Two hours outside of the Crystal Empire

“You have got to be kidding me...” Darcy muttered with her arms crossed as she stared up at the giant dark cloud in front of her. Dressed in a black leather coat with fur lining, her hood was pulled over her head to keep the snow that was falling at bay. “You.. Are King Sombra..?” A dark laugh echoed around her which caused her to roll her eyes. “What are you going to do, frighten the ponies to death? Turn all of their crystals black? I don’t see why you’re even considered evil...”

“You dare to underestimate me, strange creature?” Sombra hissed before firing a bolt of darkness, turning the icy ground around her black.

“Oh I’m so scared... The ground is black.” Darcy sighed and shook her head. “Whatever, my master wishes for me to assist you in taking back this... Crystal Empire.”

“Yes, the old one told me that he would be sending an assistant. My dark presence already encompases the kingdom itself. A powerful presence approaches from the south at a high speed, we must retrieve the heart soon before that presence arrives and activates it. Once the heart is active, I will not be able to approach the empire at all.” Darcy nodded to Sombra before glancing in the direction of the empire, staring at the giant pink bubble that encompassed it.

“I may be able to get in there... But..” Darcy winced, placing a hand on her forehead as her eyes became distant for a second. “No... It’s not possible..” She muttered, shaking her head before turning her attention back towards Sombra. The dark king eyed her curiously with a raised eyebrow before taking his shadowy form once more.

“Let us be off... Creature. I will hold off the presence for as long as I can while you work on getting through that barrier.” Sombra turned, not allowing Darcy to even acknowledge his plan, and left to the southern train station.

“Right... And I’m supposed to be working with this guy. Why am I even bothering..?” Darcy pinched the bridge of her nose, grumbling before beginning her trek towards the empire in the distance.

The dark cloud, symbolizing Sombra's presence parted as Darcy reached the bubble encasing the city. Placing her hand upon the barrier, she mumbled quietly to herself. “Sombra made it sound like this was dangerous.” Applying pressure, the shield gave way under her hand. “And it would seem that it doesn’t affect me, like it does him... Oh how interesting...” She laughed quietly as she walked through the shield, amazed that the empire on the other side was completely lacking in snow.

Suddenly a male voice could be heard just a short distance away from where Darcy stood. Dashing forward, she hid behind a large crystal-like structure that jutted out of the ground. “My sister should be here soon with the rest of her friends to help us. I’ll be going out to meet them at the train station. Stand guard and make sure that the barrier is watched at all times.” Peering around the crystal, she saw one guard salute a white stallion with a blue mane who was wearing a black scarf and pulling goggles over his eyes. Saluting back, the blue maned stallion walked through the barrier and out of sight.

Darcy looked around, trying to find a way to get past the guard before finally getting an idea. Pulling her hood off, she shook her hair loose, causing her crimson strands to flow freely. “Now thats better... This place is a lot warmer than out there..” She glanced towards the barrier once more before turning her attention to the guard on the other side of the crystal.

Holding her hand in front of her, palm up, a purple tendril of magic slowly formed. Raising her hand, she flicked the tendril off of a finger, sending it shooting straight towards the guard. Once it hit him, it wormed underneath his fur and rested. Darcy patiently waited for the spell to take effect and after a moment, the guard began to become drowsy, eventually falling asleep on his hooves.

“Perfect..” Darcy muttered quietly, sneaking past the guard and stealthily trekked towards the giant crystal castle in the distance. As she walked through the streets and between buildings, Darcy watched as ponies with eyes as dull as their coats passed by seemingly depressed. “This is the place that is supposed to have the artifact that Master wants..?” Darcy approached the castle and looked up at it.

“Not much to look at thats for sure...” She looked around before spotting the entrance with two guards in front of it. Biting her lip, she surveyed the rest of the structure before finding a open window that was out of reach. Well out of reach for a pony anyway. Smirking she jumped up with her arms outstretched and climbed her way inside.

Canterlot City - Dark Alley

Drex snuck around another corner, being sure to keep out of sight of anyone. In the distance, the hospital that the Master said Stelma was being held in, stood tall. Overhead, Pegasi guards patrolled the sky. Looking around the alley, Drex spotted what he was looking for. Leaning up against one wall, three weak boards blocked a hole wide enough for him to squeeze through. As he approached them, reaching out to move one of the boards aside, someone behind him cleared their throat.

“You’re.. Drex, right?” The large man looked over his shoulder and watched as a white stallion approached him. Pulling back his collar, the stallion licked his lips and looked around. “The one who watches, sent me to assist you.” Drex pulled his hand away from the boards and stood up tall. Slowly walking around the stallion, the tall man folded his arms and looked him over.

“Are you able to cast magic..?” Drex asked quietly. The stallion quickly nodded, receiving a grunt from the man. “You may be of use then... Come with me.” Turning back towards the wooden boards, Drex easily pulled them away from the wall and stepped aside to allow the stallion through first.

The room was small, Drex had to crouch down low to fit himself inside of it. “T..This is about the mare that the Princess sent to the hospital, isn’t it..?” Drex looked over to the stallion, raising an eyebrow.

