Twilight and the Jewel of Lifeby King IceChaptersIt is hereCelestia's callReady for AppleloosaDawnstarIt is here“You can't catch me!” A small dragon laughed as he flew high in the sky, even higher than the clouds. Concurrently, two other young dragons stopped in mid-air as they stared at him flying higher and higher. “Come on, Zach! You always win this game, just because your wings are better! That's unfair!” One of them complained while the second one just sighed. “I'm solely employing my innate talents!” Zach replied as he flew in circles. “Why don't we go home guys? I'm starved and don't want to play the hunters anymore. It's boring.” The dragon that had been quiet said as his stomach grumbled. His friend beside him rolled his eyes before returning them to Zach. “You heard him! Let's go, I'm kinda hungry, too!” He shouted; however, Zach remained where he stood, his back overlooking them. The two dragons looked at each other, “Zach? Did you see something?” “Y-Yeah!” He replied with a bit of hesitation, then breathed in, bulging his chest. Next he breathed out a stream of fire that dissipated the clouds in front of him. “Look at this!” The young dragons widened their eyes as they observed what he was pointing at: it was an enormous black ball. It looked like an inky cloud, but they knew it had something else to it, as if they felt it. The orb was surrounded by a black smoke, slowly expanding. “What do you guys believe this is?” Zach asked as he came relatively closer, inspecting it. “I don't know, but maybe we shouldn't touch it. Let's call an adult.” The dragon that only wanted to eat, said while sweating, Zach ignored him and narrowed his eyes at the black smoke growing bigger by each second. It didn't look that dangerous to him. While it was definitely unusual, he knew he could defend himself if needs be. While it was definitely unusual, he knew he could defend himself if needs be. he felt... nothing. It looked harmless. He shrugged and turned around to leave; however, a black tendril suddenly came out of the unidentified object and wrapped around his waist, before pulling him back. “W-Wait! Let go of me! What's happening!” He screamed in panic as he wriggled around. “Zach!” His friends screamed in fear while the young dragon was being pulled back towards the orb. The dragon breathed out as much fire as he could, but it remained useless as it did nothing to his attacker. His friends could only fly back to the mountain to scream for help as they weren't skilled enough to fly high enough to get him. And at that moment as Zach was gradually pulled inside the dark ball while he looked a his friends flying away, he cried. Cried and screamed for help. Begged for it, but nobody came as the dark mass swallowed him. The last thing he perceived was complete and utter darkness, a place devoid of any life. Meanwhile, in the peaceful land of Equestria, at the Canterlot castle. Celestia widened her eyes as she stumbled from her throne. The guards, seeing this, tended to her side to help. “Princess! Is something wrong?!” One of them asked, worried. However, Celestia ignored him and panted. She was lost in thought while she could nevertheless experience the feeling of dread that came to her. She received visions of dark events multiple times in the past; however, she was always asleep during these! This time, it was different. It wasn't a vision, but every fiber of her being screaming at her to fly as far away as she could; and to give everything up to save her life. She wouldn't do that of course, but whatever made her feel like this needed to be taken care of or else... she feared the worst. She had to try to determine the origin of this magic, then call the other princesses, this could potentially be something even more dangerous than Tirek. “D-Don't worry. I'm fine. Just a bit tired,” The princess replied with a shaking voice. While Celestia's mind was clouded with worry and fear, several miles away in the town of Ponyville, everyone enjoyed their life blissfully unaware of the upcoming danger. Two ponies specifically... In the castle of friendship “How foolish! You shouldn't get in my way! When I get my hands on these sacred artifacts, I'll possess a power beyond anything you can imagine, Daring!” Twilight shouted before laughing as evilly as possible. “You won't even get a chance to graze them, Ahuizotl!” Rainbow Dash replied as she jumped atop of Twilight with a mighty roar. The two mares both fell on the ground before laughing, clenching their sides. “This may be her best book yet, Rainbow! And to think we get to read it before anypony else!” Twilight exclaimed while she clapped her hooves in excitement. “I know right!” Rainbow said, happy that Ms. Yearling would send them her new books early, “I never thought I'd enjoy a book this much, thanks Twi!” After all, Twilight was the one that introduced her to this masterpiece. “I can't believe she mentioned our names!” Twilight added; Yearling did mention their name in her recent novel, although it was only once, it made them feel proud to be mentioned by their favorite author (one of, in Twilight's case). “We have to read it again, Twi!” Rainbow said excitedly as she flew around in circle in Twilight’s room. The young princess giggled in response, then picked the book up with her magic, and closed it. “I’d love to, Rainbow, but we already read it twice today and I still have work to carry out. However, I promise you; we’ll do it again tomorrow.” Twilight explained sadly. Being a princess was hard and it required much of her time, but in the end, she still liked it and didn’t want to disappoint Princess Celestia. “Oh… I guess I can wait ‘till tomorrow… but are you sure you can’t take a break from these boring princess duties?” Rainbow Dash asked, her good mood dropping in an instant. She knew it was something significant for Twilight, but she could tell they weren’t fun, even for her favorite librarian. “You know I can’t. I’m sorry, Rainbow, but like I said: we’ll do it again tomorrow. Okay?” Twilight replied as a small, hoping, smile formed on her lips. The blue pegasus stared at her, unsure of what to reply. The more she looked at her friend, the more she thought it would be bad if someone as adorable as her was sad. Knowing Twilight, she was certain she’d think she was mad at her, just because Rainbow’s fun was spoiled by princess duties. Retaining this in mind, she sighed then looked up and smiled. “Okay, I get it. I guess I can wait at least one day. See you tomorrow, Twi!” Rainbow answered, hugging Twilight, then taking off. She did have things to do, too, after all. Although hers were more physical than Twilight’s. “Bye, Rainbow!” The purple alicorn waved as the pegasus flew out of the window. “Well… looks like it’s time to go back to paperwork.” She sighed, “I feel like I’ll work on these until 3 am once more…” She muttered in annoyance. Back to the Canterlot Castle, Celestia threw her belongings all over the place, seeking something in particular. Suddenly, the door of her room opened as Luna came in, barely dodging a dress which almost struck her in the head. “May I ask what are you doing?” Luna asked in a deadpanned tone. “Did you do as I told you?” Celestia sharply jerked her head to Luna. “Did you observe what this new threat was about?” “Affirmative… It looks like masses of dark smoke appeared at multiple places in Equestria, even in the other lands: Griffonstone, the Badlands, the Crystal Empire. There is one in Los Pegasus,” Luna explained as she stared at her sister pacing around. “It looks like it’s absorbing everything it enters contact to… Why are you so stressed? Even when Tirek came back; you stayed relaxed and rational which is not the case here,” Luna said, unsure of how dangerous could some clouds be. “They don’t seem to constitute any threat at all,” “Luna, you know I never worry for no reason… Inform me, what do you believe this is?” Celestia asked, trying to remain as calm as possible. Luna stroked her chin in thought. “As far I can tell, it looked like remnants of Sombra’s magic, nothing we can’t easily deal with,” Celestia shook her head in disagreement. “Did you try scattering them?” “Yes, I must admit I failed, but I must have been more exhausted than I thought. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence stayed behind and are holding a magic shield as we speak, it was enough to block the dark smoke’s spreading,” Luna explained. “Then you should have felt this darkness as much as me,” Celestia replied while Luna looked down. “We can’t shrug off threats by being over positive, unfortunately…” Celestia muttered, recalling the numerous fights she partook in. “Listen, I discovered a book a few years ago, in one of Canterlot’s ancient mines. It looked fresh and new, but I felt it was even older than us,” “A book? In Canterlot’s mines? What were you doing here and how is it important in our case?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “I wasn’t even supposed to ever come down there; however, I felt drawn to it… It was like my magic was attracted to it! When I read it; I was disappointed to find only myths and legends of Equestria’s alleged doom,” The princess of the sun replied as she moved her belongings again. “Equestria’s doom? It is not surprising, knowing the many villains that tried to take over our land,” Luna said as she thought of Tirek, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis and… herself. “It was something like we’ve never seen until now… Something that only desired one thing: erase all life. However, since nopony ever talked to me about it when I was young, I thought it was only an old tale… forgotten. When I felt that new presence added to what you just described, it reminds me of what I read in that book. I’m still uncertain if this is the same threat, but I must make sure!” She answered while searching through her stuff. Finally, under the many dresses she had; she found a book with a golden cover and the symbol of a magnificent jewel drawn on it. “I found it!” She exclaimed in relief and happiness as she opened it and started reading. “Just as I thought! A million years ago, Equestria suffered the same fate as today; they’ve managed to defeat it by…” Celestia stopped talking as she read through the various pages of the book. Her face changed from confusion to shock, then finally: sorrow. Her lips trembled as tears were brought to her eyes. Luna stared in shock at her sister, surprised to see her cry, something that very rarely happened. She snatched the book away with her magic to read its content. “It doesn’t sound troublesome…” Luna said as she read the opened page. Nodding in understanding of how they got rid of such a monster. “Read on,” Celestia said in a dead tone. Luna did as she said; in a matter of seconds, her eyes grew dilated. “It can’t be, can it?” She asked in confusion and shock. She shifted her head to her sister. “Do we call Twilight Sparkle and her friends? They should know about it as quick as possible or else…” “No!” Celestia cried out abruptly, making Luna step back. “I… I will try to find another way first. Then I’ll call for their help.” “Sister... “ Luna whispered sadly as Celestia walked away with the book in her magical hold. “I should at least see the unicorns experienced enough to cast shield spells around Equestria. Everything is good enough to hold back these shadows,” She whispered to herself. It looked like Starswirl still had job to do. *** Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire, on the balcony of the Crystal Castle. Shining shot a beam of magic high in the sky, strengthening the shield Cadence and he created. He sighed as the beam disappeared into the sky, but he knew very well it hit its target. “How are you, dear?” Cadence asked as she nuzzled Shining’s neck. “Although I’m helping you, this barrier is the largest you’ve ever made.” “Don’t worry, I’m fine,” He replied before grabbing his head in pain. Cadence hurriedly casted a healing spell. “Besides, I don’t want to take any risks; as far as I know, this is a completely unknown threat. I don’t want to risk putting you or Flurry in danger,” He added while nuzzling his wife. “I doubt you’d be fine after casting a 3 mile wide barrier,” “Here for a report!” A guard joined them as he performed a salute. “Those mysterious looking shadows reached the barrier, sir!” “Already?!” Shining Armor muttered in disbelief. “It’s faster than expected… How’s the barrier doing?” “It looks like it stopped it!” “Good… Great even! That means my magic is strong enough to halt it!” Shining regained confidence and smiled, then grabbed his head as he felt pain again. “Don’t push yourself,” Cadence said while healing him. Shining could only sigh as he looked at the horizon made of ice. Who knew what would happen now. Celestia's call“Something isn’t right…” Twilight mumbled as she looked out of the windows, observing multiple unknown unicorns she had ne'er seen until now. “What do you mean?” Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow. “For some reason, there has been many unicorns passing through Ponyville these last few days,” She answered while scratching the back of her head. "I would have understood if they were coming visiting, but they’re all leaving as fast as they came! Do you think there’s something wrong?” Twilight looked worried as she closed the book she was reading while Starlight, who was organizing the library, stopped to think about her question. “I-I don’t know. There wasn’t anything unusual on the news and…” She started before getting interrupted by the young dragon assistant coming in. “And Princess Celestia would have contacted you if your help was needed,” Spike added while yawning.