The hatred of the shadow

Twilight was walking through the castle as she heard coughs from the library. First she didn't mind it but then the coughs became louder and louder. Twilight began to worry and walked towards the library.

As she reached the door to the library the coughs had stopped and Twilight was even more worried as she heard nothing at all coming from inside the library. She opened the door and looked inside. She grasped in shock as she saw Bright lying on the floor, not moving. Twilight ran to her and touched Brights forehead, it was extremely hot and Twilight called out for the guards. "Guards come here!"

Only a second later two guards stood there ready to do what she wanted from them. "Your highness, you have called us?"

Twilight pointed at Bright. "Bring her to the hospital as fast as you can!"

The guards didn't hesitated for a moment and one of them levitated her on his back and they ran away. Twilight stayed behind to see if she could find a reason for what happened with Bright. The only thing she could find where the book that Bright used to study today but nothing that could make her fall unconscious.

After Twilight couldn't find anything, she decided to go to the hospital as well and left the castle. She walked out of the castle but on the way she sensed something strange. Her head began to hurt and for a second her sight went black. She turned towards the strange feeling and saw that it was coming from the Crystal Empire. She saw the black clouds with raging red flashes inside of it.

She was worried what it might be but at the moment she was more concerned about Brights health. She went towards the hospital and reached it after a few minutes.

The doctor lead her to the room where Bright was lying. As Twilight saw that she had closed eyes, she turned to the doctor. "When will she be alright again? Do you know what happened to her?"

The doctor took out a clipboard and looked over it. "I don't know what caused this but I assume that she is under some kind of magical shock. I can't tell how long it will take till she will wake up. This depends entirely on how good she can get over the shock and how quick she can get used to whatever magic caused this."

Twilight nodded and looked sad at Bright. "Is there something you can do to shorten this process or to wake her up earlier?"

The doctor lifted his hoof to his chin. "I could try to isolate her from the magic but there are multiple reasons why I wouldn't recommend to do so. The first reason is that I don't even know if I can isolate her and the other thing is that she would get a shock again once she gets in contact with the magic again and in this case the shock could be even stronger. If we just let her get over this by herself the risk that this happens again with the same magic will be minimized."

Twilight sighed and nodded but now the doctor had a question. "Do you maybe know what caused this shock? Normally such a shock is the result of an magical illness but I couldn't find any symptoms for that."

Twilight looked up and thought for a moment. "I don't think it was some kind of illness, I think it has to do with her special talent. She can see the good and the bad in a pony and how to reached it but I have the theory that her ability goes far further. I think she has the ability to feel the light and the darkness that surrounds her."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "If that is the case, than I must say it is surprising that something like that never happened before."

Twilight first nodded a bit but then responded. "When I think about it again, something like that already happened two years ago but back then she just was unconscious only for a few hours. But as I said that was now over two years ago."

The doctor began to write on the clipboard. "My I ask what happened back then? I might be able to find what caused this."

Twilight thought about it for a moment but then shook her head. "There is nothing to find out. She couldn't handle the hate and darkness that was spread as her brother murdered a group of Diamond dogs."

The doctor wrote it down and looked up. "I heard about these events, her brother is the dark mage Malonex if I am not mistaken..." He paused a moment to think before he continued. "I have to disagree with you princess, there is something to find out from this! Since she already experienced something like this we can assume that she already is able to withstand a great amount of darkness which means that whatever caused this must be something even bigger and darker. And since it seems like this wasn't a onetime contact but she seems to be still influents by it, the thing that caused it must still be active and possible to find."

Twilight had to think for a moment but then she finally realized. "You are right these are important information! I think I have an idea what could have caused this but first I have to make a few investigations before I can be sure."

The doctor placed the clipboard on a table and nodded. "Then I wish you good luck. I will take care of your student. I will let you know when her state gets better but it could be that she will not wake up in the next days."

Twilight nodded and looked at Bright for a moment and sighed. While she left the room the doctor looked at her with sympathy.

Twilight left the hospital and immediately made her way back to her castle. On the way she noticed that a few ponies were looking worried at the black clouds in the far distance even though they were barely seeable. Twilight stopped for a moment and concentrated to see the magic. She could see that the clouds not only covered the entire empire but that they also spread a dark aura over everything close to them.

