The mare trudged through the snow, her horn illuminating the frost. Snowflakes had decorated her hood and coat, but she wasn't cold. If anything, she embraced this kind of weather.

Where are you... She thought. Losing patience, the mare flashed herself forward, towards the center of the storm. Her horn started to grow brighter under her hood. A smile appeared in the corners of her mouth, as continued walking. As she set her hoof on a clump of snow, her horn stopped glowing. She froze. Her eyes settled on the snow she was standing on. She started digging. After what seemed like forever, her hoof caught on something. Her horn glowed silver as she used her magic to lift it out of the snow. Her eyes studied the curved unicorn horn, still glowing like an ember. The whites of her eyes flashed black as she summoned dark magic, and directed it at what was left of the king of shadows. The darkness swirled around the horn. Slowly, his head formed, followed by the rest of his body. He tried to take in his surroundings as darkness swirled around him, but everything appeared in flashes. He gasped, and collapsed on the ground. He slowly looked up at the mare, his vision foggy. He growled, and tried to attack her, only to collapse.

"get up," the mare ordered. She touched her horn to his forehead, and made darkness sink into his skin. His eyes flashed black. A jolt of power surged through his veins. He looked up at the mare as he forced himself to stand. She flicked her hood back. She had metallic eyes, surrounded by a ring of black. Her white horn was entwined with black fragments, and her coat was deep black. Her silvery mane whistled in the wind, and a pair of folded Pegasus wings, silver and black, were visible under her cloak and saddle bag. The mare was an Alicorn.

her eyes bore into him, and seemed to read his mind. A small smile appeared in the corners of her lips.

"My name is Moon Rise. And I think you can help me with something."

o0)()(0o

Princess Cadence studied her city, and smiled. Watching her subjects always made her happy. She looked up at the horizon, where the magical barrier blocked the empire off from the cruel blizzard. Her eyes slowly narrowed as she continued staring blankly at it, anticipation slowly building inside her. Something felt... off. She sighed, and rolled her eyes. Cadence walked back inside. Then the ground seemed to lurch under her, and vibrate. Cadence whipped around to see the barrier send a ripple through the sky. Without thinking twice, she jumped over the balcony, and flew towards whatever was trying to get in. She narrowed her eyes as she made out two silhouettes.

"no..." she whispered as King Sombra became clear. He studied her, expressionless... And in front of him was a mare with piercing silver eyes that made Cadence feel small, and vulnerable.

"NAME YOURSELF!" Cadence shouted at the mare as she landed.

"Let us in," the mare ordered calmly.

"Who do you think you are-"

the mare spread her huge wings threateningly. Cadence took a sharp breath, as she registered the Alicorn in front of her. The mare smiled slowly.

"it doesn't matter who I think I am. Do you know who I am?" she hissed.

Cadence hesitated.

"Hurtful," the mare said, disappointed. Her horn seemed to spark as she summoned a huge blast of energy, and shot it at the dome that seemed to become more and more transparent with every blast.

"STOP! What do you want here?" Cadence demanded.

"actually, my dear princess... we want you," the mare answered.

Cadence took a step back.

"But, unfortunately, because you don't have the courtesy to let us in, and you're not stupid enough to step outside, this is how its going to play out," she added, and summoned dark magic. It blasted against the barrier, and turned to darkness. It bled into it the protective magic. The dark mare stepped through the barrier effortlessly. Cadence's eyes widened, and her heart started pounding inside her head. She turned around, and flew back to the castle, terrified.

"SOUND THE ALARM! EVERY ONE IS TO ACT AS HAPPY AS POSSIBLE! HAPPY AS POSSIBLE!" she shouted, and managed to sneak a look over her shoulder at the mare perusing her.

Cadence landed on the balcony, and slammed the door.

"SHINING ARMOR! SHINING ARMOR! WHERE ARE YOU?! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" she shouted, panicked.

Cadence needed to evacuate the subjects...

to what? the blizzard? they would all be killed, She realized. Tears formed in her eyes as she galloped down the hall way. Shining armor ran to meet her.

"Come on, we can ward them off, just a spell, just a little light spell," he suggested. She calmed her breathing, and began to summon the spell she had originally used against Sombra. She heard an explosion down the hall, and saw the mare. She set one last surge of energy into her horn, and cast the spell. The mare summoned darkness, and made it surround her and Sombra in a dark aura. The magic went around them.

the mare laughed at Cadence's shock. Cadence turned around, and broke into a Run, Shining Armor not far behind. Cadence lurched as she found herself frozen in place. Her heart pounded in her head as her eyes widened in terror. The mare turned her around, and summoned some dark magic. Cadence started to panic. She tried to summon magic, any magic to counter this spell, but nothing worked. The mare pressed the dark magic into Cadences forehead. She screamed as she felt it inside her. Her heart seemed to become heavier and heavier by the second. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt the darkness controlling her soul, her mind. Her vision seemed to shatter as she collapsed. She felt it pounding against her skull. She screamed, and gasped for air. Then it stopped. Her heart seemed like it was made of lead. The tears slowed. She took deep breaths to calm her breathing. She was in pain... But she felt powerful. Very powerful. A smile appeared in the corners of her lips. She looked up at the mare.

"Congratulations, princess." the mare whispered in her ear "You're one of us now."

(REVIEW! plz. Thnx, and i do read them, and adjust. REVIEW! ehem. Thnx.)

Cadence slowly stood. Power surged through her veins. A sick smile spread across her lips. She turned towards where Shining Armor stood, Frozen. He had the most terrified expression on his face that Cadence could imagine. Moon Rise released him. He fell on the floor, and looked up at Cadence. Tears formed in his eyes. Cadence laughed, and summoned darkness to her horn. She felt alive. And she loved it. She chuckled.

