"What is this room," Rainbow asked Celestia as the two of them stepped into the room Celestia had revealed.

"This, Rainbow," Celestia said, lighting her horn, "is the war room. My grandfather created it in preparation for what we may very well be facing."

"What's that?"

"An alliance of dark alicorns."

"What. How can dark alicorns exist?"

"Because, Rainbow," Celestia said as a table grew from the ground and projected a view of all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, the former having a dark fog around it, "there is a darkness to every light, and the two, though they can peacefully coexist, often clash, and never truly get along."

She looked at the table, and her expression took on a somber look. "It is worse then I thought," she said. "The entire Empire has been converted."

"But that's where Pinkie is!" Rainbow yelled.

"Then let us hope she made it out before this." There was a silence between for the two for a minute before Rainbow spoke up.

"Who could do this?"

"Only one with immense power and a truly black heart," Celestia said. "It can only be Sombra." She turned to face they cyan alicorn. "Bring Shining Armor here, Rainbow, as well as Spitfire and Soarin. Whatever you must do, do it. I also want Luna here as well."

Rainbow nodded. "Right," she said before rushing out of the room. She made her way to Shining's room first, ignoring the guards that were there and entered the room, causing the unicorn to fall out of his seat and hard on his flank. "Shining, Celestia needs you now!"

Shining just looked at her for a moment, and said, "Right," as he had been told of the Knights, even if he wasn't one, and had been told of Rainbow joining their ranks. "What's going on?"

"Something's going on in the Empire," Rainbow said. "We don't know if Cadence is alright, but I'm optimistic."

"Let's hope she's alright, then," Shining said.

With that, the two of them made their way to the rooms Soarin and Spitfire were staying in. "Celestia needs us," Rainbow said, and the two followed Shining and Rainbow to Luna's room. When they arrived, they didn't see any guards. Rainbow knocked on the door, and entered. What she saw scared her.

There, on the bed in the very center of the room, was a single, bloody head, a fake one, but very real in appearance. In the guise of Celestia. With it was a note.

If my sister values the life of her mare friend, Rarity Belle, she will meet me at the northern edge of the Crystal Empire. Alone.
-Queen Luna

"Well, shit just escalated," Rainbow said. "Come on, guys, we need to let Celestia know!"

With that, the three alicorns and one unicorn left the room, not noticing the shadow in the corner. "Much to easy," Luna said before she teleported to the Empire, using a special teleportation spell to bring with her those who had been enthralled to the Empire.

Luna appeared in the palace throne room, and the first thing she saw was that Cadence and Galaxy had new looks. Cadence's coat was a darker shade of pink, nearly red, and her mane and tail were slightly darker, but also had an ethereal look to it. Her pupils(1) were now draconic like Nightmare's. Her teeth were now those of a predators, and she was as tall as Celestia now.

Galaxy was still the size she was when Luna had last seen her, but her eyes now resembles Nightmare's, her coat was darker, and her teeth sharper. On the throne was Twilight, looking just as one of the changelings had described her from Chrysalis' description. "Hello, Luna," she said.

"Hello to you too, Twilight," Luna said. "I must admit, I like the new look."

"Thank you, Luna."

"So, has the bait been set?" Cadence asked, her voice noticeably more regal in a threatening way.

"Yes, it has been," Luna said. "All that remains is for Rarity to assume her other form so we can start the plan."

"Then by all means," Rarity said, assuming her normal unicorn form. "Let us begin."

Back in Canterlot, Celestia was waiting for Rainbow and the others to arrive, looking the the table in the center of the room, deeply worried for the Empire and Cadence. She heard hoofsteps approaching, and turned around. She was dismayed to not see Luna. "Where's Luna?" she asked Rainbow, who simply gave her the note from Luna's room.

Celestia read it, and she became somber. "So, it would seem my sister has fallen yet again," Celestia said.

"But why would she," Spitfire said. "And, if I may ask, what exactly is this room?"

"I have no idea, Spitfire," Celestia said. "As for this room, it is an ancient room built by my grandfather millennium ago to defend Equestria from dark alicorns, or something similar to it. Soarin, I want you to contact the other Knight cells and tell them to begin preparing for a march on the Empire. I'll play along with whatever it is that's going on until Rarity is safe, then we will cleanse the Empire of the dark magic."

"Right," Soarin said, then left the room, unaware of an invisible changeling that had followed him and was reporting to Chrysalis the entire time.

Follow, but do not engage, the changeling queen ordered telepathically, and the changeling drone carried out the orders.

Back in the room, Celestia and the others overlooked a zoomed in view of the Empire and it's surrounding area. "Luna and whoever is controlling her wishes for me to show myself at the Empire's northern edge, here," Celestia said, using her magic to highlight the portion of the Empire.

"I think it would be best if the Knights, while you were in the northern section of the Empire, princess," Shining said, "waited with invisibility spells at the western, southern, and eastern for you to get Rarity out of there, then move in."

