The dark cold wind pierced through the vision of Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom. Despite all the warnings that their sisters gave them they always found themselves in the Everfree Forest. Sweetie Belle lead them through the darkness of the forest, the twisted and gnarled forest. It always remained ominous and fear inducing every time they traversed its harsh terrain. Sweetie Belle lead the way, Applebloom to her right and Scootaloo on the left.

Scootaloo says in the darkness to Sweetie Belle,”Are you sure you saw them go this way? It seems we have been here before.”

Sweetie Belle looks around and they see the forest get deeper and boulders filled their path ahead. Sweetie Belle answers them,”Yes. I am pretty sure I saw them go this way.”

Despite her high pitched voice it held the silent tone of leadership. She was the sister to Rarity after all and she was very proud of that. She only hoped that the next couple years could make up for the last couple they spent constantly arguing about their parents and why Sweetie Belle always sided with their stepmother. Applebloom waves her hoof in front of Sweetie Belle and she snaps back into reality when she hears Applebloom say,”Hello? Equestria to Sweetie Belle.”

“Huh?”Sweetie Belle answered shaking her head. Applebloom raised an eyebrow and says in response,”Are yall okay? This is the second time this has happened ta you.”

Sweetie Belle nodded her head and said,”Yes I’m fine. Lets just keep moving.”

They move closer to the boulders that decorated the path ahead of them. As they moved past the ominous stones a dense mist began to form and they heard a disembodied voice call out to them,

Come. Come this way.

Scootaloo says nervously,”Did you hear that?”

Sweetie Belle stops moving and says,”What? I didn’t hear anything.”

Applebloom chuckled and said,”Scootaloo is just scared.”

“Am not. I just thought I heard something strange.”Scootaloo answers walking closer to Sweetie Belle. They continue to move on and they find themselves in a clearing and ahead of them is a large opening into the side of a hill and piles of stone outlined the entire circular clearing. Fear began to rise deep within Sweetie Belle as she said,”I think we are lost.”

They all hear the disembodied voice laugh evilly. They all dash to hold each other in their hooves each warming the other from the cold wind. They sat huddled together in fear and listened closely. The voice said,
No. Cutie Mark Crusaders. You are on the right track. You are not lost. However I will not lie, your sisters are nowhere to be seen.

Scootaloo was the first to answer. Unmoving from their huddled position she said,”Who...who are...who are you?”

The voice responded,
I am a friend. Believe it or not, I am here to help you. It comes to my attention that you three are needing and wanting to find your special talents.

“How...how do you know ‘bout that?”Applebloom responded shivering in the pure amount of fear that emanated from the cave entrance. The only one that did not feel absolute full blown fear was Sweetie Belle. The voice responds,
I have similar powers to that of Princess Luna. I can read and see your thoughts as you dream. I have seen your dreams and know that you want to, more than life itself, know what your talents are. I am here before you for one question, do you want to know.

Silence ensued for quite some time. Under normal circumstances her sister would have come by now and told her what a bad sister she was and how she would be grounded from her friends for a week. And under normal circumstance she would not accept the help of a complete and total stranger, not to mention one that was not a physical pony you could see. All the while through this discussion she had a feeling welling up inside her. That something was going to go terribly wrong and they would pay for it.

But despite the consequences she would do anything to know her true destiny. She wanted to scream and plead ‘Yes!’ but she knew her friends were very fearful right now, and they were in no mood to talk. She was calm and collected for some reason she does not understand why. She looks back at her friends, Applebloom looked at the cave with large orange eyes. Her bright yellow coat was combed and her large pink bow was low however and so was her face. Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo who tried to keep a poker face and prove in front of her friends that she was not scared. But Sweetie Belle knew better and saw the fearful look in her bright violet eyes. Her dark violet mane and tail was some what uncombed and her contrasting dark orange coat was as well somewhat uncombed and un cared for.

Sweetie Belle turned her head facing towards her and she lowered her head. Not in fear or sadness but in curiousity. She said unmoving out loud,”But I thought you couldn’t get to see somepony’s cutie mark from magic. Twilight already tried this, what makes us think that you can do it?”

The disembodied voice said,
Because I am stronger than this Twilight. Who would you trust more? Twilight who is not even an Alicorn and said that. Or Me, who is very much an Alicorn and knows that I can give you more than just a look at your cutie mark. I can grant you them.

They all instantly look at each other and nodded their heads. Sweetie Belle spoke for the group and said,”Alright then, we graciously accept your offer.”

If there was a material pony he would probably have a crooked smile form the tone of his voice that answered,
Excellent. All you need to do is walk into this cave. And I will cast the spell. I have to do it individually however. Who’s first?

