Word of Maliceby Twisted NightChaptersCorrupted DayA guest from the pastEntering MaliceInterlude: CanterlotCorrupted DayNight fell upon Ponyville, swallowing any light left by its calm and strict atmosphere. Land of dreams has welcomed everypony in its sweet embrace, and only a few are able to stay awake at this hour. Twilight Sparkle is one of them. Ponyville’s giant tree library is flooded with books and scrolls, mountains of which are lying on the floor everywhere. Twilight is walking around these mountains, drawing random books and putting them on their respective shelves. Spike was helping her a few minutes ago, but now he is sleeping in his bed, exhausted. Owloysius is eagerly sitting on his roost, waiting for a command. “Wait, what is this?” Twilight drew a very suspicious-looking book. “I have never seen that book before…” The book’s cover is as black as pure coal and completely blank. No picture or writing is placed on it, or anything, exposing any of the book’s content. One look at this book would give a chill to any viewer. “Hmm… I wonder how that book never caught my attention before. It is kinda hard to miss.” Twilight levitated a book closer to her eyes and opened it. “’Word of Malice’,” she read at the first page, “sounds creepy to me… Oh, well. Owloysius!” she called, “Please, give me my checklist.” The owl rose from his roost in a burst of feathers, picked up a large scroll from a large shelf and gave it to Twilight, happy to be able to help even with the most little things. “I don’t want to read this book now… But since it is a library, I must add it to my checklist…” mumbled Twilight. ******* Rainbow Dash was calmly napping on a soft, fluffy cloud, when she heard a distant roar. Groggily, she opens her eyes and tries to identify the direction where the sound came from. The sun is high in the sky and morning light shines down on Ponyville, playing on the roofs with its warm rays. Ponies have started their peaceful everyday lives, but they can’t even imagine how their calm day will be ruined in the course of a few minutes. The roar repeats, now the sound is much closer. A roar of rampaging beast, a roar of blind rage. Rainbow Dash rose from her cloud and spread her wings. Shaking the sleepiness out of her body, she took the call to action. A deafening roar closing in was definitely not something to ignore. “Where is it coming from?” She flew a little higher and started to look around. Her eyes slipped on the south part of the Everfree forest. “Trees are shaking?” Roar repeats. Rainbow flew down to take a closer look. Another roar and hundreds of colorful forest birds simultaneously rise from the trees, making their escape from the yet-invisible threat. “O-oh… I don’t like the sound of it…” In the very next moment, a gigantic tree branch flew at Rainbow with the speed of a bullet. “Whoa!” Rainbow dodged. “What in a…” Torn out tree branches are flying around in random directions all over the place, seeking for something to smash. Something is clearly rampaging in the forest. Something gigantic and dangerous. And this “something” is heading straight towards Ponyville. Realizing there was no time to lose, Rainbow quickly returned in town. “Attention, everypony!” Hundreds of eyes turned to the blue Pegasus. Rainbow breathed heavily, “Some rampaging beast is heading to Ponyville! Evacuate until it arrives!” Her last sentence drowns in a distant roar. “Run for your lives!!!” shouts some random pony from the crowd. Everypony began to aimlessly run around and scream in panic, unable to perverse a future course of action. “Please, everypony, calm down! Don’t panic!” Mayor Mare desperately tries to calm down the crowd, but fails. The scrambling ponies were too concerned with their own safety to listen to a batty old mare. Suddenly, a flash of purple light illuminated the whole town. Everypony looks at the source of the light and sees Twilight Sparkle and Spike, both looking focused. “Running and screaming will get you nowhere! Calm down and follow the mayor’s instructions to evacuate safely!” Twilight looked at the sky, searching for Rainbow Dash. But the sky-blue Pegasus has vanished from the morning sky. Returning her gaze to Ponyville, Twilight espies her friends galloping towards her. “What’s going on?” Twilight looked around. “What all the commotion about?” asked Applejack. A roar breaks in. “I am not sure, but Rainbow said that something bad is heading towards Ponyville and start evacuation,” answered Twilight. “And where IS Rainbow?” asked Applejack and looked around. Another roar breaks in. “The sound is coming from the Everfree Forest!” said Pinkie, pointing her hoof in the direction of the forest that has never been controlled by magic. “Rainbow must be there! Let’s go!” said Applejack and dashed toward the forest. “Waaaaait for meee!” Rarity breaks in. ******* “Any idea what it could be?” asked Twilight on the run. “I could swear I’ve heard that roar before,” said Rarity “but I can’t remember where!” When the ponies arrive to the Everfree Forest’s entrance, the rampaging creature was almost out of the grove. A sky-blue Pegasus landed next to Twilight, raising a little cloud of dust. “I can’t see what it is! It’s too dark beneath the trees,” she told. “Where is Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “I am here!” answered the Pegasus from under a giant log. The tree wall bent. A giant black hand ripped a heavy branch from the nearest tree and hurled it high into the air. “A-a dragon?” cried Fluttershy, hiding her head under her hooves. Before the ponies stood a gigantic dragon. Its scales are pitch-black and eyes are red like a blazing wells of fire, ready to swallow every soul of those who would be stupid enough to look directly at them. The monster spread his wings and let out a deafening roar. Sound waves lifted into the air with dried leaves. The searching red eyes fell upon the trembling ponies. Twilight, repressing a shiver, stepped forward. “E-excuse me, Mr. D-dragon…” Twilight’s voice trembled while she stood before the black giant, “what are you…” Applejack kicked Twilight to the side and jumped back. Next moment, a stream of fire hit the place where Twilight stood, scorching the grass to ashes. “Eeek!” “Why you!” Rainbow dashed toward the dragon, but Applejack caught her tail. “What are ya doing, Rainbow? Run!” “If we run, Ponyville shall be doomed!” Twilight’s horn began to glow with a vast purple light. Broken tree branches on the ground conjoined and turned into a rope by a swirl of purple energy. “But this dragon is insane!” “I know, that’s why we must be careful! Rainbow, try to tie up the dragon with this rope!” Rainbow Dash saluted and picked up the rope from one side. “I-I’ll help too!” Trembling, Fluttershy picked rope from the other side. Ignoring her ultimate fear of dragons, she charged at her foe, protecting her friends once again from the terror of the species. The dragon unleashed a stream of fire, aiming at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie is immobilized by fear. All her body would allow her to do was stare at her doom. She let out a sharp gasp as the licking flames closed in. “Pinkie! Noooooo!!!” Rarity rushed to the trembling pony, which is about to be swallowed by the stream of fire. Unable to do anything to save her completely, she covered her friend with her own white body. Suddenly, a semi-transparent dome appeared, shielding both ponies from the scorching blaze. Twilight let out a sigh, relieved that her shield successfully protected both of the ponies. “Now!” ordered Twilight to her flying friends. Rainbow and Fluttershy started to fly around the dragon, agilely dodging his swinging claws, and managing to leash it and tie it up. Watching the rope beginning to tear, Twilight’s horn began to glow rapidly, strengthening the magical rope. The black giant stood momentarily frozen, completely tied up. “We did it!” exclaimed Twilight. But in the next second, the dragon tore up the magically-strengthened ropes like paper. He tries to spit a fire, aiming at Twilight, but Rainbow kicked his face with great speed, changing the giant fireball’s trajectory. The fireball flies directly into a tree, igniting the tree into a burst of flames. “Noooo! The animals!” Fluttershy rushed towards the forest, but a cyan Pegasus stands in her way. “Think what you’re doing! Besides, the animals must’ve ran away already! They aren’t stupid to stay in site of rampage!” The dragon swung his wings, unleashing one ravaging wing, knocking down and scattering ponies around, leaving only a tenacious Applejack standing. Suddenly, the ponies hear multiple thunderclaps in the sky. “The Wonderbolts!” shouted Rainbow Dash happily. Four Pegasi, leaving thundering trails behind, attacked the black dragon. They began to fly around the beast with great speed, coating it with thundering clouds. The monster’s breath was successfully deflected to the sky by a mighty impact to the head. “Rainbow Dash!” calls Soarin from the thundering tornado, “bring the largest thundercloud you can find!” Rainbow rushed to the sky, returning after a minute, dragging a large gray thundercloud, sparkling with lightning. She pushes it into the dragon’s thundering coating. The Wonderbolts scatter around at the moment when the cloud touches the coating. The coating erupted with lightning charges, striking the dragon with an enormous amount of electricity. All of the ponies couldn’t help but wince as the thunder attack took its full charge. The dragon roars in pain and begin to thrash around, breaking out of the electric coating. Twilight looks around and sees that the blazes from the forest fire are moving towards Ponyville, adding yet another problem to the mix. “Quick, everypony, we must stop the fire! Rainbow and Fluttershy! Bring as many rainclouds as you can! Rarity, you…” “Twilight!” Twilight turns to the source of the sound and sees Spike, running towards her, holding a huge, tan-colored book with an egg on the cover. “I brought the book you asked!” “Good!” responds Twilight. “Fluttershy, Rainbow, go! Applejack…” Twilight levitated the torn magical rope from earlier and mended it. “Bring the trees down!” “Aye!” Applejack constructed a lasso and leashed the blazing trees, preventing nearby trees to catch fire. Twilight’s horn began to glow furiously with swirling magical energy. Ponyville’s water tower’s container is torn out and slowly starts moving towards the Everfree forest. “Quick, Twilight! The rope caught fire!” shouted Applejack. Twilight turned the container upside-down above the leashed flaming trees, dousing most of the fire. Twilight looked at the sky. The Wonderbolts are still attacking the black beast, constantly deflecting fire breath to the sky. Suddenly, a heavy rain begins, dousing any leftover blazes and weakening the fire breath of the giant monster. The dragon begins to flap his wings, creating powerful blasts of air. The Wonderbolts dodged the first two blasts, but get hit by the third one all at once. The wind’s pressure hurled them to the ground, knocking them out. Twilight finished reading the book that Spike brought her. “Spike, stand still! It is a new spell I found! There is no guarantee that it will work, but it looks like it’s our only hope!” Spike responds with a nod and readies his body for any spell Twilight might cast upon him. Twilight’s horn flushed, illuminating the area and thick purple beam strikes Spike in the center of his chest, making him rapidly grow. Growing twice his size, three times, four times, and several more, Spike expands above the treetops. The black dragon turns to his new foe, a fully-grown wingless purple dragon. Spike understood everything in a mere moment. “Leave my friends and Ponyville alone!” he roared. Spike swung his tail, smashing the black giant to the side. The beast straggled, but resisted. Both dragons simultaneously breathe streams of fire. The intensity of the heat could have matched that of the sun’s. Green flame met red in burning embrace… and is swallowed by the red’s hunger. The weakened red flame charred Spike’s arm. Suddenly, a flash of light announced a new reinforcement's arrival. “Princess Celestia!” shouted everypony. A golden chariot, led by two white pegasi, landed next to Twilight. “Listen, everypony! This dragon is corrupted! The only way to defeat it is to use the Elements of Harmony!” Princess Celestia levitates a jeweled case and opens it, revealing enchanted necklaces. “Quick, you don’t have much time!” said she, looking on Spike, slowly becoming inferior to the black dragon. Twilight throws the Elements to their respective wielders and equips her crown. The six ponies rise to the air and start to glow, charging energy for the ultimate weapon of harmony. At that moment, the black dragon breathed a gigantic fireball at the six floating ponies, trying to reduce them to ashes. Spike jumped on fireball’s way and took whole damage on his own body, protecting the ponies behind him. “NOW!” he shouts through the pain. The massive purple body fell on the charred ground. A majestic rainbow flew diagonally upward from the floating ponies and divided into multiple beams, different in color but same in idea. These rays of ultimate harmony surrounds the black dragon, creating a rainbow swirl around him. The dragon squeezed out one last roar of rage before the swirl swallowed him whole. ******* The gigantic flash faded. Before the ponies lies a gigantic red dragon, its black coat suddenly disappearing. The giant purple dragon vanishes, reverted to his original form, when a light of harmony disabled the growth spell. Six ponies land on the ground. “Ah can’t believe we made it!” said Applejack joyously. “Yeah, and all thanks to Spike!” said Rarity. “Spike? Where are you?” Rarity noticed the baby dragon lying on ashed weed under the heavy rain. Rarity gasped and rushed towards him, placing a concerned hoof on the baby dragon’s head. Fluttershy moved towards the heavy-breathing red dragon. “M-mister dragon, what happened to you?” The dragon opens his eyes and looks around. “Where am I?” echoed his deep, heavy voice. Princess Celestia walked towards the dragon. “This is Ponyville, in the land of Equestria.” The dragon looks at her like at a ghost. “What happened with you? Do you remember anything?” she asked strictly. The dragon put his arm on his head. “… I don’t remember… I was sleeping in my cave… And now I am here…” the dragon looked around to see charred trees and burned grass. “Was I who did that?” “Yes,” Celestia stepped closer, “it seems like you had been corrupted. You don’t remember anything? Anything at all?” The dragon closes his eyes and thought for a minute. “Wait… I remember… a shadow… I have seen that shadow before… I…” “What does it look like?” “I can’t remember…” Suddenly, the dragon rose, opened his wings and started to fly away. “Hey, wait just a minute!” Rainbow rushed after, not wanting to release the dragon after the long hard-fought battle. “Rainbow Dash, stop!” said Celestia. Rainbow froze in air. “Leave him alone. He will not help us about anything.” ******* “Princess, what was that? What kind of corruption are you talking about?” asked Twilight. The rain has ended, so did the last glimpses of fire. Only charred trees and ashes on the ground reminds of a recent battle. The Wonderbolts, who hit the ground hard, were hospitalized with a few broken bones. Only Soarin remained, because he fell on his comrades, escaping harm. “It’s something I felt before… when Luna became Nightmare Moon. I felt something similar…” Twilight and Rarity looked at each other. “But instead of malicious envy I felt from Luna back then… That dragon radiates blind, overwhelming rage.” “Are you sayin that dragon became like Nightmare Moon, Princess?” asked Applejack. “Not exactly, but in a similar way,” answered Celestia and closed her eyes. “When I felt an explosion of anger, I rushed into the Crystal Shrine to take the Elements of Harmony, but it took me too much time to open the guard spells I casted! I should’ve come back sooner… I am sorry, everypony.” Twilight stepped forward. “Please, don’t blame yourself, Princess. Besides, nothing bad happene-” Rainbow glares at Twilight. “Well, except that the Wonderbolts broke a few bones.” “This was completely our fault, Princess,” butted an ashamed Soarin, “it was lack of our skills.” “Enough,” the Princess interrupted with a sad expression. “Next time, I shall be more prepared for these sort of things.” Rarity tilts her head, remembering something. “Princess, what is that Shrine you mentioned?” “Oh, this,” said Celestia absent-mindedly, “after Discord stole the Elements from the Tower of Harmony, I moved them to the safest place in Canterlot known to me, the enchanted Crystal Shrine.” “Owww….” Everypony turned around, looking at the baby dragon on the ground under an umbrella, carefully covered by Rarity’s scarf. “Spike!” said Twilight happily. Mane Six, Soarin, and Celestia gathered around the baby dragon. Spike opens his eyes to find eight pairs staring into his. “What happened?” he asked with an absent voice. “Spike, you were amazing!