Author's Notes:

I'M SORRY!! Hey guys, I know it's been FIVEVER since I updated, but rest assured I still intend to continue this story! With stuff like college applications and AP classes, not to mention fulfilling all the other roles of my (believe it or not existent) social life, it's taking some time, and I also have other projects running (see my Fanfiction.net profile (Theblondeknight45) if interested). But, here it is, enjoy!

Next chapter, a special guest in: A Deal with the Devil!! Muah ha ha ha ha! ;D
-TBK

Stars had not yet left the sky when Snape crept out of the castle quietly. His unofficial summons to Ponyville by Princess Twilight were more than a little unappreciated, and he feared they may have been more than unnecessary too. For some reason the lavender Princess seemed intent on getting close to him. She didn't seem like the type of pony that would keep him from his business if the situation did not call for it, but she was also the youngest of the four, and likely the most prone to accidents and naive mistakes. Unless something truly important had come up, he would clearly be wasting his time.

The train seemed a little mundane for his taste, but he really didn't want to spend any more time away from his work, both public and private, than he needed to. At least he could do some of the aforementioned private work on the way and hopefully in the small town called Ponyville. Train it was.

Few ponies rode the first train of the day and it was still a little while from sunrise when the first train pulled into the Canterlot station. Less than 12 ponies got on with him and he chose to sit in one of the cars towards the back where only one other being was traveling. He walked by the stallion without hesitation to find a seat near the window. It was a bit uncomfortable, too bright and cheery, like most things in the land, but it would do.

He was still attracting stares, but he rarely let on to the ponies that he noticed their gazing eyes. He felt like a caged animal sometimes, a bound animal in a cage of color, light, and overabundant joy, with only the slightest traces of unease to be found. He imagined a lot of people would dream of living here, fantasize about it, perhaps, but it was a cage in his own mind.

He had found himself asking a lot of deep questions as of late. With so much going on in his new life, and so many secrets rising to the surface, was he destined to remain in this special form of purgatory for long? As he recalled, no definite statement had been made about his term of service here by The (elusive) Guide. He didn't care much for the world now, but even he held the possibility of fondness for Equestria and its folk within his heart, he supposed.

And yet, paradise was his wage, and his reward was the sole reason he chose this path in the first place. What bothered him was that paradise was not specifically stated to be anything. He took it that paradise was different for each and every person, but what if it was not? It wouldn't really be the same then, would it? But if that really was the case, he might be better off here. There was no sure way to know, not unless he could contact The Guide, but even then, the mystic being seemed to shy away from contact with most beings until they were already dead. An audience with the carer of the dead may be asking too much.

He registered the slowing of the train and the sunlight racing over the land as the train descended the mountain and left the city of royalty and fame, and he gathered himself in preparation for the day ahead; the thoughts of his eternal 'paradise' could be mulled over later.

"Are you sure about this?" Twilight asked mid-pacing.

Her friends, or at least most of them, seemed to think she was overreacting and nodded with a bored impatience once more. Spike was watching nervously as the floor suffered once more from Twilight's worrisome habits, and held his claws to his mouth, not wanting to interrupt the scheming of the girls.

"I'm sure he'll totally love this, after all, have you ever met a Snape that didn't think this was a good idea?" Pinkie asked and munched happily on another cupcake.

"I've never met another Snape at all...and neither have you," Twilight answered flatly.

"I think it'll work out just fine, quit worrying over it," Applejack encouraged.

"I agree with AJ here, go read a book or something until he gets here," Rainbow Dash suggested while doing small, boring loops in the air above her friends.

"I couldn't have said it better...perhaps nicer, but not better," Rarity joined in.

"I hate this idea!" Fluttershy burst out and cupped her mouth with her hoof again, hiding her face behind the flowing pink mane as best she could.

"Fluttershy's gentle manner aside," Rarity began again, "we all agree that this is something worth trying. After all, nothing else has worked out."

Twilight sighed loudly and sat down quickly, scratching her head and looking down with fast moving eyes. This could be something far more serious than any of the other girls realized and if what she feared came to pass, then it could all be over for her, for them all, really. The mere thought of Snape discovering their plans made her shiver.

Not long afterwards Twilight headed out into town, alone, to meet Snape as he arrived at the station. It was shaping up to be a quiet day, and the sun was shining down in patches as steel clouds blotted out some of its warmth. She enjoyed days like this, most of the time at least. His appearance, despite coming on her wishes, was agitating the mood for her a little.

