Settensun the Hunter

Chapter 1: what the buck

It started like most days, Twilight spending the morning in a book as Spike cleaned the the library. As noon came around Twilight finally put down the book Guardians & Hunters: the ponies that made Equestria. She tried many times to read this book in the past, but every time the book made more questions then it gave answers. Like the latest question 'Who were the "hunters" and what did they hunt?' She set the question aside for now and told Spike that she is going to treat him to a sapphire cupcake down at Sugarcube Corner. Without another word,Spike shoved Twilight out the door all the way to the store.

As he eat the cupcake Spike asked, "Where's Pinkie at? Normally when I come here she steals most of the frosting. . . .O-well more for me!" As he took the last bite, Spike fell asleep.

"Ok girls" Twilight said, "you can come out now."

"About time sugar-cube, didn't know how much time we coulda kept Pinkie quiet." Said AJ.

"Idefinitelywouldn'teathiscupcake! Itshisbirthdayafterall" Pinkie stated defensively.

"So, how long do we have dear?" asked Rarity.

"Well it would keep a grown stallion out for about five hours. So for Spike, being a baby dragon and dragons being naturally resistant to magics, we have about an hour."

"Well lets get him to tha barn in a jipy" hooted AJ

When Spike finally awoke, his eyes still shut, instantly started to apologize to Twilight, "Sorry Sis, I don't know what came over me."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPIKE!" every pony yelled as Spike finally opened his eye's. Spike jumped a good ten feet into the air out of shock.

"I, I think we, may have over done it a bit" Fluttershy said

"It's my birthday?" Spike asked.

"Well ya, why do you think I worked you so hard? I didn't want you to think about what day was coming up. I mean I had to tell Pinkie Pie, and the party was set, I had to find the ingredients for the sleeping draft for the cupcake (all without your finding out),"

"But why go throw the trouble of drugging me?" Spike interrupted Twilight.

"Well like I was going to say" Twilight put in with more then a bit of irritation in her voice, "It is not every day a baby dragon becomes an adolescent, now is it. Which means you will be getting your wings any day now Spike!

"Wings!" Spike shouted, "Wings, so ill fly soon?"

"yap" Big Mac stated

Spikes thoughts

At this the small dragon looked around to see Twilight, A.J., Rarity, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and his male role model Big Mac. Big Mac was his idle because he was calm, cool, strong, patient, and kind. Spike often dreamed that he would be just like that. He had even asked Twilight if she could tern him into a pony. Tho he did have an alternative motive.

Back two months ago

Spike walked into Carousel Boutique holding a bokay of "flowers", in fact they were hand cut (by Spike) jems into the shape of flowers. He was positive that Rarity would love this.As he walked up to her, her eye's sparkled as she saw them. Then her 'worst fear' came to life. Spike asked, "Rarity . . . would you do me the great pleasure of your company this Friday?"

"I would love to go out with you spike, but I can't."

"Why not? If its the day we can change it!"

"No, it is not the day. . . it's because your a dragon and i'm a pony, it would never work."

"What? Why?"

"Well dragon's are so long lived and pony's are not."

"So what! The time we spend together means everything!"

"Then there are the complications we would have."

"O, you mean foals . . . I guess I can understand."

"Yes that to."

With a puzzled look he asks, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing" her face a crimson red.

With nothing else to say Spike dropped the bokay and raised a hand as he walked out saying, "Thank you for being honest Rarity."

He herd her say in a very depressed voice, "If only you were a pony."

Back to now (Spikes thoughts)

Twilight had told him that type of magic was to advanced for her to complete. "This is bucking dumb! I have been born and raised as a pony, in mind and sprite! But NO i'm a bucking dragon in body alone! I've tried learning from dragons but my mind stops me! I am nether one, yet i'm stuck in between them!" Twilight could not do anything for him except a shoulder to cry on.

Now the party

Like any Pinkie party, everypony was having a blast with the party games. Spike and Big Mac were undefeated in the six legged race, well five legged in their case. They were undefeated because Spike would just jump on Big Mac as he sprinted. It was a cheap, yes, but Big Mac wanted Spike to win so it was fine by him. Fluttershy easily won hide n seek with the help of the animals. As they started pin the tail on the donkey it started to get dark outside.