“A mare..?” The stallion nodded at Drex. Frowning, Drex turned and moved forward a few steps. In the floor of the small room was a trapdoor with some tape wrapped around it. “This goes to the hospital, right?” The stallion nodded once more, levitating the lid off. Sighing, Drex shook his head and hopped down through the hole and into a tunnel. A moment later, the white stallion hopped down after him.

“Let me make this clear... Once we get the... Mare.. We’ll use your magic to teleport us back to this room, understand? Once we’re back here, we’ll part ways, understand?” The pony walked past Drex and down one of the paths that branched off of the tunnel they were in.

“You won't hear any complaint from me...”

Canterlot Castle - Guest chambers

Josh sat at the desk in his room and stared at the phone. The caller ID on the call from last night read ‘Unknown Number’. “Theres no way thats even possible... How..” Josh ran a hand through his hair, completely confused. “I have to get up and do something, this sitting around is going to be the death of me...” A knock came from his door. As he glanced over, Dawn peeked inside.

“Breakfast is going to be in ten minutes, I’ll be escorting you there once again.” Josh nodded and stood up, placing his phone in his pocket before throwing his coat over his shoulders.

As Josh was walking towards the door of the room, the phone in his pocket began to vibrate again. Reaching into his pocket, he cautiously pulled out the phone. ‘Unknown Number’ lit up brightly on the screen. Raising the phone up to his ear, he pressed the answer button. “Hello..?” A moment later a click could be heard as Josh pulled the phone away and looked at it, confused. “How strange...” Peeking back into the room with an annoyed expression, Dawn motioned for Josh to hurry up.

“Yeah, I’m coming.” Putting the phone back into his pocket, he walked out of the room and followed Dawn towards the dining room.

As he entered the room, he half expected to find the two princesses and blueblood waiting. When he saw just Celestia and Luna he became confused. Raising an eyebrow, Josh walked over and sat down next to Luna.

“So... If you two don’t mind me asking.” Luna and Celestia turned their attention to Josh, nodding for him to continue. “Where is Prince Blueblood..?” Luna cleared her throat, glancing towards the doors of the dining room. When she was sure that no one would hear them, she sighed.

“Early this morning there were sightings of a tall bipedal figure, wandering the streets of Canterlot. When Blueblood heard it, he instantly left in search of him.”

“Huh... Well that is odd... Any idea as to why he would be so anxious to find this person?” Josh asked. Celestia and Luna’s eyes met for a split second before the Princess of the sun shook her head.

“We can’t say for certain, but I set one of my guards to shadow him and find out what is going on.” Josh nodded and looked over the selection of breakfast items in front of him. Deciding on some crepes he levitated a small plate of them in front of him and began to eat. After swallowing a bite, he then poured himself a small glass of orange juice.

“I see...” Josh tapped his fork onto his plate thoughtfully before looking up at Celestia. “Would it be okay if I helped with the search?” Celestia’s shook her head.

“Unfortunately I will be unable to allow that. The ponies here in Canterlot have yet to really become familiar with you. And to have you running around looking for someone that we aren’t even sure is there to begin with is definitely out of the question.” Luna nodded in agreement with her sister.

“Celestia is absolutely right, Josh. How about this.. I already took a nap after night court. So, what if I stay up a few more hours and help you with your magic training after breakfast?” Josh stared at his plate for a moment, lost in thought before looking up at Luna.

“Sure, I suppose we could do that.” The three continued to eat in silent for a brief period of time. After finishing his breakfast, Josh sat down his fork and scratched the back of his head. “Um... Princess Celestia. If it’s not too much to ask. Can I be kept up to date with the status on the search?”

“Of course. It is only natural that you’d be curious on the prospect of seeing another of your kind here.” Celestia said, giving Josh a small smile. Bowing his head in thanks, Josh looked back up at the Princess.

“That’s highly appreciated.” lifting up his glass, Josh stood up and stretched.

“I will be sure to come to retrieve you personally. I just have some things I would like to discuss with my sister. It shouldn’t take any longer than thirty minutes.” Luna said. Drinking the remainder of his juice, Josh sat his glass down and left the dining hall.

Dawn greeted him with a raised eyebrow as he shut the dining room door behind himself. Nodding towards the tan pony, Josh folded his arms across his chest and followed the mare back to his room. Thoughts of leaving the castle unannounced darted through his mind, only to be quickly dismissed. Like it or not, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Canterlot Castle - Dining Room

Luna picked at her breakfast as the door closed behind Josh. Sighing, she looked up at her sister. “Do you think the one in town is part of... Their group..?” Celestia shook her head, frowning.

“Theres no way of knowing until we actually try to use my magic on them. And even still, we will have another mentally dead pony on our hooves if that were to happen...” Celestia raised a hoof to her head, rubbing it.

“Well...” Luna began. “What if I were to check..?” Celestia looked up at her sister with a raised eyebrow. “You could teach me the mind reading spell, and I can check them for you.”

