Unleash the Soul
Chapter one:
They came from Another World
Earth, a blue planet orbiting a large sun, is home to a race of beings call humans. Some will call them terrible monsters, only interested in themselves, but a few would say humans are young and can learn from their mistakes. One such human is currently sitting in a waiting room, waiting on news about his mother.
The teen, male about 17, tipped his right foot impatiently, looking at the operation room entrance, frowning. The teen was dressed somewhat formally. He wore a pair of pressed, tan kakis, and a forest green dress shirt. The shirt, however, was open, showing his black undershirt, and the shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. The boy also wore a pair of black high tops, which were tattered in certain places, and looked close to falling apart.
The most unique thing about this boy's outfit is the copper bracelet on his left wrist. On a closer look, one could see the small design on the face of the object. The design started with a pair of trees, which lead to a small wavering path that end at a small sky blue jewel. The other odd thing about this boy was his eyes, they were a deep purple. Beside his eyes, the boy was fairly normal looking, with a pale but healthy skin, and a mop top of black hair.
"Drake, will you please stop that?" an 18-year-old asked, irritated by the constant foot tipping.
Drake Blacklight shot a glare at his cousin, Garry Gray, who was reading the newspaper. Much like his cousin, Garry was dressed somewhat formally. He wore a pair of red work boots, form fitting navy blue jeans with a brown leather belt, a red long sleeve shirt with a number nine on the right side of the shirt, and a denim jacket, dyed white. The Right sleeve of the jacket has a small hole around the shoulder.
Garry also wore a bracelet, near identical to his cousin, only he wore his on his right wrist, and his bracelet let had a light tan jewel in it. Another odd fact about the cousins was that they were near identical themselves. Gerry had the same pale but healthy skin, and the same piercing purple eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that Garry has a slightly wide chin, smaller nose, and a dirty blonde hair, combed back with just a hint of gee in it, the two cousins could pass for twins.
"Easy for you to say," Drake said angrily, jumping to feet. "That's not your mother in there!"
Frowning a bit in anger, Garry folded up the paper, and placed it on the stand to his right as he calmly stood up. He faced his cousin, face completely static.
"Listen, I know this is hard, especially with the timing and everything, but Aunt Rachel's going to be fine," Garry said calmly. "She's tougher then she looks, you get to remember that."
Drake's scowl angrily as he grabbed his cousin by the jacket with his left arm. It seemed Gerry's words had the opposite effect then he intended. Still he had his ground, his face calm.
"Yeah and how can you possible understand what I'm feeling at the moment?" Drake asked angrily.
At this, Garry got a bit angry and grabbed his cousin's arm with his bracelet hand. As the two cousins' emotions began to flare, surprisingly, the jewels on their bracelets began to glow in their respective colors.
"Don't go there, Drake," Garry warned a very tiny hint of anger in his voice. "You know better then anyone what I went through."
Drake glared at his cousin, and his jewel got a little brighter, and surprisingly, sparks began flying around the bracelet. He tightened his grip ever so slightly as he glared deeply into Garry's eyes.
"Yeah, I know," Drake replied with bitter anger. "And I think as one who lost both of his parents, would be a little more understanding of my own feelings!"
Finally, Garry got mad, really mad, and grabbed Drake by the collar with free hand. Like his cousin, Garry's jewel glowed brighter, and sand or ground began pooling out of it.
"Yeah, and if you listen for once, you stupid hothead, then maybe you might actually learn something!" Garry said angrily. "I'm telling you, you're mother's going to be fine."
"Why don't we settle this like true Blacklights and go outside," Drake said angrily, challenging his cousin to a fight.
"Ahem, am I interrupting anything?" asked a kind voice.
Startled, the cousins turned their heads to the left, and saw a male doctor in his mid-40es. This man has light tan skin and graying hair, though some red could be seen. His lime green eyes shine with knowledge and experience. Outside of his white doctor coat, he was dressed fairly causally, wearing form fitting black jean, a causal wear white sweater, and a pair of newly worn-in black loafers.
Garry looked at his bracelet, and his cousin's bracelet and when he saw them glowing, he moved his arm and his cousin's down, hopping that the doctor didn't see the strange sight. Drake broke free from his cousin and looked at the doctor, thankfully, keeping his bracelet hand hidden behind his back.
"Dr. Rollins, how's mom?" The hot-headed teenager asked eagerly.
Doctor Rollins smiled a gentle smile as he patted Drake on the right shoulder. "You're mother's going to be fine. She collapsed from exhaustion, and a small fever. There's nothing to worry about," Rollins replied kindly.
A relieved smile appeared on Drake's face as he took a seat. Garry smiled slightly when he saw that his cousin's bracelet had stopped glowing, and then looked at the doctor, his face turning serious.
"Doctor, what cause my aunt to collapse in the first place?" Garry asked seriously.
Doctor Rollins looked at Gerry, frowning slightly.
"Well, Garry, my personal option is that she was overworking herself, given the day that coming up," Doctor Rollins replied honestly, and then looked at Drake. "Listen, Drake, I know anniversary of your father's passing is a few days away, but you and your mother should take it easy. You two are the only family, next to Gerry here, that you have. You really should care and watch out for each other."
Drake nodded weakly, a solemn frown on his face, as he looked at the ground. If anything, he didn't want to remember his father's death and the roll his play in it. He looked at his hands, remembering how his father had died in them close to year ago. With a light sigh, he closed his hand and looked at the doctor.
"So doc, when's my mom's going to be released?" Drake asked, trying to sound casual.
"We will release her within a few hours," Doc Rollins said with a kind smile. "We're just checking to insure that there's nothing else brothering your mother. But I want you, both of you, to keep an eye on her for the next few days, until she completely recovers."
Drake smiled and nodded. Dr. Rollins smiled, and looked at Garry. The older teen showed indifference at the doctor's request, but he could see the resolve in the teen's eye, and took that as a yes.
"Well, boys, I will take my leave now," Doc Rollins said kindly, then left.