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “Yeah! Totally Awesome!” Pinkie started to bounce like a ball. “You were so… brave,” said Fluttershy with a shy voice. Spike remembered his part of a battle after looking at charred the scenery for a bit and jumped up, entangled himself in the scarf and fell. “The b-black dragon! Where is it?” Rarity sat before Spike right on the ground. “Oh, Spiky-wiky, we defeated him, and all thanks to your bravery!” “De-defeated? B-but he knocked me out…” Princess Celestia stepped in. “You gave time to us all holding that dragon, Spike. Moreover, you covered your friends from the dragon’s last attack, allowing them to use the Elements of Harmony.” “Really?” Twilight moves forward and sits next to Spike, looks in his eyes. “This was the last spell I have learned. I know, that you will help us, Spike if I cast it. You did very well, as expected from my number one assistant!” The Mane Six moved to Spike and hugged him and each other. Spike blushed. “You all did well, my little ponies. Let’s pray that that kind of thing will never happen again,” said Celestia. “Don’t worry, Princess,” said Twilight,” while we are here, there is nothing to worry about.” A guest from the pastLate evening. Black, calm night began to play its mysterious, yet enchanting music, lulling the town with songs of the crickets. Large colonies of fireflies begin to dwell on the high grass, waiting for the beginning of the night to shine with all their glory. A majestic white moon rose in the sky, led by the glorious moon princess. The lack of clouds in pre-night sky only increased the moon’s beauty. Now, this glorious moonlight is illuminating the moody room of Ponyville library. Twilight Sparkle and Spike are finishing rearranging the books on shelf ten. While observing the sedative arrangement of her many books, Twilight’s eyes falls on the black book from two nights before. Twilight recently finished a book she was reading, so she has nothing to read at this moment. Twilight shrugged a little. For a reason unknown to her, she was afraid of that mysterious book. This fact is very disturbing to Twilight, accustomed to think objectively and to avoid prejudice. “Oh, well,” she said in her mind, “let’s see what that Malice thing is all about. I can’t keep it like this forever.” “Spike!” she calls. “Bring me that black book from shelf twelve.” “Can’t you levitate it yourself, Twilight?” said Spike with a lazy voice. “I am too tired to use magic, Spike. Pleeease!” pleaded Twilight equally as lazy. “Ok, ok.” Spike climbs the ladder to the fateful book. “This one, Twilight?” He looks at the book for a few seconds. “Yes.” “It looks kinda creepy…” mumbled Spike. He gives the book to Twilight. Twilight opens it. Flipping to the page with the title, she finds some strange letters. Letters resembling crushed insects, mixed with broken sticks, all looking disturbing to Twilight’s eyes. “Hmm… isn’t that an ancient Vigro?” she mumbled to herself. “Ancient what?” asked Spike curiously. “Vigro, Spike. An ancient, pre-Equestrian language, used by ancient unicorns.” Spike shrugs. “If you say so… Wait, how do you know what ancient language looks like?” “Oh, I just read a book about Vigro a long time ago.” Twilight thinks for a minute. “Maybe it’s just some kind of ancient wisdom or encrypted message… Let’s see what on the other pages.” She flips the page. Next page is completely blank. As is the next page, and the page behind it, and the rest of the whole book! “Hmmm… that is strange… Maybe this book is enchanted somehow?” She opens to the page with Vigro letters and thinks for a bit. “Spike, bring me a large dicto…” She looks at Spike. Spike’s eyes are half-closed, and the baby dragon is slowly, sleepily swinging from side to side. The purple dragon is clearly exhausted after a long day. “What, Twilight?” asked he with sleepy voice. Twilight smiles. “Oh, it’s nothing. Go get some sleep, my number one assistant!” “Ok…” Twilight levitates a dictionary onto her table. ******* “I don’t understand… It is clearly written in Virgo, but these words can’t be translated…” She absent-mindedly begins to mumble ancient words without a meaning. “Kasso… Gateh… Dorus… Maijo… Hosteh…” With the fifth word, the book began to glow red faintly, but Twilight hasn’t noticed it. “Shozjo… Takoho… Mayen…” The glow became stronger. “Shihrim… Taukh… Mattres…” said she with the last word and gasps. The book is glowing furiously with red energy. The lavender unicorn backs away from the book in fright, unsure of what to do. “Spike!” she called with a shrunken voice. “What now…?” Spike raises from his bed. When he saw the glowing book, sleep completely left his eyes. “Whoa!” Spike moves to Twilight. “Pretty…” said he, enchanted by the dazzling glow. Twilight found herself hiding behind the baby dragon, which disturbed her. “Was I… casted some kind of spell?” blinks in her mind. Suddenly, the book begins to float. It raises from the table and freezes in the air, balancing like a balloon. The book yawns. Right in front of the eyes of a stunned pony and dragon, the book’s cover begins to move. Parts from the cover’s center moves apart, revealing diamond – green eye. The eye blinks. “Oh, is it time?” asks the book with a dry, old voice. The eye looks around. “Hey, what with that voiceless impression, lass? Out of word of happiness to see me?” Spike and Twilight are shocked and unable to move. The book slowly floats around the library, mumbling to itself. “Hmmm… Evaria library sure has changed a lot… Or is it Evaria? I don’t remember this library to be inside a gigantic tree…” The book turned to Spike and Twilight. The eye focused on the baby dragon. “Oh, you have a dragon servant, lass? You must be very rich…” The book continued to float around, mumbling. Spike pushed Twilight and pointed at the book. “Do something!” his eyes clearly tell. But Twilight, for some reason, doesn’t want to start a conversation with a creepy talking, magically floating book with an eyeball in the center of the cover. After a few minutes of curious looking around, the book stops. “Hey, lass,” it said, “what year is it?” “O-one thousand second after the banishing of Nightmare Moon,” answered Twilight with a shaking voice. “All right…” the book turns away from Twilight and freezes. “Wait, WHAT? Banishing of what?” “I-it’s 1002 years passed since P-princess Celestia banished Nightmare Moon,” answered Twilight valiantly. She began to calm down. “Wait wait waiiiiit….” the book’s voice sounds worried. “How much time has passed since I predicted Umbra’s return?” “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Twilight looks confused. “Say what again?! Don’t you know who I am?” Twilight shakes her head. “Whaaaaat?! How could you not know who I am?! I am the Great and Mighty Stargale! Founder of uprising philosophy! Inventor of hundreds of spells!” the book’s voice volume began to rise. Twilight shrugs. “I-I am sorry, sir, but I have never heard of the Great and Mighty Stargale before.” The book’s eye filled with blood. Twilight involuntarily shivered under the eye’s heavy gaze. “Nonsense! Bring me to the unicorn king right now! I am going to insist on banishing you for ignorance and lack of education!” “Why is this book scolding me?” blinked in Twilight’s mind. Twilight began to get angry. “There’s no unicorn king in Equestria,” said she, chipping her teeth. “Equestria?... What is…” The book suddenly remembered something important. “Never mind! If you have awakened me, that means Umbra has returned! Where is he?” Twilight shrugs. “There is no Umbra I know about,” replied Twilight. She said the complete truth. She read a lot of books in the course of her life and she had never seen the word “Umbra” in them. “Say what now? Then why have you summoned me?” Twilight’s face took an excusing expression. “It was an accident… I found your book and… read those meaningless words…” “MEANINGLESS words?!” shouted the book with a very angry voice. “These are the names of ancient elemental spirits, you ignorant fool! Go back to magic kindergarten, you worthless child!” Twilight’s mind bloodshots. “Alright. That’s it.” In the blink of an eye, Twilight jumped on the book and pressed on it with her front hooves to the floor. “Listen, you! I do not know, who or what you are, I don’t even care! But I won’t let some… book to abuse me in my own house!” “Yeah!” said Spike. “And don’t you dare insult Twilight!” Furious, Spike lets his boil inside him and clearly wants to sneeze on the book with fire, and only the fact that book shall be sent to Celestia if he will do so stops him. “Why you, ins…” The book is literally choking out of anger. “Let me go immediately, you dirty...!” “As you wish,” said Twilight quickly. The book tries its hardest to break out. Twilight releases her hoofs and the book crashes into the bookshelf, being pressed by its less creepy and more silent brothers. Twilight levitated the black book out of a book pile. “You shall ask for it, vermins!” The book’s voice is shaking out of hatred. “If only I was able to cast any of my spells…” “Tell us what you are,” said Twilight, “and cease the insults, if you don’t want me to lock you in the closet.” The book gasps heavily. “As I already said, I am the Great and Mighty Stargale!” “I mean, why are you a book?” The book closed its eye. “Some… long time ago we, glorious Quarina unicorns, had fought a mighty foe, who was endangering the balance of the whole world!” Spike rolled his eyes. “We were able to defeat it,” the book continued, “but we failed to get rid of it completely. It was obvious for me that our foe would return after a hundred years. Buuut it looks like my calculations has failed.” Twilight and Spike looked at each other. “I decided to seal myself into that book with a spell I invented, putting myself into sleep. I told everypony they must release me from the land of dreams whence my foe would return… but it looks like I have been forgotten…” Twilight’s face took a sad expression. The book began to float aimlessly in the air. “I can’t believe I’ve slept over a thousand years… And now I am trapped inside this thing…” “Wait a minute… You can’t get out of this book?” The book rolled its eye. “Use your tiny brain, lass! If I could get out, I would have turned you vermin into the helpless slugs that you already are!” Twilight moved closer. “Whoa whoa!” The book backed away. “No violence! I am just telling the truth! The point is, I have invented that spell in a rush… And I hadn’t thought about how to revert it!” “So much of a genius,” whispered Spike to Twilight. “I heard that, rascal!” said the book. Spike bit his tongue. “Every genius has a right to make mistakes!” The book began to chaotically fly around, panicking. “Calm down, Stargale… You shall think of something… You’re a genius!” mumbling he to himself, “but what should I do… My writings are gone… I don’t remember any formulas…” “Why don’t you look in the library?” interrupted Twilight. “There are a plenty of books filled with magic formulas. Maybe you can create a release spell from scratch?” “Of course!” The book’s voice fills with hope. “I will find something in books! I am sure magic is improved for past yea.. er, centure.. er, millennium!” “Ok, good luck,” said Twilight, “if you don’t mind, we shall go to sleep. It is already…” the lavender mare stifled a yawn, “too late…” “Right, go. Vermins need to sleep…” said the book absent-mindedly. It is already looking for books, encyclopedias, and formulas. Twilight and Spike head to their beds. “You sure we can trust him?” asked Spike. “I don’t like this guy! Are you sure he won’t do something nasty while we sleep?” Twilight uncertainly looked down, on the book, which is reading books. “Strange picture” she mumbled in her mind. “Don’t worry, Spike. He won’t.” Spike looks in her eyes questioningly. “Why are you so sure of that?” Twilight smiles. “Spike, you shall laugh, but call it… a mare’s intuition.” ******* “THIS MAGIC IS AWFUL!!!” Twilight fell from her bed, alarmed by the sudden outburst. “Mommy?” asked Spike with a sleepy voice. Twilight looked downstairs. The black book is floating around a pile of its magic formula-filled brethren. “What’s all the fuss about?” asked Twilight, trying to open her constantly closing eyes. “’What’s all the fuss about’? Are you stupid? I just SHOUTED the reason why!” “Grrr!” roared Twilight with an irritated voice. “Why are you such a jerk?” The book ignored her. “This age’s magic is horrendously awful! It’s so simple, dumb, and uninspired! I can’t believe your society faced such degradation in magic! No wonder you are so ignorant in the society like that!” “Twilight,” said Spike, “can I sneeze on him?” “D-don’t you dare, dragon abomination! You are lucky that I can’t use all magic except simple telekinesis in this form! Hey! What are you doing?! STAY AWAY FROM MEEEEE!!!” Twilight, with one mighty jump, lands before the black book. Twilight hurled the morning irritator into the brown closet with an red owl painted on and locked the door with a heavy bronze key. “No! You wretched vermin! Let me out of here! Or else I will…” Twilight casted a soundproof barrier around the locker. “Alright, Spike. Start to clean out this mess. I will join after I wash my face and brush my mane” Spike malevolently grins. “Aye, Twilight! And nice use of number 42!” ******* The soundproof barrier disintegrated all too soon. After five minutes of swearing in the closet, the Great and Mighty Stargale, founder of famous philosophy and inventor of hundreds of spells, finally calmed down. “Please, let me out of here! Darkness is too dangerous for genius to face! I have claustrophobia here!” he begged with a pathetic voice Twilight walked to the closet. “Are you going to promise me to cease the insults?” “I promise, I promise! Now let me outta here!” Twilight pulled the key, releasing the book from its horrible, dreadful hell-born jail. “Now listen,” said Twilight, “I think…” “Look out below!!!” Rainbow-colored lightning comes flying through the window, crashing into a bookshelf, raising tons of dust. When the dust disappeared, a sky-blue Pegasus with all colors of the rainbow in mane and tail got out from under a pile of books, groaning. The Pegasus smiles. “Eh-heh-heh, sorry, Twilight, new trick failed… again.