"Another dream." Nightwing groaned as he was once again in a pitch black room. "Or a vision, either way this isn't going to be pleasant."
Nightwing walked around the dark place in hopes to find out how to leave, but bumped into an object. Nightwing stumbled back a bit as he looked at a Reflection of himself. The reflection cocked it's head to the side with a puzzled look on its face. It then pressed it's two forelegs against the wall and pushed. The reflection began to push through the mirror. As it came into the room it began to change. When it was fully inside the room the reflection was no longer a reflection, it was a Spook. But it had two eyes that were burning yellow. And when I say burning I literally say his eyes where on fire.
"Okay...that's new." Nightwing said as observed the Spook.
The Spook closed the distance between it and Nightwing and put a hoof on his forehead. Words began to rush through his mind as a voice repeated over and over again.
"Go to Nightwing,Go to Nightwing,Go to Nightwing,Go to Nightwing."
"Gah!" Nightwing yelled as he woke up with a start. He looked around and was in a bed. He was in a room full of pictures that appeared to be of Rangers family.
"Sorry mister, didn't mean to wake ya." A young voice said.
Nightwing turned towards the voice, the source of the voice was a young colt with light brown fur, a blonde mane and tail, freckles on his muzzle, and his eyes were blue. He was sitting on a box and had an open book with a black brown cover sitting on his lap and a number 2 pencil was held by his ear.
"...I'm gonna guess your Rangers little brother. Correct?" Nightwing asked the colt.
"Sure am sir." The colt sounded a bit tomboyish, different than how Ranger spoke. "Sorry 'bout that arrow, couldn't tell if ya was a Spook or not."
"It's fine." Nightwing said as he got out of the bed.
"The rest of the family is down here sir." The colt said as he jumped off the box. "Names Appleseed by the way."
"Nightwing." Nightwing said as he followed Appleseed down the stairs.
The downstairs led to a room that appeared to be a kitchen with a fridge, two stoves, and cupboards hanged on the sides of the kitchen walls. Four ponies stood in the kitchen. On of them was Ranger, another was a mare with light green fur, a cherry red mane, and matching eyes. Another one was a stallion with dark brown fur, orange eyes, and a black mane and tail along with a mustache. The final pony was a mare with tan fur, black mane, and blue eyes.
"Nightwing let me introduce ya to the family." Appleseed said. "Here we got ma older bother Ranger." Appleseed pointed to Ranger. "These two here are uncle and aunt berry." Appleseed pointed to the green furred mare and the stallion with a mustache. "And this is ma mom." Appleseed pointed to the tan mare. "Family this here is Nightwing, the one that's gonna help us."
"It's a pleasure ta meet you mr. Nightwing." The uncle shook Nightwing's hoof firmly. "You can call me John, folks call me that so you can too."
Then the Aunt came up and shook Nightwing's hoof as well. "You may call me Blossom mr. Nightwing."
"And you may call me Eve." The mom said.
"And this is our dog Scout." Appleseed said as a dog with grey fur that covered the body where the legs and paws were white, his eyes were brown, and his ears were pointed. If anything Scout resembled a wolf but was slightly smaller.
"Okay...now that we've all gotten aquatinted let's get down to business." Nightwing said. "First I'm gonna need a map of the entire farm."
"I think we have a map of the farm in the attic. Ranger would you like to give me a hoof?" John asked Ranger.
"Sure thing uncle." Ranger said as he and John left.
"Next thing we need is some lunch because I am famished."
"Well get right on it." Blossom and Eve said.
"As for you Appleseed. I want to see why this crack is so important."
"Alright I'll lead ya right to it." Appleseed said as he trotted off with Nightwing following behind.
The two walked outside towards the backside of the barn. On the backside of the barn was a double door that looked like it lead downstairs to a cellar. Appleseed opened the doors to the cellar and walked down the stairs. The cellar was full of various foods and supplies and barrels were stacked on the left side of the wall. Multiple support beams stood tall as they held up the wooden ceiling.
But across from them was the wall with a vertical crack in it. Light leaked out of the crack as soft and unheard whispers came from the crack.
"Well...guess you weren't kidding when you said this was serious." Nightwing chuckled as he approached the crack.
"Your tellin me. Although I'll admit I have taken an interest in it." Appleseed said.
"Is that what you write in that journal of yours?"
"Sure do."
"You know your brother worries for you when you do that right?"
"Ah he ain't got nothing to worry about after all it's just voices."
"I have made war against all and I have made peace. In my hooves I hold the power to give life and death. I can control others to make them do whatever I wish. What am I?" Nightwing asked.
Appleseed rubbed his chin in thought as he tried to figure out the answer.
"You are a word." Appleseed answered. "And the riddle is by starswirl the bearded."
