Shard: The Dark King Returns

Chapters

Prologue
At the Castle Doors
To the Royal Chambers
A Farm Landing
Familiar Face in the Guard
Something Shifty at Sugarcube Corner
Rare Musical Talent
To The Tree of Knowledge
Waking From Nightmares
Starting the Everfree Adventures
Through the Valley of The Shadow Ponies
Waiting It Out - Pinkie Tells Her Tale
Not a Dream Twilight
Zap Apples and Timberwolves
A Crystal Tree
Five Stones Six Mares One Shadow
Waking in Rubble
Planning for the Quest
Back at The Castle
Spring Equinox Celebration

Prologue

Author's Note

This is more exposition for a background for this world and the events tied to them. While it is relevant, it is not necessary to read in order to enjoy the rest of the story. As such, I hope that viewers shall read and enjoy it, but it is unnecessary.

Prologue

"Alright," a deep booming voice called out. "That's enough. It's time to begin. Now, I'm sure that you are wondering why you are assembled here today?"

"Yes, sir," four voices called out.

"Well that part is simple enough," he continued. "The princess has asked me to explain to you a concept known as 'the multiverse.' Now this is a a rather complicated matter, but I will try to keep it as clear as I can."

A hoof went up in the air.

"Before you ask," the teacher said with a sigh, "I don't know why Princess Temporal wants you to know this. I only know that she asked me to teach it to you."

The hoof went down.

"Now, let's begin."

The lights in the room began to dim, sending the teacher and the four ponies sitting at a table into darkness. A bright white light shined from the back of the room, hitting a screen that was set in the front. With the click of a button, a tree appeared on the screen.

"Imagine this tree as reality." He pointed at the base and traced up along the length. "The trunk is what we will call The Alpha Universe. It is where the major events first occur, with outcomes affecting the future, or how the tree shall grow."

There was a click and the picture shifted to show the branches separating from the trunk and growing leaves.

"However," the teacher stated, "life does not go a single way. Everyday we make multiple decisions and have events beyond our control occur. The choices we make, and how seemingly random events play out, all affect our lives and lead on to future decisions and probabilities.

"Imagine if you made a different choice -- say, you decided to go to a different place for dinner than you actually did -- or that by luck or chance an event wound up going differently -- say in you dropped something, but managed to catch it instead of having it shatter on the floor."

He pointed at one of the joints where a branch separated from the trunk.

"That leads to the branches, which is where the theory of multiple dimensions come in."

There was a click as the slide changed. The new image showed three shapes. One was a silhouette of a pony. Below it on the left was a circle, and on the right was a square.

"Let's say -- hypothetically -- that the captain of the guard was to hire a single new recruit. Through the proper screening process, he is able to narrow it down to two choices. Unfortunately he is now stuck as the two are equally matched. Needing a way to decide, the captain decides to leave it up to probability and flips a bit."

The next slide had a check mark over the circle.

"By chance, the bit lands sun side up so the captain chooses the pony on the left. This means that she becomes the newest member of the guard, which means she will go on assignments, work around the castle, and possibly even meet a mare or stallion that she could have a relationship with."

The slide switch to one where the circle was crossed out and the check mark was over the square.

"According to the theory of the multiverse, however, there was an alternate reality created when the coin flipped. In the other reality, the coin landed sun side down, so the captain recruits the pony on the right. That means he would be the one to go on assignments, work at the castle and meet a potential love interest.

"That seems like a minor difference of course," he shifted to a slide of just the circle, "but consider the first pony once again. Now that she has not become a guard, a whole new list of possibilities begin to expand before her. What will she do instead? Who shall she meet? Will she fall in love, and if so, with whom?"

A hoof came up.

"Yes?"

"So you're saying that there might a world where I don't work here?"

"Correct," the teacher said. "There may also be a world where you rule, or another where there isn't even a Canterlot to begin with."

"Wow."

"Yes. Now."

A picture of a tree came up again. This time it had a branch broken off and lying on the ground.

"Returning to the tree mentioned earlier," he continued. "While many of these choices spread off to create their own realities with their own eventual off shoots, sometimes, something goes wrong. Much like how this branch has broken off from the tree, sometimes a possible dimension will not be able to survive on its own.

"Now, does anypony know what 'grafting' is?"

A different hoof raised up.

"It's when they attach a branch from one tree to another, isn't it?"

"Correct," the teacher said with a note of pride. "Now this is a point where the metaphor breaks down a little."

He switched to a picture of a branch that was broken in five nearly equal pieces with double-sided arrows pointing between them.

"Instead of a single universe, imagine that there are -- for the sake of this demonstration -- five. Each one, for one reason or another was unable to survive on its own. However, if the 'healthy' portions from each of these five universes -- five separate branches -- were to be grafted together before being re-attached to the main universe -- the trunk as it were -- then it's possible that they would essentially heal, creating a new reality that would be stable and able to exist."

A hoof went up again.

"What would this... healed universe?...look like?"

"It's hard to say," the teacher said. "First, it would depend on what the five fragmented universes were like before they were combined. After all, features from each of the pre-existing realities would still remain behind in whatever new reality was created. Second, the only way to tell it was such a universe would be from an outside point of view. After all, the creatures that exist in the... Shard Universe I guess, would see their reality as perfectly normal. In point of fact, any sentient creature in any reality that knew of the multiverse would more than likely believe that their universe it the primary 'trunk.'"

The room was silent.

"Any more questions?" the teacher asked.

There was no response.

"Very well then. Dismissed."

The lights came back up and the four students got up from their seats.

"That was... uhm.... interesting."

"Indeed. I wonder why Princess Temporal wanted us to hear all about that. To say nothing about them."

"What do you want to do now."

"All this talk about trees makes me want to go to the garden."

"Can we play hide and seek?"

"'I don't mind. What about you two?"

"It's fine with me. What about you?"

"Your it."

"Oh. Okay. Uhm... Wait, we aren't play- no running in the halls! You especially are supposed to know better."

The other three ponies ran off, giggling loudly.

At the Castle Doors

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

To the Royal Chambers

There was a knock at the doors of the royal chambers.

"Enter," a regal feminine voice called out.

The door was pushed open, revealing the pegasus guard.

"Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Luna are here," he said with a salute, "as ordered."

"Thank you Wind," the princess replied. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

The pegasus gave another salute and walked off. The princess watched him go for a moment, then turned to the others.

"Well," she asked, "what are you waiting for? Come in."

Luna ran into the air first, leaping into the air. A golden aura of magical energy caught the filly and levitated her closer. She let out a small giggle as she was nuzzled. The princess gently set Luna down as she turned her attention to the yellow batpony and the purple unicorn. Fluttershy stood there as Twilight Sparkle bowed.

Princess Temporal moved closer to the two mares. Her coat was a deep blue with a faint tinge of purple highlights. Shimmering gold and silver energy floated around her where her mane and tail should have been, shifting with her power. On her flank was an hourglass surrounded by two shooting stars, their tails making a circle. She looked at the pair with glittering yellow eyes.

"How are you this evening, Fluttershy?"

"I am well, Princess," Fluttershy replied, bowing slightly.

"I am glad to hear it." Princess Temporal turned to the bowing unicorn. "And this must be Twilight Sparkle."

"Y-y-yes, you're majesty," Twilight stuttered out.

"You may relax," the princess stated. "There is no need to bow."

Twilight let out a sigh of relief and moved to straighten up.

"I have heard much about you from Lieutenant Shining Armor," Princess Temporal continued, "and some very interesting reports from Canterlot's School for Gifted Unicorns."

Twilight grinned, practically glowing with excitement at the praise.

"Thank you," Twilight said, uncertain why. It just seemed appropriate.

"It is nice to see that Fluttershy is finally making a new friend." The princess looked at the batpony, getting a slightly blushing grin in response. She then turned back to Twilight.

"Now, what is this about a potential threat?"

"Oh, right." Twilight grabbed her books again. "Well, if I understand everything correctly, it has been about a thousand years since the defeat of the pony known as The King of Shadows." She began to flip through the pages. "After re-reading the story I did some research... and... here."

She held up the book, turning it around so that the princess could read it.

"'On the thousandth day," she read aloud, " when dark and light are balanced, the Shadows shall darken Equestria once again.'"

"Right," Twilight said as she took the book back. "I believe that this is a warning that at this years Spring Equinox Celebration, when you have both the sun and the moon in the sky, The King of Shadows will return and try to take over Equestria again."

Princess Temporal shifted, standing up to her full height. She looked up at the glass ceiling, and at the stars of the night sky above them. The room turned quiet as she held still, seeming to almost become a statue.

Fluttershy put a hoof on Luna as the three of them watched in silence. Twilight turned to ask a question, but got a small head shake before she could speak.

"Speaking of the Spring Equinox Celebration," the princess said slowly, "perhaps..." she turned to look at Fluttershy, "you are ready to take on some additional responsibilities."

"What?!" Twilight shouted, shocked.

"What?" Fluttershy squeaked, pulling back as her bat wings flickered.

"You've been doing a wonderful job taking care of Luna," Princess Temporal explained, "but you need to have a more fulfilling life. You need to get out of the castle more. Make friends, such as with Twilight Sparkle here."

Fluttershy shifted, looking down at her hooves, but not really saying anything.

"As such," the princess continued, "I am sending you, along with Luna and Twilight, to Ponyville."

"You mean," Luna asked, "I get to leave the castle and go to another town?"

"Yes."

"Yay!" the filly squealed, bouncing up and down as she made circles.

"Wait!" Twilight cried out. "You... you want me to go too? Uhm... Princess?" Twilight shifted, mentally kicking herself for forgetting that she was talking to the ruler of Equestria for a moment.

"Indeed," the princess replied. "I believe that this will do all three of you some good. Twilight, you are invited to stay the night here at the castle. In the morning, the three of you shall head to Ponyville and see to the preparations for the celebration."

"But what about The King of Shadows?"

"I appreciate your desire to protect Equestria. I believe that you shall go quite far in life. Don't worry about that tonight though. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll have transportation, your letters of introduction, and a checklist on what you need to have done ready for you in the morning."

Twilight Sparkle shifted, feeling a little conflicted. She felt quite proud of the fact that she just got praise from the princess, but it also seemed like the threat was not being taken seriously. Instead she continued to pack her books, putting them back into her bag.

"Good night Princess," Luna said, giving a hug.

"Good night, Lulu," the princess replied. "Sleep well."

"Uhm..." Fluttershy shifted. "I'm sorry, but... well... are you sure I'm up for this? I mean taking care of Luna is one thing, but overseeing an entire celebration? I don't know if I can handle that." Her ears flickered as she looked around at the wall.

"Fluttershy." Reaching a hoof out, the princess stroked through the batpony's mane. "You are a stronger, braver, tougher mare than you realize. It is part of the reason I took you as my student and had take care of Luna. Whatever happens, I am certain that you and your friends will be able to find a way to handle it."

"...Oh...okay." Fluttershy gave a nod and got up. "Thank you for your time." She turned and started toward the door. "Come on, Luna. Let's show Twilight to a room. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Princess Temporal gave one last smile as she watched them leave. The smile faded as soon as the three of them were out of sight. Her horned glowed as she used it to shut the door. Once again, she turned to look up at the starry night through the glass ceiling above her.

If you had any idea how much I need to be right about this, she thought to herself. My dear sweet little Fluttershy, you have no idea how much is on your shoulders. And for that, I am sorry.

A Farm Landing

A chariot flew through the air, pulled along by a pair of pegasi. The ponies sat in the box, riding with it.

Luna stood near the front. Her eyes were closed and wings extended as felt the air flowing past her. It felt like she was flying.

Fluttershy sat in the box, leaning against the side. Dark goggles covered her eyes, keeping her nocturnal vision protected from the bright light of the day. Her attention was split between keeping an eye on Luna to make sure nothing happened and the third pony with them.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Twilight Sparkle slumped over the chariot's side. The normally purple-coated unicorn had an sickly green tinge to her.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she groaned out. "It feels like we -- " she paused a moment to gag, "-- are driving along a bumpy road. Stupid turbulence. Why couldn't we have taken an airship instead?"

"There's only three of us," Fluttershy replied. "No reason to use a ship that's meant to carry dozens of ponies for that. Besides, this is faster."

Fluttershy smiled as she looked ahead, watching the flight. The smile vanished when she heard a rather unpleasant sound coming from Twilight.

"I sincerely hope that doesn't hit anypony on the ground," Twilight said with a cough, wiping at her mouth.

"Uhm..." Fluttershy shifted a moment, thinking. "Maybe it will help if we get your mind on something else."

"What about her cutie mark?" Luna suddenly asked.

"My cutie mark?" Twilight repeated, turning to look down at it. On her flank was a compass rose: two four-sided stars placed on top of each other. The top one, for the cardinal directions, was a dark red color, similar to the color of her magic. The one below it, pointing in the intermediate directions, was a golden yellow.

"It's not that interesting," she explained. "I just got it one day when I was doing some research on old legends of Equestria in The Canterlot Library. What a compass rose has to do with reading about monsters from long ago is beyond me."

"Maybe this is your chance to find out," Luna said as she turned to face them. "Maybe you'll become a great adventurer who will save Equestria from evil monsters." Her brow scrunched down as she started making vicious (though not really) roaring noises. Twilight and Fluttershy both had to bite their lips to stifle their giggles.

"I'm sorry, Luna," Twilight finally said, "but I don't think so." She looked back over the side of the chariot. "I sit in libraries, read books, and practice spells. I'm no adventurer. And with my brother being a lieutenant in the royal guard, my family already has one hero."

"Wait," Fluttershy said. "Who's your brother?"

"Shining Armor."

Luna let out a gasp.

"Twilight's brother is Cadey's boyfriend!"

"Cadey?" Twilight repeated.

"Luna has an older sister named Celestia," Fluttershy explained, "who is taken care of by an alicorn named Mi Amore Cadenza. She normally just goes by Cadence though, and Celestia and Luna call her Cadey."

"What?" Twilight cried out. "My brother has a girlfriend? And he hasn't told me?! How long?"

"Well...I...uh..." Fluttershy shifted, adjusting her goggles and wiping at her forehead. "Oh look. We're here. We should be landing shortly and should get ready. Please. If you don't mind." She then turned to face forward.