“That could work...” Celestia muttered, levitating her fork in front of her face, looking over the piece of her pancake that was skewered on top of it. Eventually, the Sun Princess brought the fork to her mouth and casually took the bite off of her fork. “Test the spell with Josh first... Make sure you do it before practicing magic with him. I want to know if he is under any influence before allowing him access to our spells.” Princess Luna nodded and finished her breakfast a moment later.

“I will be going now, sister. We shall speak again after I have had some time to talk with Josh.” Luna said.

Celestia nodded to her younger sister and watched as she slowly stood up and made her way out of the room.

The time spent waiting for Princess Luna passed relatively slowly. Josh stood and leaned over the desk in his room, staring at his airship schematics as he tried to get his mind off of the current goings on. Worry and concern played on his face as he thought about Twilight and the rest of his friends. He couldn’t help but feel like something bad was going to happen to them.

Sighing, Josh turned and walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside. As he looked around, he absentmindedly took his phone out of his pocket and glanced down to it. Flipping over to his music section, he skimmed through the selection before deciding on ‘DLZ’ by the band ‘TV on the Radio’.

Placing his phone on the desk, he walked over to the bed and laid down on it with his hands behind his head. “Please be safe, Twilight...” He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and just allowed the music to fill up the room. After a moment, Dawn pushed the door open and walked in, staring across the room at him on the bed.

“What is making that music..?” She asked curiously. Josh raised a hand and pointed it towards his desk, levitating his phone over to himself.

“This...” He raised the device and waved it in the air. “Do ponies not know how to knock?” Dawn’s face reddened as she glared at Josh.

“Well excuse me for trying to do my job and make sure that everything is fine.” Dawn stomped a hoof on the floor, snorting in annoyance. As she turned to walk out of the door, Princess Luna entered the room. “Oh! My apologies, Princess!” Dawn bowed low to Luna. “I’ll be out of the way immediately.” Glancing back at Josh for a brief moment, Dawn turned and immediately left the room.

Blinking, Luna turned and watched the day guard leave. “Well, she sure was ready to leave quickly.” Luna said quietly. Nodding, Josh turned the music off of his phone and slid the device into his pocket.

“Any news on the human seen in town?” Josh asked, gaining Luna’s attention. Shaking her head, the Princess sighed.

“No, and our shadow lost track of Prince Blueblood as well.” Josh raised an eyebrow.

“They just... Lost track of him..? How do you lose track of your Prince in a... You know what, nevermind.” Josh sighed and rubbed his forehead. “So um, were you up for practicing magic?” Luna smiled at Josh and walked over to him. Looking up at the princess, confused, he began to feel a tugging on his mind. “What are you doing, Luna..?”

“Just checking something, I have to be sure before we can practice magic freely.” Josh winced as a lance of pain shot through both of his hands for a moment, fading away as he quickly clenched them into fists.

“Well, what is it that you’re trying to check?” He asked, annoyance in his voice. Luna backed up a stepped and looked into Josh’s eyes, as if searching for something.

Muttering quietly, Luna placed a hoof to her chin, slowly sitting down as she stared at Josh. “Well, you seem clean. I don’t believe that you’re under the influence of that beast...” Offering him a small smile, she turned and headed out of the room. “So! Let us be off! We will be using my quarters to practice in since there are already wards there to keep anything from being damaged.” Josh blinked and shook his head, standing up he followed Luna out of the room.

As the two walked down the hallways of the castle; Josh noticed that the decorations changed from having tapestries with Celestia’s cutie mark on them to Luna’s cutie mark. “Ah, here we are!” Luna announced as she walked up to a large door with a crescent moon emblazoned on it. Josh walked up beside Luna and gently traced a finger along the depiction.

“I’m really liking this! I take it that this is the door to your room? Well you can keep the room, I’ll take the door!” Josh grinned as he faked trying to remove the door from it’s hinges. Luna looked at her bipedal friend with a raised eyebrow.

“I think I will keep my door, thank you very much.” Luna said, shaking her head. Josh smirked, giving the door another playful tug before pulling it open for her. Following her into the room, Josh shut the door behind them and looked around.

“Well... And here I thought the door was nice.” Josh muttered as he looked up. The whole ceiling was painted to look like the night sky. The specific stars that were dotted in actually had their own levels of brightness. The floor was covered in a plush dark blue carpet, and off to one side of the room sat the largest four poster bed that he had ever seen.

“Yeah... So do you want to trade rooms? You can have the guest room, I wouldn’t mind relaxing here.” Josh grinned as he walked across the room towards a pair of double doors that led out onto a grassy balcony. Opening the doors, he walked out and leaned up against the guardrail. “Yeah... I could get used to this.”

Luna walked towards one side of the room as she watched Josh. As the human turned around, she smirked and charged up her horn. Josh’s eyes widened as he watched her magic discharge and fire towards him. Throwing up his hand, he erected a small glowing green shield that shattered when the shadowy bolt of magic connected with it. Staggering backwards Josh placed a hand on his head, shaking it.

