the garden of shadows

I stood there, looking at the bats with determination. Then, they charged at me with full force, fangs showing and pure hate in their eyes. The hate, was exactly how it looked in my brother's eyes.

~~~~~

"Come on Nighty, you need to see this!" A female voice said.

"Come on Moon Drop, I'm a unicorn, not an earth pony like you!" I answered as he trotted up to her, gasping for breath.

"Silly filly, you need to get out more, build those leg muscles..." Moon drop said in a hounding tone. Which caused me to give a half annoyed chuckle.

"Moon Drop..." I said as she trotted over, grabbing my hoof and pulling my to the edge of the cliff. I gave a smile as I stared into her eyes, a beautiful green color that I could lose myself in. then I heard laughing.

"well well, if it isn't my younger brother and the outsider." A voice called out, causing me to turn.

"you! get away from us BROTHER!" I yelled, I knew at the back of my head what he wanted, but at the time, I didn't know what lengths he would go to achieve them.

He knocked me aside like a rag doll. Then approached Moon drop. All I could do was watch as he sent her over the edge and smiled sinisterly at me. "Guards! arrest him for murder!" My brother yelled. I knew then and there that he had done the extreme, the unthinkable.

~~~~~

Once the flash back ended, I knew I had to get revenge, for the one I loved.

"Take THIS!" I yelled as a charged a high leveled spell, waiting for the write moment to release the magic. But something was off, I felt a surge of energy build quickly as the sound of Moon drops scream echoed in my head.

"Ahhhh!" I yelled letting the spell go at the last second, right before they were on top of me, and in a flash of blinding light they were gone. I felt my heart race as I stood there, my limbs felt dumb and my vision blurred. I... did it... I thought as I stood there with a smile. Turning back to look at the Alicorns I gave a smile.

"hey, are you alright?" the lavender Alicorn asked before my vision faded. instantly I felt myself fall but I never felt the ground meet me, as I slipped into a dream.

~~~~~~

"hey, are you alright?" twilight asked, only to watch as the unicorn collapsed to the ground. taking a few steps over, twilight positioned herself in front of him, looking down. for a few moments, twilight just stood there, looking curiously at him. so, enveloping him in magic, twilight lifted night hawk into the air, and placed him on her back. and she began to make her way to ponyville.

~~~~~~~~

Golden Oak Library

several hours later

"Hey sugercube, sorry I'm late, was finishing the har... WHO THE HAY IS THAT!" Applejack said as she came into the bedroom. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the unicorn passed out on twilights bed.

"Now AJ, calm down." Twilight said in a calm voice. Seeing AJ like that was annoying for one, sense she was over protective of her friends.

"But who is tha guy!" AJ asked, still standing there confused, trotting over to twilight as she held a sponge for Night Hawks forehead, just above his horn.

"I don't know, but he save my live from these weird looking Pegasus." Twilight answered, lifting the wet sponge away from the unicorns head and dipping into the chilled bucket of water.

"Wha do you mean, weird Pegasus?... Twi?" AJ asked as she looked her over for a few seconds.

"Well, remember when Fluttershy turned partly into a fruit bat." Twilight said after a long moment of silence, placing the wet sponge back on nights forehead. She glanced at AJ and saw her nod. "Yea, just like that. Only, intelligent." Twilight shuddered for a moment.

"What's wrong Twi?" AJ asked.

"It's what he did that's surprised me, he teleported those, bat ponies away, all five of them in one go." she said as she looked down, letting out a sigh. "I've never seen a pony teleport five others at once without teleporting himself, it was just... so unreal..." Twilight turned to look at Night Hawk with concern. "He used a lot of magic, honestly, I'm surprised he didn't kill himself with that spell, nopony has completed that spell before, at least nopony I know of..." Just then, twilight placed a hoof to her chin, in deep thought.

"well, if yea wana know what I think twi, why not ask him when he wakes up."

"well, I would, but there's something else bothering me, he was wearing a cloak with princess Luna's cutie mark on it..."

"WHAT!" AJ said with shock, now that was heard to believe.

Just then, Twilight grabbed the cloak from a hook on the wall with her magic, bringing it over and showing her. AJ looked at it for a moment, shocked that luna's mark was on it, but then something clicked.

"wait, doesn't that look more like..." AJ said.

Twilight gave a nod as she continued to dab the unicorns forehead with the sponge. "yea, Nightmare moon's mark, I just don't know if I can trust him or not, what if he's a cultist or something."

AJ shook her head. "well, if you ask me, ah think you should heal him, give him the benefit of the doubt before accusing him of something, for all we know, it could be a disguise or something."

"well, I guess..." twilight muttered as she turned to look at night hawk for a moment. "thanks AJ. you always know what to say."

"awe, no problem Sugercube, that's what friends are for right?" AJ said with a smile, finally turning and trotting out of the room.

"SPIKE!" Twilight yelled just as spike poked his head into the room through the doorway.

"Let me guess, 'take a letter'?" Spike said with a grin as he stepped into the room with a quill and scroll. Twilight giggled for a few seconds.

"Yes Spike, take a letter." she said as spiked walked up to her with a smile. "Dear Princess Celestia..." she started.