The rain that had started over the Everfree Forest earlier in the day continued on through the late afternoon, drenching the wild foliage that grew under the shadow of Canterlot. The forest’s many creatures chose that time to hide in their burrows and nests, so it was a perfect time for Zecora to do a little searching for herbs and roots.

The zebra alchemist darted down a loose trail that was bound on both sides by Poison Joke on her way back to her hut. Her saddlebags hung heavy against her sides as she trotted, filled to the brim with two weeks’ worth of materials for her latest potions and teas. The thought of warm tea spurred her on and soon she was within sight of her little hut.

When she came up to her door, however, Zecora stopped in her tracks. Laying on the ground in front of her hut was the broken and battered form of what had once been a zebra. He wore the tattered remains of a cloak around himself and there appeared to be large gray scales up and down his body. The poor thing moaned softly.

“Oh no, this will not do! What in Equestria happened to you?” Zecora asked, moving over to pick him up. “Come inside and sit with me; I’ll mix a potion brew and a cup of tea.”

The zebra made no protest as she dragged him inside and propped him up on a wooden chair in front of the perpetual fire beneath her potion pot. Zecora tossed a few of the herbs she had gathered into the main pot while setting a kettle of tea to boil on a smaller stove near the back. Her stranger made no attempt to speak or even acknowledge her presence.

“What brings you here so late?” she asked him. “And what has brought you to this terrible state?”

The other zebra, for the first time, seemed to figure out that she was there, but only let out a soft grunt in return. Zecora sighed and didn’t press for more until the tea had finished. She poured it into a cup and brought it to her guest.

“Now, take a sip and you will see, there is more to this drink than simple tea.”

He accepted the cup, brought it to his lips, and drank. Zecora had placed some simple healing herbs inside, nothing much, but enough for him to start recovering quickly. What she hadn’t expected, however, was the reaction.

Her guest groaned and bent over at the waist, forcing himself on the ground. The cup clattered to the ground and spilled the remainder of the tea. Zecora tried to rush to his side, but she was too late. Before she could do anything, a great sparkling of black magic filled the room.

A small dome, starting from the area around the injured zebra and made out of black magic, grew and swallowed Zecora and her entire hut up. Outside, birds cried out and animals came to look at the solid black dome that now occupied the space where the peculiar zebra had once made her home.

Farther down the road, a certain purple unicorn was coming to Zecora for spell advice, unaware of her friend’s predicament. What she would soon find, however, would be much more than she could handle . . .

Sweetie Belle flopped down on her new bed, exhausted from the day’s work. Well, it wasn’t her new bed, but she had had to drag it into her new room, so it counted. Sweat had gathered on her brow and her hooves felt like they were on fire. She wanted to lay in her bed and not move for the rest of the day, and from the way Rarity had been talking she could probably do just that.

Octavia had come by with an official letter from Princess Luna herself excusing Sweetie Belle from classes “until further notice” and had made it clear that Sweetie was not to leave the new villa that she had been settled into.

It was a nice villa, at least. The little townhouse was settled on a quiet cobblestone street just a few minutes’ walk from the palace itself. Sweetie Belle’s room faced out and away from the mountain, giving her a majestic view of all the lands of Equestria and beyond. In some ways, she almost felt like a princess. A princess trapped in her tower, that is.

“Sweetie?” Rarity called from downstairs. “Are you settled in?”

Sweetie Belle looked around the room once more. Everything was in its right place as far as she could tell; except for a more slanted roof and bright blue walls, the room wasn’t any different from her old one.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she called down.

“Good,” Rarity said. “Blue and I are going out today and wanted to make sure you would be okay. There’s a guard downstairs if you need anything.”

And with that, her sister was gone. As she had mentioned, Princess Luna had sent one of her own guards to keep Sweetie Belle safe as well as keep her inside the house. The white filly sighed and rolled over on her bed, bored out of her mind.

Her eyes alighted on her pink keytar case, resting in the corner. Nopony had bothered to check it, and the magic book was still safe inside. With a tentative gulp, Sweetie Belle slid over to it and grabbed the book from the bottom of the case.

She ran her hooves over the smooth, black covering that was icy cold to the touch, though the room was normal temperature. She stared at the little book for a moment, trying to think of what to do. It wouldn’t be good to risk an incident with a guard downstairs, but she didn’t want to just do nothing . . .

Sweetie Belle smiled when an idea popped into her head. So far, she had been using direct magic to try to control the book . . . but what about indirect magic? The very kind they had been learning at the school in fact.

She opened the book and turned to the front page once again. As before, it was blank. Instead of putting her hoof right on it, however, she placed it a couple inches above the page and began to hum. It was a lyricless tune but it was still technically a song, and she could feel the magic start to build up.

