Questions

Whole New World
Chapter 9
Questions

Rarity lead Dano back to Twilight’s tree house. The entire walk was in silence, and it made Dano uncomfortable. Rarity kept trying to take sneak peeks at him, as if she was looking for something, it didn’t help the situation at all. On top of that Dano felt naked without his weapons, but he probably wouldn’t need them here. Probably.

It took a few minutes to get from the spa to Twilights house. Rarity let herself in, and Dano followed. Inside the girls had made a semi-circle around Fluttershy, who was sitting on a blue upholstered couch that rested with its back to the far wall and was surrounded by bookshelves. Spike was nowhere to be seen, and Echo was sitting on the couch next to Fluttershy. The girls turned around when Rarity and Dano entered the tree house. They all looked at Dano with smirks when they saw his wardrobe change.

“Looks like Rarity got to ya.” Stated Applejack.

Dano struck a stupid pose that made the group laugh.

“I think he looks wonderful.” Rarity said defensively as she giggled at Dano’s show.

“I have to agree,” Rainbow shrugged, “he looks less blocky.”

Dano believed she was referring to the hard ceramic plates in his armor, and just smiled at the comment.

“Alright girls,” Twilight was getting serious now, “we still have questions.”

Dano felt a little nervous as all the attention was placed on him, and he changed his posture back to normal. Twilight started this round of questioning.

“How did you find Fluttershy?”

Dano relaxed a bit when the question turned out to be less personal.

“Echo heard her crying in the woods last night, so we went out and found her.” Dano indicated the wolf that was sitting on the couch next to Fluttershy.

Twilight nodded and faded into her mind, probably putting together the story she got from Fluttershy with Dano’s. Applejack chimed in next.

“Where’d ya get that nice six shooter?”

Dano had to think fast, he couldn’t say he stole it or found it. People don’t really trust people who ‘find’ things.

“It was my fathers, he gave it to me the last time I saw him.”

Applejack didn’t look satisfied and launched another question.

“Why were you carryin’ it in the open?” Her green eyes bored into Dano’s own.

“For protection, “ Dano stated matter of factly, “I live out in the woods, so I need to be quick on the draw.”

The farm girl seemed satisfied by the answer, and nodded then looked at the others and shrugged.

“Ah got nothin’ else to ask.”

The rest of them agreed, and Dano felt a lot better. He didn’t have to spill his guts about how he got to Ponyville in the first place. Success. Dano looked at his watch, and mentally cursed. It was starting to get late, and he didn’t want to be out in the woods in the dark.

“Well, I think it’s about time we got out of here. C’mon Ec…”

Dano didn’t even finish before Rarity butt in.

“You can’t leave yet, your clothes are still being washed.” Her voice was filled with concern, like Dano was about to forget his child.

Dano mentally cursed again, she was right.

“Then where am I going to stay?” Dano wasn’t about to intrude on anybody’s space. He was a gentleman after all.

“You can um… stay with me. If you want… since you let me stay with you.” Fluttershy offered quietly.

The girls all agreed with their shy friend, and Dano didn’t want to be rude and deny her offer.

“That sounds great Fluttershy.” Dano gave a large toothy smile.

Everybody in the room returned the smile, including Echo. Fluttershy stood, said goodbye to her friends, and left the tree house with Dano and Echo in tow. The group mounted Dano’s quad bike, which was in the same pace Dano had parked it. As he waited for Echo to get onto the rear rack Dano looked over the town.

Ponyville had changed while Dano was in the spa. It was awake, with children running around and playing. Men and woman walked here and there, chatted with each other and shopped. Dano noticed that there was still a deficit of men, and that women definitely held the majority. It struck him as strange, but his internal weird meter had been broken a while ago.

Dano started the engine and drove off at a good pace. Fluttershy was still nervous about riding on the bike and squeezing Dano tightly, but she managed to squeak out directions to get to her home. She guided Dano down what he judged to be main street and through the town center. There was a grey stone fountain that resembled a sun with eight tendrils of flame shooting out in all direction on the left side, and the right side was a simple crescent moon. Dano instantly recognized the symbols, they were the ones that adorned the chests of Sun and Moon. He became a tad suspicious, but he put it aside for later.