He stood waiting, invisible against the early bustle of the town. His eyes were fixed forward and the mild breeze blew back his hair and cloaks a little, and in all, he seemed more at peace to Twilight than she had ever seen him.

He, however, took notice of her coming and walked forward purposefully, passing by the other ponies on the station without so much as a passing glance.

"I trust the situation is as demanding as I imagined," he commented immediately, skipping all formal greetings completely.

"Oh, yes," she stumbled in reply, shifting to walk towards the library side by side with him, "I've got something very serious I need your help with."

Her eyes moved side to side once or twice, and she swallowed noticeably. It was over, he saw through it all. His eyebrow was raised and his eyes were slicing through her exterior, peering into her mind's eye; he had unravelled it all, and she could feel her cheeks warming up and a bead of sweat forming near her horn.

Then he walked on without a word.

Did he take the bait? Did he swallow the deception so readily? In all her experience as a user of the Elements of Harmony and as a Princess, she had never once encountered someone as psychologically masterful as Snape. His body language was almost always a riddle within a secret, and his words were truth wrapped in illusion.

Or was his cleverness at work now? He probably had seen through her act, and was expecting any surprise she could conjure. He wouldn't be fooled by Twilight like that, not by any means. She was too unprepared and nervous, and he was too skilled at what he did. It was all so confusing working with, or around, Snape.

"So why is it that you've called me here, then?"

"Well, as I said...I have a problem that I need your expertise in. I mean, I wouldn't intentionally distract you from anything just because...that's not me at all!" Her rigid smile made him chuckle inwardly.

"I'm sure."

"Well, anyways, I was investigating the Forest a little bit, you know...to follow up on that strange hybrid creature, you know, the one that-"

"Yes, I remember it well. What is it exactly, Twilight Sparkle, that you've found out that calls me to you?"

She was already being pushed around by his direct attitude, but she wasn't willing to just give up now.

"Well, I think...you should see it for yourself."

"Very well."

She led him out of the town and into the quiet sea of nature, the fields of grass surrounding them completely. He walked quietly beside her, peering out into the open for any bad signs, obviously expecting the worst; that was what made him so alluring though, Twilight thought. He could certainly be dark, depressing, cynical...but to change him, to make him bright, cheerful, trusting...that was a feeling the six friends wanted badly. Some ponies, and people, just didn't like to smile...but that didn't mean they couldn't learn, right?

"So, anything interesting happening with your work in Canterlot?" Twilight inquired, eager to change the subject.

"Teaching is always dull," Snape replied, "without good students."

Twilight had to pause before answering, "Oh...well, I'm sure they're just taking a while to learn your expectations; in my experience the Canterlot students show a lot of promise, if they find a system that's comfortable to them."

"My expectations are high, but one needs not reach them to earn a passing grade, however slight it may be."

Twilight once more paused, processing his words carefully and deriving the best answer based off his point of view, but he spoke again before she could make her reply about expectations and the rewarding value of teaching.

"It was the same where I come from...so many students so unprepared to face the world, so inefficient with their time and wasteful with their abilities."

"Princess Celestia taught me early on that students, no matter how strong or weak in a certain area, make their worth known in other areas," Twilight responded a bit swiftly.

"You take her words to heart," Snape acknowledged, "because you've never known her to be wrong, have you?"

Twilight not only paused, but stopped walking completely and looked right at Snape as he turned around to meet her gaze. His expression remained indifferent, but had a hint of challenging nature to it, defying her to prove her views.

"No...Princess Celestia has never steered me wrong, none of them have, and I'll always trust her and the other Princesses."

"Trust, no matter how genuine, can always be misplaced."

"But that's why you have hope, isn't it?" Twilight countered.

"Faith is a dangerous tool. If you aren't careful, it'll use you, and your trust will turn into anger and hatred, and you will walk a path of darkness."

"You sound like you're speaking from first hand experience..."

Snape did not answer, but his eyes never left her gaze, fixed in an icy demeanor that kept her at bay. After a moment more of waiting, Twilight began to walk forward again, "Should we continue on?"

Snape said nothing but trailed behind her with a quick pace and a serious air about him. She led him down towards the Everfree Forest, where the daylight ceased to reach and the everlasting shadow of the land stretched out into the abyss of trees and wildlife.

"So, where is this new discovery of yours?" He asked, tone noticeably darker than before; she couldn't help but shy away from his as subtly as she could before answering, but even then she did not face him.

