The Dark Reign

**QUICK A/N ::: From here on out, this is where it will truly begin. A new set of Characters will be introduced, as this story has become a Collaboration/Spin-Off Sequel to Alex Barkhorn's Fiction "Torn Between Two Worlds". Link is on the Title page of this story. And so... Without further ado, I present to you...**

*Chapter 4 ::: It Begins = The Pact*

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***New Character P.o.V.***

Two Years...

Has it really been that long? To think that I would have even made it this far... I guess I'm just lucky right now...

The name is Alex. Alex Barkhorn. Nothing really special about me. Except I've been out of High School for about Two years. I'm working a steady job right now at a local Extreme Sports Store that sells sports shoes, equipment, and whatever else people might need for sports. Not really much to say about it. Decent pay, decent hours, and I've been living alone since I got into college shortly after High School.

I'm actually taking a semester off right now. Last Semester ended not too long ago. But then... I don't really have an excuse... I just... Needed to get away. Take a break, you know? For those who know me... Well... You can probably guess why...

Others... Well... The reason why will come soon.

As for now, here's where I stand at the moment: stocking a new shipment of shoes that came in for like... Some new sporting event. So the store ordered some new Vans shoes that were just put onto the market. As I put them up though, they flew off the shelf almost instantly. These shoes were popular...

I was about half-way through my day when I heard a familiar cheer enter the store, and my heart lifted as a smile crossed my face.

"Yo Alex! Busy day, huh!?"

I turned to see not only one of the coolest guys here in town and one of the brightest girls I knew, but they were also the best friends I've ever had.

Grey and Dana.

Grey approached me and patted me hard on the back, to which I responded with a hard Bro-Punch. Dana hugged me. That's all she's really done since... That day...

"So Alex, you ready for tonight?" Grey asked with a big and bright smile.

"We were thinking Pizza Hut. Your friend out of state hooked us up with the entire restaraunt reserved for us and us alone." Dana explained. "What better way to celebrate this... Memorable day than just the three of us hanging out?"

Today...

"Think you're up it?" Grey asked with a concerned look. He saw the hurt in my eyes. "Will you be alright? Or are you going to call it off?"

Has it been two years? I can't help but ask that every time I think about it...

"We know how you feel, Alex..." Dana said with a warm smile and a hand on my shoulder. "We miss them too."

A tear escapes my eye... Dammit... I really have opened up... Thanks to...

Them...

"No no! Guys! I am so there!" I told them with a big smile. "I'll call him tonight and thank him! But before that, we're going to hang out! Today is a special day! And we're celebrating it together!"

They both smiled and both slapped me a high five.

"We'll see you tonight then" And Grey ran out of the store.

"See you there." Dana said with a big smile and walked out.

I chuckled and then sighed. I looked at my digital watch to see the date: June 9th... The day we all graduated together... The day I didn't think I would get to see... Rubbing the lower part of my stomach, feeling the scar from that day two years ago, I sighed deeper then.

I turned back to the display wall and finished stocking what was left. The memories came back all of them sudden. Stronger than ever. Their faces were still so clear... There voices so happy that night we had graduated... The look of joy on their faces when I woke up in the Hospital... And... Her eyes when they had to leave...

"It... Feels like only yesterday..." I found myself saying.

I touched my wrist and looked down at it: a tattoo of Three Pink Butterflies, beneath it was the name 'Faith'. I felt something warm trail down my cheek. I didn't need to check to see what it was. I already knew. I looked at my other wrist too see the same tattoo, but beneath this one... Was a different name... That day wasn't only one of the worst days of my life... But it was also the reason I got these tattoos... But also the last time I ever got to see them... Before they left...

More importantly...

The last day I got to spend with the one whose name was on my other wrist...

"Fluttershy..."

**()()()()()()()()()()()()**

***No P.o.V. ::: Earlier that Morning in another Location***

Tye woke up.

A tear down his face as he looked at his clock.

2:45 A.M.

"What..." he wondered.

The tears came faster as he turned on the lamp next to him. He looked at his hands. His left hand was just fine, but his right hand had his brace on. He had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in this wrist and he noticed that it was hurting more than usual. But this was not the reson he was crying. He wasn't sure himself as to why he was really crying. He noticed his cell phone LED was blinking, letting him know he had a message and looked at it.

*=Yo, It'll be Two Years today. You think you could hook us up with something? Alex needs his friends today. I know it's too early for a message, but could you do this for him? -Grey=*

Tye smiled and wiped the tears from his eyes. He replied to the message.