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Geez, Rainbow. Can’t you NOT fly above library when you doing your tricks?” The Pegasus fragrantly smiles. “Heh, sorry, sorry… Anyway, since I am here, please, give me the next Daring Do book in the series! I am about to finish Daring Do and the Diamond Throne, so…” Her eyes fell on the floating black book with a single green eye in the center of the cover. “Hey, Twilight, what is that thing? New spell of yo..” “PEGASUS! Pegasi are attacking!” shouted the book with horror in its voice. “Hide me!” The book hides behind Spike. Spike made a face and moved away. Rainbow tilts her head in confusion. “Why are you so calm, lass? P-pegasi are attackin…” whined the book with a panicking voice. “Rainbow Dash is my friend,” said Twilight with irritation. “…What…?” The book is shocked. Rainbow curiously looks at the book. “Twilight, why is this book talking?” “… A unicorn… friends with a Pegasus. A UNICORN… friends with a PEGASUS…you gotta be kidding me…” said the book with a deeply shocked voice. “What’s the problem?” asked Twilight. The book sighed. “Ehh… Looks like times definitely has changed…” said the book melancholically, “in my time Pegasi and we, glorious unicorns, were mortal enemies.” Rainbow tilts her head. “Then you shall see that times indeed has changed,” said Twilight. “Twilight,” said Rainbow, “what’s going on?” “Kinda long story. Let’s say that there was a guy, who put himself in a very long sleep in a book.” Rainbow burst out, “That’s why he behaves like this?” Twilight nods. Rainbow takes a step towards the black book. Suddenly, the book freaks out and backs away. “Ah! Get away from me, you ruffian! I don’t care what happened for past the thousand years! You, barbarians, shall never change!” “You wanna go back to the closet?” asked Twilight blandly. “No!” The book hid behind a bookshelf. “Anyway, Twilight,” Rainbow turned to Twilight. “What are you intending to do with him?” Twilight thinks for a minute. “I will bring him to the Canterlot library.” The book gets out of its sacred inviolable sanctuary. “Canterlot? What is Canterlot?” “Canterlot is the name of a castle where the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia lives. There is a big library with lots of books about high magic and old magic formulas, I think you shall find some advanced formulas there to help you lift the spell you casted on yourself.” “That’s it!” the book’s voice once again fills with hope. “A royal library! Royal libraries must have better magic books than these boonies have!” “Soooo we are going to Canterlot? When?” asked Spike. “Did someone say Canterlot?” The library door opened. Behind it stands a graceful unicorn in a wide, green hat with plumage. “Rarity,” said Twilight perplexedly, “you came to return ‘Modern Dress Art’ you’ve borrowed?” “Yo!” said Rainbow from behind Twilight. “Oh, hello there, Rainbow Dash, and hello to you, Twilight.” She looked around. “Spike!” she calls. “Do you intent to keep a lady waiting forever?” Spike dashed to Rarity, gallantly taking her hat. Rarity came in the library and froze, looking at floating black book with eyeball. “Girls,” she said with worried voice, “am I seeing things?” “Oh, finally! Somepony with grace and manners!” The book floats to Rarity and lowers its voice. “You gotta get me out of here! These barbarians are making me sick! Bring me to the royal library, my lady!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Rarity. He is just a plain old geezer, who sealed himself into the book without thinking about getting out of it.” “How dare you, peon?!” The book’s eye filled with blood. Rarity, cautiously looking at the black book, moved to Twilight. “So, Twilight, were you talking about Canterlot?” “Yep. Unfortunately, it’s the only way to get rid of that jerkbook.” “Oh! Then I am coming with you! I want to pay a visit to a new boutique!” “…Ok, if you want,” Twilight lowered her voice, “but we will spend quite a lot of time with that geezer.” “Hey! I heard that!” said the geezer. Rainbow returned with a book in her hooves. “Good luck, guys.” She grins. “Have fun in your voyage.” Entering Malice“I don’t understand…” A pitch-black room covered itself with faint blue lights. The lights emanated from eerie glowing crystals engraved into the silent walls of the room. The room distinctly resembled an amphitheater, its round shape enclosing a strange device in the center of the room. It was filled with black and glass tubes, all planted on a magical generator. A huge black raven is sitting on a roost, monitoring a black figure, which is nervously pacing around the room. The raven’s eyes followed their master, a strange black-coated stallion topped off with a swirly fire-red mane. But the raven made sure never to look into its master’s eyes, two red orbs with vertical black pupils, like a snake’s. His teeth were triangular in shape and sharp as daggers. His body had wide stripes, darker than his basic coat. A black spiraling horn is drowning in the fire of his mane. “I don’t understand it!” he roared in frustration at the bird. “After hundreds of years of research, I still ultimately fail to create it! Why?! Where have I made a mistake?” The raven doesn’t answer. It never answers. It just stares at him with its dark soulless eyes. But the black stallion’s sanity depends on this old creature’s presence. "After all this effort I can’t make it last for more than one use… But why? My formula is perfect! I have enough knowledge to create it!” He kicked the mystical device in irritation. His gaze fell upon a table, buried under countless scrolls and scraps of paper. Every piece of paper on the table was filled with unimaginably hard magical formulas, only look on which would make crazy on any average unicorn; blueprints, which would make skilled engineers to shrug in confusion; and tons of research reports. The stallion’s eyes found a big sketch, showing five stone spheres on a weight-like pedestal. “Hmm…” Levitating the sketch up to his face, an idea struck his mind. Perhaps he could finally find the mystery to his problem. “If this is not the answer, then there is no answer at all,” said he to the raven. The raven stayed profoundly silent. ******* “Princess Celestia!” A white Pegasus in the golden armor of Equestria Royal Guards rushed into the throne room. Smoldering feathers were dropping off of his left wing and a large crack shone clear on his helm. “What happened?” asked Celestia. “Intruder at the Crystal Shrine, your highness!” the stallion exclaimed urgently. The Princess gasped in terror. “Impossible… Who is it? And how did he get through my barriers?” “I don’t know, Princess… Some… Black… Stallion…” The soldier is clearly ready to faint. The Princess realized that there is no time to lose. “Take care of him!” she ordered to her bodyguards. Gray unicorns simultaneously saluted. The Princess vanished in a white light. ******* The black stallion stands before a white pedestal. His body is surrounded by a hive-shaped barrier, filled with swirling red energy. Constantly, differently-colored beams strike the barrier’s surface, trying in vain to penetrate it. The stallion lets out a small chuckle at his enemy’s pitiful attempts. “What wrong with that barrier?!” a gray unicorn royal guard exclaims. “Any barrier, no matter how strong it is, should have crumbled a long time ago after receiving so much energy!” The only Earth pony in the bright room filled with light from hundreds of luminescent crystals, made a step forward and raised his head. A stallion, clad in grey armor with golden outlines. His face is hidden under a heavy helmet with visor, leaving only his nose with an enormous dark-red mustache visible. His coat is tan and his tail is as red as autumn leaves. “Don’t hold back!” he ordered with his stoic old voice. “Alpha squad!” He looks at a pack of Pegasus royal guards, which are still standing on their hooves. “Try to breach his barrier from the flanks with your magic neutralizers! Beta squad, focus your strongest spells in one spot! If we attack together, even his barrier will crumble!” The unicorns focused their spellbeams at a single spot in the center of the red barrier. The barrier began to bend under concentrated force. Pegasi split into two groups and took their enemy into a pincer, attacking the barrier’s sides. “Tch! You are so annoying!” the black stallion’s barrier shrunk. “Do you never learn?” The barrier explodes with a devastating energy pulse, knocking the Pegasi royal guards all over the wall. The stallion dodged energy beams with agile versatility. A pitch-black sphere the size of an apple appeared on tip of his horn. The black stallion shook his head, sending the black ball at the unicorns. The ball reached its destination, exploding with surprising force, knocking unicorns up high in the air. In the next moment, the iron-clad earth pony appeared from the dust, rushing towards the black stallion, trying to ram him. But the black unicorn jumped up, dodging the impact, causing the iron-clad pony to smash into the pedestal. A telekinetic force hurled the Earth pony away. “The last seal…” The black stallion’s horn connects to a mysterious symbol on the pedestal with a thin red beam. His eyes widened as his target was so close in reach. His heart skipped a beat as the pedestal began to crack. Suddenly, a flash of white light illuminated the room. “Stop right there!” But it was too late. The sound of smashing glass pierced the air. The pedestal broke apart, revealing a shining jeweled case. The black stallion grins and turns to the princess. “I am sorry to disappoint you Princess, but I have plans on these little accessories.” “Stop!” ordered the Sun Princess. An orb of light divided from the Princess’s horn and rushed to the black unicorn. But in a split second, he disappeared in a flash of red light before the orb could get him. A long minute of silence passed. The iron-clad Earth pony rose from the floor and walked to Celestia, limping. “I am terribly sorry, Princess… We couldn’t save the Elements of Harmony… It is all our fault! The Princess suddenly smiles. “It’s alright, Ironhoof,” she said with a mystic grin. ******* A heavy black door swings open. Exhausted, the black stallion with red mane walks in. His trench coat is soaked to the last fibers with his head covered only with a hood. A crow on the roost welcomes him with a husky caw. “I did it, Nevermore! I got the elements! I can’t believe it was THAT easy!” He removed his wet coat, tossing it on the floor. “Looks like that princess lived too much in peace and harmony.” His voice sounds happy as never before. Nothing could spoil his mood, not even after an hour of trotting in the freezing rain. He placed the prized jeweled box on a table. Breathing quickly in excitement, the stallion opened the box, gasping as he readied himself to finally see his prizes. Next moment, silence rushed in the black amphitheater. One minute… Two minutes… the black stallion raised his head. Overwhelming grief and hatred reading in his red bottomless eyes. He grinded his teeth as he tossed the box to the floor. Unable to control his anger, he screamed out at the top of his lungs: “DAMN YOU, CELESTIA!!!” ******* “Fake elements, Princess?” The old Earth pony named Ironhoof stayed near the radiant princess in the trashed crystal chamber. His massif moustaches are moving in tact of hoofsteps of medic unicorns, securing the fainted and wounded royal guards to the hospital. “Yes, Ironhoof. After I spent too much time opening my own locks during the black dragon incident, I decided to re-hide the elements, leaving fakes in this former place, just in case. I haven’t told you that, because I have done that only yesterday.” Seeing that the worst case scenario was amazingly avoided, the Princess gave herself a small chuckle at her brilliance. Truly, nothing would have been worse than having the real elements stolen. “This is a huge stroke of luck, Princess,” said Ironhoof impressed, “but where did you hide the elements this time?” Princess Celestia smiles. “I will give them to their rightful owners, until the threat is neutralized.” The old pony looked at the medics, dragging away the last injured soldier. “This stallion…” he shakes his head slowly, “we had never seen anything like that before… Our magic is inferior to his. And his agility is to envy of… He will definitely return.” “I know.” The Princess’s expression became much more serious than before. “And we shall be ready for him.” A fierce look of determination sprung onto her face. “Do you have any strategy, princess?” Smiling, the princess chuckled. “Of course I have.” She turned to the room’s entrance. A gallant crimson-colored unicorn came in. “You called, Princess?” “Yes, Crimson Tulip. You are the best architect in Canterlot, you know our castle from top to bottom. Find a good place and install anti-flash crystals there.” The unicorn looked at the princess over her glasses. “You want to secure all areas from flashing and teleporting? Permanently?” The Princess shook her head. “No. Make a switch activating it.” “Yes, your highness.” The crimson unicorn bowed and headed out. “Let’s set our dear guest a little surprise,” she said to Ironhoof with a mysterious smile. “When are you planning to give the elements to their owners, Princess?” “Soon, my most faithful guard. My student, Twilight Sparkle, wrote that she is coming to Canterlot.” ******* A giant purple air balloon with three passengers is floating toward sparkling, graceful castle, laid on a mountain. Two ponies and a small purple dragon inside it are enjoying a view under them. Endless green ravines and forests are filled with incessant songs of birds. A melody of wind is swirling around balloon, making it slowly shake in rhythm of its silent music. The black book’s eye looks out at the clear blue sky. “Hey, Stargale,” Twilight calls, “why are you so silent all of a sudden? You were constantly whining all the way to the air balloon, but you haven’t said a single word during the flight.” “Are you afraid of heights?” asked Rarity. “Of course not, you fools!” shouted the book. “Just…” The tone of his voice changed, becoming more soft. “The sky looked different in my time…” A thought passed through Stargale’s mind. “It was stained red…” Twilight tried to imagine a red-stained sky, but failed. Even on the most beautiful of evenings, the sky would only get to an orange glow. A red-stained sky seemed too terrifying to be true. “I remember, when I was a little colt,” the book continued. “Granma told me about a clear blue sky… I dreamt to see one for my whole childhood… Looks like my pink dream became real.” “Red-stained sky?” inquired a horrified Rarity. “Is that even possible?” The book remained silent. “Hey lass,” he suddenly called, “who is your leader? A unicorn?” “Yes… I mean, no… kinda,” Twilight replied in hesitation. “What do you mean?” asked Stargale curiously. “Our princess has a glorious horn AND dazzling majestic wings!” said Rarity wistfully. After a minute of silence, the book made a sound reminiscent of a dreamy sigh. “So, there are those that survived…” Twilight, Rarity, and Spike looked at the book in confusion. “What do you mean?” asked Spike. “She is an Alicorn,” answered Stargale. “Alicorn? I think I’ve seen this term in my books,” Twilight chimed. The book gasped. “Long ago, before the sky was red… Even before Earth ponies, unicorns and Pegasi existed, these glorious creatures ruled our world in harmony. But then, something has happened, and Alicorns began to dwindle. They had begun to give birth to the pony tribes you know now instead of Alicorns. And never again, an Alicorn filly or colt was born.” The book looked on the slowly-floating clouds. “This began an Alicorn extinction. Alicorns began to disappear from the world. Their glory began to fade. A chosen few Alicorns gathered together and casted a spell of Everlasting Life on themselves in hope to save their kind from extinction.” Twilight’s, Rarity’s and Spike’s jaws dropped. “You mean, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna belong to some extinct kind, ancestors of all kind of ponies?” “Are you dumb or deaf, lass?” The book’s tone changed back to its irritable old self. “That’s exactly what I said! Now, when we shall arrive? I am tired of waiting!