The Red Horn

by FemaleIntrovert1995

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Prologue

Chapter 1

The Crystal Empire gleamed whenever the sun rays hit it. The crystal ponies also gleamed with warmth and power. Their love kept this town moving. Princess Cadence, the princess of love, knew this empire needed a protector. She vowed to protect this empire and its ponies with all of her love. With Shining Armor by her side, they would not fail.

Of course everything looked perfect on the outside. On the inside, pure evil was waiting. Deep within the ground, a single red light glowed. A red horn huddled itself amongst the dirt and worms in the ground. It tunneled its way deeper within the ground and moved as far as could away from the castle. The power of love made it weak. Love made it lose its host body. The horn longed for a host.

It wanted Shining Armor to be its host. However, Princess Cadence blocked its view. Her power of love lingered around her husband. The horn knew of Princess Luna. She had darkness in her soul. But, Luna changed over the years. She became her sister. The horn found her useless. But, it sensed something else. An Alicorn with her guard down. Tears clung to her eyelashes. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger. She argued with her friends again this week.

Earlier, after a long meeting with other important ponies, Twilight exploded out of the room. She had a big grin on her face and her eyes shimmered. When she caught up to her friends, she told them the great news.

Queen Chrysalis was allowed to bring a small army with her to collect love for her subjects. Twilight and other leaders visited Queen Chrysalis’s land. It was dry and hot. Mounds of dry dirt piled up on the streets. Malnourished insect like ponies littered the streets and alleys. The smell of rotting corpses lingered in the air. Dust rolled into the air and made every pony cough and sneeze. The dust was red and thick. It could blind any pony if they trotted into it.

The queen was in no good conditions either. She looked even more malnourished than her subjects. Her face was paper thin. There were so many holes on her body, a pony could get tryophobia from just glancing at her. Queen Chrysalis had tiny trembling insect foals suckling from her various amounts of teats. The insect foals shoved one another to get to the view drops of milk.

The leaders felt awful. They knew the controversy of the swarms’ feeding, but they couldn’t overlook this.

Once Twilight was done sharing her news, her friends were dumbstruck.

“Twilight, I know its yer duty to befriend any pony. But, Queen Chrysalis is out of the question.” Applejack said boldly.

“Yeah, don’t you remember what happened at your brother’s wedding” Rainbowdash chimed in.

“I remember their feeding. They sucked out the “love” of ponies by piercing into ponies’ necks with their fangs!” Fluttershy squealed. She hid her face under her wings.

Pinkie pie and Rarity nodded in agreement.

Twilight stood there with a blank expression on her face. Her eyes grew glassy and she lowered her head. Her ears flattened.

“Ever since we saved Equestria from Terik’s wrath, we’ve been having a lot of disagreements. First, I wanted to move into the princesses’ old castle. But you girls said no. Second, Discord wanted to run the entertainment at the Moon Festival. But you girls said no, with the exception of Fluttershy. Third, Spike wanted to bring in dragons to share his friendship. He even wanted to change their hearts. Still you all said no. I am the princess of friendship, harmony. What kind of subjects are you? It’s like you girls don’t like anything that’s different. You didn’t see what kind of conditions Queen Chrysalis was living in. Her land is bare of nurturance. Her subjects were dropping dead in the streets. Those poor foals will die if they have nothing to eat.”

The girls glowered at Twilight with stunned looks. They rubbed their front legs and the back of their heads. They remained silent. Twilight looked up and glared at them with a hot stare. She groaned and stormed out of the crystal castle. Her friends called out to her, but she ignored them. She took flight and flew out of a nearby window.

She found herself seated behind an abandoned crystal mine. Tears dangled off her muzzle and fell to the ground.

“I wish my friends were more opened minded. But what do they know? Before, they were just simple ponies with normal lives.” Twilight buried her face in her hooves and wept. She wanted to love her friends, but that became hard to do.

50 feet below her, the red horn glowed brighter. It felt the pain and innocence of Twilight. The horn trembled in the dirt. Its temperature went up so high, it disintegrated worms and other insects around it. With all its strength, it shot up like a rocket. It bore holes through roots and fossils. It even scattered a colony of naked mole rats.

Twilight didn’t hear the horn bust throw the ground. The red horn floated through the air. Once it caught sent of Twilight, it darted towards her. The horn landed on top of Twilight. The Alicorn landed on her back and shrieked in terror. The red horn drilled into her chest. Bits of pale mulberry coat and blood splattered over the walls and ground. Some even splattered on Twilight. The poor Alicorn squirmed on the ground. Her legs flailed around and her wings twitched. The pain was unbearable. Twilight let out tiny gasps of air as the horn drilled through her tender flesh.

When it was deep enough, it seeped through into her heart. Blood squirted out of Twilight. She choked up blood and tried to gasp for more air. She was so hot, everything seemed to melt around her. Then, a shock went through Twilight. She couldn’t even think. All she saw were bright lights flashing before her eyes. The red horn coursed through her body with a burning sensation. She let out a wail of pain.

A black magic aura appeared on the Alicorn’s body. It swarmed over Twilight’s chest, closing up the wound. Pus and blood fell to the ground. She felt numb. Her eyelids felt heavy. She collapsed on her side. Her legs and wings twitched as the black magic aura hovered over her.

The black aura transformed into black flames. Twilight had a black flame flicker on her chest. Suddenly, her head trembled uncontrollably. It shook her so hard, her brain bounced in her head. Tears poured out of her eyes. Her moderate violet irises rolled to the back of her head. The whites in her eyes glowed sap green. Her irises rolled back. This time they were a brilliant scarlet. The black flame hovered around her horn like a tornado. Inside the flaming funnel, her horn glowed red. Her flat teeth morphed into sharp canine fangs.

Everything around Twilight stood still. The only thing moving was a vivid violet smoke snapping around the corners of her eyes. The red horn felt the dark magic within Twilight. It was stronger than any dark magic that it felt before. It let the dark magic slither through her soul. Her body jolted as the dark magic coursed through her.

The flames relaxed themselves and seeped into the young Alicorn’s body. The vivid red horn faded into a pale mulberry horn. Twilight’s body relaxed and grew still. Her breathing grew softer. Once she closed her eyes, the violet smoke around her eyes vanished into thin air.

Crows squawked in the distance. A cold breeze swept around Twilight’s body. Her mane was frizzed and her coat was mangled. Her head lolled slightly. She laid on the cold hard ground for about 30 minutes.

A group of crystal guards found her finally. They laid her body on a stretcher and carried her to the Crystal hospital.

Chapter 2

Kill…mangle…destroy…murder…

The airy voice spoke throughout the flaming village. Houses were aflame. Ponies screamed and foals cried. Ponies were injured from head to hoof. Blood dripped from their heads and nostrils. Elder ponies that fell dead were trampled on by others. A vivid read horn speared ponies that tried to run. Their blood sprayed from their bodies and smacked walls and other ponies. Small foals watched with big frightened eyes.

Kill…mangle…destroy…murder

The sky was maroon. The thick clouds were black. Ponies galloped away from something, only to be dragged on the ground by black tentacles. Not even little foals were spared. They were dragged into dark alleys. The only things being heard were screams in agony.

If you do these things…

Some familiar ponies were groveling in the dirt. There coats were covered in dried blood. Two of ponies were Pegasi. Their wings were removed from their sockets. The other two were earth ponies. Their throats were had deep slashes in them. Their eyes were wide open with tears streaming out of them. The other pony was a white, beautiful unicorn. Her horn was ripped out of her head. Rivers of blood seeped out of where her horn used to be.

…you will gain power…

A giant hoof hovered above the hornless unicorn. It crushed the head of the unicorn with a great stomp. Her head split in two. Blood and brain matter spread itself on the ground. The Alicorn that caused all of this was none other than Twilight. She looked different though. Her coat was metal gray. Her straight mane was dark violet with no streaks in it. The white in her eyes were sap green, her irises were scarlet. Violet smoke lingered on the corners of her eyes. Her wings were wider and had sharper ends. She was taller. Her fangs were stained with blood. Her horn was a vivid red. She blasted a black magic aura out of her horn into the sky. The black aura was engulfed by a violet and neon green aura. She cackled a blood curdling cackle as the ground trembled underneath her.

Twilight jolted out of her slumber. Cold sweat ran down her body. She found herself in one of the castle bedrooms. The carpet was mint colored. The ceiling was painted dark blue. The tall windows were covered in navy blue drapes. One window was left open. The gentle breeze made the drape snap. The crystal boarders around the room twinkled from light in the hallway. The light got in from the space underneath the tall door. The canopy bed was held together by indigo crystals. The crystal nightstand had an oil lamp sitting on it. Elegant paintings of crystal landscapes hung on the walls. The room had a lovely aroma of vanilla and brown sugar. The only sounds being made were Twilight’s heavy pants.

The princess slammed her head into the pillows under hear. A sharp throbbing sensation passed through her head. Twilight rubbed her head. She didn’t know why she was in bed. She couldn’t even recall what happened earlier. All could remember was her friends indifference and the rest was a haze.

She stumbled out of bed and hauled her body to the bathroom. The bathroom had light pink walls, ceiling and floor. A cream colored claw-foot tub stood in the center on a crystal platform. The toilet bowl was made out of smooth cream colored crystal. The sinks were light pink as well. Twilight went up to the sinks. She glared at her reflection in the large mirror. Her eyes were fine. Even though there were small bags under her eyes. Her horn was a little thicker, but it was fine. Her coat and mane was a little unkempt, but that was nothing to worry about. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. It was pink and fleshy. She glared at her teeth. Her teeth were not flat and had a pale yellow tint. They were sharp and radiant.

Twilight glowered at her teeth. She poked her tooth. She winced when her fang nipped her hoof. There was only a drop of blood on her hoof. She sealed up the nick with her magic.

“Where did the fangs come from?” Twilight said under her breath.

She looked into the mirror again. She noticed something off about the bathroom. When she entered it, the walls were light pink. Twilight turned around and saw the walls turn blood red. Everything in the bathroom vanished. She found herself in Ponyville. Carts were toppled over. Homes, businesses, and restaurants were ablaze. Ponies sprinted in every other direction. Pegasi darted here and there, but there were shot down by dark magic. The magic set them aflame. The Pegasi hollered in pain as the black flames ate away at them.

Newborn foals lay on the ground lifeless. Their small heads were smashed into the ground or on the walls. Their mothers and father suffered the same fate. School foals dangled in trees, tree vines wrapped tightly around their necks.

A small filly, missing her hind hooves, dragged herself all the to Twilight’s hooves. She left a trail of wet, dark blood behind her.

“Princess Twilight why, why did you do this?” she said in an airy voice.

Before Twilight could answer, the filly collapsed to the ground. Her eyes rolled to the top of her eyes. Her soul left her body.

