A small pile of diamonds laid on the table, glowing furiously with a magical light. A separate pile of diamonds and emeralds that was significantly larger laid on the other side of the table, not glowing. A diamond floated in the air, held up by a pale blue aura. Soon the aura mixed with a light purple, almost magenta, aura, lighting it up on the inside. The crystal plopped down into the small pile of glowing gems. A small purple hand reached up from under the table, aiming for a glowing gem.

“No, Spike,” Twilight growled, brushing his hand off the table. “These are not for eating.”

“I can’t help it. They look tastier than my Fire Ruby,” he groaned. The small drake marched away from the table, taking a seat next to Fluttershy, who was wrapping the gems onto sticks. The door opened for the umpteenth time that day, revealing Rainbow Dash. She lunged forward, taking a set of four beacons, and sprinted out of the library. The door closed again from the vacuum force of Rainbow Dash moving so quickly.

The mechanical industry of the four ponies rivaled the rhythm of well-tuned machines. Each time two Light Crystal were created, Fluttershy would wrap one to a stick, and set it aside. Every four times this process was completed, Rainbow Dash would sprint in, take a bundle of four, and sprint out. This process was now on the fifth repetition, and by mathematics, there were now eighteen Light Crystals placed on the borders of Ponyville, and twenty waiting to be wrapped. However, with an effective radius of only about five meters, there was still much to be done. By looking at a map that hung on a wall, each street would get one, and each building would get two, thereabouts. And by taking a look at the tacks pinned into it, they needed about one hundred more to enclose a large enough area to keep Ponyville safe. And the sun was setting quickly.

The door opened sooner than expected, revealing Apple Jack. She entered the library, plopping down next to Fluttershy, the sound of metal on metal echoing from her saddlebags. “I got some horseshoes for all of us,” she panted, wiping her brow with a hoof. “Big Mac and Byron are forgin’ some more.”

“Excellent,” Twilight groaned, focusing on doing the spell again. She tapped her horn to Rarity’s and lit the diamond up.

“Well. Seein’ as we have a pile of them Light Crystals just sittin’ there, I think I’ll help Fluttershy a bit,” Apple Jack sighed, grabbing a Light Crystal. She picked up a stick and some string, and tied the Crystal to the stick with a rope-master’s skill. And at double Fluttershy’s pace, they quickly caught up. Rainbow Dash burst in again, and grabbed a set of ten, sprinting out again.

After another four spells, Twilight and Rarity keeled over, huffing and puffing from the magical strain of the task. Apple Jack finished tying up a Light Crystal, and got up. She walked over to the pair of exhausted unicorns, and reached into her saddlebags. She pulled out two large apple fritters, wrapped in aluminum foil, and set them on the table. “You two deserve a break and some grub. Eat up.”

The two forced themselves to sit up, and eagerly unwrapped the apple fritters. Apple Jack reached into her saddlebag again, pulling another pair of fritters out, and placed them on the table. “You too, Fluttershy. Come eat.”

Fluttershy sighed with relief, and stretched her wings out. She stood up, and walked gingerly to the table, her knees stiff from being prone for so long. She sat at the table, almost ravenously unwrapping the fritter. As if sensing Rainbow and Pinkie’s presences, Apple Jack pulled yet another pair of fritters from her bags, placing them on the table. The door burst open only moments later, Rainbow Dash eagerly grabbing another bundle of Light Crystals. Pinkie bounced in happily, a gigantic goofy grin plastered to her face. The door somehow closed itself upon Pinkie’s arrival, as if her mere presence made it acceptable for it to defy the laws of physics. “Dash. Pinkie. Dinner. Come eat.”

The two ponies looked over, and moved in their respective methods towards the table. They both sat down, unwrapping their meal with vigor. Each of the six ponies present had plenty of reason to be tired and hungry. Well, except Pinkie. She just got to go home and organize the biggest party of the century. All six dug in, tearing at the delicious apple-based food item in front of them. Friendly small talk soon developed, making it more like a small party rather than a silent meal. The topics ranged from girl talk like crushes, to everypony’s opinion of Darq, to their mutual dislike of the detective and what they’d all like to do to him. Rarity’s response particularly stood out, being far more extreme than everypony else’s. The other five stared at her with looks of absolute horror at what she was capable of thinking of.

