It was late into the night when they had decided to make camp. The desert had finally cooled down to a reasonable level under the light of the moon and they had created a temporary oasis for themselves. Creating a small lake with fruit bearing plants and trees was a simple feat for Twilight with the power of the Alicorn amulet. For every rune and trick that Catrina showed the filly, the more she was able to theorize and craft spells on the fly as they were walking through the desert. It was fascinating, watching the little filly's mind work with each new piece of information that was given to her and seeing how she can piece them together. It was crude and reckless, the way she threw them together, the kind of things that would make Catrina's old teachers balk with distaste at the lack of formality to her crafting. But to Catrina? It was like watching a naturally gifted artist learning to paint with a new medium.

Still, she had to make sure that Twilight knew that the magical power she was using was borrowed from something, and wasn't her own natural ability.

"Eventually, you will reach a point where either you will have to get rid of that Amulet, or someone will remove it from your person for you."

Twilight glanced over at Catrina while settling back against the base of a newly formed palm tree, taking a bite of some unknown fruit that had grown next to her. She handed it down to her baby dragon as she replied to the former goddess.

"This Amulet can only be removed by the pony who is wearing it. If they managed to get me to remove this source of my power so soon, I'd deserve losing it."

Catrina chuckled and slumped down parallel to the young filly, grabbing some fruit and leaves of her own to eat as she looked the young thing over in the moonlight. Despite her youthful appearance, the tinges of jadedness that came with experience were already clouding her big youthful eyes. Catrina also knew that another major part of Twilight's expression stemmed from the constant tug of war she was experiencing with the Amulet. The former goddess could practically hear the chorus of demented whispers demanding that Twilight go on a murderous rampage, yet the filly was able to resist its powerful influence somehow. She was a confident one to be sure, but Catrina could tell forced bravado when she saw it. Young Twilight was indeed nervous, terrified even, of the journey ahead of her, but she had shown the feline that she was willing to fight past that fear as well as any other obstacle in her way.

Catrina's ear twitched upon hearing movement. It was far too subtle for even a pony to pick up, especially with how the sand dunes muffled the sounds of hoofsteps even further, but it had just managed to catch her attention. She held still for a moment, focusing on the sounds and trying to discern what they were.

Catrina could read three distinct sets of hoofsteps: two quadrupeds and one biped; two of them female, one male. She reflexively sniffed the air, swishing her tail as she tried to collect more data. They were purposefully standing in a spot where she would notice, letting the wind carry their scents to her location to give her just enough warning. The way they moved told her that they were not bandits or raiders - they were far too trained and methodological in how they placed each step to read as such. No, these individuals were here not for looting, but for the two of them specifically.

It didn't surprise Catrina too much. The Amulet on the young filly would be like a beacon of disharmonious energies to any keeping an eye out for such magics. Her feline eyes darted over to the filly, whom seemed to have picked up on the former goddesses tenseness and alertness. Twilight didn't move except for gently stroking her hoof over the infant dragon’s scales, like he was a cat, but the tension that had filled their makeshift oasis was getting more and more palpable by the instant.

It was only mere moments later that the three figures arrived. Whereas Twilight could not quite see them beyond being shadowy forms in the distance, Catrina's near glowing eyes were able to see them almost as clear as if it was day time.

"There is a Ram, and she is flanked by a female Minotaur and a Zebra. From the feel of the magic emanating off of them, they appear to be harmoniously aligned."

Twilight nodded, not saying a word as these new individuals stepped forward.

"Greetings, travelers. My companions and I were wondering if you would have any objection to sharing this lovely oasis for the night. We've traveled a long way, and it’s nice to see some water out in these cursed dunes."

The Ram sounded friendly enough. Her voice was smooth and rather deep for a female, yet it did not give off a masculine air. However friendly she sounded and how genuine her smile seemed though, the thick armor that she and the zebra were wearing belied that they were far from just ordinary travelers. Under the light of the moon and of the fire, Twilight could see stylized emblems depicting the sun on all three of them. Both on the armored plating of the two quadrupeds and on the loosely fitting attire of the female Minotaur. While the Minotaur was not wearing armor like the others did, her well honed body was clearly defined under the multiple dim light sources. She gave off an air of grace and agility that seemed almost unnatural for someone of her species. She wasn't wearing armor, because she didn't need to wear armor. The zebra’s limbs were adorned with needlessly thick shoes, which were clearly designed for powerful bludgeoning attacks, while the Ram had a simple war hammer draped over her back.

