My Little Pony: Lights and Shadows - Part II

Chapters

Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 10

Chapter 3

“It couldn’t be…” Fluttershy said, covering her mouth with her hooves. “Twilight, there must be some other explanation…”

Twilight shook her head in reply. “There is no other explanation Fluttershy. Zecora and Starlight were the only ones I let into the vault, but Zecora is the only one I took my eyes off of while in there.”

The throne room went quiet, this was unbelievable.

“Why would Zecora take the amulet?” Applejack questioned them. “Ah thought she wanted it kept safe, there ain’t nowhere safer than that there vault.”

Rarity looked to Twilight. “And you’re quite sure no pony else ever went in?”

“Without a doubt.” The princess responded. “I was very diligent on the matter.”

“What if the amulet was a fake ever since we found it at the ruins?” Rainbow offered up, hoping to find some way around accusing their zebra friend. The very mentioning of the ruins made Luna uncomfortable, and she shifted about on her hooves.

“It was not a fake when I saw it there,” Celestia explained. “The Alicorn Amulet lets off a very distinct aura from its crystal, at the time, I could feel it.”

Pinkie shrank away in her throne, hating the idea of Zecora stealing from them. She trusted all of her friends so much, to have one go and do this….it hurt her on the inside.

“This is most unfortunate,” Celestia said to herself, looking back up and around at everypony. “However, we must stay focused on the task at hoof; the Grand Summit remains our top priority, we can work on finding Zecora after the tension between the nations has been extinguished.”

“Princess?” Rarity asked, tapping her hooves together. “I know it is not our primary concern, but what about the Grand Galloping Gala? If the summit does not go as planned….”

As unimportant as the gala seemed to some, Celestia was not one of them. “The gala shall remain on schedule, for now.” She said, relieving the stress from the white unicorn. “Unless this conflict makes a turn for the worst, I do not see me announcing its cancellation.”

Fluttershy was happy that Shadow wasn’t in the room to hear any of this. He had been talking about the gala and how excited he’s been about going for weeks now. For something like this to cancel it? So close to the event itself? Such a thing would make him so sad.

“Alright everypony,” Twilight said, standing up from her throne. “Let’s start getting ready for the summit. We could be there for a matter of days, so be sure you are ready to be gone for that long and that your responsibilities here in Ponyville are looked after by someone.”

“We’ll leave you to it,” Celestia said, she and Luna walking to the door. “Best of luck my little ponies, and we shall see you all at the summit.”

As the seven mares and baby dragon began their discussion on how best to prepare for their departure, Starfall trotted after the princesses. Closing the door behind him, he came upon Celestia waiting for him in the hallway. Luna already walked out the castle door, and the guards had followed her.

“Be careful Starfall,” Celestia told him, her face expressing worry. “I do not know why Zecora would steal the amulet, but these turn of events lead me to believe that Princess Twilight is in danger. You must stay by her side and be vigilant.”

“You can count on me princess.” Starfall replied, standing firm with his head held high. “Nothing’s happening to Twilight on my watch.”

Celestia smiled. “I have the utmost faith in you, protect her, at all costs.”

Starfall bowed his head and the alicorn turned, exiting the castle and beginning her flight back to Canterlot.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Equestria became illuminated by its golden light. The previous day had been a stressful one, and no less busy. The dawn signified the beginning of a new day; four more until the Grand Summit.

Applejack often trotted up the hill beside the house to watch the sunrise. Being up bright and early to begin her chores became taxing at times, but this moment always seemed to be worth it. But before her long day was to begin, she needed to think.

Looking down upon the orange crystal in her hooves, the earth pony was left captivated by its glow in the morning sun. Apple Bloom had said it was from an “old friend”, but that they said nothing else other than that. Whoever they were must have been real nervous to need her little sister to bring it to her.

The crystal was triangular, and very smooth. Although it seemed like some plain, ordinary gem like the lot that Rarity used, this one was unique. It wasn’t because of the shape or the color, or even the smoothness of the surface; it was the strange feeling she had when she stared at it for very long. She couldn’t describe it, it was as if the crystal was staring back at her, almost as if she were looking into another pair of eyes. Some ponies said that the eyes were the gateway to the soul….so why did this orange triangle seem like it had one?

So many questions came to mind. What kind of stone was it? Was it even a stone? Where did this ‘friend’ find it? And why did they want to give it to her in the first place?

AJ wasn’t used to asking these kind of questions, and so it surprised her how much the crystal was making her think. Shaking off the feeling, she placed it into her saddle bag and stood up, trotting down the hill to begin her chores.

The halls of Twilight’s Castle remained empty and silent, the ponies that usually inhabited it were out prepping for their absence from town. This soon changed as a low-volume beat began echoing through the open spaces and vacant rooms.

Dj-Pon3 walked leisurely up the stairwell, her headphones turned up so loud that the sound from them resonated out into the castle. Nodding her head as she went, the white furred unicorn glanced around, searching for somepony.

It had been some time since she had walked the halls of the castle. She checked it out shortly after the castle appeared, but hadn’t really gone through it since. Twilight and the girls had definitely done a good job livening up the place, but it still looked like it could use the touch of a DJ; maybe a few strobe lights, loud speakers, couple spotlights, you know, the usual stuff.

Having a decent idea of where that party-monster pegasus was, she came upon a certain floor and began walking its halls. Quickly spotting her target, she trotted on up and tapped his shoulder.

Starfall turned around, having thought he heard some kind of music in the air, but stayed focused on watching over Twilight in her room. “Oh, hey Vinyl, what are you doing here?” he asked.

Lifting off her headphones, Vinyl used her magic to write her message on a little whiteboard with a marker.

You busy tonight? Thought we could have another one of those awesome dates at the Neon Palace again, you down?

The mere mentioning of their previous date made Starfall turn a slight shade of red. He remembered how wild things had become, but most importantly, how exhausted he was the morning after. Looking over his shoulder at the princess, who was writing down some notes, he stepped out into the hall with the DJ and quietly closed the door to Twilight’s room.

“I don’t know…” he said, sounding unsteady. “Last time was a bit extreme. I’m not saying I didn’t like it, I had a great time, but there’s a special event coming up for Twilight and I think I should stay well-rested for it.”

Awww, come on, please? One night won’t hurt, it will be fun!

Starfall was dangerously tempted. Twilight had said for him to act more like a friend than a guard, but he still had to take his position seriously. That being said….it was still four days until the summit.

“Well….” He said, trying to make up his mind. Vinyl smirked at his indecision and wrote something else down as a last-ditch effort to change his mind.

Tell you what, you come by tonight, and we won’t stay there as long.

That could work. So long as he was ready and able to perform his duties as Twilight’s guard, he could enjoy himself a little bit. It wasn’t until he read the next message that he caught onto her meaning.

Instead, we can swing by my place again and pick up where we left off.

And the red returned again. Sweet Celestia, how flirtatious could this unicorn be?

“Let me get back to you on that offer.” He replied, trying his best to end the conversation so close to the ears of the Princess of Friendship. “I’ll think about it.” He was met with a sly smile from the DJ, who took that a whole different way. She wrote one last message as she turned and walked away.

Awesome! See you tonight, stud.

Still red in the face, Starfall tried making sure she knew what he had said. “I said I’ll think about it….Vinyl?”

Too late, on went the headphones. She must’ve known he was watching her leave, because she swayed her hips a bit as she went. Starfall didn’t realize he was staring at first. The moment he did, he shook his head wildly, tearing his gaze away from the mare.

Standing up on her showcase stage, Rarity smiled down at Shadow, who had been asked to drop by to see something special.

“What is it you wanted to show me, Rarity?” he asked, curious.

Now that she knew the gala was in jeopardy for being canceled, the unicorn had placed an enormous amount of her faith in the clothing she had been making. Not wanting Shadow to catch wind of the disturbing news, Rarity thought it best to give him something to smile at.

“For you, Shadow Light, I present one of the most challenging attires I have ever made!” she replied, lifting her head up high. Her magic lit up the curtain and it was pulled aside. “Voila!”

The tuxedo’s base color was a bright silver with black trim and lining. A kind of luminous fabric was stitched between the folds over where the chest would be, creating a dim glow best seen in the dark. The buttons beneath the folds were gold colored, like his eyes, and the sleeves darkened a bit in color the closer to the hooves they went, creating the illusion of a cascading silver shadow. What caught Shadow’s eye the most, however, was his Cutie Mark Crusader symbol that was woven into the luminous fabric at the attire’s front.

“Rarity, I….” Shadow said, having trouble finding the correct words. A bit of worry consumed the unicorn for a moment, but it was soon cast aside. “This….this is amazing, how did you….?”

Rarity replied first with a smug grin. “Only the best of the best for my newest friend.”

Walking up onto the stage, Shadow examined the tuxedo more closely. As he had stated before, he was not one to know fashion, but to see something like this….he didn’t need to know fashion. It was stunning, captivating, and almost impossible to look away from.

Turning to the master designer, Shadow looked in complete shock. “I…I don’t have any money…”

Shaking her head, Rarity gave him a smile. “It’s a gift darling, no charge.”

What small inkling of doubt that may have existed in Shadow was erased; he had the greatest friends in all the world. Before he had the chance to, Rarity gave him a hug, which he returned in a heartbeat. This didn’t seem real….why was he so concerned before? What had he been so depressed about? He honestly couldn’t remember, not in this moment. What remained of his troubles became washed away, and all he could think about now was the upcoming event itself.

When at last the two parted, Rarity fluffed up her mane a bit, turning and closing the curtains. “My oh my, won’t you be the talk of all of Canterlot.” She chuckled.

When he thought about the gala, the first thing that came to Shadow’s mind was….oh right, there was that. He thought about the Hearth’s Warming Eve party, which got him thinking about her. It wouldn’t hurt to ask, would it?

“Rarity?” Shadow said, convincing the white unicorn to turn about. He looked a little embarrassed, but that wasn’t going to be enough to stop him. “I was wondering…..could you, teach me how to dance, you know….properly?”

Today was just going to be one pleasant surprise after another it seemed. Rarity had never been asked that by a stallion before, but it showed just how passionately he wanted to learn. “It would be my pleasure, Shadow.” She replied, smiling with a degree of elegance.

Rarity led Shadow down onto the boutique floor. She used her magic to clear some supplies away and give them enough space. Simultaneously, she levitated her record player into the room and set one of her favorites to play.

Turning to face him, she took in a breath. “Let’s begin.”

Sitting in a booth at the Sugarcube Corner bakery, the Cutie Mark Crusaders enjoyed their milkshakes, paid for by none other than Pinkie Pie herself. They had delivered the crystals yesterday evening, and were talking about their friends’ reactions to receiving them.

“You should’ve seen Rarity!” Sweetie said happily. “Her face just lit up like I knew it would!”

Apple Bloom smiled, but the smile faded away fast. “That’s nice….Applejack wasn’t very interested in the crystal as much as where ah got it. Ah can tell she liked it, but ah really wish she’d been more excited about it.”

“Well Rainbow Dash loved it!” Scootaloo said proudly, her little wings flapping wildly. “She said it was awesome of me to deliver it to her and that the crystal was super cool!”

The more Apple Bloom thought about it, the more she became curious as to when Twilight and her friends saved the dragon’s life. She didn’t think they ever all went over to the Dragon Lands at the same time. It wasn’t that she questioned his honesty, but she did wonder how the girls could’ve saved him.

“Are y’all curious as to how that dragon was saved by our friends in the first place?” she asked her two companions. “Ah’m not sayin’ he was lyin’, but ah feel like if it were that important to him, he would’ve told us more about it.”

Sweetie scratched her chin. “I was pretty skeptical about it at first, but after he gave us the crystals and left, it really didn’t bother me anymore. I mean, why would he lie just to give our friends some rare crystals?”

“Does it really matter?” Scootaloo chimed in. “I was only cautious of him because I didn’t know what he wanted, but like Sweetie Belle said; after he gave us the crystals he just left.” She shrugged her shoulders. “What reason could he have for hiding it from us?”

Apple Bloom gave a small nod. “Yeah, ah guess you’re right.”

Sweetie then noticed how quickly Scootaloo was downing her milkshake and used her hoof to stop her. “Scootaloo! Not so fast, I’ve told you before what happened to Button Mash when he got his super brain-freeze.”

“Oh relax Sweetie,” Scootaloo said with an aloof grin. “I live for extreme challenges, a brain-freeze is nothing.”

“Heya girls!” Spike announced as he walked through the bakery door.

“Howdy there Spike!” Apple Bloom waved to him.

As the little dragon sat in the booth, Pinkie Pie whizzed by and left him his favorite milkshake order; sapphire crème.

“Thanks Pinkie!” Spike shouted.

“WELCOME!” the pink flash replied, zipping back behind the counter.

“So how was the princesses’ visit yesterday?” Sweetie asked the dragon. “We heard they stopped by for a casual visit.”

Spike would’ve tensed up, but he had somewhat expected them to ask, so he already had a story for when the topic was brought up. “Yeah, they wanted to stop by and see how Shadow was doing. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are really starting to take a liking to him!”

“Well that’s good at least,” Apple Bloom said with a smile. “Ah think Shadow was a might concerned about what they thought of him.”

“Did Princess Celestia give Twilight our tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala yet?” Scootaloo asked enthusiastically.

Riiight, there was that one too.

“Umm, no not yet.” Spike said, trying to recover from his nervous expression. “But she assured us that they’ll be arriving soon.”

“Awww….” All three fillies said at once.

“But don’t you worry!” Spike said, trying to cheer them up. “I’m sure your sisters will take you as their plus-ones again.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, “Yeah, I guess there’s still a bit of time until the gala anyway.”

“Besides,” Apple Bloom added, already recovered. “Now that we’ve helped someone out, we can focus on findin’ Zecora again!”

“YEAH!” Scootaloo and Sweetie said at the same time.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Spike scoffed, taking a big taste of his milkshake. “After stealing from Twilight’s Castle, she’s probably long gone.”

The CMCs all stared at Spike like he had said something insane.

“Zecora did what now?” Scootaloo asked first.

Spike realized what he had said mid-sip of his milkshake and accidentally took in a gasp. Brain-freeze, brain-freeze, brain-freeze!

Nearing the end of her work day, Applejack decided to take a breather up by the barn. She had talked to Granny Smith and Big Mac about the summit without having to use too much detail in explaining what it was about. Hiding something as big as this was difficult to do, especially from family. She didn’t lie to them, but she could’ve told more of the truth as well.

Big Mac walked on by with the last cart of apples from the orchard. He descended down into the cellar and unloaded the cart. Returning up to the surface, he stowed away the cart and walked on by his sister again.

“All done for the day?” Applejack asked him.

“Eeyup.” Her brother replied.

“How’s your hoof?” she asked. “Act’n up at all?”

Big Mac shook his head. “Nope.”

AJ nodded. “Good, well, don’t go doin’ nothin’ risky today, ya hear?”

The big, red stallion chuckled, nodding his head. “Eeyup. See y’all at dinner tonight.”

As her brother walked away, AJ looked back out across the orchard, taking in a deep breath. She hoped Big Mac was up to the task of doing all the apple-bucking while she was gone. What with his sprained hoof the other week, she had been a little nervous about leaving the chores of the farm mostly all to him.

Looking down at her saddle bag, she hesitated before reaching in and taking out the triangular crystal again. Tilting her head a bit, she held it up to the light and watched how it glowed under the bright rays of the sun. Maybe she should’ve been more appreciative of Apple Bloom bringing it to her; it sure was a neat looking stone.

She supposed it just bothered her to not know who her sister got it from. But the more time that passed, the more she realized she didn’t really care. Fact was that somepony gave it to Apple Bloom, and Apple Bloom gave it to her.

“Hehe,” she chuckled to herself. “Ah wonder what Rarity would think of it. Probably go beggin’ for me to give it to her.”

That being said, Applejack couldn’t see her giving it away. Not only would it hurt her sister’s feelings, the crystal itself was just so alluring to Applejack; looking at it every now and then could help her get her mind off of work for once.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom shouted out, making her big sister’s ears perk up. “Applejack, where are you!?”

Dropping the crystal to the ground, Applejack was up on her hooves in a flash, and just as she turned to race around the corner, her little sister rounded it, stopping in front of her.

“Apple Bloom, what’s wrong!?” Applejack asked quickly.

The little filly was exhausted, for she had just galloped home all the way from town. Her eyes failed to hide the pain she was feeling, and it stung AJ down to her core.

“It’s all lies…..ain’t it?” Apple Bloom asked, nearly out of breath. “None of it is true….”

Applejack reached down to her sister. “Now Apple Bloom, what in tarnation are-”

“No!” the filly shouted. “Zecora didn’t steal from Twilight and run away….did she?”

Having no idea how her little sister heard of this, Applejack stood with a lack of words. Her gaze remained, nearly broken at seeing her sister refusing to believe what she had heard.

With tears now building in her eyes, Apple Bloom began to tremble. “Did she...?”

Few things were powerful enough to cause Applejack to feel this level of emotion. Her sister was the strongest one. The mere sight of the filly so afraid, and so sad…it wounded her.

“It’s what everypony’s been sayin’, yes.” Applejack answered.

Apple Bloom felt a tear roll down her face. There was no pony else’s opinion that mattered to her. She didn’t care if the rest of them said it was true as long as her sister, her faithful sister, told her that they were all wrong.

“A-and….do you think she did….?” Apple Bloom managed to ask through the tears.

The evidence was unquestionable. Twilight herself said that only Zecora could have taken it. As much as AJ came to care about Zecora, there was no other alternative, she had to have been the one who took it. And yet….

As Applejack hesitated to answer, the crystal on the ground behind her began to glow, small grains of dirt slowly rising up and around it.

The bond Apple Bloom had with Zecora was strong. Applejack could tell that her sister placed a lot of her happiness and faith in the zebra. Years ago now, she had been the first to befriend Zecora, and show everypony just how wrong they had been about her. The truth sat on AJ’s tongue, ready to be spoken, ready to see the tears flow from her sister’s eyes, but still she did not speak.

Applejack loved her sister, and cared about her feelings. If the little filly were to know….it would damage her, and it would take so much for that damage to be healed. With all her instincts and morals begging her to tell the truth, Applejack was compelled to say what she had to.

“No, Apple Bloom,” she replied, smiling softly. “They are all wrong.” Apple Bloom looked up at her sister, a small crack of a smile breaching the surface and fighting back the tears. “Zecora would never do that to us….to you.”

Lunging forward, the filly hugged her big sister, who embraced her tightly in return. Her eyes closed tight, Apple Bloom let all of her worries and doubts wash away at hearing her sister’s comforting words. Applejack, however, felt a tear roll down her face as she felt the weight of the deception crushing her own morale. Nopony should ever have to lie to their sister.

The dirt rising around the orange crystal fell back to the ground, but the fierce glow remained and intensified. A small, pulsating light began at its core, reaching all three corners of the triangular stone and moving back and forth much like an ocean tide.

On his way back from his appointment with Rarity, Shadow trotted with a bit of a skip in his step. He was pumped up for the gala, having never known he could be so excited for something this much. Now that he had a suit and was learning to dance, he felt more and more confident in himself.

He felt invincible, as if nothing could stand in his way or ruin his day. But just as he felt this, a sharp pain suddenly appeared in his head. Stopping abruptly, he winced, holding one of his hooves up to the side of his head. His vision flickered and blurred as the level of pain spiked.

“No….” he said painfully. “Why now….?”

Losing all sense of his surroundings, Shadow fell to the ground with both hooves now held firmly against his head. A high-pitch chime grew louder and louder in his ears as the darkness grew and engulfed his vision in its entirety.

As the light returned, Shadow began to see shapes and color once again. But unlike before, the sun was shining brightly on his face, and the cool, winter air had been replaced by a summer’s heat. He tried turning to look around, but his eyes seemed to wander beyond his control. Panic set in as the first sounds began whispering past the ringing in his ears. He tried to speak, but there was nothing, as if his voice had been silenced.

The surroundings are what became clear first; lush, green grass and strange, bright trees dotted the landscape. The sky was a perfect blue tint, and far off in the distance, there stood tall mountains. It was when his gaze finally turned slightly that he saw a massive structure, almost like a pillar, rising high above the mountains, and looking as if it were dozens of miles away. All that lied beyond it was dark, and almost charred-looking lands cloaked in shade.

Now past the point of panic, Shadow tried making sense of what was happening. His hearing became clearer, and there was a voice that spoke out, but it sounded fuzzy. After hearing it, Shadow felt his head turn to see a figure walking beside him….a dragon….a black dragon, with golden spikes like a mane on his turned-away head.

It was him….the dragon from the falls, the one that made him have the nightmares! Shadow tried desperately to shout and struggle, but his efforts were fruitless. It is when the dragon turned to look at him that Shadow felt his senses return, even though it was all still slightly blurred.

“Well?” the dragon asked him. “Are you coming with us or are you chickening out again?”

He had golden eyes, not the deathly red ones that Shadow remembered. That is also when he realized how much younger the dragon looked, but how he still had to look up at him.

“N-no, I’m definitely coming!” Shadow heard his voice reply without command. Now completely lost, Shadow tried with all his might to understand.

“Atta boy Erebus!” came another voice. Shadow’s vision glanced over to his left to see a brown and white, young griffon walking alongside him. “We’ll make a brave pony out of you yet.”

Wait a minute….Erebus? That’s when it came to him; this was a memory, an old memory, a memory of his life before his imprisonment in the castle ruins. But why was this happening now? All of his previous visions had been of horrifying sounds or shattered thoughts, but this memory was almost as clear as day.

“Hey Gelder, is Sketch waiting for us there?” the griffon asked the dragon.

“I’m sure he’s taking his time,” the dragon replied with a chuckle. “You know how changelings are, Silver; they never rush anything.”

All of this was so strange. A pony, a dragon, a griffon, and now a changeling? Where was he? Just how old was this memory?

Shadow felt his head turn, looking back and up upon a massive mountain that they seemingly had just descended from, a path leading up beyond sight. His head turned back forward as the griffon and dragon were slightly ahead of him and hustled a little to catch up.

“Here we are.” The griffon said excitedly, the three of them looking down a small slope at a cavern, hidden away behind some trees. “Should we wait for him?”

The dragon thought for a moment, but then looked at Shadow. “What do you think? Want to wait for Sketch here?” he asked. Shadow didn’t hear a response, only saw that his head nodded in reply. The black dragon muffled a small laugh and shook his head. “Figured you’d say that. Come on, he’ll get here when he gets here.”

Watching both Gelder and Silver spread their wings and glide down to the cavern entrance, Shadow hesitated before racing down to join them. The three young ones entered the eerily dark cave and trekked through the darkness together. This was when Shadow was given more time to think instead of observe.

So, this was a memory of when he was just a colt? Three friends; a dragon named Gelder that looked like the black one from the present, a griffon named Silver, and some changeling named Sketch. It was odd, but when he heard the names, he did remember something vague much like this. It was as if every second he recalled in this memory made him remember it on his own. The reason he was seeing all of this was still unknown to him, but at least now he felt more up-to-speed with it.

A dim light splintered through the veil of darkness, giving Shadow the sight of his friends’ silhouettes in front of him. Approaching the light without any words, the three happened upon an opening in the cave that was lit by luminescent crystals. The underground chamber was big and round, with a small ring of rock surrounding a shallow pool of crystal-clear water.

“Hey.” A voice surprised them from behind, making Shadow and Silver jump.

“Don’t do that Sketch!” Shadow gasped, as he could tell his heart was racing by how rigid his breathing was.

Sketch was indeed a changeling, but he looked like the new ones now. This confused Shadow because he thought they had only recently become their brighter selves through sharing love instead of stealing it from others. He had the big, bright eyes, but his body colors were a bit darker, closer to the colors of the old changeling form, the scarier one. Twilight had recently finished her documentary on the new forms of the changelings, Shadow had taken it upon himself to read it.

“I figured you guys would try coming in here without me.” The changeling huffed, his wings fluttering for a second.

Gelder was the only one of the three not jump-scared by their friend’s sudden appearance. “Well, if you would’ve just hurried up, we wouldn’t have had to.”

Sketch chuckled, shaking his head. “Whatever, now let’s see if this adventure was worth it.”

The four split up, looking for what Shadow assumed had to be some kind of treasure. As young as they were, and as adventurous, they had to be treasure hunting. He knew young ones too well by now.

Eyes searching the water, Shadow’s gaze fell upon an object under the surface. He paused for a second to squint, focusing more on the object. But just as he reached down for it, a claw snatched it out from the water.

“Haha, too slow.” Gelder scoffed, holding the strange stone up in the air.

“That’s not fair!” Shadow heard himself respond. “I saw it first!”

The dragon stifled a laugh. “Treasure hunting 101 little Erebus; see it all you want, whoever grabs it, takes it.”

Well that was hardly any kind of logic, Shadow thought. Then again, they were still very young, so being that level of stubborn and hard-headed only seemed natural. Shadow was left puzzled as he saw himself glance around quickly, but then stopping suddenly.

“Hey Gelder,” he said in a calm, cool tone. “Can you imagine how much my sister would love having a rare stone like that?” The dragon’s smirk faltered as his golden eyes looked back at the stone. “Just saying,” Shadow continued. “Imagine how happy she would be.”

Shadow watched the black dragon, deep in thought. There was no way….no way he would do it, he’s a dragon after all.

“Fine.” Gelder huffed, turning and chucking the stone behind him.

Fumbling forward in the shallow water, Shadow caught the stone. He couldn’t believe that had worked, something as simple as…..wait, did he just say sister? As in, his sister? He had a sister!?

“Wow Gelder,” Silver said, nodding in approval. “That’s very noble of you.”

The dragon sneered at his friend. “Shut it, let’s just get out of here before our parents find out we left again.”

The four converged on the exit and Shadow was left adrift with questions. The biggest one had remained since the very beginning of the memory; why was he seeing this now? It was as he tried concentrating that he looked down at the stone and a rogue thought ran through head, from himself in the past.

“I’ll find my sister a flower, the celestial lotus is her favorite, but as for this…this is mine.”

Without warning, all of Shadow’s senses blurred uncontrollably again and darkness conquered everything around him.

Jolting awake, Shadow’s first feeling was the cold, evening air rushing over his body. He stood up from the ground, shaking himself clear of the small bit of snow on his fur. Luckily, no pony had seen him, and hopefully he hadn’t been lying there for too long.

“What is going on?” he asked himself quietly. His senses came back similarly as they did in his memory, but no longer blurred. “Was that….? Wait, I had a sister?”

He couldn’t remember anything else, unfortunately, he hadn’t given her a name. So that was what the world looked like, wherever he was. It sure didn’t look like the world now. The next thought that came to mind was the giant pillar. Gazing across the horizon, he dared to imagine what it must have been.

Looking down at his hooves, their black fur shifting in the wind, Shadow took in a breath. He felt so lost.

Starfall paced the floor in his room, he had never felt so much pressure on such a small decision. Again, he didn’t want to be rude to Vinyl Scratch, but the situation took priority over something so trivial as a date. Princess Celestia’s warning of Twilight’s safety played over and over again in his head. He knew what he had to do, just not how best to go about it. Twilight wouldn’t like him accompanying her every moment of the day, but she did give him the freedom to explore the best ways to protect her.

Depending on the situation, he was responsible for choosing her level of security. She would respect his decision to be alongside her 24/7, but at the same time, he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. It was all one big nightmare. Unless…

“Starfall?” Starlight asked, poking her head into his room. “Twilight and I are about to go for a little walk through town, would you like to accompany us?”

“Actually Starlight, can I speak with you for a minute?” Starfall asked the unicorn.

Walking into the room, Starlight offered a smile. “Sure thing.” Starfall’s worn expression puzzled her. “Is everything alright?”

The pegasus shook his head. “No, it is not. I need your help.”

Now concerned on an individual level, Starlight replied, “Of course Starfall, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“None of this is coincidence; the attacks, Zecora’s disappearance, none of it.” Starfall said to her in a somewhat hushed tone. “Princess Celestia feels the same way and deep down I think you do too. Twilight is in danger, and we must do whatever it takes to protect her.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Starlight asked him, frightened for her friend.

“Because I need you to help me.” He explained. “With everything that’s been happening, she has been experiencing more stress than ever before. If I were to guard her every moment of every day, that stress would no doubt become even greater. So when I am not present, I would ask that you watch over her and be prepared for anything.”

Thinking about it, Starfall had a point. Twilight had instructed him to guard her as much as he saw fit, but if she were to see him guarding her every second, she would no doubt feel more anxiety. For the time being, she had to stay clear and focused for this summit, and so by Starlight agreeing to do her part in protecting the princess, she would stay on task and be protected at all times.

“Alright,” she replied, nodding her head. “I’ll do it. With the both of us protecting her, no threat will stand a chance.”

Grateful she took the idea so well, Starfall felt more at ease. Perhaps now, without the stress, he could take a few hours to himself. “Thank you. It’ll just be until we leave for the summit, after that, I’m sure I can-”

“Starfall!” Twilight shouted excitedly, barging into the room. “A letter just arrived from Rainbow Falls! Your parents want you to come home for a visit!”

And just like that, the stress came back again.

Author's Note

A storm is brewing in Equestria, that much is certain!
Hey there everypony!
So the Mane Six have connected the Alicorn Amulet's disappearance with the absence of Zecora, if only they knew what we do.
Everypony is getting geared for the gala, but will there be one this year?
And Applejack! Lying to her sister to spare the little filly's feelings, what would you guys do if you were in her position? Would you lie to Apple Bloom about Zecora?
A memory from Shadow's past, but what does it mean?
Prepare yourselves everypony, the countdown to the Grand Summit has begun!

Chapter 4

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
Hello princess, my name is Nimbus Flare, I am Starfall’s father. My wife, Cosmic Lights, and I would like to invite you to our humble house here at Rainbow Falls. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox request to ask of a princess, but it’s been so long since Starfall has come home. We know you must be very busy, so we won’t ask that you stay for long, but it would mean the world to us to see our son again, as well as meet the Princess of Friendship. We hope to hear from you soon, thank you for your time.

Nimbus Flare and Cosmic Lights

“Twilight,” Starfall said as she packed her saddlebag. “The summit is only three days away, I urge you to reconsider this.”

Placing the last of her books in the bag, Twilight turned about, a confident look on her face. “We will have plenty of time to prepare for the summit, Starfall.” She assured him. “Besides, aren’t you excited to be going home to visit your parents?”

The pegasus grimaced, but covered it up quick with an uneasy smile. “Y-yeah, of course I am. I just think we should be focusing more on-”

“Starfall,” Twilight said, stopping him. “Everything is going to be fine, having a day to give my head a break from all this stress is something I really need right now. That, and giving my friend a reward for how great he’s been as my royal guard.”

Prancing past him with her saddlebag on, the princess was all but too excited for this little venture of theirs. With his head stooped low, Starfall’s ears folded back on his head. Most ponies would be ecstatic about getting the chance to visit home, especially after having been gone for so long. There was, however, a difference between most ponies and him.

At least this relieved some of the stress from Twilight, and their being in Rainbow Falls would mean it’ll be easier to keep her safe. It was rough telling Vinyl the previous night that he couldn’t come to the club at all, but it was probably for the best anyway; that unicorn was a party monster, almost as much as Pinkie Pie.

The positives and negatives of this invitation were inconclusive on whether or not he was happy about receiving it. Nevertheless, there was no point in sulking over it. Twilight said they were going, and that was that. He was just going to have to deal with it.

Trotting after her, Starfall spotted Rainbow and Starlight waiting for them in the foyer.

“You guys ready yet?” Rainbow asked, having been invited to come too. “The train leaves in fifteen minutes.”

“Yep, all ready, right Starfall?” Twilight asked, a smile on her face.

Offering up his happy façade again, the pegasus replied, “Oh yeah, definitely.”

Fluttershy had wanted to stay in Ponyville with Shadow. Pinkie Pie had some parties planned that she needed to attend. Applejack was still clearing up tasks at Sweet Apple Acres in preparation for the summit. Rarity wanted the CMC’s dresses for the gala done before having to leave, so as to not make the little fillies nervous, and Spike was there to help her.

Starfall looked up at Canterlot as the train rounded a bend on the tracks. He had no excuses now that he was Twilight’s royal guard. If she was so quick to travel with him back home, his parents would undoubtedly try to do so again at some point; they were smart enough to take advantage of that system.

“So Starfall,” Starlight asked, grabbing his attention. “How long has it been since your last visit?”

Slightly looking away, he gave a small nod. “A while now. To be honest, I haven’t been keeping track.”

“You know, I’ve been to Rainbow Falls a few times, but I’ve never just taken a flight around town.” Rainbow said, thinking to herself. “After we meet your folks, I think I’ll bow out for a while and take a look; everypony says it’s a pretty awesome place.”

Starfall couldn’t deny that. “The sights are pretty good.” He replied, giving another slight nod. “Although I’m sure you and my dad will hit it off, he’s almost as big of a Wonderbolt fan as you.”

“Hehehe, I like him already.” Rainbow said with a smirk.

Twilight then remembered something. “Oh, do you think your sister will be there too?”

Starfall shrugged his shoulders. “I guess she could be, but as often as she does visit them, her modeling career keeps her rather busy.”

Hearing his answer made the princess wonder if he had been acting this way because he was afraid to be seen as homesick. “Starfall, you know you can always just ask me if you ever want to come visit them. After this whole mess is over with, we can come here more often so you can see your parents more.”

This time, Starfall was able to perfectly keep his cool and composure. “That is very considerate of you Twilight, and I really do appreciate it, but I still have a job to do.” Trying to take some of the edge off and not sound so rigid, Starfall gave them a sincere look. “I know you have allowed me to be more of myself while here, but I do take my responsibilities seriously. I really have no need for visiting them, I would much rather spend that time in Ponyville with all of you.”

The three mares could feel that something was off with him, but surprisingly enough it was Rainbow that better understood why he was being this way. Not wanting to say anything at the moment, the fellow pegasus saw the perfect way to save him from the conversation.

“Hey look,” Rainbow said excitedly. “We’re here!”

All four ponies gazed out the train window to see the beautiful town of Rainbow Falls. The cascading colors from the rainbows around it gave the mountain town a much brighter, visual appeal. Being so high up with several tiers on the mountain surface, it was one of the more unique settings for a community in all of Equestria.

Walking down and off from the station, Twilight, Rainbow, and especially Starlight, looked up and around at the town, having never really taken the time to admire it. Starlight had never been here before, and so she found it difficult to not gaze around at all the sights. Starfall, on the over hoof, lead the three of them with a less than satisfied look on his face, knowing he didn’t need to hide it from the sightseers behind him. He cast it aside quickly as other ponies began passing them by.

“Starfall!” one said with a smile. “So good to see you again!”

“Hey Blitz, been a while!” another chuckled.

Starfall just smiled and nodded, waving on occasion. Twilight was met with a warm reception as well, but her royal guard seemed to attract even more attention than her, which she certainly wasn’t going to complain about.

“Wow Starfall,” Starlight said in amazement. “It’s like you know everypony in town.”

With a half-smile, the pegasus shrugged his shoulders and slightly shook his head. “Uh….hehe, yeah….”

Crossing a small bridge over one of the rainbow rivers, the four ponies approached one of the more larger homes on the town plateau. Gorgeous flowers bloomed in the gardens around it with a few trees offering their ripe fruit down to the hungry eyes of the passersby.

Only a few yards away from the door, Starfall turned about to face his friends. “Oh, right, I feel like I should have mentioned this a little earlier-”

“Starfall.” Twilight stopped him. “No stalling.”

He shook his head in reply, “No, no, no, it’s not that big a deal, it’s just-”

The door to the house opened, cutting him off before he could finish.

“Son!” the pegasus stallion exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing his unprepared child with both hooves, proceeding to rough up his mane. “It’s about time you showed up for a visit!”

The stallion had a very dark gray coat of fur with a few lighter gray patches on the back of his neck. He had a flame red mane and tail with a few strands of darker red along the outsides. His cutie mark was a storm cloud made of fire.

He double-took a look at Twilight and the others, releasing his son as he remembered the rest of their company for the day. “Princess,” he said, bowing his head as he tried making up for the sudden embrace of his son. “I’m Nimbus Flare, thank you so much for coming.”

Twilight gave him a warm smile. “My pleasure Mr. Flare.”

“Please,” the pegasus insisted. “Call me Nimbus. Come on inside.” He stood aside to let the three mares in as he and his son waited to follow. Giving Starfall a quick hoof jab to the gut, he said, “Bringing home three ladies, huh? Impressive.”

Starfall did not look amused. “Dad, don’t go there.”

“Awww, come on, it was a joke!” Nimbus chuckled, letting his son walk in first. He then proceeded to whisper, “Been stepping up your game though, am I right?” Starfall delivered an elbow into the stallion’s chest, making him stutter backwards a bit.

The house was kept warm by two fireplaces and remained decorated for the winter holidays even though the season was approaching its end. Numerous book shelves stood stacked full, catching the eye of the princess as she continued onward.

Walking into the living room, Twilight was the first to notice her. A light blue furred unicorn reading a book at the table. Her mane and tail were a brilliant silver color, which almost seemed to shimmer in the light, and her cutie mark was an open, white book with a small galaxy above it.

Her ears perked up and she turned her head, a look of total excitement taking her over. “Oh, Princess Twilight!” she trotted over and bowed her head. “What an honor, oh what an absolute honor to meet you!”

“And you must be….” Twilight said, wondering if she really was….

“Oh, where are my manners?” the unicorn replied, a big smile crossing her face. “My name is Cosmic Lights, I am Starfall’s mother.” The three mares were left with questioning faces as the unicorn got giddy at the sight of her son. “Starfall!” she trotted over and gave him a hug.

“Yeah, hi mom.” Starfall managed with a smile. Expecting his friends’ inquisitive expressions, when Starfall was released from his mother, he introduced them. “Mom, dad, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, her pupil Starlight Glimmer, and-”

“Rainbow Dash,” Nimbus finished for him. “Fastest Wonderbolt ever.”

Now seeing that Starfall was right, Rainbow nodded her head. “Hehehe, its true….I am.”

Nodding his head, Nimbus gave her a confident smile. “About time Spitfire made it official; she’d been bragging all year about how she trained the greatest Wonderbolt in history.”

“Whoa,” Rainbow said, zipping up to him. “You know Spitfire?”

“Know her?” Nimbus scoffed, looking at Starfall. “Been selling me short, eh?” Flying out of the room in the blink of an eye, he returned with a photo of him and Spitfire in front of the academy. “You’re looking at the pegasus who trained her.”

Fan-attack meltdown in three….two…

“Whoa, what!?” Rainbow shouted, her eyes growing wide. “NO WAY!!! Are you kidding me!?” she performed a quick, excited flip in the air. “You’re Night Flare!?”

Nimbus spread his wings and bowed his head. “The very same. Been a while since I’ve heard that name.”

Rainbow couldn’t believe it, this was insane! She hopped up and down like a little filly who just met their favorite celebrity. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!!”

Starlight was the only one that looked confused. She peered over at Twilight, who also looked surprised and excited. “Umm, Twilight? Who’s Night Flare? A famous Wonderbolt or something?”

“No, not quite.” Twilight replied, having learned of the renowned pegasus during her last visit to the Wonderbolt Academy. “He was a recruit that showed great potential and set many records during his training. When he graduated from the academy, he was asked to join the team, but he declined.”

“What?” Starlight asked, confused. “Why would he do that?”

“I’ll tell ya why,” Nimbus answered her, overhearing his backstory. “The love of my life had just discovered she was pregnant. As much as I love the Wonderbolts,” he said, looking at Cosmic Lights. “I love her more.”

Cosmic blushed, waving her hoof to keep from tearing up. “Oh Nimbus, you charmer you.”

Turning back to the curious mares, he continued. “You see, I knew being a Wonderbolt would keep me away from home a fair amount, being that Cosmic and I lived here at Rainbow Falls. When she told me that we were having a baby, I wanted to be sure I was there to help her raise our family.”

“Awww, that was so sweet of you.” Twilight said, tilting her head.

“I was allowed to return to the academy on occasion to help train the new recruits when I could,” Nimbus resumed. “I often arrived late at night after finishing my weather control tasks here, so you see, that’s why they called me Night Flare.”

“Because whenever he flies, he leaves a fiery streak in the sky!” Rainbow blurted out. “He’s been an honorary Wonderbolt ever since!” She then turned to Starfall. “What the hay! All that time we hung out at the academy, how come you never told me your dad is the Night Flare!?”

Starfall chuckled to himself and shook his head. “At the time I wanted you to focus, I knew how much you dreamed of being a Wonderbolt.”

“Nimbus took up a job here on the Rainbow Falls Weather Patrol,” Cosmic said happily. “Our little girl was born, and not long after that, so was Starfall.”

“So, I noticed your cutie mark.” Starlight pointed out, curious of the mare. “May I ask what you do here in Rainbow Falls?”

“I am a magic teacher here for all the young unicorns.” Cosmic replied. “Over the years, more and more unicorn families have been moving here, so I began a magic class at the school.”

“That’s amazing.” Twilight said excitedly. “I didn’t realize there was a magic school here.”

Being that the topic was already brought up, Starfall asked, “Is Auraglow here?”

Cosmic shook her head, but managed to keep her smile. “She comes by for a visit every other month or so, and writes to us often. She’s been asking a whole lot about you, been asking when she could see her little brother again.”

“Why don’t we send her a letter asking her to visit you in Ponyville?” Twilight suggested, looking to her royal guard. “I’d love to meet her, and I’m sure everypony else would too.”

“Especially Rarity.” Rainbow added in with a smirk.

Starfall tried hiding his discomfort at the topic. “I don’t know, she’s a very busy pony after all.”

“Never too busy for her family.” Cosmic replied. “Says it every time she visits us.”

Feeling a build-up of anxiety, Starfall quickly thought up a way out. “Rainbow, didn’t you say you wanted to take a fly around town to see the sights?”

Rainbow could tell, just like everypony else, that he was avoiding the conversation on purpose. That being said, she did want to bow out for a while for a flight. “Yeah, sure.”

Looking to Starlight, who nodded to him, Starfall walked with Rainbow over to the door. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

Nodding with a big smile on her face, Cosmic thought she understood. “Oh, I see, it makes sense now.” Her statement grabbed everypony’s attention. “You two make such a wonderful couple.”

Both Starfall and Rainbow were left petrified as their eyes widened and cheeks went red. They eyed one another without moving a muscle, and then focused back on Cosmic. Starlight was on the verge of busting out laughing and Twilight just stood in an awkward silence.

“We’re just gonna….” Rainbow started, slowly backing away to the door.

Starfall nodded, following her lead, saying, “Go.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “We’re just gonna go now….”

The two picked up speed and fled the house, neither of them wanting that conversation to play out any further.

The moment they were gone, Cosmic chuckled to herself, glancing over at the princess. “I’m teasing him, it’s just something I do.”

That’s when Starlight cracked and blurted out a round of laughter. Twilight took in a short breath, not sure how best to resume talking after such an embarrassing moment for her friends.

Cosmic watched Twilight’s reaction and her smile dropped. “Wait….are they a couple?”

“Come now dear,” Nimbus scoffed. “You should know him better than that. He may avoid us from time to time, but he sure wouldn’t hide something like that from his parents.”

Twilight became offset when she heard that. “Avoid you? What do you mean?”

Nimbus and Cosmic both acquired uneasy smiles. They briefly looked at one another, and then Nimbus said, “You must understand princess,” he said, trying to put it gently. “Starfall has had a trying past, and so coming home is difficult for him.”

This certainly was a surprise. Twilight remembered Starfall telling her about how tough it was for him before he got his cutie mark, but she figured it all became better from there.

Cosmic read Twilight’s expression, seeing the truth. “He hasn’t told you, has he?”

“Told us what?” Starlight asked, not sure of what she meant.

“He told me about how he was bullied when he was young,” Twilight answered her, remembering the train ride. “How it made him realize he wanted to protect others.”

Cosmic looked sad. “I’m afraid there’s a little more to it than that. In truth princess, Starfall hasn’t been home since he left to be a royal guard.”

“W-what….?” Twilight managed to say, shocked down to her core. “But he told me his training in Canterlot began before I even moved to Ponyville….” Cosmic nodded in return. Twilight squinted, adding everything together. “He hasn’t seen you two in three years?”

“Oh, no.” Nimbus stated, seeing the misconception. “We’ve gone to see him in the past, but he hasn’t come back to Rainbow Falls since the day he left.”

Twilight looked down for a moment, the question still there in her mind. “So….how long has it been since you’ve seen him?”

Cosmic and Nimbus had feared that question. Both their expressions sank a bit, neither one really wanting to answer. “We last saw him thirteen months ago, when Celestia invited us to Canterlot to surprise him.” Nimbus finally admitted, his head still hung a little.

This hit Twilight like an avalanche right in the heart. Had he been that adamant on being a guard that he denied himself chances to see his own family? But wait…. “Why did he never come back?” she asked them. “What could have happened to make him so distant from you two?”

Nimbus’ gaze drifted over to Cosmic, who took in an uneasy breath.

The first couple minutes of the pegasi’s flight together was cryptically silent. The only social exchange between the two of them was the occasional awkward glance, followed by a quick redirection back to the town below and around.

“So….” Rainbow said, breaking the silence. “That just happened.”

Starfall nodded. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“It’s cool.” Rainbow said, trying her best to play it smooth. There was a pause, but then she glanced over at him. “It is cool…..right?”

“Oh yeah….no, it’s cool.” Starfall replied in a short burst.

Wanting desperately to change the subject, Rainbow looked down at a few buildings. “So what’s that building there?”

“That’s the town library,” Starfall answered her, happy to hear the topic change. “Right beside it is the schoolhouse, where my mom works.”

Gliding down over the rainbow pond, the two pegasi landed in the grass, turning around to get a better view of the town, more at eye-level. “Rainbow Falls looks pretty awesome.” She said, complementing the landscape and feeling of the happy families trotting around. “And I mean, it does have my name in its name, so it sounds awesome too.”

Ah, there it is, Starfall was waiting for a line like that. He chuckled to himself, now over the shock of the embarrassing moment before. “How modest of you.”

“Hey, modesty and loyalty are my thing.” Rainbow responded with a nonchalant shrugging of her shoulders. “This is just what Twilight needs right now, she’s been too pent up in her castle recently. She really ought to take a look around.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will. Besides, she’s never been to the library here before.” He stated humorously. He and Rainbow shared a short bit of laughter.

Now that she knew he could be more of himself and not be too stressed, Rainbow figured this was the perfect time to bring it up. “I know how it feels Starfall.” Her sudden seriousness caught him off guard, and he looked over at her. “To be afraid of coming home for fear of what others there think of you.”

It wasn’t surprising to Starfall that Rainbow had figured it out, it was more surprising that she brought it up when they were alone. “Do you though?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, nodding to him. “I do. I dropped out of Flight School, lost most of my friends in Cloudsdale, and just had to get away. For the first year or so, I never wanted to go back, but….”

Starfall leaned his head forward, watching her gaze fall slightly. “But…?”

She raised her head high. “I made new friends, I got my confidence back, and I never let those jerks get the best of me from that day on. Sure it hurt having to pass them every time I went home for a visit, but my parents were worth every second of it.” She chuckled and play-punched him in the shoulder. “You aren’t the only one who had to fight an uphill battle after leaving home, you know?”

While he appreciated what she meant and that she was able to share it with him, Starfall shook his head. “Not everypony bounces back that easily.”

Before Rainbow could try at it again, somepony shouted to them from afar. “Hey look, he really is back!”

A pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony converged on the two of them. The unicorn and earth pony stood slightly behind the pegasus, and Rainbow didn’t even need to hear another word to tell that they meant trouble. The earth pony had white fur and a gray mane, the unicorn had light green fur with a darker green mane, and the pegasus had red fur with a wild, orange colored mane. All three stallions snickered to themselves as they looked the two other pegasi up and down.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Punyfall Blitz.” The pegasus cackled, glancing over at Rainbow next. “Whoa, who’s your friend Blitzie? And what’s she doin’ hanging with a loser like you?”

“Leave us alone Pyro.” Starfall grimaced at the three of them.

“Better watch yourself Pyro,” the unicorn mused sarcastically. “Haven’t you heard? Blitzie here is a real royal guard now.”

Pyro laughed out loud. “What a joke. You? A royal guard?”

“Shut your trap, hothead!” Rainbow snapped.

“Oooooh.” Both the earth pony and unicorn said in unison, not intimidated.

Pyro smirked at the rainbow-maned pegasus, saying, “Feisty, I like it! You seem pretty tough, why bother wasting time with this wimp?”

“His name is Starfall Blitz and he’s my friend.” Rainbow growled, her eyes becoming narrow. “And you better watch it; he could pound the ugly right out of all of you!”

“Oh?” Pyro chuckled, looking over at Starfall. “Is that so? You went and got yourself a backbone since you’ve been gone?” Starfall remained silent, but it wasn’t the calm and collected kind of silence. “So why are you letting your marefriend do all the talking?”

Rainbow looked at Starfall, ready for him to take the bully down, but he did nothing. “Starfall, what’s wrong?” she asked him.

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” Pyro continued. “A weak, timid little colt grows up thinking that just because he wears a suit of armor that he’s a hero.” The red pegasus stifled a laugh. “But in reality he’s still the same, cowardly, lonely little screw-up who may be able to take down bad guys, but the moment he comes back to face his past, he turns into the gutless brat he once was.”

Starfall winced, his legs quivering a bit. He felt frozen in place, and even though he was slightly taller than Pyro, he felt as though the red pegasus grew ten times his size, and was laughing down at him.

“Starfall….” Rainbow said, seeing the broken will in his eyes.

“So quick to protect others,” Pyro mused. “But the moment you become the target, all that determination and drive takes a detour off a cliff.” He shoved Starfall, making the gray pegasus take a step backwards. “Try something, prove me wrong you coward.” When he did nothing in response, Pyro obtained a victorious expression. “See? Puny as ever. You’re no different now than you ever were.”

Unbeknownst to Pyro, however, he was standing next to the last mare on the planet you wanted to be near when bullying somepony. And his victory certainly did not last long. A hoof smashing up against his chin sent the pegasus reeling backwards, stumbling as his friends caught him.

“You do not, I repeat, DO NOT mess with my friends!” Rainbow snarled. She waited until the bully recovered and looked back at her in anger. “Try it again punk! I’ll take all three of you!”

Pyro felt his mouth with his hoof, getting a better grip of himself and letting the anger slide. “Quite the scraper, aren’t you? Fine, come on boys, let’s give the hero a deserving victory for saving the damsel in distress.” All three of them laughed as they took off.

Rainbow remained crouched down with her battle-face on, waiting until the bullying trio was far away before loosening up. She peered around behind her at Starfall, who had turned around and now gazed off into the distance beyond the deep chasm surrounding Rainbow Falls. There was a stillness between them for a few moments, the steady wind lifting their manes as they stood in silence. Rainbow then walked up and sat beside him.

“Thank you,” he said to her, still not able to look her in the eyes. “I really wish you hadn’t seen that.”

“Are they the reason why you didn’t want to come back?” Rainbow asked.

Starfall shook his head. “No, but they certainly don’t help.”

“Well he’s wrong,” she told him, trying to psyche him out. “They’re all wrong.”

“But they aren’t.” he replied, his head hung low. “Ever since I saw them bullying Derpy at that Trader’s Exchange, I’ve always felt this drive to protect others from ponies like him.” He let out a deep breath. “But whenever it’s me they’re bullying, I just….”

Rainbow had never seen this side of Starfall before. He had always been so strong and collected, in most every situation. But that strength stemmed from his desire to defend others, once the negativity becomes turned on him on an individual level, that strength withered away.

“Hey, why don’t we head on back?” Rainbow suggested, wanting him to be around more of his friends and family.

Breaking through his stunned moment, Starfall shook his head. “No, no, it’s alright.” He stood up and spread his wings. “Come on, let me show you around.”

Nimbus Flare and Cosmic Lights were lucky to have a home capable of housing multiple guests. Not long after Starfall and Rainbow returned, the six ponies sat down to a home-cooked dinner and, despite the depth of the events that occurred that day, they were able to enjoy the meal together.

“So, what convinced Auraglow to decide to become a fashion model?” Twilight asked.

Cosmic’s face lit up at the mention, she loved talking about her daughter. “Well, she always had a nose for fashion. But oddly enough, she never made a fuss over her own looks; she was always more fascinated by the looks of others.” Cosmic chuckled to herself. “She grew to be the most gorgeous unicorn I have ever seen, I know how boastful that must sound, but I would be lying if I said otherwise. One summer Nimbus and I took her and Starfall on a little trip to Manehattan. I happen to have a few connections there, so we met up and they just fell in love with Auraglow’s beauty.”

Nimbus nodded. “She stayed with us here for a few more years, but her career as a model took off and she began her tours of Equestria.”

“So she’s been into fashion ever since she was a filly?” Starlight asked. “Sounds a lot like Rarity.”

“Fashion and music,” Nimbus said with a smile. “That was my little girl alright.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked. “Did she play any instruments?”

Cosmic gave a cheerful nod. “The piano and the cello. She was self-taught on both.”

Nimbus nudged Starfall with his elbow. “Yeah, she even spent some time teaching Starfall’s best friend how to play the cello, that is, until her family left for Canterlot.”

Starfall knew what was coming, but Twilight spoke before he could. “That was kind of her.” She turned to her royal guard, asking, “She was your best friend? What was her name?”

Oh boy, here it comes.

“Octavia Melody.” Starfall answered her, wincing a little.

Twilight and Starlight were left with frozen faces for a moment, while Rainbow pumped the air with her hoof. “I KNEW IT!!! I knew she was acting different around you at the Hearth’s Warming Eve party!”

Cosmic and Nimbus looked slightly confused, and so Starfall clarified for them. “I forgot to mention that she lives in Ponyville now, and we, uh, meet up from time to time.”

Before Cosmic could express her excitement, Nimbus started busting up laughing. His lack of control made the laugh rather humorous and Rainbow pitched in a little. Taking in a deep breath, the pegasus did his best to compose himself while chuckling still.

“Oh wow….” He managed to say, still feeling the effects of the irony. “Now that is funny.”

Cosmic pushed her husband with her hoof. “Nimbus! Stop laughing at him, this is wonderful news, not some joke!”

Twilight, again, was surprised Starfall had never mentioned this to her. “Octavia was your best friend growing up? And Auraglow was the pony that helped her become a musician?”

“Ehhh…” Starfall said, obviously embarrassed.

“Oh come on,” Nimbus said to his son, waiting for the history lesson. “Are you going to give them the rundown, or am I going to have to do it for you?”

“We were friends dad, yeeesh, what else do you want me to say!?” Starfall exclaimed.

Before Nimbus could elaborate further, Cosmic covered his mouth with her hoof. “Nimbus. If Starfall wants to keep it to himself, let him keep it to himself.”

Shoulders lowering in disappointment, the stallion huffed, a word emerging that was muffled by the hoof over his mouth, but sounded like, “Okay….”

“Now back to Auraglow,” Cosmic continued before any other questions could be asked. “She has been wanting to see you again for quite some time Starfall, she mentions it in all of her letters.”

“Well, if ever she finds the time, I intend on staying by Twilight’s side in Ponyville, as is my responsibility.” Starfall replied, feeling the more royal-guard-like side of him in his response.

This time, Nimbus stopped Cosmic from speaking with a hoof, a blank expression appearing on her face. “And we both respect that decision. Being a royal guard, your mother and I understand that your position requires your absolute attention, and no less devotion.” He looked to his wife, removing his hoof. “Right dear?”

Cosmic let out a sigh and then replied, “Yes.”

“That is definitely one part of the job you’ve got down.” Rainbow complemented him. “While the other princesses have whole armies of guards to watch over them, we’ve got the best of the best for Twilight right here!”

“Thanks Rainbow.” Starfall replied.

Standing up from his seat, Nimbus gestured over to the stairs. “Alright ladies, allow me to show you to your rooms.”

It had been an hour or so since everypony had retired for the night. Each of the hosts’ guests got their own rooms, which were very cozy and well-kept.

Despite the comfort of her room, sleep eluded Twilight. Tomorrow they would return to Ponyville and have less than two days to prepare for the summit. Not that she was worried about having enough time to prepare, but she feared the gathering of all the leaders in a time of such tension.

Beyond all of this, however, stood the truth behind her royal guard. She could see the struggle in his eyes and hear it in his voice during dinner, and that struggle is what really kept her awake.

Rising up from her bed, she stepped over onto the floor and quietly walked to her door, peeking out into the hall. She wondered if he was awake, and if he was, would he even want to talk about it. Starfall was normally very open to Twilight, and almost never hesitated to answering questions about himself, but this time it would be different. Royal guard or not, no pony should have to face feelings like that on their own.

His door was unlocked, she opened it quietly and peered inside.

Starfall sat alone in the dark, looking out the window. The sheets on his bed, folded over as if tossed, told Twilight that he had tried to sleep, but much like her, found it to be impossible. Seeing him like this reminded her a lot of Shadow, as it seemed the situations were similar, even though she knew they were a sizeable amount different.

