hand placed against it.
"Master," Eclipse said in recognition, taking a step closer, not surprised by Danny's changed appearance in the slightest.
"Wait, what!?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, shocked, looking at the frozen creature. "Danny?"
Another rounds of gasps echoed through the chamber upon recognition of the frozen human.
"The one and only," he replied.
"What happened to you?" Sweetie Belle queried, shocked, worried.
"I caught a cold," Danny said, completely serious.
Silence.
"Yeah, okay. That one was bad," he admitted. "Still, I managed to take the cold away," he said. "Wasn't really expecting me to become an icicle the way I have." Lifting a hand, he once again looked at his bones.
"That," Scootaloo gasped, slowly stepping closer to Danny; craning her neck to look up at him. "Is so cool," she looked wide eyed at the ice encased skeletal human. "Can you do that?" She asked Sweetie Belle a moment later.
"I hope not," Sweetie Belle answered, shivering upon the sight of Danny's skeleton. "Honestly, it's kinda scary."
"Yeah," Danny murmured. "She thought so, too," he nodded towards the filly still hiding away from him; peeking past the throne at him. "Most of them did, actually," he added almost as an afterthought. "I had to walk here because, for some reason, I can't fly. And because I didn't know where to go, I thought I'd go ask for directions."
"An how did that go?" Apple Bloom asked. Danny merely pointed a finger towards the cowering child. "Ah."
"But enough about me. How're things going here?"
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at one another, then around the room, before settling their sights upon Erlea.
"Well, Erlea seems to be petrified in fear," Sweetie Belle noted, and they all turned to look at the seemingly frozen changeling; staring at Danny with wide, unblinking eyes and mouth partially open.
"Abella and Devora are helping their friends outside, bringing in as many of the sick as they can." Scootaloo picked up. "But now that it is warmer out there, it probably isn't necessary anymore."
"Fenris seems ta be able ta 'cut' out some of this disease," Apple Bloom continued. "Not all of it, but enough to matter in tha short run. Although Eclipse keeps trying to talk to him."
"Eclipse?" Danny aimed at his shade.
Sighing out tiredly, Eclipse hung her head. "I tried to, yes, because as much as he'd done so far, it will not hold. The changelings will get sick again if nothing else is done. He knows it just as well as I do."
"What do you mean?" Danny asked.
"I mean, he can't remove the disease, merely its symptoms. The changelings aren't better, they are merely feeling better. But it won't hold. They will get sick again, unless…"
"Unless, what?"
All eyes shifted to the large alicorn like changeling on the throne, her eyes partially open, voice raspy as she spoke with dried, cracked lips.
"MOM!" Erlea cried out, snapped out of her stupor, running for her mother and hugging her.
The queen coughed violently, messily, chest heaving.
"Are you alright?" Danny asked, stepping in. Erlea hissed at him as he approached, making him stop in his tracks.
"Does it look like she's alright?" She growled. A weak hoof pressing against her side calmed her down, and she looked back up at her mother.
The large changeling's eyes, only partially open, first looked at the frozen creature several steps away from her, then towards the ponies doing what they can to aid her subjects. Then her eyes drifted towards the massive wolf, the one she picked up was responsible for reducing the agony she and her children suffered through. Then her eyes locked with those who resembled the Nightmare, and she repeated her question: "Unless, what?"
"Queen Chrysalis," Eclipse gasped, not having expected for her to regain consciousness so soon. Shaking her head to focus, she answered. "As I stand before you, my name is Eclipse. Child of the entities named Shadow and Nightmare Moon. Grand daughter of Fenris, born from his hatred to the name Fenrir." She paused, feeling all eyes upon her. "Long ago, before I was as I am now, I clouded and corrupted the mind of Fenris, turning him against all. Through his own actions, and by his own claws, he cut me out at the cost of his own life, losing a part of his very soul as well." She then looked at Fenris, who glared at her with murder in his eyes. "This is why he can't cure the disease ravaging all of you. Cutting out the hate which is killing you would equal death."
Chrysalis sighed heavily, coughing as she rested her head against her throne, eyes closed.
"I see," she murmured. "And the solution?"
Eclipse sucked in a stuttering gasp, knowing that even though this could work, Fenris would never allow it.
"Fenris can't remove a disease born from hate, for I am the part of him that knows how to do this. Apart, neither one of us are capable. But if we were to reunite-" That was all she could say as, with a terrifying growl, Fenris attacked.
"Oh, hell," was all Danny muttered as he jumped in between; grabbing one of Fenris' wrists in his frozen hand, missing the other. The one clawed hand he did manage to catch immediately froze, immobilizing it completely. The other, however, went on to pierce Danny in his shoulder; cutting cleanly through the ice,.
Danny cried out in pain as the claw cut through, scarring the bone underneath his frozen skin. Yet at the same time, the freezing temperatures extruded by his body locked the penetrating claw in place, freezing it solid within his body.
Fenris howled in rage, the freezing cold biting deep, and with all the strenght his muscular body provided, he pulled himself free.
Now Danny cried out again, loudly, full of anguish as Fenris did not only pull away his claw, but a sizable chunk of his shoulder broke off as well, exposing the bone underneath.
Danny screamed, grabbing his damaged shoulder with his hand purely on reflex as he stumbled backwards, then dropped to his knees.
"""DANNY!""" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cried out in alarm, rushing over to his side while Eclipse did the same.
"GHYAA," Danny grunted, ever so carefully looking at his injury.
Now with the urgent need to protect him, Eclipse took a defensive stance between her downed master and her former host.
"No matter what, I will protect my master!" She stated strongly, her horn starting to glow with spectral might.
Fenris took another step backwards, looking with a hint of shock at Danny, then his claw; chunks of ice still connected it. Then his eyes met Eclipse's, and he felt himself freeze up.
Here stood before him, the monster of his own creation, opposing him, defending one it recognized as its master. Defending the human against him, just as he did for the shade a second ago. Each protecting the other. Protecting each other from him.
As much as he hated and feared his past sin, looking into its eyes there was something he recognized. Something which frightened him as much as it enraged him: shame.
Shame for him, for lashing out as he did. Shame for herself, for allowing this to happen. Shame for the changelings, reduced to this state by the very same thing that gave life to his corruption. Shame for the human, for stepping in between. And most of all, he saw her shame for existing.
"GHAA!" Danny cried out again as cold steam began to flow from his injury.
"Danny, what's happening?" Sweetie Belle cried in alarm, the wisps of cold vapor quickly increasing to an all consuming fog around his shoulder.
Fenris felt himself go weak. In many ways he allowed his anger to take over again; lashing out against his hate given form, regardless of who or what came in between.
"Arf!" A new voice spoke up, and Fenris slowly turned to the small pup near his feet; looking up at him with angry eyes.
"Bark, arf arf, arooo. Grrr-arf arf!" Cujo growled and barked.
"You know not of which you speak," Fenris barked back.
Cujo narrowed his eyes. "Ghrrr, arf," then he lifted his tail and farted.
"You dare!?"
Cujo did, in fact, dare. And he repeated the action. Not stopping there, he turned his back to fenris, a clear show of fearlessness; an open challenge. "Arf arf, woof ghrr. Arooo," he took a step towards Danny, stomped a paw on the floor, then glared over his shoulder at Fenris. "Woof, arf. Arf woof aw-awroo. Arf!" He finished strongly, leaving Fenris speechless as Cujo glared up at him.
"What just happened?" Scootaloo asked, confused.
"I have honestly no idea," answered Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom opened her mouth to give voice to her thoughts, but then she noticed something amazing happening with Danny. "Eh, girls…"
"You speak with reason belying your age," Fenris suddenly spoke up, lowering his head towards Cujo in respect. "I shall listen to what he has to say."
"Girls," Apple Bloom tried again, "Look!"
This time she managed to get their attention, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, as well as all the others turned back to the severely injured human.
"Ghraaaa," Danny grunted in pained exertion, massive amounts of supercooled vapor rising up out of the wound; filling the space and regrowing the ice.
"Whoa!" Scootaloo awed, eyes wide.
"Is… is he healing?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Ghyaaaa!" Danny gasped out dropping to the ground fully, managing to catch himself with his hands. Realizing the sudden absence of pain, he opened his eyes and glanced at his shoulder. A gasp of shock escaped him.
His shoulder was completely whole again, with only the exception of a visible scar present on the bone.
"What the?" He murmured, pushing himself to a sitting position, then gingerly prodding his shoulder with a couple of fingers. "How…?"
"It must be because of all the cold you've absorbed," Eclipse surmised. "It must allow you to regrow any part of your body that's damaged."
Grunting, Danny pushed himself back up. "As likely as that sounds, I'm in no hurry to find out if that is true." Slowly rolling his shoulder to see if everything was in working order, he stared at the scar inflicted on his bone, frowning angrily.
With heavy steps, Fenris slowly approached under the watchful eye of Cujo. Still glaring at Eclipse, but the fire in his eyes had diminished considerably.
"You, who my sin calls its master. Speak, and I shall listen."
"Just like that, huh," Danny muttered, voice thick with suspicion.
"No," Fenris rumbled. "If it wasn't for the guardian, and how highly he speaks of you, I wouldn't give you the chance to speak."
"Guardian?" Danny blinked, confused as to who Fenris was referring to.
"Arf," Cujo barked.
"... Guard dog," Danny said slowly, looking up with a flat gaze. "Of course," he droned.
Sighing out and filling the air with cold vapor, he turned to Eclipse. "So you originate from him?" He asked, and the shadow mare nodded once. "How?"
"For many years my former host watched with growing anger and hate as those who corrupted their way of living massacred countless innocents, unable to do anything against this by the rules he and his brothers had set for themselves. Over time, his rage grew into something much darker; a creature born from hate itself. Me." She told with downcast eyes.
"You?" Danny asked, not liking this one bit.
Nodding, Eclipse continued. "Yes, but I was not the individual standing before you today. I don't really recall what happened after my… removal from Fenris, only that, somehow, I managed to find a new host on a world alien to me. Princess Luna," she revealed, and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gasped out. "I'm still trying to piece everything together. The memories of Shadow and Nightmare Moon are overlapping, mixing, blurring each other. But what I do recall with perfect clarity is that I, an entity of hate, latched onto the negativity of Princess Luna, amplifying it past anything she would have been capable of herself; corrupting her in much the same way I did my first host, even translating some of his features to her." She sighed out, deeply, head held low.
"However, the negativity of Princess Luna was not born from hate, but jealousy. Two different emotions which, in some ways, are closely connected. And such, the two mixed. And where Princess Luna jealousy turned to hate, I in turn learned to be jealous."
"So ya are Nightmare Moon?" Apple Bloom asked.
"No, not exactly," Eclipse shook her head. "If anything, she's my mother."
"Say what!?" Scootaloo shouted.
"Nightmare Moon has a daughter!?" Apple Bloom cried in alarm.
"No no no, nothing like that!" Eclipse tried to calm down the situation, as three panicking fillies among sick emotion eating changelings would probably only make the current situation that much worse.
"But didn't you just say you were?" Danny pointed out, arms crossed and looking quizzically at Eclipse.
"I did," she admitted. "But only because of a lack of better words. Your shade, Shadow, originally was merely a drone. Mindless, and only able to perform certain tasks."
Danny slightly shifted on the spot, head cocked to a side, thinking. "Yes, that's right. Shadow couldn't even move all that far away from me without disappearing. And he certainly couldn't talk."
"Indeed," Eclipse murmured grimly. "His sudden growth in abilities was the direct result of him absorbing Nightmare Moon. Completely by accident, mind you. He was merely trying to protect your mind from Princess Luna as she tried to gain access to your dreams."
"Yes, I remember Shadow mentioning something like that. He referred to Princess Luna as a bad pony, mostly so because he wasn't able to speak all that well. Still, what he said, not to mention what Ruby and Grill told me back at the café; this whole dream entering and controlling thing sounds a whole lot like Nocturn to me." Said Danny, head tilted slightly to the side as he thought back to everything said and done that day. Realizing all if this had happened on the same day the fillies decided to go into the Everfree and try to tame a manticore.
"Who's Nocturn?" Apple Bloom piped up.
"He's the ghost of sleep and dreams," Danny revealed. "He uses his power to put people to sleep so he can absorb their dream energy to charge himself up for world conquest."
The fillies' mouth dropped open upon Danny's revelation.
"Yeah," Danny sighed out.
"Well, Princess Luna ain't like that at all!" Apple Bloom was quick to defend the princess.
"True, but I wouldn't have put it past my mother had she known about this," Eclipse continued. "Regardless of what ifs, as Luna tried to gain entry to your mind in an attempt to find out what troubled you each night, Shadow thwarted her every time."
"What troubled me each night?" Danny repeated, looking of to the side, thinking.
"That nightmare," Eclipse told him, and Danny sucked in a sharp breath. "You haven't had it in a while now, have you?"
"No," Danny replied, only now realizing this himself. "... Did Princess Luna do that?"
"No," Eclipse shook her head. "Shadow did, at first. Now it is my task to keep your past from resurfacing."
"I see," Danny mumbled, thinking all of this over.
"Hold on," Scootaloo cut in, pointing a hoof at Eclipse. "You said you were Nightmare Moon's daughter. How does that even work?"
Turning to the filly, Eclipse continued her story. "After Danny's shade, Shadow, absorbed the remainders of Nightmare Moon from princess Luna, a change occurred with him. Nightmare Moon was still very weak, and she latched onto him in order to restore herself, enhancing the abilities he already had, while also bestowing numerous new traits onto him as well. Intelligence for one, as well as the ability to speak. Of course, this was not done out of any kindness on her part. Just a necessity to save herself. And as she grew, the two fought long and hard over control over their physical form—" she used a hoof to indicate the whole of her body "—as well as Danny's mind."
"Say, what?!" Danny shouted.
"Do you recall the blinding rage you felt while facing Sombra?" She asked, and Danny, thinking for awhile, shook his head.
"No. Now that I think about it, there is quite a large gap between me first fighting Sombra outside the shield, and then finding myself at the edge of the city, meeting you," he summed up, slowly looking up at the shadow mare. "What the hell happened?"
"Nightmare Moon took control, turning your anger and hate for Sombra, and what he did against you," she revealed, and Fenris flinched, looking at Danny with wide eyes. "You became unstable, volatile, blinded by unchecked rage. Nightmare Moon used this to take control over you and Shadow."
All the fillies and colts standing around the group gasped out in shock, looking wide eyed and frightened at Danny.
"Then how-"
"The Crystal Heart saved you," Eclipse answered before he could even finish. "It's energy cleansed you, while also merging Shadow and Nightmare Moon into one: Me. I'm both Shadow and Nightmare Moon, while neither of them at the same time. The Crystal Heart brought balance between two extremes, creating a new entity in the process. So, for all intent and purposes, I am the child of Shadow and Nightmare Moon."
"Crystal Heart?" Chrysalis coughed. "Does that mean, the Empire-"
Looking at her with worry, Eclipse gave a faint nod. "It has returned." She then turned to Fenris, looking up at him with made up resolve.
"Danny," she aimed at her master, never averting her gaze. "My former host said he'd listen to what you have to say, yet it was I who did all the talking. So far Fenris has allowed me to do so," —she then spoke directly to the wolf before her— "But I fear you will lash out again when I explain my plan to save the changelings." A rough growl answered her.
"Do not think sharing your previous transgressions will make me see you any differently," Fenris barked. "I allowed you to talk merely because the human wished this. And only then, because of the guardian's words." His voice then lowered, becoming much darker of tone. "You are a disease. A plague on the world. Don't think I will have anything to do with what you're planning."
"Not even to save a species?" Eclipse confronted him, then sighed out heavily, slightly shaking her head.
"What is it that you even want to do?" Danny asked with a hint of worry.
"I wish to reunite with my first host," Eclipse answered with heavy voice. Fenris' growled deeply, tensing up and preparing to strike.
"You what!?" Danny balked.
"I wish to reunite with my first host. Together we are able to remove the hate which is killing the changelings without killing them should Fenris do this himself."
Danny quickly stepped up, standing in between Eclipse and Fenris, if only to provide some barrier between the two even though he knew this wouldn't do much.
"I'll ask again. You want to do what!? Reunite? How? By possessing him? You and I both know that won't work; how dangerous it is. Not only that, you are a part of me now. If something would go wrong, who says it won't affect me too?"
"It won't be a possession as you think it to be. I already am part of him, so I should be able to rejoin without any ill effect."
"You were a part of him," Danny stated firmly. "Didn't you just say so yourself, how you grew as you first possessed Princess Luna, then me, before finally being merged together with Shadow. Any part of you that is still his—" he indicated Fenris "—has most likely changed as much as you have."
Head held low, Eclipse stood silently as Danny spoke. Then, ever so slowly, she lifted her head, eyes set in confident determination.
"This will work," she stated. "I'm sure of it."
Fenris snorted in disgust, spitting the foul taste to the floor.
"No," Danny stated firmly. "There has to another way. But you are not going to 'reunite' with your grandfather, or whatever he is to you. Regardless of who or what you are now, you are still a ghost. And ghosts don't possess ghosts. The very reason you are even here in the first place is because I did just that. And we both know where that got me. Besides," he added after a short pause. "Even if you're right, he isn't going to let you go through with it."
Eclipse looked up, past Danny and into the murderous eyes of Fenris. Finding no forgiveness there.
"Look," Danny pulled her attention back down. "I understand you want to help. So do I, but not in a way as dangerous as what you're suggesting. Now, I still don't fully understand what is going on with you, seeing that you are you only since today. And I wasn't even conscious when you came to be, so I'm not entirely sure what to make of you, too. You're not exactly Shadow. How about, instead, we just let Fenris do his thing, which does seem to help. And while he does that, I need to find a way back to the surface and get rid of this cold. Because, in case this wasn't obvious yet, I'm a literal walking and talking icecube."
"But can't you just fly up and through the ceiling, like what you did when we were looking for the throne room?" Sweetie Belle asked, pulling everyone's attention to her.
"I'm afraid not," Danny sighed, blowing out a dense cloud of cold air. "Somehow, because of this—" he gestured the whole of his body "—I can't fly or even turn intangible. I had to walk here. I did try to ask for directions back to the surface, but, well," he pointed a finger at the filly who came into the throne room screaming. "So if anyone could show me the way up, that would be really helpful."
"You can't fly?!" Scootaloo cried out, afgasted.
"No… sliding down without control, however…" He fell silent there, staring blankly.
"O-kay…?" said Apple Bloom, then a thought hit her. "Hey, maybe Wind Chill knows what's goin' on with ya?" She suggested.
"Hey, yeah," agreed Sweetie Belle. "Maybe he also knows a way for Nigh- eh… Eclipse to help without doing what she said she wanted to do."
"Even more reason for me to get back up there, then," Danny mused, turning towards Chrysalis, and in extent her daughter, Erlea, still sitting at the foot of the throne. "Do you think one of you can show me the way around here? This place is like a maze, and with my abilities currently being uncooperative it is rather difficult for me to get around."
Erlea blinked, slowly, looking with slightly crazy eyes at the frozen human, then the shadow mare who resembled the corruption and claimed to be Nightmare Moon's daughter. Then her eyes moved to Fenris, a massive wolf with questionable motives to help, and who, by Eclipse's claims, was also her grandfather; the one who was responsible for the corruption's creation. And finally, her eyes shifted over to the fillies who so stubbornly tried to help her ever since they rescued her from the timberwolves. All of what had happened since she'd met those three, especially everything that had just happened the last twenty or so minutes had thrown her mind for a loop. Nothing made any sense anymore. Not Sweetie Belle, who claimed to be a spirit and the ridiculous claim for there to be a ghost world, nor the subsequent traversion to said ghostly realm and everything that followed after as a result. And now, standing before her, asking for directions as if this was just another regular day was a human, an alien from another world, who she was told was just like Sweetie Belle, but not a spirit but a ghost. A creature who demonstrated to be capable to suck the freezing cold forced upon them by the mythical windigos out of the air, only for him to freeze solid as a result. And he was asking her for directions.
Nothing made any sense anymore.
Up was down. Left was right. Inside was outside. And all of this contributed to her well thought out response to his question.
"Whu…?"
Looking at her expectantly, several long seconds passed in awkward silence until Sweetie Belle slowly edged closer to her; pushing the tip of her hooves in her side to gain a response.
"I think we broke her," she said after a moment, receiving no reply from the young changeling.
"Arf!" Cujo called for attention, ears perked up as he looked up at Danny.
"What is it, boy?" Danny asked the pup, who then moved for the partially open doors. Stopping after several steps, he looked back at the frozen man, barking again.
"Ah think he wants ta show ya tha way," Apple Bloom realized, recognizing similar signs from Winona.
"You sure?" Danny asked. In answer, Cujo barked again. "Okay, lead the wa- hey, hold up!" He called after the pup as he quickly ran away.
Not wasting any more time, Danny hurried after the canine, leaving the others behind in a tense silence; all eyes back on Eclipse and Fenris.
".... Sooo… Now what?" Scootaloo asked after a moment.
Sweetie Belle perked up, mouth opening to answer. She then froze mid-motion, and deflated with a heavy sigh. "I have no idea."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Hey, hold up!" Danny called out after the energetic pup for the umptieth time. Not being able to fly or phase through any of the impeding walls meant he was much slower than even he liked. But to add insult to injury, he soon discovered that, frozen as he was now, whenever he tried to slow down and take a turn, he would continue sliding. Which resulted, more often than not, that he painfully collided with the adjacent wall, door, or some ornate piece of art not scavenged by the changelings to fuel their fires. Mostly due to the poor combustion properties of said objects.
Of course, Cujo, who didn't have any issues with his powers, ran through wall after wall; only to show up after enough time had passed between him phasing through the wall and Danny not following. Fortunately, after the sixth time, Cujo caught up with Danny's predicament, and stuck with the more mortal, two dimensional way to traverse from one point to another. Although with Danny sliding from one place to the next with little control, he still found himself waiting for his friend on many occasions.
"Arf?" He called out again after a moment, sitting on the floor, scratching himself behind an ear while watching Danny grab onto the wall, pulling himself into the hallway he'd overshot a second ago, grumbling to himself.
"You know," Danny almost growled. "This is really starting to irritate me."
"Arf," Cujo replied, then continued on his path.
Danny, with little choice but to follow and hope he wouldn't end up in a supplies closet again, picked up speed again; already feeling his feet slide around.
"Bark," Cujo called out, and Danny, with a now well practiced repetition, overshot the next turn and crashed into the wall; cracking his icy body, only for it to freeze whole much like his shoulder had done.
"I really should have gone to bed when I had the chance," he grumbled, face pressed against the unyielding wall.
Pulling himself free and away from the wall, he turned to look at Cujo; relief flooding his senses as he saw the gaping hole in the wall where the castle's gate used to be.
"Finally," he called out in relief, walking the short distance, only to be reminded he was only halfway there as he looked out to the city outside.
Staring outside with a flat stare, Danny groaned loudly.
"I really hate ice."
<<>><<>><<>>
Panting and gasping, Danny finally emerged out of the tunnel and back on the surface again. Stopping just shy of the exit, he rested a hand against the wall, leaning heavily on it.
"So... many... slopes," he wheezed.
Cujo, not tired in the least, barked and yelped happily as he ran outside, playing in the snow.
"What in the world! Where did you come from?" Wind Chill said loudly, startled by Cujo.
"That is a question I've asked myself as well," Danny groaned, stepping out of the tunnel fully, causing Wind Chill to gasp out upon the sight of the Great One.
"Great One, you… you're…"
"Yeah, I caught a bit of a cold," Danny said, only half joking.
Wind Chill looked at the frozen hero of his kin, eyes wide.
"No, great one. You… you possess the power of Frostbite."
"Frostbite? You mean your village leader?"
"No… but yes," Wind Chill answered vaguely. "Frostbite has earned his name through hard work and dedication in mastering the power of Frostbite. It is a skill not many possess, and which is extremely difficult to control. And among those who can, only a few can use it to its full potential. And you…" He gasped, eyes widening even further as he stepped closer. "You are fully encased by Frostbite's grasp. This… this… surely this has to be a sign."
Danny, listening to Wind Chill with rapidly widening eyes, once again looked at his hands, and his skeleton through it. "You mean this is Frostbite?"
"Indeed," Wind Chill nodded slowly.
Danny, still looking at his frozen appendages, slowly closed his hands into fists, then dropped them to his side. "There is still so much I don't know," he muttered, more to himself. Shaking his head, he looked up at Wind Chill. "As much as a revelation this is, it will have to wait for another time. I just need to know one thing. This Frostbite, does it interfere with my other powers? Because I can't fly or turn intangible anymore."
Wind Chill sucked in a breath, "I'm afraid my knowledge of the power of Frostbite is severely limited. I, myself, do not possess the power. Frostbite, my village leader that is, would know a great deal more about it, so does the Elder. However, I do believe that the reason you can't fly is related to the power of Frostbite."
"Not the best answer," Danny sighed out, "but it'll have to do. I don't have the time for any prolonged guessing games either. I need to get back down there. But first, I need to get rid of this frozen body."
"You know how to control this power fully?" Wind Chill awed.
"Nope," Danny replied. "I'm just making this up as I go."
Reaching deep within himself, interacting with his frozen core in much the same way he was taught by Frostbite all those years ago, Danny channeled his arctic powers, but this time allowed them to flow free.
His hands began to glow brighter and brighter still, while the glow coming from the rest of his frozen body rapidly diminished. Feeling the building power of ice condense in his hands, he reached up, and fired two beams of icy blue into the sky; illuminating the night and windigoes still circling around without aim.
Steam began to burst from his body as his core temperature rapidly increased; water beginning to drip, then flow from his form, creating a puddle at his feet. The icy shell which had been his body grew softer and softer, and the first color of black and white began to show as his ghostly attire began to rematerialize, while the glowing orbs that were his eyes returned to their normal, green glowing selves.
All the while, Wind Chill looked with rapt attention to the incredible feat performed by the Great One.
It took several minutes for Danny to release all the contained energy he'd absorbed, glowing like a radiant beacon the entire time he did. But, eventually, the glow subsided, and all that remained was the half ghost Wind Chill remembered.
Standing still, head tilted back, eyes closed, Danny took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly after holding it for a bit. Opening his eyes, he brought his hands up to bare, slowly turning them around as he inspected them from various angles; seeing only the familiar white of his gloves.
"Great One," Wind Chill said, elated.
"Well," Danny said, dropping his hands, "that worked."
"It sure did," Wind Chill agreed, amazed.
"If only I had the time to actually admire this," Danny sighed out, then jumped up and found he could fly again. "Nice, no more walking for me," he added with a cheer. He then looked at Wind Chill with a satisfied grin, then up at the windigos. "Have they been any trouble?"
"Not at all. They are quite docile creatures when calm. It's when they run wild, and only then that they are a dangerous adversary. Especially because they travel in such large groups. But ever since you calmed them down, it has been easy going."
"Wish I could say the same," Danny complained. Shaking his head, he looked back at the tunnel entrance. "Well, I've gotta go. There is still a lot that needs to be done down there."
"Anything I can help with?" Wind Chill asked expectantly.
"No," Danny told him, looking back up again. "It's probably better if you stayed here and make sure they don't cause any more trouble. Besides, I've scared those changelings enough as is. It's probably better to keep any more surprises at bay until we figure out a way to cure them fully."
"Fully? Do you mean that the ancient one, Fenris is unable to help?"
"From what I gathered, he can only do so much without causing actual harm," Danny answered, turning to the giant behind him, frowning, deep in thought. "Say, what can you tell me about this Fenris?"
"Only what I have heard myself."
"Good enough for me," Danny said with a firm nod.
"Very well," Wind Chill said, then told the tale he was told so very long ago.
Something was different. Something he couldn't quite place.
He'd recognized the scent of his own sin, there had been no mistake. The human who appeared amidst them quite unexpectedly, reeked of it.
Then his ancient sin revealed itself, but something was… different.
True, the most obvious of differences were in its form; equine, female. But there was something else. Something distinctly… different.
But what?
Lies and deceit were the words it spoke. False promises the cloak it used to veil its true agenda. It tricked, it lied, it didn't care about anyone or anything but itself.
He knew this. A lesson learned in blood.
But something was different.
He knew how his sin worked. A small nudge here, a carefully chosen word there. Pushing its victim towards the tipping point; an abyss of darkness he was only partially able to escape from. It would lie. It would confuse. It would do anything in its power to blind you from what it truly wants.
Could this be it? It had to be. Because something was… different.
No, he wouldn't allow his ancient sin to cloud his mind once more. Everything it had said ever since it chose to reveal itself to protect its new host were lies and deceit.
The guardian spoke highly of his sin's new victim, the human accepting of this darkness… No, lies and deceit meant to cloud the mind.
He knew now what was different. Now, he saw his mistake through his brothers' eyes.
His paws tightened into fists, eyeing his mistake from the corner of his eyes.
'I shall free his mind from your diabolical clutches, even if it kills him. But my failure to kill you shall be undone before this night is over,' Fenris vowed, waiting patiently for the opportune moment to strike.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And so it is that Fenrir, the Dark One, came to be. An ancient evil, older than most I know," Wind Chill concluded.
Danny stood silent for a bit, going through everything he had been told.
"If all of that is true, then I understand why you think about the guy the way you do," Danny said finally. "But you also said this story was passed down from one ghost to the next, so just how much of all of this is real, and how much is exaggeration?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer this," Wind Chill replied, frowning. "In fact, what you said only makes me doubt what I thought I knew."
"It never crossed your mind that parts of this story might be false?"
"No," Wind Chill admitted with noticeable reluctance. "This story, I never saw reason to doubt it. And everything said, it makes Fenrir out to be nothing but pure evil. But what if this is wrong? Have I treated him with distrust based on biased misconception through my own failure to question the credibility of such words told to me?"
"That, I can't answer," Danny told him, turning to the tunnel leading to the underground city. "But I do know there is another side to this story I don't yet know. And somehow, I think this might hold the answers we're looking for."
"What is it you're going to do, Great One?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Danny answered, frowning. "But whatever it is, I hope it gives some credibility to the name all of you have given me."
"What do you m-"
"I'm not great, Wind Chill. And I doubt I ever was. Lucky, yes. Great, not so much."
Wind Chill sucked in a breath through teeth, scandalized.
"Surely you're joking?" He tried to counter. "After everything you've done."
"All I ever did was rely on others to come through," Danny said, voice subdued. "And somehow, I doubt now will be any different." He sighed out, glancing at the giant behind him. "That's the whole thing with me, I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. I just make it up as I go, and either it works, or my… friends… are there to save me." He fell silent there for a moment, then shook his head to focus. "Look, I have already wasted enough time as is. Right now, I'm needed down there, though I don't have a clue what I can do any further," he sighed out again. "Sounding inspirational is one thing," he added in a murmur, "but how are we going to save these changelings?"
Still, despite his doubts, Danny flew up and into the tunnel, leaving behind a distraught Wind Chill, while Cujo, seeing Danny had left, quickly followed after his friend with a yelp.
"But that is exactly why you are great, Great One," Wind Chill said, even though Danny couldn't hear him any more. "Not because of elaborate plans, or incredible might. No, it is your careless self sacrifice, and your ability to rally others behind you."
Looking at the tunnel in which Danny had disappeared, Wind Chill felt incredible sadness for the guilt ridden ghost.
"But it seems you're no longer able to see this yourself; too blinded by guilt, loss and sadness."
One of the windigos neighed loudly, its voice echoing over the land as Wind Chill slowly made his way back to the herd with a troubled frown.
"May the ancestors guide you back to the path, Danny Phantom. Our worlds need you. More than they, and you, realize."
<<>><<>><<>>
Back in the city, Danny slowly flew around as he took notice of the diminished number of fires. Taking a closer look, he soon realized the many sick changelings he saw earlier were already doing better, if only due to the increase in temperature. Still, they were ways off from actually improving. But at the very least, their shivering had slowed down to the point it wasn't visible from a distance away.
"Some small comfort," he murmured, moving for the castle. "But it will hardly be enough. Let's just hope Eclipse and Fenris haven't made things worse while I was gone."
With that sobering thought, he flew through the gate Sweetie Belle said she'd blown up; taking just a moment to really look at the destruction.
"Just how much energy did she use?" He wondered, placing a hand on the smooth, molten edges. "This would take a lot of energy."
Slowly pulling his hand back, Danny resumes his path back to the throne room, briefly wondering how his double was doing.
<<>><<>><<>>
Back in Ponyville, Danny once again found himself amidst a group of ponies in search of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
Having exhausted all other possible and likely spots where those three could hide, (and, of course, keeping his knowledge about their true whereabouts hidden lest he gave himself away) Danny and the group of ponies now moved to the last remaining place they had all avoided previously: The Everfree Forest.
Although they had all initially agreed that the fillies wouldn't have gone there at night… again. But therein lies the problem. They had done so before, trying to get their Cutie Marks by attempting to tame a manticore, and were almost eaten as a result.
And so, unable to find those three in and around town, they now ventured into the one place none of them wanted to step into, especially at night.
Of course they knew better than step in blindly, and worse, step off the path. So, with at least one clear target for them to reach, they slowly made their way to Zecora's; the few lanterns and magical lit horns illuminating the way, with Big Mac at the front to, hopefully scare away any potentially dangerous animal with his bulk. And if that didn't work, both Twilight and Rarity kept defensive spells at the ready.
"I don't know," Danny said wearily, looking around, trying to come up with something, anything to keep everyone from entering the forest, knowing it to be of no use. "I seriously doubt they're here."
"Then where else could they be?!" Bellflower snapped.
Danny, taken aback by the sudden harsh tone used against him, nor having any convincing lie to tell and persuade them from reconsidering their current course of action, could only mumble a few incoherent words, before shrugging and sighing in defeat.
"I understand how you think, Danny," Twilight told him, looking back at the human. "But Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle have done something like this not too long ago."
"Yeah, I remember," Danny sighed out. "Still, could they really have gone in here, again? Especially after what had happened last time?"
"We can't rule it out," Twilight told him. "As unlikely as it may be."
"But honestly," Bellflower spoke up. "What are those three thinking? Even if they aren't here, surely they should know better by now?"
"I'm sure when we find them, they will have a good reason for us," Twilight said, trying to sound hopeful.
"They better," Applejack grumbled.
"Even more so now that they forced all of you to go into the Everfree again," Bellflower added with anger. "I'm just glad you were there last time. If none of you noticed Scootaloo missing then, I would only have found out after returning from Canterlot."
"Don't mention it," Applejack replied, giving her a somewhat forced smile. The situation not allowing for anything more.
"And yet, here we are again," Danny intoned, slowly shaking his head. "I swear, if there's another manticore…" He said, just going with the belief the fillies were back in the forest.
For a moment, nothing more was said.
"I just don't get her," Bellflower suddenly spoke up. "Why is she always rebelling like this?"
"Well, she is getting to that age," Twilight replied, but a glare cut her off.
"This is not just a phase she's going through. Ever since a couple of years ago, when she began asking about her parents, something just… misaligned, I guess."
"Whadda ya mean?" Applejack asked, slowing down a bit and allowing Bellflower to match her speed.
Sighing out heavily, Bellflower looked down at the ground. "Scootaloo was only still a foal when her parents died, and I didn't hesitate for a moment to take her in when I learned. I'd hoped, as horrible as it may be, that she would be able to grow up without missing them too much. She was still very young, after all."
"Makes sense," Applejack said thoughtfully, and even Big Mac nodded tensely. "It's tha same with Apple Bloom."
"Yes," Bellflower nodded. "But it would seem she still remembers them… if only a bit."
"She does?" Rarity asked, surprised.
Nodding, Bellflower continued. "Nothing much, though. Or, at least. That's what I think. She doesn't talk much about it, least of all with me. Still, I did manage to pick up a thing or two." She fell silent there, releasing a sad sigh as she shook her head.
"That must've been difficult, finding out," Danny said with soft spoken voice.
"Not as much as trying to talk about it with her, and having her yell at me because of it," Bellflower murmured. "... And sorry for snapping at you earlier. I know you're just trying to help."
"Don't worry about it. I understand," said Danny.
"We're here," Twilight told them as they approached the hut Danny remembered from the last time he was there. Of course, he couldn't tell them that either.
Slowly moving for the door, Twilight knocked several times. "Zecora, are you there. I know it is late, but-" That was all she could say, as, with an ominous creak, the door slowly swung open, revealing to them the absolute devastation that lay within. And, sitting in the center of this catastrophe, was Zecora; looking absolutely defeated and worse for wear.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Zecora!" They all shouted, rushing inside.
"What happened in here?" Twilight asked the striped mare, voice heavy with concern.
Looking up at them, exhaustion evident, Zecora sighed out tiredly.
"A creature unusual, the likes I've never seen before. It caught me by surprise, as it phased right through the door."
"What?!" Twilight reared back, eyes wide.
"Phased through the door?" Rarity gasped. "Surely you don't mean…"
"It came out of nowhere, tongue lolling around. Yet its form was deceptive, for this pup was an undead hound."
Danny tensed up, and he slowly looked around the hut; only now noticing a eerily familiarity in the destruction around. 'Cujo,' he groaned mentally.
Locking eyes with Zecora, a almost imperceptive nod passed between the two. Despite what had happened, his secret would be safe.
"A dog did this?" Bellflower asked, surprised.
"Look around, at this destructive scene. It was caused by a denizen of the world unseen."
Several new gasps filled the room, all looking around nervously, while Danny could only stand in the back, eyes closed and forcing himself to take a deep, calming breath.
"So there is a ghost out here after all!" Rarity shrieked.
This caught Zecora's attention, and only now did she question why her friends had come to her, in the middle of the night no less.
"But why are you here, if I might ask? Traveling here, at night, is no easy task."
Snapped back to their senses, the ponies all looked at one another, shuffling uneasily on the spot while glancing around nervously.
"Zecora; Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are missing," Twilight informed her friend.
Zecora, obviously shocked, finally found the strength to push herself back to her hooves. "They are, what? Did those three stray from the beaten path?"
"There have been all kinds of strange things going on around town," Rarity told her. "And Danny—" They all looked at the human "—said a ghost could be responsible."
"Not exactly how I said it," Danny muttered, looking imploringly at Zecora.
"And now you said a ghost destroyed your home," Bellflower added, almost hyperventilating.
"Zecora, we need your help!" said Twilight with urgency.
Slowly looking around at the devastation in her home, and understanding the unspoken question Danny tried to convey through the split second of eye contact between the two, Zecora slowly turned to Twilight.
"I understand there is good reason for fright, but those fillies, I have not seen them this night. But this forest is large, stretching far and wide, if you wish to search for them, you will all need a guide. But, I must say, I cannot promise success. Wouldn't it more wise for you to inform the Princess?"
"We have already done just that," Twilight answered. "And I'm sure they will send some help to us. But we can't wast-" She was suddenly interrupted by a loud knock coming from the open door behind them.
"Yes, speaking of such," a large earth pony said with gruff voice; he and three others making themselves known; two of which carrying flashlights with them. "That's where we come in."
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash shouted, alarmed. Then she shot for the stallion in the blink of an eye. "And who the hay are you supposed to be?!"
Looking down at the smaller, prismatic mare with calculative eyes, the stallion stood a bit straighter as he gave his reply.
"Miss Dash, my name is Rolling Stone, and this are Blue Ice, Sound Wave and Ornate Charm. We are her Highness' specialized spectral investigative and containment team, and we are here to help."
Twilight gasped, eyes wide. "You're the Ghost-Keteers?" She breathed, and Rolling Stone gave her a mildly surprised glare. Meanwhile, Danny first flinched in shock, then struggled not to groan in annoyance. That name was just the worst, and he knew exactly who came up with it. "I've heard about you and your team from the princess… but I never thought I'd meet any of you," said Twilight.
"That's because we aren't supposed to be publicly known. The only reason we're even here, breaking our standing order to secrecy is because of the immediate danger these fillies could be in."
Bellflower, absolutely stunned by this revelation, looked at the stallion in bewilderment. A look which didn't go unnoticed.
"That also included you, miss Flower," Rolling Stone explained.
"B-but you have been here for days… weeks, almost."
"Weeks?" Rainbow Dash repeated, puzzled. "There hasn't been any ghost around here for that long."
"That you know of," Rolling Stone countered, and he, as well as the three other members of his team, all turned to Danny.
Tensing up, Danny swallowed nervously. "Why are you all looking at me?"
Grunting, Rolling Stone debated with himself whether or not he should reveal even this piece of information. But, as he reasoned, they had already exposed themselves, and this particular fact wouldn't be able to keep hidden for all that much longer.
"Had the situation been any different, none of you would have known about our mission here—" Twilight stuttered a bit, trying to correct the stallion. "—with the exception of Miss Twilight, who the Princess has informed herself not too long ago." —All eyes now turned to the purple mare— "But we're here because of you," Rolling stone revealed, looking stoically at Danny.
"Me?" Danny said nervously, a new cold sweat beginning to break out.
Standing just a bit straighter, the stallion glared at Danny with an unreadable face.
"Yes. Ever since you came to Equestria, strange things have happened. Starting with your shadow, mere moments after you entered the scanner."
Danny's eyes widened, and he took an involuntary step back, only to end up with his back against the wall.
"Shadow?" Rainbow Dash said, confused, looking first at Rolling Stone, then Danny; mirrored by the rest, though a gleam of rising awareness shone in Zecora's eyes.
Once again, Danny was put on the spot, and a cold trickle of sweat leaked down his neck; absolute fear grabbing hold on him as they all pushed closer and closer to the truth. A truth he knew would spell disaster for him.
Twilight released a gasp, shocked. "This is about that ghost that damaged the scanner, isn't it?"
Now all eyes were aimed at her; eyes wide with shock, fear, and even a hint of betrayal from Danny. Just how much did she know?
"Okay!" Rainbow spoke up, loudly. "What the hay is this all about?"
For a moment, Twilight bit her lower lip, in thought.
"After Baltimare, the princesses, and the other world leaders all worked together to make sure no ghost could find their way onto our world again. With the humans' help, the tear facilities were built; and numerous security installations were put in place to ensure no ghost is able to even come close to a tear. However, it would seem these security systems failed. Except for the scanner, the last line of defense to weed out any ghost."
"Which is where you come in," Rolling Stone aimed at Danny. "It was your shadow which was possessed."
For a moment, it was deathly quiet. Not even the forest itself generated any sound, and tension rapidly grew to impossible to contain heights.
"WHAT!!??" Almost everyone shouted. Only Danny, Zecora, Twilight, and the Ghost-keteers remained silent.
All those who shouted looked at Danny as if he was a ghost himself, taking an involuntary step back, while Fluttershy put in an honest effort to hide in the overturned cauldron on the floor.
Yet as their shout still rung in his ears, an odd sense of calm settle down over Danny. It was his shadow they were focused on, which meant he wasn't actually in their sight. So, maybe, if he played his cards right, he could get away with this. Or, at the very least, draw away any suspicion on him.
Still, he had to be careful. These ponies were actually trained hunters, and he knew any slip-up on his part would be used against him. So, with this in mind, and plenty of nervousness from the whole situation to at least make his reaction seem plausible, Danny stuttered his reply.
"S-so what if? The guards there destroyed it."
"If that's true, then why don't you have a shadow?" Blue Ice asked matter of factly, shining her flashlight at Danny's feet.
"I, ehhm…" Danny faltered, at a complete loss for words as he, and everyone else looked at the ground, noticing a complete lack of a shadow at his feet.
Fluttershy screamed, loudly.
Slowly lifting his head, Danny stared at the ghost hunting ponies with the unmistakable look of a deer in headlights, only able to voice the most basic of thoughts amidst the storm of panic he experienced: "Shit."
"Ornate?" Rolling Stone said gruffly.
Stepping forwards, Ornate Charm held out an all too familiar device for Danny; a ghost scanner.
"He's clean," Ornate reported after a short, but tense moment. "Well, clean as far as he can be, considering."
"You sure?" Blue Ice seeked confirmation, still illuminating the immediate area around Danny.
"Positive," Ornate Charm confirmed. "I'm not detecting any spectral energy on him," he then fell quiet, looking at his scanner with a growing frown.
"Wait, nothing?" Sound Wave voiced her surprise, suspicious.
"His shadow is missing, and has been confirmed to be possessed before. There is no way he's clean."
"Are you positive the scanner is working?" Rolling Stone asked Blue Ice.
"Absolutely. The last calibrations should've eliminated all interference."
"Any chance you decreased its sensitivity to the point it can't detect anything anymore?" Sound Wave asked.
"Of course not. I'm not some kind of amateur."
"Then why doesn't the scanner pick up any signature?" Ornate Charm wondered, looking back at Danny through the corner of his eye.
Danny, at the center of attention, tried to swallow the lump now firmly lodged in his throat; trying to find a way out if his predicament when, with a startling beep, the scanner called out an alarm.
"Contact!" Ornate Charm called out, aiming the device away from Danny, and towards the open door; an almost imperceptible form flashing by in the darkness, and only the faintest glint of green eyes visible before it vanished.
"What the-" Danny gasped, unable to believe what he had just seen, and glad that, somehow, his ghost sense hadn't responded. That would have been difficult to explain. Though, now he did wonder. Was what flashed by truly a ghost?
'It doesn't matter,' he thought, glad that, whatever that was had pulled everyone's attention away from him.
Though, the shouting from Fluttershy also proved to be a viable distraction. So did the shrieking from Rarity, for that matter.
"After it!" Rolling Stone ordered. "Everypony else, stay in here!"
"As if," Rainbow Dash snapped as the four ponies rushed out of Zecora's hut. "There's no way I'm staying in here, doing nothing."
"But what can we do against a ghost?" Rarity asked, almost to the point of hyperventilating.
"Easy, the same thing we do to all bad guys. Kick their flanks, and looking awesome doing it." Rainbow Dash replied confidently. "Ghost or not, if they have a butt, I can kick it."
"Unless they go intangible," Twilight calmly interjected, despite the situation. "I know this is bad. Really, really bad. But this' something we can't compare with the likes of Nightmare Moon, or Discord."
"Yer right," Applejack agreed, frowning deeply. "This' more along tha lines like Sombra. An', honestly, we only barely managed ta make it through that. And only because of that Heart thingy."
"And Danny. Don't forget about Danny!" Pinkie Pie reminded them.
"Yeaaah. Speaking of which," Rainbow Dash said, slowly turning to the lone human; soon followed by her friends. "Let's not forget about him."
"Eehhh," Danny stuttered, beginning to feel uncomfortably familiar in the metaphorical spotlight he, once again, found himself in.
All ponies looked at him in fright, with Fluttershy peeking at him from underneath Zecora's cauldron, which she now hid in much like a tortoise would in its shell.
Though, despite their apparent fear, there was also worry and concern, and it was Applejack who eventually stepped up and asked the question on all their minds.
"Are ya alright, Danny?"
"I-... I'll let you know when I figure that out myself," Danny answered with slightly lowered voice, frowning deeply as he looked at his feet, and his, in the darkness impossible to see, missing shadow.
'How am I going to fix this?'
"Danny?" Twilight hesitantly stepped forwards. "Do you feel anything? Different, I mean."
"Honestly," Danny spoke with hesitance and reluctance. "Right now, all I feel is the need to go to bed and start an early hibernation to wait for all of this to blow over." He then sighed out explosively, "Though, knowing my luck, it'd be morning before I can even attempt going to bed."
"... Yer taking this surprisingly well," Applejack remarked, looking at him quizzically.
"Well, worse things have happened to me than just my shadow missing," Danny answered honestly. "In fact, it seems like it only happened earlier today when we came up against this powerful, shadow type ghost who abducted an entire empire, citizens and all, over a thousand years ago."
"Pfff, silly. That was today," Pinkie Pie chirped.
"Ah, so that's why," Danny half joked.
"Ehh… what's a shadow type ghost?" Bellflower asked, reluctantly, while Zecora arched a single eyebrow, glancing at Danny.
Looking at one another, the ponies tried to figure out how to quickly explain the situation.
"It's a ghost made of shadows," Danny answered quickly, not feeling like any extended explanation. Which was also why he held up a hand to silence Bellflower before she could ask any further. "It's a long story, and I don't think we have the time."
"Hold on," Twilight gasped, eyes slowly widening as a realization came to mind. "Sombra was a shadow type ghost, and now your shadow is missing… What if the two are connected?"
"Like, how?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Sombra stole his shadow?"
"Well, Danny was separated from us for quite some time," Rarity spoke up.
"True. But Ah'm sure that if somethang happened ta him, Danny would've told us," Applejack voiced her thoughts.
"Ehmm, girls," Fluttershy timidly tried to speak up.
"But what if he can't remember?" Twilight realized. "The crystal ponies all were under mind control; their thoughts twisted and corrupted."
"Girls," Fluttershy tried again.
"Crystal ponies?" Bellflower repeated, completely lost. Momentarily locking eyes with Big Mac, who shrugged in answer, also unaware what the others were talking about.
"Now, hold on there, pardner. Ya don't think that Danny is under some kind o' mind control now, do ya?" Applejack asked with rising concern.
"Oh, no no no," Twilight shook her head. "At least, I don't think so. I mean, Sombra was defeated; the power of the Crystal Heart stopped him, and cleansed all within the empire. Including Danny."
"Yeah, but didn't he also not become crystala-whatchama call it?" Rainbow Dash reminded her.
"Girls!" Fluttershy boldly attempted to gain her friends attention once again.
"True," Twilight had to admit, biting her lower lip. "But I'm sure that's because he doesn't have any magic for the Heart to interact with."
"Then how do you know for sure he's really himself?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"He was able to hold Sombra's horn without ill effect," Rarity gasped.
"Girls!" Fluttershy attempted once more.
"I'm sure that means nothing," Twilight quickly shot back, somewhat frantic.
"Then what about that strange feeling Pinkie said she'd felt?" Rainbow Dash asked, pushing the subject.
"Pinkie also said she couldn't feel it anymore," Twilight reminded her. Pinkie Pie hummed in agreement, nodding.
"But she did feel something. And we all know when Pinkie feels something, you take it seriously." Rainbow Dash argued back.
"True, but she also said it wasn't her Pinkie Sense telling her so," Applejack added. Pinkie Pie, once again, hummed while nodding.
"Girls!" Fluttershy spoke up again.
"GHAA!"
The unexpected shout caught them by surprise, and the subsequent flash of white coming from outside startled them even further. The following, almost eery silence weighing down on them like a mountain.
"Th- that was Danny," Twilight gasped, wasting no more time and rushed outside, closely followed by the others; finding a shocked Zecora a few steps away from her hut.
<<>><<>><<>>
Twenty minutes earlier.
"Just how much energy did she use?" Danny wondered as he placed a hand on the smooth, molten edges of the destroyed gate. "This would take a lot of energy."
Slowly pulling his hand back, Danny resumes his path back to the throne room, briefly wondering how his double was doing.
He didn't have long to dwell on these thoughts, as, when he returned to the throne room, a new problem revealed itself to him.
No sooner had he entered, and Fenris pounced on him; pinning him against the far wall with a single, muscular arm before anyone could register what had happened. When they did, however, all hell broke loose.
"GET OFF OF ME!" Danny roared, pushing into Fenris' chest with green glowing hands, burning his flesh.
"MASTER!" Eclipse shouted, rushing to Danny's aid.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and numerous changelings, including Erlea gasped in shock; soon replaced by anger from Erlea and several of the older changelings as the air once again filled with anger and hateful emotions.
With Danny firmly pinned against the wall, Fenris lifted his free paw; claws unsheathed, his intent clear.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Danny roared, his struggle intensifying.
"What I should have done from the start," Fenris rumbled. "I cannot allow my sin to exist any longer."
"RELEASE HIM!" Eclipse shouted, slamming her full weight into the wolf, only for her form to partially fall apart due to her shadow forged nature. As a result, the impact did little more than stagger Fenris. Not enough for him to lose his grip.
"I give you this one chance," Fenris rumbled, crossing eyes with Eclipse. "Leave this host willingly, and your destruction will be quick."
"And if I refuse?" Eclipse hissed.
Fenris slowly pushed his glowing claw into Danny's chest, the tips of his sharp nails piercing the skin. Danny groaned in pain.
"Then I'll cut you out, like I've done to myself," Fenris rumbled darkly.
"THAT WILL KILL HIM!" Eclipse screamed in outrage, readying herself to strike.
Groaning in part strain, part pain, Danny grabbed hold onto the wrist of Fenris claw partially piercing his chest.
"You ghnn- know," Danny grunted, his eyes starting to glow an icy blue. "I wanted to give you a chance, thinking that maybe what I was told wasn't, nghh- true. But now, there's not a doubt in my mind you're dangerous." Then his grip tightened, and voice darkened. "And there is now way in Hell I'll let you stay near the children."
With a burst of freeing might, Danny froze Fenris' wrist through and through. Then, twisting his arms, he broke free, while also breaking off the intruding claw.
Fenris, caught unaware, could only stare in shock at the human. A ghost easily caught, tainted by his ancient sin, defying him even when his claw pierced his skin. Then shock was replaced by pain. Terrible, nauseating pain. And Fenris dropped to his knees, howling in anguish, holding the frozen stump with his remaining hand.
Falling to the floor, Danny panted while clutching his chest; glaring with burning eyes at the dark wolf as the glowing puncture wounds slowly closed.
"Danny!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, she, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran towards him.
"STAY BACK!" Danny yelled, never breaking his sight on Fenris.
The three fillies all came to a screeching stop, eyes wide, unsure what to do as they stared at the angry human, the panting, growling wolf, and the shadow mare ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"So," Danny grunted, slowly standing up, hands aglow. "You want to do this here, or do we take this outside? Either way, I'm more than ready to tango."
Slowly rising himself, Fenris flexed his remaining hand, glaring momentarily to the injury inflicted on him. Then his cold eyes locked with Danny's.
"You willingly chose to defend this corruption," he spat. "Your soul has already been lost, now all I can do is set it free."
Grabbing his frozen stump in his paw, he crushed the ice; ectoplasm flowed out of the severed limb, pooling on the ground.
Danny glanced down at the growing puddle, the creases of his frown deepening marginally.
He knew such an injury wasn't permanent. In fact, compared with his full body splatter when Freakshow had a roller coaster car collide with him, this was but a scratch. And seeing the wavering aura around the claw, Danny was far from surprised to see it slowly move back to Fenris; connecting back to the arm with a wet squelch and a crack as Fenris flexed the newly knitted wrist bone.
Though Danny wasn't surprised, the children witnessing this unnatural event all gasped out in shock.
"Still haven't gotten an answer," Danny reminded Fenris, his posture becoming more aggressive.
Fenris snarled, unsheathing his claw from the newly mended appendage. Then a weight dropped near Danny, and it was with great shock for the human to see Chrysalis lying on the floor, half-way from the throne; her eyes partially closed, glassy, yet staring at them with a fire burning deep within over their aggression.
Struggling to push herself back up, Chrysalis never averted her gaze from Danny.
"Stop this…. Now," she demanded, attempting to sound authoritative, but her weak, raspy voice made it sound pitiful instead.
Only managing to push herself partially up, Chrysalis' strength left her fully, and she fell to the ground again. Only Danny, acting in reflex, was able to catch her before she'd slammed into the floor once again. Yet with his back now turned to Fenris, and wide open, it was with a startled gasp when he noticed the large shadow fall over him.
Several shouts of warning echoed through the large chamber, and an numbing chill run the course of Danny's spine as, in seemingly slow motion, he turned around to see Fenris' claw bore down onto him.
"NO!" Eclipse shouted, and, turning into a column of shadowy smoke, rapidly flew in between Danny and her former host.
Fenris punched his claw, slicing cleanly through Eclipse, and into Danny's open back; his claw sticking out through his chest, and a splatter of green glowing ectoplasm stained Chrysalis' face.
Danny, eyes wide, could only sputter in disbelief; the shock of reality not yet registering fully. Then he coughed, ectoplasm seeping out of the corner of his mouth. And for a split second, he felt the searing pain of Fenris' claw penetrating through his body, before everything went numb and quiet. The last he heard, were the cries of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. And, strangely, Fenris as well.
<<>><<>><<>>
Darkness consumed him.
A billowing vortex of shadow and black.
There was no sound, no light, no sense of place, presence, nor time. Yet somehow, Danny found himself there, standing in the center of this vortex of nothingness.
"Wha- what happened? Where am I?" He said, wildly looking around, unable to identify anything which could tell him about where he was. "Is anyone there? Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom? Scootaloo?"
A growl caught his attention, and turning around, the massive form of Fenris stepped out of the vortex of shadows.
"You!" Danny yelled, jumping back and readying himself to fight. To his shock, however, he was unable to summon any energy. Furthermore, he soon realized he stood before Fenris as his mortal self, unable to transform.
"What is going on? WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
Fenris didn't answer. Instead, he glared down at Danny, then slowly shifted his gaze around the darkness consuming them; teeth baring, and growling continuously.
"So, now it has claimed us both," he growled.
Snorting with disdain, Fenris finally acknowledged Danny, growling harshly.
"So, not only did you willingly accept my past sin. But you allowed yourself to be used as bait, and lure me back into this endless pit of despair and hatred."
"How many times do I need to tell you!?" Danny yelled back defiantly. "I DIDN'T ACCEPT ANYTHING! AND YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT US HERE… somehow."
Fenris growled, flexing his claws.
Loud thunder shook them, followed by a fierce, orange flash.
"What the-" Danny spun around, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"YOUR TRICKERY SHALL NOT WORK ON ME AGAIN!" Fenris barked at the darkness, claws showing. He then turned to Danny, burning hatred strong in his eyes.
"I'd already slain you once. I can do so again. And this time both you and this abomination will be destroyed."
<<>><<>><<>>
With a yell, Danny dodged out of yet another attack; Fenris' claw swiping precariously close to his face.
Rolling to the side, Danny quickly scampered back up and rapidly raised his arm, attempting to fire a bolt of ectoplasm, or even a beam. In all honesty, right now, he would even settle for a mere spark. But as this rapidly worsening situation had already clearly demonstrated, Danny was completely powerless. No ectoplasm, no intangibility or invisibility. No ability to even transform. Despite his situation, and how much he wished otherwise, right now, he was nothing more than the unremarkable human he'd spent so long pretending to be. And now, being exactly as he tried to convince everyone he was, he wished his ghost self was still available to him.
With another yell, Danny only barely managed to evade another swipe of Fenris' lethal claw. Much like he had done for the last… well, he couldn't really tell anymore. Though it almost seemed to be forever.
Time didn't seem to have any meaning in this place, wherever, or whatever it was. And much to Danny's shock, when he allowed himself a fraction of a moment to think about it, he and Fenris had been going through the same routine for hundreds of different times.
Fenris would attack, and he would dodge, narrowly avoiding getting hit. Still, each of Fenris' attacks were close, too close. Yet at the same time, Danny always seemed to be out of reach. Not by much, a hair's breadth. But even so, he realized Fenris was as powerless as he was.
Fenris was stronger, faster, taller, more muscular, had claws and fangs, and was better equipped for pretty much any kind of engagement than Danny. And still, this giant beast of ferocity still couldn't hit Danny. The small, insignificant, powerless individual who always hid away in the shadows.
In a way, Danny realized, they were the same. Despite any advantage either one of them once had, in here, wherever here was, they were equally powerless.
"STOP THIS!" Danny yelled, desperately. "DON'T YOU SEE THIS IS POINTLESS!?"
"I SHALL NOT LISTEN TO ANY OF YOUR LIES" Fenris roared, spittle flying from his mouth as he attacked yet again. And, just like all the countless other times, Danny narrowly evaded.
"CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!?" He yelled back, desperately trying to get through to the wolf.
"I CAN SEE CLEARLY WHAT IS HAPPENING," Fenris spat back. "AND I SHALL NOT BE BLINDED BY ANY OF THESE LIES EVER AGAIN!"
"WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE RIGHT NOW!" Danny roared back after he rolled out of another of Fenris' swips. "YOU'RE BLINDED BY YOUR OWN INABILITY TO SEE WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON! WE'RE BOTH TRAPPED IN HERE! BOTH POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING TO ONE ANOTHER! MY POWERS DON'T WORK, AND YOU CAN'T SEEM TO HIT ME, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE TRIED!"
"SILENCE!" Fenris roared, pouncing on Danny, only to miss as Danny managed to jump out of the way; barely.
"CAN YOU JUST STOP FOR FIVE SECONDS AND SEE WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON!?" Danny immediately shot back. Fenris responded by lunging at him once again.
'THERE HAS TO BE A WAY TO GET THROUGH TO HIM; TO STOP THIS MADNESS!?' Danny screamed mentally.
"I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!" Danny tried, standing still with his arms spread wide. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO ATTACK ME!" Fenris, however, did attack. And Danny jumped out of the way in the nick of time.
"PLEASE, STOP THIS! NOW!"
Fenris barked, harshly, fangs bared, saliva dripping down, claws unsheathed, and hair on end, attacking without thought or care.
Danny jumped away again, desperately trying to find a way to stop this madness; to make the wolf see reason. Yet as their struggle continued, and Danny's calls to sanity went unanswered and his throat turned raw from trying, he himself slowly became blind to the world around him.
With each slash of Fenris' claw, he would dodge. With each cut for his throat, he would dodge. With each attempt at his life, he would dodge. This was all their world was now, what their very being was reduced to. Attack, dodge, miss, repeat. Attack, dodge, miss, repeat.
In the end, Danny had grown numb, lost in the despair of the situation, and the hate Fenris lunged at him with each attempt.
Yet in the darkness, a small ember flickered to life. Faint, weak, small, but trying.
Attack, dodge, miss, repeat.
Danny's eyes, glassed over from the hopelessness of his situation, slowly focused; regaining their light as a trickle of warmth entered his chest.
Attack, dodge, miss, repeat. eat.
There was something there, he felt it. Someone called to him. He just didn't understand who, or what. Yet this calling, which he felt instead of heard, sounded angry, lost, desperate. Why?
Attack, dodge, miss, repeat.
The realization came as sudden as it was shocking. They weren't the only ones here. There were others, desperately trying to reach him, calling for him. But who? All he knew where this place of nothingness, and the wolf he shared this hopeless place with. The wolf he knew he couldn't fight, yet dimly remembered trying to do so once, long ago. But why?
Attack, dodge, miss, repeat.
His eyes fully focused, widening as his memories came back screaming. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, the changelings, Wind Chill, Cujo, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and everyone at the Crystal Empire. He remembered their faces; those he fought so hard to help and save. And those who he still needed to save. He was here to find the missing fillies, and instead found something much more severe. Something he couldn't just ignore, or forget.
For the entirety of the day, he had fought monsters of the worst kind, never letting up, and unwilling to accept defeat. Yet now, when he was as powerless as he had pretended to be for all those years, he suddenly couldn't even stand tall against an equally powerless wolf while so many lives were at stake, a rising sense of anger took hold over him. Anger towards himself. But then, just as sudden as it came, his anger dissipated.
Yes, he had been fighting all kinds of monsters, and not just today. But now, as he looked at the hulking beast pouncing down on him, all he could see was himself.
Despite their differences, despite everything that set them apart, they were the same. Two individuals, lost in the darkness of their own creation. And yet, here they were. Two fundamentally different beings, yet the same; joined together by their choice to help a sick and dying species; brought together by children brave enough to face the dangerous and unknown.
And as he looked up at Fenris, Danny didn't feel anger. Instead, he felt pity for the wolf so lost in his own hatred that all he could see were the shadows staining his soul.
The feeling of warmth intensified, and Danny gasped out as he clutched at his chest; only just managing to avoid another of Fenris' attacks.
He knew why he was here. To help the changelings. But now, he realized, they weren't the only ones who needed helping.
And as he thought about all those he helped today, the faces of his friends stuck out above all else, and what connected them with him.
Applejack, who invited him over for lunch; treating him with the warmth and kindness as if he was part of the family.
Rarity, who made him several new sets of clothes, gifting them to him without a second though.
Fluttershy, scared and shy when they first met, yet quickly opening up to him and giving him fish to eat without prejudgement over his carnivorous needs.
Rainbow Dash, pushy and irritating at first, soon revealed herself to be a pony who cared greatly about others; hiding away her own insecurities behind a wall of cocky confidence. Apologizing to him for prying in his personal life, allowing a momentary glimpse into her true persona.
Pinkie Pie, the pony who orchestrated a party to welcome him to Ponyville, going out of her way to make him feel as welcome as awkward for being put on the spot. Yet her never diminishing smile making it impossible for him not to join.
Then there were Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The three fillies who continuously ran him over, making him drop his cupcakes on the ground; harboring a secret he knew all too well himself. Going out of their way to help others, even if that meant severe repercussions when they returned home. In many ways, they reminded him of Tucker, Sam and himself.
This realization brought the faces of his oldest friends to the forefront of his mind.
Tucker, the techno wizard. Able to do things Danny couldn't even begin to understand. Connected with the digital realm that, sometimes, it was hard to tell where Tucker ended and the computer began. Yet he always managed to disconnect enough for his friends to keep up; if only to steal their fries when they weren't looking.
And then there was Sam. The girl he didn't even know he loved until it was already too late. His greatest regret. Her confident smirk, no nonsense attitude, and her ability to think before acting often kept him and Tucker grounded; though she would just as often use this against them, sporting that very confident, even cocky smirk he loved about her.
And yet, as Sam's image provided him with a sense of calm, another face materialized before him. A face with bright smile, and eyes wide with wonder when he told her about his own world. Twilight Sparkle.
He didn't know why he thought of her last. Just that he did. Something compelling her image to show up after everyone else; remaining sharp in his mind, not pushed away by the faces of others.
Her smile, her eagerness to learn about him and his world. Her drive to show him around and to help him when he needed it. There was something about her he just couldn't quite place. Yet the more he focused on her, her smile, her wonder filled eyes, the warmth he felt in his chest rushed out; encompassing his entire form.
THUMB THUMB
Danny froze where he stood, looking up at the wolf with a determined glare void of anger or hate.
"You are blind, but so was I. We've been doing the same thing over and over again without effect. But if you are not willing to see, to recognize what's going on, then I will."
Fenris didn't acknowledge the human; instead he narrowed his eyes and lunged at Danny once more. But this time things were different.
Instead of avoiding the attack, Danny welcomed it. Standing with arms wide, and eyes open.
Fenris struck, his claw sinking into Danny's chest; moving deeper and deeper, yet never exiting from the back.
Then, down to his elbow, Danny wrapped his arms around Fenris' midsection; pulling him close.
"Hatred never solved anything. I see that now," he said, closing his eyes, feeling Fenris sink deeper and deeper into his being. "Now it is your turn to see."
And Fenris, unable to pull himself free, gasped out as he felt something he couldn't describe.
Then, the vortex of darkness surrounding them collapsed, swallowing both of them with it.
<<>><<>><<>>
'Ugh,' Danny groaned in thought, unable to speak, or even move; his body aching all over, and his eyes felt so heavy he couldn't even open them.
'What happened?' He wondered, trying to get a feel for his surroundings.
"Danny?" He heard the familiar voice of Sweetie Belle.
'Did I get out of there?' He questioned, then tried to stand up. 'Ghnn… Why does my body feel so heavy?' Still, he pushed on, slowly forcing himself to stand to full height.
"No, it can't be," he heard Wind Chill gasp out, confusing him.
'What happened?'
"Where's Danny?" Scootaloo's diminished voice reached him; sounding strangely loud, even though he knew she was whispering.
'What is she talking about? I'm right here,' he asked himself, forcing his body to turn towards where he heard the voices.
"I- I- I fear he was lost to the darkness of Fenris," Wind Chill choked out.
'Okay, that does it! I need to know what's going on!' And with this determined thought, Danny struggled to open his eyes and see what it was everyone was obviously staring at. Yet it was a difficult task, he soon realized, as his eyelids seemed to have weights hanging on to them. Yet he persevered, and slowly the flickering lights of the fires in the throne room reached his retina, and the first blurry images revealed themselves to him. Soon clearing out, and presenting him with the shocked faces of everyone standing around him. And Danny himself, too, was shocked. Somehow, everyone seemed just that much smaller.
"Ghnn…" Danny groaned. "What happ-..." he asked, only to fall silent when he heard his voice; deep, rumbling, clearly not how it should be.
In reflex, he lifted a hand to his throat, but stopped mid motion as the alien appendage moved into view.
Muscular, black fur, and a paw with lethal claws extended.
Danny stood silent for well over a full second, unmoving, unblinking.
Danny's voice echoed through the chamber as he stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at the alien appendages. His hands, covered in black fur, with fingers extending out in lethal claws, shaked persistently in response to his erratic state of mind.
"Wha- what happened to me?"
Those surrounding him provided no answer as they, too, looked at him with wide eyes.
"What's going on with Fenris?" Asked Scootaloo, never averting her eyes from Danny as she said so.
"Fenris?" Danny rumbled, seeing no one else with him. Then horrific understanding began to bite its way into his conscious thoughts and with trembling hands he began to feel his body.
"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. What is going on? What happened to me?!"
It was then he reached his face and the realization that he now had a muzzle, as well as numerous sharp teeth made him rear back in absolute shock, and horror.
"W-what am I?" He gasped out.
"Danny?" Sweetie Belle said with hesitancy, taking a few small steps towards him.
"Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom nervously called out after her friend. "What are ya doing?"
"I- I think that's Danny."
"WHAT!?" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Wind Chill bellowed.
"Just look. His eyes," Sweetie Belle pointed out.
They did and a worrying sense of familiarity made itself known to them.
"Danny?" Apple Bloom asked hesitantly, taking a few shy steps towards the large wolf.
Still looking at his shaking claws, Danny slowly looked up at the approaching filly.
"... Is that really you?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I… I… I don't know," he answered.
"But… is it you?" Stressed Sweetie Belle.
"I… think so," Danny answered after a short pause, finally lowering his clawed hands. "I mean…. I know who I am…. But my body…."
"Great One, is this really you?" Wind Chill asked, concerned.
"... For better, or worse… much, much worse… Yeah, it's me," Danny confirmed grimly.
"But… how could this be?" Wind Chill gasped.
"Heck if I know," Danny rumbled. "Last I remember is catching the queen, then I'm standing here… like this."
"He, WHAT!?" Danny yelled, the impact of his voice forcing those near him to take a step back.
"Y- yeah," Scootaloo confirmed with the faintest of squeaks, trying not to show just how startled she was.
"Eclipse did try ta stop him," Apple Bloom informed him. "Didn't really work, though. Fenris punched right through her."
"WHAT!?" Danny yelled once more. "ECLIPSE!" Danny summoned his shade, only for nothing to happen. "Eclipse," he tried again, looking down at his feet. "What the…" he gasped upon seeing the complete absence of his shadow in the flickering light of the fires.
"Why doesn't he have a shadow anymore?" Devora asked nervously.
Danny slowly looked back up, eyes wide in panic. Then, before anyone could even attempt to understand the current situation, yet another unexpected surprise revealed itself to them.
A white wisp of energy flew into the room, shooting for Danny. Yet before it made contact, it stopped, hovering before the transformed human, shifting erratically from left to right until it made what somehow looked like a shrug, then flew into Danny's chest.
"Nghh," Danny moaned as he dropped to a knee, images suddenly filling his mind.
"""DANNY!""" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cried out in alarm.
"Im alright," Danny said, pushing himself back up. "It was just my duplicate returning… Guess whatever happened to me also affected, well, me."
"Duplicate?" Sweetie Belle repeated.
"Yeah… I can copy myself numerous times."
"Does this mean you finally mastered this ability of yours?" Wind Chill asked with a hint of admiration.
"Not even close," Danny replied flatly, looking off to the side as he sifted through the influx of new memories his other half had accumulated, while Scootaloo looked at him in awe, Apple Bloom as if he'd grown a second head, while Sweetie Belle looked almost shocked.
"... Can I do that too?" She asked with uncertainty.
"I have no i-" Danny began, only to fall silent as the last of his double's memories came to focus. "... OH, COME ON!" He suddenly bellowed, scaring the fillies and colts; some of the changelings fluttering their wings nervously.
"Is something wrong, Great One?" Wind Chill asked, alarmed.
"Wrong doesn't even begin to describe the mess all of us are in right now," Danny fretted, bringing up a hand to pull through his hair, only to stop mid motion when he saw the clearly not human appendage.
"What's going on?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I just saw the memories of my double," Danny revealed, then dragged a hand over his face, not even caring what it was anymore. "Great. Just great. Just fan-fucking-tastic," he cursed, the full weight of everything that had happened during this far too long day being finally too much.
"Great One, language," Wind Chill sucked in a breath, scandalized. "There are children here."
"Don't even get me started," Danny groaned. "Not only are we here because of them—" he looked down at the three fillies, "—but back in Ponyville everyone has locked themselves inside because someone saw a ghost-"
"Hey, yeah. That's right. Bulk Biceps came screaming into town," Scootaloo cut in, only to be silenced by a flat yet harsh glare from Danny.
"Wonderful," he groaned. "Not only that, but your sisters, your brother and your caretaker are out in the Everfree Forest looking for you with their friends," he aimed at the three young ponies with wild hand gestures. "And to make matters even more 'perfect', there is a group of ghost hunters out there as well who have revealed themselves, because you three are missing, claiming it may have something to do with the recent spectral activity they've encountered, and they put me in a very difficult position as a result; only for the sudden appearance of possibly another ghost to steer them away from me! Oh yeah! And then there is also this—" he motioned to indicate his transformed self "— GHAA! Can this day get any worse?!"
"You should be careful with saying that," an unknown voice answered, sounding both young and amused, and Danny stood straighter in reflex; unbeknownst to him, his ears perked up as well.
"Who said that?" He asked, looking around, but seeing no one.
"Who said what?" Scootaloo asked.
"I did," the unknown voice answered.
"There it is again," Danny said, ears swiveling around, trying to find the source.
"I don't hear anypony speaking," said Sweetie Belle.
"Well, there's that green dog standin' in tha doorway," Apple Bloom pointed out. "He's been barking every now and then."
"Yep, that's me," Cujo said happily, tongue lolling out his mouth as Danny turned to look at him; eyes wide in disbelief.
"You can talk!?" Danny yelled.
"Yep," Cujo answered.
"Talk?" Apple Bloom said, confused, glancing at her friends for answers, but receiving only shrugs from them.
"All I hear is barking," Scootaloo said.
"Barking to you, but talking for us dogs," Cujo answered happily, receiving only blank looks from the ponies, while Danny felt himself freeze up over yet another unexpected, and at this point, unwanted development.
"You mean I can understand you because I'm… this?" Danny asked.
"Of course," Cujo chirped. "The other guy could. So why shouldn't you be able to do so as well?"
"Ehh… What's going on?" Asked Scootaloo after Danny stood silent for nearly a minute.
"I'm on it," Cujo said, which Scootaloo obviously didn't understand.
Stepping closer to Danny, who seemed to be completely lost in a downwards spiral of panicking and negative thoughts, Cujo set his sights on Danny's ankle. Opening his mouth as wide as he could, his teeth shimmered for a moment, then grew much bigger. Then he chomped down, hard.
".... GYIAAAAAAAAAA!" Danny screamed as he jumped away in reflex; hopping on one leg while holding the bitten, slobber covered foot with both hands.
"CUJO! WHAT THE HELL!?"
"What? You could use a good bit in the butt, but that was too high for me, so I settled for this."
"I'll repeat myself," Danny growled, slowly putting his foot back down. "What. The. Hell?"
"Look, pal. I didn't spend the last six, or so years looking for you just to see you freak out over something like this," Cujo said simply.
"You… looked for me?" Danny said, voice soft.
"Sure thing," Cujo quipped. "Most of your pack does."
"My… pack?"
Cujo energetically nodded his head, ears flapping around.
"Yeah. Your brother who always looks at those glowing rectangles, and really smells like meat. Your sister, who seems to cause more trouble than she fixes when trying to help. Your big brother, who is a dog just like us. Looks a lot like you, actually. And of course your twin sister," Cujo told him, looking of to the side in thought; absentmindedly scratching himself behind an ear. "There is this other…. well, I'm not sure if she's a sister. But she helps your brothers and sisters fight ghosts. She has this really neat flying thingy, though. And a lot of painful toys which she uses to fight ghosts."
Danny slowly blinked, face void of any emotion and eyes set on infinity.
"You mean…" he said slowly. "You mean Tucker, Jazz, Wulf, Dani and Valerie are out there looking for me?"
"Those're their names!" Cujo barked happily, nodding all the while.
"Who are they?" Apple Bloom asked, reminding Danny about the fillies behind him.
"Maybe Tucker is the Tucker Foley from the Fenton corporation," Sweetie Belle said, then fell silent as they all shared the same realization. """Oooohh,""" they joined voices.
"But who are the others?" Asked Scootaloo.
"Jazz," Danny gasped out, eyes stinging, unwilling to meet their faces. "Jazz's my older sister. Tucker is my oldest and best friend. Wulf is a ghost; a wolf much like how I now am. Valerie is… was someone once close to me… It didn't work out. And Dani… Dani. She's my…." Danny closed his eyes, releasing a deep sigh "In a way, she's my twin sister."
"In a way?" Said Sweetie Belle.
"It… is a long story. Not something I feel like telling right now," Danny sighed out, blinking a few times to clear his slightly blurred vision, then turned around to look at the children. "Besides, we've got more pressing matters to deal with," he reminded them. "First and foremost, what happened to me, and how do I turn back to myself?"
"WHAT!?" Erlea yelled, stomping towards Danny. "I don't care about what happened to you, or how to fix you! Because right now my kind is still dying and the only one who was able to do anything has now somehow disappeared when you took over his body, taking away what little hope we had!"
"Well, shouldn't we try to undo what happened to Danny, because of that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Maybe he can use his claws like Fenris did?" Scootaloo suggested.
"Whadda ya think, Wind Chill?" Apple Bloom asked the giant.
"I think this is a matter out of our abilities to simply solve. I can't even begin to understand what happened to the Great One, or how to undo it," Wind Chill replied grimly. "Though, as he is now, it may be possible for him to see the Elder. Her knowledge of Danny's, euhh, unique situation may prove to be much greater than mine."
"But if we leave, who will help Erlea?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at one another, conveying their thoughts through eye contact alone.
"Well, Ah can stay here an' help them changelings with tha fires an' tha sick," Apple Bloom suggested.
"Are the windigos calmed down now?" Scootaloo asked Wind Chill.
"They are. But if they are allowed to roam free here without someone watching them, there is no telling what could happen," he answered.
"Then I will do that," Scootaloo said, determined. "Then you, Sweetie Belle and Danny can go see the Elder, and undo whatever happened to him."
"That could work," Wind Chill said, pleasantly surprised with this possible solution. "You would need to take care not to agitate the windigos. If one of them reacts badly, the others will most certainly follow."
"Don't worry," Scootaloo reassured. "They're like us ponies, right? Just taller, colder… and deader?"
"Well, ehh. Not exactly, but close enough I suppose," Wind Chill replied.
"Then if we hurry, we can go see the Elder, fix Danny and Fenris, and come back here to help the changelings," Sweetie Belle summed up.
"And again you're running off to do who knows what," Erlea snapped, breathing heavily through teeth. "Abella, go with them. Make sure they come back here," she ordered, adding a final notion to her command through their linked minds.
Nodding, Abella turned to Sweetie Belle.
"We've been lenient with you out of necessity. But our patience has an end. Find a way to fix him, now!" Abella hissed.
"Then we should hurry," Wind Chill urged them on. "The portal is quite a distance away."
"Eehh… Portal?" Danny asked, confused. "Clearly I'm missing some critical information here."
"Some time ago," Wind Chill quickly answered, "a portal of unusual properties opened in the Far Frozen. Something which could not have happened in the first place, yet it did all the same. And as it would turn out, this portal leads directly to the children's world; having forged a passage into an ancient chamber of sorts."
"Yeah, it's in the old castle of the Princesses," Scootaloo clarified.
"In tha Everfree Forest," Apple Bloom added.
"... Okay," Danny said blankly. "... Just to get this right. There is a portal, in an old castle, in the Everfree Forest. Said portal leads to the Far Frozen, and now we need to go to this portal to find the Elder?" He asked and all three fillies, and Wind Chill gave him a confirming nod. "... And going from the memories of my double, said forest is also where your sisters, caretaker and friends are looking for you. Said forest where also a group of ghost hunters are, who are already chasing after a possible ghost, while also suspicious of me… and my double clearly vanishing as he did not aiding the situation at all… Anyone else seeing this trainwreck coming, or what?"
"That… could pose a problem, yes," Wind Chill replied grimly.
"Problem doesn't even begin to describe it," Danny groaned. "At least, I hope Zecora can steer some of this impending disaster away from us."
"Zecora?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"She knows about me," Danny revealed, quickly holding up a clawed hand to silence any further inquiries. "Long story. Now's not the time," he told them, then sighed out "Well… Nothing serious has gone wrong the last, I don't know, two minutes… So, to the Everfree we go, I guess."
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all showed the same worried look, and even Wind Chill grimaced over the dire situation they found themselves in. Yet despite it all, there was one voice of reason which finally spurred them into motion. And it was an agitated voice at that.
"WELL, ARE YOU COMING OR WHAT!?" Abella shouted, standing impatiently before the open doors of the throne room.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Honestly," Abella grumbled. "All you ponies do is make things more difficult than they should." She and the ragtag group of misfit creatures quickly moved through the maze of hallways. "That, and blowing stuff up," she added as they reached the destroyed gate.
"Ehh- hehe," Sweetie Belle chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that."
Abella groaned. "And why is that… thing following us, too?" She demanded to know, glaring at the green, glowing puppy.
"To help, of course," Cujo barked happily, not understood by any of them save Danny.
"Let's just get out of here," Abella grunted as she ignored the barking.
"Soo… Wind Chill," Scootaloo said after a moment, breaking the painful silence as they crossed the long bridge towards the adjacent stalactite. "Just how do I need to take care of the Windigos?"
"I thought you said you got this?" Abella muttered.
"I do," Scootaloo quickly defended herself. "I just wanted to see if there is anything I should know, though. Sooo…" She looked up at Wind Chill.
"That question is not easily answered," Wind Chill told her. "Even we frost giants have trouble with them. Especially with a herd as large as the one out there. If it wasn't for Danny, I doubt Sweetie Belle and I would have gotten out of our predicament without harm. But as long as they remain calm, they are easy to control."
"How?"
"By remaining calm yourself. They react strongly to the mental state of others. It's both their strength and weakness, as they lack the cognitive abilities to properly steer themselves."
"Yes. Don't try to hold them back. If they want to move, let them. Just try to steer them away from anywhere they could cause harm."
"And how do I do that?"
"Try to find their leader."
"Can't you point her out to me?"
"I'm afraid not," Wind Chill answered with a shake of the head. "They calmed down through the actions of the Great One, and I used this to our advantage. I was, however, not able to find this herd's leader. But it is often a stallion. Stronger and taller than the rest. Yet as I searched, I could not find one seemingly greater than the others."
"And what if it isn't a stallion?" Danny suggested. "I mean, their leaders are all mares," he nodded towards Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Abella. "Maybe theirs' as well?"
"Perhaps," Wind Chill grunted. "But this is not for us to find out. Scootaloo, regardless of the leader being male, or female, I'm sure you will find out while we bring Danny to the Elder."
Scootaloo nodded confidently and finally the group crossed the bridge, and stepped onto the walkway encircling the stalactite.
"But regardless of the how, or what, we all need to hurry," Wind Chill added as final notion, all of them looking at the many changelings lying on the street.
<<>><<>><<>>
Without further delay, (except for Wind Chill getting stuck in the narrow tunnels on several occasions, and Danny finding out his intangibility no longer worked during the first time this happened when he tried to free the giant.) The group quickly exited the underground passage and stepped out into the still frigid air; the snow crunching underneath their hooves and feet.
With only a few more words of encouragement, Scootaloo stayed behind to look after the windigoes, while the rest ran back the distance to the forest. But still, they were slowed down greatly. Both Wind Chill and Danny made good time, their large size allowing them to move with great speed with every step they took, but they had to hold back quite a lot because both Abella and Sweetie Belle couldn't keep up.
Abella, gone without a proper meal ever since the disease struck, had little energy to work with. And Sweetie Belle, having used up most of her energy during her fight with the windigos faced a similar problem.
Of course, this problem was easily remedied. Picking up the two with his large hands, (with quite the loud protest from Abella) Wind Chill carried them while moving with great strides. Of course, this now also meant Danny fell behind; Wind Chill's size still greater than his own, despite the incredible growth spurt he'd undergone when he changed the way he did.
"Please try to keep up, Great One. Time is of the essence," Wind Chill urged him on.
"I'm trying," Danny panted, pushing himself to the point he almost tripped over his own feet.
"Why don't you run on all four legs?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
"Wha…?" Danny gasped.
"Well, Fenris did... and he was really fast doing so. And you've got his body now, right?"
Danny grunted as he stumbled once again.
"Seeing how I'm almost falling down using only two legs, I don't think that will be of much help. Besides, the last time I tried to walk with four legs, the best I could do was stumble away like if I was drunk."
"Maybe this time is different?" Sweetie Belle told him.
"It may be possible that whatever happened to you did not merely change your form," Wind Chill spoke up and Abella groaned in response over yet another deviation of their intended plan.
"What do you mean?" Asked Danny.
"I mean. You've somehow acquired Fenris' body, you might also have gained his abilities."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle nodded. "After all, you did find out your intangibility no longer works, neither can you fly right now."
"I couldn't do any of that either when I was a chunk of ice," Danny reminded them. "But that was something I could easily undo…" He sighed out in part frustration, part tiredness. "Well, with everything else that has gone this day, might as well give it a try… Soo… how do I do this?"
"My best guess?" Wind Chill said. "Try not to think about it. Allow Fenris' form to move on its own. After all, it is still possible his mind resides somewhere within you. Maybe you, as you are now, are able to work together?"
"That… does not really make me feel any better about my situation," Danny groaned bitterly. "Gha… fine," he sighed out and narrowed his eyes in concentration while continuing to run alongside Wind Chill; the latter having slowed down enough for Danny to keep up.
For a while, Danny struggled to maintain his speed; so focused on trying, he made several missteps, almost causing him to fall.
"Don't force yourself," Wind Chill told him.
"Easier said than done," Danny grumbled. Yet unwilling to give up already, he tried again. Except, this time he allowed his mind to go blank, no longer forcing himself and just focusing on the motions.
For a while it seemed to him that this was just another wasted attempt trying to do something he wasn't even sure he could do. But then, with every new step he took, something felt off. His center of balance was too high. His arms, swaying back and forth with each step made, felt wrong; unused and a pressurizing full itch made him flex his muscles.
He didn't even realize it when he fell forwards, catching himself with both hands and smoothly continued running without pause.
"THERE YOU GO!" Sweetie Belle yelled enthusiastically as Danny sped off.
Danny didn't hear her, though. His eyes were wide, focused, locked on he blurring landscape as it approached with speed; his heart pounding loudly, blocking out all other sounds save for the wind whistling as it blew through his fur.
"GREAT ONE! PLEASE SLOW DOWN!" Wind Chill yelled, no longer able to keep up; the distance between them growing greater and greater.
But then, when Danny was almost nothing more than a faint speck in the distance, he came to an abrupt stop.
"Thank the ancestors," Wind Chill wheezed after he finally had caught up. "For a moment there I thought you had forgotten about me.
Slowly, Danny stood back up on two legs; back turned to Wind Chill.
"Danny, that was awesome!" Sweetie Belle whooped.
Flexing a clawed hand, Danny slowly turned to face them; fangs bared and eyes pitch black.
"Danny?" Sweetie Belle said with a nervous stammer.
With a loud growl, the wolf attacked.
<<>><<>><<>>
Wind Chill roared in surprise as he jumped back; narrowly avoiding the slashing claw, losing only a small tuft of his white fur.
At the same time, Cujo growled harshly, quadrupling in size.
"DANNY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Sweetie Belle shouted, she and Abella almost falling out of Wind Chill's hold when he evaded the surprise attack.
"This is not the Great One," Wind Chill hastily replied. "Look at his eyes."
They did, and just as Sweetie Belle first recognized Danny through his eyes, so did they recognize Fenris.
"I thought his eyes were a glowing green?" Abella asked, worried, confused.
"They were," Sweetie Belle said with a tremor.
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Wind Chill bellowed as he jumped back; his ability to defend himself severely hampered now that he was carrying Sweetie Belle and Abella. But to his aid, Cujo jumped in between, knocking Fenris back a bit. Though it was not enough to stop Fenris' next attack.
"YOUNG SPIRIT, TAKE YOUR FRIEND AND LEAVE!" Wind Chill roared as he sidestepped yet another slash. This time, however, Fenris hit his mark, despite Cujo's interference.
With a roar, Wind Chill dropped the fillies in reflex; three large cuts in his side staining his fur a glowing green as his ectoplasmic blood flowed free.
Screaming from the unexpected fall, both Abella and Sweetie Belle's legs flailed wildly. Abella, unable to fly, could do nothing more than brace herself for impact, until she suddenly stopped with a snap. Looking at the ground with wide eyes and breathing heavily, her eyes slowly drifted to the ivory hooves holding her by her sides; and from there, the filly holding her while defying gravity itself.
"Hold on!" Sweetie Belle grunted, calling on to what little energy she had left.
Abella could only nod dumbly, an uncontrollable shiver of fear traveling down her spine.
Sweetie Belle gasped and with a sudden surge of speed, which took both by surprise, they shot off; crashing into the ground only a moment later as Sweetie Belle lost control.
"What happened?" Abella groaned angrily, partially muffled as he muzzle poked out from underneath Sweetie Belle's rump.
"I- I don't know," Sweetie Belle gasped out, quick to scamper off the irritated changeling.
"CHILDREN, RUN!" Wind Chill bellowed as he stepped in front of them, blocking an attack of Fenris; roaring out as the wolf's claws cut deeply.
"WIND CHILL!" Sweetie Belle cried out, a sickening feeling taking hold of her from deep within.
With a groan, Wind Chill sunk to his knees, yet he continued to glare defiantly at the wolf, unwilling to give up so easily; fearful of what might happen to the children if he did, while Cujo had latched onto the wolf's left leg with all the strength of his jaw.
"We- we need to get out of here!" Abella stuttered as she saw Fenris push Wind Chill over to the side, his eyes set on them, not even paying Cujo any attention as he simply dragged him along with each step he took.
Yet despite Wind Chill's warning, neither of them did, their bodies unresponsive and all they could do was watch with wide, fearful eyes as the black wolf stepped towards them; his fangs and claws glistening menacingly in the light of the moon.
Fear hung thick in the air as both fillies looked up at the gigantic beast and as he lunged at them, his intent clear, all they could do was scream.
<<>><<>><<>>
It was without conscious thought. Without sense of purpose, or idea what to do.
In nothing more than blind panic induced fear, Sweetie Belle's legs locked up, bracing themselves as the filly screamed out loudly, louder than she had ever done before, louder than was mortally possible.
She screamed, the air rippling from the sound; a sound as piercing as nails on chalkboard and Fenris, and Abella both dropped to the ground, covering their ears while crying out. Even Wind Chill, injured as he was, groaned in distress when the sound assaulted his ears. Cujo, too, wasn't spared. His sensitive ears only making things worse and with a pained yelp he let go of Fenris' leg, also dropping to the ground while shrinking back to his puppy self.
As Sweetie Belle continued, her scream turned into a screech; harsh, painful, debilitating and Fenris being stuck in the line of fire suddenly went slack as he lost consciousness.
Sweetie Belle managed to continue her assault for only a few more seconds, then her strength left her and she collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
Silence.
"Wh- what just happened?" Abella asked with a frightened waver in her voice.
With a strained groan, mixed with a pained moan, Wind Chill pushed himself to a sitting position; a hand clasped over his wound.
"If you're referring to the Great One, I fear his attempts to tap into Fenris' abilities allowed Fenris to take control. Which also means Fenris is still in there alongside Danny," Wind Chill groaned, channeling his ice powers and building a layer of ice over his wound.
Hissing through his teeth, he looked down at the barely conscious Sweetie Belle.
"But if you were wondering about Sweetie Belle, I can only assume the fear of the situation brought forth a, until now, dormant power."
With a pained grunt, sounding almost like a roar, Wind Chill forced himself back on his feet; taking a few unsteady steps before he found his balance.
"Regardless, it would seem that in our effort to hasten our journey back, we instead slowed ourselves down considerably," he added as he closed another wound with his ice.
Are you going to be alright?" asked Sweetie Belle, voice low and raw.
"Worry not about me," Wind Chill groaned in discomfort. "It will take more than this for me to die a second time. But how about you?"
"Tired," Sweetie Belle groaned. "I'm really, really tired… And what about Danny?"
Looking down unto the still unconscious wolf, Wind Chill grunted in dismay.
"I can't say. Though it has become obvious Danny is not in full control," he said. Then, with a groan of exertion, he picked up the slumped form and hung him over his shoulder. "For now, all we can hope for is that he remains unconscious until we've reached the Far Frozen."
"But what if he wakes up before we do?" Abella asked, afraid and agitated at the same time.
"Then we hope it is the Great One who wakes up. Now, young spirit, can you walk?"
"Nnghh," Sweetie Belle groaned, sluggishly rising to her hooves. "I can barely stand."
"That will be a problem," Wind Chill intoned.
A loud bark quickly turned all their attention to the green hound as he pushed himself back up; aggressively shaking his head to clear the ringing from his ears, yet staring urgently at the frost giant, then to Sweetie Belle.
Another rough bark came from Cujo as he gave a single nod towards his back.
"Do you-... I must climb on your back?" Sweetie Belle asked, unsure.
Cujo nodded once, then he stared towards Abella.
"And her, too?" Sweetie Belle sought confirmation. Cujo barked.
"I suggest we take him on his offer," Wind Chill told them. "We have wasted enough time as is. Any longer, and there is no telling what disaster might befall us."
"You don't need to remind me," Abella snapped, yet she hesitated as she looked up at the large hound.
Steeling herself, she clumsily climbed up on Cujo's back. "You coming, or what?" She aimed at Sweetie Belle.
"Yes… just, hold on," Sweetie Belle panted as she struggled to climb onto Cujo's back.
Lowering himself, Cujo helped the exhausted filly onto his back; quickly rising up again when she did.
"Good," Wind Chill grunted through labored breath, clutching onto a wound with his free hand. "Then let's make haste. Before it's too late."
<<>><<>><<>>
The rest of their journey to the forest had passed in silence, save for the labored panting from Wind Chill; clearly showing that he was in worse of a shape than he cared to admit.
Still, despite his injuries and the weight of the wolf slowing him down, they did manage to reach the Everfree Forest in less time than they had thought it would take. Though dark hues of purple started to show on the horizon, revealing it wouldn't take long until the first light of a new day would present itself.
For now though, they were still shrouded in the cloak of night's darkness; aided further by the shadows of the forest, masking even Wind Chill's large, white form.
However, unseen did not mean unheard, and Danny's warning of the presence of ghost hunters, as well as the friends, and relatives of Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo looking for them in the forest meant they could no longer run, lest they draw any unwanted attention to themselves.
Sweetie Belle, having regained some of her strength, now sat upright on Cujo's back; Abella glaring around behind her, while Cujo slowly moved forwards, expertly sniffing the area for any sign of trouble.
"How's Danny doing?" Asked Sweetie Belle, voice lowered.
"So far, neither he, nor Fenris have shown any signs of waking," Wind Chill told her.
"Well, I guess that's good," said Sweetie Belle. Then, startling both her and Abella, Cujo suddenly stopped moving; growling ever so slightly.
"What is wro-" Sweetie Belle was about to ask, when Wind Chill shushed her.
"Be quiet, young spirit. Someone's coming."
Quietly stepping back behind a broad tree, Wind Chill lowered himself as much as possible; unable to keep all his pained grunts to himself, though managing to keep them low enough to avoid detection, he, Cujo, Abella and Sweetie Belle observed the direction they were headed in tense silence.
At first, all any of them saw was nothing, but the darkness of the forest, yet Cujo growled ever so slightly and Wind Chill was noticeably tense.
Then, starting with the faintest of sounds, Sweetie Belle and Abella started to hear what they believed were hoofsteps. And much to their surprise, Cujo suddenly perked up, ears standing at attention while his tail began to wag.
Unsure what this sudden change meant, and not wanting to risk exposing themselves, Sweetie Belle and Abella cowered back further, making themselves as small as possible on the large dog's back, watching in deathly silence as slowly, a figure materialized out of the darkness; the faintest of glints reflecting of the golden hoops decorating her neck from a stray beam of moonlight managing to penetrate the canopy.
With deliberate slowness, Zecora moved for the spot the group of unlikely creatures was hiding. Then, she stopped; looking around, listening intently for any sound.
Tensely, their group waited for what she would do next.
"I must admit, I have gone through quite a bad fright, but it seems I have become part of what is transpiring this night," Zecora said, looking at the group's hiding spot. "Now, if you would, please step into sight. We don't have long before morning brighten us with its light."
Understandably, the group did not reveal themselves.
"I know you are here, for this I was told. Now I ask you to trust me and decide to be bold."
"What are you doing?" Abella hissed when Sweetie Belle decided to do just that.
Dropping down from Cujo, rustling the leaves and snapping a few small twigs on her landing, she slowly stepped out from behind their cover.
"Zecora?" She said, confused. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same to you, but there is something more urgent I need to know is true. Before Danny disappeared in a flash, he hinted that you and your friends were involved in something rather rash."
"Wait, Danny was here?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused. Then her eyes lit up, metaphorically. "Oh yeah, he said he made a duplicatehhhhh-" She quickly fell silent as she realized who it was she was talking to.
"I know of his secret, this I can tell. But that is the extent of my knowledge, or the fate he befell."
"You know about Danny?" Sweetie Belle gasped.
"If what you say is true, then one question must be asked above all others," Wind Chill said as he rose up to his full height. "Are you a friend, or a foe?"
Despite the sudden increase of ghostly activity in her life lately, Zecora still took several frightened steps back, while craning her neck backwards as she stared up at the giant with wide eyes.
"She's a friend," Sweetie Belle told him.
"She speaks the truth, I mean you no harm. My knowledge about the Phantom is no need for alarm," Zecora said hastily, unable to fully suppress her instincts to flee.
"Don't worry, Zecora. He won't hurt you," Sweetie Belle reassured her. "But we are in a hurry. We need to go to the ancient castle of the royal sisters, and can't waste any more time than we already have."
"I won't pretend I know what this is about, but this forest is wild, you will need a guide who knows its layout. For this I am here, a task given to me. It would certainly be faster instead of hiding behind a tree."
"Yeah, we thought you were somepony else," Sweetie Belle said.
"You mean your sisters, or friends, or are it the hunters of which you speak? However your actions are telling, I will show you the way to sneak."
"Does she say everything in rhyme?" A frustrated Abella finally made herself known.
Zecora gasped slightly. "A creature of change, by Danny I was told. But the full knowledge of this development has to me been withhold," Zecora said, surprised again as she looked at the young shapeshifter.
"And that's a yes," Abella groaned. "Seriously, what is it with you ponies?"
"Actually, Zecora is a Zebra," Sweetie Belle corrected.
"Whatever," Abella groaned once more. "Can we please get a move on before all of us changelings have died of this disease we're supposed to stop, but instead are busy doing everything else… It's a miracle you ponies manage to do anything at all."
"If what the changeling speaks is right, we indeed can't waste the rest of the night. Now pay attention and follow me, any answers needed can wait for later... maybe?"
"It's about time," Abella grunted as they quietly followed after Zecora.
<<>><<>><<>>
True to her word, Zecora managed to lead them to the ancient castle without running into anypony else. It was a small blessing in this far too long night with setback after setback.
Still, even though they managed to get this far without any problem, if they had learned anything these past several hours it was that the moment something went their way, a new problem would present itself as unexpected, as it was unwanted. And right now was no exception to this rule as, with a low groan either Danny, or Fenris came to.
Alerted by the sound, Wind Chill tightened his hold over the wolf until he was sure about who was in control.
Sweetie Belle and Abella, too, reacted; Spurring Cujo on to move faster towards the ice bridge crossing the chasm towards the castle.
Zecora, however, was unaware about the potential threat of Fenris, even though she noticed Wind Chill carrying the slumped form over his shoulder when he revealed himself. But as she had said, answers had to wait for the time being. But now, having heard the groan just as clear as the others, and noticing their reaction, she couldn't suppress the instinctual feeling of impending disaster.
"Though I understand the urgency for us to resume, why can't I shake the feeling we're moving towards our doom?"
"It's Danny," Sweetie Belle told her, a waiver of fear in her voice. "Something happened to him, so we're taking him to the Elder for help."
"You speak about Danny as if he is near, but I must admit I don't see him here."
"That is Danny," Sweetie Belle pointed at the slowly awaking wolf.
"Child, surely you're trying to give me a fright. What you are saying just can't be right," Zecora said, shocked.
"What the young spirit says is true," Wind Chill grunted as he readjusted the wolf's body. "Something has happened to Danny, which neither of us can explain."
Zecora blinked, falling back just a bit as she processed what she was just told.
"...Young spirit?"
Wind Chill came to an abrupt stop, a look of shock plastered on his face when he realized what he had revealed.
"Uugh… whas goin on?"
And as stated before, one problem quickly worsened when the wolf came to; his voice slurred and confused. Though his attempt to speak rather than attack did give some indication who exactly was in control at the moment.
"Danny?" Sweetie Belle hesitantly asked.
"Yeaahhuw… why does my head hurt so much?" Danny groaned.
"Great One," Wind Chill sighed a breath of relief, quickly placing the transformed human back on the ground.
"I thought I experienced everything I could this troublesome night. But I have been proven wrong, as I can't distinguish wrong from right," Zecora said, almost in a daze as one shocking revelation followed after the other. "You called young Sweetie Belle a spirit without a hint of deceit. And now Danny is this beast, truly making my confusion complete. And though time is short, and there is no time to ask. The questions I have make this a most difficult task."
"Welcome to my world," Danny groaned, flinching from a spike of pain through his sore brain. "Gnhg… what even happened?"
Looking around with a troubled frown, Wind Chill sighed deeply.
"I fear now is neither the time, nor place to answer any of these questions." He then looked at Danny. "This, ehh… Zecora, was it?" He sought clarification, receiving a faint nod from the shaken zebra. "Zecora said she knows about your secret and has helped us come this far. But I must know for certain. Great One, do you trust her?"
"Ye—" Danny flinched as he carefully rubbed his pained head "—Yeah, I do."
"Very well," Wind Chill grunted. "Zecora. You helped us come this far, and the Great One vouches for you. Though this will probably cause more trouble along the way, for now I think it's best if you accompany us towards my village."
"Hold on," Danny looked up, hand still placed against his head. "Village? You mean the Far Frozen? But how-"
"Just follow us and stay close," Wind Chill instructed. "This would be easier to just show, instead of trying to explain."
Both Danny and Zecora tried to say something in turn, cutting each other off before they could start. Looking at on another, each equally confused, they shrugged, nodded once and followed after the giant, as he; as well as Sweetie Belle, Abella and Cujo crossed the ice bridge, and entered through the large gate of the abandoned castle; then moved through the various dark and appropriately spooky hallways until they reached the once proud throne room.
Both Danny and Zecora halted in their tracks, eyes wide at what they saw. And despite there being a large hole in the air, opening a path to a world unseen, this was almost completely overlooked as their attention was pulled to the group of frost giants who stood around numerous unmoving bodies of timberwolves.
"Wind Chill?" A most familiar giant said as he took notice of their arrival. "Back so soon?" Frostbite asked, then his eyes widened upon spotting the giant's injuries.
"Frostbite!?" Danny said, happy to see his old friend, but torn by the revelation of him being here.
"... Fenris," Frostbite said bitterly, quickly matching the marks on Wind Chill with the wolf.
"Perhaps not," a new voice spoke up, and their attention was drawn to the portal as a new giant stepped through. Wearing a plain cloak which covered most of her body, its hood obscuring her face with a shadow, save for her orange glowing eyes.
"Elder?" Frostbite said, surprised. "I did not expect you back so soon… And what did you mean, perhaps not?"
"Surely by now you should have learned not everything is as it seems," the Elder told him. "Furthermore, I see there are some new faces with you, Wind Chill."
"Euhh… Yes," Wind Chill stammered. It was also at this moment Frostbite noticed Zecora and Abella.
"Wind Chill, what is the meaning of this? Why did you bring more of this world's inhabitants to us?"
"This is Zecora," Sweetie Belle said quickly. "She helped us back in the forest to avoid our friends and family, and the ghost hunters who are looking for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and m-"
"WHAT!" Frostbite bellowed. "GHOST HUNTERS!?" He roared in panic, only for the Elder to place a hand on his shoulder.
"Now is not the time to panic," she told him. "Besides, raising your voice would only serve to help them find this place faster should they hear."
"Then tell me what you expect me to do in this situation?" He shot back. "First we had to fight off these wooden wolves, only for Fenris to worsen the situation. Then you knock them all out, only to leave us to return them to their world, while allowing Fenris to leave with the children and Wind Chill to help a dying species, while there is also the potential disaster unfolding with the Saldēti Zirgi. And now we face a possible new threat with these ghost hunters. Who knows what might happen, should they find this place."
"Then perhaps it would be wise to listen, instead of talking," the Elder said simply. "Because there is more at play here than you realize, and there are more people here in search of answers… Isn't that right, Danny?" She said, slowly turning to look at Fenris.
Danny, taking a step back in surprise, looked at the Elder with wide eyes.
"You know it is me?" He gasped.
"Indeed I can, Great One," she said, smiling kindly as she looked at the black wolf; her vision cutting through the flesh and seeing the human ghost hidden underneath.
"Danny?" One of the present giants said, confused.
"Great One?" Another gasped out upon hearing the title.
Looking to the wolf, then the Elder, Frostbite couldn't be more confused.
"What is the meaning of this?" He asked.
"That is something we all wish to know," Wind Chill stepped up. "Frostbite, this is indeed the Great One. He found us, meaning me and Sweetie Belle while we were fighting against the Saldēti Zirgi, using his incredible might to stop their rampage. However, as he vowed to help the children in their attempt to save the changelings, Fenris attacked him. And through means none of us are certain, the Great One and Fenris have merged. Though it would seem Danny is in control most of the time."
"Most of the time?" Danny repeated, blinking, confused, his voice echoing in the now deathly quiet chamber as all giants looked at him with wide eyes.
Slowly, Frostbite stepped closer, his eyes never leaving Danny.
"Danny, is this truly you?" He asked with a barely noticeable stutter.
Danny slowly looked around, his hands clenching and unclenching as he felt the giants' eyes bore into him. Though, as he looked at the rough, but kind and hopeful face of one of his dear friends, he slowly nodded.
"..Yes…. It's been a whi-WHOA!" Danny yelled out as Frostbite pulled him in a tight hug; his feet leaving the ground.
"BY THE ANCESTORS! YOU HAVE RETURNED!" He roared in undiluted joy, joined by roars and cheers from the other giants, save Wind Chill and the Elder.
"Ca-...n't br-..eath," Danny gasped and Frostbite quickly released his hold.
"Forgive me, Great One," the giant immediately apologized.
"ARE YOU GUYS DONE ALREADY!?" Abella shouted her outrage. "SERIOUSLY! ALL YOU EVER DO IS TALK! CAN WE PLEASE CUT TO THE POINT WHERE YOU FIX WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HIM AND BE DONE WITH IT!?" And as her voice bounced off the walls, all eyes were now on her, as the anger faded from her words, replaced by despair and hopelessness. "BECAUSE, WE MAY NOT BE IMPORTANT TO ANY OF YOU, BUT… but they are important to me and-" She was unable to finish, head turned away as she tried her hardest not to show the tears which had managed to escape.
A comforting hoof on her withers slowly brought her attention to Sweetie Belle, who looked at her with equally sad eyes.
"She's right," Sweetie Belle said to everyone around. "It seems all we do is delay things more than they should," she sighed out deeply, looking up at the Elder. "We need your help."
"Indeed," the Elder agreed. "And in more ways than you even realize. Frostbite," she turned her head to the giant's leader. "Could you and the others please step away from the timberwolves?"
Though confused, he and the rest of his fellow giants did as she asked.
"Now then," the Elder hummed. "Danny, could you please step forwards?"
Surprised, Danny looked at Wind Chill, then Sweetie Belle; both urging him to do as she asked.
"Thank you," the Elder said after he did, and the staff she held began to glow a vibrant red. "Hmmm... " She hummed as she studied Danny carefully, long enough for it to become uncomfortable. "Well, this is not going to be easy," she finally spoke up.
"What isn't" Danny asked, worried.
"Tell me, what exactly did happen before you became like this?" She asked.
"I, ehh…." Danny halted, recollecting his thoughts. "I had just removed the freezing cold from the changelings' city, pulling it inside me… and somehow becoming some kind of icicle… Wind Chill said it was the power of frostbite." Danny started, and took notice of the sharp inhale of air, and numerous gasps coming from the giants. "Whatever it was, though, it blocked several of my powers before I was able to release the buildup of ice outside. After that, I returned to the city, Fenris immediately attacked me without cause, or warning. We fought a bit, that guy going on and on about not allowing his sin to exist any longer, which somehow relates to Eclipse… eehh, my shadow. Then I remember the changelings' queen being there, falling down. I tried to catch her, then… then I'm like this."
"I see," the Elder stroked her fur covered chin, eyes shifting to Sweetie Belle. "And how did events transpire from your point of view?"
"Just like Danny said," Sweetie Belle answered, while Abella silently cursed that this situation had somehow derailed into yet another conversation. "However, when Danny moved to catch Queen Chrysalis, Fenris attacked him from the back," she revealed and numerous of the giants growled in anger over this revelation. "Eclipse… Danny's shadow jumped in between, but wasn't able to stop Fenris. He… he cut right through her…. and then Danny… and… and-"
"And then darkness consumed them," the Elder finished for her. Sweetie Belle only nodded.
"Oh, Danny," the Elder sighed out, slowly shaking her head. "How do you always manage to get yourself into these kinds of situations?"
"Of the long list of questions I have, that one is right on the top of it," Danny replied flatly. "So, can you fix me?"
"I can not," the Elder replied grimly and numerous shocked gasps resounded throughout the room. "Nor can anyone else for that matter," she told him. "What happened to you is no mere merger between two entities. Your shadow, this Eclipse, jumped in between, in an attempt to protect you from what is, essentially, herself."
"Ehhh… you lost me there," said Danny.
"Eclipse, or rather the entity which grew into Eclipse, originates from Fenris. A product of his own hatred. A hatred towards creatures responsible for untold suffering. And later himself, for what he allowed himself to become. And when he attacked you, it was with the same hatred which gave rise to this darkness, from which Eclipse was born. When he cut through her, Fenris merged with her. However, Eclipse is also a product of you. Molded by your essence transferred to your shadow. So when Fenris merged with Eclipse, he also merged with you. The both of you are linked through Eclipse. However, seeing the fact you are in control, despite the form you are in, it is clear Fenris is trapped in his own hatred once again. So long as you keep a clear head, I see no reason for him to emerge and take control. But, of course, this is not what you want... But separating the three of you is not such an easy task."
"But can it be done?" Frostbite asked, worried.
"It can," she answered and Frostbite released a sigh of relief. "And it can't."
"Elder, please don't speak in riddles. Especially now. Which is it?" Frostbite replied irritably.
"Both," Zecora said, surprising herself, as much as everyone else. So much so, she couldn't even come up with a rhyme to finish.
"Indeed?" The Elder acknowledged the zebra.
"Wait, what?" Sweetie Belle said, confused.
"Danny and Fenris merged through a shared bond with Eclipse. And because Eclipse is now as much part of Danny as she is Fenris, it is impossible to separate the two wholly. They are linked by the darkness which once consumed them."
"Okay, hold on," Danny said firmly, taking a step away from the Elder. "And you know all this, how? Because you seem to know just a bit too much, just like that," he said with accusing suspicion.
"Great One!" Frostbite stepped up, only to be stopped by a raised hand from the Elder.
"You are well in your right to be suspicious of me. After all, we never met face to face, and here I am knowing so much about you already. The answer to this is as simple as it is complicated. And though I could give you a lengthy explanation, there are better uses for what little time remains. So the short version will need to suffice, until there is more time to sit down and talk."
"Finally!" Abella sighed out.
"You see, my staff enables me to see more than others," the Elder said without pause. "With it, the true nature of the world around me is revealed. And I use this to help others. Either by showing them what they already know, or shed light on obscure matters hidden in everyday interactions. And now, I am here to help you and, to an extent, Abella and her kind."
