Hidden Potential

by Volt712

7. Rainbow Rodeo

We ran as fast as we could to Applejack's farm. When we arrived everything was quiet. A little too quiet. We looked around for Applejack and her family but found nothing. I started to feel a tingling sensation on my hand and it started to glow a little. Suddenly the barn door opened and an light-orange haired girl walked out. It was none other than Applejack. However, something wasn't quite right about her. She kicked the barn door behind her but before it shut, I caught a glimpse of what looked like a person sitting in the back-right corner of the barn.

"Well, howdy there pardners!" Said Applejack. "What can I do ya for?"

"Hi Applejack, I have a huge favor to ask you." Said Twilight, as she stepped forward. "I need to borrow your car."

"Sure thing!" replied Applejack. Her eyes fell upon me. "Well, who is this fine hunk of man?"

"Whaddaya say you and I have some fun?" She said as she walked towards me. My hand started to glow brighter with every step she took.

"What did you have in mind?" I said, cracking a half smile.

"Well, we could go to my room and 'play' a little." Said Applejack, seductively. She started to run her index finger down my chest. My hand was practically on fire at this point.

"Mmm, sounds good." I said, gently running my fingers through her hair. "But only if you answer one question."

"What's that, Sugar?" She asked as she eyed the symbol on my hand.

I grabbed her by the neck and pushed her (or it) against the wall of the barn, cracking it a little. Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy were clearly shocked at me.

"Where's the real Applejack?" I asked firmly.

"AHGHH!!" Yelled the fake Applejack, struggling to get away. Its transformed into a short humanoid-looking creature and the pitch of its voice changed into a high-pitched whine. "H-How did you know!?"

"The real Applejack wouldn't come on to a person she just met. Now answer the question!" I raised my voice.

"If I tell you, my master will kill me!" It cried.

"And I'll kill you if you don't!" I replied, strengthening my grip. "I'm not going to ask again. Where. Is. She?"

"O-Okay, Okay!" It finally spilled the beans. "She's in the b-back of the barn! Please let go of m-me!" I tossed it to the ground beside me.

"Don't ever let me see you again." I said, glaring. It nodded and stood up. A beam of light surrounded the creature and it disappeared. I wondered if I made a mistake, sparing its life...

I went over to the barn door and opened it. I gestured for Twilight and the others to follow me inside. Once we entered, Applejack was immediately visible, as well as Big Macintosh and Applebloom. They were in the corner, chained to the wall with their mouths taped shut. We ran over to them, only to realize that we didn't have the keys to the chain locks. They looked up at us, with hope in their eyes.

"Damn, how are we going to free them?" Twilight asked. I gotta admit, it was a little weird hearing Twilight curse. "We don't have the keys and nobody here knows how to pick a lock..."

I pondered on this for a moment and decided to summon my sword. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy all took a few steps back.

"Nick, do you really think that will work?" Asked Rarity. "The chain looks like its made of titanium."

"We won't know unless we try." I said as I raised my sword. Applejack flinched as I sliced through her chains. I was surprised at how easily the sword went through. I did the same to Big Mac and Applebloom's chains. They started taking the tape off their mouth. Applebloom immediately started crying and ran into Applejack and Big Mac's arms. I started to get angry from hearing the pain and fear in her voice. Whoever did this to them was gonna pay.

"It's okay, Applebloom..." Applejack said, cradling her little sister. "They're gone now."

I knelt down in front of Applejack. "Hey, are you guys alright? You're not hurt, are you?" I asked, hoping that they weren't injured.

"Just a few cuts and bruises... But we're fine." Replied Applejack. "We tried to fight them off, but there was so many of 'em."

"Who's 'them'?" I asked, curious.

"We don't know..." She said, sighing. "They were so fast and looked like livin' shadows."

Suddenly we heard rumbling coming from outside. I stood up, looked out the barn door, and saw what seemed like hundreds of the creatures Applejack described heading towards us. They were terrifying. Their bodies were pitch black, they had red, glowing eyes, their arms were blade-like, and there was a dark aura surrounding them all. They were getting closer and closer by the second. My hand had that burning sensation again and the symbol started glowing once more.

"Oh no, that's them!" Whimpered Applebloom. She was terrified at the mere sight of them.