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “We are almost there.” The balloon began to land. “Welcome to Canterlot!” Interlude: CanterlotThe balloon landed in the middle of a colorful square. Rich ponies passing by stopped for a minute, looking at the majestic purple balloon with sparks of interest in their eyes. Twilight is silently looking at the black book, trying to catch its expression, which is very hard to do if the subject has no facial features beside an eye. But now, the eye is wide open, hotspots are increased in size and are shaking a bit. The book is clearly fascinated by the glory of the radiant square, surrounding him. Twilight looks around. The bright yellow sun luxuriates in soft crystals of the majestic buildings’ roofs. Carved sculptures made out of marble and precious metals are decorating the bright, shiny streets. Light is playing on a colorful stained glass on the outer windows of radiant buildings, made out of gleaming white stone. Slim, yet glorious Canterlot castle towers are seen high above the shining streets through a fragrant mist. Rarity jumped out of the balloon with sparkling eyes. “Ah, Canterlot! How I have missed you!” she sang with a joyous voice. Several reproachful gazes fall on the emotional mare, calling upon a moment of awkwardness. Rarity lowers her head apologetically. “Hey, Stargale!” whispered Twilight to the book. “Please go into my saddlebag. Your… look will attract too much attention.” “I refuse!” the book very loudly whispered back. “I have claustrophobia, remember? Besides, if you will seal me in this… bag how would I enjoy the scenery?” Twilight rolled her eyes in irritation. “He is unbearable,” she said to Spike. “I have an idea!” Spike responds. “Hey, Rarity!” he calls. Rarity turns toward him. “What do you need, Spike?” asked she eagerly. She clearly wants to dash into her boutique right now, and only her manners prevented her from doing so. “Do you have scissors with you?” asked Spike with a mischievous expression. “Well of course! A pair of them,” Rarity’s entire look saying ‘Duh’. “Every fashion designer always has a pair of scissors just in case of emergency!” “Emergency like wha… Never mind, can I borrow it?” asked Spike/ “Of course.” Rarity levitated a pair of scissors out of her saddlebag and gave it to baby dragon. “Anything else?” Spike grabbed the scissors. “Nothing else, thanks! I shall return it when…” “Take your time!” breaks Rarity. “Now, I have business to do!” she winks. “Let’s all meet there in three hours! And Spike, make sure you won’t be running with scissors!” she turned around and headed out with a graceful gait. Twilight and Stargale warily eyed the sharp tool. “Spike, what do you need these snips for?” asked Twilight curiously. “You’ll see! Give me your saddlebags!” exclaimed Spike with inspirational sparkles in his eyes. ******* “Well, I guess I can bear it,” said the book, looking at the transformed saddlebags. Twilight’s face held an unhappy expression. “Come on, Twilight!” Spike scolded. “You have a lot of boring, normal saddlebags at home, and now I just made you an Awesome Bookholder!” Spike swelled with pride. Twilight looks at the “Awesome Bookholder” with a gloomy expression. All Spike had done was cut out the curved “windows”/square holes on each side of Saddlebags. “Well…” she consoled herself, “at least jerkbook will not whine about it anymore.” She opens Spike’s Awesome Bookholder and held it open for its only guest. “Welcome in!” “Pheh!” The book placed itself comfortably inside. “As half-aced as I expected! Well, at least I can look at your puny capital now!” Twilight put the Awesome Bookholder on. “Let’s go, Spike!” ******* “Gorgeous!” Rarity raced inside a labyrinth of clothes. “Magnificent!” She is flying from one garment of a new collection to another. “Brilliant!” This boutique is a gigantic by its size. The series of famous designers clothes form a veritable maze. Rarity stopped next to a sparkling garment of indescribable grace, decorated by colorful jewels. “That is mine…” “Rarity!” somepony calls. Rarity happily turned around to face a tall white unicorn with blue mane and mustache, dressed in a black tail-coat. “Mister Fancypants!” said Rarity with ill-concealed awe. “Sorry I am late, Miss Rarity.” “Oh, what are you talking about? It is I who came too early! I just wanted to look at the new collection!” Fancypants smiles. “Anyway, Rarity, I don’t have much time, so let’s make it quick. Your recent collection was a great success for my line of boutiques all over Equestria! That’s what I am congratulating you with…” Sparks of euphoria blinked in Rarity’s eyes. She barely holds herself from starting to jump in joy. “…That’s why I” continues Fancypants,“am presenting you with this.” He whistles. A young stallion in a black tailcoat suddenly appeared before Rarity, holding a gilt case. “Don’t be shy, open it,” insisted Fancypants, thoroughly enjoying Rarity’s reaction. Rarity opens the case with shining eyes. On a velvet cushion comfortably lies one of the most beautiful gemstones Rarity has ever seen in her life. A gigantic, tear-shaped sapphire, shimmering with all shades of blue on its grains. Rarity gasped. “I-is that an aqua sapphire?” Rarity’s voice shook with excitement. “Yes,” answered Fancypants with a satisfied voice. “And it’s all yours! I hope we shall continue our prolific cooperation and you shall make more marvelous garments for me to sell!” Rarity stood up. “ With Celestia as my witness, I shall make as many garments as needed to bring you joy and wealth!” Fancypants smiles. “Now, when that is settled, I gotta go. Business never waits.” With this final word, Fancypants exit the boutique. Rarity goes into the deepest corner of the garment maze. She didn’t need any witness. Convinced, that there is nopony around, Rarity began to jump with joy. ******* A cave is filled with soft, cold light. Weak shadows are playing their silent games on the grey, lifeless walls. The place seemed to suck the life of anything that entered its depths. Not a single insect, not a single bat dared stay here for long, because those, who for some reason wants to live in this light-forsaken cave, shall have a very unlikeable neighbor. A black stallion walks toward the source of a weak light: a gigantic shining mountain filled with vast, unimaginable riches. Gold, jewelry, forgotten artifacts of great old, everything is mixed inside this paradise of greed. Shining treasures are reflecting in the stallion’s horrifying red eyes. Suddenly, a black shadow behind a mountain of riches began to move. “Who goes there?” asked a thundering, heavy female voice. Walls of the dark cavern began to shake. Sand began to falling from the ceiling. “I asked : ‘Who goes there’!” A second mountain began to rise behind the shining first. In a faint light of shimmering jewelry rose a gigantic dragon. This dragon had a grace of burning fire. Her scales are colored like a forest after a long summer rain, and her yellow eyes shined like diamonds. This dragon was surely considered an epiphany of beauty and grace for her kind, yet all her look portends a great danger. The dragoness moved her gigantic head closer to the cloaked figure, trying to discern the tiny creature in all its details. “What are you doing here, feeble pony?” her voice thundered. “Are you here to steal my treasures?!” She menacingly opened her giant wings and bared her blade-like fangs. The black stallion raised his head, looking right into the eyes of the graceful yet menacing giant. “I am not here to take your treasures, lizard” said he with a calm, cold voice. Suddenly, six colorless deformed gemstones appeared from under his cloak and rose to the air, formed a circle behind it’s wielder, and began to spin counter-clockwise, sparkling with energy of red color. The dragon looks at the cold, yet strangely attractive jewels with enchanted eyes. She does not understand what’s happening with her. She doesn’t understand why these tiny colorless gems are so attractive. Yet her head fills only one mind. “I want it! Why does this feeble pony has something she, a mighty dragon, who lives over three hundred years, hasn’t.” Unnatural envy began to fill the dragoness’s soul. “No, I am not here for your riches,” repeated the strange stallion through the purple fog, which began to fill the dragoness’s mind. The stallion’s eyes became completely red. Glowing, featureless red orbs, ready to swallow every soul of someone who would be foolish enough to look into them. A beam of dark-red light shot from the stallion’s horn, hitting the frozen dragoness in the center of her breath, covering her with a layer of liquid black mud. The mud creates a tight cocoon, which took shape of the startled dragon. A red flash follows, extinguishing the mysterious shadows on the cavern walls. When the light fades, the floating colorless gems above the black stallion begins to crackle. In a matter of seconds, they completely turn to dust, blown away by the cold cavern’s wind. But the black stallion isn’t paying attention to it. He saw it already for this simple fact to surprise him. It is still imperfect. Still weak. The black stallion looks on the gigantic black figure before him. He grins, revealing triangle teeth. “Time for another friendly visit, your highness”. ******* Jewel-encrusted golden door with a royal coat of arms opened with a creak. A lavender mare with strange-looking saddlebags walked through a spacious hall. Its ceiling is made entirely of stained glass, showing the history of Equestria at its finest. Sandglass-shaped white marble columns are seeking upward, supporting a wide platform, which is the royal library’s second floor. Endless sea of books in golden shelves contain knowledge of over a thousand years. Twilight feels like she hasn’t been here for ages. “This is a royal library,” proclaimed she to her saddlebags. “You don’t say?” The book responded with irony and floated out of the Awesome Bookholder. Stargale busily looked around. “Here I should say ‘goodbye’,” said Twilight with ill-concealed relief. “Here you can find almost every magic-oriented book in Equestria. I persuaded the librarian not to go here for a day, so take your time.” She looks at the book, finding that it is completely ignoring her, picking books from a nearby shelf. “Now I have some business with a princess,” started Twilight. “Yea, yea, go, lass” Stargale interrupted eagerly. “Leave me alone with books, would you?” Twilight shook her head and headed out. When suddenly, “Hey, lass?” Twilight turned around. “What now? The book holds a pause, then proclaims, looking away, “Thank you. For everything.” Twilight smiles. “You’re welcome.” ******* “Is everything ready, Ironhoof?” Princess Celestia is standing in the center of her golden throne room, filled with bright warm light. An iron-clad pony is standing before her, looking at the guards, who are guarding the throne room’s entrance. “Yes, your highness. Anti-flash crystals are placed in key points by the whole castle’s perimeter. There is almost no means of teleporting in or out whence field is activated.” “What about an activation process?” asked the princess “Anti-flash field is activated by voice command from you, your highness. All as you ordered.” Celestia smiles. “Good. Did you sent a letter to Luna?” “Yes, highness. But it will take some time for our messenger to reach Princess Luna’s domain on the moon.” “I knew I should have gifted Luna a baby dragon…” mumbled the Princess reflectively. “Anyways,” she looks at Ironhoof with a thoughtful expression on her face, “from now on, Canterlot castle is under siege. Everypony must be on their guards!” “Of course, Princess!” The throne room’s door opens. Silent guards cautiously gaze at a guest, but calms down, seeing a familiar lavender mare with a purple baby dragon. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle! I have waited for you!” said the Princess with a warm smile. Twilight is happy. She is always happy to see her mentor in person, especially when she hasn’t had any kind of guilt before her. “Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,” continued the radiant princess, “I have summoned you here for a deal of great importance.” She levitates a jeweled case to Twilight and opens it, revealing the Elements of Harmony inside. “The Elements, Princess?” asked Twilight astounded. “A phantom menace lies heavy upon Canterlot. I need you to take the elements and give it to your friends.” Twilight tilts her head. “Why us, Princess?” Celestia closed her eyes. “The enemy is after the elements. I am planning to set him a trap here, in Canterlot, and I need the elements to be as far away as possible.” She looks at the worried expressions of her most faithful student and her number one assistant and warmly, soothingly smiles. “Do not worry. I shall take care of that enemy faster than you shall tire from the element’s presence.” “Are you sure we can’t help you beat your enemy, Princess?” said Twilight with a worried voice. “I have already used you all too much,” – said the gleaming princess softly, “this is the enemy I must take care of by myself.” “But, princess…” started Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle,” said Celestia firmly. Twilight looks in her eyes. “All right, princess! We shall take a good care of elements!” Celestia smiles. “Very well. You are dismissed, Twilight Sparkle. And don’t worry. It shall be over soon.”
