Chapter IV: Awake!
Dani
"Danny?" I called out as I entered the Forest of Fear. I can see how this place got its name. Just being here sends a chill up my spine. I think this is a place Vlad would 'banish' me to when I didn't do what he wanted . I can still hear myself pleading for him not to do this in my mind, but that is the past. I am no longer that little girl anymore. "Cuz if you can hear me make a sound?" a faint moaning hits my ears. I go invisible and walk towards the sound. I see my cousin with huge tentacles wrapped around him with only his face showing.
"Oh ladies you spoil me," he calls out struggling in his bonds, he lets out a gasp as the tendrils tighten. An ugly old woman goes up to him and kisses him on the lips. "Now now ladies there is enough of me to go around." I float closer to my cousin trying not to attract attention but when I land on the ground a twig snaps and the women look at me.
"I am…," I begin to say when I feel something cold on my back. A voice tells me everything is going to be okay. I look up and see my old boyfriend Webster. I met him when I first went to school in Angel Grove but I broke up with him because I didn't him to be hurt by those were after me. He tells me we can together now forever, I look into his eyes, "Thank you, no," I pull his arm off me and kick him to the ground revealing the form of woman in a black dress.
Another tentacle coils around my leg but a simple back flip frees me. "You dare to think you can defeat us," one of the hags hisses trying to ensnare me but I have a surprise for them. I create a glowing blade of ectoplasm around my hand and slice the tentacle off. The hag screams in pain before retreating. Another one come at wrapping around my wrist "You shall satisfy our hunger," she hissed I simply smiled and grabbed the tentacles sending a powerful shock into her. She screamed before exploding in a shower of black goo.
"You would think being half ghost I would be used to slime," I take off my slime soaked gloves and go to free Danny. Before I can go to him I hear a voice call my name and some wrap around my ankles. "No...it...can't be!"
Trixie
"This is way better than performing for bits," I said reclining on the throne. I was once the laughing stock of Equestria now I am it's empress. "I'd like to see Twilight Sparkle beat me now," there was a knock at the door. "You may enter," a guard comes informing we have a prisoner. A little purple and green dragon, "So it begins," I order the guard to bring him in.
"Trixie!" Twilight's little's pet gasps as I arrive, "You're behind this, I thought…," I tell him that I am reformed, into the ruler of Equestria. "Twilight and the others will stop you." I wanted them to try to stop me it would be a good exercise of my new power. He goes on about how I am not the ruler of Equestria and the princesses will stop me. I tell him that I am the princess now and all will bow to me, "you won…," I used binding spell to silence him before they lead him away.
"Ah, Trixie just the pony I need to see," the voice of my benefactor says as he appears in front of me. I ask him where had been, "taking care of the ancien règime, a spy was trying sabotage our efforts," he said conjuring an image of the guards throwing a large bundle in a cell. He told me that if we were to cement our rule we will need an army to defend Madisona. I raised a brow, "it's my new name for Canterlot, in honor of my one true love. " I told him that I could get contact with Queen Chrysalis. "Queen who?" I explained to about the changelings and how they feed off love. He tells me that he would like to be present when she comes. I nod. "Excellent within no time this land will be ours," he said as I smiled thinking about our plans for the future.
"My lord," I said before he left, "I think we may have intruders," he told me he would take care of it for me. "Thank you sir," I say as he vanishes soon the name Trixie will be synonymous with power!
Skulker
"I can't believe that stupid human tricked me again," I said climbing into my backup armor. I would make that little pest pay but first I had some business to take care of. "Okay Plasmius, what are your orders?" Vlad told me he wants me to guard a city for him, "A whole city?" He said that he was afraid someone was going to attack his fortress and needs me to keep an eye out. A strange portal opens up before and am told to go through it. "Yes sir," I fly through it and arrive on a mountain.
I hear noises nearby and activate my spy phones, "Are you sure this is going to work, I mean even a rattlesnake can hear the feathers on a bird," a woman with a western accent said nervously. Another voice assured her it would work as 'Daring Do' never fails. I set up an ecto-mine for them and went to hide. "We are not Daring Do and whatever is trying keep us out knows…," I watched as the explosion went off burying them in rocks. "Rainbow are you…," I come out of hiding, "who the hay are you?" I was shocked to see that my quarry were horses but their hides will make excellent trophies
"I am Skulker the Ghost Zon…," I see a blue pegasus with rainbow hair climbing out of the rubble. "You equines are going to...," an orange pony kicks me into the side of the mountain. She goes over and frees her friend from the avalanche.
