Chapter 63... I mean 34
I was sitting at the edge of town near the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Many ponies considered this place evil, but I couldn’t really think of it that way. It was in this forest that I finally managed to beat the darkness. It had been three days since I had returned to Ponyville. I had been coming to the entrance for the few days I’ve been back. I had promised Twilight and Rainbow that I wouldn’t go in the forest because of all the animals in there despite how I had been able to handle them before, so instead I just sat on the small hill just outside the entrance. I heard the hoof steps behind me and turned my head. I saw Rainbow and Twilight walking up to me.
“Morning.” I said to them.
“Actually it’s noon now.” Twilight said to me.
Surprised I looked up and saw that the sun was almost directly in the center of the sky. “Huh, Have I really been out here this long?” I asked.
“Yeah, you’ve been out here for a while” Rainbow said to me with a small smile that I returned.
In the short time I had been back things between Rainbow and I had improved slightly. The three weeks that I had been gone didn’t just disappear though. I’m sure that would take a much longer time for it to disappear, if it ever did. For now though things had been improving. Since I was gone so long I felt like I owed them, so I spent almost every moment I could with them. The only time I was really away was when I was when I was doing my job for the weather team, that I had luckily kept, and when I came out to the forest in the mornings. I know I will probably never feel like I have fully repaid them for me leaving, but it’s a start.
I stood up and used my wings to brush off the dirt that had gathered on my fur. “So… lunch?” I asked hopingly as my stomach let out a loud growl to tell that he agreed. Both Twilight and Rainbow laughed a little and nodded. I smiled. “Alright them to the café.” I said starting to walk off.
“Um, Shadow the café is the other way.” Twilight said to me.
I turned around. “I knew that… Oh who am I kidding? I’m a real idiot when it comes to directions.” I said lowering my head.
Rainbow flew over and put a leg around me. “Yeah, but you’re our idiot.”
“I’m not sure if that’s an insult or a compliment.” I said to her smiling.
“It’s a little of both.” Rainbow replied.
My stomach interrupted the moment voicing his displeasure that he still didn’t have any food. Rainbow and Twilight chuckled and we started towards the town. We made it to the café and took our seats, and then the others showed up. I was about to ask how they knew to come then I stopped myself. “Pinkie?” I asked
“Pinkie.” They responded as the pink mare suddenly was in a chair at the table seemingly appearing in an explosion of confetti. I smiled as at this and soon our waiter came over and took our orders. The rest of the meal was less eventful and we spent most of it simply talking. It had been a while since I had actually gotten together with everypony. I looked to each of them. Skies, my dearest sister. Rainbow, my amazing mare. Twilight, the first pony to try and help me. Spike, practically Twilight’s little brother. Rarity, the pony who tries to make everything ‘fabulous’ in her own way. Fluttershy, the kindest pony to ever set hoof in all Equestria. Applejack, the pony who will never tell a lie to anypony. Pinkie,… well she’s Pinkie. I smiled. If you had told me that I would be here just a few months ago I would’ve never believed you, and yet here I am. I slowly looked away from them. Leaning back in my chair I looked at the sky and stared up at the clouds. Then, gravity decided to pay a visit and my chair decided it wanted to meet the ground and it took me along for the ride. “WHAA!” I shouted as my body started to fall towards the ground. My head impacted the ground with a thud. I lifted up my head and used one of my hoofs to rub the bump on my head. I looked at the friends I was dining with and saw most of them trying to contain their laughter. Fluttershy was next to me making sure I was alright. Pinkie was laughing very loudly, as were Skies and Rainbow but at least they were next to me helping me up. I stood back up and looked at them. “Okay, you tell this to nopony. Agreed?” I asked them.
“Won’t really matter that much.” Rainbow said. “This café very popular and in full view.”
And I soon realized what she meant and looked behind me. Many of the ponies behind me quickly turned away trying to look innocent. I turned back around and sighed. If my guess was right then this would probably spread to everypony in town by the end of the day, probably even before then. “Okay then… I think I’m done here. Check Please!” I shouted to the waiter.
We were walking away from the café when I felt something strange. It was similar to the feeling I got when the darkness was trying to take control, but this time it was different. Like it was coming from outside my body. I opened my mind and I started to sense the fears around me. Then I found the thing that stood out. It was a bundle of fears. All tied together and contained in one spot, but the thing that truly stood out was the fact that there was physical fear as well. The only thing I had known that was able to create physical fear was my power. I opened my eyes and took off running in the direction of the fears. I heard the girls behind me shout in surprise by my sudden outburst. I didn’t care though. If I wasn’t the pony making the physical fear it must be another, another who shares the same power as me.
I turned the corner and what I saw froze me. I saw a pony standing in the middle of an alley in front of two ponies lying on the ground deep in a nightmare of their greatest fears. The pony that was still standing was a mare by the look of it, but she had a horn and wings. She had a pitch black coat and mane. Her mane and tail were floating above her seemingly unaffected by gravity, and her eyes were a pure black. I stared into them and from the expression of the mare she was surprised that I wasn’t screaming yet. I felt the darkness start to stir and he was trying to get control. He was asking me again. Something tells me he knew something about this. I let him take partial control of my body and my right side went numb and disappeared from my vision. By the tugging on my mouth that I could feel the darkness had a slight smile.
“Hmm, quite interesting. I was unaware that it was possible for two beings to both have the powers of darkness while they are both alive.” The darkness said to the mare.
I saw one of the mare’s eyes lose its pitch black hue and change into a dark blue. Then the left side of her body started to tremble. The darkness in her was given her back half control. Most likely so that the two pieces of darkness could talk. “What-What’s going on?!” the left side of the mare asked loudly.
“I don’t know.” I told her. “I would suggest remaining quiet so these two can talk. They might just give us the answers we’re looking for.”
My darkness chuckled a little. “Thank you Shadow, I do have some questions that I want answers to as well.” He said. “Now for starters, who are you?”
The mare was still trembling. “I-I’m-” she started.
“I don’t think he’s talking to you.” I interrupted her.
The mare’s dark side chuckled. “You seem to understand things very well, back to the question though. I am just the same as you. I spirit with no true name except for darkness.” The dark mare said.
“How long?” I asked. “How long has it been since you manifested?”
“Just a few days now actually.” She answered. “What about you two? When did your side come out?”
“Seventeen years ago.” I told her.
“Well, that explains why you’re so used to things, but before we continue any further. I would like to take care of our eavesdroppers.” The mare’s darkness said and I felt the feeling of fear go past me no doubt aimed at whoever it was behind me. I then used my ability and stopped the fear holding it in place. The dark mare eye opened a little in surprise. “Yes, it seems you are very used to things.” She said with a smile.