Location: Castle of Friendship

“Alright Twi *yawn* would ya mind telling us why ya woke us up at four in the mornin?” Applejack asked in a drowsy tone, barely keeping herself awake.

Just an hour ago Twilight woke her friends and told them to meet her at the castle for an important meeting. Suffice to say some of them were not in the best of moods.

“Because Applejack, Princess Celestia sent me a letter just moments ago saying she had something urgent to talk to us about that concerns all of Equestria. She also wrote that she is coming to Ponyville in the morning.” Twilight explained with a hint of urgency in her tone.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes as she yawned as well. “But did it have to be this morning? Why not tomorrow? I had a long day yesterday and I really need to get some sleep.” The cyan Pegasus explained as she let out a large yawn.

“Rainbow didn’t ya just nap the entire day yesterday near the lake because it was yer day off or somethin’?” Applejack asked in a tone of disbelief.

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah! I napped for so long yesterday I became exhausted! Taking naps is a lot tiring then it looks.” Rainbow explained as Applejack just rolled her eyes.

“And besides. What’s so important that the Princess needed to wake us up at five in the morning for?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity gave a tired nod in agreement. “I am also curious darling. What did the Princess tell you that was urgent enough to interrupt my beauty sleep?” The mare complained as she just finished applying the last bit of her makeup.

“Yeah and I don’t understand why I’m awake as well, didn’t Celestia ask to just meet YOU girls.” Spike added with a tired but annoyed tone.

Twilight shook her head, choosing to ignore Spike as she directed her attention towards Rarity. “That’s just it Rarity, I don’t know. All she wrote was that it concerns all of Equestria and that she wanted to meet all of us. So whatever it is, it’s probably something dangerous.” Twilight explained in a serious tone.

“Y-Y-You d-don’t mean like another Tirek incident?” Fluttershy asked in a timidly scared tone.

All of a sudden the atmosphere in the room tensed at the thought of another Tirek level danger to Equestria. Every city in Equestria still bares the scars of his attacks, whether it’s the landscape or the very ponies themselves.

Twilight frowned. “We don’t know for sure Fluttershy. We just have to wait until the Princess gets here.”

Just as Twilight finished there was a loud knocking coming from the castle doors.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Everypony in the room perked up. “That must be the Princess!” Spike exclaimed as the entire group of friends quickly rushed to the castle entrance.

As soon as the group arrived, the doors were already opened revealing both Princess Celestia and surprisingly her sister, Princess Luna.

But what really caught the group’s attention was the large contingent of Royal Guards and Night Guards that were with them. Twilight counted around fifty guards in total standing at attention just outside in front of her castle. On one side are the Royal Guards and the other were the Night Guards, each side organised evenly on both sides making a single pathway to the castle itself.

Twilight was flabbergasted. “P-Princess Celestia, Princess Luna… w-what’s going on? What is all this?” Twilight asked in a shocked tone.

Celestia gave Twilight a calm but serious gaze. “I will explain in due time, but for now where is your brother Twilight? Where is Dusk Shine?” Celestia asked in a serious tone.

Twilight knew that tone very well, her ex-mentor only uses that tone in the direst of situations, usually when all of Equestria is in danger. But what confused her and her friends was why she was looking for her brother? What did the princess want with Dusk?

“My brother is currently in one of the guest rooms sleeping. Why do you want to meet him Princess? Is he in trouble?” Twilight asked, worry is evident in her tone.

Both Celestia and Luna frowned as they looked to one another as if deciding whether or not to answer Twilight’s question. After what seemed to be a silent decision Celestia looked back towards Twilight and spoke. “Would you lead us to his room. I’ll explain everything on the way.”

Twilight gave a hesitant nod as she leads the Princesses, her friends, and a mixed escort of six Guards towards Dusk’s room. As they made their way to Dusk’s room, Twilight looked towards her ex-mentor walking beside her, questions burning in her mind.

Celestia noticed this and spoke. “Twilight, I know how this seems, but I want you and your friends to understand that Equestria may be in grave danger.” Celestia explained in a dire tone.

Twilight and the rest of her friends gave the princess a worried expression. “What do you mean Princess? And what does this have to do with Twilight’s older brother?” Fluttershy meekly asked with a worried tone.

However, it was Luna that answered. “We believe that the one named Dusk Shine, may be conspiring the downfall of Equestria.” Luna finally explained.

This got a shocked gasp from the Mane six as Twilight stopped in her tracks. “M-M-My brother! That is impossible! There is no way he would do something like that! He has no reason to!” Twilight shouted in both shock and disbelief at the princess’s claims.

However, Celestia somberly closed her eyes. “I’m sorry Twilight. I wish it were true, but Luna here experienced first hand what your brother might be capable of and saw in his dreams of what will happen if he is left unchecked. I’m sorry, but after the incident with Tirek I will not take any chances.” Celestia said with stern conviction, her duty is to her own people and if there is anything that will bring harm to her ponies then she will do everything in her power to stop it.

She failed to stop Tirek when he was weak, she will not fail now.

Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “B-But how do you know if it’s really him? What if it was a dream of another pony?” Twilight desperately reasoned.