"Cadence... please..." he whispered. Cadence summoned darkness to her horn, her power growing by the second. Her vision became tainted black. She shot the darkness at Shining Armor. It wrapped around him, pinning him to to ground. Sombra watched, amused. Moon Rise studied the violence, unsatisfied. Shining Armor let go of a scream. He started gasping for air. Cadence chuckled, and threw him against the wall.
"Cadence! snap out of it!" he shouted at her desperately. she laughed, and summoned a huge surge of engergy to her horn. Moon Rise glanced at Sombra.

"run," she mouthed, and flashed herself out. Sombra took her warning, and melted into shadow. A huge explosion of darkness erupted from Cadence. a surge of adrenaline jolted through Cadences veins, as everything around her was destroyed. her wings became tinted black, and dark ribbons curled from her eyes.

o)0()0(o

Cadence gasped, and sat up. Her heart pounded inside her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she scanned her surroundings. She was in what was left of the castle. The many stories had been reduced to rubble, and the surrounding houses had been destroyed. it slowly sank in that it was her. it was all her. in the center of it all. the rest of the empire hadn't seemed to suffer as much... but there was no pony to be seen. she gasped between sobs, and looked around her terrified. She started trembling, and closed her eyes. Her ears pricked up as she heard someone behind her. She screamed, and shot a huge arc of darkness at them. It harmlessly dissolved against the Alicorn who had done this to her.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed at her. The mare continued towards her, expressionless. Cadence screamed at her, and made herself explode off the ground. she took flight, and shot more slices of darkness at the mare. they exploded against her coat, and consumed most of Cadence's vision with sparks, and black magic. Cadence gasped for air, as the fur on the back of her neck stood on end. she frantically scanned the darkness for any evidence that the mare had survived. Cadence took deep breaths to calm herself.

"I'm afraid that it will be a little harder than that to kill me," The mare said from behind Cadence. Cadence screamed again, and shot more darkness at her. the mare threw her hooves up, and curled it to her will. she shot it back at Cadence. it forced its way into her mind. Cadence screamed, and held her head as her vision flashed black. she flew away from the mare, tears reforming in her eyes, and streaming down her cheeks. The mare made darkness wrap around her, and pull her back.

"NO! Let go of me! let me go..." She trailed off into a sob as the mare positioned Cadence to face her.

"what do you want with me..." she asked, breaking into despair.

"we want your help. that is all," The mare promised her. Cadence slowly opened her eyes, and looked into the Mare's piercing irises. they flashed liquid silver. The metallic color slowly bled into Cadence's eyes.
"You are going to come with me. understood?" she asked. Cadence stared into the mare's eyes, mesmerized.

"understood..."

the mare slowly brought her down to the ground, and released her from her dark bonds.

Sombra slowly melted out of the shadows. he and Moon Rise exchanged a glance. Moon Rise smiled at him. he looked back at Cadence, reassured.

"Where do you wish to take me?" Cadence asked.
Moon Rise smiled, and Cast a spell on Cadence and Sombra. Their images flashed and disappeared.

Moon Rise was about to trance-port herself when a thought occurred to her. she looked at the ground under her, and flew up into the sky. Moon Rise shot darkness at the ground, and made it form the symbol she had painted on her flank. her horn began to glow an eerie light as she made it sink into the ground, tattooing it. Studying her work, she flew up higher. it was of a full moon, and trapped inside, a small black star.

Moon Rise found herself Next to Sombra and Cadence, in the castle of the two sisters. Sombra looked up at her, unamused.

"tell us... why, exactly did you take us to the biggest excuse of a dump you could muster?" Sombra asked. Moon Rise ignored his attitude. His magic would get weaker if she tried to disciplining him, and that was the last thing she needed.

"Because we're going after Princess Twilight next. The Princess spends a lot of time here, and we're setting up an ambush," Moon Rise answered. Sombra sighed, and made a black crystal patch one of the broke walls, not wanting a draft.

"I'm going to PonyVille. I'm taking over one of the elements, so that they will be inactive. Stay here, and don't stir up any trouble in the woods. If anyone notices, then our attack plans may be destroyed."

her horn began to glow as she made herself trance form into a greenish colored Unicorn. Getting used to her new and smaller form, she carefully trotted down the hall. Cadence and Sombra exchanged a glance. Cadence sighed.

"I'm guessing that you're still ticked about the crystal heart," she commented. He scoffed.

"You mean for blasting me into a billion pieces? No, were totally cool," he replied sarcastically. Cadence sat down, and sighed. Sombra snook a glance at her cutiemark. The once blue heart had turned black. He smiled a little, and sat down next to her. He sighed.

"I guess I'm sorry about making you stay up for weeks on end," he tried to get rid of the awkward silence. She raised an eyebrow.

"That's fine. I mean, it gave me a reason to ditch my husband for a ten day nap." she told him. He smiled.

"you don't like him?"he asked.

"well, I guess I didn't really see it earlier, but hes just so... ugh. Like, remember when I got the crystal heart right before you could grab it, well he grabbed me, his half dead wife, and shot me in the air. and then when i had been impersonated by a demon named Chrysalis, he didn't even notice until she had already trapped me in some ancient mines, and taken over his mind. he doesn't even do anything." she complained.

"wow," is all he could muster.

He sighed and lay down on the ground, studying the book shelves. His eye caught on a small lever on the wall. His eyes moved up to a plaque on the wall. It had faded, but he could make out the word... Stella. He frowned, and walked over to it. Cadence stood, and followed him. He cautiously pulled the lever. The book shelves started to flip, and stopped halfway. Cadence followed him into the room. He made his horn glow a reddish light. Cadence took in the room. she looked behind him, and spotted a strange statue of an Alicorn.

she read the engraving, and frowned. deaths remorse.

