Chapters Chapter 2: Pulled like Gravity
On their way to their destination, the four ponies exchanged small talk.
„So, you guys want to find a new home, huh?" The blue pegasus mare asked, as she was curious.
„Yeah, seems like it." Johnny replied, after a yawn. „Guess, sleeping in a barn wasn't a good idea after all…" He rubbed his hair a bit as there were some hay left in it.
„Still weird, that y'all chose to sleep there." Applejack was not amused and puzzled at the same time.
"Still better than sleeping in the woods though." The black pegasus made a point.
After a while, they've arrived in Ponyville, a quiet, yet lively little town. They saw ponies happily chatting with each other, doing their jobs and playing each other. The fillies can be seen running around with happy families. That sight made Johnny pause in silence. It made him think of….
"No! Forget it, Johnny! This is not the time to be moody! You came here to be happy without them, so this is the chance! Pull it together, man!!" His inner voice can be heard in his head, while thinking.
However, his thoughts are interrupted by Rainbow Dash, who was calling his name and tapping him.
"Johnny, you there?" she said.
Immediately snapping out, he replied: "Yeah, I'm fine. My mind went elsewhere."
"I must say that this place is quite peaceful." Dukey was impressed by Ponyville's serenity. It felt...peaceful. Applejack however responded: "Well, most of the time. Equestria has been targeted by a bunch of bad apples, but we did stop them."
"Well, good thing. I really don't want to imagine what this place would've been like had they took it over." The brown stallion was relieved. It's a good thing, that Applejack and her friends stopped their menacing enemies from taking over Equestria, because let's be honest: Nobody wants their home being ruled by a tyrant.
During the way there, the stallions saw more ponies having good times. They exchanged some talks with other ponies and eventually made some new friends. Eventually, they stopped at their destination: A big house, decorated with sweet stuff like whipped cream and sprinkles. It looked like straight from a sweet candy world. Waiting in front of the entrance are three ponies: One being a beautiful, snow white unicorn with elegant and curly purple mane and snow blue eyeshadow, another one a shy, bright yellow pegasus with long, graceful pink mane and finally a smart, purple alicorn with dark blue mane with purple and pink streaks. Those were Rainbow Dash's and Applejack's friends. The snow white unicorn is known to be as the Heroine of Generousity, Rarity, the yellow pegasus as the Heroine of Kindness, Fluttershy and the purple alicorn as the Heroine of Magic and the main leader of the group, Princess Twilight Sparkle, also known as the Princess of Friendship.
"Sup, girls!" Rainbow Dash greeted them.
"Hello there, darlings." Rarity replied in an elegant tone.
"Hi…." Fluttershy replied in a shy tone.
"Hi, Rainbow Dash and Applejack!" Twilight replied. When she saw the new stallions, one being a hybrid and the other looking like a mare, she looked confused, yet curious. "I'm surprised that you met those new ponies. One of them looks….pretty funny."
"Thanks for the reminder.." Dukey was slightly annoyed.
"Yup. We've met them at mah farm no less." Applejack replied, thinking back at their first encounter in the Sweet Apple Acres.
"Well, we needed a place to sleep somewhere." Johnny added.
"Oh my." Fluttershy was quite surprised.
"But hey, it's still better than sleeping in the Everfree Forest anyway." Rainbow Dash shrugged.
"What's that?" Johnny and Dukey asked in unison, since they had no idea.
"I would not recommend going there, since the place is filled with the most dangerous creatures ever known in Equestria." Twilight warned.
"Ok, I'm not going there!" The brown stallion was immediately scared. "I would rather be sleeping in the barn alive than sleeping in the forest being endangered!"
"Dude…" Johnny sighed and facehoofed.
That caused the mares giggling.
"Anyway, Rainbow Dash, who are they?" Twilight asked.
"Girls, those guys are Radiant Thunder and Coffee Paw! However you can call them Johnny and Dukey, if you want to…" Rainbow Dash was about to laugh from the "nickname".
"Rainbow Dash…" Applejack was not amused and glared at the prismatic mare.
"Sorry, couldn't help it." Rainbow Dash apologized.
"I'm Rarity. It's really nice to meet you." The white unicorn introduced herself.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, it's an honor to meet you as well." said the purple mare.
However, the yellow pegasus looked away a bit.
"And you are..?" Johnny asked.
There was no response. "Uhm, hello?? Who are you??" he asked again.
"Uhm….F-Fluttershy…" she said quietly.
"Say wha?" He didn't understand what she said. In which Rainbow Dash told him: "This is Fluttershy. She is quite shy towards new ponies."
"You don't say?" The stallions said in unison. Then they hear stomachs growling from the guys.
"Since we are all gathered here, let's go inside." said Twilight.
They went inside the building and to a table. The stallions were amazed about the amount of tasty cakes, cupcakes and several treats on display. It was like straight from a tasty dream. No wonder, why Johnny started to drool.
"Does this place serve coffee here?" Dukey asked. The only response from the girls was Twilight saying: "Not really. But Canterlot has it."
"I see." he understood. He then turned his attention towards his best friend, who was still drooling. "Can one of you girls get some tissues, please? I think, he is drooling."
"Sure." Twilight used her magic to make some tissues appear. Dukey was confused a bit, but then shrugged off because of magic. The hybrid then used the tissues to wipe Johnny's mouth off. "There there." he said.
Then they heard a voice. A voice full of energy and life:
"Ok, everypony! It's ready!"
"About time! I'm starving!" said Rainbow Dash.
"So am I." Johnny replied.
Then they see the treats being carried by a pink earth pony with poofy pink mane, almost like cotton candy and a bright smile. Johnny groaned a bit, since pink is not his favorite color...at all.
"Great, as if seeing pink is not bad enough, I'm pretty sure, she would be an eyesore for me…" He thought to himself.
However, he met with annoyed looks from the others.
"Damn...I suppose, that was not really THAT subtle..." He thought to himself again.
"Alright, everypony! It's time for a-" However, her sentence was interrupted, once the pink pony saw the stallions and shrieked in excitement., as stars were in her bright blue eyes.
She immediately dashed to the two, leaving a big cloud of dust around her. Everyone coughed, due to the huge dust, that she caused.
"Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! You must be new here! I'm so excited to meet new ponies like you! I have prepared a song, just for this occasion!"
They couldn't understand, because she spoke too fast. Like way too fast. The pink pony pulled out a big music box and pressed a button, in which instruments come out and play a tune.
Pinkie Pie
Welcome welcome welcome
A fine welcome to you!
Welcome Welcome welcome
I say how do you do?
Welcome Welcome welcome
I say hip hip hooray!
Welcome Welcome welcome
To Ponyville today!
Wait for it!
She ended the song with a pose and a wave to not just the boys, but also to the audience. That includes you, the watcher.
"Okay, I've seen crazy introductions before, but this tops everything, like geez!" Dukey was speechless.
"Yeah. Totally crazy.." Johnny agreed.
"That's Pinkie Pie for ya!" Applejack replied.
The mares giggled, yet the guys still looked puzzled. How was she able to do that?? It seems like, she has different logic than everyone else.
Then Dukey remembered a question, he wanted to ask, way back, when he was in the Sweet Apple Acres.
"The thing is, Applejack and Rainbow Dash left because of a friendship problem. What's this all about?" he asked.
Twilight explained: "You see, my friends and I are tasked to spread friendship to other worlds and occasionally, solve friendship problems. Rainbow Dash and Applejack went there, because they were chosen this time."
"Then why did their symbols on their sides glow?" he asked.
"Well, they were called to go to my castle. Think of it as a meeting. Then the Cutie Map will tell where the next friendship mission is and who will go there. There are times that the whole group goes on a mission because of a big emergency." the purple pony added.
"Really strange way for those thingies on the...uhm.." The black pegasus was struggling to find words, when he looked at the symbols on the sides of the mares. It wasn't until Twilight knew what he's wondering.
"Oh! Those symbols are known as Cutie Marks. They define a pony's destiny on what they do. They also reflect a pony's special talent as well as personality. My cutie mark represents my destiny in magic, while Pinkie Pie's cutie mark represents her destiny in spreading laughter and joy."
They looked at Pinkie's cutie mark, which has 2 blue balloons and one yellow balloon. They look at the other cutie marks, which contain gems, apples, butterflies, stars and a lightning bolt with 3 colors, before looking at their own. Johnny's cutie mark is a yellow radioactive symbol with a light blue lightning bolt, which fades to a bright light on the tip and Dukey's cutie mark is a dog paw with a cup of coffee.
"Speaking of which, what do our cutie marks mean?" Dukey asked.
"Hmm...That's a good question…. I'll think about it later." Twilight replied.
"But now, we have to celebrate for a victory!" Pinkie Pie shouted and gave the tasty treats to all of her friends, including the stallions. Everyone was excited. It didn't take long for Johnny to immediately bury his face to the slice of cake. His eyes sparkled with joy, because it tastes really good.
"This is awesome!" His chirped with excitement and joy
"Yes, but what you did was neither polite, nor fancy." Rarity was not happy about his manners.
"Hey, give us a break. We're guys. Besides, we are pretty hungry." Dukey disputed her claim, which earned him a glare from the white unicorn.
"Relax, Rarity." Rainbow Dash replied. The ponies laughed and eventually, Rarity laughed with them.
Soon enough, the black pegasus had an idea and threw a slice at Rainbow Dash with a snicker.
"Oh, it's on, pal!" She threw a slice back at him. Everyone was confused, except Dukey and Pinkie Pie, who knew, what's going on.
"Ooooooh!!! Are we having a food fight?" Pinkie shrieked in excitement.
"Judging what just happened, I'd say that's a yes." Dukey replied, before throwing a slice at Pinkie Pie.
"Food fight!!" Pinkie yelled in joy and threw some cake at the others. Soon, the others joined in the fun, safe for Fluttershy, who was hiding under the table and Rarity, who was not amused. It wasn't until, she got hit with cake, when she changed her mind.
"It...is...on!" the white unicorn soon used her magic to throw cakes at anyone in her sight. Neither of which backed down and continued throwing cake at each other.
Time has passed and the ponies exited from Sugarcube Corner after a party. It seems like they all had fun, while Rarity was fixing her mane.
"That was fun!" Pinkie Pie said it in excitement.
"You can say that again, buddy!" Rainbow Dash replied. She flew up in the skies with joy in her eyes. She flew around clouds, performed loops and picking up speed.
"That's cool! I wish I could fly too!" Johnny was starry-eyed with excitement of what he had witnessed.
"Johnny, you're a pegasus AKA a winged pony. Shouldn't you be able to fly automatically, as soon you spread your wings and such?" Dukey pointed at the black pony's gradient wings.
"Oh yeah. I forgot. Heheh..." He scratched his head in embarrassment.
The young stallion went to a spot, where he can get into a starting position. "Alright, here I come!" With a smirk, he spread his wings. However, this caused the mares to gasp in shock, especially Twilight, who was basically frozen.
"What? Is it because where I stand?" The pegasus was confused. Twilight immediately teleported to him and looked at his wings in utter shock.
"H-h-h-HOW DID IT HAPPEN!? A pegasus with alicorn wings!? That's impossible!"
"Uh, can you just back off?" Johnny started to get uneasy with Twilight.
She kept on looking and inspecting his gradient wings. She never saw a pegasus like this before, so her curious mind needed answers from him. Johnny on the other hand, was getting more and more annoyed and soon enough, he used his other wings to slap her.
"Get off from me!" he yelled at the purple alicorn. The mare paused in shock, however the young pegasus looked away.
While that was going on, they heard a voice: "Hey! Twilight!"
They looked at the source of the voice coming to the purple alicorn. It was a little purple dragon.
"Okay, that's new." Dukey was quite surprised. "I expected dragons to be bigger."
"Hey, I am still a child, remember!" the dragon glared at the hybrid.
"Well, I'm sorry!" Dukey replied.
The purple alicorn went to the dragon, who has some scrolls. "What is it, Spike?" she asked. The dragon replied: "Well, I received letters from Princess Celestia."
"Who is this little dragon?" Dukey asked.
"Oh. Sorry. This is Spike, my assistant." Twilight replied.
"It's nice to meet you, even though you look strange." Spike was confused about the brown stallion's appearance.
"Geez, can you girls and Spike stop commenting about my weird looks?..." The stallion hybrid was annoyed.
"Sorry, it's just, I've never seen this before." Spike apologized with a nervous smile.
While the conversation was going, the black pegasus was ready to fly. He jumped up into the air and began flapping his wings. However, he only managed to stay afloat for a while, before falling to the ground. He was quite annoyed.
"Ugh! This sucks!" he yelled in the air. Rainbow Dash flew to him.
"Is this the first time you attempted to fly?" she asked. In which Johnny replied: "Yeah.."
"Don't worry, I'll teach you the basics on how to fly and do it awesomely!" the blue pegasus mare encouraged him. "However, it would be a bit difficult with those kinds of wings, so I'll ask Twilight for help."
"You do? Cool!" he was excited.
As Rainbow Dash kept flying around the skies, Johnny couldn't help but to be amazed by her style and speed. He had a daydream of him flying through the skies, dodging clouds and performing loops. At that point, he felt really alive, while feeling the warm sun rays. However, that soon changed, when the skies suddenly changed from a happy bright blue to a sinister dark purple and the white clouds turn to black. He then heard voices, that taunt him and calling him the worst names possible.
"Ha! Look at yourself, you monster!"
"H-huh!????" The black pegasus looked around in a quick pace. His expression changed into paranoia. "What was that!!!! Show yourself!!"
"Very well then..."
Suddenly, he got grabbed by an unseen force and witnessed, as the clouds got closer and form glowing red eyes. They laughed evilly, as they called his name, while Johnny was stuck in fear.
"Johnny....Johnny....Johnny..."
"HEY!!!!!! JOHNNY, ARE YOU THERE!!??????"
That loud yell caused him to shriek and to snap out of that dream and back into reality. The pony looked around, only to see the 6 ponies and Spike looking at him. He looked on the right to see Dukey, after he saw his arm waving in front of him.
"Huh?? Uh, yeah, I'm fine! I was a bit distracted!" he responded.
"Geez, are you sure about that?" Rainbow Dash asked after she flew down.
"Yeah, I swear!" The pegasus stallion responded.
"Uhm...Girls? It's getting late.." Fluttershy reminded everyone. As the ponies witnessed a beautiful sunset, they knew that it's time to go.
"Welp, time to rest, everypony." Applejack told everyone.
Dukey yawned and said: "You know, a bed would be nice."
Twilight came to them and replied: "Perfect timing, because we have to go to my castle first."
"Wait, you have a castle?" Johnny asked. In which Twilight replied: "Yes. You see, I've been crowned as Princess of Friendship."
Dukey was confused: "Wait, a Princess of Friendship? I'm not gonna offend you, but the title sounds...strange."
"You'll learn about it tomorrow." Twilight replied.
"Okay then." The hybrid shrugged.
The group of ponies walked for a long time until they arrived at a castle, resembling a crystal tree.
"This place is huge!" Johnny was surprised.
"You can say that again." Dukey agreed.
They were mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the castle and its sparkling walls.
"Welp, it's time to go!" said Applejack.
"Wait, you're leaving?" Dukey replied in a shock
"Yes, because we have to go to our homes. Besides, Twilight and Spike live there." Rarity answered his question.
"However, I do have some guest rooms available for you two." Twilight assured them.
"That would be nice. I mean, I really want to go to bed now, considering I didn't get much sleep last night." The brown stallion yawned. The night before was not that pleasant for him.
"Well, it's time to say goodbye for now.." Johnny looked down.
"Hey, don't worry. Tomorrow will be a new day!" Rainbow Dash replied enthusiastically.
"Yeah." The black pegasus smiled a bit.
"Good night, Twilight! Good night, guys!" Pinkie Pie shouted and with those words, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy left.
"Follow me, I'll show you your room." Twilight reminded them and went inside. They followed her. After a while, they reached the guest rooms, in which Twilight opened the doors.
"Is there a way to sleep in one room? I mean, as a trusty dog/pony mix, I have to be close to my best friend, just in case of emergencies." Dukey asked Twilight.
"Hmmm….." She used her magic to rearrange one of the rooms. "There, it's possible now. But make sure that there is no hanky-panky!"
"Sure." The stallions replied.
"Good night, guys." said Twilight.
"Night, Twilight!" the guys replied.
As they closed the door, they went to their beds.
"Wow! It surely is comfortable like a cloud!" Dukey was amazed , after he laid down.
"You can say that again." The black pegasus smiled.
"I must say, this place doesn't seem bad at all. The ponies were actually friendly, although Pinkie Pie nearly gave me a heart attack... But still, from all the worlds, we've been through, this one is actually peaceful. No lies, no secrets and there are guardians to protect this world! Plus, it's refreshing to be in a different world with nice people. That's something, you won't see in other worlds though."
"Yeah, indeed." his friend responded and yawned. The earth pony hybrid did the same.
"It's getting late...Tomorrow will be a new day, so we need some energy for the next day. Good night, Johnny!'
"Night, pal."
After those words, the stallions fell asleep on their beds...
Meanwhile....
Somewhere, Johnny, in his human form was in a black void. Everything was dark and cold. And the atmosphere was pretty eerie.
"Where am I?" he shouted. "Hello?? Anybody here??"
He walked around the void. Due to the coldness, he started to freeze and shiver. "Man, it's cold..." he said.
Suddenly, he heard voices from angry people.
"You're a monster!"
"You caused it again!"
"Look at what you've done!"
They echoed throughout the void, making them loud and clear. Johnny covered his ears in fear.
"What was that?? Who are you????" he questioned in the air. The voices kept repeating over and over, adding to the intense situation.
"Johnny? We have some unfinished tests with you!"
He looked back to see big and frightening versions of his sisters, with red glowing eyes and sharp teeth.
"Leave me alone!" He began to run away. The sisters began to chase him.
"Run while you can! You can never escape!" The voices began to sound more demonic. At the same time, he saw his dad, also big and frightening like his sisters.
"Young man, we need a talk about your actions!"
"Damn it, leave me alone!" He sounded scared. No matter how fast he ran, it seems like they were catching up with him. As the distance got closer and closer, Johnny's expression changed that to absolute fear. Eventually, they got so close, that everything around him went black. When he opened his eyes again, he saw many angry faces. He tried to run again, but he couldn't. He was paralyzed, making him unable to move. They got closer and closer, as tears formed in his eyes. The voices get louder and more painfully evil.
"No! NO! GO AWAY! STAY AWAY FROM ME! STOP! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
He screamed really loudly and suddenly he opened his eyes. He was still in the guest room. He looked around to see Dukey looking at him.
"Geez, Johnny! What the hell?" he sounded quite irritated, since his scream basically woke him up.
He saw Dukey in that pony/dog mix and looked at his reflection on a mirror. He was still a pony, albeit a very sweaty and frightened pony with his hair being messy. His heart was racing with fear, he looked…..shaken.
"Dear God…." he sounded shaken. Tears are forming on his blue eyes.
"Johnny, did you have a nightmare?" Dukey asked, while rubbing his head.
"Yes! And a horrible one indeed… That pain….It's still there! Why can't I be just happy for once?!" Tears were dropping from his face and soon started to sob.
Then Dukey felt that breaking in him again.
"It happened again..Why do I feel a painful ache in me, everytime when I see Johnny in despair?...Unless…" he thought to himself.
Dukey was thinking about himself about the connection. It happened all the way back in the orchard. He witnessed Johnny having a mental breakdown for the first time and comforting him. He then remembered something: He too was emotional, as tears were on his eyes too.
"We are connected...But how?" He was asking himself. However, he decided to set the question aside and placed a paw on Johnny's head.
"Let's just go to sleep, okay?" he told the black pegasus. "It's still very late."
"I'm not sure….I couldn't sleep well last night for the same reason." Johnny looked down.
"Hmm...We will talk about this tomorrow in private, okay?" Dukey replied.
The black pegasus silently nodded, went to his bed and fell asleep. Dukey was looking at the sealing, thinking about several unanswered questions about the connection and the story a bit before he too fell asleep. It seems like, he has to find them out tomorrow.
Meanwhile….
Somewhere, a dark blue alicorn was standing on the balcony from a castle, looking at the horizon. She had flowing blue mane that sparkle like the stars in a night sky and royal regalia with a moon symbol. She looked worried.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" she then looked at the moon. What is going on?
To be continued….
Author's Note
Oh, hello there!
I had kind of an art block there. But don't worry, it will continue!
Have a nice day!
Chapter 3: Shattered to the Core
As the stars sparkled the purple night sky, the dark blue unicorn was standing on a balcony with her ethereal mane flowing. However, she was worried about something..
"What's wrong, my dear sister?"
A voice can be heard. She looked back to see a tall white alicorn with beautiful flowing mane and golden regalia. Her mane consisted of the colors of blue, green and pink, fading to brighter colors and sparkle like stars. It was no mistake. The tall white alicorn is the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia and the blue alicorn is her younger sister, Princess Luna, who rules this world alongside her.
Celestia walked up to her younger sister, since she was worried about her. Then Luna finally answered: "While I was in the Dream World, I was doing my duties as usual, until I saw a dream like no other. Actually, it was a nightmare."
"A nightmare?" Celestia asked.
Luna replied: "Yes. But what's strange is, it came from a pony, I've never seen before."
"A pony, you've never seen before?" Celestia was surprised. "This is strange…"
"It's like he came from a different world." Luna added.
Celestia asked: "What was the nightmare all about?"
Luna closed her eyes, took a deep breath and explained the details:
"It was about a boy in a dark void being chased by evil creatures, I couldn't recognize. They looked like those humans, Sunset told us, except they looked more sinister and demonic. They told him several things, like it was his fault and what he did and called him horrible names. They were closer and closer, until the boy was trapped in the darkness, paralyzed from the fear. I saw the fear in his eyes, along with the tears, as he pleaded with them to stop. But they were relentless and got closer to him. The last thing I heard from him was a scream. A horrifying scream, that sent chills in me.. I've seen nightmares from several ponies before, but not like this.."
"This doesn't sound good.." Celestia was speechless about the unknown nightmare. Who was the boy? Why was he chased by demonic entities? Why was he scared? And most importantly: Who was the pony, who had the nightmare? There are so many questions that circled in her head. Then, she came back to reality and said: "We should keep an eye on this situation. We don't know much about the boy."
"I suppose, it's for the best." Luna agreed.
Soon, the tall white alicorn went to a stance and looked at her sister. "It's time."
"I know." The blue alicorn smiled and went inside, while Celestia used her magic to raise the sun, bringing the warm days.
Meanwhile, in Twilight's castle…
As the sun rays illuminated the room, Dukey woke up. "Wow, I must say, that's way better than sleeping in the farm or even in the animal shelter." He yawned and got up from his bed, as the walls shimmer from the light. He looked at the other bed, where his friend is. He is currently sleeping with his mane still being messy. He tapped on his back, but the black pegasus rolled around. He tried again, but with the same results.
"Give me 5 more minutes…" he mumbled.
With a sigh, the brown hybrid tugged his hair, causing the pegasus to wake up. "Ow! Not cool!" he said in annoyance and pain, as he rubbed his head.
The black pegasus slowly stood up and rubbed his eyes, as his friend noticed him in a cranky mood.
"Geez...You look like you didn't sleep well…The nightmares surely got you hard." the hybrid noticed that.
"Ugh, of course they did!" Johnny replied in a loud and cranky voice, as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"Johnny, why not just wash your face with water? That look doesn't seem welcoming to anyone." Dukey asked.
Johnny sighed and replied: "Maybe, you're right… I need to wash it off.."
The black pegasus went to a nearby bathroom and to a sink, where he started to wash his face with water off. As he looked into the mirror, he saw something. It was a reflection of the demonic being in his nightmare.
"Johnny…." A voice can be heard. His eyes widened and shook his head hard. He looked himself at the mirror again, only to see that there was no reflection of the entity.
"What the hell!?" the young pegasus thought to himself. "This can't be….No...No way…"
Soon, he saw more demonic figures in the mirror and more voices could be heard. They looked and sounded even worse than before. The pegasus started to feel threatened and scared.
"Look, what you did, you ungrateful bastard!"
"You're the worst, Johnny Test!"
"You can run, but you can never hide from your actions!"
"You're the cause of the chaos!"
"Young man, you are in big trouble!" You spawn of the devil!"
Soon, the entities emerge from the mirror and morphed into a gruesome monster. Johnny couldn't move, because of his fear and trauma.
"No! Stop it!" he pleaded as he covered his ears, since the voices had been unbearable for him. And as the creatures got bigger and closer and as the voices echoed in his head, the pony curled up into a ball and shook for his life. They called him horrible names and such.
"Stop it! Leave me alone! NO! STOP IT!"
With scream, he punched the mirror, shattering into little pieces and when he opened his eyes, the entities were gone. His heart was racing in what it seems like at lightspeed, his body shaking from the hallucinations and his eyesight fading in and out.
"No….Please…..Anything but this…" he spoke quietly and yet shaken.
"What's going on?"
He heard a voice and the door being opened. It came from Twilight, as well as Dukey and Spike, who heard the commotion. Of course, they looked worried of what's going on.
"Johnny, are you okay?!" Dukey rushed to his friend.
"What happened to the mirror?" Spike asked, when he looked at the shards.
After a pause, Johnny answered with a lie: "Well, there was a spider and I tried to stomp it, but obviously, it got away."
"Uhm...okay?" Spike was still confused and looked around. "I don't see any."
"Like I said, it got away!" Johnny repeated it to the dragon.
Meanwhile, the purple alicorn looked at the shards and had an irritated look. It didn't take long until Spike saw her and then looked at the stallions.
"Guys, why not just take a walk outside? We will talk about this later." he said.
"Will do." Dukey answered.
He took the black stallion and went outside the castle together. After they looked around a bit, they went to an alley for some privacy.
"Johnny. About the nightmare...What did you see?" he asked.
"Well...uhm…" Before he could answer, he suddenly saw the nightmarish creatures and screamed in horror..
"Johnny? What's going on?" Dukey was concerned.
As the young pony shook his head, the creatures were gone and instead saw the trash bins.
"No...No!" his inner voice was telling him.
"You look like, you've been spooked by some ghosts.." he said.
"Duh...I'm feeling strange...as if I saw some sort of images…." the black pony responded.
"It means, you're hallucinating." Dukey noted. "I think you need a break."
"What? No no no! I'm fine! Maybe I was out of shape a bit." Johnny replied with a chuckle. "Oops. I gotta go! Rainbow Dash is waiting for me. See ya!" The black pegasus ran off.
Then Dukey felt something twisting in his stomach.
"Something is wrong with Johnny…He has been acting strange lately and now, he refuses to tell the truth…I think, I have to keep an eye on him."
The brown stallion ran off.
Meanwhile in a field near Ponyville…
The blue pegasus mare was waiting for somepony. In the meantime, she flew around a bit to pass some time. Eventually, Johnny arrived with a smile.
"Hey! Sorry for being late. My mind was somewhere again." The young pony added.
"It's okay, buddy! Anyway, are you ready to reach the skies in the most awesome way?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Johnny replied in an excited tone.
"Awesome! Let's begin!" Rainbow Dash flew around a bit.
Later, they went to a spot somewhere.
"Alright! First, spread your wings!" Rainbow Dash instructed the young pegasus stallion. He smirked and spread his large wings.
"Whoa. Still surprised about your wings though." Rainbow Dash was in awe, yet surprised over Johnny's large, gradient, alicorn-like wings, before snapping herself back to reality. "Anyway...Next, jump high and use your wings!"
"Like a bird?" Johnny asked.
"I suppose... " Rainbow Dash answered with a shrug.
The black pegasus jumped and used his wings to flap like a bird. Once again, he managed to stay afloat for a short time, before falling down.
"Don't worry. Keep trying!" The blue mare encouraged the black stallion.
Johnny kept trying to fly. He jumped and flapped his wings numerous times, in an attempt to stay afloat. He kept trying and falling, yet that didn't discourage him. In fact, each attempt he took, he stayed afloat longer than before. Eventually, after so many attempts and more encouragement from Rainbow Dash, he jumped and used his wings again, though this time, he didn't fall. He managed to float completely.
"This is awesome! I can fly!" he was overjoyed by his accomplishment.
"Eh, this is only the beginning, you know? Try to fly for a while." Rainbow Dash reminded him that he needed to fly forward. The young pegasus did attempt to fly, albeit sloppily. He wobbled, as he was trying to balance himself. In fact, he was so close to falling down, before Rainbow Dash caught him.
"Well, your flying skills need some work." Rainbow Dash flew upside down a bit to remind him about his skills. Johnny didn't take it well a bit.
"Shut up…" he said in a peeved tone, with his cheeks going red a bit.
"Hi, Rainbow!"
Twilight came with Spike, just to see what she and Johnny are doing.
"I see that you are teaching him how to fly. " she said with a soft giggle.
"Well, he only got the basics." Rainbow scratched her head as she looked to Johnny, who looked annoyed. Twilight assured: "I know how you feel. When I first earned my wings, I was not used to flying. I kept losing balance, was out of sync and crashed numerous times. But after some time, practice and patience, I was finally able to master my flying skills. All you need to do is keep trying and be patient."
"Bla bla bla, I get it! Can I just continue?" The young stallion said in an impatient tone, as he crossed his arms.
"Hey, don't be cranky. You can't master it in one day, you know?" Rainbow Dash reminded.
"She has a point." Spike added.
"Come on. It wouldn't be that hard!" Johnny nonchalantly replied and started to fly around. "See? Too easy!"
As he soared around the clouds, he felt the exciting rush of his adrenaline pumping, As a pegasus, he felt….alive. However, his peace soon shattered, when he heard a terrifying voice in his head.
"Johnny…."
"W-what was that!?" He looked around, however he saw nothing. He flew to the left, so maybe he can concentrate on something else. But the voice didn't stop.
"You can't escape.."
The pegasus started to feel uneasy and before he knew it, he saw the clouds transforming into the same entities from his nightmares. They start to taunt him and humiliate every single bit of him, in order to crush his spirit.
"No...No! Not again!" Johnny was in disbelief. How could they still follow him, even after he left his own world behind? This was a question that he couldn't answer. Then the creature grabbed him and pulled him close to it, as he was struggling.
"No! Let me go!" He pleaded, as he was afraid again.
As soon, he hit the entity, he lost his coordination and began to fall. The voices got louder and louder as well as more demonic. Just like in his nightmare. But before he would fall into an abyss, he was suddenly caught by orbs of light.
"Johnny! Johnny! Can you hear me?"
It sounded different from the entities, however he was so dazed by the visions, that he couldn't tell the difference. It wasn't until he was slapped by the orbs, in which the black pony snapped himself back to reality. Turns out, the orbs of light were actually Rainbow and Twilight, holding him.
"Johnny, are you okay?" asked Rainbow.
"You suddenly lost your coordination and fell. Thankfully, we caught you before you crashed to the ground." said Twilight. "What's wrong?"
"Probably..got..disoriented…" He couldn't build his sentence properly, as he was still in a daze.
"Geez...Seems like, your head is also scattered…" Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Come on, everypony. We have to take him to Fluttershy's Cottage! She'll help him." said the purple alicorn and she, Rainbow Dash and Spike carried him on the way. Unbeknownst to them, they were watched by someone, whose tail raised from a bush. It was Dukey, who was hiding.
"Great….He's so close to having another breakdown…" he thought to himself.
Then, he remembered something more. In every memory, that Johnny was mentally tortured by everyone on the inside, he was there.
"I was there, when everything happened…I witnessed it all..."
Then, another memory came in, which happened during Johnny's mental breakdown. He was in the animal shelter, when he felt the painful ache in him for the first time.
"That was the first time, I felt that painful ache in me. I didn't know why it happened, until I witnessed him having a mental breakdown. Then the ache returned..."
He remembered the moment again of Dukey feeling the ache when he witnessed Johnny's breakdown for the first time, before he came back to the present. However, before he can think about a plan, a different memory flashed in front of his eyes. Unlike any other memories of the past, this one was blurry and vague. It was about some evil creatures, however they were unrecognizable. They were circling around him. The only time, they spoke was this:
" You dirty dog! You're nothing, but a devil's accessory!"
That memory sent chills to his spine, after he came back to reality. What's more, it was a different memory like no other.
"What the hell? What kind of memory was that?" he thought to himself. It left with more unanswered questions. Like who are those creatures and why was he there?. "Whatever it is, I still have to get to Johnny, before it's too late!"
The brown hybrid began to sprint as fast as he could. Halfway through, he suddenly bumped into someone. As he was rubbing his head to ease the pain, he saw the pony, who bumped into him: a lavender-colored unicorn mare with dark purple hair with light purple and light teal streaks.
"I'm so sorry!" Both said in unison, as they stood back up. They bowed their heads, only to them hitting each other by accident. As they groan in pain and rub their heads, the stallion reminded himself about his mission.
"Look, I would like to talk with you, but right now, I'm in a hurry!" said Dukey before running off, leaving the lavender mare wondering.
He kept running and running through the fields and eventually Ponyville, dodging every single obstacle and several ponies, one being a blue unicorn mare who was handing out flyers. His heart was racing, but he wouldn't know when it's too late. So he picked up more speed as he was running.
"I heard, they were headed to Fluttershy. But where exactly!?" He was questioning about the location. It was at this point that he stopped to ask some ponies.
"Excuse me, do you ponies have any idea, where Fluttershy lives? I'm just asking." he asked.
"She lives in her cottage. Go this way and you will find it." a kind earth pony answered.
"Thanks!" Dukey resumed running, after thanking the pony.
Eventually, after some time and avoiding some obstacles, he finally arrived at Fluttershy's cottage and took a break. After all, the path was exhausting for the hybrid. He hid in a nearby bush and moved to a nearby window, in order to observe and investigate. However, flashes of that unknown memory kept showing him. Each flash revealed a small detail: They all had red eyes. But he decided to swallow it down.
Inside of the cottage, Twilight, Rainbow, Spike, Fluttershy as well as several animals were watching the black pegasus resting on a couch.
"I wonder what's going on with him…" said the prismatic mare.
"We were all thinking the same thing, Rainbow Dash." Twilight replied.
"I hope he's gonna be okay…" said the shy mare in a quiet tone.
A young eagle, who Fluttershy was taking care of, was looking around a bit, before he looked at the black pony. At this point, it noticed that the pony is sweating. It flew to Fluttershy and called for her attention.
"What is it?" The shy pegasus mare looked at the eagle before it pointed at the pegasus stallion sweating and having an uneasy look on his face. "Uhm...girls?"
Twilight and Rainbow looked at the yellow mare before looking at Johnny.
"Uh-oh…." said Rainbow Dash.
At the same time, Dukey saw the event through the window.
"Damn it! He's really about to…" he said quietly.
They witness Johnny moving in a quick pace and mumbling "No!" and "Stop!" , while he's sweating in his sleep.
"I think he's having a nightmare!" Twilight assumed.
As the pacing got faster and more erratic, his rumblings became louder. It sounded like he was in peril. Around the same time, Dukey felt a massive headache, just by witnessing him. The mares backed off, as the pegasus stallion kept moving in a very erratic way.
"No! I need to stop it!" The earth pony stallion went around to find the door and opened it. Just in time for the pony to scream and wake up from the same time. That scream caused Dukey to have the ache again, only this time, it got worse. And before he knew it, flashes of memories appeared in front of him, as well as the unknown memory getting clearer.
It showed him in his dog form in a dark void. He looked confused and uneasy, until the voices could be heard.
"You can't escape…"
"You are nothing but a devil as well!"
As he saw the nightmarish creatures, they looked blurry. But upon closer inspection, he was able to recognize them as people from his past life in Porkbelly. Among them are Johnny's family members. However they look even more terrifying than the others, almost looking like devils from hell.
"Wait! No no no no! This can't be!" he spoke in denial, until he heard a familiar voice.
"Dukey, help!"
He looked back, only to see his best friend, Johnny being trapped in a dark orb. His hair was fuzzy, his clothes being ripped and having bruises and a few cuts. His eyes were filled with fear and tears. It's clear, that they're responsible for the torture.
"What have you done to him, you bastards!?" he shouted angrily.
"We're basically giving him justice." The demons replied.
"Justice?! What kind of shitty excuse is this!? This is torture!" he fired back.
The demons didn't say anything, other than a glare. He tried to charge, but he couldn't move.
"What the?! I can't move!" his voice started to the crack, when his expression turned into fear.
"You're next…" The demons lunged at him but before they could get him, he suddenly snapped himself back into reality, just in time to see Johnny, who is still a pony, looking cracked.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay!?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" Johnny replied.
"No, you're not!"
He looked around to see Dukey, who had a worried look on his face and tears on his eyes. In fact, everyone looked at him.
"Dukey, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked, before being shoved away.
"Yeah, what are you-" Before he could finish asking the question, his friend interrupted him.
"Johnny, stop lying all the time! I know, you can't hide it forever! If you keep doing this, then it would get worse!"
"What?" the black pegasus acts confused. But before he could say something, Dukey interrupted him once again.
"No! Don't you see!? YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH DESTROYING YOURSELF! I know that it's hard, but that doesn't mean, you have to hide it!" he yelled.
Soon, the young stallion snapped: "Hey! Watch it!"
Dukey yelled back with: "NO! YOU SHOULD WATCH IT! YOU REALLY NEED TO COME OUT NOW!"
Fluttershy hid behind Twilight in fear and Rainbow Dash was just as shocked as her friends and the animals.
"Guys... " Twilight tried to get their attention, in order to stop the argument, but it fell on deaf ears. She tried again, but failed.
"You know, you're starting to get on my nerves!" the black pony responded.
" QUIET!"
A yell from Twilight managed to silence the two from arguing.
"What's with the fighting?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Ask him.." the earth pony hybrid pointed at Johnny and the mares, Spike and the animals all looked at him.
"Johnny, is there something, we didn't know?" Spike asked.
The young pegasus was sweating really hard, as he tried to find an excuse.
"Shit...They're so close to finding out the truth! Maybe I can…uhm..uhh.. Great, I can't find any excuses!"
"Seriously!? You can't find anything? Just admit it!" Johnny heard his best friend talking to him in a loud manner.
"Why can't you guys just leave me alone?!" he snapped. The room fell into silence.
The animals started to get scared and the mares were speechless. Suddenly, without a word, Dukey ran away, feeling hurt. It was at this point, that Johnny felt regretful.
"Dukey, no!" he reached his hoof, but he knew that he would not come back.
Suddenly, his sight faded in and out, as he heard the voice in his head, taunting him
"Haha! Now you did it! You scared your friend away! How does that feel, you devil?"
The voice became louder, as it laughed evilly. He immediately covered his ears, but he could still hear it. Soon, more voices started to taunt him and before he knew it, he saw the creatures, laughing and circling around the young pony.
"No! Leave me alone!" he pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.
As the loud voices kept echoing in his head, he ducked down. Soon, they got closer and closer and with it, his fear became larger and larger. Eventually, it was too much for him and he screamed very loudly. Meanwhile, while the ponies and Spike couldn't see the creatures, they jumped at the scream. Before they could ask him of what's going on, he quickly flew and broke through the seal.
"Johnny, wait!" said the young dragon.
"Rainbow, find him and try to calm him down." Twilight talked to her friend.
"Got it!" The blue mare flew through the hole as fast as she could.
"What's going on?..." Fluttershy asked.
Meanwhile, Johnny was sitting in a dark room, having a somber expression on his face.
"Fuck….what have I done?..." he said to himself.
Eventually, he started to cry. It seems like his spirit has been broken…
To be continued...
Author's Note
Oh boy.
This was the longest chapter, I have written so far. It took nearly like 11 pages to do so!
In the next chapter, the Mane 6 will try to find him as well as uncover the truth behind the story. Will they manage to get him out of the darkness? Find out next time! in Chapter 4: A Cry for Help!
Have a nice day!
Chapter 4: A Cry for Help
In the Sweet Apple Acres, business went on as usual: The Apple family were doing some farm work, while Applejack was bucking some apples. Later, a young beige earth pony filly came to the farm with a velvet red mane and a pink bow. She had some fun with her filly friends earlier.
“Welcome back, Apple Bloom!” Applejack greeted the filly. “How was your crusade?”
“Pretty amazing! We had a great adventure and helped some fillies and colts on our way!” Apple Bloom smiled, while reminiscing her latest adventure with her friends.
“That’s good to hear.” Applejack replied, while being proud at her little sister’s latest achievement.
The two ponies walk to the orchards for some farm work. During which, a very muscular red stallion with orange mane can be seen working on the fields in order to plant the apple seeds there. Then the orange mare got to work: She went to several apple trees with fresh apples and bucked them using her back hooves, while Apple Bloom caught them with baskets. Later, the big red earth pony collected the baskets and carried them to the farm, while the sisters were following him.
“Ah’ve seen, y’all did a good job!” A voice can be heard and it came from an elderly green earth pony mare walking to the three ponies.
“Eeyup.” The red stallion responded.
“Indeed, Granny Smith.” Applejack added.
The red pony, also known as Big Mcintosh or Big Mac carried the cart of apples somewhere, where they can be prepared.
“Apple Bloom my dear, could you please help out your big brother?” Granny Smith asked.
“Sure thing!” Apple Bloom accepted and walked on her way.
During her walk, she crossed the farm. Suddenly, she stopped, since she saw a shadow in the farm. The young filly went inside to find the source of the shadow. She walked closer and closer until she saw a figure. Apple Bloom was scared about the figure. Maybe it could be a dangerous intruder or even worse? Whatever it is, she ran off to tell her family about her discovery.
Meanwhile, Applejack and her grandmother were exchanging some talks, while looking at the apple trees.
“Ya see, I’ve met some….interesting friends sleeping in our barn.” Applejack remembered about the encounter with the two stallions.
“Oh my. Why would they sleep there?” Granny Smith asked.
“One of them told me that he was really tired.” Applejack answered and added. “I’m pretty sure, they didn’t mean to cause trouble, although seeing the pegasus appear from a light in one of our haystack was strange.”
“Strange indeed.” the elderly pony agreed.
Then, they saw Apple Bloom running towards them with a panicked look. The mares immediately went to her.
“Is something the matter, sweetie?” Granny Smith asked. To which Apple Bloom responded: “There is someone in the barn!”
“Again?” Applejack responded. “It’s been like yesterday!”
“Can you show us to the stranger?” Granny Smith asked.
The beige filly nodded and ran on her way to the barn with Applejack and Granny Smith following. Once they arrived at their family’s barn, they entered, only to see the unknown figure as well. Apple Bloom hid behind her older sister, as the eldery pony yelled at the unknown figure.
“Listen up, fella! You have a few minutes left to leave our barn!”
No response. Just pure silence. Granny Smith tried to get the stranger’s attention, but once again...silence. That was until the strange figure raised something a bit, looking like a tail. Applejack gasped. She knew the shape of the tail that well.
“Applejack, what are you doing?” Granny Smith asked.
“Could it be?” the orange earth pony mumbled.
It couldn’t be Winona, since the tail was bigger than those from her pet. And as she got closer, the figure became much clearer to see. Sure enough, she recognized the figure as Dukey, but something was not right. He was sitting alone with a blank expression, however she couldn’t see it, since his head was lowered.
“Uhm...Y'all alright, fella?” Applejack asked, but she received no response.
“What’s going on?” Apple Bloom asked. And her older sister replied: “Ah have no idea.”
She gently tapped his shoulder, which caused him to look back at her and her family. His eyes were full of sadness.
“What’s wrong?” The southern mare asked.
He mumbled something that the family couldn't understand. When Applejack asked him what he said, he made his answer loud and clear: "It's because of Johnny! He yelled at me!"
"Come again?" Applejack asked.
"What happened?" Apple Bloom asked as well.
"Y-you see...I was witnessing Johnny in a terrible condition… He was falling apart….I tried to help, but he yelled at me! He was really mean to me, even if I didn't have the intention to hurt him! He is really destroying himself, yet he doesn't let anyone help him, even me! His best friend!!!" His voice was shaky from the event.
"Why would he do that?" Granny Smith asked. However the hybrid couldn't answer her question, as he buried his face into the hay and started sobbing. Applejack went to the crying stallion and gently rubbed his head in order to comfort him.
"There, there fella...Shhhh.."
The other two mares watched, as the mare comforted the stallion, until his crying became quieter. After that was over, the southern earth pony looked at him with a warm smile.
"Hey, why not take a walk outside? It'll gonna clean your head for a while." She said.
He didn't say anything at first, but after a minute of thinking, he finally agreed with a silent nod.
And so, the two ponies set out for a walk outside, while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith looked on.
"Ah was wonderin', what exactly happened between him and his friend?" The young filly asked.
"I wish, I knew the answer, sweetie..." Granny Smith replied with a sigh.
Meanwhile, in the dark forest, a black hooded figure was wandering around and as it turns out, that it was Johnny, who just put down the hood, looking very somber with his hair covering one of his eyes.
Johnny
I don't like my mind right now
Stacking up problems that are so unnecessary
Wish that I could slow things down
I wanna let go, but there's comfort in the panic
And I drive myself crazy
Thinking everything's about me
Yeah, I drive myself crazy
'Cause I can't escape the gravity
I'm holding on
Why is everything so heavy?
Holding on
To so much more than I can carry
I keep dragging around what's bringing me down
If I just let go, I'd be set free
Holding on
Why is everything so heavy?
You say that I'm paranoid
But I'm pretty sure the world is out to get me
It's not like I make the choice
To let my mind stay so fucking messy
I know I'm not the center of the universe
But you keep spinning 'round me just the same
I know I'm not the center of the universe
But you keep spinning 'round me just the same
I'm holding on
Why is everything so heavy?
Holding on
To so much more than I can carry
I keep dragging around what's bringing me down
If I just let go, I'd be set free
Holding on
Why is everything so heavy?
I know I'm not the center of the universe
You keep spinning 'round me just the same
I know I'm not the center of the universe
But you keep spinning 'round me just the same
And I drive myself crazy
Thinking everything's about me
Holding on
Why is everything so heavy?
Holding on
To so much more than I can carry
I keep dragging around what's bringing me down
If I just let go, I'd be set free
Holding on
Why is everything so heavy?
Why is everything so heavy?
Why is everything so heavy?
After he sang the song, sobbing can be heard…
In the meantime, Dukey and Applejack went on a walk outside through the scenic fields. However, Applejack was not happy, when he told her about the event that tore him apart.
“What he did to you was not nice… If I find him, he better apologize to you or else!” she said. However, Dukey shot down that suggestion with: “Applejack, it’s not gonna be easy...”
“What makes you say that, fella?” she asked.
“There is a history of him, that is not all sunshine and rainbows. And I have the evidence. But first, we have to go to Twilight’s castle, in order to retrieve it.” he explained to Applejack and thus, they continued to walk, but this time...their goal was set.
Arriving at Twilight’s castle, Applejack knocked on the door and after some waiting, Spike opened the door.
“Hey, guys.” Spike greeted.
“Spike, we really have to go to my room. I must retrieve something in order to show it to Applejack.” Dukey said to the little dragon.
“I have no idea what item you want to retrieve, but okay. You can go inside.” Spike allowed them the entrance and the two ponies went inside.
After remembering the path and many trial and errors, due to the castle’s sheer size and lack of memory, they finally went into the guest room, where Dukey immediately looked around at every corner and object, until he picked up the item, he wanted to show it to the southern earth pony mare.
“What’s this?” Applejack asked, after Dukey showed her the blue diary.
“It’s his diary. Yeah, it’s strange that he started to write in a diary, since he usually hates diaries, but this is different. It’s actually written like a journal, full of things, that are….say...disturbing.” he explained.
“How much?” the orange mare was confused.
“Just read the diary….”
With those words from his mouth, Applejack opened up the diary and started to read the pages. At first, she was confused when she read the first page. However, as soon she started reading the pages, her mood changed into being horrified. The shaky writing, the teardrops and the pages about depression, abuse and other dark topics made her feel sick and filled with disgust. Why would they do this to him? She threw the diary to the ground with a yell.
“That tears it! They’re a bunch of rotten apples!!” Her voice was filled with anger. She couldn’t believe that those horrible people would tear him apart so much, that he was scarred for the rest of his life. Dukey put his paw on her head with a slight somber look and said: “They surely are..”
“Johnny? Where are you?”
They heard a voice and soon, Rainbow Dash flew around and looked at the room.
“Rainbow, what are you doing?” Dukey asked.