Corrupted DayNight fell upon Ponyville, swallowing any light left by its calm and strict atmosphere. Land of dreams has welcomed everypony in its sweet embrace, and only a few are able to stay awake at this hour. Twilight Sparkle is one of them. Ponyville’s giant tree library is flooded with books and scrolls, mountains of which are lying on the floor everywhere. Twilight is walking around these mountains, drawing random books and putting them on their respective shelves. Spike was helping her a few minutes ago, but now he is sleeping in his bed, exhausted. Owloysius is eagerly sitting on his roost, waiting for a command. “Wait, what is this?” Twilight drew a very suspicious-looking book. “I have never seen that book before…” The book’s cover is as black as pure coal and completely blank. No picture or writing is placed on it, or anything, exposing any of the book’s content. One look at this book would give a chill to any viewer. “Hmm… I wonder how that book never caught my attention before. It is kinda hard to miss.” Twilight levitated a book closer to her eyes and opened it. “’Word of Malice’,” she read at the first page, “sounds creepy to me… Oh, well. Owloysius!” she called, “Please, give me my checklist.” The owl rose from his roost in a burst of feathers, picked up a large scroll from a large shelf and gave it to Twilight, happy to be able to help even with the most little things. “I don’t want to read this book now… But since it is a library, I must add it to my checklist…” mumbled Twilight. ******* Rainbow Dash was calmly napping on a soft, fluffy cloud, when she heard a distant roar. Groggily, she opens her eyes and tries to identify the direction where the sound came from. The sun is high in the sky and morning light shines down on Ponyville, playing on the roofs with its warm rays. Ponies have started their peaceful everyday lives, but they can’t even imagine how their calm day will be ruined in the course of a few minutes. The roar repeats, now the sound is much closer. A roar of rampaging beast, a roar of blind rage. Rainbow Dash rose from her cloud and spread her wings. Shaking the sleepiness out of her body, she took the call to action. A deafening roar closing in was definitely not something to ignore. “Where is it coming from?” She flew a little higher and started to look around. Her eyes slipped on the south part of the Everfree forest. “Trees are shaking?” Roar repeats. Rainbow flew down to take a closer look. Another roar and hundreds of colorful forest birds simultaneously rise from the trees, making their escape from the yet-invisible threat. “O-oh… I don’t like the sound of it…” In the very next moment, a gigantic tree branch flew at Rainbow with the speed of a bullet. “Whoa!” Rainbow dodged. “What in a…” Torn out tree branches are flying around in random directions all over the place, seeking for something to smash. Something is clearly rampaging in the forest. Something gigantic and dangerous. And this “something” is heading straight towards Ponyville. Realizing there was no time to lose, Rainbow quickly returned in town. “Attention, everypony!” Hundreds of eyes turned to the blue Pegasus. Rainbow breathed heavily, “Some rampaging beast is heading to Ponyville! Evacuate until it arrives!” Her last sentence drowns in a distant roar. “Run for your lives!!!” shouts some random pony from the crowd. Everypony began to aimlessly run around and scream in panic, unable to perverse a future course of action. “Please, everypony, calm down! Don’t panic!” Mayor Mare desperately tries to calm down the crowd, but fails. The scrambling ponies were too concerned with their own safety to listen to a batty old mare. Suddenly, a flash of purple light illuminated the whole town. Everypony looks at the source of the light and sees Twilight Sparkle and Spike, both looking focused. “Running and screaming will get you nowhere! Calm down and follow the mayor’s instructions to evacuate safely!” Twilight looked at the sky, searching for Rainbow Dash. But the sky-blue Pegasus has vanished from the morning sky. Returning her gaze to Ponyville, Twilight espies her friends galloping towards her. “What’s going on?” Twilight looked around. “What all the commotion about?” asked Applejack. A roar breaks in. “I am not sure, but Rainbow said that something bad is heading towards Ponyville and start evacuation,” answered Twilight. “And where IS Rainbow?” asked Applejack and looked around. Another roar breaks in. “The sound is coming from the Everfree Forest!” said Pinkie, pointing her hoof in the direction of the forest that has never been controlled by magic. “Rainbow must be there! Let’s go!” said Applejack and dashed toward the forest. “Waaaaait for meee!” Rarity breaks in. ******* “Any idea what it could be?” asked Twilight on the run. “I could swear I’ve heard that roar before,” said Rarity “but I can’t remember where!” When the ponies arrive to the Everfree Forest’s entrance, the rampaging creature was almost out of the grove. A sky-blue Pegasus landed next to Twilight, raising a little cloud of dust. “I can’t see what it is! It’s too dark beneath the trees,” she told. “Where is Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “I am here!” answered the Pegasus from under a giant log. The tree wall bent. A giant black hand ripped a heavy branch from the nearest tree and hurled it high into the air. “A-a dragon?” cried Fluttershy, hiding her head under her hooves. Before the ponies stood a gigantic dragon. Its scales are pitch-black and eyes are red like a blazing wells of fire, ready to swallow every soul of those who would be stupid enough to look directly at them. The monster spread his wings and let out a deafening roar. Sound waves lifted into the air with dried leaves. The searching red eyes fell upon the trembling ponies. Twilight, repressing a shiver, stepped forward. “E-excuse me, Mr. D-dragon…” Twilight’s voice trembled while she stood before the black giant, “what are you…” Applejack kicked Twilight to the side and jumped back. Next moment, a stream of fire hit the place where Twilight stood, scorching the grass to ashes. “Eeek!” “Why you!” Rainbow dashed toward the dragon, but Applejack caught her tail. “What are ya doing, Rainbow? Run!” “If we run, Ponyville shall be doomed!” Twilight’s horn began to glow with a vast purple light. Broken tree branches on the ground conjoined and turned into a rope by a swirl of purple energy. “But this dragon is insane!” “I know, that’s why we must be careful! Rainbow, try to tie up the dragon with this rope!” Rainbow Dash saluted and picked up the rope from one side. “I-I’ll help too!” Trembling, Fluttershy picked rope from the other side. Ignoring her ultimate fear of dragons, she charged at her foe, protecting her friends once again from the terror of the species. The dragon unleashed a stream of fire, aiming at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie is immobilized by fear. All her body would allow her to do was stare at her doom. She let out a sharp gasp as the licking flames closed in. “Pinkie! Noooooo!!!” Rarity rushed to the trembling pony, which is about to be swallowed by the stream of fire. Unable to do anything to save her completely, she covered her friend with her own white body. Suddenly, a semi-transparent dome appeared, shielding both ponies from the scorching blaze. Twilight let out a sigh, relieved that her shield successfully protected both of the ponies. “Now!” ordered Twilight to her flying friends. Rainbow and Fluttershy started to fly around the dragon, agilely dodging his swinging claws, and managing to leash it and tie it up. Watching the rope beginning to tear, Twilight’s horn began to glow rapidly, strengthening the magical rope. The black giant stood momentarily frozen, completely tied up. “We did it!” exclaimed Twilight. But in the next second, the dragon tore up the magically-strengthened ropes like paper. He tries to spit a fire, aiming at Twilight, but Rainbow kicked his face with great speed, changing the giant fireball’s trajectory. The fireball flies directly into a tree, igniting the tree into a burst of flames. “Noooo! The animals!” Fluttershy rushed towards the forest, but a cyan Pegasus stands in her way. “Think what you’re doing! Besides, the animals must’ve ran away already! They aren’t stupid to stay in site of rampage!” The dragon swung his wings, unleashing one ravaging wing, knocking down and scattering ponies around, leaving only a tenacious Applejack standing. Suddenly, the ponies hear multiple thunderclaps in the sky. “The Wonderbolts!” shouted Rainbow Dash happily. Four Pegasi, leaving thundering trails behind, attacked the black dragon. They began to fly around the beast with great speed, coating it with thundering clouds. The monster’s breath was successfully deflected to the sky by a mighty impact to the head. “Rainbow Dash!” calls Soarin from the thundering tornado, “bring the largest thundercloud you can find!” Rainbow rushed to the sky, returning after a minute, dragging a large gray thundercloud, sparkling with lightning. She pushes it into the dragon’s thundering coating. The Wonderbolts scatter around at the moment when the cloud touches the coating. The coating erupted with lightning charges, striking the dragon with an enormous amount of electricity. All of the ponies couldn’t help but wince as the thunder attack took its full charge. The dragon roars in pain and begin to thrash around, breaking out of the electric coating. Twilight looks around and sees that the blazes from the forest fire are moving towards Ponyville, adding yet another problem to the mix. “Quick, everypony, we must stop the fire! Rainbow and Fluttershy! Bring as many rainclouds as you can! Rarity, you…” “Twilight!” Twilight turns to the source of the sound and sees Spike, running towards her, holding a huge, tan-colored book with an egg on the cover. “I brought the book you asked!” “Good!” responds Twilight. “Fluttershy, Rainbow, go! Applejack…” Twilight levitated the torn magical rope from earlier and mended it. “Bring the trees down!” “Aye!” Applejack constructed a lasso and leashed the blazing trees, preventing nearby trees to catch fire. Twilight’s horn began to glow furiously with swirling magical energy. Ponyville’s water tower’s container is torn out and slowly starts moving towards the Everfree forest. “Quick, Twilight! The rope caught fire!” shouted Applejack. Twilight turned the container upside-down above the leashed flaming trees, dousing most of the fire. Twilight looked at the sky. The Wonderbolts are still attacking the black beast, constantly deflecting fire breath to the sky. Suddenly, a heavy rain begins, dousing any leftover blazes and weakening the fire breath of the giant monster. The dragon begins to flap his wings, creating powerful blasts of air. The Wonderbolts dodged the first two blasts, but get hit by the third one all at once. The wind’s pressure hurled them to the ground, knocking them out. Twilight finished reading the book that Spike brought her. “Spike, stand still! It is a new spell I found! There is no guarantee that it will work, but it looks like it’s our only hope!” Spike responds with a nod and readies his body for any spell Twilight might cast upon him. Twilight’s horn flushed, illuminating the area and thick purple beam strikes Spike in the center of his chest, making him rapidly grow. Growing twice his size, three times, four times, and several more, Spike expands above the treetops. The black dragon turns to his new foe, a fully-grown wingless purple dragon. Spike understood everything in a mere moment. “Leave my friends and Ponyville alone!” he roared. Spike swung his tail, smashing the black giant to the side. The beast straggled, but resisted. Both dragons simultaneously breathe streams of fire. The intensity of the heat could have matched that of the sun’s. Green flame met red in burning embrace… and is swallowed by the red’s hunger. The weakened red flame charred Spike’s arm. Suddenly, a flash of light announced a new reinforcement's arrival. “Princess Celestia!” shouted everypony. A golden chariot, led by two white pegasi, landed next to Twilight. “Listen, everypony! This dragon is corrupted! The only way to defeat it is to use the Elements of Harmony!” Princess Celestia levitates a jeweled case and opens it, revealing enchanted necklaces. “Quick, you don’t have much time!” said she, looking on Spike, slowly becoming inferior to the black dragon. Twilight throws the Elements to their respective wielders and equips her crown. The six ponies rise to the air and start to glow, charging energy for the ultimate weapon of harmony. At that moment, the black dragon breathed a gigantic fireball at the six floating ponies, trying to reduce them to ashes. Spike jumped on fireball’s way and took whole damage on his own body, protecting the ponies behind him. “NOW!” he shouts through the pain. The massive purple body fell on the charred ground. A majestic rainbow flew diagonally upward from the floating ponies and divided into multiple beams, different in color but same in idea. These rays of ultimate harmony surrounds the black dragon, creating a rainbow swirl around him. The dragon squeezed out one last roar of rage before the swirl swallowed him whole. ******* The gigantic flash faded. Before the ponies lies a gigantic red dragon, its black coat suddenly disappearing. The giant purple dragon vanishes, reverted to his original form, when a light of harmony disabled the growth spell. Six ponies land on the ground. “Ah can’t believe we made it!” said Applejack joyously. “Yeah, and all thanks to Spike!” said Rarity. “Spike? Where are you?” Rarity noticed the baby dragon lying on ashed weed under the heavy rain. Rarity gasped and rushed towards him, placing a concerned hoof on the baby dragon’s head. Fluttershy moved towards the heavy-breathing red dragon. “M-mister dragon, what happened to you?” The dragon opens his eyes and looks around. “Where am I?” echoed his deep, heavy voice. Princess Celestia walked towards the dragon. “This is Ponyville, in the land of Equestria.” The dragon looks at her like at a ghost. “What happened with you? Do you remember anything?” she asked strictly. The dragon put his arm on his head. “… I don’t remember… I was sleeping in my cave… And now I am here…” the dragon looked around to see charred trees and burned grass. “Was I who did that?” “Yes,” Celestia stepped closer, “it seems like you had been corrupted. You don’t remember anything? Anything at all?” The dragon closes his eyes and thought for a minute. “Wait… I remember… a shadow… I have seen that shadow before… I…” “What does it look like?” “I can’t remember…” Suddenly, the dragon rose, opened his wings and started to fly away. “Hey, wait just a minute!” Rainbow rushed after, not wanting to release the dragon after the long hard-fought battle. “Rainbow Dash, stop!” said Celestia. Rainbow froze in air. “Leave him alone. He will not help us about anything.” ******* “Princess, what was that? What kind of corruption are you talking about?” asked Twilight. The rain has ended, so did the last glimpses of fire. Only charred trees and ashes on the ground reminds of a recent battle. The Wonderbolts, who hit the ground hard, were hospitalized with a few broken bones. Only Soarin remained, because he fell on his comrades, escaping harm. “It’s something I felt before… when Luna became Nightmare Moon. I felt something similar…” Twilight and Rarity looked at each other. “But instead of malicious envy I felt from Luna back then… That dragon radiates blind, overwhelming rage.” “Are you sayin that dragon became like Nightmare Moon, Princess?” asked Applejack. “Not exactly, but in a similar way,” answered Celestia and closed her eyes. “When I felt an explosion of anger, I rushed into the Crystal Shrine to take the Elements of Harmony, but it took me too much time to open the guard spells I casted! I should’ve come back sooner… I am sorry, everypony.” Twilight stepped forward. “Please, don’t blame yourself, Princess. Besides, nothing bad happene-” Rainbow glares at Twilight. “Well, except that the Wonderbolts broke a few bones.” “This was completely our fault, Princess,” butted an ashamed Soarin, “it was lack of our skills.” “Enough,” the Princess interrupted with a sad expression. “Next time, I shall be more prepared for these sort of things.” Rarity tilts her head, remembering something. “Princess, what is that Shrine you mentioned?” “Oh, this,” said Celestia absent-mindedly, “after Discord stole the Elements from the Tower of Harmony, I moved them to the safest place in Canterlot known to me, the enchanted Crystal Shrine.” “Owww….” Everypony turned around, looking at the baby dragon on the ground under an umbrella, carefully covered by Rarity’s scarf. “Spike!” said Twilight happily. Mane Six, Soarin, and Celestia gathered around the baby dragon. Spike opens his eyes to find eight pairs staring into his. “What happened?” he asked with an absent voice. “Spike, you were amazing!