Sombra spotted a book that was laying on a table, left open. He picked it up, and started reading it, intrigued. Cadence looked over his shoulder, and frowned. She read over the enchantment.

The pain inside of growing hate

to the point where your heart shall be set aflame

the smoke shall rise,and cloud your mind

your old self shall be left behind

turning you into the monster you were meant to be

no force on earth could set you free

death may be the only escape

to turn you back, and reverse your fate

Sombra narrowed his eyes, and set it on the table. He read the spine, and stiffened.

"Who wrote it?" Cadence asked.

"Take a guess," he told her.

"Nightmare moon?" she asked. He shook his head.

"She... probably cast it on herself... that would explain a lot... but, no. It wasn't her."

"who?" she asked.

"I'll give you a hint. Princess."

"Celestia?" Cadence asked, liking the idea of the princess of the light writing a spell like that.

"princess Stella," he answered.

"Who?"

"one of the two Alicorns that came before Celestia and Luna." he explained.

"moon rise..." she realized. "so... she turned herself into a monster." Cadence managed.

"Yes. And she passed the curse down to Luna." he answered.

"Wow..." Cadence sighed, and leaned against a wall. She cursed, and recoiled. A loose nail had scraped her. She summoned darkness, and sealed the wound. Sombra continued reading over the books, looking for something interesting. probably about dark magic. Cadence looked back at the book, and started flipping through the pages. she found a picture of Moon Rise, holding a small orb with what looked like a Pony trapped inside. Cadence, squinted, and looked back at the picture. it was an Alicorn with bluish fur and a star on her flank. she looked down at some writing scribbled across the bottom.

princess Stella. trapped forever in her own mind

Sombra placed a book back on the shelf, and left the room. Cadence took one last glance at the book, and followed him. she looked back at the plaque on the wall.

Stella. Princess of the night.

(ps, please review. i'm still getting used 2 writing in 3rd person, and i realize that my writing might be suckish in more than one place. thnx. review. review! REVIEW!)

Moon Rise trotted down the road in her new unicorn form. unfortunately, her cutie mark had stayed the same. a star inside a full moon. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. her eyes caught on a bright pink pony with extremely curly hair was bouncing down the road toward her. Moon Rise studied her cautiously. The pony was about to bounce by her, when she froze in her tracks, and skidded back in front of Moon Rise. They stared at each other. The pony gasped.

"I don't know you, which means that you must be new here, which means that you probably don't have any friends, and no friends means no fun, and no fun means..." The pony told her in a rushed voice, and dragged her down the street. Moon Rise rolled her eyes, and decided to go with it. if she caused any trouble, some pony might start to suspect her. The pony stopped in front of a tree house.

"Oh, Twi-light!"she sung.

Moon Rise stiffened.

Twilight... she thought, and slowly smiled. The Alicorn opened the door.

Moon Rise studied her. she checked the streets, and narrowed her eyes. she wanted to do this as secretly as possible. ponyville was home to powerful magic, and she didn't want it to notice her.

"Pinkie... I don't have time for this! Celestia needs me to go help find Princess Cadence! I still need to pack, i don't even have a check list ready, and if I wait too long then Cadence may be lost forever!" Twilight told her. Pinkie pouted. Twilight looked slowly at the Unicorn in front of her. she scanned her eyes, and slowly looked down at her Cutie Mark.

she noted the symbol, and frowned. Princess Luna had described a similar mark being left as a message by Cadence's captor.

it must be a coincidence... maybe... Twilight thought.

"I like your Cutie Mark... what does it symbolize?" Twilight asked.

"Star Gazing," Moon Rise lied quite blatantly, and adjusted her flank away from Twilight.

the princess frowned, and narrowed her eyes. Twilight slowly dismissed this, and sighed. whatever Cadences captor wanted, she would probably attack head on. She was certianly powerful enough not to have too much to fear, and she hadn't stayed in the shadows before.

"Well nice to meet you. feel free to come over any time." Twilight said politely, and closed the door.

"Don't worry, I'll introduce you to Apple Jack! Shes really nice, and the element of honesty! Awesome! not to mention she almost always has time to meet people, so long as you can help her in the orchard afterward! Come on!" Pinkie shouted, exited.

a small smile appeared in the corners of Moon Rises lips. This was going to be easy.

Apple Jack reared up, and kicked the tree. the apples toppled from the tree, and fell in her baskets. her eyes narrowed as she spotted a rotten one. it left a bitter taste in her mouth as she picked it up by the stem, and tossed it to the side.

"APPLE JACK!"

Apple Jack turned towards the noise. she squinted, and made out Pinkie in the distance. leaving her baskets, she walked up to meet her.

"APPLE JACK!" Pinkie shouted at her.

"What is it?" AJ asked, in her deep accent.

"I want you to meet someone! AJ, this is..." Pinkie trailed off, and realized that she didn't know the mare's name. She pouted, embarrassed.

"Rose petal," Moon Rise lied. Apple Jack raised an eyebrow.

"You sure bout that?" she asked.

"yes." Moon Rise pressed. She glared into Apple Jacks eyes.

They flashed silver. Apple Jack started to sway. she shook her head, and looked back up at Moon Rise, slightly light headed.

"okay, then. If you're interested, I could use a little help in this here orchard," AJ suggested. Apple Jack looked back at Pinkie.

"Uh... didn't you say that the Cakes needed you to help them with their kid's birthdays?" she reminded her.

"they sure did!" Pinkie replied. She blinked.

"I WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH THE BIRTHDAYS!" she shouted, and disappeared up the road in a flash of pink.

Moon Rise rolled her eyes, and followed Apple Jack back down to the orchard. When she was sure that no-one was watching, she shot a beam of darkness at AJ. It hit next to her. Apple Jack whipped around, and narrowed her eyes at Moon Rise who was summoning more darkness. Apple Jack charged at Moon Rise, who turned into smoke as AJ pounced on her. Apple Jack tumbled on the grass.