Danny stood silent for several long minutes, thinking this over while studying the Elder, much to Abella's ever growing irritation. Eventually though, Danny somewhat relaxed his stance.
"And how would you help me? You just said you weren't able to undo this," Danny indicated his wholesome.
"I can't. Nor can anyone here for that matter. Though there is one voice who has gone unheard; lost in the maelstrom of conflict between two minds at odds."
"Ehhh… wut?"
"Open your mind, Danny Phantom," the Elder said, her staff glowing brightly, blinding and consuming Danny with its light. "And see the truth hidden within!"
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny screamed as he fell, his limbs flailing wildly, as he plummeted down into the seemingly bottomless abyss as he punched through thick columns of blackness.
How he got there, he didn't know. Nor did the thought occupy most of his awareness; his mind too lost in panic and fear.
It seemed like forever that he fell, dropping deeper and deeper into the blackness until it consumed him whole, and he lost consciousness.
When he came to, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying down, face pressing down into the noticeably rough ground.
Groaning, he tried opening his eyes; succeeding only partially, and what he did manage to see through his half open eyes was blurry at best. Eventually though, after blinking owlishly for far too long, his vision started to clear.
Able to see more of his immediate surroundings, he slowly sat up; bringing up a hand to drag through his hair while trying to figure out where he was, when he froze mid-motion. His hand was human again. Shocked, he quickly inspected the rest of himself, discovering he was human once again.
Glad that finally something was going his way, he stood up and looked around.
Whatever small amount of happiness he had just felt disintegrated as if struck by his parents' ghost portal. He knew this place; the crater he now realized he stood in.
It was where the store used to be.
The store where Sam had died.
The store where his life had ended.
The moment he realized this, a stuttered gasp forced its way out of him; his pupils shrunk to pinpricks and his body began to tremble.
"THERE HE IS!" Someone yelled, angrily.
"LET'S GET HIM!" A woman shouted and Danny looked up at the crater's ridge, seeing an angry mob of humans, all staring at him with livid, yet cold, and empty eyes.
Danny stood frozen on the spot. He recognized those eyes. The hateful look he received from everyone after they learned he was responsible for Sam's death.
"No," he gasped out. "I didn't do this! He tried to tell them, but his diminished voice was lost in the angry yelling and shouting.
Then the angry mob, suddenly much larger, moved towards him.
Surrounded on all sides, Danny took several erratic steps back and forth, as he tried to distance himself from the approaching group, yet unable to do so. But then, when they were almost on top of him, he spotted a small gap in the crowd and he seized that chance to escape.
Pushing through, Danny screamed as he felt everyone pull and claw at him; his shirt tearing apart.
With gritted teeth, he managed to break free and ran away as fast as he could, not looking back, but feeling all eyes drilling into his back, as he knew that they followed.
'What is going on? Why am I back here?'
His questions went unanswered as he rushed through the street with forward tilt; the doors of all the shops around him slamming open as more angry people crawled out after him, shouting and yelling as they did.
"No, no. I didn't do this. I DIDN'T DO THIS! I DIDN'T KILL HER!" He yelled in despair, the voices of his pursuers becoming louder in response, drowning out anything he said while throwing rocks and soda cans at him. And as he fled, he continued to cry his innocence. But the people always raised their voice over his, until he couldn't scream no more; the world growing darker and darker the longer this went on, until all colors blended into nothing more than shades of gray and black.
He ran and ran, never looking back, but hearing the voices as loud as ever. Until, as if with the flick of a switch, everything became quiet... Deathly quiet.
At first, Danny didn't notice as he continued to run. But eventually, as he came to a stop, his stamina all but depleted and panting heavily, hands on knees, the absence of angry shouting registered.
Slowly and reluctantly, he looked behind him, and gasped out when he found himself standing in the park he, and his friends, frequently visited back in the day.
Falling to his knees, he grasped at the grass with a trembling hand, then punched the other into the ground, hard.
"What is going on?! Why am I back here?!" He said aloud, eyes clenched shut.
"Because you need to stop running."
Eyes snapping open, Danny looked behind him with a slow turn of his head. A stuttering gasp escaped him when he saw who had just spoken.
"S-Sam," he stuttered, unable to believe it. Here she was, the girl he loved and lost, standing before him exactly as he remembered her, unchanged by the passage of time. "Bu- but how…"
"How can this be?" Sam asked for him, as she approached, reaching out with a hand to help Danny get back on his feet. Danny, however, was unable to do anything more than stare up at the teenage girl and slowly she lowered her hand, smiling sadly.
"It's simple, really," she told him. "I'm not really here. Nor are you, for that matter. This," she said, waving a hand around, "is your darkness. And I am as much a part of it, as I am the voice of reason. Which is also wherein lies the problem," she sighed out.
"Wh- what?"
"Danny," Sam crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you accept my death?"
"WHA- but… I, you're right here, aren't you?"
"Danny, please don't lie to yourself again. Especially after I just explained what is going on. So, please answer me this: Did you accept my death?"
Silence.
Many minutes ticked by in silence as Danny looked up at Sam, eyes wavering, trying to look at anything else than her, but unable to do so.
Eventually though, he managed to close them, releasing a heavy, depressed sigh.
"Yeah… I think?"
"Then why do you still run?"
"What?"
"Why do you still run?" Sam repeated. "You could have gone home, to your family and friends. They could have helped you. You know this just as well as I do. So why did you run?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD. BECAUSE I COULDN'T PROTECT YOU!" Danny yelled, the world around him growing darker.
"Did you now?" Sam asked coolly, taking a step away from Danny. "If that's true, maybe you really belong here?"
"Wha?" Danny gasped, then yelled in surprise and fright when tendrils of darkness shot out of his shadow; wrapping around him in a vice, pulling him down into itself.
"GHAAA!" He screamed, struggling to free himself; one hand desperately reaching out to Sam.
"I already offered you my hand once, Danny. And you refused," Sam said darkly. "Why should I do so again?"
And with a last suffering gasp, Danny was pulled inside the darkness of his shadow.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sound assaulted his ears, blurred, indistinguishable, loud and muted at the same time.
He felt wind blow through his hair; not strong, or fierce, yet harsh all the same. Bringing with it a feeling of disgust.
Through his closed lids he saw a faint flickering of light, slowly pulling him back to consciousness.
Slowly, Danny's eyes opened. And with a similar slowness, he realized he was lying down in some grassy field at night.
Blurred figures moved in front of him; their forms obscure, their outlines difficult to differentiate in the flickering light.
Then, one of the forms collapsed, with a terrifyingly clear ‘thud', and Danny gasped out, eyes widening as he suddenly found himself staring in the dimming eyes of a giant wolf; something warm hitting him on the face.
With trembling hand, never averting his gaze from the fallen beast, he reached out to his face. His hand returned in his sight a moment later, fingers stained with blood.
Suddenly, upon seeing the life giving fluid slowly flowing down his hand, the sounds around him snapped into focus.
Screaming, crying, howling, barking, burning, breaking and snapping.
To his horror, Danny found himself right in the middle of a town ablaze. And under the light of a red moon.
Without warning, a massive bipedal wolf made himself known with a ferocious growl, giving him just enough warning for him to roll out of the way before the beast slammed down on the spot he'd just lay.
Pushing himself up and to the side with one arm, Danny looked up at the enraged beast as he refocused his aim on him. But before the wolf could strike again, another, much bigger beast slammed into his side; almost invisible in the black of night through his fur of equal blackness.
This new beast, easily three times the size of the wolf who just attacked Danny, growled like a being possessed and slammed a fist cleanly through the smaller wolf's chest; blood, bone and gore spraying out like a unholy fountain, some of it hitting Danny, who cried out in disgust, fear and horror.
Hearing the sound, the ferocious wolf immediately focused on the downed human who tried to make himself as small as possible.
Approaching with aggressive steps, mouth partially open and showing blood covered fangs, the beast closed the distance while Danny found himself rooted on the spot, paralyzed with fear.
With a lightning fast swipe, the wolf grabbed Danny around the throat, and with a gurgling gasp he was lifted off the ground; able to see his own struggling reflection in the black orbs the wolf had for eyes. Finally recognizing the wolf for who he was: Fenris.
Lifting his free clawed hand, Fenris prepared to strike and Danny closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable. But then, piercing him down to the core of his being, a loud and sorrowful howl cut through the night, blocking out all other sounds until all that could be heard was the howling filled with sadness and regret.
Surprised, Danny opened his eyes, only to tense up immediately when he saw Fenris' massive fist only half an inch away from his face.
Then the tremor started. Or at least, that was what Danny thought. It took him a moment longer to realize it was the wolf who was shaking, a pained look on his face.
The howl came again, and Fenris released Danny, clutching at his head while roaring in pain, falling to his knees.
Danny fell to the ground and quickly rolled away from the wolf; never allowing him to leave his sight, fearful of what was happening now.
"You brought this onto yourself, brother!"
With a gasp, Danny spun to see two new wolves standing behind him; both as large as Fenris, one with golden brown fur, the other being snow white with burning red eyes; both of them terribly injured, yet seemingly unaware of the damage inflicted to their bodies.
"You know what must be done next," the white wolf spoke.
What happened next almost made Danny throw up.
Using both of his claws, Fenris cut deep in his abdomen, gutting himself, then fell dead in the pool of blood and guts which had pooled at his feet.
A terrifying howl followed moments later and Danny spun around only to see the body of another wolf fall dead at his feet; his lifeless eyes staring into Danny's.
The one responsible for this murder then focused on Danny, approaching with claws at the ready.
Danny backed away, tripping over his own feet and landing hard on his backside, staring death in the face when, without warning, the wolf was tackled by a much larger wolf. A wolf with pitch black fur.
Fenris.
With wide eyes and rising bile, Danny watched the same events unfold; from the wolf being killed by Fenris as he punched his fist through the wolf's chest, to Fenris killing himself. Then everything repeated again, and again, until Danny could take no more and threw up.
Heaving, hands on knees, Danny tried to escape this insanity, one slow step after the other; forcing himself to move faster and faster until he ran as hard as he could.
Yet no matter how far he ran, to where he ran, or the ever increasing turns he took, he always ended up back right where he started: the center of the burning village and in the sights of a murderous wolf.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?! HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE?!" Danny fretted, desperately looking for a way to escape.
"You can't."
Spinning around, Danny looked for who had spoken, finding no one.
"WHO SAID THAT?!"
Silence.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T GET OUT OF THIS PLACE?!"
"Because," the voice spoke from directly behind him, Danny's eyes widening as he now recognized the voice of Sam, "just like you, Fenris is trapped in his own personal hell. And the both of you share the same darkness and form. Two minds, one body. And as long as he's stuck here, so are you."
"No," Danny gasped, unwilling to believe it.
"Denial won't help you here. After all, it's what brought you here in the first place," Sam's disembodied voice told him, a hint of ice present in her words.
"But I'm not denying anything," Danny deflected.
"Aren't you?" Sam said and, with a loud roar, the same wolf attacked again.
Danny yelled, raising his arms to shield off the attack, eyes closed.
When nothing happened, he dared a glance. His eyes shot open when he realized he was back in the crater the convenience store used to be; the world as gray and depressed as he previously encountered it.
"Then, if that's true, why do you keep running?" Sam continued as if nothing had happened and the angry mob of people returned to yell, and throw stuff at Danny.
Taking a hesitant step back, Danny looked at them all with fear and guilt plastered on his face.
"MURDERER! Someone yelled.
"No," Danny backed away.
"FREAK!" A half full can of soda was thrown at his head.
Danny cried out when the can struck, spilling its contents over him in the process.
"WE TRUSTED YOU!" A strangely familiar voice yelled.
"WE THOUGHT YOU WERE ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS!" The same voice said, but from someplace else.
"I AM!" Danny shouted back and a rock was thrown his way; missing, but only just.
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT HER?!" The same voice angrily retorted, the mob closing in. "WHY DID YOU LET HER DIE?!"
"I DIDN'T!" Danny screamed, clasping his hands over his ears to block the voices, but failing in doing so. "I TRIED TO SAVE HER!"
"LIAR!" Danny said, and Danny gasped out as he saw himself standing before him; punching him squarely in the face.
The force of the blow sent him stumbling back, right into the waiting hands of all the other Danny’s surrounding him.
"LIAR!"
"No," Danny gasped.
"MURDERER!"
"That's not true!" He struggled to say.
"FREAK!"
"This wasn't my fault!" He said with slowly rising voice.
"TRAITOR!"
"I didn't do this!" Danny said through gritted teeth, hands clenched shut into trembling fists.
"PATHETIC!"
"I DIDN'T DO THIS!" Danny raised his voice to match the others.
"AND YOU CALL YOURSELF HER FRIEND?! DISGUSTING!"
"I DIDN'T KILL HER!" He roared, a shockwave blasting from his mouth, blowing all the other Danny’s away and to the ground.
Danny stood wide, upper body hanging down a bit, arms arched down to either side, panting heavily.
"I DIDN'T DO THIS!" He seethed, glaring at his doubles through his brow with green burning eyes.
"Then why did you run?" A shadowy figure, barely resembling Sam, asked as it appeared out of nowhere.
Danny faltered, the green in his eyes fading away and the angry doubles slowly rose back to their feet; glaring at him with anger and disgust.
"Because…." He fell silent and a rock soared past his face.
The distorted, shadowy image of Sam closed in, looming over Danny.
Danny felt his legs go weak, yet he forced himself to stand tall and look this thing in the eyes.
"... Because…. Because I failed you; failed Tucker, Jazz, everyone," he admitted. Then his eyes lit up in sudden realization. "... Because I failed myself." The mob of doubles, slowly advancing on him, came to a stop. Danny didn't notice this as he looked down at his white gloved hands; his ghost suit having materialized on him while he remained in his mortal form. "I failed myself, and what I tried to be. I ran because I couldn't face myself; because I couldn't face the true truth."
"Which is?" The distorted, shadowy figure asked.
Danny slowly looked back up at the figure. "I have incredible powers, and am capable of doing things almost no other human can do. Yet despite this all, I too am human and can fail. And though I knew this, I also depended on others to fix things when I mess up. It never occurred to me there wouldn't be anyone to fix my mistakes; that something I did, or didn't do would be permanent; that when I fail, it would come at such a high cost. And I failed to realize this until now, even though I think I already knew this all along. I ran away because I thought that, somehow, everything would work out like it always did, but it didn't. And because of that, I failed to realize my own humanity, and all my flaws with it."
Silence settled down, with only a single, desolate howl of the wind as it kicked up a trail of dust from the crater in which Danny stood; all the doubles having vanished into nothing, leaving only Danny and the distorted shade of Sam behind.
"I ran because I failed. And I failed because I ran," Danny said strongly, finally admitting the truth he had always known.
For several long moments, the two stood in silence. Then, without another word, the darkness before Danny faded away, leaving him alone in the crater; the colors and light returning to the world around him.
Closing his eyes and tilting back his head, he took a deep breath while feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. Releasing a long sigh, he opened his eyes, looking at the devastation around him with acceptance and understanding.
"Just one more thing to take care of," he said and slammed a glowing fist into the ground; breaking away the dirt and concrete, opening a hole into a dark, and seemingly bottomless void.
<<>><<>><<>>
"You know what needs to be done next," Nuntis said, looking down on his fallen brother.
Fenris nodded and unsheathed his claws, fully intent to end it all.
"Does he?"
The horrific sounds of screams, anguish and rage came to a sudden stop.
Fenris looked up, while his brothers, Nuntis and Sköll, turned to look behind them; all three surprised by the small creature they found staring back at them with its green glowing eyes.
"I think this has been going on for far too long," said Danny, stepping through the small space between the two wolves. "You've been going in circles, doing the same thing over and over again. Beating yourself up over something you probably had little control over. I know what that's like. I've been doing the same."
Fenris growled harshly, lunging for Danny.
Danny stood his ground, staring strongly back at Fenris.
"Stop!" He said with authority and confidence.
For reasons Fenris couldn't understand, his body did as was commanded. With mere inches to spare between his outstretched claw and Danny's face, he stopped on the spot.
Eyes flashing to the side, Danny acknowledged the claw which had almost struck, yet didn't flinch, or react to it any other way.
"This is not the first time we've done this, remember?" He asked. "Probably not. I know I didn't. Not until I broke free from the chains that held me; the guilt that blinded me from the truth."
Fenris growled, his arms shaking, yet unable to move.
"I've seen what you go through, again, and again, and again. And I know you don't want to do this, how much you want to let this go. But you can't. You're trapped, unable to escape this nightmare because, deep down, you keep blaming yourself."
"As I should," Fenris finally spoke darkly.
"... Hold on?" Danny said, surprised. "You actually know what is going on?"
Fenris snarled. "How could I not recognize the darkness of my own making? I know this trap, as I have been caught in it before; knowing there is no escape from it."
"You're talking about Eclipse?" Danny asked, concerned.
"Name it as you will, I know it for what it truly is," Fenris barked, teeth showing.
Danny sighed out, sagging his stance, pulling a hand through his hair.
"... You know you can stop standing like that, right?" He remarked. "Just... Please don't attack me again. We've gone through that already and look where it brought us."
Fenris blinked, surprised. Then, with noticeably forced motions, he stepped back; claws still at the ready.
"Okay," Danny nodded. "Maybe I would understand this whole thing better if I knew what is going on here. I've been told some things by Wind Chill, but I doubt that was the full story… or the most accurate." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the two wolves still standing there. "Who are they?"
Fenris glared at Danny with fangs bared.
"Okay, why is everyone here attacking everyone?"
Fenris growled in answer.
"You know I'm only trying to help, right?" Danny asked. "So, please tell me why you keep killing yourself over and over again?"
Fenris only glowered at the human ghost, not giving in to this obvious trickery.
"Why does none of this ever go easily?" Danny sighed out.
"Because then it wouldn't be a burden to overcome," an overly familiar voice replied, and both Danny and Fenris turned to its source, shocked to find none other than Sweetie Belle herself… Or was she?
"You're not really Sweetie Belle, are you?" Danny asked after a moment.
"Nope," the ivory filly confirmed. "Just a voice of reason coming from somepony who means something to the big guy."
"What trickery is this!?" Fenris barked harshly.
"The kind necessary to get through to you," Sweetie Belle answered calmly. "Not everything is out to hurt you, even if you think it is."
"So you know what his deal is?" Danny asked.
"I do, but I'm not the one to ask," Sweetie Belle answered.
"Then, who?"
"The wolf Fenris has been saving you from all this time," Sweetie Belle said, then walked away, leaving the two behind.
"Wait, what?" Danny called after her. "What do you-" he fell silent, remembering the one wolf he faced time and time again, only for Fenris to kill the ferocious beast before he could strike first.
"Kadzite!" Fenris spat.
"... Why are these things never easy?" Danny groaned, dreading what would come next.
<<>><<>><<>>
Confusion plagued his mind. The mortal shell he once called his own, stripped away so long ago, returned to him as he found himself in the settlement where it all began and ended at the same time.
Yet where confusion plagued his mind, it was anger that consumed him wholly.
No sooner had he returned to his former self, that blinding rage took over; drenching his claws and soaking his fur in the blood of those who crossed his destructive path.
His vision turned red, and his mind was lost in the haze of spilled blood. Time became meaningless as he killed without thought, or care. But then, completely unexpected, he encountered something else; something new. Something new to kill.
Before he had the chance to do so, however, he himself was attacked. Attacked by the one he cursed every day of his equally cursed life.
Fenrir.
His rage grew to new heights, but it was Fenrir to strike him down before he even got a chance and his world grew dark.
He came to with a strangled gasp, and confusion plagued his mind. The mortal shell he once called his own, stripped away so long ago, returned to him as he found himself in the settlement where it all began and ended at the same time.
Yet where confusion plagued his mind, it was anger that consumed him wholly.
No sooner had he returned to his former self, that blinding rage took over; drenching his claws and soaking his fur in the blood of those who crossed his destructive path.
His vision turned red and his mind was lost in the haze of spilled blood. Time became meaningless as he killed without thought, or care. But then, completely unexpected, he encountered something else; something new, and he was unsure what to do as he looked down at the tiny equine who, for reasons he couldn't understand, looked as alien as familiar.
"Hi," Sweetie Belle greeted, showing her pearly whites. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"
He didn't know what to expect, but this certainly hadn't crossed his mind. But before he could even give an answer, a ferocious growl pulled his focus to the massive wolf he knew all too well. Roaring in answer, he jumped over the small horse, claws at the ready as he and Fenrir clashed in bloody conflict.
"Well, can't say I didn't see this coming," Danny remarked tiredly as he stood on the side, well clear from any slashing claws.
"Aren't you going to do anything to stop them?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Wait, me? Why?"
Sweetie Belle arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that what you do? Besides—" a loud roar interrupted her "—… this affects you as much as it does them."
"But I thought you were the voice of reason here?" Danny argued back.
"Only if they listen. And now—" they both looked at the fighting wolves "— they can't even hear themselves."
"You know, for once I would like to just stay on the sideline," Danny sighed out.
"You tried doing that, remember? Yet each time when you had the chance, you had instead chosen to jump in between. So, jump in between this time as well."
Danny stared at the white filly with a flat glare. "You know, I like the real you a lot better."
Sweetie Belle smiled smugly. "Just saying what needs to be said. You know, voice of reason and all that."
"Dammit," Danny murmured, looking at the fighting wolves.
Taking a deep breath, holding it for a moment, then releasing it in a long sigh, he nodded. "Yup," and using his powers for a burst of speed, jumped in between the two combatants. Neither Fenris, or the other wolf seem to notice as they clashed into one another, with Danny firmly lodged within.
With a shout, sounding far more girlishly than he would have liked, Danny phased out of the thick of the mess just in time; skidding to a halt several pace away; one knee to the ground, the other leg stretched out behind and to the side, and a hand on the ground to hold him up; glaring at the duo with burning eyes.
'Fine, we do it the hard way'
Pushing off, Danny flew to the wolves, hands aglow with spectral might.
"HEY, UGLY!" He yelled, and finally the wolves acknowledged him.
Using the split second of confusion he managed to create, and in which the wolves weren't at their throats, he slammed a fist into the side of the smaller wolf, knocking out a tooth. In the same motion, Danny channeled his momentum and slammed his other fist into Fenris' lower jaw; slamming his mouth shut with such force a resounding snap echoed through the settlement.
Both wolves staggered back, dazed, shaking their heads while growling and roaring aggressively. Not having any of it, Danny saltoed over Fenris; kicking a glowing foot into his back, forcing him closer to the other wolf. Acting quickly, Danny flew back in between and shot both fists out to the side; a hand phasing through the chest of each wolf.
Both canines gasped out when Danny allowed his hands to turn semi tangible. Not enough for matter to overlap, but more than capable of holding on to something. And, with the abundant size difference, forcing the two wolves uncomfortably close, Danny grabbed hold onto one of their ribs.
"Now, seeing I've grabbed your attention," Danny said with anger lacing his voice. "There are a few things I want to make clear. First, I strongly suggest you don't make any wrong moves. Or move at all for that matter, less you lose something important. Second, while you're standing there, it might be wise for you to listen to what she has to say. And third, and this one is important. I have had a really, REALLY bad day, going from one place to the other, having ghosts attack me at every turn—" He twisted his hand marginally, but enough for the wolves to groan in discomfort —"And though I'm usually a nice guy, having you two attack me certainly didn't do you any favors. So behave!" Certain he had made his point, he turned to Sweetie Belle. "They're all you-"
Danny was cut off when Fenris grabbed his arm painfully tight.
"A bad day," Fenris snarled. "Do you think a meager display like this is enough to intimidate me?" He asked with growling voice, not even flinching as he pulled Danny's fist out of his chest with brute force, breaking Danny's wrist as well as his own rib. "I've already died a thousand deaths. One more doesn't even phase me anymore," Danny yelled in pain as Fenris released his arm, the limb falling limply to his side. "A bad day is nothing compared to the suffering I have endured," and with terrifying strength, he slammed a fist into Danny, forcing him against the wolf he still held onto, blowing both to the ground.
Both Danny and the wolf screamed in pain; Danny's hand pulling free from the wolf's chest, taking with him the obviously broken rib; the both of them lying in a heap on the ground.
Breathing heavily, biting through the pain as well as the sickening sensation of suddenly missing one of his ribs, the wolf rolled over and sluggishly stood back up to face the slowly advancing wolf of the night.
Danny, having taken the brunt of the blow, was unable to do more than groan weakly; most of the bones in his body cracked, or broken, yet already busy mending themselves. And as he lay on the ground in blinding agony, the hand still holding on to the rib he pulled free tightened ever so slightly.
Without thought, or care of their wellbeing, the two wolves clashed once more. Claws slashed with lethal precision, cutting through fur and flesh while the white of teeth flashed menacingly in the light of the red moon. Horrific wounds were inflicted upon one another, neither backing down, nor allowing any sign of pain and weakness to slip through as they went at it in blinded rage.
Fenris struck the hardest, delivering bone shattering blow after the blow, forcing the smaller wolf on the defensive. Yet his strength came at the price of speed, which his enemy used to his advantage; slashing into Fenris's lower abdomen with rapid succession.
Realizing his disadvantage, Fenris jumped back the second the wolf slashed again; taking him by surprise, and forcing his next swing to go wide, making him stagger. Fenris closed in without remorse, biting down into his opponent's shoulder, sinking his fangs deeply into the flesh and scarring the bone. Blood filled his mouth, consuming his senses as the tainted blood of a Kadzite spilled past his teeth.
The wolf roared out in agony when Fenris ripped the flesh away, leaving behind a savage wound from which blood flowed freely and rapidly. Not backing down, Fenris spat out the chunk of fur and muscle, grabbing the wolf by the wound with clawed hand; clamping down hard.
The wolf howled as he sank to his knees, grabbing the broad, muscular arm of Fenris, clawing at it to force him to release. Yet no matter how deep he cut, Fenris only held on tighter.
Rising his free hand, balled tightly into a massive fist, he slammed down on the wolf's head again, and again, and again. His motions a blur as he hammered down onto the, now defenseless, wolf who had finally seized his attempts to free himself; beaten into a bloody pulp.
Fenris raised his fist once more, intent on finishing the wolf off.
"ENOUGH!!!" Danny roared, flying towards Fenris, slamming a spectral overcharged fist into his chest.
In an explosion of glowing green, Fenris was launched away; crashing into a half burned building, having it collapse on top of him as a result.
Danny landed hard, panting from exertion, holding tightly onto his chest with a hand, not yet fully recovered.
Slowly turning around, he looked down on the terribly injured wolf with a deep frown.
"Dammit," he muttered, moving towards the downed beast with a slight limp. "I may not like you, but you didn't deserve this."
The cracking and breaking of wood drew his attention. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Fenris had freed himself from the burning remains, glaring at Danny with murderous intent.
"Round two," Danny muttered, turning to face the black wolf.
Lowering himself in a fighting stance, wincing slightly from his injuries, Danny met Fenris' glare with one of his own; hands aglow with spectral might.
Seconds ticked by, neither of them moving as they continued to stare at one another.
Seconds turned to minutes, the wavering light from Danny's hands casting ghastly shadows around; providing just enough light for the downed wolf to see through lidded eyes. Noticing the white pony sitting down on his uninjured side, placing a hoof on his shoulder.
With a weak gasp, his vision became much clearer, though he still couldn't move much.
"You want to see this," Sweetie Belle said, voice low so only he could hear her as they watched the two unmoving combatants.
Then, as if struck by lightning, both Danny and Fenris launched each other at one another; Fenris, claws at the ready and fangs bared, Danny, with glowing fists and honest determination burning in his green glowing eyes.
Fenris closed the distance the fastest, his reach much longer than Danny’s and took the initiative. Danny, however, reacted without delay; becoming intangible and allowing Fenris' claw to slice harmlessly through him as he closed the distance fully.
Bracing himself for the proven to be powerful hit, Fenris planted his feet, intent on catching the small human with his body. To his surprise, however, Danny vanished at the last possible second.
Surprised, but not at all confused, Fenris growled as he jumped back, vanishing into the darkness through use of his natural camouflage; though the green glow coming from behind him quickly foiled his plan.
Snapping his head back, fangs glistening in the light, Fenris only had time to growl before a powerful blast of energy struck him in between the shoulders, propelling him forwards with force.
Bouncing once, then continuing in an uncontrolled roll, Fenris planted his right claw deeply into the ground; carving several long scars as he forced his forwards momentum to a stop.
The instant he stopped, Fenris used his powerful legs to all but launch himself at Danny; closing the distance with such speed, he took the half ghost by surprise.
Danny, with a shout of surprise, only barely managed to dodge; blasting a bolt of glowing green in Fenris's unprotected back as he ran past on reflex.
Fenris staggered, the force of the hit almost tripping him, but he managed to recover and quickly turn around to face the defying ghost.
Danny, tired of this fight which didn't seem to go anywhere, quickly placed himself in between Fenris and the downed wolf; projecting a green glowing dome to protect himself, as well as the badly wounded wolf while glaring angrily at Fenris through the translucent barrier.
With a growl, Fenris closed the distance and slammed into the shield with unrelenting force.
Danny groaned loudly from the strain, dropping to a knee, but didn't falter in the slightest; his shield remaining strong and unyielding.
"You know," Danny grunted, looking up to meet Fenris' enraged glare. "You really are the monster they say you were."
Fenris roared, slamming down with joined fists, the shield flaring.
"Just look at yourself," Danny continued despite the strain. "You called Eclipse a monster. You said I was lost for accepting her. And you continuously attack me and others without proper cause. Or, at the very least, none that makes any sense to anyone but you."
Fenris struck again, slamming into the shield with such ferocious blows Danny cried out; the shield shrinking, yet unwilling to give in, Danny gritted his teeth and glared at Fenris with stubborn determination.
"You claim all of us are at fault, except yourself. And yet, here we are. Me, hiding behind a shield, protecting someone who tried to kill me, while you act in nothing more than monstrous rage. You're the monster here!" Danny exclaimed. "You're just too blind to see it!"
Fenris slammed down on the shield again and this time it dissipated. Not because of his attack, however, as Danny dropped his shield the moment after Fenris' struck. And in the split second where Fenris couldn't react, Danny moved in.
'This better works.'
Jumping up and towards Fenris, Danny once again did what hard earned experience had taught him was a very, very bad idea. He just hoped that in this place they were in, his plan would work.
Fenris swiped his arms wildly in an attempt to catch Danny, but it was in vain as the human ghost phased cleanly through his limbs, entered his chest, and possessed him with a flash of pale light.
Fenris stumbled on the spot, shaking his head erratically, speaking incoherently as he tried to push the invading mind out. But Danny proved to be the stronger mind, not lost in rage and anger, and soon took over.
Now in control, Danny stopped moving, taking a deep breath as he once again found himself in the body of Fenris. Blinking, he took a moment to inspect his form; Fenris' eyes now Danny's own mortal blue.
Satisfied with the current course of actions, Danny looked up at the red moon, frowning as he sensed out into his own consciousness; feeling the enraged, but suppressed presence of Fenris.
Tilting his head, Danny considered his next step.
He knew from past experience that those he possessed would be disoriented when he left them, but didn't have any memory of what happened during their possession. This time, however, he needed Fenris to know; needed him to see. And so, once again this extensively long night, he tried something new.
Reaching out to the presence of Fenris, Danny carefully interacted with it.
It was as if a tidal wave swept over him, so intense was the rage he felt crashing down on him, he staggered back, holding his head as he mentally backed away from Fenris.
Taking a moment to recollect himself, Danny carefully tried again.
'You can be as angry as you want, but I am the one in control here. So, seeing your options are somewhat limited, I suggest you start listening and looking.
Again, Fenris lashed out, but this time Danny was prepared. And though still immense, the ensuing wave of anger didn't overwhelm him; though it did make him stagger for a moment. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, while deep down, past the layers of flesh and bone, Danny's spectral image watched with a mixture of pity and frustration at the bound image of Fenris; trapped in the chains of his own anger and hatred.
"It doesn't have to be like this. You know that, right?" Danny asked as he kept a safe distance from the enraged wolf. "Us going through the same motions over and over again. I mean, just look at us. We fought back in the changeling's city. Then we fought out there, wherever this weird place is. And now, me having possessed you, here we are, facing each other once again."
Fenris struggled hard, pulling at his bonds.
Danny sighed out, sagging his posture.
"You really don't see it," he said with disappointment. "Even after I spelled it out for you." Danny moved closer, and Fenris snapped at him. "Eclipse isn't a monster. Neither am I. But you, if only you could see the beast I see, you would understand exactly why you are trapped like this. The denial which only fuels this blind rage of yours."
"I WILL NOT BE TRICKED BY YOUR LIES, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY!" Fenris barked.
"That's fine," Danny said, determined. "Then don't listen," and he closed the distance, grabbing Fenris with both hands on his head. "But you will see!" And with a power welling up deep within, Danny's eyes turned a vibrant orange; channeling it through to Fenris who growled through a gasp as his eyes joined Danny's.
"And so the truth awakens," Sweetie Belle said solemnly as she and the wolf watched as the possessed Fenris stopped moving, standing tall, eyes ablaze with orange light, staring at the red moon hanging above.
<<>><<>><<>>
A gentle breeze blew ripples through the tall grass covered plains, following the gentle curves of playful hills, rustling the leaves of trees along the way.
It was under one of these trees, a solitary giant standing on top of one of the hills, two figures stood. One, a massive wolf. The other a pale human with snow white hair.
Neither of them spoke. Instead, they watched in silence at the distance settlement illuminated by the calm light of the moon; intact, and full of slumbering life.
Time ticked by unnoticed. Neither of them speaking, or moving as they watched the peaceful scene for seemingly hours. But, eventually, Danny sighed out contently.
"This place is nice," he said softly, glancing to the side and up at Fenris.
"It was," Fenris said in a subdued rumble.
"This is where we were before? The burning village?" Danny asked, and Fenris nodded once.
Danny looked back at the settlement, several minutes passing by.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Kadzite," Fenris spat.
"... You said that before. What is it?"
"Not it, who," Fenris replied with dark undertone.
For a moment, it seemed that was all he had to say, but then he slowly lifted a hand up for him to look at, closing it into a fist; staring past it as he refocused on the distant buildings.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked suddenly. "Before I became known for the beast everyone remembers me to be?"
"Not really," Danny answered truthfully. "Though, we haven't really had a chance to just stand still and talk either. Glad to see you're finally giving it a try."
Fenris blew air from his nose, ignoring the human's attempt to make light of the situation.
"I was once a proud being; shepherd of the night, guardian of these lands. I, alongside my brothers Nuntis and Sköll, we protected and maintained to constants of our world."
"Constants?"
"Life and death; day and night," Fenris explained. "Life, a gift to all. Death, a promise to all. Just as the sun would rise on a new day, a new day would arise for new life. And just as darkness would claim the land at day's end, so too would darkness claim those very lives at the end. This was the task given to us, my brothers and I. And we maintained it for longer than you can ever imagine. But the Kadzite, they broke these constants and in doing so, upset the balance."
"... By breaking these constants, you mean all the death and destruction I've seen earlier?"
Fenris nodded once.
"Then what happened?" Danny asked.
"For a long time, nothing," Fenris said with shaking fists. "The very rules my brothers and I lived to uphold also kept us from interfering. And because of those rules I was forced to watch, night after night, how the Kadzite would use the darkness of my nights to kill countless innocents, until I could take no more."
"And you broke the constants like the Kadzite have done too."
Fenris growled warningly when Danny compared him to his enemy.
Danny looked at him from the corner of his eyes.
"I understand it now," he said, looking back at the distant settlement. "The anger, the constant attacks, everything. Though I can see it now, you still aren't," he sighed out, combing a hand through his hair.
"What are you talking about?" Fenris demanded.
Danny looked back at Fenris. "Do you know my name?" He asked.
Fenris blinked, confused.
"I have several, actually," Danny continued. "To my family, I'm Danny Fenton. My old friends, and many others also know me as Danny Phantom. The frost giants have taken to it, to call me Great One, while many of the ghosts either call me Halfa, or ghost brat," he then sighed out deeply. "And for some time now, I'm called the Terror of Amity Park. A feared monster."
Fenris looked down at the pale human, unsure what to make of all of this.
"And you know what the real kicker is?" Danny asked and Fenris tilted his head in puzzled confusion. "They're all the same person," and with a flash of light, a band of energy surrounded Danny, transforming him back to his mortal self. "Just like Fenris and Fenrir are the same."
Fenris growled menacingly, stepping closer to Danny.
"You can growl all you want, you can no longer run from the truth," Danny told him, turning to look once more at the settlement, leaving his back open and sensing Fenris right on top of him. "After all, Fenrir wouldn't think twice about attacking someone from the back, wouldn't he?"
Fenris came to an abrupt stop, right claw extended, but unmoving.
"Eclipse, or whoever she was before, may have been born from your hatred, but it was your hatred to begin with. But you are unwilling to admit this; the idea of some outside source controlling you an easy excuse to shift the blame away from yourself," Danny exhaled loudly. "Though I won't say this entity born from your hate hasn't some part in it, ultimately you are the one responsible. But what you need to ask yourself now is: Are you Fenris, the wolf who denies? Or are you Fenrir, the wolf who is responsible."
Danny once more looked at Fenris, seeing his words had cut deeper than the claw mere inches away from his face could have.
For some time, they stood like that; Danny with hands in pockets, looking past the claw and up at Fenris, while Fenris looked down at Danny, eyes wide, a tremble noticeable in his extended arm.
A breeze rustled the leaves of the nearby tree and, ever so slowly, Fenris lowered his arm.
Then, with slow steps, Fenris moved passed Danny; looking at the settlement illuminated by his moon's light, until the shadow of the tree no longer covered him.
The moment the moonlight hit him, he gasped out and fell to his knees; his claws covered in blood.
He stared at his shaking claws, vision blurring until all he saw was the red liquid flowing down his arms, seeping into his fur. He knew what he had to do and turned his claws onto himself.
"The thing is, though," Danny said, standing beside Fenris with an almost casual air surrounding him. "Though we're responsible for our own actions, others are involved as well… I can't say for you, but for me, I was blind to the hand extended to me when I needed it most. Instead, I rejected the help offered. Instead I saw those who reached out as if they were against me; too lost in my own misery to see what was directly in front of me." He then looked at Fenris, who in turn looked at the ground, unable to meet Danny's gaze.
"Killing yourself isn't going to make things any better, no matter how many times you try," Danny told him.
"Then what do you expect me to do?" Fenris said lowly.
"Accept the hand extended."
Confused, Fenris slowly looked up; seeing to his great surprise Danny holding an open hand out to him.
"We've tried fighting. Both ourselves and each other. Maybe now, we should try working together instead."
For a while, Fenris looked at Danny's offered hand. Then his gaze lowered to his blood drenched claws.
Slowly, with a slight tremble in his arm and tight knot in his chest, Fenris lifted his right arm to meet Danny's.
"... You speak with wisdom belying your age, Danny Phantom," and he accepted the hand offered to him.
"I have my moments," Danny answered with a small smirk; both tightening their hold.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sweetie Belle and the previously injured, but now healed wolf watched as Fenris' orange glowing eyes burned brighter and brighter, the world around them fading away as understanding and acceptance were born.
"Remember what I said," Sweetie Belle told her companion. Then they, along with everything else, vanished.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a gasp, Danny found himself once again lying within the crater where everything had ended so long ago; standing over him a familiar figure looking down at him with her confident smirk.
Eyes focusing on Sam, Danny knew what needed to be done.
His hand reached out to meet Sam's and she quickly pulled him back on his feet; placing a hand on his shoulder mid-motion, squeezing it momentarily as their eyes locked.
Nodding once without any words said, she stepped back and vanished. And with it, everything else did as well.
<<>><<>><<>>
A vortex of darkness surrounded them, the occasional flash of orange mixed in.
Danny and Fenris stood side by side; Danny as his ghost self, Fenris clean of blood, and a moonlight like sheen to his fur.
"One last mind to pull free," Danny said, locking eyes with Fenris and both nodding once in understanding.
Together, they moved to the edge of the vortex, unable to see through the swirling mass of darkness and pushed through.
Darkness slammed into them, surrounding them entirely, trying to swallow them whole. Yet as they pushed on, the wall of dark washed over them without effect as they moved in deeper and deeper; blind to where they were heading, but never deviating from the path they saw before them.
Then, with a blinding flash of orange light, the two were forcefully pushed back; both planting their feet and lifting their arms to shield themselves as the vortex picked up in intensity. Gritting their teeth, continuing onwards one slow step at a time, neither Danny, nor Fenris would allow this darkness to hold them back any longer.
It was with a roar of Fenris and a cry from Danny that they combined their forces. Fenris used his claw to slice through the thick of the darkness, and a searing beam of glowing green from Danny burned through the opening; getting brighter and brighter as the hole expanded, until the vortex collapsed into itself, and the two found themselves back where they started. This time however, there was someone else as well.
"Eclipse!" Danny shouted as he ran to the slumped form on the ground, while Fenris stayed back a couple of steps.
Eclipse didn't react, lying still and Danny skidded to a halt on his knees besides her.
"Eclipse!" Danny called out again, giving her a slight shake.
With a faint twitch of a leg, Eclipse groaned quietly; saying something too quiet for Danny to understand, though Fenris' ears did twitch.
"What was that?" Danny asked as he slowly lifted her head off of the ground, seeing the mixed glow of orange and green escape through the faint crack in her lids.
"I just wanted to help."
"I know you did," Danny told her with a wry smile. He then looked over at Fenris, calling him over without any words.
With slow, purposeful steps, Fenris approached; eyes partially narrowed as he carefully observed his ancient sin. Or rather, what it had become. Doing so with a new perspective, a new outlook on things as a result of Danny's actions.
"Grandfather," Eclipse gasped, eyes opening a bit further. "Forgive me?"
Fenris stopped, looking at the pittiful being who once clouded his mind; feeling not anger, or hate, but a confusing sense of shame.
Flexing a hand, he lowered himself to a knee, head held low.
"No," he shook his head. "It is I who should be asking for forgiveness." Eclipse's mostly closed eyes slowly turned to him. "Regardless of what you have done, past and present, it was I who allowed anger and hate to consume me; allowed it to become something else." He then, slowly, looked up, and their eyes finally met. "I do not know what happened to my sin after I cut it out, but I do know now that you are not it. Born from it, yes. But not it."
"I got my master to thank for that," she said with a faint smile. "He taught me, gave me what was needed to become me." Danny gave her a confused look, but she just chuckled weakly. "I am his shadow, after all."
"Then perhaps he can teach me as well," Fenris said as he looked at Danny. "Show me what centuries of hatred has blinded me from seeing."
Danny looked up at him and gave a single, confident nod.
With their bond sealed, both Danny and Fenris helped Eclipse back on her hooves; the void of darkness they found themselves in staringg to crack and break; beams of pure light shining through.
All three looked around as the darkness flaked away, slowly washing them away in light.
"I guess this is our que to leave," Danny said as he slowly looked around. "... Any idea what will happen with us, you know, now that we've gone through all this?"
"I don't know," Eclipse answered, standing strong and proud.
"You think we'll be separated?" He asked Fenris.
Fenris looked around, brow knitted as he thought; making a decision.
"No," Fenris answered, standing before Danny with confidence and submission.
"What!?" Danny said, shocked.
"No," Fenris repeated. "You did something I thought impossible, Danny Phantom. You took my anger, my hatred, and shaped it into something else. Something defying all I believed possible. I shall remain here, with you, with her, watching, learning; to see the world through your eyes, as you said you would do."
"But… what does that even mean? How will this affect me, you, all of us?!" Danny asked, concerned.
"Danny Phantom, in the short time I've known you, you have shown strength, weakness, bravery, fear and a will to help others which transcends even yourself," Fenris told him, the darkness surrounding them having almost disappeared and the brilliant glare of white made it difficult to see one another. "Strength to overcome your weakness, bravery to overcome your fear, and the will to stand up to me again, and again. Everything I lacked, up until you showed me the true truth," and despite the light, Danny could clearly see Fenris kneel before him.
"The night will be your domain, the moon your ally. I shall remain with you, to call upon in times of need. This I vow to you, Danny Phantom, shepherd of the night," and the world around them became awash in white, leaving only a solitary "WHAT!" to echo away into nothing.
"Open your mind, Danny Phantom," the Elder said, her staff glowing brightly, blinding and consuming Danny with its light. "And see the truth hidden within!" And a bright flash of red filled the room.
"So how do we know this will work?" Asked Sweetie Belle after a short pause, blinking the spots out of her eyes.
"As long as it's quick!" Abella snapped as she rubbed her own, compromised eyes.
"These matters are not something to be rushed," Wind Chill explained to them, to which Abella snarled in answer and the giant took a concerned step back.
The Elder, eyes closed in concentration, frowned deeply. "Indeed," She said through small groans of exertion. "The Great One's mind is firmy locked in conflict. It will take him some time to free himself."
Abella gave a throaty groan from irritation, dragging a hoof down her face.
"Please be patient, Abella," Sweetie Belle placed a comforting hoof on her back. "I know you are in a hurry. How could you not be? But this needs to be done, so that we can help all of you later."
Abella merely glared at the young pony beside her, who slowly shuffled back after a moment's pause.
In the silence which followed, Zecora approached the young shapeshifter.
"What do you want?" Abella muttered, frustrated.
"To learn about the child of change with whom I speak, I must know, is your situation truly this bleak?"
"It is," Sweetie Belle answered for her, ears drooping. "That wave which, ehh, forced them out of Canterlot poisoned them with hate. Now most of the changelings are sick, very sick. A lot have even died, I'm afraid."
Zecora stood speechless, eyes wide as she looked back at the troubled changeling, finally understanding the dire situation no child should have to go through.
"Now we're hoping the Elder can fix Danny and Fenris, so they can help again." Sweetie Belle finished, looking at the tall wolf as he remained standing rooted on the spot; eyes unfocused and dim. "At least they were able to do something… unlike me."
"Young Spirit, you have done more than you think," Wind Chill told her. "The moment you learned of the changelings plight, you didn't hesitate to come to me for help. You even went as far as to reveal yourself to them because of it. Not to mention the bravery you've shown to stand and fight the, ehh, windigos besides me, or to seek out Fenris. And, even if it was indirectly, if you hadn't done all this, the Great One wouldn't have found us either. No, it is because of you that we are here, now, with a chance to help them. A chance they wouldn't have had, if not for you and your friends. So don't sell yourself short, Sweetie Belle. Regardless of the outcome, you have done more for the changelings than you realize."
Abella huffed at this, quietly muttering to herself while Sweetie Belle smiled broadly. A smile which slowly fell as she noticed something, slowly looking around, only to come to a worrying realization.
"Wait… where's Cujo?"
"WE'VE GOT CONTACT!" A stallion shouted some place down the hallway, and everyone able turned to the dark passage from which they heard shouting, blasting, and even more worrying, barking.
"Oh, crab apples," Sweetie Belle swore.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few steps back, and somewhat to the left.
Slowly he crept forwards, body lowered to the ground, quietly approaching his prey he heard coming, covered in the darkness around him.
Cujo, ears aimed forwards, listened intently as the intruders conversed with each other, voices low, but still loud enough for him to hear them.
They were on edge, but unaware.
His lips pulled back in a feral grin, his training still strong in his mind, he swiftly moved through the hallway and into the adjacent room; stepping behind an overturned pillar, sniffing the air.
Silent clip clopping on the stone floor gave the intruders away, and he moved closer to intercept, but then, a silent beep caught his attention, and he froze mid motion.
They all stopped.
"Wow, this place is lit," he heard a bitch's voice.
"How bad we're talking about?" The bark of the pack leader came next.
"Jack Fenton near an all you can eat buffet kind of bad."
"Oh Tartarus. I still have nightmares about that," a third voice answered, and Cujo crept closer, closing in from behind, and got a better look at the group of four equines.
"Can you pick up anything specific?" The leader, a bulky pony with dull orange fur asked.
"It's all just one big spectral hotspot. No way to pinpoint the source of it," the ice blue furred bitch answered.
"Alright, everypony. Stay on guard and keep your eyes open. We're getting close to something, and I don't want any avoidable surprises."
Having heard enough, Cujo closed the distance, drawing the attention of the pony near the back of the group.
"You mean like a big, green glowing dog?" The steel gray furred equine asked with a faint waver in her voice.
"Oddly specific, but yes," the leader replied, turning to look at his subordinate and locking eyes with Cujo.
Cujo growled loudly.
"WE'VE GOT CONTACT!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"Crab apples…. What do we do now?" Asked Sweetie Belle, looking nervously at the dark passage.
Abella huffed as she calmly looked around. "This place is falling apart as it is. Maybe with a little push, a most unfortunate accident could happen to these ghost hunters."
Looking back at Sweetie Belle, Abella saw the ivory filly staring at her with wide, horrific eyes. A look shared by most others in the room with her.
"What?" She shrugged.
"That's horrible," Sweetie Belle told her. "We can't do that."
"But if they were changelings it would be no problem to blast them halfway across the land, poisoning them in the process," Abella snapped back at her.
"Of course not," Sweetie Belle said, horrified.
Abella stared at her with a mixture of anger and hate, and Sweetie Belle flinched back as if kicked in the gut.
"Right, sorry," Sweetie Belle said with a quiet voice.
"You ponies are all the same,” Abella hissed. "Fine, what incredible plan do you have which would save everyone and didn't come out one of these childish books you ponies like to read, always with a happy ending. Because I know for a fact life does not work that way."
"I ehh... " Sweetie Belle faltered. "I'm sure we can come up with something if we work together."
"No we won't. Even that damned dog knows it," Abella pointed at the dark passage from which they could still hear barking, shouting and the discharge of weapons.
"Well, at least he's keeping them busy," Sweetie Belle sighed out, then perked up. "Hold on, we don't have to stop them, or anything, just slow them down until the Elder is done with Danny.
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Abella asked with clear disinterest in the pony's plan.
"Well, they came here looking for ghosts, right?" She asked, then transformed with a flash. "But what if they found a spirit instead?"
Abella blinked, so did Wind Chill, Frostbite and Zecora; the latter three all bursting out in protest at the same time, with a noticeable shout of surprise from Zecora upon seeing Sweetie Belle transform, while Abella merely muttered: "You're crazy. All you ponies are crazy."
"Well, what else can we do?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
"Collapse the roof on top of them," Abella droned flatly.
"Besides that?" Sweetie Belle shot her down.
"But young spirit, you only just learned to use your powers. Some of them don't even yet work as they should. You can't rush into a fight with trained hunters, this will surely end badly for you," Wind Chill told her.
"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not the only one here now, am I?"
Frostbite looked at the filly with a mix of pity and worry. "Sweetie Belle-"
"She's right!" Zecora stopped him before he could say what was on his mind, eyes sharp and standing tall. "Stop wasting time and join this fight. You all keep saying we should help the Phantom, but refuse to act when things look glum. So are you a ghost worthy of your name, or will it be henceforth known as one of shame?"
For a moment, it was deathly quiet, all eyes locked on the resolute zebra who looked unblinkingly up at Frostbite.
Then a blast, followed by a pained yelp came from the dark passage and Sweetie Belle jumped up.
"CUJO!" She yelled and ran off into the darkness.
"Ancestors," Frostbite muttered grimly, then, releasing a shuddering breath, followed after the young pony.
For a moment, Wind Chill struggled with himself, unsure if he should leave the Elder and the Great One alone. But finally, chose to join Frostbite and Sweetie Belle.
Now left alone, Abella groaned heavily as she shot a glance at the Elder and the transformed human.
"This better be worth it," she mumbled, then halfheartedly followed after the rest. And, while conflicted with her own lack of involvement, Zecora chose to remain behind instead; knowing that, should the hunters see her, it would only complicate things further. And so, with a weary sigh, she instead turned back to look at the Elder working on Danny; seeing one of his dark furred claws twitch slightly, then close slowly.
The frown of the Elder deepened as she sensed a change within the mind of Danny and the glow of her staff increased as she guided the troubled minds of the human and wolf at odds.
<<>><<>><<>>
Running through the dark with all the speed and courage she could muster, Sweetie Belle lit up her horn with spectral energy to help illuminate her path, while also preparing herself to fight the moment she ran into one of the hunters. Of course she didn't know exactly what it was she was heading into, and the thought of what those hunters might do to her should they catch her only added to the nauseating nervousness she felt. So, eyes clenched shut, she pushed forwards while yelling a less than heroic battle cry.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
She then proceeded to trip over her own hooves, yelping out as her charged horn sparked and sputtered a fine spray of diffuse energy while she tumbled over the ground; coming to a stop in a heap halfway across the room.
"YOUNG SPIRIT!" Frostbite called out as he clumsily barged into the room; the hall's ceiling too low for him to stand upright.
"I'm okay," Sweetie Belle groaned, slowly rolling to her side, then pushing herself to a sitting position.
"Young spirit! Frostbite!"
And then Wind Chill entered the room with as much grace as his village leader had shown before him.
"Where is everypony?" Sweetie Belle wondered as she gingerly rubbed a hoof over her bruised muzzle.
"I have no idea," Frostbite informed her, looking around the room with a calculating gaze.
"There are numerous scorch marks on the walls," Wind Chill noticed.
"On the floor as well," Frostbite added. "Clearly there was a fight here."
Slowly, quietly, Abella entered the room with dragging hooves, flat annoyance clearly showing on her face. "You don't say," Abella grumbled. "What gave it away? The shouting? The barking? Or maybe the shooting we've heard?"
"You don't have to be sarcastic about it," Sweetie Belle muttered, pushing herself back to all fours.
"Children, please. There is no need for this," Wind Chill stepped in between. "Right now, we need to focus on the problem at hand."
"You mean my sick and dying family and friends?" Abella asked bitterly.
"Euhhh, no… I mean, yes. That too, of course. But the hunters firs-"
Slamming a hoof on the floor in absolute outrage, producing a shockingly loud crack which echoed around, Abella's eyes seemed to glow; even more so in the darkness-covered chamber.
"NO!" She hissed, seething. "We will not go look for these hunters, or that damned dog! You… whatever you are, have postponed things long enough! You will go back in there, fix whatever the BUCK is wrong with that wolf guy and save my kind. NOW!" And despite her small size, both giants took a fearful step back; the air seeming to shimmer around the enraged filly.
Sweetie Belle, surprised by the sudden outburst from Abella, couldn't stop the feeling of anger welling up from her unkind behavior, and before that, Erlea's less than friendly attitude towards her and her friends. Still, she forced those feelings back, eyes closed, when she was suddenly overcome by a strange, dizzying sensation, shuddered visibly, taking a deep, calming breath.
When she opened her eyes again, for a fraction of a second her pupils looked almost slitted as she glared at Abella.
"HEY, WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN!" She yelled in anger, eyes glowing brightly as Abella reared back in shock and fright, eyes wide. Then, just as sudden, Sweetie Belle deflated, her eyes dimming as well. And though it passed quickly, a most troubled frown creased Frostbite's rough face.
"Look, I know this is not what you wanted," Sweetie Belle sighed tiredly. "Heck, this is what none of us wanted, all of this craziness just happening right after each other… It's not like we're doing this on purpose, or anything. It's just… it happens, and all we can do is try to make the most of it. Just like we ponies always do. It's just… It's who we are. And I'm sorry if that is not how you changelings do things, but, please, we're only trying to help."
Silence.
Silently, Abella looked at Sweetie Belle with an air of suspicion, as if she expected her to burst into flames right then and there.
"Abella… Is something wrong?" Asked Sweetie Belle.
Slowly, Abella's eyes slid up, locking with Sweetie Belle's.
"How did you do that?" She asked slowly.
"Do what?" Sweetie Belle said, confused.
Abella didn't answer as she slowly, carefully, stepped closer to Sweetie Belle, circling around the silver filly who followed her movement with a slow turning of her head.
"What are you?" Abella wanted to know, sniffing the air, then recoiling while scrunching up her muzzle in disgust.
"What?" Sweetie Belle said, worried, even a bit insulted.
Abella hissed and recoiled away from Sweetie Belle.
"Hey, what's your problem!?" Sweetie Belle demanded to know.
"You," Abella hissed as she glared at the silver spirit. "You radiate hate off of you. Hate, and fear."
"No I don't," Sweetie Belle shot back defensively, frowning.
"Perhaps it would be better if we deal with this new development after the Elder has helped the Great One," Frostbite quickly intervened, swiftly turning to Wind Chill. "I'll take the children back to the Elder. You go and destroy this bridge I understand you created outside. At the least it will prevent anyone else from crossing easily. If you're able, look for this Cujo, and more importantly, any sign of these hunters. They may very well still be somewhere in this castle. Or, if we're lucky, Cujo has led them away from here. If it's the latter, don't go and search for either one of them. We've got enough problems already. No need to go look for more before at least some of them are resolved."
For a moment Wind Chill looked down at the two fillies staring at each other in silence, able to tell there was more going on than he'd picked up, and that Frostbite had some understanding of the continuously worsening situation.
"Very well," he nodded, taking a single, large step towards the castle's gate, then stopped. "Do be careful yourself," he added as he looked back over his shoulder. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"That makes two of us, brother," Frostbite agreed with a rumble. "Now go!"
Nodding, Wind Chill quietly moved outside, inspecting his surroundings as he went.
"Children," Frostbite said after a tense pause. "Please follow me back to the Elder. Maybe she has some good news for us?"
"Yeah…" Abella stretched the word as she slowly moved for the dark hallway, keeping her eyes on Sweetie Belle the entire time. "Maybe."
"Seriously! What's wrong!?" Sweetie Belle demanded to know, frowning when Abella didn't answer; grumbling to herself in irritation.
Resigning herself to be left hanging, Sweetie Belle followed after the two as they preceded her into the darkness between them and the Elder, Danny and Fenris. And as she stepped into the absolute shadow of the hallway, her eyes seemed to glow just a bit brighter as she saw through the inky dark with slitted pupils.
<<>><<>><<>>
With as much stealth as his large frame would allow, Wind Chill made his way outside; keeping a close eye on all other dark halls and half rotten doors he passed to make sure none of the hunters would catch him unaware. Fortunately, he made it out and to his bridge without incident, but the question where the hunters and Cujo had gone to, remained unanswered.
As he approached the frozen construct of his own creation, however, it was impossible to miss the numerous holes and water filled potholes; steam rising up from the still warm water.
Kneeling down, he stuck a finger in one of the small puddles, pulling it out almost instantly afterwards.
"Forced molten by a high powered spectral discharge," he realized. "They were here, hunting Cujo guns blazing."
Standing back up, he looked into the forest on the other side of his bridge, frowning deeply.
'He did save us from being snuck up and being found out by these hunters. But what happened to you next?' Wind Chill wondered, looking over his shoulder back at the ancient castle. 'Frostbite did order me to look for them,' and with a nod of determination, and a duty bound by honor to help those who helped him, he crossed the bridge, stopped on the other side and channeled his powers to destroy his frozen construct, then disappeared into the forest.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Elder, please tell me you have succeeded?" Frostbite asked before he even managed to pull himself out of the hallway fully; stumbling a bit as his foot caught on to something, and he rumbled in frustration as he pulled his appendage free. "I could use some good news right about now."
"You're not the only one," Abella grumbled as she entered the room, looking back at Sweetie Belle from the corner of her eyes as she followed a moment later.
"I understand," the Elder answered calmly, no strain to her voice. "But I am not the one you should ask."
"What do you m-" Frostbite's words got stuck halfway out of his mouth as, from behind the Elder, Danny stepped into view.
"Great One," Frostbite gasped upon seeing the human.
"DANNY!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she ran towards him. "You're you again!" An excited spray of sparks shot from her horn as she jumped up and down in front of him.
Grinning, Danny patted the energetic filly on the head. "For the most part, at least."
"Wait," Sweetie Belle stopped mid bounce, hovering in the air. "What does that mean?"
"Who cares," Abella groaned, already seeing this as a derail into yet another long conversation, while something much more urgent demanded attention. "Just tell me where that wolf went, so I can take him back to the Hive."
"Yes… about that," Danny said, his grin gone as he looked at his right hand; closing it into a fist, then stretching out his fingers. "Things didn't really work out as expected."
"... What do you mean?" Frostbite asked, worry lacing his voice.
"Eclipse," Danny said, looking off at a dark corner of the room.
"It would seem—" Eclipse's voice resounded from the darkness, two orange glowing eyes with green glowing irises lighting up, before she smoothly stepped into view, "—that Fenris has decided to join me and my master through… Well, ehh… I'm not really sure what to call it?" She halted, pouting as her grand reveal fell through due to a lack of imagination on her part.
"... Shadow Bond," Danny suggested after a moment.
"Yes, that will do wonderfully," Eclipse agreed gleefully. "Fenris has joined me and my master through Shadow Bond; existing within the two of us."
"... Great One… this is your shade?" Frostbite asked, awed, amazed.
"Yeah. Frostbite, Eclipse. Eclipse, Frostbite," Danny introduced them. "And that's about all we have time for," he continued without pause, then fell silent as he looked around. A tired sigh followed next. "Where's Cujo?"
"Euhh… our best guess is that he scared off the ghost hunters who found their way here. Though we have no idea where he, or the hunters are as of now." Frostbite informed Danny who, midway through the explanation, had already placed his hand firmly onto his face, dragging it down.
"Okay," he sighed through an annoyed groan. "While we're on the topic, is there anything else that will go wrong tonight?" He asked at the ceiling, once again wishing he'd gone to bed when he had the chance.
"I should probably add that Wind Chill has gone in search of Cujo and the hunters," Frostbite said with noticeable hesitance.
"And there it is," Danny sighed out exasperatedly, throwing his hand in the air. "Fine, seeing we're short on time, and answers will have to wait for everyone, again, for the countless time… Right, changelings. Eclipse," he turned to his shadow, "Take Sweetie Belle and Abella back to the changelings' city. I'll catch up in a moment. It seems like Cujo is once again out for one of his signature walks…" He was silent for a bit. "At least there is no high tech, secure facility here for him to thrash, leading to the social downfall of one who would become one of the fiercest ghost hunters I've ever met as a result."
"Are you sure this is the wisest course of action?" Frostbite asked, concerned.
"A ghost dog that can quadruple in size, a team of pony ghost hunters who, at the best, are trained by my dad, the worst by my mom, and a frost giant chasing them down; all of this in a creepy, dark forest in which Twilight and her friends may, or may not still be running around in fear over the supposed ghost sighting a while back, not to mention the crap we had to go through earlier today with Sombra and the Crystal Empire, and with no plausible explanation for my sudden disappearance, while my time and attention are needed elsewhere." Danny snorted. "Honestly, it sounds like a pretty regular day to me… just, with ponies."
"It does?" Sweetie Belle asked, surprised and amazed.
"You have no idea."
"HEY!" Abella shouted. "What the HAY do you think you're doing? I need that wolf, here, NOW. He is the only one who managed to make a noticeable difference, and I am not going anywhere without him. Getting him fixed, just so we could go back, is the only reason why we came here in the first place. And now you say he somehow joined you and… her through this shadow thing. NO!" She stomped a hoof on the floor.
'Phantom, allow me to speak with her.'
Danny knelt down before the distraught filly, looking her in the eyes. But when he spoke next, his voice was much heavier, darker, more powerful and his pupils had all, but consumed his eyes.
"Fear not, child of change. Salvation will come to your kind before this night is over."
And as Abella skidded back in fright, Sweetie Belle stepped closer to Danny.
"Fenris?" She asked, head tilted to the side and eyes narrowed slightly.
Danny, or in this instance, Fenris nodded, then looked out of one of the surviving windows in the throne room; the moon visible, if only partially and its light reflected in the black of Danny's shared eyes.
"This night is nearing its end, but much must still be done before the moon is laid to rest. And though I understand your plight, child, we cannot ignore the guardian's sacrifice to keep us safe." He then looked at Eclipse. "Do as the Phantom told. Take the children, we'll catch up. But neither he nor I can ignore what that pup has done for us, nor can we abandon him because of it. And as for those hunters," he rumbled as his eyes turned back to Danny's normal blue. "I think it's time they met a real ghost for a change." Danny finished, transforming in a flash of white.
<<>><<>><<>>
Shortly after the group had left, only Frostbite, the Elder and Zecora remained, as well as the still unconscious timberwolves; a tense silence having taken firm hold over the chamber while Frostbite seemed to struggle with a matter weighing down heavily on him.
"Please, Frostbite. Just speak your mind," the Elder told him.
"I'm not sure I should," he said with a surprisingly soft voice, looking at Zecora.
"Ah, yes. Our newest cohort in this increasingly difficult to keep secret," the Elder chuckled lightly. Zecora looked up at the two with calculating, but no less confused eyes. "I do believe some answers are due. Though, knowing our other brethren in all things spectral, currently off to tend to their own devices, more questions will soon follow. Which brings me back to you, Frostbite. Whatever trouble is on your mind, it may do you well to speak of it now. Who knows, perhaps our new friend can be of help as well?"
"I will admit, I am confused. Though, after everything that has happened, to as much I am used. Still, if my assistance is that which is required, help I shall, as is desired," Zecora enforced her desire to help, despite not fully understanding the situation she was currently in.
"Well, I, ehh," Frostbite faltered, dragging a hand through the fur on his head. "It's about Sweetie Belle, I'm afraid. Back there," he looked at the dark hallway leading to the room the hunters and Cujo had been. "There was a…. change of sorts. I can't say for certain what exactly, but I can't shake the feeling it brought over me when I glimpsed at it."
"Is that so?" The Elder hummed thoughtfully, taking a step towards the hallway.
"Wait, hold on. Do I understand this right? What matter of concern about young Sweetie Belle could cause you a fright?" Zecora asked, worried.
"Elder?" Frostbite turned to her, hoping for an answer to both his and Zecora's question.
"I am afraid I can't shed much light on this matter," she finally answered. "As much as my sight allows me to see what lies before us. Sweetie Belle... Her path is shrouded in uncertainty and, as of yet, poorly understood choices. I cannot derive any coherent understanding of the path she is currently on. Which is as expected from one who represents choice in such a manner as she does."
"But… what does this mean…? For her, I mean," Frostbite asked almost immediately.
"Everything," the Elder told him. "And nothing at the same time."
"Euhh…?" Frostbite blinked, confused. Looking at Zecora, she too didn't seem to understand what was going on.
"As of now, Sweetie Belle is on a path of uncertainty," the Elder explained. "And because of this, no one, not even Sweetie Belle herself can foresee the consequences of the choices she makes, and the ensuing ripple of reactions to these choices. What does this mean for her, us, everyone involved? I do not know. All we can do is prepare."
"Prepare… for what?" Frostbite worried.
"Exactly," the Elder said sagely. "Now, Zecora. I do think it is time for you to receive some answers," she continued without interruption, shifting her focus on the tiny zebra when a low growl diverted it to the Alpha of the timberwolves, seeing the wooden wolf twitch as he regained consciousness. "Ah, right on time. Frostbite, be a dear and stay on guard for the hunters. Should they return, I will blind them from the truth. But for now, it is time to push events into a new direction."
"And which direction would that be?" Frostbite asked, and the Elder's eyes seemed to gleam for a moment as she looked at the village leader; a warming smile visible through the shadow obscuring her visage.
"The return of Danny Phantom, of course."
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny flew out of the ruined castle, his eyes glowing brightly in the dark of night as he crossed the chasm between the castle and the rest of the forest; coming to a stop when he noticed the numerous tracks left behind by Cujo and the hunters in the dirt and leaf covered ground.
Kneeling down, Danny scraped a pair of fingers through one of the many large paw prints belonging to Cujo, following the tracks leading past the edge of the ravine before veering off into the forest.
Levitating himself off the ground, Danny followed the trail; phasing through trees and tall bushes wherever Cujo had done the same.
"And what have we here?" Danny murmured as he stopped again, looking down on the mangled remains of what was once a ghost scanner.
Picking up one of the pieces, Danny barely suppressed a groan as he flicked his wrist and thick globs of dog slobber flew off.
"Well, at least now we know what he did to have them go after him," Danny said, standing back up, dropping the twisted piece of machine to the ground.
'Drawing away a threat while we were unable, and crippling their ability to find us. Truly he lives up to the mantle of responsibility entrusted upon him' Fenris rumbled his agreement.
"Not that this will stop them for long, though," Danny sighed out, jumping back in the air. "If anything, he pissed them off, and it won't be long until he, or they make a mistake. And knowing both Cujo and my luck, a mistake for them will be a whole world of trouble for us."
'Agreed. We better make haste and intercept them before this can happen.'
"My thoughts exactly," Danny said, continuing his pursuit.
It was only after another minute that he came to a stop again. This time, however, because of the absolute mess of prints running over one another, as well as still slightly smoldering scorch marks on nearby trees.
"Round two," Danny murmured, looking around. "Damn, where did they go to next?" He moved around, unable to find a clear set of tracks leading away from the mess he hovered above.
'Stop relying on merely your eyes, Phantom.' Fenris told him.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked, confused.
'Use your ears, your nose, your sense of touch. Listen to the voice of the forest, its smell, and the wind on your skin. They will tell you more than your eyes ever will.' Fenris explained.
"And how would I do that?" Danny asked. "I don't thin-"
'Exactly, don't think, Fenris spoke over Danny. 'Just do, and let instinct take over.
Danny tried to retort, but a resounding bark coming from the depths of his mind made him think otherwise. Instead, he lowered himself to the ground, and stood still; waiting, listening, taking deep, calm breaths.
'What am I trying to do?" He asked, yet Fenris remained silent. "Fine," he muttered, and closed his eyes. Waiting, listening, breathing.
Inhale.
He felt the cool night air on his skin.
Exhale.
A calm breeze blew through the trees, the wood creaking while a distant owl hooted.
Inhale.
Leaves made themselves heard as they were swept away in the currents of moving air.
Exhale.
The breeze swept over him, brushing through his white hair; carrying with it a strange scent. A distinct scent. A familiar sc-
His breath got stuck halfway out, his eyes snapping open; the world around him suddenly brighter; colors now clearly defined instead of the comparatively muted world he saw with his ghostly vision. Yet this was not all, as, to his increasing astonishment, he saw the wind as much as he felt and heard it. Each ripple in the air, spreading out, colliding with the trees and foliage, picking up the scent of everything it touched with colors all of its own, before carrying it to Danny who stumbled back by the sensory overload, the world returning to the muted pastel he was accustomed to with night.
"Wh- what was that!?" He gasped, panting.
'The voice of the forest,' Fenris answered. 'Or a glimpse of it, at the very least. Try again, but this time don't shy away like a frightened pup.'
Controlling his breathing, Danny nodded as he closed his eyes, slowly breathing again.
It only took a moment, and this time, when his senses revealed a world unseen, Danny did not recoil immediately.
'Good, hold on to your focus,' Fenris told Danny as the latter slowly looked around in astonishment.
"This is the voice of nature?" Danny asked, amazed yet confused. "Have to say, this is one weird voice."
'Nature speaks in more ways than merely sound. Only those who know to listen understand this.'
"Uhu… So, I take it this is one of your abilities, which I now somehow have as well now with you stuck in my head?"
'In some ways, yes. In others, no.'
"Great, more vague answers. Like I didn't have enough of those already," Danny deadpanned.
'My answer is only vague because you don't understand what it is I just told you, despite the knowledge you already showed to possess.' Fenris replied.
"Meaning?"
'You are correct with the assumption this ability comes from me, but only from a guiding perspective. We ghost all have this gift, stronger in some than others, but few ever learn to use it.'
"And why's that?" Danny asked.
'For the same reason you need to ask for the answer which was already given. Only those who know how to listen understand this.'
"... Yeah, walked right into that one," Danny sighed out. "Okay, focus. How do I use this to find Cujo and the hunters?"
'Focus on the scent which drew you into this state,' Fenris instructed. 'Smell it, taste it, feel it. Allow it to consume everything else, leaving only that which you seek, and nothing else.'
Nodding, Danny slowly inhaled again; quickly picking up on the scent of wet dog and focusing on it with dedicated focus.
'Come on, Cujo. Where are you?' Danny thought as all other colors faded away, leaving only the trail of moss green. "... Green dog, green scent…" He sighed out. "Of course."
Putting the matter beside him, Danny quickly took to the air and followed the trail deeper and deeper into the forest; soon encountering more signs of weapon discharges. Shortly thereafter, nature began to whisper to him further, carrying the distant shouts of combat, blaster fire, and Cujo's familiar bark on the wind.
'There!' Danny and Fenris joined voices.
Now with a clear target, Danny flew without any further delay, coming up on a small clearing littered with bones and partially rotten carcasses. A feeding ground of one of the many dangerous beasts living in the forest. Though the animal itself couldn't be found anywhere, which was most likely the result of the fight between the four ponies firing their spectral blasters, and Cujo barking and growling while dodging their attacks.
Turning invisible the second he saw them, Danny dropped down; taking cover behind a large moss covered rock, despite his current transparency.
'Well, there’s Cujo, and the hunters' Danny noted. 'But where's Wind Chill?'
****
"Eeuhhhh…" Wind Chill moaned in confusion as he looked up at the tall creature; staring into a partially open mouth filled with sharp teeth while the beast snarled.
"I fear I may have taken a wrong turn somewhere," he said, more to himself, as two more, identical heads joined the other; hissing, snarling and growling as they looked down at the sizable, but nonetheless smaller giant.
"Eehhh… Has either one of you three seen a green dog, or four ponies chasing after said dog?" Wind Chill asked with an awkward stammer, backing off with slow, small steps.
Two more heads rose up to join the first three as the hydra closed in.
****
'Best leave him for now. He's a capable warrior and can take care of himself. Our attention should be focused on the threat before us.'
'Not much of a threat,' Danny snorted. 'Four ghost hunters, who by the looks of it have never even fought with ghosts before until now.'
'Thinking like that will cost you the fight before it even begins. Besides, if it wasn't for the guardian, these hunters would have gotten the drop on us when we weren't able to defend ourselves. Remember that!'
'Noted,' Danny quickly answered, knowing Fenris to be right.
'So, what are you planning on taking out these hunters? It may be easy to dispose of them merely by incapacitating them and allowing the beast which resides here to cover our tracks.'
'As gruesome as that sounds,' Danny quickly shot back, shuddering from the thought. 'I think I have a better plan. A much worse plan.'
'Which is?' Fenris asked, intrigued.
Danny grinned deviously as he grabbed one of the numerous bones. 'Cujo and I are going to play fetch,'
<<>><<>><<>>
Rolling Stone and his team were struggling, the ghost they were hunting proving to be more cunning than they initially thought; slipping out of their grasp time and time again, even managing to steal and destroy some of their equipment during one of the many engagements they had everytime they managed to close the gap between themselves and it.
This time, however, they were determined not to allow this unholy abomination to escape them again.
Having chased after the ghost dog until they reached what seemed to be a manticore's feeding ground, they fired their weapons in short controlled bursts; forcing the ghost to the center of the ground while they surrounded the spectral entity on all sides; Sound Wave flying above in case the undead beast decided to take to the air itself.
"We've got you now," Rolling Stone muttered grimly, blaster primed and ready to fire. "Ornate?" He barked, never taking his eyes off the target.
"Ready!" The dark pink mare confirmed her position, her spectral containment unit, better known as the Fenton Thermos at the ready.
"There's no way he's getting away from us now!" Blue Ice shouted with confidence while Cujo growled, eying the hunters one at a time.
Closing in, Sound Wave fired his blaster near Cujo's paws, drawing the large dog's attention and forcing his back to Ornate Charm.
"GOTCHA NO-" A loud whistle cut her off abruptly, and everyone, including Cujo, turned to the source.
"What the!" Blue Ice shouted in surprise as they all saw the sizable bone wave around in the air.
"THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!" Sound Wave yelled.
Cujo barked loudly, wagging his tail while the hunters were reminded of the ghostly hound in their midst.
'Yeah, definitely trained by dad,' Danny concluded as he saw the foursome trip over their own hooves as they scrambled to get Cujo back in their sights while trying not to turn their backs on the new apperition.
Snorting, Danny threw the bone with a wide arc over their heads; watching it pirouet through the air before disappearing somewhere in the darkness. A soft thud followed moments later, then all that remained was silence.
'Three. Two. One.'
Cujo barked loudly, only Danny and Fenris being able to understand the single, but reverence filled word: "BONE!"
Before the hunters even knew what happened, Cujo stormed off, toppling over both Ornate Charm and Sound Wave, the latter falling to the forest floor hard while Rolling Stone and Blue Ice shot their blasters without much aim. Yet as loud as they shouted in the unexpected turn of events, trying to regain their bearing, most of what they shouted to one another was lost to Danny by the even louder, and over enthusiastic whoops of joy Cujo barked as he ran after the bone Danny had thrown.
'This guardian…. Does he always behave as such?'
Danny chuckled. 'Oh, you have no idea,' he sighed out as he followed Cujo's path of elated destruction; taking a single large step to the side as a small tree toppled over; slamming into the ground where he'd just stood while also crashing into a pile of weather stripped bones, kicking up a cloud of dirt, leaves and bone splinters. 'Man, this brings back memories….. Not all of them good, though.'
Following Cujo for a moment longer, Danny then settled his aim on the hunters as they finally managed to regroup; blasters and scanners at the ready. But, seeing Blue Ice's growing frustration, she was having a lot of trouble getting a read on Danny as her scanner just wouldn't show any contact other than Cujo.
"Celestia damnit!" She cursed.
"What is it!?" Rolling Stone barked.
"Don't know!" Blue Ice shot back irritably. "This thing, it just won't show us where this ghost is. I'm not getting anything!"
"Did that dog break it, or something!?" Ornate Charm asked quickly, eyes flicking from left to right as she scanned her surroundings.
"No, I'm still detecting that cursed dog. Whatever this other thing is, though. It ain't showing on this thing!" Blue Ice practically shouted at this point, glaring daggers at the infernal device which just kept letting her down.
"Buck," Rolling Stone muttered grimly. "Regroup on me! Keep your eyes and ears open, and don't allow this thing to sneak up on us!"
"What about that dog, sir?" Sound Wave asked while scanning the darkness surrounding her.
Eyes shifting to the green dog, now occupied with the bone this other apparition had thrown, Rolling Stone muttered several obscenities under his breath before making a decision.
"Forget it for now! The scanner can still detect it. This other thing takes priority. We must capture it, and find out why we can't detect it. The lives of many may very well depend on it!"
Snorting, Danny crossed his arms while raising an eyebrow. Unseen by any of the hunters, of course. "Being dramatic much?" He asked, sighing out, and all four hunters snapped towards where they had heard the voice coming from; seeing a pair of green glowing eyes floating in the air.
"Right there!" Blue Ice shouted in anger, pointing out the invisible ghost to the others.
"And thank you, captain obvious," Danny said, rolling his eyes, not even showing a hint of surprise when all four ponies aimed their blasters at him, firing without a second thought.
All four of them missed; the beams of energy cutting through nothing but air as the body they aimed for wasn't there.
Danny, having expected as much from the start, hung upside down in the air; knowing that without any form of reference, merely seeing his eyes would not reveal his actual position to the hunters.
"You know," Danny said with a shake of the head. "This would be a lot more productive if you actually knew what you were doing. Have any of you ever faced a ghost before today?"
"Don't listen to it!" Rolling Stone shouted. "It's trying to confuse us."
"Not really," Danny said flatly. "You guys seem to be doing that just fine on your own."
"What!?" Sound Wave shot back, irritated.
"My point exactly," Danny replied smartly, swinging himself around and dropping to the ground.
Realizing this, and connecting the dots to their previous failure, the hunters quickly took aim and fired again.
A green glowing shield easily blocked the incoming beams; illuminating the forest with the same light for the duration of the hunters' attack.
"Look," Danny said after they stopped firing. "Let me just make this as clear as I possibly can. You four don't pose much of a threat to me. Not to say you're bad at what you do, but other than your training, it's clear you have yet to actually face a ghost in combat like this, and I'm not even fighting you. Heck, you were struggling with Cu-, eh, this dog over here and all he really did was just run around for you to chase him. So, how about this. You lower those weapons, and try talking instea-" A searing beam of energy sizzling just an inch from his head cut him off.
Cujo, before content on chewing on his bone while watching Danny deal with the hunters, jumped up aggressively, growling loudly.
"Down, boy," Danny told him, then fired several narrow beams of spectral energy from a finger; knocking all four blasters out of the ponies' grasp; partially melting the casing as well.
"Just a tip, don't stand all bunched up like that. Makes it real easy to take you out all at once."
All four hunters' eyes widened in shock, first from having their weapons so easily taken from them, then from what the ghost told them.
"We won't go down without a fight, freak!" Rolling Stone barked with confidence, taking a bolt step towards Danny.
"Seriously, I'm not even trying to fight you!" Danny groaned, pulling a gloved hand down his face. "Look, I'm not your enemy, despite what you may think. And I don't have a lot of time either, so here is what's going to happen. I will go my way, you will go yours, and we'll all forget this ever happened. Dea-WHOA!" He yelled when Ornate Charm fired a capture beam from the Fenton Thermos, only just managing to evade as he caught the movement at the last possible second; firing a beam of spectral might into the container on pure reflex, blasting it out of the pony's grasp and flunging it through the air before they all lost sight of it somewhere in the pile of bony remains.
Danny rolled to the side, slowly pushing himself back up while keeping his eyes locked on the hunters.
Sighing dejectedly, he shook his head. "Can't say I'm surprised. Just make sure that, when you report back with your tails between your legs, you mention you were the ones to shoot first." And as he slowly rose up above the ground, his eyes burned a fierce green; two wavering orbs of the same intense green contained in his hands. "Last chance to run, cause this won't take long!"
<<>><<>><<>>
With a shout, Rolling Stone jumped back to avoid a bolt of green; the energy slamming into the ground with surprisingly little force, and dissipated almost immediately. Long to think about this he didn't have, as with a sideways swipe, a green glowing, but otherwise invisible fist connected with his jaw.
"Gha!" He shouted, head snapping to the side from the blow, a small amount of blood spraying from his mouth as he stumbled back; quickly recovering and shooting a heated glare at the ghost who, invisible, or not, did still reveal his menacingly green glowing eyes.
"You're leaving yourself wide open!" Danny barked, dropping down and swiping his leg around, kicking Rolling Stone's legs out from under him, dropping the large pony to the ground.
Jumping up and backwards in one smooth motion, Danny easily avoided the couple of green bolts Blue Ice shot from her slightly charred and deformed blaster, which she had retrieved in the moment Danny had focused his attention on the group's leader.
"Too slow!" Danny shot back verbally, almost tauntingly so as he slowly turned to the surprised, then angrily frowning mare. Raising an open hand, aglow of course, he intended to fire another weak beam of spectral power when a flutter behind him caught his attention; his head turning marginally to the side as he glanced back.
Dropping down from above, Sound Wave whirled around and kicked her hind legs where she thought the ghost to be. Of course this did little to deter Danny, as he simply side-stepped her attack.
"Physical attacks like that won't work on a ghost, unless you catch them unaware!" Danny shouted after the mare who cried out in pain after kicking the dirt; unable to avoid the beam of green Danny fired at her, stinging her flank as she flailed her legs in an attempt to get moving again despite the pained protest after such a hard landing.
Ornate Charm was next in Danny's sights, and she knew it. Eyes wide, she rapidly looked left and right until she found what she was looking for. What followed next was a mad dash for her blaster, still lying discarded and blackened on the ground, while Danny chased after her, firing several beams and bolts; some of them hitting their mark, but never in such intensity to cause any permanent damage other than singed fur. Of course, with the unavoidable and distracting threat Danny seemed to pose to Ornate Charm, it was only when she had almost reached her blaster when she noticed it lay directly in front of Cujo.
The Green hound looked up, mildly interested at the mare as she dug her hooves in the dirt and grinded to a halt; staring into the partially open mouth of the enormous hound as he crunched down on the bone he had.
Carefully backing away, Ornate Charm ground to a halt as she felt herself bump into a pair of definitely not pony legs.
Freezing up, her head slowly, unwillingly angled up. Danny's green glowing eyes stared down onto her.
"If this is all it takes for you to lock up in fear, you don't have what it takes to be a ghost hunter." Danny said with scolding disappointment. "Or is it because you don't have your fancy weapon?" He wondered aloud, stepping towards the blaster, phasing through the mare as he did so, and picked up the weapon in front of Cujo.
Turning the weapon from end to end, Danny casually studied it as he turned around back to the hunters, catching them in the middle of a mad scramble to regroup; two of them having used the opportunity to regain their own blaster, and were now aiming and firing them at both him and Cujo.
Raising a hand, Danny easily deflected the charged energy with a shield of his own; the forest illuminating a sickly green with each hit the shield absorbed and it didn't take long for the hunters to realize the futility of their attack. The moment they did, Danny dropped his arm, the protective barrier fading away and making the already dark forest seem suddenly that much darker and his glowing eyes that much more pronounced.
"Standard issue, with small core, handheld spectral discharge, Fenton Blaster," Danny spoke, rotating the weapon around some more. "Modified for you ponies to use. Practically useless against us ghosts. Sure, it hurts when hit, but still only comparable with a low level attack. Nothing serious, and definitely not a real threat to a ghost who knows what he is doing."
Stepping closer to the hunters, weapons aimed at him and shaking noticeably despite the hunters' attempt to keep a steady aim in the face of this threat, Danny's eyes shifted color to icy blue; the hunters gasping upon the sight and backing away from Danny as he dropped the now in ice encased weapon to the ground with a solid thud.
"An elemental," Blue Ice said with a lowered voice.
"You're fighting a ghost using training from a mortal. Simple three dimensional thinking won't work against an enemy who can literally come from anywhere," Danny said, then his eyes vanished as well in invisibility as he quickly flew to and over the group; possessing the blue furred mare at the back of the group.
"Anywhere!" He spoke through Blue Ice and the three remaining hunters whirled around as they aimed their blasters at their possessed comrade, but never firing in fear of hurting her, and not the ghost who overshadowed her.
"And again, you're all bunched up. If this was a real fight, none of you would have made it for more than ten seconds," Danny told them as he left Blue Ice's body through the ground; reappearing on the group's back, taking immediate notice of the same sensation he also felt when held aloft in Twilight's magic, but much more pronounced. Almost as if he suffered from a full body sunburn, but which faded in a matter of seconds, and was quickly dismissed for now.
"What you guys just don't seem to understand, this is a ghost fight. Plain and simple," Danny continued without pause; his eyes once again visible. "This goes down by our rules, not yours. So stop thinking three dimensional and, maybe next time, you will have a better chance. For now, though," he fired a couple more weak beams into the pair of blasters the hunters held, knocking them out of their grasp once more. Then, in a show of power, he fired a searing beam of concentrated energy into each and every one of the weapons; the devices sparking and sputtering as the internal circuitry fought to stabilize itself, then blew up as it utterly failed; one time accompanied by a fine spray of water as the ice encasing it vaporized.
Not stopping there, his eyes quickly turned blue again as he channeled his arctic powers; aiming his next attack at the four ponies' their hooves, freezing them together into a large sheet of ice.
"Don't worry, I didn't use my full strength; it will turn brittle soon. When it does, go back to your princesses, tell them what happened," Danny said as he slowly flew up, looking down at the foursome. "And tell them this as well: Not all of us ghosts are evil. Some of us just wish to be left alone." And with those words, Danny flew off, only to stop as he spotted the Fenton Thermos he'd blasted away earlier. Dropping down, he picked up the device, rubbing a thumb over the slightly dirty label carrying his family name as he looked at it with a pang of regret. "And some of us just wish to help."
<<>><<>><<>>
'Are you sure it was wise to leave them like that?' Fenris asked while Danny flew deeper into the forest, followed closely by Cujo, bone in mouth.
"They won't be any more trouble, for now. Nor will they be stuck for too long. I wouldn't do that, not here," Danny answered with a tired sigh. "I've got their containment unit—" he said as he attached the thermos to his jumpsuit's belt "—and destroyed their weapons. Not to mention the scare I gave them. Yes, it will also serve to push them, probably increase their hate towards me, Cujo, us ghosts in general, but that's fine. I just hope they took my words to heart."
'About that, why even bother pointing out their flaws? Why help the enemy at all, even?'
"Because they're not my enemy, even if they think I am. Besides, no matter what I do; what I have done so far, it's obvious ghosts will show themselves here… Worse, they’ve been showing here, for longer than the ponies, and I, have realized. Heck, a major part of their formative history details about windigos; which is one of the larger problems we're currently dealing with. So, yeah. I rather have them lose a 'fight' with me, than lose for real when it truly matters."
'So you broke them yourself so they may rebuild themselves into a worthy opponent.'
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Danny nodded. "Though, knowing my luck, it will first be put into practice on me." He sighed out, pulling a hand through his invisible hair. "Still no sign of Wind Chill, and I don't have any more time to look for him as well. Not to mention Twilight and the rest," Danny groaned in frustration. "If only I knew how to duplicate myself without it failing most of the time."
[color]'Not that creating a double of yourself would aid us in the matters at hand. You need to be whole, along with Eclipse and myself if we're to succeed in saving the changelings.'
"I know. It's just frustrating," Danny replied. "Just, with Sombra and the whole mess in the Empire at the start of today, and now this… I could do with something, anything just going our way for a change."
Sighing out tiredly, Danny rubbed his burning eyes.
"Cujo," he turned to his trusted companion; Cujo's ears perked up at his voice. "Can you go and find Wind Chill; steer him towards the changelings?"
With a half muffled bark, joined by a crunch and the sound of the bone in his mouth finally snapping, Cujo agreed with Danny's request.
Finally allowing himself a small smile, Danny gave Cujo a pat on the head, to which the eager canine gave him a slobbering lick over the face; revealing his otherwise invisible facial features through a layer of saliva mixed with bone fragments, after which Cujo ran off with a bark.
"... Uhughhh," Danny shuddered as he wiped off his face with both hands. "Ghost dog slobber."
'He seems to hold you in high regards,' Fenris remarked with humor lacing his voice.
"Don't get any funny ideas," Danny grunted as he removed the rest of the saliva.
A chuckle came from someplace deep within his mind.
'The guardian's enthusiasm aside, there are still a couple of questions I have.'
"Which are?" Danny asked as he hovered up, moving above the treeline to get a better idea where he was; allowing himself to become visible again.
'Firstly, why didn't you allow these hunters to see you. You did actively engage them, so why keep yourself hidden while still revealing yourself in such a way?'
"For one very simple reason," Danny answered grimly, frowning deeply. "Despite their lack of skill against a ghost, they have been trained, which means they know without a doubt who I am. My supposed crime ensures as much. Right now, they know for certain there are ghosts around here, and this will have consequences in the long run. However, if they knew who this ghost who attacked, and easily defeated them truly is… Honestly, calling it a shitstorm would most likely not cover the load. We are, after all, dealing with a nation full of magic wielding ponies. That alone is troubling, as magic is a hostile opposite to our spectral powers. However, their leaders, princess Celestia and Luna wield power great enough to move the sun and moon. If they know who I am… Well, I doubt I need to finish that sentence."
'... I see… It would seem there is more to this world than I initially thought,' Fenris murmured, deep in thought.
"Just rushed into this mess, huh? Yeah, I know what that's like," Danny half joked as he turned around, spotting a recognizable landmark and went on his way. "But this magic probably also explains that strange feeling I had after possessing Blue Ice. Though I'm not sure what it means, or what effect it will have over time."
'It would seem that with each answer we get, more questions arise as well.'
"Yeah...." Danny sighed out, his intangible tail twisting and flexing in his wake. "That, at least, is one constant that will not change any time soon. Let's just focus on saving the changelings for now. We'll deal with the rest later… hopefully after I've had a chance to actually go to bed first."
'Back during my life, we avoided such speech as it always ended up biting us in the rear,' Fenris told him.
"We've got the same thing back where I'm from," Danny answered readily. "But honestly, after the day I've had, I doubt it can actually get any worse." And with those words, he continued onwards to the Hive in silence; unaware of the slight shiver Fenris felt over such a blatant challenge to the forces unseen.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Not. A. Word!" Danny groaned as he watched the latest unexpected event play out before him; hand placed firmly against his head.
Sighing, he shook his head while dropping his hand back to his side. "I don't know what I was expecting with them. Of course they would do something like… this."
'I'm impressed above all else,' Fenris said. 'It takes strength of both mind and body to accomplish such a feat.'
"Please don't tell them that. Last we want is to encourage them," Danny groaned as he watched the spectacle..
Shaking his head a final time, he carefully approached the hovering group comprised of ponies, a changeling, Eclipse, and a massive herd of windigos; one of which being ridden by Scootaloo who, unless he completely misinterpreted the situation, seemed to be controlling the spectral equines.
Also, Abella seemed less than thrilled over this current unfolding development.
"WHY DO YOU PONIES ALWAYS DO THIS!?"
Not just seemed, it seemed.
"Alright," Danny half groaned in annoyance as he came to a stop behind Eclipse, scaring both Sweetie Belle and Abella as he spoke, while Scootaloo merely looked up at him in excitement as she saw him approach. "Though I'm sure there is a story to be told here, I find myself currently short on time and sleep. So, why don't we instead just ignore what is going on here for now, and just do what we've been trying to do from the start? Meaning, helping the changelings."
"FINALLY!" Abella huffed, then leered at Danny. "You've better brought that wolf guy!"
"Hey, yeah. Where is Fenris?" Asked Scootaloo, seemingly oblivious to Abella's mood as she looked down, scanning the ground despite it still being too dark to see anything from that high up.
"And where's Wind Chill… and Cujo?" Added Sweetie Belle.
"Long story," Danny told them, the tiredness in his voice palpable. "Wind Chill will come later, I hope. Cujo's looking for him last I saw him. As for Fenris, let's just get down there and you'll find out soon enough." He then stopped, blinked, then looked at the filly riding the windigo. "You do know how to get down, right?"
"Do I?" Said Scootaloo, a competitive edge to her voice. "Watch this!"
Before Danny even fully understood what happened next, Scootaloo had somehow managed to steer the windigo down into a steep dive; followed not even moments later by the rest of the herd while the pale human and Fenris in the backseat, Eclipse, Sweetie Belle, and Abella looked at the clearly insane filly as she whooped in unadulterated joy and excitement; steering the windigo with worrying skill, the spectral equine's hooves lightly scraping over the snow and ice covered ground as Scootaloo leveled out their fall at the last possible moment.
'Not. A. Word!' Danny repeated to Fenris as he himself felt a fearful shiver go down his spine.
"Let's just get this over with," he finally sighed out, diving down after Scootaloo as Eclipse did the same.
Dropping down, breaking through the thin crust of iced up snow, Danny's feet sunk a bit into the frost before settling down near his ankles; clumps of snow sticking to his boots' soles as he stepped towards the cave entrance leading to the changelings' city, Scootaloo already eagerly awaiting him and the others with perked wings and winning smile, while the windigo she'd ridden stood near her. The rest of the frozen equines all surrounded the small rocky hill, leaving only a small clearing for Eclipse to land besides Danny.
Sighing out, Danny looked at the entrance tiredly, knowing there was still much left to be done. "Eclipse," he glanced back, seeing Abella had already jumped off her back, Sweetie Belle standing next to her. "You ready?" He asked.
"As ready as you are," she answered, stepping closer to her master.
"Then let's not waste any more time," Danny said to all. "Let's go!"
<<>><<>><<>>
With echoing footfall, Danny entered the once grand city, which was now only moments away from becoming a tomb.
Frowning, with two closed fists at his side, he looked out into the hanging city with a mind set to determination; Eclipse joined him by his side, sharing his thoughts and feelings.
"We're running out of time," she said, looking around and spotting the few fires which still burned in the distance; their light noticeably weaker than last time they were here.
"Removing the cold only bought them a short moment longer," Danny added. "I just hope it was long enough."
'I won't be. Not for most of them. All we can do is focus on those who are still within our power to help.' Fenris said the grim truth they were all aware of.
"Let's go," Danny ordered, and he and Eclipse flew towards the castle; Sweetie Belle going as far as carrying Abella in her legs, much to the shapeshifting filly irritation. But the added weight, combined with the exhaustion of a truly long day slowed Sweetie Belle down considerably.
"Where do we even begin?" Asked Eclipse as she scanned the numerous sick and dead.
"Only one place I can think of; only one changeling," Danny grunted.
'Their queen,' Fenris agreed.
"Right," Danny nodded.
"But she's one of the weakest, maybe the weakest. Why start with her?" Eclipse asked.
"Because she's the weakest," Danny told her. "She has less time than all the others, yet she's also their leader. Imagine what a blow it must be to them should she die; what this would do to those still trying to hold on, and those desperately helping those still clinging to life?"
'This disease is not only one of body, but one of mind as well. Most of them have no strength left to go on, and would have succumbed if not for this last life line.' Fenris explained to her through their shared minds.
"They have a connection much like we have now," Danny added. "Something I noticed a while back; only saying so much around us, while continuing their conversations and whatnot without uttering a word."
"Of course, a hive mind," Eclipse realized, embarrassed she didn't notice this herself.
'Indeed. And sick as they are, their minds are still linked.'
"And if Chrysalis were to die, they would all know immediately," Eclipse realized.
"One final blow. One they would not be able to recover from," Danny muttered grimly. "But if she lives, the rest might be able to pull through as well… maybe."
"So we try to save the queen first, then go for the rest."
'That would be the best way to do this.'
"And which is why we are now here," Danny concluded as he barged through the throne room doors; dropping down, and skidding to a halt amidst wide eyed changeling colts and fillies, and one earth pony
"Danny!?" Apple Bloom shouted her surprise, then a relieved smile replaced her surprise as she ran towards the human and Eclipse. "You're back!"
"I am. So is Eclipse. Fenris is here too, but I don't have time to explain why he's nowhere to be seen," Danny said quickly, looking around. "Where's the queen?"
"Here," Erlea's voice came from his right, and he saw the filly leer at him, standing before the prone form of her mother. "Where's Abella!?" She demanded to know, despite her connection with her friend.
"I'm here!" Abella said, gasping, out of breath as she stormed into the throne room with Sweetie Belle.
Quickly stepping towards Chrysalis, Danny knelt down as he looked at the unmoving mare with worry and concern. "Is she-" a faint, ragged gasp answered his unfinished question, though it also showed just how close to the brink she was.
Standing back up, Danny's frown of worry was replaced by a glare of determination.
"Eclipse, Fenris, it's time to do our thing!"
"Right."
'Indeed.'
'Now, do any of you know how to do this thing?' Danny added mentally, standing still in what he hoped was a confident pose; all eyes on him. '... Anyone?'
'You mean you don't know?'
'Didn't you already go through this once before?'
'So did both of you… and it was in reverse. Now we're trying to undo, eh, redo, eh… whatever this thing is.'
'Shadow Bond,' Eclipse reminded him.
'Yes, that,' Danny replied, a nervous sweat starting to drip down his forehead as tense, long seconds ticked by with nothing happening.
'Well, what did either of you do for this bond to happen in the first place?'
"Ehh, Danny?" Apple Bloom said hesitantly.
"Hold on," Danny said hastily. "Trying to sort something out with the others… It's really crowded up here right now."
"Our lives are in the hands of a nut job!" Abella said in disbelief, staring at Danny with shocked, wide eyes.
"And this is how we changelings die!" Erlea cried out. "Fools amidst fools."
"Hey, don't give up like that!" Sweetie Belle yelled back.
'Guys, things are escalating. We need to do this, NOW!'
'Fenris stabbed through me before you! Maybe that's how it's done?'
'If that's so, then this is no longer possible as I am now contained within Danny.'
'Hold on. What if it wasn't Fenris stabbing us that caused this mess? What if it was the three of us mixing, so to speak?'
'You mean—'
'Hate mixed with darkness, infecting a body wracked by guilt.'
'But the only way that would be possible is if I were to possess you!' Eclipse said, uncomfortable.
'I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking it myself.'
'Then why are you even considering this? You know the dangers of a ghost possessing another ghost.'
'True. But you're not just another ghost. You're a part of me, regardless of anything else. Besides, do you have a better idea?'
'Well, no… But—'
'Now is not the time for doubt. Lives are at stake. We either take the risk, or risk losing not just the changelings, but any honor and dignity we have for not even trying. THAT, I will not accept. Not after everything we've gone through.'
'Me neither,' Danny agreed strongly. 'We've come this far. Might as well go all the way.'
Standing tall, Eclipse nodded her understanding. 'I understand. I shall do what must be done.'
'Good. Eclipse, possess me. NOW!'
"Right!" Eclipse said loudly, eyes flashing brightly for an instant. She then flew up, losing form as she arched up, then back down to Danny; becoming a column of darkness which slammed against, then seeped into his chest.
Danny gasped out as he staggered back; an alien sensation overwhelming his senses as he felt Eclipse shliter inside.
On instinct more than conscious thought, he grasped at his chest with both hands, shocking himself as he couldn't feel anything.
Looking down, the reason revealed itself immediately: his chest was no longer there. Instead, what greeted him was nothing more than a wavering cloud of toxic green smoke to which the rest of his body was connected to; a pitch black stain dead in the center, spreading out like an oil spill.
With a roar, Danny fell to his knees, his eyes burning fiercely as the stained smoke spread out, consuming his lower body and shoulders first; then continuing further and further as his entire being fell apart, even taking in the thermos still attached to him, until it reached his eyes. The last he saw before it consumed him wholly was the terrified looks of the foals around him. Then he lost form completely, and all that remained was a shapeless but coiling mass of black smoke which fell to the floor.
"It's strange how mortals think in times of danger. Their best efforts at survival failed, and death hangs thickly in the air," Gummy mused in contemplative thought as he, hidden from view, watched the group of ponies, changelings and conflicted human, with never blinking eyes.
"A strange moment where logic becomes illusion, when they will believe just about anything if it means salvation; reaching out to a 'higher' power, laying the foundation for misguided beliefs, and further, religion when unexpected events eventually lead to their sought after rescue; believing their wishes and pleas to be heard by their created deity, and changing their lives to the will of a fevered illusion."
"I've seen it countless times, over countless years, with countless cultures. Yet despite the obvious similarities, I can't help being surprised with all the differences. Whether a belief grows into religion fueled only by the accepted thought of a greater being, or beings, are watching them, unseen, unheard, but ever present; or how creatures of great power, created by machinations unknown to them, rose up to become the shining example for those willfully under them to live up to."
With a wet slap and a slow lick, he dragged his tongue over his right eye.
"Yet what about those chosen deities, those who are more than fictional creations of mass delusion? Creatures more powerful than the common mortal, longer lived sometimes as well, but just as much a mortal as any other. Creatures who crave the same needs and wants, placed in a position they themselves don't want to be; forced to uphold the standards and beliefs those who chose them made themselves. Beings capable of making mistakes like any other. And how such an unexpected flaw from a being greater than those mortals believe themselves to be, can shake the very foundation of their beliefs; the shift, or rupture even, it can and, as I've seen, often causes."
With a slow pull, his tongue slid back in his mouth.
"But despite all of this, I have never before witnessed something quite like this. Two beings of great might, both fallen from grace. One to hate and rage, another to guilt and shame, joined together to create something lost to a dying race neither belong to: Hope."
With a barely perceptible tilt of his head, he refocused his aim on the human ghost as he fell apart in darkness and shadows.
"Now I wonder, how will they react to the arrival of their salvation? Salvation in the form of a beast fallen to rage and corruption, cast out from his world, his kind, remembered as nothing more than a demon of blood… But none of that matters, of course. Nearly none of those present know your true history, giving you a chance to forge a new path for yourself, both of you."
With a narrowing of the eyes, he watched the building events unfold.
"You don't know it yet, but you have already begun your journey on this path of Destiny. A path that will see you as the saviours of more than just these changelings. A path of a warrior, a saviour, a protector… No, something much more, and much less. A being of incredible might and the ferocity to match: A beast with a heart. A guardian demon."
<<>><<>><<>>
"D-Danny?" Sweetie Belle stammered as she hesitantly shuffled towards the coiling mass of pitch black shadow.
"Did… Did he just fall apart?" Scootaloo gasped, wide eyed.
"But… he cain't have. He's supposed ta save tha changelings, right? Ponies who help others cain't just die like that, can they?" Apple Bloom fretted nervously, fearfully, every so often glancing at some of the deceased changelings. "He just cain't hav-"
With a clip clop of her hooves, Erlea wordlessly pushed past Apple Bloom, cutting her off while staring incredulously at the mass of black smoke. Abella, Devora, and several of the more daring changeling foals joining her, standing around the dark mass in a semicircle.
Erlea blinked, the tip of her tongue flicked past her lips as if to taste the air, her eyes growing wider and wider by the second.
"What the…" Devora trailed off, taking a small step back.
"Are you sensing what I am?" Abella asked nervously.
"I… I think so, but- Wait, where are you going?" Devora balked, looking at Erlea as she hesitantly took a small step closer to the darkness. Raising a leg towards the shadow, then pulling it back as if changing her mind, she bit her lip as she forced her leg to stretch out to the disintegrated human.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Abella yelled as she saw what her friend was doing.
"I… I'm not sure," she answered as she pressed her hoof into the black smoke.
The instant she touched the billowing darkness, a ripple spread out like a pebble being thrown in a still pond, and the young shapeshifter hastily pulled back her leg… except, she couldn't.
A thick strand of smokey darkness clung to her hoof, pulling her back and even further into the mass.
Screaming and kicking, Erlea tried to break free while her friends, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rushed to her aid; grabbing hold of her and pulling back with all their might. To no avail.
Further and further Erlea was pulled into the darkness, consuming more of her leg and spreading past her withers.
The others, still trying to pull her out of this fresh nightmare soon found themselves locked in moral dilemma as they either held on, trying to free Erlea and have the shadow smoke claim them too, or let go of her in an attempt to save themselves.
Yet as the darkness continued to crawl its way onto Erlea's body, already spread past her neck and busy swallowing her head, the last the young shapeshifter saw before the shadow consumed her eyes were changelings and ponies, all working together to save her; not stopping in their struggles, even when their hooves, legs and bodies were claimed by the darkness brought forth by Danny.
Then darkness seeped over her eyes. And her world went dark.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Sooo… what happened?" Danny asked, confused, looking around, but seeing nothing besides Eclipse and Fenris standing before him.
"Well, I possessed you… I think?" Eclipse responded, tapping a hoof on her muzzle as she thought.
"Seeing that we stand apart from Danny, as our own being, it stands to reason you did. But the same also implies something went wrong," Fenris surmised.
"Well, things going wrong is the theme of the day," Danny groaned sarcastically. "So, how do we fix… this?" He waved a hand at the nothingness surrounding them.
"To answer that, we need to know where, or what 'this' is," Fenris said, slowly turning on the spot to observe his surroundings.
"Well, 'this' looks like a whole lot of nothing to me," Danny remarked humorously.
"No," Fenris rumbled, turning to Danny. "We've been here before. It's where we faced each other, fought, then faced the storm to save your shade."
Once again Danny looked around, frowning, slowly combing a hand through his hair. "... Well, at least the weather cleared up. I guess that's a good thing," he half joked. "But, what? We're inside my head, or something? … I expected there to be a bit more than, well, nothing."
"No," Eclipse spoke up. "This isn't your consciousness. Not entirely, at least."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Stepping away from the two, Eclipse looked into the endless nothingness, remaining silent.
"Eclipse?" Danny urged on.
"It's a shared consciousness. A part of us, combined, allowing us to interact as we do without putting strain on either one of our individual minds by forcing it to deal with more than one mind not our own."
"... I guess that makes sense. But even so, why are we here? And more importantly, if we're here, mentally at least, then what is happening to us physically?" Danny queried, pacing on the spot.
"I possessed you, this I'm certain of," Eclipse told him.
"And my shade, or not, a ghost possessing a ghost always results in one thing, or the other. Never nothing. Experience has taught me as much."
"Then the questions we must ask now: What happened to you, us, to return here? What state is our physical being in? Did we come here because we now lack a proper vessel to interact with, or did something else happen which forced us back here?" Fenris told them.
"Or, you know, we didn't know what we were doing, and that's why we're here," Danny said simply, sighing while slumping his shoulders. "It's pretty much the same reason over and over again when something goes wrong around me. Not knowing what I'm doing. It's how I ended up with Eclipse, or Shadow actually," he hummed, scratching his chin while looking at the orange eyed shadow mare. "Speaking of, there are still some questions I have regarding what happened over at the Empire, among other things. Then again, I also wanted to go to bed, and instead we're here, stuck in our own minds, presumably, while trying to save a dying species."
A heavy sigh escaped him as he rubbed an eye with his fist. "Okay, all that aside, how do we get out of here and help those kids?"
"The same way we did before," Fenris rumbled in answer. "But this time we don't have the Elder's aid in showing us how. We must work with what she showed us when she pulled our minds free, and do it ourselves. Using our shared bond that links our fates together."
Looking at Eclipse, Danny released a tired groan, yet it was Eclipse who gave word to his thoughts.
"It's never easy, is it?"
"No," Danny said grimly. "It never is."
<<>><<>><<>>
For the better part of what seemed like an hour, but could have been days, weeks, or perhaps just minutes as time appeared to be just as meaningful as the emptiness around them, Danny, Fenris and Eclipse tried to come up with, and execute whatever plan seemed likely enough for them to escape this shared expanse of nothingness. So far, nothing had worked, much to the growing frustration of all present.
This, unnoticed for now, also had an effect on their surroundings, as still small, but growing clouds of turbulent nature started to billow around them.
"This isn't working," Danny groaned loudly in frustration after yet another failed, half assed attempt. "Let's face it, we have no idea what we're doing."
"That has never stopped you before, now has it?" Eclipse asked rhetorically.
"Well, maybe it has now. I mean, just look where all of this got me. Us! We're stuck in this endless nothing, while out there there are people who need our help. And what do we do? Heck, we don't even know that! We're completely stuck, and once again those who depend on me to actually help them end up dying because of my own inability to even understand my own powers. Let alone these freaky abilities I somehow gained over the last few weeks. SERIOUSLY, WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME ALL THE TIME!?" He roared, his eyes burning fiercely.
Around them, the turbulent clouds grew in size and strength; becoming several shades darker as a cutting wind began to pick up, finally drawing the attention of two of the three beings. But where Eclipse and Fenris now noticed the beginning vortex they only recently escaped from, Danny was too lost in his frustration and anger to see.
"Master!" Eclipse said cautiously, eyes shifting between the vortex and Danny.
"CALM DOWN!" Fenris roared as he grabbed one of Danny's arms and pulled him closer; lowering himself to glare into the human's eyes. "I did not join you just to be swept away in some uncontrolled burst of misplaced anger of some welp," he said so low his voice was barely above a whisper, yet each word could be heard with perfect clarity as his gaze bored into Danny. "You will calm down and control yourself, now!"
Grabbing Fenris by the wrist with his own, comparatively much smaller hand, Danny grunted as he tried to wreck the offending appendage off his arm.
"Let go of me!" He demanded, struggling without much success.
"You keep struggling, even when you know it is futile," Fenris grunted. "Desperately trying to stay in control. Why?"
"BECAUSE OTHERS GET HURT IF I DON'T!" Danny bellowed, eyes aglow. "Something you should know about."
Fenris tensed, his grip on Danny's wrist tightening painfully. Then a heavy sigh escaped him as he forced his hand open to release the human.
"This much is true," he admitted ruefully. "The greater the power one possesses, the greater the struggle to control it."
"Tell me about it," Danny muttered as he held his throbbing wrist, flexing his hand to restart the flow of blood to his fingers.
"But… what if…" Eclipse started, then trailed off as she looked to the side, lost in thought.
"What if, what?" Danny turned to her, still flexing his hand.
"You're both fighting yourselves to stay in control over your powers?"
"I wouldn't say fight, but yes," Danny calmed his hand, dropping his arm to the side while Fenris gave a grunt of acknowledgement. " What of it?"
"What if that is the problem?" She suggested.
"... What?"
"Think about it," she told them. "You made me possess you, an act that takes away control of one's body, in order to allow Fenris to appear. But by your own admission, you are still working to control yourself, thus fighting against my possession, making it impossible for me or Fenris to take over. That is why we're back here. We're all subconsciously fighting for control, and are locked in struggle because of it."
"If this is true," Fenris spoke with a low rumbling voice, "one of us must release control for the other to take over." Both he and Eclipse turned to Danny, who in turn stared back at the duo.