“You should be asleep princess,” Starfall said without turning around. “Celestia said you needed to stay well-rested.”

Closing the door behind her, Twilight walked over by his side and sat down. “And I believe I asked you to call me Twilight.” She replied with a half-smile.

His purple eyes were drawn to the night sky, and they were filled with something Twilight hadn’t expected. It wasn’t drowsiness or anxiety, confusion, or even fear. Starfall gazed out his window with a look of pure defeat in his eyes.

Twilight, now knowing what it was that bothered him so, understood why. “Starfall, Rainbow told me about what happened, with the three ponies from your past.”

“Twilight, I-” he began to answer.

“I know they aren’t the reason why you never wanted to come back.” She said, stopping him. “I know your drive comes from your desire to protect. But you’ve spent so much time defending others, that you don’t know how to defend yourself.” Twilight watched as the pegasus’ head lowered slightly, defeated by his princess knowing of it. “But even that would never stop you from coming home to see your family. The real reason…..I know it too.”

Starfall felt his body quiver. Spending so much time with her and her friends would have eventually lead to a few truths being unearthed, but this was one he never wanted to hear.

“Derpy wasn’t just visiting for the Trader’s Exchange,” Twilight told him. “She lived here.”

With all his might, Starfall kept himself from breathing, knowing what it would mean if he did. The memories flashed through his mind every time he blinked.

“You saved her then, and many times afterwards,” Twilight continued, inching closer to him. “But no matter how hard you tried protecting her, the bullying never stopped.” She lifted her hoof up onto his shoulder, trying to keep herself from having the same emotional response. “And one day, they took it too far….”

That was when the first tear streamed past Starfall’s clenched teeth. A wild combination of sadness, anger, and failure filling his eyes as they continued to water.

“They hurt her, so much so that her parents decided to move to Fillydelphia.” Twilight finished, feeling herself also grow closer to tearing up.

Taking in a sharp breath, Starfall fell apart. “I couldn’t….” He whispered to himself. “I couldn’t protect her…..I failed….” His teeth clenched tighter and his brows curved. “I wanted to tear those three apart….make it so they could never hurt anypony ever again…..” The anger quickly fell to the sadness again, and he felt all of the memories flood back into his mind; seeing her hurt, afraid, and helpless. Feeling the sting of his failure, the cold fire of powerlessness on his breath, and the coiling fear of failing again gripping his heart tighter and tighter each and every day.

Twilight, much like her royal guard had once done for her, pulled him into a hug and allowed the pony to drown out all of the emotion that was pent up inside. Closing her eyes as she held him, Twilight remembered the feeling, and how much it healed her to have somepony there, willing to take it all.

“You know better than anypony else that Derpy believes in you Starfall.” She told him. “Instead of the painful memories, think of all the good ones you have with her in Ponyville.”

Seeing her for the first time, delivering a parcel to the castle. Flying all over town with her during his own time, helping her with deliveries. Having her and Rainbow jump up onto his back as he flew. Laughing with her at the Hearth Warming Eve party.

“You know Starfall,” Twilight said, feeling a tear of her own fall from her face. “A wise pony once told me something I’ll never forget; it is alright to cry sometimes, no pony will think any less of you.”

Taking in a deep breath, Starfall felt his control return as he lifted his head. His face was red, but he smiled through it. “I will never let anything happen to you…..I promise you that.” He said, the drive and determination returning to his eyes.

Twilight smiled too. “Then I have nothing to fear.”

The two ponies looked out the window together as this encounter only made them feel stronger. Starfall would no longer be weighed down by his failure, and he knew he could never allow himself to fail again.

“All aboard!” the conductor yelled, looking down at his watch before stepping onto the train. Ponies crossed the platform and boarded, the departure only a few minutes away.

Rainbow high-hoofed Nimbus before trotting to the train, followed by Starlight. Twilight had been talking to Cosmic and waved goodbye, trotting after her two friends. Starfall was left in front of his parents, and there were a few moments where the three of them shared a family smile.

“Mom, dad,” he said, having gone over what to say dozens of times in the last few hours. “I’m sorry I never came home to see you; it was cruel of me.”

Cosmic shook her head, walking forward and hugging her son. “You don’t need to apologize sweetheart, we know how difficult it is for you to come back. All that matter is that you came.”

Nimbus joined in on the hug. “We couldn’t be more proud of you, son.” He said, the three of them embracing one another. “Now go and make us even prouder.”

They separated and Starfall looked happier than he had been in a long time. “I love you both…..so much.”

“We love you too Starfall.” Cosmic replied, almost in tears.

Starfall galloped over onto the train just as the doors were about to shut. Nimbus and Cosmic watched as the wheels began to turn and the whistle sounded off. Starfall, Twilight, Rainbow, and Starlight all leaned out from their window and waved as the train pulled away. With everypony waving farewell, the four friends began their return to Ponyville.

Author's Note

Hey there everypony!
Before anything else......MLP SEASON 7!!!
Sorry, had to get that out of my system.
So we finally get more background information on Starfall. He didn't seem to have many flaws before now, but now Twilight knows the truth.
What do you all think of Starfall? Have I painted a well-enough picture of him?
This was a more informative chapter, come back next week to see what happened in Ponyville while they were all at Rainbow Falls!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 5

Three days until the Grand Summit…

Trotting alongside Princess Twilight, Shadow felt somewhat on edge. The last time she left, he had experienced one of his more terrifying visions. He wasn’t fearing that it would happen again, but with that memory still fresh in his mind, it became worth being sure.

“So, you’re coming back tomorrow, right?” he asked her, trying his best not to raise suspicion.

“Of course, bright and early.” Twilight replied. “Still sure you don’t want to come along?”

Shadow nodded his head. “I’m sure. Fluttershy and I have a few plans today.”

“Your loss!” Rainbow cackled, soaring through the air overhead. “I can’t wait to see Rainbow Falls again!”

Starfall arched his shoulders and his ears fell flat to his head as he tried at a smile that came out rather uneasy. “Hehehe, y-yeah….”

Coming upon the train station, Shadow stopped on the platform. “Alright, have fun! See you tomorrow!”

Twilight, Rainbow, and Starlight all leaned out the windows and waved. “We’ll be back before you know it!”

Shadow waved back and the train took off, carrying his four friends off north. He remained on the platform waving until the train was far away. Lowering his hoof, he let out a sigh, but then took in a deep breath afterwards. Turning around, he walked back down the steps and onto the ground.

“No need to worry, Shadow.” He told himself as he went. “That memory yesterday was just a one-time thing, just go to the cottage, you’ll be fine.”

Stepping onto the path towards Fluttershy’s, Shadow kept his head held high. He had thought about a lot recently, but mostly it came down to what he should do now. Getting a job was a possibility, but where in Ponyville could he fit into the workplace? He couldn’t just sit back every day and do what he wanted at the expense of others, so what was it going to be.

Now on the road running along the Everfree Forest, he started pushing the thoughts aside for a breather. “It’s hardly been a month, just take this slow.” He told himself. There was no need to rush into a kind of living that would pressure him again, one mega-storm nightmare frenzy was enough for him.

Getting his mind off of the topic, he went through his schedule for the day with Fluttershy. Tea at the cottage, feeding the animals, walk around town, small get together with Pinkie and Rarity for dinner, and his return to the castle for the night. Simple enough.

Crossing the small bridge, Shadow walked up to the door and knocked on it. After a single knock, it opened slightly, having not been closed completely. Shadow pulled his hoof back and paused for a moment, watching the door open slowly.

Peeking his head in, he asked, “Fluttershy?”

Walking in through the opening, the door shut behind him and he turned around. Coiled over the door with his claw having pushed it shut, Equestria’s favorite draconequus looked down upon Shadow with piercing eyes.

“I think it’s time you and I had a little chat.” Discord said in a cold, emotionless voice.

With her hooves cupped under her chin, Rarity admired the purple crystal that her sister, Sweetie Belle, had given to her. The purple hue was dim but it kept a certain luster that was simply beautiful. It was lightweight, spherical, and very smooth. Whatever ‘friend’ it was who wanted her to have it sure knew her tastes; the only word suited to describe it was…

“Oh, how divine…” the unicorn said dreamily, gazing at the stone with her head now tilted slightly. “You just may be my new favorite gemstone.” She cooed, rubbing its surface with her hoof.

Sweetie Belle was such a sweetheart for delivering it, Rarity knew that she had to make up for her sister’s generosity, but for now, she just kept gazing into her crystal as if it was the most stunning dress in all Equestria.

This went on for a few more minutes until Rarity realized what time it was. “Oh, goodness me, I have a lot of work to do.” Using her magic to lift the crystal into her safe-keeping chest, she gave it one last giddy smile before closing the lid.

“What if we send a letter to Gabby asking her to deliver fliers all over Equestria to help find Zecora?” Sweetie Belle suggested.

The other two crusaders looked excited at first, but then Scootaloo remembered the problem. “She’s probably still busy working on fixing up Griffonstone along with the rest of the griffons.”

“Oh, yeah, right….” Sweetie replied, slouching down again.

Apple Bloom let out an annoyed huff. “There’s gotta be somethin’ we can do to find her! Come on, why don’t we scope out the edge of the Everfree Forest again?”

Scootaloo sighed. “We’ve done that like a thousand times already! Besides, if she were that close to Ponyville, somepony would have seen her by now.”

The three fillies went silent again, each of them deep in thought. They had been brainstorming almost non-stop to try and think of a solution to finding Zecora, but they hadn’t made any headway. No pony had found any evidence of the whereabouts of the missing zebra, not one shred of it.

Giving herself a break from thinking about a solution, Apple Bloom thought about Zecora instead. The earth pony hoped to Celestia that she was alright and safe wherever she was. She had left without packing a thing; her hut was left completely untouched. All of her books, ingredients, potions, tools….

“Wait a minute….” Apple Bloom said, examining her train of thought more carefully. “Ah got it!” Both Sweetie and Scootaloo perked up at hearing her revelation. “Ah bet we can make some kinda potion to find Zecora!”

“Us….?” Sweetie asked, confused. “Why wouldn’t we ask Twilight?”

“Or Starlight Glimmer for that matter.” Scootaloo added.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “You’ve seen how busy those two have been, they need space to do whatever princess stuff Twilight has on her hooves.” She explained. “Besides, ah know plenty about potions. All we need is a book or somethin’ to tell us what the ingredients are, and we can make it so that Zecora just appears here in Ponyville!”

Sweetie tilted her head. “Apple Bloom, is there even a potion that can do something like that?”

“It’s worth a shot, ain’t it?” the earth pony replied.

Scootaloo nodded her head in agreement. “I say we go for it, it’s not like we have any better plans, right?”

Sweetie let out a sigh and then turned back to Apple Bloom. “Okay, say there is a potion that can do that, where are we going to find the list of ingredients?”

Apple Bloom looked undeterred, and answered with her head held high. “Ah know just where to look!”

“Discord?” Shadow asked, unable to say much more before the draconequus began.

“No more games,” Discord growled. “I have run out of patience. Who were you before you became imprisoned in those ruins?”

“I…I…” Shadow mumbled, backing away at first. He stopped when he remembered what has changed in him since then. “I don’t remember. And I never want to.”

Discord shook his head. “You can fool Fluttershy, Twilight, and even Princess Celestia with that innocent act, but it won’t work on me! I have lived long enough to know dark magic when I see it, now tell me the truth.”

“Dark magic?” the shadow pony asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The day we met in the Canterlot dungeon, I felt something.” Discord elaborated. “Something I hadn’t felt in centuries, since before my own imprisonment. You are shrouded in dark magic, you breathe it, and your very existence invites it into the world around you.”

Shadow’s eyes rose up, looking towards where his horn appears every time he uses his magic. He then looked back at where his wings appear, returning his troubled gaze to Discord. “What does it matter what kind of magic I use so long as I use it for the right reasons?” he asked.

“Oh, but that’s where you are wrong.” Discord replied, shaking his head. “I don’t know how you made Celestia forgive you, but she and I have seen what your power can do.” Disappearing and re-appearing behind him, Discord said, “Let me tell you a little story about a shadow and the princess of the night.”

Apple Bloom rooted through Zecora’s potion books as quickly as she could, knowing exactly which one she was looking for. Sweetie and Scootaloo stood behind her, the both of them looking rather nervous.

“Are you sure we should be here, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked. “We can get in a lot of trouble for coming out into the Everfree Forest ourselves.”

“Are you kiddin’?” the earth pony said without a speck of worry. “Ah have been back and forth between here and the farm more times than ah can count, we’ll be fine.”

Sweetie watched her friend breeze through the books and toss them aside. “How do you even know what you’re looking for, Apple Bloom?”

“Ah was lookin’ through these here potion books before with Zecora,” she answered, starting to page through a new one. “Ah remember her tellin’ me about her advanced potions. If they can do what she said they could, ah recon one of them just might be able to bring her back.”

Sweetie tilted her head. “That sounds more like magic than a potion.”

Apple Bloom nodded as she kept looking. “She told me that sometimes magic and potions can be combined to create really useful effects. It can’t be too hard to make one that will just teleport her back here.”

Scootaloo now looked less optimistic about the idea. “If it can’t be too hard, why wouldn’t Twilight have tried it by now? She almost knows more about this stuff than even Zecora. I know you’ve been getting better with potion-making, but are you sure you can pull something like this off?”

“Here it is!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, turning around and placing the book on the floor. “A spell-potion of teleportation!”

All three fillies zoomed up as close to the book as they could get, all three of them curious to read what it said.

Appartitious Lacus. There were a few lines of text in a different language, but underneath it the crusaders recognized Zecora’s writing. Incantation-potion to find what has been lost.

While Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked excited, Sweetie eyed the text that was in a different language, slightly worried. “What do you think this part means?”

Apple Bloom waved off the worry. “Ah’m sure Zecora wrote this down to summarize it, you know, just in case Twilight ever asked to borrow it.”

“Look, here’s a list of ingredients!” Scootaloo added, pointing at the five items below.

“Alright crusaders,” Apple Bloom said, picking up the book. “Let’s gather them up and find Zecora!”

Rarity tilted her head to the side as she inspected the dress she was working on. She peered over at her cat, Opal, who paid little attention to her owner’s work. Turning back to her creation, the unicorn sighed.

“It’s missing something, Opal.” She said, tapping the side of her head with her hoof. “Ooooh, but what is it?”

As she stayed motionless in thought, the front door bell rang, telling her that somepony entered the boutique. “Rarity? Y’all around?”

Recognizing the farm accent in a heartbeat, Rarity trotted downstairs to greet her friend. “Good afternoon Applejack.”

Taking her hat from off her head, AJ let out a sigh. “Could we…talk about somethin’?”

Sensing her friend’s distress, Rarity didn’t hesitate to raise her hoof towards the stairs. “But of course darling, here, come to my inspiration room.”

Returning to the room where she was working on the dress, Rarity closed the door behind AJ, a worried look on her face.

“Applejack, what happened? You look dreadful.” She started, taking notice to the earth pony’s tired demeanor and grim expression. It looked as if she had just lost her farm to those ghastly Flim Flam Brothers and was now wallowing in defeat.

“Ah….ah did somethin’ terrible,” AJ said, her head stooped low. “Ah did somethin’ really terrible, Rarity.”

Trotting over to her friend, Rarity lifted a hoof up onto her shoulder. “Applejack, tell me what happened, it’s all alright.”

“But it ain’t.” AJ replied, looking up at her friend with eyes that looked so fragile. “Apple Bloom found out about Twilight’s theory of Zecora….she asked me if ah thought it was true….”

Rarity squinted in confusion, but then they opened wide when she realized what AJ was saying. “Applejack, did you….?”

Applejack lowered her head again. “Ah lied to her, ah told her I didn’t believe it….even though I do. And now, when she finds out the truth, she’ll still feel all torn up inside and she’ll know ah was lyin’…”

Rarity hugged her, trying to calm the earth pony who was shaking with regret. This was strange, AJ had lied before and felt bad, but this time she looked far worse than ever before. Rarity had scarcely ever seen her so upset, but she imagined it was all tied to the fact that it was Apple Bloom, her little sister, whose admiration meant more to AJ than anypony else.

“It’s alright Applejack,” Rarity tried soothing her. “Twilight could be wrong, and I’m willing to bet she wants to be. Zecora will come back and everything will be just fine, you’ll see.”

Backing away from her friend, AJ put her hat back on, trying to shake this terrible feeling from her. “Thanks Rarity, ah sure hope so….”

“Trust me darling, I know so.” The unicorn mused. “Now come lend me a hoof, I may just need an outside opinion on a problem I’ve been having.” As AJ walked up alongside her, she explained, “This is Sweetie Belle’s dress for the gala, but it’s missing something, a certain flair if you will. Every year I make her a dress to see that wonderful smile she has, but I fear this one just won’t do, not like this.”

Applejack knew she was no fashion pony, but perhaps helping Rarity would help get her mind off of her deception from yesterday. “Uh….ah don’t know Rares, ah think it looks real nice the way it is.”

Rarity pursed her lips, tilting her head as she looked at the design. “I don’t want it to look nice, I want it to look extraordinary! I want it to tell Sweetie Belle just how much her big sister cares about her! I told her that I would have it ready tonight!”

AJ tilted her head as well, trying to imagine what Rarity would like on it that she hasn’t already tried. Thinking about Sweetie, along with the other two crusaders, made her think about their shared cutie mark. “Ah guess you could try using somethin’ to match her cutie mark.” The suggestion made Rarity look over at the earth pony, and then back at the dress again. “Um…you’ve got the red and white shades matched, so why not add some purple gemstones or somethin’?”

It took a moment, a long, silent moment, but it then clicked. Rarity took in a huge gasp and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Applejack!” she shouted in delight, grabbing her friend and shaking her quickly. “You’re a genius!”

Releasing AJ, Rarity pulled one of her labeled gem chests from out the back room and made the dress come closer to her. The chest opened and Rarity used her magic to begin a flow of purple gems onto the dress, forming just the right sequence for the perfect gala gown.

“This shade of purple is perfect!” Rarity squealed like a little filly. “Oh Sweetie Belle is going to absolutely LOVE IT!”

Just as the sequence was nearly complete for the perfect design, the gems stopped coming out from the chest. Looking at the dress, Rarity saw it was missing a single gem in one spot that made it look unsymmetrical. With a gasp, she galloped over to the chest, it was empty.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Rarity whined, jumping up and down, stopping only to collapse backwards, her drama couch cushioning her fall. “Why now!? It was going to be perfect!”

Raising an eyebrow, AJ asked, “Why don’t we just go out and look for some more?”

Rarity’s spirits, however, seemed destined not to be lifted. “These are extremely rare, dragon amethysts! No other gemstone has the same brilliant purple color!” She then broke out into her drama weeping, with her hoof draped across her forehead.

Wanting to help sooth Rarity as well as she soothed her, AJ trotted into the unicorn’s gem storage room and looked through a few chests. Applejack knew Rarity liked keeping her gems organized, but perhaps she could find one, just one to save her friend from her grief. Opening one of the more ornate chests, AJ couldn’t believe it; one gem, perfectly circular, sitting all by itself.

“Rarity, look, I found one you can use!” she said, trotting back into the inspiration room.

Rarity looked up, hope filling her eyes, only to have it fall away. Applejack had, in her hoof, the crystal that Sweetie had given her.

AJ caught the expression, now confused. “W-what? You can’t tell me it matters what kind of gem it is; it looks just like those amethysts, so use it.”

Rarity used her magic to lift the crystal from her friend’s hoof and levitate it over to her. She felt the smooth surface with her hooves, her eyes staring into the brilliant shine that it offered to her. “I…I can’t….”

“Wha….?” AJ managed, now lost. “Well why not?”

The crystal engulfed Rarity’s gaze, its beauty was without equal. It was giving Tom the diamond a run for his bits, and Rarity felt like it was calling to her, begging her not to let it go. AJ repeating her question snapped her out from the trance and she gently placed it down onto the couch, trotting back up to the dress design. The crystal could indeed fit, and even better, it would make the gown even greater than another normal amethyst would.

At her hesitation, the purple crystal on the couch began a very faint glow.

Rarity felt immense pressure building up inside her. Sweetie Belle had given her the crystal, wouldn’t it make sense to use it in a gown for her? Her little sister deserved the very best that Rarity’s talents had to offer. However, the crystal was, in fact, a gift from someone else, a friend of Rarity’s, would it be right to just give it away? She had never before seen such a graceful, gorgeous gemstone, and likely never would again.

Applejack stood, slightly worried by how silent Rarity was being. “Uh….Rarity?”

Merely thinking about the crystal gave Rarity a sense of majesty. Holding it in her hoof made her feel like royalty, as if no pony else in the whole world had ever seen such beauty. But she loved Sweetie Belle…..she wanted her little sister to be happy. Feeling so torn made Rarity close her eyes tightly and think hard. Trembling underneath the massive pressure, she knew which one she would choose, but she didn’t want to say it. How could she? What was wrong with her?

Trying one more time, AJ asked, “Rarity…?”

Opening her eyes and turning around, Rarity feigned a smile. “That’s quite alright Applejack, I’ve thought of a better design! One much more bold and…..well, fabulous!” Using her magic to levitate a pencil over to her, Rarity began drawing out the new design on a paper. “Thank you for visiting Applejack! Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to work!”

The sudden change of the atmosphere caught AJ off guard. She looked at her friend in confusion, the unicorn seemingly dropping all worry and previous doubt. “Um….alright.” she replied, walking to the door. “Ah guess ah’ll just….see ya later then?”

Rarity nodded, still focused on the drawing. “Sounds wonderful, have a lovely day!”

Applejack grimaced, but then opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. The moment the earth pony left, Rarity dropped the façade and sat down, her pencil falling to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Sweetie Belle….”

The purple crystal had begun slowly turning around, but now stopped, the dim glow inside of it now churning about like a storm.

“No….no, you’re lying!” Shadow shouted, refusing to believe what he had just heard.

“Don’t pretend to deny it,” Discord said with a sneer. “Ever since I’ve had to pull Luna from your nightmare she’s been afraid of you, afraid to the point of panic. But you….I see the guilt in your eyes each and every time you look at her.”

Shadow remembered what he had seen when he stood before the statue of Nightmare Moon. It was no vision, it was a memory; even though it felt much different than the last one he had. Regardless of this feeling, Shadow didn’t allow it to control him like he had before.

“Whoever I was….” He said, his eyes fierce. “Whatever I was in the past, I’ve changed! I told you….I told all of you! I don’t want to remember anything!”

Reality began to bend around Discord, he had now had enough. “Why were you imprisoned in the Tree of Harmony!?” he demanded of the shadow pony.

“I don’t know!” Shadow yelled, backing away from the draconequus. A sudden throbbing pain in his head made Shadow grab at it with his hooves.

Discord used his magic to seal the door shut so he couldn’t get away. His body began to glow from the power of his chaotic magic. “What did you do to become imprisoned for so long!? How are you able to use such powerful magic!?

Shadow felt everything begin to become blurred out like before, although Discord’s voice continued to pierce through to him. The high-pitch sound began resonating in his ears as he closed his eyes tight, the world darkening to him.

Discord’s eyes glowed bright as he closed in on the frightened pony. “WHO ARE YOU!?”

A spark of bright red emerged before a powerful pulse shot out from Shadow. Discord was recoiled back and shielded himself until the shock-wave ceased. Opening his eyes, he lowered his arms to see Shadow down on the floor.

The shadow pony’s fur lifted up and slowly waved randomly on his body, having reverted back to its more shadowy state. His eyes were closed and the red spark continued to appear and disappear around him. The air about the cottage was dense and dark, as if Shadow’s very presence was expelling the light from around him.

The draconequus didn’t move at first, he just stood there, waiting for something to happen. When nothing changed, he approached the nightmarish pony and stopped when he was just out of reach. Had he caused this? Was this a result of Shadow’s emotions, or something else?

Knowing that Fluttershy wouldn’t be gone for much longer, Discord leaned in towards Shadow. “Now, let’s see what’s going on in that head of yours….”

Using his magic to duplicate Luna’s dream spell, Discord reached down and touched the shadow pony’s forehead. Upon touching him, Shadow’s eyes opened, revealing them to be completely red, and Discord’s vision went dark.

“W-what is this!?” he gasped, unable to see anything around him, everything was black. He tried moving, but it was pointless, there was nothing around him, the darkness was all-encompassing. There was a snicker in the air, forcing a chill up Discord’s spine.

“You always were a fool, Discord.”

Discord couldn’t see anything, he could only hear the sound of this deep, twisted voice. “Show yourself!” the draconequus commanded, but he was met with laughter.

“You proved yourself useful to me in the past, but now….now your magic would have only proven to be a nuisance. Thank you for surrendering it to me so naively.”

Two claws emerged from the darkness around Discord and grabbed him, holding him still. He struggled and tugged, trying to use his magic, but nothing was working. Two red eyes opened in front of him, another low laugh echoing through the darkness.

The same strange, hindered senses started returning to Shadow as his whited out vision began to darken, images around him taking form. It was exactly like it had happened before, but now, now everything seemed darker.

The first thing that came to him was the shape of someone beside him. It looked like a pony as his vision began to become clearer. The flutter of wings came with the first sound, although it was too blurred to understand.

Without his command, Shadow’s head turned, bringing with it his still developing vision. Now he was looking up at a dragon….Gelder, he could tell it was him. His voice was the first to be understood, as Shadow’s senses returned to the blurred state of his last memory.

“Bliss, what’s wrong?” Gelder asked, stepping over beside her.

Shadow’s gaze followed him and, now that his senses were understandable, he saw a white pegasus mare who looked out of breath. She had light, brilliant blue eyes. The top of her mane was black, but the bottom was rainbow-colored, a lot like Rainbow Dash. Her tail was different though, it was long, sleek, and black, and had a tuft of rainbow fur at the end. She looked rather small, especially when standing beside Gelder. Shadow could tell a decent amount of time had passed because of Gelder’s growth since then, perhaps a year or two.

“My mom is sick, she needs medicine but we don’t have anything valuable enough to trade for it in the market.” Bliss said, her eyes swollen from crying.

Shadow knew this was a memory, but even now he felt the sadness in her voice, as if remembering it himself. His vision looked away for a moment, as if thinking. It returned to the two of them when Shadow heard his name.

“Erebus, do you have anything Bliss can trade for medicine?” Gelder asked him.

It took a moment, but Shadow saw that his head shook. “No, I don’t.”

Bliss went to cry again, but Gelder lifted her up. “Come on, don’t give up. I’ll find something to trade for the medicine, don’t you worry. Your mom is going to be all better in no time.”

The pegasus sniffed, hugging him. “Thank you, Gelder….”

Gelder lowered her to the ground, letting her release him. “Now you go on home and keep her company, I’ll be there as soon as I get it.”

Bliss nodded and went running home as Gelder wasted no time in taking to the skies, a shockwave pulsing from around him as he went. Shadow watched as his gaze turned to look down at his bag. After a few moments of hesitation, his hoof emerged out from out the bag with the rare stone from Shadow’s previous vision.

Immediately, Shadow was appalled at seeing it. Not only did he keep it for himself, but he refused to give it to his friend, even though her mother was sick and needed it to trade for medicine.

He looked up with the stone in his hoof and felt a lot of pressure in his chest. Shadow was confused, what was he thinking about? All he could see was his actions, which was that of a young pony hesitating on what to do.

Not given much time to wonder about it, Shadow watched as his past-self stashed the stone away in the bag, picked it up, and took off in the direction that Bliss ran. Since he was a bit bigger than the pegasus, he caught up to her rather quickly, while calling out her name.

Bliss stopped and turned around, letting Shadow catch up to her, his breath labored by the running. “What is it Erebus?” she asked him, her head tilted.

Taking the stone out from the bag, Shadow watched as he looked at it one last time. Holding out his hoof, he offered it to her.

Before he had much time to react to what he saw, Shadow felt the darkness engulf him once again, blurring his senses and making everything disappear.

Shadow and Discord both rose from the ground at the same time, their gasps somewhat frightening one another.

“What happened!?” they both shouted at one another at the same time, continuing to do so. “Where did you go!? What did you see!?” They stepped away from one another, ending the strange conversation only to start another.

“I knew it!” Discord snarled. “Alright then Shadow, let’s see how you like living in a different dimension!” The draconequus clawed at the air, but nothing happened. “I said….different dimension!” he repeated, clawing at the air again, only to get the same result. He looked at his claw in disbelief and snapped it, trying to alter reality in any way he could. A few potted plants and miscellaneous objects around him came to life and began dancing around. “What in Equestria….?”

The door opened and Fluttershy stepped into the cottage, stopping when she saw both Shadow and Discord inside. Knowing he didn’t lose all of his magic, Discord disappeared from sight before anypony could say a word.

Fluttershy galloped over to Shadow, worried that something had happened. “Are you alright? Did Discord do anything to you?”

Shadow looked at Fluttershy, even as she spoke, with a bewildered expression. He managed to shake it off long enough to answer her.

“No.” he said, shaking his head. “We just talked is all, I’m perfectly fine.”

Two days until the Grand Summit…

Trixie sat patiently at the train station, awaiting the return of her friends from Rainbow Falls. She had wanted to go, but at the same time, found it worth her while to put on a show for a few ponies in the town square the day before.

Sitting with a small bag of cinnamon nuts, she munched down on her snack, using her magic to levitate a few of them through the air in a circular motion.

Hearing the train whistle from only a little ways away, she sat up on the bench, her ears perked up to listen for it again. Hearing the whistle, now even closer, Trixie rose up on her hooves and walked forward, squinting to see the train as it approached.

Docking at the station, the train came to a halt. Twilight and Rainbow emerged from the doors first, followed by Starlight and Starfall.

“So how was your trip?” Trixie asked, offering some of her cinnamon nuts to them.

“Very relaxing, a well needed rest from stress.” Twilight replied as Rainbow grabbed a hoof-full of Trixie’s snack.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said as she chewed the delectable food. “Starfall’s parents are wicked cool!”

Starlight looked around, asking, “Where are the rest of the girls? They usually all welcome us back whenever we return from an overnight trip.”

Trixie shrugged her shoulders. “Beats me, I guess they thought they had better things to do.”

Twilight chuckled, finally getting used to Trixie’s egocentric remarks. “I’m sure they have their reasons, probably all still preparing for the summit. Speaking of which, Starlight, Starfall, we have a lot of work to do.”

As Twilight, Starlight, and Starfall began heading towards the castle, Rainbow tried reaching for more cinnamon nuts, but Trixie levitated them out of her reach with a ‘mine’ look on her face. She then followed the three ponies. With time running out, the summit was almost upon them.

Author's Note

Hey there everypony!
So Discord made his entrance in Part II with a bang, trying to figure Shadow out, but it ultimately backfired. What happened to him in there?
Shadow experienced another memory, but why is this happening to him? What do these memories mean?
The CMC are going to try at an ancient potion-spell, but will it be too much for the young trio?
The Grand Summit is coming and all of the world will be looking to Horseshoe Bay to watch what could be the largest meeting of leaders in Equestrian history! What will the rulers decide? Will there be peace?
Come back next week to see the final day before the summit!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 6

One day until the Grand Summit…

“Two hours until the train leaves, Twilight.” Starfall reminded her as she continued to read.

“Thank you.” She replied, her eyes remaining on the text. She wrote down a few notes with her magic, turning the page. “Are you two all ready to go?”

Starlight placed one last book in her saddlebag and nodded. “All ready here.”

“I am as well.” Starfall replied, still beside the princess.

Twilight finished up the last line and closed the book, placing her notes page in a separate one and storing it in her own saddlebag. “Good, well, looks like we’re ahead of schedule.”

Lifting her bag up onto her back, Starlight trotted to the door. “I’ll be back in a bit, I’m going to go check on Trixie.”

“Alright, but don’t be late.” Twilight said for precaution.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here.” Starlight called back as she pranced down the hall.

Giving herself the chance to take a breather, Twilight turned to her royal guard. “Did you speak to the girls about their plans?”

Starfall nodded. “They are all ready to go and have made preparations to fulfill their jobs here in Ponyville.”

“Good, good.” Twilight responded. Taking a seat, she looked over at him, who was now paging through a book he had pulled off of the shelf. “Starfall?” He looked up from the book upon hearing his name. “Do you think the summit will succeed in restoring the peace?”

Putting the book back onto the shelf, the pegasus walked over to her. “I believe so. It won’t be easy, but I have a feeling you and the other princesses will find a way.”

Twilight smiled, happy to hear his response. “Do you know how many griffons and dragons will be attending?”

“I had a word with Princess Celestia regarding security,” Starfall elaborated. “King Gale refused to say how many griffons he was bringing, but Dragon Lord Ember and Thorax both complied. There will be around seventy dragons and changelings, not to mention fifty or so ponies.”

“How many royal guards have been tasked to protecting the summit?” Twilight asked.

“Princess Celestia has two-hundred royal guards there now.” Starfall adjusted his wings after shuffling them about on his back. “And fifty more will be arriving with her and Princess Luna.”

Twilight felt nervous already. This summit was going to be the largest meeting of world leaders in recorded history. The numerous attacks left the nations divided and angry, but what didn’t make sense was the simultaneous order of the attacks themselves. Ember claimed that she had not ordered the raids, King Gale denied any order given for the griffons to invade the Dragon Lands, and both Celestia and Luna made it clear that whatever unicorn attacked Griffonstone did so on their own accord.

Equestria, the Crystal Empire, the Dragons, the Griffon Kingdom, and the Changeling Kingdom were all going to be there, and they were going to have to discover the truth for themselves. Twilight didn’t even want to think about what would happen should they fail.

“It’s going to be alright, Twilight.” Starfall tried assuring her. “We’ll figure this out and resolve it in no time.”

Twilight gave him a nod, taking in a deep breath. “You’re right, I know we will.”

Fluttershy walked into her living room holding a tray of tea cups. Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, and Spike all sat, immersed in conversation about the summit. Fluttershy offered them each a cup and sat the tray down on the table when everypony got one.

“All I’m saying is that it’s going to be dangerous.” Rainbow warned them, punching at the air with her hoof. “We’ve got to be ready in case anyone tries to sucker punch us!”

“The griffons and dragons wouldn’t start a fight at the summit, would they?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow didn’t look too sure about that. “Who knows; I hear this King Gale guy is a real jerk to ponies. You never know if he’ll just up and attack us when we get there!”

“Not if we turn it to a party!” Pinkie offered excitedly. “What better way to make friends than by throwing a big party!?”

Spike groaned at hearing the pink pony suggest it again. “Come on Pinkie, we already told you like a hundred times; this summit is gonna be real serious, so it can’t be a party.”

Pinkie looked like a few gears in her head just sprang loose. “What is with everypony and hating parties!? First the princesses’ visit and now this!?” She grabbed hold of Rainbow and shook her wildly. “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO US!?”

“Chill out Pinkie!” Rainbow snapped, releasing herself from the mare’s grasp. “We can throw a party AFTER we figure out how to put an end to this mess!”

Spike shook his head, but then took notice to how quiet two particular ponies were being. “Applejack? Rarity?” he said, grabbing their attention. “Are you two alright? You’ve barely said a thing since we got here.”

AJ and Rarity looked out-of-sorts. They had been quiet for the past few days, and looked very tired. Good thing they both finished what they had to in Ponyville before this happened, their work would have suffered along with their expressions.

“Nah, we’re fine and dandy.” AJ answered the dragon, managing a smile.

“Yes, quite.” Rarity added. “Sleep has just been eluding us for the past few nights.”

AJ nodded. “Yeah, probably just worry’n about the summit is all.”

“Oooh, that reminds me,” Fluttershy said, just remembering a dilemma she was having. “You all remembered to pack, right? I know spring is almost here, but it’s still very cold out, especially at night.”

“Horseshoe Bay can get pretty cold,” Rainbow admitted. “You may want to pack warmer clothes, if you’re taking anything that is. All I plan on bringing is this awesome crystal.” Rainbow took out a red crystal that was hexagon shaped (six-point shape). Seeing the stone caught everypony’s attention in an instant.

“Rainbow?” Rarity asked. “Where did you get that?”

The blue pegasus tossed her crystal up in the air and caught it, spinning it on her hoof. “Scootaloo gave it to me just the other day,” she replied, oblivious to the numerous eyes now glued to her crystal. “Said it was a gift from an ‘old friend’ of mine, pretty sweet, huh?”

Applejack was the first to take her own crystal out from under her hat. “Apple Bloom said this one was from an ‘old friend’ too.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy both took out crystals of their own. Pinkie’s was a blue, octagonal (eight-point shape) crystal and Fluttershy’s was a pink, diamond shaped one. Rarity was last to take out her crystal, which pained her to look at because of what she had done a few days before.

“Wait,” Rainbow said, looking around at each of them. “You all got one?”

Rarity nodded. “Sweetie Belle gave it to me.”

“All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders gave me mine.” Pinkie answered.

“Me too.” Fluttershy added.

There were a few silent moments in between the ponies as they processed this. Someone just decided to give them all rare, valuable crystals? Even if they claimed to be a friend, why were they so shy as to ask the CMCs to deliver them?

“Awww….” Spike whined. “I didn’t get one….”

Rainbow was the first to push past the strangeness of the gifts. “I guess somepony just really admires us and what we’ve done for Equestria!” she concluded, chuckling as she looked at the baby dragon. “Hehe, no offense.”

Spike huffed, snorting out a small cloud of smoke from his nostrils and crossing his arms.

“Well, I really like my crystal.” Fluttershy admitted. “It’s pretty and matches my Cutie Mark.”

“Yeah, mine too!” Rainbow said happily.

“Teeheehee!” Pinkie squealed, full of excitement. “So does mine!”

Applejack and Rarity stayed quiet as their friends reveled in their admiration of the crystals. Applejack’s crystal matched her fur and Rarity’s matched her mane, but they stayed silent for a different reason.

When Applejack looked into hers, the reflection she saw made her think of Apple Bloom and the lie. Rarity saw her crystal as a reminder of her own mistake too. The two mares sat silently as the three others continued their rant of excitement.

“I wonder who this mystery pony is!” Pinkie gasped, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “I could throw them the bestest party in all of Ponyville! A thankyousomuchforgivingustheseamazinggifts party!!!”

“How about we ask Cutie Mark Crusaders to introduce us to them?” Fluttershy offered, wanting to meet this unknown pony too. “They may be nervous about coming to meet us, so why don’t we try and meet them instead?”

Rainbow flipped in the air several times, stopping to raise her hooves high in the air. “That sounds awesome! We should totally try!”

The cottage door opened and Shadow walked in, pausing for a moment when he saw how many ponies were inside. “Oh….wow, hey everypony.”

“Howdy there Shadow, everythin’ alright at the castle?” Applejack asked.

Shadow gave a happy nod. “Twilight and the others are all ready to go, and the train leaves in about a couple hours.”

First catching glimpse of Applejack’s crystal, Shadow then came to notice all five of them. Fluttershy’s, Pinkie’s, and Rainbow’s looked like regular, ordinary crystals, but Applejack’s and Rarity’s were something else entirely. It puzzled the shadow pony to look at them, their glows shining brightly in his golden eyes.

“Are you okay, Shadow?” Pinkie asked, snapping Shadow out from his trance on the two stones to look at the pink pony.

He just smiled at her and then returned his gaze to the crystals. “Yeah, sorry. Those sure are cool looking gemstones.”

Apple Bloom examined the brief instructions on Zecora’s potion book. “Hmm…..says here we need to combine all five ingredients at the same time in a bowl or somethin’.” She squinted as some of the writing was difficult to read. “Then a unicorn, that’s you Sweetie Belle, uses their magic to mix it all up until it’s all glowy-like.”

“Simple enough.” Scootaloo said, shrugging her shoulders. She reached down and picked up the ingredient she went out to get. “Got the tuft of storm cloud, wasn’t too hard to get; I know a pony.”

Sweetie used her magic to lift up her ingredient. “I got a piece of platinum ore from Rarity’s secret supply stash.”

Scootaloo looked over at Sweetie with a tilted head. “Rarity has a….what now?”

Apple Bloom then lifted up her own ingredient. “And ah’ve got a night rose from the Everfree Forest.” She said, the dim, blue flower sitting carefully on her hoof. She re-read over the ingredients to see what they needed. “So that’s one tuft of storm cloud, a piece of platinum ore, and a night rose. We still need dragon’s breath, which we can get from Spike, and a….” she trailed off as she read the name.

Sweetie looked at Apple Bloom with an inquisitive expression. “What is it? What’s the last ingredient?”

“Umm….” The earth pony replied, having no idea what it was. “A-ancient runic potion…?”

“Ancient what?” Scootaloo asked.

“What in tarnation is an ancient runic potion?” Apple Bloom said, reading back over it again.

Sweetie shrugged her shoulders, coming up with a suggestion. “Why don’t we ask Twilight if she knows?”

“Weren’t ya listenin’ Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked. “Twilight is super busy.”

“Well, how about Starlight?” Sweetie offered in response. “I just saw her walking around Ponyville a minute ago, so she can’t be too busy.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Come to think of it, I saw her too.”

“So let’s just go ask her to make one for us.” Sweetie concluded.

They both had a point; Starlight Glimmer, as stated before, was really good with potions, maybe she could help them out. “Alright, then let’s go get a move on!”

“Everypony ready?” Twilight asked, all of her friends waiting in the foyer of the castle. “Wait, where’s Starlight?”

“We still have a half-hour before the train departs,” Starfall responded. “I’ll go find her.”

“Okay, just hurry back.” The princess replied, watching her royal guard trot out the main door.

Spike had just arrived a couple minutes ago and waited with everypony else, helping Rarity with her luggage, as usual. He thought it was strange that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had asked him to breathe his fire breath into a jar, but they bribed him with an emerald to keep it between them, so he wasn’t arguing.

Rainbow and Pinkie bounced a ball back and forth with their heads as they performed tricks in an epic duel of skills. Applejack and Rarity were both having their spirits lifted by Fluttershy, who made them both some more of her herbal tea.

Twilight sat patiently now, waiting for her faithful guard to return with Starlight. What could be taking her so long? She dismissed the worry, not doubting Starfall for a moment. Lifting a book from out her saddlebag, she opened it to the first page.

The drawing of a draconequus was waiting for her as it opened. “Twilight!”

The alicorn gave a short shriek in response, slamming the book shut fast. All heads in the room turned to her as she eyes them with an innocent grin on her face. Opening the book back up, Discord was waiting, lying on his back with his arms tucked behind his head.

“Well that wasn’t very princess-like of you.” He teased her.

Twilight chuckled at her own surprise, remembering when she had done almost the exact same thing, by accident, to Moon Dancer at the Canterlot Library. “What can I do for you, Discord?”

“Are you and the girls gearing up to go on a little trip?” he asked, his eyes wide with wonder. “Can I come too?”

The princess knew that Discord was aware of the summit, and so she saw right past his little act. “It’s not just some trip, and you know that.”

Discord’s face went blank in boredom and he disappeared from the page, appearing on top of Twilight, balancing himself on her horn. “You’re no fun when you’re serious, you know that?”

“You can come along if you really want to,” Twilight said begrudgingly. “But this is a VERY important gathering of leaders, so no goofing off, okay?”

Discord bowed his head, his arms held out in courtesy. “Your wish is my command, princess.”

“You want me to make a runic potion?” Starlight asked the three fillies, surprised that they even knew there was such thing as one.

“Ancient runic potion to be exact.” Sweetie tacked on, all three of them with big smiles on their faces.

Starlight looked down at them, suspicious of their intentions. “And just what do the three of you plan on doing with such a powerful potion?”

“We’re making a welcome home gift basket for Zecora when she comes back!” Apple Bloom said, trying to play on the unicorn’s sympathy.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo added, seeing what Apple Bloom was getting on. “And we know just how much she loves potions.”

“For Zecora, huh?” Starlight asked, remembering how much the three fillies loved being around the mysterious zebra. “Alright, well, for her I guess I can make you one.”

Whirling her horn in a circle, a trail of magic stayed put in the air until the circle was complete. Starlight then lowered her horn to the ground and concentrated on the required spells. This was a very advanced spell combination; one wrong move would ruin the potion completely. Using her magic separately to grab a bottle out from her saddlebag, the unicorn lifted her head, a glowing point on the ground where her horn was touching. Casting a sealing spell over the circle in the air, she lowered it to the ground and an array of runes appeared instantaneously, all glowing a ghostly blue color.

Placing the bottle at the center of the glowing circle, Starlight broke the sealing spell and the runes all converged on it, filling the glass bottle with a mixture that was the same, creepy blue color as the markings. Corking the potion, Starlight picked it up, wiping away some sweat on her forehead.

“Whew….still got it.” She said, complimenting herself. Turning back to the three fillies, who found the spells to be quite the light show, Starlight gave them one last look of caution. “Now, you three know that I’m trusting you with a very powerful potion, right? And you’re going to give it to Zecora when she comes back, not use it?”

“Eeyup!” Apple Bloom replied anxiously, her eyes locked onto the potion like her two friends.

“Alright then….” Starlight hesitated, offering it out to them.

“Hey Starlight!” Starfall called from a few dozen yards away. “Everypony is on their way to the station, the train leaves in ten minutes!”

Apple Bloom snatched the potion from Starlight and the three, young fillies took off towards Sweet Apple Acres. Starlight hesitated again, hoping she didn’t just make a huge mistake.

Turning to Starfall, she said, “Alright! I’m coming!”

Having borrowed one of the big, iron bowls from the Apple family kitchen, the Cutie Mark Crusaders all stood around it, having their ingredients ready. The clubhouse door was locked and the window shutters were down; the three were now in the correct environment to cast the spell.

“Alright, are y’all ready?” Apple Bloom asked, receiving confident nods from both her companions.

All three tossed their items into the bowl. Apple Bloom grabbed the runic potion and Scootaloo grabbed the bottle of dragon’s breath as Sweetie stood ready to use her magic. They nodded at once and poured the two final ingredients in. As soon as they did, Sweetie used her magic to begin mixing the bowl.

The storm cloud dissipated into the runic potion in seconds, and the night rose disintegrated soon after. The dragon’s breath turned the potion from blue to green, and the platinum ore began to glow. After another few moments, the ore melded into the mixture and it turned a metallic silver color for a split second, returning to the bright green. A slight breeze in the clubhouse began spiraling about the bowl, lifting the manes and tails of the three fillies as it grew stronger. By instruction, Sweetie stopped using her magic, the potion now churning itself.

“Umm….Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked, a little scared. “Is this supposed to be happening?”

Apple Bloom read ahead on the potion book to see what they had to do. “Now we wait until the potion turns blue again!” she raised her voice, the sound of the wind in the room growing louder. “Then all we have to do is say her name!”

“Are you sure this is going to work!?” Sweetie asked with one eye shut in the harsh wind.

The potion flickered blue, but reverted back to green. All three fillies watched carefully and waited for the right moment. It flickered again, this time more than once. The powerful wind only grew stronger as the sound of the vortex was all the ponies could hear.

The potion flashed so bright that the entire room went blue, the mixture glowing a sapphire blue color that was breathtaking. All three fillies spoke at once.

“ZECORA!!!”

The blue glow enveloped the entire tree-house and a flash of light shattered the windows open and blasted the door from off its hinges. The bright glow remained for a few moments or so, but when it dimmed down and the lighting in the clubhouse returned to normal….the three little ponies were gone.

“All aboard!” the conductor yelled.

A strange light had flashed outside of Ponyville a few moments ago, but the ponies disregarded it as they were on a tight schedule. Starfall and Starlight walked up onto the platform just as everypony boarded the train. Twilight was more than relieved to see them.

“Oh, good.” She said, letting out her deep breath. “I was afraid you two wouldn’t make it.”

“Sorry about that,” Starlight replied, a little out of breath from running full gallop all the way to the station. “Got side-tracked and kinda lost track of the time.”

Starfall walked to the door. “After you, ladies.”

Both Twilight and Starlight gave him a smile and boarded the train. He followed, being the last one on. The conductor hopped on and closed the door behind him. With a plume of smoke rising high into the air and the loud whistle sounding off, the train began its journey east towards the Celestial Sea.

Author's Note

Hello everypony!
So now the five of the Mane Six know about the crystals, even though they don't know who they were from.
The CMC gathered all of those ingredients and used them to create some kind of old, powerful potion-spell in the attempt to find Zecora....but what happened to them?
With the train carrying them off to the east, our ponies will soon arrive at the Grand Summit. What will become of all this? Will the truth behind the attacks be discovered? Or will this conflict overwhelm our heroes?
Come back next week to find out!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 7

Horseshoe Bay may have been cleared of its snow by the local pegasi weather patrol, but the cold breath of winter remained. Hundreds of tents dotted the coast and up into the parading grounds, where the negotiations were to be held. There was scarcely an open space anywhere, nearly every inch of the bay was inhabited in some way.

Twilight felt great pressure in her head, for she had expected there to be a lot, but this was waaaay more than what she anticipated. There had to have been at least three-hundred griffons, most of them armored, and there must have been a miscommunication with Ember, because there were hundreds of dragons.

Starfall felt an immediate discomfort in having told Twilight otherwise. “Twilight, I swear to you I didn’t know anything about all this….”

“No, no, it’s alright Starfall.” She replied, trying her best to calm both him and herself. “I suppose we had to expect some kind of surprise like this.”

“Land sakes….look at all that….” Applejack said quietly, the others lining the platform alongside her.

The area was split into zones; each nation was only allowed to set up their camps within their own zone, with the central area serving as the only vacant space. There were dragons and griffons everywhere, all within shouting distance, yet none of them interacted with each other in any way. Just by looking into the moving crowds, everypony could tell there was a tension in the air, one that weighed heavily on all of them.

“I think we should go find Ember.” Spike suggested.

“No way!” Rainbow argued. “We should go find Gilda first.”

“Perhaps we should avoid the griffons for now, Rainbow.” Starlight said in return. “They think us ponies attacked their king. I agree with Spike, we should talk to the dragons first.”

A dragon nearby brushed past a griffon and was shoved backwards because of it. The two butted heads and others of their kind joined in on the conflict, starting what looked like the initiation of a fight. A bright light halted the quarreling dragons and griffons, who looked to see Princess Celestia with her wings spread out wide.

“That is enough.” She said calmly. “All of you return to your zones; we did not organize this summit for it to become a brawl.” The group of instigators split apart and they returned to their areas, going about their business. Celestia then flew over to the ponies on the platform.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, a hoof raised in concern. “Why are there so many more griffons and dragons here than expected?”

“I’m afraid they are here as insurance. Both King Gale and former Dragon Lord Torch brought them for fear of another nation attacking them during the summit.” Celestia replied with a grim face. “Luna and I have been trying our best to keep these fights from escalating, but it is proving most difficult.”

“Are Cadence and Shining Armor here yet?” Twilight asked.

Celestia shook her head. “They have yet to arrive, but we and the Crystal Empire share adjacent zones, so they will be joining you shortly.” Looking around at the rest of them, the princess continued. “Our zone is to the north-west, please make yourselves at home in the cabin constructed for you there. It is getting late, be sure to get plenty of rest. The negotiations begin tomorrow at noon, please take care, all of you.”

Without another word, or a chance for somepony to reply, Celestia took off back into the sky. She, Luna, and a detachment of royal guards patrolled the grounds to stop any conflicts that they could find.

“Alright,” Twilight said, turning to her friends. “All of you head to the cabin and get comfortable, we may be here for a while. Spike, Starfall, you two come with me; we’re going to see Ember.”

“Can’t we come with you, Twilight?” Rarity asked, worried about them.

Twilight shook her head, but smiled. “No, we’ll be fine, and we’ll make our way to the cabin as soon as we can.”

“Okay, just be careful, alright?” Starlight said to them.

This time, Spike nodded. “Oh don’t worry, we will.”

The group of friends separated in opposite directions; Twilight, Spike, and Starfall headed south-east as the other seven went north-west.

Discord emerged from the train and placed his claw and paw on his back, stretching it out and hearing a few cracks in the process. Glancing around, he spotted Fluttershy walking beside Shadow and immediately followed.

The dragon zone had only been inhabited for about a day, and it was already a mess. Fire-bitten grounds and blackened rocks dotted the surface as well as a few gemstones here and there. The dragons themselves wrestled about and breathed fire up in the air, a lot of them acting no different than usual, despite being at such an important event.

Spike managed to grab a few of the gems as they went, making for good snacks along the way. He sat up on Starfall’s back, the pegasus’ armor proving to be of little problem since the plates made for a smooth surface.

Twilight lead the trio, heading towards the small hill where she could see a makeshift house of stone, made specifically for a dragon and their constant fiery breath. She was relieved that Ember allowed for so few bigger dragons to come to the summit. She could only see three of four of them, one of them being the Dragon Lord’s father, Torch. Although the smaller dragons tended to be more rowdy and stubborn, the larger ones had a massive intimidation factor about them, even though they were mostly all calm and independent.

The princess and her companions were ignored for the most part as they traversed the dragon’s zone, reaching the stone house with nearly no attention on them whatsoever.

Scorch stood in wait for them, assuming that they would come as soon as they arrived. “Princess.” She said in her bold voice, nodding as she did.

“Hello again, Scorch.” Twilight replied.

The silver dragon ignored the friendly greeting and pulled open the door, the two ponies entering as she followed and closed it behind her. Ember seemed to have been waiting for them; she rose up and walked over as soon as they entered.

“Good, you’re here, we have to hurry!” The dragon managed in a single breath.

“Huh?” Spike answered first, scratching his head in confusion.

Twilight was with Spike. “Hurry for what? What’s happening?”

“My father is preparing to attack the griffon’s zone!” Ember said frantically. “I tried talking him down, but he’s not listening to me!”

“He’s gonna what!?” Spike gasped.

“Come on, quick!” Ember replied, running outside as the three others followed her.

Torch had a crowd of dragons gathered around him. The three other big dragons didn’t seem to care for the situation, and were off sleeping elsewhere. With his head brought down low, the former Dragon Lord worked to get the others fired up against the griffons.

“We can crush these pests here and now!” Torch billowed, even though he tried his best to speak softly as to not alert the enemy. “I’ll get my claws on that King Gale and end their invasion of our lands once and for all!”

A lot of the dragons cheered as they were pumped up to begin the fight. Ember, Twilight, Spike, and Starfall arrived just as Torch began winning over most of the crowd.

“Father!” Ember shouted, earning the giant dragon’s gaze. “As Dragon Lord, I once again command you to stop this now!”

Torch didn’t look very amused by his daughter’s defiance. “I told you to stay out of this Ember; the ponies have given us the perfect opportunity to destroy the Griffon Kingdom! If we take down their king, their entire nation will crumble!”

“Please!” Twilight chimed in. “We didn’t organize these negotiations to just have more fighting! We can resolve this together, there doesn’t need to be any more violence!”

Seeing Twilight’s wings and horn stopped Torch from doing anything drastic. He leaned his head down towards the princess and said, “These attacks can’t be fixed by talking little princess. I don’t know how true these claims are of dragons raiding Equestria, but I’ve seen the invading griffons with my own eyes! So I am ending this, now.”

“Torch.” Celestia called out, making the dragon perk up. The white alicorn flew over the crowd and landed beside Twilight, followed by Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor.

“Celestia?” Torch replied in a strange way.

Celestia bowed her head slightly. “It has been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Torch nodded. “Indeed it has.”

Twilight looked up at her mentor in a questioning way. Had they met before? Everything about their interaction shouted out familiarity. Luna, however, didn’t seem the same way, and just stood back as her older sister handled this.

“Surely you know that talking won’t resolve this.” Torch tried repeating as he had to Twilight.

“If it holds the chance to avoid this conflict, than we must try.” Celestia replied.

Torch grimaced. “You expect me to trust the word of those griffons?”

“No….” Celestia said shaking her head. “But I would ask that you trust me.”

The air was still and silent for a few moments afterwards, everyone eager to hear what the massive dragon had to say in reply to the ruler of Equestria. Twilight was still very much in awe of the respect Celestia was receiving from the former Dragon Lord; it was almost as if the two had known each other for years, if not decades, but that couldn’t be right.

“Very well.” Torch answered her. “If you can prove that their king didn’t order the invasion, then I suppose there won’t need to be any more fighting.”

Celestia nodded her head in respect. “Thank you, I appreciate your understanding.”

The crowd of dragons were a little disappointed in not being able to attack the griffons, but they weren’t going to question Torch’s methods. They dispersed as the giant dragon lied down, willing to hear what the ponies had to say.

“So, what’s this plan of yours anyway?” Ember asked them.

“We had hoped this would go easier than expected.” Luna answered her. “Each nation refuses to have orchestrated the attacks, and so it is simple to assume someone else has done this in the hopes of beginning a war between ponies, griffons, and dragons alike.”

“That’s still quite the accusation.” Torch said in reply. “What proof have you to this theory?”

“We don’t.” Celestia continued. “And so we must press for investigations into the attacks; if we have time to look into how and why they happened, we may be able to discover who is truly behind this.”

A dangerous thought had been lingering in Twilight’s mind ever since this conflict had begun. Something that was too much of a coincidence to push aside as impossible. Why would Stormclaw the dragon have disappeared so suddenly and then be followed up with these attacks which all happened at the same time? It didn’t explain how he was able to pull it off, but the thought remained there, plaguing her ability to perceive the situation. She didn’t want to bring it up, not yet. Not until she could possibly figure more of it out.