“Trying to find him.” Rainbow Dash replied with a sigh.
“Wait, don’t tell me, he vanished….” He was in a denial, but the worst fear came true, once Rainbow confirmed the fact. Johnny is gone!
His sight was fading in and out, his heartbeat racing fast, he was close to freaking out. Surely enough, he freaked out, screaming and jumping around. Meanwhile, Applejack went to her pegasus friend and asked her: “What in the tarnation happened??” Rainbow Dash soon explained:
“Well, basically he was feeling extremely tense. Then Dukey came in and said something about stopping to fake his emotions and such. Then they had a huge argument with him running away. As if things couldn’t get worse, Johnny suddenly screamed and flew up, bursting through the sealing of Fluttershy’s cottage. I attempted to chase him to the skies, however he was nowhere to be seen!”
“Say wha?!” The orange earth pony was alarmed by the situation. She slapped Dukey back to his senses.
“Come on, everypony! We have to find him!” said Applejack.
With that, the three ponies ran off in a hurry.
They soon meet Twilight and Fluttershy, who were looking around. At the same time, Pinkie Pie and Rarity came back.
“Rainbow Dash, Applejack! Any signs of him?” Twilight asked.
“Nope. No signs of him whatsoever..” Rainbow Dash answered.
“I just learned about the situation, thanks to Dukey.” Applejack responded.
“Shit...” Thinking back of what Rainbow said about the event, he soon got very concerned. “His breakdowns are getting worse!”
“What?” Twilight was shocked. “If that’s the case, we have to find him fast!”
“It seems like there are three locations, we haven’t checked yet.” Rarity reminded.
“Here’s the plan, Rarity! Pinkie Pie! Go to Canterlot and find any clues there!”
“Okey dokey!!” Pinkie Pie responded with a smile.
“Fluttershy and I will check the Crystal Empire for hints. And as for Rainbow Dash and Applejack, go to the Everfree Forest!”
“Oh god...The death forest…” The hybrid was shaking in fear.
“Is it okay to let him join us? His dog skills will be coming handy later.” Applejack asked.
“Hmm….Of course.” Twilight agreed.
“Hey, calm down! We got your back!” Rainbow Dash calmed down the brown hybrid.
“O-okay. If it means finding my friend in that scary forest...then so be it!!” his expression changed to being serious and full of determination.
“Yeah! That’s the spirit!” Rainbow Dash was happy.
The three groups split off to the three locations: Canterlot, The Crystal Empire and the Everfree Forest.
Arriving at the Everfree Forest, the trio looked around in order to find any signs of Johnny. Everything about this place would make anyone feel scared: The unsettling atmosphere, the fog, scary trees and dangerous creatures. It’s no wonder why most ponies refused to go there, unless they have a death wish. Suddenly, a scary noise sent chills down to the hybrid’s spine.
“Uhm….Excuse me….? I’m scared…” He looked at the mares with his voice cracked.
“Relax. We are with you. We handled those situations before.” Applejack assured him.
They looked around the forest, but no signs of him.
“I might look around by myself. This forest surely is big.” said Rainbow Dash and flew off.
“Guess, we have to find him on the other side.” Applejack responded and she, alongside Dukey, went the other way.
On the other side, Rainbow Dash looked around. The unsettling atmosphere soon caught up to her and she felt scared. Suddenly, she heard a sound.
“Waah!! What the?!?!” she quickly looked around, but because of the fog it was hard to see. She sighed and landed on the ground.
“Man...Relax, Rainbow Dash….You’ve been there before and you dealt with it. This place is not scary!” She tried to convince herself, in order to continue on. She gulped the fear down and walked around for a bit. Despite the scary setting, she continued to press on and do her mission. Suddenly, she tripped onto something.
“Ow!! Man, that hurts!!” She rubbed her arm, after getting up. The pegasus mare looked back, only to see something on the ground. Then she smelled something.
“What’s that smell..? Wait...Is it blood?!?!?” Rainbow Dash panicked. Sure enough, as the fog gets clearer, it’s revealed to be a hooded pony, laying on the ground as well as some blood stains. At first, she assumed that the timberwolves had attacked that poor pony, but as she went to the other side, she saw some cuts on the arms, which made her feel uneasy. Who would do this?? And who was the hooded pony? The latter question got answered, when Rainbow Dash removed the hood to reveal the pony’s true identity. And that discovery made her scream loudly.
On the other side, Applejack and Dukey were still finding clues, when they heard the scream.
“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack recognized the scream, belonging to her friend and quickly went the other way with Dukey following her.
“Oh my gosh…This can’t be…” Rainbow Dash was traumatized at her discovery and backed off. She never saw someone being unresponsive and with blood. It was at this time, when Applejack and Dukey came to her.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong??” Applejack asked.
“NO!!!! JOHNNY!!!!!” When Dukey saw the black pony’s body, he was filled with hysteria and shock and became uncontrollable, once he picked him up.
“No….This can’t be happening...Johnny, answer me!!! Come on!! Answer me!!!!” his voice was filled with sadness and despair, when he attempted to wake him up. Tears were filling in his grey eyes and soon, cried on Johnny’s lifeless body. As the mares watched, Rainbow Dash soon laid on Applejack’s head and started to cry. The southern earth pony laid her arm around her. “There there, sugarcube…Shhhhh...”
As Dukey laid on Johnny’s chest to cry, he heard a heartbeat. That’s right, his heart was still beating. He was filled with hope that his friend might be still alive...
“Girls! Listen to his heart! It’s still beating!” he yelled at them. The mares laid their heads on the black pegasus’s chest and heard the heartbeat.
“Oh my goodness...There is still a chance that he can be saved!” said the orange mare.
“We need him to get him to the-” Before Dukey could finish his sentence, the prismatic pegasus mare picked him up and flew off at high speed. “Well that was quick.”
“We have to follow her!” said Applejack.
“Got it!” Dukey replied and the two went off to follow Rainbow Dash.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash flew faster and faster. There was no time to spare. As soon she arrived at the Ponyville Hospital, she screamed for someone to help him. Nurse Redheart was doing her job, when she heard her cry for help.
“What in Equestria is going on?” the white mare asked. However, as soon as she saw Johnny’s body, she rushed to him and told the doctors that there was an emergency. The doctors carried him to a bed, as they were rushing through the walls and into the operating room.
“We’ll do our best to save him. Please wait in the waiting room.” said Nurse Redheart and went off to help the doctors.
Exhausted, Rainbow Dash went to the waiting room. After some time had passed, Applejack and Dukey entered the hospital as well and sat alongside with the prismatic mare in the waiting room. There was one question, that she wanted to know:
“Why did he do it?”
Later, Spike came in with a worried look.
"I've heard that you found him!" he said.
"Yep. With his arms slit…" Applejack responded.
"Tell Twilight and her friends to get them here...now!" Dukey was on the edge, which is no surprise. His friend is now being treated at the hospital.
"Will do." Spike ran off.
Dukey started to cry again, but Applejack hugged him, in order to comfort the broken earth pony hybrid.
"Shhhhhhhhhh...It's gonna be alright, pal…" She softly spoke to him.
Rainbow Dash was still shaken after the discovery. "I...I can't believe it...Why did he do it?!?!" She asked and it was at this point, where the earth pony mare gave her the blue diary.
"What's this?.." she asked.
"It's his diary...It contains the answer to your question." Applejack replied.
With a gulp, the prismatic mare opened the diary, thinking that maybe the whole blood and his body was just a prank. But she was proven wrong, once she started to read the pages. Her sight was fading in and out, her hooves were trembling and her heart was racing. The reason of his suffering made her sick and filled with rage and anguish. And before anyone knew it, she suddenly flew off.
"Oh boy…" Applejack sighed.
Once the sky blue mare was outside, she flew in a circle, picking up more speed as she went around. Essentially, she created a big tornado. But it wasn't enough. Filled with tears, she flew up into the skies and after some heavy breathing, flew down, picking up even more speed than before. As she was doing this, a cone started to form around her and as she got faster, it got tighter and tighter, until it became like a pointy triangle. Then...it happened.
She broke the sound barrier, therefore creating a sonic boom. But not any sonic boom. It was rainbow-colored and flame like and Rainbow's trail became a literal rainbow with sparkles. It is known as a Sonic Rainboom.
After unleashing the Sonic Rainboom, the prismatic mare flew around the fields and Ponyville in a zigzag pattern. It would look dangerous, but at this point she was so blinded by the anguish, that she can't see the ponies on the ground. Or anything in that matter. She flew up again and then down to an empty field, picking more speed as she went. Finally, she screamed as she crashed to the ground, creating a rainbow-colored explosion. Because it was at a close proximity and because of it's greater impact, it caused a minor earthquake in Ponyville. Thankfully, no one was hurt and no building were damaged. But it was enough to throw anyone off guard.
As this was going, Applejack and Dukey felt the earthquake.
"Earthquake alert!!!" He panicked.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash came back, however her mane was messy and had some scratches. She was breathing very heavily.
"Rainbow Dash, are you alright??" Applejack went to her best friend, while Dukey went to a nearby water container and filled a glass with water.
"Here. Have some water." He gave her the glass of water, where she immediately started to drink it.
"Take it easy, sugarcube." Said Applejack.
"All the time, that Johnny was happy, awesome and cool...It was....It was..." Rainbow Dash struggled to finish her sentence and the hybrid finished it for her with:
"...fake. He was broken on the inside, yet he decides to hide it. That's a sign, that he has depression."
Soon, Twilight and her friends arrived to the waiting room.
"We came here as fast as we could!" Said Twilight, while panting.
"Oh my goodness! Rainbow, are you okay?" Rarity asked.
"What did I just miss??" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Why did the earth shake that day?" Fluttershy asked.
"I....I...I had to let my emotions out." Rainbow Dash answered.
"It's funny, that the rainbow was all zigzag! It came up and down and up and down!" Said the pink earth pony in a chipper tune.
"I caused the zigzag rainbow... And the earthquake... because I did the Sonic Rainboom..." the blue mare confessed. "After I read his diary, I was sickened...I couldn't think anymore, it was all messy!"
"What are you talking about?" Rarity asked.
"Read the diary, okay!?!?" she yelled and threw the blue diary at them, however Twilight managed to stop it with her magic.
"Rainbow Dash, calm down!" Said the purple mare and opened the diary. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike all looked at the diary as well. As Twilight read the pages, the emotions of anguish, sadness, rage and despair can be felt to everyone. Soon, Twilight struggled to read the final pages, as it was painful to do so.
"Oh my goodness..." Fluttershy was shocked.
"What in the name of Celestia!?" Said Spike.
"This is just...." Pinkie Pie struggled to find the words.
"This is horrible!! Horrible!!" Rarity cried out.
"I...I can't believe it... He's been broken all along? If he's in the hospital....then that means...he....he..." Twilight was in loss of words.
"He attempted suicide...." Dukey filled in the blanks.
"They've been all cruel to him..." Fluttershy was close to crying, when Rainbow Dash comforted the yellow pegasus mare.
"Yeah..they're monsters..." Rainbow Dash gulped.
"Let's hope, that he would make it..." Rarity was in tears. Her cheeks flow with black tears, because it ruined her makeup.
Soon, a nurse came in and the Mane 6 as well as Dukey and Spike rushed to her.
"Is he okay?? Did he make it???" Dukey asked in a rush.
"We have some good news. Despite the earthquake, we managed to bring him back to life." The nurse responded.
The group felt relieved at the good news, that Johnny's life was saved. However, with serious looks on their faces. They requested the nurse to visit him and with approval, they were on the way to his room. There was no time to spare.
To be continued...
Author's Note
Here it is, the fourth chapter!
It's quite a challenge to write the story, considering that I've been busy lately.
The song, I used is Heavy from Linkin Park. Why? It fits the situation of pain and hopelessness.
Anyway: in the next chapter, after hearing the truth, the Mane 6 decided to help Johnny and cheer him up. Meanwhile, Dukey will soon realize, that he is more than just a witness, thanks to the memory. Find out next time in "Chapter 5: Taking Action" !!
Have a nice day!
The seven ponies stand before the door to the room. At this point, they knew the truth and they need to act now.
"Ok, everyone. This is it..." Twilight took a deep breath before opening the door and letting her friends and herself in.
When they got inside, they found him: Johnny, who was laying on the hospital bed with his arms bandaged and several medical stuff attached to him like a breathing device and a liquid to stop him from losing blood.
Dukey's heart cracked at the sight and he felt the ache again, however it felt more painful than before. Applejack was the first one, who noticed they hybrid clutching his chest with tears.
"What's wrong?" The southern mare asked.
"It's...it's really painful to see my best friend like this...fighting for his life..." He wiped his tears away, when Fluttershy hugged him.
"We feel the same thing, friend. It's really tragic that he did it...all because of those terrible monsters...." she responded with her voice cracked.
"I..I swear if they come for you guys, then I will give them a taste of my wrath.." Rainbow Dash hasn't recovered ever since she read the blue diary.
"Same here, pal." Applejack agreed.
There was no opposition from the other ponies, considering that Johnny's story of pain and abuse shocked everyone. So much so, that they feel no sympathy towards the people responsible for Johnny's misery.
Rarity was wiping her tears and the wet mascara with a tissue, when she said: "Those people are despicable....despicable!!"
"They're a bunch of nasty party-poopers!" Pinkie Pie added.
"Normally, we forgive someone, who feels remorseful after what he or she did. But what they did was unacceptable and unforgivable, because of their remorseless behaviour!" Twilight was just as outraged as her friend.
Even Fluttershy, the quietest pony and the sweet Heroine of Kindness, snapped:
"They....they....THEY ARE A BUNCH OF ROTTEN MEANIES!!" she yelled.
When he saw the Mane 6's reactions to the story as well as Spike's tears, Dukey felt something, he never felt before. He felt......touched.
"Those ponies....They're...concerned about him as much as I am...Normally, in my former world, nobody gives a single shit about him...But this isn't the case for the ponies in Equestria..."
He remembered the time in his old home, where people never give a single shit about the issues and only care of what they expect him, rather his true nature. However, ever since they arrived in Equestria, the reactions from the 7 were more genuine and actually real.
He walked towards them, before they can let their anger out and spoke to them:
"Girls, please! I know, that you are concerned and outraged about the whole mess. But let's face it: Johnny and I left our original world and everything else for a good reason. We should stop thinking about the past or the future and instead focus on the here and now, in order to change it!"
Twilight was moved by Dukey's words and told to her friends: "He's right. We have to be strong this time. We handled situations with a broken heart before, but this is serious. We have to do it together and get our friend out of the darkness!"
"Yeah!" her pony friends and Spike agreed.
Then they heard groaning and looked at the black pegasus, who slowly opened his eyes.
"Johnny! Thank god, you're alive!!" He hugged his friend with tears of joy in his eyes.
But something about him was off. His hair is still covering one of his eyes and the eyes itself looked blank, like all of his emotions being taken away, therefore feeling empty. Plus, he had a somber expression on his face.
"It seems like, the pain broke him completely." Twilight said with a sigh.
"Why are you here...?" Even his voice became quiet like Fluttershy, but without the spark of joy or any positive emotions.
"Johnny, this is serious. You need stop lying and destroying yourself." Said the hybrid with a serious look.
"We found out about your story, thanks to your diary." Twilight added and showed him his diary.
The black pegasus looked away in disgust. "So, you came here to laugh at my misery??"
The prismatic mare snapped and yelled at him. She said: "What are you talking about!?!? We're not gonna laugh at you!! Seriously, there is nothing to laugh about your pain!!! We're not heartless like those jerks!!! You really need to lay it off and just listen to us!!"
"Okay okay. Thanks for your words, Rainbow, now it's our turn." Twilight told to the blue mare and ushered her to the others. "Listen, we're not gonna laugh at your misery, because it feels very wrong to do so. Instead, we're trying to help you to get out of the darkness."
"It's too late..." he replied with a lowered head.
"No, it's not! There is still time, so don't give up just yet!" The purple alicorn replied,
"We were shocked by your story...I couldn't believe that they broke you so hard, you lost your spark! We really feel sorry about you..." said the white unicorn.
"Those people really brought you down to an abyss. But we're not like that! We are concerned, that you lost your smile!" Pinkie Pie added.
"See, Johnny? There ARE people or in this case, ponies and a dragon, who genuinely care about you." Said the stallion hybrid.
However, Johnny didn't answer anything and looked away. This enraged the blue pegasus mare and hit her hoof to the wall hard.
"HEY!!! We are literally trying to help you and you just ignored it!!!" she yelled, causing the young pegasus stallion to shiver in fear.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded, but Dukey stopped her.
"Let her. I'm pretty sure, she is just as upset as I am." he responded.
"You've been hurting yourself all the time, without anyone knowing! Yet you decided to hide it, in hopes that it will be over! It doesn't, if you keep faking yourself!! You seriously need to face the music and accept our help for once!!" the prismatic mare continued.
The black pony shivered more and more in fear, as the ponies around him are looking for him. They want his confirmation or in other words, the truth.
"Johnny....you have to admit it....please.." Fluttershy begged.
However this caused the black pony to move erratically and tried to get out of the hospital room, however Twilight and Rarity used their magic to restrain him.
"Let me go!!" He yelled.
"Johnny, stop it!! If you keep doing this, then your would scare anyone away and you will be forever alone!!" Twilight yelled back.
The words "forever" and "alone" made him stop in shock and lower his head in silence. He really hated those two words, as it caused distress.
Dukey sighed and said: "It's no use.... he would continue doing it..."
The pegasus stallion feels shaken from the words from his own best friend.
"We should leave now.." said Applejack. The other ponies lower their heads, since their attempts led nowhere.
But before anyone can leave....
"Please wait!!!"
They heard a yell and looked back at Johnny, who at this point, was in tears. The pressure had given in and showed them his true colors: Broken and helpless.
"Don't leave me....." said the pegasus with a weak voice. "I confess....I confess..."
"Is it true, that you've been suffering?" the southern earth pony asked. There is no point of lying and faking any longer. They knew his story and now it's time to wake up from the delusion and confess the truth.
"Y..yes.... It's true.... The times, I smiled was all fake! My whole facade before was all fake! And I did this, so nobody would see my true self... Those damn idiots hurt me so much, that I started to despise them! That's also why I didn't bother to come out, because they will not respond to my cries for help and only make the pain worse!!! And to add insult to injury, they always tell me, that I'm responsible for the chaos, when in reality, they started my downfall! It's no wonder, why I decided to move to this world, but even then.....They would still follow me.... That's right, they would still follow me even after I left that stupid world!!!!!! They're the reason for the constant nightmares each night, the constant pain throught the day and the paranoia and distrust all the time!!!"
Tears were still streaming down his face, when he looked at the ponies and expected the same results like the people from his old world. But it wasn't the case, when he was pulled in to a hug by Fluttershy. Soon, Dukey and Rainbow Dash joined in and later the others. He was given something, that he lacked from the majority back in Porkbelly: Care.
This caused the black pegasus to be extremely emotional and started to cry very heavily. It sent chills in their spines, as his cries echoed around the hospital room. Soon, the mares and the dragon feel a painful ache in their bodies, like their hearts being broken by his story. The same painful ache, that Dukey felt, back when he first heard about the agonising tale of abuse and pain in the apple orchards.
"It's alright...we're here." The yellow pegasus mare said softly to the broken stallion.
As the stallion kept crying, the pain got worse and the gravity of the ache got heavier. For Dukey, it was really painful. For years, he always has been by his side, helping him, doing fun activities and having a good time, even if the whole world are against him. For Johnny, he is the anchor to keep him sane. And after the hybrid ran away, the guilt had overwhelmed him and without his best friend, Johnny became vulnerable for mental attacks and the constant guilt and pain, he had, made him to do that suicide attempt. The hybrid felt guilty. Hadn't he run away and stayed by his side as always, then the suicide attempt would have never happened. He placed his paw on his head with tears in his eyes.
"L-look. I know, that you are in pain....But b-believe me....There are ponies, who g-genuinely care about you... And we can....help you to...to.." Unfortunately, the earth pony hybrid couldn't finish his sentence, as he couldn't hold his emotions any longer. The guilt and sadness, he surpressed, became too much for him to handle and he soon starts to cry alongside his best friend. Similarly, Rainbow Dash also couldn't hold her emotions any longer, but this time, it was due to the horrible story making her messed up and she too cried as well.
"Oh, you poor, poor thing...." The sorrow caught up to the yellow pegasus mare and sobbed quietly.
"It's really sad to see a broken pony cry, especially from the horrible treatment, he's given..." Rarity's makeup was ruined again, because of the tears, but at this point it didn't matter anymore.
"I know...It's really tragic!" Even Pinkie Pie, the most joyful pony in Equestria, couldn't hold her tears any longer.
Eventually, they joined with the five ponies in the crying session. Meanwhile, Twilight, Applejack and Spike couldn't help but watch the sadness unfold. Soon, Spike felt like, he is about to cry.
"Come here, Spike." The purple alicorn hugged the tearful dragon, who started to sob quietly.
The pain felt real and Twilight was so close to let her tears out. But then something prevented her to do so: Her will. She took a deep breath and had a serious expression on her face. Applejack did the same thing. They knew, that it's time to take action.
"Girls, come with me. We need a plan." She said to her friends.
Eventually, they stopped crying and came to Twilight, Spike and Applejack. Then the Princess of Friendship gave them a speech:
"Listen, everypony. We've been through intense situations before. Chrysallis, King Sombra, Tirek, Discord. They tried to tear our friendship apart, but in the end we stayed together and defeated them with the magic of friendship. We also helped ponies , who fell victim from the vile actions of evil. Guiding them to the light and helping them regain their spark of life. But Johnny is different. He is not a victim from any of the vile creatures in Equestria. I mean, he didn't originate from Equestria from the start. He is only a victim from his own personal demons and the monsters, who broke his spirit. The reason, why he and his friend moved here, is because they want to escape from their horrible world, where he was tortured. He thinks, he can't be saved and it's too late, but it's not. There is still a chance and he needs help. We must get our friend out of the darkness and into the light! The light of guidance, friendship and hope. It's time to take action!"
Her friends nod. Their friend is stuck in the darkness of sorrow and despair and they need to help him now.
"Dukey, stay here and guard your friend. Make sure, he wouldn't do it again." Twilight told to the hybrid and he saluted and said: "Got it!"
And thus, the Mane 6 and Spike exit the hospital with a mission: Get Johnny out of the darkness.
When arriving at Twilight's castle, they got together around the Cutie Map, thinking for a plan.
"So, how are we gonna help him?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"How about a giant party?" Pinkie Pie suggested.
"I'm not sure, if this would help him, Pinkie." Rarity replied.
"Rarity is right. We need something more than just that. However, before we can think of something, we have to get help." The purple alicorn used her magic to get a paper and a writing feather, in order to start to write a letter to someone important. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were thinking about some suggestions. And so do Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike and Fluttershy. How can they help him? That's a good question.
While this was going on, the lavender unicorn mare went to them.
"Hey, girls. I learned some things about friendship and....uhm...What's going on?" She was confused about the mares thinking.
"Starlight, we are busy finding a way to save someone." Twilight replied.
"Who?" Starlight asked, not knowing about the story, in which the Mane 6 told her about the whole story about their friend being stuck in despair due to painful experiences from the past.
"Oh my gosh...I'm speechless.." She was just as shocked as her friends.
"We all are. And that's why we have to act now." said the purple alicorn as she finished writing the letter. She gave it to Spike, who used his fire breath to send the letter to someone important. "We are currently thinking of a plan."
"Can I join? If it means to help a friend, then I'm willing to help." The lavender mare told to her friends.
"Sure, Starlight!" Twilight agreed.
The purple alicorn went to her library and used her magic to get some books about pony psychology, trauma, depression and visions. She started to read them, in order to understand the subjects and learn on how to help a pony suffering from something traumatic. This was all done, in order to find ways to help Johnny.
"Why are you reading books?" Spike asked. In which the purple mare answered: "It's because, I have to know about those subjects first before we can spring into action."
"I see." the young dragon understood.
Meanwhile, her friends came to her.
"We have discussed each other for a while and we came to a conclusion, that we should give him the best day full of love and care." Rarity reported.
"I was thinking about performing a Sonic Rainboom in front of him, so at least he can appreciate the colors and the awesomeness." Rainbow Dash suggested.
"So far, we have some good ideas. But we still have to think about an effective way. That's why we have to learn about the subjects, what Johnny mentioned and felt, first." Twilight replied.
"Why not doing it now?" Rainbow Dash asked in an impatient tone.
"That would be risky." Starlight replied. "We have to prepare first, then act."
Meanwhile in Canterlot....
The two alicorn sisters were sitting on their thrones and doing their duties as usual. However, Luna couldn't stop thinking about the nightmares, as she recently saw another one. Princess Celestia was also thinking about the nightmare and the mysterious boy and the unknown pony, who had those nightmares. Then she saw the green flames and it turned into a letter. Using her magic to hold it, the princess began to read it:
Dear Princess Celestia,
the reason, I wrote this letter is because there is a serious problem.
The pony in question is named Radiant Thunder, who's been suffering from depression and trauma, all thanks to the horrible abuse and humiliation of the monsters in his original home world. This is also the main reason, why he decided to move to Equestria. However recently, he was seeing visions of those demonic creatures and couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. And the worst part is, he attempted suicide. Thankfully, he got resuscitated and is currently recovering in the Ponyville Hospital. But I'm afraid that if he got released, he would likely do it again.
That's why we need to act fast. We need to get him out of his darkness, where his inner demons reside and bring him into the warming light of friendship, love, hope and happiness. However, we are currently thinking of a plan on how we can do this. We need your suggestion.
Sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle
She also saw a photo attached to the letter. A photo of how the pony looks like. Princess Luna saw the picture and gasped. The mane looks suspicially familiar to the hair of the boy. He also had blue eyes, just like him. After some logic thinking, she connected two and two together: The pony and the boy are the same and it's this pony, who has those nightmares!
"Oh my gosh..." Luna was shaken to the core.
"I know. What Twilight described of him, it would make sense with these nightmares." Celestia answered.
"Do you have any ideas on how we can approach this issue?" the blue alicorn asked.
The princess of the sun took a deep breath and replied with:
"Since we are dealing with a pony with a broken soul, who recently atttempted to end his own life because of the horrible trauma from his original world, we have to gather everypony."
"Are you sure?" Luna asked.
"Yes. Since the trauma is so severe, that he has trust issues, it wouldn't be surprising, that he would end up isolating himself, turning over to the dark side or even worse....doing it again. We have to prevent this from ever happening! That's why we have to gather everypony and give him the most love and trust, he needs. It's so far the most effective way to save him." The white alicorn replied and used her magic to write letters to Twilight and the ruler of the Crystal Empire.
The first letter went as follows:
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I recently got your message and it was loud and clear. We have to do something.
I suggest to gather everypony around Equestria and inform them about the situation, so they can be ready to help. And as for your friend, I will send some of the royal guards to keep an eye on him, so he wouldn't do it again.
Sincerely, Your Mentor Princess Celestia
And the second letter:
Dear Princess Cadence,
I decided to write the letter because of an urgent emergency. It's about a pony with a broken heart and soul. Please come to Canterlot immediately.
Sincerely, your aunt Princess Celestia
The messengers were called to send the letters to the two other princesses.
Back in Ponyville, the Mane 6 received the letter from Princess Celestia. At the same time, Dukey came back from his visit.
"Hey. The reason why I came back is because of some guards visiting Johnny and they ushered me out." he said.
"Those are the royal guards from Canterlot. Princess Celestia sent them to guard Johnny and preventing to kill himself again." Twilight answered.
"Oh. I suppose, that would make more sense, I think." He was unsure. Normally, he would be taken to a mental hospital, but then again the rules in Equestria are probably different from their former home.
"Wait a minute. You look....familiar." said Starlight after she saw the dog/pony hybrid. "Aren't you the one, who bumped into me a while ago?"
"Oh...You see, I was in a hurry. To help my friend and all." he scratches his head with a nervous smile.
"It's ok. Now that I learned the whole truth and since you are his best friend, I forgive you." the lavender unicorn smiled.
Meanwhile, Twilight calmly stated to her friends: "Okay, everyone. Princess Celestia wrote back with a suggestion, which would help him to get him out of the despair. We have to gather everypony from Ponyville and beyond and helping us on this mission."
"Everyone?" the hybrid asked.
"Yes. Everyone." Twilight replied.
"Now that you mention it, it would be very helpful, since thanks to the trauma, he would have a hard time coming out in front of everyone, in fear of making the pain worse and assuming, that they're just like those scums. However, after you heard the story, you felt worried and wanted to help him. So I assume that, if we can gather everyone and tell them about his story, they can prove him wrong by showing him affection and care!" Dukey expressed his opinion about the suggestion.
"Exactly!" Spike agreed and so did the mares.
Then he reached his arm in the front. "So, are you ready?" The ponies put their hooves on his paw.
"Of course!" said Rainbow Dash.
"We are ready." Applejack added.
"Ready, when you are!" Pinkie Pie responded with her chipper attitude.
"We have to do this." Fluttershy agreed.
"We will save him." Rarity also agreed.
"Let's do this!" Starlight was determined.
"For Johnny's sake." So does Twilight.
"Yeah!" And also Spike.
With determined looks on their faces, they went out on a mission. A mission to get everyone in Equestria.
Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie went around Ponyville and the Changeling Kingdom to tell everyone to gather on the centre of Ponyville, while Applejack, Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy went to the Crystal Empire and the Dragonlands to gather them to the goal. Twilight, Dukey and Spike went to Canterlot to do the same thing and also went to the castle to meet up with the royal sisters. Upon arriving, they saw the sisters alongside Princess Cadence waiting.
"Cadence!" Twilight was excited to meet her sister-in-law again.
"It's so good to see you again, Twilight!" And so was the Princess of Love. It's been a while since they met last time. They hugged each other in joy.
However, while this was going on, Dukey felt dizzy for some reason. Around the same time in the Ponyville hospital, Johnny was still laying on his hospital bed, looking depressed, while being watched by the royal guards. Inside of his head, the demonic creatures were still taunting him and hurting him relentlessly. As if his soul wasn't weakened by them enough, it took a toll on his body. He tried to escape, but one guard, who is a unicorn stallion, used his magic to restrain him to the bed, preventing any escape. The taunting voices became louder and louder and his sight fading in and out. Soon, he felt sick in his stomach and his heartbeat began to speed up. All of those factors and the continuous mental torture made the black pegasus pass out. Meanwhile, Dukey's body felt weaker because of Johnny's mental condition taking a toll to his body and when the pegasus stallion passed out, the hybrid soon lost consciousness and collapsed on the floor.
"Oh my god! Dukey!!" Twilight immediately rushed to him, followed by Spike and the Princesses.
"What happened to him??" Cadence asked.
"Guards! Get him to the infirmary now!!" Celestia called her guards.
The guards immediately picked up the hybrid and carried him to the infirmary, all while the ponies wondered, how it happened. It seems like, there are more unanswered questions, they need to answer and they followed the royal guards.
To be continued....
Author's Note
Hey, guys!
Sorry for the long wait. I had a bad case of writers block. Ugh. But don't worry, this part is here. Plus, I've been busy with work and such.
In the next chapter, the princesses will soon find the answers about Dukey's link to Johnny and why he collapsed, while the ponies and other creatures enable their plan to help Johnny. Find out next time in Chapter 6: Operation: Healing Light !
Chapter 6: Operation: Healing Light
In the centre of Ponyville, everyone was gathered. Every mare, stallion, filly, colt and even foals were here, looking confused as of why they were gathered.
"Why are we here? Why did they tell us to go there?" Those are the questions, that they asked to themselves.
"Hey! Listen up!!"
They heard a voice and looked at the centre, only to see Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie stood there on pedestals. Rarity was also holding some copies of Johnny's diary entries. Then the snow white unicorn gave them a speech:
"You maybe be asking as of why we gathered you here. And we're sorry for interrupting your schedule. But the reason why we did it is because of a very tragic story of a new pony arriving in Equestria. He has been suffering his entire life back in his former world, because of the horrible, horrible monsters abusing him! So much so, that his spirit has been broken!!"
"And who is the pony in question? The great and powerful Trixie wants the answer!" The blue unicorn, known as Trixie Lulamoon, felt impatient.
"Well his name is Radiant Thunder! But we call him Johnny." Pinkie Pie answered.
"Do you have the evidence?" A mare, who is also the mayor of Ponyville, asked to the three ponies.
"We have. Rarity has the copies of his diary entries, which she will read it for you. Those will make you understand, how crushed he has become." Rainbow Dash answered.
The white unicorn started to read the first entry, which was written on Monday and contained his troubled life in school. At first the ponies were confused, but when she read the entry written on Tuesday, which contained his life on home being hellish, they start to feel a bit worried. And it wasn't until the entry on Wednesday, which raised an alarm:
Wednesday,
It keeps hurting... During school, I was I involved in a fight between Bumper and his goons. Why? Because they love making trouble. After a long time of bullying and with no weapons whatsoever, I fought back and punched at his face with my anger. Obviously, we were sent to the principal's office. Normally, the principal is quite a nice dude and very caring. Unfortunately, he was sick on that day and someone has to fill in. And fucking hell, it's that damn teacher... Idk why they chose him over others, then again, ALL of the teachers are mean. And to my shock, he suspended ME, instead of Bumper! He got away scottfree? How unfair is this!??!? They seriously don't care about my suffering! And on home, I didn't even bother to go inside from the door, so I have to climb to the window of my room. However, my sisters were already here with a coupon. And I have to test something again. This time, I had to drink a portion to have a beautiful look. Why? They want to make Gil notice them, even though it will NEVER work. And Dukey warned me, but at the same time, I felt pressured so I did it. Needless to say, something went wrong and even after I got cured, my body felt weak. After that, my best friend carried me to the bed, so I can rest. However my dad heard from my suspension and was obviously pissed, even though it was wrongfully done! But he doesn't care. He just doesn't. I was caught in his shouting when he entered my room. Because of my weak body, I didn't have the power to explain. As if that wasn't enough, I was later tied up on a pole by my dad, just because I refused to brush my teeth! Why do they only care for their expectations and not my well-being!?!?
This caused outrage from the community. Especially parents. They know, that kids don't want to brush their teeth, even though it's good for them. However, tie them to a pole?? That is too far.
"How dare they?!?!?!" One angry mare responded.
"It's only the tip of the iceberg." Said the prismatic pegasus.
As she continued to read the remaining copies, the outrage grew. They can't deny it. Everyone was so mean to him. They also feel sorry for him, for dealing through the pain and anguish.
"How could they to the poor thing? This is sick and twisted!!!" A stallion was really angry.
"Hey! I know, you're as outraged as we are. But we have to do it, because we can help him! It crushed him so hard, that he attempted suicide! We have to work together to get him out of his sorrow! Are you ready??" The pegasus mare asked.
"Yeah!" The crowd agreed. They want to help him.
"Let's go!" She confidently replied.
And thus, they worked together on a plan to save Johnny.
Everything was black for a while, until the eyes opened a bit and a voice can be heard:
"Twilight, Celestia, Luna!! He's waking up!!"
As the sight became sharper and the eyes opened further, we see the four princesses, Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight looking worried.
"Dukey, are you okay??" Twilight asked.
It turns out that it was Dukey, who is waking up and it took place in his perspective.
"Ugh....w..where am I?" He asked with a weakened voice.
"You're now in the Canterlot Infirmary. The guards brought you here after you collapsed to the ground." Princess Celestia explained.
"We want to know, why you collapsed." Luna was curious and so are the other princesses as well as Spike, who has just arrived.
Then something flashed in his eyes and remembered about something. He looked extremely worried and asked the princesses with: ",Johnny!! Is he okay??"
At the same time, one of the guards arrived with a report, who gives it to Celestia. She read the whole report and was horrified.
"They said, that he felt dizzy and nauseous. Like something is damaging inside of his body. He even threw up on the floor and later passed out." Celesita responded with a sigh.
"Oh fuck! Fuck, it's getting worse!!!" The hybrid became panicked.
"Calm down! We are still doing the plan. We will assure you, that everyone will help him. It's gonna be okay." Luna assured him.
"I do have a question. Why are you so worried about your friend?" Cadence asked.
"Because I am his best friend. We've been through together through hard times, no matter what. He saved me from the animal shelter on his 11th birthday and he chose me over the other dogs. I never felt so grateful for a second chance of life until that the cage opened and being welcomed by him. Since he saved my life, I vowed myself to do everything to make him happy and save his life from dangerous situations. " he explained to the princesses, while telling about his story on their first encounter. They were moved by the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Even Spike was moved to tears.
"What he did was so noble." Luna replied.
"Indeed. He does have a good heart." Celestia agreed.
"Which was unfortunately shattered by those bastards...And that hurts. Speaking of which, I need to confess something." he told them to the royals.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
His expression turned a bit sorrowful, when he began to explain:
"You see, I've been thinking about a stronger connection between me and Johnny since all the way back in the apple orchards, in which I witnessed him breaking down for the "first" time. Actually, I've seen it for the first time, but the painful ache in me wasn't. It was after I was sent back to the animal shelter, where I first felt it. It stung to my heart hard. I didn't realize that Johnny was in a mental breakdown until after I've seen it happen. As more breakdowns happened, the ache got worse. Then I remembered something: Every time where he was mentally tortured, I was there. And during which, I always had a twisting feeling in my stomach. So I tried to comfort him, like I always do. And god knows, if it worked. Not to mention, while I saw Johnny being in a panicked state in the skies, a memory flashed in front of me. A memory about those monsters blaming ME. That's right, they also blamed me as well, calling me a devil's accessory. That memory came up again, this time they had Johnny being badly hurt. I tried to charge at them, but I was paralyzed! Paralyzed by....fear. And as I was thinking about it and the connection during the visit at the Sweet Apple Acres, the Everfree Forest and even in the hospital, I came to a conclusion..."
"That you are a witness?" Cadence asked.
But Dukey rebutted the question with: "No, Cadence....In fact.....I'm as much as a victim as he is..."
The princesses gasped. They didn't know, that the hybrid was also a victim as well.
"How so?!" Spike asked.
"I've been also tortured by them, both mentally and physically. Why I endured all of it and still kept calm, is beyond me." he answered.
"It must take a willpower made of iron, to endure all of it.." said the princess of the sun.
"And as for your friendship with you and Johnny. Based on what you said, it seems like, you have a stronger connection to him than anypony else. Almost like brothers. Not to mention, I have a feeling, that the connection is also telepathically and psychically. Like if Johnny has a mental breakdown, you feel that painful ache. And if Johnny became sick from the trauma and passed out, that means..." Twilight assumed.
Dukey finished the sentence with: "....then that means my body also felt weak at the same time."
"Interesting..." Twilight was curious about that psychic connection.
"This would explain, why you passed out. Your friendship with him is much stronger and unbreakable than any friendships with other ponies, I've seen." Celestia wondered.
"We never witnessed a connection like this until now." Luna was also curious.
"I can't believe, he was also tortured much like his friend...How tragic..." Cadence was in tears, but Twilight hugged her sister-in-law.
"I feel the same thing, Cadence." Twilight responded.
"We all do. However, if we stick together with our plan and get his friend out of the darkness and into the light, then he would get the closure, he deserved." Princess Celestia assured the others, that things will be okay.
"You're right, sister. We need to be strong!" The princess of the night agreed.
At the same time, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer came back from their mission to spread the news. They were confused as of why Dukey is in the infirmary.
"There is a simple explaination for that." Twilight explained to her friends.
She explained about Dukey's strong and psychic connection to Johnny and his confession, all of these were the reasons as of why he passed out. The ponies were shocked. They didn't know, that Dukey was sharing the same pain as Johnny.
"Oh my goodness..." Rarity was speechless.
"You too!?" Rainbow Dash asked to the hybrid, in which he nodded.
"I can't believe it..." Fluttershy was worried.
"It's sadly true, Fluttershy..." Twilight sighed.
"How is the progress?" Celestia asked.
"We managed to convince everyone to helping us with the plan. Although it takes a lot of convincing for the dragons to get on our side." Starlight answered.
Then the hybrid starts to tear up. The whole time, he was keeping himself together for Johnny's sake, despite the shared pain. Now, cracks were beginning to show, as tears streamed from his face. Cadence was the first one, noticing him like this and hugged him. As Twilight watched, she felt sorry for the earth pony hybrid.
"Girls...?" She pointed at Dukey being hugged by the princess of love. Soon, they all engaged in a big group hug. As he felt the warm embrace by everyone around him, he got more and more emotional. At this point, it has reached to a point, where he couldn't take it anymore. All of the same pain and abuse and all the time, that Johnny has to suffer all of it, caused the hybrid to burst into tears instantly.
"It's okay...We're all here." Fluttershy softly spoke to him.
His cries echoed throughout the walls and the whole area. Loud and clear. The ponies suppressed their tears, since they already shed some thanks to Johnny and his confession. They need to be strong, because Johnny and Dukey need them. They need their care, love and guidance. And if they want to succeed, they have to work hard...together. They need to get them out of the sorrow, the monsters have caused and guide them to a better future full of light and genuine happiness.
After what it felt like hours, the crying soon got quieter, until it became silent. Everyone looked at him wiping his tears away and looking at them.
"You're all very caring and nice..." he spoke.
"Hey, that's what friends are for. Ah swear to my honesty for that." Applejack smiled warmly.
"We're all here for you and your friend with all of our kindness, guiding you." Fluttershy nodded.
"We're making sure, you can smile with laughter!" Pinkie Pie smiled brightly.
"And giving you something special in the act of generosity." Rarity added.
"We'll always be there for you, guys. No matter what. This is true loyalty." Rainbow Dash smirked.
"And finally guiding you with the spark of magic. After all, as the guardians of harmony and friendship, we're making sure, we will help anyone from a shattered bond or even from a broken past. And I, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, will do our best to help you and your friend guiding to a new future!" Twilight finished the combined speech.
"And no matter how hard the situation is, we can do it, as long as we get together." Starlight smiled.
The whole speech from the ponies, along with the warm smiles from the princesses, made the hybrid feel grateful for them. Soon, his body was filled with confidence and determination to help Johnny and be there for him until the end. Now, there was no time to spare.
"Okay. With that out of the way, let's get it started! Time for Operation: Healing Light!" He spoke to the ponies.
"Oooh! I like that name!" The joyful earth pony jumped in excitement with a smile.
"Okay, everypony. It's time to enact our plan now. Twilight, Cadence, Starlight, Spike, make sure, the crystal ponies follow our plan. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack, go to the other worlds and do the same thing. As for Dukey, Luna, Rarity and I, we will go to Ponyville to prepare for it. This is for Johnny's sake. We gather all of them to Ponyville in order to make it work. And when he arrives, we will give him the most care, he needed." Celestia spoke to everyone about the plan.
"Exactly. However, he has to be released from the hospital first, but the guards will keep an eye on him for his safety, both physically and mentally." Luna added.
"And if we managed to get him out of it, he can finally feel loved!" Dukey nodded.
"We'll see." Cadence answered.
"Let's get this party started!"
With those words from Pinkie Pie, the ponies split up to make the final preparations of their plan. Operation: Healing Light is now in effect.
In the Ponyville Hospital, the guards were still standing around Johnny, who is still depressed. His arms have now less bandages, now that the cuts were healed. However he still saw the scars. Soon, he heard a voice from a nurse:
"Radiant Thunder. You can go now."
"Whatever...." he quietly mumbled.
"Remember, we still keep an eye on you! Don't you even think of running away and end your life again, understood!??!" The guard scolded at the black pegasus.
However, the stallion guard was met with silence from the young pony.
When they exited the hospital, Johnny's mane still covered one of his eyes and he has a long, yellow scarf around his neck. He looked down, as he walked, with the ends of his scarf sliding on the ground. The guards were still close to him, making sure, he wouldn't make another suicide attempt again. But that hardly mattered to him anymore.
He then lifted his head up, only to see the ponies looking at him. However, he ignored them, thinking that they're here to make his pain worse. Later, he saw Rainbow Dash, waiting for him, as the colors of the skies turn into the colors of the dusk.
"Hey, uhm...You okay?" the prismatic mare asked.
However, he didn't say anything. Just pure silence. Rainbow looked at him and rubbed his head.
"Come on, where is the smile?" she asked, but she saw none. Just sadness.
"Excuse me, are you making trouble?" The guards asked.
"What? No! I am trying to hang out with him." she explained before getting Johnny's attention. "Hey, wanna fly?"
No answer. However, he slowly went to her, as she prepared to fly. She looked back at the guards, who are pegasi.
"That's good. So they can keep an eye on him in the skies." she thought to herself.
She flew up and performed some loops, while the guards and Johnny watched. Eventually, he flew up, albeit slowly. The guards were following him, as he flew up. As all the four ponies soar the skies together, they witnessed the beautiful sunset before the skies got covered by the stars and the moon . She started to hold Johnny's hoof, so at least he can feel something other being left alone. After some air time, they all land down near the entrance of Ponyville.
"Look, I know you are trying to help me, but don't you see? I'm already a lost cause, since everyone would probably ignore my help." he mumbled.
The prismatic mare started to think of a way to get him to the centre of the village. Eventually, she had an idea and as she rubbed his head, she said: "Look, I've been in Twilight's castle and-"
"No no...Knock it off.." he looked away. Appearently, rubbing his head turned him off, so she stopped.
"As I was saying, I've been in Twilight's castle and brought something to the centre of Ponyville." she explained.
"What is it?...." his voice became quieter, but Rainbow listened, since she was close to him.
"Come on, I'll show you!" she grabbed his hoof and dragged him. The guards followed them, as they didn't want to lose their sights at Johnny. However, even though he struggled, the pegasus mare tightened her grip and dragged him all the way to the centre of Ponyville.
"Why do you have to drag me?..." he asked.
"Because I want to show you something awesome, duh!" she answered.
"I don't want to see anything at all, It's just really depressing and-"
Suddenly, before he can finish his sentence, he was surrounded by colorful lights and the sounds of popping confetti can be heard. He shielded his eyes a bit, until he realized, that the lights were not that bright and he looked in the front.
"Surprise!!"
He saw everyone gathered infront of him. The ponies, the changelings, the dragons and so on. He also saw some packed gifts, delicious sweets, drinks, smiling ponies and non-ponies, wearing yellow party hats with his face on it. The princesses also stood there with necklaces with his cutie mark in a sapphire heart. Even Twilight and her friends wear wigs, which look just like his hair. Soon, Rainbow Dash put her wig on. Johnny didn't know, what to react. Should he be weirded out or flattered? He didn't know.
"We all heard your story and decided to help you." Mayor Mare spoke to him.
"I..I..I don't know what to say." he was speechless.
"Say wha? Excuse me? We all did this! For you!" Rainbow Dash snapped.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
The six ponies and Spike drop their wigs and went to him.
"Yes, of course! Everyone heard your story and they were all concerned! Those bastards were all greedy, more concerned on your expectations than your life! But we're not like that! We're generous ponies and we value your life more than anything material!!" Rarity spoke to him.
"They were so mean to you, it broke our hearts. But we will assure you, we'll be very kind." Fluttershy added.
"Everytime, you attempted to have fun, those party-poopers always ruin it! However, you will have so much fun with us, filled with laughter and joy!" Pinkie Pie looked at him.
"They were always lying to protect their reputation, even though it's already too late. They've poisoned you. But we are honest, that everything will be fine." Applejack resumed.
"They've betrayed you! Stabbed your back way too many times, then toss you to an abyss! We're not like that! We are loyal until the end!" Rainbow Dash continued.
"What they mean is, they tortured you so much, that you lost your spark. However, as the Princess of Friendship, I will assure you, that we will guide you with magic, hope and embrace." Twilight finished.
"Trust us... We will never betray you." Spike looked at him.
He looked at everyone with concerned faces, realizing that what they said, wasn't fake. The looks weren't fake, the gifts weren't fake, everything felt genuine. The Mane 6 and Spike put their wigs back on and began singing a song.
Rainbow Dash
I know the world can get you down Things don't work out quite the way that you thought Feeling like all your best days are done Your fears and doubts are all you've got
But there's a light shining deep inside Beneath those fears and doubts, so just squash 'em And let it shine for all the world to see That it is time, yeah, time to be awesome
Everyone
Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome! It's time to be so awesome! Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome! It's time to be so awesome!