*=Sure thing. Will do. Wish him the Best for me.=*

Tye put his phone down and looked at his bad hand. He noticed a few bloody cuts and bruises and gasped!

"That... No..." The tears fell again as he remembered why he woke up.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

Prior to waking

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He looked around to find he was in a big green field. It was night. Then again, why wouldn't it be? He was supposed to be asleep, but he felt wide awake. Was this a dream?

Tye sighed as he attempted to climb to his feet, but was stopped by the plush grass... He felt it beneath himself and felt no panic. It was comforting... Almost... Beckoning... For him to just lay there... He did just that and relaxed. It felt good underneath him. He knew this was a dream, but didn't care. So he took advantage of it to enjoy the incredible comfort of this amazing scenery. It was sunset, but the sun wasn't too bright to where he had to shield his face. Few trees, besides the one he just now realized he was under. He sighed in content.

It felt like an hour or so that he had been napping under this tree on this amazing grass before he heard someone approach... His eyes shot open and he threw himself up. He looked around and saw a kart approaching. But something wasn't right... There was a horse-like creature pulling the kart, but no driver... And... It looked out of control!

Tye jumped to his feet and ran out to help! It wasn't far away from him as he waited for it to approach, but that was what made the Horse freak out as it turned away from him, but wound up making the kart flip and began roling toward him! The Horse got off the kart, but Tye was a bit late in jumping out of the way. The kart crashed into him, but being a dream, it wasn't agonizing pain, however, his hand was crushed underneath the debris, so he tried pulling it out, but found that sime of the wood from the kart was digging into his wrist, making it painful to try to pull away. He heard someone approaching, heard a voice clear their throat, and heard an all too familiar voice...

"Uh... Need some help there, Sugarcube?"

Tye turned to his visitor and gasped in shock and fear...

"Y- You!?"

::::::::::::::::::

Waking Up

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Tye ran that dream through his head several times as he thought about what it could mean... He finally gave up, as it could have just been a dream because of him being a Brony. However, it still bugged him, but it was too early. He went to the bathroom and founf the first aid kit. He cleaned the wound, which to his shock, was very deep despite it being a dream, disinfected it, and dressed it with some bandages. Once he finished, he out thebkit back, went back to his bed, layed back down, and fell asleep almost instantly. The dream didn't come this time, but he still thought, even in his deep sleep, about that odd dream that literally... Left a mark on him...

That morning, his alarm on his phone woke him up for the early shift of work. He got up, took a shower (covering his newly wounded hand of course), dried off, and dressed into his uniform. He stopped before he left his room, and turned to his twin. Ko looked so content in her sleep... But then... She also looked sad... He knew exactly why though... He leaned down to his twin and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry. I'll be home early today and I'm taking some time off." He whispered to her. "We'll all go out and hang out. I Promise."

He walked out of his room, grabbed his keys from the kitchen drawer that they all keep their keys in, and ran out the door to his car and drove to work. Once he made it, he pulled on his employee jacket, clocked in, checked in with his supervisor, and started pushing karts, being careful not to over-exert his wounded hand. It was a smooth day as he went on by. He was the only one on shift until he got to lunch around 11 P.M. Another worker came in and they finished up for him to take over when Tye got off. However, just as he was about to clock out...

"Hosokoawa?" He turned to see a short and slightly chubby man standing not too far from him. "Come join me in the office, please?"

Tye swallowed hard. He nodded and followed nervously. It was the manager and one of his supervisors. Once he walked into the office, he swallowed harder and almost choked when he saw another higher up; His head supervisor and the woman who highered him...

*(((NO NAMES OF EMPLOYEES WILL BE USED)))*

His manager, the short one, asked him to sit down. He obliged.

"Now..." he started. His other manager had one of the worst cases of Poker Face he had ever seen. It was impossible to read what she was thinking. "We noticed a few things..."

**WwWwWwWwW**

Instead of going home, Tye went to the bar and placed his ID onto the counter. The bar tender took it and put it into a small card reader on the register. It beeped and she gave him a keypad. He typed in a code and it flashed yellow to indicate that his account will be charged. He ordered a German Pepsi (Jagger/Pepsi) and the bar tender sighed and shook her head.

"Oh boy... Somethin' happened..." she said as she mixed up his drink. "Penny for a thought?"

She brought him his drink and in no time, he had it downed in less than a minute or so. He put the glass down and sighed.