“Oh come on, you’re going to have to do better than that, friend.” Luna said as she charged her horn up once more and discharged it. Prepared this time, Josh dived off to one side while holding one hand palm up. A globe of spinning air formed above his hand as he concentrated. Spinning with Luna’s shot, he caught the shadow bolt inside of his orb of air and watched as it turned black. Luna raised an eyebrow as she saw her bolt get caught by Josh’s wind magic.

Holding the dark ball of air in front of him, he grinned as he peered into it. “What an interesting spell...” Pulling his arm back, he threw the ball towards Luna. Frowning, he stared at the orb as it slowly made it’s way across the room towards Luna. “Well that wasn’t supposed to happen...” Luna walked around the orb, surveying it.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. Your magic and my shadow bolt have completely melded together to form some... Slow moving sphere of darkness.” Luna said quietly, staring at the magic.

“I want to try something.” Josh said as he walked over beside the Princess. Holding up his hand, he pointed at the orb. On the tip of his finger, a small tendril of air shaped itself into a dart. After allowing a moment for it to stabilize. Josh flicked the dart which caused it to quickly shoot towards the sphere. Upon impact, the sphere of wind shattered; and the darkness that was inside the sphere, shot out the opposite side. Luna and Josh watched as the dark bolts dissipated upon hitting the walls of the room.

“Well... That happened.” Josh muttered as he formed another orb above his right hand. Raising his left hand up along side it, he channeled electricity through his fingers with which he then directed the bolts to join with the sphere of air. The same thing happened with the electricity that happened with the shadowbolt. Upon being sucked into the orb, the electricity inside caused the air bubble to glow a light blue. “You have to admit, Luna. This is definitely cool.”

Luna covered her face with a hoof, shaking her head. “Yes, Josh... It is... ‘cool’. Now shall we get back to your training?” Josh waved his hand, dissipating the electrically charged sphere into the air. “Now then.” Luna began once the crackling of energy had subsided. “We will have a mock magic duel to see where your skills are strongest. I will call out when to quit casting your magic. You will use your magic only and no physical contact. Do I make myself clear, Josh?”

Josh raised an eyebrow at Luna’s sudden change in attitude. After a moment he realized that she was trying to act more like a teacher rather than a friend. “Yeah, definitely.” Josh backed up a few paces and stood casually with his hands in his coat’s pockets. “Ready when you are, teach.” He said, grinning.

Luna’s eyes narrowed as her horn began to glow. Suddenly, the Princess fired off not just one, but three consecutive shadow bolts at Josh. Quickly pulling his hands out of his pockets, he threw them both up in front of him and summoned up a curved wall of air. Once the bolts hit the wall, they curved around Josh and dissipated behind him.

Smirking, Josh continued to hold up the wall with one hand as Luna continued her onslaught. Using his free hand he willed forth bolts of electricity to arc towards the Princess. As the electricity reached Luna, it came in contact with a dark blue shield formed entirely around her. Taking the shield of air, Josh continued to slowly curve it until Luna’s shadowbolts began to fly back and hit her own shield.

After a moment of being assaulted by her own spell, Luna quit firing the bolts at Josh. Smirking, she stomped one hoof into her carpet as her horn began to glow again and the shadows around the room slowly began to surround Josh. Glancing off to the side, Josh’s eyes widened as he watched the shadows in the room that had surrounded him, slowly begin to encase him in an orb.

“Oh no, that’s not going to fly here at all...” Josh muttered as he dropped his air shield and summoned up electricity in both of his hands. Arcing the bolts towards the floor, the light from them keeping the shadows at bay. Flicking the wrist of his left hand, the electricity changed into flames as Josh used the electricity to generate friction in the air. Once enough heat had been generated, flames quickly began to fly from both of his hands, surrounding him.
“Enough of that, back on the defensive with you!” Luna yelled as she charged up her horn and fired a barrage of shadowbolts towards Josh. Holding both hands in front of him, gouts of flames sprung up and created a wall of fire. As the shadowbolts hit the wall, they disintegrated on impact.

“Flame wave...” Josh muttered as he began to push the wall of fire in front of him, forcing the princess of the night to back up.

“Okay! Enough!” Luna shouted as she reared up and flapped her wings. Stomping on the ground, she let out a burst of dark magic which destroyed Josh’s flame wave and threw him across the room against the far wall. Once the magic had finally calmed down, Luna looked over to where Josh had been thrown.

Groaning, Josh slowly slid down the wall and onto the floor. “Dang, Princess... You sure can pack a punch when you want to...” He muttered as he placed a hand on his head. Luna sighed in relief once she had seen that Josh wasn’t injured.

Josh slowly raised off of the floor, holding his head. “Are you alright, Josh?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, just peachy.” He groaned. Taking a deep breath, he stretched, his back popping as he did so. “Ah.. There we go. Definitely going to feel that waking up tomorrow though.” The Princess watched him, curiously as he slowly got back to his feet. “Okay, so... Round two?” He asked as he began bouncing on the balls of his feet, sparks buzzing across his fingertips.

“Actually, we may have another bout in just a moment. I would like to see if it’s possible for you to learn one of my spells.” Luna said as she walked across the room and opened up a bookcase. “This one may take a bit of practice, but if you can learn it, you should definitely be capable of getting out of most dire situations. If you have enemies after you, it would be best if you were to learn it.”