"And it all comes back to me doing something I'm not comfortable with," he groaned, shoulders slumping. "Well," he sighed out in part frustration, part exasperation, "might as well give it a shot." He blinked, looked around for a moment, then scratched his head. "Soo, how do I give up control?"
"Oh, I'm certain we will find a way," Fenris rumbled, towering over the pale human, obscuring him with his shadow while showing a fanged grin.
An uncharacteristic whimper came from Danny as he looked up at the wolf, dreading what was to come.
<<>><<>><<>>
Erlea was not having a good time.
No, that didn't properly convey how she felt.
Yesterday she didn't have a good time. Her day being truly bad, but simple at the very least. Her friends and family lay dying as a result of that tainted love spell, potent enough to blast every changeling in and near Canterlot halfway back to the badlands, leaving her and every other foal and scarce few healthy adult to tend to the sick, and dying, while also scrunching for whatever food they could find.
Today, she met them. From that point onwards, the world stopped making any sense.
Ghosts, spirits, a passage to the world beyond. A demonic wolf, an undead human of sorts, a weird green dog, ice giants, windigos, and more questions and confusion than she had ever experienced before.
And now, now she was stuck in… well she didn't really know. Nor did she want to know, just that it was very, very dark.
Yesterday was bad. Today had been nothing short of catastrophic.
At least she had her friends with her.
Unfortunately, they were also here.
"Well, this can't be good," Scootaloo commented matter of factly, trying her hardest to see anything, but failing miserably in the blinding darkness.
"Gee, what gave you that idea?" Sweetie Belle snarked, unable to see her friend, but turning to the source of her voice.
"Probably gettin' pulled inta tha cloud of darkness Danny turned inta," Apple Bloom offered. And though she was just as blind as the others, she could still feel their eyes bore into her. "... What?"
"INSANE!" Erlea screeched as her anger erupted. "YOU PONIES ARE ALL INSANE!"
"Well, yeah," Scootaloo admitted, shrugging as she looked at where she heard Erlea scream come from. "I mean, you've met us, right? Spirits, ghost wolves and what not. No pony in their right mind would stick around for long when dealing with those things."
"Ah feel like Ah should complain 'bout tha," Apple Bloom muttered, "if it wasn't also true."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle sighed in agreement. "We're certifiably insane."
All changelings present stared blankly as they processed that, fumbling for any kind of reply to this admission.
Eventually Abella managed to utter the one thought all changelings currently mulled over: "Are all of you ponies this insane?" There was no anger in her voice, nor any other hint of emotion. Just a monotoned question from one past the point of caring.
"Not really," Sweetie Belle was quick to answer.
"Well, there's Pinkie Pie," Scootaloo added after a second of thought.
"Ah don't know if insane is tha right thin' ta call Pinkie," Apple Bloom said doubtfully.
"Well, what else would you call her?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Ah don't think that word has been thought up yet," she said honestly. "Jus' Pinkie bein' Pinkie, Ah guess."
"But then, what about you?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Who, me?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Oh, no," Sweetie Belle chuckled lightly. "I mean, Erlea… Abella and Devora too, I guess. You guys did go through all of this, too and didn't run away."
"Except where Erlea did, when ya revealed ta be a spirit an' ya had ta catch her ta stop her from runnin' away," Apple Bloom reminded her.
"Well, okay. But except for that, they're still around. That has to count for something, right?"
"Yeah," Scootaloo hummed, nodding. "We're all insane together."
"WHAT!?" Erlea shouted, insulted. "YOU DARE COMPARE ME WITH THE LIKES OF YOU!?"
"Well, you did poke a hoof into that smoke thing Danny turned into. It's kinda why we're here now?" Scootaloo calmly interjected. Unseen by her, or any other for that matter, Erlea's mouth hung open as she was reminded.
"Though I hate to admit it, the pony has a point," Devora hissed in disgust.
"Why did you even do that?" Abella asked.
"Wha- you all felt the same thing, right?" Erlea turned to her friends.
"Yes, which is exactly why we didn't touch it," Devora stated flatly.
"Most of us even backed away from that thing," Abella added. "Yet even when we asked you what you were doing, if you were insane even, you still poked a hoof where you really shouldn't have. Why?"
"Well, I…. ehhh," Erlea fumbled, unable to give an answer.
"Don't forget the energy she spent controlling and wiping the minds of those two other ponies back at that orchard," Devora interjected while Apple Bloom harumped, crossing her arms while glaring at where she believed Erlea sat.
"FINE!" Erlea shouted, frustrated. "I messed up. Happy now?"
"You know we aren't," Devora sighed out. "But I get it. We tried everything else, and nothing worked. So why not try something insane instead. Not like we've got any other options anymore."
"Then why don't you try to believe in Danny?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, I know this is all kinds of bad, the way things are now. But I know Danny wouldn't just give up just because of this. He'll pull through, and save all of us."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle agreed wholeheartedly.
Erlea groaned loudly, angrily. "You're still going on about that freak? I tried trusting you, and look where it got us. What's next? Time travel?"
"Nah, I tried that myself," Scootaloo admitted readily, and Erlea was stunned into silence. "Went back in time to save my parents, but met my future self instead."
"Wait, what?" Apple Bloom balked.
"It's a long story," Scootaloo told her friend.
"You mean you really went back in time?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Like I said, long story!" Scootaloo repeated.
"Ya went back in time ta meet yer future self?" Apple Bloom asked, confused.
"Looooong story," Scootaloo groaned. "Look, just trust me on this," she turned back to Erlea. "Yes, things are bad now. But as is, now it can only get better. And if nothing else, you can trust in Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and me to stick by your side and do whatever we can to help."
"... Why?" Abella asked.
"Life is unfair," Scootaloo told them, shrugging. "And no matter how much you might wish for things to be different, you will always run into something to knock you back down. I know this. So do all of you. But there is one thing you can always count on to help you through the worst of it: Friends. And we'll help our friends, no matter what," she answered strong and proudly, head held high.
****
With a flash, one of the seeds of life responded to the growth within the young pony; growing in turn, its branch hanging down from the increased weight while Zecora gasped out, witnessing the event as she stood besides the Elder; eyes wide and unblinking.
"And so another grows into their destined role," the Elder hummed proudly.
****
"And don't you think we'll give up on you, or Danny!" Scootaloo stated firmly, stomping a hoof on the ground with a resounding 'crack'.
A flash of orange suddenly blinded them, and they all yelped out in surprise and fright.
Blinking the spots out of their vision, they snapped their heads from left to right to find out what had happened; realizing that now, somehow, they could see without any hindrance as faint orange light illuminated everything. Which did nothing to ease their worries, as now they could see the billowing cloud that had sucked them in, shrinking down onto them.
Several of the younger changelings cried out as they huddled together, while Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Erlea, Abella, Devora, and several other changelings stood around them, glaring at the shrinking darkness.
"Come on, Danny. Snap out of it!" Scootaloo shouted, wings flared.
Then, as if a bubble burst, the darkness around them fell apart and they found themselves right where everything had started: The throne room.
A layer of fine smoke like mist still hung above the floor, hanging still for a short moment until, with a ripple of orange light covering it entirely, it slid away, moving towards the group of changelings lying near the dying embers of what once were the fires made to keep them warm.
"Wha- what is happening?" Abella asked, confused, worried.
"IT'S GOING FOR THE OTHERS!" One of the children yelled, pointing a trembling hoof, which slowly fell down as they all witnessed what happened next.
The shadow flowed in between the sick like thick oil, moving through the numerous holes in their legs and wings, clinging to their bodies.
One by one, the changelings started to twitch, then groan, before shouting in distress; a wavering glow of sickly red surrounding them as small streams of black rose up from their bodies, before being sucked in by the darkness still surrounding them.
Hooves reached out to the sky as more and more darkness was pulled out of their bodies; their voices hoarse and ragged as they cried out.
Then, all at once, the screaming stopped, their bodies slackened, and legs falling to the ground.
The shadow still surrounding them flexed and twitched in the crushing silence that followed, then, slowly, pulled away; slithering off to the side where it coalesced into a small but dense spot on the floor; all eyes locked on it, wide in fear and morbid fascination.
With a faint gurgle coming from the blot on the ground, it began to rise up; taking a familiar bipedal shape, and for a brief moment Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked hopefully at the increasingly recognizable form of Danny, until his form started to fill up more and more.
His size became greater, his chest grew broader, as his arms became longer, thicker, while his face grew more elongated, a muzzle sticking out as he became more and more wolf-like, while still covered in the obscuring darkness of the shadow he spawned from. Then, with a wavering flash of orange, his cloudy appearance became sharper, more defined, and a grating growl escaped him as he dropped to a knee; catching himself with a hand while panting heavily.
"Danny?" asked Apple Bloom, taking a hesitant step towards the frightening beast.
"... Fenris," Sweetie Belle said, daring a step as well.
Upon hearing his name, Fenris' head snapped towards the fillies, his pitch black eyes void of any kindness, and the two fillies backed away twice as fast.
His labored breath increased, his chest expanding and shrinking with each lungful of air he struggled to take and he threw his head back; a strangled howl escaping him as darkness spewed forth from his mouth, filling the air with a black, oppressing cloud that, all conscious to witness it, recognized as pure evil.
Fallen to both knees, holding himself up with both massive paws on the ground, Fenris growled through teeth with each breath he took.
Lifting one of his hands, he wiped away some of the disgusting filth still clinging to the side of his mouth, flicking it away as he pushed himself up with a grunt; glaring up at the concentrated cloud of extracted hate with pure loathing, both his claws unsheathing, aglow with spectral might.
With a ferocious cry, he slashed both claws deep within the concentrated hatred. Deep, glowing gashes remained after his claws passed through, sizzling loudly as if a hot iron was pressed against bare skin; small wisps of the darkness leaking away, dropping to the ground while the glow of his might spread out in small fissures throughout the darkness.
With a deep rumble, Fenris destroyed the escaping wisps with a flurry of slashes; not stopping for a moment as he continued to destroy the accumulation of poisonous hatred until nothing remained, unleashing a bestial roar as the last of the hate was cut down and destroyed completely.
Then, his legs gave out, and he once again fell to his knees, catching himself with both paws while panting loudly.
All children watched the terrifying beast as it heaved for air, until another sound forced their attention.
With a gasp from them all, they saw the sick twitch and move; some even sluggishly trying to push themselves back up, but lacking sufficient strength to do so, and falling back to the floor each and every time.
No longer thinking about the wolf and what they just saw him do, Erlea, and the other changelings rushed to their friends and family, unable to believe what they were seeing while they did what they could to aid the sick.
"I removed, ghraa… all of the hate which consumed them," Fenris' deep rumbling voice filled the room, grunting in fatigue and disgust as he looked up at the foals with, now, blue eyes. "They are still weak, but should recover… given time and proper medical care."
"Fenris?" Sweetie Belle asked warily, taking a small step closer to the wolf.
"Yes," he confirmed with a grunt, pushing himself back on his feet, standing unsteadily for a bit before finding his balance.
Biting her lower lip nervously, Sweetie Belle dared to ask: "What just happened… with you, and Danny I mean?"
Taking a deep breath, swelling his chest immensely, he pushed the horribly familiar feeling of hatred clinging to him through and through away from him. A minute passed before he exhaled and answered the young pony.
"The Phantom and I were at odds over control, yet did not realize this until later. When we did, it was a simple matter of asserting dominance," he explained, then suppressed a shudder.
"Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked him, looking at him quizzically, head tilted to the side.
"I am. Or will be," he stared at his claws, flexing them. "The shadow and I are back together again. A part of myself I cut out countless years past. Only now do I realize the hole that resided within me. It will take time for me to get accustomed to this again. Time these shapeshifters don't have."
"An' what 'bout Danny?" asked Apple Bloom.
"He's with me," Fenris told her, blinked, ears twitching. "And he wants to know about your friend time traveling, when time allows for it."
"Wait, he heard that?" Scootaloo asked, surprised.
"We all did," Fenris informed her.
Shaking off the last strain of exhaustion, he straightened his posture as he turned his attention back to the changelings. Watching with a growing sense of satisfaction as he saw many of the children being held by a loved one, crying tears of elation.
Sighing, he rolled his shoulders, then sniffed the air; turning to the opened doors of the throne room, grimacing as he knew his work was far from over.
"I understand your desire to celebrate," he spoke up, loudly, "but there are more who need tending to. Those of you who are capable, accompany me so we may save as many as possible."
Not waiting for a reply, he marched out through the doors, the 'smell' of hate guiding him to where he needed to go while, with a hesitant gait, several youngsters followed after the terrifying wolf. Only Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined him without reservation, soon urging the changelings on to keep up, while Apple Bloom, Erlea, Devora and a small number of others stayed behind to tend to those Fenris already freed from hate's poisonous grasp.
"He did it," Erlea mumbled in disbelief. "He actually did it."
The calm breathing of her mother was the only answer.
Nothing had ever sounded better to her.
<<>><<>><<>>
He was lucky, Fenris soon realized, that the children had put so much effort grouping together those afflicted by hate. It made his strenuous task marginally easier as he wouldn't have to traverse the majority of the city to aid those still clinging to life.
Not that his task was any easier when it came to actually removing the hatred from the shapeshifters.
Whole as he was now, the centuries apart from the piece of himself he cut out that blood drenched night meant he now had to regrow accustomed to who and, more importantly, what he was, and now is again.
The power he once wielded without restraint, lost with the removal of his demon, now seemed immense and nearly overwhelming to him; draining him to the point of exhaustion as he simply wasn't able to properly wield this might. His might.
This only served as a reminder just how far he had fallen, and how far he still had to go to rise up once again.
Yet the time to do so, to get familiar with his lost self was unavailable as those around him needed not him as he was now, but the wolf of the ancient Three he used to be.
And so, with penance in mind and sheer stubbornness in action, he pushed himself onwards with claws unsheathed and aglow, trying not to show too much of how draining this was on him.
Of course, keeping his weariness hidden from the children was a simple task. Or, simple in comparison against the one now sharing in his fate.
'You won't be able to keep this up. You know this,' Danny stated in a matter of fact.
'Don't waste time pointing out the obvious,' he shot back.
'Oh, just making sure we're on the same page here,' Danny snorted. 'I'd probably do the same thing, though. Heck, I did the same thing already, while fighting Pariah Dark. Going well past my own limits.'
'Then why even bring it up?'
'Seems like the right thing to do. And seeing how I'm backseat driving right now, it's about all I can do… I think? Anyhow, just try to pace yourself. I'm all for saving the changelings, but it won't do them, or us any good if you collapse from exhaustion before the job is done.'
'Then be quiet and let me focus,' Fenris snapped.
'... So this is what it's like for Eclipse,' Danny murmured. A deep sigh followed shortly there after. 'Fine, just be carefull, alright…. Man, I hate being useless.'
With that last complaint, Danny fell silent, allowing Fenris to focus his mind on the task lying at his feet: the gathering of changelings lying and shivering before the extinguished fires; the group of foals following behind coming to a stop, anxiously waiting to see what he would do next.
Raising a hand up, he stared intently at the claw extruding from his fingers; staring past the green glowing razors and to the changelings on the ground below.
"Brothers, if you can hear me, let this act be the first small step towards forgiveness," and he plunged his claw in the chest of the nearest changeling; feeling the hate cling to his being the second he penetrated the shivering creature, sickening them both to their cores as he worked methodically, cutting out the poison with uncanny precision, then destroying it with one unforgiving swing from his claw.
With the one changeling taken care of, he freed his claw, the shapeshifter crying out in response while he stepped away, shaking his head to clear the haze that had settled in his mind; the cries and roars of combat long past rising up as hate responded to him. And had it not been for the second soul residing within, working to strike down the shadows of his unforgivable past... He shook his head and focused on the next shapeshifter, and started the process over again, and again, and again, until no changeling remained poisoned with the same curse he fell to so long ago.
<<>><<>><<>>
Across the vast expanse of stars, on a planet both similar and alien to Earth and Equestria, two large wolves oversaw their charges.
Nuntis, the white wolf, shepherd of the sun, resting on a hill covered in tall grass, watching numerous pups play in the distance.
Sköll, the wolf of the earth, burdened with the responsibility of his fallen brother to maintain the constant of night, fulfilled his duty as he shepherded the sun down to the horizon, bringing an end to this day.
Both wolves were weary, tired from age, and the burden from taking up the mantle of responsibility left in the wake of their brother's demise. Both carried the scars that told the tale of that terrible night, with the most noticeable being Nuntis' left eye, once a burning red, now milky and dull, while Sköll carried a wicked criss cross of scars on his abdomen, his fur refusing to grow back.
A faint breeze brushed through the grass, rustling their fur as it struck, and both wolves tensed up, standing up tall and alert.
A voice, as faint as the wind that had blown, yet as clear as the setting sun reached them, and a shiver ran down their spines.
For the last hour and a half, the Hive had been a near litteral beehive of activity. Danny, or at the time, Fenris had worked with dedicated focus to extract the poisonous hate from all those afflicted by it; only stopping to rest when he finished about twenty or so minutes ago, and leaving the task of caring for the sick to the foals now running and, if possible, flying around.
Danny, now himself again as Fenris had retreated back into his mind, returning control over his body, leaned heavily against a wall as exhaustion slammed into him, hard. True, he had been stuck on the backseat, so to speak, but even then he shared in the strain and effort Fenris went through, leaving precious little energy left for him to work with.
Slowly sliding down, Danny rested his head on his knees with a weary sigh, closing his eyes and just letting the world around him wash away into white noise as the full drain of the day's activities made themselves known.
Of course not all sounds were washed away, and the occasional cry for help cut through the rumble of voices, pounding hooves, buzzing wings, and magical chime, as those too weak succumbed.
Danny grimaced each time, knowing that before this was over more would have passed. They did what they could, but for some, it simply wasn't enough. It was a fact he realized the moment he learned the state the changelings were in. The changeling foals, too, learned this fact the hard way over the long weeks they fought this losing battle. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, however, were not really prepared. They understood that changelings had died, and were still dying when they first came here. But the realization that there were still those dying, even after they were 'saved', was a painful blow, and a harsh lesson to them: Sometimes, your best efforts just aren't good enough. Not for everyone, at the least.
Sighing out tiredly, which grew in a long, drawn out yawn, Danny lifted his head up enough for him to look over his knees; rubbing his eyes with the back of a hand, compromising his vision for a moment, as he saw blurred shapes rush from left to right.
"At least we've gotten to all of them," he murmured sleepily, finding an odd sense of comfort at his words.
"Not all of them," a young voice squeaked and the tired human shifted his blurred sight to the ill defined, black shape beside him; staring up at him with his large, slightly luminescent, pale blue eyes.
Danny groaned, blinking several times to sharpen his vision and properly see the young colt.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran from one changeling to the next without pause, exhausted, but unwilling to allow it to stop them, they continued helping the changelings any way they could, but more often than not, unable to do more than replace a pillow, or a blanket kicked away during the wild tossing and turning as Fenris worked his 'magic' on them.
Still, as little help as they were right now, it was still more than the third pony in the room was able to accomplish.
Sweetie Belle, just as eager to help as her friends, soon faltered and stumbled, unable to focus, and slowing everyone down; shaking her head persistently, while holding a hoof against her temple as if she had a particularly bad headache.
Noticing their friend's troubles, both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took a moment from their continuous errant run to stop and help their friend. Much to their surprise and shock, however, their willingness to help was rudely turned down as Sweetie Belle snapped at them without cause, her eyes glowing bright green, before flickering and returning to her mortal, un-glowing green.
"What the hay, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo shouted, staring at her friend.
"I-" Sweetie Belle shook her head, eyes clenched shut while grimacing.
"Are ya alright?" Asked Apple Bloom, stepping closer once again as she tried to place a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
"Ye… yeah," Sweetie Belle mumbled unconvincingly, this time not lashing out at her friend and allowing her to close the distance. "Just tired, is all."
"You sure?" Scootaloo looked at her dubiously.
"Well, she has been runnin' an' flyin' all over tha place. Ah s'pose everypony would be tired after that. Danny certainly is."
"Then what about her eyes glowing and flickering like that?" asked Scootaloo, not at all convinced.
"I, eh… wha?" Sweetie Belle looked at her friend, confused.
" 'T must be a spirit thaing, or something?"
"I guess," Scootaloo ruffled her wings. "Just… don't know. Got a bad feeling about this."
"Well, maybe Danny knows. He's been a ghost for years now," Apple Bloom suggested, right when Danny walked into the throne room and all three fillies watched the tall biped as he stopped, looked around, frowned, then set his sights on them, and approached.
"Hi, Danny," Apple Bloom greeted, her smile just a little bit forced, as two changelings ran past her.
"Girls," Danny nodded a tired greeting. "Do you know where Erlea is?"
"... Ehhh," Sweetie Belle glanced at her friends, surprised by the question. "Isn't she with her mother, Chrysalis?"
"Makes sense," Danny muttered as he combed a hand through his hair, stopping halfway to scratch his scalp.
Dropping his arm after messing up his hair, he turned to leave, only to be blocked by both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo; reared up and pressing their fore hooves against his waist.
"Danny, wait!" Apple Bloom said urgently, looking up at him with big eyes.
"Okaayyy….? Don't have a lot of time though, so better make this quick."
Dropping down to all four hooves, both ponies looked at Sweetie Belle standing behind Danny, shuffling her left fore hoof on the ground in uncertainty.
"It's about Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo told him. "Something weird's going on, and maybe it's because of her powers."
"Weird?" He said, looking at the small unicorn.
"Really girls, I don't think it's anything," Sweetie Belle told them, trying to ignore the staring.
"Then why did your eyes flicker and flash like that?" asked Scootaloo.
"Or did ya jus shout at us like tha?" Apple Bloom added.
"Really. I'm just tired, is all," Sweetie Belle defended herself.
Sighing out, Danny knelt before the filly. "You only just gained your powers, right?" at Sweetie Belle's confirming nod, Danny chuckled lightly. "Don't worry too much about it," he told the fillies. “My powers were also unstable when I first got them. Can't even remember how many plates I broke as they fell through my hands. Not to mention me sinking through the floor, or the involuntary invisibility. Besides, you've been up all night, flying around and doing I don't even know how much. And you clearly are tired, plus the added strain of spectral exhaustion. Just get some sleep, and you'll be fine," he smiled at the relieved fillies, then stood up and stretched himself with a groan. "Now to tackle this other problem," he muttered through a groan.
"Other problem?" Apple Bloom asked, her previous worries forgotten after Danny's words, only for her ears to twitch in concern.
"Yeah… Just, don't worry about it," he told them, seeing the look in their eyes. "Just point me towards Erlea, and I'll take care of it."
"Ehh…" Apple Bloom glanced at Scootaloo, who in turn looked at Sweetie Belle; the latter shrugging in response. "Okay, follow me, Ah guess," Apple Bloom told Danny, pushing a path through the flittering mass of changeling foals.
Rolling his shoulders, and for the umpteenth time wishing he could just go to bed, Danny followed after the bow wearing pony, before he lost her in the mass of bodies, despite her sticking out in the sea of black changelings.
"Okay… ehh… I guess I'll go help over there, then?" Scootaloo said, unsure, looking at her remaining friend. "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle nodded sluggishly. “Just gonna sit here and rest a bit, okay?"
"Kay," Scootaloo gave a small smile, patted her friend on the wither, then moved off, to help the changelings once more.
Sitting down as she said she would, Sweetie Belle groaned as she clenched her eyes shut; shaking her head as if in pain. Taking several deep breaths, she slowly pried open her lids, a snarl on her lips as her eyes flashed green while her pupils turned catlike for the duration of the glow.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Over here, Danny!" Apple Bloom called back as she led Danny through a set of corridors, she herself had become quite acquainted with over the long hour prior; she helped carry Queen Chrysalis back to her chamber to rest, (her earth pony strength helping considerably, nor was she weakened due to a lack of food).
Erlea, she knew, was there as well; doing everything in her power to keep her mother from slipping over the edge like several others had done after Fenris cut out the hate. The fact Chrysalis was one of the worst afflicted made this a precarious task to be sure, and it could be considered nothing short of a miracle she hadn't already succumbed.
Not only that, but the task of leading the changelings, or those who remained and were still active, also rested on the far too young shapeshifter's shoulders, who was forced to juggle the tasks of tending to her mother and issuing orders to keep things running smoothly with next to no experience, other than what she had picked up over the last few trying months.
Of course this meant she made mistakes, and plenty of them. The last most noticeable actually got most of them 'consumed' by some unholy shadow. Which admittedly, did work out for them in the end, but still. She knew, had always known, she was not cut out to be a leader. Not like her mother.
That was, until she too made a mistake. One that almost cost them everything. And now, seeing her mother, and her scuffed and slightly cracked chitinous form, slowly and shallowly rising and falling with each weak breath she took, combined with the stress of all those harrowing days, weeks, and months, in the privacy of her mother's chamber, she finally allowed her frustration to truly break free; releasing a harrowing cry as she punched against a wall, hot tears streaming down her face; remembering just how everything began to fall apart.
****
Day of the Royal Wedding
~This day is going to be perfect~
A nervous excitement filled the air, and Erlea's wings flittered in response as she, Abela, Devora, every other foal, and the few adults still in the hive, listened with almost single minded focus to the hive mind; all the reports and acknowledgments coming in almost at once, proof of the flawless execution of her mother's plan. A plan she had worked on for over a year ever since her husband, the king, died of starvation.
A rumble came from her stomach, but she ignored it. Not much longer now, and noling would have to suffer starvation for much longer, and instead she focused on the voices of the scouts; the small group moving in, before the main force, after her mother had given the signal and set everything in motion, searching for targets of high emotive value, to be targeted before all others while the pony guards were occupied by the main assault force.
Her wings, buzzing the entire time, stopped, however, when just about every pony encountered by the scouting party were deemed appropriate, and she could almost feel the nurturing sustenance of such a wealth of love, happiness, and other positive emotions, making her stomach rumble much louder in response.
A sound coming from every other changeling around her.
Not long thereafter, Erlea picked up on the excited report that their forces were even able to overwhelm and capture the Element wielders, further cementing their complete victory and a cry of celebration echoed through the, now far too quiet and empty city.
It would seem that, finally, after all those long years, centuries even, their luck was finally looking up.
If only her dad could have been here to see the day.
Erlea sighed in mix of relief and sadness, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she shook her head to clear her thoughts; disconnecting herself from the hive mind lest she accidentally showed everyling her thoughts and feelings. Something her mother had told her time and time again to be careful with, as it didn't befit a ruler to share her every thought without control, and leaving her an open book. It was for that very reason that her mother did not let herself be heard over the hive mind, except when she gave her orders, or requested updates.
All of it was calculated, planned and done with uncanny efficiency only achieved by those who, literally, shared their thoughts.
It was because of this that, when Erlea reconnected to the hive mind, the panicked shouts of her mother shocked her almost as if she was bucked in the teeth.
Somehow, somewhere, something had gone terribly, horribly, catastrophically wrong.
She, as well as every other changeling in the city suddenly cried out in pain, clutching at their heads as a disabillitating blast of interference wracked their connection, and all dropped to the ground in a heap as thousands of voices shouted over one another, lost in the jumble of noise, with most of whatever was said lost entirely, as their shared mind fell apart right then and there.
Erlea didn't know how long it lasted, nor when she passed out as a result of the agony assaulting her mind, or how much time passed as she laid there before twitching and waking. The only thing she did know was, as she groggily tried to push herself up and from the ground, that the quiet of the city, did not compare to the tomb like silence in her mind. The always present hive mind, either a symphonic cacophony of voices when focused upon, or a gentle droning in the back of her mind when disconnected, was silent. Completely and utterly silent.
"H-hello?" she called out, both physically and mentally, hoping for a response on both sides.
"What… what the buck just happened?" Devora cried out as she pushed herself back on unsteady hooves, swaying dangerously before falling to her knees.
"I- I don't know!" Erlea answered as she wobbled to her friend, offering her a shaking hoof and grunted in exertion as she pulled Devora back to her hooves. "Do you… Can you hear the others?"
Devora blinked, staring at Erlea with glassy eyes, unfocused. "No," she answered, shaking her head as her eyes refocused. "What the dung beetle happened?"
"I don't know?" Erlea replied nervously, biting her lower lip in worry and piercing the skin with a fang; a small trail of greenish blood starting to stain her chin.
Shaking her head forcefully, she looked back at her friend. "Find Abella, and everyling else. We must see if they're okay, and find out what happened to the hive mind; and more importantly, everyling out there."
"And how do we do that? Without our connection, where do we even start to look?"
"I- I have no idea," Erlea looked down at her hooves, took a deep breath, and pushed her fried nerves as far back as she could before looking back up and meeting her friends eyes. "But we have to do something. We'll start here, and work our way out. And if we're lucky, maybe the connection will recover."
"Yeah, if," Devora hissed in uncertain fear. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."
"I know, and that's why we can't stand here and do nothing. We need to figure this out, now, before anything worse happens. If we, here in the city, miles away from the fight are affected like this by whatever the hay just happened, then image what happened to everyling… to my…" her voice suddenly stopped working as the full ramifications of what she said to her friend just hit home.
Before everything fell apart, she could hear her mother's panic broadcasted over the hive mind, and a truly numbing shiver ran down her spine.
"We have to find them," she said in finality. "We have to!"
****
And they did.
As she had hoped, after several of the longest hours of her life, the subtle drone of the connection in the back of her mind returned. But after its absence and hours of silence with nothing else but her own thoughts and worries, the sound came crashing in like an avalanche, terrifying her with its sudden return, just as it did to every other changeling, and a new rounds of cries and shouts reverberated off of the city walls, to be swallowed by the chasm far below the hanging city.
Once the initial shock had passed, and the connection re-established, everything quickly became both better, and worse.
Status updates of the scattered forces all came in at once; a complete mess of voices; the mind's harmony completely out of whack, and it took forever for a voice of command to break through. But when she did, Queen Chrysalis quickly and efficiently got everyling to, quite simply, shut up. Then, after a second time of unnatural quietness on their connection, she spoke. Her voice tired, bedraggled, but clear and authoritative.
Orders were given, and those injured, but capable were instructed back to return to the hive. Those in better shape were send out to locate and take their less fortunate brethren back, or to locate and mark the position of those fallen for later pick up. They wouldn't leave behind their death, but priority had to be given to those still alive.
Then, with these tasks given, Chrysalis requested an update of the current situation not relating to the orders she just issued.
Again, a storm of voices crashed into each other, and again the queen had to assert herself to quiet the storm. Then, one by one, more and more details of what happened, and was still happening were revealed to any listening, and Erlea's eyes grew wider and wider with every report she heard. But then a final voice spoke up, and for a second time she felt her mother's worry as she cried out in frustration.
A group of them had been captured and detained; locked away in the prison of the city they had conquered just before that.
'We have to help them!' She remembered herself calling out, taking everyling, even herself by surprise, and she could almost feel the wince of her mother as she realized her daughter had overheard everything.
Even worse, after a bedraggled sigh, Chrysalis reaffirmed her orders to return to the hive, and told the captured to stay put and await further orders.
At the time, Erlea didn't understand, and she called out in protest. But a harsh hiss from her mother stopped her cold. Though it wasn't the tongue flailing sound, but the overwhelming sense of shame she felt that froze her mid-sentence.
Later she understood why, both the shame, and why noling was send to rescue their friends and family, as all those who returned were battered, bruised, or down right beaten to a pulp, including her mother; mane tangled up, half of it seemingly missing. Numerous cuts bleeding all over her body, which needed tending quickly. Her right hind leg was kept off the ground, making her wobble as she refused to put any weight on it. And one of her eyes was swollen shut. And yet, despite all of this, she smiled a sad smile as Erlea came running to her with a cry of worry; jumping in a ready arm as she clung to her mother's chest, feeling her mother nuzzle her while holding her in a tight hug.
"And then the sickness came," Erlea muttered through sniffles as she stared at the slight chip in the wall where she had just punched, remembering how, one by one, her friends and family started to fall ill.
At first it was believed to be the result of the lack of energy they had left after the failed invasion, with the more severely injured succumbing faster than others. But when changelings fortunate enough to pass through the ordeal without any injury save scraps and bruises began to fall seemingly overnight, the truth slowly began to present itself.
Things became dire quicker and quicker, and it didn't take long for everyling to realize that everyone who fell ill were all involved in the invasion, while those who remained in the city did not. Worse still, this left the task to tend for the sick to a dwindling number of changelings while more and more of their loved ones collapsed.
And then, the sickness claimed their queen, and whatever shred of hope they had to pull through was quickly torn to pieces as the sickness spread out in a wave, accelerating and claiming more and more changelings each hour of the day until only the foals, and the select few older who stayed behind in the city were left.
And to add to this out of control disaster. The invasion had drained what few scraps of food they had left, and now those few were forced to spread themselves between helping their fellow changeling, and venture out and scavenge food where ever they could find it.
The oldest among them first took this task upon them; searching for any source of love, happiness, or even contentedness among all creatures. But any large population capable of generating the food they needed were either too far away for the few that ventured forth, or at high alert after the attack on Canterlot, leaving them with no other choice but to avoid these places and seek out other sources out in the wilderness. Yet the few creatures they found, ranging from rabbit, birds, and squirrels, just didn't provide them with what they needed. Not in the quantities they required, at the least.
At one point, in a desperate attempt to both find food, and maybe, possibly a cure, one of the older changelings took a risk. A extremely risky, poorly thought out, risk born out of desperation. He took on the form of a seemingly unimportant unicorn pony, and set out to cross one of these tears, enter this other world they had only heard about, and was never heard from again.
After the loss of Aeshna, and their reserves completely exhausted, Erlea, the princess and current leader, as her mother had fallen ill, was then forced to make one of the most difficult decisions ever. Stay, take care of everyone and slowly starve to death. Or send more out there, hope to find something, anything to eat and lose those who went without aid.
Though both choices were terrible, she knew which one she had to pick; what she had to sacrifice to, hopefully, give the Hive a fighting chance, as slim as it might be. And so, she, Abella, Devora, and half of the other foals left to gather food, while the rest remained to do what they could.
All of it, every decision she'd made then and thereafter; all consequences as a direct and indirect result of it weighted down on her, as if the city itself was crashing down on her, and she weakly scraped a hoof over the chip in the wall.
'Don't… blame yourself.'
Erlea's ear twitched, and she looked around, confused, sure she had heard something. But as she strained her hearing, all she heard was her mother's calm but shallow breathing.
'You did what you could.'
A faint gasp escaped her as she slowly stepped closer to her mother; realizing, but not believing just yet, that the sound she 'heard' was a whisper in her head.
"Mom?" She asked, cautiously hopeful as she gently placed her fore hooves on the bed near her mother's face and pushed herself up to get a better look at her mom.
'None of this was your fault.'
Now she was certain, and as she leaned in closer, she could see just the tiniest glint of green of her mother's iris as she looked at her daughter through a barely opened eye.
"MOM!" Erlea cried out, jumping onto the bed fully and burying her face in the crook of her mother's neck, sobbing.
'It's alright, child,' Erlea now clearly heard her mother speak, even if physically she lay unmoving on the bed. 'It's alright.'
"No it isn't. None of this is," Erlea muttered, which earned her no reply. Slowly pushing away, she finally noticed her mother had drifted off again, and Erlea breathed a heavy sigh as she rubbed her eyes dry of tears.
"In here, Danny," the familiar, yet muffled voice of Apple Bloom came through the door, followed moments later by a trio of knocks, clearly not made by a hoof.
"What is it? What do you want!?" Erlea called out, irritated.
"There is something we need to talk about," Danny answered, voice grim. "And, no. It can't wait," he informed her. Then, after a moment, he added: "It's about those imprisoned in Canterlot."
This caught her attention, and with a gasp Erlea rushed for the door; unlocking the onyx portal with a flicker of her horn, (the most she could manage, but fortunately just enough to activate the runes controlling the opening, or closing of the portal; same as the castle's gate, and every other home in the city).
As the stone slab blocking the passage seemingly melted away, it revealed the human and pony standing on the other side; the former watching with a bemused expression at the door, which soon turned serious when he spotted Erlea, the latter equally amazed, but having seen this happen before when they opened the castle's gate.
"What about them?" Erlea didn't waste any time, glaring up at Danny.
"They're still sick, and we know they can't be treated by anything the ponies have. And the longer they stay there, the worse their situation will become."
"So, what? We can't exactly stop by, wave and smile, ask for them to give us back our friends and family."
"Not on a short notice, no," Danny shook his head, only knowing some details about what had happened during the invasion. "Though I doubt they would deny them the medical aid they require."
"So ya're gonna tell 'em ya're a ghost?" Apple Bloom asked, hopefully.
"If it would solve these problems, probably. But right now, it would only make things far, far worse. If I tell them what I am, and who, they'd attack me where I stand."
"Then what?" Erlea demanded, frowning. "We can't just go over there and break them out of prison."
"And why not? Wouldn't be the first time I broke into, and out of a prison." Danny said, grinning ever so slightly as he looked in the wide eyes of the young shapeshifter; seeing the flash of green from his eyes reflect in her's, while she and Apple Bloom looked up at him with ever widening eyes at his admission. “And knowing my luck, it won't be the last either."
<<>><<>><<>>
Hidden in the mountain of ice, unseen by any, Tree of Life stood tall and proud as a faint glow began to shine from a small seed growing high up a small branch; separate from the three joined together, as well as the fifth and smallest of seeds.
It didn't grow, yet its glow did not diminish. The child it resonated with at the cusp of growth, but not there just yet.
Soon, though. And with luck, the others would follow.
The sun gently rose up past the horizon, pushed up by Princess Celestia, starting its task of bringing light and warmth to a still slumbering land, with only the earliest birds filling the cool air with their song; rousing the many sleeping ponies to a new and pleasant day, full of work for the adults, and school and time to play for the foals.
It was a picture of serenity, creating the image of perfection that the ponies slowly rousing from their sleep were very familiar with. With nary a cloud in the sky, thanks to the weather teams work the day prior.
But not all was as it seemed, for over at Canterlot trouble was brewing. Trouble hidden from the still slumbering ponies’ sight, behind the walls of the royal sisters' white marble, shining castle; guards running from room to room in groups, inspecting everything, and leaving no stone, curtain, bedsheet, or feather duster unturned; the rhythmic pounding of hooves on marble floor continuing on and on as they searched for, and closed in on their target.
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,' was the full extent of thought the ice forged man had regarding his current predicament; hiding at every likely spot, and scampering and gliding to the next whenever he got a chance.
'Why do these things always happen to me?' Neither he, nor the other two minds sharing his conscious could provide a satisfying answer as Danny slid past the corner he tried to take, clamping on at the wall in an effort to stop his momentum, but failing and sliding down the hall towards a group of guards who looked at the hulking beast of ice with only a second of shock before their eyes hardened and they charged at Danny with swords and spells at the ready.
"Oh shit!" He yelled, the haste and rumble of his voice garbling the words into some unintelligible growl only further agitating the guards in pursuit.
Turning around and attempting to gain traction with his frozen feet on the smooth marble floor, Danny slowly but surely made his way back to the corner he just overshot; this time swinging himself into the hallway and using his less than controllable momentum to his advantage for once as he slid past the first several doors, before resuming his run, as he began to slow down.
Unfortunately, the guards, their bodies not made of ice and running on four legs, opposed to Danny's frozen two, quickly gained ground on him; enough for several spells to whizz passed him, and for two, or three of them to even impact on his body. Thankfully doing little damage because of the cold density of his frozen flesh, even if they sizzled and burned pot holes into his 'skin'.
Grunting all the same, his eyes flashed from left to right in an effort to find something, anything to aid him in his escape while the relatively small damage already healed itself.
More or less prepared this time, he once more swung himself into another of the seemingly endless hallways, briefly cutting the line of sight from his pursuers. Or so he thought.
No sooner had he slid past the first of many doors, leading to who knew where, he felt a pair of hooves grabbing hold of him on each of his shoulders.
With a shout of surprise, he felt himself yanked back, and into the chamber he'd just passed, attempting to shake off his captors and, if needed, fight them off as the door slammed shut behind him.
What he didn't expect, as he turned around to face his opponents, were the two pegasi floating before him without using their wings. One of them, a mare, shushing him while the other, a stallion had his ear pressed against the door, listening as the guards ran past. Once certain they were gone, he stepped away from the closed woodwork, gave a nod to the mare, and both looked at Danny with their green glowing eyes.
<<>><<>><<>>
Two hours earlier.
Danny hovered unseen, just under Canterlot, rubbing his burning, green glowing eyes with a white gloved hand.
His vision momentarily blurred, he squinted as he looked towards Ponyville, the light of the rising sun silhouetting the village.
Shaking his head with a tired sigh, he looked longingly to where he knew his bed was, before his gaze shifted to the distant Everfree Forest, wondering how everyone else was doing. Surely his disappearance wouldn't go without some form of response. Especially so shortly after those ghost hunters revealed themselves.
"And how am I going to solve that problem?" He asked aloud. "No way me just showing up again will calm them down."
'Maybe you should focus on the task at hand, and worry about what's to come when it comes,' Eclipse told him.
"Easy for you to say. You live in my head most of the time and few know about you."
'True as that may be, it does not change the fact you worry about things unimportant to what needs to be done now. Especially considering what you plan on doing, with how little energy you have left,' Fenris added his thought.
'He did warn you not to overdo it when helping the changelings. And now he is pushing himself further than even you did.'
'Indeed. Surely he should know his own limits by now.'
'Maybe he just wants all the glory for himself.'
"Oh, will you two shut up already," Danny groaned in annoyance as Eclipse chuckled in amusement.
Shaking his head, he looked away from Ponyville and towards the several changelings hanging upside down from the city's foundation; staring at him with wide, confused eyes.
"Don't ask," he muttered.
Taking a moment to collect himself, he went over the plan one more time.
He would use his powers to infiltrate the castle, find those held captive, then use his powers to get them out.
Simple as plans go, but never that easy.
True, he'd been at the castle before, twice, when Twilight took him to meet the princesses, and when he returned there after putting a stop to Sombra. And what little he'd seen then already confused him enough to know he needed help. Fortunately, he also had access to a map. Or the next best thing, to be precise.
The changelings with him, the few adults who stayed behind to watch over the foals when the siege of Canterlot was pulled off, though not part of the nearly successful invasion, were just as involved with the planning and staging. Add to that the youngsters who eavesdropped on the plans as they were made, which he was told took many long months; every step from the first infiltration, to the imprisonment, capture, and replacing of princess Cadance, to the enactment of the final phase meant they knew the layout of Canterlot better than he did. More so, they knew in great detail about the caves and tunnels hidden within the mountain the city hangs on.
How one could eavesdrop on another in a semi shared consciousness, he didn't fully understand. Though with his own little 'hive mind', with Eclipse and Fenris, he figured he'd learn all about it before long.
Regardless, with that issue out of the way, another problem had to be addressed: his clear exhaustion.
True as it might be he used to push himself far past his limits during his days as a hero, it was also fact those days were long since past, and he hadn't used his powers for any extended duration, other than releasing his build up of ice, until yesterday, starting with the Crystal Empire. Needless to say, the mere flight over to Canterlot drained him more than he would have liked, and the idea of going both invisible and intangible just to search the castle for who knows how long made his skin crawl. Not to mention he could suffer complete spectral exhaustion, reverting back to his human self, if he used his powers for any kind of strenuous task right now.
If that were to happen in the presence of anyone in the castle, or worse, if he was still inside a wall, the end result would be catastrophic.
Fortunately, the first problem solved also helped him here.
The changelings now with him would lead him to and through the caves and tunnels, bringing him to a point that, according to them, was closest to the prison they believed their fellow shapeshifters were held, based on what little interaction there had been between them after the capture. He would then use his powers to phase through the rock and into the prison, which would be considerably less strenuous compared to blindly flying around and hoping he'd get lucky, then assess the situation there.
Guards would most certainly be present. How he'd deal with them would depend on their numbers, but maybe he would get lucky and be able to snag the changelings while they weren't looking. It would certainly help with his juggle between using and conserving his energy, but he already knew he wouldn't be that lucky. His luck so far would make sure of it.
Taken care of the guards, hopefully without raising an alarm, he would then grab the changelings, return them to the other shapeshifters waiting for him in the tunnel, or cave, who would then return them to the Hive.
If an alarm were to be sounded, he would utilize the tried and true method of grab and run, and don't look back.
Either way, he already knew his powers were dwindled to the point he would not be able to bring forth Fenris, so any attempt to save these imprisoned changelings would have to wait until he had the chance to rest. Something he wished a hundred times now he could have done ten hours or so ago.
"Well, no time like the present," he sighed out, combing a hand through his hair. "Let's go."
Nodding, the changelings let go of the city's underside, dropping down one by one before catching themselves with buzzing wings.
"This way," one of them intoned with dual, raspy voice.
Following the group, they led Danny to a low but wide crevice in the mountain, hidden in plain sight directly underneath the city.
Flying in, three changelings side by side, their buzzing wings filling the passage with never ending echoes, Danny followed them through numerous twists and turns, only his eyes' glow visible in the complete darkness. Something that, much to his surprise, suddenly changed.
"Whoa," he breathed as they entered a sizable cavern, numerous glowing crystals growing from the walls, floor and ceiling, filling the chamber with a soft glow.
"Over here!" One of the changelings called out, snapping him out of his stupor as they led him to a narrow path up in the ceiling. Something only one who could fly, or climb the walls would ever be able to reach.
"I see how these tunnels would be advantageous to you," he commented, but went without reply.
Continuing on in relative silence, the buzzing of wings always filling the air, Danny followed the insectoids through one twisting turn after the other; passing through several smaller caves and even seeing an old, mostly decayed railtrack, revealing that at one point in the distant past, ponies, or others, used to frequent this place.
"It's here," one of the changelings said as the group came to a stop, looking up at the ceiling as if they could see through the rock above. "Our family should be up there."
Flying up, Danny rested a hand on the rough rock, frowning.
"Up here, huh?" He asked in confirmation, and all changelings nodded in answer.
"Okay," he sighed out. "Let's see what we've got."
Turning invisible, hearing several changelings gasp out in surprise and amazement, he phased through the rock and flew up as indicated; making sure to remember his path to some extent so he would be able to find his way back, and not accidentally slip past the tunnel the group was waiting in.
After almost thirty seconds of intangible flight, he suddenly found himself in a well lit room, and soon found he wasn't alone.
Acting quick, he flew to the ceiling, scanning his new surroundings and try to figure out where he was, and if he was where he wanted to be.
As it turned out, he was.
The room he was in now, was clearly a prison of sorts: a long passage with only one entrance he could see; a solid door with one noticeable lock as far as he could tell, with cells lining the walls. There were guards as well. Twelve of them. Ponies wearing armor far more robust, and less shining than he had seen the guards wear during his first visit to the castle, bringing him to the conclusion these suit were meant for actual combat, instead of mere display pieces.
Then his attention moved to the cells, and those who occupied the freedom impairing space, and he felt his heart start just to come to a stop at what he saw.
Changelings. Six of them total. All in deplorable state, even compared to those back at the Hive.
All of them were little more than a husk, clinging to life either through sheer will or the fluids being injected through IV, Danny didn't know, but it was enough for him to gasp.
"Who's there!?" One of the guards present called out, all of them scanning the area with weapons ready to draw.
Moving up a bit, Danny berated himself over his sloppiness. As did Fenris, though he kept himself to mere grunts of annoyance.
Fortunately, diversion presented itself when, with an audible clank, the single door leading into this prison wing unlocked; a chestnut brown mare stepping through, her white mane an unkempt mess and dark bags under her eyes.
'That makes thirteen. Damn, it'll be difficult to get to all of them without raising suspicion,' Danny thought after a quick count.
"Doctor," one of the guards, a unicorn, acknowledged the mare while the other guards looked around once more, then returned to their posts, but keeping their ears up and slowly swiveling around.
"What's going on, Steel?" she asked after a moment of slow blinking.
"We believed to have heard something. Considering yesterday's ghost attack, we can't be too careful," the guard Danny heard was called Steel reply cordially.
'Wait, ghost attack?'
"I see," the mare answered after a pause, brushing away a stray lock of hair blocking her eye, then failed to suppress a yawn.
"Long night?"
"You know it is," she groaned half heartedly. "Besides our... patients down here, keeping me busy, I'm also one of the few doctors around here familiarized with human anatomy, and now have yet another mystery on my hooves because of it. One I can do without right now," she shook her head, making an even bigger mess of her already disheveled mane. "Unfortunately, whatever is wrong with her might also be connected with these changelings… somehow."
"How do you mean?"
"Remember them crying out, making mention of ice, among other things?" She asked, receiving a confirming nod in answer. Sighing out, she pressed a hoof against her head, rubbing her temple, eyes closed. "Somehow, for reasons neither I, or the other doctors can figure out, she's freezing up… almost as if from within. And you don't have to be a doctor to understand this isn't normal. The fact this happened after she was injured during the attack, and is in no way natural or magical in any sense of the word, clearly means it has to be ghost related. Yet our scanner doesn't pick up anything, which just doesn't make any sense. At all!"
'Hold on… I recognize that… But that can't be, can it?'
The guard showed little emotion over this news, keeping a stoic facade while glancing at the withering formes of the changelings.
"If you're right, then this mess down here might just be the tip of the iceberg. No pun intended."
"It's starting to seem that way," she answered, stepping near one of the cells, the beeping of heart monitors filling the air in the short moment of silence that fell. "I hope the humans finish construction down in the caves soon. We're going to need it. There is no doubt about that. Not anymore."
'Construction in the caves? What is that about?'
"And what about them?" he stepped besides her, lighting up his horn to unlock the cell.
"No cure has been found. And at this point I doubt it would matter much, even if we did. With how weak they are, and how little we know about them, their odds of survival are nonexistent."
"But if this is ghost related, perhaps finding the ghost responsible would be the key?" he suggested helpfully, and for a second the doctor's eyes lit up. Then, with a sigh, she shook her head.
"If that is the case, then this situation is even worse. We don't know where to look for this ghost, if there even is one. But if there is, then this reveals an even more worrying fact: we captured these changelings after they were defeated by Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor, and no reports have been made of any ghost sighting, or activity by the guards who took them in. Nor has there been any sightings while they were down here, yet they all fell sick a few days later."
"Perhaps this supposed ghost got to them before the invasion?"
"That is what worries me, should this be true. It does not fit in the timetable with the attack at the tear facility. It's months before that. So if this is indeed the actions of a ghost…"
"Then it was already here," Steel finished for her, understanding the implications.
"But then, where did it come from? The last attack of any kind was Baltimare, and all the ghosts were pushed back… right?"
"As far as we know," he answered stiffly. "Unless some slipped away and are lying in wait."
A few muttered curse words came from the other guards as they listened in, none of them liking where this was going. Nor did the lone human, still hovering above, invisible to all.
'Not impossible, but not close to the full truth either. Ghosts have always been here, they're just better at hiding,' he mused, the image of the Sombra flashing before his mind's eye.
"It would explain just about everything," she concluded. "And how they seem to know where to strike where it hurts the most, if they have been watching us for all that time. And with the sudden, drastic increase of ghost activity these last several days, it might just be the start of whatever they are planning," she summed up, voice steadily rising in volume. "I need to inform the Princesses. If we're right… I don't even want to think about it."
Not waiting for a reply, she turned around and rushed out of the door, leaving the guards with the hidden ghost behind.
Locking the cell door with a flash of his horn, Steel looked at his brethren in arms, frowning deeply.
"Though worrying, we can't jump to conclusions. Keep your guard up, and hope we're wrong with this."
"Sir," one of the other guards, an earth pony mare, spoke up. "If this is true, perhaps this ghost might not be done with this human it has injured. It might be its plan to get to us from the inside."
Several tense seconds ticked by as these implications sunk in. "Dammit," Steel swore. "Iron Shoe, you're with me. We have to inform the princesses of this possibility. Everypony else, keep your eyes and ears open."
All guards confirmed the orders, and the guard who had pointed out the possible danger joined her superior as they left the cells, leaving Danny with ten guards to take care off.
Looking around, Danny frowned, trying to figure out how to best approach this situation; also worrying about the possibility of just who it was who was injured. And though he had a good idea, the implications it might be her were concerning in many ways to him.
"Just out of curiosity," one of the guards suddenly spoke up. "Who exactly was injured?"
"From what I heard, one of the lead figures," another answered. "This Dani, what's her name?"
'Dammit,' Danny swore, eyes closed in resignation.
'Your created sibling is here?' Fenris picked up, worried yet intrigued.
'It was only a matter of time,' Eclipse surmised. 'Though the news of her being attacked, by a ghost, assumedly, is troubling.'
Just another thing to add to the list of crap I need an answer to,' Danny mentally sighed. 'Let's focus on the changelings first. Any ideas on how to tackle ten guards at once?'
'Maybe. But it will drain most of what little energy we have left. Maybe too much for us to get the changelings out afterwards,' she informed them, sharing her idea.
'I see. Fenris?'
'I won't be able to do much to help. I already pushed myself too far back at the insects city, while struggling to maintain control over the powers I lost long ago. I must rest, much like you should as well.'
'Believe me, if I could I would. But I can't, not yet. Nor do I have any idea to work with. Eclipse, you're up. I just have to hope I still have enough energy left to actually do something… And Eclipse, try to not be too extreme. We're the good guys, no matter what they think.'
'Very well, but this will not go unnoticed either way.'
Separating herself from Danny, Eclipse took control over his shadow and used the pockets of darkness within the prison to conceal her movements as she slithered down over the wall, then the ground; breaking up in ten smaller blotches of darkness, each moving to intercept the shadow of the guards, making them ripple as if a pebble was thrown into calm water.
Of course, already on edge after the last several events putting the guards on high alert, even this small ripple was noticed.
"What the?" One of the guards muttered, staring at the shadow underneath one of his fellow guards; a glare of suspicion shared with most others as they looked at their own, or each other's shadow.
Long to dwell on this they didn't have, only because just seconds later, a new development took them by complete, terrifying surprise: their shadows looked back at them with orange glowing eyes.
All they had time for was a shout of surprise and fright when black tendrils shot up from the splotches of darkness, wrapping around their hooves and muzzle to keep them from raising an alarm before the shadows rose up to cover them entirely; leaving wildly thrashing blobs of darkness as the guards tried to free themselves.
This lasted for several minutes, the struggle to free themselves becoming more and more frantic, before slowing down and stopping entirely as, one by one, the guards lost consciousness.
Releasing her hold, and slithering away from the incapacitated guards, Eclipse merged back with Danny, who grunted in pained strain, fell down to the floor, catching himself with a hand, while a weak band of energy flickered to life around him.
Sweat dripping from his brow, panting hard, gritting his teeth, and straining with all his remaining strength he forced himself to stay in his ghost form, remaining like that for several minutes as he tried to push himself back to his feet.
Eventually he managed, pulling himself up with the help of one of the cells barred doors.
"This…. This may be a problem," he gasped out, recognizing the clear signs of spectral exhaustion. The fact both Fenris and Eclipse remained silent only further cementing the fact he was pushing himself well past his limit.
Grunting, he pushed away from the door, swaying a bit on his feet before finding his balance.
"Don't have time for this," he told himself, sucking in deep breaths, looking at the occupied cells. "Only six of them," he counted once again, taking notice of the far greater number of cells, all filled with the same medical equipment. "Erlea said there were more," he murmured, looking at the husk of a changeling lying in one the cells. "Guess we're too late for them. Maybe even for them, too." Shaking that thought away, his eyes hardened. He'd come here to free these changelings, and get them the help they need. Even if it might already be too late, at least he could do that much for them.
Nodding, he stepped to, and then through the cell; picking up the withered form lying on the lone bed; the changeling's body as frail as it was light, allowing him to easily lift the creature up; the heart monitor, beeping weakly, now gave a continuous, flatlined tone as Danny unplugged the device.
Moving to and through the adjacent wall, he entered the next cell with a strained grunt, but didn't allow that to stop him as he picked up a second changeling; holding both by a side, arm wrapped around their barrel.
"This is going to suck," he groaned in resignation, then sunk through the floor, finding his way back to the waiting group of changelings.
Straining as the phasing through rock while carrying two others with him was, he managed to reach his destination with little problems; handing over the unconscious bodies to four changelings, two for each of the sick, who quickly flew away, following the path back to the outside.
Danny didn't linger to watch, though, as he already moved back to the cells to pick up the next two; this time with more effort as his powers dwindled more and more. Fortunately, the cells were still only occupied by the sick insectoids and the guards Eclipse had knocked out, which gave him the chance to quickly swoop in, grab the next two, and find his way back to those waiting for him, only to do it all again to get the last two out of their cells.
Against all odds, and much to his amazement, the last round went off without a hitch, other than the burning exhaustion he felt in every fiber of his being. Relaying the news to the rest of the waiting swarm that those six were the only ones left, an understandable murmur of worry and sadness went through the remaining number of changelings, before they took their losses and made ready to leave.
"You go on ahead," Danny stifled a yawn, blinking away the blurring moisture from his eyes. "There's still something I must do here."
The few who lagged behind, looked at him, then back at those already heading for the Hive.
"Please hurry," one of them said with a raspy voice, then all of them flew away, leaving Danny behind.
Groaning, he slowly dragged a hand down his face; spotting comfortable looking rock close to him, and sat down as he allowed himself the luxury of a short moment to catch his breath.
"What're the odds of this going horribly wrong?" he asked. Neither Eclipse nor Fenris answered. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he sighed out, then flew up through the mountain's rock one more time.
<<>><<>><<>>
When Danny returned to the cells, the situation had already changed drastically since he'd last been there several minutes prior. Mainly, the unconscious guards were gone, and a new group of clearly angered guards had taken their place as they searched high and low for any sign of what had attacked their brothers and sisters in arms.
Coming to the conclusion he really did not want to be there, Danny quickly left, phasing through more walls and ceilings as he made his way up.
What he found there did little to improve his mood.
Guards marched through the castle halls in numbers, clearly on edge and looking for something.
Though it seemed likely to him they might suspect changelings to be involved with the fast and silent break out, the fact he quickly spotted a spectral scanner in the hooves of each group's leader, revealed to him another viable possibility. The conversation he eavesdropped on, and guards subsequently being incapacitated and prisoners disappearing without trace or sound must have raised some red flags among the higher ups, meaning the princesses.
Realizing this, and not feeling any desire to either fight, or run from one, or both seemingly all powerful ponies, capable of moving a sun and a moon, he knew he could not linger in the same spot for too long.
Already several guards moved towards him as they methodically swept the floor, and surprisingly the scanners hadn't gone off yet. Though with the path they were following, they would bump into him before long, and not wanting to test how long he could remain hidden from several ghost scanners, he quickly fled through the walls and ceiling as he made his way through the castle in search of the medical wing; momentarily getting his leg stuck in a wall as his intangibility didn't cover his entire form.
Able to pull free with some effort, he then found himself a level higher and, thankfully, alone. Though the sound of hooves clopping on the polished marble floor indicated another group of guards were heading his way.
Groaning quietly, he moved the other way, his speed low from exhaustion.
'Need to make this quick,' he told himself, pushing onwards all the same through more and more halls, passing an ever increasing number of doors, windows, and artwork proudly displayed on pedestals; one of which, an expensive looking vase, he almost tipped over when he flew into it.
With flailing arms, and more luck than he wanted to think about, he managed to catch the pottery and quietly place it back.
Satisfied nothing bad had happened to draw any unwanted attention, he turned around and saw a maid petrified in fear standing behind him.
It was then he realized he was no longer invisible.
"Ehh… hi-"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
"Oh shit!" He swore, racing away, making sure he was invisible as he heard the thunderous reply of hooves stomping behind him; putting as much distance between himself and the newly arrived guards, not looking back until he had flown at least three floors up, and hid in the first likely room he came across.
Back pressed against the door, breathing heavily, Danny strained his hearing, listening if anyone was approaching.
He tensed up when he did, and prepared to run again when he heard numerous guards coming to a stop just on the other side of the door.
Heart pounding, he could hear the methodical, calm beeping from a scanner. To his surprise, however, the device remained calm, with only the baseline tone to indicate it was active to be heard.
"Nothing here," a guard spoke up, voice muffled through the door.
Several more minutes passed as Danny waited for any sign they would return. Eventually, he allowed himself to relax, finally taking notice of the room he was in.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding," he murmured as he realized where he was. And more importantly, who was with him.
Clearly he had chosen to hide in a recovery room, with beds standing side by side, with only a simple curtain on rail between each to separate them; pulled open enough for him to see the ten familiar ponies occupying an equal number of beds, heart monitors connected to the still mostly unconscious forms. Key word being mostly, as three of the guards Eclipse had knocked out earlier were blinking owlishly, staring at Danny with his back still pressed against the door.
"Ehh… this is all just a dream. Nothing to see here. Better just go back to sleep," he tried awkwardly, feeling a cold sweat trickle down his forehead.
A gasp then caught his attention, and, dreadfully, he slowly turned his head to look at a nurse standing partially hidden behind one of the curtains.
It was then he realized that, of course, there would be medical personnel present.
Silence.
"I won't be able to convince you this is a dream, would I?" Danny asked doubtfully.
Wide eyed, shocked, the nurse numbly shook his head.
"You're going to scream now, are you?"
Now the pony nodded weakly, then released a surprisingly feminine scream which shook all the guards back to consciousness, while also alerting all other nearby guards on this floor.
"Ahh, crud," Danny groaned as he once again pushed himself to turn invisible and fled through the ceiling.
Shaking his head, both to push off his fatigue and to clear his thoughts, he focused on one important detail he picked up on when in that room. It was medically oriented, which meant more of these rooms must've been around. One of which, maybe, holding Dani.
It was flimsy, but also the only thing he could go on as far as his search went. And now with the entire castle on high alert, and worse still, with not one but two ponies, as well as some half awake guards having seen him, he knew it wouldn't take long for them to realize exactly who was haunting the castle.
After all, they knew all about the Terror of Amity Park.
'Damnit, Dani. Where are you?'
Angling back down, he phased through the floor again, returning to the floor now crawling with guards some distance away from the recovery room. Taking a split second to look around, he chose a likely spot, far away from the agitated mass, and flew off; not bothering to slow down as he entered one room after the next, passing through walls and furniture, quickly scanning every room in the hope to find the one person he really hoped was here.
'She'd better be. Or else this entire mess is for nothing, and I know this will come back to bite me.'
With that grim thought, he once more passed through a wall, and came to an abrupt stop.
There, before him, under a thick layer of blankets, lay Dani, shivering visibly, an IV hanging next to her bed; it and the tube leading to her arm were completely frozen solid.
"Dani," he gasped out, seeing his breath fog in the air. Not his ghost sense, he recognized, but because of the incredible cold aura surrounding the young woman.
Dropping down gently, he slowly stepped to Dani, staring with wide eyes.
"You're really here," he gasped, using a hand to carefully brush away some stray hair from her face, only to stop when he noticed the bandages tightly wrapped around her head.
Lowering his hand, he placed it on her shoulder; squeezing lightly.
"But why? … Why are you here? Why did you follow me?"
Squeezing his eyes shut, forcing back the wetness he felt building, he instead focused on the chill he felt crawling up his hand.
"Got my ice powers as well, I see. And the problems they bring," sighing and shaking his head, he quickly looked around, making sure that this time, no one was around to see him.
"Who knows, maybe one day we'll meet under better circumstances. But right now I can't be here, nor can you know I am here. There's just too much going on… Too many lives that can get hurt," he fell silent for a bit, then his eyes hardened. "Though I can help you out with this. It's the least I can do, cuz."
Releasing her shoulder, he placed his hand on her chest; his eyes flickering briefly before glowing an icy blue as frost began to build on his hand, then his arm as he pulled more and more cold from Dani; the young woman shifting and groaning as arctic cold flowed out from her chest and into Danny.
With a wavering flash surrounding his body, revealing his mortal self for less than a split second, Danny stepped back with heavy footfall, clutching a hand to his head as he groaned in strain.
Taking a deep breath, then releasing it in a cloud of supercooled air, he shook it off, lowering his hand and closing it in a fist as he stared through his frozen flesh at his skeleton.
"That was… weird," he murmured, feeling strangely weak. More so than he already did before.
The sound of a door opening brought his attention to the pony standing petrified in the passage, a stethoscope slipping from her neck, clanging to the floor, forgotten.
<<>><<>><<>>
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,' was the full extent of thought Danny had regarding his current predicament; hiding at every likely spot, and scampering and gliding to the next whenever he got a chance.
At first his plan seemed to hold some merit, using his gargantuan ice form to intimidate the guards. But to their credit, they proved to be more resilient than other ponies he had met. The memory of that one stallion back at the tear facility freaking out over a shadow coming back to him for just a moment, before the more urgent issue of swords, spears, and spells aimed at him took priority, reminding him to take action.
Unfortunately, due to his spectral fatigue, already pushed way past his limit, not to mention the limitations of his current form meant all he really could do was look menacingly, what with his skeleton showing and all, swing his arms wildly and stomping on the ground, which only drew more guards to him while they shot at him with their spells, or run as fast as he could. Again, because of his form and the highly polished floor, meant he was quite hampered with this as well.
'Why do these things always happen to me?' Neither he, nor the other two minds sharing his conscious could provide a satisfying answer as Danny slid past the corner he tried to take, clamping on at the wall in an effort to stop his momentum, but failing and sliding down the hall towards a group of guards who looked at the hulking beast of ice with only a second of shock before their eyes hardened and they charged at Danny with swords and spells at the ready.
"Oh shit!" He yelled, the haste and rumble of his voice garbling the words into some unintelligible growl only further agitating the guards in pursuit.
Turning around and attempting to gain traction with his frozen feet on the smooth marble floor, Danny slowly but surely made his way back to the corner he just overshot; this time swinging himself into the hallway and using his less than controllable momentum to his advantage for once as he slid past the first several doors before resuming his run as he began to slow down.
Unfortunately, the guards, their bodies not made of ice, and running on four legs opposed to Danny's frozen two, quickly gained ground on him, and several spells whizzed past him, and two or three even impacted on his body, thankfully doing little damage because of the cold density of his frozen flesh, even if they sizzled and burned pot holes into his 'skin'.
Grunting all the same, his eyes flashed from left to right in an effort to find something, anything to aid him in his escape while the relatively small damage already healed itself.
More, or less prepared this time, he once more swung himself into another of the seemingly endless hallways; briefly cutting the line of sight from his pursuers. Or so he thought.
No sooner had he slid past the first of many doors, leading to who knew where, he felt a pairs of hooves grabbing hold of him on each of his shoulders.
With a shout of surprise, he felt himself yanked back and into the chamber he'd just passed, attempting to shake off his captors and, if needed, fight them off as the door slammed shut behind him.
What he didn't expect, as he turned around to face his opponents, were the two pegasi floating before him without using their wings. One of them, a mare, shushing him while the other, a stallion had his ear pressed against the door, listening as the guards ran past. Once certain they were gone, he stepped away from the closed woodwork, gave a nod to the mare, and both looked at Danny with their green glowing eyes.
"What th-" Danny began, only to be sushed again.
"WHERE ART THOU, THY COWARDLY SCUM!!!" A terrifying and ferocious roar rattled the doors and windows all throughout the palace, and Danny was sure his skeleton just shivered in fear, despite being encased in ice.
'Luna,' Eclipse quietly, tiredly interjected, confirming what Danny had already feared.
A midnight blue glow suddenly surrounded the door, and the stallion jumped back, while the mare grabbed hold of Danny; both ponies turning invisible, the contact also ensuring Danny vanished from view. Then the both of them, with their powers combined, sunk Danny through the floor.
Just before they vanished completely, all three were treated to the terrifying sight of a furious Luna; eyes ablaze with power and anger, her mane whipping around as if she stood in the center of a monstrous storm, darkness seemingly oozing off her form while the floor cracked where she stomped her hoof.
'Oh yes, definitely coming back to bite me,' Danny squeaked, even in thought.
<<>><<>><<>>
Ghastly wails, cries, bellows, and the occasionally yell: "Beware!" filled the ever oppressing Ghost Zone as entities of all manners flew from one odd place to the next.
One of such places, a home of various components both technological in nature and old fashioned masonry drifted around in the green void; bolts of electricity arcing between two large antennae on the roof with an audible buzz, occasionally zapping a ghost who flew too close.
Further down, near the basement of the building, a boarded up hole told the tale of a recent run-in with an otherworldly vehicle, piloted by two mortals on a mission; only one of them knowing what they were doing, both equally adept in disrupting the unethical experiment conducted at the time all the same.
Now Technus was hard at work going over the extensive, though unfortunately incomplete data he gathered when scanning, invasively, the pony Skulker had captured.
Hovering before one of many computer terminals, all connected, all showing a multitude of complex calculations, diagrams, energy values, several cat videos on a loop, and on one screen a half completed chapter of his fan fiction on which he took forever to finish, (a work of art, in his own less than humble opinion, which did have a faithful follower in the form of a young, nine year old, black and white ghost girl who doesn't talk all that much), while the technologically inclined ghost typed away at a keyboard, fingers a blur.
Then, all at once, everything came to a stop, and Technus looked unblinkingly at the readings on his screen; a slight gasp escaping him, quickly turning into a chuckle.
"That's it," he said, eyes widening in realization, a small grin on his lips.
With speed, he flew to the computer displaying his fiction, and he rapidly started typing, inspiration steering his fingers, muttering the words to himself as he wrote.
"And as Warrior Unicorn Princess stood before her former nemesis, the world around them came to a stop. Nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing, but the undeniable feelings they realized they shared. And then they ki…" again everything came to a stop, his eyes widening once again. "Of course."
Flying back to the previous display, he stared at the calculations presented; eyes flashing from left to right as he checked, double checked, then triple checked everything.
"That's it," he said, slowly leaning back, chuckling.
"THAT'S IT!" He exclaimed, laughing.
"THAT'S IT!!" He shouted, now laughing as the mad scientist he was.
"So, how did it go?" Tucker asked, smirking faintly.
Neither recipient answered and, instead they spent their time focusing on some blank spot on the wall.
"That bad huh," Valerie responded to the silence, arms crossed, leaning against a wall, a corner of her mouth curled up.
It had been several hours since their escapades to save Soarin from ghostly capture, and their escape from Vlad. Several hours where they were on edge, and anything might come their way in retaliation. Time which, instead of sitting back, calm down, and work out a plan, Jazz and Soarin decided to straight up throw themselves to the wolves again. And by the looks on both their faces, it went just as bad as Tucker and Valerie had expected.
Not that this was much of a surprise. They already knew, but it was always enjoyable to watch their friend squirm in awkwardness and embarrassment.
"It was... interesting," Soarin managed to say.
"Oh? Any details?" Valerie asked unabashed.
"This has nothing to do with you," Jazz replied heatedly, crossing her arms.
"True," Valerie mock inspected her nails. "But after yesterday's drama, I could do with some comedy. And it doesn't get much better than your father. Especially when introducing your new boyfriend."
Jazz huffed undignified, turning her back to Valerie. "Well, too bad that whatever happened, not that I say anything did happen, will remain between me and Soarin."
Soarin nodded his agreement, still trying to forget some of the less memorable moments of meeting Jazz's parents.
"Meh, suit yourself." Valerie shrugged, smirking as she locked eyes with Tucker; who was grinning himself as well. "That just means we're going to speculate. What do you think, Tucker?"
Leaning back in his work chair, rolling back a bit from the movement, Tucker frowned in thought.
"Well, I'd say it would start with them dragging things out in front of the door," he said after only a moment.
"Obviously," Valerie replied, making a hand gesture.
"But they relent, and Jazz knocks… no, rings the bell, leaving them with a few tense seconds to second guess themselves. But then the door opens, leaving them with no excuse to back out. So now they're committed as Maddie beckons them to enter."
"What do you two think you're doing?" Jazz demanded, giving both the stink eye.
"Speculating," Valerie told her, then tapped a finger against her chin in thought. "So, they enter, obviously flustered and embarrassed-"
"Naturally," Tucker agreed.
"-as they are led to the living room, where they find Jack."
"Ehh," Soarin blinked, but Jazz stopped him, now leering suspiciously at her 'friends'.
"Then there is some awkward silence," Tucker picks up, "followed by equally awkward stammering, followed by an awkward, and most likely embarrassing moment where Mister F misinterprets the situation and thinks Soarin is a fan there to meet his idols, an-"
"Tucker," Jazz said, coldly. "Did you hack into my parents' home security system?"
"No, I wouldn't dare," Tucker said, hand on his heart. "Nor would I have to. I have the security key," he revealed, grinning.
"You WHAT!?"
"Comes with the job," he informed her. "Same system, and all that."
"You mean to tell me you and Valerie spied on Soarin and me while I introduced him to my parents!?"
"Oh, nothing like that."
"At first," Valerie added, chuckling as she thought back.
"Meaning?!" Jazz glared at the ghost hunter.
"We knew you were going to you folks, and we kept an eye out for any trouble. A lot had already happened, so we wanted to make sure it stayed that way," Tucker explained readily. And the anger on Jazz's face softened.
"Oh," she said.
"What, just because we don't always agree on things, doesn't mean we don't have your back," Valerie told her, face serious; which soon broke as she grinned and chuckled. "Though the show provided certainly proved to be most entertaining."
"Oh, was it now?" Jazz asked rhetorically, anger back in full force.
"We didn't see everything, though, if that's what you're worrying about," Tucker reassured her.
"Hmhmm," Valerie nodded. "We turned off the feed the moment we ran out of popcorn.
"And when, exactly, was that?!"
"Eh, let's see," Valerie hummed. "Jack misunderstanding the situation," she counted a finger. "Ghost tentacle dragging Jack back into the basement. Jack and his saddle," two more fingers were counted, all that happening while Soarin stood shocked and mortified on the spot. "And then there was-"
"STOP!" Jazz shouted, draggin both hands down her face. "Please, just stop."
"Now you're just being mean," Tucker aimed at the snickering woman. Suppressing a chuckle of his own, he turned to Jazz. "I shut down the feed after Jack showed up with the saddle, and it became clear the only danger you two were in was of your father… Something we couldn't have helped with either way. But anything that happened after, ahum, that is just between the four of you."
"Five, if you count that ghost," Valerie commented off handedly, tapping on her phone, and a wet, graveling roar played over its speaker. "Huh… didn't I fight that one some time back?"
"You recorded what happened!?" Jazz shouted, shocked.
"Had to. Tucker wouldn't do it himself."
Shouting, Jazz threw herself at Valerie.
"GIVE ME THAT RIGHT NOW!"
"HAH, MAKE ME!"
"SOARIN, HELP ME OUT HERE!"
"I, ehhh…"
"NOW!"
Mouth snapping shut, Soarin shot a pleading look at Tucker, sighed out when he was denied a look back, then joined the fray; wondering how his life had managed to become like this.
Looking at the mess as two woman, and one pony fought for Valerie's phone, Tucker sighed out tiredly, though he had to admit to himself he did help to create the situation this time around.
Groaning, he shook his head.
'At least Danny doesn't have to deal with this kind of crap on a regular basis.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Meanwhile, stuck chin deep in it.
A sound not unlike a raging thunderstorm shook the walls and rattled the windows of the room Danny and his unexpected ghostly pegasi allies now occupied, looking up at the ceiling with fear, for in the room above they had escaped the wrath of a most furious Princess Luna.
Both ponies showed the same look of unease, giving a small nod to one another, then quickly phased down through the floor, still taking Danny with them; not wanting to sit still and risk being discovered as they put as much distance between them and the terrifying force of nature storming through the castle.
Further and further they sank, leaving first the castle behind, then the city as they dropped through its foundation and lowered to the foot of the mountain near the waterfall.
Releasing their grip, the two ponies dropped Danny on the ground; his feet sinking over an inch into the damp soil due to his bulk, while the fog and spray of the waterfall near him froze solid, some of it even adding to his already large frame, though Danny didn't seem to notice.
Turning around and facing the two who helped him escape, taking his first good look at the two, he fumbled for words while attempting to align the myriad of questions and thoughts. Settling for the time being with an familiar inquerry: "What just happened?"
With a flap of their wings, more out of instinct than necessity, both ponies dropped to the ground.
"We could ask you the same," the mare with a faded, almost washed out red, yet strangely familiar spiky mane, snipped back, her dark blue fur bristling a bit. "Do you know just how big a mess you've made?!"
"I, ehhh…."
"Rampaging through the castle, seen by who knows how many. For a second, just try to imagine what kind of consequences this will have," she said disapprovingly, in a way only a mother could do.
"Now is not the time," the stallion, sporting a matted grey mane and sun bleached yellow coat, told her, a hoof on her withers. "We have to get out of here before any of the pegasi guards spots us from above," he said, looking at Danny, and his overly reflective body, frowning.
Catching this, Danny turned himself; looking at his frozen hands as he clenched and relaxed them.
"Yeah… Maybe I should get rid of this first, huh?"
"Don't bother," the stallion sighed, shaking his head, and Danny dropped his hands, confused. Arching a eyebrow, the stallion asked: "You still haven't noticed, did you?"
"Noticed, what?"
"Oh, by Celestia's flank," the mare groaned, facehooving.
Patting her back, the stallion looked at Danny imploringly.
"Just try to use your powers. Anyone of them would do."
"Eh… wouldn't that draw any attention to us?" Danny asked, worried, looking around for any prying eyes.
"Just do it," the mare sighed behind her hoof.
Looking around some more, then shrugged, Danny turned to the roaring waterfall and aimed his hands at the river.
He stood still for almost half a minute, with nothing happening.
"What the…?" He rumbled as he took a half step back, looking at both hands; flicking them from left to right, then tried again.
"It won't work," the stallion told him.
Grunting in frustration fed by confusion, Danny tried again regardless with the same result as the previous two attempts.
"Wh- but why not?" He finally relented, staring at his frozen hands, seeing his bones through the ice.
"Because you managed to get yourself locked in spectral exhaustion," the stallion explained simply. "And until you take your time to rest and recharge, you won't be able to do much of anything. Let alone transform back to your flesh and blood self."
Danny stood silent for several unbeating heart beats, processing this all.
"... And you know all of this, how?"
"Let's just say we've been around long enough to pick up a thing here and there," was the stallion's evasive answer.
"Well, if that isn't the story of my life," Danny droned.
Rubbing his shoulder which was hit with the guards' spells, during his less than smooth escape, he considered his options.
He knew he needed to rest, no escaping his aching, deep frozen body and burning eyes. But the changelings he 'broke' out of prison also needed his help, assuming they even lasted long enough for him to reach them.
Of course, as he was now, that was not a possibility. Especially if what that stallion said was true. And so far he had to assume he was. The facts did speak for themselves, as far as he understood them.
Frowning over his sudden uselessness, he kicked the dirt. To his great surprise, followed by shock as a overwhelming flare of pain shot up through his leg, accompanied by a loud crack, he cried out while the ponies looked shocked at his leg.
"Well, that can't be good," the mare said, worried as Danny wobbled on the spot.
"What, gnhh, the hell happened?" Danny hissed, a thick cloud of cold escaping his mouth as he did, momentarily obscuring his vision as he tried to see for himself what happened.
Slowly, the cold fog dissipated, revealing to him the horrible situation.
Both of his feet still stood firmly planted on the ground, except that only his left foot was still connected to his leg. His right foot, emitting a deep chill much like the rest of his body, was frozen solid to the damp ground. And in his subconscious decision to kick something, the weakest point near his ankle broke off.
The only reason he was still standing, was that his left foot was also stuck to the ground.
Silence.
"You have got to be FUCKING kidding me!" Danny roared.
<<>><<>><<>>
A quick application of spectral energy, provided by the ponies, to unfreeze his limbs, Danny, with the help of the two pegasi, had limped into the relative cover of the waterfall's mist, aided by the scattering of rocks of all sizes from an ancient rock slide. Then, with a quick application of a splash of water, his foot was reconnected with the rest of him. His bone, however, did not show any sign of restoration as such injuries would usually do. Nor was he able to move his foot, despite his attempts to do so after it was reconnected.
"Great, anything else that will go wrong? Might as well get it over with while I'm already down," he muttered angrily.
"Please don't tempt fate," the stallion told him, a nervous edge to his voice.
Sighing out in defeat, Danny sagged into himself; leaning his back against a massive boulder.
"I know," he replied. "And thanks. For helping me, eh… what did you say your name was again?"
"I didn't say," the stallion answered simply, then fell silent for a moment as if in thought. "It's Sky Rider," he then introduced himself with a small nod.
"Scoot Blaze," the mare simply said, most of her attention on Danny's still unresponsive foot.
"I'm Danny," Danny shared with a grunt as Scoot Blaze shifted his right leg.
"Still nothing?" She asked, looking at Danny quizzically.
"Nothing below where my foot broke off," he said, trying to sound nonchalant about the situation. "I don't get it. I used to get injured a lot worse than this. Heck, I even had a roller coaster cart at full speed collide with me, splattering me all around, and I walked away from it without any lasting injury. Why is this different?"
"Because you're locked in spectral exhaustion," Sky Rider explained to him, shaking his head. "Without spectral energy to fuel your powers, any healing factor you would have is gone too. Right now, you're just a regular mortal locked in the body of an ice ghost. One which apparently is falling apart because of the same reason. No energy to sustain yourself."
"... Is this because I asked if there was anything else that would go wrong?" Danny asked, his panic over his situation mixing with exasperation over yet another unwanted, unneeded, and seemingly life threatening situation he found himself in. This time, however, he was the one in danger.
"So… what does this mean for me?"
"I don't know. And I'm in no hurry to find out either," Sky Rider told him, pushing away as he began pacing.
"So I guess I just take it easy, rest and, wait for my powers to regenerate?" Danny said, more to himself with doubt tainting his voice.
"Oh, you're not going to sleep your way out of this," Scoot Blaze told him, giving up at prodding at Danny's foot. "You are out of power. Power which your body is demanding to sustain its form. Without power it can't do that. Without power, you can't release the ice, and thus transform back. Because of this, the cold within you is seeping out on its own--" she pointed a wing at his feet, "--which does that as a result. Your body will grow weaker, brittle, until it collapses. What this entails for you, your conscious mind I mean… well, your guess is as good as mine."
Both Danny and Sky Rider looked at Scoot Blaze wide eyed, horrified.
"Well…" Danny attempted to reply, failing utterly, until he found the one utterance in which he put all his frustration, anger, and fears: "Fuuuuck me."
"That about sums it up, yes," Scoot Blaze agreed.
"Phantom."
Jerking slightly in surprise, Danny turned his attention inwards.
'So you're still around after all.'
'Cease your poor attempt at humor,' Fenris barked, strained, 'it is difficult enough to talk to you as it is.'
'Fair enough,' Danny was quick to agree. 'I take it you have an idea to our latest problem.'
'Yes.'
'Care to share?'
'Find a source of native spectral energy, and absorb its power into yourself to restore your might'
'Wait, what?' Danny paused, blinked, not noticing the strange looks Scoot Blaze and Sky Rider gave him. 'Native spectral energy? And what do you mean, absorb its power into myself?'
'Sometimes, in places where a ghost, or ghosts resides for long durations, their power imprints on their surroundings. Becoming an echo of who they are. When others approach, or enter such places, it may even respond to them in much the same way like those who imprinted on those areas. The rock I found myself on after my demise is one such places, still remaining a strong, latent imprint of spectral energy.'
So, you mean like the Far Frozen? I guess we could go there quick enough.
'No. I have been there, and though numerous, those residing there have not left an imprint in a way that could be considered a source of energy strong enough to be of use for us. There are some rules dictating their creation, yet I do not know them.
'Well, that's just great. And what about this rock of yours? You did say it qualifies.
'It would, if you had the time to reach it. Seeing how you broke off your foot after such a short moment of turning to ice, I doubt you will be able to do so.
'So find something closer to home… Great, like I have one of those in my backyard, sighing out, frustrated, Danny finally noticed the looks he received.
"Just having a bit of a conversation with one of the voices in my head," he explained. "...It's not as crazy as it sounds," he quickly added.
'And what about this absorbing thing? Still haven't gotten an answer to that,'
'Find the source of the imprint, and claim it as your own. The echo will fade, returning the imprinted area back to the state it was before, its energy becoming yours.
'Finding the source? Claiming it as my own? Is it just me, or does this sound a lot like possessing someone.
'That is one way of understanding it, though flawed in its description.'
'Oh no. I'm not going there again. The last time I possessed a ghost I ended up with Shadow, which then somehow turned into Eclipse, before you were brought on boards as well.
'You worry too much' Fenris barked, strain clear in his voice. 'This is not a ghost, nor a possession as you understand it. All there is, is an echo. An echo you will destroy as you take its energy for yourself. Now stop reflecting on past mistakes, and focus on the here and now!'
'Okay, okay. Shees, give a guy a brea- … wait… Reflect…'
Snapping out of his mental debate, he looked up at Canterlot, recalling something Celestia had said while he and Twilight were there during his first real visit of the city.
"They never figured out how it worked…" he murmured, slowly looking down at the two pegasi before him.
"Say, do you two happen to know where to find the Mirror Pool?"
<<>><<>><<>>
"Well, can't say I wasn't expecting this," Tucker remarked as he stood up from his desk chair, pushing it backwards as he did so.
Jazz, sitting on the floor, grumbling to herself, carefully holding her broken wrist with her other hand while pretending it didn't hurt, hair disheveled, clothes a mess and refusing to so much a look in Valerie's direction, shot him a heated glare.
"Don't give me that," he said, unimpressed. "You know what you were getting into."
"Then why didn't you stop her before she made that recording? Or, for that matter, why don't you just hack her phone and delete it?" Jazz snipped.
Shaking his head, Tucker looked down at Soarin, who lay on the ground besides Jazz, groaning while holding his head in his hooves; a new bump swelling up besides the two he already had.
"First, because I don't stand a chance against her," Tucker answered matter of factly.
"You got that right," Valerie called back from the kitchen, raiding his fridge.
"And second. I could, yes. But doing so would also bring back point one."
"Only if she found out," Jazz countered easily.
"Not a lot of guys who can do that. Fewer who would want to. Easy to figure out a suspect when they do," Valerie answered for Tucker, the grin she had clearly audible in her voice.
"Exactly," Tucker agreed. "Also," he called after the ghost hunter, "did you really have to knock Soarin on the head a third time?"
Stepping back into the room, a can of soda in hand, Valerie leaned against the door frame, taking a swig before answering.
"Of course I did," she said. "First time, he's freaking out after everything done and said to him, flying all crazy over the city. Second time, He's freaking out over that eldritch horror type freakshow you showed on your computer. And then he goes and helps his girlfriend trying to wrestle my phone away from me. At this point, it's pretty much our thing. You know, like a secret handshake between friends."
"Only it's your fist on his head," Tucker deadpanned.
"Exactly," Valerie nodded once, then emptied her drink, crushing the can in her fist.
"And what if he ends up with a concussion?" Tucker asked.
Valerie thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Meh, I've hit the ghosts I hunt harder than that. He'll be fine."
" I don't feel fine," Soarin groaned.
"I did say you'll be fine. Not that you are fine right now."
"Seriously, whose side are you on?!" Jazz snapped, finally turning to glare unimpressively at Valerie.
"I already told you, yours," Valerie answered simply. "But that doesn't mean I'm your babysitter," she turned serious, her stare burning holes in Jazz and Soarin. "The both of you managed to get yourselves abducted by ghosts on the same day, leaving me to either come to your rescue, or take the hits while being fired upon after you pulled off a hasty, sloppily executed rescue and escape. Seeing how I can't be everywhere at once, you guys need to learn to take a hit. Especially you, miss psychiatrist. Running in guns blazing without knowing what to do, or how to use a weapon. Add to that your clear lack of tactical assessment, going up against a trained fighter with a broken wrist, and it's no surprise you failed as spectacularly as you did just now."
"I wouldn't have to, if you didn't make that damned recording!" Jazz snapped back.
"Oh, I did. And you bet I'm going to use it," Valerie said calmly, shooting Jazz a level glare.
"Use… it?" Jazz slowly repeated, dread creeping into her voice. "For what?"
"Just a little blackmail insurance," Valerie answered, mock checking her nails.
"WHA-"
"You are going to train, with me, so you'll know what you're doing when the time calls for it," Valerie cut her off, staring at her with hardened eyes. "Seriously, what kind of resistance leader are you if you don't know how to hold your own? Even Tucker knows how to shoot a blaster. Maybe not as well as I would like, but he at least knows what he's doing. Plus, his skills with computers are second to none, which gives us a real tactical advantage. But you, miss Fenton, have no real skills of use for this little group of ours."
"BU-"
"And don't even start about your parents and their tech. Even without you, Tucker has access to these things. Hell, he even made my armor and continuously works to improve upon it. Not to mention his gadgets to jam Vlad's spy drones, and all the other things he's done so far. He even worked to rebuild the original Specter Speeder in his spare time, which gave us a major advantage when rescuing your pony friend. And speaking of mister quadruped, his ability to hold his own against these ghosts is more than lacking on its own. If he's going to be a part of this, he must know what he's doing," she then snorted loudly. "Seeing what had happened already, he should know these things whether he stays with us or not. The ghosts already made a move, so did Vlad, with us responding to it in kind. How long do you think it will take for the next round to start? No, you have been coasting on your parents' rep for too long, without really holding your own weight," she pointed an accusing finger at Jazz. "And don't try to deny it. What did you do when Skulker took Soarin? Who did you run to when it had happened? What were you able to do, on your own, without coaxing of me, or Tucker? What plan did you have, other than run after Soarin with an angry frown? And that's just this one example. Really, Jazz. What can you do, on your own, when it really comes down to it?"
Jazz looked down at the floor, conflicted.
"Well?"
"Nothing."
"What was that!?" Valerie barked like a drill instructor.
"NOTHING, OKAY!" Jazz cried out, tears streaming down her face. "JUST LIKE WHEN I TRIED TO HELP DANNY WITH HIS GHOST HUNTING, WHEN HE WAS STILL WITH US. I ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE A BLASTER. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT A GHOST LIKE SKULKER, OR EMBER, OR WHATEVER. ALL I KNOW IS THAT I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING… anything."
Jazz fell silent, sobbing lightly.
"Good," Valerie said sternly. "Now I know you'll pay attention when our training starts," and she deleted the recording on her phone.
"Wha-" Jazz looked up at Valerie, confusion evident in her tear stained eyes.
"Clear whatever schedule you have," Valerie turned to leave. "Training starts tomorrow at first light, down the docks. You'll know where. Don't be late. And take your pony, too."
And with those final words, she left.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wait… this is it?"
Confused, Danny looked at the large boulder, supposedly covering the entrance to the Mirror Pool; standing unsteadily on his left foot.
"Yes, this is it," Scoot Blaze grunted, stretching her neck with several pops.
"We saw them close the entrance after that pink mare copied herself," Sky Rider informed him, flexing his wings.
Seeing their discomfort, Danny awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"Right, ehh… Sorry you had to carry me all this way. And thanks, too," he said, then felt something snap.
Looking at his hand used to rub his head, he saw he was now missing three fingers, stuck frozen to his head.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he muttered darkly.
"Let's just get this over with, before you lose even more parts," Scoot Blaze stepped up, grabbing hold on the boulder and, with eyes entirely aglow, she levitated it up and away, revealing the entrance to the Mirror Pool, while Sky Rider pried off Danny's fingers from his head, giving them back to him with a grimace.
"And here's hoping I'm actually right about the place," Danny said, more to himself, returning his fingers to their proper place, then looked down the hole, unable to see the bottom.
Sighing out in resignation, he turned back to the pegasi besides him.
"Yeah… I'm gonna need some help here, too."
Rolling her eyes while muttering something under her breath, Scoot Blaze all but shoved Danny into the hole; holding on to him as he fell down with a yelp, his weight pulling her along while she used her powers to slow his fall to something less shattering.
"You're welcome," she said simply after they reached the bottom, letting go of the startled human, who toppled forwards.
Lying face down on the ground, Danny grumbled with a muffled voice.
"Well, can't say I didn't see that coming," Sky Rider commented dryly, slowly dropping down to join Scoot Blaze's side as she gave him a winning smile.
Grunting his displeasure, Danny pushed himself back on his feet, balancing unsteadily on his left foot while brushing his arms in reflex to wipe away some dirt, only for flakes of ice and drops of water to cling to his hand.
"It's getting worse, and fast," he said, alarmed, looking at what was basically his flesh melt away. "Fuck, I hope I'm right about this place," he clenched his hand shut, dropping it to his side.
'You are,' Fenris informed him tiredly. 'There is something here. Something… strange.'
'Strange, how?'
'I… don't know.'
'But will it restore my powers?'
'It should, yes.'
'Should?'
'It is… strange.'
Realizing he wouldn't get anything else out of Fenris, and his now visibly melting body reminding him his time was running out, Danny had little choice but to wobble his way further into the passage he was pushed into, Scoot Blaze and Sky Rider helping to support him.
"Wow."
All three came to a stop as they passed a bent in the passage, stepping into a wide open chamber; the path before them gently angling down while curving to the right, leading right to a small, crystal clear pool of water which glistened in the weak bands of light, which shone in through small holes in the ceiling. Light which also allowed for the flourishing of plantlife which Danny saw all around, joined by numerous glowing mushrooms, which further illuminated the underground chamber they were in.
Slowly stepping down, the trio looked around in wonder as they took it all in.
"Well, not quite what I was expecting," Danny commented as they reached the pool's edge, the three of them looking down at their reflections.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Danny yelled, stumbling back and setting too much weight on his reattached but numb foot, falling to the ground in shock, his eyes never leaving the smooth surface of the water.
Sky Rider and Scoot Blaze, too, jumped back in clear confusion and surprise. Their eyes firmly locked on the same impossibility Danny was staring at.
His reflection.
It was his own… but not his own.
Danny, the melting ice forged man he was now, could only stare in disbelief at his clearly human, un-ghostly reflection looking back at him.
"Well, that's different," Sky Rider commented, taking a tentative step back to the pool.
"That's one way of saying it," Danny said after a short pause, carefully pushing himself back to his feet and wobbling back to the pool's edge.
Lowering himself to a knee to get a better look, he carefully reached out with a hand and tapped the water.
A ripple spread out, distorting the image for a bit before the surface became still again.
"But what does this mea-"
In a sudden blur of motion, acting so fast that none of them could react, Danny's reflection reached out, grabbed Danny by his still outstretched arm, and pulled him in and under water.
<<>><<>><<>>
"WHAT THE HAY JUST HAPPENED!" Scoot Blaze shouted, jumped halfway up to the chamber's ceiling in fright.
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!" Sky Rider yelled back from his position at the ceiling.
"WE'VE GOT TO GET HIM OUT! NOW!" Scoot Blaze cried in alarm, already diving down and reaching out her front legs before her to break the water.
With a crash and a cry, she slammed into the now solid surface, sliding halfway across the mirror smooth surface of the pool, before coming to a stop with a groan.
"SCOOTS!" Sky Rider cried out, dropping down to help her.
"Why can't these things ever go easily?" Scoot Blaze muttered, lying flat on her face.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny was lost, floating in nothing but darkness, unable to move as the water he knew he was in locked up his body.
His eyes darted around, the only thing still free to move, while he desperately tried to get his limbs to move, while looking for a way out of this fresh new hell he found himself in.
A flicker of light shone behind him.
Trying, but failing to turn around, he strained his vision to peer behind him to try and get a glimpse of what had happened.
Something moved in his peripheral, opposite of where he was looking.
He tried to shout, yet not even a bubble of air escaped his mouth.
Something tapped him on the shoulder, yet he was unable to see who, or what it was.
Anger born from frustration over his sudden helplessness, again, his struggles intensified; cracks beginning to form, then spread all throughout his body; water seeping in through the faultlines and increasing the rate his body tore apart as it rapidly robbed Danny from what little cold still remained to keep him together.
Realizing what was happening, Danny ceased his struggle immediately, but the damage he inflicted onto himself was already too much, and he noticed the edges of his vision darken as what little strength he had bled out.
'Trapped underwater, unable to move, without any powers, locked in a body of broken ice,' he mentally sighed out. 'Well, if anyone is going to show up and save my sorry ass like usually happens back when I found myself in some dire situation, now would be a good time.'
For a moment he waited, eyes slowly looking around, half expecting Clockwork or Frostbite to show up. Why, he'd even settle for Skulker right now if it meant he'd be blasted, captured, then blasted some more, before being captured again.
Slowly he sunk down, his vision growing darker, and darker, and darker until, with a solid thud, he hit the bottom of the pool, and he saw no more.
A bright flash lit up before him, cutting through the blinding nothing which had consumed his being, and he screamed out in his mind trying to figure out what was happening this time.
Willing the glaring spots in his vision to fade, it took him a moment to fully realize what was suspended before him.
A pony.
A pony with a coat as black as night, and a fiery blue mane and tail; offsetted only by the single band of white running through both, looking at him with strangely familiar blue eyes.
The stallion smiled at him, nodding once, accepting, then burst apart in a wave of energy.
<<>><<>><<>>
Scoot Blaze slowly pushed herself back to her hooves, still on top of the solidified, yet clearly still a liquid surface of the Mirror Pool.
Rubbing her muzzle, she glared at her reflection, stomping a hoof on the solid liquid, muttering to herself.
"We-... Was this supposed to happen?" Sky Rider asked, worried.
"You know the answer just as well as I do," Scoot Blaze answered tensely. "Something has gone horribl-"
Suddenly, without warning, the water below her started to glow, then shine with energetic light.
With a squawk, which did not sound like a chicken at all, (and she would fight anyone who said otherwise) she fled back into the air, joined by Sky Rider.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Sky Rider shouted.
Before either one could answer, the light vanished. Blinking twice in surprise, both ponies looked at one another for an answer. Finding none, they turned back to the water, which then promptly exploded.
Both pegasi shouted, falling out of the air with flailing limbs, crashing to the ground completely soaked before they could catch themselves; quickly scrambling back to their hooves and try to find out what had happened, both to the pool and the human pulled in.
"Now then," both ponies froze in their tracks, looking wide eyed at the now empty pool and the human ghost hovering above it, clad in his familiar black and white jumpsuit, looking at them with his green glowing eyes and a confident smirk, "This should be interesting."
"Wha- what just happened?" Scoot Blaze stammered, looking at the hovering human while water dripped down off of everything; her mane sticking to her face and covering one of her eyes.
Sky Rider, completely blinded by his waterlogged mane, turned towards her voice.
"What we came here for, I think. Wasn't expecting an explosive shower, though."
Shaking himself like a dog, he sprayed the surrounding area with a new layer of water. Some of which, much to her loudly vocalize protest, landed on Scoot Blaze.
"Eh hehe, oops," Sky Rider chuckled awkwardly.
"You're an idiot," Scoot Blaze groaned, then turned intangible and all the water soaking her fur fell to the ground.
"Huh," was the only response Sky Rider gave as he saw what she did.
Mimicking her, he too allowed intangibility to let the water still soaking him to fall to the ground. All the while, Scoot Blaze gave him the stink eye.
"You two done?"
Both ponies turned back to the human, noticing he looked at them with a deadpan.
"Ehh… Yes," Sky Rider said after a moment's hesitation.
Rolling his eyes, Danny hovered to the edge of the now empty, and surprisingly deep pool, where he dropped to the ground.
"So, are you okay now?" Scoot Blaze asked, looking at him, worried.
"I honestly have no idea," Danny said with a shrug. "But after everything that has happened, I doubt it. There is still a lot left that can go wrong, and I know it will bite me in the ass just saying that."
Scoot Blaze frowned. "Are you always this pessimistic?"
"After the day I've had, I think I'm allowed to be," Danny said simply, a hand on his neck while pulling his head from left to right, releasing some satisfying cracks. "A massive city returning out of nowhere after a thousand years. An equally old ghost pony king tyrant who enslaved the entire population of said city through mind control. A group of mares being send in to stop this threat, without any idea what they were doing, or what to expect. My shadow becoming its own entity, because of this parasitic being who was slowly taking over my mind and body just to get to my powers. The possible threat of Sombra still being out there after his defeat," Danny summed up, paused for a second, then continued. "And then I got home. But instead of going to bed like I wanted to, I spend the night looking for three fillies who had gone missing. All of this accompanied by the sighting of a ghost near town, which quickly steered any and all thought to the idea they were taken by said ghost. Then I find out there is a frost giant living in an old barn, that Cujo is here and, a seemingly permanent open portal is found in an ancient castle. And then, of course, the fillies are somehow involved in all of this madness in one way, or the other, while busy trying to save a dying species of shapeshifters, which somehow leads to me merging with a wolf ghost, before getting stuck in a body of melting ice, and chased through a castle by guards and an angry princess... Which is where I met you."
Danny exhaled after his rant, groaning. "And that's just what happened to me… And it's not even a Tuesday.
Sky Rider and Scoot Blaze looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"And that's not even counting the mess the fillies got themselves in," Danny snorted, frowning. "Which raises many questions on their own."
Shaking his head while sighing out tiredly, he looked up at the passage they had entered through.
"Though any answers will have to wait until after this crisis has been resolved." He then focused on both ponies before him. "And what about you? No doubt there is something for you in all of this, or you wouldn't have taken such a huge risk in helping me."
"There is," Sky Rider confirmed.
"But that is an answer that will have to wait as well," Scoot Blaze quickly added.
"Of course," Danny groaned through a sigh, rolling his eyes. "But not like I have the time for this anyhow." Clenching and unclenching his hand, he looked in the general direction to where the Hive was, frowning deeply. "No time at all."
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned back to the two ghost pegasi, lingering on Scoot Blaze for a bit as another pang of familiarity struck.
"I take it you're not going to stick around for much longer, right?"
"That wasn't the plan, no," Sky Rider answered.
"We just did what we had to to keep us ghosts from being found out," Scoot Blaze said with a sour look. "A lot of good that did, with you running around like you did in plain sight."
"Yeah, that's on me," Danny admitted ruefully, posture slumping.
Straightening himself, Danny levitated himself up.
"Either way, thanks for helping me out back there. Don't know, nor do I want to know what might have happened if you guys hadn't shown up. So, uh… thanks, again."
Both ponies gave a nod of acceptance. Spreading their wings, they joined him in the air, both looking at Danny intently.
"Good luck, Danny," Scoot Blaze said, hesitating for a bit as if she had more to say, then closed her mouth and gave another nod.
"Go and help my Mayfly," Sky Rider said, before snapping his mouth shut, eyes wide; Scoot Blaze shooting him a look while both ponies quickly retreated.
"Wait, what?" Danny asked, confused, but was left with no answer as both ponies faded from view, leaving his voice to bounce off the walls.
"Mayfly?" he wondered aloud, looking at the now vacant spot.
Shaking his head, and releasing a throaty groan, he slowly moved up to the ceiling.
"You know. I've just about had it with all these unanswered questions."
Not wasting any more time, he flew through the rock above, and made haste return, back to the changelings' city.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a low groan, Dani stirred.
Shifting from side to side, uncomfortably warm, becoming increasingly aware of a weight pressing down on her and, a dull throb in her head, which quickly increased the more she noticed.
A gasp came from somewhere far, followed by a faint, yet still far too loud clopping (from hooves hitting the floor and nothing else, you dirty minded reader,) which only worked to agitate the throbbing pain her senses began to focus on more and more.
Turning her head away from the offending noise, an involuntary hiss joined by a flinch, followed from a sudden lance of pain shooting through her.
"She's waking up," a far too loud voice spoke up. "Alert the princesses."
More sound followed: metal clanging together, more clopping, and lastly, the familiar sound of a door opening and closing.
Struggling to open her eyes, her lids feeling as if they weighed a ton each, a sliver of light managed to shine its way past the minute crack her effort had managed to create.
Its blinding radiance quickly forced her to stop and turn away, only to be painfully reminded that moving was a rather bad idea.
"Please stay still," the voice said, pounding in her ears. "You've been through a lot."
"Stop... yelling, please," Dani croaked, turning her head away, grimacing, now realizing just how dry her throat had become.
"Yelling? I'm not… oh," a subdued sigh followed. "Is this better?" Was asked at a more reasonable volume, allowing Dani to process the feminine tone.
Dani took a deep breath, held it for a bit, then slowly exhaled.
"Yes,"
Feeling the throb in her brain diminish slightly, she once again tried to open her eyes; this time with more success and slowly, a blurred shape revealed itself to her.
"Wha… What happened?" Dani asked, blinking slowly to clear her vision while, against her body's protest, she began to push herself up.
The blur moved and, within moments she felt a gentle, but firm hoof pressed her back down, while a soft chime, and light blue glow drew her attention, while a strange tingle spread around the back of her head as it was slowly lifted.
A different blur now filled her vision; the sloshing of water and the cold touch to her lips revealing to her the glass that was being offered.
"Drink this."
Not resisting, she allowed the still undefined blur to tip the glass, allowing the cold water to soothe her parched throat.
A short coughing fit later after drinking too greedily, joined by the now expected pain from moving, Dani lay her head back down on the soft pillow; her vision finally starting to clear out. Which was unfortunate, as a small flashlight then shone in her eyes, one at a time, now filling her sight with numerous spots.
"Pupil reflex looks normal," she saw a chestnut brown, white maned mare say past the spots as she put away the light, fidgeting for a moment with a stethoscope around her neck.
Picking up a thermometer, and using her magic to move aside some bandages Dani now realized covered her head, the mare placed the device's tip in the woman's ear to take a reading.
"Core temperature normal," she said after a moment, inspecting the readings on the device's display.
Setting aside the thermometer and putting the bandages back in place, the mare took a step back, and moved better into Dani's line of sight.
"How are you feeling?"
Dani blinked, then slowly looked around as best she could, taking in the room she was in.
"Bruised," she answered. "... confused. Where am I? And, what happened?"
"That is something we would like to know as well," a new voice spoke from out of Dani's sight, the loudness of the voice making her flinch once again.
"Princess Celestia," Dani saw the mare bow, then fumble to catch the stethoscope as it fell from her neck. "Princess Luna," she bowed again after she caught the medical tool.
"Please rise, Stable Pulse," Princess Celestia addressed the now introduced mare, voice light, but with hidden tension woven in her words. "There is no need to bow, especially considering current circumstances."
Dani let out a pained hiss and pulled her head away from those speaking, unbeknownst drawing the attention of both alicorns entering the room.
"I understand, Princess. But, please, keep your voice lowered. The patient seems to be sensitive to sound."
"I see. Is she able to answer some questions?"
"I believe so. But please, keep it brief."
Nodding in understanding, princess Celestia approached the bed, allowing Dani to see her; joined seconds later by her sister; Celestia looking at the woman with a gentle smile, while Luna held a hard, calculating gaze.
"Greetings, Dani," Princess Celestia began. "We have not met personally, but my sister and I have been keeping a close eye on proceedings down in the caves. As you may already know, I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister, Princess Luna," she introduced. "Now, when we entered, we heard you ask where you are and what had happened. You are in our castle's medical wing, being treated for your injuries sustained when the construction site was attacked by a ghost," she explained, making Dani tense immediately. A pained hiss escaped her because of this.
"As for the other question thou posed," princess Luna picked up after the young woman composed herself. "As mine sister said, a ghost attacked, in which thou were gravely injured. However, the true extent of events still eludes us and We hope thou could shed some light on these matters most dark."
"A ghost attacked?" Dani repeated, confused, frowning deeply. Then her memories came to her all at once; the giant anti ghost crystal, her duplicate, her attempt and subsequent failure to re-merge with her other half, Pete accidentally walking into her, and the combined wail she and her duplicate utilized to destroy the crystal. Then, darkness.
"We see thou remember something," princess Luna commented, noticing the widening of Dani's eyes.
"Bits and pieces," Dani said, slowly pulling a hand free from underneath the thick, sweltering blanket, she carefully prodded at her head; able to suppress a wince when she touched the bandaged wound.
"That explains the headache," she muttered, letting her hand fall down to the bed.
"Indeed," Luna gave a stoic nod.
"Wh- and what about the rest of the workers. How are th-"
"Fret not," Luna stopped her, a hoof held up. "Save for some minor injuries, none were harmed."
"Now, as we understand it, you, and one other human, were present in the chamber the ghost attacked. And we have already learned his side of events. Your side, however, is one we still need to know. And we hope it may provide answers to some of the most urgent questions," Princess Celestia explained.
"I see," Dani groaned uncomfortably. "Can I lose some blankets first? It feels like I'm melting under here," leaving out the part she spoke from horrifying experience.
"That shouldn't be a problem anymore." Stable Pulse interjected, using her magic to remove most of the downy layers insulating Dani.
"Anymore?" Dani shot the doctor a questioning look, but it went unanswered.
"Now then, what exactly had happened down in the caves?" Celestia preempted any other question Dani might ask, steering the conversation back on track.
Dani sighed out, her painful mind trying to figure a way out of this mess without revealing anything about herself, or Danny.
"I was down in the cave, in the chamber where they found this large crystal. The guys think it might be powerful enough to power this entire project of yours, and they were in the main chamber running some tests on the equipment, to make sure."
"But if everypon- pardon, everyone was present elsewhere, why were you there, alone?" Celestia asked.
"To stay out of their way," Dani answered simply. Both princesses raised an eyebrow in surprise to this answer.
"I may be the project leader, but I barely understand the tech those guys use."
"If that is so, then how is it thou were placed in such a position of responsibility?"
Dani gave a pained chuckle. "You're not the only ones who've asked that question." She paused for a moment, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. "It's because they are the brains, while I am here to make sure everything gets done correctly," Dani grunted, shifting in a more comfortable position. "To keep some oversight on what's what, while everyone is busy trying to figure out how everything goes together in an environment we're not familiar with. Which brings us back to these crystals, because we definitely weren't expecting them to be what they are."
"I see," Princess Celestia said thoughtfully, studying the young woman before her.
"This, however, does not explain why thou chose to separate thyself from the rest, and go to the one place in which Our ponies found the single greatest asset in Our fight against ghosts. Especially in light of the sudden and unexpected attack mere moments later."
Dani shifted her gaze to the lunar princess, staring into her calculating eyes, able to see her own bandaged reflection in them.
"You think I'm responsible for this ghost attack? How?"
"We are not claiming thee to be responsible, nay. It was a ghost, or ghosts, that did this. Witnesses have confirmed as much. Yet thy presence at the site of the attack when it happened, while alone, does raise concerns."
"Ah, so that's how it is," Dani sighed out, looking away and allowing her head to sink deeper into her pillow. "You think I was possessed. Makes sense."
"And it would explain much," Princess Celestia spoke up. "If it wasn't for the fact that none of our ghost scanners showed any signs of spectral energy surrounding you. Which is a problem."
"So, not possessed then?" Dani looked at the solar princess. "I honestly don't know what to say here. It's not like I planned for any of this to happen."
"The reason for this to be a problem, would be the fact that mere hours ago, at the start of sunset, a ghost occupied this very room," Princess Celestia revealed.
"WHAT!?" Dani shouted, bolting upright, before groaning loudly in pain.
"And that's enough of that!" Stable Pulse said sternly, looking at the princesses while using her magic to slowly lay Dani down again.
"We have yet to finish Our questioning," Princess Luna countered with authority.
"And you will do so, later. First my patient needs some time to recover. I've allowed this to go on for far too long already. She needs rest, and-" A hand on her withers stopped her mid-sentence.
"What ghost?" Dani asked, pulling her hand back while staring intently at both alicorns.
Both princesses looked at Dani with unreadable expressions, neither saying anything.
"What ghost!?" Dani demanded.
Celestia looked at Luna, who in turn gave a barely perceivable nod.
"It was the Terror of Amity Park," Dani's eyes widened dramatically. "It was Danny Phantom."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Do you think it was wise to tell such a lie?" Celestia asked her sister after they had retreated to her private chamber.
"You know just as well as I do that she knows more than she is willing to tell us, Tia. Besides, 'tis not as if it is a complete lie. The Phantom was seen in Our castle, near the room miss Dani occupies. And though the ghost seen in her room and, hunted by Our guards and I was not him, it cannot be a coincidence that these two entities were here at the same time."
"True. But what worries me more is the way Dani reacted to this news," Celestia pondered.
"Indeed. 'Twas as if she expected for him to be here."
"If so, that might mean her presence here is for something other than managing proceedings down in the caves. Which would suggest a hidden agenda."
"But from whom? Her own, or others, not known to Us?"
"It would also explain why she was put in charge of this endeavor. Such a position would allow one to gain access to numerous guarded locations without much question," Celestia surmised.
"So, a spy perhaps?"