Pinkie Pie
It's true some days are dark and lonely And maybe you feel sad But we will be there to show you that it isn't that bad There's one thing that makes us happy and makes your whole life worthwhile And that's when we talk to everypony and get you to smile
Everyone
Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome! It's time to be so awesome! Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome! It's time to be so awesome!
Pinkie PieCome on and smile!
Then out from the giant cake, Dukey came out, wearing a white tuxedo and a white tophat with a gold band and holding a gold microphone.
Dukey
No matter what obstacles stand in your way You can shine brighter than the stars Just crush the voices in your head And let the light guide you!
Dukey with Starlight Glimmer
Embrace the warmth Fight the dark Fly high and reach the stars!
Burn bright like a phoenix Rise from the ashes Show them your bright side!
Starlight Glimmer
Because your friends are always there for you!
Everyone
Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome! It's time to be so awesome! Ah, ah, ah-ah, awesome! It's time to be so awesome!
Pinkie PieCome on and smile!
The Mane 8, Dukey and the princesses
A true, true friend helps a friend in need A friend will be there to help them see A true, true friend helps a friend in need To see the light! (To see the light!) That shines! (That shines!) From a true, true friend!
So shine bright! Brighter than the stars! You are better than them! Because we are always there for you!
Everyone
Shine bright!
It ended with Rainbow Dash performing her famous Sonic Rainboom in the night, this time creating a message that says:
We love you, Johnny!
followed by fireworks, thanks to a pony called Tempest Shadow.
Those events of love and appreciation made Johnny feel moved with tears in his eyes. He never felt this before, back in his former home world, but now. He witnessed everyone caring for him. He lowered his head and sobbed. This made the main heroes worried, thinking that their plan didn't work.
"Oh no...Did it work?" Twilight was in disbelief.
However, his next reaction was a surprise to everyone: He laughed!
"Wait, what!?" Rainbow Dash was caught off guard.
"Didn't see that coming." Applejack agreed.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy was in surprise as well.
Then as he lift his head back up and looked at them, he did something, that was impossible back then: He genuinely smiled!
"I just want to say...I never felt the love and appreciation back then. Instead, they crushed me completely. So much in fact, that my faith has been lost....until now. That 'It's too late and I'm already a lost cause' quote? Whoever said that, must be a jackass, because you proved me wrong and gave the most love, warmth, care and hope, I desperately needed. So...Thank you! Thank you, everyone!"
Tears were streaming down from his face, however those were tears of joy.
Everyone celebrated, that their plan succeeded in a big way.
"He's finally back to normal!" Pinkie Pie jumped in joy.
"Not quite. He still has to deal with the other issues, in order to be completely free from the past. However, if we stick together and continue to help him, then it will be all over." Celestia added.
"Whatever, he is finally back!" Dukey was filled with happiness. "Although I also have to face my demons as well. But first!" He went to his best friend and fixed his hair back to his original state. However a bit of his hair popped out on the front.
"Must been from me screaming in the pillow." the black pegasus scratched his head.
Rainbow looked at Johnny's scarf and said : "Eh, it needs to be 20% cooler." She took the scarf off from him and gave it to Rarity.
"I can fix this. Alongside making a bonus!" The white unicorn went to her boutique in order to do those tasks. After a while, she came back with two boxes.
"These are for you!" She used her magic to give those gifts to Johnny and Dukey. They opened them and for Johnny, he received his new and improved scarf. Torn to fit his style. And for Dukey, he received a red scarf with a diamond. They put them on their necks.
"Oh my god! This looks awesome!" Johnny was amazed by his new scarf.
"Indeed! We are cool scarf buddies!" Dukey hugged his best friend and soon, the Mane 8 joined in, all while everyone watched in awe.
"Thank you everyone..." Johnny smiled and shed a single tear in happiness.
Meanwhile, in a different universe...
In the night, where the moon shined, inside of a room of a house, a teenage boy with blond hair was punching a wall in sheer anger and sadness.
"Damn it!!" he shouted.
It appeared, that he is missing someone....like a friend...he cared.
To be continued...
Author's Note
Holy moly!
The longest part so far! I have to put so much, but it was worth it.
And the song is a mix between "Time to Be Awesome" , "Smile", "A True, True Friend" and a few parts from "Friends are always there for You" and something original. This would symbolize everyone willing to help Johnny in those dark times.
Next time,
The plan worked and Johnny was healed....not really, as he and Dukey have yet to face their final obstacles with the help of the Guardians of Harmony along with others.
Meanwhile, a teenage boy, missing his friend, wants answers to the disappearence. And he will not be alone with the crusade.
Find out next time on Chapter 7: Answers from the Dark !!
Chapter 7: Answers from the Dark
It felt like a dream. A warm and happy dream, that he thought, was impossible. Yet here he is, being loved and appreciated by everyone, but in a new world. Ponies, dragons, changelings and so on. It felt like, he was in heaven, feeling the embrace of guardian angels. During the party, everyone had fun and Johnny received gifts and sweets from nice ponies and non-ponies.
Dukey couldn't help but to feel happy. When he sees his friend being happy, he would feel sweet warmth inside of him. Back then, it was impossible to be happy. It always felt cold and empty. However, that was all in the past, as they found a new home and a new community of nice people, who will do anything to make him and his best friend smile. But at the same time, he had a feeling, that he and Johnny are not completely free from the shackles of the past yet and they need more help. Fortunately, Twilight, her friends and the princesses will be there for them. So, as long as they're here, everything will be finally okay.
Applejack went to him after finishing her talk with her friends and witnessed Johnny having a good time, while confetti was falling.
"Ah must say, we did a fine job." she was amazed by the results.
"Yep. Indeed" he agreed.
They watched, as Rainbow Dash flew with him in the skies. Sure, he had to play catch up with her, since he was slower than the prismatic mare, thanks to his sloppy experience.
"Geez. That surely looks sloppy." He commented about Johnny's flying skills.
"It will take time for him to improve. Trust me." Applejack assured him.
Meanwhile, Princess Celestia felt relieved, yet sceptical at the same time.
"At last, I was able to save someone...but is he completely free?" she thought to herself.
"Princess Celestia?"
She looked at Twilight, who was next to her.
"I have a question. Why did you decide to get everyone involved?" She asked.
The Princess of the Sun lowered her ears, as she explained her reasoning to that choice:
"It's because I have to make up for my biggest mistake. Back then, I wasn't able to save my little sister from her darkness. She felt alone and unloved...much like Johnny. However, she took it too far and transformed into Nightmare Moon. I couldn't reason with her, so I had no choice but to banish her to the moon with the Elements of Harmony. I felt guilty for doing it and even more for ignoring her cries for help. Had I've known about the issue earlier and took action immediately, then none of those terrible events would ever happen. And even though you and your friends helped my sister guiding to the light, I still felt the guilt inside of me. And when you brought up your friend being in a devastated state, I knew, that I had to do something fast...so I came up with that suggestion to gather everyone, so he would not fall in the darkness like Luna. And it worked. Even though I wasn't able to save Luna back then, I was able to save his life just the right time, before things would get worse..."
"Everyone did a good job, so we should be proud of that achievement!" Twilight smiled, however Celestia looked sceptical.
"However, there is still a long way to go. You can see them smiling, assuming that they were finally brought to the light. But we should not end our mission prematurely. There are still some scars from the past, that it'll be taken care of. We have to make sure, nopony will relapse themselves back to the dark again." She explained.
"I know. We will do our best." The princess of Friendship promised.
Celestia smiled, knowing that the Guardians of Harmony will not forget the task. After all, Operation: Healing Light is still ongoing and they will make sure, they won't rest, until the shackles of the past were broken.
Back to the party, everyone were playing some games and danced on the floor, as the sounds of cheerful music can be heard. And Johnny was the main star. He appreciated every single bit of this moment, turning a devastating moment of sorrow into an incredible and fun memory full of love. Even the fillies and colts were adoring him, since they see him as a special pegasus. Can't blame them. Being a pegasus with alicorn wings did have it's benefits.
During which, Dukey felt like something is on his head. It couldn't be the top hat, since it was a bit heavier. Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw a light pink Alicorn baby with purple mane, fading to pink and cyan streaks.
"Oh, hey there! What are you doing on my head?" He asked.
She reported in front of him and then behind and so on. Obviously this confused him, but Cadence couldn't help, but giggle.
"I see. You have met my daughter, Flurry Heart." She responded, as Flurry teleported on her arms.
"Well for a baby, she is quite...mischievous." he scratched his head.
"She does have an adventurous personality." A voice can be heard and they saw a white unicorn with blue mane and blue hooves.
"Dada!" Flurry was happy to see her dad. Meanwhile, Twilight came to Princess Cadence and saw her niece flying around.
"Hey, uhm. Are you Flurry's dad?" The hybrid asked.
"Of course. My name is Shining Armor." He introduced himself.
Dukey couldn't help but to make a straight face. The name alone Is pretty much like the phrase "A knight in shining armour."
"Oh my god. As if this wasn't that obvious enough, he is with a princess. But I'm not gonna judge them, even though it does sound a bit cliched." He thought to himself.
His thought was interrupted, when Flurry Heart teleported right in front on his face and the hybrid jumped.
"It seems like, Flurry likes you." Cadence giggled.
"You can say that again." The hybrid smiled, despite the Alicorn foal pinching his cheeks.
As Twilight and later, her friends watched this unfold, they giggled. A few seconds later, the purple Alicorn discussed something with them in secret and came to the hybrid.
"Hey. How's the time with Flurry Heart?" Rainbow asked.
"As well, as you can expect." Flurry was still stretching his cheeks, like they were made of rubber.
Twilight used her magic to get the foal to her arms and played with her a bit.
"One more thing, can you get your friend, please? We have something to show it to you." Rarity asked.
"Okay then" the hybrid soon walked around and found his best friend, having fun.
"Hey, man!" He looked at his friend.
"Well, Rarity said, that I have to go with you because of another present or something." The pony/dog hybrid explained.
"What is it?" The black pegasus was curious.
"Come with me and they will show us." He replied.
The two stallions went to the spot, where Rarity was. However, they couldn't find her. Suddenly, they were blindfolded and before they could panic, they heard a familiar voice:
"Chill out, guys! It's me!"
It came from Rainbow Dash.
"What's the big idea!?" They asked her in unison.
They got pushed by Rainbow Dash and Applejack and it went on, until they arrived their destination: a house. Twilight soon quietly opened the doors and they were brought in by them.
"Alright, you can take these off." Said the blue pegasus mare.
They took their blindfolds off, only to see the inside of the house, decorated with gems, flowers, balloons and so on. There was also a shelf full of comics, a fridge full of tasty treats, carpet made with silky velvet and a lamp with black and yellow stripes.
"No way!" Johnny was stunned in awe.
"You actually made a home for us!?" Dukey was also in the same mood as his best friend.
"Yep! We just want you feel welcome at your new home!" Pinkie hopped around them
"We have decorated everything with all the beauty and passion. It needed some glamour and excitement of course." Said Rarity.
"And the awesomeness, it comes with!" Rainbow Dash smirked confidently.
While they look around their new house, Johnny was looking at the shelves. He took one of them out and looked at the cover. It contained a pegasus mare with mane similar to Rainbow's, but all grey and black and wearing an explorer's uniform. Her name: Daring Do.
"Who is Daring Do?" Johnny was confused.
Rainbow Dash froze and flew to him quickly. "You never heard of Daring Do!? The most awesome hero and explorer of Equestria?!" she yelled in shock.
"Uhm, I'm still new here and I don't know anything about this place." he replied.
"Well, her stories are completly action-packed and there are so many awesome moments! It's worth the time reading all of them!" she sounds excited.
"If you say so. Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I'm a bit exhausted from that day." he answered.
"We understand. It was quite a rush." Twilight understood.
The ponies left went outside, leaving the two stallions looking around their new house.
The ponies cheered, that the trauma is over, however the royal sisters and the Mane 7 knew better.
"We shouldn't celebrate prematurely. Even though we made him smile, the trauma is far from over. As far as we're concerned, scars from the past still remained. So we have to keep doing our mission, in order to finally guiding them to the light completely. It's a matter of time and patience, to reach our goal." Princess Celestia gave the residents a speech.
"And as long as we keep working together, the sooner it is to bring them to serenity and peace." Luna added.
The ponies agreed. They need to continue...for their sakes.
Meanwhile...
In the night of Porkbelly, everyone's asleep. However; there was one resident, who was still awake: A teenage boy with tanned skin and blond hair, walking around his room. He looked pissed, as if something had made him snap. As he kept walking, the more questions he had in his head, such as: Why did he disappear?
Then he punched the wall again with his frustration and grabbed a picture. It contained him in the skate park, alongside a kid with flame-like hair, making cool poses. He remembered the time, they hung out together in the skate park. It was quite an awesome time. But because of his friend's disappearance, it all came crashing down. The teenager began to sob with his tears dropping on the picture.
"Why, Johnny bro...why??" He cried out.
Much like everyone else, he heard about Johnny's disappearance from the news. It spread like wildfire and since then, a massive search group began a search effort in Porkbelly, assuming that he ran away somewhere to the other side, but to no avail. They even searched around the country, but there was no sign of him.
At the same time, he felt mad. Like he want to scream at the universe. However, he didn't know, why. He needs answers.
"Johnny would never vanish from his home...There is something odd and I need to find them!" His face changed into a serious look, as he hit his fist on his other hand. The teenager dressed himself in black clothes and a hat, like a spy or something, took some items and jumped out of the window, landing to the soft bushes. He looked around and walked to the house next door to his.
The teenager looked at the white house with blue roofs and went around the back of it. He noticed, that the window was open so the teen used a grappling hook to climb up to the open window. However, he had to be quiet, as the people inside of this house, were sleeping. If he woke them up, then it would be the end of the line. As he got inside, he saw the room filled with toys, posters and feathers. All of them made him clear, whose room belongs to. However he had no idea about the feathers.
"Why are they feathers in the room?" He looked closer, to see that the feathers came from the ripped pillow to the wall. However, he had a task to do.
"What the hell, I need to concentrate!" He slapped his cheeks and looked around the room quietly and stealthily, like a ninja. He looked under the bed, every single cupboard, the closet, everything. But he couldn't find anything to help him answer his question. When he turned around at the desk, he saw a computer, still on standby. The teen went closer and turned it back on. It showed the desktop in front of him, indicating that he forgot to log off and shut down the computer before his disappearance.
"I normally shouldn't look further into his computer.." he thought to himself, but his curiosity got the better of him and started to search the entire desktop. Nothing much out of the ordinary here: pictures from the past, videos, music and some computer games. So far, so good......that was, until he came across a video file, while searching through his computer. It was filed "Day_0.mp4".
"The hell does that mean?" He asked. Why is the video here?
Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming upstairs.
"Shit!" He quietly whispered, pulled out a USB stick and transferred the video to it. Time was slowly running out, as the footsteps were closer. Eventually, the computer finished transferring the file to his USB stick and he closed all of the folders and got out of the room via the window. He also managed to get rid of any traces of him, before the door was opened.
As the door opened, two adults were looking around the room. The man sighed at the sight of the messy room.
"Ugh...I told him numerous times to clean up his room! But he wouldn't listen!" He shouted, as he began to clear the toys away.
The woman felt uneasy, as a few days ago, when she was looking for her son, she got into his room. But it was silent. Assuming, he hid somewhere, she looked at every single corner of his room, but without success. That was until she looked under the bed, in which the note was found. She recalled her reaction, when she read the note. Needless to say, she was hysterical.
Back in the present, she put her hand to her husband's shoulder and said: "Maybe he hid somewhere in the world. Tomorrow, we will try to find him."
"Alright. Maybe someday, he will come back to his senses and just accept our rules!" He replied and both exited the room. Meanwhile, the teenager managed to went back into his own room undetected and looked at the USB stick. Knowing, that he has a computer on his own, he booted it up and after logging in, plugged the stick on the port, went to the folder and started playing the video.
"Let's see, what Day 0 means." He looked at the video closely.
The video started with pitch black for 5 minutes until someone turned on the flashlight. That someone was Johnny, who was hiding under his blanket. However he noticed, that the kid had bags under his eyes, indicating that he didn't sleep well. And he noticed Johnny in a sad mood. He looked around, pulled out the blue diary and held it tightly. Soon, he whispered:
"Nobody understands me... I've been stuck in an endless hell of torture and hatred for as long as I can remember...I felt tortured, pressured, stabbed, betrayed, abused and hated by almost everyone. So much so, that I decided to write on this diary....It will contain my true inner thoughts and emotions and trust me....it will be not as awesome as they think....if they ever find out my dark side...but that doesn't matter, as they ALWAYS bring me down and ignore my cries for help."
He brought a pen and started writing on the first page of the blue diary. He showed the title to the camera: "My Endless Pain". After finishing to write on the diary, he put them aside. But this is where the teenager felt alarmed: Johnny was in tears and showed the camera a wound on his left shoulder, as well as a slap wound on his left cheek.
"I received those from those bastards in this house...."
Then he got emotional, as he uttered one more sentence: "I can't be saved by them....Nobody will..." After which, he cried for the remaining 15 minutes of the video, before ending the recording with a somber look.
"Oh my god.....What does it mean?" The teenager was speechless. He didn't know, that his friend had a damaged side. His sight faded in and put from this revelation. However since it's in the middle of the night, he can't scream.
"Okay. Maybe I should go to sleep." He laid down to his bed and after a few minutes, he fell asleep.
Somewhere in a dark void, the teenager looked around with an eerie feeling in his gut.
"Where am I?" He asked. Soon, he heard evil laughter and when the teen turned his head on the other way, he found Johnny, standing still.
"Johnny? Bro?" He looked at Johnny and walked closer, but then he was terrified, once he saw the flame-haired kid put a noose around his neck.
"Johnny, don't do it!!" He ran as fast he could to get his friend. However the distance became more farther and farther, even though he was running the fastest.
"Goodbye, Gil..." Johnny mumbled in a somber tone before stepping down the chair. Gil watched in horror, as the noose strangled him for a long and agonising time, until his body became limp and lifeless. As if that wasn't terrifying enough, the demons soon celebrated over Johnny's death. Some of them look strangely familiar.
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
With a yell, Gil woke up from his nightmare, while sweating bullets. His body was shaking from the horror. Soon, the first hint came into his head. By "the bastards from his house", he soon realized, that his family was responsible. Thanks to the hint, he became extremely angry and screamed as loud as he could and went outside and to the neighbouring house.
His screams caused everyone to wake up and gather to the house. Everyone was confused as of why he screamed and why he went to the house, knocking the door very hard. Soon, the family living there, opened the door.
"Excuse me, what's with the screaming?" The man rubbed his eyes. His twin daughters went outside and as soon as they saw Gil, hearts form in their eyes. But Gil was in a dark mood and soon yelled back at them:
"Shut up!! I know, what you did...You hurt Johnny!!"
The family were confused at first. They didn't know, what he was talking about.
"Uhm, we don't understand, what you are saying. We didn't do anything to Johnny whatso-"
"LIAR!!!" Gil interrupted the dad. "Stop pretending so damn sweet, you monsters!!"
The others gasped. But they were unsure, if they would believe in him or not.
Meanwhile, a cop car was driving around the streets. In it, there were two officers, one black and one white with both wearing sunglasses. On the plates, the names "Mr. Black" and "Mr. White" can be seen wearing at them.
"Wow, it feels like a déjà vu here." Mr. Black reminded.
"Can't believe, we're in the same position again, just because of you blowing up Malaysia again!" Mr. White yelled at him.
"How am I supposed to know, what button is for, after they were rearranged?" Mr. Black replied, resulting in an annoyed grunt from his partner.
But before they can discuss further, they witness a commotion afar.
"What the hell is this? We better check this out." The dark-skinned man told to his partner to drive to the scene. As soon as they got out, they witnessed Gill yelling at the family.
"Wait a second, are those Susan and Mary being yelled by that neighbour dude? " he asked.
"You don't see that quite often..." Mr. Black scratched his head and the two went to the scene and separated Gil from them. He then asked: "Hey! Hey, what's going on??"
"Gil started yelling at us!" Susan explained.
"They caused Johnny's disappearance!!" Gil rebutted.
This caused an argument between the two sides about the weight of Gil's claim. Eventually, the two cops had enough and used a megaphone to silence the fight.
"Quiet! First of all, you need to calm down! And second, as for Gil, you need evidence to support your claim!" Mr. White told to the teenager. At this point, Gil's patience ran out and gave them his USB stick.
"Just watch the damn content within. And as for you, bastards! I'm done being nice!! I'm done with the chill attitude towards you! It's over!!!" The teenager snapped at the family with all of his anger in front.
He was about to leave, when suddenly, the sisters grabbed his legs in denial.
"Don't do this, Gil!!" They were in tears, but Gil tried his best to get free by moving his legs.
"Get off from me!!" He yelled, as he kicked them. However, they were persistent as they soon jumped on him, to make an escape impossible, because at this point, the sisters have lost their minds.
"This is bad..." Mr. White commented.
"We have to do something!!" Mr. Black told to his partner and soon, both sprung into action in order to stop the chaos. They tried to pull the sisters apart from them, in which they started kicking and screaming. Eventually, they used a technique, in which they pressed a pressure point behind the twins' necks. This alone made them soon pass out.
"Don't worry. They will be fine. The effect will soon wear off in a few hours. In the meantime..Sir, please get your daughters to their room. We will talk about this later." Mr. Black assured them and the two carried the sisters to their parents.
"Y-yes, sir." The mother replied.
"And as for you, come with us." Mr. White took Gil to the police car. And his partner soon told to the crowd: "This was only a minor inconvenience."
They drove off with Gil wondering, why he was taken to the car.
"Uhm, why did you pull me in and last time, I saw you, you were agents. Why are you working as cops?" He asked.
"I blew up Malaysia again." Mr. Black bluntly replied.
"Do you really have to tell him that?!?!" Mr. White annoyingly responded to his partner, but he managed to pull himself together, before a fight even occured. "Anyway, the reason why we brought you here is for safety. I mean, Susan and Mary were hysterical and uncontrollable at that point and we would fear that they would do it again."
"The best option, we have is to put you under witness protection." Mr. Black assured him. "And as for the USB stick, we will look further into this."
"Please do it..." Gil was very serious and dark. After all, the evidence changed him. The men looked worried and after arriving at the station, they took him to a secret room, where witnesses can be safe from any danger. They lock the doors tight.
"Don't worry. You'll be safe here. In the meantime, we will look at the content of the USB." Mr. White assured Gil, but they only met with silence and a mad look. They soon went to the computer and plugged the stick in. After boot up and login, they looked at the contents, when they stumbled across the video.
"What's this? A video?" Mr. Black was confused, yet curious.
Mr. White played the video, titled "Day_0.mp4" and they watched It fully. At first, they were confused about why Johnny looked sad and tired, as if he was suffering from abuse. However, after the video was finished, their expressions change to shock and confusion.
"What the fuck?..." Mr. Black was speechless.
"I've never seen this side of Johnny before...." Mr. White was equally speechless as his partner.
They checked at the information about the video. Where it was originally found and when it was made. They were stunned by the answers.
"It was originally found on Johnny's computer and was made....3 months ago....wait a minute.." Mr. White was connecting the pieces together.
"It was made 3 months before his disappearance!!" Mr. Black told to his partner. "What's going on with Johnny during the three months before he vanished!?"
"I have no idea...This is quite a mystery." The dark-skinned man sighed. "We have to find out."
Suddenly, mist started to surround the men and before they knew, they saw a hooded figure and upon closer inspection, the figure was all black with a helmet hiding the identity.
"Who the hell are you!??! Are you friend or foe??" They pull their guns out, but the figure just stood here.
"I'm not here to harm you...I know about your problem and I'm willing to help you and your friend about your crusade." The mysterious figure spoke in a distorted
"Uhm...like I said, who are you??" Mr. Black demanded an answer. But the figure waved its finger and said: "Call me.....'The Shadow'. And I will guide you to the answer."
The Shadow soon used another smoke bomb to engulf the room and when the smoke cleared, he was gone.
"This is....bizarre..." Both men were speechless. Who was "The Shadow"? Before they could answer, they heard a loud scream.
They immediately rushed down to the secret room, only to see Gil awake and full of sweat. He was breathing heavily with his eyes widened.
"What happened??" Mr. Black asked.
"Another nightmare..." Gil was struggling to complete his sentence. "And it's worse than before!!"
"Calm down! What did you see in your nightmare?" Mr. White asked to the teenager.
He explained, that he was in an unknown era and witnessed Johnny committing suicide in various ways. Hanging, self-harm, immolation, falling from big heights and finally with a gunshot to the head. And he was met with evil demons laughing and celebrating his death.
"Oh my god....Are you serious?" The Caucasian asked in horror.
"Y-yeah..." Gil was in tears.
"Man...this is gonna be a hard case to solve..." Mr. White sighed and both went inside to comfort Gil, who was a mess after the nightmare.
The next day in Equestria...
Twilight, Spike and Starlight brought two therapy couches to prepare for the upcoming therapy session. Later, Johnny and Dukey arrived inside. Both had bags under their eyes.
"Oh my goodness... " Starlight was worried.
Twilight put herself together. She had a mission to do. She smiled and said: "Welcome, guys! Please play down on the couches. We will soon begin the therapy session."
They both did so, what she said.
"You look like, you haven't slept well." Spike spoke to them.
"Ya think!??!" Johnny was agitated.
"The nightmares were persistent..." Dukey answered.
"Wow...Anyway, let's start with a simple exercise. Please close your eyes as hard, as you can." Twilight instructed the two stallions and they closed their eyes. She then asked: "What are you currently seeing?"
"I see...demonic monsters.." Johnny explained.
"Okay, what are they doing?" The purple mare asked, while writing down her observations.
"They're getting...closer and closer with their sharp claws and teeth...and scary eyes..." Dukey was starting to feel uneasy.
"Uhm...ok...What else?" Twilight continued to ask about what they were seeing. However, she witnessed Johnny feeling tense and scared with constant moving and sweating. Soon, his friend followed suit. She tried to calm them down, but to no avail.
"They're getting closer! No! No!! Stop it!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" Johnny screamed and picked up a piano.
"Wait a minute, where did you get that-" She couldn't finish her question, as Johnny slammed the piano down on her. Miraculously, she managed to crawl out from it with only a few bruises.
"Ow...." Twilight moaned in pain.
"This is gonna be harder than I thought..." Starlight sighed.
"Yep..." Spike did the same.
To be continued....
Author's Note
Hey, guys!
Sorry about the long delay, QUARANTINE (Damn autocorrect!!!) had affected me and my mental health, as it made me lose it. Thanks, Doomsday virus! Anyway, I need to get it together and recover.
Next time, the men in black alongside with Gil, are now trying to investigate for clues and answers behind Johnny's disappearance, while a being called "The Shadow" is looming around and helping them.
Meanwhile in Equestria, the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight and others are still trying to guide Johnny and Dukey to the path of recovery.
Find out next time in Chapter 8: Retribution and Euthanasia !
Chapter 8: Retribution and Euthanasia
"Johnny, stop!!!"
Those were the words of the teenager, named Gil, who witnessed Johnny about to end his own life. He tried to reach him, however the distance keeps going farther and farther. Hell, he tries to walk faster, but to no avail. Soon, a demonic voice can be heard, sending chills to his spine.
"Ha! You thought, you can save him?? My my, you have such a colourful imagination. Shame, that it will never come true!!"
"Fuck you!" Gil barked at the air, since the demons can't be seen.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by multiple versions of Johnny committing suicide in several ways. Some even bloodier than before. Hanging, stabbing himself, cutting his wrists, poisoning himself, falling from a dangerous height, shooting himself and the most horrifying of all: sobbing, while he's strapped to a bomb and as soon it exploded, all of the gory parts flew everywhere, with Gil being splattered by his blood. The horrifying sight, coupled with demonic figures laughing, dancing and even disrespecting Johnny's deaths made the teenager scream in horror and waking up in his room.
"Fuck...it's getting worse..." Gil was shaken from the bloody nightmare. It's been the third time, that this happened.
He went to the sink to wash his face off with water, in order to freshen himself up a bit and to bring himself at least back to the reality.
Ever since he watched the video, Gil became much more anxious and worried about Johnny's well-being. It didn't help, that the searches were unsuccessful and his family probably lied to save themselves.
"Ugh! I can't get it off from my head! I need to know, where the hell he is!!?!" He screamed in the room alone and later sat down on his bed to calm down for a while.
Suddenly, he heard banging on the door. At first, he thought, the men would like to visit him. So the teenager approached forward a bit. However, that thought was quickly shattered, when the door got broken down and the sight, that greeted him, is something out of a horror movie. It was the Test sisters, looking pretty psychotic and unstable with their hair being messy and twitching. Gil slowly backed off, but the sisters went closer.
"Gil..." They both spoke in unison. They sounded deranged and obsessed.
"Get away from me!!" He yelled, but it got on deaf ears.
As they got closer and closer, he looked around for an opportunity to escape. Eventually, the opportunity came in form of a hanging lamp. Gil jumped and swung himself from the lamp above them and ran outside. But it didn't take long, till they started to chase him. He ran through the halls and seveal security people as fast as he could. The teen tried his best to escape from the lunatic twins, so he ran even faster than before.
Suddenly, he was blasted by something and soon, he couldn't move.
"No!!! I can't move!! Somebody help me!!!!" He yelled around, hoping that someone would save him. Unfortunately, the sisters eventually caught up to him. Gil could feel the fear inside and it worsened, once they pulled out long and sharp knives. He tried to plead for his life with no success.
"If we can't have you...." Susan raised her knife, aiming at his head.
".....No one can!" Mary finished the sentence and raised hers too, aiming at his chest.
At this point, there was no way out of this. Gil is paralyzed and the sisters were about to stab him to death.
But then...
Before they even have the chance to stab him, a massive amount of electricity surged into their bodies for a while, until they fell down to the floor unconscious. Gil looked forward, only to see The Shadow holding two tasers.
"Trust me....I'm not here to harm you." The Shadow promised.
"Who are you?!?" Gil was still panicked from the ordeal.
"It's none of your goddamn business. By the way, if I were you, I would've hidden somewhere, where nobody can find me, like going underground." It took the unconscious bodies of the sisters and was about to go, when Mr. Black and Mr. White returned, now in their black suits.
"What the hell happened?!?" Mr. White was shocked and confused.
"Those lunatic girls tried to kill him. But thankfully, that didn't happen. Ugh... it seems like, their sanity has been broken. Like remember the time, when Gil was angry at them?" It asked.
"Well, we only came at the right time and even stopped the whole chaos, before it even erupted into much worse." Mr. Black answered, while his partner comforted a scared Gil.
"Well, that ordeal made them insane. And if I can remember, there was a school girl from a game, that if being rejected or something, she would snap and kill her crush before turning the blade on herself. Unfortunately, they were so close to bringing that moment to reality." The Shadow explained.
"Oh my god...." Mr. Black was horrified about their mental downfall.
"That's why I recommended him to go underground." It looked at them.
"Wait a minute, what about our mission?!?! We can't abandon it, otherwise we will never know, what happened to Johnny!" Mr. White shouted. Then the Shadow gave them two heavy suitcases and spoke to them with: "Inside of those suitcases contain very helpful tools and instructions on obtaining that goal. Now would you excuse me, I'll take them back home and try my best to stabilise their sanity a bit. " Then it vanished in a puff of smoke.
Meanwhile, Mr. White used a needle, that contained the antidote, on Gil, making him move again. However, he was still paralyzed, but this time in fear. The agent tried his best to calm him down.
"So, if what the Shadow is saying, is correct... then that means, that Gil is in serious danger and we really need to go underground!" Mr. Black explained.
"Although, how can we get Gil and those suitcases into Area 51.1 undetected?" His partner asked.
"Well, remember the time, where we put Johnny and the others into a crate and went through the base and to the elevator?" Mr. Black asked.
"Are you thinking, what I'm thinking?" Mr. White asked to his partner and he nodded.
"Okay then. It's a plan!" He confidently agreed. They now have a plan to protect Gil and continue their mission at the same time.
Meanwhile, in Ponyville...
In the Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was teaching the stallions on how to bake some cupcakes.
"Excuse me, how is baking supposed to be relaxing?" Dukey asked.
"Well, it always brings a smile to my face, when giving my cupcakes to my friends!" Pinkie grinned.
The guys were really unsure. Back then, they were terrible at baking stuff and the end results would turn out to be......strange and gross. But Pinkie had strong faith on making them smile with baking, even if they are inexperienced.
"Uhm....We can't bake that well, Pinkie.." Johnny sighed slightly.
"Don't worry! I'll show you, how to do it!" the joyful Heroine of Laughter giggled and showed them steps on how to do it, accompanied with a song.
Pinkie Pie
All you have to do is take a cup of flour! Add it to the mix! Now just take a little something sweet, not sour! A bit of salt, just a pinch! Baking these treats is such a cinch! Add a teaspoon of vanilla! Add a little more, and you count to four, And you never get your fill of... Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty! Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty! Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!
After so much trial and error, the cupcakes have finished baking and it's time for decorating.
"Okay! It's time to add the frosting!" Pinkie Pie had the frosting prepared with all of the beautiful colors and sparkling glitter. She put them in three bags and gave the two to the stallions.
"Okay! Try to mimic, what I do, okay?" She smiled at them.
"Uhm....k?" The guys were unsure.
Pinkie showed the stallions on how to put the frosting on the cupcakes. She held the bag with her mouth and slowly and gently squeezed them out to each cupcake in perfect shape.
"You know, what? I have a different idea!" Since Dukey is a pony/dog hybrid, he grabbed the bag by his paws and slowly and gently squeezed the frosting on his tray of cupcakes.
"Aw, man...." Johnny sighed. He was never good at baking and coupled with fact, that he is a pony, brings up a obvious disadvantage: He can't use his hooves, without losing balance and fall down to the floor. So he grabbed his bag with his mouth and tried to apply the frosting on his tray. But, because he was not really a precise being and that was his first time attempting, he squeezed the bag too hard and too much frosting came out. Not to mention, because of the pressure from the hard press caused the bag to burst in front of his face.
"Damnit! This stinks!!" The pegasus was frustrated and threw the bag in rage.
"Don't worry. It is your first try. There is always time and chance to improve!" Said the pink mare, while cleaning up the mess. At the same time, Dukey was finishing with the decoration.
"Eh....could've been better..." the hybrid was unsure about his end result, since the process was kinda rushed to make it ready. The frosting was decent, but since it was the first time, he decorated on a cupcake, it came out sloppy and shaky. He then looked at his best friend, whose face was still covered in frosting, so the hybrid proceeded to lick it off.
"Dude...." Johnny was peeved.
"Sorry. I just couldn't resist. The frosting did taste delicious though..." Dukey scratched his head in embarrassment. Pinkie Pie couldn't help, but to giggle at the sight. Johnny however, sighed, realizing that the whole cupcake thing was complicated.
At the same time, Twilight and the rest of her friends went inside of the kitchen to see, what Pinkie is doing with them.
"Hey, Pinkie Pie. We just came here to check on the progress." Said the purple Alicorn.
"Turns out, that Johnny and I are not suited in baking." Dukey scratched head in response.
"Why? Yours look decent." Rarity commented about his tray of cupcakes. Rainbow Dash took one of the tray and took a bite out of it for testing.
"Eh, it's...alright, I guess." Rainbow shrugged.
"Thanks for the critique." He sighed.
"I actually got the idea of baking, in order for them to find the joy within." The peppy pink mare explained to her friends.
"I'm not sure, if that would've helped, Sugarcube..." Applejack responded.
"Plus, Johnny's tray of cupcakes being unfinished and a bit burned, speaks for itself." Rainbow added, which Johnny groaned in annoyance.
"Hmm...Maybe we can think of other ideas to help them." Twilight spoke to her friends.
"I can continue teaching Johnny, so he can improve his skills." The prismatic mare suggested.
"And I can help them find their inner peace." Fluttershy quietly added.
"That would be good ideas." Twilight agreed.
"Hey, Johnny! Wanna improve your flying?" She smirked.
"Yeah. It is better than this mess." Johnny sighed, referencing his failed attempt at cupcakes.
"Come with me!" She replied and the blue and black pegasus flew outside.
However, Dukey became scared by an illusion of that nightmare monster, circling around him and laughing evilly. Thankfully, it vanished, as Applejack noticed the hybrid in panic and put her hoof on him.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright, pal." The southern mare assured.
The heroine of Kindness also went to the hybrid to comfort him.
"There there..." she quietly mumbled. "Why not go out for a walk?"
"I'll accompany him, just in case." Applejack replied.
"I suppose, that would work...I guess." He looked at them. Applejack smiled and together with Fluttershy, they went out for a walk. In the meanwhile, Rarity was speaking with Twilight about the progress and some concerns.
"Uhm, Twilight? I'm not sure, if our efforts would work well. I mean, there are a few issues about them, like there were some spirits of the past lingering around." Rarity was worried.
"Hmm.. We have to work harder and observe every single step to their road to recovery. If there are any setbacks, then we are not afraid of fixing them!" Twilight assured.
"I hope, darling..." Rarity sighed. But they have to continue, for their sake, so they exited the Sugarcube Corner and soon met with Starlight and Spike.
"How's the progress?" Starlight asked.
"Well, they had...let's say, a difficult time with cupcakes." Pinkie reported.
"Really?" Spike asked.
"I was trying to find the joy for them!" She responded.
"Anyway, we have to observe the progress and take action. That's the most efficient way of helping them cope. Johnny is currently with Rainbow and Dukey is with Applejack and Fluttershy. So we need to split up in two groups and keep helping them." Twilight explained.
"I suppose, that makes sense." Spike answered.
And soon, the group had split into two groups. Twilight and Spike went to the path, where Dukey took, while the remaining three ponies took the opposite path, where Johnny and Rainbow Dash went.
Elsewhere far from Porkbelly...
There exists a secret base, named "Area 51.1" , where secret experiments, projects and all other shenanigans reside, funded by the military.
Of course, since this is a secret base, we're talking about, it has the best security, known to man....most of the times. There are times, that a few people managed to get in, either through a close connection to a few or something. Or some of the employees are just plain incompetent.
Outside of the base, the agents in black were carrying a big, wooden box and were about to enter.
"You need to be quiet in this one, okay?" Mr. Black whispered close to the box.
"It's so hot.." Turns out, that Gil is inside of the box.
"Once we get to the elevator, you can come out. But now, we have to get to it first, without anybody detecting you!" Mr. Black responded.
"Fine.." the teenager sighed.
The agents soon entered the area, while carrying the crate. A lot of agents, soldiers and officers were there to discuss secret stuff, scientists experiment their projects and test them. Some of them actually looked at them and the crate, but they managed to make them go back to their usual jobs, by telling them, that they have some stuff to be taken to a secret warehouse. They were almost there, when a loud voice can be heard, that made them stop:
"Excuse me? What are you two doing?"
A general, who wears sunglasses and wearing too many badges, walked towards the men in black, looking kinda suspicious at the contents of the crate.
"Well, we are carrying secret supplies to the warehouse for safe keeping, sir." Mr. Black answered to the general.
"Hmmm...Are you sure, that there is nothing dangerous or suspicious inside?" He looked closer.
"No!" Mr. White immediately answered. He actually made a lie, in order to save themselves and the mission. A few minutes of suspicions silence occured, with the General still looking at the crates and the men in black, sweating in fear. Eventually....
"Ok. You can go now." The general shrugged and walked off. The men sighed in relief, now that they're left alone to continue. However, it wouldn't last, as they heard some struggles in the crate.
"Shit! We need to go now!" Mr. White is concerned and soon, they rushed towards the elevator, that leads to an underground bunker. They knew it too well, as they were underground before, back when the city was under attack by monsters, created by Johnny's mind, thanks to a monster-creating helmet. It didn't last, as they eventually found a way to destroy them and save the city.
Arriving at the elevator, they used their ID cards to grant access to the elevator and selected the option to go to the secret underground bunker. As the door soon closed, they immediately opened the crate and saw Gil getting out of it, while gasping for air and sweating.
"Gil, what happened??" Mr. Black asked.
"I was nearly suffocated, dude!!" The teenager was panicked and enraged.
"Why didn't you breath in with the oxygen tank?" Mr. White asked to Gil.
"Because I couldn't find one!!!" The teen yelled.
"We forgot the tank..." The men sighed and facepalmed, as they realized the mistake of not including a tube inside for Gil to breathe. It didn't help, that there were no holes on the crate whatsoever.
After a very quick ride (and by quick, I mean in a pace, where you felt squashed by the time, you've arrived.), the doors opened and soon entered the bunker. The agents activated the maximum security of the bunker and locked the door to the bunker for Gil's safety.
"Here we are again. Man, it surely feels like old times, huh?" Mr. Black remembered about last time, they were here.
"Yep. It surely does." His partner agreed.
"Can we just get it over already?" Gil was really impatient. He really wants justice for Johnny and more importantly, where he is and if he's alive.
"Right! Let's do this!" The agents agreed in unison and pulled out the suitcases, the Shadow gave to them and put on a table. They soon opened the suitcases and grabbed the contents out of them. They contained two laptops, various hacking tools, a note with an IP address, a radar to track down the twins, a monitor connected to the radar, that has a maps program installed, an alarm, a satellite and some instructions on how to hack computers and get surveillance footage.
"Wow. Never thought, that the Shadow gave us the essential tools for hacking someone's computer." Mr. Black was surprised. However, for their sake of their mission, they have to do it, by hacking and finding possible evidence, that are linked to Johnny's disappearance and the months before it.
They cracked their fingers a bit and started the hacking process. The agents typed down the IP address from the note and confirmed it. They worked really hard on hacking on that computer, while Gil was watching. They also looked at the monitor for possible suspicions activity of the two girls, in order to protect the teenager from future attacks and murder attempts.
After a while, the hacking process was successful and they were granted access on the computer's contents. It contained a lot of scientific projects, scans, surveillance videos, data about inventions and love notes to Gil. The agents shuddered. It was clear, that they had access to the laboratory's computer, which belongs to the sisters.
"Ugh...yep. Definitely belongs to Susan and Mary." Mr. White commented.
But they snapped out of the disgust and went straight to the surveillance folder, where all videos of the house, outside and inside and in different rooms, reside.
"Okay. Let's use these, that happened before his disappearance." Mr. White looked at the video files. They were recorded in chronological order. They started with the living room video, that was recorded on the last day, anyone saw Johnny, before he vanished. Thankfully, they have a programme, that allows them to switch cameras, allowing them for easy work.
In the living room section, the parents were upset. They talked about Johnny's misdeeds and actions, that was unacceptable for them and want to punish him. They thought of ideas, since none of the punishments did do anything and during which, his father was really outraged.
"I was really too easy on him and his dog. I even threatened him to take him away from Johnny, if he hadn't returned my camera! But as time went on, he hadn't really learned anything and ignored my warnings! He really left me with no choice!!" He yelled.
"What the hell does that mean?" Mr. Black asked, while watching.
They skipped some minutes, until they saw the parents set up a hidden trap and a plate of bacon as bait.
"Uhm, I have a bad feeling about this...." Mr. Black's stomach twisted at this sight.
A few minutes after the trap was set and the parents hid away offscreen. A sense of uneasiness and fear can be felt. They don't want to know, what's gonna happen next. And those following scenes would confirm their fears.
It shows Dukey, slowly sniffing at the scent of bacon and getting closer to the plate. Eventually, he reached the plate and ate the bacon. Suddenly, without a warning, a steel cage fell down on him and the parents, being dressed to completely hide their identities, jumped on them. Amazingly, Dukey fought back and tried to escape. That attempt brought them hope for a while, but ultimately it eventually crushed, once they knock him out with baseball bats.
"What the fuck?..." Mr. White whispered in disbelief.
With shaky hands, they switched the camera of the footage, this time, there are people from the animal shelter waiting. And before they see the parents give Dukey to them, the men immediately pause the footage.
"Uh-uh! Fuck that!" Mr. Black had enough of the ordeal.
"It was horrifying.... How could they!?!?" Mr. White was equally horrified as his partner.
"I don't want to see Johnny's reaction to that, when he finds out..." Mr. Black was reluctant to continue watching. Knowing this whole ordeal would break Johnny.
"But we have to....for our mission..." Mr. White gulped and skipped to the afternoon, when Johnny came back from school and switched the living room camera. They watched, as the family had a talk about Johnny's action. And as to be expected, when Johnny found out, what they did, as the ultimate punishment, needless to say, he was not happy. And that was a huge understatement. He actually snapped and let all of his anger out. Hearing Johnny yell at his own family with full emotion, made their hearts break. Despite being agents, seeing a child being sad is devastating. But to make matters worse, none of them even cared! And to add insult to injury, they witness Johnny being slapped to the ground....by his own father.
"Okay, what the fuck!?!?!?" The agents were outraged at this child abuse. And rightfully so.
They switched the camera section to Johnny's room and sure enough, when he locked the door tight, Johnny had suffered a mental breakdown. It was really painful to watch. What's worse is, that Gil watched the ordeal and immediately threw up in a nearby trash can.
"We're sorry..." the agents told to Gil.
"It seems like, we found out the reason of his disappearance." Mr. Black concluded and marked the three important evidence.
Then they heard ringing. There was a phone in one of the suitcases and Mr. White grabbed the phone. It had the symbol of the Shadow and as he looked at the contact icon, the same symbol can be seen.
"Hello?" Mr. White answered.
"Did you find the evidence? The Shadow asked.
"Yes." Mr. White answered.
"However. I'm afraid, that this was the tip of the iceberg. There's probably more incriminating footage on their computer."
"If you say so...." Mr. White answered and soon related the news to his partner, who began digging to the videos more.
Outside, in the surface, a big search group was going around the world, searching for Johnny's whereabouts. Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, anywhere. But there was no sign of him. Still, the family, who ordered the massive search, never gave up.
Meanwhile, the Shadow was hiding in the bushes and observing the search group. So far, the sisters look sane around their parents. However, he knew, that when they arrived to the lab and found out , that their computer was being hacked, they would do anything to stop it. So, it came up with a plan. It had a phone and a voice changer on the hands, as well as a phone number on a note. It typed down the phone number on the phone and proceeds to call it, while activating the voice changer.
Back to the search group...
They were heading to Canada now, also known as the next possible destination for Johnny's whereabouts. He has to be here, they thought. However, the people were really exhausted. They've been searching for him everywhere, even in the most dangerous areas. But the family keep on insisting to continue searching, much to their annoyance.
"How long does this gonna go on?" Mary was exhausted.
"We will find him! I'm very sure of it!" Her father was really confident on his goal.
Suddenly, the phone of her mother was ringing.
"Mom?" Susan reminded her mother by pointing her phone.
"Oh. Hang on." She accepted the call. "Hello?"
"Hello? Mom? Dad?" A familiar voice can be heard, that shocked them, but gave them relief and hope. It was no mistake! The voice belonged to Johnny!
"Johnny? Is that you?! We were so worried!" Her mother was happy to hear her son's voice again. The twins's father grabbed the phone.
"Where are you!?" He asked.
"I'm stuck in the Antarctic. Got into some crazy stuff and now, I'm freezing there! Get me outra here!!" pleaded Johnny in a dilemma.
"Everyone! We found Johnny! He is in the Antarctic! We have to save him!!" He shouted the news to everyone. With Johnny finally being found, they immediately went to the Antarctic.
However...it was all just a rouse, as the Shadow turned the phone off.
"Heh....Idiots. Always listening to lies." The Shadow scoffed. It soon pulled out the main phone and called the agents. "Hey. I just created a distraction to keep them busy. So, have you found more evidence?" It asked.
"I'm afraid, we found much more. Including one with Johnny being tied up to a pole and having his teeth being forcefully brushed by his dad. It was that sickening. Other scenes included Susan and Mary testing painful experiments on Johnny. I know, the whole family is crazy, but all of this whole torture would scar anyone!" Mr. Black reported the findings.
"Yep. Anyway, now that you have the evidence, it's time to show the truth to everyone. You have the satellite, I gave you, right?" The Shadow answered.
"We have it." Mr. White answered.
"Good. Hack the broadcasting satellite and show it to the world. Do not fail on me!" The Shadow ended the call.
Back in the underground bunker, the agents got the call and immediately got to work. They collected all of the incriminating footage and edited it in one big compilation. Soon, they got an e-mail about a video from the Shadow as an intro for the compilation. They added it at the start. After a while, they finished making the video and prepared the satellite. There was no time to spare.
