Night Hunters

Chapters

It All Starts With a Whisper
It All Starts With a Whisper-2
It All Starts With a Whisper-3

It All Starts With a Whisper

To the everyday passerby Secret Rose was just another pegasus, perhaps they’d notice her well-groomed as opposed to the windswept ones most pegasi wore, but typically she didn’t get a second glance. Her rosey her warm pink and red mane blended with the bright scenery in Canterlot to a T rendering her as just another pony in the crowd.

As Rose follows the path to school she keeps her eyes trained on the ground, her mind wandering towards epic tales as she subconsciously avoids the eyes of anypony who would otherwise greet her, tearing her from her fantasies. She imagines a day when she’s not in the crowd, when ponies look to her and think ‘I wish I could be like her”. She imagines interviews with famous ponies, answering the questions of curious fans and otherwise just talking about herself and her interests to the masses.

Of course that was a long way off, but she couldn’t help but grin to herself as she glanced up at the approaching school down the road. It wasn’t a fancy academy or school for the gifted, but a simple school that many of Canterlot had attended and most complained about. The teachers were lazy and the building smelled mysterious due to leaks in the ceiling but that was expected in the lower end of Canterlot. She only went to this school because her parents were eccentric and thought the experience would do her good.

Opening the dusty-purple door she immediately felt a pang of dread, nopony could be seen in the main hall, it was completely devoid of life. She looked ahead to the stairwell, checking the clock hung on the arch above. Eight-fifteen, she was late. Breaking into a gallop her hooved clacked on the wooden floors as she bolted for the stairs, climbing them quickly. She would have flown if her wings were built for speed, running would do the job quicker in her case. Once on the landing she hooked a right and pelted to the third door down a blue sign neatly on the door with the engraved name, Mrs. Crystalsong.

Taking a deep breath and readying herself for a mini-lecture on tardiness she pushed open the door. Inside she quickly noticed things were off, her classmates were animatedly talking to one another and a glance at the teachers desk told her that she wasn’t the only one late to class this morning. With a relieved grin she made her way to her desk, dropping her saddle bag on the floor and taking out last nights homework.

“Hey Rose!” Setting her papers down she turned to see her friend Ghost Whisper, a pale gray mare who’s white mane always flowed loose and soft down the side of her head and neck. “Isn’t it great? Mrs. Crystalsong called out the second she got here, her filly couldn’t wait to join the world it seems.” Whisper happily rasped, her naturally scratchy voice full of energy despite the obnoxiously early hour.

Rose looked back to her teachers desk and chuckled as she imagined the look on her face when she knew her filly was ready to be born. “Do you think she’ll be back before summer break?” She hoped not, Mrs. Crystalsong tended to give her a hard time in class. It wasn’t as though she was a bad student, though she did have a habit of forgetting her homework in favor of more entertaining activities. Last night the weather had been cold and rainy so she had little else to do other than her assignment, even if watching paint dry would have been more exciting than the History of Fillydelphia…

“I don’t know, I guess it depends on how much rest the little filly allows her.” The gray mare shrugged, flicking her purple eyes to a group of three colts standing by the door. “I hope we get a sub in soon though, I heard Sky say he plans to set up pranks before they get here, and who knows if they have a sense of humor or not.”

Rose looked to the group and watched Sky fiddling with the door handle, she assumed he was trying to break it, or lock it, in attempts to keep any authority from entering. The blue colt was always up to something but Rose didn’t really feel like hearing a lecture from whoever came in to ‘teach’ them today. She rolled her eyes with annoyance and tried to listen to what they were saying, although she couldn’t really make anything out over the chatter of the other ten classmates in the room.

“Dude, try jamming something in the hole!” She heard the loud exclamation from the red unicorn to his left, Lucky Trot, if Rose was remembering his name right. With another roll of her eyes she watched as the lanky, scruffy colt next to him snickered at the remark. That was about as much as she’d ever heard from him, the purple colt had never uttered a word in class. At first she thought he was shy, but after seeing him a few times she learned he just didn’t bother or care enough to speak to the teacher, or anyone for that matter, it was a wonder he had any friends at all.

Feeling a hoof on her shoulder she looked to Whisper. “It made sound!” Her friend hissed with mock amazement, the mare was known to be a bit of a talker behind others backs, but Rose never minded so long as it wasn’t about her. “No really, I thought he was mute or something, though I guess that’s good that he can talk… Or giggle or whatever. So anyway…” Whisper started toward her desk, Rose following quickly behind. “I found an article at the library the other day about a house that’s supposed to be haunted, and it’s not far away…” Rose watched as she pulled a yellowed piece of parchment from her bag and handed it to her.

‘Though it is unclear as to who the first residents of the home were, the last owner said they found a secret room in the basement. Upon searching the room nothing was found but neighboring residents of Canterlot say they’ve heard strange sounds coming from the home ever since he discovered the room. No word has yet been given as to whether or not anypony plans to remedy these disturbances or not, but for now the owner says he plans to vacate and move across town.’’

