Twilight had a wonderful smile, one that I could get used to. Whenever faced with a problem, or talking about said problems, Twilight had kept a smile on her face when she started taking about her friends. She told me they were all normal ponies like she used to be until they aided her in casting a spell. She basically solved Pi by dividing by zero. Just joking, she rose with the power of her friends.

Then she started talking about a battle she had between a demon from Tartarus which further unlocked her powers. She did this while having no magic whatsoever, but with the 'magic of friendship' she pulled through and got this castle we were walking in. The whole place was made of crystals and gems of all kind. When we passed by a dark green window, I asked her what kind it was, and I found out the biggest cashe of peridot in my entire life. That was my birth stone, and I had spent years trying to find it. It was here, just out of my grasp.

I sigh in defeat. If the fates didn't want me to have the stone from space, I was fine with it. I hadn't seen a peridot up close before. I always saw the gemstone on a TV show called Meteorite Hunters. While I was lost in my despair Twilight was still droning on my lesson plans. I mostly listened to her, although some of her words were in and out my ears. My stomach had made a few noises, pulling me out of my own head.

"Where are the kitchens?"

"Dinner will be at around eight. That's when Spike gets back from helping Rarity." She said with a perkiness to her voice. Twilight was a very upbeat mare, didn't seem to be bothered with much. "While we wait, I'll show you to your room."

I nodded and followed after her, keeping a normal pace. "So, how long have you been a goddess?" I asked.

"For a few years now." She rubbed her chin carefully. "I still have a hard time learning how to use my wings. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are trying their hardest to help me."

I could understand where she's coming from. I only know have my magic. "Getting something new, that's a new part of who you are, it...is truly different."

"I agree. You know, I can see why Luna likes you so much. You seem to understand a lot of problems, then logically think through them." She opened a set of doors which lead to a new hall. She explained what it was. "This hall has a few guest rooms. The ones at the back are for visiting dignitaries, but you can have one if you want." She gave me a bow and sighed. "I'm sorry to say though I must get going. While I am excited to teach you, I must take care of my duties before we can move on. I shall send Spike to get you when he returns. I am sure that you two would like each others' company."

"Who's Spike?"

"Why he's my number one assistant of course. He's also like my little brother. I hatched him as my entrance exam."

"Hatched...?"

"He's a dragon, a magic dragon. Don't worry though, he's as harmless as a fly." She turned away then paused. "Don't give him a bunch of stuff...last time that happened-"

"I think I already know..." I finished for her. "Back on my world, there were two ways for a dragon to grow, while they still existed...They could either grow by knowledge or by greed."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Then you know why?"

"Don't worry Twilight, I know. Although, I cannot wait to meet him."

She gave one last bow before walking on down the hallway. I turned to the door nearest to me, a set of two doors facing on another. I took a look inside and found a very open room with bed in the back. It was dark inside until I was inside. Suddenly five torches lit up with a dark blue glow. It gave a dark feeling down my spine yet, I felt safe. Ignoring my heart, I moved in a bit slower.

You are not master... I heard a whisper and felt a breeze spin around my neck. Yet...you find me.

"I just walked in, if I am intruding... I can leave." I turn do go but the door shut.

No...do not go... The whispers got colder. A human? Very rare...yes...the moon goddess has taken you...Welcome.

"And who are you?" I asked worry growing.

A dark shape shifted around from smoke. I am the Dark Ruler, King Sombra. I stepped away but he raised a hoof to stop me. I mean you no harm ex-human.

"Can you not talk in my head, it's kinda weird."

Sombra nodded. "Hello..." He coughed a few times and he spat out a little blood.

"Alright, if you're dying to talk, speaking though my head is fine."

Thank you...as I had said before, Welcome. He shifted into smoke and flew around to a bed. I apologize...yes...that word will do good, for it being so dark. I am still recovering for my fall.

"Are you a god? Like the princesses?"

Sombra nodded again and pulled a glass of water from the bathroom tap. He shifted back over to the bed and sighed. I was a Devil...I guess now I am a god after I was freed.

Luna told me how the purification processes goes. The Elements of Harmony connect with friendship, completing a magic circuit and blasting their foes with their rainbow. "So you tasted the rainbow and became all good inside?"

He laughed and nodded. You could say that my new friend. However, I still have memories of my past transgressions and dark magic, hence the shadow whenever I move.

"Ah, I noticed that. So what, you're the god of darkness?"