"I'd rather not say." he said. His voice was grim. His glare was piercing, but she didn't even have to know what was going on.

"They finally gave you the boot, huh?"

Over the last few months, Tye has had issues at the job he now previously worked at. His higher ups were always getting on his case for things not getting done. Or even things not getting done fast enough. Or one that still made him laugh in their faces, he was not using proper urgency in pushing the grocery karts.

They fired him.

"Maybe it's for the best?" she placed another German Pepsi in front of him. "This one's on me. An' dun worry 'bout it. They weren't payin' you enough anyways. Ya'll could come down here an' work with me." she said with a smile. "This is a small joint, never busy, and because mah family owns it, the pay is great."

Tye shook his head with a chuckle.

"You know I'm no good with cocktails." he always loved her accent. "But... Maybe I could make a few changes... How are the hours?"

"Ya only get paid for what you make and work." she explained. "If ya'll serve five Carolina Apples and work eight hours, that's half of the cocktails price n' Ten Dollars per hour worked PLUS Tips."

She winked at him. He chuckled as he took a drink from his cocktail.

"You always know what to say when I'm feeling down, Allison." Smiling, Tye sat up straight.

Allison was a slender but well built girl about Tye's age, Pale Blonde Hair, Green Eyes, and freckles that indicated her Farm Girl roots. She was a few inches taller than Tye however and was one year, his senior. Tye saw her not only as a great friend, but a sister as well.

She went around the corner and wrapped him into a hug.

"Ain' a problem, lil' bro." she said with a smile.

From there, they talked about some simple things: favorite meals, favorite drinks, cocktails, how to mix them properly, the kind of customers they get, soon, Tye filled out an Application for Allison to give to her parents to look over, and Tye called up his sister to go to the bar and pick up his car. He decided to walk home. He said his good bye to Allison, gave her his car keys to give to Ko, and walked out of the bar.

Tye took a deep breath as he stepped into the night filled streets. He enjoyed the evenings when the air was cool. Though still upset about being fired, he was in a good mood. It was the night of the Season 3 Premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, so he was excited to get home and watch it on his computer. He was wondering just how exactly Hasbro on The HuB could make the series any better than it already was. As he thought, time passed, and he arrived at his Apartment Complex. He sighed, glad to be home, and started for his Complex. Just as he had passed the main office building though, he stopped when he heard the door open. He turned around to see a girl a year or so older than him walk out with a black bag full of discarded fabrics. She walked over to the dumpster a few feet away and tossed it in and started back for the building. Tye smiled and approached her.

"Raine!" He waved her down. She turned to his direction and smiled, waving back as she met him half way.

Raine was a light skinned girl who looked to have come from a wealthy family. But she only made about the same Tye used to. She wears a simple white dress with a simple purple trim. Her hair was burnette, but she liked using purple extensions in her hair for a bit of flare. And she had soft blue eyes.

"Good Evening, Tye! Tell me, why are you out so late?" She asked with concern, approaching him. "You can't tell me you were working late! You specifically stated that todays shift was one-thir-" She stopped and sniffed the air around him. She wrinkled her nose and took a step backward. "Do I smell Alcohol on your breath?"

Tye chuckled nervously as he stepped back an inch, scratching his head.

"Just uh... Some things at work-" he started.

"Oh my! They didn't!!!" she said with a contained and controlled rage.

Tye nearly jumped back... Knowing Raine... Better not to be on her bad side when giving her bad news...

"Yeah pretty much..." Tye sighed as he put his hands behind his back. "Something about not pushing the shopping karts with urgency or something?"

"Huff! The nerve of them!" She clenched her fists hard, but then relaxed as she leaned forward... "Oh my... It's the same as what happened with me..."

That made Tye double-take. But even so, he chuckled, and simply sighed.

"To each our own, yes?" He said.

Raine simply nodded and sighed. Crossing her arms, she looked back at her home and started for her door.

"Well, I must be going. Grandfather needs to take his medicine." Raine then turned back to Tye. "And Tye? Keep your chin up, Darling."

Tye nodded and watched as she walked back into her house. He sighed and started back for his own apartment. He smiled when his door came into view, but then...

"Whoa... What in the...?"

He stopped dead at the foot of the steps. This is where he stood.

At the foot of his apartment door.

Staring down at the steps.

Being stared back at...

By a white Rabbit.

