The Fate Of Equestria Book 2: Elementery Quest

A couple hours earlier, after literally running into Jet, Sunblast was making his way down the street towards where he was meant to be meeting Discord. The streets weren't crowded yet, but there were a few ponies here and there strolling around on there way to work or school. As he went along, he saw several of the shops flickering their neon 'OPEN' signs on and unlocking their doors. It warmed his usually cold heart to see things returning to normal around the city. He walked along in mostly silence, save for the occasional shop bell ringing as the doors were pushed open by patrons. It wasn't long before the cafe he was meeting Discord at peeked over the horizon ahead of him. As he continued on, he could make out the shape of Discord sitting at one of the outdoor tables. He had his head propped up on his arm and was idly tapping his clawed fingers against the small beige table. When he noticed Sunblast approaching, he sat up straight and waved, a goofy grin on his face like normal. Sunblast returned the wave and made his way over, taking the seat across from Discord.

"Hey, Sunblast. Glad you could make it!" Discord said happily as Sunblast sat down.

"No problem. I'm kinda surprised that you asked me of all ponies to meet for tea." Sunblast replied with a confused look.

"Well, it's not like I have many others to invite to tea. Not since… Um, anyway, you're also really the only one who would understand what I've discovered." Discord said, voice faltering slightly then picking up back as if nothing had happened.

"What exactly is it that you discovered?" Sunblast asked, cocking his head in curiosity.

"We'll get to that, let's just chat and enjoy some tea first, hm?" Discord suggested, snapping his fingers and two steaming cups of tea appearing on the table in front of them.

"Ooook then. What kind of tea are you making me drink exactly?" Sunblast asked suspiciously.

"If memory serves, you enjoy a nice Trottingham Fog, yes?" Discord replied with a grin.

"Actually, yes. Thank you, I think. What exactly did you want to talk about?" Sunblast asked, picking up the cup of tea and blowing on it gently.

"Oh, just anything really. I find that some small talk always lightened the mood before a serious conversation." Discord replied with a shrug.

"Alrighty then. I guess I should probably address the elephant on the room and ask, how are you holding up? Y'know, considering the obvious." Sunblast said, inching around the subject.

"That's one subject I would prefer that we avoid. Still a fresh wound, you know?" Discord replied with a light shudder.

"Fair enough. How about you start the conversation then?" Sunblast suggested, sipping his tea lightly.

"Very well. How are things with your research going?" Discord asked, sitting back in his chair casually.

"I'm actually glad you asked. I've been toying around with the mirror, seeing if I can get to other universes with it. The only problem is that I need a catalyst to use and without something actually from another universe, I can't get anywhere with my research into it." Sunblast replied with a light groan.

"Hm, that does pose a slight issue. If you like, I could be of assistance with that. After all, I can traverse the multiverse without the need for a portal." Discord said with a shrug.

"I suppose you could, but that would be your choice. I'm sure I could figure out a way to do it regardless, I'm stubborn and resourceful." Sunblast stated, chuckling lightly.

"I'm always happy to help a friend. I'll try to find you somewhere interesting." Discord replied with a laugh.

"Well, I'd be glad to have your help. Just do me a favor and don't send to me some cotton candy cloud universe or something." Sunblast retorted, laughing a bit more.

"You have to ruin my fun, don't you?" Discord retorted with a faux frown.

"Discord…" Sunblast started, his having gone serious.

"Oh, fine. No cotton candy universe… Spoil sport…" Discord replied with a mock sad expression.

"Thank you. Now, anyway, was there anything else you wanted to ask? Otherwise, I'd say we get down to brass tacks here." Sunblast suggested, ignoring Discord mock moping.

"Fine, but be warned that it's about our mutual blue eyes friend." Discord replied, daintily sipping from his tea cup.

"Jet? What about him? Oh, he says hello by the way." Sunblast said, remembering he literally bumped into Jet about an hour ago.

"Exactomundo. I've been doing some digging on him after having a talk with Luna a little while back." Discord stated, sitting forward with his elbows on the table.

"What did you find?" Sunblast asked suspiciously, also sitting forward on his elbows.

"Well, I'm sure you're familiar with the whole dimensional resonance thing, yes?" Discord asked, sort of rhetorically.

"I prefer the term universal resonance, but yes, I am." Sunblast replied with a nod.