"What the-"

Moon Rise reformed in front of her, and touched her horn to Apple Jacks forehead.

Apple Jack backed up, and started running the other direction.

Moon Rise made darkness wrap around her ankle, and trip her. She approached her, letting her disguise fade.

Apple Jack's eyes widened.

Moon Rise made more darkness pin her down.

"what in the hay are you?!" Apple Jack demanded. Moon Rise smiled.

"You'll find out soon enough. Trust me." she whispered. She pressed darkness into Apple Jacks head. Apple Jack let go of a scream as the darkness began weaving itself in and out of her mind. Tears streamed down her cheeks. she heard voices whispering in her ears. that scared her. that really scared her. her vision flashed black, and seemed to zoom in and out. black flashes started appearing in Apple Jack's vision. she started sobbing, and screamed in between gasps. Moon Rise looked down at her, mercilessly. Cadence had gone crazy because she was an Alicorn, so luckily Moon Rise wouldn't have to worry about that. Moon Rise felt someone watching her. she turned around to see a small pink haired filly with a huge bow in her hair watching Moon Rise. Moon Rise cursed, and made more darkness pin Apple Jack to the ground. the Fillie's eyes widened as Moon Rise galloped towards her, her horn illuminating magic. The filie desperately ran in the other direction. Moon Rise made the filie off the ground. the filie gasped, and clawed at the ground as Moon Rise dragged her back in front of her. she glared in her eyes. they flashed silver. Moon Rise didn't bother trying to force darkness into her. most likely, it would kill her. instead, she glared into her eyes. they flashed silver.

"you... didn't... see... anything," she whispered. the filie groaned, and passed out because of the magic overload. Moon Rise left her there, and looked back at Apple Jack, still sobbing. She walked back to the terrified mare, and lowered her mouth to Apple Jacks ear.

"lead Twilight to the castle of the two sisters. Understood?" she asked. Apple Jack slowly stopped fighting the magic. Her eyes flashed black, and a small smile appeared in the corners of her mouth.

"understood..." she answered. Moon Rise smiled, and let go of her. She turned back into her unicorn form, and walked back up the path. The princess of light had been turned dark. And the elements of harmony... were useless.

Cadence summoned a blast of black magic, and shot it in the air. She made it dissolve, and did it again, trying to entertain herself. Sombra was busy reading, trying to learn more and more black magic. Cadence's ears pricked up as she heard hoof steps coming down the hall. She turned, and stood as Moon Rise entered the room.
"Where's Sombra?" Moon Rise asked.

"Upstairs. oh... and... um..." Cadence tried to decide whether or not to tell Moon Rise about her and Sombra's discovery.

"Yes." Moon Rise asked evenly.

"Nothing. Sombra should be in the upper loft Library,"Cadence told her. Moon Rise studied Cadence. she didn't exactly trust Cadence, but she trusted her magic that forced her to stay loyal to her. She decided that whatever it was, it couldn't be important. The mare walked up the stairs. Cadence bit her lip, and sat back down. She looked back up at the Plaque above the book shelf, and rapped her hoof against the ground. the image of Moon Rise holding the orb with the small Alicorn trapped inside flashed before her eyes. She stood to follow Moon Rise, when she heard her coming back down the stairs, with Sombra behind her.

"I managed to take over Apple Jack. Twilight should be arriving shortly. Stand still," Moon Rise ordered. Cadence and Sombra stiffened. Moon Rise cast a spell on each of them. They flickered, and turned invisible. She did the same enchantment on herself, and closed her eyes as the world became foggy, and seemingly unreal. A small smile appeared in the corners of her mouth. Now all she had to do was wait. And let her prey come to her.

Apple Jack walked down the road, towards Twilight's house. Her eyes scanned the area nervously, waiting to see if anyone would realize something was wrong. She took a deep breath, and continued down the path. She stared at the ground, and started to become slightly dizzy. Apple Jack stopped dead in her tracks, and narrowed her eyes. Moon Rise's words echoed in her mind. she held back a scream, and collapsed to her knees as the image of the mare's silver eyes flashed before her vision. she snapped her eyes open, and stood. Mrs. Cherrily stopped next to her.

"Are you okay, Apple Jack?" she asked. Apple Jack ignored her, and continued down the road. Mrs. Cherrily frowned, and looked back at Apple Jack, concerned. she sighed, and continued down the path. Apple Jack could clearly see Twilight's library in the distance now. she sped up her pace, and approached the giant tree. Apple Jack held up her hoof to knock, but thought better of it. she was overwhelmed in a huge wave of pain. she cringed, and grit her teeth. dark spots appeared in her vision. she gasped, and looked back at the door. Apple Jack knocked. Spike opened it.

"Hi AJ! Twilight's kinda busy..." Apple Jack brushed past him, and walked inside. She made her way downstairs to see Twilight writing a letter, with her saddle bags packed.

"Hey, Twi." Apple Jack said as she walked downstairs. Twilight jumped,and turned to face her.

"AJ! Sorry, you scared me. I need to leave for the crystal empire soon, but what is it?" she asked.

"I was just thinking that maybe you should check out the castle of the two sisters for info." she told her more harshly than she had meant it to come out.

Twilight looked up at her, slightly startled.

don't do it... please don't do it... Apple Jack thought desperately. another huge arc of pain hit her. she felt like her scull was being crushed. she bit her lip, and screwed her eyes shut. Twilight frowned.

"You okay?" she asked.

"yes." Apple Jack snapped, and took a hasty breath.

"So... are you going to the castle?" she asked.

"Believe me, I would love to, but, like I said I need to leave for the crystal empire soon. Luna's been ruling there in Cadence's absence, and I need to go there to find out if there might be something specific Cadence left behind that might point towards where she went." Twilight explained.