I could see him shrug a little at my question. I do not think I am a god, but a risen devil. My past can not be relived or I will never be forgive for what I have done. Mistakes I have learned from. He looks to me, his shadowy eyes looking at me deeply. You have a shadow too, but you haven't fallen.

"I know, I refuse to fall." I chose to sit down. "So how come you have fallen?"

As your kind has said, 'I made a deal with the devil'. My kingdom was falling quickly, the elements were getting to everypony I knew. Even ruling over a falling kingdom that once was like Equestria now, it was too much. I asked for the power to save them all, but as soon as it happened, I fell to the darkness. Now, my soul is tainted with envy and hatred.

"So Sombra, how can you tell that I am human? How do you even know who and what I am?"

Higher powers can feel waves of energy. While your energy is much like a high class unicorn, it has rougher waves. Think of a unicorn's magic as a small pond. A natural unicorn's pond is near void of ripples after they reach the right age for mating. A being new to the touch of magic has a pond that threatens to wash out life that lives inside. Sombra laughed and has a smile on his face. I can tell that you have a great potential. You are lucky you have Twilight to teach you.

I nodded. "I want to keep thanking Luna for helping make my life better. Twilight is an added bonus. I am ready to learn all that I can."

He looked interested. So, you and I will be learning magic?

"You're a unicorn, why do you need to be taught?"

I forgot how to use gray and light magicks. After Fluttershy found me in the Everfree, I was sent here. I forgot much of my past, but there are some breaks that allow me to remember most of who I am. I look forward to learning with you.

I walk over to him and hold out my hoof. "My name is Angel Caster, to-be prince of Equestria. It is a pleasure to meet you Lord Sombra."

His eyes widen at the title I have given him, then he smiles, turning off his smokey form to show him having the same ash gray coat I have. His horn sticks up in a curve and at the tip of it was red. Sombra Condenza, of the Crystal Empire. He takes my hoof and we shake.
We both hear a perky laugh and turn to see Twilight giggling.

"Well, it's a good thing you two met each other before I introduced you two." She walked into the room and everything lit up more, momentarily blinding Sombra and I. "I came back to show you where not to go, but it seems you've already been there."

Sombra shifted over to Twilight with a pleading look in his deep red eyes. Will Angel be with me when we learn? He is my first friend here after my return...and it would be nice to have an extra set of hooves in case I fall again.

Twilight nodded with a serious look on her face. "Yes, you two can be taught at the same time, but now isn't that time. I'm still trying to organize papers for you Sombra and now that he's here, I need to write out his citizenship forms. We'll start late tomorrow, but it won't set us back all that much. I hope you're a quick learner Angel."

Twilight went back which left Sombra and I alone. I chuckled and turned back to him. "She's rather forgetful isn't she?"

He nodded and chuckled back. You speak the truth, that's for sure.

So after that Sombra and I started to become closer. I spoke about my time on earth and how it is much different here than it was. In return for my tales, he spoke about his 'former life' before his fall into the darkness. He ruled a land in the far north that had a shield that protected the kingdom from the cold. However, he fell when the shield started to fail when his wife died after giving birth. The filly vanished and in his hopes to find the lost princess he forced the kingdom to search. After ten years, the gave up, thinking that she was dead.

That's when his fall began. Struck with a very bad depression, he enslaved many of his own people he ruled over to mine crystals, to reshape his lost daughter. He explained how his kind, the Crystal Ponies, were made of crystals that were imbued with life, and his plans were to use a powerful artifact known as the Crystal Heart which bestowed the crystal ponies with life so long as they returned their feelings. He realized far too late that his daughter hadn't died. It was too late that he had fallen into dark magic.

Then came Celestia and Luna, to take back the kingdom. On Celestia's back was Princess Cadence, or the future Goddess of Love. They found that she was born with the Crystal Heart's energy. After a chaotic battle, Sombra was defeated, but his failure to defeat the goddesses caused him to banish the entire empire. He called it the 'Fail safe' in case any enemies wished to conquer the Crystal Empire for it's riches. While at the time it was a great idea, when the sisters tried to retake it for the princess, the whole empire vanished in the frozen wastes.

When it returned, it was saved by the empire's new national hero, Spike. Now, I see a very crazy irony there, because dragons ate gems, and other crystallized minerals of great value. That guy gets some serious props for his restraint. He must of had a trail of drool that could have put the flood of Noah to shame six times. An entire empire made out of crystals, damn....

So after another hour of talking to one another, Sombra offered to teach me some spells to defend me against dark magic as soon as I learn a little more.