Celestia gave her ex-student a sympathetic gaze. “Then did any of you noticed any notable changes with Dusk during his stay here in Ponyville, anything that you found suspicious?” The princess asked.

Everypony pondered on the question.

“Well, ever since his accident in the Everfree Forest he spent almost all of his time in the library, looking at various texts and scrolls of Equestria, its culture, and the other kingdoms and species of Equis.” Twilight explained.

“Yeah, and he REFUSES to hangout with us! No matter how many times we ask him.” Rainbow Dash added.

“He also seems a lot colder to us. Which is understandable because of what happened to him.” Fluttershy explained in a quiet tone.

Pinkie then slid out from underneath Celestia’s dress, much to everypony’s surprise. “Yeah! He even ditched his own Welcome to Ponyville Party! HIS OWN WELCOMING PARTY! NO PONY DITCHES MY WELCOMING PARTIES!” Pinkie roared as she as she grabbed Celestia’s dress and shook it violently.

Pinkie was then quickly pulled out from underneath Celestia in an aura of blue light, curtesy of Rarity.

Rarity gave the Celestia an apologetic look. “I’m terribly sorry for Pinkie Pie princess. But I also have to agree. Just yesterday, Dusk visited my shop and was looking for a new attire. So as the fashionista that I am, I showed him a plethora of fashionable suits and coats that he specifically asked for, but he blew them all off for a dusty lab coat. A DUSTY LAB COAT found in a Nightmare Night discount box of all things!” Rarity exclaimed in obvious disbelief.

The princesses pondered on the information just given to them.

After a second of pondering Luna spoke. “You say he had an accident in the Everfree Forest, mind explaining this?” Luna asked in slight curiosity.

Twilight and her friends gave each other hesitant/nervous looks. After a brief moment of hesitation Twilight told both the princess of what happened that very night.

When Twilight finished, both princesses gave Twilight and her friends looks of disappointment.

“Twilight Sparkle I am very disappointed in you. You, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, should know to never judge a pony based off of rumors.” Celestia scolded like a mother would to her child.

Twilight hung her head in shame, her ex-mentor’s words hurt more than anything else on Equis. “I’m sorry princess, I should’ve known better.”

“Twilight is not tah blame princess, we’re all at fault fer Dusk’s accident.” Applejack said in a sad tone as both Rarity and Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

Celestia nodded her head. “I should not be the one you should be apologising to. But from what I learned, it appears Dusk is not going to forgive you so easily. However, whatever happened in the Everfree Forest might possibly be the reason what changed him.” Celestia deduced.
However, Twilight protested. “But even so princess, what if it’s another pony, what if it’s not Dusk?” Twilight said in desperation, still refusing to believe it was her own brother.

Her friends pitched their own arguments as well. “No offense princesses, but Dusk doesn’t seem like that type of pony. Are yer sure ya got the right one?” Applejack asked in a questioning tone.

“Yeah! It’s because of those rumors about him, isn’t it!? Those rumors are full of horse apples! You gotta believe us!” Rainbow pitched in as well.

Luna glared at the Mane six as they flinched back in fear. “We know very well that those rumors surrounding Dusk Shine are false! I out of everypony here should know how vicious the Canterlot nobles can be!” Luna shouted in an angry tone.

Ever since her return, most of the nobles of Canterlot had a great dislike of the lunar princess, thinking she was still Nightmare Moon. They had made things that much harder for Luna to gain the love and respect of her subjects by spreading rumors and rekindling the old fears of Nightmare Moon among the citizens of Equestria.

It took the intervention of Celestia just to settle down the frightened ponies of Canterlot.

“And as for whether or not it was truly Twilight’s older brother, before I entered the dream I saw this cutie mark before I entered. Do you not recognize it Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked as she held up a picture of the cutie mark she drew just hours ago.

Twilight’s heart suddenly stopped as her pupils shrunk into pinpricks as she saw the drawing. Twilight knew for a fact that her older brother, Dusk, never met either of the princesses at a personal level, much less face-to-face. So she was shocked when Luna held a somewhat crudely drawn picture of her brother’s cutie mark right in front of her.

However, while Twilight was standing in mute shock, her friends on the other hand were confused, they never saw Dusk’s cutie mark before.

“PFFT! That could be ANYpony’s cutie mark.” Rainbow said with a dismissive wave. However, Rarity inspected the picture with a critical eye. “I don’t know Rainbow Dash, that star does seem awfully familiar to Twilight’s. Darling, do you recognize this mark at all?” Rarity asked, oblivious to Twilight’s shock.

After a brief moment of silence Twilight finally spoke “T-That’s Dusk’s cutie mark. H-How can this be?” Twilight said in disbelief as her friend’s eyes widened in shock.

Luna let out a sad sigh as she put away the picture. “I see. So it’s true. Do you see now Twilight Sparkle? Why it’s imperative that we must find your brother?” Luna questioned.

There was a brief moment of silence as Twilight tried to comprehend the information she was given.

Twilight then gave Luna an expression of utter fear and worry. “What will you do to him?” Twilight asked in a worried tone.

This time Celestia answered. “We’re here to see whether or not he’s a threat to all of Equestria.” Celestia explained, her tone calm but serious nonetheless.

