Chapter XXXI: Half Ghost, Half Pony
Scootaloo
"I'm getting a message from Rarity," Trixie says as we race over to her. "She has those bird brains captured Twilight." Danny asks where is she? The magician says that she's in a reading room. Rainbow rolls her eyes and says there are million reading rooms in here. "I can ask her for a clue," Trixie says as I begin to feel funny.
I see Twilight in a cage, her body ensnared by two tentacles. She struggles to break free. There is some creature standing over her. "Squirt, you okay?" Rainbow asks as I snap back to the present. I tell her I'm not sure. I saw something strange.
"What do you mean strange?" Danny asks confused. I tell him about seeing Twilight in a cage and some creature watching her. "Did he have red eyes?" I nod. "You must picked up on Vlad's ectomplasmic signature. The others look him confused. "All ghosts have an ectomplasmic signature. It's like...," he looks over to Trixie for a second. "Like a unicorn's magic. My blood is making her pick up on it."
"I can lead the way," I tell them as Danny and Dash shake their heads. "I took on the changelings," I protest. Danny said Vlad is an entity of a different sort. He's smart and any creature unprepared can be bested by him. "How did you defeat him?" Danny says the first time he used Vlad's own insecurities against him. Since that encounter he doubled his training regiment so he could at least match his skill level.
"What kind of training do you use?" Rainbow asks curious. He says mostly increasing his speed and upping his attacks. "Daring Do does similar training. In The Emerald Skull, Daring learned to slow down her breathing and heart rate to help her get out of traps."
"That is something else I do," he says taking the lead motioning us to follow him.
Tucker
"Okay the probe is ready," I tell the princesses putting the finishing touches on it. Celestia says we can't waste time and to send it through the portal. I turn on the computer screen. "That's odd?" the white alicorn asks me what is wrong? "A cloud in the Ghost Zone. It doesn't get large weather patterns it's mostly Limbo."
"Can you zoom in on the image," Luna asks as I adjust the controls. I gasped at the sight before us. "Changelings!" Luna gasps in shock. I look at her strangely. "Changelings are creatures that can take any shape and feed on love." I ask her what she means by that?
"They drain the love out of their victims. This many can mean only one thing. Chrysalis is planning an invasion," Celestia explains. Dr. Hooves asks how they could do that. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's love drove them back to their kingdom. "She has, no doubt, been planning this, but the question is why go into this Ghost Zone?" I tell them she must be using it as a way-station to this world.
"Something smells of rotten Fruit Loops," Jazz comments. I agree but what did Vlad get out of this? He doesn't make deals unless he benefits from it directly. I turn to the princesses. Celestia said Vlad must have used Chrysalis for reinforcements in his invasion of Equestria. "Why would he want them to attack us? There is no profit for him?"
"Queen Chrysalis is known to go back on her word," Luna explains solemnly. "Whatever benefit this Vlad gained means little to Chrysalis." I ask her what she would do. "We have to stop them from entering this world."
Queen Chrysalis
"We have infiltrated and neutralized this Walker and his forces," my general said as I smiled. He goes on to say they are trying to find out if they can feed off ghosts or not. It would be just like Vlad to promise us something only for it be a lie.
"What of finding a way to the human world?" I ask him impatiently. He says that may take a while. They are tons of gateways and not sure where they lead to. I roll my eyes when an idea came to me. "Walker runs a prison?" the general nods, "Have some of them explore the zone. Tell them once we feed on...," I hear a noise, "Hold on a second." I transform into a guard and see what's going on.
"Hello Twilight? Rarity? Anypony?" the little yellow pegasus calls out in the softest voice. I smile, "this is going to be easy." I walk towards her. "Thank goodness I found you," she says, "I need to warn the others about Vlad's plan" I tell her to leave everything to me.
Vlad
"Thank you so much for your help," I told the unicorn as I stroked her face. She looked up at with pale violet eyes. "You've...," an image of Skulker taking control of Walker's prison appeared. "That traitorous toad!" I charged up an ectoblast but decided not to fire. "Hopefully the warden will put him in his place."
I conjure an image of Daniel leading the ponies. "Isn't that cute, the little orange wants to play ghost hero. If he wants to play...," a portal open and my minions come flying in. "What are you three doing here? I ask them. "I thought you were taking care of the ponies?"
"We thought you should know what Skulker is doing," Anacletus says. I tell him I know about him betraying me and siding with that insect. "Did you know they're planing to take over the world. That queen, she has drones trying to find a portal to the human world." I charged up an ectoblast but stand down. I tell them I want them to make sure that doesn't happen.
"What are you rotten turkeys waiting for," I look down at the amulet and its power to transform Acacius and Æsc into turkeys. Anacletus looks worried and said he had to be somewhere. He zooms through the portal. Once that fool is gone I duplicate myself. "Let see Spookaloo deal with Plasmius," my double vanished.
Rarity
"Rarity! Help me!" Sweetie Belle called out as she started sinking. I try to tell her not to struggle but something happened to my voice. She tries to pull herself out, only making her sink faster. "Rarity, please!" she calls out to my panicked. I try to move but my hooves but the spell is holding fast. The quicksand crawls up her chest. Her eyes plead with me. Soon only her face is above the mud. "Rar...," she says as quicksand fills her mouth. Before she can sink further a flash of light bursts forth.
"Sweetie!" I call out but find myself back at the castle. I look around but Sweetie is nowhere to be found. "It was just an illusion, no doubt by that horrid Vlad." I shake the cobwebs from my head, but I can't get that image out of my mind. "It was just a trick," I tell myself looking around. "It seemed all too.,,," a message appears from Spike.
"Dearest Rarity, we are making our way to you. Please respond if you're are all right. Love, Spike," I take out a scroll and begin to write, when I hear a noise. "Who's there," a couple of Royal Guards appear. They ask If I'm all right. I start to answer but something didn't feel right.
"Twilight has ordered to us bring you to her," one of them says as I cast a reveal spell. I was right they were changelings. "Get her!" the leader order as the other one charges at me. I duck out of the way causing the bug to hit the wall. "What are...," he begins to ask when something hits him from behind.
"Surprise," Pinkie says firing her party cannon taking out the leader. I race up and tell her I am delighted to find her. "Did you see Sam anywhere?" she asks worriedly. I thought she was with you. "She went to take on Chrysalis by herself," I tell her the best person to help is Danny and I was just about to contact him. "Oooh tell him Pinkie Pie says 'HI!'" she says as I write down a message and send it on its way.
Clockwork
"This is all your fault. Everything is ruined," an Observant shouts as I roll my eyes. "You have endangered three worlds!" they bring up a screen of Vlad sneaking away with Twilight in his clutches. "You were superposed to stop Plasmius that is all!" Another screen appears showing the changelings entering the Ghost Zone. "We are on the brink of invasion...," Before he could bring up another screen I freeze time.
"First of all," Plasmius will be stopped," I say impatiently. "You one-eyed fools never see what goes on behind the scenes. I focus on the unicorn. "Don't worry Ms. Sparkle, I have everything under control," I tell her as I teleport to my study.
I pick up a book on visions and smile, "yes this shall do nicely" I say as plan begins.