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “Yeah! Totally Awesome!” Pinkie started to bounce like a ball. “You were so… brave,” said Fluttershy with a shy voice. Spike remembered his part of a battle after looking at charred the scenery for a bit and jumped up, entangled himself in the scarf and fell. “The b-black dragon! Where is it?” Rarity sat before Spike right on the ground. “Oh, Spiky-wiky, we defeated him, and all thanks to your bravery!” “De-defeated? B-but he knocked me out…” Princess Celestia stepped in. “You gave time to us all holding that dragon, Spike. Moreover, you covered your friends from the dragon’s last attack, allowing them to use the Elements of Harmony.” “Really?” Twilight moves forward and sits next to Spike, looks in his eyes. “This was the last spell I have learned. I know, that you will help us, Spike if I cast it. You did very well, as expected from my number one assistant!” The Mane Six moved to Spike and hugged him and each other. Spike blushed. “You all did well, my little ponies. Let’s pray that that kind of thing will never happen again,” said Celestia. “Don’t worry, Princess,” said Twilight,” while we are here, there is nothing to worry about.”
A guest from the pastLate evening. Black, calm night began to play its mysterious, yet enchanting music, lulling the town with songs of the crickets. Large colonies of fireflies begin to dwell on the high grass, waiting for the beginning of the night to shine with all their glory. A majestic white moon rose in the sky, led by the glorious moon princess. The lack of clouds in pre-night sky only increased the moon’s beauty. Now, this glorious moonlight is illuminating the moody room of Ponyville library. Twilight Sparkle and Spike are finishing rearranging the books on shelf ten. While observing the sedative arrangement of her many books, Twilight’s eyes falls on the black book from two nights before. Twilight recently finished a book she was reading, so she has nothing to read at this moment. Twilight shrugged a little. For a reason unknown to her, she was afraid of that mysterious book. This fact is very disturbing to Twilight, accustomed to think objectively and to avoid prejudice. “Oh, well,” she said in her mind, “let’s see what that Malice thing is all about. I can’t keep it like this forever.” “Spike!” she calls. “Bring me that black book from shelf twelve.” “Can’t you levitate it yourself, Twilight?” said Spike with a lazy voice. “I am too tired to use magic, Spike. Pleeease!” pleaded Twilight equally as lazy. “Ok, ok.” Spike climbs the ladder to the fateful book. “This one, Twilight?” He looks at the book for a few seconds. “Yes.” “It looks kinda creepy…” mumbled Spike. He gives the book to Twilight. Twilight opens it. Flipping to the page with the title, she finds some strange letters. Letters resembling crushed insects, mixed with broken sticks, all looking disturbing to Twilight’s eyes. “Hmm… isn’t that an ancient Vigro?” she mumbled to herself. “Ancient what?” asked Spike curiously. “Vigro, Spike. An ancient, pre-Equestrian language, used by ancient unicorns.” Spike shrugs. “If you say so… Wait, how do you know what ancient language looks like?” “Oh, I just read a book about Vigro a long time ago.” Twilight thinks for a minute. “Maybe it’s just some kind of ancient wisdom or encrypted message… Let’s see what on the other pages.” She flips the page. Next page is completely blank. As is the next page, and the page behind it, and the rest of the whole book! “Hmmm… that is strange… Maybe this book is enchanted somehow?” She opens to the page with Vigro letters and thinks for a bit. “Spike, bring me a large dicto…” She looks at Spike. Spike’s eyes are half-closed, and the baby dragon is slowly, sleepily swinging from side to side. The purple dragon is clearly exhausted after a long day. “What, Twilight?” asked he with sleepy voice. Twilight smiles. “Oh, it’s nothing. Go get some sleep, my number one assistant!” “Ok…” Twilight levitates a dictionary onto her table. ******* “I don’t understand… It is clearly written in Virgo, but these words can’t be translated…” She absent-mindedly begins to mumble ancient words without a meaning. “Kasso… Gateh… Dorus… Maijo… Hosteh…” With the fifth word, the book began to glow red faintly, but Twilight hasn’t noticed it. “Shozjo… Takoho… Mayen…” The glow became stronger. “Shihrim… Taukh… Mattres…” said she with the last word and gasps. The book is glowing furiously with red energy. The lavender unicorn backs away from the book in fright, unsure of what to do. “Spike!” she called with a shrunken voice. “What now…?” Spike raises from his bed. When he saw the glowing book, sleep completely left his eyes. “Whoa!” Spike moves to Twilight. “Pretty…” said he, enchanted by the dazzling glow. Twilight found herself hiding behind the baby dragon, which disturbed her. “Was I… casted some kind of spell?” blinks in her mind. Suddenly, the book begins to float. It raises from the table and freezes in the air, balancing like a balloon. The book yawns. Right in front of the eyes of a stunned pony and dragon, the book’s cover begins to move. Parts from the cover’s center moves apart, revealing diamond – green eye. The eye blinks. “Oh, is it time?” asks the book with a dry, old voice. The eye looks around. “Hey, what with that voiceless impression, lass? Out of word of happiness to see me?” Spike and Twilight are shocked and unable to move. The book slowly floats around the library, mumbling to itself. “Hmmm… Evaria library sure has changed a lot… Or is it Evaria? I don’t remember this library to be inside a gigantic tree…” The book turned to Spike and Twilight. The eye focused on the baby dragon. “Oh, you have a dragon servant, lass? You must be very rich…” The book continued to float around, mumbling. Spike pushed Twilight and pointed at the book. “Do something!” his eyes clearly tell. But Twilight, for some reason, doesn’t want to start a conversation with a creepy talking, magically floating book with an eyeball in the center of the cover. After a few minutes of curious looking around, the book stops. “Hey, lass,” it said, “what year is it?” “O-one thousand second after the banishing of Nightmare Moon,” answered Twilight with a shaking voice. “All right…” the book turns away from Twilight and freezes. “Wait, WHAT? Banishing of what?” “I-it’s 1002 years passed since P-princess Celestia banished Nightmare Moon,” answered Twilight valiantly. She began to calm down. “Wait wait waiiiiit….” the book’s voice sounds worried. “How much time has passed since I predicted Umbra’s return?” “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Twilight looks confused. “Say what again?! Don’t you know who I am?” Twilight shakes her head. “Whaaaaat?! How could you not know who I am?! I am the Great and Mighty Stargale! Founder of uprising philosophy! Inventor of hundreds of spells!” the book’s voice volume began to rise. Twilight shrugs. “I-I am sorry, sir, but I have never heard of the Great and Mighty Stargale before.” The book’s eye filled with blood. Twilight involuntarily shivered under the eye’s heavy gaze. “Nonsense! Bring me to the unicorn king right now! I am going to insist on banishing you for ignorance and lack of education!” “Why is this book scolding me?” blinked in Twilight’s mind. Twilight began to get angry. “There’s no unicorn king in Equestria,” said she, chipping her teeth. “Equestria?... What is…” The book suddenly remembered something important. “Never mind! If you have awakened me, that means Umbra has returned! Where is he?” Twilight shrugs. “There is no Umbra I know about,” replied Twilight. She said the complete truth. She read a lot of books in the course of her life and she had never seen the word “Umbra” in them. “Say what now? Then why have you summoned me?” Twilight’s face took an excusing expression. “It was an accident… I found your book and… read those meaningless words…” “MEANINGLESS words?!” shouted the book with a very angry voice. “These are the names of ancient elemental spirits, you ignorant fool! Go back to magic kindergarten, you worthless child!” Twilight’s mind bloodshots. “Alright. That’s it.” In the blink of an eye, Twilight jumped on the book and pressed on it with her front hooves to the floor. “Listen, you! I do not know, who or what you are, I don’t even care! But I won’t let some… book to abuse me in my own house!” “Yeah!” said Spike. “And don’t you dare insult Twilight!” Furious, Spike lets his boil inside him and clearly wants to sneeze on the book with fire, and only the fact that book shall be sent to Celestia if he will do so stops him. “Why you, ins…” The book is literally choking out of anger. “Let me go immediately, you dirty...!” “As you wish,” said Twilight quickly. The book tries its hardest to break out. Twilight releases her hoofs and the book crashes into the bookshelf, being pressed by its less creepy and more silent brothers. Twilight levitated the black book out of a book pile. “You shall ask for it, vermins!” The book’s voice is shaking out of hatred. “If only I was able to cast any of my spells…” “Tell us what you are,” said Twilight, “and cease the insults, if you don’t want me to lock you in the closet.” The book gasps heavily. “As I already said, I am the Great and Mighty Stargale!” “I mean, why are you a book?” The book closed its eye. “Some… long time ago we, glorious Quarina unicorns, had fought a mighty foe, who was endangering the balance of the whole world!” Spike rolled his eyes. “We were able to defeat it,” the book continued, “but we failed to get rid of it completely. It was obvious for me that our foe would return after a hundred years. Buuut it looks like my calculations has failed.” Twilight and Spike looked at each other. “I decided to seal myself into that book with a spell I invented, putting myself into sleep. I told everypony they must release me from the land of dreams whence my foe would return… but it looks like I have been forgotten…” Twilight’s face took a sad expression. The book began to float aimlessly in the air. “I can’t believe I’ve slept over a thousand years… And now I am trapped inside this thing…” “Wait a minute… You can’t get out of this book?” The book rolled its eye. “Use your tiny brain, lass! If I could get out, I would have turned you vermin into the helpless slugs that you already are!” Twilight moved closer. “Whoa whoa!” The book backed away. “No violence! I am just telling the truth! The point is, I have invented that spell in a rush… And I hadn’t thought about how to revert it!” “So much of a genius,” whispered Spike to Twilight. “I heard that, rascal!” said the book. Spike bit his tongue. “Every genius has a right to make mistakes!” The book began to chaotically fly around, panicking. “Calm down, Stargale… You shall think of something… You’re a genius!” mumbling he to himself, “but what should I do… My writings are gone… I don’t remember any formulas…” “Why don’t you look in the library?” interrupted Twilight. “There are a plenty of books filled with magic formulas. Maybe you can create a release spell from scratch?” “Of course!” The book’s voice fills with hope. “I will find something in books! I am sure magic is improved for past yea.. er, centure.. er, millennium!” “Ok, good luck,” said Twilight, “if you don’t mind, we shall go to sleep. It is already…” the lavender mare stifled a yawn, “too late…” “Right, go. Vermins need to sleep…” said the book absent-mindedly. It is already looking for books, encyclopedias, and formulas. Twilight and Spike head to their beds. “You sure we can trust him?” asked Spike. “I don’t like this guy! Are you sure he won’t do something nasty while we sleep?” Twilight uncertainly looked down, on the book, which is reading books. “Strange picture” she mumbled in her mind. “Don’t worry, Spike. He won’t.” Spike looks in her eyes questioningly. “Why are you so sure of that?” Twilight smiles. “Spike, you shall laugh, but call it… a mare’s intuition.” ******* “THIS MAGIC IS AWFUL!!!” Twilight fell from her bed, alarmed by the sudden outburst. “Mommy?” asked Spike with a sleepy voice. Twilight looked downstairs. The black book is floating around a pile of its magic formula-filled brethren. “What’s all the fuss about?” asked Twilight, trying to open her constantly closing eyes. “’What’s all the fuss about’? Are you stupid? I just SHOUTED the reason why!” “Grrr!” roared Twilight with an irritated voice. “Why are you such a jerk?” The book ignored her. “This age’s magic is horrendously awful! It’s so simple, dumb, and uninspired! I can’t believe your society faced such degradation in magic! No wonder you are so ignorant in the society like that!” “Twilight,” said Spike, “can I sneeze on him?” “D-don’t you dare, dragon abomination! You are lucky that I can’t use all magic except simple telekinesis in this form! Hey! What are you doing?! STAY AWAY FROM MEEEEE!!!” Twilight, with one mighty jump, lands before the black book. Twilight hurled the morning irritator into the brown closet with an red owl painted on and locked the door with a heavy bronze key. “No! You wretched vermin! Let me out of here! Or else I will…” Twilight casted a soundproof barrier around the locker. “Alright, Spike. Start to clean out this mess. I will join after I wash my face and brush my mane” Spike malevolently grins. “Aye, Twilight! And nice use of number 42!” ******* The soundproof barrier disintegrated all too soon. After five minutes of swearing in the closet, the Great and Mighty Stargale, founder of famous philosophy and inventor of hundreds of spells, finally calmed down. “Please, let me out of here! Darkness is too dangerous for genius to face! I have claustrophobia here!” he begged with a pathetic voice Twilight walked to the closet. “Are you going to promise me to cease the insults?” “I promise, I promise! Now let me outta here!” Twilight pulled the key, releasing the book from its horrible, dreadful hell-born jail. “Now listen,” said Twilight, “I think…” “Look out below!!!” Rainbow-colored lightning comes flying through the window, crashing into a bookshelf, raising tons of dust. When the dust disappeared, a sky-blue Pegasus with all colors of the rainbow in mane and tail got out from under a pile of books, groaning. The Pegasus smiles. “Eh-heh-heh, sorry, Twilight, new trick failed… again.