“And if he is…” Twilight asked, knowing full well what the answer is.

Celestia somberly closed their eyes. “Then we will have no choice but to detain him.”

There was a moment of pure silence as Twilight and her friends soaked in the new information, each mare shocked at the revelation of the scorned stallion that they met just weeks ago might be Equestria’s newest threat.

However, none were more shocked then Twilight, she knew Dusk more than anypony, he was her older brother after all. This was the very same stallion that use to play with her when she was just a little filly, the same stallion that made Mr. Smarty Pants for her with his own two hands as a birthday gift, the same stallion that showed her the beauty of Luna’s night sky, and the very same stallion she used to call BBBFF.
She didn’t want to believe it, but the evidence that Luna showed was undeniable. But even then, she still held onto the sliver of hope that her brother was innocent and that this was just all a big misunderstanding.

Clinging onto that hope, Twilight finally looked towards the princesses. “You’re just making sure he’s not a danger, right? So that means there is still a chance that he’s innocent, right?” Twilight asked, her tone almost desperate.

Celestia nodded her head. “Yes Twilight. If it turns out that he is innocent, then we will apologize to both you and your brother for wasting both of your times and for the misunderstanding we have caused.”

Twilight nodded her head in slight relief. “Ok then… I’ll lead you to him.”

Once again Twilight lead the group towards the guest bedrooms where her older brother is. Once they arrived Twilight immediately lead them to where Dusk is currently staying at.

Twilight approached the door and hesitantly raised her right hand to knock on the door. She looked over her shoulder towards Celestia and gave her a worried expression, waiting for her approval to continue.

Celestia merely nodded as Twilight looked back towards the door and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Tock! Tock! Tock! “BBBFF! I-It’s me, Twilight! Are you awake?” Twilight said as she waited for her brother to answer.

She received none.

Concerned, Twilight knocked on the door again.

Tock! Tock! Tock! “Dusk are you awake!? The princesses are here and they need to speak to you!” Twilight said almost in a desperate tone.

Again, only silence.

Worried, Twilight grabbed the door knob and immediately found it unlocked, much to her surprise.

As she turned the knob and opened the door, she was shocked to find Dusk missing. All of his possessions were still in the room, in fact the bed looked as if no one had slept in it the entire night last night.

Twilight’s worry grew.

The group entered the room as Pinkie sped all over the room, looking underneath the bed, in the cabinet and inside the closet, no doubt searching for Dusk.

“Dusky where are you~! Are you hiding in the bathroom!?” Pinkie exclaimed as she sped into said room as the door closed behind her.

FLLLUUUUSSSSSSHH!

“NOPE! He’s not here~!” Pinkie happily stated as she frolicked out of the bathroom.

“Then where is he!? Where could he have gone!?” Twilight asked in a panicked tone.

“Maybe he went out?” Spike suggested, however, this did nothing to ease Twilight’s worry.

Luna quickly turned her gaze towards one of the Night Guards escorting them. “Captain Night Sword!”

A thestral guardsmare standing at 5’4” with amber coloured eyes and cat like pupils wearing the black Night Guard armor stood at attention. “Yes your highness!”

Luna took the picture of Dusk’s cutie mark and magically duplicated multiple copies of it. “Take these pictures and have the guards outside inspect everypony in Ponyville and question them of the whereabouts of the stallion that this mark belongs to. If you find him, then bring him to us or to any of the Elements. Do this with haste!” Luna ordered as she handed the copies to the captain.

“YES YOUR HIGHNESS!” The captain saluted as she quickly sped out of the room.

Luna turned her attention back towards the rest of the ponies in the room. “The guards will find your brother Twilight. Even if they have to search all of Ponyville in order to find him.” Luna said with stern conviction.

Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself. “Thank you Princess Luna. But just in case, I should go out and look for him as well.” Twilight said.
“And we’ll look for him too.” Rarity said as the rest of Twilight’s friends nodded in agreement.

Celestia nodded her head. “You may go, but be careful when you find him. We still don’t know whether or not he’s dangerous.” The princess warned.

The girls and Spike gave a nod of understanding as they quickly exited the room. Once everypony left, Celestia turned towards the remaining guards and silently gestured towards the door. Understanding the message, the guards quickly left the room as they closed the door behind them. Now it was just her and her sister alone in the room, Luna is giving her a concerned expression.

“Are you sure it was wise to include Twilight in this search? This is her brother after all.” Luna asked in a questioning tone.

Celestia sighed. “I know Luna, but we have to take every precaution with this. We can’t afford another Tirek incident happening again.” Celestia replied in a serious tone.

Luna frowned. “I understand that sister, but I also remember that we left Discord to deal with Tirek initially and that failed. How do we know that Twilight will have the mental fortitude and emotional will to face her brother if he’s next threat to Equestria?” Luna asked in a questioning tone.

Celestia gave Luna a serious expression. “Then let us hope that we’re wrong about Dusk. For Twilight’s sake.” Celestia answered as she and Luna soon left the room.

Location: Everfree Forest, 1 km away from Ponyville.

Dusk is currently making his way back to Ponyville.