Twilight let out a huff of annoyance and did the same. Her eyes suddenly went wide as a realization began to sink in.

"Oh no," she cried out. "Oh no. Nonononono."

"Is something-"

Before Fluttershy could ask any further, the chariot hit the ground, and bounced back up into the air. After several seconds, they did it again, though not as high. Then they had a third bounce, and a fourth, and a fifth. Finally the chariot stayed on the ground before coming to a full stop.

"Welcome to-"

The rest of the ponies statement was cut off as Twilight pushed past, running as fast as she could. The mare managed to make it behind one of the apple trees before getting sick again.

"What the hay?" the pony she had pushed past said. "What was that all about?"

The pony was a mare with an orange coat and blond mane and tail. From the base of the tail to the middle point of her back, a series of metal nodes traced up along her spinal cord. The nodes connected to large mechanical pieces that covered her flanks and shifted into artificial hind legs. On the panel of her flank where the cutie mark would be was a copper colored gear shaped like an apple.

"Sorry about that," Fluttershy said. "She's not used to flying in a chariot."

"Ah, I guess I can understand that then," the orange mare said. "As I was sayin': welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. I'm Applejack." She held out a hoof.

"Fluttershy." She took the proffered hoof. "This is Luna, and the pony in trees is Twilight."

"Nice to meet you." Applejack smiled as she shook hooves with Fluttershy.

"What's that on your back legs?" Luna asked, reaching out to poke at the metal that covered the flank and became the machinery that was the lower legs.

"Luna!" Fluttershy cried out, wings splaying out in surprise. "I know you're curious, but you can't just ask ponies about certain things like that. It might be a sensitive subject to them."

"It's alright," Applejack said, turning to ruffle Luna's mane. "Oh, but where are my manners." She turned to the chariot. "If you two want, there's some cold apple juice in the house so y'all can have a drink before flying back to Canterlot."

The two pegasus ponies looked at each other, then at Fluttershy. The pair tried to keep their formal appearance of a guard, while trying to silently plead with the batpony. Fluttershy looked at them, uncertainly.

"They're waiting for your permission," Luna whispered.

"Oh," Fluttershy cried out. "Sorry. Go ahead. Oh, and thank you for the ride."

The two let out satisfied whicker before detaching from the chariot and trotting toward the house.

With a groan, Twilight Sparkle returned from behind the trees.

"Feeling better?" Fluttershy asked.

"When this is over," Twilight said, "I'm taking the train back."

"So," Luna called out, getting Applejack's attention again, "what about your legs?"

"You're a stubborn one, ain't ya?" Applejack let out a chuckle. "Well, when I was 'bout your age, I got hurt pretty badly while in Manehattan. So a doctor there gave me mechanical legs. They gave it some fancy term though."

"Bio-mechanical augmentation and prosthesis?!" Twilight called out, eyes wide.

"That sound 'bout-"

"You're that Applejack?"

"That Applejack?" the orange mare repeated.

"You know her?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Twilight replied. "Well... it's more I know of her. I've read about her in some of the medical books in the library." She motioned toward the pony of interest. "Applejack was one of the first pony test subjects for Bio-mechanical augmentation and prosthesis, as well as the only foal. She was also the first whose body did not reject the mechanics. Some ponies speculate that it was her age and earth pony strength that made her resilient enough for it to work."

"So does that mean that only earth foals can get metal legs?" Luna asked.

"No," Twilight replied. "At least not as much. It's still in the testing stages, but they are starting to have functioning augmentations for adult earth ponies and even some pegasi."

"Okay," Applejack called out, cheeks turning pink. "That's enough of that. How 'bout I show you to your rooms then give you a tour of Ponyville?"

"That would be nice," Fluttershy answered with a smile. She shifted as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh."

Stopping, she turned and opened one of her saddlebags. Looking through it, she pulled out an envelope that was sealed with wax. She pulled the envelope out and gave it to Applejack.

"We were told to give this one to the Apples when we arrived."

Applejack took the envelope and opened it, pulling out the letter inside. Her eyes read over it quickly.

"Aw, ain't that nice," she finally said. "Granny Smith is gonna be so thrilled to have such a nice letter from the princess. Come on, I'll introduce you and show you to your room."

She then started toward the house, followed by the three visiting ponies.

Familiar Face in the Guard

"Item one," Twilight read, "'meet with the mayor.'" She pulled out a quill to check it off. "Done."

"And it was boring!" Luna whined. "It felt like we were in there forever."

"It was only five minutes," Twilight retorted.

"'sides," Applejack added, "you should probably get used to it. When you become a full princess, you'll have to sit through all sorts of boring meetings."

"No I won't, no I won't," Luna replied. "When I become princess, I'm going to travel across Equestria, eating candy and fighting monsters. Tia can have the stupid boring meetings."

"That wouldn't be very fair to Celestia though, now would it?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Luna admitted. "But if I had to sit through stuff like that all the time I would... I would..." She shrugged. "Okay, so I don't know what I would do, but it would be amazing and super scary."

"Anyway," Twilight said, "next is to meet with the town guard about celebrations security."

"Another meeting?" Luna groaned, slumping down. "Please, can we go do something else?"

"Hey, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Can I see that list a moment?"

Twilight looked at Applejack, then back at the list. One of her ears gave a flick as she chewed on her lip for a moment. Closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh, she passed the scroll over.

"For crying out loud," Applejack grumbled as she took the list. "I just want to take a look at what y'all need to do. Not like it's some long lost scroll and I'm gonna toss it in a pig pen or somethin'." She let out a huff as she started looking at the small number of items tasked to the group.

"Here we go. 'Check on refreshments at Sugarcube Corner.'" She returned the list to the twitchy looking unicorn. "I can take Luna there while you to meet the guards. How's that sound?"

"I like the sound of that," Luna said. "Can I Fluttershy? Please?"

"Alright," Fluttershy conceded, "but you have to promise to behave and listen to Applejack."

"Yes," Luna shouted, wings fluttering as she hopped. "I promise I promise." She ran over to Applejack and grabbed her hoof. "Come on Applejack, come on. Let's go, let's go."

"Alright alright." Applejack let out a laugh as she allowed herself to be pulled toward the doors. "Y're a hyper little thing, ain't ya?"

The remaining two watched the cybernetic earth pony and the alicorn filly leave.

"Is she always like this?" Twilight asked.

"No," Fluttershy replied, "but to be fair, she has never left the castle -- to say nothing of Canterlot -- since I've taken care of her. So all this is probably very new and exciting for her.

"Okay. Well let's go meet with the town guard then." Twilight carefully put the scroll away and started walking.

There was no need for a guide since the guard command was based in the town hall as well, just in a different part. Twilight had noticed it when she had studied the board in the lobby. All they had to do was head back down to the ground floor and around to the back.

Soon the two reached an open door with Ponyville Town Guard written on it and Capt. L Heartstrings underneath it in smaller lettering. They could see a large wooden desk inside, and a chair that had its back turned toward them. Floating above the desk in an aura of orange magic was a lyre. Gentle music reached the pair as the strings were plucked by the mystical energy.

Fluttershy knocked on the door.

"Hello?"

The music stopped. Silently, the chair spun around, revealing a mint green unicorn dressed in a military uniform. The aura of her magic faded from her horn as she set the lyre down. Her golden eyes narrowed as she looked at the pair of ponies standing before her.

"Can I help you?"

Fluttershy and Twilight both shifted, neither feeling comfortable making eye contact.

"Uhm... Captain Heartstrings?" Fluttershy finally managed to ask, getting a nod in return. "We're from Canterlot and are her to check on security for The Spring Equinox Celebration."

"Well your timing is fortuitous then," Captain Heartstrings stated. "I am currently waiting for a status report on the matter myself."

"Excuse me," a scratchy voice, feminine voice called out from behind Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle. Before either could respond, they were pushed aside by a pale blue pegasus in silver colored armor. A rainbow colored tail gave a flick as she reached the desk, setting down a set of papers.

"The security report, as requested," the pegasus said, giving a salute.

Captain Heartstrings glanced down at the report, picked it up, and held it as she looked back up at the guard before her. Heartstrings lips pursed as her eyes narrowed. She held the report toward the guard like it was a weapon.

"I expected you with this a few minutes ago, Sergeant."

"Sorry Captain," the guard said. "There was..." She stopped, bringing a hoof to her chin. "What's the word? Alter... Alter..."

"Altercation?" Twilight suggested.

"Yeah. There was one of those on the way-"

"You got in another fight?" Heartstrings asked.

"I wouldn't say that....ma'am." The guard shifted. "I came across some ponies fighting and decided to break it up. Technically I was only doing my job."

The captain dropped the report and slumped forward. She closed her eyes as she rubbed a hoof against her forehead.

"Why is it," she growled out, "that you seem to see nearly three times the action of any other town guard when you are 'doing your job?'"

The guard's magenta eyes gleamed with mischief as she smirked.

"Just dedication and a bit of luck... Captain."

"Well," the captain snapped, "you better watch it before your luck runs out. Understand me, Corporal?"

The guard opened her mouth, stopped, closed it, swallowed as her eyes went wide, and nodded.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," she replied with a salute.

"Good." The captain smirked this time. "Dismissed."

The guard gave one more salute and turned to leave.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked, causing the guard to stop. Tilting her head, the blue pegasus looked at the yellow batpony.

"I've met you before, haven't I?"

"I'm Fluttershy. We met one summer at flight camp when we were both fillies."

Rainbow Dash let out a small gasp as her eyes went wide with recognition.

"Fluttershy!" she called out, grinning. "Wow I haven't seen you since then. I'm surprised you even remember me."

"Well," Fluttershy shifted, looking at her hooves. "You were kind of the only pony that was willing to be my friend, me being the only batpony there and all..."

Before the conversation could go any further, Captain Heartstrings cleared her throat.

"With all due respect: while I understand you two have not seen each other since foalhood, I would appreciate it if the reunion did not continue in my office. As for the report, it seems that everything is in order and and should be ready for Princess Temporal's arrival tomorrow. Would you care to hear more detail?"

"No thank you," Fluttershy replied. "We trust your competency and can take your word on it. Although I do have a small favor to ask. See, our guide is currently occupied elsewhere, and we need to get to Sugarcube Corner. Would it be alright if we borrowed Sergeant Rainbow Dash as an escort?"

"You heard them Sergeant," the captain stated. "You are to escort the Princess's representatives to Sugarcube Corner. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain," Rainbow Dash replied with a salute.

"Dismissed."

"Follow me, please."

Rainbow Dash left the office and headed down along the hallway. Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle quickly fell into step behind her. As they walked, the pegasus looked over her shoulder at the batpony.

"So... you work for the princess now, huh?"

Something Shifty at Sugarcube Corner

"Here it is," Rainbow Dash announced, "Sugarcube Corner. The best bakery in Ponyville."

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle all stood outside of a building. It looked like a gingerbread house that someone stuck a cupcake on top of. The cupcake even looked like it had candles on it.

"How many bakeries are there?" Twilight asked.

"Well..." Dash thought a moment. "There's some restaurants, a few cafes, and even a candy shop, but Sugarcube Corner is the only bakery." Twilight pursed her lips as she looked at the pegasus, but said nothing more for the moment.

"You're not coming with us?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'd like to," Rainbow replied, "but I'm still on duty. I should probably report back to Captain Hearstrings before I get into any more trouble. Maybe I can catch with you after though." Her wings gave a flap as she took off and headed back toward the town hall.

As Fluttershy and Twilight entered, the smell of sweet baked goods filled the air. It was sweet and warm, making the two of them begin to feel hungry. First thing first, they needed to locate a certain little alicorn filly. Fluttershy lifted her goggles up to her forehead as she looked around.

"I reckon," they heard Applejack say, "that since yer here as a representative of the princess, there ain't no harm in lettin' ya try a few samples for the celebration."

The earth pony walked toward a table in the corner, carrying a tray on her back. She grinned as she walked up toward the single occupant, the little dark blue alicorn who now looked excited.

"Yay!" Luna cried out, clapping her hooves. She leaned over, looking at the tray filled with miniature pieces of various baked treats.

"You aren't planning on eating all those by yourself, are you?" Fluttershy asked as she moved up.

"I can try," Luna replied. She gave a lick of her lips as she reached for one.

"Now don't you worry none," Applejack replied with a grin. "There's plenty of samples for all three of ya."

"Thank you," Fluttershy replied, reaching out to take one.

"Well," Twilight said as she looked out them, "I think my stomach has settled enough from the flight for me to enjoy a snack." Her horn lit up as she took on, bringing it to her mouth.

Each of the three took a bite of the their own samples, letting out a little noise of pleasure at the taste.

"I see you found the place alright," Applejack said from behind Fluttershy and Twilight. "So how was..."

Fluttershy and Twilight both stopped chewing, eyes going wide. They turned to look behind them, seeing Applejack standing there. The batpony and unicorn then turned toward the table again, seeing Applejack grinning at them with the tray of samples on her back. The pair looked back and forth between the two Applejacks, trying to process what they were seeing.

"Applejack?" Twilight asked. "Do you have an identical twin sister you didn't mention?"

"No," the Applejack behind them said as she moved closer. "I have an older brother, but my sister is a little filly who is currently in school." She stopped to face the other Applejack, eyes narrowing and lips puckered. The other Applejack set the tray on the table and moved to face Applejack, making the same face.

"A'right," they both said simultaneously. "You had your fun. That's enough."

They furrowed their brows.

"Stop it."

They both pointed their hooves at the other.

"I mean it. Cut it out!"

The two Applejack's moved closer, pressing their heads together as they got eye to eye.

"I'm serious!" they snarled at each other. "You cut it out this instant,missy!"

"PINKIE PIE!" One of them shouted.

"Okay, okay," the other said with a sigh, rolling her eyes. There was a flicker of energy

Where the Applejack that had carried the tray had been standing now stood a pink earth pony with poofy pink mane and a heart shaped balloon on her flank. She grinned painfully wide as her blue eyes shifted from Applejack to Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Pinkie Pie."

