Nyx landed near the pony to check on them once she got close enough, but Alan was prepared for something completely different. Hopping off of Nyx's back once she slowed down, he braced himself and focused the beam of the flashlight on the equine, ready to burn the shadows from it if it proved to be Taken.
Instead of recoiling from the light, however, the lavender pony caught in the beam just brought a hoof up to shield her eyes while the light glinted off of the tiara atop her head. "Gah, who's there?! If you try to kidnap me, I'll scream so loud, the entire town'll hear it!"
Both Alan and Nyx were glad that at least it was another pony, but for Nyx it was tempered by recognition of WHICH young mare they had found as Alan moved the beam away so as not to blind her any more. With a groan, she asked, "Diamond Tiara? What are YOU doing out here?"
As Diamond Tiara's night vision gradually recovered, she recognized the alicorn's voice and accusingly snapped, "Nyx?! I KNEW it! As soon as I saw the sun setting, I just KNEW you were behind it! I'm going to make sure everypony knows it, too!"
She tried to dash off back to town, but Nyx just facehoofed and used her magic to turn the snobby earth pony back around toward them. "For Celestia's sake, Tiara, even if I wanted to, I'm nowhere near strong enough to move the sun and moon anymore. I'm just as confused as you are!"
"She's right," Alan said, taking the opportunity to put the flashlight in a pocket of his flannel shirt so that the beam would shine out in front of him and leave his mouth free. "I've been with her the whole time. This is the work of someone else, and as long as we're out here in the darkness, we're all in danger. We need to get into the light, and make sure every pony we can find does the same."
Diamond Tiara looked at Alan suspiciously. "I'm sorry, and you are... what... a lumberjack or something?" she asked, though there was a quiver in her voice betraying her fear. With a haughty sniff, she added, "You know what? I don't care if you're the king of the griffons, you two can do whatever you like! I'M going home and telling my daddy about this. Then you won't be able to make any excuses!"
She started to move away again, and this time Nyx didn't try to stop her. As she did, however, the darkness seemed to deepen like a thick mist, and Alan burst into motion to chase after her as the darkness started to obscure their view of her. "No! Wait, stick with us! There are Taken coming, and you don't have a light!"
Nyx followed Alan, and with narrowed eyes asked, "What's a Taken?" She soon got her answer, however, when she suddenly heard Diamond Tiara's scream pierce through the thick darkness! Her breath catching in her throat, the alicorn quickly summoned up a light spell around the tip of her horn to supplement the beam of Alan's flashlight, and this proved just enough to make the darkness spread apart and reveal a stallion wreathed in what looked almost like an aura of shadow.
On the ground, apparently knocked down by the shadowed pony, was Diamond Tiara, screaming in terror and pain as it pinned her down with a hoof. Nyx gasped in shock at the sight, but only for a moment as she instinctively launched herself at the creature... the Taken. Regardless of whether or not she and Diamond Tiara got along, she was still worth protecting.
When she body-slammed the Taken, however, it barely flinched. Instead, Nyx was the one who recoiled in pain from the impact, the shadows surrounding the Taken protected it somehow, and burned even the teenaged alicorn to the touch. Nyx had heard about substances that were so cold that it felt like being burned if you touched them, but had never understood it until this moment. Those shadows didn't just absorb the light, it was as if they stole the life out of anyone who got too close, and Diamond Tiara was still pinned by the monster.
Alan immediately stepped up, however, and focused his flashlight on the Taken, causing it to recoil away from Nyx and Diamond Tiara as it tried to shield itself from the light. As Alan tightened the beam, the shadows protecting it started to burn away while he shouted, "You need to burn away the darkness with light, Nyx! That's the only way to harm these things! Now quick, give me the nailgun!"
Nyx, stunned as she was, nevertheless started to comply as it became clear that Alan actually did know what he was talking about where these creatures were concerned. Before she could use her magic to give it to him, however, there was a rustling in the grass as two more Taken suddenly appeared, lurching toward Diamond Tiara. They were already setting upon the wounded earth pony, reaching for her and giving Nyx precious little time to react.
This item is in your Recycling Bin
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
