Shadow in the Dark

by Thestoryteller

Chapter six. New friends part one

The fiery and bright sunlight pierced through the sky telling all the creatures that it was time to wake up. A certain filly by the name of Dinkie was one of these creatures.

*yawn* Dinkie stretched as she rubbed the gunk out of her eyes. Removing the covers from her bed she got out and faced her wall.

"Oh...looks like I made another one." Dinkie said as she stared at the wall. Or more specifically the drawing on the wall. "What are you supposed to be I wonder?" Dinkie questioned as she approached the drawing.

On the wall was the drawing, that was colored in black ink, of a stallion with no eyes and no face. It seemed to have multiple tentacles coming out of it's back. Underneath the drawing were the words 'fear the Spook'.

Dinkie walked over to her desk and levitated a piece of paper and a pencil. She then drew an exact replica of the drawing on the wall onto the piece of paper. Once it was finished Dinkie pulled out a bucket full of soapy water and a sponge. Dunking the Sponge in the water Dinkie began to hum a tune as she began to wash the drawing away.

---

Meanwhile in Nightwing's house everything seem peaceful and quite as Nightwing sat at his dining room table, eating by himself a bowl of cereal. Flash was at Twilights castle, Soarin was Luna knows where with Discord tracking him down, Lightning strike had to return to the Canterlot guard due to a dangerous threat, Sunset turned out to be a half Changeling spy, and Comet tail is dealing with the fact a changeling was posing as his sister.

Board and having no plan at all, Nightwing decided to catch up on a project of his.

*knock knock knock*

"Coming." Nightwing said in a monotone as he approached the door.

Opening up an earth pony stallion stood on the doorstep. His fur was a tan shade, his tail was a scruffy looking light brown. A black western cowcolt hat lied on his hat, it was lowered over his muzzle a bit so that it covered the top part of his head and his mane.

"Can I help you?" Nightwing asked unsure if he wanted an answer.

"That depends really." The stallion spoke in a western voice but mostly central. The stallion lifted his head, showing off his yellow eyes. "Are you Nightwing?"

"That depends." Nightwing mimicked what the stallion said. "Who wants to know?"

"I do." The stallion said as he took off his hat revealing his light brown and scruffy mane and blue eyes. "I need your help, see I have a problem going down at my farm and I need someone like you to help me."

"Hmmm...nah. Not exactly one for hard labor." Nightwing said as he was about to close the door. But the stallion stopped it as he kept the door open.

"Listen' I need your help, I don't know what it is but it appeared 'bout four days ago. I don know what it is but everyday they come and they try to get to my farm." The stallion said desperately.

Nightwing opened the door fully and had a intrigued look on his face. "Come in and explain it to me." Nightwing gestured the stallion inside. The stallion obliged and entered the house, once inside Nightwing shut the door and casted a soundproof bubble around the house. The stallion had taken a seat at the dinning room table and had sat his hat on the table.

"Alright I put a soundproof bubble around my house, anything we say won't be heard by anyone but us." Nightwing said as he walked up to the table. "Now then let's start..." Nightwing paused as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "With how you know my name. Because I don't just let anyone know who I am."

"It spoke your name." The stallion.

"What?"

"The thing...it-it spoke your name."

"What spoke my name? What are talking about?"

"The thing on your farm, what is it?"

"It's...it's a crack."

"A crack. Your terrified of a crack?" Nightwing asked with 'really' face.

"It's not the crack I'm afraid of...it's...it's the voices."

"Voices?"

"Yes voices. Almost everyday voices are coming from the crack. One day there was just one voice and it kept saying the same thing over and over again."

"Which was?"

"Go to Ponyville and find Nightwing."

"Go to Pinyville and find Nightwing?" Nightwing repeated what the stallion said.

"Yes so I took a train here, asked around, and found you hoping that you might know what the crack is."

"It's not that."

"Excuse me?"

"Why your afraid, it has nothing to do with the crack does it? What are you really afraid of?"

The Stallion opened his mouth as if to answer but nothing came out. His eyes were locked on the window.

"Why are you looking at the window?"

"They followed me." The stallion said. He pushed back his chair and lunged himself at Nightwing. Tackling him just as four black tentacles pierced the wall. The stallion and Nightwing tumbled on the ground from the tackle. The two quickly recovered and got up.

"Who Followed you?!" Nightwing questioned as the four black tentacles retracted from the wall.

"I'll explain once we've fend them off, do you have any weapons?" The stallion asked.

"Depends." Nightwing paused as he lifted up a floorboard and picked up a steel sword with a steel hilt that had leather rapping around it. "Are you good with a sword?"

"I dabble." The stallion said as he gripped the handle of the sword with his mouth. Nightwing created two short aura swords that floated beside him.

The wall was knocked down as a black silhouette crashed through it. Rubble and dust was scattered all over the place as the creature stood on it's four legs. The creature looked like a mare earth pony but was pitch black, had no face, and had four black tentacles writhing from out of it's back.

"No...not another one." Nightwing said breathlessly once he saw the creature.