"I'm-"

"How did you do that?" Twilight asked, moving to stand right in front of Pinkie Pie. "I mean, you're an earth pony. Earth ponies are supposed to be able to use transformation magic like that. At least not that I know of. You have to tell me." She grabbed Pinkie by the face pulling her close. "Please. Tell me your secret."

"Twilight," Fluttershy said, moving to place a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "I think you're scaring her."

"Oh, sorry." Twilight let go, grinning with embarrassment. "I have to know though. How are you able to shift into other ponies without using unicorn magic."

"She's not a pony," Luna called out, grabbing another piece from the sample tray. "She's a bug."

"Luna," Fluttershy said gently, "what do you mean she's a bug?"

"She is," Luna replied. "Pinkie Pie is a big bug that can make herself look like anypony she knows." She huffed. "I wanted her to look like you, but she didn't know what you looked like."

"Applejack?" Fluttershy turned to her. "Do you know what she's talking about."

"Yeah," Applejack said with a sigh. "I know what she's talkin' 'bout. Pinkie Pie, go ahead and show them."

There was another flicker of energy. In place of the pony was a smooth chitinous shelled form. The creature was a black color with a tinge of pink to it. It had insect-like wings on its back, and a spike on its head that was similar to -- and in the same place as -- the horn of a unicorn. The solid blue eyes looked at the two mares as it smiled. Although it had a pair of fangs, the rest of its teeth were like that of a normal pony.

"Fluttershy," Applejack said, "Twilight, this," she motioned to the creature, "is Pinkie Pie. She works here at Sugarcube Corner for the Cakes."

"She's..." Fluttershy sputtered. "She's..."

"She's a changeling!" Twilight finished.

"Yeah," Applejack agreed. "She was supposed to stay in her own pony form to until after the celebration so as not to scare any of the visitors." She turned to give a slight glare at Pinkie Pie before continuing. "But for some reason, she was in her changeling form when I got here with Luna."

Pinkie Pie shifted back to the pink pony form and shifted, letting out a chuckle. She rubbed a hoof against the back of her head.

"How did a changeling end up working here?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, I thought they stayed in big groups."

"That," Pinkie Pie said, "is a tale of abandonment, accept, family, fear and friends. You see, it all started-"

"Pinkie," Applejack interrupted, "they still have to meet with..." she let out a groan. "...Rarity after this. I think that having to put up with one melodramatic pony a day is enough."

Pinkie Pie puffed out her cheeks and turned to look at Applejack. She let out face go back to normal as she narrowed her eyes at the orange mare.

"You're still mad at her about the magnets, aren't you?"

Applejack let out a huff and looked away. Her ears flopped back as her face turned pink.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do," Pinkie replied with a grin. "Remember? Rarity got all those letter magnets and used them to write-"

"NOPONY NEEDS TO HEAR ABOUT THAT!"

"So you are still mad about it," Pinkie stated, grinning again.

"Fine," Applejack relented. "Yes. But it don't change nothing. Can we just get back to trying samples?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Fluttershy said. "Especially since a little filly is on her fourth already."

She, Twilight, and Applejack each took a sample from the tray.

"I still want to hear about this later," Twilight said.

"Sure," Pinkie Pie agreed. "Come by another time and I'll tell you what I can. Now, excuse me, I'll get some more samples and something for you to drink." Grabbing the tray, she headed toward the kitchen doors.

Rare Musical Talent

"Thatwasgreatthatwasgreatthatwasgreat!" Luna squealed, bouncing in circles around Applejack, Twilight and Fluttershy as they walked through the streets of Ponyville. "Thatcakewasdelicious!Idon'tthinkI'veeverhadsomuchcakebefore. Oh. AndPinkiePie. Pinkie Pie is the coolest pony ever. No. Second coolest after Fluttershy. I...still...had....no....idea..."

She stopped her running, letting out a yawn. One of her hooves reached up to rub at her eyes.

"Uh oh," Fluttershy said, moving up to the tired little filly. "Looks like somepony is getting tired."

"N-n-" Luna yawned again. "No I'm not. I just...Uhm..." She sat down, ears drooping.

"Aww." Fluttershy moved over to the little filly and picked her up.

Despite the protest, Luna found herself on Fluttershy's back. The small pony made no attempt to get up, shifting to get comfortable instead. As the three mares resumed walking, Luna quickly fell asleep, cuddling into the soft yellow coat.

"Well here it is," Applejack announced. "The Diamond's Gleam, the only club in Ponyville."

There before them was a large round building. It almost looked like it had been a tower taken from a castle. The outside was a faint shade of blue with a ring of white diamonds at eye-level, and a series of golden pillars. At the front was a set of double doors that were a faint tinge of purple. The one on the left had a mask with a grin, and the right had one with a frown. In the middle were a pair of handles that looked like microphones.

"Uh...How 'bout I wait out here with Luna?" Applejack suggested. "That way you don't need to worry 'bout her bein' woken up or anything."

"I guess that's okay," Fluttershy agreed. Gently, she lifted Luna up off her back and down onto Applejack's. Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle then moved up to the doors. The two looked at each other for more moment, getting confirmation. As one, they reached out, took a hold of the handles, and pulled.

Only to find the doors were locked. The pair looked at each other again, before letting out an embarrassed laugh. Once the moment passed, Fluttershy knocked.

One of the doors was thrown open, slamming into Twilight and knocking her against the wall. Standing in the open door was a diamond dog. It looked like a dog, but was standing up on its hind legs. This particular Diamond Dog was a head taller than a pony, with a dirty grey coat and green eyes. It was wearing a white dress shirt, black suit jacket, and red bow tie.

"We closed," it shouted. "Very busy. Come back later." With that, he slammed the door shut.

Twilight let out a groan as she pulled herself from the wall, moving to get back up. Her head throbbed with pain and stars danced in front of her eyes. She tried to shake the stars away, and let out a groan of pain as that made the pain worse.

"You may want to move back," Fluttershy suggested.

"No kidding," Twilight grumbled as she moved away from the doors. "Think I might have a concussion or something."

Once again Fluttershy knocked, and once again the door was flung open to slam into the wall.

"I told you already," the Diamond Dog yelled. "Closed. Come back later."

"But-"

Before Fluttershy could get another word out, the door was slammed shut again. Fluttershy stood there a moment, staring at the door. Her jaw clenched as her lips pursing with determination, and her nose scrunched out. The batpony's eyebrows furrowed as she glared at the door behind her protective goggles. She knocked on the door once again.

"WHAT?!" the Diamond Dog shouted as it flung the door open.

"Excuse me," Fluttershy said in a calm but determined tone. "My name is Fluttershy and I am here as a representative of Canterlot to check on preparations for The Spring Equinox Celebration. I believe that Rarity is expecting us."

The canine's eyes went wide and he moved, stepping out of the doorway and holding it open.

"Please come in," he said.

Fluttershy smiled as she walked past him and into the place. Twilight followed close behind, glaring at the Diamond Dog and resisting the urge to keep rubbing the swollen knot forming on her head.

"Please have seat," the Diamond Dog said as he shut the door. "Me get Ms. Rarity."

The two mares nodded as they walked, looking around at the place. Along one of the walls was a bar, the curve following the circular design of the building. A unicorn stood behind it, cleaning some of the glasses. Numerous tables were scattered throughout, each covered in a white table cloth. Some were small enough for a single or a couple while others were large enough to have six ponies sitting together with room to spare. In the very center of the room was a dance floor which a smaller Diamond Dog was busy working on with a floor buffer.

Opposite the doors and past the dance floor was a large stage. On it were several groups of ponies of different types. Most of them were seated with instruments of one type of another. There were trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. There were violins, cellos, and guitars. There were even a full sized grand piano and a set of drums. Each was in use as music filled the air. It had a light jazz feel to it.

Closer to the front, with her back to the room, sat a single unicorn. She had a snowy white coat with a long, curly, royal purple mane and tail. On her flank was the pair of masks representing comedy and tragedy.

As the two watched, the Diamond Dog from the door moved to the stage and tapped the unicorn on the shoulder. The two talked to each other for a moment, the dog motioning toward the doors and pointing at the pair. The unicorn looked at where he was pointing, gave a nod and wave of her hoof, and turned toward the musicians.

"Alright, now," She called out. "You are doing well, my little musicians. Now take five. I have some guests to tend to."

The musicians set down their instruments. Several got up and stretched their legs. Some stayed where they were, talking among themselves. The unicorn stepped down off the stage and moved across the dance floor. She stopped to talk to the small Diamond Dog that was cleaning, placing a hoof on his shoulder gently. The two traded a smile before she continued to walk toward the two mares.

"Hello, darlings," she called out as she got closer to them. "It is so nice to meet you. I'm Rarity, owner and manager of this lovely place. Have a seat. Care for something to drink?" She turned toward the bar.

"Shaker? Three glasses of sparkling juice please."

Shaker, the unicorn bar tender, gave a nod and started filling the order.

"Now then," Rarity continued as she returned her attention to the two, "what can I do for you?"

"I'm Fluttershy, and this is my friend Twilight Sparkle. We were sent as representatives of Princess Temporal to check on preparations for the celebration."

"And according to our list," Twilight added, "You're in charge of music."

The drinks arrived and were set down before the three.

"Thank you," Rarity said as she took hers.

"Indeed I am." She took a sip. "As you may have heard just now," she motioned toward the stage, "my Jewels of Harmony have been working quite hard to prepare for the celebration. All of the music shall be simply superb."

"Excuse me," Twilight said. "This is a change of subject but... You have Diamond Dogs working for you?"

"Indeed." She gave a grin. "They are not the brightest employees admittedly, but they are tough looking -- which is useful in preventing ponies from causing trouble -- and quite loyal to their employer."

She downed the rest of her drink.

"Now, I apologize for cutting this short, but I do have to prepare for this evening. So if there are no further questions?"

Fluttershy and Twilight both looked at each other then gave a shake of their heads.

"Then I must get back to work," Rarity said as she stood up. "Please, do come back this evening for our show. I'll even have a table reserved for you." She gave them a grin. "And tell Applejack that she is invited as well. I promise not to prank her until after the celebration...." she paused and rubbed and rubbed her chin.

"Well.... perhaps we should simply make that for the evening. I don't want to give up too many opportunities after all."

Rarity let out a small giggle as she walked back toward the stage.

"So," Twilight said as she took a hold of her beverage. "That's everything on the list I believe. What do you want to do now?"

"I was thinking about it," Fluttershy replied, "and...maybe we should go to the library to see if they have any books on The King of Shadows or how to stop him."

"Really?" Twilight asked, nearly jumping out of her seat. "You mean... you actually believe me?"

"Well..." Fluttershy shifted, looking at her glass. "Honestly? I really really hope that you are wrong because I would hate for a monster like him to come back. But... if you're right then we have to find a way to stop him before he takes over Equestria."

Twilight looked down at her own glass, eyes starting to water.

"...Thank you..." she mumbled. "You..." She sniffed. "You have no idea how much it means to me that somepony is actually... actually willing to listen..." She wiped at her face. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey," Fluttershy reached out, placing a hoof on top of Twilight's, "that's what friends are for."

To The Tree of Knowledge

"You sure you want to go to the library?" Applejack asked. "I mean it's no problem to take you, but I don't see what you could find there that you couldn't find back in Canterlot."

"It's not about where we can find it... I hope," Twilight responded. "It's more about the fact that, if we're right, we kind of have to find out about it before the celebration. The whole of Equestria could possibly depend on it."

"Heh," Applejack let out a nervous chuckle. "No pressure or nothing then." She shifted. "Out of curiosity... what exactly do you expect to happen?"

"The King of Shadows is going to return," Twilight answered, getting a burst of laughter from Applejack.

"You mean that ol' story about a king that could turn to smoke and wanted to make ponies his slaves? You actually believe that silly old bedtime story?"

"Applejack," Fluttershy scolded, getting a look from the mare. The earth pony looked over toward Twilight, who had her ears pinned down and was looking at the ground.

"Aw, shoot," Applejack mutter. "I'm sorry sugar cube. I don't mean nothing."

"It's fine," Twilight said with a sigh. "Pretty much the same reaction I've gotten from nearly everypony that I've told... except Fluttershy and Luna."

"So, you three known each other fer long?"

"Actually... we just met last night."

Applejack stopped and turned, looking at Fluttershy and Twilight.

"Seriously?"

"Yes," Fluttershy replied with a nod.

"Huh." Applejack started walking again. "Way you two were actin' I figured ya knew each other fer quite a while."

Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle looked at each other for a moment, but said nothing.

"Alright," Applejack announced. "Here it is: The Golden Oak Library."

There in front of them was what looked like a large tree. It had windows, a door, even an observation deck built up in its branches. Out in front of it was a sign with an open book on it.

"Yes!" Twilight called out, running toward the door. Her horn glowed as she ran toward door. "Now's my chance to-"

The rest of her sentence was lost as she slammed into the door.

"What?" the unicorn cried out. She grabbed the nob and twisted in both directions. She pulled on it. She pushed on it. She shook it. She even gave the door a good swift kick.

"Why is it locked?!" she shouted, glaring at the door.

"I guess that nopony unlocked it this morning," Applejack said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "Isn't that what the librarian is supposed to do?"

"We don't have a librarian."

"WHAT?!" Twilight grabbed Applejack, looking her in the eye. "How can you not have a librarian?"

"The old one retired a couple months ago and nopony has taken the job since."

"You mean," Twilight's eyes went wide, "the library has been closed? For months?" One of her eyes twitched.

"N-no," Applejack replied. "I didn't say that. Normally somepony comes by in the morning to unlock the place and in the evening to lock it back up. I guess that nopony did it this morning."

Slowly, Fluttershy moved and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"It's okay, Twilight. We can go get the key and-"

"No," Twilight snapped. "We don't need to do that." She started to grin and run around.

"I just need to take a look inside and see how it looks. Then I can teleport inside and unlock the door to let you ponies in."

"No," Fluttershy said.

"What?" Twilight asked, her voice squeaking.

"I said 'no,'" Fluttershy repeated. "I am not letting you break into the library. It's wrong. Especially since we have an impressionable young filly with us."

"But...but...but..." Twilight sputtered.