"Uh... but the castle might have some information about the pony who took her...you should really check it out." Apple Jack pressed.

"No, I cant Luna needs me to help her-"

"So you think your smarter than Luna, huh?" Apple Jack asked, desperate.

"No, I don't, but she cant solve this on her own-"

"so you think that she's stupid,"

"No! That's not what I meant-"

"Sure sounds like what you meant. What if you go there, you're uninformed, unprepared,so you cant find anything useful, even though the key to it all was right under your nose the whole time, and you just couldn't recognize it, because you had no idea about who took her in the first place, so she's lost forever, because you didn't know." Apple Jack said, and pointed at Twilight.

"Well I know that Sombra was with the mare-"

"And do you know who the mare is? Hmm? Cause I don't think you do." she continued. Twilight looked at the ground, and sat down.

"I guess I don't know who took her. the witnesses said that she was an Alicorn with silvery hair, and eyes... and … thats all i know." she said.

she narrowed her eyes.

"Not to mention that they said Cadences magic had turned black... but... I don''t know what it means."

"SPIKE!" she shouted. The baby dragon appeared in the doorway, and walked down the stairs.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I need to send a letter to Princess Luna. Tell her that my arrival at the crystal empire will be delayed, because I will be busy doing some research towards the case. Signed, Twilight Sparkle." she said. Spike rolled up the letter, and blew his green fire on it. Twilight piked up an empty saddle bag, and walked outside. Apple Jack followed her.

"You want me to go with you?" she offered.

"Thats okay. I know that you have more work to do in the orchard, and I don't want to stop you." she told her. Apple Jack nodded, and slowed to a stop behind her. She wondered what exactly the mare wanted with Twilight. And what she had planned for her.

(review. plz. if you like it, the by all means, please tell me so, and keep reading! XD! and if you hate it, again, let me know! set the bar for your expectations, and tell me any problems you might have with it so that I can adjust it for you, and future readers. plz. i love you guys, but please review.)

Sombra did not appreciate being turned invisible.

It made it hard to see, and he found that he could not summon magic. Which left him without reading as an option, and practicing magic was not currently possible. This left him bored out of his mind.

He paced back and forth, in and out of the shadows, waiting desperately for something to happen.

Sombra thought he heard something outside, and stiffened. Nothing happened.

He groaned, and looked up at the ceiling.

His ears pricked up as he heard hinges creak to his side. He turned to see Twilight. Just as Moon Rise had promised.
"wait for my signal," she said inside his head. He wasn't sure how to return this message, so he simply waited. Twilight scanned the room, as it she felt that something was off. Her eyes fixed on the large crystal that Sombra had used to patch the wall. Her eyes widened. She was about to turn around to run when Moon Rise revealed herself in front of Twilight. Twilight gasped, and growled at her.

"Where... is... Cadence?" she asked.

Moon Rise laughed. She undid the invisibility spell on Sombra and Cadence. Moon Rise shot a spark of darkness into the air, above Twilight, and Exchanged a glance with Sombra. He laughed, thrilled to finally have something to do. Twilight spotted Cadence, and started running towards her. Sombra summoned black crystals, and shot them at Twilight. She gasped as one snagged her coat, but she kept running.

"Cadence! CADENCE! Run! Get out of here!" Twilight shouted. Cadence stayed, and looked twilight up and down. She smiled, and shot a beam of darkness at her. It exploded in front of Twilight, and stunned her. Cadence slowly walked back towards Twilight, a smile growing on her face. Twilight registered that the whites of her eyes had turned green. Twilight took a step back, putting the pieces together. Sombra charged towards Twilight, his smile growing wider.

"Dont... kill... her." Moon Rise ordered slowly. Sombra hesitated. He growled, and instead, made a huge black crystal shoot out of the ground, and pin her to the wall by her wing. Twilight gasped, and tried to break free. In desperation, she screamed, and kicked off against the crystal. Feathers were torn from her wing, as she tumbled to the floor. Moon Rise made darkness wrap around her, and pin her to the ground. Twilight shouted in frustration, and summoned a huge blast of white magic. The darkness was destroyed. Twilight sprinted towards one of the stained glass windows. Moon Rise growled, frustrated, and ran after her. Twilight jumped, and crashed through the window. She tried to fly, but couldn't catch the wind because of her damaged wing. She gasped, and started plummeting down the side of the castle. Moon Rise jumped through the window, after her, followed by Cadence. Sombra looked down at them, and made a crystal shoot up out of the ground. it pinned Twilight to the wall, almost crushing her. Sombra made black crystal stairs wind down the side of the castle. He galloped down them, and stopped in front of Twilight who was currently having trouble breathing. Moon Rise slowly approached her. Twilight teleported herself out from under the crystal, and into the edge of the Ever Free Forest. she turned to see Moon Rise in temporary confusion, and started sprinting in the opposite direction. Her wing stung, but it felt mildly annoying compared to the terror surging through her veins.

She didn't dare slow down, afraid what would happen if she did. Slowly, the woods seemed to become more familiar. She stopped at the edge of Pony Ville, and spotted Apple Jack's orchard. A thought occurred to her. The crease between her eyebrows tightened as she realized in terror what had happened to Apple Jack. She remembered the green unicorn that Pinkie pie had tried to introduce to her. Pinkie would have gone to Apple Jack next...

Twilight sprinted towards her friends apple ranch. She didn't dare think about what would happen if she failed to bring her back. She thundered past Big Mac and Granny Smith. She stopped by Apple Bloom, out of breath.

"Apple... Jack... where is... she?" Twilight asked her.

"Last I saw, she was in her room. I think she's sick r' something." Apple Bloom answered.

"Thank you," Twilight told her, and sprinted towards the house. She opened the door, and ran up the stairs.