"Die daemon!" The stallion shouted as he charged the creature. The stallion swung the sword, aiming for the creatures neck. The creature saw the attack and used two of it's tentacles to block the incoming sword. The creature took the offensive as it faced the stallion and all four of it's tentacles became sharp and alert as one by one each tentacle tried to strike the stallion.

The stallion then blocked each of the tentacles strikes with the sword. The tentacles strikes began to increase and the stallions defense began to fall as they did. One of the tentacles got past the stallions defense and struck him the back of the head. Forcing him to spit out his sword. With the stallions defense gone the creature used two tentacles to push on the stallions back and pinned him to the floor.

The creatures last two tentacles rose over the stallion and were about to strike but a steel tipped wooded arrow pierced the creatures chest. The creature made a sound that could have been described as a yell in pain. The creatures tentacles were removed from the stallions back, now free the stallion got up and picked up the sword in his mouth. Not wanting to let the creature have a chance to recover the stallion charged at the creature and drove the blade through the creatures chest. The creature fell to the ground and began to buck wildly as it writhed in pain from the blades sting.

The creatures movement began to get slower and slower and slower. Until it's movement ceased. Being absolutely sure it was dead the stallion walked carefully over to the creature and griped the swords hilt. The blade slid out of the creatures chest with ease as the stallion pulled it out. The stallion looked back to Nightwing to see he was levitating a wooden bow.

"Sorry I took so long, can't create aura bow and arrows." Nightwing said.

"At least there was only one." The stallion sighed.

"I'm afraid I got bad news for you buddy, because there's never 'just one'."

As soon as Nightwing said that black tentacles pierced through the walls, windows, floor, and the ceiling.

"We're trapped!" The stallion shrieked.

"You say trap." Nightwing said as he placed his hoof on the stallions shoulder. "I laugh that you think we're trapped."

And in the blink of an eye the two disappeared. Nightwing and the stallion then reappeared on a cliff overlooking Nightwing's house. Hundreds of creatures, like the one that had entered the house before, had surrounded the house and began to tear it apart.

"Sorry house, but you and I both knew this day would come." Nightwing said as he lifted his crystal. A red aura surrounded it and then-

*BOOOOOOM!!!*

The house exploded. The roof and second floor blown sky high off the house. The first floor was caught aflame. And all of the creatures that were anywhere near the house were running and thrashing around in hopes to put out their scorching body's.

"I'm...I'm so sorry." The stallion said as he watched the house continue to burn.

"It's not entirely bad, at least now I've made a decision." Nightwing said as he turned away from his once was house.

"And that is?"

"I'm gonna help you."

"You will!" The stallion seemed overjoyed that Nightwing was gonna help him out.

"Yes but first I need you to picture your farm, to the last detail." Nightwing said.

"Okay...why?"

"I'm gonna latch onto that image and get us there instantly but first I need to focus on that image."

The stallion closed his eyes and concentrated. "Okay I got it."

"Good, let's go."

Using shadow stalking Nightwing and the stallion vanished and reappeared in some woods flying backwards and landing on the ground with a thud.

"Owww." Nightwing groaned as he picked himself up.

"What happened?" The stallion asked as he got up.

"Your farm. We just bounced off it." Nightwing said.

"Is that supposed to happen?"

"It's never happened before...which means..."

"Which means what?"

"...I have no idea, but it seems that were gonna have to travel on hoof." Nightwing said Ashe began to lead. The stallion following behind him. "You didn't tell me your name, what is it?"

"Oh...my name Ranger."

"Ranger huh...nice name, I also noticed that your accent is more central than western, why is that."

"Family mostly lived in the city, but ma and pa wanted to have a farm live so we built ourselves a farm out here."

"Uh huh...also I noticed you didn't show any fear when you fought that sand pony."

"Sand pony?"

"Isn't that what you call them?"

"We call them Spooks."

"...Yeah that's a much better name. Anyways I noticed that you didn't seem to be afraid of the Spooks, your not afraid of the crack, and there's no way your afraid of some voices. So what are really afraid of?"

Ranger looked down as he walked. "My...my little brother Appleseed...he...he's always interested in the crack and...and the voices...I'm afraid that I might loose him if he gets so indulged in the crack."

"I see, that explains why seemed scared when you told me about the crack. It reminded you of your little brother."

"Yeah."

"Okay then. Next question, how did you recognize those creatures as Spooks?"

"They started coming when the crack formed, ever since then we've boxed the farm up and made sure that no one gets in."

"So you've dealt with these guys for a while huh?"

"That's right."

"And is that the barn right there?"

"Yep."

Nightwing and Ranger approached the Barn. Remains of what looked like red paint were scratched of if the barns side. The grass was torn up, all of the barn doors and windows had been barricaded.

"Maybe I should come back another time when you have the place cleaned up." Nightwing joked.

An arrow flew through one of the barn windows and headed for Nightwing. Using his magic Nightwing caught the arrow in a blue aura.

"Really, you think an arrow is gonna me?"

Then the arrow exploded.

Nightwing coughed out some smoke that he had breathed in, the front side of his coat and mane was charred from the explosion.

"Explosive arrow." Nightwing exhaled. "That's more like it."

Then he passed out/fainted.