As the group moved through the village Dano noticed that the closer one got to the center of town the taller the buildings got. The taller structures held the solar panels that guided Dano to Ponyville, and the tallest was situated right in the center of town. It was three stories tall with a balcony around each floor of the cream colored cylindrical building, and had a large peaked brown shingled roof that was covered in panels. The windows were tall as well, and very grand. Dano wondered if it was the town hall, but didn’t stop to investigate.

It took a little while for Dano to steer the quad through Ponyville and down the trail that led to Fluttershy’s house. When they arrived Dano took in the small abode. It was two stories, and the floor area looked very small. The walls were painted an earthy brown, and the roof was covered in deep green shingles. Vines ran all over the exterior, and each window had a hanging garden next to it. There were dozens of bird houses hanging off of hangers in random places all over the house, and the abode was actually surrounded by a thick forest.

The forest was much denser than the one Dano had called home, and a lot darker as well. A small stream ran in front of the house, and a little wooden bridge spanned it. Several dozen animals of every kind wandered around the clearing. Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, goats, sheep, and many others. Any herbivore that called the Appalachian mountains their home or could survive this far north was present.

Dano parked the quad at one end of the bridge, and off the side of the trail. The animals all stared at the intruders with fear, until they caught sight of Fluttershy. They relaxed and went about their day as if the three people weren’t there. It amazed Dano that Fluttershy could somehow tame the animals enough so they wouldn’t scatter at the sight of human beings.

Fluttershy led Dano and Echo across the bridge and up the small walkway to her front door. Dano caught a glance of an animal that was somewhat hidden, but still stuck out from the rest. It was a wolf or a dog, and clearly didn’t fit in with the herbivores around it. Dano let his curiosity get the best of him.

“Looks like you have a wolf of your own.”

Fluttershy stopped, turned, looked at Dano and followed his gaze to the K9.

“Oh no… that's Jenna. She is a husky.”

It clicked for Dano, Jenna was domesticated. She wasn’t going to jump anything, or anyone. Fluttershy turned back around and entered her house. Dano and Echo followed through the threshold, and took in their surroundings.

Dano found himself standing in a living room of sorts. The walls were the color of dark stained wood with highlights of light colored wood. There was a pink and brown area rug with hearts all over it, a hearth in the middle of the wall to the right of Dano, and several different small animal homes with steps to them were located on the walls. Holes in the bottom of the walls lead to rodent homes, and Dano was surprised that the place didn’t smell like a barn.

The living room was small. The left wall had a doorway in it, but nothing indicated what was behind it. A stairwell sat in the far left corner and ran parallel to the left wall. The rear wall was decorated with pictures of Fluttershy and her friends, and more housing for animals. The far right corner had a threshold that lead to a small combination kitchen/dining room with a small table and plain light dangling from the ceiling, and Fluttershy had disappeared into the eating area as soon as they walked in the door.

Dano left Echo in the living room and moved into the kitchen in search of Fluttershy. He found the woman putting on a white apron in preparation for making dinner. Dano quietly chuckled as the apron stuck out against the grey and brown camouflage Fluttershy was still wearing. Dano coughed politely when the shy woman didn’t hear him enter, and she jumped a bit.

“I’m just wondering where I will be sleeping tonight?” Dano smiled to try and make Fluttershy feel a little less of the embarrassment Dano knew he was about to inflict on her.

“Oh my… I’m sorry… you can sleep in the guest room, if that’s okay with you…” She hid he face behind her hair, and her eyes darted to the floor as she spoke.

Dano pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the doorway in the living room, and she nodded. Dano thanked Fluttershy before he turned around and headed for the door. He called to Echo, who was entranced by a conversation between a squirrel and a blue jay, and Dano had to speak up to get his attention. Echo jumped and gave Dano a look of annoyance, which he promptly ignored.