“No…” Twilight whispered, “This isn’t real…this isn’t real!”

The princess crumpled to the blood soaked ground. Her tail went in-between her legs. She took her tail into her hooves and stroked it. Warm tears rolled down her cheeks.

“This isn’t real, this isn’t real…” Twilight repeated to herself.

She clutched her eyes shut. She listened to the blood curdling screams and crying foals. She heard wood split open from the fires. Heavy hooves galloped on the ground and echoed throughout her mind.

Twilight opened her eyes. She was in the bathroom again. The sounds of Ponyville hell faded into nothing. She lifted herself up on quivering hooves. She hobbled out of the bathroom. She left the bathroom light on for obvious reasons. She crawled under the bulky comforter and laid her down on the plushy pillow.

She didn’t want to sleep, but that’s exactly what she did. Fortunately, she didn’t dream about Ponyville under attack by her.

On the other side of the castle, the rest of the mane six were sitting in the den. The maroon and amber walls made the den look like a cave. A roaring fire place warmed the room. Red velvet couches were being occupied by ponies and a dragon.

“Come on you guys. I have to see Twilight, I just want to see if she’s okay.” Spike bellowed.

Rarity laid a hoof on the dragon’s shoulder, “I’m sorry Spike. The doctor told us that she needs to rest.”

“I hope she’ll be alright. Jeezum, it must be toilsome beein a princess.” Applejack said.

“We didn’t even get a chance to party.” Pinkie moped.

“I wonder if we did this to her…” Fluttershy said under her breath. Even though she whispered, every pony heard her.

“Like we would even do that to her.” Rainbowdash snapped, “Twilight was overreacting.” She faced away from every pony and stared into the fire.

Applejack sat up on the couch, “Now Rainbow, Twilight and all the other leaders have a point. Chrysalis hasn’t attacked us in a couple of years. I couldn’t live with myself if I let a little one die.”

“It would be mighty selfish of us…to not let them feed, I guess.” Fluttershy added.

They remained silent for a moment.

“Okay, I have to say this. What the hay is up with Twilights new fangs?” Applejack asked finally.

A small mumble went throughout the room.

“Dunno, the doctor couldn’t even figure it out.” Rainbowdash replied.

“Well it’s not every day you see a pony with…fangs.” Rarity said wrinkling her nose.

Pinkie Pie got into Rarity’s face, “Well Fluttershy had fangs when she went all Flutterbat on us, and no one questioned that.”

“Pinkie, she was a bat.” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Can we please stop talking about that event? That story is embarrassing.” Fluttershy bellowed. She blushed and twiddled with her rosy mane.

“More embarrassing on Twilight’s part. I mean she turned you into a bat, how crazy was that?” Rainbowdash chimed in with a smirk on her face.

“OMG!” Cried Pinkie Pie.

“What?” every pony and a dragon choired.

“Maybe Twilight got bit by a vampire pony!”

The room fell into awkward silence.

“Pinkie are you serious?” Rarity asked in disgust.

“No, I’m Pinkie Pie silly.” The pink pony replied with a chuckle.

“I hope you aren’t going to say that I did bit her.” Fluttershy said annoyed.

Pinkie’s ears flattened, “Never mind.”

***

The morning light wasn’t as bright. It was a bit cloudy out and the temperature was on the low side. Gloomy day or not, birds still sang. The crystal ponies were still in high spirits. The only one in low spirit was Twilight. She woke with a splitting headache. For some reason, her chest felt sore. She examined her chest. It was fine, otherwise a little swollen.

“What happened to me?”

The concerned knock at the door made her jump.

“Come in…” she said in weak voice.

The door opened revealing Princess Celestia.

Twilight was relieved to see her. “Good morning Princess Celestia.”

“Good morning Twilight…” but she didn’t go on. Twilight saw her mentor nailed up on a wall. Her wings were nothing but bone with bloody pieces of flesh hanging from them. Her eyes were even gouged out.

Kill her…go ahead and kill her…the airy voice said again.

Twilight let out a blaring yelp and ducked under the covers. Celestia raised her eyebrows and tiptoed towards Twilight. She crawled underneath the blanket and looked around for the frightened Alicorn.

“Princess Twilight?” the sun goddess said in a worried tone.

Her long horn poked something. She inched closer and found Twilight huddled near the center of the bed. Twilights eyes were shut tight.

“Please go away…please go away…” she muttered to herself.

“…Twilight?”

The young Alicorn blinked her eyes open and glowered at Celestia. The sun goddess wasn’t nailed to the wall. Her eyes were in her sockets and her wings were strong and firm. Above all, she was alive. Twilight huddled closer to Celestia. She buried her face in Celestia’s warm light pink chest.

“Oh Celestia, I keep seeing these visions of death and destruction. The worst part is, I’m the one causing it all.” Twilight continued to weep.

Celestia sighed, “Do not fret Twilight. I’ve seen this before.”

Twilight stopped weeping and looked up at her mentor with glassy eyes.

“You have?” she whispered.

“I have, do you remember King Sombra?”

Twilight wiped her eyes, “Yes, how could I forget?”

“Long ago there was an evil dragon. It was the very first dragon I’d ever seen. It was big, had black scales, and lava poured out of its mouth. Luna and I tried to kill it, but it was too powerful. What made it powerful was its red horn. I had no idea that dragons even possessed magic. It would blow up buildings and burn down villages with that horn. Luna had an idea that worked. While I distracted the dragon, she cut the horn off. This of course defeated the dragon. Before the dragon dispersed into millions of pieces, it told us thank you. That told Luna and me that it wasn’t the dragon, it was the red horn. Luna and I tried to destroy the horn, but nothing worked.”

“Luna and I kept the horn in a volt in our old castle. We told our servants and other ponies to stay away from the volt. A young, naïve crystal pony servant named Sombra cleaned the hallways. While he was cleaning, he came across the volt. When I found him, he was inside of the volt, unconscious and the horn was gone. A day after the incident, Sombra told me he kept seeing visons of dead crystal ponies. I told him not to worry about it, but I was wrong. The more and more the horn was on, the more and more evil Sombra became. At last he took over the Crystal Empire. He killed millions of crystal ponies. The empire became a blood bath. He kept the stronger ponies as slaves. He tortured weak ones. He pulled off their hooves and raped the little fillies. Luna and I tried to cut off the horn, but he became the horn. We had no choice but to banish him. Long story short, you came along and destroyed him. But, I believe the horn was not destroyed.”

Twilight pressed her cheek against Celestia’s chest. Twilight sighed deeply and crawled from under the blanket. She trotted over to the window and peeked outside. The crystal ponies looked like ants from where she stood. Twilight turned around and saw Celestia standing behind her.

“Princess Celestia,” she said in a meek voice, “I had visions and a nightmare. Ponyville was on fire. Ponies were badly burned or dead. I was the one who caused all of that destruction. If Sombra had visions of destroying the Crystal Empire and he did. Then, I might destroy Ponyville.”

Tears formed in Twilight’s eyes, “I even had a vision of you killing you.”

Celestia’s heart sank, “I’m sorry you had to see that Twilight.”

“It’s not your fault Celestia.” Twilight said in-between sobs. “But I do have a s-solution.”

Celestia perked up.

“I-I cannot return to Ponyville. I might end up destroying the ponies.”

Celestia’s eyes rounded, “Are you sure that is what you want?”

“Yes Princess, it is the only way.”

Chapter 3

The sun seemed a bit dim, but most ponies didn’t notice. They were too busy with their own lives to take notice. The only pony that did notice was Twilight herself.

Twilight paced back and forth in her room. The sounds of clopping and Twilight mumbling to herself were the only sounds made in the room.

“What exactly happened that day? Well, there was breakfast in the main dining room. After that, I followed Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence into the meeting room. We debated about whether or not we want the changelings to feed off our love…they need it anyway. After that, I told my friends what happened in the meeting…I shouldn’t have told them…but we run our kingdom as a team…I am the princess of friendship after all. But we had a disagreement and I ran away. I hid behind an old mill…then I woke up here…”

No matter how many times Twilight tried to remember, her mind always came up blank. But the old mill had something to do with these horrible visions. Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. She slumped down to the floor.

“Maybe that was where the horn was buried…” Twilight winced at the sudden pain that went through her head. The source of the pain came from her horn. It felt like something was thumping the walls inside of it. She trotted into the bathroom and went up to the mirror. She glared at her reflection. She looked normal, but something was off. Her eyes went straight to her horn. It looked thicker than last night. She rubbed it, it felt a little warm.

“Whatever happened to me, I don’t like it,” Twilight was interrupted by the shy knock at the door.

“Come in.” She replied, trying not to sound worried.

The door opened slightly and a little dragon head appeared from behind it.

“Twilight,” Spike said in a small voice, “Are you okay?”

Twilight sighed and tried to ignore the thumping in her horn.

“I’m fine Spike, what’s wrong?”

Twilight found her dragon friend wrapped around her front legs. His green eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

“Oh Twilight, I thought something bad happened to you!” he wailed.

The young Alicorn loosened Spike’s grip with her magic. She bit her lip and placed her arms around his scaly body.

“I’m fine Spike, really!” She rubbed the dragon’s scales on top of his head. She bit her lip even harder. The thumping went from annoying to painful. What did this horn not like about Spike? What didn’t this horn like about Twilight’s life style?

Spike pulled away from her and glared at her, “Do you know what happened yesterday? Do you think someone ambushed you or something? Maybe it was a changeling!”

The Alicorn laid a hoof on his shoulder, “Calm down Spike, I don’t think I got ambushed…” Twilight tried her best not to tell Spike about King Sombra’s horn the best she could. She didn’t want to put him in danger.

“I actually don’t remember what happened to me exactly.” She sighed. She trotted to the other side of the room and gazed out the window.

Spike rubbed his chin. The first thing came to his mind was Twilight’s new fangs. The second thing was a changeling. He remembered the changelings showing off their fangs every times they hissed or spat. His eyes widened at the thought.

“You know,” He said slyly, “Your teeth are pretty sharp for a pony. Like changeling sharp!”

Twilight slowly turned her head around and gave him a long hard stare.

“I would be one clumsy changeling if I accidently forgot to hide my fangs.” Twilight said in a low voice. She turned away from the dragon.

Spike chuckled and gulped, “Yeah that would be really clumsy…sorry.”

Twilight exhaled and got up. “Let’s go down stairs and eat some breakfast, I’m getting hungry…”

“Twilight, its noon.” Spike said flatly.

Twilight flattened her ears and her cheeks turned bubblegum pink.

“Well,” she continued “Let’s go down stairs and eat some lunch!”

Twilight and Spike found themselves treading down the crystalized hallway. Strong looking crystal pony guards stood tall and firm by the entrance of the dining hall. As Twilight passed the guards, their eyes widened at the sight of her.