“What? I have a particular interest in Darq,” she huffed, devouring the last of her fritter. Pinkie was the first to shake off the horror. She laughed wildly, almost maniacally. The other four looked at Pinkie, wondering if this was just Pinkie being Pinkie, or Pinkie going absolutely nuts.

“Umm… Pinkie? Care to explain what’s so funny?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie stopped laughing almost instantly, once again defying the laws of physics and standard psychology. “Your face when Rarity expressed ‘interest’ in Dark! It seems as though…” She gasped in the manner she had when first meeting Twilight for the third time that week. A knowing grin appeared on her face, while Twilight became even more confused. “I see what’s going on here.”

“Umm… What exactly do you see?” Twilight asked, her face now blank.

“Don’t worry about it,” Pinkie giggled.

*

The next day came, the sun raised by Celestia in time with Luna lowering the moon. To Twilight, neither of the princesses seemed aware of the present situation. There they were, moving their respective astrological bodies across the sky, and here she was, preparing to fight an unknown foe. It was unsettling to say the least.

Surreal… Twilight thought to herself, If only one word… Surreal. But there’s still much to do. We have to beat the Shadows. They’ve already hurt Carrot Top and Derpy. I won’t let them hurt anypony else.

The day was standard to everypony that lived near the center of town. Posters were hung up everywhere advertising a massive DJ-Pon3 concert at the public square that would go from dusk to dawn. No doubt. Pinkie’s work, she thought, walking by one on her way to the market to pick up some groceries. However, to those that lived closer to the edge of town, a sense of curiosity and unease settled like fog in a valley. Young ponies stared at the beacons that were placed there overnight. Older ponies hurried the curious younglings along, uneasy of what the beacons were for.

The day went by like every other. Ponies hustled and bustled to take care of their various errands. Some relaxed at the spa, and some worked in their gardens. But, three assaults in two days did not go unnoticed. The number of Guards on the streets of Ponyville was nearly double that of the previous week. A large number centered around the jail, where a certain dark unicorn lay awake, meditating in his cold cell. He had somehow been able to deactivate the enchantment on the ring that was latched to his horn, and was now using a very light spell to watch from a nearby bird’s eyes. The bird saw a yellow pegasus walking by, a bundle of long, strong sticks poking out of her saddlebags. Darq smiled, turning the bird’s head a few degrees to the left. Down the path was Carousel Boutique, from which, a white-coated unicorn was leaving with a rather heavy looking saddlebag. He looked a little further to the left, activating a much higher power spell, allowing him to see through a few buildings. Through about five diagonal buildings, he saw the library. He strained the spell, looking through the tree’s thick walls, seeing Twilight now at home, reading a book. He grinned, and turned the bird’s head, seeing Light Crystals mounted at regular intervals for a large stretch of the town’s perimeter.

“I might not need him after all,” he chuckled with a smirk.

Author's Note

Well. To those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, you may quite possibly know what the hay I'm HINT-HINTing at. If you don't I suggest you do read the blog so you can keep up with stuff. It almost always has something to do with my stories, whether it's about why I haven't posted a chapter in a while, or a HINT-HINT at the next chapter. And for those of you complaining about me going too dang fast, I've slowed down a bit. From chapter 11 on, the time-frame of one chapter will be about two hours. And they'll be as long, if not longer than this.

This is it, everypony. The next chapter is the LAST ONE before the climax. And there will be a good 2-3 chapters of climax. Hope y'all love what comes in soon.

And a shout out to all of you ponies that have been reading since I first posted this story. I love you ponies. You make my writing worthwhile. Which is why I'll be rewarding you all with another few stories. I have 2 ideas in my mind. The sappy one is coming around first. Hope y'all like it.