Darkness Incarnate

"Oh, you have what you needed! And..... that armor... Good.... Oh my, you like you got into a fight..." Said Twilight, her expression dropping as she noticed my arm, which was drenched in blood still. "Come here, I learned a healing spell while you were gone!" I walked up to her, and her horn began to glow bright purple. It got brighter and she surrounded my arm with its aura. The wound didn't change at all, just remained the way it was. "I don't understand! Why isn't it working?" she cried.

"Don't overexert yourself! You can stop!" I said over the noise of the spell. She stopped and plopped onto the ground.

"I don't understand! I practiced it a thousand times!" She said, putting her face into her hooves.

"Try it on Dash. She got banged up a bit too," I told Twilight. She got up and went over to Dashie. The purple glow returned and it surrounded Dash's hoof, which had been cut from the splintering shards of wood when we fought the Shadow. It almost immediately sealed itself, and left no trace of being there at all.

"But, I don't understand! It worked so well on Rainbow Dash, but it didn't do anything for you!" She stated loudly.

"Maybe he needs a different spell, him bein' human an' all," Applejack said as she walked in from the other room with the other ponies. "Wow Volke, you look right good in that armor!" She added. I just cast her a smile.

"Hmm.... Maybe, but it's too soon to tell. The spell I used on Dash was a low level spell." Twilight said in response. "Fluttershy, can you come here for a second?" She asked Fluttershy.

"Oh...um... sure..." she said quietly. She got up off the couch she was sitting on and came over to Twilight and I.

"Can you wrap his arm a bit better? This one was done rather..... sloppy." She said flatly.

"Oh yes, that isn't a problem.... Just one second, please.." She said as she ran to get something out of the other room. She came back with a first aid kit and dropped at my feet, opening it. She wrapped my wound with a special type of bandage. It was coated in a substance known as Sanitatem Herbam- A forest plant with miraculous healing powers. I felt an instant soothing sensation just as she put it on my arm.

"Wow.... that herb is.... amazing!" I moaned with delight.

"Yes.... It is a special plant that only grows on the night of a lunar eclipse. It is quite rare..." Fluttershy said in her small voice.

"Thank you, Fluttershy. I appreciate it," I said with a smile.

"MONSTER! GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY!" Pinkie screamed, as the door was smashed in by a dark figure- Not quite as large as the one we fought on the way to the blacksmith, and not as small as the ones Rainbow Dash and I encountered in the forest. It stood up straight. As I took in what I saw, I couldn't help but gasp. It was a humanoid figure, with a shock of long, crimson hair, and skin as pale as snow. He cast an evil grin in my direction, revealing pure white, razor sharp teeth. I caught a glimpse of his eyes, which were a deep blood red. His black leather armor and black steel boots finished his appearance, making him look even more ominous.

"My master wishes for the human to see him. It would be wise not to disobey his commands, human.." It said in a low, growling voice. It was about as tall as me.... No, a little bit taller. It seemed to be in supreme physical shape, and was obviously much more intelligent than anything we had fought so far- That was going to be a problem. I reached for my blade slowly, but was caught in the act. "Not very smart, human. One more move and I will slice you open like a pig to the slaughter." It was too wary to be caught off guard.

"Who exactly is this 'master' of yours? How does he know I am here?" I asked it.

"Word travels quickly between my Master's warriors. How he knows you are here is not important, nor is his identity." It growled at me.

"I refuse to go with you. One of us dies here." I said boldly. 'What am I doing?!' I thought to myself. The Shade looked angry, and I knew that this was going to be a struggle to the death.

"So be it. My master said you might do something like this. He said you humans were quite stupid. I can now see why." It said smugly. "Now, you will feel the anger of a Shade. My name is Nazar. Feel my wrath! "

'Shade? This thing is no ordinary monster.... He's going to be powerful beyond belief!' I speculated. There was only one thing left to do- Fight to survive. Swifter than a bullet, Nazar zipped past Pinkie Pie and behind me, catching me off guard. Instinctively, I whipped around only to be met by the image of Fluttershy about to cry. Realizing he must have somehow gotten back around me again, I tried to spin again but was kicked in the back by Nazar's powerful legs, and I went flying into the wall, nearly bringing Fluttershy with me.

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness...!" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Volke! Look out!" I heard Dash yell, as the Lieutenant tried to bring his large, greaved foot onto my head. I rolled, and the strike narrowly missed my head. Kicking him, I knocked Nazar to the ground, who quickly brought himself up again. I pulled my self out of the pile of wood and stone that was caused from flying into the wall, drew my blade, and he looked at me.

"That kind of fight, hm? So be it, human!" He said. A wave of darkness surrounded his body, as a full suit of evil, spiked armor surrounded his figure. A large, serrated sword appeared in his hand, the hilt glowing faintly. It was the same color as blood. My adrenaline began pumping throughout my body, and I began to breathe faster. The demon lunged at me, nearly plunging the tip of his blade into my body. I dodged, but just barely.The serrated edge dug into my shoulder, leaving a deep wound.

"Ouch!" I let loose a yelp of pain, the cut burned.

"Haha! Your fate is sealed. This blade is poisoned with Nightshade. You are going to die within two minutes!" Nazar said with a sly, evil grin. I could already feel the effects of the poison working its way through my system, but I saw my chance. The demon was too distracted while gloating and laughing to realize what was about to happen.