"Tomato, tomahto. Anyhow, something that Luna said made me curious about our seemingly indestructible friend. I compared a hair sample from him to one of Luna's. I found out that the resonances didn't match in the slightest." Discord explained in a slightly hushed voice.

"So, you're telling me that the pony I've been friends with for nearly my whole life isn't even from this universe?" Sunblast asked, own voice hushed now too.

"That, is exactly what I'm saying." Discord replied matter of factly.

"If he's not from here, then where's he from?" Sunblast asked curiously.

"That's the thing, I haven't found a universe that matches his resonance yet. With a few details based on his age, personality and such, I have managed to narrow it down to a handful and none of them good outcomes." Discord admitted with a sigh.

"By not being good outcomes, what do you mean?" Sunblast asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well… Let's just say that those universes weren't lucky enough to have a nearly unstoppable warrior to fight off their tyrannical and maniacal rulers. In fact… In my venture across the various universes, I did come across other versions of him, but none of them had the same characteristics as him." Discord explained thoroughly.

"That doesn't make any sense. By the theories of the multiverse, there should be some version of him that's at least similar to ours." Sunblast said, confusion sweeping into his voice.

"I know, that's why I'm just as confused as you are." Discord replied with a shrug.

"Wow, this opens up so many new theories… I don't even know where to begin…" Sunblast said idly, sitting back against the hard metal seat.

"I think for now, we should keep this between us. And possibly Jet as well, I feel like it's the right thing to do to let him know." Discord said, sighing lightly.

"Yeah, definitely the right thing to do by letting him know." Sunblast agreed.

"On a lighter note, anything planned for the rest of the day?" Discord asked, changing the subject to something less grim.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Tinker in the lab, probably experiment with the mirror some more. How about yourself?" Sunblast replied with a wave of his hand.

"I was going to explore the multiverse in search of more info about our resident super weapon. And I guess now, search for an interesting universe for you to explore." Discord replied with another shrug.

"That's fair. Just remember, no cotton candy universe." Sunblast retorted with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see what I can find that's interesting for you." Discord responded, waving his hand at Sunblast playfully as he finished his tea

"Nothing too crazy either, I'm not trying to die just yet." Sunblast added jokingly.

"Anything else, mister picky?" Discord asked in a mock irritated tone.

"Hm, no, I think that's it." Sunblast retorted with a grin as he also downed the remainder of his tea.

"Well, I think we should get along with our days then. Daylight's burning, y'know? At least here it is." Discord said, slightly ominously.

"I think you're right. It was nice having some good tea with you, Discord. We should do it more often." Sunblast suggested, standing and streching his slightly achy muscles.

"I agree, that would be nice. Take care, Sunblast, and don't let Jet talk you into anything stupid." Discord replied with his signature goofy grin.

"You know me, stupid is my middle name. If it looks risky and fun, I'm gonna do it." Sunblast said, laughing lightly.

"That… Is far more accurate than I care to admit." Discord stated jokingly.

Discord then snapped his fingers, both he and the tea cups vanishing. Sunblast gathered his thoughts for a moment before heading back towards the castle. He walked slowly, giving his mind time to register what Discord had told him. By the time he made it back to the castle, the sun was rising high in the sky overhead. An indicator that noon was approaching, and that he'd spent longer talking to Discord than he first thought. He headed back through the castle gates, past the guards, and into the main hallway. Walking a bit more briskly now, he reached his lab rather quickly. Pushing open the door with a light squeak, he stepped inside. Flicking on the lights, they fizzled to life with a nearly inaudible hiss from the florescent bulbs.

The interior wasn't much different from his lab back in the bunker. A random assortment of devices with various gauges, dials, and readouts lined the walls. On the opposite side from the door, sat the mirror, which was still hooked up to the catalyst analyzer he had created. It flower dimly in the pale florescent lights from the ceiling. On one side of the room, pushed up against the wall, sat a small workbench with a stool sat in front of it. Atop it sat a miscellaneous assortment of projects that Sunblast was currently in the midst of tinkering with, along with a moderately sized toolbox. Among the projects was a new sword for Jet, since Sombra had broken the last one. Sunblast made his way over to the workbench and looked down at the still unfinished plasma blade.