"Time for the ultimate task!" Mr. Black began hacking the broadcasting satellite.
"How long does it gonna take?" Gil asked.
"Not for long. We're almost there.." Mr. Black was sweating because of the work, yet he is confident, that it will soon be over.
After a while, they got access to the satellite and sent the video.
"Alright. The job's done...all we need to do is just sit and wait." Mr. White sat down on the chair.
"Yeah. If there are other problems, the Shadow would handle those" Mr. Black nodded.
"I just hope the nightmare to be over with..." Gil hoped.
Tokyo, Japan
A Japanese business man was doing his usual office work on his computer. Writing letters, calculating, the usual stuff. Suddenly, the monitor of his computer started to glitch and the PC started a video.
"Nani??" The Japanese man was confused.
Auckland, New Zealand
A couple was watching a romantic movie on their TV. Right before the couple in the movie started to kiss, the TV glitched and showed them the beginning of the video.
"What's going on?" The woman was confused.
London, England
A group of teenagers were watching funny videos on a girl's smartphone, laughing their asses off, when it also became glitched and the video began to play.
"What in the bloddy hell is that??" The teenage girl was outraged.
"I have no idea, gal." A teenage boy shrugged.
New York, USA
In Times Square, everything went like normal, when all of the monitors glitched and the video started to play by itself. The people were shocked and confused. Some even suspected of a cyber attack. But then, they heard a voice in the video and when they looked at the monitors, they saw a being completely in black. It spoke:
"Greetings. My name is "The Shadow". I'm not here to cause any harm to all of you people from around the world. I just want to show you the reason of one of the biggest mysteries up to date: The mysterious disappearances of Johnny Test and his dog, Dukey! Now, you may know it from the news or from the ongoing search parties. But, what you may not know, is that their disappearances were caused by his own family! Don't believe me? Watch this video and you will know the truth. But be warned, because there are some atrocious things in this compilation. With that said....Please watch it."
It then shows so many things happening to Johnny, including being zapped, stung with needles, mutated or like cut with extreme pain by his own sisters, his father giving him ridiculous punishments and even recently, the parents trapping Dukey, knocking him out and giving him to someone from the animal shelter.
Needless to say, everyone and I mean, EVERYONE was outraged. They couldn't believe, that the very family, that spread the news about their son's disappearance had actually caused it. Their anger was everywhere: Africa, Russia, Turkey, China, Mexico and more. Even the smart penguins, residing in Area 51.1 were really angry. And obviously it didn't take long, till the outrage reached to Porkbelly.
"You took Dukey away?!?!?" Susan was very angry at her parents.
"We HAD TO, because Johnny keeps ignoring my rules!!!" Her dad shouted.
"YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL US ABOUT IT!!!" Mary shouted back.
"Ahem!!"
The family looked back to see the search party being mad at them. It didn't help, that they had their torches and pitchforks ready.
"Obviously, we have a lot of bad ideas to do with you, criminals!" One man showed, while cracking his knuckles.
"Uh-oh..." The mother gulped.
Soon, the family ran off, with the search party turned mob, chasing behind. It spread around the whole town, park, pier, everywhere, until they were about to reach their house for safety. However, The Shadow, who was standing on a roof, had a blaster ready.
"Oh no, you won't!!" He aimed at the family and shot 4 beams at them. They were struck by those beams, before they could even reach the door and couldn't move, because the beams have paralyzed them. But when he saw the mob getting closer and raise their pitchforks, he became annoyed.
"Oh, for fucks' sake!" He then used a device to hack into their phones.
Before they can do anything with them, they heard the voice on their phones.
"HEY!!! Listen up! Let the police handle it, goddamnit!!! We want justice, not an execution! You people should've known the difference! Jesus Christ....Sometimes, you are really hard to listen to morals, do ya? Anyway, let the authorities handle the arrests. YA GOT THAT!?!?"
At the same time, the police have arrived and were ready to make the arrests. So the people backed off and let the police do it.
"Alright, everyone! Stay back! The criminals belong to us." The policemen and -women walked towards them with handcuffs ready.
"I-I can explain.." the father tried to explain, but was soon cuffed by the cops and watched, as his wife and daughters were also placed in cuffs as well.
"Yeah yeah. Explain that to the judge!" The female cop pushed him towards the cars. On their way, they were soon met with angry faces from everyone. But for the sisters, the most devastating happen to come from their own professor!
"I am so disappointed of you. Criminals never deserve wisdom!" The professor scolded.
"But...but..but-" Before they can explain, another female cop cut the sentence off.
"No more buts. You definitely belong to jail and not in a laboratory." She looked at them with a glare.
Finally, the family were put in two different police cars, separating the sisters from their parents and as they were driven off, they witnessed the other cops confiscating the trophies and medals and gave them back to the professor.
In the underground bunker, the trio celebrated their victory.
"We did it! We did it!" The agents did a high five in joy.
"It's finally over..." Gil was in tears, but he was relieved, that the culprits were finally caught are now facing justice. "Johnny, bro...if you can hear this, then you are free... " he whispered.
Suddenly, the phone rang and Mr. Black answered it.
"Since they're finally arrested, you guys can go to the surface again. But here is one more thing: Meet me inside of the base. I'm close to a secret portal with a locator built in. Don't ask. Just meet me there. Ok? See ya." Said the Shadow before ending the call.
"What does it mean?" Gil asked.
"Well, we can finally exit the bunker. But we also have to go to the room, where our secret portal device is." Mr. Black told to the teenager.
"Don't ask. I don't know, how he found out." Mr. White on the other hand, was puzzled.
The agents and Gil went to the door and with their ID Cards, exited the secret bunker and went back to the surface world or rather the base. After some turns, they soon arrived at the portal, where "The Shadow" was waiting.
"Thank you for helping us! Without you, this mystery would never be resolved!" The agents thanked it.
"Hmph. No problem." It responded.
"But...why did you decide to help us?" Gil asked a very important question, to which the Shadow replied:
"I helped you, because I want to make up a big mistake, I did."
The agents were confused at first, but then the Shadow soon added with this information:
"By the way, Johnny and Dukey are still alive. They just went to a different universe."
"Wait, what!? How do you know that?!" Mr. Black asked in shock.
"Because....the portal, he used..."
As the Shadow spoke, he slowly took the helmet off and showed the true face in front of the three. The agents were shocked about the true identity of the Shadow. It was actually an obese boy with brown hair and freckles.
"....belonged to me." He finished.
"Wait, is that Bling-Bling-Boy!?" The agents shouted in unison out of shock and disbelief. They couldn't believe, that he was actually responsible for helping them complete the mission.
"Wait, aren't you supposed to go after-" Before Mr. White completed the sentence, BBB cut him off.
"Do NOT mention her name ever again!" He glared.
This came as a shock to everyone. For years, BBB, known as Eugene, has been chasing for Susan for a long time and wanting her by any means necessary. But now, he doesn't want to do anything about her anymore.
"I beg your pardon, what?" The agents were dumbfounded.
"That's right! I'm officially done with Susan Test!" He snapped.
While the agents were frozen, Gil asked him a question:
"Uhm, what do you mean by, he used your portal?"
BBB took a deep breath and explained his reason:
"You see, shortly after I came back from my vacation with my mom, the news have about Johnathan's disappearance have reached everyone, myself included. I immediately went to my lab and watched security footage of the days before he was gone. This is when I came across at a point in the footage, where the portal was activated. And even though I couldn't see him, I could clearly see his shadow, alongside with the shadow of his dog. Knowing, that something was wrong, I immediately went to research about what's going on. I remotely hacked into his computer and watched the video, which sent chills down my spine. At this point, I want to solve this mystery, but at the same time, I couldn't do that as Bling-Bling-Boy, so I had to come up with a hidden identity. This is when 'The Shadow' was born. I was roaming around the town, looking for answers, when I stumbled across you, the neighbor, yelled at her and her family. Then the agents came and I came to a decision to help you guys, after witnessing that moment. And by the by, witnessing that murder attempt had disgusted me to the point, that my love for her was completely shattered. And it didn't help with the compilation. Instead, it helped me on my emancipation."
"Whoa...." Gil was surprised.
"I know, right?" The agents agreed in unison.
BBB soon went to the portal and turned it on. He also activated the locator.
Welcome to the locator. I can find anyone, anywhere.
He then pulled out a blond hair sample, placed it on the scanner and activated it. It scanned the hair and tried to match the sample to the being. Then, it would locate his current whereabouts. After a few minutes, the results came in:
Subject name: Johnny Test
"Equestria?" The teenager was confused.
"Never heard of this place...You?" Mr. Black asked his partner.
"Uh-uh. Not a single clue." Mr. White answered.
"So now we know, where he currently is, we have to go there indefinitely. We will not come back." BBB was serious.
"What!? Why!?" Mr. White was surprised.
"Think about it. The reason, why he vanished is because, the system has failed him. I mean, how many times did anyone try to lift up his spirits, other than his dog?" BBB asked.
"Well, uhm..." the agents thought of an answer.
"Is it no one?" Gil guessed.
"Correct. Nobody gave a single shit about his problems and only care about what they expect from him and being part of their society. I mean, sure we do care about him, but the thing is, we are a minority. And nobody gives a shit about that either! So, I hope, the system in Equestria is better than this one!" The rich kid looked away.
"Wait, what about our stuff?" Mr. Black asked.
"We'll manage. Besides, the people there can provide that." BBB shrugged.
And so, the four were about to enter the portal, when...
"Hold up! I want to come with you!"
They looked back, only to see a green-haired girl, wearing pink clothes, walking towards them.
"Jillian? What are you doing?" Mr. White was confused.
"I'm done with my dad! He just couldn't learn from anything and never accepted my decisions! Not to mention, that he brainwashed my mom. It was enough reason to get out of this shitty place! That and I want to apologise to Johnny." She snapped.
"You're not the only one, young lady."
Another voice can be heard and it came from a old man.
"Aren't you the principal of Johnny's school?" Mr. Black asked.
"Not anymore. I quit my job shortly after the whole controversy started. Not to mention, that I felt partially responsible for his disappearance. So I want to make things right."
"Us too!"
It came from an old man, looking like a farmer, a teen with blue skin and ice as hair and an anthropomorphic mole king with his army.
"You too???" The agents were dumbfounded. They did not expect a reformed man and two of Johnny's enemies come forward.
"You see, Johnny has changed our lives. He helped us during hard times. Heck, thanks to him, I changed my ways." The old man, formerly known as "The Bee Keeper" , responded.
"Huh...I never thought, Johnathan's disappearance would cause an even bigger impact, than I thought." BBB was impressed.
"Okay. You guys can come with us. But if any of you two plot something evil, then we will not show any mercy!" Mr. White agreed, but warned at the mole and the ice boy, known as Zizrar and the Brain Freezer respectively.
"We won't. That's why, we came here unarmed. Plus, the whole abuse had changed us. Believe me." Brain Freezer answered.
"Oh my god...Can we just go?" Gil was really impatient.
"Oh, yeah. Right. Remember, we will not come back to this world anymore, because the world has failed us." Mr. Black reminded the group.
"Any objections?" Mr. White asked.
With no response, the group closed their eyes and went into the portal. This was the point of no return for them. Before Mr. Black got in, he starts the countdown of closing the portal.
Closing the Portal in 10...9...8...7...6...
During the countdown, the general ran towards the portal.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" He yelled and jumped into the portal. Shortly after, the penguins from Area 51.1 also jumped to the portal.
...5...4...3...2...1...
Suddenly, at the last second, a blur, running at sonic speed, jumped into the portal.
...0
With that, the portal was shut down....
In Equestria...
Gil opened his eyes and saw many ponies having a good time.
"Whoa..." he was surprised by the location. However, when he looked at the others, he screamed.
"Gil, what's going on?" Mr. Black asked.
"Look at yourselves!!" He was shaken.
When they opened their eyes and looked at each other, the impossible happened: They've been turned into ponies!! Understandably, they panicked at the sight: Gil was turned into a aqua-colored earth pony, Jillian into a pink unicorn, the Brain Freezer into an icy-blue unicorn, the principal and the Bee Keeper into earth ponies, BBB into a obese, white unicorn and the agents into...unicorns? They looked too different from the other ponies, since they have hands on the front and beaks, like birds. Also, they have wings.
"What happened to us?!?! We're ponies!!!" BBB was panicked.
"Uhm, hello?" Zizrar was confused. Surprisingly, when they looked at him, it turned out, that Zizrar and his people were unaffected and therefore, still in their original forms.
"Wait, Zizrar and his people are still looking like themselves. What's going on?" The Brain Freezer was really confused.
"We have no idea..." The agents sighed.
Suddenly, another pony came out of the portal, alongside with penguins. He was a green earth pony, wearing sunglasses and a hat. What's interesting is, he has no mane and tail.
"Are those... Penguins?" Jillian was dumbfounded.
"Sir? What are you doing here?" Mr. Black asked to the general.
"I decided to go there to make amends." The General answered.
"Uhm..." the agents were puzzled.
"We have to find him! That's an order!" He barked.
"Yes, sir!" The agents nodded and went off with the general.
"We should better follow them." Gil looked at the group.
"Yep." They agreed and they followed the three.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was flying around the clouds and soared, while Johnny followed her. He got a little bit better at flying, but he still had issues like balance.
"Keep trying, buddy!" Said the prismatic mare.
"I'm trying, okay?!" The black pegasus responded.
He tried to adjust his balance, while flying and also improve his stamina and coordination. Of course, flying with Alicorn wings was something different. With Rainbow gaining speed, he did the same thing. It surely gave him an adrenaline rush, but he still had to work out with the kinks.
While this was going, Twilight and Spike observe them, while taking notes.
"Just in case, he would have another panic attack, we will intervene." Twilight noted.
While Johnny was flying, he suddenly saw illusions of the demons.
"Heh heh heh...."
"No! Leave me alone!" He yelled and increased his speed so hard, that he flew past Rainbow Dash in a blur.
"Oh no!" Rainbow Dash began to chase him. And so did Twilight and Spike.
Rainbow increased her flying speed, in order to reach Johnny. However, he was too fast.
"Johnny, wait!!" She shouted and flew even faster.
After a while, thanks to her experience, she managed to catch up to him and grabbed him.
"It's okay, I'm here!" The prismatic mare assured. "Just try to slow down!"
"I can't!!!" He was scared.
Rainbow Dash tried her best to slow him down by flying towards him on the opposite path. Both clashed, with neither of them stopping.
"You need to stop!!!" The prismatic mare yelled.
But he couldn't. So Rainbow kept flying faster, in order for him to stop. However, with the clashing speed caused a sudden electric explosion, that caused both ponies crashing to the ground.
"Guys, are you okay!?!" Twilight checked on them, after she arrived.
"Whoa. Never thought, he can fly that fast...." Spike was amazed, yet puzzled.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The prismatic mare stood up and they check on Johnny. Thankfully, he was fine.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Well, you had another panic attack." She explained.
Soon, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Starlight and Dukey came back, after hearing the boom.
"What's going on?! I heard a boom!" Dukey asked.
"It's something to do with them clashing at each other at full speed." Twilight assumed.
"Weird..." Applejack responded.
"You can say that again." Dukey agreed.
"Ooh! A boom! It surely reminds me of fireworks!" Pinkie smiled.
"Except it was unexpected and more....well...not good." Fluttershy told to the pink mare.
"You're nearly scared us!!" Rarity snapped.
"Calm down, Rarity." Starlight told to the white unicorn mare.
As the mares, Spike and Dukey went to the black pony for comfort and checking any injuries, they suddenly heard a voice:
"Thank goodness, we found you!'
They look at the direction, where it took place and it came from a group of ponies and non-ponies. Johnny and Dukey immediately recognized the group as the General, the agents, Gil, BBB and a few others.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked with an annoyed tone.
"Look, before you make assumptions, couple of things! One: We are not here to take you back. That's out of the question. And two: We're sorry for not helping you sooner..." Mr. Black looked at them.
"Why did you take so long?" The dog/pony hybrid was not happy and demanded an answer.
"Because we lived in fear, dog!" BBB answered.
"Do you know them?" Twilight asked to the guys, in which they nodded.
"Listen, Johnny. We had no idea, that you were suffering in pain, until after you left. It wasn't after watching the video, which was originally on your computer, that we realized the truth behind this pain. So we worked with Gil and Eugene, to find evidence and get your family, who were responsible for the torture, arrested. And it worked. Now, they are facing justice and you can finally be in peace." Mr. Black spoke to Johnny.
"Please, bro...We care for you...Hell, I was so worried, that I had nightmares of you killing yourself in many ways and those monsters disrespecting your death... and me witnessing them... It was that horrible...So I had to take action, alongside with them....I mean, we had to....just to give you peace..." Gil was in tears, while confessing.
"Please, Johnny....We all care for you." The principal softly responded and everyone looked at him with sad eyes, even Zizrar, Brain Freezer and the penguins.
Eventually, after a while of silence....
"Okay. I believe in you. I mean, you guys truly cared for me in those hard times." Johnny smiled and when he saw Gil being close to crying, he hugged the earth pony. The stallion began to cry shortly after and everyone witnessed it.
The mares were touched by that scene, especially Rarity, who had tears in her eyes. Eventually, she broke down crying.
"Come here, Rarity.." Applejack hugged the unicorn mare.
After what it felt like hours, the crying soon became silent.
"So...uhm... I heard, you guys like this place." BBB spoke to the duo.
"No doubt about it. It's fantastic!" Dukey smiled.
"You know, the village is quite peaceful." The principal commented.
"Indeed." Twilight agreed.
"Well, I think, it's time." Johnny looked at the sky.
"For what?" The agents were confused.
"To throw away our past and start anew! We can all live happily in Equestria, without any problems!" He smiled.
"That makes sense. I mean, we all need a new start." BBB agreed.
"Yeah. I seriously need one, after dealing with my dad's bullshit..." Jillian strongly agreed.
Soon, the others agreed, however a few of then were a bit sceptical.
"Although, where should we continue doing our duties?" The General asked.
"We'll manage." Twilight answered with a smile.
Everyone laughed with each other. Twilight assured, that with the help of her and her friends, they will get new lives as new beings. Meanwhile, Johnny and Dukey couldn't help, but smile. Their new lives as ponies have changed them for the better. In order to be completely free is to shed anything related to the past...
Meanwhile, in a forest...
Something had crashed down from a portal...But we can't see, who it was, since dust has covered the whole area. Who crashed down from the portal? Only time will tell....
To be continued...
Author's Note
Hey, guys!
I'm sorry about the long ass delay of this chapter. 2020 was extremely ass and I need time to recover from that hell of despair. Unfortunately, more despair would soon come because of Lockdown: The Sequel.
Let's hope 2021 would not be another year of great despair again...
Also, I decided to keep the names of Mr. Black, Mr. White and Brain Freezer, since they also dual as pony names. The General and the Principal....they don't have names and as for Gil, Jillian, BBB and possibly The Bee Keeper, do need new pony names.
So I let you guys decide. The best ones will be decided in the next chapter and would get a free shoutout!
Good luck!
In the next chapter, there is something with Johnny, that makes him feel left out and the Mane 8 and the princesses have to find out, what is missing from him and how to fix it.
In the meantime, after arriving on Equestria, Gil, the men in black and several others were about to adjust their new lifes there, with some help of course. Little did they know, that someone also arrived in Equestria and with it, strange things would happen.
Find out next time on Chapter 9: The Missing Piece !
Chapter 9: The Missing Piece
While Twilight and her friends had a evening picnic, enjoying each other's company, Johnny and Dukey were looking at the night sky and its stars. The soft glow of the moon and the sparkling stars gave them a serene aura. And Johnny knew it too well, since the night always comforted him, when he needed it the most back then in his former world. The night was the most peaceful of the whole day of his life, when everything else went hellish.
But this time, he had nothing to worry about. He found new caring friends, a new home and a community. However, there are some obstacles, he and his best friend had yet to conquer, like getting over from the remaining demons and letting go from the past.
The others were having conversations with each other, when Gil went to the duo for a small talk.
"Hey, Johnny...Can I talk to you for a moment?" The aqua stallion asked.
"Yeah. What is it?" Johnny was curious to see, what Gil wants to talk about.
"You know, this place feels much better than...I can't say it's name." He looked down.
"Yeah. I know, what you're saying. At first, it was awkward settling down in a world of ponies and other creatures and even living as a pony myself, I kinda got used to it after a few days...sort of. My flying is still wonky though." Johnny scratched his head.
When Gil looked at Dukey, he was....puzzled. Not only can he talk, but also is a half pony. A weird mix between a dog and an earth pony. He is basically a hybrid.
"Uhm, your dog looks...quite odd." Gil replied.
"I heard that! Plus, I still have no idea, how this happened.." Dukey sighed.
They had no idea either, how it happened, but to save frustrations, the trio chalked it up with magic, even though Dukey was mutated.
"The thing is....Why did you decided to help me?" Johnny asked. He wanted to know, why Gil went through all the trouble to get the monsters arrested.
After a sigh, the earth pony explained: "It's quite simple. You're my bro. On the day, I found out about your disappearance, it felt like my world came crashing down. I wanted to know, why. At first, I asked them, that if they know why. But they just shrugged and said that they have no idea. They also said, that he probably ran away, because he didn't do the chores. However, my gut was twisting, indicating that something wasn't right. Back then, I had no idea so I kept asking, but they always refused to answer. I kept trying and trying, but to no avail. At that point, I felt like, they were hiding something and started to lose my patience. So, I decided to find the answer by myself, by sneaking into your room and find some clues. This is, where I stumbled across that video and after watching it in my room, my anger reached to the max. I was so disgusted. And this is why I decided to get involved on the crusade."
"It's true. We also decided to help him complete the mission." Mr. Black, Mr. White and Eugene came to him with a confirmation.
"In fact, I even sent the compilation of evidence, that they made, to everyone around the world. In order to make them see the truth." BBB nodded.
Johnny was surprised. He had no idea, that there were people, who cared for him back then and actually were concerned, when he and Dukey left their world behind. It was quite a rarity, since the whole abuse made him forget about everything else.
"I don't know what to say, other than....thank you." He was touched by their dedication.
"Hey. As long, as you're ok, we are glad. I mean, hell, these guys had nightmares about you killing yourself!" BBB pointed at Gil and the agents.
"It's true. Somehow, that video emitted a negative aura around us and when we slept, nightmares occured. And god, it was really bloody awful. Literally." Mr. Black explained and the two shudder from that experience.
"But now that the whole mess is over and that we found you safe and sound, albeit as a pony, there is nothing to worry about." Mr. White smiled and the gang watched the night sky, when everyone saw shooting stars.
"Oooh! Shooting stars! Make a wish, everypony!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
Everyone closed their eyes and thought of a wish each for a moment, as the shooting stars can still be seen. After a while, they opened their eyes.
"So, what did you girls wish?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Parties! You?" Pinkie grinned brightly.
"Cool adventures. Duh." The prismatic mare shrugged.
"Mine is for great fortune in fashion and a great future." Rarity replied.
"Well, I wished for a peaceful future." Fluttershy warmly smiled.
"Mine is to help everyone about friendship everywhere, spreading the knowledge and harmony around Equestria and beyond." Twilight smiled.
"Well, what about yours?" Starlight asked Johnny about his wish.
"Simple. My wish is to be completely free of the past and start anew." He smiled.
"Same thing." Dukey nodded.
"We all do!" The group agreed. The guys looked at them with confused expressions.
"By the way, why did you guys decided to go there?" Johnny asked.
"Well for me, I wanted to escape and do my own destiny, not to be controlled by him!" Jillian growled a bit, remembering the reason.
"Don't you mean the-" However the men got cut off by the pink unicorn.
"Do NOT mention his fucking name! I'm so done with him!!" She yelled loudly, which caused everyone to look at her in shock, even if Twilight an her friends had no idea, whom she was referring to.
"Are you serious?" Dukey asked.
"Yes, I am!!!" She continued to yell, causing Fluttershy, Dukey and even the agents to immediately hide in fear.
"Geez, calm down. Tell us, what happened." Johnny calmly told to the pink unicorn mare.
"Sorry...it's just... what he did was just...unvorgivable..." Jillian apologized, while remembering the moment.
Porkbelly, hours ago
It was a warm day in Porkbelly, when sounds can be heard inside of a green house. Meanwhile, Jillian was listening to music with her headphones in her room. She was really bored, as since Johnny's disappearence, she had nobody to talk to.
"Back then, when you vanished, I had nobody to talk to. It came crashing down and at that point, I'm stuck. So, I refused to talk to anyone personally and spend time to the internet, in order to distract myself from my dad. Not to mention, he outright refused to me to find friends."
"Man, this is getting really boring!" She groaned. "I miss Johnny..."
She sighed and buried her head on her pillow. Suddenly, her phone started to glitch and a video begins to play.
"What the? What is going on?" She was confused and annoyed at the glitching.
"It was at this time, when I watched the video..."
The video included a massive compilation of Johnny getting abused by his own family. From inventions, tests, punishments, etc. Needless to say, the green-haired was shocked at the immense abuse.
"What in the..." She was in utter disbelief about the truth. "This can't be!"
She ran downstairs.
"Where are you going?" the voice of her dad can be heard. A man in a dark green suit blocked the door, but Jillian jumped out the window.
"I should've locked the window earlier." He facepalmed.
She ran and ran as fast as she could. Her heart was racing, as she continued running through. Eventually, Jillian managed to reach to her goal, only to see Johnny's family being arrested by police.
"When I saw them being taken in by the police, my fears were confirmed."
"Oh my god..." Jillian was speechless. She took a few steps back, when she heard a voice, calling her. Immediately, the green-haired girl groaned, when she recognized the voice and sure enough, her father, known as the Dark Vegan had followed her.
"What do you think, you're doing!?" He yelled.
"Have you not watched the video, dad? It's the reason, why Johnny is gone!" Jillian barked.
"Eh, who cares!? With Johnny Test gone, I can finally furfill my goal of destroying planets witout any hinderance!" The Dark Vegan laughed.
Witnessing her father's lack of empathy of his disappearence and the whole treatment, made her fill with anger.
"At this point, I had enough of his bullshit..."
"You know what, I'm done! You're fucking heartless!" She yelled loudly. It didn't sit well for the Dark Vegan.
"Hey, watch your language, lady!" He yelled back.
"I don't care! I had enough of your selfish and heartless ways! You didn't care for Johnny, for me, my mom or anyone else and instead care for your stupid plans, that would inevitably fail anyway!!" Jillian snapped with tears in her eyes.
"How dare you!?!" He was outraged. But she turned her back against him, as a sign of standing by her decision.
"I'm done! No more hiding, no more being passive! I have enough of your bullshit!" She was about to walk away, when the Dark Vegan pulled out his sword and was about to do something, when he was watched by the crowd, who were still there after witnessing the Test family's arrest.
"Hey, what do you think, you're doing?" A citizen asked.
"Out of my way, this is just a personal matter between me and my daughter!" He yelled at the crowd, but they didn't believe him.
"Yeah. Trying to disipline your daughter with a fucking lightsaber... You know, that you're not playing with us, when we saw the truth of what happened in this house!" The crowd soon got more angered.
"While he was distracted by the crowd, I ran as fast as I could. Hell, I used all of my stamina and speed in order to run really far away from him. And knowing, that he would look after me after he dealt with the people, my only solution is to go underground. So, I ran to that "Area 51.1" place and looked around for a bunker to hide."
The green haired girl ran to the military base and immediately hid from the soilders. Knowing, that there are bunkers, she had to come up with a plan. Eventually, that plan came with a soilder, holding an ID card to a bunker. So she waited, until the soilder came at a close proximity to where she is hiding. Sure enough, when he walked to the crates, Jillian knocked him out with a plank and stealthly hid him and took his ID Card away from him. The next step was to find out, where the bunker is and how she can access it. However, she had to do it all, without being detected.
"Thankfully, there was a cloaking device lying around. So I used it on myself, in order to sneek past the moronic guards."
She used the cloaking device and snuck past the guards and looked around for a door or an elevator to a bunker. She found one, but it was already taken, so she had to keep looking. Eventually after so many attempts to locate one and frustations and anger building up, Jillian managed to find an elevator, leading to a second bunker. And nobody is inside. So she placed the ID card on a scanner and soon, it granted access to the elevator. She then walked in with no hesitation. After a turbulent ride, it stopped at the lowest point and opened the door to the bunker.
"After finding a bunker, I hid there from him. I was actually scared for my life..."
Jillian walked around and sat on her bed for a while, when suddenly, she stumbled across a computer, that was connected to a drone outside. She turned it on and activated the software, allowing her to see from the point of the drone's view.
After finding a computer, that was connected to a drone, I used it, in order to see, what he's doing. God, I wish, I couldn't see that damn moment..."
The drone looked around the whole city, yet there was no sign of the Dark Vegan. Jillian thought, that he might went home from a failed effort to find her, so she controlled the drone to fly at her house. While positioning the drone to a position, where nobody can see it, she saw him having an argument with her mom.
"I can't believe, that you would try to do that to our daughter!" She was outraged.
"Hey! I was trying to teach her a lession! And besides, with Johnny Test gone for good, I can finally destroy planets without any problems and improve Veganda for the better!" He proudly responded. But his wife was unamused.
"You really didn't change much after your defeat, huh? All I wanted is to live in peace, without any mentions of destroying him or Earth or any planet! But you always and I mean ALWAYS keep having those thoughts in your head! Why not just forget all of this and start over for once!?" She yelled.
At this point, the Dark Vegan had enough. The failures and the fact, that his wife and daughter didn't support his plans were ultimately enough to make him snap.
"ENOUGH!!!!!!" He pulled out a ray gun and shot his wife with it. It didn't kill her, but instead putting her in a hypnotised stare. As she got up, her eyes were glowing green and she showed no emotions.
"What do you want me to do?" Even her voice was different. It sounded more monotone and emotionless.
Meanwhile, Jillian was horrified by the Dark Vegan actually hypnotizing her mother, the one who is also against his redundant plans. She shut off the programme, before she could see more of it.
"After witnessing that moment, I felt like my world has been shattered to pieces.... I had lost my mom to his madness and with that, coupled with you disappearing, I truly felt alone...with nobody to talk to...This was the point, where my anger and sadness got unleashed..."
She started to scream and destroy any object in her way. Her large amount of anger and sadness had blinded her senses, while she was wreaking havoc in the bunker. Glass breaking and wood smashing can be heard and feathers falling can be seen. After destroying the bunker, Jillian fell down on her knees and started crying.
"I've had enough!!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF HIS BULLSHIT!!!!" She screamed with tears in her indigo eyes. After what it felt like 2 hours of her sobbing and screaming, the green-haired girl finally stood up with her fists clenched.
"That's it....He crossed the line..for years, I've been living in a cage, without any light... but now...I want to get out! I'LL LEAVE THIS SHITTY WORLD!! I'M SO DONE!!!" She yelled in the air and went to the door, while taking the ID Card.
The green-haired girl scanned the ID card on the scanner, which gave her the access to open the door and allowing her to enter the elevator. After a few minutes, the elevator reached top level. During which, she used the cloaking device again to hide from the guards and from the Dark Vegan.
"I tried to find a way to leave this world. I was looking around to find something, when I overheard a conversation of leaving this world..."
After she overheard a conversation, Jillian slowly sneaked towards the source, only to see Gil, BBB and the men in black activating the portal.
"At that point, it felt like, my prayers were answered. So I went to them, in order to leave it all behind."
She deactivated the cloaking device and ran towards them.
"Hold up! I want to come with you!"
Equestria, present
"Oh my God..." Johnny was horrified.
"So, what you're saying is...you had no freedom and despite your protest, didn't care about your opinion??" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah... It still hurts, even after I left..." the pink unicorn mare looked down. Tears were forming in her eyes again, as even retelling that tale still hurts.
"Oh dear...I'm so sorry about what you've been through." The former principal looked at her.
"That must've suck." Zizrar shook his head. However, when everyone looked at him, he answered: "What? The video made us open our eyes. Plus, even we have morals."
While Jillian sighed in tears, the slightly elderly earth pony prepared to tell his story.
"As for my side of the story, I'm gonna explain it now." He said.
Porkbelly Junior High, a few days ago
Inside the principal's office, the former principle, known as Jules Harm, was doing his usual work. However, he looked sad, as he grabbed a poster about a missing person and looked at it. But not any missing person. The person, who disappeared a few days ago, was none other than one of his students and the one, he helped him with his kindness: Johnny Test.
"Ever since your disappearance, I felt like, something has been taken away from me..."
Meanwhile, in one of the classrooms, Mr. Teacherman was teaching his students with the usual subjects. As usual, students looked uninterested and bored. It went on, until the bell rang.
"Okay, class! School is over, but remember! If anybody has an idea, where Mr. Test is or have any clues, then we will talk about it tomorrow, because we will be a part of a search party! Understood?" Mr. Teacherman asked to his students, but they all left, without giving him an answer.
Back in the principal's office, Mr. Harm was still doing his work, like talking to the teachers, until he finished his day and went home. However, he kept asking himself as of why did Johnny vanish so suddenly? The last time, he met Johnny before his disappearance, he was his usual self and in good spirits.
"I kept asking myself, how it happened..."
Even, when he was laying on the bed, the questions were still in his head.
"In fact, the questions kept me awake, since the circumstances of the situation was pretty strange. I wanted to know the reason, as of why...but I was left in the dark. At the same time, I felt tired. I needed some sleep. So I thought of thinking about it tomorrow."
"Maybe tomorrow, I can think of that question.." he sighed and fell asleep.
The next day...
The principal was starting his work in the school by typing down some documents.
"The next day, I went on with the usual schedule. Hours have passed and there was nothing out of the ordinary, until..."
Suddenly, his computer started to glitch.
"What in blazes..?" He was confused.
Then, a video started to play. After the introduction by an unknown being, known as "The Shadow", a montage of the worst moments inside Johnny's home life can be shown. Experiments on his body, abuse, neglect and so on. All of the bad things, that would scar anyone. The principal was shocked and outraged. He couldn't believe, that Johnny was suffering behind close doors.
"I can't believe it! This is horrible!" He slammed his fist on the table.
But before he could ask himself, another video showed up on the screen. It was the Shadow again, this time, he had something different to say. He said:
"Greetings, again. My name is the Shadow. I know, that you are outraged about the reason. However, I'm afraid that the abuse is not exclusive to his home life. No no. His school life was also in shambles, just because of the same thing: Abuse and neglect, except add bullying to the list of atrocities. If you don't believe me, there is another compilation. Please watch it at your own risk."
Another compilation started to play, only this time, it contained recordings from cameras. It showed Johnny being bullied by a group of bullies, lead by a tough, mean boy, named Bumper. The bullying was not exclusively verbal, as Johnny was shoved into lockers and even being kicked, punched and hurt by them. Sometimes, other students can be seen witnessing the whole ordeal. What's worse is, they didn't do anything. They just watched and laughed. Even the teachers ignored the bullying problems. As if that wasn't horrendous enough, Johnny was doing bad at classes and nobody helped him. Instead, they would only make it worse. This, coupled with the bullying incidents, were enough ammunition to break a person. And it seems like, the abuse at home and at school is what pushed Johnny over the edge and vanished shortly after.
Needless to say, the principal was shocked, outraged and broken.
"I can't believe it....All of these horrendous things...is what made him disappear..." He teared up at the story. He now felt sorry for Johnny now and wished, he could've cursed at everyone responsible, but he couldn't. It wouldn't be wise to do so.
"I knew, that once everyone watched the second video featuring the abuse at school, the reputation of Porkbelly Junior High would suffer greatly. There would be massive outrage and hatred towards anyone and I was pretty sure, that many of them would blame me, even though I had no part in the abuse. Even then, I felt partially responsible, because if I knew the reasons sooner, I could've taken action immediately and sent Johnny to a psychiatrist. So, to save myself from the rage of the world and wanting to find your whereabouts, I quit my job shortly after. There was no coming back from this one."
He packed his stuff and left the school with no looking back and without telling anyone. They wouldn't deserve his answer, after what they did to Johnny. Mr. Harm was walking around town with a somber look. He was also scared, that Johnny might have committed suicide because of it. His thoughts were interrupted, when he found a note.
"What's this?" He asked, picked up the note and read it.
"Dear Mr. Harm,
I know, that you are outraged at the situation and even worried about Johnathan's whereabouts. But, I have some news to share. Meet me inside of Area 51.1. Specifically, in the room with the secret portal. Please go there.
Signed,
"Area 51.1? The secret military base?" He questioned.
"I knew, what Area 51.1 is, thanks to some limited information. But there was a problem: I can't get into the base unannounced. Not to mention, I've never been there personally. I was left in the dark again, when I encountered a group of people and moles running."
He saw the Bee Keeper, Brain Freezer, Zizrar and his mole people running.
"Hey, excuse me!" He yelled, getting their attention. They stopped and looked at him.
"What are you doing? We are going to Area 51.1! We wanted to know, where Johnny Test is!" Brain Freezer replied.
"So do I. The Shadow wanted to meet me in the room, where a portal is." Mr. Harm replied.
"The portal, huh? Maybe he went to a portal somewhere...but where?" Zizrar thought to himself.
"Trust me, I've seen the videos about the reasons behind Johnny Test's disappearance and they were horrific. I was shocked about the extent of the abuse. I feel guilty for not knowing these reasons before and not taking action." The former principal looked down. But the elderly man, formerly known as the Bee Keeper, placed his hand on his shoulder.
"We all are." He replied. "And this is why we're going to the military base now. To find a way to search for Johnny and apologize."
"Since you are worried, like us and wanted to fix the mistakes.....you're in." Brain Freezer nodded.
"Thank you.." The former principal smiled.
Thus, the group continued their journey and eventually, after getting through the guards, they got inside Area 51.1. They were looking around a room with a portal and it wasn't until Zizrar found it, alongside the agents, Gil, Eugene and Jillian, who just arrived. The group gathered in front of the entrance.
"When we arrived at the destination, I was surprised by the amount of people near the portal."
"Isn't that the daughter of the Dark Vegan? What is she doing here?" Zizrar asked.
"I have no idea." The Bee Keeper answered. "But what we do know, is that he is currently in a world, called Equestria."
Once Mr. Harm overheard Jillian's reason of leaving this world, his heart was once again crushed. He hardly knew her, yet her story about her potential abuse from her father made him feel sorry for her as well. As for Jillian wanting to find Johnny and apologise, the former principal can relate. He wanted the same thing.
"I know, what she meant.." He mumbled, went inside, where the group are and said: "You are not the only one, young lady."
Equestria, present
"This means, you guys went there, in order to fix the mistake?" Twilight asked.
"Yes." He nodded.
"Not to mention, we wanted to start over with a clean slate." Zizrar added.
"When I heard about the news of his disappearance and later watching the compilations, I immediately wanted to fix my mistakes and thus went with them." The Beekeeper explained his reason.
"Same here. Even though we fought against Johnny seveal times, we also assisted him. Plus we were really shocked by the reasons behind your disappearance. We may know things about evil, but that was really horrendous, even for us." Zizrar added.
"Wait a minute, you didn't tell us, that there was a second video!" The agents were mad at Eugene for not telling about the second video featuring the school security footage, however, the obese unicorn was unphased and calmly explained: "Turns out, that the abuse is not exclusive to his home life, when I hacked into the school security cameras. I mean, the bullying and torment from bullies, other students and even teachers, coupled with the abuse at home, are enough to break a person apart, you know?"
"Fair enough." The agents got the point and calmed down.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Dukey were sceptical of Zizrar's claim of starting over with a clean slate. After all, he tried to destroy them several times in the past and they feel like, he would soon betray at any last second. The same thing can be said to the Brain Freezer as they glared at the blue unicorn.
"I know, that you guys wouldn't believe me. However, we can show you, that we come in peace this time." Zizrar promised, with the mole men spreading their arms out, showing that they have no weapons. But the guys were still sceptical, so they searched the entire mole group for any contraband. Eventually, they couldn't find anything.
"See? No weapons!" Zizrar responded.
"We did gave them a warning before we went there." Mr. White assured the stallions, that everything has been checked.
"What about you? Why did you decide to come here? I'm pretty sure, this is one of your tricks, icehead!" Johnny glared at the Brain Freezer, while Rainbow Dash couldn't help but laugh at the name "Icehead". But her reaction resulted of the prismatic mare being glared by everyone and getting an elbow hit from Applejack.
"Sorry." She apologized.
"Anyway...One, I don't have any plans on freezing you or everyone else-" But his sentence was interrupted by an elbow hit from the agents. He got annoyed.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to tell my story!!!!! Ahem...sorry. Anyway, I do not come here to cause havoc, which is NOT MY INTENT! And second, the reason is kinda similar to Zizrar, but more complicated."
Porkbelly, few days ago...
We see the Brain Freezer, flying around the whole city and freezing some people. But something about him was off. The blue-skinned cyromancer looked like, he had lost something important to him.
"After your disappearence, everything felt colorless...and it feels like, a part of me has been torn apart."
After some stuff happened, he sighed and went to a park, where the boy can sit on a lonely bench. Nobody was around him, since everyone ran away from him almost immediately. But that didn't matter for him. As he heard the birds chirping and the breeze blowing the trees ever so gently, he looked around, only to see a happy couple under a tree, kissing. Tears started to form in his icy blue eyes, before slowly freezing to ice. He also witnessed a group of kids having fun, playing as villains and heroes. The cyromancer reminded him of Johnny Test. Even though, he was an enemy and wanted to freeze him solid for all eternity, there were times, that they had fun racing and hell, even teamed up on a few occations.
Of course, there were times, that we had fun, despite being enemies... However, seeing those people being happy and having two things, that were impossible for me to get, things got really emotional. Those two things, I missed were friends and a soulmate. Mentioning the latter word alone caused me to remember a cruical moment for me."
A flashback within a flashback showed Johnny and Dukey actually helping him find a girlfriend, in order to reform him. It ranged to being honest, online dating, etc. And while all of those efforts failed miserably and went back to his evil self. eventually with the power of a device, that allows someone to get a makeover, he got a new look and even got some female admirers, while giving them some iced coffee. After the flashback, he remembered, that one of the girls actually asked him out for a date, in which he said yes. Their relationship was perfect, almost like a fairytale. That was until the makeover vanished, due to it being temporary, along the girl see, who he really was. From that day, his heart was broken and frozen. So much so, that he went back to his evil ways once again. He planned to freeze Johnny Test and the city for good, so he can destroy everything, however the plan was permantely derailed, thanks to Johnny's disappearence.
At that point, he felt like, his purpose was lost.
"I felt like a wothless being... all of the pain, all of the misery lead to my breakdown..."
Soon, the Brain Freezer couldn't hold his emotions any longer and broke down in tears. He cried for hours and during which, nobody came to him for comfort. He felt alone, broken and devastated...until he heard a familiar voice.
"It sure sucks to be alone and worthless..."
The blue boy looked at the other side, only to see Zizrar sitting next to him, while holding a daisy.
"What are you doing?" He sniffed.
"Well, just walking around, while feeling empty..." Zizrar sighed.
"Let me guess, the disappearence affected you too?" Brain Freezer asked.
"Sadly, yes...Despite our shortcomings, he did help us time after time and even had some fun. I mean, Earth has some wonderful things, like books, drinks, parties, everything! However recently, I felt really lonely... Like something is missing from me. Not even my mole men could entertain me, when I always have a hollow feeling. If Johnny was still around, I would obviously hide it, in order to not hurt my pride and kept trying to destroy him...but alas, that day turned everything upside down..." Zizrar explained, while looking at the daisy. He started to pick off each petal of the daisy, in a style of "Loves me...loves me not".Eventually he picked off the last petal....and he got the bad result. Brain Freezer was touched by his sincerity and honesty.
"You know, we are not so different after all." He looked at the mole king. The king soon connected the pieces and knew, what he's talking about.
"You're right! I mean, even if we are seen as sore losers and have our differences, the strong connection and the yearning feeling of being loved pushed everything else away!" Zizrar agreed.
"Do you know, what it means?" The cryomancer asked.
"Yes!" The mole king hugged Beain Freezer tightly. Even with the suit, the bear hug made him gasp for air. Immediately, he pulled away with a nervous smile and a chuckle.
"It was at this point, that I made a friend.... a best friend..."
They decided to spend the remaining day with some fun. Like performing pranks at unsuspected people, playing games, racing around and even showed each other's technology. However even if they had a fun time, they still felt empty and incomplete.
During the night, Zizrar, his mole people and Brain Freezer were looking at the night sky, when they saw a shooting star passing by. Immediately, they made some wishes. Some of them contain having some gifts, but for the duo, all they wanted was to be loved.
"You know, it sucks that Johnny Test just left without any reason. Like what is going on??" Zizrar asked.
"I have no idea, pal. Last time, I saw him, he was his usual self." Brain Freezer remembered the last time, he saw Johnny before he vanished. It was a sunny day and when they met again, the same things would occur: A fight ensues, but Johnny wins in the end.
"Same here to me...However, I have a feeling, that something isn't right, but I don't know, how to describe it..." Zizrar shrugged with a sigh.
"Hmm..We should take a look at it tomorrow. But right now, we need to rest. That day was surely a rollercoaster." Brain Freezer looked at the mole people.
"You're right. Maybe we can find some clues. Okay, everyone. We have to go back underground. Tomorrow will be a new day!" Zizrar told to his people.
"Good night, pal!" The cyromancer brofisted the king before departing ways.
"We hoped, that we could at least find some clues about your whereabouts. But we had no idea, that it would come by itself sooner..."
The next day...
The Brain Freezer, Zizrar and the Mole people were looking around, while wearing sunglasses and without detection. It went on for a few hours, but without success.
"Ugh. Still no sign of him....but there is a familiar face, I just saw..." the blue-skinned cryomancer suddenly found an elderly man, who was looking around. He recognized him, due to the bees around him.
"You know him?" Zizrar was confused.
"It's a long story." Brain Freezer replied.
The group went to the elderly man, known as Dr. Beebles. However, the Brain Freezer knew him as the Beekeeper back in the day.
"It's been a while, since last time." He looked at him and the bees.
"What are you doing in the town, boys?" The elderly man asked.
"Well, finding any clues about where Johnny Test is! Right now, we are at a dead end." Zizrar answered.
"What a coincidence. I'm also trying to find him as well." He told the group.
"And you have your bees to assist the search, right?" Brain Freezer asked.
"Exactly. However, they couldn't find any signs of him." The Beekeeper sighed.
"Same. My mole people couldn't find him either, despite how hard they tried." Zizrar sighed with him.
"I have an idea, how about we can team up and keep finding any sign of Johnny?" Brain Freezer suggested to the former villain, but he was sceptical.
"Are you sure, that this is not part of an evil plan of yours?" He asked to the group.
"No....They all died because of his disappearance." Zizrar responded.
The elderly man was surprised about the change. "Oh my. I didn't see that coming..." he said. "But if what you're saying is true, then I will help you." He agreed.
"Thanks." The blue-skinned boy smiled.
"Alright, everyone! Let's go!" With the words from the mole king, the group went for a search around the world, hoping that they could find any sign of Johnny and most importantly, if he was alive. They looked around Canada, Australia, Africa, China, Mexico, hell even Antarctica, etc. They used the mole people and the bees to look at other places, that they missed. But alas, they couldn't find anything. When they got together in Porkbelly again, near a TV store, they were exhausted.
"This is getting really hard..." Zizrar was out of breath.
"You said it, pal." Brain Freezer wiped his sweat off from his forehead. That sentence caught Dr. Beebles by surprise.
"Wait a second. Since when did you two become friends?" He asked.
"Well, Johnny Test's disappearance did have a profound effect on us. It brought us together." Brain Freezer answered, while scratching his head.
"Yep. All because we found out, that-" Before Zizrar could even finish his sentence, the TVs started to glitch.
"And then, the big moment came..."
"What in blazes is going on?" The elderly man looked at the screens.
"I have no idea." Zizrar shrugged.
Then they saw a being in the shadows, speaking to them in a disembodied voice. He said, that there is a reason behind Johnny's disappearance and they should watch at their own risk. After that introduction, the compilation of Johnny being abused, hurt and neglected by his own family. At first, the group were dumbfounded. They didn't know about his parents, since they barely knew them at all.
"What...just happened?" Brain Freezer was speechless.
"Was that Johnny...being abused?" The Beekeeper asked.
"Seems like it." Zizrar looked closer.