“And you believe the griffons will agree to that?” Ember asked, skeptical of the idea.

“We must try.” Cadence answered her. “A war between the three of us would be devastating.”

Torch nodded in agreement. “Perhaps that could work. The dragons will support this claim of yours, little ponies. With luck, these air-head griffons will see things our way.”

Seeing as the conversation looked to be over, Twilight walked over to Celestia, wanting to ask her a few questions. Before she could, Celestia said, “You should all retire to the pony zone and get some good rest. Luna and I must speak to Torch and Ember in private.”

The pony cabin set up in their zone wasn’t anything fancy, but it was still impressive to have been built in such a short amount of time. The wooden walls had to have had some kind of insulation, since the winter cold was shut out in the presence of heat from the fireplace. The living area had a counter top and lounge for the break periods in between negotiations. The second floor hosted ten beds, which was the exact amount they needed. Fluttershy had offered Discord to stay with them, but he refused, choosing to room elsewhere during the summit.

Upon Twilight, Spike, and Starfall’s return, they found the ponies had already made themselves at home. Rainbow, Pinkie, and Starlight sat playing a card game as Rarity fussed over what to wear the following day to Fluttershy. Applejack had taken the initiative of preparing their dinner meal as Shadow did what he could to help her.

Tomorrow it would begin, and they were already itching to fight one another. All of this aggression against each other would only prove to make this even more of an uphill battle. No pony knew how this would all end, but as they gathered together at the table, they knew that they had each other to make this right.

The sun rose to its highest point in the sky, the weather patrol having once again cleared it of clouds. Silence conquered the lands, one of promise and anticipation. The time had come for the leaders to meet, and set everything right.

Advancing from the south-east zone came the dragons. Ember and Torch were at its lead, their eyes narrow and jaws shut tight. Garble and Scorch walked behind the Dragon Lord, and the remainder of the dragons followed like a hoard behind them. Although some were armored, many didn’t feel the need to be; if a fight were to break out, the nations all knew who were the strongest of them after all. They had the numbers and the power, so many walked the path leading to the central zone with cocky grins and chuckles on their breath.

From the south-west zone came the changelings. Thorax walked at the lead, followed closely by his elite guards, clad in strong, plated armor. The rest of the changelings advanced as a more organized group, but even so were little more than a crowd of seventy. Even though the changelings had not been involved in the attacks, Thorax was quick to want to help the princesses, and so were his subjects.

Coming down from the north-east zone were the griffons. King Gale was a large griffon; the feathers on his head and neck were black with silver ones here and there. The rest of his body had brown fur, except for a few more silver areas on his back and stomach. The griffons behind him marched forward in lines, much like an army. Nearly all of them were heavily armored, with only a few unarmored ones at the front with the king, including Gilda.

The ponies of Equestria and the Crystal Empire came in from the north and north-west zones. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Twilight were at the lead. Delegates from every major city walked behind them, along with Twilight’s friends. From behind them marched the 250 royal guards from Canterlot and another 100 from the Crystal Empire, in perfect formation.

The five forces stopped at the edge of the central zone, which was little more than the size of Ponyville Square. The leaders and their personal guards all stepped forward and into the zone, only having to walk for a few dozen seconds before they met.

Sharp eyes and expressions bit away at one another, a sour tension in the air. Torch stood back with the other dragons, but was easily able to lean down and over the distance. The elite guards protecting the leaders watched the others’ carefully, ready to act without a moment’s pause. Although it only remained quiet for a second or two, the silence felt like it had lasted an hour.

“King Gale, Dragon Lord Ember, and King Thorax,” Celestia said, bowing her head. “Thank you all for agreeing to meet with us.”

Ember and Thorax bowed their heads in return, but Gale remained still, his yellow eyes cast upon the alicorn princess with distrust. “Before these negotiations are made, know that I saw the unicorn attack with my own eyes, and there is no denying it.”

“And I saw the griffon invasion with my own eyes,” Torch growled. “You will not deny it either.”

Gale would be lying if he didn’t feel intimidated by the massive dragon looking down upon him, but fear didn’t stop him. “If a force of griffons invaded your lands, I had no part in it!”

Garble snorted smoke into the air. “Lie one more time and I’ll rip your wings off!”

King Gale’s guards reacted, moving forward to defend him. The dragons outside of the central zone reacted as well, wanting desperately to rush in. This wasn’t helping the situation in the slightest.

“Enough.” Celestia said, razing the tension while she still could. “We did not call for you to trade insults, we are all here to come to a compromise. The griffons deny their invasion of the Dragon Lands, the dragons deny their raids into Equestria, and we ponies deny sending a unicorn to attack Griffonstone.”

“What are you saying, pony?” King Gale snapped.

Celestia raised her hoof to all of the leaders around her. “None of us ordered the attacks; someone else must have organized these strikes to turn us on each other.”

“Lies!” one of the other lead griffons shouted. Immediately, the griffon and pony delegates erupted in argument with one another, making for a noisy crowd. “What reason could someone else have to turn us on ourselves!?”

“You griffons are guilty!”

“No one trust a pony!”

“This is a waste of time!”

The quarreling delegates went back and forth, arguing while not listening to their opposition. This continued for a minute or so, the leaders shaking their heads or looking away in embarrassment.

Torch’s destructive fire breath into the sky silenced the crowd. “If you refuse to handle this the pony’s way, then we dragons will end it our way! Enough of this childish squabbling and speak to one another like true rulers!”

A new wave of arguing followed the insult and the day only seemed to continue in this way, no progress being made in the discovery of why these attacks occurred. Twilight and her friends were left without a voice in the matter as both the dragons and the griffons immediately butted heads and refused to back down. Threats followed insults and their results looped around, starting all over again.

Politics….

The nations parted ways for the day, needing a chance to simmer down as the sun began to set. This was bad, very bad. If today was anything like what was to come, the future didn’t look bright for Equestria and the lands beyond.

Thorax came to the princesses in their zone, hoping to strategize a way to better the following day. Celestia and Luna spoke with the Changeling King as Shining Armor and Cadence visited Twilight and her friends in their cabin.

“I felt so useless out there today…” Twilight confided in her brother. “How are we supposed to solve this if no one will agree on anything?”

Cadence held her daughter, Flurry Heart, on her back as she spoke with Twilight’s friends on the other side of the lounge. Shining Armor looked away from his wife, trying his best to think of an answer for his little sister. “We’ll just have to try harder to stand out tomorrow. Once they start to listen, everything should fall right in line.”

“But how?” Twilight repeated, her ears flattening as she tried thinking through all of her options. “Focusing on the problem of the attacks only leads the dragons and griffons to threats. Trying to change to topic to a solution for the problem leads to an endless chain of arguments from the delegates. No matter what Celestia and Luna tried, they wouldn’t listen!”

Shadow came from down the steps, but before he said a word, he stopped to notice the little baby alicorn on Cadence’s back.

Fluttershy noticed his hesitation and said, “Hey Shadow, come and meet Flurry Heart.”

Simply looking into the eyes of the young alicorn filled Shadow with a strange feeling. It wasn’t the cold, but it wasn’t the warmth either…..it was something else, something different. As he approached her, the feeling only grew stronger.

Flurry rose up in the air and flew over to him, and he stopped with his hoof halfway up, as if afraid he was going to scare her. The little filly seemed drawn to Shadow and circled around him.

The princess was hesitant to let her daughter approach the shadow pony, but her fears were rested once she saw how much Flurry liked him.

Still feeling the strangeness, Shadow did his best to ignore it, smiling as he saw how adorable the baby alicorn was acting. But when Flurry moved forward and hugged Shadow, his eyes flashed bright red and a shock ran all throughout his body. He flinched through impulse and stepped away from her. Flurry lowered herself to the floor, her head tilted in confusion. Thankfully, no pony else had noticed his eyes before they returned to normal. They did, however, see his reaction and turned to him.

“What’s wrong Shadow?” Rainbow asked, everypony now looking at him.

He shook his head for a moment, saying, “N-nothing….just got a chill all of a sudden. I…I’m gonna go check on Starfall and Spike. Be back in a bit.” Shadow was quick to retreat back out into the cold, leaving everypony else puzzled.

Twilight looked out the window and watched as Shadow galloped off to the south-east.

“Just who does he think he is calling us out like that!?” Ember shouted, absolutely enraged that the entire day was wasted to pointless arguing. She turned and punched the stone wall, which cracked underneath her claw. After she did, she winced and stepped backwards, both of her claws moving down to cover her stomach.

“Be careful Ember!” Spike said cautiously, trying to calm her. “Remember that you still haven’t fully healed yet, you need to take it easy.”

Ember hated feeling so fragile, and it only fed her anger. “I know, I know!” she replied in a sharp voice, her head lowering as she knew the little dragon was just trying to help. “I’m sorry….that King Gale just makes me so angry!”

Starfall stood aside quietly, giving the two some space. Fortunately, the entire time the leaders were arguing, nothing ever got out of hoof. The guards were all stationary throughout the heated talk and turned out to be un-needed, at least for the time being. Ember had plenty of reason to be angry, but Starfall could see how much restraint she had to not lash out while facing the stubborn griffon king.

Looking around for a moment, Ember said, “Garble? Where are you?” The lack of a reply told Ember exactly where he was. “Training again? Typical Garble. Can you two go check on him? After everything that’s happened today, I’d say he needs some calming down too.”

Starfall and Spike looked at one another. Spike turned back to Ember. “Umm….is that the best idea? I still don’t think he likes us very much.”

Ember chuckled to herself. “I think you’d be surprised.” She gestured to a door in the house. “Go on, he’s taken a liking to the cellar.”

Spike was hesitant, but Starfall nudged him from behind, getting him to start walking. Reaching the door, he opened it. Sounds echoed from out the darkened stairwell, a glow at the bottom telling them it was dimly lit.

Starfall lifted Spike up onto his back and began descending down the steps. This stone house must have been here since before the summit, the design and structure was too well-made to have been done in a week’s time. The stones on the walls were smooth and cold, just like the steps themselves, it made for a dark atmosphere that tugged at the little dragon’s fears. The sounds only grew louder as they reached the bottom, they were consistent, yet sporadic and random.

Garble stood facing a solid metal mannequin of a dragon. The torchlight around him made his shadow move about wildly, even though he mostly stood still. The red dragon slammed his claws into the steel figure, the metal bending beneath the weight of each strike. His attacks were savage, but accurate and smooth. Each swing damaged the mannequin to a degree that was simply horrifying to watch. Speeding up his strikes, Garble’s eyes narrowed, the sudden image of Stormclaw appearing in his mind. His jaw tightened as his fangs glinted in the flickering light, the attacks losing any rhythm and becoming almost feral. Reeling back, Garble lunged forward with a full force claw strike that severed the mannequin from the floor and sent it flying into the wall, the stone cracking and the room shaking slightly.

The red dragon breathed heavily, the image still haunting his vision. His claws trembled, wanting another target to channel all of this rage. He just stood there and closed his eyes, his chest still heaving as his arms and claws ached.

Starfall was seldom impressed when it came to training. Had he seen this side of Garble when they fought the first time, he would have been far more careful. Everything about him screamed determination and drive. He knew the feeling.

“Garble?” Spike asked, ending the silence.

His head turned only slightly, returning to its forward position almost immediately afterwards. “Not bad, huh?” he boasted, circling his arm as he turned around completely. “I’ve been at this for months now, finally starting to pay off.”

Spike saw that the red dragon’s claws were trembling. “Doesn’t doing that really hurt?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Garble scoffed. “So what do you two want anyway?”

“Ember wanted us to help calm you down after everything that’s happened today.” Starfall replied. “We understand how frustrating it must feel.”

Garble shook his head, a blank expression on his face at hearing the reason. “She’s been hanging with you ponies so long that she’s starting to become soft. I could care less about those dumb griffons and their pitiful whining.”

Spike tilted his head, having just seen what he could only imagine was a lot of stored anger being released on a metal mannequin. “So then….why are you so mad?”

Garble straightened up and looked down at the baby dragon with his usual, beaming with pride expression on his face. “I’m not mad, just psyching myself up for when I get to thrash that black dragon to pieces.”

Knowing that Ember had named Garble her personal guard, Starfall now had a growing respect for him. “Want some pointers?”

The red dragon chuckled, his old bravado still very much present. “What makes you think I even need the help of some pony?”

Starfall smirked in return. “Because that same pony beat you down pretty hard last time you fought him.” The comment earned the pegasus a glare from the dragon. “You’ve got the brute force, but I know you’ve seen Stormclaw fight before, and so you know that using pure power won’t work on him. Why don’t I show you a few moves? And if you still think it’s a waste of your time, we’ll leave.”

Garble’s glare remained, but his toothy frown turned into a grin.

So the first day didn’t go very well, it could have ended up a lot worse. As night draped the bay in darkness, the five nations rested within their zones, preparing for the bombardment of day two. Having dealt with their initial reaction, the princesses hoped that perhaps now the summit would be taken more seriously and not be treated like a standoff.

Shadow had gone and returned with Starfall and Spike, the royal guard wanting to protect the little dragon for his travels to the dragon zone. Now that they were all in their beds, the shadow pony rested peacefully, the looming stress having gone after Cadence and Shining Armor returned to their own zone.

Fluttershy opened her eyes, peering around at everypony as they slept soundly. She sat up and looked over at Shadow, wanting to be sure he was alright after seeing his strange behavior before. Fluttershy was tired, but couldn’t sleep. Reaching down to her saddlebag, she picked up her crystal, given to her by the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The pink hue of the stone helped to calm her nerves somehow, as if simply looking into it soothed her. It was such a strange thing, making her feel so much better without meaning much of anything. She had never really cared for an object like it before, gems were always Rarity’s specialty, and never really appealed to the animal-loving pegasus in such a way.

She tilted her head as she felt the smooth surface of the diamond-shaped crystal. Scooting back to the headboard of her bed, Fluttershy leaned against it, her wings tucked in nice and comfy.

“Psssst!” a voice suddenly rang in Fluttershy’s ear, making her jump in fright for a moment. “Psssst! Fluttershy!” Overcoming the initial jump scare, Fluttershy looked up to see Pinkie peeking down at her from on top of the headboard. “You awake?” she continued, her eyes wide and in question.

Fluttershy looked straight ahead for a moment, pausing to consider the implications behind the question and why it had to be asked. “Pretty sure.” She replied.

“Oh, good!” Pinkie flipped over and down onto the bed, bouncing Fluttershy up a few inches to bring her back down on her back, letting out a small ‘eeeep!’. “I can’t sleep, wanna play a game?”

Sitting herself back up gently, Fluttershy let out a sigh. “No Pinkie, I don’t want to play a game, I’m very tired.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “Then why are you still awake?”

“I’m just….” Fluttershy began, her sentence trailing off as she thought about it, not wanting her friend to worry about her. “I just wanted to look at my crystal that the CMCs gave me.”

With a quiet gasp, Pinkie replied, “Me too!” She reached up into her mane and pulled out the blue crystal. “It just makes me feel sooo happy to look into it!”

“Really?” the pegasus asked. “Mine makes me feel happy too.”

Pinkie let out a small whinny of excitement. “Ooooh! Ooooh! Can I see it!?”

Fluttershy and Pinkie swapped crystals and looked at them. They were nice and all, but didn’t hold a candle up to their own ones. Finally seeing another so close up made them wonder about something though.

“Pinkie? Do you think Twilight got one?” she asked.

The pink mare looked up, scratching her chin as an inquisitive expression dominated her face. “Don’t know, we’ve never brought it up with her before.” Swapping back to their own crystals again, the two sat looking at them in silence for a few moments. “You scared for tomorrow too?”

Fluttershy only nodded, the two of them looking into their crystals and hoping for the conflict to end peacefully.

The early morning felt colder than ever as the central zone became surrounded once again. The leaders stepped forward as the remainder of their forces watched them closely.

“Are we ready to resume negotiations?” Celestia asked, looking to each of them.

Not even giving the others the chance to respond, King Gale said, “Before these talks continue, I have something to say.”

“Surprise, surprise.” Rainbow mumbled under her breath.

Gale looked at the delegates around him, who all nodded, before he faced forward again. “Now that we have had time to carefully examine the nature of these attacks, we believe we may have an answer as to why all of this has happened.”

The negativity towards the griffon dwindled as everyone’s interest returned. Twilight had hoped that, in the time they had to themselves, the rulers would all take a look into the attacks and see something that she missed, perhaps that hope was going to pay off.

Gale glanced over at the pony princesses. “We found no reason or motive as to why the princesses would order an attack on Griffonstone. Being that they have a history for good tactics, their attempt on my life wouldn’t make any sense.” Celestia and Luna both let out a sigh of relief at hearing this. The griffon king then turned to the dragons. “The same goes for these claims of our attacks against the Dragon Lands; if I had wanted to conquer your homeland, I would have sent my entire army south while you were not expecting it, not a small advance force to give you a warning as to my intentions.” Torch thought about his logic for a moment and nodded, feeling like it made sense. Ember stood with her arms crossed, wondering where this was all leading. “And at the same time, why would the Dragon Lord order raids into Equestria when she and the newest princess of Equestria recently became allies? It is all disconnected and makes no sense.”

Many of the pony delegates, even the ones from the attacked areas, saw the reason in the king’s statement. There were still those, however, that were skeptical about why the griffon was pointing this all out right now if he didn’t have another reason.

“So then what is your explanation for these attacks?” Ember asked.

“It is really quite simple when we finally narrow it down. Who stands to gain from the three of our nations attacking one another and could possibly pull it off themselves?” King Gale replied. “Not the ponies, nor the dragons or us griffons…..the changelings are the ones behind it all!”

Thorax was taken aback by the accusation, as were Twilight, the other princesses, and her friends. The changelings behind their king showed varying emotion; some were angry, and some were confused, but most of them just stood in shock it.

Discord had just hovered over the central zone on a cloud, lounging about as he watched the tension in the five nations return.

“W-what…!?” Thorax answered, shaking his head. “We would never do anything like that!”

“So those tales we heard about Princess Cadence’s wedding were lies?” Gale growled. “Or the more recent abduction of all the pony princesses? Your kind has always used misdirection and deception to tear at the world!”

Twilight was the first of the princesses to speak up. “Thorax is our friend, all of the changelings are! They’ve changed, just look at them! Can’t you tell!?”

King Gale ignored the princess’ claim and turned to his forces. “They used their magic to become like us and pit our kingdoms against each other! That way when all the fighting was over, they could sweep in and conquer the whole world!”

There was a very mixed reception of this theory amidst the leaders and in the surrounding zones. As the idea was given time, it began to sway the crowd into alienating the changelings. Torch, when thinking about it in this way, came to miraculously agree with the griffon king, but kept it to himself for the time. Ember, however, saw through this smokescreen; the griffons were only trying to push the focus away from them to place it on the changelings.

Before the Dragon Lord could say a word, Shadow broken through the line of princesses and caught the attention of the leaders. “No! Thorax and the changelings are different now than they were before!” he said, standing up for them. “I haven’t had long to get to know them, but they are kind and gentle, and would never do anything like that!”

Among the ponies shocked by Shadow’s outburst, Celestia stood speechless. Knowing him better now, it amazed her how far he had come since their first meeting. Such a small, afraid little shadow pony became one of the bravest and loyal friends she had ever seen.

King Gale was not deterred at hearing his defense, however. “You are the shadow pony living in Ponyville now? I have heard a lot about you.” The king snapped. “Can any of your so-called ‘friends’ tell me where you came from? Why you came to Equestria in the first place?”

Shadow was paralyzed with fear at hearing the question. What was he saying? Did he know something about the past that the others didn’t? Was this going to be how he discovered who he really is?

“No?” King Gale continued, having expected no response from the ponies. “That’s because you’re a spy from the changelings! Sent to keep us off their trail!”

Shadow was both relieved and belittled at the same time. This griffon thought he was a spy? Sent by Thorax to do….what?

Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack all emerged from the pony line of leaders at the same time, only they were halted when Fluttershy galloped out first, her saddlebag falling to the ground as she tossed it off.

“How dare you accuse Shadow of being a spy!?” she yelled. “Why I outta-!”

Pinkie and AJ reached her before she could advance on the griffon king, stopping her as the king’s elite guards quickly in between the ponies and their ruler.

“You deny it!” Gale yelled back. “You must be a changeling spy as well!”

Ember had now heard enough of this.

“You warmongering whelp!” she shouted, breathing a blast of her fire breath towards him. Three of the elite guards turned and cloaked themselves and Gale under their armored wings, staving off the fiery blast.

The griffons all surged forward in anger as the dragons did the same. Garble pulled Ember back behind him as the griffon elites all faced her and looked like they were about to attack. The border between the dragon and griffon zones immediately erupted into conflict, with hundreds of them shouting and roaring across the zone line.

Discord watched in disbelief from above as he realized the truth. There would be no negotiating so long as the nations were at each other’s throats. The summit was going to fail.

Twilight ran forward, followed immediately by Starfall. She flew up into the sky and used her magic to create a blinding flash of light over the land. Everyone shielded themselves from the magic as the confrontation was nullified.

Celestia took this opportunity to use her Royal Canterlot Voice and speak out as everyone was halted. “Today’s negotiations are over! All of you return to your zones! Now!”

The bright light and sudden cancellation of the heated conflict helped make the dragons and griffons back down and away from one another. Twilight kept up the spell until she knew that the nations were separated, letting it down easy as her chest heaved in exhaustion.

“Quick thinkin’ Twilight!” AJ said, waving up to her as she descended to the ground.

Catching her breath, Twilight asked Celestia, “How long do we need to wait now?”

The white alicorn shook her head. “I do not know, perhaps we should allow them the rest of the day to calm themselves; it did work yesterday.”

Fluttershy had rushed to Shadow and hugged him as soon as she was released by her friends. “Are you alright Shadow!?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He replied, having felt a tremendous stress lift up and off of him.

“Come on, let’s go back to the cabin.” She said boldly, persuading him to trot along with her.

“Fluttershy, wait!” Twilight said, stopping the pegasus, but not convincing her to turn around. “What happened back there? Are you alright?”

Spinning around on her hooves, Fluttershy’s face contorted in anger. “Of course not! They just accused Shadow of being evil! And no pony did anything to try and stop them!”

“Fluttershy, darling, we were-” Rarity began to say.

“No!” Fluttershy shouted. “I am sick and tired of everyone saying Shadow is bad! He’s a great, honest, and noble friend!”

In having tossed her saddlebag, Fluttershy’s pink crystal had rolled out and onto the ground. As her frustration peaked and voice yelled, the crystal began to glow faintly.

“After everything he’s been through, Shadow deserves better from all of us!” Fluttershy cried, her emotions running wild in her voice.

Pinkie rushed forward, wanting to calm her friend, but her crystal also fell out onto the ground. Reaching the pegasus, she tried soothing her. “Fluttershy, it’s gonna be alright.” She said gently. “We all know that Shadow is good, we’re all his friends.”

Something snapped inside of Fluttershy, and it made everything become about Shadow and her longing to protect him. Suddenly, all she could think about was that one night in the castle. “No you’re not!” she shouted in her friend’s face. “You threw that party and scared him! You didn’t care about his feelings! You don’t care about anything but your dumb, loud parties!”

Pinkie shied away from her angry friend as the words cut deep. Behind her, the blue crystal began to glow. Both hers and Fluttershy’s began to become surrounded by rising grains of earth. Unfortunately, everypony was too caught up in what was happening to notice.

“If you are going to be so insensitive to his feelings….THEN JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!” Fluttershy yelled.

Everypony was left in complete shock as silence dominated the area, drawing the worried eyes of numerous bystanders around them. Twilight lifted her hoof to her mouth in terror, finding all of this to be unbelievable.

Cowering down underneath the darkened glare of the suddenly bold pegasus, Pinkie felt her entire body quiver and tremble. Her eyes became watery as she tried voicing a word, but was unable to do so. A tear rolled down her face and fell down to the ground.

All in a few moments, Fluttershy heard everything she had just said. Blinking once, she saw the tears on Pinkie’s face and felt all the world slow to a halt. She gasped, backing away from her saddened friend as she choked on the air, unable to breathe. Pinkie stayed down on the ground, crying as she covered her head with her hooves. All of the guilt and anguish hit Fluttershy at once and she fled from the site, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Discord watched her go and followed, no longer interested in watching the shadow pony.

The crystals on the ground shimmered in their own colors and simultaneously began maintaining a small, bright flow of light inside them. The colors moved about and pulsed much like a breath of wind.

Just as they did, Shadow felt the darkness take hold of him again. That same, high-pitch sound conquered his hearing as the ground swayed beneath him. Others noticed and ran to him as quickly as they could, but he hit the ground before they could reach him.

…..again?

Shadow was now becoming accustomed to this feeling of having his senses blurred. Like it had happened before, the darkness around him began to brighten and take form, the sound diminishing as his senses began to return.

It was bright, the sun shining down and giving the area a beautiful day. A figure beside him took form and moved forward, his head turning to it as he thought he could hear a muffled voice. It took a few moments, but everything soon came clear as before.

“What’s wrong Erebus?” Sketch the changeling asked.

Shadow felt his head shake as he turned his gaze back to the group in front of him. Gelder, Silver, and a few others stood around Bliss; it looked like they were congratulating her.

They seemed older now, just about full-grown. Bliss was still a bit smaller than everyone else, but she beamed with happiness as the group sang her a birthday song. Shadow couldn’t hear it very well, and could tell that he wasn’t singing. He felt angry for some reason, but he couldn’t figure out why. Seeing the celebration for their friend should have made his past-self happy, right?

Gelder was the first to take out his present. Shadow guessed they didn’t wrap gifts back then, because no one had bothered to do so. The black dragon sat a pair of goggles in front of the little pegasus and she whinnied in excitement.

“Oh thank you Gelder!” she said, hugging him. “It’s just the one I wanted!”

Gelder chuckled and hugged her back. “You’ve only been talking about them nonstop since we saw it in the market last month.”

Sketch seemed to push aside his worry for Erebus and placed his own gift, a rainbow-colored scarf, down on the table for Bliss. Silver patted the birthday girl on the head and sat a tiara down on the table. “Cute gift for the cute pony!” he teased.

“Hey! Don't call me cute!” she barked in retaliation.

They all shared a laugh that Shadow noticed made him shake and look downward, his eyes closing tight. Why was he so angry? What was going on? He didn’t have to wonder for long.

“Erebus, what did you get for Bliss?” Gelder asked.

Head rising back up, Shadow felt his eyes flash open. “Haven’t I already given her enough? A scarf, tiara and pair of goggles, ooooh, how fascinating!” he replied sarcastically. Shadow felt almost as shocked as everyone around him looked. “I gave her my rare stone! I’d say she owes me, not the other way around!” he then mumbled under his breath, “Spoiled brat.”

Bliss may be older now, but hearing something like this from one of her friends immediately made her tear up, her hooves covering her head as she cried.

“Erebus!” Sketch shouted at him.

Silver went to comfort Bliss, but the sad pegasus jumped off her seat and galloped away as quickly as she could. Shadow felt his gaze follow her as she ran, so he didn’t see it coming. He was leveled to the ground by a powerful strike to his head. Vision now more blurry than it already was, he rolled over to see Gelder standing over him.

“You are pathetic.” The dragon growled down at him. He then looked up at his other friends. “Come on guys, let’s go try and cheer her up.”

Shadow could feel the ground vibrate as the crowd chased after their hurt friend, leaving him there alone. How could anyone be that selfish and cruel? How could this possibly be him? He wasn’t anything like that now. The sky darkened, rainclouds passing over and bringing with them their showers of water. Feeling himself rise up onto his hooves, Shadow wished he could be there to push the mean pony back down onto the ground. Served him right, treating his friend that way, on her birthday no less!

There was something different though, he could tell by the way his head followed the direction in which Bliss had run. His body trembled and he fell down again, punching at the ground with his hooves as tears rolled down his face.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Shadow was now confused, was he angry at himself? “Bliss, I….” he said softly, the thunder in the distance foreshadowing his voice. “I…..” he struggled to speak, his words choking on the damp, storm air.

At first, Shadow had thought he was starting to understand these memories, but now he felt like he knew nothing.

“I have to find her….” Shadow felt himself say. “I have to apologize to her.” He felt his body rise as the rain drenched his fur.

The moment he began galloping in the direction that they had run, a bizarre sensation flooded Shadow’s senses. In a matter of seconds, everything became blurred out again to the point of not sensing a thing. He was returned to the void from which he started, rather than returning to his own body.

This time, his senses came back even slower than before. And this time….it was very dark. Even without his senses there to tell him, he could instantly feel the emotional pressure of something powerful built up inside.

It wasn’t raining, but it was cloudy. The sky was gray and loomed overhead like a bad omen. It was the first he recognized, his eyes cast up upon the clouds. Even though his hearing returned, there was no sound. He felt cold, much like the chills he had felt before, only this time it was deep in his core. Curiosity began to set in as his gaze continued to stay up and watched the sky.

Shadow was lost in the moment, where was he? What was happening? Why was there this lingering sadness in the air?

Feeling something touch his shoulder, Shadow expected his past-self to turn and look, but he didn’t bother; something told Shadow this was going to feel much different.

“I’m so sorry Erebus.” Shadow could tell it was Gelder, having remembered the sound of his voice. “I can’t imagine what you must be feeling right now, but just know you don’t have to go through it alone.”

Alright, red flag, red flag, what was going on? The black dragon just went from punching him to feeling sincerely sorry for him, something had to be very wrong. Finally, Shadow’s eyes lowered, seeing the truth before him.

Two gravestones marked the ground, one was marked with a swirling galaxy symbol at the top, and the other with a dim, eight-pointed star. On the gravestones were these two messages:

Lux Aeterna
Loving wife, mother, and friend. May her soul comfort her children in the next life to come.

Magna Umbra
Proud husband, father, and friend. May his spirit protect his children in the next life to come.

Shadow had felt floods of emotion before; they had come in waves of happiness and fear, and in other ways that he had overcome. This moment put them all to shame.

Mother….? Father? No….no, it couldn’t be….it couldn’t! There was no memory of them, and yet there they were; their resting places lying before him, tormenting him. He could feel their love, even in death, but there was nothing to remember them by. All the memories he was set to experience and not one of them could be of his parents!?

Despite the heartbreaking moment, Shadow couldn’t feel a single tear roll down his face; his past-self just stood there, looking at the graves with no emotion in his eyes.

“Erebus?” Gelder asked.

“Leave me alone.” He felt himself say quietly.

The dragon wanted to persist, knowing that the pony would be better by being with a friend. “Come on Erebus, let’s just go. The others are worried-”

“Go.” The voice interrupted him, his eyes still remaining cast upon the grim markers in the ground. Gelder remained for a few moments, making Shadow feel his body tremble. “I SAID LEAVE!!!” Slowly backing away from his grieving friend, Gelder turned and left him to be alone.

He stayed in this moment for what felt like an eternity. After everything he had been through, Shadow had never felt this broken before. They were his parents….and he didn’t even know what they looked like. Why was he seeing these things? Why was he being subjected to this pain? Why did all of this have to happen to him?

In that moment, he had no home….he had no friends….and now, he had no family.

“Erebus.” Spoke an angelic voice. Shadow could feel his body quiver even more than it has been. Feeling the presence of someone behind him, Shadow felt the sadness somewhat lift away. Whoever it was, they leaned forward and hugged him. “I’m here Erebus.”

Who was that? It didn’t sound like anyone from his memories so far, and yet, the voice was all too familiar to him; as if he heard it every day and could never see who it was.

“It’s alright brother….” The voice spoke softly. “Although we can’t see them, they will always be with us.”

Brother…..? Wait! Was that…!? Was that his….!?

Shadow felt the tears start falling down his face. “I miss them….” He said quietly.

“I know.” She replied, still holding onto him tight. “I do too.”

The darkness pulled at Shadow, but this time, he tried resisting it as much as he could. He had to see her, he had to know what she looked like! Say her name! What was her name!? He could feel his senses begin to slip away as his gaze slowly turned. Blurred out, Shadow could see the outline of a pony, only to have his vision end in light.

Shadow jolted up into a sitting position, his heart pounding as he momentarily didn’t know where he was.

“Shadow! Shadow, it’s alright!” Twilight said quickly, pressing her hoof against his chest. Shadow looked at her and then faced forward again, his jaw clenching as frustration clawed at his mind.

“What happened?” he asked.

Not quite knowing how to answer, the princess shook her head. “I don’t know. After Fluttershy ran off, you just collapsed.”

Shadow’s focus went from his memory, to his closest friend. “Fluttershy…? Where is she?”

“She’s with Cadence and Shining Armor,” Twilight said happily. “She just needs some time alone after what happened.”

“You’ve been out for an hour.” Rainbow added. “Kinda looked like you just fainted.”

Shadow sat up a bit to see all of his friends around him, with the exception of Fluttershy. Pinkie stood with her head lowered, a defeated frown on her face. He wanted to get up and try to comfort her, but Twilight’s hoof kept him down on the bed.

“Give yourself some time, Shadow.” She said, wanting him to be careful. “You really scared us, we just don’t want you to accidentally get hurt.”

Leaning his head back onto his pillow, Shadow closed his eyes. He could still see the gravestones….and could still hear her voice. Before today, he had never wanted to see another memory. Now he wished for the next one to come soon.

Crystal Empire tea was nice. It had a taste that was unique, and was usually quite relaxing. This time, however, the tea wasn’t going to be enough.

Fluttershy sat her tea cup down on the table, now in total silence. Cadence had given her a room to herself in order to collect her thoughts, but there was nothing that could dull this sharp pain in her heart. Pinkie Pie, one of her best friends…..cowering away from her and crying. The image was beyond haunting, it was mortifying. Where did all of that anger come from? That wasn’t who she was, why would all of her thoughts cling to dark memories like that? Pinkie was such a free spirit, always so uplifting and optimistic, she deserved so much better.

The draconequus watching her knew that something was terribly wrong. That outburst was far worse than anything he had ever seen from her before. No matter of jokes or reality-twisting magic was going to fix it, so he was going to have to talk to her about her feelings…..ughaaahag….he hated doing that.

“There’s my favorite pony.” He said softly, levitating over in front of her. “I know I’m not much to talk to, but-” He was interrupted when the pegasus lunged forward and hugged him, crying into his shoulder as she let out all of this pain. “Whew…” he whispered, letting out a breath. “That was close.”

As he held onto his weeping friend, Discord felt his priorities shift in an instant. Following Shadow, watching the summit, annoying Celestia, none of that mattered. Keeping Fluttershy safe and being there for her as a friend through all of this turmoil, that’s what he wanted. His friends meant more to him than anything. More than all the power and freedom in the world.

He just couldn’t let them know that. Even though he knew that it was a mistake, especially after what happened the last time he hid his feelings away. Despite this, he was going to set things right. Come tomorrow, enough would be enough.

The third morning of the summit began with a few fears. After experiencing what had happened on the previous day, hopes were not soaring too high. Steps had been made to try and ensure that the hostility was extinguished.

Torch and the other large dragons were asked to return to the Dragon Lands, posing as too much of an intimidation factor for the others. He was reluctant to comply, but trusted in Celestia to know how best to resolve this growing problem. All forces were banned to wear armor for the negotiations, since they portrayed aggressive intent. And finally, the princesses requested that all accusations against the changelings be dropped, having vouched for their innocence.

Despite these new terms, the tension amidst the rulers remained high. King Gale looked upon Ember and Thorax with disgust, having no respect for them. Ember shared this feeling against the griffon, except now her dragon nature had started to get out of control. Much like her red guard, she would pay heaps of treasure to watch the griffon king be forcibly removed from power.

Fluttershy peered over at Pinkie as the groups stood in silence in front of one another. The pink mare’s sad expression had not changed, and her head remained lowered with her mane drooping forward instead of being puffed out like usual.

“Any other rules you want to force before we continue?” Gale asked sarcastically.

The Dragon Lord grinded her jaw back and forth, creating sparks from the friction, her eyes blazing bright with raw anger.

“You were right when you said that someone is trying to use us,” Celestia replied, ignoring his comment. “We just need to discover who they are. Only then will this conflict be settled.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” The griffon mused. “So I would ask that the dragons and changelings return to their caves so that we, the civilized nations, can reach that solution.”

“Go home and sit on your perch you fat pigeon!” one of the dragons shouted, earning a round of laughter from the two previously offended groups.

Gale was not amused. “I will no longer negotiate with these imbecilic creatures.”

“Wow, I’m surprised he even knows what that word means.” One of the changelings called out, causing another wave of laughter from their side.

The borders of the zones suddenly transformed into translucent walls of purple, chaotic magic. The walls blocked out all sound and left the leaders trapped in the central zone. Before any of them could question what was happening, Discord appeared in between them all.

“No more mister nice draconequus.” He scoffed, snapping his claw. A kind of magic lid appeared over the walls of magic, officially trapping everyone within their zones. “Now all of you are going to sit here and talk until you come to a mutual understanding.” He warned them, using his magic to lift King Gale off the ground. “And if you so much as whisper another pointless insult, I’ll pluck out all of your feathers and use them to make me a new comfy bed! Understand?”

The griffon nodded wildly. Discord then looked around at the other rulers and nodded, releasing the griffon and backing up to the edge of the zone, snapping his claw. The walls disappeared and the draconequus crossed his arms, watching the leaders with squinted eyes.

“Thank you Discord.” Celestia said to him. The alicorn and draconequus both lifted their closest arms to one another and hoof-bumped without looking. “Now Twilight, please explain your theory.”

Twilight nodded, stepping forward. “I believe Stormclaw is behind all of this.”

The dragons were the only group that had a serious reaction, with Ember acting most surprised of all of them. The griffons, however, had no idea what she was talking about.

“Who is this Stormclaw you speak of?” King Gale asked her.

Ember crossed her arms, responding for the princess. “Stormclaw is a dragon that was banished from our lands for attempting to organize a rebellion against my father.”

“He is the one responsible for the theft of all our lands’ most powerful artifacts.” Twilight continued. “He disappeared a few months ago, but we have reason to believe that he somehow organized these attacks in an attempt to weaken us.”

Gale looked skeptical of this claim. “How do we know if this Stormclaw even exists?”

“He does.” Gilda answered him, making the king turn to her. “He was the one that stranded me in the Abysmal Abyss and left me to die. I saw him take the Idol of Boreas, they are telling the truth.”

King Gale grimaced at hearing this from one of his own. “Alright then, what reason would he have to weakening us in the first place?”

“That is what we’re unsure of.” Twilight replied. “But if we could just stop fighting each other, perhaps we can work together to find out why he’s doing this.”

As the leaders continued their analysis of the prime suspect, Fluttershy took this time to do something very important. Walking behind the line of her friends, she tapped Pinkie on the shoulder, earning a depressed look from the mare.

“Pinkie, I….” she started, already close to tearing up. “I want to apologize to you….for what I said yesterday….” Taking in a sharp breath, she continued. “It was a cruel….and terrible thing to say, and I wish I could take it back.” Pinkie managed a small smile as her friend began falling apart. “Please know that I will always appreciate who you are and all of the meaning you’ve put in my life….I, I hope that we…..I hope that….”

Pinkie stopped the emotional pegasus by giving her a warm, heart-felt hug. “I forgive you Fluttershy. I know you didn’t mean it; you are the greatest friend a pony could ask for…..and you were proving it to everypony by standing up for Shadow.” Separating momentarily, she asked. “Best friends forever?”

Fluttershy gave a very emotional smile in return. “Best friends forever.” They hugged again and their friends all smiled as they watched the happy reunion.

King Gale nodded. “I suppose we can accept that as the prevailing theory then.”

“Finally!” Rainbow blurted out.

“So how then do we proceed?” the griffon asked.

Celestia could recall many moments of being proud of her star pupil, and this would undoubtedly become another. She smiled down at Twilight as the young alicorn handled the entire back end of the negotiations herself. Celestia then looked over at Discord, who seemed to be loosening up again, already beginning to lose interest in the conversation of peace.

Upon looking at the draconequus more carefully, Celestia, through her alicorn magic, recognized a darkness lingering inside of him. The moment she saw it, a flash of purple and green in her peripheral vision caused her to quickly turn towards it; barely catching glimpse of some kind of magic in the air. Turning back to the draconequus, Celestia made a move towards him.

“Discord-!” she began to shout.

Suddenly feeling an excruciating amount of pain, Discord became frozen in place, his magic being used against himself. Celestia tried to free him, but was rebounded from him by dark magic.

Simultaneously, several of the dragons and griffons’ eyes became glowing green with red pupils. They sprinted out from their lines, the griffons attacking Ember and the dragons attacking Gale. Garble moved quickly to hack aside the first griffon as Scorch pulled Ember back. The griffon elites converged on the dragon attackers, stopping them from reaching the king.

Witnessing the attacks of their leaders, both the dragon and griffon armies charged from their positions straight towards one another, beginning a massive brawl, the entire summit having become destabilized from the sudden attacks.

Twilight tried using her magic to stop the fighting, but it was useless; there were hundreds of combatants. “There are too many of them!”

The ponies hesitated to join the fray, not wanting to come in between a battle of dragons and griffons. The changelings didn’t have the numbers to make a difference, and by the looks of things, the brawl was only getting worse.

Starlight teleported in front of the princesses. “I think I know how we can stop them! Let’s duplicate Discord’s spell! All of us, together!”

All of the alicorns nodded and formed a circle along with Starlight and Shining Armor. Kneeling their heads towards one another, their horns touched at the center and they focused on the spell. A massive discharge of magic sparked through the air as the amount of sheer power they pooled together duplicated the draconequus’ spell.

Specific to each zone, and separating the combatants in entirety, the purple walls of chaotic magic erupted up once again, this time only separating the dragons from the griffons. The wall held fast as the brawlers all backed away from it.

King Gale saw Ember through the wall and pointed at her. “This isn’t over! The dragons are the ones responsible for this conflict, and we griffons will see to it that you are all eliminated!”

Ember snarled and barred her fangs at the griffon king. “You want a fight!? We’ll show you a fight!” She turned to her hoard of followers, shouting, “Dragons! Hear me! We return to the Dragon Lands and prepare for war!” The dragons all roared and cheered, taking off to the south-east.

King Gale turned to his griffons, shouting, “Return to Griffonstone with all haste! We are going to war!” The griffons replied similarly to the dragons and all took flight to the north-east.

Ember looked back at the ponies as she flew away, seeing Spike standing alone and looking up at her. She had a look of shame in her eyes, but her draconic pride changed it into fury once again, facing forward to join her warriors in their return home.

Gilda and Gabby stayed, refusing to fly with Gale after hearing what he had said. They ran over to join the ponies as the sad sight unfolded before their very eyes; the griffons and dragons were going home to prepare for war.

The moment the two forces took flight, Discord was released from the magical hold over his body, flopping to the ground in exhaustion. The powerful ponies that had cast the spell separated and the magical wall disappeared. All of them except Celestia galloped over to Discord to help him up. The changelings and ponies watched helplessly as the aggressors flew out of sight, knowing that there was nothing they could do to stop them.

Celestia, unlike everypony else, turned in the direction in which she saw the dark magic emerge. A small trail of it disappeared as it moved away from the parade grounds. Spreading her wings, she took off after the trail of magic.

Now far away from the others, and away from the coast, Celestia lost the trail when she came across a collection of ruins. It was strange to see a set of ruined buildings so close to the bay, Celestia figured they must have been from the older settlement ponies abandoned centuries ago. Looking up and around, the princess scanned the dreary site, seeing nothing.

She didn’t quite know what it was that she saw, but it had somehow taken a hold of Discord. Not only that, she saw the eyes of the dragons and griffons that attacked, they were being influenced by dark magic….but she only ever knew one pony powerful enough to cast such a spell.

Eyes in the shadows watched the white alicorn as she stood alone in the damp, cold ruins. Watching with a level of intensity, they moved about in the darkness, keeping out of her sight. There was a silence in the air, the princess sighed, believing she had lost the pursuit in its entirety. Curious now more than ever, the dark entity lowered itself to the ground a few yards behind her. Swirling about, it waited for a few moments, reveling in the moment.

“You always were brave, were you not, dear princess?” it spoke, making the alicorn pause. “It is good to see that some things never change.”

Celestia’s gaze fell, her body slowly turning to see the entity behind her. “Sombra.”

The eyes in the shadowy cloud closed, the veil of darkness lifting away ever so slightly. Now revealed, King Sombra stood tall, half-covered in the black haze about him. His physical form looked no different than it once was; the crown, cape, and armor exactly as Celestia remembered them.

“Long have I dreamt of this moment, my dear Celestia.” He said with a calmness in his voice. “To finally breathe in your beauty once again.” Celestia looked upon the unicorn king with an unsteady gaze, being at a loss for words. Sombra raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her reaction. “Has it been so long that you have forgotten about me?”

She shook her head slowly. “I could never forget….” She replied, struggling to keep her voice from breaking under the weight of the king’s eyes.

Sombra smirked. “How touching; to know that you truly do have feelings somewhere in that cold heart of yours.”

“You don’t understand-” she began to say.

“Be silent.” Sombra said sharply, cutting her off. “For so long I dreamed of the chance to meet you again, to feel the adrenaline, the rush of having you beg me for forgiveness.” He approached her, his hoof steps creating ripples in the shadows around him. He came within a breath’s distance of her, his eyes narrowing as they channeled his anger. “To repay you for all the pain that you caused me.”

“Sombra, please…” she responded, stopping herself as his eyes flared up, the ethereal trail of purple magic out their sides growing more intense.

“But soft now, dear princess,” he began, looking down at his raised hoof. “You know just how much I have changed, of my powers I am truly proud.” His eyes returned to her, the anger manifesting through his lyrics. He turned, walking a few steps away from her, the darkness still encompassing most of his body. “Be still now, dear princess, you know exactly why I’ve come,” the aura around him expanded, cloaking the ruins in dim darkness. “Your reign should end beneath my magic’s shroud.”

Celestia didn’t bother looking around her at the unicorn’s shadowy spell. She watched him with pained eyes and a diminished expression.

Sombra raised his hooves, his back still turned to her. “Then tell me, dear princess! Why I see you standing there?” his eyes squinted, as if in confusion. “Why your glowing eyes still scorch my soul?” His eyes closed tightly. “This power, it’s blinding! The light caught in your radiant mane, is burning in me out of all control!”

The ruined chamber suddenly became surrounded by a vortex of dark magic, flickering about like a wall of embers.

“Like fire! Dark fire! This flare within my chest!” Sombra felt the bright image of the princess flashing in his mind. “This blazing desire must truly be my test….”

Celestia shook her head. “No, it isn’t what you thought!”

“It’s all your fault!” Sombra shouted, turning to her with hatred in his eyes. “You are to blame! You are the wicked one, the curse who lit this flame!”

“It’s not a curse, Sombra!” Celestia pleaded to him.

Sombra yelled in anger, turning away from her again. “It’s all your fault! Can you not tell...?”

Celestia felt the vortex around her create a vacuum of air, all converging in on the unicorn, the darkness swirling about him as it flickered pitch black. Flashes of green and purple enveloped his body.

“Your light condemned to the darkest depths of HELL!!!” Sombra roared, the dark magic rising up past him, lifting the shadowy veil covering his body and revealing his entire physical form. The magic rose up and cast the entire chamber into a tempest of shadows. “Curse you, dear princess! My hour of vengeance approaches now! Your vile lies left me a heart of stone!”

Wounded by his words, Celestia couldn’t bear to listen to them for much longer. She felt herself slowly collapse down to the ground.

Facing her again, the unicorn’s mane, tail, and cape flowed in the raging winds around them. “Choose now, dear princess! To a tyrant king your subjects shall bow!” He lowered his head to her, his eyes now completely encased in the dark magic from his spell. “Unless you become mine and mine alone!”

Suddenly the winds ceased, and the magic faded from around them. Celestia stopped quivering long enough to see the expectancy in his eyes.

“Even now, after everything you have done, I am giving you the chance to choose.” He spoke with bitterness in each word. “When the time is right, you shall either watch the enslavement of your precious ponies, or finally agree to become my queen, leaving them forever.”

Celestia felt the ultimatum crushing down upon her. There was no compassion in his gaze, only absolution, the cold reality of the truth bearing down with it.

“Choose wisely, dear Celestia.” He whispered, backing away from her as the shadows returned to him, all of the dark magic building up around him. “Black fire, dark fire! Now princess it’s your turn!” The ruins darkened once more, creating a swirling portal behind him. “Choose me or their pyre! Be mine or they shall burn!”

One final pulse of darkness engulfed the chamber, making Celestia shield herself. The morning sun filled the chamber with light once again. The princess lowered her wings to find the ruins to be empty, the unicorn having vanished along with all of his dark magic.

King Sombra had returned, the summit had failed, and the war between the griffons and the dragons was about to begin.

Author's Note

Whew! That was one long, roller-coaster of a chapter!
Hey there everypony!
So a lot has happened here at Horseshoe Bay. We finally got a glimpse of King Gale, only to have the summit end in catastrophe by the wicked tyrant king himself. His song, by the way, was my interpretation of "Hellfire" from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in pony form (helps to imagine the music in the background for anypony who knows it). I hope it wasn't too much....still not too great at songs it seems, huh?
Shadow experienced two of his memories in succession. Is anypony else now more curious than ever about him? What happened to Discord that rendered him powerless?
And finally, the dragons and the griffons have left the bay declaring war on each other.
How will our pony heroes rise above this overwhelming chain of events? Will they discover the truth now that they have a war to worry about? See you next week!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 8

Apple Bloom opened her eyes suddenly and sat up in a flash, the blue light from the potion having impaired her vision as her eyes adjusted to the world around her. She was lying down in a field of grass with a gentle breeze cooling her sweat-covered forehead. The sky was filled with clouds, and so it was impossible to tell what time of the day it was.

“Sweetie Belle?” she asked aloud, still sitting in the grass. “Scootaloo?” Between waking up in some unknown place and her friends not responding to her, the little earth pony deduced that something had gone wrong. “Where y’all at?”

Trees dotted the field, but everything beyond it was blotted out by a thick fog. Apple Bloom stood up onto her hooves and looked around, searching for her friends.

“Scootaloo!?” A voice called out from the fog. “Apple Bloom!?”

“Sweetie Belle! Over here!” she replied back, galloping towards the source of the calls.

Just as she reached the edge of the fog, Sweetie came barreling through, plowing into the earth pony and sending them down onto the ground.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.” The unicorn said, standing and helping her friend up.

“Girls?” another voice called out. “Girls, where did you go?”

“Scootaloo!” both of the other crusaders shouted back. After a few moments, the pegasus filly came running through the fog only a few yards away. All three came together, the ominous atmosphere tugging at their fears.

“Where are we?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, what happened Apple Bloom?” Sweetie added.

“Ah…ah don’t know….” She answered, looking around at the creepy setting. “The book said it was a teleportation spell!”

Sweetie thought about it for a moment, and it didn’t take long for the truth to click. “It was a teleportation spell, but it didn’t make Zecora come to us…..”

Scootaloo caught on. “It must’ve brought us to Zecora!”

All three fillies gasped as they looked up and around, having no idea where they were. If that really was the case, they could be half-way across Equestria, or even worse, they could not be in Equestria at all!

Apple Bloom dawned a confused expression. “But ah don’t get it….if it works the other way around, then where is Zecora?”

Sweetie spotted something behind them that made her freeze. “I think I might have an answer to that one, Apple Bloom….”

The two other ponies turned and saw a big cavern opening about a hundred yards away. The entrance was on a mountainside, only the mountain was covered in the fog as well, making it impossible to tell what it looked like. It was as if this area was one big dome of air surrounded by a magic haze, and that cavern was the only real, visible feature in the field except for a few trees.

“Aaaalright then,” Scootaloo said, sounding uneasy. “That’s not creepy or anything.”

Apple Bloom starting trotting towards it. Sweetie galloped ahead and stopped her friend with an outstretched arm. “What do you think you’re doing Apple Bloom!?”

The earth pony pushed down her friend’s arm. “Zecora has to be in that there cave.”

“You don’t know what else could be in there!” Sweetie added, hopping in front of her to halt her advance.

Apple Bloom was afraid, but fear wasn’t going to be enough to stop her now. “After everythin’ we went through to find her, ah am not gonna turn tail and run just because of some spooky cave!”

Spurred on by her fellow crusader’s bravery, Scootaloo hopped up and beside her. “I’m with you Apple Bloom! Let’s go find Zecora!”

Sweetie turned and looked at the cavern one more time, returning to her determined friends. “Okay, okay….let’s do it.”

Apple Bloom lifted up her hoof, which was joined by her friends’. “Cutie Mark Crusader Rescue Team! Go!” Lifting their hooves up in the air, the crusaders took off towards the solitary cavern.

As they approached it, the three got a better sense of how big it was. The top of the entrance had to at least be fifty feet off the ground, but strangely enough, the entrance gradually shrank in size the further it went in, becoming barely big enough for the three to walk in side-by-side. Slowly entering the near pitch-dark tunnel, the fillies stayed close together, being sure to remain very quiet. As it soon became pitch black, Sweetie used a small light spell with her horn.

The tunnel turned left and right, ducking down and rising again for quite a while. When finally the tunnel opened to a larger chamber, it empty with only a small waterfall and a mini-pond.

Looking up and around, Scootaloo sighed. “Dead end.”

“It can’t be….” Apple Bloom said to herself. “She has to be here!”

Sweetie inspected the chamber more closely, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “Maybe there’s some kind of hidden passage or something?”

The thought intrigued Scootaloo, who had gotten hooked on Daring Do books by Rainbow Dash for a while now. She joined the unicorn in searching the chamber, pausing when she walked up to the pond. “Maybe it’s under the water?” she suggested.

Apple Bloom walked up to it, all three now looking into the small pond. Sweetie used her magic to create a bigger light, better illuminating the cave for them. The water was crystal clear, but they still couldn’t see anything; the rock surface on the bottom blending everything together.

Dunking her head down into the water, Apple Bloom tried seeing what she could. A small flicker caught her eyes, but it was too weak to focus on. Pulling her head back up, she shook it real quick and turned to Sweetie. “Put your light out.”

Sweetie stopped her light spell and the chamber returned to darkness, only this time, the three could see a light down in the water, making the underwater passage plainly visible.

“It IS underwater!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “Sweet!”

“Give me a second to check it out.” Apple Bloom said, diving down in the water.

She swam down towards the light, reaching the passage in only a few seconds. But when she looked down the underwater corridor, she saw that it was very long. Looking around at the walls for another few moments, she returned to the surface where her friends awaited her, Sweetie having made a dim light for the earth pony to follow back up.

Pulling herself up and out, she shook the water off again. “It sure looks like the way, but it’s a long trip. Ah don’t know if we could make it on just one breath.”

Scootaloo looked to Sweetie. “You wouldn’t happen to know any air-bubble spells, would you?”

Sweetie shook her head. “Sorry, I’m still pretty new with using my magic.”

Apple Bloom raised her hoof to her chin, thinking about how they could get through, when she almost slipped on her other hoof. Looking down at the cavern floor, there was a small groove in the floor. “Hey Sweetie Belle, use your brighter spell again.” When the unicorn listened and cast the spell, the groove turned out to form a semi-circle on the floor. “Take a look at this y’all.”

All three sets of eyes inspected the strangely placed groove, noticing how scratched up and wet it looked. It was even with the rest of the floor, but it looked much more worn out and smoothed, as if moving water had begun eroding it. Apple Bloom stepped down on it with her hoof, but nothing happened. She walked over top of it and jumped up and down, feeling something, but still having no real reaction.

“Come on girls, ah think we’re onto somethin’.” The earth pony told them.

The other two fillies crowded onto it with her and they started jumping up and down randomly. The stone sank a little, but always rose back up. They tried at this for a minute or so, but ultimately nothing happened.

Apple Bloom then got an idea. “Hold up a sec.” she said, the three of them stopping. “All at once, ready?” The two others nodded. “One….two….three!”

Jumping up in unison, when they landed on the stone, it sank down a couple feet, descending into the floor. The fillies jumped up and out before it sank too low, turning to watch what happened. Its slow descent told them it was a mechanism of some kind that needed some initial pressure to be activated. As it lowered further, it created a whirlpool for the water in the pond, emptying out into it. The declining angle of the rock bottom made the water level gradually decrease, the secret passage being revealed. All of the water eventually found its way through, the small waterfall now only emptying into the hole.

“That was pretty cool!” Scootaloo said, looking down into the hole created by the mechanism.

Sweetie Belle spotted an angled surface leading down into where the pond was, descending into it safely. “This way girls, let’s see where it leads.”

Moving onward triumphantly, the crusaders delved into the hidden passage that was once submerged underwater. Its walls were smooth, made so by the constant flooding, and Apple Bloom was right; there was no way they could’ve traveled this far on one breath. The tunnel began to ascend to the point where it was a vertical passage, another chamber up just out of reach.

It was too wide to climb up with their backs together, and too tall to just pile up and reach. Sweetie tried using her magic to lift them up, but it proved too difficult. The light in the chamber above tormented the three, being so close.