**()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

Alex had finished up his shift for the day and clocked out. He jumped into his car and headed straight for the dorm he stayed in. He pulled up, cut the engine, went inside, and looked around. His eyes fell on a particular picture frame. He walked over to it, picked it up, and admired it. A sad smile crossed his face as he looked at the group of friends in the photograph.

"It really has been two years..." He told himself.

He set the photo down and went into his bathroom to shower. Once he finished, he dressed himself intomsome simple clothes: black t-shirt, grey hoodie, some pants, and his shoes. He combed his hair to look nice, decided against it, shook his head up, smiled at his hair then, and took off, grabbing his cell phone, wallet, watch, and keys. He drove through town, but not so far as to go to the other side of the city, and pulled into the local Pizza Hut. There was no one there except another truck that belonged to Gray. There was another person waiting outside, but he looked like he was expecting someone, Alex sighed and got out of his car and approached him.

"Alex Barkhorn. My friends should already be here." He told him. He grunted and motioned him to follow inside.

Once inside, he was greeted with the obvious scent of parmesean, pepperoni, and marinara sauce as he looked around. In the back, was his best friends Gray and Dana, waving him down. He greeted them with a high five to Gray and a hug to Dana. They sat down as pizza was brought to them and they began to chow down.

"So how's the job going?" Gray asked, starting just a simple subject.

"Oh you know... Just something I'm good at and don't exactly get paid well enough for..." he said casually. But he smiled and chuckled. "But, if not for that, I wouldn't have been able to afford even staying at the dorm at the moment."

"It's always good to have a back up plan in the end." Dana said. "You never know if it will last really."

"Let's not worry about it now. We came here for a reason." Alex said with a big smile on his face. His enthusiasm was high and it was infecting his friends. "Let's chow and hang!"

A cheer of approval was heard and they ate.

School, home, family, and friends were all that were talked about. And of course, memories of some now lost, but not forgotten friends.

**WwWwWwWwW**

Alex arrived home that night, tired, full, bloated, and ready to sleep. But like most, he couldn't help himself to watching the Season 3 Finale of... You guessed it... My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Alex, as you may or may not have guessed yet, was also a Brony. However, unlike most, he had gotten live the dream of any Brony: The Mane 6 living with him. It happened around two years prior.

Simply living. He had been through so much in his life. Avoiding people, going through phases, even getting to the point of nearly taking his life numerous times. The only things that kept him going were Gray, Dana, and his Mom. Oh, and his love for MLP. At the time, he didn't exactly have a favorite Pony. All of the characters, he could say with pride, he loved equally. That would change some time later when he was simply taking care of some personal things he wanted to sort out...

When they arrived--

Literally...

By Airway express. A.K.A... Fell out of the sky...

And on him.

He took them into his home and took care of them. Or so he thought. As the days and weeks passed, they craved for some activities. So he took them to get enrolled into his school, each one under their own human alias. They went throug so much from there on. Bullies, pop culture following, crowd gathering, and even terrifying realizations... Even Alex began to change and realize something from there on.

Eventually, after one fateful day, a terrifying memory came up, and Alex nearly lost it. When he came to, he found he was no longer as alone as he thought he was. It wasn't just Dana and Gray helping him get through anymore... It was these six, amazing girls... No... Ponies... Who accidentally wound up in his care... Helped him to open up. Soon, he realized, he wasn't taking care of them anymore. They were taking care of him. He found a stronger friendship. He found people he could truly say he cared for... And even found one thing he didn't expect.

Love.

Fluttershy had helped him the most. She showed him that he doesn't have to hide if you just spend time with your friends. Eventually, they both found love...

And there came that day... They had to say good bye. This day today.

Alex always, from then on, dreaded this day.

He took his jacket off and looked at his wrists. Both had the same pink butterflies. But one had the name 'Faith'. The other...

'Fluttershy'...

He did this shortly after the girls had left for their world. So he would never forget them no matter how long the days became. He looked at a side table and saw the picture of him, Dana, Gray, the girls, his mother, and even, when they came to get them, the two Princesses. He smiled everytime he saw this picture... But he always felt sad...

"One day." he told himself. "They promised."

H sighed with a smile and sat down on his couch and played some video games. Some hours later, he watched a movie. Eventually, he fell asleep there on his couch. The tv turned off automatically. Alex was in a peaceful slumber.

His sleep was interupted shortly after when he opened his eyes to find himself in an orchard. He frowned. He wasn't completely sure... But he knew... Somehow he knew... Exactly what this place was...