“Princess Twilight, are you alright?” one of the guards asked.

“We were told that you weren’t feeling well.” The other guard added.

Twilight smirked at the guards, “I’m feeling fine, I’m just hungry.”

“But we could send the food up to room.” They inquired

Twilight chuckled, “That is very thoughtful of the both of you. But I assure you, I’m fine.”

She trotted into the dining you with Spike waddling at her heels. The dining room had lavender colored crystal walls and floor, shined to perfection. Pictures and paintings of royal crystal ponies hung on the walls. The dining table was made out of pure pink diamonds. It stretched out so far, you would have to run to get to the other side. It also had matching chairs with royal purple cushions on the seats. The sunlight shined through the windows, made the room gleam and twinkle like stars.

A young, slightly plump crystal pony skipped into the dining hall. She halted by Twilight with a big grin on her face.

“Good day to you, your majesty, how may I help you?” she said in a slightly airy voice.

“I would like a salad with thousand island dressing please. But go light on the tomatoes.”

The crystal pony nodded and turned to Spike. “I would like a big bowl of crystals please, especially the red ones.” His mouth watered at the thought of red crystals.

The crystal pony chuckled, “Alright then, I shall return with your meals in a little bit.”

As soon as she was gone, Spiked leaned over to Twilight.

“Are you sure you don’t remember anything,” he said in a concerned voice, “You have to remember something.”

Twilight slumped into her chair, “I’m being honest with you Spike, I don’t remember…”

“TWILIGHT.” A group of ponies choired.

Her friends galloped towards her and gave her a big group hug. Twilight nickered and hugged them back.

Pinkie Pie got lose and glared at Twilight, “We were so worried about you! What happened? Did you bump your head? Did somepony attack you?”

The other ponies broke from the group hug and glared at Twilight. Twilight’s heart raced in her chest and her left ear twitched. She sighed and glowered at her friends.

“I don’t know what happened to me. All I remember is sitting behind an old mill and then I woke up in my guest bedroom.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, “Somepony must have ambushed you or drugged you.”

“I wasn’t…or I don’t think I was ambushed. I don’t have any bruises or cuts. Also, if I were drugged, I don’t think I would be down here.”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms, “I guess you have a point.”

“Speaking of yesterday,” Applejack chimed in, “We’re sorry about our reaction. We didn’t realize how bad the changelings have it.”

Twilight smiled at her friends, “It’s alright girls, and I’m sorry as well. I overreacted…”

“Overreacted,” Rainbow Dash interrupted as she spread her wings and hovered above Twilight. “More like freaked out!”

Applejack yanked the headstrong Pegasus back the floor and gave Rainbow Dash a menacing glare.

“Anyway,” Twilight continued. “The changelings sure can’t be trusted, but believe me, it is better this way. Who knows, maybe we can finally live in peace with them…wow did I just say that?”

The girls and their dragon friend laughed in unison and came in for another group hug.

Once Twilight and Spike’s meal arrived, the ponies seated themselves and asked for meals as well. While they were munching on jewels, salads, and a slice of chocolate cake, Twilight’s mind raced. What happened at the mill? She wanted to investigate the area, but she didn’t know if she could bring her friends along. She wouldn’t be putting them in any danger since there was only one horn. But what if they got in harm’s way? However, they all had been through worse.

“Girls,” Twilight said in a less confident voice. The others stopped their chatter and looked at the princess. “Is it all right if all of you can come with me to the mill? I want to investigate, but I don’t want to go alone.”

“Of course darling,” Rarity replied, “Besides I wouldn’t let you go alone.”

“Me neither!” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

“You can count me in.” Applejack said as she laid a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“I’ll never leave your side Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said over confident as usual.

Spike leaned in on Twilight and gave her a hug. The others glowered at Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus was in no mood to go investigate at the mill. She wanted to make an excuse, but what’s the use. She has been through worse.

“I guess I can go investigate. But what if we get hurt? Or lose our memory like Twilight? Or get…”

“Fluttershy take it easy,” Rainbow Dash said, “We’ll make sure nothing happens to any of us.”

Fluttershy sighed and munched on her lettuce like a very hungry goat.

After lunch, the seven friends trotted to the old mill. The mill was the only building not made out of crystal. The metal blades on the fan were rusted and some blades were missing. The white paint on the wooden walls were peeling off. Dusty barrels were scattered around the area. Some rotting corn husks were inside the barrels. The building creaked as the wind passed through it.

“What do you think this was used for?” Spike asked.

“Power, maybe a place to store corn. I have no clue.” Twilight replied. She lightly tapped the walls outside the mill. The wood felt soggy.

Fluttershy’s heart pounded in her chest. Her ears flattened every time the building creaked or when the fan on the mill slightly moved.

“I don’t see anything suspicious. Maybe we should go back to the castle.” Fluttershy said in a shaky voice.

“Don’t be silly Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie replied while popping up behind the yellow Pegasus. “We just got here. Now help me look for some clues.” The pink earth pony took out a giant magnifying glass out of thin air and examined the ground.

Rainbow Dash took to the sky and hovered around the mill. She peeked thru one of the windows. The only things she saw were winding stairs and a bucket dangling from a beam by a thin rope. Applejack and Rarity followed Twilight to the back of the mill. A dry trough stood a couple of feet away from them. Spike peeked inside the trough. He found a couple pieces of corn kernels and some moss stuck to the bottom of the trough. An old fashioned cast iron water pump was beside it. A rusty bucket sat below the spout. The pump handle was missing.

Twilight rubbed her horn and circled around the place she sat. Nothing seemed out of place. The shards of grass were normal. The place seemed void of anything suspicious.

“Umm, Twilight,” Applejack’s eyes darted around the mill, “Are you sure we’re at the right place?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied as she landed on the ground. “This place is really empty.”

Twilight slumped to the ground. She sat in the exact place she sat yesterday.

“I know this is the place,” She said under her breath.

She glared at the ground, thinking about yesterday. Her mind wondered to the ground. She felt the ground shake a little, even though the ground wasn’t moving in reality. She then heard something burst, even though nothing burst in reality. Her chest tightened. Her hooves trembled. Then a burning pain coursed through her horn. It felt like somepony was jabbing hot nails into it. Twilight grasped her horn and collapsed to the ground.

“Twilight!” Her friends choired. They raced to her side. A single tear rolled down Twilight’s cheek.

“Maybe we should take her to the hospital…” Fluttershy requested.

Twilight’s eyes shot open. She stood up but wobbled a little.

“No girls I’m fine.” She said in a shaky voice.

“Don’t pretend like we didn’t see that Twi,” Applejack said with concern in her voice. “Maybe we should take you to the doctor…”

Twilight teleported right in front of Applejack, “I said I’m fine!” she slammed her hoof so hard she shook the ground.

The other ponies and the dragon shivered in front of the young Alicorn. Fluttershy seemed to vanish, however she crouched down behind Applejack and graveled in the dirt. Twilight’s ears flattened and she turned away from them.

“I’ve shouldn’t of taken you here.” She said under her breath as she trotted away.

The walk back to the castle was quiet and cold. The other’s kept their distance away from Twilight. Even passerby ponies knew there was something wrong. Twilight paused and her friends did the same.

“Girls, I’m sorry.” Twilight said.

The other’s glared at each other. Applejack trotted in front of the others and sighed, “It’s alright Twilight. You probably had a busy week. I guess we all need to get home…”

Applejack’s voice became muffled and distant as Twilight’s thoughts raced about “home”. She couldn’t possibly go home. What if she hurt somepony? Her eyes darted around the amethyst colored sidewalk, the crystalized buildings, and the foals chasing each other around the street. The Crystal Empire looked so peaceful.

Until the Empire was engulfed in flame. Carts and carriages were toppled over. Merchant stands were nothing more but dust. The buildings were no longer ruby, light sapphire blue, or lime green. They were an eerie black. The ground was a dirty ochre color. Black crystals erupted out of the ground. The sounds of screams and cries filled the air, so did the aroma of blood.

While Twilight glowered at her fantasy, Spike lightly poked her hoof. Twilight nearly leaped into the air. Her coat was moist from sweating so much.

Her eyes flashed around her scenery. Everything was normal. No fire, no carts thrown around, no mayhem.

“Twilight,” Spike said in a low voice, “Are you okay?”

The princess continued to trot. “I’m okay Spike don’t worry about me.” She replied, but her mid was elsewhere.

***

It wasn’t Spike’s snoring that kept Twilight awake. It was the constant pain in her horn. It wasn’t as bad, but still it annoyed her. Twilight rubbed her horn and tiptoed out of bed. She dragged her hooves into the bathroom. She turned on the light and gazed at her horn. It looked normal except the fact that it got a few inches longer, and it seemed to curve upward.

“What is happening to me?” she said to her reflection.

A small knock at the door broke Twilight from her concentration. She tiptoed to the door and opened it gently. Behind the door was Princess Celestia.

“I’m sorry to wake you at this hour.” Celestia whispered.

“That’s alright, I wasn’t sleeping anyway.” Twilight whispered back.

“Are you sure about not going to Ponyville,” Celestia asked with concern in her voice. “I don’t think you want to stay in a place where the red horn first had problems.”

Twilight looked at the floor and swished her tail, “I don’t know what to do. I’m trying my best not to alarm my friends. But, they’re worried about me. I wanted to investigate the mill alone, but I knew my friends wanted to tag along. I made the mistake by inviting them. I almost put them in danger.”

Spike snorted in his sleep and flipped over in his little bed, facing away from Twilight and Celestia. Celestia gestured that they take their conversation in the hallway. Twilight gently closed the door behind her and sat next to Celestia. The hallway was quiet and cool. Twilight gazed up at Celestia. She looked different without her crown and shoes. But her mane still swayed, even though it looked a little dull.

“I think it would be best for you to go back to Ponyville.” Celestia said breaking the silence.

Twilight gawked, “With all due respect Princess Celestia, but why?”

“I think that horn is being triggered by the Crystal Empire…I think it knows it’s in the Crystal Empire.” Celestia replied.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Do you think the horn has a mind of its own?”

Celestia stood up, “Follow me Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight followed the sun goddess down a long narrowed hallway. The walls or floor weren’t as radiant. The flames on the walls grew dim. They stopped at a large dark gray, crystalized door with an iron door knob. Celestia opened the door and led Twilight down some dark, creaky winding steps. It reminded Twilight about her first experience with this castle. When they finally reached the bottom, Celestia lit the room with her magic. Twilight gawked at the massive bookshelves. The bookshelves were so tall, the top was hidden in cobwebs.

Celestia led Twilight to the end of the hidden library. They came up to section with many old magic books. All of them were written by Star Swirl the Breaded.

