The day had finally finished, the sun set, and everypony in bed. All except for Midnight who was looking at himself in the mirror. Zecora had cut a third of his mane off from the lower portion of his neck, moving away at a slant as it went higher onto his head. Although the top portion was still to long for it to stick up by itself, it swayed slightly back and forth. Not entirely standing up, but not falling completely down either. He gave a sigh before putting down the mirror.

"Guess it'll be just for the week as well. At least I helped out Zecora. She did say that an Alicorns mane before it turns ethereal holds an extremely potent magic. Almost pure magic at its base form. " He smirked looking his new haircut over one final time before heading back to the couch.

He gave a yawn as he began to climb onto the couch, nosing his way under the cover he blinked as he bumped into something. He focused still pressing his nose to whatever was in front of him, gasping as he pulled back. The cover flung back over a furiously blushing unicorn.

"Sweetiebelle?!" He croaked in surprise seeing her blushing face. "What are you doing on the couch again?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just cold, and lonely." She pouted pulling the cover around her.

"I thought we all discussed this." Midnight spoke remembering their talk the previous day before leaving the boutique.

"I know, but Rarity keeps turning the heat down and she still won't let me sleep with her." She pouted giving Midnight a pleading look.

"UGH! I swear, if Rarity jumps on me again over this I'm just going to tell her that you must have snuck onto the couch while I was asleep. That understood?" He said giving her a serious look.

Sweetiebelle nodded happily lifting the covers for Midnight to hop under them. Climbing up onto the couch reluctantly, her lay down getting comfortable. His head laying on a body pillow (snuggle pillow) so that Sweetie could also use it as one for herself. He gave a yawn pulling the regular pillow he used to sleep on into his embrace turning his back to Sweetiebelle. She snuggled up to his back. He tensed slightly feeling her breath on the back of his neck and shortened mane. He started to say something, but her warmth along with his made the couch feel all that more comfortable. He gave a yawn before his eyes slowly closed. his mind wandering to the threshold of the dreamworld.

Morning arrived within an instant for Midnight. He gave a yawn as he began to blink the sleep away from the nights rest. He took in another deep breath through his nose but stopped as something tickled his nose causing him to sneeze.

"That smells like lavender and honeydew." He thought to himself as his body began to wake as well, feeling something in his embrace. He snuggled what he thought was his body pillow closer, his wings already wrapped around what he was holding in his arms. He gave another yawn but stopped as he felt his body pillow move. He looked down quickly seeing Sweetiebelle looking up at him, her face flushing bright red, a sweet smile spread across her face. He slowly removed his grip from her as he began to withdraw.

"I'm sorryYYYY!" He squeaked out as Sweetiebelle pulled him back to her causing him to go rigid.

"Don't leave." She spoke softly pressing her face into his chest.

He relaxed a little wrapping his arms back around the filly, resting his head onto his pillow once again. He felt her sigh happily snuggling into him.

"Ain't they just the cutest thing." AJ spoke out causing the Sweetiebelle and Midnight to bolt upright. Fur and manes (and wings) extended to full attention as they looked at the giggling trio in front of them.

"I must say, even though he is to be my betrothed, seeing him as a colt cuddled up with my baby sister is rather cute." Rarity giggled holding a hoof in front of her slightly blushing face.

"Yea, the poor colt is wrapped around her hoof." RD smirked giving Sweetiebelle a nudge, only causing her to blush furiously.

"What. The. Hell?!" Midnight finally spurted out causing them to laugh. Sweetie ducked quietly under the covers wrapping herself in a cocoon to try and block out the world of embarrassment.

"Now now Midnight, That is hardly the language for a young colt to use." Rarity smirked, causing him to gawk at her.

"You have got to be shimmmmmMMMPH!" He began but was interrupted as a bar of soap found a spot in his mouth. He gagged for a moment before spitting it out.

"PLEGH! SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUUUuuuuuuu........." He stopped for a moment looking to the door seeing Pinkie Pie limping in splattered with blood.

Upon watching Midnights sudden freeze the others trained their attention onto the door seeing Pinkie, who quickly collapsed onto the floor.

"PINKIE! They all shouted in unison coming to her aid quickly. Upon examination, her mane had completely deflated. She had no visible wounds at all. But she was covered in large splotches of blood. The leg she was limping on seemed to be bruised and sprained. He face held the expression of terror as her tried to talk.

"Pinkie, what happened? Can you tell us?" Rainbow Dash asked lifting her up slightly and placing her head onto her lap.

"T-the Cakes............. I d-don't know what happened............" She began before her eyes went wide with horror. She snapped up holding RD at arms length. "The foals!? I forgot about them!?" She screamed as she bolted upright galloping out the door with a limp, only making a few steps before she hit the dirt hard with a slight pained yelp. She pulled her foreleg up to her chest giving a hiss as she took in a breath.

"I don't know whats going on, but Rarity, you stay here with Sweetiebelle. Lock the door and don't open it for anyone you don't know. You two come with me." He nodded to AJ and RD as he used his magic to pick up Pinkie as he flew past her out the door.