Scootaloo looked back down the passage they had entered and pondered about something as the other two crusaders tried thinking of a way to get up into the next room.

“Think we can just climb it?” Apple Bloom asked.

“The walls are too smooth,” Sweetie replied. “There’s nothing to hold onto.” The unicorn perked up. “You think the two of us could toss Scoots up there while she jumps?”

Apple Bloom didn’t look too convinced. “Ah don’t know…”

“Hey,” Scootaloo said to them, grabbing their attention. “What if we re-flooded the passage? Wouldn’t the rising water just lift us up there?”

“Scootaloo, you’re a genius!” Sweetie exclaimed.

“Hehehe….” The pegasus scoffed. “I know, I know.”

Galloping back down the passage to the previous room, the three climbed back up the stone to the mechanism. It looked like there was a tunnel at the bottom where the water was drained out, pretty smart design. There was no clear indication on how to bring the pillar of stone back up.

Apple Bloom then examined the floor around the hole; one small area of the stone had risen a few inches, now lying just above the rest of the floor. This time, it only took Apple Bloom stepping onto it.

The cavern floor rumbled for a moment, and then a loud cranking noise began. The three looked back down the hole, seeing the stone pillar rising up again. At the same time, the small hole where the waterfall was flowing out from slide wider, making more water pour out into the chamber. “Quick, back down the hidden passage!” Sweetie called to them.

The crusaders barreled back down the tunnel, the water level quickly rising as it passed them, beginning to re-flood their path. Just as their hooves where lifted from the stone floor, they reached the opening, letting the water rise and bring them up with it. When they reached the top, the curve of the vertical passage stopped the water from rising any further.

Unlike the previous chamber, this one was completely lit on fire. The floor, walls, and even the ceiling was aflame, it was actually quite spectacular to look at. A metal door on a small platform of stone lied at the end of the chamber.

“Oh come on!” Sweetie shouted. “How in Equestria are we supposed to cross that!?”

“Wait…” Scootaloo said, confused. “How come these fires aren’t creating smoke?” She swiped her hoof through the water, sending some onto the floor. It momentarily doused the flames, revealing a matrix of strange plant vines underneath. They re-lit in seconds, obviously being highly flammable.

“Ah know what that is!” Apple Bloom said, splashing the vines again to get another look at them. “That there is ash-vine, Zecora taught me about it; it’s a plant that lights on fire easily but doesn’t burn. And since it can’t burn, it don’t make no smoke.”

Scootaloo looked up and around. “Sooo, the whole room is covered in it?”

“Ah guess so.” Apple Bloom replied.

“How do we get through it?” Sweetie asked.

The earth pony examined the flaming room, trying to figure out how to proceed. Just splashing water on it wouldn’t work, it re-lights too quickly. Remembering her lessons from Zecora, she pieced together a flaw in this room’s design. “Sweetie Belle, can you use your magic to grab hold of them vines?”

“Grab them?” the unicorn questioned her. “What good will that do?”

“Trust me, can you do it?” Apple Bloom encouraged her friend.

Sweetie looked down at the vines and closed her eyes, her horn lighting up. Her magic enveloped the vines, grabbing hold of them. The moment the vines were surrounded by her magic, they stopped burning.

“Whoa!” Scootaloo said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sweetie Belle increased her magic output, grabbing hold of the vines in a straight line to the stone platform, beads of sweat on her head. She opened her eyes, saying, “O-okay! I’ve….I’ve got it! Go!”

All three fillies followed the trail of unlit vines in between the roaring flames. It was incredibly hot, and the little ponies moved slowly, not wanting to tread too close to the flames. When they reached the platform, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo helped Sweetie up onto it so that she could remain focused. Now safe from the flames, she stopped her spell, the trail disappearing in seconds.

“How did you know that would work?” Sweetie asked the earth pony.

Apple Bloom smiled. “Zecora taught me that the vines respond to magic; if a spell is used to grab them, they become fireproof.”

The fillies all smiled when they realized how much they had learned from the zebra, and how lost they would be without her help. They turned to the metal door, forgetting it was there for a moment. Approaching the steel handle, it had a five-digit combination lock on it.

“Who the hay built all of this?” Sweetie asked.

“Whoever it was, they sure wanted to keep anypony from getting in.” Scootaloo added.

Apple Bloom looked at the lock, tilting her head. “So, ah guess we just….what? Try random numbers?”

Scootaloo walked up to it. “One, two, three, four, five.” She said, trying the combination.

“Come on Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom mused. “You don’t really think that’ll-” The lock clicked open, the handle of the door turning and unlocking. The earth pony had a surprised expression conquer her face. “Huh….I’ll be darned.”

Scootaloo pushed the door open, the three walking through as Sweetie closed it behind them. Piles of gemstones and scrap metal lined the walls, somewhat organized. A small pool of water bubbled in extreme heat in the middle of the room, with several dozen torches wrapped in ash-vine lighting the chamber. To the back, a collection of hoof-drawn maps were placed together, forming a giant map of Equestria and beyond, expanding further than any of the three fillies had ever seen before.

The crusaders approached the map, seeing x’s marking different locations and certain sites labeled specifically. Canterlot, Crystal Empire, Griffonstone, Fireglow, the Everfree Forest, Horseshoe Bay….and Ponyville.

Seeing another corridor, Apple Bloom followed it, leading the three further into the cave. It opened to another chamber, where a large, steel cage sat in the center. Around it sat crates and books, most of them tempered, as if held near flames. Inside the cage, a lone zebra lied sleeping on a small mattress.

Apple Bloom gasped. “Ze-!”

Scootaloo covered her mouth suddenly and yanked her behind a crate, Sweetie following them. The echoing sound of someone in the other room made the three stay quiet. Zecora blinked her eyes open slowly, lifting her head up slightly as she looked at the chamber entrance.

With his wings folded in, his claws holding a basket of fruit and vegetables, and his scarlet eyes watching the zebra, Stormclaw the dragon entered the room. “Good afternoon Zecora.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all gasped quietly as they saw the black dragon. They couldn’t believe it, he was the one that pony-napped Zecora? Why would he? He was so nice to them before.

Stormclaw walked over to the locked entrance to the cage, stopping for a moment when he passed a few crates. He sniffed the air a few times, but then shook his head and kept walking. He opened the door to the cage and sat the basket in next to the zebra. “Comfortable?” he asked with an amused smirk.

Zecora sat up, no real expression on her face. “As well as I can be within a prison cell, but it is better than most, this I can tell.”

The dragon chuckled as he sat down, taking one of the pears and spinning it on his claw. “I still can’t get over how you rhyme every time you speak. Tried finding grapes, they’re difficult little things to track down.”

Taking a bite of one of the apples, once again pleasantly surprised by how fresh it was. She turned to him with mysticism in her eyes. “Why go through such trouble to keep me here? Ever since you’ve brought me, I’ve had nothing to fear.”

Stormclaw tilted his head for a moment, straightening up as he placed the pear back into the basket. “Only took you a few months to ask.” He turned to her, saying, “Call me what you want, but cruelty is only really necessary to a certain point. It would be a shame for your life to end having spent your last few months in poor conditions. At least this way you’ll die having not suffered.”

Zecora took in an uneasy breath, but remained calm best she could. “So the truth finally comes out I see, in the end, you really are going to end me?”

The black dragon looked off into the cave, shaking his head. “No...not I.” Zecora was confused at hearing his response, and he could see it, so he continued. “All of you ponies are so afraid of me…but fear is not what I want. I don’t want to kill any of you, and I don’t want any of you to suffer.” He took in a deep breath. “In the end….all of our deaths will come swiftly and without pain.”

The three fillies in hiding were so lost; what in Equestria was he talking about? All of this talk about death only made them more on edge, hoping that they weren’t going to witness anything tragic.

“Why do you desire to bring about your death?” Zecora asked him. “Is there nothing about this world that would be on your final breath?”

Stormclaw looked over at her, his fierce eyes holding a dim glow. “In the end, all life does is make you suffer.” His seriousness faded away and he chuckled, standing up. “There will be no avoiding this, little zebra. Your being here will just hurry it along; even if you were to get free, there is no stopping it now.” He walked out from the cage and closed the door. “I do appreciate your cooperation though; I had originally thought you were going to be a burden.”

“Even if what you say is true, what would I matter to someone like you?” she replied.

The dragon grabbed hold of one of the steel bars, gripping it tightly. His eyes glanced up at her, but then returned to the cage bar. “You seem like a fine pony, which makes this harder for me than it should be. But don’t think for a moment that it changes anything.” He let go of the metal, showing that it had bent underneath his grasp. “None of this is about what I want, it’s about what must be done.”

A sound echoing in the room made Stormclaw’s head turn instantly in its direction. The three fillies hiding behind the crate huddled together, thinking for a moment that it was something that they did. The sound came and went too fast to be analyzed, which puzzled the black dragon.

“Don’t go anywhere.” He teased the zebra, walking across the room and back into the previous chamber. Zecora sighed as she watched her captor walk out, taking another bite of her apple.

Moments after they were sure that the dragon was far enough away, the crusaders emerged from behind their hiding spot. “Zecora!” Apple Bloom said in a hushed tone.

The zebra perked up, in shock at seeing the three young ponies appear out from nowhere. “Young fillies, can this be true!?” she replied similarly, fearing for their safety from the black dragon. “Apple Bloom, my dear, is that really you!?”

The ponies galloped over to the cage door, attempting to pry it open with no luck. “We’ve come to bust you outta here!” Apple Bloom replied.

The fillies grunted and strained, pulling at the door. “Come on,” Scootaloo huffed. “Budge!”

The rusted metal buckled and bent, breaking down as the door fell. Sweetie used her magic to grab hold of it before it could make much noise, lowering it to the floor gently. They hurried inside and Zecora turned, receiving a hug from Apple Bloom as she returned it. A chain attached to her back leg kept her weighed down even though it looked like it hadn’t been on her for very long.

“Come on girls!” Apple Bloom whispered to them, grabbing at the chain. “We gotta hurry before he comes back!”

Peering into the entrance chamber, Stormclaw walked into it, sniffing at the air. The scent was all too familiar, but it couldn’t possibly be…

“Stormclaw?” Chrysalis asked, walking out from the dark. The black dragon was at a complete loss of words at seeing the changeling queen in his den.

“How did you find this place?” he asked her, head cocked to the side as he crossed his arms. “You’re supposed to be waiting for me in Canterlot.”

Chrysalis turned her head, her hair flowing back behind her. “I followed you,” she started, but hesitated. Stormclaw squinted as he noticed the nervousness in her voice. “You and I must talk….there is something wrong.”

The dragon found it hard to believe that she knew anything of consequence to him, and so he kept his cool. “Wrong? Has someone seen through your disguise?”

“No.” she replied.

“Will the summit not begin as scheduled?” he continued, tilting his head.

Chrysalis shook her head. “No, it begins at noon tomorrow as planned.” Stormclaw lifted his chin, his eyes watching her with interest. She caught onto what this look meant and shook her head again. “I….I’ve been having these strange feelings….ever since we three gathered at the hideout.” She looked confused, her eyes now cast upon the cave floor. “And….possibly even before….I can’t explain it, it just feels so….so….”

She cut herself off, looking diminished. Stormclaw couldn’t believe what he was seeing, was this real? Was she insinuating what he thought she was? Thinking he might be misinterpreting her meaning, he waited to respond.

The changeling queen looked up at him, her green eyes narrowing as he remained silent. “Is this your doing?” she questioned him. “What dark magic are you and that cursed unicorn casting upon me?”

Stormclaw couldn’t help but smirk at the accusation. Although tempted, he continued to restrain himself from acting upon his theory. “I keep no secrets from you, Chrysalis. Describe this feeling so I may better understand it, perhaps I can help you overcome whatever it is.”

She looked down at herself, the feeling flowing through her even now. It was made worse when her eyes returned to meet his gaze. “I….I can’t….” she struggled, lowering her head again. “It can’t be real….it must be a spell, or….something!” Now getting angry, she slammed her hooves down onto the rocks, but the anger died out fast, and she grew still. “It can’t be…”

There was a silence in the air for a few moments. The black dragon looked down upon the ashamed queen, who kept her head held low. The timing was perfect, and so he went for it. Slowly, he walked up to her, stopping only a whisper’s distance away. He lifted her chin gently with his claw, their eyes meeting as the sensation spiked inside of her again. Her gaze lowered from his, but returned in shock as she felt the dragon press his mouth to hers, offering the softest of kisses.

It only lasted for a moment, and then Stormclaw pulled back, keeping the queen locked in her breathless state. “The feeling is mutual.”

Chrysalis was kept in suspension for a few moments, but she then swatted away the dragon’s claw. Her eyes narrowed once again and her fangs clenched tightly in her jaws. “You imbecilic fool! To think that I, the queen of the changelings, could ever want a beast like you in such a way!?”

Having expected such a response, Stormclaw stood fast as the changeling glared daggers into him. “I care about you, Chrysalis,” He told her, attempting to calm the queen. “I’ve tried keeping it to myself, but I don’t want to….because I know you feel the same way about me.”

Chrysalis shook her head, her legs trembling slightly. “S-silence!” she shouted, backing away from him. “You mean nothing to me!”

Stormclaw moved forward, closing the gap between them. Chrysalis tried repelling him with her magic, but because of her lack of focus, the spell failed. “Please don’t back away,” he said gently. “All anyone has ever felt towards me was fear….until you. Chrysalis, you don’t have to be afraid...”

Feeling her back touch the cave wall, Chrysalis became pinned as the black dragon halted, inches away from her. Her entire body was quivering, not in fear of him, but of herself. They weren’t real, none of them were….they couldn’t be. The heat of his breath felt indescribable, almost like it fueled the fire blazing underneath her skin.

Lifting his claw up to her hair, Stormclaw felt the side of her face. “You once asked me why I was doing all of this, do you remember?”

The amount of love Chrysalis felt before her was overwhelming. How was this happening? Why was he so difficult for her to resist? Could this truly be….? All of these questions weighed down upon the queen, her mind racing to explain her feelings and prove the dragon wrong. But as Stormclaw leaned in closer to her, Chrysalis felt her heart stop.

“It was all just to be with you.” He whispered, pulling back.

Immediately, her fears were banished and her hunger gone; replaced by an all new desire, one she had never experienced before, one that drove her to finally give in.

Without a moment’s pause, Chrysalis advanced on the dragon, replying with a kiss more passionate than the one he had given her. Her hooves coiled around his neck as his claws grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against him tighter. All of time and space was gone between the two, and nothing was held back. Chrysalis felt all of it fade away, for in this moment, there was nothing she wanted more.

When finally they separated, sparks flew as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. “After we take this world, I want you there with me, ruling by my side.” The queen said quietly, licking her lips with her long tongue. “I need you there with me…”

Stormclaw just offered a sinister smile in return. “For you, my queen, anything you desire.”

“To Canterlot then?” she asked him, the two releasing each other. He nodded and Chrysalis walked past him towards the door. Knowing that he was watching, she swayed her hips and peered back at him, a sly look in her eyes.

Stormclaw stifled a chuckle, enjoying the view. He knew Zecora would be fine until he returned, their trip wouldn’t take long. And now it seemed he wouldn’t be alone too often anyways. Before walking off to join the changeling queen, he couldn’t help but dawn another evil smile.

“All too easy.”

With one final tug, the crusaders managed to pop the bolt connecting the chain to the floor. Although it still weighed her down, Zecora stood up, immediately running to the cage opening. “Come little ones, together we must go!” she whispered. “Of your presence here, that dragon must not know!”

The four ponies snuck out and towards the exit into the next chamber. Scootaloo poked her head out, scanning the area. The black dragon was gone, with no trace of him anywhere. Gesturing forward the others, they proceeded to the door.

Sweetie Belle repeated her making of a path through the flaming room, and the flooding passage was still building back up, allowing them to escape with little to no problem at all. Emerging out from the cavern entrance, the cool air was all too refreshing to their lungs, especially Zecora; who hadn’t been outside that cave in months.

“So how do we get back home?” Sweetie asked them. “It’s not like we can just make that potion again.” Zecora looked to Apple Bloom in confusion upon hearing the potion statement. The earth pony replied with an innocent chuckle and shrugging of the shoulders.

Now looking up and around, the zebra nodded several times, examining the clouds overhead. She looked to the trees, the fog, and then back up to the sky. “I know where we are, but we mustn’t remain still. Away we must go, but not yet to Ponyville.”

Apple Bloom looked up at Zecora, her head tilted. “What do ya mean?” she asked. “We need to go home, ain’t that right y’all?”

“Where in Equestria are we anyways?” Scootaloo added in.

Zecora shook her head. “We are lucky enough that I haven’t forgot, but beware little fillies, in Equestria we are not.”

The crusaders all felt sick to their stomachs; so they really did warp beyond the borders of Equestria? The potion was so powerful that it sent them to a whole new land? How were they going to get back? And why did Zecora say that Ponyville wasn’t their destination?

“To the north we must travel, and to the north your home will be,” Zecora said, walking out into the field. “Be brave young ones; for now from danger, no pony is free.”

Author's Note

Hey there everypony!
So we finally get to see what that potion did!
Our three favorite crusaders have finally found Zecora and are now on the run!
Who would've guessed such a thing could happen to Chrysalis? What does this mean for her and Stormclaw? And how will it affect our heroes?
Let's find out together!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 9

“I don’t understand…” Twilight said, her head lowered. “What happened?”

The throne room was uncomfortably quiet. Following the collapse of the summit, she and her friends were brought to Canterlot along with Cadence and Shining Armor. The delegates brought to the summit were staying in the castle under Celestia’s orders, until a certain decision would be made.

“Everything was going so well,” Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. “It looked like everyone was finally listening to each other.”

Cadence slowly shook her head, confused. “Why would the dragons and griffons attack one another? And what happened to Discord?”

The mention of the draconequus made Fluttershy cringe; he had run away the moment he was able, leaving the cause of his agony during the fighting a mystery.

“You don’t think he caused the fighting, do you?” Shining Armor asked.

Celestia, who had been sitting silently as they all discussed the situation, finally spoke. “No, it was not Discord.” Everypony turned to her, although the princess’ gaze remained lowered.

“Sister,” Luna reached out to Celestia. “When you were alone, what did you see?”

King Sombra’s threat tore at Celestia’s heart. His magic had grown stronger, and if he were to return during a war between the nations, he could very well reclaim his throne. Equestria did not have the strength to both face his magic and stop a war between Fireglow and Griffonstone. Their attentions would need to be split, and she herself only had power over one outcome.

“Something was there and tricked the nations into attacking one another, of that I am certain. That, I shall handle on my own.” Celestia said, looking to the Princess of Friendship. “Twilight, do you believe that you and your friends can find a way to end this war before it begins?”

Twilight felt the subtle urgency in her mentor’s voice. She knew she had to try, for the sake of Equestria and the lands beyond it. “Yes, I believe we can. With my friends by my side, we can overcome anything.”

Celestia nodded, managing a small smile that lasted but a few moments. “Good.”

Luna looked at her sister, seeing past the strong veil that her subjects could not. Something had to be terribly wrong for her elder sister to have the look of pure defeat hidden within her eyes. It was a look she knew very well, one she had felt long ago.

Shining Armor was first to bring up the next topic. “What do we tell the citizens of Equestria? If they were to know about a war to the east, there would be a great panic.”

“But we can’t just lie to ‘em,” Applejack pointed out. “If that there conflict spreads to our coast, there would be an even bigger panic.”

“We need to figure out what to tell the delegates,” Shining Armor said, turning to the princesses. “They won’t like it, but if you command them to keep the war a secret, I’m sure they will listen to you.”

“But Applejack is right!” Rainbow pitched in. “All of Equestria needs to be ready if we do get pulled into this war!”

“There won’t be a war!” Twilight said sharply, silencing the other ponies. “I will organize peace missions to Griffonstone and Fireglow, we will find a way to stop them from fighting.”

“Twily,” Shining continued. “We know you’ll try your best, but we need to have a plan in case the fighting can’t be avoided.”

“So….” Fluttershy said quietly. “How do we decide?”

The uncomfortable silence returned, no pony wanting to answer the question without having the solution in mind. Shadow remained quiet and still, having offered nothing for their talk. His worry over the recurring memories had been overshadowed by this monstrous threat that now had everypony on edge. He had no advice to give on the subject, and so he stood in silence long past the others.

“I need to go see somepony,” Twilight said, not able to think of an answer to the question. Before Starfall had a chance to react, she looked to him and shook her head. “I need to go alone.”

“Very well,” Celestia replied. “You should all go get some air, I shall call for you when Twilight returns.”

Everypony else walked out from the room, most of them in pairs while Celestia and Luna sat alone in the empty chamber. Luna had not looked away from her since, telling her sister, without speaking, that she needed to know.

“I love you Luna,” Celestia said without looking to her, which made the dark blue alicorn worry. “That is why you and you alone must know the truth.”

“Celestia…” Luna began to say.

“I need to know that this conversation will stay between us,” Celestia continued, finally looking at her sister. “From one sister to another.”

Luna had never seen her sister act this way, and it only deepened her fear. “Of course, sister, now what is it? What happened?”

Celestia looked upon her sister; she had grown to be such a strong alicorn. Her trials and hardships helped shape her into the mare she was, no longer tethered down by the mistakes of her past. Looking upon her, Celestia felt only love and pride.

“Celestia?” Luna asked, unable to read her sister’s gaze.

Raising her chin, Celestia said, “When I am gone, the responsibility of ruling Equestria shall fall to you, my sister.”

Starfall had been walking with Rainbow and Rarity, but separated from them to spend some time on his own. The thought of visiting a few friends came to mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t focus on anything else except the situation.

Not knowing what to do, the pegasus found himself walking around the castle grounds as he remained deep in thought. Twilight wanted to go on peace missions to the warring cities, but doing so would put her at great risk; her need for a guardian was going to be greater than ever. No doubt he would get help from the princess’ friends, but this had already begun spinning too out of control.

A war? What could be more challenging to stop? The griffons were too prideful, and this new king was only building up that ego beyond the clouds. The dragons on the over hoof loved to brawl, most of them likely looking forward to the chance at fighting the griffons.

So much in so little time, how did Twilight keep up with all of this? She and her friends constantly fought back these threats, and always managed to hold fast alongside one another, at least in the end. Words could not describe how Starfall felt to be the one chosen to guard them. Such a thing was the greatest honor he could imagine, and no matter the opposition, he would never wish anything otherwise.

All of this thinking got away from him, and he ended up near the courtyard entrance to the Canterlot Archives. Honing in on the structure, Starfall trotted towards it. If he was going to stand by Princess Twilight, he was going to do everything in his power to help her. Although he was never any good at researching, he knew that he had to give it a try.

Entering the doorway, books and scrolls filled every inch of his vision. A maze-like complex of shelves, all curved and spiraling around to the open area in the center. Histories, spells, potions, documentaries, blueprints…just about everything there could be in Equestria.

Having almost forgotten how massive the Archives were, Starfall quickly realized he was in way over his head. He wasn’t a mental giant, he knew that, but he was determined to find at least one piece of information to help Twilight in some way.

Walking in towards the center, he stopped, seeing a pegasus sitting at the table with a large stack of books beside them. Her cerulean mane and black fur with silver rings around the wings put a smile on Starfall’s face. Her eyes moved back and forth, reading the text from the book carefully.

His smile turned into a smirk and he backtracked around several other aisles, coming up behind her. She continued to read without a hint of knowledge to his presence, which was almost enough to make Starfall chuckle. Now only within a few feet, he took in a quiet breath to deepen his voice.

“This area is off-limits to civilians, miss.” He said sharply.

She was startled, but only jumped a bit, not turning around. She took in a steady breath before saying, “I already told you, Thunder Hoof, I have permission to be in here.”

Oh this was going to be too rich.

“And who, exactly, gave you permission?” Starfall asked, almost giving away the surprise as his voice nearly faltered from smiling.

With an annoyed sigh, the mare turned. “Captain Star…*gasp* Starfall!” In one motion, she stood and spun around, giving him a hug.

Starfall chuckled to himself. “Don’t tell me you’ve been here ever since I let you in, Moon Frost?”

Moon blushed a bit, shaking her head. “N-no, I’m on vacation. I was going to head to Ponyville next to visit you and Princess Twilight.”

The pegasi both sat at the table, wanting to catch up with all that’s happened with their friend. Moon started.

“How’s the job going? Has everything been alright since Shadow moved to Ponyville?” she asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Starfall grimaced. “Well, Twilight is safe, that’s what matter most.” Moon nodded as he continued. “But things haven’t been going so well recently.”

Moon tilted her head. “Did the summit not go well?”

“Wait, how did you know about the summit?” he asked her in return.

“I’m a detective, remember?” she replied confidently. “I make it my business to know important things like that.”

Starfall wasn’t surprised when he remembered that; Moon Frost deduced where Shadow had been hiding in Manehattan in a matter of seconds, surely she had enough time to figure out about a gathering of the nations’ leaders.

He shook his head. “It ended in catastrophe.” He said, knowing Moon enough to know she wouldn’t go around telling everypony.

She looked down. “I see…I can only imagine what that means is happening in the east.”

The royal guard chuckled again, shaking his head. “You know, I’d be willing to bet Princess Celestia would want to hire your services….you are really good at this.”

Blushing again, Moon swished her mane aside with her hoof. “….thank you.”

“So how about you?” Starfall asked. “How have things been in Manehattan since last time?”

“Oh, well, all just about the same.” She answered, letting out a sigh. “Been missing that excitement from before, maybe I should travel around with you and the princess more often.”

Starfall scoffed. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

The two became quiet afterwards, the both of them tapping their hooves as they tried figuring out what to say next.

“Soooo….you looking for a book?” Moon asked him.

Remembering why he had come in here, Starfall reluctantly nodded. “I wanted to find something that could help Twilight figure out how to calm the nations, but I doubt there’s a ‘How to Stop Two Nations from Going to War 101’.”

Despite the sour topic of the book mentioned, Moon managed a small laugh. “I wouldn’t know anything about that, but if you’re looking for something to try and appeal to their natures and make them listen, I’m sure we can find it.”

Starfall stood stepped aside. “After you then, detective.”

With a nervous chuckle, Moon walked past him, the two entering the aisles of books.

It proved more difficult to find her friend than Twilight had anticipated; she wasn’t at her house, Twilight’s old study, or the library. Fortunately, she remembered one other place that the unicorn could be.

Donut Joe’s was just as busy as it always was. He hadn’t changed much since the last time Twilight visited, and had that same welcoming feeling that was rare in Canterlot. Immediately upon walking in, Twilight was overjoyed to see Moon Dancer sitting at a table reading a book while eating a donut.

“Moon Dancer!” she said happily, trotting over to her.

Moon Dancer’s face lit up with a big smile. “Twilight!” The unicorn stood up from the booth and the two hugged. “Oh it’s so good to see you again!”

“May I join you?” Twilight asked.

“Of course! Here, let me move my books over.” She replied, using her magic to scoot her pile of books over while closing the one she had just been reading. The two of them sat down, Moon Dancer looked beyond excited to see Twilight. “Are you visiting long? Minuette and I are meeting up with Lyra and Bon Bon today when they arrive on the train.”

Twilight smiled and chuckled, shaking her head. “Afraid not.” A moment of seriousness was all it took to calm her. “My friends and I are having a difficult time with something important. You were the first pony I thought of who could help me decide what to do.”

“Oh?” Moon Dancer said, pushing her glasses back up with her magic. “I’ll be glad to help in any way I can, so what’s the matter?”

Since it was such a delicate subject, Twilight knew she had to go about it cautiously. “How do you decide whether or not to tell a group of ponies about something important when knowing would cause a panic, but not knowing would undermine security on the matter?”

The question puzzled Moon Dancer, and she rubbed her chin. “I suppose that comes down to circumstance; how important is this information? Could not knowing it end up with somepony getting hurt?”

Twilight could already tell where this conversation would end up. “It is possible, yes. But the panic would undoubtedly have similar results.”

Moon Dancer thought hard once again, cupping her hooves on the table. “Hmmm, that really is a difficult one to decide.”

This was a risky move, but Twilight had no other alternative with explaining it without giving it all away. “If I tell you, and you can honestly tell me it would be better to keep it a secret, would you keep that secret between us?”

“Yes.” Moon Dancer answered without hesitation. “I swear I won’t speak a word of it to anypony.”

Twilight nodded, taking in a deep breath. “The Griffon Kingdom and the Dragon Lands are preparing for war against one another.”

The unicorn reacted just as Twilight thought. Taken aback by this news, Moon Dancer covered her mouth to stop a loud gasp. “Another Eastern War!?” she said in a hushed tone. “Who started it!?”

“We don’t know for sure,” Twilight replied. “But I have a theory that neither of the nations started it and that a third party is responsible.”

Moon Dancer, like Twilight, had read all about the previous war between the griffons and the dragons, knowing full well the effects it had on Equestria. “Twilight…” she said, not seeing any moral way out of it.

Twilight could tell. “We can’t keep this from the public, can we?”

“They should know the truth.” Moon Dancer continued. “But…you’re friends with the new Dragon Lord…you’ll stop it, right?”

The purple alicorn nodded. “Yes, yes I will.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy hadn’t spoken since the apology. They weren’t spiting or ignoring one another, but because of what had happened, they felt ill at ease with themselves.

Pinkie kept hearing her friend’s harsh claims wherever she went. Usually, when other ponies said anything mean to her, she could just shrug it off and try her best to make that pony smile…but now, now everything was different. Was she really so ignorant to the feelings of others? Did her antics make matters worse for ponies in pain? Was she really laughing and smiling at others without seeing that it hurt them? All of these questions kept the pink mare silent and slow, something everypony would catch onto very quickly.

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, couldn’t believe how mean she had been to Pinkie. That outburst was worse than the time Iron Will made her more assertive, and it felt like her soul had shied away from herself in fear. Why did she act that way? Was her aggressiveness returning like some kind of bad dream? How come, in those few moments, protecting Shadow with harsh words felt like the only option? The shy pegasus had never felt more shameful in her entire life.

Applejack and Spike both looked at one another, and then back to their two crestfallen friends. “Y’all alright?” the orange mare asked. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked to her, but then lowered their heads again. “Yeah….ah get it….”

The earth pony couldn’t deny that she too felt out of sorts. Every passing day has been spent thinking about her lie to Apple Bloom. The feeling loomed overhead, sapping her spirit. So many times she wondered if it would have been better to have just told her little sister the truth.

Seeing his friends so down made Spike sad. He knew that the failure of the summit had been weighing down on them, but he couldn’t help but think this was all stemming from something else. Were Rarity and Rainbow like this too? And what about Twilight? All of this worrying was going to make him sick unless he did something about it.

“Hey, you girls wanna get a donut?” Spike asked.

A few muffled sounds and shaking of heads gave him a cold answer.

Spike crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Darn, that one usually works….um, how about some ice cream! My treat!”

Applejack sighed. “That’s mighty kind of ya Spike, but no thanks.”

The little dragon looked over at the other two. “Fluttershy? Pinkie? Ice cream?”

“I’m fine, thanks though.” Pinkie said, sounding diminished. Fluttershy just shook her head without looking Spike’s way, her sad expression not changing for a second.

Shadow came galloping around the bend behind them. “Celestia just called us back to the throne room!”

“Are you sure Twilight?” Princess Cadence asked, looking uneasy. “Maybe Shining Armor is right, perhaps it’s better if this-”

“No…” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “The ponies of Equestria need to know and be ready in case….” She stopped for a brief second, remembering to keep her hopes high. “In case the war begins and spills over into our land like it did the last time.”

“We’ll stop it,” Starfall said to her, making the princess turn to her guard. “We will.”

“Yeah, all of us will.” Rainbow added in. “Right everypony?”

Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy all managed smiles in return, nodding as they pushed past their turbulences to support Twilight. Their actions may have left them shaken, but not broken. Starlight and Spike both nodded as well, with confident expressions.

Celestia was made happy by the strength in Twilight’s friends, but her happiness dwindled as she was reminded of her own situation. “Very well,” she spoke, gaining the attentions of everypony. “We will speak with the delegates and explain how they are to handle the reaction of the public; it will be difficult, but we must make it known to our subjects that hope is still very much alive.” It was sad for her to listen to the words she spoke.

Luna looked at her sister with a growing pain. It was taking every ounce of her willpower to stop her from telling Twilight and her friends about what was to happen. She remained silent, unable to keep her eyes off of Celestia.

“All of us together should-” Celestia began to say.

The throne room door shot open and a royal guard galloped as fast as he could to reach everypony. “Princess Twilight! Urgent letter for you from Ponyville!”

Twilight turned with a look of uncertainty on her face, accepting the letter from the unicorn guard and opening it. As she read, her eyes grew wide, her mouth voicelessly wording what was on the letter.

Dropping it with a gasp, she turned to her friends, specifically, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo have gone missing!”

Simultaneously, the three ponies were joined by Shadow, saying, “WHAT!?”

Twilight turned to Celestia, her look telling the elder princess everything she wanted to say. Celestia nodded, “Go. Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor and I shall see to the delegates.”

“To the station, quickly everypony!” Rarity shouted, she, AJ and Rainbow the first to gallop out from the room, followed by everypony else.

Twilight and her friends had left immediately for Ponyville, joined by a detective from Manehattan by the name of Moon Frost. Celestia hoped for them to find the three little fillies, and then extinguish the flames of war that were rising in the east.

The delegates were briefed and commanded to keep hope alive as they told Equestria about the upcoming conflict. Soon after, Cadence and Shining Armor returned to the north, and Luna flew to her tower.

The night was dark, the moon’s light dimmed by a sky of gray clouds. The halls of the castle were silent, as they usually were. Guards posted around stood motionless and ever-watchful. This silence was all Celestia could feel.

Lying in her bed, her eyes remained open as she was unable to sleep. Luna would undoubtedly be watching her dreams that night, and so Celestia did not want her sister to see it. The fear of choosing to leave.

The choice was clear the moment Sombra spoke his offer. There was no other alternative, no way around this decision. If her being with Sombra stayed his wrath against Equestria, even for a time, she needed to take it. Twilight had enough on her plate, what with King Gale and Dragon Lord Ember at each other’s throats. Celestia had failed her friends too many times, so now she was going to set things right.

A strange feeling caught the princess’ attention, making her sit up in her bed. A quiet, subtle sound reached her ears; the silence of the castle had been disturbed….that never happened without a reason.

She stood from her bed and walked to the door, using her magic to open it and look down the hall. Again, the sound, lighter than a whisper, teased at her senses. With light hoof-steps, Celestia walked down the hall towards the noise.

Eyes peering over the railing of the stairwell, Celestia caught sight of something moving just out of sight. Spreading her wings, the princess dove down, sliding across the smooth floor, only to come upon a darkened hall. As she walked forward, she spotted the shadow of something moving at the very end, taking off after it again.

Now rounding another corner, Celestia caught a glimpse of the black dragon, only having a fraction of a second to see before it moved out of sight. With a new level of urgency, she pursued the intruder, being led down to the central castle hallway, the path to the ballroom. Hurrying to catch up before it reached the opening to the gardens, the princess landed down onto the floor, seeing the figure nearing the door.

“Arkane!” Celestia shouted, her voice echoing throughout the castle halls. The dragon stopped, his back still turned to the princess as the moon’s light cascaded down upon him. His golden mane of spikes shifted about slowly, the momentum of his stop making them flurry about a little. “Will you not speak to me?”

His gaze lifted up, and he replied, “The name’s Stormclaw now, princess.”

Celestia ever so slowly moved forward towards the black dragon. “What happened to you?” she asked him. “What have I done to turn you into this?”

Stormclaw turned around, his scarlet eyes locked onto the white alicorn. “You have done nothing. This is who I am.”

With a shake of her head, Celestia replied, “No, I won’t believe that.”

The dragon shrugged his shoulders. “Believe what you want; I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Then help me to,” she answered him. “Tell me why.”

Stormclaw remained still as she approached, his menacing eyes glowing through the veil of the night and light of the moon. “There is no why. All life does is make us suffer, and so all life must be extinguished, only then can we be free of this pain.”

Celestia stopped a yard or two away from him, wounded by his words. The two stood as opposite forces, the air between them still and void. “Oh dear Arkane….” She said sadly. “What has this world done to you….?”

“Given me vision.” He replied. “All of you ponies are the same; thinking your destinies are something that you choose. Destiny is unavoidable and absolute…and no one has power over it.”

There was no reasoning with him. Looking upon him now, Celestia realized that she was right.

“No matter what happens,” she spoke softly. “If I, or Luna, or even Princess Twilight stands in your way, it will make no difference. In the end, you and you alone will be the one to decide how your destiny ends.” Lifting her gaze for but a moment, Celestia nodded and looked back to him. “I still have faith in you, Arkane.”

Stormclaw stood unamused, his expression darkened further. Eyes narrowing and claws clenching, he took a step closer to Celestia, now only inches away from her. “In time, you shall understand. There is nothing left in me….no reason to exist but this.” Leaning his head past hers, he whispered. “There is no empathy, no compassion….and no mercy.” Pulling back, the dragon stood straight, staring the alicorn deep into her eyes. “I will destroy everything you have ever loved, and you shall watch it with sorrowful eyes before your end is met.” He tilted his head slightly. “Hope? Faith? They mean nothing in the face of oblivion.”

Celestia, although shaken, stood fast under the glare of the black dragon. “For some, it is all that they have.”

“What a pity,” he replied, beginning to step away from her. “Such waste of life.”

“Your destiny is not destruction,” she said to him with unwavering valor. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends have overcome great darkness before. Even should you prevail, they shall show you and your master what true magic is.”

Stormclaw billowed his deep laugh, turning to face the night. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Lord Tirek….they are nothing.” His head turned, one red eye fixed upon her. “Your precious princess has never faced anything like this before….and this time, she will fall.”

As the black dragon spread his wings, Celestia replied, “I hope you find happiness.”

Pausing momentarily, Stromclaw turned his head to her, seeing the sadness in her eyes. “Go be with your ponies, princess. Enjoy what time you have left.”

Like a shadow under torchlight, Stormclaw vanished into the night. Celestia walked to the opening, looking up into the sky. What dark times Equestria was soon to witness….but even within the deepest darkness, light always endures.

Author's Note

More cryptic talk of destruction from the black dragon formerly known as Arkane. What does he have in store for the peaceful ponies of Equestria?
Finally the CMC's disappearance is noticed, but what can the Mane Six do to help find them?
What will become of all this? And how can our heroes fix it all?

I now have a YouTube channel dedicated to MLP reviews for anypony who wants to check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvoqQVCtIibOqzJyei6dPig

Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 11

They searched Sweet Apple Acres, but the crusaders were not there. They had searched the Everfree Forest, Ghastly Gorge, White-Tail Woods, and every inch of Ponyville, with no leads. Pegasi flew out in the dozens to Cloudsdale, Dodge Junction, Appaloosa, Manehattan, Rainbow Falls, and even Starlight’s village. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were nowhere to be found.

Twilight stood over the Cutie Map, her eyes darting about to different locations in Equestria. Occasionally they drifted over to the east, but she always returned them to Equestria. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, Starlight, and Starfall all stood around her, waiting.

Closing her eyes, Twilight paused, only to open them again, her gaze having shifted over again. “I’m sorry girls….but our search is going to have to be put on hold.”

“Twilight…” AJ said, stepping forward. “They’re our sisters….we can’t just abandon ‘em.”

The princess turned to the orange earth pony. “We don’t have a choice Applejack. The griffons and the dragons are going to war; any day now they’ll start fighting, we need to stop them before that happens.”

“So that’s it!?” Rainbow said angrily. “We’re just gonna give up on them!?”

“No!” Twilight replied, shaking her head. “The pegasi will keep searching, word will spread, and they will find them, but you need to remember what’s at stake here.”

Rarity stepped up now. “We know EXACTLY what’s at stake Twilight! My little Sweetie Belle is somewhere out there, and so are Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!” she stamped her hoof down hard. “And I, for one, will not rest until they are safe and sound!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow added on. “Scootaloo needs me! The CMCs need all of us!”

Continuing to look down at the map, Twilight weighed her options:

According to Granny Smith and Big Mac, the CMCs hadn’t been seen since the day everypony left for the Grand Summit. It had been four days since their return to Ponyville, and they had performed a search grid all over Equestria that ended in complete failure. No pony had seen anything regarding the three fillies, no leads, no tracks, no anything. There was no guarantee that any progress would be made on it anytime soon.

While they had been searching for the three fillies, Griffonstone and Fireglow were given four, undisturbed days to prepare for war. Gabby had been helping them search for CMCs, but Gilda agreed to return to Griffonstone and spy on their advances for Twilight. With only Ember and Scorch to rely on from the dragons, there was little proof that the princess would hear of movement until it was too late.

With a heavy heart, Twilight looked back up at her friends. “I’m sorry you three; we are to begin preparations for our peace missions immediately.”

There was a mixture of sadness, anxiety, and anger in the eyes of the three mares. Their sisters were lost somewhere in the world, and now they were being told they had to push it aside?

“Rarity and AJ,” Rainbow said sternly, turning and flying out of the room. “Let’s go.”

The two didn’t hesitate to leave with the pegasus, leaving the chamber in an awkward silence as Twilight let out a defeated sigh. Taking a deep breath while using her calming technique, she refocused on the task at hoof. “Spike, begin a travel checklist for our journey tomorrow.”

“Yes ma’am!” Spike saluted her, taking off out of the room.

“Pinkie, Fluttershy, pack us some food, we may be gone for a while.” Twilight continued.

“But Twilight,” Pinkie replied. “Winter Wrap Up is tomorrow!”

Fluttershy was quick to pitch in. “Couldn’t we just leave the day after?”

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to miss it,” Twilight said in an uneasy voice. “We’ve already given the griffons and dragons too long to get ready, we need to get over there as quickly as possible.”

Pinkie and Fluttershy both looked diminished at hearing that, but didn’t argue. They nodded and took off out of the room as well.

“Starlight,” Twilight continued, stepping up to her. “I need you to go through whatever spell books you can and look for an explanation as to what happened at the summit, Celestia said she thought it was a kind of dark magic; if you suspect even for a second that something seems possible, bring it.”

“Got it.” Starlight replied, teleporting to the library.

Starfall walked up beside the princess. “What will you have me do, Twilight?”

Turning to him, she said, “Come with me, Mayor Mare needs to know that we will not be able to participate in Winter Wrap Up tomorrow.”

Shadow had been all over Ponyville, asking around about the CMCs. He had trotted over every inch of it and asked everypony in town. His hooves were sore, he had been walking and galloping so much. Twilight and the others were probably still up at the castle, and she was likely deciding whether or not they would keep searching.

He understood why Twilight would want to put the search on hold, and didn’t hold it against her. He cared about those three fillies, but he didn’t let that care blind him from the facts; if there really was a full-scale war between two nations, it took priority.

That being said, Shadow figured he’d just stay in Ponyville for all of that. The last time he got involved with something important, he ruined it by having that vision, and these memories had a bad habit of popping up at the absolute worst of times.

When he got to thinking more about his memories, the thought of his sister rose once again. Despite the horrid timing, he wanted to have the next memory come to him, and he prayed that he could just get a glimpse of her. Or maybe get a memory from further back and see his parents, although he had already realized that in each memory, he was older.

He had thought of it time and again, always leaving him feeling the same, lonely. To know so little about himself, to only remember in tiny fragments, and know that, at one point, he must’ve done something terrible. His past self didn’t seem all that bad. Yeah, sure he was rough around the edges and lacked in the common sense department, but certainly wasn’t evil. He was nothing like…..

The mere thought of the creature from his nightmares made him shutter.

“I am nothing like that thing.” He said to himself.

Lifting his cup, he sipped from his tea. Golden-Leaf, very relaxing.

Looking out the window of Fluttershy’s cottage, Shadow let out a sigh. He had become drawn between two desires once again; staying who he wanted to be or knowing who he was.

Of course he wanted to stay who he was, but at the same time, the curiosity and emptiness of his past continued to chip away at his resolve. It was both invigorating and infuriating, and it never seemed to go away entirely.

Above all else, he had to stay beside his friends. Greater pillars of strength couldn’t be asked for. While he still felt most comfortable around Fluttershy, the others had definitely become family to him. Applejack was the hard-working, strong country-girl who made him feel like he had a purpose here in Ponyville. Pinkie was the energetic, crazy spirit he wished he had and that made him happy all the time. Rarity was the radiant, expressive beauty that constantly reminded him that he was unique. Rainbow was the awesome, unstoppable dreamer that cheered him on and made him feel like he could do anything. And Twilight, she had the purest heart of them all; always putting the needs of others before her own, always putting on that supportive smile that told everypony how much they mattered to her, and always…..being there for him.

He loved each and every one of them. While he cared about Spike, Starlight, Starfall, and everypony else in town, those six meant the world to him.

“I can’t let them down.” He said quietly. “I won’t let them down.”

Shadow put down his tea cup and stood, walking over to the door and opening it wide. Nothing was going to stop him from helping his friends…..not now, not ever.

“Whatever are we going to do?” Rarity asked, the three ponies sitting inside her boutique. “I won’t be able to get a wink of beauty sleep unless I know my little Sweetie Belle is home.”

Applejack sighed. “Ah s’pose Twilight has a point y’all. It ain’t like she don’t want to help look for our sisters, she’s got herself a whole lot of responsibility for that there conflict.”

Rarity huffed out a breath. “You’re probably right….”

“Hey!” Rainbow interrupted them. “If Twilight wants to go off and save Equestria, again, she and the others can do just that, but I’m not doing anything else until I find Scootaloo!” Placing a map on the table, Rainbow gestured her friends over to her with her hoof. “Now, we know the pegasi have the west covered, they’re out past Las Pegasus and Vanhoover searching everywhere. Cadence and Shining Armor have the north covered, and since Twilight is going to the east, we can assume she’ll have the east covered herself.”

“What are you sayin’ Rainbow?” AJ questioned her.

Rainbow slammed her hoof down onto the map. “I’m saying the three of us go to the Mysterious South and search for our sisters ourselves!”

Rarity gasped. “The Mysterious South!?”

“What makes you think we’ll find anythin’ down there?” AJ asked.

“It’s the only place no pony has searched yet!” Rainbow replied. “Look,” she pointed to the railroad tracks, which went off the bottom of the map and out of sight. “We take the train as far south as we can and start looking. No pony has seen or heard ANYTHING since we started searching, they have to be down there somewhere!”

Looking a bit concerned, Rarity lifted her hoof to her chin. “But what if Twilight need us to come with her to the east?”

Rainbow had been worried about that herself, but she knew Twilight, and it ultimately made up her mind. “Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie can handle that themselves. She’s a princess of Equestria, her duty is to her subjects, we’re the CMCs’ sisters, our duty is to them.”

Applejack and Rarity looked to one another. There was a pause, but then they both nodded, turning back to Rainbow with determined looks on their faces.

“We’re in.” Rarity said confidently.

“Good!” Rainbow replied, looking back down at the map. “I’m gonna go find the best map that I can for the land beyond the southern border, you two should go pack up and meet me at the station in a few hours. We’re gonna go save ourselves some Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

Emerging from Town Hall, Twilight and Starfall began to trot back to the castle. Spring was coming tomorrow, and it had been a long winter. Naturally, the mayor was disappointed that Twilight wouldn’t be the All-Team Organizer this year, but she understood that the princess had her reasons and that it was beyond her control.

“So if we leave early on the Friendship Express tomorrow, we can all reach Griffonstone with plenty of time to explain to King Gale why they shouldn’t fight.” Twilight explained as they went. “I’ll have Spike send a letter to Ember and set up a meeting with her and her father in two days’ time so that we can move directly from Griffonstone to Fireglow and stop this conflict before it escalates.”

Starfall looked over at her. “Do you think we can convince the king to stand down in a single day?”

“I don’t know….” She replied, her gaze lowering slightly, only to be lifted up immediately. “But we’re just going to have to try.”

The princess and her guard trotted through town, enjoying the cheer in the air as everypony was excited for tomorrow. Winter Wrap Up was one of the first Ponyville traditions that Twilight had ever taken part in, and she had been involved every year since, so it did hurt to know she wouldn’t take part.

Looking over at her loyal guard, Twilight said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done to help so far, but you’ve been guarding me every moment since we came back to Ponyville, do you want to take the rest of the day off?”

Starfall shook his head. “No, of course not, I’m not tired at all.”

“You sure?” she asked. “Everypony needs a break every now and then.”

Before Starfall could reply, somepony called to them. “Twilight! Starfall!” The two of them stopped and turned their heads to see Octavia and Vinyl Scratch sitting at a table outside a restaurant. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”

Twilight took notice that the timing was perfect. “Sorry, but I have a lot of work to do at the castle, but Starfall here would love to!”

Starfall spun about, facing the princess in the blink of an eye. “Twi….I um, you don’t-”

Twilight stopped him by placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Go relax Starfall, you more than deserve some time to recharge after everything you’ve done for the past week.”

He wanted to protest, but one look from the Princess of Friendship told him that he wouldn’t win. Starfall looked over at the two mares sitting at the table, and then back to Twilight.

“Go on,” she said, returning her hoof to the ground. “You enjoy yourself and come back to the castle today whenever you want.”

Starfall slowly nodded. “I won’t be long.” Smiling one more time, Twilight continued trotting on her way, as her royal guard walked over to the table. “Hello ladies.”

“Good afternoon Starfall,” Octavia said politely. “I take it you and Princess Twilight have been very busy over the past few days?”

“We have.” Starfall admitted, sitting down in the chair. “We’ve practically searched all of Equestria for those three…..with no luck.”

“How dreadful,” the musician then took notice to how heavy Starfall’s eyelids looked. “When was the last time you got any sleep?”

He gave them both a not-so-sure look. “Ehh….” He replied.

“Goodness, Starfall, you sure are dedicated.” Octavia complimented him.

Vinyl used her magic to write a note, lifting it up while hosting a smug grin.

Able to go all night, my kind of stallion.

One would think Starfall would have expected that, but no, his face lit up a bit in surprise, and he quickly grabbed a menu to hide it.

“Vinyl!” Octavia snapped at her, the DJ shrugged her shoulders.

What? It was a compliment, Octy.

Giving her roommate a pair of narrow eyes for a few more moments, Octavia turned back to Starfall, who had overcome the red flush of color on his face. “We’ve heard about a conflict of some kind going on between the griffons and dragons, is that true?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Starfall answered her. “That’s why Twilight couldn’t stay, she and Starlight have a lot to do before we leave tomorrow.”

Vinyl was quick to write this next message.

So, you’re going over there to stop a war, right!?

“Umm, yes, we are.” Starfall replied, reading the note and her smile and catching on that she was excited about it.

That’s wicked cool! You’re gonna kick some serious tail!

Octavia sighed and face-hoofed, embarrassed by how her friend was taking the news. “Vinyl, he’s going to step in between griffons and dragons who want to start fighting, are you telling me you aren’t the least bit worried about him?”

Looking undeterred, Vinyl wrote down her next message with a relaxed smile.

You kidding? My Starfall here knows a thing or two about fighting, isn’t that right, stud?

Starfall was left with wide eyes. My Starfall?

The castle library was cryptically quiet, a lone unicorn being its only inhabitant. She sat looks down upon an open book that explained the effects of complex forms of dark magic, but she wasn’t reading.

In her head, Starlight had been warring over a single question, one that made her feel so guilty that she hid it from her friends.

“Is it my fault that the Cutie Mark Crusaders are missing?” she asked herself quietly. Her suspicions over the fillies’ request right before she left for the summit should have been greater. What were the odds that the three of them would disappear on the same day Starlight gave them one of the most powerful potion components in Equestria? “I should never have made them that runic potion…” she scolded herself. “What is the matter with me, giving something like that to such young fillies?”

She had been wondering for some time what the crusaders could have done with it that made them disappear, but even she knew very little about how to use the potion; it always seemed a bit too extreme to use in experimentations, even though she knew it had literally hundreds of uses.

Her guilt and curiosity won her over and she levitated her current book away, bringing a whole stack of others over, older books that explained the ingredients and uses of ancient potions. It didn’t take too long for Starlight to find passages about runic potions, but the passages were mostly left blank, the few there only stating that if used incorrectly, the potion could be very dangerous. This, of course, did not help the unicorn feel any better.

“Come on….come on….” She said to herself as she kept searching for uses, but found none. “Ugh! Not a single one of these ponies knows what that potion is used for!?”

Blazing through book after book, Starlight’s stack got smaller and smaller until there were none left. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She knew how to make the runic potion because she had seen the instructions before, they were located in the same place she found Starswirl’s Time Manipulation Spell, but there had been nothing else about it.

Wanting to get just a few minutes’ rest, Starlight let out a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed.

“Tired already?” Twilight asked, trotting past her. Starlight was up in a flash and almost fell off from her chair, catching herself at just the right time as the princess sat across from her. “Wow, you searched all of those already?” she continued, looking at the large stack of books.

Starlight’s eyes darted over to the stack and she looked back to Twilight, offering an uneasy laugh. “Hehehe, yeah, all searched already….” Using a levitation spell, she made the books return to the shelves rather quickly. “Found nothing so far.”

“Well that’s disheartening.” Twilight replied, starting a magic assembly line of books for herself.

Starlight wanted to tell her, but what difference would it make? If she didn’t know what the potion could be used for, it wouldn’t help them find the crusaders anyway, and besides, Twilight had just told everypony that they needed to focus on stopping the war. Telling her that she could be responsible for the fillies’ disappearance wouldn’t help the situation.

The two sat in the library for what felt like hours, compiling books that could be of use and setting them aside for the journey to the east. They took notes from useful passages and conversed with each other only to elaborate varying effects of dark magic spells they thought of.

Unfortunately for Starlight, she had no experience with dark magic, and therefore had to rely on Twilight’s knowledge of the matter. She had never seen such a spell being cast before, but understood that their use only stemmed from negative emotions. She had been curious about the magic form in the past, but again, she never had the means to use it. Twilight was lucky enough to have her Copying Spell and have been showed such magic by Princess Celestia. Even if Starlight were to have the Copying Spell like Twilight, she would need to experience the spell in order to use it.

“So….somepony must have cast a Fear Possession Spell on those dragons and griffons, forcing them to attack one another.” Twilight theorized.

Starlight stopped writing her notes to ask, “Fear Possession? Isn’t that one of the highest levels of dark magic?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not quite, but it is an extremely difficult spell to cast.” She rubbed her chin as she continued to read from the ancient tome. “Whoever cast it must be a powerful unicorn…”

Hearing that such a spell wasn’t even among the highest forms of the art made Starlight even more fascinated with the subject. She couldn’t help but be interested in the uses of dark magic, despite its disturbing nature.

“They must have simultaneously cast a Frenzy Spell to cause such an instantaneous reaction in the surrounding crowds.” Starlight added, having read about the spell’s effects.

“Hmm….that’s right….” Twilight said quietly, racking her mind for answers. “Dual casting spells of that level is….well, almost impossible for any normal unicorn. I don’t even think the princesses know how to use magic like that.”

Starlight was left rather intimidated at the thought. “So….whoever did this is more powerful than an alicorn?”

Twilight looked up at her, a worried expression on her face as she shook her head. “I don’t know, Starlight.”

The two got back to reading, wanting to understand more. This was a truly shocking development, no pony knew how to use dark magic that well except….

Twilight stopped reading, her heart skipping a beat. She sat back in her chair, her eyes squinted slightly and her face left in a questioning matter. Starlight took notice and tilted her head.

“Twilight?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

It couldn’t be him, he was destroyed, she saw it herself. The light from the Crystal Heart shattered him to pieces and blew away his shadows. There was no way it could be him….right?

“Twilight!” Spike called out, running into the library. The princess managed to pry herself from the trance, turning to see her assistant reach her side. “Letter for you from the princess.” He said, holding out a scroll.

Lifting the scroll with her magic, Twilight opened it.

Dear Twilight,
I know you must be very busy organizing your peace missions to the east, but this is a matter that can no longer be kept a secret. Meet me at the Tree of Harmony in an hour’s time. Come alone, there is something you must know.

Princess Celestia

Rainbow stood at the station, tapping her hoof impatiently as she waited for her two friends. A saddlebag rested comfortably on her back, and she had already purchased the train tickets for them. Having noticed a visible change in her friends over the past few weeks, Rainbow had a lot to think about.

She wasn’t given too long to ponder about it, as Rarity and Applejack both arrived together with saddlebags of their own.

“You two sure took your time.” Rainbow barked, crossing her hooves.

“If ah recall, y’all said to meet up here in a few hours,” AJ replied. “Didn’t say nuthin’ bout showing up at a specific time.”

Rainbow grunted and touched down to the station platform. “Alright then, here, have a look at this.” She took out an old-looking map that didn’t look familiar to the two at all.

“Rainbow,” Rarity asked. “That’s not a map of Equestria?”

“It’s not meant to be, Rarity!” Rainbow snapped. “This is the land south of Macintosh Hills and the Badlands, see?” She pointed her hoof to the train tracks, which were faded on the old parchment. “We follow the tracks down to their very end, here.” Her hoof stopped over what looked like a small station. “From there we begin searching, and asking around if anypony has seen them.”