“Okay…where is it…oh here it is.” Celestia mumbled. She took a book off the shelf. It was covered in a thick layer of dust. Celestia blew the dust off and showed it to Twilight.

“The Wonders of Dark Magic, by Star Swirl the Breaded,” Twilight read aloud. “Huh, I don’t think I’ve read this book before.”

Twilight levitated the book away from Celestia. Most of Star Swirl’s books were thicker than a dictionary, but this book was only 42 pages long.

“Back then, there wasn’t much information about dark magic. But, I do believe that this book could answer some questions.” Celestia replied warmly.

“Why is the book down here?” Twilight asked.

“I had all of these books relocated here. Most of these books have dangerous spells in them. Some of them are too hard to read. Some of them I find…frightening. However, all of them are banned in some places.” Celestia replied, leaving Twilight even more confused.

“But you can have that book Twilight. I think it can shed some light on this horn. Maybe it can help overcome it as well.”

As Twilight followed Celestia, the pain in Twilight’s horn returned.

***

“ALL ABORAD.” cried the train conductor pony. Crystal ponies stumbled out of the train cars. They had tired looks on their faces after their vacations outside the Crystal Empire. Some of them had warm smiles on their faces, they were glad to be home. Regular ponies raced onto the train in large numbers. Another train screeched by and dropped off more ponies, both crystal and regular.

“NEXT STOP, MANEHATTEN.” Nearly tardy ponies dashed onto the train before it took off. The Manehatten train’s whistle blared into the air and pierced ponies’ ears. It chugged away aggressively. The next train coming up was the Ponyville train.

Twilight and her friends waited for their next train home. Twilight felt a little better, but she still thought about the horn. Her friends chatted away, while Spike noticed how quiet the Alicorn was.

“Well, I’m happy we’re heading home.” Spike chimed. Twilight remained silent. Her wings looked tight on her back. She glowered at everything around her, except her friends. The sounds of foals cheering and adult ponies chatting away made Twilight feel sick. The cloudless blue sky, the radiant buildings, the pleasant aromas of freshly roasted corn and baked goods. All of these happy things would one day be nothing but blood and fear at Twilight’s hoof.

The screech of train wheels caught Twilight’s attention. A colorful train halted some feet away from the main six and Spike. The doors opened and ponies and even some cattle bounded out of the train cars. Once the creatures cleared a conductor poked his head out.

“ALL ABORED.” He cried. Twilight’s friends gathered their saddle bags and trotted to the train. Twilight wobbled her way to car with Spike jogging at her heels. Without Twilight’s knowledge, the dragon also noticed something off about her horn. He didn’t remember it being longer and thicker than usual.

The girls and Spike settled themselves in the middle of train car. Twilight took a window seat. Spike sat next to her. He glared at her, he didn’t dare try to look at her hot eyes. His stubby tail twitched uncomfortably.

“Twilight, are you…”

“I’m fine Spike.” She answered without emotion, but she sounded very harsh to Spike.

“NEXT STOP, PNOYVILLE.” The conductor shouted as the train chugged away.

Rarity pulled out a lilac colored silky scarf out of her saddle bag. Dark violet crystals dangled from the ends. Following that scarf was an ivory colored scarf with radiant sapphires on the ends. The next one was bright pink with rose quartz, a golden one with red crystals, a pale yellow one with emeralds, a rainbow stripe one with rubies, and a light purple one with lime green stones.

“A young mare in the crystal empire made these scarves for us. She wanted me to give them to you.” Rarity said as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. Each pony took their scarf, Spike wrapped his around his neck and took Twilight’s scarf. He handed it to the forlorn princess. Twilight still gazed out the window. Her magic aura levitated the scarf out of the dragon’s claws. She didn’t wrap it around her neck or even glanced at the gift.

The other ponies stared at Twilight with widened eyes.

“Aren’t these scarves beautiful darling?” Rarity chimed.

Twilight remained mute, she scowled as she stared out the window.

Fluttershy tapped the tips of her hooves together, her tail switched back and forth.

“I think the scarves are very pretty Rarity.” The yellow Pegasus replied.

“I’m glad you like them Fluttershy, I just wish somepony else would like them too.” Rarity snorted.

The princess still remained quiet. Rainbow Dash groaned and nearly jumped out of her seat.

“What’s going on with you Twilight? Why are you so bummed out?” she demanded.

“That is none of your concern.” Twilight answered coldly.

Her friends shifted in their seats, their ears flattened, decides the ticked off Rainbow Dash. Applejack tugged on the blue Pegasus’s tail.

“Simmer down Rainbow. Don’t make things worse. I reckon Twilight is feeling under the weather. The best thing to do is to leave her alone.”

The friends watched the depressed Alicorn glare out the window. Twilight didn’t move for 20 minutes. Around the 25 minute mark, a female earth pony pranced in front of the girls with a red cart full of refreshments. They bought some oats, a couple of chocolate chips cookies, six cupcakes (well Pinkie Pie bought six cupcakes), and seven glasses of lemonade. While the ponies ate their snacks, Spike stood in front of Twilight with a small bag of oats. Finally, Twilight looked at her friend. His green eyes were huge and sparkling.

“Do you want some oats Twilight? They’re honey flavored, your favorite!” Spike asked while holding the oats out to her.

The girls tensed up as Spike stood in front of Twilight. The Alicorn’s horn soon glowed. She levitated the bag out of Spike’s claws. She opened the bag and ate a small hoof full of oats. The dragon and the ponies sighed with relief.

After nearly four hours of awkward silence, the mane six and Spike finally made it to Ponyville. At the train station, The Cutiemark Crusaders were bouncing at the sight of the mane six. Applebloom ran up to her sister with a big bear hug.

“Howdy there Applebloom!” the cowgirl greeted.

“How was yer trip? Did you get me a souvenir?” the young filly eyeballed her older sister’s saddle bag.

“Easy there partner, you’ll get yer gift once we get home.” A big smile appeared on Applebloom’s face.

Sweetie Belle beamed at her own sister, “How was your trip Rarity?”

Rarity bit her lip as she Twilight bounded out of the train. Spike was stuck carrying her heavy saddle bag.

“It was a very interesting trip Sweetie Belle,” she said while glancing at the princess, “Anyway, I got a load of things. Let’s go home and try them on.” Rarity shoved some clothes in front of her little sister. The two hurried out of the train station.

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash glowered at Rarity heaved Sweetie Belle and her belongings out of there.

Rainbow Dash rustled Scootaloo’s mane, “I got you something too little buddy.”

Before Scootaloo’s eyes were new black handles with a rubies incrusted into them.

“Wow, thanks Rainbow Dash!” the young Pegasus hugged her heroine.

Fluttershy and Pinkie smiled as the foals got there gifts. Their smiles faded when they saw Spike heaving. He was drenched in sweat as he carried the saddle bags.

“Do you need some help Spike?” Fluttershy asked.

“I got it…but I wouldn’t mind the help.” He replied.

Pinkie pie took one saddle bag and Fluttershy took the other.

“Why didn’t you let Twilight carry them?” Pinkie asked cocking an eyebrow.

“I didn’t offer to, once the train stopped, Twilight got up and forgot them. I called to her, but she didn’t hear me I guess. Except for her bag, she had her bag with her at all times.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looked at each other. Spike got closer to them and gestured them to get closer to his face.

“I want you two to keep this between us,” Spike whispered, “Twilight’s horn looks longer and thicker doesn’t it?”

The two ponies watched Twilight sit in profile position. Ever since she was turned into an Alicorn, her horn did change in size. However, it did look different. It looked a lot bigger, almost like Princess Celestia’s horn. It looked a bit darker too.

“Now that you mention it, her horn does look different.” Fluttershy said worried.

“Yeah, not to be a Debbie Downer, but her horn looks a lot like that King Sombra’s horn.” Pinkie added.

Fluttershy jumped at his name, “I thought K-King Sombra was destroyed. He was destroyed right? Oh, I hope he didn’t do this to Twilight!”

Spike pet Fluttershy’s mane, “Well I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”

On the other side of the train station, Twilight’s narrow eyes widened. Her pupils dilated so much they were the size of grapefruits. Her breathing got heavier and her hooves trembled. Ponyville was engulfed in flames. Ponies were screaming bloody murder. They darted here and there trying to rid of the flames on their bodies. Baby ponies cried at their dead mothers coxing them awake with their tiny hooves. One pony was trying to put his melted skin back on his flank.

Twilight shuddered as a warm hoof touched her shoulder. She spun around and saw Spike, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie glaring at her. She looked back into space, the horror was gone.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight looked at the Pegasus. Fluttershy looked normal. However, the hide on her face sagged. Her teal eyes slowly liquefied and rolled down her saggy face.

Twilight shrieked smacked Fluttershy’s hoof off. She galloped away from them and nearly crashed into other ponies.

Tears formed into Fluttershy’s eyes. Pinkie Pie nuzzled her as Spike took the saddle bags and tried to chase after the young Alicorn.

The crystal castle shined in the sun. It looked a little out of place, but most ponies were used to it by now. Inside the castle, Twilight was in her dark room. Her nightstand was toppled over. Her books were scattered all over the floor. Inks trailed out of their bottles and quills were scattered here and there. Twilight swaddled herself in her blanket. She wilted on her bed, with her doll Smarty Pants in her arms. She rocked back and forth in the dark. The bag that held Star Swirl’s book was in a chair near Twilight’s bathroom.

A sharp knock at the door grabbed Twilight’s attention.

“Twilight!” Spikes muffled voice shouted behind the locked door, “Twilight what’s gotten into you? You made Fluttershy cry! You snapped at Rainbow Dash, and you won’t tell us what’s going on!”

There was a long silence, “Go away Spike. I don’t want to put you in danger.” Twilight said in a low voice.

Spike balled up his claws and smoke rose from his nostrils.

“Twilight, I’m worried about you. Especially your horn…”

Spike paused as he noticed the door shaking. It rattled so violently that the door knob vibrated. The hinges glowed and popped off. The door then paused. Spike stood still as sweat rolled down his face. Within seconds, the door busted into tiny pieces. Spike ducked and rolled away from the door. A shadow loomed over him. He looked up to see bright red eyes only a few inches away from his own.

“The horn is none of your concern Spike. Now if you don’t get away from me and leave me alone, you’ll suffer the consequences.” She said in a very low voice. Spike shook underneath her. He wanted to move but couldn’t.

The red in Twilight’s eyes faded. She shook her head and glared down at Spike. The dragon shivered under her. Small tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Spike?” Twilight said confused. She reached a hoof towards him. But, Spike pushed her hoof away and ran towards his room.

“Spike wait, I’m sorry, that wasn’t me talking!” she winced when she heard a door slam. Twilight stomped and bounded into her room. Her door materialized back, this time she locked it tight.