“You worry too much sometimes. Do like me! Take a good nap, and you’ll feel way better!” Twilight giggled as if his words were only a joke, then used her magic to place the book back where she took it. “You know I can’t do that, Spike. Although you’re right, Princess Celestia would have written me if I was demanded,” Just as those words escaped her mouth, her assistant burped green flames from which a scroll was formed. Twilight used her magic to snatch it before it could fall on the floor. It looked like it was a letter from Princess Celestia, what a inconvenient timing! It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Well, at least she’ll obtain an explanation to what is going on right now. She unrolled the scroll and started reading the extremely brief letter she received. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Come to Canterlot as quickly as you can and bring your friends. This is an emergency. Princess Celestia It was unusual for the princess to write something that short, but that only proved further Equestria could be in danger again. “I have to go to Canterlot! I’ll seek the others, and you two take care of the castle!” Twilight said to Spike and Starlight as she teleported away. The dragon and the unicorn looked at each other in silence until Spike broke. “So… want to go to my room?” “No,” She replied bluntly while sighing. Twilight quickly gathered the remaining elements' bearer thanks to her teleportation spell. Although some of them were busy; they didn’t have any other choice than to follow the princess anyway. The only really worried during their train ride was Twilight, which was no surprise at all to her friends. Twilight had an eerie feeling for a few days; a feeling of dread. She disregarded it at first, but it could never leave the back of mind, the devouring fear. She thought it was due to stress and all the threats she’s faced before returning as nightmares, waking the remnants of fear that lived in her head. Maybe that fear and dread had something to do with why was Princess Celestia calling her. She knew the Princess of the sun had powers to see the future at rare times; could it be possible she was gaining the same powers as time passed? Or was it just an uneasy feeling because of the overflow of stress. “Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked as she sat beside her alicorn friend. “I… I’m not really certain. I have an unpleasant feeling about this, Princess Celestia looked bothered in her letter… and impatient?” She answered with a question, unsure of what to think of the letter she received. “I don’t know how the Princess usually is in her letters. But it wouldn’t be the first time we had to face a dangerous enemy,” Rarity reassured her while their friends joined them. “Yeah, we’ll kick their butt like we always do! I bet the Princess is worrying again for no reason at all! She should put more trust into us!” Rainbow Dash added while crossing her legs. “Now, Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia has many duties! She has the right to fear for the safety of her subjects!” Applejack scolded the rainbow-maned pegasus. Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes at the farm pony. “I just hope we’ll get it done quickly. I have a massage to give to Harry this evening,” Fluttershy mumbled before Pinkie jumped beside her. “I couldn’t wait to come back in Canterlot! I prepared so many cupcakes!” The pink mare yelled while jumping back and forth. “Cupcakes? Why?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, slightly forgetting her worry. “Oh, for no reason at all! I just thought it’d be fun!” She replied before devouring an entire cupcake in one bite. “What? But that doesn’t make any sense…” Twilight started only to be interrupted by laughter. She glanced around and saw her friends laughing or chuckling in some cases. “Did I miss something?” “See? You already forgot you were worried in the first place!” Rainbow Dash replied, followed by a chuckle. “As long as we’re together, nothing can stop us. So don’t start Twilighting now,” Applejack added with a wink. Twilight stared at them dumbfounded, then smiled warmly. “Thanks, girls. You always know how to cheer me up,” She said as they all gathered in a group hug. “Besides, we’ve already fought the terriblest enemies in Equestria! There couldn’t be anything worse than Discord or Tirek!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. *** “This is without a doubt the worst threat you have and will ever face,” Princess Celestia said in a cold tone. Twilight stepped back and accordingly did her friends. “I’m sorry, but could you repeat that please?” Applejack hesitantly and fearfully. “Yeah, I think we didn’t hear you right,” Rainbow Dash added while scratching the back of her head. However, Celestia kept her calm and cold demeanor. She merely stared at them in silence, showing little to no emotion. She focused her eyes on Twilight and did so several seconds during which everyone in the throne room didn’t say a thing nor move; astonishingly, even Pinkie didn’t make a single sound. Luna glanced at her sister, waiting for her to continue. Twilight lowered her eyes until Celestia spoke again. “There is a serious emergency. A threat older than any of us,” Celestia said, making Twilight look up again. Rare were the creatures as old as the Princesses. “Several orbs made of shadows appeared throughout our world. They are expanding, spreading and eating away everything that it comes in contact with,” She explained in front of the mane 6’s puzzled expressions. “Is it a living being?” Twilight asked, her interest aroused. “What do you mean by eating?” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling her stomach growling. “It is unknown whether it is sentient or not. Everything that gets absorbed never comes out, it completely disappears in darkness. Regrettably, several creatures weren’t fortunate enough to escape…” Celestia answered as the elements’ bearers gasped.“If it’s unstopped, then the world will get erased,” “What?!” Twilight screamed in shock. How something that dangerous could exist? And why they never heard about it before? She read so much and knew everything about Equestria history, but never read anything about a mass of shadows trying to destroy the world! “They must be terribly hungry…” Pinkie mumbled before swallowing another cupcake. “I requested the help of the best unicorns in Equestria, and they are casting a gigantic magic barrier surrounding our borders to defend it from this darkness; moreover, many of them also surrounded the black orbs and imprisoned them inside magical barriers. It seemed to be enough to remain them from spreading,” “That’s excellent news! If their barriers can stop them, then that means our magic can destroy them. If it doesn’t work, we can use the elements!” Twilight said in delight. Considering the magic of the elements was now residing inside them, and was connected to her castle, they were certainly easier to use. “Unfortunately, the magic barriers are weakening. Whatever this is, it is getting stronger and will break through our spells. It will spread very quickly to Equestria’s borders and the barriers there won’t do much to stop it…” Celestia replied in a dreadful tone.“I did some research, and found what we are against in this book,” She said as she grabbed the book with a magic hold. “The elements won’t be able to stop it,” “What?! Then, what do we do?!” Rainbow Dash screamed, dumbfounded. “That means it’s Equestria’s doom…” Applejack muttered dreadfully, thinking about her family and her home. Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie did the same while Twilight sat on the floor, trying to think of something. It couldn’t be possible! They always had a way to defeat evil! However, magic nor the elements of Harmony couldn’t do anything now! “Hear me out; the book I am holding is the key to our victory,” Celestia said, bringing everyone’s mood up. “Millions years ago, the very same darkness came in our world. It spread and destroyed so much life. The Equestrians thought it was their doom; however, the three races out of desperation united for the first time and made a powerful artifact,” “An artifact?” Twilight repeated in wonder while her friends leaned forwards. Concurrently, the guard keeping the door narrowed his eyes, listening attentively to what the Princess of the sun was announcing. “Yes, they created “The Jewel of Life”, a powerful gem that destroyed all darkness. I called you and your friends to find and use it,” Celestia continued. “Of course, we’ll do it!” The mane 6 said simultaneously with no hesitation. “Where is it, Princess?” Twilight asked hurryingly. “Its location is unknown, the book provides some clues, a place you could go to start your investigation to its location,” Celestia answered as her ex-student nodded.“There is another reason for why I selected you to find it, Twilight. Only a powerful and experienced unicorn or alicorn, in this case, can employ the Jewel.” “I-I won’t let you down, Princess!” Twilight stuttered, her stress level rising. She hated when the fate of the world depended on upon her. While she was trying to keep calm and be relaxed, which failed completely unlike her friends. “Another adventure! I missed those!” Rainbow Dash jumped in the air and flew around. “Darn it; I hope it won’t last too long! I have to help my family at the farm! It's the best season for apples.” “If we are to travel, then it would be a real pleasure! I may find new ways of making clothes! There are little geniuses everywhere in Equestria!” Rarity said while clapping her hooves. “It’s been so long since I threw a “We saved the world” party!” “Well, now I sure won’t be able to give Harry his massage,” Fluttershy whispered. Twilight grumbled, stopping herself to remain serious while the two princesses kept their cold looks. “Why are you so calm about this?” The Princess of Friendship asked of her friends. “We save the world at least once a month! We’re getting used to it,” Rainbow Dash replied whiles Twilight facehoofed. Then again, she wasn’t totally mistaken. “Your target would be Appleloosa,” Celestia instructed. “That’s close to my family’s rock farm!” Pinkie Pie screamed in happiness. “Luna will also accompany you,” Celestia added as Luna nodded in agreement. Twilight raised an eyebrow, surprised by their decision. Usually, neither of them ever came with her friends and her when they fought against Equestria’s many threats. When her surprise wore off, it was replaced by happiness and relief. “We’ll gladly accept your help, Princess Luna!” Twilight replied happily; someone as experienced and strong as Luna was always welcome to help! “We’ll go immediately and find that jewel as quick as we can!” Twilight added before turning her back, ready to go. Her friends turned around as quick as her, going to the doors. “Wait, Twilight,” Celestia stopped the lavender alicorn in her tracks.“I still have to tell you something else, privately with Luna. Your friends will wait outside,” Twilight looked at her teacher, then at her friends, and finally nodded; curious of what could Celestia want to say to her in private. Meantime, as the mane 5 walk through the doors; the guard shifted subtly. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I’m not feeling well. Can I go to rest a little bit, please?” He asked in a pleading tone. “You may, but call a replacement,” Luna answered dismissively. The guard smirked, then calmly exited the room. As soon as he was out, he sprinted in the corridors, barely bumping into Fluttershy. “Wow, pay attention to where you’re going, jerk!” Rainbow Dash shouted at him, but was ignored by the distant guard. “It’s fine, Rainbow,” Fluttershy calmed the wonderbolt, disliking her friend's short temper. They didn’t have to wait too long for Twilight and Luna to come out of the throne room, only a few minutes later. However, the lavender alicorn looked shaken, way more than she was before. This was unusual. Even if the Princess stressed and scared Twilight multiple times in the past, this was the first time the bookworm looked so pale and terrified. “Are you alright, Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. “You look pale. What did the Princess told you?” Twilight glanced at Luna, who looked away. “Nothing serious. Let’s go, we don’t have any time to lose,” She answered in a hurry. Ready for Appleloosa“We don’t have much time since we have to get to Appleloosa quickly,” Twilight started as Luna, and her friends stood around her. “We won’t have time to go to Ponyville and prepare stuff for our journey; fortunately, Princess Celestia gave us enough bits to spend in procurement of anything useful: food, bags, books and clothes…” Twilight listed while the others listened carefully. “We’ll split up and get the supplies we need, then see you at the train stations going for Appleloosa,” “Oh, I’m so buying tons of candies!” Pinkie exclaimed in ecstasy as Twilight gave to each of them a bag of bits. Twilight indicated what each one of them had to buy, then went to the closest bookstore. She was planning to find a book that could give her more clues to the Jewel’s location since the one Princess Celestia gave her wasn’t really specific enough. Moreover, what the Princesses told her earlier didn’t help her think at all; it was quite shocking to say the least… Twilight sighed and tried to forget about it until she finds the Jewel. She looked around and saw a bookstore close to a small bakery. She inspected it closer, then nodded as she felt satisfied of the store. It was big and had numerous books. She was sure to find some that could help her in her quest. The store owner seemed to be reading a journal, ignoring the Princess of Friendship completely. Twilight didn’t mind and simply walked to the history section, then planned on going where the books on old tales were. It was still possible that an event like this could be seen as a myth by many. Since she couldn’t read now, not having enough time. She grabbed the books that aroused her interest the most. The books referring to the oldest events and myths, plus a book referencing all the known magical artifacts. She’d have to read them all on the train to Appleloosa. