"How the hell did I end up in this mess?!" Kindle thought to herself as she galloped full stride through the Ever Free Forest. Dodging trees left and right as many of the dead leaves and trees burst into flame as she strode by them. Leaving a very clear trail of destruction behind her from her elemental magic.

"Don't let up! We need to put that pony down!" Shouted a male from further back that was trailing her with a group of Royal Guard.

Kindle kept running frantically through the woods as she could hear them getting closer. She knew she could take them all on and kill them easily, but she didn't even remember how she had ended up in the forest, and being chased by them in the first place. As she continued on she finally hit a clearing as she made her way through the field of high weeds. After a minute she noticed Midnight standing in the field looking to her with a sad expression. She came to a halt as she panted heavily from the nonstop sprint she had endured through the forest.

"Midnight, thank the maker. You've got to help me!?" She began but stopped as she was quickly levitated off the ground, a magic horn ring placed onto her horn to prevent her from using magic. She looked to Midnight in shock as he stand there, tears streaming down his face as his expression turned to that of pure rage. It was then that she looked to his side seeing the dead bodies of the Elements of harmony, Celestia, Luna, and many other ponies as well. She looked back to Midnight in horror as she spoke softly.

"Who..........did this?" She asked as tears began to stream from her face. They stopped however as she watched the dark Alicorns mane turn from its normal orange and red into a solid black licking flame that began to slowly envelope his entire body.

"You............... You were the one................ who took away everything............... everything I held dear................. everything I loved................... everything I have dreamed of................. and now your going to pay for this................ for the rest of your natural life I will torment you as you have tormented me byt taking away everything I had. Not even God himself will be able to save you now." He spoke as his horn lit up, a beam hitting Kindle and causing her to scream out in pain.

*GASP*

Kindle shot up in bed as she looked around the guest room she was in, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes darted around to see if she was alone or not. After a few seconds she gave a sobbing sigh as she pressed her hooves to her face in disbelief.

"It was all a dream........." She began to sob as she thought over what she had seen. The utter devastation that had been dealt to the world around her. The vast amount of deaths and pain that had been caused from a war that was yet to be. She continued sitting in her bed until a voice came from outside her room.

"Come on down for breakfast Kindle, it'll get cold if you wait any longer." Midnight shouted from halfway up the stairs.

"I'll.............. be down shortly." She spoke out nervously as she slowly pulled herself from the bed and began to brush her mane and tail out, casting several spells onto herself to refresh them.

After a few minutes had passed by, Kindle had made her way downstairs and into the kitchen to see a plate of food waiting for her. The others had already eaten and headed out for the day while Midnight was taking care of the dishes like he normally would when being a guest in the Apple families home.

"Bout time you woke up sleepy head." Midnight chuckled as his gaze never left the dishes he was washing.

"Yea, sorry about that. I didn't sleep well last night." She yawned as she took a seat and began to consume her breakfast.

"Didn't sleep well? That's odd. These are probably the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in next to a cloud bed." Midnight chuckled. "Care to talk about it?"

"I'd rather not." She began. "I.......... just had a nightmare is all." She sighed.

Midnight turned from the dishes to look at her expression of sadness. Taking the opportunity, he trotted over to her and gave her a loving hug, feeling her tense up at the hug for a moment before relaxing.

"I don't know what you dreamed, but if you aren't willing to talk about it, then I can't try my best to help you. Sometimes we all have bad dreams. Others, not so much. But if you ever need a pony to talk to, I'm here for you." He smiled down to her seeing her give a disheartened smile back.

"Even if.............." She trailed off for a moment shaking her head. "Never mind." She finished with a sigh as she pulled away from him.

"Hey now, if you want to talk then go ahead. I will try my best to help you out if I can." He smiled softly to her seeing her expression become a little more nervous.

"It's just that........... In my dream I saw a lot of death and destruction.............. I've never seen that before and it scarred me." She sighed as she closed her eyes tightly. "You were there as well............ but you weren't you. Your mane and tail were solid black and moving like it is now. Then you............ you............... hurt me." She finished as she pressed her hooves to her face as she began to cry softly.

Midnight stood there in slight shock from hearing this. Gently pulling the crimson unicorn into a hug and wrapping his wings around her lovingly.