"No, captain. The only Knights I will bring with me will be Rainbow, Spitfire, and Soarin, and them only to ensure that it is just Luna, Rarity, and myself."

"But princess-"

"That is my final decision, captain," Celestia said sternly just as Soarin came back, carrying in his magic a very interesting prize.

"How'd that thing get in the castle?!" Shining snarled upon seeing the changeling, even if it was out cold.

"I don't know. The thing just appeared in front of me," Soarin said.

"Did it speak?" Spitfire said.

"Yeah. All it said was 'Beware the gem', and it attacked. I don't know what it meant."

"They must mean Canterlot, the gem of Equestria," Shining said. "They must have more changelings in the city."

Celestia turned to face the three Knights and said. "Change of plans. You three are to assist Shining Armor with finding more changelings in the city. And take this one to the dungeon. I want it interrogated when it wakes up."

"Understood, Ma'am," Spitfire said before leaving the room with Soarin and Shining, but Rainbow stayed behind.

"What is it, Rainbow?"

"Well, it's just, what if Chrysalis is trying to make sure you come alone, if she's with whoever's controlling Luna, I mean?"

"I doubt that, Rainbow," Celestia said. "Throughout history, changelings have never shown that level of intelligence. Even when she was posing as Cadence, she made the mistake of alienating Twilight, which led to her discovery."

"Yeah, I guess," Rainbow said. "I'll handle the questioning," she said as she left.

"I was hoping you would," Celestia said in a small whisper before disappearing to her room to prepare.

"He's been discovered," Chrysalis said with a small grin to her allies, "and they took the bait."

"Good," Twilight said, "but Luna, how can you be certain she'll be there in a week?"

"'Tis a common courtesy that any exchanges involving a royal or their beloved takes place a week after the note is delivered. I will not break that tradition now," Luna said.

"I guess we'll have to live with that," Twilight said, getting up from the throne. "Now, to have a little fun with the prisoners," she said.

"I must see this," Chrysalis said, and the others, even Cadence, agreed, and followed Twilight.

When they made it to the prison cells under the palace, Twilight stopped. "So, Cadence, who here do you think deserves my special treatment?"

Cadence put a hoof to her chin. "Hm, I'd say this one," she said, using her magic to open a cell. "He was too inquisitive as to the truth of what happened to you, and I had him arrested for treason before he got too far."

"Alright, then," Twilight said as she walked into the cell. When she saw the one shackled to the wall, a devilish grin appeared on her face. "Hello, Flash," she said.

The orange pegasus' coat and mane were filled with dirt and grime. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and he had dried blood all over him. He looked up. "T-Twilight," he said weakly.

"That's Empress Twilight to you, Flash," Twilight said in an ironically caring voice, stroking a hoof over his chest. "What did you do to deserve this?"

"I was just trying to find out what happened to you," Flash said.

"Oh, well, I'm touched. What did you find out," she said, bringing her face closer to his face.

"Almost nothing," he said.

Twilight closed the distance between her muzzle and his right ear and said, in a small whisper, one a lover would speak in, and said, "Good," before using her magic to add strength to her hoof, and thrust it through the former guard's gut to the wall. "And it'll stay that way," she finished, pulling her hoof out and causing a spurt of blood to come out of the surprised pegasus and used her magic to shield herself from the fountain of blood and to clean her hoof.

The last word to leave Flash's mouth before he died was a weak, "Why?", to which he got no response.(2)

The lavender alicorn left the cell. "Any others who began to ask questions?"

"A few, actually," Nightmare said, opening another cell. "She actually got further then Flash. I think her name is Amethyst Shine."

"Then let's see what she knows, and why she asked," Twilight said as she walked into the cell.

The mare was in noticeably better condition then Flash was. "Hello, Princess," she said.

"That's Empress Twilight."

"Of course, Empress," Amethyst Shine said with a small head bow. She had a bright purple coat and a white mane and tail, with a horn coming from her forehead. "Are you here to kill me?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That all depends on what you know, and why. If I like the answers, I'll let you live. If not, then you should beg for a quick death," she said calmly.

"Of course," the unicorn said. "I began to ask because I had looked up to you as an example of what happens when ponies try their hardest, and I was always a inquisitor." The mare chuckled. "Plus, I always thought you'd be a better ruler then princess Celestia. As for what I learned. Well, I did find a special book in the museum dedicated to you, and I sensed the magic in it, and, the night after, I broke in and took it. When I opened it, I found everything.

"And you have my allegiance, my Empress," she said with another head bow.

"Chrysalis, ask Pinkie if she knows the name Amethyst from that group," Twilight said through the mental link she had made with the others shortly before coming down here.

"She doesn't, and she would know of her if she was," Chrysalis replied. "And I can sense her emotions. She has no fear, but all admiration. She is telling the truth."

"Good," she said over the link before speaking to the unicorn mare. "How do I know you won't betray me?"

"I could have easily gone to Celestia and told her of it, but didn't. I am devoted to you and your allies, Empress. Please, let me serve you to the best of my ability."