AJ didn’t look too confident that the map was very accurate. “Rainbow, are you sure we can trust that there map?”

Rainbow rolled it up and stuffed it into her saddlebag. “Of course I am! Now where’s that train?”

Rarity shared AJ’s concern, and while the condition of the map was appalling, that wasn’t what frightened her most about it. “Rainbow Dash, darling, do you even know if there are ponies that far south?”

The question caught the pegasus off guard and she was left wondering about it herself. “Umm….nope, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough! There it is!”

Approaching Ponyville, the train slowed on the tracks, its whistle declaring to the town that it had arrived. Coming to a halt, the doors opened and a few ponies stepped off.

“How did Twilight take it when you told her we were leaving?” Rarity then asked Rainbow.

“I didn’t tell her.” the pegasus replied nonchalantly.

“YOU WHAT!?” both AJ and Rarity said at the same time.

Not fazed by the outburst, Rainbow said, “You two know Twilight; if I told her, she would’ve tried to stop us from going, its better this way.”

“Rainbow!” Applejack scolded her. “We can’t just up and run off like this without tellin’ no pony!”

“Applejack is right!” Rarity added on. “Imagine how worried the others will be!”

Rainbow spun around and glared at the two ponies. “Will you two just listen to yourselves!?” she shouted at them. “Pinkie and Fluttershy will be there to help Twilight, not to mention Starlight and Starfall! Who will be there to help Sweetie Belle? Or Apple Bloom?” Rainbow shook her head, her anger dimming as concern took over. “And I know Scootaloo isn’t really my little sister, but I’m going to be there for her like one! Twilight doesn’t understand, and she has plenty of reason to have her attention elsewhere, but we don’t! Nothing is going to stop me from finding those three fillies and bringing them home!”

Silenced by Rainbow’s speech, the two mares were left stunned. Rainbow huffed and puffed, turning around and calming herself.

“If you two don’t want to come, then fine.” She said boldly. “I’ll go find them myself.”

She stood alone in front of the train door for only a moment, only to have her friends walk up alongside her. Exchanging apologetic looks both ways, the three ponies nodded to one another and boarded the train.

When she really thought about it, Twilight came to realize that she hadn’t been to see the Tree of Harmony since she and her friends unlocked the chest and defeated Tirek.

The cave was so dark now, the tree no longer illuminated the darkness with its glow. Upon the tree itself, only two of the elements maintained their glow; the Elements of Magic and Loyalty. The other four were lightless and dull. Even when standing away from the tree, Twilight felt a kind of malevolence, a feeling of torment and pain. It wasn’t enough to make being down there unbearable, but it was also too strong to ignore.

On the cave floor, looking up upon the tree, Princess Celestia watched in sadness. Her ears were flat to her head, the very sight of the tree in this condition giving her heartache. She knew that her pupil was there, but still she said nothing.

“What’s happening to it?” Twilight asked her.

Celestia’s gaze faltered and fell to the floor. Glancing back at the purple alicorn, she replied, “She is dying.”

Mouth left slightly agate, Twilight joined her fellow princess as they looked up upon the darkened tree. “She…?”

Now, finally she would tell the story.

A long time ago, beyond my sister and I, beyond Starswirl the Bearded, and even beyond the Elements of Harmony, there existed a land called Alarei.

It was such a happy place, with ponies, griffons, dragons, nymphs, and changelings all living together in peace upon a mountain known only as Home. Far out and around this mountain stood five great towers called the Pillars, and atop those towers there shined strong lights, each a different luminescent color.

The Sun and Moon did not require magic from below to move, for they were drawn into a never-ending cycle by the magic of the Pillars. Within the boundaries of these towers, life thrived. There were differences and conflicts, but being different meant you are special, and having conflicts meant you were overcoming troubles with your friends together. And so the inhabitants of Home lived peacefully under the magic of the Pillars, not questioning why the world existed in this way.

Outside of the pillars, however, life existed a whole different way. In shadows beyond the reaches of darkness, there was no happiness, no love, and no hope. Those within the sphere of influence from the Pillars stayed away from those lands, frightened by the very thought of living in a place without light, and without friendship.

Among the inhabitants of Home, two very special ponies were born. Despite being twins, they shared very little in common with one another, but even though they were different, they were very close.

The sister always found wonder from the world around her. She was quick to make friends, and those friends looked up to her as she cared for them in every way a friend should be. She grew to become a beautiful mare, and soon found love with a childhood friend. During her years living upon Home, she experienced honesty, generosity, kindness, laughter, and loyalty. And from these experiences she learned that friendship was the only magic she ever needed.

The brother, however, did not share his sister’s view of the world. He was shy, he never truly learned to put others before himself, even though he constantly did try. Unlike his sister, he grew to become a more intimidating pony, and even though he had friends, he never could find out how to trust them completely. Over the years, he came to experience life from very different aspects than that of his sister; deception, greed, cruelty, sorrow, and fear. It was from these experiences that something happened to him, something that broke his sister’s heart and changed the world forever.

“How?” Twilight asked her. “How do you know this?”

Celestia’s eyes moved away, looking in the direction of Canterlot, more specifically, the summit of the mountain. “A friend told me.” Before the other princess could respond, she said, “I was also told the brother’s name.” Twilight sat in complete silence as Celestia lowered her head. She lifted it once again and said, “His name was Erebus.”

“Wha….but, you said-” Twilight began to say.

“My mother was wrong.” Celestia answered, shaking her head. “The siblings weren’t gods, they were alicorns, and they were born that way.”

Twilight looked down for a moment, connecting the dots. “Just like Flurry Heart…”

Celestia nodded and turned back to face the tree. Twilight noticed and looked up upon it as well. The shadows of the cave seemed to surround the four, dull elements, as the remaining two warded the darkness away.

“So….what’s happening to them?” Twilight asked.

“The Elements of Harmony represent the power that friendship holds.” Celestia explained. “When together, they form the powerful magic that you have seen time and again alongside your friends.” This is when the princess’ gaze fell, her eyes growing sad. “But they are not the only great power in the world….”

Twilight looked away from the tree to her again. “What do you mean?”

“Just as the sister experienced the power of friendship, the brother experienced something else.” She continued. “His life left him in great pain, and even though he tried so hard to be happy like his sister, he never could. His torment gave him power, dark power, and what power exists in the world without a purpose?”

“Are…” Twilight began to say. “Are you saying that…?”

Celestia nodded once again. “The Elements of Harmony were made from the memories of the sister, the experiences that led her to understand that friendship is magic. But the brother experienced power of a different kind, and his memories became something else….”

Author's Note

Hey there everypony!
Rainbow is leading Rarity and AJ on a quest south while Twilight and the others prepare to head east.
And we finally get a more clear history lesson! How did Celestia obtain this knowledge? And why did she hide it from the rest of the world for so long?
Now that we know who Shadow was, when will we find out what he did?
More is soon to come!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 12

“They did what!?” Twilight exclaimed.

Derpy sat at the table eating a muffin, she put it down and wiped her face with her hoof. “I saw them board the train about an hour ago, they were all packed and everything.”

Starfall looked over at Twilight, who was now up on her hooves and pacing. “They went to search for the CMCs, what other reason could they have for leaving?”

“No, no, no, no…” Twilight repeated. “This is bad, REALLY bad!”

Pinkie shrugged her shoulders. “Fluttershy and I are still here, can’t we just help you stop the griffons and dragons from fighting?”

“This isn’t about the war,” Twilight said frantically. “I need to talk to Rainbow about something very important, but now she’s gone and we still need to leave!”

Starfall looked around the room, everypony was worried about the uneasy princess. Pinkie and Fluttershy were now looking down at the map, wondering where their three friends went off to. Starlight and Spike had just finished preparations for their departure to the east, and now shared in Twilight’s concern. Moon Frost wasn’t there, she had decided to try and use her detective skills to help locate the crusaders in the case that there was somewhere in Equestria the pegasi hadn’t checked. And Shadow, well, he seemed to have been out of sight for the last few hours, Fluttershy had just returned from searching for him.

“What’s so important that you need to talk about with Rainbow?” Starlight asked, her head slightly tilted.

Twilight stood up straight and looked down at the Everfree Forest on the map. “Something is happening to the Elements of Harmony, but the Element of Loyalty has managed to stay unaffected by it. I need to find out what it could be before it affects her too.”

The ponies all looked at one another. “Affect her?” Spike asked. “What do you mean?”

Looking around at them, Twilight’s eyes stopped as they were cast upon Pinkie and Fluttershy. “You two have been acting strange ever since the Grand Summit, and so have Applejack and Rarity. I don’t know what’s been happening to you, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

Fluttershy felt nervous about the topic being brought up. The feeling hadn’t changed, inside she was so ashamed of herself for snapping on Pinkie the way she did. It made her feel like she didn’t deserve being called the Element of Kindness.

Pinkie had a similar reaction, and her lowered head made it plainly evident. She had recently lost her spark, the trait that made her so happy and goofy all the time. She hadn’t laughed since before the summit, which was the longest she had ever gone without smiling.

“Now Rainbow and I are the only ones left.” She said, looking somewhat afraid. “The light within the elements are fading, and I fear what will happen if they all go out.”

Spike’s cheeks suddenly bulged and he burped, a scroll appearing out from the plume of smoke. Twilight was quick to use her magic to levitate it to her. She opened it and read carefully.

Dear Twilight,

The army is moving out, Gale has ordered a full-scale invasion of the Dragon Lands. Two-thousand griffons, he is advancing on Fireglow and will arrive in less than two days. I’ll do what I can to slow them down, but you need to hurry.

Gilda

“Two-thousand!?” Starlight blurted out, her eyes wide like everypony else.

This was all happening too fast, they had amassed that many griffons that quickly? Twilight almost broke out in total-panic mode, but she kept a level head. Looking down at the Cutie Map, her eyes traced along the easiest, and quickest path from Griffonstone to Fireglow, pointing at a clearing on the path. “We can intercept them here and-”

Once again, Spike burped out a scroll. Twilight paused for a few moments, but then opened and read it.

Princess Twilight,

Ember and Torch are leading an army of several thousand dragons north towards Griffonstone. Unless you stop them, they will reach the griffons in under 24 hours. They are leaving now, I will try to reason with her. Good luck.

Scorch

“Both of them!?” Starfall said quickly, galloping up to read the letter himself. “We need to leave now! The armies will meet and collide! It will be a disaster!”

“As in….right now?” Fluttershy asked shakily.

Twilight had needed a moment to overcome the shock of the situation. Looking back to the map, she calculated where the two hosts would meet. There was an open plain just off of the Griffon Kingdom southern coastline, if she was correct, that’s where they would collide.

“Everypony to the station! Quick!” Twilight yelled, galloping out the door.

As they bolted through town, Fluttershy looked to her right and saw Shadow emerge from the town limits, galloping alongside her.

“Shadow!” she said, wanting to hug him but also wanting to keep up with the others. “Where have you been?”

“I had to sort out a few things, where are we going in such a hurry?” he replied.

Twilight looked back at them, seeing Shadow for the first time since her talk with Celestia at the Tree of Harmony. There was a staleness in the air, but she had to push past it for now. “No time to explain! We have to get to the train station!”

Pinkie was first to the platform and grabbed hold of the conductor, her head whirled back in urgency. “WAIT!!! STOP THIS TRAIN!!!”

The conductor looked upon the pink mare as he always did when she acted like this. “Miss Pie, the train isn’t moving.”

Pinkie looked down at the locomotive, seeing that he was right. Her face flushed red and she chuckled to herself. “I knew that….”

Everypony came galloping up onto the platform, boarding the train immediately. Twilight flew to the conductor the moment she saw him. “Emergency Transportation to Griffonstone Station!”

Taking action without hesitation, the conductor said, “Right away your highness!” He took off towards the engine room as the princess boarded. The train whistle blew and took off within moments, quickly picking up speed to reach the emergency destination as quickly as possible.

Estimated time to arrival: 8 hours.

Rainbow held her red crystal and looked down upon it as she propped her head up with her other hoof. It was such a strange, little thing, and always seemed to absorb all of her attention when it was out. Looking at it made her think of Scootaloo, and how awesome she was to give it to her.

Scootaloo constantly said that Rainbow made a big impact on her, but the admiration went both ways. She was so much like Rainbow that it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for others to believe they were actually were sisters.

The red hue of the crystal was foggy, but it still gave off a pretty unique shine when seen in the right light. As stated when she and her other four friends discovered they each had one, they had never stones like them before, not even Rarity. Rainbow remembered having brought the crystals to Pinkie’s sister, Maud, the pony with the rocktorate and knew literally EVERYTHING about rocks, but even she knew nothing about them, which blew everypony’s minds.

“Ah have to say Rainbow,” Applejack admitted. “Ah am a might impressed ya thought to head south to search for the crusaders.”

With the crystal still in her hoof, Rainbow replied, “Well…..to be honest, I kinda….maybe….sorta had some help figuring that part out.”

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked.

Smiling sheepishly, Rainbow figured it didn’t matter now. “I asked Moon Frost, and she told me everything I told you two.”

AJ cackled a laugh. “That explains it!”

“Hey!” Rainbow barked. “I could’ve figured it out!”

Rarity joined in on the laugh. “Oh but of course, we wouldn’t have doubted you for a second!”

It took a few moments, but Rainbow soon pitched in and all three shared the laugh. It was rather short lived as the gravity of their quest hit them once again. A silence then came over them, each looking out the train window.

“I do so wish they are safe…” Rarity said quietly.

“If ah know those three, they’ll be alright till we find ‘em.” AJ responded. “They’re closer than three apples on the same branch.”

Rainbow lowered her gaze, looking at her crystal once again. Doubt had tried time and again to work its way into her, but she was the Rainbow Dash; doubt wasn’t in her nature.

“We’ll find them,” she said, packing away the stone. “We will.”

The station furthest south was very small, kind of like the station closest to Starlight’s village. There was absolutely no pony there, and as the train took off back north, an eerie silence fell over the area.

It was rather heavily wooded, with a kind of shallow valley pushing hills up to the east and west. Mountains could be seen in the not-so-far distance, and the only path headed directly in their direction.

Rainbow took out her map, looking up and around at their surroundings. “Okay, this way.”

Starting down the path, the three ponies prepared for their long search to find their sisters and bring them home.

They searched the outlands leading to the mountain range, but there were few places for shelter and no civil forms of life. Their entire first day was spent sweeping through the land from the station to the foot of the mountains, with no luck.

The following morning, the three began their hike up into the mountains.

“Apple Bloom!” AJ called out, her voice echoing across the vast expanse. “Apple Bloom!”

Rainbow soared overhead, her hawk-like eyes watching for the slightest movement or change on the landscape below. Fortunately, the mountains were almost entirely rock-surfaced, with few places out of sight from above. Unfortunately, this meant the three crusaders were likely not in the area.

Rarity trotted along the edge of the chasm below, looking down below in the unlikely event that the fillies were hiding at the bottom. “Sweetie Belle!” she called out, but heard no response.

Stopping to hover in mid-air, the pegasus pony tensed up. “Come on Rainbow!” she said to herself. “Think! Where are they…?”

Taking everything she’s seen into account, Rainbow scanned the region. Mountain, mountain, tree, mountain, chasm, mountain, tree, valley, mountain, mou-…..wait. Backtracking, Rainbow focused on the empty valley that had bowl-like walls as the mountains around it kept it isolated from the rest of the range.

Flying down towards the valley, she landed. It was completely barren, as it was filled only with dirt, rock, and dust. It was a strange thing to see, however; a valley void of forestation at the center of a mountain range. Sure there weren’t that many trees, but it must’ve been there for some time.

“Hmmm….” She pondered, rubbing her hoof around on the ground. “Maybe there’s just no water….” She then looked up at the sky, as it continued to be overcast. “No, that wouldn’t make sense, it must rain here all the time….”

This one was a mystery. Rainbow looked out at the valley walls and followed it with her eyes until she saw a single, solitary peak rising higher than the rest of the mountains surrounding it. The valley was almost perfectly circular, so it made the higher mountain stick out as being lined up with the curve of the walls.

Rainbow took to the skies and returned to Rarity and Applejack. “Hey, I think I may have found something worth looking into, follow me!”

The two other mares were led by the pegasus around the valley wall to the mountain that towered over the others. There was an incline rock face and a chasm at the bottom, with a single rock bridge crossing it to the mouth of a giant cavern.

“Whoa nelly…” AJ said, bewildered at the sight of the stone stalactites and stalagmites creating the illusion of a giant, fanged mouth.

Rainbow glided over the chasm and landed just inside the cavern entrance. The inclined mountain overhead helped block out the light at all times, making the interior near pitch-black even along the rim. Deeper in, it was total darkness.

AJ and Rarity crossed the bridge and walked up alongside Rainbow, all three peering into the darkness without a word at first.

“Scootaloo?” Rainbow half-whispered into the void.

Her inquiry made an echo that rebounded time and again, going further into the cavern. Everything went very silent and still, the ominous atmosphere of the dark intensifying.

“So you are the ones what been chasing those fillies,” A deep voice replied, two giant eyes opening and gleaming through the darkness. The cavern shook and trembled as it drew closer, the massive, gold-scaled dragon, slowly taking form as it passed out of the shadows.

The impulse was almost indescribable, this dragon was larger than the Ursa Minor that attacked Ponyville a few years back. Its deep growl, glowing eyes, razor-sharp claws, and looming presence was the stuff of nightmares. Nightmares of nightmares.

“B-b-b-b-big…..d-d-d-d-dragon….” Rainbow said quietly.

Applejack, although terrified, took a step forward. “W-where are our sisters!?”

“Your petty disguises won’t work on me,” the giant dragon rumbled. “I’ll rip them off of you, changelings.”

“I beg your pardon!?” Rarity scoffed. “I am a lady, not some-”

“ENOUGH!” the dragon roared, slamming his claw down onto the cave floor and making the cavern shake.

Rainbow’s legs trembled, but it wasn’t from the shaking ground. The sound of her friends’ voices became blotted out and blurred, even as they looked to her, confused by her lack of response. Frozen in place, her eyes were wide, her ears folded back, and sweat beaded down from her forehead.

In her saddlebag, a dim, red light began to grow, multiple items inside floating up several inches, ever so slowly.

Her friends continued to speak to her, but at this point, they were impossible to translate. All of Rainbow’s attention remained locked on the daunting beast, glaring down upon her singularly now that she seemingly could not hear her friends. Silver suddenly became a dreaded color to her, the giant’s eyes piercing into her very soul. She did not know why this was happening, but it was.

Stumbling backwards, Rainbow went to fly out of the cavern, but didn’t look where she was going and struck a stalactite attached to the cave ceiling. AJ and Rarity went to her aid, but the gold dragon moved overtop of them, blocking the exit, and more or less all of the natural light in the cavern.

“So fearful, this one.” The dragon boomed, his eyes providing most of the light now.

During her struggle, Dash had dropped her saddlebag, her crystal having fallen out. It was glowing now, every small object within a few feet levitating up into the air around it.

Rainbow backed away to the cavern wall as the giant dragon moved in closer to her, now a little less convinced that they were a threat. Why was she so afraid? She didn’t even know; everything about him just became a swirling vortex of fear. Twilight not having her to depend on, Scootaloo lost somewhere deeper in the darkness of the cavern, AJ and Rarity now in peril, all of it was not enough.

Lifting her hooves up over her head, Rainbow cowered from the dragon, fear having taken total control over her. The crystal fell to the cave floor, along with everything it was lifting, and now glowed a violent hue of red.

“Rainbow….” AJ said, trying to comfort her friend.

Rarity curled her lip at the sight of her friend cowering in fear. Turning to the dragon, she scolded him. “How dare you frighten my friend you ruffian! I’d have half a mind to slap you if you weren’t so tall!”

The dragon was about to respond, but another voice came from within the cavern. “It’s alright Leonyx,” Daring Do trotted out from the dark. “They aren’t changelings, they’re the real deal.”

AJ and Rarity felt their mouths drop open. Daring trotted past them to Rainbow, surprised to see her in such a way.

“Rainbow….Rainbow, it’s alright.” She said soothingly.

Trembling, Dash looked up, seeing her storybook hero crouched down beside her. “D-daring…?”

Applejack was so shocked, at seeing Daring here, yes, but more so at Rainbow’s response; she had never seen the brash, fearless mare so terrified….ever. Rarity moved her gaze back to Leonyx, squinting as she dawned her you-are-so-in-trouble face.

Daring helped Dash up onto her hooves, the pegasus eyeing Leonyx cautiously and with a lowered head. “I apologize for that,” he said to her. “I didn’t know who you were, and even then, I didn’t mean to frighten you so.”

“What the hay is goin’ on here?” AJ blurted out, ridiculously confused.

Daring looked back to her as she helped Rainbow walk past Leonyx and down the tunnel. “Come on, do you want to see your sisters or not?”

With Leonyx trailing behind them, the four ponies walked through the darkness for a long time. The giant dragon breathed flames every now and then so that they could see as they went. Rainbow looked around as they walked, slowly overcoming the shock of her intense fear-attack.

“Wait…” she said, remembering what was on the other side of the mountain. “Does this tunnel lead to that barren valley?” She asked because she didn’t remember seeing a cave.

“Not quite.” Daring chuckled.

As they kept walking, a strange light rippled across the rocks in a multi-colored wave towards the darkness further down into the cavern. When the wave reached out of sight, a blinding light appeared, illuminating the cave completely. It was so bright that no pony’s eyes could see through it while standing in the dark. As they approached it, they began to hear noises, impossible sounds for being out in the middle of nowhere.

Eyes adjusting to the light, the three guest ponies were treated to an extraordinary sight. A lush green valley, in the exact shape of the one outside the cave. Hundreds upon thousands of trees lined the rim, with a river flowing through it, and at its center, a collection of small buildings resembling a village, with one larger building at the far end alongside a pond.

Creatures that the three ponies had never seen before dotted the entire area, the few nearby watching them with curiosity. They were shaped a lot like ponies, but they had elongated tails with tufts of hair at the very end. Their bodies were covered with a combination of fur, scales, and feathers. They all had wings, which corresponded to the color of their bodies, and their noses were just slightly longer than a pony’s. Their eyes were different colors each, and they seemed to shimmer under the light of the sun overhead.

Rarity’s eyes lit up, the inspiration for her clothes overflowing. “What is this marvelous place?”

“Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity,” Daring said to them. “Welcome to Sunveil, lost village of the nymphs.”

All over the valley, the nymphs roamed, worked, and played under the bright rays of the sun. A few sat fishing on the edge of the pond, whilst others tended to large gardens. There was a marketplace, a clothing parlor, a pen with animals, and even a small schoolhouse.

“Village of the nymphs?” Rainbow asked, very much short on words. “But I thought the nymphs went extinct…”

“According to the outside world, they did.” Daring elaborated. “There are few of us now that are tasked with keeping this secret.”

That was when the light bulb turned on. “Wait…” Rainbow said, thinking it over to make sure her hunch was correct. “So when you said finding the Sapphire Stone was your first adventure….!”

Daring nodded with a smug grin. “The chief told me where the Sapphire Stone was hidden and asked me to find a better place for it. After I succeeded, I decided that life suited me, and A.K. Yearling was born.”

Rainbow’s eyes were huge with excitement. “Sooo awesome…”

“Come on,” Daring told them, waving them onward. “I’d say it’s time for a little family reunion.”

As they walked towards the town, Leonyx smiled and turned around, returning down the tunnel to the cavern entrance.

“So how is all this possible?” Applejack asked as they went. “How come we didn’t see this place on the way here?”

“The cavern you came through has been enchanted,” Daring explained. “The valley on the outside is barren and lifeless, but if it is entered through that tunnel, an ancient magic opens a special, portal to this, an ethereal copy of that valley. Only, this one receives all of the rainwater and sunshine; the empty valley soaks up the water and it appears in the form of that stream.”

Rarity was on a swivel, looking all around her as nymphs trotting by stopped to look at their new guests. “SO MUCH INSPIRATION….!” She said to herself, practically giddy with excitement.

Passing the village center, there were three little ponies, a zebra, and an older nymph standing in front of the larger building.

“Apple Bloom!” AJ shouted.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity cried.

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow yelled.

The three fillies jumped up in excitement and the six ponies went into full gallop towards one another, each one hugging their sister. “I missed you so much!” “What happened to you!?” “I was so worried!” There was such a compilation of happiness, greetings, and cheer, that Daring didn’t bother cutting in, trotting around to the others.

“I had a feeling you three would find us here,” Zecora said to them. “Nothing could keep you from the sisters you love so dear.”

“Zecora!?” Rarity exclaimed.

“What are y’all doin’ here!?” Applejack added on, looking at the zebra, Daring, and three previously missing fillies.

The elder nymph gave a small laugh. “Come inside, dear ponies, I shall explain all that I can.”

Inside the elder’s home, it was set up much like Zecora’s hut, only with more space, ingredients, and it was wasn’t in the Everfree Forest, so much less creepy. The ponies sat with their sisters held close, a tidal wave of relief coming over them for finally having them by their sides.

The old nymph walked around and sat at the head of their circle. “My name is Aura Song,” she introduced herself. “Many moons ago, our kind chose to leave the realm of Equestria to the ponies, but it would not be so easy as to disappear. Our sacred treasure, what you have come to call ‘The Sapphire Stone’, was not always as decorative as it is today.”

“Decorative?” Rarity asked, wanting clarification.

“The blue stone at the center, that is the treasure.” Aura Song continued. “The idol-like relic holding it was designed to keep its power contained.”

Rainbow squinted. “Power? What power?”

Aura took up a pouch and emptied some green powder onto her paw, tossing it into the cauldron in front of her which already had a mixture inside it. A plume of smoke shot up from it, from which the older sister ponies flinched.

“Long ago, far beyond the histories of your Equestria’s books, a great evil harnessed divine powers to destroy the known world in the form of five, magic stones.” Aura told them, the plume of smoke forming the image of a shadow with red eyes, then, the smoke changed into five objects hovering in a pentagon-like circle. “Deception…” Applejack shied away at the word. “Greed.” This time, Rarity looked away. “Cruelty. Sorrow. And Fear.” Rainbow cringed away, the icy fangs of her own fear still having a grip deep down inside. “It was with these powers united that this being discovered the sixth, the greatest form of evil and shadows that the world will ever know….” The smoke made a sixth object appear at the center, but then the objects all blew away, as if in the wind. Aura Song closed her eyes and the smoke dissipated as it rose out of sight.

“Elder….?” Daring asked.

“The Sapphire Stone brought about such great sadness in our lives…for it was one of those magic stones used so long ago.” Aura said softly. “To be rid of it, we the nymphs had to make a great sacrifice. We bound the stone with all the magic we could muster, and hid ourselves away from the world, forever.”

“So….” AJ asked. “What would happen if that there stone was removed from its idol?”

Aura feared the very thought of it. “Great sorrow, my dear Applejack. Even the happiest of souls would feel the greatest of sorrow.”

“These magic stones,” Rainbow asked her. “What did they look like?”

“The others?” Aura asked. “I couldn’t know. They were dispersed to all the great races of the world before Equestria, after the cataclysmic event that separated us for many millennia. We, the nymphs, were left with Sorrow.”

Rainbow’s mind was still rattled from before, but the pieces all seemed to be there; deception, greed, cruelty, sorrow….fear, and….a sixth. “What was the sixth? You said it was the greatest form of evil in the world.”

Aura slowly shook her head. “We do not know. All we know is that once the five have been brought together….a spark shall reveal the sixth.”

Author's Note

Hey there everypony!
This site's new update is awesome, isn't it?
So the banners have been called and the war will soon begin in the east, can Twilight and co. get there in time to stop it?
Also, the CMC and Zecora have finally been found, along with Daring Do! And to top it off, they've found the lost village of Sunveil!
Though it came at a price....now all of the crystals have taken part in what's happened to the five of the Mane Six who received them, what does it all mean?
See you all next week!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 13

So many things to think about; the Elements of Harmony weakening, the CMCs and Zecora having gone missing, and the potential battle they were moving to prevent. When will this cycle end? Would it ever end at all? How were they going to stay together though it? Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack left to find their sisters, Discord had disappeared after the catastrophe at the Grand Summit, Daring Do having not been heard from for months? It was all so overwhelming.

The Friendship Express rocketed onward, its emergency travel forcing it to skip the various stations along the way as it zipped north-east in the direction of the crossing by Rainbow Falls.

Fluttershy and Shadow sat together, talking over what they thought they could do to help upon arriving. Pinkie and Starlight continued examining their map, trying to predict where the two armies would meet, wanting to be sure they were going to the right place. Spike was off in an attempt to bring them all some drinks, as they had been on the train for hours. Twilight sat looking out the window as Starfall sat across from her, worried about the princess.

“Twilight?” Starfall asked her, earning a look from her. “It’s going to be alright.”

“Even if we stop the war,” she replied, looking back out the window with a defeated look on her face. “How are we going to deal with all of this? There’s too much… I don’t know if I can…”

Starfall stood, crossed the train booth, and sat beside her. “We’ll just have to solve each problem as they come,” he said, somewhat thankful that the others couldn’t hear them. “You’re really good at that.”

She looked to him again. “But the girls… there is something wrong with them, they haven’t been themselves… something is happening, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“You’re right,” he said, sitting back a bit. “There is something happening to them, but you need to keep a brave face and be their pillar of strength now.”

Her ears fell flat to her head. “I’m just… so exhausted…”

Starfall could never be one of those guards that stands at attention and remains silent when facing the princesses like this, it was against his nature. Seeing her so spent, worried, and frightened shook his very core.

“We will stop this war,” A determined spark in his voice grasped Twilight’s attention. “And when we get back home, Starlight and I will take care of everything, so that you and the girls can rest.”

“Starfall…” Twilight began to say. “I couldn’t ask-”

He shook his head. “You won’t have to. You’ve been carrying all of this responsibility alone for too long, so you are going to rest, and I will carry it for you.” Twilight was about to say something, but she stopped herself, looking down slightly. Starfall rested a hoof on her shoulder. “Sleep. I will wake you when we get there.”

The princess only replied with a small nod, lying her head down as her entire body finally loosened up, having been tense this whole time. Her royal guard looked down upon her, taking in a deep breath as he stood.

“Alright,” he said to everypony. “Let’s all move up one cart to give Twilight some peace and quiet.”

No pony said a word, they all just nodded, trotting out to give the overworked princess the few hours of rest that she could get. Twilight, with her head rested on the cushion, smiled faintly.

The Hyperborean Mountains rose up high to the west of the tracks, the station coming into sight. There was no telling how much Gilda and Scorch managed to stall the armies, but they had now come up with a pretty good idea as to where the forces would meet, unfortunately, they were trotting a razor-thin line in terms of time.

Starfall, very gently, shook Twilight, whose eyes fluttered open slowly. “We’re here Twilight.”

She nodded to him, sitting up and stretching as she looked out the window. “Is everypony else ready?” she managed to ask before a yawn escaped her.

“They are,” he replied. “All up and ready to go.”

Twilight hopped down from her seat, beginning to trot over to the door, stopping in front of her royal guard first. “Thank you, I needed the sleep.” She said, thankful to have gotten some shut eye before everything began.

She continued on and Starfall followed behind her, a smile on his face.

As the train came screeching to a halt, the doors opened and everypony went galloping out, with Spike up on Starfall’s back. The station was still a sizeable distance away from where they needed to be, so they made haste to the south.

“Gilda,” King Gale said angrily. “This is the third time you’ve claimed that the dragons have been advancing on our position, but our scouts have once again found nothing!”

Gilda huffed, looking away. “They must keep flying out towards us to psyche us out or something!” she lied, crossing her arms. “I say you should order one more scout run before we continue to the coast.”

The king slammed his talon down on the ground. “No! Enough of these games! Commander! Resume march, the sooner we get to the sea, the sooner we can cross and invade that smoldering wasteland!” The commander griffon saluted the king and exited the tent.

“King Gale, I don’t think we should-” Gilda began to say.

“Silence.” Gale cut her off, turning to her. “I know what you are doing, Gilda.”

Gilda grimaced, but then scowled and looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude!”

The king circled her to the tent entrance, walking out as she followed. “Your friends, the ponies, may indeed not be responsible for the attempt on my life, but the dragons are not worth your protection. What good will stalling the march do for Equestria?”

He nailed it right on the head, and she could tell he wasn’t just guessing; Gale had a distinct air about him when he was serious. “A war between griffons and dragons won’t solve anything!” Gilda tried reasoning with him, no longer covert since he figured it out. “And even if fighting them would solve all our problems, they're dragons! Fighting is what they do! We can’t win against them!”

“Fear before a battle is normal, Gilda.” Gale said harshly, ignoring the urgency in her plea. “And dethroning that fork-tongued, blue brat would almost make this war worth it alone.” He growled, looking out at the troops as they began forming ranks again. “Now, rejoin your division, by dusk tomorrow we will have reached Fireglow and begin the siege.”

Standing firmly behind the king, Gilda replied, “No.”

Gale’s eyes widened and he turned abruptly. “What did you say?”

“I said no.” Gilda repeated, standing fast. “I will not follow you, and neither should any griffon.”

“Careful, girl.” He snarled, his eyes narrowing. “You speak to your king.”

Gilda returned his glare, not backing down. “You are no king of mine.” Turning, Gilda took to the skies, making a few of the king’s guard step forward.

Gale waved them off. “Don’t bother,” he growled. “She’s too fast for any of you to capture, and it wouldn’t matter; we don’t need her.” Turning back around, he spread his wings. “With me soldiers! Now, fly with me to war!”

Ember sat on a rock facing the coast. She sat silently, her gaze across the water focused, yet calm. She hoped that none of this affected her relationship with the ponies, but this was beyond friendship, this was war.

Scorch approached her from behind, sitting beside the Dragon Lord. “Ember? They are ready, just as you commanded.”

The blue dragoness didn’t move, she just nodded. “Good, we take flight immediately.”

“Yes, Ember.” She replied, moving to get up.

Ember turned to her. “Scorch wait…” she said, stopping her second-in-command. “What would you do if you were the Dragon Lord?”

Having not expected such a question, the silver dragoness took a moment to respond. “Honestly? Believe the ponies, find a better way than this.”

“Never took you for the peaceful resolution type.” Ember scoffed.

Scorch scowled a little in return, but smirked a bit. “Been hanging around your friends too much.”

The two shared a laugh, which they hadn’t done in a long time. The laugh died down and they both looked out across the water. The sun was high in the sky, there was still a long way to go.

“Can’t be stopped now...” Ember said quietly. “It’s too late for peace.”

Her friend nodded in return. “Maybe.” She said with a sigh. Scorch patted Ember on the shoulder before rising and walking off from the sandy beach.

Ember was left pondering to herself, her mind all over the place. Listening to the waves crashing against the shores made her stop and listen, closing her eyes. Garble watched her carefully, wondering what she was doing. He had been standing there, keeping a weather eye out while the Dragon Lord was sitting alone.

“What would you tell me, Garble?” she asked without turning.

The red dragon remained silent at first, but then puffed smoke out from his nose. “It’s because of situations like this that I’m glad you beat me in the Gauntlet of Fire.” He replied, his wings shuffling a bit as the sea breeze created an updraft beneath them.

Ember chuckled at the mention of it, looking back at him. “You wouldn’t just say to just charge in and attack the griffons like my father?”

Garble eyed her, and then looked out across the water to avert his gaze. “Scorch was right, wimpy ponies are getting their nonsense into my head too.”

Again, Ember started to laugh. Garble cracked a smile, unable to resist as his Dragon Lord enjoyed what time they had left before the clash. She stopped, looking up in the sky as she realized it was time. Spreading her wings, she took flight, her red guard following after her.

As her shadow passed over the water, hundreds upon thousands of others followed after. The dragon horde took flight north, towards the Griffon Kingdom.

The sun began setting on the horizon, setting the land below ablaze with crimson light. Just beyond the coast of the sea between the Dragon Lands and the Griffon Kingdom. It was a clearing along the road, surrounded by the vast forest engulfing most of the lowlands.

The ground trembled, animals looking up and fleeing from the open. To the north, from the tree line emerged the ranks of the griffon army, marching as an orderly host. Each had on identical sets of armor, forged as a symbol of power for the new king, and the kingdom they were charged to defend. In front of that army, King Gale led his soldiers, a scowl on his face as he looked out across the open field.

From the south descended the masses of the dragon horde from the sky. Some were armored, but most chose to arm themselves only with their claws and fangs. There was no order in their assembly, they landed down on the southern end of the open field, snarling, growling, and some of them breathing fire up into the air. Ember stood in front of them all, returning the sharp glare across the field at the griffon king.

There was a stillness in the air as the two forces stared each other down. The field quickly became void of wildlife, the tension razing all of the beauty and elegance of the land straight to the ground. The dragons clawed at and scarred the earth below them, itching for the chance to attack, while the griffons stood still, keeping to their ranks.

Though they were too far off, the Griffon King and the Dragon Lord honed in and focused on one another. This was how things would be settled, this was how the rivalry between their kinds would finally end.

The dragons roared and hissed, all too eager for Ember to give the command, but she did not. In a moment of hope on her part, she waited, wanting to see a sign, any sign of peace from their adversaries.

Gale watched as the enemy did not act, as if baiting him to begin. He sneered from underneath his helmet. “Very well.” He growled. Spreading his wings, the griffon army took a step forward, releasing a war-cry all at once that echoed out far across the land. Reeling up on his hind legs, Gale cried out, “ATTACK!” The ranks of griffons followed their king, rushing forward while holding their lines.

Ember, after a shake of her head, roared out as loud as she could, the dragons behind her doing the same. She spread her wings and took off towards the opposing army, the horde doing the same. Garble made sure to keep close to her, knowing that this was going to be his defining moment.

It was like everything else in the world went silent as the two forces rushed towards one another. The earth trembled from the march, and the wind picked up from the beat of strong wings. The setting sun continued to lower further and further as the armies drew closer. Ember felt her heart racing, just as Gale did, their warriors prepared to fight until the end. Just as the sun’s final light disappeared from the land, the griffons and the dragons collided.

Crashing into each other, the sound of metal striking metal and flesh pounding flesh rang out like a series of war drums. Just as it always had, the battlefield swiftly turned into chaos. The overwhelming strength and ferocity of the dragons was met by the orderly, and well armored tactics of the griffons. Shouts and cries echoed all around them, the fine line between their forces immediately giving way.

Fortunately, the dragons outraced Ember and she struck the line from behind the defense of several of her own. Though not eager to fight, she tore past her dragons and joined them in the frontlines, refusing to sit and watch from afar. Garble was a monstrous sight to behold, careening through the griffons like a hurricane as he protected his Dragon Lord.

Gale managed to keep in front as the armies clashed, but soon found himself pulled back behind the griffon’s first few lines for his own safety. He worked his way back forward, but found difficulty in navigating through his own forces. He did, however, quickly spot Ember and worked his way in her direction.

It wasn’t long before the griffon king passed through his lines, coming face to face with the Dragon Lord, who was already winded from her endeavors at the front. Gale struck her off her claws and down onto the ground, but before he could pursue her, he found himself heaved backwards. Garble was quick to follow this up with a claw strike to the king’s head, bashing him backwards and sending his helmet flying off of him. He rose, one eye squinting through pain, the red dragon standing firmly between him and Ember.

“I’m gonna enjoy this…” Grable growled, advancing on him.

Gale snarled back, moving forward as well. “Come and try then!”

Suddenly, a wall of magic rose in between them, splitting the two armies apart perfectly, and running from the back side of the field all the way to the roadway, where six ponies and one small dragon stood. All heads on the battlefield turned to them.

Twilight and Starlight both finished casting their co-op spell, the wall pulsing as it disappeared, sending the two forces backwards a few yards, separating them further.

“Stop this now!” Twilight shouted, soaring down in between the two armies. “We can explain everything that’s happened!”

“Twilight…?” Ember said as Garble helped her back up.

“You?” Gale growled. “Get out of our way! It’s too late for explanations!”

Everypony else galloped up to join Twilight. “She’s right!” Starlight added in. “And we can prove it!”

The dragons all muttered to themselves as the griffons looked around at one another. Gale began to lose his temper, his beak curling in a snarl, but then Gilda landed down in front of him, a stern look on her face.

“You are all gonna listen to what they have to say!” she shouted, keeping her glare on the king. “All of you.”

Ember looked back at the dragons, who all looked to her. She was still trying to catch her breath, so she just nodded, all of them backing down. With the tension temporarily brought down, the ponies were able to take a breather themselves, having just galloped all the way from the station.

All of this started with the three attacks on the nations; the dragons raiding Equestria, the griffons advancing into the Dragon Lands, and the unicorn that attacked Griffonstone. When we spoke to eye witnesses from the attacks, we discovered something strange.

The dragons raiding Equestria didn’t plunder any goods they found, which could have included gemstones. The griffons that advanced into the Dragon Lands managed to force the dragons to flee, but then withdrew back to the north without claiming the area, or remaining to await reinforcements, which the griffons are known very well for being battle tacticians.

And then there’s the unicorn attack; eyewitnesses claimed that the unicorn defeated the guards and managed to infiltrate the castle by only using magic. When I sent Gilda to watch over King Gale for any aggressive acts towards the dragons, I asked her to question the guards who were attacked about the unicorn and write me back what she found out. In her letter, Gilda stated that the guards were haunted by terrifying visions and sounds, rendering them useless as the unicorn entered the castle unchallenged. Then King Gale claims the unicorn to have made an attempt on his life, even though after successfully infiltrating the castle, the unicorn teleported to escape. So after flawlessly making a public appearance of attacking the castle and having an easy opening to attack you, King Gale, the unicorn disappeared, allowing you to assume that Canterlot was behind the attack.

Let’s fast forward to the third day of the Grand Summit. Just as Discord managed to force you to all listen and talk to each other, he is mysteriously left incapacitated as random griffons and dragons from both of your armies moved to attack Gale and Ember. And then, instead of those attackers being captured and questioned for acting out without your orders, everyone then acts out against your orders and the brawl began. After researching this with Starlight, my suspicions were confirmed by Princess Celestia in that the magic used during the summit to inflict this upon everyone was indeed dark magic. The same dark magic that caused the griffon guards to be unable to protect the castle, and the same dark magic that created the phantoms of those griffons and dragons that attacked the Dragon Lands and Equestria ALL at the same time.

So, in conclusion, the unicorn that attacked Griffonstone did so while casting dark magic to place all three of our nations into a state of war with one another. Then, when the two of you showed more hostility against each other at the summit, decided to only target you two, and leave the ponies out of it. Not only are the ponies of Equestria innocent, but so are all of the dragons and griffons.

As Twilight finished, the griffons and dragons around her all mumbled to each other, not able to find a flaw in her explanation. The dragons found it a bit boring, but couldn’t deny her point, no matter how hard they tried. The griffons looked more than convinced, all but King Gale.

“No one unicorn could pull all of that off.” He huffed, eyeing them all with skepticism. “How do we know what you say is even possible?”

Twilight and Starlight both looked at each other and nodded at the same time. Touching their horns together, they focused hard, their magic aura becoming dark and twisted. A magic beam shot out from them as they copied the spell that they described. Several dozen griffons and dragons became trapped in horrific nightmares, unable to move, as phantasms formed depicting them, flying overhead and disappearing in a matter of seconds. King Gale was left wide-eyed in disbelief at what the dark magic could do.

Stopping the spell, all of its effects became canceled. Twilight then turned back to him. “You see? Whoever that unicorn was had more than enough magical talent to cast these spells and put us all on the path to war.”

Everyone began muttering again, but this time, King Gale kept his beak shut. Ember looked to Twilight, so incredibly happy that she was able to do it, despite Ember’s own disbelief.

Pinkie let out a sigh of relief as Fluttershy looked over to Shadow, a big smile on her face. Shadow smiled in return, but suddenly, his smile disappeared. Everything became so dizzy, and the world darkened around him, his vision and other senses going blurry.

Fluttershy cried out to Twilight, who came galloping over as quickly as she could, but Shadow blacked out before the princess reached him.

Even though he knew that the timing of this was once again horrendous, Shadow eagerly looked around, seeing nothing. The tension had been extinguished, and the battle ended, so that made this much less stressful for him.

As always, his vision slowly starting coming first. The sky was dark, overcast as the clouds above threatened the land with rain and thunder. As it came more into focus, Shadow could see that he was running quickly, down the mountain he came to realize was his home. His hearing slowly came, and all there was to hear was him wheezing and gasping for air, like he had been crying.

What is this? What was going on now? He didn’t have long to wonder, as he felt his hoof catch a stone and his entire body crashed down onto the cold ground. He just lied there, his eyes blurry, but not from the vision, from the fact that they had tears in them.

“Erebus!” sounded off a voice from behind him, the sound of quick hoof steps following afterwards.

“Get away from me!” he shouted in reply, his entire body trembling. “It’s all my fault… everything that’s happened… it’s all because of me…”

Whoever it was had stopped moving towards him. “No, Erebus, none of it is your fault.” She said softly, trying to soothe him. “Please, don’t go…”

The tears flowed out without resistance as Shadow felt it all at once, all of the fear that was building up inside of him all those years ago. “I have to…” he said, slowly standing back up without turning. “I have no place here… I can’t do anything right… I’m a terrible pony…”

Shadow watched in utter silence, both in mind and in words. It began to rain, the thunder rolling across the sky. As the water dripped from his lowered head, it soaked the ground beneath him, now void of his shadow because of all the darkness.

Two white-furred arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a warm embrace. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back on what he could only imagine was her chest. “You’re not a terrible pony… you’re my brother, and I love you.”

Opening his eyes, he could see the outline of her head, looking down upon him with a warm smile, although she too was crying softly. “I love you too, Etherus… goodbye…”

Breaking free of her embrace, Shadow felt himself go into full gallop away from the mountain. As he ran, he didn’t look back, he galloped as hard and as fast as he could, the rain drenching his fur and blending in with his tears. It was as he ran that his vision began to blur out, his hearing fading as well, but he had no response, Shadow was left in a complete state of shock after seeing all of it. He felt the darkness take him, so unsure of his past and who he really was.

Shadow opened his eyes, seeing Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Spike looking down at him. There was a voided look in his eyes, the combination of fear and sadness conquering him. Starfall was the first to help him up from behind, everypony was asking him questions, but he couldn’t hear them… or rather, he chose not to. He just remained there in silence, left wondering about what this vision meant for him.

Twilight, remembering what Celestia had told her, gasped. “We need to get back to Ponyville! Now!”

Garble picked Shadow up as the others were helped by dragons and griffons alike, all flying with haste back to the train station.

Author's Note

Hey there everypony!
That was a close one, huh? Just as the battle begins, BAM, super princess/protegee magic power!
The war may be over, but now Shadow has experienced the fifth memory, what does that mean for him and our pony heroes? And just who is this mysterious sister of his?
See you all next week!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 14

Twilight had sent a letter to the princesses about how they prevented the war, and griffon messengers flew west to help spread the word as the Friendship Express looped around north and back down towards Ponyville.

Mayor Mare, having had just finished Winter Wrap Up, organized for a grand celebration to be held in honor of the princess and her friends bringing an end to what could have been a second Great Eastern War. Ponies all over town pitched in, with their first breaths of spring, to decorate Ponyville and make it as welcoming as can be for Princess Twilight’s return.

They had to wait a few hours at the Griffonstone station for the train to come, and the stops along the way made the trip take a bit longer. As the train arrived at the Ponyville station, dozens of ponies gathered, while most others continued to ready the town for the celebration. Twilight emerged with a bit of haste in her step, but stopped as the surprise of everypony rendered her shocked. Fluttershy and Shadow came off after her, while she had her wing up and over him, he was still out of it quite a bit, but he was much better than before when the vision hit him after the battle. Everypony else emerged from the train and Pinkie Pie immediately felt her enormous smile reach both sides of her head as she squealed.

“Teeeeheeeheheheee!” She then shouted out. “Woohoo! PARTY TIME!”

Twilight offered a small smile at the welcome, but it didn’t last. “Thank you so much everypony, but-” She stopped when Starlight tapped her, shaking her head. Twilight caught on, turning back to all of them. “…how could you possibly hope to plan this party without…” She lifted her hoof to her pink friend beside her. “PINKIE PIE!”

Pinkie temporarily felt her happiness come soaring back to her as her face lit up. “YESSS!” She hoof pumped and jumped forward, hugging a few ponies all at once. “Now let’s go plan a party!” She released them and began hopping down towards Town Square, everypony in the crowd following her.

“Alright…” Twilight said, looking over at everypony else. “Let’s all go to the castle, maybe Moon Frost can help tell us where Rainbow, AJ, and Rarity went.”

They all took off in full gallop to the castle, which had also been decorated for the big celebration. Twilight ran inside, looking up and around.

“Moon Frost!?” She called out. “Moon Frost, we need your help!”

Her voice then came from the throne room. “In here, Princess.”

Opening the door, Twilight was met with the sight of Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, all three of the CMCs, Zecora, and Daring Do, all sitting with Moon Frost at the center.

“Girls!” Twilight exclaimed, galloping over to the three of them as they stood and gave a group hug. She then looked over at the fillies, who stood smiling up at her. “You found them!”

“Yup, sure did!” AJ chuckled.

Rarity rubbed Sweetie Belle’s head. “Nothing could keep us apart.”

Twilight then looked to Rainbow, surprised that she didn’t speak up first, boasting about their success. “Sorry for leaving without telling you…” Rainbow instead replied. “We heard that you had to go stop a battle… I didn’t want-”

She was interrupted as the princess hugged her individually, just happy she was safe after seeing what happened to Shadow. “None of that matters now, we’re all here, and-” That was when she first really absorbed the fact that Zecora and Daring were standing there too. “Zecora…! Daring!” She released the pegasus and ran to them, giving them a hug too.

Daring chuckled as she patted Twilight’s shoulder. “Sorry about running off without saying a word, I thought I could stop Stormclaw myself… but I was wrong.”

“B-but….” Twilight said, stepping back from them. “How are you here? Zecora, why did you disappear after Hearth’s Warming?”

The zebra shook her head. “I’ve been gone for much longer than you have known, in that time I have seen just how much the shadows have grown.” She looked down at the map, far to the south and to the table’s very edge. “In my absence, a deceiver had taken my place. A name you know well behind the guise of my face.”

Twilight looked confused, but then her eyes widened as she gasped. “Chrysalis!? She was here pretending to be you!? Why? When?”

Apple Bloom then stepped up. “She’s been posin’ as Zecora ever since y’all went to the castle ruins and met Shadow for the first time.” She explained, having gotten the run down from Zecora and put two and two together. “She’s the one that stole the Alicorn Amulet, not Zecora.”

Chrysalis was here? All that time… she was right there under Twilight’s very nose? “What could she possibly have to gain from all of this? I don’t understand.”

Zecora slowly shook her head as Sweetie Belle continued for her. “We haven’t been able to figure that part out.”

Starfall looked over at Twilight, seeing the massive storm of concern that was lingering, but also, a calmness through it. He couldn’t explain it, she just looked so… relieved at hearing all of this. She took a deep breath and lifted her hoof as she did her calming technique. “We can worry about that later, the important thing is that you’re all safe… for now, that’s all that matters to me.”

The party’s epicenter focused around Ponyville Square, where there were tents and stalls set up as ponies played games and sat together eating sweets provided by the bakery and other shops from around town. There were celebrations going on like this all over Equestria, the ponies reveling in the princesses’ success of putting an end to the war.

Although the festivities were fun and Twilight was relieved at finally having everypony together… she began to take more notice to the strange behaviors of her five friends.

Applejack smiled and chuckled as her big brother and little sister enjoyed the party, but she seemed withdrawn, distant even, as she engaged in none of the activities herself. She almost never kept thing hidden from them anymore, always confiding in them her problems as she found difficulty with them, but this time was different. Whatever this was that’s upsetting her, it crippled her morale and effort in what she did, especially around her friends and family.

Rarity was staying with Sweetie Belle throughout most of it, looking to her very often with a somewhat troubled gaze when the filly wasn’t looking. She was never one to withhold her opinion and offer to help, but now she was silent, stricken, almost completely detached from how she normally acted. She didn’t mention her new gala line of clothes, had nothing to say about what ponies were wearing as they trotted around, and didn’t even bother expressing her excitement for the gala itself… which was so very unlike her.

Fluttershy, although smiling and being mostly herself around Shadow, only seemed to be doing so for him. Whenever the shadow pony was gone from her side, she became very withdrawn… even more than usual. No greetings or checking up on her friends, no worried expressions about how others were feeling, it was all just gone. She was keeping to herself almost all of the time now, only ever slightly changing when around her closer friends.

Pinkie Pie, which was probably the most difficult to notice, also behaved rather strangely. Yes, she was still upbeat and happy to help, hopping and prancing around to make sure everypony was laughing and having fun… but this time was different. She seemed to be doing so out of desperation rather than pleasure. She wasn’t getting up in anypony’s face or singing or even trying to be center of attention. Operating from outside the spectrum, in a very careful way, she worked to make everypony happy, but a trained eye could tell that she was doing all of it to feel better herself.

Rainbow Dash was the most shocking of the five, at least to Twilight. No boasting, no showing off, and no saying ‘awesome’. This wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t obviously stem from a suppressor. She wasn’t stepping up for any challenges, wasn’t pushing ponies to do better as they played the games, and wasn’t even interested in hearing about what happened at the battle between the griffons and the dragons which, for literally anypony that knew her, was a huge shock. Her drive was almost non-existent, but he did follow Scootaloo around, smiling and laughing as often as she could to make the filly happy.

Twilight watched all of this unfold, concerned about what it meant. It would be a lie if she said that during the entire celebration, her mind was on them instead of having fun. It didn’t help that she was exhausted, however. She trotted around with them, Starlight, and Spike, but couldn’t get the issue out of her mind.

Starlight went off with Trixie to play some games. Spike ended up following Rarity and Sweetie around, and the rest of her friends seemed to just spread out among the festivities. It was during this time that she realized she hadn’t seen Starfall. Looking to the castle, she trotted over in its direction, leaving the party as evening set in, the day growing old.

Starfall stood in the throne room, sorting letters to the princess from all over Equestria in thanks, as well as inquiries from the delegates of the various cities regarding the effects that their announcements of the war had on their inhabitants. It was a mountain of work, but Starfall, having learned from the master of organization herself, was able to keep it all in check, doing his best to be sure Twilight had absolutely no work to do when she returned. Moon Frost sat in one of the thrones, helping him to organize them so he wasn’t working alone.

“Moon,” he said to her, a thankful expression on his face. “I’m very grateful you want to help… but you should go enjoy the celebration, this must be the most boring vacation in history for you.”

Moon Frost chuckled just a bit. “Unfortunately for me, there aren’t mysteries waiting to be solved every day in Manehattan, so I’m used to work like this.” She peered over at him. “I’m happy to help Starfall, and… I’m not too big on attending giant parties anyway.”

Starfall managed a smile. “Well, thank you… you are making this about a thousand times easier for me.”

Twilight opened the door to the throne room, making her guard stop as he had just picked up another scroll. “Starfall, what are you doing?” She asked him, looking around at all of the letters and scrolls. “Are you… organizing my workload for me?”

With a small, uneasy chuckle, Starfall nodded. “….yes?”

“That’s… that’s so nice of you.” The princess said, smiling at him. “But you don’t have to miss out on the party just to do my work.”

Starfall shook his head. “You and Starlight both stopped a war, so once you are done celebrating, I’m going to make sure that there is nothing standing between you and a good night’s rest. I did promise you that, and I don’t intend on going back on that promise.”

Not able to find the words at first, Twilight looked over to Moon Frost, who nodded to her. “Go enjoy your party, princess, we can handle this.”

Twilight turned back to Starfall, who smiled to her with a blazing set of confidence that made her feel… better, as if it actually lifted the burdening weight from her shoulders. “I think… I may just turn in for the night, I do have a lot of sleep to catch up on.”

Starfall nodded to her. “Good night then, princess.”

“Twilight.” She said, correcting him.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Good night, Twilight.”

Walking out from the room, Twilight began to climb her stairs, the weariness setting in. Even with sleep approaching, her thoughts continued swirling about in her head. Why had she rejected having a royal guard before? How much better could her reign have been if Starfall had been there for her since the start? With her friends struggling with these troubles, Twilight had begun having to face these mysteries herself, only ever aided by Starlight and Spike. Now she saw that Starfall was carrying her, shouldering whatever he could to help her. He barely ever slept now, protected her every day, and was a true, genuine friend.

The very thought of him now made her smile. He was doing all of this, every bit of it for her and her friends, and never once needed to hear her thanks. All of these thoughts continued to amass and storm about in her head, blocking out most everything else.

As she opened the door to her room and walked in, her ears slowly flattened to her head, her exhaustion now taking hold. She crawled into her bed and closed her eyes, finally having a complete, unstressed moment to rest.

It had been several days now since Celestia last ascended the mountain to speak with the pony at its peak. Flying there now, in the spring weather, made the journey a more soothing one. Now that the war was over, she felt she could focus less on the turmoil in the east, and more on the shadows surrounding Twilight and her friends.