“Huh.” Was all Rose could say, the article was rather short, just a small snippet of information as though the piece was simply an update to a previous one. She looked at the bottom of the parchment seeing a date printed into it in small fading text. “Wait, is this… Is it really over fourty years old? Not exactly a current haunt is it?”

“Well no,” Whisper glanced over the article again, “but I think I know where this is…” She paced slowly to the window, Rose once again following and looking out to where the mare was looking. The street the school was on wasn’t known for having the typical Canterlot grace, but there was one building that stood out from the rest as even more broken than the rest. She knew Whisper was eluding to the old house with boarded windows directly across from them, she’d occasionally heard the sounds of old music coming from inside but she’d never thought much other than ‘who would want to have a party in there?’

“Do you think we’re safe here if we know this?” Whisper quietly mumbled. Rose sighed and wrapped a wing over her friend, the mare was typically a brave and sociable pony but if anything past the typical spookiness of Nightmare Night were to be brought up she would retreat into herself and if she were to be scared enough… Rose remembered well the time she had a full-blown anxiety attack after waking from a nightmare during one of their slumber parties.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think a spook would know anything about us, besides,” She tried to comfort her, knowledge and fact usually helped the best, “I’ve read that things like that would be linked to the place and locked in it. They aren’t getting us here.” Looking back out the window she studied the boarded windows, they really looked out of place in a city like Canterlot, even if this part was a bit less high-class it wasn’t exactly a slum.

“Did you see that?” Whisper suddenly jolted pointing out toward the house. Without a word Rose followed the gesture to one of the windows where the boards were moved as though someone had tried to break in, which wouldn’t have surprised her at all as young colts and fillies get dared to go in all the time. She didn’t see anything particularly off about it at first but after a moment something did move. It was dark and looked near translucent, causing a cold shiver to race down her spine.

“I- I saw it, but… Do you think…?” Rose trailed off, tearing her eyes away, unwilling to look at it again. She enjoyed reading stories but this felt a little too real now. “No, never mind, it was a cat or something. Maybe a fox got in.” Just as Whisper was about to say something the door clicked open and the classroom quieted down. They all watched as a tall unicorn stallion entered, his gray coat and white mane groomed to a neat perfection, a solid black tie hanging around his neck to give him an air of professionalism.

Glancing around the room he made sure to look carefully at each group of ponies who were scattered about before heading to the blackboard. Without a word he levitated a piece of chalk and began to write; ‘Mr. Turner’. Once finished he pulled a sheet of paper off the desk and began reading it.

Following the lead of most her classmates Rose made her way to her desk leaving Whisper to do the same. She figured they would finish their discussion later, it was a habit of the gray mare to beat things like this into the ground completely.

“Alright, ponies,” Rose looked up as Mr. Turner addressed them, his voice having a much warmer tone than his appearance. “I’m your substitute while your regular teacher is getting adjusted to her new filly, and it actually looks like we’ll be together for quite some time. I’d like to get a chance to know you all, before we get back to the actual education.”

Rose’s ears perked and a small smile appeared on his lips. She loved the first day of classes for this reason, a chance to impress the class, a chance to tell them something about herself that would get their attention and make them want to know more. Granted the last time she introduce herself she merely told them about how she was interested in reading horror stories. After countless nights replaying that day in her mind before she would sleep, she knew exactly how she would have changed that day if she could have a redo, and now she had a chance to expand.

Waiting with excitement as Mr. Turner cycled through them all alphabetically she couldn’t help but lose her focus on what she would say. The class had gone completely silent, an awkward air filling the room. She’d always been good at sensing the emotions of others, but this was so cloying she was sure anypony would notice. Looking to the new teacher and following his gaze she watched as Shadow was giving him a kind of stare down, his green eyes partially hidden by a mass of unkempt, navy-blue, mane.

“Will you say nothing about your interests at all? I simply want to get you all better to make learning a bit more interesting for everyone, there’s no right or wrong here.” The stallion looked at a loss, Rose had a feeling he was being genuine and felt a bit bad for him.

Glad I’m not a teacher. She thought as she imagined herself with librarian style eyeglasses and a briefcase full of whatever it was teachers kept in them.

“Shadow doesn’t talk to the unworthy.” Rose glanced over to the white unicorn seated at the desk to Shadows left, her curly gray mane neatly pulled to one side and let to fall freely. She honestly had no idea of what her name was, the mare had never spoken to her yet she could recall seeing her and Shadow together at lunch a few times.

“Snow Song was it?” Mr. Turner turned to her, and looked down at a paper that Rose hadn’t noticed he was holding since she’d been so pre-occupied. “Since you’re so eager to speak and Toxic Shadow seems to be the shy type, which is by no means a bad thing let me assure you, why don’t you tell the class something that interests you?” She couldn’t help but feel a bit let down by him pointedly ignoring the young mares comment.

“Well,” Snow Song moved a hoof to display to him the pendant she was wearing. Rose couldn’t see it clearly from here but it appeared to be gold and shaped like the sun. “This here is a charm in the shape of the sun. Before Celestia, before unicorns controlled the sun, it was controlled by a powerful deity who to this day is unknown. I plan to get in its favor by being a warrior of the light and become an angel like Celestia was. Maybe I’ll even be an alicorn princess, I don’t know yet, but I have faith that my destiny is something great.”

