King Sombre licked his ghostly lips, watching as the sun rose on the second day, announcing just one more day until his bride revealed herself. Would it be the ridiculous pink pony who laughed at his smoke-like body? He hoped not. Would it be the petty, purple-maned prissy mare? He hoped not. Would it be the work horse who believed hard work would be rewarded? Yeah right! He sure hoped not. Would it be the shy butter-milk mare with the flowing pink locks and the large, gentle teal eyes that could stare right into his icy heart and had shied away from him at the sight of his evil eyes? Maybe that one could work out… Would it be the full-of-herself blue mare with the messy rainbow mane and tail and sleek, athletic body? She might work out as an evil Queen to. Maybe it would be the only one who had caught his eye the second he had seen her in the glowing globe – the purple mare with the neat purple and pink mane and the curious eyes that wished to know everything. Reluctantly, he had also offered a henchman position to the babyish baby dragon who had leapt for joy but then run away noticing his mistake. Why had he done that? What if the dragon accepted? Then I'll make his life not worth living! Sombre thought cruelly with an evil grin.

The shield had not yet wavered and King Sombre guessed the heart was powering it with its renewed energy. If only some pony could have a bad dream… As he thought it he heard a whimper, carried by the wind, come towards him from the castle and blast against the shield from the inside. It sounded much like the purple pony's voice. For a moment he felt nervous, as if he wanted to help her, but then he smirked as the shield wavered, the heart sensing the fear that radiated through the windows.

However, Sombre allowed the waver to go unnoticed and began circling the Empire, clouds of black staying there and pressing in on the tough shield and making it blink weakly. Sneering, Sombre returned to his previous place and joined the smoke as they fought against the shield, pressing harder and harder.

Finally, the shield broke but before he could close in a magical surge burst from the heart, pushing him back again. He groaned furiously – if he had had hooves he would have slammed them against the invisible dome.

---

Spike sat on Applejack's back, clutching at her mane whilst Pinkie and Rarity walked on either side of them. Rainbow kept behind them, glancing out of the window eagerly as the Crystal Flyers who had sent her a message, asking if she'd like to join them. Obviously, Rainbow had approved and said that she would join them for the competition on the day they were returning but she had higher targets. Meanwhile, Fluttershy strolled next to Rainbow and Twilight was gone.

"So, Twilight left a note sayin' that she was goin' to the Library?" Applejack asked, turning her head slightly and looking at Spike out of the corner of her eye.

"Uh-huh!" Spike nodded.

"Right, okay," Applejack looked ahead, picking up the pace. "We'd better hurry then!"

Rainbow took to the skies and soared above them, hooves outstretched as they spun round corners and sailed down stairs. Fluttershy also flew but she kept her legs under her and kept a steady pace so that she was near them but behind them all the time. As they went, a purple cloak with a star exactly like Twilight's Cutie Mark on the back floated by Rarity, a needle threading a light purple line around the hood.

"Do you think Celestia made the right decision?" Spike asked nervously. "I mean, about asking Twilight to be Sombre's wife?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Rainbow reassured him. "It's more the idea that we know about it that'll set Twi off."

"Hmm…" Applejack mumbled as they arrived at a T-junction and turned left towards a spiralling staircase.

"I hope she'll be alright!" Rarity declared.

"Err… she still has a day, right?" Fluttershy said in her quiet voice as they dashed down the stairs.

"Yeah…" Pinkie wasn't bouncing today and every pony had noticed that she wore a sad expression and her mane wasn't quite as puffy.

They hurried to the library and the librarian grinned welcomingly, telling them that Twilight was a few floors down and she was looking for a spell to stop King Sombre. She rolled her eyes, as if the fact that Sombre would need stopping was ridiculous now they had the Crystal heart. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Spike all sprinted at full speed down the spiralling staircase until they reached the floor where Twilight sat on a cushion next to Shimmer, reading a book. Shimmer looked up from her own book at their approach and stood, ears pinned and legs spread.

"She's studying," Shimmer hissed threateningly.

Spike clambered off Applejack's back and hurried forward but Shimmer stepped in front of him, baring her teeth and stamping a hoof threateningly. He cowered backwards and hid behind Applejack's legs.

"She ain't going to stay behind you all day!" Applejack growled, pinning her ears and mirroring Shimmer's threatening stance.

"Hey, Twi!" Rainbow Dash shot up above Shimmer's head. "What's going on with you? Whoa!" She yelped as Shimmer caught her tail and pulled her down.

"Go away!" Shimmer shouted at the top of her voice, causing the librarian to shush them. She continued in a hushed voice, "Can't you see she's desperate? She doesn't want to marry that crazy lord! She had a nightmare about him last night and she's trying to find a way to stop him!"

"Maybe we can help!" Rainbow replied sternly, snapping her tail out of its twisted shape.