"Applejack, now!" I yelled, looking at AJ. She gave me a confused look, then realized as I shifted my glance to Twilight.

"Take this, ya big ol' monster!" She yelled, bucking Nazar in Twilight's direction. Twilight was ready. With a flash of magic, a pure energy whip formed from her horn. Nazar was prepared though, and retaliated, with magic of his own. In a dark shadowy blast, he threw Twilight into the wall, tendrils of pure shadow restricting her movement. He drew a dagger from the sheathe on his back, and was about to stab her in the neck. Rushing forward, I drew my blade from the wooden floorboards and was about to slash. He sensed me, and backhanded me me into the opposite wall.

"V-Volke..... help!" Twilight cried out in anguish.

"Hold on, Twi! I'm coming!" Dash yelled, zooming towards the demon. She was smacked by the Tendrils of Darkness which had Twilight pinned. Applejack and Pinkie were met with the same outcome after trying to help.

"No, no! Help! H- gmmhg!" Nazar put his hand over Twilight's mouth, silencing her. I felt a pang of anger flow through my body. Hands glowing, I got up out of the rubble of the wall opposite to Twilight and Nazar.

"Hah! Silly pony! You can't defeat me, no matter how hard you try!" He said, lifting his knife higher, about to plunge it into Twilight's mouth and end her life. "This is where you meet your end!"

"No. This is the end for you, not us." I said calmly, feeling power flow through my body. Lifting my hand , a charge of pure electricity formed around my arm. I looked at my free hand, which was glowing a deep blue, almost like a unicorn's horn lights up when casting magic. With my target dead in sight, I launched the Lightning Bolt towards Nazar, who turned around to be met with the bolt striking him in the chest.

"Im......possible...." He said as the lightning hit home. I gave a sly grin, and closed my palm, releasing the magic and leaving the demon in a spluttering, dying heap on the floor. Twilight looked like she was about to cry, and the ponies rushed to comfort her. Except Fluttershy, who was furiously looking through her medical kit for something. My vision began to blur as I felt the full effects of the nightshade pulsing through me.

"Quickly, where are you hurt?" Fluttershy asked frantically. I pointed to my arm and  Fluttershy stuffed a plant into. It seared like a burning piece of iron, and I winced slightly. I instantly felt the effects of it, and the nightshade's influence fled my body.

"Thank you, Fluttershy. That was too close for my comfort." I said with a slight laugh.

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" She said with a smile. I smiled back, but I quickly dropped the happy expression. I walked over to the limp form of Nazar laying on the ground, spluttering.

"Okay, demon. You will talk and answer my questions. Who is trying to destroy Equestria? Who are you? What is going on?" I reeled the questions off almost as quick as Pinkie could.

"I...." He coughed. "I am Nazar, Lieutenant of my Master's Shadowlings. My master has come to seek revenge on Equestria. Why, I will not say. Who my master is, I will not say. The Shadowlings are an elite group of fighters that have been tasked to take Equestria and destroy Celestia. But now I have a question..... for you." He said, his life slipping away. "How.... How are you able to cast magic? You are but a human....." He spluttered. I thought about the question. I pondered hard, but could not explain it.

"I...... I don't know. It just sort of.... happened." I said truthfully.

"Then.... then I shall now take my leave. Goodbye, human....." He finally gave into Death's embrace, drawing his last breath and disappearing in a burst of light and flying spirits. The fight was over, and everyone had made it through. I rushed over to Twilight and the other ponies.

"Twilight, are you alright?" I asked Twilight.

"I... I'm.. fine..." She said darkly. She got up and walked over to me. "I still find it amazing that you were able to cast such a high level spell with virtually no training. You must really be the Hero of Equestria, then." She said, looking at me with intense interest.

"Hero of Equestria?" I asked with a dumbfounded look.

"Yes. Long ago, Equestria was threatened by a terrible evil. This evil threatened to consume all of Equestria, and eventually the entire world. The evil could control ponies and other beings, and turn them against one another('Which explains why Spike is angry'). But, one day, a mysterious being appeared in Equestria and fought to drive the evil out of our home. He was given the best armor made by the absolute best smith in the land. Also,the Hero was given extreme magical and fighting abilities, which he learned to control with extreme ease. That explains your use of Thunder, a high level electric spell. How you managed to conjure the spell is beyond me.... My books only say so much. But one thing is for certain, and that's the fact that the Ancient Evil of Equestria has returned. I have a Book of Legend about it. Hah, even now, you look just like the images in the book..." She explained.

"But who is the evil that the legend speaks of?" I asked, still trying to take in what was just said to me.

"I'm not sure..... My book didn't say. All we know is that he, or she, is an extremely powerful being who will take much training and a bit of luck to defeat. But I'm sure we can win, we have driven them off before this." She replied. She sounded very confident in her words, and I trusted her.

"So.... Where can I learn to control my new abilities?" I thought aloud.

"I don't know.... The Hero is said to be able to call on extreme power whenever he needs it... For now, you will just have to practice to control it..." She said, looking worried. I was still taking this all in at once, and found myself dumbfounded.

"Wow, Hero of Equestria! This'll be one for the history books!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, obviously completely psyched about getting to help in the struggle for Equestria.

"Hero o' Equestria, huh? Then that evil don't stand a chance!" Applejack said encouragingly. I looked around at them all and smiled.

"Yeah. Not a single chance." I said, confident. This was now more than simply a fight to calm Spike and save Rarity. It was a battle for all of Equestria.