'This is probably the reason for Brights state but what exactly is happening there?' Twilight began to walk towards the castle again, now even more concerned of Bright health but now also about what was happening in the distance.

As she reached her castle she saw that her friends were hectically talking with Spike. "I already told you, I don't know what is with Bright and neither do I know what is happening in the empire!"

Twilight walked up to her friends and spoke up. "What is wrong?"

Rainbow answered. "I saw what was happening in the empire and got everpony together and as we arrived here Spike told us that you were at the hospital to see if Bright was okay."

Now Rarity spoke up. "We were so worried as Spike told us what happened to Bright. Is she ok?"

Twilight nodded. "She got a shook from the darkness that comes from these clouds. She will be okay but it will take some time till she wakes up again."

They all sighed relived and now Applejack asked. "And do ya know what the hay is going on in the empire?"

Twilight shook her head sadly. "I don't know, they doesn't seemed to be natural at all but I can't tell what actually cause them."

Fluttershy began to worry. "I hope that they don't stay. The animals seem to be scared sincere they appeared and I fear that the creatures of the Everfree forest are influenced by them too."

As they wanted to go on talking they were interrupted by the sound of a carriage landing on the ground behind them. They all turned around and saw Ice Eruption walking up to them. The big stallion quickly bowed down in front of Twilight. "Greetings your highness."

Twilight was a bit suspired by his appearance. "Uhm... Hello high mage Ice Eruption. I didn't expected to see you today."

Eruption stood up and looked down at the group of ponies in front of them, he was at least one head taller than each one of them. "I didn't plan this visit either, I was sent by the archmage because of the latest events."

Twilight friends decided to stay quiet so Twilight answered. "You mean the clouds over the empire."

Eruption nodded. "He assumes that Malonex created them and that he has taken over the empire. He ordered me train a few ponies so that we have a group of ponies that is strong enough to face him. He told me that I should get also you and you friend called Rainbow Dash."

Everypony was just staring at him with and open mouth. "I can't force you but Rising told me that you two would be very well qualified to be trained by me. If you decided to come with me get ready to leave in one hour, you don't need to bring anything with you, just inform everypony else and say goodbye. I will look around the town for more candidates."

With that he bowed again and turned away and only a few moment later he was gone and Pinkie was the first who talked again. "Whoa. You two are so lucky that sounds like so much fun."

Rainbow flew in the air. "Yeah! I can finally train professionally again!"

Rarity noticed the worried expression on Twilights face. "Are you alright darling? He said you don't have to do this if you don't want."

Twilight thought for a moment but then looked up with an resolved expression. "If Rising thinks that this is a good idea then I trust him. I will go with him."

Applejack nodded. "Then we will stay with you and help you however we can!"

They all nodded and smiled at each other. They began to talk a bit about the future train but soon Eruption retuned. "So have you decided if you come or not."

Rainbow and Twilight nodded together. "Yes we want to be trained."

Eruption nodded and signified them to follow him but he immediately stopped as he noticed that the others were following him too. "Didn't I tell you to say goodbye before I come back?"

Applejack nodded. "Sure ya did but we are coming too!"

Ice Eruption shook his head with a resolute expression. "Only those who will be trained are allowed to come with me!"

Applejack just responded. "Than ya have to train us too!"

Eruption looked over them and gave each one of them an intense stare. "You all are not qualified for my training. I don't have time to train ponies without any experience at all, also you all are no warriors, I can see it in your eyes."

Suddenly he looked at Applejack again. "You may have the physical ability to fight but you are too stubborn and pried, I also see that there is something that keeps you here that you have to take care of. That is an distraction that will lead to death!"

Next he turned to Pinkie. "You mind is too spread and unfocused. You have to little self-control."

After that to Fluttershy. "I can see the fear of death in your eyes and I see that your heart couldn't ever hurt another pony, even when he is consumed by darkness."

And at least he turned to Rarity. "You may have the spirit to support your friends but you not only leak of physical ability but also the magical ability to fight."

He sighed. "I am sorry but I don't have time to train ponies that I know will have strong struggles only to have them maybe reach to basics one day. I only agreed training these two because they already managed to get over the basics."