"APPLE JACK! Apple Jack!" Twilight shouted, and opened the door to her room. Like Apple Bloom had promised, there lay Apple Jack, staring off into space. Twilight waved her hoof in front of AJ's face. Apple Jack didn't react. Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof as tears formed in her eyes.

"wake up... please wake up..." she whispered. Apple Jack seemed oblivious to the fact that Twilight was even there.

"WAKE UP!" Twilight shouted, and shook her by the shoulders. She didn't move. tears formed in Twilight's eyes, and streamed down her cheeks. She tried to summon a light spell, and press it into Apple Jack's forehead, but as soon as the magic made contact with Apple Jack, darkness began to bleed into it. Twilight Screamed in frustration, and killed the magic on her horn. She hugged Apple Jack, and started sobbing over her.

"wake up... please... please..." she whispered. Her eyes narrowed as in idea formed in her head. She stood up, and backed away from Apple Jack. Twilight took a deep breath, and tried to press magic into her head again. Darkness bled into it like it had earlier. Instead of pushing the darkness away, she started forcing it out of Apple Jack's system by taking it into her own. Dark spots started appearing in her vision. Her knees collapsed under her as she pulled the last of it out of Apple Jack. Twilight Stared at the ground, and started panting as she tried to keep the darkness out of her mind. In desperation, she summoned white magic, and tried to destroy it. But as she cast the spell... darkness bled into the magic. Her eyes widened. Apple Jack began to stir. She groaned, and sat up. She rubbed her head. Twilight Came into focus. She quickly killed the magic on her horn. Apple Jack's eyes snapped wide open as she remembered what had happened. She backed away from Twilight, and toppled off the other side of her bed. She screamed, and gripped herself. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. She gasped between sobs, and curled into a ball. Twilight slowly walked around the bed, and sat down next to Apple Jack. She tried to wrap her good wing around Apple Jack comfortingly, but she backed away, and pushed Twilight back.

"I'm sorry Twi... I'm so sorry..." she trailed off into a sob.

"It's okay... it's all going to be okay..." Twilight tried to comport her. Apple Jack wiped the tears off of one of her cheeks, and shook her head.

"No. it ain't, is it?" she asked.

Twilight swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Apple Jack stood up, and leaned against the wall.

Apple Jack wiped off her tears, and took deep breaths to slow her heart beat. she gripped herself, and pinched the bridge of her nose between her hoofs to slow her tears. she slowly looked at Twilight's injured wing

"I reckon you got in a fight with that freak," Apple Jack guessed, and nodded towards her bloody feathers.

"Oh... yeah." Twilight answered, and raised the crooked wing.

"where do you reckon she's right about now?" Apple Jack asked, and pulled some bandage out of a small first aid kit from her saddle bag, hung up on the wall.

"I... don't know..." Twilight trailed off. Her eyes widened, realizing that she might have put Apple Jack and her family in danger.

"She must be looking for me, though... god, we need to get out of here!" Twilight said urgently, and tried to pull away from Apple Jack as she bandaged up her wing. Apple Jack tied off the bandage, and nodded, understandingly. The earth under them seemed to rumble. Apple Jack and Twilight turned to look out the window to see a huge explosion go off in the distance.

"What in the hay was that?" Apple Jack asked. Twilight squinted, and made out two figures Circling each-other in the sky, above the explosion. Her eyes widened.

"Spike!" she shouted, and galloped down the stairs. Apple Jack took one last glance at the explosion, and followed Twilight down the stairs. Twilight sprinted down the road, towards the destruction, running as fast as she could. She started to tremble as her fears were confirmed that they had blown up the Library.

"SPIKE! Spike!" She shouted as she sprinted towards the wreckage. She scanned what was left of her home desperately. Tears streamed down her eyes. Slowly, they turned to hatred. She screamed, and shot a huge blast of magic at Moon Rise, but as it left her horn, it turned to darkness. Moon Rise made it curl around her. She shot it back down at Twilight, pinning her to the ground. Twilight growled, and forced it to let her go. Moon Rise went into temporary shock. She growled, and dove towards Twilight, darkness shooting her forward like a bullet. But before Moon Rise could reach her, something rammed into her side. She gasped, and was violently thrown off course. She looked to see the bright blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail.

"Get out a here!" Rainbow shouted, and kicked at Moon Rise, but before her hoof could hit her, Moon Rise made darkness wrap around her ankle, and throw her to the side like a rag doll. She slammed into the ground. Apple Jack ran to go see if she was all right. Twilight Braced herself as Moon Rise shot more darkness at her. She dogged to the side, and started running towards her. Then a black crystal shot out of the ground at her in an attempt to knock her out. Instead, she bounced off it, and shot darkness back at Moon Rise. She growled as it continued to have no effect. She landed on all four hooves, and desperately tried to summon her normal pink magic. It didn't work. Twilight growled, and shot more darkness at the mare.

"Stop right there!"

Twilight never thought she'd be so relieved to see Rarity trotting up the road, followed by Pinkie Pie Carrying a terrified Flutter Shy. Rarity pulled out a box, and opened it to reveal the elements of harmony.

"Lucky for you, I took them so that I could make replica necklaces for my next line!" Rarity said happily.

"You took them?!" Twilight shouted.