Josh walked across the room and stood by the Princess as she browsed the bookcase. “Huzzah!” She shouted as she levitated a book off of the shelf. Raising it up to her face, she blew the dust off of it. “Oh we.. I mean I, haven’t seen this book in quite some time! Actually, I believe the last time I saw this one was... About a thousand and thirty six years ago.” Josh coughed, waving his hand in front of himself to clear the dust in the air.

“Wow... Quite a long time then huh? How is it that this book is still even around? Shouldn’t it of been turned to dust by now?” Luna looked up from the spellbook over to Josh and grinned.

“Magic! There is a spell that we place on books that makes them immune to the wear and tear of time.” Luna said, smiling as she turned and walked over to her bed with the book floating behind her.

“Unfortunately it doesn’t make it immune to dust...” Josh muttered, coughing once more as he followed Luna. “So, I take it you want me to read that?” Luna looked over at Josh with a grin, shaking her head.

“Not just read, my student, I want you to memorize it.” Josh blinked and looked over at the book. From what he could tell, the thing had to of been at least a couple hundred pages long.

“M..Memorize it? I’ve had trouble memorizing index cards for tests in school! There is no way in... Well theres no way I can memorize that.” Josh backed up a step, causing Luna to laugh lightly.

“Well you don’t have to memorize it all now, though I’m sure Twilight Sparkle will help you with that.” She said, winking at Josh, causing him to look at her confused. Flipping open the book, she skimmed the table of contents before flipping it open to a page titled ‘Shadow Jumping’. Passing the book over to Josh, she patted the bed beside her with a hoof. “Go on, sit down and read. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask. We.. I will be more than happy to answer any question you have about it.”

Josh looked down at the book in his hands and like in high school, a strange crawling sensation ran down his spine. “I remember now why I never studied anything... I can feel a wave of boredom coming along with a side of drowsiness.” Luna blinked and then rolled her eyes.

“I am going to take a nap. If you have any questions just wake me up.” Luna said as she climbed up onto the bed and laid down. Josh looked over to Luna who had her back to him. Blinking, he slid off of the bed and onto the floor and leaned his back up against the bed.

“Well, if I’m going to do this, better do it right...” He muttered to himself as he placed the book on the ground in front of him and began to read.

‘Shadow Teleportation, or Umbrageous Teleportation is one darkness manipulation technique that allows the caster to teleport via shadows/darkness, merge into shadows/darkness and appearing anywhere else from the same element. Only the highest level of unicorns have been able to completely master this spell.’

Josh stared at the text for a moment before sitting up straight. “Seriously..?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey, Luna. You’re not asleep yet, are you?” Luna groaned and turned over, looking at Josh with half-lidded eyes.

“What is it? Do you have a question for us..?” Luna asked drowsily. Josh sighed and shook his head.

“Luna... Do you really expect me to learn this..? Shadow teleportation?” He asked. Luna quickly sat up and levitated the book out of Josh’s hands and skimmed the page that he was on. Shaking her head, Luna’s cheeks darkened a bit as she quickly turned the pages over to one titled ‘Shadow Cloning’. Levitating the book back over to Josh, she laid back down.

“If you have anymore questions, just ask...” She said sleepily. Josh took the book out of Luna’s magical grasp and sat it back down in front of himself.

‘Shadow Cloning, or Umbrakinetic Cloning is a darkness manipulation technique that allows the caster to create copies of themselves using darkness. Since the spell caster’s copies are created with darkness, when they’re destroyed they will leave behind a temporary fog that will blind anypony standing inside of it. This spell is considered one of the intermediate spells within the element of shadow.’

As Josh continued to read, he drummed his fingers on the ground. Groaning, he rolled onto his back and held the book above his head, only to regret it and roll back over, rubbing dust from his eyes. “Dammit...” Sighing, he set the book aside and sat up. “I don’t understand any of this at all... Is it even possible for me to learn it..?”

Josh glanced off to his side and balled his right hand into a fist as it became engulfed in green light. Focusing on a nearby shadow, he watched as the darkness wavered and slowly raised itself off of the floor. A moment later, the accumulated shadows became unstable and dissipated into the air. Dropping his hand, he allowed the magic to fade away, breathing heavily as a bead of sweat ran down his neck.

“Yeah… This seems like progress…” He muttered as he turned his attention back to the book and began re-reading the instructions once more.

Canterlot City - City Hospital

Drex leaned up against one wall and peered around the corner. The hall had a nurse that was walking between a few rooms, glancing at her clipboard as she did so. “I’ll take care of her…” The stallion said from behind Drex and walked out into the open.

Walking up to the nurse, he cleared his throat loudly to get her attention. As she turned to face him, she gasped and dropped the clipboard that she had levitated in front of her. “Oh! Prince! I didn’t know that we were supposed to be expecting you today? Is there anything I can do for you?”

Blueblood looked down at the Nurse with a raised eyebrow. “I’m here on orders from my Aunt, Princess Celestia. Which room is the mare that was brought in here a couple days ago staying in?” The nurse levitated the clipboard back up and nervously flipped through the documents on it.