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Applejack came in a grocery store close to the train station; it not only had cakes but also sweets. There also was sandwiches, fruits and vegetables; they really did have everything! Not that it bothered the two mares; it was exactly what they were looking for. “Good afternoon! What can I do for you?” The stallion behind the counter greeted them. “We’re preparing food supplies for a travel, I think you have everything we need!” Applejack answered while looking around. “Well of course I have! My shop is the best in Canterlot, by far!” The store owner exclaimed as he smirked. “Go at the back of the shop; there are sandwiches and…” “Oh, you don’t need telling us!” Pinkie interrupted as she jumped in front of him. “We’ll purchase everything!” The stallion blinked a few times, rehearsing the words in his head. Then opened his mouth. “Excuse me, but what did you say?” “I said: we’ll purchase everything, thank you!” Pinkie Pie repeated while the stallion stumbled, keeping himself from fainting. “Now, Pinkie, I’m pretty sure we don’t have enough money for that,” Applejack interjected as she ran to the shop owner to help him stand. “We’ll just take the bare essentials. If we need more, we’ll just buy at Appleloosa. We don’t even know how long this journey will take anyway,” She added, reassuring the stallion. “Oooooh… okie dokie!” Pinkie replied, slightly disappointed at first, but then got over it quickly. The stallion sighed in relief, happy that his business wasn’t ready to collapse yet. He spent the next minutes helping Applejack and Pinkie Pie select their food. The pink mare kept repeating they were on a journey to save the world from a bad guy. Although the stallion couldn’t help but doubt it since they both seemed to be too laid back for something so dangerous. Rarity and Luna walked through Canterlot, seeking a clothing store. Unsurprisingly, Rarity had thought they may need warm clothes if one of the locations Princess Celestia indicated was in a cold place. However, asking Princess Luna for more information wasn’t possible since she couldn't place all the locations either. It seemed that her sister has been inside her room for days and hadn’t come out once! When she did, she had prepared everything and gave the book to Twilight. Rarity didn’t ask further; she did want to know what happened to the Princess of the sun to cause her to behave like this, but thought it was none of her business. Truthfully, she feared it was because of an argument between the two princesses; if one of them got possessed by the nightmare… it would be a disaster! Rarity didn’t spend much time with the Princess of the moon, so she didn’t know her that well. However, she was surprisingly lovable! “Oh my, you are magnificent in this dress, Princess!” Rarity smiled as she clapped her hooves. Luna wore a dark blue dress matching the color of her coat and her mane. A few ponies in the shop stared at her with eyes and mouths wide open in bewilderment to see one of the princesses here; trying dresses no less! However, Luna didn’t have as much enthusiasm as the white unicorn. When she looked at herself in the mirror; she admitted she was beautiful! However, she wasn’t the type of pony to love and try a dozen of dresses a day, especially when Equestria’s fate was at stake! Besides, did these ponies have to stare at her like that? It was getting really uncomfortable… Simultaneously, Twilight had a few books in her magical hold while she read the titles of the books still on their shelves. So far, she has picked: “Equestrian History”, “Myths and Legends: should we believe them?” and one of the most popular: “Encyclopedia of Magic”. She already read them all of course, but she could have missed something. Moreover, she wasn’t seeking anything specifically when she read them the first time or the… 5 other times. Suddenly, Twilight heard the flapping of wings, a flapping she’d recognize anywhere. She narrowed her eyes, then turned around and stared at the pegasus sneaking behind her. “Rainbow! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be helping the others?” Twilight asked, annoyed and curious. “Well… I figured I wouldn’t be of any help, so I came to buy one or two Daring books, you know…” Rainbow Dash answered while looking away. Twilight facehoofed; first at the castle and now this? Was it all a joke to them? “Rainbow, can’t you be a little more serious? Don’t you realize the situation we’re in?!” “Of course I do! But come on! It’s like the gazillionth time this happened! We always find a way to save everypony and get everything back to normal!” Rainbow Dash replied while crossing her legs. “I’m sorry you don’t care, but that’s not the case for me! I take this very seriously!” “That’s weird, it reminds me of the Storm King’s invasion… You know, when you yelled at us for the same reason?” The rainbow-maned pegasus retorted, making Twilight step back. “Oh, no… You’re right! I am doing it again!” She grunted as the books in her hold dropped on the ground. She just had to remember how she gave up on friendship that day. It was something she never wanted to relive again. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty! I’m sorry, it’s just… We have to protect Equestria every single time! I don’t want to put my life on the line while Princess Celestia doesn’t get her butt off of her throne!” Rainbow Dash complained while she helped Twilight pick up her books. Twilight looked away, thinking of Celestia and the talk she had with the princesses. “She can’t do anything Rainbow, and there is a good reason. There always is… And hey, there’s Luna with us this time! See? Celestia did do something… technically,” Twilight retorted as Rainbow stopped to think about it. “I guess you’re right…” Rainbow replied as she scratched the back of her head. Twilight smiled, then grabbed the books again. When Rainbow was about to go, a book teleported in front of her in a flash of purple. She raised an eyebrow, then looked at the cover and read: “Daring Do”. Twilight winked at her before looking for more books again while Rainbow flew to the counter, ready to pay. Far from the two mares and the bookstore, near the train station, Fluttershy stood alone. She was calling for someone; someone that could help them and save Equestria easily. “Discord!” She called. Usually, a ordinary pony wouldn’t know when someone is calling their name; however, Discord was no pony! He was the master of chaos, and saying his name was enough to invoke him… when he wanted to at least. “Disc…” “Did you call me, my dear Fluttershy?” A voice said as Discord appeared out of thin air in front of the yellow pegasus. The mare stepped back in surprise and fear, then shook her head to come to her senses. Discord smiled playfully. “I’m so happy to see you!” Fluttershy said as she hugged him. “We need your help! There is something…” “Yes, I know. I’ve seen it,” The master of chaos interrupted. “Do you know what it is?” Fluttershy asked impatiently. Discord rubbed his chin as he thought about it. “It is quite surprising, but I don’t have any idea! It looks like it’s some sort of destructive waves of shadows,” “Can you do something about it? Please,” Fluttershy pleaded hopefully. “As you would expect I can! I think… maybe…” Discord answered hesitantly while scratching his neck. “Anyway, I won’t help you; I’m sorry. You and your friends must learn to do those things on your own!” He added, making Fluttershy drop her ears. “Well, I have to go! I have a party with Spike and Bic Mac! I Can’t wait for our next tea party!” He said as he disappeared instantly. Fluttershy could only sigh; it looked like they were on their own on this one. She guessed she’d have to wait for the others, then they’ll finally go to their first destination. Meanwhile, the guard from earlier walked through Canterlot, wearing a big cloak that covered all of his body. He looked around, making sure nobody was following or observing him. After a few minutes of walking, he entered in an alley beside a grocery story. He finally arrived in front of a door, then he knocked four times. “Who is iiiit?” A voiced asked playfully in a singing tone. The guard almost facehoofed. “It’s me! Stingy! How many times did we say that four knocks mean it’s one of us?” He whispered loudly in annoyance. However, he only met silence. “Stingy who?” “Let him in! You buffoon!” Another voice shouted from the inside. The door finally opened as the guard, named Stingy entered. The first person he saw was a pegasus with a pink swirling mane and a purple coat. Looking more closely at his cutie mark, it was a big brain surrounded by a blue circle. The pony was smiling and closed the door after Stingy came in. “Hi, Stingy! Where have you been?” The pegasus asked cheerfully. “Ignore him. You know very well Star Brain isn’t the smartest among us… or among all the ponies of this city for that matter…” The voice from before said. Stingy looked at him, the one that gave him a home and a purpose; he still recalled how they met. However, it was no time for memories. They both have grown up stronger. His friend, and leader was a unicorn. He had a short black mane with silver colored strips. His coat was royal blue while his cutie mark was a pile of stone. “I come with fantastic news, Silver Mane!” Stingy said while his leader nodded for him to continue. “The princesses and the elements of harmony entered the castle; they’ve talked about what you sought for! They started tracking it!” He added, widening Silver’s grey eyes. “No… It can’t be… Is it the Jewel of Life?!” He asked as he jumped in front of Stingy. “TELL ME!” He screamed in excitation. “It is!” Stingy merely answered. “After all these years… Placing you as a spy wasn’t a mistake after all!” He said in joy while Stingy smirked. A green aura surrounded the guard; when it faded, the guard left his place to a changeling, black and covered with holes in his body. One of the last ones that haven’t been “reformed.” One that didn’t feel like betraying his nature. One that has already betrayed his previous queens. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand…” Star Brain muttered as Silver facehoofed. “How do you don’t get it yet? I do the same ‘evil speech’ every day!” Silver Mane shouted at the pegasus, who scratched the back of his head in misunderstanding. Silver rolled his eyes, then summoned an ancient book in his magical grasp. “This is a book that has been passed down through the generations of my family. Long ago, my ancestor: Blue Horn was the leader of a small team of unicorns that worked relentlessly to develop the most powerful item that Equestria has ever had! The Jewel of Life, an artifact that could bring an end to all of our enemies!” Silver Mane explained proudly as he opened his book. “If the princesses are seeking it, then that means the same threat all those years ago has come back! The Jewel was created to destroy it, and it did.” “Why did the Equestrians from the past hide this item?” Stingy asked, seeking an answer to something that Silver has never explained. “Because it was a power they feared! Feared that it would fall into the wrong hooves. Equestria would have been unstoppable... Blue Horn’s name has never been mentioned in any of the history books… He was omitted after all the things he achieved! This artifact wasn’t the only one that he invented… He made many, then wrote them in this book with their history! My family always kept it, protected it with magic, so we would forever remember what a great hero he was! However, none has ever believed us… We were shamed and mocked even though we were a family of heroes that saved Equestria!” He screamed in hate as Stingy and Star stepped back. “Does this book tell us the location?” “Regrettably, it is something that was lost. My ancestors and even my father searched to find as many artifacts as they could; however, many were lost forever, including the Jewel. My family has saved Equestria -no- the whole world… But what did the princesses do? They became alicorns? How stupid!” He yelled in reply as he closed the book. “We should have been rightful kings; it is time I accomplish my destiny and bring back the honor of my family,” Silver answered, calming himself down. “You are right… We three are unique, I’ll help in whatever you desire, and we’ll rule these lands!” Stingy said in excitation. “We’re going to be kings? That’s so cool! My mom is going to be so proud!” Star added as he clapped his hooves. “We will use the elements to lead us to the Jewel, then I’ll destroy them using one of the strongest artifacts that Blue Horn created. My father found it before his death. There were many replicas of it, but here is the real one,” Silver Mane said lustfully as he summoned a new item with his magic. It was an amulet that bore the effigy of a black-and-gray winged unicorn, along with a massive black gem. “The Original Alicorn Amulet,” He announced. Stingy and Star widened their eyes in wonder and admiration, the aura of the amulet alluring them. “It multiplies the power of the wearer, but as you can see: its power is dark and corruptive. I will wear it in case of emergency only,” Silver explained as the amulet disappeared in a flash. His underlings shook their heads, coming back to their senses. “My time has finally come,” He smirked. DawnstarTwilight sat beside the window as the train started moving. Her friends sat on the seats around her while she opened the first book among the ones she bought. She read rapidly, really fast, but there still was nothing talking about the Jewel of Life or the darkness that came to wreck the world. They had the possibility to find the Jewel with the information, and the book Celestia already gave them; however, it was another matter for these shadows. No matter how long she looked for it; she couldn’t find any information on these darknesses. Even the ponies from the past didn’t know anything about it. What it was and why it was doing this, was unknown to her and would likely remain as it was. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been in Appleloosa!” Applejack claimed as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Too bad there is no festival or something, though; it would have been cool to come during a County Fair!” Rainbow Dash retorted while she looked outside the window. “At least they have great cider,” “No worries, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie interjected as she hugged her rainbow-maned friend with one of her legs. “I’ll throw you a huge party if you want some fun!” She smiled before pulling confettis out of nowhere. “Braeburn will have cider ready just for you, Dash,” Applejack added while the blue pegasus licked its lips. While the three of them were talking about cider and parties; Fluttershy and Rarity approached Twilight as she was reading, sweet coming down her forehead due to her stress and nervousness. “I was wondering: What in Appleloosa could help us find that Jewel, Twilight?” Rarity asked, curious. Appleloosa was a small town after all, and it didn’t seem to have much importance in Equestria’s history compared to other towns and cities. To learn it could be a clue to find one of the most powerful items in the world was quite surprising. As Twilight opened her mouth to answer, Fluttershy interrupted. “Maybe Princess Luna knows,” She said quietly as she glanced at the Princess of the Moon. “Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about it either. I only read a few pages of the book my sister found; she… stayed in her room and studied it for days to learn anything she could,” Luna explained in disappointment. “Fortunately, I read it a few times already,” Twilight started after clearing her throat. “According to it; the unicorn who used The Jewel of Life was born in Appleloosa. Her name was Dawnstar,” Twilight explained as she traveled through the pages of the book. “She was very experienced in magic, so maybe we can find a pony who knows her name or a remote relative,” She added hesitantly. That unicorn died a million of years ago, so finding a relative or a member of her family would be nigh impossible. It was exceedingly rare for a family to have its blood heritage preserved for so long. “Wait, didn’t you say there was a team of unicorns that teamed up to develop the Jewel?” Applejack joined in the discussion. “Yeah, for all we know we can find ponies that recall something about them!” Rainbow Dash added, thinking it’d be way faster than seeking a particular unicorn, gone years ago. “I would have like to, but their names aren’t even mentioned. I guess they weren’t really significant,” Twilight answered while looking inside the book to make sure she wasn’t wrong. “However, you shouldn’t worry; we have a place we could seek clues, that’s a great start. Not only on Dawnstar, but also on the magic used in The Jewel of Life. Depending on its magic signature, I could potentially track it down by scanning Equestria and finding all traces of its essence,” She explained while her friends blinked a few times; Princess Luna being the only one who comprehended what she suggested. “This is an excellent idea, Twilight,” Luna complimented; she didn’t even think of tracking its magic. This may be the most convenient way to find it! However, they still had to at least discover what magic was used. “Much appreciated, Princess Luna,” Twilight blushed as she scratched the back of her neck. While Twilight and her friends were discussing about their mission; a purple earth pony brought his journal down, a few seats behind them. He stared in secret at the seven unaware ponies; carefully listening to their conversation. He clearly remembered what his friend had ordered him to do. One hour ago “This is so exciting! It’s been a long time since I went on a trip!” Star said excitedly while clapping his hooves. “There is one problem though, Silver,” Stingy started as Silver Mane turned around to look at him. “Those mysterious shadows are destroying all of Equestria, and The Jewel is needed to get rid of them! Maybe we should wait until they find the Jewel, then use it to save the lands; we’ll strike when they’re distracted and steal it!” Silver huffed in annoyance. “We can’t let them get their hooves on it; if they do, they’ll become invincible,” He argued as he paced back and forth. “When I’ll possess it; I’ll combine its power with my amulet and become a God! The darkness would never get past me, so we have nothing to worry about. For now, we focus on following Princess Twilight and Princess Luna; they will lead us to the Jewel,” Silver Mane explained in arrogance. “I understand,” Stingy nodded. “What should we do?” “You will spy on them; follow them on the train by turning into a pony,” Silver started with a smile. “Meanwhile, I will teleport Star and I in Appleloosa, so we can prepare some kind of strategy to ‘welcome’ them,” Silver answered, clearly intending to manipulate them all. “A-Are you sure? Mom always told me we should never mess with Princesses…” Star muttered hesitantly. “Have no fear; you’re safe as long as you’re with me,” Silver Mane reassured him while the amulet in his saddlebag glowed with a dark aura. “Well… if you say so!” Star replied as he smiled in confidence. “I still don’t know what we could do, though. Are we going to ask for their help?” He asked innocently. Silver Mane rolled his eyes while Stingy facehoofed in annoyance and defeat. “Listen, they possess more information than us on the Jewel’s possible location, that very much is clear. If we merely follow them, they’ll lead us to the Jewel eventually; however, they are strong together. Too strong. This is why I’ll find a way to split them,” Silver started explaining as he walked around his friends. “They’ll come to Appleloosa, and a few of them will get a clue to the Jewel's location while the rest will follow a lead to a trap of my doing,” he continued before walking to Star Brain. “Star and I will get rid of the ones going the wrong way while you follow the ones on the right one,” He instructed to stingy before pulling a red amulet out of his saddlebag. “When you learn about the location of the Jewel, use this amulet to call us, and we’ll join you right away,” Stingy nodded as he put the amulet around his neck, feeling his leader’s magic flowing through his body. He shivered at the cold and dark feeling of dread and anger. Silver’s wrath was something to be afraid of; he already learned it several years ago during this fateful day. “The train is departing soon, join them quick, Stingy,” Silver told to the changeling before turning his head towards Star. “Grab unto me. I’ll teleport us. And… remember, don’t puke this time,” The unicorn warned the feather brain. Star Brain clapped his hooves in excitation before wrapping his front legs around Silver’s neck. Stingy made a salute before the unicorn and the pegasus disappeared in a flash of light. The changeling turned into a new form, then stepped out of the house. Now Stingy smirked as he spied on the seven mares, registering the new pieces of information he gained. Silver Mane would be interested to discover what he heard concerning their quest. He could only wonder what Silver had planned to get them away from each other. Moreover, he had very little time to plan anything since they had to follow them in such a hurry. It didn’t help that they were to face two princesses and Equestria’s heroes. Naturally, it didn’t change the fact Stingy completely believed in Silver Mane, so if he said he could take them on; he was telling the truth. Although he may have needed the alicorn amulet. Stingy drooled as he thought about the amulet and the power it released continuously. When Silver showed it to him, it was as if it was calling for a master to wear and control it. He wouldn’t dare try to use it, though. Firstly because it was Silver’s, and secondly, he knew he’d be corrupted and drowned in the dark magic inside. It couldn’t be controlled that easily, unfortunately. He guessed Silver must had a strong will to be able to hold the amulet without giving in to the call of this rare item. Suddenly, he felt the train started slowing down, coming to a halt a few seconds later. Stingy dropped his journal as the mane 6 and Luna went out; he followed several feet behind. Twilight looked around, admiring the small and beautiful town. Appleloosa wasn’t big and didn’t receive many tourists, even though it had a magnificent view. Most ponies living here were earth ponies; mostly because earth ponies founded it. It was the main reason the matter of Dawnstar was bugging her since she read about it. The three races hated each other before, so why would a unicorn live in a town full of earth ponies? She’d found out eventually. She would have to if she wanted to know more about Dawnstar and The Jewel of Life. As soon as Applejack set foot on Appleloosa’s ground, an orange earth pony wearing a cowboy hat came out of nowhere, shouting her name in excitation and happiness. “Applejack! I’m so happy to see you!” He said in delight as he hugged her. “I’m happy too, but how did you know I was coming, Braeburn?” Applejack asked her cousin as she raised an eyebrow. “Come on, you know I always had this small feeling notifying me you’re close whenever you’re here,” Braeburn joked while chuckling before looking at the rest of her friends. He quickly bowed down when he saw two princesses. “It looks like your friends are here too! It’s an honor to see you, your Highnesses,” He said in respect as Luna motioned for him to stand up. “You don’t need to bow, Braeburn. We’re gathering some information,” Twilight said as the earth pony stood up, thanking Twilight and Luna with a nod. “Information? I don’t know what kind of useful information could be found here,” Braeburn answered as he rubbed his chin. “I’m sure Applejack will explain it to you,” Twilight replied before turning to her friends. “Luna and I will go see the mayor and ask him a few questions. Every inhabitant may know something, so you’ll have to ask around everywhere,” Twilight explained as her friends nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry, Twilight! When it’s about meeting new ponies, I’m the best!” Pinkie shouted while jumping up and down. Meanwhile, Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane. “You can count on us, Twi!” Rainbow Dash added before flying to the nearest pony. While they were talking and splitting up, Stingy hid his glowing amulet in his saddlebag. The item Silver gave him was useful for communication. Thanks to it, he could contact his comrades anytime, just like he did now. It seemed he could help them with their plan. He turned into a brown earth pony and waited for the heroes of Equestria to scatter. When they did, he walked to his target: Rarity. He didn’t openly talk or bump into her, though. He simply walked past her, knowing perfectly what was about to come next. “Excuse me, sir!” He heard Rarity’s voice, then smirked. “Yes? What do you want?” He asked innocently. “I’m deeply sorry to bother you, but do you know something about a certain Dawnstar?” The unicorn asked hopefully. Stingy raised an eyebrow, genuinely not knowing who it was. She must have something to do with the Jewel, that was for sure. “I’m sorry, but that doesn’t ring any bell. I’m busy anyway; I have to get a gorgeous dress for my wife. They opened a new boutique here,” He replied, slowly turning away. Rarity’s face brightened at the word ‘dress’. “Did you say dress and boutique?” She asked in delight. Stingy smirked in victory, successfully alluring her into his trap. “Indeed, I have,” “Please, tell me where it is!” “Of course, you just have to walk forward until you see the saloon; it’ll be on its right,” Stingy answered while pointing in the direction of the boutique. “Thank you!” The white unicorn replied as she ran where he pointed at. “You’re welcome,” He retorted in a whisper as he watched her go. The trap was slowly closing in.
