"That Shining Armor is walking around the castle talking to himself is very unfortunate indeed. It seems that Group Misery is an even more serious threat than I thought," said Celestia. She was still sitting on her throne, going through the many documents, as well as constantly talk to officials about the coming weeks. To describe her as being swamped with work didn't quite do it justice. "I tried to help him, but this is powerful magic. There simply isn't a way for me to change it. The source of this magic is the only way to set him free. You need to find the pony responsible. This is truly advanced magic. Not only does it take into account several advanced aspects of neurology, but it also does so while his mind is fully conscious. If it would have been the variant where he was asleep and experiencing an illusion, that I might have been able to solve," said the Princess to the six ponies in front of her, and Spike.

Next to the Princess stood another large and tall pony, but not quite as grand as Celestia. It was her younger sister, Princess Luna. Her dark blue coat and magically sparkling mane, looking like the night sky, was quite beautiful.

"How is your brother, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Luna, not being able to fully draw her attention away from her overworked sister.

"He's doing relatively well. I'm sorry that we didn't come to inform you ourselves, but we were quite busy. Me, my mother and my father have been working on at least trying to understand the basics of this magical spell, but it is far too difficult. I've sent a letter to be delivered to Zecora back home, but I just have this doubt that even she knows what it is. In any case, Shining Armor isn't doing badly. It's clear he feels alone, but I think he's more convinced than ever that it's just a spell," said Twilight.

"Yesterday's report mention that he actually seem to be able to detect some things, but they are usually so incredibly small and useless, not to mention unpredictable, that it won't help us. He's said it out loud a few times, anyway," said Spike and walked forth with a scroll in his claws that he read from.

"Like what?"

"Mostly food and drinks being there one moment, and not a few hours later. That's the most predictable one, they tried to make messages with the food, but it didn't work. He doesn't seem to be able to read it, just eat it."

"Strange that such a flaw would be in such powerful magic, perhaps its unavoidable for such mistakes to happen," said Luna.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but I don't think so. It's just, I mean, such a small, easily correctable mistake when there are much bigger and harder things? It just... it's, it's so unlikely. I just sort of get this impression that's actually intentional," said Twilight.

"You mean so he will less likely starve, that whoever did this to him wants him to be able to live," said Luna.

"I get that impression, yes," said Twilight.

"But, wait, he wouldn't starve, there's plenty of uncooked but edible food in Canterlot. And there's fruit and that stuff too. How does that make any sense?" asked Rainbow Dash. Celestia closed her eyes in thought for a moment.

"Perhaps the pony in question is too young to think things through, or too old to think clearly. In any case, it's a good thing he's able to feel more confident he's not truly alone. Less intelligent ponies would probably assume everyone else had disappeared. Still, being unable to act properly for the situation is a problem for him in the investigation, which I think is the main reason he was targeted. He might still be an asset. Where is he now?" asked Celestia.

"He's out, asking ponies questions," said Pinkie Pie. Both Princesses looked at each other, perplexed.

"But he can not... Please explain," said Luna.

"I think Shining Armor is expecting to have a bunch of guards with him now, which he has, plus Joe. He goes to some different places he thinks might have clues, and he asks questions there to several places, which he probably just sees as empty air, and the guards make sure to note down everything of value," said Twilight.

"They might actually have made some progress there. We do know one thing though. The guards are able to carry him with them. He usually acts like he's been planning to go wherever they put him all along, or something like that. It's like nothing strange has happened," said Spike, reading more of the report.

"To be able to fabricate entire thought processes, quite impressive," said Luna.

"With this effect, and that strange pony, Random, then it's possible this is a much more dangerous group than we expected. In any case, it doesn't matter. We must continue what we have been doing. Thank you for informing me yourselves, my little ponies," said Celestia and went back to her work.

"Sister, perhaps you should rest. You haven't slept for days, not even you are able to avoid the calling to dream," said Luna.

"I can't sleep. This whole thing he mentioned. Six years ago... so much happens in the world every single year, picking out a single thing is nearly impossible," said Celestia.