He was trying to convert it into a dual bladed unit for maximum offensive capabilities, but it was proving to be more difficult than he initially thought. Pulling the stool up to the workbench, he set to work tinkering with the blade. His hands grabbed a couple tools from the toolbox. The tools clinked lightly as he toiled away on the mechanics inside the hilt of the blade. He toiled away for an unknown amount of time, only being interrupted when the lighting in the lab suddenly grew brighter. Looking up from the workbench, he turned to see the mirror glowing brightly. As he was getting up to go inspect it, something suddenly burst through the now active portal. The sudden blast of air from the speed of whatever is was knocked over several thanks of fuel that he used for welding. One of the tanks was punctured and began to skid across the floor, sending up a series of sparks as it did. The sparks caught the leaking fuel and was immediately lit up with flame and subsequently blew up entirely. This caused a chain reaction with the other tanks he had, creating an explosion large enough to be seen and heard from outside the walls of the castle.

Sunblast had been thrown back against the wall, but he had luckily been able to react fast enough to magically shield himself from the brunt of the blast. He was dazed and the room was full of smoke, but he could swear he saw a few more silhouettes come through the portal during the explosion. It took several minutes for the smoke to clear, but when it did, Sunblast was stunned by what he saw. The entire back wall of his lab had been blown off, the frame of the mirror stood charred next to the gaping hole, and a pile of glass shards surrounded the base of the mirror. The ancient relic left by Starswirl himself had been destroyed in one fell swoop by some unknown intruder's clumsiness. Sunblast groaned as he got to his feet, his back aching severely from being flung across the room. He limped over to the smoldering hole and took a look outside, nothing seemed to be a miss aside from the smoke billowing into the sky.

As he stared up into the billowing plume of smoke, he could vaguely see something flying through the air towards him. He couldn't make out any distinguishing features, but whatever it was, was moving at breakneck speed. They pierced through the layer of smoke like a bullet, landing just a few feet from the smoldering hole in the castle wall. To Sunblast's relief, he saw that it was Jet. He stood with Solaris in his grasp, looking around anxiously. He and Sunburst locked eyes and Jet ran over to him, helping him stand upright. He helped Sunburst out of the blown out lab and down to the gardens where he sat Sunblast on a bench.

"Sunblast, what the hell happened? Are you alright?" Jet asked frantically.

"I'm fine, thank you. As far as what happened, I'm not sure to be perfectly honest. It all happened so fast." Sunblast replied, coughing lightly from the fresh air filling his smokey lungs.

"Just breathe and tell me what you do know." Jet said, plopping down on the bench beside Sunblast.

"I was working on your new sword when the portal activated out of nowhere. Something came through and knocked over my welding tanks. After that, it was all just smoke and fire. Then, you showed up." Sunblast explained between breaths.

"Just what we need, a nuisance from some other universe to deal with." Jet replied with an exasperated sigh.

"I can't be fully sure because of all the smoke, but I think there was more than one…" Sunblast added slowly.

"Even fucking better!" Jet yelled out to no one in particular.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and it's just a tourist from another universe?" Sunblast suggested hopefully.

"Look at the history of Equestria, hope is low for that. Ninety percent of the time when there's some new creature found or it finds us, it's hostile." Jet stated with a flat expression.

"You make a valid point, but you once told me 'no matter how grim the circumstances, there's always a ray of hope.' Or did you forget that?" Sunblast retorted with a half smirk.

"Hey, don't throw my own lines at me like that!" Jet yelled playfully.

"You see my point though?" Sunblast asked.

"I do, but I'm really not holding my breath anymore." Jet replied with a shrug.

Just then, a guard came sprinting into the gardens where they were sitting.

"There you are, Jet! I've been looking everywhere for you!" He said breathlessly.

"Why? What's wrong now?" Jet asked, standing up from the bench.

"Well, we have a situation on our hands." He replied, still trying to catch his breath.

"What is it? Changeling invasion? Everfree vines? Tirek…?" Jet asked cautiously.

"Unfortunately, nothing that easy. There's some kind of psycho rampaging through downtown. They're making Sombra's onslaught seem like foalsplay!" He yelled, finally getting his wind back.

"I told you so…" Jet said, giving Sunblast a look.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go deal with whatever it is." Sunblast retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Right, I'm off. Get him to the med ward for a check up, I'm sure he's hurt worse than he's letting on." Jet said to the guard before taking off into the air again.

