"What exactly are we going to do about the Everfree Forest?" Rairty asked the others.

"What else can we do? Go to that big castle and kick Sombra's flank!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Oh, and rescue Twilight." She added.

"We need to know what we're dealing with though. If we walk in blind, we might be stumbling into a trap." Apple Jack said.

"The one time we wish Twilight was here..." Pinkie Pie said. "Wait...that's it! We'll send Spike to scout!" She added.

"He is the closest one to Twilight. We're counting on you." Fluttershy said.

"Why me?" Spike asked. But then Rarity gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he eagerly left to the Everfree Forest afterwards.

"Oh? What's this?" Twilight said, looking through a telescope to spot Spike leaving the Castle of Friendship. "I bet my friends have sent Spike out to try and scout the castle I created for Sombra." Twilight said. "But little do they know, that's EXACTLY what I was hoping they'd do." Twilight said. Sombra suddenly came up behind her.

"What do you mean that's exactly what you were hoping they'd do? You mean you actually PLANNED for them to send Spike our way?" Sombra asked. Twilight gave a chuckle.

"But of course. And I know just how to get under his skin. Just sit back, and watch." Twilight said before teleporting to the main hall of the castle.

Soon, Spike had managed to reach the front gate of the Castle of Darkness. Opening the front gates, the baby dragon soon stepped inside and went past the foyer. The baby dragon went from room to room, before he finally found himself entering the main room.

"Hello Spike." Twilight said to her Dragon Companion.

"Tw-twlight?! Your okay!" Spike exclaimed. The baby dragon was relieved to see Twilight unharmed and unchanged.

"But of course I am okay, my number one assistant." Twilight said. "...But I'm not one hundred percent sure if I should keep you as my assistant..." She added. This took the baby dragon by surprise.

"But...Twilight...how can you say that?" Spike asked.

"Do you think for one second that I forgot how you framed Owlicious for something he didn't do?" Twilight asked. "Or did you think I forgot how you gave Rarity that book that made anything she thought about become real?" She added. This was making Spike recoil in horror.

"Twilight...I thought you said you forgave me for all that?" Spike asked, the baby dragon beginning to grow distant, and dark.

"At the time, I did; but I never forgot it. And let's not forget the most damming thing you ever did." Twilight said. "You let your dragon greed get the best of you." Twilight nailed her final point using the royal voice. "On your birthday, you kept asking for more and more things, and by the time it was the next day, you had collected so much stuff that you had started becoming an actual monster!" She added once more in her royal voice. The baby dragon was no longer feeling so secure about what was going on.

"But...but..." Spike was starting to cry now. Twilight was right. He's done a lot of bad despite having done his best to do good. Suddenly, Twilight hugged him as Sombra entered.

"There there Spike. I can let you continue being my number one assistant on one simple condition." Twilight stated.

"Anything Twilight...to continue being your number one assistant, I will do anything!" Spike said. Twilight soon levitated a bowl of gems towards Spike.

"You will help me convince the others that the darkness isn't so bad, and it will be in their best interest to embrace the darkness within. And you can start, by trusting in me. Only then can you have this bowl of gems." Twilgiht said.

"Spike...will trust Twilight. Spike want gems!" Spike said, his greed suddenly returning on the promise of gems. Twilight smiled and let Spike have the bowl of gems. As soon as spike took the bowl of gems, his scales became a dark purple while his spines became a very deep green. His hands became more like actual claws despite his small amount of greed and his feet grew a bit as well. He was no longer Spike the baby dragon; he was now Dark Spike.

"Spike, I want you to guard the castle as you eat that bowl of gems. I'm expecting my friends, a student of mine, and an old foe of mine to come here soon enough. Once your finished with that bowl, I will give you a second bowl. And more bowls after that for as long as you guard this castle." Twilight said as she watched Dark Spike chow on his gems.

"Spike love gems. Spike want gems. Spike guard castle for gems!" Dark Spike said and left the castle.

"I must admit...I did not think he would be so easy. Tell me, Twilight...how exactly did you make him willingly join us?" Sombra asked.

"It's simple your highness: I used his insecurities against him to force him into a lonely state; from there, I simply gave him an offer he could not refuse." Twilight said. Sombra laughed.

"It seems you are quite serious about being my queen after all. I can hardly wait for what you have in store next." Sombra said. Twilight chuckled.

"Oh, you will not even begin to guess what the next phase of my plan involves. Let's just say, my friends are going to require the help of three particular little fillies in order to get them to join willingly." Twilight said before giving off an evil laugh.

Elsewhere, the element of magic grew dark.

NEXT ARK: THE DARK CMC