At this quite a few classmates snickered, Rose being one of them. She’d never heard something so stupid in her life, did Snow Song even know how Equestria worked? Before Celestia the unicorns raised the sun and moon, yeah that was common knowledge, but before that…? She stopped for a moment, what did come before the unicorns? Was there even anything? Where did anything come from?

“That’s quite the idea,” Mr. Turner looked to be mildly amused, “but have you not asked the Princess where she got her beginnings? It would be much easier to wait in a line during her court than going to such an… unheard of strategy.”

At this the mare looked exceedingly offended, she sat back in her seat and carefully placed her pendant back against her chest. “When I’m an angel you’ll regret not believing in me.” Snickering could be heard from the class again and to Rose’s mild surprise Shadow gave the mare a sympathetic look. Though to be honest she wasn’t sure why it would seem so strange, it wasn’t exactly like she knew much about the colt’s life to begin with.

“I’m sure I will.” The teachers mildly amused voice brought her attention back to the front of the room. “Now, our next student… Secret Rose, how about you?” She paused, after the last little discussion she wasn’t sure if her plan would top that or simply make the class snicker at her. Quickly deciding on the spot she went with her original plan, most ponies in the class would forget anyway.

“I like the occult,” She’d chosen her words very precisely, vague but with a sound that she thought would gain attention. Anything with the word ‘cult’ in it typically did that and true to her expectations she saw a few ears prick out of the corner of her eye. “I shouldn’t say too much though, it’s kind of dangerous.” Hearing soft intake of breath from somewhere behind her she knew she’d gotten what she wanted. At least one of the ponies here was interested in what she had to tell. She only wished the stories she could tell were true.

“Are you interested in the same things as Snow Song then?” Rose cocked her head at the gray stallion before glancing back at Snow Song for a brief moment. No, that mare sounds crazy! She wanted to laugh it in her face but she knew how bad that would look, besides that’d just make her a bully and who pays attention to them?

“No, I prefer to…” Quick, think Rose, think… She glanced around the room, her gaze settling on the window. “Well I go out and seek danger, hunting for creatures of the night to learn their secrets.” Nice save.

She watched her teacher nod, though he didn’t look too pleased with her answer. Probably wondering how long I’ll live with such a dangerous lifestyle. She zoned out for the rest of the class, only paying attention long enough to heal Whisper talking about her recent readings about something involving a demon in Manehatten.

I wonder if he thinks this class is made up of crazies. She mused silently as she stared at the clock, waiting for it to hurry up and let them loose in the cafe. We’ve got Shadow’s spookiness, that Snow Song’s insanity, my apparent search for danger, and then Whisper’s talk of demons. Huh… She tapped a hoof to her jaw, I never really noticed how many of us think in similar ways. Maybe we are all insane but… Must be the water or something poisoning us.

Suddenly the bell rang and before long she found herself seated beside Whisper in the cafe, an apple held loosely in her hoof as she absentmindedly listened to her friend’s worries about the old house.

“What if the school is cursed too?” At this the pegasus flared her wings and let out a short laugh. She couldn’t help it, this day was turning into one big drama about the Boogeyman.

“Listen, Whisper, if you’re so worried why don’t you go and research it? Knowledge is power and all. that jazz.” It was cliche but she didn’t know what else to say, the unicorn had always found pleasure and calmness in studying her fears.

“I guess so… Wanna skip with me?” Whisper rose from her seat, and though she had a feeling the new teacher would notice, Rose followed. However she didn’t feel the darkness that was following her out of the cafe.

Author's Note

Okay, story, cool. I hope y'all like it, is it weird if I say that I'm excited to know what happens next? *Starts planning*

It All Starts With a Whisper-2

“It says here that a spirit can become attached to a home, or an object.” Whisper said quietly. The two had gathered their saddlebags from class while everypony was at lunch and snuck out to the Canterlot library. The large building was pristine, each book neatly arranged by a caring librarian so finding the section that would have books about ghosts was rather easy, even if the selection was comparatively small compared to the others. With a pile of books around them, Rose and Whisper sat atop some plush pillows as they read through them. So far they hadn’t found anything specific but then again Rose hadn’t exactly been expecting to find the answer layed out for them like a question on a history assignment would be.

“So it can’t get us then? Good, because I left my glasses at home and all this reading is giving me a headache.” Rose closed the book she had been looking at. It was decently interesting, detailing the authors idea of where Nightmare Moon had come by her dark power. The author went on about his idea of Tartarus and a grand deity that held more power than even Celestia. Though Rose found it interesting she would have sorted the book in the fiction section.

Looking to Whisper she saw the mare give her a confident look. “It won’t come out, and I know how we can banish it, assuming it’s an actual spirit and not a nightmare.” The gray unicorn flipped her mane back and levitated an open book over to Rose. Looking down at the page she saw a depiction of a burning coffin surrounded by numerous cloaked ponies, the only feature visible being their glowing eyes in varying colors. The book suddenly snapped shut and her view was replaced with the happy face of her friend. “We have to burn the corpse, with sea salt, and all three types of pony are present the spirit will leave in peace. Or so it says.”