With a little concentration, she forced the magic onto the page and suddenly the words appeared once again, but without the effects of black magic. Sweetie Belle smiled and wanted to do a little celebration dance, but stopped herself.

That was when she noticed her own magic.

It was pouring onto the page from her own hooves alright, but it was also much . . . darker . . . than she had seen it before. It was still pink, but a very dark shade; almost maroon. It looked almost tainted.

There was a sudden knock at her window and Sweetie Belle shoved the book away as quickly as she could. Still shaking a little bit, she walked over to the window and looked down. Standing on the lawn below her room were Diamond Tiara and Pipsqueak.

Pipsqueak had another rock in his hoof that he threw up and it smacked at the window again. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and opened the glass panes.

“What do you want?” she called down as quietly as she could.

“We heard you were moving to Canterlot and came to see!” Pipsqueak said without any credence for being quiet. “Can we come up?”

“How are you two going to get up here?” she asked.

Pipsqueak pointed to his forehead. “You have a horn, dummy.”

“I can’t use it for that!” Sweetie Belle sighed and walked over to her perfectly-made bed. Her horn glowed and the fabric sprang up and began to tie itself together into a makeshift rope. Her magic could at least do that.

When it was done, Sweetie Belle threw it out the window and let it hang down. She kept one hoof on it when she felt it start to tug and before long Pipsqueak and Diamond Tiara were standing in her room.

“It looks . . . the same,” Diamond Tiara said.

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I’m not complaining.”

Pipsqueak whistled. “It may be the same size,” he said, “but this one room here in Canterlot probably costs more than your house back in Ponyville. Just be glad you get it for free.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said, “free . . .”

Diamond Tiara looked at Pipsqueak, then sighed. “We heard about what happened,” she said.

Sweetie Belle perked up and her eyes widened. “Y-You did?”

“Uh-huh. They made an announcement at the school and everything.”

“Well, uh . . .” Sweetie Belle gulped. “I can explain, I swear.”

“Explain what?” Pipsqueak asked. “They told us how those ponies just up and attacked you on your way home and how the school is on high alert now. We’re just glad they didn’t hurt you.”

Sweetie Belle let out a breath she hadn’t known she had been holding. “Oh, right, yeah. I’m glad too; it was really scary.”

They both gave her sympathetic nods and looked all sorts of glum for her. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle’s heart started to beat again. Octavia had kept it a secret about what had really happened, then, which she could use to her advantage. Somehow. She’d figure that part out later.

“So when are you coming back to school?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Oh, uh, they haven’t really told me yet,” Sweetie Belle said. “Why?”

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “You don’t remember? Professor Note is holding the concerts tonight to present our group projects; the songs we practiced. It starts in an hour and I can’t go on if you’re not there.”

“Well, there’s a guard downstairs . . .” Sweetie Belle began.

Pipsqueak snorted and indicated to Sweetie Belle and himself. “And you can see how effective he is.”

“So will you?” Diamond Tiara asked with an expectant smile.

Sweetie Belle gulped. On the one hoof, she wanted to help her new, sort-of-quasi-ish, friends, but on the other, how could she guarantee that her playing wouldn’t cause another dark magic spike? A part of her mind reminded her of the trouble that she would get into for leaving the house, but she quickly squelched it. Since when had that stopped her?

“You okay?” Pipsqueak asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll do it, don’t worry. Just let me get my bag.”

Sweetie Belle ran over to her keytar case and carefully took the black book out and hid it behind her dresser. With any luck, that was what had been causing her problems and would let her play without worry.

“Alright, ready to go,” she said.

Pipsqueak nodded and let her slide out the window first, then him, then Diamond Tiara who shut the window after her. They crept over the backyard fence, down an alley between the townhouses, and were safely down the street and away from the guard before he was any the wiser.

Sweetie Belle did her best to smile as she trotted with them down toward the underside of Canterlot and the CMMA.

By the time they got there, the show had already started. Heavy metal music poured from the clamshell-shaped stage at the front of the music hall as the trio crept toward seats near the back.

Down on the stage were two tiny figures obscured by artificial fog and red lights that came from no discernible source. One fat colt played a double electric guitar that looked like . . . the spread legs of a mare. The other, skinnier one sang while the fat one backed him up. Sweetie Belle’s heart jumped as she realized who they were.*

I do not need (he does not need),

A microphone (a microphone)!

My voice is fucking (fucking),

Powerful!!

“Since when have Snips and Snails been in our class?” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“Since day one,” Pipsqueak hissed. “You mean you didn’t know? Did you really not see them?”