It is here“You can't catch me!” A small dragon laughed as he flew high in the sky, even higher than the clouds. Concurrently, two other young dragons stopped in mid-air as they stared at him flying higher and higher. “Come on, Zach! You always win this game, just because your wings are better! That's unfair!” One of them complained while the second one just sighed. “I'm solely employing my innate talents!” Zach replied as he flew in circles. “Why don't we go home guys? I'm starved and don't want to play the hunters anymore. It's boring.” The dragon that had been quiet said as his stomach grumbled. His friend beside him rolled his eyes before returning them to Zach. “You heard him! Let's go, I'm kinda hungry, too!” He shouted; however, Zach remained where he stood, his back overlooking them. The two dragons looked at each other, “Zach? Did you see something?” “Y-Yeah!” He replied with a bit of hesitation, then breathed in, bulging his chest. Next he breathed out a stream of fire that dissipated the clouds in front of him. “Look at this!” The young dragons widened their eyes as they observed what he was pointing at: it was an enormous black ball. It looked like an inky cloud, but they knew it had something else to it, as if they felt it. The orb was surrounded by a black smoke, slowly expanding. “What do you guys believe this is?” Zach asked as he came relatively closer, inspecting it. “I don't know, but maybe we shouldn't touch it. Let's call an adult.” The dragon that only wanted to eat, said while sweating, Zach ignored him and narrowed his eyes at the black smoke growing bigger by each second. It didn't look that dangerous to him. While it was definitely unusual, he knew he could defend himself if needs be. While it was definitely unusual, he knew he could defend himself if needs be. he felt... nothing. It looked harmless. He shrugged and turned around to leave; however, a black tendril suddenly came out of the unidentified object and wrapped around his waist, before pulling him back. “W-Wait! Let go of me! What's happening!” He screamed in panic as he wriggled around. “Zach!” His friends screamed in fear while the young dragon was being pulled back towards the orb. The dragon breathed out as much fire as he could, but it remained useless as it did nothing to his attacker. His friends could only fly back to the mountain to scream for help as they weren't skilled enough to fly high enough to get him. And at that moment as Zach was gradually pulled inside the dark ball while he looked a his friends flying away, he cried. Cried and screamed for help. Begged for it, but nobody came as the dark mass swallowed him. The last thing he perceived was complete and utter darkness, a place devoid of any life. Meanwhile, in the peaceful land of Equestria, at the Canterlot castle. Celestia widened her eyes as she stumbled from her throne. The guards, seeing this, tended to her side to help. “Princess! Is something wrong?!” One of them asked, worried. However, Celestia ignored him and panted. She was lost in thought while she could nevertheless experience the feeling of dread that came to her. She received visions of dark events multiple times in the past; however, she was always asleep during these! This time, it was different. It wasn't a vision, but every fiber of her being screaming at her to fly as far away as she could; and to give everything up to save her life. She wouldn't do that of course, but whatever made her feel like this needed to be taken care of or else... she feared the worst. She had to try to determine the origin of this magic, then call the other princesses, this could potentially be something even more dangerous than Tirek. “D-Don't worry. I'm fine. Just a bit tired,” The princess replied with a shaking voice. While Celestia's mind was clouded with worry and fear, several miles away in the town of Ponyville, everyone enjoyed their life blissfully unaware of the upcoming danger. Two ponies specifically... In the castle of friendship “How foolish! You shouldn't get in my way! When I get my hands on these sacred artifacts, I'll possess a power beyond anything you can imagine, Daring!” Twilight shouted before laughing as evilly as possible. “You won't even get a chance to graze them, Ahuizotl!” Rainbow Dash replied as she jumped atop of Twilight with a mighty roar. The two mares both fell on the ground before laughing, clenching their sides. “This may be her best book yet, Rainbow! And to think we get to read it before anypony else!” Twilight exclaimed while she clapped her hooves in excitement. “I know right!” Rainbow said, happy that Ms. Yearling would send them her new books early, “I never thought I'd enjoy a book this much, thanks Twi!” After all, Twilight was the one that introduced her to this masterpiece. “I can't believe she mentioned our names!” Twilight added; Yearling did mention their name in her recent novel, although it was only once, it made them feel proud to be mentioned by their favorite author (one of, in Twilight's case). “We have to read it again, Twi!” Rainbow said excitedly as she flew around in circle in Twilight’s room. The young princess giggled in response, then picked the book up with her magic, and closed it. “I’d love to, Rainbow, but we already read it twice today and I still have work to carry out. However, I promise you; we’ll do it again tomorrow.” Twilight explained sadly. Being a princess was hard and it required much of her time, but in the end, she still liked it and didn’t want to disappoint Princess Celestia. “Oh… I guess I can wait ‘till tomorrow… but are you sure you can’t take a break from these boring princess duties?” Rainbow Dash asked, her good mood dropping in an instant. She knew it was something significant for Twilight, but she could tell they weren’t fun, even for her favorite librarian. “You know I can’t. I’m sorry, Rainbow, but like I said: we’ll do it again tomorrow. Okay?” Twilight replied as a small, hoping, smile formed on her lips. The blue pegasus stared at her, unsure of what to reply. The more she looked at her friend, the more she thought it would be bad if someone as adorable as her was sad. Knowing Twilight, she was certain she’d think she was mad at her, just because Rainbow’s fun was spoiled by princess duties. Retaining this in mind, she sighed then looked up and smiled. “Okay, I get it. I guess I can wait at least one day. See you tomorrow, Twi!” Rainbow answered, hugging Twilight, then taking off. She did have things to do, too, after all. Although hers were more physical than Twilight’s. “Bye, Rainbow!” The purple alicorn waved as the pegasus flew out of the window. “Well… looks like it’s time to go back to paperwork.” She sighed, “I feel like I’ll work on these until 3 am once more…” She muttered in annoyance. Back to the Canterlot Castle, Celestia threw her belongings all over the place, seeking something in particular. Suddenly, the door of her room opened as Luna came in, barely dodging a dress which almost struck her in the head. “May I ask what are you doing?” Luna asked in a deadpanned tone. “Did you do as I told you?” Celestia sharply jerked her head to Luna. “Did you observe what this new threat was about?” “Affirmative… It looks like masses of dark smoke appeared at multiple places in Equestria, even in the other lands: Griffonstone, the Badlands, the Crystal Empire. There is one in Los Pegasus,” Luna explained as she stared at her sister pacing around. “It looks like it’s absorbing everything it enters contact to… Why are you so stressed? Even when Tirek came back; you stayed relaxed and rational which is not the case here,” Luna said, unsure of how dangerous could some clouds be. “They don’t seem to constitute any threat at all,” “Luna, you know I never worry for no reason… Inform me, what do you believe this is?” Celestia asked, trying to remain as calm as possible. Luna stroked her chin in thought. “As far I can tell, it looked like remnants of Sombra’s magic, nothing we can’t easily deal with,” Celestia shook her head in disagreement. “Did you try scattering them?” “Yes, I must admit I failed, but I must have been more exhausted than I thought. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence stayed behind and are holding a magic shield as we speak, it was enough to block the dark smoke’s spreading,” Luna explained. “Then you should have felt this darkness as much as me,” Celestia replied while Luna looked down. “We can’t shrug off threats by being over positive, unfortunately…” Celestia muttered, recalling the numerous fights she partook in. “Listen, I discovered a book a few years ago, in one of Canterlot’s ancient mines. It looked fresh and new, but I felt it was even older than us,” “A book? In Canterlot’s mines? What were you doing here and how is it important in our case?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “I wasn’t even supposed to ever come down there; however, I felt drawn to it… It was like my magic was attracted to it! When I read it; I was disappointed to find only myths and legends of Equestria’s alleged doom,” The princess of the sun replied as she moved her belongings again. “Equestria’s doom? It is not surprising, knowing the many villains that tried to take over our land,” Luna said as she thought of Tirek, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis and… herself. “It was something like we’ve never seen until now… Something that only desired one thing: erase all life. However, since nopony ever talked to me about it when I was young, I thought it was only an old tale… forgotten. When I felt that new presence added to what you just described, it reminds me of what I read in that book. I’m still uncertain if this is the same threat, but I must make sure!” She answered while searching through her stuff. Finally, under the many dresses she had; she found a book with a golden cover and the symbol of a magnificent jewel drawn on it. “I found it!” She exclaimed in relief and happiness as she opened it and started reading. “Just as I thought! A million years ago, Equestria suffered the same fate as today; they’ve managed to defeat it by…” Celestia stopped talking as she read through the various pages of the book. Her face changed from confusion to shock, then finally: sorrow. Her lips trembled as tears were brought to her eyes. Luna stared in shock at her sister, surprised to see her cry, something that very rarely happened. She snatched the book away with her magic to read its content. “It doesn’t sound troublesome…” Luna said as she read the opened page. Nodding in understanding of how they got rid of such a monster. “Read on,” Celestia said in a dead tone. Luna did as she said; in a matter of seconds, her eyes grew dilated. “It can’t be, can it?” She asked in confusion and shock. She shifted her head to her sister. “Do we call Twilight Sparkle and her friends? They should know about it as quick as possible or else…” “No!” Celestia cried out abruptly, making Luna step back. “I… I will try to find another way first. Then I’ll call for their help.” “Sister... “ Luna whispered sadly as Celestia walked away with the book in her magical hold. “I should at least see the unicorns experienced enough to cast shield spells around Equestria. Everything is good enough to hold back these shadows,” She whispered to herself. It looked like Starswirl still had job to do. *** Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire, on the balcony of the Crystal Castle. Shining shot a beam of magic high in the sky, strengthening the shield Cadence and he created. He sighed as the beam disappeared into the sky, but he knew very well it hit its target. “How are you, dear?” Cadence asked as she nuzzled Shining’s neck. “Although I’m helping you, this barrier is the largest you’ve ever made.” “Don’t worry, I’m fine,” He replied before grabbing his head in pain. Cadence hurriedly casted a healing spell. “Besides, I don’t want to take any risks; as far as I know, this is a completely unknown threat. I don’t want to risk putting you or Flurry in danger,” He added while nuzzling his wife. “I doubt you’d be fine after casting a 3 mile wide barrier,” “Here for a report!” A guard joined them as he performed a salute. “Those mysterious looking shadows reached the barrier, sir!” “Already?!” Shining Armor muttered in disbelief. “It’s faster than expected… How’s the barrier doing?” “It looks like it stopped it!” “Good… Great even! That means my magic is strong enough to halt it!” Shining regained confidence and smiled, then grabbed his head as he felt pain again. “Don’t push yourself,” Cadence said while healing him. Shining could only sigh as he looked at the horizon made of ice. Who knew what would happen now.