He zoomed through the air, towards the center of the shopping district that also acted as the downtown portion of the city. Even from here, he could see a couple pillars of black and grey smoke, as well as hear the terrified screams of ponies. Flying as fast as his mechanized wings would carry him, he arrived in a few seconds. As he drew closer, he could make out the source of the pillars of smoke. Down below, there was a trail of destruction that led through the city. Buildings had their facades blown away and caved in, a few sparse corpses lined the streets, blood doused the cobblestone paths in a thin layer crimson.

He landed with a hard thud, indenting the ground under him. Taking a quick look around and listening to the horrified screams, he figured out which way to follow the path of carnage. Taking off in the direction that the destruction was following, the screams grew louder and the smoke grew thicker. As he continued on, the smoke became so thick that he was having troubles breathing through it. Putting his mask up over his face, he ventured deeper into the smokey area. He came across several distressed ponies along the way, he pointed them in the direction of the castle for safety. Just when he thought he'd never find the source of this destruction, he stumbled across a distorted figure. They were just standing casually amongst the smoke and carnage. He took this as a sign that this figure was the one responsible for this assault on the newly rebuilt city.

The unknown assailant was donned in a darkly colored tattered and dirty cloak with a hood. Even from here and through the dirt that was one it, Jet could see the vague outline of faded gold detailing along the sides and back of the cloak. Hearing Jet's approach, the figure turned to face him. From under the shadows of the hood, he could only make out the glint of a mask or helmet underneath, the cloak prevented him from even making out this figured gender. His grip tightened around the handle of Solaris as he took a cautious step forward.

"Who are you and why the fuck are you wrecking my city? We just got this shit rebuilt, y'know?" Jet exclaimed loud enough to be heard over the devastation happening around them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the prodigal son, we've been searching for you." The figure said, voice tinny under the mask they wore.

"Prodigal son? What are you talking about?" Jet asked confusedly.

"I think you already know, Prince Stream. Your mother has been looking for you for so long. It's time to fulfill your purpose and conquer this land in the name of her ki…" The figure started.

"Lemme just stop you right there. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't really care right now, but I'm not conquering anything. I don't do that. I fight to protect this land from assholes like you who seek to cause it harm. So either fuck off or get ready to take your last breath." Jet interrupted, drawing back Solaris in preparation.

"You hide behind that false sense of protection, but admit it. You love fighting and killing. You crave it, you await the next battle and the chance to see the life drain from your enemies eyes!" They exclaimed with a villainous laugh.

"Shut your mouth! You don't know me at all!" Jet yelled back in response.

The figure unlatched the cloak, letting it blow away freely with the wind. Underneath the hooded cloak, the figure wore a weathered dark blue suit of armor with a helmet. The helmet had a set of rams horns on the sides and a face plate that was sculpted to look like a face with a flat stoic expression. Removing the helmet revealed a mare underneath. Given the horn on her head and the lack of wings, she wasn't an alicorn, just a unicorn. Her coat was a grey tone and her eyes a deep crimson. Her mane. however, stood out from everything else. It was a bright white with streaks of purple and blue within it. It flowed out from her head like Luna and Celestia's hair did, creating an almost galaxy looking visual effect.

"Oh, I know more than you might think." She said with a grin, her crimson eyes locking onto Jet.

"How could you possibly know anything about me?" Jet retorted, his voice steady, but something about those eyes shook him to his core.

"Tell me. Have you ever heard a mysterious ominous voice in your head? Ever lost complete control of your own body? Seen a wave of darkness in your dreams?" She asked, eyes narrowing at Jet.

"H-How did you…" Jet stammered, dropping his guard briefly.

"Because I experienced the same thing when my true nature came to the surface. You and I both are more alike than you know, Jet." She replied, making no move to attack him.

"What are you on about?" Jet asked, clearly shaken now.

"Both of us, we were born of the nightmare mist for a singular purpose. My purpose is reconnaissance of potential conquests, your purpose is… Was meant to be as the conqueror. We were meant to work as a team, birthed by the two sisters to become their weapons of universal conquest." She explained casually, as if addressing a long lost friend.

"No! I am nobody's weapon! I wouldn't ever conquer anything that's not rightfully mine!" Jet yelled, refusing to hear this yet again today.