“S..She is staying in room B306, just down that hallway.” She said as she raised a hoof and pointed down a side hallway. “Would you like me to show you, my Prince?” The nurse asked with a bow. Blueblood snorted in annoyance and shook his head.

“No, I believe I can find my way. Do you believe you can get me a glass of water though and bring it to me at her room?” The nurse’s eyes widened as she bowed once more.

“Of course, Prince! I’ll get it right away.” She said, turning around and heading down one side hall. Once she was out of sight, Blueblood turned and quickly made his way back over to Drex.

“I know where she is.” He said quietly, receiving a nod from the large man.

“Lead on then..” Drex muttered, following Blueblood as the pony turned and followed the directions that the nurse gave him. As the two approached the hallway, they peered around the corner before quickly pulling away. Placing a hand on Blueblood’s shoulder, Drex glared at the white stallion. “There are three guards in front of that door… How do you expect that we get around them, huh?” The Prince shrugged Drex’s hand off of his shoulder, glaring at him.

“Leave that to me…” Blueblood walked out and into the hallway. At the far end stood the room and three guards blocking it. A Unicorn, Pegasus and Earth Pony. As the Prince approached the three of them, the Earth Pony stepped forward.

“What is your business here, Prince?” He asked, his voice neutral.

“I would ask that you step aside, commoner. I am here on official business from my Aunt and need to speak with the mare that is inside this room.” The three looked to each other before the Earth Pony nodded to the other two.

“I cannot allow that without official paperwork from her majesty. If you can get the paperwork and bring it back, we will see about allowing you through then.” The Prince’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“I did not bring the forms with me, can you let it slip this time?” Blueblood asked, a hint of a growl in his voice. Once more the guard shook his head. “No matter then… I always have a second plan…” His horn began to glow as he quickly shot a sleep spell at the three guards. As the spell came in contact with them, it dissipated. “B..But how?” Blueblood asked, stuttering.

“We shall chalk that up as assault. Not even a Prince is exempt from the law. Prince Blueblood you are under arrest for assaulting a guard.” The Earth Pony guard said as the unicorn approached Blueblood and levitated a magic cancelling ring out of his bag. “You will get your chance to explain when we bring you before the Princess.”

As Drex watched the goings on, his eye twitched. “If you want something done right…” He muttered darkly as he pulled his great-axe off of his back. As the large man approached the three guards and Blueblood, the group turned their attention to him.

“W...What are you…?” The earth pony guard asked as he quickly unsheathed his sword, holding the hilt in his mouth. Prince Blueblood took a step back from the guards, smirking as he watched Drex walk down the hallway. The Pegasus turned their attention to the unicorn, panic in it’s eyes.

“Go and inform the Princess that we have a problem at the hospital, as she suspected we might.” The Unicorn cleared his throat and nodded, quickly teleporting away. The sound of the Earth Pony guard attacking the large man rang in his ears before his vision refocused and he was in the throne room of the castle.

Crystal Empire - The Crystal Palace Throne Room

Darcy stood behind the throne and watched as Twilight Sparkle used a dark magic spell on the crystal that was situated above the throne. As the spell hit the crystal, a shadow fell across the floor and revealed a secret stairwell that she had missed upon her first search through the room.

“That pony’s magic is… Incredibly potent.” Darcy muttered, her eyes wide in awe. After a moment, Twilight began to make her way down the staircase, leaving Spike at the top. Darcy continued to watch for a few minutes, quickly becoming bored of the situation she was in, she stood up and prepared to cast a sleep spell on the dragon. As she raised her hand to cast the spell, Spike began to make his way down the staircase.

Raising an eyebrow, Darcy slowly made her way out from behind the throne and walked over to the top of the staircase. “What is down there…” She muttered quietly as she watched Twilight and Spike enter a door at the bottom of the staircase. “I have to get down there..” Quickly making her way down the stairs, she followed the two through the doorway, only to have it quickly shut behind her.

“Oh great… More stairs…” She muttered as she began to climb.

“What if this… Is just more of his magic..?” Spike said. “He makes a door that goes to your worst nightmare, why not a staircase that goes on forever?” Darcy’s eyes widened as she heard the young dragon’s question from a few floors below. A few moments later, Twilight spoke up.

“Here, hold onto me.” The sound of magic could be heard as Darcy peered over the edge and watched with wonder as the lavender unicorn levitated Spike onto her back. After a moment, Twilight began to cast a spell on herself. Glowing in a purple magical light, the unicorn and dragon levitated into the air and then flipped upside down, sticking to the surface of the bottom of the next floor up.

“Wow… A gravity manipulation technique.” Darcy whispered quietly to herself as she watched the two slide out of sight. “I better pick up the pace if I want to keep up…” She began to run up the staircase three steps at a time. All of a sudden, right before she reached the top, a loud alarm began to blare. The tower shook as Darcy jumped up and out of the stairwell as it quickly sealed itself behind her.