Thanks to his newly upgraded physique, the usual trip back to Ponyville was cut down from five hours to one due to the fact he can now sprint through the forest without exhausting himself.

He is still adjusting to his newly upgraded physique, however, with time he will no doubt grow accustom to it.

Never in his life did Dusk ever felt this amount of power he currently wields, if he were a lesser being he would no doubt be corrupted by this power and foolishly squander it for meager gain.

Fortunately for the Zerg, he is no lesser being, his predecessor Ceres saw to that when they merged. Dusk knew his personality has changed drastically since the merge. He is now much more intelligent, colder, calculated, and rational then he was ever before.

In short, he has become the leader that the Zerg Swarm needs. A being that will not back down from any opposition and has the power and the intelligence to overcome said obstacles. His recent evolution only further increasing his power.

When Dusk neared Ponyville, he slowed his sprint to a casual walk as he soon exited the forest. As he crossed the bridge into Ponyville, Dusk immediately stopped in his tracks at what he saw.

A large number of Royal Guards and surprisingly Night Guards were moving in groups throughout the entire town, stopping ponies in their tracks and seemly questioning them about something before showing a piece of paper to them.

Dusk frowned as he used his psionics to scan the entire town. Other then the average magical signatures he sensed from the common ponies, he sensed three powerful signatures that caught his attention.

One belonged to Twilight, but the other two signatures were leagues above his sister’s, both signatures were shining like bright stars in his senses.

Dusk’s expression hardened. ‘It appears the princesses are here. No doubt Celestia received my message from Luna. And they are no doubt looking for me.’ Dusk deduced.

With this new information Dusk then telepathically contacted his Broodmother. “Broodmother Vash, answer me.”

“What is it you need, my lord?” Vash replied.

Dusk turned and started making his way back towards the Everfree forest, he needed to leave before the princesses discover his presence.
“The princesses have arrived earlier then I expected, they have brought a contingent of guards with them. Defend the Hive Cluster until I return.” Dusk ordered as he crossed back over the bridge.

“As you command, my master. Do you wish for me to send you reinforcements to attack the town?” Vash asked.

Dusk frowned. “No. That would be unwise. For now, recall our scouts and patrols and defend the Hive until I return.” Dusk ordered as he cut psionic communications with Vash.

Dusk wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontations with the princesses of Equestria until he finds a way back to the Koprulu sector. However, due to the lunar princess’s curiosity that plan may no longer be an option.

He is not cowering from the princesses; he just can’t afford the princesses directly interfering with his plans this early, especially if they try to stop him.

Now he has two choices, go into hiding until he finds a way back to the Koprulu sector or reveal the Zerg and risk a violent confrontation with the princesses. Either way, there is still the danger of revealing his Zerg, the former is just delaying the inevitable.

If this is the case, then he needs to meet the princesses on his terms, not theirs.

As he made his way back towards the Everfree forest, somepony shouted behind him.

“Halt! By the order of the royal princesses!”

Dusk immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around to see two Royal Guards, a stallion and a mare, both unicorns, approaching him carrying simple spears.

Dusk gave them a calm look. “How can I help you officers?” Dusk asked in a respectful tone.

The left guard answered. “By the order of the royal princesses, all residents of Ponyville have to show their cutie marks for inspection.” The guard demanded as Dusk leveled a curious stare at both of them.

“What for officers? Is something going on?” Dusk asked in a curious tone, knowing exactly what they are looking for.

The guardsmare on the right answered. “This is an inspection, there is a stallion of interest to the princesses. Now if you would please show us your cutie mark for inspection.” The guard demanded.

Dusk looked at both guards for a brief moment before lifting his left hand, showing the backside of his hand towards the guards. One of the guards’ horn glowed as the Zerg symbol soon appeared on the back of his left hand.

In Equestria, once a pony receives their cutie mark, the mark will appear visibly on their hips and is magically hidden on the back of their left hand. Through the use of unicorn magic, one can see their mark on their left hand, this is used mainly as a form of identification.

Not knowing the true meaning behind the mark, both guards gave a confused gaze at the mark then towards Dusk himself, no doubt trying to deduce it’s actual meaning. After a brief moment both guards simply nodded their heads as Dusk brought his hand down, mark soon disappearing.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience. But before you leave, have you seen anypony with this cutie mark?” The unicorn guard asked as she held up a picture of Dusk’s previous cutie mark before his change.

Dusk made a show of inspecting the mark before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t say I have. I apologize.”

“That’s alright. Just continue on with your day citizen.” The guard said as both soon walked away to inspect another pony.

Once the guards left, Dusk resumed his way back towards the Everfree forest before anypony else finds and questions him.

Unfortunately, somepony stopped him before he could even take his first step.

“Dusk! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Dusk stopped and frowned in annoyance. He then turned and looked up to see a very familiar wall-eyed Pegasus quickly approaching him.
Not wanting the raise any suspicion, Dusk gave the mare a friendly smile. “Hello Ditzy. Is there something you need?” Dusk asked in a calm tone.

Ditzy clumsily landed in front of him. “Oh yes! Do you know what’s going on with all these guards? When I asked, all they would tell me was that they were trying to find somepony.” Ditzy explained with a worried tone.