"Nearby, in fact..." She trailed off and poked her head about into the air before finishing, "I think we're practically on top of it."

A rustling wind blew out from the shadows of the Forest and a flash of blue smoke erupted near Snape, enveloping him and causing him to partially shield his face from it with his cloak. He stepped back and ducked immediately as something flew at him from behind, disappearing back into the smoke.

He apparated himself several yards away as more objects flew at him. Finally, in a single, graceful motion, he sidestepped one last unidentified flying object that fell from the air above him.

When the smoke cleared Twilight and her friends were standing with eyes wide, except for Fluttershy, who was just now creeping ever cautiously from the brush of the forest. Rarity had a cupcake hanging from her face by the gooey frosting.

"How'd you know we were gonna surprise you like that?" Rainbow asked from the air.

"You all think very loudly...especially her," Snape answered, motioning his head towards Pinkie with the last bit of his comment and staring down the failed attempt at a childish food fight in the name of fun.

"I knew it wouldn't work, I'm so sorry for all this Mr. Snape," Fluttershy pleaded from a reasonable distance away, "I told them it was a bad idea to try and take you by surprise like that!"

"Not to mention the waste of food," The wizard added.

"Well, you sure got us! What say we celebrate your skills and sit down to a picnic?" Applejack asked. Twilight seemed a bit hesitant to move on with things, but at this point she accepted it was too late to turn back. They were going to feel it now.

"Very well."

Twilight's jaw fell faster than a pinata at a Pinkie Pie party. Applejack and most of the others smiled, though Fluttershy still seemed as timid as usual around those who scared her.

Rarity, just having wiped the frosting from her mouth and levitated one of the two picnic baskets up with her magic, spoke first, "Well, I must say Mr. Snape, this is surprising, but I'm rather glad you decided to eat with us."

"I knew my awesomeness would get to you eventually!" Rainbow added.

Snape smiled quietly and rubbed his temples with a large inhalation.

"You're really going to just stay and eat with us? What's the catch? I mean you just opened up all of the sudden after we tried and failed miserably before?" Twilight pressed.

"I don't have a problem with eating with friends, although I do try to distance myself from...liars," Snape told them with special emphasis at the end of his statement, causing Twilight to blush a bit, "and of course... my friends all prove themselves to me."

"I think I know just the double-no, wait, triple-layer cake to prove my worth," Pinkie announced happily.

"Pastries will hardly make do in proving your worth to me, little ponies."

"So then how are we all supposed to prove ourselves to you then?" Applejack inquired, eyebrow raised.

"I sincerely doubt you can," Snape told them with a small, short chuckle as he drew his wand, "but you're more than welcome to try."

"I knew throwing cupcakes wasn't going to work...now I have to get serious..." Rainbow said under her breath and to no one in particular, but Snape and some of her friends caught wind of it.

Twilight tensed up, and got into a magic-dueling stance. Fluttershy hurried out of the way with tears in her eyes, but Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie remained behind their alicorn companion, though it seemed Pinkie was a bit oblivious to the matter at hand and Rarity was clearly not eager to begin what she knew was coming. Silence endured for a time, then Twilight's eyes glowed with magical power and she made the first move.

I'm sorry that this is the only way you'll come to accept us as friends, Snape...but I'll do what I have to to keep the flame of friendship alive, Twilight thought to herself as she fired multiple magic blasts at the wizard clad in black.

With precision and grace Snape applied minimal effort to deflect the blasts and stood still for the next attack to come.

"Try again...perhaps you could put some effort into it this time," Snape told the Princess with an unchanging tone of ease.

Twilight failed to reply before Applejack ran forward, lasso swinging. Before Snape made his move Rarity created a blinding flash with her horn, but the spell was simplicity incarnate to Snape, who dispelled its effects on him within one or two seconds. Applejack was a bit closer, but the boastful nature of Rainbow Dash was well earned based on how close she had gotten to him in the second or two he was without sight. He had just enough time to take hold of AJ's lasso and whip it around Rainbow's neck to pull her down into a crash landing.

Applejack let the lasso go and was slightly deterred, but not enough to stop her charge, something that delighted Snape, in a way, and everything he was predicting was coming into fruition. And that meant that his next move became clear through the simple knowledge of the pony heart.

He struck forward with his wand but any affect it would have had was negated by the sturdy magic shield Twilight erected in protection of her friend, who had no other way of escaping.

"Ah, thanks Twilight; I'll go check on Rainbow!" Applejack called as she slid to a stop, and u-turned back towards the dazed pegasus pony, knowing she could not well contend with Snape and was likely to be in Twilight's way.

