Platinum Blade didn't know what to do. She hasn't received reply from Vanilla and with the news that Moonlight had disappeared, she didn't know where to go. Invade the castle and rescue Shield seemed like a good idea, but the lack of reply from the little princess warned her it could be a trap. On the other hoof, if she got back to Dragonia to look for Moonlight and something happened there... Besides, the eclipse was approaching and if she didn't return by then, all would be lost.

Then she heard something moving in the lollipops bushes nearby. Apparently she wasn't the only one who heard, since two of her warriors came immediately running to her side.

"I hate this place." One of them whispered. "Everything here smells like sugar, it's difficult to detect something."

She had to agree. It was possible to differentiate some sweets, but when it was all mixed, it was hard to even notice the normal ponies amidst all that sugar, much less the Candy Ponies.

But the sound of hooves approaching was clear. A Candy Pony apparently, for the slightest sound should be something very small.

She motioned for her soldiers. They would surround the intruder before it depart. It could be just a lost pony, but could also be a spy.

The three approached with caution, the boots made to muffle the sound of their hoofsteps hidding them. This time it was clear the movement in the bushes, it was when she stopped.

"No, come back! It's a trap!" Platinum warned.

Too late. A emerald-green beam of magic left the bushes and hit one of the guards turning it into stone. The other was attacked then, but being a Unicorn and already warned of the danger created a shield to protect himrself, then ran, Platinum flew behind him. Rays of magic went fast for them, their pursuer was fast, which only confirmed the theory that it was a candy-unicorn.

By the time they reached the camp, there was no sign of the unicorn. Platinum ordered an urgent gathering on needed suplies and they went back to the port.

She had to make a decision. Back to Dragonia would be the wiser, but it was her duty to protect Sweet Island the same way, she was given this mission directly from the queen, especially one of her soldiers had been captured in a mission. There was only one solution in that case.

"What are the orders, Sergeant?" Asked one pegasi.

"Go back to Dragonia. Any help to find Moonlight is required. If she escaped on her own and don't want to be found, the game of hide and seek will not be easy."

"But what about you, Madam?"

"An invasion and rescue mission requires cunning and speed, it's a task for a single pony. If I can come in and rescue Shield, escape will not be the problem."

"And if it's a trap?"

"So it's good they are prepared. It will not going to be easy to catch me."

"Well, ready girls?" Vanilla asked.

They were hidden not far from the castle, just waiting for the signal of their teammates.

"I still think it's a bad idea." Perppermint Swirl replied uncertainly.

"Don't be pessimistic, Pepper!" Blueberry protested. "They end up with our chances of success."

"Look upon the facts, girls. Our chances of success are one in a million! We're just three little fillys against an unicorn who transform ponies into stone, a bunch of mutant ponies, a mutant Dusky and we don't know who is the leader of all this, to invade the castle, find Vanilla's father and our friends and get out of there alive! It's impossible!"

"I know every room and secret passage on the castle and have the advantage of surprise element and two backpacks loaded with traps and tricks." Vanilla replied. "The chances of anything going wrong are minimal."

Pepper sighed. It was impossible to argue. There was just one last question.

"You're not scared?"

Vanilla's smile disappeared for a moment.

"Very. I know what we are risking if we lose. But one thing I have learned in Dragonia, is to maintain high confidence and face the challenges without giving in to fear. Fear is your enemy and enemies are to be conquered. You always told me how much Moon is bold, but she just hides her fears and face them."

"Well, then I can try." Pepper smiled.

Vanilla was hoping they weren't caught, but the truth was that the chances of it happening were very high. Luckily it was with Dusky they were dealing with. She hoped to use a bet with him if necessary. Was with the owner of the mysterious voice that worried her.

Also wished she could talk to her sister, but wasn't sure if Candy would believe her. She probably woudn't, but she wanted a chance to try before she had to resort to Pumpkin Bolt's trap.

Then the rain began to fall. Was lighter around the castle, but fell strong throughout the rest of Sweet Island except the canyon, desert, Taffy Swamp and Chocolate Hot Springs. In Hot Springs never even rained, in the desert and canyon the rains were rare and always chocolate rain, never a soda rain as that, and Taffy Swamp was spared for the trap. It was the sign that the battle for Sweet Island was beginning.

Sergeant Platinum Blade would never admit it, but for a moment she considered giving up. Dragon Ponies weren't really close to rain, didn't help when the rain was made of soda and she was wearing a full battle armor, much less to fly against the wind. She was already tired and the fact still has a little less than half the way to reach the castle wasn't very encouraging.

Although she wanted to have a "friendly" conversation with the pegasi who had chosen that moment to a storm like that, but the few she had seen flew so fast that she saw nothing more than colored lightnings in the sky. Trying to chase candy ponies in Sweet Island was almost as difficult as looking for Moonlight when she didn't want to be found. Of all the options she had, Platinum decided to invade the castle and rescue her brother-in-law would be the easier.

"I think I'll offer me for the personal guard of the royal family after that. Things are getting crazier and dangerous day with these field missions."

Vanilla led her friends to the exit of an evacuation tunnel. The outputs were all well camouflaged, but she knew how to find each one.

"Last chance to give up!" She announced.