"Maybe? But from who? We have established good, if not limited relationships with the humans, which has allowed us access to technology more advanced than this world has ever seen."
"Yet it has also exposed our world to a new and still largely unknown threat, which requires their very technology to properly defend against."
"True. But it was not them who forced this necessity upon either of our worlds."
"Nay, 'twas not. If what they told Us is true."
"They did show compelling evidence to their claims."
"Indeed. Which forces Us to ask several questions above all else: Who is Dani Spectral really? Who does she work for? How does Danny Phantom fit in with all of this? Why is the Phantom here? How does this fit in with everything transpiring over at Ponyville? And, most importantly, what evil does he plan to unleash upon Our world?
Celestia released a worried sigh, walking towards one of the large windows overlooking the valley below Canterlot, and in the distance, Ponyville.
"I just hope we have the time to find those answers. I feel a lot of lives will be saved if we do."
"And if not?"
Celestia's eyes narrowed, staring off in the distance, memories flashing back to that day in Baltimare, and those opposing her. "Then I'll teach those ghosts just how hot the sun really is."
<<>><<>><<>>
"You know, for once it would be nice for me to go to some city and it not being on fire," Danny deadpanned as he hovered before the changelings' city; screaming and shouting filling the massive chamber as he saw a swarm of the insectile ponies flee from some unseen threat.
'They do appear to have a running streak of bad luck,'
"So, you're back among the non-living," Danny stated, not even flinching when Eclipse suddenly spoke. "Fenris, you're doing alright now, too?"
'I am,' was his clipped reply.
"Okay," Danny sighed out, a hand placed against his head while he slowly took everything in. "At least that's normal again… What goes for normal, at least. Now, what the hell is going on here this time?"
""DANNY!"" Two panic-filled voices slammed into him, and he saw both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo run full tilt towards him.
Dropping down to the ground, the liberated Fenton thermos still clipped to his belt rattling slightly, he waited for the pair to cross the distance and come to a screeching stop before him; both fillies sucking in air with great heaves.
"Girls, what is going on this time?"
"It's Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo managed between breaths.
"Somethaing's seriously wrong with her!" Apple Bloom added in urgency.
"She's gone all evil spirit on us. And she doesn't even recognize Apple Bloom and me!"
"WHAT!?" Danny shouted. "What are you talking about?!"
A chance to answer, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo didn't have as, at that moment, a bone chilling screech shook the city.
"... Oh, that can't be good," Danny remarked as he looked wide eyed at the approaching group of changeling younglings, and pursuing them from the air, Sweetie Belle.
Or, the pony Danny knew was Sweetie Belle, even if she had transformed into something clearly not like her.
"What happened to her?" He asked, shocked by her physical transformation; the dark gray, almost black coat, shadow like mane and eyes burning such a toxic green, it almost hurt to look at.
'Fear,' Fenris rumbled. 'She has been consumed, corrupted by fear.'
"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?!" Danny yelled, seemingly at himself, only adding to the chaos unfolding. "No, never mind. Can you stop this?"
'I can cut out the fear, much like I did the hate with the shapeshifters,' Fenris informed, right when another ear piercing screech slammed into them; the city shaking once more, while a distant bridge collapsed. 'But we must catch her first,' he added far too calmly for Danny's liking, watching through their shared eyes as Sweetie Belle flew past the group she was hunting, firing several bolts and beams in the ground around them, at the same time, greedily sucking in a sickly dark red energy flowing from her victims.
"... So, it has come down to this then, huh?" Danny muttered grimly, his hand moving for the thermos out of long forgotten, but quickly rediscovered reflex before he caught himself and let his hand fall to his side; slowly closing it into a fist. "Fine."
Looking down at the two fillies still by his side, at their friend in fear, worry, and even horror, Danny knew what needed to be done.
"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo," he said authoritatively. Both fillies turned to him with a snap. "You go help the changelings. I'll deal with her," he instructed, flying off to meet his unwanted foe before he finished.
"PLEASE DON'T HURT HER!" Scootaloo yelled after him, and unintentionally alerting Sweetie Belle, who hissed and snarled at Danny as he approached with speed.
"I don't have to," Danny said, only those sharing his mind able to hear him as he watched in pity at the tormented filly. "When this is over, she'll be doing that herself."
<<>><<>><<>>
Bright flashes illuminated the city as beams and bolts of searing green were fired wildly, impacting on walkways, walls, or were lost in the darkness below the hanging city, as the one firing snarled angrily at the one pursuing her; Danny easily avoiding every shot fired at him due to inexperience of the young pony, combined with her corrupted state of mind, further agitating the filly.
"Sweetie Belle, snap out of it!" Danny shouted, quickly dodging another bolt of searing green. "You don't want to do this!"
Sweetie Belle's response was a low growl as her horn glowed a sickly green.
Seeing the attack coming well in advance, Danny easily avoided being hit, looking at the young pony in pity.
"Do you even understand what's going on right now?" He asked, looking into her slitted eyes, trying to find any sign of recognition.
'Her mind is too clouded by the fear she absorbed,' Fenris rumbled. 'All she does is acting on instinct.'
'Instinct, not her own,' Danny replied somberly.
'Yet it is hers. Untrained, overwhelming, but hers all the same.'
Snapping up his right arm, Danny projected a shield around him, absorbing the trio of spectral orbs Sweetie Belle had flung at him.
'And until she learns how to control all aspects of her own self, this will continue to happen.
'Let's just stop her first, then deal with that problem.'
'Agreed.'
Sweetie Belle slammed into Danny's shield, knocking into it with hooves aglow; trying to brute force her way through the energetic sphere with little success.
Sighing out while shaking his head, Danny lifted his left hand, knowing what he had to do.
In an instant, he let his right hand fall, the shield flickering for a moment before dissipating. But before Sweetie Belle could react, a small orb of icy blue impacted on her body, flash freezing the pony in a block of ice which Danny quickly caught; his blue glowing eyes looking at the frozen filly with sadness.
"Why didn't I see this coming? They said something was wrong, but I told them not to worry."
'Don't blame yourself for something you could not have known,' Eclipse said comforting as Danny slowly descended down to the bridge on which Scootaloo and Apple Bloom waited; looking up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"But I could have done more. Maybe prevented th-"
'CEASE YOUR SELF PITY! IT IS AGGRAVATING AND DOES NOTHING TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE.' Fenris bellowed angrily.
'Grandfather is right, Danny. Besides, you've been on this path of self doubt before. Please don't go down this road again.'
Releasing a deep, suffering breath, Danny shook his head. "You're right. I know, but-" he looked down at the block of ice under his arm, only to come to a dead stop mid-sentence and descend.
The ice was empty.
Slowly Danny looked forwards, eyes flat as he stared out in the distance.
In a burst of green light, Danny fell. Smoke billowing from the burned mark on his back, tracing his path as he disappeared in the depths below the city while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rushed to the bridge's wall, looking absolutely terrified at the plummeting human while shouting a collective: "DANNY!" as they quickly lost sight of him.
'Well, that could have gone better,' Danny complained, eyes held shut as he felt the air rush past his face.
'You are a fool choosing not to fight to the fullest of your abilities!' Fenris snapped.
Frowning, Danny continued falling.
'Why? Because I chose to go easy on a child lost to fear and unknown powers? Or because I chose not to use the thermos to capture her?' Danny asked, voice level.
'This could have been over before it even started. You know this just as well as I do.'
'Maybe so, but I know what it is like to have powers without a clue to use them. And I know what it's like to be lost because of them. And I have seen what I could become because of it,' Danny stated matter of fact, the wind rushing past him beginning to hurt his ears. 'We may be worlds apart, but Sweetie Belle and I are the same. Children lost, pulled into a world unknown and terrifying, and trying to find our place in this new order. Something you should know about, shouldn't you?' Danny slowly opened his eyes, unable to see anything but darkness this deep down.
'You yourself were lost to a darkness of your own creation. A darkness which then took hold over Princess Luna, apparently. Then found its way to me and grew into Eclipse.'
'Exactly,' Eclipse agreed.
'And it is how we choose to deal with this darkness which defines who we are. Fight it head-on and risk losing ourselves to it once again. Or worse, drag others down with us. Or do we fight this darkness in a way that defies its nature?' His snow-white hair whipped wildly as he waited on a reply from Fenris.
'Then how do you see to win this fight?'
'By not fighting at all.'
'Then how do you see to free her from the fear that has consumed her?'
'By giving her something stronger.'
'You know, this is a very deep cave,' Eclipse remarked offhandedly as they continued to fall.
"Just as the hole Sweetie Belle is in right now. She and the changelings," Danny said aloud, the glow of his eyes increasing. "So we fight! Fight to pull them out of the darkness that suffocates them, and set things right once and for all!" He roared, coming to a dead stop in mid-air, a small wisp of pure blue-white energy seeping from the corner of his left eye.
Thumb Thumb
"Because they are worth fighting for!"
And in a burst of light, everything lit up.
<<>><<>><<>>
Energy once flowed through the city, moving through its veins with a radiant glow.
But through the centuries, it slowed. Numbers declined, memories became fewer, its glow diminished and its flow became stagnated.
Then the sickness came, and the city's veins were damaged in an attempt to postpone the inevitable.
Memories faded, lost to eternity in the glowing embers of fire.
The changelings were dying, and the city died with them. And all that would remain, all that would linger, were the faint echoes of the last breath exhaled.
But a new strength was uncovered, spreading hope where none was left and the flow began moving ever so slowly once again.
Thumb Thumb
Energy.
A power never before witnessed by those whose memories lived on in the flow.
It grew, spread out, nourished, and the city awakened.
In a burst of light, the faint glow of the Murgröna intensified and Danny cried out from the sudden assault on his eyes as the darkness surrounding him was cast away.
Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he saw the ivy-like plant growing across most of the city reached even this deep down; its leaves glowing a bright, lush green, while the numerous flowers were fully open and shone a vibrant orange, yellow, red, or blue.
"What the…" He trailed off as he saw the light spread out; a flow of energy following the vines of the plant both deeper down into the abyss, and climbing up to the city.
'Well, that is most certainly strange,' Eclipse reacted, confused.
"And just another thing to figure out later," Danny replied, a hand balled into a fist as he looked up with fiercely glowing eyes.
Launching up with as much speed as he could, his intangible tail thrashing wildly in his wake, he followed the ever-expanding flow of light as it raced up the uncountable vines and into the city, not noticing the wave in the foliage as the leaves angled towards him.
Shooting past the bridge Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had stood at, able only to watch him fall, he rocketed into the city at the same time the light did; spreading far and wide as all of the ivy-like plant wrapped around the city lit up in a spectacle of energetic power, making the previous, ever-present glow from the plant seem dull and listless in comparison.
Ignoring the strange spectacle, Danny continued onwards; sweeping past stalactites, now aglow with near daylight-like intensity and color, despite the plant's green glow, and honed in on the sound of a loud explosion followed by screams of terror.
Glowering, Danny shot past the central waterfall, water vapor trailing after him in his wake as his eyes locked on the rampaging filly as she fired twin beams of ectoplasm on a group of changelings. Some of them, he recognized, being part of the older group who helped him infiltrate Canterlot's prison.
"Oh no you don't!" He uttered, hands beginning to glow green.
Crossing the beam, he blocked the incoming assault with a radiant shield; stopping one of the beams cold, while the other ricocheted away down into the depths.
"SWEETIE BELLE!" He shouted, eyes locking. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THIS. AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE STUCK IN YOURSELF LIKE THIS. YOU CAN FIGHT THIS! I KNOW YOU CAN!"
A feral hiss escaped Sweetie Belle upon seeing Danny, realizing her attack on him had failed. And now he thwarted her once again.
Her slitted pupils narrowed, then widened in an instant; eyes glowing a fierce toxic green while energy began to build on her horn. Growing larger and larger until an orb of ectoplasm, the size of the soccer ball, burned brightly above her head.
With a shout of rage, she fired the intense gathering of power at the human ghost, who watched the incoming projectile with wide eyes.
Increasing the strength of his shield, Danny gritted his teeth as the volatile sphere struck, feeling it fight with his barrier, slowly pushing it and him back.
"Gh- what the," he grunted, watching in disbelief as his shield began to cave in.
'It is fear that drives her. An emotion of great strength. And she has been gorging herself on it this entire time,' Fenris informed him. 'This is why you should have ended it when you had the chance,'
"No," Danny groaned, the stubborn conviction in his voice left no room for argument.
Gritting his teeth, the glow of his eyes increasing while his field of view narrowed. Focusing only on the destructive sphere forcing its way through his shield, he allowed the shield to weaken.
Slowly but surely, the sphere of volatile might pushed in closer, breaking through the protective barrier more and more while Danny, no longer seeing anything other than Sweetie Belle's attack, cupped his hands in front of him; a shimmering layer covering them.
In a burst, his shield failed and the sphere broke through.
Acting faster than conscious thought would allow to keep up with, Danny caught the sphere, twisted himself around, and flung the ball of doom away and into a far wall where it exploded with a mighty burst of power; chunks of rock breaking away from the force, which clattered on the streets below.
Surprised, Danny looked at the explosion, then down at his hands still shimmering with the protective shield covering them.
"Well, that's different," he remarked.
"LOOK OUT!"
Startled, he turned back to Sweetie Belle just in time to see her charge at him with glowing hooves and a fang-filled mouth wide open.
Dodging, the filly flew past him without any room to spare. Using the momentum of his evasion to his advantage, Danny quickly turned around and hooked his arm around the pony's midsection.
Now caught, both physically and by surprise, Sweetie Belle had barely enough time to snarl her displeasure before she was pulled closer to her adversary, pressed tightly against his chest and further held in place as his other arm wrapped around her as well.
Struggling to break free, she bit down into his arm, drawing blood. The green glow of ectoplasm staining her mouth as it flowed out past her fangs.
Groaning in pain, but not letting go, Danny flew to the closest platform, struggling to maintain a level flight path due to Sweetie Belle's thrashing.
"I know you're in there, trapped in your own fear," he said, "but trying to be heard. I know, or you would have used your intangibility to escape like you did the ice." The filly's struggle faltered for barely a second before she redoubled her efforts to break free; biting down harder on Danny's arm while uselessly kicking her hind hooves into the air.
Dropping down on a bridge, Danny had to suppress a growl threatening to escape him, as he looked down at the thrashing filly.
"You're nothing more than a frightened child, desperately reaching out for help. The mere thought of fighting you, while you are the one who needs help the most is revolting in more ways than I can think of," he spoke with a hardened edge to his voice, his mind's eyes glaring at Fenris in silent judgment. "Especially knowing who it is you really are. You are no monster. You never were. You never will be. And I will not, not now, not ever, fight with violence against someone who can just as easily be beaten by heartfelt kindness," he pulled Sweetie Belle closer to him, realizing she was no longer fighting to break free while drops of moisture began to run through the bloody green smear covering his arm.
"I've got nothing to fear from you," he continued, slowly sitting down while keeping the filly close. "Because, deep down, you do not want to hurt me, your friends, the changelings, anyone. It's that part of you that is stronger than anything else. A part that can beat this. Maybe not alone, but with the help of your friends. But you must make the first move, Sweetie Belle. Fight this. I know you can. After all, you're a Cutie Mark Crusader. You and your friends have done crazier things than this."
"Danny's, right," Apple Bloom slowly approached and Danny took notice of the group of changelings encircling him, while still keeping their distance; watching in fear, but undeniably curious if their hushed chatter was any indication.
"Sweetie Belle, ya ain't a monster. An' we'll help ya get through this--" she joined in on the hug, pressing her friend as close as she could, ignoring the slick green blood staining her coat, "--'cause that's what friends do."
"YEAH!" Scootaloo agreed, jumping up and wings buzzing for what little lift they could generate to be seen over the group of changelings, as she stood somewhere at the back of them all. "Just, --hold on, let me through. C'mon," she strained, as she pushed through the mass of shapeshifters, getting her rump stuck in between two larger changelings and, with all her strength, pulled unexpectedly free. Shooting forwards, rolling end over end she came to a stop, lying in a heap before the group hug in the process.
"Totally meant to do that," she was quick to point out, not allowing anyone to say otherwise.
Pulling herself up, she turned to Sweetie Belle.
"You're our friend, and you going all crazy spirit isn't going to change that. So snap out of this, alright? Danny knows ya can do it. So does Apple Bloom and me."
Danny could feel Sweetie Belle tremble in his arms, a small sniffle escaping her as she finally let go of Danny's arm.
Scootaloo joined in on the hug, and the agony Sweetie Belle had endured, but was unable to stop finally broke through and a gut-wrenching wail escaped her as she cried.
"Help me," she gasped between sobs, desperately clinging on her friends, as if her life depended on it, inadvertently smearing the green glowing blood staining her fur on her friends as well.
Danny, his arm already healing, looked down at the three, relieved he was able to break through to Sweetie Belle, but frowning deeply with the knowledge this would happen again if something wouldn't change.
Scanning the crowd around him, he locked eyes with Erlea standing amidst the other changelings; her eyes wide, and continuously shifting between him and something else he couldn't discern.
"I know time is a luxury we don't have, but could some of you help these three?" He asked, then looked down at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "You two will keep an eye on her, right. Make sure she doesn't lose herself again."
"Of course we will!" Scootaloo said immediately.
"Good," Danny nodded. "Sweetie Belle, I know what you're going through is difficult and, right now you're terrified what happened will happen again. And I won't lie, it will happen again," Sweetie Belle froze in his hold, shaking, "But only if you let it. You just took control, which shows you have the ability to master this side of you. But it won't be easy. These powers we have, they have never been easy, and I doubt it will change anytime soon. But I will be there to help you. Your friends will be there to help you. Together we will make sure this won't happen again," he slowly let go of the filly, setting her down on the ground, cupping a hand under her muzzle and making her look up; seeing the still slitted, green glowing eyes now had a red tint and were wet with tears, while his green ectoplasmic blood covered her chin and neck. "I know the fear you feel right now, but don't let this hold you back. Own it, learn from it and grow stronger because of it. I know you can do it, because you won't be alone to do so."
Looking back to the changelings once again, he now saw Devora standing nearby; watching him with large eyes, just like every other changeling he now noticed.
Slowly standing back up to his full height, he gave a kind smile to Sweetie Belle, then addressed Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Devora.
"Take her back to her guest room. Get cleaned up; ectoplasm is difficult to get rid off when it has a chance to dry up, and keep her company. I'll be back to help her as soon as we have removed the hate from the group we broke out of prison."
"Aren't ya going ta remove the fear from Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked, confused.
Looking at the still distraught filly, Danny sighed out.
"Removing the fear she took won't fix this. From what I understand, she feeds upon it like a changeling feeds upon love. Right now, she has her fill, and this is probably part of the reason she is able to control herself. If I remove the fear-"
"She will be hungry again," Devora continued. "And most likely lose control again."
"Exactly," Danny confirmed. "Which is where you, all of you come in," he aimed at the young shapeshifters around him. "She must learn to control this ability. An ability you share. Maybe not exactly the same, but close enough for it to work… hopefully," he sighed out, a hand placed on the back of his head. "Trying to figure out these powers without a clue of how they work is not easy. Never was, never will be. But at least some lessons can be learned from you. So help her, please," he implored.
Devora and Erlea looked at one another, nodding once as a consensus was reached over the hive mind; the other changelings present nodding as well.
"She… she has done terrible things, harmful things," Devora said, and Sweetie Belle flinched as if struck. "But… we know what the hunger feels like, what it can do. If she has the same, it is up to us to help her."
"Like a changeling, but not like a changeling," Erlea spoke up, stepping away from the crowd, still looking strangely at Danny.
"So you'll help her?" Danny sought clarification.
Erlea looked up, staring at the bright glowing ivy in awe.
"The Murgröna has awakened," she replied cryptically, slowly looking back down at Danny. "Pulled from its slumber by you. You ask for help, we will answer."
"Eehh…?" Danny uttered, confused. "Is that a yes, or a no?"
"We will help, now and forever."
Danny blinked, then blinked again, looking at Erlea in bewilderment, then saw that all changelings present stood with their wings spread out, looking at him with a strange gleam to their eyes. Something he had seen before, back when he first visited the Far Frozen, met the frost giants, and learned how they revered him as a ghost above ghosts. And now, seeing the reverent awe in the eyes of all changelings present, he couldn't help, but groan, pulling a hand down his face.
"Not again," he sighed out, realizing that, someway, somehow, he had become the Great One once again.
<<>><<>><<>>
'I must admit, I am confused.'
'About what?'
'Fear had consumed the child, yet you managed to break through to her and made her take control. All without fighting her directly. It is… confusing.'
'Not really. As lost as she was, Sweetie Belle's true self was still in there, aware of what she did, but unable to stop herself. I know what that is like. I had been mind-controlled once, forced to do things against my will, yet fully aware of what happened. Able to see it as if I was nothing more than a passenger, no, a prisoner in my own mind; staring out through the windows at the world passing by, kicking and screaming to be heard.'
'And I was lost to the darkness of my own creation, blinded by rage and hatred, becoming a monster because of it.'
'I guess we're not so different after all.'
'Yet you saw a way to resolve this without violence, whereas I could only focus on your lack of will to fight.'
'True,' Danny agreed.
Fenris paused, standing over the last of the six rescued changelings, his claw pressed against the sick shapeshifter's side.
'Hmm, no quip, or backhanded remark. Just a simple agreement pointing out my failings?'
'Hey, sometimes that's all it takes. You thought the only way to fix this mess was with violence. I showed you it didn't have to be like that. Besides, if we did this your way, who knows just how much worse the situation would have become. Violence will only create more violence. Though I won't say that everything can be resolved like I did with Sweetie Belle, and that a fight can always be avoided. Still, you want to be better, then break the cycle where you can.'
'I see,' Fenris huffed, then continued his work; slicing into the dying changeling and cutting out the black oozing hatred poisoning her.
Destroying the hate with another swipe of his claw, the last of the sickness had been purged, leaving the last six, and the weakest of the sick to shiver and struggle for breath as the young rushed in to tend to them.
"I have done all I can. Now only time will tell who will live, or die," Fenris rumbled, looking down at Erlea standing behind him. "But they are weak. Weaker than most others I have cut out this hatred. I doubt they will survive the next hour... but I have been proven wrong before."
"I... " Erlea faltered, took a deep breath, then nodded in understanding. "It's more than anything we could have done."
Fenris nodded once, then his body started to fall apart into a thick smoke; Eclipse pulling herself out of the cloud which color shifted more and more towards toxic green the further she extracted herself. Then she pulled free, and the green cloud solidified back into Danny.
"Man, I will never get used to this," Danny remarked as he held up a hand, flexing his white-gloved fingers.
Dropping his arm to the side, looking at the six sick changelings as they were taken closer to the fires and placed among the other changelings already lying there, he slowly shook his head.
"You know that, even with this disease gone, their fight is far from over?" He asked Erlea. "Even if they all pull through, which is very unlikely, they will need a long time to recover."
"I know," she replied dejectedly, looking at the ground.
Sighing, Danny looked down at the filly. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you go through the trouble of invading Canterlot? I understand that things were desperate for all of you, but an all-out invasion… I dunno. There has to be a reason behind such a choice, instead of asking for help."
"Who says we didn't ask for help?" Erlea muttered defensively.
Danny released a tired sigh, crossing his arm. "Which only proves my point. There is a reason for doing what all of you did. And something that has been going on for a long time too," he jerked his head towards the sick changelings, "cause the numbers don't add up. This city is too big for the number of changelings I've seen. So, what happened?"
Shifting on the spot, Erlea clearly struggled with herself as Danny waited for an answer.
"Has it something to do with this Murgr-whatchamacallit you said has awakened?" He asked, looking at the luminous plant covering the walls.
"It's… I…" Erlea stammered, fell silent, then grumbled something to herself. "Look, we changelings have been on our own for ages. Unable to trust others, because…. reasons. It's difficult for me, us, just to reveal ourselves and not expect something bad to happen. We've…"
Kneeling down, Danny placed a hand on top of her head, silencing her as he showed a patient smile.
"I know what it is like to keep things to yourself in order to protect yourself, and those close to you. So don't force it. I'll help regardless, but I do need to know how to help. For now, though, you help your friends look after the sick while I go and help Sweetie Belle. Okay?"
He looked at Erlea, expecting some kind of reply. The large eyes and open mouth while looking intently at something over his left shoulder was not it though.
A chill ran down his spine when hard-earned instincts of an enemy sneaking up on his unguarded back screamed out in alarm, and Danny spun around, hands raised and aglow in a fighting stance.
"What the!?" He uttered, jerking back in surprise as he saw numerous glowing, leaf-covered vines slithering down the walls and towards him; coiling onto themselves to rise up to his height, his eyes following the rising pillar of flora as a single vine poked out from the top, slowly closing the distance between him and it.
"Undergrowth," Danny muttered darkly as he took a step back, but bumped into Erlea causing him to stumble and fall.
Several vines shot out of the pillar and wrapped around his wrists and torso, halting his fall while the first vine closed the gap and touched him on the forehead.
Danny's eyes lit up, burning a fierce green as his world went white.
<<>><<>><<>>
White was all he saw.
Slowly looking around, Danny tried to figure out what had happened, and where he was. Neither questions could be given a satisfying answer, though, as he took several slow steps towards… Well, he couldn't tell.
There were no walls, ceiling or even a floor for that matter, yet he could feel the solidity of something under his boots as he continued moving forwards, unable to tell if he actually moved, or not.
"Where am I? What is this place?" He asked, his voice echoing ever so slightly. It was then he realized there were no sounds with each step he took.
Coming to a stop, he looked around again in the hope of finding something, anything that might be able to tell him where he was, or what was happening.
"Soo… any ideas?" he asked.
Silence.
"Eclipse? Fenris?" He asked, starting to worry.
"Your associates are unavailable to you, I'm afraid."
Spinning around, lowering into a fighting stance, Danny faced whoever had snuck up on his back. Only to falter upon seeing the being now standing before him.
"I welcome you, Danny," the tall, male changeling greeted with a dip of his head; fiery red eyes observing the human, while a small crown stuck out from his deep blue, perforated mane.
Not at all at ease, Danny, still tense, shifted his stance slightly.
"How do you know my name?! For that matter, who are you?!"
The tall changeling chuckled, watching Danny in amusement.
"All fair questions, and answers you are due," he replied. "My name is Mantodea, the imprint of the late king, husband to queen Chrysalis and, father of Erlea."
"Late king…? Imprint…? What?"
The corner of Mantodea's mouth curled up as Danny struggled to make sense of it all.
"Perhaps it would be better to explain where you are. Everything else will follow," Mantodea spoke. "Please, walk with me," he beckoned Danny to follow.
Standing still in silent debate, Danny eventually, slowly, lowered his hands back to his side; not yet trusting the situation, but allowing for the benefit of the doubt.
"Okay," Danny approached Mantodea, keeping some distance between them. "Explain… please."
Mantodea moved forwards, seemingly without any direction, or destination, while Danny followed.
"I should start by thanking you," he began. "For what you have done for my subjects, my family. You and those three fillies who made all of this possible in the first place. Though I am afraid I am not in a position to extend my gratitude to them personally. That particular honor is for you alone."
"Okay… why?"
"In due time," Mantodea simply said. "First off, do you know where you are?"
"Not last time I checked," Danny shot back, making Mantodea laugh.
"Fair enough. The place you are now, what does it look like?"
"A whole lot of nothing, covered by a glaring white on top of more white," Danny said as he looked around, frowning.
"Yes… This was expected. It is exceedingly rare for a none changeling to interact with this place. Even more so for one not of this world, and with one leg in the grave so to speak."
Danny came to a full stop, glaring suspiciously at Mantodea. "For someone who has just met me, you do seem to know a lot about me."
"And not without reason. Come, this way," Mantodea once again beckoned Danny to follow. "Tell me, do you know what the Murgröna is?"
"That weird plant thing Erlea said has awakened… which I somehow did?"
"The Murgröna is more than just a plant, Danny. So much more. We do not know where it came from, just that it has always been with us for as long as we can remember… which is a very long time, as you will come to see. What you must know above all else is this: the Murgröna and us changelings live in a perfect symbiosis. It, like us, gains energy from emotions. Ours, changelings to be precise. And the healthier and happier we are, so will be the Murgröna."
"And with everyone sick and dying, this Murgröna did so too?"
"Yes. And with it, so much more. So many more. You see, we changelings are linked from the day we hatch, to the day we die. A connection of the minds, which allows us to see, hear and share all we know with one another. This connection is also shared with the Murgröna, and all that we know, all that we experience, all that we are is remembered in here," he came to a stop.
"In here?" Danny mirrored, confused.
"The Murgröna," Mantodea revealed, and the glaring white obscuring everything to Danny began to fade away; revealing to him numerous threads of multi-colored energy running everywhere, linking together, and separating in uncountable tangles spreading far and wide and far beyond where he could see.
"What is- what am I seeing?" Danny gasped, awed.
"Memories," Mantodea answered. "Apologies for it taking so long, but we never before interacted with a mind so strange. It took a while for the right balance to be found so you would be able to properly interact with us."
Danny looked around, amazed, then paused. "Us?"
"Them," Mantodea indicated with his horn, pointing at the uncountable strands. "Like I said, the Murgröna remembers all that we are. Those strands you see, they are the full memories of all changelings who have lived and are alive today. All of them are remembered, and thus they do not die. Not really. But when the city fell sick, all of us suffered with them. And when the foals gathered some of the leaves to fuel the fires, they also destroyed some of the memories, lost forever to the embers of fire."
Danny was silent, processing all of this. Then he looked at Mantodea. "Late king. There was no king back in the city as far as I know… so you're a memory as well."
"I am, yes."
“So, I am inside this Murgröna, talking to the memory of a dead king because?"
"Hope."
"... Come again?"
"We changelings have been around for a long time. Longer than most seem to remember," Mantodea answered with both pride and a bitter undertone. "As you said to my daughter, the city is too large for the number of changelings present. This was not always the case. Nor were we always the monsters the other creatures of this world make us out to be. But over time, because of the actions of others and, despite our best efforts to change our fate, we were forced deeper and deeper into the darkness; our numbers dwindling as a result. And with the disease claiming so many, we knew all that we were would be lost forever," Mantodea was silent for several heartbeats. "But then the impossible happened. Three young ponies showed a kindness to us very few remember ever receiving. And through them, you found us. And now, after having done so much for us already, you still seek out to do more. Not because this was asked, or riches promised, but because you want to help us heal, become better, doing whatever you can to do so," he looked at Danny, voice thick with gratitude. "You have a strong heart, Daniel. That is why you are here. To tell you what happened. To show you how it happened. And who is responsible for our downfall," his horn began to glow, and numerous of the strands flexed, then moved towards Danny.
"Wait, what?" Danny backed off, alarmed.
"Those are our stories, Danny," one of the strands reached him, and he vanished in the energy.
With a gasp, Danny staggered back as the vine broke the connection, slithering back within the mass of foliage while the white-haired ghost stood unsteadily on the spot, grimacing, eyes clenched shut and a hand held against his head.
The memories of countless lives lived filled his mind and blurred perception of reality, reducing everything around him to white noise as he stood in many hooves, in many times in the same instance, obscuring his sense of self as the countless voices spoke to him.
'DANNY!'
He fell to his knees, catching himself at the last second, panting heavily while sweat dripped down his eyes onto the floor; his pupils, mere pinpricks, slowly widening to normal size as his breathing leveled out; his left hand slowly closing into a fist, stomping it on the floor with little strength behind it.
"Master," he heard Eclipse, realizing his shade was standing next to him, head lowered to his and eyes wide with worry. "Master, what happened? Your consciousness just vanished when this plant touched you."
Breath still heavy but more controlled, Danny slowly pushed himself back up and into a seated position; looking at his fist while slowly opening it and flexing his fingers.
"Danny?" Eclipse tried again.
'Phantom?' even Fenris tried to break through to him.
"... All those lives," Danny suddenly said, voice unusually hollow but with noticeable anger woven within it. "So much suffering… And for what?"
He abruptly stood up, surprising Eclipse and forcing her to half-jump back.
"What suffering? What happened? Danny, what is going on?" Eclipse reached out with a hoof, grabbing him by the shoulder.
"You…" A quiet voice spoke up, and Danny turned to the young changeling who stared up at him with large eyes. "You heard them, didn't you? They spoke to you?"
"Yes," Danny confirmed, releasing a deep breath. "Did a lot more than just speaking, though." He looked around, eyes narrowed slightly. "I know this room. I remember helping to build it… over a thousand years ago."
Erlea stumbled back in disbelief while Eclipse partially reared up in shock.
'A lie to be sure, yet you speak true all the same,' Fenris grumbled. 'What tricks have been played with your mind?'
"What tricks haven't," Danny muttered back.
"But how could you have been here a thousand years ago?" Eclipse asked.
"I wasn't," Danny answered vaguely. "They were," he gestured to Erlea. "Her ancestors. Their voices, their memories, they live on even after death. Remembered by the Murgröna, and they showed me everything. How they lived, how they grew, how they flourished… how they fell, and who was responsible for this to happen."
He turned to Eclipse, locking eyes.
"You came from Nightmare Moon. You said you have her memories, right?"
Flummoxed, she nodded.
"I, ah… yes. I do have some of my mother's memories, but they're difficult to discern, blurred after her merger with Shadow."
"Then do your best to unblur them," Danny grumbled as he turned around and moved to the room's closed onyx door. Without hesitation, he held up a green glowing hand, and the glyphs surrounding the portal lit up in response as the stone melted away. " 'Cause there are answers hidden in there. Answers to questions no one ever asked," he stepped out into the city, watching the far too silent and empty Hive with burning eyes. "So I will ask... for them."
<<>><<>><<>>
With a confident pace, Danny moved through the identical hallways of the palace, knowing exactly where he needed to go.
Following closely behind was a small group of changelings, including Erlea and Devora. All of them silently watching Danny with wide eyes, though their shared mind was abuzz with seemingly endless unanswered questions as they momentarily lost sight of the tall biped as he rounded a corner.
Danny paid them no mind as he moved onwards, passing many similar closed onyx portals until he suddenly stopped; turning to the closed door on his right.
With a flash of green from his hand, mirrored by the glyphs surrounding the door, the stone melted away, revealing the room beyond, as well as its occupants.
"Danny!" Apple Bloom called out as she saw him enter, jumping off the bed and moved towards him.
Giving a tired smile at the filly, he then turned his attention to the two fillies still on the bed and his heart sank as he saw the quivering mess Sweetie Belle had become; curled into a ball and quietly sobbing while Scootaloo lay beside her gently patting her back.
A sigh escaped him as he moved to the bed, slowly sitting down on Sweetie Belle's free side.
"How's she holding up?" He asked.
"Not good," Scootaloo answered.
Placing a hand on top of Sweetie Belle's head, Danny gently comforted her.
"Do you… can you help her? Control this hunger that is?"
"On my own, maybe? It will be easier with the changelings helping. They have a good understanding of what she's going through… even if the source of this hunger differs," he answered, looking out of the still open onyx portal and seeing the small group of shapeshifters peeking inside.
"Erlea," he called out, "could you please come here? You too, Devora."
Both fillies blinked, looked at one another, hesitated for a second, then both slowly approached while keeping a wary eye on Sweetie Belle.
"Erlea," he said once the two fillies had closed the distance. "I understand that right now there are not a lot of fit changelings left to help, but I must ask for you to lend me Devora for some time.
"What? Why… and what for?" Both she and Devora asked simultaneously.
"Because Sweetie Belle needs time to come to terms with this darker aspect of her powers, and learn how to control them. Something she can only do here, with you. Which means she won't be able to return to Ponyville," a strangled squeak escaped the filly by his side upon hearing his words. "She needs to stay here. But if she does not return back home soon, she and her friends, there is no telling what else could happen. Nothing good, at the very least. So we need someling to take her place while Sweetie Belle learns to control the hunger. And," he cut off Apple Bloom before she could object. "Only she can stay here," he looked at the bow wearing filly. "You and Scootaloo have to return as well. Both to ease your family and friends' worry, but also to cover for any slip-ups Devora might, and most likely will make while pretending to be Sweetie Belle with no idea about her way of life"
"Shoot," Apple Bloom kicked the floor. " Tha' actually makes sense."
"But to make matters worse, everyone thinks one, or more ghosts are responsible for your disappearance. Which, in all honesty, is not that far from the truth. So we need to solve that problem also without drawing any unwanted attention to any of us, ghost or not."
"I take it you have a plan?" Scootaloo spoke up.
"More or less," Danny hesitated. "More of an idea than an actual plan, to be honest."
Scootaloo snorted, then shrugged. "More than I have."
"Okay, Eclipse," Danny called out, and his shadow rose up from the floor. "Shadow once helped me draw the guard away from me back in the scanner room. You're up to do the same?"
"Of course, master," she replied with a fanged grin. "What do you need me to do?"
A devious grin was the only answer.
<<>><<>><<>>
With powerful beats of her bat wings, Eclipse shot through the air, a dark blur in the morning light.
At passing, she glanced down at the herd of windigos still present, fortunately still calm, and with no obvious sign of them wandering off, while cold vapor began to rise off the still frozen ground as the rising warmth of the day began its task to melt the out of season frost.
Before long the spectral equines were lost to her, and she instead refocused on the Everfree Forest, keeping a close eye on the ground below in case either Cujo or Wind Chill were already heading back to the Hive.
Even then, she also kept a wary eye on the sun as she could feel its effects on her form; her form wavering slightly as the sun's light hit her full force, before settling down. Serving as a harsh reminder to her. Even though she was powerful enough a shade to maintain herself even in the full light of day, the light could still harm her if she wasn't careful.
Shaking off the effects the daylight had over her, she continued her flight, quickly progressing until she had left the dead and barren lands behind, and lush grass began to dominate the ground beneath.
Up ahead, still some distance away she could make out the trees marking the boundary of the Everfree Forest and, running past them with great strides, Wind Chill emerged, Cujo keeping pace by his side.
Taking notice, Eclipse angled down and made a hard landing before the pair, forcing them to dig their heels to come to a sudden stop.
"So there you are," Eclipse said.
"Arf," Cujo barked in recognition, tail wagging.
"Eclipse?" Wind Chill said questioningly, not familiar with her true form.
Nodding in confirmation, she half turned into the direction of the Hive. "You must hurry," she told them. "Much has happened when you were gone, and Danny needs your help." Anticipating the giant's next question, she shook her head. "And, no. It does not involve Fenris. Though I don't have time to explain either," she looked past them at the forest. "Is Zecora still at your village?"
Confused and surprised, it took Wind Chill several moments to collect his thoughts.
"I, ehh… I think so, yes. Though I have not seen her since we last parted ways."
"Good enough," Eclipse spread her wings. "Hurry, time is of the essence," she said, then shot off into the air and towards the forest, leaving behind Wind Chill and Cujo with more questions than answers.
Frowning thoughtfully, Wind Chill watched Eclipse disappear within the woods.
"There is something most unusual about this shade," he spoke softly.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, he turned his attention back towards where he knew the changelings' city was.
"Come, Cujo. The Great One needs our help. We better not keep him waiting."
Cujo barked a reply as he and Wind Chill ran with great strides, not knowing what to expect, but ready for whatever challenge awaited them.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, what is the plan?" asked Apple Bloom, once again lying beside Sweetie Belle while watching Danny pace around the room, frowning with a hand on his chin.
"Like I said, more an idea than a plan," Danny replied with a grunt. "Don't know if it will work, though I hope it does. It'll buy us the time we need."
"Time for what?" Scootaloo spoke up.
Danny came to a sudden stop, sighing deeply while slowly crossing his arms, looking at nothing in particular.
"Time to figure out what's really going on."
"Ehh…?" Apple Bloom uttered, glancing at Scootaloo, who merely shrugged, not understanding either.
"There are always two sides to each story," he added unhelpfully, resuming his pacing.
"Okay?" Scootaloo said.
"And I have been shown one side. But what about the other? What is the true truth in this mess?"
"You're kinda losing us here, Danny," Scootaloo told him.
Danny ignored her as he mulled over his thoughts before shaking himself out of his musings, then turned to Erlea, standing near the door with a couple of other changelings, looking at him expectantly.
"Erlea, how long do you think all of you can last with the resources you have left?"
Surprised by this sudden change, Erlea fumbled for an answer, quickly calling out over the hive mind to all still standing for an answer.
"Not long," she said eventually. "We're scraping by as is. Almost no ling out looking for food found any supply plentiful enough to last more than a day, and I don't recall ever having any reserves available for as long as I have been around," she summed up with a weary sigh. "And while it helps that the sick are now recovering, they will not be able to help with finding food for some time, while needing food to recover. At best, I'd say we maybe, maybe have a month if we're really 'lucky'."
"A month," Danny hummed, once again resuming his pacing. "So unless a proper source of positive emotions is found, preferably love, but just about anything would do right now, things wouldn't really have improved for all of you."
"But, what 'bout us?" Apple Bloom piped up. "We've given them emotions, right?" she held up her leg from which Erlea had siphoned some of her energy.
"True," Danny agreed. "But only one of them, and it drained you to the point of exhaustion. Same with Scootaloo, right?" he looked at the aforementioned filly, who nodded in answer. "So that is not really helpful. If it takes one to feed one we need an entire city worth of ponies to accomplish that. And with the current relations between changelings and ponies that is not going to happen any time soon. Though this does raise another question."
"Which is?" Scootaloo asked, flexing a wing before folding it back to her side.
"There was a time when changelings and ponies worked and lived together, long ago," he told them, and a gasp escaped the two fillies as well as the changelings in the room while, remaining quiet, Danny did notice the twitch in Sweetie Belle's ears.
"You know?" Devora asked, shocked.
"I do," Danny confirmed. "Thing is, they fed on the ponies without draining them. Not like how it has happened to you two," he aimed at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. "In fact, a single pony provided enough energy to feed several dozen changelings for days."
"They did?" Apple Bloom asked, surprised, confused. "How?"
"How indeed?" Danny murmured. "When ponies and changelings first met, it happened by chance. The changelings' food reserves running low during winter, forcing them to venture out past their territory in search of food. Which is how, eventually, one changeling came across the ponies. Both being unknown to one another, yet instead of being hostile, the ponies helped the changeling they met; giving her clothes to keep warm and such. But it was a young colt who first demonstrated the ability to feed them, later mirrored by the other foals before any of the adults did. And now, in a way, twisted as it may be, history is repeating itself," he looked at Erlea.
"You left your home in search of food, after which you encountered Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. And instead of attacking you, they went out of their way to help you. But after everything that has happened to your kind, is still happening to this day, this was something not easily accepted. After all, what reason do you have to…"
Danny fell silent, eyes slowly widening as realization began to take hold.
"Danny?" Apple Bloom said, worried, jumping off the bed and nudging him.
"Trust," he said suddenly, slamming a fist into his hand. "That's why they aren't able to get the emotions they need from you, without physically draining them that is. After everything that has happened to them, they have no reason to trust you."
"What do you mean it's about trust? That doesn't make any sense," Devora was quick to reply.
"But it does," Danny countered. "The first time a changeling fed from the emotions given by a pony, it happened with a colt, a child. Children are always quicker to trust others, and the changeling didn't know anything about ponies. They were a complete unknown, and thus something to be wary of lest they turned out to be dangerous. Instead, they helped her, and thus gave her a reason to trust them. And when that happened, when this first bond of trust formed, she also discovered a source of food never before seen by any changeling. But now, with this trust betrayed so thoroughly, you… I don't know, block yourselves off from this all as a manner of self-defense."
"So all they need to do to get more emotions from us is by trusting us?" Scootaloo asked.
"I believe so, yes," Danny nodded, then grimaced. "Still easier said than done. Trust is hard to gain but easy to lose. Though you helping them should count for something, but if that will be enough short term… I don't know. But it would certainly increase their chances of pulling through this whole ordeal if I'm right."
"So, we just need to forget what the ponies did to us, what she did to us, and pretend everything is just perfect so we can eat?" Erlea sneered.
"No," Danny countered calmly. "Pretending to be fine is not going to work, as there wouldn't be any trust. Nor would it work if you would just reveal yourselves to the world and hope for the best. The image of you being monsters has been spread for too long by her to see you as anything but. No, you need to start small, and allow the trust to grow naturally," he looked over at the three ponies, "and work your way up from there."
"And what if she were to find out?" Erlea shot back with a biting tone.
"Then I will stand by your side to defend you against Celestia. For that, you have my word."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Wait, WHAT!?" Apple Bloom shouted, she and Scootaloo looking at Danny with shock plastered on their faces. Even Sweetie Belle had lifted a leg to stare at him with a single, bloodshot eye.
Danny, in turn, looked at them tiredly, about to respond when a loud, but muffled bark could be heard from the other side of the closed door, which opened a second later by the efforts of one of the changelings standing guard outside.
With a quieter bark in thanks, Cujo jumped inside, quick to spot Danny while, still outside the room, Wind Chill had lowered himself to hands and knees in order to look inside.
The large hound swiftly moved over to Danny, who gave him a welcoming scratch on the head.
"Erlea, Devora, perhaps it would be best if you explain to them what we were talking about. If anything, they have shown they can be trusted. Now it is up to you to take the next step," he told them, then looked at the giant still awkwardly positioned outside the room. "Meanwhile, I need to have a word with Wind Chill," he added as he moved to the door. "Cujo, you come too."
"Whu… But, wait," Erlea called out, and Danny stopped, looked at her and gave a tired smile.
"Trust me," and with that, he and Cujo stepped out the room, the door closing with a flicker of green coming from Danny's hand.
"Great One, wha-" Danny held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence.
"A lot has happened in the time you were gone. Too much to explain in a few words," he then looked at the foals still standing guard, watching with poorly concealed fright at the giant and hound. "Let's go someplace else where we can talk."
Moving away from the occupied room, Danny led Cujo and Wind Chill, the latter shuffling forwards in an awkward, crouched stance, to a passage which revealed to them a grand balcony hanging on the outside of one of the many stalactites and presenting a splendid view of the cascading waterfall in the city's center.
No longer encumbered by a far too low ceiling, Wind Chill straightened himself with a thankful groan; allowing himself a few precious moments to work out the kink in his back, before addressing the elephant in the room.
"From how things appear to be I can only surmise that, while successful in your endeavor to cure the changelings' illness, something else of importance happened."
Danny snorted. "That's one way of saying it."
He exhaled a tired sigh, stepping closer to the too low for a human guard rail and looked out over the city.
"After we separated, several things happened. Fenris and I were able to remove the hate poisoning the changelings, this is true. But they are still weak, and not all will survive despite this. As terrible as this is, it turned out there were more changelings still held captive in Canterlot, the ponies' capital, after a failed invasion. A small group of changelings and I went over there to free them… for what little good it might do. They are in terrible shape. Worse than even the worst afflicted I saw in this city. But while I was there, I learned of several other things as well. First off, there appears to have been a ghost attack the day before--" Wind Chill sucked in a breath "-- And an attack on a construction site. A human construction site… led by Dani… who was also injured in this attack… assuming it was an attack, to begin with. Unfortunately, as I set out to find Dani and find some answers in the process, spectral exhaustion kicked in and, well, let's just keep it at that everyone there now knows Danny Phantom is 'haunting' the castle."
Danny took a moment to silently curse to himself, eyes held shut.
"But because of this I did discover a rather unexpected presence of ghosts, two ponies, who helped me escape the castle, then find my way to a native source of spectral energy through which I was able to regain my strength. Though I wouldn't mind a twelve hour nap after all of this is over. But to make matters worse, Sweetie Belle…" he trailed off, sighing deeply while shaking his head.
"The young spirit," Wind Chill gasped, alarmed. "Great One, what happened?"
"Her friends came to me before it got out of hand, but I did not recognize what was happening. Thinking it was just exhaustion on her part. But now… it would seem her powers come with a severe drawback. Something that makes her lose control over herself," he turned around, looking Wind Chill in the eyes.
"She turned into something else… something, not her. A near-feral creature causing severe damage to the city with her attacks, injuring several, and feeding on their fear while doing it. She didn't even seem to recognize her friends while in this state," he once again released a tired sigh. "I was able to stop her, break through to her, but she has taken this hard. Very hard. Can't say I blame her. And because of this, she isn't able to return home either."
"WHAT!?" Wind Chill shouted, his voice echoing throughout the city and causing several young changelings traversing the various walkways, carrying various items to help the formerly ill, to look around in confusion and fear.
Holding up a hand, Danny silenced him.
"She can't go back because she needs to learn how to control this darker aspect of herself. And as it turns out, here would be the best place for her to do so. This hunger she has, this need to feed on fear is something the changelings have as well. Though they require positive emotions opposite to Sweetie Belle's need for negative. Even then, they can teach her how to control this side of her, and, hopefully, in turn, they can learn to trust ponies while doing so. If not, I fear the changelings will die regardless of us curing their illness."
"But… what would the changelings trusting the ponies have anything to do with them eating?"
"Everything," Danny looked up at the luminescent Murgröna, frowning, arms crossed.
"Something else that has happened while you were away would be the awakening of the Murgröna, that plant you see growing everywhere. It is more than just some foliage to liven up the place. Somehow, and I don't know how, the Murgröna contains the living memories of all changelings past and present, going back centuries. And somehow I am the one who managed to reawaken it. And because of this, it connected my mind with itself."
"It, what?! What happened?"
"It revealed to me the countless lives lived throughout the ages. I experienced them as if living them myself. More than a thousand years of experiences; lessons in everything this world has to offer, from friendship between species, various crafts, love, parenthood on both sides of the sexes, magic… betrayal… It is difficult to put into words, really. I did lose myself in it all for a while. But in the end, I understood one vital thing. Something that all those who spoke to me wanted: answers. And there are only two left alive who can give them. But for them to do so will require me to make them face their actions, without a way for them to hide away. Undeniable proof that they can't just ignore or brush away. And I think I know where I can find it… The ghost library."
"The library? What do you hope to find there?"
"The books of their lives," Danny answered readily. "But, none of this matters if we don't address a more urgent matter that needs resolving first. The girls need to go home, now! So do I. But how would we do this after everyone is convinced we were taken by ghosts? At least there are those who can pretend to be Sweetie Belle, but still…"
"That…" Wind Chill was silent for a moment, still processing everything Danny had told him. "That may not be easy. Though, maybe…"
"Yes?"
"Before our return here, Cujo and I intervened in an attack by these so-called timberwolves on one of the ghost hunters. He was badly injured, but I froze his wounds, and put in place a simple cast to keep him from making things worse while the others of his group would find him. The cold would also have helped. Maybe this can be used to weave a convincing story?"
"Maybe?" Danny turned around, hands on his back while overlooking the city. "But I'm still waiting for Eclipse to return with Zecora. We need their help regardless."
"Then it would seem I chose the right moment to return," Eclipse replied, and all present turned to look at the shade standing behind them, with a windswept Zecora standing beside her.
"While I understand the haste to bring me to the changelings' den, I must ask you not to do that again," Zecora said as she stood somewhat wobbly on her hooves. She then turned to Danny, eyes large with worry. "Your shade, Eclipse, she has told what terrible things have unfold. You have my help, this is a certainty. What must I do to relieve some of this misery?"
"Heya!" Cujo barked happily, tail wagging as he recognized Zecora. The mare, to no surprise to Danny, flinched when she heard, then saw the dog responsible for her home's unwanted redecoration.
"And now we're all here," Danny muttered to himself. "Good. Zecora, Wind Chill, and you too Cujo," he looked at the still wagging pup near the balcony's railing. The hound's ears perked up, and the large canine leaped to his paws with an eager bark. "I need you all to stay here and ensure things don't go spiraling down into chaos again. Wind Chill," he looked at the giant. "I understand you have an honor bond with Apple Bloom, but as is, you can't return to the barn you've been staying in all this time. It has been discovered, and will be kept under close examination. Besides, you are needed here to keep the windigos under control."
Danny then turned to Zecora before Wind Chill could even begin to object.
"Zecora, I won't repeat what Eclipse has already told you. I think it should be obvious where your help is required. Your skills with potions may make the difference between life and death for a great number of changelings while they are recovering, and the presence of an adult is something these foals need as well."
"Cujo," he turned to the now wagging dog, "Your skills to track just about anything are needed here as well. I don't know how long it may take for the changelings to find it in them to trust the ponies again, but until they do, they need to find another source of food. Any forest creature would do, rabbits, birds, foxes, whatever. Something they can leech some energy from… and nothing too dangerous. And I'm sure Zecora will have need of various supplies as well you should be able to find."
"You've got it," Cujo barked his confirmation, only understandable by Danny.
"And most importantly, we're also here to make sure nothing goes wrong with Sweetie Belle. One rampant spirit attack is one too many already."
"We're?" Wind Chill mirrored. "Great One, do you not intend to return to your village with the children?"
For a second, the image of a strange black and white pony he encountered inside the mirror pool flashed before his mental eye, a smirk forming.
A band of white light split him in two.
""No,"" two identical voices spoke at once. "I just have to be in two places at once."
<<>><<>><<>>
Two Dannys walked through the hall, one human, the other a ghost. Following him were Eclipse, Cujo, Zecora, and once again shuffling forwards in an awkward stance, Wind Chill.
The odd procession didn't go unnoticed either, as the group of changeling foals standing guard near the only occupied room were quick to respond upon the sight of them all. And, of course, because of this, it didn't take long for the glyphs surrounding the door to glow and the onyx portal to melt away.
"WHAT THE HAY!?" shouted Devora when she spotted the cause of the commotion, staring with wide eyes at the two humans before coming to a conclusion.
"No, I am not dealing with this madness any longer!" And she promptly returned back into the room.
"Well, can't say I blame her," the human Danny remarked as he scratched his scalp.
"Ditto," his ghost counterpart agreed with a shrug, then both walked inside before the door could close on them.
Zecora, Cujo and Eclipse followed a moment later while Wind Chill could only resume his previous position and knelt down to look inside.
"WHAT THE HAY!" Came the echo of Devora's outburst as Erlea looked at the two strangely identical humans.
"Yes, there are two of me now," ghost Danny said. "It's something I can do as a ghost. But that's not important now," he walked over to the group of fillies, pleased to see Sweetie Belle was no longer quivering, but an occasional sob could still be heard. Though she was far from better, at least it was an improvement. Small as it may be.
"Okay," he dropped to a knee to be at eye level with them. "Here's what's going to happen. Zecora, Cujo, Wind Chill and I will stay here to help the changelings and Sweetie Belle. Devora will assume Sweetie Belle's form, and then join you two," he looked at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, "and my other self as we return to Ponyville. Now, when we return, there are going to be many difficult questions, as well as a large number of guards trying to figure out if we're ghosts, or possessed by ghosts. Most likely by scanning us to start with."
"But wouldn't that mean they can see you're a ghost when they do?" asked Scootaloo.
"Maybe, but I'm not sure. Every time I was near one or more ghost scanners, they never went off… Not sure why, but… I can make some guesses. Even so, they will find a lot of spectral signatures all around us after spending so much time near ghosts, not to mention the time in the Far Frozen. So in order to keep the truth from being revealed we need to do some creative storytelling."
"Ya mean lyin' " Apple Bloom deadpanned. "Tha ain't gonna work on mah big sis. She sees right through it."
"No doubt," the other Danny answered, stepping closer. "That's why we're not going to lie. But we're not going to tell the whole truth either."
"Meaning?" Scootaloo asked.
"You weren't taken by ghosts, true. But ghosts were involved all the same. Besides, Wind Chill did mention he carried you so, in a way, a ghost has taken you someplace. Meaning you can honestly say yes to such a question, as long as you don't go into details. As for me, when I disappeared in the forest it was because Fenris attacked my other half. So, in truth, a ghost was responsible for that as well. No need to lie, but no reason to tell the full truth either."
"As for where we were," the other Danny continued. "Some strange cave. Some weird plant growing there. Not much to go by," he shrugged, "but we didn't stick around to figure out where we were exactly while we escaped."
"An how did we escape?" Apple Bloom wanted to know.
Danny looked over his shoulder at the giant still crouched before the door.
"We were rescued by a surprisingly helpful giant of a ghost who, by his own admission, already went out of his way to save the life of a ghost hunter. That will help us sell this story, because there is another who can claim such a thing."
"But tha would be a lie, 'cause Wind Chill didn't save us from any ghosts," Apple Bloom pointed out.
"Didn't he?"
"The windigos," Scootaloo gasped. "He fought the windigos, and we were there too."
"Exactly," Danny, the one kneeling down, said as he stood back up. "And of course with us having just escaped untold 'horrors' and, most likely in shock after such a terrible ordeal, it would make sense our story would be lacking in detail. Which means we have a truthful story to tell, which, hopefully, will be enough to keep the others from looking too deep into this."
"But…" Apple Bloom scuffed a hoof on the floor, looking down. "Wouldn't it be better to jus' tell them wha happened? What really happened, Ah mean."
"Would it?" Danny asked in return. "You tell me. After you three, Zecora and I went missing without a trace, ghost hunters active in town, and a confirmed ghost presence, the mess over at Canterlot, my stellar reputation and everything else going on, do you really think that they would believe any of us if we claim that I am a friendly neighborhood ghost? A friendly neighborhood ghost helping out you girls, one of which has become a spirit, to save a dying species of shapeshifters who, not too long ago executed a hostile attack on Canterlot. And all of that with the help of other ghosts, who we can visit at their home through a portal which, incidentally, just so happens to have opened and can be found inside the ruins of the princesses old castle. And that's not even mentioning Fenris, who spawned the corruption which turned Luna into Nightmare Moon… Which, as you were told," he looked at Erlea who, slowly, gave a nod, "played a vital role in the collapse of changeling society. Both she and Celestia."
"It does make for one hell of a story," the other Danny said offhandedly. "But considering we have been 'abducted' by ghosts, the truth will not be believed to be as such. They'd just think we are forced by the ghosts to tell some outlandish story, which will not end well for many involved, Sweetie Belle and myself included."
"The Great One speaks true," Wind Chill spoke up. "As it is now, the truth will only sound like a lie. For others to believe your words, undeniable proof has to be presented. Proof that can't be ignored or twisted to fit their world view."
"But how would we do that?" Scootaloo wanted to know.
"You don't," the human Danny said. "When you return home, they will not let you out of their sight. You will need to lay low, all of you," he looked at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and then Devora. "We all do."
"As for me," Danny, the ghost, picked up. "While I help here, I will also go to the ghost Zone; the library to be precise."
"Library?" Erlea finally found her voice, looking up at him with confusion.
"Yes," he confirmed. "There is something there… It's kinda like the Murgröna. The books of life. Everyone's life story, written down as it happens," he held up a hand, intercepting the flood of questions. "Don't ask, I don't know either. But what I do know is that, maybe, just maybe I may be able to find some answers there… should I be allowed to do so. But if nothing else, I should be able to find a book that could be useful to help Sweetie Belle better understand her powers. But all of that is in the future, and we have plenty to do right now."
"Actually, Great One. If I may," Wind Chill interrupted. "I need to speak with young Apple Bloom."
"The honor bond," Danny said, understanding.
"Indeed," he confirmed. "Apple Bloom, if you would?"
"Eh… sure?" The young pony slowly moved over to the giant.
"Uhmm… Would it be asking too much for some privacy?" Wind Chill said after several moments of silence, looking first at the foals still standing guard, then back inside the room.
"Erlea, would you please tell your friends they can go and help the others. Nothing bad will happen here. I promise."
Erlea looked up at both Dannys, unable to properly formulate a response, but slowly nodding as she gave an order over the hive mind.
"You sure?" A young voice squeaked as a young colt, wearing a far too large helmet, looked inside.
"Y-yes. Go," she instructed, and slowly the aspiring guards left their post, leaving Wind Chill and Apple Bloom in the otherwise empty hallway.
With a flash of his hand, Danny closed the door of the chamber, giving a nod to Wind Chill.
"Okay," he said as he and his counterpart both turned to Scootaloo. "While he does that, there is one other matter that needs to be addressed while it is still possible."
"Euhh… why're you two… one.... why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Let me guess," Danny said, arms crossed.
"Clockwork?" his white-haired double said, both of them looking expectantly at the orange pegasus.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Ya wanted ta talk ta mah?" Apple Bloom asked as she looked at Wind Chill.
"Yes," he confirmed, then grunted as he readjusted his stance a bit to find a more comfortable position. "It's about my honor bound to you. The Great One's reasoning is sound, and as such, I find no reason to argue with his plan. But my oath to stay by your side, until such times come where I can fulfill the debt I owe to your family, means I can't just leave you either."
"But ya left ta go back ta help Danny when he an' Fenris got stuck together?"
"I did, yes. And while I won't deny I did so to help the Great One, the reason I was able to do this was to keep you safe. Had I not helped Danny by bringing him to the Elder and resolve the trouble his merger with Fenris had brought, there is no telling what might have happened. But now I find myself in a dilemma. As things are, you are in no danger here. But back at your village, this may not be so and my bond demands I stay by your side. Yet Danny is not wrong when he said my help is required here, but my bonds prevent me from staying."
"But wha 'bout Sweetie Belle? She needs ya more than Ah do right now, an-" Apple Bloom paused, looking at the closed door as if she could see her friend through it. "Ya said ya cain't leave me unless ya fulfilled this debt ta mah family… Does tha mean all mah family?"
"Yes," Wind Chill replied, confused. "By possessing your older siblings to make them forget what they saw, I must serve your family as penance. But you are the only one of your family who knows about me, and as such my oath of honor is solely focused on you."
"But what if Ah have more family who knows 'bout ya?" Apple Bloom now fully turned to the closed door, eyes set. "Sweetie Belle's mah friend. So is Scootaloo. An friends are the family ya choose." Turning to Wind Chill, she looked him in the eyes. "Sweetie Belle's mah family, an she needs ya help. So ya can stay here an help her, tha changelings, Danny, everyone without yer honor bond gettin' in tha way. An don't worry 'bout me or Scootaloo. We've got Danny ta look after us."
For several moments, Wind Chill looked surprised, taken aback. But then his rough features smoothed into a warm smile as he looked at the surprisingly mature filly.
"You are wise for your years, young Apple Bloom. And it warms my unbeating heart to see you care so much for others. Despite my slight to your family, I couldn't be happier to be bonded to one as strong and brave as you are."
"So does tha mean ya stay here?"
"Yes, as my code commands, I will remain here and do what I can to help your family. And, Apple Bloom. Thank you."
<<>><<>><<>>
"So, yeah… That's when he took me to a different time where my parents were still alive, and where I never went to Ponyville," Scootaloo said with a bitter tone, head hanging.
"And while it was what you wished for, you soon discovered it wasn't what you wanted," Danny, the human one, replied. Speaking from experience.
"Yeah," Scootaloo nodded. "My parents were alive, but I never met Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. We never became the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and never had all the crazy adventures we've done.
Sweetie Belle gasped, looking at her friend with large, red-rimmed eyes; so enraptured by what Scootaloo had said she didn't even realize she had unfurled as she listened.
"We never met?" She asked, voice small.
Scootaloo, surprised when Sweetie Belle spoke, flinched before looking at her; glad to see her friend had pulled herself together enough to 'show' herself again. Though that feeling was short lived as her friend still waited for an answer.
"No," she answered with a deep sigh. "We didn't."
"And then what happened?" Danny asked her, voice caring.
"I had to choose."
Both Dannys stiffened, then both sighed wearily.
"Choose between what you have and have lost, and what you could have, but must lose."
"I, eh… yeah. But how do you-"
"It's how Clockwork works. Trust me, I speak from experience. I once created an alternate reality in which my parents never got married, and my older sis and I were never born…. It was a mess… and all because Clockwork wanted me to figure things out on my own. Just… be glad he was the one showing you all that, instead of stumbling through it all blind. Time travel… it is not as great as all those stories make it out to be."
"... Yeah," Scootaloo slumped down onto the bed. "It… It was difficult. Making that choice, I mean. Don't think I even had a choice, really."
"We rarely do," Danny, the ghost one, said as he sat down beside the depressed filly, putting a hand on top of her head.
"Though I did get to meet my future self because of it," Scootaloo said, then paused, looking up at Danny with curious eyes. "Did you meet your future self?"
Both Dannys froze once again, eyes meeting. "I have," was his clipped response.
"And what was he like?"
"It… could have gone better I guess."
"What do you mean?"
"My future self… Well, let's just say the things they say about me now were true for him. He was a future I could not allow to happen. And while most of the time we don't have much of a choice, with this I did. And I chose to be better, to never let that future happen, ever."
"Was it really that bad?" Sweetie Belle asked.
""Worse,"" both Dannys told her.
"Just know," Danny, the human, said, looking at Sweetie Belle. "As bad as things may seem for you now, at least you didn't destroy your world."
A loud chorus of gasps rose up from Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Zecora, Devora and Erlea; the latter two having listened to this insane tale in silence and bewilderment, while Cujo, quietly laying on the ground, merely groaned and rolled over; hind leg kicking.
"Destroy the world?" Scootaloo said, stunned, looking at the ghost sitting next to her. "What? Why?"
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it. It is in my past, and that future has not happened," he told her, looking at her with a tired smile while trying to ignore the persistent voice in the back of his mind reminding him of Dan still imprisoned within the thermos over at Clockwork's clocktower.
A knock coming from the door pulled their attention to the closed onyx portal, and Danny, the human one, activated the runes with a glowing hand, allowing Apple Bloom to enter while Wind Chill, once again, stared inside from an awkward position.
"Everything sorted out?" Danny, the one who opened the door, asked.
"Yup," Apple Bloom said with a smile, then looked at her friends, realizing something had happened. "What did Ah miss?"
"Long story," Scootaloo told her.
"Long story?" Apple Bloom mirrored, then her eyes widened. "Ya mean tha time travel thing long story? Wha happend?"
"Looong story," Scootaloo repeated, stretching out the word.
"But, what happened?" Apple Bloom wanted to know.
"I guess that is an answer you will have to wait for a bit longer to learn," Danny, the ghost, said as he stood up. "It's time to go home."
<<>><<>><<>>
Wind Chill groaned gratefully as he stretched his back, standing before the destroyed gate of the palace while all the others grouped together around the two Dannys. Sweetie Belle, too, upon the urging of her friends, found the strength to follow, but lagged behind with her head held low.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo matched her pace as they remained on either side of her, both saying the occasional word of encouragement as they reached the rest.
"Okay," Danny, the ghost, said when everyone was present. "I'm not going to say this is going to be easy. Nothing this night has been, and there is a real chance this plan is going to fail regardless of how well we plan out our story. Still, we have to try and return some semblance of normalcy to the world, so if there are any last things we need to sort out with our story, now's the time," he said, waiting for any to speak up. When none did, he gave a single, resolute nod.
"Okay. Wind Chill, you know what must be done with the windigos. Keep them calm and, if possible, return them to the Far Frozen. As long as this does not get in the way of you helping Sweetie Belle. Zecora," he turned to the wise zebra. "Erlea will help you get the few supplies they have left to get started with some of the potions the populace might need. I leave it to you to figure out exactly what this might be, or what would be required to do so. Cujo will help you gather whatever resource you would require, as long as he has a sample to smell, or a description of what it looks like. Don't worry, he can understand everything you say, even if he doesn't always act on it. Cujo," he turned to the dog, finger raised. "Behave."
"No promises," Cujo barked.
Taking a moment to just breathe, Danny then turned to the rest of the group. "Sweetie Belle," he said, voice lowering just a bit. "I know this will be difficult for you, but this is where you must say goodbye to your friends. At least for a while. I understand that this is the last you want to do, but you won't be alone here."
Sweetie Belle sniffed, rubbed her nose with a hoof and meekly nodded while never looking up.
"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, the same goes for you," he told the two, then left them to say their goodbyes to their friend while he focused on the other two fillies in the group.
"Devora, you still have enough energy left to transform, right?" He asked, to which the young shapeshifter nodded with a slight moment of hesitance. Then green fire erupted from her body, and a moment later a duplicate Sweetie Belle was revealed. "Okay. Erlea, as I just told Zecora, give her access to the few resources there still are so she can start working on the potions and whatnot. It might just make the difference the recovering changelings need."
"As for me," he turned to his human double. "Anything to add?"
"Yes, actually," Danny replied, turning to the group. "Do any of you know someone called Mayfly? Strange, I know. But I doubt I will have another chance to ask this for some time."
"Mayfly?" Wind Chill repeated, puzzled.
"Mayfly?!" Scootaloo spoke up, surprised, ears perked. "That… That's what my dad called me. Why… Wait, where did you hear that name?"
Both Dannys stared at the young pegasus, the answer obvious in hindsight.
"Scootaloo," human Danny said slowly. "...I think I just met your parents back in Canterlot."
A pindrop could be heard from a mile away in the silence that followed. A silence which was abruptly shattered half a second later when Scootaloo cried out a loudly echoing: "WHAT!?"
Expecting the outburst but, still taken aback by the volume, both Dannys took a step back as the young pegasus advanced on them.
"WHEN? HOW? WHY YOU, AND NOT ME?!"
Her large eyes bored into the two, demanding answers.
"I don't know," human Danny answered. "They showed up when I was in trouble back at the castle, helped me escape and find a fix for my spectral exhaustion, then were just as quick to leave. The only reason I even know that name is, because your father, if it really was him, told me to go help his little Mayfly. I honestly don't know more than that."
"But… But…" Words failed her as she tried to find an answer to her unanswered questions.
"Danny wouldn't lie to ya," Apple Bloom said, pulling her friend in a sideways hug. "Not about something like this. If 'twere ya parents, Ah'm sure they've got a reason for stayin' hidden."
"But why?"
"That is a good question," one of the Dannys said, frowning as he thought it through.
"But not a question we're going to answer standing here," the other remarked. "And whether they were your parents, or not, we still need to leave if we want to have any chance to settle things down back home, giving us a chance to find some answers after that whole mess."
Scootaloo, clearly unsatisfied with this answer, scuffed the ground with a hoof. Then, begrudgingly said: "Fine."
Sighing, Danny Phantom took a moment to reassess the situation. Knowing now that Scootaloo's parents, assumedly, were also around, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on. There have been too many coincidences for them to be anything but, but he did not understand how it was all connected.
"Look, I don't like not knowing either, but this is how it is. Maybe, hopefully, we may find the truth once all this is over. But for now, try not to let this get to you too much. It won't do you any good."
Looking around, he noticed a small group of changeling foals hesitantly approaching, which didn't go unnoticed by the others either.
"Is there something wrong?" Danny Phantom asked, already worried something has happened to the recovering changelings.
The younglings spoke to one another with hushed voices and, what Danny suspected by seeing the frequent twitching of their ears and the various facial expressions, as well over their shared mind. An obvious sign he now recognized, as the young shapeshifters hadn't yet mastered the control to keep their thoughts and feelings from showing.
One of them eventually stepped forwards; awkwardly shuffling towards Apple Bloom, who stood closest to them.
Apple Bloom, a full head taller than the young shapeshifter, looked at the colt as he shifted on the spot, looking down at his hooves.
"... Uhm…. Thanks for helping," he squeaked, paused, then surprised all by hugging Apple Bloom.
Only allowing her surprise to keep her from reacting for a few short seconds, Apple Bloom wrapped a leg around the colt and reciprocated the gesture.
"O'course we helped. No pony. No ling should have ta go through this alone."
With a grateful smile, the colt pulled away, only for his expression to morph into one of confusion, then shock. Something mirrored by the other changelings around, as well as both Dannys.
"What ta hay's that?" Apple Bloom shouted as she jerked back, a wavering stream of energy flowing from her to the colt.
"That," Danny Phantom said, a winning grin forming, "is trust renewed." He then looked at Erlea. "And hope for the future."
The young, wide eyed princess could only watch in stunned silence as, for the first time in far too many years, a changeling had more to eat that he could begin to imagine.
"Hope," she whispered.
It was a feeling which warmed her heart.
It was something she had never felt before.
<<>><<>><<>>
After a few more minutes delay, in which Apple Bloom allowed the group of emotivores to siphon as much energy from her as they could; aided by Scootaloo who, much to the surprise of the changelings, but by now expected by both Dannys, also gave off the life-sustaining energy the shapeshifters needed.
Once they had their fill and, lying unmoving on the ground with their stomachs full, groaning in equal parts discomfort and satisfaction from such a novel experience, Danny Phantom took the two real Crusaders, and one faux Crusader, out of the city and back to the surface.
"Well, at least they are still behaving," Danny remarked as he observed the herd of windigos calmly moving around.
"It may not remain like that," Wind Chill informed him as he stepped out of the tunnel. "The rising temperature of the day may set them off again if no one keeps them under control."
"Good thing you're here then."
"Indeed."
Taking a deep breath, allowing the still chilly air to refresh him, Danny then gave a resolute nod.
"Okay, time to go. Eclipse!"
"Ready," his shade replied as she rose up from the ground.
"Good. Girls," he looked at the fillies, "Eclipse will carry you most of the way. When we get close to Ponyville we have to walk the last part," he waited for the trio to nod. "You all know the story to tell when asked?" Once again they nodded. "Then there is no reason to delay any further."
"Right," Eclipse agreed and lowered herself to the ground. "Climb on, girls."
No sooner had she said that and, Scootaloo had already leaped on her back, finding a spot closest to her neck. Apple Bloom followed second, taking her place behind her eager friend while Devora stared at them with unblinking eyes.
"Something wrong?" Danny asked.
Slowly she looked at him. "I just need to know. Is everyone from that town this crazy, or just all of you?"
"Yes," Danny answered unhelpfully, picking up Devora and placing her on Eclipse back.
"Ya git used ta it after a while," Apple Bloom told her, smiling broadly.
"Hive, I hope not."
"Well, then you better prepare yourself. Cause you're a Crusader now," Scootaloo called out, wings buzzing in excitement as Eclipse stood back up.
"Meaning?"
"Crazy is only the start!" Scootaloo whooped as Eclipse took a running start, then shot in the air; Danny flying beside her.
"May the Ancestors watch over you all," Wind Chill said in goodbye, then quietly added as he watched them leave. "For I fear this is not the end, but the beginning of your journey, with dangers unknown still waiting to happen."
He then turned his attention down to the windigos.
"But at the least, I can keep this danger from happening again."
<<>><<>><<>>
With the wind blowing through their manes, the three fillies riding Eclipse all watched as they rapidly approached the Everfree Forest.
Now though, instead of entering the foreboding place, they swiftly flew over the canopy and unknown threats hiding beneath.
Clearly visible from their vantage point, they could see the ancient castle of the royal sisters in the distance rapidly grow larger as they approached, then passed the ancient ruin, and the secrets held inside.
"We're almost there!" Eclipse shouted over the wind.
"Just one last thing to do then," Danny shot back, grimacing.
"Which is?" Devora demanded, not liking the emotions behind his statement, while Eclipse angled down and slowed.
"This," Danny replied with a sigh of resignation.
With a flash of light, he transformed back to his mortal self while, at the same time, Eclipse dissipated.
Still moving forwards through momentum alone, it took the fillies two full heartbeats to realize what happened. When they did, all they had time for was to scream and brace themselves as best they could as they, and Danny, made a painful tumble through a thorny bush.
"And now," Danny groaned, lying on his back, "our escape from the ghosts is complete."
<<>><<>><<>>
Pacing around with worry, Twilight was well on her way to wear a groove in the floor of her home as she desperately tried to piece this puzzle together; to find a connection, a clue, an ominous warning from Pinkie's Pinkie sense, anything that could help them figure this out and, more importantly, find their friends and family.
Of course, they didn't learn anything from the ghost hunters, despite their efforts to rush Rolling Stone to the hospital.
At least Twilight's recent experience with the ghost created ice back in the forest meant she was prepared when helping the doctor in removing the ice cast.
That, however, was also a mystery shrouded in darkness.
Despite the clearly spectral nature, its purpose was clear; to immobilize Rolling Stone and keep him from increasing his injuries, stem the blood loss by sealing and freezing the wounds, while the cold of the ice itself also aided in the preservation of Rolling Stone's life.
Why?
Why would a ghost do such a thing?
It did not make any sense.
As she continued pacing, pondering this enigma her friends all worried in their own ways around her.
Rainbow Dash fidgeted on the spot, clearly wanting to do something, anything, but not knowing what.
Rarity lay on the library's couch, no longer having the energy to pull out her fainting couch, her mascara had smeared her cheeks from numerous spilled tears.
Fluttershy could be found upstairs, hiding underneath Twilight's bed, with Spike close by in his basket.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were seated beside each other. The latter uncharacteristically quiet, while the former sat tense like a wound coil, ready to leap up and fight at a moment’s notice.
Bellflower and Big Macintosh, both still present in the library when the group returned far sooner than they expected, weren’t doing much better as their need for answers went unanswered; leaving Bellflower a nervous wreck while Big Mac had stomped a dent in the floor in frustration.
With a sudden and, far louder than it had any right to creak, the door swung open; all present jumping up in fright before turning to face the danger.
A collective gasp escaped them all as, standing in the doorway, clothes torn and numerous bloody scratches covering his face, hands, and other exposed skin, stood Danny. Sweetie Belle held in his arms, one of her legs noticeably swollen, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood partially behind his legs; all three fillies looking as much a mess as Danny did as they all slowly stepped inside, eyes downcast.
Following after the two, Danny stepped inside underneath the intense stare of all. Moving to the now vacant sofa, he carefully placed Sweetie Belle down. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo climbed up next to her, while Danny sat down on the little free spot still available.
All ponies present were at a loss for words. Mouths opened and closed with half-formed questions, but, before any could regain their senses enough to ask what had happened, a snore from Apple Bloom revealed that all four had fallen asleep.
"So, how do things look right now?" Jazz asked. She and Soarin once again found themselves in Tucker's secured tech room at his home several hours later.
"Oh, you know. Business as usual," he replied with a wave of the hand over his shoulder, more focused on the data displayed on one of the many screens before him. "Vlad is scheming, we're scheming to counter his scheming, and Valerie is scheming her own schemes should our schemes be insufficiently schemed."
"Please stop saying scheme," Jazz groaned, rolling her eyes as Tucker glanced back at her, smirking.
"But really, how is our situation right now?"
"You mean the situation in general, or you two specifically?"
"Both."
"Well… Could be better to the former, and you're doomed to the latter."
"Har har," Jazz replied sarcastically.
"Laugh while you can," Tucker shot back. "Once Valerie is done with you two… Well, at least you will know how to fight ghosts. Provided she doesn't turn you into one first."
"Great," Jazz groaned. "So not only do we not have much of a plan, other than react to any new development. But in less than twenty four hours Valerie is going to wipe the floor with me, and I can't even say she's wrong to do so."
"Don't forget, Soarin will be in that whole mess, too," Tucker reminded her.
"You realize I do need to return back home later today?" Soarin asked. "I have responsibilities, I can't just put them aside without a good reason… One that I can inform the others about, at the least."
"Lucky you," Tucker remarked, leaning back in his chair, resting his head in his hands as he looked up at the ceiling. "Though I would suggest you listen to Valerie's advice. She was right when she said the ghosts have made their move, and even more so when she said you have no idea what you were doing," he sat straighter, turning around to properly look at Soarin. "I know your background," he said, giving a nod to his computer. "So I know what you're capable of and what you've been through. But, and I won't bullshit about this, your training is completely useless against ghosts. The only way you are able to score a hit against them is if they allow it, or if you manage to catch them unaware. If it is the former, you're walking into their trap. End of story. The latter, unlikely as it is, you better make sure you knock them out in one blow. You won't get a second."
"I…" Soaring swallowed heavily, eyes losing focus for a moment. "I know."
"Soarin," Jazz said softly, placing her uninjured hand on his back.
A chime came from Tucker's computer.
"Hmm?" Tucker swiveled back, hands moving to the mouse and keyboard on their own as he opened the program calling for attention.
He suddenly stiffened.
"Anything wrong?" Jazz asked, worried.
"Call Valerie," Tucker replied through gritted teeth. "Tell her to begin your training now!" He glanced back at Jazz with angry eyes. "Dani got injured in a ghost attack!"
<<>><<>><<>>
"You're shitting me," Valerie growled as she read the message, slamming a fist into the desk. "How the fuck did this even happen?"
"You're asking the wrong people," Tucker replied heatedly. "Worse, we have no idea what has happened. Just that," he glared at the message, "which does not tell us anything."
Pushing herself back, hands balled into fists by her sides, Valerie grunted her agreement.
"You're right. Dani getting injured in a ghost attack could just as well mean she got hurt while attacking someone else. Though the message does not imply she has been found out," she took a deep breath, held it in for a while, then slowly exhaled and turned to Jazz. "The docks, one hour!" She instructed, then left without another word.
"... Ehhh… I feel like I am missing some important information here," Soarin spoke up, worried of the reactions everyone had, though relieved Valerie hadn't hit him on the head again.
Tucker and Jazz locked eyes, then the former shrugged, nodded, then left the room; only to return a moment later with a backpack and began packing numerous gadgets of his, and a spectral blaster as well.
"Soarin," Jazz called for his attention. "Dani, the one we spoke about, she is part of our group. She went to Equestria undercover as team leader for a large, secret construction project for your princesses in response to the ghost threat. While there, she would use her, eh, abilities to look for Danny who we know was there some time ago."
"Wait, WHAT!?" Soarin balked. "Secret construction project?"
"large containment chamber with interrogation options," Tucker clarified as he grabbed a miniaturized thermos, "and not important right now."
"Soarin, what you need to know is that Dani, she is… She is like Danny," Jazz revealed. "Or to be more precise, she is Danny, but she isn't Danny."
"W- what does that even mean?" Soarin sputtered.
"Vlad," Tucker growled, still rummaging through the various gadgets he had created.
"Years ago, Vlad tried to turn my brother to his side," Jazz told him.
"Join me, and together we can rule the world kind of madness," Tucker added.
"Yes, and of course Danny refused."
"That does not properly convey the assbeating Danny delivered each and every time," Tucker cut in once again, now busy looking at some information on his computer.
"Right," Jazz took a moment to compose herself. "So… failing that, Vlad did something else. Something terrible, and highly illegal. He cloned my brother."
"He, what?" Soarin said, confused.
"He made an artificially grown, near-perfect biological replica of Danny," Tucker clarified, done with packing and closing the door to his workroom.
"WHAT!? You can do that?"
"Unfortunately," Jazz answered.
"We have the technology to do a lot of things," Tucker looked at Soarin with no humor in his eyes. "A lot of things. Thing is, a lot of these things are dangerous, difficult to do, or very controversial. Naturally, these practices are either banned, or heavily regulated. And cloning is one of these things. It is still an experimental and sloppy process, with more failures than successes, and not something that is meant to be used to grow full-grown humans. But that didn't stop Vlad. He grew several copies of Danny, each terribly flawed, and all of them died horrible deaths as their bodies simply fell apart on the cellular level. All of them, except Dani."
"In a way, she is his only success. Though as far as Vlad is concerned, she is as much a failed attempt as any other," Jazz added somberly.
"Except the final clone," Tucker muttered darkly. "It's a good thing Vlad was unable to stabilize it, and that Danny was able to destroy it… Who knows what might have happened if…" Tucker didn't finish, not wanting to think about it any further.
"As for Dani," Jazz quickly continued. "She learned the truth about Vlad before it was too late, and in time we found a way to stabilize her body and keep it from cellular destruction. And while she is her own being, genetically she is identical to my brother. A twin, if you will. Same blood, similar appearance, though female… same powers, everything."
Soarin was quiet, eyes wide, mouth hanging partially open.
"I know this is a lot to take in. It was difficult for me too, when I learned about this. The vile acts Vlad has done to my brother, to my family. It is why I do what I do. I can't let that terrible man continue as if he is better than anyone else, doing as he pleases," Jazz paused, taking a deep breath. "But what is important now is that Dani is in trouble. Tucker has already packed what he needs and will go to Equestria himself. But he is also the only one who can do so without raising suspicion. Valerie has no cover story, nor do I have a good reason to go either that doesn't involve Dani. So Val and I will proceed with my training. It's the only thing we can do, really. As for you… I can't ask you to join me. But please don't tell anyone what you now know. I know I am asking a lot, but I trust you."
"Not that many would believe him if he did," Tucker remarked. "And those who do, are also the ones you don't want to have known that you know."
"But… what?"
"Soarin," Tucker waited for Soarin to look at him. "I'm going to be completely honest here. If it was up to me, you would not know about any of this. You would just go on your date with Jazz, and go on with your life none the wiser. Unfortunately, events have not allowed you to remain blissfully ignorant, and right now, like it, or not, you are right in the middle of this insanity. The only question is, what will you do now? And please don't say: fly across town in a blind panic. You've done that, it didn't work, and I am certain Valerie would jump at the opportunity to hit you on the head again."
"But… all of this…. What can you even expect me to do?" Soarin replied, head held in his hooves.
"One of two things," Tucker answered. "Pretend none of this happened, return to your life as best you can. Or do the right thing."
"Which is?"
"Like I said, I know your background. A stunt flier at trade, but a guard at heart. You have trained to protect your fellow ponies from danger, but found that your training does not work against this threat. Knowing everything you know now, having experienced the worst there is, can you really pretend everything is fine in the world?"
"I, eh… NO, of course not. How could I?"
"Then the answer to your question is obvious, and doesn't need me, or Jazz to spell it out for you."
Jazz pulled out her phone to check the time. "Thirty three minutes left," she said.
Soarin looked past the two humans, eyes unfocused as everything he now knew, everything he had seen and experienced played out before him. Baltimare. Rainbow Blaze's horrific death. Spitfire's beaten body. The horrible feeling of her broken bones and blood flowing down his fur as he carried her to safety. Skulker capturing him just a day ago, and everything that followed.
He blinked, took a deep breath, looked up at Jazz, then made his decision.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a shrill whistle piercing the calm, early morning, a train left Ponyville station.
Most of the carriages were empty, with only a few sleepy passengers occupying a seat here and there; most still trying to get in a bit more sleep as the train began its journey.
Three ponies however, were wide awake as they sat in silence.
"I just don't get it," Blue Ice finally spoke up, breaking the tension.
"What's there not to get?" Sound Wave replied. "We screwed up big time."
"I know that," Blue Ice agreed with a sigh. "That's not what I meant."
"Then what is?" Ornate Charm asked.
Blue Ice paused, looked around to see that there weren't any ponies nearby to overhear, then lowered her voice just to be on the safe side.
"The problems with the scanners," she explained. "It doesn't make any sense. We have used them numerous times during our training, and a couple of times in the field. Never did we have any problems with them, until now."
"Didn't you say there was interference of some sort?" Sound Wave asked.
"Yes, and I modified the scanners to counter this. But that's beside the point. What is, is where did this interference come from, and what caused it?"
Ornate Charm grunted, shaking his head. "Good question, but not for us to find out any longer. We have our orders, and we can consider ourselves lucky if we don't get demoted after this fiasco. And we're luckier than Rolling Stone, no matter how you look at it."
"I know," Blue Ice deflated. "But this just keeps bugging me. There has to be an answer, a reason for this to have happened. And more importantly, if this happened to us, it might just as well happen to specialist Maud."
"Which is why we informed her about this, so she can continue the investigation with all known issues to our gear."
"I know," Blue Ice sighed, shaking her head as she looked out of the window. "But I just feel like we might have missed something obvious."
Slowly the scenery shifted as the train moved through a bend, and the welcoming sight of the lush green valley and Ponyville was replaced by the ever oppressing image of the Everfree Forest, taunting her with its secrets still hidden.
All three ponies now looked outside, all remembering what had happened and, more importantly, what they could have done better. What they should have done better.
"That ghost was right," Sound Wave said suddenly. "It told us we didn't know what we were doing before Maud did; proved it even. The four of us did not even manage to score a single hit."
"Yes," Ornate Charm said through teeth, "as we all clearly remember."
"But we were all trained by Jack Fenton," Blue Ice retorted.
"You heard what Maudileena said about him."
"Yes," Blue Ice replied, staring at the others. "But you're not getting what I'm saying."
"Which is?"
"All of us were trained by Jack Fenton. All of us."
The gentle rocking of the train was the only sound for a long time, punctuated by its steam whistle as her implications settled in.
"That would mean," Ornate Charm broke the silence, "our entire unit may very well be compromised."
"Buck me," Sound Wave murmured.
"Yes," Blue Ice nodded her agreement. "We may very well all be bucked."
<<>><<>><<>>
"What is this place?" Soarin asked, following beside Jazz as they slipped through a partially sealed door.
"This is the old mattress warehouse," Jazz explained. "It's been abandoned for many years now."
"And why are we here? I mean… here?"
Jazz was silent for a heartbeat as she looked around, recognizing several old scorch marks on the walls.
"My brother once fought a ghost here. Nocturn, the ghost of dreams. He had put everyone in the city in a deep sleep to siphon their dream energy from them, using it to increase his own strength so he could take over the world," she revealed, moving to one of the marks closest to her and carefully feeling it with her fingers.
"I was there, too. Helping him, learning to be a ghost hunter. It seems only fitting this is where I continue that path."
"It's also isolated, with no prying eyes," Valerie stepped out of the shadows, arms crossed. "A good place to kick and scream as much as you want without anyone hearing you."
"Valerie," Jazz turned to the other woman. "We're ready to start our training."
"And that's where you're wrong," Valerie grinned darkly. "Training already began the second you stepped through that door."
A flashbang detonated, and both Soarin and Jazz cried out in distress, while in the distance, they could hear a humorless chuckle.
"Lesson one. Always expect the unexpected!" Valerie barked.
Jazz stumbled around, blind, when she was forcefully shoved to the ground.
"Lesson two. Your senses can, and will be deceived. When one of them fails, use your others!"
Soarin stood still, eyes closed, familiar with the blinding effect of a unicorn's spell on the eyes during Bootcamp, ears swiveling around.
"And third," Valerie barked, her fist connecting with Soarin's head once more, dropping him to the ground. "The ghosts will not hesitate to use your weaknesses against you."
Valerie stood still, watching the two on the ground without amusement.
"Those three rules are key to surviving in a fight against ghosts. You'd be wise to remember them."
Two groans were the only answer she got.
"NOW GET BACK UP!" She shouted drill sergeant style, watching with some level of satisfaction as Soarin did so immediately, clearly used to such a thing. Jazz, on the other hand, took her time.
A boot to the chest pushed her back down to the ground, and as the spots in her vision finally cleared out, the terrifying scowl of Valerie was revealed just inches away from her own face.
"And lesson four," she said in a low, cold voice. "When you go down, you lose. Now. Get. Back. Up!"
A tremor of fear ran down Jazz's spine, and this time she wasted no time to stand back up.
"Better," Valerie grunted. "Now then," she secured her stance. "Let's see what we're working with, shall we," and without another word, she threw herself at the pair.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Tucker," Jack Fenton said, entering Tucker's office.
"Jack," Tucker spared him a glance as he worked on his computer, preparing the necessary documents to enter Equestria.
"So I take it you've heard the news also?" Jack asked, face grim.
"I have," Tucker grunted, typing on his keyboard.
"Maddie is already preparing several of our men to go and help."
"Hm-hmm."
"I take it you plan on going, too?"
"Already put in my flight plan," Tucker hit the enter key.
"It's… It's because of this trainee of yours, isn't it?" Jack asked, voice subdued. "I heard she was the one severely injured and-"
A fist slamming on the table stopped him, and he watched as Tucker slowly pulled back his trembling hand, exhaling loudly.
"Of all the places for her to get attacked by a ghost," he said through teeth, looking up at Jack with fire in his eyes. "She's there because of me, and I won't stand by idly now either. I'm going, and don't try to stop me."
"I wasn't," Jack said, stepping closer, then sat down in a chair opposite of Tucker. "We all do what we can to help those we care about. Maddie and I weren't so lucky with Danny, but we will do anything we can to help you. It's obvious how you feel about her," Jack chuckled, thinking back. "Just as it was obvious between Danny and Sam. Even if they weren't able to see it themselves yet."
"Jack's right," Maddie spoke up, standing in the still-open door.
Stepping inside, she stood beside her husband.
"You and Danny have always been so close. Best friends since the day you met, still in diapers the both of you," Maddie smiled as she thought back. "You are as much family as Jazz is, and we will support you the best we can."
Tucker sat back in his chair, speechless.
"Don't act so surprised," Maddie chuckled. "I thought it would be obvious by now. All those years that we've known each other, how you helped us look for Danny, supported us as much as we did you."
"I… wow… Eh, I don't know what to say," Tucker said.
"Then don't say anything," Jack stood back up, placing an arm around Maddie's shoulders. "Just go and help your friend… son."
"A car is already waiting to take you to the airport," Maddie added.
Tucker sat silent for a moment, then straightened, stood up, picked up his backpack, nodded and left, unable to keep the faint smile from showing, knowing his friends and his family got his back.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a groan, Danny rolled over and promptly fell down.
"Uhrrghh," he slurred as he pried open his eyes, his blurred vision revealing the underside of a couch and, behind it, several pairs of hooves scrambling into motion.
"DANNY!" A purple set of hooves split up from the others, and he was fairly certain they were the ones shouting his name. "Danny!" They shouted again, but at a more reasonable volume. "Are you alright!?"
Remembering he had hands, he slowly flexed his fingers, then forced his left arm to move, then his right. Satisfied he once again knew how his basic faculties worked, he slowly pushed himself up, coming eye to eye with a frantic, frazzle maned Twilight.
Danny blinked slowly, his mind still stuck in the boot-up prompt after an especially large update as he looked from Twilight, to the ponies behind her, to the fillies still lying on the couch he had fallen off of, and back to the spot on the floor he had woken up.
Groaning, he slowly rolled to his side, then pushed himself in a sitting position against the couch; rubbing his eyes with a hand before sliding it up and combing his fingers through his hair.
"Danny," Twilight carefully placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Are you alright? What happened? To you, and the fillies?"
"I would like to know as well," a droll voice came from somewhere behind him, and with a steady clip-clopping a stone gray mare with neatly styled purple mane stepped into view; her white suit immaculate clean.
Looking at the strange mare, a strange sense of familiarity hit Danny, though he had trouble placing it.
"Who are you?" was the first thing he said with a tired voice.
"I am Maudileena Daisy Pie. G.I.W.," she flashed him a badge.
"The Guys in White?" Danny said, surprised, finally recognizing the white suit for what it was.
"Indeed," Maudileena blinked once, regarding him with a neutral gaze. "Curious… How do you know of this organization?"
"Same way I seem to know much of everything else going on lately," he sighed out. "Though last time I saw any of them was back on my world after yet another ghost attack… Pretty sure there weren't any ponies in their ranks then, but what do I know?" He shrugged.
"Fair enough," Maudileena allowed. "So, mister Manson. Seeing you are at least somewhat familiar with my organization, would you mind answering some questions? There is a lot we do not know surrounding the disappearance of you; these children; a zebra, known as Zecora; and the sudden and almost miraculous return of you with the children."
Eyebrow raised, Danny looked to Twilight, then the others; Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Bellflower and Big Mac, realizing some faces were missing.
"Weren't there some other ghost hunters too?"
Most of the ponies hung their heads.
"Danny, they-"
"Lieutenant Rolling Stone has been hospitalized as a result of injuries sustained," Maudileena interrupted Twilight, cutting right to the case. "Privates Sound Wave, Ornate Charm and Blue Ice have been dismissed and sent back to Canterlot after reviewing their actions the previous night, and were deemed unfit for further deployment."
"That…" Danny faltered, "Eh… Okay, I guess."
"Now, could you please explain what happened to you, and how you were able to return with the missing children?"
Danny blinked, looking off to the side, frowning.
"I'm pretty certain it began shortly after the other ghost hunters revealed themselves, back at Zecora's place," he began.
"Where they uncovered your shadow missing," Maudileena stated, studying Danny for any suspicious signs. "Though it would appear to be back again," she pointed out, and Danny looked at the dark spot on the floor around him, remembering to flinch.
"I… I guess it is… Yeah," he nervously rubbed an arm. Exhaling, he continued. "Not long after that, the ghost hunters left, chasing after some ghost or other, leaving everyone else behind."
"A gross oversight on their part," Maudileena droned. "I have also been told you and Zecora stepped outside, despite the clear danger. Why?"
"Zecora's place was trashed when we got there, she said a ghost did it. We went outside because I wanted to ask what this ghost looked like. Get some idea what might be out there, you know. As for why we went outside," he glanced back at the other ponies. "Things were already bad, and I didn't want to add to it by speculating over what might be out there. Fluttershy was already hiding inside a cauldron, so it seemed to be the right idea at the time."
"Even though a ghost was seen just moments prior?" Maud asked, impassive.
"You and I both know it matters little where you are as far as ghosts are concerned," Danny replied with just as little emotion. "They can move through walls, disappear and fly after all."
Maudileena remained silent, blinking slowly.
"Danny," Twilight said quietly, "what happened next? We heard you scream, but when we came to help, you were just gone."
Danny started to reply, faltered, paused, then slowly closed his mouth, looking at one of the many bookcases, noticing Owlicious perched on top of it, staring back at him.
"I honestly don't know," he told them, trying to remember the moment where he went from being him, to the moment where he was nothing more than a wisp of energy returning to his other self after Fenris' attack. "Zecora and I were talking, then…" he frowned, thinking. "One moment I was there, the next I wasn't anywhere. But at the same time I was there, but not there ‘there’, just different."
"What?!" Twilight shook her head. "That does not make any sense."
"I don't know how else to put it," Danny told her.
"Most informative," Maudileena remarked, and Danny yelped as she suddenly stood much closer to him, staring impassively at him.
Pushing away from her, Danny moved back onto the couch, feeling strangely unnerved by the stone-faced mare.
"Whu- What's going on?" Scootaloo asked with a slight slur, blinking owlishly.
"Gnhh…" Apple Bloom groaned, legs twitching.
Devora, disguised as Sweetie Belle, simply opened her eyes, quickly scanning the room to see who was there.
"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity shouted, rushing to her younger sister, hugging her against her chest while Applejack quickly pulled Apple Bloom to herself to do the same. At the same time, Bellflower took place on the now vacant spot on the couch and pulled Scootaloo close to her side. Much to her surprise, Scootaloo did not protest against this.
A cry of pain came from Sweetie Belle and Rarity jerked back, eyes wide with worry and fear as she saw her sister carefully holding her left foreleg.
"Oh no, Sweetie Belle. Your leg! What happened?"
"I, eh…" She squirmed a bit in Rarity's hold, looking to Danny for answers.
"It happened during our escape," Danny explained. “It was dark, chaotic, and we were more than a little lost at one point. All of us had a hard fall, and Sweetie Belle landed on her leg. I had to carry her for the rest of the way."
"And how did you escape, and from where? And from what exactly?" Maudileena asked, her level gaze boring into Danny.
"Who are you?" asked Scootaloo.
"She's my big sister, Maud!" Pinkie's head popped up in between Scootaloo and Bellflower, pointing a hoof at Maud. "Scootaloo, Maud. Maud, Scootaloo. Apple Bloom, Maud. Maud, Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle, Maud. Maud, Sweetie Belle," she introduced them all, then her head shot back, leaving everyone confused, except Maud who merely looked at Pinkie standing next to her.
"Thank you, Pinkie. May I continue?"
"Hm-hmm," Pinkie Pie Nodded.
"So," Maud looked back at Danny. "You said you escaped. From where, exactly?"
"It was a cave of sorts," Danny began, frowning slightly. "With numerous tunnels leading to who knows where. Though I, and as I later found out, the girls were in this massive chamber; no other way to call it. Couldn't even see the bottom of that place."
"Yeah," Scootaloo murmured her agreement, remembering how Danny fell down during his fight with Sweetie Belle.
"There was this weird plant thaing growin' everywhere," Apple Bloom added. "Ah never seen anythaing like it before."
"A weird plant," Maud looked at Apple Bloom. "Any defining features that could help to identify it?"
"Eh… it gave light," Apple Bloom answered.
A purple glow lit up, and numerous books flew off their shelves towards Twilight. "That does narrow it down a bit," she said as she flipped through the pages of all books simultaneously. "While there are a good number of bioluminescent plants, only a select number can be found in the Everfree Forest. Ah," she turned several of the books around for the fillies and Danny to look into. "Do any of these plants look like the one you saw?"
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Danny all took a moment to inspect the images presented. Sweetie Belle, instead, pushed away from Rarity much to her older sister's confusion.
"No, those don't look like the plant we saw," Danny said, shaking his head.
"It... what?" Twilight was surprised. "Are you sure?"
Danny looked again. So did Apple Bloom. Both shook their head.
"Well, that hardly means anythin'" Applejack remarked. “Jus' 'cause we know some thaings of that forest, doesn't mean we know everythaing."
"True," Twilight bit her lip as more pages turned, more slowly this time. "And what about these?" she asked once more, showing several more images. "These are the plants not indigenous to the Everfree Forest. Well, as far as is known at least.
A minute passed as Danny, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and, this time Sweetie Belle as well, inspected each image. All four eventually shook their heads.
"Interesting," Maud said apathetically. "An unidentified species of the plant does help narrow down the search area considerably, should it be found again."
"But didn't Danny say it was in a cave? How would we be able to find it? There are I-don't-know-how-many caves hidden in that forest," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"True," Maud blinked slowly. "Are there any other details you can give that might help in the identification of this cave you were held?" She asked Danny. "Rock formations, mineral types, fault lines."
"Not that I know of," Danny replied, confused. "It was a massive cave, deep to the point where you couldn't see the bottom, some large stalactites, and this plant we mentioned."
"I see," Maud replied. "Very well. Then please explain how you managed to escape. After the effort this ghost, or ghosts went through to capture you and Zecora, with ghost hunters present, it would stand to reason your attempts at escape would be hindered severely by these entities."
"Why do I have the feeling you're suggesting we were let go by the ghosts," Danny replied with suspicion, and Fluttershy, Rarity and Bellflower gasped out.
Maud stood unmoved, blinking slowly. "Weren't you?" She eventually asked, and this time everypony gasped out.
"If you think I'm possessed, you are free to scan me," Danny shot back.
"I already have. When word reached me you and the children had miraculously returned, the first thing I did was to scan you."
"... And?"
Maud locked eyes with Danny, staring into his for an uncomfortably long time as tension steadily rose.
"Nothing," Maud said eventually, breaking eye contact as she pulled a scanner out of thin air.
Activating it, she slowly swept it across the fillies and Danny; a steady beeping emanating from the device. "With the exception of trace amounts of spectral energy surrounding all four of you, which has mostly faded by now, I do not detect any signs that suggest you are possessed."
A sigh of relief swept across the room, and Danny leaned back in the couch, not even realizing he had leaned forwards in tension.
"Well, that's good," he said.
"Indeed," Maud agreed. "But the answer still stands. How did you manage to escape?
Danny grimaced, momentarily looking at Owlicious as the owl preened its left wing.
"That is the weird thing," he said, followed by a sigh as he looked down at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "And it might even confirm your initial assessment, even if you did confirm we weren't possessed."
"Which is?"
Danny faltered, face shifting through various expressions as he sought a way to properly describe what he and the fillies had agreed upon what had happened without, hopefully, drawing any suspicion to the fact he was not entirely truthful.
"I think… I mean… It… Well… This is going to sound insane, but it was a ghost who saved us."
"WHAT!?" Almost all present shouted, with the sole exception being Maud.
"Interesting," Maud droned. "But what reason do you have to make such a claim?"
Danny blinked, unnerved by the lack of response Maud gave.
"What reason?" He repeated. "I'm no fan of ghosts. I left my world because of them, but I can't lie about what happened. It was a ghost that saved us."
"Yeah!" Scootaloo spoke up. "He fought other ghosts to protect us."
"He?" Maud looked at her.
"Well, he sounded like a stallion," Scootaloo mumbled, looking away from the level, but intense stare.
"So this ghost spoke to you."
"He did," Danny confirmed.
"And fought others of its kind to help you escape?"
Danny blinked, thinking. It would be a stretch, but in a way still true. Wind Chill did fight the windigos to keep both the fillies and the changelings safe. And he helped him when he and Fenris were joined together. So, in a way, he freed him as well.
"Yes," Danny answered.
"If this is true, then why did this ghost not also free Zecora?"
"Ehh… I'm not sure what happened to her after I disappeared," he said truthfully.
"Neither did you know where the fillies were, yet you just so happen to find them in the same place the ghosts took you," Maud pointed out.
"True, but I wasn't expecting to find them where I did," he replied. "Besides, it's not like I had much of a choice in where I was brought." Again a stretch of the truth, but when he turned back into a wisp of energy after Fenris' attack, he had no control over where he went.
"No, I doubt you had," Maud conceded. "But this does hint to a most unusual circumstance. A ghost actively helping us. This is something that seems highly unlikely, and must no doubt play into some hidden agenda."
"I don't know what to say to that," Danny told her.
"And what about you three," Maud looked back at the fillies. "You vanished long before anypony else. Do you know what took you, and when it happened?"
"Eehhh…" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at one another, knowing this was the most dangerous part.
"Sweetie Belle and Ah were back at tha farm," Apple Bloom said. "Cleanin' up tha house because, well… We were being punished for goin' inta tha Everfree tha day before." Sweetie Belle merely nodded. "Then there was this… this weird silver ghost thaing an' we followed it back to tha Everfree."
"It was weird, though," Sweetie Belle finally spoke as Devora used her knowledge of her own kind to weave a convincing truthful lie. "It was as if I couldn't think for myself anymore. I knew what I did, and that I shouldn't do it, but was unable to stop myself from doing it."
"Mind control," Maud said simply, then looked at Scootaloo. "And what about you?"
"I was grounded in my room, but I didn't like that, and was able to get out after some trying," she answered, scratching the back of her head while not looking at Bellflower. "I then went to my friends at the orchard, where I somehow ended up in the Everfree Forest as well," she thought back, careful to ignore some of the more incriminating details of what exactly had happened. "After that," she thought back, "...I'm not really sure how to explain it," she looked down at her hooves. "It was almost like I was in a different time, or something."
"Mind control, and a loss of sense for time," Maud summed up as Bellflower pulled Scootaloo even closer to her side. "This does sound like a standard case of possession and fits with everything known so far. Though it does not explain why you of all ponies were taken."
"Isn't that what you are here for?" Rainbow Dash shot back, arms crossed as she hovered a bit above the ground. "To find that out."
"I am, yes. But I need to know all the facts to do so."
"And what do these facts tell you so far?" Twilight asked.
Maud was silent, looking apathetically at her.
"Ehh..."
"I know now that there is more going on than I initially believed to be the case. The recounting of events by mister Manson and the fillies, combined with your testimonies and the report of the Ghost-Keteers indicates there are more than one ghost present. An exact number is to be determined, but at least two separate entities have been described just now, and three others were detailed by you, your friends, and the Ghost-Keteers. By mister Manson's recounting of events, one of these ghosts fought off several other ghosts to aid in their escape. This could hint that this one ghost fought the other ghosts mentioned in all of your recountings, or that there are even more ghosts as of yet unaccounted for. Regardless of the exact number, some plan has been followed by these entities which warranted the capture of the fillies, Danny and Zecora. The exact reason is unknown, but at least for Danny Manson, it can be surmised he was taken because of his knowledge detailing ghosts," she paused, blinked slowly, then continued.
"By his own words, he was taken when he asked Zecora what kind of ghost it was that had destroyed her home. And she vanished shortly thereafter, perhaps because of what she knew, or saw. All of this is, of course, speculation based on loose facts given by those recently escaped from ghostly capture. But their scan does show they are not possessed and are in full control of their faculties. Their stories do match up, and they are able to add details to one coherent picture."
"Which is?" Twilight wanted to know.
"There is more going on than I initially believed to be the case."
"What! But you already said that," Rainbow Dash shouted.
"I did."
"Then what is going on? Why did these stinking ghosts take the fillies? Or Danny, Zecora?"
"An' what 'bout this ghost that they say helped them? Could it be tha same ghost who, maybe, saved Rolling Stone?" Asked Applejack.
"I do not know," Maud replied matter of factly.
"Then what… but… they… Aarrgghh!!" Rainbow Dash dropped down to the ground in frustration, pulling her mane. "What the HAY is going on!"
"That," Maud replied, "is what I intend to find out."
"And what about us?" Danny asked.
"You just escaped a terrible fate. My advice, go to the hospital, make sure everything is in order. After that, go home and report anything unusual," she then swept her gaze across the room. "And don't be a hero. I'm trained for these things, you are not. The last thing we want is for any of you to go missing… again."
Twilight and her friends, all remembering just how bad last night had been, quietly voiced their agreement. Shortly after, Maud left to continue her investigation.
"So… what do we do now?" asked Rainbow Dash, when a loud rumble came from Danny, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.
Looking down at his stomach, Danny groaned in displeasure.
"Maybe go get something to eat, 'cause I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
Applejack jumped up almost immediately, followed seconds later by Bellflower and Pinkie Pie.
"Don'tcha worry, Danny. We may not be able ta go out there ourselves, but we can still take care of our friends," Applejack said, readjusting her Stetson. "Twilight, ya mind if Ah raid yer fridge? After everythaing they went through, ah recon they deserve a proper meal."
"Of course," Twilight quickly agreed.
"I'll help, too," Bellflower quickly joined her.
"Me three," Pinkie pronked her way over to them.
"Then I suppose I can set the table," Rarity suggested.
"Oh, I'll help." Spike quickly offered his assistance.
"Anything I can do?" asked Danny.
"NO!" Twilight quickly shot him down. "I mean… No. After everything that has happened, we can't possibly expect you to do anything more. You brought back Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Just…" She hesitated, then closed the distance and pulled him in a hug. "Just stay here… be safe, okay."
"Ehh…" Danny was taken aback, not entirely sure how to react while one of his hands moved to her back on its own. "Okay, I guess."
Twilight flashed him a smile, then realized what she was doing, pushed herself away; a prominent blush coloring her cheeks while the others pretended not to notice as they all split up to help where they could.
"Huh," Sweetie Belle said quietly once all the others were out of earshot.
"What is it?" asked Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle looked up at Danny, seeing the small smile he had.
"Nothing," she replied, siphoning some of the faint, but clearly present love she felt radiating from between the two to herself. "Nothing at all."
Several hours have passed since Danny and the fillies returned safely and, after the expected worrying of friends and family alike, Danny was finally able to return home.
He wasn't alone, though. Just like Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and 'Sweetie Belle' all had escorts back to their homes, or the hospital as far as Sweetie Belle was concerned, so did Danny.
Looking at the purple mare walking next to him, he couldn't keep himself from smiling. Twilight though, only showed a troubled frown as they moved closer to his home.
"I really don't think this is a good idea, Danny," she told him, repeating what she had said several times before. "This far from town, on your own, it just seems far too much of a risk. What if something happens? What if this ghost comes back for you? There wouldn't be anypony there to help you. Please reconsider and stay in the library with me. It would be much safer."
"I suppose it would be, yes," he agreed. "But I want to go back home to make sure everything is as it should be," he added. "Just before last night's mess started I discovered someone, or most likely something had made a mess of the place, and I have to know what, if anything is out of place," he frowned, already having a pretty good idea what happened there. The melting ice on the window, and finding Dani freezing over back in Canterlot leaving little doubt as to who it was that decided to haunt his bedroom. "Plus, I need a clean pair of clothes," he plucked at his torn shirt, "because these have seen just a bit too much action."
"So you'll stay with me?" Twilight looked up at him, hopeful. "Until it is safe that is," she added quickly, then stopped in her tracks as the rest of what he said registered. "Wait, you mean a ghost was in your home the night before?"
"Don't know, but someone was. Last I checked, my bedroom doesn't thrash itself."
With a flash of purple light, Twilight stood before Danny, blocking his path.
"And you plan on just going back there without any idea what could still be hiding there!?" She almost shouted, frantic.
Danny stopped, thinking, realizing just how recklessly stupid he made himself look right now. And with that, another revelation came to light.
"... Damn… I'm just too used to these things."
"You're used to these things?!" Twilight repeated, horrified, rearing up and planting her hooves on his chest; looking him in the eyes. "Nopony-- No one should be used to such terrible things. No matter what you have gone through, what those ghosts have done to you, you should never, never get used to such terrible things."
"No need to convince me," Danny said calmly, opposite to Twilight's worries.
"Good," said Twilight, sighing as she returned to all four hooves, shaking her head. "After everything that has happened… How do you live like that, day in and day out in your world?"
"By moving to another world entirely," Danny answered humorlessly. "Look how well that has worked out for me," he sighed as well. "Let's just go and get me a clean pair of clothes, then head back to your place before anything else might happen."
Twilight nodded her agreement, and the two continued on their path to the lone house just outside of town.