Rose nodded, letting the words sink in for a moment. “So we just go in and burn the corpse, huh?” The words sounded different coming from her mouth and her ears pricked, a sudden look of confusion on her face. “Wait, you actually want to go in there and… Desecrate a pony’s grave!? Are you insane?” Rose’s wings flared as she stood up, she was so not about to go into a haunted anything just to prove a theory in some old book. It may make Whisper feel better to know the how’s, but it certainly was not going to make anyone feel better if they got killed by some spook.

Whisper’s ears fell back and she shoved the book in her saddlebag. “Well, fine, don’t come, but I’m going to stop it, I won’t be able to sleep now that I know what’s out there.” She watched the Unicorn neaten her pile of reading, glancing around the library before shoving a couple of the other books into her bag. Rose had a feeling those books wouldn’t find their way back to the shelves.

With a sigh of defeat Rose shoved the book she had been reading earlier into her own bag, the dark red looking out of place in the pink and white designer-made bag. “No, fine I’ll go too.” She looked around to make sure no one was looking as she grabbed another book she’d been meaning to look into into. It supposedly went into detail about the dietly Snow Song was talking about, and Rose couldn’t honestly say she wasn’t at least a bit curious about the idea. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, couldn’t live with myself if you died alone in there because a dang nightmare was using it as a nest or something.”

Whisper gave her a small smile and flicked her tail, wordlessly making her way through the shelves to the door. Most libraries in Equestria didn’t have any fancy alarm system to keep their books from being stolen, but of course the famed library in Canterlot would. Rose grinned slightly as Whisper cast a silent spell over them, letting them slip out completely undetected. She wouldn’t openly admit it to anypony, but she was rather impressed by how crafty her friend could be.

“Wow, we were in there a while.” The pegasus mumbled, wrapping her wings around her for warmth as the sun was already along the horizon, it’s warm rays leaving Equestria to make room for the cool of night. “I’m going to assume you want to wait until day to do anything with the creepers?” Her words were hopeful but a silent shake of Whispers head had her fur on end. “You’re not serious?” She trotted to catch up with the unicorn. “You actually, want to do this… tonight?”

Whisper turned to look at her, the purple of her eyes shining with something Rose had never seen before and couldn’t put a name to even if she tried. “Yes, I know exactly where to get the sea salt as my mom is a bit of a chef-y perfectionist, and even if we don’t have an earth pony the spirit will leave regardless. Dunno where it’ll go to but the book said it would leave this world.”

Rose sighed with defeat and the walk through Canterlot became chokingly quiet. Only the sounds of passing ponies chatter and hooves could be heard as the street lamps began to flicker on. Perhaps it was the task ahead but everything had her feathers ruffling. The way the lights flickered, the movement of leaves, or any small unexpected sound had her twitching on edge.

The house Whisper lived in wasn’t too far from the library at all, the large white building sitting neatly amongst the others, looking nearly identical to it’s neighbors. Despite all logic Rose opted to wait outside as the unicorn went in to get the sea salt. Shadows became longer as the sun made it’s way down and the moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the city in a brilliant glow that seemed to ease her nerves at least for the time being,

“Just relax, Rose.” She muttered to herself, setting her bag down to pull out a small bracelet. “Almost forgot I had you had this didn’t you?” The bracelet was made of gold, five charms of ruby and sapphire hung from it in a perfectly synced arrangement. Her mother had given her the bracelet when she was just a filly, she remembered that night fondly even though it had started out with her being too afraid to go outside at night despite the inviting bonfire and relatives that were gathered there.

“Why are you afraid?” Her mother asked, draping her purple shawl over Rose’s shoulders. She was such a young filly at the time that the covering dragged along the ground, the decorative coins that hung from it clattering on the rocky ground outside their small home in Hollow Shades. “The night is peaceful and the fire warm, plus your cousins want to share stories with you.”

Rose had snuggled deep into her mother’s shawl, reluctant to answer. Her mother waiting patiently as she looked past the entryway to see her family laughing in the warm glow of the blaze. She really did want to join them, it looked like fun and with her other option being to go to bed… “I’m just afraid that if I go out there… What if a nightmare get’s me? Especially with Nightmare Moon returning soon?” She felt foalish, those stories were just silly tales told by her family to scare the fillies and her cousins all knew that, not letting it bother them in the slightest, but her?

“My little Secret you have nothing to fear,” Her mother comforted, wrapping a lavender hoof around her filly, “I can assure you that you’re plenty safe with me.” Rose pressed herself against her mother’s chest, nuzzling into her thick, dark-burgundy mane. ‘What good is a simple earth pony against a nightmare?’ The young filly thought as she pulled herself away and looked at the sky, checking for any sign of Nightmare Moon or her following nightmares.