Celestia's call“Something isn’t right…” Twilight mumbled as she looked out of the windows, observing multiple unknown unicorns she had ne'er seen until now. “What do you mean?” Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow. “For some reason, there has been many unicorns passing through Ponyville these last few days,” She answered while scratching the back of her head. "I would have understood if they were coming visiting, but they’re all leaving as fast as they came! Do you think there’s something wrong?” Twilight looked worried as she closed the book she was reading while Starlight, who was organizing the library, stopped to think about her question. “I-I don’t know. There wasn’t anything unusual on the news and…” She started before getting interrupted by the young dragon assistant coming in. “And Princess Celestia would have contacted you if your help was needed,” Spike added while yawning.“You worry too much sometimes. Do like me! Take a good nap, and you’ll feel way better!” Twilight giggled as if his words were only a joke, then used her magic to place the book back where she took it. “You know I can’t do that, Spike. Although you’re right, Princess Celestia would have written me if I was demanded,” Just as those words escaped her mouth, her assistant burped green flames from which a scroll was formed. Twilight used her magic to snatch it before it could fall on the floor. It looked like it was a letter from Princess Celestia, what a inconvenient timing! It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Well, at least she’ll obtain an explanation to what is going on right now. She unrolled the scroll and started reading the extremely brief letter she received. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Come to Canterlot as quickly as you can and bring your friends. This is an emergency. Princess Celestia It was unusual for the princess to write something that short, but that only proved further Equestria could be in danger again. “I have to go to Canterlot! I’ll seek the others, and you two take care of the castle!” Twilight said to Spike and Starlight as she teleported away. The dragon and the unicorn looked at each other in silence until Spike broke. “So… want to go to my room?” “No,” She replied bluntly while sighing. Twilight quickly gathered the remaining elements' bearer thanks to her teleportation spell. Although some of them were busy; they didn’t have any other choice than to follow the princess anyway. The only really worried during their train ride was Twilight, which was no surprise at all to her friends. Twilight had an eerie feeling for a few days; a feeling of dread. She disregarded it at first, but it could never leave the back of mind, the devouring fear. She thought it was due to stress and all the threats she’s faced before returning as nightmares, waking the remnants of fear that lived in her head. Maybe that fear and dread had something to do with why was Princess Celestia calling her. She knew the Princess of the sun had powers to see the future at rare times; could it be possible she was gaining the same powers as time passed? Or was it just an uneasy feeling because of the overflow of stress. “Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked as she sat beside her alicorn friend. “I… I’m not really certain. I have an unpleasant feeling about this, Princess Celestia looked bothered in her letter… and impatient?” She answered with a question, unsure of what to think of the letter she received. “I don’t know how the Princess usually is in her letters. But it wouldn’t be the first time we had to face a dangerous enemy,” Rarity reassured her while their friends joined them. “Yeah, we’ll kick their butt like we always do! I bet the Princess is worrying again for no reason at all! She should put more trust into us!” Rainbow Dash added while crossing her legs. “Now, Rainbow Dash, Princess Celestia has many duties! She has the right to fear for the safety of her subjects!” Applejack scolded the rainbow-maned pegasus. Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes at the farm pony. “I just hope we’ll get it done quickly. I have a massage to give to Harry this evening,” Fluttershy mumbled before Pinkie jumped beside her. “I couldn’t wait to come back in Canterlot! I prepared so many cupcakes!” The pink mare yelled while jumping back and forth. “Cupcakes? Why?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, slightly forgetting her worry. “Oh, for no reason at all! I just thought it’d be fun!” She replied before devouring an entire cupcake in one bite. “What? But that doesn’t make any sense…” Twilight started only to be interrupted by laughter. She glanced around and saw her friends laughing or chuckling in some cases. “Did I miss something?” “See? You already forgot you were worried in the first place!” Rainbow Dash replied, followed by a chuckle. “As long as we’re together, nothing can stop us. So don’t start Twilighting now,” Applejack added with a wink. Twilight stared at them dumbfounded, then smiled warmly. “Thanks, girls. You always know how to cheer me up,” She said as they all gathered in a group hug. “Besides, we’ve already fought the terriblest enemies in Equestria! There couldn’t be anything worse than Discord or Tirek!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. *** “This is without a doubt the worst threat you have and will ever face,” Princess Celestia said in a cold tone. Twilight stepped back and accordingly did her friends. “I’m sorry, but could you repeat that please?” Applejack hesitantly and fearfully. “Yeah, I think we didn’t hear you right,” Rainbow Dash added while scratching the back of her head. However, Celestia kept her calm and cold demeanor. She merely stared at them in silence, showing little to no emotion. She focused her eyes on Twilight and did so several seconds during which everyone in the throne room didn’t say a thing nor move; astonishingly, even Pinkie didn’t make a single sound. Luna glanced at her sister, waiting for her to continue. Twilight lowered her eyes until Celestia spoke again. “There is a serious emergency. A threat older than any of us,” Celestia said, making Twilight look up again. Rare were the creatures as old as the Princesses. “Several orbs made of shadows appeared throughout our world. They are expanding, spreading and eating away everything that it comes in contact with,” She explained in front of the mane 6’s puzzled expressions. “Is it a living being?” Twilight asked, her interest aroused. “What do you mean by eating?” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling her stomach growling. “It is unknown whether it is sentient or not. Everything that gets absorbed never comes out, it completely disappears in darkness. Regrettably, several creatures weren’t fortunate enough to escape…” Celestia answered as the elements’ bearers gasped.“If it’s unstopped, then the world will get erased,” “What?!” Twilight screamed in shock. How something that dangerous could exist? And why they never heard about it before? She read so much and knew everything about Equestria history, but never read anything about a mass of shadows trying to destroy the world! “They must be terribly hungry…” Pinkie mumbled before swallowing another cupcake. “I requested the help of the best unicorns in Equestria, and they are casting a gigantic magic barrier surrounding our borders to defend it from this darkness; moreover, many of them also surrounded the black orbs and imprisoned them inside magical barriers. It seemed to be enough to remain them from spreading,” “That’s excellent news! If their barriers can stop them, then that means our magic can destroy them. If it doesn’t work, we can use the elements!” Twilight said in delight. Considering the magic of the elements was now residing inside them, and was connected to her castle, they were certainly easier to use. “Unfortunately, the magic barriers are weakening. Whatever this is, it is getting stronger and will break through our spells. It will spread very quickly to Equestria’s borders and the barriers there won’t do much to stop it…” Celestia replied in a dreadful tone.“I did some research, and found what we are against in this book,” She said as she grabbed the book with a magic hold. “The elements won’t be able to stop it,” “What?! Then, what do we do?!” Rainbow Dash screamed, dumbfounded. “That means it’s Equestria’s doom…” Applejack muttered dreadfully, thinking about her family and her home. Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie did the same while Twilight sat on the floor, trying to think of something. It couldn’t be possible! They always had a way to defeat evil! However, magic nor the elements of Harmony couldn’t do anything now! “Hear me out; the book I am holding is the key to our victory,” Celestia said, bringing everyone’s mood up. “Millions years ago, the very same darkness came in our world. It spread and destroyed so much life. The Equestrians thought it was their doom; however, the three races out of desperation united for the first time and made a powerful artifact,” “An artifact?” Twilight repeated in wonder while her friends leaned forwards. Concurrently, the guard keeping the door narrowed his eyes, listening attentively to what the Princess of the sun was announcing. “Yes, they created “The Jewel of Life”, a powerful gem that destroyed all darkness. I called you and your friends to find and use it,” Celestia continued. “Of course, we’ll do it!” The mane 6 said simultaneously with no hesitation. “Where is it, Princess?” Twilight asked hurryingly. “Its location is unknown, the book provides some clues, a place you could go to start your investigation to its location,” Celestia answered as her ex-student nodded.“There is another reason for why I selected you to find it, Twilight. Only a powerful and experienced unicorn or alicorn, in this case, can employ the Jewel.” “I-I won’t let you down, Princess!” Twilight stuttered, her stress level rising. She hated when the fate of the world depended on upon her. While she was trying to keep calm and be relaxed, which failed completely unlike her friends. “Another adventure! I missed those!” Rainbow Dash jumped in the air and flew around. “Darn it; I hope it won’t last too long! I have to help my family at the farm! It's the best season for apples.” “If we are to travel, then it would be a real pleasure! I may find new ways of making clothes! There are little geniuses everywhere in Equestria!” Rarity said while clapping her hooves. “It’s been so long since I threw a “We saved the world” party!” “Well, now I sure won’t be able to give Harry his massage,” Fluttershy whispered. Twilight grumbled, stopping herself to remain serious while the two princesses kept their cold looks. “Why are you so calm about this?” The Princess of Friendship asked of her friends. “We save the world at least once a month! We’re getting used to it,” Rainbow Dash replied whiles Twilight facehoofed. Then again, she wasn’t totally mistaken. “Your target would be Appleloosa,” Celestia instructed. “That’s close to my family’s rock farm!” Pinkie Pie screamed in happiness. “Luna will also accompany you,” Celestia added as Luna nodded in agreement. Twilight raised an eyebrow, surprised by their decision. Usually, neither of them ever came with her friends and her when they fought against Equestria’s many threats. When her surprise wore off, it was replaced by happiness and relief. “We’ll gladly accept your help, Princess Luna!” Twilight replied happily; someone as experienced and strong as Luna was always welcome to help! “We’ll go immediately and find that jewel as quick as we can!” Twilight added before turning her back, ready to go. Her friends turned around as quick as her, going to the doors. “Wait, Twilight,” Celestia stopped the lavender alicorn in her tracks.“I still have to tell you something else, privately with Luna. Your friends will wait outside,” Twilight looked at her teacher, then at her friends, and finally nodded; curious of what could Celestia want to say to her in private. Meantime, as the mane 5 walk through the doors; the guard shifted subtly. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I’m not feeling well. Can I go to rest a little bit, please?” He asked in a pleading tone. “You may, but call a replacement,” Luna answered dismissively. The guard smirked, then calmly exited the room. As soon as he was out, he sprinted in the corridors, barely bumping into Fluttershy. “Wow, pay attention to where you’re going, jerk!” Rainbow Dash shouted at him, but was ignored by the distant guard. “It’s fine, Rainbow,” Fluttershy calmed the wonderbolt, disliking her friend's short temper. They didn’t have to wait too long for Twilight and Luna to come out of the throne room, only a few minutes later. However, the lavender alicorn looked shaken, way more than she was before. This was unusual. Even if the Princess stressed and scared Twilight multiple times in the past, this was the first time the bookworm looked so pale and terrified. “Are you alright, Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. “You look pale. What did the Princess told you?” Twilight glanced at Luna, who looked away. “Nothing serious. Let’s go, we don’t have any time to lose,” She answered in a hurry.