<<>><<>><<>>
"An' don'tcha worry 'bout those chores," Applejack told her younger sister, looking at her as she walked in between herself and Big Mac. "You've been through enough as is."
"Eeyup," Macintosh replied all serious, eyes firmly on the road ahead to look for any sign of danger.
Apple Bloom smiled at her sister, but it was forced. To her older siblings, this was obviously because of her ghostly abduction, though the truth was that she worried greatly for Sweetie Belle, as well as all the changelings they had to leave behind. Not that she could say this, of course. And at the least, the gnawing worry allowed her to hide the truth from her sister quite convincingly.
Worse still is that she and Scootaloo were separated from Devora, which made it impossible to cover for any mistakes she made. She hoped everything wouldn't come crashing down now, should Devora make a mistake, or worse, the doctors would find something that may reveal her true changeling nature.
The worry she felt must have shown, as Applejack pulled her closer to her, nuzzling the top of her head.
"Don't worry, Apple Bloom. Ya're safe now."
"Ah know, sis," she said. 'Ah jus' hope everyone else is too.'
<<>><<>><<>>
With a 'thumb' the door closed behind Bellflower and Scootaloo after they returned to Bellflower's guesthouse, the former fretting whether or not to lock the door, realizing a second later that doing so would do nothing to stop a ghost; the latter locked in mental debate with herself, wanting to ask the question her future self told her to ask, but not wanting to accidentally say something that may reveal the truth.
And more than that, after everything she had seen through her journey through time, she knew she had a difficult task to do. Apologize to the mare who took her in and raised her as best she could.
Stuck in indecisiveness, the first clue she had she stood silent on the spot was when Bellflower pulled her in a hug.
"I… I know you don't like me doing this," she said with a shuddering voice, "but I'm just so glad you're safe. I-" the rest of her words failed to come out as, to her great surprise, Scootaloo hugged her back.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"Wha-?" Bellflower uttered, stunned, confused, unable to believe what she heard.
"I'm sorry," Scootaloo repeated louder, refusing to look at her. "for…. everything."
At a loss for words, Bellflower did not know how to respond. But when she felt Scootaloo started shaking, and small drops of moisture began to wet her coat she didn't hesitate to pull her in a warm, tight hug.
"It's alright, it's alright," she said, gently rubbing Scootaloo's back. "You're safe now. I promise"
Unbeknownst to her, the way she held Scootaloo, the way she spoke to her was almost identical to how she comforted the young filly after learning the tragic fate of her parents. Scootaloo, however, recognized the similarities instantly, and her quiet sobbing became much louder as what little control she still had crumbled away, years of guilt she didn't even know she carried with her until recently crashing down on her.
And as she cried, being held by Bellflower, instead of the anger she always felt when near her, she now felt calm and content.
Bellflower may not be her mother, but she was close enough that it really didn't matter.
<<>><<>><<>>
Down in the sanctum of Tree of Life, one of the growing seeds began to glow increasingly brighter, until it was a blazing orb of light blinding everything else from sight.
For minutes this small sun of radiant might burned, then slowly dulled until only a faint orange glow remained as the fully grown seed hung heavily on its mother's branch.
<<>><<>><<>>
Fidgeting nervously on the examination bed, Devora looked around the room for any potential escape routes, should this be needed. She knew this plan was flimsy at best, with no real time to prepare and to get to know the one she was impersonating, and, because of this, she had already raised suspicion.
"Please sit still, Sweetie Belle," Doctor Horse said, his horn glowing.
Doing as instructed, Devora looked at the doctor standing before her; taking a moment to take in his chocolate-brown mane, light yellow coat, and the glasses perched on his muzzle.
"Now, I understand this makes you nervous. After everything your sister said you have been through this is perfectly understandable, but I need to make sure you are in good health, besides your leg being strain that is."
"Okay," Devora answered meekly, cursing the fact she did not know more about Sweetie Belle's personality, other than the few snippets she had picked up on over the long day since she first met. And after everything that had happened with the real Sweetie Belle, she doubted much of what she did know was anything useful here and now.
If only she and the doctor were alone in this room, she could use her mind control. But as she looked off to the side of the room, she saw 'her older sister' watch her with concern.
Rarity, doing her best to stand still despite her worries, watched the doctor work; both hoping he would find something, and wishing nothing else was wrong with her younger sister.
Still, despite the obvious injury with her leg, it became clear something else was bothering Sweetie Belle.
Barely touching the food Applejack, Bellflower, and Pinkie Pie had made, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nearly ate their plates by accident. The strange, almost distant way she behaved. Something just wasn't quite right.
Of course, she had just been abducted, and thankfully rescued, all in a single day, but still…
"Now, please follow the light with your eyes," the doctor's instruction pulled her attention back to the here and now, and she watched as Sweetie Belle followed the small orb of light being cast by the doctor.
"Pupil reflexes seem to be in order," the doctor said, picking up his stethoscope at the same time. "Heart sounds good as well," he added after a moment. "So do the lungs." he hung his stethoscope around his neck, checking off various items on a clipboard. "Let's see," he hummed. Miss Rarity," he turned to the worried mare.
"Yes, Doctor. Did you find anything?"
"Nothing that needs concerning. Your sister has a strained and bruised leg; the result of her falling, as you explained. However, this also seems to be the worst of her injuries. There does not seem to be a concussion, or any other signs of injury, other than the leg. As for the lack of appetite, or her unusual behavior…" he sucked in a deep breath. "I'll be honest, had it not been for events earlier, I would not have believed you when you brought up ghosts being involved here. But with another patient under our care because of the same reason… Look, I can't say one way, or the other how this would have affected Sweetie Belle. Everypony responds to trauma differently, and a lack of appetite would be a normal reaction for those who have gone through such a terrible ordeal. The same can be said about how they would behave."
"But, then… What can I do?"
"Allow your sister to process this in her own time, someplace where she feels safest. I will give her some medicine to help with the leg, but the rest, I'm afraid, will need to heal on their own."
"I… I see," Rarity said, taking a moment to compose herself. "Thank you, Doctor Horse."
"Of course, Rarity. Glad to be of assistance," he replied kindly, writing down a prescription, giving it to Rarity. "Show this at the pharmacy, they will give you the medication to help with your sister's leg. And Sweetie Belle," he turned back at the disguised changeling, smiling kindly, "keep from using your leg for at least a few days as much as you can. And don't worry about those things that took you and your friends. You're safe here."
"Okay," Devora said quietly. 'liar,' she added in thought, clearly able to see through the forced deception he didn't believe himself.
Carefully dropping down from the bed, she and Rarity stepped out of the room, after which 'her older sister' led her to the pharmacy.
All the while, she didn't say a word.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Well, nothing out of the ordinary here," Danny remarked sarcastically as he stood in his bedroom's entrance.
"Your bed is a mess," Twilight pointed out, worriedly; looking past him into the room, not picking up on Danny's sarcasm. "And I'm pretty sure that pillow is torn up, if those feathers are anything to go by. And is that water on the floor, underneath that window?"
"Just as I left it last night, minus the water that is. It was still ice covering the window," he sighed, scratching his neck. "Still, considering what has happened, I'd say this is nothing," he snorted, shaking his head. "Assuming this is all they did here. Not gonna stick around to find out, though."
Entering the room, Danny moved to retrieve his clothes while Twilight hesitantly approached the water on the floor.
"Ice," she murmured, and Danny halted in his motions to look at her.
"Hmmm, what was that?"
"Ice," she repeated more clearly. "Wherever these ghosts showed up, there was also ice."
"Yeah… I've noticed," Danny remarked dryly.
Twilight didn't reply, biting her lower lip in thought while not quite touching the wet spot with a hoof.
"A penny- eh, bit for your thought."
"Honestly, I'm not sure what to think," she told him. "With everything that has happened; everything I have seen; everything you and the fillies have said… I'm used to the occasional evil being popping up. Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis-" she didn't see Danny flinch, "-Discord, and now Sombra. Yet all of them, in one way, or the other my friends and I were able to beat them or help defeating them. But this… I don't know how to deal with this. No books that can help, no knowledge Princess Celestia can give me, nothing."
"Well, that's not entirely true," Danny countered. "We've got plenty of books back on my world… Though most of them are self-help books to help one deal with being haunted, possessed, or a combination of both. As far as the actual hunting and fighting them goes…" He fell silent, frowning. "All I can say is... Run. Run as fast as you can."
"Yeah," Twilight hung her head. "I learned that myself."
Stepping closer, Danny dropped to a knee to be at the same height as Twilight, pulling her to his side.
"Listen, I have, unfortunately, a lot of experience with ghosts. And the worst thing you can do right now is pulling out your mane in fear and worry because that would mean they won. It means they got to you, even if they didn't get to you. Instead, be glad the fillies and I were able to escape. And have confidence in Maud, who is doing all she can to find Zecora and stop those who took us. Because, of all the terrible things those ghosts can do, all of it is centered around fear. Fear of what they can do, and worse, what they may be able to do. Because you don't know. So you worry, imagination beginning to run wild, each new thought worse than the last. And before you know it, you're jumping at your own shadow, too afraid to even touch a puddle of water on the floor and being comforted by someone who managed to escape only hours prior."
Twilight leaned into his side, eyes closed, releasing a tense sigh.
"You really do have a lot of experience with ghosts, don't you?" She said sadly.
"More than you know... or that I care to talk about," he answered softly, and they sat in silence for a moment, finding comfort in the presence of each other.
Eventually, Danny stood back up and retrieved his clothes; stepping into his bathroom to replace the torn clothes he still wore and bundle up the rest for easy carrying.
At that same time, Twilight looked at the still puddle of water, going over everything Danny had just told her.
He was right.
With a 'splat' she set her hoof into the water.
And she would not allow this fear to rule her.
"Ready?" asked Danny, and Twilight yelped in fright, turning around rapidly to see the tall human stand behind her, smirking ever so slightly.
"Y-yes," she replied, and together the two left the ghost's home.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Well… at least you can't get any worse," Valerie commented, displeased as she stepped away from Jazz and Soarin, crossing her arms. "Though Soarin at least knows how to hold his own," her glare settled on Jazz. "But you, Jazz, are a disaster. And that is taking into account your injury. You're uncoordinated, clumsy, and move without thought or plan."
"Well," Jazz breathed hard, "At least that hasn't changed since the last time I tried this."
Her attempt at humor was not appreciated, as Valerie closed the distance and shoved her against the wall.
"You think this is funny? That this is a joke?" Her steely glare bore in Jazz's wide eyes.
"N-no," Jazz stammered, legs weak.
"You know what we're up against, what's at stake. Act like it, or I won't bother any further with you. Because every second I spend here with you is time Vlad, or any other ghost stupid enough to get inside the shield can wreak havoc. And if they do that, and I'm not there to stop them, the Master Blasters will do it. And their method of solving things often leads to more destruction than any ghost would be able to do on their own."
"Sorry," Jazz replied, trying to look away, but failing.
"Don't be sorry. Be better," Valerie instructed, then pushed away from Jazz. "Soarin," she turned her attention to the pony. "You did alright, all things considered. Though there is still a lot of room for improvement. Your guard training does help to some extent, but you will need to learn to think four-dimensional. And more importantly, learn to use any and all abilities you have in ways you haven't even thought about," she moved to a dark corner of the room and picked up a backpack; pulling a thermos out of it.
"There is one ability I know you have I want to test out, because if I'm right; if this works, you, and most likely all other pegasi will have a major advantage over ghosts."
"Which is?" He asked, warily.
"You can walk on clouds, can you not?" she asked, and he nodded. "Which means you can interact with something that, to anyone else, is intangible. Yet you interact with them as if they are solid objects. My thought is that this ability extends further than just clouds."
"You think he can interact with an intangible ghost?!" Jazz called out, gasping.
"That's what I intend to find out. And if I'm right, this means one of the strongest defenses any ghosts have, the ability to not be touched by just about anything, is completely useless against a pegasus," she pulled off the thermos' cap. "Soarin, I'm going to release a ghost. Nothing too dangerous, just some entity I captured some time ago. Looks like an oversized mouse, which may be exactly what it was once alive. Thing is, it always turns intangible when anything comes close. And it was a real pain to catch it, I will add," she flicked a switch on the thermos.
"I will keep it from escaping this place," she told him, "but you are to catch it using this cloud walking ability."
A blue beam shot from the thermos, hitting the floor a short distance away from Soarin. A moment later, a large, moss green mouse-like creature materialized; close to the size of a house cat.
It looked around with its green glowing eyes, saw Jazz, Soarin, then the one who captured it, squeaked loudly and scurried off rapidly while phasing through various items scattered on the floor.
A boot slammed on the floor in front of the mouse as Valerie blocked its path, and the mouse quickly turned around and ran the other way.
"As you can see, it's not overly bright," she recapped the thermos. "Now, go capture that ghost, ponyboy."
Soarin looked at the scampering rodent with large, disbelieving eyes, not quite sure how to tackle this insane situation he found himself in.
But then again, wasn't that the reason he decided to go along with this? To learn to fight the ghosts, to be able to defend his fellow ponies or any other creature threatened by the undead. If that meant he had to start by catching a mouse, by Celestia, he would do just that.
Leaping into action, he jumped at the mouse much like how a cat would.
Unsurprisingly, he missed, and the oversized mouse phased through a wall into the adjacent room.
"You can do better than that!" Valerie called out. "USE YOUR ABILITIES! YOUR WINGS! YOUR MAGIC! EVERYTHING! THE GHOSTS WON'T HESITATE TO USE EVERY DIRTY TRICK IMAGINABLE, SO YOU WILL NOT EITHER. NOW CATCH THAT GHOST!"
Back on the course, drill sergeant shouting his every mistake back at him, and a clear goal to achieve, yet tauntingly difficult just for the sake to make him fail, Soarin's eyes sharpened; the world fading around him as he focused on his objective.
He survived Baltimare. He knew what the ghosts could do; what they had done to so many, he would not allow another ghost to harm another. He would get better. He would learn to fight them. And he would catch that Luna cursed mouse even if it was the last thing he did.
With a mighty flap of his wings, Soarin rocket forwards; knocking down a partially unhinged door as he propelled himself into the other room; quick to spot his target.
A loud squeak came from the green glowing rodent as it hastily scurried away, but this time Soarin acted before it could escape.
With a beat of his wings, he blew a gust of air into the rodent, forcing it to slow down. The mouse, however, cared little for this as the air blew through it without hindrance.
'Intangibility,' Soarin realized. 'Even wind can't touch it. How am I...' he wondered, then remembered Valerie stomping her foot, and how the mouse reacted to it.
He refocused his aim, beat his wings once again, and guided the wind to move some of the discarded junk on the floor to blow into the rodent's path; watching the spectral entity intently.
As he had hoped, the mouse reacted to the tumbling hazards by changing its path of escape; though not always successful and phasing through some of the items.
'Not overly bright,' he recalled Valerie saying. 'It reacts instinctively, not intelligently.' He quickly scanned the room. 'Use the environment to your advantage. Not a lot of room to fly. Lots of old, loose junk. Shape the wind, create a maze, guide the ghost, spring a trap.'
The small ghost tried its luck in the split-second Soarin took in his surroundings, running past him with a squeak; jumping over an old, beat up crate, landing on top of a plastic coffee cup which crumpled under its weight with a crack.
"Oh no you don't," Soarin half growled as he focused on his target with renewed energy, wings spread wide.
With one beat of his wings, he shot to the ceiling, with a second he moved the still air. A third guided the newly formed current, and a fourth gave it strength. Several smaller flexes of his wings refined the paths of air he forged, and the effect started to show. Dust blew up as the items began to move. The boarded-up doors and windows still shut began to rattle and bang, while Jazz took several steps back; arm shielding her face. Valerie, instead, stood motionless, watching everything unfold with a calculating gaze; seeing the beginnings of a path through the chaos that blew inside the abandoned building; a path that undead pest had no choice to follow as it squeaked, ran, slid, and phased through everything Soarin threw at it.
"Now we're talking," Valerie said through a feral grin. "Show me what you've got, ponyboy."
Soarin didn't hear, too focused on maintaining his control; the space too narrow, the wind too restrained, but he would not fail. Not again. If he couldn't even stop a single, oversized mouse, what kind of guard was he?
His eyes were narrowed, nearly closed in focus; tracing the path he laid out for the ghost to follow while it was only a step behind; creating new currents, placing new pieces, forcing new paths to form.
Hovering above its prey like a griffin, biding his time, he watched, waited, anticipated. Then, he struck.
With a strong beat of his wings, he dropped down; the currents he forged falling apart instantly; the items swirling around in designed patterns now tumbling chaotically as they enclosed the mouse, leaving only one opening which the spectral rodent didn't hesitate to use; Leaping through the narrow gap of collapsing junk, and right into the waiting hooves of a disheveled pegasus after a hard landing.
The ghost saw and reacted; turning intangible almost instantly, well before it even reached Soarin.
Great was its shock, and even greater the squeak that escaped it when, instead of phasing through the danger, it found itself trapped in between two hooves.
Breathing hard, Soarin looked at the wildly thrashing ghost. First with disbelief, then shock.
"I did it?" He gasped, not believing it.
A hand phased through the mouse, drawing his attention to Valerie standing before him, grinning evilly.
"You sure did," she replied after confirming the ghost was indeed intangible, then locked eyes with him. "And so much more than that."
"Soarin," Jazz said softly, staring at her coltfriend with large eyes. "You can interact with intangible ghosts."
"And how," said Valerie, a blue beam of energy shooting from the thermos she held, capturing the mouse. "A bit rough around the edges, but we may make a proper ghost hunter out of you yet."
"This is huge," Jazz stepped closer. "This means pegasi have a natural defense against ghosts' intangibility."
"Not a defense," Valerie corrected. "An offense. With this you can take the fight to them, whether they want it to, or not," she slapped the cap on the thermos, eyes gleaming. "But you still have a long way to go before that is even a possibility," she added, looking at Soarin. "And you," she turned back to Jazz. "You and I are going to work, rigorously, on everything you did wrong today. Starting with stamina and strength."
"Meaning?" Jazz asked, worried, already having a good idea what this would mean.
"Starting first light tomorrow, you're going to join me on my exercise routine."
Jazz expected it, yet the blow was still severe, staring at Valerie with a gaping mouth.
"You mean-"
"Yes. One hundred push-ups. One hundred sit-ups. One hundred squats. Then a six-mile run."
"That's insane!" Jazz backed away.
Valerie snorted, unamused. "I'll go easy on you because of the wrist, but that's all. You're going to be better, and I'll make it happen."
"Bu- but I can't do… that. It's insane."
"No. What is insane, is you, thinking you can go up against ghosts without some edge over them. Right now you don't know how to use a weapon properly, nor do you have the strength to fight them. And failing all that, you won't even be able to outrun them. And don't bring up Danny, Tucker or Sam," she cut Jazz off, index finger pointing at her. "Danny was physically in just as bad a shape as you are now, which was no secret back in highschool. But he has his powers to offset this. Tucker is the same as far as his physique goes, but he has his redeeming abilities. Plus, he does know how to use a weapon. And Sam… Well, I really hate to say it, but she is a good example of what will happen if you go up against a ghost without the proper training. So no excuses, not anymore. You're going to train. Hard. So enjoy the few hours of easy going you still have, because they will be nothing more than a pleasant memory come tomorrow."
"You're evil," Jazz glared unimpressively at Valerie.
"Yes, I am," she confirmed. "The necessary one."
She turned to look at both Jazz and Soarin.
"Get cleaned up. Rest. Soarin, I know you're going back home today, but I won't have you slack off either. Especially with what we learned today. You will train as well, hard. And when you have the chance to come here again, I'll see to it you'll learn all there is to ghost hunting. But, and this is important, DO NOT reveal anything about what happened here today to anyone. You have no reason for knowing what you know now, and it would jeopardize everything we have worked for."
"I understand," Soarin responded, standing at attention.
"Good," Valerie nodded, then turned to Jazz. "And I'll be seeing you soon."
With everything said, she left; leaving the two in the trash littered room.
"She's evil," Jazz said once she was sure Valerie was gone, and couldn't hear.
The conviction with which he said this made Jazz slowly look down at him, swallowing loudly, carefully touching her broken, throbbing wrist, and she knew…
Nothing would be the same again.
<<>><<>><<>>
It had only been an hour since the plane landed, a car brought the group to the tear facility, and a twenty-three minute wait for the tear to open, but Tucker was back in Canterlot once again.
This time joined by a group of security personnel. Six in total.
None of them were hunters, which Tucker was silently thankful for. He had enough problems to deal with. But they were still trained in investigating any site of spectral activity and, equipped and trained in the use of anti-ghost weapons and thermos.
"I'm glad to see you were able to come as quickly as you did," a familiar voice brought his attention to Technal.
"Technal," Tucker gave a small nod in greeting to the gray unicorn mare.
"Mister Foley," she returned the greeting with a smile; her excitement of meeting her role model momentarily breaking through, but the situation not allowing for anything more. "If you would all please follow me, we will take you through the scanner, and from there to the site of the attack."
"It is to my understanding we will be teleported to the site, correct?" one of the security experts, a tan woman with raven hair asked.
"Correct," Technal confirmed.
"When possible, could someone bring me to the one injured in the attack," Tucker asked with a measure of demand behind his words. "We need to know what she has seen… and I need to make sure she's alright."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not the one in charge of this. Just the one to receive you. The princess should be able to help you once on site."
"I understand," Tucker said simply.
"Please follow me," she turned around, "and we'll get you where you need to be as soon as possible."
"Without further comments, the group of humans followed after Technal as the tear closed behind them.
The scan was as uneventful as anyone could hope it to be, and within ten minutes the group was all cleared.
Stepping out of the scanner room, they were greeted by three royal guards, unicorns, waiting stoically; carrying a blaster each instead of the regular sword.
"They're all clear," Technal confirmed after everyone had exited the room.
"Very well," one of the guards spoke up. "Please stay close together," he instructed, wasting no time. "The three of us will teleport you to the site of the attack."
Doing as they were told, the group vanished in a flash of light.
<<>><<>><<>>
A flash of light later, Tucker stumbled on the spot in disorientation.
The others with him suffered a similar fate, and all required a couple of seconds to regain their bearing.
"Apologies, I should have informed you what to expect," the guard reacted.
"It's fine," Tucker grunted as he found his balance again.
Looking around, he now found himself in a large cave.
The first thing that stood out to him was a large number of ponies. All guards, if their armor was anything to go by.
Looking closer, he noticed most of them were earth ponies busy moving a great many rocks and chunks of crystal covering the floor. Unicorns were present as well, working in pairs to lift the larger pieces or break them apart.
The construction site was the next thing he saw. Or what was still standing of it, at the least.
The construction had only recently begun, and naturally, there wouldn't be much but transport crates, tools, and the heavier machinery required for this undertaking to even be possible. But what he saw was not good. A lot of the unpacked equipment had been damaged, or outright crushed. Which needed to be replaced, which would set back the timeline for estimated completion, not to mention the increase in cost.
Looking up at the ceiling, he saw some small glowing crystals growing from the rock. More noticeably, however, were the many fissures, cracks, and entire chunks missing in the cavern ceiling.
This, naturally, pulled his attention to the scaffolding placed underneath the worst of the damage, as teams of unicorns and earth ponies worked to reinforce and repair as much of the damage they could.
Tucker swallowed heavily.
Whatever had happened here, Dani definitely gave it her all.
"It's an ugly sight, yes," the guard said.
"This place is not going to collapse on top of us, right?" One of the others in his group asked.
"Negative," the guard replied. "The ceiling is being supported around the clock by unicorns, while all earth ponies available are working to mend the rock. Now, if you would please follow me. I will lead you to the princess."
All seven followed after the guards, silently watching the repair efforts while being led around the worst of the destruction. Eventually, the floor began to slope down as they approached a tunnel, a steady line of ponies leaving with carts of rock, and the distinct sound of a rock being hewn echoing from within. Standing off to the side, out of the way of the working ponies, closely watching the proceedings, was a midnight blue alicorn.
"Your highness," the guards saluted. "The human experts have arrived."
"Excellent," Princess Luna turned to the group.
"Your highness," the raven-haired woman stepped forwards, bowing. "My name is Rachel Connor, the team leader of this group. We came as soon as possible when word of the attack reached us."
"We thank you for your swift response. It is the hope of myself, as well as many others that with your help we may uncover the full truth of what hath transpired here," she then looked at the guards. "Thou are dismissed. Resume thou duties and aid your fellow guards in securing this site."
"Your highness," all three guards saluted, then left.
"Come," the princess instructed. "There is much we need to discuss."
"I've read the preliminary report," Rachel began, wasting no time as they all followed. "But it was obvious most of the more important details were omitted."
"A safety precaution," Princess Luna replied readily. "With ghosts having found and attacked this site, as well as a previous incursion in the local tear facility, we, my sister, and I felt it prudent to omit the more sensitive information, should this somehow find its way into enemy hooves… or hands."
"Understandable," Rachel nodded. "But we must know all the details uncovered already, lest we waste time repeating processes which have already been done, or miss potential clues because of missing information."
"A full report detailing all that we managed to uncover thus far has already been prepared. But there are other issues I wish to discuss with you as well."
"Which is?"
"Recent events have revealed a disturbing weakness within our defenses. One for which is no excuse, yet demands an answer why this was even allowed to be."
"Which is?" Rachel asked, and silently, Tucker worried they might have discovered the alterations he implemented in the scanners.
For a while, princess Luna was silent as she led the group through the cave towards a more intact tunnel; her horn glowing to provide light as they left the light of the work site behind.
"There has been an incident- a string of incidents in a town not far from here. Suspicion for the cause of this quickly turned to ghosts, so a team of our trained ghost hunters was dispatched. Many things were uncovered, with the confirmation of ghostly presence being the second worst."
"How can that be the second worst thing to discover?" Rachel asked.
They exited the tunnel, entering a smaller cave illuminated by scattered crystals growing here and there, and found a group of ponies standing at attention.
"We discovered the training these hunters were given is lacking to the point of compromise!" Luna stated, her tone becoming frigid. "One of them being hospitalized with severe injuries possibly related to the ghostly attack."
"WHAT!?" Tucker was the one to shout. "That is not possible. I've seen the rosters of all trainees of the Ghost-Keteer division. Each and everyone were trained by Madeline Fenton. There is no way she would allow any of them to go up against a ghost without ensuring they knew exactly what they were doing."
"May I enquire your name before I rebuke?" Princess Luna turned to him, eyes hard.
"Tucker Foley, your majesty," he answered, meeting her eyes. "Lead expert on all technology of the Fenton Corporation."
"Is that so," said Luna. "We have questions for you as well in regards to some equipment failures we have experienced-" Tucker stiffened "-but to the matter at hoof, these mares and stallions have informed me about their training, which shows a rather severe inconsistency with your story. By their word, they were trained by Jack Fenton, not Madeline Fenton."
"What?" Tucker blinked, confused. "But that doesn't make any sense. Jack is no weapons expert. He knows how to make them, yes. Most of the first generation of anti-ghost weapons are of his design. Most of the anti-ghost devices are, but it's Maddy who perfected the original designs, and knows how to use them to their full effect."
"I can tell you know them personally," Princess Luna said.
"They're family," Tucker replied with no small amount of pride. "Just not by blood." He then frowned, thinking. "But that does not change any of this." He turned to the group of ponies standing silently behind the princess. "Excuse me, but when exactly did you receive training from Jack Fenton?"
A unicorn with an ivory coat and red mane responded. "From day one. It was a last-minute change."
Tucker was silent, blinking slowly.
"That should not have happened. Even if Madeline was unable to oversee the training herself, there are other trainers on staff. Why did no one-" he fell silent. 'Vlad. It has to be.'
"You know something?" Luna stated more than asked.
"More like a suspicion… one I hope is not true," he answered. "But I will need to look into the records to make sure."
"Mister Foley," Rachel turned to him. "There is only one way this could have happened without setting off any alarms. Difficult as it would have been."
'Not as difficult as you would think. Not as far as Vlad is concerned. But how did we miss this?'
"Which would be?" Luna inquired.
"Possession," Rachel answered.
"What?!" Luna shouted, demanding an answer.
"You realize this does mean that a good number of ghosts would have been involved to possess all individuals required to pull off something like this?" Tucker looked at the woman. 'Or one ghost who can split himself into hundreds of duplicates.'
"As I said, difficult, but not impossible. Which would also suggest, if true, we may very well be compromised from within as well."
Nervous glances spread through the group of ghost hunters still standing silently in the background, while Tucker's right hand clenched into a fist.
"True," Tucker grunted, frowning deeply, "but I want to look into the records before I will agree with this possibility."
"What other explanation could there be for this?" Rachel asked.
"Jack being Jack," was his simple reply. "It's no secret he's not as good with weapons as he claims he is, though he is still intelligent where it counts. Problem is, Jack does tend to, unintentionally, make a mess of things while trying to help. Maddy usually keeps him focused and on task, but sometimes he manages to slip under the radar, so to speak. So, again, I want to inspect the records to make sure. IF this was indeed the result of a possession en masse, I want to make sure before I raise the alarm."
"But if true," Luna cut in, voice dangerously low, "that would mean these ghost hunters were trained by a ghost. One who saw to it their training was as flawed as possible, leaving our defenses dangerously compromised. A compromise that has already begun to show itself. Can you tell me these events are not related?"
"No, I can not," Tucker said matter of fact. "Not without knowing all the facts. Some of which may be found here, if there is a correlation between the recent attack and the suggested ghost influenced training. But whatever the answer may be, it does not change the fact that something occurred which should not have happened," he fell silent, turning to Rachel. "All of you are trained in the combat of spectral entities, correct?"
"Correct," she gave a nod, "but we're no ghost hunters. We know how to fight a ghost, or ghosts, capture them even should the situation demand it. Our training is centered around investigating post-spectral sites, and provide intelligence for the hunters to work with to track down and neutralize all hostile entities."
"But the ghost hunters you are supposed to support are unable to do so, which means, right now, you are the most experienced hunters here."
"You can't suggest we go out and hunt these ghosts ourselves!?" Rachel shot back.
"No," Tucker shook his head, eyes darkening. "I have no illusions about the dangers involved. But some of you will be able to provide them with some emergency training while I try to sort out this mess."
"... I suppose," Rachel replied, unsure. "But this will not be sufficient."
"No, all of them will need to be retrained, properly. But we can't do this without knowing first how it went wrong in the first place. Also," he faced princess Luna, "you mentioned problems with the anti-ghost equipment."
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "Scanners not registering ghosts, even when they are confirmed to be present. And reports of strange interference, though it is unknown whether this is a fault of the devices, or something else."
Tucker looked down, hand on his chin in thought. 'Ghosts not being detected. Only two ghosts I know of where that should have happened. But interference?'
"I will need to see these scanners, make sure they work as intended, or if something has been altered, damaged, or otherwise compromised."
"Very well, but you shall do so under the supervision of an expert of our own. Too much has gone wrong for us to blindly trust one we have only recently met. Especially with the recent ghost attack, and everything else that has come to light."
"Understandable," Tucker said.
"As for you," Princess Luna turned to Rachel and the rest of her team. "Do you believe yourself capable to improve, upon the training my ponies have received?"
Rachel was silent, looked back at the others in her team, seeing doubt on the faces of some, and an eagerness to try with the others.
"We came here to help with the ghost threat," she answered. "While this isn't exactly what we expected, we won't leave you to face this threat without knowing what to do. We'll teach them what we can."
"Splendid. Perhaps some of this disaster can still be mitigated," Luna responded.
"While on the subject of disasters," Tucker spoke up. "The one who was injured in the attack. Would it be possible for me to see her if, she's able?"
"So would I," Rachel said. "Field promotion to combat instructor aside, we still have a job to do, and we need to speak with the witnesses of the attack."
"This is a matter for the doctor to decide, though there are other factors to consider as well."
"Which are?" asked Rachel
"The one in question was badly injured in the attack, which inflicted a deep head wound. She did wake up earlier today, but before this happened a ghost was found within her room."
"WHAT!?" Tucker shouted.
"It is unknown what this entity has done to her, for the medical scanner has failed to pick up anything within and around Miss Dani, which leads us back to the equipment malfunctioning. The ghost, however, was hunted down by the guards on the station, though this entity did manage to escape and has not been seen again." She was silent for a heartbeat, then delivered the worst of the news. "This ghost, however, was seen by multiple members of the castle staff. And as such, we know the identity of this one ghost in particular."
'Please don't say it. Please, do not say it.' Tucker silently pleaded.
"It was the Terror of Amity Park. It was Danny Phantom."
'No.'
<<>><<>><<>>
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Luna asked her sister, the two slowly walking through the castle garden towards the hedge maze.
It had only been an hour since she left the humans in the care of the guards. None of them wasting any time beginning their work, with Rachel splitting her team to begin the investigation and start preparing for the emergency training for the hunters. Tucker was brought to a room within the castle itself, provided with the required equipment to inspect, and sided with one of the few ponies who understood the humans' their technology through and through.
Luna herself quickly filled in her sister with everything that had happened afterward, and new plans were made in the face of these new possibilities. One such plan was why they were now going to the one being who may be able to help them.
"No, I am not, Luna. I would rather not do this, had the risk not been this server."
"But what reason do we have to trust him to help us, and not them?"
"None," Celestia answered, her face a stoic mask to hide her fears and worries. "But I won't risk the lives of my ponies on the off chance that he could have helped, and we didn't try. And should he go wild, we have the Elements to stop him."
"Which does mean we have to put Twilight and her friends through this ordeal as well."
"I know, Luna. I know," Celestia sighed deeply, her years breaking through. "And the last thing I want to do is put them through something like this, especially so soon after the ordeal they went through. But they are also the only ones who can control him."
"This is a dangerous gamble. One I'm not comfortable in making."
"Then don't," Celestia said as they rounded a corner, and both stopped at the statue of Discord. "I will be the one carrying this burden."
"No, you will not," Luna countered. "If this is going to happen, it is something we will both set into motion."
Celestia pulled her sister to her side with a wing, finding comfort in her presence before this fiend.
"We have to try," she said, looking in the stony, mismatched eyes of the draconequus.
"Then try it we shall," said Luna, and they began their preparations.
It was the dawn of a new day, and Danny found himself lying in a far too small bed; feet sticking out at the end, and a blanket loosely wrapped around them.
Tiredly, he looked up at the ceiling, wasting some time searching for patterns and images in the natural grain of the tree Twilight called home.
So far he found a rough image somewhat looking like a dog, or a chicken riding a velociraptor depending on how you looked at it.
"Who," the other occupant of the room called out, and Danny turned his head to look at Owlicious. The owl had found his way into the guest room some time earlier.
"And who to you, as well," Danny croaked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. "Guess Twilight and Spike are still asleep, assuming they were able to," he said aloud, not sure if he was talking to himself, or Owlicious.
"Who."
Danny chuckled lightly, looking at the bird perched on the chair also holding his clothes.
"Nice try, but I'm not falling for it."
"Who."
Swinging his legs out of bed, he placed his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands with a tired sigh. "But what a mess all of this is," he groaned. "Apple Bloom, Scootaloo… Sweetie Belle. Not to mention all the others. When did all of this get so complicated?"
"Who."
"And on top of it all, I need to keep things from falling apart. At least for long enough so I can work out a way to-"
A knock on the door cut him off
"Danny?" Twilight's voice came from the other side.
"Guess she couldn't sleep either," he murmured to himself. Only wearing his boxers, he quickly threw the blanket over his lower half for modesty. "I'm up," he answered, and the door slowly swung open.
"Can't sleep too, huh," he said simply as Twilight stepped in.
"I'm afraid not," she replied tiredly. "Who were you talking to?"
"My roommate."
"Who?" asked Twilight.
"Who," Owlicious hooted.
"Who," Danny added jokingly.
For a moment they were all silent. Then, beginning with a chuckle, both Danny and Twilight were laughing.
"But yeah," Danny picked up, the good mood quickly deflating, it's been difficult to fall asleep."
"Yes," Twilight agreed. "I know what you mean. After what happened… what is still happening with Zecora… It's difficult to just sit here and do nothing."
"Seems to be about the only thing we really can do, though," he supplied.
"Yeah," Twilight agreed, unhappy. "I really dislike feeling this useless; this powerless."
"Don't we all."
Twilight agreed with a sigh. Then, perking up noticeably, she changed the subject.
"Are you hungry?" She asked. "I know it's early, but seeing how both of us are awake, do you want an early breakfast?"
Eager to accept the change, lest either one of them got hung up on what ifs, with doubt or worry gnawing at them, though for vastly different reasons, Danny nodded.
"Breakfast would be nice."
"Great," Twilight smiled.
"Just let me put on some clothes, and I'll join you."
Only now realizing Danny was without clothes, something strangely alien to her, she felt her cheeks flush while her eyes moved to his naked upper half on their own.
"R-right. You do that, and I'll be in the kitchen," she flustered, quickly excusing herself, trying to hide the crimson hue she knew her face must have become.
"... What was that about?" Danny asked after she had noisily departed.
"Who," Owlicious informed him.
With a sigh and shake of his head, Danny stood up and retrieved his clothes.
"Ponies are weird," he concluded.
"Who," Owlicious agreed, flying to the headboard of the bed as Danny grabbed his pants.
"I just hope today will be less chaotic than the last few days," he said to no-one in particular. "I could use the break."
"Who," Owlicious slightly narrowed his eyes. "If only you knew, child."
<<>><<>><<>>
By the time Danny entered the kitchen Twilight had already finished setting two plates, glasses, and was now rummaging through her fridge looking for the few items remaining after last days impromptu 'feast' Applejack, Bellflower and Pinkie Pie had made.
A moment later some cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and daffodils slowly flew to the table, encased in Twilight's magic.
"Need a hand?" Danny asked, and Twilight bonked her head on a shelf with a yelp; the items she held a moment before falling on the table, knocking over both glasses; one tomato rolling over the edge and falling on the floor.
"Ehh… sorry," Danny apologised sheepishly as Twilight withdrew from the fridge, rubbing her head just above her horn.
"It's okay," Twilight replied, turning to look at him. "You just took me by surprise."
"So, ehh… need some help?" Danny asked again.
"Thanks, but no. I got this. Besides, you're my guest. Just take a seat and I'll finish setting the table."
Nodding, Danny did as she said, though at least making himself useful by picking up the tomato which had fallen. Standing back up, he noticed all the items carelessly dropped to the table now glowed lavender and moved to a more orderly place, while the glasses righted themselves, and a loaf of bread, as well as a pitcher of orange juice, came flying from behind him.
"Well, can't beat that," he remarked as he sat down in a seat cushion, placing the tomato next to the other. "Gotta say, that whole magic thing is really useful."
"It sure is," Twilight agreed as she joined him.
"So," Danny looked at the pair of plates and glasses. "Spike is still asleep I guess?" this drew a giggle from Twilight.
"There is little that can keep Spike from his sleep. Even less that can wake him," she said. "And while I usually try to have him follow at least something of a normal sleep schedule, should he sleep in today I don't think I would blame him," she shook her head with a sigh. "Anyhow, I hope you don't mind the…" she pointed at the few items placed on the table, "meager options available. I haven't yet had a chance to restock, which I hope I can do today… If I can get anypony to come out of their houses, that is."
"It's okay. And do you expect it to be that much of a problem? I mean, I understand the whole ghost scare. Have experienced it plenty myself, but none of them has gone through what we have."
"I know, and I hate to say it but everypony here tends to overreact quite a bit. They used to lock themselves inside every time Zecora came to town to buy supplies, thinking she was an evil enchantress."
"Yet they live near the Everfree Forest?" Danny asked incredulously.
"Yes… you'd think they would get used to the odd thing happening every now and then. Though with ghosts being involved…" She sighed wearily. "Let's just change the subject. Do you want some orange juice?"
"Yes please," he agreed, and Twilight filled first his glass, then her own.
For a moment both busied themselves with preparing their meal without much being said, but after draining half his glass Danny continued their conversation.
"So what is it like living in a tree library?"
"It's great," Twilight answered almost immediately. "The books, the magic that makes it possible for my home to even exist, all of it is just amazing. I could spend hours just discussing the many different layers used in the spell that shaped this oak, and all its different applications. And the books, the knowledge they contain, the stories, and being able to share them with my fellow ponies," she shuddered in pleasure. "It's all just so wonderful."
Danny chuckled. "I got the feeling you're a purebred bookworm."
"Not just a bookworm," she stared at him. "The bookworm."
"So that's your superhero name?" he grinned, then bit into his sandwich.
Twilight snorted as her horn flashed briefly, and something struck Danny on the back of his head.
"Very funny," she deadpanned, though couldn't stop herself from grinning. "But no. Why would I even need a superhero name in the first place?"
"Well, didn't you and your friends go to a ghost cursed empire, not knowing what to expect or even that a ghost was involved? Yet none of you hesitated for a moment. Sounds like something a hero would do to me. You're just missing the cape… Maybe a mask to hide your identity."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think I was talking to Spike," Twilight giggled. "Besides, been there, done that."
"You, whu?" Danny faltered, a slice of tomato slipping out from between his bread and falling to his plate with a splat, yet went completely ignored.
Twilight laughed at his dumbfounded expression.
"Over a year ago, Rainbow Dash got a bit too much of an ego after rescuing a foal from a well. It got bad to the point the rest of my friends and I decided to one-up her in the hero business and all donned the same costume to hide who we were. Maredowell we were called. We solved quite a few issues as well, which did have the desired effect to knock down Rainbow a peg or two."
Danny looked at her for a long moment, then snorted and resumed eating. "Never a dull moment here, huh," he remarked after swallowing.
"Not often, no."
"Though I could honestly do with a dull moment right now."
"You and me both."
Finishing his drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Danny continued.
"So, what's keeping you busy today?"
"Honestly, I'm not really sure. A large part of me wants to go out there and look for Zecora, as much of a bad idea that is. Checking in on the Crusaders has also crossed my mind, but it hasn't even been a day since we last saw them, and I don't know how I could help them cope with what happened either way. So I think I'll just catch up on my reading. I do still have that book from the Crystal Empire, which I must have forgotten to return."
"It was a rather hectic day, so it would have been easy to forget something like that."
"True, but I should still return it when I can."
"But not after you've finished it, hmm?" Danny said the unspoken part.
"Well… seeing I've got it here now anyhow, might as well make the most of it," she said innocently, yet eager. "But what about you? After everything that has happened, what will you do? What do you feel like doing?"
"Honestly," he leaned back a bit and almost fell, forgetting there wasn't a backrest. "I think I'll go and see if the cafe is open again; catch up with Grill and Ruby. It may have only been a few days, but it honestly feels like years since I last saw them. And it would be nice to get back to a normal, far more boring day."
"Oh, that's right. The cafe was closed for some time because-"
"The Crusaders managed to make a mess of things," finished Danny. "Ya know, these conversations seem to circle back either to ghosts or the fillies. Not sure how I feel about that."
"That makes two of us," Twilight sighed. "It really has taken over our lives, hasn't it?"
"These things usually do, if my experience is anything to go by."
Twilight looked down at her plate and half-eaten sandwich, silent for a moment. Then, releasing a deep breath, she looked up at Danny. "But we can't let fear rule us. As you said, if we do, the ghosts win. As difficult as it will be… we must go on with our lives."
"Exactly," Danny agreed, nodding. "So here's to a nice, boring, uneventful day to get back in the swing of things," he rose his empty glass. "We've had enough excitement for a while."
Twilight chuckled as she raised her glass as well.
A loud belch came from above and pony and human, the latter noticeably impressed, looked back towards the stairs as Spike slowly clambered down; rubbing an eye with one claw, holding a scroll in the other.
"Twi- YAWN -light. You've got a letter," he held up the scroll, which was quickly grabbed in a lavender aura and pulled to the unicorn.
"This early?" She remarked, slightly worried. "It has to be important."
Breaking the seal and unfurling the scroll, she quickly read the letter; eyes widening the longer she read until her magic simply stopped and the letter fell to the floor.
"Anything bad?" asked Danny.
"I'm afraid I have to cancel on the uneventful, boring day," she answered, leaving both Danny and Spike confused. "If anything," she swallowed heavily, "things will be much more chaotic."
<<>><<>><<>>
"They want to do WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash yelled.
After Twilight had received the letter, she had quickly rushed to alarm her friends, despite the early hour.
Of course with what happened with the fillies the day before, none of them wanted to leave them alone. And while Apple Bloom would be watched over by both her brother and grandmother, Rarity was understandingly reluctant to leave Sweetie Belle alone. And thus everypony, drake and even human all gathered at Carousel Boutique, crowding together in Rarity's living room.
The haste and early hour also showed itself as all ponies present still sported bed-manes in various states of defiance to gravity, with Rainbow Dash's unkempt mess being the worst, while Rarity's usual stylish curls were nowhere to be found. Most of them also showed bags under their eyes, a clear indication that, just like Twilight and Danny, none of them had been able to sleep much, if at all.
Once all had arrived, and it was made certain a particular filly was still asleep, and obviously to at least one bipedal occupant in the room she was clearly not eavesdropping from the stairs above, Twilight informed them of the letter she had received.
"The princesses are planning to release Discord, under our care obviously, and attempt to reform him," she replied to Rainbow Dash's outburst.
"Twi, Ah know ya know tha princesses better than most, an' Ah have never had any reason ta question their judgment and such, but Ah think Ah speak for everypony… everyone here when Ah say: Have they gone insane?" Applejack asked with a sense of urgency in her voice, despite the forced calm she showed.
"Yeah, what AJ says," Rainbow Dash picked up, wildly gesturing. "Don't they know what happened yesterday? What we've been through? Why do they think of doing that?"
"Because of what has happened," Twilight answered. Sighing while shaking her head, she continued. "The princesses believe that considering the now clear and growing threat, the best course of action to, hopefully, prevent another Baltimare from happening, is to have Discord protect us."
A pin drop could be heard in the silence that followed, which lasted for a full ten seconds before the dam burst.
"WHAT!?" Nearly all shouted, while Fluttershy had instead opted to hide underneath one of Rarity's couches. Danny meanwhile stood in confusion while trying to get the ringing out of his ears.
"So," he started, using his pinky to clean out his left ear, "going by your combined decibel count, I take it this is a bad thing."
"BAD!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, apparently stuck on this level of volume. "IT'S A DISASTER!"
"Rainbow, dear. Indoor voice, please," Rarity admonished. "But yes, she is right. Discord is most… uncouth."
"He's scary," Fluttershy squeaked from underneath the couch.
"He's vermin of tha worst kind," Applejack added, stomping a hoof.
"He's a meany mean pants who I will never give a party," Pinkie Pie supplied, frowning.
"So a bad guy. Got it," said Danny.
"No, Danny. You don't," Twilight shook her head. "Discord is not just some convict serving time in some cell. He is the pure embodiment of chaos itself, who can control all of reality at a whim without rime or reason."
This got Danny's attention, and he stiffened noticeably. A reaction, the ponies attributed to him understanding, while in reality, his mind jumped back to Freakshow and the Reality Gauntlet.
"The only thing that can stop him is our Elements, and he knows it. He broke free from his prison some time ago, and set out to drive a wedge between us to keep us from using the Elements against him… and almost succeeded."
"I… see," Danny said slowly. "And how does Discord do this… reality control thing?"
"Nopony knows. He just does."
"And the princesses want to release him," Danny now asked, starting to understand the others their earlier reaction, "so he can help fight the ghosts."
"Yes," Twilight nodded with a sigh.
"The same princesses who thought it a good idea to send six mares and a dragon to a city which returned after a thousand years, without a good idea what they were sending you into?" He added. "The same princesses who, while doing that, also decided in their infinite wisdom to send you with a train too small to even carry a fraction of said city's citizens should an evacuation be needed?" He paused, blinked, looking at the mares and dragon staring up at him. "... They are insane," he concluded. "No-one in their right mind would do something like that."
"SEE!" Rainbow Dash pointed animatedly. "Even Danny understands."
Various emotions played out on Twilight's face as she was once again pointed at the flaws in their princesses reasoning. Eventually, she settled on a weary sigh, head hanging.
"I know," she was forced to admit. "Releasing Discord on its own is bad enough. But now, with ghosts present. It's a recipe for disaster."
"At least this is a disaster we can prevent from happening," Rarity supplied. "As much as it displeases me to say this, we simply have no other choice than to refuse the princesses their plan."
Most present agreed with her, while Twilight looked as if she was trying to swallow an orange whole.
"And without us, there is no way he can break free out of his statue," Rainbow Dash added.
"Statue?" Danny reacted, confused.
"When we used our Elements on him last time, he was turned to stone," Rarity informed him.
"... I see," he trailed off. "And how did he escape last time?"
A sudden silence fell over them, and Danny looked at them in confusion.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No, you didn't," Twilight answered. "It's just… last time, as was later discovered, he managed to break free as a result of an accumulation of small instances of chaos near him. And the final drop, so to speak, that managed to weaken his petrification enough to escape was by Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom during a school field trip."
"... That," Danny hesitated, momentarily fumbling for words. "I see," he eventually said.
"Yes…" Twilight agreed. "And worse still, as if the girls haven't gone through enough already, Discord is brought to Ponyville as we speak and should be here soon."
"Not jus' tha girls, Twi," said Applejack. "Tha whole village was hit hard last time he was here. There ain't no tellin' how they all react when they find out Discord's brought here."
"Which is why the princesses decided to transport Discord now, while most ponies are still asleep."
"Whoa, hold on for a moment," Danny called out, a hand raised in a stopping sign. "Didn't you just say he managed to escape last time through an accumulation of chaos?" Twilight nodded. "And they think it is a wise decision to bring this guy to an unsuspecting village still suffering from a serious ghost scare. Just how chaotic do you think it will be when everyone finds out? It's like they want him to escape again."
A ripple of shocked realization passed through the group at his words.
"I'm really starting to doubt the princesses ability for logical thought," he remarked irritably.
"Spike," Twilight turned to her number one assistant, a certain urgency in her voice. "Take a letter."
Spike, ever diligent, quickly pulled an inked quill and blank parchment out of Pinkie Pie's tail.
"What?" He looked at the perplexed faces of almost everyone. "She said I could store them there in case of a writing a letter emergency."
"Hmhmm," Pinkie nodded her approval.
"Ready, Twilight," he said, quill held just shy of touching the parchment.
"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight started as she began to pace on the spot. "In regards to your last letter, I'm afraid certain… problems have come to light which I believe you and princess Luna may have overlooked. Because of this-"
"Hue… hold on," Spike said suddenly, a rumble coming from his abdomen. Then, with a fiery belch, a new scroll materialized. Quickly grabbing the scroll in her magic before gravity could assert its grasp over it, Twilight wasted no time breaking the seal and reading its contents.
"The princesses are here," she said, somewhat frightened. Believing for a short moment they somehow knew what she and her friends had discussed, before the more logical part of her mind stomped down that thought. "At the library," she clarified. "They wish to speak to us to explain what is happening, and why."
"Rather convenient timing," Danny remarked.
"Ah say," Applejack agreed as she pulled on her Stetson.
"While I agree that current circumstances are decidedly concerning, there is still such a thing as coincidence," Rarity interjected. "Besides, the least we can do is go and hear what they have to say. Perhaps there is a good explanation for all of this. And it would also give us a chance to voice our concerns in person."
"Of course, that's it!" Twilight exclaimed.
"What's it?" Asked Rainbow Dash.
"The princesses must have been unable to provide more details in their letter, which makes their reasoning seemed flawed. After all, when Discord is concerned, anything resembling reason or sense goes out of the window."
"Hmm…" Pinkie Pie hummed, hoof held under her muzzle as she stared pondering at the ceiling. "Makes sense," she then said.
"What, no it doesn't," Rainbow Dash balked.
"That's why it makes sense," Pinkie replied sagely.
"MAYBE," Applejack cut in before Rainbow Dash could reply, "we ought to ask tha princesses themselves. We certainly ain't goin' ta figure this out on our own jus' standin' here."
All present found themselves unable to argue her point, and any other protest was quickly stifled.
Shifting nervously, Rarity spoke up. "Twilight, darling. Do you think you could ask the princesses to come here? I know it is only a short walk to your home, but I rather not leave Sweetie Belle alone right now."
"Don't worry about that," Danny quickly replied before Twilight could. "I'll stay and make sure she's safe. None of this has anything to do with me anyhow. To begin with, the only reason I'm here is that Twilight didn't want to leave me alone either."
"Yo- I mean… Are you sure?" Rarity asked, surprised. "After what happened… You don't hav-"
Danny silenced her by raising a hand.
"After what happened, I think it is no trouble for me to sit on a couch, make sure nothing happens while you do what you need to do."
"I… Thank you, Danny," Rarity said gratefully.
"Of course," he gave a nod, then turned to Twilight. "Want me to look after Spike as well?"
With a huff, Spike crossed his arms, irritated. "I can look after myself, thank you. Besides, somepony needs to keep Rar- everypony safe," he added bashfully.
"Our brave dragon," Rarity said as she affectionately rubbed the spikes on his head. "What would we do without you?"
"Well, with that finally sorted out, can we go now?!" Rainbow Dash cut through. "Cause I want some freaking answers right about now."
"Hold yer horses, Dash. We're comin'," Applejack responded.
"She's got a point, though," said Danny. "Best not to keep them waiting," he added as he gestured to the door. "And don't worry. Sweetie Belle and I will both still be here when you return."
Nothing more was said, though the gleam in Rarity's eyes spoke volume as the mares and dragon left.
With a chime of the bell above the door, the door closed behind the group, and for a minute Danny stood in silence; watching, waiting, and giving a silent command to Eclipse to observe events; the shade pulling her fragmented self from all the duplicates, leaving all Dannys without a shadow, she left.
Once he was sure the group wouldn't return, he turned his attention to the stairs leading to the first floor.
"So, what's your take on all of this?"
Silence.
"I know you were listening. Hard not to notice. I know how you changelings think after my time in the Murgröna."
"I still have difficulties believing that," Devora replied as she, in the guise of Sweetie Belle, walked down the stairs. "But to answer your question, I'm not sure. I know of Discord. Most of everyone in this world does after he escaped not too long ago. But to say I know him… all I can say is that he's trouble. A lot of it."
"Guess Astina knew this was about to happen then. She did say I would find out eventually."
"Wait, what," Devora said, looking up at Danny.
"Haven't you spoken with Erlea?" He asked.
"No," she shook her head. "She has been unusually quiet. The rest of the Hive doesn't know much either."
"Hmm," Danny nodded. "A lot did happen while we were gone."
"But… how would you know that. And what is this about Astina?"
"I've got my own little hive mind," he tapped a finger against his temple. "Eclipse is keeping me informed about everything going on with my other-selves. As for Astina. She's real, and I, well, another me managed to contact her and got her to agree to confront Celestia when the time comes."
Devora stared at him dumbly, not even blinking.
"Erlea was there when this happened, and it turned out to be too much for her. She passed out shortly thereafter. There is some good news, too. Perhaps you have already picked up on it, but queen Chrysalis has broken through her fever. She still has a long road of recovery ahead of her, but she is not in any immediate danger of the sickness anymore."
"... What exactly are you?" Devora asked.
"Huh?"
"For centuries we struggled to survive, doing whatever was needed, losing much of what we were in doing so. Then those three ponies show up and everything we know gets flipped on its head. But then you come along, and in one night you manage to do what noling thought possible. A way to cure the sickness. A way to pull the frost from the air. Reawaken and connect with the Murgröna. And now you claim Astina; ASTINA, our collector of souls is real and has agreed to help you, us, against Celestia… What are you?"
"Just some guy who wants to do what is right," he said simply. "Besides, I didn't cure the sickness. Fenris did. And the only reason he was there is because Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom went into the Ghost Zone to find a cure. And if those fillies hadn't decided to help you, I wouldn't even have been there, to begin with. So when you have the chance, maybe thank them for all they have done. "
"... Nothing of this makes any sense."
"Sense is overrated anyhow. And in my experience, the less sense something makes, the more likely it is the actual truth."
"Ah, a human after my own heart."
"WHAT!?" Danny whirled around, and came face to face with a most perplexing creature whose body was a mix of mismatched body parts; standing on two legs, one a dragon's, the other a goat's, leading to a serpentine body, with a dragon's tail ending with a white tuft.
A mismatched pair of wings, one a bat, the other not unlike a pegasus wing sprouting out of the back. While higher up, Danny noticed the creature had both a lion and eagle leg making up his arms.
Topping it all off, a vague pony like head with yellow and red eyes. A single fang sticking out past the upper lip, while a deer's antler and a bent and twisted horn grew out the top of his head.
"Boo," the creature said, and snapped his talon. Both he and Danny disappeared.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a crash, Rainbow Dash slammed into the door of Twilight's library; almost knocking the door of its hinges, had it not been for the spell put in place by Twilight to prevent this from happening after the third time Rainbow Dash had used her front door to cushion her 'landing', and the brazen pegasus came to a screeching stop in front of the two alicorns waiting inside.
"Are you INSANE!?" She shouted before any of the others even had a chance to enter.
"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight shouted as she entered next; ignoring the two guards standing on both sides of the door, one of which peeking inside after Rainbow Dash's meteoric entrance. "How many times do I need to tell you not to fly into my door like that!?" She exhaled an angry huff, then remembered why they rushed back here in the first place. "Princess Celestia. Princess Luna," she said, looking at the two alicorns who had remained silent during this short, but heated turn of events.
"While Ah don't agree with how she asked it," Applejack spoke up as she, and the others entered next, "Ah do agree with tha reason behind it," she gave the princesses a hard, level glare. "Tha letter ya jus' send said ya wanted ta explain why ya think it's a good idea ta release Discord. Especially durin' a crisis like we're goin' through right now. Well, we're here," her eyes locked with both Celestia and Luna. "Explain."
"Of course," Celestia dipped her head. "And I must start by apologising for the tone of the first letter I send. It was only after I did so, I realized how lacking in detail it is as it was written in haste."
"Time is of the essence, as you may understand. We are currently under attack by an enemy whose motives are unknown to us, and who we have no way of predicting where and when they may strike again," Luna explained. "As such, drastic measures are required. And it is our… hope releasing Discord may prove to be the drastic measure required to face this threat."
"By having him turn the world upside down again?" Spike asked, more to himself, but loud enough for all to hear.
"Nay," Luna countered quickly. "We would not have him run rampant besides the ghosts."
"It is our hope that, with the appropriate…" Celestia paused for a bit, "guidance, Discord can be made to see reason; perhaps even more. But at the very least, I believe that it is possible to steer his more destructive habits towards the ghosts, if for no other reason than to slow them down while our ghost hunters capture these spectral fiends."
"And this guidance you speak of, would I be correct in the assumption you referred to us, and the Elements?" Rarity interjected.
"You are correct in your assumption, miss Rarity," Luna nodded. "Discord, while dangerous, is someone who has been bested before. Both by my sister and I, as well as thee and thy friends."
"We understand this may seem like a plan born out of desperation," Celestia allowed a sigh to escape her. "Which, in all fairness, is exactly that."
"But princess," Twilight began, then bit her lip as she doubted her next words. "Do you… don't you think... " A weary sigh escaped her. "Can't you see bringing Discord to Ponyville is a terrible idea?!" she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Discord gains strength from chaos. It is what allowed him to break free last time, after absorbing small instances of chaos over the centuries. But right now, with what is going on here, the fear that has swept through this town; the chaos it has caused. Don't you think bringing him into such an environment truly is the smartest thing to do?"
For an instance, the otherwise collected mask Celestia showed the ponies around her cracked at Twilight's words, and a tired sigh came from her as she closed her eyes.
"You are correct, of course. Bringing Discord into a chaotic environment will only aid in his escape. Unfortunately, for this same reason, we can't keep him in Canterlot any longer." She slowly opened her eyes again, looking imploringly at all the mares. "During your time at the Crystal Empire there was a ghost attack over at Canterlot," everypony gasped in shock. "For a while now, we have been working together with the humans to put together a method to, hopefully, allow us to bring this ghostly threat to a stop before things become worse. Unfortunately, despite our efforts to keep this undertaking hidden, the ghosts seem to have found out what we are doing. The city itself was spared, with none of the citizens aware of what exactly transpired, but the damage they did cause is significant."
"A significant number of both humans and ponies were wounded in the chaos." Luna informed them. "Thankfully nothing too serious, except for one critically wounded human. But to make matters worse, the night after your return from the Empire, another attack was conducted on the castle itself. A number of guards were found unconscious, but fortunately not wounded. Adding to this catastrophe, the changelings we held prisoner after their attack were no longer present. We can only assume what hath transpired exactly, but for now, it looks like they were freed by these ghosts. This, as you all would understand, makes our situation even worse."
"You mean the changelings and ghosts are working together!?" Twilight gasped, horrified, while Fluttershy shrieked in fear over this revelation, diving for cover under one of the seating cushions found in the library's reading room.
"We can only assume," Celestia replied, "but the changelings would not have been able to escape themselves. But all assumptions aside, the chaos that was created during all of this no doubt would have an effect on Discord. Knowing this, we must act before it is too late and Discord manages to escape."
"By setting him free ourselves?!" Rainbow Dash asked, aghast.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Celestia confirmed. "In doing so we can also act immediately should Discord try anything."
"An' with we, ya mean us," Applejack said, clearly not impressed.
"Y- yes," Celestia had to admit. "I know this is asking a lot, especially considering all that has already happened the last few days, but I do believe that, through your combined effort, Discord can be reformed and even help against the ghosts."
"So we have to do this, whether we want to or not," Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Because if we don't, Discord will escape on his own, thanks to all the chaos these stinking ghosts have caused."
"But does he have to be brought here?" asked Rarity. "Surely there are better places where you can take his statue? Someplace less chaotic, and not here. I shudder to think about how this would affect everypony else in town, not to mention Sweetie Belle and her friends. And Danny, too. After what they went through, should Discord go rampant again, who knows how they will react?"
"It's too late for that," a small voice rose up, and all turned to look at a very hesitant Sweetie Belle standing in the open doorway.
"Sweetie Belle!?" Rarity rushed to her little sister. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you back home with Danny."
Sweetie Belle looked up at 'her sister', obviously conflicted about something.
"It's Discord," she said after a moment of hesitation. "He was in our home. He took Danny,"
"WHAT?!" Nearly all shouted, while Fluttershy managed to hide even further underneath the seating cushion. Both princesses, while able to keep themselves from being as vocal as the others, were no less shocked by this worrying reveal.
"Sweetie Belle, what are you talking about?" Rarity asked, worried, afraid. "Discord is still locked up in his statue…" she looked back at the princesses. "Right?"
"There has been no sign he broke free," Celestia was quick to reply, a deep frown etching her features. "Tell me, my little pony are you sur-"
"I know what I saw," Sweetie Belle snapped harshly, glaring at Celestia.
"Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, scandalized.
"It was Discord," Sweetie Belle continued, ignoring her 'sister'. "He's free again."
<<>><<>><<>>
"What the-" Danny faltered as he found himself someplace bizarre, and yet eerily familiar as he watched the numerous chunks of land lazily drift in the air around him.
While at first glance it looked like the Ghost Zone, as he took his surroundings in more detail the vast differences became impossible to ignore.
Back in the Ghost Zone, the only place he knew with any kind of plant life was Skulker's hunting ground. Yet here, nearly all chunks of land showed signs of life… or something else entirely, and he struggled to wrap his mind around the absurdity he was seeing.
One chunk of land had a tree growing in its center, surrounded by orange-red dirt which, somehow, flowed down one side; now clearly a liquid as it cascaded onto a lower mass of land, turning green as it hit the pool of liquid eroded into the ground. The ground that, somehow, was made up of smooth tiles of ceramic from which a pair of trees grew. The foliage of which could best be described as chocolate chip cookies.
A rope bridge connected this chunk of land with another, except that the rope bridge was missing the rope part, and only a collection of planks hung suspended between the two bodies of land… or should that be ice cream? It was the only fitting description for the other mass the bridge led to. A pink mass of ice cream with numerous star prints decorating it, and a squirt of chocolate sauce on top. A blue trunked, red leaves tree growing out of it.
Another not rope, rope bridge connected this odd thing with land covered in lush green grass; a paved path leading to a quaint-looking house surrounded by a white picket fence, a tall, normal-looking tree growing beside it.
"What is this place?" Danny asked aloud, confused as he looked around. "... Are those train tracks?" he added as he noticed a bright red track just floating around, leading to nowhere in the dark swirls of purple shades that dominated this alien place.
"Why, it is home, of course."
Quickly spinning around, right hand raised and aglow, Danny faced who had spoken.
"Oh, don't be like that," and with a snap of his talon and a flash of light, an oversized oven mitt covered Danny's hand.
Jumping back in reflex, Danny quickly pulled the oven mitt off; only to discover that he couldn't. And to his horror, as he took a second to see why, he discovered the oven mitt wasn't covering his hand. It was his hand.
Pushing his panic down, he glared at the creature smiling innocently at him.
"Discord, I presume," he growled.
"Correct on the first guess," Discord clapped his mismatched hands together. "Bravo. And you are Daniel Fenton. Or is it Manson? Or do you prefer Danny Phantom? Terror of Amity Park? Great One? Halfa? Ghost Brat? Oh, so many names. So many identities. Why it is almost as if you've got something to hide."
Shocked, Danny stumbled back, only to bump into Discord who stood behind him.
"Yes, quite something indeed," Discord continued without interruption, laying an arm over Danny's shoulder as if they were long time friends.
Forcing himself to remain still, Danny glared at Discord.
"Why do I feel like this is as much a threat as it is a warning?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Discord asked, seemingly genuine as he held his lion's paw against his chest.
Danny pushed away from him, "You know who I am, and what obviously. You pull me away from Rarity's house, after waiting for all the others to leave so there wouldn't be anyone to see, except Sweetie Belle-"
"Ah, your shapeshifting cohort," Discord interrupted.
"Who will most likely inform the others, despite her personal feelings against them," Danny continued forcefully. "Meaning you want them to know you escaped. So just cut the crap and tell me what you want from me."
"Well, you're no fun," Discord pouted. "But if you want to know," he suddenly grinned deviously, "I just had to meet the wonderfully chaotic human who set me free."
"WHAT?!"
Discord chuckled as he sat down on a floating throne that hadn't been there a second before, sucking on a swirly straw in an empty glass that slowly filled with chocolate milk as he drank.
"What do you mean? I never freed you!" Danny shouted, glaring at the chaotic being.
"Haven't you?" Discord threw the now full glass over his shoulder, which burst apart in a cloud of confetti on impact with the ground, after which each piece blew up with grenade-like force.
Crossing his legs and steepling his finger together, he simply stared at the angry human with a knowing smirk.
"So you aren't the half-mortal, half-ghost who managed to tear a hole through reality itself, bridging your world with mine, and allowing a whole chaotic slew of ghosts to pass through as more and more of these tears popped open?" He said, sounding far too cheerful about it.
"That was years ago," Danny growled.
"Oh, my dear half dead friend. Chaos can last for ages. Spreading out, disrupting lives, changing personalities. Why the potential is practically limitless."
Danny was silent as he thought back to all the reports he heard about, eyes slowly widening.
"Do you see? A little ghost attack here, a few broken minds there, some deaths over yonder, and a ripple of chaotic brilliance sweeping across the world. And the best thing is, you weren't even trying. Oh goodness me."
"... And this ripple of chaos eventually reached you," Danny deduced.
Discord leaned forwards to Danny, stretching far farther than should be possible, partially hiding his mouth with his lion's paw for the unseen audience on the other side of the screen. "Just between you and me, those delightful chaotic fillies didn't really free me. Their little spat was but a drop of chaos compared to the flood you have unleashed. And while entertaining, it really didn't matter."
"You had already managed to escape before that and used it as an excuse to keep them from looking into it more than you wanted them to," Danny surmised, disgusted.
"Exactly!" Discord exclaimed. "I knew I would like you. You understand how things work. Not like those boring ponies and their magic of friendship," he shuddered. "They think they have it aaall figured out, but you and I both know there is so much more, just hidden in plain sight."
"And why are you telling me all this?" Danny demanded to know. "And for that matter, why bring me here? And why does this place look like the Ghost Zone?"
"Oh, questions, questions," Discord sat back in his throne, "but so little answers," Danny glared at him with green glowing eyes. "Oh, I suppose I can answer one of them. Just because I'm such a nice guy," he proceeded to clear his throat. Then a flash of light blinded Danny.
With a cry, Danny raised an arm to shield his eyes.
When nothing happened, he slowly lowered his arm, carefully opening his eyes to see what Discord had done.
"What the…" he trailed off as he saw the strange suit Discord now wore.
It looked somewhat like a loose-fitting robe with wide sleeves, covering Discord's entire body. Red was the dominant color, with a wide, black line splitting the robe vertically down the middle. The ends of the sleeves also were black, while a very intricate, large, gold necklace with numerous red gems across its band rested around his neck.
He also wore a hood of sorts, stretching out high above his head, covering his antler and horn and giving his head an angular, somewhat triangle form, leaving only his face exposed.
"You, Daniel Fenton of Manson of Phantom, are brought here today to stand trial and to be judged for your crimes."
"What!" Danny shouted. "What crimes?"
"Why, those you have yet to commit of course."
"Whu…?"
"Oh, mon Capitaine. If you would," Discord looked at someone behind Danny.
"Why of course, your honor," another Discord stepped forwards, this one also dressed in a red and black suit, though certainly more form-fitting than the other. With the shirt being mostly red, but the shoulders and sides were black and the pants being fully black.
At first glance, it appeared to be made of some kind of spandex, much like the protective suits Danny's parents prefered to wear. A better look revealed it was something else, but he wasn't sure what kind of material it was. He did notice a strange emblem attached on the left side of the chest and four metal buttons on the right side of the neck.
Pulling a tablet out of thin air, Discord tapped the screen a few times.
"The accused stands before you today for the future crime of planning a coup de grace against royal highness, princess Celestia of sunbutt. Reason for which being: lies en mass, ongoing genocide against the changeling species, and numerous grievances against cakes and pastries alike," he paused as he scrolled down. "Additionally, the accused has inflicted numerous scares on the populace in the past and has a high probability of doing so again. The same goes for the possession of individuals, with a manticore already being overshadowed before."
Again he scrolled down.
"Furthermore, the accused is currently busy with the training of one Sweetie Belle, who has become a half-mortal through means as of yet unknown, with the possibility of miss Sweetie Belle engaging in vigilante activities both illegal and unwarranted of one her age as a result of this training."
He flipped the tablet over to the next page.
"Additionally, the accused his clone is present in, and has already caused significant damage to the area of Canterlot, as well as herself. It is up to your Grace to determine if the actions of this clone, on a genetic level the accused himself, could be attributed to the defendant. If so, the ongoing sabotage of construction work in progress should also be included."
"My my, quite a list of delightfully chaotic transgressions you've managed to accomplish in such a short time here," the other Discord said.
"What?!" Danny balked in disbelief. "You can't be serious?"
"Oh, but I am," Discord said, leering down at Danny. The other Discord having departed and could be seen sailing away on a mighty sail ship named Enterprise. "And don't tell me any of what was said is a lie."
"But you… you can't… What!?"
"Oh, Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Such potential, yet blind to the truth you live in," Discord said condescendingly, shaking his head as he leaned back into his throne. "You act without thought, without a plan other than what you make up on the spot, and expect everything to work out in the end. I must say, I'm impressed you made it this far," he rested an arm on the throne's armrest, leaning forwards. "Action, reaction, consequences. That is an unbreakable rule to all, even me. And I do so love breaking rules. But you, you are all about action and reaction, but you never really stopped to think about the consequences. What do you think would happen if you expose Celestia; reveal everything to all? That she would get a slap on the wrist? Disapproving frowns? Maybe some community service? Or would it be more reasonable--" he said the word with obvious disgust, "--to assume her rule would be over?" he asked. Danny stood silent.
"The death of tens of thousands. Genocide. Pushing an entire species to the brink where they were forced to become the monsters she made them out to be, making her ultimately responsible for any and all hostility the changelings have inflicted upon the world's population. How would her precious little ponies react to such news? The griffons? Minotaurs? All of them? No no no, her time on that well worn in throne would be quite over with. But you never considered this, did you?" Danny remained silent, though his eyes were wide in dawning realization.
"And what about our delightfully chaotic spirit filly? What do you think might happen after she masters her abilities? She can't just go out into the world and pretend to be a hero. Oh~ho~ho, no, no, no. The mere sight of her would cause mass panic. Which, admittedly, would still be the case even without control over herself," Discord said, stroking his beard. "Still, even without all of that, everything else you've done, whether it is possessing someone, or just being there, you managed to elicit quite the response. I could hear dear old Luna all the way over here when she was off hunting you," he clapped slowly. "Very impressive, I will add."
"And you are here to stop me?" Danny finally said, releasing a deep breath.
"Stop you?" Discord said, surprised, then grinned. "Why would I do such a thing? To prevent you from causing such a delightful amount of chaos, well, that simply won't do."
"Then why am I here? Why did you tell me all of this?"
"Action, reaction, consequences," Discord repeated. "You planned on doing all these things, thinking that, in the end, you would be the hero even if the rest didn't see it like this. And that in the end, everything would be all perfect, with everyone smiling, living happily ever after. I'm merely shattering this illusion, showing you that, no matter what, there will be no winners at the end of all of this. You keep true to your promise, expose Celestia, end her rule and plunge a world dependent on her abilities to keep the sun going in uncertainty and chaos. Or, now knowing what will happen, you break your promise, keep things going as they are and live with the crushing guilt of all the deaths you will become an accomplice to. And that is not even considering the response of the changelings should you do this, and how this might affect these delightful fillies who went out of their way to help them," he now smiled evilly at Danny, who felt his legs go weak as the full weight of his actions pressed down on him. "As I said, a ripple of chaotic brilliance, and you weren't even trying."
Discord sat straighter on his throne, clearing his throat.
"So, does the accused have any words in defense?"
For a moment, Danny just looked out into the void around them, lost for words. Then his eyes sharpened, and he gave a glare at Discord.
"You are really, truly full of it," he said through teeth. "I've dealt with phoney authorities before, making rules as they saw fit; believing themselves better than anyone else. And I've dealt with reality benders too. Been one myself for a little while, before I destroyed the Reality Gauntlet-"
"You what?" Discord cut through, surprised.
"-but ignoring all that," he took a deep breath, held it for a while, then slowly let the air escape. "I can't deny the truth… twisted as it may be. No," his green glowing eyes bore into Discord's. "I did not consider what my actions could cause in the long run. And knowing what might happen if I continue… I made a promise, and I will keep it. And even if what you said is true, and Celestia will lose her throne, someone with that much blood on her hands… hooves shouldn't be in power, to begin with. She must be brought to justice, and I will be the one who will do this. But what will happen to her when the truth is revealed is not for me to decide, but those who were wronged by her. But I shall not," he took a step towards Discord, "allow anyone else to be hurt like that again. Even if it means I must reveal myself, and be shunned and hunted by society, I will. Even if it means I must go back in time and undo centuries worth of history, I will. Even if it kills me, I will."
By now he levitated at eye level with Discord; glaring at the draconequus with an intensity which caused Discord to lean away from him.
"But I will never," his voice was low, filled with barely restrained rage, "never abandon those who need my help. So if you want to pass judgment on me, go right ahead," he grabbed Discord by the collar, pulling him closer. "But I want you to understand one thing clearly. If you do anything to bring me down, I will make sure you go down with me. And no amount of reality-bending power can prevent me from keeping true to my word."
He let go of Discord, shoving him back into his throne.
"Now give me back my hand!"
Discord straightened himself, then smirked.
"I find the accused guilty--" he snapped his talons, and with a flash, Danny's hand reverted back to normal. "--for being exactly what this world needs," and with another snap, both he and Danny vanished.
<<>><<>><<>>
Despite the fear of ghosts still weighing heavily over Ponyville, several of the more daring ponies risked opening their windows or doors to look outside.
The reason for which was the sudden increase of activity in and around Carousel Boutique by the Element bearers wearing their Elements, as well as both princesses.
"There is an obvious trace of chaos magic present," Princess Luna stated, horn aglow as she methodically swept the area. "He is not even trying to hide it."
"Indeed," Princess Celestia, her horn also glowing, agreed, stepping outside the Boutique. "It is strongest inside, agreeing with Sweetie Belle's story."
"But why would Discord take Danny?" asked a frantic Twilight.
"Why does he do what he does?" Luna asked in turn. "Deliberate thought or plan is not how Discord works, so his reason for taking mister Manson is unknown to any, perhaps even himself."
"Not knowing what I do myself?" A joyful voice drew their attention skywards, and all tensed up, ready to attack. "Why princess, you make it sound like you hardly know me at all," Discord said, mock hurt as he lounged on a recliner, staring down at them over a pair of glasses; fake eyes attached to springs bouncing around with his movement. "And we have so much history together."
"Discord," Celestia said, resentful, "What did you do to Danny Manson?"
"Manson, Manson. Danny Manson," Discord tapped his chin, looking as if deep in thought. "You mean a mostly bald primate, about yay high," he held his hands apart farther than his arms were long, "Black, spiky hair. Wears clothes a lot, and keeps quiet about his personal life?" he asked. "Hmm, no. Can't say it rings a bell."
"DISCORD," Twilight seethed, horn sparking as she glared daggers at him. "What did you do to Danny?!"
"Oh ho ho, my dearest Twilight," he lay an arm over her withers, pulling her to his side as he was now suddenly beside her. "What makes you think I have done anything to your purely platonic friend?" With a flash, Twilight teleported away from him. "And speaking of not doing something," Discord continued, arm still draped around her. "I can't help but notice you and your lovely friends have yet to fire your delightful friendship canon at me. I wonder why?"
"You think we need the Elements to beat your sorry flank?!" Rainbow Dash shouted aggressively, flying at Discord with blurring speed, and slammed headfirst into a solid oak door.
"Ah, I thought I heard somepony knock," Discord said casually as he opened the door, seeing a dazed, but no less angry pegasus lying on the ground.
Stepping through the door and over Rainbow Dash, Discord closed the door, folded it up into an increasingly smaller package, then threw it up and swallowed it in a single gulp.
"DISCORD!" Celestia flared her wings, eyes ablaze. "Where is Danny Manson?!"
"Where indeed?" He replied, leaning nonchalantly on Celestia, picking his teeth with a talon. "You know, it's almost as if you refuse to use your precious Elements against me because you don't know where he is. Why, you could almost say I have something you need. Something you don't want to risk losing," he remarked, then pulled a long, tangled wad of purple hair out from between his teeth.
Rarity screamed at her now bald tail.
Throwing the former stylish tail away with a flick of his wrist, he grinned down at the ponies.
"But that couldn't be it, right?" He asked, back in his recliner. "After all, you need something from me; a tiny little bit of help with a certain undead problem. Naturally, such a thing would mean you have something for me. A fair compensation for services rendered. Because, why, wouldn't that be the sensible thing to do? So, my little ponies," he looked at Celestia and Luna, "and littler ponies," he looked at the rest, "what is it you have that I need? Riches?" One of the mountains in the background turned into a pile of gold. "Unlimited power?" Everypony looked around in worry, only for nothing to happen, "or perhaps my guaranteed freedom?" a pair of shackles around his wrists unlocked, falling to the ground; bursting into the fire as it hit, leaving a spot of ice as it burned up.
"Tell me, what is your dear old human friend worth to you?"
Stepping forwards with forced calm, Celestia glared at Discord. "And what is it you want?"
"Why, isn't that an interesting question," Discord mused, leaning back in his recliner, playing with his beard. "What do I want, hmmm?"
"What about my Element?" Twilight stepped forwards, glaring at Discord. "My…. My Element for Danny."
A collective gasp came from around her, her friends looking at her in stunned silence, except for Rarity who could still be heard weeping over her tragic loss, while both princesses were only barely able to hide their shock.
Twilight didn't acknowledge any of them as she kept her eyes locked on Discord; the draconequus also unmoving as he regarded the purple mare below him, a grin slowly creeping on his face.
"My my, what an interesting offer," he said, snaking down to ground level, standing before Twilight. "Giving up your precious Element. Are you sure you want to make such a sacrifice for him?"
Never breaking eye contact, Twilight grabbed her Element in her magic, lifting it off her head.
"Yes, under two conditions. One, return Danny. And two, you will help us fight the ghosts!"
"Hmmm," Discord placed a hand on his chin, thinking as he slowly walked a circle around Twilight. "And what if I won't? After all, you would give up the only means you have to stop me. So why would I play by your rules when I can make my own?"
Twilight's glare hardened, and she grabbed Discord by his beard with her magic, pulling him down to eye level.
"Element or no Element, my friends and I will fight you no matter what," she spoke in a low, threatening voice. "So do we have a deal?"
Shock only showed for a second, before a self-satisfied smirk took its place and Discord stood up straight.
"My my, somepony grew a backbone," he said. "Very well, we have a deal," and he grabbed Twilight's Element out of her aura, then snapped his fingers.
When nothing happened, Twilight took a step closer to Discord. "You said you'd return Danny!" She all but growled.
"I did," he grinned. "But you never specified where I needed to return him to."
"WHERE IS HE?!" Twilight shouted.
"Oh, I'm sure you will find out soon enough. I even left him gift wrapped just for you. Now if you excuse me, I have some chaotic intervention to do," and before any protest could be voiced he vanished.
"DISCORD!" Twilight yelled in anger.
"Eh, Twi," Applejack cautiously stepped closer. "Ya sure, ya did tha right thing there?"
"What else could we have done?" Twilight returned, scraping a hoof on the ground. In the silence that followed, Rarity could be heard wailing: "My ta-a-ailll," as she cradled the vandalized limb in her hooves.
"Had we used the Elements on him," Twilight continued, "we might not have been able to find Danny ever again."
"But we don't even know where he is right now," Rainbow Dash pointed out, while Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie did their best to comfort their distraught friend. "Or if Discord even did bring him back in the first place."
"She's right," Applejack agreed. "And we now lost our only way ta stop him."
"Then what else should I have done?" Twilight asked, head slowly lowering down as she sighed.
"Sometimes there are no good choices," Celestia spoke up, "and you must decide between bad or worse."
"Like deciding to release Discord or not, without checking to make sure he hadn't already escaped?" Twilight shot back bitterly, turning to her mentor.
Celestia jerked back as if physically struck, at a loss for words.
"Your anger is justified, Twilight, " Luna said. "The fault for not realizing Discord's hath escaped is for my sister and I. And the one to suffer the most for it is your friend, who already went through a terrible ordeal prior."
"Yeah, but how didn't you know he escaped?" Rainbow Dash interjected brazenly, "Don't you keep watch over him, or something, since his last escape?"
"Of course we took the required precautions to ensure Discord would remain petrified," Luna reassured them. "And no sign was found that the spell put on him by the Elements was weakening as of yet. Which is why we ultimately decided to move him before the recent chaos could undo the petrification."
"Yet he still escaped," Applejack said plainly, obviously not satisfied with this answer. "Mind explainin' that ta us?"
Neither Luna nor Celestia was able to. But before their silence could lapse into anything more but shameful admission of failure, one of the two guards who had accompanied them, and subsequently remained at the library to watch over Spike and Sweetie Belle, rushed over to them.
"Your highnesses," he said with urgency. "The human, Danny Manson, has unexpectedly appeared within Miss Twilight's home. He is-"
"WHAT!" Twilight shouted, then, with a burst of her horn, she vanished.
"So, Discord did return him," Luna remarked.
"Has he been injured in any way?" Celestia asked, while both Rainbow Dash and Applejack already hurried back to the library.
"Not that I can tell," the guard answered. "But…"
"Yes?"
"We found mister Manson in a… difficult position."
"Difficult, how?"
"Well…"
<<>><<>><<>>
With a burst of light, Twilight appeared in her library, frantically looking around for any sign of Danny the second she materialized.
"DANNY!?" She called, hoping he would answer.
"Up here," Spike called back from upstairs.
Wasting no time, Twilight all but flew up the stairs and towards her bedroom from which she heard Spike call her. When she arrived, though, she came to a screeching stop, stumped, eyes wide, her face rapidly turning several shades redder.
"So," Danny began, voice flat but with a mountain of irritation laced in. "As far as that nice and boring day is concerned, can't say we're off to a good start."
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash rushed in at this point, both also coming to a stop at what they saw; Applejack's eyes wide, a blush also forming while Rainbow Dash, despite the situation, clearly fought a losing battle to keep in her laughter.
"And now we wait for the rest to show up," Danny groaned in defeat.
True to his expectations, only a short minute later Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy arrived, joined by a reluctant Rarity in the middle to keep her tail hidden as much as possible. And behind them, the princesses and the guard who left to inform them. All of them showed various levels of embarrassment at what they saw.
"Getting a bit crowded in here, wouldn't you say?" Danny remarked as he saw the rest arrive.
"Danny, what happened?" Asked Twilight.
"... What does it look like?" He asked with only a hint of sarcasm.
Twilight faltered for words as she looked at him, lying on her bed, which had become much larger to support his full length, with both his arms cuffed to the bedposts. Same with his legs. The cuffs, at closer inspection, looked unusual, with a recognizable Fenton logo printed on them.
As for Danny, most of his clothes were gone, save his boxers, while a red ribbon was placed in his hair and a small card attached to it.
On his left side, the other guard was trying to unlock one of the cuffs with little success, while near the wall on his other side, Spike and Sweetie Belle looked at him with large eyes, confused.
"I don't suppose any of you happen to have a key?" He asked when no answer came.
"I'm afraid not," Princess Celestia said as she stepped closer. "But perhaps we won't need to," her horn lit up.
There was a flash of golden light, and all four cuffs lit up green, but nothing else happened.
"What?" Celestia said, surprised as her teleportation spell failed, then frowned. "Discord."
"He left a note," Danny said simply, holding a hand in a slightly awkward angle to point at the card attached to the ribbon.
A midnight blue aura encompassed the card, and Luna pulled the item towards herself, casting a dome field around it before opening the potential trap.
"Well, what does it say?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering next to Luna as she tried to see what was written.
"It says I am not the intended recipient," she answered after a moment, then slowly, carefully, levitated the card to Twilight. "It is for you."
Just as reluctant as Luna was to give her the card, Twilight accepted it with the same hesitation; casting a similar protective field around it as she brought it closer.
The card looked simple enough, made from cardboard with a colorful image on the front.
Of course, it being from Discord meant it was anything but normal.
The image depicted was of, of course, Discord, sailing a ship named Enterprise while wearing a strange red and black suit.
Opening the card, only three words were written in cursive: Action. Reaction. Consequences.
After reading the message out loud, a key fell out of the card, which hadn't been there a second before, and all present watched as it clattered on the floor.
"What…?" Twilight struggled for words as she took a step away from the key. "What does this even mean?"
"I think Discord wants you to make a decision," said Luna, "to either set mister Manson free or not."
"But why, and why?"
"Screw the why," Rainbow Dash cut in, agitated. "It's just Discord being a jerk. Let's just free Danny already!"
"Right… right," Twilight agreed, taking a few deep breaths to help her calm down.
Reaching out with her magic, she carefully picked up the key. When nothing happened, she brought the key to the cuff closest to her and released Danny's left leg.
The moment it released, a cannon shot made everyone jump, and all attention was brought back to the card now lying on the floor. A small plume of smoke rising from the image as Discord could now be seen standing behind a cannon, ready to lit a fuse of a second canon already primed for firing; grinning expectantly at them.
"I really hate that guy," Danny said, breaking the tense silence.
"Join the club," Rainbow Dash groaned.
With a sigh, a shake of her head and more magic, Twilight proceeded to unlock the remaining cuffs. All accompanied by a cannon shots as she did.
"Thanks," Danny said as he sat up, massaging his left wrist while glaring at the ghost hunting cuffs. 'No way that was just a joke on his part.'
"Are you alright?" Asked Twilight.
"Better than I was a minute ago," he replied readily. "Better still when I get some clothes back on me," he shook his head, looking at everyone in the room. "So… Discord, huh?"
"I'm afraid so," Luna dipped her head. "He managed to escape without us noticing."
"And let me guess, he took me as leverage against you," he said simply, not even asking.
"Indeed," Luna said, surprised. "You seem to understand the situation surprisingly well."
"Not that hard to," Danny shrugged.
"And you are not angered by this?"
"Oh, I'm plenty angry. Believe me. But it would do nothing to help us," he said, standing up with a groan, working the stiffness out of his muscles. "So if you excuse me, I'm going to get dressed before I end up someplace even more crowded in just my boxers," and he strode back to the guest room before they could reply.
"He takes this surprisingly well," Celestia said after he left.
"Well, he was jus' abducted, an' managed ta escape from ghosts all in one day," Applejack supplied. "An' he has lived on a world filled with ghosts all his life. Tha has to harden ya, Ah guess."
"Hmmm, perhaps," Celestia mused, then shook her head. "But the important thing is that Danny is safe again."
"Yeah, again," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"He does seem to have a lot of bad luck lately," Rarity agreed, not yet over the desecration of her tail, but able to push on in the face of greater woes than her tragic loss.
"An' now Discord is free ta do as he pleases," Applejack added, frowning.
"But isn't it strange nothing absurdly chaotic has happened yet?" asked Twilight. "Last time the entire world turned upside-down and inside-out. Why not this time?"
"Well, duhuu," Pinkie Pie giggle snorted. "That would be predictable."
Twilight raised a hoof in protest, failed to find any flaw in her friend's reasoning, then slowly lowered her hoof to the floor.
"That makes just too much sense," said Rainbow Dash. "And it was Pinkie who said it."
"There are dark days ahead of us," Applejack said fearfully. "Dark days indeed."
<<>><<>><<>>
'That was too close,' thought Danny as he grabbed a new set of clothes.
'Far too close,' Eclipse agreed. 'What happened? You just vanished, and I couldn't find you. It was mere luck I was able to get to you before the others when you returned. But those cuffs blocked me from returning to you as much as they blocked your powers. And it is much harder pretending to be your shadow than actually being your shadow.'
'The short version, Discord is a reality bender on the level of Freakshow with the Reality Gauntlet, except worse because his power does not seem to come from an item like the gauntlet, but more in line of Desiree. Though he does not seem to be limited by the desires and wishes of others,' he informed her, describing in short what happened to him when Discord took him.
'Any thoughts on this, Fenris?' He asked after putting on his pants.
'I do not know this Freakshow you speak of, nor was I with you when Discord took you, so I cannot make comparisons. But the fact I wasn't with you is telling in its own way. Meaning he knew about me, as much as he knew of your shade. Taking you when she was separated from you while blocking me somehow. This demonstrates Discord is an adversary not to be taken lightly and is far more cunning than one who acts merely through means of chaos as the ponies imply.'
'The chaos he creates is as much a signature of him as it is a smokescreen,' Danny agreed with Fenris' assessment. 'Create chaos in one place, watch as everyone converges to fix it, blinded to the ripple it caused, it spreads out as they do so while he watches the world change in response. And while they think they can undo what was done, small changes remain, festering, growing. Action, reaction, consequences,' he pulled his shirt over his head. 'Damn… he has a better idea of what he's doing than he lets on. Though he does not know everything if what he said about Sweetie Belle is anything to go by. Still, it's about the only thing I can think of that may work in our advantage against him, though.'
'So what should we do now?'
'For now, nothing. Nothing directly, at least,' Danny paused for a second, thinking. 'But inform the others. They need to know about what happened and, more importantly, Discord most likely knows about all of my duplicates. But if we want to actually be able to oppose him, should this become necessary, we first need to understand who and what we're dealing with. Meaning another visit to the ghost library may be in order,' he smoothed some wrinkles out of his shirt, hearing the mares outside quietly talking, obviously waiting on him.
'But for now, better to keep on Discord's good side… lest he gets creative.'
<<>><<>><<>>
Jumping down the stairs while taking the third left turn on his right, Discord hummed a mismatched tune in clear satisfaction. Carrying with him, Twilight's Element. Twirling it around a finger as he pulled a ladder down out of his bathroom sink, he descended up into the basement of his lovely home located deep in the Dark Zone.
"Well, I must say today progressed far better than expected," he said, pleased with himself.
"I made myself known to the wonderfully chaotic Daniel, putting him in his place while simultaneously using him to make dear old Twilight give up her Element. And all I needed to do was giving them back the very thing they also want me to stop. Oh, Danny. If only you could understand the absolute brilliance your dual nature means to the chaotic imbalance. You can't help it. Wherever you go, chaos follows," he laughed, twirling the Element around his finger as he walked.
"Though," he slowed down a bit, "there is the matter of you saying you destroyed my Reality Gauntlet. Hmmm," he stopped, thought, then turned around and entered his kitchen.
"But that can't be right. No no no, not at all."
He pulled open his fridge and froze.
"Oh," he said after thawing.
Slowly pulling out a tray, a pile of destroyed gold and several gems glistened in the light of the sun providing illumination in the refrigerator.
"Oh my. That… that should not be possible," he placed the tray on a one-legged table, hopping in place. None of the pieces moved or shifted from the bouncing. "You should not have been able to do this. So how did you?"
"Action. Reaction. Consequences," a painfully familiar voice replied, and Discord slowly turned around with a scowl showing.
"Necronomicon," he glowered, glaring at the being whose body existed in various stages of decay. "I should have known."
"It's good seeing you again, brother," Necronomicon said in turn.
"Funny," Discord said, sounding anything but amused. "Can't say the feeling is mutual," he snorted in disgust. "Should have known, though. The filly reeks of your stink. Same with Sunbutt and little miss tantrum. And, what's his name? Sorbet...? But whatever you're planning, it won't work."
"Who says I am planning anything."
"Oh, don't even start. I make my destiny. Destiny does not make me."
"So you say; have said," Necky sighed, shaking his skeletal head, "and have paid the price. I had hoped time would have you see reason," Discord snorted at the mere notion, "but obviously it was a false hope," he sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Then, what is it you hope to accomplish by taking the Element of Magic?"
"Don't play dumb with me," Discord sneered. "You know just as well as I what this really is," he shifted the crown around in his hand. "And I begin to suspect you have something to do with the sudden appearance of this set of Embodied Artifacts all those years ago."
"Not as much as our sister has," Necronomicon told him.
"What," Discord took a step back, shocked. "She would never interfere in the lives of mortals as such."
"Not unless she was given a very good reason to, no."
For a while, nothing was said, tension building in the silence between the two brothers while Discord's grip on the Element tightened in anger.
"Why are you really here?" Discord finally asked, spitting the words out.
"The same reason why we have always met."
"Still trying to put me on the same leash that is choking you? Of course, you are."
"What you fail to realize is that all of reality does not revolve around only you."
"Of course it does, if I so wish," Discord snapped back.
"No, you influence it. You do not control it, no one does."
"Watch me!"
"Yet your gauntlet lays destroyed," Necky gave a single nod at the shattered pieces on the hoping table. "You yourself said that should not have happened, yet it did. Why is that you think?"
"That old thing? Bah, it must have decayed on its own over the millennia, after I got over that phase. That human just broke something already broken."
"Yet you were surprised to see it in such a state."
"And what of it?" Discord crossed his arms.
Despite the situation, Necky couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
"And what's so funny?"
"You try so hard to ignore the truth before you, but the truth does not ignore you. Daniel did destroy your gauntlet. I can confirm as much. But he did not break something already broken. In fact, your toy saw quite some use prior to its destruction. Go ahead, take a proper look. You'll see what I mean."
Still glowering at his brother, Discord glanced sideways at the pile of scrap.
A glance quickly became a look, then an intense stare as he carefully picked up the four gems used to power the gauntlet.
"That energy signature... " he murmured, then remembered who stood silently waiting behind him. "Bah, fine, maybe he got lucky."
"Oh no, luck most certainly has nothing to do with it. That would be someone else's Embodiment. But you know this, just as you know how Danny managed to destroy your gauntlet, even if you refuse to acknowledge it."
"No," Discord shook his head. "What you say is impossible. In all of time, there has never been anyone, dead or alive, capable of holding on to this Embodime-" Discord froze, realization kicking in.
"Not dead or alive, no. But never has there been someone who is both, until very recently. And now there are four."
"But it still wouldn't be enough. The strain would be destructive."
"Yes," Necky agreed, "quite so. It already caused significant damage to a shopping district when he tapped into this power as a child. Yet here he is, still alive, still dead, still in one piece, and slowly growing in the role he is Destined to fill."
Realization struck Discord as a punch in the gut.
"And I have been playing along this entire time," he said, disgusted.
"I have never tried to put you back on this leash, as you call it. You were never free from it, to begin with. All that you did, even before Daniel’s great, great, great grandparents were conceived, you did what needed to be done for you to be here and now; to be freed by the chaos he accidentally brought forth on this world and gain your attention."
"I've never been free," Discord said, aghast. "Never free to choose. Never free to do as I please, without it being part of some scheme."
"I'm afraid not," Necky said regretfully. "Because, while we're free to choose, our choices do not come free. And you chose to bend your personal reality, to believe your own story, and damn the consequences. But you can't. Action, reaction… consequences. An unbreakable rule, even to you."
Twilight's Element clattered to the floor, rolling away a short distance, then came to a wobbly stop.
"Danny… what is he?" Discord asked through teeth, growling.
"It's not about what he is," Necronomicon said simply, "but what he could become."
"Could?" Discord repeated the word.
"His life is one of uncertainty, with near-endless possibilities. One such possibility led to the near-complete destruction of his world, and time had to be rewritten to avert this disaster. But for Destiny's plan to work, he needs to become more than what he is."
"By destroying him to the point where he flees his own world?"
"To steer him where he needs to be. And," Necronomicon breathed out a long, tense sigh, "sometimes the only way to build something is by tearing down what existed before."
"And you expect me to help with this?"
"No. But then, I don't have to. You're already doing it regardless."
Discord looked sick, glaring at his brother with barely restrained rage.
"And regardless of what I chose to do now, none of it truly matters. Because in the end, all I did was what I was meant to do. Like some puppet made to perform. Forced to abide by the stale chaotic uncertainty if what I choose is my own free will, or some intricate plot of an unseen force steering everything to the desired outcome."
"I'm afraid so," Necky lifted the fallen Element, placing it on the table next to the destroyed gauntlet. "As for what you choose to do, well, that is for you to decide. Either way, Destiny will run its course."
"Then what choice do I even have?"
"That is the truest of questions anyone could ask. After all, choice has always been the problem."
In the crisp, somewhat polluted morning air, labored breath could be heard as Jazz held on to the backrest of a park bench, sweat streaming down her forehead and wet stains marked her clothes. Her stomach churned, clearly making its displeasure of this sudden bodily abuse known by a wave of nausea and she had to fight back the rising bile while also trying to refill her lungs.
Needless to say, she was a mess. And worse…
"Don't think you're done now, miss I want to be a ghost hunter. This is just the warm-up," Valerie said, running on the spot.
"Give-"Jazz grunted in disgust, "give me a minute."
"You've already had five, and that's because I'm being lenient on you. You need to get better, and fast. Whatever things have been set in motion by the ghosts, they are not going to wait on you."
"It won't help either if I pass out," Jazz gasped, glaring at Valerie.
Valerie slowed her pace, head tilted slightly. "Alright, fair enough. Guess Rome wasn't built in one day either. But don't think you can get out of this with that excuse every time."
"Shame," Jazz muttered quietly but pushed away from the bench.
"Good," Valerie nodded. "How's the hand?"
"Throbbing," was the answer as Jazz looked at the cast around her broken wrist. "And this training isn't really allowing it to rest and heal."
"You should be glad about it. This allows you to build up your pain tolerance as you go. Believe me, you will need it. A throbbing hand is nothing more than a gentle massage compared to some of the stuff I had to walk off. When it goes numb, then you can worry. Now, the minute's over and we still have several miles left to run. So double time, missy. Your torment has only just begun."
With a strangled groan of misery, Jazz started moving again, only now realizing just how much her feet hurt while also reinforcing her suspicion Valerie took a certain amount of sadistic pleasure out of her suffering.
<<>><<>><<>>
Standing amidst a small crowd of humans, ponies, a minotaur, and two griffins, Soarin waited at the Amity Park tear facility for the tear to Equestria to open.
As had been established over the years, the tears would almost always open at a certain interval, but with the occasional moment of unpredictability where no one could guess when the tear would open.
Unfortunately, today appeared to be such a moment as the time of rupture came and went without so much as a crack in reality for anyone to pass through.
Already done with the various checks to make sure he wasn't possessed or otherwise haunted, there was little to distract him from his thoughts while he waited. And after everything that had happened, everything he had learned, there was a lot to think about.
At first, his thoughts lingered on Jazz and the impending doom of a rigorous training regime looming over her; unprepared for the true hardship no matter how much she believed to know what awaited her.
He'd been there, years ago in Bootcamp, and thus could sympathize with her plight. Even then, Valerie had been right. If this was the life she lived, her true life, then she could no longer only rely on others to solve her problems. And just as she was now training to become better, so would he.
He snorted at the ludicrosity of it all. Just a day before he was just a pony visiting his otherworldly special someone. Now he stood on the path to become a ghost hunter for a secret resistance fighting an unseen battle against an enemy who used his power and influence to have others do his dirty work as much as possible, while most around him never even suspected his true nature and motives.
And then his mind wandered over to another significant detail of Jazz's life. Something he only knew half the truth about, until recently.
Her brother.
In all honesty, he didn't know how he would react should they ever meet face to face. For all these years he had known Danny Phantom as a murderer of an innocent young woman. To learn the truth, all of it, after everything that had happened shortly before that… It made his head hurt. Though, admittedly, the less than friendly treatment of Valerie played some part in that also. The pair of lumps on his head being a good reminder.
Still, to meet the human… and a ghost at the same time, who was responsible for first opening the tear he was now waiting to pass through, and who opened up his world to this spectral threat…
Right now his mind was still stuck in a debate on how to feel about it. With one side voting to hold on to the fear and experiences he'd lived through. A side that pointed out the contradictions to these experiences with the things Jazz had revealed, and made a vote to see past previous perceptions. And a side that was running circles while calling out to stop the vote altogether.
With no clear answer in sight, he instead focused on the training Valerie put him through earlier.
The insight she had shown that pegasus magic could be used against ghosts and putting it to the test; proving conclusively that he, or any other pegasi were able to negate a ghosts' intangibility. It was something that would turn the tide of battle, yet it was also a discovery which he couldn't share without others asking questions. And worse, as this was an ability he had since he was born, could he, or any of his fellow Wonderbolts have done things differently in Baltimare?
Maybe.
Probably.
Certainly.
With a rip and a vacuum pulling in reverse the tear finally opened, pulling him out of his thoughts as the passage to Fillydelphia was revealed.
"Okay everyone," a nasal woman called out, "looks like we're in business after all. Please form an orderly line, single file so we can get you through without any further delay."
The next twenty minutes passed in an orderly hurry as all present did as told, walked through the tear, were received by the pony side of organizations, passed through the scanner for a final inspection without any incident, then were allowed to go on their way.
Now standing on the busy street in front of the tear facility close to the outskirts of the city, Soarin stood still for a moment, looking at his fellow ponies, and other creatures as they went on about their lives. Aware of the ghostly threat, yet blissfully ignorant at the same time.
How he missed those days.
Even then, he was glad he now knew what he did. It would help him prepare, to become better, to be ready when the time called for him to protect those around him.
Spreading his wings, he took to the sky and headed for Cloudsdale. It would be a long flight, but it gave him time. Time to think, to plan and to prepare.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a groan, Dani stirred. Pulled from her slumber by the voices she heard nearby, and which stopped the moment she herself made a sound.
"Dani," she heard the welcoming familiar voice of Tucker, and a small smile tugged at her lips as her eyes slowly opened.
"Tuck," she croaked, throat parched. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Starting with a joke, huh," he chuckled. "Guess you didn't hit your head that hard after all." He helped Dani sit upright, then support her as she sat unsteadily for a moment. Then, filling a glass with water, he offered the cooling liquid to her.
"How are you doing?" He asked after she had a chance to drink.
"Besides the hole in my head and throbbing headache as a result, just fine," she said with an attempt at humor but fooling no one.
"Dani," Tucker placed a hand on her shoulder, "what happened?"
"I would like to know as well," Rachel made herself known.
"Who are you?" asked Dani, finally noticing the woman and, behind her, the doctor she vaguely remembered from last time she was awake; fumbling with a stethoscope hanging around her neck.
"Rachel Connor, miss. Lead investigator of the Spectral Aftermath Division."
"Ah, the guys with the fitting acronym. Makes sense."
"Dani," Tucker squeezed her shoulder, "please tell us what you saw."
Dani looked at him, then at Rachel, and finally at the doctor whose name she couldn't recall… had she even told her her name?
"Dani?"
"Right, sorry. Just thinking," she said. "I was down in this cave, looking at a giant crystal that was found. The eggheads said it contains energy not too dissimilar to Ectoranium, and it might be possible to use it to power this project of ours."
"And you were on your own?" Rachel asked, looking at her with calculating eyes.
"I was."
"Why?"
"... Didn't I already answer these questions to the princesses, or did I imagine that?"
"No, you didn't," Rachel said. "Imagine it, that is. Your brief explanation of events has been written down in the preliminary report."
"Then why ask me this again?"
"You were dealt a severe head injury, lost consciousness, and then gave these answers shortly after coming to. I'm asking the same questions to make sure your answers are the same now as they were then."
"Huh… makes sense," Dani murmured. "Okay, like I told the princesses. I was down in that cave, alone, to stay out of the other's way. Allowing them to work without me interrupting them."
"Hmhmm," Rachel nodded as she tapped on a small tablet. "That confirms your earlier recounting of events so far. Okay," she tapped a few more times. "While down there, did you see, or hear anything unusual?"
"Other than that wall-shaking scream… wail… shout… something?"
"Yes."
"Can't say I have. Though, I'm certain I heard someone come down the tunnel. Probably one of the scientists working in the main chamber."
"That would have been mister Pete Dullard," Rachel informed her. "He came there to look for you when the attack happened."
"Pete?" Dani said, confused for only a moment, then her eyes widened. "Is he okay? He didn't get hurt, did he?"
"He is fine. All personnel present at the site during the attack are fine. With the exception of scrapes, bruises, and a few shallow cuts, no one was injured besides you. A small miracle, all things considered.
"Good," Dani released a tense sigh. "And what about the project… or that large crystal?"
"The project sustained severe damage, and it is currently unknown when work on it can be resumed. The cavern itself was badly damaged as well and is being restored as we speak. Once it is safe for any of our men and women to return they will be able to assess the full extent of the damage and losses. As for the crystal… its condition is unknown. The tunnel leading to it has collapsed completely and is being dugout. Until this is done, there is no telling what they may find."
"Wonderful," Dani said sarcastically.
"Now, to return to why I am here," Rachel returned her attention back to her tablet, tapped the screen a few times, then looked back at Dani. "My records show that prior to this assignment, you worked as an assistant for mister Foley."
"She did, yes," Tucker answered for her. "Her skills to keep projects on track and generally cut through the crap, so to speak, have proven invaluable over the years."
"I see," Rachel said. "But this does not answer how she jumped ranks the way she did. Going from assistant to project lead overnight."
"That was my doing, with approval of Jack and Madeline Fenton."
"Any particular reasons for doing this?"
"I have a particular interest in this project. Most of the software, and even parts of the hardware are of my design. And after the recent incursion at the tear facility not too long ago, a previously unknown flaw was brought to light which also forced me to reevaluate my work, which is where Dani comes in. This project relies on all parts to function correctly, as you would expect. Of course, all current software was updated to eliminate the previously mentioned flaw, but due to the strict schedule, this has not been possible for some of the hardware. The personnel working on this project know about this, and are effectively working out any kinks as they put it all together, while Dani oversees the proceedings and informs me about any issue that needs immediate correcting."
"And this couldn't be done by anyone else more experienced? Yourself for instance."
"No," Tucker said firmly. "My presence is required back home where I work on an undisclosed project. And I've known Dani for a long time now, and there are few more capable than she is. You say it is strange she jumped through the ranks the way she did. I say it was long overdue."
"Very well," Rachel made a note on her tablet. "And I assume this previously mentioned flaw also translates to this equipment malfunction princess Luna told us about?"
"I… can't say," Tucker said, losing a bit of steam. "I'm still working on the devices given to me. So far I've been unable to find anything out of the ordinary in terms of software. A hardware inspection would take me more time. And that is only talking about the ghost scanners the hunters use. I have yet to start on the medical scanner, or any other devices after that."
"Understandable," Rachel typed on her tablet. "Do keep me informed of any progress, or lack thereof."
"Naturally."
"As for you, miss Dani. Surprising promotion aside, do you have anything to add that you think would be important to the investigation?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Okay," Rachel finished typing. "I'll leave it at this for now, but I may have more questions in the future," she then turned to the mare behind her. "Doctor Pulse, are there any new developments that should be added as well, or is everything relevant already part of the preliminary report?
"Everything you need to know has already been shared with you and your team."
"Very well then," Rachel put her tablet away. "I'll get out of your way then," and with a nod she left, allowing Dani a glimpse out of the room as she opened the door, watching as two guards escorted her away.
Shortly after that, the doctor, Stable Pulse introduced herself properly. A quick inspection of the bandages followed, as well as a few basic tests. Once satisfied everything was as well as could be, the mare left Dani and Tucker to catch up in private.
And during all of this, none noticed the mechanical fly on the wall.
<<>><<>><<>>
A multitude of hooves pounded on the ground as a team of royal guard pegasi landed on a field just outside Ponyville, all connected by a harness linked to a cart behind them.
Wobbling ever so slightly on the cart stood Discord, his petrified form unchanged since the day the Elements were used against him.
"Your highnesses," the leader of the group called out as all gave a salute to their princesses as they approached; followed closely by Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity. All wore their Element, except Twilight, while Rarity also found the time to put on a dress to hide her vandalized tail.
Standing off in the distance was Danny. Invisible to all, watching closely to what would happen next.
He'd said he would stay in the library with Spike and Sweetie Belle, under the watchful eye of the two guards who had accompanied the princesses. And in truth, he was. Using the age-old excuse of a visit to the toilet, and Devora providing a useful distraction for them and Spike while he duplicated himself once more. A skill that has proven to be invaluable a dozen times over in the short time since he has gained mastery over this power. Though how that happened still demanded an answer of its own, for now, there were far more important things demanding his attention. A strange ghost pony submerged in a pool could wait.
"Please remove yourself from the cart," Princess Celestia instructed immediately, eyes locked on the statue, "and be prepared for anything."
"Sister," Luna said, her horn aglow, "all wards are still in place. Even with his might, we would have known if he'd escaped."
"And yet he did so without us knowing. Which can only mean one thing," Celestia replied, her horn beginning to glow too, and both alicorns shot a beam of magic at the petrified draconequus. Seconds later, cracks started to form in the statue. Then, with little spectacle, the statue's head fell off, revealing the hollow inside while a rolled-up scroll sticking out of the neck.
A round of gasps rose from most mares, while all guards stiffened noticeably.
Frowning, Celestia retrieved the scroll. Then, casting a dome field around it for added protection, she broke the seal and unfurled the scroll.
A moment later the letter crumpled up and was set ablaze.
"Sister, what did it say?" asked Luna, surprised by this unexpected display of anger.
"Besides the expected taunts and ravings of a mad stallion? If Discord's words are to be believed, he was never imprisoned, to begin with."
"WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash shouted louder than any other. "But we hit him with the Elements. I know we did! We all saw him turn to stone."
"Yes," Celestia looked at the prismatic pegasus, "or you saw what he wanted you to see." She paused, eyes closed as she slowly breathed in. "Discord had your minds warped before you managed to break through his control, altering your perception of reality. Perhaps some effects lingered long enough for him to stage his imprisonment. Or perhaps some other trick has been played upon you; all of us, having us believe he was once more sealed away while in reality, Discord roamed free to work by whatever plan he follows."
"But how could the Elements have failed?" asked Rarity.
"Going by his letter, falling for the same trick twice would be predictable."
"That doesn't explain anything at all!" Rainbow Dash balked.
"Few things rarely do when Discord is involved," Princess Luna said. "But the more important question we must ask is what Discord did in the time where we thought him to be petrified. There have been no reports of anything that might allude to his meddling."
"Other than tha sudden increase of ghost-related chaos," Applejack supplied in a deadpan.
"You think he is responsible for what has happened, with the fillies, Danny, Zecora, everything?" Rarity gasped, horrified.
"Ah don't know, but Ah wouldn't put it past him," Applejack pulled at her Stetson. "Seems like tha kind o' games he likes ta play, then use it ta have us break up tha Elements so we cain't use them against him."