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Geez, Rainbow. Can’t you NOT fly above library when you doing your tricks?” The Pegasus fragrantly smiles. “Heh, sorry, sorry… Anyway, since I am here, please, give me the next Daring Do book in the series! I am about to finish Daring Do and the Diamond Throne, so…” Her eyes fell on the floating black book with a single green eye in the center of the cover. “Hey, Twilight, what is that thing? New spell of yo..” “PEGASUS! Pegasi are attacking!” shouted the book with horror in its voice. “Hide me!” The book hides behind Spike. Spike made a face and moved away. Rainbow tilts her head in confusion. “Why are you so calm, lass? P-pegasi are attackin…” whined the book with a panicking voice. “Rainbow Dash is my friend,” said Twilight with irritation. “…What…?” The book is shocked. Rainbow curiously looks at the book. “Twilight, why is this book talking?” “… A unicorn… friends with a Pegasus. A UNICORN… friends with a PEGASUS…you gotta be kidding me…” said the book with a deeply shocked voice. “What’s the problem?” asked Twilight. The book sighed. “Ehh… Looks like times definitely has changed…” said the book melancholically, “in my time Pegasi and we, glorious unicorns, were mortal enemies.” Rainbow tilts her head. “Then you shall see that times indeed has changed,” said Twilight. “Twilight,” said Rainbow, “what’s going on?” “Kinda long story. Let’s say that there was a guy, who put himself in a very long sleep in a book.” Rainbow burst out, “That’s why he behaves like this?” Twilight nods. Rainbow takes a step towards the black book. Suddenly, the book freaks out and backs away. “Ah! Get away from me, you ruffian! I don’t care what happened for past the thousand years! You, barbarians, shall never change!” “You wanna go back to the closet?” asked Twilight blandly. “No!” The book hid behind a bookshelf. “Anyway, Twilight,” Rainbow turned to Twilight. “What are you intending to do with him?” Twilight thinks for a minute. “I will bring him to the Canterlot library.” The book gets out of its sacred inviolable sanctuary. “Canterlot? What is Canterlot?” “Canterlot is the name of a castle where the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia lives. There is a big library with lots of books about high magic and old magic formulas, I think you shall find some advanced formulas there to help you lift the spell you casted on yourself.” “That’s it!” the book’s voice once again fills with hope. “A royal library! Royal libraries must have better magic books than these boonies have!” “Soooo we are going to Canterlot? When?” asked Spike. “Did someone say Canterlot?” The library door opened. Behind it stands a graceful unicorn in a wide, green hat with plumage. “Rarity,” said Twilight perplexedly, “you came to return ‘Modern Dress Art’ you’ve borrowed?” “Yo!” said Rainbow from behind Twilight. “Oh, hello there, Rainbow Dash, and hello to you, Twilight.” She looked around. “Spike!” she calls. “Do you intent to keep a lady waiting forever?” Spike dashed to Rarity, gallantly taking her hat. Rarity came in the library and froze, looking at floating black book with eyeball. “Girls,” she said with worried voice, “am I seeing things?” “Oh, finally! Somepony with grace and manners!” The book floats to Rarity and lowers its voice. “You gotta get me out of here! These barbarians are making me sick! Bring me to the royal library, my lady!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Rarity. He is just a plain old geezer, who sealed himself into the book without thinking about getting out of it.” “How dare you, peon?!” The book’s eye filled with blood. Rarity, cautiously looking at the black book, moved to Twilight. “So, Twilight, were you talking about Canterlot?” “Yep. Unfortunately, it’s the only way to get rid of that jerkbook.” “Oh! Then I am coming with you! I want to pay a visit to a new boutique!” “…Ok, if you want,” Twilight lowered her voice, “but we will spend quite a lot of time with that geezer.” “Hey! I heard that!” said the geezer. Rainbow returned with a book in her hooves. “Good luck, guys.” She grins. “Have fun in your voyage.”
Entering Malice“I don’t understand…” A pitch-black room covered itself with faint blue lights. The lights emanated from eerie glowing crystals engraved into the silent walls of the room. The room distinctly resembled an amphitheater, its round shape enclosing a strange device in the center of the room. It was filled with black and glass tubes, all planted on a magical generator. A huge black raven is sitting on a roost, monitoring a black figure, which is nervously pacing around the room. The raven’s eyes followed their master, a strange black-coated stallion topped off with a swirly fire-red mane. But the raven made sure never to look into its master’s eyes, two red orbs with vertical black pupils, like a snake’s. His teeth were triangular in shape and sharp as daggers. His body had wide stripes, darker than his basic coat. A black spiraling horn is drowning in the fire of his mane. “I don’t understand it!” he roared in frustration at the bird. “After hundreds of years of research, I still ultimately fail to create it! Why?! Where have I made a mistake?” The raven doesn’t answer. It never answers. It just stares at him with its dark soulless eyes. But the black stallion’s sanity depends on this old creature’s presence. "After all this effort I can’t make it last for more than one use… But why? My formula is perfect! I have enough knowledge to create it!” He kicked the mystical device in irritation. His gaze fell upon a table, buried under countless scrolls and scraps of paper. Every piece of paper on the table was filled with unimaginably hard magical formulas, only look on which would make crazy on any average unicorn; blueprints, which would make skilled engineers to shrug in confusion; and tons of research reports. The stallion’s eyes found a big sketch, showing five stone spheres on a weight-like pedestal. “Hmm…” Levitating the sketch up to his face, an idea struck his mind. Perhaps he could finally find the mystery to his problem. “If this is not the answer, then there is no answer at all,” said he to the raven. The raven stayed profoundly silent. ******* “Princess Celestia!” A white Pegasus in the golden armor of Equestria Royal Guards rushed into the throne room. Smoldering feathers were dropping off of his left wing and a large crack shone clear on his helm. “What happened?” asked Celestia. “Intruder at the Crystal Shrine, your highness!” the stallion exclaimed urgently. The Princess gasped in terror. “Impossible… Who is it? And how did he get through my barriers?” “I don’t know, Princess… Some… Black… Stallion…” The soldier is clearly ready to faint. The Princess realized that there is no time to lose. “Take care of him!” she ordered to her bodyguards. Gray unicorns simultaneously saluted. The Princess vanished in a white light. ******* The black stallion stands before a white pedestal. His body is surrounded by a hive-shaped barrier, filled with swirling red energy. Constantly, differently-colored beams strike the barrier’s surface, trying in vain to penetrate it. The stallion lets out a small chuckle at his enemy’s pitiful attempts. “What wrong with that barrier?!” a gray unicorn royal guard exclaims. “Any barrier, no matter how strong it is, should have crumbled a long time ago after receiving so much energy!” The only Earth pony in the bright room filled with light from hundreds of luminescent crystals, made a step forward and raised his head. A stallion, clad in grey armor with golden outlines. His face is hidden under a heavy helmet with visor, leaving only his nose with an enormous dark-red mustache visible. His coat is tan and his tail is as red as autumn leaves. “Don’t hold back!” he ordered with his stoic old voice. “Alpha squad!” He looks at a pack of Pegasus royal guards, which are still standing on their hooves. “Try to breach his barrier from the flanks with your magic neutralizers! Beta squad, focus your strongest spells in one spot! If we attack together, even his barrier will crumble!” The unicorns focused their spellbeams at a single spot in the center of the red barrier. The barrier began to bend under concentrated force. Pegasi split into two groups and took their enemy into a pincer, attacking the barrier’s sides. “Tch! You are so annoying!” the black stallion’s barrier shrunk. “Do you never learn?” The barrier explodes with a devastating energy pulse, knocking the Pegasi royal guards all over the wall. The stallion dodged energy beams with agile versatility. A pitch-black sphere the size of an apple appeared on tip of his horn. The black stallion shook his head, sending the black ball at the unicorns. The ball reached its destination, exploding with surprising force, knocking unicorns up high in the air. In the next moment, the iron-clad earth pony appeared from the dust, rushing towards the black stallion, trying to ram him. But the black unicorn jumped up, dodging the impact, causing the iron-clad pony to smash into the pedestal. A telekinetic force hurled the Earth pony away. “The last seal…” The black stallion’s horn connects to a mysterious symbol on the pedestal with a thin red beam. His eyes widened as his target was so close in reach. His heart skipped a beat as the pedestal began to crack. Suddenly, a flash of white light illuminated the room. “Stop right there!” But it was too late. The sound of smashing glass pierced the air. The pedestal broke apart, revealing a shining jeweled case. The black stallion grins and turns to the princess. “I am sorry to disappoint you Princess, but I have plans on these little accessories.” “Stop!” ordered the Sun Princess. An orb of light divided from the Princess’s horn and rushed to the black unicorn. But in a split second, he disappeared in a flash of red light before the orb could get him. A long minute of silence passed. The iron-clad Earth pony rose from the floor and walked to Celestia, limping. “I am terribly sorry, Princess… We couldn’t save the Elements of Harmony… It is all our fault! The Princess suddenly smiles. “It’s alright, Ironhoof,” she said with a mystic grin. ******* A heavy black door swings open. Exhausted, the black stallion with red mane walks in. His trench coat is soaked to the last fibers with his head covered only with a hood. A crow on the roost welcomes him with a husky caw. “I did it, Nevermore! I got the elements! I can’t believe it was THAT easy!” He removed his wet coat, tossing it on the floor. “Looks like that princess lived too much in peace and harmony.” His voice sounds happy as never before. Nothing could spoil his mood, not even after an hour of trotting in the freezing rain. He placed the prized jeweled box on a table. Breathing quickly in excitement, the stallion opened the box, gasping as he readied himself to finally see his prizes. Next moment, silence rushed in the black amphitheater. One minute… Two minutes… the black stallion raised his head. Overwhelming grief and hatred reading in his red bottomless eyes. He grinded his teeth as he tossed the box to the floor. Unable to control his anger, he screamed out at the top of his lungs: “DAMN YOU, CELESTIA!!!” ******* “Fake elements, Princess?” The old Earth pony named Ironhoof stayed near the radiant princess in the trashed crystal chamber. His massif moustaches are moving in tact of hoofsteps of medic unicorns, securing the fainted and wounded royal guards to the hospital. “Yes, Ironhoof. After I spent too much time opening my own locks during the black dragon incident, I decided to re-hide the elements, leaving fakes in this former place, just in case. I haven’t told you that, because I have done that only yesterday.” Seeing that the worst case scenario was amazingly avoided, the Princess gave herself a small chuckle at her brilliance. Truly, nothing would have been worse than having the real elements stolen. “This is a huge stroke of luck, Princess,” said Ironhoof impressed, “but where did you hide the elements this time?” Princess Celestia smiles. “I will give them to their rightful owners, until the threat is neutralized.” The old pony looked at the medics, dragging away the last injured soldier. “This stallion…” he shakes his head slowly, “we had never seen anything like that before… Our magic is inferior to his. And his agility is to envy of… He will definitely return.” “I know.” The Princess’s expression became much more serious than before. “And we shall be ready for him.” A fierce look of determination sprung onto her face. “Do you have any strategy, princess?” Smiling, the princess chuckled. “Of course I have.” She turned to the room’s entrance. A gallant crimson-colored unicorn came in. “You called, Princess?” “Yes, Crimson Tulip. You are the best architect in Canterlot, you know our castle from top to bottom. Find a good place and install anti-flash crystals there.” The unicorn looked at the princess over her glasses. “You want to secure all areas from flashing and teleporting? Permanently?” The Princess shook her head. “No. Make a switch activating it.” “Yes, your highness.” The crimson unicorn bowed and headed out. “Let’s set our dear guest a little surprise,” she said to Ironhoof with a mysterious smile. “When are you planning to give the elements to their owners, Princess?” “Soon, my most faithful guard. My student, Twilight Sparkle, wrote that she is coming to Canterlot.” ******* A giant purple air balloon with three passengers is floating toward sparkling, graceful castle, laid on a mountain. Two ponies and a small purple dragon inside it are enjoying a view under them. Endless green ravines and forests are filled with incessant songs of birds. A melody of wind is swirling around balloon, making it slowly shake in rhythm of its silent music. The black book’s eye looks out at the clear blue sky. “Hey, Stargale,” Twilight calls, “why are you so silent all of a sudden? You were constantly whining all the way to the air balloon, but you haven’t said a single word during the flight.” “Are you afraid of heights?” asked Rarity. “Of course not, you fools!” shouted the book. “Just…” The tone of his voice changed, becoming more soft. “The sky looked different in my time…” A thought passed through Stargale’s mind. “It was stained red…” Twilight tried to imagine a red-stained sky, but failed. Even on the most beautiful of evenings, the sky would only get to an orange glow. A red-stained sky seemed too terrifying to be true. “I remember, when I was a little colt,” the book continued. “Granma told me about a clear blue sky… I dreamt to see one for my whole childhood… Looks like my pink dream became real.” “Red-stained sky?” inquired a horrified Rarity. “Is that even possible?” The book remained silent. “Hey lass,” he suddenly called, “who is your leader? A unicorn?” “Yes… I mean, no… kinda,” Twilight replied in hesitation. “What do you mean?” asked Stargale curiously. “Our princess has a glorious horn AND dazzling majestic wings!” said Rarity wistfully. After a minute of silence, the book made a sound reminiscent of a dreamy sigh. “So, there are those that survived…” Twilight, Rarity, and Spike looked at the book in confusion. “What do you mean?” asked Spike. “She is an Alicorn,” answered Stargale. “Alicorn? I think I’ve seen this term in my books,” Twilight chimed. The book gasped. “Long ago, before the sky was red… Even before Earth ponies, unicorns and Pegasi existed, these glorious creatures ruled our world in harmony. But then, something has happened, and Alicorns began to dwindle. They had begun to give birth to the pony tribes you know now instead of Alicorns. And never again, an Alicorn filly or colt was born.” The book looked on the slowly-floating clouds. “This began an Alicorn extinction. Alicorns began to disappear from the world. Their glory began to fade. A chosen few Alicorns gathered together and casted a spell of Everlasting Life on themselves in hope to save their kind from extinction.” Twilight’s, Rarity’s and Spike’s jaws dropped. “You mean, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna belong to some extinct kind, ancestors of all kind of ponies?” “Are you dumb or deaf, lass?” The book’s tone changed back to its irritable old self. “That’s exactly what I said! Now, when we shall arrive? I am tired of waiting!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “We are almost there.” The balloon began to land. “Welcome to Canterlot!”