Seeing those stylized suns had sent the voices from the amulet into a frenzy, demanding that Twilight slaughter them immediately. However, she maintained a calm demeanor and forced them down as she watched the events unfold.

"What is the Order Of the Sun doing out under Luna's moon so late at night?" Catrina asked calmly, taking a bite of a citrus filled fruit with her teeth, letting the juices flow down her chin as she looked them over.

Twilight's ears perked up at that as the clues fell into place. She had read about the Order Of the Sun during one of her many studying sessions in preparation for that ill-fated entrance exam. They were a religious order that originally started in Saddle Arabia. They regarded The Sun and Celestia as the closest thing to an absolute deity on the planet, mostly due to their lack of interaction with the princess and the fact that she held sway over celestial bodies in the sky. Equestrians had a similar reverence for the princess, but it was more in the sense of respecting royalty than it was in the religious zealotry that the Order had towards her. Celestia never made an effort to dissuade their reverence of her and celestial bodies either, as the Order was a great ally in the very few conflicts Equestria had on a global level. The Order was filled with particularly strong fighters if this trio was any indicator.

"We are on a patrol my feline friend. A dark power has drawn our attentions once again," the Zebra said with a deep and slightly gravelly voice. Though his body did not hint towards it, his voice carried with it the flavors of age and experience. Despite Twilight and Catrina not giving their agreement to it, the three new individuals settled themselves down around the fire calmly, looking at the two of them as the tensions rose ever higher. Now, that they were in the light of the fire, more of their features became visible. The Ram was almost snowy white, and her horns were perfectly symmetrical and bunched together. The female Minotaur, on the other hand, had one horn broken, but her well honed body was even more pronounced now. It didn't look like a single muscle on her body was put to waste beneath that brown coat of fur. The Zebra, however, was quite stocky, with large legs that spoke to the fact that he wore those weapons on his hooves often, if not all the time.

"I don't believe I said you could sit down."

The chill that came down upon every individual around the fire was palpable at Twilight's words. Her voice sounded friendly and cute, yet it made the hairs on the back of even Catrina's neck stand on end. It was worth noting, that the three warriors whom had seemed so calm moments ago had become rigid and tense at the sound of the filly's voice. From the looks on their faces, it seemed like they were expecting Catrina to be the source of the dark powers they had been tracking, and the fact that the dreadful feeling was coming from a filly had set them off balance.

"O...Of course my dear...What is your name if I may ask? That is a lovely amulet you have on your person," the Ram spoke in almost a motherly tone to her, her pink eyes flitting down to the Alicorn amulet on Twilight’s neck before going back up, to look into the filly's large eyes.

Twilight almost missed it, but the mention of the Amulet was a discrete tip off to her companions that she had spotted the source of the dark energies. Twilight looked over the Ram and the other three casually, watching their hooves and hands ever so slowly getting into defensive positions as she responded lightly.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle..." she was going to continue but the Ram interrupted her.

"That is a very pretty name Twilight Sparkle. That is a name that sounds like it was meant to be on the side of Harmony and The Sun. Are you with Harmony young Twilight?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Catrina said, breaking the staring contest between the two of them. The Zebra responded by getting in Catrina's face, clearly trying to put himself in between of the feline and their obvious leader.

"My name is Galia, and yours is Catrina," the Ram spoke out without turning her head away from Twilight. She continued, "We were content to let you live out your days depowered, but it seems you've roped a poor young filly into your disharmonious ways."

All three jumped at a peel of laughter that came from Twilight. Even Catrina had felt her blood run just a little colder at the sudden and violent staccato of notes that came from the young one. Her youthful face stretched out into a massive grin and her eyes contracted into slits as she looked Ram dead in the face.

"I assure you Galia, Catrina did no such thing." The albino Ram, despite her best efforts, was having a hard time not showing signs of being unnerved by the presence this filly gave off. Her mind raced as she looked at the Amulet, seeing it as the main reason why this otherwise friendly looking pony was the way she was. The three of them could also now feel that the source of this power was far stronger than they had initially estimated. The dense disharmonious energy wafting off of the young filly's person was almost triggering their fight or flight responses, and she had not even moved from her resting place against the tree.

The Minotaur spoke up, getting into a defensive stance that said she was quite a capable hand to hand fighter, "Galia, the filly is possessed by that amulet, we have to act..."

"Titania," the ram said curtly as she waved the Minotaur down with her hoof. She made sure to maintain eye contact with Twilight.