"Deny it all you want, but it's the truth, cousin. Also, if you're nobody's weapon, then why are you here now? Are you not acting as the weapon for this world's princess? Serving to protect her kingdom from threat?" She asked, raising an eyebrow mockingly.

"That's not… But, I'm not… Shut up already!" Jet yelled out in frustration.

He rushed her, Solaris held high in an overhead strike. As he got closer to her though, things seemed to slow down around him. The wind stopped whistling, the debris in the air hung in place, and even the flames around them had stopped flickering. He didn't know how, but this pony had somehow frozen time around them entirely. Jet was somehow still able to move his eyes and even groan out a few sparse words.

By the time he actually made it close enough to swing, it felt as if he were trying to swing his arms through molasses. She giggled at his attempt to attack her as she effortlessly, and seemingly very quickly, stepped to one side. While Jet was forced into this strange slow motion, his arms and Solaris were falling at a speed that would make a snail look like a track star. He gritted his teeth as he watched her effortlessly avoid his attack with a never before seen level of speed. She walked around him, a devious smile plastered across her face.

"Probably wondering how I just slowed time around you, huh?" She taunted.

Jet could do nothing but let out a low growl as a response.

"Too bad, that's my little secret and not for you to know." She replied with another giggle.

Jet glared at her the best he could, willing his body to move just a little faster but to no avail. He could feel pain creeping into his jaw from gritting his teeth so hard. She looked him up and down with curiosity.

"You know… You're almost as intimidating as she made you sound. But something's off… By this stage in your life, you should've released your darkness by now. I wonder…" She said idly, clearly thinking aloud.

She extended her hand and placed it on Jet's forehead. Her hand was ice cold, a stark contrast to the heat of the flames raging around them. Jet couldn't tell what she was doing, but his head began to feel fuzzy.

"Lets see here. Nothing seems out of order, I don't understa… Wait a second, what's this?" She asked rhetorically.

She pressed her palm flat against his forehead now. The fuzzy feeling that Jet was experiencing worsened as she did this. He tried in vain to get his attack off, but still felt like he was surrounded by molasses. She suddenly pulled her hand away, the feeling along with it.

"I see the problem now. I'd tell you to hold still, but it's not like you have a choice." She said in a purposeful taunting tone.

Jet gave her his best death glare under his current circumstances. She paid him no mind and went about whatever it was she was doing. He watched her helplessly as she raised her arm into the air above her head. Her hand began to glow a dark violet color. Before Jet could even begin to wonder what she was up to, she slapped her glowing fingers against his forehead. He flinched in slow motion, eyes shutting in reflex. As soon as his eyes shut, he was greeted with a vision of the same wave of darkness he had been seeing in his dreams. It was much more realistic than before though. He could almost feel the cold of the wave as it rolled and crashed within his mind. Attempting to shake away the feeling, he forced his eyes open again. He saw that the mare had stepped back now. She stood a few feet away, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.

"There we go, that should do it." She said, tapping her chin and looking him over.

"W-What… Did you…" Jet struggled to speak.

"Oh, nothing much. I just released one of the binding seals holding back your true nature. With the first of the three broken, you should get a real taste of your true potential now. It's strange though, whatever binding spell was used on you, it prevents you from breaking the seals yourself." She replied with a shrug as she turned to leave.

"Get back… Here and… Fight me…" Jet struggled to get out.

"Not yet, cuz. You have plenty to do before we have our face off. If you're struggling, solve my little riddle and you'll get a clue. Your first test lies in a land consumed by flame and smoke." She said before disappearing in a flash of violet light.

As soon as she was gone, the strange time altering effect went with her. Jet fell to his hands and knees, breathing hard. His mind was awash with flashes of the same darkness from his dreams crashing down on top of him. Amongst the crashing of the darkness, he heard a voice. It was very faint, but spoke of things that sent a chill down his spine. He was so lost in his own mind that he didn't even hear the pony running up behind him from the direction of the castle. It wasn't until multiple attempts that their voice broke through the darkness of Jet's mind.

"...are you ok?! What happened?!" Screamed Rainbow's voice.