"If this is true, or even hints at the truth, then this means Discord follows a plan with more thought and foresight than he would normally do," Princess Celestia said, thinking.
"Yet being as unpredictable as he is, we can't say this is unusual for him," princess Luna supplied.
"So what is it we can do then?" Asked Twilight, frowning deeply. "We can't fight Discord directly without the Elements complete, nor do we have a plan to stop him when he goes on a chaotic rampage again. And if he planned all of this from the start, working together with ghosts, or maybe directing them, then anything he may do as a result of our deal to help against the ghosts might only work to his advantage."
"Of course they would be overthinking this whole ordeal," Discord muttered, agitated, scaring the invisible human with his unexpected appearance. Yet his shout of surprise went unheard, nor did the ponies seem to notice Discord staring at them, arms crossed, shoulders sagging." For them to think I'm in control. Oh, if only that were true," he spat, then turned to Danny with a heated glare.
"What do you want this time?" Danny said in a half growl, figuring Discord kept them from being found out.
"What I want does not matter. Never has, apparently," Discord said bitterly. "The real question is: what do you want? Everything does seem to revolve around you, one way or the other," he spat. "And how would this affect me? Can I even stop you from doing what it is you're doing," he raised his talon, ready to snap his fingers, "or would Destiny prevent me from doing so? Or would me doing so be part of this so-called Grand Plan, meaning any choice I have in the matter is completely moot," his hand fell back down.
"Destiny?" Danny said, confused. "Astina mentioned that when I spoke to her."
"Oh, I am quite aware. We are free to choose, but our choices do not come free," Discord repeated Astina's words. "Bah. No matter the choice you make, you will always be shackled as any choice you think you have is nothing more than an illusion to keep you in line. It's a truth I have learned very recently."
"What are you talking about?" Danny demanded.
"You really have no clue, do you," Discord didn't ask, the answer already obvious.
"About what?"
Discord shook his head, grimacing. "And here I have the choice to either tell you or not. Yet no matter what I decide, the choice has already been made for me and thus, there has never been a choice to begin with."
"Are you going to answer me, or will you keep speaking in riddles because I have more important things to do right now."
"Yes, I suppose you do," Discord said dismissively. "Then let me not hold you any longer while you do you," and with a snap of his talon, he vanished.
"Oh," his voice came from nowhere, "but I will tell you this, if only to spite him. Don't trust Necronomicon. That damned book does have a way to twist those around him."
"Wait, what?!" shouted Danny, but no reply came. "Necronomicon? This being the Librarian told me about?"
He then remembered where he was, flinched, then looked back at the ponies only to discover they were long gone.
"Hold on, was all of this a distraction?"
His question went unanswered as he stood alone outside of town.
<<>><<>><<>>
There had already been a lot of activity early in the day, and word did travel quickly despite most ponies having fortified themselves in their homes. And while word of Discord's presence in Ponyville was reason to be afraid, besides the already present fear of the recent ghost activity, it did have an unexpected advantage to at least one pony.
With word traveling in its mysterious ways, it also became known that Danny Manson was currently staying with Twilight. The reason for which is still up for debate, as the stories do tend to vary quite a bit. Even then, it meant the focus of her ongoing studies was closer than ever, and Lyra would not allow this chance to go to waste, ghost or no ghost. Not even Discord would be able to stop her as she stepped outside and on the prowl for her bipedal subject.
This was fine with Bon Bon as well. As much as she disliked this unhealthy fixation, she could not deny the overabundance of information she had collected. Of course, the majority of it was mostly useless, but still. With some proper training, she could be a master intelligence gatherer.
Not that she would ever attempt to bring Lyra into this world; her world. The dangers it possesses alone make such a thought too awful to think about. But thankfully, Lyra isn't afflicted by the Nightmare's curse like she is, so there was no need, to begin with.
Even then this secret weighed down on her heavily; to keep this part of her hidden out of fear and shame; where nothing truly was what it seemed. A front to cover up the truth, just as her beloved candy store.
A place where foals and adults alike would buy whatever their sweet tooth wished for, while down in the basement, hidden behind a door enchanted so only a select few could see it, was a room where she would come to prepare for her missions. A place where nopony could see her, and learn the truth.
A place where she was right now.
She sighed out, shaking her head as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Thankfully Princess Celestia knew about this curse, and did whatever she could to contain it. And, fortunately, she was one of the lucky ones. When the symptoms first started to appear, no pony knew what to make of it. But then a specialized doctor working for the princess herself showed up, and whatever course her life might have taken changed forever.
To the rest of the world, the doctor cured her, but to Bon Bon, the truth was far darker.
Her curse lingered in her blood, passed down one generation after the next; dormant for most, but not her. And as she learned, there were others as well. Some of them unable to hide their affliction, and were forced to live in the darkness because of it. Others were like her, though. But to this day no cure, magical or otherwise, has been found. But with the proper care and training, they could hide this curse and live among their fellow ponies, yet bound by secrecy and a duty to serve their princess and their country. using their unnatural abilities for the good of all, while the best and brightest worked tirelessly to find a solution; to purge this affliction once and for all.
Shaking those thoughts away, she once more focused on her reflection.
She had spent a good amount of time working the curls out of her mane and tail, and then put a braid in her mane despite the effort it took her to do this with just her two hooves. Then, putting the brush away after a final adjustment of a few stubborn locks, she stepped away from the mirror until she could see her entire body.
A sigh escaped her while she closed her eyes, then she stopped resisting the curse's ever-present pressure.
Her skin crawled as she felt the foul magic do its thing, and the next time she opened her eyes, Bon Bon was gone. The pale yellow earth pony with a two-toned mane was replaced by an ocean blue mare with a sea green mane and tail. And her eyes, once a dark shade of blue, were now a sunset orange.
She slowly took in the changes, grimacing ever so slightly. She only had some control over the changes inflicted upon her, and at least the colors of her coat and eyes were as she wished them to be. But when she turned around and inspected her Cutie Mark, she had to bite back a sob.
Gone were the trio of candies depicted on her flank, replaced by the image of a cloak covering a shadow. As it always did when she changed.
Why this curse would turn her mark into that, she didn't know. But she knew it was somehow mocking her. Hiding in the dark, so she may live in the light.
Looking away from the offending mark, she took a deep breath, held it for as long as she could, then looked back at her reflection with reinforced resolve.
"Alright. Time to study a human," she said, her voice the only thing still her own.
<<>><<>><<>>
Grumbling to himself because he let himself get distracted, Danny, still invisible, slowly flew back to the library; able to see the group of mares just a bit further ahead as they entered Ponyville.
The streets were mostly empty, and most houses had their doors and windows still firmly shut. Something that seemed to unnerve some of the ponies; Fluttershy most noticeable among them.
Even then, some ponies could be seen walking the streets. All of them coming to a sudden stop and bowing the moment they saw both princesses approach, which caused the group to come to a stop on several occasions as Celestia took her time to address each, and every one of them, reassuring them to the best of her abilities.
From his vantage point, however, Danny did notice one pony in particular who not only failed to notice the group coming her way, but who was also actively spying through every window of the library while an, unfortunately, very familiar notebook followed after her, suspended in a golden glow.
"Lyra," he groaned, hand placed firmly over his face. Then, watching through his fingers, he noticed another pony on the move. Her slate-gray coat and pristine white suit unmistakable. "Wonderful," he muttered sarcastically.
For a moment he hung there, staring up in the sky while wondering, not for the first time, how his life turned out the way it did.
If Astina and Discord were anything to go by, Destiny apparently.
Shaking his head with a weary sigh he then looked at his home in the distance.
"What the…" He said, watching as a pony snuck inside through the back door he was sure was locked. "Great, and now there are burglars as well."
Shooting one last glance at the group of mares as they returned to the library, he instead flew to his home.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny and Devora were seated on the couch in Twilight's library while Spike was busy looking for a board game they could play.
Standing some distance away, yet close enough to make it impossible to ignore them, were the two guards who arrived alongside the princesses. Both of them watching over them in professional silence.
Of course, this meant Danny and Devora had to watch over what it was they said, or risk exposing the changeling in the room.
Fortunately, most talks had died down shortly after the group of mares left, once they had a good understanding of what Discord had done to Danny, leaving Spike to boost morale. He soon learned that neither Danny nor Sweetie Belle was interested in playing Ogres and Oubliettes and that Danny didn't even know what that was.
With his main choice of prime entertainment shot down, the others could hear him mutter and rummage in an upstairs storage room with little indication he had much luck finding something to do they may all enjoy.
Unfortunately for everyone, and especially Danny, distraction came knocking at the door. Or, to be more precise, it came falling through a window that wasn't properly locked.
"Whoa-oof," Lyra cried out as she fell, crashed into a table, knocked over a potted plant, then looked up in the authoritative glare of the guard she fell in front of. "Eh… Hi," she smiled awkwardly.
Unfortunately for her, it was at this point the front door swung open and both princess Celestia and princess Luna walked in; followed a second later by Twilight and her friends.
"Ehh… What is going on?" Asked Twilight once everypony came to a stop upon spotting the mint green unicorn on the floor.
"Just my resident stalker stalking me," Danny sighed out, voice flat, not even the least surprised. "No notebook, though. Guess it must've fallen on the ground outside."
"Mister Manson, do you mean this mare has, and still is violating your personal life through illicit means?" Asked princess Luna.
Danny looked at her in silence, then down at Lyra. With a sigh, he stood up, walked to the window, looked outside, and saw Lyra's notebook on the ground. Using his comparative greater height to his advantage, he leaned out of the low window and easily grabbed the notebook. Pulling himself back inside, he turned to the ponies watching him in confusion, walked over to Luna, and simply gave her the notebook. Then, without a word, he returned to his spot on the couch and sat back down.
Flummoxed, the night princess opened the notebook, slowly turning the first few pages, then rapidly flipping through the rest while Celestia looked over her shoulder.
"Just how long has this been going on?" Luna half-shouted.
"About five minutes after I arrived here," Danny said tiredly. "She tackled me to the ground so she could get a better look at my hands."
"Eh-heheh," Lyra laughed nervously as nearly all present looked at her in annoyance or downright disappointment.
"Lyra Heartstrings," Princess Celestia said, looking down at the mare still lying on the floor, trying to make herself as small as possible, "I'm very disappointed in you. The violation of one's personal life in manners such as these is deplorable and illegal. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Ehh… I'm close to a breakthrough to improve future interactions between humans and ponies," she answered hopefully, smiling awkwardly.
"By trying to hide in my wardrobe to observe me, only for Bon Bon to drag you away by the tail before you could actually do that," Danny mock asked. "And yes, I know about that."
"Quick Strike," Princess Luna turned to the nearest guard. "Please detain Miss Heartstrings. My sister and I will deal with her once we have concluded the more urgent concerns demanding our attention."
"Yes princess," the guard saluted, then used his magic to hoist Lyra back on her hooves before magically binding them to keep her from running away, allowing only enough movement to walk. "Forgive me asking, but where is the nearest holding cell?" He asked after a short moment, unsure where to take Lyra.
"There is no such place in Ponyville," Twilight answered. "There never has been a need for one."
"An oversight that needs to be corrected," Princess Luna stated.
"For the time being, she is to be put under house arrest," Princess Celestia declared. "Miss Pie, could you please accompany Quick Strike to show him the way to Miss Heartstrings' home?"
"Ehm… sure," Pinkie replied, clearly not sure how to deal with this particular situation.
As the trio departed, Lyra with shuffling hooves due to her bindings, a quiet murmuring from the mint green mare was still loud enough to be heard by all present: "Bon Bon's going to kill me."
With a shout of triumph, and a clatter of objects, Spike returned from his quest for suitable entertainment; running down the stairs while holding a flat box above his head.
Seeing everypony had returned, and the frowns they all had, he came to a screeching stop.
"Ehh… Did I miss something?"
<<>><<>><<>>
"This is a mess," Tucker groaned, pacing around before Dani's bed while she watched him move.
"What else was I supposed to do?" She asked.
"I know. I know. I'm not blaming you for what you did, but this turned into one hell of a mess."
"Yeah… but on the plus side, I found Danny."
"From what you told me, he found you… assuming what the princesses told you is true."
"You think they're lying?"
"Princesses they may be, but they are also politicians. Have yet to see one who is actually honest."
"Point."
"Meaning, if true, Danny is aware you are here. And to an extent, that the rest of us are closing in on him as well. I may need to keep a close eye on any, and all traffic going through the tears in the coming days or weeks. He may run again."
"Maybe, but I doubt it."
"How so?"
"I am him, remember? I know how he thinks, even if we are different individuals. And if he was here as you know who, it was for a reason. Maybe the 'ghost attack' brought him here? You know how he is… or, well, was with those kinds of things. Or maybe it was something else. Either way, I seriously doubt he was here to look for me."
"Which means something is going on that made him take such a risk to come here. And something must have happened for him to be even seen because he knows how to stay hidden."
"And whatever it is that brought him here, it must be to help someone else. He wouldn't take such a risk just for himself."
"Nor would he leave behind those in need… except himself… meaning he's staying put, but most likely making plans to either hide from us, meet us on his own terms, or is still stuck in indecisiveness while trying to figure it out."
"Definity the last option."
"Most likely, yeah. Which means? We have some time to figure this out ourselves, but we must act quickly either way. Once he has figured things out, and finished whatever it is he is doing, he may disappear again."
"But what can we do?"
"You, rest and recover. As for me… No idea. There is still a lot I need to do without any of this. Most importantly go through the records back at the office and see if, or what Vlad has done to sabotage the Ghost-Keteer training. Though I really hope this is nothing more than Jack slipping through the net, so to speak, and doing this of his own volition."
"Not impossible, but you and I both know Maddie would not allow that to continue for this long if it was just Jack being Jack."
"That's what frightens me," Tucker stopped pacing, "because that would mean Vlad was able to circumvent the security systems, mine included, to pull this off. And if he could do that, then what else did he manage to corrupt?"
"It's one hell of a mess," Dani replied, leaning back into her pillow.
"Yeah… and I fear it will get a lot worse."
"It always does, Tuck. It always does."
<<>><<>><<>>
Quietly and invisible, Danny entered his home through a wall, quickly spotting the pony he saw entering as she slowly moved through the living room.
The mare, as he could now tell, had ocean blue fur and a sea-green mane and, going by her methodical scanning of the few items he had placed to liven up the place, she was looking for something specific, though exactly what he couldn't tell as she moved from one place to the next; sometimes picking up an item, then carefully placing it back exactly as it was before she took it.
Silently he watched her move through his house, trying to recall if he had ever seen her before. Something about her seemed familiar. Very familiar.
Then she moved to the small cabinet next to his couch, and the photo of Sam, Tucker, and himself hidden within.
Acting quick, he flew through the cabinet, grabbing the photo and cloaking it in invisibility seconds before the mare opened the single door of the wooden furniture, finding nothing inside.
Seemingly dissatisfied with the lack of anything to find, the mare moved to the bedroom where, due to his haste to leave by Twilight's urging, the mess he was certain Dani had made was still there. A quick glance did reveal the water had evaporated by now.
Returning his attention back to the mare, he saw she had managed to open his wardrobe and sift through the few clothes he didn't take without him even noticing in his split-second distraction. However, as she was searching for whatever she was searching for, his eyes fell on her rump and a gasp escaped him.
The mare stiffened, ears up and at attention as they slowly swiveled around.
Danny kept as silent as he could, but his mind was abuzz.
That mark, he knew it; had seen it in the Murgröna. And whoever this mare was, somehow, he was certain, she was connected to Spring Breeze. Which could mean only one thing.
'She is one of them. Has to be. Which means…' his thoughts turned sour, 'Celestia.'
Several minutes passed where the mare stood still, listening intently. Eventually, when nothing gave any indication she was discovered, she resumed her search; completely oblivious to the watchful ghost who gave a silent command to his shadow.
Eventually, she moved on to other parts of the house, searching in every possible spot, and even some Danny didn't know were there, to his surprise.
Yet as thorough as she was, she was just as quick. No more than fifteen minutes passed since Danny first spotted her, and when she carefully slipped out of his house.
Following her, he was surprised when she headed directly for the town, though keeping close to any trees and bushes, for potential hiding places he surmised. But because of the recent ghost scare the other day, very few ponies were out on the street, and the mare had no problem reaching town unseen, as far as she knew, and slipped in an alleyway behind Bon Bon's candy store.
Never far behind, he followed the mare inside; she through a backdoor, he through the wall.
Obviously, this was a storage room, with numerous crates and bags neatly placed on pallets and shelves, some open and showing the various ingredients Bon Bon used to make her candies.
The mare passed all of the crates without any interest, moved through a door concealed by a stack of crates, and Danny followed her down the stairs into a basement he didn't even know was there.
The basement didn't look like anything special; just more crates and bags, all of them closed. The mare, however, moved with purpose through the assortment of objects towards the far wall.
There she stopped, then pressed a concealed switch behind a loose brick, and a doorway appeared where the wall used to be.
It was fortunate he had experience when it came to secret bases hidden in someone's basement, courtesy of Vlad and, to some extent, his parents as well, which kept him from gasping out as he saw the numerous tools and gadgets hanging on the walls, most of which he couldn't even begin to place their purpose off.
The mare walked over to a table, on which lay an assortment of papers, maps, and binders; some open and legible, most closed, and their contents hidden to Danny.
There was a device of some kind. Clearly magical in nature, if the glowing gem at its center was anything to go by. It was also what the mare seemed interested in.
Grabbing the device, she tapped the gem and started speaking.
"Preliminary findings of subject Danny Manson's home. The subject has only recently moved in, which shows in the lack of personalized decorations. All furniture is still new, with little to no signs of usage. Food contents found in the fridge confirm an omnivorous diet consistent with data of other members of the subject's species. During the investigation, clear signs of a struggle of some kind were found in the bedroom. It is unknown if this is done by the subject in offense or defense, or if someone else is responsible for this. It is important to note that the subject is currently residing in Golden Oaks Library with Twilight Sparkle and Spike the dragon, which may be related to the state of the bedroom."
She was silent for a moment, sifting through some papers.
"Additional information relating to this struggle can be found in the, as of yet incomplete report of the Ghost-Keteer unit. This report details the encounter of at least one confirmed ghost present in, or around mister Manson's residence. Additionally, recent ghost sightings have been reported by the stallion Bulk Biceps, but it has not been confirmed if this was indeed a ghost, or something else."
She closed her eyes as she thought for a moment, then continued.
"As of yet, it is impossible to tell if these events are related. It is also impossible to tell with the currently available data what the subject's role in this might be. Further study is required."
Taking her hoof off the gem, she stepped away from the table.
Following her, she led Danny to a small room with numerous clothes, makeup, a mirror, a shower cabin, and an assortment of soaps.
Ignoring all that, the mare approached the mirror with clear trepidation, looking at her reflection with disgust.
"And I didn't even need to change myself after all," she said with some anger.
Shaking her head with a sigh, she looked away from her reflection and pulled open a drawer under the mirror. Inside lay a dark green emerald glowing with magical light.
Grabbing the emerald, the mare pressed it against her chest and a wave of energy washed over her, and Danny watched as the mare's colors change as Bon Bon was revealed.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Bon Bon wasted little time to undo the braid and return the curls to her mane. Moments later, she turned away from the mirror, left the room, closed the door to this secret hideout, went upstairs, and exited out of the front door of her store.
All the while, Danny stayed behind, looking at the glowing emerald he had pulled out of the drawer in disgust.
"Not only does she not know, but Celestia corrupted her heritage so thoroughly she can't stand to see her own face," his hand clenched around the emerald, shaking noticeably.
"Eclipse, what's the word of my other self?"
'He went to the ghost library the second I informed him about Discord and found some books that may be useful. He's returning here as we speak.'
"Good, then maybe we can begin to undo some of Celestia's lies," and he tossed the emerald back in the drawer and left.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And that would be the situation as it currently is," Princess Celestia finished, having informed Danny about all that had happened when they inspected Discord's statue.
"We do not know where Discord currently is, or what his plan is," said Princess Luna. "And the fact the world still seems to be working as intended is both worrying and reassuring at the same time. And while my sister and I will keep a close eye on any and all developments that may point towards Discord, for the time being, we can only hope he will honor the deal he agreed upon with Miss Twilight."
"We know this is not what you wanted to hear, especially considering what Discord did to you, but that is also why we tell you this. That, and to apologize for all that has happened to you the short time you have been here," Celestia told him, and Danny could feel Devora, still sitting next to him, stiffen; able to feel the indignation coming off of her even without the ability to sense emotions. "Do know we will do everything in our power to bring Discord and the ghost threat under control. And be assured, Lyra Heartstrings will be punished for her transgressions as well."
"One small victory at least," Danny remarked dryly.
"I understand this is nothing more than a hollow victory to you, after everything that has happened. And if there is anything we can do to help, you merely need to say so," Celestia said reassuringly. "After all, the well-being of all who call this land home matters greatly to me."
Danny leaned forwards, then stood up to draw the attention away from Devora struggling to contain herself.
"Thanks," he said, looking at the solar princess and seeing no deception in her eyes. Proving she truly believes her own lies.
When nothing more was said, the princesses turned back to the other mares with them.
"Understandably this is not the outcome we had hoped for," Celestia said. "And the loss of one of the Elements does pose an immediate risk for future calamities that we must prepare for."
"Anythaing we can do?" asked Applejack.
"Unless Discord makes a move to which we can react, I am afraid not. For now, I believe the best course of action is to return to your lives as best as possible. But be prepared for anything. My sister and I will keep all of you informed when anything happens."
"With Discord and ghosts out there, 'anything' doesn't cover the mess that will happen," Rainbow Dash replied heatedly. "How did all of this even happen to begin with? And what else will happen without us being able to do anything about it?" She let loose a groan of frustration. "I hate feeling this useless."
"We all do," Applejack placed a hoof on her friend's withers. "But that's why we must stick together, now more than ever."
"Applejack is correct," Princess Luna told them. "Together we can overcome these challenges."
"But how much help will we be without the Elements?" Asked Twilight, not quite looking at her mentor. "Not to say my friends and I can't overcome difficulties, but against Discord… and the ghosts. Back in the Everfree Forest, we weren't able to do much of anything helpful, and we lost Danny and Zecora while we're at it. And while Danny was able to return, with the fillies, it showed us just how little we were able to do. And now Discord is on the loose, and he has my Element."
"These are difficult times, my student," Celestia stepped towards Twilight, placing a wing on her back. "But it will pass, you’ll see, just as they have always done. Just believe in your friends, your friendship, and most importantly, yourself," she said, smiling gently at the purple mare.
Twilight continued to frown, however. The words of her mentor doing little to ease her worries ever since the, in hindsight obvious, flaws in Celestia's plans proved she wasn't as all-knowing as she believed her to be.
"I hope you're right, princess," Twilight said, looking up at Celestia.
"We all do," Rarity said, her eyes falling on her younger sister and the unease she clearly showed, "for everyones sake."
<<>><<>><<>>
Being escorted to her home by Pinkie Pie and the guard who had her magically bound was, without a doubt, the most humiliating thing that had happened to Lyra to date.
At least only a small number of ponies were out on the streets, but it wouldn't be long before word would spread. It always did, and she was sure at least half of Ponyville had heard one version, or the other by the time Pinkie Pie told her everything would be alright, giving her a big hug, then left to return to the library, the front door slamming shut behind her.
Now she sat on her couch, surrounded by a large number of papers containing her research… the evidence of her over-exuberant studying of Danny Manson, while the guard, Quick Strike, kept a close eye on her.
While this situation was certainly bad, she already knew it was about to become even worse. Bon Bon was out for the moment, checking up on the supplies, but once she had made sure her storage was just as full as the day before, she would no doubt come back home. It was, after all, still early in the day.
With a rattle of the door and the turning of the knob, Lyra's fears became reality much sooner than she had anticipated. And in what felt like slow-motion, she turned to look at the now stunned mare standing in the doorway; one hoof still on the doorknob while her eyes moved to Lyra, to the magical bindings, to the guard turning to look at her, and back to the bound unicorn.
Shock soon turned to frustration, then anger as Bon Bon let go of the doorknob and slowly placed her hoof over her face.
"I'm going to kill you," she groaned.
"That would be a most heinous crime, punishable by life imprisonment," somepony said from behind her, the voice worryingly familiar and, as Bon Bon turned around, she came face to face with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; the latter being the one who had spoken.
"Princess Celestia. Princess Luna," Bon Bon took a step back in shock. "What-"
Celestia held up a hoof, stopping Bon Bon. "My sister and I have recently become aware that Miss Lyra Heartstrings continually harassed and stalked mister Danny Manson. Naturally, there will be consequences for these transgressions, which is why we are here."
Slowly, Bon Bon's hoof returned to her face. "Why am I not surprised the princesses are getting directly involved?"
"May we come in?" Asked Celestia.
Without a word, Bon Bon stood aside, allowing entrance to the princesses, then quickly closed the door behind them; already seeing a few ponies staring in curiosity.
She already knew that, before the day would end, everypony in town would know exactly what had happened.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny stood in the living room of his home, silently looking at the photo hidden from Bon Bon; the smiling faces of Tucker, Sam, and himself partially hidden by the reflection of his face. The tired adult a stark contrast to his younger self.
"We really can't run from our past, can we?" Danny asked, looking away from the photo and at his other self who was partially hidden; the white-haired man standing with several books under his arm.
"It's not about if we can, or not. It's if we can run long enough."
With a sigh, Danny returned the photo to its hiding place. "You've got the book I see."
"Plural," the other corrected. "Though there is something weird about them."
"Oh?"
"You know what the librarian said. The books only show their stories to those who are allowed to know. But for some reason, I can read them, too. Parts of them, at least."
"Probably because of the time in the Murgröna."
"Maybe, but the librarian said this is not normal. Almost as if the books know something we don't."
"Just another question to add to the list then, I guess," he shrugged. "But about Bon Bon…"
"Eclipse informed me. Said she could transform."
"She can change her colors, and her mark becomes that of a cloaked shadow when changed."
"Really? Why?" Asked the other Danny.
"Maybe an echo of a time long past reaching out, wishing to be heard?"
"Maybe…" Shaking his head, Danny placed the books on the table. "This is Spring Breeze's Lifebook. The librarian said it may be possible for Bon Bon to read it, as a living descendant. Or she may not, with how much time has passed. Only one way to find out. But seeing how I found it, I'm pretty sure she will be able to."
"Okay. And the other book?"
"Apple Pie," he put the book down beside the other. "And this one actually confirmed to me what we suspected," he flipped open the book, and on the first page, a diagram of Apple Pie's family tree appeared. "Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big Mac, a whole lot of other Apples, Pinkie Pie, Maud Pie, and apparently there are a few more Pies as well… They are all related to Apple Pie and Buzz. All of them are, to some small extent, of changelink heritage."
"Which would explain Applejack's ability to tell a lie or Pinkie Pie's sensitivity to other people's mood."
"Yes. Fortunately, Celestia does not realize these traits are connected to the more obvious traits some ponies have shown. Like Bon Bon, as you have told me. And I'm glad about it, too. Knowing what she put all those ponies through, what lies she told them, forcing them to live a life of shame and disgust over something that is nothing more than their birthright."
"You've lost me there," Danny looked away from the family tree, confused. "I know she lied about the changelinks, denied them what they were, refused even to acknowledge them as anything more than a curse. But what about these other ponies? Eclipse explained some of the things you learned, but not everything."
"Yes, about that. Frostbite already warned me about this. Each duplicate of us is now living a different life, doing all kinds of things and putting our memories and experiences out of alignment. We need to remerge some time soon, cause the longer this goes on, the worse it will be for us as a whole once all these different memories clash with one another."
"That… sounds kinda obvious now that you said it."
"That's what I said."
"Might as well remerge right now, you and I. Get it over with and get our memories back in alignment."
"Sounds like a plan," the other agreed, then turned into a wisp of energy and shot in the remaining human's chest.
Danny staggered back, hand against his head as a flood of memories poured in; knowledge, experience, everything Frostbite taught him, and everything he had learned from Celestia's lifebook.
Several minutes passed as new knowledge and skills became his own once again.
"Frostbite wasn't joking," he groaned eventually, letting his arm drop. "The others need to remerge as well before this becomes even worse."
With a flash of light, a band of energy split him vertically through the middle, and moments later there were once more two humans in the room.
"Alright, you go back to the Hive, sort things out there, then return to the Far Frozen. I'll deal with things over here."
"Right," his double agreed, then quickly left.
"Hmm," the one who remained grumbled, now remembering everything that had happened in the ghost library. "Got the books of Spring Breeze and Apple Pie, but nothing on Discord. Big surprise there."
With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the books.
"Learning about her origins may help both of us in the long run," he looked at Spring Breeze's Lifebook. "At least she'll know the truth. As for you," he picked up Apple Pie's Lifebook. "Applejack and Big Mac won't be able to read you. Not without uncovering secrets that need to remain hidden… for now. But Apple Bloom, learning of her connection with the changelinks may help them as they work to repair some of the damage Celestia caused."
With a new plan taking shape, Danny grabbed both books.
"Now to get them these books without anyone else finding out."
<<>><<>><<>>
Angling down in a glide, Soarin touched down on the training grounds of the Wonderbolt academy.
Wings folding to his side, he absentmindedly brushed a hoof through his windswept mane while stuck in mental debate.
Unfortunately, the flight back failed to provide the much-needed clarity of mind as his silent debate continuously moved in circles around the main issues, never resolving anything. Though he didn't realize just how lost in thought he was until he was pulled from his musings by a shout; quickly looking around in surprise, realizing he had somehow found his way back to the door to his office, hoof already on the knob when he saw Spitfire walk towards him.
While it had been years, he still couldn't ignore the noticeable limp each time she put pressure on her right hind leg; the injuries she sustained in Baltimare never fully healed in places. Fortunately, her wings made a full recovery, but much like her body, her personality was broken as well and the mare now standing before him was not the same as the one he flew in combat with; wearing a flight jacket to hide some of the more prominent scars, while a pair of light-absorbing shades kept anypony from seeing her eyes directly.
"Spitfire. Sorry, I didn't hear you there."
"You're late," she half shouted with a raspy voice, glaring at him over her shades. "You were supposed to be back three hours ago!"
Realizing this was an especially bad day, Soarin straightened his posture immediately.
"Apologies, ma'am. The tear failed to open on time, forcing me to wait. Fortunately, it didn't take too long, and I returned her as fast as I could."
Spitfire glared at him for nearly a minute, then she relaxed her stance, but only slightly.
"Very well," she grunted. "But this excuse won't work next time. We can't allow ourselves any slack. We need to be prepared for anything, anytime. Anything less means defeat, or worse, death!"
"No need to remind me," Soarin said with a hollow voice, which struck home with Spitfire who visibly deflated.
"I suppose I don't," she said, subdued, her wings twitching. "There's an announcement from the higher-ups an hour from now," she quickly changed the subject, voice hardened again as she pushed her shades up to completely hide her eyes. "All senior staff, especially those who were at Baltimare need to be present."
Soarin's ears noticeably twitched as she told him that.
"All of us who were at Baltimare? Why?" He asked, dreading the answer.
"What do you think," Spitfire asked rhetorically. "One hour from now. You know the place," and she brushed past him.
For a moment, he watched limp away before saying quietly: "I think, of the two of us, I got off easy"
Eventually, he entered his office and took a second to look at the scarcely decorated room.
He never fully understood why he earned his own office, nor did he expect himself to remain long enough to personalize the place, yet as the years passed he was still here.
Taking a seat behind his desk filled with numerous forms of potential recruits to consider for admittance to the academy, a picture of Jazz standing at the corner, while a small fridge still holding half a pie stood on the ground next to the desk; partially hidden by the wastebin placed before it, obscuring it from sight to anyone looking in through the door.
With a sigh, he pushed aside the paperwork. Pulling open a drawer, he rummaged inside for a moment until he found what he was looking for, then placed the paper he pulled out of the drawer flat on the desk.
"Request for transfer," he murmured, staring at the words for several long minutes, conflicted.
This wasn't the first time he sat there, staring at the same words on the same paper, though this time the conflict was for a different reason.
In the months after the attack on Baltimare, forced to say goodbye to some he trained and served with as they didn't make it out of Baltimare alive, or succumbed to injuries later; watch others with so much potential resign due to injuries and/or mental trauma; to see the supposed best of the best reduced to a shadow of their former selves; to be unable to sleep for fear of the dark and what might hide around him; what could attack him should he so much as close his eyes, he had thought about quitting numerous times.
As time passed, and his sessions with Jazz helped him to break through the trauma enough to begin to reason with himself, instead of quitting he decided his skills may be better served elsewhere. Where he wasn't sure. Just someplace else. But the moment he finished writing his request for transfer, he was unable to place his signature. Some part of him, a faint voice of the stallion he was before Baltimare shouting at him to not give up. And after half an hour of sitting with an inked quill in mouth, he put the paper away.
During times where the stress got to him, he would pull out the paper, fully intending to sign it, yet unable to do so each, and every time; the voice, his voice always there to shout at him.
This time, however, the voice wasn't shouting. And as he sat there, staring at his words written years ago, his voice said only five words: "You know what to do."
Grabbing the paper in both hooves, he looked at the request for transfer one final time, then crumpled the letter into a compact ball and tossed it in the bin.
It was early in the morning, and the steady beeping of the heart monitor beside Rolling Stone gave no indication of the distress his immortal soul was currently in.
Standing face to face with the skeletal pony, Rolling Stone had to fight every fiber of his being not to attack the ghost before him.
Every attempt so far had failed, and the few times he managed to knock the ghost apart it just as easily pulled itself back together.
And as he rapidly discovered, this fight had never been one of strength, but of mind as the ghost kept spouting lies to twist his thoughts; the blatantly obvious illusion of his own battered body lying on a hospital bed near him not fooling anypony, least of all him.
"Your lies won't work on me," he growled, scraping a hoof but remaining where he stood.
With a weary sigh, Mort shook his head. "As I have said, I'm not lying. I am the Pale Pony, and you are currently lying in a hospital bed, near death. Which is the only reason you are able to see me right now."
Rolling Stone merely snorted in anger while trying to come up with a fighting strategy.
While he couldn't remember how he got there, the last of his recallable thoughts being a hazy fight against timberwolves. Even then, this ghost obviously did something to him, pulling his mind into this illusion and feeding him those lies.
As it was though, he couldn't do a thing. The ghost had proven as much. No, he needed his gear if he wanted any chance to take this abomination down. But with nothing more than a busted blaster to fight the timberwolves, he was already under-equipped to start with. But even the malfunctioning weapon was no longer with him, which only left him with one option: retreat, regroup, resupply, and take this ghost down for good.
With the rough outlines of a workable strategy beginning to form, Rolling Stone charged the ghost a final time, tackling the thing with enough force to break its skeletal body apart once more, then made a mad rush for the door.
Fully intending to bash through the woodwork, he was only half surprised when he phased through what should have been a solid surface; only further solidifying the obvious illusion he was put in.
Hopefully, the distance between him and the ghost would break this trickery of the mind and reveal the truth to him.
Rushing through the mostly empty halls of what looked like a hospital, he ran headfirst into a pair of nurses walking around a corner, talking with each other in medical jargon as one of them read something from a clipboard.
Neither of the pair noticed anything amiss though, as Rolling Stone, despite his attempts to slow down in time, barreled through them as if they weren't even there.
But one of the nurses did falter in their step, showing a full-body shudder.
"Everything alright, Redheart?" The other asked.
"Yes, I just felt really cold all of a sudden."
Both shrugged this off after a moment and carried on with their conversation, unaware of the troubled stallion as he fled away, trying to forget the unexpected and unwanted internal body anatomy lesson he just stumbled into, literally.
Whatever kind of curse that ghost had placed on him, it wasn't as shoddy as he first believed it to be.
All but flying down some stairs, he continued to run into doctors and nurses, yet all of them were unable to see or hear him as he sped past.
Thankfully he found what appeared to be the exit of this cursed place, and he dearly hoped it was also the exit out of this nightmarish illusion as he slammed into, and promptly phased through the doors and stumbled out into the empty streets of Ponyville.
Scanning his surroundings, looking for anything that could be of use to him, his eyes quickly settled on the guest house he and his team stayed at.
It was more than a long shot, with his mind trapped as it was. But if there was any chance for him to break free, then it would be there where all his equipment was kept.
Illusory weapons they may be, but they might just give him a fighting chance; to hold out long enough for the others to pull him free from this ghost's diabolical hold.
With no other options clear to him, he rushed through the empty streets towards the guest house, failing to notice the skeletal ghost standing on the hospital's roof, watching him run away while a tired sigh escaped him.
"Oh, Thanasia," said Mort. "These are always the most difficult."
<<>><<>><<>>
An uncomfortable silence had settled down over the few inhabitants of the library.
After the princesses had left to deal with Lyra, the others also left one after the other.
Applejack was the first to leave, in a hurry too, as she rushed back home to make sure her sister was still doing fine, and to take her to school under her watchful eye.
Much for the same reason, Rarity left, taking her 'sister' with her as she led her to school; keeping her pace slow to allow Sweetie Belle to keep up with her injured leg.
Next was Pinkie Pie, whose mane was noticeably limp, worrying all despite her claims that everything was Okie Dokie Lokie.
And finally, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash left together; the latter accompanied her friend back home so she wouldn't be too frightened.
Now mostly alone together, the sole exception being Spike who had sulked back upstairs to return his board game, Danny and Twilight sat next to each other on the couch.
Danny, slumped down, head lying on the backrest, stared at the ceiling as he released a tense sigh but remained otherwise quiet.
Twilight, far tenser than Danny, nervously flicked her tail as she mulled over everything that had happened in such a short time, while also putting in perspective all her interaction with Princess Celestia over the years.
She, too, released a tense sigh.
"So," Danny started. "About that calm and boring day, we agreed upon this morning? Can't say we're off to a good start."
Twilight seemed to deflate upon his words, sinking into cushions.
"No. No, we're not," she agreed. "The ghosts were bad enough, but now Discord. And after everything you pointed out with Princess Celestia… I just don't know what to make of it anymore."
"Yeah…" Danny snorted. "About that. Who even is Discord? I get he's a reality-bending jerk, and I had some one on one time with the guy, but seriously… Who is he? What even is he? What is the story behind him?"
"Honestly, I don't know. There is little known about where he came from, and even less about why he does what he does. What we do know is what is told by the princesses. They both fought him over a thousand years ago, only able to defeat him with the power of the Elements… Which, as it turns out, no longer have much of an effect on him…. Nor are they any longer complete, meaning any help they could have been, is lost to us now as well."
"So millennia plus old overpowered guy with shady past and origin, and the only credible source of info being the two mares who fought him back then; one of whom has proven to be a less than reliable source of wisdom. Does that sum it up?"
Twilight opened and closed her mouth several times, face contorting with several expressions before she sighed deeply, head hanging.
"Pretty much, yes."
"Wonderful," Danny muttered with as much sarcasm as he could.
"... I really hope things are not as bad as we fear them to be, but the way things are now it's really hard not to think this is a prelude for something much worse still to come."
"I know the feeling all too well."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the two, with only the muffled sounds of Spike above putting back the game he tried so hard to find to provide some distraction.
"Alright… Gotta ask," Danny said suddenly. "What about the bed?"
"Eh… bed?" Twilight faltered, confused.
Danny gave a nod towards her bedroom.
"Can't say I'm an expert, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't made to fit a grown human like me before Discord did what he did." A blush quickly began to turn Twilight's face a deep crimson. "Nor did he turn it back, as far as I know. So, more out of curiosity than anything else, what about the bed?"
"Ah, yes. Ahum," she quickly turned away to hide her flushed cheeks. "I don't know, really. Though with Discord having done… that, I won't step back in there without worrying it is some kind of trap or another," she sighed tiredly. "Which means I also need to buy a new bed," she added in sudden realization.
"... I could move to the couch if you need the guest bed," Danny was quick to offer.
"Absolutely not!" Twilight protested. "I'll just go and buy a new bed today, and have the one Discord altered destroyed."
"Fair enough."
Some ruckus came from above, and both Twilight and Danny turned to the stairs as Spike slowly descended; muttering to himself while clapping some dust off of his hands.
"Is everything alright, Spike?" Asked Twilight.
Spike slowed down as he looked at her. "Top shelf. No ladder. No help."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Spike. With everything going on right now-"
"I know. I know," he sighed, shoulders sagging. "Still, it would be nice if everypony would think about the little guys around here every now and then."
"You know you could have asked for help from the tall guy around here, right?" Danny remarked matter of factly.
"I, eh…"
"Never thought about that, didn't ya?"
"But- but you were abducted by ghosts and Discord, all on the same day. There was a guard watching you and everything."
"True," Danny nodded.
"So, ehh… I could not just go and ask you to help after all of that."
"Fair enough," Danny shrugged. "Still, just saying."
"Why don't we change the subject?" Twilight suggested. "Spike, seeing how I need to go to town and buy a new bed, why don't you and Danny come along. I'll even buy you your favorite ice cream as a thank you for all your hard work."
"Now that's more like it," Spike lit up with excitement. "But… What about your old bed?"
Twilight snorted. "After Discord messed with it, I'm not touching it with a fifty-foot pole. It has to be destroyed."
"Makes sense," he replied, walking the last few steps down the stairs.
"Question," Danny said. "Why am I going along as well?"
"What do you mean?" Twilight turned to him, confused. "After what happened, you can't just stay here, alone. What if something were to happen to you again?"
"I can take care of myself, you know," Danny crossed his arms.
"Obviously," Spike agreed with him.
"I'm not denying that," said Twilight, "but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to watch out for you?"
Danny opened his mouth, paused, blinked, then slowly closed his mouth again.
"Got me there," he admitted.
"So why don't we try to salvage what we can of the day and not have any other crazy thing happen to us?"
Danny couldn't help but flinch, and his and Spike's eyes locked for a moment; both clearly thinking the same.
"Why do I feel like saying that out loud is just asking for trouble to come our way?" Danny responded.
"Danny's right, Twilight. That's like saying: What's the worst that could happen?"
Now Twilight flinched, and she gave a sheepish grin at the two of them.
"Right, sorry. No need to tempt fate any more than it already has been, right?"
"Right," Danny nodded. "Just some shopping, nothing more."
"Right," Twilight agreed.
"And ice cream," Danny added.
"Can't forget about that, yes."
"No need for this to become weird in any way."
"No."
"Just you, me, and Spike, out shopping."
"Yes."
"Sounds like a plan."
"A perfectly normal plan."
"Yes."
"... You guys are acting weird," Spike said, looking at the two weirdly.
"Yes, perfectly normal in every way possible," Danny gave a nod.
"Just the tw- three of us, shopping. Nothing weird about that," Twilight said with a slight stammer, blushing faintly.
"Are all adults this weird?" Spike asked.
"Yes," Twilight answered. "Perfectly normal."
With a groan, Spike facepalmed.
<<>><<>><<>>
Some time had passed since Danny discovered Bon Bon's secret, and found the life books of Spring Breeze and Apple Pie. And now, flying past the outskirts of town under the cover of invisibility, he made his way to Sweet Apple Acres with both lifebooks held under an arm.
After some consideration, he decided it would be best to give Apple Bloom her book first, and the best way to do this would be to hide it somewhere where she could easily acquire it without too much suspicion.
The thought occurred that he could give the book to Devora, who could give it to Apple Bloom, but Rarity wouldn't let her out of her sight for more than a moment. Besides, it would be difficult for her to hide the book on the way to school.
On the subject of school, Danny spent a good moment trying to figure out why any of them would even consider sending the fillies back so shortly after being 'abducted' and 'saved' from ghosts.
He did ask. Or, his double still in the library asked. The answer he got from Twilight left a bitter taste in his mouth: "If we don't, the ghosts have won."
While glad to see she, and in extent, the others took his advice to heart, it still left him wondering. Not showing fear is one thing, but this seemed just unnecessarily reckless. And that was not even taking the new development with Discord into account.
Then again, back in Amity Park people also seem to shrug off most of anything, ghost-related, unless it was affecting them immediately.
Either way, it did provide him with the possibility to get Apple Pie's lifebook to Apple Bloom, so he just shrugged and moved on. Though not without wondering how this could become a potential disaster waiting to bite him in the ass.
As for his plan, it was as simple as he could make it. Hide the book in the filly's treehouse where it couldn't be easily found by others, have his double inform Devora where to find it and what it is, then hope this actually goes down without anything going wrong.
At least the book itself added a layer of security to this plan by being completely blank should anyone else but Apple Bloom try to read it. Except of course any other Apples, Pinkie Pie, or potentially Maud. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Not until it was safe for him for them to read it and discover a terrible truth.
Maybe he should stay and watch just to be on the safe side?
Focusing his thoughts, he passed the school at the same time he heard a couple of young voices, and a few older voices shushing the younger.
Slowing down, he looked at the dirt path leading to town, seeing a small group of ponies approach; four foals and three adults. One of the adults was a purple mare with a two-toned pink mane he recognized as Cheerilee, the school's teacher.
"Guess school's about to start, huh," he remarked, watching as they drew closer.
Not feeling like sticking around and trying his luck, he quickly resumed his flight and reached the orchard several minutes later.
Again he saw a couple of ponies move to the school. This time he knew all of them, with Apple Bloom walking between Big Mac and Applejack; the latter showing obvious signs of having rushed back home from Twilight's place so she could be present to escort her younger sibling.
Watching the trio leave, he made his way over to the treehouse and the still scorched trees.
Phasing through the roof of the fillies' clubhouse, he looked around for a suitable spot to hide the book.
Now with the fillies' previous attempts at earning their Cutie Marks, using all kinds of tools and items in their quest, finding a suitable hiding spot was not too difficult. Most of said items were all haphazardly pushed inside a large storage chest, and anything too large to fit was shoved in a corner of the room.
But just putting Apple Pie's lifebook amidst a pile of rubble didn't feel right to Danny, even though he knew Apple Pie would have laughed about it had she known.
But all haphazardly stored junk aside, there was one corner of the clubhouse that was relatively free of such chaos. The fillies' planning area; a desk with two drawers underneath, placed against a wall, covered with crayon drawn plans for their Cutie Mark crusades.
Only for a second did Danny stop to wonder why one of those plans involved a hydra, several rolls of sticky tape, a ruler, a fishing pole, and corn on the cob.
Then he remembered what they did for their ghost hunting Cutie Mark, and the mess they got themselves into because of it.
"Those fillies have too much free time," he murmured.
Drifting over to the desk, he pulled open the left drawer. Finding several scissors, rolls of tape, paper, crayons, markers, a rainbow-colored wig, a cob of corn, and a few miscellaneous items, he carefully pushed the stuff aside to make room for the book, then shifted some of the stuff back over it.
"Not perfect, but it will have to do," he said, closing the drawer after taking the corn with him.
A quick flight back to town, stopping for a moment to throw the cob in some bushes, he then made his way to Bon Bon's candy store.
Phasing through the structure, he soon found himself in Bon Bon's secret basement room.
Dropping to the floor, he walked to the table and the various files detailing him, his life, and anything ghost-related were still lying on it.
Frowning, he shifted through the contents a bit just to get a better understanding of what it was she, and to an extent Celestia, already knew.
"Mostly loose ends and unreliable accounts of hysterical witnesses. Some stuff of those Ghost-Keteers. Nothing conclusive… yet. Though if this is what they already have, and considering Maud as well…"
Returning the files as best as he could to their proper place, he placed Spring Breeze's lifebook on top of them.
Looking around, he found a pencil on a nearby shelf, and an empty scroll as well.
Ripping the parchment in half, he quickly wrote a note on both. Then, folding them double, he put one between the last page and back cover, and the other on top of the book.
"Just hope this will be enough," he murmured as he flew back up, leaving the room hidden underneath the candy shop behind.
<<>><<>><<>>
A murmur of voices with various levels of excitement flowed out of the school's only classroom while, outside, Cheerilee spoke with the parents and legal guardians of the foals under her care.
Of course, recent events were hard to ignore, and everypony needed some kind of reassurance their foals would be safe, and Cheerilee did the best she could to provide these reassurances, with various levels of success, depending on whose parent she had to talk to directly.
As for the foals themselves, they all reacted to the recent developments in various ways befitting of their personalities mixed with a childlike naivety. With Snips and Snails barely acknowledging anything even happened, and animatedly discussing the intricate details of their pet rocks' lives, while Pipsqueak and his friends were shooting back and forth one crazy conspiracy after the other, gradually becoming more and more ludicrous as they continued.
In the front of the class was Silver Spoon, sitting still and quiet, looking at the board while she, quite surprising to most had they actually paid attention to this instead of the recent ghostly activity currently demanding attention, sat just a bit further away from her friend than normal.
Speaking of her friend, sitting somewhat hunched forward, Diamond Tiara showed the image of disinterest in anything around her while glaring daggers at Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo whenever nopony was looking.
As for the three fillies her ire was aimed at the most, they quietly talked with one another while Devora looked around the room with confusion and suspicion; her gaze drifting over to Diamond Tiara regularly whenever she felt the telltale jab of anger every time she glared at her.
This was one to keep an eye on.
Right now though, there were other matters to deal with.
"Ya mean Danny left a book fer me back in tha clubhouse?" Asked Apple Bloom, her voice mixing with the drone of the others talking.
"That's what I said, yes," Devora replied flatly.
"What's it about?" Scootaloo butted in.
"How would I know?"
"You talked to him," Scootaloo argued.
"He only told me where he put the thing. Didn't have much chance or time to say anything more. Too many eyes on us."
"Ah guess Ah'll find out after school," said Apple Bloom.
"Yes. About that. What are they teaching here?" asked Devora.
"Eh, a little bit of this. A little bit of that," Scootaloo shrugged. "Never paid much attention to it."
Devora was about to reply when a hoof pounding on the floor drew every pony's attention.
"Okay class," said Cheerilee, standing before the chalkboard. "I know that a lot of frightening things have happened. To some more than others," she briefly glanced at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, "and it is understandable you're all feeling the need to talk about this. But please, don't all shout over one another."
Several hooves were raised by the foals.
"And of course you all have a lot of questions. So why don't we start today by talking about what has happened and putting your worries to rest."
"What kind of ghost did Bulk Biceps see?" Snips half-shouted without waiting.
"I heard it was a massive ghost with six heads that tried to eat him!" Button Mash called out.
"No, it wasn't!" Featherweight countered. "It was a bird-like specter that tried to capture Bulk Biceps and take him back to its nest."
"Really?" Gasped Peach Fuzz.
"Now, class. Please don't say things that aren't true," Cheerilee called out, but her words fell on deaf ears as more and more wild fantasies were brought forth.
"And welcome to Ponyville's school," Scootaloo groaned quietly, hoof pressed against her face while Devora could only look and listen in bewilderment as, once again, the ponies around her began to talk, then shout over one another.
"Is this normal?" She asked, the shouting masking her question quite well.
"Pretty much, yeah," Apple Bloom confirmed.
"... You ponies are weird."
"Never said we weren't," Scootaloo replied. "So better get used to it, ‘cause there is still more to come."
"That's what worries me," Devora sighed, then felt another jab of emotion coming from the pink filly upfront. "A lot."
<<>><<>><<>>
Sitting completely motionless, eyes closed, Bon Bon fought every urge to groan, facehoof, strangle Lyra, or an unholy combination of the three as both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna brought judgment down on the mint green unicorn at the center of attention.
It didn't help in the slightest that this center was also covered with all of Lyra's notes. Or, as they were called now, incriminating evidence.
Evidence which was now skimmed through by both princesses, before being collected by the two guards with them.
"It would seem this is not a minor obsession as I previously believed it to be," Princess Celestia spoke as she deposited a note on the growing pile, instantly grabbing another. "Intruding into the privacy of mister Manson in such a way; making notes of all he does."
"It does almost warrant a compliment with how extensive these notes are," Princess Luna commented. "Almost."
"Yet the extent of it all borders on the fanatic," putting all the notes she held in her magic down, Princess Celestia looked down on Lyra. "Lyra Heartstrings, the worrying amount of notes you've made during the short time mister Manson has been in Ponyville is nothing short of disturbing. And to go through them all in detail will take more time than my sister and I can spare as of now. And with no proper place to incarcerate you until such time found within Ponyville, I have no other choice than to have you taken to Canterlot for the duration of the investigation into this matter."
"Wha- But- I mean- You- I-"
"Lyra, please, just shut up," Bon Bon groaned.
"Lyra Heartstrings," Princess Celestia spoke with full authority. "You are hereby under arrest for the unlawful intrusion into the personal life of Danny Manson. You have the right to an attorney, which I suggest you take. And know that everything you say can, and will be used in this investigation."
Lyra's pupils had by now shrunken to pinpricks while she started to hyper-ventilate.
"Princess Luna," Princess Celestia turned to her sister. "Could you please take Miss Heartstrings to Canterlot while I take care of matters here?"
"Very well," Princess Luna replied with cold detachment.
A moment later she and Lyra vanished in a burst of magic.
"Guards, secure all evidence and have it prepared for transport to Canterlot."
"Yes your majesty," both guards confirmed.
"As for you, miss Bon Bon. Is there a place where we may talk, privately?"
"Y- yes, the kitchen."
"Please, lead the way."
Leaving the guards behind as they collected the notes still scattered around, Princess Celestia and Bon Bon entered the kitchen.
No sooner had the door closed, Celestia cast a spell to soundproof the room.
"We can speak freely here," she said. "And I would like to know how this was allowed to continue for as long as it has, agent Sweetie Drops."
"I honestly have no idea, Princess," Sweetie Drops sighed, shaking her head. "Lyra did have a fascination with humans ever since the first tear opened. And in all that time since then, she has kept tabs on just about everything related to humans… But only humans. Which was fine, if a bit annoying every now and then. We all need a hobby after all. But when Danny came to Ponyville, and when it became known he would live here things quickly spiraled out of control, despite my best efforts to keep her out of trouble. And, well… You have seen the result."
"So I have," Princess Celestia said humorlessly. "And while this is a gross invasion of privacy, under the circumstances it may be a lucky break as well."
"I know what you are thinking, Princess. And all hypocrisy aside, very little of what Lyra has written down is useful to us. I can tell. I had to sit through an entire lecture of her findings, and most are warped by biased opinions. Though at the least it does provide a somewhat accurate timeline of Danny Manson's whereabouts in Ponyville, with only a few discrepancies that drew some minor attention. Though their context is mostly missing, or misunderstood by Lyra and thus can't really be linked with anything relating to the ghost sightings."
"I see," Princess Celestia said. "Even so, I will have others go through these notes. Perhaps some new insight can be found when more information becomes available. And speaking of which, has your own investigation revealed anything yet?"
"No, Princess. My own investigation started this morning, shortly before you and your sister arrived. I searched Danny Manson's house while he was away, but found nothing other than what one would expect of a recently occupied residence. Very little in terms of personal effects. Though there was a clear sign of some kind of struggle, consistent with the reported encounter of a ghost and the Ghost-Keteers."
"So much remains shrouded in mystery," Celestia hummed. "And about his personal effects? Little as they may be, was there anything you could deduce from them?"
"I'm afraid not. In fact, the only items I could find were his clothes, and all were brand new. Made by Rarity, in fact."
"You mean he brought nothing with him? No photos of friends or family? No mementos of his former home? Anything?"
"Nothing I could find on short notice, no. Which, admittedly, is strange. Though I have yet to start an in-depth investigation. And mister Manson did have a rather… busy schedule ever since he arrived here. It may be possible that any belongings he took with him are still waiting to be unpacked."
"Maybe, but still…"
"Princess," Sweetie Drops began, hesitating a moment. "I understand the investigation takes priority, but Lyra… I can't just ignore this either."
"I understand this is a difficult situation for you. However, you knew the risks involved by engaging in a romantic relationship despite your situation, and the life you live because of it. The fact that Miss Heartstrings is taken into custody does not change the situation, and you have one advantage over any other agent that makes you ideal for this operation; you are from around here, and as such can move around without drawing the kind of attention a stranger would."
"I… I understand, Princess," Sweetie Drops said, pushing her own feelings about the matter behind a facade of professionalism.
"As for Miss Heartstrings. Due to the overwhelming evidence, and being caught in the act of stalking mister Manson, she will be incarcerated pending the investigation. And she will be limited in the ponies she is allowed to see during this time."
"I… of course, Princess."
"I do believe that would be all, unless you have anything more to add."
"No Princess."
"Very well," with a flash of her horn, the spell Celestia had cast dispersed.
Opening the door, Celestia returned to her guards who, having finished their task, stood at the ready beside a sizable stack of papers.
"Miss Bon Bon," she looked at the mare behind her. "I do want you to know I regret the recent course of events. But I cannot in good conscience ignore what has happened here. I hope you understand this."
"I do, Princess," Bon Bon said, eyes downcast.
"Very well," Princess Celestia turned to the guards. "Ready yourselves for a long-distance teleportation."
"Princess," both guards stood straight.
A moment later, they, the notes, and Princess Celestia vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving behind Bon Bon in a now far too empty, far too quiet house.
For several minutes Bon Bon stood motionless, not making a sound. But then, with a heavy, heartfelt sigh, she turned to look at a framed picture on the wall depicting herself and Lyra; leaning into each other while smiling at the camera during their vacation several years ago.
The couple's joyful smiles as they stood on a white beach, both wearing wide-brimmed straw hats, enjoying life without a care in the world, a distant dream as the troubled reflection of Bon Bon gleamed in the glass.
Of course, the princess was right. She always was. She chose to allow Lyra into her heart, despite the life she lived. And now, in ways she couldn't have foreseen but should have expected nonetheless, somehow Lyra was facing charges for a crime they both committed.
The only difference was that she, Bon Bon, was ordered to do so.
The hypocrisy made her feel sick.
Her ear twitched as she became aware of the voices outside.
Already a small number of ponies had gathered and were discussing what they saw, what they thought they saw, and why they saw what they thought they saw.
Already, the rumor mill was working at full power.
With another sigh, she tore herself away from the framed picture. There was still work to be done, and as much as she loathed to do so, she would still do it.
She had to.
And as the ponies outside continued to twist and turn the stories they had just heard a moment ago, nopony noticed the shamefaced mare as she left through the backdoor.
<<>><<>><<>>
Seated behind a table covered with numerous devices, a laptop, a half-full mug of coffee, and an almost empty can of the dark brew, Tucker stared intently at the numbers and values scrolling down the screen as his laptop ran a diagnostic on one of the scanners connected with it.
With a ding his system displayed an alert, and for a moment Tucker looked at the screen, then slumped back in his seat with a deep sigh.
"The same thing again?" Asked the light gray unicorn mare next to him.
"I'm afraid so, Technal," Tucker groaned as he pulled off his barrette and combed a hand through his short hair.
"System check complete. All systems pass," Technal read the prompt displayed on the screen.
"As far as I and my system can tell, there is nothing wrong with these devices. Not even those modified by the Ghost-Keteers out in the field. Yet everything I was told and read in the report indicates this is not the case. So obviously I'm missing something."
Absent-mindedly he grabbed his mug and drained its contents, then grimaced at the cold coffee.
Putting the mug back with a grunt, he leaned back into his chair.
"So far I have ruled out internal malfunctions, both hardware, and software. Which means there could be a more severe problem hidden within the code that would cause this to happen. However, considering that the equipment back home runs on the same software, and it does not have these problems we can almost certainly rule out a programming error."
"However, these devices have been modified to some extent so we ponies can use them. Maybe the problem lies there?" Technal suggested.
"I doubt it," Tucker said, scratching at his jaw. "There were modifications to the casing and some of the buttons to make it easier to hold and manipulate the devices with hooves, but nothing that would warrant a complete redesign. A functional cosmetic alteration that did not change anything about the inner workings," he paused mid scratch. "Except one."
"Which is?"
"Magic," he replied as he looked for, found, then grabbed his backpack. "We had to modify the sensors in all equipment to recognize the magic of you, ponies. This is so it wouldn't cause a false positive as the system got confused, and instead ignore the energy signatures you all emit. But this was as new to us as this technology was to you," he pulled a small triangular device out of his bag, two folded antennas on its top. "I bet the fault can be found there," he said, placing the device on the table, raising both antennas, then connected the device with his laptop and opened the appropriate program.
Several minutes passed as his fingers danced over the keyboard, then the device beeped to life; three LEDs flashing intermittently, two red, one green.
Eventually, only the green led gave light.
"Okay, the magical background field this world has is reading as expected. No strange deviations there."
"Incredible," Technal said, awed, looking at the device with large eyes. "Studying the background field would take several highly skilled mages working together, yet you do it with this little device and a few button presses."
"It really is not all that impressive, honestly," Tucker said somewhat dismissively, still looking at the screen. "Magic, as incredible as it is, is at its basis a form of energy. Spectral energy is, as the name implies, also energy. So is electricity, or nuclear decay. And all have their own structure and signature. The trick is picking up on these variations and differentiating between them… Which is where things may have gone wrong."
"It is more impressive than you say it is," Technal shook her head. "To do those things, to understand them, not everypony, not every human can do that. And it certainly does not come as easy to others as it does to you."
Tucker paused, blinked, then looked away from his screen.
"That… Yeah, can't really argue with that," he had to admit. "These things have always been easy for me, huh."
"That's what impresses me so. You do these things as if it is nothing, while everypony else can only stare and wonder how you do it."
Tucker chuckled at that. "Yeah, sounds familiar," he grinned at the memories this brought back.
Shaking his head, he refocused on the problem at hand.
"But getting back on topic. As I said, the background field is consistent with the previous reading, meaning the issue may be found in the personal field each and every pony emits," he typed on his keyboard. "Okay, I'm going to need your help here for a bit. Could you cast some magic on this detector? Anything will do."
"Of course," Technal happily complied, and a moment later a magical aura encased the detector.
"Okay, let's see what we're working with here," Tucker hummed, watching the program run its analysis. "This will take a few minutes to get a proper reading. That won't be a problem, right?"
"Please, this is nothing," Technal waved him off.
"Okay… While we wait, may I ask how things are going over at the tear facility? The last time I was there, without just passing through in a hurry, it was a bit of a mess."
"Don't remind me," Technal replied bitterly. "That ghost did a lot of damage, as you saw yourself. Luckily nothing like it has happened there since, but… Well, you know. We are here right now for a reason."
"Ain't that the truth."
"But besides all of that, the repairs have almost all been completed. Mostly cosmetic stuff that still needs to be finished. Everything else is already up and running, as you must have noticed when going through the scanner."
"I have to admit, repairs have happened remarkably fast. Though considering the tear leads to your capital, that was to be expected. Especially in light of recent events."
Ding
"Ah, let's see what we've got here," Tucker said after the program notified its completion of the scan. "You can stop with the magic, by the way."
Intrigued, Technal moved closer to his side to better see the results herself as well while her horn stopped glowing.
"What does it say?"
"Hmmm," Tucker didn't answer immediately, scrolling through the list of readouts instead. "Ah, look here," he tapped a finger against the screen. "This is a graph showing the values of the ambient background field. And this is one of your magical signatures. Overlaying the two, there are some minute differences."
"Well, yes. That should be as expected," Technal commented as she looked at the graphs. "The ambient field is mostly uniform, with very little fluctuations unlike that of magic-using creatures, where the amount of magic used causes variations. Though there are some known areas where the field isn't always uniform."
"Wait, what do you mean with that?"
"With what?"
"With the field not always being uniform."
"Well, I don't know much about it. I'm not a mage in that sense of the word, but everypony either learns or hears about it from others that sometimes, in certain areas the field is either stronger, or weaker. No pony knows why this is, though."
"... It would have been really useful if I had known this earlier," Tucker remarked, voice flat as he eyed the various devices he had already worked on.
"Huh, why?"
"Technal, all these devices have been calibrated to ignore the magic field using a set baseline of a uniform field. And now you say the field is not always uniform. You do see the problem here, right?"
Silence.
"Thought so," Tucker shook his head. "Which also means any and all readings you have found could be wrongly interpreted by the scanners, depending on the field. Meaning false positives or ignored signatures mixed in with accurate scans."
Technal's pupils had shrunk to pinpricks as the full ramifications came through.
"I'm going to need a detailed account of all known fluctuations in the background field. Now!" He shot at her.
Technal shot into motion, leaving the room in a full out gallop, leaving Tucker to sigh and shake his head as he looked at the screen.
"Who knows what may have slipped through because of this?" He wondered. 'And is it the reason you are doing what you're doing as well, Danny?'
<<>><<>><<>>
Hanging unseen on the ceiling of the tear facility, Vlad's command and relay drone received new data from the drones under its control.
Minutes passed as all information was received, compressed, and stored; waiting for the next window of transmission while it observed the creatures down below; studying their behavior, their patterns, and everything else of interest within its set parameters.
Eventually, the tear opened again, and it quietly dropped from the ceiling, unfolded its mechanical wings, and, with a whisper-quiet buzz, flew through.
Immediately it began to transmit its stored data while the humans and creatures of the other world down below slowly moved through to one side or the other.
A ping came, informing the drone the transmitted data was received.
Flying back through the tear, the small machine returned to its spot on the ceiling, deleted the data from its limited memory, and resumed its task of watching, waiting and collecting information.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Vlad dear," the cheerful voice of Madeline Fenton called out as her holographic representation materialized into being. "New data from the Equestria-located drones has been received."
"Hmm," Vlad Masters hummed, standing before a window in the small but lavishly decorated apartment, watching the proceedings of repairs of his mansion with his hands on his back. "Anything of interest?"
"Several drones have found numerous traces of subject Danny. A good number of these drones have also found several strong signatures of the native equine showing spectral energy readings, placing both together."
"So he has found this creature," Vlad said with frustration.
"Additionally. Numerous drones have reported subject Danny to be present on numerous locations at the same time, though with a reduced signature."
"He WHAT!?" Vlad shouted, turning to face holo-Maddie. "Did he manage to master his duplication?"
"Unknown, but highly probable."
Vlad stepped away from the window and towards his computer, typing in his password and accessing the collection of files.
"Show me," he instructed.
"Yes, dear," holo-Maddie lifted a hand, and several of the on-screen files opened simultaneously. "As you can see here, here, here and here, subject Danny was detected by the listed drones, with either minute differences between timestamps, or none at all. Overlaying these recorded positions on the recorded topography, the distance between all detections is clearly too great for him to have been present at all locations simultaneously. At present, ruling out any drone malfunction, it is most likely that subject Danny has either partially, or fully mastered his duplication. And going with the data available to us at the time, subject Danny appears to be able to duplicate himself at least four to five times."
"Blasted," Vlad slammed a fist on the desk. "For years he managed to slip away, hiding like the pathetic fool he is for his guilt over Samantha's death. To think he would use this time to master his abilities. Who knows what else he has learned in these years? This could become a problem should he decide to stop hiding," he leaned heavily on his desk.
"There is more, oh future ruler of the world," holo-Maddie informed him cheerfully as she opened another file. "Here is the report from a collection of drones that detected subject Danny's presence in an untamed forest, accompanied by a massive signature of spectral origin. It is unclear if this signature is from one spectral entity or multiple as the drones scanners were overwhelmed to the point subject Danny could barely be detected."
"This reading," Vlad muttered, grabbing the mouse and slowly scrolling through the listed data. "It's immense. There is no possible way this is just one ghost… Unless…" he quickly opened an old file, and the well studied but never understood recording of Danny as he… changed seconds after Sam's death was displayed.
"It is unlikely this new reading is related to subject Danny's demonstrated energy burst recorded seven years ago," holo-Maddie told him. "The archived event shows subject Danny's energy signature, and only his, contradictory with what was recorded now."
"True," Vlad relaxed slightly, sitting down in his desk chair. "So, not another occurrence of… that," he looked at the still image of Danny, unable to suppress a shudder traveling down his spine. "Meaning this reading must indicate a group of ghosts with similar ectoplasmic signatures for them to blend together."
"Which would contradict the notion that there are no ghosts of any noteworthy numbers on the ponies' world."
"True. But what do those mutant horses even know about these things?" Vlad sneered, leaning back. "So, Danny. What is it you are doing, I wonder? Mastering your powers. Large numbers of ghosts. Interacting with a ghost pony. Questions, questions, and so few answers," he steepled his fingers together as he thought.
"Perhaps this last recording may provide some more information," holo-Maddie opened a video player, and the image of Tucker and Dani, the latter lying in a hospital bed and her head bandaged, was revealed.
With another hand gesture, the video began to play, and Vlad watched with large eyes and a wicked grin.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Just kill me now and end this suffering," Jazz struggled as she lay splayed out on the ground, puffing and panting while drenched in sweat.
"Oh stop being a drama queen and just finish your sit-ups," Valerie grunted with annoyance.
"I already did a hundred!"
"Thirty-eight," Valerie countered, voice flat, but with a subtle undertone of displeasure, "of one hundred. You're not even halfway there. So you better start moving again. NOW!"
With a strangled cry, tears in her eyes, and a building pressure to throw up, Jazz forced her tortured body back into motion while Valerie loomed over her, slowly counting up; or not at all if she deemed Jazz' struggling attempts to be insufficient to be worth noting.
For many gruesome long minutes, where every minute seemed to last forever, Jazz forced herself to move; every motion becoming more and more difficult, with no end in sight.
Had she had a moment of clear thought, her analytical mind would have worked overtime to unravel the mess of events that had led her here. As it was, all it could do was scream at her for the absolute torture she was inflicting upon herself.
But with Valerie still glaring down upon her, she ignored the screams of her body, until it would no longer be ignored.
With a retch, Jazz quickly rolled over as her stomach emptied itself.
Gasping, panting, and spitting the foul bile from her mouth, Jazz could feel her body give out and, with what little strength she had left, she pushed herself away from the sick on the ground; flopping down on a clean spot directly next to it as she sucked in as much air as she could in great heaves, eyes clenched shut.
"Not bad," Valerie commented, sitting down beside Jazz. "You managed to get much farther than I thought you would before you would pop."
Jazz didn't answer, too busy focusing on not dying.
"Heh, do I recognize that look," Valerie chuckled half-heartedly. "Here," she offered a bottle of water. "Use it to rinse your mouth. If you need to drink, take small sips or your stomach will cramp up."
Weakly, Jazz accepted the offered bottle. Struggling to push herself in a half seated position, she quickly washed her mouth; spitting the water next to the sick, then she flopped down again, chest heaving.
"Just know, this was the most difficult day," said Valerie. "Not to say tomorrow is going to be easy. Your muscles will be sore as hell, and it will be a real challenge for you to move. But taking the first step is always the hardest. Now you just need to keep moving, and I won't let you stop. And you will notice, after the first week, things will begin to come easier to you. Just a tiny bit."
"I- gha- I hate you," Jazz managed to wheeze.
"Good, use that anger. It'll help with what's to come because you still need to do nineteen more sit-ups."
With no energy left to scream, Jazz settled for a disheartened groan while her stomach churned in protest.
"Try to look at it from the bright side," Valerie said.
"What bright side?" Jazz grunted, latching on any opportunity to postpone her torture.
"You've got a friend helping you out. I had to do this all by myself."
"It shows."
"Alright then, miss sunshine," Valerie stood back up, crossing her arms, smirking ever so slightly. "Start moving!"
"Noooooo," Jazz weakly cried to the heavens as she forced her battered body to move once more.
<<>><<>><<>>
Soarin stood at attention amidst his peers; most of the survivors of Baltimare, some of them combat-hardened soldiers from other fights.
None of the recruits were present, an indication of just how serious this was, and a tense silence hung over the gathered Wonderbolts as, standing on a podium before them, scanning the stallions and mares at attention was their commanding officer Fluffy Cloud.
Calling her by that name though is a right reserved only for her family and close friends. Anypony else who tried would soon find out there was nothing fluffy about her ire, and all would refer to her as Commander Cloud
"Soldiers," she called out with a booming voice. "As you all know, I am not one known for jokes and long explanations, so I will keep this as simple as possible. Effective immediately, we are in a state of emergency and are expected to deploy the moment the word comes through. All planned time off, routine exercises, and shows are hereby canceled until further notice. The reason for this is a sudden increase of ghost-related sightings and attacks, two of which have occurred in Canterlot; one of which within the castle of the royal sisters themselves."
Despite their rigid posture, a ripple moved through the gathered ponies.
"I need not tell you just how massive a breach of security this is," Commander Cloud let that hang for a moment. "Now, past encounters with ghosts have taught us much when it comes to direct confrontation with these entities, and as such, the order has been given to avoid direct confrontation unless absolutely necessary. Our first priority will be in the evacuation of civilians and, to lure any and all spectral entities away from any gathering of civilians to aid in the evacuation. Any and all attempts to subdue and, or otherwise incapacitate any spectral threat is forbidden unless this would jeopardize the lives of civilians. Otherwise, we are to aid specialized teams of trained ghost hunters, known as the Ghost-Keteers, to neutralize this threat, and will refer to their tactical command. Is this understood?!"
"Sir, yes sir," all confirmed without hesitation.
"Now, I know most of you here have first hoof experience when it comes to ghosts; none of it good, and you either have the scars, or know those who have them to prove it. So I will make myself as clear on this as I possibly can. We are here to serve and protect, NOT to seek out a chance for any form of vengeance. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"
"Sir, yes sir." A chorus of confirmations was the response.
"Sir," Spitfire called out in the split second of silence, drawing the steel glare of her commanding officer to her. A glare she returned with one of her own. "Permission to ask what kind of ghosts have been sighted, sir?"
"That information is, as of yet, classified," commander Cloud replied after a short, tense silence. "Investigations are still being carried out, and any and all known details are on a need-to-know basis."
Spitfire gave a stoic nod in understanding, but Soarin could see she was very displeased with this.
"However," commander Cloud continued, "there is one thing that was discovered after the recent intrusion in the royal sisters' their castle that requires immediate action. The full circumstances surrounding this are still unknown to us, but the ghosts seem to have some interest in the changelings. The few prisoners captured after their invasion of Canterlot were taken from their cells. Whether this means the ghosts are working together with them, or have some other use for them is not known. But we must assume the worst. Which means that, besides all previously announced changes, all of us will be subjected to a daily inspection to confirm that we are who we claim to be. Additionally, nopony is to be alone at any time. Anypony found alone without explicit orders to do so will be suspected of either spectral or changeling possession."
"Sir, yes sir"
Commander Cloud gave a single nod of approval.
"Return to the barracks and prepare for training. We will be ready for when the call comes; we will show these ghosts who exactly it is they chose to mess with and most important above all. We will NOT let another Baltimare happen again. IS THIS UNDERSTOOD?!"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
<<>><<>><<>>
With some reluctance, Bon Bon had made her way back to her candy store and the vile secret hidden underneath. Forcing herself not to drag her hooves, she entered through the front door, made sure the sign read closed, then locked the door behind her as she stood alone in the storefront; tantalizingly sweet smells coming from the numerous bright-colored candies on display, eagerly waiting to carve a hole in the sweet tooth of foal and adult alike.
To Bon Bon however, the smells just made her feel sick.
With a sigh and downcast look, she slowly made her way to the storage room. Leaving behind the mare she pretended to be as she descended down into the basement.
Standing before the illusory wall, she unlocked the mechanism that prevented anyone access and stepped inside; the wall returning moments later.
Shaking her head, Sweetie Drops moved to the table where she had left the reports and observational notes she had made; coming to a dead stop at the sight of an unknown book, and a folded piece of parchment lying on top.
Numerous alarm bells went off, and she quickly scanned the area for any sign of intruders, then jumped into the adjacent room, ready for anything and everyone jumping at her.
When nothing happened, she carefully scanned the room for any kind of disturbance; quickly spotting the drawer in which she kept the enchanted emerald to hide her curse standing slightly open.
Slowly she moved to the desk and carefully opened the drawer, expecting some kind of trap waiting there for her.
Again, nothing happened. And she found the emerald lying there without any incident.
Confused, she slowly closed the drawer and looked for any other signs of disturbance.
Finding none, she slowly made her way back to the main room; she grabbed a weapon from the collection of tools hanging on the wall for added defense, and a small device with a fist-sized diamond embedded into it, then carefully moved towards the table where she saw the book.
Worryingly, the book's cover seemed to shift color depending on the angle she looked at it.
Scanning the intruding objects from all possible angles with the device, the embedded jewel gave a faint but warm yellow glow.
Satisfied no spells of any kind were placed upon the items, Sweetie Drops gave a cautious push against the folded parchment, dropping it on the table.
When nothing happened for over a minute, she shifted her attention to the book.
"Spring Breeze," she read aloud. "What?"
Returning her attention to the obvious note, placed by whoever managed to infiltrate her base for her to read first, she put both the weapon and magical scanner on the table. Then, with her hooves freed up, she unfolded the note.
It is time for you to learn the truth.
"What?" Sweetie Drops uttered in confusion, taking a moment to scan the note and trying to determine whose hoof, horn, or mouth writing this was, but unable to do so.
Putting the note aside for later study, she pulled the book closer to her.
One more sweep with her magic scanner once again confirmed no hidden traps were waiting to activate, and she finally opened the book.
The moment she lifted the cover, the book slammed open and a bright yellow glow came from within the pages as they rapidly flipped to the centerfold.
Sweetie Drops barely had time to shout her surprise when her mind was pulled within the written story of Spring Breeze, and the terrible truth of both their lives that she would soon come to realize.
Rolling Stone ran as fast as he could back to the guest house where he and his team had several ghost hunting devices stored, including weapons.
It was his hope that, if possible, he would be able to stall, or hopefully even stop the ghost after him. But as the situation had demonstrated, the latter was extremely unlikely.
Already proven to be near immune to physical attacks, and merely falling apart, the skeletal ghost also seemed to have at least a partial hold over his mind to create this illusion he knew he was in.
Of course he had considered the very real possibility that any weapon he might find to be completely useless, but if the choice was to play docile or fight back, he would fight; fight and hold this ghost back long enough for his team to finish the job.
A ghost who, quite suddenly, appeared before him.
"Please stop thi-" was all he heard before hard earned reflexes kicked in and he jumped off to the side, rolled over the ground, then in a single fluid motion jumped back to his hooves and ran past the entity, not giving it another second to play its mind games.
His legs pounded on the ground with enough force one might mistake it for a stampede, his eyes locked on his objective; the guest house on the far side of the road. Though as fast as he willed his legs to go, he became aware of a disturbing detail the longer he ran.
The building didn't get closer.
"I'm terribly sorry for this," he heard the ghost say, and he glanced back at the entity, seeing it slowly approach him; its bone white, slightly curved horn glowing a pale white.
A glow which, he now realized, also surrounded him.
Slowly his uselessly kicking legs came to a stop as he became aware of his predicament, hanging suspended maybe an inch above the ground.
He'd never escaped at all.
This thing was just playing with him.
"I'm terribly sorry about all this," the ghost said as it stepped into view, and Rolling Stone gritted his teeth as he glared at the spectral monstrosity. "But I really need to talk with you, and time is not a luxury either of us have."
Rolling Stone bit his tongue, not allowing the thing any satisfaction in his capture.
"There are still many ponies who I must assist to cross over, and you need to return to your body before you are separated from it for too long," the red dots glowing in the thing's sockets faded away for a moment as it blinked, slowly shaking his head. "That would certainly cause a lot of problems should this be allowed to happen. It is still far too soon for you."
Rolling Stone suppressed a grunt as he fought against his bindings.
The ghost looked at him, then the guest house he was trying to reach.
"Your team isn't there any more," he said. "They were discharged and ordered to return to Canterlot, leaving the investigation to Maudileena Daisy Pie. The weapons you brought are taken, too. Not that they would have done anything for you. They only work on ghosts. Besides, separated from your body as you are, you wouldn't have been able to interact with them anyhow."
Rolling Stone glared at the ghost when, in the distance behind it, he saw movement.
Eyes widening in shock, he saw both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, joined by a pair of guards, move through town.
"GUARDS!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "PROTECT THE PRINCESSES!"
The ghost looked back at the four ponies as they moved towards the home of Lyra and Bon Bon, and the spectral monster slowly shook his head.
"They can't hear you," he informed the struggling pony.
"Just another part of this illusion," Rolling Stone growled before he could stop himself; his mouth forcefully snapping shut the moment he realized what he had done.
"Illusion?" The skeletal entity mirrored. "Is that what you believe this is?" It blinked, looking back at Rolling Stone. "Well, you are in a dire mental state to begin with; surviving such an ordeal, some confusion is understandable," it said, nodding its head in understanding.
"My apologies, I should have known. Allow me to try this again," -it cleared a non-existent throat- "as I said before, I am the Pale Pony, the Grimm Galloper, Early Retirement, and a few other of such names, but you may call me Mort," the reintroduced Mort dipped his head slightly. "And you are not trapped in an illusion, as you believe yourself to be. Quite the opposite, really. I can assure you that everything you see and hear is as real as it can get. Though… with some differences than what you are used to."
Rolling Stone glared at Mort, but remained quiet as it spoke.
"Right now you are having a near death experience. It is why you are able to see and hear me. It is also why I am able to interact with you like this. Though normally the rules do forbid me from doing such, sometimes an exception is made," Mort explained.
Rapid pounding reverberated through the ground, shaking some loose pebbles with increasing force, as Applejack ran towards them; heading towards Sweet Apple Acres to escort her sister to school and, unbeknownst to the mare, running through Rolling Stone as he was held suspended in her path.
"Events have been set in motion. Events that have been planned and carried out for longer than you can even begin to imagine. And you, Rolling Stone, have been a part of this as well. Now it is time for you to learn a truth that will put your loyalty to the test."
Mort hung his head, sighing sadly.
"And for what it is worth. I'm sorry."
<<>><<>><<>>
Some hours had passed since the princesses left the library, and Twilight, Danny and Spike were getting ready to head into town. Or, more specifically, Danny and Spike were sitting on the couch waiting on and watching Twilight as she slowly paced in a circle while triple checking her shopping list.
"Is this normal?" Danny asked Spike. "We're only going to buy a new bed, and some ice cream after. Why the list?"
"Define normal," Spike said, flipping a page of the comic he was reading. "Compared to others?" He paused a moment, considering the other ponies he knew, "it's questionable. For Twilight? Yes it is."
"... I see."
Spike glanced over the comic at Danny. "To quote a certain unicorn: All the ponies in this town are crazy."
"Yes… I noticed."
"And all done!" Twilight exclaimed excitedly, placing a third checkmark on the list.
"You sure?" Danny asked sarcastically. "I mean, there are no less than two things we need to do?"
Twilight, completely missing the sarcasm, gave her two item list a pensive look.
"I'm quite sure. Having only two things to do does make it easier to plan out, but even then you can't overstate the importance of a well planned out checklist. It's why I triple checked everything, see," she levitated the list over to Danny, who, after a few seconds of mental facepalming, grabbed the offered item.
"First item: Leave the library and go to the market. Once there, head over to Bed 'n Scrolls to buy a new bed. See attached details for accurate dimensions," he paused for a second, resisting the urge to shake his head.
"Second item: Once the first item has been completed, buy icecream for Spike, Danny and myself."
Next, a list of the required sizes followed, which Danny skipped as it was the only thing on the list that actually made sense.
Below that, however, an additional note was written.
"In case of an unexpected ghost attack…" He fell silent, lowering the list and looking at Twilight.
"Like I said, you can't overstate the importance of a well thought out checklist."
"Okay… And I can't argue with the part about Discord, either," he muttered, glancing back down at the notes. "But what is this about keeping an eye out for a changeling invasion while you are distracted while buying a bed?"
"You can't be too sure!" Twilight emphasized by stomping a hoof.
Danny lowered the list to his lap, giving Twilight a deadpan look.
"There is such a thing as being too paranoid. You know that, right?"
"Well, to be fair," Spike said, still reading his comic. "There was the invasion a little while ago over at Canterlot. Not because of a bed, but still… It can happen."
Danny turned his level gaze to the small dragon next to him.
"Not helping."
"Eh," Spike shrugged, finishing his comic and putting it down on the sofa's armrest. "As far as lists go, this one is rather tame… or at least, one of the shortest she has ever done. So there is that."
"I'll take your word for it," Danny shook his head. "Either way, none of this even matters if the stores won't open to begin with. After all, the town did go through quite a scare the other day."
"True," Twilight agreed. "And considering how everypony used to react each time Zecora-" she faltered for a bit, grimacing while looking down, "-when Zecora came to town, it may take some work to convince everypony things are safe again."
"Hard to convince others if you don't believe it yourself," Danny argued, holding up Twilight's checklist.
"I know," Twilight sighed. "But what else can we do? Give in to our fear, and let the ghosts win? Or pretend that things are not as bad as they are, and continue our lives as best as possible?"
Unable to argue the point, Danny instead got off the couch and moved to the nearest window; looking outside, frowning.
"Sometimes," he eventually said, "all we can do is pretend everything is okay," he looked at the list he still held. "No matter how obvious the lie."
Shaking his head, he turned back around, a thin smile showing.
"Let's go shopping."
<<>><<>><<>>
"And how recent is this record?"
Tucker looked up from the scrolls laid out on the table, and at the elderly mare opposite of him.
"Quite recent," the unicorn answered with a posh accent, cold blue eyes looking through spectacles resting on her muzzle.
The mare, an expert on the magical field, as he had learned through Technal's hasty introductions, had spent the last hour explaining everything she could, with as many small words as she could stand, while Tucker tried to make sense of it all.
Technal, a little more knowledgeable about this subject, standing beside Tucker, studying the same material, looked up as well.
Now with their attention on her, the mare, Correct Measurement, took a second to straighten the jacket she wore, and made sure her mane, tied into a tight bun, was still in proper form and none of her silvery gray hair out of place.
"Okay," Tucker looked at another scroll. "And this one is from half a century ago. Correct?"
"Correct."
Putting the two side by side, numerous differences were obvious, though small enough not to really bother with it other than as a technicality. Until now.
"Are there also records from forty, thirty, twenty and ten years ago?" he asked, looking back up. "That would help in determining the pattern of these fluctuations."
"Yes, of course," she levitated away some of the scrolls not used, and replaced them with others she pulled from her saddlebags.
Putting them side by side in chronological order, a subtle shift could be seen in the data presented.
"As you can see, the magical field is mostly uniform, with only minute changes over an extended period of time."
"Yes," Tucker hummed. "But as I was told, there are areas where this is not the case. Are there any records of those places?"
"There are," Correct Measurement said, then hesitated. "But only a few, and all are quite dated. There never has been any need, besides the academic, for such measurements. The general hostility of these areas also mean such undertakings are quite risky, and rarely worthwhile."
"Understandable, but I do need to see these records."
"Of course," she nodded, and pulled an aged scroll out of her saddlebags. "A word of caution. This is one of only a few of such scrolls. Please be very careful with it."
"Of course."
Using her magic, Correct Measurement cleared the table, then unfurled the scroll on the cleared area.
Both Tucker and Technal's eyebrows rose up as they saw the data presented.
"That… It can barely even be considered the same thing compared with the other scrolls I've seen. Where does this come from?" said Tucker.
"This particular set of measurements come from the far north," was the answer. "An area once known as the Crystal Empire."
"Hold on," Tucker held up his hand. "There is an empire there? But you said such areas are dangerous… No, wait. Past tense…" he stood in silent confusion for a moment.
"Ah, yes. I see you don't know about this. Understandable," Correct Measurement adjusted her spectacles. "You are correct, of course. However, circumstances surrounding this particular area have changed… drastically."
"How so?"
"The area in question was once home of the Crystal Empire. A thriving city priding itself on, as the name implies, its crystals. Though through means unknown to me, the city disappeared a millennium ago. The only reason I even know of this is because of its significance to this particular scroll."
"It disappeared?!" Tucker said, shocked, remembering Amity Park once suffering a similar fate at the hands of Pariah Dark.
"That is what I was told, at the least. More importantly, because of this mysterious disappearance, the normally uniform magical field found there changed drastically, as you can see right there."
"So this disappearance of this empire caused such a drastic change?" Tucker said, scanning the scroll, eyes slowly widening as familiarity struck. 'A city with crystals. Like Wulf said. It can't be, can it?'
"Also, word of this has only just begun to spread, so forgive me if any details are lacking. But if word is to be believed, the Crystal Empire has mysteriously returned. True or not, I do not know. But if this is indeed the case, this will most certainly affect the magical field in the area to a most significant degree."
"It returned?" Tucker sought confirmation. 'And Wulf said some place with mind controlling crystals vanished from the Ghost Zone. It can't be a coincidence.'
"That is what I heard," said Correct Measurement.
As much as Tucker wanted to delve deeper into this, he knew he couldn't. Not yet, and instead he forced himself to continue with the task at hand.
"As intriguing as this sounds, it helps little with the current problem," he said. "More importantly, are there any other records of such areas? The more data, the better. I need to get a good understanding of the differences between the normal background field and these… Anomalies."
"There are, though I did not take these with me for the same reason I asked you to be careful with the one provided to you right now."
"It is important I get to see these other records. How soon would it be possible for me to get them?"
"Normally, between ten to twelve months after submitting a written request. But considering the emergency summoning by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, for reasons above my paygrade, considerably less than that."
"That doesn't really answer my question."
"I'll try to retrieve the requested records before the end of the day."
"I can work with that," Tucker nodded. "Thank you."
"Would that be all?"
"For now, yes," Tucker looked back down at the scroll. "This already gives me plenty to work with. How about you, Technal? You've been rather quiet during all of this."
"There is very little for me to add," she answered. "Most of this is in a field beyond me, so as far as this goes we know just about the same."
"Even then, your knowledge of magic is still greater than mine," Tucker told her. "So any insights you have that you think may be useful?"
Technal looked back at the scroll, frowning slightly as she studied the data.
"It's obviously different compared to the uniform field, but the age of this record also means it can't be accurate compared to how things are now. While useful in establishing a rough baseline, we need more recent data in order to eliminate as much interference as possible."
"That would be rather difficult," Correct Measurement told her. "As I said, the natural hostility of these places make this a difficult but, far more likely, lethal undertaking as it would take several mages working together to measure and interpret the magical field. Which may take anywhere between two to five hours, depending on how detailed the scan needs to be. They would need to be protected during all this time."
"It would take a group of mages several hours," Technal said, looking up at Tucker. "But only minutes for you."
"I beg your pardon," Correct Measurement said, shocked. "It is to my understanding humans do not possess magic of any kind. How would mister Foley be able to perform such a feat?"
"Quite simple, actually," Tucker smirked as he understood what Technal was implying. "I may not be a mage, but I don't need to be. After all-" he looked at his laptop and, connected to it, the device that allows him to scan the magical field, "-I'm a techno wizard."
<<>><<>><<>>
"There is a surprising amount of ponies out here," Danny observed as he and Twilight headed into town, while Spike rode on Twilight's back.
"Yes," Twilight noted with some disapproval. "And considering where they all are, I do wonder if they have nothing better to do?"
"How do you mean?"
"It's where Lyra lives," Spike informed him.
Danny was silent for a bit, looking back at the multicolored group who, he now realized, were all animatedly discussing something while either glancing, or outright staring at a nearby house.
"The rumor mill is in full swing I see," he remarked dryly.
"Yes," Twilight agreed. "... Let's just go around them. This is not something we want to get caught up in."
"Already am," Danny snorted.
"Any more than some of us already are," Twilight quickly corrected. "Though it is safe to say the stores will be open, too. Seeing how many ponies are out today."
"Oh, Danny!" A familiar voice called out, and a fiery red mare pulled free from the mass and moved closer to the trio.
"Hey Ruby," Danny greeted his colleague. "You're here too, I see," he gave an upwards nod at the large group, most of which were now also taking notice of him.
"Hard not to," she admitted with a guilty smile. "I guess Lyra got found out by the princesses, huh?"
"That's one way of saying it."
"Wait, you knew Lyra was stalking Danny?" asked Twilight.
"With how often she showed herself at the cafe, you would have to be blind not to notice. But for the princesses to get involved… I had no idea it was this bad."
"You don't know the half of it," Danny shook his head. "Don't ask," he preempted her question. "No need to add fuel to the fire."
"Wha-" Ruby began, fell silent, looked back at the group now watching them, then turned back to Danny. "That would probably be the smart thing, yes."
"Don't you ponies have more important things to do?" Twilight asked them, her disapproval clearly noticeable.
Some subdued murmuring, shuffling hooves and broken eye contact was the reply as some, but not all ponies broke away from the group and left.
Twilight then set her sights on Ruby, who looked away uncomfortably.
Closing her eyes, Twilight slowly shook her head while sighing away this particular headache.
"So, what have you been up to lately?" Danny asked, mostly as an excuse to get past the awkward silence.
"Enjoying the unexpected free time we have after the Crusaders'… antics the other day."
"Right," Danny groaned, rubbing his neck as he thought back. "That happened. Hard to believe that was only yesterday."
"A lot has certainly happened, with that ghost scare and all."
"You don't know the half of it," said Spike.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't want to know," Spike, Twilight and Danny said simultaneously.
"O-kay," Ruby hesitated a bit, then shook her head. "Anyhow, what are you three up to today?"
"Twilight's getting a new bed after her old bed got, well, not destroyed, but it can't be used anymore after what happened," Spike said casually before anyone else had a chance to answer. Then he noticed the looks the other gave him.
"Spike!" Twilight said, a bit louder than she intended, drawing more attention to them.
"What?"
"That's… You don't say it like that!"
"He's not wrong, though," Danny added, shrugging.
"I know," Twilight leered at him, "but it could be worded better." Turning to Ruby, she explained. "There has been a magical mishap, nothing more."
"A mishap? Danny was cuffed to your bed, and even Princess Celestia couldn't get him off because of that magic," Spike said, oblivious to his rather poor choice of words.
Silence reigned supreme as Twilight and Danny both sputtered for words; Twilight's face turning a deep red, while Danny was stuck in indecisiveness whether he should just turn invisible on the spot, or give in to uncontrollable laughter.
He knew their reaction now would only increase the misunderstanding, especially with the still sizable group of ponies watching and listening, but he couldn't trust himself to speak right now with how much his sides were shaking.
"Is there something wrong?" Spike asked.
"I… I think I should go and do… something. Yes, something," Ruby excused herself, quickly leaving the embarrassed pair and one dragon behind.
Starting with a chuckle, Danny lost the battle to contain his laughter, which lasted for several minutes before he managed to regain his composure.
"Oh hell," he chuckled, wiping away a few tears. "By the end of the day everyone will know Celestia failed to 'get me off'."
What little composure he managed to regain shattered, and laughed for a good three minutes more. All the while, Twilight stood with her hoof firmly pressed against a beet red face.
Spike, however, was completely lost in confusion.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"One day you'll know, Spike," Twilight groaned from behind her hoof. "One day. When you're older."
<<>><<>><<>>
An hour had passed since school had begun, and only now, despite Cheerilee's best efforts, the foals began slowing down enough for her to get more than two words in before another wild, shouted argument broke loose.
Breathing a mental sigh of relief, Cheerilee pounded a hoof on the floor to call for attention.
It still took almost ten minutes before she got it.
"Okay, everypony. I understand that what has happened is scary, and that you, obviously, have a lot of thoughts and opinions on the matter, but this has gone on for far too long."
She slowly scanned the room, watching the foals and seeing the questions; the need for understanding in their eyes. Something to alleviate the fear, and to stomp down the growing paranoia the over-exaggerated fantasies of the last hour had induced.
"Now, instead of shouting one wild idea after the next at each other, why don't we instead work out what really happened so we can put some of your fears to rest."
Several hooves shot up, and after a moment of silent consideration she turned to Pipsqueak.
"Yes, Pipsqueak?"
"Did the ghost really gobble up a pony?"
Giving the best reassuring smile she could fake, Cheerilee shook her head. "No it didn't," she answered. 'I hope it didn't.' She added in thought.
"No, nopony has been gobbled up by this supposed ghost. What you all need to know is that Bulk Biceps was the only one who claimed to have seen a ghost," her eyes briefly flicked to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle; the latter arching an eyebrow as she could easily tell the lies that were being told.
More hooves shot up, and more questions were asked, then answered with half truths until most of the foals had their worries put to rest. At which point, Cheerilee called for a recess to allow the foals to unwind outside, and give herself a much needed break.
She so detested the lies she told, putting up a fake smile all the while, but she knew things would be much worse if she showed her own fear and worries.
Fear and worries she knew were more than justified after both Applejack, Rarity and Bellflower gave her a rather heavily abridged explanation about last night's events.
More than once did she glance at the three fillies, and each time she found herself both surprised and confused by their… lack of response to the topic of heated discussion. Much time to dwell on this she didn't have, as the rest of the foals demanded as much, if not more attention, where she had to steer things in such a way where things could be kept under reasonable control.
Now though, with the classroom empty save herself, she had a few minutes to properly process the situation before following the rambunctious foals outside and watching over them.
Much to her relief, the last couple of hours seemed to have put the childrens' worry to rest, and they were back to their normal routine; playing tag, using the swings, going down the slide, or, in Button Mash's case, sitting in the shade of the playground's tree, playing on his JoyBoy and completely lost in the fantasy world of his video game.
However, not all the foals seemed to have returned to their normal patterns, and after a moment of searching, she was surprised, and even a bit shocked to see Silver Spoon cautiously approach Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
Of course this was not out of the ordinary per se. She was more than aware of Silver Spoon's tendency to pick on the three fillies. However, when this happened she was always joined by Diamond Tiara. And seeing her now, unsure, hesitant and alone put her worries on edge.
Quickly scanning the playground, it took her a moment to find Diamond Tiara, who was partially hidden behind the tree Button Mash was leaning against; the flashing lights and electronic beeps and bops coming from the JoyBoy completely absorbing the young colt to a point he didn't even notice.
This was most certainly a good thing, Cheerilee decided, as she saw the look of poorly concealed disgust and anger the filly bore. And shockingly, some of it seemed aimed at Silver Spoon, her best, and only friend.
Something had happened. That much was obvious. But something told her the recent ghost scare had very little to do with this strange, and worrying turn of events and she knew she had to intervene before things would develop into something much worse.
Taking a deep breath, Cheerilee moved towards Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon while keeping a close eye on Diamond Tiara.
<<>><<>><<>>
A few minutes earlier
"What is the purpose of this… recess?"
Devora looked around in curious confusion, asking the question after she, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had separated from the rest of the class. Not out of sight of anypony, but far enough away for them to talk without anypony hearing.
"Ta play," Apple Bloom answered.
"To escape those boring lessons for a little while," Scootaloo supplied.
"What lessons?" Devora turned to Scootaloo. "That shouting match all of them had just now?"
"That's not really tha best example," Apple Bloom awkwardly rubbed her neck. "Normally Miss Cheerilee teaches us about all kinds of things, like math," -Scootaloo shuddered- "or history."
"It's mind numbingly boring," Scootaloo groaned. "Recess is the only fun we get here."
"And what would I do normally during this time?"
"Mostly, Sweetie Belle an' us would come up with plans for our Cutie Mark crusades. But we play some tag or hoofball as well," Apple Bloom informed her.
"Wait, back up," Devora gave them a weird look. "Cutie Mark Crusades?"
"Oh yeah, we're tha Cutie Mark Crusaders," Apple Bloom said excitedly.
"We crusade to find out what our special talent is and earn our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo added with the same vigor as her friend.
"... Eh?"
"You know, Cutie Marks. Tha image we get on our flanks when we discover our special talent," Apple Bloom clarified.
"I know what a Cutie Mark is," Devora said flatly. "It's the crusading thing that-" she stopped mid-sentence, ears at attention. "Somepony is approaching," she told them, then turned around to see a gray earth pony hesitantly moving towards them.
"Silver Spoon?" said Apple Bloom, surprised.
"I, ehh… I… " Silver Spoon began awkwardly, rubbing the back of a foreleg while looking at the Crusaders' their hooves.
"What do you want?" Scootaloo asked aggressively.
Taking a deep breath trying, but failing to calm down, Silver Spoon discovered just how difficult it was to say what she knew needed to be said. So forcing herself to continue before she lost all her nerve, she looked up at the Crusaders.
"I… I am sorry. For, you know, everything Diamond and I did to you. I- I," another deep breath. "That's not the pony I want to be anymore."
Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were taken aback, while Devora gave Silver Spoon a quizzical look.
"What?" Scootaloo said, suspicion heavy in her voice. "You honestly expect us to believe that?"
"Is this because of what happened tha other day?" Asked Apple Bloom.
"I’m… not sure. Maybe?"
"Wait, what happened?" Scootaloo turned to her friend.
"She caught Sweetie Belle, Erlea and Ah in tha clubhouse, talking 'bout… thaings ta help them with… that."
Scootaloo was confused for only a moment, then understood what her friend was saying.
"Wait… why were you even there?" She turned back to Silver Spoon, even more suspicious.
"I-" Silver Spoon struggled, the loyalty to her friend going against her new found morality. Taking a deep breath, "Diamond and I were spying on you three in the hope of finding something to use against you. To… to put you back in place after… I don't even know anymore, really. But… but," a deep sigh. "It just didn't sit right with me. And in a way I suppose we found exactly what we were looking for," she snorted. "Diamond didn't react so well to seeing two of you two," she aimed at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "And I'm sure she's seeing changelings everywhere now; probably thinks I'm one, too."
"The pink one, huh? That would explain why she's been spying on us from behind that tree," Devora pointed out casually, then noticed Silver Spoon staring at her. "What?"
"Pink one?"
'Oh, chitin rust,' Devora cursed in thought as she realized her mistake.
She quickly, nervously glanced back at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, the latter quickly pushing in between the two while giving Silver Spoon the stink eye.
"Yes, pink one," she shot at her. "Why would we bother using your names when you two always call us Blank Flanks?"
For a moment Silver Spoon looked like she wanted to argue back. Then she looked at Sweetie Belle, and whatever rebuttal she had was lost as she hung her head, nodding weakly.
"I guess that's fair," she said, subdued, looking away.
"So ya haven't told anypony? Not even Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom asked, carefully putting herself between Devora and Silver Spoon.
"I said I wouldn't," Silver Spoon replied with a thin smile.
"I don't buy it," Scootaloo leered at her. "What're you playing at?"
"I would very much like to know as well," Cheerilee said as she approached. "You aren't picking on the others, are you, Silver Spoon?"
Startled, Silver Spoon turned around to see her teacher approach from behind.
"Miss Cheerilee," she half squeaked. "I, eh… No, I'm not. We were just talking."
"Is that so?" Cheerilee said, turning to the Crusaders and noticing both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom putting themselves between Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon. "Is this true?" She asked the fillies.
"Ah guess," Apple Bloom answered. "Ah mean, she hasn't said anythaing mean ta us. Tha opposite actually. She came here ta apologize."
All activity of the playground came to an abrupt halt, the foals frozen mid-motion in their activities as they all stared at Silver Spoon with wide eyes and open mouths.
"... How did they even hear that?" Asked Devora as she looked in disbelief at the ponies; eyes lingering on the pair seated on the swings, somehow frozen at the apex of their arch as gravity willingly ignored them just to add to the impossibility of the situation.
"She, what?" Cheerilee asked, dumbfounded.
"I- I," Silver Spoon stammered. Already quite nervous to start with, now with all attention on her, she felt herself close up completely. But as she contemplated turning tail and running, a small voice fought to make itself heard through the maelstrom of chaotic thoughts and latched onto the memories of shame, regret and a desire to do better. To be better.
Pushing past the chaos and wrestling the dominant voice of the bully she had been for so long into momentary submission, a strange but welcome calm settled down over Silver Spoon's mind and all thoughts of fleeing evaporated as she now recognized the opportunity that had been given to her.
"I'm apologizing to them," she said, head held high and only a slight waiver in her voice. "For, well, a lot of things."
Cherilee was stunned. So were all but a few foals; the exception being Button Mash, still happily playing on his JoyBoy, and Diamond Tiara. The latter obviously seething with disgust and anger, but unnoticed by all.
"That is rather… unexpected," Cheerilee said after several long seconds.
"Suspicious, more like it," Scootaloo replied, still leering at Silver Spoon.
"Silver Spoon," Cheerilee quickly interjected before things could turn sour, "what caused this sudden change of heart?"
Silver Spoon looked at the Crusaders, then at her teacher, frowning as she thought. "I don't really know," she answered. "It- I guess I just didn't like the pony I was anymore."
"Well, I still don't trust it," Scootaloo shot back at her.
"That's fair," Silver Spoon admitted, much to Scootaloo's surprise. "I doubt I would either after everything, so I understand."
"But you- eh, wha?" Scootaloo found herself at a loss for words.
Silver Spoon looked at the Crusaders, eyes lingering on Sweetie Belle for a split second longer, then she looked away.
"I've said what I needed to say. So, ehh… bye," and she quickly rushed away under the watchful eyes of almost everypony--
"Yay, next level!" Button Mash exclaimed excitedly.
--Then, not sure what to do or where to go, she quietly sat down in the shade of the school, looking off in the distance. Feeling, for the first time since earning her Cutie Mark, a true sense of pride and accomplishment.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny, invisible to all, hovered above the mass of ponies preparing to open up their shops; watching his other self walk with Twilight and Spike, a hand placed over his face while he mentally groaned.
"Oh hell," he muttered quietly to himself. "By the end of the day everyone will know Celestia failed to 'get me off'."
While able to see the humor in it when it happened, now that things had a chance to settle down, and some quiet contemplation about what had happened, he knew this, one way, or the other, would come back to bite him.
Shaking his head, he looked back at the library, frowning.
"Guess I'll deal with it when it happens," he muttered, moving towards Twilight's home. "For now, let's find some answers."
Phasing in through the wall, he quietly observed the rows of neatly organized books. Slowly drifting through the room, he passed the glass case in which the now incomplete Elements were kept. Turning around, he spotted Owlicious sleeping on his perch.
Satisfied no-one seemed to be there, he then turned to the basement door; phasing through the wood as he flew down.
"Alright," he said, "Sweetie Belle said she and her friends were trying to summon a ghost here using the Necronomicon, yet no trace of it remains. So what am I looking for, exactly?"
Humming, he hovered over to a large apparatus near one of the walls. Obviously it was something Twilight used for one thing, or the other; the metal helmet connected to the machine via several wires providing a small hint to its purpose. But more than that, as he looked around at all the other equipment, vials, liquids, parchment and other tools he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity.
"All this place needs is a ghost portal and I'd be back home again," he remarked, shaking his head.
Slowly he moved through the room, carefully studying anything that seemed worthwhile, yet to no surprise finding nothing that could provide any clue or answer.
Unsatisfied with the lack of anything that may help him figure this out, he turned back to the large machine.
"Well, at least I confirmed Twilight's a mad scientist as well. Mom and dad would love her."
Sighing, he returned back to the library and stopped before the glass case containing the Elements.
"Not sure how this fits in with any of this, though," he muttered. "If at all. Still, wouldn't surprise me if Discord taking the Element of Magic has a bigger meaning behind it. Everything else so far has," an exasperated sigh escaped him. "And instead of answers we only find more questions."
Shaking his head, he left the library, unaware of Owlicious watching him. And observing him with green glowing eyes, Necronomicon; the entity disguised as a book returning to Twilight's nightstand after he left.
"Who," Owlicious hooted softly, eyes narrowing at Necronomicon.
<<>><<>><<>>
Discord stood besides his kitchen table. The one legged piece of furniture bouncing on the spot without rest while he grimaced.
Poking at the shattered pieces of gold with a talon, Discord studied the destroyed Reality Gauntlet with equal measures of curiosity and dread.
Laying next to the shattered remains, was the Element of Magic, ignored by Discord.
Neither the shards nor the Element moved an inch despite the rhythmic movement, save for the pieces Discord moved deliberately.
Picking up a single piece of gold, Discord slowly rotated it as he studied it from all angles. Some of which exceeded the boundaries of three dimensional space.
"It just isn't possible," he said more to confirm his own denial, dropping the fragment and picking up another. "No-one, either dead or alive, has ever been able… But he is bot-" the fragment clattered to the table as Discord dropped it in shock.
"Life and death, together as one!"
Discord jumped up, mismatched eyes widening.
"Who are you, Daniel? What are you?"
Pondering this question, he began pacing around the table, then scratched his chin while grabbing a bouquet of flowers, then proceeded in flowering his waters out in the garden.
Easing back up on the flowing bouquet before the waters would end up flooded with vegetation, Discord stared off in the distance as an idea came to mind.
"You know, that may just be normal enough to work."
Tossing the bouquet over his shoulder and into the void his home floated in, he headed back inside, firmly planted himself on a sofa, grabbed a remote and activated his window.
"And now in local news," Discord said, sitting behind a desk, wearing a neat suit and wide brimmed glasses. "Progress in changelink rescue efforts are moving forwards at a steady pace, with no new deaths in the last twenty hours."
"Meh," Discord uttered, bored, changing the window.
"Are you tired of the same boring look everyday?!" The disembodied voice of Discord exclaimed loudly while another Discord, standing before a mirror, garden rake in hand while looking disappointed at his powdered wig hairdo, nodded in response to the question.
"Then I have the product for-
Discord changed the window, groaning.
"And on the left field we see Discord number twelve, playing the one dimensional tesseract over to Discord number cheesecake, while Discord number F tries to bloc- Hold on! Is that who I think- I don't believe it. Ladies and gentlemen, I see it, you all see it, but I can't believe it. Coming up from the hexagonal side is Eris number Iota, riding a purple headed, one eyed snake. This is amazing. This is unprecedented. And shame on any who thinks this is a euphemism"
"Meh," Discord changed the window again.
"Oh, strawberry chocolate. Delicious."
Discord leaned forwards, grinning.
"Oh, Sunbutt's private cakeroom! I love that show. The way she lets herself go. Record that," he pressed the corresponding button, then changed windows again right as Celestia scarfed down a two layer cake without shame or care.
Two Discords, both wearing pressed suits, stood behind a lecturn; a microphone before both as they spoke in turn.
"If elected, I promise a drastic reduction in normality, and an increase in recreational chaos."
An unseen audience cheered.
"Don't be fooled," the other said after things had calmed down, slicing his claw through the air.
"Chaos is only chaos because of normality. If we reduce this, chaos itself will be lessened as well. If elected, I promi-"
"Ugh, politics," Discord rolled his eyes, changing windows once again.
The after credits of some show scrolled sideways, then the channel's announcer spoke up.
"Alright boys, girls and adults who watch these shows as well. That concludes the season's finale of My Little Horsey. Up next, every single episode of Danny Phantom."
"Ah, there we go," Discord said with glee, then settled down with a tub of popcorn.
"Alright Danny, let's see who you really are," he said as an upbeat techno song started playing.
~Young Danny Fenton was just fourteen, when his parents built a very strange machine~
And as he began his binge of Danny's adventures, he failed to notice the glow coming from the Element of Magic.
Out of the shattered remains of the reality gauntlet, four gems lifted up.
A yellow rhombus-shaped topaz, a red square ruby, a blue circular sapphire and, finally, a red triangular ruby.
As one they drifted towards the glowing Element. Then, in a flash of light, the Element and gems vanished without a trace.
Two figures materialized in a passage with cells on either side. One of them wearing a dark cloak hiding most of his features, though a bone white, curved horn stuck out past the hood, and a pair of bone wings lay folded on his sides. A scythe also hung suspended near him in a pale white glow, mirrored by the glow surrounding the being's horn.
The other individual was Rolling Stone, thrashing in the same pale glow that held him suspended above the floor. Though his wild movements slowed down as he noticed his location and those present.
"They can't see or hear us," Mort said before Rolling Stone had a chance to say or do anything.
This became obvious rather quickly to Rolling Stone as their sudden appearance, and the ghost speaking did not elicit any reaction from the ponies around them.
"Just more proof of this illusion," he grunted, grinding his teeth.
Mort didn't reply to that, instead looking at the guards as they investigated the cells for any clue after the break out of the changeling prisoners.
"There is a lot of death here," he sighed, head shaking. "Do you know where we are?" He looked back at Rolling Stone.
"Don't play games with me, ghost," the stallion spat back, glaring at Mort.
A tired sigh came from non-existent lungs as Mort sat down, looking back at him. "What about this looks like a game to you, Rolling Stone? Is it your intangibility to most things around you? The fact you saw your comatose body in the hospital? The fact nopony but me can see or hear you? Or perhaps it is me," Mort pulled away his hood, revealing an eternally grinning skull with glowing red dots deep within the eye sockets. "Of course, I have given answers to why this is, but naturally some denial is expected. I have dealt with many ponies before you who denied the truth before them, and I shall do so again many times over long after you have moved on. But where you differ is that your time has yet to run out, which makes my task all the more difficult as I have very little time to convince you of the truth."
