Despite his distaste for the Everfree Forest, Leviathan took the lead, safely escorting his partner and their friends through the path as they all began their descent into darkness.

“Lev, do your patrols ever go out this far?” Cobalt asked, sticking close to Hibiscus. Something felt… off in the forest. It didn’t feel like the last time they’d been here and met Irradiance. Now it felt like someone was watching them.

The Changeling shook his head, “We patrol the borders of the hive, closer to where we found Marigold. Amber’s patrols don’t pass more than a few hundred feet away from her nest’s perimeter. This part of the forest is only known to ponies that venture within.”

Irradiance looked around, suddenly paranoid at the lack of knowledge he now possessed about his previous home. He was grateful to be the student of the princess, don’t get him wrong! But still. He’d made such a life for himself out here and sure, maybe it was lonely. But it was his life! “Something isn’t right,” He said as the ponies continued their trek. The forest was nearly pitch black. Irradiance illuminated his horn, purple magic flickering in the darkness. Hibiscus followed suit, purple magic lighting up, and Leviathan led with his red magic illuminating the forest above.

“You’re telling me!” Marigold squeaked, walking closely to the group. “I’ve lived here for years and never have I felt the spirits of the trees feel so… on edge.”

Irradiance felt a shiver travel through his frame. Marigold was a descendant of ponies extremely in tune with nature. If she felt as though something was off then something truly wasn’t right. Irradiance’s magic flickered out in a spark of purple and green. Try as he might to bring it back, his ability to light his friends’ path had evaporated.

“Hey, it’s alright!” Leviathan sensed the embarrassment and sadness that was taking over the Unicorn’s mood. “We’ll find Luster Dawn and we’ll fix the issue and get your magic back. Don’t worry, Irradiance,” He laid a peck on the Unicorn’s cheek.

“Thanks, Leviathan,” Irradiance smiled. He was right. They just had to find the Element Tree and they’d find Luster Dawn and they’d defeat her, no problem.

Amber finally spoke up, no longer tailing the group in silence. She was quite protective in her role as Dragon Lord. Irradiance supposed it applied to her close friends as well, “How far into the forest is this tree supposed to be?” She raised an eyebrow, red eyes gleaming only slightly in the low light of the creatures’ magic auras.

“When we found Irradiance it was only a few hundred paces in!” Hibiscus assured. She ran ahead a bit, looking forward into the darkness where the tree had once been located. “There!” She pointed with a pink hoof, rushing over to the spot where Irradiance had been cursed so many years ago.

Cobalt furrowed his brow, looking at the others in confusion, “Hey, Hibiscus, are you sure this is it?” The pink Unicorn turned in befuddlement.

“Of course it is! I remember meeting Irradiance right here!” She stamped a hoof on the dirt. Her friends shared an uneasy look. Irradiance felt his stomach drop as he realized what was wrong.

“Hibiscus,” Marigold breathed, “There’s no tree there.”

“What?” The Unicorn gasped, turning around to see that now, in place of what was once an Element Tree, lived a dark shadow, intangible. It was tricky to realize it wasn’t a real tree from a distance, but now the group had neared the obstruction, it was clear this was simply an illusion. Irradiance raced forward and swatted at the shadow with a crystalline hoof and with a whisper of wind, the black shadow disappeared into smoke, leaving nothing but a crater in its wake. The Element Tree was gone. Luster Dawn wasn’t here.

“Oh, no,” Cobalt muttered, shuffling his hooves. “What do we do now, Irradiance?” All the ponies and creatures turned toward the purple stallion, staring with concern and uncertainty.

“I, uh,” He stuttered, looking around and feeling panic start to take hold of him. Heart beating quicker, legs feeling weak, he looked to Leviathan for assistance. The Changeling quickly came to his aid, allowing Irradiance to lean against him as he tried to calm himself.

“We can figure it out in a minute, okay?” Leviathan addressed the group, concern on all of their faces as they watched their dear friend begin to spiral.

Before anyone else could speak, a sudden breeze overtook the forest, wiping out Leviathan and Hibiscus’s magic as if their horns were mere candles lighting the darkness. Shock overtook the concern each creature felt and they all fell into a silence as they waited to see what would happen next in the forest.

“Foolish ponies…” A deep, feminine voice seemed to come from every direction. The darkness of the forest began to shift to a purple light that surrounded the group. Wind blew from every direction as though a storm was about to break.

“What’s happening?” Marigold cried, wind whipping her hair around her head, braided tail flying. Irradiance watched as Amber, Cobalt, and Leviathan all had to steady their wings as the wind abused them. It seemed to grow stronger with every moment.

The voice chuckled, and a glow began to emanate from where the tree once stood. Orange irises stared down the group of creatures, purple magic flowing from them in ribbons, “Foolish, foolish ponies!” The wind suddenly ceased and branches dropped to the ground, bushes, and leaves shaking violently at the shift in motion so quickly. “You believe that you will find my prison so quickly? I would never allow it!”

“It’s Luster Dawn!” Irradiance hissed, eyes wide in what he could only describe as fear. The eyes slowly rose higher, connecting to the silhouette of a tall, angry Alicorn.