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle look at Applebloom and she did not want to start an argument because she was really hoping to go last, but she puffed in a breath of air and stepped closer to the entrance. She said,”Guess I’m first.”

Good. Just walk inside.

Applebloom crossed the threshold into the mist covered cave. It was so thick that she could barely see where she was going. She heard Scootaloo call out,”Good Luck Applebloom.”

She asked out loud as she went deeper into the cave,”So when will I have ma Cutie Mark?”

The voice answered,
You will have right now. Stop.

Applebloom stopped and waited for the voice to answer. He said,
Ah yes. I see a bright future ahead for you Applebloom. Very bright, but not free of hardships. How many years do you suppose your Granny Smith has left. Sad really, but your talent is very strange I was expecting it had something to do with apples, but it is not. You become an Alchemist, a masterful one too. Such great knowledge, lets grant you even more knowledge.

Applebloom looked and saw darkness slowly moving towards her and swirl around her. She expected some sort of pain going through her but nothing really happened. She did lose consciousness though and that was when the pain had started.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waited patiently outside the cave and were pacing back and forth. Scootaloo says,”How long does this have to take?”

Sweetie Belle sensed the aggravation in her tone and she said,”Be patient Scootaloo, these things take time.”

They then hear the voice say,
My. Such great wisdom in such a small filly. I would like for you to go last Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo, you’re next.

Scootaloo said as she started for the cave.”About time. Lets do this.”

Laughter could be heard in her head as she crossed the threshold into the dark mist covered cave. The voice said,
Such bravado. Such toughness. And yet you still keep a soft spot in your strong heart where your friends reside. Precious.

Scootaloo goes finds herself at a crossroads and instantly takes the one on the far left. She stops as there is a dead end and said,”Lets do this. Come on!”

The voice responded,
Much bravado. I can see why dear Rainbow Dash would choose you as an adopted sister. Or is she your real sister. Such things must be found out on their own. But you want to know what your talent is. Hm...oh...that is strange. Your talent resides in weather control.

Thunder clouds form around her and she expected for something to hurt. But during a flash of lightning her vision goes dark and she sees nothing.

And finally the leader of this little trio.

Even though she is the one that volunteered them for this, she was very hesitant. Sweetie Belle stopped at the threshold. The air in the cave was cold and pierced through her skin. Despite her hesitance her bright green eyes were stern and fierce. Slowly moving through the dense mist covered cave she looked around her.

The air was cold and damp, the walls wet from the icy water that dripped from the stone ceiling. She could tell just by looking at some of the spots on the walls and along the ground had rare gems, hidden beneath the stone hard ground.

The dense white mist did not clear or seem to move at all, just ominously filled the cavern halls. Eventually she found herself at a cross roads. Three tunnels dug into the thick stone walls, about a few years old. She still could not understand how she knew almost everything there is to know about mining and gems. But what was clear to her was the dark feelings she got from the tunnels. It was almost like she could sense something dark and threatening.

As she slowly walked down the tunnel straight ahead of her, the walls began to glow a dark red scarlet color. The dark voice echoed through the walls of her head,
Oh...I did not realize that you were his daughter. This...this changes everything…

Sweetie Belle slowed her pace even further almost to a stop and she answered the voice in her mind,”What does this change?”

I made it a personal goal of mine to destroy the Alicorns and their heritage. I see now that you can do more than kill to break a legacy.

She came back to reality as she noticed that there was a dead end in front of her. She turned to see that the way behind her was gone as well. She raced to all the four walls and bashed her hooves mercilessly against the glowing stone walls. She screamed,”Stop this! I don’t want to know anymore!”

The voice laughed evilly and said,
Why would I do such a thing? You have been crusading through Ponyville for ways for you to get your cutie mark. There is no turning back dear Sweetie Belle, you know more than anypony that you can’t dwell on the past. Tell me, have you even gotten over your parents deaths? They died before you were born, how can you possibly feel like this?

“Shut up...just shut up…”Sweetie Belle said choking back tears as she remembered the stories Rarity told her about their father. About how to their mother knew he was the strongest pony she knew. Not physically but she knew his heart was strong. Tears leaked down her cheeks and the voice continued,

I’m giving you what you have wanted for three years. Your destiny. You are destined for greatness, being a daughter of Uther this would not surprise me. You are destined to have more magic than Starswirl the Bearded.

She stopped crying and said,”Really? Stronger than him?”

Yes indeed. All you need to do is look in to the fires of our past.