Drake watched as the doctor walked away, and then sighed in relief. He was glad that his mother wasn't in any serious danger and sank into his chair. With another sigh, he looked at his cousin and frown slightly when he noticed Garry had a small smug smile.
"Don't even say it," Drake said sharply. "Don't even think about it, Garry!"
"Whatever do you mean, cousin?" Garry asked smugly.
"Just hand me a magazine!" Drake said bitterly, holding out his hand.
Garry's smile grew ever so slightly as he grabbed a magazine from the stand located to his right, and handed it to Drake. The hot-headed teen scowl when he saw that Gerry gave him an outdated fashion magazine.
"Funny," Drake said angrily, tossing the magazine into his cousin's lap. "Now hand over the sport magazine!"
Garry chuckled faintly as he grabbed the item his cousin wanted and held it out for him. With a small puff of air, the hot head took the magazine and opened it, skimming through it until he found something that perked his interest. Garry then grabbed the paper he was reading earlier and went back to reading it, both waiting for their mother and aunt.
(Equestria)
Twilight Sparkle, faithful student to the Ruler of Equestria, and keeper of the Ponyville library, hummed her friend's smile song as she walked toward the tree that serves as her home and the small town's library. She had just return from the everfree forest, having gone to the place to gather ingredients and her favorite tea from the forest only known resident, Zecora. She was hoping to use the ingredients in a spell she learned about from a book recently.
"Twilight! Hey, Twilight!"
The lavender blinked twice and smiled softly as she saw her number one assistant, and the closest thing she had to a son, Spike the dragon. Twilight's smile disappeared as she noticed how grim her friend looked, and that he was currently waving a letter in his claw. Immediately she broke into a small sprint, and meant the dragon half way.
"Spike, what's the matter?" Twilight asked in concern.
"Message from the princess," Spike replied, slightly out of breath.
Twilight was about to tell Spike to read the letter to her, when she noticed the royal seal. The only time the princess use the seal is when something big is about to happen. She grabbed the letter with her magic, and pulled it from Spike's claw so hard, it nearly snapped his wrist. The unicorn opened the letter and began reading it quickly, her eyes widen with each word she read.
"Spike, when did you get this?" Twilight asked in mix of concern and fear.
"Hmm…" Spike put his right claw to his chin thinking, "…about 50 minutes ago."
Twilight let out a loud gasp and a single strain of hair shot straight up. She began to pace in front of the dragon as she mumbled something to herself. Spike couldn't help but groan as he rolled his eyes a bit, hoping to not see this behavior again.
"50 minutes…" Twilight gasped, her voice cracking a bit. "There's no way I get the others together before the escorts arrive!"
Before this could get any worse, Spike took the bull by the horns, and grabbed the unicorn by the head, and making her looked him in the eyes.
"Settle down!" Spike said in a soft, yet commanding voice. "Didn't you learn a certain spell for things like this?"
Twilight blinked, and calm down enough to think clearly. She smiled slightly as she remembered the spell that Spike was talking about.
"Thanks Spike," Twilight said gratefully, patting the dragon on the head. "Now stand back."
The unicorn gently pushed the dragon to the side, and took a single step forward. Puffing out her chest slightly, Twilight inhaled slowly and closed her eyes, concentrating her magic to her horn. Surprisingly, the horn didn't light up in it usual lavender color. Instead, the horn lit up in a light tan color.
Twilight built a good charge for a few seconds, before shooting it into the air. The bolt went high into the air, where it exploded in a mess of fireworks, and took the shape of a three apples. Half away across town, a certain earth pony is busy with her usual business when she saw the sign in the air. Knowing what that sign meant, she dropped what she was doing, executed herself, and gallop with all the strength her legs had, to the center of town.
The next flare that went up and took the shape of a blue cloud with a rainbow lightening bolt in it. Unfortunately, the pony this mark was connected to was currently napping near a river. Luckily, the next sign to come up was a trio of pink party balloons, and the pony that mark belong to, was close to the bearer of the last mark. The pink pony excitedly jumped on the blue pony and then hurried off
The blue Pegasus pony glared at the disappearing earth pony, until she saw the fireworks, and looked up in time to them change into a trio of white diamonds. Knowing what that meant, the pony jumped into the air, spreading her wings and flying at top speed to the meeting place. Somewhere else in town, a white unicorn also saw the sign and become conflicted. She was currently working on a new dress design and hated to stop when she was near a breakthrough. But she quickly remembered her duties, and put her project on hold as hurried out of her store.
The final sign want up soon after the last, startling the meek pony that the trio of yellow butterflies mark belong too. She nearly went into hiding, but the animals she was caring for, namely a large group of hummer birds grabbed her, and began flying her toward the usual meeting place. Coincidently, all of Twilight sparkle's friends came to her place at the same time, (yes, even Fluttershy), and began throwing questions at the lavender unicorn, all at once.
"What's the big idea, egghead? I was having such a nice nap."
"This better be important, darling? I was about to make fashion history."
"What's the emergency, Sugercube?"
"Is something super duper fun about to happen?"
"Oh my, Twilight, I hope everything is okay?"
"Girls, girls, settle down," Twilight said, waving her friends down. "I don't know what happening, but the princess sent me a letter, requesting our aide."
The others opened their mouths to start with the questions again, when they all heard a familiar howl. They looked up and saw a chariot, pulled by four Pegasus guards. Rainbow Dash whistles slightly as the chariot, large it enough to carry the entire group touch down in front of them.
"Would you look at that horse power?" Rainbow said, half joking. "The princess really must need us."
Twilight just glared at her cocky friend as they boarded and the lavender unicorn signal for the guards that they were ready. With a quick cry, the guards took to the air, rocketing away from the small, but surprisingly chaotic town, with amazing speed. The trip to Canterlot was quicker then usual due to the extra power, and the group was meant with a very usual sight.
Where are they all going? Twilight wonder as she watched nearly all of the Pegasus guards coming from the palace.