"Do you really want to have to explain why you were arrested for breaking into a library."

Twilight thought about it a moment before letting out a sigh as her shoulders sagged.

"No," she admitted. "But come on. What are the chances of us getting caught?"

"Pretty good if you ask me," a voice called out behind them, causing Twilight to tense with her eyes going wide. She turned around, grinning nervously.

Rainbow Dash stood there, without her armor.

"How...how long have you been there?" Twilight asked.

"Long enough to hear you talk about teleporting into the library," Rainbow replied. "I just finished my shift and came to see if I could find you." She took a step forward. "Imagine my surprise when I overhear you talking about committing unlawful entry." Her eyes narrowed as she pointed a hoof at the unicorn.

"Oh...about that... Well.... you see...uh..."

"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said as she took a step forward, "could you help us get into the library? You do work for the town guard after all."

"Well..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin as she thought for a moment. "I suppose that since you are representatives of the princess and the library is public property, I could give you permission as a guard to enter provided you don't damage anything. It would be my responsibility after all."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, we don't want to get you into any trouble."

"I'll have to fill some paperwork out later," Rainbow Dash groaned, rolling her eyes, "but it should hold up. Besides, the Mayor's office is closed for the day. So otherwise you won't be able to get in until after the celebration."

"I'll take it," Twilight called out before vanishing in a puff of magic.

Less than a minute later, the door opened.

"Okay," Twilight said as the others came in, "we need to find a book about The Elements of Harmony. It was supposed to be how The Princess of Time was able to defeat The King of Shadows a thousand years ago."

"King of Shadows?" Rainbow asked. "That's what this is about?" She let out a groan and moved to look at one of the shelves. The others moved to shelves as well, searching through the books to see what they could find. Several minutes passed as the four mares -- and eventually a filly -- continued to look at the titles of the books and sometimes pulling one out to scan through the pages.

"'Elements of Harmony,'" Luna read from the spine of one book.

"You found it?" Twilight called out, running over. She pulled the book from the shelf and started flipping the pages.

"Yes I did," Luna said with a grin, puffing up with pride.

"And we're very proud," Fluttershy added, nuzzling the filly.

Twilight Sparkle continued to flip through the book, scanning the pages.

"Here we go," she said as she stopped on a page. She began to read. "'There are six Elements of Harmony. Five of them are known: Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, and Laughter. It is said that when a spark is introduced, the five Elements will reveal the sixth one."

"Spark?" Rainbow Dash repeated. "What does that mean?"

"We still need to know where they are," Fluttershy replied.

"Hold on." Twilight flipped through a couple pages. "Ah, here we go. 'The last known location of The Elements is in the remains of The Castle of Time, located in... The Everfree Forest?'"

"No," Rainbow Dash called out. "No way. No how. This is where I draw the line."

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked. "You know where The Everfree Forest is?"

"Yes I know where it is," Rainbow replied. "We live right beside it. And you are not going in there on this wild goose chase. That place is dangerous. The only one even close to a pony I know that has been able to come out of there alive is Zecora, and that's because she is actually crazy enough to live out there. There is no way I am letting you go out there."

"But it might be the only way to stop The King of Shadows," Twilight said, moving closer to Rainbow Dash.

"Fine," Rainbow yelled back. "If -- IF -- The King of Shadows actually does return, then I will escort you into The Everfree Forest so you can try to look for The Elements of Harmony. But only -- and I mean only -- if it turns out that he is real."

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Really," Dash repeated.

"Swear on your cutie mark."

"What?"

"I said 'swear on your cutie mark.'" Twilight pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash's flank.

Rainbow looked at it. There on her side was a comet. The dot that made the comet proper was a white spot. Behind it was a red, yellow and blue contrail following. The entire mark had a slight curve to it.

"Seriously?" Rainbow looked at Twilight again. "I thought only foals did something like that."

"Do it."

"Ugh. Fine." She placed a hoof on her cutie mark. "I, Rainbow Dash, do hereby swear on my cutie mark that should The King of Shadows return, I will escort you, Twilight Sparkle, and any other pony who wishes to go, into The Everfree Forest to seek out The Castle of Time and The Elements of Harmony."

"Deal." Twilight grabbed Rainbow's hoof and shook it. Rainbow Dash tilted her head and looked at Twilight Sparkle as they shook hooves.

"What makes you so sure this going to happen, anyways?"

"... I don't know..." Twilight finally admitted. "It's.... It's hard to explain. Sometimes it just seems like my mind is having all these thoughts and making all these connections without my realizing it. It could be something helpful, like how a spell is supposed to work, or something that I can't understand myself, like this. I just... I know it's true."

Twilight shifted, shuffling her hooves and looking down at them. Her ear gave a twitch as she felt like everypony was staring at her.

"Alright," Rainbow Dash said. "I believe you."

"What?" Twilight asked, looking at the pegasus in confusion.

"I said I believe you. I hope to Tartarus and back that you are wrong though."

"I..." Twilgiht blinked, her mind still reeling. "Thank you?"

"Don't thank me yet." Rainbow Dash got up and started for the door. "Thank me after the celebration is over, one way or the other. Now if you'll excuse me." She rubbed at her forehead. "I think I need to take a nap."

Waking From Nightmares

"Captain?" Rainbow Dash called out as she jumped from the stage and landed in front of the prone pony. Reaching out, she placed a hoof on Captain Heartstrings's shoulder and shook it gently. She let out a groan and shook her head, her eyes returning to their normal gold color.

"Sergeant?" she groaned out, looking up. "What happened?" Pushing to sit up, she rubbed at her head.

"The..." Rainbow Dash stopped herself from saying King of Shadows. "Sombra hit you with some sort of spell."

"Is anypony hurt?"

"No, ma'am." She shifted. "But..." She looked over at Pinkie Pie. "You weren't the only one that he got."

Rarity and Twilight walked over to the prone changeling form. Twilight's horn began to glow as she reached out, her magic touching Pinkie Pie. Their was a grunt of pain as the rose colored magic flared the toxic purple before vanishing, causing the unicorn to stumble backwards.

"That hurt," Twilight groaned.

"Pinkie?" Rarity said, moving closer to Pinkie Pie.

"Ra..Rarity?" Pinkie Pie asked, her eyes shifting back to their normal color.

"Yes darling, it's me. Are you-"

The rest of her statement was cut off by Pinkie Pie. Leaping up, she wrapped her front legs around the neck of the other pony. Pinkie Pie held onto Rarity tightly, pressing her head against friends neck.

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Mad?" Rarity asked in confusion. "You just threw yourself in front of a spell to save me from... whatever it was. Why would I be mad?"

"I just.." Pinkie sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "I guess it was a really bad dream. I just... everypony hated me. No one wanted to be my friend. They didn't even want me around. Even the Cakes were trying to... to.. m-m-make me lea-"

"Ssshhh," Rarity cooed. "It's okay." She hugged her friend back, rubbing a hoof against her shoulder. "You're fine. Your friends are here. Nopony hates you, and nopony wants you to leave."

"Thank you," Pinkie whispered.

"Not to be callous," Heartstrings stated, "but I would appreciate it if somepony could fill me in on what happened. Especially who that was and what they did to Miss Pie and myself."

"I can answer those," Twilight said. "That was King Sombra, the legendary King of Shadows."

Heartstrings groaned and rubbed her head again.

"If I hadn't seen it myself," she grumbled.

"It's alright Captain," Rainbow Dash said. "I didn't believe it either."

"It is not alright, Sergeant!" Heartstrings snapped, practically shouting. "The princess is missing and there is an ancient evil that is plotting to enslave..."

She stopped and sighed before taking a deep breath.

"Sorry. Not your fault." She turned back to Twilight. "So what did he do to us?"

"Well if he did the same thing to you as he did to Pinkie Pie, then it was some sort of fear spell. I didn't get to look at it very well, but I think it shows a pony their own fears."

"Like having the ponies you care about hate you?" Pinkie asked as she pulled away from Rarity.

"Considering how shaken up you were, I would say so." Twilight answered.

"That would explain..." Heartstrings stopped and shook her head. "Never mind. We need to get to work trying to find Princess Temporal and see about stopping Sombra. Sergeant, start rounding up guards off-duty and meet me back at my office."

"I'm sorry, Captain," Rainbow Dash stated, "but I can't do that."

"What?"

"The representatives from Canterlot," she held out a hoof to point at Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle, "think they have a lead on a way to stop him, but it means going into The Everfree Forest." She shifted, her cheeks turning pink.

"I... kind of... promised that if The King of Shadows actually did return, I would go with them."

"You're lucky that means protecting ponies and helping find a way to stop him," Heartstrings stated. "Very well, you are hereby ordered to assist them in their expedition into The Everfree. I expect a full report when you return."

"Yes, Captain," Rainbow Dash said with a salute.

"Applejack?" Fluttershy asked. "Could you please take Luna back to your house?"

"What?" Luna cried out, wings flaring. "But I can help. I want to go too."

"I know you do." She gave the filly a gentle pat on the head. "But it's going to be very dangerous, Luna, and it is still my duty to protect and teach you. In this case, that means making sure you're someplace safe."

Luna pouted but said nothing.

"Apple Bloom can take her," Applejack stated. "I'm comin' with you three."

"Are you sure about that?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, you and Rainbow Dash have both said it's dangerous and your family-" she stopped when a hoof was held up against her mouth.

"My family has been here since the founding of Ponyville. I would never be able to look Granny Smith in the eye again if I let y'all put yourselves in danger to protect our homes and didn't try and help myself."

"That's so wonderful to hear," Rarity stated as she approached the others. "It seems the five of us are going on quite an adventure."

"Six."

"Are you sure about that?" Rarity asked. "I mean, considering you were affected by his spell once already."

"Ponyville..." Pinkie stopped. "No. Equestria is my home too. I have worked hard to be accepted and have friends. I'm not just going to let it go without trying to help. I'm also pretty sure that being enslaved would mean ponies would not have so much love and kindness." She straightened up. "Plus, you did say he ran away when he saw I was a changeling."

"Well that is true," Rarity admitted.

"I guess we are going to have a lot of help with us," Fluttershy said looking around.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "It's... it's kind of touching to see ponies coming together and willing to help each other so much."

"That's what friends do."

"Alright," Applejack stated. "Bloom, take Luna and head straight home. Tell Big Macintosh and Granny what's going on, just in case."

"Okay," the little filly said as she started walking. "Come on Luna. Maybe Granny will let us have some pie."

"If you don't come back," Luna growled at Fluttershy, "I'll never forgive you." She then turned and started to follow after Apple Bloom.

Fluttershy watched the two fillies go, and smiled slightly. Hopefully she would see them again.

"Okay," she said, turning to the others. "We have a relic to find and a princess to save. Let's get started."

Starting the Everfree Adventures

"I never thought I would say this," Fluttershy said as she looked at the forest in front of her, "but I kind of wish the sun was out all the way."

"It wouldn't help," Rainbow Dash replied. "Trust me, this place is always creepy looking."

"It's not that bad," Pinkie stated, once more in her pink earth pony guise.

"'sides," Applejack added, "it don't matter how the place looks. It's about what goes on out here."

"Alright girls," Rarity called out. "Let us save the ghost stories for when we set up camp. That is, assuming we do so." She turned toward Twilight. "Where exactly are we trying to go?"

"Supposedly The Castle of Time is out here," Twilight answered. "It is said to be the original castle for The Princess of Time over a thousand years ago and supposed to be the last place The Elements of Harmony were last known to exist."

The six of them continued on, following the closest thing to a trail that they could find. Rainbow Dash and Twilight led the way, the first because she felt she should be the first to take on any danger, and the second because she had the best idea on where the group was actually trying to get to. Applejack pulled up the rear, figuring her earth pony strength and bucking abilities with her bio-mechanical legs would be a good way to handle anything attacking them from behind. Rarity stayed close to the middle with Fluttershy while Pinkie Pie moved around, looking at some of the things nearby curiously.

A groaning creaking sound filled the air, causing the six mares to stop. The noise grew louder, turning into a thundering crack as some of the trees ahead of them started to fall, blocking the path ahead.

"AJ!" Rainbow Dash shouted, darting toward the trees and trying to stop them from falling.

"Got it!" Applejack called out, running after the pegasus.

Rainbow Dash flew up and got between the trees, pressing herself where the trunks met. She pushed up hard as she could, wings flapping with all her might. As much as she would have liked to be, Rainbow Dash was not strong enough to stop two eight-foot tall trees from collapsing.

She was, however, able to slow it down enough that Applejack was able to get underneath them as well. Rainbow Dash landed on the farm pony's back, bracing herself. There was a metallic groan as the weight settled onto Applejack's back, her mechanical legs shifting to take most of the weight.

"I got ya," Applejack groaned. "Don't know how long though."

"The rest of you hurry," Dash called out, legs shaking.

The other four ran as quickly as they could, moving to the sides of the pair of piled ponies and slipping through the gaps. Soon the four were past and waiting on the other side.

"Alright," Applejack said. "They're past. Now it's your turn."

"Get ready," Rainbow replied. "This is probably going to hurt. On three, push up hard. One... two...

"Three!"

The pair pushed up hard, lifting the trees for a split second. It was enough time for Rainbow Dash to give a flap of her wings as she flew backwards, slipping out from under the trees. As she did, she grabbed Applejack's tail, yanking hard.

Applejack let out a yelp of surprise and pain as she was pulled out from under the falling trees. The trees fell the rest of the way, hitting the ground. Applejack was doing the same, falling onto her stomach as she was released.

"Are you two okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm going to be sore," Rainbow Dash answered as she stretched her wings, "but nothing's damaged. AJ?"

Applejack pushed herself up from her stomach and shook herself. She lifted and lowered each leg, checking them. Her left mechanical leg gave out a groan of gears grinding against each other.

"I can walk," Applejack said, "but I think that buckin' anything is out 'til I can get some repairs done."

"Looks like we can't go back this way." Pinkie Pie poked at one of the branches from the fallen trees. "Wonder what made them fall."

"I doubt it matters," Rarity said. "Besides, if this is anything like an adventure storybook, things are going to get a lot more difficult before we are finished."