"The only issue is that right now, Twilight has a magic lock on me, so I can't use dark magic."

"Defense against the dark arts with dark arts? How does that work?"

"You cast a temporary shadow around yourself so that the darkness thinks you are part of it. It has no ill effects as casting dark magic only affects the soul when a life is lost by it."

I do remember from reading a few books that my mother gave me from her wills that dark magic was much like this. Except the use of any type corrupts different parts of the mind, body, and soul. "Alright," I answered cautiously, he seemed to see right through me and sighed. "Hey, it's not that I don't believe you, my kind has a different out look on magic, that's all."

He nodded and waved a hoof. "Alright, I need to meditate for a little while and I wish to be alone until our dinner is served. Thank you for visiting this old dark soul."

I laughed, waving a hoof and shaking my head. "You don't look a day over a thousand!" I heard Sombra laugh as I exited his room, and chose the room across the hall. It was a lot brighter than Sombra's room and more open. This time there were crystal lamps. The bed was a dark blue color with a black pillow.

Luna... I thought with a smile. You call me here eh? There was a mini kitchen with a fridge and a counter that had a silver sink. Above on the ceiling was a full moon and three stars. While I was walking around my room, getting to know where I was staying, I kept feeling this strange tug at my horn, like something was leading me around. I opened a private bedroom door and found a small filly, crying.

"Hey now...why are you crying little one?" She kept crying, making my heart go into overdrive. I knelt down and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you-OOOfffmh!" The filly tackled me and wept on my coat.

"I want to go home!" She cried. "I don't know what happened!"

"What?"

"I-I was playing with the angels....then...then..." She sniffled and wiped her tears. "Then there was this flash!"

I took a closer look at the little filly. She looked only a few years old, dark blue mane and a silver coat. Her eyes were a dark amber color as well, and she was a pegasus. "What do you mean angles?"

"Y-you're an angel too!" She cried and attached herself to my barrel.

I hummed to myself, running a hoof through her mane, pondering who this little girl was. "What's your name little one?"

"I...I-...I...don't remember....I don't think I even have a name...."

"Well, what did the place look like? Where you were playing with all the angels." I asked softly.

"It...there was a gate...A pony told me to walk through it...He sounded so mean..." She rubbed her dripping nose on my chest, but I did not mind. I loved children, the future of all that there is to be was in our hands, or in this case, hooves. "H-he had horns and a red and black coat! He shouted at me, ordering me to walk through..."

"Well little one...I will make sure this mean pony doesn't come and get you." I promised her, still running my hooves through her mane.

"Can you give me a name angel? Pweese?"

My heart nearly stopped and I was nearly sent into a coma. The sweetness levels were over nine thousand. Now, I didn't know what names were like here in Equestria. Perhaps, I would choose a name from earth. "How's May Weather?"

She nodded and sniffed, keeping herself as close to me as possible. "I...I like that name...thank you angel..."

I smirked. "You know, my name is Angel."

"Then I will call you...daddy."

My eyes widened to the point where a slight bump could make them fall out. "D-d...daddy?" I asked and May nodded.

All I could think was: Luna was going to be pissed.... "Y-yeah...okay, until we find out who your real parents are okay?" Again, she nodded.

After about a half hour, May had passed out, but Spike had came by to say that dinner was finished. He saw May and ran out of the room, screaming Twilight's name. I cursed to myself and ran after him with May laying on my back since Twilight was going to find out anyway. Soon, Sombra was behind me, shifting around in his black form.

Who's that!? He asked as I ran, it seemed he didn't have a hard time keeping my pace. Spike was still in my view luckily.

"There's something wrong!" I answered. "She was in a room I chose, but it seems like she was trying to hide!"

He moved closer to her and hummed. Her past is gone, it is though she is new to this world or she was just born. Yet...she looks four maybe five years of age. Has she said anything?

I nodded and rounded a corner I saw spike go around. "She said she was playing with angels and saw a flash. That's where she met a 'mean pony with horns'. Do you know anything or anyone like that?"

Sombra shook his head and I felt myself being lifted up. Don't worry, I'll take us ahead to where Twilight is. We fazed through a few walls and entered a room the same time Spike did.

"Twilight!!!"

Twilight looked up from her plate and quicky her gaze went to the filly on my back. She looked so enraged at the sight of the sleeping filly, poor thing cried herself tired. "YOU!"

"What?"

Author's Note

So, it seems there were so problems in her castle, who can this little filly be, and who was that horned pony?