She felt a darkness leave the room and in the middle of the cavern was a single bright golden brazier with a burning blue flame. The temperature rapidly raised and sweat dripped profusely down her head. She wiped her brow with her hoof and walked closer to the blue flame. The temperature dropped as she stepped closer to the brazier. She stood on the step and stared long into the flame waiting for something to happen.

For what seemed like an hour nothing happened and she went to leave when she felt her legs unable to be moved. Something kept her in place and kept her from moving. Nervously she jerked her body and started to wince but to no avail. The flame burned brighter and changed color into a blood red. She saw it dance closer to her chest and saw she was leaning in. Something else was controlling her actions. She saw the flame sprout up and shot through her chest like a javelin.

Piercing through body and soul the flames burned throughout her body. Slowly incinerating her insides. She began screaming in horrible pain. Nothing could be compared to this pain, nothing. She screamed and yelled for her sister,”Rarity!”

The flames spread fast throughout her body and began igniting her eyes. Then just as fast as the pain had come it began to subside and her face went absolutely calm. Her muscles began to loosen and not as tense. Her mind began to clear and she felt thoughts and memories being put into her mind. Dark secrets flooding in her mind. She felt her own body begin to grow larger. And the voice said,
I am a great many things but I am no liar. You and your two friends are to become my pawns in breaking my son. His rebellion will be crushed and I will succeed. You three will not longer be Cutie Mark Crusaders but Crusaders of Darkness.

My legacy will never die.

“Sweetie Belle...Sweetie Belle, wake up now.”

The voice was almost alien to her. She suspected that it was Applejack’s voice but it could not be, it was higher toned and more youthful. Both of the voices sounded of the same age though. Sweetie Belle strained her eyes as she opened them and could not believe what she saw. There stood both Scootaloo and Applebloom but they were older and taller. Their facial features the same as she remembered, just more aged and more beauteous. The more she looked at them the more and more she could not believe her eyes.

She looked closer. Applebloom had the same yellow coat and bright red licorice mane and tail. But on top of her head was a pink bow no longer, but a thick black leather brimmed hat. She as well wore long black leather boots on all four of her legs, nearly the length of her legs. A crimson red scarf wrapped around her neck.

Sweetie Belle then looked over at Scootaloo. Same orange coat and dark violet messy mane and tail but longer and her mane was combed back into a ponytail. She wore thick bronze armor that glinted in the moonlight and starlight. The bronze plates were made in a weird style as they were not straight but bent and curved in a V shape and fitted together. Chest piece, and the boots. She looked over next to Scootaloo and saw that there was a long wooden shaft sticking out of the ground. She suspected it to be a spear. She also looked again and saw that Scootaloo’s wings were larger and looked to actually hold her weight and another’s.

Sweetie Belle strained and ached as she stood up Applebloom helped her up and said,”Easy there. I just gave you some healing herbs, don’t be makin’ any quick movements now.”

Sweetie Belle stood up straight and said,”Healing Herbs? Since when do you know Alchemy let alone Herbalism?”

Her voice was like her own just older and less high pitched and less prone to cracking her voice. It sounded youthful and regal. She looked at Applebloom and she gave her a look of curiosity and said,”I...I don’t know...but we have our cutie marks now.”

Sweetie Belle looks at hers and notices that she was wearing a thin long dark red trench coat. And a white dress shirt with a dark green vest and a single fire ruby acting as a brooch at the collar of her dress shirt. She also felt a hood pulled down at her back. She moved the flap of her trench coat and saw that her cutie mark was a pentagram of some kind. Dark red, and the same color as the walls in the cave. And she also noticed that emblazoned on the trench coat where it covered her flank was her cutie mark just black and almost looked like it was singed on it. She felt a stinging pain on her chest and pulled the shirt to see what it was and saw the same pentagram just larger and burned on her skin.

She focused on the present and looked around her. They were at the same spot they were before at the mouth of the cave where they were before. She looks back at the cave and it no longer gave negative feelings, like whatever was bearing down on it was gone. She says closing her eyes,”I’m sorry you guys. I didn’t know this would happen.”

Scootaloo stepped forward and rested her hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder and said in a voice almost like Rainbow Dash but more gruff and tough,”What’s happened has happened. There’s nothing we do about it now. As long as we are together we can face whatever happens next.”

They then heard stomping of hooves and looked to see a pony made of pure shadows step above them. His eyes made of dark red magic energy. It looked to be an Alicorn covered in shadows and he said with the same dark voice that had entered their minds no more than a few minutes ago,”Yes. Alone you are strong but together you can face all of Equestria.”

Scootaloo had a bright gold and amber gem on her chest piece and it glowed golden energy and saw in disbelief the spear unsheathe itself and she got in a battle stance, ready to defend them at whatever the cost. The pony of darkness spread his Alicorn wings and floated down in front of them and said descending down,”My so defensive. I gave you this knowledge and power, would you so soon break it and kill the master of your abilities. Yes that’s right I shared with you my knowledge.”