Ready for Appleloosa“We don’t have much time since we have to get to Appleloosa quickly,” Twilight started as Luna, and her friends stood around her. “We won’t have time to go to Ponyville and prepare stuff for our journey; fortunately, Princess Celestia gave us enough bits to spend in procurement of anything useful: food, bags, books and clothes…” Twilight listed while the others listened carefully. “We’ll split up and get the supplies we need, then see you at the train stations going for Appleloosa,” “Oh, I’m so buying tons of candies!” Pinkie exclaimed in ecstasy as Twilight gave to each of them a bag of bits. Twilight indicated what each one of them had to buy, then went to the closest bookstore. She was planning to find a book that could give her more clues to the Jewel’s location since the one Princess Celestia gave her wasn’t really specific enough. Moreover, what the Princesses told her earlier didn’t help her think at all; it was quite shocking to say the least… Twilight sighed and tried to forget about it until she finds the Jewel. She looked around and saw a bookstore close to a small bakery. She inspected it closer, then nodded as she felt satisfied of the store. It was big and had numerous books. She was sure to find some that could help her in her quest. The store owner seemed to be reading a journal, ignoring the Princess of Friendship completely. Twilight didn’t mind and simply walked to the history section, then planned on going where the books on old tales were. It was still possible that an event like this could be seen as a myth by many. Since she couldn’t read now, not having enough time. She grabbed the books that aroused her interest the most. The books referring to the oldest events and myths, plus a book referencing all the known magical artifacts. She’d have to read them all on the train to Appleloosa. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Applejack came in a grocery store close to the train station; it not only had cakes but also sweets. There also was sandwiches, fruits and vegetables; they really did have everything! Not that it bothered the two mares; it was exactly what they were looking for. “Good afternoon! What can I do for you?” The stallion behind the counter greeted them. “We’re preparing food supplies for a travel, I think you have everything we need!” Applejack answered while looking around. “Well of course I have! My shop is the best in Canterlot, by far!” The store owner exclaimed as he smirked. “Go at the back of the shop; there are sandwiches and…” “Oh, you don’t need telling us!” Pinkie interrupted as she jumped in front of him. “We’ll purchase everything!” The stallion blinked a few times, rehearsing the words in his head. Then opened his mouth. “Excuse me, but what did you say?” “I said: we’ll purchase everything, thank you!” Pinkie Pie repeated while the stallion stumbled, keeping himself from fainting. “Now, Pinkie, I’m pretty sure we don’t have enough money for that,” Applejack interjected as she ran to the shop owner to help him stand. “We’ll just take the bare essentials. If we need more, we’ll just buy at Appleloosa. We don’t even know how long this journey will take anyway,” She added, reassuring the stallion. “Oooooh… okie dokie!” Pinkie replied, slightly disappointed at first, but then got over it quickly. The stallion sighed in relief, happy that his business wasn’t ready to collapse yet. He spent the next minutes helping Applejack and Pinkie Pie select their food. The pink mare kept repeating they were on a journey to save the world from a bad guy. Although the stallion couldn’t help but doubt it since they both seemed to be too laid back for something so dangerous. Rarity and Luna walked through Canterlot, seeking a clothing store. Unsurprisingly, Rarity had thought they may need warm clothes if one of the locations Princess Celestia indicated was in a cold place. However, asking Princess Luna for more information wasn’t possible since she couldn't place all the locations either. It seemed that her sister has been inside her room for days and hadn’t come out once! When she did, she had prepared everything and gave the book to Twilight. Rarity didn’t ask further; she did want to know what happened to the Princess of the sun to cause her to behave like this, but thought it was none of her business. Truthfully, she feared it was because of an argument between the two princesses; if one of them got possessed by the nightmare… it would be a disaster! Rarity didn’t spend much time with the Princess of the moon, so she didn’t know her that well. However, she was surprisingly lovable! “Oh my, you are magnificent in this dress, Princess!” Rarity smiled as she clapped her hooves. Luna wore a dark blue dress matching the color of her coat and her mane. A few ponies in the shop stared at her with eyes and mouths wide open in bewilderment to see one of the princesses here; trying dresses no less! However, Luna didn’t have as much enthusiasm as the white unicorn. When she looked at herself in the mirror; she admitted she was beautiful! However, she wasn’t the type of pony to love and try a dozen of dresses a day, especially when Equestria’s fate was at stake! Besides, did these ponies have to stare at her like that? It was getting really uncomfortable… Simultaneously, Twilight had a few books in her magical hold while she read the titles of the books still on their shelves. So far, she has picked: “Equestrian History”, “Myths and Legends: should we believe them?” and one of the most popular: “Encyclopedia of Magic”. She already read them all of course, but she could have missed something. Moreover, she wasn’t seeking anything specifically when she read them the first time or the… 5 other times. Suddenly, Twilight heard the flapping of wings, a flapping she’d recognize anywhere. She narrowed her eyes, then turned around and stared at the pegasus sneaking behind her. “Rainbow! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be helping the others?” Twilight asked, annoyed and curious. “Well… I figured I wouldn’t be of any help, so I came to buy one or two Daring books, you know…” Rainbow Dash answered while looking away. Twilight facehoofed; first at the castle and now this? Was it all a joke to them? “Rainbow, can’t you be a little more serious? Don’t you realize the situation we’re in?!” “Of course I do! But come on! It’s like the gazillionth time this happened! We always find a way to save everypony and get everything back to normal!” Rainbow Dash replied while crossing her legs. “I’m sorry you don’t care, but that’s not the case for me! I take this very seriously!” “That’s weird, it reminds me of the Storm King’s invasion… You know, when you yelled at us for the same reason?” The rainbow-maned pegasus retorted, making Twilight step back. “Oh, no… You’re right! I am doing it again!” She grunted as the books in her hold dropped on the ground. She just had to remember how she gave up on friendship that day. It was something she never wanted to relive again. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty! I’m sorry, it’s just… We have to protect Equestria every single time! I don’t want to put my life on the line while Princess Celestia doesn’t get her butt off of her throne!” Rainbow Dash complained while she helped Twilight pick up her books. Twilight looked away, thinking of Celestia and the talk she had with the princesses. “She can’t do anything Rainbow, and there is a good reason. There always is… And hey, there’s Luna with us this time! See? Celestia did do something… technically,” Twilight retorted as Rainbow stopped to think about it. “I guess you’re right…” Rainbow replied as she scratched the back of her head. Twilight smiled, then grabbed the books again. When Rainbow was about to go, a book teleported in front of her in a flash of purple. She raised an eyebrow, then looked at the cover and read: “Daring Do”. Twilight winked at her before looking for more books again while Rainbow flew to the counter, ready to pay. Far from the two mares and the bookstore, near the train station, Fluttershy stood alone. She was calling for someone; someone that could help them and save Equestria easily. “Discord!” She called. Usually, a ordinary pony wouldn’t know when someone is calling their name; however, Discord was no pony! He was the master of chaos, and saying his name was enough to invoke him… when he wanted to at least. “Disc…” “Did you call me, my dear Fluttershy?” A voice said as Discord appeared out of thin air in front of the yellow pegasus. The mare stepped back in surprise and fear, then shook her head to come to her senses. Discord smiled playfully. “I’m so happy to see you!” Fluttershy said as she hugged him. “We need your help! There is something…” “Yes, I know. I’ve seen it,” The master of chaos interrupted. “Do you know what it is?” Fluttershy asked impatiently. Discord rubbed his chin as he thought about it. “It is quite surprising, but I don’t have any idea! It looks like it’s some sort of destructive waves of shadows,” “Can you do something about it? Please,” Fluttershy pleaded hopefully. “As you would expect I can! I think… maybe…” Discord answered hesitantly while scratching his neck. “Anyway, I won’t help you; I’m sorry. You and your friends must learn to do those things on your own!” He added, making Fluttershy drop her ears. “Well, I have to go! I have a party with Spike and Bic Mac! I Can’t wait for our next tea party!” He said as he disappeared instantly. Fluttershy could only sigh; it looked like they were on their own on this one. She guessed she’d have to wait for the others, then they’ll finally go to their first destination. Meanwhile, the guard from earlier walked through Canterlot, wearing a big cloak that covered all of his body. He looked around, making sure nobody was following or observing him. After a few minutes of walking, he entered in an alley beside a grocery story. He finally arrived in front of a door, then he knocked four times. “Who is iiiit?” A voiced asked playfully in a singing tone. The guard almost facehoofed. “It’s me! Stingy! How many times did we say that four knocks mean it’s one of us?” He whispered loudly in annoyance. However, he only met silence. “Stingy who?” “Let him in! You buffoon!” Another voice shouted from the inside. The door finally opened as the guard, named Stingy entered. The first person he saw was a pegasus with a pink swirling mane and a purple coat. Looking more closely at his cutie mark, it was a big brain surrounded by a blue circle. The pony was smiling and closed the door after Stingy came in. “Hi, Stingy! Where have you been?” The pegasus asked cheerfully. “Ignore him. You know very well Star Brain isn’t the smartest among us… or among all the ponies of this city for that matter…” The voice from before said. Stingy looked at him, the one that gave him a home and a purpose; he still recalled how they met. However, it was no time for memories. They both have grown up stronger. His friend, and leader was a unicorn. He had a short black mane with silver colored strips. His coat was royal blue while his cutie mark was a pile of stone. “I come with fantastic news, Silver Mane!” Stingy said while his leader nodded for him to continue. “The princesses and the elements of harmony entered the castle; they’ve talked about what you sought for! They started tracking it!” He added, widening Silver’s grey eyes. “No… It can’t be… Is it the Jewel of Life?!” He asked as he jumped in front of Stingy. “TELL ME!” He screamed in excitation. “It is!” Stingy merely answered. “After all these years… Placing you as a spy wasn’t a mistake after all!” He said in joy while Stingy smirked. A green aura surrounded the guard; when it faded, the guard left his place to a changeling, black and covered with holes in his body. One of the last ones that haven’t been “reformed.” One that didn’t feel like betraying his nature. One that has already betrayed his previous queens. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand…” Star Brain muttered as Silver facehoofed. “How do you don’t get it yet? I do the same ‘evil speech’ every day!” Silver Mane shouted at the pegasus, who scratched the back of his head in misunderstanding. Silver rolled his eyes, then summoned an ancient book in his magical grasp. “This is a book that has been passed down through the generations of my family. Long ago, my ancestor: Blue Horn was the leader of a small team of unicorns that worked relentlessly to develop the most powerful item that Equestria has ever had! The Jewel of Life, an artifact that could bring an end to all of our enemies!” Silver Mane explained proudly as he opened his book. “If the princesses are seeking it, then that means the same threat all those years ago has come back! The Jewel was created to destroy it, and it did.” “Why did the Equestrians from the past hide this item?” Stingy asked, seeking an answer to something that Silver has never explained. “Because it was a power they feared! Feared that it would fall into the wrong hooves. Equestria would have been unstoppable... Blue Horn’s name has never been mentioned in any of the history books… He was omitted after all the things he achieved! This artifact wasn’t the only one that he invented… He made many, then wrote them in this book with their history! My family always kept it, protected it with magic, so we would forever remember what a great hero he was! However, none has ever believed us… We were shamed and mocked even though we were a family of heroes that saved Equestria!” He screamed in hate as Stingy and Star stepped back. “Does this book tell us the location?” “Regrettably, it is something that was lost. My ancestors and even my father searched to find as many artifacts as they could; however, many were lost forever, including the Jewel. My family has saved Equestria -no- the whole world… But what did the princesses do? They became alicorns? How stupid!” He yelled in reply as he closed the book. “We should have been rightful kings; it is time I accomplish my destiny and bring back the honor of my family,” Silver answered, calming himself down. “You are right… We three are unique, I’ll help in whatever you desire, and we’ll rule these lands!” Stingy said in excitation. “We’re going to be kings? That’s so cool! My mom is going to be so proud!” Star added as he clapped his hooves. “We will use the elements to lead us to the Jewel, then I’ll destroy them using one of the strongest artifacts that Blue Horn created. My father found it before his death. There were many replicas of it, but here is the real one,” Silver Mane said lustfully as he summoned a new item with his magic. It was an amulet that bore the effigy of a black-and-gray winged unicorn, along with a massive black gem. “The Original Alicorn Amulet,” He announced. Stingy and Star widened their eyes in wonder and admiration, the aura of the amulet alluring them. “It multiplies the power of the wearer, but as you can see: its power is dark and corruptive. I will wear it in case of emergency only,” Silver explained as the amulet disappeared in a flash. His underlings shook their heads, coming back to their senses. “My time has finally come,” He smirked.