Rarity sat in shock for a moment before Sweetiebelle came to her side hugging her.

"What's going on sis?" She asked looking up to Rarity with pleading eyes. Rarity looking down into her eyes, tears welling up in her own.

"I'm not sure Sweetie, but Midnight will find out." She sniffed holding her sister close.

Midnight, AJ, and RD made it to Sugar cube corner within just a minutes gallop from the boutique. The door lay open, the lights completely out. They stopped just outside, Midnight setting Pinkie down on her haunches as he began.

"Ok Pinkie, before I go in, please, if you can tell me anything, do it now." He said holding Pinkies face in his hooves, his eyes piercing hers with determination.

"I stayed at Fluttershy's last night, and when I came home the door was unlocked. T-the cakes never leave the door open if they have the foals. B-but when I went inside my knee got super pinchy. I went upstairs super quiet. I head some noise coming from their room. It didn't sound like anything I heard before. I pressed my ear to the door listening. All I could hear was loud gasping. Like they were really scared and couldn't scream."

Midnight looked to the others for a moment, a blush on his face as they had all thought the same thing. The Cakes had left the door unlocked by accident in their hurry to get a morning quickie. But before Midnight could say anything, Pinkie continued.

"I kept listening until I heard somepony talking, but the voice was really scarey. It sounded like a stallion and mare talking at the same time, but in a really creepy tone. I peeked through the key hole to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake floating in the air like something was holding them there, but it was so dark in the room I couldn't see what it was. The next thing that happened I saw them fall to the floor. I ran inside thinking they were hurt. But as soon as I opened the door and turned on the light, they were standing there looking at me as if nothing happened. Then they.......... they......." Pinkie began to shake violently, curling up into a fetal position.

"You girls find out the rest. I'm going to get the foals." Midnight spoke out rushing into the house/bakery, his horn alight with magic at the ready.

"They, they, they smiled at me................ they pulled out knives and began stabbing each other." Pinkie began to cry hard. her violent shaking suddenly came to a halt as she passed out, laying there limply on the ground. RD and AJ looked at each other in horror, then to the house as Midnight came out carrying the two foals in his magical grasp, both giggling happily. He placed them in a side saddle holster onto AJ as he rushed back in.

"Midnight?" AJ yelled catching his attention. He looked back with an icy stare causing AJ and RD to freeze.

"Stay there, and no matter what you hear, don't come in." He growled.

AJ and RD looked at each other, worry spread across their faces as they sat there. Waiting. Watching.

Midnight entered the bakery, his horn ablaze and ready to attack and defend. Before going any further inside he cast a shield spell around himself to keep any attacks at bay, be it magical or other. His horn kept glowing as he used the light from it to help guide his way. Creeping quietly up the stairs as he did before to get the foals, he made it to the Cakes bedroom at the far end of the hall. He pressed his ear to the door listening, waiting.

'No sounds.' He thought to himself as he pressed the door open quickly. Flipping the light switch on he gave a gasp back peddling slightly as he looked around the room. Blood covered almost every inch of the room. The air stinking of death and decay. He gave a slight gag at the smell looking around.

*SLAM* *PING PING PING*

He turned around quickly hearing the door slam, something hitting against his shield several times as he did so.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" He yelled as the light's suddenly went out. His horn began to glow brightly as he whipped around looking in every direction trying to find the pony responsible for assaulting him and the Cakes.

*PING*

A spark erupted from the hit sending Midnight back a few steps as he regained his bearings.

"So.......... An Alicorn shows himself, prepared for battle?" That is unusual for this plane." A duotone voice spoke out from all around the room.

"Who are you? What have you done to the Cakes?" Midnight snapped looking around still yet.

"The Cakes? Oh you mean these two." The voice hissed happily as the Cakes rose from the shadows in the floor. Both smiling at Midnight.

"Are you two ok?" Midnight asked as he advanced toward them.

"Why we've never been better." Mr. Cake smiled. Mrs Cake joining in the smile.

"Let's get you two out of here." He said walking up to them, his vision still looking around the room for the voice.

*CLANG*

Midnight looked up as a knife bounced off of his shield, held between Mr. Cakes fore hooves.

"Mr. Cake? What's gotten into you?" Midnight shouted backing up and running into Mrs. Cake.

*CLANG*

She attempted to stab Midnight as well. He backed away from them as the smiled at him, advancing on him through the darkness.

"I don't want to hurt you two but I will if I have to stop you." He started but stopped as blood began to run from wounds all over the two Cakes. His eyes went wide seeing the amount of blood hitting the floor as it ran from their cuts.

"You will be our next victim young Alicorn. Your form will make us invincible." The darkness hissed as the cakes lunged ad Midnight.

"Over my dead body!" Midnight's horn erupted as magical light filled the room pressing through every crack, Shattering the windows as all darkness faded from sight.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" The voice shouted as the light surpassed the dark.