Before they can question though, another video showed up, this time containing Johnny's school life in tatters. Bullying and abuse were the main attractions of the footage.
"Those videos made us open our eyes..."
They were shocked by the revelation. As if his disappearance wasn't bad enough, the reasons made their hearts shatter into pieces. Zizrar slowly began to cry, while Brain Freezer felt sick in his stomach.
"I can't believe it...his family were the cause of his pain....I thought, that they were concerned about him..." the elderly bee keeper was moved to tears.
"You know, what they say....They know how to make themselves look normal. Evil...has a way of looking really nice and shiny on the outside." Zizrar quoted.
"Where did you get that quote from?" The cryomancer asked.
"From a horror movie, I watched." Zizrar answered after a shudder, since the experience scared him.
"Please! There is no time for casual conversations! We were so busy with all of the evil stuff, we never noticed Johnny being in distress on the inside. And we didn't reach out for him....which in that way, makes us partially responsible for his disappearance... Which is why we have to make things right now!" The former villain gave them a speech.
"You're right! We have to find him and make up for the mistakes!" Zizrar wiped his tears away.
"What are we waiting for? Let's do this!" Brain Freezer started his jetpack up.
The group now looked around for areas, they've missed. It was at this point, when they encountered Mr. Harm.
"During which, we met the former principal and...well, the rest is history."
Equestria, present
"And this is when all of this happened and ended up going to Equestria. I must say, what you do is very noble of you." Twilight smiled. The group nodded in acknowledgement, since their actions felt like right choices.
"Yes. We really appreciate your determination to give Johnny some peace at least." Rarity smiled too.
"Eh.....there are still some obstacles, that they have yet to conquer. I mean, you can't get rid of trauma that easily." BBB reminded them.
"We know." The Mane 6 scratched their heads.
"But right now, I seriously need some sleep....Today's been a rough day for me..." Jillian yawned.
"It was a rough day for everyone. Trust me, the penguins and I were stressed by the revelation." The General spoke to her.
"Well since it's been a....very interesting day for all of us, it's best for us to catch some zs. Tomorrow will be a new day for all of us." Twilight spoke to the whole group.
"The thing is, all of us have to get used to this new pony life." said Mr. White.
"We'll help ya with the change." Applejack responded.
"Only one problem. Where should we sleep?" Brain Freezer asked.
"Well, you can all sleep in my castle until we can find some homes for you ponies and....hippogriff hybrids, penguins and mole people..." Twilight was very confused and dumbfounded about the lineup of the others.
"And ponies thought, I have the weirdest look." Dukey responded with a straight face. The mares giggled at the response.
"Okay, guys. It's time to rest. Tomorrow will be a new start!" Johnny enthusiastically smiled and looked at the horizon. The crowd cheered, as the stars on the night sky sparkled, before walking back to Ponyville.
The next day...
Inside of Twilight's castle, the purple alicorn was mixing some potions and doing some research, by writing down on her notes, writing some formulas on the chalkboard and doing some trial and error by testing it on some animals. It was around this time, where Starlight was walking around the castle, when she stumbled across the princess doing an experiment. The lavender mare slowly and quietly approached Twilight, who was adding some finishing touches on something.
"Hey, Twilight!"
The purple mare jumped a bit from that unexpected voice, causing the table to shake. Thankfully, she used her magic to stabilise the equipment.
"What?!?" Twilight yelled at the lavender unicorn. Starlight felt a bit uneasy, but proceeded to ask her a question.
"I was wondering, what you're doing with the potions and what you're experimenting." She nervously smiled.
"Oh.." Twilight calmed down a bit, but not before explaining her plan. "I was experimenting the concept of hybrids. You see, since Dukey's arrival, I was caught off guard, but at the same time intrigued about the concept. So I decided to do some tests and attempt to make a potion. However, I've been having problems perfecting the formula, because I have no idea on how Dukey became like this."
"I have no idea either. Maybe we should ask him. ..but at the same time, I doubt, he would answer, since it could be related to the past..." Starlight doubted.
"I don't know..." Twilight sighed.
"Twilight! A letter from Princess Celestia has arrived!"
Spike came with a letter in his hand and gave it to the princess of friendship. She read the content and understood it.
"It must be about the preparations of the upcoming Friendship Festival. Spike, tell my friends about the news, so we can prepare for it." She told to the little dragon.
"Got it!" He runs off.
"In the meanwhile...I have to put the hybrid experiment on hold, until I found out the formula." Twilight put her stuff away and went with Starlight outside.
Outside of Ponyville, Johnny flew around the skies with his large wings. His skills got better, but still wonky, as he nearly lost his balance several times. During which, he thought about his future in Equestria.
"I'm not sure, what the future holds, considering....ugh..." He thought about his fight against his demons. Even though he was gaining strength thanks to his new friends, the demons are still proving him a massive nuisance. However, he has to keep fighting, in order to get them out of his head.
As he landed at the centre of Ponyville, the black pegasus walked around for a while. During which, he saw many happy pony families having a good time, causing him to have a somber look. But his expression changed, once he saw Rainbow Dash coming to him.
"Hey, Johnny!" She smiled.
"Sup. How's it going?" He asked.
"Well, we are preparing for the upcoming Friendship Festival and we could need some help, you know?" The prismatic mare asked to him, but Johnny has never heard of it before.
"What's the Friendship Festival?" He was confused.
"Well, in this festival, ponies will have a great time, celebrating friendship and the awesomeness!" Rainbow Dash smirked.
"That sounds awesome!" Johnny smiled.
"But right now, we are preparing for it and need some help. The others are helping us right now." She told to the black stallion.
Johnny was kinda conflicted. Back then, he was known to be very lazy, when it comes to projects. Probably as a result of bad communication or not giving him a clear structure. Or not getting help, since everyone was mean to him. Now, that he moved to Equestria and found some new friends, it could be his chance. But at the same time, he would struggle.
"So...what should I do?" He asked to the prismatic mare. In which Rainbow responded: "Come follow me! The festival will be at Canterlot."
"What?" Johnny had never heard of Canterlot at all, since he's mostly been in Ponyville.
"I'll show you!" She flew away, with Johnny following her.
They went to a train station and went into a train, on the way to Canterlot, while having the tickets. During the ride, Johhny saw more families in a good mood and was basically frozen, until Rainbow called his name.
"Uh...Johnny? You alright?" She asked.
It brought him back to reality and said: "Yeah. I'm fine. It's just, I'm wondering, how long the fight would last. You know, against my demons."
"Hopefully, not for long because my friends and I got your back!" She smirked in confidence. Her confidence and determination made him smile.
After some time has passed, they reached their destination and exited the train and went to the Canterlot Castle, where the festival will take place.
On the castle grounds, everyone is busy. Pinkie Pie prepared for cakes and sweets, Fluttershy teaching the animals about their performance, Rarity was focused on decorating, Applejack was preparing some apple treats and drinks and Starlight and Trixie planning the entertainment, with some help of Tempest Shadow. Hell, the others landed their hand on the preparations. The Beekeeper was putting up a stand for honey treats, with the help of an earth pony, Brain Freezer using his magic to create ice sculptures with the help of Zizrar, his mole people and the penguins, Mr. Harm was helping a pony named Cheerilee on the planning, the agents and the general tried to do some formations with a lot of trial and error and Gil, Jillian and BBB helping some ponies out. They also saw Dukey preparing the stage, alongside with some griffons and hippogriffs.
"Hey, pal!" The black pegasus waved at the hybrid, getting his friend's attention, who ran to him expectantly, like men's or in this case, pony's best friend.
"Hey, Johnny! You arrived!" He smiled.
"So, I heard, you guys need help on the preparation for the festival." Johnnyy noted.
"That would be really helpful." The hybrid responded.
"So, what should I do?" The black pegasus asked to the prismatic mare.
"Well, how about clearing the clouds ? I can show you, how it's done." Rainbow Dash flew up.
They watched, as the blue pegasus mare flew fast and kicked a cloud. The black stallion was amazed.
"See? Now, it's your turn!" Rainbow Dash smiled.
He took flight and kicked a cloud. This is where things get different, as this was the first time, he kicked a cloud.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" He was starry eyed and got another cloud. This is when the cloud felt solid to him. Johnny was curious about what would happen, if he stood on one. His best friend became sceptical, once he saw a grin.
"Johnny, don't you dare doing something ridiculous!" The hybrid warned.
But it was too late, the pegasus stallion landed on the cloud. But something felt....different. He stood on a cloud!
"Whoa! Didn't see that coming..." Johnny was surprised.
"But...h-h-how??" Dukey was dumbfounded, but Rainbow Dash answered his question with: "Well, it's pegasus magic, which allows us to fly and stand on clouds."
He didn't know, if he could take Rainbow's answer. Then again, since the land of Equestria is full of magic and magic is full of possibilities, yet many unknowns, he chalked it up as such and shrugged, as he continued helping the others. Meanwhile, Johnny cleared the skies from the clouds, with some help of Rainbow Dash and a few pegasi. It was around this time, when Twilight and Spike came to check up on the preparation.
"How is the progress?" The purple unicorn asked to every pony, in which they said "Yes" to her question.
"Good. Now let's hope, it will be better than last time." Twilight looked at them.
"What happened last time?" BBB asked but during which, Tempest Shadow looked down.
"Oh, you see, last time there was an invasion, courtesy of the Storm King and the army. And Tempest Shadow was one of his henchmen. But eventually, with the power of friendship, we saved Equestria and reformed Tempest." Twilight explained.
"It's true." Tempest Shadow nodded.
While this was going on, Johnny was flying around, when he saw some families. Once again, it made him pause with a somber look. When he landed down, the pegasus lowered his head. There is something about those families, that made him feel somber. It seems like, he was left out or something. But before he could think anymore, Twilight tapped him.
"Johnny, are you okay?" She asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up. But Applejack was not convinced.
"Ya sure about that? You don't look like that." The southern earth pony mare responded.
"What are you talking about? I'm fine, okay?" He said nonchalantly, but Applejack was still not convinced. It didn't help, that sweat started to form on his forehead.
"Johnny, you're lying." Twilight shook her head.
"Yeah. Last time I checked, you were looking pretty down." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms.
"He was?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, duh. He was basically frozen and silent." The prismatic mare answered.
It was around this time, the three princesses arrived to check the preperations, but instead watched the whole ordeal, as Johnny soon felt the pressure.
"Hey, look! There is nothing wrong with me!" He nervously smiled.
But the princess of friendship shook her head in disbelief. She had researched about depression and pony psychology before "Operation: Healing Light", therefore knowing the ins and outs.
"No. You are clearly lying. Even if we helped you smile, there is still one obstacle left, that you didn't tell us." She told to the pegasus.
At this point, his patience was slowly running out. As if it wasn't enough, numerous ponies overheard the ordeal and gathered around. Some of them are families. As Johnny looked around the crowd and seeing the families, that somber feeling returned. This time, he couldn't hide it anymore, as everyone is watching.
"Just leave me alone!" The black pegasus shouted.
"We can't. Otherwise, our efforts will be in vain." Princess Luna replied.
"Shut up!" He snarled.
"Hey, listen! We are literally trying to help you! Don't you dare to throw it all away!" Rainbow shouted.
"Johnny, I've noticed that when you see families, you always have a somber look on your face." Twilight noted.
"What makes you say that!?" He sweats hard.
"I mean, your reaction is already proof enough." Rarity responded.
"I think, I know why. You feel left out." Cadence got the answer.
"What? No! Of course not! In fact, I don't need a family! I can just live on my own just fine!" The black pegasus shouted.
But the princess of love knew better. She sensed that empty feeling in his heart.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yeah! I'll be fine anyway." He responded.
"But, even with that, you would still feel-"
"SHUT UP!!!" The stallion interrupted Twilight with a yell, that startled everyone. As silence filled the area, he was panting really hard, as the fury was racing in his body.
"I'm starting to feel, that you're getting on my nerves..." With those words, he flew away, leaving the crowd stunned in disbelief. Fluttershy was in tears, as she felt hurt by his words. Pinkie Pie hugged the yellow pegasus, as the crowd got disgusted by his behaviour and left. Meanwhile, Twilight was surprised, that Cadence somehow got the answer. As does BBB and the agents.
"Cadence...How do you know?..." the purple unicorn looked at the pink princess.
"Love can be interpreted in many ways: Romantic love and familiarity love. As in love in the family. I sensed that empty, hollow feeling in his heart, when he looked at happy families. And that is how I came up with that conclusion." Cadence answered.
"And when his family abused him...." said the obese unicorn and Twilight, who just caught up with the infos, concluded with: "...his sight on family has been completely shattered!"
"Exactly! Which is why we have to prove him wrong!" The Princess of Love had an idea.
"Do you have an idea, your highness?" Mr. White asked.
"Yes. We have to find a nice, humble and caring family for him. They would help him coping with the pain, while at the same time, giving Johnny a new chance!" She smiled.
"That sounds like a good idea! What do you think, girls?" Twilight asked her friends about their opinions to Cadence's proposed plan. They all agreed.
"That's not a bad idea, sugarcube." Applejack agreed.
"It is a helpful one." Fluttershy nodded.
"Excellent!" Pinkie jumped in excitement.
"That my dear, would be very useful." Rarity smiled.
"Yeah! Awesome idea!" Rainbow Dash smirked.
"Yeah. It would definitely give him more love." Starlight and Spike agreed in unison.
"It would make more sense, since Johnny is still a kid. I mean, even if he claims, he can live all by himself, it would make him feel even more lonely." Mr. Black noted.
"And as far as I know by learning about psychology, that would make the pain worse than it already is, since without a family, he would be forever tormented by the demons." BBB explained.
"Exactly." Twilight agreed. "Okay, everypony, we have a plan!"
"But we have to make sure, that the family does not harm him in any way." Rarity reminded.
"We know, Rarity." Starlight scratched her head.
The Mane 7, Spike and Cadence ran off to find a new family willing to adopt him, not knowing that they've been watched.
The first stop is at Canterlot. The group were looking around and asking some ponies, but the reception was not positive. Given their typical Canterlot behaviour, they left a bad impression for the group.
"I don't think, a Canterlot family would suit him. I mean, they act like jerks." Rainbow sighed.
"Maybe we have better luck in Ponyville." Fluttershy assumed.
In Ponyville, they asked the ponies if they want to adopt him. The reception was better than in Canterlot, but many of them were unwilling to adopt him because either they have too many kids, have seen his behaviour back in Canterlot or just weren't interested.
"Hmm. How about the Crystal Empire?" Pinkie suggested.
"Maybe..." Cadence thought to herself.
As they arrived the Crystal Empire, they did the same thing, asking the ponies. The same reception from Ponyville can be applied here. However, the Crystal Ponies have never heard of his outrage. Some ponies actually considered it, but only left with vague responses, that sounded more negative.
Arriving back in Canterlot, they went to Princess Celestia and Luna to report their progress.
"Did you find one?" Luna asked.
"No...We couldn't find a suitable one." Cadence looked down.
"Maybe we have better luck in Cloudsdale or Manehattan or Vanhoover or other places, we overlooked...or...uhm.." Twilight was about to panic.
"Here we go..." Spike knew, that this was about to happen, when the purple alicorn was stuck. The little dragon gave her a bag to breathe in and out.
"Uhm...excuse me?" A voice can be heard. As they looked back, they saw a sky blue unicorn mare with purple and pink mane and a golden heart necklace, looking at them with her yellow eyes.
"Who are you?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I came here unannounced. My name is Sweet Serenity and I've heard, that you want to help a pony in need." She introduced herself, while being curious.
"Yeah. His name is Radiant Thunder and it seems like that thanks to the abuse, he doesn't want a family." Rainbow sighed.
"It's probably because he is scared of being part of a family again." Cadence looked down.
"Oh no...this is horrible...." said Sweet Serenity.
"Indeed. The abuse had changed him for the worst and even if we made him smile, there are still some obstacles on the way." Celestia looked worried.
"I think, I've heard this story before, while I was moving to Ponyville alongside with my family. And it hit me hard, because this story reminded me of my sister..." The blue unicorn mare sighed in sadness.
"Your sister?" Fluttershy asked.
"What happened to her?" Rarity asked as well. And it didn't take long for Sweet Serenity to gather her courage to explain:
"When I was a filly, we were living in a small cottage far away with my mother and sister. My father died from an illness, when I was 5. It was devastating for all of us, but it was especially heartbreaking for my older sister, Ruby Spark. Despite the grief, we moved on, because that's what he would've wanted from us. To be strong... Everything was fine, until my mother had married a stallion. He was not a nice pony and started to abuse all of us both physically and mentally. It didn't help, that he mainly targeted Ruby Spark. On school, many young ponies bullied her, due to her shy and reclusive persona. It kept going and going, until I had enough. Seeing my family being in an absolute worst state, made me fill with anger and used my magic against him. Immediately after, I ran as fast as I could. I didn't even stop, in fear of being caught. Eventually, I arrived at some officers and explained this whole situation. Needless to say, they immediately arrested him and after my mother had divorced him, we had to move to a different city out of fear. Even then, nightmares of the past kept returning and eventually, Ruby Spark had enough. When I was a teenager and doing my work, I heard my mother screaming and ran towards her, only to find my sister....dead in her room. She had hanged herself. At that point, everything came crashing down and I was really heartbroken. Since then, I avoided talking to other ponies, except for one...High Velocity. We met each other during our school times and it was love at first sight. However, we lost touch to each other after the move and it wasn't after he moved as well, that we reconnected our relationship. One day, I told him my story about the abuse and Ruby's eventual suicide. I was in tears, since the pain was still fresh. However, he hugged me and assured, that this will never happen to me or anyone again and that he will be there for me. I was touched by his nobility and kindness, that I began to cry in his arms. Later, our relationship soon blossomed into an undying and eternal love and we soon got married, when we grew up. And when I heard about his story, it immediately reminded me of Ruby Spark. I want to make sure, it will not happen to him or anyone ever again. Not to my husband, my son, my family and friends and anyone. And seeing his outburst had strengthened my determination, alongside with that of my High Velocity. This is why I made my decision to help."
"Oh my goodness..." Fluttershy was shocked.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your sister, Sweet Serenity." Celestia looked at her with a somber look. "I know that feeling of not helping someone you love on time..." She looked at Luna, while feeling emotional.
It was around this time, that a neon colored pegasus stallion with blue wings and purple mane with blue streaks, as well as a beard, landed to a spot close to the group.
"I also wanted to help too, since I witnessed it as well." He said, while hugging Sweet Serenity.
"So you are High Velocity. Right?" Rarity asked.
"Yes." High Velocity confirmed this. "And we made a decision. To take him under our care."
"So does that mean..." Applejack asked, but the couple confirmed it with smiles and nods.
"Yes! We found them!" Pinkie jumped in excitement.
"But how can we explain that to Johnny? He would probably be upset again.." Spike was worried.
"Don't worry. We will prove him wrong with the power of family." High Velocity assured the group, that everything is okay.
"Indeed. We will give him the most love and care, he deserved." Sweet Serenity nodded.
Meanwhile in Ponyville...
Dukey was rushing into their house, in order find Johnny, since earlier, he flew away after he was enraged.
"Johnny? Are you here?" He asked.
Eventually, he found the black pegasus in their room. But the atmosphere was dark, as he looked back with a mad look.
"What?...." he growled.
"Uhh, don't you think, you got a little too far with your emotions?" Dukey asked. But Johnny snarled more and said: "The fuck does that mean!? I don't need a family, end of story!"
Then they heard the doorbell ringing. As Dukey answered the door, he saw High Velocity and Sweet Serenity smiling.
"Uhm. How can I help you?" He asked.
"We just want to see him." The blue unicorn responded.
"You mean....I don't think, he is in the mood for visitors." Dukey sighed. But that didn't deterred the couple from going in, leaving the hybrid confused. As they entered the bedroom, they saw Johnny facing his back to them in silence.
"What the hell do you want...?" He growled.
The blue unicorn slowly approached the young stallion, while she felt the tension. But that didn't deter the mare.
"Go...away..." He responded with a threatning voice.
"Look..I know, that you are in pain... and you also feel lonely at the same time. But hiding in the dark alone is not a good idea." She softly spoke.
"Who cares? I don't need a family...They suck!" He looked away.
"No, they don't. They're important to our lives. Nurturing someone with love and care and guiding them to a bright path." High Velocity responded.
"Except for me... I've been living in the darkness for god knows, how long! They were nothing but demons from hell! Because of this, I gave up a long time ago..." The black stallion looked down.
"But that doesn't mean, you have to throw it all away. Even if you think, you can take care of yourself, you would still feel alone. Without a family, you will be lost in the dark with nobody to guide you." High Velocity went closer to the black pegasus. But Johnny didn't day anything other than a growl.
"Please... we just want to help you..." Sweet Serenity looked worried. At this point, Johnny snapped and stomped on the ground so hard, that the items on the shelves started to shake.
"Help me?! You can't!!! I had enough of family and I don't like to be part of one ever again! SO WHY NOT JUST FORGET ALL OF THIS AND-" Suddenly, the black pegasus was pulled in to a hug by the blue unicorn.
"It's okay, my dear. It's okay." She softly spoke.
The soothing and soft voice of the unicorn mare was enough to silence him in shock. Back then nobody came to him when he had problems. Not even his former family back in Earth.
"We know your pain and I want to make sure, we'll give you the most love and care as possible, while helping you with coping." She softly spoke.
"W-what?...." his voice became quieter.
"We promise, that we will be there for you. To make sure, that you'll be happy." The neon pegasus stallion joined into the hug as well.
This was the point, where Johnny realized that the couple actually mean well in taking good care of him. Those acts of kindness and love made him very emotional and eventually, when he couldn't hold his emotions any longer, the black pegasus soon broke down in tears, all while the couple kept hugging him.
"It's okay, sweetie. Let it all out." Sweet Serenity warmly smiled.
They kept being strong, despite his sounds of crying being so heartbreaking. After all, they have to, for his sake and for a better future. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the ponies, the Mane 8, Spike and Cadence, alongside with Shining Armor were watching it through the windows. Dukey was also watching it unfold, when he went to check up on his best friend. That sight made his heart feel heavy, while at the same time, it gave him hope, that Johnny would be taken good care by those humble ponies. Eventually, the hybrid soon joined the group hug as well.
After a few hours, the black pegasus soon calmed down.
"I'm sorry....it's just....I'm so scared to be part of a family again, thanks to the pain..." he wiped his tears.
"You don't need to worry about it, while we are around. As long as we are here, we'll guide you to a bright future of love and humility.
"Wait. What do you mean by that? Unless..." Dukey was slowly coming to a assumption, but High Velocity soon confirmed their goal.
"We will adopt you two into our family." The neon stallion smiled.
"What? Are you serious?" Both Johnny and Dukey were surprised.
"Yes. We made up our mind, when we heard the story. Even though it was their idea." The blue unicorn mare pointed at the window, only to see the Princess of Love looking back at them and waving.
"It was also partially my idea as well, since I want to keep you safe, while at the same time helping you." She continued.
After a while of silent shock, smiles were forming on the faces of the best friends. That confirmation gave them more hope for a new, happy life.
"Hey, what did I just miss?" A navy colored pegasus colt with red and orange mane was entering the house with curiousity and confusion.
"Perfect timing, Cosmic Blaze! Say hello to your new brother!" High Velicity introduced his son to the duo.
"Wait, a big brother.....that...is...AWESOME!!!!" Cosmic Blaze immediately flew to Johnny with starry eyes.
"Hey, slow down, bro. I have yet to settle in this new life. But in the meantime, we will have some cool adventures." He hugged the navy colt.
This was something. Being the older sibling, despite being adopted, gave him something, that he was never able to do, back then: control. That means, he can finally have the control of fun, when it comes to his new young brother.
"And maybe I can dual as a pet. But maybe as a brother? I don't know.." Dukey didn't know about his role.
"We'll manage." The couple smiled and gathered a group hug with everyone as a growing family.
The group outside were smiling, now that they accomplished the mission.
"We did it!" Pinkie Pie jumped.
"Indeed, Sugarcube. Indeed." Applejack smiled.
"Now that he has a new family, I bet the nightmares would be soon be over!" Rainbow Dash was ecstatic.
The ponies celebrated, but somehow, Cadence didn't share their opinion, as the princess of love still felt a turbulence in their hearts.
Pony Johnny was flying away in a dark void from the demons, who were chasing him with sharp teeth, claws and piercing red eyes. He was flying faster and faster, all while demonic laughter can be heard.
"You can run, but you will not hide! Haha!!"
Eventually, they vanish.
"Phew....man..." He was wiping his sweat off, when a peculiar sight peaked his interest.
The black pegasus went closer and closer to the source, until it's revealed to be his human form, who is turning his back against his pony counterpart, all while he was crying.
"Wait...is that....me?" Johnny was confused and confronted his human form. "Hey, man! You okay?"
"I'll never be..." his human form responded, while turning back. Johnny was frightened by this following sight: His human form had bloodshot eyes, sacks under his eyes, a blue eye on his left one, several cuts, bruises and other injuries on his body, his clothes being ripped and some of the injuries left his bones exposed.
"Oh my god....No! This can't be happening! I thought, I've gone over them..." the pony said in disbelief
"No..You only managed to reach it halfway..... there is still more....." his human form twitches, all while the atmosphere became creepy. Suddenly, the voice became almost demonic, as he said to the pony counterpart: "Accept the help from your friends.....be more open or there will be consequences..."
This is when the moment took a trip to the most terrifying. His eyes became completely black, with black ooze coming out of them. Blood was dripping from his body and looking more like a zombie. His pony form backed off.
"Hey! What are you doing!? Don't come any closer!! Stop!!!!" His eyes were in tears, but that didn't help, as he witnessed his human form jumping on him.
Johnny woke up screaming from his bed, as that ordeal was another nightmare. Only this time, it became more serious. Around the same time, Sweet Serenity rushed to him, as she opened the door.
"Oh my God! What happened?!" She looked worried.
"Those nightmares! They keep haunting me!!!" Johnny was shaking in fear.
"Oh dear. Come here. It will be all fine." The blue unicorn hugged him and tried to calm him down. But Johnny still had that scared look.
Meanwhile in a forest...
Night time had arrived in the forest and we can hear the sounds of crickets, wolves and owls. However, in one of the bushes, a tail popped up. It was light purple-pink. Before anything happened, it came back into the Bush....as if someone is there....
To be continued....
Author's Note
Hi!
Sorry about the long ass wait. Writers block is a bitch. Plus, I was busy with other social media, mostly Deviantart.
Anyway, here is the 9th chapter! Have a nice day!
And FYI: What do you think, which voice actors would suit for High Velocity, Sweet Serenity and Cosmic Blaze?
In the next chapter, after the adoption, Johnny and Dukey have yet to overcome the final few obstacles.
While this was going on, a peculiar creature is roaming around with an unknown purpose.
Find out next time on "Chapter 10: Living the new Pony Life" !
Chapter 10: Living the new Pony Life
In the middle of the night, we see Johnny in his bed. But something was off. He was pacing really fast in a frightened state, all because of nightmares...
Meanwhile in his nightmare, the demons circle around the black pegasus, while demonic laughter can be heard. He tried to cover his ears, but the laughter can still be heard, as it occured inside of his head.
Soon, his human counterpart emerged from the shadows, looking absolutely torn up with cuts, bruises and blood coming out of his mouth. Johnny was very scared of the sight. But that was nothing compared to the following scenes.
"Hahahahaha! You little devil! It's time to get the punishment!!" One of the demons grabbed Johnny's human version by the throat, while his pony form felt something tightening around his neck, even though he couldn't see something actually grabbing it.
"S-stop!" He tried to plead, but as always, it fell on deaf ears. Both versions tried to fight back, but the cold aura alongside with the piercing, cold, red eyes of the demons, slowly drained their energies, like they damage their soul. Soon, the demons pulled their sharp claws out. He knew, that they would do something bad to him and as to be expected, they stabbed Human Johnny in the back. During which, his pony counterpart feels a sharp pain in his back.
As the demons kept torturing him with stabs, slashes and burns from their breath, the black pegasus would feel the injuries as well. As he screamed in agonising pain, he once again pleaded to leave him alone and that he can defend himself. But the demons instead laughed and threw Human Johnny hard on the ground. The impact caused him to cough up blood, in which his pony counterpart would follow suit and as the stallion was lying down in agonising pain, he looked in horror, as his human form once again turned into his frightening form and said:
"DO SOMETHING!!"
Eventually, they stabbed him one more time and with a twist, his human form collapsed on the floor and bled out, all while the stallion's pain get worse and worse to the point, where he couldn't move.
The demonic entities got closer and closer to the defenseless pony, who was crying in fear. The last moment he saw, before he woke up, were the demons charging at him.
Meanwhile In Canterlot...
On the castle balcony, Princess Celestia was looking at the skies, while thinking about some plans on how to help them get over from the past. Suddenly, she heard a scream inside of the castle. Immediately recognising the scream, the white alicorn teleported to her sister's bedroom, when she saw Luna with a horrified look on her face.
"Luna, what happened?" She asked, while comforting the dark blue alicorn.
"The nightmares got even worse...." Luna replied.
"This is really bad. I'll immediately have to inform Twilight, her friends and Cadence about the news." Celestia had a worried, yet serious look on her face, as she started to write letters to the princesses of Love and Friendship respectively.
"We have to work even harder now." She mumbled.
"Indeed. We have to make sure, it wouldn't get even worse..." Luna sighed.
The next morning...
As the birds were chirping their melodies and the sun still shining, the black stallion went to the bathroom with bags under his eyes. The nightmares took a toll on him and his sleep schedule.
"Ugh....I need to wash it off.." He went to the sink and opened the water.
As he looked into his own reflection, there was a moment of peace for a while. Enough to take a deep breath and think quietly. Suddenly, voices in his head began to sound louder.
"Ha! You demon!"
Johnny tried his best to fight back and suppress those voices in his head. However, when the stallion looked at the mirror, he saw the evil monsters.
"No! Come on now! I had enough of this!" He yelled. But the demons wouldn't budge, despite how hard he tried. Soon, they emerge out of the mirror and the room started to twist.
"You think, this is over?! Think again..."
The black pegasus soon backed off a bit. During which, the air around him felt cold and heavy and the demons getting closer and closer. Suddenly, he felt like, he bumped to someone. Suspecting, it was a demon, he jumped and screamed, as he looked back. However the sight, that greeted him, made him snap him out of the delusion: It was Dukey, who is currently struggling to stay awake.
"It's you...let me guess, also had a bad night?" He asked, while panting.
"You know it..." The hybrid was even struggling to keep his eyes open, when he went to the sink to wash his face off. As the brown stallion looked at his reflection, he grabbed a brush and began to brush his mane and fur.
"The nightmares were surely an agonising experience..." Dukey rubbed his eyes.
"You said it, pal...They keep stalking us..." the black pegasus sighed and looked down. "Why can't they just leave us alone once and for all?"
"I don't know. Maybe, we should continue fighting." His best friend looked at Johnny, as he scratched his head.
"Yeah....I hope..." Johnny was worried about their progress.
"Breakfast time!" They heard the sound of Sweet Serenity calling anyone for breakfast.
"Let's go." The black pegasus looked forward.
The two left the bathroom on their way to the others. Meanwhile, Twilight just teleported outside and looked around, when she saw the brush, Dukey used, in the bathroom, while looking from the window. Her eyes widened because of it.
"Maybe with his fur, I can get the answers for why he is a hybrid!" Twilight used her magic to slowly taking the fur and the mane strings from the brush and outside of the bathroom. Once she obtained these objects, she teleported to her castle, being eager to solve this mystery.
Back to the family, Sweet Serenity was finishing up the touches, while High Velocity and Cosmic Blaze were sitting at the table. Eventually, Johnny and Dukey did came, but soon collapsed due to a lack of sleep.
"Oh my goodness! Are you okay!?" The blue unicorn rushed to the two and used her magic to get them back up. When she notices the bags under their eyes, she gasped.
"Geez, they look terrible..." Cosmic Blaze commented.
"It's because they had very nasty nightmares..." High Velocity sighed.
"But why?" The young colt was confused.
"I'm not sure, if you can handle their story, my boy." The stallion looked at his son.
"Everyone, please! We will help them as best as we can, but right now, they need some energy." Sweet Serenity was worried, while she guided the two to the table.
The two tried to open their eyes for as long as they could, but eventually they fall asleep.
"Oh, dear..." Sweet Serenity sighed.
"Is there any way to wake them up?" Cosmic Blaze asked.
The blue unicorn used her magic to give them at least some energy for them to wake up.
"What...happened?" Johnny was in a slight daze.
"You were really tired, because of the nightmares. I used some of my magic to wake you up." The mare answered.
"Thanks...we really needed a boost." Dukey smiled.
"You're welcome." Sweet Serenity giggled.
Meanwhile, Cosmic Blaze was impatient. After all, it was the weekend and he wanted to fly around and have some fun, like any other filly and colt do. Plus, he needed some energy for that fun.
"Don't worry, my kid." High Velocity assured the little colt and everyone began their breakfast.
Meanwhile, in Twilight's castle...
The purple alicorn was once again researching and experimenting about hybrids. Thanks to the fur and the hair samples, she can finally crack down the mystery. She used her magic and a few gadgets to analyse the samples, which contained Dukey's DNA. After some minutes have passed, the results were in.
"Let's see... according to the results, sometime before he went to Equestria, Dukey has been mutated to include intelligence and the mannerisms of a human... Which means, the mutation has carried over to his new form, when he went to my world. Interesting...." Twilight was very intrigued by the result.
"If I'm able to recreate the formula with magic, then I could get the same result, by testing it to an animal! And maybe...give Dukey a friend, so he wouldn't feel as the only pony/dog hybrid!" With those words, the Princess of Friendship went to work on making some potions.
She tried her best to recreate the formula by mixing some ingredients, testing on a few animals, changing the recipe, etc. Each of these attempts only lasted for a short while or didn't work at all. Or something went wrong, while testing. After a few hours have passed, Twilight was very close on her goal, but she realized, that an important ingredient is missing. It has to be the fur sample. However, since two potions have to be make, one being permanent, she had to think on how to handle the rationing.
"Hmmm..." The purple mare was thinking and thinking hard.
Eventually, she had to use parts of the mutated DNA to complete the potions and added some herbs and other important stuff to also complete the other.
"It's done! The potions are ready!" Twilight smiled at her achievements. She was very proud of her efforts. "Now, I need to test on someone and-"
"Twilight! Twilight! We have some bad news!!!"
A voice made the mare jump and shriek. However, she recognized the voice as belonging to her assistant, Spike, who was holding a letter and looking panicked.
"What!?" Once again, Twilight was agitated.
"It's from Princess Celestia! It's about Johnny and Dukey!" Spike gave the letter to the princess.
"Wait....are you serious?" The princess opened the letter:
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
it seems like, the nightmares got worse and worse. Luna told me, that she saw Johnny and Dukey encountering their original forms, after seemingly escaping the demons. But they returned from the shadows, in order to torment them again...but the way, they did was horrific. The monsters began to torture the original forms in the most painful ways possible and during which, their pony counterparts would feel a massive amount of agonising pain in their bodies. There are times, that they coughed up blood from their mouths! The most haunting is their human and dog forms saying, that they need to accept help from other ponies and open up more, as an advice, before getting brutally killed by the monsters. And that would made their pony forms paralyzed in pain and fear, before the demons prepare to attack them.
We have to maximize our efforts and continue to help them, by finding ways on how to stop the nightmares! It is advised to find an artifact, that would help them surpress their nightmares.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
"No...this can't be! We have to gather our friends again and continue helping them guide to the light! Spike, there is no time to waste!" Twilight was in shock and now has to get back to the main goal. And so, she and her dragon assistant went off to get their friends.
After they left, silence dominated the castle, until some time later, sounds of sniffing can be heard. We see some light purple-pink paws walking and when it peeked, we see the nose of the unknown being.
Back to Twilight, once she gathered her friends to the centre of Ponyvile, she spread the news about their conditions, thanks to Celestia's letter.
"This is bad..." Rainbow Dash was nervous. "Really bad..."
"Ah feel the same thing, pal.." Applejack looked down.
"This is getting worse...We have to work harder than before!" Rarity responded.
"Exactly, Rarity. Princess Celestia mentioned, that we need an artifact, that suppresses bad dreams and I know the one, she's talking about. But I need your help." Twilight explained. "And as for them, someone has to keep an watchful eye on their progress."
"I'll do it." The prismatic mare flew forward. "Ever since I learned the truth behind the situation, I wanted to help them. The story seriously was messed up.."
"It was." Fluttershy agreed.
"But wait! Are you sure, you can do this alone?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash nodded, but Applejack knew better.
"Nah. I'll come with you." She went to the cyan pegasus mare. "After all, we knew them more since the day, we met."
"Okay, girls. I can trust your willingness to watch them. And as for the others, we need to find the items for that artifact and spread the word on everyone again." Twilight explained her plan. "Do you understand?"
"Of course, silly!" Pinkie grinned.
"We wouldn't forget our goal." Fluttershy agreed.
"Come on, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack ran off with Rainbow Dash following shortly after. Soon, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike, Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer went off to their own path.
On an open field somewhere in Ponyville, Johnny, Dukey and Cosmic Blaze were walking around for a spot.
"Why are we here again?" Dukey was confused, but the navy colt was brimmed with energy and responded with: "It's usually the spot, I can fly around."
The little pegasus colt soon used his wings to elevate from the ground.
"See? It always fill me.with excitement!" He smiled.
"You are quite a hyperactive one, bro." Johnny rubbed his little adoptive brother's head, even though he looked a bit annoyed. The black pegasus immediately knocked it off.
"Sorry. Didn't know, you don't like that." The pegasus stallion scratched his head.
"Nah. It's fine. You're my big bro, after all." Cosmic Blaze shrugged.
"You know, I also have a hyperactive side of me. Wanna see a demonstration?" He smirked.
"Yes! Yes!" The navy colt nodded.
As soon as the black pegasus spread his wings, his little brother was starry eyed.
"Oh my gosh! Your wings are huge....and that looks awesome!" Cosmic Blaze admired him.
"Well, he is a unique pony, after all." Dukey responded.
Soon, Johnny lifted off from the ground. His flying skills got better, thanks to Rainbow's teachings, however, the only things, he had to master is keeping his coordination.
"Don't worry, I'm still getting used to it." Johnny assured the young colt about his skills.
After a while of maintaining the balance, the black pegasus managed to soar without any problems. Cosmic Blaze could only watch in awe, as his brother soared through the clouds. As this was going on, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were watching from a distance, while hiding in the bushes. Ready to act, if the guys suffer from anxiety attacks.
"We have to be careful, sugarcube. Who knows, when they will suffer another one from those rotten apples?" Applejack looked closer.
"Yeah." Rainbow Dash agreed.
Soon, demonic voices of taunting can be heard, but Johnny and Dukey tried their best to fight them off. The struggle went on for as long, as they could, all while Cosmic Blaze being oblivious of the situation.
"Not this again..." Rainbow groaned, rushed out of the bushes and loudly spoke to the duo, who were struggling to fight off against their demons. "HEY!!! Stop listening to those voices and fight them off! Come on, you guys are better than them!!! You've been in Equestria for a while and we helped you! Now, it's the time to use our advice to stop this chaos!!!"
"Rainbow's right. Yer better listen to her advice!" Applejack added, when she ran to them.
Thanks to their advice, the duo got some fighting spirit and muted the voices. At least for now. The mares sighed in relief, but knew that the voices would eventually return, when the guys are at their weakest. So they have to step up the defenses.
"Y'all need a lot of courage and self-confidence, so y'all don't get broken so easily." Applejack noted.
"We are trying." The stallions sighed.
"Look, we are trying to help you overcome your trauma, but at least build up some guts to heal yourselves." Rainbow looked at the two.
"Hey, what's going on?" Cosmic Blaze was confused.
"It's a complicated story." Applejack responded to the colt.
"Listen, I know we appreciate your help, but right now, neither Dukey nor I have the courage to fix this messy chaos. It's just the whole event took them away from us." Johnny sighed, when suddenly, they heard a voice:
"Did somepony say 'Chaos'?"
Suddenly, everyone started to float, while chaotic things happened, like random transformations, random appearances and so on. The group started to panic.
"Hey, what's happening?" The navy colt couldn't move a bit.
"DISCORD!!!!!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash yelled in unison, as they immediately recognized the whole chaos and as to be expected or rather unexpected, a....unique creature with many features of several animals and a white beard, appeared out of Johnny's mane, while holding a glass of chocolate milk.
"Thaaaat's me!" Discord posed, while spotlights, which came out of nowhere, shone down on him, alongside a neon sign, saying his name and neon arrows.
"Dude, can you get out of my hair?" Johnny was annoyed.
Discord laughed, as he teleported in front the group with a smile.
"W-who is this....uhm...creature?" Dukey was extremely confused. At that point, he was given a card by the chaotic being.
Discord Draconequus and spirit of Chaos Spreading chaotic fun like no tomorrow!
"Well, that's Discord. He always wants some-" But the prismatic mare was interrupted by the draconequss,
"You get the drill, chaotic fun! By the by, you two mares really have some interesting friends. Especially the pony/dog one. I wonder, what happened to him." The spirit of chaos pulled out a magnifying glass out of nowhere and looked at the two stallions, especially the earth pony hybrid.
"As if Pinkie Pie wasn't random enough, Discord is like cranking it up to 1000... Why am I always surrounded by weirdos and oddballs?" The hybrid soon felt annoyed.
"Your card said, you are the so called 'Spirit of Chaos'. Really?" Johnny was sceptical.
"I am! Wanna see me demonstrate my chaotic powers for free?" Discord prepared to use his chaotic powers.
"Discord, that's definitely-" It was already too late. Applejack couldn't convince the chaotic draconequus. First, he turned trees into random objects, whenever into nutcrackers, cotton candy, whatever. Then he turned himself to several forms and outfits like no tomorrow. So many of them, that I'll leave this to your imagination.
"How about this one? Chaotix!" Soon, he snapped his paws and turned himself into a chaotic fairy with sparkly clothes and fairy wings and flew around a bit, before turning himself back to normal.
"Those were only the samples of my endless power of possibilities. If you want, I can actually show you some more!" The spirit of chaos smiled.
"Uhm, no thanks. We're good." Johnny sweated a bit.
"Besides. We now know, what you are capable of. Absolutely everything chaotic." Dukey understood.
"Well, you'll get used it. However, he doesn't mean any harm." Applejack noted. "At least nowadays."
"You see, young ponies...My story was pretty chaotic to begin with. Trying to take over Equestria and spread chaos and disharmony everywhere. But then, things happened, which lead to my banishment twice. However I was given a second chance by Princess Celestia. Almost everypony was sceptical and even angry at me. Almost. There was one pony, who was very genuine about my path of redemption." Discord explained about his past.
"Who would it that be?" Cosmic Blaze asked.
The spirit of chaos used his magic to teleport Fluttershy here. Needless to say, she was surprised.
"Discord! What is happening?" The yellow mare asked.
"Nothing. Just explaining my past to these guys." He pointed at Johnny, Dukey and Cosmic Blaze.
"Oh dear. Anyway, how is your day so far?" She asked again.
"Well, they almost had a mental breakdown, if it wasn't for our interference." Rainbow Dash responded.
"In other words, darn demons trying to break them again." Applejack looked down in disgust.
"Uhm, excuse me? What are you talking about?" Discord asked, but no one played attention.
"What are you talking about? They are fine." Cosmic Blaze smiled.
"On the outside..." Rainbow Dash sighed.
"What are you talking about? Are you saying, that something is not right with them." the young colt soon got irritated, not noticing that Discord is trying to get their attention.
"Well, it's complicated to say at least.." Applejack looked at the pegasus colt.
"Are you seriously hiding something, that I don't know-" Before the colt can finish his question...
"IN CASE, YOU'RE NOTICING, I'M STILL HERE!!!" Discord yelled at a megaphone at the group, causing the earth to shake and the manes and Dukey's fur to poof up.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Discord! I didn't know, you wanted something..." Fluttershy immediately apologised. "Well, it's a complicated story, that caused their lives to be in shambles, until we started to help them. I'll tell you more about the story, when we go to my cottage."
"Speaking of which, I noticed that some animals look...distressed. For example, a bird's nest being broken." Discord remembered. That caused Flutterhsy to panic.
"Oh no! I forgot about the animals!! We need to go now!" She breathed in a quick pace.
"On it! Toodaloo!" Discord snapped his fingers and in the next moment, he and Fluttershy were gone, leaving Applejack, Rainbow Dash and the guys with poofy manes.
"Well, that was.....something..." Cosmic Blaze was confused. The others shrugged.
As the prismatic mare looked at the guys, she tried her best, not to laugh at their poofed appearances, much to their annoyance.
"Rainbow, don't." Applejack glared.
"Sorry. It just.." the blue mare apologised, but giggled a bit.
"Anyway... where am I again? Right. About the-" But Johnny interrupted his little brother, knowing that he was asking about the past. Since Johnny just wants to live his new life in peace, he doesn't want anyone to remind him about the dark age of his life again, so the demons wouldn't attack him later.
"How about we go to the park, so we can have some more fun?" The black pegasus responded.
"Yeah! I mean, we all need some distraction from...well that." The hybrid nervously smiled.
They dragged the young pegasus pony and left.
"Weird..." Rainbow Dash noted.
Meanwhile, Applejack felt like, someone is watching. She looked around, only to peek at a Bush, where High Velocity and Sweet Serenity were hiding. They soon came out, after the southern earth pony found the couple.
"What are y'all doing in the bushes?" She asked.
"We were worried about our son finding about the heartbreaking truth of why we adopted them." The neon stallion sighed.
"Why didn't you tell him about this sooner?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We can't! Cosmic Blaze is still a young colt! Besides, we are scared, that it would scar and break his heart. And I don't want that, ever since my sister lost herself into the despair and took her own life...." Sweet Serenity soon began to sob. Their confession touched the mares. The blue unicorn had lost her sister from depression, so it's understandable, that she wanted to prevent any more heartache, after she found about Johnny's abuse story, that also ruined Dukey's life too, due to him being a victim as well.
"Hey. Ah understand your concern. It's hard to tell the fillies and colts about stories, that are not supposed to be told to them." Applejack sympathised. She went to the couple and comforted them.
"I'm so sorry....but I don't have the courage and I'm not sure, if Cosmic Blaze hangs handle the gravity of the tale..." Sweet Serenity wiped her tears, as she looked at the mares.
"Hey. Why not y'all take a walk and collect some fresh air? Pretty good to recollect thoughts and relieve all stress." The southern mare smiled warmly.
"I hope..." The blue unicorn mumbled.
The four ponies began to take a walk. Meanwhile, the couple were still thinking, if they should tell their son the truth or hide it, so he couldn't be broken. It's a tough choice for them, that's for sure.
Ponyville
A trio of young fillies, lead by Apple Bloom, were trotting around the centre, looking for new adventures and helping ponies find their destiny. Accompanying Apple Bloom, there was a white unicorn filly with curly, purple and pink mane and green eyes and a orange pegasus with purple mane and small wings. Those were her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Together, they were the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Geez, I'm bored.." Scootaloo sighed.
"Don't worry, Scootaloo. I'm pretty sure, it wouldn't last long." Sweetie Belle giggled.
"Alright, Crusaders! There are some ponies, who are still searching for their destinies and their cutie marks and our mission is to help them find their talent!" Apple Bloom told to her friends with confidence and determination.
"Yeah!" Her friends smiled in unison, remembering their mission.
"Let's go, Crusaders!" All three fillies, now filled with excitement and determination, ran off. To help young ponies with blank flanks find their calling.
During which, they helped some fillies and colts and overall having a great time. While running around, they passed a dark alley. That was until Scootaloo stopped and went back to the alley for some reason.
"What's wrong, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I don't know. There might be something." The pegasus filly looked closer.
"We shouldn't go to dark alleys! Maybe there is a scary monster hiding there..." Sweetie Belle was scared.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle. I'm pretty sure, there is nothing. Besides, we saw worse stuff before." Scootaloo smirked.
"I-I guess..." the unicorn fully calmed down a bit, but still felt worried.
Suddenly, they saw something moving in the rubble.
"There might be some pony! Come on, girls!" The pegasus filly rushed into the alley, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle following her shortly after. The trio looked around the alley, but they couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
"I can't see anything out of the ordinary." Apple Bloom responded.
"Me too. I'm pretty sure, there is nothing." Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo.
