"Next Stop Canterlot!"

"That means us!" Lucky begins to levitate her notebooks into her saddlebags and get everything into place, making sure to double check the address in the one given to her by Dream earlier.

"So our plan is to meet with your aunt and uncle, then with Celestia and Luna their selves to discuss a plan on fighting the cult?" Peach wraps the large sword around her waist with the cloth like holder given to her, "I am not too sure they are going to be too supportive of us doing this…"

"Why else would they have us do all of this training? They must have known it was coming, or at least saw it as a possibility."

The three head out of the cabin of their train, heading into the streets of Canterlot to find Lucky's family. It took a while; many different ponies were asked were the address was but after a while it was found. A rather hidden away home close to the castle, rather small for such a large city as Canterlot but for two older ponies it must be good enough in their eyes.

Lucky knocks a few times on the door, a few faint steps can be heard in the distance then the door opens. Pure Diamonds, Lucky's unicorn aunt opens the door and quickly puts a hoof over her mouth.

"Lucky? Why come in I will get Maroon right away, please make yourselves at home."

Both Pure and Maroon Diamonds sit on their sofa next to each other, with the three visitors on the larger sofa on the other side of the room. A rather spacious house on the inside that what it seemed on the outside, still a bit small but it gives a different impression, very well organized compared to some other places they have seen. A brick fireplace with assorted picture frames and candles on the left side of the room, many of the pictures are of Lucky as a small unicorn growing up.

"Awe, look at the widdle Wucky," Rain picks up one of the picture frames with Lucky as a small filly in it; one as she had began school, and begins to look at the other pictures.

Mr. and Mrs. Diamonds let out a slight giggle to each other, Pure is the first to break the awkwardness, "So, these are Peaches and Rain we are assuming? We have heard so much about you two from Celestia."

"I told you she's stalking us…" Peaches eye brows arch slightly as she looks out the window to avoid attention.

"While we would like to keep this feeling in the air, it's likely impossible," Maroon interrupts slightly, "I assume that means you showed up now that means you got the notebook?"

"Yes, we did." Lucky grabs it out of her saddle bag and sets it onto the coffee table in the middle of the two sofas between them.

"We are sorry you were told this way, we just didn't want to tell you all that as a small filly…"

"It's alright, it has explained quite a bit to us with our… pest problem we have been having."

"As we have heard from Celestia, it seems that the cult has made its move yet again, this time bringing you three into it on purpose for whatever reason. Both of us have come up with an idea on how to end the leader's reign, if you are interested that is."

"We were hoping you two would have some sort of ideas on that, it's about time some pony stopped them."

Pure Diamond takes over the conversation, "As you three have probably noticed, there seems to be no way to harm their leader, Wretched Darkness as he calls himself. One would think that this would be a blessing for him, but it seems that it is trying to gain its physical body back. And like stated in those notes, he was once defeated in that same body."

"But he managed to reform afterwards, so wouldn't that be a problem?"

"Yes, but what if we managed to seal him away or weaken him so he couldn't? It may seem a bit… farfetched right now after facing him once before. But it's all we have to go on for now. We brought it up to the princesses and they began studying it with their science team, they told us to get back to them later on once you three were done with your training."

"So we were right earlier to bring it up to the princesses, I am assuming that we are to meet with them after we are done talking here then?" Lucky begins to pack her stuff again.

"Sure enough, it sure is funny how much alike you are to us."

The five make their way to the castle, a very short walking distance from the house. No resistance is made to keep them from entering; Lucky's family must be well known or have made arrangements with the royalty already.

"My dear students, right on time again." Celestia greets the group like normal with a smile, while Luna watches from the side.

"We are here about the research you were doing on taking down the cult?" Pure Diamond makes a small bow to the princesses as she makes her way into the room.

"Ah yes, that topic. We have managed to come up with a few ideas on it," Celestia levitates the table from across the room closer to them, "We don't know if any of these will do the trick, but they should. One idea presented was that of using a simple sealing technique after defeating the leader," Celestia levitates a black box off the table then gives it to Lucky, "but that would not be an easy task, so another one of our researchers presented a special… we'll just say potion-"

"It's a poison, sister…" Luna breaks her own silence.

"Yes, poison is you must. That may weaken him making it much easier to seal him away into the device-"

"Box, sister."

"Yes, it's a box. Like I was saying the poison will make it much easier to seal him away into the box. It's not simply that straight forward though, you have to physically assault him enough to get him weak enough to use it on him along with getting the poison onto or into him."

"Well, it's a start." Lucky puts the objects into the cushioned suitcase given to her by Celestia next.