Landing down onto the grassy flattop, she glanced around, not seeing the crystal pony. Walking to the summit’s edge, she peered down across the land, the spring colors filling it with more life as opposed to the snowy expanse from before. Turning to the ruins, she stopped as she spotted the pony, standing just inside the entrance and walking in.

Following her, Celestia entered to find her sitting in front of one of the only temple walls that wasn’t completely eroded. An intricate symbol was etched into the stone and, though faded, there were runes all around that symbol, which depicted a sun and moon appearing to be shining their light down upon the area in which the mysterious pony sat.

“I am sorry I could not come visit you sooner,” Celestia said to her, walking up to and sitting in front of her. “I had rather distressing matters to attend to.”

The pony offered a small smile. “I understand, the responsibilities of a princess are great, but I am glad to see you’ve returned.”

Celestia sighed. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to search for Arkane, he seems to be hiding away from us now.”

In response, the crystal pony shook her head. “Finding him is unnecessary, for I have already told, try or not, only he can choose how his path ends. All of the world could stand against him and his destiny would still hinge on one decision; the choice between the light and the shadows.”

“I don’t understand…” Celestia said, looking down and shaking her head. “How can we stop what is to come if we don’t stand in his way?”

The pony looked upon the princess with bright eyes and another small smile. “If we were to stand in the way of a pony’s or dragon’s shadowy dreams, his desire to fulfill them will only grow. But if he was shown a brighter dream, not by force, but by example, perhaps the choice he eventually faces will make him wonder if the shadows is what he truly wants.”

Celestia looked up at her, so many questions left unanswered. “I met him… I saw what devotion he has to achieving this evil… I do not know if it something we can change.”

Lifting her hoof up onto Celestia’s shoulder, the pony nodded. “Anyone can change.”

There were no words, and so she just nodded in return. To have such a powerful connection to hope and light, so much so to see the light within a blackened soul… this pony was something unbelievable.

Tilting her head, the pony looked upon Celestia, still smiling. A brief flutter in the air made the pony blink a few times, and then look up at the symbol etched on the wall, turning back to the princess. “I’m afraid my time is coming to its end…” Celestia looked up at her, confused. “I have something beyond this door for you, princess of Equestria. Something you will need for the dark days ahead.”

A strange light glowed from the floor where the crystal pony sat, blazing a trail to the wall and making the illustrations of the sun and moon begin to glow their respective colors. Celestia watched as the crystal pony’s mane and tail began to rise, hover as if there was airflow beneath them.

“It has been well over a thousand years since the last time this door has opened,” She said, her voice becoming stronger, not louder, just more commanding and elegant. “A great unicorn, a friend of yours, cast a powerful spell upon it to keep it sealed until this moment came.”

Celestia watched as the light from underneath her grew brighter. “W-what unicorn? I have known so many…”

The pony offered a small laugh. “You shall see soon enough.” She stopped then, looking down to Celestia with an almost motherly gaze, her body slowly rising into the air, the light increasing in intensity. “I wished to tell you so much more… for you to know the secrets of our time… the moments we enjoyed that shall always remain forgotten…”

Squinting in confusion, Celestia tried to understand. “What do you mean…?”

“When you first came to me, you were troubled… goodness how long has it been, over a thousand years?” She asked, the silhouette of her body flickering, as if a mirage. “Seeing you and Luna… it reminded me so much of him… my brother…” Celestia found it difficult to see the pony now, but between the blinking and blinding lights, she saw a different pony… a much larger, more beautiful mare… with two great wings and a horn. “Your friendship gave me hope… and therefore, granted you the power of my memories…”

Celestia was so lost, not knowing what to say, until… It all came together in that one moment. Luna? Her brother? Hope? Power of her memories…? Celestia looked up upon her, the bright light folding away to reveal her. “The Elements of Harmony are your memories…” Celestia said quietly. “You are the Tree of Harmony… you are…”

She was a white alicorn, taller even than Celestia. Her mane, a bright galaxy of stars flowing in radiant silver, flowed in the air along with her tail. Her fur was flawless, with small tufts on the crests of her massive wings. Her horn glowed with an aura unlike anything Celestia had ever seen, along with her eyes, which brought forth a comforting power in her heart.

“I am Etherus, the first alicorn alongside my brother, Erebus.” She finally revealed, her voice heavenly and powerful, though the light around her continued to dim. “Although I wanted to tell you so much more… you already have everything you need. My brother stands ready to return, but this time… I will no longer be in his way. For the world to be saved, his decision must be for the light… it is the only way.” As the light faded, Etherus’ form waned.

“N-no, wait!” Celestia called out to her.

Etherus bowed her head to Celestia, the light from her body beginning to shatter upwards, starting down at her hooves. “Always remember… my child,” She said, closing her eyes. “Friendship is magic…” Her entire body became shattered into pieces of light, floating up into the expanse of space, now the darkened, night sky. Once the light faded, the door that was behind Etherus glowed with the light of the sun and moon, parting open, a veil of impenetrable light disappearing from within it.

Celestia watched as the light rose away from her, leaving the ruins in a state of silence and shadows. Slowly, she looked down at the opening made from the door, her heart racing from watching what could well have been the last time Etherus would ever been seen or heard again. Stepping into the tunnel behind the opened door, she descended a spiral staircase.

There was a light growing at the bottom of the stairwell, and once she reached the door at the bottom, she was met with the sight of an ancient study. A long corridor leading to a circular chamber, lit from torches on the walls in between bookcases with scrolls on a center table. As Celestia slowly walked down the corridor, she looked around at it, not knowing what it was or what it meant. When she reached the circular chamber, she spotted a pedestal at its center, upon which a black crystal hovered, dull and lacking any luster.

Celestia approached the crystal, stopping when she stood before it. She knew what it was, the moment of recognizing it just made her speechless and stand there, gazing upon it. “The Etherus Diamond…”

“The sixth crystal… greatest of all evils.” A voice spoke from behind her. Celestia turned, her heart nearly stopping when she saw who it was that was speaking. “A long time ago, a pony came to me with it, begging me to hide it away from the world…” He said, drawing closer. Celestia felt tears fill her eyes, unable to believe who she was looking upon. “I knew you would one day find your way to me… it’s been so long, my friend.”

Author's Note

Shorter chapter this time, gotta start setting up that finale!
Hey there everypony!
Our heroes are FINALLY all together again and there has been a party celebrating the end of the war!
The secret of the Tree of Harmony has been revealed! But who is it that Celestia met in the secret chamber?
So, I'm going on a little trip, but unfortunately I won't be able to upload the next chapter next Saturday. I will be posting Chapter 15 on July 8th and resuming from there. Sorry everypony, just stay excited! Much more to come!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 15

Night reigned across Equestria, the darkness near absolute if not for the light of the moon overhead. Ponies rested peacefully in their beds, the worries of a war lifted from them as they dreamed happily, no longer burdened by the threat. As the night went on, however, two figures flying north to Canterlot Mountain had little to be happy about the war ending.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Chrysalis asked the dragon as they flew through the night. “Without the war to weaken the nations, we will not be able to hold the Crystal Empire long enough to take control of the rest of Equestria.”

Stormclaw grimaced at this. “This Princess Twilight truly is more of a nuisance than I had thought, but fear not; I have another plan.” He looked over at her. “Once we get to the ruins, I’ll elaborate, Sombra will need to hear it as well.”

Chrysalis scowled at the mention of his name. “I don’t want that unicorn ruling a part of our world, it should be just you and me. We don’t need anyone else.”

He smirked at her. “Unfortunately, we do still need him. But it matters not, the moment his usefulness has reached its end, we will dispose of him.” He looked a bit unsure after he said this. “I am no ruler, I told you this.”

“I will rule, and you will be there by my side each step of the way.” She replied, lifting her hoof to his chin as they flew. “You are giving me the crown of the whole world… and in return, I shall become your wife. We shall stand above the entire world, you and I.”

He muffled a chuckle as he brushed her mane back with his claw. “Sounds perfect to me.”

Focusing back on the mountain, Chrysalis had to wonder the immediate question. “So… how are we going to get rid of him?”

Stormclaw dawned an evil smile. “Let me worry about that, if all goes according to plan, we won’t need to concern ourselves about him.”

Chrysalis replied to that with her evil chuckle, this dragon indeed was the perfect match for her. He hated the princesses just as much as she did, he was a masterful planner, perhaps even more so than her, and on top of it all, he was doing all of this to make sure she became queen. There was no down side, no catch, not one she could foresee. When all of this was done, she would be the Queen of the World, have all life bowing before her, and finally have someone to truly live with.

As they approached the ruins, they took notice to the looming shadow below, Sombra stood waiting for them, still cloaked in the thick darkness about him.

“You said your plan was flawless,” He snapped at the dragon. “You said the nations would never work together to find a peace, without a means to weaken Equestria, I shall never rule the Crystal Empire!”

Stormclaw landed alongside Chrysalis, who looked upon the unicorn king with her usual level of disgust. “A minor setback, hardly.” She boasted, fully confident in the dragon’s plan he had. “But it is of little consequence, we have a new plan.”

Sombra rolled his eyes, growling deeply. “Another plan doomed to fail.” He scowled, glaring now at the dragon. “Do not think I haven’t noticed your little scheme in the background; what have you done with my Alicorn Amulet, and the rest of those relics?”

“I have found a way to use them to corrupt Princess Twilight’s friends.” He explained, trying his best to keep his temper in check at the mention of his other plan. “My idea was to create a disunity amongst them, so that they had no chance to halt the war.”

“But they have!” Sombra snarled, stamping his hoof down hard on the grassy ground of the mountain peak. “Princess Twilight and her student single hoofingly calmed both the griffons and the dragons! They even managed to duplicate my spell, it is useless to us now!”

Walking away a few steps, Stormclaw looked deep in thought, pondering these new developments. “I’ve underestimated Princess Twilight… as have most and lived to regret it.” He stopped, turning back around. “But enough of this, it is time to collect what we came here for.” He looked over at the ruins and walked to them, searching and finding the opening rather easily. “What…? How can this be?”

With Chrysalis and Sombra behind him, they delved down into the passage, circling down the stairwell as it led them to the ancient study below. Stormclaw looked confused, glancing around as if it should not have been that easy.

A thought came to mind that made the dragon shake his head. “No… no, no, no!” He ran deeper into the study to the room at the end, the pedestal in the center now empty, the crystal gone. Keeping down a deep growl, he glanced around. “How can this be? No one else knew of this place but me!”

Both of his companions looked confused, not understanding what all of this was. “Stormclaw?” Chrysalis asked. “What is this place? What is it you seek here?”

He turned back to her, calming himself as he thought through who could have it. “An artifact once rested here that would help us acquire our desires, all of us.” He looked around as he continued to think. “It was locked away in here for thousands of years, but the only one who knew about it was-” He stopped, realizing what must have happened.

“Who?” Sombra commanded of him. “Who else knew?”

The dragon said a name under his breath, too quiet for them to hear. “Etherus…” He then turned back to his companions. “Princess Celestia has it, she is the only other one who can.”

Sombra just shook his head. “Then it’s pointless to harp over it, we must think of something else.”

Stormclaw shook his head as well. “No… no, we can still get it. If we can manage to use its power, the three of us shall easily gain what we desire.” He looked to Sombra. “An empire,” He then turned to Chrysalis. “A crown,” Then he turned back to face the bare pedestal. “And a dream.”

“Tell us what to do.” Chrysalis said immediately. “You already have a plan, I can tell.”

Sombra huffed in defiance, but nodded. “If you know a way to attain this power, then let us hear this plan of yours and be done with it.”
He smirked while they couldn’t see his face and ceased it before turning back to face them. “Alright, this is what we must do, but it must be done to the letter, understand?” Both of them nod in reply. “Good. Now, listen carefully…”

Author's Note

Hey there everypony! So good to be back!
Super short chapter, shortest that any will be in the entire series of Lights and Shadows, but that's not to say nothing interesting happens!
The build up to the finale of Part II ends with the next chapter, so I'll see you all next week!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 16

“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Twilight said, surrounded by her friends in the throne room of her castle. “From here we go to Rarity’s boutique to put on our dresses. The gates open promptly at 9:00 pm, so we want to be sure we are all completely ready by 8:00. The carriage will be waiting to-”

Rarity couldn’t help it, grabbing at her own cheeks as she squealed in excitement. “To whisk us away to the Grand Galloping Gala, haha!”

Though the unicorn showed it more, everypony was giddy and excited for the gala. Having not only been placed back on schedule, it would prove to be the first Grand Galloping Gala in Equestrian history to be attended by the Dragon Lord and Griffon King, not to mention Thorax, King of the Changelings, and…

Starlight wasn’t quite as ecstatic as everypony else, offering a sheepish smile, but one that didn’t last long. “Grand Galloping Gala… yeah…” She said quietly, hoping not to draw too much attention from the small crowd of excited friends.

Applejack chuckled a bit. “Ah can’t speak fer y’all, but ah feel more excited for this here gala than any one of ‘em before!”

“Yeah! It’s gonna be so awesome!” Rainbow blurted out, flying around the room as quick as a flash. “My first gala as a Wonderbolt! This is gonna be sweet!”

Laughing lightly, Twilight held up her hoof. “Alright, alright, we’re all very excited, so let’s go over our schedule for the night.” She said, a wide grin on her face as her eyes sparkled. The resulting silence was awkward and cryptic, everypony staring at her with blank expressions and wide eyes. She then laughed again, waving her hoof. “I’m kidding! Like I would try to hyper-manage a night like this?”

Everypony joined in on the laugh, Twilight having gotten them good.

Pinkie jumped up and down rapidly. “Can we go already?! I wanna see my amazing gala dress again!” She giggled, an excited mess as her entire body shook from being so anxious.

“To the boutique!” Rarity called out, raising her hoof high into the air. Starlight tried to resist the rushing crowd, but she was caught up in it as the mares charged out of the room, Spike holding onto Twilight for dear life.

Starfall and Shadow were left by the thrones, both sighing in relief when the girls didn’t notice them not gallop along with them.

Shadow looked to Starfall. “…you nervous about the gala too?”

The royal guard looked to him, his expression not so sure. “Kinda, yeah. I’ve attended before as the guard detail, but never as a… you know.”

Nodding, Shadow looked out the door as the mares disappeared from sight. “I really was excited before, but now that it’s here…” He thought about Fluttershy, how he had not told her about the memories yet. “I don’t know… I almost feel sick to my stomach.”

Starfall chuckled, patting Shadow on the shoulder. “That’s very normal, don’t you worry. It means you’re still excited, super excited, and it feels funny.”

“If you say so…” Shadow replied, now unable to think of a reason not to tell her. “Hey, I think I’m gonna go hang out with the girls before we leave, you coming?” He asked, walking to the door.

Shaking his head with a smile, Starfall shooed him along. “Nah, you go ahead, I’ve got a few things to take care of before tonight.” Shadow continued out of the room and the royal guard’s gaze fell back down to the map as he rested his front hooves on it, a serious expression on his face as he thought hard. “Where in Equestria can that dragon be?” He asked himself, looking to every last corner to try and think out where Stormclaw disappeared to. “Why are you still hiding?”

“Starfall?” Moon Frost asked, walking into the room. “I’m headed back to the station and-” She stopped when she saw him hunched over the map. “Starfall… you can’t worry about that now, go be with the girls, tonight is really important to them.”

He looked to her, stepping his hooves down from the map as he turned. “Wait, so you’re really not coming with us?”

She shook her head, although smiling. “While it would be nice, I have a lot to do in Manehattan.” She then shrugged her shoulders, adding, “That, and I’m still not too keen on crowds. I think you knew that though.”

He sighed, nodding in reply. “Yeah, I can understand that.”

“But don’t you go switching the subject to me,” She chuckled, pointing her hoof at the door. “Get your flank out there and be with your friends, today is supposed to be momentous, not another collection of hours where you stare at the map.” She gestured with her head. “Go, and hurry up too, I’m gonna miss the train.”

He smiled, offering a chuckle as he walked up to her. “You take care of yourself, you hear?” He said, hugging her as she did so in return.

She took in a breath, saying, “Yeah, you too. I’ll see you again soon.”

Nodding he replied, “Looking forward to it.”

Separating, Starfall walked her out, closing the door to the throne room behind them.

Everypony stood in the boutique dressed in their gowns, Rarity having outdone herself, again. As they had been every year, each of them had big smiles on their face as they looked at one another’s dresses and went on about how excited they were.

Fluttershy’s was nature inspired, naturally. The dress flowed a light, almost luminous green color, with the backdrop just barely see through and dotted with flower petals. Thin wreaths of spiraled up each of her hooves, just shy of the gown. Her mane was put up in a style that was reminiscent of a wisteria core vine, elegantly poised with a few strands of her mane trailing off from the side.

Pinkie’s was bright and inviting, to show off her love for partying. The base and trim were different shades of her favorite color, pink, of course. A small top hat rested on her somewhat less crazy-than-usual mane, to remind her of the one she wore on her first gala night. The patterns on the dress all the way down to her tail were meant to inspire a kind of bubbly happiness, and was nearly impossible not to smile at if one wanted to dance.

Applejack’s was modest and more down to earth, but gorgeous none the less. The more rural color scheme and less puffiness than the others made it easy to tell she was more of a country girl, if her accent wasn’t detail enough. Her boots were similar to those she wore at the first gala, but Rarity had improved the design to look more appealing. She was going to try to manage not putting on her hat this time, her mane done up in a basic, yet stylish way, but she wasn’t sure if she would hold out all night before dawning it again.

Rainbow had wanted hers to have more flair this time around, and the designer unicorn knew just what to do. Getting the colors right on Dash’s dress was always the hardest of the six of them, but when it came out in the end, it was always stunning. Edged and trimmed with a cloud-like effect, the gown was rainbow colored. To commemorate her new Wonderbolt status, the sleek, metallic looking folds on her hooves were changed to silver, as well as the wreath crown on her head, curved in front of her ears as her mane was basically designed, flowing down at her side. As an added bit of “awesomeness” as Rarity described, silver flakes were added on Dash’s fur on the sides of her face and down her neck.

Rarity being Rarity, she made her own gown a true ballroom sight to behold. The dark and light shades of blue and purple matched and complimented both her fur and mane, which had been elegantly and perfectly coiled and groomed into a princess-like scene. Her gown collar curved behind her head, and the entire design was fitted with sparkling, appealing gemstones, all small and visually pleasing.

Twilight’s was perhaps more stunning and beautiful than the rest. Layered much like her princess dress from her own coronation, it was fitted to be both regal and inspiring. The back base was purple, with her cutie mark sewn in perfectly as the bottom design, others laced around it and up the sides to the front that were incredible. Amethysts were incorporated, laced into the fabric in a way as to create a kind of glow on the dress when under the right light, but not so much that they are noticed as much as the rest of the gown. The front was similarly designed as the backdrop, only the colors were a bit lighter and a jeweled crest lied just beneath, showing ever so slightly. Her mane was perhaps Rarity’s greatest work, putting most of her other techniques and mane designs to envy.

Starlight stood with them, smiling as often as she could as she glanced down at her own dress. She had practically begged Rarity to make hers not as over the top and amazing as the others, not wanting to be the focus of too much attention. It was much like the first gown Rarity made for her, just a bit darker than the others with bright gems laced into the fabric. The dark colors were designed with a kind of luminescent pattern that become more visible the darker it was around her, making for a dancing effect that would be breath-taking. Her mane was rather simply done up, but it was still pretty and very manageable.

As the girls all giggled and talked, Shadow stood in his own attire, very nervous at the sight of how beautiful they all were. He rolled his shoulder a bit, making sure everything was snug and correct before glancing over at Fluttershy, wanting to tell her, but waiting for the right moment.

Walking to Twilight, Starlight looked a little on edge. “Twilight? Can we talk?”

“Sure thing, Starlight.” She replied, twirling around in her dress to face her, giggling to herself. “Isn’t this so exciting? Your very first trip to the gala!”

Starlight hesitated, but cracked a small smile that lasted a moment. “Yes, well… about that,” She answered, looking down at her hoof as she rubbed the floor with it. “I don’t know if I’m up for this…”

Twilight tilted her head, but only in curiosity. “What makes you say that? You’ve been to social events before, just imagine this will be like your party Pinkie threw to welcome you to Ponyville. Or the celebration when you were awarded the Pink Heart of Courage.”

“But it’s not like them… this is a big night for all of you, but to me…” She paused, taking in a breath.

Lifting her hoof up onto Starlight’s shoulder, Twilight smiled softly. “You can stay by my side all night, I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.” She hugged her, pulling back, still smiling. “You’ll love it Starlight, I just know you will.”

Starlight smiled back, feeling a bit better. Pinkie and Rainbow came careening over and began spewing on about what they had in mind about where to go first while there.

Shadow, after having taken a few deep breaths, watched as Fluttershy stood alone in front of the mirror, making sure everything was perfect on her dress. He walked over and corrected one flaw on the upper part of her shoulder, having been too close to the neck for her to notice.

“Here you go, perfect.” He said, having fixed it.

She smiled and turned to him, blushing just a bit. “Oh, thank you Shadow.”

He paused, having been blushing a bit himself. “I need to tell you something… something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now…”

If she wasn’t red before, she certainly was now. “U-um… okay…” She replied, becoming very still and quiet.

Seeing that everypony else was a safe distance away, Shadow looked at her, showing how ill at ease he was about it. “I’ve been… experiencing these visions…” He paused again, shaking his head. “They happen every time I black out.”

An unsteady breath came out from Fluttershy, having been holding it in. “Oh… you have?” She asked, having thought he was going to talk about something much different. “Are they like the ones from before? The ones you told me about where everything is scary and dark?”

He shook his head, relieved at that, but not quite uplifted yet. “They are memories… of my life before.”

She let out the smallest of gasps, looking back to the other ponies, specifically Twilight, but no pony else had heard them. She turned back to him, the two of them speaking quietly. “Really? Memories from before your imprisonment? What were they, what did you see?”

He squinted as he looked down slightly, then looking back up at her. “I… I wasn’t the best of ponies, but I don’t think I was that bad. I only saw a few, but I still don’t understand why I saw them.”

Fluttershy looked up and away a bit, thinking. “I’m not sure why you would either…”

Shadow looked to the others, and then back to her, wondering. “Do you think we should tell Twilight?”

Looking back at the princess, Fluttershy took notice to how happy she looked. They all knew that she had been taking on more responsibility recently, what with the dragon stealing the relics, the peace summit having been a failure, and the war erupting in the east. After all of this, Fluttershy hoped Twilight would have the night to relax and enjoy herself.

She turned back to Shadow. “Why don’t we wait until after the gala? Not that seeing your memories is a bad thing, but I feel like Twilight may stress about it. Let’s give her tonight to not worry.”

After a short pause, he nodded. “Yeah, afterwards. It looks like she’s really happy… if this turns out to be more trouble than it was worth seeing, I wouldn’t want her night to be ruined.”

Fluttershy offered a warm smile. “Tonight is going to be great, Shadow. I can’t wait for you to finally see it.”

Starfall just then walked in, freezing mid-step as he saw everypony. “Whoa…” He said, having seen ponies dressed up before, but never quite taking the time to focus on them. “You all look incredible.”

They all got giddy at hearing that, more excited than ever now that they got another pony’s opinion. Spike crossed his arms. “Hey, that’s what I said!”

Twilight looked at the little dragon and laughed lightly. “Come on Spike, he’s just being polite.”

“Great minds think alike, ya know?” Applejack offered, chuckling. Spike took a bit of pride in hearing that and puffed out his chest, a victorious look on his face. Everypony then laughed all together, the fun times of the night already got started and the gala hadn’t even begun yet.

As everypony began talking to one another again, Rarity looked to Starfall, walking over to him. “Right this way, Starfall, your attire awaits you!” She said excitedly.

He smiled in return, following her into the next room. “Thanks Rarity.”

Twilight was over near the mirror, giving herself a final check. When she turned back around, she stopped, looking at her friends as they smiled and laughed, looking all excited and pumped for the night to begin. Seeing them like this made her forget about what had been happening to them. Everything that had happened was behind them now, finally they had time to enjoy themselves, and it was tonight, one of the biggest nights of the year. Perhaps the biggest.

She sighed, smiling to herself as she rejoined them, more thrilled for the gala to begin than she had ever been before.

The sun had already begun to fall towards the horizon, and the time was drawing near. With everypony soon to be ready, their eagerness was only building more and more. Worries gone and spirits reinvigorated, the ponies awaited their glorious night to begin.

Author's Note

This is it! The big night is coming!
Our ponies are psyching up for the Grand Galloping Gala, how pumped are we?
Come back next week for the Part II finale of My Little Pony: Lights and Shadows!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 17

With the sun having fallen beyond the horizon, the night began. The hour struck 8, the clock tower in Ponyville ringing its bell to declare it. Darkness took over the land and sky, but spirits soared even higher.

Everypony other than Rarity, Spike, and Starfall had returned to the castle, where the carriages were to arrive. They stood in the entrance hall, all in a half-circle facing the doorway and chatting to one another about their night and what they had planned.

The door to the castle opened wide, earning the gaze of everypony present. Rarity walked in, a proud, fabulous as she would say, look on her face. “May I present our carriage drivers this fine evening?” She lifted her hoof as Spike and Starfall walked up the stairs, turning so their backs were to the open doors, but looking inside towards everypony.

Spike had on his snazzy tuxedo, the one he had been bragging to them about for practically the entire year leading up to the gala. He went with black again, only this time his vest was a fiery red and his cup links were a golden color. His top hat was just a bit shorter than his old one, but this one was black with golden trim and a phoenix feather on its side.

Starfall’s attire was nothing short of magnificent, as was expected from a full-scale new design on Rarity’s part. Taking notes from older, more classical outfits, the pegasus was fitted with a light velvet ballroom coat. The trim and edgings were gold, and there were slots in the coat for his wings, which fit snug to his side, the opening having been made just small enough to not been overly noticeable. The sleeves down his front two legs ended with small, thin white fabric folded back over the velvet, just as it was done in the early times of the gala. His mane wasn’t done up, rather it was brushed and flowed into a more orderly, proper fashion, now sitting neatly on his shoulder.

Everypony happily gasped, admiring Rarity’s hidden work. They were all of them impressed, but none more so than Twilight herself. She had never seen Starfall all dressed up before, and this look fitted him really well.

“Now then, girls,” Rarity told them, having been waiting to say this once again. “Let’s go to the gala!”

The ponies, Shadow, and Spike all walked out to the two carriages, one in front of the other. Twilight trailed behind them, stopping just in front of Starfall. “Wow, Starfall… no wonder you were so adamant about not shopping for a tux.”

He smiled in return. “Wanted it to be a surprise.” He said, turning so they were side by side and lifting up his hoof to her. “Shall we?”

She smiled warmly in return, resting her hoof on his as he walked her to the carriages. Since there were ten of them all traveling to the gala together, the carriages were transporting four ponies each, with the fifth passenger as the driver. The stallions pulling the carriages were more than happy to do so for their friends.

Spike drove the first carriage, with Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack inside. Starfall drove the second, which carried Twilight, Starlight, Fluttershy, and Shadow. With everypony in and ready to go, the stallions pulled the carriage north on the road, towards Canterlot.

The scenery was beautiful, Princess Luna had made sure that the moon shined in an unchallenged sky that night, illuminating the land in its ethereal light.

As Starfall kept his hooves on the reins, he peered around, unable to do much other than smile as he witnessed it all. The muffled sound of his passengers talking and giggling was only met by the sound of the hoof steps of the stallions and turning of the carriage wheels. He looked over at the window to see their silhouettes on the inside, then turned back to the road, taking a deep breath.

“Nervous much?” Thunderlane asked, glancing back at him, being one of the two stallions pulling their carriage.

Starfall shot him a look, but he was unable to make it too serious as he knew the pegasus was right. “What was your first clue?” He replied sarcastically.

The other stallion looked back at him, shaking his head as he chuckled. Thunderlane scoffed a bit, facing forward again. “Captain Starfall, frightened stiff by the Grand Galloping Gala.” He said with a chuckle.

Starfall grimaced at him and then gave the reins a flick. “Aren’t you supposed to be the carriage boy?” He snapped back. “Usually carriage boys keep quiet.”

With a cringe, the second stallion gave Thunderlane a look that said, “Ooooh, burn.” With a victorious snort, Thunderlane faced forward again, only smirking more.

Looking ahead at Spike’s carriage, Starfall sighed. He knew he was nervous, but it wasn’t like his nervousness had control over him. He was excited to be attending the gala, and knew that it would show upon their arrival.

The carriage door peeked open and Shadow stuck his head out. “Hey Starfall, mind if I join you or a minute?”

Scooting over on the seat, Starfall shook his head. “Not at all, come on up.”

Reaching out and onto the step, Shadow pulled himself up onto the seat beside the pegasus, having gently closed the carriage door with his hind leg as he did. “Thought you’d be kinda lonely out here.”

Thunderlane gave another snort in reply to that, but another flick of the reins got him to shut his trap. Starfall then looked over at Shadow for a moment before facing forward once again. “I appreciate that, thanks.”

It was quiet between them at first, Shadow had taken the time to do the same thing Starfall had, looking out and around at the beautiful landscape, especially the look of Canterlot from where they were on the road. Everything from the distant Everfree Forest, to the floating city of Cloudsdale was visible, thanks to the moonlight.

“I feel like you and I don’t talk as much,” Shadow said to him, tilting his head. “Why do you think that is? We are friends, right?”

Starfall chuckled and looked over at him. “Of course we’re friends, Shadow. We may not talk too often, but that’s just because whenever we’re around, so is everypony else. You tend to stick with Fluttershy, and I protect Twilight. It’s not like we’re avoiding one another.”

Being as he brought Fluttershy up, Shadow went quiet for another moment. “Yeah, no, definitely. Sorry, I’m just…” He trailed off, turning his head to Starfall, truly curious. “What do you think of Fluttershy?”

“What do I think of her?” He asked, glancing over at Shadow for a moment before focusing back on the road. “Well she’s the kindest pony in Equestria, that’s for certain. She cares about everyone, every pony and critter in all of Ponyville…” Now he trailed off, looking back to his companion. “Why do you ask? What do you think of her?”

Shadow panicked a little, facing forward quickly. “You pretty much nailed it on the head, I was just curious if everyone thought of her that way.” He said lightning fast.

Starfall shrugged his shoulders, facing forward as well. “Huh, that’s actually kinda surprising.”

“What do you mean, surprising?” Shadow asked, not sure he understood.

The pegasus shrugged again. “I dunno. I had this theory that you really liked her.”

The resulting, internal panic attack was way too real and noticeable. Luckily, Starfall wasn’t paying much attention to his reaction. “W-what would make you think that?” He replied swiftly, sounding a bit uneasy.

“Well, with you two being around one another as often as you are, I just kinda figured you had feelings for each other, but I guess I was wrong.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Listen to me; going on about you and her as if it would be any of my business.” He chuckled, continuing to shake his head.

Shadow watched him for a moment, glancing back at the carriage window. “So… you think she likes me?”

Starfall, looking back at the opposite window, sat back up straight, nodding. “Yeah, I’d say so. I could be wrong, sometimes two friends just really enjoy being around one another with no thought to going onto the next level. So maybe that’s what it is and I just… I dunno, just misread it.”

Facing forward once again, Shadow sat back in his seat, glancing over at the pegasus for a moment before looking around at the landscape again, deep in thought.

Fluttershy looked out the window as the other two passengers talked about what had happened at the previous gala. Shadow had just taken a step out to check on Starfall. Looking over to them, she asked, “Twilight? Starlight?” The two stopped talking, looking over at her in response. “Can I ask you something…? Something really personal?”

Starlight gave Twilight a look that said, “Oh, this ought to be good”. Twilight then looked over to the pegasus. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

Looking extremely nervous, Fluttershy shakily asked, “Have either of you two ever… been in a relationship before?”

Now that was a shocker, Twilight thought. Fluttershy was the last pony in Equestria she thought would ever ask her a question like that. The topic itself was so personal that she and Starlight both kinda blushed at hearing it.

“Well… n-no, not really…” Starlight replied, looking over to the princess. “Twilight…?”

She let out a sigh, shaking her head. “No, I haven’t. But Fluttershy, may I ask why you want to know?”

The pegasus blushed deeply, keeping her head slightly lowered. “W-well, I was just wondering since...” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Since I kinda… have a crush on Shadow.”

Both Twilight and Starlight gasped just a little. “Fluttershy, really?” Twilight asked her. She nodded in reply.

Starlight smiled at her. “Is that why you two have been hanging out so much? Do you think he likes you too?”

The questions were more than enough to make Fluttershy go super-blush, almost tempted to hide her face. “I… I don’t know… I’ve never, umm…. I’ve never really…”

Twilight got up and took Shadow’s seat, hugging her friend. “I’m so proud of you Fluttershy, admitting that couldn’t have been easy. I think Shadow may just feel the same way about you.”

Fluttershy looked to her, wide-eyed. “You r-really think so…?”

Starlight then nodded. “Yeah, the more I think about it, he’s around you practically all the time now. You were his first friend that night he was released from the Tree of Harmony. I think he likes you too.”

Now Fluttershy’s nervousness turned into joy, smiling wide as she hugged Twilight back. Starlight moved up and joined in on the hug, the three feeling more close than ever.

Trumpets sound, ponies draw near, and bright fireworks light up the night sky. The gates of Canterlot Castle open as dozens of carriages arrive, forming a perfect line as they roll on through. All around them, ponies sing, their song having been in full swing.

“Into the gala we must go, we’re ready now we’re all aglow! Into the gala let’s go in and have the best night ever!” The girls all looked out the windows as they continued to approach, wide and excited smiles on their faces as they watched the happy ponies singing. “Into the gala now’s the time, we’re ready and we look divine!”

Memories of their previous visits flooded the ponies’ minds and hearts as the first carriage came to a halt. Spike hopped down from the coach seat and opened the door, bowing his head. Rarity, Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie all stepped out, their eyes shimmering at the sight of the castle at night once again. They managed to withhold their enthusiasm enough to walk towards the doorway like everypony else, although it proved to be a challenge for them, especially Pinkie.

The carriage was brought forward by a valet pony as the next pulled up. Starfall stepped down from the seat as Spike had, opening the door, only this time he bowed his head for only a moment, looking back up. Shadow emerged, stepping down he turned immediately, holding out his hoof for Fluttershy, who took it with a blush as he helped her to the ground, the two of them continuing together. Starfall offered his hoof up to the door, which Starlight took until she got to the ground. Upon offering it again, Starfall was met with the sight of Princess Twilight stepping out and smiling down at him. She took up his hoof and he helped her down, walking her to the door as the carriage was driven away.

Twilight took in a shaky breath. “This part always gets to me, you know?” She said to him quietly so only he could hear. “Walking up to the door.”

Starfall muffled a chuckle, peering over at her only for a moment. “Yeah, I think I’ve got that feeling too.”

She smiled at him and they both faced forward, walking through the door behind the rest of their friends. As they entered, the announcer blew his trumpet, continuing to place it down to the floor. “Presenting her majesty, Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle!”

Heads turned and there was momentary applause as Twilight walked in, nodding to and waving to a few, accompanied by her royal guard. The others were waiting just inside the entrance hall, watching with giddy smiles as they loved hearing it every time. It was the first of many times, Twilight imagined, that Starfall would be walking her into the gala, so she took in the moment.

Soon after they walked to their friends, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo came galloping in to their sisters’ sides, hopping in excitement. They had been in their own carriage, pulled by Big Mac, as they had once again been chosen as their sisters’ plus ones.

“We’re here at the gala again!” Sweetie cheered.

“Woo whoo!” Scootaloo replied.

Rarity gave a fitted laugh before grabbing Sweetie and scooting her to the unicorn’s side. “Sweetie Belle, precious one, remember how I told you to at least try to contain your excitement? This is the gala after all, you must remember to control yourself.”

The little unicorn offered a sheepish smile, as did the other two. “Y-yeah, sorry Rarity.”

Apple Bloom trotted up to her. “We’re just real excited is all.”

Rarity nodded to them. “I understand, truly I do. Just try to be calm and collected, like the rest of-”

“Spitfire!” Rainbow yelled out, making Rarity cringe as she was interrupted. She flew over to her fellow Wonderbolt, who was standing with Soaren and Fleetfoot.

“Hey, hey, Rainbow,” Spitfire said back, the two high-hoofing. “First gala as a Wonderbolt, are ya excited or what?”

Rainbow did a flip in the air, despite being in her dress. “Totally!”

Rarity watched her with a blank expression. “…us.” She finished, shaking her head as she turned back to Sweetie, who just shrugged her shoulders with a wide smile.

Chuckling at the sight, Applejack shook her head too. “Ah think ah’m gonna go try and socialize with RD, see y’all in a bit.” She said to the others, walking over to Rainbow, followed by Apple Bloom, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.

The moment the music resonated in Pinkie’s ears, a huge grin covered her face. “Must dance! Must dance! C’mon Spike!” Not giving the little dragon much choice, or time to react, the pink mare grabbed him and disappeared in a flash, headed for the dance floor in the ballroom down the hall from the entrance.

The remaining ponies laughed lightly at the sight, now looking to one another. “So, what should we do first?” Fluttershy asked, mostly looking to Twilight as she was the only other one there who had attended. “Should we join Pinkie and Spike?”

Twilight was about to reply when she then noticed Princess Celestia elegantly walking down the steps, stopping upon the interval, overlooking the entrance hall. “Celestia!” She said aloud, earning a smile from the princess. With Starfall letting down her hoof, she trotted up the steps, hugging Celestia, who did so back.

“Twilight, I’m so proud of you.” She said, pulling away from her, smiling warmly. “You look lovely, Rarity’s design, I presume?”

“As always.” Twilight replied happily, so relieved at having the chance to talk to her mentor without some great threat looming overhead. Starlight, Fluttershy, Shadow, and Starfall walked up to them as well, each of them bowing their heads.

Celestia only felt happiness at seeing them all, each of them dressed stunningly so. She looked over to Starfall, smirking. “My, my, Starfall. I haven’t seen that style of clothing in ages, I had no idea you were so classical.”

With another slight bow of his head, Starfall replied, “A night as fine as this, princess, I couldn’t imagine myself dressing any other way.”

The princess then turned to Shadow. “And you, Shadow, I can’t say I’ve ever seen such a design, it suits you very well.”

Shadow gave a respectful bow of his head. “Thank you princess, you are too kind.”

While they were all talking, a unicorn pony walked up the steps, standing beside Starlight as she waited for the chance to speak to Princess Celestia. She had black fur and a brilliant, green mane and tail which were done up quite well. She had on a rather simple dress, much like Starlight, only it was a silver color. Her eyes, most notably, were an ethereal green color, which was much more vibrant and eye-catching than the color of her mane and tail. She turned to Starlight, head tilted slightly. “Hey, I know you, you’re Princess Twilight’s pupil, right?”

Starlight looked to her, smiling almost awkwardly. “Yeah, that’s me, Starlight Glimmer.”

She dipped into a small bow before replying, “Emerald Night. I’ve never been to the gala before, I thought I’d dressed well… although, I see everypony else’s dresses and it makes me think I undershot it.”

With a nod, Starlight completely understood that feeling. “I know what you mean, but I’ve just never gotten into dressing up all that much. At least not in the kind of clothing my other friends are wearing. It’s all very beautiful, it’s just not…”

“Me.” They both said in unison.

Emerald smiled, earning one from Starlight as well. She then looked back at her friends, who were still speaking to Celestia. Looking back to her, Starlight said, “Hey, you want to find somewhere we can get a drink? I imagine there has to be a punch stand, or something around here.”

The other unicorn looked up at Celestia, sighing before nodding her head. “Yes, I’d like that. I was hoping for a chance to speak to the princess, but I suppose I have the rest of the night to try.”

The two unicorns walked down the steps, better introducing themselves as Twilight watched, smiling at seeing Starlight find somepony new to talk to. She turned back to Celestia just as Shadow began to speak.

“May I ask if Princess Luna is here as well?” He asked, curious.

Celestia kept up her smile, slightly shaking her head. “I’m afraid Luna must watch over the night, as is her duty. Even so, she finds events such as this tiresome, as she is already weary from her nights watching over the Dream Realm.”

Something then stuck out to Fluttershy as a question Celestia may be able to answer. “Umm… not to keep asking you so many questions, princess, but you wouldn’t happen to know what happened to Discord, would you? I haven’t seen him since… well, since the summit.”

The question was a worrisome one indeed, working its way into removing Celestia’s smile. “I’m afraid I do not, dear Fluttershy. No pony has seen Discord since, though I imagine he is somewhere in his realm, where he is most at rest.”

Fluttershy nodded in reply, feeling a bit down from the answer, though it didn’t last. “I’m sure he’s alright, wherever he is.” She said with optimism.

“So, Miss Spitfire, Starfall’s dad really taught you at the Wonderbolt Academy?” Spike asked her, having managed to escape the pink dancing machine in the ballroom.

Spitfire nodded. “Yep, though he was only a part-time instructor, I learned more from Nimbus than any other at the academy. He knows his stuff, would probably still make a wicked Wonderbolt coach.”

Scootaloo’s face lit up in excitement. “That’s sooo cool!”

Spike looked impressed, glancing over to his right, only to be grabbed and picked up by Garble, who held him upside-down. “Letting your guard down a little too easy around these ponies, aren’t ya Spike?”

The little dragon crossed his arms while upside-down. “Not funny Garble.”

“Ha, totally is.” Garble chuckled.

Ember walked up alongside the red dragon, poking at his side. “Put him down.”

Garble looked over at her, scoffing. “Bah, you’re no fun.” He flipped Spike over and caught him by his tail, dropping him to the floor.

Ember helped him up, then receiving a hug from him as she awkwardly hugged him back. “C’mon Spike, quit it, you’re embarrassing me…”

Spike pulled back, chuckling to himself. “Hehe, sorry, forgot you’re still iffy with hugging.”

“Howdy there, Ember.” Applejack said, everypony else having turned to them. “Glad y’all could make it.”

Rarity then lifted her hoof in a poise of elegance. “Yes, tell us; what do you think of the gala?”

Ember shrugged her shoulders, but then thought about not wanting to hurt the unicorn’s feelings. “It’s nice… really fancy and-”

“Boring.” Garble filled in for her, earning a smack from the Dragon Lord.

“I didn’t say that… I was about to say, unique.” Ember continued, trying at a smile.

Before they could say much more, Rarity caught sight of King Gale, who had arrived before them and was walking around with one of his guards. She went eerily quiet, causing everyone else to look over to see him as well. The griffon stopped when he noticed them looking at him, offering a nod of his head before continuing on, as a sort of preference to a greeting.

Rainbow grimaced. “I still don’t like him.”

Spike shrugged. “At least he’s better now than he was.”

“Very true,” Rarity added. “To be honest, I’m surprised he agreed to come, after everything that’s happened.”

Thorax came walking over from the entrance hall. “Hey there everypony, I’m not late, am I?”

Spike ran up to him, the two of them hugging as well. “Not at all, Thorax! I’m so glad you could make it.”

The changeling king smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Pinkie was still going at it hard, jumping and twirling around like she always did at the beginning of the gala. Numerous ponies now knew of her antics, and so many stallions went along with it best they could when she was near, which excited her even more since she was used to no pony even trying.

Starlight chuckled at the sight, honestly surprised that so many were trying to keep up with her. Turning back to Emerald, she sipped at her punch glass. “So, Emerald, where are you from?”

The unicorn smiled, having also been watching Pinkie. “My family just recently moved up north. We’re in Canterlot now, but I imagine we’ll be moving along again soon. We never stay anywhere for very long.”

With her head tilted, Starlight replied, “Oh? May I ask why?”

Emerald just lightly shook her head, laughing lightly. “Couldn’t tell you, we’re just weird like that, I guess.”

The two laughed at that, turning back to put their glasses down, having just finished. “I’m guessing you’re here as a plus one then? I hear these tickets are really hard to come by.”

She nodded, letting out a dreamy sigh. “Yeah…”

Starlight managed to hold down a chuckle at seeing her response. “Alright then…” Just as she was about to inquire as to what Emerald meant, somepony lightly tapped her shoulder, causing her to turn.

“Excuse me, you’re Starlight Glimmer, yes? Do you know where I can find Princess Twilight?” The unknown unicorn asked.

Celestia laughed lightly. “Tell me, Twilight, have you been to see Cadence and Shining Armor recently? They’ve begun preparations for a great festival to be held there soon.”

“That sounds like Cadence alright,” Twilight replied. “Unfortunately, I haven’t seen them since the summit, what’s the occasion for the festival?”

“According to an ancient tome they found, the alicorn that founded the Crystal Empire has a birthday that comes in a few months.” Celestia said happily. “And so they plan on hosting a grand celebration every year on that day to honor her.”

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up in awe. “Oh, how wonderful.”

Starfall stood in silence, watching them with a smile. He felt very relaxed, very at ease about where he was now. Being Princess Twilight’s escort, seeing Celestia again, and no longer under any stress, it was great. This relaxation certainly wouldn’t last long, however.

“There you are, Starry.” A stunning voice spoke out from behind him, making him freeze up for a moment, slowly turning around.

In between Starlight and her new friend, Emerald, there stood a true beauty of a unicorn. She had the lightest shade of blue fur that was almost crystal-like. Her silver mane and tail were flawless, brushed to perfection as a few strands from her mane rested over the side of her face. She had on a gorgeous gown, which was white silk, fluffed on the trim and edges to give a kind of cloud-like look to it. There were sparkles in her mane, tail, and on her dress that added an extra level of brilliance. A spiraling design of flakes were added to her front legs, giving off the look of a winter flurry. Her golden eyes looked to the royal guard with a kind of expectancy.

Starfall stood in general silence, a smile creeping onto his face, although it took a while for it to do so. The unicorn chuckled, shaking her head. “What? You thought I’d miss the Grand Galloping Gala?”

Twilight turned, a little confused, but smiling none the less. “Who’s your friend, Starfall?”

Starfall looked over at her, a hilariously shy smile on his face. “Twilight, this is my sister, Auraglow.”

Completely blindsided by this, Twilight looked slightly shocked. Auraglow smiled at her, bowing down like a lady. “Princess Twilight, so great to finally meet you. I’ve been meaning to visit my brother in Ponyville, but I’m afraid my schedule has proven stubborn.”

Twilight shook her head, clearing this daze from it. “No, no, of course you are busy, your parents expressed how little time you have to yourself, even though you visit them as often as possible.”

Auraglow laughed lightly. “Yes, but it’s an honor, truly it is, to know that my little Starry,” She said, hoofing Starfall’s cheek in a kind of tease. “Is the royal guard to the Princess of Friendship herself.”

Chuckling slightly, Twilight looked over at him. “I like to think we’re both honored for that.”

Looking from them to Celestia, Auraglow bowed her head. “So good to see you again, princess.”

Celestia offered a smile. “Always a pleasure.”

Remembering something of interest, Fluttershy said, “Excuse me, Miss Auraglow?” She earned the unicorn’s gaze. “We have a friend who we know would just love to meet you.”

“So, Thorax,” Ember said, her arms crossed. “We haven’t really been able to talk, you and I. You’re a king, right? I always thought changeling hives needed a queen.”

Thorax stuttered just a bit. “Ah, well… yes that is a common misconception.” He said, still sounding a bit off from hearing what she said. “The hive hasn’t had a king in… well to be honest I’m not sure it’s ever had a king before. Queens are extremely rare in our species, so I can’t imagine there will be one anytime soon.”

Ember raised a brow, curious. “So queens are completely different all together? They’re not just regular changelings like you were at some point?”

Seeing Thorax having a difficult time in answering that, Spike jumped in. “It’s a complicated thing, I’m sure, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that talking about queens isn’t quite something you’re comfortable with.”

After a short, silent pause, Thorax shook his head, kinda looking away a bit.

Rarity rested a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s perfectly fine, darling, if you’re the first changeling king in history it’s completely understandable that you would be nervous talking about having a queen.”

Seeing that she more or less spelled it out, Thorax’s ears went flat to his head. “Umm… thanks Rarity…”

She replied with a wide smile. “Anytime darling.”

Twilight and Fluttershy joined them, big smiles on their faces. “Hello everypony, good to see you all again.” Twilight said, turning to Rarity. “We have somepony we’d love for you to meet.” Stepping aside, Auraglow joined the group, along with Starfall, Starlight, Shadow, and Emerald. Rarity’s eyes went super wide and she gasped, hoof rising in surprise.

“Miss Rarity,” Auraglow said, having truly been excited to meet her. “This is such an honor, I absolutely love your designs.”

Eyes still wide open, mouth agape, Rarity suddenly felt dizzy and fainted, forcing Applejack and Rainbow to have to catch her.

Auraglow muffled a small laugh, looking around at them. “You’d be surprised how often I get that.”

As Spike brought over a fan to try and give Rarity some air, Twilight looked to Auraglow, having so many questions, but knowing that she shouldn’t start by bombarding the unicorn with a questionnaire. “So, Auraglow, do you come to the gala every year?”

She nodded. “I try to, yes, but these past two years I’ve been out on tour, so I haven’t been able to, but this year I made sure I wouldn’t miss it.” She turned to and smirked at Starfall. “Good thing too, I would’ve hated to miss my brother’s first gala experience.”

Starfall sighed, shaking his head. “You know I’ve been here before-”

“On guard detail, yes, I know.” Auraglow cut him off, chuckling. “But standing there like a statue, and joining in with everypony are two far different things, little brother. And just look at you! That is the best look I’ve ever seen on you.”

He let out a breath, clearly embarrassed. “…thank you.”

She then giggled to herself, turning back to Twilight. “I’m only teasing him, it’s something siblings do best.”

Twilight giggled as well. “Oh believe me, I know.”

Starlight cleared her throat to get Twilight’s attention, which it did. “Twilight, this is Emerald Night.” She said, gesturing to the unicorn, who then bowed her head in respect at meeting a princess. “This is her first gala too, she’s who I disappeared with when you were talking to Celestia.”

Twilight smiled at her. “I noticed, I’m so happy you found somepony to talk to so quickly.” She then looked to the new unicorn. “Nice to meet you.”

Emerald smiled nervously. “Wow… oh, umm… nice to meet you too, princess.”

With a small laugh, Twilight replied, “Just Twilight is fine. Any friend of Starlight’s is a friend of mine.”

Letting out a rather suppressed, light laugh, Emerald looked around at all of them. It seemed like the orchestral band playing a song pulled her out from her daze. “Ha, yes, that’s so very kind of you.” She then turned to Starlight. “Would you excuse me, I’ll only be gone a moment.” Trotting out of the ballroom, she disappeared from sight.

Starlight watched, but then turned back to Twilight. “She’s just nervous, probably never met a princess before.”

With a sigh, Twilight nodded. “Yes, that certainly does happen.”

As they talked, Starfall and Garble stood silently next to one another, after having given each other their usual nod. “I imagine you’re feeling a bit out of place.” Starfall chuckled.

“Yeah? What was your first clue, feather brain?” He scoffed.

Starfall shrugged his shoulders. “Call it a hunch.” He then looked over at him. “So should I expect to see you and Ember dancing anytime soon?”

Garble shot him a glare, but then they both laughed a bit. The dragon then chuckled, shaking his head. “It could be worse… guess you ponies aren’t half as bad as I thought you were at throwing parties.” He proceeded to punch the pegasus in the shoulder. “Don’t let that go to your head.”

With a responding chuckle, Starfall replied, “Duly noted.”

Still standing up on the interval between the staircases, Celestia watched as more and more ponies walked in and through the halls, a few coming to meet her. When it seemed that most everypony had arrived, she descended the stairs and entered the ballroom, watching from just behind the crowd of ponies.

Twilight and her friends were chatting and having a grand time, as they always did. It seemed Pinkie had danced her fill for the moment, joining them and leaving the dance floor empty, everypony still socializing and greeting one another.

It always made her smile, seeing her subjects so happy. Fine music, friends all around her, and the knowledge that all of their worries had been cast aside, it was enough to make her smile on even the hardest of nights.

Burdened by her own choice she was soon to make, Celestia kept up her smile. Not for the ponies around her, not for her image as a princess, but for her, as what could very well be the last Grand Galloping Gala she ever attended. She smiled because she wanted to remember this night for all the happiness she felt, and for what it meant to her to truly be loved by her subjects.

The pain quickly became too much to bear, however. Not knowing when the last day of her rule would begin… when he came for his answer. When she would have to… the very thought gripped her tight, refusing to let go and ease the pressure. Very soon she was standing all alone just inside the ballroom door, everypony having inched further in, leaving a sizeable gap between her and the ponies around her. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, a half-choked breath being released silently as she felt a tear roll slowly down her face.

Hoof steps tracked her from behind, the pony walking around and in front of her, though she remained immobile and near oblivious to them. “There, there, dear princess…” A dark, familiar voice spoke softly to her. “Nights like these are too rare and special to ruin with tears of sorrow.”

Eyes opening, she slowly looked up to find a most horrifying, yet breath-taking sight.

His once red cape was now a deep, dark purple color. The armor beneath the cape was now a near ancient style of attire that hadn’t been used in centuries, made for special occasions such as this. It was black, with red edging and a kind of gray trim, the sleeves reaching the top of the hooves. There was no crown on his head, freeing his mane as it had seemingly been brushed and groomed to look formal, more appealing now than ever. His intense eyes looked upon her now only with a calmness, a temperance, which stunned her.

“Speechless, are you?” He asked, smiling at her. “I thank you for that compliment.”

Celestia struggled with words, incapable of speech for the first moment or so. “Som… Sombra…?” She replied, her mind trying to comprehend it all. “What are you doing? Somepony will-” Stopping, she took the time to notice a kind of sphere of magic about him that was very faint, and required her focus to identify. She looked to him, squinting. “A-are you…?”

He nodded, glancing around the room. “Your subjects see only a stranger…” He turned back to her. “You, my dearest Celestia, are the only one who can see through it.”

He took in a breath, staying strong as she asked, “Is it time?”

Sombra’s eyes were unreadable, they remained there, in that state of absolute calmness. A peculiar note filled the air, Octavia had just arrived, beginning to play her cello up on stage. His smile widened, still having a hint of sinister intent hidden away in it. “For my offer, no, not yet…” Lifting his hoof, he offered it to her. “So how about a dance?”

Feeling her focus on everything else slip away, the question echoed in her ears for what felt like an eternity. Why was he doing this? If he were to be discovered, surely he knows how difficult it would be for him to escape them all. But then again, he was allowing her this night. He knew he could demand her answer now and be taken away from them all, but instead he was choosing to wait, giving her what she hoped would be the rest of the gala to be with her subjects.

Slowly, she lifted her hoof up and onto his. His smug expression stayed, unchallenged, on his face as he turned, the two of them walking past the crowd and onto the open dancefloor.

Twilight, seeing this, smiled at the sight of Celestia starting the slow dancing with the stallion. From her eyes, and the eyes of everypony else, he was a big, gray furred unicorn with a rather standard, yet charming tuxedo on, a rose fitted on his vest pocket. Octavia led the small orchestra, weaving a slow, graceful song into the air.

Everypony turned to watch now as Celestia and Sombra began to dance. Having been raised when and where he was, the unicorn king was quite talented, leading her as they went on. The feeling was reminiscent of a time before, and so Celestia, even if the moment wasn’t enchanting to her, couldn’t stop her small, warm smile from appearing. He twirled her around slowly, the two moving as one, having both become magnificent dancers in their times as rulers.

“Would it truly wound you so badly to come away with me?” He whispered to her, not missing a single step.

Celestia, also staying perfectly in rhythm, replied softly, “If the prince I knew were to come back… if he were to stay here with me, neither of us need be wounded.”

He smirked at her as he dipped her slightly, returning back into the steps. “Words spoken softly but with the greatest of regret. I offered you my heart and you turned me away for another… I am all that remains of that foolish prince.”

She looked to him with eyes full of sincerity. “Sombra… I-”

He shook his head. “There is no use speaking of it now. What mistakes were made in the past led us here, to this moment.” He spun her again, holding her from behind. “And this time… I have a feeling you will make the right choice.”

Watching Princess Celestia dance with the stallion made Fluttershy blush, as it made her think of Shadow. It was the most flustering of feelings, and knowing he was standing right there by her side just made it grow stronger.

“…Shadow?” she asked, earning his gaze. “Could you ever see yourself… falling in love with somepony?”

Although she was timid when asking, the question itself was bold and unexpected. “I think I could… if I ever found the right partner.” Looking down a bit, the nervous mare rubbed at the floor a little, which made Shadow blush a bit as well. He looked back up, continuing to watch the princess and the stallion dance. “She’d have to love animals,” He said to her, a small smile on his face. “Big and small, just like me…” Fluttershy froze in place as he kept speaking. “I would prefer she have a good circle of friends, ones that accept me even though I’m a bit different…” She glanced up at him, her blush growing in size and intensity. He looked over at her. “She’d have to be warm and sweet, nurturing and gentle… with a heart so kind it makes you believe she was too perfect for the world around her…”

She became teary eyed, looking to him as he turned to her completely. His golden eyes told her all she needed to know, holding the softest of gazes upon her.