"Kindle, it's ok. You don't have to worry......... It was just a dream afterall. Your safe here, so please don't think I would hurt you. You're my friend, and friends don't hurt each other." He smiled down to her as she moved her hooves from her eyes to look up at him. "There now." He smiled softly to her. "Don't ever worry yourself for any reason when it comes to me. I am your friend, and as your friend I will do anything within my power to help you." He smiled to her but stopped suddenly as she pressed up and forward to him, there lips meeting for just a moment before she pulled away and pressed her head gently to his chest as she spoke.

"Thank you..........." She sighed before pushing away gently and walking into the living room leaving a stunned Alicorn in her wake.

Midnight sat there quietly as his brain attempted to kick start itself once again. After a couple of minutes he shook himself back to reality as he made his way into the living room to see Kindle sitting very close to the fireplace.

"Kindle? Um........" He trailed off as he tried to think of the proper thing to say to her. "I'm not sure what to say, but I will say this. Regardless of what you feel, I will still be here for you if you need me. Maybe not as your stallion, but definitely as your friend." He smiled warmly to her as her began to get closer but stopped as the heat surrounding the crimson unicorn became unbearable to stand in due to the heat. He back peddled a bit before pressing forward once again only to stop as the heat began to burn his face and make him cough. He quickly used his magic to pull Kindle away from the fire and toward him but stopped as he pressed her forward again as the heat intensified around him.

"What the hell?!" He coughed for a moment as Kindle turned to him.

"Midnight, I don't want to lie anymore about this. Can we talk in private? Away from the farm?" She said as her horn lit up to cast her shield spell onto herself once again.

Midnight gave her a questioning look for a moment before nodding as his horn lit up and they vanished in a flash of light.

The two ponies reappeared in a wide open meadow on the farm. Snow covering the field far and wide as they stood facing each other. Kindle taking this moment to speak first.

"Midnight, I need to tell you something. I want you to know first off that you have been the best friend I have ever had for the short time that we have known each other, and I don't want that to change." She smiled nervously toward him.

"Kindle, you starting to freak me out. Why would I consider you anything but a friend? You've done nothing to cause me to think otherwise." He smiled to her for a moment, until he noticed a wide area of snow beginning to melt rather quickly around her.

"Midnight, I need to tell you something very important." She sighed.

"How important exactly?" he asked as he watched the snow finish melting in a ten foot radius of the crimson unicorn.

"The fate of Equestria and all those living in it important." She said with a more serious tone. "You remember my team correct?" She asked before seeing the Alicorn nod. "Please don't think that Samantha is part of this because she isn't. Her morals are very similar to yours from what I've seen, and she is innocent in all aspects." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Our project that we have been working on for some time now has to deal with several forbidden spells. These spells can turn anypony into an elemental, giving them full control of their specified element. The spells were being used in conjunction with an alchemical agent for some reason. But Steel never told us why it needed to be used. Glacia and Orion just recently accomplished their tasks in making the right mixtures needed for the spells. Steel allowed me to cast my spell without it though." She looked away from Midnight in fear as her horn lit up, releasing all of her guises and shields to show her new form.

"Kindle............... What? Why?................ Why is Steel using forbidden spells? And why did you join them?" He asked in shock as he gaze at the young elemental mare before him.

"Because she wanted power over those who wronged her in the past, and to take over this world with us." Screwball spoke up as Kindle was blasted with a beam of energy, causing her to scream out in pain before falling limply to the ground.

"KINDLE! AAAAHHHHHH!" Midnight shouted as he was suddenly blasted backwards, skidding through the snow to a stop as his horn lit up to encase him in a shield. He got to his hooves quickly as he saw a chromed covered pony lifting Kindle into the air and placing her onto his back.

"Stupid mare, you've ruined our tactical advantage. Now we're going to have to rush the rest of the project." Steel growled to her. "You're just lucky we found the right mixture to your spell shortly after you cast it on yourself." He snorted as a syringe floated out of a small portal and plunged into her backside, the contents being forced into her as she lay there unconscious.

"What are you doing to her?" Midnight shouted as he bolted forward, but was quickly knocked backwards by a large mallet that Screwball was holding. He skidded through the snow again as he flipped upright an onto his hooves. He flared his wings out as his mane grew a deeper red. "Release her and face me cowards!" He shouted to them. Steel stepping forward with a snarl but stopped as Screwball raised a hoof in front of him.

"In good time Alicorn. You will see us again, and soon." Screwball laughed as they disappeared.

Midnight began casting detection spells to try and track and locate them as he looked around, still on guard. After a minute he still had not located them and shouted out in frustration.

"FUCK!"

Using his magic he teleported into Ponyville, quickly making his way to the library as he thought.

"This is bad, REALLY BAD!"