"We even had a somewhat… difficult researcher that just wanted to send the being to the moon," Luna looks out one of the windows, clearly reminded of the last pony sent to the moon, "But one cannot simply do that, after all he is connected to the entire castle he lives in. It would be rather difficult to move a living castle to a different planetary orb."

"Speaking of which, how will we deal with the castle?"

"Leave that to the royal guards that we will have stationed with you three as you make your assault. They will take care of the weaker cult members and take care of the castle. Once you weaken the leader to the point where he stops fighting back they will take care of it."

"She means they will blow the thing up, we have a bomb squad." Luna interrupts again to explain what Celestia leaves out.

"Well, uhh, I guess that makes sense?"

"Right… well, see you two later then. We better get going; lots of catching up to do with these three!" Pure Diamond smiles and leads the group back out of the large room. They make their way back to the home of Lucky's aunt and uncle with confused looks on their faces.

"Luna, is something on your mind? Something seems to be troubling you."

"It's been years sense we last faced this thing, but when we did the first thing it tried to do was get us to hate each other. It tried to play around with our emotions like toys… I don't want those three going against it face first with their mind in a fog of confusion, it would simply aid their enemies." The whole time Luna has been looking towards the ground with her eye brows furrowed, deep thought and stress from the battle years before showing on her face.

"Which is why I instructed the Diamonds to do all in their power to get the three to open up their lives to each other, hopefully if they can understand each other more they will not have such problems? We have tried to supply them with equal training opportunities based on their decisions in life along with their hobbies, with that we can hope that there will not be jealousy or anger towards one another when their time comes.

The group of five ponies enter the room that they began talking in earlier; Rain immediately grabs a cute picture of Lucky and begins cuddling with it on the sofa next to Peaches and Lucky, causing Lucky to blush and everyone else to begin giggling like last time.

"So, do we get to hear anything about you two?"

"Well, were I came from I was just struggling to make a living off my job and small crop of peach trees. It was more of a hobby than anything, but what makes a pony happy is not something we can argue with I guess." Peaches surprisingly is the first one to open up, seeing how Rain is being incredible shy about her life, "just a small patch of trees was what I came home to. Job wise I worked with some of the town chefs in their shop, supplying the peaches they used in a few dishes and baked goods. That was probably the reason they kept me as cooking is not a strong suit I possess… No pony else really bothered to buy any of the fruits, keeping me from expanding the field any. They had a rather large supplier for their needs."

As the other two friends begin to remember that horrid dinner Peaches tried to supply them on one of the first days they had met, she continues sharing information on herself, "foal hood was simple, a bit lonely, but simple. No siblings to depend on, just parents who were a bit different taste wise. They liked living in an apartment with all these fancy things, while as a small filly I wanted a yard to play in. Oh how much I would have given to just have had a yard to play in, or someone to play with. They decided I had to be homeschooled, and that 'we didn't need anyone else' or anything of that sort.

I was expected to be some sort of musician; constantly that idea was pounded into daily life. Every day I never gained a cutie mark, never once did I master any instruments, every failure and every day without that special mark they would get angry, like it was my fault or something.

It finally snapped for them once when they brought me to the library to check out some books. They decided to let me check out something about whatever I wanted, to see if some freedom would allow my 'musical talent' to blossom. What I ended up with was some sort of 'gardening for beginners' book that involved anything from flowers, to bushes, to trees.

On the way home a couple pots, soil, and seeds were bought after I pleaded and pleaded. While we were at the local gardening shop the owner quickly took a liking to a small filly trying to grow plants in the middle of a large town, so he gave us a small peach sapling as a starting present. The small patio we had quickly had been filled with a few small flowers which sprouted rather quickly, along with the small peach sapling. My parents didn't approve until the plants began to bloom, something else that seemed to prove that not every pony in this world has patience…" Lucky and Rain just about choke as they begin to laugh out loud, remember just who it was that can't stand sitting still on trains…

"Having something to look forward to and to take care of made putting up with the lessons on music easier, even though I completely sucked at it. But like with everything that a young foal wants to do, they tend to get rather obsessed with it. My parents ended up buying some peaches at the store for us to try means my small peach tree wasn't dying. I loved them, and once the peach tree began growing I gained my cutie mark, which defeated the ideas of my parents. Not what they wanted, but once they had accepted it they too were proud.

We began going to the park, rather awkward seeing the two of them trying so hard to please a small filly. But it made my life so much happier, so it was worth it. They even got permission for us to use the apartment's grassy spots, somewhat like yards but not so much. It wasn't as good as having our own yard to use, but it was better than nothing.

After those few years, what we kind of see as a phase now, we all get along pretty well. They still prefer music and the city life but they don't push it on others.

Now that I started talking about it with some pony else, I guess my cutie mark could represent something more than what it seems to couldn't it Lucky? It's not just a couple peach slices, it's how a plant changed my family I suppose."