Twilight slammed herself into her bed. Smarty Pants fell to the floor and landed with a soft thud. The Alicorn buried her face in her pillows and wept.

The Next morning, things seemed normal. Ponies went out to open their shops and other businesses. Foals raced to school as their parents raced to work. A cab pony washed his cab outside his apartment. Dr. Hooves galloped by and ran into a muddy puddle. Unfortunately, the mud got onto the clean cab. The cab pony moaned and wiped away the dirt.

Derpy delivered her morning mail route. As she flew around the sky, she waved at Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie pie. Only Pinkie Pie waved back. The four ponies trotted, while Rainbow Dash flew, towards the Castle of Friendship.

“It’s a good thing Spike can send us letters,” Fluttershy said in a shaky voice. “I feel awful for him, why would Twilight threaten him like that.”

“Well, she did scream at you Fluttershy, so there is something wrong with her.” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

Rainbow Dash nearly halted, “What! She screamed at Fluttershy! Why would anyone scream at Fluttershy?”

“She even smacked poor Fluttershy’s hoof!” Pinkie Pie added, “Poor Fluttershy burst into tears after that.”

Fluttershy wrinkled her nose, “Pinkie pie, I accidently spooked Twilight. I didn’t realize that until after words.”

“Well she should at least apologize for her behavior.” Rarity said.

Spike watched out for the girls on the third floor of the castle. Once he saw them, he let the doors down to let them in. He opened the doors gently so Twilight wouldn’t hear them come in.

The five ponies met Spike on the first floor. Then they marched to Twilight’s room.

Once they were there, Applejack knocked on the door with great force.

“Twilight are you in there? We want to talk to you.” Applejack said in a loud voice.

“Fluttershy I’m sorry. I’m sorry for acting so distant on the train.” Twilight said in low voice behind the door.

“It’s okay Twilight. I’m sorry for spooking you.” Fluttershy replied warmly.

Rainbow Dash groaned and jumped in front of the door, “Enough with the apologies! We want to know why you’re acting like this, and we want to know now!”

“If I tell you, I will put you in great danger.” Twilight replied.

“Great danger!” Applejack exploded, “Girl, we took out Nightmare Moon, took on the lord of Chaos, battled changelings, saved an entire empire, and battled big threats against Equestria multiple times! We’ve faced danger dozens of times. What makes you think we can’t face this?”

“Because you can’t face this!” Twilight exploded back, “The horn that was once on King Sombra is too much for you!” Behind her door, Twilight smacked her hooves on her face. Tears streamed down her hot face and her heart raced in her chest.

“What!” Rarity exclaimed.

“B-But I thought King Sombra was destroyed?” Applejack said very bewildered.

Fluttershy shook and let out a small cry while Pinkie Pie comforted her.

“D-did King Sombra do this to you?” Rainbow Dash asked in a small voice.

“No, it’s more complicated than that. Girls, please just leave before something worse happens.” Twilight bellowed, more hot tears streamed down her face. Her horn started to thump again.

“No way!” Rainbow Dash said proudly, “We’re not gonna let you face this alone. We’re your friends Twilight, we will always be there for you!”

Twilight sighed, “Thank you girls, but I don’t know what this horn can do. All I know is that it can cause great destruction. I s-saw visions…horrible visions. Ponies were dead before me, the sky was red, and there was blood everywhere. I even saw all five of you dead, by my own hooves.” Twilight buried her face in her hooves and sobbed harder.

The others stood there, eyes widened and jaws dropped. Fluttershy wept right along with Twilight. Spike couldn’t hold back the tears either. The fear was there. The fear was so big it almost took a shape in the room. The girls could see it, the screams, the blood, and the murder.

“No, no we won’t let that happen!” Applejack exclaimed.

Twilight chuckled behind the door, “You know what happened to Sombra. The Crystal Heart pretty much killed him. My best bet is to destroy me with the Crystal heart as well.”

Fluttershy sobbed even harder, “No Twilight, no! We could never do that to you!”

“Then leave! I knew none of you would be up for the task no leave!” Twilight shouted.

Before anyone could protest, Twilight teleported in front of her friends. Without warning, she teleported all of them near the exit. Even Spike. Twilight teleported herself on the other side of the room.

“Leave now!” she commanded.

Applejack stood her ground, “Twilight listen to us! We’re not gonna let you kill yourself. We’ll find a way to save you!”

Twilight gritted her teeth, “Leave now that is an order!”

“An order we can’t follow.” Rarity chimed in.

Her friends trotted towards Twilight with Spike following them. As they got closer, a sharp pain jabbed Twilight’s horn. The Alicorn’s wing flared and the horn’s tip stared to bubble. The bubbles were black and smoking. Just then a flash of black magic aura burst from her horn. The sharp aura cut the roots to the chandelier above the Cutie Map. The roots connected to the ceiling began to snap. The chandelier swayed back and forth. Twilight’s friends stopped in their tracks. The last root snapped, the chandelier came tumbling down. The others yelped and ran out of the way. The tree root chandelier crashed as it hit the floor. Pieces of broken glass shards were strewn all over the floor. Some roots even broke off.

Everypony’s heart broke in two as they saw the chandelier groveling on the map. Twilight let out an ear piercing cry and teleported out of sight. The girls had no idea where Twilight teleported to, but Twilight had no choice but to go back to the Crystal Empire.

Chapter 4

Outside the hustle and bustle of the train station was the peaceful Crystal Empire. Since it was spring break, the streets were filled with ponies. Some trotted passively, others galloped down the road to get to their hotels. Other than that, there was no tension. In the castle however, there was a lot of tension. The tension started in the room Twilight was staying in.

The three princesses and Shining Armor accompanied the stressed Alicorn. She slumped in a chair, facing the window. She couldn’t dare to look at their faces. When they first came in, Twilight saw their lifeless bodies huddled in a pool of blood.

“Ugh, if only I had destroyed the horn too.” Princess Cadence bellowed.

Shining Armor wrapped his giant leg around his wife’s shoulder.

“It isn’t your fault Cadence. We didn’t know about the horn then.”

The room remained silent. Every pony stared at Twilight. Her mane and coat were dull. Her wings tightened themselves against her back. She glared out the window with a lethargic face. Only her eyes were full of life. She gaped out the window with a hot stunned look.

“Should I tell my friends that I will not be returning to Ponyville?” She asked still facing the window. The princesses and her brother eyeballed one another.

Luna sighed, “I think is it best not to tell them. If they knew about this, they would be in great danger.”

Twilight leaned out of the chair. Her forehead pressed up against the cool glass, her breath fogged the window

“But all of you are also in danger. I can’t stay in this room forever.” She moped. “Why not just kill me with the Crystal heart?”

Cadence gasped, “Twilight that is not an option!”

“I know place where you can isolate yourself Twilight.” Luna replied.

Twilight’s ears perked up.

“It is a small cabin near an abandoned village. I use to go there to clear my thoughts.”

“Thank you, Princess Luna. But what about my friends?”

“I will tell your friends Twilight. Luna can escort you to the cabin.” Celestia replied stepping forward.

Twilight sighed, “Shining Armor?”

“Y-yeah Twily…” he said in shaky voice.

“Please don’t tell mom and dad about all of this. I don’t want to put them at risk.”

Shining shook his mane and sighed, “That’s a tall order little sis. I’ll try not to tell them. But they’re going to find out sooner or later. But I have to let the guards know…just in case you attack us.”

At the nick of time, a guard knocked on the door, “Your majesties, Princess Twilight Sparkle’s friends are here to visit her.” He announced behind the door.

Celestia sighed, “Tell her friends that I will meet them down stairs as soon as possible.”

“Very well my Princess.” He replied back.

Twilight leaned back into the chair. Her ears flattened and her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t want to leave her friends, but she didn’t want to see them harmed either.

The tension made its way down into the dining hall. The rest of mane six and Spike sat in their chairs without making a sound. They didn’t touch there breakfast either. A servant came in out filling drinks. The sound of his clopping echoed throughout the dining hall. Spike poked his jewel omelet with his fork. Pinkie gaped at her chocolate milk. Rarity sipped her crystal berry juice. Rainbowdash tapped her hoof on the floor. Fluttershy looked at the floor and hid her face behind her mane. Applejack creased the silky white table cloth.

Spike slammed his claws on the table.

“That’s it, I’m going up stairs…”

“Hold on there Spike. Princess Celestia said she come down here as soon as possible.” Applejack reminded the dragon

The room fell silent again. Spike snorted and sat down.

“Aren’t any you a little suspicious? By now Twilight would’ve come out of her guest room. She would give us a lecture, every pony apologizes, and things go back to normal.” Rainbow Dash bellowed.

Applejack paused. She clenched her teeth and exhaled. “That’s what I was expecting too.”

The ponies and the dragon came to a hush when they heard heavy hoof steps treading towards them. They saw an Alicorn shadow linger on the wall. However, their smiles faded when Celestia showed herself. She stood before the table with a stern look, but her eyes were glassy and concerned.

The other ponies and the dragon bowed in front of her. The princess returned a nod and bit her lip. She was confident upstairs, but she felt intimidated in front of Twilight’s friends. Celestia knew that these ponies would do anything for their friend.

“Princess Celestia?” said a young, boyish voice. The princess’s eyes narrowed down towards the young dragon.

“Yes Spike?” she said trying not to sound shaky.

“Is Twilight going to be okay?” his green eyes beamed at her.

Celestia’s ears flattened and her wings tensed up on her back. The others gathered around her. Their ears flattened when they saw Celestia’s worried expression.

“Twilight is fine. She…” Celestia went cotton mouthed.

“She?” Rainbow Dash said slyly.

“Rainbow…” Applejack scolded.

Celestia nearly slammed her hooves into the ceramic floor.

“Twilight will not be returning to Ponyville!”

The others gasped and looked at one another in concern. Rainbow Dash soared above Princess Celestia. She flapped her wings furiously, hovering over the long horn that held great power.

“Why isn’t Twilight returning to Ponyville?” she snapped.

“Rainbow, what has gotton into ya?” Applejack took Rainbow’s tail in-between her teeth and tugged her to the floor.

“It’s all right Applejack, Rainbow Dash has the right to be worried about her friend.” Celestia said calmly.

Spike lowered his head and shuffled his feet, “I want to see Twilight. I have to say goodbye…”

“I am truly sorry Spike, but you may not see Twilight.” Celestia said in a hurt voice.

Tears formed into the dragon’s eyes. The scales on the sides of his head flattened. He dashed over towards Fluttershy and wept on her soft chest. Fluttershy embraced Spike. Tears rolled down her yellow cheeks.

“It’s alright Spike,” she whispered, “I’m hurt and confused too.”