"We should keep moving then," Fluttershy suggested. "This doesn't really seem like a good place to stop and rest."

"Maybe we should have gone to see Zecora first," Rainbow Dash thought aloud as she moved to take the lead again.

"You sure we're headed in the right direction, Twilight?"

"Doesn't really matter now," Twilight responded. "We can't really go back now."

Slowly the six of them resumed their trek, heading deeper into The Everfree Forest.

"Oh you are quite right my dear," Sombra's voice said. "This is only the beginning."

Through the Valley of The Shadow Ponies

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash stopped, looking over the edge of the hill. The side the pair was looking down was so sharply sloped, it was more like a cliff. The other four -- Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity -- stood further back, looking out.

"It looks like our path takes us down through that valley," Twilight said. "Hopefully we can find a way down not much further ahead."

A blindingly bright flash of lightning filled the sky, along with a ground-shaking boom of thunder. The six mare looked up, seeing the first droplets of rain begin to fall.

"What's going on?" Fluttershy asked as she watched the rain begin. "I thought that today was supposed to be clear for The Spring Equinox Celebration."

"We don't control the weather in The Everfree," Rainbow Dash replied. "Never have. What the weather does around here is completely under its own control." She looked up at the clouds. "We should probably get out of it soon though. It might just be rain right now, but it looks like its going to get-"

There was another flash and boom, blinding and deafening the six ponies for a split second. Before they could recover, there was another boom. The ground beneath them gave way, massive chunks falling from the side of the hill.

Being the furthest from the edge, Applejack was able to scramble backwards, keeping herself from actually falling. Rarity was not so fortunate and began to fall. Her horn lit up as she thought quickly. Using her magic, the Rarity navigated herself to a rocky protrusion and helped that it was strong enough to support her weight.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie reacted automatically, using their wings to take to the air. Fluttershy should have done the same thing, but was caught off-guard and not as quick as the other two. The collapsed threw her off-balance, striking one of the chunks of ground with her side and sending a burst of pain through one of her wings. She hit the edge of the steep slope back first and began to slide down along it.

"Help!" She cried out, trying to get a grip on anything.

Twilight had managed to grab a hold of a root as she was passing. Seeing Fluttershy sliding past her, she let go and grabbed the yellow batpony.

"I got you," Twilight said as she pulled her friend tight.

"Thanks, but what now?"

"Hold on. I haven't tried this spell before."

Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes. Twilight Sparkle held her friend tightly, closing her eyes as well as she tried to concentrate. The unicorn's horn began to glow with magic, growing brighter and larger as the power built up.

In a burst of rose colored light, the two ponies disappeared.

A second later, the two appeared in another burst of magic. They hit the ground from several inches above, landing with a thud, but otherwise unhurt. Twilight and Fluttershy both fell limply, groaning as the world seemed to spin around them.

"Are you two okay?" Rarity asked as she was carried down by Pinkie Pie, with Rainbow Dash carrying Applejack.

"I feel a little queasy," Fluttershy groaned, giving her head a shake.

"Me too," Twilight agreed, "and really drained. I think I'm going to need some time before trying anything like that again."

The other four helped Twilight and Fluttershy back up to their hooves. The pair wobbled for a moment, having to lean against each other for support.

"Well at least we're all down into the valley," Applejack said. "Now we just need to find a place to get out of this rain."

The six of them started to walk again. After only a few steps, Fluttershy walked over to Twilight and pressed against her to get her attention.

"By the way, how did you know that teleport spell would work if you hadn't tried it before?"

Twilight's cheeks turned slightly pink as she looked away, ears dropping.

"I... I didn't," she admitted. "I wasn't really thinking about the spell actually. I just... saw you were in danger and had to do something to make sure you were okay."

"Oh." Fluttershy shifted a moment then smiled. "Well thank you, Twilight. You are a good friend to care like that."

Another flash and crack caused the pair to jump. Letting out nervous chuckles, they began to move at a brisk trot.

"Wow," Pinkie Pie said with a grin as she looked around. "This place is super creepy looking. Especially with the rain."

"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "It almost seems like something out of an adventure book."

"Ugh," Rainbow Dash groaned. "I hope not. If that's the case then-"

Something burst up from the ground.

"...something like that would happen."

Several more burst out as well. Twitching and shifting, four black forms began to pull themselves from out of the ground. What came out look like they had the shape and basic size of ponies. The first noticeable difference was that they were all black. Not the same smooth glossy black that made up the shells of changelings, but a deep black that seemed like a void. The only exception was two glowing red points that were their eyes. The other was how thin they were. The creatures were nearly skeletal in build.

The four creatures turned toward the other ponies, and let out a hiss.

"What are those?" Rainbow Dash asked, eyes going wide.

"I don't know," Twilight replied. "I've never read about anything like that before."

"Who cares," Rarity shouted as she galloped past. "Let's just run!"

The other five took their cue from their friend and started running after her as quick as they could. Occasionally one of them would glance back, and see the creatures chasing after them.

"I..." Twilight panted slightly as she tried to speak. "I think there's.... There's a bridge some.... Somewhere up ahead." She took a deep breath. "If we can get to it, we.... we can cut the ropes and.... and strand them on the other side."

Rainbow Dash looked around at the other five ponies and back at the four chasing them. Jaw setting, she began to slow down.

"Keep going," she shouted as the other ponies began to catch up with her. "Cut the ropes when you get across. I'll join you soon as I can."

"What are you doing?" Applejack asked.

"They're catching up. I'll buy you guys some time to make sure you can make it." She came to a stop, as did the others.

"Dash?" Fluttershy asked. "Do you really think you can beat them?"

"...I honestly don't know," Rainbow Dash admitted. "I don't even know what they are. But right now, I'm the best fighter, and can fly across the gap, so I have the best chance."

"But we can't just-"

"Can and will." She turned and gave the group a hard look. "Now go." She turned to look in the direction the creatures came from again. "This is your and Twilight's mission so you are the ones who need to make it. My job is to do whatever I can to help you do it."

"...okay..." Fluttershy said with a soft voice as she turned and started running again. She did not feel right abandoning her friend, especially after finding her again after all these years. Still, she had a point.

"We'll see you where we set up a resting place."

"But-" Twilight started, but stopped.

"Not now," Rarity interrupted. "Just trust in our friend and go."

Reluctantly, the five of them left their friend behind, each one sparing several final glances back at her as they went.

Rainbow Dash watched them go and let out a sigh. Closing her eyes, she took several slow deep breaths. The mare stretched out her joints, her neck popping several times.

The sound of hissing reached her as the creatures moved closer.

Rainbow opened her eyes and narrowed them as a smirk spread across her face. She opened her wings and with a hard flap took off, flying toward them in a rainbow colored streak.

"Alright," she said with a grin, "let's see how your flanks like being spanked by Rainbow Dash's Rainbow Comet."

Waiting It Out - Pinkie Tells Her Tale

The five ponies sat in the shelter they had found, watching the rain and hail. They sat close to the fire, enjoying the warmth. The worst of the rain, ice and wind were kept out, but there was still a chill in the air. Although none would admit it, they chill the five felt was not entirely related to the weather.

Things were not all bad though. It turned out that Rarity had brought marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

"Well we have a s'mores," she said, "and we have a lovely campfire. We may as well tell some stories while we wait for Dash to return."

"You really think that she'll be okay?" Fluttershy asked, her wings twitching as she shifted.

"Now don't you worry 'bout her," Applejack said, placing a hoof gently on the batpony's side. "That girl tends to get in a fight nearly every day tryin' to 'protect Ponyville.' If anypony can whoop those things and get back to us, it's her."

"I hope so."

"Getting back to stories," Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, "I'm kind of curious about yours. How does a changeling end up working at a bakery in a small town?"

"It's a long story," Pinkie Pie replied, "and not very interesting."

"I like stories, long or short. As for interesting, I would say it is just because this is something that I have never seen or heard before. Please?"

Pinkie looked at Twilight and started to giggle.

"Okay, okay. But only because you look so cute when you beg like that."

She reached out to grab some more marshmallows, setting them on the stick to toast them. Once she had them going, she started to talk.

"It doesn't start with my arrival in Ponyville though. It starts with when I was a baby. My pa was heading back to the rock farm when he heard something. When he went to find out what it was he found me.

"Pa knew what I was, but didn't know anything about changelings. As such, he wasn't sure what to do about me. On one hoof, he was worried that if he messed with me, my family wouldn't know where I was or something. On the other, I was still a living creature that looked a lot like a pony, and he didn't feel right leaving out there alone.

"It wasn't until I was older that I learned about the whole changeling hive thing. Most likely I was abandoned because I look different from most of the others. A 'genetic anomaly' I think they called it. Because I was different, the other changelings would have thought that I wouldn't survive and probably be a danger to the hive. As such, they took me far away from where they were and left me somewhere to...well... whatever nature would do with me I guess."

Pinkie Pie stopped and took a deep breath. She rubbed at her eyes, wiping the tears away with a sniff. She ate one of the s'mores and started on some fresh marshmallows.

"Pa didn't know anything about hives, or genetics, or anything like that. He was happy with his simple life as a rock farmer. In the end, he saw a living creature that needed help. So he took me home where he showed me to Ma -- who was pregnant -- and my older sister.

"Things were fine at first, then I started to get sick. Ma and Pa didn't know why. I had been eating fine at first, but then I couldn't keep anything down. The doctors didn't know what to do since I wasn't a pony. Ma and Pa tried everything they could think of, but days passed and I got weaker and weaker..."

The other four ponies leaned in closer toward Pinkie Pie, finding themselves entranced by the story.

"It reached the point where it was so bad that they were afraid I wouldn't make it through the night. They took turns staying up with me, doing everything they could. Ma and Pa were scared they were going to lose me. Ma even told me that she felt like she was going to lose one of her own daughters.

"Then in the morning I was fine. My folks couldn't figure out what happened, but Pa came in to check on me and found me sleeping curled up and sleeping against Ma who had fallen asleep. When he woke us up, I was happy, healthy and hyper. They had no idea what happened. After learning a lot more about changelings, I think I know though."

"Love," Twilight said. "You needed love to survive but hadn't been getting it. Then they came to think of you and love you as their own daughter, so you got what you needed."

Pinkie Pie nodded.

"After that I was pretty much like a normal pony. I had a loving family, including my parents and sisters. I learned to change forms and eventually came up with the one you see now. I even learned to cook. That was one of my favorite things to do. Ma's food was always so good. She said it was because she always put plenty of love into it. 'Good food always had to be made with love.'

"It turned out it was truer for me then she realized. When I make something like a cake or muffins, ponies can enjoy it so much that they give off a small amount of love without realizing it."

"Wait," Applejack interrupted. "You mean to say that you bake because ponies love your cooking and you can feed off it?"

"I thought you knew," Pinkie Pie responded, looking at her friend.

"I... I guess I did in a way." She looked toward the fire. "I guess I just never really thought about it much 'til you actually said it."

"It's pretty nice. Show ponies some generosity and friendship, and they give off happiness and joy that I can feed off without having to hurt them."

"Well don't stop now," Rarity stated. "You have told us all but how you came to work at Sugarcube Corner."

"You don't know?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well not entirely," Rarity admitted. "I mean I just came in one morning and there she was working for the Cakes."

"A couple years ago," Pinkie continued, "I was looking for a job. I had applied to some places closer to my family home, but none of them wanted to hire me because of what I was. My folks thought it would be better if I was honest about it instead of trying to hide it. Figured I couldn't hide it forever, and if ponies found out that I was hiding it, they would think that I was spying on them.

"Unfortunately, most of the ponies I met with were afraid of me just because I was a changeling and worried that I was going to steal their love from them in their sleep or something."

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy mumbled. "I know what it's like to be different."

"Thanks" Pinkie replied with a smile, "but it's okay. I know the kind of stories of my kind that are told.

"Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Cake admitted that they were a little uncertain, but gave me a chance. They helped me fill out the paperwork so I could work there and let me stay in the spare room that made the cupcake above their bakery. From there, I met other ponies and eventually, they accepted me."

"You forgot about the official letter of citizenship from Princess Temporal."

Rainbow Dash gave her wings a flick and her mane a shake as she stepped into the shelter. She looked around with one eye, the other swollen shut and discolored. The wide grin she gave the group showed a missing tooth. The pegasus grabbed several marshmallows and tossed them into her mouth.

"You're okay!" Fluttershy shouted, leaping to give Rainbow Dash a hug.

"Ow," Dash cried out as she was squeezed. "Easy there."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." The pegasus gave the batpony a gentle pat. "Just a couple of bruises and scrapes. Nothing serious."

"See?" Applejack said with a grin. "I told you Rainbow Dash could whoop those things."

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash shifted. "Not so much. Those things could hit pretty hard, but fighting back was like trying to punch pudding. That and the fact there were four of them made it worse. Ended up having to fly to get away from them. Good news is they didn't just sprout wings and fly after me. Bad news is they didn't run over the edge of the cliff so they're still back there."

"Great," Twilight groaned. "So if we want to go back the way we came, we have to find our way across a chasm where a bridge used to be, escape four weird shadow pony creatures, make our way back up out of the valley, and somehow get past the fallen trees blocking the path." She rubbed at her forehead.

"Don't worry Twilight," Rarity said. "I'm sure that once we reach the castle we'll be able to find another way back to Ponyville."

"In the meantime," Rainbow Dash added with a grin, "how about I tell you a proper campfire story while we wait for the storm to pass? Like the story of... The Headless Horse!"

Not a Dream Twilight

I'm going to be late for class!

Twilight bolted up, eyes wide. The fear of being late for class gave way to confusion. This was not her room. This was not even a room. She was...

The last bits of sleepiness left her mind as she remembered what all was going on. She was in The Everfree Forest with some other ponies, trying to find The Elements of Harmony to stop The King of Shadows. More importantly, she was still on holiday from The Spring Equinox Celebration, so there was no class to be late for.

Twilight stood up and stretched, looking around. It was hard to tell what time it was; the sun was still directly overhead with the moon half-eclipsing it. The storm had stopped though. Droplets still hung from the leaves and branches, gleaming in the partial day light. The other ponies were still asleep, curled up around the remains of the fire. The embers still glowed with heat.