I get up and aim my ectonet at them but they bite it off my armor. "Some hunter you are," the land pony said running off with my gauntlet. I have no time for these damned games. I activate my ecto darts and aim for the flying one.
Twilight Sparkle
My eyes fluttered open. Dr. Horse is looking at my chart and smiles, "Well it is a blessing to see you awake Ms. Sparkle. I am sorry about the sleeping spell but it was the only way to calm you down," he explains as I try to remember what happened. All I could recall at the moment was my dream and… I try to break the restraining spell but it is too strong for me. "You need to settle down Twilight, you're not going to get better if you carry on like this."
"You don't understand, I have to go to see my brother the prince….," I tell him trying to break free. If that fiend succeeds all is lost. The doctor peers at me from behind his glasses and casts a calming spell. "I need…,"I try to fight the spell but it is too strong. I hear a voice tell me everything is going to be okay. It sounds familiar. I heard it in my dream telling everything will work out and that somepony will help me. I snap back to reality where the doctor is telling me that Shining Armor is fine. "He is…," the doctor tells me just to relax and plays some calming music.
"How is she doing?" I hear the voice of Rarity ask as she wheels in the room. She comes up to my bed and says I look peaked. The doctor explains that I was under a calming spell since I kept thinking my brother was in danger. "If it's any consolidation my roommate told me that Cadence is sick and had to cancel a trip to Canterlot," the doctor nods saying that Shining is probably still with her in the Crystal Empire. "Right now the only thing you should be concerned with is getting better," she says as a nurse comes in.
"Excuse me Dr. Horse but there is been attack on Mt. Canterlot. A pegasus and an earth pony are pretty beat up," she explains as the doctor excuses himself. Speaking of pegasi I ask where Rainbow Dash has gone it's not like her to bolt off. Rarity tells me that she wanted to check to see if Sweetie Belle was doing okay as the spell begins to take effect.
Dani
"You're coming with me Danielle," a cold voice whispers as I am pulled into the darkness. I can see him locking me up in that crawlspace again with only blanket on the floor and a bucket for going to the bathroom. "You were always mine girl," it taunts. My heart beats wildly as I fight to break free of its grip. It was then I remember what Sensei Tommy told me about fears- that we can let the conquer us or we can conquer them.
"You're going to have to do better than that," I jump into air forming a blade of ectoplasm on my boot and sever the tentacle from its owner. The illusion is broken and I find myself back in the forest. The hags around me back up from the light of my ecto-blade. "So you don't like light," I form a small ecto-bomb and throw it on the ground. The bright flash scares them and they slink back into the darkness.
Now that the hags are gone I go over to where my cousin is trapped. I try to phase him out but a powerful magic hits me in the chest. "Looks like I'll have to do it the hard way." I conjure a blade and carefully slice the tendrils.
The seventeen year old ghost boy collapses on the ground shaking "Da...ni?" he asks as I nod telling him he needs to save his strength before scooping him in my arms. Using my elbow I activate the portal generator on my belt and fly back to Clockwork's tower. The ghost of time smiles warmly as we arrive back. I lay the boy on a cot and kiss his forehead. He tells me that I did well against the night hags, it was easy once I remembered my lessons. Danny lets out a moan as I wrap a blanket on him and go to rest up before we go on our main assignment.
Applejack
"How she's doing doc," I ask the doctor as he comes out looking solemn. He tells me that she has been poisoned. The dart that whatever it was fired at was filled with a powerful toxin, "do you have the antidote," I ask nervously. An uneasy look plays across the normally calm doctor's face.
"We were able to neutralize the poison, but she will be weak for awhile." I sighed in relief. "She is resting now, why don't you get something to eat and I will come get you when she's awake." I thank the doctor and head to cafeteria.
I sit down and allow myself to relax. I know that everything will be fine but I still worry about Dash. I look up and see Pinkie Pie coming in. I wasn't in the mood to deal with her and hide underneath the table. "Applejack, what are you doing under here? Are you playing a game? Can I join?" I tell the mare it's not a game and I'm here because we got injured on Mt. Canterlot. "You don't look sick to me in fac...," I grab her muzzle to silence her. I tell her it's Rainbow Dash who's hurt. "What happened?" he asks as I let go.
"Something shot a poison dart into her. The doc says that she will be fine but needs to rests.," Pinkie's mane deflates and asks where she is now. "She's resting in the ER. The doc will call for me when he's done." She asked him if Rarity could do a healing spell on her. "Magic isn't going to help. All we can do now is wait." Ouch that stung worse than a nest of angry wasps. I pray to Celestia that my friends will be all right.