Giant spikes made out of darkness encircled the center of the tower, trapping Twilight inside of it. Off to the side, the Crystal Heart laid near Spike who was trying to help Twilight out of the prison of spikes. The snap of magic filled the air as Twilight tried to teleport herself out of the prison, only to be pulled right back in by a dark force. “How could I of been so foolish…?” Twilight whispered quietly.

“Indeed, rushing in like that was quite… Stupid.” Darcy said as she walked over to the prison, running a finger down one of the crystals. Twilight and Spike’s attention quickly turned to the elf. “But either way, thank you for leading me here. It’s a shame that I can’t stay long, theres a certain dark king who wants this heart as much as I do..” She said as she walked over to the crystal heart.

“You can’t have it!” Spike yelled as he rushed over and picked up the heart off of the ground, backing up towards the edge.

“Spike! You have to get that heart to the faire to prevent King Sombra from getting here!” Twilight shouted from the prison. “Don’t let this person get it from you.” Darcy raised an eyebrow and glanced between the dragon and Twilight.

“You really think that you can keep me from claiming that heart? Oh you’re funny.” Flicking her wrist, Darcy called up a tendril of dark magic. Flicking it towards spike, it hit him in the chest before dissipating into thin air. Twilight smirked from behind the wall.

“Dragons have a high immunity to magic that they’re not attuned to.” Twilight said confidently as Spike reached the edge of the tower and looked down. A large crystalline structure branched out of the tower, allowing Spike to jump onto it and make his way towards the base of the tower. Darcy ran towards the edge and looked down, her brow furrowing in annoyance as she tried to come up with a way to retrieve the heart.

“And as for you.” Darcy glared and turned her attention to Twilight. “What do you want with the heart?”

The elf blinked for a moment, before letting out a haughty laugh. “Why, for the Master of course… His time approaches, and it is soon that he will be free from his imprisonment. Be sure to let your princesses know that, hmm?” Darcy walked towards the edge of the tower and looked down once again, only to take as step back as she watched Princess Cadence grab the heart out of the air with her magic and catch Spike onto her back.

“Once the heart is in place, you will be unable to set hoof here… Take word to your master that if he wants to set hoof in Equestria at all, he will have to get through the Elements of Harmony.” Twilight said with confidence as a bright light began to fill the region. A loud growling could be heard as King Sombra was destroyed by the light of the Crystal Heart.

The crystal prison shattered around Twilight as the lavender mare stared at Darcy, expecting her to be thrown out of the empire the same way that King Sombra was. The elf looked over her shoulder at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “W..Why aren’t you being thrown out?” Darcy rolled her eyes, shrugging as she turned her attention back out over the empire.

“Don’t ask me, I appear to be immune to your silly little love trinket’s magic.” Darcy said absently as she crossed her arms and walked towards the staircase that had opened back up. “I’m out of here, I need to go and report.”

As she watched the elf begin to walk away, Twilight used her magic to grab onto Darcy’s sleeve. “Wait, you. Princess Celestia will want to speak with you.” Darcy glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

“And what makes you think that I will want to speak with her. Now let me go, little pony, before someone gets hurt…” Darcy said dangerously, pulling her arm, trying to get out of Twilight’s grip.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You’re one of the Scions, aren’t you?” Darcy raised an eyebrow at Twilight’s question, turning her attention to the mare. “A tan earth pony with strange magic mentioned that there were seven of them. You’re one, right? That gives me more reason not to let you go.” Darcy’s eyes narrowed as an orb of violet energy began to gather in her hand.

“I’ll give you one last chance to let me go, pony… You won’t want to pass that chance by.” Darcy said darkly. Twilight took a step back, clearing her throat as she shook her head.

“I can’t do that… Please come quietly, I’d prefer not to fight.” Twilight said, receiving a laugh from Darcy.

“No.” Darcy said with a smirk, throwing the orb of magic towards the lavender mare, only to have it connect with a shield. Holding up her hands, two orbs of magic slowly formed and connected, taking the shape of a lance. Holding the dark weapon in her hands, Darcy dashed towards Twilight, thrusting the lance towards her. As the weapon came in contact with Twilight’s shield, a bright flash emitted from the top of the tower that they were standing on, knocking Darcy back a few feet.

“Twilight! What is going on here!?” Glancing off to the side, Twilight and Darcy watched as Spike, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence all appeared. The flash had been from a teleportation spell that Shining had used.

“Brother!” Twilight yelled as she quickly turned her attention back to Darcy, enveloping the woman in a violet aura, levitating her into the air. “This person is a danger to all of Equestria, we have to get her to Princess Celestia.” Darcy charged up a spell in her hands, shattering the hold that Twilight had her in, only to immediately become trapped in a bright pink bubble. Shining’s horn lit up for a brief moment as he channeled a large amount of energy into the shield to keep it stable.

Slamming one fist into the shield, Darcy grimaced, a hint of fear played across her face as she thought of what the Master would do if he knew that she’d been caught.

“This is the same type of shield I used to cover all of Canterlot during the changeling incident a few months ago. You’re not going to break out of it anytime soon, creature.” Shining said confidently as he turned back towards Twilight. Princess Cadence and Spike had already rushed over to her to check and see if she was alright. “Little sis, are you alright?” Twilight looked up at her brother, smiling.