“Of herbs and alchemy.”He said looking at Applebloom who had an aggravated face and as Sweetie Belle looks closer she notices that she too has a bright green gem on her scarf and it was glowing. The green aura was over two small hilts on her belts that she carried. Leather straps with various pouches and bottles with mysterious solutions in them. The pony of shadows drifts his gaze over to the battle ready Scootaloo and said,”Of martial skills and prowess.”

Scootaloo bore an expressionless face and said,”You tampered with our destinies. I for one am not proud of what you did. And I can tell Applebloom and Sweetie Belle feel the same.”

As the shadowed pony stepped closer to them they noticed he had no mouth to speak out of. Sweetie Belle felt her brand on her chest start to sting again and winced at the pain. The shadowed pony saw this and said,”And of course my magical knowledge. You three carry my knowledge of each of these. I would have expected you to be grateful of what I gave you.”

Sweetie Belle held one of her hooves over the brand and said,”Then…how come when you gave me mine, it hurt?”

“Because life does not come without pain and suffering. And what you felt in the cave was only a fraction of what I can truly do. Discord might be able to turn this world upside down, but I can alter time and space itself.”

His magic activated and they were lifted into the air, they looked and saw that they were surrounded by bright red spheres of magic. And almost like balloons the magical “strings” were connected to his horn and he said,”If you are to be ungrateful with the knowledge that I have given you, then you will be reborn in flames.”

They felt heat begin to rise through their bodies and they began feeling great pain running through their bodies. Like a million small needles rushing to their heads they felt their thoughts being stripped away from their minds and their vision blurry. But they saw a figure jump into sight.

Discord jumped in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and said holding up his staff at the ready to fight,”Release them, now!”

The shadowed pony said turning his attention to the Draconas in front of him. He said,”Well if it isn’t the God of Chaos and Strife himself. I have heard a great many tales about you. But there is one that has not been written yet. The tale of when he saved three pour mares from the darkest nightmare this world has ever seen. Now does that sound right to you?”

Discord snarled and he said,”You cannot fill my mind with your poisonous words Living Shadow. I am not easily manipulated. Release them or face me.”

Living Shadow thought for a moment and said,”I’ll take both.”

He released the Cutie Mark Crusaders and jumped at Discord. Discord knew that he was going to try and knock his staff out of his hands so he bashed Living Shadow in the face and he went skittering across the dirt floor. They were both gods in their own right so they were on an even playing field, each of them can inflict equal amounts of pain and blows. Living Shadow stood up and cracked his neck and turned to face Discord. Living Shadow’s magic began engulfing him in a red glow and from his horn shot a large red beam. Discord crossed his arms in front of his face and summoned a shield to block the blow and he dug his hoof and lizard claw in the dirt. He stood firm and absorbed the blow but he went sliding backwards. When the smoke cleared and the beam subsided Living Shadow saw Discord standing tall and firm.

He flipped his staff and smashed the bottom of the staff on the ground and erupting around Living Shadow was a swarm of dark thorny vines that gripped around all four hooves and he made these vines special. Once they planted their thorns in anypony they lost their ability to use magic. Living Shadow smiled and said,”You cannot kill me. No outsider can.”

Discord walked in front of him. Discord summoned his magic and a steel spike came out of the bottom end of the staff and he went to thrust Living Shadow through his chest but before he thrust it through his chest he said,”No, but I am still powerful. I might not be able to kill you, but I can give him more time.”

Discord thrust the spike through his chest and coming out of the wound was dark black liquid. Before his form disappeared he said,”Only to prolong the inevitable.”

Living Shadow deformed and he disappeared with an evil laugh. The spike sheathed itself back into his staff and he moved his staff in a semicircle trailing golden energy behind it and the thorns went back into the ground. He heard distantly about a few hundred miles away the flapping of wings and sensed the magic. It was Dracula’s magic no doubt, his father and him shared the same mind and no doubt he was coming to face him.

Discord looked back at the three mares and sighed heavily. He walked over to their unconscious forms and said to himself,”I have you three to thank for my release. Without you three I would have never have gotten this far and I would have never discovered what I am. I am the God of Chaos no longer, though I might use its magic I am now Discord God of Time. I no longer wish to inform Chaos into this world, only help keep the time stream flowing and not alter the future in a negative way.”

Discord could now sense magical disasters and anomalies. Time was ever relevant now and he needs to focus on not allowing Living Shadow to be brought into this world. And he needed the support to help stop him.