"Very good. And what was the point of the riddle?"
"The riddle was made to show everyone that the most powerful weapon in Equestria is a word. Because a word can hurt and can also heal, because a word can be used to rage war and make peace, and that a word can be used to order others to do something."
"Correct."
"So you probably now know I'm from the future."
"What?" Nightwing asked as he turned his attention to Appleseed.
"Hm?"
"You said something what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Hang on, you said your from the future how can you be from the future?"
"I thought ya knew, mostly because you can tell when someone is lying. The field must be stronger than I thought."
"Field? What field? What on earth are you talking about?!"
"Calm down, I'll explain."
Nightwing calmed down and sat so Appleseed could explain.
"Okay, I'm from the future we've already cleared that up, I was sent here by you. Well future you, but still-"
"Ranger never had a brother did he?"
"No. Anyway ya gave me a mind field that allows someone to adds themeselves to others memory."
'So that's what I bounced off of when I tried to use shadow stalking to get here.' Nightwing thought. "Well that makes sense, but wait how are able to stay in this timeline this long? You should have gone back to your own timeline by now."
"Ya said you'd say sometin like that. So ya gave me think." Appleseed said as he lifted up his right foreleg and on the bottom of his hoof was a silver horseshoe.
"What is that?"
"It's a silver horseshoe. An object that existed in the past at this point in time."
"Therefore the silver horseshoe is anchoring you to this timeline! Oh I am brilliant!" Nightwing exclaimed. "But wait. Why would I send you back in time in the first place?"
"First rule of time travel, time never changes. Which reminds me. You need to send me to this timeline. Can't say when you do it cause I forgot the date, but you should know when."
"What is up with your accent?"
"Translator is a bit tricky for the mind field."
"So your from the future, I sent you here, you have a mind field, and you probably know what this crack is."
"Nope."
"What do you mean nope? That's got to be the reason I sent you here, because you need to tell me what this thing is."
"Sorry you told me not ta tell you anything."
"Mare I'm frustrating...holy buck how do my friends deal with me?"
"They normally hit you."
"Oh yeah. So when are supposed to go back?"
"In a little bit, but before I go ya told me to tell you that you need to see a mare named Dinkie."
"What...why?"
"Sorry." Appleseed shrugged. "But you told me you hated spoilers." Appleseed said as he removed the silver horseshoe and a blue ball surrounded Appleseed. Sparks flew out of it in a violent matter. Until the ball vanished leaving a scorched mark on the floor.
"Well...that happened." Nightwing said as he looked back at the crack. "Now then what are you?"
Nightwing approached the crack and began to examine it. He put his ear next to it in hopes to understand the whispers but it all sounded like total gibberish.
"Okay future me sent Appleseed to this timeline because of the crack, obviously. But why would I send him unless...his journal!"
*BOOM!* An explosion shook the cellar as the barrels and food were knocked down from their braces. Dust and dirt fell out of some of the cracks in the ceiling as Nightwing tried to regain his balance.
"Explosions...what is with today and explosions?" Nightwing asked himself as he flew upstairs.
Thick smoke could be seen from the house as shots and bangs and other various noises could be heard from inside it. Nightwing ran towards the house with his crystal ready for action and battle. He kicked the door open and entered the house.
And saw that the kitchen was full of smoke. Using a simple air spell all of the smoke was driven out of the house. Now there were two black charred mares standing in the kitchen along with a crisp stove.
"What the hay was that?!" Nightwing shrieked.
"Oh one of the stoves gas pipes just simply burst that's all." Eve dismissed it like it was nothing.
"Has it...done that before?" Nightwing asked.
"Sure it has." John said as he and Ranger entered the room with a folded up paper on his back. "Darn things always catching on fire."
"Ummm...okay...John you got the maps?" Nightwing said as his brain struggled to wrap around the new information.
"Yep got em right here." John said as he set the maps down on the kitchen table and unfolded them.
The map consisted of different areas and squares with labels on them like 'barn, house, and other various places. Most were fields. But it was easy enough to read none the less.
"Okay let's talk strategy, I want us to focus on fortifying both the house and the barn. We'll build a barricade that blocks the front side and the back side of the space between the house and the barn. Now then do we have anything we can use to build this barricade?" Nightwing asked.
"We have plenty of lumber in the barn we could use." Ranger suggested.
"Perfect. Now then I want each window to be barred up with either wood or metal, honestly would prefer metal but work with what you have. Alright mares I want you to start barring up the windows and doors in the house. Meanwhile Ranger, John, and I will start building the barricade. Now then let's get to it." Nightwing said.
The group split up and began to do their separate tasks. Unaware that a Spook with yellow eyes, that were like the burning sun on the inside, was watching them.