The studious unicorn frown as her puzzlement grew when she noticed that all of the guards where heading to the north. She frowned as she tried to recall what was in the direction. All she could think have been a couple of farm lands, a small forest and a few cave areas. So why send the entire Pegasus guard unit out?
Twilight turned toward the guard guiding the escort, ready to ask a question, when the landed, on the usual chariot landing bay. Twilight was about to asked again, only to watch as the guard unhooked themselves from the chariot, and took off after their follow guardsman, leaving the Mane six confused.
"Well…that's was odd," Applejack said awkwardly.
The group left the chariot, and was about to head to the throne room. They suddenly stopped when a familiar black and blue pony came into view.
"Princess…Luna?" Rarity asked slowly, and bow with her friends as the younger, but equally powerful sister of the sun came up to them.
"Please, my friends," Luna said calmly. "You don't have to bow."
The group straightened up and put on matching uncomfortable expressions. While they knew how to deal with her older sister a bit, Luna was a different matter. The group looked at Twilight, the one who has the most experience in dealing with the lunar princess. Pushing back a lump that had form in throat, the studious unicorn stood forward.
"Umm, Princess Luna, you're sister's letter said something about a threat?" Twilight asked awkwardly.
Luna frowned slightly and nodded. "Yes, unfortunately, that is true. Follow me to the vault chambers, and I will explain," the princess said, and walked into the castle.
The mane six exchange looks, their worries replacing their discomfort. They could only think of one thing that a trip to the vault chamber would mean, and none of the Mane Six liked it. Still, they follow after the lunar princess, once again ready to throw themselves at any threat that threatened their home.
"Do you know of the reported beast attacks north of Canterlot?" Luna asked as the group walked the castle's halls.
"I read about in the newspaper," Twilight said, frowning in thought. "I just thought it was a creature that strayed to far from the everfree forest."
"If that was only true," Luna replied with a sigh. "What has been attacking lately is a creature called a Darkling."
The mane six instantly stopped, and looked at Twilight, hoping that she would have the answer to what a Darkling was. The studious unicorn frowned lightly as she tipped her chin with her right front hoof. But for once, she was at a lost; she had no idea what a Darkling was. Twilight's friends notice this, and became shocked.
"Well, I never thought I will see the day when the egghead didn't have the answer," Rainbow said in a shocked voice.
"It's not surprising," Luna said, drawing the attention of the ponies in her company. "A Darkling hasn't been seen in over 2000 years."
This got a collective group gasp as the six nearly stopped. If what the lunar princess was saying was true then this Darkling was older then Equestria. And that brought one question onto each ponies' mind.
"Beg your pardon, princess," Applejack said humbly. "But what does this have to do with any of us?"
Luna sighed and looked at the Mane Six, doubt clearly written on her face. The six would admit, (silently to themselves), that seeing one of their rulers looking so doubtful didn't fill them with confidence.
"My sister believed that the Element of Harmony, another arcane force, might be able to fight against Darklings," Luna said statically, and looked away from the group of ponies.
The mane six once more exchanged worry looks. Once more, the group of six wasn't feeling very confident but continued to follow the blackish blue pony. Soon the group came to a familiar looking door, and the six ponies stopped as Luna step forward, placing her horn into a slot in the center of the door. The group watched six design on the door lit up, and they heard a lock being unlocked, as Luna pulled her horn free.
The door opened with a bright flash of light, and soon the group could see a familiar blue chest. Luna grabbed it with her magic and opened it, revealing the six relics known as the element of harmony. She grabbed the five sets of necklaces and one crown and gave them to the respective holder. Once the elements were on their holders, she put the chest back and closed the door.
"Princess Luna, not that I'm honored by all of this," Twilight said doubtfully. "I just don't know if we can be any help, especially since all six of us need to be together to work the elements."
"Actually, Twilight Sparkle, this isn't entirely true," Luna said hesitantly. "The elements can be use separately as well, to greatly increase a pony's natural talents."
The pony stared at the lunar princess, who in turned looked away in discomfort.
"Is this true, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked in doubt.
Luna let out a faint sigh and looked at the group, her eyes heavy with emotions. Again, seeing one of their ruler looking so broken, made the Mane Six uncomfortable and somewhat regretful for their disrespectfully actions.
"…Yes, Twilight Sparkle, it true," Luna said shamefully. "This is the reason why sister keeps the elements locked up. While only a true bearer can draw out the elements' full power, if one would to get their hooves on the elements, they could use them to bring their nature talents to unbelievable levels."
The mane six exchange looks, and slowly their doubt faded. They knew that the rulers of their land rarely do anything without reason, and with their own worries behind them, looked at the princess.
"Princess Luna," Twilight said in a determined voice. "It would be an honor!"
Luna couldn't help but smile at this. Once again, she saw the reason why her sister favored these six ponies among others. It was reinsuring to know that Equestria had such fine residents, willing to help in dire times. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie, who had remained surprisingly quiet through the entire meeting, popped up in front of the lunar princess, startling her slightly. Even stranger was the pink pony's face; it was a strange mix of goofy and determine.
"Don't you worry, princess," Pinkie Pie said bubbly. "I give these dark meanies a one, two, Pinkie Pie special!"
And to the moon raiser surprise, the pink pony pulled out a blue cannon, seemingly out of thin air, and landed right on top of it. She fired out a shot of strippers, which Luna needed to dodge, and would probably have fired another round if Twilight didn't grabbed her friend and her cannon with her magic.
"Sorry about that?" Twilight said sheepishly.
Luna took a moment to compose herself and then address the group, "…Yes, well she should be off then."
She then turned and began walking, only to stop when she realized nopony was following her. Frowning, she looked behind her, and saw the Mane six with matching shocked expressions.
"Is something in my mane?" the lunar princess asked awkwardly.
Rarity was the first to recovered, and stepped forward. "Beg your pardon, princess, but you're coming with us?" the fashion designer asked in disbelief.