Lifting his hoof up, he said, “Just like you.”

It took Fluttershy a moment to react, but she lifted her hoof up onto his. Slowly, he led her out onto the dancefloor. Her nervousness at others seeing her dance was non-existent, in this moment, she was lost in his eyes. Her other hoof being taken up by him, the two began to dance.

Shadow moved about elegantly, surprising Fluttershy with his ability, as he had become far better than the last time they danced at the Hearth’s Warming Eve party. He managed a glance over at Rarity, who winked at him, impressed by how well their dance lessons turned out.

Fluttershy felt it all fall away, all of her suppressed worries and doubts about herself being erased by this shadow pony, who slow danced his way through them and into her heart. This was the happiest moment of her life.

With the second pair joining the princess, others began to join in, and before long there were dozens out on the dancefloor. Rarity, having been offered a dance by a unicorn, was the first to join. Applejack was brought out by Soaren, the Wonderbolt. Rainbow, after some hesitation, joined in with a pegasus. Spike and all three of the CMCs danced apart from them, not quite knowing what they were doing, but having fun in the process.

Pinkie stood watching them, her elbows up on the table with her head rested upon her hooves. She sighed, wishing somepony would ask her, though she knew better; everypony already knew how hyper she was, they’d never think she liked to slow dance.

“Pardon me, pink pony,” A voice spoke to her. She turned to see King Gale standing up straight, looking down at her with a rather serious expression. “Care to join me?” He offered, lifting up his talon.

She paused, looking at his talon before looking back up at him with a giant smile. “Really?!”

He nodded. “This is a dance after all.”

Grabbing the griffon while letting out a shriek of excitement, Pinkie raced over to join everypony else, making Twilight giggle to herself. Call the griffons what you want, they sure had recovered their pride since Pinkie and Rainbow had gone to Griffonstone.

With Starlight having gone to one of the tables to sit and watch the dancers, Twilight stood alone, smiling as she saw how happy her friends all were. It seemed like their previous changes were gone, and everything had returned to normal. Such a powerful night this was.

She sighed, her smile only deepening. This was what she wanted to feel; having everything so perfect, all of her friends content and worry free, Equestria safe, and all of their troubles nothing more than bad dreams, replaced with happy ones of this night.

Starfall stepped up beside her. “It’s even better than I imagined.”

“It always is.” She replied, looking to him before turning to watch the dancers once more. “I remember the first time my friends and I came here for the gala. We tried so hard to make it our best night ever, but it only happened when we came together in the end.”

Her royal guard smiled. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you so happy.”

She smiled at hearing this, but then the truth came like thunder in her heart. “Unfortunately, it can’t last forever. When we go home, all of the chaos may very well just start over again…” She said, her happiness dimming away a little.

Turning to the princess, Starfall replied, “Even if it does, we’ll get through it, together.”

Hearing him say that helped, returning a small smile to her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin it…” She sighed as she continued to watch her friends. “This night couldn’t get any better…”

He paused, looking out at their friends, his eyes then closing. He thought about it, and there was no longer any reason to avoid this any longer. Opening his eyes, he looked to her, seeing how beautiful she looked, dress aside, just her… Twilight Sparkle. He took a half-step forward, slightly turning to her. “I can think of a way to make it better…” He said softly.

She looked to him, not understanding at first, but then all of a sudden catching on.

Lifting his hoof, he smiled to her. “May I have this dance?”

Stunned, Twilight blushed, her voice leaving her in that moment. When the moment passed, she lifted up her hoof, resting it upon his gently. “…yes.”

Auraglow, who had been watching her brother from afar, saw this and made her move. She walked up onto the stage, whispering to Octavia, who in turn faded her music to tell the others.

As Twilight and Starfall walked out onto the dancefloor, Frederic Horseshoepin, who was on the piano, began the song, which started with piano notes alone. As the princess and her royal guard proceeded, a number of the dancers stepped aside, wanting to watch. Auraglow stepped out onto the front of the stage, the sight of her little brother with a mare on his arm making her smile. As the two reached the center of the dancefloor and turned to face one another, Auraglow began to sing.

“Oh, dreaming about our younger years. You were always there for me, always made me feel so free. Now nothing can take you away from me. We’ve never walked this road before, but I’m ready now… we could be so much more.”

Resting one hoof upon his, and the other on his shoulder, Twilight felt her heart race as he held her hoof, placing his other on her side. Moving slowly at first, they began to circle the floor, lost in each other’s eyes as they reacted naturally, immediately becoming one as they moved.

The two took no notice to the ponies watching, only focusing on one another. Both of their faces were slightly red, but they lacked their grip on reality enough to smile, completely transfixed on each other. He twirled her around, the two continuing with her back up against him until he spun her back around, reuniting their gaze once again.

“Oh, once in your life you find someone, who will turn your world around, raise you up when you’ve fallen down. Now nothing can change what you mean to me. There’s so much more to say, but just hold me now… cause our love will light the way.”

The entire dancefloor had become a magical sight, as if told from the pages of a fairytale. Auraglow smiled on, watching them with the happiest of hearts, overjoyed at finally getting the chance to help make a difference in Starfall’s life.

“Baby you’re all that I want, when you’re lying here in my arms. I’m finding it hard to believe, we’re in heaven. Love is all that I need, and I’ve found it here in your heart. It isn’t too hard to see, we’re in heaven.” Picking up some speed, Auraglow too become lost in the music. “I’ve been waiting for so long, something to arrive, love to come along. Now our dreams are coming true, through the endless years to fall, I’ll be standing there by you!”

Moving as elegantly as the musical notes that filled the air, Twilight and Starfall danced on. Along with the dozen or so ponies that remained, the ballroom became what it had been built for, a place for dreams to begin. The pegasus spun his princess around, who returned to him, their eyes locked onto one another’s as the music slowed even more, the moment softening to the most magical of feelings.

”Baby you’re all that I want, when you’re lying here in my arms. I’m finding it hard to believe, we’re in heaven. Love is all that I need, and I’ve found it here in your heart. It isn’t too hard to see, we’re in heaven.”

As the song came to a close, each of the dancing duos slowed. After one final dip, Starfall pulled Twilight back up into the embrace, now held close to one another. She pressed her head under his, hugging him. He hugged her back, resting his own head on top of hers, the both of them with their eyes closed. Twilight had claimed this before, but now it rang true beyond a doubt; this was the best night ever.

Auraglow hummed, then saying the final words of the song. “We’re in heaven.”

Author's Note

The finale has begun!
The big night begins! We get Season 1 feels as several characters are experiencing the gala for the very first time!
Dancing, music, friends, what else could a pony ask for?
Don't leave yet! The finale ends with this next, final chapter of Lights and Shadows Part II!

Chapter 18

Watching Twilight and Starfall dance made Starlight feel more at ease about being there than she had been so far. She was so happy to have seen the two of them sharing those moments together, and it truly was a sight to behold. Starlight wasn’t one for this kind of dancing, but it sure was a magical thing to watch.

She sighed, her smile only growing as she watched them all dance on, Starfall’s sister having stepped aside after singing her song. It had become apparent to her that several of her friends may be at the start of their first relationships, and it was because of this event that she found them out.

It was at this moment that sudden movement caught her eye, and she turned to see Emerald Night walking with haste while staying out of the general view of the ponies in the crowd. Quick to rise from her seat, she trotted over to an intersection point with the unicorn.

“Emerald, there you are, I was afraid you had left early.” Starlight told her, relieved to see her new friend back in the room.

The black unicorn managed a chuckle. “Ha, yes well, you must forgive me my absence, there was somepony I was supposed to meet and I didn’t want to make them wait.” She then glanced around, spotting the dancers. “So, what did I miss?”

Starlight smiled, looking out at the dancefloor. “Oh, I’d say you missed a few things…”

Sombra and Celestia had kept on dancing, staying mostly silent, although the princess did ask a subtle question here and there. He twirled her around one last time, spotting Starlight and her friend where they were, he slowed to a stop.

Celestia looked at him, confused. He took up her hoof, kissing it softly. “I must leave you now, enjoy the rest of your night, dearest Celestia.” Not giving her the chance to reply, the unicorn king walked off through the crowd, disappearing from sight rather swiftly. The princess was left standing alone on the floor, pausing before walking off of it, giving way to the others.

Twilight, having noticed her absence, looked to Starfall as the two kept dancing. “So… does this mean things will be changing between us?”

He looked to her, his expression softening. “They can change, if you want them to.”

She hesitated, but then gave the smallest of nods. “I-”

A sudden flash of light caused all of the dancers to stop, shielding themselves from it as the band stopped playing. Discord appeared from out of the light, his trembling body a slight shade of gray, pushed to the point of exhaustion as he fell to the floor.

Twilight was quick to react. “Discord!” She said, releasing Starfall as she galloped to him.

Holding out his talon, he shouted, “No! Don’t worry about me, we’re out of time! Stormc-” He was interrupted as the same magical hold from the summit caught him in its vice again, squeezing him as it seemed like he was being choked. He tried speaking through it. “Chr… Chrys…” He reached out as Twilight got to him, Fluttershy having done the same as she saw him suffering.

“Discord!” Fluttershy cried, grabbing at him but not knowing what to do. She looked up at the princess. “Twilight do something!”

Feeling it as dark magic, Twilight tried casting a spell to break its hold over the draconequus, but it failed, the power over him being far too strong. “I… I can’t! I don’t know what to do!”

Fluttershy began to cry as the curse on Discord continued to squeeze him, his breaths becoming less fulfilling each time. Starlight gasped, becoming paralyzed with fear at the sight of her friend in so much pain. Emerald, as this was transpiring, resumed her brisk pace towards the courtyard door.

Discord, seeing Emerald taking off while no pony was watching, growled deeply, lifting his paw up to eye level. A chaotic aura blazed across him and he then pointed at the fleeing unicorn, saying, “Chrysalis…!” Overpowering the curse for a fraction of a second, Discord bent the light around her, causing a sudden flash that shattered her disguise.

The flash turned green and Emerald Night reverted back into Queen Chrysalis. Everypony gasped when they saw, most of the ponies close by running away from her. Starlight was stunned, but being as she was closest, she was quick to overcome this stun and fired a beam of magic at the unsuspecting queen, striking her off her hooves and down onto the floor. From Chrysalis’ magic grasp, she dropped a black gemstone that closely resembled a diamond.

Celestia’s eyes widened as she immediately took flight at the queen. “Don’t let her escape with that diamond!” She yelled.

Out of impulse, Chrysalis fired a magic beam at Celestia, which was too quick to dodge or block, knocking the princess out of the air and onto the floor. With a hiss, the queen grabbed the diamond and proceeded to flee out and into the courtyard, pursued now by everypony.

Twilight and Starlight were the first ones out after her, both of them firing continuous beams of magic at her. Chrysalis was able to dodge and deflect some, but one soon clipped her leg, causing her to spiral out of control, dropping the diamond as she skidded over up against the stone fountain.

Using her levitation spell, Twilight swiftly picked up the diamond, holding it close to protect it from the queen.

The moment everypony else cleared the doorway and moved towards the two of them, Stormclaw came sweeping in from the night sky, breathing an inferno of a fire breath onto the ground in a line before them, halting their advance. Simultaneously, Sombra appeared out from the flames, casting a dark magic spell while they were all unprepared. The spell caused crystals to jut out from the ground around each of them, locking them into place.

“What the hay!” Rainbow exclaimed. “How is he here!? We blasted him to pieces at the Crystal Empire!”

Celestia struggled to free herself, but it would seem Sombra had made sure she couldn’t move. “He’s come as Stormclaw’s ally, all three of them have banded against us!”

Applejack tried to move her legs around in the hopes of bucking the crystal from inside, but her range of motion had been frozen in place. “Ah can’t get free!”

Everypony struggled to get free, but the spell was too powerful. Garble managed to break through rather quickly, but Sombra used a different spell, locking him up against the crystal wall with even stronger chains of diamond. He growled and roared in anger as he struggled to free himself, but couldn’t break it this time. Starfall, having managed to keep one leg from being locked into place, began stomping at the crystal as hard as he could non-stop.

When Twilight and Starlight turned to look upon this in shock, Chrysalis quickly turned her head and fired a beam at Starlight, sending her over near everyone who was just imprisoned, where Sombra cast the same spell on her, locking the unicorn into place.

Twilight deflected the second spell the queen cast, backing up as Stormclaw descended down from the sky. “Oh I’m sorry, did we interrupt your evening?” He chuckled, landing only a few yards away from her.

“You’re not going to get away with this!” Twilight shouted at him, her magical aura brightening as she prepared to cast another attack spell.

The black dragon tilted his head, amused. “I’m not? But you’ve made it so easy,” As he said this, Sombra stepped up from behind Twilight, making her jump forward and turn around. “How can you possibly hope to face us all alone?”

Shadow rose up from Twilight’s shadow, his horn appearing in a flash of red, surprising Stormclaw with a magic beam, which struck and pushed him backwards. “Who says she’s alone?”

Chrysalis, recovering from the impact, used her magic to hold the crystals in place around everypony that was trapped. Stromclaw squinted at the shadow pony. “Oh great, you think you can act all tough now?”

Sombra lurked around in front of Twilight, keeping her from turning to help her friend. “We’ll have to face them alone,” She said, sounding a bit worried, but her brimming confidence building back up as she knew Shadow had her back. “Think you can handle him?”

Eyes narrowing, Shadow glared down the black dragon. “I know I can.”

Despite the numerous ponies calling out to them from the crystal wall, there was an eerie silence between the four of them. Twilight and Shadow stood back to back, with the dragon and unicorn king opposite of one another, facing them. This was a showdown Shadow always believed had to happen, Stormclaw had caused he and his friends too much pain. Twilight, on the other hoof, had never actually faced Sombra before, and so to say she was afraid would be an understatement.

After another few moments, Shadow and Twilight both began casting offensive spells, causing both villains to either dodge or block them as they moved closer. Sombra absorbed all of Twilight’s attacks into a shadowy veil as he walked leisurely towards her, eyes dark and serious. Stormclaw, however, back-clawed the spells and moved swiftly to evade, gradually approaching.

Almost like they had rehearsed this kind of scenario, Twilight and Shadow both charged up powerful beams, but then turned past one another, shooting them at opposite villains this time. Sombra was recoiled back, his shadowy shield having broken from the attack. Stormclaw moved to evade, but had strayed too close and was blasted backwards, landing hard on the ground. Shadow glanced over his shoulder to be sure the dragon was nowhere near Twilight.

In the split second he took his eyes off Sombra, the unicorn king melded into the shadows beneath him. When Shadow turned back, he was gone, but didn’t much time to look around as Twilight shoved him aside, Sombra rising up from the darkness in between them on top of a crystal pillar. Stormclaw came flying in and tackled Shadow, but the shadow pony vanished in a cloud of smoke, reappearing over the dragon’s head to blast him with another magic beam, spiking him to the ground.

Twilight turned on Sombra and began casting spells at rapid fire, but the king cast a deflection spell, moving his horn to intercept the beams and dissipating them upon impact. Once he found an opening, he deflected a spell up, reeling back on his hind legs and slamming both hooves down onto the ground. A shockwave rippled through the ground and dozens of crystal spikes shot up from the ground in her direction. Twilight used a light casting spell that Celestia had taught her, which shattered the crystals that got too close to her.

Pushing himself up from the ground, Stormclaw looked around for Shadow. Hearing a sudden swish in the air, he vaulted himself in a flip away from another beam Shadow fired at him from above. Landing firm, he inhaled and breathed an inferno up at the shadow pony, who in turn cast a protection spell, staving off the flames. Stormclaw emerged through the fire and broke through the spell, slamming into Shadow. He clawed at him, but Shadow moved through the attack and pelted the dragon in the head with his hind hoof, moving in at point blank and blasting him back down to the ground with a red explosion from his horn.

Stormclaw groaned a bit, shaking his head. Just as Shadow plummeted down towards him, Chrysalis fired a spell at him, striking him in unawares, and sending him down to the ground as well. The others were forced to watch helplessly as this fight took place, with Starfall being the only one bashing away at the crystal holding him. Starlight tried casting a spell on the crystals, but the dark magic within the crystal holding her just absorbed it.

Looking upon Twilight with an impressed expression, Sombra grimaced, his horn lighting up. Twilight’s horn lit up as well and the two shot magic beams at one another, the forces colliding in between them. Twilight cried out, beating her wings as she rose higher into the air, her attack increasing in power. Sombra, canceling his spell, disappeared in shadows as Twilight’s attack struck the crystals behind him, creating a cloud of debris and smoke. She stood, waiting for him to emerge, but at first, nothing happened. Then all at once the dusty cloud turned into black mist and expanded past Twilight, who shielded herself with her wings. Within the darkness, there was a flash of purple.

Shadow and Stormclaw circled one another slowly. Shadow cast a spell, but the dragon deflected it. He then cast another aiming low, Stormclaw moved to deflect, but the beam hit the ground, spraying dust up into his face as he reeled back, rubbing at his eyes. Shadow then emerged through the dust and rammed the dragon in the chest with his head, once again sending him crashing down to the ground.

When the dust cleared around Twilight, she readied herself to keep fighting, but Sombra was no longer there. She quickly eyed her surroundings, but then froze when she realized she was no longer in Canterlot. She was standing in a field, the sky overcast and dark, a crimson glow on the distant horizon, almost like the glow from a fire.

“Sombra! Where are you!?” She yelled out, thinking the king had teleported them somewhere. This thought was cast aside when she finally noticed the stones sticking up from the ground, six of them, scattered on the hilltop where she stood. She hesitated, but then walked up to one, the text on it was faded. She squinted, able to read it slowly. Her eyes widened, and her heart sank. “…no.” She said quietly, peering over at the others, she shook her head. “…no, it… it can’t be…”

Applejack

Fallen in protection of her family.

Spike

Executed after the fall of the Crystal Empire.

Fluttershy

Her broken heart became too much to bear.

Rainbow Dash

Fallen during the siege of Canterlot.

Rarity

Caught in her boutique during the Ponyville fire.

Pinkie Pie

Lost the will to live after having lost her friends.

Twilight felt like she was drowning, her tears clouding her vision as she collapsed to the ground. “My friends… Pinkie… Rainb-” Lowering her head to the ground, she covered it with her arms, crying without an end in sight. The entire world fell to darkness around her, the light dwindling as this new reality truly sank in.

They were all gone… all of them. The six individuals who gave her purpose, her six friends that had been through everything with her… they were all of them… gone forever.

As she sobbed, she could hear them still, crying out to her for help or to run away. This was her true fear… the one thing that she could never overcome should it ever happen. The hole left by their disappearance from Twilight’s life was all encompassing, there was no end to it. As the light left her eyes, all of her hope died, becoming nothing but…

Sitting with her wings tucked in, Twilight’s eyes were green with red irises. She sat still, tears in her eyes as she mumbled to herself how there was nothing left for her. Sombra stood before her, a smirk planted firmly on his face.

“Sweet dreams, princess.” He said lowly, watching her fear become a reality to her.

On the ground beside her, the black diamond slowly lifted into the air, its faded hue of black darkening, becoming a black much like the night sky, dazzling and luminous under the light of stars.

Stormclaw and Shadow clashed, hooves meeting claws as they struggled against one another. Realizing he hadn’t been watching Twilight, he quickly looked over at her, only to see as the unicorn king had her under some kind of spell. It upon seeing the diamond, however, that Shadow felt a familiar feeling in his body, only this time, it was far more powerful. Cringing away, Stormclaw glanced over at Sombra and Twilight, chuckling as he released the shadow pony.

Fluttershy watched in horror as Shadow slowly began to collapse to the ground. “Shadow! Shadow, no!”

The black dragon walked up to him, his vision going blurry. “N-no…” he whispered quietly, struggling to see as his opponent looked like a silhouette.

Stormclaw stopped, kneeling down to eye level with him. “Time for you to see the truth, and remember why you’re really here.” With the smallest push, Shadow fell to his back, all of his senses dimming out as the sharp pain continued to grow, rattling his mind and tensing his muscles. He lost consciousness to the muffled sound of his friends calling out his name.

All he saw was red, but it soon faded to black. Engulfed in the darkness, Shadow tried to make sense of what this was. It wasn’t a memory… it was something else. The darkness lasted only a moment, immediately flashing away.

He was lying down in the grass just outside of Ponyville. The townsfolk dotted the area, all of them looking up, but Shadow didn’t notice them at first. His ears weren’t ringing, his vision wasn’t blurred along the edges, and twitching eye told him that unlike before, he had full control of his body. It felt too real… wait, was it real?

Slowly standing, he lifted his hoof to his head, it ached but it wasn’t too bad. The pain was there, he could physically feel it, this couldn’t be a dream. But if it wasn’t a memory… and it wasn’t a dream… could it truly be…

Glancing up, he spotted the girls, all standing still and looking up into the sky. He started with a walk, but then trotted over to them, unable to focus on anything else at the moment. “Fluttershy…? What’s… what is this? What is happe-” He froze when he finally noticed.

The sky around them, all across to the horizon, was a deep, blazing red color. All the land was draped in a veil of ruby-like light, dark and ominous, with everypony within sight looking up above.

After having looked around at the horizon and seen all of the ponies, Shadow turned back to his friends. He paused, very slowly lifting his gaze to the sky like everypony else.

The red star from his numerous, horrifying visions once again shined its light all over Equestria. It was bigger now, having grown in intensity with flares bursting into the air around it. The sun and the moon were halted, as they had been before, both cast into stillness up above as the star had taken full command over them. It was impossible to tell if it was day or night, for neither the sun nor the moon shined brightly, they were just there, dimmed and motionless.

Why was this so important? What was this moment compared to the fear and despair of his previous visions? Why did they always end with this scene? Shadow was soon to realize, however, that he had not yet seen it all.

The voices began as mere hums, low and barely noticeable. They came out of nowhere, and yet echoed across the land, steadily growing louder. Shadow looked up and around, trying to find the origin of the humming, but there was nothing, everypony stood silently, all clearly able to hear the sound as well. The humming broke into a kind of choral note, not understandable words, more just a combination of deep voices creating a hymn, of sorts.

As these voices continued to sing their cryptic, still rather quiet note, the star rippled the sky with a sonic boom, creating a pulse of wind that everyone felt. It was difficult to tell at first, but soon it became apparent that the star had begun descending.

The initial reaction in the bystanders was confusion, none of them looking like they understood what was happening. But as the star continued to fall, confusion turned to panic. Ponies screamed and fled, galloping as fast as their legs could carry them. The voices carried through their shouts and screams, still very much there.

Shadow looked around frantically as he saw them all fleeing, trying to make sense of it all. He turned back to his friends, who were backing away as this fear-inducing event unfolded. The spiraling clouds gave way to the massive star, which was now even larger than Ponyville as it fell towards the plains just east of the town.

Standing behind his friends, Shadow watched from the hills west of town, able to see it all unfold with a view of Ponyville, Canterlot, and the many miles beyond. Unlike the others, his friends seemed to understand, as they did not run, standing their ground.

Shadow squinted at them, shaking his head. “Wha… what are you doing?! Run!” He yelled, but they couldn’t hear him. He looked back up at the star, which had reached its max speed, still falling rather slowly, but now easily halfway to the surface. He looked back down at his friends. “Run! Don’t just stand there! Run!”

It was Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Starlight. They moved closer together, huddling into a group hug, each of them with tears in their eyes. “I love you all…” Twilight said softly, earning an even more emotional response from them as they held each other tight.

Now in pure panic, Shadow ran to them, trying to pull them away, but they didn’t budge, they didn’t even seem to notice him. “No…!” He cried out, pulling back a few steps, then running around in between them and Ponyville, watching in horror as the star drew closer and closer. Everypony else in sight took off, flying or galloping as fast as they could in hopes to escape.

The rush of fear caused a silence in Shadow’s ears, everything numbing out. He felt the pulse of the air in the wake of the celestial form, he felt the grass below him, swaying in the breeze, and he felt all of the world falling still, even as thousands fled in sheer terror. His eyes widened as the choral note in the air faded.

Colliding with the surface, the ground buckled and became shattered underneath the star, sending massive pieces of land soaring up into the air as the light continued to crush down into Equestria. With a bursting flare, the star imploded, creating a wave of red that swept over the land, wiping away everything it touched. Trees disappeared instantly, offering no resistance, entire mountains were left bare, stripped of green and replaced with ash and fire. The wave reached the Mountain of Equestria, soon to strike the great capitol, Canterlot. Immediately upon impact, the suspended castle city was annihilated, blowing apart like leaves to the wind.

Shadow gasped for air, unable to comprehend this level of destruction. His eyes were lost in the light of the blast wave, which expanded in all directions across Equestria.

Cloudsdale was next, disappearing from existence as the star’s wrath left it as nothing but small clouds, dispersed by the gale winds. In the distance, the red wave could be seen destroying everything it touched, not stopping or slowing as it expanded further. Reaching the Everfree Forest, the once feared place became nothing, vanishing from the world.

Turning back around, Shadow tried with all his might to push his friends away. His hooves dug into the ground as he budded shoulders with them, drawing back and slamming his head into them. “Please! Run!” He cried out, his voice broken and his body trembling. He looked back at the blazing light, losing his balance as he spent sprawling out onto the ground.

Down below, the wave reached Ponyville, sweeping through it without mercy. Ponies disappeared in the dozens… in the hundreds… as the wave engulfed them all. Buildings shattered and wailing cries were silenced, the destruction so close now that he could hear it coming.

In a final effort, Shadow rose and ran at them, only this time he went through them, stumbling back down to the ground. He turned over onto his back, looking up at them as the red could now be seen, even at this angle. In that last moment, Fluttershy turned her head while hugging the others, looking at him, so afraid and heart-broken. His eyes grew bright as the wave appeared, engulfing all eight of them, their bodies breaking away and vanishing into ashes.

“NOOO!!!” The light reached him and all turned to red.

Shadow lied there on the ground, his eyes completely red, mouth left partly open as he mumbled to himself in an inaudible language. His mane and tail flowed gently, and the ghostly aura that appeared when he flew or used magic appeared, his horn and wings slowly fading back into reality.

The Etherus Diamond hovered in the air, red sparks flashing all around it. Stormclaw flew over and landed before it, lifting his claw underneath it as it rose just a bit higher, staying just out of his reach as it hovered over his claw. “Finally… all six have been empowered.” He said with a satisfied grin, looking up at the ponies trapped in crystal. “At long last the Elements of Harmony are powerless, your only shield against the storm to come is gone.”

Chrysalis managed a cackle, continuing to use her magic on the crystals, insurance to be sure that none of them could escape. Sombra, after having used his crystal spell to ensnare Twilight in case she escaped her nightmare, walked up to the dragon, looking at the diamond with some level of skepticism. “What do we do now that you have your relic?” He asked, their plan having not gone past this point. “Imprisoning them would be a start, but it is not enough; the Crystal Empire is still far beyond my grasp with Cadence and Shining Armor there.”

“All in good time, Sombra.” Stormclaw replied, his claw twitching as the Etherus Diamond seemed to be drawn to him, the red sparks touching at his scales. Looking back down at the relic, his eyes lifted from them to look at the immobilized Princess of Friendship. “First things first… it’s time we made sure the great Twilight Sparkle does not disrupt my plans again.”

Sombra glanced back at her, seeing that she was powerless in her current state. He squinted, looking back to Stormclaw. “She is trapped, Chrysalis can put her into one of her changeling pods until we have Equestria. She is no threat to us.”

The black dragon scoffed, looking over at him. “How many times must she be underestimated? How many times has she foiled plans made to control Equestria? Every time one of you chooses to imprison her, she finds a way to escape, be it on her own or with the aid of her countless friends.” He turned his glare back to her, shaking his head. “No more… I am going to end this, now, and be certain that my plan remains flawless.”

This was the first time in so long that Sombra was left speechless, looking upon the black dragon with a level of disbelief. “…you can’t kill her, we need all of the princesses to rule Equestria. Doing this would turn her subjects against us forever, we can’t afford for her to die.”

Stormclaw’s eyes darkened. “You can’t, but as for me, I can’t afford to let her live.”

Everypony else gasped, unable to speak or immediately act as they heard the wicked dragon say this. Celestia yelled out in dismay, struggling with all her might, just as her friends began to. Chrysalis, after hearing this, lost her focus as she turned to the two of them, her once smug expression now tempered with a hint of doubt. Starfall, having not stopped stomping, began to see cracks forming on the crystals holding him.

Before he could move towards her, Sombra stepped into his path. The dragon grimaced upon seeing this. “Get out of my way.” He growled.

Something was wrong, very wrong, why would he be so reckless? Cruelty was a necessity to Sombra in order to rule, but this? This was madness. “No,” the king replied, standing firm. “We need Twilight Sparkle, whatever vendetta you have against her is shrouding your judgement.”

Stormclaw snarled at him. “Remove yourself from my path, Sombra.” He threatened, ignoring the unicorn’s statement. “I will not ask again.”

Now Sombra began to lose his temper, gritting his fangs back at the dragon. “You can’t hope to rule if-” He paused, silence reigning over the courtyard as everything clicked in his head. He stood up straight, the realization coming to him, and everything making sense now. “…you have no intention of ruling, do you?” He glanced over at Shadow, then at Twilight, and then back at him. “Those relics weren’t just to stop Princess Twilight’s friends… you’re not doing this to have Chrysalis or I sit upon a throne.” Sombra’s theory made Stormclaw clench his claws. “You needed Chrysalis to get a hold of all of those relics… needed me to empower that last one there… and now that you have what you wanted, you’re making sure no one can stand in your way.”

There was an evil smirk, followed by a low chuckle. “You did miss one part,” He said, grabbing the diamond with his free claw. Red sparks instantly coursed all over his body, causing an extreme amount of pain, but he only grunted through it, not moving an inch. The darkness of the diamond reached down and the dragon’s shadow rose up from the ground, grabbing hold of Sombra and lifting him up. When the sparks disappeared from Stormclaw, he opened his eyes, which now had a red aura about them. “I don’t need you anymore either.” With a mighty swing, the dragon heaved his claw into Sombra, striking Sombra so hard that he went crashing through the stone wall of the side of the castle, a cloud of dust left in its wake.

“Sombra!” Celestia cried out.

Chrysalis froze in place, not sure what to do or how to react to that. Stormclaw looked over her way, but his expression softened. “Hold them still, this will only take a moment.” He turned back to Twilight, beating his wings as he began rising up into the air.

Crawling out from the ballroom, Discord continued wheezing for air, his vision blurred. Seeing everything that was unfolding, he lifted his paw again, trying to focus what magic he could.

Before the black dragon could rise too high into the air, he was struck by a dark magic beam. He looked up at the castle to see Sombra emerged from the dust. Surrounded by shadows, the unicorn king leapt out from the hole in the wall, slamming his hooves down on the ground, sending sharp crystals shooting up at Stormclaw.

“No more games.” The dragon replied, clenching the diamond tight and roaring into the air. His shadow rose up from the ground and reached him before the crystals could. His shadow emptied itself into the diamond and his body went pitch black, the crystals breaking against him. As his roar continued, his body grew, becoming the monstrous form that had been hiding away all this time. The spikes on his head grew longer, his golden colors darkened, and his form appeared with a slight afterimage that faded much like the magic trail on Sombra’s eyes.

With a swing of his claw, the shadows around Sombra turned on him, clawing at his body and tossing him aside, where he skidded across the courtyard and plowed into the wall, debris falling down over top of him.

Stormclaw looked at his new form, one that he had been wanting to see for so long now. He chuckled to himself, but then grew serious once again, looking down at Twilight as he was very high up now. “Twilight Sparkle, you have meddled in my affairs for the last time.” His eyes began to glow fully red, crimson light building up behind his fangs. “Now, be welcomed to oblivion.” Opening his maw, a sphere of pure, destructive fire began to grow, his mouth opening wider as it grew.

“Twilight!” Everypony shouted out, trying to wake her up from her nightmare. The fiery sphere, thought slowly, grew larger and larger, its light now illuminating part of the courtyard in red.

Having focused and held on for long enough, Discord cast another chaos spell, striking Chrysalis in the face with a kind of purple aura, temporarily blinding her and stopping her magic.

Seeing this opportunity, Starfall stomped down on the crystal harder and harder, the cracks growing and growing until finally he broke free. He immediately took off towards Twilight, but knew he wouldn’t be able to break her crystal trap in time. He stopped, looking over at Starlight’s whose crystal was also cracked as she had managed to begin overloading the crystals with her magic. Galloping over towards her, he stomped at her trap frantically.

“If I can free you, get to Twilight and use your protection spell!” Starfall yelled, pounding away at the crystal and making the cracks spread.

Celestia then shouted out, “Starfall!”

He stopped, turning back and looking up at the dragon in the night sky. The fireball was now larger than a pony, the growth slowing as it became apparent that he was almost done. Starfall hesitated, trying desperately to think of what he could do. He couldn’t break Starlight’s trap in time, he couldn’t move Twilight out of the way, and he couldn’t possibly have the strength to fight Stormclaw, and even if he did, he wouldn’t reach him in time to stop the attack. Eyes in a near panic, he suddenly stopped, pausing for a moment.

Starlight looked to him in confusion. “Starfall, what are you doing?! Get me out so I can cast my spell!” He turned to her, a dangerously desperate look in his eyes. She paused, not sure what it meant. “S-Starfall…?”

He managed a small smile at his friend. “Take care of her for me.” He said quietly, his ears falling flat to his head.

Eyes wide, Starlight replied, “W-what…?”

Turning around, his mane lifted slightly in the wake of the dragon’s charging attack. “Take care of all of them for me.” He said, spreading his wings. Galloping towards the red light, Starfall leapt up and took flight, moving as fast his wings could carry him.

“Starfall, no!” Starlight replied, continuing to cast spells on the crystal in a frenzy, tugging and struggling all she could.

The fiery sphere over Stormclaw stopped growing, pulsing to signify it was ready. With a roar, the dragon swung his head down, heaving the giant fireball down towards Twilight.

Everypony cried out for him to stop, but Starfall kept going, reaching new heights of speed as he soared up and into the path of the fiery sphere. He came to a stop, facing the attack with his arms held out wide. The fireball ripped through the air down towards him, bathing his entire body in its crimson light.

Eyes open and watching the monstrous attack approach him, Starfall remained unmoving, afraid, but not letting his fear control him. All of time seemed to slow down, everything Starfall ever experienced with his friends in Ponyville flashing before him. Pinkie Pie, with her crazy nature and funny antics, always doing her best to make him smile. Rarity, the stunning beauty that taught him so much about expressing himself. Applejack, always keeping him wishing everypony could be so honest. Fluttershy, with her nurturing heart, wanting him to be safe and happy. Rainbow Dash, that awesome mare who wanted him to be the best pony he could be… and… Twilight Sparkle, who gave him purpose, joy, wisdom… and what could have possibly been a future.

Sombra, having shifted about in the debris, used his magic to cut the nightmare spell holding Twilight. The teary eyed princess’ eyes returned to normal, looking up at the light, and the pony barring its path.

Closing his eyes, Starfall smiled. “Thank you all…”

Upon impact, the explosion was devastating and bright, lighting up the night and creating a bang so loud, it shattered the glass windows in the ballroom. Twilight felt her heart stop as she took in a gasp, the light from the explosion reflected in her eyes.

Out from the massive cloud of smoke, the gray pegasus plummeted down, fur singed and his body smoking. Friends screamed and cried out as Starfall collided with the ground, bulldozing a path until finally it stopped. He lied there, motionless, as silence and sorrow filled the air of the courtyard, all motion stopping in the wake of the royal guard’s sacrifice.

Garble watched in disbelief, he shook his head, slowly at first, but then wildly. Lowering it, he choked in a breath, his tense muscles relaxing without command as, for the first time in a long time, he felt a tear roll down his face.

Stormclaw grimaced, growling at first. This didn’t last, however, as he smirked afterwards. “Foolish brat, all you did was buy her another minute to live.”

Feeling great heat spiking up in his chest, Garble lifted his head, fangs gritted and eyes narrowing on the black dragon overhead. “You…” He growled, clenching his claws against the crystal restraints. “You…!” He repeated, his voice having gone from trembling to broad. “MONSTER!!!” He roared, his entire body glowing the colors of his scales. The crystal buckled and cracked, breaking almost immediately from the wall. Tearing up from the ground, the red dragon sky rocketed at Stormclaw, catching him off guard as Garble plowed into him.

Chrysalis, having just managed to cast away the purple, blinding spell Discord used, looked around frantically. Starlight’s horn glowed red, her emotions changing from sorrow to anger and plummeting deeper into the emotion until she hit her breaking point. A cloud of her anger formed over her head, her eyes turning from Starfall to the changeling queen. Yelling out in frustration, her magic overcharged the crystals holding her, causing them to break and set her free. Immediately, she reeled up and drew from her anger cloud to fire a concentrated beam of magic at Chrysalis, who dodged it at the very last moment, turning to the unicorn.

“This is all your fault!” Starlight shouted, the cloud only growing larger as it fed more and more into her magic. She fired again, causing Chrysalis to try and block it, but her protection spell was shattered upon taking Starlight’s attack.

Sombra emerged from the pile of debris, watching the four of them fighting. He winced, having to limp as he took a few steps forward. His eyes then met Celestia’s as she was still trapped behind the crystal wall, they told her that he no longer wanted to be a part of this. Managing one last spell, he crippled the magic holding the crystal wall up and broken the trap holding Twilight down. Backing away into the shadows, then disappeared.

Now free of the crystal, Twilight galloped as fast as she could to Starfall in the mini-crater his impact had made. His fur was singed all over, his wings most definitely broken from the fall, as well as some manner of places on his chest and legs. His mane and tail were tattered, his whole body still letting off some smoke from the heat of the blast. His eyes were closed, he lied there, motionless.

“Starfall…?” She said to him, then proceeding to shake his body gently. “Starfall?” She repeated, wanting so badly for him to answer her, but he remained silent and still.

Flipping through the air, the two dragons grappled one another, growling and snarling as they fell to the ground. Stormclaw threw Garble up and off from him, rising up. Garble didn’t let up, thrashing at his enemy with wild, powerful swings. Stormclaw dodged most, then caught his claw to counter, but missed the red dragon’s tail as it swept his legs, falling him as Garble jumped up on top of him, roaring as he went berserk on him.

Chrysalis cast attack after attack, but they were all of them absorbed by the red cloud around Starlight, who replied with her own attacks. Chrysalis stomped her hoof into the ground, which caused the ground beneath Starlight to rise up, throwing her off balance. She then proceeded to fire a clean shot that passed through an opening in the cloud, striking the unicorn off her hooves. Starlight was quick to cast her levitation spell on herself, evading a second attack and floating up in the air. Chrysalis hissed and took to the sky towards her.

“Come on girls!” Rainbow shouted, bashing her head into the crystal. “They need our help!”

Applejack grunted and kicked with her legs all she could, the crystal beginning to break away as it was no longer being reinforced by Chrysalis and been weakened by Sombra. “A-almost… got it…!” She shouted, the cracks forming and spreading.

Fluttershy tried all she could, but she still wasn’t strong enough. She cried out in anguish as she looked back out at the courtyard, seeing Shadow still in his trance and Twilight now holding onto Starfall.

“Starfall wake up…” Twilight said softly. “Starfall… please wake up.” She stroked at the fur on his face, but still there was no reply.

Stormclaw and Garble were engaged in an endearing close-quarters fight. Unable to focus long enough to use any of his dark magic, Stormclaw was forced to contend with the red dragon physically alone, which proved to be difficult. Somehow, Garble was managing to keep up with the empowered black dragon. Proving to outlast him just barely, Stormclaw clawed him down to the ground and then kicked him in the head, flipping him over onto his back. He channeled his powers into summoning a shadowy claw from the ground around the red dragon, but Garble opened his mouth and breathed fire up into Stormclaw’s face, forcing him backwards as he shielded himself. Rising up from the ground, Garble continued to breathe fire on him, the black dragon’s form beginning to flicker and tremble.

Finally managing to clip Chrysalis’ wing, Starlight followed up with her fully charged energy beam, which broke through the changeling queen’s protection spell once again, spiking her down into the ground. When the dust settled, Chrysalis was still lying there, out cold.

Breaking one hoof free of the crystal, Celestia bashed it into the shards holding her neck in place. Once freed, she used a powerful beam from her horn to shatter the rest, turning and using it on the other crystals as well. As everypony broke free of their restraints, Celestia looked up at the Canterlot Tower, not seeing Luna there. She had been worried when her sister did not come to their aid, but it appeared she was gone.

Garble and Stormclaw clashed together, claws in each other’s grasps as they pushed back on one another. They budded heads, still growling lowly at each other. The black dragon’s form flickered again and he momentarily lost his strength, giving Garble the chance to force his claws down and execute a clean strike to his chest, making Stormclaw stutter backwards. Jumping up, Garble drop kicked his enemy, sending him sprawling out onto the ground.

Stormclaw groaned as he rolled around onto his stomach, pushing himself up slowly. Garble lunged at him again, but the black dragon turned and held out his claw, dark magic stopping Garble in his tracks. Spitting out a fang, Stormclaw snarled at him. “You can’t defeat me! It is useless to resist-”

He was suddenly struck by a magic beam in the gut, forcing him to release his hold of Garble as he grabbed at his stomach with both claws. Starlight reeled up and fired again, striking him in the leg this time, forcing him down to one knee. He blocked a strike from Garble, moving to counterattack, but Ember then swooped in and punched him in the side. He shoved her away just to have Garble strike him again, then feel another magic beam strike his arm. Catching himself before falling, he stumbled backwards, his monstrous form shimmering and flickering back to his original and in reverse over and over.

Garble grabbed him by the throat, pulling his face towards him. He crunched his other claw into Stormclaw’s stomach, forcing his head down a bit. “For Starfall.” Garble growled, pulling back as his claw tore through the air, a fire streak trailing it as he slashed the black dragon across the face, sending him spiraling down to the ground. Upon landing, Stormclaw reverted back to his normal form, the Etherus Diamond no longer sending sparks through his body as he released it from his grasp, rolling out into the grass.

Standing over him, Ember scowled. “Finally, it’s over…”

A magic beam then struck all three of them, Garble, Starlight, and Ember, sending them to the ground. Chrysalis came galloping over, grabbing hold of Stormclaw and lifting him up onto her back.

Having been released from the hold of the curse once Stormclaw went down, Discord rose up and tried using his magic to stop the queen, but she had already cast her spell, creating an explosion in the ground around them that made a cloud of dust rise up, engulfing them.

Garble was up quick and ran through the dust, but came out the other side with nothing. The cloud drifted off and dispersed, both Chrysalis and Stormclaw were gone, as well as the Etherus Diamond.

Shadow shot upright from the ground, gasping for air as his eyes returned to their normal color. He could still see it… the star, the blast wave… everypony around him, everything he loved anymore… all gone. He couldn’t let it happen… he must never let it happen.

He turned to see Fluttershy, who was running to him, but stopped at seeing his reaction. He stood up, shaking his head as he backed away.

“Shadow… I’m here, everything is going…” She took in a breath, glancing over at Starfall. “Everything is going to be alright…”

Shadow looked over at Starfall, his breath becoming lost to him as his tears continued to fall. Turning back to Fluttershy, he shook his head again. “I’m so sorry…” He said, turning and galloping away.

“Shadow, no!” She cried, chasing after him, but he disappeared into the dark without a trace. She slowed to a halt. “Shadow…?” She asked quietly. Reality then hit her and she turned back around, seeing her friends all reaching Twilight.

Shaking him again, Twilight felt her tears return to her. “Starfall… Starfall, please wake up…”

Everypony gathered around him, in complete shock at the sight. Rarity held her hoof over her mouth as Applejack lifted her arm onto her friend’s opposite shoulder, embracing her. This couldn’t be real, each of them thought, it just couldn’t.

Celestia, stepping forward, knelt down, placing her head to his chest. She flinched, pulling back up. “He’s not breathing…” She said, her own voice frail at having to say it.

Twilight looked to her in alarm, turning back to her royal guard as she shook him harder. “Starfall! Starfall, come back!” She cried, hardly able to see him because of her tears. She lowered her head to his, taking in a sharp breath. She could remember the day they met, when he arrived at her door after having flown from Canterlot. She remembered crying into his shoulder that night on the train, when they were transporting Shadow to the princesses. She saw their visit to see his parents at Rainbow Falls, their many moments just talking while he was guarding her, his promise to let her rest while he did her work for her when she was exhausted. The many nights spent reading by his side, their many outings with their friends… and their magical dance on what could have become the greatest night of her life. She looked down at him, trembling as she continued to brush his cheek. Taking in another quiet, sharp breath, she whispered to him, “Please… don’t go…”

Ember turned to Garble, unable to watch anymore. Garble lifted his claw up onto her shoulder, looking away with his eyes closed. Starlight gasped for air as well, shaking her head as she collapsed to the ground.

Lifting her head just barely, Twilight waited, hoping, wishing, praying for him to open his eyes… but he didn’t. As the darkness of the night carried on with its sorrowful song, everypony now stood in silence around him, heads lowered or falling, eyes wet with tears, and hearts broken.

Starfall Blitz lay facing the sky. He lied there, burned and scarred, with his friends gathered around him, his enemies gone, and his princess safe.

To be continued...

Author's Note

Emotions abound... what a night this turned out to be.
There you have it, Part II is now complete!
Lights and Shadows will return on September 2nd, 2017, with the Part III premiere! And watch for the upcoming short story, I'll leave it as a surprise!
Check out my YouTube Channel if you want to watch my upcoming MLP Review videos!
Anypony going to BronyCon, hope to see you there!
Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, sat on her throne still as a stone. Folding her wings back behind her, she took in a deep breath, holding her hoof to her chest. Letting the breath out, she moved her hoof away.

“Does that really work?” Starfall Blitz asked, standing just beside her.

Giving her royal guard a troubled look, she said, “It does for the little things, but as for a stress like this, I’ll need more than a breathing technique to calm down.”

“Was the news from Princess Celestia truly that disturbing?” the dark-gray pegasus asked, leaning his head forward.

“She and Luna will be arriving tomorrow, hopefully to tell me I’m worried over nothing.” Twilight replied, standing from her throne and looking at the Cutie Map. “But based on how urgently she made this visitation seem, I somewhat doubt the news will be uplifting.”

Starfall walked up beside her, both of their gazes lingering over Baltimare and Fillydelphia. Lying on the edge of the Celestial Sea, the two cities glistened on the Cutie Map.

“So you think the rumors are true?” he asked her. “Dragons raiding Equestria?”

The princess kept her eyes on the map, not looking away as she answered. “I hope they are false. Dragon Lord Ember would never allow such a thing.”

Starfall’s eyes drifted over to her, who remained focused on the map, her own eyes scanning the Dragon Lands. It had been over a month since the Hearth’s Warming Eve party when Ember came to Ponyville for the first time. Starfall didn’t need to ask to see that Twilight had faith in the Dragon Lord, he could see it in her eyes; that friendship held true through the lies. The initial thought was that Ember had ordered the raids, but this alicorn simply refused to believe it.

A massive pulse shot through the throne room, making the two ponies flinch. The sound was all too familiar to the both of them. Wubs.

Out in the grand foyer of the castle, a peppy pink pony and her silent, yet loud white unicorn friend were setting up loud speakers. The hall had already been filled with bright decorations, obviously the work of the party-master herself.

“A little to the leeeft!” Pinkie Pie yelled out, waving her hooves.

Vinyl Scratch, with her headphones half-on, listened and used her magic accordingly, centering the speaker on the column as she stood above on the next floor. Once fitted in its spot, Vinyl gave it a beat and maxed out the volume, sending another massive pulse throughout the castle.

Catching full-wind of the wub, Pinkie smiled wide, yelling out, “PERFECT!!!”

Twilight and Starfall emerged out from the throne room in a slight rush, looking around at the colorful foyer.

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed.

Turning her head all the way around with the rest of her body moving, Pinkie gasped in excitement. “Hey Twilight! I thought you were in town getting some supplies for the party tomorrow! DJ-Pon3 and I were just setting up the loudspeakers!” Facing forward again, Pinkie yelled up to her unicorn friend, “We’re good! Let’s move down to the next spot!”

Trotting up beside her friend, Twilight restrained herself from scolding the hyperactive earth pony. “I thought I stressed the importance of the princesses’ visit tomorrow.”

“No, no, no, you did!” Pinkie said excitedly. “That’s why I’m getting the castle ready for the party!”

Twilight shook her head. “It isn’t a party Pinkie, this visit from Celestia and Luna is very serious, and it will be no partying matter!”

Pinkie’s ears leveled to her head. “Awww….but that’s no fun.”

“It’s not meant to be fun.” Twilight said back, looking up at the decorations. “Now take all of this down, I have a lot to do before they arrive.”

As the princess trotted away up the stairs with her royal guard, Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “I have to put all of this away!?” She sighed, looking back up at Vinyl with sad, puppy eyes. The white unicorn shrugged her shoulders in reply.

Standing in front of his mirror, a pitch-black pony took a few deep breaths. He had tried Twilight’s breathing technique, but it didn’t seem to be working this time around. He shook his head wildly, the black fur becoming rough and uneven.

“Princess Celestia, I have become a better pony.” He said with a stern face, his chest puffed out. “No, no, no, that’s not it….”

Pacing about in his room, the shadow pony remained deep in thought. Having gone through dozens of ways to speak to the princess, his anxiety was becoming more and more difficult to get a grip over. He had not met Celestia since her decision to allow him to stay in Ponyville, and at the time, she definitely did not trust him. He had to change her mind, he just had to find a way to prove to her that he was a good pony now.

Thinking up another one, he trotted back to the mirror and cleared his throat. “Princess, I….” he paused, looked up slightly for a moment, and then shook his head. “No that can’t be it either!” Now frustrated, Shadow gave his reflection a grim expression. “Why is this so difficult? I know I’ve changed, so why is this so hard?”

“Shadow?” asked Fluttershy, peeking her head into the room. Shadow turned to the pegasus, and the situation told her everything. “Are you still nervous about seeing Princess Celestia again?”

His ears folded back on his head and he returned his gaze to his reflection, nodding. Fluttershy walked into the room and stood beside him, both of them now looking into the mirror.

“I keep trying to imagine what I’ll say,” Shadow said quietly. “But every time I try, I lock up.”

“It’s perfectly normal to be nervous, Shadow.” She assured him. “That’s nothing to be ashamed or afraid of.”

Keeping his golden eyes locked on his own reflection, Shadow stayed silent. His black fur quivered at the thought of the princesses not believing him. What would happen to him if they refused to believe he had changed? Would they lock him up somewhere far away? Somewhere dark and alone? Somewhere like…..

“What do you see when you look in the mirror Shadow?” Fluttershy asked. The question puzzled him, and he looked at her, confused. “Do you see someone without empathy, or someone who cares for others?” Shadow hesitated, but then looked back at his reflection. “Do you see someone who rejects the world around them, or someone who wishes to shape it themselves? Do you see someone alone, or someone with friends?”

The questions echoed in Shadow’s mind, dispelling his anxiety the longer they remained.

“Do you want to know what I see?” the pegasus asked, peering over at him. His eyes shifted over to her as she looked upon his reflection again. “I see a good pony.”

Like feeling the rising sun after a cold night, the wave of warmth swept through Shadow’s body, starting deep in his chest. So many times this amazing mare pulled him out from his doubts and fears, and so many times now he felt a different power; one much stronger. He finally gave her the smile she was looking for.

“I was about to walk back to my cottage, would you care to join me?” she asked.

“I’d be happy to.” He replied, following her to the door.

The Café Hay was one of the more popular restaurants in Ponyville. Just the right blend of good food and fashion to keep the attentions of two mares in particular.

“Will you hurry up and order already Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked the unicorn, her heading resting on the table-top. “The longer it takes you to decide, the longer it takes for my hay burger to come out!”

Rarity eyed her rainbow-maned friend and sighed, looking back to the waiter. “I’ll have your delectable daffodil sandwich.” Nodding his head, the waiter walked off to the next few tables where customers sat in wait. “Honestly Rainbow Dash, you are the most impatient pegasus in all of Equestria.”

“I’m also the hungriest.” Rainbow snapped, lifting her head and leaning back in her chair.

With a slight shake of her head, Rarity used her magic to put the menu away. “I wonder what’s taking Spikey so long?”

With a slight grunt, Rainbow lifted her head enough to look at her companion. “Can’t you just call him Spike? What’s with the pet name?”

“Hmph.” Rarity chided, closing her eyes and lifting her chin. “Spikey-Wikey is not a pet name. It is simply more adorable.”

“Riiiight,” the pegasus scoffed. “The dragon wants to be more adorable.”

A short, purple dragon came sprinting over the hill with a basket to the two mares at the table. When he came to a halt, he gave himself a moment to catch his breath. “Sorry I’m late, I had baked some cookies for the three of us to eat with our lunch!”

Rainbow eyed Rarity, who was smirking over her way. “Why thank you Spikey-Wikey! Whatever would we do without our favorite dragon?”

Spike sat his basket of cookies up on the table and sat up on the chair. “You weren’t waiting long, were you?”

“Not at all.” Rarity replied. Using her magic, she lifted her own basket up onto the table, which had a few gemstones inside. “I brought your favorites, emeralds.”

“Awww, thanks Rarity!” Spike said excitedly, eyeing them with hunger.

Rainbow watched him drool at the sight of the gems and chuckled. “Aren’t you gonna go all dragon on them and stuff them in your mouth like you usually do?”

Restraining himself, Spike managed to tear his gaze away from the delicious stones. “Twilight’s been teaching me a thing or two about table manners. Rule number fourteen: always wait for the ladies’ meals before starting.”

Impressed with his improvement in dining etiquette, Rarity applauded her little dragon friend. “Oh how marvelous! You are such the little charmer, Spikey.”

Rainbow watched Rarity rub Spike’s head and the little dragon reply with his puppy-like gaze. It was almost sappy enough to make the pegasus throw up. “Oh knock it off you two before I lose my appetite; I’m practically starving over here.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity said, disappointed in her friend’s lack of manners. “What is it with you today?”

Seeing that she crossed some line, Rainbow sighed. “I’m sorry; I just got a letter from Gilda that’s put me a bit on edge, that’s all.”

Spike tilted his head, curious. “Is something wrong over in Griffonstone?”

“Yeah,” Dash answered, sitting upright. “Supposedly some unicorn attacked the new king in the castle, and it’s caused a big uproar against us ponies.”

“How dreadful,” Rarity said, leaning forward. “And such a coincidence; I’ve heard from a few of my fashion friends in Baltimare that the coastlines have been being raided by droves of dragons!”

Rainbow scoffed, but Spike looked to be in disbelief. “Really?” he asked in a way that caught the mares’ attentions. “I just got a letter from Ember a few days ago saying that the griffons have begun expanding south into the Dragon Lands, trying to conquer them!”

The three sat in relative shock for a few moments.

“Whoa, seriously?” Rainbow gasped. “That’s just plain crazy!”

“This couldn’t possibly be a coincidence,” Rarity said, looking around at the two of them. “Could it?”

Spike all of a sudden looked very worried. “Do you think we should tell Twilight?”

“We really should,” Dash replied. “But she’s already so stressed about the princesses coming tomorrow, don’t you think telling her this would just make her feel worse?”

All three friends went silent with concerned expressions on their faces. Ponies, dragons, and griffons with such strong claims against one another couldn’t end well, especially claims like these. Ponies never attacked Griffonstone, dragons never raided populated areas of Equestria without the consent of the Dragon Lord, and the griffons hadn’t campaigned into the Dragon Lands since the Great Eastern War.

“Maybe we should wait until after the princesses come to tell her.” Spike offered.

A scary thought then snuck into Rainbow’s head. “What if that’s why the princesses are coming in the first place? What if they plan on telling Twilight!?”

Rarity gasped. “Then we simply must tell her! Twilight needs to have a perspective on the situation when Celestia and Luna arrive! I have an appointment with her at the boutique, I need to go prepare for-”

“One daffodil sandwich and one hay burger.” The waiter announced, sitting the food on the table. “Enjoy.”

As the stallion walked away, Rainbow eyed her meal. Her stomach grumbled and her gaze lifted to meet that of her friends’. “Maaaaybe we can eat first?”

Using her magic, Twilight brushed her mane while reading a book. Her wings shuffled about on her back in discomfort as she tried to concentrate. It used to be so easy for her to get lost in the pages of a book, but now it seemed nearly impossible. With a groan, Twilight flipped it shut and leaned back in her chair.

Starfall stood over by the door, occasionally glancing over at the princess as she failed to hide her emotions. She had tried her breathing technique more times than Starfall could count today, but it had no positive effect on her at all.

“Starfall?” Twilight asked, making the pegasus look over at her. Turning about, he walked over to her side. “Have you heard any news at all about the black dragon?”

“You mean Stormclaw?” Starfall asked.

Twilight almost shuddered at the mention of his name, having hoped not to hear it. She replied with an uneasy nod.

“Not a word.” He answered, looking a bit grim. “Has his absence been bothering you too?”