Letting the others sleep a little longer, Twilight slipped out of the shelter. She took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the air after it rained. When was the last time she had done something like this? Maybe she should get out of the library more after all.

Twilight.

Twilight tensed, eyes opening. It sounded like somepony had said her name. Eyes open and ears twitching, she looked around, trying to find where it came from.

Twilight.

Twilight's curiosity was now piqued. The sound calling her name was coming from the forest.

Just ignore it Twilight, she told herself. You're in a creepy forest full of monsters where strange things happen, and you hear a mysterious voice calling your name. The best thing you could do is go back to the shelter, wait for the others, and continue to search for the castle.

Twilight.

"Buck," Twilight groaned aloud, looking around. It seemed that while her mind was telling herself to ignore it, her legs and curiosity decided that she needed to investigate. As a result, she was now in a different part of the forest, nowhere near the others.

"Okay. It's okay. I'm fine. I just need to turn around and-"

Before she realized what was happening, inky blackness covered her muzzle, holding it shut. A pair of glowing green and red eyes appeared from the shadows, staring at her. Above them, a red sharp horn started to form. Below, predatory white teeth gleamed in a hungry grin. The face leaned forward, causing Twilight to try and pull back.

"Hello," Sombra purred into her ear before giving her cheek a lick.

Twilight let out a whimper of disgust, eye twitching at the feel of the monster's saliva against her skin. She yanked hard, but could not break loose. Her horn began to glow with power.

There was a burst of pain, causing her to lose her concentration.

"Now now," Sombra stated, "none of that." He took a hold of her face and pulled to make her look at him. His grin grew wider as his eyes narrowed, causing Twilight to shiver.

"You know," he continued, "I have been watching you and your compatriots. Perhaps I have been showing an interest in the wrong unicorn."

Twilight shifted, looking at him with her head tilted and eyebrows scrunched up.

"You, my dear, seem to be quite a skilled and powerful unicorn. I could use a pony like you. A mare with your power and skill could go far as my concubine. I could teach you about magic and spells that have been lost to time. I could share knowledge that no other pony in Equestria knows."

Knowledge? Lost spells?

"With me at your side, you could be more powerful than the princess herself. Nothing could stand in your way. All would fear you. Well... except me of course."

Twilight rolled her eyes.

"So, what do you say? Be my queen, forget this foalish quest, and help me rule Equestria. I will help you become one of the most powerful unicorns alive, and together we shall sire a dynasty of power like nothing that has ever been seen before."

Twilight stood there -- unable to speak -- staring at Sombra. Her feet shifted as her mind worked.

She suddenly reared up and brought her head forward, slamming it into Sombra's muzzle.

Sombra roared out from the blow, head reeling back. Black smoke poured out from his nostrils and up into the air before disappearing.

"I'll take that as a no," he growled, glaring at her. "Perhaps I should give you the opportunity to reconsider. After all, the alternative is to spend the rest of your life -- and it shall be a short life -- in a futile attempt to stop me before dying a broken and worthless slave. In the mean time," his horn began to glow, "I'm afraid I can't let you use your powers against me."

Twilight managed to let out one scream before she was hit by Sombra's magic.

She was a filly again. Just a little filly. Not old enough to have a cutie mark or use her magic. She had no idea where she was.

"Alright," a voice she couldn't see said. "You have one hour to complete the test. Any questions?"

Twilight tried to ask a question. Several actually. She had no paper or pencils, no desk. She had no idea what kind of test it was. How could she have possibly studied for it if she did not know what kind of test it was?

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Not even a squeak.

"Begin!"

Twilight Sparkle started to hyperventilate. What was she supposed to do?

"Twily?" a voice asked, sounding like her brother. "What are you doing? You have a test. Stop wasting time and get to work."

She wanted to say that she would if somepony told her what to do. She wanted to take the test. She wanted to do well. She just needed to know what was expected of her.

"Twilight," another -- her mother -- scolded. "Shame on you. Your father and I are very disappointed. We know you can do better than this.

Tears began to burn at her eyes. She wanted to do good. She wanted to make them proud.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy called out, getting her attention. "HELP!"

Twilight turned to the voice, finding Fluttershy and the other four. They were surrounded by shadows and being held down. The darkness slowly engulfed and consumed them, and she could do nothing to stop it. The first real friends she ever had, and she was about to lose them.

"Twilight."

She heard her name again. The voice sounded familiar, but the tone was different.

"Twilight, darling."

Something touched her. She looked around but could not see what.

"Time to wake up."

Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes. Everything was fuzzy and glowing a moment before she managed to blink it away. Feeling like she was back in control of herself, she looked up.

Rarity stood right beside her, a hoof on her shoulder. On one side was Applejack and Fluttershy, on the other was Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. They all looked worried.

"What happened?" Twilight asked as she moved to sit up.

"That's what we were hoping you could tell us," Rainbow Dash replied. "Fluttershy woke us up, saying she heard you scream. Then we found you out here."

"I..." Twilight gave as hake of her head. "I thought I heard something. I tried to go back to camp, but my curiosity got the better of me. I know I shouldn't have gone alone."

"You're bucking right you shouldn't have," Rainbow snapped. "Something worse could have happened to you. You could have been hurt. You could have been killed! You-"

"That's enough!" Applejack interrupted. "I think it's clear that Twilight feels bad, Dash. You don't need to yell at her."

Dash glared at her before letting out a sigh and looking away.

"You're right." She looked to Twilight. "I'm sorry. This whole thing is getting me stressed out and putting me on edge. Plus there's... uhm..."

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Does anypony have a mirror?"

None of them did.

"Well I have an idea," Rarity said with a smile. "Applejack, Twilight, please come here."

The two looked at the white unicorn curiously before approaching. Rarity huffed out a warm breath on Applejack's metal flank, then rubbed at it with the fur of her leg.

"Hey!" Applejack called out, her cheeks turning pink.

"Sorry," Rarity said in a voice that made Applejack doubt the sincerity of it, "but we need something to use as a mirror. Your metal parts are the best option we have at the moment." She rubbed a little more. "There we go. Take a look, Twilight."

Twilight moved and looked at her reflection, letting out a gasp. Several small black things were stuck to her horn. It was hard to make out with the make-shift mirror, but it looked like rocks or something.

"Oh no," she cried out. "Oh no. Nononononono. This is bad. This is bad-bad-bad." She reached up and poked at her horn.

"What-"

"Sh!" Twilight interrupted, putting a hoof up to Pinkie's mouth. "I need to check this."

She looked out and tried to concentrate. Her face scrunched as she tried harder. Her eyes clenched shut as her jaw clenched.

Nothing happened.

Twilight let out a groan and flopped to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"No." Twilight replied with a huff. "I'm not. With...whatever those are on my horn, I can't use my magic. I don't think I'm going to be any use on this quest."

"Now that ain't true," Applejack said as she placed a hoof on Twilight. "C'mon. You're the one who figured this thing out. Pretty sure we will need your help even without your magic."

Twilight smiled.

"Okay," Dash said. "That's enough self-pitying and mushy stuff. We still have a castle to find and a crazy 'king,'" she held up her hooves to make quotation marks, "to find. Plus if he's been here..." She shifted and looked around. "I would really like to get as far away as possible."

The others all agreed.

"Okay," Twilight said as she looked around. "Well let's keep going. I think I can see something in that direction."

"Hold on," Fluttershy said. "I..." she shifted, looking at the ground. "I think that maybe Rarity and I should lead for a while. I mean I can give a warning if I hear anything, and she can give us some light to see ahead."

"You sure?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean it makes sense, but you're not exactly a mare to be in the front."

"I think it's our best chance," Fluttershy replied. "I mean we need to stay close anyways, and the more warning we can get the better. Right?"

"Well I don't object," Rarity responded.

"Besides," Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash, "You should probably go a little easy for a while in case there's another fight later."

"It's not a matter of 'if,'" Rainbow retorted, "but 'when.' I guess you have a point though."

The six of them started walking once again, moving to keep close as they got into order and continued deeper into The Everfree.

Zap Apples and Timberwolves

The six mares continued to work their way deeper into The Everfree Forest. The hush of the woods was broken by the sound of them talking to each other. Despite the events that had happened since the group had entered, it had become difficult for the group to remain frightened of the forest. As such, they no longer felt the need to have to be on their complete guard. They were not completely comfortable with the place, however, nor were they foolish enough to ignore that there were still dangers. As such, they spoke low in order to fill silence, but allow them to hear or see anything that came after them.

"Oh my," Rarity said from the front, stopping. "Applejack, I believe that you will want to see this."

Ahead of them was a large apple tree, filled with large fruit. They did not look like normal apples, however. Instead, they were rainbow colored.

"I don't believe it," Applejack said, eyes wide. "Zap apples. And it looks like they're ripe too."

"Zap apples?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's a magic apple. Granny Smith found the seeds out here way back when Sweet Apple Acres was first built. They're some of the best apples in Equestria."

"I don't understand," Twilight said, looking at the tree. "If these apples are so wonderful how come I haven't heard of them before."

"The ones on the farm are only ripe once a year, and that's just for five days."

"So finding a tree out here with ripe fruit is a big deal?"

"Right."

"Well," Fluttershy said as she moved toward the tree, "I suppose that we should at least give them a try while we're here." With a flap of her wings, she lifted off the ground.

"Well we can't buck it," Applejack said. "Even if I was ab-"

Fluttershy's tongue shot out and wrapped around one of the apples. It pulled off from the branch and into her mouth. As soon as it reached her, she bit down. The mare let out a small noise of pleasure.

"These are delicious!"

The other ponies all stared at Fluttershy, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.

"Wow," Rainbow Dash said slowly. "I had no idea you could do that."

Fluttershy let out a squeak as she realized everypony was watching her. She landed on the ground, holding the apple in her front hooves and blushing.

"Forget about that," Pinkie said as she dropped her disguise. "Let's get some of those apples." With a buzz of her insect wings, she flew up toward the tree and began to pull apples from the branches.

As the apples were dropped, the other ponies moved to catch them. Fluttershy stuck her apple back in her mouth to hold it as she and Rainbow Dash went up to help collect the apples.

"We should take some back with us," Pinkie Pie suggested. "I would love to try some new recipes with them" She let out a gasp. "And maybe if Applejack plants these seeds, they'll have a crop twice a year instead of just once." She and Twilight both started to put some in their saddle bags. Pinkie to try cooking with them later, and Twilight so she could study them at a later time.

The moment was interrupted by a deep growl, causing the six to stop. Glowing green eyes stared at them. A foul smell filled the air. The large wolf-like creatures that looked to be made of wood started to move forward. They growled and snarled as they moved toward the ponies.

Applejack moved to step between the wolves and the others. She looked toward the right of the approaching predators.

"Listen carefully," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "Don't make any sudden moves and don't look them in the eye. Just drop any of the apples you can't carry. The slowly, and quietly, back away."

"Bu-" Rainbow Dash's mouth was closed by magic before she could finish.

"She knows what she's doing," Rarity whispered. "Come on. Do as she says."

The other five did so, slowly moving away from the tree and the wooden wolves that were standing in front of them.

"It's alright," Applejack continued in a soft, soothing voice. "We don't mean you no harm. Don't worry. We'll just go."

The creatures continued to growl, watching her, but did not move. From behind them, several smaller heads poked out. Applejack's eyes went wide with understanding.

"Okay," she continued. "Okay. We'll just get out of your territory. Nothing to get worked up about."

She caught up with the others as they continued to move back, watching the wooden creatures as they did. The six of them stopped as they managed to slip into the bushes and out of sight of the creatures. The ponies watched as the wolves moved toward the zap apple tree, the cubs picking up and eating the ones that had dropped to the ground.

"What are those?" Fluttershy asked.

"Timberwolves," Rainbow Dash answered. She turned to Applejack. "I don't get it though. I've seen you take them on before. Why didn't you just buck them or something."

"First of all," Applejack replied, "I can't, remember? Holding up the falling trees busted my legs. I don't want to try and end up breaking them completely."

"Right. Sorry."

"Anyway, there was no need to. Look." She pointed at the creatures. "They were just trying to feed their pups."

The six watched as the adult timberwolves started pulling apples off the tree and dropping them down to the cubs.

"They're just takin' care of their family," Applejack said. "No reason to be mean to 'em over that."

"That's nice," Fluttershy said, smiling as she watched the family.

"We should still get out of here," Applejack said. "Pretty sure we're still in their territory and they won't be happy about it when they're done eatin'."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "Besides, we still have a castle to find."

The six ponies slipped out of the bushes and made their way back to the path, moving as quickly and quietly as they could so as to not disturb the feasting family.

A Crystal Tree

"There it is," Fluttershy said, eyes wide and mouth open in awe. The others joined her, looking at it in fascination.

The castle stood before them, mostly in one piece. Portions of the wall were missing, but the towers still stood. At the top of the tallest tower, a clock faced out toward them. As they watched, the minute hand moved.

"Wow," Twilight said. "It still works, even after nearly a thousand years. That's incredible. Either there was some incredible work put into that thing, or some powerful magic." She began to walk forward. "Now all we need to-"

Twilight let out a shriek as she stepped over the edge of the cliff. There was a burst of pain as her tail was yanked, pulling her back from falling over. The mare collapsed onto the ground once she was safe from the edge.

"You should really pay more attention to where you're going," Rarity said as she spit bits of hair out of her mouth. Twilight just let out an embarrassed chuckle.

"I think I see a bridge hanging from the other side," Fluttershy stated. "I'll see if we can tie it back together over here."

With that she flew across the short chasm and over to the other side. She moved close to the bridge, studying it. After nearly a minute she came back, shaking her head.

"It's too badly broken to fix. I'm sorry."

"Well we have two choices then," Rainbow Dash said. "Either Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and I can fly across carrying Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack, or we can try to find another way to get across."

"Good news on that part," Applejack called out. "Looks like somepony carved steps into the side of the cliff over here."

The other five moved to join her and look. Sure enough, there was a staircase carved into the side of the cliff.

"It looks like it's just wide enough for one pony at a time," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll take the lead. Rarity, stay close so I can see what's down there." With that, she started her way down. She was shortly followed by Rarity as the group started lining up.