Dusk raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think I know anymore then you do?” Dusk questioned in a stoic tone.

Ditzy winced and she bowed her head in embarrassment. “Sorry Dusk, I just thought since you’re Twilight’s older brother, you may know more on what’s going on in Ponyville. That was a stupid question for me to ask, sorry.” Ditzy apologized in a sad tone.

Dusk sighed. “It’s alright Ditzy, it’s only natural.” Dusk said as the Pegasus’s mood brightened. Dusk also noted that Ditzy was not wearing her usual mailmare uniform, but instead she is wearing a simple grey t-shirt and tight fitting jeans.

“Are you not working today Ditzy?” Dusk asked, changing the subject.

Ditzy’s shook her head with a smile. “Nope! Today is my day off. So far I dropped off Dinky at school before being questioned by a couple of guards. Then I tried searching for you for a couple of hours to find out what’s going on.” Ditzy explained in a cheerful tone.

Dusk nodded in understanding. “I see… why go through the trouble to find me?” Dusk questioned in an inquisitive tone.

Ditzy blushed. “Y-You’re very friendly and easy to approach, plus you’re my friend, and I said before that you’re related to Princess Twilight. So I thought…” Ditzy trailed off as Dusk nodded.

“I understand Ditzy. Now if you don’t mind I’ll be on my way. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Dusk said as he turned to resume his walk back towards the forest.

“W-Wait!”

Dusk stopped in his tracks as he looked over his shoulder towards the Pegasus.

“Is there something else you need to discuss about?” Dusk asked, almost impatiently. Ditzy blushed, Dusk could sense her growing nervousness and hesitation.

After a brief moment of silence Ditzy spoke. “Dusk, since it’s my day off and it’s still technically morning… would you like to have some breakfast with me!? My treat!” Ditzy asked nearly shouting the last words out.

Dusk internally frowned. He didn’t need to read her mind in order to know exactly why she invited him to breakfast. Through their occasional interactions over the weeks he has been in Ponyville, Ditzy has developed somewhat of a romantic interest in Dusk, something that Dusk loathed would happen.

In the past before his merge, he would’ve jumped at the chance to have a “special somepony,” but now with his new responsibilities to the Zerg Swarm, he can’t afford to be tied down.

Against popular belief, his disinterest for a romantic relationship with Ditzy has nothing to do with the condition of her eyes. In fact, Ditzy is considered desirable in the eyes of any stallion when it comes to her physical aspects. She has silky smooth fur and mane, large mammary glands and her most notable feature, her fairly wide birthing hips.

Even after his change, a small part of Dusk finds comfort in the company of the Pegasus mare. He somewhat enjoys the one sided conversations they tend to have. It’s possibly due to the fact that he has to either talk to Ditzy or the pink anomaly called Pinkie Pie.

However, his responsibilities and duties to the Zerg Swarm overrides everything else, including any relationships he may have with the ponies of Equis.

With his mind made up, Dusk went to reject Ditzy’s offer, however, he was immediately interrupted by somepony else.

“DUSK! THERE YOU ARE!”

Dusk frowned in annoyance, he recognized that voice anywhere. As he turned to see the pony who called him out, Dusk was met with a flash of purple light as the Princess of Friendship herself suddenly appeared in front of him with a mixed expression of worried, desperate, and relief.

“Dusk! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Where have you BEEN! Never mind- the princesses are here and they need to see you right now! They think you’re a threat to Equestria, but I know you’re not! You have to come with me so we can convince the princesses that you’re not a threat to anypony!” Twilight frantically explained as Ditzy looked between both Dusk and Twilight with a mixture of worry and confusion. Twilight then grabbed Dusk’s hand and tried to drag him towards the castle.

However, Dusk didn’t budge, he refused to move.

Seeing that Dusk isn’t moving, Twilight gave him a confused but worried expression.

“Dusk it’s ok. We can talk to the princesses; we can convince them that you’re not a bad pony. They wi-”

“Twilight. I’m not going to meet the princesses. I’m leaving Ponyville.” Dusk interrupted in a stoic tone.

Twilight was aghast. “B-B-But you can’t leave! If you do, we can’t convince the princesses that you’re innocent! They’ll think you’re another threat to Equestria and will have you detained or worse, use the Elements of Harmony against you!” Twilight tried to reason, however, Dusk kept his stoic expression.

“The princesses will use the Elements or will you and your friends use them against me?” Dusk questioned in an even tone.

Twilight’s expression became a perfect picture of horror. “I-I-I will never use the Elements against you. Please big brother, just come with me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” Twilight said in a desperate tone, tears slowly forming in her eyes.

However, whatever love that Dusk had for Twilight died on the very night of his merge-no- ascension to the overall hierarch of the Swarm.
He will not be tied down by this naïve little girl that is crying before him.

Dusk forcefully ripped his hand from Twilight’s grasp. “Goodbye Twilight. This will be the last you see of me.” Dusk said as he turned to leave the shocked Alicorn.

However, Twilight’s shock only lasted a second as she quickly grabbed Dusk’s coat. “No Dusk! You are coming with me to meet the princesses! And we will talk to them!” Twilight shouted in anger and frustration.