DawnstarTwilight sat beside the window as the train started moving. Her friends sat on the seats around her while she opened the first book among the ones she bought. She read rapidly, really fast, but there still was nothing talking about the Jewel of Life or the darkness that came to wreck the world. They had the possibility to find the Jewel with the information, and the book Celestia already gave them; however, it was another matter for these shadows. No matter how long she looked for it; she couldn’t find any information on these darknesses. Even the ponies from the past didn’t know anything about it. What it was and why it was doing this, was unknown to her and would likely remain as it was. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been in Appleloosa!” Applejack claimed as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Too bad there is no festival or something, though; it would have been cool to come during a County Fair!” Rainbow Dash retorted while she looked outside the window. “At least they have great cider,” “No worries, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie interjected as she hugged her rainbow-maned friend with one of her legs. “I’ll throw you a huge party if you want some fun!” She smiled before pulling confettis out of nowhere. “Braeburn will have cider ready just for you, Dash,” Applejack added while the blue pegasus licked its lips. While the three of them were talking about cider and parties; Fluttershy and Rarity approached Twilight as she was reading, sweet coming down her forehead due to her stress and nervousness. “I was wondering: What in Appleloosa could help us find that Jewel, Twilight?” Rarity asked, curious. Appleloosa was a small town after all, and it didn’t seem to have much importance in Equestria’s history compared to other towns and cities. To learn it could be a clue to find one of the most powerful items in the world was quite surprising. As Twilight opened her mouth to answer, Fluttershy interrupted. “Maybe Princess Luna knows,” She said quietly as she glanced at the Princess of the Moon. “Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about it either. I only read a few pages of the book my sister found; she… stayed in her room and studied it for days to learn anything she could,” Luna explained in disappointment. “Fortunately, I read it a few times already,” Twilight started after clearing her throat. “According to it; the unicorn who used The Jewel of Life was born in Appleloosa. Her name was Dawnstar,” Twilight explained as she traveled through the pages of the book. “She was very experienced in magic, so maybe we can find a pony who knows her name or a remote relative,” She added hesitantly. That unicorn died a million of years ago, so finding a relative or a member of her family would be nigh impossible. It was exceedingly rare for a family to have its blood heritage preserved for so long. “Wait, didn’t you say there was a team of unicorns that teamed up to develop the Jewel?” Applejack joined in the discussion. “Yeah, for all we know we can find ponies that recall something about them!” Rainbow Dash added, thinking it’d be way faster than seeking a particular unicorn, gone years ago. “I would have like to, but their names aren’t even mentioned. I guess they weren’t really significant,” Twilight answered while looking inside the book to make sure she wasn’t wrong. “However, you shouldn’t worry; we have a place we could seek clues, that’s a great start. Not only on Dawnstar, but also on the magic used in The Jewel of Life. Depending on its magic signature, I could potentially track it down by scanning Equestria and finding all traces of its essence,” She explained while her friends blinked a few times; Princess Luna being the only one who comprehended what she suggested. “This is an excellent idea, Twilight,” Luna complimented; she didn’t even think of tracking its magic. This may be the most convenient way to find it! However, they still had to at least discover what magic was used. “Much appreciated, Princess Luna,” Twilight blushed as she scratched the back of her neck. While Twilight and her friends were discussing about their mission; a purple earth pony brought his journal down, a few seats behind them. He stared in secret at the seven unaware ponies; carefully listening to their conversation. He clearly remembered what his friend had ordered him to do. One hour ago “This is so exciting! It’s been a long time since I went on a trip!” Star said excitedly while clapping his hooves. “There is one problem though, Silver,” Stingy started as Silver Mane turned around to look at him. “Those mysterious shadows are destroying all of Equestria, and The Jewel is needed to get rid of them! Maybe we should wait until they find the Jewel, then use it to save the lands; we’ll strike when they’re distracted and steal it!” Silver huffed in annoyance. “We can’t let them get their hooves on it; if they do, they’ll become invincible,” He argued as he paced back and forth. “When I’ll possess it; I’ll combine its power with my amulet and become a God! The darkness would never get past me, so we have nothing to worry about. For now, we focus on following Princess Twilight and Princess Luna; they will lead us to the Jewel,” Silver Mane explained in arrogance. “I understand,” Stingy nodded. “What should we do?” “You will spy on them; follow them on the train by turning into a pony,” Silver started with a smile. “Meanwhile, I will teleport Star and I in Appleloosa, so we can prepare some kind of strategy to ‘welcome’ them,” Silver answered, clearly intending to manipulate them all. “A-Are you sure? Mom always told me we should never mess with Princesses…” Star muttered hesitantly. “Have no fear; you’re safe as long as you’re with me,” Silver Mane reassured him while the amulet in his saddlebag glowed with a dark aura. “Well… if you say so!” Star replied as he smiled in confidence. “I still don’t know what we could do, though. Are we going to ask for their help?” He asked innocently. Silver Mane rolled his eyes while Stingy facehoofed in annoyance and defeat. “Listen, they possess more information than us on the Jewel’s possible location, that very much is clear. If we merely follow them, they’ll lead us to the Jewel eventually; however, they are strong together. Too strong. This is why I’ll find a way to split them,” Silver started explaining as he walked around his friends. “They’ll come to Appleloosa, and a few of them will get a clue to the Jewel's location while the rest will follow a lead to a trap of my doing,” he continued before walking to Star Brain. “Star and I will get rid of the ones going the wrong way while you follow the ones on the right one,” He instructed to stingy before pulling a red amulet out of his saddlebag. “When you learn about the location of the Jewel, use this amulet to call us, and we’ll join you right away,” Stingy nodded as he put the amulet around his neck, feeling his leader’s magic flowing through his body. He shivered at the cold and dark feeling of dread and anger. Silver’s wrath was something to be afraid of; he already learned it several years ago during this fateful day. “The train is departing soon, join them quick, Stingy,” Silver told to the changeling before turning his head towards Star. “Grab unto me. I’ll teleport us. And… remember, don’t puke this time,” The unicorn warned the feather brain. Star Brain clapped his hooves in excitation before wrapping his front legs around Silver’s neck. Stingy made a salute before the unicorn and the pegasus disappeared in a flash of light. The changeling turned into a new form, then stepped out of the house. Now Stingy smirked as he spied on the seven mares, registering the new pieces of information he gained. Silver Mane would be interested to discover what he heard concerning their quest. He could only wonder what Silver had planned to get them away from each other. Moreover, he had very little time to plan anything since they had to follow them in such a hurry. It didn’t help that they were to face two princesses and Equestria’s heroes. Naturally, it didn’t change the fact Stingy completely believed in Silver Mane, so if he said he could take them on; he was telling the truth. Although he may have needed the alicorn amulet. Stingy drooled as he thought about the amulet and the power it released continuously. When Silver showed it to him, it was as if it was calling for a master to wear and control it. He wouldn’t dare try to use it, though. Firstly because it was Silver’s, and secondly, he knew he’d be corrupted and drowned in the dark magic inside. It couldn’t be controlled that easily, unfortunately. He guessed Silver must had a strong will to be able to hold the amulet without giving in to the call of this rare item. Suddenly, he felt the train started slowing down, coming to a halt a few seconds later. Stingy dropped his journal as the mane 6 and Luna went out; he followed several feet behind. Twilight looked around, admiring the small and beautiful town. Appleloosa wasn’t big and didn’t receive many tourists, even though it had a magnificent view. Most ponies living here were earth ponies; mostly because earth ponies founded it. It was the main reason the matter of Dawnstar was bugging her since she read about it. The three races hated each other before, so why would a unicorn live in a town full of earth ponies? She’d found out eventually. She would have to if she wanted to know more about Dawnstar and The Jewel of Life. As soon as Applejack set foot on Appleloosa’s ground, an orange earth pony wearing a cowboy hat came out of nowhere, shouting her name in excitation and happiness. “Applejack! I’m so happy to see you!” He said in delight as he hugged her. “I’m happy too, but how did you know I was coming, Braeburn?” Applejack asked her cousin as she raised an eyebrow. “Come on, you know I always had this small feeling notifying me you’re close whenever you’re here,” Braeburn joked while chuckling before looking at the rest of her friends. He quickly bowed down when he saw two princesses. “It looks like your friends are here too! It’s an honor to see you, your Highnesses,” He said in respect as Luna motioned for him to stand up. “You don’t need to bow, Braeburn. We’re gathering some information,” Twilight said as the earth pony stood up, thanking Twilight and Luna with a nod. “Information? I don’t know what kind of useful information could be found here,” Braeburn answered as he rubbed his chin. “I’m sure Applejack will explain it to you,” Twilight replied before turning to her friends. “Luna and I will go see the mayor and ask him a few questions. Every inhabitant may know something, so you’ll have to ask around everywhere,” Twilight explained as her friends nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry, Twilight! When it’s about meeting new ponies, I’m the best!” Pinkie shouted while jumping up and down. Meanwhile, Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane. “You can count on us, Twi!” Rainbow Dash added before flying to the nearest pony. While they were talking and splitting up, Stingy hid his glowing amulet in his saddlebag. The item Silver gave him was useful for communication. Thanks to it, he could contact his comrades anytime, just like he did now. It seemed he could help them with their plan. He turned into a brown earth pony and waited for the heroes of Equestria to scatter. When they did, he walked to his target: Rarity. He didn’t openly talk or bump into her, though. He simply walked past her, knowing perfectly what was about to come next. “Excuse me, sir!” He heard Rarity’s voice, then smirked. “Yes? What do you want?” He asked innocently. “I’m deeply sorry to bother you, but do you know something about a certain Dawnstar?” The unicorn asked hopefully. Stingy raised an eyebrow, genuinely not knowing who it was. She must have something to do with the Jewel, that was for sure. “I’m sorry, but that doesn’t ring any bell. I’m busy anyway; I have to get a gorgeous dress for my wife. They opened a new boutique here,” He replied, slowly turning away. Rarity’s face brightened at the word ‘dress’. “Did you say dress and boutique?” She asked in delight. Stingy smirked in victory, successfully alluring her into his trap. “Indeed, I have,” “Please, tell me where it is!” “Of course, you just have to walk forward until you see the saloon; it’ll be on its right,” Stingy answered while pointing in the direction of the boutique. “Thank you!” The white unicorn replied as she ran where he pointed at. “You’re welcome,” He retorted in a whisper as he watched her go. The trap was slowly closing in.