"Rainbow!" They all called.

"What, I didn't do anything!" She cried defensively

"I thought you said it was going to be clear all day." stated Twilight.

"Hay ya it is" Rainbow said after looking out the window, "you should ask Luna about the eclipse!"

Dumb struck Twilight replied, "What the hay, the next eclipse isn't for another ten months!"

"Spike" Rarity asked, "can you please light us up a fire,if you would be so Kind."

Spike garbed a log and set it aflame.

"Wow, your breath has gotten a lot stronger" said Pinkie Pie as the flame slowly turned from emerald to yellow.

"Thank you" he said, "dragons develop faster then ponies you know."

"Nowaythenwhyareyousosmall? Unless...itsbecauseyouareamidget. Hahahano, butseriously? Okthen." said Pinkie.

"Dragons never stop growing, much like our mains." Twilight stated.

For the next few minuets the group sat around the fire telling stories, most of which were not of the scary variety after Flutter and Scoots were on the brink of crying thanks to a certain blue pegasy. When Rarity started her story Scoots interrupted her.

"Is it just me, or did our shadows just move?"

"Scoots its just a trick of the flames." said Rainbow in a Twilight mocking tone.

"Hay!"cried Twilight.

"Hay!" yield a startled Big Mac as Scootaloo dived under him.

"Not you to" Twilight pouted, "wait why is Scoots und"

"That's not a trick!" screamed Scoots

As they all turned to look where scoots had been pointing. Their shadows started to become 3D images of themselves. Without even thinking Big Mac charged at the shadows creatures plowing over the four small ones, destroying them instantly leaving seven to go. They pounced on Big Mac biting and scratching him. He bucked them all off in one try, he fell to his back, bloody and bruised. AJ, Rainbow, and Spike ran in. Rainbow plowing into her shadow, leaving it a bit lighter then before. A.J. took on her shadow and got a huff in the face for it. Spike went after the largest shadow, Big Mac, diving under the shadow and latching onto its stomach. His teeth and claws ripped through the large shadow, slowly turning a lighter shade. The shadow thrashed, rolled, and bucked but nothing could get the small dragon off. Soon the shadow turned to nothing leaving Spike to fall to the floor. As he looked around he saw the two Rainbows chasing one another in a deadly game of tag. The AJ's facing one another, nether trying to dodge the incoming strikes. Fluttershy and Twilight tending to the injured Mac ans the Crusaders keeping him down. Pinkie was just staring at her destroyed party, he pink main turning a bloody red. "NO PONY BUT NO PONY," Blood-lust dripping from each word, "HURTS ANY PONIES AT A PINKIE PARTY!" Out of no-were she pulled a medieval flail and poof she was gone, leaving only a dust cloud in her form. She reappeared next to spike, with her normal colors, huffing and puffing. Just then, all you could hear was wamp, crack, dong, and a pow as four of the shadows disappeared.

By this time Rainbow had her shade face-down, it was quickly fading as she stomped on it's head until it disappeared. AJ, on the other hand, was not having the best of luck. her shadow had her by the neck, quickly tightening the grip. AJ tried to scream and cry, but she could not as her face was shifting to a blue. Spike leapt onto the shadow's back, leaned forwards, and grasped the shadows mouth. With anger fueling him he ripped the shade's jaw off AJ. She slumped to the floor unconscious, wile Spike road the shadow like a pro-cowboy (cowdrake?). As Mac saw his sister faint, Mac lost it, he dashed to the shadow and garbed it's head, tucking it agents his body and with a sickening ripping and creaking sound, he tear it off.

"Twilight!" Mac yelled, "What in tartaruses pit is going on?"

"I. I've read a book before that that speaks of a spell that brings shadows to life. Let me think. . .The sky's grow dark, sight of a of a flame you will see, shadow's strikes till all are dead. . . that's all I remember, sorry."

"How big do you think this is?" squeaked Sweetie

"I think it's over all of Ponyville, not just here." Rainbow stated.

