Hidden Potential

by Volt712

8. Preparations

As we were all walking through town to Twilight's house, people walking by kept looking at me and whispering. I was able to hear some of what they were saying. Some said things like: 'Even though he got rid of the monster in the market, I still don't trust him. He looks like somebody who just wants to start trouble.' Others said things like: 'He's a hero! If it wasn't for him the whole town would have been destroyed. Some are even starting to call him The Dark Guardian.'

"The Dark Guardian?" Said Rarity. I must not have been the only one hearing what the townsfolk were saying. "I think it's a fine name considering your outfit and how you saved Fluttershy."

"I gotta agree, it's a pretty rad name." Said Rainbow Dash. "Speaking of which, where is your sword? You definitely had one when we were fighting those... things."

"I'm able to summon my sword at will whenever I need it." I replied.

"Whoa, that's wicked! Can you do it right now!?" Asked an excited Rainbow Dash.

"I would, but I kinda have my hands full right now." I looked down at the sleeping Twilight. She was quite cute when she was asleep.

"Oh, right." She said as she let out a slight chuckle.

We arrived at Twilight's house. Everyone walked in and took a seat. I set Twilight on the couch and put a blanket over her. There were no more places to sit, so I sat down on the floor and got everyone's attention.

"Alright. Now, you're probably all wondering what the hell is going on." I said.

"Yeah, like what in tarnation were them things back at the barn?" Asked Applejack.

I explained everything. How I woke up on Twilight's couch, my other universe theory, my new powers, the town market, and our plan to ask Princess Celestia if she knows anything.

"Wait, so yer sayin' that ya have no idea why ya have powers?" Asked Applejack. "But when ya fought them shadow things, it looked like you've been practicin' your whole life."

"It's funny you say that because it even feels like I've been practicing for my whole life." I replied. "When I'm fighting, my movements feel natural. I don't know, maybe it's because I've played video games for pretty much my entire life. What I do know, is that everything that's happened today is in someway related to this symbol." I showed them the back of my hand. And then I remembered something else. "Another thing that's been bugging me is what the monster in the market said before it disappeared. It said 'Happy birthday' and it can't be a coincidence because today is my seventeenth birthday."

All of a sudden a girl burst through the door and we all jumped at the noise. She had pink, bouncy hair, jeans, and a really colorful T-shirt. It was the party animal, Pinkie Pie.

"Did somebody say birthday!?" Pinkie boomed.

The others told Pinkie to hush and pointed to Twilight lying on the couch.

"Oh no, what happened!?" Asked Pinkie, clearly worried. We explained the events that happened today and how Twilight and I plan to go see Princess Celestia.

"*GASP* Yes, we're going on a road trip!!" She exclaimed and started jumping up and down in excitement.

I interrupted Pinkie's jumping. "Hang on, Pinkie. I don't think Twilight wants to have to take all of us with her."

"No way." Said Applejack, catching me off guard. "Ya saved our lives. We're not just gonna let ya go alone, right guys?" She looked at the others.

"Yes," Said Rarity. "you've ensured the safety of the town. We must repay you somehow."

"Well let's just wait for Twilight to recover and we'll ask her." I said.

"It's alright, Nick." Twilight said as she sat up, stretched, and yawned. She must have been feeling better. "They want to help, so I say we let them come with us."

"...alright. I just didn't want anyone to get hurt." I replied. "I guess Applejack's car is out of the question then because of the number of people. Any ideas?"

"Um, what about the train?" Asked Fluttershy in a soft voice.

I looked at the symbol on my hand. "No, I can't risk that." I said, balling my hand into a fist.

"Risk what?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"For some reason, I get the feeling that these monsters are looking for me, or at least drawn to me." I explained. "If that's true, then they'll most likely follow me and attack the train, putting the other passengers at risk."

"Oh oh oh!" Yelled Pinkie waving her hand. "I have an idea! We can use my RV!"

I was really not expecting to hear that. Especially from Pinkie Pie.

"YOU have an RV? Why is this the first time I've heard this?" Asked a shocked Rainbow Dash.

"Yup! I never really used it after I moved here, so I put it in one of those self-storage thingies." Said Pinkie. "It's gonna take a lot of work to get it out and fill up the gas tank."