"…Yes," Luna replied truthfully. "The Darklings aren't just threatening Equestria, but the lands beyond them. I already saw one kingdom lost to those beasts, and I wouldn't just sit idly by and watch it happen again. Now come, we'll take my personal chariot."
She then began walking, with the still startled ponies following her. The group quickly moved to the other side of the castle, where the princesses personal chariots are, uneasiness hanging in the air. Soon, however, a certain unicorn's curiosity got the better of her, and she moved closer to the princess that rule the night.
"…Princess Luna," Twilight said respectfully. "Can you tell us anything about these Darklings?"
Luna let out a faint sigh and looked at her sister's best student. Once more, Twilight felt slightly uneasiness with the heavy emotions dancing in her teacher's sister's eyes. It was like Luna was trying very had push back some unwanted memories or something close to it.
"Unfortunately, Twilight Sparkle, even my knowledge of the Darklings is limited," Luna said solemnly. "But I know enough to mount an effect counterattack."
The lavender unicorn hesitated with her next question, not wanting to put her teacher's sister in anymore pain then she was already in. Unfortunately, the lunar princess seem to have sense Twilight's thoughts and with another faint sigh, got in front of the ponies, and stopped, face static.
"If we're truly facing Darklings, then I believe it fair that you all know what little knowledge I have about them," Luna said statically.
Immediately, every pony's attention was on the younger princess, serious faces glued to the princess. Well, Pinkie Pie didn't have a serious face; in fact, she was sitting on a stool, with a bag of cookies, eagerly waiting for "story" time to begin. Even Luna found the pink earth pony's antics a little shocking, but quickly shrugged it off as she turned her attention to the entire group.
"What I know of the Darkling is this; Darklings are being made out of pure shadows, though they can interact with the world around them, even injure ponies," Luna said stoically.
The ponies, minus Pinkie, exchange worried looks. They were liking these Darklings less and less. Still, they looked at the princess, determined not to let her down. Luna couldn't help but smile a bit, once more seeing what make her sister's favor these ponies so much. She motioned them to follow them, and together, the group resumed their walk to Luna's personal chariot.
"The Darklings also come in large numbers," Luna said stoically. "But despite these numbers, the Darklings have only one nest. And it will be there that we will find the item that creates the Darklings. If we can destroy that item quickly, then we might stop the Darklings before they become to big a threat."
The mane six was quietly, turning over this new information in their heads. From the corner of her eyes, Luna looked at her subjects, frowning mentally. She was debuting with herself, to tell the ponies about some of the more dangerous parts about the Darklings. That thought were part on hold, however, as the group came to the door leading to where the princesses store their personal chariots. She decided to tell the Mane Six a little more on the way to the North parts of Equestria. She could only hope her sister was doing well.
"Princess Luna, where did Princess Celestia go anyways?" Twilight asked curiously,
Luna let out another sigh, wondering how long before the studious unicorn asked that question.
"She's…also preparing to fight the Darklings," the lunar princess replied reluctantly. "Now come, we can't afford anymore delays."
With that the group hurried to the chariots, ready to do what they can for the land they call home. Still, Luna couldn't help but wonder how her sister's doing right at this moment.
(…)
Princess Celestia let out a bitter sigh as she walked the streets of a forgotten city, sad memories filling her head. She looked to her right, where buildings lay crumbling, and remembers a different time, where the streets were alive with color, and alicorn children playing tag with their wings and magic. She let out another sigh as she looked to her left, and once more becoming lost in memories. She remembered a flower shop that young stallions would buy flowers for their filly-friends. She then recalled the café-like shop where friends would meet and talk about nothing, over drinks, for hours.
I really wish I didn't have to return to this place, the princess thought sadly.
Soon, Celestia came to a castle, which, surprisingly, looked like a mix between the Canterlot Castle and the castle of the Crystal Empire. The structure of the castle was eerily simple to the Canterlot castle, or maybe it was the Canterlot castle that model after this place. Crystals of different size, shape, and color adorn the wall, causing the large building to glow in a regal light.
Celestia frown as her memories faded, and she got a good view of her old home. The castle was in terrible shape, and it was due to more then age. The towers on the right side had completely collapsed, and the right side wall had a giant hole in the center. The left side didn't fair much better. While the structure was mostly intact, the towers bases were in bad shape. It wouldn't take much and the towers were going to fall. The left side wall also had several cracks around it, and it didn't look like it would take much for the entire wall to come crashing down. Finally, veins and muse cover the once mystical palace, making a shell of it former glory.
Celestia sigh solemnly as she walked up to the gate of the castle. She stopped when an alarm suddenly went off, and with a small frown, watched as the wall above the gate shift, quickly forming into a pony's head.
"Halt, thou are not permitted into thy grounds!" the head spoke in a booming voice. "Speak thy goal or have the wraith of 1000 guards descend on thou."
Celestia smiled a bitter smile at the spells words. It remained her so much of her father, and his overdramatic way, it almost made her laugh a bitter laugh.
"I'm Celestia, second daughter of the great king Ever Bright, and the great queen mage, Mysterious Moon," Celestia said firmly.
The constructed pony head's eyes suddenly lit and a shot a thin beam form it horn, hitting Celestia's own horn. The sun princess closed her eyes and sent a beam back within the constructed pony's own beam. For the next minute and half, the alicorn just stood, letting her father's spell run it course.
Finally, the spell broke, and the head spoke, "You may enter, Second Daughter."
The head then returned to being a simple wall and Celestia used her wings to enter into the castle. The near immortal mare frowned solemnly as she walked the age-old halls, memories of a different time playing before her eyes. She could remember running through these halls with her sisters, during their filly days. She laughed a hollow laugh as she remembered once running for dozen guards after a prank was pulled on them.
"Where did it go all wrong?" Celestia asked herself solemnly.
The celestial pony neared the throne room, only to stop when she saw something from the corner of her right eye. Looking in the direction, she spied a portrait, face down on the floor. With a light sigh, Celestia grabbed the item with her magic and brought it close to her face, looking at it deeply.
