Chapter 6: A Shadow
Applejack woke up the next morning and quickly hopped in the shower, it was Saturday and the gang was going to meet in the barn so she wanted to make sure she was fresh and ready for the day ahead. Running an apple orchard is hard work especially if you're the only one picking. As she gets out she tosses a bathrobe on and as she passes the front door she hears a knock. Figuring it was one of the girls she opens it. But to her surprise it wasn't! It was actually Rage.
"Oh!" he says looking away "I'm sorry is this a bad time?"
"No it's alright sugar." Applejack sighs "That was my bad. But what are you doing up so early in the morning?"
"Well you see I have trouble sleeping. I'ts a normal thing with me. I get flashbacks taht keep me up almost every night." Rage sighs "I knew we were meeting here today after you were done picking apples and I didn't think you would mind if I came over a bit early."
"I don't mind at all." Applejack replies "Sorry about you seeing me in just my robe. Hold on just a couple of seconds and I'll be back out." She says closing the door returning a few moments later fully clothed but still rather exposed, "Now if you're up to it would you mind helping me out with the daily picking?" she asks. Now it made sense why she was wearing such small clothing now, it was rather warm and working in a field must get pretty hot.
"No problem." Rage stretches following her out to the field. When they arrive Rage takes his jacket off. Though it didn't get warm even in the heat, it would get rather hot if he sweated in it. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Well can ya take the baskets to the pile outside the barn after I fill 'em up?" Applejack asks
"Can do." Rage says before awaiting for the first basket. It wasn't long before she had filled it up and Rage had taken it where she told him. The two continued for a while and soon they had finished it was about 9:30 and they were both pretty hot.
"Woo niley today was a doozy." Aplejack sighs "I need to cool off." She unbuttons the top few buttons before Rage yells
"Whoa not here!" He says covering his eyes
"Why not no one's gonna see it." She objects
"I would." Rage says with an 'as a matter of fact' tone
"So? Come on it's not like you're hooked up with someone who would care if you saw me." Applejack scoffs
"Well…" Rage says nervously scratching his head "Truth is I am."
"Who?" Applejack asks almost instantly
"I'm with Twi." Rage tells her
"Oh." She says "Sorry there Rage I didn't know."
"We actually just hooked up last night at the Fall Formal." Rage admits
"Really…well good for ya'll." Applejack smiles though deep down she was upset, she wanted Rage and instead Twilight got him.
"Hay if things don't work out between me and her Applejack I'll give you a shot." Rage says and she looks at him shocked how could he know about how she felt?! "I know how you feel about me Applejack Rainbow told me."
"Oh." Applejack smirks "Sorry… I guess I am not used to other people being around when I pick, I normally do that to cool off while I rest under a tree."
"Hay I understand I took my jacket off to keep myself cool." Rage answers
"Yeah, I figured." Applejack smiles "What is with that jacket anyway you always wear it!"
"I dunno I just like it." Rage answers "It goes well with my outfit I guess."
"I ain't gonna argue that." Applejack smiles "That's Rarities job." That got a laugh out of the both of them as Rainbow Dash and Sonic arrive.
"Morning Applejack! Rage?" Rainbow greets them but Rage with more of a surprised he was there.
"Hay Rainbow Dash, Sonic" Rage greets
"howdy you two. Rage was just helping me here with the daily picking, he sure is strong. Twilight chose a good one."
"Good one?" Sonic asks "Rage does that mean what I think it means?"
"eeyup." Rage says with a nod "Twi and I are a couple."
"I saw it too." Rainbow says "Twilight was so happy when you said yes."
"I know." Rage smiles "It felt like she had the whole thing planned from the start."
"She put a lot of effort into making the perfect night Rage." Rainbow Dash says
"Here come the others!" Applejack says as the rest of the group walks up.
"Hay." Ace says
"Morning!" Twilight smiles
"What's going on?" Shadow asks
"Hay guys!" Sonic says "We were just talking about something."
"Yup," Rage smiles with a blush "I have great news."