Sweetie Belle tried to smile as Diamond Tiara shook her head. “No?”

The music grew louder and the physical force of it as magic poured out slammed the trio of teenagers back in their seats as the sound washed over them. Tasty riffs and righteous beats flowed and pulsed around the music hall and enraptured the students as their ears were filled with the powerful music of Snips and Snails, the greatest band in the world.

Sweetie Belle's mind was consumed by the noise and told her these things, and forced her to cry out and scream for them to continue. Cry out the name of the greatest band in the world: Tenacious D!

Sorry,

I did not mean (he did not mean),

To blow your mind (to blow your mind)!

But that shit happens to me,

All the time!!

Onstage, Snips and Snails appeared out of the fog wearing even more ridiculous costumes as the music roared on. They had on eyeliner, fishnets, and everything. Somehow, it made the entire thing comedic and awesome at the same time even as the magic kept beating and roaring. And yet, Sweetie Belle, like every other student, kept on screaming for them.

Now take a look (take a look),

Tell me what you see (tell me what you see)?

We’ve got the Pick . . . of Destiny!!

As the song wrapped up, Sweetie Belle could see a glowing green guitar pick strung around Snips’ neck that, oddly, looked like a pony's skull. She raised an eyebrow and her mind flashed back to the black book. Maybe another musical artifact. Even if it was, though, it didn’t seem to do anything harmful as the song wound down with Snips screaming incoherently.

When it was over, the students clapped their and held their heads in confusion as they looked to each other, the effect of the song gone. Who was Tenacious D, and why had they been cheering for them? As the magic from Snips and Snails retreated, a few students even held their stomachs or rushed off toward the nearest bathroom.

Professor Note, meanwhile, jogged up the steps to the stage. He had two of his hooves and his head wrapped in bandages, but he was smiling and even putting on a little cheer for Snips and Snails.

“That was certainly . . . something,” he said, then turned to the audience. “Now, next would have been Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle, but after the incident on the bus, we cannot expect for the two to—”

“We’re right here, Professor!” Diamond Tiara called, shoving Sweetie Belle with her down the aisle and toward the stage. She didn’t stop until the two of them were standing under the bright lights on the wooden stage. Sweetie Belle noticed a drum set being wheeled out behind them.

Professor Note smiled at them. “Sweetie Belle, back so soon? We all heard about your attack and Princess Luna assured us you wouldn’t return until you had recovered.”

Sweetie Belle gulped. “Well, uh, you see,” she said, “it was more of a suggestion really, and I feel fine now, so how about I go on?”

For a moment, she was afraid the professor wouldn’t buy it, but he just shook his head and said, “Well, who am I to deny a student their love of music? Luna made sure to tell us that you weren’t hurt too bad, so you should be fine.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Octavia must not have told the rest of the faculty about the black magic yet, so she was in the clear for now. Now to just play and be back before the guard noticed or Rarity got home, and hope Professor Note wasn’t chatty.

Sweetie Belle took out her keytar, looked at Diamond Tiara, then nodded. Professor Note walked off and to the front row while Sweetie Belle stood in the center of the stage while her partner took to the drum set.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Diamond Tiara hissed.

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and tried to recall all the notes that had come so easily to her just a few days before. Then, her horn began to glow and she smiled as the memories came flooding back.

Ivory keys pressed were pressed down by magic and the keytar’s notes spilled out by themselves with the twinge of a fake horn ringing out through the music hall while Diamond Tiara waited to enter with her drum beats. Sweetie Belle began to sing.*

Something’s tearing me down,

And I can’t help but feel it’s coming from you.

She’s a gunshot bride,

With a trigger cries . . .

I just wonder what we’ve gotten ourselves into.

Diamond Tiara came in with the drums before the next note, their sound carrying out with a smooth beat. A pink flow of magic rippled and ran around Sweetie Belle’s hooves and began to jump to life. It sparkled and tinged in time with the music as if it was waiting for the song to pick up.

In a trail of fire I know we will be free again,

In the end we will be one.

In a trail of fire I’ll burn before you bury me,

Set your sights for the sun . . .

Her shield sprang to life as the beat shifted over to a harder, electronic thumping as the keytar switched gears and Sweetie Belle brought more of her magic to bear. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Diamond Tiara’s own magic coalescing into a violet ring that spun in an arc around the filly before it began to, as she watched, drift over to Sweetie Belle's shield and become one with it. Now, Sweetie Belle stood with her keytar in her hooves, pounding away at the keys with her magic, as a pink shield spread around her, surrounded by a bright purple ring.

