Chapter XIX: Holding Court
Sweetie Belle
"I am not sure this is a good idea," Apple Bloom said as I flipped through the pages of the spell book. I assure that I've seen Twilight do this a thousand times before. "A thousand times?" she asks skeptically. Okay maybe not a thousand times but enough to know what to do.
"We will be home in no time," I strap the helmet on me and make the final adjustments to the device.
"Whoa there little ones," a voice said as a strange being appeared. He had green skin and dressed in a king's robe complete with a crown with a wedge of cheese and a scepter with an ice cream cone. "What are you doing here," he asks looking at the device. Apple Bloom asks who and what he is. "Why, I'm the Dairy King, delivering quality dairy to the greater tri-state area," he declares proudly. "I got to admit I've never seen talking horses before."
"I'm Sweetie Belle and this is Apple Bloom.". We tell him that we need to get back home to save our friend. He looks at the device and asks if we know what we're doing.
"Sweetie Belle thinks it will work," Apple Bloom explains to him. The king says that we should wait on starting the machine as Vlad knows when someone is messing with his stuff. "Vlad? He's the creep Twilight is after," she says as the gears in her head turn.
"You two better make yourself scarce, Skulker is looking for you. If catches you you're toast," he says before vanishing into thin air.
"If that creepy hunter is coming back we should get ready for him," I say taking a small device from a table. Apple Bloom disagrees saying Vlad will find out we're using his stuff. "It's a risk we got to take," I hand her a small bracelet. She asks if I know what all this does, "no idea but maybe we can use it to stall him."
Tucker
"Come back here you slime!" I shouted as the door that lead out slammed shut. "Walker!" I call out wishing I could break these bars. Celestia put her hoof on my shoulder as if to say 'it will be okay'. I sit down on the bench trying to think of something.
"Why did he take Luna?" she asked as I shrugged. "We have to stop him!" she tried to use her magic but the collar blocked it.
I look at the cell next to us and see Ghostwriter in it, "What are you doing here?" I ask the ghost as he looks up and pushes his glasses up. He says that he was caught turning orange trees to apple trees. Celestia perks up and asks how he could do that.
"He has a magic keyboard that can alter reality." I explain as I introduce Celestia to the Ghostwriter I tell her that he used it on us when we first met. She seemed shocked that such power exists as only someone named Discord could do that. "Say do you have it with you?" I ask thinking up a plan.
Fluttershy
"I really think we should leave now," I tell Pinkie and Sam as they free another guard. "You never know when they might return." Sam tells me she's just going to free one last guard. I didn't like staying around so long changelings are known to lay traps for their prey.
"Don't worry, we can handle any nasties that come our way," Sam says as I ask her what kind of nasties is she talking about. "You were one who dealt with these creeps before." I swallowed hard trying not to think the events that happened during the wedding.
"We're ready for anything," Pinkie chirps as we walk out the room and towards a set of tracks. "I didn't know there was a train here." she said looking at the floor. Sam inspects them and says their tracks that must lead deeper into the mine.
"Deeper?" Sam walked behind the cart and started pushing. "Wait what are you doing?"She told me that she is going to follow the tracks it might lead to the others. "What if it leads to more changelings or something worse...," A laugh filled the area.
"you should have listened to Fluttershy," the queen said as she came out of hiding. Sam walked up to her and asks if she was Chrysalis. "That's Queen Chrysalis to you!" she sneered as the human laughed. Sam told her that she bows to no one especially a creature like her. "You dare insult me!" she hissed firing her horn at the human but she ducked out of the way.
"You don't frighten me. You couldn't even ruin a wedding!" the changeling queen growled as she went to attack but Pinkie brought out her party cannon and blasted the bug. She hit the wall as Sam walked up to her. "You want more bug?" she asked as Chrysalis fled off. "Come on, lets see where she's going!"
Danny
"You've been feeling that wall forever. You're not going to find a weak spot," Dash said as I continued to feel around for something I could use to pry the door open. "There's only one pony who can save us and she's not here," the pegasus takes a breath to calm down. "I am sorry I snapped," she said looking down at the ground. "I should have known it was trap."
"It's okay Dash," I said turning to face her. "I am used to have popular opinion turned against me." She asked why that would happen as I'm a 'totally kick butt superhero.' There are some in my world who believe no matter what I do I am evil and must be destroyed." Rainbow's jaw falls to the ground unable to believe that someone would destroy me.
"Say Danny how fast can you fly?" she asks changing the subject. I tell her about 112 MPH but if I really push it I can make 119. "Ha! I could totally kick your flank," she smiled as I laughed. "You don't believe me? How about this Phantom if we get out I challenge you to a race" she holds out hoof.
"You got a...," suddenly the room filled with a bright light. I hear a voice it was the voice of a girl, "Dani?" I call out as the light dies and the ghost girl rushes up to me and hugged me, "Where did you go?" She told that Vlad had captured her and locked her up in the dungeon. She met a young pony named Scootaloo and they escaped.
"Always knew she had it in her," Dash says proudly smiling. "Where is she now?" Dani says that we're trying to find us when something hit her. She said it felt like her legs were stuck and couldn't move. She told Scootaloo to go get help and she ran off to find someone. "How did manage to free yourself."
"It's going to sound weird but someone helped me break free." I ask her about who it might be. "I don't know all she said was that she's a friend of Twilight Sparkle. I couldn't get a good look but she seemed to radiate love. It was like being at tea party with Jesus and Buddha." Dash says that sounds like Princess Cadence.
"She's the ruler of the Crystal Empire. She used to foal sit Twilight and the two are really close," Rainbow explains but was confused as she was in the Crystal Empire. Danielle explains that she met her in her mind. She spoke to her and broke free of the whatever was holding her to the ground. "I knew she was powerful but to do that. I thought only Princess Luna could enter dreams."
"It wasn't a dream it was like a psychic link if that makes sense," she said turning to me and places hand on my chest. I felt a rush of energy fill me. Whatever was blocking my powers was destroyed and I could access them again. "Come on lets leave this place," she said taking my hand and I took Rainbow's hoof. "You might feel funny," She turns intangible and phases though the wall.
"That was amazing," Rainbow says as I let go of her. She asked Dani how she did since Vlad cast a nullification spell. She smiles and says there are more powerful things than Vlad and the amulet.
Dr. Hooves
"Is anypony home?" I called out as I come through the portal. I was in some kind of laboratory, "Great Whickering Stallions!" I cried out seeing all kinds of strange inventions. One of which caught my eye. It was a green and silver cylinder. "What is a Fenton Thermos?" I open the lid and the room filled with light.
When it died down a tall being dressed in pajamas with green skin appeared in front of me "Will you be my friend?" he asked picking me up and squeezing me. Before he could crush me a beam of energy hit him causing it to flee.
"Who are you?" a voice asked as the girl walked down the steps with a flashlight. "You're…a…horse?" she says shining it on me. I correct her saying I am an earth pony. "How can you talk?" she asks studying me keenly.
"You must be Jasmine, I was sent here by Chronos," she raises an eyebrow at the name. "uh Clockwork?" she smiles and walks up to me. "He has sent me here on a mission." I explain to her that her friend is in danger and we need to rescue him and the princesses.
"Princesses?" she asks confused. I tell her I will explain it later and need to get to her friend ASAP. "Where are they?" Clockwork mentioned something about a zone. "You mean the Ghost Zone," she throws a lever as a green portal opened up.
"By Celestia!" Jasmine climbed into some kind of skiff device. "What are you doing?" I ask her. She says that we're going into the Ghost Zone to save her friend. "Well in that case- Allons-Y!"