Dusk stopped in his tracks as he slightly turned his head towards the Alicorn. “And what will you do if I don’t comply… princess.” Dusk asked in serious tone.

There was a brief moment of silence before Dusk heard the telltale sound of Twilight activating her magic.

“I’m sorry big brother, but this is for your own good.”

However, before Twilight could activate the spell she had in store, Dusk fully turned towards her and looked directly into her eyes.

His eyes then glowed bright orange, surprising the Alicorn.

“What in Equestri- AAAAAAAAAH!” Twilight screamed as she fell onto her knees and grasped her head in pain, her mind felt like it was slowly being crushed.

Ditzy looked towards Dusk in shock. “Dusk! What are yo-“

Without taking his eyes off of Twilight, Dusk eyes pulsed as Ditzy immediately collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. He then proceeded to wipe her memories of the recent events including ever meeting him today, he didn’t need any unnecessary trouble later on.

Once he finished wiping Ditzy’s mind, he brought his attention back towards the Alicorn he has in his psionic grasp. Dusk observed how Twilight desperately tried to stave off the pain, trying and failing to use her magic to fight back against his psionic hold.

Dusk kneeled down onto one knee as he released his hold on Twilight, giving her a moment of relief.

“You say that meeting the princesses is for my own good, that you can simply convince them that I am innocent and they would apologize and leave me alone afterwards… how foolishly naïve.” Dusk said as Twilight groggily looked up towards him with a mixture of confusion and fear.

Dusk continued. “What you experienced is the reason why the lunar and solar matriarchs are searching for me in the first place. Your princesses have every right to fear me and the power I now wield. That is why they are here, to try and “contain” me. To stop the so called, “next threat of Equestria”.” Dusk said, further confusing Twilight even more.

Many questions were burning in the Alicorn’s mind from what Dusk could sense, questions pertaining what kind of power Dusk has received.

However, before Twilight could ask any of these questions, Dusk leveled a serious gaze towards her once again, cutting her off. “But I have no interest in Equestria or this planet for that matter. I have plans, plans that I cannot afford to delay. No doubt you will tell the princesses and your friends about this encounter, but I could simply wipe your mind and be done with it.” Dusk said as Twilight’s eyes widened in fear.

However, they were soon interrupted.

“I heard Twilight scream over here!” An audible voice of Spike shouted in the distance, no doubt directing the rest of the Elements, princesses and the guards towards their position.

Dusk stood. “However, it appears our time grows short. So I’ll leave you with a warning” Dusk said as his eyes glowed with power.

“Don’t come and find me.”

Before Twilight could react, she collapsed onto the ground unconscious.

Without taking a second look, Dusk quickly made his way back towards the Everfree forest. He sensed multiple guards and Twilight’s friends quickly converging onto her location.

He continued into the forest and towards his Hive cluster, he needs to prepare for whatever happens next.

“Twillight! Wake up! Speak to me!”

“Wah…” Twilight slowly opened her eyes, her vision was blurry.

“Oh thank Celestia you’re awake! Are you ok darling?”

After taking a moment to refocus her vision, Twilight saw Spike holding her head as the rest of her friends surrounded her, each with looks of concern.

“W-What happened…” Twilight asked in a groggy tone, her head thumping in pain.

“We heard you scream so we got here as fast as we can, Rainbow Dash flew ahead of us and found you and Ditzy lying here unconscious. We called the guards and took Ditzy to the hospital and we were about to take you there as well before you started to wake up.” Spike explained as he and Applejack helped Twilight up onto her hooves.

“What happen ta ya sugarcube? You look more hungover then Big Mac after a barrel of cider.” Applejack asked in a worried tone.

“Yes, what did happen to you darling? You look absolutely terrible!” Rarity added.

Twilight frowned. What did happen to her?

Then like a roaring current it all came back to her.

“DUSK! ITRIEDTOSTOPHIMANDTRYTOREASONTOHIMBUTHEWOULDN’TLISTENAND-”

Applejack cut off Twilight’s rant with a single hand. “Woah! Hold yer horses sugarcube! Are ya telling us that yer big brother Dusk did this to ya?” The cow pony asked as she removed her hand from the alicorn’s mouth.

Twilight somberly nodded. “Yes… It was my brother that did this to me. But why? Why would he do that to me?” Twilight said in disbelief, shocking every one of her friends.

“Then it is as we feared.”

The group then saw both Princess Celestia and Luna walking towards them, behind them was a large escort of Royal and Night Guards.
Princess Celestia leveled a serious but concerned look towards Twilight. “Your brother attacked not only one of my little ponies, but he also attacked a member of royalty. I’m sorry Twilight but he must answer for his crimes.” The princess said in a serious tone.

Luna nodded in agreement. “Yes, who knows what else your brother might have plan for the rest of Equestria. We must find him at once!” Luna stated in a commanding tone.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait Princess Luna, Dusk doesn’t want to take over Equestria!” Twilight quickly explained, confusing everypony.
“What do you mean he doesn’t want to take over Equestria? Did he not attack you and leave you here unconscious?” Luna argued, clearly confused as to why Twilight would still defend her brother.