"Twilight, how's your magic right now?" I said, still watching the horde of shadows.

"It's much better than it was before. Why?" She asked, with a look of confusion on her face.

"As soon as I walk out that door, I need you to put up a magic barrier around the barn." I said, gripping my sword tighter.

"T-That's suicide! Ya can't take all of 'em on yer own!!" Applejack yelled in disbelief.

"I'm not going to just lay down and die." I replied. "I at least have to try."

I walked out of the barn and signaled for Twilight to put up the barrier. Once I made sure it was up, I walked toward the attackers.

"It's showtime!" I yelled and dashed forward. They ran towards me, all of them attacking one after another. As I was blocking, dodging and swinging my sword, I felt... alive. I've never had a rush like I had in the midst of battle. The shadow creatures wailed before each attack, so It was easy to anticipate when and where they would strike. However, my attacks weren't connecting. The shadows were able to detach and reattach themselves to evade my blade.

"Damn it!" I said as they started to overpower me. I leaped backwards in an attempt to put some distance between myself and them.

'Wait.' I thought. 'Shadows. Light erases shadows. But where the hell am I going to find a source of light powerful enough to get rid of all of them?'

"Woo Hoo!!" A voice yelled from behind me as a rainbow streak whizzed past my face into the Shadows, lighting them up and leaving the them vulnerable to attacks. I used the opportunity to launch my self into the Shadows and take out as many of them as I could. I was only able to take out about half of the horde before they turned dark again.

"Hey!" I yelled to the flying beam of light. "Do that again! The only way to kill them is with light!"

"With pleasure!" Said the rainbow blur as it sped up and dashed into the Shadows, leaving a blinding light. The Shadows were once again vulnerable and I destroyed as many as I could. There was one left and it turned back into a Shadow as it approached me. There was something different about this one though. It had a pitch-black crystal on its forehead and was bigger than the other Shadows I fought.

'This must be the leader.' I thought. I signaled for one more flash and as soon as I saw the light, I lunged forward putting all of my strength into my arms. When my blade struck the leader, it took a little extra effort to fully slice through, but when it did it was really satisfying.

"It's over." I said under my breath. The Shadow turned into mist and disappeared. But it left something behind. I knelt down and got a better look at the object. It was the leader's crystal. I went to pick it up, but before I even touched it, it fused into the symbol on my hand. "What the-" Before I finished my sentence, I started to rise off the ground. My body was becoming wrapped in a dark substance and before I knew it, I was back on the ground. I observed my body and the substance was gone. I looked at my sword. The blade was now letting off a black aura, much like the Shadows did.

I fused my sword back into my hand and stood up. As I started to walk back towards the barn, I signaled for Twilight to take down the barrier. Before I went inside, something, or rather someone, landed on the ground behind me. I turned around and instantly knew who it was. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the girl with short rainbow hair who was standing in front of me was Rainbow Dash. She was wearing jean shorts, a blue tank top, and a wristband that said 'Bring It.'

"So, you were the one kicking ass without me." Said Rainbow Dash with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, I guess. You're Rainbow Dash, right?" I asked.

"That's right!" She announced proudly. "I'm the coolest girl in Equestria and don't you forget it! How about you? What's your name?"

"I'm Nick." I nodded my had at the barn. "Follow me." I walked inside and Rainbow Dash followed. Applejack, Big Mac and Applebloom were all staring wide-eyed at me and Rainbow Dash.

"Ya...ya did it. Ya really did it!" Said Applejack, relieved at the fact that she and her family are safe.

"Hey," I replied. "I can't take all the credit. If it weren't for Dashie, I probably would have ended up dead."

"Don't ever call me that again." Rainbow Dash said, annoyed.

I looked over at Twilight and she looked like she was ready to collapse. I rushed over to her.

"Hey, Twilight, you okay?" I asked, concerned.

She replied in a quiet voice. "Yeah... I'm alright... I'm just really... tired... " Twilight started to fall towards me. I caught her and her head rested on my shoulder. My heart sped up and I felt my cheeks turn bright red.

"She must be exhausted from putting the barrier up." I said. "Let's all head back to Twilight's house." I picked up Twilight in both hands and started to head outside of the barn.

"Big Mac, can ya watch over Applebloom until I get back?" Asked Applejack.

"Eeyup."