A single tear appeared on Celestia’s face. Her long flowing mane dulled. She felt a slight tug and looked down to see Pinkie Pie. Her curly, puffy mane deflated. The bright colors on her body faded.

Celestia bit her lip hard, but not enough for it to bleed. She bowed her head. She opened her eyes and saw the hazy floor. It was a swirl of colors blending into one another. The only thing she could made out was her tears hitting the floor.

“Hold on a gosh darn second, Princess Twilight Sparkle is in trouble and you expect us to leave her be?” Applejack exclaimed. She blushed and took off her hat. She felt bad for yelling at the co-ruler of Equestria.

“I’m sorry Princess Celestia…I didn’t mean…” she began to say in an airy voice.

“Don’t feel sorry Applejack. Twilight’s our friend. She would be there for us if we were in trouble.” Rainbow Dash said proudly.

Celestia blew out a shaky breath, “Rainbow Dash, it’s not like that…”

“There must be something we can do. Can’t we use our Rainbow Power?” Rarity asked.

Celestia’s teeth tightened and she trembled, “No one’s magic can help Twilight…”

“Maybe we could use one of her spell books or something.” Pinkie Pie chimed in.

Celestia jerked her head up. The whites in her eyes turned a vivid crimson. The tears flowing down her face evaporated into the air. Her mane transformed into flames.

“Twilight is not herself! If she sees you or even gets a glance of you, you will surly die! Twilight has become a monster! If she went back to Ponyville with all of you, she will destroy everything! She will kill every pony, foals won’t even be spared! Stop trying to help Twilight! Stop trying to come up with solutions! There is nothing you can do to help her! Do you realize how hard this is for me too? I don’t want to lose Twilight either, but it is the only way! The only things all of you can do is go back to Ponyville and stay there!”

Celestia’s body heaved as she cooled down. Her mane went back to normal, but it still it was dull. The red in her eyes faded to white. Bags appeared under her eyes and her coat dimmed to gray.

The others cowered in the corner of the room. Fluttershy held on to Spike tightly, both of them were balling. The others grasped onto each other and quivered as one. Celestia glared at them with hurt eyes. She moaned.

“Forgive me, I let my fears get to the best of me. However, I am not over exaggerating. Twilight is dangerous to be around.” She said swallowing her tears.

“W-will T-twilight still be our friend?” Pinkie Pie asked in-between sobs.

Celestia bowed her head again and sighed, “I don’t know.”

***

Twilight’s wings grew weary. Her head ached and her horn burned. The two princesses had been flying for hours. To Twilight’s surprise, she didn’t know how big Equestria was. She saw deer villages and mountain goat towns. But, most of time trees and waterfalls were below them. On the other hand, the trip was unpleasant. Twilight tried to focus on following Princess Luna, but this voice kept speaking to her. Twilight’s blood shot eyes darted here and there, trying to find the speaker.

Twilight…Princess Twilight…kill the moon Alicorn…kill her NOW. What are you waiting for? Kill her, this is your only chance…

Twilight shook her head furiously and flapped her wings even harder.

Don’t try to resist me…I am you after all. You will fall into darkness. You will become blood thirsty. You will obey me…

Twilight moaned, her saddle bag slipped a little on her back. Luna glanced behind her.

“Hang in there Twilight. We’re almost there.” She said in a calm voice.

Twilight nodded and glided over the bushels of green below her.

Maybe, I could give you a little incentive…if you listen to me, you can have great power. Your friends won’t be able to stop agreeing with you. Every pony will be kissing your flank. You can be the ruler of all of Equestria. No, all of the world.

Luna glanced behind her again. She was about to turn her head away, but something unsettling happened. An eerie grin appeared on Twilight’s face. Her eyes were green and scarlet. Her coat was dark violet. Her mane remained the same. The tip of her horn grew jagged.

“Twilight are you alright?”

Twilight snapped out of her trip. Her coat and eyes went back to normal. Her horn remained jagged.

“I’m fine Luna…” she replied closing her eyes.

Luna faced away from Twilight and kept her eyes straight ahead. Her ears slightly flattened.

The two princesses finally came to a small village. The houses were made out of oak trees. The roofs were made out of more oak. Luna and Twilight landed on the ground. Twilight looked around her surroundings. Doors were wrenched off. Windows were cracked or missing glass. Paint peeled off the houses. A window shutter banged on a house. A dirty pony doll was smothered in the dusty ground. Some tin pony soldiers were scattered here and there. Roofs caved in. Cobwebs clung to every nook cranny of the houses. Some blankets, still on a close line, snapped in the wind.

“Princess Luna, what happened to all of the ponies who lived here?” Twilight asked in a small voice.

“There used to be a breed of Parasprite that only ate flesh.” Luna said in a low voice.

Twilight quivered, “I think I heard enough.”

Luna chuckled, “Don’t worry Princess Twilight Sparkle. That breed of Parasprite is extinct. Unfortunately, they devoured most of the ponies in this village. The surviving ponies escaped and made a new village elsewhere.”

“How did they go extinct?” Twilight asked gloomily.

“Celestia and I found their hive and destroyed it. Some unicorns gathered the rest of them and bred a new Parasprite.”

Twilight staggered behind Luna until they got to the cabin.

“Ah, here we are.” Luna said cheerfully.

The shabby cabin looked crooked and small. The dark pine wood was bleached. A single window shutter dangled from a window. Old grass and moss spewed out of the chimney.

Luna led Twilight into the cabin. Grass and barley stained the wood floor. An ancient fireplace was so charred, it looked like a black hole in the cabin. A big black caldron sat next to the fireplace. A large table in the middle of the room was turned on its side. Dried leaves and used nests huddled in corners of the cabin. A small white mouse darted to the other side of the cabin. Cobwebs lingered on the walls and hung out by the windows. A thin sheet of dust clung to the windows and other surfaces.

Luna’s magic aura swept across the cabin. Cobwebs and dust vanished. The place looked cleaner, but the smell of wet wood still lingered in the air.

“You can graze on the grass outside. The grass is very sweet here.” Luna said.

Twilight’s eyes were distant and dull. Luna inched closer to her.

“Are you sure this is what you want Twilight?” Luna said. Her eyes dimmed.

Twilight gave Luna a sad simper, “I’ll get used to it. Hurry home, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“But won’t you be lonely out here?”

“The lonelier the better. I won’t be able to hurt any pony if there is no pony around.” Twilight said bravely.

The two princess sat in coherence for a moment. Luna broke the silence with a warm embrace. Hot tears streamed out of their eyes. They broke their hug and looked at each other.

“You are a very brave Alicorn. You are a very special Alicorn. You care about others so much, you are willing to isolate yourself to protect them. You are my idol Princess Twilight.”

Luna hugged her again. After a few seconds, she pushed herself away from Twilight. She galloped out of the cabin and took to the skies.

Twilight went to the window and watched Luna until she was out of sight. Twilight dragged her body away from the window. She plopped her bag on the floor. She slumped near the fire place. She collapsed her body on the floor and wept.

***

The sun peered over the land, shedding its light and warmth over Equestria. Birds chirped in trees. A deer and her fawn grazed near the pond. A fog hovered over the pond. Frogs croaked while dragon flies flew to their next destination. Small woodland creatures scampered out of borrows and trees. A vixen nursed her kits inside an old shed near Twilight’s cabin.

Inside the cabin, Twilight’s unconscious body was sprawled out on the floor. The white mouse crawled over towards the sleeping Alicorn. Her whiskers twitched and her small pink eyes glimmered. Twilight’s ear twitched in her sleep. This startled the mouse and she scurried away.

Twilight’s eyes fluttered open. The left side of her face felt sticky and numb. She lifted herself off the floor. She rubbed her damp cheek. She felt sore from sleeping on the floor.

Light poured into the cabin. Dust particles danced and swayed in the light. The shadow of a bird darted pass the wall. A rumbling noise echoed in the room. It sounded wet and grumpy.

Twilight realized the rumbling came from her stomach. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate. She hauled her jaded body over towards the door. She shoved the door open with her hoof. She squinted her eyes at the sun’s bright light. Her ears ached at the sounds of cicadas buzzing. Twilight gazed at the view. Tall blades of grass looked like ocean waves as the wind blew at them. She trotted over towards the grass and grazed.

Luna was right, the grass tasted sweet. Twilight grazed at the grass with dew drops stuck to them. As the grass filled her belly and quenched her thirst, she felt blue. The sweet tasting grass reminded her of Pinkie Pie. Pinkie’s cupcakes always tasted sweet. Twilight stopped grazing. She treaded over towards a big tree by the pond. She sat against the tree, the leafy branches shielded her from the sun. She watched dragonflies hover over the pond. A single cloud rolled by in the sky. A tiny white rabbit hopped out of the tall grass. He looked around with alerted eyes. When he glanced at Twilight, he hopped away. Twilight sulked, the white rabbit reminded her of Angel Bunny. Angel Bunny reminded her of Fluttershy.

The forlorn Alicorn walked away from the tree and sat by the pond. Her flank sank into the wet sand. It felt cold, but Twilight didn’t mind. The air was thick and moist, she knew it was going to be a hot day. The smell of moss and dirt made Twilight feel torpid. The humid air wasn’t keeping her cognizant either.

Twilight scooted closer to the pond. The cool water touched her coat. She glared at her reflection in the water. She saw that her horn was sharper than usual. She poked her horn and felt a slight pinch.

“Ouch…” she examined her hoof. The tip of it bled a little.

She sucked on her hoof and fixed her eyes on the pond. The shimmering water looked ravishing…like Rarity. Twilight grimaced and darted away from the pond. As she galloped, she felt something hard, smooch under her hoof. She looked down and found a smashed red apple. Obviously, the apple reminded her of Applejack.

“Look at the bright side Twilight, at least your friends aren’t forgotten.” She said under her breath.

A hawk screeched above her head. She looked up at the blue sky and saw the hawk glide in the air.

“How could I forget about Rainbow Dash?” she sighed.

The Alicorn walked back into the cabin. When she got inside, her legs buckled underneath her. She closed her eyes and hoped she wouldn’t see any frightening images. Fortunately, she didn’t.

Twilight opened her eyes and glared at her frumpy looking saddle bag. She opened it up, but then stopped. She glowered at the bag. Twilight’s forehead wrinkled and she concentrated. She unfastened the straps and then stopped again. She got up and went up to the bag.

She stood over it and glared at the magic aura that was engulfed by her magic. She knew that she was unfastening the saddle bag, but her magic aura was off. It was black instead of magenta.

Twilight’s heart knocked on her rib cage. Her legs felt like jelly. A sharp pain coursed through her horn. She was in so much discomfort, she keeled over. Black, green, and violet sparks burst from her jagged horn. It stretched and grew more ragged. The black magic aura slithered around the cabin. It wrapped itself around the caldron and shattered it into a million pieces. The black aura burned the leaves and empty nests. The white mouse tried to escape, but the aura caught her. A tiny ring of dark magic skewed itself around the mouse’s neck. It strangled her until her neck snapped. She let out a tiny squeak and went limp.