"Well, I knew you would say no," she defended herself. Twilight groaned, and used her magic to pick them up. Cadence and Sombra exchanged a glance, and started running for the box. Moon Rise, on the other hand looked from the element of magic to Twilight. A small smile appeared in the corners of her lips. Apple Jack helped Rainbow limp over as Twilight hastily passed around the elements. Rarity used her magic, and made Sombra and Cadence Levitate off the ground long enough to throw them back, against the ground. Twilight Finished putting on her friend's Necklaces, and placed her crown on her head. Cadence Made darkness swirl around her, and Sombra summoned tons of black crystal. Moon Rise had given them one order. Do not kill the princess. The others would not be so lucky. Twilight and her friends started to levitate off the ground. The others found themselves surrounded by a white aura, but Twilight's was black. The typical rainbow surrounded them, but the once purple streak had turned black. The rainbow split into three parts, shooting at Cadence, Sombra, and Moon Rise. Cadence and Sombra screamed, as the Elements threw them back, slamming them against houses. Moon Rise on the other hand laughed, and made the darkness in the single streak bleed into the others. The darkness curled off her harmlessly. Her smile slowly faded as she looked down at Sombra and Cadence. She narrowed her eyes, and made them flash out. Apparently, she didn't like the idea of losing what she had worked for, because she flashed herself out with them. She would be back, but this battle was over. The elements aura slowly faded, and the six ponies landed on the ground. They looked at her expectantly.

"Dearie, would you mind explaining what just happened to your element?" Rarity asked, and pointed at Twilight's crown. Twilight sighed, and collapsed to her knees.

"Earlier, Moon Rise had taken over Apple Jack. She looked like she was dying, and I didn't know what to do, and... I pulled the darkness out of her... and put it inside myself," Twilight said, and looked at the ground. Apple Jack looked at Twilight, and tears started forming in her eyes.

"why, Twilight?" she asked.

"I couldn't bare to see you die,"she said, and broke into a sob. The others didn't know how to react to that.

"Well, we are certainly glad that Apple Jack is alright, aren't we?" Rarity said. The others didn't respond. All they could think is that the element of magic had given up her light. And now, she might not be able to get it back.

(review, rate, plz. And, no Spike is not dead, I would never do that to him. But seriously review. Plz. Thnx.)

Moon Rise looked down at Cadence, worried. She had broken her leg, and gotten a major cut along her back. Moon Rise summoned magic, and forced it into her system. Cadence groaned, and rolled over on her side as her cut started stitching itself back together. Moon Rise glanced at Sombra, and pursed her lips. He had taken a major hit to his head, but his magic seemed to be healing him. Moon Rise narrowed her eyes as she stared at the ground. If the elements could still hurt them, despite Twilight, then she had a major problem. Friendship was more powerful than she had realized, and being gone for over ten thousand years, she didn't know much about the elements.

Well, it's time to learn. Moon Rise thought to herself. Spots danced before her vision as she began to shrink back to her small unicorn form. Her eyes narrowed as she held up one of her hoofs. They would recognize her. Her horn began to glow as she turned herself into a fillie. Her eyes slowly adjusted as she made out her cutie mark. Her ears pricked back in irritation. There was no way she could change it, it was tied to her soul... but maybe she could hide it...

her mark flashed and disappeared under her now pinkish skin. She took one last glance at Cadence and Sombra through the veil of purple hair that covered one of her eyes. Again, she had turned herself into a unicorn, otherwise it would be near impossible to turn herself back without magic. She trotted down the stairs, trying to get used to her smaller form. Ponyville may have been able to fight her off so far, but she would make sure that it would fall.

Apple Bloom stared at the sky, letting her thoughts wander. She cringed as her head started to sting, like someone had just poked her with a needle. That had been happening a lot since Apple Jack had gotten sick. She didn't have any other symptoms, so she doubted she had gotten the bug her sister had.

"Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle brought her back down to earth.

"what?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Recess is over. We need to go back to class," her friend told her.

Apple Bloom sighed, and stood up, following Sweetie Belle back inside. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end. Apple Bloom turned around, and scanned the area. She didn't see the small fillie perched on top of the hill, watching her.

Apple Bloom sighed, and walked inside. Mrs Cheerily started talking about the princesses, and the many roles that could be played in the government as Apple Bloom sat down. Apple Bloom stared at the board, not really listening. Her ears pricked up as she heard Diamond Tiara whisper something to Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom turned, and looked at the pair who started giggling about something. A lump formed in Apple Blooms stomach as she began to feel like it was about her. Diamond Tiara caught her eye, and smirked at her. Apple Bloom looked at the ground, and slowly turned back to the teacher. The door swung open. The class turned to look at the pink fillie that stood in the door.

"oh, May I help you?" Mrs Cheerily asked.

"May I join your class?" the fillie asked evenly.

"I... suppose... though you should really sign in at the office..." the teacher trailed off as she sat down in the back of the class. Diamond Tiara looked down at her flank, and exchanged a glance with Silver Spoon.

"Okay then... whats your name?" Mrs Cheerily asked.

"Peach Fuzz," Moon Rise said the most idiotic name that she could think of at the top of her head. She felt like slapping herself for saying a name so dumb, as she realized that thats what these ponies were going to be calling her for the rest of the day.

"what a lovely name! You can stay for the day to try out the class, but tomorrow you'll need to bring your parents to sign you in, and enroll you. Okay?" Mrs Cheerily told her.

"Wont be a problem," Moon Rise answered. Mrs Cheerily turned back to the board, and continued her lecture. Moon Rise slowly recognized the fillie she had had to enchant earlier. She looked Apple Bloom up and down. Slowly, she turned back to the board, pretending to be interested. Diamond Tiara smirked as she scanned Moon Rise. Insults started brewing in her mind as her smirk grew wider. She could barely wait to see the expression on 'Peach Fuzz's' face.

Moon Rise walked outside as the bell rang.

"Hey, Peach Fuzz!" She was greeted by Apple Bloom and two of her friends. Moon Rise studied the three carefully.

"Hello," She replied casually.

"My names Apple Bloom, this is Scoodaloo, and Sweetie Belle! Just figured that because you're new here, you might want to be friends!" Apple Bloom suggested. Moon Rise looked them up and down

"I think that that would be a good-" she was cut off by Diamond Tiara as she laughed behind them mockingly.