"Don't tempt me." Pepper replied, passing through the opening, followed by Blueberry and Vanilla wordlessly entered then closing the trapdoor behind them and leaving them in the dark. "An unicorn here would be very useful." Pepper muttered. She hated being locked in the dark, especially when she could bump anytime with anypony who might want to kill her.

"I wanted Moon was here. But she isn't, so..." She and Blueberry and turned on the lights of their tricks's tanks. She took the lead and Blue staied behind, keeping an eye on anything suspicious.

But crossing the tunnel was quiet. Apparently the invaders didn't know about the secret passages. There seemed to be no passage at the end of the tunnel, but Vanilla knew all the secrets of that place and opened an exit for a corridor almost as dark as the tunnel which they had just left.

"We have to be careful from now. Blue, turn off the lights." The lights went out, leaving the three only in the light of one or two occasional torches.

"Blue, Pepper, you look down, I'll check up here. You know where is the exit if you need, don't wait for me."

"Vani, you can't go there alone!" Blueberry protested.

"I can and will. I already escaped them once and if needed I can do it again, but I'll avoid that. Both of you keep yourselves safe."

Saying this she ran away before her friends tried to protest. She didn't want to do it alone, but would go faster and have less chance of all three being caught.

Twice a group of guards passed by her way, but apart so, the entire floor looked deserted as it had always been. Vanilla hoped his friends were having more luck.

But they weren't. If Vanilla was finding the place empty, Blueberry and Peppermint found a pair of guards at every corner. Luckily, Blue had spent enough time with Pumpkin Bolt to know how to work around ponies when they went on their way. She discovered that the only ponies impossible to trick were the ones from Dragonia. She never wondered why, but now she knew.

"It will not work." Pepper murmured when they saw a group of guards guarding the door of a prison cell. "We will return and seek Vani!"

"No." Blue decided." If they are guarding there, we have to go check it. Vani is counting on us."

"But how?"

Blue looked around, then pushed her friend to an empty cell.

"If you hide here, I'll lure them away from the door, then you go." She pulled a small device from the side of the tricks' tank and started pushing buttons until she found what she was looking for. It seemed a key, carved from a candy cane piece. "Moonlight's master key. It should work. If not," She took some gum from the backpack and handed one to Pepper "we will have to appeal to them. Explode when they collide with something, then stay away."

"The noise will not attract the guards?"

"These seem to be the only ones. They'll be too busy if that happens. And take this." She handed a small bottle with blue liquid to Pepper. "As a precaution. Now it's showtime."

She stepped into the hallway and walked to where the guards could see her.

"Hey, bucketheads!" She shouted.

They looked at her but didn't move. She approached, they just put in a defensive position. She saw no other alternative, ran toward them, the four advanced to her, but at the last second she jumped over them and flew away, this time they followed her, also flying, which doesn't make things any easier. But Blueberry had a plan. She flew down a couple flights of stairs, leaving behind a cloud of smoke color pink, then a cloud of cotton candy. She finally reached an apparently no exit corridor, but she pulled the only torch on the wall opening and a passage to a tunnel and gaining safety. She just hoped that her friends had the same luck.

Peppermint Swirl waited until the hall fell silent again, then left her hiding place. Soon she, the most fearsome of the three... well, if it were to analyze, she stayed with the easy part.

She tried the key in the door and to her surprise it worked. She still thought Moonlight Shoot was crazy, but had to give a little credit to the younger filly. She had a knack for solving seemingly impossible situations in surprising ways.

She opened the door, then hesitated. Blue was right in thinking that was where they should be, was where King Candy was arrested, but... After hearing the story about Dusky... And if it was a trap?

She stepped inside and waited. Five seconds... ten seconds... If it was a trap, something would have already happened, right? And if not, how much time she lost more chances of the guards returning.

Taking what was to be the riskiest decision of her life, she ran to the king. He was alive, she noted with relief, but he was weak and senseless.

Pepper was getting desperate. Don't believe what they were getting into. She listened Vanilla tell stories that Moonlight had told her and believed that those things could never reach her there, but it was happening and she was scared, but she had to be strong for her friends.

She took the bottle in her sadlebag. Shee hoped it was what she thought it was. She hoped it would work. She didn't know how much time she had, but the silence still reigned there.

"Com'on Pepper, you can do it. Just keep calm." But her hooves trembled and she was really scared. Even so gathered all her strength not to hang there.

She wondered why Blueberry carried a bottle of medicine in her trick's sadlebag, but was glad she did, seemed to guess that was exactly what she needed.

"Please don't fail me now!" Pepper asked as she tried to give the medicine to the king. But it was something she knew was that her friends never would do to her. They wouldn't give her anything if it wasn't what she needed. She waited for a few seconds, wishing she wasn't caught there.

Then she heard a low murmur, King Candy was waking up. Pepper smiled, relieved when he looked at her.

"Pepper... Where is Vanilla?"

"She's fine. She'll met us out there. Can you stand up?"

"I think not. Dusky..."

"He came back and apparently aren't alone. We know." She helped him back to his hooves.

"No... Candy..."

"Vanilla know. We are doing our best."

"No. It's all a trap!"

"We are aware of this. But we also have our tricks. Now we have to get out of here before the guards appear. There's guards on the way. Any secret exit near here?"

"I guide, you watch out." He smiled at the young pony.