The dark magic finally calmed down. Once the horn was stretched out enough, it sucked the black aura back into it. Twilight flipped over on her back. Her wings spread themselves out and her body twitched. She surged as perspiration dripped off her face.

Twilight didn’t know how long she’d been on the floor. She searched around the cabin. Her vision doubled and every inch of her body throbbed. Her horn smarted the most. She assessed her horn. It was longer, uneven, and warm.

The distressed Alicorn raced outside. When she got to the pond, she halted above the shaky waters. She peered into her reflection. She choked at the sight of her appearance. Her horn looked an awful lot like King Sombra’s horn.

Chapter 5

The crystal castle that stood in Ponyville looked rather odd. The buildings in Ponyville were down to earth. Ponies would gather around the castle and look at it in awe. Lately, no pony stopped by to gape at it. The lights inside the castle were off. The windows and doors were shut up. There was a note on the door. “Princess Twilight Sparkle will not be returning to Ponyville.” Was written on the note.

Ponies asked the rest of mane six on Twilight’s whereabouts. The girls wanted to tell the other ponies but they were kept in the dark as well. Rainbow Dash would reply, “Why don’t you go ask Princess Celestia?”

Of course, many wrote letters to her. Celestia would reply that Twilight was fine. Her subjects knew Celestia wouldn’t lie to them, but most were in doubt. Without further ado, letters from around Equestria kept coming. Endless letters piled up in Celestia’s room. There were so many letters, Celestia shoved all of them in her library.

Luna also got bombarded with letters. She didn’t reply to them, but she told an announcement for every pony to hear. She had to use a radio transmitter to tell her announcement. Some Cantorlot ponies could even hear her from the outside the castle.

“My fellow subjects of Equestria. Fear not and doubt not that my sister and I are keeping bleak news from you. I would tell all of you what happened to Princess Twilight Sparkle, but she wouldn’t want me to do that. She loves all you so much, that she is willing to isolate herself from other ponies. If Twilight were here, all of us would be in great danger. Instead of questioning or looking for Twilight, thank her for her great sacrifice.” After delivering her message, Luna felt awful.

The Princess of the night had the right to feel awful. Many ponies took her message the wrong way. Ponies around Equestria made a memorial around the castle in Ponyville. Foals nailed, glued, or taped goodbye letters and drawings on the outside castle walls. Some placed flower wreathes around the castle. Other’s burned candles and Derpy placed a box of muffins in front of the castle door. For some reason, she thought Twilight was still alive. She thought the young Alicorn was hiding in the castle.

The only ponies that didn’t add anything to the memorial were Twilight’s closest friends. Spike didn’t add anything either.

“Should we tell them that Twilight is still alive?” Rarity asked in a hush voiced.

“No, it would only make things worse.” Applejack replied.

“I wonder if Twilight still remembers us.” Pinkie Pie said. Her mane was still flat and her coat was still dull.

“Wherever she is, I know she’s safe and sound.” Fluttershy said in a cheerful tone. The other’s smiled at her, but they felt uneasy.

It was raining all over Equestria. The co-workers at the weather factory made a very big rain cloud. They tried to condense it, but the stubborn cloud remained large. The co-workers had no choice but to set the cloud free. Whether it was raining or not, Twilight wouldn’t leave the cabin. The only times Twilight went outside was to graze, drink from the pond, and urinate. The only things Twilight brought with her was a picture of her friends and the book Celestia gave her.

Twilight sprawled out her body on the wet floor. Old bowls and cups she found were scattered on the floor. The roof leaked and they caught the falling rain drops. The bored Alicorn flipped over on her left side and watched the water ripple in the cups and bowls. Her horn still throbbed and she didn’t know why. Ever since her horn changed, her other appearances changed as well. Her coat grew a couple of shades darker. It was a dark shade of palatinate. Her mane, including her highlights, faded to black. Her wings stretched wider. The tips grew sharper. Her height even increased. Her body became even curvier. When Twilight went to sip from the pond, she glared at her reflection. She thought she was looking at Nightmaremoon. The only thing that didn’t change was Twilight’s eyes.

Twilight glared at her saddle bag. She grimaced as the black aura removed the book she brought with her. She flopped the book in front of her and flipped it open.

Introduction

Many ponies believe that the story called “The Balance of Magic” is just folklore. But “The Balance of Magic” is as real as you and me. This true event is the reason why dark magic exist. If you haven’t read the story, I will tell it to you.

In the beginning of Equestria, an Alicorn named Statera gave birth to the first unicorns. The Alicorn had a colt and a filly. The colt had a pure white coat and horn. The horn possessed magic that was good. He would stop famines, heal wounds, and bring peace with his horn. Since he was good and his coat was white, he was called Angelus. The mark on his flank was a light teal heart. His sister had a coat the color of charcoal. Her horn was the color of charcoal when it was heated. The magic in her horn was evil. She created floods, set forest aflame, and even killed ponies with her magic. Since she had a heart made of stone, she was called Lamia. The mark on her flank was a red heart.

Every pony seemed to love Angelus. Even their mother favored him. Lamia grew envious of her brother. She wanted him dead.

While her brother was healing the ill, she teleported right in front him with big eyes.

“Brother, brother, a young filly had fallen ill in the woods. I commanded her to mount my back, but she refused, for she fears me. Please brother, come to her aid. She doesn’t have long.” Lamia pleaded.

The two unicorns raced into the forest. Angelus and Lamia wondered around searching for the “filly”. While they wondered, Lamia casted a sleeping spell on Angelus. Angelus collapsed to the ground. As she cackled, she trampled all over her brother. She ripped his horn out of his head and flung it into a shrub. She stomped on her brother’s neck with such great force, his neck snapped in two. Lamia spat on Angelus’s corpse and trotted away.

When Lamia got back to her castle, she found her mother glaring down at her.

“Lamia, do you realize what you have done?” Statera exclaimed.

“Mother, I did not realize you were watching. Please forgive me. My heart is as cold as stone. Envy had gotten to me…” The daughter of Statera said with a bow.

“Silence daughter! I felt the balance being tempered with. You do realize that you and your brother are balance? In order for there to be evil, there must be good. Since your brother is gone, you must perish as well.”

Her mother pulled the red horn right out of her daughter’s head. She left her daughter to bleed to death.

After Lamia’s death, Statera gathered her son and daughter’s horns. She dispersed her son’s horn all over Equestria. When the horn’s dust landed on ponies’ foreheads, a horn grew. As for Lamia’s horn, Statera buried the red horn within the mountains…

The red horn glowed bright and hot. Twilight paused in her reading. The horn let out more sharp pains. Twilight stood up. She pressed her hooves against her face and grinded her teeth. Without even knowing, the horn blasted at the book. The book was nothing more than burned papers.

Twilight’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was the burned book.

“Did, did I do that?” she whispered.

***

It had been raining for three days straight. No foal played outside. Birds and small woodland animals took shelter in trees. Ponies had to gallop to get around, they didn’t want to stay out in the rain. But, every home was warm and dry.

Fluttershy’s cottage was swarming with animals. The yellow Pegasus flew here and there tending to animals. She dried off animals, made sure everyone had something to eat, and kept checking a chipmunk’s temperature. Discord curled up on the couch and watched her work. He eyeballed the new guest that decided to stay with them. The guest in the corner, was a small purple dragon snoozing in his bed.

“Why is he here again?” Discord bellowed as his magic spun the pictures on the walls.

“I know your upset Discord, but Spike is welcome here. He’s living with us until Twilight returns.” She said calmly.

Discord sighed and made bubbles appear around animals that sneezed or coughed.

“You know, I think Twilight got possessed by something.” Discord said in a low voice.

“What makes you say that?” Fluttershy said while filling up food dishes.

“That’s what happened to that King Sombra fellow. He didn’t always used to be a power hungry crystal pony.”

Fluttershy flew in front of Discord. She hopped onto the couch and sat right by his head.

“How do you know?” she replied with wide concerned eyes.

Discord took the Pegasus under his big lion arm. Fluttershy blushed.

“Well, I wasn’t supposed to know. I can be nosy sometimes.” He said flattening his ears.

Fluttershy glance at the floor and then to Discord.

“Do you know what happened to Twilight?” she asked almost turning red.

Discord shook his head, “I’m afraid what I said was only a theory…”

Spike’s blaring snoring interrupted the draconequus.

“Why couldn’t he live with Applejack? Or maybe Rarity, he likes Rarity doesn’t he?”

Fluttershy giggled and nestled up against the warm draconequus.

At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was outside bucking apple trees. There weren’t even buckets below to catch the apples. They landed on the muddy ground. Big Mac trotted over towards his sister and watched her buck the trees. She bucked them so hard, they seemed to bend.

“Applejack, why don’t ya come n’side? Yer gonna catch somethin.” He said.

“I’m fine Big Mac.” Applejack replied annoyed.

“No, yer not fine. Listen to yer big brother, Twilight can get through this. She’s been through worse.”

Applejack stopped bucking. She tossed her hat off her head and threw it on the ground.

“If any of us were in trouble, Twilight would go through anything to git us out of a fix. I can’t stand it! Here I am buck’n apple trees when I should be sav’n my friend!” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Big Mac marched over towards Applejack. His sister hunched over and trembled. Her brother wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Applejack’s cheek pressed up against his red coat. His coat smelled like hay and apple cider.

“Don’t beat yerself up. I had to watch ya beat yerself up when ma and pa passed away. I don’t want ta see ya suffer’n again.”

Applejack pulled away from her brother. She glared at her trampled on hat. She picked it up and tossed back on her head. She staggered back to the house with Big Mac following close behind her.

Usually when there’s a thunder storm, Rainbow Dash flew above it. However, she wasn’t in the mood to fly above the clouds. She wanted the cold rain to hit her coat. She wanted the thunder to boom all around her. The storm matched her attitude none the less.

“If only we were more accepting. If only we could understand…” Rainbow fought back the tears and kept flapping her wings. The wind whipped at her wings and mane.

“But, we will find a way to save you Twilight.” Dash burst through the gray clouds. She was covered in water when she made it to the other side. She shook herself off and soared above the storm cloud.

Two days passed. The skies were clear and cloudless. Some areas were flooded, but that didn’t get many down. Twilight’s cabin was drenched from the inside out. It smelled like moss and damp mold. The bowls and cups overflowed with rain water. The roof still leaked, but only small droplets fell. Twilight didn’t notice. She hadn’t been herself lately. She mumbled to herself about world domination and then peace. It was like Twilight was arguing with herself. Twilight stayed indoors without food or drink. She didn’t dare to step a hoof outdoors. However, getting some fresh air would’ve been the best for her.