“Listen,” Her mother headed inside, Rose following at her hooves. “I’ve been saving this for a special occasion, and though I was waiting until you left for school…” She pulled plain a box off of a dusty shelf, gently wiping the dusty layer off of it with the fluff before her hoof. Carefully she opened the box, revealing to Rose a golden charm bracelet, four gems hanging from the main circle in an alternating pattern of ruby and sapphire. “This is a gift I acquired some time ago from a travelling shaman.” She motioned for Rose to hold out her leg and after the young filly did she gently clasped it around, giving them a chance to admire it on her. “It will protect you from the dark.”

Rose watched the way it twinkled before a sudden feeling of bravery struck her and she nodded to her mother. “I feel better, I think I’m ready to go join my cousins now.”

Rose remembered fondly that night she spent outside, the stories, laughter, and just being under the stars without fear. She clasped the bracelet around her leg, letting the warm feeling of nostalgia creep over her before her breathing steadied out. Just then she heard the door to Whispers house close tightly and she turned to see the mare with a saddlebag that looked more beat up than her usual blue one. “Got everything?” The pegasus whispered, eyeing her friends necklace. Strangely enough it looked very similar to that of the one Snow Song wore, only a bit duller and probably made of cheaper plastic.

“Yeah, got the salt, some lamp oil to make the fire catch, and this old thing.” Whisper motioned to the necklace. “I got it a few years back during a Summer Sun Celebration because I thought it was festive and pretty, but after listening to Snow Song and seeing it in a few of those books… Well I figured it can’t hurt to wear it.”

Rose noded in understanding as she held up her decorated leg, to give Whisper a good look at her bracelet. “I know the feeling. Not sure if an old gypsy trinket will keep me safe, but like you said, it can’t hurt to have it.” The pegasus picked up her saddlebag and tied it across her back.

“Let’s do it then.” Rose could hear the feigned confidence in her friends voice, putting on a similar act as she nodded.

There was no chatter as they walked until the hit the road of the house, where Whisper held out a hoof to stop her from going further on. “We need a better plan.” She whispered so quietly that Rose had to strain to make out the words. “I don’t think just going in there and lighting it on fire is solid, what if it’s not there? What if it attacks us? What if-”

Rose pressed her wing over Whispers mouth, not only because the mare was only making matters worse, but because she thought she heard something rustling in the bushes not far ahead. She was thankful her friend didn’t question her as she scanned the road ahead, only looking away after she was certain it was nothing more than a critter of some sort.

“Sorry,” She sighed in defeat, accepting that she was probably just getting worked up over nothing. “I thought I heard something.” Her eyes swept over the unkept empty street again, just as a precaution before looking back to Whisper. “Listen, I know you’re worried, but we can’t really plan for the unknown can we? Especially with a million ‘what if’s’ that we could spend all night coming up with. We just gotta… Do it, I guess.” ‘and maybe then I’ll have something interesting to tell’ It was only an unspoken afterthought, but she couldn’t help rustling her wings in excitement at being able to tell a tale completely her own with no influence of her favorite authors.

Whisper’s only response was a near inaudible squeak as she lowered her head and quietly continued on toward the house, their hooves near silent with how slow they went. As soon as they got to the edge of it’s land Rose felt a sharp chill run down her spine, she wasn’t sure if it was fear or the way the temperature dropped, but she had to take a minute to gather herself. She looked back to her bracelet, moving her hoof slightly to watch a small shimmer pass along one of it’s sapphires.

Feeling a bit better she looked up to find the spot beside her to be Whisperless. ‘Did she run for it?’ With momentary panic she spun around, searching the empty street behind her before her eyes caught sight of movement via shadow.

In a flash she turned to the light source that was in the doorway to the house, seeing Whisper’s horn being the cause of the light. She stared blankly as she processed the sight of her friend using magic to unlock and open the door, not even waiting for Rose to join her as she headed into the darkness. Flaring her wings she felt pride for the unicorn who was facing her fear and taking a stand to put her mind at ease about the situation. However when she realised the fact that her friend was inside the dangerous house she spread her wings and propelled herself inside after her.

Author's Note

Gonna make this a three parter, stay tuned for the last bit~

It All Starts With a Whisper-3

Rose’s wings clamped to her side the second she entered the house, and what lay before her was among the last things she had expected.

The wooden floor wasn’t covered in dust, the furniture not covered with sheets or the windows to be cracked or missing behind the outer boarding. Instead the floor was scratched and grooved as though something had been sharpening it’s long claws on it, though a large, and quite tacky, multi-colored shag throw rug covered a majority of the floor. The walls were a bright maroon with black, heavy-looking, curtains completely covering the windows, letting no light in and completely hiding the boards. There was a single lantern in the corner of the room near a doorway with a few scattered papers around it. A ratty couch and a couple similarly broken chairs were the only real furniture, not counting a wooden crate that sat next to the couch, presumably in place of a table. It looked forlorn and rather empty, but didn’t give off the abandoned and haunted vibe she’d been expecting.