Mort covered his head again, standing back up.
"You see, Rolling Stone. Your time has yet to run out, but the longer you are separated from your body, the greater the chance your soul will be rejected once you return. So, no. This is not a game to me. It never was. It never will be," the usual meek tone of Mort's voice was replaced with an edge as he glared into Rolling Stone's eyes long enough for the stallion to flinch.
"Everything I have told you so far has been the truth. And you can't even begin to understand the number of rules that are bent and broken for me to speak to you the way I am. Rules that have existed for longer than your species have roamed this world, all so you will come to understand one thing. One crucially important thing," Mort paused, blinked. "The lies you, and every thinking creature on this world have been told, and the damage they have caused. So I will ask again. Do you know where we are?"
Rolling Stone snorted, cursing himself over his momentary weakness and glared at Mort.
"The dungeons underneath Canterlot," he said through teeth. "Where they keep the changelings," he paused, looking at the open and empty cells while his fellow guards meticulously scanned every inch of stone, iron and wood.
"Yes," Mort looked at the same empty cell. "Where they kept the changelings. The victims in all of this."
"VICTIMS!?" Rolling Stone bellowed, eyes burning with barely restrained fury. "THEY CARRIED OUT AN UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON THIS CITY, TRYING TO ABDUCT AS MANY PONIES AS THEY COULD AND DOING UNIMAGINABLE AMOUNTS OF TRAUMA ON ADULTS AND FOALS ALIKE! THEY ARE MONSTERS!"
"Unprovoked, you say. Untold trauma on adults and foals, you say. Monsters, you say," Mort shook his head. Pulling his scythe closer to him, he tapped the wooden handle on the floor and the ponies around them vanished.
Now other guards stood at attention near the cells, while several slumped forms lay within the locked rooms, barely breathing while heart rate monitors beeped with alarmingly slow intervals.
"Do they look like monsters to you?"
Rolling looked at the sudden change, then scoffed.
"And now you're not even trying to hide the illusion at work," he barked a humourless laugh. "Changing what you show me while I am there to see it. I've seen better attempts of trickery by foals."
"Empty bluster by a foolish mortal near the edge of death," a two-toned voice spoke, full of disgust and Rolling Stone felt a blood-freezing chill run down his spine as he struggled to see behind him. "So assured of his own ability to tell real from fake, yet unable to recognize a temporal shift while he is in it."
An ash-grey skeletal changeling slowly stepped into view, regarding Rolling Stone with unconcealed disgust as ectoplasm seeped from the being's eye sockets.
"This is the one? This servant of that tyrant?" She sneered at Mort, eyes ablaze with fury.
Mort flinched but held his ground as he looked up at the enraged reaper.
"I have no say in who is chosen. You know this, Astina."
Astina looked at Mort for long seconds, then scoffed as she stepped past him.
"I suppose you don't. Just as you had no say with them," her words came with a razor's edge, cutting deep and Mort looked at the floor in shame.
"We all play our part, whether we like it, or not."
"Tell that to Discord," Astina said with finality, ending the argument as she stepped away, phased through metal bars and entered one of the cells. Standing watch and weeping for the one whose time was running out.
Sighing Mort looked back at Rolling Stone, seeing his confusion before the stallion could hide it.
"There is more at play here than you think. More than you can even begin to imagine. All because of choices made long before your great great grandparents were even born, and they," he looked at the dying shapeshifters, "are the victims of these choices." He shook his head, silent for a moment. "And seeing them now, as they are… Do they look like monsters to you?"
"Or what about him?" Mort added before Rolling Stone could even begin to make any noise, instead bringing to attention the creature hovering near the ceiling and Rolling Stone felt another jolt shoot through his body as he recognized the Terror of Amity Park.
Astina, too, watched the human as he scanned the area, yet he showed no indication he was aware of the two reapers and soul-stripped stallion.
What happened next looked like a scene out of a nightmare to Rolling Stone as Danny Phantom's shadow moved on its own, infected the shadows of the guards on duty, then used their own shadows to engulf them, incapacitate them, and knock them unconscious before any of them could sound an alarm.
'Yes,' Rolling Stone thought, 'that is a monster alright.'
Taking the sick and dying changelings two at a time, Danny Phantom phased them out of their cells, through solid rock and to who knew where until all the cells were empty. Even Astina had vanished.
"What is the purpose of this trickery?" Rolling Stone grunted.
"You will find out soon," Mort informed him, lifting his scythe. "There is still more for you to see," and with a thud of wood on stone, the pair vanished.
<<>><<>><<>>
With the late morning sun shining down on Ponyville, Twilight, Danny and Spike moved through town at a leisure pace as they talked about nothing in particular, while also ignoring most of the stares coming from the ponies around them as word of Lyra's arrest, and the reason for which spread as a wildfire in a eucalyptus forest.
It also came as no surprise to the trio that, as they passed Bon Bon's shop, it was one of the few stores still closed.
Twilight shook her head and remarked she hoped Bon Bon would be alright, while Spike mentioned disappointment over the fact no candy would be sold today.
As for Danny, while agreeing with Twilight, and to some degree with Spike, the reason for his troubled frown lay underneath the store.
Knowing his other self would place Spring Breeze's lifebook there for Bon Bon to find, he hoped it would show her everything she needed to know. Everything she deserved to know.
He also hoped that it would work out for the better, his conversation with Discord still fresh in mind.
"Don't worry, Danny," Twilight looked up at him with a small smile, misinterpreting his frown. "Everything will be back to normal before you know it."
"I hope so," he sighed. "I could use some normalcy in my life right now."
No objections came to his sentiment, and the two continued their walk, while Spike rode on Twilight's back.
After a few minutes in contemplative silence, Twilight steered towards a store with a sign displaying the name: Bed and Scrolls.
Pausing for a moment, Danny read the sign, then looked to the store on the other side of the road directly opposite this one.
"Quills and Sofas," he read the other store front's name, shaking his head while chuckling to himself, following Twilight inside. Unaware of the subtle shift in conversation and observation as ponies near them watched them go inside, adding to the rumours that they had heard just a moment ago.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a loud snap, Spring Breeze's lifebook snapped shut and slowly fell back to the table while Sweetie Drops, now released from the grip of lost history, wobbled on the spot; eyes unfocused and mind still lost in the maelstrom of knowledge poured into her conscious thoughts.
Slowly, bit by bit, her sense of self re-emerged from the turmoil, but not how it once was.
New knowledge asserts itself against long-held beliefs. Answers to questions she never had any reason for asking. Doubt of everything she just saw. Lifelong loyalty was put in question. And a profound sense of disgust, though unsure if this was because her mind was obviously invaded, or because of everything she just saw, and what this meant for herself.
Training kicked in, and Sweetie Drops forced herself to calm down, taking long, slow breaths as she regained control over herself.
Minutes passed as she worked her mind, knowing everything she had seen- No, experienced as if she had lived it herself had to be fake. Yet the life she lived was too detailed, too complete to be mere fabrication. And it was far too familiar.
"Spring Breeze," she whispered. Who was she? Why did they have similar powers? Why did they share the same Mark? What was this mare's connection to herself?
"Wha- who are you?"
Pages rustling near her set off mental alarms, and all questions and confusion were pushed to her subconscious as she turned to face the threat.
On the table, the book that had ensnared her mind only a moment before flipped through several pages, then stopped. And even from a distance, she could see writing appearing from nowhere.
Cautiously approaching the obviously dangerous book, now expecting yet another trap despite her scanner failing to find anything the first time she looked for any magical surprises for her to trigger, she kept enough distance between herself and the book while still able to read what had appeared on the previously blank pages.
At first, she found just a few names. Names she recognized. With Spring Breeze at the top, alongside a name that could have only been of a changelin-k.
Why did she falter on that word?
She knew about the changelings. Shapeshifting monstrosities who were lost completely to the curse. Yet the things she saw, the things she experienced… It could not be real, could it?
More names appeared, and lines began to connect to and from with each new addition to the list, and Sweetie Drops quickly realized what it was she was seeing.
A family tree, starting with Spring Breeze and leading down further and further until-
No.
NO!
"IMPOSSIBLE!" She shouted, leaping back as if distance would change what was written before her. Yet despite her denial, somewhere deep down a faint whisper said: "But what if it is true?"
Slowly, hesitantly she moved closer to the book. Her mind was in turmoil as she stared at her own name on the tree, and then at the many others listed on other branches.
Some of them she knew.
Agents of S.M.I.L.E.
And if this book was to be believed, distant relatives.
"This is impossible," she said. "I need to inform the princ-" Images of a horrific battle filled her mind, friends and family being struck down, and a village destroyed.
Lifelong loyalty fought against what she knew had to be a lie, but felt deep down the truth of what she had seen, and she desperately sought an answer that would put her growing worries at ease but found none.
She gasped when the family tree faded away and pages began to flip, faster and faster until the last page turned over and the back cover lay bare.
And lying in between, a note was left for her to read.
Carefully, with a slight tremble in her outstretched leg, she grabbed the note, read it, and her eyes grew wide.
<<>><<>><<>>
"This is absolutely impossible," Correct Measurement exclaimed as she looked at Tucker's laptop with large eyes. "In-depth analysis of the magical field in real-time, with unparalleled accuracy, done in mere moments."
Tucker, leaning back a bit to hide his smirk from the captivated mare, hit a key on the keyboard.
The screen changed.
"And this is a timelapse of the last few minutes," he explained, and a miniscule fluctuation could be seen in the data presented. "Which, as you see, is not a lot of activity consistent with a near-uniform field. Of course, this is from only a few minutes. Any proper scan would require more time to ensure we get as many reference points as possible."
"Yes… Of course," Correct Measurement agreed, awestruck as she looked at the screen, then the improbably small device connected to the laptop scanning the field, then to the human seated on a cushion next to her. "And you said you made this device?"
"I did," Tucker confirmed. "Just something I tossed together in my free time."
"Something you tossed together?" She repeated, almost shocked. "You mean you didn't spend countless hours, days, months or even years to understand the basic principle underlying the requirements to scan the magical field to make this miracle device possible?"
"I think the last few hours where you explained everything there is to know about this field would answer that question," Tucker shrugged. "Honestly, all I had to work with is the data we gathered from the ponies back at Fenton corp. I just used those datasets as a reference point and worked from there. Have to say, I'm glad it works as well as it does. But then again, I am that good," he boasted truthfully.
Correct Measurement looked at him in a mix of shock, fear and newfound respect while Technal, also present in the room, looked at her idol with stars in her eyes.
"Mister Foley. Should this technology ever become available on this world, many ponies would praise you, lynch you, or a combination of both. This incredible device would make numerous jobs obsolete, while also providing an incredible wealth of knowledge at a level of detail many scientists can only dream of. The things we could learn from observing the magical field directly like this, without any form of danger, and with just a few pushes of a button… It will revolutionise a great many fields of science."
"Yeah, sounds about right," Tucker commented off-handedly. "But right now I am more interested in these wild spots instead of upturning the scientific community."
"Yes. Yes, of course. You are correct," the mare agreed, composing herself.
"Has there been any word on that front?" he turned to Technal who had informed Princess Celestia about their requirements.
"Not yet," she shook her head. "A lot has been going on, and the princesses are busy with all of it, but I don't think we need to wait too long for an answer considering everything else," she shrugged. "Just have to wait."
Somepony knocked on the door, and all three turned to the sound.
"Or maybe not at all," Technal added as she moved to the door and opened it.
A messenger greeted her and handed over a sealed letter.
Taking the letter in her magic and thanking the stallion, Technal closed the door and returned back to Tucker and Correct Measurement.
"So what's the word?" Tucker asked.
"Hold one moment," Technal said as she broke the seal and opened the letter, quickly reading the message.
"A chariot will be ready for us within the hour, taking us to the Everfree Forest," Technal informed him. "There will be a detachment of guards, of course. Providing security for the duration we will be there."
"Excellent," Tucker nodded approvingly. "And it shouldn't take too long for this scan, either. Maybe half an hour, tops, to get all the relevant data. We can use that, combined with the scrolls you have," he aimed at Correct Measurement, "to build a good model of the magical field, and its fluctuations."
"I'll see to it to get them as soon as possible," she affirmed.
"Then by the end of today we should be able to get some answers, and solutions to certain problems we have been running into," he said, avoiding the exact topic to keep Correct Measurement from panicking. "Until then," he turned back to the said mare, "perhaps you could provide us with some more insight into this magical field using the data I have now. No doubt it would prove invaluable once I go and scan the field in this Everfree Forest."
"Yes, of course," Correct Measurement agreed with measured excitement, jumping at the chance to work with such a wealth of information suddenly available and to see more of this techno-wizardry at work.
<<>><<>><<>>
Sitting as still as she could while also shifting nervously on the spot, Lyra knew she had bucked up as she waited in the far too cramped interrogation room.
At least it wasn't anything like those rooms portrayed in the movies, with a single buzzing incandescent light bulb hanging above a scuffed table to light the room, with shadow on the walls where the single poor light failed to reach, all to instil dread in those on the wrong side of the table.
No, this room was decidedly better than that, with proper lights that illuminated the room with bright, but not harsh white light. And while there was a table, it most certainly was not scuffed, dinged, or outright beaten by outraged suspects before being subdued by those interrogating them.
Even then, she had no desire to be here, and knew things would only get worse for her. The suppression ring clamped around her horn proof of that much. Not to mention she was arrested by both princesses, who also had all of her research collected.
Yes, she was truly, utterly bucked.
Without a sound, the door to the room swung open and a lean mare stepped in. She wore a neat suit, with a badge pinned to her chest, identifying her as a royal investigator, while holding a clipboard along with several papers attached to it. And held behind it, her notebook.
"Miss Lyra Heartstrings," the earth pony said with full authority as she looked at the sweating mare, closing the door behind her and taking place on the other side of the table.
"Eep," was all the sound Lyra was able to produce.
The mare showed no reaction, instead placing the clipboard before her and flipping through some of the pages.
"I must say this is a most peculiar case, even for me. Caught red hooved by both princesses, and enough evidence, of your own making, to stack from floor to ceiling. Evidence that is still being studied and sorted out. And then there is this," she pushed the notebook to the middle of the table. "A most interesting read."
Lyra looked at her notebook, trying to swallow something but her throat had suddenly dried up completely.
"Now," the mare pressed her hooves together, looking over them at Lyra, "this would normally be the part where I try to make you talk and get a confession out of you. But seeing the overwhelming evidence, testimony reports of both princesses and verbal confirmation made by mister Danny Manson of your actions in their presence, there really is no need. No doubt any further inquiries among the ponies of Ponyville would provide us with further testimonies regarding your actions and whereabouts during those times. Which, again, is a moot point because you provided us with a full report on where, when and how you made your observations of mister Manson," she tapped the notebook. "Quite impressive, had it been for any other reason."
"I- I- I-" Lyra stammered.
"Which means the only thing that might help you now would be your full cooperation."
Lyra, close to hyperventilating, looked at her notebook, to the mare before her, the clipboard, then her notebook again. Licking her dry lips in a nervous twitch, knowing there was nothing she could say or do to make this all go away.
She wasn't a bad mare. Really. She was just very enthusiastic about her research, nothing more.
Looking back at the mare before her, seeing her patient but calculating gaze, she knew there was no way out of this situation.
As if a switch was flipped all tension left her body and she slumped forwards, head flopping on the table in defeat while she looked with a vacant stare at her notebook.
"May I have some water?" She asked in a small voice.
She had, after all, a lot of talking to do.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a slow movement, Mort stepped through the countless bodies lying in the streets. Some of them moved, others didn't while haphazardly placed fires burned in an attempt to bring some warmth to the sick and dying.
"Tell me, Rolling Stone," Mort said as he stopped, a freezing edge to his voice as he watched a young foal who wriggled himself underneath his mother's leg for comfort while crying without restraint as, mere moments ago, the mare had stopped breathing. "Do they look like monsters to you, now?"
All around them foals ran from sick to sick, trying to help them in any way they could, while also keeping the fires going by burning whatever they could find.
The question was rhetorical, and Mort did not need the stallion to answer. Nor did he feel like another delusional rant from the stallion convinced of his own truth, so he kept Rolling Stone's mouth closed with his pale magic.
"Take a good look, Rolling Stone," he instructed. "See their suffering. See what has become of them. A once proud species, reduced to dying in the streets while their foals desperately try to save them."
Mort moved again, carefully stepping around those lying on the street.
Rolling Stone, pulled along in Mort's magic, had stopped his attempts to break free, looking at the horror around him in disgust.
He never liked the changelings, especially after what they had done. But this… even in illusion, nopony, no creature deserved this.
What was even the point of this atrocity?
No answer could be found as Mort pulled him further into this nightmare, eventually arriving at a far-off structure where the rotten stench of death made his stomach convulse.
But what lay inside made his heart skip a beat as his blood nearly froze.
****
In the hospital, the heart monitor beside Rolling Stone's bed gave a shrill alarm from the sudden cardiac distress, sending the watching nurse in a frenzy as she rushed to the stallion's aid.
****
Corpses lay piled up in all available space, left to rot and decay while glassy eyes stared out at eternity, yet somehow looking at Rolling Stone in anger, disgust and judgment and he tried to look away from the gruesome sight, only to come face to face with something far worse.
"DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AWAY!" Astina bellowed as she stood mere inches away from him, her empty eye sockets burning a fierce red as she grabbed the stallion's head with her magic and forced it back to the rotting bodies. "YOU WILL WITNESS YOUR BELOVED PRINCESS' BENEVOLENCE! SEE WHAT SHE HAS WROUGHT! SHE, AND THOSE WHO BLINDLY FOLLOW HER! THE PAIN! THE SUFFERING! THE HORROR! THE LIES! Overpowering Mort's magic, she grabbed the terrified stallion. "YOU WILL SEE IT ALL!" she roared.
The two vanished.
"Oh Thanasia," Mort groaned. Then he, too, vanished.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a sigh, Danny leaned against a wall as he watched Twilight meticulously measure yet another bed with a magically conjured tape measure.
Sitting on a nearby bed next to him, Spike merely rolled his eyes as Twilight put an X on a checklist she had made after measuring the second bed, and found it not to her liking.
"You know," Danny said to Spike, "it's that I know her, otherwise I would question her sanity."
"Hey, I told you earlier. All the ponies in this town are crazy."
Twilight moved to another bed and restarted her measurements.
"Some more than others, of course."
"Obviously."
Danny watched the mare for a minute, in which Twilight walked around the bed no less than seventeen times while measuring all possible sizes and updating her checklist.
"It's strange, though," Danny said.
"You're telling me," Spike groaned, rolling his eyes as Twilight used her magic to test the firmness of the mattress.
Danny didn't quite hear him as his mind wandered. "In some ways, she's almost like my older sis."
"You have an older sis?" Spike asked, and Danny's mind snapped back to the present.
"Uh, wha?"
"You said you have an older sis," Spike replied.
"Danny has an older sis?" Twilight piped up, and Danny saw her stare at him with perked ears and large eyes.
"I, euh… Yes," he confirmed with some reluctance, cursing himself for letting this slip.
"Why didn't you tell us about her?" she asked, stepping away from the beds and towards Danny.
"Why did you never tell anypony about your brother," Spike asked instead.
"Right," Twilight smiled sheepishly. "But tell us about her. What is her name? What is she like? What is it like to have an older sister? And why hasn't she visited you yet?" she asked eagerly, and Danny already saw the mare grab an inked quill and scroll from the massive collection on sale, ready to take notes while depositing a pair of bits on the counter.
"She's, ehh… Her name is Jasmine," he told them, hoping he wasn't making a big mistake. "And she's about as high strung as you are at times," he looked at Twilight, "which also made living with her a bit of a challenge. As for why she hasn't visited…" he hesitated a bit, obviously disliking the subject. "We kinda lost contact. I haven't seen or talked to her in years now. It…'s something I rather not talk about too much."
Twilight's ears now drooped down, quill held on the scroll mid-sentence, now creating a large blot.
"What? But why?"
Danny grimaced, looking away. "As I said, it's something I would rather not talk about. Especially not out here in a store," he reminded her of their whereabouts.
Twilight looked around, seeing a few other ponies in the store as well. Most of them with their ears turned to them while pretending to inspect either the beds or scrolls.
"Right. Sorry about that," she apologized, putting away the scroll and quill.
"So found a bed meeting your expectations?" Danny quickly steered the conversation away from his hidden past.
"A few," she replied, grabbing her checklist. "But neither of them meet all criteria, so it's difficult to say conclusively. What do you think?" She levitated the checklist over to Danny, who tentatively accepted it, but never looked at it.
"Why are you asking me?" He asked. "Not like I will use it. Besides, when I couldn't find a bed fitting my size, I just bought two and shoved them together. Ya know," he shrugged, "no reason to make it complicated."
"Listen to Danny, Twilight," said Spike, lying on the bed, hands under his head and eyes closed as he sunk into the mattress. "Just buy what works best, and don't worry about the details."
"But the details are the most important thing!" Twilight replied, aghast.
Danny rolled his eyes, hand against his face while Spike merely groaned.
'Yeah, that sounds like Jazz alright,' Danny thought.
"Fine," he shook his head, then looked at the checklist for a few seconds. "This one," he picked one at random.
Twilight looked, frowning. "Are you sure?"
"If it speeds up this whole thing, yes," he deadpanned.
"It does meet most of my requirements," Twilight mused, looking at the bed in question.
"Great, then no reason not to buy it."
"You know what, you're right," Twilight made her decision, beaming at Danny. "Thanks for helping me with this."
"No problem," Danny breathed a mental sigh of relief.
"Now to haggle for a good price," Twilight added eagerly.
"Oh, right. That's a thing, too," Danny groaned to himself. "Just how long will this take?" He asked Spike as Twilight headed for the store's clerk.
No answer came and, looking at the young drake, Danny saw he was fast asleep.
"Perfect," he sighed, sitting down at the foot of the bed.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a creak, the front door opened and the near lifeless form of Jazz shambled over the threshold, swaying and bumping against the door, its frame, the walls and most of everything else near her.
Yet she showed no sign of annoyance, pain, or even any semblance of awareness as she stumbled her way through the hallway and to the living room.
"Couch," she droned with a dead voice. "Couuchhh…"
Flopping down like a wet noodle on the aforementioned furniture the moment she reached it, a groan of displeasure escaped her mere seconds after impact as her broken wrist sent up a jolt of pain.
"Drama queen," Valerie grunted in annoyance, standing behind Jazz.
"My everything hurts," Jazz groaned with little energy.
"Good, better get used to it. That means you're finally pulling your weight."
Jazz, lacking the energy to even glare back at Valerie, settled for another groan of displeasure.
"And don't think you're done either," Valerie said, crossing her arms. "This was merely the beginning. And I went easy on you. From here on out, things will only get harder and harder. So rest while you can. And don't forget to eat. You'll need the energy for tomorrow."
"Why…" Jazz croaked out, little force behind her voice yet dread was abundant.
"You know why."
Groan.
"Puh-lease," Valerie said with disdain. "You think this was easy for me? Try doing this while also juggling going to school, homework and an after-school job to help my father make ends meet."
Silence.
"Thought so."
Pulling out her phone, she tapped the screen a few times, then hit send. A chime came from Jazz's phone a moment later.
"I just sent you a workout sheet with training activities you can do while home, as well as a schedule for what we will do in the coming weeks. I also included a dietary change for you to follow. We need to build your muscles, and do it fast. So any snacks you have lying around, toss them in the trash," a weak "Noooo" emerged from the pillow Jazz had her head buried in. "I've also taken the liberty to have some stuff being delivered here, which should arrive an hour or so from now. You can start with that for now. The rest is for you to do. And I will make sure you do them. Whether it will be done the easy way, or the hard way is entirely up to you."
A crack and pop filled the silence that followed, and Valerie placed a can of energy drink on the table next to the couch.
"And drink this," she instructed. "You need the fluids, and the boost of energy will help as well. Not by much, but enough to get your sweaty and sticky ass into the shower."
Jazz groaned, but little in terms of a complaint as she slowly shifted her position to what could barely pass for upright, and reached out for the can, almost knocking it over as her arm refused to move more than it already had. Then the weight of the can, feeling like an anvil, almost made her drop the sugary boost she desperately needed. But she persevered and managed to get the can to her lips, and took a far too big gulp all at once.
Coughing, sputtering, and flinching in pain from all the unwanted movement, the can did fall to the floor this time, a puddle quickly spilling out.
"Really?" Valerie deadpanned. "Didn't I tell you earlier to take small sips?" She rolled her eyes and left to grab a roll of paper towels to clean up the spill.
While she was gone, Jazz looked at her uninjured hand, seeing it shake and clenched her fingers into a fist.
Clack
"Here," Valerie said as she put another can in front of her. "Don't knock that one over, too. Made enough of a mess already," she grunted as she began cleaning up the spill before it became even worse.
Reaching out again, and now prepared for the unexpected heavy weight, Jazz grabbed the offered can and, slowly, took a measured sip of the terribly unhealthy mixture of sugar and cafeïne.
A few more sips followed before she found enough strength to talk again.
"Just how much worse will this get?"
Valerie, soaked paper towels in her hand, stood back up. "That depends entirely on you," she said. "It's bad now because you went from nothing to all of this right off the bat, which takes its toll. That, and your wrist, is why I went easy on you. It will be worse tomorrow because you will be sore, stiff, and feel everything all the more for it when training continues. But it will continue. No excuses. After a few weeks, things will level out as you get used to it, but you need to keep doing it. If you slack, even for a little bit, it will only get worse in the long run."
"Oh," the amount of dread in that one word almost impressed Valerie. Almost.
Instead, she tapped a foot once, crossing her arms, careful not to make a mess of herself while still holding the soaked mess she just cleaned up, and glared at Jazz.
"You brought this upon yourself, you realize that right? You tried to hunt ghosts back when Danny was still here, failed and didn't try again after that. Then you start this resistance of ours and, knowing exactly what this would mean, instead of preparing for the worst, you instead rely on others for all the heavy and messy work. Now your slacking has caught back up with you with a vengeance, so don't expect any pity from me."
"Nor was I asking for it," Jazz sighed, eyes closed. "You're right. Of course, you are," she shook her head. "It's just difficult accepting it."
"What is? That I am right?"
"No, that I never put in the work needed to do my job. It's something-" Jazz grimaced as if tasting something foul "-It goes against what I believe in. And not something I would ever allow to happen as a psychologist because the well-being of others depends on me doing my job right. But this… this is just as important. Perhaps even more so, and I slacked off," she looked at her plastered wrist, "and I have already paid for it. But it could have been worse. Far worse, had you not been there to save my sorry ass."
"Well this is unexpected," said Valerie. "Some honest self-reflecting and admitting to mistakes made."
"And I suppose I should thank you," Jazz leered at the smirking woman, "but after today, and knowing what is to come-"
"And looking forward to it" Valerie grinned evilly.
"-I'll instead mentally curse your existence and show a fake smile."
"Couldn't ask for more," Valerie commented as she moved back to the kitchen to dispose of the soggy paper towels. "Though," she paused mid-stride, "that smile, fake as it might be, will not be there for much longer. I can guarantee that much," and she left the room.
"I know," Jazz groaned. "Yet I doubt I do."
<<>><<>><<>>
Years had passed by in a blur, yet everything was seen in perfect clarity and Rolling Stone began to question his sanity more and more as one impossibility after another kept piling up, yet his unwillingness to give in allowed him to persevere while Astina forced him to see things that simply could not be.
A village where ponies and changelings lived together.
Ponies and changelings who worked together.
Ponies and changelings who build an entire underground village together.
Ponies and changelings who had foals together.
It was absurd. Impossible. But the worst of it had only just begun as, during a night that lasted too long, the village of Yoke was attacked and ponies and changelings fought together.
They died together.
His attempts to look away, to even close his eyes were thwarted by Astina, forcing him to see it all.
To see his princess fight Nightmare Moon, banish the fallen sister, then not long thereafter, destroy what remained of the village and those in it, killing dozens more.
"Stop this madness!" Rolling Stone grunted, fighting his bonds. "There is no way Princess Celestia would-"
"SHE WOULD! SHE DID!" Astina snapped, eyes ablaze.
"Astina, please stop," said Mort, cautiously approaching her. "Forcing this on him won't help. He doesn't just need to see. He needs to understand. But your anger, justified as it may be, only does the opposite. Please, release your hold on him and allow me to do this."
"AND LET MORE OF MY CHARGES DIE BEFORE THEIR TIME WHILE YOU TRY TO CONVINCE AN UNBENDING MIND!" Astina snapped back, seething.
Rolling Stone began to gasp as the bonds surrounding him began to tighten instead.
"HE WILL SEE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING SHE HAS INFLICTED!"
"And what good will that do when his soul is unable to return?" Mort asked, and Astina first glared at him, then the struggling pony. Then, cutting off her magic, she let the stallion fall to the ground.
"My patience ran out a long time ago, Mort. The rules be damned, I will take her down myself if I have to. Give me one reason why I should allow this mockery to continue? One reason why I should give a damn about Destiny's plans? One reason why this is worth all the suffering. Tell me, Mort. ONE REASON!"
Mort said nothing, looking at the devastation near them.
"I can't," he eventually admitted. "There is no good reason that could justify any of this. Destiny, or not. This is an atrocity that should have never happened," he shook his head and turned away from the carnage, looking back at Astina and, trying to drag himself away as quietly as possible, Rolling Stone. "But it did," he continued, and his scythe stomped on the ground before Rolling Stone's face. "And no amount of denying, shouting or crying will change that. No," he shook his head, "I can't give you a reason. But I can give you hope."
Astina hissed venomously, eyes ablaze with untamed fury.
This time Mort did flinch, and he had to force himself to stand his ground.
"I come from several days in your future. I saw what will happen, the change that has already begun. It won't be easy. It never was, nor would it be, but things will get better."
"The halfa," Astina spat, glowering. "What could that miserable pile of shame and regret do for us?"
"Not just him," Mort shook his head. "The fillies will play an instrumental role. It's why he is there, to begin with. But yes, he will be able to help."
"I'll be the judge of that," Astina sneered, glaring once more at Rolling Stone, then vanished.
Mort sighed sadly, shaking his head.
"I apologize for this. She shouldn't have done this, but I can't blame her for doing so," he looked at Rolling Stone.
"You ghosts are insane!" He spat, trying to put more distance between himself and Mort, but the scythe blocked him.
"Maybe we are," Mort mused, looking back at the destroyed village. "Some of us justifiably so."
"Please. You have me believe any of this means anything to you. All you ghosts do is cause death and destruction."
"Yet a ghost deemed to save your life."
"WHAT!?"
"Foes we are, merely because you believe us to be so," Mort said, and Rolling Stone stiffened, those words reacting with something deep within.
"When we first met, you saw your beaten and broken body lying in the hospital," Mort continued, never looking away from the destruction. "Injuries you sustained in a final stand against a pack of timberwolves while ordering your subordinate, Sound Wave, to escape with crucial information."
"How do-"
"I was there," Mort said matter of factly. "There to guide your soul to the Elysium Fields once you passed," he withdrew his scythe and stomped it on the ground between the two of them. The terrain shifted, and they stood in a clearing Rolling Stone recognized all too well. A multitude of barking and growling timberwolves advancing on a valiantly fighting earth pony. But their numbers were too great, and Rolling Stone saw himself go down as a timberwolf lunged at him. "But your time had yet to run out, and a ghost came to your rescue."
With a ferocious roar, a gigantic beast leapt out past the trees' edge, swinging a massive club of ice, easily knocking away three wolves at once. Following behind the white-furred monster, a terrifyingly familiar entity made itself known as a green glowing hound tackled one of the stunned wolves, grabbing it in its mouth and shook it apart, then immediately running for another.
The fight lasted minutes, with wolves turning to the giant and hound, yet all being knocked down, slammed away, or bitten to pieces. Bright flashes of ice blue lit up the sky as timberwolves were frozen in thick chunks of ice, and spires of frost now added new obstacles for the timberwolves to avoid.
Eventually, the fight subsided and the wolves still able to move fled the area.
The giant stood still for a long moment, breathing heavily while green glowing gashes in its fur healed, leaving no trace of any wound.
Turning around, the giant moved to the limp form lying amidst the broken pieces of timberwolves, looking at the shallowly breathing stallion as he clung with waning strength to the last edge of consciousness.
"Foes we are, merely because you believe us to be so," it said, raising a massive, blue glowing claw, and a cast of ice froze around Rolling Stone's barrel. "Maybe one day you will understand this."
"NO!" Rolling Stone shouted, shaking his head forcefully as he denied what he was seeing. "Lies! I have seen what you ghosts have done!"
Carefully the giant picked up the stallion, and then carried him near the edge of the forest where, later, he would be found by the members of his team and the Element bearers.
"Do not assume all ghosts are the same based on your experience with a small number of them," Mort said, and Rolling Stone froze once again as the words struck in recognition.
"Wha-"
"Tell me, how many ghosts do you think are out there? A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand?" Mort looked at Rolling Stone as he waited for an answer. "More? Less? Do you have any idea?"
"Wh- what do you-"
"Why not answer this instead? How many creatures, ponies, griffins, donkeys, diamond dogs, dragons, humans, whatever have lived in all of time?" Mort asked, staring at Rolling Stone. "How many of them have died? How many of them remained?"
Rolling Stone did a good impression of a fish on dry land as he tried to say something, anything, but no words escaped him.
"Ghosts outnumber the living in such a gargantuan margin it isn't even worth mentioning. Most of them chose to keep to themselves, leaving you, mortals, to live your lives without interference. The number of ghosts that took over your city was nothing more than a drop in an ever-expanding ocean. Yet this was the only true experience you had with them, so it was all you learned them to be," Mort shook his head, sighing.
"They say ignorance is bliss, but it also causes so much destruction when the ignorant refuse to ask the questions that need to be asked, and instead defend what they know as absolute truth," Mort sighed once more. "So much time is lost. So much life is lost," he looked back at Rolling Stone, empty sockets glaring into wide eyes. "But you still have time. Time to wonder, to learn, to grow, to ask. You still have time to choose."
"Choose what?"
"Exactly," Mort lifted his scythe and slashed two tears in the air. "You now must make a choice," Mort pointed at one tear. "This path will lead you back to your body. Walk through, and you will wake up believing the truth you have lived your entire life, none the wiser." He then gestured at the other tear. "Follow me, by your own choice, and learn the true truth," he turned back to Rolling Stone. "Or choose to believe everything said and done up until now is nothing but an illusion, a lie, and run. But know that whatever the choice you make, it will come at a cost." He pointed at the first tear, "Blissful ignorance, and the misery it causes." He pointed at the second tear, "Or learn the horrific truth, which you will carry with you for the rest of your days," he looked off into the distance. "Or death as you separate from your body and will either move on, or remain as that what you despise."
Mort closed his eyes.
"Now choose," and he stepped through the second tear, leaving the stallion free to make his choice.
<<>><<>><<>>
The day was slowly progressing, but fortunately for an anxious Apple Bloom school had ended without too much trouble.
Keeping Devora's true identity hidden was a difficult task, but with the help of Scootaloo, they managed to avoid disaster. And the unexpected apology of Silver Spoon served to be an even greater distraction helping to obscure any slip-ups Devora made during class.
But now she had another problem, and neither Scootaloo nor Devora could help her with it.
Finding that book Danny had hidden somewhere in the clubhouse.
She would have given a silent thanks to Princess Celestia, had it not been for everything she knew now. But she still thanked somepony for not being the Element of Honesty as it meant she could tell a convincing enough lie to her older siblings as they escorted her back home to make a quick detour to the clubhouse so she could grab some school supplies she had left there the other day.
And now with Big Mac standing guard outside, and with Applejack watching over her inside, Apple Bloom had to pretend she at least knew where to look for her 'school supplies'.
At least there weren't a whole lot of places where Danny could have hidden this book, but one glance at the less-than-organized pile in one of the corners made her hope he hadn't placed it somewhere underneath all of that stuff.
Instead, she moved to the planning desk she and her friends used to plan all their crusades so far, noticing nothing out of place, but with no other idea where to look, she could at least grab a few of the items stored there to give truth to her lie.
Grabbing some papers with half-formed crusades and putting them aside on the table, she then pulled open the drawer and rummaged inside and froze.
Applejack, already at edge, instantly noticed the shift in her younger sister.
"Anythaing wrong, Apple Bloom?" She asked, worried.
"No, nothing," Apple Bloom replied. "Just noticed our cob of corn ain't here."
"Yer, what?" Applejack asked, confused and suspicious.
"Eh, nothing," Apple Bloom quickly denied and tried to dig deeper into the drawer and bumped her nose against the book she knew neither she nor her friends had put there. "There it is," she said excitedly as she grabbed the large book, alongside a small avalanche of papers detailing their well-thought-out crusades still waiting to be tried. One of which, an elaborate plan detailing the three fillies, a manticore and a cob of corn drifted over to Applejack, who grabbed it from the floor and quickly scanned the item.
Lowering the paper, she was not amused.
"Ah better not see ya bringing in any corn an' not eat it, or there will be a whole lot a trouble for ya."
"Right, yes. Of course not," Apple Bloom was quick to agree as she quickly scooped up as many papers as she could, shoved the book in between them, kicked the drawer close with a hind hoof then hurried outside before Applejack had a chance to see the book, or worse, more of her plans.
<<>><<>><<>>
Doubtful conflicted and mentally screaming at himself for willingly walking into an obvious trap, Rolling Stone still couldn't stop himself as he followed after Mort and found himself once again in the changeling city.
Once again standing inside that mausoleum of death, numerous hollow eyes, stared unblinkingly at him and he tried his hardest not to look away as, standing before him, Astina looked at the dead and decaying bodies with tangible animosity.
"Why did you bring him here again?" she spat, not looking away.
"I did not," Mort answered. "This was his own choice."
Astina snorted, glancing at Mort with hate-filled eyes.
"His choice," she turned back to the bodies, and Mort joined her side.
"I know," he replied, voice low and hollow. "But we are all here for a reason. Me to make him understand, and you-"
"Spare me your words," Astina snapped. "I know why I am here," she looked at the open door and the bridge connecting this structure with the rest of the city. And walking across, Danny Manson.
Rolling Stone stiffened, yet didn't dare say a word as he saw the human approach.
"He can help you," said Mort.
"I will be the judge of that."
Coming to a stop amidst the bodies, Danny scowled as he stood silent for a moment, looking at the death around him with rage-filled eyes while his fists shook at his sides.
"ASTINA! I ASK YOU TO SHOW YOURSELF!" He suddenly shouted.
Astina slowly circled around the human, sizing him up.
"I have met Mort, the reaper of ponies. I know you exist in some manner. Please, the changelings need your help. You have been there when they died. You know their suffering. You-"
"And you're the one Destiny chose," Astina sneered, coming to a stop behind Danny. "Fine. Prove to me you're worthy."
Making her presence known, Danny came to an abrupt stop as the air turned frigid and his breath created a cloud.
Danny slowly turned around, and Astina studied his reaction as he came face to face with her
To his credit, he didn't panic nor scream, but he couldn't stop himself from taking several steps back, arms raising in reflex, hands aglow.
"What the buck!?" Escaped from Rolling Stone as he saw the green glow surrounding Danny's hands.
"Observe," Mort told him.
"Phantom," Astina hissed, her voice so cold it could shatter steel.
"Phantom?" Rolling Stone muttered, confused.
"Astina, I presume," Danny said as he took in the creature before him.
Astina moved closer instantly, closing the gap Danny had made between them while her eyes bore into his.
"What do you want?!" She demanded.
"To help."
"Why?!"
"Because they need it."
"From you!?"
"No… from you," he shot back, glaring at her with green glowing eyes and Rolling Stone felt his legs go weak.
For nearly a minute they stood silent, Danny glaring at her, Astina staring deep into his soul.
Looking.
Searching.
She needed to know.
"I have watched for untold centuries," she said."The pain, the suffering, the injustice, all of it. No one helped when they asked, and no one helped on their own. No one!" her voice was akin to a glacial storm. "Not a single one," her tone softened as she stepped away, "until now...." she was silent for a moment, the glowing dots in her eyes' sockets fading, then returned as she 'blinked.' "I am Astina, collector of changeling souls."
Danny relaxed his stance, nodded, and then glanced over his shoulder at the bodies.
"This needs to stop," he said. "Something as atrocious as this shouldn't even be allowed to happen in the first place, and the one responsible must answer for what she has done. But on my own, this is almost an impossible task. I could really use your help. They could use your help."
"To do what, exactly?"
Danny looked back at her. "To confront Celestia."
A hollow laugh escaped Astina.
"Confront the soul stained. If only it was that easy."
"Soul stained?" Rolling Stone repeated, confused, mirrored by Danny.
"The touch of death," Astina said, tracing a hollow hoof over Danny's chest, "held within the soul of the living. Just like you, Daniel Phantom."
Danny's eyes widened, and he took a step back in shock. "You mean… they're like me? They're ghosts?!"
"WHAT?!" Rolling Stone bellowed, disgusted and enraged, yet unheard by Danny and ignored by Astina.
"In a way," Astina said, setting her hoof down. "Only different. They can't become a ghost, like you, their transformation is their physical self."
"What lies are this?!" Rolling Stone demanded to know.
"The answer to questions no pony ever asked," Mort replied.
"This changes nothing," Danny said firmly. "The lies and crimes Celestia committed must be exposed, not to mention the role Luna had in this as well. You can't let your fear of them stop you from doing what is right."
"Fear them?" Astina said in mock surprise. "No, Phantom, I do not fear them. I hate them," her eyes burned bright. "I can forgive Luna for her fall in corruption by Fenrir, but it was her weakness that allowed this to happen in the first place. But the changelings might have been able to recover, had it not been for Celestia."
"Then why do you not want to confront them? Reveal the truth to all."
"Because of that which made them."
"Made them?"
"Ah, of course, you don't know," Astina shook her head. "Life and death do not mix naturally. It's one, or the other, but never both at once. Not unless something, or someone makes it so. Them, you, Sweetie Belle, Dani, Vlad. None of you are what you are through an accident. And whether it was through the push of a button, an illegal clone, or summoning a ghost, you were created because that is what Destiny demanded, for you to happen."
Rolling Stone stood frozen as a statue, mouth hanging open, unprepared for what he just heard.
"My accident was no accident?" Danny said in disbelief. "How, why… and by who?"
"I already told you," Astina said bitterly. "Destiny," she spat.
"What? That makes no sense. We make our own destiny."
"Oh, such a foolish notion. What little measure of control you think you have is nothing more than an illusion. Everything that has happened, happened because it was going to happen. And all happened in response to a previous instance; just one link after the next in this endless chain, binding everything together. Pushing and pulling us where we need to be, even if we don't wish to be there. We're all slaves, Daniel Fenton. Chained from the moment we came to be."
"Fenton?!" Rolling Stone gasped. "What?"
"No," Danny stated firmly, eyes burning. "I refuse to believe that. All of us are free to choose, good or bad."
"Ignorance may be bliss, Phantom. But this does not change facts. And you're a fool for thinking otherwise."
"A fool I may be, but at least I'm no coward," he shot back. "I called you here to help, expecting to find someone willing to make a difference. Someone who knows the pain and suffering that has happened here is still happening like no other. Instead, I find you endlessly crying, but unwilling to do anything about this misery because you believe you have no choice. And in doing so, you are just as much responsible for what happened here, if not more so than Celestia-"
Energy began to radiate from Astina, and Rolling Stone saw a recognizable pale glow slammed into Danny, pushing him back several body lengths.
Danny raised his arms in a belated response to shield his face while Astina slowly, menacingly approached; her eyes a blazing red of fury while the energy radiating off her began to intensify.
"Know your place, Halfa!" She seethed through teeth while the walkway underneath them began to crack and crumble.
"My place is right here," he returned with a growl, pushing towards her one challenging step after the other. "Because I will not stand by idly when others are dying! And instead of making a difference yourself, you are now lashing out at one of the few who are willing to try. And don't tell me it is Destiny that makes you do this, because this is the choice you made yourself; to deny the help the changelings need and to allow more of them to die. And I," he took another step forward. "Will not," another step. "ALLOW YOU," and another. "TO HARM THEM!"
Rolling Stone cried out as an intense light of pure blue white seemed to explode from Danny, yet before he could even begin to shield his eyes the light vanished just as quickly, leaving him with spots in his vision and forcing him to look past them.
A gasp escaped him not long after.
Danny stood with his fist slammed into Astina's muzzle, numerous faintly glowing cracks and fissures spreading out from where he struck and covering half of her body.
Astina, pushed back by the unexpected force, stood cross-eyed, staring at his fist while the damage to her began to heal.
Slowly, Danny withdrew his fist.
"I will fight for them, even if that means I must fight you as well."
"So it is true," Astina said quietly, lowering her hoof as the last of the damage to her form healed itself. "I apologize for my earlier behavior, but I had to make sure."
Danny shifted his stance, obviously confused. "Make sure of what?"
"There are many who say they will do something, but there are few who hold to their word when the task proves more difficult than anticipated. I needed to know which one you are, before entrusting the fate of all changelings onto you. They are but one disaster away from extinction, and I cannot take any chances on good faith alone."
"You tested me?"
"I did."
"By making me fight you?" He asked, then a horrific realization washed over his face. "I just punched Death in the face."
Astina chuckled, shaking her head. "I am not Death, Phantom. We reapers do not kill our charges. We guide their souls after Death comes for them."
"... Then was everything you just said a lie to get me angry?"
"No, most of what I said was true."
"Most?"
"We may be free to choose, but our choices do not come free. And there are rules to follow. Rules neither I, nor my fellow reapers can circumvent without there being a reaction."
"A reaction from what… who?"
"Destiny."
"But you said Destiny doesn't allow you to choose, while just now you said you could. Which one is it?"
"Both," she stepped closer. "I could have chosen not to reveal myself to you, remaining nothing more than a story to my charges and allowing things to continue as they have for so long. Instead, I chose to break this rule and face uncertainty by placing my trust in you, hoping you will hold to your word."
"So, no pressure there, huh?"
"As I said, our choices do not come free."
"But will you face Celestia?"
Astina turned around, momentarily locking eyes with Mort while barely registering the shell-shocked stallion next to him, then looked away into the distance.
"You claimed to have met Mort, the one ponies have as their reaper. Correct?"
"I did, yes, for a short moment. Neither of us expected to do so… Why?"
"He was there when they turned Celestia and Luna."
Rolling Stone was sure his spine should have snapped with how fast his head turned to Mort, while the reaper looked down in shame.
"He made them!?" Danny asked, shocked.
"No, he did not," she turned back around. "As I said, we are chained. Forced to do things we may not wish to do. The only difference between you and I was, I was aware of this, you were not. And while he could have chosen not to aid in their transformation, the alternative would have been even more catastrophic."
"Why do I feel I'm going to regret asking this, but what do you mean?"
"Discord," was all she said.
"Ehh…?"
Astina looked away again. "You'll find out soon enough."
Danny sighed out, dragging a hand down his face. "Always with the unanswered questions," he muttered. "And speaking of which," he stepped around Astina, back into view. "Will you help me, them, and face Celestia?"
"The rules forbid me to interact with the mortal world in any way, other than to help the recently departed."
"Like you're doing now?" He crossed his arms, cocking an eyebrow.
"I choose to break this rule."
"So, yes or no?"
Astina walked past him and, in silence, she crossed the bridge leading to the adjacent stalactite with Danny following close behind.
Mort and Rolling Stone, however, remained where they were. The latter too shocked to move and, instead watched from a distance as Astina spoke to somepony unseen to them, then with Danny again. What was said, however, was lost to Rolling Stone as they were too far away to hear. But when Astina vanished without a trace, and the human departed as well; carrying a changeling foal in his arms, and Sweetie Belle following him as well, Rolling Stone's legs finally gave out and he dropped to the floor.
"Wha… What just happened?" He fumbled, his training to keep a clear mind beaten to a pulp as one impossibility after the other was revealed to him, and the voice in the back of his mind shouting everything was a lie, a trick and deceit had grown hoarse. And where his mental armor first held strong, dents and cracks now weakened his defenses to the point of collapse.
'Just one more push,' Mort thought.
"The truth," he answered.
"Wh- what?"
"The truth," Mort reaffirmed. "And potential."
"I don't understand."
"You already have most of the answers," Mort told him. "But past perceptions keep them obscure to you," Mort looked at the shaken stallion. "Let me ask you again," he looked at the rotting bodies, "do they look like monsters to you?"
Rolling Stone looked at the horrific sight, really looked at it, and saw something he failed to notice before.
Despair.
All of them, their hollow, decaying eyes showed nothing but despair.
Lives lived with no kindness, no mercy, no hope.
"What… But wh-" the destruction of Yoke replayed itself in his mind, and pieces began to fall in place. "No, it can't be!" He denied. "The princess would never do something like that."
"Then tell me. Why is there a New Yoke?"
Silence.
"I think, in a way, it was Celestia's way of apologizing," Mort shook his head. "But she never truly made amends, and instead turned one terrible mistake into a mockery, and an atrocious crime."
Rolling Stone's eyes wavered, the warring conflict clearly visible.
"Sh-she said you were there when the princesses were turned. She said they are-"
"Ghosts," Mort finished.
Rolling Stone was silent, looking at the corpses before him. "And what about the human? I saw his hands and eyes glow. And A-Astina mentioned Sweetie Belle, and others as well."
"... Follow me," Mort instructed and left the building.
It didn't take long for Rolling Stone to follow.
"I won't be able to tell you everything. Some things just aren't for you to know, nor do you have the time to hear them. But yes, both Celestia and Luna are partial ghosts. It is why they are what they are," Mort stopped halfway across the bridge and looked up at the Murgröna. "And as for Danny, that is a different story entirely."
"... Astina called him Phantom… and Fenton."
"She did, yes."
"Does that- Is he…"
"They are one and the same."
"Yet he calls himself Manson… The name of the one he-"
"He did not kill Samantha Manson," Mort quickly cut him off, a surprising edge to his voice. "That atrocious act was committed by another, and the blame was put on him. Even though he himself believed it to be true to an extent. He blamed himself for her death, It is why he ran and hid. And what eventually drove him to this world."
"But why is he here? And that was Sweetie Belle I saw, one of the missing foals."
"As you just learned, Danny is a ghost. Or half ghost, to be precise. And while he keeps his powers hidden from you, for obvious reasons, he doesn't keep from using them when the need calls for it," Mort explained, having crossed the bridge to the next stalactite and moved up the spiral walkway, bringing into view the Hive and Rolling Stone came to a stop.
While having moved through the city before, held in Mort's grasp, he never truly saw the city. His attempts to break free and the countless bodies lying in the streets demanded too much of his attention. But now, seeing the logic-defying city carved out of those stone spires hanging above a seemingly endless chasm took his breath away.
Mort, noticing this, looked back at the stallion.
"Could a monster build this?" He asked as he saw him gawking at the imposing creation.
In the distance, they saw Danny cross another bridge, still carrying a changeling in his arms, and Sweetie Belle keeping pace beside him.
"And to answer your question. When Danny learned Sweetie Belle and her friends had gone missing, he used all his abilities available to him to find them, which brought him here. Since then, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Danny have worked tirelessly to save as many lives as they can."
Rolling Stone was silent, watching the tall biped move out of sight as he followed a curved path up.
"Why did you bring me here?" He asked eventually.
"To test you."
"What?"
"Please follow me," Mort said instead, resuming walking.
Rolling Stone looked out into the city one more time, then followed after Mort.
"Remember what I told you back in Ponyville?" asked Mort. "It is time for you to learn a truth that will put your loyalty to the test."
"Meaning?" Rolling Stone said just a bit too quickly.
Mort's eyes glanced back at Rolling Stone, but he didn't say anything and instead they crossed another bridge and moved down a walkway before Mort replied.
"I have met a lot of ponies throughout the millennia. All of them, in fact. All of them were unique and interesting, and they taught me a lot. One of those things is the recognition when one is truly at peace with their circumstances, or if they merely pretend to be for one reason or another. It is why I allowed you to choose back then. To give back control over your own fate," Mort stopped before a chunk of destroyed stone blocking the path, and both saw a frost giant lifting it up with a grunt of exertion before carrying it away.
Rolling Stone jerked back in reflex and recognition of the behemoth.
Mort barely seemed to notice the ghost as he continued onwards, following the same path as Wind Chill.
"I know that you are not fully convinced of what I have said, and what you were shown. But that is alright," Mort half sighed. "Nor was I expecting this to be a simple affair. After all, ponies are good, and changelings are bad. The princesses are infallible, and ghosts are the incarnation of evil. This is a truth you lived your entire life, the foundation of your convictions, blinding you to the true truth," Mort stepped off the bridge, watching Wind Chill deposit the debris on the floor. "But deep down you know it to be false. Luna fell to corruption, and ponies go to prison for various crimes. These are undeniable facts. And then there are the changelinks who are desperately trying to survive, and a ghost saved your life. Even if you won't believe it, you will remember it. That is the whole reason I brought you here, Rolling Stone. To see the truth, and for you to decide what to believe… Who to believe. And what to do once you have made your decision."
Mort looked back, seeing Rolling Stone stand unmoving on the bridge, not even reacting as Wind Chill stepped through him while his face clearly showed the conflict waging within.
Mort's pale magic once more surrounded the stallion, lifting him up high enough to see a partially covered, but still recognizable image on the ground.
"I will now return you to your body. Once you wake up, you will recall all that has happened. What happens next is up to you. You can choose to believe it was nothing more than a fervent dream, or choose to look for the truth shown to you. You might even choose to share what you saw with your fellow ghost hunters and the princesses. Though it would be difficult to convince them, as you have been in a coma for the entire duration. One way, or the other, you will make a decision, and shape the world around you with it. Whether it will be for the better or worse is for everyone to find out."
"Wait, what!?"
Mort shook his head.
"There is no more time to wait, Rolling Stone. Choose well, and until we meet again, goodbye."
Rolling Stone's world went white as he felt himself pulled away. But before he was completely lost to the force that took him, he got one last look at the skeletal pony and the image he stood on.
An image of a pony and a changeling shaking hooves.
Then everything washed away in white and Rolling Stone was gone.
<<>><<>><<>>
Deep in the Dark Zone, a quaint house with green grass and white picket fence floated amidst the rubble of the former masses of land, concrete, ice cream, and various solid liquids. Most of which were on fire with bees shooting lightning from their stingers.
"GHRAAA!" Discord roared as he fired another burst of uncontained chaos magic in one of the larger chunks, finding no relief from his anger as he watched it implode into a supernova.
"OF COURSE IT IS GONE NOW! OF COURSE, THE ELEMENT TOOK IT! OF COURSE, I HAVE BEEN PLAYED THE FOOL AGAIN!" He slammed a fist into the air, shattering it.
"Of course, I'm just another pawn," he seethed through gritted teeth.
"AND FOR WHAT?! DESTINY'S LATEST PLOY? NO! I REFUSE TO BE A MERE PUPPET! THERE HAS TO BE A WAY TO BREAK FREE! TO BE THE MASTER OF MY OWN CHOICES, MY GOALS, MY LIFE!!"
Another chunk of debris blew up.
"There has to be a way," he said, almost pleadingly.
"Perhaps there is."
Discord whirled around, glaring at whoever thought it wise to sneak up on him, and found a young black and white stallion standing before his home.
"If you are willing to listen, we have a proposition," the same voice said, coming from a pulsing medallion hanging from the pony's neck.
<<>><<>><<>>
Hours had passed since Sweetie Drops' experience within the book and finding the note left within.
At first not moving for an undetermined amount of time as shock and a maelstrom of questions kept her rooted on the spot, she then spent the remainder of the time sitting alone at home, just watching the time tick by on a clock.
Every now and then she did glance at the book and notes lying before her on the table, unsure why she took them with her, but knowing she couldn't leave them down there either.
The book, after she carefully examined it before picking it up, showed to be completely blank. Any and all traces of the family tree gone. And the notes left her with few answers either.
Though it was the second note, the one the book itself revealed to her, that left her anxious, and she reread it time and time again, half expecting more text to appear somehow.
Finally, the clock struck eleven, and she pushed herself off the couch. Not sure of what she was about to do, but knowing she needed to do it.
Quickly equipping her saddlebags and putting both the book and notes inside, she quietly slipped out of her house and made her way to the edge of town.
It took her nearly an hour to reach her destination, keeping from the sight of any prying eyes, either peeking through the curtains as fear still held the ponies despite today's pretenses, or of a most vigilant Maudalina Pie out on the prowl.
But now she was here, alone, standing in complete darkness save for the light of the moon, before the ravine separating her from the castle of the two sisters.
'What am I doing? Of course, this is a trap,' she thought.
Still, this did not stop her.
"Hello," she said. "Your note said to meet you here. That you knew about me, and the truth of who I am… That I am not cursed…"
Silence.
Silence.
"You know," a strangely familiar voice suddenly spoke up, coming from nearby and Sweetie Drops spun around to face the forest behind her, seeing nopony. "I half expected you not to show up. Glad to see half of me was wrong."
A pair of green glowing eyes materialized, and Sweetie Drops took an involuntary step backwards, breath caught in her throat.
"But my other half really hopes I'm not making a really big mistake," and Danny Manson faded into view.
"Hello, Sweetie Drops. It's time you and I have a frank discussion about secrets kept."
"Well then, best get started," Tucker said, having just stepped out of the carriage bringing him and Technal to the Everfree Forest.
Joining them were four guards. Two pegasi, who also pulled the chariot, a unicorn, and an earth pony.
"I don't expect this to take too long," Tucker informed the guards as they busied themselves setting up a defensive perimeter. "Half an hour should be enough for what we need."
"Understood, sir," the unicorn of the group acknowledged.
"Alright then," Tucker looked around for a moment, laptop under his arm.
Placing the laptop on the seat in the chariot, he flipped open the display, booted up the computer, then connected the device to scan the magical field.
Several minutes passed in relative silence as his laptop worked through its tasks, and the first sets of data were shown on screen.
Humming to himself, Tucker tapped his lower lip with a finger as he scanned the readouts, frowning slightly.
"Anything wrong?" Asked Technal.
"No, nothing wrong," he said. "Just weird," he was silent for a moment as more refined results came in. "I know the field here is supposed to be different, as we saw on that scroll Correct Measurement showed us. But this doesn't look anything like that," he pulled up an image of the said scroll, a picture he had taken shortly before leaving; much to Correct Measurement's continued amazement at his ability to create a flawless copy so quickly. "See," he tapped the screen, comparing the picture to the data now coming in.
"Well, that was expected. The scroll is from fifty years ago, and wasn't from the Everfree Forest to begin with," said Technal.
"True," Tucker agreed, still frowning. "But seeing this, I feel like there is more at play here than we realize."
"Like what?"
"I'm not sure," he sighed out, looking away from the screen. "Let's just leave the scan to run for now. Maybe it will make more sense to me once it is done.
Stepping away from the carriage, he looked out into the dark forest surrounding them, hearing the various barks, growls, and screeches of animals hidden away.
"So what can you tell me about this place?" He asked Technal as she joined him by his side. "Any particular reason why this place is such a wild zone?"
"Not that I know off," she shrugged.
"This place has always been wild," the earth pony guard spoke up. "Despite past efforts to tame it."
"How do you mean?" Tucker asked, turning to the guard.
"There used to be a city here," he revealed. "Nothing as grand as Canterlot, or any of the other major cities we have. Then again, it was over a thousand years ago."
"A city, here?" Tucker blinked, looking around, surprised.
Nodding, the guard continued. "It used to be where the princesses lived; before Nightmare Moon happened. Only their castle now remains. But for a time ponies lived here, safe for the most part, so long as they didn't venture too far outside the city walls. But after Princess Luna fell into corruption, things became far more wild and they needed to abandon the place."
"I… see," Tucker stood silent, then his eyes widened. "Hold on, a city… Didn't Correct Measurement say something about a different city returning to a place where the magical field was also messed up?" He aimed at Technal.
"Yes, she did. The Crystal Empire, I think she said."
"That can't be a coincidence," Tucker said, mind working as he started pacing around, hand holding his chin while looking down.
Stopping, he turned back to the guard. "Do you happen to know what exactly happened to this city?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. Most of what I know I picked up from books as a foal, but anything detailing what happened thereafter is known only now by Princess Celestia."
"Then I should ask her about this, once time allows for it," Tucker said more to himself. "Before that, though. Would it be possible for me to see this place, after this scan is done? I have the feeling the data we could gain there would be invaluable."
The guards looked at one another, a few nods passing between them.
"That should be possible."
"Excellent," Tucker nodded appreciatively, looking back at his laptop. "We might find some answers yet out here."
<<>><<>><<>>
"That is… Yeah, that place has seen better days," Tucker commented as he looked at the ruined castle. "And ponies used to live here?" he looked at the forest surrounding the ancient structure.
"They did," the earth pony guard confirmed. "Because of the natural defenses the terrain provided. It makes it difficult for most creatures to gain access to the castle, easily."
"I can see that. But still…" Shaking his head, he looked back at his laptop, busy working on a new scan.
"No easy way across for us either," Technal commented, looking down the chasm separating them from the other side.
"Apologies for that, miss," one of the pegasi replied. "There was no clear place for us to land."
"Don't worry about it," Technal told them. "We're more than thankful to you stallions for taking us here."
The guards gave a stoic nod, then returned their attention to the forest around them.
"Hmm," Tucker hummed, watching the data displayed on screen during this short interaction; frowning, deep in thought.
"Did you find something?" asked Technal.
"Maybe. But I'm not sure," he typed on the keyboard, and a new window opened, showing the previous scan data. "This distortion of the magical field. It's more pronounced here than it was back at the last place."
"That is good, right? A better reading will allow us to better compensate for it."
"Yes, it would. But this data… I feel like I have seen it somewhere before, but I can't figure out where."
Technal looked at the display, too, trying to make sense of the readings but failed to do so. And after a minute she looked away, turning back to Tucker.
"Maybe you just need to take a break from this. Allow this to settle down a bit, and look at it with fresh eyes."
"Maybe you're right," he sighed, shaking his head as he looked away. "But something about this; I don't know. I feel like I should know what I am looking at, and will feel stupid once I realize what it is."
Turning back to the castle, he stared at nothing in particular.
"And somehow this place might be involved with this as well. But how?"
"We should ask the princesses when we have the chance."
"Yes," Tucker agreed readily, then turned back around and reached inside the chariot, grabbing his backpack. "But I'm not leaving things to chance either."
"What do you mean?"
"Half an hour will give us enough data for the adjustments, but if I want to crack this mystery I need more detailed scans than that."
"You want us to stay here longer?"
Tucker paused his rummaging in his pack, thinking for a moment. "Preferably, yes. But I am no idiot. I can see the dangers of this place, and I don't want to try our luck for something that isn't strictly necessary. But I won't have to," he pulled a device out of his pack.
"What is that?" asked Technal
"This?" Tucker looked at the device, a flat disk about the size of his hand. "This is a device similar to the scanner connected to my laptop, but not as powerful. An early design, but useful for me now. It can scan the field here and store the data on its internal memory, which we can come and collect at a later time. The battery should hold for about twenty hours, which will give us a lot more to work with once we retrieve this thing."
"You can do that?" Technal asked, amazed.
"Sure, why not?" Tucker shrugged. "It's a lot faster doing things the way we did just now, which is important seeing how time is of the essence, but this might come in handy later. And we don't need to risk ourselves by staying here for any longer than we need to."
Looking around, he spotted a suitable location inside a hollow tree to place the scanner.
Turning on the device, three LEDs flashing to indicate its activation, he put the technological marvel in its place and then returned to the chariot.
"Alright, you all know where I put it?" He sought confirmation, and both Technal and the guards gave a nod in answer. "Okay. Then tomorrow we should be able to pick it up and see what weird things are happening here."
And with that done, they waited for the laptop to finish its work, then quickly left the forest while the hidden device did its work.
Many hours passed by without anything of interest happening; until a strange fluctuation in the field was picked up.
The device, unable to react or send a warning of any kind, simply continued to do its job as a pony pushed through the foliage not too far away, then spoke.
"Hello," she said. "Your note said to meet you here. That you knew about me, and the truth of who I am… That I am not cursed…"
Silence.
Silence.
"You know," a different voice came from elsewhere, and the fluctuation became a distortion. "I half expected you not to show up. Glad to see half of me was wrong. But my other half really hopes I'm not making a really big mistake."
The pony gasped.
"Hello, Sweetie Drops. It's time you and I have a frank discussion about secrets kept."
<<>><<>><<>>
With a gasp, Sweetie Drops took an involuntary step back, a tendril of ice going through her veins upon the sight of Danny Manson fading into view, looking down at her with green glowing eyes.
"Well, at least you didn't scream and run," Danny said. "Which is more than I expected. Guess I have your training to thank for that."
Slipping his hands into his pockets, Danny looked past Sweetie Drops and towards the castle.
"There are a lot of crazy things going on around here," he said, stepping past the shocked mare as he looked at the ruined building.
Sighing, he shook his head, looking at Sweetie Drops over his shoulder.
"I know you found the book and notes I left for you. You wouldn't be here otherwise. And it was obvious what you found left an impression because I doubt you would have just been standing there if it hadn't. You need answers. Answers to questions you never had any reason to ask. Heh," he looked up at the stars. "I know what that is like. "
"Wha- what-"
"What indeed," he sighed. "What is going on? What am I talking about? What even am I? That is what you want to say, isn't it?" He looked back at the mare, seeing her eyes flash from left to right, searching for something.
"Don't worry. We're alone… well, as alone as you can get in this forest filled with beasts. And I promise no harm will come to you. I have no reason to hurt you. Hell, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble getting you that book otherwise. Nor would I have revealed myself to you if I didn't think you could be trusted. So, please, ask what you need to ask. I'll answer what I can."
Sweetie Drops looked at the impossible creature before her, a lifetime of training screaming at her to take down this obvious threat and inform the princesses. But then the visions she saw in that book slammed down on those instincts, and her unwavering loyalty wavered long enough for doubt to creep in further and further.
And now, standing before this… This being, something she would normally not hesitate to strike down, she instead did the one thing that would otherwise get her killed.
She gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"What are you?"
"What indeed," Danny frowned. "I'm human. But, only half," he turned fully to the mare, his green glowing eyes flashing a bit brighter as he held up a hand, lighting it up in the same glow.
Sweetie Drops gasped, taking a frightful step back.
"The other half… Well, I think you can guess."
The glow around his hand vanished, and his arm fell back down to his side.
"I'm what is called a Halfa. Half mortal, half ghost. And before you ask, both my parents are still alive."
"That- that is impossible."
"Yet here I am."
Sweetie Drops' mind was a whirl, trying to make sense of everything, but only going in circles instead.
"It is a lot to take in, I know. I've gone through the same thing myself."
Forcing her mind to calm down, Sweetie Drops let her training take over while letting her subconscious deal with this mess for now.
"And who are you?"
"Just someone who knows what it feels like to be an outcast because of someone else's lies," he answered with a sad smile, and Sweetie Drops seemed stunned by his reply. "But enough about me, for now. I'd rather not give away all my secrets on the first date. Instead, let me ask you this. Who are you? Sweetie Drops, agent of S.M.I.L.E.? Or Bon Bon, candy maker and marefriend of Lyra? Or are you not sure who you are, now that you were shown the truth, and the lies you were made to believe your entire life?"
Sweetie Drops faltered, taking a half-step back in reflex.
"I take it you brought the book with you," Danny looked at the saddlebags she wore. "It showed you things that couldn't possibly be, right? Ponies and changelinks working and living together; having foals together. Foals who all had unique traits that you, and those like you, were taught are the result of a curse from Nightmare Moon. But this is all a lie," he looked back at the castle, eyes narrowing. "A terrible, gruesome lie. And right now, you're here to make sense of it all. Hoping that what you saw isn't true, because it would mean you have lived your entire life in shame and disgust because of this lie."
He looked at Sweetie Drops.
"Am I wrong?"
A lump had formed in Sweetie Drops' throat which, despite valiant attempts, she just couldn't swallow.
Only once before in her life did she feel this lost; this conflicted, this scared. The day her parents took her to the hospital to find out what terrible magic had afflicted their daughter, and where she came to meet the specialist. One of many ponies working as a doctor in the many hospitals all over Equestria, looking for and taking in those foals that showed signs of the Nightmare's curse.
It was a truly terrible day that still haunted her to this day. And now… now…
"It can't be true," Sweetie Drops shouted, eyes clenched shut, gritting her teeth. "It can't be. You're just trying to trick me; hurt me. It's what ghosts do!"
Danny sighed deeply, sagging his stance.
"Some of them, yes," he ruefully admitted. "Hell, had my mind toyed with plenty of times, too. So I understand what you're going through. You need the truth you lived to be actually true because saying it was all a lie would mean you have wasted so much of your life. But a lot of time has already been lost, and even more lives as a result of this lie. And right now, you need to make a choice. Believe this is nothing more than a lie; a trick or deceit by some ghost and report back to Celestia. I won't stop you, but it will be difficult to convince others of what you saw. That book can only be read by those it allows for it, and I can assure you Celestia and those working for her will not be able to do so. Or take a chance, and learn your true nature. I can't promise you'll find happiness. Hell, I know you won't. But you will find a sense of peace; understanding. And I can promise you this much," he held out his hand. "If you let me, you will never have to look at yourself in disgust again."
Sweetie Drops gasped out, eyes wide, staring at his outstretched hand.
So Sweetie Drops. What do you choose?"
"I- I," she took a hesitant step forwards, the agent she was screaming at her for walking into an obvious trap. The other life she had lived, however, desperately reached out for this impossible chance. And as she placed a hoof in Danny's hand, she looked up at him with teary eyes.
"Please, call me Bon Bon."
<<>><<>><<>>
Midnight had just passed, yet the sound of furious keystrokes filled the room as Tucker worked with a single-minded focus on his laptop. The world around him faded to nothing as he had reached a near-perfect mind-meld with his machine, working through the data he had collected earlier today, comparing it with the scrolls Correct Measurement had brought detailing the wild spots of the magical field.
The only thing preventing him from reaching true symmetry with his technology was the nagging feeling he got ever since he first saw the scan data back in the Everfree Forest.
Something about it just bothered him. A striking sense of familiarity that hooked its claws into him, and didn't let go. And as he typed away at his keyboard, he continuously went back to the scan, just staring at it for a few minutes, then continued working with an annoyed sigh.
He knew it was something simple. Something so obvious that, in hindsight, he shouldn't even be struggling with this. But despite this, the expected obvious answer kept evading him at every turn; taunting him with the promise of answers, if only he could figure out what this simple solution was.
Sighing, he leaned back, eyes clenched shut and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Are you still unable to figure this out?" Technal asked, floating beside her a freshly brewed pot of coffee.
"Yes and no," Tucker said, grabbing his empty mug and holding it out to be refilled. "I have written a pattern finding program which is now analyzing the scan data and the pictures I took from the scrolls. It should come up with a viable counter for the equipment once it is done, eliminating the problems we've had. So as far as that is concerned, we should be good," he took a careful sip, found the coffee was not scalding hot, then drained half his mug. "Still won't call it solved until it is done, but for now I won't have to worry about it too much."
"Then why don't you seem glad the problem is fixed?"
"Remember what I said back in the forest, about this thing looking familiar somehow?"
"Ah, still haven't figured it out then?"
"Unfortunately not," he displayed the scan data again. "This is the first scan, and this is the one made near that castle. Ignoring the obvious similarities between them, there is something there that just doesn't fit."
"And what about Correct Measurement? Maybe she has found something?"
"Doubt it. She hasn't returned from the library yet."
Correct Measurement, after seeing the incredibly detailed scan, and being informed about the troubles Tucker had with the data, had rushed off to gather several books she believed could be of use.
"Alright," Technal put the mostly full can on the table, "just walk me through this. Maybe by explaining this will you be able to figure out what you're missing."
"Might as well," Tucker sighed. "Right, as you see here there is an obvious distortion in the magical background field. Something that causes the field to… break, I guess you can say. And what this data shows is that the magical field tries to repair this distortion by filling in the damage with more of itself. We have a clear example of this in action in the two scans we made. The distortion was far greater near the castle than it was farther away."
"I can see that, yes," Technal nodded, looking at the data.
"We can tell two things from this. One, the magical field is under constant attack by something which causes it to break as such. If it was a singular event, like throwing a rock in the water, eventually the ripples will smooth out. This is obviously not the case. And two, the magical field gets replenished at a rate fast enough to maintain the status quo between the two. If it wasn't, then eventually the field would be torn down completely by this disruptive force. What bothers me with this… well besides the thing I am missing, this data and scrolls seem to suggest something bigger is at play here."
"What do you mean?"
Tucker leaned back a bit, looking at the ceiling as he thought.
"Tell me, Technal. When you use your magic, do you drain it from the field, or do you produce it yourself?"
"I produce my magic myself. Everypony does. We don't take away from the field unless we specifically target the field. And even then, only a few ponies can do so."
"Miss Technal would be correct with that," Correct Measurement said, making herself known as she returned, holding several books in her saddlebags.
"Ah, Correct Measurement. Did you find anything?" Tucker asked, hopeful.
"Perhaps. I skimmed the books I believed to be of use to us, but a more in-depth reading is required to, potentially, find a solution for your problem."
"Understood," Tucker nodded.
"And if you forgive me, but I overheard you mention something about the magical field being under attack. Could you please enlighten me?"
Tucker agreed and quickly brought her up to speed.
"And as both of you just confirmed, you do not take from the field when you use your magic. You use your own. But that leaves the question. Where does this energy go after you are done with it."
"What do you mean?" Asked Technal.
"Energy can't just disappear. It needs to go somewhere, even when you don't use it anymore. It's all part of the natural cycle. Think of it like the sun. It produces light which is absorbed by the plants, making them grow. Various creatures eat these plants, allowing them to live. Other animals hunt and eat these creatures, and the energy gets passed on over and over again. I think something similar is at play here. You use your magic, which gets carried over to whatever it is you use it on. But then what? The moment you stop using your magic, where does the magic you have spent go?"
"What do you mean? It just stops," said Correct Measurement.
"No," Technal gasped, eyes widening as she looked at the scans. "It gets absorbed by the magical field. That is how it is replenished."
Correct Measurement gasped, eyes widening as well.
"That is what I thought, yes," Tucker nodded. "Which also brings up a different problem."
"Which is?" Technal asked.
"What happens when there is too much magic added to this field? Just like a balloon, overinflate it and it will burst," he played the recorded scan from near the castle. "But we don't have to worry about that as, right here, we can see the magic being destroyed. Maintaining a healthy balance between the two. Like day and night. Or life and-" he suddenly fell silent, eyes widening.
"Tucker?" Technal said, concerned as he seemed to freeze up.
"It can't be," he said, voice low as he leaped into motion, startling both mares as he quickly opened several new files, then compared the displayed information against the scans using his pattern recognition software. He quickly got the results. "... And death…" He whispered as he stared at the spectral scan, and the recognized pattern within the distorted magic.
<<>><<>><<>>
Danny and Bon Bon stood at the edge of the ravine, the latter obviously confused and ill at ease, the former scratching his scalp and sighing.
"I understood the need to destroy it, but still," he held out his scratching hand, an ice blue glow surrounding it, startling Bon Bon.
In a burst of arctic light, a simple bridge froze in place, allowing the two access to the other side.
"Normally I would have flown," Danny said, shrugging. "But that would leave you standing, so here you go."
Bon Bon, gawking at the bridge, slowly shifted her gaze to Danny's outstretched hand.
"It's really not that impressive," he said after noticing her staring.
This made Bon Bon sputter.
"Guess you could say ice is my special talent," Danny shrugged. "Shall we go?"
It took several false starts, and just as many reassurances that nothing bad would happen, but eventually, the two crossed the bridge.
Bon Bon, however, showed clear unease as she stared back at the frozen structure.
"Why… Why could I feel this weird sensation in my hooves when I touched that ice?"
"Hmm?" Danny looked back at her, then at the bridge. "Ah, dang it. Should have thought of that," he shook his head. "Your magic is focused in your hooves, of course, that would get a reaction."
"A reaction. From what?"
"The spectral energy still in there," he gave a nod to the bridge. "Let me guess. You felt a strange tingling sensation."
"Yes. How did you-"
"I felt the same when Twilight carried me using her magic. It's because magic and spectral energy are hostile opposites. Which is something I only found out very recently. Indirect contact makes you feel that," he made a vague gesture towards the bridge. "Direct contact, however… Well, it gets messy."
Bon Bon stood in silence, showing the telltale look of someone who was reconsidering their recent life choices.
"Speaking of messy," Danny partially muttered, raising a blue glowing hand. "Don't want to risk anyone finding this. Least of all Maud." And with a flash of his hand, the bridge broke apart, then the frost was pulled back inside him.
Now Bon Bon knew she had willingly walked into a trap.
"Please follow me," Danny told her, already stepping through the decayed gate.
"And why are we here?" Bon Bon asked, not moving.
"This is where Luna became Nightmare Moon, which led to the creation of this so-called curse, and the downfall of the changelinks. Of course, this is a lie, but even so, there is some truth to it, twisted as it may be. And you're about to learn, and see what I mean by that."
"See?"
"They say Luna was consumed by her jealousy towards her sister, which led to her fall. This is not entirely true. Instead, it was her jealousy that attracted the attention of an entity, which then possessed her, amplified her negative emotions, and leeched off of them to sustain itself."
"WHAT?!" Bon Bon's voice echoed off the walls. "The princess was possessed by a ghost?!"
Danny stopped mid-stride, looking back at Bon Bon. "Honestly, I am not sure. It wasn't a ghost in any definition I know about, but I do know the being this corruption came from was very much alive when it first manifested. A disease born from hate, which he cut out, but at the cost of his own life." He shook his head, then resumed walking. "And he was less than happy when he learned this sin of his not only managed to survive but spread to another as well."
"He wasn't happy? But you said he was-"
Danny looked back at her with green glowing eyes. "Dead? Yes. But you should know by now that being dead does not mean you stop existing."
Bon Bon once again found a lump stuck in her throat and became increasingly more worried about what danger she was walking into.
"There is a lot more to that story, but it will take too long to explain that, and everything else. So for now, what you need to know is this. This corrupting entity was formed from the hate of Fenris, a wolf-like being from a world other than ours. After his death, this entity somehow found its way to this world, latched onto Luna, and became Nightmare Moon. And after that, through actions outside of my control, it then latched onto me."
It took Danny two heartbeats to realize Bon Bon had stopped moving, looking aghast.
"You were corrupted by Nightmare Moon?!"
"I got better," he commented off-handedly. "Nightmare Moon is gone now. Permanently. Though she did leave something behind. Or rather, someone," he revealed as they entered the ruined throne room, and for a moment Danny marveled at the fact the Elder was able to hide the portal.
He still steered away from it all the same. Invisible does not mean intangible, after all.
"Someone," the growing worries were clearly noticeable in Bon Bon's voice.
"Yes," said Danny, looking at the throne.
Following his gaze, Bon Bon nearly tripped over her own legs as she tried to back-paddle as fast she could.
Sitting on the throne, looking down at her with orange glowing eyes, and green iris was no other than Nightmare Moon herself.
"Her daughter, Eclipse."
<<>><<>><<>>
Hidden under the cover of her blanket, and with a flashlight in her hoof, Apple Bloom looked at the book Danny had left for her in the clubhouse.
She had waited a long, long time, making sure everypony was asleep before she would read whatever it was that Danny wanted her to read.
Admittedly, the title Apple Pie did confuse her. She knew all about apple pies. Her family arguably makes the best apple pies in all of Equestria, yet she also knew Danny wouldn't just give her a cooking book. So she assumed the title was just a cover or something.
Shrugging, she opened the book and flipped through the first pages, finding only blank pages. Confused, she turned to the centerfold, then the last page, finding only blank paper.
"What the hay?" she quietly muttered.
Language, young lady.
Apple Bloom scurried away as the words suddenly appeared on the last page, looking at it with large eyes.
Well then, seeing I have your attention, I'm sure you're wondering what is going on.
Apple Bloom nodded dumbly, then realized the book couldn't see.
Great, cause. Do I have a story to tell?
Or maybe it could.
It aaaallll started way, way, way, way, way, way, waaaay back-
the pages began to rapidly flip back to the start,
-here
Apple Bloom could only stare, dumbfounded.
A blinding light, bright enough to see through closed lids, yet somehow unable to shine through the blanket, came from the pages, and Apple Bloom felt her mind pulled in.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Making yourself at home, I see," Danny commented off-handedly, stance relaxed and hands in pockets.
"Well, technically you could say I am home," Eclipse chuckled, then stood up and descended the throne.
Bon Bon, looking at the human ghost/not ghost, and this Eclipse who looked near identical to Nightmare Moon, despite some noticeable difference, felt her mind shut down. And in that moment, the agent she was took over.
"Hmm?" Eclipse stopped, looking quizzically at the mare whose posture became more and more aggressive. "Is anything wrong?"
Without a word, Bon Bon bolted from the room, leaving the two not-quite ghosts behind.
"Well… that much was expected," Eclipse said simply.
"Honestly, I'm surprised she managed to hold on for this long," Danny shrugged, and the two looked at the passage Bon Bon had run off to.
"So now what?" Eclipse asked.
"Let her cool off a bit. I took out the bridge, so she can't just leave. And I'm sure she realizes this, too. Probably thought this was a trap, and can't say I blame her for it."
"Didn't you say you would let her go if she so wishes; that you wouldn't stop her."
"I did, and I won't. If, after we had a chance to talk, she still feels like this is all a trap or a lie, I will allow her to leave. Regardless of what she says, my double in Ponyville staying with Twilight is a solid alibi they can't just ignore. So if it comes to it, they will hopefully assume I merely took this form to cause confusion. That, with their assumption that a ghost is haunting me, will work in my favor… I think."
"It's still a big risk."
"Story of my life."
"True."
The two stood in silence for a moment, looking down the dark hallway, still hearing the receding clip-clopping of Bon Bon's hooves as she ran away.
"Right, guess I'll keep an eye on her," said Danny, following after Bon Bon.
"And I shall do my part as well," Eclipse nodded, and the two set to work.
<<>><<>><<>>
The thunderous rapport of hooves hitting the floor echoed throughout the empty hallways and bounced off the walls.
Bon Bon, mentally screaming at herself for letting her be swayed by such obvious trickery, sought now for a means to escape.
The dread she felt when that human ghost creature destroyed that bridge should have been enough to snap her out of whatever kind of mental control he had over her. Yet it didn't, and instead, this ghost brought her straight to Nightmare Moon herself. The source of her curse.
And now, unless she found a way to escape and warn the princess, they would get away with whatever it is they are planning.
But at the least, she would make sure she wouldn't become a part of those plans. One way, or the other.
Taking a sharp right and barreling into a partially collapsed hallway, Bon Bon jumped over ancient debris, felt her right back hoof clip something, and she made a hard landing.
Training and instinct took over, and she tucked herself into a ball. Rolling forwards to preserve momentum, she sprung up the moment she regained control and resumed her run while barely losing any speed.
"The exit is that way," Danny said, and Bon Bon nearly tripped over her legs as she saw the impossible ghost fly next to her; looking almost casual as he did so, flying backward in an upright position, one hand in pocket while pointing to her left with the other.
Naturally, she took the first right she could.
"Two right turns," he murmured. "Don't go running in circles," he shouted after her."
Bon Bon ignored him as she continued her escape, soon finding the path ahead splitting. And as it turned out, the left path was blocked by an ancient collapse.
Not wanting to turn back and face whatever it was Danny was exactly, she forced herself to take the right turn, hoping it would lead her away from him.
"Three right turns," Danny scratched the back of his head, watching the mare disappear around the corner as he hung stationary in the air. "Pretty sure that was where the kitchen was. Not a lot of stuff to use, and only one other way out of there, which means…"
A distant pounding on the floor came from the hallway he had come from, and he slowly turned around.
Face flat and both hands in pockets, he watched as Bon Bon came rushing in, then came to a grinding halt until she came to a stop in a seated position before him.
Both looked at one another in silence.
"You thought I was chasing after you, didn't ya?" Danny asked rhetorically.
Bon Bon, shamefaced, merely nodded.
"Aren't you a highly trained agent?"
Another nod.
"Yet all you managed to do was run in a circle. Even after I told you not to do so."
Nod nod.
"... So are you done and feel like talking, or do you want to go for another lap?"
Silence
"I think the royal bedrooms were down the hall," he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Up the stairs on your left, second hallway on the right, then the final rooms on either side."
More silence.
"Alright," Danny turned serious. "Let me guess. The conflicting uncertainty, me taking out the only way of escape for you, and then meeting who you must've thought was Nightmare Moon obliterated any semblance of coherent thought. And at that moment, Sweetie Drops took over. That sounds about right?"
Hesitantly, Bon Bon nodded.
"Well, can't say I wasn't expecting this," he said, finally lowering himself to the floor. "Look, I understand where you come from, even if I don't know exactly what you've been through. But let me tell you, as easy as it may seem to run away, these things will eventually catch up with you. And right now, they have done just that. The thing is, you were never aware you were running from this, until recently, so I understand the freakout."
He paused for a moment, waiting for Bon Bon to say something. When she didn't, he continued.
"Okay, if you're willing. Let's try this again, shall we? There is still a lot that we need to discuss. More than you can even begin to realize. And there are things I need you to see; to understand. But for that to happen, you first need to understand the thing with this Nightmare Moon look alike."
"How… How is Nightmare Moon even here? With you?" Bon Bon asked with suspicious accusation.
"The short version: my shadow was a simple entity of limited capabilities who took in the residual energy of Nightmare Moon when Luna tried to enter my dreams. He did this to protect me, but it kinda backfired when Nightmare Moon was able to restore herself by stealing my energy through my shadow," he shrugged. "A lot of stuff happened after this, which isn't really important right now, but it did cause my shadow and Nightmare Moon to merge into a new entity. Eclipse is her name. She's the mare you just saw. The daughter of Nightmare Moon and my shade, Shadow."
Bon Bon sat in silence, stunned. Despite the many crazy things she has seen and done during her service, the thing she was just told threw her already strained mind for a loop.
"And that's just the simplified version," Danny shrugged again. "Anyhow. What you need to understand is this. Eclipse is not her mother. She looks like her. And she has some of her memories, blurry as they may be. But she is not some monster hell-bent on world domination."
"Then what is… she?"
"She's my shadow."
Bon Bon blinked.
"This is a conversation that should be continued with Eclipse present as well," said Danny. "I'll be in the throne room. You can stay here and decide if you want to learn the truth, or not. Whichever way you decide, I won't get in your way. But do let me know if you want to leave, then I'll rebuild that bridge ‘cause I don't think you can make that jump," and he walked away into the darkness of the ancient castle. "The choice is yours, Bon Bon. But remember. I did say knowing won't make you happy," and with those final words, he disappeared into the darkness, leaving Bon Bon to make her choice all over again.
A choice that weighed heavily on her burdened mind, and she sat motionless in indecisiveness.
After all, choice has always been the problem.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Surely you can't be serious!" Princess Luna exclaimed, looking at Tucker and his laptop after he explained what he had discovered.
"I, too, feel this is a difficult thing to accept," Princess Celestia added, studying the various graphs and readouts displayed while ignoring the burning of her eyes from being awake this early.
"Yet it fits the data," Tucker countered calmly, but firmly.
"But if true, what does this mean? How could such a thing be?" Princess Luna asked, frowning deeply.
"That I can not answer," Tucker shook his head. "All I set out to do was find out what caused this interference. And I found it," he waved a hand at his laptop. "But why this is, or how. I have no clue."
"There is one worrying detail in this we managed to learn thanks to this discovery, and the scrolls Correct Measurement brought," Technal interjected, and both princesses turned to her. "Once we established the nature of this distortion of the magical field, we were able to determine a pattern in the recorded data."
"Which would be?" Princess Luna demanded.
"This distortion is growing. Increasing in size in correspondence to the growing world population."
"WHAT?!" Princess Luna shouted.
"It's all here, in the scrolls," Technal brought their attention to the aged parchments. "We just didn't know how to read them."
"And that is just the stuff we were able to figure out," Tucker picked up. "Another matter of equal, or perhaps greater importance would be the question of what happens to this energy after?"
"What do you mean?" Princess Celestia asked, puzzled.
"Energy can't just be destroyed. Yet what we see here certainly looks like that is just what is happening. Which means there is still something we're missing. Something that neither those scrolls nor my scans have picked up. At least, that we are aware of. Not to mention, this violent interaction between these two energies is extremely energetic in its own right. So…where does this energy go?"
"And how has this gone unnoticed for so long?" Technal added. "Other than our scrolls and Tucker's scan, there is no indication this destruction is even happening. How, and why?"
"And just as important, how do these ancient cities play a part in it?" Tucker questioned, looking at both princesses. "This distortion is greatest near your old castle. And, as I was told, a similar occurrence can be found near the place where this so-called Crystal Empire was located. But this also demands some questions: how many other wild spots are there? And are there, or were there any large population centers present there at the time?"
Tucker leaned back in his seat, sighing tiredly.
"And, of course. How does this tie in with the ghosts? Where does this spectral energy come from? As far as we know, there are next to no ghosts present in this world. Not counting those who have slipped through from my side in the past. But even if we include those, the amount of spectral energy we see here can't be attributed to them alone. Not to mention the levels are maintaining themselves in response to the magic. Is this done in a similar fashion as the magical field? If so… then where are all the ghosts? If this is unrelated to any ghost presence, then what else is going on?"
He took a moment to rub his tired eyes, wishing he had more coffee.
"So while I have found the reason for the scanner problems, I also found a mystery far greater and worrying. So before anything else, I need to know which other places are out there. Are there any cities there, and what exactly happened in your old castle that made you abandon it? Knowing that might provide me with some clues as to what is going on," and as Tucker looked imploringly at both princesses, Luna turned away, pain obvious in her eyes.
Celestia, while no less shaken, at least managed to hide it better than her sister as she put a comforting wing on her back.
"Very well," she agreed. "But it is a long story."
<<>><<>><<>>
With a force of magic and a strained grunt, one of the many large rocks left from the cave-in was broken apart, then lifted away.
The pony responsible, one of the many guards responsible for this salvage operation, flung the rocks away into a waiting cart, which was then pulled away while another took its place.
Her fellow guards around her were all doing the same. Breaking the rocks, putting them away, then repeating the process as they slowly, but surely excavated the tunnel.
It has been many laborious hours since they started, and it seemed it would take many more to come. But as she tore up another rock, a radiant glow came through the cracks, halting her mid-motion.
"Found something!" She called out, and all work around her came to a stop as the other guards backed away.
Hasty footsteps came from behind her, and one of the human specialists carefully approached holding a strange, flat, glowing device in his hand.
"Getting some strange readings here," Pete mumbled as he read the information displayed on the screen, then looked up at the still magically glowing stone. "Could you please remove those rocks… slowly. And then cease all magic."
"Affirmative," she confirmed, then carefully removed the obstructing rock. Stepping away to make room as a vibrantly glowing crystal fragment was revealed.
"It looks like a part of the large crystal we found," Pete said, then shook his head and returned his attention to his tablet and a gasp escaped him. "These readings are off the charts!"
Tapping away at the screen for a few minutes, he eventually put away his tablet, swallowed, then ever so carefully picked up the fragment.
"This could change everything," he mumbled, a slight sweat covering his forehead. "I- I need to make some scans. Please keep clearing out this rubble. And call for me, or my colleagues immediately if you find any more of these fragments!"
"Understood," the guard nodded as Pete rushed away.
<<>><<>><<>>
Slowly Bon Bon stepped back into the throne room, trying to keep herself as small as possible, still uncertain whether this was all an elaborate trap, or not.
Even then, with not much option available to her, and not wanting to risk scaling the cliff, both down and back up without the proper equipment, at night no less, she knew she had to take a risk.
Of course, her ability to assess risks had proven to be less than reliable as of late, and it all started after that book had done… whatever it was that it did.
And so, with as much fake confidence that she could muster, she looked up, and at the two ghosts in the room. A shiver went down her spine as her eyes met those of Nightma- Of Eclipse, and she had to force herself to keep moving forwards.
Danny, who was talking with Eclipse at the time, partially turned to look at the approaching mare, then quietly finished what he was saying.
Eclipse nodded in response, then the two faced Bon Bon, waiting for her to close the distance.
For a while, nothing was said as Bon Bon tried to keep her conflicting thoughts from showing too much, while Danny and Eclipse patiently waited for her to calm down.
She had questions. A seemingly endless supply of them, and it took Bon Bon a moment to sort herself out enough to prioritize some of them. And while the presence of ghosts here demanded answers, she also realized this was Sweetie Drops doing the asking. And so, with this realized, she instead began with the thing that had started this all.
Reaching into her saddlebag and pulling out the book, she looked at its color-shifting cover, then at Danny.
"This book. What is it? Who is Spring Breeze? And… and how does this relate to me?"
"Those questions aren't easily answered. Mostly because I don't have all the answers," he told her. "But I can tell you this. That book you're holding is called a lifebook. We all have one. Every living, and formerly living being has one. It's the book of our life. All we do. All we hear. All we see, smell, touch, think, and experience is written down in there as it happens. How this is, I do not know. And before you ask. No, you can't just go and pick up any lifebook and read it. These books are aware of who, and what is interacting with them. And unless you're the 'owner' of the book, or in any way closely related to them, the pages will be blank."
He paused for a moment, thinking.
"With a few exceptions to that rule. Sometimes these books decide if the one holding them must know what is written in them, even if they don't know the one it is about. Which is why you were shown what you saw," he looked at the name written on the cover. "Spring Breeze was a pony who lived well over a thousand years ago, as I'm sure you know. She was a mare of mixed heritage. Half pony, half changelink. Like most others living in Yoke. And how this all relates to you… well, I'm certain you already know the answer."
"No," Bon Bon shook her head in denial, dropping the book.
Sighing, Danny stepped closer, then picked up the lifebook.
Opening the book and flipping a few pages, all he saw was blank paper.
"It is a difficult thing to accept, I know," he told her. "But you should know these books do not lie. All they do is tell the story of those who lived it, if you're allowed to know about it."
Bon Bon stood quiet, eyes wavering as she stared at the book, then Danny, then the book again.
"Tell me, did it merely write down its story for you, or did it pull you in and experience it for yourself?" Danny asked, closing the book.
"Wh- what?"
"As I said, these books know who is trying to read them. And they act accordingly to those who are or aren't allowed to do so. Those who are allowed can do so like any other book. But those who need to know… Well, they get quite a bit more involved; drawing you in, and revealing all there is to tell. Every minute detail is laid bare. And I'm sure this happened to you. You didn't just read about Spring Breeze. You saw her life. Lived it. Saw how it all started… And how it ended. Am I wrong?"
Bon Bon didn't answer, but her face spoke volumes.
"I thought as much," said Danny. "You needed to know, even if you yourself didn't know you had to. Showing you what it did because you had not just the need, but the right to know about your true self. All of it. The good, the bad, and the terrible."
Shaking his head, he looked down at the color-changing cover, reading the name on it.
"And there is a lot of terrible history. Some of it is still being written as we speak."
He looked back up at Bon Bon, a tired sigh escaping him as he did so.
"There is a lot you need to know. More than just the questions you currently need to be answered. It's why I placed this book in your basement. To reveal the real truth to you, and force you to ask questions you never needed to ask before. For that, I am sorry. Truly. But I could not, in good conscience, allow you to continue living your life while looking at your reflection in disgust. The lies you were told. The lies everyone has been told. And the one who did the lying. You deserved to know the truth, painful as it is," he sighed deeply. "And so does everyone else."
With a glowing hand, he levitated the book over to the empty throne, placing it down on the vacant seat of misplaced power.
"I can show you the truth. The real truth. And expose the lies you have lived, if you let me. But it will be difficult for you. Even more, than it is now. So before anything else, I need to ask you. Are you willing to continue? Because once you do, there will be no turning back, and everything you think you know will be put into question, and more. So if you rather turn back and pretend this has been nothing more than a bad dream, say so now and I'll let you go."
"Wh- but what… Why would you just leave me like that, after revealing yourself to me? Aren't you worried I will go to the- the princesses?"
"No," he shook his head. "The fact you just faltered on their title shows me the growing doubt you already have. So even if you leave now, I know this will not leave you. You will wonder. You will question. And you will seek for answers. And in time, you may find out what has really been going on. And it will destroy you."
"Then why would you even want me to know?" Bon Bon asked, distressed.
"Because I intend to reveal the truth, regardless of what you may choose. But I am offering you a chance to learn the truth free of any cover-ups and conspiracies, and perhaps, if you're willing, help me help those like you. And I could use all the help I can get."
"What!?"
"Bon Bon," Danny began, voice heavy. "You have merely seen a fraction of the horrors I have witnessed; the atrocities that were committed, all because of the lie you have just become aware of. I was not lying when I told you knowing would not make you happy. It is why I am offering you a chance to walk away now and live your life according to the truth you believe is right. You can even go inform the princesses if you feel this is the right thing to do. I won't stop you. But one day, I will unravel the web of lies that blinds everyone, and expose the crimes committed to the world. And you, too, will be swept away in the storm that will follow. There is no avoiding this, as much as I wished it were different."
He closed his eyes, taking a moment to breathe deeply, then released the air in a long sigh.
"But I hope that you are strong enough to face this uncertainty and to be able to rise above it. Because, if you can, then that will be just that more ponies I can save before the storm hits."
He looked down at Bon Bon, his green glowing eyes filled with sadness, and determination.
"So what will it be?" He held out a hand. "The truth you know, or the truth hidden behind the lies?"
Bon Bon could only stare at the offered appendage, eyes wavering as conflict waged within.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And that is how I became Nightmare Moon, ushered in eternal night, corrupted my closest subordinates, and brought destruction down upon our home," Princess Luna finished, head hanging and eyes closed.
Princess Celestia stood beside her, wing draped over her back in comfort, looking at her sister with a saddened gaze.
"My sister fought me, tried to reason with me, do anything to stop me before things could spiral even further out of control, but in the end, she had to use several powerful artifacts to end my rampage and seal me away in the moon for a thousand years."
Tucker sat quietly, listening to the story with obvious awe and intrigue while his mind worked to connect the dots.
"Afterwards," Princess Celestia picked up, "the surviving ponies and I were left to pick up the pieces. Yet circumstances made this a near impossible task, and in the end, it was decided to abandon the ruins of our city and start anew elsewhere." She looked out through one of the windows. "Which is when we created Canterlot."
A heavy silence settled down over those present, with Luna finding a measure of comfort in her sister's presence. Technal sat quietly next to Tucker, shocked by the things she just learned. Things not taught in any history books. Something that also seemed to weigh heavily on Correct Measurement, who still was unaware of the full extent of her presence here, but starting to connect the pieces.
And then there was Tucker, who had leaned back in his cushion, back pressing against the table on which lay his laptop, a deep frown and pensive look showing on his face.
"And that is how our former home came to ruin," Princess Celestia finished.
"I see," said Tucker, eyes focused on a random spot of the wall as he thought.
"Do you believe this may provide the insight you need to solve this mystery?" Asked Princess Luna.
"I'm not sure," he replied after a heartbeat. "Had there been involvement of ghosts, then things would have been simple… well, simple under the circumstances. But there is little indication that's the case. Though when you first mentioned how you were corrupted, for a moment it seemed like it could have been a possession," he told her, and Luna noticeably stiffened. "But you also show to have a full recollection of everything that happened during this, so that rules that out. At least, any kind of possession I know of. Still, there are some things that bother me."
"Which are?" Princess Celestia asked, frowning ever so slightly.
"These artifacts you used to, eh, stop your sister," he looked at the solar princess. "What are they, exactly? And could they have caused what is now happening at your castle?"
"They are called the Elements of Harmony, and we do not know what they are exactly. They were discovered by chance and turned out to each represent a virtue of friendship. Kindness, laughter, honesty, generosity, loyalty, and magic. My sister and I each wielded three during the time we were those, chosen to wield them, but I was forced to wield all six of them to stop my sister. This also meant that they couldn't be used to their full effect, as they require the bond of friendship between ponies to work. Because of this, they fell dormant after I used them, and it wasn't until a thousand years later that new wielders presented themselves and revived the Elements." Celestia paused, eyes closed for a moment. "And I also should mention I did not use the Elements near our home. During our fight, many blows were traded, and we ended up some distance away as a result." She told him but omitted certain details for her sister's sake.
"So these Elements couldn't have caused this anomaly you say," Tucker scratched at his jaw. "At least, that time. Were they used in, or near this city at any point in time?"
"Yes," Luna confirmed. "Both during the time where we first learned to use them and… And recently, when the new bearers used them to cleanse me from my corruption."
"I see," Tucker hummed. "And what about any of the other places with this distorted magic field? Correct Measurement informed me a place up north has a similar thing going on, and a city called the Crystal Empire used to be there. We're the Elements used there as well?"
Both princesses' eyes widened.
"Yes, they were," Princess Celestia confirmed. "My sister and I used them in our fight against the tyrannical king, Sombra."
Tucker leaned forward. "And what about the other places that were mentioned to me?"
"The Elements were used against a being known as Discord, twice. The first time this happened in what is now known as the Dead Zone, where magic refuses to work as intended. It's believed this was the result of the Elements not being able to fully restore Discord's damage," Princess Celestia explained.
"And the second time?"
"The second time happened in Ponyville, not too long ago," Princess Luna informed him.
"Which, if I remember correctly, is also where the first instance of this interference was reported," said Tucker, standing up from his cushion and starting to pace around. "Surely this can't be a coincidence."
"You think the Elements caused this distortion?" Technal asked, worried.
"I don't know," Tucker replied. "But from what was told just now, they seem to be a connecting factor. But from word of mouth alone I can't say one way or the other. If I were to find an answer, it has to be from studying these Elements myself," he looked at the princesses as he said that.
"This may pose a… problem," Princess Celestia said, then she turned to address both Technal and Correct Measurement. "None of this is to leave this room, especially what we will discuss next. If either of you wishes to leave, you may do so now," she looked down at the two mares with hardened eyes.
"I'm already this involved," Technal replied readily. "There is no way I will stop now."
Princess Celestia nodded, then looked at Correct Measurement. "Before you answer, know that if you choose to stay, you will need to keep a good number of secrets. While your expertise would be most useful to us, we won't force you to be part of these matters if you aren't comfortable in doing so."
Correct Measurement was silent for a moment as she thought.
"This is about ghosts, isn't it Princess?" She looked at Princess Celestia, then at Tucker and his laptop. "While I, at first, had no idea what any of this was about. After Mister Foley's discovery, things started to make a lot more sense to me. The unusual interest in the magical field, talk about strange interference, the way how any requests made by Mister Foley and Miss Technal are fast-tracked by the both of you… the obvious tension among the guards," she looked back at the princess. "Something happened. Very recently, even. Am I correct in my assumption that the quake which spread panic through the city not too long ago is also related to this?"
"You would be correct in this, yes," Princess Celestia confirmed.
Correct Measurement nodded once, closing her eyes. "I see."
"As my sister said, you do not need to be here if you do not feel like it," Princess Luna reminded her.
"Princess," Correct Measurement looked at her. "My brother was in Baltimare," she revealed, eyes hard. "And while he survived the ordeal in a physical sense, he has never been the same afterward. If I walk out now, knowing that I could possibly make a difference, then how could I possibly live with myself? Besides, you said so yourself. My expertise would be invaluable. It has already paid off quite handsomely. So, no. I am not going anywhere."
All present looked at her with mixed emotions, but most prominent were understanding and respect.
"Very well," said Princess Celestia and she and her sister explained what had happened with Discord in Ponyville the day before.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Okay, the first thing that needs to be said: you're not cursed," Danny told Bon Bon. "You need to know that, above all else. Instead, you, and those like you, were born with these abilities, or physical differences because of the lingering changelink genes in your blood."
Bon Bon merely nodded, seated on the floor, mind a whirl.
She still didn't understand why she didn't choose to run, again. She tried reasoning with herself that, obviously, this didn't work the first time. Yet the more she thought about it, the more she found herself realizing that what Danny said sounded too true to be a lie.
A pleasant lie, she first told herself to counter those thoughts. But with the details he shared, the knowledge he possessed; more and more doubt began to chip away at her mental defenses, and she allowed him to tell her everything while, at the same time, this not Nightmare Moon, Eclipse, had vanished without a trace, already putting her tense mind further on edge.
"And secondly, you, and those like you have been lied to by Princess Celestia herself."
"Bwuh?"
Danny sighed, nodding in understanding.
"I know. Princess Celestia, the kind hearted, benevolent ruler would not do such a thing. Guess that's the thing with an immortal among mortals. Whatever they say, if they say it for long enough, everyone else will eventually say the same." He snorted in disgust, shaking his head. "You saw Spring Breeze's life; saw what Celestia did to Yoke and those living there. But what you didn't see is what happened after. The tragedy, the devastation… The horror. Yoke's destruction was the result of a misunderstanding, a terrible mistake. But after that, whenever Celestia saw a changelink she would strike them down without remorse until it became standard practice; spreading lies about what they were, and how they came to be. And when ponies like you were discovered, she used them to hunt down those like them, and later, monsters of any kind under the promise of a cure. Yet in all those centuries, she never delivered, as there is nothing to cure. And you know what is the worst of this?"
He asked, to no reply.
"She knows. She began suspecting she might have been wrong not long after Yoke's destruction, but she continued the lie, and eventually convinced herself it was the truth as she continued her campaign against the changelinks."
"What?!" Bon Bon balked, distraught, unable to believe that. "She would never do such a thing. What proof do you even have for that?"
Danny was silent for a moment, then he held up a hand, palm up.
With a flash of white light, a book materialized in his hand as he pulled it out of his spectral self.
"As I said, we all have a lifebook. Celestia is no different," he told her, looking at the name on the cover, frowning. "And as I told you, we can't read them unless the book either belongs to us or if we are allowed by the one the book belongs to know." He looked at the mare, halting any retort she might have. "And sometimes, they will show us what needs to be told. To reveal the truth that begs to be heard. When I found Celestia's lifebook it decided to show me everything. Or, almost everything. All that was important; what I needed to know to see the truth and the lies."
Bon Bon was quiet, but her eyes were locked on the book held in Danny's grasp.
"And just to prove a point. Celestia's name is not her real name."
"What?!"
"Neither is Luna's."
"WHAT?!"
He turned the book around, showing the cover and, on it, the names printed on it.
"Long ago, Celestia was known as Sunny Skies. A pegasus. And Luna was a unicorn called Starlight."
Bon Bon stared wide-eyed at the book, and the names on it, her mind sputtering in half-formed denials.
"And one other thing you need to know. They both are what they are today because, like me, they are half ghosts."
Danny was sure he heard Bon Bon's mind break in the silence that followed; the mentally abused mare sitting completely still, eyes staring into forever.
Sighing, he put Celeatia's lifebook back into his spectral self, then looked off to his side, and the still invisible portal.
Waving a hand before Bon Bon's face, receiving no response, he opted to sit down on the throne, placing Spring Breeze's lifebook within his spectral form as well, and waited for Bon Bon to process what he just revealed.
"And to think," he said to himself, "the greatest shock is still to come."
Sitting on the throne, elbow on a raised knee and resting his head in his hand, Danny looked at Bon Bon who, for the better part of ten minutes, sat unresponsive; eyes wide in shock.
"Bhuwhat?!" She finally shouted, snapping out of her stupor.
Danny raised his head partly, half expecting the mare to go silent again.
"That's impossible!" Bon Bon shouted.
"And why is that?" Asked Danny, straightening his posture.
Bon Bon pointed an accusation hoof at him. "What proof do you have that the princesses are ghosts?"
"Very little," Danny admitted calmly. "Only the testimony of someone. But her words do have a great deal of weight behind them. And she knows more, a lot more about death and ghosts than I ever will."
"Just the word of some pony!?" Bon Bon jumped up, angry. "Do you honestly expect me to believe such a blatant lie?"
"No, I do not," Danny shook his head. "Which is why I am still busy gathering evidence. But I have little reason to doubt her words. For starters, she predates the princesses in such a massive time frame, Celestia and Luna can be considered foals compared to her. Second, she has seen the crimes committed by Celestia from the start. And third, ghosts have always played a crucial part in Equestria's history. In fact, Equestria wouldn't exist as it is today if it wasn't for the actions of ghosts. And, yes. I can prove that."
Bon Bon's leg dropped partially, her eyes wide once again.
"Eclipse," he called out, eyes looking past Bon Bon.
"Yes, master," Eclipse replied almost instantly, appearing out of thin air behind Bon Bon.
"Are they ready?"
"Yes," she nodded. "It took some work to isolate them, but it is done."
"Good," he stood up from the throne. "Tell the Elder we're ready, too."
Nodding, Eclipse turned around and vanished into the air again, confusing Bon Bon with what was happening now.
"We've gone past the point of no return," Danny said, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the far wall. "What you are about to see and learn will change everything you think you know. Not about yourself. Not yet. But what you believe you know about your world's history. There will be no running from this. Not anymore. Because there are a lot of secrets buried here. And while this one is not the most damning, it is one of the biggest… And arguably one of the most important."
A wavering hole in the air suddenly, inexplicably faded into view, revealing a snow-filled area that could not possibly be there.
"A passage into the ghosts' realm," said Danny, glancing at the terrified mare behind him as she saw the creatures standing on the other side. "And those who exist there."
<<>><<>><<>>
Tense and excited murmuring moved through the group of scientists as Pete ran the scan yet again.
They had seen the numbers. The unimaginable values displayed on the screen after the first scan he made of the recovered fragment on his tablet. Then they had hurriedly put together a rudimentary scanning station with the available, non-damaged parts to confirm the data.
But the numbers were impossible. Should be impossible, so they ran the scan again, and again. Trying to find any fault in their machines, and replacing what they believed necessary to provide a credible explanation to what they knew could not be.
"Scan result is the same," Pete said nervously, stepping away from the keyboard, and looking at the screen. "A positive value of over nine thousand Fenton-J's."
"But that is impossible," one of his colleagues shouted, her hair a mess. "Even our most powerful generator can only produce half of that. And that is more than is required to run this project five times over."
"But we ran the scan nine times now," another argued back heatedly. "We even rebuilt the scanner three times with how much we swapped out."
"There has to be an explanation to this," a third tried to reason. "The intact crystal did not register such an incredible energy output when we made the preliminary scans. Yet this mere fragment puts our greatest engineering achievements to shame. How?"
"Maybe we didn't test the crystal properly the first time," Pete said, suddenly feeling weak and holding on to the table. "Or maybe this is some weird reaction to it being destroyed by a ghost? Or there is some other reason for this… this divine gift. And I am sure that whoever will figure this out will earn themselves a Nobel prize. But right now we should worry about the bigger issue we're facing."
"Which is?" One of them asked.
"How many other fragments are there? How much power do they possess? And, most importantly," he looked up at his colleagues, eyes shining. "How can we use this to fight the ghosts back home?"
<<>><<>><<>>
Bon Bon stood rooted on the spot, her mind screaming at her to run, hide, and send warnings to the princesses as she saw the shimmering hole before her. And, far worse, the creatures on the other side.
"Welcome back, Danny," a massive being greeted Danny as she, for her voice was obviously female to Bon Bon, stepped through; standing so tall she nearly touched the high ceiling with her head.
A head that was mostly obscured in shadows as a hood covered her features, except for her orange glowing eyes.
"And you must be Bon Bon," the giant turned to her, and Bon Bon was uncertain how she could possibly take on such a dangerous entity without her gear.
A small chuckle escaped the giant.
"Do not worry, Bon Bon. You are in no danger from me. Besides, this room is far too cramped for me to fight in to start with. So you would have a good advantage over me there."
She took a step closer, and now Bon Bon noticed the ice-forged staff she held with her.
"But where are my manners?" She asked herself. "Calling you by your name, yet you do not know mine." She lowered the hood of her robe, revealing her white-furred face. "I am the Elder, keeper of Truth and guide to those who wander. It is a pleasure meeting you."
Bon Bon took a step back, head tilted back so far to look up she worried her spine would break.
"I must commend your bravery for remaining here, despite the fear you feel right now," the Elder complimented. "But as Danny told you, you are in no danger here. We do not wish harm upon you."
Danny stepped closer to her, a look of resignation on his face.