“Indeed, Unicorn,” The silhouette stepped forward toward Irradiance and his friends, looking down on them, “I am the banished princess that Twilight Sparkle dared not mention again,” She spat the name as if it were poison,
“With every moment that I am able to return to Equestria in a physical form, with every moment that you search for me, I grow stronger. Soon my magic will be restored and I will take over Equestria, just as I was meant to!”

“You were never meant to take over Equestria!” Hibiscus shouted at the figure that must have been what Luster Dawn had become after her coronation… her coat was maroon and her hair was a flaming purple. Her wings were large and flapped violently as she spoke, emphasizing her emotion. Irradiance was frozen in shock and fear.

Luster Dawn sneered at the pink Unicorn, flaring her nostrils in irritation, “You think you understand what Twilight’s method of teaching taught me? She imbued the importance of magic, of how I learn every detail for when I may take over! Never did she say I would get no time to myself!

“Why train to earn these wings if a pony will only ever be second best? I made friends! I played by the rules!” Luster Dawn began to illuminate her horn, turning the dark forest setting into a violently bright pocket of woodlands. In a burst of light, Luster Dawn’s silhouette had vanished. With another whisper of wind, her voice spoke to the group once more: “You shall not find me, ponies! I will regain my magic and I will return to Equestria as the rightful ruler!” With a chilling cackle of laughter, Luster Dawn was completely gone, wind ceasing once more, leaving the ponies in plain darkness with a crater of where the Element Tree once lay left to be stared at once more.

The group of creatures were left with wide eyes and open mouths as they took in the reality of what they’d just witnessed. Luster Dawn, clearly villainized, had truly returned. She was stealing Irradiance’s magic through the Element Tree and she had intentions to rule over Equestria, possibly harming Princess Twilight in the process!

“So, what do we do now?” Cobalt looked around at the others, lost. The tree had disappeared and no one had any idea where it might be. Irradiance steadied himself, taking a deep breath and pushing his ears back as he considered the next plan.

“Okay,” He started, looking around. “Okay, so we travel further into the forest!”

“Where?” Amber interjected, waving her hands toward the entirety of the forest. “We’ve ventured through most of it. You traveled through it all to find the hive. Where would Luster Dawn be hiding?” The Dragon meant no harm; she was being realistic. Irradiance still felt a pit forming in his stomach at the reminder, though.

“Maybe she’s hiding in plain sight!” Marigold suggested, perking up. She did a small lap, looking around at potential hiding places.

“Like where?” Cobalt asked, eyebrow raised as he ruffled his feathered wings, still mussed from the sudden and abrupt start and end to the bursts of wind that Luster Dawn had brought upon the group.

Irradiance felt a light go off above his head, “Like the castle!” Leviathan turned to his partner, confused visibly.

“Where?” He asked, red eyes squinted. Irradiance began stepping deeper into the forest, taking the route he’d taken once before.

“The castle! It’s the ancient castle where the old princesses, Celestia and Luna, once lived! Maybe she’s there!” Irradiance took off, his friends following closely behind. Hibiscus and Leviathan once more lit up their horns, guiding the others who were unable to use magic. Irradiance tried his once more but to no avail. He felt the magic within him slowly depleting further and further. He would have to stop Luster Dawn sooner rather than later.

As he approached the ancient castle, Irradiance realized that it no longer looked the same. The grey cobblestone was now covered in spiky, black tendrils. It covered the Element Tree that had cursed him, its branches all covering shattered crystal. Those must have been the elements, Irradiance thought to himself, recalling what he’d learned so long ago.

“She is here!” Leviathan cheered, grinning in awe. “How did you know this was the place?” He looked toward the purple stallion, who simply shrugged.

“Just a feeling. It’s such an obvious location that we were clearly going to search the entire forest before we came here. Marigold was smart to suggest the idea!” The yellow Earth Pony beamed.

“Okay,” Hibiscus started, “But what now? We’ve found the tree, but I don’t see Luster Dawn anywhere. How do we stop someone who isn’t here?”

There was a flicker in the tree that was inside the castle. Irradiance squinted, stepping forward and batting at it with a hoof. The sound of crystal hitting wood reverberated through the otherwise silent building. The creatures all stopped for a moment before the floor disappeared from under them.

“Irradiance!” Leviathan called out, terrified as he and Cobalt froze in fear, unable to catch the others as they all fell into the dark pit that had trapped them. The group of friends were terrified, screaming each other's names as they fell for what felt like hours, though it may have been only seconds. Amber didn’t seem to have fallen, been on guard, and caught herself in the air, levitating above all those that had succumbed to the sudden lack of ground.

“Amber! Help us!” Hibiscus called up, voice already hoarse after screaming so loud just moments prior.

“I’m coming! Don’t worry!” The golden Dragon leaped into action, aiming herself downward in order to catch all of the ponies, but just as quickly as the ground had disappeared, it reappeared once more, trapping the five ponies beneath the castle, and Amber above.

Author's Note

sorry for the hiatus :/ i got super stressed with work and school and blah blah blah.. currently posting and writing chapters from my APARTMENT in my DREAM SCHOOL!!! ENGINEERING STUDENT BAYBEEE!!!!