“Did we just break into a squatters house?” Rose mumbled, looking Whisper who was peering through a doorway. Following her lead she trotted over to get a look, coming to find a kitchen that showed signs of recent use. Though there was no table or chairs the counters were, once again, clear of dust, a few dishes were piled in the sink and a half full can of garbage sat between two curtain-covered windows. The chill of the house still lingered in the air despite the glow of a dying candle.

Spotting a doorway off the kitchen she headed to it, her curiosity bypassing her initial fear, only to stop dead in her tracks a moment later. A cold shiver ran along her spine as a low whine sounded from below them. She quickly bolted up the ceiling as the floor vibrated with the sound, giving her a good vantage to scan the room with wide eyes. Quickly she spotted Whisper pressed into a corner, her horn alight with a blue aura that lended to the creepy atmosphere but illuminated the darkness all the same.

Gathering her bravery as more whining joined the first she glided down to the unicorn, pressing herself against her rigid side and wrapping a comforting wing over her friend. Both ponies were still as the noise faded out, holding their breath for several moments, straining to listen for any sign of… Well anything.

Rose nearly jumped out of her fur when Whisper let out a breath. “What in Celestia’s name was that !?” The gray mare hissed, breaking the thickened silence and bringing forth the obvious question. The pegasus ruffled her wings and forced them to stay neatly against her sides as she tried to gather herself enough to speak.

She wouldn’t get a chance to however as the slow, steady sound of hooves on wood began to ascend from somewhere below them. Flaring her wings she was about to fly off when a bright blue light came from Whisper’s horn. “We came all this way.” The unicorn hissed, a sudden bravery in her voice. “We know what to do, and cowering is not the answer!’ Slightly stunned Rose hesitated as her friend boldly marched toward the general area of the loudening sound, her magic grabbing hold of the salt in her bag.

They entered the main room and though she hesitated Rose followed Whisper’s silent motions to stand, hidden, on the other side of the doorway by the lantern. She barely had time to take a breath before the sound of hooves was just out of eyesight in the hall beyond.

Rose always figured that she would be a warrior in the face of danger, that she would tap into her family’s instincts and go up against any danger head on. She never expected that she would freeze entirely when the hoofed creature did appear.

It all happened in a blur. A bright flash of blue magic hit the figure head-on, the salt scattering everywhere in a blast due to the impact. Rose quickly closed her eyes and covered her head with a hoof, the burst fighting her fear and making instinct take over. There was a lot of commotion during her momentary blindness, but when it quieted she was hesitant to look up.

“What is wrong with you?” Rose’s ears pricked at an unfamiliar mare’s voice, her first thought being that they had just attacked a squatter. She opened her eyes and looked up, only to discover that the lantern had gone out, probably having been knocked over. What she could make out before her was the shadowed figure of a tall pony who’s outline didn’t match her voice at all.

Rose suddenly remembered Whisper and her eyes scanned the room, ignoring the mare. She quickly spotted her friend laying in a heap on the floor near where she had been standing just moments before, and without a second thought Rose rushed to her side.

“Whisper? Whisper, are you okay?” Rose felt her heart pounding with a fear greater than anything she’d felt all night. Her friend was hurt and she didn’t have any idea of how to help her. Her mind was racing, a million thoughts rushing through her mind, but in that brief moment she was still acutely aware of the other pony in the room. Her fear shifted to anger in a second and she spun around to find the tall mare nowhere to be seen. Panic began to set in again at the thought of contacting a ghost but her fear was suddenly gone when she heard the tap in the kitchen. Anger flushed back through her. How dare she cause this and then go about her merry way? Rose flared her wings and bolted to the kitchen, ready to buck the mare to the moon.

Rounding the tight corner she smacked straight into her and didn’t hesitate, didn’t even register as she slammed her hoof into the mare’s chest. One. Two. Three times she felt her hooves connect and on the last she heard a sharp crack and a high pitched yelp from the one beneath her. Without warning she suddenly felt paralyzed, a burning sensation so hot it nearly felt icy surrounded her. She cried out in terror, not realizing that there was no pain associated with the feeling.

The dark mare below her growled and crawled away, righting herself as an icy blue, flame-like aura surrounded her. It only lasted a second before it flickered out leaving the mare trembling and panting. Rose knew she was tired, and hurt, but her stance didn’t show it for long before her form stood up straight and faced her. She may have been imagining it, but for a second Rose thought she saw a flicker of blue from one of the mare’s eyes before darkness covered her again.

“Seriously, what the buck is wrong with you? I come upstairs in my house and get attacked? Repeatedly?” The mare’s voice was off in tone. While Rose could normally sense another pony’s emotion this mare was almost completely neutral. She’d been expecting pure rage, or hatred, but the coldness didn’t tell anything. “Are you suddenly mute? You talk enough in class for twelve ponies but when it matters, cat’s got your tongue?”

“You stalked me?” Rose hissed. She decided to give up on trying to read the shadow before her and approach this like any other pony would. “I guess that gives me right to attack a creep like you!”

“What?” The mare suddenly barked out a laugh, turning away from Rose and bending down to get something off the floor. A piece of cloth it seemed. “You sit in front of me you idiot.” She walked away to the sink, running the cloth beneath that tap and wringing it out, fussing over it for some reason.