"There are a few things you must know. The Elder is a frost giant. She and those like her live over there," he indicated the snow-covered world past the portal. "Yes, they are ghosts. But they do not harm mortals. In fact, they don't interact with the mortal world at all, with only a few exceptions out of necessity." He frowned, wondering how Wind Chill was doing right now. "The frost giants have been guarding this portal since it opened, preventing ghosts from coming through… With mixed results." He looked back over his shoulder and gave a signal to Eclipse on the other side.
"A little while back, a large group of animal-like ghosts managed to storm through, which caused a lot of damage to the Hive, and those living there," he revealed, and despite her best efforts, Bon Bon gasped.
"I, with the help of others, including the frost giants, was able to stop these ghosts, and later return them back where they belong. But in the process, I learned something rather interesting." Eclipse stepped past him, and following behind her, a horse-like creature radiating arctic energy.
Bon Bon's eyes seemed to make a valiant effort to bulge out of her head.
"These ghosts happened to be windigos."
The windigo snorted, then blew a raspberry at Eclipse.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a subdued 'clack', the door of the holding cell was locked behind Lyra.
The exhausted mare lumbered to the cot near her on autopilot, flopping down on the uncomfortable mattress with a vacant stare.
The interrogation had taken hours. Hours upon hours where she revealed everything she had seen, done, thought, and planned since Danny Manson had come to Ponyville.
At times she was told to repeat certain events or asked to explain inconsistencies, and even some contradictions in her recounting of events to the point she didn't even know herself anymore what was true or not.
Eventually, they had run out of questions, long after Lyra had already run out of energy, leaving her completely drained as they escorted her to her cell.
And now, lying motionless on her cot, inhibitor ring clamped around her horn and the soul-crushing question of whether or not it had been worth it plaguing her mind, she lay there for an undetermined amount of time.
Eventually, exhaustion did claim hold over her, and the last thing she thought before drifting off was just how worried Bon Bon must be.
<<>><<>><<>>
Many different thoughts ran rampant through Bon Bon's mind. None of them were particularly coherent as she stared wide-eyed at the creature of myths.
The windigo, if that was what Danny claimed it to be, looked around the room with a blank gaze, loudly blowing air through its nose, creating a small cloud as its frozen breath mixed with the warmer air from the forest, then let out a loud whinny.
"WHAT?!" Bon Bon shouted, one of her eyes suddenly changing color due to her mental control breaking down more and more.
The windigo reacted to her outburst, agitated, rearing up and kicking his hooves.
"Calm down!" Eclipse said calmly, yet firmly. Not allowing the windigo to get out of control. "That goes for you as well," she looked at Bon Bon."
Bon Bon's eyes flashed between Eclipse and the windigo, unable to figure out how her life had turned into such a nightmare so rapidly.
"They react to the emotional state of others," Danny quickly explained. "You panic, they panic." He placed a hand on the windigo's head, calming the spectral horse down with some gentle scritches. "They aren't particularly bright. Not dumb, but obviously not capable of conversations like we're having."
"But, but, but… This is impossible," Bon Bon dropped to her flank, grasping her head with both hooves.
Her other eye changed color, too.
"Even if that is a windigo. Windigos are said to be evil spirits drawn to those trapped in anger and hate, freezing everything they go to, as punishment. Which is what happened to the ancient pony tribes, until the harmony of friendship that blossomed between the few survivors pushed them away."
"It's probably true to some extent, but obviously since the many centuries this has happened, the story got warped to some degree," Danny shrugged. "Windigos are drawn to strong, negative emotions out of instinct. And things freeze where they go. But they have very little, to no control over either. Honestly, unless something sets them off, they're quite docile."
The windigo pushed its muzzle into Danny's hand, demanding more scritches, much to his amusement.
"Case in point," he said, giving the windigo what he desired.
"This is impossible. None of this is possible," said Bon Bon.
"And why is that?" Danny asked her.
"Because that would mean that Equestria came to be by accident, through ghosts."
Danny stopped his scritches, then looked Bon Bon in her eyes.
"Yes."
"But that just isn't possible!"
"Then where do ghost stories come from?"
"What?"
"Even before the first tear opened, and the ghosts came through, your world already understood the concept of ghosts. Why do you think that is? What happened to your ancestors to come up with such a concept? Just to scare? Or to warn?"
Bon Bon sat silent, mouth partially open as she thought about this.
"Of course, over the years it developed in such ways that it was nothing more than just scary stories. But its origin… Well, I can honestly say that ghosts have been around in this world for a long, long time. They're just better at hiding."
"But we would have noticed them by now if that is true."
"And that's the thing. You already know about them. Gave them a name even."
"What?"
"Ever heard of timber wolves?" Danny asked rhetorically. "Glowing green eyes. Bodies made of dead and decaying pieces of wood held together by some possessive force. Inflicting wounds that are difficult to cure through magic," Danny summed up, using some of the knowledge gained from his time in the Murgröna.
Bon Bon's legs gave out completely, and she lay down on the floor, eyes staring at nothing as she went through everything she knew about the monsters and beasts living in and around Equestria. Then compare all of that with what Danny had just told her, trying to find a flaw in his reasoning. And while at first, she thought she found many holes in his story, the more she thought about it; really thought about it, the more she realized the flaws in her own thinking as her rational mind began to break down more and more while running in circles.
A red glow filled the room, and Bon Bon instantly felt the burden on her mind lessen as her colluding thoughts were silenced.
"What?" She looked around, confused, then noticed the light coming from the Elder's staff.
"I did mention I guide those who wander," she said. "And you looked like you needed the clarity of thought."
Slowly Bon Bon pushed herself back up to a seating position, her psyche noticeably shaken if the haunted look in her eyes was anything to go by.
Danny knelt down before her, face grim. "I know this is hard on you. And I am sorry, but it will only get worse. This is why I gave you the chance to turn back." He closed his eyes, sighing while shaking his head. "You came here to learn about yourself. Instead, I pushed all of this on you. But I have a good reason to do so. First and foremost, because I believe you're strong enough to cope with this once everything is said and done." His eyes opened, and he looked into Bon Bon's wide, sea-green eyes. "There is more that needs to be told. But more importantly, there are things you need to see. Things that will shake the very foundation of not just your life, but everyone who calls this world their home. So knowing what you know now, are you ready to take a leap of faith, or do you need some more time?"
"A leap of faith? What for?"
"To put your fate in the hands of a ghost," Danny answered, eyes glowing green.
<<>><<>><<>>
Bon Bon didn't know how she got into this situation, though she was certain that she had agreed to this… somehow.
Surely it had to be a sign just how far her mind had fallen into the clutches of the ghosts' control to even allow this to happen in the first place, despite the rigorous training she had undergone since her early years to strengthen her mind against manipulation.
And yet, here she was. Trapped within the darkness that composed Eclipse's body, blind to the world.
She was going to die. She was sure of it.
"Don't worry. I have done this before," Eclipse's voice came from around her. "Once."
That did instill little confidence.
"It is the fastest way for us to move where we need to go," Danny's voice came from somewhere to her left. "And it also ensures you can't see where we're going. Not because I don't trust you, but if this knowledge gets to the wrong person, many lives will be lost."
Bon Bon did her best to keep her shaking under control.
Even as an agent out on a mission, she always managed to keep her cool. But only because she knew that, no matter how bad the situation could get, she always had some measure of control. Yet the moment she accepted the hand Danny offered out in the forest, she felt her control slip more and more, and she had no clue how to gain an upper hand in the current situation.
No intel, no tools or weapons, no experience to fall back on, no ability to call for backup, and now, not even her sight as darkness had consumed her.
"Oh, right," Eclipse said suddenly, and a faint orange light began to shine around Bon Bon. "It won't change much about the view, but at least you won't be completely blind now."
Bon Bon swallowed heavily.
"Alright, let's go," she heard Danny, and a moment later she felt her stomach drop from a sudden acceleration, and gravity-defying pull-up.
"I'll try to make this as comfortable as I can," Eclipse told her, and Bon Bon felt the darkness around her tighten and soften to better accommodate her body as she moved around.
"Wh-where are you taking me?" Bon Bon asked, trying to regain some control over herself, and the situation.
"Some place where you will be able to learn all the lies you were told," Eclipse told her. "And maybe, to meet her, too."
"Her? Her, who? This pony Danny said told him the princesses are supposedly ghosts?"
"No. Someone far more important to you, if you're allowed."
"Who?"
"That is not for me to say," Eclipse evaded. "Nor can I answer much else. There is still a lot I don't know, either. And what knowledge I do possess is either shared with Danny, or from my mother. But the latter is quite blurry to me, despite my efforts to recollect them."
Bon Bon twitched. There was a hook. A chance to gain new intel.
"Your mother's memories? Do you mean Nightmare Moon? How is that even possible?"
"How indeed?" Eclipse hummed. "It's in no small part because of the cleansing magic of the Crystal Heart."
"The what?"
"No intel on that, huh," Eclipse chuckled, and Bon Bon worried she got caught already. "Well, I don't mind filling you in. We still have some time before we arrive, though I will keep it short."
Bon Bon breathed a mental sigh of relief and nodded. Then listened with rapt attention to Eclipse's story, using it as a lifeline to keep some sanity.
<<>><<>><<>>
"And that is about it," Eclipse finished. "Which also means I'm almost two days old at this point."
Bon Bon was speechless, not even feeling the sharp drop down a few minutes ago, or the many twists and turns that followed shortly after.
"Alright, we're here," Danny said, sounding far away to her.
The darkness around Bon Bon drifted away, and she soon felt the touch of cold stone against her rump as she sat in a daze.
A hand waved before her eyes.
"Alright, what happened?" Danny asked after he didn't even get a blink in response.
"She wanted to know how Nightmare Moon is my mother, so I told her," Eclipse answered.
"Really?" The deadpan in Danny's voice was audible.
"I did leave out some details to keep it short."
A tired sigh followed. "Well, I guess we want her to trust us. So being honest works with that," said Danny, "but can we try to keep her mind from breaking any more than necessary?"
Eclipse grinned sheepishly.
Sighing, Danny turned back to Bon Bon and then, carefully, poked her in the side.
"Hiya," Bon Bon spun around, her hoof phasing through Danny's head, while she continued the motion to grab his shirt and fling him away, only to stumble forwards as she only managed to grab air and lost her balance.
"One cheer for intangibility," Danny said without humor, quickly grabbing hold of the mare before she could fall over. "And please, try and keep those reflexes in check."
"What?" Bon Bon looked around, confused.
"You had an agent moment," Danny told her, letting her go and stepping away.
"I, eh…" Bon Bon looked around, confused. Seeing numerous chunks of damaged rock and structures lay around her. "Where are we?"
"Turn around, and see for yourself," said Danny, doing so himself, too.
"Turn arou-" Bon Bon fell silent upon the sight before her. Something she had seen before, even if this was the first time she actually saw it.
"Welcome to the Hive, Bon Bon," said Danny.
Bon Bon stood with her mouth open, the grandiose work before her awe-inspiring.
"The city of forgotten dreams and lost hope," Danny finished, face set. "Let's go. There is much you need to see."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Welcome back, Great One," Wind Chill greeted excitedly.
Wind Chill, with little need to sleep, had taken it upon himself to patrol the city during the night and help where needed. And, upon spotting Danny cross the bridge coming from the entrance, he had hurried over to aid him however he could.
"Wind Chill," Danny nodded. "I saw you've moved more of the debris out of the way."
"That I did. It will greatly aid the children as they move around to help the ill."
Danny nodded in approval, then looked over his shoulder at the nervous mare holding back.
"I see you have brought a visitor," Wind Chill followed his gaze. "Are you sure this is wise?"
"Sometimes the only way forward is by taking a risk. But I trust her. And she needs to be here."
"Then I have no more reason to question this decision."
"Still, to be safe, Eclipse is informing the other," Danny added, purposely vague about his double, but Wind Chill nodded in understanding.
"Would there be anything I could help you with?"
Danny shook his head. "No. Not this time."
"Very well, then I shall not hold you any longer," Wind Chill gave him a respectful nod, then looked at Bon Bon, gave a smaller nod at her, and left.
Danny looked back. "You're coming?"
Slowly, Bon Bon approached, never leaving Wind Chill out of her sight.
"Why is one of those ghosts here?" She asked, clearly uneasy with her current situation.
"It's a long, convoluted story involving ghosts, windigos included, several foals who should be smarter than their actions suggest, a spell of love and hate, and a desperate attempt to do the impossible and stop the inevitable," Danny sighed out, shaking his head." It will probably make more sense, soon. If they're willing. Please, follow me."
He continued moving, and Bon Bon followed after a moment.
"What is that even supposed to mean?"
"This is the changelinks' city," Danny said instead. "You've seen it, a much younger version, in Spring Breeze's lifebook. Correct?"
"Eh, yes."
"And you also saw what happened in Yoke, with Celestia."
Bon Bon was silent, that particular matter weighing heavily on her mind.
"This is the changelinks' city," Danny repeated. "A city large enough to house tens of thousands." He stopped and looked Bon Bon in the eyes. "Look around, and tell me where they all are?"
Bon Bon stood frozen, then looked around.
The city was empty. Except for Wind Chill, there was nopony, nolink to be seen. And even with how late it was, she knew that in a city of this size, there would always be some kind of activity somewhere.
"Where is everypony?" She asked, suddenly aware of just how quiet everything was.
"Most of them are dead," Danny said, continuing to move. "There are only a few thousand left, and the majority fell ill to a devastating disease as a result of the spell used by Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to repel them from Canterlot, leaving only their foals to help them and pick up the pieces. It took a lot of work, and nothing short of a miracle to save those who we could, but a large number of them are still suffering through the aftereffects."
Bon Bon was silent, shocked.
"I have seen a lot of awful stuff in my days," Danny told her. "But what I found here. I will have nightmares for years." He mentally shook his head. 'Nothing new there.'
They crossed a bridge, followed the curving path around a stalagmite, then crossed another bridge.
"What happened?" Bon Bon asked with a small voice, feeling the weight of the tragedy that happened press down on her.
Danny looked off to the side, seeing the wave in the Murgröna as the leaves angled to them, seeing the glowing flowers pulse faintly at him.
"You're about to find out," he told her. "Over here," he led her to a bridge closest to the palace.
He stopped in the center, giving a view of most of the city around them. Yet Danny looked up.
From high above, a vine came down, and Danny held out a hand to accept it.
"What is that?" Bon Bon took several steps back.
"I'm sure you already know," he looked at her. "After all, the Murgröna played a prominent part in Spring Breeze's life. And now it is your turn."
"I- I… no," Bon Bon backed away further.
The vine pulled out of Danny's hand, dropped to the floor, then slithered to Bon Bon.
"I promised to show you the true truth, and the lies you were told. And I intend to keep my word. But I can only do that if you allow for this to happen. Right here, right now, all the answers to your questions are there for you to take. But you need to take a leap of faith to do so," the vine propped itself up before Bon Bon, reminding her of a snake. "But I also said that what you will learn won't make you happy. In fact, it will tear you apart. But I know you are strong enough to see the truth and pull through. And when you do, you shall be able to remake your life as you see fit, without shame or disgust."
Bon Bon looked past the vine at Danny, tears brimming in terrified eyes.
"What am I about to see?" She asked, voice wavering.
"Horror," he said, and the vine connected with her mind.
<<>><<>><<>>
A cold wind blew over darkened grass, kicking up the layer of soot staining it, blowing the suffocating ash into the face of Bon Bon, standing on the edge of the village of Yoke.
Or, what had once been Yoke.
Now all that remained were burned down, destroyed husks of buildings. While scattered around in chaotic patterns speaking of a horrific tragedy, lay the numerous bodies of the villagers.
Bon Bon tried to gasp, yet the air wouldn't leave her and she tried to turn away from the gruesome sight.
Hoofsteps grabbed her attention, and her eyes grew wide as she came face to face with Spring Breeze. Yet the mare didn't even seem to register Bon Bon, as she looked past her in horror and grief far greater than anything Bon Bon had ever seen. Tears ran down her face without stopping.
Slowly, some semblance of light returned to Spring Breeze's eyes, and she slowly, stiffly turned to Bon Bon.
"Why did this happen to us?" She asked, voice broken. "Why did she do this to us?"
"Who did this?" Bon Bon asked, worried.
"You already know. You work for her."
"NO!" Bon Bon shook her head, still not willing to accept this. "Princess Celestia would never do somethi-"
"STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!" Spring Breeze screeched. Bon Bon flinched back, hard. "SHE HAS LIED TO YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, EVERYPONY. AND YOU BELIEVE HER! YOU WORK FOR HER. SPREADING HER EVIL. BETRAYING ALL THAT YOU ARE!"
Anger and hatred roiled off of her, and Bon Bon shrunk back in fear of the mare who glared murder at her.
"But I'll make you see. Make you understand," she said, the drop in volume putting Bon Bon even further on edge. "You will know what she has done to us. ALL OF US."
The world around Bon Bon detonated, and she was flung into the shared memories of everylink, and the horror they carried with them.
<<>><<>><<>>
"What happened?! What is going on?" Chrysalis asked hurriedly, panting and coughing from the sudden sprint she had forced herself through.
Danny had proven to be less than informative, only telling her that 'she' had arrived, but refraining from saying too much, looking past her with a deep frown while saying she should go back to sleep.
Truth be told, Chrysalis wanted nothing more than to do just that. Despite her insistence on keeping up appearances, she was absolutely exhausted, and far from recovered. Yet sleep proved elusive as the building tension she could easily sense coming from Danny kept her awake, making her seek him out, and demanding an explanation.
Eventually, he sighed, shook his head, and said: "Come see for yourself," and he left for the castle gate.
What she found there threw her mind for a loop, and she hurriedly closed the distance, demanding answers.
The Danny closest to her looked at her, frowning deeply while the other, closest to the unknown mare, looked at the pony in silence, arms crossed.
"Who is that pony?" Chrysalis hissed angrily.
"Her name is Bon Bon," Danny near her answered. "Agent of Celestia, and descendant of Spring Breeze."
Chrysalis looked at him wide-eyed, then looked at Bon Bon with anger.
"I gave her Spring Breeze's lifebook," the other Danny said, never looking away. "Planted the seed of doubt, bringing her to me, and allowing me to create a crack where a dent had formed. And now… now it is up to them to tear down this web of lies that Celestia has caught her in. I just wish there was an easier way of doing this," he added, angry with himself as he saw the tears run down Bon Bon's face. "No matter how this plays out, I will hate myself for doing this… For what I still need to do… to them."
"I just hope she can forgive us," Danny, the other one, said sadly.
"So do I."
<<>><<>><<>>
She was wrong. She was wrong about so, so many things.
All she thought she knew, all she believed in, her entire life, all of it, wrong, fake, lies.
Bon Bon, or the mare who once called herself Bon Bon could not stop her tears as she found herself back in the ruins of Yoke, lost, confused, broken. And she cried. Cried for all that she never had, taken away from her the day the specialist took her in, and Celestia took control over her life.
Spring Breeze stood next to her, her animosity gone as she looked down at her descendant, sharing in her pain.
"You can trust Danny," she said. "That is one truth the sun tyrant will never be able to twist, no matter how much she will try. Listen to him, have faith in him, and help him," she gingerly stroked Bon Bon's mane. "And he will help you."
<<>><<>><<>>
The vine pulled away, retracted back into its mass and Bon Bon cried out a heart-wrenching wail as the truth had broken her down; dropping to the floor without care as she cried.
Danny knelt down by her side, placing a hand on her back in comfort, not saying a word as he allowed her to come to terms with things on her own.
Acting in desperate need for comfort, Bon Bon pressed her face into his chest as her tears flowed freely; the colors of her fur and mane shifting erratically in response to her emotional state.
Danny held her close, calmly stroking her back while Danny and Chrysalis watched from a distance, taking notice of several foals coming out to see what was going on, including Sweetie Belle, and silently telling them to be quiet.
Out in the distance, Danny also noticed Wind Chill rush to them, but a silent command to Eclipse dealt with this issue.
Bon Bon would be given the time she needed to come to terms with the truth, without interruptions.
Until then, he would be there for her.
It was the least he could do.
And in silence they watched, taking notice of the numerous color changes Bon Bon went through.
Yet despite this, one part of her remained the same.
It was the dawn of a new day, and out on the quiet farm of Sweet Apple Acres nothing seemed out of the ordinary as the Apple family slowly rose to the sound of their roosters.
All of them, except Granny Smith, whose aged hearing failed to fully register the sound, and she dutifully rolled over while snoring slightly.
Another exception was Apple Bloom, who sat unmoving under her blanket, her mind pulled into the story of Apple Pie's lifebook.
With a flash, the book snapped shut, and Apple Bloom fell to her side, breathing heavily, eyes unfocused and stained with tears.
She would lay like that for a good while, until Applejack called for her to come down for breakfast, all the while reliving those memories, and finding herself starting to ask questions she never had asked before.
<<>><<>><<>>
A steady beeping filled the otherwise quiet room.
It was the first thing he became aware of.
It took him a while to realize this, though. Exactly how long it was where the rhythmic background noise became more than that, he couldn't tell. But he did realize the moment he did, more and more things became known to him.
He felt stiff, sore, thirsty, and extremely hot. Sweltering, even.
But more than that, he felt confused. Not because he didn't know where he was, or why he felt the way he did, but because he knew exactly what happened.
The dream, or vision, or whatever it was he went through was still vividly clear in his mind as if it was burned into his neurons, forcing him to remember.
As the world around him came into focus as more and more of his senses returned, he shifted and groaned, drawing attention to the on-duty nurse watching over him.
She rushed over to him, unaware of the waging conflict in Rolling Stone's mind as she first confirmed he was coming to, then rushed to get help from the available staff.
<<>><<>><<>>
Light from a magical lantern illuminated the uneven walls of a cave. The lamp was placed on a sizable rock while a folder detailing information about Danny Phantom lay splayed out on a simple table.
Amidst this, a portable console with additional information on the same subject was scrutinized by Maudileena Daisy Pie, who had claimed this cave not too long ago during her search in the Everfree Forest, and now acted as her de facto base of operations.
Her gear all lay perfectly organized and cleaned on a tarp next to her, ready for her to head out and continue her investigation.
She grabbed one of the papers, read it carefully, and then proceeded to grab a recording device.
"Mission log fourteen. Day two of investigation. After having confirmed the identity of one of the ghosts to be Danny Phantom, Terror of Amity Park and murderer of Samantha Manson, and studying the known data on the record of the subject, I find myself with a surprising and unwanted realization," she spoke in an even monotone, blinking once. "Despite the records provided to me, they all date back over seven years and have seen no update since. This is easily attributed to the fact that no known sightings of the subject were reported since its disappearance seven years ago, but this leaves me at a severe disadvantage."
She paused for a moment.
"It is unknown how long exactly the subject has been present in Equestria, or how it got here, but if we go on the assumption it was the ghost that breached the tear through the use of mister Danny Manson's shadow, the subject has been here for several weeks. If this is not the case, then the subject could have been here for even longer. Both are possibilities that leave me ill at ease," she said with no emotion.
"If it is the former possibility, that would mean the subject has skills not listed in its record. Making approaching it even more of a hazard. If it is the latter, then how did it get here, and how long has it been able to undermine our safety from the shadows?"
She paused for several minutes, looking at the wall before her without moving a muscle.
"Further study is required."
<<>><<>><<>>
With a groan of equal measures of pain and dread, Jazz opened her eyes, feeling more dead than alive.
For minutes she lay there, glaring at her alarm clock with as much animosity as she could manage as it blared its alarm at an hour that should be illegal.
Five o'clock in the morning.
With herculean effort, she managed to lift her uninjured arm up, only for it to flop down and slap her in the face.
Muttering several curses under her breath, she tried again and managed to silence the alarm, only to shove it off her bedside table as her arm gave out a second time.
At least it was quiet again.
With a wall-shaking SLAM, Valerie kicked open the door and turned on the light. Jazz bolted upright in bed, screaming, then groaned in pain from her body while also trying to block out the light.
"And good morning, sunshine," Valerie greeted enthusiastically, grinning evilly. "I hope you slept well, cause lazy time is over. So get off your ass, put on your training gear, and get moving."
"Shower," Jazz protested weakly in sleep-addled speech.
"You'll end up drenched in sweat before long, so don't bother."
"Food," Jazz said, more clearly now as the horror of the situation jumped-started her mind into overdrive.
"And give you more to throw up? I don't think so. Here's a protein bar," she threw the bar next to Jazz, "which will give you what you need to start with. And grab some water, 'cause the day has just begun and we're on the clock.
Jazz looked at the meager bar, felt her stomach churn from both hunger and tension, then slowly looked at Valerie, eyes pleading for mercy.
Valerie merely grinned while looking at her watch.
"And you better make it quick, 'cause in five minutes, whether you're dressed or not, your ass will be out on the street for our six-mile run."
Jazz whimpered, convinced she saw horns sticking out of Valerie's shadow's head.
<<>><<>><<>>
The first light of day had only started to show itself, but Soarin was already up and awake, kicking and punching against a training dummy.
Sleep had proven difficult to get for him. His mind replayed the improvised yet thorough training session with Valerie, and he knew he couldn't just lay there and do nothing.
After almost half an hour of staring at the ceiling, he jumped out of bed and made his way to the Wonderbolts' training grounds.
All night long he pushed himself to improve on the things he learned the other day. To find ways to mirror Valerie's fighting style, and modify it to better work for him.
As such, he now stood balancing on two legs, using his wings for added support, while he punched and kicked at the defenseless dummy.
'Pegasi can hit ghosts, even if they are intangible,' he threw a series of rapid-fire punches. 'So I better learn to use all of my hooves,' and he tried to do a spin kick like he had seen Valerie use against Jazz.
His balance was lost, and with a shout he fell to the ground, chest heaving from the exertion.
"Not good enough," he grunted through his teeth, and he pushed himself back up, eyes burning.
"I can't let them win again," he secured his stance. "I can't be afraid any longer," he pushed back on two legs again. "I need to get better!" And he threw himself at the dummy once more, not allowing him to back down and let fear hold him back.
Never again.
And standing out of sight in the shadows, Spitfire watched it all.
<<>><<>><<>>
The day was progressing smoothly and after their familiar morning routines, and one improvised act of such, several fillies prepared for school.
Apple Bloom, tired but alert, had eaten her breakfast without a word, her mind too lost in all she had just seen. Which worried her siblings, but they reasoned it was most likely due to the terrible ordeal she had recently gone through, and helped her prepare for school the best they could.
Scootaloo was quite the opposite of her usual self, too. Where normally she would rebel against most of anything Bellflower did for her, she now didn't hesitate to help her set up the table, and then clean up after breakfast was done. Doing so with an awkward, yet honest smile. Still not sure how to ask her… her mother about what her future self had mentioned to ask.
Devora, in the guise of Sweetie Belle, had struggled greatly. With little idea of the normal routine of Sweetie Belle to mimic, she had to lean heavily into the role of a traumatized filly, while also pretending she could stomach the cooking of 'her older sister'.
And while it was true that she was able to eat most pony foods, she didn't really like doing so. Especially because it required the use of some of her scarce energy to convert the food into jelly, which would be left sitting in her gut until she could get rid of it to make room for more food later on.
It was a bitter irony that she now suddenly had a wealth of food to eat, yet it was completely useless to her, and even nauseating at points.
Then there was Silver Spoon. The gray filly found herself well-rested after a surprisingly calm and deep sleep. Not fully realizing yet that the apology she gave to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle the previous day gave her peace of mind that allowed her conscience to heal. And she started her day with a happy smile and a spring in her step.
And then there was Diamond Tiara.
Still stuck in self-centered anger and disgust, sleep proved to be impossible for her to get, and all throughout the early hours when she prepared for school, she could barely keep her eyes open while wishing doom upon those changelings colluding traitors of pony kind.
<<>><<>><<>>
Breakfast went by with no incident, and Danny, Twilight, and Spike all worked together to clean up after themselves.
With that done, and a secondary check to make sure they didn't miss anything by Twilight, and Danny managing to talk her out of doing a third check, much to the amazement of Spike, they proceeded to plan out the rest of the, hopefully, simple and mundane, day ahead of them.
This of course meant that Spike proceeded to plant himself in one of the seat cushions with one of his comics before Twilight could pull him away.
Maybe he could even get halfway through his latest issue before that.
"So what's next?" Asked Danny.
"Plenty," Twilight answered with a somewhat forced smile. "I need to study my magic, and find a way to help stop either Discord or the ghosts now with my Element gone."
"Right," Danny awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "makes sense."
"And what about you?" Twilight asked in turn.
"Probably go out and see how things are over at the cafe," he answered. "It's been a few days now since Grill was forced to close the place 'cause of the Crusaders' antics. So I want to see how things are now and probably find out if I can go back to work. Still have rent to pay, after all."
"That's quite responsible of you," Twilight commented, feeling strangely happy at this display of foresight.
"I have my moments," Danny chuckled. But his joy was short-lived as he thought about the other thing he also had to deal with. "And I also want to go out there and get some control over the rumor mill working overtime right now. With everything that has happened, I'd rather deal with it now, when I can still give my side of events. Not after things have had a chance to take on a life of their own, and move out of the house and pay taxes."
He sighed tiredly, all too familiar with the twisted stories getting more and more warped as time passed on.
"Right, that," Twilight agreed, looking unhappy herself as well. "Maybe I should go out as well, and try to put a stop to it."
"Maybe not the smartest choice for us both to be out there, trying to stop ponies from talking," he commented.
"How so?"
In answer, Danny merely looked at Spike, who was deeply engrossed in his story and didn't notice the sudden attention.
"What has Spi-" Twilight fell silent, her cheeks rapidly turning crimson as Spike's poor explanation came back to her. "Yes, I can see how that would add to the rumors."
"Yeah…"
'Master,' Eclipse suddenly spoke up, and Danny was barely able to keep his cool. 'Your plan for Bon Bon was successful. She is currently in the Hive, coming to terms with everything she has learned.
'Understood,' he replied. 'And Eclipse. Try not to jump in like that every time.'
"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry. Just remembered something important I forgot."
"Oh, anything I can help with?"
Danny shook his head. "No, but thanks. It's just something that I need to take care of some other time."
"Okay, if you say so."
They each smiled at each other, then left the table to go their separate ways.
<<>><<>><<>>
Tiredly, Danny sat on the floor, arms resting on his knees and head placed on top of them as he rested his eyes for a moment.
After Bon Bon re-emerged from the Murgröna, and everything that followed as a result of her learning her whole life had been a lie, he had stayed awake all night watching over her, making sure she would be able to cope after what had happened, and wouldn't make a decision all of them would come to regret.
Slowly he looked up, suppressing a yawn as he saw Bon Bon lying on a bed, asleep.
Sleep had come for her only a short while ago, and her pillow was noticeably wet from shed tears. There were also plenty of feathers strewn around, blown out of the seams of the same pillow after Bon Bon had struck it repeatedly.
But now, finally, she had worn herself out to a point where she could no longer continue and she just shut down. She didn't even seem to suffer from any haunting dreams, lying almost completely still while breathing calmly.
The door to the room opened, and Danny quietly walked in, looking at Bon Bon, then his double.
"How's she doing?" He asked, voice lowered.
"Asleep, finally," his other self answered through a large yawn.
"Good. Let's hope she will feel better once she wakes up."
"Would you?"
"No."
Danny, the one on the floor, rubbed one of his burning eyes with the back of his hand, head bobbing.
"You go and get some sleep, too. I'll take over."
The other nodded slowly, then stood up with some effort and stumbled out of the room, almost tripping over Sweetie Belle, entered the room next door, and collapsed on the bed there.
"Is she going to be okay?" Asked Sweetie Belle, looking at the mare she was told was Bon Bon.
"I hope so, Sweetie Belle. I really do."
<<>><<>><<>>
A bit of time had passed, And Danny found himself gradually making his way down to the market, seeing several ponies already at work to set up their stalls or open up their stores.
He also noticed their reactions, and sudden changes in topic when they noticed him, and a quiet groan escaped him as he knew he had to stop this thing before it got too out of hand.
But before he could come up with a way to tackle that particular headache, he steered away from the market and headed for the cafe, seeing several crates standing outside, and Quick Grill talking with the well-known, wall-eyed delivery pony as he signed a letter of delivery.
"Hey Grill. Hey Ditzy," Danny called out to them both, and they turned to look at him as he approached.
"Hi Danny," Ditzy Doo waved enthusiastically at him, almost slapping Quick Grill in the face. "Oops, sorry," she quickly apologized.
Quick Grill sighed, said it was alright, and then gave a nod to Danny.
"I see you're eager to get started again," he commented.
"I guess so," Danny laughed, looking at the crates. "Replacement materials, I take it."
"You got it," Quick Grill confirmed. "Took a bit to get it down here this fast. Thanks again," he turned to Ditzy Doo.
"No problem," she smiled happily. "Well, gotta go. I still have a lot of packages to deliver," And with a flap of her wings, she flew off, pulling a cart with her.
"So we've got everything needed to open up again?" Danny asked, returning their attention to the crates.
"It should be," Quick Grill grunted, pulling open one of the still-closed crates. "I already inspected the first few crates. While you're here, might as well make yourself useful, if you're not busy." He pointed at one of the crates. "The new glasses and plates are in there. You know where they need to go."
"That I do," Danny nodded. "What's in the other crates?" He asked, curious.
"With the damage those three caused, and with everything I had to replace, I figured I might as well get rid of some of the older stuff. So I have new tables, seating cushions, and some other things I think will come in handy."
"Smart," Danny gave a nod in understanding.
"Expensive is more like it," Quick Grill muttered. "We'll need to work hard to make up for all the losses, both time and money."
"No problem there. I'm eager to get started again," said Danny, pulling out two boxes labeled 'fragile'. "So when do you plan to open again?"
"With luck, tomorrow. But the day after is more likely."
Danny nodded. "Alright. I'll swing by tomorrow morning and see if we're in business. Otherwise, the day after it is."
"If only the others were so eager," Quick Grill commented.
"Guess I just have a lot of energy."
"So I've heard," Quick Grill said, and Danny could hear the smirk. "Too much for even Princess Celestia."
Danny almost dropped the boxes as he stood there for a long moment, then he threw his head back and groaned. Loudly.
<<>><<>><<>>
With a cheer and pounding hooves, the foals stuck in the classroom all rushed out for recess, while at the back of the group, 'Sweetie Belle', Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom made their way over to their somewhat secluded spot to talk in relative privacy.
Their reason for doing so this time, besides the much-needed pointers for Devora to better keep up appearances, would be Apple Bloom's continuous lack of attention in class, drawing the attention of not just their teacher, but her friends as well.
"Are you alright?" Scootaloo asked, concerned for her friend.
"Ah'm not sure," Apple Bloom answered, looking down. "Ah just…"
"Just, what?" Scootaloo asked.
"It's 'bout that book you told me' bout yesterday," Apple Bloom looked at Devora.
"Okay…" Devora said, not sure what to do with this information.
"It's some kind of magical book or somethin'. As in, Ah think it's alive. It showed me thaings. Thaings you and Erlea told us about back in tha Hive. 'Bout Yoke an' such. Ah even saw Apple Pie. And Ah saw…"
"You saw, what?" Scootaloo leaned forward, eager to know. Even Devora found herself intrigued at this point.
"Tha book showed me all tha ponies, an' changelinks that came after them. And Ah… Ah… Apple Pie is mah ancestor."
"WHAT!?" Devora shouted, drawing the attention of everypony around, yet she didn't notice. Instead, she quickly reached out to the rest of the Hive with this impossible revelation.
'Abella. Erlea. This apple pony claims to be the descendant of Apple Pie!'
'Yeah, Danny found out about that a little while ago,' Abella replied almost instantly. Didn't we tell you that?'
'WHAT? No.
'Oh… Well, apparently, all Apples and all Pies are the descendants of Apple Pie and Buzz. Which also means they are of changelink blood, and some of them show the signs through their appearances or abilities.'
'Wait… WHAT?
'We actually have one of those ponies here in the Hive right now. Not one from Apple Pie, though. But she has the gift of change.
'...'
'So, there you have it
A hoof waved past her eyes, and Devora blinked back to the here and now.
"Are you alright?" Scootaloo asked. She and Apple Bloom looked at her in concern. "Ya kinda spaced out there."
"Yes, just telling the others about what she just said," Devora grumbled. "Turns out they already knew and failed to inform me."
"Wait, they knew about me? About Apple Pie?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Apparently so," Devora looked at her. "They said that Danny found out not too long ago and that all Apples and Pies are related to Apple Pie. And also-" she looked around, making sure nopony was nearby- "that means you're of changelink blood. Little as it may be."
Apple Bloom sat stunned, eyes wide as this realization kicked in.
"It would also explain your sister's ability to tell a lie," Devora added. "It's most likely linked to our ability to sense emotions, but far more limited, and focused on this one thing."
Apple Bloom shook her head rapidly, returning back to focus. "Does that mean Ah have powers as well? Like, can Ah climb on walls, or somethin'?"
"How would I know? I only learned about this just now," she grumbled, 'glaring' at her friends through their shared minds.
Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo, the pegasus looking back with a growing grin.
"Are ya thinkin' what Ah'm thinkin'?"
"Secret power training Cutie Marks," Scootaloo jumped up, wings buzzing.
"Secret power training Cutie Marks," Apple Bloom jumped up as well.
"SECRET POWER TRAINING CUTIE MARKS, YAY!" They quietly shouted, slamming their hooves together. Once again drawing the attention of everypony around, though what they said was lost over the sound of the foals playing.
"Insane," Devora grumbled, hoof pressed against her face. "All you ponies are insane."
<<>><<>><<>>
"Move it, Sunshine. You still have sixty more sit-ups to do," Valerie shouted, standing next to the beaten form of Jazz, hands on her hips as she looked down at the struggling woman.
"Mercy," Jazz croaked.
"Mercy is for the weak. Move it!"
A strangled gasp escaped Jazz as she did as instructed, tears running down her face from the pain she was in.
"And after this, we're going on another run to compensate for the lack of push-ups," Valerie shouted, looking at the casted wrist. "So enjoy laying on the ground while you can," she grinned ferally, "cause this is just the easy part."
Jazz looked up at the woman towering over her in absolute terror, certain she heard demonic laughter coming from behind her.
Behind her back, Valerie pressed pause on her phone.
<<>><<>><<>>
"Play it again!"
Hitting rewind on the remote, the video wound back, then resumed playing with another press of the button.
"What are we even looking for?" Chris asked, scratching his head and messing up his blond hair. "We've watched this recording a hundred times now."
"That is the ghost that killed our parents," said Emily, seated next to him, leaning forward to a point she rested her head in her hand, supported on her knee, remote held out before her as she stared intently at the screen. "There has to be something we can use here to nail that bastard."
"Or, at the very least, figure out how it got through the shield like it did," Franky added, glaring at the laptop before him as he worked on the same recording, trying to blow up the image without compromising the quality too much. "But we can't go out there and investigate on-site. We're in too much trouble as it is, and this recording is all we've got to work with."
"And what about that thing the ghost was chasing?" Chris asked, looking at the blur of pixels on his older brother's screen.
"We never got a good look at what, or who it was. And we only got a few flashes of it on the vid. Which is why I am trying to get a better shot of whatever it was. It might give us the lead we need to track that monster down."
"Any luck with that?" Emily asked, still leering at the TV, rewinding the recording yet again.
Franky aggressively hit the keyboard, then leaned back and sighed deeply.
"You would know when I do," he answered after a moment. "I'm good with computers, but I can't do magic."
"Maybe we could ask for help?" Chris commented.
"And who would be willing to help us with this after the destruction we caused trying to hunt this ghost?" Franky asked through gritted teeth.
"Calm down, bro," Chris placed a hand on Franky's shoulder. "I know I'm not the smartest guy here, but I'm just trying to help."
"I know," Franky sighed. "I know. But that does not change my question. Who would want to help us with this after all that?"
"Maybe this Tucker Foley? I've heard he's good with computers."
Both Franky and Emily turned to look at him.
"You want us to go to Tucker Foley? The guy working for Fenton Corp, our competitor, and ask for his help?" Franky looked at his brother, unable to believe he would even suggest such a thing.
"Well, I mean… We're all trying to fight ghosts, right? Besides, if it means catching this ghost, then why not?"
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Chris is right," said Emily. "Tucker Foley is one of the best out there when it comes to computers and such. I'm sure getting a better image would be child's play to him. And if it means we'd be able to get revenge, I'd do anything."
Franky leaned back, looking at the less-than-great results of his efforts with a grimace.
"Yeah…" He sighed. "But we can't just walk in there either and ask to see him," he shook his head.
"Why not?" Chris asked, confused.
"We don't want to make more of a mess for our boss. And walking into Fenton Corp would do just that."
"How?" Said Chris. "Wouldn't it make sense for us to reach out to someone else who knows what they're doing? It might even make people think we're trying to be better at our job?"
Both Franky and Emily were quiet at the surprising wisdom their usually dense brother just shared with them.
"That could actually work in our favor," Emily realized, turning off the TV.
"And we might gain new intel. An actual lead on this bastard," said Franky, closing the program on his laptop and opening a new app instead. Neither of them realized their brother had stood up and walked away. "I'll send a mail to Fenton Corp, asking for help in an ongoing investigation. With luck, we could turn all of this around."
"I can't believe it, but Chris, you're a genius." Emily called out proudly, then blinked and looked around as she couldn't find her brother.
"I am?" Chris replied, pulling his head out of the fridge, along with a six-pack of beer. "What'd I do?"
"Never mind," she sighed, shaking her head.
<<>><<>><<>>
The school bell rang, and the door outside all but exploded outwards as a figurative geyser of foals burst out, and only the barrier that was the foals' parents or legal guardians stood steadfast against this force of nature as they rallied their children before they could run off and do who knew what.
So too was the case for Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and 'Sweetie Belle', as Applejack, Rarity, and Bellflower were there to collect those three young troublemakers and make sure they would return home safe and sound.
They did allow the three to say some last goodbyes for the day, and the three mares spoke privately a short distance away while the fillies quickly and quietly finalized their plans. Even Devora was involved if only to get a better understanding of the mindset and behavior of the one she was impersonating.
"So you're gonna try what you can back home and see what works, or doesn't, then report back tomorrow at recess and we'll work from there," Scootaloo summed up, eager to get started, but bummed out she couldn't help directly. Neither their sisters, nor Bellflower would allow them out of their sights for too long, and she and Apple Bloom couldn't really blame them. But if this meant her friend could earn her Cutie Mark, she was fine with that.
Of course, it would be awesome if she could earn her Mark as well, but even she knew this one was very unlikely to happen for her. It was her friend who was related to the changelinks, after all. Not her.
Not to mention, she had some difficult things to ask Bellflower, too.
"Right," Apple Bloom nodded, but not as enthusiastically as Scootaloo had expected.
"Anything wrong?"
"No," Apple Bloom shook her head. "It's just… Tha more Ah think 'bout this; about them being mah ancestors, tha more Ah keep thinking 'bout mah parents. An' Ah don't know why," she sighed out.
"Maybe by wanting to find out if you have secret powers," Devora rolled her eyes, "you can't help but wonder about your family history," she suggested. "Seeing how they both go together."
"But Ah don't know anything 'bout mah parents. They died when Ah was jus' a filly."
"Then maybe you should learn more about them so you can learn more about yourself."
Apple Bloom was quiet there, eyes slightly unfocused as she thought about that, which left the group to be silent for long enough for their sisters and caretaker to come and get them.
"All done with your talk, Sweetie Belle?" Asked Rarity.
"Sure thing, sis," Devora said, hoping she got the behavior she was told about right this time.
The small gasp and smile Rarity gave was a good indication she nailed it this time.
"So ya'll ready to go home then?" Applejack asked them, and the trio shared one last look, then nodded and followed after their sisters and adoptive mother.
But after only a few steps they all came to a stop when, blocking their path, Silver Spoon stood there with her father.
"Eh, can we help you?" Bellflower asked while the three fillies looked at Silver Spoon in confusion.
"My daughter wanted to speak to your sisters," Tarnished Silver said, less than pleased as he looked down upon the three fillies he had heard were responsible for his daughter's hospital visit some time ago.
"She does?" Said Scootaloo, confused. The three of them still clearly remember the weird conversation they had with her the previous day.
"I… I just," Silver Spoon tried and faltered, working her mouth, but unable to find the words she wanted to say. Instead, she looked at the three fillies, smiled sheepishly, then said: "Have a nice day," and she quickly left, leaving her moderately confused father to catch up, while all six ponies were left dumbfounded.
"Ain't she one of them bullies who's always makin' fun of ya'll?" Asked Applejack.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom confirmed. "But lately, she's been weirdly apologetic."
"I know what that's like," Scootaloo quietly muttered, looking away.
"Well, I guess she's finally growing out of that phase," Rarity said after a moment, the group watching the filly and her father walk back to town. "Maybe she'll even be your friend, someday."
"Really?" Scootaloo looked weirdly at Rarity.
"You never know, dear," she replied back.
Shortly thereafter, they left the school as well.
<<>><<>><<>>
Out in the Far Frozen, hidden underneath a literal mountain of ice, Tree of Life nurtured her seeds with great care, feeling the continuous growth of those chosen to one day wield the powers they were chosen to represent.
And one of those seeds pulsed and grew ever so slightly as its future bearer took another step on the long road ahead of her.
<<>><<>><<>>
Moving from one part of the palace to the next to check up on her patients, Stable Pulse quietly muttered to the apparent lack of capable medical personnel, as it seemed she was the only doctor available at any given time.
Of course, she knew this wasn't the case, but it certainly felt like all the attention was on her, leaving her to take care of all medical emergencies more often than not.
Worse still, with the changelings now gone, she couldn't stop the feeling of disgust. Disgust to what or who, she couldn't quite say. But the thought that critically ill patients under her care were suddenly gone without a trace just left her in an extremely sour mood.
Add to that the very real possibility of the involvement of ghosts, and her stress levels were off the charts. Which, of course, wasn't done any favors either through her other patient, where ghosts were absolutely involved.
Sighing out and shaking her head, she reached her destination, knocked on the door to let those inside know she was there, then entered.
Her stethoscope slipped down her neck and fell to the floor when she saw the patient's bed was empty, and worse, she could see Miss Dani standing before the window, holding onto the wall for support.
"What is going on? What happened?" She rushed inside, worried.
"Hey doc," Dani slowly looked at her, not wanting to make any sudden movements. "Just admiring the view," she said, looking back outside, seeing the city before her, and beyond, the valley where, out in the distance, she could just see Ponyville. And somewhere over there, Danny.
"You shouldn't be standing already. What if something were to happen, and you fell? Please, go back to bed. Now!"
Dani chuckled quietly, then gave in. Pushing away from the wall, she unsteadily made her way back to her bed, slipping back under the covers with the assistance of Stable Pulse.
"Sorry about that," Dani apologized. "I just wanted to have a look. The view is amazing."
"It is," Stable Pulse agreed, "but that is no reason to put your health at risk. Please ask me, or any of the nurses if you could take a look outside, and we'll be happy to help you. But don't go and do something like this on your own. You're in no state to help yourself if something were to go wrong."
"Fair enough," Dani sighed, eyes closed. "Where is Tuc- I mean, mister Foley? He was gone after I woke up again."
"Mister Foley?" Stable Pulse thought for a moment. "I do believe he was busy with an investigation into certain device failures, but I can't say I know more than that."
"Should have known," Dani chuckled. "Can't keep him away from his gadget for too long."
"Alright," Stable Pulse said after she was sure Dani was situated in bed properly again. "And how do you feel right now? Any pain? Dizziness? Nausea? Anything?"
"Maybe a bit woozy from standing," Dani admitted with a small, guilty smile. "Other than that… a bit thirsty."
Stable Pulse ignored her desire to sigh and shake her head and instead poured a glass of water for Dani to drink.
"Better?" She asked.
"Better," Dani confirmed, returning the glass to the doctor, then lying down fully; sighing tiredly.
"Say doc," she said after a moment. "Is it possible for my bed to be placed next to the window? I'd like it to look outside."
"I'll see what can be arranged," she answered. "For now, you should rest."
"Yeah… good idea," Dani agreed, already drifting off.
<<>><<>><<>>
"So if we compare these values we measured out in the forest yesterday against the data we extracted from the device I left out there, then what does this tell us?" Tucker asked aloud, looking at the data on display with a frown.
Technal and Correct Measurement also regarded the new data with growing headaches.
Just an hour ago, one of the pegasi guards who had originally taken them to the forest had flown back there, retrieved Tucker's scanner, and returned back to them, allowing them to now work with hours' worth of scans.
It was without a doubt the most comprehensive and detailed scan ever made, and Correct Measurement could barely contain her excitement. But now, an hour later, her excitement had turned to frustration and a desire to burn all the scrolls she once protected fiercely.
"Is it just me, or does that make no sense at all?" Technal shook her head, blinking away the numbers and graphs.
"The greater the detail, the greater the picture, the more pieces we find are missing," said Tucker.
He moved through the data, finding a key point highlighted by the software as potentially important.
"And then there is this. A sudden and drastic distortion in the field, where a sudden increase of spectral energy is measured, only for it to dip, then return a short while later."
"But what does that mean?" Asked Correct Measurement.
"Obviously, there was a ghost there at that point," Tucker said matter of factly. Correct Measurement gasped. "Which tells us very little, all in all. It was already known ghosts were spotted around that area, so this comes as little surprise," he glared at the data, thinking he saw something. But he couldn't test for that, not with either mare present. "So all we have left is more of the same, just in greater detail. The magical field is growing and simultaneously destroyed by spectral energy at a rate that keeps up with the gradual growth of the magical field. But then what? Where does the energy go? All that energy. All that power. It can't just vanish."
He turned away from his laptop, rubbing his eyes.
"I fear that my lack of understanding of the magical field is keeping me from seeing the full picture, regardless of all the help you have provided," he said to Correct Measurement. "And sadly there is only so much time I can spend on this now. I still have equipment to inspect and update, as well as an inspection on the project down below to get everything there back on track. And then there is a matter of severity I need to address back home as well. So even though I know this will be a thorn in my side for a long, long time to come, I can't justify continuing working on this at this time."
He leaned back in his cushion, almost lying down as he sighed out, looking up in defeat.
"This thing. It makes no sense. No sense at all."
"Perhaps you can't justify continuing working on this," Correct Measurement said, looking at the data as if it had insulted her mother, "but I can. Knowing what I know now, I can't turn away from this. If you can leave me a copy of all this data, I will find a way to crack this mystery while you do what needs to be done to stop those ghosts."
"You're sure?" Tucker asked, and a cold glare was his answer. "Right, sure," he hastily pulled himself back up. "Technal, do you have a laptop around here I can copy this data on?"
"I do," she eagerly jumped up. "Back at the tear facility, we have several laptops. I'll run over and get one right away."
"Make it two. Best to have a backup, just in case."
Technal nodded, then rushed off.
<<>><<>><<>>
The walk back home had been uneventful, and the time had allowed Apple Bloom to think about what Devora had said.
It made sense, in a way. If she wanted to know more about herself, and possibly any secret powers she might have, then learning more about her parents would help with that.
Yet the thing was, she never knew her parents, other than the pictures she was shown, and the things she was told time and time again. And while this painted the picture of kind and loving ponies doing everything they could to provide for their family, all Apple Bloom saw were two unfamiliar ponies in the pictures.
This was different for her brother, sister, and grandmother, of course. They all looked back with fond smiles and tears, their memories of them still strong. But Apple Bloom, she never really understood.
She knew she was supposed to miss them, but how could she miss somepony she didn't even know?
Yet the more she thought about this, and the more she thought about the things that were left behind, the more she realized something was missing. A strange numb sensation which she wasn't sure where it came from, and if it had been there all that time, or if it just appeared then and there. And the more she thought about these things, the more she showed a troubled frown.
And now, back at the farmhouse, she sat quietly in the living room, looking at a picture of her parents hanging on the wall.
"Is everythaing alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, worried. She and her brother glanced at each other in concern.
"Yeah," Apple Bloom said after a moment. "Ah'm just thinking 'bout stuff."
"Care to share?" Big Mac asked as he sat down next to her.
Apple Bloom looked up at him, then at Applejack as she sat down on her other side, and then she looked back at the picture.
"Would ya-" she bit her lip, looking down- "Ah'd like ta know more 'bout mom an' dad. What they were like, and such.
Applejack gently pulled her younger sister into her side, smiling sadly at her.
"Sure thaing, Apple Bloom," she said. "We'll tell ya everythaing ya want ta know."
<<>><<>><<>>
"And you're certain that's all you saw," Rachel Connor, lead investigator of the Spectral Aftermath Division, or S.A.D., asked one of the scientists.
"Positive," the woman confirmed her statement.
"Very well," Rachel typed on her tablet. "Thank you for your time. I will come back should I have any further questions."
The woman nodded, then left to rejoin her colleagues.
Sighing, Rachel looked at the carnage around her.
The guards had made good progress in cleaning up and restoring the cave, which also revealed the actual destruction hidden underneath.
A lot of the tech brought in was crushed and destroyed, but fortunately, some of the more valuable materials remained relatively unscathed. Even then, it would take some time to replace what was destroyed, and she wondered just what the hell was going on around here.
But then, that was why she was here.
Shaking her head, she refocused her attention on the other members of her team. Watching them investigate the area, and take statements from the people and ponies.
Of course, not all of her team was here, and she briefly wondered how the others were doing with their field promotion to combat instructors, giving emergency training to the Ghost-Keteers.
Sighing over the mess they found themselves in, she looked up in surprise at the sudden activity coming from a collapsed tunnel; several scientists running in at the word of something being found.
Moving there herself, Rachel watched as three scientists emerged back out of the tunnel, pushing and pulling a cart in which lay a massive chunk of glowing crystal; the excitement on their faces was unmistakable as they pushed past her.
And here lay another mystery. One she hopefully didn't have to solve.
<<>><<>><<>>
Numerous books lay open or were suspended in a purple glow as they surrounded the studious unicorn.
Twilight, well within her zone, read through several books at the same time, taking notes of anything she thought would be of use, while redirecting the books she deemed unnecessary at this time to a stack of literature on the opposite side of her study room.
Dipping her quill, she scribbled down a seemingly promising tidbit of information, as well as the book and page number where she found it, then leaned back, sighed out, and rubbed her tired eyes with a fetlock.
"Any luck, Twi?" Asked Spike, the young drake collecting the books she had discarded and placing them back on the shelves.
"Not really," she replied. "While I found a lot of information and spells that would prove useful in a myriad of situations, there is little I found that could help against Discord or the ghosts. I'm hoping that I may be able to combine some of the spells I found, but right now that seems unlikely."
"Maybe you just need to take a break. You've been at it for the entire day," Spike suggested, and Twilight looked outside, seeing the sun was already lowering.
"I suppose you're right," she agreed, and then they heard the door open and close, followed by the distinct sound of footsteps.
"Guess Danny's back," said Spike, pushing in place an especially thick book.
"He is?" Twilight perked up noticeably, jumping up from her spot, and quickly looked at her reflection in the window to see if she was presentable.
"Why are you doing that?" Spike asked, confused.
"Do what?" Twilight looked at him, confused as well.
"That," Spike made some claw gestures at her. "Going all happy and making sure you look good when Danny is around."
"What do you mean? I'm not doing that, am I?"
Spike merely crossed his arms, looking at her in silence.
I- It's nothing. Honestly," she stammered, blushing.
Spike simply raised an eyebrow.
"Twilight, you up there?" Danny called out, and they heard him approach.
"Yes I am," she quickly replied, glad for the interruption.
"I thought I heard you," Danny mentioned as he showed himself. "Spike," he acknowledged the dragon in the room, giving a nod to him.
"Danny, how was your day?" Twilight asked quickly before Spike could continue with his weird accusations.
"Eventful, to say the least," he groaned. "I tried to get a grip on the rumors going around, but honestly, I have a better chance of outrunning Rainbow Dash than stopping that unfolding disaster," he shook his head, sighing. "But at least the cafe will open up soon. Helped out Quick Grill with replacing the glasses, dishes, tables, and all that. The place looks like new. I'm gonna drop by tomorrow morning, to see if Grill's gonna open up. Otherwise, we're back in business the day after."
"That's great news," Twilight smiled, happy for him.
"Yeah," Danny agreed. "Can't wait to get something of my normal routine back." His stomach then decided to make itself known. "Well, at least that hasn't changed," he muttered.
"Well, it is getting late. How about we start preparing for dinner?" Twilight suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Danny agreed gladly, both smiling at each other, with a slight blush on Twilight's cheeks.
And as they left for the kitchen and started cooking, Spike pushed another book into its place.
"So, that's how it is, huh?" He smirked. "Interesting. I wonder what Cadance would say about this? Or Shining Armor?"
<<>><<>><<>>
"Where are we?" Bon Bon asked, looking around, confused, wide-eyed, seeing the uncountable number of books around her.
"Welcome to the ghost library," said Danny. "A place with more knowledge than you can begin to imagine."
"... Why did you take me here?"
The white-haired ghost looked at her, face set.
"I said I needed your help, which is why I brought you here. So you can understand what I am planning to do. You see these books?" He asked, looking at the endless rows of bookcases all around them. "These are the lifebooks of all creatures alive, and dead. All their stories, written down right here."
Bon Bon once again looked at the many books, unable to believe what he had just said.
"It is where I got the book of Spring Breeze, which I then gave to you," he said as he retrieved said book out of his spectral self.
The book promptly pulled out of his hand, hovered before them, then flew away, returning to its spot.
"Why am I here?" Bon Bon asked, worried.
Danny looked away, scanning the many books.
"I used the knowledge found here to help you see the truth. It brought you to me and allowed you to see beyond past convictions. But there are others out there. The other ponies Celestia has under her control. I want to set them free. And I'd like you to help me to do this."
Bon Bon took a step back, shocked.
"You want to turn the agents of S.M.I.L.E. against the princess."
"Yes, and for multiple reasons. The first is the most obvious. Like you, they deserve to know the lies they were told. The lie their life is. But I also need help. I need eyes and ears wherever I can. And while I can duplicate myself, the more I do this, the weaker I become. And I have the feeling I need to conserve my power as much as I can, just in case. Not to mention, you and the other agents have a much better understanding of how things work; where things can be hidden, and how to retrieve them. To use what Celestia forced upon all of you against her. To find the skeletons she's hiding, and to help me bring her down."
He looked at Bon Bon, his green glowing eyes filled with determination and conviction.
"So I will need your help to make this happen. You are in a position where you can approach the other agents without suspicion, and give them the lifebooks linked to their ancestors. But I need to know the names of those to call for them. And I need to be sure they can be trusted, because I have no illusion about their loyalty to Celestia, either. Some of them are not ready, or unwilling to learn the truth. Their lives, tragic as it may be, too important to give up on. It's why I am as sorry as I am for having done this to you in the first place."
"You- you do know what you're asking me to do?" Bon Bon said, voice cracking slightly.
"To betray everything you swore to protect and help destroy it. Yes," Danny nodded once. "But knowing what you know now, are you able to walk away from it all?"
"I… I," Bon Bon closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it for as long as she could. "No. No, I can't. Celestia needs to be stopped. But I don't know every single agent by name. Most of us use aliases, for security."
"Not a problem," said Danny, then he turned back to the books. "Please allow me to see the lifebook of Bon Bon of Ponyville."
Bon Bon looked at Danny in confusion, then eeped when a shift around them occurred, and a small wave spread through the books as they moved ever so slightly on their shelves.
A minute later, a book with a color-shifting cover levitated over to Danny, and he held out a hand for the book to land in.
"Like I said," he looked at the name on the cover. "These books hold the full story of our lives. That includes all the names we carry." He turned around the book, allowing Bon Bon to see the title on the cover.
Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops
Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.
Danny gave her her lifebook.
"As we speak, your story is being written," the book opened on its own, pages flipping through the years, yet never seeming to run out, then stopped in what seemed to be the centerfold and Bon Bon saw he spoke the truth. "But how that story unfolds is entirely up to you."
Bon Bon sat down and held the book in her hooves, staring at the words as they appeared on the paper. Then, sensing the one it was connected to, the pages turned back to the early beginning of her story, and Bon Bon reread the moment when she first met the specialist, and something inside her solidified.
Sensing the change in her, the pages flipped to the very end, and a list of names was written down.
Names she knew.
The aliases of all the agents she knew personally. Even those she couldn't recall anymore.
With a shocked gasp, she looked at the names, then up at Danny as her eyes hardened, giving him a single, resolute nod, and a cacophony of sound filled the library, almost as if millions of pages were turned at once while books jumped from their shelves.
With a strained grunt and a display of spectral might, the many Lifebooks that surrounded Bon Bon and Danny disappeared with a flash pulled into Danny's spectral self.
Grunting, Danny dropped to a knee with a thud far heavier than his thin build would suggest.
Holding his side with a hand, the other on the floor for added support, it took him a good number of minutes before he caught his breath and found the strength to push himself back up again.
"Damn," he groaned. "That took more out of me than I thought it would." He rolled his shoulders, then twisted his upper body a few times. "Feels heavy, too." He stretched his back. "Well, I did just take in all those books. Guess that makes sense… somehow."
"Ho- how did you… Wha?" Bon Bon sputtered, her mind failing with what she just witnessed.
"You have no idea how many times I have wondered the same," Danny replied. Then, looking at one of his hands, flexing it, then balling it into a fist, he channeled his spectral energy, making it glow green. "Okay, that still works as it should." He then levitated up, holding his place half a meter above the floor. "That too," he hummed, "but it takes me a lot more energy to maintain myself."
He dropped down, and another heavy thud filled the air.
"Okay," he placed a hand on his neck, pulling his head from side to side. "We got the books. Now where to put them." He stopped his motions, looking down at Bon Bon. "Can they stay in your base? It's out of sight, and will allow you easy access for when you find an opportunity to bring them to the other agents."
"I-" Bon Bon shook her head, forcing herself to accept the bizarre turn her life had taken. "It may be possible," she told him. "Few ponies know of my basement base, and fewer have any need to come down there. But inspections do happen from time to time, and if this were to happen with those books there, it would be difficult to explain."
"And I don't suppose they will make it known in advance when these inspections happen?" He asked, to which Bon Bon shook her head. "Figures," he muttered. "Another way to ensure you're kept under control, no doubt."
He sighed loudly, shaking his head.
"Well, another thing we can do is leave the books with the frost giants. They will keep them safe, and you can go to them when you need them. But this does mean you need to make repeat visits to the Everfree Forest, which will be difficult to explain, too."
"Maybe…" Bon Bon paused for a moment, thinking. "Making those repeat visits won't be a problem. Even if they see me, they don't see me. Besides, I know how to move around without notice."
"Fair point," Danny nodded.
"But more importantly, keeping the Lifebooks there may work in our favor."
"How so?"
"If we're going to do this, eventually our numbers will increase. I do not doubt that. But when this happens, we need a proper fallback point where we can regroup and plan our next moves without anypony noticing."
"And the abandoned castle would be perfect for just that," Danny realized somewhat excitedly, not realizing how far his voice traveled in the mostly silent library.
"It would be," Bon Bon agreed.
"And I'm sure the Elder would be able to help us keep this operation of ours hidden, should the need arise. Then the only thing we still need is a way for you, and the potential others, to enter and exit the castle, while also keeping others out. Especially Maud, or any of the other hunters. Which, I may have an idea for, but I need to make sure it's possible first. But if this works, we have a proper place to work from, away from prying eyes, with direct access to the Ghost Zone and the Lifebooks."
"And then I would be able to work on character profiling of the other agents, determine who would be best suited to give a Lifebook, while also keeping up appearances back in Ponyville and send false reports to the princess," Bon Bon added, starting to feel a rush of excitement she had rarely felt before. Now with a clear goal and target, and a rapidly forming plan to work with.
"Meaning we both can maximize our efforts with the least amount of risk. And when the other agents learn the truth and, hopefully, come to join our cause, things will move forward at an accelerated pace," Danny felt a similar rush of excitement take hold, not noticing the shadow that fell over him. "Perhaps some of them are even in a position or profession where they could help us in new ways altogeth-" He froze mid-sentence at the puff of cold air flowing out of his mouth, and seeing the alarmed look on Bon Bon's face as she looked up and behind him.
Slowly turning around, half wishing to find the librarian there to complain about their volume, he instead was greeted by something all too familiar.
A green glowing, bloated body with eight tentacles, a beak, and a pair of wide, red glowing eyes.
"Ghuruwaaargh!" The ectopuss gurgled in shocked surprise, dropping the books it carried in one of its tentacles.
Both ghosts looked at each other in silence.
Slowly, Danny reached for the thermos clipped to his belt.
With a cry, the ectopuss turned around and fled the area; tentacles flailing.
"Shit!" Danny swore as he grabbed the thermos, popped the cap, and fired a beam of captive energy in a well-practiced, fluid motion; only to miss as the ectopuss knocked over several bookcases, causing the beam to be blocked by the Lifebooks falling down.
"Damn it," he shouted. "I'm way out of practice. No way that thing would've been able to sneak up on me like that in the past." He turned back to Bon Bon. "Eclipse, keep Bon Bon safe while I chase after that guy!"
"As you command!" Eclipse replied, rising up from the ground.
Jumping up, Danny did not waste any more time and followed after the ectopuss, shooting past the librarian with a hasty apology, and began the hunt.
<<>><<>><<>>
Slamming into bookcases left and right, the ectopuss threw as many obstructions in the air as it could while fleeing from the ghost it remembered all too well. Crying and screaming with a gurgling voice, it flew as fast it could to the exit while beams of blue narrowly missed it.
Behind the ghost, Danny struggled to keep up; the books held in his spectral self were too heavy for him to keep pace.
"Get back here!" He yelled in frustration, panting.
Seeing its chance, the ectopuss made a dash for the doors, slammed through amidst more beams of captive energy, and fled outside.
"Damn it!" Danny swore.
Slamming into the doors as well, he nearly knocked them out of their frame as he came to a skidding halt outside. Scanning the area, he quickly noticed the rapidly retreating form of the ectopuss as it fled into the depths of the Ghost Zone and he knew that his fears had come true sooner, rather than later.
Before long, word of his presence in the Zone would have spread far and wide. And with it, a whole slew of new problems with them.
"God dammit," he cursed, placing the thermos back on his belt. Following the shrinking form until he lost sight of the fleeing ghost. "This will make things way more difficult for me. I just know it."
<<>><<>><<>>
Many towering forms surrounded them, and Bon Bon couldn't stop her nervousness from showing as they stared down at her and Danny.
Danny on the other hand didn't seem bothered by the attention on him, and he stepped towards one of the giants whose arm was made of clear ice, showing the bone underneath.
"Great One," Frostbite said, all serious, easily seeing the hardened edge in Danny's eyes.
"Frostbite," Danny replied with a stiff nod.
"I take it you were successful."
"I was," Danny nodded. Then, with a grunt of exertion, a band of energy surrounded him, which rapidly extended outward and a great number of books appeared as they were pulled out of his spectral self.
Dropping to a knee, panting, he looked up at Frostbite.
"These are all the Lifebooks that answered my call," he grunted, pushing himself up. "I can't keep them all with me, nor would it be wise for us to take them all to Ponyville in one go. Please keep them here until either I or Bon Bon comes to pick them up."
"Say no more," Frostbite responded, and made several gestures to the other giants.
With fluid coordination, the many books were picked up and carried away to a safe location in record time.
"I can tell there is more that you need to discuss," Frostbite said.
"You can say that, yes," Danny stiffly nodded. "While in the library, we were seen by an old… acquaintance of mine, and I was unable to stop it. No doubt word of my presence has already started to spread, which will not go without a response."
Frostbite sucked in a breath, nodding in understanding.
"We will keep a vigilant eye out for any and all signs of activity in response to this," he promised.
"Thanks," Danny said, but shook his head. "But I worry most about what might happen should word of this reach my world. And especially Vlad."
"I fear there is little I can do to prevent this," Frostbite said, worried.
"No, you can't. This is out of our control now. We just need to deal with whatever comes from this."
"Uhm… excuse me," Bon Bon spoke up. "What just happened?"
"Right," Danny pulled a hand through his hair. "Sorry, a lot happened just now. Long story short, that ghost was an ectopuss. And seeing how it clearly recognized me, most likely one of the two ectopusses who attacked me and my friends years ago. The first two ghosts I ever fought, and managed to beat… barely. Needless to say, it was the kind of ghost you should rightfully fear."
Sighing, he turned around and scanned the crowd.
"Is the Elder here? I have something I must ask of her."
"She is," the Elder replied, standing behind Danny.
"I'm not even gonna ask how you got there without me noticing," Danny replied, clearly not in the mood. "We may need your help with something. Earlier, you managed to hide the portal in the castle from view, as if it wasn't there at all. Can you do this with other things as well?"
"I can indeed," she confirmed.
"For how long?"
"As long as I am present. But I also see what you're planning, and I can make this happen by infusing some of my might in your construct. To the eye, nothing will be there. But it will still be tangible in all senses of the word."
"Good enough for me," Danny nodded. "Okay, Frostbite," he looked back at the village leader. "Bon Bon and I will use the old castle as our base to free the other agents of Celestia and plan our next moves. In time, hopefully, more ponies will join us, and gain entry to the Far Frozen. We'll need to figure out how to deal with this once this happens, but for now, it's just Bon Bon and I. We need you to keep those books safe until we can bring them to the agents."
"I see," Frostbite replied, eyes lighting up. "The castle will prove most valuable to grow your resistance."
Danny nodded, then turned back to the Elder.
"There is still a ghost hunter out there. She's called Maud. She's tenacious, and not to be underestimated. I have no doubt she will make her way into the castle at some point."
"I think I know a way to keep her from finding out the truth," she said.
"Good," Danny nodded. "Hopefully I will be able to help her too, someday. But for now, she's to be avoided at all costs. Her trauma is too deep, and her skills are too honed. If she were to stumble on any of this, it would be an absolute disaster."
He shook his head, sighing.
"Okay… one problem at a time," he looked out into the distance, seeing a small shimmer where the portal was. "Elder, Bon Bon. Let's go. There's a lot we need to do."
"Then lead the way, Great One," the Elder gave a small bow to Danny. "We will follow."
<<>><<>><<>>
In the darkness of the night, Danny, Bon Bon, and the Elder moved outside of the castle, their path illuminated by the gentle glow of the Elder's staff.
Eyes aglow to aid him to see past the border of light, Danny looked at the chasm separating the castle from the rest of the forest, then at the flimsy remains of the rope bridge that once crossed the distance.
"It would be too obvious to put it here," he said, more to himself.
"Put what here?" Asked Bon Bon.
"A way across for you, and others," he answered.
Looking around, he then followed the edge counter-clockwise, until they passed some ruined houses.
"This could work," he remarked, looking at the overgrown terrain.
"The disturbance in the foliage would eventually give away the path," the Elder informed him.
"Dang, you're right," Danny muttered, looking further. His eyes then lit up, figuratively, when he spotted a partially collapsed building edging the chasm, with the wall collapsed near the drop in terrain.
Moving closer, a quick inspection revealed the interior of the building was mostly stable, and provided a somewhat clear path to an overgrown, but still passable road to the castle.
"Perfect," said Danny.
Moving to the edge, he held up a blue glowing hand and created an ice bridge, wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and a knee-high fence on either side to prevent anyone from falling off.
"And now for me to mask the truth," the Elder took Danny's place, placing her staff on the bridge.
The jewel in the staff's tip began to glow a vibrant red, and the same glow began to shine all throughout the bridge. Then, gradually, the frozen construct began to fade from view until no sign of it remained.
"Yeah, that will work," Danny nodded appreciatively.
"What did you do?" Asked Bon Bon, confused.
"I created a path across for you, and the Elder hid it from view. So unless you know it's there, no one will be able to cross without wings."
"You can do that?" Bon Bon asked, flabbergasted.
"We just did," Danny smirked. "But to prove the point," he turned to the chasm and took a step forward, then another and another, until he seemingly stood on nothing but air.
"Bwuh?" Was the intelligent articulation of Bon Bon upon this impossible sight.
"Now you try," said Danny. "Just don't look down, and be prepared for that weird sensation in your hooves again."
Bon Bon looked at him as if he were crazy, then wondered the same about herself.
Closing her eyes and steeling herself, she took a brave step forward and realized she didn't immediately plummet to the unyielding ground below.
Cracking open an eye, she looked down, seeing nothing but darkness underneath, and only her training kept her from panicking.
Taking a deep breath and holding it as long as she could, then slowly exhaling, Bon Bon looked forward and cautiously moved to Danny who, by now, stood in the center of the invisible bridge.
She did quickly notice the strange sensation she felt previously, traveling up her hooves and up her legs, but it was quickly ignored when she bumped into the bridge's wall with her left flank. Realizing she had drifted to the side, she quickly moved back to the, assumed, center; meeting Danny halfway, then they both crossed to the end.
Looking back the way she came, a chill traveled up her spine when only a dark drop down could be seen.
"Yeah, that'll work," Danny nodded.
"If I wasn't already going to have nightmares, I certainly will now," Bon Bon sighed.
"I know the feeling," Danny sighed out.
"Though that does make me worry about Princess Luna finding out," she added, worried.
"How do you- Crap, the dream diving thing she does," Danny slapped a hand over his face, groaning. "Wait, then why hasn't she taken action already? Surely she would have been able to see the dreams of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo."
The Elder chuckled.
"Oh, you do not need to worry about that. I have taken the liberty to properly shield the children's minds the last time I saw them."
"Really?" Danny said, a tone of suspicion present.
"Is that so hard to believe?" The Elder replied, still chuckling.
"No, but it kinda feels tacked on, somehow," Danny told her. "Why not mention this before? Feels like they should know you did something to their minds."
"Perhaps you are right," she agreed. "An oversight on my part."
Danny gave her a quizzical look.
"I am not all-knowing, Daniel. And I, too, make mistakes."
Danny sighed and nodded, having to give her that much.
"Fair enough," he then turned to Bon Bon. "Do you want her to do the same to you? Keep your mind shielded from prying eyes."
"... I feel like I should object to something here," Bon Bon replied.
"You and me both," Danny agreed. "Sooo?"
Bon Bon sighed, looking away. "Might as well. We don't want to be found out already."
"Very well," said the Elder, pointing the tip of her staff at Bon Bon, a red light shining from the embedded gem for a few short seconds. "That should do it."
"Just like that?" Asked Danny.
"Just like that," the Elder confirmed.
"How do you feel?" Danny asked Bon Bon.
"Fine… I suppose," Bon Bon replied.
"Okay, then I think we're set," Danny said, looking back at the castle. "Now all we need to do is make the impossible possible."
"You make it sound so easy," the Elder commented, a hint of humor and excitement in her voice.
"Wouldn't be the first time. And somehow, I doubt it will be the last time, either," he replied, completely serious. "Right, we all know what to do-" he paused when Fenris suddenly spoke to him. "And it seems there is something else we must do, too," he looked back at Bon Bon and the Elder. "Better not waste any time. Let's go."
<<>><<>><<>>
'Remember what I told you.'
The words echoed through the Alpha's mind, the things shown to him only two nights ago replaying before his mind's eye over and over again.
Something had changed.
He had changed.
A foundation-shaking revelation; a truth he had known all this time, yet refused to speak, or even acknowledge. And all because of…
"Timo," he clenched a wooden claw into a fist, staring at the decaying wood. "Ĉiam estis timo. Kiel mi povis esti tiel blinda?"
"Fear. It has always been fear. How could I have been so blind?"
He dropped his claw down to his side and looked at the wolves around them, their green glowing eyes burning brighter than the pale moon above.
Several of them still lay in pieces, their bodies too damaged after their planned attack on that pony; their limbs broken, smashed, or downright missing. But this mattered little. It would take time, but eventually, the forest would provide the materials for their bodies to be rebuilt. Never dying, eternal damnation.
Had this truly been what they sought after? And for what? Why?
"Timo," he repeated through his teeth.
"Fear."
A rustling of the leaves drew their attention to the creature approaching from the dark, his green glowing eyes equal to their own.
"Fancy meeting you here," said Danny, scanning the wolves before him, and then settling on the Alpha. "I thought I heard someone talk."
Behind him, Bon Bon carefully peeked past his legs, eyes wide.
"YOU!" The Alpha roared.
"Me," Danny replied in matching Esperanto. Bon Bon looked at him, confused. Confusion, that was shared with the massive wooden wolf, but he managed to hide it well.
"You speak the language?"
"Only partially. But enough to understand. Plus, Fenris fills in the gaps." A growl rose up from the gathered wolves. Danny ignored them. "I had a feeling we'd run into one another eventually, but didn't think it would be this soon." He looked away, taking a moment to study the broken forms of some of the wolves. "Still recovering, I see."
"Our reward for doing as she told us to do," the Alpha spat.
"Do not blame me for the consequences of your own actions," the Elder appeared from the trees, staff glowing and finally allowing Bon Bon the understanding of what was said. "I showed you the hypocrisy of your actions, past and present; showed you the truth of your own lies, and presented you with a chance to break free from ancient chains. And when you woke, lost, confused… afraid, I gave you guidance."
"Your guidance saw us hunt and attack that pony, and for what?" The Alpha barked.
"WHAT!?" Bon Bon called out, shocked. Danny held up a hand, face set.
"Your attack on Rolling Stone was inevitable. He and you would have clashed, regardless of external factors. But by setting the stage myself, I can control the outcome, to an extent. And by doing so, I ensured his survival as others were present to save his life. And with it, a chance to break through long-held beliefs. Of course, it will be up to him to see the truth that will be presented to him, and whether or not he believes it. But all of that is out of my control. But regardless of that outcome, what is important here is what you will do now. Accept your failings, and begin with your long-delayed task of properly maintaining the constants? Or succumb to your newfound fear and fall into despair yet again?"
The Alpha clenched his fists, growling. Joined moments later by the rest of his pack as they glared at the Elder, as well as the ghost carrying the taint of Fenrir.
Danny stepped forward, his eyes no longer a glowing green, but a black so deep his eyes looked more like pits of emptiness.
"Do not go down the path you have traversed for all those centuries. Not again," Fenris barked through Danny, startling the Kadzite, and scaring Bon Bon. "I did the same as you did, and look where it got us. You, stuck in bodies of death and decay. I, a soul lost to anger until the Phantom showed me my arrogance, and now a vassal in his mind."
"You speak, yet you don't dare show yourself. Coward!"
The darkness in Danny's eyes vanished.
"Fair enough," Danny said in plain English.
The next moment, darkness rose up from the ground as Eclipse looked down at the wolves, and then she flew into Danny's chest.
With a grunt, Danny took a step back while his body fell apart into green smoke. A dark stain rapidly spreads to consume it all, while also growing in size. And mere moments later, the imposing form of Fenris glared down on the far smaller Alpha.
Bon Bon, at this point, had backed away against the leg of the Elder, truly concerned for her own well-being, state of mind, and the choice of creatures to work with as of late.
"And now we speak, face to face," Fenris spoke, his mortal blue eyes boring into the Alpha.
If the display had intimidated him, the Alpha didn't show it as he met Fenris' glare with one of his own.
"Fenris of the Three, Shepherd of the Night, the one who killed me and my pack, reduced to a mere shadow; a puppet to be used by its master," the Alpha growled out. "What right do you have to even stand before me?!"
"The same right you have to look down upon me while needing to look up to do so," Fenris retorted, stepping closer to the Alpha and emphasizing the clear size difference between the two of them.
The Alpha growled an aggressive warning.
"Control your anger, pup. Our fight ended millennia ago. It will serve no purpose to any to descend back into past madness."
"What do you want?" The Alpha spat.
"The same that you seek," Fenris said, then looked at the other wolves. "What we all seek. Redemption from our cursed existence." His eyes locked on the Alpha again. "We both had our eyes opened that night. And we both know the faults in our past lives. Yet while I accepted my failings, and seek to correct them, here I find you still lost and indecisive. Requiring the words of another to steer you and your pack, then looking for faults in their reasoning when things turn against you. And it does make me wonder," he stepped even closer to the Alpha, looming threateningly over him. "Are you truly an Alpha, or merely a lost pup pretending to be one?"
The Alpha growled as he swiped his claw at Fenris.
Fenris, less than impressed, simply grabbed the arm mid-swing and squeezed.
Loud creaking could be heard coming from the arm as the wood bent and cracked but didn't yet break.
Fenris pulled the Alpha up to eye level. "Before, I would not have hesitated to strike you down. To cut down all opposition lost to hate, rage, and fear. But that is not who I choose to be anymore."
"So you've grown weak," the Alpha spat.
"Is it a weakness to temper your rage? To find a way to defeat your foe without fighting them? To destroy your enemy without bloodshed? If it is, then I am proudly considering myself weak, and I have the Phantom to thank for that," he growled. "For it was his conviction and strength that showed me a better way. More difficult and challenging, but also more honorable. And had I possessed even a fraction of his strength all those centuries ago, I doubt either of us would be in this position."
The Alpha tried swinging his other claw, but Fenris grabbed the offending claw in his other hand.
"My brothers and I made one big mistake when we decided our rules. To never interfere in the lives of our charges and allow them to develop on their own," he said, glaring hard at the struggling wolf in his grasp. "I can not argue the need for natural development, but we should have interfered the moment we saw you stray from the path and guided you back before things escalated as they have. That fault is ours, and ours alone. And while I can not change past mistakes, I can prevent them here."
He released his hold, and the Alpha fell to the ground.
"I am Fenris of the Three, Shepherd of the Night, vassal to Danny Phantom. I know who I am. What I am. What my goal is. Can you claim the same?"
The Alpha slowly pushed himself upright, glaring up at Fenris.
"I am Kadzite!" He barked. "And I am their Alpha!"
Fenris looked down, disappointed.
"So despite everything, you failed to learn anything. So be it," he stood straighter, muscles tensing while the light of the moon almost seemed to shift, shining down on his black fur. "By the ancient rites of our kind, your eyes are blinded, your mind clouded, your fangs dulled, and your claws blunt. I challenge you for the rule of your pack, so I may steer them back in line with the Constants."
A ripple of shock spread through the wolves surrounding him, yet Fenris never averted his gaze from the wolf before him.
"Accept, and prove your convictions to be true. Decline, and show your lack of faith."
The Alpha growled, loudly, and aggressively as he stood tall before Fenris; still only half the size of the fallen wolf of the Three.
"I AM THE ALPHA OF THE KADZITE! I DO NOT BACK DOWN FOR ANYTHING. BY THE ANCIENT RITES, YOUR PATH IS LOST, YOUR THOUGHTS ARE FALSE, YOUR TEETH ARE CRACKED AND YOUR CLAWS ARE BROKEN!"
The challenge was met, and the timberwolves began to surround the two wolves, while the Elder steered Bon Bon to a safe distance.
"Wh- what is happening?" Bon Bon asked, terrified.
"Something that should have happened a long, long time ago," the Elder told her. "A claim to power, and the acceptance of responsibility."
<<>><<>><<>>
Author's note The use of the red text was to signify the translation effect of the Elder's staff at work. However, to avoid excessive use of this, any further 'translated' text will not be colored red in this portion of the story as those involved are able to understand each other without the need for the Elder's help.
Under the moonlight, Fenris and the Alpha faced one another. Surrounded by the timberwolves, the Kadzite, they studied one another, waiting for an opening.
The Alpha growled in anger and rapidly rising frustration, while Fenris stood silent, observing the poor control of emotions.
He knew that what was shown now would be just as important as what would follow moments later, as the pack around them watched in silence; observing both of them, and passing judgment on how they held themselves, and strength would only get him so far.
No, had this been only a display of muscle, he had already won the moment he lifted the Alpha from the ground with one hand. But to win this fight, he had to show decisively that the fallen wolf before him was truly incapable of leading.
'So, what is your plan here?' Asked Danny.
'To reveal the pup for what he is.'
Fenris moved, creating an opening the Alpha didn't hesitate to use.
With a bark, the Alpha launched himself at Fenris, recognizing the feint and rolling to the left as Fenris swung his claw.
Jumping back up, the Alpha closed the distance, then swung at Fenris' left leg.
Fenris jumped aside before his attack could hit, and smacked the Alpha on the head with the back of his hand, doing little damage but enraging the cursed wolf even more.
The Alpha spun around, diving under the extended hand and slashing at Fenris' unprotected torso. Yet Fenris merely side-stepped and grabbed the offending claw at the wrist.
With a jerk, the Alpha's momentum was stopped.
"What is it you're fighting for?" Fenris asked. "Your pack? Your status? The unattainable goal of eternity by your own rules? Do you even know?
The Alpha barked and swung at Fenris's arm, cutting deep and forcing Fenris to release him.
Dropping to the ground, the Alpha quickly slashed at Fenris' legs, and Fenris dropped to a knee as his leg buckled.
"You dare challenge me, yet all you do is talk!" The Alpha roared, leaping for the downed wolf, not realizing the wounds he had inflicted had already healed.
"Yes," Fenris agreed, looking at the Alpha as he grabbed him by the throat, abruptly halting the Alpha's momentum. "Because if I were to fight you for real, you would have already been defeated. After all, I was the one who killed you. You'd be wise to remember this."
The Alpha clawed at the wrist, cutting deep, yet Fenris stood unrelenting as his grip tightened.
"You're weak," Fenris huffed. "In both body and mind.
"Which still leaves me stronger than you," the Alpha barked, and swung both claws, cutting through bone, severing Fenris' hand.
With a grunt, the Alpha fell to the ground as Fenris roared in pain. Using the opening, the Alpha leaped at the black wolf, claws slicing through muscle as he gutted Fenris.
Green glowing ectoplasm fell to the ground in a gushing flow, and Fenris fell to his knees, his remaining claw pressed over the savage wound as if to stop the loss of his blood.
"Who's weak now?" The Alpha taunted, assured of his victory.
"Spoken like a pup still new to the hunt," Fenris slowly stood up, turning to face the arrogant wolf, revealing the slowly closing wound as the spilled ectoplasm began to flow back inside.
"What trickery is this?!" The Alpha barked, taking a step back.
With a wavering glow, Fenris' severed hand flew back to his wrist and reconnected with a bone-mending snap.
Seeing his foe recover, and knowing any opening he still had was closing rapidly, the Alpha once more lunged at Fenris with the full intent to strike him down once and for all.
Slamming into him with his full weight, and the ground still slick with Fenris' green glowing blood, Fenris was pushed back half his body length, groaning in pain as his wound tore open from the impact.
Digging his feet, Fenris pushed back against the Alpha. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he then used the momentum to his advantage as he swung the smaller wolf around, throwing him over the surrounding wolves and into the darkness of the forest.
Panting, Fenris allowed his body a few precious seconds to heal enough for him to continue moving. Then, standing as tall as he could, he moved for the Alpha; the kadzite creating a path for him as he approached.
"You have yet to answer my question," he spoke, glaring into the darkness. "Why do you fight? What drove you to such extremes? Why did you become Kadzite?"
A growl was the only reply as the Alpha jumped out of the darkness, and Fenris raised an arm to shield himself.
"Fight me with honor, not words!" The Alpha cut into the arm, leaving deep, green glowing gouges.
He swung again, but this time Fenris countered with a swing of his own, and he swatted the offending limp away with wood-cracking force.
"Honor?" He said, almost sounding insulted. "There is no honor in this fight. Only a wildly thrashing pup far out of his league, lost and blinded to misplaced rage. You're a child, and fighting you gives me no satisfaction." The Alpha moved closer with a feral growl. "And if I so pleased, I could have struck you down right from the start," he swiped his leg, and in the same motion, slammed an open hand into the Alpha's chest, slamming him on the ground and pressing down with his full weight. "But my victory lies not in your defeat. No, we've been there before, and we both lost that night. Not this time!"
He glared into the enraged, but even more than that, fearful eyes of the Alpha.
"My victory can only be claimed by eradicating the cause, not the symptom," he pressed down on the struggling wolf, eyes narrowing and teeth bared. "Why do you fight? What. Do. You. Fear?"
The Alpha looked up at Fenris, eyes wide as his mind jumped back all those long, cursed centuries.
<<>><<>><<>>
Standing in still grass, claws drenched in blood, the small pup stared down on his prey; a diminutive rodent, gasping and spasming on the ground growing slick from its blood flowing out of its chest.
He watched as the helpless creature struggled and wheezed, until finally blowing its last air and grew still.
"A sloppy kill, and a terrible way to go," a massive wolf said, grim features on his face as he approached the pup. "And an insult to the Constants."
With confusion, the pup looked at the large wolf.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"We do not kill unless it is to eat, or to defend," the wolf spoke with an authoritative voice. "And when we do, we do so with honor to the lives we take. To acknowledge them as equals to ourselves, and ensure a quick passing." He glared at the blood-smeared pup and his kill. "Yet you claimed a life without the knowledge to do so, and made them suffer terribly in their final moments."
"But the others go and kill. Why can't I?"
"You are too young! Too inexperienced! Too undisciplined!" The wolf barked, angry. "Had you waited, we would have taken you on the hunt. Teach you. But instead, I find you here, alone, covered in blood with your kill clear for all to see. And for what? To eat?"
The pup nodded eagerly.
"Fool!" The wolf barked. "There is a reason we leave the Wander Beasts alone. Their poison makes their flesh inedible to us. This is something you should have known by now. Which means you brought a gruesome end to an innocent creature for no reason and went against the sanctity of the Constants. And during all of this, you did not even pay proper respect to the one you killed. There is no greater shame!"
The pup's ears fell flat, and he no longer looked up at the wolf.
"Look at me!" The wolf ordered.
The pup did not.
"VIDAR!" The wolf barked, and this time the pup responded; flinching back as if struck but looking up at the enraged wolf.
"You have done a terrible thing today, and the pack will know of this. But first, you will pay respect to the one whose life you claimed, accept your dishonor by violating the Constants, and see to it their body is returned to the world."
"But… how?"
"Build a pyre to burn their body, and allow the wind to carry their ashes. Dig a grave for their bones, and allow their essence to return to the trees where they live. And offer your blood in penance for the blood you spilled. Then, and only then will you return to the pack and face their judgment."
The pup was distraught, eyes wavering.
"How do I do that?"
"You thought yourself capable enough to claim a life, then you are capable enough to do these tasks without guidance."
"But fath-"
"ENOUGH!" The pup flinched back. "You will do as you're told, Vidar. And you will do it now!"
Vidar whined, ears flat. But his father would not have any argument, and he barked harshly.
With a frightened yelp, Vidar scurried away under the scrutinizing gaze of his father. Not sure what to do, but knowing not doing anything would be even worse, he began looking for any and all branches and rocks he could use to build the pyre.
Having little success in the immediate area, he then began to venture out further and further in search of suitable materials, eventually hearing the howl of the Three as night was ushered forth.
Looking back in the distance, he could see the glow of the firepits, and the faint aroma of grilled meat drifted to him on the wind.
His stomach growled, and he held a blood and dirt-smeared paw to his belly.
Then he looked where his kill still lay, and the unmoving form of his father as he watched him, and he hurried back into motion. Feeling anger and resentment over his treatment.
<<>><<>><<>>
The pyre was built with as much skill and knowledge as he had obtained in his short years, which was next to nothing. And numerous times the haphazardly built construct collapsed, forcing Vidar to start anew; barely able to see what he did in the dark of the night.
Eventually, after many attempts, the pyre managed to support itself and he carefully placed the butchered remains of the wander beast on top of his creation.
Next came the fire, and he had only a vague idea of how to start one.
He had seen his elders light the fire pits, using their claws and a firestone to create a spark and set fire to kindle, which then would light up the wood itself.
He had found plenty of small twigs and dry grass, which he had bundled up at the base of the pyre. But he didn't know where to find a firestone. All he had were several stones he found, but none of them looked like that stone he saw his elders use.
Not knowing how to tell a mere rock apart from a firestone, and with his father's persistent glare boring down on him, he quickly grabbed one of the stones he thought looked the most like a firestone, and unsheathed his right claw.
With a flick of his wrist, he carved the stone, and a lance of pain shot up his arm.
With a yelp, he dropped the stone, feeling the warm trickle of blood run out of his cracked claw.
With a pitiful whine, he risked glancing back at his father, but finding no mercy there.
Grabbing another stone, he then used his left claw, with similar results. All the while, his father remained unmoving, glaring at him.
It took two more tries, each time doing more damage to his claws, until, mercifully, a spark shot from the stone he held; the glowing ember flying into the kindling.
With a gasp of hope and relief, Vidar dropped the firestone and blew into the ember, brightening its glow, spreading its heat, and lighting a flame in the dried-up leaves.
Before long, the pyre began to smoke and burn, the flames consuming the wander beast.
A growl escaped Vidar's stomach as the smell of burning meat reached him, reminding him he hadn't eaten anything since the last meal.
But he was not done, as the insistent glare boring down on him reminded him.
For hours he watched as the pyre burned, consuming his kill's fur and flesh until nothing but ashes and bone remained.
More time passed as he dug a grave near the trees, waiting for the flames to die and the remains to cool, ignoring the burning lances of pain in his paws as he moved the dirt.
It was by the time the moon had reached its zenith, he had placed his kill in the grave he dug. Filling the grave with the soil and returning the wander beast's essence to the trees.
Then he hesitated, glancing warily back at his father.
"Hold out your arm," his father growled.
"What?"
"NOW!"
With a yelp of fright, Vidar did as commanded.
With a quick, unforgiving swing his father slashed his claws through Vidar's flesh.
A cry of anguish escaped Vidar, and he pulled back his arm in reflex.
In a blur of motion, his father grabbed his arm with a painfully tight grip. Then he pulled him to the grave and let his blood flow on the upturned soil.
"Your soul carried away in the embers of flame. Your essence returned to the soil and trees that nourished it. And the blood of he who unjustly claimed you. With this we honor the Constants, and pay penance for betraying them," he spoke respectfully, looking at the grave.
Eventually, he seemed satisfied by the offering of blood, and he let go of Vidar's arm. The wounded pup quickly pulled back his now numb arm, holding it against his chest, tears running down his face.
"We will return to our pack," his father said. "They must wonder where we are. As for you," he barked, glaring at his son. "They will know what happened here, and they will treat you accordingly. From now on, if you want your share of any meal, you will have to prove your worth for it."
"But fath-"
"SILENCE!"
Numerous critters scurried away in fright from the thunderous voice.
"You broke the sanctity of the Constants willingly and knowingly when you chose to slay the wander beast, so do not whine to me like a beaten pup. From now on, your life of ease and comfort has ended. If you want it back, then earn it. Now move!"
With ears flat on his skull and tail between the legs, Vidar sulked away under the enraged gaze of his father, never looking up as he stepped back into his village and met the eyes of the others. Even then, he could feel their eyes bore into him as they saw his injury, and then his father followed close behind.
Even without a word, they understood immediately and barks and growls of disgust came his way.
He tried to move for the firepit, hoping that, maybe, there would be some scrap left to eat. But all he got was a harsh bark from the fire tenders.
He then tried to move to the water hole to get clean but was roughly shoved down.
Whining in defeat, Vidar looked around and saw all the wolves had turned their back on him, and he realized the isolation he was put in.
Then his gaze shifted to his hut, and his heart sank even further when he saw his mother toss out his sleeping hide.
Down and beaten, Vidar scurried away to the far edge of the settlement, out of sight, hiding underneath a root system of a large tree where he curled up in a ball, crying quietly to himself until sleep claimed him, providing a moment of respite.
Yet the seed of hate had been planted.
<<>><<>><<>>
The years had not been kind to Vidar. Shunned by his pack, and each meal a struggle to obtain, he grew up to be a social recluse who all avoided and paid little attention to.
This, however, was both a curse and a blessing.
As he soon learned in the first weeks and months, if he wanted to eat, he would have to prove himself worthwhile. But with none of his pack wanting to do anything with him, this was a near-impossible challenge.
At times he would go without food for days, and other times only managed to obtain some scraps left over.
As such, he quickly realized that if he wanted to eat, he would have to go out there and hunt himself. And while his pack gave him less attention than the dirt they stood on, his father was another matter.
Watching him with a predatory gaze, Vidar had few opportunities to go out and hunt. With one exception.
Night.
Long after the Three had put the sun to rest and brought forth the moon and night, and his pack had all gone to sleep, he would venture out and hunt.
Just like his first kill, his attempts were sloppy and messy, and he often failed to claim a kill. But the few times he managed to catch his prey, he always found himself watching their struggle as their life ran out.
Having learned from his mistakes, he always made sure the mess was hidden as best he could, and after eating his fill, he would discard the body in a not-too-distant river. Allowing the current to take away the proof of his actions, and cleaning his fur in the process.
Over time he became more and more proficient in the hunt, claiming more and stronger prey. Growing faster and stronger himself as a result, and even allowing him to aid his pack in the hunt.
The bodies he brought back were accepted without a word, and prepared according to the rites of the Constants. And all the while, Vidar watched with burning anger as they ate but only allowed him a mere morsel for his efforts. Sickened by their hypocrisy.
And as his anger grew, so did his brutality on the prey he killed during the night. Finding a twisted satisfaction in their suffering, and allowing him to vent some of his frustration.
But his anger would never leave. Growing and festering as the seed of hate grew with each year.
And as his anger grew, so did his brutality; forcing him to move further away from his pack to ensure his deeds would remain hidden.
Yet in his efforts to hide his savagery from his pack, he drew the attention of others. And it was in the light of a crescent moon that he stood over the thrashing body of his prey, their savage wounds spurting blood with each beat of their slowing heart, he heard someone approach from behind.
With a growl, Vidar spun around, blood-stained fangs and claws bared and ready to kill.
"Most impressive," the approaching wolf remarked, looking at the butchered animal, then Vidar.
Stopping just out of striking distance, the light of the moon showed just enough features to reveal the grayed fur of the old wolf, and the numerous old injuries and scars he had.
"Such ferocity, such strength. The wolves of old have blessed you, young one."
Vidar had to struggle to suppress a flinch, never having heard such praise given to him.
"Who are you?" He asked, still wary of the stranger.
"No one," the wolf answered. "I lost all I was long ago, and now wander the woods of this world. Seeing, hearing, and learning the lies that taint us."
"Lies? What lies?" Vidar asked, still wary but intrigued. Something about this wolf resonated with him.
"I'm sure you already know," the wolf replied. "Or at the least, begun suspecting." He looked at Vidar's arm, seeing the faded scars that marred his fur. "You have been outcasted, haven't you?"
Vidar lowered his arms, but didn't fully relax; looking at the scars left in his flesh from when he gave his blood in penance for his kill.
"To be without a pack is a dangerous thing. To be alone in this world is an assured death sentence."
"I am not without my pack," Vidar growled back. "They shunned me, yes. Ignore me unless it is convenient for them to acknowledge my presence. But it's still my pack."
The other wolf was silent for a moment.
"I see," he said with some tension in his voice. He then looked more closely at the scar on Vidar's arm. "That wound is old. It must have been many cycles since that day."
"I was a mere pup, what of it?"
The wolf shook his head. "Just another example of the hypocrisy of our beliefs." Looking up at the moon, he grimaced. "Night has passed its zenith. It won't be long before Sköll will usher in a new day."
Vidar looked up, too, grimacing as well.
"I must hurry back. I can't have them learn of my absence."
"And why is that? They already cast you out, didn't they? Why worry about what they think of you now?"
Vidar was silent, stunned.
"Tell me, do you know what a true pack is?"
Again silence was the answer.
"A pack, a true pack, watches out for each other. They treat each other with respect; help those who need help, and protect each other from harm. Tell me, does that sound like your pack?" He looked at Vidar, seeing how his words tore through his world perception and brought forth a tidal wave of questions, doubt, and anger.
"Think about that, and how you choose to live your life. Continue onwards under the oppression of those who blindly follow the rules of the Constants, or choose to be free."
"But where would I even go?" Asked Vidar, uncertain.
"That is for you to decide."
"I would be without a pack."
"Yes. But this doesn't need to be."
"So I should stay?"
"That is for you to decide. But that is not what I meant." He looked at Vidar. "Just like you, I am an outcast. And just like us, there are others. Over the many cycles, I met numerous of our kin shunned and cast out. Some of them joined me throughout my wandering, while others chose to venture out on their own. You, too, have that right. The freedom to choose your own path in life. Free of the restraints of the constants."
"You want me to join your pack?" Asked Vidar, confused, and suspicious.
"Want?" The wolf said, then shook his head. "No. But if you desire as such, then we would welcome you with open arms as one outcast to another. But this is your choice and yours alone. I have no say in what you do. Nor do the Constants. And most certainly not this fake pack you're with."
He looked back up at the moon, breathing deeply.
"Whatever it is you may decide, don't do so hastily as it will decide the path of your life from there on out. Think about what I said, what you want, what you desire. And if your choice leads you to us, know that you will be treated with the respect you deserve."
Vidar looked up as well.
"Who are you?" He asked. "To approach one amid a kill, drenched in blood and with killing intent at its highest is a dangerous thing; a stupid thing to do. I could have attacked you, and would be in my right to do so."
"You could, yes. But you didn't. In the end, that's all that matters. As for who I am. I already told you. But perhaps some answer can be found in what I am."
"Which is?"
"I am faithless," the wolf answered. "I am Kadzite."
<<>><<>><<>>
Vidar made it back to his pack before the first light of the sun, sneaking past the night watchers with practiced ease as he returned to his sleeping pit underneath the tangled roots he first sought shelter on that cursed day.
But even if he still had some time to rest, the turmoil in his mind refused him any respite as he stared at the faded scars on his arm.
Slowly his hand clenched into a fist as that terrible day replayed itself before him; feeling the merciless grip of his father on his arm as he would not allow him to pull back.
For some time he lay there, watching, thinking, the words of the strange wolf repeating through his mind while looking at past interactions in a new light.
And as the howl of Sköll brought forth the light of a new day, so too did a new clarity of mind.
All those years under his pack's oppression over a single mistake, just because the Constants demanded it. Never allowing him any respite, and always shunning him at best, or insulting his very presence at worst, while still demanding him to help them in the hunt, yet never allowing him more than mere scraps for all his effort.
And yet, despite this, he carried on for the sole reason he didn't know any better. But now, with his eyes opened, he was questioning all his decisions, and why he still remained.
Surely by now, he would be able to fend for himself, without his pack… this fake pack to hold him down.
A growl pulled him out of his thoughts, and he sensed the all-too-familiar presence of loathing aimed at him.
With a growl of his own, Vidar pushed himself out of his sleeping hole, looking up at the wolf the animosity came from.
"Father," he growled, angry.
His father made a sound of disgust. "You'd be wise to remember your place," he spat. "We tolerate your presence only because you make yourself useful. But now you fail to show up for the morning hunt. Don-"
"Tolerate my presence?!" Vidar said, cutting off his father. A great insult coming from his standing.
His father growled a harsh warning, drawing the attention of the other wolves, yet Vidar cared little for this as he pressed on.
"You have done a lot of things, but tolerating me is not one of them," he said with venom in his voice. "One mistake. ONE! And that was enough for you all to treat me like I'm less than the dirt you walk on." He stood at his full height, a couple of inches taller than his father. A fact his father only now seemed to have recognized. "You shun me. You insult me. Only allowing me to sleep in a hole in the ground. And yet you still expect me to help you, to follow your very commands, and to do so without complaint. No more. I am done with this mockery, this insult, this affront to the Constants you seem to hold so dear."
His father barked harshly, yet before he could do anything else Vidar stepped closer, glaring down at him; taking notice of the other wolves now surrounding them with clear hostility aimed towards him.
"And I am done with you."
"YOU DARE-"
Vidar leaned closer, fangs bared.
"Try me," he threatened. "By the ancient rites of our kind, your eyes are blinded, your mind clouded, your fangs dulled, and your claws blunt. I challenge you to a fight of vengeance for the misery you inflicted on me."
A ripple of shock spread through the wolves surrounding him, yet Vidar never averted his gaze from the wolf before him.
"Accept my challenge, and prove your worth. Decline, and show your hypocrisy and cowardice to all."
His father stood tense, like a wound coil ready to spring as seething fury rolled off him.
"YOU DARE MAKE A MOCKERY OF MY FAITH!?"
"The only one who is making a mockery out of anything is you. I merely point it ou-"
Before Vidar could finish his father lashed at him, and only the many nights of hunting progressively more dangerous beasts gave him the reflexes to dodge out of the way in time. He then followed through in his movement and slammed an unforgiving fist into his father's muzzle, knocking out several teeth in a spray of blood.
His father staggered back, gurgling a growl, then spat away the blood in his mouth. He then snapped back towards Vidar with murderous intent in his eyes, but before he could charge Vidar barked loudly.
"YOU ATTACKED WITHOUT ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE. YOU DISHONORED THE ANCIENT RITES. YOU HAVE LOST THE FIGHT AND YOUR STANDING. SHOWING TO ALL THE SPINELESS HYPOCRITE YOU ARE!"
His father's eyes widened as his anger froze, looking past his son and seeing the judgment and disgust in all the wolves surrounding them.
"MY CLAIM FOR VENGEANCE HAS BEEN IGNORED. BY THE ANCIENT RITES OF OUR KIN, YOUR LIFE IS NOW FOR ME TO JUDGE UPON.
Vidar stepped closer, his shadow falling over the disgraced wolf.
"My entire life you treated me like filth because of a mistake made by a pup," he spoke with a lowered voice, but overflowing with venom. "One who still had much to learn. You have no such excuse," he lashed out, slashing deep gouges in his father's arm similar to the scars on his own. "My exile from this pack is by my own choice. Yours is not. You shall wander this world alone, shunned, loathed until you will die like the coward you are."
With a flick of his wrist, he flung away the blood that clung to his claw.
With one final glare of disgust, Vidar turned away and left his disgrace of a father behind; stepping through the mass of wolves as they cleared a path for him.
Leaving behind all he had ever known and, with no regret in his heart, he stepped past the settlement's borders for the final time.
<<>><<>><<>>
Several days had passed since Vidar left his pack, and he found himself wandering the lands without direction or purpose. Yet a profound sense of peace had washed over him after the first day when he realized the weight that had fallen off of his shoulders.
It was a sense of freedom he had never felt before, and he reveled in the sensation.
Following a river upstream, he marveled at the glistening beauty of the sunlight reflecting in the churning water, not believing he hadn't noticed such wonders in the simple things of life.
But then again, his life had never been simple until this moment.
For a time all was well. He hunted, gathered, and slept underneath the star-filled sky, starting each new day with a burning desire to discover more; to experience more; to live by his own choices.
Eventually, his wandering brought him to a distant valley, with a lush forest not too far off to his left and a small lake that drew in numerous creatures to drink.
Feeling the effects of his long walk, Vidar moved for the cooling water while looking around for potential prey or foes.
Nearing the water's edge, some of the smaller critters fled away as he approached. Ignoring them, Vidar looked down at his reflection, barely recognizing the wolf that stared back.
He looked content, happy, at peace.
Breathing in deeply, he reveled in the sensation of the fresh air. Then he lowered himself to a knee, cupped some water in his hands, and drank.
Slowly the water calmed, and his wavering reflection smoothed out as he looked at himself again.
A new ripple warped his image, and he turned to look at the source of the disturbance.
To his great surprise, he saw a familiar, older wolf drinking as well.
Allowing the last droplets to seep between his fingers, the older wolf acknowledged Vidar's presence and slowly stood back up.
"We meet again," he said, giving Vidar a studious gaze. "And not covered in blood, I see."
Vidar looked a bit off to the side of the wolf. "I haven't had the need for such bloodshed."
"You do seem more composed."
"I feel like it as well," Vidar agreed. "And I should thank you for it. You made me realize the lie my life was, and allowed me to break free from it."
"I'm glad to hear this old fool still has some wisdom in him," he replied, and Vidar couldn't help but chuckle. "So where is your new path taking you?" He asked.
"I don't know. I never had freedom like this, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't lost. Yet I can't find it in me to worry about such things, either."
The old wolf laughed a bit.
"I know the feeling all too well, but it will pass. Though there is no rush to decide immediately, at some point, you must choose what course your path is headed."
A new ripple distorted their reflections, and Vidar noticed a few other wolves around the lake. All with noticeable scars like his own.
"My offer still stands," the old wolf said. "Should you so desire."
Vidar was quiet, looking at the new arrivals who, in turn, studied him as well.
"I just escaped from my pack. I don't know about joining another so soon."
The old wolf gave a single, slow nod in understanding.
"I understand," he said, then he and Vidar looked towards the nearby forest as a howl rose up from the woods. "But perhaps you would be interested in joining us to eat," he offered, seeing the wisps of smoke from the fire pit in the distance. "Part of our pack, or not. You are like us, and we look out for one another."
While not particularly hungry yet, the offer was tempting. And his nostrils flared when a gentle breeze carried the familiar scent of roasted meat.
Vidar chuckled. "So I managed to wander into your pack's territory without knowing. That would explain how we met again so suddenly.
The old wolf shook his head. "This world is our territory, and as such we have no place to tie us down. Us meeting here is nothing more than chance."
"My former pack would call it the fate of the damned," Vidar replied with a humorless grin. "Very well, old one. I'll take you up on your offer. It'd be nice not to have to hunt for my meal for once."
<<>><<>><<>>
With very little to expect, and the shadow of his former pack still following his thoughts, Vidar approached the camp the wolves had set up with some trepidation.
Basic huts for only rudimentary shelter stood littered around, meant for only a few nights of use at most, to be discarded when this pack left.
Off to the side of the huts, a sloppy fire pit was dug, while several wolves stood around a large, roaring fire as they worked to rotate the spit; drops of liquid fat rolling off the meat and falling in the fire with a loud sizzle, filling the air with delicious aromas.
It was not long until the wolves took notice of Vidar, and several approached while the rest continued with their activity while keeping an eye on the new arrival.
It did not take long for Vidar to notice the scars.
Every single wolf around him showed the same mark as his, and a good number showed far more grievous injuries.
"I see you've brought a new pup, Old One. Fresh meat for the pack?" One of the approaching wolves said with a good-natured chuckle. A large scar ran the left side of his face, bisecting the eye and leaving it damaged and cloudy.
Vidar, not familiar with friendly banter, immediately raised his hackles.
"I can see your vision is lacking, but you must be truly blind if you think you could best me," he growled, and the approaching wolves came to a stop. Then they began laughing.
"One with high spirits, I see," the scarred wolf grinned, putting emphasis on his blinded eye. He then looked at Vidar's scar, nodded in understanding, and turned serious. "This is the one you spoke of, old one?" He addressed the old wolf.
"He is," he confirmed. "Chance had us meet again, and he will join our feast but remain unbound."
The wolves all gave sounds of understanding, and the scarred wolf turned back to Vidar; hackles still raised, but noticeably confused.
"You can calm yourself. We mean you no harm," he spoke disarmingly. He then gave another glance at Vidar's scar. "Your mark is old, yet you still carry the distinct youth of a pup new to adulthood. I understand why you thought I threatened you. You must have known no other life but hardship."
Vidar allowed himself to relax slightly, taking a moment to study the wolf before him.
Noticing this, the wolf chuckled; rolling his shoulders and putting emphasis on some of the egregious scars.
"And as you clearly see, I carry the marks of poor life choices."
Vidar acknowledged this with a nod, then looked at the other wolves around him. All were showing him their scars.
"You are among equals here," the old wolf told him. "We all carry the wounds of unjust hardship-" his eyes lingered on the heavily scarred wolf "-or plain stupidity in some cases."
"Oi!"
This elicited a round of laughter.
"Now come this way. The meat should be ready soon," and the old wolf led Vidar through the group of wolves towards the fire pit.
What followed next was equal measures unknown, exciting, and frightening to Vidar.
Barely able to remember the last time he joined his pack to feast on the meat of a successful hunt, he felt like an alien out of place as he was welcomed as an equal amidst those he didn't know. He was granted his pick of meat, and the only negative remarks he heard to his presence were of those who desired the cut of meat he chose.
He was confused, lost, and unsure how to hold himself as he tore into his flesh with too large a bite.
The resounding laughter over his struggles those few moments was an extraordinary sound, and the slap on his back, instead of hostile and with harmful intent, only served to help him clear his throat.
Thoroughly embarrassed. Vidar gave a silent nod in thanks, then quietly resumed eating. Watching as the wolves around him did likewise while a rumble of talking, laughing, and taunting barking filled the air.
And as the intoxicating flavor of the meat seeped in, so did something else.
"Danny, oh, how marvelous you're here.
"We need to help them, that much is true.
"Don't you worry, I have a plan.
"But how do you know, what's the deal?
"Apple Bloom!" 