"What is it?" Pinkie Pie asks "A game? A new place to have fun? You found an awesome thing?"
"No…" Rage says with a look of 'what?' on his face "Guys last night I found my special person."
"Who?" Rarity asks
"Twi." Rage smiles as she walks up to him and hugs him tight "Twilight asked me out after she was crowned Princess of the Fall Formal." Rage admits
"ooo you two make a great couple!" Pinkie Pie says ecstatically
"The two brainiacs together." Shadow smirks "Who'd have thought."
"Don't be rude Shadow." Rebecca says hitting him on the arm gently "I think it's wonderful you two are together."
"Thank you Rebecca." Twilight smiles with a blush,
"Rage is a very caring guy." Sonic says "Kind of a perfect boyfriend."
"Am not." Rage says with a blush "Just cause I care for you all doesn't make me a perfect boyfriend."
"Rage you are too harsh on yourself." Rainbow says "Think about it, you did save us and CHS from certain doom two months ago. You're a hero even if everyone else doesn't know it."
"You were also the first one to step up to Sunset Shimmer." Applejack adds
"Guys I am no hero." Rage says firmly "A hero does what he does for fame, fortune, reputation or another gain. I am nothing like that." Rage looks at them one by one with a sigh "I am just a normal high school student going to CHS and that's that."
"If you say so." Rarity sighs,
Meanwhile Sunset Shimmer was hanging around in the local frozen yogurt shop when Flash Sentry walks up to her "Hay Sunset you've gotten to know Rage pretty well right?"
"Yeah what about it?" she asks
"Do you know where he is?" Flash asks
"No I don't." Sunset replies "Why?"
"Well I wanted to see if he would consider being Guitar for my band." Flash answers
"I dunno." Sunset replies "He and his friends seem pretty tight about their band."
"Yeah you're right that was a dumb question wasn't it?" Flash says scratching his head
"Still he might be willing to help with some things. I know that all their amps and stuff he made." Sunset suggests "Normally he is with the girls."
"Oh… so he's that kind of guy." Flash smirks
"Oh you didn't hear?" Sunset asks "He and Twilight are together."
"He and T-Twilight?" Flash asks
"Yeah." Sunset responds 'Ugh this nice girl act is horrible but if I am going to get anything from that Christain guy I need to get Flash to come with me' she curses in her head. She looked at Flash and she could tell he was mad. "You're not happy are you?"
"No" he replies "I was after her even back before well you know…"
"Yeah the other Twilight." Sunset sighs "Why don't you come to my house tonight I am having a movie night."
"You know what I'd love to." Flash smiles
Back on the farm Rage, Sonic and Shadow were playing Live and Learn for the girls. "You guys are so awesome!" Rainbow says
"You guys do sound magnificent." Rarity answer "The sound is so clear tell me what's the secret?"
"I fixed all our amps," Rage answers "Programmed them myself."
"Really?" Applejack asks "How do ya do somethin' like that?"
"It's rather simple once you hook them up to a computer." Rage responds
"What can't you do Rage?" Rebecca smiles
"He can't date you." Shadow teases
"That would be one thing." Rage laughs "I can't speak Spanish but I do speak Japanese."
"Get out you know Japanese?" Rarity asks
"Hai, watashi wa nihongo o hanashimasu" Rage responds
"Come again?" Applejack asks
"It means Yes, I speak Japanese in Japanese." Rage answers
That night Sunset Shimmer was standing on her porch with an interesting kid. He was gray his eyes a demonic red and his hair red as blood. He wore a long coat (Organization XIII style).
"So did you get him to come?" he asks
"yes I did now tell me who are you? All you told me is you don't like Rage, Sonic or Shadow." Sunset says
"My name is Christain and I know more about them then anyone here." He replies
"How so?" sunset challenges.
"Did you know Rage has access to superhuman powers?" Christain asks
"He does not." Sunset objects
"Are you for sure?" Christain asks
"I would know if he did. Besides he would have used them back two months ago when I captured his friends." She says firmly "You said you could make use of Flash Sentry, how so?"