"Young filly, I know you think this power you have is a good thing, that it makes you feel strong, but if we don't get it off of you, you will go insane. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Twilight's face adopted a cruel smirk as she met the Ram's gaze, "Galia, I think what's making you even more nervous, is that you know I am hearing a myriad of voices telling me to kill you right now. They are screaming in my mind to turn my powers on everyone around me, yet here I am, calmly sitting and having a conversation with you." Her soft voice sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, setting them on edge to the point they were ready to attack her at any second.

"You are doing a fantastic job not listening to the amulet, too." The Ram sounded so much like a concerned mother, trying to coax her child away from a dangerous ledge with her voice, "You don't have to continue down this path Twilight. All you have to do, is take off the Amulet and we'll make sure you will be safe and protected. We aren't your enemy here."

Twilight's malevolent grin broadened till her gums were visible, while the whites of her eyes filled with an inky blackness. The ground began to shake violently as Twilight slowly lifted off the ground, her floating body coming up to the Ram's level as she stared her down. The jarring tremors of the desert were causing their footing in the sand to become far less secure, making standing too long in one spot liable to have a hoof sink into the sandy depths below them.

"You are correct. You are not my enemy. That would require you to be a threat to me."

With a glow of Twilight's horn, she sent a beam of energy over to Catrina, whom doubled over from the impact. She began to laugh, as she too lifted off the ground and then grew in size. Though she was nowhere near as large as she was in their mental battle, Twilight had granted her an enlarged body and the temporary ability to fly to aid her in combat, as well as defensive wards on her fur.

"Prepare for combat!" Galia roared out, but it was almost drowned out by the earth below them yawning and cracking apart at the wave of Twilight's foreleg. The Minotaur was the quickest to react to the splitting ground, leaping through at impressive speeds and grabbing the Ram and Zebra before nearly flying out of the gaping hole that had just opened up. Sand flooded into the fissure, creating difficult footing for the Minotaur to stand on as she tried to prevent herself from being sucked into the rapidly shifting sand.

The Zebra yelled out, staring at Twilight as his voice took on an echoing quality to it.

"Remove the Amulet!"

Twilight had only just managed to stop her hoof from going to her throat when she had realized what the Zebra had tried to do. He had some type of magic that could compel someone to do something. When that something was as simple as removing an amulet? It made him that much more dangerous. If that had worked, she would have lost her power in an instant. Twilight did not know if she was capable of refusing a command like that again, as It seemed to attack a part of her that the Amulet had not magnified.

Rage filled her eyes as she reeled her hooves back in retaliation, powerful glyphs forming around her as she summoned her power.

"You dare trifle with my power Zebra?! Die!"

Green energy condensed into a flaming liquid, which formed into a tight sphere above her head before she sent it towards the three of them. When it landed in the sand in front of them, it exploded, making them shriek out in pain as acidic flaming liquid washed over them in a corrosive wave. Only the Minotaur was able to dodge the sudden and devastating assault, leaping high into the air for safety while the other two were reeling from burns across their entire bodies. Their armor began to melt and drip off them as they struggled to find footing on the super heated sand that was turning into jagged glass.

Twilight was surprised as to how far into the air the Minotaur got with just one leap. She was a speck against the moon from the way Twilight saw it. However, it was even more shocking when Titania rushed back down like an eagle sniping for its prey. Before Twilight could even react, a large hoof crashed into her face from a flying downward kick. Even the shield that Twilight had thrown up in haste to defend herself had not stood up to the might behind that hit. Still, despite the power behind the strike, it was not enough to knock the filly senseless. The durability she had been afforded by the Amulet prevented that from happening. Without it, though, she would have been knocked out, if not killed outright.

The Minotaur performed a pose and slowed her descent to a crawl as she bounced off the filly's head, barely budging her from the air. The now floating Minotaur swung in for a quick succession of attacks. The first two were not strong enough to get past the barrier that Twilight had, but the third punch to the filly's gut managed to break its way through and knock the wind out of her tiny body. Unable to maintain her focus for flying she plummeted to a dune below, flopping down its slanted surface as she attempted to catch her breath from the devastating slam she had received. This Minotaur seemed to have realized with her first strike that the brute force wasn't injuring the filly like it was supposed to, so exploiting her need to breathe seemed to be the next best option.