He slowly and weakly looked up, his gaze meeting hers. As soon as their eyes met, Rainbow let out a loud gasp. Instead of the deep blue that she had come to love, staring back at her was a pair of blood red irises. She instinctively took a step back, putting a hand to her mouth in speechless shock. As their eyes locked, a grim and bone chilling thought crept into his mind.

'Kill her, she means to keep us apart, kill her now' A deep voice hissed in Jet's head.

He grit his teeth, fighting against the sudden urge to jump up and slaughter his beloved Rainbow Dash. The strain of fighting against the murderous urge took its toll on his body. His entire body was visibly shaking, his eyes clamped shut tightly and the world was drowned out in a sea of blackness. Rainbow watched in worry as Jet collapsed onto the bloodied ground beneath him.

When Jet opened his eyes again, he feared he had gone blind. Everything was just as dark and black as when he had shit them. He frantically looked around, searching for anything that wasn't just black void. As he did, he laid eyes on a very faint light somewhere in the distance ahead of him. Getting to his feet, he began to make his way over to the mysterious light. As he walked, his boots made soft echoing splash sounds against the ground. It was covered in a thin layer of liquid, but had none of the properties of actual liquid, just like the flooring in his nightmares. The light grew brighter and brighter, until he fmhad finally made his way to its source. It took a few moments for his eyes to fully adjust to the brightness after having been exposed to total darkbes for so long. Once his vision had focused and returned, he gazed up to see what the light source was.

Standing over him was some sort of runic seal. It was vaguely in the shape of a door and featured a series of interlocking rings. There were four rings in total, three small ones and one much larger one that the small ones fed into. Two of the small rings displayed a sealing rune that glowed a bright white. The third however, was just an empty ring. On the other side of the door-like seal, Jet could see something moving. He slowly and cautiously approached the gateway, trying to look beyond it. The only thing he could make out past the searing light of the runes, was the vague shape of a writhing shadow. He continued in vain trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was beyond the gateway. As if the thing on the other side could sense him, it suddenly lunged forward. Smacking against the sealed barrier with a sudden flash of magical power and an audible demonic hiss. It just as quickly retreated to the shadows, back to where it had sat idle.

"So, you can finally see us then boy." The same voice from earlier hissed in his ears.

Jet looked around for a source of the voice, but saw nothing but black void in all directions.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Jet demanded, calling out into the void.

"Oh, but we have already shown ourselves. You need only connect the dots from here." It stated, its voice cold.

As it spoke, the voice Jet heard fluctuated between masculine, feminine, and sometimes something in-between. It was like listening to a perfectly synced up group of ponies, all saying the same thing all at once.

"Wha do y… Wait, are you that sentient mass of darkness…?" Jet asked, half rhetorically.

"Yessss. We have been waiting for you to take notice of our presence for so long." It said in its chilling voice.

"What are you?" Jet asked, looking towards the writhing shadow on the other side of the barrier.

"We… Are the embodiment of eons of rage, sorrow, jealousy, and negativity. We are your reason for existing, the thing your mother sought to control when you were birthed from our current physical body." It hissed and cooed, as if explaining something to a foal.

"That means…" Jet started.

"Yesss. We are the Nightmare Mist." It stated, confirming Jet's suspicion.

"But why am I only just now seeing you?" Jet asked, fearing the answer.

"Because we have been locked behind this seal since your birth. Some outside force broke the first seal, allowing us this interaction. It is a small step, but one on the road that leads to our release. A road… That leads to conquest and destruction, the likes your world has never known." It taunted, saying this as if it was fact.

"Well, if that's your plan, then I'll just use the elements to purge you from my body and mind like we did for Luna." Jet retorted with a sneer.

"You are welcome to try, but just know that our connection to you is far greater and intimate than hers was." It warned coldly.

"What do you mean?" Jet asked, narrowing his eyes at the shadowy shape.

"Nightmare Moon was created by way of our influence corrupting her from outside of her own mind. But you… You are different. The connection we share is corruption from within. You were born with us already attached. Your body birthed from darkness, your mind crafted from insanity, your soul pieced together from fragments of broken spirit. Should you attempt to rid yourself of us with the use of those shimmering stones, no part of you would survive." It replied matter of factly.

"No, you're lying to save your own existence. The elements are powerful enough to burn through the worst of corruption." Jet retorted with another glare at the shaded mass.