"But I saw something moving, I swear!" The pegasus filly sweared the truth, however, they didn't believe it.
"C'mon, Crusaders. Let's leave the alley." Apple Bloom was about to leave with her friends, when all of a sudden, they heard a noise. They looked back, only to see something slowly standing up. Because the figure is so obscured and that the alley was dark, the fillies get scared. Soon, it slowly approached them.
"Hey..." it spoke to the fillies, but the Crudaders responded by running away screaming in fear. "Uhm, why did they run away? Wait a minute, did I just talk!?!?"
The figure looked around for something reflective like a mirror or a puddle. Thankfully, there was a mirror, albeit a slightly broken one, so it rushed to it to see the reflection of itself. It turned out to be a light violet-pink earth pony mare with short purple mane with a lightning bolt on it, however she has the features like a dog, like paws, tail and a purple nose. In shock, the mare screamed at the sight of her form. A scream, that caused the ground to shake and startle the residents.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! How did this even happen to me!??!" The hybrid mare was still panicked. She looked at herself, even turning around, only to discover a cutie mark. A bone and a lightning bolt.
"Hold on! Since when did this appear on my cheeks? I mean, it looks cool, but still!" She looked at her cutie mark again.
Suddenly, she reminded of something important. "Wait! I need to find her! But I don't think, those ponies would welcome me with this look." The earth pony hybrid sighed, because she was worried that her look might scare them off. She looked around for something to hide her identity, only to find a big box.
"That'll do it. Also I'm pretty sure, I can maybe pull this off like I'm in a stealth game or something." She grabbed the box and put it on her, hiding her appearance and began to walk. Thankfully, it had holes on the box, so at least she can see something. Everytime, when someone noticed something, she could stand still. When the coast is clear, she can move. However, it's harder to pull it off in a little town, since there are more ponies out there.
"I hope, this works..." She sweated a bit.
On the other side of the town, Jillian was walking around the houses and other buildings. During her walk, the pink unicorn saw some fillies and colts playing with their fathers and by the looks of it, clearly loved each other so much. But in Jillian's case, back then, her father was just too overprotective and controlling on her. She never had the fun or freedom, back in Veganda. Once she moved to Earth, she did become independent a bit, but still restricted and used by him. The sights of the young fillies and colts having a better relationship with their dads made her emotional, but mad at the same time.
"Uhm, excuse me?" An earth pony mare tapped her with a worried look. But Jillian snapped in anger and yelled: "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT!?!?!?!"
This scared the mare so much and having no control of her emotions any longer, Jillian ran away from the town as fast, as she could. She only stopped at Fluttershy's cottage in order to take a break. It was quite a rough day for her so far. Meanwhile, Fluttershy took care of the animals, with some help from Discord. However, this time, she had to take care of a bird family, who lost their nest from strong gusts of winds. She tried to help them by building new nests, while other animals also helped, but none of which passed their conditions: It should be comfy, have enough room for them and future offspring and should not break.
"Oh dear..." Fluttershy was exhausted.
It was around this time, Jillian went to them for some small talk. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to help the birds by building a new nest for them. Their old one had been damaged by the storm." The yellow pegasus responded in a quiet tone.
"Is that your job?" The pink unicorn asked.
"Yes. I take good care of the animals." Fluttershy warmly smiled.
The pink mare looked around to see several animals in Fluttershy's care. Birds, wolves, snakes, etc. But the one animal, that caught her attention, was a bear. Her eyes widened at the sight and soon got lost in joy.
"Oh my gosh! This bear looks cool! Can I have it?" Jillian grinned.
"Uhm, excuse me?" Fluttershy was confused.
"I swear, I would do anything for this bear! Hell, I can actually help you making a new nest or better yet, take these!" Jillian used her magic to take off her hair bands, one being white with golden sparks and necklace and gave it to the confused pegasus. Taking off her hair bands caused her hair to let loose, all while her eye was twitching.
"Uhm, Jillan..you're scaring me..." Soon, the heroine of Kindness felt very uneasy.
"What? I'm just trying to get the bear!!" Jillian smiled.
"Okay, it's official: You've lost your mind.." Discord was not happy about the pink unicorn's attitude.
"No, I'm not! See? I'm fine!" She widely smiled, while having crazy eyes. Discord went inside of her head to investigate the reason, only to come out coughing out smoke 5 seconds later.
"Yikes! Her brain must be on overdrive and it's probably malfunctioning." The spirit of Chaos coughed. The smoke he coughed, would later be turned into black balloons, floating into the sky. "I wonder, why she is like this..." he thinks. At that point, Fluttershy reminded the night, where Jillian confessed her reason, why she went to Equestria.
"I think, I know why she is like this." She noted.
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Discord was confused. That was until she whispered the answer in his ear, in which his perspective changed.
"I suppose her behaviour matches up with the 5 stages of grief. Right now, she is in a bargaining stage." Discord agreed.
Meanwhile, Jillian looks at the bear with a starry eyes and a slightly creepy smile. At that point, she became so desperatre to get it, even when the animals tried to stop her. However, since she is a unicorn, the green-haired mare used her magic to push everyone out of the way. Soon, even the bear got scared by Jillian's unhinged insanity. But that wouldn't last long, as suddenly, she got strapped to a chair with magical bandages, all while everyone watched. Soon, Discord reappeared in front of the trapped unicorn, while dressing up as a certain Austrian psychiatrist.
"So, what are you feeling in that moment?" Discord asked.
"Like I said, I'm fine!" The pink unicorn barked, but the spirit of Chaos and the heroine of Kindness knew better.
"Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein, nein, nein! Of course, you're not. Your mind is completely messed up. I mean, I looked inside of it and...oof, it was smoking." Discord debunked her claim.
"It's probably because you couldn't let go of your past...." Fluttershy told to the unicorn mare.
"What makes you say that?" The pink unicorn got irritated.
"Well, considering that you've been acting strangely around ponies with their parents, which was one thing I saw in the smoke, that you compared to your own, where that person, known as the 'Dark Vegan', giving you zero freedom and because your friend had vanished, that you were genuinely concerned, unlike him. I suppose all of those factors would give you scars, that would take a long time to heal." Discord wrote down on his notes.
"We're saying this, because we wanted to help you get over the traumatic past. Please, Jillian..." Fluttershy pleaded.
"You all making this up...There is nothing...wrong...with...me..." Her smile slowly turned into a sad frown, all while her blue eyes were filled with tears.
"Do you now get it?" Discord released her from the bandages, allowing Jillian to get up. But her emotions of sadness and loneliness overwhelmed the young unicorn and screamed in agony, before teleporting away.
"Oh no!" Fluttershy was shocked.
"Now, she is in a depression stage.." Discord noted, since Jillian had entered the fourth stage.
"I know...We need to find her quick! I just don't want Jillian to end up like Johnny...." Fluttershy was worried...She didn't want Jillian to attempt suicide, like Johnny. Rainbow and Dukey had told her about the time, where Johnny was found with slit arms, which gave her extra motivation to find the unicorn. With no hesitation, she flew off as fast as she could.
"Fluttershy, wait!" Discord was about to follow the yellow pegasus, when he picked up Jillian's hairband and necklace. After he got everything ready, he followed the path, that Fluttershy took.
In the Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, High Velocity and Sweet Serenity were returning from the walk. At the same time, they met Granny Smith and Big Mac, who were waiting.
"Howdy, y'all!" Granny Smith greeted the group.
"Sup?" Rainbow smiled.
"Ah see, y'all brought some guests there." The elderly earth pony noticed the couple.
"Well, this is High Velocity and Sweet Serenity." Applejack introduced the two to her grandma and her brother. But they noted, that they have concerned looks on their faces.
"Applejack, I've noticed, that they're concerned about something." Granny Smith looked at the orange mare.
"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed.
"Ya see, they currently have a problem." Applejack sighed.
"Why not go inside and tell us all about it?" Granny Smith suggested.
"We really appreciate your sincerity." High Velocity nodded and the group went on the house for some apple pie and some talk.
Inside, while Big Mac is preparing the pies, the, the Apple family and Rainbow Dash got around the table, where the couple was waiting.
"Say, what's the matter, you want to talk about?" Granny Smith asked.
"Well, it's about Cosmic Blaze and if we should tell him the truth, why we adopted them..." Sweet Serenity looked down.
"The truth?" The elderly mare was confused.
"About the whole abuse story." Applejack answered to her grandma.
"It seriously messed them up and one of them even attempted suicide!" Rainbow Dash remembered the unfortunate time, where she found Johnny laying on the ground with cuts on his arms, back in the Everfree Forest.
"Oh dear...It was horrifying..." the elderly pony was shocked at what the prismatic mare just told.
"Indeed, Granny... That's why, we're trying to help them get over their traumatic experience." Applejack comforted her grandmother.
"Anyway, we are afraid, that the story would break his heart, considering how tragic and painful the abuse was." High Velocity looked down.
"He is just a little colt... and we don't have the courage to tell him...." The blue unicorn was filled with tears.
"Ya know, it's best, that y'all better tell him the truth. If ya don't, then he will be clouded with suspicions and lies. And ahm pretty sure, y'all don't want that to happen. " said the elderly mare.
"Of course not! We love him after all!" High Velocity answered.
"Mah sweet Apple Bloom was in a similar situation. She wanted to know about our heritage. We tried to stop her, but it was inevitable, that ah have to tell her the truth about her parents and that she was half pear. For a long time, the Apples and the Pears were rivals. It wasn't until, the Pears wanted to make amends and therefore stopping the rivalry. As for Bright Mac, my son and Pear Butter, well they've since moved on to a better place. Ah had to tell the truth to my grandkids, but we are hopeful, that they'll be watching us." Granny Smith explained.
"Oh dear. I'm so sorry for the loss." Sweet Serenity was touched.
"Sometimes, the young fillies and colts have to learn the truth, that not everything is all sunshine and rainbows. It's part of growing up after all." The elderly mare looked at them.
"I've never thought of this lesson." High Velocity responded.
"Me neither. It does give us extra motivation to guide our son towards maturity." Sweet Serenity thought.
"Speaking of guiding, I need to watch over the guys. Making sure, that they wouldn't go through another episode." Rainbow Dash reminded.
"Go for it, sugarcube." Applejack nodded and the prismatic mare took off, while at the same time, Big Mac came back.
"What happened?" Big Mac asked.
"Rainbow had to go watching over our friends." Applejack answered her brother's question.
As Rainbow dashed through the surroundings, she passed through a giant box, where the hybrid mare was hiding. Due to the sheer speed, the box begin to spin really fast with her inside. Soon, it launched to somewhere, where the spinning took a while before losing its momentum, where the earth pony hybrid came out with a sick expression.
"Nrgh...What just happened?" She asked, when the mare felt her stomach being shaken and stirred. "God, I need to throw up..." The hybrid became green and soon threw up in a Bush. After which, she laid down on the ground, in order to rest a bit.
"Damn...could this day get any weirder?" The mare asked, when unsettling sounds can be heard from the forest. Upon further inspection, the forest emitted a negative aura to anyone close to it.
"Ugh...this forest is surely spooky as hell... I don't know, if I even have the guts to enter." She shook a bit in fear. But after some convincing, she decided to swallow her fears and enter this spooky forest.
"Hello? Anybody?" The hybrid mare muttered, while looking around the fog. The spooky figures were looming all around the forest, all while sounds of owls and other animals can be heard. This forest came exactly out of a horror movie. Suddenly, the mare got scared by a scream.
"Hell no! I'm outta here!!" She was about to leave, when she heard another scream, but this time, it didn't belong to the forest.
"SOMEBODY, HELP ME!!!!" The earth pony/ dog mare heard it loud and clearly. What's worse is, she recognized the voice almost immediately.
"Shit! Hold on, pal! I'm coming!!!" She ran as fast as she could, in order to find the source of the scream, in other words, a pony in peril.
And that pony in peril turned out to be a navy blue pegasus mare with blond mane and a crimson lightning bolt, being chased by a creature, known as a Chimera. She tried to run faster and faster, but due to the thick fog, she soon got disoriented and crashed her head to a tree, where she soon lost consciousness.
"Don't worry, little one. The pain wouldn't take long, while we are feasting on your flesh..." The tiger head was about to bite her, when all of a sudden, it got hit by a log.
"What was that!? Show yourself!!" The tiger head was enraged and looked around, alongside the other heads.
"Hey, stinky! Over there!" A female voice can be heard. The Chimera looked around to find the source of the voice.
"I'm over there, furballs!" The same voice can be heard, but on the other side. Little did they know, that the voice came from the hybrid mare, who was taunting the creature. Chuckling, she continued to go to different spots and call the Chimera out, further confusing the creatures. Due to the fog, it was a perfect opportunity to find the unconscious pegasus mare and took off. Unfortunately, the Chimera spotted the two ponies escaping and gave them chase.
"GET THEM!!!" The snake head was focused on the hybrid mare carrying the pegasus.
"Ah shit...it looks like, I pissed them off... This is gonna be a long afternoon..." she sighed.
The chase kept on going, all while they dodged obstacles and not losing speed. However, it seems like the Chimera was slowly catching up to the two. It seems like, hope is lost, when she saw two trees standing at a tight distance. With no choice, she jumped through the trees, all while making sure, not letting go of the unconscious mare. The creature on the other hand, due to its size, got stuck.
"Haha! So, who's the helpless creature now, huh?" The hybrid laughed, but soon dodged at the snake head trying to bite her. The snake head tried to hypnotise the mare. "Come closer....I promise not to hurt you and your friend..."
"Do you think, you can try to get me with that?" It turned out, that the hybrid had her eyes closed the whole time, thus protecting her from the hypnotic snake. "So long, suckers!" She took off with the pegasus.
"Ok, now I need a way to get out of that spooky ass forest. But which one?" The earth pony hybrid asked and tried to take several paths, hoping that one of them lead them to an exit. It consisted a lot of trial and error, due to the fog being really thick and that each wrong path contain horrid creatures, that they thankfully escaped. There was even one point, where she ran in circles, as she encounted the Chimera still stuck between the trees. After a lot of frustration and a lot of wrong guesses later, they've managed to get out of the forest and went close to a river.
"Phew, close call." She put the unconscious mare down to the ground and looked around for essentials, in order to treat a head concussion. During the search, she found a rag and took it with her. She then made the rag wet and cold and placed it on the head of the blue pegasus.
"Huh, I guess, I became smarter too. I like it." She said, since her new found intelligence were the key of saving their lives from the creatures.
After a long while of waiting and guarding, the blue mare woke up. Her sight was slightly dazed from the concussion.
"Hey, Sissy! Are you okay?" The hybrid looked at her. As soon as the pegasus' sight got sharper, she clearly saw the hybrid and instantly recognized her as her friend, Missy. However, the mare screamed at the sight, in which caused Missy to scream too...and then Sissy passed out.
"Ah, jeez..." the hybrid mare facepalmed and carried the unconscious pegasus closer to the river. She used her paws to collect some water and splash her friend in her face. Because of the cold water, she was immediately woken up.
"Wha? What the? Missy, what happened to you!? You look so strange!" Sissy had so many questions in her head, that needed to be answered immediately.
"Well, it's a funny story." Missy recounted her story of why she became a hybrid.
Ponyville, yesterday...
"Somehow, that portal, that we used, made us separate each other. I ended up arriving near a village.
It showed Missy in her original dog form, falling from a portal near Ponyville. She looked around in this new unknown world. She walked around, only to see ponies everywhere. Ponies doing their jobs, all while fillies and colts played each other fun games.
"I arrived into a world full of ponies!"
The discovery caused the dog to panic, especially without her friend. So she decided to find her by any means necessary. Either by looking for clues or trying to communicate with the other ponies, but they assume, she was a stray.
"Trust me, I looked for you the entire day! And I have to survive at the same time! It was pretty much a battle, not gonna lie. Although, there were kind ponies, who gave me some food and water.
We see some ponies giving her some food and water, so at least she wouldn't starve or suffer from thirst. Even in the night, she kept trying, even howling for confirmation, that Sissy must be somewhere. After feeling weak and tired from the search, she went into a dark alley, where she slept in some garbage.
"Eventually, I was tired...So I had no choice, but to sleep for the next try tomorrow."
The next day...
The female dog woke up and continued her search for her owner. She looked around in places, she missed ot never been there before, when she came across Twilight's Castle.
"It was at this time, I came across a Crystal Tree. But not any crystal tree. It had elements of a castle and looked beautiful. Trust me, once you saw that, your eyes would shine by its beauty. Anyway, hoping to find clues, I went inside, looking around in every room."
She looked around in every single room, without being detected. However, each attempt would leave her empty-handed. When she looked around the Library, the dog discovered something: Potions. Particularly a purple one.
"Naturally, because I was less smarter than I currently am, needless to say...I became curious. And then, an owl came by..."
She jumped to the table and looked closer at the potion, when the sound of an owl can be heard and an owl can be seen watching. Because she was a full dog, her instincts told her to chase the owl. A full cat and mouse like chase scene ensued, in which a lot of chaos was caused. The biggest one is when Missy was trying to jump on the table, where the owl was standing. With no other option, it pushed the option down to the dog and straight to her mouth, causing her to drink the entire potion. After that misadventure, she ran away from the castle and back to the alley, where she got into the pile for some rest.
"It tasted like shit, not gonna lie. After that chase, I ran off and back to the alley. Because the chase used up my energy, I went back to the pile of junk and fell asleep."
After a while, she was awoken by the Cutie Mark Crusaders and tried to communicate with them. It was at this time, where she felt a massive difference.
"When I woke up, I noticed that not only I've grown twice the size of the original and being able to speak, but also the potion had make me smarter.
And then the whole event from several hours ago played out: Missy discovering her new self, finding her friend, etc.
Present time...
"I swear, if it wasn't for my new found intellect, then you would've been dead by the hands...or rather paws...of that damn Chimera!" The hybrid finished her story.
"Whoa...I don't know, what to say honestly." Sissy was speechless. She couldn't believe, that not only did her dog became more mutated, she saved her life because of that.
"Now here is my question: Why did you decide to go to this world and take me along?" Missy asked.
"Well, I have my own reasons..." Sissy looked down. "But first, we have to find him ."
"We could ask some ponies for directions, but I'm not sure, if they would be okay with this." Missy pointed to herself, since her form was completely different to other ponies.
"I don't know. But we have to try." The blue pegasus responded.
"If you say so..." the hybrid sighed and the two went off.
Cosmic Blaze returned to his home after a day of games. But something doesn't seem right to him, like they're hiding something from the navy colt.
"Jeez. What's up with them? They kept a bright smile on their faces and ignoring my questions..." he mumbled, as he was on his way to his room, when the door to their room was open. Filled with curiosity, the pegasus colt went inside. It was filled with a some stuff. Daring Do books, toys, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"Nothing strange here. I mean, I also have those Daring Do books. At least some of them..." he noted. He looked around, but nothing indicated of a secret. Exhausted, the pegasus sat down on Johnny's bed.
"Man, is there anything, that points out a secret?" He sighed and lied down, when he felt something uncomfortable under the pillow. By putting the pillow aside, he found the blue diary.
"What's this?" He picked it up. It was new to him. "Usually, my mom and dad wouldn't allow me to read into diaries out of privacy, but since they're not here and I need answers...." the young colt opened the diary, in order to know. The content was pretty disturbing for any young pony to read. Mentions of abuse, self-harm, burnout and depression were featured in a lot of the entries. An uneasy feeling creeped up to the young pegasus, as he looked at the several pages.
"That's so messed up! Who wrote this?" He asked. But the diary didn't mention the name of the owner whatsoever, making this mystery even more confusing. Wanting to find even more answers, Cosmic Blaze took the diary and headed off.
Of course, he had to hide from other ponies, so they wouldn't question him. The young pegasus kept going and going, until he came across the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who happened to help other fillies and colts find their destinies. Recognising them from an event shortly after he moved to Ponyville, the navy colt dropped the diary in a Bush and went to them.
"Hey, crusaders! Remember me?" Cosmic Blaze smiled.
At first, the fillies were confused, but after looking at his face, they recognized him.
"Hey! Aren't you the pegasus, who moved into Equestria?" Scootaloo asked, but with a nod from the colt confirms it. "How's your new life in Ponyville so far?"
"Well, it was quite a ride. A lot of things happened to adjust my new life, like a new school and new ponies, I barely know of. But it also brought out some cool moments, like a new park for me to explore and recently, my mom and dad introduced me to my new big brother! Like isn't that awesome?" Cosmic Blaze told them what happened, after he moved in.
"It seems like, you love this place." Sweetie Belle smiled.
"But, recently there are some secrets, that mom and dad didn't tell me. Heck, when I try to ask them of why, they would find an excuse like expanding the family. Now, I have some evidence in form of this diary." Cosmic Blaze went back and picked up the diary from the bushes, in order to show it to them.
"Do you have an idea, who this belongs?" Scootaloo asked.
"No idea. There is no mention about the name." Cosmic Blaze answered with a sigh.
"But this is someone's diary! You would be in big trouble, if your parents found out about this!" Sweetie Belle was not happy about his decision. "I suggest, you should return it now."
"But if I return it, I will never know the mystery of the whole abuse stuff!" The navy pegasus tried to defend his actions, but that didn't convince the crusaders.
"Why not just read it yourselves?" The pegasus colt threw the diary on the ground in a fit of rage.
"Like I said, we will never-" Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle wasn't able to finish, as Scootaloo started to read the diary.
"Uhm, Girls?" The orange pegasus filly looked at her friends and pointed at the content of the diary. Soon, Apple Bloom started to read it and it sent down a chill in her spine. Eventually, Sweetie Belle, whose curiosity got the better of her, started to read, only to be given a negative aura from it.
"Oh my goodness.." Sweetie Belle was horrified.
"Exactly...." Scootaloo agreed.
"You see, what I mean by messed up stuff?" Cosmic Blaze responded with a straight face.
"Whoever wrote this, must been through a lot..." Apple Bloom felt sorry.
"Those ruffians...Why would they do this?!" Sweetie Belle was in tears.
"No idea. But, I have yet to find the clues to that answer." Cosmic Blaze held the diary close.
"We will help you." Scootaloo and her friends joined.
"That's cool. Together, we will get to the bottom of this!" Cosmic Blaze smiled and went off with the Crusaders. They went around, finding for some clues of this mystery. They went on asking some ponies, but somehow, they knew about the story, thus confirming the young ponies.
"That's odd. Everypony knew the story." Sweetie Belle questioned.
"I know, right? Like someone told the story to them earlier. Here is the thing, did anyone told you about it?" The navy colt asked to the fillies.
"No. Mah family never told me about it." Apple Bloom shook her head.
"Rarity didn't tell me about it either." Sweetie Belle answered.
"I had no idea, since my aunts didn't tell me at all. Like what?" Scootaloo scratched her head.
"Weird..." He thought to himself.
On a beautiful scenery with a cascading waterfall and beautiful flowers, Jillian ran to the fields exhausted and completely messed up. She stood there in silence, as the sunray's shimmer through the clear waters and hitting the waterfalls, creating rainbows. However, it didn't make her happy. In fact, she is not happy at all. After suppressing her emotions for so long and the wounds of the past still being fresh, the pink unicorn finally broke down and burst into tears. Her cries became louder and more broken, as she let all of her emotions out. Later, she heard two voices, calling her by name. Looking back, she saw Fluttershy and Discord running towards her.
"Jillian, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, but got no response from the broken unicorn.
"Uhm, you dropped these." Discord pulled her hairband and necklace out of nowhere and was about to give them back to her. But Jillian looked away.
"I don't need them...They're basically a reminder of the past... Dad has really gone too far...Ignoring my wishes, oppressing my every thoughts, watching every step and eventually.....taking my mom away from me... You don't know, how much it fucking hurts!!!!!" She yelled, but that didn't phase the two and the heroine of Kindness hugged the mare.
"You need to move on...." the pegasus softly spoke.
"How? It's very hard to do so..." the unicorn looked down.
"I know your pain...being isolated and oppressed is awful. However, that doesn't mean, that your life is over. All you need to do is to let go and focus on the present." Fluttershy spoke.
"It's true. I've been there. When Princess Celestia gave me second chance, I was unsure about the future. Considering my past actions were...let's just say...not morally correct. Everyone hated me, because of those. I was so close to give up, if it wasn't for Fluttershy. She gave me second chance and even helped me rehabilitate, thus changing my destiny. Sure, I still like to spread chaos, but not for evil purposes anymore. It took a long time to get used of the new lifestyle and move on from the past. What I mean is, it's never too late to let go from the past and change your destiny!" Said Discord and together with the butter-yellow pegasus friend, they hugged the unicorn mare and comforted her with embrace. After a while, Jillan slowly regained her confidence and stood up.
"You're right. All I need to do is to forget everything about the past and start over." As her hair is moving from the wind, Jillian had a serious look on her face. "One moment." She teleport away.
"I wonder, what she'll do." Fluttershy wondered, all while Discord, who is holding the necklace and the hair band, had and idea and made these into a nest. "Does that count as a nest?" He gave it to Fluttershy.
"We have to give It to the birds." She answered and both left.
Meanwhile, Jillian teleported somewhere near Ponyville, where she found a pair of scissors laying on the ground. She thought of finding the owner and give it back, but she had a different idea. She went fo a cliff and used her magic to grab her hair and positioned the scissors close to it. She remembered the words, Fluttershy and Discord gave to her, as well as some positive moments with Johnny, Dukey and a few others, before doing the deed. Streaks of hair can be seen falling down.
Back in Canterlot, Cosmic Blaze and the fillies were arriving at the Canterlot Castle, looking around, when the navy pegasus colt found a microphone, which was connected to the speakers. At the same time, the crusaders went to him.
"Did you find something?" Scootaloo asked.
"I found a microphone. Not related to the mystery, but..." He held the microphone tightly.
"Uhm, Cosmic? What are you doing?" Sweetie Belle asked, but to no response. Other than putting the diary down, the cold didn't say anything.
"Cosmic, what are you doing??" Apple Bloom asked him loudly, but again no response.
"Something's not right..." Scootaloo felt uneasy.
"Me too.." Sweetie Belle was scared.
Cosmic held the microphone close fo his mouth and opened the diary to the first page. His mind is now set on something, but he didn't want to tell anyone. He turned the microphone on and was, breathed in and was about to say something, when suddenly....
"NOOOOO!!!!"
They looked back, only to see High Velocity, Sweet Serenity and Applejack running towards to them.
"Apple Bloom! What are y'all doing?!" Applejack was not happy to her young sister.
"Trying to find out, who wrote the stories.." the earth pony filly confessed.
"There is no need to!" High Velocity responded.
"Everyone knew the story, because me and my friends...told them a few days ago. " the orange mare confessed.
"Why!?" Cosmic Blaze demanded answers. But Applejack took a deep breath and responded with: "To help him...the pony, who wrote the diary and suffering an agonising pain of abuse and hatred...." Suddenly, they heard a voice, interrupting Applejack.
"...is me..." It came from Johnny, who happened to overhear the conversation and, knowing that the truth was inevitable, he confessed. "That's right. I wrote the diary, because of the abuse. In fact, I don't originate from Equestria at all."
"Are you serious?" Cosmic Blaze was in disbelief, but Sweet Serenity silently nodded.
"Yes...In fact, the story is the reason, why we adopted him...to give him a happy life and a happy family.....something, that lacked back in his original world... I don't want him to fall into the same fate, like my sister...I'm sorry, if the story broke you...I didn't have the courage to tell you, because I was scared...." The unicorn mare soon cried.
At first, Cosmic Blaze was silent, which sent them alarming signals to his parents. But then...
"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier? I would've helped him. Plus...the story reminded me of a time, I lost a friend because of those bullies..." He looked down. That statement threw the couple off guard.
"There was a time, I was bullied by some jerks, just because I was a blank flank. My friend was also bullied as well. However I didn't tell you, because they threatened me, that if I told them, then they would hurt me even more or even kill me....Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and left....I found out about his deed from his mom. I was devastated, yet scared...Later, it got worse, until someone interviewed. A brave filly, telling them to get lost and helped me getting back up. Eventually, thanks to her, I became stronger and stronger. I stood up to the bullies and told them to the teachers and some cops. Thankfully, they got what they deserved." He explained his story.
"Oh dear...." Sweetie Belle was touched.
"Oh my goodness...My poor baby..." Sweet Serenity hugged her son in tears, much to his irritation.
"Mom...." He sighed.
"At least, you had someone saving you. If we have the chance of meeting her, we'll thank her for saving you." The neon pegasus smiled.
"Yeah. She was definitely brave." Johnny smiled as well.
"If you wonder, who she is. Well, her name is Golden Heart." Cosmic Blaze added.
It was around the same time, that Twilight and her friends, as well as Dukey, came to the group.
"I swear, if someone tries to hurt you, I'll protect you and even give them a piece of my mind and some butt whooping." Johnny wrapped his wing around his adoptive little brother.
"Hey, what did I miss?" Pinkie Pie was confused.
"It's quite a doozy." High Velocity scratched his head and explained, what happened.
"Wow. That was....quite an afternoon." Dukey was dumbfounded and everyone laughed.
"Together, we will be a strong family." Sweet Serenity smiled and hugged her husband, her son and her adoptive sons in embrace.
Pinkie was about to cry at the sight, when Twilight gave her a box of tissues. The peppy pony grabbed it and used the tissues to wipe her tears away.
The other ponies, headed by Gil, BBB and the hippogriff hybrids in black went to them and smiled.
"The preparations went very well. All we need is some entertainers." Mr. Black reported.
"I can think of Songbird Serenade, since it was planned for her to appear." Twilight assumed.
"Who?" The ponies were confused. They had no idea, who Songbird Serenade is. But before Twilight can explain, Spike ran to her with a letter. The alicorn princess grabbed the letter and started to read it.
"What!?!" Twilight was shocked.
"What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well, Songbird's planned appearance was scrapped, due to a controversy..." Twilight explained.
"What controversy?" Rarity asked.
"I....don't know. There aren't any details about it." The princess of Friendship answered.
"That's great! Who's gonna fill her spot!?" Rainbow Dash was frustrated.
"I can think of one. I've heard, that a band of four stallions, named 'Star Time Rush', needed a spot for their concert." Spike suggested.
"I'll contact them!" Twilight teleported away.
"Hey, guys!" A voice can be heard and it came from Jillian, but her look was different. Her hair is now short and is wearing a new golden necklace with gems and pearls and even a new headpiece.
Everyone was stunned by her new appearance. Gil was basically frozen especially.
"Whoa....Jillian...you look..different." Johnny was speechless.
"I decided to start over and let go from my past. And what better way to do that is with a new look." The pink unicorn smiled.
"Speaking of which..." Starlight was reminded and gave High Velocity and Sweet Serenity a box. Once they opened it, they found a dream catcher inside.
"What's this?" High Velocity asked.
"It's a dream catcher. It allows to let the good dreams through and catch the bad ones." Mr. Harm answered.
"It would be good to at least help them to sleep well." Starlight added.
"I think, it's a good idea. We'll hang it in their room." Sweet Serenity agreed.
After Eugene slapped Gil back to reality, the group were about to go to the centre of Canterlot to spend the remaining afternood, when suddenly.
"Hey, Test!"
Johnny groaned, as he instantly recognized the voice. And fair enough, when everyone looked to the left, they saw Sissy...being out of breath.
"What do you want?" He snarled. "Did you came here for revenge? To make fun of me? To at least humiliate me for something, I did!?!?" He always interrupted the pegasus mare of saying something. Eventually, she lost her patience and snapped.
"JUST GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!!!!" She yelled. "I did not come her to humiliate you or anything...."
"Then what is it!?" Johnny soon got angry, but BBB assumed with: "She is trying to redeem herself with an apology. That's the most likely answer."
"What!? Are you serious?" The black pegasus was in denial, but this is when the dark blue pegasus confessed her reason.
"He's right." She responded.
Porkbelly, a few days ago...
We see Sissy walking around the town, when news of Johnny's disappearance got out and spread like wildfire. At first, she was in disbelief and thought that it was only a prank.
"When I found out, that you vanished, I didn't believe in those news, assuming that you were pulling off a prank."
She ignored it and continued her day as usual, but something was definitely missing from her. Even Missy felt the same thing, since Dukey also disappeared at the same time as Johnny.
"Well...on the outside it seems. It's a different story on the inside, like something is missing."
The next day, she used her skateboard to traverse around the area, when she bumped into Eugene, who happened to take a walk.
"Ow!" She groaned in pain.
"Hey, watch where you going!" The young rich kid rubbed his head. The girl noticed the flyers scattered on the ground, which were missing posters.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Don't you see? Helping out the search for Johnathan, duh!" He responded.
"Why would anyone see this as a big deal? It's probably just an elaborate prank from him. I'm pretty sure, at any point, he would say 'Gotcha!' To everyone." Sissy shrugged. But Eugene didn't buy it, since he got dark.
"You don't even have a clue of what's going on..." He snarled.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Sissy felt uneasy, during which her dog growled.
"You'll see...the truth will be very ugly..." the rich boy left, leaving the two confused.
"Back then, I had no idea, what it meant..."
"Weird..." She sighed and continued riding on her skateboard with Missy following her almost immediately.
"...until that fateful day."
A few days later...
The blonde girl was playing with her phone in a park, with Missy playing with other dogs. Everything was normal, until her phone started to glitch. Confused and dumbfounded, she tried to fix the issue, but with no success. Suddenly, a video started to play. After the introduction from a being called "The Shadow", a compilation of Johnny being abused, hurt, shouted and blamed on a daily basis, including the recent footage of his parents trapping Dukey and giving him to a guy from the animal shelter.
"Oh my god...no...this can't be real! This has to be some sort of sick joke!" Sissy was still in denial. She hoped, that Johnny would jump out and shout "Gotcha!" At her for that prank. Unfortunately, it didn't happen and it got worse, where the second video started to play. Same abuse here, except it's in his school and he's being bullied with nobody helping him. What caught her eye was in some footage, she was seen as one of the many students making the problem worse. At this point, everything came crashing down to her.
When Missy came back and noticed her owner being in a state of shock, she tried to comfort her, but the whole shock and guilt caused the girl to scream loudly. A scream so loud, that it caused a minor earthquake.
Many people noticed her scream and gathered around her. Unfortunately, since many people watched the second video, they instantly recognized the girl and started to shout and throw stones at her.
"You monster!" One citizen shouted loudly.
Sissy took her dog and ran away from the crowd. However, she kept getting attacked by shouts, insults and stones from angry people. The amount of pain and humiliation started to increase very quickly. Soon, she couldn't get the insults from her head, all while dodging the people, some of them tried to take Missy away from her. Eventually, the girl just couldn't take it anymore and ran as fast as she could, leaving Porkbelly hurt and in tears. As soon she arrived in a deserted area, she broke down in tears. Missy, also hurt from the stones, tried to comfort her.
"I'm sorry, Missy....but I just can't take it anymore..." Her blue eyes were filled with tears.
"I was so ashamed and humiliated to even go back to Porkbelly. Even to my mom, since she would be so disappointed of me because of the actions...At this point, there is no return in this one..."
Missy barked and hopped on her lap, hoping her comfort would at least cheer her up. It kinda worked, but it was a hollow feeling. It was around this time, she saw a group of people with moles and bees heading to a base. It turned out, she was close to Area 51.1! Out of curiosity, the girl picked up her dog and ran inside, while of course hiding from everyone. After looking around, she overheard a countdown, she assumed, it was a bomb. But Missy jumped out and went to the source: A portal counting down. Sissy followed her and at first, she was confused as of why her dog brought her here. But when she saw the display, showing Johnny's current location: Equestria.
"When I saw the information, that you're in a place, called 'Equestria', suddenly, a decision was made..."
"Missy...I think, it's time." She picked her dog up and started to dash in a blur. As the countdown almost reached zero, she managed to jump into the portal at the very last millisecond.
Equestria, present
"The reason, why I came here is to say.....I'm sorry...." Sissy was in tears, when she looked at Johnny. "I was such an idiot....not knowing my actions or inactions would cause consequences... and I didn't realise until it was too late..."
Johnny didn't say a single word. He was still sceptical to her, given the circumstances. But Eugene and Rarity didn't share the scepticism.
"We are truly sorry for the whole ordeal, you've been through. But me and my friends will help you find some forgiveness and also happiness." The white unicorn smiled and grabbed the navy mare's hoof.
"Rarity!!" Johnny shouted, but his ear was pulled by BBB, via his unicorn magic.
"Hey! Give her some time to prove herself for redemption!!" Eugene was not happy about the black pegasus' behaviour.
"Wait, where's Missy?" Dukey asked. That was until he heard a voice: "Over there, mutt!" When the stallion hybrid looked around, he saw her, being turned into a hybrid as well. Needless to say, the amount of shock and disbelief made Dukey faint.
"Oh come on!!" Missy was annoyed. She grabbed a nearby bucket of water and threw it to the brown earth pony hybrid, waking him up. "Seriously, you are just as dramatic as ever..."
"What did you say?!?!" Dukey growled, but Applejack broke up the two, before a fight even began.
"Alright, y'all need to stop!!" She shouted.
"Did she too became mutated?" He wanted an answer from this question.
"Well, idk. I drank a portion and than this happened!" Missy answered.
At the same time, Twilight returned.
"Okay, everypony. What's going on- W-WHAT!!??!" When she saw the hybrid mare, her jaw dropped.
"Here we go again..." Spike sighed.
She inspected the hybrid very closely, even to the smallest detail of change. Much to Missy's annoyance. Eventually, she came up with a conclusion: the hybrid potion was a success!
"It worked!! You are a hybrid! But I don't know, which one you drank..." Twilight didn't know, which version is the one.
"Twilight, do you remember the colors of the potions?" Starlight asked.
"I do! Green means temporary and purple means....oh dear. SHE DRANK THE PERMANENT ONE!!!!" The princess was in absolute shock and shouted. But since she was too close to Missy, she shoved the purple alicorn away.
"Get away from me!! Jesus Christ...." she growled.
"Uhm...how do you feel?" Zizrar asked to Missy, in which she responded: "Much smarter and more sassy. Since it's a permanent one, I have to get used to it. I mean, hell! I saved her life for crying out loud!"
Tensions rise between Johnny and Dukey and Sissy and Missy. Rainbow Dash and Applejack groaned.
"Okay, that's enough!" Twilight used her magic to separate the duos away.
"This has been quite an interesting afternoon." The General marked.
"Yep." The men in black agreed.
"Let's just go to sleep! It has been quite a messy day! Besides, we'll sort it out tomorrow." Jillian commented.
"Good point." Starlight agreed.
"Sweetie, I have put a dream catcher in your room, which would keep the bad dreams away." Sweet Serenity told to Johnny about the dream catcher.
"Not sure, if that would work.." Johnny was unsure.
"Princess Luna helped us creating that special dream catcher." Twilight noted.
"Besides, different world, different rules. Right?" Gil asked.
"We'll see about that." BBB answered.
"Hang on, where will we live?" Missy asked.
"We'll manage." Rarity answered.
"Let's all just hope for the nightmare to be over with..." Fluttershy hoped.
"We all do hope, Fluttershy. We all do." Dr. Beebles also hoped for a happy ending.
Meanwhile, in a maximum security prison in a different universe...
Everything was as usual. All prisoners were sleeping with the guards guarding them without any fail.
Suddenly, the alarm went off. The guards went to the cause, only to see two prisoners trying to escape.
"They're trying to escape! Stop right here!!!" A guard shouted and pointed his weapon at them. What they didn't know, is that their powers got increased somehow and managed to overpower the guards, knocking then off like bowling pins. They ran to a wall, breaking it through and soon, they escaped prison.
Why would they escape? What is their motive? I don't know, but I have an uneasy feeling about this.....
To be continued...
Author's Note
Hey, guys! Damn writers block...
For the upcoming Friendship Festival, I decided to replace Songbird Serenade with four stallions, based on Big Time Rush. Why? Well, Sia's movie "Music" gained a lot of controversy from the autism community, myself included. Not to mention, Sia herself was pretty much toxic to autistic people, which I definitely do not approve.
And also, I made Missy as an hybrid, because I wanted to change up the game. If Missy has a voice, I could imagine her being voiced by Romi Dames. Just saying.
Also, I made up some pony names for some.
Jillian = Natural Spark
For Gil , Brain Freezer and Mr. Harm, maybe you can come up with some. Maybe for Brain Freezer "Frozen Glacier?" Idk.
Johnny and the gang were slowly achieving peace in their new lives, despite the hiccups, not knowing that there is someone, managing to get to Equestria, alongside with an ancient evil returning...
Find out next time on Chapter 11: Reliving the Nightmare !
Chapter 11: Reliving the Nightmare
In the night of Ponyville, Johnny was still awake in his bed, looking at the dream catcher, that his new mom hung it up. At first, he was unsure if it would work, since if it was back in Porkbelly, it would be nothing but a gimmick. But since he is now in Equestria, where not only magic exists, but also in many forms, maybe it could work. Plus, it contained some magic from Princess Luna, who's basically watching over the dreams.
"Alright, here goes nothing." He looked at Dukey for one more time, before falling asleep. During which, the dream catcher emitted a soft glow, thanks to the magic.
Meanwhile, in Canterlot.
Luna was standing outside the balcony, praying that with the special dream catcher would help them sleep.
"I hope, this would work. I put a bit of my magic in it." Luna hoped.
And so, everything was quiet in Equestria. But little did anyone know, is a lingering force of ancient evil is hiding for a perfect time to strike...
In an different universe, the two prisoners were still on the run from the police, who were trying to arrest them again.
"Stop right there, criminals!!!" A cop was aiming a gun at them. The plan was not to shoot them, but only scare them off so much, they would stop. But since the duo wouldn't stop, he tried to shoot. However they dodged all of the bullets. It was at this point during the chase, that one of them threw a rock at one of the cops, hitting him in the head.
"Dick! We need reinforcements! Over!" The other male cop told to his communication device to the station.
As the chase went to the centre of the city, the two went faster and faster, while trying to shake off from the cops. On the other sides, the roads were blocked by a the police officers and the military.
"Attention, officers! Make sure, they don't cross over the barrier!" The chief's voice can be heard from the transmitter.
"Don't worry, chief. With all of our units, helicopters and barriers, there is no way for them to go under us, around or through us. Ha!" The officer was confident about the barrier. When they saw the runaway prisoners running towards them. They prepared their weapons, in hopes to make them stop. But to everyone's surprise and shock, the prisoners began to jump really high, even over the helicopters and especially dodging the blades. Eventually, they reached the other side and continued running.
"Well, at least they didn't go under, around or through us...heheheh." the police officer laughed nervously at the fail. Meanwhile, two police officers were sighing in disbelief, when the prison uniforms fell on them
"Ah jeez... We have to get them, while being naked..." He sighed.
"The chief would be thrilled about the situation.." The woman had a straight face.
In the police station..
"Uhm, Alpha 1 to base, the barrier didn't work at all." The voice of the officer can be heard from the communication system of the headquarters.
"What?! Don't tell me, they escaped!" The chief was furious, but a confirmation from the officer basically answered his question.
"Damn you, assholes! I'll get you, one way or another..." He slammed his fist on his table in anger.
Back to the chase, the prisoners were still running from the cops. At this point, even the helicopters were present to help the cops. The duo looked around for a way out. Hell, they even tried to slow them down by ripping off the fire hydrants and even throwing some rocks at them. It made them slow down a bit, but not enough. Eventually, they had to hide by jumping to bushes, while the cops were distracted. By the time, they got through the obstacles, the criminals were gone.
"Hey, where did they go?" A policewoman asked.
"I have no idea, pal." A male officer shrugged.
The police looked around the entire city for them, not knowing that the two had already vanished into the shadows.
As the morning sun arrived in Ponyville, everyone was awaken by the welcoming warmth and light. Including the family of Cosmic Blaze, who was waking up feeling fresh.
"Man, I'm charged for some fun!" The navy colt was smiling, when he went to his parents, who were preparing for breakfast.
"Good morning, Blaze!" High Velocity smiled.
"Morning, dad! I hope, my bro gets better." The little colt hoped.
"We all do. Your mother hung a dream catcher in his room as a way to help them." The neon pegasus responded.
Eventually, Johnny and Dukey came to the family, looking better.
"Morning, guys." The black pegasus yawned.
"Good morning, sweetie! Did the dream catcher help you with your sleep?" The baby blue unicorn mare asked.
"Surprisingly, it worked." Johnny responded.
"That great to hear. The magic from Princess Luna did bring some wonders." She smiled.
"However, we have to keep going on helping you. I mean the trauma is far from over." High Velocity reminded.
"We know." Dukey nodded and the duo sat down on the table for the breakfast.
After the breakfast, the duo put their scarfs on and went outside for a new day without nightmares. Meanwhile, Sissy and Missy were walking around. The blue pegasus mare was worried, since that fateful day.
"What's wrong?" Missy asked.
"I don't know, Missy...It's just...the guilt is still haunting me, ever since I watched the videos." Sissy sighed.
"Like that rich kid said, you wanted to redeem yourself. So, you need to take the first steps. Like asking a friend for advice." The hybrid suggested.
"I think, there was a pony named "Rarity". Maybe we should go to her." Missy said to her friend.
"Maybe.." the pegasus is thinking.
The two mares asked some ponies as of where Rarity lives and they responded, that she is working and living in the Carousel Boutique. And after given directions from the village residents, they arrived their destination: an elegant looking boutique.
"Wow. It surely looks interesting." The earth pony hybrid was stunned.
"I know right?" The pegasus agreed and knocked on the door. After a while of waiting, the door opened and Rarity went outside.
"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where all beautiful clothes be made in all elegance! How can I help you?" The white unicorn smiled.
"Uhm, Rarity...is that correct? I need some advice. To apologize Test for being a jerk and at least earn his forgiveness?" Sissy looked at the beautiful mare.
"Oh! You wanted to make amends and need my help! Of course I can. I mean, you told me about your story and I was appalled by Johnny's reaction!" Rarity groaned.
"Yeah, he acted like an asshole. That's for sure." Missy sighed.
"Please come inside." Rarity went inside with the ladies following shortly after. Inside of the boutique, the two were awestruck by the amount of beautiful dresses and suits.
"Whoa. You made those?" Missy asked.
"Of course, sweetie! It was made by the most beautiful fabrics and sparkling jewels! All made in the name of fashion!" Rarity was proud of her achievements.
"If there is a prom or something, I would imagine myself wearing a cool dress." The hybrid smiled. But Sissy had important matters to do.
"Anyway! I need help on apologising Test, okay!?" The pegasus mare was impatient.
"Okay, I will help you. But please be patient!" Rarity sighed in annoyance.
"You gotta need to work on your attitude and your patience, girl. I mean, jeez..." Missy commented about the blue mare's behaviour, which resulted in a sigh from her friend.
At the centre, Rarity used her magic to put a mirror in front of the blond mare. "Okay, try to exercise about your approach." She responded.
"Does that mean, talking to the mirror and pretend, it's Johnny?" Sissy asked. In which Rarity responded: "Of course. You need to at least try to let go from your fear, darling."
The pegasus mare took a deep breath and started to have a conversation in front of the mirror.
"Hey, Test. L-look, I know I did a lot of fuck-ups in my life and I didn't realise, that those would be your downfall, until it was too late..S..so, I just want to say is...I'm...I'm...uhm.." Unfortunately, it seems like Sissy is really struggling to say "I'm sorry". After all, she had a rivalry with Johnny back in Porkbelly and that rivalry alone caused some bad blood. After struggling for words, she groaned and stomped on the ground.
"Are you okay, darling?" Rarity was concerned, but Sissy just couldn't stop. It was around this time, that BBB came inside and when he witnessed Sissy eventually breaking down, the obese stallion sighed.
"Let me guess, still struggling to say 'I'm sorry', due to the bad blood?" He assumed, but received no answer from the pegasus. Not even Missy would give an answer, because much like her, she also had a rivalry with Dukey before, which means that the outcome was identical.
"Hmm...it seems like, those two have a problem. Miss Rarity, I think they need more help on overcoming the bad blood and their fears." He commented.
"Why do you think, Missy has the same problem?" Rarity asked out of curiosity, in which the snobby stallion replied: "Much like how Johnathan and his dog can be seen as brothers, those two also have a special bond like sisters. They pretty much do the same thing, which unfortunately includes the rivalry between the girls and the boys. I've known this, thanks to not only Johnathan, but also from spying. Don't ask. That was one from the past actions, involving about a girl, I will never mention here. Anyway, what I mean is their bad blood to the guys and the fact that it took so long, would make it harder for them for changes. So I suggest to get more help from your friends, so at least they can make this situation easier."