“I would know if there was a freaky mare like you in my class.” Rose was starting to become more paranoid as the mare approached with the cloth. “Are you going to kill me with that?” The pegasus tried her hardest to fight the paralyzation that caged her body, but to her dismay the mare only laughed.

“Naw, I’m not about that life, but tell you what, I’ll let you free if you promise not to kill me.:” The mare didn’t even give her a chance to answer before she felt her limbs giving out beneath her. Rose fell to the ground ungracefully but quickly got her bearing. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down here, not now.

“Look,” The mare pushed by her and headed for the heap that was Whisper, “you came and attacked me, the most you can do is give me the benefit of the doubt here.” Rose bolted around her and stood adamantly by her friend’s side. The mare sighed and stomped a hoof, blue sparks crackling as Rose was suddenly flung aside by some force from beneath the floor. Her shoulder slammed against the wooden floorboards as she landed across the room, shocks of pain filling her leg and back, causing her to gasp for breath.

Rose was never a fighter, she cursed her weakness as she struggled to her hooves, wishing for a moment to have the strength of a royal guard who could fight on despite their injuries. As she got back onto her shaking hooves she saw the mare pressing the cloth against Whispers forehead. She would have tried to stop it but the pain stopped her from doing anything rash, forcing her to watch for a moment.

With this chance she noticed something she’d overlooked before. As the mare gently wiped Whispers forehead he noticed her friend begin to stir slightly. Fear and anger turned to confusion as she watched on, realizing that perhaps this mare truly had no ill intention, maybe she was being genuine but if that were the case why would she have been following them at school? She wracked her mind as she pictured all the mares who taught there, but none were so tall and lanky, and none would live in such a place for that matter. She didn’t have a chance, or the breath, to ask as she noticed a small voice though missed the words as Whisper mumbled something.

The tall mare pulled the cloth away, giving her some space to breathe, “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hit you.” Rose finally heard the concern in her voice and with the slight comfort her legs gave out beneath her, she caught herself just enough to fall into a semi-comfortable laying position and pretend that she had meant to do that. It went unnoticed to the other mares however.

She watched as Whisper nodded, her horn flickering back to light up the space around them. Though the light was dim, Rose still had to shield her eyes after the darkness. Her ears however remained active. “Shadow?” Whisper’s voice was quiet but was clear as a bell, causing Rose to prick her ears and giving her a reason to squint against the light instead of playing nice with her pupils.

There was no way to mistake it now, that was absolutely Shadow. Long legs, a scruffy purple coat, her navy-blue and yellow mane completely ungroomed, but… “You’re a mare?!” The words flew out before Rose’s filter could catch it, and immediately regretted it as the look she got was almost ready to shoot daggers. She began to sputter out an apology but a long, sharp, cry sounded from below, instantly reminding her why she was here in the first place. Her eyes widened in fear, as she scrambled back to her hooves, not wasting a second in fluttering her wings, thankfully finding them to be painless save for a slight ache. Within seconds she was hovering and ready to bolt if she had to. Her eyes instantly locked with Whispers who was on her hooves already and once again braced for attack. She almost forgot about Shadow entirely but a small bit of laughter from the mare drew her attention back.

“What is wrong with you two? Have you never heard a wolf before?” At Shadows words Rose’s jaw dropped, wolves ate ponies, and the smug look on the tall mares face did nothing to ease her newfound dread. “I’d take you to see them, but they’re in a mood today.”

Oh of course they are. Rose looked to the door and then to Whisper, a sudden glow of light illuminating the dim room for a second. The pegasus shielded her eyes again but only for a moment before her jaw dropped. Right before her eyes she saw her friend, standing proud and tall, with her new cutiemark as a badge of her destiny. She looked over the picture, a blue candle with a matching flame in a silver tray, she wasn’t immediately sure of it’s meaning but she didn’t have to ask as Whisper was very eager to state her realization.

“And here I thought I would never truly know my calling,” Whisper’s voice sounded renewed, full of life and energy, “but now I understand, I was always afraid of unknown, and I never did try to overcome my fear. Maybe if I had I would have known I could bring light to the darkness.”

Rose tilted her head and limped forward, she had to give her friend a hug. Wrapping her hooves around her neck, the coldness in the room faded and she could feel Whispers energy flowing through her in a wave similar to that of a summer breeze. “I’m so proud of you.” She murmured. The two had often had long, late night, talks about who they could turn out to be. Sometimes they would end in sadness with a feeling of empty hopelessness at the prospect of not being able to get their marks because their destiny was out of their reach, but then other times… Rose smiled at the fond memory of how they would fall into hysterical laughter after suggesting the most ridiculous ideas of how Whisper was destined to make smoothies on the moon for an alien race, or how Rose was supposed to be riding unicycles over turtles shells on Thursdays. “I guess that means you don’t have to go to space then.” She couldn’t resist adding the joke and as she pulled away from her friend and made and eye contact the two once again fell into a fit of laughter.