Through her bleary vision, she could see the acid burned Zebra and Ram glowing with power while facing each-other. She watched with varying degrees of blurriness as muscle, skin, and fur grew back from the scorched states they were in, restoring almost to their original state. They were breathing hard and looked extremely unnerved at the kind of power the filly was able to conjure so rapidly.

Catrina descended from the sky with her large form and tried to land a punch on the Minotaur, but the smaller biped danced around her attacks effortlessly. If she had access to her magic, this would have been a whole other ballgame. But as it stood? The warrior's agility was far too great for her massive limbs. Swiftly, the creature leaped over one of Catrina's swipes and dashed up her arm, before landing a decisive blow on the felines chin - making the large cat see stars in her vision - one, that Titania followed up with a powerful jab to Catrina’s throat. It wasn't enough to stagger Catrina, but it hurt enough to make her clench her throat and gag as the lithe creature landed on the sand below.

"Titania! Fall back!" Galia called out towards the Minotaur. Twilight appreciated the distraction the panicked Ram have given her. The filly's small hooves slammed into the sand behind Titania, summoning forth a glyph that encompassed them both for the briefest of seconds before a thunderous boom fired off. As dexterous as Titania was, she was not able to get out of the blast radius in time, sending her flying forward with a cry of pain as she tumbled across the desert. Twilight pressed the attack, drawing on a quick charge of magical energy and firing off an arc of lightning from her hoof toward the careening Minotaur. The beast was only just able to slam her muscular arm into the ground to knock herself out of the way of the blisteringly hot streak of lightning that scorched the sand on impact. By the time her momentum halted, she had flopped onto the ground next to her compatriots, shaking violently from the impact the sound made against her body.

Twilight rose into the air again, wiping her mouth of spit with the back of her hoof as she gazed down upon them. All in all, besides the uncomfortable feeling of getting the wind knocked out of her, she was largely unscathed and had tons of magical reserves to throw around. These three, on the other hand, had come close to dying multiple times in the conflict already.

“See what I mean Galia? Not even a threat."

The Zebra caught her eyes again and she saw what he was going to do. In a rage, Twilight reached into her reserves. She was going to turn this entire desert into glass before she let him utter another word. The sky itself was starting to turn red from power she was going to unleash upon the square miles of desert, just to make sure these three were gone. Her resistance of the Amulet's influence was entirely gone for this brief moment, and it was pushing her to destroy as much as possible while it had the chance.

"SLEEP!"

Twilight hadn't been able to defend against it this time. She, goaded on by the amulet and her own rage, had put all her focus in building up the magic to erase these fools from existence. As a result of that, she could not fortify her mind against the command. Her body suddenly felt very heavy, as did her eyelids. Still she tried to hold on, rage fueling her with just enough willpower to stay awake, but not enough to maintain the spell she was going to unleash.

Titania stood, stilling her muscles and bracing herself against the glass that entrapped her companions’ hooves before leaping straight at Twilight. The Minotaur rushed through the air at a blinding clip, delivering another punch to Twilight's stomach. This time, however, it was covered in a glow of energy that seemed to come from the core of her body itself, and out, through Twilight's small frame. The effect was instantaneous, bypassing Twilight's defenses and knocking spittle and bile right out of her gaping mouth. With the combined effects of the command to sleep still lingering and this attack, the young filly slumped in the large hand of the Minotaur, entirely unconscious.

Catrina, seeing that her body was shrinking and she was gradually losing the borrowed ability to fly now that Twilight was knocked out, raised her hands in surrender before she even touched the ground. She did not have the power to take these three on in her present condition. Her eyes went towards Twilight as she put her hands behind her head and got on her knees. The little filly had a lot of potential, but she was still grievously untrained.

"Bind her! Do not let her have any chance to use magic until we can find a way to get that amulet off of her! We do not know how long she is going to be unconscious!" Roared Galia as she stomped over to Catrina, her nostrils flared and her pink eyes bugged out in rage and panic as she said her next part to the former cat goddess, "What have you been teaching her?! Are you insane!? That spell she was brewing would have leveled cities miles away from here with that blast radius! Do you understand that?!"

Catrina laughed. "I've only shown the filly a handful of my tricks - she's the one who took those little slivers of information and turned them into destructive masterpieces. I do not envy what will happen to your little team when she wakes up."

Twin horns flared with magic as a war hammer levitated off of Galia's back, swiftly ramming the butt of it into Catrina's forehead and knocking her out.

Author's Notes:

Major thanks to AleaJactaEst for editing this chapter for little ol' me.