"You're right. I think, I need to tell my friends about the situation!" With those words, the curly-haired unicorn mare ran off, leaving the other mares looking down.
"Hey. It will get better. You just need to adjust yourselves." BBB told to the two for motivation, even though he was well aware about the problem and their silence. As to be expected, he heard sighs from the girls. So, he and Rarity have to work even harder.
In the skies, the black pegasus was soaring through the skies. Ever since his arrival and Rainbow teaching him, his skills got better. Now, he can fly without any problems...at least, what he sees. Twilight, who was watching with Rainbow Dash, knew that he has yet to work on a few kinks. Especially with his alicorn-like wings. Eventually, when Johnny landed on a cloud, Twilight had to judge his skills in order for him to improve.
"Your flying skills has since been improved, I'm impressed. You also got better with the basics and the balance. There is just one more thing, you really have to work on: And that is coordination. Especially with your unique wings." Twilight made a critic, while looking at his gradient wings.
"Buddy, I just want to fly. Not learning about shit like coordination.." Johnny groaned, but Rainbow Dash knew better.
"The thing is, coordination is key for perfect flying. I mean, I learnt that from the Wonderbolts. Otherwise, you would crash down. " Rainbow Dash commented about her experience. "Yeah, flying is cool and wanting to be fast is awesome, but you have to check on your ego. I learnt that the hard way. Trust me."
Johnny was confused. Not surprisingly really, since he is still a kid and he has yet to learn about maturity and the value of life. And the mares knew it well.
"You have a long way to learn about growing up, right?" Rainbow asked.
"No shit, Rainbow. I'm still a kid." Johnny shrugged.
"Don't worry. We will help you make your journey easier." Twilight smiled.
"Besides, if you have any problems, talk to us and we will squash them!" Rainbow smirked. That claim made the black pegasus laugh.
"You girls are surely quite nice, you know?" He scratched his head.
"Thanks!" Twilight giggled.
"Anyway, shall we continue on your training?" Rainbow asked, while spreading her wings.
"I can't say no to that!" He smirked and said the same thing. Together, the two pegasi flew off with Twilight watching.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Dukey was watching the skies with binoculars. He saw the two flying and smiled, knowing that they're one step closer to normality and peace. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie came out of nowhere and looked very close at the binoculars.
"Hi!" Pinkie Pie grinned. However that sudden appearance from the peppy pink pony caused the stallion hybrid to jump and fall to the ground on the back like a cat, who got scared by a cucumber.
"Pinkie, STOP!!! You nearly gave me a heart attack!!" He yelled, but that didn't phase the heroine of Laughter.
"Did I just scare you?" The pink earth pony was asking, while looking curious, much to his annoyance. "Isn't it that obvious?!?!" The hybrid didn't get over from that jumpscare.
"Alright, fellas! Y'all need to calm down." Applejack came to them with a giggle.
"I was just saying hi." Pinkie scratched her head, even though the hybrid didn't share her over-the-top optimism.
"Anyway, how y'all doing?" The southern pony asked to her friends.
"I was looking on the skies, since Johnny is currently flying." He grabbed his binoculars and looked up with it. The mares looked up as well.
"HI, RAINBOW DASH!!" She shouted loudly and joyfully in the sky, trying to get the prismatic mate's attention. It didn't work, but it caused anyone, passing by, looking at her awkwardly.
"Don't worry. She may be crazy, but her heart is in the right place, You'll get used to it." Applejack warmly smiled, knowing Pinkie Pie very well.
"We'll see." Dukey was a bit sceptical, but the southern earth pony assured him that everything will be fine.
On the other side of the town, the Brain Freezer was sitting alone on a bench, all while watching many happy couples. He signed, since he didn't have a special someone and even if he did have one, the relationship didn't even last long. It was around the time, that Zizrar and Fluttershy, who were having a conversation, came by, only to see the icy-blue unicorn in a somber mood.
"What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
"It's just...it hurts to be completely left out of everything, when it comes to love..." he sighed.
"Well, he told me about the problem a few days ago and I can relate. He didn't have a relationship for a while. And hell, he gave up on love a few times." Zizrar commented.
"Oh dear. I know, you had a hard time with relationships and finding a special pony, you would spend with her until the end of time. But I don't think, you would give up on love altogether. All you need is to keep looking until you'll find her." The butter yellow pegasus comforted the cold pony.
"Whatever..no matter how many cheesy comfort, I don't think, it will ever ha-" However, a sight would pause him from finishing his sentence. A sight, he would never forget: Walking around the market was a mare. A snow-white pegasus mare with emerald-green mane, ruby-red eyes and chains with icy-blue pearls around her hair. Her eyes had a similar shape like Fluttershy's. At that point, his usually ice cold heart became warm, hearts formed in his eyes and fell into a trance. It was official: Brain Freezer is now in love! All while Fluttershy and Zizraw were puzzled.
"Uhm, dude? You okay?" The mole king tried to snap his friend out, but it didn't work.
"Uhm...Zizrar? I think, he's in love." Fluttershy answered. When the mole asked who, she pointed to the snowy mare, who was buying some groceries.
"Thank you! Come again!" The shop mare waved and the pegasus smiled, walking off.
Meanwhile, Zizrar slapped the blue unicorn back to his senses. But he's still love struck.
"Have you seen this beautiful pony? She's wow!" The unicorn stallion smiled warmly.
"We know. " Fluttershy giggled.
"Maybe you should make the first move." The mole king shrugged, but that caused Brain Freezer to be filled with nervousness and panic. Obviously, he's never good with girls, because of his evil deeds in the past and having little to no experience. One time, he was honest and told a girl about his deeds back in Porkbelly, only to get tasered by her.
"The problem is, I'm terrible at love.." he shook in fear, but Fluttershy comforted him and said: "Don't worry, my friends and I will help you."
Those words have him some comfort, but not enough.
"Why not just try to be honest?" Zizrar suggested, but the unicorn shot down the idea by saying: "Already done that and that resulted in me and my ass getting shocked by a taser!"
"You know what...hey you!" Zizrar yelled at the surrounding, trying to get the mare's attention. She looked back confused.
"Are you talking about me?" She asked. The mole kind then replied: "Yes, someone wants to talk with you! This guy over here!" He pointed at the Brain Freezer. The thought of being looked by the mare with the fear of making mistakes caused him to panic and run off.
"Weird..." she scratched her head and flew off.
"Zizrar, you don't need to push your friend like this! He needs to be prepared first..." Fluttershy quietly scolded at the mole king and ran off to find Brain Freezer. Soon, the king soon followed suit, not knowing that they're being watched.
Back in the skies, Johnny was doing a good job so far. Soaring around the skies, dodging the clouds and even performed some loops and aileron rolls. All while following Rainbow's trail at the same time. Soon, he eventually managed to gain some speed to catch up with her. Rainbow was kinda surprised. I said kinda, since back then, he got so spooked by a hallucination of his demons so much, that he took off at great speeds. She had to fly at the opposite direction, in order to stop him, but that resulting clash caused an electric explosion. Now, he is in full control and with it, gaining more experience.
Twilight, Dukey, Applejack and Pinkie Pie watched the whole spectacle unfolding, while sitting on the ground. The peppy pony was eating popcorn, Dukey looked through his binoculars and Twilight noting the progress.
"I must say, he really got better overtime." Applejack commented.
"Indeed, Applejack. I'm also surprised, that he managed to catch up with Rainbow Dash. The only other pony to do that could be Pinkie." Twilight noted.
"Not surprising really, since he is quite a quick dude. Even before our move." Dukey scratched his head, all while Twilight was curious about the speed.
"Ooh! It's so exciting!" Pinkie jumped in joy. Everyone watched, as the pegasi flew around the skies, while catching more speed. While Rainbow is obviously the fastest flyer, that didn't stop the black pegasus. Oh no. In fact, when he gained so much speed, his body was surrounded by electrical sparks and a cone of air formed around him, indicating that he was about to break the sound barrier. But...since he is not as experienced as Rainbow Dash, at least not yet...he got launched in the opposite direction.
"Oh, crud! Hang on!!" Rainbow saw this happening and immediately dashed with high speed and caught the falling stallion. Because his body was still charged, the prismatic mare soon felt the surge and both fell.
"Johnny!" The hybrid shouted.
"Rainbow!" Applejack did the same.
"Hold on!" Twilight flew up and used her magic to catch them mid air, saving their lives. However, when she looked at Johnny, his body is still surrounded by the sparks.
"Wait....how in the name of Celestia did it happen!??!" Her jaw dropped and inspected this strange ability of his. "This is unbelievable... not only are you able to catch up with Rainbow and almost broke the sound barrier, but while you were gaining speed, your body was charging with electricity!"
"Say wha?" The black pegasus was surprised. He knew, that throughout his life before he moved to Equestria, he used to be experimented by those...girls. Does that mean, that his genetically-altered genes had manifested into powerful abilities, when he was turned into a pony?
"Hold the phone! He can do that?! That's so cool, but also strange." Rainbow commented.
"I know, right? It seems like, Johnny had something more than just alicorn wings, despite being a pegasus." Twilight thought. "However, your body needs to be discharged first."
"Not sure, how long I'm charged. Johnny shrugged. The mares were also puzzled. They waited for a few minutes, until his body was fully discharged and therefore, free of electricity. After which, Twilight flew down with the two, landing safely on the ground.
"This has to be one of the weirdest moments today so far." Applejack was puzzled. Dukey agreed with a silent nod, but at the same time, he had a theory in his head. Johnny's DNA has been mutated and altered too many times, thus showing them up in forms of magical abilities like super speed and lightning powers, so it got him thinking. Since Dukey was also mutated, maybe some of them were converted into magical powers as well.
"If Johnny has those powers, thanks to his DNA....does that mean it would apply the same to me?" He thought to himself.
"Hey, dorks!" A voice can be heard.
"Oh god...not again..." The hybrid immediately recognized the voice and sure enough, when he turned around, he saw Missy and Sissy.
"Hey! What did Rarity and that rich kid told us?" Sissy shouted.
"I know, I know...Setting things straight and make amends." Missy sighed.
"So what do you want?" Johnny was equally irritated as his pal.
"I know, that you wouldn't trust me and such and I get it...I didn't know, that I was partially responsible for the whole mess in your life, until we watched the videos. For years, our rivalry has caused so much disrepair, that coupled with all fo the shit, you've been through, that you burned all connection with Porkbelly and anything about your life before this. And all I want to say is....is..." Sissy still struggled to say "I'm sorry" to Johnny.
"You guys know, what she means...right?" The hybrid mare noted. After a while of silence, the guys turned their backs against them, indicating a sign of rejection.
"Hey, I wasn't done yet, Test!!" The dark blue mare soon got impatient, but Johnny responded with an angry glare. She tried to get his attention multiple times, but he ignored all of them. But eventually, he soon couldn't take it anymore and snapped.
"Why the hell should I ever forgive to you?!? All you did is just ignoring my chaos and only make it worse, like everyone else!!! And obviously, I can't trust anyone easily, because of this!!!" He yelled at the girls with Dukey agreed with his opinion. After all, he was also a victim to the cruel world and its people.
"Uhm, hello? She is trying to apologise, you asshole!!" Missy rebutted.
"Well, it was already too late then! We just can't trust you, after all you have done.." the hybrid stallion snarled.
This caused an argument between the two parties, that lasted so long. During which, Fluttershy came back and was suddenly intimidated by the situation, given that she was unaware of the moments before. In the end, before anything could escalate into something worse than it already is, Sissy and her best friend ran away. During which, they came across Rarity, who was about to check up on then.
"It's no use, Rarity!" The pegasus was filled with sadness.
"What?! What in the name of Celestia is going on!?" Rarity was shocked by that outcome.
"Well, the dudes just rejected us. Why wouldn't they just listen to us FOR ONCE?!?!?" Missy loudly yelled in the air.
This caused Rarity to pause in shock, before they continued running away. Soon, her shock turned to anger, when the white unicorn ran to the duo.
"Do you even realise, what you've done?!?!?!" The unicorn mare snapped and shouted at them.
"Is...is it over?" Fluttershy was still scared, when Rainbow Dash comforted her.
"That was just really rude, pal.." Applejack shook her head in disappointment.
"How could you just reject their apology?! They didn't mean to cause any harm!!" Rainbow yelled, but the guys were unphased.
"Why can't you understand, that they were too late to realize!?" Johnny stomped his hooves on the ground. "They didn't contribute in anything and didn't even care!!"
"Well, what about the hippogriff hybrids, Gil, Jillian or anyone, they came for you!? You forgave them a few days ago!!" Twilight reminded.
"They're a different story..." Dukey looked away.
"But still...the girls now feel remorse of their actions.." Fluttershy protested, even though it didn't convince them.
"Ugh, why are you guys so stubborn and moronic?!?!!" The prismatic mare lost her patience, after they refused to change their mind.
"Why did you girls never understand, how hard it is to trust anyone!??!" The guys yelled in unison.
"Would you excuse me, we're leaving." Dukey and his pal were about to leave, when Twilight used her magic to prevent them from moving anywhere.
"No! We will not allow you to leave, until you fix this mess NOW!" The alicorn mare protested.
"Let us go!" Johnny tried to break free, but failed, since Twilight made her magic stronger, thus trapping them in a state of paralysis. At this point, the other ponies looked at them with disappointment and outrage.
"You know what, you girls are really getting on my nerves!!" The black pegasus growled, all while his body is slowly charging with electricity.
"Hey! That's no way to talk to your friends like this!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
"I...said...LET ME GO!!!" Suddenly, Johnny unleashed a massive shockwave of electricity, breaking him and Dukey free from Twilight's magic and knocking everyone away. Dukey's fur was completely messed up and he was about to ask, when the black pegasus responded with: "No comment...Let's get outta here..."
With no objections, both left....
Soon, the mares woke up and looked around the damage, he caused. The shockwave was powerful enough to destroy buildings and had enough scale to reach the entirety of Ponyville.
"My hair!!!!" Rarity was appaled, that her hair was charged up.
"Can't believe, he was so rude to us!!" Rainbow felt betrayed.
"I know right, sugarcube." Applejack agreed.
"Did he just...?" Fluttershy was still shocked, but Twilight sadly responded with: "Yes, Fluttershy... It seems like, they...ended their friendship.. "
"But, I thought, we can help him..." Pinkie was sad.
Suddenly, the Mane 6 got surrounded by a golden aura of magic and dragged away into an alley, where a shadowy being waiting.
"We've been kidnapped! Somepony, help!!!!" Rarity was scared.
"You idiots!!! Don't you realize the full picture about his mental health!??!!" It turned out to be Eugene, who was really outraged.
"Wait, how did you know-" Pinkie was about to ask, but the obese unicorn interrupted with: "I watched it in the shadows."
"What do you mean by not getting the full picture? They were so rude to Sissy and Missy!" Rainbow shouted.
"Yeah. I know, that what they did was really irresponsible, but keep in mind, that his mental health is still in tatters. I mean, think about it....Twilight Sparkle...We all know, that the abuse and injustice had broken him severely and caused depression and anxiety. Do you know, what other feeling, that pain caused?" BBB stared at Twilight.
"Of course, I know! It also caused....wait...don't you mean, that he is also paranoid?" Twilight realized her mistake.
"Correct! You heard, that he can't trust anyone so easily. Especially to Sissy and Missy, given their record of...well...participating in the pain, thanks to the bad blood. Me, Gil and the agents were let off easily, because we gave him justice by exposing his former family about the dark truth. Plus, we did care for him in some degree or form. Same with Jillian, the former principal and a few former villains. That's not the case with the girls. At least back then..." He explained.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy was speechless.
"And as for you girls, as the supposed guardians of friendship and as for you, Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship, you should've known better by looking deeper to it, instead of blindly shouting at them. I am so disappointed in you..." BBB shook his head and teleported away, leaving the girls feeling guilty of what they've been done...
Inside of Twilight's castle, Starlight Glimmer was just looking around for Twilight for some talk. She looked around several rooms, but with no luck.
"Twilight? Twilight, where are you?" She asked. When the lavender mare went to the library, she didn't expect seeing Johnny and Dukey inside...but something was not right with them....They've become...silent.
"Uhm, guys...are you okay?" She asked, but...no response. "Hello?"
"What?!?!?" They shouted in unison.
"I was just wondering, why you're here." The lavender unicorn was a bit scared, but they simply looked away, much to her confusion. She then asked: "Why are you so angry all of a sudden? Did I just miss something?" But they refused to answer her question.
"Guys, I don't know, if I can help you, when you don't tell me, what's going on.." she sighed. "Like, did you get into an argument or something?"
Even though they didn't say anything, a nod from Dukey confirmed, that they were indeed in an argument.
"Ok...Did someone caused this argument or did it happen with each other?" She asked again.
"Starlight, would you stop questioning and leave us alone??" The hybrid yelled, causing the mare to back off a bit.
"I have no idea, what's gotten into them..." she thought to herself and left the library in order to look for Twilight. However during the search, she suddenly bumped into somepony.
"Ow!.. Are you okay, Twilight?" Starlight was rubbing her head and assumed, that she bumped into Twilight. But when the mare opened her eyes, it turns out, that it wasn't the Princess of Friendship. Instead, standing over there was an orange unicorn mare with red and yellow mane and teal eyes, who was also rubbing her head.
"Wait...Starlight, is that you?" The mare recognised Starlight.
"Sunset? What are you doing here?" Starlight instantly recognized the mare as Sunset Shimmer.
"Well, I decided to take a visit in Equestria, during the holidays." Sunset scratched her head. "Anyway, is Twilight here?"
"No. But, while I was searching for her, I found my other friends." The lavender mare remembered.
"Your other friends? Do you mean Twilight's friends?" Sunset asked. But Starlight responded by taking her to the library, where Johnny and Dukey were sitting. Needless to say, the orange mare was confused. "Uhm...who are they?" She asked.
"Well, I've met them a few days ago. Their names are known as Radiant Thunder and Coffee Paw respectively." Starlight explained.
"Are they new in Equestria? Why does one of them look weird and more importantly...What happened?" Sunset had so many questions.
"Uhm....about that..." Starlight was nervous. "They didn't originate from Equestria at all and there is a reason behind the move." She proceeded to explain her friend about their backstory of how they share the same pain, how they've been abused and such.
"What...?" The orange mare was speechless.
"It's a complicated story, Sunset... Even I had a hard time grasping on what's going on. Recently, they got into an argument with someone, but they refused to answer my questions. It's just....confusing." Starlight sighed.
The two mares went closer to the guys, where Sunset felt uneasy.
"Something tells me, that they never got over with the whole mess..." Sunset commented.
"They didn't...at least not yet." Starlight answered. "We're still helping them to overcome the trauma, even if they can be stubborn sometimes." Starlight sighed.
"Oh dear...is there a way to at least calm them down?" The orange mare was thinking of an idea.
"One moment, please." Starlight went off, leaving Sunset with the silent stallions. Not knowing what to do, she tried to talk about different topics, apart from the argument.
"Hi, my name is Sunset Shimmer. I'm quite curious, that Twilight made some interesting friends. So..uhm...how's your day?" She asked, but gets no response from them. "This is gonna be harder than I thought..."
Soon, the lavender came back with four cups filled with hot cocoa and marshmallows.
"I thought, this would make them feel better." Starlight commented and gave Sunset a cup and two for the duo. Smelling the sweet smell of hot cocoa and marshmallows, Johnny and Dukey immediately turned around and took the cups. Of course, being a hybrid makes it easy for Dukey, all while Johnny had to struggle. However, he had an idea. Before the argument and even before he met the others on that day, the black pegasus saw some pegasi doing more with their wings than just flying, like holding stuff. So, he decided to give it a shot and grabbed the cup with his wing.
"Huh. Never knew, that your wings can do that." Dukey commented.
"Well, ask the other pegasi. I basically learned it by just watching." Johnny shrugged.
They took a sip from their cups and thanks to the sweet and warm taste of the cocoa, the duo got better. Starlight smiled, since her plan did work after all.
"Maybe we should stop mentioning the argument, since...you know." Sunset whispered to the lavender mare's ear. The mare silently nodded, knowing way too well that it would make them grumpy again. She then proceeded to ask them in a normal tone with: "So, how's your new life in Equestria so far?"
"So far, so good. The beginning was a little bumpy, but we since got used to it. Although, sometimes some panic attacks happen." The hybrid explained.
"He is referring to their hallucinations of their demons and anxiety attacks." Starlight told to the orange mare about their struggles. "Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't bring them up, right?" She immediately apologised.
"Nah, it's fine. We already told Twilight and the others about that." The black pegasus scratched his head.
"That's good. Knowing the problems beforehand is instrumental on helping someone. I've been there before and so did a few others." Sunset smiled.
"Wait. What do you mean, you've been there before?" Dukey was confused, but the unicorn mare proceeded to tell her tale.
"You see, before Twilight came along, I was hungry for power and ambition. So much so, I could do anything to overthrow Princess Celestia and take the power by myself. And that's where her crown came to play. During the night, I stole it in the Crystal Kingdom and escaped into the human world. But, I lost the crown sometime later and it ended up in the school. Later, Twilight followed my trail. During which, a prom was held and I tried my best to win the position of prom queen. But her kind demeanor won the crowd over and eventually got her crown back. Being a sore loser I was, I threatened to destroy the portal and after some stuff happened, I finally got the crown. But by putting it on my head caused a powerful surge of negative magic surrounding in my body and I was turned into a she-demon, in which I used the powers to take everyone under my control and attempted to defeat her. But Twilight never gave up and with the newfound friendship with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the human world, managed to defeat me and undo the brainwashing. The defeat left me completely humiliated and at that point, I just wanted to leave and never come back...but Twilight offered me a second chance of friendship. Over the time, I was that hesitant since the incident had everyone hating me, so my confidence was at a low. That was until the Dazzlings appeared. Watching the fight unfold and with the girls losing to the sirens, I had to take action. My redemption and friendship with the others caused my destiny to change for the better. Since then, I became a guardian between the human world and this one, along with my new friends, including that world's Twilight." She told them about her past up until now.
"While in the subject of brainwashing, I am no stranger, when it comes to bad stuff in the past. Ranging from removing cutie marks, brainwashing a village of ponies and later messing up the timelines. Thankfully, Twilight taught me about friendship and since then, I am on a better path." Starlight recounted her past actions to the duo.
"Yikes. Good thing, that Twilight came into your lives. And as for messing up timelines, well Johnny and I are no strangers to that." Dukey scratched his head and even remembered the time, where they messed the timelines for fun.
"By the way, I'm also no stranger to bad stuff in the past, like blackmailing the girls, whom I never mention their names, for inventions. But that was because my mind was that chaotic. However, I fixed most of the mess, even though everyone continued to blame me." The black pegasus recounted the time, where due to his mental downfall, he did some bad stuff before.
"Well I guess, we all did some mistakes before." Sunset looked at them.
"But hey. Everyone makes mistakes, right?" Starlight asked and everyone laughed.
"Anyway, why do you decided to search for Twilight?" Dukey asked.
"Well, I wanted to talk with her about the future and such. Now that I mentioned it, maybe Twilight is outside. Would you excuse me, I'll go outside right now." The lavender unicorn once again left. This time, continuing her search for Twilight.
"So, anyway. Do you have any favorite hobbies?" Dukey asked to Sunset.
"I love to hang out with my friends and even play music with my guitar." Sunset smiled.
"That's awesome! Would you mind playing it for us?" Johnny grinned.
"Well, when I'm in the human world, yes. Maybe, you can visit me. Just go through the mirror over there and you arrived in the human world. It only opens every 30 moons." Sunset pointed at the mirror, that also acts like a portal.
"That got me thinking, what does 30 moons equal to a month or day or something?" The hybrid was wondering.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, it equals to-" However, before Sunset can answer his question, they suddenly heard Starlight screaming from afar.
"Starlight!!!" Sunset immediately ran off.
"What's happening?!" Dukey was panicked.
"I don't know, man! Let's go outside!" Johnny flew off with his best friend following him almost immediately. When they arrived in front of the main entrance, they saw the lavender unicorn frozen in fear and horror.
"Starlight, what's wrong?!" Sunset asked the poor unicorn, but Starlight didn't say anything. She just opened the door and pointed at what's happening outside: Everything was dark and the building were burning brightly. The skies have darkened as well with no moon or stars be seen. The ponies didn't even looked panicked, as if they fell into a spell. Everyone was horrified that Ponyville fell into total chaos.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!" The hybrid screamed in horror at the sight.
"I don't know! It was peaceful a minute ago and then this happened!" Johnny couldn't believe, that his new home fell into darkness.
"We have to warn Twilight!!" Sunset shouted.
"Right!" The three ponies agreed and the quartet soon ran. But as soon as ponies saw them, they began to chase the group relentlessly.
"Uhm, guys? I think, they're chasing us!" The black pegasus related the message to Sunset. Suddenly, more ponies appear and tried to corner them.
"Shoot!! Everyone, dodge!!" Sunset shouted. They got the message and began to dodge the ponies, trying to block them from running. They were everywhere, from left to right, there were even pegasi and unicorns up and down as well, but Starlight used her magic to break through the barriers. However, there were just too many ponies, so Starlight had to stop and create a magical barrier around herself and her friends from the brainwashed ponies. What's especially horrifying is that she recognized some of them. Especially the two ponies that caused the most horror: Trixie and Sunburst.
"No....Trixie!! Sunburst!!!" Starlight was in tears, when she shouted. She couldn't believe, that her friends would be controlled by a sinister force.
"Starlight, we need to get outta here! There's too many!!!" Dukey grabbed the unicorn mare and told her that they need to escape.
"He's right! The barrier can't hold it any longer!!" Sunset pointed at the barrier, which was forming cracks by the sheer amount of brainwashed ponies and non-ponies.
"I'm so sorry..." Starlight looked down and teleported herself, Johnny, Dukey and Sunset out of Ponyville and into a safe area. There, the lavender unicorn began to cry. Sunset Shimmer, her only friend who was not brainwashed, comforted her with a hug.
"I'm here, Starlight. I promise, that we'll free everyone and stop the individual, who caused all of this." The orange mare softly spoke.
"Do you have any clue, who did this?" Johnny asked, but his friend shook his head and shrugged.
"I swear, it's becoming like a literal nightmare!" Dukey shouted. The word "Nightmare" caused Sunset to freeze in shock.
"What's wrong? You okay?" The black stallion looked at the unicorn.
"No....it can't be.." she muttered.
"What? What do you mean??" The hybrid asked and at this point, the unicorn began to explain.
"I think, I know, who's responsible. Nightmare....." Sunset assumed.
"You mean like our nightmares?" The guys were confused, however Sunset shot down that claim with: "No. I'm talking about the creature, known as Nightmare. During my time in the school for gifted unicorns, Princess Celestia told me about a tale, where her sister got really jealous and left out, thus creating a new kind of dark magic. She soon infused it with her and thus, Nightmare Moon was born... Even after the banishment and subsequent defeat by Celestia , as well as Twilight and her friends years later, it's said that the creature is still around. I didn't know about the full tale until Twilight told me. There was also at one point, Nightmare had possessed one of her friends. They did free her from that creature, with the help of Princess Luna. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that it possessed somepony else."
"Don't say, it possessed Twilight!!!" Starlight was in disbelief!
"We don't know! It could be someone else!" Sunset rebutted.
"Sunset has a point. We don't know the possessed individual, but we have to stop it once and for all!" Dukey told the mare with a determined look.
"Uhm...guys...?" They heard Johnny speaking in a terrified voice.
"What?" The three ponies looked at him with confusion, but when the pegasus pointed at the direction, he's facing, the confusion quickly turned into horror in seconds. More possessed ponies. What's worse is, that among them was Gil, BBB, the men in black, Jillian, the General and the others.
"You did this...!" demonic voices can be heard.
"W-what?! Are you nuts?!" Johnny was in utter disbelief. What are they talking about?!?!
"Why are you saying stuff like this?" The hybrid shouted. But it fell on deaf ears. They continued to chant insults at the two, all while Starlight and Sunset used their magic to create a barrier around them.
"Stay back!!!" Sunset shouted at the ponies. They came closer and closer, all while the unicorns continued to strengthen the barrier.
More ponies arrived and tried to break the barrier, but with no avail. There was a moment of relief, knowing that they can sort the mess out. But it was short lived a magical dark mist in form of a pair of hands, slamming the barrier with full force, shattering it.
"No!" Starlight was even more horrified.
"Everyone, run!!!!" Sunset shouted and the four ran away, with the hands chasing them immediately. During the whole chase, they kept dodging the ponies, all while the hands were getting faster and faster.
"Shit!! They're getting faster!!" Johnny shouted. "If we can't out run them, then we're done for real!!"
"Guess, that there is one option left. Johnny, grab your friend and fly as fast as you can!!" Starlight suggested.
"What!?" The pegasus was shocked.
"Are you nuts?!?!" Dukey was appalled.
"JUST DO IT!!!!" The lavender mare loudly shouted. With no option, the pegasus began to fly and grabbed his best friend's paws. He flew really fast, but he can't outpace the hands of darkness.
"You know, what?!" Starlight shot a beam of magic directly at the duo, giving them a massive speed boost. It was a sacrifice, that was necessary to keep the guys safe, because shortly after that, Starlight and Sunset were grabbed by the hands and vanished into the void.
Meanwhile, the duo kept being pushed by the beam for a while, until it lost its power and faded away. After which, they crashed into a tree and fell to the ground.
"Ow..man..." Both were in pain. As they got up, there was no sign of any brainwashed pony or the hands.
"Wait! What about the girls?" We have to save them!!" Dukey was about to run, when Johnny grabbed him.
"It's no use! They were probably caught by the hands....Starlight did this just to save us, you know?" Johnny was also out of breath, since it took a lot of stamina. "We should take a break. I'm out of energy..."
"Wait, Johnny! What if the hands find us?!?" Dukey warned him about the possibility of being found by the sinister hands.
All while this was going on, evil laughter can be heard, along with haunting chants. Everything was too dark and without Starlight and Sunset, they can't see anything. The only light source they can use, are the flames, but even then, they can't go back. After all, they knew that Equestria is burning....
"I have a bad feeling about this..." the hybrid felt uneasy by the creepy atmosphere. Johnny agreed. It didn't help, that they're still wanted by either the ponies or the dark hands. So, they continued walking forward, even though it was all pitch black. All while, they felt a cold aura around them. After some time has passed, they reached a dead end.
"Shit..." Johnny sighed.
"Maybe, we should go either left or right." Dukey suggested.
"Which one is left?! I can't see shit!!" Johnny shouted.
"Maybe over there!" Dukey ran off with Johnny immediately following him. Neither of them don't want to be lost In the darkness. However, they reached another dead end.
"Oh come on!!" The guys shouted in unison.
"Maybe the other way?!" Johnny was getting really irritated right now.
"I don't know, but let's give it a shot!" The hybrid ran off again. Johnny tried to follow him, but tripped on a branch.
"Ow!! It hurts!!" He got up and tried to follow his friend's path, even though the pain slowed him down. Unfortunately, he stopped at yet another dead end. At this point, it felt like a trap or it could be that he is in a maze. He couldn't tell due to the darkness. Suddenly, he couldn't hear the voice of his best friend. Like something had silenced him...
"D-Dukey? Where are you??" His hooves were shaking, as he searched and looked around the area. He even tried to backtrack to the point before they reach the walls. But, the sight that greeted him sent chills down his spine. A red scarf with a diamond. With a horrified look on his face, he instantly recognized that of his friend and grabbed it with tears in his eyes...
"No! Dukey!!!! NOOO!!!!!" He screamed to the dark skies as loud as he could. It's official: Dukey has been taken by the darkness!! The black pegasus soon cried in fear and loss, since now...he is the only one...alone....in the darkness.
"No...it can't be..." he still cried out, while tightly hugging Dukey's scarf. As he was grieving, he didn't realise something behind him, until it was too late....Suddenly, the pegasus got grabbed by the dark hand.
"No!!! Let me go!!!!" He kept screaming in tears, but it tightly squeezed the trapped pegasus for a short while, leaving him gasping for air. The dark magic kept stinging his body like needles, all while the torture kept going. Soon, it went inside to the void, all while Johnny's screams of horror can be heard...the last thing, we hear before everything was silenced....
Everything was completely dark.....
Soon, voices of ponies calling someone out by name can be faintly heard...
"Johnny! Johnny! Wake up!!"
As soon the eyes were opened, we see Dukey, Starlight and Sunset looking worried. The black pegasus was still dazed from the ordeal...
"Ugh...Dukey? Girls?.. You're alive..." the faintly smiled.
"I'll get you up, buddy." The hybrid picked his best friend up.
"Where are we?" The pegasus asked the girls.
"We're in...somesort of a dark chamber." Sunset answered.
Everyone was freezing, because of the chamber and it's cold temperatures. When the group looked back, they saw Twilight and her friends, also freezing.
"Twilight! Thank goodness, you're okay!" The lavender unicorn tightly hugged the purple alicorn. "We were worried about you..."
"What in the name of tarnation is goin' on here? Everything was fine a while ago, when all of a sudden, the skies got dark!" Applejack demanded answers.
"I think, I know, who is responsible...and you probably won't like the answer, I'm about to give it to you.....it's Nightmare..." Sunset answered with a sigh. Everyone was shocked.
"Wait! Nightmare?!?!" Rainbow Dash was really shocked.
"How did it come back?? I thought, we destroyed it a long time ago!!" Twilight was in disbelief.
"We have no idea." Starlight looked down.
"It's so cold..." Fluttershy was shivering.
"I know, right? It's unbearable.." Johnny agreed, while shivering.
"I wish, we had some winter clothes on... The cold is just unacceptable!!!" Rarity yelled.
"I mean, at least we have each other....Right?" Pinkie smiled, despite the cold.
"Johnny...I need to tell you something..." Twilight went to the pegasus.
"Let me guess...is it about the argument between Sissy and Missy and me and Dukey?" Johnny assumed.
"Yes...we didn't know, that you were also paranoid and that it was hard to trust them, because of the bad blood...We're sorry for not looking into this further.." Twilight apologized.
"No...I'm the one, who should be sorry....I was just too carried away with my feelings and my trauma...not knowing, that they were genuine about that..." Johnny looked down.
"Correction, WE should be sorry about the whole chaos....I also got carried away in my rage...." Dukey corrected. He too felt responsible for the whole fallout.
"And also...I'm sorry for all the stupid things, I told you today...Damn, I feel like an idiot..." the black pegasus had a look of regret on his face, when he and his friend got pulled into group hug by Pinkie Pie and the others.
"It's okay. Given that I had a similar experience before, I forgive you." Twilight warmly smiled, which gave the stallions at least a second chance of friendship. Soon, Starlight and Sunset joined in the group hug as well. However, Twilight is worried about a different matter. It's about her dragon friend, Spike. He too is missing.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. In which the purple mare responded with: "I'm worried about Spike. What if Nightmare did something to him!?"
"Speaking of which..." Applejack pointed at the mist coming at them, which obscured all sight.
"Girls, are you still here?!?!" Twilight shouted.
"We are still here!" Rainbow can be heard shouting, but she couldn't see her.
Meanwhile, Johnny was looking around the dark mist, where he found his best friend. They immediately hugged, but soon felt a sinister aura around them.
"I don't want to die in the darkness!!" The hybrid shouted.
"Same here!" Johnny agreed.
Soon, they got knocked out by an unseen force....
The two woke up in a ruined castle, where the only light sources were torches. They tried to move, but realized that the hands had trapped them.
"Damn it! Can this day get any worse!?" Johnny shouted in the air, when they saw the Mane 6, trapped.
"Do you really have to ask that!??!?!" Dukey shouted at the pegasus. Back then, when someone asked that question, of course things would get worse.
"Hey! You okay?!" Johnny asked the girls, but they didn't respond to anything. Meanwhile, two pairs of glowing eyes can be seen. They looked around until they locked their eyes at Twilight and her friends, who were afraid. A magical aura soon grabbed the six and pulled them inside the void. Screams of horror and pain can be heard, all while Johnny and Dukey had to helplessly witness the whole agony. Soon, the six came out, but now, they've now brainwashed, like everyone else. They screamed in horror at the sight, because they lost their friends from that vile creature.
"Wait! Sunset! Starlight!! Where are you!?" Dukey kept asking about their location, when he heard a voice, calling out: "We're over there!!"
On the left, they saw the unicorn mares tied up on poles.
"Twilight...no..." Sunset was in tears, when she too witnessed the horrible creature now controlling her friend. Eventually, Johnny just couldn't take it anymore and shouted at the glowing eyes with: "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!?!?!?!" Soon...he heard a voice.
"Hello, Johnny~"
"Wait, how do you know my name?" The pegasus was surprised, that the creatures knew his name.
"We haven't forgotten about you and Dukey."
"What's going on!??!" Dukey was panicked that they knew his name as well. Another response can be heard:
"What? We can't play with our favourite lab rat and your mutt?"
"What are you talking about? I can't remember that-" However, Johnny was interrupted by the second voice:
"What? You don't remember us?? How dare you..."
It was unsettling. How did these creatures know them? As if they were a part of their lives before? Soon, the hybrid asked an important question: "Like I said, who are you?? Show yourself!!" After a while of silence, Johnny yelled: "Just answer the damn question!!" Finally, the voice responded:
"And we thought, we were still siblings...Johnny Test....and as for you, Dukey...Very well..."
Soon, from the glowing eyes, two tall and dark unicorns appeared out of the shadows. Both have dark silver blue armor and long and dark red manes with a dark fade and sparkles. With their sharp teeth and evil eyes, they stared at the helpless stallions. This is where it hit them extremely hard: Those evil mares looked very familiar, even though they wanted to forget their faces....And that's because the pair of ponies are none other the forbidden sisters, Susan and Mary!!
"Have you missed us?" The dark blue unicorn laughed evilly.
"No...This can't be!! I thought, you were arrested! Like staying In prison or something, HOW DID YOU GET HERE!?!?!?" The pegasus was in utter disbelief, that his former sisters had somehow found a way to go to Equestria.
"Wait, you know them?!" Starlight was shocked, that Johnny knew them. But the hybrid had a somber look, when he replied with: "Unfortunately...yes... We do....much to our dismay..."
"Well, congratulations, Einstein! You now realized the truth!" The dark yellow unicorn snarled.
"Whatever you do, Nightmare...your plan of taking over Equestria will never succeed!!" Starlight shouted.
"Is that so?? Some wishful thinking from a pathetic pony...Once we get rid of you, we'll make this world into a personal laboratory of darkness...FOREVER!!!!" Nightmare Susan laughed, as her voice echoed the entire area.
"But wait, my dear sister...Why not just play with our boys for a while, before we destroy them and conquer this world...?" Nightmare Mary smirked.
"Right...we haven't played with them for a long long time...How about....hmmm..Making their nightmares into reality?" The dark blue unicorn looked at her sister.
"Good idea. Prepare for your worst nightmares to become reality!! It's gonna be fun for us, watching you suffer..." the dark yellow pony cackled, as she used her dark magic to surround the guys in a dark void.
"What are you doing?! Stop!!" The two shouted in the darkness, but no answer came. However, dark ponies soon became closer and chant out their crimes from the past and how they didn't forget them, referring their former lives in Porkbelly. It was horrific, but for Johnny...it was absolute torture incarnate. Every single moment from his nightmares soon came to life. From the insults, being paralyzed in fear, bringing up the mistakes, that wasn't his fault and the demons...Oh boy, the demons...They emerge as demonic versions of people from his former world: the bullies, the villains, the citizens and finally, his former parents... All towering the poor ponies, who were frozen in fear and dread. All while the nightmare sisters watched on their thrones, drinking their cups of their victims' tears.
"Ah yes.. the perfect amount of salt and despair." Nightmare Susan smiled.
"Quite an excellent combo, isn't it right, sister?" Nightmare Mary looked at the dark blue unicorn.
"Why, yes~" She smirked, while enjoying the torture from above.
They continued the torture of their former brother and dog with their twisted spells and illusions. The demons kept attacking them, both mentally and physically, as the people kept punching and kicking them. They kept screaming and crying for mercy, but for the sisters, it was like music in their ears.
"Ugh! I can't hear the music loud enough!!" Nightmare Mary was annoyed.
"Let me help you with that~" Nightmare Susan used a spell to amplify the noise. Soon, they heard the sounds of despair loud and clear. So loud, that it can be heard around the entirety of Equestria.
"Much better~" The dark yellow unicorn was satisfied.
Soon, Starlight and Sunset heard their cries of pain. It was painful to listen.
"Johnny...Dukey...." Starlight was in tears.
"No...I can't allow it!!!" The orange mare struggled to break free from the chains, but they were so tight, that any escape would be impossible. Even when she tried to use her magic to break the chains, they wouldn't budge a single bit. "Damnit!! I can't just stand there!!!"
"Sunset...." the lavender mare looked at her friend struggling to break free from the chains. It showed, that she had enough courage and determination to stop the nightmare once and for all.
Back to the void of nightmares, the nightmare sisters kept laughing, as Johnny and Dukey struggled against the monsters, as if they watched a dark and twisted comedy. However, the next chapter of their torture was about to begin: The stallions hot lifted up by a dark aura and gave them the worst pains ever. Albeit indirectly, as they used some voodoo dolls to cause harm to their victims. At this point, they were at the point of absolute pain and it became worse as they where smashed to the ground hard, like someone getting punched by a supervillain.
"I think, that's enough fun. Shall we?" Nightmare Susan stood up and floated with her unicorn magic.
"Sure. It should better be quick, because we have so many plans for Equestria to build." Nightmare Mary was impatient and floated down as well.
"Yeah, I know, my dear sister...You are so eager to start the experiments. I can relate with that. I'm sorry, guys. But I think, it is time for your demise! We had so much fun, while it lasted!~" The twisted blue unicorn laughed.
"Any last words?" The dark yellow unicorn leaned towards an injured Johnny.
"No...more..." he whispered in pain.
"Is that all? Don't worry, we will put you out of your misery right here, right now!" The sisters charged their horns up for a deadly spell. At that point, it's over...the two were just too injured to even move. Plus, the torture had basically broke them severely. So, might as well accept their fates and die then....But then....
"Don't give up just yet!!"
A light blue orb of light surrounded the injured stallions, however the sister can't see them.
"Y'all better fight against those rotten apples and stand up!"
"Don't listen to those ruffians! You are better than them!"
"Just ignore all the neighsayers and stay positive, no matter what!"
"You need to get out of the darkness and shine brighter than ever before!"
Four more orbs of light surround them, all shining as brightly as possible. And finally:
"You're almost there! Don't give up your progress, that you've worked hard for! Stand up and defeat your demons with your newfound friendship and courage!"
Finally, a purple orb came down and joined with the other orbs of light. They wanted the two to keep fighting.
"How...it's just too much..." the black pegasus was in so much pain.
"It's just useless-" But the hybrid was interrupted by the blue orb.
"Don't say that! Come on, you are better than these monsters!! All you need is to remember your original purpose!"
"Think about it, you always wanted a happy life, free from your demons. And despite all of the trials and tribulations, you openly confessed your problems to anyone! You have to keep going! Be more open and brave!"
"Remember and treasure your amazing moments! They will always brighten up your mood!"
"Because...true friends are always there for you."
"With Honesty..."
"...Kindness..."
"...Laughter!..."
"...Generosity..."
"...Loyalty!..."
"...and finally...Magic...Believe in yourselves and together..."
"You will overcome every obstacle! For a better future!!"
The colourful orbs of light soon formed a circle around them in a break neck speed and eventually went inside them, where their bodies began to glow.
"Sayonara, dorks!" The sisters together fired a beam of deadly magic at them; causing a gigantic explosion with the smoke covering the entire area. They laughed evilly, since they succeeded to kill them....or did they? Because when the smoke was settled, not only were Johnny and Dukey alive and well, but also charged up!
"What?! That's impossible!!! You should've been dead!!!" The sisters were shocked by that sudden miracle.
"Sorry for bursting your bubble, but I'm afraid that your show has been cancelled!" The guys were filled with enough magical powers to match the sisters on an equal level, if not better. They immediately jumped forward to their direction and head butted the nightmares out of the void and back to the castle.
"Guys! You're alive! Thank goodness!" Starlight was overjoyed by their marvellous return.
"And wow, you look really powerful and determined!" Sunset smiled.
"Thanks, ladies!" The hybrid winked and broke the chains, freeing the unicorn mares.
["His World" starts playing]
"Why, you little..!?" The sisters were outraged and sent the brainwashed Mane 6 forward.
"Okay, everyone. It's time to get serious!" Johnny prepared for the attack and so did the three ponies. "Ready?"
"Ready!" The three ponies had determined and serious looks on their faces, ready to fight them with their magical powers.
"GET THEM!!" The sisters ordered the Mane 6 to attack and so did the quartet. An epic fight as begun.
Starlight used her magic to defend herself against a brainwashed Twilight and Rarity, who were trying to attack her. However, the lavender unicorn dodged their magical beams and unleashed her beam at them, pushing them to the wall hard. But that didn't stop the white and purple mares and charge for an attack, but Starlight smirked and blocked all of them.
Meanwhile, Sunset was fighting against a brainwashed Pinkie Pie and Applejack, who were using their tricks against her. She dodged all of them except a surprise attack from Pinkie with her canon, knocking her to the ground.
"Don't give up, Sunset! We believe in you!!" Starlight shouted, while fending off against her brainwashed friends. This gave the orange unicorn enough determination and confidence to charge her horn up and unleash a shockwave, pushing them away from them far away.
"Yeah! That's more like it!" she smirked and proceeded to dodge and counter all of the upcoming attacks of the earth ponies with her magic, eventually throwing them away to a wall.
Up in the air, Rainbow and Fluttershy were chasing Johnny, who performed some maneuvers to shake them off. The prismatic mare was so close to catch when all of a sudden, he took a sharp turn and kicked her hard to the ground. Fluttershy tried to bite him, but the black pegasus soon grabbed her by the hair.
"Hey, Dukey! She's all yours!" She threw the yellow pegasus to the hybrid, who proceeded to spin her around by the tail and threw her to the sisters.
"So long-a-suckers!!" He shouted, but the sisters halted Fluttershy with their magic and summoned more of the brainwashed ponies and non-ponies, including Shining Armor and Discord. The four ponies group together for an all-out brawl. The crowd jumped on them, but the four kicked, threw or used their abilities to kick more ass, breaking free from the swarm of brainwashed ponies. The Nightmares soon got out the brainwashed group of Johnny's other friends, including a brainwashed Spike.
"Step aside, I got this!" The black pegasus used his electrical abilities to create a terrain around him that anyone enters it, would get the shock.
Meanwhile, Starlight and Sunset used their magic to grab the Mane 6 and Spike and unleashed a powerful spell at them. This caused the brainwashing to be undone, freeing Twilight and her friends.
"Ugh...Starlight, Sunset? What's going on?" Twilight was dazed.
"It's a long story, Twilight. But now, we have to stop Nightmare once for all. Ready for an awesome fight?" Sunset smirked.
"Okay! Every pony, you know what to do!" Twilight looked at her friends and they nodded with determination, ready for the battle.
"Let's do this!" Rainbow Dash smirked.
The Mane 8 charged through the crowds, using their magic, animals, kicks and party cannons to knock them away. Meanwhile Dukey jumped up and landed on his hooves, causing an earthquake that tumbled the group into the group. After which, he had his claws ready, now glowing from the power within. He dashed through them with his claws, attacking every single one of them.
And as for Johnny, he flew up far to the dark skies with the lightning on his body and the magic of his friends being his only light source.
"Here goes nothing!" He smirked and started to dash through the skies, gaining more and more speed, as he continued flying. As he got faster, more lightning surrounded his body and the air formed a cone around him. Last time, he was a bit inexperienced and distracted, but now with enough confidence, he decided to give it all, he got. As he reached terminal velocity, the cone around him got tighter and tighter, until eventually, he managed to create something amazing.
The black pegasus broke the sound barrier and created a sonic boom, similar to Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom. But unlike Rainbow's version, the flare ring didn't contain the colors of the rainbow and instead bears the colors of the flames. His body became even more electrified and left a trail of magical flames behind. This variation lightened up the otherwise darkened sky and the flames continued to burn for a while. He soon dashed through the walls and knocked out everyone at light speed. Rainbow was shocked by the sight and when she looked at the skies, the flare ring and the flames and lightning trail can be seen.