She rocked herself in a corner of the cabin. She sat on top of a pile of leaves. She caressed her tail. Her dark mane was unkempt. Dark circles formed under her eyes. Her eyes faded from scarlet to moderate violet.

“I-I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess of Friendship.” She said in a low voice. She quivered and her the red horn glowed even brighter.

“N-no, I am Queen Twilight. Queen of Destruction. Queen of evil. Queen of Hell.” She said in an eerie voice. Her eyes turned vivid scarlet. The princess shook her head and glared at the toppled over cups and puddles. For a moment, her vision doubled.

“N0, no! I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. Princess of Friendship. My friends…” her rounded eyes. “Who are my friends?”

Twilight blew air out of her lips and waved her hoof in the air. Her eyes faded back to scarlet, “Don’t be silly. I don’t need friends. I only need to rule Equestria…”

Out of nowhere, Twilight’s own hoof smacked her across the face. Her right eye got caught in the crossfire. Her eyes went back to normal. Her cheek was red and puffy. Her right eye had a pink tint in it. The skin around it was a little swollen.

“What am I rambling about? I need friends. That is what I stand for…”

“NO, you are the Queen of a living Hell! Embrace it, this what you need! You don’t need friends, they’ll only slow you down.” She roared to herself. The whites in her eyes faded to green. Her irises turned scarlet. The purple smoke appeared at the sides of her eyes. Like fire, her flowing black mane whipped back and forth. She stood and marched to the center of the cabin. She knocked bowls and cups out of her way.

“As Lamia’s heir, I will rule Equestria in her place. But, unlike Sombra, I won’t start with a weak and meaningless Empire. I think I’ll start by terrorizing Cantorlot.” Twilight let out a blood curdling cackle. While she laughed, her teeth formed into fangs.

Twilight bowed her head and breathed heavily. Only her irises went back to moderate violet. Her ears flattened and tears formed in her eyes.

“No this isn’t me...”

Twilight couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her moderate violet irises faded to scarlet. She grew a foot taller and her wings sharpened. She rose above the floor. The black, engulfed in green and purple, aura shot out of her horn. Once it touched the roof, the cabin detonated. Wood planks and splinters scattered all over the forest. The vixen in the shed huddled up and trembled. Her kits trembled by her belly. Deer jerked their heads up and glared at the Alicorn in the sky. Smaller woodland creatures scurried away from the angry Alicorn.

The evil Twilight studied her surroundings. She saw the abandoned village and sighed.

“Well, it looks like this place is useless to me.” She said in a very low voice.

She soared higher into the sky and paused. She gathered all of her magic into a sphere. The sphere looked like a miniature sun. The sphere grew larger and larger. Deer and moose galloped away. Smaller animals took cover under logs and fallen trees. A mother bear and her cubs darted for their cave.

Once Twilight’s sphere was the size of a bus, Twilight flung the sphere away from her. The sphere exploded inches off the ground. Some younger trees bent back from the blast. Older trees were uprooted. All off the leaves turned to dust when the heat hit them. Innocent animals were set aflame. The vixen and her kits were the closes to the sphere. They and the shed disintegrated in mere seconds. Animals that were exposed to the heat melted were they stood. Their fur disappeared. Their eyes balls melted out of their sockets. Long flaps of skin hung from their bodies. Their bodies were so charred, their heads fell off. The grass turned black and disintegrated. The barren village crumbled to the ground.

After that horrifying 10 minutes, the forest was nothing but a barren waste land. The trees were nothing but burnt twigs sticking out of the ground. The sky faded from bright red to steel gray. The ground was gun metal gray. Charred animals looked like black sketches on the ground. A fawn staggered in the middle of it all. Its skin peeled off its body. Blood dripped from its head. The fawn wailed and collapsed to the ground. A robin landed on the ground. Her wings were burned. Her chest was covered in blood. The village and the cabin ceased to exist.

Twilight lowered herself to the ground. She gazed at her dead surroundings. She felt heavy, her heart felt heavy. She quivered and her legs buckled. She groveled in the dirt and sobbed.

“W-what have I done? Why did I do this? No one is safe, I need to lock myself up!”

Without thinking her plan through, Twilight darted towards the sky.

***

A big dark green cinder block was tucked in the mountain. It was sitting on a concrete display. Barbed wire fence surrounded the block like building. Towers stood by the corners of the fence. The place was known as The Asylum for Hazardous Ponies. Equestria culture believed that jails did not reform anypony. They put criminals in asylums to reform them. However, they used the same procedures as humans did in the 1900s and late 1800s.

Twilight’s stomach turned when she hovered above the building. Images of electric chairs and lobotomies raced through her mind. Twilight exhaled a shaky breath and landed near the gates. Two guards, with dark gray coats and lifeless faces, glared at Twilight as she blasted the gate open. She trotted towards them with a stone cold face.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, out of all the places, you chose to come here?” one of the guards bellowed.

The princess kept trotting.

“…Your highness, what happened to your horn and the rest of you?” the other guard said in a frightened voice.

Once Twilight was front of them, the guards felt like colts going up against a mountain lion.

“I have no time to argue! Lock me up and throw away the key!” She said in a booming voice.

Twilight found herself in a long dark hallway. Dimmed, buzzing lights flickered above her head. Ponies banged on their cell doors and peered through the small windows to get a glimpse of the princess.

“My apologize Princess, but you’re going to have to share a room. The asylum is full…”

“I don’t care about that, just lock me up!” She hissed.

The guards led her to a cell on the other side of the building. This side was secluded from the other ponies, because these ponies were very dangerous. Twilight and the guards stopped in front a cell. The foam colored door had scratches on it. One of the guards took out a set of keys and unlocked the door. The other guard poked his head into the cell.

“Myra, you’re sharing this room with a very special guest. If you lay a hoof on her, you will be severely punished.”

Myra used her horn to carve a sad pony face in the wall. She had an olive green coat with a tangled dark mahogany mane. Her cutiemark was the female symbol. Her spice colored eyes rounded at her guest. She smiled a sinister smirk at Twilight.

“Oh, I’ll be nice. Don’t worry…”She said coolly. She licked her lips and trotted towards the princess. Twilight glared at her.

The guards felt uneasy, but they knew about Twilight’s condition. They left two ponies in cell. Two more guards appeared in front of their cell, just in case Myra did something awful.

Inside the cell, Twilight slumped on the gray foamy floor. There were two beds in the room. The mangled bed, on the left wall, was obviously Myra’s. The one on the right wall was covered in dust. There were no pillows on it either. The lights were dimmed and the periwinkle walls were covered in hoof prints. The smell of mercury and rubbing alcohol added to the insane atmosphere.

Twilight tried to remain calm. But Myra wasn’t helping. She circled around the princess. She gently nudged Twilight’s palatinate flank. She even went as far as to nibble the princess’s ear.

“Myra, what are you doing?” she said in a dull voice.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable your highness.” She said with a chuckle. “I find you to be quite attractive.”

Twilight sighed, “Please don’t bother me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Oh please Twilight, I’m not afraid of the consequences. Do you want to know why I’m in here?”

Twilight lowered her head and glared at the floor. Myra wrapped her arms around the princess. She buried her cheek in Twilight’s black mane.

“I’m in this nut house because I raped so many ponies. The only ponies I raped were mares and fillies. I started out with fillies. Oh Celestia, they had nice flanks. They were so cute! Better than any stallion or colt’s flank. But, I grew tired of filly flanks. So, I bumped it up a notch. I raped my older sister, I raped my cousins, I raped my female peers, and I even raped my high school teacher. But then they caught me. They gave me some pills and electric therapy. And guess what? I am still craving flank!”

An emerald green aura pinned Twilight to the plush floor. Dark magic sparked out of Twilight’s horn, but she had to remain calm.

Myra strolled over to Twilight’s backside. Once she was right in front of what she wanted, she fondled with Twilight’s mare garden. Twilight bit her lip, Myra moaned. Myra kissed the princess’s flank. She did this again. The third time, she licked the flank. Taking in the salty taste of Twilight’s coat.

“They shouldn’t have put you in her Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The olive green unicorn moaned.

Twilight nearly yelped when she felt Myra’s horn slide in and out of her privates. The dark aura leaked out of Twilight’s horn. Purple smoke appeared around her eyes. Fangs seeped out of her mouth. Twilight completely lost it.

“You have no right to humiliate me.” Twilight said in a deep voice.

Myra couldn’t comprehend what happened. The cell was covered in razor-edged black crystals. The unicorn backed away from Twilight.

Outside the cell, black crystals sprouted from underneath the guards. They smashed them against the roof. Large crystals burst out of more cells, smothering, crushing, or stabbing anypony that stood to close. The crystals made their way outside. They knocked over the towers and crushed the fence. The mountain turned into a giant black crystal.

Twilight protected herself in a black forcefield from the falling debris. For some reason, she protected Myra. The dark green walls collapsed. The floor crumbled underneath them. A giant black crystal became their floor.

Twilight stopped the sprouting of black crystals. The forcefields disappeared. A cold wind nipped at Myra’s coat. She glowered at Twilight.

Twilight stood like a statue. Her mane whipped in the wind. The white stars on her cutiemark faded away. The raspberry colored star faded to black. Before Twilight could do anything, Myra teleported off the mountain. She found herself in a black crystal infested forest. Poor animals were trapped inside the crystals. Myra leaped over the crystals and tried to gallop away.

But, a black magic aura pinned her to the ground. She felt an evil presence behind her. Twilight hovered over the unicorn with an eerie grin on her face.

The next thing Myra knew, she laid on her side sobbing. Her slit and flank burned with pain. Twilight huddled next to Myra. The vile Alicorn wiped the tears off of the unicorn’s cheek.

“Don’t cry Myra,” Twilight said sweetly. “Pay back is nice isn’t it?”

Myra wept even harder and buried her face under her hooves. Twilight got up and trotted away from the sodding unicorn.

“While you think about what you’ve done, I am going to pay Celestia and Luna a visit.” Twilight vanished into thin air.

Myra laid on the crystal ground, dazed and scared.

Prologue

After the Crystal Empire was saved, most ponies thought that Sombra wouldn’t return. They saw him explode. They pronounced him dead. It was all true, king Sombra was dead. But, when King Sombra dispersed into pieces, his horn was the only thing intact. No pony witnessed the horn flying into the air. No pony noticed that horn was still glowing.

The horn landed near an old windmill on the outskirts of The Crystal Empire. While the horn was on the ground, it still glowed crimson. The horn was fully aware that its host was gone. The black, green, and purple aura trickled out of the horn. It slowly dissolved into the ground and buried itself 50 feet below ground.