When they calmed down Rose remembered where they were and somehow the light air didn’t fade from the room. She turned back to Shadow who smiled in return before looking to Whisper. “Congratulations on your mark, though I’m unsure what you mean by ‘bringing light to the darkness’.” Rose was worried Shadow’s words would put a damper on Whisper but her friend wasn’t fazed in the least.

“Well here we are, in a place that everypony was afraid of. That I was afraid of, but now that I’ve come here and discovered the truth, I know it’s nothing to be afraid of and…” The unicorn trailed off with a cheeky grin, “Okay so maybe the wolves are a bit scary, but so are spiders to many ponies even if they mean no harm.” Both Rose and Shadow grinned at this, and before Rose could really process, Whisper launched herself at the taller mare, embracing her in a hug. “Thank you.”

Rose could sense the taller mare’s awkwardness, but that too faded back into the grayness that the mare seemed to let off. “I’m glad I could help, and actually,” The two mares split apart, “I’m glad you discovered that here and not in a place of real danger, even if I-” Shadow’s eyes locked with Rose, a look of regret on her face, “I’m really sorry I hurt you. I have a bit of a short fuse sometimes, especially when I’m on edge.”

Rose nodded, she knew the mare was sincere, or at least she thought she was, and after the energy she’d gotten from Whisper she was only a bit sore, the pain having faded into a very dull ache. “It’s okay, we shouldn’t have just broke in either. I’m sorry, too.”

Shadow nodded, silently accepting the apology. “Would you like me to heal your shoulder? It is your shoulder right?”

“No it’s…” Rose paused, Shadow’s wording was kinda vague, and if she wasn’t mistaken, healing was a unicorn thing, while an earth pony might’ve been able to… Well she wasn’t exactly sure, but earth pony doctors and nurses existed, even though they couldn’t just cast a spell and heal in seconds. “What do you mean exactly?”

Shadow scratched a blue hoof against her leg, looking at the ground and not answering immediately but after a moment she sighed and looked up. “I can use magic like a unicorn and know a few healing spells that could help.”

Even though Rose was expecting a similar answer with what she’d recently seen and just heard, but hearing it from her mouth was rather shocking. An earth pony with unicorn magic? It was unheard of! Or at least was very rare as Rose had never heard of it in legend or passing.

“Don’t tell anyone though.” Shadow’s gaze became hard and serious, “I only told you because you’d seen it. It’s technically not even my own magic and it’s borrowed from a nightmare making it illegal or banned, or just plain frowned upon and Celestia would banish me, or take my magic, or send me to the moon or…” Shadow paused to breathe giving Rose a chance to cut in before… Well she wasn’t sure but she felt it necessary.

“We won’t tell anyone, I promise.” Rose looked to Whisper who gave an affirmative nod. “We’ve got your back on this, okay?” Shadow nodded and let out a breath just as a wolf let out a bark from downstairs causing Whisper to jump. Rose put a comforting wing over her friend but the mare seemed to be okay still.

“You know what guys?” Whisper looked at the two mares, settling her eyes on Rose. “I wanna do this more, I think… I think I wanna leave school now, now that I know my destiny I don’t have to search, I don’t have to learn and find opportunities for greater things now, because… Well because I know what I want.”

As proud of her as Rose was she felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of her friend leaving. They’d been together since the pegasus moved to Canterlot and met her at a party many years ago. “You do what you need to, but I’m going to miss you.” She was trying to be supportive, but couldn’t help let her worries show.

“I don’t wanna leave Canterlot just yet!” Whisper went wide-eyed as though the idea hadn’t even crossed her mind. “I’ve only just figured myself out and… I think sticking to Canterlot for now would be wise, you know? Besides, you can always come with me Rose, you said you wanted to travel and get a change of scenery again right? We could plan it out and go together. That offer is for you too, Shadow.” Whisper added the last part to Rose’s surprise, they hardly knew the mare after all, though leaving Canterlot in hopes of ‘bringing light to darkness’ didn’t sound that unappealing of an idea.

“I’ll think about it.” Rose said as she began to smoothen her mane, trying to hide a sudden grin. “Maybe while we’re exploring Canterlot’s crypts.” She saw the excitement bubble up in her friend, feeling the burst of energy that was about to come grow before the unicorn jumped for joy, her horn sparking in response. She couldn’t help but giggle at the foalish excitement.

“Do you wanna come too?” Whisper turned to Shadow with a big grin. Clearly nothing could faze her excitement and joy right now and Rose had a feeling that the tall mare was on the same page.

“That sounds fun, I like discovering spooky things,” No surprises there, Shadow did live in a creepy house after all. “but it’ll probably be a lot more dangerous than this.”

“Actually…” Rose held her breath, was her friend actually going to go back on this? “I’d be disappointed if they were’nt!” She chuckled and wagged her tail. Rose could only smack her hoof against her head. This mare was crazy, and now Rose knew that nothing would stop her from following her destiny. Even if it got them all killed.

Author's Note

Aaaaand that's a wrap. Tell me what you think guys, my first completed fanfiction and the start of a series. Even if a majority groans at this idea, my writing, or whatever, I'll likely continue as I've got a hundred and one ideas for these guys~