It was a family portrait, only the most of the top half was torn off, making it impossible to tell who where the two ponies behind the three fillies where. Celestia frown as she looked at herself and Luna when they were just fillies. She frowned deeply when her eyes fell to the third pony, located to the right of the filly Celestia. The picture was to damage to make out the third filly clearly, but the filly in question has a crystal blue body, and much like her sisters, this third pony filly had a multi-colored mane.
"Oh Crystal Drop, if only you could see the mare your daughter has become," Celestia said sadly. "She has even taken up her destiny as the leader of the Crystal Empire."
Celestia sigh once more as she gently sent the broken portrait down and proceeded into the throne room. Like how the outside of the castle was the basis for the Canterlot castle, the throne room was in similar design. In fact, the Canterlot through room was a near identical copy of the room that Celestia was now standing; the only difference was the walkway to the throne itself. There were crystals of different colors, most broken now, line the walkway.
Celestia frowned, once more lost in a distant memory as she walked up to the throne. She remembered that the crystals were light up as ponies walked under them, highlighting them in an overdramatic fashion. She refused to look up at the throne, unwilling to become lost in any more memories; she had, after all, a very important job that needs to be done.
Reaching the throne, Celestia walked over to the right side of the throne where she found a single diamond, covered with dust. She charge up her horn with a spell, and fired it into the diamond without a second thought. The diamond lit up as the stairwell that the throne rests on, began to rock. Celestia took a stepped back as the entire stairwell moved away from the wall, revealing a hidden passageway. Celestia covered her mouth, to keep the dust that was kicked up from the sudden movement, from her mouth as she made her way to the passageway.
The winged unicorn form slightly when she noticed that stairs that lead into the chamber had long since crumbled due to age. She lightly sighed as she charged up a levitation spell in her horn, and allowed it to reach over her body. She then lowered herself into the chamber using the spell. She recollected the spell into her horn, and used it light to see into the mysterious room.
The room wasn't much to talk about, exact for the strange gate that stood before the princess. The gate had ancient runes running around the ram. Celestia looked down, and saw the circle, seven inches from the gate. Much like the gate, the circle was covered in runes, some matching the ones on the gate itself.
Brow narrowing in determination, Celestia walked into the circle, and let the spell she been using to light the room fade. She took a deep breath, and lowered her head to the ground, horn touching a rune. Suddenly, the rune lit up, and magical energy surge into the princess's horn. She lifted her head up, and fired a magical bolt into the rune that matched the one she just touched, causing it to light up with magic.
"…Let just hope there's someone on that other world who's willing to help," Celestia muttered hopefully to herself as she move to the next rune in the spell.
(Earth)
"AWW, it feels good to be out of there," Rachel Blacklight said, age 39m as she stretched lightly.
Despite being near 40, she was look about 10 year younger then her actually age. Her peach skin didn't have a wrinkle on it, and her lime green eyes were full of life. Her sandy blonde hair was kept short, and neat for the sake of her business. It was also clear that she didn't give much to her son, say for height. When Drake got beside his mother, they were almost the same height, with Drake being a just a bit taller then his mother.
Today, the single parent was dressed casually, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a tan sweater with the words "Darklight's flowers" on the front, and a pair of work shoes.
"Now, Now, Rachel, I already told you that you need take it easy for a few days." Doctor Rollins said politely. "You don't want to have a relapse, now do you?"
Rachel smiled a kind smile as she turned to her friend. "I know, Jacob. It's just that, in my line of work, of course, you get bored quickly when you're just lying around."
"I know, Rachel." Doctor Rollins said, nodding. "Just take it easy for next few days, and you should be good."
Rachel nodded her understanding, and then turned to her son and nephew. "C'mon, boys, there's some errands I'll like to run before heading home."
Drake and Garry nodded, and followed Rachel as she left the hospital grounds.
Black Raven City, once a peaceful mountain town, is now a small city is busy at usual. About 12 years ago, Black Raven was just a small town, not known for much. That all changed when land developer Kevin White found it and decided, for some reason only know to him, to turn into a small city. Of course, only a select few knew the real reason why should a famous person decided to turn a small town into a bustling city, and they didn't like it one bit.
The Blacklight family, and Garry were seen walking down main street with a few bags in their hands. As they walked, they past a store with a bunch of TV all turned to the early news. Both Drake and Garry stopped to listen quickly.
"Today top story, Black Raven's own personal superhero group, the Soul Warriors, helped the local police bust an arms shipment by the notorious Blank two nights ago," said, a 29 year-old female announcer said.
"Bah, Karen, you would got wild for any men of mysterious type, wouldn't you?" her co-anchor, a few year older then her, said rudely. "I don't trust those so-called, "soul Warriors" as much as the rest of the sheep of this city does."
Karen turned to look at her co-anchor with a small glare before looking back at the camera. "…Continuing on, no new information at the moment about this mysterious Blank or where he gets these mysterious weapons."
I would like to know that too, Drake thought as he turned away from the store and returned to his mother alongside his cousin.
The young man was deep in thought, thinking about this Blank person and how his get his weapons. He knew from personal experience what these weapons were, and wanted to get them off the streets soon. The young man suddenly looked up, and saw a teenager, a year or two younger then him, snatched a middle-age woman's purse, right in brood daylight.
Suddenly, it was like the cousins were completely synced, as they gently set down their bags, and got in front of Rachel. Then, with a burst of speed, the two got in front of the purse-snatcher before he could reach the mouth of a maybe alley. Gerry dropped to his knees, and knocked the purse-snatcher's legs out from under him. Drake followed this up by grabbing the teenager by the shoulders before he fell to the ground, and lightly slammed him into a nearby wall, lightly pressing his right arm against the snatcher's throat.
"You weren't planning on taking that, were you, my friend?" Drake asked threateningly, his eyes sparking.
The purse-snatcher, scared stiff by what he just saw nodded the best he could. Drake smiled, as he let go of the teenager, and took the purse as the would-be snatcher ran scared. Drake walked up to the middle-age woman and handed her purse back to her.