"So, nothing short of putting your friends into harm will cause you to act, then? You are not stronger than me, princess, and if you do not battle with all you've got, they will come into harm."

"Don't threaten.....don't threaten my friends!"

Snape leaned in closer to Twilight and she began to grit her teeth and a tear began to form as her eye went red. She wasn't used to living life like so on edge, so close to an unknown conflict so often, but to her credit she looked as though she had already calculated 15 steps ahead; still, he began the engagement, and he had already laid out 20 moves.

"You know...that you cannot save them from me..."

"This has gone entirely too far! You have to-"

"Trust! can be...misplaced!"

Snape apparated as fast as Twilight blinked and Fluttershy's terror filled cry resounded through the area like lightning by the time she opened them up again. Rarity was bound in all manner of cords and strung up like a trapped fly in a spider's web, Snape holding her from the side, free hand outstretched in an invitation to be a hero.

Twilight noticed that AJ and Rainbow were not quite ready to re-enter, and Fluttershy was absolutely stricken with fear, so much so that the Princess speculated the poor pegasus could barely move, unless perhaps they could rally her inner fighter. Still, in the present situation that didn't seem to be much of an option.

Then something most unexpected happened.

"Hold it right there Snapey!"

Pinkie Pie had, through some supernatural and malevolent means, appeared right behind Snape, as though she had apparated. She forced him to take note of her "party cannon" and not to underestimate its power, all the while sticking its barrel into his backside.

In the span of only seconds Twilight teleported to Snape and fired a special beam at him, encasing his body in ice and trapping him in place, but not before he let Rarity go and used his own magic to flip the cannon so that Pinkie fired at herself. Pinkie rolled away laughing, streamers and party decorations strewn within the mess that was her mane but Snape managed to shatter the ice from inside and free himself, engaging Twilight once more in a rapid contest of magical blasts and counters.

When he cast forth fire, she teleported back and resumed with a spell he hadn't quite been expecting, and her magic bound his wand arm in a state of paralysis.

Before he knew it the blue pegasus had rammed her hooves into his face and he was on his knees. He could have chosen to break free of the paralysis, but that would require too much time with so many foes against him, so he had to use the only other viable option, especially when Rarity combined her power with Twilight's to reinforce the binding paralysis put upon his wand and arm.

He focused and honed his skill into the one area capable of completely turning the tide of battle, and everything grew dark. Applejack ran forward and bucked him down onto his side, but he paid it no mind. He had underestimated the equine creatures, and their surprising tenacity had gotten them farther than he ever thought possible for them. He had also counted on their mercy, not something he would be able to count on in the future...but at least here he figured they wouldn't be so harsh. These ponies were much more than met the eye.

Still, for all the impressive merit they had shown him, he had taken control back from them.

Rainbow raced through the air and knocked Applejack over and into a flip, a rainbow spear that took her down and knocked her out. Twilight's eyes went wide and she released the spell when Rarity met a similar fate. Fluttershy was weeping behind the trees, and given what had already transpired, she may have posed a problem, but he intended to end the battle now; Pinkie Pie was still laughing and struggling to regain balance and focus.

Twilight teleported madly trying to evade the rainbow streak that had knocked the others out, and she knew that Rainbow was not herself. Peering into Rainbow's eyes clued Twilight into the truth of the matter. Snape was controlling her mentally, and he was only getting more adept at using Rainbow's natural talents as time passed.

"Trust...can be...misplaced!" Snape taunted through Rainbow's voice. Rainbow possessed no active forms of magic and while strong, was physically weaker than Applejack, and her intelligence was certainly not her best point, but she was the fastest pony alive, no doubt about that. Who needed those other things when you could go so fast those things didn't matter anymore?

Twilight was able to keep back, but Rainbow had far more endurance than her, and Twilight couldn't risk hurting her friend either. It was an impossible scenario. What else could she do but maybe buy time for the others? Even that was hopeless though, given Snape's masterful control of Rainbow Dash.

Paralyzing the pegasus seemed logical, but that would definitely give enough time to Snape to hurt the others, and it was always possible that she would have to carry Rainbow back to the ground when Snape released control. Freezing her had the same drawbacks, and even something that could harm her might not rid Snape's control.

Twilight began to pant and inhale more deeply as she looped around the attacking pony to the best of her ability, and did what she could to descend for safety measures. The gap between the two friends was closing and Twilight only had one possibility, but Rainbow still outclassed her in sonic booms. Still, she had to try. She couldn't let Snape win like this.