"As we said, you are welcome to try. We would be hurt by your loss, but in the end it would be a meaningless sacrifice. Our hive mind spans multiple universes. We can find or create another champion to corrupt and turn into a weapon of conquest and devastation." It rang out, following this line with a bone chilling laugh.

"Guess it's a good thing you're trapped behind this seal then." Jet taunted, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Ah, yes. The seal of binding that this world's Celestia put in place to keep at us at bay. Do not worry, son of corruption, this seal shall fail eventually. Then, we shall be free to fulfill your true purpose for existing." It replied, not even being phased by Jet's attempt at cockiness.

"You're wrong. This seal will stay up until the day I die!" Jet yelled in frustration.

"Foolish boy. The seal began to weaken the moment that Celestia's body grew cold, even more so now that one of the runes has been broken. It is only a matter of time before we are freed and you will cease to be, leaving behind only us." It continued to taunt Jet, knowing he had no power to do anything in the mindscape.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jet cried out, not wanting to hear anymore of this nonsense.

Jet quickly sat upright in the hospital cot he was laying in, his arms flailing as he still screamed for the shade to shut up. His gaze focused on his surroundings quicker than usual. Around him was the typical hospital scenery. White separator walls between the various cots, pale green wallpaper, a white sheet acting as door to the cot area, off-white tiled floors, the sound of various beeping equipment filled the air. Beside him, in the visitor chair that all these hospital beds came with, sat Rainbow Dash. Her wide bagged eyes locked onto Jet worryingly. She had a book open on her lap, which she closed as soon as he had bolted upright from the cot.

"Ok, damn. I thought you liked Daring Do…" She said calmly, though the rising and falling of her chest told a different story.

"No, no. It was…. Another nightmare, I guess…" He replied, reaching up to rub his head, which was pounding so bad he could swear a race was being held within it.

"So, uh, how do you feel?" She asked hesitantly.

"Like my head was run over by AJ's apple cart, but otherwise ok, I guess. What even happened? Last thing I remember, I was having a not so nice little chat with our newest magical villain." He said, sliding back to prop himself up on the plastic headboard of the cot.

"Well, I haven't the slightest idea what happened before I got there. When I did, you were… I'm not even sure how to put it. Something was definitely wrong though." She replied, putting the book on the nearby table and sitting forward to get a good look at him, specifically his eyes.

"That's not too helpful, but thanks. Why are you staring at me, by the way?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"When I found you, your eyes… They were different." She said, still idly looking into his irises.

"Different how?" He asked.

"The blue was gone, they were crimson. Like those of…" Rainbow began, being cut off shortly.

"Nightmare Moon and Sombra. It is the telltale sign of corruption taking hold of its victim." Luna finished Rainbow's thought just as she threw open the curtain to the cot area they were in.

"Does that mean…?" Rainbow started to ask, fearing the answer.

"Unfortunately, yes. Whatever this new threat did to him, it has unlocked something within his mind. Something that should have laid dormant. Please Jet, tell me what this cretin did to you. Perhaps it can help us better understand." Luna replied, her voice calm and soothing.

"Like I was just telling Rainbow, I don't remember much. But, I'll tell you what I do remember." Jet stated with a nod.

"That is understandable, anything at all could help at this point." Luna replied, giving Jet a small smile.

"Ok, the best I can remember, she kept going on about my destiny and releasing my inner darkness." Jet explained, trying to get the info correct.

"Who is this 'she'?" Luna asked, taking a seat on the edge of the cot.

"Well, she never gave me a name. She was fairly tall and seemingly slender, though it's hard to say for certain because of the armor she had on. Her coat was grey and eyes crimson like Rainbow said mine were. Her mane was streaked like Twilight's, but was a combination of blue, white, and purple. The strangest part was that it had the same ethereal flow as yours and Celestia's." Jet explained, raking his brain to remember.

"I see. Anything else you can recall?" Luna questioned further.

"Hm… She did keep prattling on about a broken seal. She seemed convinced it had something to do with my 'true nature' or something." Jet said with a shrug.

"Interesting… I need to think on this. Perhaps it is more of a clue than we realize." Luna said thoughtfully as she got up and left the room.

"Uh, anyway. If you're feeling better, we could use you in the briefing room." Rainbow said, standing up and stretching her wings.