The two crossed the living room and opened the door to the guest room. The area was tiny, with only room for a bed, a dresser and a trunk. The bed was perpendicular to Dano and was underneath the only window in the room. The sleeping area took up the entire back wall, and was covered in pink sheets, pink pillows and a brown comforter. The trunk was short and long, and lacked any paint or stain on the wooden panels that made it up. It was small enough to fit under the bed, and that was where it was stored at the moment. A small alcove in the right wall surrounded the sides of the dresser, and made it look like part of the wall. A small cubby was present at the top of the furniture so Dano could place things like his watch and pistol on top.

Now that Dano knew where to lay his head at night he left the guest room and went back into the kitchen. He sat down at a small table and watched Fluttershy work. She seemed content and happy as she hummed a tune while she cooked the meal, and Dano wasn’t about to disturb her.

After a couple minutes she presented Dano with a plate and a bowl. A pair of grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato rested on the plate, and the bowl was full of steaming hot tomato soup. Dano felt a massive smile grow across his face. He had been eating MREs and jerky for three months, and the meal in front of him looked good enough to take a picture.

Dano was about to dive into the meal when he realized that Fluttershy had left the room to get Echo some dog food, and to feed some of her other pets. Being a gentleman Dano waited for Fluttershy to finish her chores and sit down to eat before he began.

Most of the meal was eaten in silence, with Fluttershy mostly staring at her food. Dano felt a little bad about the lack of conversation, so he tried to get one going.

“This is really good Fluttershy, I love the soup.”

Fluttershy didn’t look up from her food when she answered.

“Thank you.”

Dano smiled, but his mind was kicking him to keep forcing the conversation.

“So how long have you lived in Ponyville?”

Again, Fluttershy refused to raise her eyes.

“I was born here.”

Dano kept pushing.

“So your parents are here as well?”

Fluttershy cringed, and Dano’s mind raced. I said something wrong.

“M-my parents aren’t alive a-anymore.”

Dano felt his heart drop into his stomach and his stomach into his feet. Tears began to well up in Fluttershy’s eyes, and Dano felt a huge amount of guilt grip him. She began to cry, and her head dropped into her hands, sobs escaping from her throat. Dano reflexively stood, walked around the table, took a knee and wrapped his arms around the weeping woman.

Dano felt horrible. He was doing his best to consul the woman he made cry, but he wasn’t getting far.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to bring up anything. I’m sorry.”

Dano repeated himself until Fluttershy’s sobs quieted and she regained control of herself, but he refused to let go. Dano knew what it was like to lose a parent, and the only person there to comfort him was his grieving father. He was alone and had to deal with it. Dano swore that he wouldn’t let Fluttershy travel the same path he once did.

While still cradling the woman Dano spoke.

“I lost my mother when I was eight, and my father died recently.” Dano lied about the last part, but he knew that his father was long gone.

Fluttershy uncharacteristically looked Dano straight in the eye, and he returned the gaze without falter. Fluttershy’s dark azure eyes glistened with new tears, and the streaks of old ones ran down her cheeks. She was looking for truth in Dano, proof that this wasn’t a ploy to get rid of his guilt. She didn’t find a lie, but sympathy.

Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Dano, and buried her face into his shoulder. Dano tightened his hold a bit as the woman embraced him. The two stayed in that position for what felt like an eternity, neither of them willing to end the embrace.

Eventually Fluttershy released Dano and pushed away from him gently. Dano complied and let her go. Fluttershy’s demeanor returned, and her eyes gazed at the floor. Dano stood, walked back to his seat and picked up his dirty plates. He moved back across the room to the sink, which rested in the middle of the small counter space and under an exterior window. Dano turned on the water, and began cleaning the dishes he used. Fluttershy watched him out of the corner of her eye, and spoke when Dano began cleaning.

“Y-you don’t have to do that…” Her voice was barely audible, but Dano heard it as if she was yelling.

Dano turned around and moved next to Fluttershy. He spoke while he picked up her plate and bowl.

“I insist.” His voice was filled with compassion. “You should probably get to bed.”