"Everyone inside the house!" demanded Mac, to which no one disobeyed. As they were running, Mac went over to Twilight to ask about his little sis. Twilight said she was fine just passed out. Then he asked about a shield.

"Twilight I know your brother haves a spell, a shield, can you use it to?"

"I can but, mine only lasts 20 minutes, less when things try to break it."

"Put it up now, we will barricade the house up, and stay on the second floor. Hopefully we can outlast this thing." he stated.

7 minutes later

"Good most of the house is well blocked, now for the main door." stated Mac, " We even have another ten plus minutes before the shield."

"They broke the shield!" screamed Twilight.

"I thought you said 20 not 7 minutes" yelled Mac.

"I said less if  ponies tried to brake it!" she yelled back.

"Just keep working ill hold them off." He stated as he walked out the door.

"But darling you be killed!" Rarity said as she tried to fallow. She ended up getting a door to the face as Mac closed it. "Yap" was all he said.

Big Mac sat outside the door looking down the road, knowing that he had to buy time for the others to have a chance. 'This spell haves to end soon, theirs no way anypony can have that much magic not even Twilight.' He could hear hammers pounding away inside, 'well no going back now'. Then he saw them a small army of blackness, 'well I wish I had a weapon'. 'One, two, three' he started to count '29, and 30 well we could hardly defend against nine. I just hope they will be alright.' By this time the horde was ten feat away. Mac charged the first one, with the hitting power of a truck, the shadow disappeared. As fast as he could he rolled out of the way as two of them tried to get a quick hit in. Running from the group, 'Just like dad taught me' Mac thought 'Son if you EVER get into a fight ageist a group, run. This way the group slowly becomes more of a one on one fight as the rest of them try to ketch up to you'. Mac looked back only to see five chasing as the other 24 kept going to the house. 'Shit their after the girls!' Mac thought as he stopped just inches before the fastest shade. Bracing himself he delivered a brutal buck to the face, the shade dropped and faded away. As he turned to face the four left, another jumped at him. This one of a filly not much bigger then his little sis, with a swift swat of his for-hoof the shadow disintegrated. 'Thank Luna, that these things are not all the same'. 'Shit' he could hear the door getting hit as the shadows tried to enter. Deciding that the door would not last much longer, Mac sprinted towards  the large group leaving the other tree shades to fallow.

Inside the house as Mac finished the third one

AJ finally awoke in her bed. "That was one doozy nightmare ".

"AJ! about time u get up!" Rainbow yelled.

"That was real!?!"

"AAAaaa....da"

AJ looked around the room and saw everyone: 'the CMC were in a corner crying, Twilight was in the middle of the room saying things to herself Spike and Pinkie were at the window, Rarity Flutter and Rainbow were next to the bed, and Mac was . . . were was he?', "Wheres Mac at?" She did not get an answer back just a nod to the window that Spike and Pinkie wore at. As she go close she could see Spike shooting fireball after fireball out the window, as Pinkie grabbed whatever she could out of her main to throw down. "Hi AJ feeling better I see" said Pinkie so far Spike and i have got three of those meanies!"

"Thats good wheres my brother at?"

"Mmm..."

"Pinkie"

"He's out there" she said with a sad tone at the same time as pointing out the window.

AJ pushed Pinkie out of the way to look, just in time for Mac to dive head first into the group of darkness. without thinking AJ started to jump out of the window, only to be held back by Pinkie and Spike grabbing her tail. Soon Rarity Rainbow and Flutter joined. "Mac!" was all AJ could scream as she watched Mac got swarmed.

Back to Mac

'The only way to keep them from getting in is distracting them all' Mac thought. 'There's only one way to do that, yap. I only wish I could see AJ one more time, I just want to see shes alright.' Mac reached the group going full speed, he plowed into it making three vanish before he tripped. The horde backed away from the intruder of a second before they all jumped on him. fighting with all his might he got back to his hooves and bucked another before falling. 'This is all your good for nothing big brother can give you, sorry I've failed you all'.

"Mac!"

With the last of his strength he looked up 'Good shes ok, I leave the rest to you. Please don't hate me for leaving so many'.