"What about you Rain? Did you come from some sort of Pegasus city up in the clouds?"

"Well, not really… It was just a normal city but it did have a lot of pegasi. As a filly there was a special class for the pegasi around my age. We were expected to manage to weather for the area, something I proved to love, but every pony else didn't. Everything ended up being some sort of competition with the others; nothing would end up being done properly so I would have to be left behind to patch their work up. The other pegasi would grab the lightest rain cloud they could then just fly as fast as possible like it was a race or something, not even thinking about the things under then that needed the water…

By the time I would get back, after watering everything the others would miss, the teacher had scolded them, which would make them all angrier at me.

I tried to explain to the teacher what was happening, she understood, but it took time to get the class changed, giving the others time to keep doing what they were doing. She had the pegasi that mistreated their duties moved back into the regular schooling unit, and replaced with nicer pegasi my age a month or so later on. She said that if I could get my parents to write some sort of note to the school board that maybe it could have all went faster, but that wouldn't have happened as they needed both parents to sign it. My mother would have agreed to it, but father was rather… distant. He would never realize that the bullying was as bad as it sounded, or that anything needed to be done, while mom would try to be a parent in the situation.

The class I went to and the class the others went to was in the same school though, so recess and whatever other free time we had was spent in the same area. I am sure you four can see the problem there, this time my group of the new weather class stayed together making every pony else easier to deal with.

With the class being changed with all new pegasi, this time every pony seemed to be nice. We never had any of the problems like we had before, so the rest of the school years went by easier. Friends were made, the weather was handled rather nicely, and everything was just overall nicer. Without the hassles we could enjoy managing the weather in the town and forest surrounding it, thus me gaining my cutie mark.

Now school life could be filled with the normal things, playing and enjoying the weird little things. We would find random clouds and shape them into different things then place them around town while we were out in our free time. We had a rather large cloud hideout above the forest kind of like a club house made for those of us in the weather class.

When it came to graduation the pegasi that were gifted in the ways of weather were given the chance to move on to Cloudsdale, my whole class was given the opportunity but I never felt comfortable living on clouds, I liked playing in them and everything, but never actually living in them, along with the fact that father wouldn't allow it, we weren't moving.

The pegasi that rushed through everything were left behind in the town along with me, something not too thrilling.

In later life I managed to get a job in weather management, simply picking up the things that the next generation class would miss. At least until we all got these letters sending us on this mission against the cult, which seems to have given us some good things and some bad I guess. It is funny; I was just about to move out of that town."

"Well, means all of that is off our chests, why don't we show you three to your rooms?" Pure Diamond and Maroon Diamond stand up and begin walking over to the stairs leading upwards into the rest of their home. Lucky, Peaches, and Rain follow shortly behind.

"Shouldn't we be heading back to Verre though? Don't want them worrying about us, or at least we should send them a note or something," Lucky unlatches her saddle bag; of course she contains everything in there.

"No need, we already have the guards send a letter to Honey Darling. Besides, you can't simply just show up here and not expect to stay the night can you?" Pure Diamond winks towards the three behind her, "we never really knew if we would be having any pony over so we always made sure to have a spare bed room."

The five ponies walk into a large spare bedroom with four beds, one more than needed but how could Lucky's aunt and uncle know exactly how many ponies to plan for in advanced? It's a rather square bedroom, two beds on the right side and two on the left. The side of the bed where the pillows are is up against the wall while the end of the bed faces the bed across the room from it. All completed by one large window on the farthest wall from the door.

The three place all their extra saddle bags and luggage on the extra bed, then each continue to claim one of the remaining three.

"In the morning there is someone at the castle which I think you three would like to meet," Pure winks once again at the group, mainly towards Peaches for some reason, "remember, friends forever!"

"Oh Celestia…" Peaches gently slaps herself in the face with a hoof, "I think I know who this is going to be."

In the morning the five head off to the castle like planned, Celestia's royal guards stationed throughout the entire facility. One can hear the clashing of metal in the background. The group walks up to one of the guards, lead by Pure Diamonds.

"Excuse me, could you point us in the direction of Blade?" The guard raises his front leg to the left, where the group once again led by Pure Diamond head. At the end of the short path they reach a large training area, pretty much a normal training area, green grass, some wooden benches, training dummies, plenty of guards, and one taller stallion in the middle.

"You have to put more strength into it! No matter how low ranking the cult member they will still wield more strength than you would realize!" Blade has one of the guards beaten on the ground, similarly to how he had Peaches when she first faced his mad attacks.

"What are we, bullying our students?" Peaches walks over to Blade with a smart comeback even though she has nothing to do with whatever is going on.