However, whenever the shield and ring touched, there was a small black spark. It lasted only for a second, but Sweetie Belle saw it nonetheless. It worried her, but the same thing had happened back in the music room without harm. She gulped as she continued into the next verse.

Mind is willing,

Soul remains.

This mare cannot be saved,

From the drawn into the fire.

Sweetie Belle cried out and lost her place as she felt an invisible force tugging at her, lifting her up until her hooves left the stage and she sailed through the air. She looked down and saw that her shield had transformed into a floating ball while Diamond Tiara’s ring swirled around it. Worse, though, were the black sparks crackling on the edges of it. They flashed and sparked around the music hall, causing the students below to shout and scream. The magic flashed and worked its way into Sweetie Belle and, as if she were some sort of puppet, forced her mouth open and worked her voice until she once again sang and played on the keytar.

Mind is willing,

Soul remains.

This mare cannot be saved,

From the drawn into the fire.

Anything to,

Bring it on home.

Bring it on home.

Bring it on home.

Bring it on home!

The music and vocals continued and Sweetie Belle felt like she was watching herself singing them. Her body was no longer hers, but under the control of the magic that popped and sparked across her ivory coat, tainting it with dark designs and tattoos. The bubble grew bigger and flashed pink and black alternatively as the sparks scored hits on the auditorium and students fled in panic.

The magic's effect grew worse by the second as her veins stood out against her coat and the skin under it, dark as night and thumming with power. Her horn glowed inky black and spat its foul magic into a bubble that was now pitch dark, yet she could see through it. Somehow, she could even feel that her eyes had changed, that they were more sinister.

At last, they came to the end of the song.

Anything to bring it on hooooooooooome!

The song died out and the shield, instead of collapsing, exploded outward in a burst of magic and light. Sweetie Belle fell to the floor and, when she opened her eyes, saw a smoldering ruin of a music hall lying before her. Diamond Tiara cowered behind a smoking drum set.

Professor Note, however, stood in the middle of it all, unharmed. His gaze locked on Sweetie Belle’s as he shook his head and sighed. “Oh, Sweetie Belle,” he said. “I had hoped for better.”

After hours, the principal’s office looked much more sinister. Then again, it probably didn’t help to see two very angry princesses staring at Sweetie Belle from behind the large desk. On Sweetie Belle’s side stood a blushing Rarity and flustered Prince Blueblood who continued to apologize profusely for her actions. Diamond Tiara and Pipsqueak waited outside.

Between the princesses, however, was Twilight Sparkle, who had said nothing the entire time. Instead she just stared at Sweetie Belle with interest.

“She’s just a filly,” Rarity was protesting. “She doesn’t know any better!”

“She may be,” Celestia herself said, “but that does not excuse her actions. Whereas before it could have been excused as stress or self-protection, Sweetie Belle’s actions tonight endangered the lives of my citizens and Luna’s students. For that, her actions are inexcusable.”

“My dear Aunt,” Blueblood said, “I understand that your protests against this action are valid, but finding suitable punishment for her would be . . . difficult. How could we justify the banishment of such a young filly? Or, worse, the alternative?”

Luna shook her head. “Dark magic corruption has never shown to do anything less than its name implies. She may appear to be a simple child, but before long she will be more dangerous than you could imagine, especially with her particular magical potential.”

Sweetie Belle watched desperately as adults haggled over her fate. She wanted to scream or lash out, but what good would that do for her case? Especially in front of the princesses . . .

“Surely you can find a place for Sweetie Belle here,” Rarity said. “There must be a use for somepony with her . . . newfound ability.”

Luna glared at her, a look that could move the stars in the sky. “There is no use for a dark magic user in this kingdom.”

Twilight held up a hoof. “Actually, Princess,” she said, “that’s not entirely true.”

Celestia’s brow furrowed. “Twilight? Explain.”

“It’s the reason why I’m here in Canterlot in the first place,” Twilight began. “Today, at Zecora’s hut, I discovered that a massive black, magical sphere had consumed it and wouldn’t let me though. But, maybe, it would let somepony tainted with black magic inside to save Zecora. Somepony like Sweetie Belle.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “And if Sweetie Belle were to be consumed by whatever is inside that has taken Zecora hostage?”

“Then I and the rest of the Elements will be waiting outside,” Twilight said, then looked at Sweetie Belle. “Princess, at least allow her a chance to show that she’s not corrupted. I can vouch for her personally that none of this has been on purpose.”

Sweetie Belle bit her lip and Rarity hugged her as Princess Celestia thought for a moment. Then, she smiled at her student and nodded. “Alright, then, it is decided. Sweetie Belle will have one more chance to prove herself by going inside that sphere and confronting whatever lays within.”