Twilight thought on this for a moment, then said, "Okay, but if there is even a small hint at you working for Celestia, I will not hesitate to kill you. Is that clear?" she said, releasing Amethyst from her shackles.

"Yes, Empress," she said with a bow.

Twilight smiled. "Good. You are to stay with me and my allies while we are down here. After that, you are to remain in the Empire."

"Yes, Empress."

"Then follow," Twilight said, exiting the room with Amethyst getting up and following. "Any idea how that book got there?" she asked Cadence in a whisper.

"Plasma sent it to me and said that the first one to read it would help us, so I put it in the museum."

"Where any pony could have gotten it?!" Twilight said in an angry whisper.

"You forget that any who would have would have been on the receiving end of an angry alicorn. Only the brave or the stupid would try."

"Fair enough," Twilight said as another cell door was opened. "Now it's time to see if she's telling the truth," Twilight said. "Who's in this cell?"

"Amethyst's sister, Opal Radiance," Cadence said, smiling at the irony.

"Excellent," Twilight said before entering the cell.

"What do you want, traitor," Opal, a unicorn mare with a white coat and a silver-gray mane and tail, said.

"Nothing," Twilight said coldly. "You're just a part of an initiation."

"For who?"

"Amethyst, come in here."

Opal's eyes widened. "No, she wouldn't join you! She'd rather die then betray Celestia."

As Amethyst walked in, Twilight said, "Are you sure of that? She's right here."

"What is it you require, my Empress," Amethyst said.

"I want you to. . . . . . kill Opal." As Twilight said this, she brought a sharp rock up from the floor and gave it to Amethyst.

Amethyst just stared at the rock before she looked at her sister, indecision in her eyes. She rose the rock up, and made her decision.

The rock came down, and Twilight smiled. "I knew you'd do that, Amethyst," she said as Opal opened her eyes.

"What," Opal said. "You planned for this?"

"Of course. I don't want a killer who kills just because she's ordered to in my alliance. If she had a reason to beyond you simply annoying her all siblings do, I'd actually want her to, but you haven't, and she passed the test." Twilight turned to face Amethyst. "Welcome to the Eclipses, Amethyst."

"Thank you, Empress," Amethyst said. "Truly, thank you."

"Amethyst," Twilight said. "Call me Twilight. You're an Eclipse now, and we are all equals."

"Th-thank you, Twilight."

"Of course. I want you and the others to go back up to the palace. I still have some issues to take care of."

"Right," Amethyst said, excitement barely contained in her voice before she left, leaving Twilight and Opal in the cell.

"So, why is it you are loyal to Celestia," Twilight said, "but Amethyst isn't?"

"I don't know. She never liked Celestia as a filly. Why? What is it to you?"

"Oh, nothing," Twilight said. "I simply wanted to know coming from you before I made you loyal to me. Maybe as my own personal servant," she said, charging the loyalty spell.

"I'll never become your slave, bitch."

"Never say never, slave," Twilight said as she blasted the loyalty spell at Opal.

It hit her, and she shook her head to clear the disorientation. She then said, "Please forgive me, my Empress. I was not in the right mind."

"I know, Opal," Twilight said as she released her new servant. "Come. I'll take you to your new room," she said, and she led Opal out of the room.(3)

A few hours later, Twilight and the others, now including a darkness ascended Amethyst with a darker coat, wings on her barrel, and draconic pupils, her mane and tail ethereal, her teeth that of a predator's, stood around a table that counted as their war table.

"So, what will the plan be, juts to make sure I fully understand it, including what's already happened?"

"Right," Galaxy said. "The first part of the plan, which went off without a hitch, was for Celestia and Rarity, or somepony loyal to our cause, to fall in love."

"Something I did only for the plan," Rarity, in her nightmare form, added.

"Yeah. Anyway, the next part was to make sure that your return went off without being detected, and it wasn't," Galaxy said.

"The third part was to make sure Celestia knew something was going on," Nightmare said. "Just not what."

"Four was to make it to where only Celestia would come due to a potential changeling threat to Canterlot," Chrysalis said. "As well as give her a reason for her to really come alone, instead of with some of those 'Knights' of hers."

"Part five," Luna said. "Well, you came up with that, and we caught Amethyst up on it before this meeting, so we all know that one."

"Good," Twilight said. "Is the field up and ready?"

"It simply waits for you to activate it, Twilight," Nightmare said.

Twilight smiled. "Good. I have a surprise for Celestia. I just need to test it. It's a good thing there are plenty of ponies I can test it out on in the dungeon."

"Do you need help," Twilight," Amethyst asked.

"No. It's a simple spell, really. Ironically, as Celestia made it to make sure unicorns weren't a problem before inhibitor rings were made."

"Then it's settled," Rarity said. "One way or another, this ends next week."

Author's Notes:

(1):The actual term for the black part of the eyes.

(2:For the record, I don't hate Flash. I actually like him.

(3):Currently debating whether or not to add a sex scene or two. What do you guys think?