"Well what're we waitin for?" Said Applejack. "Let's get goin!"

We all started heading across town to the storage garages. I was still the talk of the town because people were pointing and looking at me. 'Hey check it out, it's The Dark Guardian!' I heard someone say. 'He really does exist! I thought he was just a rumor.' I was never the type of person who wanted attention all the time. Whenever I drew attention to myself at school, it was mostly because I was pushed against a locker by some asshole who thought he was better than everyone else or something like that. But the attention I was getting here made me feel warm and welcome.

"Nick?" Twilight's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and brought me back to reality. "Are you okay? You look troubled."

"Oh, it's nothing." I replied. "I'm just thinking about something."

"Alright, just checking. Oh, I forgot to ask you something." She said, remembering something. "When you got rid of the last Shadow at Applejack's barn we saw you pick something up. When you picked it up you started floating and something absorbed itself into your body. What exactly happened to you?"

She was right. The leader of the Shadows dropped the crystal that it held on its forehead and when I went to pick it up, my symbol absorbed it. But I didn't know what it did to me.

"The leader dropped some sort of crystal. I was about to pick it up, but it fused into my symbol." I explained. "I have no idea of why that happened, but I have a feeling that whatever happened wasn't bad. I felt stronger, like something unlocked inside me. I also noticed that the blade of my sword started giving off a black aura, much like the Shadows did."

Twilight thought while we walked through town. "Well whatever the case, Celestia must know something about all of this."

I sighed. "Yeah... I sure hope so."

"We're here!!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly. I never would have thought that a place like this would exist in Equestria, even if it was humanized. We all walked to her storage unit. Pinkie got the keys out of her pocket and unlocked it. The door opened and just like she said, there was an RV inside. It was in pretty good shape for not being used in a couple years and it was definitely big enough to hold all of us.

"Okay, so how are we going to get this out?" Asked Rarity.

"I have an idea." I said. "Applejack and Rainbow Dash, you go behind it and push it. I'll pull it out from this side." They nodded and went around to the other side of the RV. They started pushing and I pulled at the same time. The RV started moving out of the garage slowly, inch by inch, but if we continued to do it like that it would take forever. "Applejack, push against the wall with your hands and use your legs to push the RV!" I yelled to her. "Rainbow Dash, flap your wings as hard and as fast as you can!" They took my advice and it was moving much faster now.

"Whew... " Said Rainbow Dash catching her breath. "That was heavy as hell."

"At least the labor is over." I said. "Now step two: Fill up the gas tank."

"Oh, we're not gonna have a problem with that!" Said Pinkie. "I have a lot stashed inside!" She pointed to the RV.

"Good, that means we can head out sooner than we planned." Said Twilight.

"Come on, Nick." Pinkie said as she opened the door of the RV. "Help me bring out the gas cans."

"Gotcha." I said and followed her inside. The interior looked amazing. There was a fridge and a freezer, an oven and stove, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a couch, and even a flat-screen TV. "Whoa!" I said in awe. "This RV is insane!"

"I can see that you like it!" Said Pinkie. "The gas cans are in the cabinet under the sink." She grabbed a couple and went back outside. I did the same and helped her fill the tank. One the tank was full, we still had some gas cans left so just in case we ran out, we'd have more.

"Alright, is everyone ready to head to Canterlot?" Asked Twilight.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yuppers!" Said Pinkie. "Let's stop by Sugarcube Corner first so we can stock up on food and drinks for the road." Pinkie looked very excited about the trip.

"Yeah, if we're goin' there with the RV, then we're gonna need stuff to eat and drink." Said Applejack, in agreement with Pinkie.

After the garage door was closed, we all got inside the RV and Pinkie started it up. The idea of Pinkie Pie behind the wheel at the time was enough to send chills down my spine, but she was surprisingly a very good driver. We arrived at Sugarcube Corner and got a mountainous amount of snacks and drinks. The RV was now packed with consumables, from apples to cupcakes and juice to soda.

"Well now that we're all ready..." I said. "Let's begin the road trip!" Everyone cheered and Twilight gave me a warm smile.

Comments

[Volt712]

6733455 I'm thinking about continuing my work on this. I got caught up in school and totally forgot about it lol