"Doubt it," Shimmer snorted, sitting down. "And I can wait here all day."

"So can we," Rarity told her, summoning a pillow and sitting down on it.

The others collapsed on the hard wooden floor and glared at Shimmer whilst the sound of flicking pages came from Twilight.

Spike watched them nervously, sweat gathering on his forehead, and then he hurried up a floor before jumping off the stairs and falling, wailing for help. Twilight caught him with her magic absent-mindedly and replaced him back beside Applejack. He huffed and crossed his arms.

Finally, Twilight leapt to her feet, grinning. "Yes! This is perfect!"

"What is?" Shimmer asked, looking over her shoulder.

The others stood to follow her but a purple magical wall appeared, blocking them from getting to Twilight and Shimmer. The Unicorn used her magic to move the book over to Shimmer but whatever Shimmer saw she didn't understand.

"I don't get it," she mumbled, scanning the page desperately.

"Don't you see, Shimmer?" Twilight cried, lifting the book so that the back was facing her and the pages were facing Shimmer. "This book could help!"

"How?" Shimmer asked as the book stopped flicking through the pages and stopped on a certain one.

"See here, Shimmer?" Twilight pointed urgently at a picture and Spike pressed himself against the wall, desperately trying to see the page. "There's a picture of a demon and then a single Alicorn stood, powering up her magic with the Elements of Harmony floating beside her!"

"Yeah, and?" Shimmer shrugged.

"Well, I just need the Elements of Harmony and then I can defeat him!"

"Yeah, but aren't your friend the Eggaments of Jarmony?"

"Elements of Harmony, Shimmer. And yes they are, but you see, in this picture there are no other ponies! And also, Celestia powered them by herself!"

"How does that help?"

"Well, I can power the elements by myself like in the picture!"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you don't have wings," Shimmer prodded Twilight's side.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well the picture has an Alicorn and Tia is an Alicorn but you're not!"

Twilight scanned the picture and the text but shrugged. "I'm sure it'll work anyway. Now then, a summoning spell…"

Spike gasped and turned as Applejack and Rarity glanced at each other nervously. Rainbow kept banging on the wall and Fluttershy flew backwards and forwards whispering "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness" continuously. Pinkie Pie's hair had officially deflated and she sat with a glum look as she imagined Twilight leaving them and doing everything herself.

"We've got to stop her!" Spike declared. "She'll hurt herself!"

Every pony nodded and Pinkie stood slowly, her head hanging. "She's gonna forget us for sure," she muttered unhappily. And the frightening thing was, Spike thought so too.

---

Twilight summoned the elements swiftly and then teleported to the edge of the shield which flickered, revealing King Sombre's evil face and red horn. Suddenly, the shield vanished as the heart lost its strength and before Cadence or Shining Armour could take over Sombre had closed in, heading towards the ponies who were losing their glow and fleeing.

However, Twilight stood her ground with Shimmer stood bravely beside her, her glow more radiant than ever as King Sombre's head dipped towards them.

"I believe you're early," Twilight snapped viciously, the book floating in front of her but closed.

"I pushed the deadline forward," King Sombre hissed, dipping his head so he stared Twilight in the eye. "Have you come to give yourself up? I can give you your heart's desire you know…"

"And what's that?" Twilight growled, testing him.

His large head lowered to her ear. "Power. Wings. A title…"

He smiled at her intrigued look but Shimmer slapped her with her hoof, knocking her out of the trance, so that the two mares stood boldly before the villain.

"If you join her," Sombre turned his attention to Shimmer, who narrowed her eyes furiously, "I will bring back your family. I can do that, you know… bring back the dead with my glorious powers."

Shimmer seemed curious, a lot like Twilight, for a moment, but was stronger and shook herself out of the trance.

"We're going to destroy you!" she declared boldly, flicking up her chin. "We're going to use the Elements of Harmony and stop this!"

"Of course," Sombre licked his lips. "Only if you make a deal with me."

"Err…" Twilight paused. "Of course, Sombre."

"If you fail, you become my Queen," he said to Twilight and then glanced at Shimmer, "and you be my advisor."

Twilight was about to decline but Shimmer stuck up her chin defiantly and said, "If you wish it."

"Oh, I do," Sombre smirked.

Hesitantly, Twilight allowed the elements to float up beside her in the same notion as in the book and she summoned the book open so she could read how to conjure the spell. Sombre snickered as the book fell and she forced her horn to glow, the crown sitting delicately on her head glowing. The elements burned with light but Sombre waited patiently as her eyes became white before slowly dimming. Gasping, she frowned.

"H-how?" she stammered.

Sombre laughed evilly. "Looks like you're mine!" and he swirled round them until both he and the mares vanished just before the live Elements of Harmony could get there.

"Noooooo!" Pinkie cried as she picked up the necklaces and pressed them to her body. The book had gone along with the mares and the crown, leaving them defenceless.