"Hey, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Fluttershy shifted. "I just haven't felt very useful this trip. That's all."

"Well I don't have my magic so I'm not really able to help either."

"But you knew where to go and what to look for. Even if you did nothing else, you at least got us all going to begin with. None of this would have happened with you."

"Or you. If you hadn't helped, I probably would have been locked up in the castle prison for trying to break in or something. If you hadn't stepped in, none of this would have happened to begin with."

"I guess. Still, I feel like I should do more."

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head.

"Nevermind," she continued. "Let's just go. Sooner we finish this, sooner we can all be home safe and sound." She and Twilight then moved to join the others and started the climb down.

"Well I can't say much about the scenery," Rarity stated with a smirk, "but I must say that I do enjoy the view." She grinned as she let her gaze shift to the back of the pony ahead of her.

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide as her wings gave a flutter, her face taking a pinkish tinge.

"Eyes front, soldier!" she snapped, glancing back from the corner of her eye.

"Oh, trust me," Rarity replied. "They are."

Rainbow Dash let out a huff of annoyance as the other let out faint snickers. The rest of the trip was silent as the six ponies made their way to the bottom of the chasm.

"Now we just need to..."

On the other side was a shallow cave. In the cave was what looked like a tree in the broadest sense of the term. There were no leaves, and the entire form looked like it was made out of crystal. Still, it had the basic shape. There were branches, and roots. Icicle like figures hung from the branches, with some ending in large jewel disks. Five of the branches had massive spots that held gaps, like something was missing from the tree. A sixth gap was at the top of the trunk. Further down was an hourglass shaped carving.

"What is it?" Pinkie Pie asked, staring.

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "I've never seen or read about anything like this. I mean, it looks like some sort of crystal tree, but other than that..." she shrugged. "Pinkie, what are you-"

Pinkie Pie licked the tree. Her eyes went wide.

"Wow. Whatever this is, it's full of positive energy. It tastes like there's a lot of love and hope in it."

"Did you just lick the strange crystal tree?" Twilight asked. "A crystal tree we found in a cave? A cave in the middle of The Everfree Forest?"

"Well clearly it's magical," Pinkie Pie stated, "and some magical things have emotional energy in them. I was trying to get a taste to see if this did."

"By licking it?"

"Yes. And... I may have hoped it would be rock candy."

"Well at least we know something about it." Fluttershy offered.

"I suppose," Twilight conceded. "Still, licking random magical items does not seem like a good idea."

"Hey!" Dash called out. "If you three are done, we found the other set of stairs."

"Coming," Pinkie Pie called out, hopping away.

"Once more into the breach," Twilight mumbled as she started to walk.

Fluttershy stayed where she was a moment, staring up at the tree. It was only when her name was called again did she leave it to join the others.

Five Stones Six Mares One Shadow

"So what are we looking for?" Rainbow Dash asked as they looked around the interior of the ancient castle.

"The Elements of-"

"I know that, Twilight. I mean what do they look like?"

"Well..." Twilight stopped, rubbing her chin. "You see... They... uh..."

"You don't know what they look like, do you?"

"Oh come on!" Twilight shouted. "How many ancient relics could there possibly be in the castle?"

"Well in the Daring Do books, there is normally one relic per site," Rainbow Dash admitted, "but there's also normally traps and a fight with at least a minion. Besides, it would be easier if we know what they looked like."

"Perhaps they are somewhere up in the clock tower," Rarity suggested. "As Twilight pointed out, it is still running even after a thousand years of being unattended to."

"Oh, oh," Pinkie Pie called out, bouncing. "I'll go look." She started for the stairs, only to be stopped by Applejack.

"Hold on, sugar cube. I know you got all excitable and want to get going, but I think we should probably keep together."

"Right," Rainbow agreed. "We don't know what we're going to see." She looked up. "So we'll start with the clock tower and work our way down."

The six of them headed for the staircase. Fluttershy stopped, looking around.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking back at the batpony.

"I thought I heard... something..."

"Well let's hurry," Twilight said. "If it's nothing, we should forget about it and get The Elements. If it's actually something, we should hurry up and get them."

The six ponies headed for the stairs and started climbing up. They went round and round as they worked their way past each story. Slowly, fatigue began to settle into some of the ponies, causing the order to shift and the group to spread apart. Fluttershy took the lead most of the time, used to climbing stairs for great lengths of time due to living and working in the castle in Canterlot. Pinkie Pie was sometimes ahead of her, and sometimes behind her. Pinkie just seemed to have boundless energy. Rainbow Dash fell behind the pair but continued to go strong. She was used to moving for great lengths of time, although more comfortable with flight instead of climbing (she so badly wished to just fly ahead and be done with it). Applejack was not far behind. She was built more for strength than stamina, even if it was a long road from the farm to the market that she had to pull the cart along. Near the rear was Twilight. Finally was Rarity, trudging up the stairs. The mare was used to working long hours without sleep, but usually it was at a desk where she sat for great lengths of time. A part of her secretly considered that this might actually be a pretty good exercise regimen.

After climbing nearly twenty stories, they reached their destination. The stairway opened up to reveal a filled with massive clockwork. A massive pendulum swung back and forth, ticking away each moment as its path alternated back and forth. Gears shifted and spun, moving at a strong and steady pace.

"Wow," Twilight whispered, staring at the massive clockwork system surround her.

"Hey," Pinkie Pie called out, "what's that?"

She pointed at the pendulum, getting the attention of the others. Along the bottom of the massive swinging weight were five white orbs. As they watched, each one seemed to give off a different colored shine for a second before returning back to their normal color.

"Could that be them?" Applejack asked.

"It's possible," Twilight responded, moving closer. "If that's the case, we need to remove them from the pendulum."

"Come on, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said, "Pinkie Pie."

The three of them flew up and toward the pendulum. At Rainbow Dash's signal, the three moved closer, taking a hold of one of the stones each. They came out of their slots with ease, more so than expected. With the first three set down where the others were standing, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went back for the last two.

"Now what?" Fluttershy asked as they dropped off the last of the stones.

"The legend said that a spark would reveal the sixth element," Twilight explained. She reached up, touching her horn before letting out a disappointed sigh.

"Rarity? Do you think that you could try to create a burst of raw magic to activate them?"

"I will give it my best," Rarity replied as she moved to stand in the middle of the stones. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began to concentrate. A pale blue aura of magic began to engulf her horn.

There was a squeal of metal as the room shook. The effect threw the six ponies off balance, making Rarity lose her concentration.

"Enough!" Sombra's voice boomed, echoing through the small room. His shadow form began to creep around the clockwork. "I had hoped that you would give up and forget this stupid quest, being the first to accept me as your king."

The shadows shifted, forming the stallion as he glared at the group. He growled, baring his sharp teeth, then smirked.

"I suppose that I should thank you," he purred as he stepped forward. "After all, you did find The Elements." His horn began to glow with dark purple magic. "And now, you can be the first to watch me destroy them!" His power engulfed the five stones, lifting them up.

"No!" Fluttershy shouted, lunging at The Elements. She let out a scream of pain as she hit the dark magic, being thrown back from it.

"Foolish mare," Sombra chuckled. "You are no match for my power."

"But my hoof is a match for your face!" Rainbow Dash shouted. With a flap of her wings, she launched herself right at Sombra, hooves out.

She let out a gasp as she passed right through him with nothing more than a puff of shadow.

"Did you really think I wouldn't learn my lesson?" Sombra asked as his face reformed. "You can no more harm me than you could those shadow ponies."

There was a burst of power, grabbing Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, and pinning them to the floor.

"Now," Sombra called out, "watch the end of Harmony, and the start of The Reign of Shadows."

An ear-piercing shriek struck Sombra, making him groan in pain. He gave a shake of his head. He turned to look for the source.

Fluttershy glared at him from one eye, the other shut tight. Her legs shook as she pushed herself to stand up again. The bat wings were spread out to their full-size. The mare's eye seemed to glow with blood red light.

"Let them go," she growled.

"Impudent vermin!" Sombra shouted. "Do you really think that your pathetic shouting can stop me?"

There was a crackle of magic and a cry of pain, getting the attention of the others.

Twilight Sparkle was pressing through Sombra's dark magic, making her way toward the stones. Energy popped and crackled around her, trying to stop her. Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, the white of which had taken on the sickly green glow.

"What are you doing?" Sombra shouted. "You have no magic. I command you to stop this instant."

"NO!" Twilight shouted. "I won't let you hurt them anymore."

"Twilight..." Fluttershy whispered.

"What are you whining about?" Sombra asked. The aura around his horn grew larger.

Twilight grabbed one of the stones, pulling it against her.

"They believed in me when nopony else would," Twilight shouted, holding it tight. "Even when I doubted myself. They have stood by my side through more in this one day than anypony outside of my family ever has in my entire life.

"They are my friends!" Twilight shouted. "And I don't care if I have magic or not! I will never leave my friends. And I will do anything in my power to keep them safe from the likes of you!"

The stone that Twilight held burst with a glowing bright red light.

"What?" Sombra called out in surprise.

The light grew brighter, causing Sombra's magic to let it, Twilight, and the other stones go. The glowing orb seemed to explode in a burst of light, engulfing Twilight Sparkle completely and hiding her from sight. The other stones floated up in the air for a moment before each launched off in a different direction.

"NO!" Sombra shouted. "No!" He moved back as the light continued to glow. Wherever it touched, his magic faded.

The entire room filled with bright red light, causing Sombra to scream. Everything grew so brightly that none of them could see what was going on.

Waking in Rubble

Five mares let out groans as they began to regain consciousness. Each rubbed at their throbbing heads as they started to open their eyes.

"Is everypony okay?" Applejack asked.

"No permanent damage," Rainbow Dash answered, "but I feel like I've had twelve rounds of hard cider."

"My shell hurts," Pinkie Pie called out, "but nothing's cracked."

"I believe I shall need some aspirin and a good soaking in a hot bath," Rarity stated. "There seems to be no real harm though."

"I'm okay," Fluttershy said, "but where's Twilight?"

The five mares looked around.

The clock tower had been destroyed. Not the entire tower, but everything from where they stood up was devastated. The roof, the walls, the clock, all were gone. Massive chunks of stone and twisted pieces of metal lay strewn all around them.

The five of them started searching through the rubble, calling out Twilight Sparkle's name.

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie called out. "Over here."

The other four came to join her. From beneath a pile of rubble, they could see a faint red glow. The ponies worked quickly to push the chunks of rock and metal way, finding their friend underneath.

Twilight Sparkle laid in the middle of a glowing red dome. The unicorn was curled up in the center, eyes closed. Her friends could see that she was breathing gently.

Fluttershy reached out, pressing her hoof to the glowing red dome. As soon as she touched it, the shield vanished. Moving closer to the unconscious unicorn, the batpony pressed her hoof against her friend's side. Twilight let out a small sigh as she was touched, shifting.

"She seems to be okay," Fluttershy said. "Twilight?"

Twilight yawned and blinked, looking at the five ponies standing around her. She rubbed at her eyes and stretched before moving to stand up.

"Are you okay?" Applejack asked.

"Actually?" Twilight shifted, looking herself over. "I feel more than okay. I feel great. Like I just took a good nap after getting perfect marks on all my finals for the year."

"Well, not that you need it then," Rarity said, "but I have something that will make you feel even better. It seems your horn is back to normal."

With a gasp of excitement, Twilight looked up at her horn. It looked like it always had to her. Reaching up, she ran her hoof along the length. The grin on her face grew wider as is felt the way she remembered, with no strange black lumps on it. Then came the major test. Face scrunching, Twilight watched her horn as she tried to concentrate. Sure enough, her horn began to glow with the aura of magic... although it looked to be a deeper shade of red than it used to.

"Yes!" Twilight shouted, hopping up and down. "Yes-yes-yes! I got my magic back." Her voice took a sing-song tone. "I got my magic back." She hugged Fluttershy.

"That's nice," Fluttershy said, hugging back, "but... what's that around your neck?"

The question stopped Twilight and made her pull away. She shifted, trying to look down at her neck. Around it was a golden necklace with a wide band. In the center, resting against the base of her throat, was a circular piece with a raised edge. In the middle of the circle was a compass rose, much like the one on Twilight Sparkle's flank. The four cardinal directions were pointed at by a four-tipped star made from a red jewel.

"I think it's one of The Elements of Harmony," Twilight responded as she continued to stare at it. "Last thing I remember is holding onto one of them and yelling... something at King Sombra. Whatever it was must have caused The Element to react or something."

"It would indeed seem so," a voice called out, getting the attention of the six ponies. They looked up, and gasped.

Above them floated Princess Temporal. Her wings spread out wide as she came down toward the tower. The partial sunlight gleamed off her deep blue coat. The gold and silver mane and tail shimmer and shifted around her. She smiled as she landed, looking at the six mares.

"Hello, my little ponies."

"Princess," Fluttershy squealed, "you're okay."

"For the most part," the princess responded, looking up at her black crystal covered horn.

"Does that mean the sun and moon are going to be stuck like that?" Twilight asked, looking up?

"For a few days." Princess Temporal looked up as well. "It will be a while before I get the crystals off. In the meantime, I'll have to assemble a group of unicorns to do it, which will be a few days."

"So..." Rainbow Dash shifted. "Is it over? Did we win?"

"I don't think so," Twilight answered. "I mean we only got one of The Elements working. More than likely, it was enough to scare him away for the time being."

"So we have to try and find the other four stones in all this junk?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking at the mess.

"Unfortunately it will not be so easy," Princess Temporal stated. "When Twilight activated her Element, the other four scattered. I managed to see one of them streaking through the sky, but could not say where it went."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Applejack asked.

"We look for them," Fluttershy said, causing the others to turn toward her in surprise. "We need them to stop King Sombra."

"Perhaps," Princess Temporal said, "it would be better if we continued this conversation elsewhere. If one of you would be so nice as to send an alert, I'm fairly certain that we can get a ride back to Ponyville."

"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked a suddenly very pale and wide-eyed Twilight.

Planning for the Quest

"So you are certain that this is what you want to do?" Princess Temporal asked, looking around the table at the six mares. They all nodded.