Twilight shook her head, remembering exactly what he did. “N-No he didn’t, he used some sort of spell to nullify my magic and render both me and Ditzy unconscious. But before he did, he told me that he isn’t interested in taking over Equestria!” Twilight said in a last desperate attempt to defend Dusk.

However, the lunar princess didn’t buy it. “And you trust this stallion, the very same stallion that stayed in ponyville for weeks lying to you and your friends the entire time while he consolidates his own power. You may say he has no interest in Equestria but that doesn’t mean he has other motives that could very well effect all of Equestria, does he not?” Luna challenged back.

Twilight tried to speak but found herself speechless. She wanted to deny what Luna said but what the lunar princess said was true, her brother said he had plans, plans that she has no idea what might entail for Equestria. She then thought back to the past two weeks he has stayed, all that time he has been distancing himself, lying to her and possibly planning in secret.

What has happened to him? What has happened to her brother?

Twilight didn’t say anything. All she can do is bow her head and try to desperately hold back her building tears, no longer trying to defend her older brother and slowly accepting the cold hard truth.

Luna closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s what I thought.” Luna said.

After giving her sister a disapproving look, Celestia gave Twilight a sympathetic gaze as she made her way over to the distraught Alicorn and wrapped her in a motherly hug. Twilight immediately returned the hug as she started to cry into Celestia’s ample bosom.

“Twilight, I am truly sorry. No pony should ever be forced to fight against one of their own, especially family. I understand this pain better then anypony and it’s never easy. But that is the price of royalty and being a princess, we have to place the needs of the many above our own. No matter how much we don’t want to.” Celestia said in a motherly tone, gently combing her hand through Twilight’s mane to sooth her sadness.
Twilight continued to cry into Celestia’s chest as Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started tearing up as well. Applejack and Rainbow Dash on the other hand chose to adopt looks of pity and frustration respectively.

As Twilight started to calm down, Celestia spoke. “If you wish, you and your friends may go back to the castle and stay there for the remainder of the search. Luna and I can handle it from here.” Celestia said in a soft tone, however, Twilight shook her head as she gently separated herself from Celestia.

“N-No *sniff* I need to find him. I need to know and see if I can change his mind.” Twilight said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and gave Celestia a firm gaze.

Celestia smiled. “Of course. What say for the rest of you?” Celestia asked to the five other mares plus Spike.

They all gave a nod as many of them wiped away their tears. “If Twilight goin’ after her brother, then ya’ll can count me in!” Applejack said, her tone full of conviction.

“Yeah, we have to beat some sense into Dusk! Nopony makes Twilight cry and gets away with it!” Rainbow Dash said as she slammed her right fist into her other hand.

“YEAH! And I still need to throw him a “Welcome to Ponyville Party,” shove cupcakes down his throat, and tell him the story how I got my barbecuing license back and almost burned down Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie cheerfully added as everypony, sans Celestia and her guards, gave Pinkie an incredulous stare.

Pinkie shrugged. “What!? It’s not my fault I accidentally dropped a lit match into a bag full of flour! How am I supposed to know it would EXPLODE like that!?” Pinkie said as everypony just rolled their eyes at Pinkie’s random antics.

“Ahem!” Luna coughed, grabbing everypony’s attention. “We’re getting off topic! We need to find Dusk immediately and put an end to whatever plans he is scheming.” Luna said in a serious tone.

Celestia nodded. “I agree that we should find him. However, we have no idea where he might be. Twilight. did he tell you anything else before he rendered you unconscious?” Celestia asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I’m sorry princess, but he didn’t tell me anything else before he put me to sleep. Just a warning.” Twilight answered.

“What was his warning Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked, almost demanded.

“He told me not to come and find him.” Twilight answered as Luna shook her head. “An empty warning, nothing more. All the more reason to find him and apprehend him.” Luna said in a serious tone.

“But no offence Princess Luna, but we don’t even know where Dusk might be. He could be anywhere at this point.” Twilight said as Fluttershy timidly raised a finger.

“U-Um. I-I think I know where he is.” Fluttershy said in a shy tone, unfortunately nopony heard her.

“Don’t worry Twi! We found him once, we can find him again!” Applejack said placing a supporting hand on Twilight’s shoulder.

“B-But I know where he might be-”

“Yeah! He couldn’t have gone far. I can search this entire town and the surrounding area in ten seconds flat!” Rainbow Dash said as she flew a quick circle above the group to prove her point.

“R-Rainbow Dash, you don’t have to. I-I know where he-“

“Rainbow Dash, darling, that is nice of you, but I think instead of aimlessly searching for him around Ponyville, we should look at places where he would most likely run off to.” Rarity reasoned.

“But girls, I-”

“That’s a great idea Rarity! You are smart as you are beautiful~” Spike agreed, his expression turned love struck as he stared at Rarity with heart filled eyes.

While everypony (sans Celestia and Rarity) rolled their eyes at Spike’s not so subtle admiration, Fluttershy tried speaking once more.

‘But I know-”

“I agree! But where would the not-so-friendly-but-not-really-evil older brother of Twilight go? It has to be somewhere that nooooopony would ever think of finding him? Oh where? Oh where? Oh where~?” Pinkie said as she rubbed her chin in thought.