Twilight looked at Eruption with wide open eyes. "How did you see all that?"

Eruption smiled a bit. "To me all ponies are open books. I lived long enough to notice little details in ponies that show me what they are made of. Only one pony managed to hide his true self from me till now..."

His expression turned sad for a short moment before he heard Spike complain. "Wait a moment! What about me?"

"You are a child." said Eruption with an slightly confused expression.

Spike was about to answer as he was interrupted by Twilight. "Please Spike. Stay here. You have to take care of the castle in my absence and mostly you have to take care of Bright when she wakes up. Tell her what happens and make sure that she stays calm."

Spike closed his mouth again and nodded determined.

Eruption waited for other to object again but they all stayed quiet so he began to walk again. Twilight and Rainbow walked after him and waved their friends. Their friends waved back and shouted goodbyes after them.

They stepped on the carriage that brought Eruption here and Eruption took the seat at the left, Twilight sat next to him and Rainbow sat down on the right. Eruption gave the pegasi that dragged it the commando to fly.

Immediately the pegasi began to pull the carriage in high speed and Eruption leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. While Rainbow looked around and watched the landscape beneath them Twilight just now realized that this was a different carriage than the one Eruption usually used and asked him about it. "Eruption, why are we using this carriage? If I remember it right you had a special one like every high mage."

Eruption opened his eyes again. "The old one had an accident. It fell of the stone platform after I parked it at the training arenas."

Twilight looked a bit surprised. "Oh, will it be repaired soon?"

Eruption grinned a bit. "There is not much to repair. It fell into a volcano."

Twilight was about to ask where these arenas were but she decided that she would see that early enough and so she began to watch the landscapes like Rainbow did. Eruption closed his eyes again and began to meditate while they flew through the sky.

It took her some time that they were heading in the direction of the empire and she needed to ask. "Where exactly are we heading towards?"

Eruption answered without opening his eyes this time. "My arenas are on a small inactive volcano near the borders of the empire. You don't have to fear anything the volcano will not erupt the next years."

The pegasi pulled the carriage for the whole day and night but because of their high speed the borders of the empire were already getting noticeable closer. Twilight saw that not much has happened at the empire. The clouds were still covering every view on the empire but it didn't started flashing again. Twilight didn't knew if she was supposed to be relived of worried because of that.

Rainbow Dash was still sleeping in her seat as Eruption suddenly spoke up. "We will soon be there! This is my training ground!"

Rainbow woke up and looked sleepy at Eruption and Twilight. Eruption was pointing in the distance and Twilight was staring with an impressed expression at the direction. Rainbow looked in the direction of Eruption and then she saw what Twilight was impressed by.

Eruptions training ground was a constructed of different arenas. The top of the mountain looked slightly odd because it seemed like half of the top was cut away vertical. The left side was like every mountain covered in snow while the other side seemed to be missing and instead lead to the inside of the mountain.

On the left side, on the highest point of the mountain, was the first arena. It was twice as big as the one in Ponyville and next to it was something that looked like a building where over fifty ponies could live. There was stone path with torches lighting the way from the building to the first arena. At the entrance the path split and also lead to stairs that lead to a big stone platform on the right side of the mountain.

The stone platform was on the edge of the open mountain which now reviled to be a volcano, one half of the platform was hold over the cliff down the volcano and the other half was hold over the lava of the volcano. The platform was filled with a lot of carriages and there was a part that was broken away and Twilight guessed that this was where the old carriage fell down.

The platform had three stone paths leading in different directions, the one that leads to the top of the volcano, one that lead over the cliff and one that lead directly inside of the volcano.

On the cliff of the volcano was some kind of wooden structure. The structure lifted a big building over the deep abyss. As they looked closer Twilight and Rainbow saw that beneath the building was another kind of arena. A big number of wooden platforms of different sizes were held beneath the building by big ropes. They could see how the platforms swung around in the wind.

The path that lead down into the volcano lead directly to another pair of arenas. Of which one was simply build into the stone and was nothing more than a normal arena while the other one was hold with chains over the seething sea of lava.

These arenas really looked like they were made to train only the best.