"Here you go, ma'am," Drake said kindly.
"Thank you, both of you," the woman said gratefully, as she took her purse, and left.
Drake looked at his cousin, and noticed his had a small smile on his face. This caused him to smile a little more. This ended quickly however, as both sense someone behind them, and that someone was very angry.
"Drake Blacklight! Garry Gray!"
The cousins flinched slightly as they turned and saw Rachel, looking ready to tare into both of them. Drake smiled sheepishly and he began rubbing the back of his head as he mother came up to him and his cousin.
"What were you two thinking?" Rachel said in a scolding tone. "You could have been seriously hurt. What do you have to say for yourselves?"
The two looked down, unable to look their mother and aunt in the eyes. This only caused Rachel got a little madder, and she was about to really let her children had it.
"…Sorry, Aunt Rachel," Garry suddenly said, looking his aunt in the eye. "But you don't need to worry. We weren't in any danger."
The normally indifferent teen flinched when he saw his aunt giving him a glare that could melt ice, and once more looked at the ground. Rachel continued to glare at her son and nephew, for nearly a minute.
"Don't let it happen again," Rachel said flatly, and walked past them.
Drake and Garry give each other sheepishly looks as they walked back to the bag they set down earlier. Garry stopped when s faint noise reached his ears, and he took out a smart-phone from his back pocket. He frowned as he read a text he just got.
He sighed lightly, and turned to his cousin. "That was Will. He told me to get over to his place to help with a school project," he said, and handed all of his bags to Drake.
The older teen then hurried off before his cousin could say a word. With an irritated sigh, Drake set down the bags, and repositioned them so he could hold them better and caught up to his mother. He once more looked at the ground when he noticed his mother still glaring at him.
"And where's your cousin?" Rachel asked, with a bit of anger in her voice.
"He's had to help Will," Drake replied sheepishly, looking his mother in the eyes.
Hearing, this, Rachel's stare soften a bit as she said," Oh right, he told me about it."
With that, the older Blacklight turned around, and began walking again. Drake just sighed and began walking behind his mother. He nearly ran into his mother when she stopped suddenly, and he heard a soft gasp. He arched an eyebrow when he thought he saw something glowing under is mother shirt. Suddenly, she turned to her son, and quickly shaved her bags into his arms.
"I just remember something a friend wanted me to do," Rachel said hastily.
And before her son could get a word in, Rachel hurried off. Slightly dazed, Drake could only watch as mother ran down the street like a mad bull. He sighed once he couldn't see his mother anymore and gently dropped the bags to the ground and tried to get them so he could carry them all home.
"What am I? A bag boy?" Drake muttered sarcastically, and gasped as he realized something. "Wait…mom was in the hospital for a day and half, so how could has she anything that she needed to do?"
Now Drake wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawl, and he would admit it to anyone who asked. And yet, even he found his mother behavior strange. He looked up, to the street where he mother ran off to, and tried to remember what was down there. All that came to mind was an abandon site that closed down after the ground was found unstable. So what could his mother possible be doing on a place like that?
Drake suddenly gasped as he felt a massive change in the air. Not a lot of people know this about the young man, but Drake Blacklight had many secrets, one which include a sensitive sixth sense. So with a quick breath, he closed his eyes, allowing him senses to extend farther then it should have been possible.
He frowned as he felt it. A massive force of magical energy was falling from the sky, invisible to anyone without special senses. He frown deepen when he sensed that something was gliding the energy, and tried to concentrate on the source. He gasped when he zeroed in on the mysterious source that was drawing the magical energy.
"Mom!"
The bags were forgotten instantly as Drake took off running, running at speed that seemed near superhuman. He rounded the corner to the next street, and nearly collided with a bystander. He jumped over the middle-age man, and continue running without massing a beat. He looked, and while he couldn't see the energy, he knew it was close, and getting closer with each passing second. This information caused him to push himself a little harder, hoping to get to his mother before anything bad happen to her.
Drake came to a dead stop when he saw his mother, standing in the center of the site, and holding up some sort of item. At first glaze, it looked like a simple heart-shape pendent. Drake, however, could see the magical energy coming fall of the item. He can't help but be entranced by the warm magical energy coming off of the item. It was almost like his mother was holding the very sun in her hand.
Unfortunately, this short paused worked against the young man. The magical force, now visible to the naked eyes was nearly on top of Rachel. Drake gasped as he watched the energy engulf his mother, and he ran at the energy.
"MOM!" Drake screamed as he reached out to grab his mother.
This, unfortunately, worked against him as he felt the energy pull him, quicker then he thought possible, into itself. He tried to fight to get free, but found the energy to be to strong and soon, he felt himself being lifted into the air. Realizing it was useless fighting, he settled the best one could when you're in a mass of magical energy, and waited for the ride to end.
But where are we going? Drake asked himself curiously.
(…)
"Wow, ah never expected that of you, princess," Applejack said in amazement.
"…Yes, I would admit, it a sort of hobby of my," the lunar princess said shyly.
Luna looked over at the chariot that was responsible for bringer herself, and her subjects to their current location. The chariot was three time the size of normal chariots, allowing the seven to fit into it without problems. The main thing about this chariot, however, was the large steam engine built into the vehicle. There were numerous stars and moon decals on the large wings. Finally, the chariot was printed a midnight blue, matching the mare who made it, and giving a mysterious feeling to it.
"I can't believe you made this without help?" Twilight said astounded as she looked at the princess.
Luna looked away shyly, as a light blushed formed on her cheeks. When she next spoke, her voice was soft, but still hearable, "I became interested in the steam engine when I read about it and one thing lead to another, and before I knew it I had built her."
"And it was super duper fun!" Pinkie Pie said, jumping excitedly. "It was almost as fast as Dashie!"
"…As if!" Rainbow Dash said arrogantly, and then flew high into the sky, doing a short list of tricks and stunts before, returning to her friends. "There's nothing in Equestria faster then yours truly, alive or other wise!"