Fluttershy nodded, stood and walked out of the room. Dano went back to cleaning, and a small, burning rage began to build in the back of his mind. He needed answers, and the only people he knew that could give them were Sun and Moon. Dano only had a vague objective, no knowledge as to who or what the women wanted, and that Fluttershy was important. Dano hoped they would visit him soon, he was fed up with the whole prophetic bull shit.

Dano finished cleaning the plates and bowls, and set them on a rack to dry overnight. He left the kitchen and moved through the living room to his new quarters. Echo was sitting in the living room with an expression of worry. He had probably heard everything, and was concerned about both Fluttershy and Dano. Dano ignored the wolf again and entered the guest room, Echo following without orders. Dano stripped out of his clothes and set them on the dresser then crawled into bed. Echo hopped into the guest bed and laid down by Dano’s feet. He knew his friend needed some help, but didn’t know how to give it. Being there for Dano would have to be the best thing to do at the moment.

Sleep came slow to Dano. His mind was racing as he remembered his mistake with Fluttershy, and what he was going to ask Sun and Moon when he met them. Eventually slumber pulled the survivor under, albeit restlessly.

Dano stood in the familiar blackness that these meetings took place in. He crossed his arms, and squeezed his eyes shut. Dano knew what to do by now, and the women would only appear when he wasn’t looking. Sure enough, when Dano opened his eyes, Sun and Moon had appeared. Sun went to speak, but Dano cut her off with a raised hand.

“No more bullshit. I want answers now.” Dano’s voice was cold and hard.

Moon looked offended, and opened her mouth to say something, but Sun stopped her with a hand on the navy clad woman’s shoulder.

“Ask your questions then Daniel.” Sun’s voice was just as warm as it usually was, and her characteristic motherly smile didn’t disappear with Dano’s rudeness.

“You two lead me here,” Dano glared at the women, “why is here so important?”

Sun’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a blank expression as she answered.

“Do you remember what Echo said to explain his presence?”

Dano nodded.

“We are from the same realm he came from.”

Dano didn’t say a word or move, letting the cloaked woman continue.

“In our world my sister and I are very powerful magical beings. We ruled over a country built on the foundations of harmony and love, and the populace was happy and prosperous. Wars were few and infrequent, and hate was something that was only used to comment on bad food or taste in clothing.”

Dano nodded and motioned for the woman to continue.

“My sister and I were always aware of your plane since the beginning of the human race. We watched out of fear, for your world was not a peaceful one. We watched to make sure your race’s hatred and anger did not affect our own world, but the toll of watching the human’s was great. We began to feel sympathy for those who would deny the chaos of your plane, and without proper thought my sister and I intervened. We opened a connection between our existence and yours, and created the avatars before you. We are not human, so our presence would only breed the mistrust your kind was prone to.”

Dano remained silent as Sun continued her story, and let his mind digest everything before he began questioning.

“We built the town of Ponyville, and attracted people that were pure to it with magic. The community was small, but peaceful. My sister and I combined our magic to cast a large spell that gave humans who were impure in thought and action the urge to not enter the valley. This worked well, and Ponyville grew into the image of our world, a place of harmony. But something neither my sister and I could have predicted occurred. The portal worked as a conduit that funneled the magic of harmony into your world, but it also allowed the chaos of yours to bleed into ours. When enough of the hatred moved into our plane a being was formed named Discord. He overthrew our original selves and ruled over our country for millennia before we stuck him down, and regained our thrones. Sadly the populace had forgotten that we were the original leaders of their country, but my sister and I continued on nonetheless.”

Dano was grasping most of the story so far, but he didn’t get his whole place in it. Sun continued without pause.

“When my sister and I realized that the portal was the reason for Discords assentation, our original selves broke the connection, but not before giving us our finial orders. We were to continue to preach harmony and peace, and protect Ponyville without the portal. For two millennia we did just that, but then your race was destroyed by a disease of epic proportions. The people who emanated chaotic magic began to die off, and so did their influence. This left a void in the world that caused the magic of harmony that was built up around Ponyville to spread and try to cover the globe. With the magic gone the spell protecting Ponyville weakened, and chaos was able to seep through the remains of the closed portal and resurrect Discord. In a message our original selves informed us that Discord was returned to his prison, and that our world was safe again. This was joyous news, but that wasn’t the only thing the message contained. When Discord was subdued he detached a small part of him and sent it into this plane. His plan was to build up this world into a bastion of chaos and storm the portal once again with his new army. He also was able to send the human who is known as Echo back to our plane in an attempt to keep a foothold of chaos in our world, but Echo was able to resist and became one with harmony.”