She put all her energy into dive bombing and she gained momentum at an incredulous rate, but Rainbow was constantly at her side. It was all or nothing as they approached the point of no return, having picked up enough speed to break the sonic barrier at any moment.

Then, in an instant, the battle between the two was ended.

Purple and pink streaks boosted Twilight forward as Rainbow flew into a Sonic Rainboom at the same time. Just before she could make her move on the Princess, Twilight teleported directly behind Rainbow, tackling her midair and guiding them into the river, hoping they would be alright and doing as much to slow them down as she could.

The struggling ended and Rainbow seemed to fade into an unconscious state as they crashed into the water roughly. It took a lot of effort, but Twilight managed to bring them both safely ashore, dragging herself onto the sand and lying there in wait; standing there in front of them was Severus Snape, an unusual smirk on his face.

"...Well...what now?" Twilight asked him amid pants, head bowed in defeat.

"Now," He replied as he crouched and pulled her onto all four hooves, "I leave Ponyville to return to my work in Canterlot."

"You're just going to leave? What was all this about then? How could you endanger us like that just to say that in the end you weren't after our lives?!"

"You see darkness, Twilight Sparkle, in what you do not understand, and you are drawn to shed light on it. You cannot understand how I operate because you do not know me nor do you understand my experiences, thus....I shall remain a riddle to you."

"And that's why I want to be your friend. Everyone needs a friend...and when we reached out you attacked us..."

"It was you that attacked me, actually...I have no wish to explain myself to you; believe of me what you will, it makes no difference in my eyes. There will be another day, Princess. Another day..."

Twilight could not find a response and let herself cry in silent frustration and stare up into the clouds while Snape began to walk away.

"For what its worth, however...Twilight Sparkle..." He said without turning to face her, "you were able to prove yourself in my eyes...just enough... Next time you want to have a picnic, ask someone who will care. The next time you need a helping hand with a spell or a potion...send me a letter."

"You mean he was testing us just to see whether he wanted to hang out with us?" Rainbow questioned as the sun set and the group sat licking their wounds in the library, Spike attending to them, though most passionately to Rarity.

"Yes..." Twilight's melancholy reply matched their setting perfectly, and the walls filled with books all sat as a sort of feeble shield against what had happened to them earlier.

"And he controlled Rainbow with his mind?" Applejack questioned further while she iced her sore neck.

"Something like that..." Twilight's reply was a bit more...dreamy or trance-like...than sorrowful that time.

"He sounds like trouble to me," Spike gave his two bits and left to retrieve more ice and towels.

"Fluttershy," Twilight inquired after a momentary hesitation, "what do you think about him?"

The yellow pony went red and stuttered about her words as her friends waited for a reply, being ever patient and kind to the, more than likely, emotionally unsound pegasus.

"Well, you've been able to see through problems we haven't in the past...and I've sensed it since he arrived...that somewhere in Snape is a gem of a personality...I'm not ready to give up being his friend, and I've gotten closer after today's events. But what about you guys? What do you think about this whole scenario now?" Twilight explained her thoughts and once more turned directly to Fluttershy.

"Well...I...I think he's very powerful and...that we should give him a chance and do our best to be his friend..."

"Well, Celestia knows my family and I are real stubborn...guess we should give Snape another chance," Applejack added.

"He would be a cool friend..." Rainbow muttered to herself.

Twilight smiled for a moment and silently took out a quill and a scroll, etching out the words "Dear Snape" but setting the scroll down after a time, having lost her train of thought and having her attention stolen by her friends. For now, Snape's friendship would remain as it had been, barely tangible, barely visible...but there, surely there just beyond her reach.

Snape was in no mood to waste time on the train again, and he instead chose to forgo the inefficient means of transportation in order to fly up to the capitol. He rushed himself up to his quarters and locked himself inside, wasting little time in sitting down and taking out many scrolls and a few other scholarly items in his possession.

He closed all the shutters and lit a few candles, dwelling in his own state of peace within the shadows of his dormitory. He did not take action for a moment, but sat in the sound of silence and eventually leaned back in his wooden chair, stretching his legs out onto the floor in front of him.

After a time he let a few tears slip, then wiped them away and grabbed a hold of his notepad and a quill. He inscribed only one passage before turning to other matters that required his attention:

Matter still unclear; continue gauging personalities, emotions, and inspirations; stay wary of TS