"Very well. Fluttershy is hereby officially assigned to Ponyville where she shall continue to teach and take care of Luna."

"Wait!" Luna called out. "I'm staying too? Don't you love me anymore?"

The princess reached out with one of her wings and took a hold of the filly, pulling her in for a hug.

"Of course I love you," she said, giving Luna a kiss on the cheek. "I'm not having you stay here out of spite. I'm having you stay because Fluttershy needs you as much as you need her. Besides, it would be a good idea for you to spend some time out of the castle and to make friends with some ponies your own age."

"Okay." Luna gave a tight hug.

"Continuing," the princess stated, "the six of you shall also continue to seek out The Elements of Harmony in hopes of once again stopping King Sombra from trying to take over Equestria.

"As such, I will be expecting reports both on any progress in the search and on any lessons that either of them learn in regards to friendship. On an aside, while I will not make it a decree, I would appreciate it if any of you were willing to do the same.

"Now the quest for The Elements will be considered official royal business. As such, I will see to it that you all receive some recompense and benefits for your time and effort."

She took a step away from the table.

"So I should really get back to Canterlot and begin to file all the proper paperwork. Applejack, thank your grandmother for the pie. It was as wonderful as always. Luna, keep being a good girl for Fluttershy." Princess Temporal leaned down and gave the filly one last nuzzle before heading out the door.

Fluttershy let out a gasp and flapped her wings. She shot up from the table and chased outside after the princess.

"Wait!"

The princess stopped and turned around, watching as Fluttershy landed and looked up at her.

"You knew, didn't you?" Fluttershy stated. "You know that King Sombra was coming back and The Elements would be needed to stop him. You knew the six of us would get together and go seek them."

"I knew he was returning," the princess admitted. "I knew The Elements were needed to stop him. While I strongly hoped and suspected you would meet the other six, I did not actually know that for certain. I also had never expected that The Elements would disperse after one of them was activated."

"So why didn't you go and get them yourself?"

"They aren't mine anymore." Princess Temporal moved over to Fluttershy and put a hoof around the smaller pony. "My time being able to use The Elements came to an end long ago. Now it is time for them to choose some other pony to use their power."

"I guess I understand that," Fluttershy said. "So, why didn't you just tell us to go find them?"

"Fluttershy, in all the stories you have ever heard, can you think of one where the hero went out and saved the day just because they had been ordered to?"

Fluttershy sat down and thought. She rubbed at her chin as her mind worked through the stories she had read or been told when she was a filly. She tried to focus only on the stories that had heroes and an epic quest.

"No," she finally said. "I'm sure they exist though."

"They more than likely do," the princess agreed. "Still, it is more common for the hero of the story to make the choice. You, your friends, whoever decides to try and save the day, must choose to do so themselves. It is the first step on the journey that you must take yourself."

"I guess." Fluttershy shifted, looking at her hooves. "But why didn't you tell me? Tell us?"

"Despite what some may think, even I have limits. There are things I don't know, and things I do that I can't or won't share. Some because you have to figure it out on your own, some because I don't know if you're ready, and some... " her gaze drifted as tears formed at the corner of her eyes.

"Some I just can't."

She cleared her throat and straightened up, blinking away the tears.

"I will share what I can when I can," the princess continued. "I will answer the best I can, and tell you what you think you are ready for."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said softly.

"Anytime," the princess replied. "Now if you will excuse me, I still have a lot to do in order to get things back on track once again."

Princess Temporal leaned down to nuzzle Fluttershy, getting a giggle.

"I look forward to seeing your first report on friendship."

With a flap of her wings, she took off and flew away. Fluttershy watched her go until she was just a dot in the sky. Once the princess was out of sight and well on her way to Canterlot, the batpony turned and made her way back into the Apple family house. The others turned as she came back, looking at her. She walked up to Applejack.

"Well I hope you don't mind us staying until we can find a more permanent place."

"It's fine," Applejack said with a smile. "Stay as long as you like." She rubbed her chin. "Although, I think I might know a place. Little cottage not far from here. Should be enough for the three of ya."

Back at The Castle

Princess Temporal let out a sigh as she left the throne room. After she had returned, she had been poked, prodded, scanned and studied by the royal physicians. They could not do anything about the black crystals on the horn -- as she had expected -- but otherwise she was fine.

After that came the matter of setting things in motion for the time being. The most powerful and talented unicorns were being sought out in order to handle the sun and moon until the princess was able to regain her magical capabilities. Paperwork for Fluttershy and her friends was started and being filed, making them official defenders of Equestria with all the benefits and responsibilities that entails. Additionally, the paperwork that gave Fluttershy rights of guardianship over Luna was being copied just in case there was a need to prove it.

Now that everything was taken care of as much as it could be for the time being, Princess Temporal had some moments to herself. She made her way up the tower, climbing up toward her room.

Standing in one of the halls was a dragon. Moving on all fours, he was not as tall as the princess, but his body was longer. The dragon's scales were purple in color, with a green underside and spines along his back. His green eyes focused on her as she approached. The large scaly wings gave a flutter against his side.

"So it has started?" the dragon asked, tilting his head. He moved to walk with her, walking a few steps behind.

"Indeed it has, Spike," Princess Temporal answered. "Although things did not go how I was expecting."

The pair of them continued through the hall and up toward the top of the tower.

"So does that mean you were wrong about her Element?" Spike asked.

"No. Well, not yet at least. For some reason, only one of The Elements was activated. When it did, the others scattered."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know," Princess Temporal answered, "but it has eliminated one of the possibilities that I had speculated on.

"By the way, Luna will not be attending classes with you for a while, if ever. She is going to be spending time in another town and hopefully making friends with ponies her own age."

Spike shifted, tilting his head to look at her from the corner of his eye.

"You're hoping that will prevent a repeat of the events you told me about?"

"Yes. Hopefully her developing a strong bond with other ponies and time away from her sister will prevent her from becoming jealous when they get older."

"Anything I can do to help?" Spike asked, getting a giggle in return.

"Sorry," Princess Temporal said with a smirk. "It's just that even after all these centuries, you still remind me of him."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." He gave a roll of his eyes. "Still?"

"Not at the moment, thank you," she said, becoming serious once again. "I have some things I need to take care of in my chambers. You go ahead and give Celestia her regular lessons. I will explain what is going on with her sister after."

"As you wish, your majesty." The dragon shifted, giving a bow. "If you need anything, let me know." With that, he got up and walked away.

Princess Temporal watched him go before going into her chambers, shutting the door behind her. Her eyes scanned the room, making absolutely certain that she was alone. Satisfied, she walked over to the wall that the head of the bed rested against. After looking around again, she slipped a hoof behind the headboard and pressed against a stone.

The fireplace swung open, revealing an additional room.

The princess entered the secret room and made her way directly toward the furthest wall where several posters had been attached. Her attention was focused on a particular one. On it were six ponies: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Included with each pony picture was the image and name of an Element of Harmony: Magic, Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Generosity. Written across the top of the poster was Theory #1.

Princess Temporal picked up a pen. Rearing up on her hind legs, she scratched the title out. With that done, she turned her attention to the other poster. Like the previous, it had pictures of the six mares placed on it. Five of them had question marks in place of the name of one of The Elements. The sixth was Fluttershy, who had "Magic?" written underneath.

On this one, the princess crossed out the question mark underneath Twilight's picture and wrote "Loyalty." Satisfied, she set the pen down and started for the doorway. Her movement slowed as she glimpsed at an old photograph in a frame. Her lips curled into a sad smile before looking away.

Princess Temporal left the secret chamber, shutting the door behind her with a press of a button. That was done, and it would still be a while before Spike was done with Celestia's lesson. The princess pondered going to the kitchen. After all, it had been a rather long day (two actually since it was well into the second), and a snack did sound rather nice. Maybe she would even make some treats to share with Spike, Cadence, and Celestia.

Spring Equinox Celebration

"No fair! You're cheating!"

"No I'm not!" Luna called back, stopping and turning around. She looked at the yellow earth filly with a red mane and tail that was running toward her.

"Yes you are," the yellow filly replied. "You're using your wings to run faster."

"So? You never said anything about 'no wings.'"

"Apple Bloom," Applejack said in a firm voice, "Luna, that's enough you two."

The two fillies looked up to see the three mares approaching: Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle.

"But Applejack-" Apple Bloom started before she was stopped.

"No buts. Now come on." Applejack continued to walk again. "We're almost there."

The five of them made their way toward the center of Ponyville. As they got closer, the crowd of ponies got larger and thicker. The group was slowed down, but continued to work their way through. "Excuse me," and variations of it, were said numerous times by Fluttershy as she and the others moved past ponies in front of them.

In the center of town stood a large wooden stage. There was a large dark purple curtain blocking it from being seen. At each corner stood a pair of guards with Captain Hearstrings standing directly in the front. Off to the right side -- past where Rainbow Dash and another guard stood -- was Rarity and the band from The Diamond's Gleam that the group had heard practicing earlier. Beside the white unicorn stood a massive Diamond Dog. It was taller than Rarity, with massive arms that reached the ground, dressed in a suit with a red bow tie.

As the group stopped, Apple Bloom climbed up onto her sister's back, and Luna onto Fluttershy's. The music subsided, fading softly before coming to a complete end. The mayor walked up onto the stage, standing in front of the curtain as she moved to the front.

"Mares and gentlecolts!" She called out to the crowd. "Thank you all for coming and making this such a wonderful Spring Equinox Celebration."

"Something's wrong," Twilight whispered. "Look."

Fluttershy, Applejack, Luna, and Apple Bloom all looked up at the sky above them.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"At noon, the moon is supposed to line up with the sun as it passes directly under it," Twilight explained, "but look at it. It's actually going to pass right in front of it and cause an eclipse."

"And now," the mayor continued, "please welcome our kind and benevolent ruler: Princess Temporal!"

A wave of the hoof from Rarity caused the horn section of the band to begin playing a fanfare. There was a culmination to hit the high notes as the curtain were pulled open to reveal...

Nothing.

Up in the sky above Ponyville, noticed only by five ponies, the moon began moving across the face of the sun, casting Equestria into shadows.

"Where's the princess?" the mayor called out. "She's supposed to be right here."

The two celestial bodies stopped their movement, the sun half blocked by the moon.

A deep booming laugh echoed across the crowd, causing the ponies to jump and look around. A black smoke shifted and rolled as it moved onto the stage. It grew thicker and larger.

"Why come out to see a princess," the voice said, "when you can meet.."

There was a puff and the smoke blew away, revealing a new pony on the stage. He had a black mane and the part of his coat that could be seen was a dark gray. Most of him could not be seen however as he was wearing silvery metal armor and a bright red cape.

Below a crown, a horn protruded from the stallion's head. It was different from the normal horn of a unicorn though. The surface of it was smooth and flat, more like a knife, and curved. The base of the horn was black, but ended up turning red at the tip. The pony's eyes glowed green with dark purple energy flowing off the sides of them, and dark red retinas.

"Who are you?!" the mayor shouted at the stallion. "What have you done with the princess?"

"Oh come now," the stallion said as he reached out a hoof and touched the mayor's cheek. "I sincerely doubt I have been completely forgotten." He grabbed her and pulled close, grinning widely to reveal sharp teeth. His horn began to glow with dark purple energy.

"Perhaps I should give you a reminder," he growled.

"I know!" Twilight shouted, causing the stallion to let go of the mayor and turned toward the crowd.

"Oh?" He moved toward the edge, staring at the purple unicorn. "Would you care to elaborate for the others?"

"You're...." Twilight shifted and gulped. "You're The King of Shadows."

"'The King of Shadows,'" he purred out, smiling. "Oh, I do like the sound of that. I may have to keep that. It sounds delightfully wicked.

"My proper name, however, is King Sombra. Although you all may call me.... 'Master.'"

"That's enough!" Captain Heartstrings shouted. "Guards!" Her horn began to glow. "Hold him. He may know where the princess is."

Sombra let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Please don't waste my time with this." His horn glowed again and a bolt of purple energy struck the guard captain. Heartstring collapsed on the ground where she was struck, her eyes glowing with the same green color as Sombra's.

An earth pony guard jumped up onto the stage and ran toward the so-called king. Getting close, the guard threw a hoof out to punch Sombra on the nose.

There was laughter as Sombra turned to smoke, the attack passing right through him without any damage. He took form once more as the earth pony fell to the ground behind him.

"Fool," Sombra growled. "You cannot touch me any more than you can touch the clouds."

"Good to know."

King Sombra turned toward the voice. As soon as he did, a pale blue hoof struck him in the snout, knocking him backwards. Sergeant Rainbow Dash stood there, wings flared and hoof out from where she had punched him.

"Let the captain go and release the princess immediately," she ordered.

"Let her go?" Sombra asked as he straightened up. "Oh no, my dear." His horn began to glow again. "In fact, I think it would be best if you were to join her."

Before he could unleash the blast, there was a massive horn blast, breaking his concentration.

"Oh, I'm sorry darling," Rarity stated as she held a horn in her magic and grinned at Sombra. "Were you trying to concentrate for some reason?"

"My, my, my." Sombra smiled as he moved toward Rarity. "Such a lovely lady. You know, I could use a queen by my side."

"Oh, I'm flattered," Rarity replied, "but I'm not really interested in the bad boy types. Especially bad boys who wish to take over Equestria and enslave all of pony kind."

"How unfortunate." Sombra let out a sigh and shook his head. "I guess I will just have to make you my bride without your consent. Asking was merely a formality, although I had hoped you would say yes. Still, I can enjoy your body even when your mind is under my power." A burst of dark purple energy fired from Sombra's horn.

Pinkie Pie lunged forward, pushing Rarity out of the way of the blast. As the magic struck her, the appearance of the pink pony peeled away, revealing the smooth insect-like shell underneath. Pinkie Pie fell to the ground, her normally blue eyes also glowing the sickly green color.

"What?" Sombra snarled, stepping back. "A changeling? Here? Things are worse than I thought." His eyes narrowed as he bared his teeth. "You, my little parasite, are fortunate that I have other matters to deal with before grinding you beneath my hoof."

With that, he once more turned to smoke and vanished beneath the planks the stage.