Blade instantly sticks a new friend's forever sticker onto Peaches forehead, this time even more glitter than the last one, "Ha! Long time student! Isn't it a part of being a teacher to bully the student?"

"You have such a weird sense of humor… I guess you weren't joking about becoming a trainer for Canterlot's royal guards, does this have anything to do with the cult?"

"Why yes, I was asked to train them in combat against the cult members. Some of the guards are convinced that the lower ranking cult members can't put up that much of a fight, but they will be surprised if they aren't properly trained in the ways of close combat. If the higher ranking generals are immortals then we can expect the same with the lower ranking officers, or maybe even the regular members."

"Although, it is getting tough to teach them all at once, I have never done more than a couple ponies at the same time. It gets way too confusing with this many…" Blade continues on, rubbing his head trying to consider different teaching options, "Alright every pony, station yourselves into groups of two each pony with a training sword of your choice! Begin sparing once ready!"

~Obsidian Castle~

"Is it ready yet?" Wretched Darkness enters a dimly lit room, the scientist is inside the room waiting.

"Why yes, I think so," The lights are switched on, revealing what it is that they are talking about. At first it seems like a faceless corpse, a body of some sort.

"You have once again pleased me beyond words, but tell me, why is it faceless and without marks of any sort?"

"Oh, yes. Remember, you are a shape shifting creature. Your default shape will be a bit, let's just say, dull before you are in it."

"Alright, when can we begin then?"

"Whenever you are ready, sir, just give us the signal and we will have everything ready."

"No need to wait, go ahead and let's get this over with now."

The scientist levitates the lifeless black body into the air, then continues over into one of the next rooms, a much larger, sinister, lab room with a large machine in the middle. The same one that was used to bring back the dead it seems, this time just a little modified. There are a total of three pillar like machines shooting from the roof down towards the floor at one location, where the lifeless black body now lies.

"Let me quick run you through how this will work; we will first use the magic transfusion machine to empower the body with enough magic to withstand the process. We will be using the magic that we took from the ponies we pony napped. It will be inserted into the machine as the process goes as small canisters. But after we use up the canister we will simply use the magic in the castle, which is where the bulk is stored anyways.

Next will come the magic consumption machine which we will use to absorb you into a canister, we originally use the magic consumption machine to seal away magic from the ponies we were pony napping, as you are fully aware of. But with some small modification we made it so it could absorb your entirety into a small canister.

The final step is to take the canister which contains you, and insert it into the body using the enchanting machine. Our original purpose was to empower objects, but later on we found that we could empower living things. Like that filly that was birthed shortly after we killed her mother, the one that came a short while ago? Oh I can't remember her name right now. But anyways, we will use this machine to send your non-physical body that you possess now into the newly constructed physical one that we just finished. You should still be able to do whatever you wish with it."

The black lifeless body is levitated underneath the machines; the scientist takes position in front of the machine control panel as the machines turn. The transfusion machine is now in the front, it begins to power up with the life of the castle. The scientist pushes in canister after canister of magic that was pulled from the poor ponies enslaved earlier.

After a dozen or so of the canisters a small plug in sized hole opens up in the floor, the scientist pulls a cord out of the machine then continues to plug the machine into the floor. The two have to sit and wait a few moments before going onto the next step as the body is empowered with the magic energy of countless ponies.

"Alright, I am about to get the consumption machine ready. When I do can you please position yourself underneath it?"

The next machine tilts so it is facing the floor, Wretched Darkness flows underneath it. The machine powers on then absorbs Wretched into a small canister which the scientist then takes out of the machine.

After returning to the control panel, the scientist hits a few buttons causing the three machines to turn together so that the final machine is in front of him. A small door opens for the canister to be placed in, which it is shortly afterwards.

The machine shoots a bright laser into the lifeless body, the liquid inside the canister being drained as the process continues. Pure power is shaking the entire room and everything inside it. The humming sound the machine is putting off deafens out any other sounds.

Suddenly the machine stops, the canister is empty, and everything is powered downs.

"How do you feel, sir?"

"Great." The black body melts onto the ground like water, then flows upwards forming a tall pony. It takes a few steps, without making the sloshing sound expected. Instead it makes a metallic cling with every step.

"This is perfect, exactly as remembered!"

Slits begin to appear all over the black pony's body; its head, neck, legs, back, stomach, everywhere. They all snap open to reveal frightening eyes, blackened by the insanity that dwells inside, bloodshot, each searching in every direction. A few of the slits appear to be mouths, with teeth sharper than swords and shaped like triangles.

He begins to melt onto the floor again, this time as a shadow. Covering all the walls, the eyes and mouths still there haunting any pony daring enough to see them.

Nothing natural is coming from what has been born in the Obsidian castle tonight.