Luna clear her throat to get the ponies' attention before things got out of hand. "Please, my little ponies, we don't have time for such things," the lunar princess said in stern yet kind tone.
The mane six looked at the princess, and all quickly remembered why they were here in the first place. Silently, the six ponies nodded, and Luna couldn't help but smile, once more remained of the determination these six had. Silently, the group began looking around, trying to find a leads on where the Darklings might be. As the group searched, Twilight got beside her mentor's sister, a curious look in her eyes.
"Princess, on the way here, you said you had more information on the Darklings?" the studious unicorn asked curiously.
With a light sigh, the lunar princess looked at her sister's student in eyes, and Twilight didn't like the look in the princess's eyes. She could see deep pain hidden beneath those dark eyes and regretted asking now. Still, she had to know about more about these Darklings before they had to confront them.
"…Unfortunately, Twilight Sparkle, I do," Luna said solemnly.
The younger princess looked away, and became lost in a distant memory. She could still remember the screams of her fellow alicorns as they homes were lit ablaze, and they ran for their lives. She fought back tears as she remembered seeing a young filly cut down by these brutes that attacked without reason. She stealthily used her magic to wipe the tears away before looking at her sister's student, her expression unreadable.
"The most dangerous ability of the Darklings is that once they reached a certain number they began to merge, and grow more powerful," the lunar princess said seriously.
It took about a split second for the studious unicorn to piece everything together and she gasped lightly. "That's why you want to find the nest, before their numbers go to large and they began to merge," Twilight said in realization.
Luna nodded as a tense silence fell onto the group, as they continue their search. Soon, they search lid them to a thick forest, one that made even the lunar princess shiver slightly. The forest had a dark and forbidding feel to it that it made the hairs on the back of the ponies' necks, even Luna, to stand on end. Soon, however, the lunar princess began heading into the forest, a feeling telling her that this was the place. Quickly the others began following their ruler, keeping their eyes alert. Quickly, a certain cyan Pegasus realized that someone was lingering behind and looked behind her shoulder with an annoyed glared.
"Pick up your wings, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said rudely as she flew to her friend. "We don't have all year!"
The timid Pegasus looked up at her friend, trying to form words, but none came to her. This made Rainbow Rain impatient, and she flew behind her friend, intending to push her if need be. Suddenly a loud roar draw the attention of both ponies and the looked in in time to see the princess and their friends hastily exited the forest. Quickly everything was forgotten as the Pegasi joined their friends, watching as creatures of pure shadow emerged from the forest.
"Oh my, are those…" Fluttershy tried to ask, but become too afraid from looking at the snarling beasts.
"…Yes," Luna replied, bracing herself as her horn lit up. "Be on guard, my little ponies!"
Immediately, the Mane six, and a reluctant Fluttershy got in front of the princess. The six began to concentrate, as told my Luna, and their respective element began to glow. Unlike most of the time the element was used, the energy washed over their holders, energizing them like never before. Luna frowned slightly as she watched the scene before her.
Now, sister, lets hope your theory prove true, the lunar princess thought doubtfully.
The Darklings, un-phased by the show, attacked first, pouncing at the group. Twilight saw this, and acted fast, casting a quick stun spell. She yelped in surprise when the magical energy fired from her horn was stronger in volume then she was expecting, causing her to go sliding back. Lucky for her, Luna use her magic to stable the unicorn, and together they all watched as the stronger-then-expected-spell engulfed one of the Darkling and knocked the other backs. Twilight gasped in shocked as her spell cause the Darkling to dissolve in a spiral of darkness.
"Do not threat, my little ponies!" Luna said quickly. "The Darklings are nothing more then a mass of energy, they don't feel pain!"
With this, the Mane six recovered from their shock, and quickly began doing what they do best; kicking some tail! Rainbow Dash was first to make a move, moving at such speed, she was nearly a blur to the naked eyes. She felt her element empower her and before she knew it, that red energy had covered her once, causing her to go faster then even she thought possible. She rammed into three Darklings at once, and then went straight through them, causing them to dissolve.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she soared high into the air.
Meanwhile, Applejack was facing a group of Darklings that had just emerged from the forest. She dodged one that tried to rip open her head, and sent it flying with a powerful kick from her back legs. She felt her element activate, and she felt the energy wash over her like a good shower after hard day of work. When she next kicked a Darkling, not only was it powerful enough to destroy the Darkling, but also sent a shockwave that destroyed another one, and knocked down two others. The farmer was shocked by this, but didn't have time to react as more Darklings continue to come, forcing her to keep herself on her toes.
Pinkie Pie, for her part, just happily bounced around; body already a glow, while a horde of Darklings followed her. Two of the creatures tried to tackle the hyper pony from two sides, and rammed face first when the pink pony jumped high into the air. Pinkie landed on the two with each force, the Darklings were destroyed. She then jumped in front of the other Darklings that were following her, and pulled her party cannon out of thin air. The partying earth pony somehow channeled her element's energy into the cannon, and with a wide smile, fired a triple-lay fudge cake, taking out three Darklings in a roll.
Even Rarity was putting up a fight. The light from her element seem to glowed brighter then her friends, giving off a dazzling and somewhat elegant flair, as she used her magic to make some makeshift sewing needles from a couple of tree branches. She spread her element's energy into the needles, and with the acute handling of an experience semester, began to tire the Darklings up in an elegant fashion. Within seconds, the white unicorn had tied up six Darklings into a bunch, and was squeezing them so much that they popped a few seconds later.
About the only one that wasn't in on the fight, was, of course, the timid Fluttershy. While she had her element active, she had stayed close to the lunar princess. Suddenly, a Darkling got past her friends, and ran straight for the ponies on the sidelines. The shy winged pony let out a small, terrified eep, as she began to back up, wings fluttering wildly. Surprisingly, the power of the element created a small hurricane, which knocked the Darkling off balance. Rainbow Dash saw this, and quickly flew in to take out the Darkling before it could regain it balance.