Everypony took a moment to ponder any possible places that Dusk would go to, each coming up with their own answers.

“What about AJ’s barn?”

“Naw Rainbow Dash, both Granny Smith an Big Mac are there. Ah told them ta keep an eye out fer Dusk and holler when they see him.”

“U-Um... he’s in the-”

“What about the castle? What if he went back to get his stuff?” Spike suggested.

However, Celestia shook her head. “We posted twenty guards at the castle Spike. If he returned, then our guards would’ve detained him and notified us.” Celestia explained.

“B-But he’s in the-”

“What if he went to AJ’s farm, knocked out Big Mac and Granny Smith, ate the left over apple pie from breakfast, went to Twilight’s castle, snuck past the guards, and is taking a nap in his room before taking the afternoon train to the Crystal Empire!” Pinkie said as she re-enacted the entire scenario that she just said.

Everypony gave the pink party mare various degrees of incredulous stares.

Everypony except Fluttershy, her patience ran thin.

“He’s in the Everfree Forest! … EEP!” Fluttershy stated as she quickly covered her mouth, frightened at the attention she is now receiving.

Applejack rose a curious eyebrow. “An’ how do ya know this exactly Fluttershy?” Applejack asked in a confused tone.

Fluttershy calmed herself before she showed everypony a yellow bird on her shoulder. “W-Well… while Twilight was unconscious, Mr. Tweety Bird here told me that he saw a pony in a white lab coat running into the Everfree Forest. I think he was talking about Dusk.” Fluttershy explained as the now named Tweety Bird gave a friendly chirp and one-wing salute before flying off.

Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy an annoyed frown. “Then why didn’t you tell us earlier!?”

Fluttershy flinched as she desperately tried to hide behind her mane. “I-I-I’m really sorry everypony. I-I didn’t want to interrupt anypony. I-I thought-” Fluttershy was cut off by the cyan mare.

“Never mind that! Now we know where he is! Let’s go get him!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she was about to fly straight to the forest, however, a purple magical aura held her in place.

“No Rainbow Dash! We need to go together as a group. The Everfree Forest spans for miles and is filled with dangerous monsters and animals, you can’t go in alone and suspect to find him immediately, he could be anywhere in the forest.” Twilight explained in a scolding tone as she gently placed the Cyan Pegasus on the ground.

Pinkie sprung up excitedly. “OOOH! It’s like a big game of hide-and-seek! Except we only have to find one pony in a VERRRRY big, VERRRRY dangerous and VERRRRY scary forest that is filled with creatures that wants to eat us like cupcakes! But I’m sure we’ll do fiiiiiiiine~!” Pinkie stated in a cheerful tone.

Celestia nodded. “Despite Pinkie’s creative description, she is right. The Everfree Forest is dangerous as it’s not only filled with various species of dangerous creatures, but it is also filled with ancient magic, magic that is both natural and wild in nature.” Celestia explained, her tone laced with warning.

Luna stepped forward. “And that is why my sister and I gathered an escort of forty of our guards that will accompany and assist us in the search for your brother. Isn’t that right Captain Night Sword and Captain Sun Shield?” Luna said as two guardsmare stepped forwards.

While one was the same thestral captain from before, the Royal Guard beside her is a tall female Earth Pony standing roughly around 6’3” tall wearing a custom red and gold armor, showing her rank and position as the Captain of the Royal Guard. She has snow white fur that is oddly common among the Royal Guards, lime green eyes and a lean muscled build that made Applejack looked weak in comparison.

Both of these captains stood stock straight. “Yes your Highnesses! Both the Royal and Night Guards are prepared for whatever that may lie ahead!” Shouted both captains, as if by some silent command the forty guards behind them quickly formed ranks, both Royal and Night Guards prepared for the search ahead.

Twilight gave both princesses and the captains an appreciative nod. “Thank you all. Fluttershy, can you lead the way? You can speak to the animals within the Everfree Forest and ask about Dusk’s whereabouts. Can you do this, please?” Twilight asked, almost begged as Fluttershy hesitated for a brief moment before nodding her head.

“I-I will do it! For you Twilight!” Fluttershy said with rare confidence.

“Good! Now what are we waiting for! Let’s catch that bucker and bring him back!” Rainbow Dash shouted to the rest of the group.

“Rainbow Dash! Language!” Rarity chided, however, the cyan Pegasus ignored her as the group started making their way towards the Everfree Forest.

Author's Note

Here is another chapter, the next one will come sooner then you think.

Now to answer some questions:

Anthro Aspects: I know many of you are curious about the "physical proportions" of Twilight and her friends. However, keep in mind that Dusk as he is now is not actively seeking out a girlfriend or lover, so he won't be paying almost any attention to the physical proportions of any mare unless it's appropriate to the situation.

That is the thing about Anthro fics that I had read in the past, many of the authors made their character have the pin-point ability to know the exact cup sizes of every mare he or she comes meets.

What i'm doing is a more realistic approach.

For those who are still curious, I said in my front page that these anthros are from ss2sonic. Just use the proportions that he or she drew of them.

Other then that, leave a comment, review, suggestion, and if you enjoyed this fic give it a like.