"Did....did he just create his own version of the Sonic Rainboom??!!" Her jaw dropped by that event.
"Indeed he did, Rainbow. Indeed he did." Applejack nodded, while putting Rainbow's jaw back up.
"Ugh! Get them, princesses!!" Nightmare Susan sent out the brainwashed Princesses, including Flurry Heart to attack. The four alicorns combined their beams into one and aimed at them. But Twilight, Rarity, Starlight and Sunset did the same thing by combing their most powerful spells into one and unleash a powerful beam, causing the two beams to clash each other, trying to get the dominance. Eventually, the magic of of Twilight and the three unicorns, coupled with the magic of friendship broke through the beam and hit Celestia, Luna and Cadence. Then, Twilight used her magic to subdue her niece and stop her from using magic.
"Ugh! Fine! We'll just destroy you by ourselves!" The sisters used their magic beams, but the group dodges all of the beams. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared behind them.
"Surprise!!" She used her party cannon to shoot powerful confetti at the sisters, knocking them from their thrones and into the centre. Then Fluttershy used her animals to attack them, followed by Twilight, Rarity, Starlight and Sunset using their magic beams to shoot them up, Dukey and Applejack kicking them to the diagonal direction and finally finishing with Rainbow and Johnny performing a double kick to knock the sisters down.
"You imbeciles..!" Nightmare Mary coughed.
"You are pathetic and weak!!" Nightmare Susan shouted.
"Shut up and admit defeat, bitch." Johnny was not threatened at all by them.
"Okay, my friends! Let's unleash the magic of friendship!" Twilight flew up.
"Right!" Her friends took their positions and grabbed their hooves to form a circle. Suddenly, Johnny, Dukey, Starlight and Sunset started to glow and float as well.
"Whoa! We're joining into the climax!" Dukey was surprised, but also excited at the same time.
"I know, right?" Starlight and Sunset were as equally surprised as he was.
"Alright, you demons! This is the end of the line for you! And together..." Johnny looked at them and together with his friends:
"We will end the reign of tyranny once and for all!!"
Together, they unleashed a powerful rainbow, charged with other magical abilities from the quartet and although the sisters tried to push it away with their dark magic, it was a fruitless effort and the rainbow hit the two mares at full force, screaming in defeat, as the area got brighter and brighter. Finally, Twilight and all of her friends unleashed a powerful spell to undo the brainwashing spell and bring the light back to the skies.
[End of "His World"]
After the bright glow, the sun had returned to the skies, brighten up the days once again. Inside of the castle, Twilight and the others woke up and saw everything is back to normal now.
"Twilight!!" The purple dragon hugged the mare tightly. "I was so scared by the darkness!"
"It's okay, Spike. It's all over now." Twilight warmly smiled.
"That...was...the BEST ADVENTURE EVER!!!!" Pinkie jumped up in joy.
"Indeed, it was." Dukey smiled, who is starting to get used to her crazy personality.
"I'm so glad, that this is all over with. I mean, we were on the edge the entire time." Sunset scratched her head.
"Same here." Starlight agreed.
The group heard the sounds of other ponies waking up and being confused of what happened.
"Oh man...What just happened...?" Jillian was dazed.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie has no idea of the events beforehand..." Trixie was dizzy from the whole event and tripped from a random pony.
"I feel like, I've been drunk hard..." Mr. Black rubbed his head.
"Same. That or we've been high on something.." Mr. White assumed. Eventually, both agreed, that they felt like, they were high and drunk at the same time.
"Ow, my head...." Scootaloo felt like, she was spun out.
"I feel like, I was knocked out by a wrestler, dude...." Gil was trying to balance himself from the dizziness.
"Or being hit by a monster truck..." BBB fell down from the dizzying experience.
"What in the name of Equestria is going on..?" Princess Celestia was rubbing her head.
"Okay, everyone! I know, that a lot of you are confused of what was happening. But I'll explain the events and how we solved it." Starlight proceeded to explain their ordeal against Nightmare, the fight against the sisters and the eventual defeat with the magic of friendship.
"Well, that would explain, why everything became dark around us and then bam! Knocked out!" Zizrar noted.
"Except...who did Nightmare possess?" Celestia asked.
"We'll give you a strong hint." Dukey pointed at the ponies, whom Nightmare possessed: two unicorn mares, one being light blue and the other beige. Both have red hair and tail, glasses and hair clips. One of the ponies has a special ponytail and it's the same on her tail too. Both were laying unconscious.
"Oh....it's them ..." BBB was not happy to see them.
"Can't believe, that they escaped prison, just to commit another crime." The men in black face palmed.
Gil on the other hand...was horrified, like he was having war flashbacks. Not surprising really, since they tried to murder him.
"Do you know them?" Jillian asked, but the aqua earth pony immediately hid behind one of the ponies. "Ah, jeez..."
"Wait...aren't those the girls from the video?" Sissy asked.
"Unfortunately yes." The former principal and Dr. Beebles nodded.
"God, I just want to freeze them solid, then smash them into little pieces..." The Brain Freezer was outraged, but that suggestion backed everyone off.
"What? Too graphic?" He was confused.
"Uhm...no? Not only is it wrong to do so, but that also wouldn't count as justice." BBB glared at the ice pony.
Suddenly, the castle began to crumble, as the essence of Nightmare resurgence in its physical form.
"Everypony, run!!" Princess Celestia ordered the citizens to leave the castle immediately and they did, leaving the princesses, the Mane 8, Johnny, Dukey, Spike and the unconscious sisters inside.
"It's..far from over!! I'll be back and continue spreading darkness throughout Equestria!" It spoke in a creepy voice and caused destruction. It soon got fixated on Twilight and her friends and jumped in an attempt to capture and possess them.
"Oh no, you don't!!" Princess Luna used her magic to protect them. "You will never get your evil hooves on them!"
"It's over, Nightmare... " Celestia glared at the creature. "Twilight. You know, what to do."
"I got it." Twilight nodded and once again, formed a formation with her friends. This time, Johnny, Dukey, Starlight and Sunset watched from the scenes, as the princesses and the Guardians of Friendship created a powerful spell and unleashing the rainbow at the creature, banishing it from Equestria. However, that didn't stop the castle from collapsing.
"The castle!!" Twilight watched, as the castle, where Celestia and Luna once resided, was now falling apart.
"We don't have much time, Twilight. We have to get out now!" Celestia told to Twilight, that the castle just can't be saved. The royal sisters used their magic to teleport everyone, including the twins and themselves out of the castle, only to watch, as the former Castle of the Two Sisters crumbled apart into millions of pieces. It was around this time, that the sisters woke up. But the sight, that greeted them was not friendly at all. Everyone looked at them angrily.
"You monsters!! Look what you've done!!!" A stallion yelled at them because of the damage, they've caused.
"Even though they were possessed, when the land was in ruins, that doesn't excuse the fact, that they drove these two ponies into severe depression and anxiety. One of them even attempted suicide! So an appropriate punishment is necessary. Guards!" Princess Celestia called her guards and ordered them to arrest the sisters. Suddenly, the sisters began to run away from the guards.
"Not so fast!" Starlight used her magic to stop the two mares. The twins tried to break free, even resorting to unicorn magic to stop it. But the lavender mare strengthened her magic to make an escape attempt impossible. But the clash between Starlight and the sisters caused them to be pushed away. While Starlight crashed to a nearby wall, Susan and Mary eventually fell on Sunset, who was trying to stop them.
"Ow...." Sunset was hurt by the hit and attempted to get back up. However when she touched each of the sisters' arms, her eyes started to glow white. While this was going on, the guards used their magic to get the sisters away from the orange unicorn, thus bringing her back to reality.
"Alright, you criminals. Your time is up!" One guard commented and they took the girls away to the Tartarus.
"Hey, Test!" Sissy ran towards the black pegasus.
"Let me guess, you want to apologise for your errors?" He guessed.
"Wait, how did you-" the blue pegasus was confused.
"Well, Twilight proved me a point. And that is not to be a paranoid jackass. Look, we're sorry for not accepting your apology. My mind was that chaotic." Johnny apologized.
"Well, OUR minds were chaotic, that's for sure." Dukey looked down.
"You see, they're still paranoid and they find it difficult to fully trust anyone. Trust me, if you learned one or two things about psychology, you should know that abuse, bullying and other stuff would traumatize someone." BBB explained to the mares.
"He has a point." Missy replied.
"Well, we were really acted like jackasses.." Johnny scratched his head
"Uhm. Missy and I are the actual jackasses, Test." Sissy corrected.
"Actually, all four of us are jackasses in different ways. I mean, we fuck up stuff all the time." Missy pointed out.
"Fair enough." The others agreed.
"See, nopony is flawless. And that is what makes each of us special." Twilight explained.
"Anyway, we accept your apology." They smile.
"Thank god, it's over. I can now restart our lives with a clean slate." The blue pegasus mare was relieved.
"Aren't we all?" The group laughed and everyone was happy that peace has returned to Equestria. They just need to repair the world and voila!
Everyone was happy....except for Sunset Shimmer.
Ever since she touched their arms, she saw something unbelievable. Something, that she would never forget. However nobody paid attention to her, except Starlight, who was confused.
"Sunset, what's wrong?" She asked.
"I've seen something in their heads...that was even more complicated..." the orange mare responded.
"What? What did you see?" Starlight was a bit curious.
"Well...it's difficult. I mean, the moments, I saw clearly were the demons, the chains and the blood. Anything else is a...blur." She tried to explain Starlight about what she saw.
"Wait. Doesn't sound like the same thing, that the guys had? Why would the girls have those thoughts in their head, like they were begging for help?" Starlight wanted answers, but Sunset didn't know it clearly.
"I..I don't know...ugh...this story is getting even more complicated than it already is..." the orange mare signed.
"Oh, jeez..." Starlight was a bit worried. For them, even more questions popped up, thanks to the sisters' arrival. Like what is going on in their heads? Why did they allow Nightmare to possess them and more importantly: Why would they go to Equestria?
Those are the questions, that the unicorn duo has to find out soon....
To be continued...
Author's Note
Phew! Back with the longest chapter so far.
I'm not sure, if I can survive here, since Article 17 would arrive at June 7th in Europe, but I'll try my best to manage the story! Maybe with a VPN?
Also, I picked "His World" because it just fits.
After Susan and Mary were arrested and taken to the Tartarus, Sunset's Empathy ability caused her to see in their heads, which caused even more confusion to her.
Now she and Starlight had to get to the bottom of this ever complicated story by finding the sisters and personally ask them about their side of the story...but it will be not as easy, as they would think..
Find our next time on "Chapter 12: The Burning Chains "!
Chapter 12: The Burning Chains
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Chapter 13: A Glimmer of Courage
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Chapter 14: Struck by Karma
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: Finding a new Purpose
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: Adjusting the new Human Life
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: Flickering Voices
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: Sorrowful Loss
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: Grieving in the Rain
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: The Dark Galaxy
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Side Story: Ending the Nightmares
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Prolouge
"Many people see me as cool and energetic, gung-go and awesome. They think, I can endure anything and stay cool. But...little did they know, that there is a different side of me...A more painful side...Think of it as...a broken side. You may ask: Why is it here and what happened? Well, I'm gonna tell you just that...My name is Johnny Test and this is my story..."
Lumi-Infinite64 presents:
Based on stories and characters by Lauren Faust and Scott Fellows
The Road of Courage
James Arnold Taylor as Johnny Test
Trevor Devall as Dukey
Marÿke Hendrikse as Susan Test
Brittney Wilson as Mary Test
Tara Strong as Princess Twilight Sparkle
Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash and Applejack
Andrea Libman as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy
Tabitha St Germain as Rarity and Princess Luna
Kelly Sheridan as Starlight Glimmer
Kathleen Barr as Trixie
Cathy Wesluck as Spike
Rebecca Shoichet as Sunset Shimmer
Nicole Oliver as Princess Celestia
Britt Mckillip as Princess Cadence
Etc.
It was a day, like any other in Porkbelly. The citizens are doing their usual businesses like always. Even if they experienced one too many disasters. Some from villains, others from rouge inventions. And there were times, it fell victim to alien attacks.
In a place, called „Porkbelly Junior High“, it was like hell for many kids. Bullies, tests, mean teachers, you name it. One of them is an 11-year old boy with hair, that resembles fire. He was chased by a group of bullies. Apparently the bullies got pissed for no apparent reason.
„We're not done, Test! Come here!“ the leader of the bullies yelled.
„Never!“ the boy replied, as he continued running.
The chase kept going through the school halls. During which, neither of them stopped picking up their speed.
"Come here!!!" The leading bully yelled at the boy with his fists ready.
Than the boy makes a sharp turn to the right and goes inside the janitor‘s room, before shutting the door. And it was done before the bullies even saw him going in.
Meanwhile, the bullies looked around and checked every room, including the janitor’s room, but without success.
„Dang it! You may have escaped, Test!!! But we will find you someday! Just wait and see!!“ the leader yelled around in the air before he and his comrades retreated and left the janitor's room. When the school bell rang, it was time for the kids to leave. When the bell rang at the afternoon, it always meant, that the kids are free to leave the school, since the day ended. For them, it was their sweet release from a hellish school day.
Meanwhile, in the janitor's room a short flash can be seen before the kid gets out of the locker.
„Man, that was close…“ the kid sighed in relief and wiped the sweat off from his forehead, but to make sure, that the bullies are truly gone, he slightly opened the door and looked around. When they were gone, he then pulls out a device and presses the button, turning him invisible. He slowly and silently walked away.
Outside, a brown dog is sitting near the school gates, holding a cup of coffee. He waited for a while, during which, he looked at the skies, in order to pass some time. Suddenly, the gates opened, but nobody was there. Thinking, there are ghosts in the school, the dog hides in fear. It wasn't until he heard a familiar voice, that his fear would fade away:
„Relax, buddy! It's me!“
Another flash occured and as the dog comes out, he sees him. The boy with the flaming hair.
„Geez, Johnny…“ the dog said with slight annoyance before he accompanies him on the walk home. And yes, he can talk, for anyone who is curious.
„So, how's the day?“ the dog asked. The boy, named Johnny, replied: „Horrible like always. Hard pop quizzes, barf food and Bumper and his group chased me. Thankfully, I hid in the janitor’s room… But still, I'm not looking forward for the next day…“ Judging by the sound, he was definetly not excited and exhausted.
„Buddy, you know, you should’ve learned for these quizzes a while ago...„ ,said the dog.
„Hello? I already had a stressful time yesterday. My dad was a nightmare for me to deal with, after I nearly wrecked his car with a blaster. Then there is also the time with Whacko and his buddies. After all that was over, I played video games till the night. Needless to say, my dad was not a fan with that„ Johnny replied, recalling the events yesterday. „But hey, I had to test some cool stuff from my sisters!“
"Sure..." The dog rolled his eyes.
As they walked on their way, they saw many kids having fun, some broken buildings, possibly from the events last time, adults doing their business as usual and so much more. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
When they arrived home, they opened the door and he looks around. He sees his mom doing business calls and his dad cleaning all over the house, while preparing dinner. Johnny had a disgusted look in his face before going upstairs to his room, without being noticed.
When arriving in his room, Johnny shut the door tight and jumps on his bed. „Man, I need something awesome to distract myself.“ He replied, when he dodged a wooden sword, courtesy of his best friend, who is dressed as a pirate. „Y'arr! How about an old fashioned pirate battle?“ Johnny just smirked and changed his outfit into a pirate outfit. „It's on!“
He drew out a wooden sword and the two recreated a classic pirate sword battle in the room. They kept fighting and jumping all over around. They have so much fun, when all of a sudden, the dog heard footsteps. „Dad alert!“ he replied and they quickly change back. However, a voice can be heard:
„Relax, Dukey.. It's just us.“
The door opened, revealed to be two girls with red hair, lab coats and glasses. Although one of them has a special ponytail, like no other. The dog, named Dukey, is relieved, but annoyed at the sight. „You nearly scared us with that false alarm!!“ he yelled at them.
„So what do you want?“ Johnny asked. In which the girl with the black skirt replied: „We have a few Johnny coupons, which means you will test our newest inventions!“
"Ah shit, here we go again." Dukey thought to himself. He knew, what's going to happen.
Later in the lab, Johnny is testing a new invention from the girls, who were his older sisters. He drank a mysterious chemical and in a split second, he changed into a dragon. The sisters took some notes. The second test, he was given gloves, that shoot any elemental spheres like projectiles. However, a malfunction caused Johnny to be shocked by a surge. Dukey was shocked, but the girls are unphased, as they kept writing. Thankfully , he survived.
"I'm still surprised, that he survived from all of this!" Dukey reminded, that even after those deadly looking tests, Johnny is still fine. It seems like, he has been imune or something.
However the next test follows with Johnny being tied up to a table, as he saw needles filled with chemicals. A lot of needles with a lot of chemicals.
„Uhm, isn’t this a bit too much?“ Dukey asked. he saw it as not safe.
„Yeah, but whatever.“ The sisters replied in an ignorant bliss.
They pull a lever, in which the device gets closer to Johnny. As screams of pain can be heard and the ground shaking, Dukey looked away. „That's it! I'm outta here!!“ He immediately left the laboratory and the house, however he shuddered about Johnny‘s screams of pain. „I really need something to get it off from my head….“ He looked back at the house, yet still shuddered at the horrible sight. There were times, that the girls went too far and this was no different.
Later after some hours, he came back with a cup of coffee and a first aid kit. He enters Johnny’s room. „Johnny? Sorry for running away, I couldn’t stand your sisters doing this.“ He said.
However, Johnny's not in the room. „Johnny? Where are you?“ Dukey asked, as he looked around. He checked the closet, but couldn’t find him. He looked around, checking every corner and every shelves. Nothing. However when he opened a shelf, he found something.
„What's this?“ Dukey asked. He picked it up and it turns out, that it was a blue diary. Dukey was confused. „That's strange. Johnny never writes anything on a diary, let alone owning one.“
He looked around and he wanted to put it into the shelf again, but his curiosity got the better of him and opened it. The title of the diary said „My endless pain“
„‘My endless pain'? What’s that supposed to be?“ Dukey asked and went to the next page. There was text, which read:
„Hey…
The reason, why I decided to write on this journal is my thoughts couldn’t leave me. Thoughts of pain. However, I don't want anyone to know my second side. My broken side. So I pretend to be cool and happy on the outside and in front of everyone, but when I’m all alone, my true emotions appear and write my worst moments and thoughts here.“
"What's this supposed to mean?" He opened the next page, in which it read:
„Monday This morning was really stressful because of the hell, known as school. It felt like a marathon, in a bad way. In school, it was horrendous. Bullies, unfair teachers and people who didn’t help me. They all laugh at me…Yep, it's like those bastards really want to pull me down! After school, my mind wasn't clear. I told Dukey about the awesome inventions, when in reality, it hurts me more than being stung by Bee Keeper's million bees. And the bees are no longer a problem, now he is good….Unless I made them mad by accident. Anyway, i was hiding my emotions until the night, when everyone is asleep. Believe me, I was about to break down, but then I realize, that this would cause more trouble and I have enough trouble this day. So I decided to keep it shut.“
He then turned to the next page. He noticed, that the writing was getting not steady. It was shaky a bit, yet still looking normal:
"Tuesday Yep, same thing happened in the school. Bullies, unfair teachers and....ugh forget it...It's the same thing!!! They never help me! They only make it worse!! And don't get me started to what happened home... My mom pretty much ignored me, but that's the least of my problems. No, the true problems are my sisters and my dad. Like I said, the tests hurt me. But it's their sheer ignorance, that really annoyed me. Of course, I kept being cool in front of them, but damn..How many times do they have to keep being ignorant?? Also being geniuses, my ass. They are definetly being cruel. My dad though....Oh man...Where do I even begin? Let's say, he's being mean 24/7. He doesn't understand the concept about fun or even life. He punishes me all the time when I do my stuff my way. You may think, I may be lazy, but lately, his punishments get even more painful and horrid. Like what?? It's like they care more about my actions and their expectations about me than my life itself!"
As Dukey continued to read the pages, mentions of hatred, pain and near breakdowns can be found. And each page makes it worse. One page actually contains a drawing of Johnny with a broken heart and cracks around him. „No…This can't be…Is this supposed to be a joke?“
However, as he read the final pages , he noticed the very shaky writing and drops around the pages. He realized, those were tear drops. And then, he read the the most recent page:
„This is not a joke..I really can't take it anymore! Everyone is killing me on the inside! Not to mention, being hated and left alone by almost everyone! I really started to hate them on the inside, but I kept the image of a happy and cool boy. However, I feel like, cracks are staring to show. I'm all beaten up, hurt, sad and broken…I wish, I could ask someone for help, but I'm scared, that they would laugh at me, which only makes the pain worse! I'm staring to go insane, as time goes on…It’s even worse than all of the punishments I received from my mom, dad and even Susan and Mary! Why wouldn’t they just leave me alone?!?!?! AAAAAHHHHH!! I just wish, I could just run away somewhere else, where I can be happy....“
His paws were trembling. „Did Johnny really wrote those horrible stories?...“ His heart was racing. All of the happy facade, that his best friend had, was all fake. The smiles, that Johnny had, were also fake. He's been hurting the whole time, yet he kept having a fake image of himself.
Before he can ask more questions however, he heard the door getting bumped. He quickly put the diary back into the shelf, closed all of the shelves and the closet door and went back on all of his 4 paws.
Turns out, that when the door opened, it was Johnny. He looked like he was badly beaten and having bandages all around him. „My god, Johnny! What just happened??“ Dukey asked.
„Test went wrong, sisters turned me back to normal, Bumper found me, getting yelled from my dad again, this time that the news caught us on camera, end.“ Johnny slowly walks to his bed and sits down.
„Wow, you really have a bad day, huh?“ he said.
„You said it, buddy…“ Johnny replied, while groaning in pain.
"What form did you turn into again?" Dukey asked.
"Some kind of monster...." Johnny buried his face on a pillow. The day was too much for him.
„Dinner time!“ That was the sound of his dad. Johnny grunts in annoyance. But he felt like, he had no choice and goes down. "It's definetly gonna be his meatloaf..I know it..." he thought to himself.
Later, in the night, Johnny was laying down on his bed, awake and looking at the sealing.
„All I wanted was to be truly happy and free….“ He thought to himself, as he looked at the stars and the moon. He looked at Dukey, smiled a bit and thought „You are the only friend I have left..“
He then got up, walked to his window and looked at the night sky, thinking about a way to get out of this horrid world and start over. The sparkling stars and the shining moon made him calm down for a while. There is something about the night sky, that made him feel relaxed. Maybe it's due to the calming nature or the thought of the night embracing him, when he needed some comfort and relaxation. Whatever it is, it made him calm down a bit. However, he knew, that as soon as the sunrise happened, thoughts of pain would reappear. He sighed, since tomorrow will be another terrible day.
"Ugh.....Let's hope, things would not go past my breaking point....Ugh, who am I kidding? Of course, it will get worse...." he thought to himself, while looking at the clock. He then looked at Dukey again and smiled, knowing that he will always by his side till the end. After which, he laid down and fell asleep.
The next day after school, Johnny came out and expected for Dukey for be there, so they can walk together, but he was nowhere to be found. „Huh? Where is he?“ he asked. The boy looked around the school and the surrounding, yet there are no signs of his trusty dog friend. "Is this some kind of joke? Come on..." he sighed. At the same time, his phone vibrated and when he turns it on, there is a sent text message from his dad, which said „We need to talk now!“
„Ugh…What does he want?....“ he asked. He assumed, that he is in trouble again. He walked until he reached the street, where his home is. He hesitated, since it would be the same thing as always, so he hid somewhere, hoping that nobody would find him. But then he became surrounded by a white light and vanished. When he appeared, he was inside and when he looked back, he saw his mom, dad and his sisters, looking pissed.
„Ok, what's going on?“ Johnny asked nonchalantly.
„Johnny, stop pretending to be clueless..“ said Mary.
„Ugh, let me guess, I'm in trouble, right?“ he asked, realizing, that nobody were fooled by his act.
„Big time!“ all four of them replied in an angry tone.
„Your sisters told us about your actions. „ said his mom.
„And that was AFTER you destroyed our science project for your selfish reasons!“ Susan yelled at him. "You also destroyed our lab as well!" Mary added.
„Susan, let me handle the yelling.“ said their dad.
Johnny was unphased. He didn't hear the words. But when he asked, where Dukey is…
„We took him away.“
That was from his dad. Johnny froze in shock and disbelief. His sight was fading in an out, after that reveal. „Why?“ he quietly asked.
„Because this was the final straw!!! You ignored the rules and kept breaking them through out the months and even years. Therefore you will never see him again until you’re 30!!!“
Suddenly, Johnny’s expression went dark. His hands were formed into shaky fists, his eyes tearing up. His emotions are now filled with anger. It seems like, he couldn’t take it anymore and snapped. At this point, he started to yell back at his family with his true emotions all in front:
„You know what, I'M DONE PRETENDING! I'M DONE HIDING AWAY MY THOUGHTS!!!! YOU GUYS HAVE HURT ME SEVERELY!!! THE PUNISHMENTS, NEGLECT, PAIN, EVERYTHING, YOU’VE DONE TO ME!!! YOU GUYS ARE THE WORST!!!!“
But his emotional yelling got him nowhere and only irritated his dad more, causing to be slapped in the face. On the ground, Johnny feels more hurt. He looked at them with hatred in his eyes. And without a word, he ran away into his room. He heard his dad yelling „You're grounded!!!“
"I doubt, it would stop his reckless actions, dad..." Susan talked to her dad.
"It sure will, young lady! It sure will!!" her dad responded with confidence. "It's only a matter of time, till he understands my rules and starting to respect the authorities!"
After he went into his room, he locked the door tight, goes to his bed and buried his face into his pillow. Then he started to scream and cry at the same time. It became louder and more broken, as time went on. All of the pain has taken a toll on him. All of the abuse, hate, neglect and pain, they caused him, made him crack and with Dukey being taken away, it was the final blow.
He gets up, his hair being messy from being buried into the pillow, his eyes shedding many tears and he rubbed at the slap wound, he received from his dad. It was still fresh. „Now they did it….They fucking did it!!!!“ Even his voice cracked by the sheer amount of pain. He grabbed the pillow tightly and screamed into it again.
„That’s it!!!! THAT'S IT!!!!“ After that, he threw the pillow to the wall hard and screamed, causing some feathers to come out.
Later in the midnight, when everyone is asleep, Johnny was looking at the window. His expression was blank, as the events from today has finally brought him his dark side. Then, he went to work. He packed his stuff into his backpack, pulled out the blue diary and tore the empty page off. He then started to write a message . During this, his hands were shaking.
„If you read this: You have abused me for so long, that I have decided that, it’s not worth living in this cruel world anymore. It's all your fault.... Signed, Johnny Test.“
He put it under the bed. He then went into his closet and digs something out from his pile of clothes. It was a safe. He opened it and there were a few devices in there: the Hover shoes, the Invisibility Ray and the Ghost Phaser Badges, which allows him to go through walls. "Good thing, they didn't find them..." Johnny said quietly.
He put the hover shoes on, the badge on his chest and turned the Ray on himself to turn himself invisible. He took his backpack and the diary, went through the walls and activated the hover shoes. He then flew up and looked at the house for a final time, before taking off.
The first stop, the Animal shelter. He knew, that Dukey is there and as he was looking around, he found him asleep. His fur was messed up and had several bruises on him. Johnny's blue eyes were filled with tears now, since seeing his friend in that condition, broke him.
„Dukey….You shouldn’t deserve to be like this….“ Johnny quietly said to him. „Don't worry. We will go to somewhere far away..“
Johnny went through the bars and put the second badge on his back and activated it. He then used the ray on Dukey to turn him invisible and picked him up. "It's time...Time to leave this shitty place behind..." he whispered.
Then he flew off. He looked back one last time at Porkbelly before leaving it all behind. The town, where he grew up his whole life, was all gone in his mind, as this was the place of pain and despair.
He went to an island, but not any island. It belonged to Eugene AKA Bling-Bling-Boy. He flew around the mansion to make sure, nobody is here. He found a note, saying that he and his mother are on a vacation.
„That's good…“ Johnny whispered and went through the walls and into his lab.
He knew, that he has a portal device, in case when he succeeded to make Susan fall in love in him, they can escape into a new world, where they could be alone and never be found again. „Good thing, I stopped him..“ Johnny remembered the moment, where he stopped him.
He pushed a button, turning on the portal. Then he looked at the control panel and pushed a button with a question mark.
„Selecting Random world"
A computer voice can be heard. He looked at the portal, which turned into the colors of the rainbow. He looked back at the control panel, only to notice a button and text saying „Final transfer“ Then he pushed it.
„Portal will shut down in 15 seconds.“
Johnny then looked back at his buddy, Dukey, who was asleep. „It's time to leave it all behind and start over…“ he quietly said.
„Portal shutting down in 10….9…8…7…6…“
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and finally went through the portal.
„5…4…..3….2….1….Zero…“
The portal device has been shut down. And so, Johnny Test and Dukey had left….forever….
"And that is the reason, why I left this hell once and for all..."
End of prolouge...
Author's Note
Hey, guys! In case you have noticed, this is my very first fanfic there. So can you please take it easy on me and don't put any whiny comments there?
And you may wonder, why Johnny and Dukey swear? Well, watching movies with profanity will do. Plus, nowadays kids started using swear words, due to bad parenting or a lack there of.
Anyway, this is a prolouge of things to come. The first chapter will come out. Stay tuned!
"There is a world, called Equestria. A world, where ponies and other creatures, like Dragons, Griffons and others, live in harmony.
It is ruled by two royal sisters: Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Princess Luna. The two are alicorns, a mix between an earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn. Those pony species control the land, weather and magic respectively.
Both sisters were tasked with two important jobs: Princess Celestia would raise the sun and bring the warm days, while Princess Luna raises the moon to bring the cool nights. One day, a conflict between the two sisters happened. It was due to the ponies admiring Princess Celestia more than Luna. The built up hatred had changed her to a horryfiying being, known as Nightmare Moon... Unable to reason with her, Princess Celestia had no choice but to banish her sister to the moon with the Elements of Harmony.
After that, Princess Celestia ruled this world alone, raising both the sun and the moon. However, she felt regretful, that she had to banish her younger sister. She felt guilty after that.... Had she known about Luna's resentment earlier and acted fast, then nothing of those terrible events would even happen. Even the destroyed castle of the two sisters is a reminder of that fateful day. Refardless, she had to continue to rule, for Equestria's sake...Until thousand years later, Nightmare Moon returned.. She was on an unfinished task to make the night last for an eternity. Celestia knew about this and sent her faithful student on a quest to make her find new friends. Although the young unicorn was hesitant, she found 5 ponies, who stand by her side until the end.
After Nightmare Moon's return, the group retreated and decided to go on a journey to find the Elements of Harmony. During their showdown, the situation was tense: Nightmare Moon was gaining the upperhand and crushed the elements, in order to crush their spirits. However, little did she know, that when the unicorn realized about a spark, the elements were restored and chose their new bearers. Those were the elements of Honesty, Laughter, Generousity, Kindness, Loyalty and finally...magic. With those, they put the conflict to an end, Princess Luna reunited with her older sister and started over.
Over the years, the 6 ponies had stopped terrible disasters and tyrants, which included a monstrous insect queen and a literal king of shadows, with their magic of Friendship. Eventually, one of the ponies was turned into an alicorn and became a princess.
Since then, the Harmony in this world grew and Equestria was peaceful again. And all thanks to the 6 heroes of Harmony.."
In a little village called "Ponyville", the ponies are doing their usual stuff. Working, hanging out with other ponies and playing with them. They did have some near disasters back then, but they were all thankfully stopped, thanks to their heroes.
Up in the skies, we see a light streak of all the colors of a rainbow, zooming by. It dodged the clouds, performed some loops and overall kept getting faster. It was until it stopped on a big cloud and it turns out, that the streak came from a blue pegasus mare with rainbow-colored mane and tail and magenta eyes. It was none other than the heroine of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash.
"Aw yeah! 5 minutes less than last time!" she said and sat down on the cloud, being proud of beating her own record. She laid down on the cloud with a smile on her face. "I can't wait for the festival next week, so I can perform my famous Sonic Rainboom there!"
"Howdy, sugarcube!"
A voice can be heard. The blue pegasus looked down to see a orange earth pony with blond mane, white freckles and a cowboy hat. The pegasus mare flew down and greeted her best friend, Applejack, the heroine of Honesty.
"Sup, Applejack!" she replied. "How's it going?"
"Takin' care of business as usual." Applejack replied in an southern accent. "Anyway, Ah've seen you speedin' around the skies. "
"Yeah! And I beat my own record!" Rainbow said in an exciting tone and showed her best friend her recent time.
"Pretty impressive. " said the earth pony, before coming up with an idea. "How 'bout a race?"
"Game on!"
Rainbow Dash is always up for a challenge and this one is no exception. The two ponies line up at the start of Ponyville, however Applejack said: "Ah ah ah. Runnin' only, pal."
Rainbow Dash was a bit bummed. She could not use her wings throughout the race. However, her ego got the better of her and charges for a run up, knowing that she has to win. The earth pony mare began the race with:
"Ready?...Go!"
Both ponies got an excellent start. They ran through the whole village and through the fields, while the ponies watched in awe and confusion.
"Better get goin'!" Said Applejack, who was first.
However, Rainbow Dash decided to run even faster, in order to catch up with her friend. "How's that?" she smirked.
They were almost close to the finish, which is the Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack's home. Applejack was close to winning, when Rainbow Dash decided to twist the rules by flapping her wings for some extra boost. She catched up with the orange earth pony and both arrived on the farm lands. And in the end, Rainbow Dash arrived first.
"Yes! Yes! I won!" The blue pegasus celebrated her victory and flew up. However, Applejack was sceptical, since the pegasus cheated a bit.
"Are you sure? Because I've seen usin' your wings a bit." she said.
"What are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash said nervously and tried to act innocent and oblivious.
"Yer usin' your wings, even though you shouldn't use them.." the orange pony doubted and pointed at Rainbow's wings.
"Uh-oh.." the prismatic mare gulped, knowing that her friend found out.
After some awkward silence, Rainbow Dash flew away and Applejack began to chase her shortly after.
It went on, through the orchards, the fields and around the home until they entered the farm, however Rainbow Dash hid in a haystack earlier. While Applejack was looking around searching, Rainbow Dash remained quiet, in order to not get caught.
Suddenly, she felt like, she was touched. At first she thought, Applejack got her, but when she looked around, she saw...nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"This is strange.." the blue pegasus thought to herself. Then, she felt something, as if someone was moving, even though she couldn't see it. It sent shivers down to her spine. She even heard someone breathing. Was that a ghost or was it in her head? She looked back and when the unseen presence began to move and shake, indicated from the hay moving, she screamed and immediately flew up in fear.
"What was that?" Rainbow Dash was scared. "Was that a ghost!??!?!"
"Ahem..."
She looked back and saw Applejack, who unsurprisingly saw her flying up and therefore found her.
"Something is in the haystack!" she replied and pointed at the haystack with her shaking hoof.
"Oh really?" Applejack was sceptical and went to the haystack.
"No, seriously. I felt like, somepony is there inside! I even heard breathing!" Rainbow Dash replied in an honest, yet panicked tone.
The orange earth pony looked closer and suddenly, the haystack began to shake.
"Huh? What the...?"
Applejack began to dig up the haystack. During which, she hit something, that caused a ray of light to appear. The orange mare and the blue pegasus backed up, as the light became stronger, until it faded away. They then saw a pony, sleeping. A black pegasus mare with the wings fading to a bright yellow and blond mane with orange tips, resembling the flames.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack screamed a bit, because they did not expect a new pony appear from the light and thought, she was like a ghost or something.
However, the screaming caused the pony to wake up and looked around, as she opened her blue eyes a bit.
"Dude... Not cool...", the pony rubbed the eyes.
What's that? The mares are surprised, that the pony has a voice of a young stallion. They immediately talked to each other.
"What the hay?" Applejack was confused, as she looked at the black pony. "Since when does that fella talk like a young stallion?"
"I know right? For a second, it looked like a mare. But I did not expect that voice from a dude..." Rainbow Dash was also confused.
"Strange, huh?" Applejack agreed.
"I heard that!" The black pegasus obviously heard the conversation.
Upon further inspection, it turns out, that the pony is actually a young stallion, however he has the body shape of a mare, without the eyelashes. The black pegasus then looked at the mares with curiousity.
"Whoa...Where am I?" he asked. In which, Applejack responded: "You are in my family's barn...How did you get there?"
"Well, I was pretty tired and didn't want to sleep in the woods. So I was finding some shelter and got there." The black pegasus replied, as he was rubbing his eyes. However, this is where he saw his hoof and he froze.
"What the...?"
"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked.
He ran outside and looked down at a puddle, only to see his face. He began to shake and without a warning, he screamed, as Rainbow Dash and Applejack immediately covered their ears. However, the screaming stopped, as Rainbow Dash hit him on the head.
"Jeez, calm down!" The blue mare responded. "Why did you scream?"
"I didn't expect to be turned into a pony... Damnit...What should I do? I don't want to tell the truth, since who knows if they're gonna laugh at me..? What should I tell them?" He thought to himself, as he was thinking for some answers.
"Hello?"
He heard Applejack's voice and responded with: "Oh, it's just that I was tired."
However they didn't believe that statement.
"Shit...That was a bad one..." he thought to himself again, looking even more nervous. It was really flimsy.
"Maybe I had something on my face. " he replied and grinned nervously. "Like a bug! Or some dirt."
"Great excuse, man..." he thought.
The mares look confused. Would they buy into his excuse or not? His mind was scrambled at this point.
"Uh oh... Did it work?" he thought to himself for the third time.
"Okay...?" The mares were unsure of that. It sent him with mixed messages a bit, still felt relieved.
"So, uhm...I'm quite new here and sorry, if I came here uninvited. I was really tired." He apologized.
"Hey, it's all forgiven. Even though, it's strange, that you appeared from a light." Rainbow Dash replied. Although Applejack was still skeptical about his reasoning.
The black pegasus chuckled a bit and soon enough, Rainbow Dash and Applejack laugh with him.
"Sooo...What is this place?" he asked.
"Well, this is the Sweet Apple Acres! Home of our famous apples!" Applejack proudly told the new pony about her home. "We're harvestin' apples and sell 'em to our customers! Our popular products include our famous Apple Cider and the Zap Apple Jam!"
"Everything about apples?" he asked in confusion.
"Well, yeah. I mean, what else?" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Man....A farm only selling apple products? That's.....odd...But...if her family is proud of doing that work...I wouldn't judge them....if I do, then man..." he thought to himself and asked them a question: "So, uhm...Are you doing that work alone?"
"Nah, mah family would help me out, whatever they can!" Applejack replied.
"Oh, uhm. Did I mention, that her family is large? Like really large?" the prismatic mare asked.
"Uhm...no?" he denied, since he had no idea. That was until the southern earth pony mare showed him a photo of their last family meeting. His eyes widened due to the sheer amount of family members, she has. "Geez! Talk about a huge family!!" he said.
"That's mah family for ya!" Applejack replied and the mares laughed, while the black pegasus scratched his head.
"Hey, what's going on?" A voice can be heard, along with a yawn. It was a male voice.
"What the hay was that?" Applejack asked.
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash wondered.
The mares look back, only to see a brown earth pony stallion, coming out of the barn. However, his appearance is...different from any pony. He looks like a stallion with a chocolate-coloured mane, however he has paws, a dog tail and a dog nose. There is also some stubble on his face. He looks more like a hybrid between a pony and a dog. He noticed the mares looking at him awkwardly.
"Uhhhhh...What? Is there something on my teeth?" The stallion asked confused and showed them his teeth. He looked at his own to see, if there are some leftovers stuck on them.
"Uh, yer should look at yourself, fella.." Applejack replied. At first, the stallion was confused. It wasn't until the prismatic pegasus mare added:
"There is a puddle over there.." Rainbow Dash pointed at a puddle and the stallion went and looked at his reflection. His expression changed, once he saw himself.
"That's great..I look like a freak! How did that even happen? " the stallion was shocked at his appearance.
"Buddy, we have no idea.." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Oh my god...As if things couldn't get any weirder..." he sighed and rubbed his head. He looked way different than the other ponies.
Meanwhile, when Applejack looked the other way, she noticed that the black pony was gone. It seems like, he vanished into thin air before the brown stallion came out the barn.
"What the...." she asked. "That's strange. Why did he run away?" the mare thought to herself.
However, before she can question that, she heard a sound. She looked at her flank, only to see her mark, that resembles 3 apples, glow and projected more apples.
"Rainbow Dash! Look at your cutie mark!" She said.
"Huh?" The blue pegasus mare was confused, until she looked at her mark also glowing and projecting lightning bolts.
"Uhhh, why are your flanks glowing and projecting stuff?" The stallion asked in confusion.
Applejack then replied : "Ya see, our cutie marks glow, when there is like a friendship emergency. And it seems like, it's time for us to leave."
Rainbow Dash then added: "Yeah, we have to fulfill out duties to solve friendship problems. We will talk about that later though. See ya!"
The mares ran off, leaving the stallion looking confused and with even more questions.
"What friendship problem???..."
The stallion scratched his head and sighed. During which, he walked around the barn and the whole acres in utter boredom. However, as he looked down while walking, he saw a bit of hair. As he looked closer, the colors are blond and orange, fading each other.
"Well it seems like, he is here..." He started to sniff the hair and begins to walk and sniff the trail. He walked through the apple orchard and pointed to a bush. He found the source, in other words: the pony, he's finding.
"Johnny, I know, you're here!" he yelled at the air and sure enough, the black pony came out after some time.
"Oh, hey buddy!" He tried not to laugh at the appearance.
"Really funny... Anyway, why are you a pony and I'm a weird mix between a pony and a dog?!" He asked.
"Oh, that? Well, it seems like, somehow, we went there after an accident from one of my sisters' inventions." Johnny replied. "And somehow, we were turned into ponies."
The brown stallion thinks a bit and responded: "it would been true, except that I was in an animal shelter, before I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was In a farm!"
"Uhm...maybe we were...uhh..I got you out and-"
However he was interrupted by the hybrid.
"Johnny, you're lying..."
"Wait, what? I don't like to a best friend like you, Dukey." Johnny replied, while sweating a bit.
"Then how do you explain about this!?" He pulled out the blue diary and showed it to him.
"Wait! How did you get it?" He was shocked. In which, Dukey replied: "It was in your backpack. And even before that, I found it in your room. You were just pretending, when in reality, you are hurt!"
While they are arguing, the skies get covered by clouds. It seems like, bad weather will soon come.
"What are you-" Johnny was interrupted again and this time, his expression changed to fear.
"Stop it! Why didn't you told me about this earlier? YOU KNOW, I COULD HAVE HELPED YOU! WHY DID YOU COVER IT UP!?" Dukey yelled at him. The constant questioning soon made him snap and answered with the truth:
"BECAUSE I'M SCARED!"
Tears started to form on his eyes, as Dukey stopped after the confession. Around the same time, the skies started to rain.
"What?..." Dukey was confused...
Johnny's voice started to crack up, as he explained his reason. His ears have also been lowered.
"Because I'm scared, that nobody would listen to me... I've been feeling this for years and I didn't have the courage to tell them. And even then, they would've make the pain even worse... Besides, they are horrible people...That's why I decided to keep my mouth shut...And thus, I made a fake image of myself...You know, the cool and awesome kid with crazy ideas? In reality, the constant pain and abuse made me weak, broken and helpless...And with you being taken away by dad was the final straw...I couldn't stand losing you and yet he shattered me completely to the point, that I absolutely despise them forever! That's the reason, I decided to leave our world forever and take you with me...I just wanted the pain to go away and start over! I wish, I could've told you about my issues, but the fear wouldn't allow me to do that!"
After the explanation, he broke down into tears. At this point, Dukey couldn't help but to feel sorry about him. He's been though absolute hell, yet he kept a fake persona, so nobody would see him cracking. And yet, here he is...witnessing his mental breakdown for the first time.
Suddenly, he felt something breaking inside of him... A painful ache in his body..
"Wait...If he has been through hell...could this mean..?" There are many unanswered questions, that he yet had to find answers.
He then hugged the crying pegasus, as some tears form in his eyes as well.
As the rain got stronger and stronger, so did Johnny's crying. It also became more painful to listen to, as he let all of his despair and anguish out. The breaking ache in the hybrid soon got worse. If there's one thing, he hates, is to see his best friend being in a mental breakdown. Eventually, his crying soon became quieter and quieter, until he stopped, all thanks to the embrace.
"Let's go inside. It's raining.." said Dukey. Johnny agreed with a silent nod and they went back to the farm.
Hours have passed and the rain eventually stopped. During which, the young pegasus fell asleep a bit. The earth pony looked at the entrance, while having thoughts about what happened. He also held his best friend for a while, while waiting. It was at this time, that Rainbow Dash and Applejack came back.
"Hey, guys! Sorry about the whole wait. It took a long time to fix the problem." said Rainbow Dash.
"It's fine." Dukey replied.
"Anyway, is that weird stallion a friend of yours, fella?" Applejack asked. It's clear, that she asked the black pegasus about the other pony. However, since he's asleep, Dukey answered her question.
"Yeah." He replied. "In fact, we're best friends."
Then they hear some grumbling. After Johnny woke up from his nap, the guys looked at their stomachs.
"Oops, I think, I'm hungry." The black pegasus rubbed his stomach.
"So am I." Dukey was also feeling hungry. "I haven't eaten anything for a while."
Rainbow Dash said: "Then we can go to the Sugarcube Corner for some food." Applejack then added: "Besides, our friends are also there and we have planned to hang out together."
"That would be awesome." The black pegasus responded. But before they get up and go, the earth pony mare interupted.
"Wait a minute, we haven't introduced each other yet! Mah name is Applejack, hardworking pony of the Sweet Apple Acres." The earth pony mare introduced herself.
Then the pegasus mare added, alongside with a pose: "And I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest pony alive and completely awesome! What are your names?"
This is a good question. Originally, they will introduce them with their true names, however, sometime later, they decided to drop the idea. After all, their human names would sound weird to the ponies.
"My name is...uhm..." the young pegasus stallion thought of a name.
He looked at his flank to see a symbol. A radioactive symbol with a blue lightning bolt.
"The name is...Radiant Thunder! But you can call me Johnny." He replied.
"Radiant Thunder...What an awesome name!" Rainbow Dash loved it. The name "Radiant Thunder" has a cool tone and style to it.
Now, it's Dukey's turn: "And my name is Coffee Paw, however you can call me Dukey, if you want to."
He came up with that name, after he saw his mark on his flank, resembling a dog paw and a cup of coffee.
Rainbow Dash couldn't help, but to snicker and eventually laugh at the nickname "Dukey" , resulting an annoying look from him and an elbow hit from Applejack.
"Not funny, pardner.." said Applejack in an unamused tone.
"Sorry.." Rainbow Dash apologized and scratched her head.
They heard the stomach growls again.
"Can we girls go already? I'm hungry..." Johnny responded in an impatient manner. Dukey couldn't help but to chuckle a bit.
"Come on now, everypony! Let's go!"
With that sentence from Applejack, the four ponies are now on their way to Ponyville. On their way, Dukey was asking to himself.
"There is something more to the story... What did he mean by being abused by everyone?..."
It was bothering him for a while, ever since Johnny's mental breakdown on the Sweet Apple Acres.
"I'll probably ask myself and the others, but for now...I'm way too hungry. Plus, those ponies are friendly." the brown earth pony thought to himself and looked at his best friend, as well as the mares. They look quite excited. Johnny couldn't help but smile. However, little did anyone know, that mental breakdown at the orchards was only just the beginning....
"Heheheheh..."
The young pegasus stallion was kind of startled by that voice, but decided to swallow it down and enjoy his new life in this new world...for now.
To be continued....
Author's Note
Hello there!
This is the first chapter of the alternative universe/crossover fanfic "The Road of Courage" It's launched alongside with the prolouge and the next two chapters!
You see, I was working on them and posted on both Deviantart and on Fanfiction.
More chapters coming soon!