Interlude: CanterlotThe balloon landed in the middle of a colorful square. Rich ponies passing by stopped for a minute, looking at the majestic purple balloon with sparks of interest in their eyes. Twilight is silently looking at the black book, trying to catch its expression, which is very hard to do if the subject has no facial features beside an eye. But now, the eye is wide open, hotspots are increased in size and are shaking a bit. The book is clearly fascinated by the glory of the radiant square, surrounding him. Twilight looks around. The bright yellow sun luxuriates in soft crystals of the majestic buildings’ roofs. Carved sculptures made out of marble and precious metals are decorating the bright, shiny streets. Light is playing on a colorful stained glass on the outer windows of radiant buildings, made out of gleaming white stone. Slim, yet glorious Canterlot castle towers are seen high above the shining streets through a fragrant mist. Rarity jumped out of the balloon with sparkling eyes. “Ah, Canterlot! How I have missed you!” she sang with a joyous voice. Several reproachful gazes fall on the emotional mare, calling upon a moment of awkwardness. Rarity lowers her head apologetically. “Hey, Stargale!” whispered Twilight to the book. “Please go into my saddlebag. Your… look will attract too much attention.” “I refuse!” the book very loudly whispered back. “I have claustrophobia, remember? Besides, if you will seal me in this… bag how would I enjoy the scenery?” Twilight rolled her eyes in irritation. “He is unbearable,” she said to Spike. “I have an idea!” Spike responds. “Hey, Rarity!” he calls. Rarity turns toward him. “What do you need, Spike?” asked she eagerly. She clearly wants to dash into her boutique right now, and only her manners prevented her from doing so. “Do you have scissors with you?” asked Spike with a mischievous expression. “Well of course! A pair of them,” Rarity’s entire look saying ‘Duh’. “Every fashion designer always has a pair of scissors just in case of emergency!” “Emergency like wha… Never mind, can I borrow it?” asked Spike/ “Of course.” Rarity levitated a pair of scissors out of her saddlebag and gave it to baby dragon. “Anything else?” Spike grabbed the scissors. “Nothing else, thanks! I shall return it when…” “Take your time!” breaks Rarity. “Now, I have business to do!” she winks. “Let’s all meet there in three hours! And Spike, make sure you won’t be running with scissors!” she turned around and headed out with a graceful gait. Twilight and Stargale warily eyed the sharp tool. “Spike, what do you need these snips for?” asked Twilight curiously. “You’ll see! Give me your saddlebags!” exclaimed Spike with inspirational sparkles in his eyes. ******* “Well, I guess I can bear it,” said the book, looking at the transformed saddlebags. Twilight’s face held an unhappy expression. “Come on, Twilight!” Spike scolded. “You have a lot of boring, normal saddlebags at home, and now I just made you an Awesome Bookholder!” Spike swelled with pride. Twilight looks at the “Awesome Bookholder” with a gloomy expression. All Spike had done was cut out the curved “windows”/square holes on each side of Saddlebags. “Well…” she consoled herself, “at least jerkbook will not whine about it anymore.” She opens Spike’s Awesome Bookholder and held it open for its only guest. “Welcome in!” “Pheh!” The book placed itself comfortably inside. “As half-aced as I expected! Well, at least I can look at your puny capital now!” Twilight put the Awesome Bookholder on. “Let’s go, Spike!” ******* “Gorgeous!” Rarity raced inside a labyrinth of clothes. “Magnificent!” She is flying from one garment of a new collection to another. “Brilliant!” This boutique is a gigantic by its size. The series of famous designers clothes form a veritable maze. Rarity stopped next to a sparkling garment of indescribable grace, decorated by colorful jewels. “That is mine…” “Rarity!” somepony calls. Rarity happily turned around to face a tall white unicorn with blue mane and mustache, dressed in a black tail-coat. “Mister Fancypants!” said Rarity with ill-concealed awe. “Sorry I am late, Miss Rarity.” “Oh, what are you talking about? It is I who came too early! I just wanted to look at the new collection!” Fancypants smiles. “Anyway, Rarity, I don’t have much time, so let’s make it quick. Your recent collection was a great success for my line of boutiques all over Equestria! That’s what I am congratulating you with…” Sparks of euphoria blinked in Rarity’s eyes. She barely holds herself from starting to jump in joy. “…That’s why I” continues Fancypants,“am presenting you with this.” He whistles. A young stallion in a black tailcoat suddenly appeared before Rarity, holding a gilt case. “Don’t be shy, open it,” insisted Fancypants, thoroughly enjoying Rarity’s reaction. Rarity opens the case with shining eyes. On a velvet cushion comfortably lies one of the most beautiful gemstones Rarity has ever seen in her life. A gigantic, tear-shaped sapphire, shimmering with all shades of blue on its grains. Rarity gasped. “I-is that an aqua sapphire?” Rarity’s voice shook with excitement. “Yes,” answered Fancypants with a satisfied voice. “And it’s all yours! I hope we shall continue our prolific cooperation and you shall make more marvelous garments for me to sell!” Rarity stood up. “ With Celestia as my witness, I shall make as many garments as needed to bring you joy and wealth!” Fancypants smiles. “Now, when that is settled, I gotta go. Business never waits.” With this final word, Fancypants exit the boutique. Rarity goes into the deepest corner of the garment maze. She didn’t need any witness. Convinced, that there is nopony around, Rarity began to jump with joy. ******* A cave is filled with soft, cold light. Weak shadows are playing their silent games on the grey, lifeless walls. The place seemed to suck the life of anything that entered its depths. Not a single insect, not a single bat dared stay here for long, because those, who for some reason wants to live in this light-forsaken cave, shall have a very unlikeable neighbor. A black stallion walks toward the source of a weak light: a gigantic shining mountain filled with vast, unimaginable riches. Gold, jewelry, forgotten artifacts of great old, everything is mixed inside this paradise of greed. Shining treasures are reflecting in the stallion’s horrifying red eyes. Suddenly, a black shadow behind a mountain of riches began to move. “Who goes there?” asked a thundering, heavy female voice. Walls of the dark cavern began to shake. Sand began to falling from the ceiling. “I asked : ‘Who goes there’!” A second mountain began to rise behind the shining first. In a faint light of shimmering jewelry rose a gigantic dragon. This dragon had a grace of burning fire. Her scales are colored like a forest after a long summer rain, and her yellow eyes shined like diamonds. This dragon was surely considered an epiphany of beauty and grace for her kind, yet all her look portends a great danger. The dragoness moved her gigantic head closer to the cloaked figure, trying to discern the tiny creature in all its details. “What are you doing here, feeble pony?” her voice thundered. “Are you here to steal my treasures?!” She menacingly opened her giant wings and bared her blade-like fangs. The black stallion raised his head, looking right into the eyes of the graceful yet menacing giant. “I am not here to take your treasures, lizard” said he with a calm, cold voice. Suddenly, six colorless deformed gemstones appeared from under his cloak and rose to the air, formed a circle behind it’s wielder, and began to spin counter-clockwise, sparkling with energy of red color. The dragon looks at the cold, yet strangely attractive jewels with enchanted eyes. She does not understand what’s happening with her. She doesn’t understand why these tiny colorless gems are so attractive. Yet her head fills only one mind. “I want it! Why does this feeble pony has something she, a mighty dragon, who lives over three hundred years, hasn’t.” Unnatural envy began to fill the dragoness’s soul. “No, I am not here for your riches,” repeated the strange stallion through the purple fog, which began to fill the dragoness’s mind. The stallion’s eyes became completely red. Glowing, featureless red orbs, ready to swallow every soul of someone who would be foolish enough to look into them. A beam of dark-red light shot from the stallion’s horn, hitting the frozen dragoness in the center of her breath, covering her with a layer of liquid black mud. The mud creates a tight cocoon, which took shape of the startled dragon. A red flash follows, extinguishing the mysterious shadows on the cavern walls. When the light fades, the floating colorless gems above the black stallion begins to crackle. In a matter of seconds, they completely turn to dust, blown away by the cold cavern’s wind. But the black stallion isn’t paying attention to it. He saw it already for this simple fact to surprise him. It is still imperfect. Still weak. The black stallion looks on the gigantic black figure before him. He grins, revealing triangle teeth. “Time for another friendly visit, your highness”. ******* Jewel-encrusted golden door with a royal coat of arms opened with a creak. A lavender mare with strange-looking saddlebags walked through a spacious hall. Its ceiling is made entirely of stained glass, showing the history of Equestria at its finest. Sandglass-shaped white marble columns are seeking upward, supporting a wide platform, which is the royal library’s second floor. Endless sea of books in golden shelves contain knowledge of over a thousand years. Twilight feels like she hasn’t been here for ages. “This is a royal library,” proclaimed she to her saddlebags. “You don’t say?” The book responded with irony and floated out of the Awesome Bookholder. Stargale busily looked around. “Here I should say ‘goodbye’,” said Twilight with ill-concealed relief. “Here you can find almost every magic-oriented book in Equestria. I persuaded the librarian not to go here for a day, so take your time.” She looks at the book, finding that it is completely ignoring her, picking books from a nearby shelf. “Now I have some business with a princess,” started Twilight. “Yea, yea, go, lass” Stargale interrupted eagerly. “Leave me alone with books, would you?” Twilight shook her head and headed out. When suddenly, “Hey, lass?” Twilight turned around. “What now? The book holds a pause, then proclaims, looking away, “Thank you. For everything.” Twilight smiles. “You’re welcome.” ******* “Is everything ready, Ironhoof?” Princess Celestia is standing in the center of her golden throne room, filled with bright warm light. An iron-clad pony is standing before her, looking at the guards, who are guarding the throne room’s entrance. “Yes, your highness. Anti-flash crystals are placed in key points by the whole castle’s perimeter. There is almost no means of teleporting in or out whence field is activated.” “What about an activation process?” asked the princess “Anti-flash field is activated by voice command from you, your highness. All as you ordered.” Celestia smiles. “Good. Did you sent a letter to Luna?” “Yes, highness. But it will take some time for our messenger to reach Princess Luna’s domain on the moon.” “I knew I should have gifted Luna a baby dragon…” mumbled the Princess reflectively. “Anyways,” she looks at Ironhoof with a thoughtful expression on her face, “from now on, Canterlot castle is under siege. Everypony must be on their guards!” “Of course, Princess!” The throne room’s door opens. Silent guards cautiously gaze at a guest, but calms down, seeing a familiar lavender mare with a purple baby dragon. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle! I have waited for you!” said the Princess with a warm smile. Twilight is happy. She is always happy to see her mentor in person, especially when she hasn’t had any kind of guilt before her. “Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,” continued the radiant princess, “I have summoned you here for a deal of great importance.” She levitates a jeweled case to Twilight and opens it, revealing the Elements of Harmony inside. “The Elements, Princess?” asked Twilight astounded. “A phantom menace lies heavy upon Canterlot. I need you to take the elements and give it to your friends.” Twilight tilts her head. “Why us, Princess?” Celestia closed her eyes. “The enemy is after the elements. I am planning to set him a trap here, in Canterlot, and I need the elements to be as far away as possible.” She looks at the worried expressions of her most faithful student and her number one assistant and warmly, soothingly smiles. “Do not worry. I shall take care of that enemy faster than you shall tire from the element’s presence.” “Are you sure we can’t help you beat your enemy, Princess?” said Twilight with a worried voice. “I have already used you all too much,” – said the gleaming princess softly, “this is the enemy I must take care of by myself.” “But, princess…” started Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle,” said Celestia firmly. Twilight looks in her eyes. “All right, princess! We shall take a good care of elements!” Celestia smiles. “Very well. You are dismissed, Twilight Sparkle. And don’t worry. It shall be over soon.”