After a moment Midnight looked around the room seeing Mr. and Mrs. Cake, both bleeding badly as they lay on the floor in a heap. At their side a small unicorn filly, out cold as well. He gathered them up with his levitation magic, placing a shield around them as he headed down the stairs and outside. Many ponies had gathered from seeing Pinkie covered in blood and the light that had shattered the upstairs windows to Sugar Cube Corner. Many gasped seeing the bloody bodies of the Cakes. Some loosing their lunch. Others fainting.

"RD get me a spell book on severe injury healing from Twilight, now!" Midnight shouted causing RD to freeze at the sight of the Cakes.

"RAINBOW!" Midnight shouted causing the ground to quake.

She looked to him then took off toward the library. Within only seconds she came back with the book tossing it into Midnights magical grasp.

He lay the Cakes down on the ground as he scanned the book. The spells erupting into his memory.

"Dammit. Only one spell will work in this book, and this is going to fucking suck." Midnight growled as his horn lit up with magic, lifting the Cakes up form the ground, their wounds began to heal quickly. Blood began to disappear from them, wounds disappearing. Midnight let out a pained scream as he writhed in the air with them.

*drip*

*drip drip*

*DRIP*

Blood began to seep from Midnights body as he screamed out.

"NIGHT!" AJ shouted in horror seeing the wounds open up on Midnight. After a few more seconds the Cakes fell softly to the ground completely healed, out cold and alive. Midnight wasn't as lucky. He landed on his hooves shakily as he grimaced in pain. His horn flaring up with magic again as the wounds began to very slowly close up.

"That was actually worse than I thought." Midnight gave a soft chuckle, only to grimace in pain once again as the healing magic slowly began to heal him once again.

"What was that spell?" RD asked looking to Midnight in horror.

"It was a spell called devotion. It removes any wounds from the pony it is cast on and gives one tenth of the damage to the caster. Unfortunately *wince* the wounds were far worse than I thought." He fell to his haunches breathing through pained breaths as his wounds healed quickly. little scars peppering his tiny frame as a reminder of the wounds.

"What happened?" Twilight shouted as she made it to the area RD had flown to. She looked seeing the blood on the ground but no blood on any ponies. She gagged at the smell.

"Midnight just rescued the Cakes and some filly form something. They were hurt a might bad." AJ said as Twilight walked up to the Alicorn colt.

"Something was up there. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't see it at all. It managed to attack me without me seeing it. Lucky for me I had a shield up. The Cakes weren't so lucky. I think whatever it was........." He was cut short by Pinky as she raised her head, her mane and tail still flat.

"It killed them, or made them kill each other." Everypony gasped in horror at what Pinky had just said.

"I watched them stab each other, laughing the entire time. They smiled at me then fell to the floor bleeding." Pinky began to wail uncontrollably. curling up into a ball again as tears fell from her face.

"Pinky, the Cakes are fine now, see." Midnight trotted over into her vision pointing a hoof to the now sleeping Cakes.

Pinky bolted upright and over to them checking every inch of them. "they're ok." She spoke softly falling to her haunches, her hair inflating again as tears of joy came out. She looked around for a moment.

"What happened? How did they?" She began as Midnight spoke out.

"I healed them, and it hurt like a biiiIIIII!" He squeaked out as Pinky picked him up hugging him, whispering thankyou repeatedly to him. Midnight smiled giving her a gentle hug back, stroking her mane softly.

"What happened here Midnight? Why are you covered in scars?" Twilight asked quietly over the crying Pinkie Pie.

Midnight filled Twilight and everypony else in on what had happened. Twilight rushed back to the library without word. After a few minutes a bright flash erupted from just above Ponyville as Celestia appeared in an array of light. All ponies bowed as she landed.

"What has happened here?" Celestia asked as she came up to Midnight.

After a brief explanation Celestia trotted quietly over to the little filly unicorn. She gently nudged her to try and awake her.

"Uh...........huh? What happened? Were's my shadow?" Hazel had awakened finally looking around, her gaze fell upon a regal set of hooves causing her to look up at the sun princess in awe.

"Shadow?" She asked looking surprised at the filly causing her to recoil. She stood up glaring at the princess for a moment but stopped as she noticed none of her powers were working, not even her magic.

"Little one! Explain yourself." Celestia bellowed causing the filly to back peddle and attempt to run. Celestia teleported into her path causing her to crash into Celestia's leg and fall back looking up at her in horror.

"You will explain." Celestia glared at the filly for a moment as her horn glowed pressing it to the filly's head. She pulled back gasping aloud and falling to her haunches, a look of sheer terror on her face as she began to shake.

"Tia!?" Midnight shouted running over to her. The little filly attempted to run but was snatched up by Midnight as he looked up to the sun princess.

"It has returned." Celestia began to cry. Golden tears falling from her eyes as she curled up onto the ground.

Everyone looked to her as Midnight looked up speaking softly to her.

"Please Tia. What has returned?" He asked causing her to look at him, and then around the group of ponies that were all awaiting an answer.