"Well, well, well. I can see that you no-talents finally found another Blank Flank!" she shouted. Apple Bloom and her friends seemed irritated by the comment, but Moon Rise stared back at Diamond Tiara, expressionless. This bothered Diamond Tiara, her insults always had an effect, especially if you had never witnessed them before.

"How does it feel to be the most talentless excuses for ponies in all of Pony Ville? Aw well, at least if the four of you get lonely Flutter Shy might be able to lend you one of her animals! Well, actually, she's too smart to expose them to you!"Diamond Tiara tried. Scoodaloo was about to try and make a comeback, but Moon Rise put her hoof in front of her to stop her. At this point, she would have preferred to rip off Diamond Tiara's head. But she had to keep a low profile, so she would have to resort to words.

"you believe that we're talentless, huh? Whereas your talent is... what? Sitting on peoples heads?" Moon Rise asked her. Diamond Tiara blinked. No pony had ever really tried making fun of her back. And it did not feel good. Silver Spoon came to her friends defense.

"No, you idiot, her talent is looking gorgeous! Something that obviously you never cared for!" Silver Spoon said smugly. Moon Rise slowly looked at Silver Spoon.

"Her talent is looking pretty?"

Moon Rise turned back to Diamond Tiara.

"So... what if I do this?"

Moon Rise used her magic to pick up some mud from a nearby puddle. Diamond Tiaras eyes widened as Moon Rise sprayed it over her.

"EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW!" she shouted.

"See? Now whose talentless?" Sweetie Bell chimed in. Diamond Tiara looked back up at Moon Rise, her anger growing by the second. Silver spoon tried to help her clean up, but Diamond Tiara shrugged her off.

"Why you... scum!" she shouted. Moon Rise raised an eyebrow, unfazed. Silver Spoon glared at Moon Rise, and opened her mouth to come up with another insult, but before she could say a thing, Moon Rise cut her off.

"I'm sorry for insulting you, but I simply couldn't resist. I mean, the only thing funnier than a piece of flatware, and a hair piece trying to insult you is a pissed piece of flatware and a hair piece trying to insult you," she told her. Silver Spoon Gasped.

"Oh... No... you... Didn't," Diamond Tiara hissed. Moon Rise laughed.

"You know, for a diamond, you're not very bright,"

Diamond Tiara scoffed.

"Brighter than Peach Fuzz!" She shouted. Moon Rise had to remind herself of her fake name before it made sense.

"Peach Fuzz is awesome! For your information!" Sweetie Bell Defended her. Moon Rise blinked.

"I think you might need a definition check, go get a dictionary! Come on, Silver Spoon, I think that I might be catching the blank flank flue!" Diamond Tiara Shouted, and started up the road, trying to look superior, despite her mud covered coat.

"And Don't come back!" Scoodaloo shouted after them.

Moon Rise would be sure to track them down once she took over Equestria. She sighed, and turned back to the group, to see them look like she was Celestia herself.

"You... are... my... hero," Sweetie Bell told her.

"welcome to the crusaders friend!" Apple Bloom congratulated her, and slung her arm over Moon Rises neck.

"Come on! We need to show you the club house!" Scoodaloo told her, and started sprinting down the road. Moon Rise sighed, and followed them.

"So, what do you like to do in your spare time?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"Magic," Moon Rise answered truthfully.

"Thats so cool! I'm not too good at magic... do you think you could show me something? Please?" she asked. Moon Rise weighed her options carefully. If she showed Sweetie Bell dark magic, she could easily corrupt her, along with Apple Bloom, who she knew was directly related to the elements.

"Yes," Moon Rise answered.

"Great!" Sweetie Bell squealed.

"Why doesn't Rarity show you magic?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Shes busy I guess... fashion, celebrity, that kind of stuff," Sweetie Bell answered.

"You have any siblings Peach Fuzz?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No," Moon Rise answered.

Not anymore. She thought.

"Okay... what are your parents like?"

"They're fine."

"What are their names?"

"Fire Flake, and Feather Dust," she answered blandly.

"what are they like?"

"They're fine,"

"Like... boring fine, or nice fine?"

"Nice fine,"

"okay..."

Apple Bloom bit her lip.

"Whats your favorite color?"

"Pink," she lied.

"Thats an okay color, I like blue, though," Sweetie Belle told her.

"Blue's nice," Moon Rise told her.

"So, do you have any ideas on what we should do next for our Cutie Marks?" Scoodaloo asked.

"Magic," she answered.

"Um... Were not all unicorns..." Scoodaloo pointed out.

"So? You can still do potions," Moon Rise told them. Scoodaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged a glance, exited. Moon Rise looked up as a small Tree House came into view.

"Come on! Were here!" Apple Bloom told her, and climbed up the stairs. Moon Rise followed them, and studied the club house.

"So... what ya think?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Its nice," Moon Rise replied.

"So... tell me, what do you know about the elements?" she asked.

"Ooh! Well, they've saved Equestria like a billion times! Like... they saved it from Nightmare moon, and Discord, and-"

Moon Rise cut her off.

"Discord?" she said the word like it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Oh, yeah, and then Flutter Shy reformed him, so he's good now." Scoodaloo told her. Moon Rise took deep breaths to calm herself.

"You okay Peach Fuzz?" Apple Bloom asked.

"yes!" Moon Rise snapped.

Apple Bloom frowned.

"What else do you know about them?" Moon Rise changed the subject.

"Oh, well, for one thing, the elements are inside themselves, so they don't really need those pretty necklaces... or... do they... anyway, so long as they have their friendship, they have their magic."

Scoodaloo continued. Moon Rise stared at the ground, and let her words sink in. she had been going about this all wrong.

She had been aiming for their minds. But should have been aiming, for their hearts.