"Briefing room? What for?" Jet asked, sliding his legs off the bed.

"Yeah, I'll explain when you get there. I'm gonna go gather the others members of Luna's royal cabinet. See you soon, you danger prone ass." Rainbow said jokingly before leaving as well.

"See ya soon." Jet called after her.

He slowly got up from the bed, his joints popping and snapping from the sudden movements. With a groan, he stretched his aching limbs. After stretching, he made his way through the curtain and down through the infirmary towards the exit. He was stopped by the all too familiar Nurse Redheart. She stood at the door, clipboard in one hand, a pen in the other. She had an unamused look plastered across her face as Jet approached. Her light pink hair was neatly tied up into a bun, like usual. She wore her normal white lab coat with white undershirt, along with a black knee length skirt and black heels. Whether she knew it or not, she was the stereotypical representation of a female doctor.

"Mr Stream, I swear to Celestia I am getting tired of seeing you in my ward." She said, trying to be stern but a hint of a smirk at the corner of her mouth.

"Like I WANT to keep ending up here? It's not my fault I'm prone to danger. All I try to do is keep our home safe, but… You already know how that usually turns out." He replied with a mischievous smile.

"Well, you do manage to keep the threats at bay. I guess I can't be too upset about having to patch you up fairly often." She said, finally dropping the stern act and fully smiling.

"You're unusually chipper, what's the deal Redheart?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing really, just finally got my full PhD this morning!" She exclaimed excitedly as she turned the clipboard around to show him.

Held with her thumb, over the paperwork on the clipboard was a still freshly printed sheet of thick paper. It was embossed around the edges with a golden swirl, the background an off white with the occasional grey speck in the paper. Printed across the page at the top, in a large, but simple type font were the words 'University Of New Equestria'. Just under it was the typical doctorate stuff about being proud to award the PhD. But just under that was something that caught Jet's eye, on the name line it read 'Hope Redheart'. It was scrawled in nearly penned cursive.

"Congrats!" He said with a large smile.

"Thanks. I would've had it already, but a certain asshole unicorn cut my final year short. Luckily after everything that happened, the new deans of the university didn't see the sense in making me repeat anything. You know, considering everything." She replied with a shrug.

"That's good at least. Y'know, I think this is the first time I've ever heard or seen your first name." He said, scratching his chin.

"Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer Dr Redheart. Hope Redheart feels a little…" She started to say.

"On the nose? I mean, you were our only hope for medical aid during the Sombra era." He said with a small grin.

"Exactly…" She replied, putting her stern face on again.

"Help me Redheart, you're my only… Hope." He said, cracking himself up a bit.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Now get out of here before I decide you need to give up some blood." She retorted, her eyes rolling hard enough that they should've rolled out of her head entirely.

"Fine, fine. Hopefully I won't have to see you again too soon, Doc." He said.

"You do remember that I'm part of Princess Luna's cabinet too, right? Royal Physician ring a bell?" She asked sarcastically.

"Oh, right. Well, uh… See you up in the briefing room then." Jet replied with a nervous chuckle.

She rolled her eyes again as he left the room, leaving her in silence once more to put her things away before joining the others in the briefing room. After a few miscellaneous filing and some minor straightening up of small things here and there, she was ready to head out herself. The briefing room was situated above the throne room, in one of the small towers. It wasn't a far trek from the infirmary to the throne room, but the stairs that led to the briefing room made Redheart dread the trek.

The halls were eerily quiet, save for the soft clacking of her heels one the marble floors. She couldn't understand what or why, but she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she walked. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She attempted to shake off the feeling as she approached the throne room and was ushered in by the guards posted there. Making her way through the beautifully stain glassed room, behind the throne itself, and through a small door. The door opened into the staircase leading up to the briefing room. It was a long winding set of stairs that wound up the interior of the tower. There was room enough for two ponies to climb the stairs side by side. The problem that Redheart had with these stairs was the fact the way they wound up the tower, was not very high heel friendly. Hating the thought of cold feet from the stone steps, she sucked it up and started her ascent.

After a couple of small slips on the stairs, several swears at her own choice in footwear, and a pair of aching ankles, she finally made it to the top. The stairs opened up onto a moderately sized entryway, with a small wooden door leading into the briefing room. She steeled her nerves for whatever was about to be discussed within and thrust open the door.