"I have a particular…talent… in persuading people to do things." Christain smiles
"There is something wrong with you." Sunset says actually frightened a bit "You're beginning to creep me out."
"Don't worry Sunset Shimmer you and I will take Rage down for good." Christain smiles
"good? I don't want to kill him!" Sunset yells "I just want to get some revenge!"
"Well you should have thought about that before aligning with me." Christain smiles waving his hand with a strange aura and Sunsets eyes glow amber what they did not know was Flash had been watching from the bushes.
"Not cool." He says "I have to tell Rage!" he slips away unnoticed before returning home.
"Now then…let's set the trap." Christain smiles "Gather his friends and trap them in your basement."
"Yes…Christain…" she says in a mindless voice before walking off.
The next morning Rage was woken up by a banging at his door. Rage still in his pajamas walks down stairs and opens the door. There stood Flash Sentry looking frantic. "What's wrong?"
"Rage you're in grave danger!" Flash says
"Calm down." Rage chuckles "Why would I be in grave danger? Did Sunset do something?"
"No…" Flash says "Can I come in?"
"Sure." Rage sighs leading him into the living room "Let me go get changed." He says walking up the stairs and comes back down in his normal clothing. "Okay what's up?" he asks as they sit down on a couch.
"Oaky so I was talking with Sunset Shimmer at the Frozen Yogurt joint yesterday and she invited me to a movie night that night." Flash begins
"Well lucky you." Rage smiles
"No Rage you don't understand! When I got there I saw Sunset talking to a guy dressing in a strange coat. For some reason he wants you dead and Sunset didn't know that when she objected to helping him he did something to her." Flash explains Rage looked at him his mouth open. "You think I am crazy now don't you?" he asks with a sigh "I'll just be going…"
"No." Rage says grabbing his arm "I believe you.'
"You what?" he asks
"Sit back down I have some explaining to do." Rage sighs sitting back down himself as Flash follows. "Now what I tell you cannot leave this room got that?" Rage asks and Flash nods "The girls don't know that I know what happened with the other Twilight from another world and… Truth is Sonic, Shadow and I are kind of the same thing."
"You guys are from Equestria?!" Flash asks
"No." Rage answers "We are from Mobius. We lied as if it was a High School and yeah we are still High School students there. But the reason I came here was because after my parents were…killed and a lot of other stuff happened I knew trying to live there would be impossible. I did some searching and found this world."
"Why did you do all of that?" Flash asks
"Because I am a Chaos Guardian." Rage sighs "I really wanted to go through High School here without incident but it seems that they found me…"
"they?" Flash asks
"The Dark Legion…" Rage sighs "It was their leader Nix the Dark who killed my parents and I got my revenge." He says a look of hate in his eye. "Did you get his name?"
"Christain." Flash answers and Rage's eyes shrink in shock "That's a bad thing isn't it?"
"Christain…" Rage sighs "Forget the Dark Legion it's him…"
"Who is he?" Flash asks
"An old enemy who I thought was dead." Rage answers
"So what do you plan to do about it?" Flash asks
"I have no choice…" Rage sighs "Ignore him stay under the radar."
"Rage he knows about you Sunset is like his slave or something he did something to control her!" Flash says
"I know that but that doesn't mean he knows about me." Rage answers when his phone rings, it was Sunset and he answers "Sunset?"
"Rage?" she asks in distress
"What's wrong?" Rage asks her
"You have to get to my house quick! We are all in trouble!" she says
"Who?" Rage asks
"Twi, Dash, Sonic all of them!" she sobs "you have to help us!"
"I'll be right there!" Rage says before hanging up "That was Sunset…" Rage says "I think you are right."
"What do you do?" Flash asks
"I have to help them." Rage answers getting up
"But what about your own safety?" Flash asks "He has some kind of magic!"
"I do too." Rage admits "And I have to save them…because they are my friends!"
To be continued