Twilight sat upright in her seat. “Well, he spent the better part of three weeks gathering up those artifacts and then he just up and disappeared after we lost him at Neighagra.”

Starfall nodded. “It is concerning, not knowing anything else about his intentions. And then to not know what happened to Daring Do after she gave chase to him.”

Something Twilight didn’t want reminded to her. Nopony had seen Daring since she took off after Stormclaw, which bothered everypony, Rainbow most of all. The thought of missing ponies made Twilight remember Zecora.

“You don’t think he’s behind Zecora’s disappearance, do you?” she asked him.

“It is possible,” the royal guard replied. “But why would he have taken her now and not when they met before at the Castle of the Two Sisters? It just doesn’t seem to make sense.”

There was that. “I suppose you’re right.” The alicorn concluded, facing forward as she slumped back into the chair, letting out a long sigh. “Why can’t my friends and I ever just have a year without troubles like this?”

Starfall chuckled, saying, “If only, princess.”

Peering over at him, Twilight asked, “I don’t suppose you have any clue why Stormclaw stole those artifacts in the first place?”

“Can’t say I do.” The pegasus said with a huff. “But he’ll slip up at some point, the criminals always do, and when he does, we’ll be waiting.”

It wasn’t that Twilight had lost hope for foiling the black dragon’s plans; she knew that Starfall was right and that eventually he would make a mistake. The prevailing worry, in her mind, was not knowing when it would happen, but like all things she had to wait for, she needed to have patience.

Starfall looked over at the door, and then up at the ceiling, believing he had heard something. He then remembered the princess’ schedule.

“Oh, right.” He said to himself. “You’re appointment with Rarity at her boutique is in ten minutes.”

“Whoa, I had almost forgotten!” Twilight blurted out, standing from her seat. “Thank you for reminding me.”

The purple alicorn took off towards the door, and so Starfall took a step forward. “Would you like me to accompany you?”

“I’ll be alright!” Twilight replied, looking back at him. “Go out and take a break, you’ve been a great help all day!” Without another word, she teleported in a flash of light.

Looking around at the room, Starfall shrugged his shoulders. “Guess I really could use a nap.”

While his room in Twilight’s Castle was very large and cozy, Shadow felt most at home when he was at Fluttershy’s cottage. The vibrant presence of countless animals, the peaceful scenery, and the calming feeling that Fluttershy herself gave off made the little cottage Shadow’s favorite place in all of Ponyville.

“Would you like some more tea?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, please.” Shadow replied, smiling as he held out his cup.

He visited her cottage most every day now, and they talked for hours, often losing track of the time. They talked about Ponyville, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot. About critters, the weather, and other pony friends. The range of their conversations was wide, almost all-encompassing. Shadow just loved listening to her; to every word as if they were musical notes.

“Rarity told me that she’s making you an outfit for the Grand Galloping Gala.” She continued, sipping from her cup.

Shadow nodded. “It was very generous of her; I know she’s kept busy this time of the year.”

“Well, she is the Element of Generosity after all.” Fluttershy giggled.

There it was again. Shadow had heard it several times before, but never asked further about it. Elements of Harmony. How strange it sounded to him, in a good way of course. He had been tempted to research the title in the castle library, but always thought it was outside of his realm of business. Even then….there was something about how it sounded. Thankfully, Shadow hadn’t had any memories returning to him since he overcame his other side, but the phrase, “Elements of Harmony” felt like it was connected to some part of his memories. Faded, very faint….but there.

“A title very befitting of her.” He concluded, ignoring his own curiosity. He didn’t care about what it meant, all he knew was that it was true, and he didn’t need to know anything else.

Angel, Fluttershy’s pet bunny, hopped up onto Shadow’s lap, rubbing his head against the shadow pony. He chuckled, scratching the white critter under his chin.

Fluttershy chuckled at the sight. “That’s the third time already; he must really like you.”

Shadow looked down at his little, outgoing friend and patted him on his head. Surprisingly enough, none of the animals he had come in contact with had ever responded to his presence with fear or mistrust. They were all immediate to welcoming him, something that Fluttershy had never seen before. They all just came up to the shadow pony and were as friendly as could be.

Looking down at him, Shadow was reminded of his position. His smile faded a bit, which caught Fluttershy’s eye. “Fluttershy?” he asked, the bunny hopping off from his lap. “Do you think I’m useless?”

Such a question was completely unexpected. The pegasus immediately flew over and landed beside him. “Shadow, why would you ask me that? You know you’re not useless.”

Keeping a downed gaze, Shadow replied, “I’ve been in Ponyville for over two months now, but I’m not doing anything. I help you and the girls whenever I can, but even then I don’t do much. Twilight is a princess, Rainbow is a Wonderbolt, AJ works her farm, Pinkie organizes parties, Rarity designs beautiful clothing, and you take care of all the woodland creatures. And I’m just….here.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but something out the window caught her eye that changed her mind. A smile curved its way onto her face as she focused back on her depressed friend.

“I think you may be forgetting about something, Shadow.” She told him, earning a look from the shadow pony. “Something I know you are pretty good at.”

Shadow wasn’t given all that long to answer her before the door to the cottage swung open, revealing three small fillies with identical cutie marks. An earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus that just about everypony in town knew well.

“There ya are Shadow!” Apple Bloom called out, the three of them trotting over to him. “We’ve been look’n all over for ya!”

The sight of his three, energetic little friends pulled Shadow out from his slump in a heartbeat. “What do you need girls?” he asked them.

“We’re gonna go help search for Zecora.” Scootaloo said proudly.

“Yeah, we figured we could start by investigating her hut.” Sweetie Belle added. “But Rarity and Applejack don’t want us going there without an adult.”

“So, could you two come with us?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh?” Fluttershy said, sounding a little skeptical. “And you’re sure that’s what your sisters said?”

“Absolutely.” Sweetie replied.

“Yeah, we swear!” Apple Bloom added for reassurance.

Shadow looked over at Fluttershy, saying, “I’d like to give it a shot, but I’ve never been in the Everfree Forest before, so this one is up to you.”

The pegasus looked from him, over to the three fillies, with the halos over their heads and eyes pleading her to say yes. She glanced outside; they had a while until it started getting dark.

“Alright.” Fluttershy told them, smiling. “Lead the way you three.”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER INVESTIGATORS!!!” the three fillies shouted out.

“Just about there aaaand….” Rarity said, using her magic to put on the final touches. “Done! Twilight, darling, I present to you, our gowns for the Grand Galloping Gala!” The curtain was flung aside and the dresses finally revealed.

Twilight’s eyes sparkled upon seeing the result of her friend’s hard work. “Oh my…” she said, in awe of them. “Rarity, these dresses are beautiful!”

“I know!” Rarity screeched, full of joy. “They may just be my finest works yet! Won’t the girls just love them!?”

“Without a doubt.” Twilight assured her, making the unicorn as giddy as could be.

Turning to close the curtain, Rarity asked, “Has Princess Celestia sent the invitations yet?”

The mention of her mentor flashed all the stress back into Twilight, but she hid it well. “No, but, I’m almost positive she will give them to us personally tomorrow.”

And upon Twilight mentioning the princesses’ visit, Rarity remembered what news she had to tell her alicorn friend. “Ah, yes, about that….” she said, turning back around. “Twilight, dearest, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but….”

“You don’t need to say it Rarity, I already know.” Twilight replied, sounding a little defeated.

Rarity was a bit shocked. “Y-you do?”

“I figured you would be the first to know about it, being that you have so many friends in Baltimare.” Twilight continued. “I already know about the attacks, and that it is the reason behind the princesses’ visit.”

Feeling like she dodged lightning, Rarity let out a sigh of relief; not at her friend’s supposed knowledge of the attacks, but rather that she wouldn’t be the one to break the news.

“And if it’s alright with you,” Twilight asked, “Could we….not talk about it?”

“Oh, but of course darling!” Rarity said in swift response. “Come now, let me see you in this marvelous gown!”

Looking up at her beautiful dress, it did make Twilight feel a little better. She followed the unicorn behind the curtains.

Having found no evidence of any kind at the hut, Fluttershy, Shadow, and the CMCs decided to take a small detour back to Ponyville through the forest, hoping to pick up on any kind of trail. It was starting to get late, but Fluttershy knew exactly where they were, so she wasn’t worried.

Coming up upon a clearing, Apple Bloom recognized it and let out a sigh, knowing full well where they were.

“Well shoot!” the little earth pony said, kicking a rock. “No sign of a zebra high or low!”

“I know,” Sweetie scoffed. “It’s like she just disappeared!”

“We tried our best,” Fluttershy said, hoping to lift their spirits. “But I think we should return to Ponyville now.”

“Okay…” all three fillies said in unison.

Entering the clearing, Shadow took notice to a statue standing at its center, alone in the forest. “What’s that?” he asked, halting the group.

“Oh, that’s just the Nightmare Night statue of Nightmare Moon.” Apple Bloom answered him, all five of them now looking at the darkened figure of the tall alicorn.

“….Nightmare Moon….?” Shadow whispered, walking over towards it.

Standing before the statue, a slight breeze floated through the air, passing them by. His mane, pitch-black, flowed with it, passing just below his face. She seemed familiar, in more ways than just one.

“Is…?” he asked, skeptical at first. “Is that Princess Luna?”

Scootaloo looked up at Shadow, somewhat surprised. “Do you really not know?”

He looked down at the little pegasus, asking, “Know what?”

Fluttershy knew she would be best telling him, and so she began. “That doesn’t surprise me.” She walked up to Shadow’s side, the both of them looking up at the statue. “Princess Luna was not always like she is now. Over a thousand years ago, she began to grow resentful of her sister, Princess Celestia. Every night she would watch ponies sleep through her reign, even though they were awake and relished in Celestia’s day. Her resentment deepened until she decided to fight against Celestia, refusing to lower the moon. She changed into this….” Fluttershy paused, shaking her head at the sight of the statue. “And Celestia banished her to the moon.”

That didn’t sound like Luna; resenting Celestia so much as to fight her, her own sister. He had been aware of something that happened to Luna, but he never would have imagined it was something like this.

Looking upon the gaze of the statue, Shadow’s vision flickered, and then darkened.

Luna lie collapsed on the floor, crying into her hooves. She remained there, alone in the faint darkness of her room, weeping without end.

A shadow emerged up from the floor, shifting over and circling her ever-so slowly.

“Why do you cry, Luna?” a voice whispered out from the shadow.

Taking in a few sharp breaths, the princess lifted her head enough to see the figure moving around her. “Sadness and loneliness surround us….” She gasped, covering up her face once more. “Nopony appreciates our night; we are a princess of nothing….”

Swirling about, lifted slightly from the floor, the shadow moved closer to her, as if trying to comfort the alicorn. “I do. I have always seen the beauty your night has to offer, for it is the only time in which I may see you.”

“We know,” Luna managed, using what strength she had to sit up. “We truly are sorry, an offense was not meant-”

“Dear Luna….” The shadow whispered ever so slightly. “I will always be here for you. Unlike that faithless sister of yours.”

Luna tilted her head, saying, “B-but Celestia is the only family we have…..she must appreciate my night like you do.”

“The same Celestia that tells you I am not real?” the shadow asked. “The same Celestia that lets you cry here in your room alone, with only a creature like me to comfort you? No Luna, she has betrayed you.”

“But she….I….” Luna said softly, unable to finish as she felt the tears start coming back.

The shadow inched closer, resting underneath her and rising further from the floor. “Stop resisting the truth Luna, I beg of you. Have I not always been there for you?”

Luna closed her eyes, feeling the shadows against her fur. “Yes…”

“Have I not always wanted what was best for you, to be the princess Equestria truly needs?” it continued, surrounding her almost entirely.

With a nod, Luna gasped slightly. “Yes…”

“Trust in me Luna.” It spoke softly. “Close your eyes and open your heart, I will show you what you can become.”

Shadow flinched as he felt the vision end. Fluttershy looked at him, slightly concerned.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

He quickly looked at her, and then at the little fillies beside him, all curious for his answer. Shadow looked back up upon the statue of Nightmare Moon, nodding slowly.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” He lied, blinking a few times. “Just got a headache is all.”

The sun had begun to set as the Cutie Mark Crusaders walked to their clubhouse together. Fluttershy and Shadow had gone off towards the castle once they had all cleared the forest and knew the CMCs would be alright on their own.

They had to brainstorm on how to better their search efforts for Zecora. Most everypony else was keeping an eye out for her, but there hadn’t been a peep from anyone, anywhere in all of town. They didn’t have long before dusk fell, which was how long they were supposed to stay out, so they wanted to get some quick thinking in before heading back to their homes.

“Do y’all think Shadow is alright?” Apple Bloom asked her friends as they rounded a turn on the dirt path. “He sure was act’n strange around that there statue.”

“He’s a tough pony, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Scootaloo brushed the worry aside. “We need to stay focused if we’re gonna find Zecora.”

“Who are we kidding Scoots,” Sweetie sighed. “If all of Ponyville has been looking for Zecora for weeks and haven’t found a thing, what chance do we have?”

Apple Bloom shook off her concern for Shadow and lifted her head high. “We have to try, she could be in danger! This has to be our top priority!”

As the three fillies turned onto the straightaway to their clubhouse, they became more and more lost in their conversation.

“We’ve been at this for days,” Sweetie replied, shaking her head. “I just think we should consider that this is just a step higher than what we’re used to.”

“What? You mean just give up?” Scootaloo questioned the unicorn.

“No, of course not!” Sweetie snapped back. “But maybe we should take some time to see if others need our help, we can’t just focus on finding one pony all the time, can we?”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah see what your say’n, but this is Zecora we’re talkin’ about! Ah just can’t stand not knowing where she is or if she’s alright!”

Scootaloo looked up at the treehouse and froze mid-step. “Ummm….Apple Bloom….Sweetie Belle….?”

“I know you and Zecora are close Apple Bloom, but there are other ponies that may need our help too.” Sweetie retorted to her earth pony friend. The two stopped and turned to one another to argue their points.

“Girls….” Scootaloo tried again, sounding intimidated.

“It’s not just me Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom answered back. “Her being missin’ means a lot to Twilight and the rest of our friends too! We can’t just give up on ‘em!”

Scootaloo gave the both of them a sharp elbow in their sides, silencing the argument to look at their cautious friend. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned their gazes to the clubhouse, which had a visitor up on the balcony waiting for them.

Claws tapped on the wood to a patient rhythm. Black scales rejected the light from the setting sun. A mane of golden spikes flowed gently in the breeze. And two scarlet eyes stayed focused on the three ponies as they stood motionless below.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, right?” he asked in a deep voice, leaning forward onto the railing. “I could really use your help.”

Author's Note

Welcome back everypony! Lights and Shadows returns with a bang!
So right off the bat we discover that a conflict is brewing between ponies, griffons, and dragons because of these attacks. Celestia and Luna are set to visit Ponyville and explain the situation in full, which has Twilight and Shadow both on edge.
Speaking of Shadow, what was that vision he experienced? What does it mean?
And what does Stormclaw plan to do with the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Let's find out! See you in Chapter Two!

Chapter 2

Galloping through the hallway as fast as she could, Twilight jumped over the railing and unfurled her wings, soaring down to the grand foyer. Stopping just shy of the door, she gave herself a moment to become better composed. Once her breathing slowed back to normal, she used her magic to open the door.

There were no chariots, no sounding of trumpets, and no crowds gathered to watch. Just ten royal guards and the two rulers of Equestria; Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

“You’re here!” Twilight said with both excitement and slight confusion.

“Please forgive our sudden arrival Twilight,” Celestia apologized, walking up the steps with her little sister. “Luna and I thought it best to keep this visit more confidential than originally planned.”

Twilight nodded her head. “Of course, please, come inside.”

The three princesses entered the door, followed by the ten guards, who closed it behind them. They wasted no time with formalities, and walked into the throne room, where everypony else sat in wait for them, having gathered quickly at hearing of the sudden arrival. All of the thrones became occupied as Twilight took her seat, Starlight to her right and Starfall to her left.

“Thank you all for agreeing to meet with us.” Celestia said, withholding her concern. “I wish we had more cheerful news.”

“Several disturbing events have occurred in the last week that have begun an uproar all across the lands.” Luna followed up, her expression darkening. “The consistency of these events is no coincidence, and their effects have already begun to take hold.”

“I have heard word of the dragon raids near Baltimare,” Twilight replied, holding a hoof to her chest. “I believe this crisis can be put to rest quickly if we consult Dragon Lord Ember.”

Celestia shook her head. “As I have feared, you do not fully understand the gravity of what has happened.”

Twilight looked to her former teacher with a tilted head. “What do you mean?”

“Twilight, we are not the only ones who have been attacked.” Celestia continued. “The newly crowned ruler of the griffons, King Gale, has been attacked by an unknown unicorn, supposedly in our name.”

“W-what!?” Twilight gasped. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but closed it fast, thinking it would be best to stay quiet. “When did-”

“What’s more,” Luna interrupted her. “A wave of griffons executed an incursion into the Dragon Lands, attempting to conquer it from Dragon Lord Ember’s control.”

Shock filled the room, but Spike, Rainbow, and Rarity all lowered their heads, peering over at one another. After the initial panic calmed down, the meeting really began.

“Why would the griffons attack the dragons?” Applejack asked first. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“And why would the d-dragons raid Equestria?” Fluttershy asked shakily.

“A unicorn?” Starlight said, still in shock. “What reason could a unicorn have for attacking the griffons?”

“We are not sure why these attacks have happened,” Celestia stated, silencing the group. “Their motives remain a mystery to us, but at the moment we must put aside discovering why they happened and focus on how best to handle it. Because of these attacks, Equestria, the Griffon Kingdom, and the Dragon Lands are now at risk for a serious conflict. We must find a way to stop it before it escalates beyond our ability to control.”

Twilight, taking in a deep breath, centered herself. “What should we do Celestia?”

“Princess Luna, Cadence, and I have called for a Grand Summit to be held in five days’ time.” The white alicorn replied, using her magic to make the Cutie Map focus on a specific corner of Equestria. “All of the nations’ leaders will convene here, at the peninsula of Horseshoe Bay, where we shall negotiate a peaceful solution to these unfortunate events.”

“Horseshoe Bay?” Rainbow asked. “Why not Canterlot? Or the Crystal Empire?”

“The griffons believe that we ordered the attack on their king,” Luna answered her. “Therefore, we cannot appoint the summit to our capitol; King Gale would never agree to meet with us there. As for the Crystal Empire, we do not think it wise for the dragons to cross over Equestria to reach the summit; it would most definitely cause a panic. Horseshoe Bay lies in between our three nations, and the parade grounds on the peninsula will provide the perfect space for these negotiations to play out.”

Twilight felt as if something was off, and so she asked, “Who all will be attending the summit?”

“We have sent the invitations to Griffonstone and Fireglow; King Gale and Dragon Lord Ember arriving is most important.” Celestia said, the Cutie Map zooming back out. “Cadence and Shining Armor will attend, and we have also invited Thorax of the Changeling Kingdom.”

“Whoa, nelly.” Applejack said slowly. “That’s a whole lot of powerful leaders.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed. Twilight, you and your friends must be there for the summit; if we fail to calm Gale and Ember, I fear this will result in catastrophe.”

“You can count on us, princess!” Rainbow shouted, slamming her hoof onto the table.

“We will be there,” Twilight promised her. “And we will put a stop to this whole ordeal.”

Rarity inched forward in her throne. “Princess, you said the summit is to meet in five days. What should we do until then?”

“I want you girls ready for anything,” Celestia told them, looking around at the whole group. “This summit may last a week, or maybe just a day, so you all need to be well rested. Luna and I will do all we can to make sure everyone attends the summit.”

Shadow peered into the room, trying to stay out of sight. His eyes focused on Celestia and Luna. Taking in a deep breath, he began contemplating how best to enter the room.

“Shadow!” Pinkie Pie shouted, oblivious to his plight.

In the blink of an eye, everypony turned their heads and locked eyes with the shadow pony, who felt his heart practically jump out from his chest. Swallowing his fears, he slowly walked into the room, his head lowering gradually as he approached the Cutie Map.

“H-hello again Princess Celestia….Princess Luna.” He said shakily, doing very well despite his extremely heightened anxiety.

Luna somewhat shied away from him, having not seen him since the night she entered his dreams and experienced the nightmare. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, but she didn’t want to even think about what had happened.

Taking notice to her sister’s reaction, Celestia looked to everypony else. “Could Shadow, Twilight, and I have the room to ourselves for a moment everyone?”

The request, although not asked in a threatening way, made everypony else nervous for Shadow. Twilight made a slight gesture for them to obey her, and they did, clearing out from the room. Fluttershy was the only one who looked back at Shadow, silently telling him to be brave. The door closed behind her and the three were now alone in the throne room. Celestia turned to Shadow, whose resolve crumbled a bit under the weight of her gaze.

Twilight began to sweat as she tried at ending the silence. “What is it, princess?” she asked, gaining the other alicorn’s attention. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes, something is.” Celestia replied, turning back to Shadow. He swallowed nervously again, looking up at her while trying to hold fast to his head being raised high. The princess’ gaze turned soft as she spoke. “The last time we met, I treated you poorly because I did not understand you, and it frightened me. It was behavior unbecoming of a Princess of Equestria, and so I ask you for your forgiveness.”

Feeling as though he had heard her wrong, Shadow leaned his head forward a bit. After a few moments, he realized that he wasn’t mistaken. “Ummm….well, there is nothing to forgive, princess.” He answered her truthfully. “Not knowing what I am scares me sometimes too.”

Feeling as though a mountain of stress lifted from off her shoulders, Twilight was finally able to let out her held breath. Where in Equestria did that come from? What made Celestia all of a sudden become so sympathetic to Shadow? She was lost in questions, but ultimately didn’t care why.

“I was naïve to assume you were evil, and I have since discovered that I couldn’t have possibly been more wrong.” Celestia continued. “Thank you for coming so I could apologize personally.”

Shadow saw the sincerity in her eyes and felt all of the anxiety fade away at the sight. Not knowing what else to say, he granted her what she wanted. “Apology accepted, princess. And, umm, thank you. For letting me stay here.”

Celestia nodded and smiled warmly down at him. He nodded in return and walked to the door, leaving the room to the princesses.

Twilight looked to Celestia, more proud than ever to know that she was her mentor. Her look asked the question she needed answered, and Celestia understood it immediately.

“Your friendship with him is important Twilight,” she said, looking back at the door he walked out from. “Don’t ever give up on it.” There were a few moments of silence in between them, but just as Twilight was about to ask further questions, Celestia spoke. “Would you show me to the Alicorn Amulet now?”

Realizing that her questions could come later, Twilight nodded. “Of course, right this way.”

Twilight’s Castle was still quite empty despite the princess and her friends’ efforts to decorate it. Bare walls and open floors were becoming more and rarer, but there were stills corners of the massive structure that lie empty and quiet. Luna had never gotten the chance to just walk around the castle before; she and Celestia only ever arrived, discussed with Twilight what they needed to, and left.

The crystal halls and chambers were quite beautiful, but the sheer size of the castle and its lack of occupants made it feel so lonely. It was a feeling that Luna knew all too well, and so it bothered her.

Ever since her experience within Shadow’s dream, her sister had been much more nurturing and understanding of her, even more than usual. Luna had figured Discord would tell her what happened, but that didn’t explain why she had suddenly changed so enthusiastically.

Celestia had ordered back her royal guards who were searching for the dragon, she started spending more time with Luna, and she took on the full responsibility for the attacks that had occurred. All of these positive changes should have made Luna feel better, but instead, the lingering vision of Nightmare Moon haunted her, even though she knew it wasn’t real. The thought of the pitch-black alicorn glaring down at her was overwhelming.

“Princess Luna?” asked a voice from behind her. Luna turned her head to see Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity trotting over to her. “Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. “You look awfully distressed.”

“It is nothing my friends.” Luna assured them, waiting for them to catch up before resuming her walk with them by her side. “These confrontations have me worried is all.”

The five mares were not convinced; they knew their princess of the night enough to know something was off.

“C’mon now,” Applejack said comfortingly. “What’s got you so pent up inside?”

The princess eyed her companions, knowing that they only wanted what was best for her. They were not only her subjects, but her close friends as well. She trusted them with her life, and so she had to ask that which plagued her mind so relentlessly.

“The five of you trust this Shadow Light, do you not?” she asked boldly.

The question struck the five of them in a curious way. They knew better than to think Luna believed Shadow was bad, and so it confused them a little. Rainbow answered for them as a slight hesitation in the group forced her hoof.

“Yeah, of course we do. Right girls?” she said proudly. The other four answered with hearty nods, wanting to hear more about this concern from Luna.

The princess nodded back, facing forward, her gaze turned more bold and determined. “Then I have nothing to be afraid of. If you, my friends, trust this shadow pony, then that is good enough for me.”

“And so, the amulet is kept under complete protection every moment of the day.” Twilight concluded, having gone through the entire process of the vault’s security. “Nopony can get in here without my magic.”

“I am very impressed Twilight.” Celestia replied, nodding her head.

Twilight smiled up at her fellow princess. “I learned from the best.” She stated happily.

Coming up upon the secret chamber, Twilight used her magic to open the door for them. They ascended the stairs to come upon the vault itself, still sealed shut. Inserting her horn into the slot, Twilight cast her spell and took a step back. The many locks and mechanism within became unlatched and the door slowly opened, having not down so in a few days since last she checked it.

The Alicorn Amulet sat alone in the dark upon the pedestal. Celestia squinted at it as she and her former student entered the vault.

“See?” Twilight said, well relaxed. “Safe and sound.”

Celestia approached the amulet and kept her gaze locked on the artifact, inspecting it as her own eyes glowed softly.

Twilight went on about her former idea. “I had planned on making a small failsafe trap for anyone who tried removing it from the pedestal, but I thought-”

“Twilight,” Celestia interrupted her. “This is not the Alicorn Amulet.”

Taking a moment to process what had just been said, Twilight froze for a moment or two. “What do you mean it’s not the amulet?” she asked in a half-panic.

Celestia used her magic to lift the amulet up and concentrated on the crystal at its center. Within moments, the crystal shattered from the pressure. “The real Alicorn Amulet’s crystal is indestructible. This is a fake.”

Now in full-on panic mode, Twilight shook her head. “How…how is this possible? This IS the amulet! I took it from the castle ruins myself!”

Celestia turned to Twilight, believing she knew what could have happened. “Who all have you let into this vault?”

“Just Starlight and…..” Twilight froze again, her eyes honing in on Celestia’s point. “No….no, she couldn’t have, why would she?”

Celestia stood up straight and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. “This is my fault; I should have taken it with me when I had the chance. Come, we must tell the others.”

As Celestia took off out from the vault, Twilight remained, still in disbelief. “Zecora?”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were on the path to their clubhouse once again, the three of them lost in conversation.

“Do you think he’ll really be there again?” Sweetie asked them.

“Ah don’t see why he wouldn’t.” Apple Bloom replied. “He said he needed our help yesterday, so I reckon he’s waitin’ for us.”

Sweetie looked down for a moment, and then back up at them. “Don’t you think we should tell someone about him? I mean, when’s the last time a random dragon came to Ponyville for our help?”

“Never and a half.” Scootaloo answered.

“We can’t just go around tell’n everypony that there’s another dragon in town,” Apple Bloom stated. “There could be a whole panic before they realize he’s actually pretty nice.”

Scootaloo looked deep in thought. “Maybe Sweetie Belle has a point. I’m not saying we should tell anypony, but we should at least have some kind of plan in case he’s not as good as he says he is.”

“What kinda plan?” Apple Bloom asked, her head tilted.

The filly pegasus shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but don’t you think we should?”

“Ah suppose you’re right….” The earth pony sighed. “Sorry girls, ah’m just real excited to finally meet another dragon who ain’t so bad, like Spike.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied. “It is pretty awesome.”

Sweetie finally relaxed about it. “Well, if we really can help him, imagine what Princess Twilight and everypony else would think; we’d practically be heroes!”

“Ah know right!?” Apple Bloom said excitedly. “So come on crusaders; let’s go make a new friend!”

The three fillies cheered and galloped off towards the clubhouse, which had just come into sight. The black dragon rested on the roof with his arms tucked behind his head and his tail dangling over the side. A small bubble in his nostril grew larger and then shrank as he rested peacefully, awaiting the crusaders. The bubble popped and his eyes opened up when he heard their hoof steps heading his way.

“There they are,” he said cheerfully, rolling off the roof and gliding down to the ground. “I was afraid I may have scared you yesterday.”

“Not at all,” Sweetie answered him. “We were just a bit surprised at first; we don’t see many dragons around Ponyville.”

“No, I would imagine you don’t…” the dragon said, lowering his head and looking away as he rubbed his neck.

“So what is it you need our help with?” Scootaloo asked, full of energy.

“Well….” The dragon huffed, still rubbing his neck. He stopped after a few seconds and chuckled. “It’s kinda embarrassing….”

Apple Bloom gave him a confident smile. “You can tell us.”

He smiled at hearing that, seemingly getting a confidence boost. “Do you three know Princess Twilight and her friends? You know, the ones in the big castle?”

“Of course!” Sweetie said, now really excited. “I’m Rarity’s little sister!”

“And ah’m Applejack’s little sister!” Apple Bloom said similarly.

Scootaloo jumped up and down. “It’s not very official but….I’m Rainbow Dash’s little sister!”

“Whoa, really?” the dragon asked them. “That’s perfect! I…uh, met them all once. Well, not really, but they saved my life without really knowing it.”

“Seriously?” Scootaloo asked him.

“Yeah, so I wanted to meet them and thank them for what they did, but…” the dragon trailed off, lowering his head again. “I’m too nervous cause, you know….dragons aren’t used to being treated so nice by others, especially ponies.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah can understand that.”

The dragon nodded too. “Yeah, so, could I give you these gifts I brought for them?” he reached into his satchel and pulled out five, different color crystals; blue, red, orange, pink, and purple.

“Whoa! Those are cool!” Scootaloo gasped.

“They are rare crystals I found not too long ago,” he said, looking like he had an attachment to them. “They mean a lot to me….but I feel like they are the perfect gifts for them.”

Sweetie didn’t know why she was so nervous before, this dragon seemed as nice as Spike. “So, you want us to deliver them saying that they were from you?”

The dragon looked tense for a second. “No, no, no….” he said quickly. “Please just tell them that they are gifts from an old friend, I’d rather they not know that you three met with a stranger dragon on the outskirts of town, you know?”

The three fillies looked at one another in a similar, worried way.

“Ooooh, yeah, I see what you mean.” Scootaloo replied. “That wouldn’t be a very awesome talk from them.”

“You can say that again.” Apple Bloom added. Counting the crystals, the earth pony tilted her head. “But there’s only five crystals, how do we decide who gets what?”

“Don’t worry about Princess Twilight,” the dragon told them with a smile. “I’d like to give her my gift personally one day, but I’ll need to find another crystal first…..aaaand the courage to meet her.” Giving them a hopeful expression, he asked, “Can I….ask this of you three?”

“Absolutely!” Apple Bloom said with enthusiasm, gently taking the crystals from the black dragon’s claws. “Right girls?”

“Sure we can!” Sweetie replied. “I can’t wait to see the look on Rarity’s face when she sees this one!” holding the purple crystal, the filly unicorn yipped in excitement. “It’s the same color as her Cutie Mark!”

“Hey, now that you mention it,” Scootaloo added. “All five of these have the same colors as our friends’ Cutie Marks!”

Apple Bloom inspected them and smirked. “Hey now, you’re right! That makes dividing them up easy! Rarity gets the purple one, Applejack gets the orange one, Rainbow Dash gets the red one, Fluttershy gets the pink one, and Pinkie Pie gets the blue one.”

The dragon nodded his head, impressed. “Sounds good to me. Why don’t you three run along now and deliver them for me?”

“YEAH!” all three fillies shouted at once. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DELIVERY GALS, GO!!!”

Like a flash of lightning, the adorable little fillies took off back towards town. The dragon crossed his arms and shook his head, a big smile on his face.

“Good kids….” He said to himself, his smile curving. “That was far too easy.”

Far to the south, beyond Appleloosa and the Macintosh Hills, stood the tall, silent peaks of what was known simply as the Arimaspi Territory. Solid stone mountains with near-vertical slopes and flat tops, this land was known for its mystery.

Named after the gargantuan beasts that once lived there, even the bravest of travelers hesitated at climbing its peaks. Although no one had seen an arimaspi in countless years, the fear of their existence remained, keeping most all outsiders at bay. The highest peak of these treacherous mountains was said to be the resting place of the last arimaspi, where its bones remain undisturbed by the world. Despite the folklore and tall tales of this desolate terrain, it made for the perfect hiding place.

Looking upon the final arimaspi, Queen Chrysalis could sympathize with the skeletal remains on a small degree; she too was the last of her kind, in her own way. All other changelings had transformed, becoming more radiant, peaceful creatures, but not her. Hunger and hatred filled her to the brim. Although once directed at all ponies of Equestria, now it fell down to one, single unicorn.

“Starlight Glimmer…” she whispered to herself. Starlight Glimmer, how could one name cause so much anger and resentment? How could one pony bring her flawless plans crumbling down into ruin? One unicorn…..just one.

Her fangs clenched tightly and her head lowered slightly. Her deep, green eyes strained and narrowed. Closing them abruptly, she took in a deep breath. Calm, remain calm; revenge requires patience.

Opening her eyes, the changeling queen turned from the massive skull to the opening of a cave at the mountain’s peak. Entering the dimly lit passage, she descended through a maze of tunnels, having the route memorized. After everything that had happened in terms of underestimation, she was not going to let her new hideout be so easily accessed.

After taking numerous turns, she came upon a well-lit chamber that hosted a bed, small pool of water, and a large, flat stone that was used as a makeshift table. Hardly worthy of a queen, but it would suffice, at least for now.

As she walked into the chamber, the torches on the walls dimmed down to bare embers. Chrysalis stopped, her green eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

“You are late.” A deep voice bellowed from the darkness.

She grimaced, already knowing where the figure was. “No, you’re just early.”

The shadow that encircled her had red and green eyes, with a slight trail of purple flowing out from their sides. She had tried growing accustomed to his cryptic nature, but it proved to be more trouble than it was worth.

“Where is the dragon?” it asked.

“Stormclaw has been keeping busy,” she replied, already tired of answering him like some voiceless servant. “Something that can’t be said for the likes of you.”

“Strong talk from a queen of nothing.” the shadow echoed into the chamber. “And just what has he been busy doing, may I ask?”

Chrysalis didn’t bother trying to make eye contact with him, he moved about like a flickering light, never staying in one place for very long.

“What he does when he is off on his own is none of our business.” she snapped. “Everything is playing out exactly as he said it would, so I could care less what he has been doing.”

“Can you honestly tell me that you are not suspicious of him?” it asked her, still swirling about. “Of the secrets he knows? Of the power he wields? I know that even you are not that naïve.”

“Hold your tongue.” Chrysalis hissed, demanding silence. “He has agreed to help me become the Queen of Equestria, and you the King of the Crystal Empire. He asks for nothing in return but loyalty, and so that is what he deserves from us. From you.”

“Such passionate words you speak,” the shadow mused. “I never thought the Queen of the Changelings could be so humble and follow orders.”

Chrysalis had now had enough. “Says the so called powerful unicorn whose plans were thwarted by a one-foot tall, baby dragon.”

The already dim lights flickered, threatening the chamber with total darkness. “Careful changeling….do not forget to whom you are speaking.”

“Haven’t you two learned to play nice yet?” asked a voice from the entrance. With a snap of the dragon’s claw, the torches regained their strength, lighting up the chamber. The shadow shied away into the darker corner to avoid being completely seen, and Chrysalis chuckled at its retreat. “Be a shame to let beauty like yours be wasted in the dark.” The black dragon complemented her.

“Do you make it a habit of yours to attempt at flattery whenever we meet, Stormclaw?” the queen sighed, shaking her head.

Shrugging his shoulders, the dragon smirked. “Can you really blame me?”

“Enough.” The shadow bellowed. “What progress have we made?”

Stormclaw looked from the shadow over to Chrysalis. “Have the princesses decided yet?”

The changeling queen nodded. “A grand summit is to be held five days from now at the parade grounds of the Horseshoe Bay peninsula.”

“Perfect, just as I planned.” The dragon said, reveling momentarily in his prediction. “Oh, and by the way,” looking over at the shadow again. “Flawless job, well done.”

“So now we continue with the plan?” it asked, its gaze turning from the dragon to the changeling. “And return here when it has begun?”

Stormclaw nodded. “Exactly. You find your way to Horseshoe Bay.” Looking back over at the queen, he said, “So long as you feel you won’t be detected, continue spying on the princesses and meet me in Canterlot the day the summit begins.”

“Dragon.” The shadow boomed, grabbing his attention. “What do you intend to do until the summit begins?”

Pausing for a moment to consider giving him an answer, Stormclaw glanced over at Chrysalis. “Are you curious of my intentions as well?” She stayed silent in response, giving him her answer. Turning back to the shadow, Stormclaw began. “The spirits of the Elements of Harmony are our biggest threat. Queen Chrysalis is our eyes and ears, you are the spark to begin the conflict, and I am the one who makes sure that the Princess of Friendship and her friends don’t get in the way.”

The shadow was kept silenced by the black dragon, who stared him down through his fierce, scarlet eyes. Chrysalis looked to the figure with a smug grin, enjoying the sight of the dragon putting him in his place.

“You do your part, and I’ll do mine.” Stormclaw huffed. “That good enough for you?”

Without saying a word, the shadow vanished into the air, making the dramatic shade within the chamber disappear. Letting out a tempered breath, the black dragon turned to the changeling queen.

“He is much more moody than I thought he’d be.” He chuckled.

Chrysalis managed a small laugh. “Rough around the edges, but at least he’s holding up his end of the plan.”

Raising his chin a bit, Stormclaw took a few steps closer to her, asking, “Are you sure you will be alright spying on the princesses?”

Muffling a chuckle, Chrysalis batted her eyes at the dragon. “Concerned for my safety now, are you?” she asked.

“Equestria’s future queen must be kept safe, don’t you agree?” he asked, tilting his head.

A strange, flustered feeling came across the queen. The sight of the black dragon looking at her in such a way….it made her experience something, although she wasn’t sure what it was. She watched as he took another step closer to her, and felt her core quiver slightly. He was so close that she could feel the heat of his breath on her skin, and it felt oddly exhilarating.

“You truly are beautiful.” He said softly.

Hardly able to think of a response, Chrysalis was in shock of the feeling. She stood there, wide-eyed and slightly red in her face as he gave her his draconic smile.

“Take care of yourself.” He told her, turning and exiting the chamber.

What was that? What had just happened to her? It had pulsed through her body and rendered her speechless in seconds. Shaking her head a bit, she finally got a grip over the feeling. Taking in a shaky breath, Chrysalis felt her senses returning, now back in control.

All she knew was that something had come over her in those few moments, and after they were gone, she wasn’t as hungry anymore.

Author's Note

Whoa, whoa, whoa....what is going on there?
So a Grand Summit is to be held to hopefully quell the conflict between the nations. With Celestia's help, Twilight finally realized that the Alicorn Amulet she was protecting was a fake, but will they truly blame Zecora for its disappearance?
Stormclaw has something planned for Twilight's friends, and it seems to have something to do with these mysterious crystals, what are they?
Thanks to Chrysalis, the villains now know about the summit, just what does Stormclaw have in store for our little ponies? Come back this Saturday to find out!
Part II has begun! Stay awesome everypony!

Chapter 10

A zebra and three fillies trekked across the green lands, most of it fields with patches of trees here and there. The sky was overcast, and so storm clouds threatened them with rain, as they had very few options for cover.

Such a strange thing it was to see the lands of the Mysterious South; all three of the CMCs had their heads on a swivel, they had never been anywhere remotely this far from home before. Very little was known about the south (hence the name), and that made the three of them both thrilled and scared at the same time.

Sweetie Belle was the first to ask the big question.

“So….Zecora?” she asked, gaining the attention of the zebra. “If we’re not headed to Ponyville, then where exactly are we going?”

“All in good time, my little friend.” Zecora replied, facing forward again. “First there is an important matter to which I must tend.”

Apple Bloom tilted her head, asking, “What important matter?”

Zecora looked concerned, her eyes constantly scanning the skies. “The dragon you saw, his name is Stormclaw. A dark path he has chosen to follow; should he prevail, in sadness all the world shall wallow.”

“Ah don’t get it…” Apple Bloom said, looking to the other two crusaders. “If he’s so bad, why would he act so kind to us and our friends?”

Zecora looked back over at the filly. “A game of tricks and shadows he is playing on us now, my only remaining question is how?” Lifting her gaze up to the sky, the zebra thought hard on how Stormclaw could have accomplished all that he had. “How one dragon could have so much power, and how that dragon could want only to devour?”

Scootaloo was lost, much like the others. “So, those crystals he gave to us were fake or something?”

Shaking her head, Zecora did not know how best to answer. “Hmmm, I do not know for what purpose those crystals are. I do know, however, if he gave them to you, trouble cannot be far. Twilight and her friends need us more than ever, so we must hurry to return, less we lose them forever.”

“So then why ain’t we goin’ home?” Apple Bloom circled back around to the original question. “If everypony needs us, shouldn’t we be tryin’ to get back to them?”

The three fillies were very persistent, but also had a good point. It was difficult for Zecora to decide not to return home to their friends, but then again, this personal matter was too important to her. Knowing that it would be best to avoid bringing up where they were going, she held fast to her resistance against the three curious ponies.

“You must trust me little ones, very soon it will all be clear.” She said to them, adjusting their path as she better recognized the area. “Once we arrive, you will be safe, and have nothing to fear.”

The crusaders looked at one another and followed Zecora on as the sky darkened, the night drawing near.

Thunder continued to roll across the sky outside, the four ponies resting as the night conquered the land. They had taken shelter in a small cave, the darkness absolute, although the occasional lightning strike lit it for moments at a time.

They had come such a long way already, but home was still so much further. The CMC seldom felt in over their heads, but all this talk of destruction, sadness, and death told the three fillies that this was a matter far beyond their usual adventure.

In their efforts to bring Zecora home, they had stumbled into the middle of a dangerous conflict that was unknown to them, but had kept them in harm’s way for a while now. It was only the night before the Grand Summit, and so the three of them knew that Princess Twilight and her friends likely had no idea that they were gone. It made them sick wondering how worried the ponies would be when they found out, especially their sisters.

Sweetie Belle tossed and turned, but couldn’t sleep a wink. Now lying on her back, she looked over at earth pony beside her, who was very still.

“Apple Bloom?” she asked. “You awake?”

“Yeah,” she replied quietly. “Ah can’t sleep knowing all of Equestria may be in danger.”

Scootaloo flipped onto her stomach and crawled over to them. “Neither can I.” she stopped, Sweetie Belle casting a dim light spell for them to see each other. They stayed quiet as to not wake up the sleeping zebra across from them. “I mean, who could possibly sleep after seeing and hearing everything we have today?”

“Ah still can’t believe Stormclaw tricked us….” Apple Bloom sighed. “Ah really thought he wanted to be our friend….and now we find out he just up and used us to get to our friends?”

Scootaloo nodded, “Yeah, I mean, who does that? He must be downright evil.”

“I don’t know….” Sweetie Belle replied, rubbing her chin. “Did you hear the way he said it? I don’t think he wants to be evil…..maybe he’s just being told to?”

“By who?” Scootaloo questioned her. “And why would he even agree to do it? I know dragons are usually pretty bad, but this guy makes the baddest of dragons look like nothing.”

Thinking about the points brought up, Apple Bloom just ended with shaking her head. “It don’t matter why he’s doin’ it, he’s doin’ it and that’s the truth of it.” Scooting closer to her friends, she said, “We just need to focus on gettin’ home safe and sound. Ah don’t know where Zecora is leadin’ us, but it sure ain’t Ponyville.”

“But she does seem to know where we are,” Sweetie Belle answered back. “And besides, Zecora is really smart, she wouldn’t take us somewhere that wasn’t safe.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, she might just be worried that Stormclaw will find out she’s missing and come to find us, in which case, maybe it’s best if we found somewhere to lay low.”

“Ah know….” The earth pony responded, morally torn on what to think. “Ah just wish she’d tell us where we’re goin’. I mean, shoot, knowin’ anythin’ about it would help.”

“I know what you mean.” Scootaloo answered. “Being out here in Celestia-knows-where is really scary.” The statement made the three go quiet for a few moments, but then the pegasus added, “But either way, I’m glad you two are with me. So long as we’re together, I know we’ll be alright.”

That was just what Sweetie Belle needed to hear, and she smiled, saying, “Yeah, and you know, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Apple Bloom was left with a touched smile, holding out her hoof. The two other fillies held out their hooves and the three met, silently proclaiming their Cutie Mark Crusader title.

The crusaders looked to one another, a new force of courage swelling up inside them. After everything they had been through, there was no way this adventure would get the better of them. They would go on, together, and never surrender themselves to the fear of the unknown.

The morning was clear and sunny, finally giving the four travelers a good lay of the land. The foggy plains were now nearly out of sight, the landscape quickly becoming rockier as they traversed further towards the mountains.

Zecora took her time as she went, looking as if it had been a long time since she had taken the path, but the CMCs were just glad she knew where they were going. There was no road or trail of any kind, so it must have been very difficult to remember exactly.

Obvious peril aside, the adventurous feelings had resurfaced in the crusaders; knowing full well that they were in uncharted territory, and therefore, likely some of the first ponies to ever have been there. The mountains were not high enough to be capped with snow, but they did block out the horizon. Soon after their expedition into the range, the four had become completely surrounded by the mountains. It was all breathtakingly beautiful, so much so that Scootaloo wished she had brought along her camera to take dozens of photos.

They scaled steep rock-faces, crossed over deep crevices with quickly moving rapids at the bottom, and only ever stopped for a breather. Luckily, Zecora had been able to fashion a few jugs during their time together in order to store water. Able to stay relatively close to bodies of water, they could refill their jugs whenever they ran out.

Together they trekked through the mountains, beginning to take in a direction more eastward bound than north. For a full day they remained on the high-perched paths of the mountains, moving further and further into the maze-like rock formations. When finally they came across a flat bed of stone on the mountainside, they decided to make camp for the night.

Now, Apple Bloom wasn’t the best at guessing and judging distances, but in light of their travels, she guessed that they had hiked over twenty miles into the mountain range, still with no end in sight. This did not deter the little ponies, but it made them draw more from the thrill of adventure to keep themselves from worrying too much.

The night sky was clear this time, and the four were able to stargaze a good amount before drifting off to sleep.

Scootaloo opened her eyes, a slight breeze on her face awakening her. It was very early in the morning, but a storm was looming nearby, bringing its voice of thunder to foreshadow the glow of the rising sun in the east. Looking over to her side, she noticed Zecora standing and looking out across the mountain range, eyeing the storm.

Trotting over to the fillies, Zecora gently shook Apple Bloom awake as Scootaloo did the same for Sweetie Belle. With the threat of the storm bringing a promise of more rain, the four were forced to continue their mountain hike early.

They didn’t make it too far before the storm caught up to them. Not able to find cover, the ponies were forced to hike the mountainside in the rain. Not wanting to risk slipping on the rocks, they moved slowly. It wasn’t very intense rain, so it wasn’t like it was miserable.

Apple Bloom’s bow dipped down on the back of her head, her hooves making small splashes in the puddles below her. The not-so-miserable rain got pretty miserable pretty fast. “See anythin’ yet?” she asked ahead.

Scootaloo, having trotted forward on the rocks a little further, waved her hooves and called out to them. “Up here! I found another cave!”

Wanting to hurry to get underneath cover, Apple Bloom took a few galloping strides towards the rock slope.

Seeing her friend hurrying over, Scootaloo now began waving her hooves for a different reason. “No Apple Bloom! Don’t run!”

Immediately, Apple Bloom’s hoof lost its friction with the rock underneath her and fell onto her side, the slippery slope making her slide down towards the cliff side. Trying to grab hold of whatever she could, the earth pony panicked as she approached the drop. “Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! HELP!” she cried out.

Despite having never used her magic so well, Sweetie didn’t hesitate to cast her levitation spell on the pony careening towards the cliff. Apple Bloom became covered in the magic aura and it began to slow her as the unicorn strained, her eyes clamped tight as she tried to save her friend. Zecora went to help the earth pony, but nearly slipped herself, having to step away from the rock slope.

Continuing to try and grab the rocks, Apple Bloom screamed as she came within mere feet of the cliff. Sweetie, gritting her teeth, yelled out in anguish, the aura around her horn intensifying. Apple Bloom slid over the side, but didn’t fall. Her eyes slowly opened to see that she was levitating over the chasm.

With a grimace and a grunt, Sweetie gestured her head to the side, her earth pony friend being moved back over solid ground, Scootaloo and Zecora getting to her as quickly as they could. Sweetie ceased her spell and raised a hoof to her head, having a massive headache. Pushing past the pain, she carefully climbed the slope and joined in on the hug with her fellow crusaders.

Zecora was quick to hurry them under the cover of the cave, finally getting a respite from the rain.

“Whew!” Scootaloo said, shaking off the rainwater from her fur. “That was too close!”

Her heart still racing from the experience, Apple Bloom gave herself a moment to catch her breath before turning to her unicorn friend. “Yeah, thanks Sweetie Belle.”

Sweetie nodded to her, the headache now fading away. “Well, at least we found somewhere to hide from the rain.”

“Are we almost there yet, Zecora?” Scootaloo asked, looking around as she lost track of the zebra. “Uh…..Zecora?” All three fillies turned to see her sitting at the cave entrance, looking out into the storm.

“There it is, we’ve found the door.” Zecora spoke, glancing back at them. “And very soon, we’ll find much more.” The crusaders walked up and alongside her, looking out across the gap to the adjacent mountain.

A giant, cavern entrance was hollowed into the mountainside under a massive overhang, with stalactites and stalagmites along its rim, making it look like the jaws of a monster. Even if it weren’t raining, the entrance was pitch-black and in the shadow of the mountains, meaning that it never saw light.

Seeing the shadowy maw of the dark cavern made all three fillies wobbly in the legs, especially Scootaloo. “Y-yeah….t-there it *gulp* there it is….”

“We must wait until the rain has ceased.” Zecora told them, lying down onto the cave floor. “Then we shall enter the jaws of the beast.”

Sweetie Belle looked over at Scootaloo when the zebra said that, seeing the pegasus shaking even more than she and Apple Bloom. “…..I’m not sure that was the best rhyme to go with.”

Even after the storm had passed, the clouds continued to loom overhead, keeping the skies gray and the land dark. The rocks were still wet, but it was nowhere near as slippery as it had been during the downpour.

There was a small, natural rock bridge that crossed the chasm between the mountains, making for the only path towards the cavern’s entrance. The zebra and her three filly rescuers crossed it, stopping just as soon as they were over on the other side.

“S-so we….uh….what do we….um….” Scootaloo whimpered, unable to complete a sentence.

Apple Bloom placed her hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “It’s alright Scoots, we’re all in this together.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie added on. “Besides, it’s just a big cave….”

A pulse of wind passed the four of them, coming from deep within the cavern. It made them all go silent, the three fillies’ eyes widening. Again, the pulse flew past them and out the entrance. It was a strange kind of wind….almost as if it were….

“Prepare yourselves, and have no fear.” Zecora said to them quietly. “Try not to run, for he is already here.”

Two giant, glowing silver eyes opened in the dark, dimly lighting the pitch-black cavern. Another pulse of wind breezed by, this one sounding more like breath than the others. The fillies froze in place, eyes cast upon the massive figure in the dark. The giant eyes moved forward, the cavern quaking as it sounded like a mountain was walking towards them. Lifting up higher and towards the cavern ceiling, the figure squinted as it examined the four intruders.

To say fear was existent would be an understatement of truly epic proportions. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stood in absolute paralysis at the sight of the mysterious, ominous beast now towering over them. The light from its eyes lit the area up enough for the three ponies to see the outline of the creature’s enormous figure. It was nearly the size of the cavern itself, and was larger than Ponyville’s Town Hall.

The eyes leaned down towards the four of them, inspecting them more closely. It took every ounce of the three little ponies’ courage and willpower to not scream at the top of their lungs. The only thing keeping them from doing so, their zebra friend’s calm demeanor.

“Zecora?” boomed a deep voice, edged with curiosity. “Is that truly you?”

Zecora nodded her head. “It is, great guardian, we offer no tricks. How are you, my dear friend Leonyx?”

Swirling its head in a circular motion, a plume of flames erupted from out the dragon’s mouth, lighting several dozen torches on the wall and ceiling, illuminating the cavern.

Leonyx was a giant, golden dragon, who was crouched down on the cavern floor and could still barely fit inside it. His flawless, gleaming scales reflected the light from the torches, giving off the illusion that he was glowing. His tail flicked about behind him, several hundred feet further down into the cavern, and his wings stayed tight to his back, less he wanted them to graze the cavern ceiling.

“After all these years, you finally come home.” He replied, folding his claws over one another and lying his head down. Not wanting his four guests to have to constantly look up at him, he kept himself as low to the cavern floor as he could.

Zecora smiled up at him, loving the fact that he hadn’t changed since last they met. The heads of the three crusaders poked out from behind her, watching the dragon from behind the safety of their friend.

Seeing the fillies made Leonyx smile, and he lowered his voice so as not to frighten them. “Come on out little ones….I won’t bite.” It took a few moments, but the crusaders emerged from behind Zecora, lost in speechlessness at the sight of the gargantuan dragon. “Oh, how cute. And what are your names, little ponies?”

“A-Apple Bloom.” The earth pony managed.

The unicorn chuckled reluctantly. “Sweetie Belle.”

“S…..S…..Scootaloo…..” the pegasus finished.

Leonyx muffled his own chuckle. “Do not be afraid, little ones; any friends of Zecora’s are friends of mine.”

Getting over their loss of words, the first to emerge were rather predictable and straight-forward. “You’re huge!” Sweetie scoffed.

Laughing out loud, the dragon sent a shock-wave of echoes throughout the cavern. “How kind of you to notice!” he chortled. Leonyx loved the young ones, they were always so adorable. His fascination with them was put on hold as he returned his gaze to Zecora. “Although I would love to believe it, you didn’t come back just to see me, did you?”

Zecora shook her head, her smile vanishing. “To the queen I must speak, for we are all in danger. Followed we may have been, by a terrible stranger.”

Leonyx glanced out towards the cavern entrance, holding back a snarl at the thought of someone harming his friend. Looking back down at his four guests, he smiled wide. “Alright then!” Walking forward a few steps, he lowered his claw, palm up, right in front of them. “Climb aboard! We’ll be off at once!”

Scootaloo hesitated, but was pushed along by Sweetie and Apple Bloom, who hurried for the chance to climb up onto his claw. Lifting the four of them up to his back, they hopped on. He lowered his claw and looked back at them.

“Hold on tight little ones!” he boomed, starting to move towards the entrance. All four obeyed him, grabbing a fierce hold so as not to fall off.

Leaning his body out over the chasm, Leonyx dropped down, earning three little ponies’ screams from his back. Spreading his titanic wings, he beat them through the air with tremendous force, lifting himself up and over the highest peaks of the mountain range in mere moments.

Leonyx leveled out and soared across the sky, having wanted to stretch his wings for days now. Banking into a turn, he descended slightly, looking down at the range. “Look below, my friends. What do you see?”

The crusaders all looked down where he was looking, only seeing mountains and canyons. However, upon actually concentrating, they noticed that just a dozen miles beyond the mountain where the cavern was, there was a massive valley. Soaring over it now, the fillies saw only that the valley was barren and empty, lifeless in every way.

“It looks like a plain ole, empty canyon.” Apple Bloom said to the dragon, earning her a smile.

“That so?” he asked, chuckling to himself.

He suddenly began climbing up into the sky again, turning and twisting about as they went higher and higher. He stopped beating his wings and everything went still.

“Here comes the fun part!” he laughed. “Hold on!”

Going into freefall, Leonyx tucked in his wings as he plummeted towards the mountains. The fillies began screaming again as Zecora just chuckled, remembering how much the golden dragon loved to show off.

Falling closer and closer to the ground, Leonyx entered the chasm and spread his wings at just the right moment, carrying him and his passengers into his cavern. They were moving so fast that everything was a blur; it was if their speed gave the darkness a bit of light, everything around them flurrying together. A cascade of magical aura rippled through the cavern and a bright light appeared in front of them, making the crusaders shield their eyes.

Suddenly everything was bright and warm, as Leonyx touched down. Slowly opening their eyes, the fillies found that they had somehow landed outside, and all of the clouds were gone. The sun shined brightly down upon them, and upon their wide surroundings. And upon looking out in the distance, their mouths dropped and eyes went wide.

“No way….” They all said at once.

Author's Note

Hey everypony!
The adventures of the CMCs and Zecora continue!
We get a glimpse of the furthest reaches of the world, far from the boundaries of Equestria!
Who is this massive dragon, and what is so special about that cavern? Where have our three favorite fillies gone to now?
Let's find out together!
Stay awesome everypony!