Dano was happy they explained Echo’s whole role, but was still looking for his own.

“Ponyville survived the disease, and continued to flourish. Luckily we were able to build up the community enough that it could continue to grow without inbreeding or new people. Discord’s avatar knew this, and he began to use his powers to twist the minds of the men and women of Ponyville to join him. Our defensive spell was too weak to stop him, and we watched as he stole people away for twenty years. The women he took weren’t totally brainwashed and resisted as much as they could, and still do. The men on the other hand were completely converted, and are lost forever to Discord’s avatar. We eventually built up the spell to stop his meddling, but we do not believe he is willing to give up. A more physical approach is coming, and that is your job. You must stop Discord from destroying Ponyville.”

Sun finished her story, and Dano began to air his grievances.

“Why me?”

Moon answered this time, her worried frown replaced with the same expression as her sisters.

“You are a survivor of the old world, one who has been touched by the chaos and not given into it.”

Dano still didn’t understand how he got into this situation.

“How did I survive?”

Sun responded, her expression and voice unchanged.

“You were in an accident in your class, and arc flash. Out of desperation your father gave you to a company that had developed a new way to save extreme burn victims like yourself. When the world fell you died when the power cut out, but the liquid that healed your wounds was able to preserved your body. My sister and I happened upon you, and returned power to the hospital so the machine would revive you.”

Dano finally got the bigger picture, and he tried to put it together verbally.

“So you’re telling me that you two are immortal avatars of two powerful beings from another plane sent to stop chaos from spreading to both worlds, and you revived me so I could fight for you?”

The two women nodded in unison, and Dano felt his stomach drop. Again he realized they had him by the balls.

“Where are you two now?”

Moon replied.

“We gave up our physical forms to bolster the shield over Ponyville, and continue to saturate the area with magic. Will not be able to return until Discord’s avatar is destroyed.”

Dano sighed, he had no choice but to follow the two beings.

“What do you need me to do?” His voice was filled with defeat.

The two women frowned, and Sun spoke.

“We are not sacrificing you Daniel, and if you do not throw your entire mind and soul behind this mission you will certainly fail.”

Dano didn’t feel any better, but something in his mind drove him to comply with everything he had. Dano sucked in a breath and asked again with more heart.

“What do you need me to do?”

The sisters smiled, and Moon answered.

“Integrate yourself into Ponyville, make the community your home. Make friends and learn the ways of harmony, so you may better defend it.”

Dano nodded. He finally had a clear objective and the information behind it. The two women nodded back, reached out and touched Dano on his shoulders. The white light was accompanied by the love and confidence it always was, but this time it was more powerful. Dano relished the feeling, and he didn’t open his eyes after the light dissipated. Dano let sleep grab him once again, a content feeling him his mind. He could do this, he could save Ponyville, and he thought with a chuckle, The things I get myself into…

All done, back story filled in.
yes, yes it is
what do you think logic?
my thoughts are irrelevant
now that's no way to think
i believe you are doing a good job
thank you
your welcome
so, what are your plans for this week
sit in your head and be ignored
i don't ignore you
yes you do
name one time i ignored you
when you went out and got drunk the night before family day at college
so, a lot of kids get drunk
your mother didn't know you were drinking, and you tried to keep it a secret
fine, i ignored you then
and the time you lied to your parents about what you did whenever your girlfriend came over
i get it
and the time you decided to drive your truck alone with only a permit
LOGIC!
yes
i get it, you can stop now
okay
*mumbles* stupid brain...

there she blows, chapter 9 is up
don't forget to comment
that is all
kthanxbai