“Yes, thank you, bbbff.” Shining returned the smile, ruffling Twilight’s mane with his hoof. “Now, big brother, we have to get her...” She pointed at Darcy with her hoof. “.. Over to Canterlot. Do you know what the fastest way would be?” Shining looked over at Darcy, glaring. The woman had been silent since his arrival, almost as if she had already given up. Having seen the same look in other prisoners in the past, he knew not to fall for any tricks that they may be up to.

“I can request a prison carriage to be flown up here and will personally see to it that she gets taken to Princess Celestia, Shining.” Cadence said, turning to her husband. “But I do have to ask, is there anything you know about it? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one of it’s kind before.” Twilight shifted on her hooves as Spike looked up at her expectantly.

“Spike and I may of run into a few others from the same group that she is a part of.” Twilight muttered, receiving a odd look from Darcy. “One by the name of Connor and the other, Stelma.” Darcy’s eyes widened upon hearing this. Deciding to stay silent, the elf sat on the ground and placed her head in her hands, sighing.

“They are known as the Seven Scions of Darkness…” Twilight continued, walking over to Spike. Sitting down, she wrapped a hoof around him and pulled the dragon close. “Princess Celestia has one of them in Canterlot. She..” Twilight looked over to Darcy. “.. Is another one of their group. I can only assume how dangerous they all are, and they keep hinting at some ‘Master’.” Cadence and Shining looked between each other before leaning down and nuzzling Twilight.

“We’ll be sure that she gets to Canterlot and Princess Celestia, Twiley. You can count on that.” Twilight looked up at the two and Smiled, nodding.

“Thank you, both of you.” Twilight said, standing back up on her hooves. “I know I can count on you two to do what’s right with her. In the meantime though, we have a Crystal Faire to attend.”

“You’ve got that right, little sis. Let me get the prison carriage that Cadence mentioned and then we’ll be right down.” Shining Armor teleported off of the castle tower leaving Twilight to wait with Cadence and Spike.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Twilight?” Cadence asked, looking at Twilight worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just glad this whole crystal heart business is over. Though since I didn’t actually bring the heart back myself, I’m afraid that Princess Celestia may fail me on my test…” Twilight said, looking at the floor, prodding it.

“Cheer up Twilight. I’m sure she will let you retake it!” Spike said cheerfully. “Besides, everything worked out in the end, right? King Sombra is gone, and we were able to capture another Scion.” Twilight smiled softly at the small dragon, nodding to him.

“You’re right, everything did work out… I just wonder what Josh is going to say when he hears that we found another Scion…” Twilight said quietly, receiving an odd look from Cadence in the process.

Canterlot Castle - Princess Luna’s quarters

Josh stood, staring at the black blob of shadow that had risen out of the floor. Walking around it, he frowned. “Well… Its getting easier the more I practice with it, thats for sure.” He muttered to himself as the darkness dissipated once more for the seventh time. A growling noise filled the room as Josh placed a hand on his stomach, frowning. “I don’t think I’m going to be getting anymore progress in today. Especially with you acting up…” He muttered, prodding his belly.

A series of loud knocks echoed through the room, waking up Princess Luna. Rolling over with a groan, the Night Princess pulled open the door with her magic, allowing one of her night guards into the room. “Yes, what is it?” She asked in annoyance.

“Your majesty, Princess Celestia requests that you meet her immediately in the throne room. It would seem that the Elements have returned with another… Guest. She also requests that you bring Josh along with you.” Princess Luna raised an eyebrow as she raised herself off of her bed and walked towards the door.

Smiling, Josh quickly walked over behind Princess Luna and followed her out of the room. “Hey, guard. The Elements, were they okay?” The guard glanced back at Josh for a moment, nodding.

“Yes, the Elements are just fine, if not a bit shaken up from the trip.” The guard said, neutrally. Josh shoved a hand into his coat’s pocket and used his other to run his fingers through his hair.
Suddenly a buzzing noise could be heard filling the hallway. Stopping for a moment, Josh pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. ‘Unknown Number’ lit up the screen. “I’m going to be a moment. I’m sure I can find the way..” He said absently, waiting for Princess Luna and the guard to get out of hearing range before pressing the answer button.

“Hello..?” Josh asked, a bit confused.

“Oh! It’s working! Josh my boy, it’s good to hear from you again. Listen, I have some important information for you.” A familiar voice echoed through the phone. Josh pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it.

“Connor..?” He muttered quietly, staring at the device.

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone, sorry that this one is a bit shorter than my previous chapters have been. But I hope you enjoy it all the same! Oh and someone please help me :x Crystalline would like me dead for these cliffhangers~ And I prefer very much to stay living. I'm quite allergic to death.

Please like the fic if you like it. Dislike if you don't (Though if you do dislike it, please leave an explanation in the comments as to why you don't like it.)

Editors note: Crystalline's been mind fcked again… Darn it Kyllier, you bastard!! .. Stupid Cliffhangers *mutters*