"Sweet Apple Acres...?"

He heard some humming from not too far away. He got to his feet and walked over towards the sound. There, as he turned past a tree, his eyes went wide as he saw a sight all too familiar to him, yet he still couldn't believe it himself, was Applejack bucking apples from trees. His mind started to race... Why is she here before him? How did she get here? More so, how HE get here? WHY is HE here? More importantly... What's going on...? As he wondered, Applejack turned and saw Alex before her... Alex was about to panic...

"Well hey there, Alex. What ya'll doin out here without shoes?" she said casually...

He was baffled! She was acting as if she knew he was there the whole time! Or as if... He WAS there the whole time! He stepped towards her and vice-versa... He put his hand out towards her and she rubbed her muzzle against his hand... She was real... He could feel her... But then... Why?

He wondered this... As he did, he sat down next to her against an Apple Tree. They talked about everything and nothing... For no reason at all. Then SHE arrived.

**WwWwWwWwW**

As if things couldn't possibly get any more bizzare, Things just started to get more... Well... Bizzare. Alex awoke the next morning with the dream still fresh and very vivid in his mind. He sighed and began getting ready for the day. Though it was Saturday, he had plans to hang out with his friends once more. He had the weekend off, so he decided to take advantage of it. First his shower, then his teeth, then his clothes. Afterwards, he checked a few things in his dorm.

"Hmm... Need some groceries... Better get a new pair of shoes too..." he went over a list he was making and smiled when he felt it was complete, and put it into his pocket.

He grabbed his keys, cell phone, and headed out the door, locking it behind him. He looked around at the... Unusually sunny day... There was something in the air. It was clean... Fresh... Crisp... He looked at the sky... It was unusually bright. He noticed the clouds weren't numerous, but they were bright white... And they weren't moving... He looked at the grass, and decided that this was where it got weird... It was plush... Bright... And very VERY green...

Then it hit him. The dream last night. There has to be a connection. He took out his cell phone and typed out a long but brief message and hit send. He climbed into his truck, started it up, and drove away to meet his friends. Somehow, he felt that today wasn't going to go as well as he had hoped.

**()()()()()()()()()()**

Tye stared at the small rabbit before him the next morning. It slept soundly. He couldn't help but wonder... Why was it here? Why did it so eagerly approach him? He thought hard, but it was the mystery for the day right now. Even Ko was confused as to why it had shown up. Tye sat down on his bed next to the rabbit and started thinking.

His thoughts were interrputed however when his phone went off, indicating he recieved a text message. He took his phone and opened it up. His eyes scanned the message, went wide, and he dropped the phone as he thought back to a couple days ago when he and Ko saw the unusual rainbow formation in the sky.

** =Tye, hey. It's Alex. When you see this, reply ASAP. Things are weird, man. Really weird. It's a strange feeling I can't shake...Things aren't right. The sky, the clouds. They don't move anymore. They don't move on their own. Grass hasn't grown, but hasn't died, either. It's green, a brilliant green, a much darker shade than some of the healthiest lawns I've seen. And I've had dreams. I can see her again. I...I can't tell you why, but I've been having dreams of (try not to laugh) Fluttershy. Fluttershy, or AJ. And we talk, we talk for hours. Until I wake up. I don't know, man. Maybe I'm getting sick again. I don't feel too good...Reply when you get a chance. My phone's ringer is up all the way.= **

He picked his phone back up and hit the reply button.

** =Alex, It's Tye. I just got your message. I think something far more than things being weird are going down right now. As I was coming home last night, I was stopped at the front door by white rabbit, and to make things a bit stranger than that, it was... As if it was asking me for help... I'm not sure why I might be thinking this... But I think this rabbit might be... Angel Bunny... Alex, Something big is about to happen. I feel it in my gut, and when I get this feeling, it's usually right. Hit me back when you get this. ~Tye= **

*** Next Time ***

These Lies...

They need to stop...

I have to find out if they're true...

It's up to me.

I won't stop until I find the truth.

Next Time = The Dark Solstice = Two Worlds Linked

**IiIiIiIiIiIiI**

A/N ::: A Twist here... A Twist there... What secrets are hidden behind this small white rabbit? And what about Alex? What are those dreams telling him?

I told you the Twists and Turn would begin. And you got what you wanted!

This chapter was very very hard to write, but I put everything I had into it and found this is by far the longest chapter at the moment.

Till next time!