Luna watched all of this with growing amazement. She could hardly believe that her sister's student and her friends were not only fighting against the Darkling, but actually beating them as well. This brought a small ray hope to the lunar princess, the first she had since she learn about the Darklings' return.
Sister, you were right. The elements of harmony do have the power to defeat the Darklings, Luna thought in contentment as a small smile formed.
That smile faded quickly, however, when Luna notice some happening to the Mane Six. The light from the elements were quickly dimming, and the ponies' attack didn't have the volume that they had a few minutes ago. She watched as Twilight fired a spell at a Darkling, only to have it stun for a second before it recovered. The princess frown deepened as she saw that her sister's student was breathing hard as well. A quick look around confirmed her worst fears. Each pony looked like they had run the "running of the leaves" marathon several time in a roll. Even the more athletic ponies, like Rainbow Dash, and Applejack looked ready to pass out on their hooves. She looked at the winged pony next to her, and noticed that she looked worn down as well, despite not doing much fighting. And to make matter worse, Darklings hordes were still coming.
Quickly, Luna put the pieces together, and she felt feel her dread returning. She realized that, while the element might be powering the ponies' natural abilities, the elements themselves were an arcane force, moment to work in tandem with each other. So, the only thing that made sense to the princess of the night's mind was the elements were pushing their bearers to their limits because their weren't being use in their indeed purpose.
Sister, we didn't expect this, Luna thought dreadfully. If you don't arrive soon, I don't know what would become of Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
Suddenly, and like answering the raiser of the moon's silent plea, the princess of the sun appeared in a flash of light, causing her younger sister to gasp. However, it wasn't the suddenly appearance of Celestia that had her younger sister gasping, but the mysterious creature next to the solar princess.
"Rachel!" Luna exclaimed in a mix of joy and surprise.
When the creature, Rachel, saw Luna, she blinked twice and smiled with a single tear of joy rolled down her right cheek. She moved closer to hug the lunar princess, only to be stopped by one of Celestia's wings.
"…Sorry Rachel, but we don't have time for reunions," the solar princess said seriously.
Rachel just gave the older princess an annoyed glare, at being denied her reunion with Luna. She sighed after a moment, however, and nodded her understanding. She then turned to where the ponies were fighting the Darklings, and stepped in front of the princesses. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, concentrating.
The land seemed to start humming, and a light breeze suddenly picked, causing to grass on the ground to sway side to side. If someone didn't know better it was like the land itself was responding to the mysterious new creature silent pleas. Lime green balls of magical energy began to emerge from ground, catching everyone's, ponies and Darklings alike, attention. The exhausted ponies looked with confusion as the strange new creature began to swirl her claw-like hooves around, drawing the energy to her. The creatures of darkness, however, sense that this new creature was more of a threat and abandoned the ponies for the new creature.
"My little ponies!" Celestia called to the Mane six. "Fall back and let Rachel handle the Darklings!"
The ponies, still confused, but also exhausted, listen to their princess and began to return to the royal sisters' side. Thankfully the Darklings were to focus on Rachel to notice the tired ponies slip past them. The Darklings leapt into the air, claws shimmering in the light of the sun. Suddenly, the lead Darkling was punched through the face, dissolving in a spiral of dark energy. Before the other four could react, they were taken out by a swift and powerful roundhouse-kick.
Rachel, who hands and feet were now aglow with the energy of the land, opened her eyes, which were glowing with the same energy as her hands and feet. She looked at the Darklings with a cold stare as the creatures of dark energy seem to hesitant, but only for a second. They let out a monstrous roar as the creature began to charge at the creature. Rachel, in turn, stood her ground as the creature began to swarm over her. Luckily, with the power she now has, and an impressive set of fighting moves, the strange fully clothes creature, began to wane down the Darklings' numbers quickly.
"Princess, (pant), who's that? (Pants), what's that?" Twilight asked through rough breathing after rejoining the alicorn sisters.
Celestia took a moment to study her subjects carefully. They looked like they had seen better days; they were covered in sweat, like they have been bucking apples all day. They looked like they could barely stand, and would faint at any time. She looked at Luna hoping for some insight. Unfortunately, the lunar princess was to busy, routing for Rachel. So, with a light sigh, she turned her attention back to her student.
"That, my faithful student, is Rachel, ah old friend of Luna and myself," Celestia explained calmly. "She is what is called a human, and she comes from a world well beyond that of Equestia. Unlike unicorns, or any pony for that matter, Rachel can channel the magic of the land to it fullest. It a useful ability to have when you're facing no ponies could normally defeat."
Curious, Twilight was about asked her mentor what she meant when she heard Princess Luna cried Rachel's name. Startled, the teacher and student looked toward the battle, and Celestia gasped. Rachel had collapsed to her knees, and her breathing had become irregular. Her face was also fleshed, and she holding her head for some reason. All-in-all, she didn't look good, and to make matter worse, Darklings were still coming from the forest. One was even dangerous close to the strange creature, and looked ready tare her apart.
"MAMA RACHEL!" Luna screamed in the royal Canterlot voice to the surprise of the mane six.
The darker alicorn was about to rush in and help the creature she just called mama. Suddenly, a figure rushed pasted the large group of ponies, leaving them a bit confused as to what their just saw. Rachel let out a weak scream when she saw the Darkling pounce at her, only to watch in shocked as a certain someone kicked the Darkling right out of the air. This new creature landed right in front of Rachel, and take up a fighting stance, effectively blocking the creatures from the weaken woman.
"D-Drake?" Rachel asked weakly, looking up at the back of her son.
Drake ignored his mother for the time being as he continued to glare dragger at strange creatures before him. "If one of you even thinks about laying a claw on my mother, you will regret it for the rest of your short lives," the young man threatened in a low voice.
(…)
M: I know some of things with Drake may some odd at the time, but bare with me and as the story process, you would find out more about Drake, and his mysterious powers. But I bet the real imaginative readers would probably already guess who Drake truly is. Oh and for the sake of the story, I making most of the ponies nearly the size of a grown human. Until next time!