"All I know is that what Shining Armor is going through is like a curse! To think, to be all alone, that would make for the worst parties ever," said Pinkie Pie. Suddenly, Princess Celestia looked up at Pinkie Pie. Her stare was oddly vacant, it seemed like her mind was in the middle of connecting some really big dots. She suddenly stood up.

"That's it! I know who some of them are!" yelled Princess Celestia, filled with energy. She nearly pounced on one of the folders and went through it."No wonder I didn't find it, I kept this one as small as possible because... because of circumstances back then," said Celestia and took out a small piece of paper, it was old, and only had a few sentences on it. "If it wasn't for the fact that the council demand I archive most of what I do, I wouldn't even have written this note," said Celestia. She took it and was about to read it when she noticed her guards. "Please give us some privacy," she told them.

"Of course, Your Highness," they said and left the room, closing the doors behind them.

"What I'm about to tell you simply can not leave this room," she said, not waiting for a response from them. She put the note up to her eyes and read it. "Defeated the Cycle of Destruction," said Princess Celestia. "Expecting to see repercussions withing a few months." And that was it.

"The, what of what?" asked Applejack.

"The Cycle of Destruction. It was a large physical, barely sentient wheel that amassed the evil concepts of the world. It was created in an ancient ritual performed in secret. That was six years ago. It was evil, but managed to achieve very little harm while it existed."

"So, it was like King Sombra, but, just a wheel?" asked Rarity.

"Bet it had more personality," said Rainbow Dash, earning a hoofbumb from Spike.

"Who would be stupid enough to create an evil wheel in an ancient ritual?" asked Spike. Celestia sighed.

"It was me," she said. Spike groaned slightly and squirmed.

"What? I mean, um... What?" asked Luna and looked at her sister with surprise they rarely saw in her. They all looked on with great surprise at Celestia.

"It was a bit foolish to try, but the wheel was barely a danger to anyone. I had planned on creating it so that it would hold some of the world's evil in itself so that I could create better ways to weaken it. I... I did it because I had hoped to find a way to make you become Luna again, Sister, after you amassed your dark powers as Nightmare Moon. I knew you would be returning to Equestria, but I had no way to reach you." She walked back to her throne. "Alas, it actually managed to become a threat, and I had to destroy it. But it had gathered enough evil energy, and energy can't simply be destroyed. I managed to break the wheel into seven or eight pieces, I barely had time to count. I remember as the pieces turned to a dark substance, like ink on reality itself. It spread in several directions over Equestria."

"And, then what happened?" asked Spike.

"I knew that it would do whatever it could to survive, it needed something to hold it, or, like ink, it would dry out. I imagined that the pieces would find ways to ponies or sentient creatures, affecting them with their dark magic. I thought I would in a few months hear about ponies that had turned evil without warning, but that never came. I was worried at first, but I eventually just assumed it had simply died before it reached anyone. The raw essence of magic, especially evil magic, is a very rare thing to see, and it is extremely easy to mold, merely a thought is necessary. It seems that this magic has entered ponies, and have been molded into another type of magic, a rare type of magic: curses."

"What? That's impossible, they are just-"

"I assure, you, Twilight. Curses are quite real, but they are not so different from magic spells and rare. They can grab hold of a victim and last very long, unlike spells that are just a quick event. They can be incredibly advanced because they do not require a thought from a pony to function. They are instantly molded into whatever effect it will be used for, but unlike the flexibility of magical spells, you can not have more than one. Still, there is a way, and only one way to save Shining Armor from being forever alone. You need to make the pony, or creature, that cursed him, cancel its effect," said said Princess Celestia, finally taking a deep breath that evolved into a drawn out yawn.

"Okay, but I have some questions," said Applejack.

"I won't stop you from asking," said Celestia and looked down at them.

"How did you figure this out?"

"Random mentioned six years ago and he, despite being an earth pony, and whoever cursed Shining Armor had great powers, at first I assumed they had been given to them by some sort of powerful force, almost like, say, Discord. The thing that made this thing stand out, however, was the fact that they had a problem with me specifically. This is the only thing I've ever done that I think anypony can actually justifiably blame me for. Thank you for making me think about curses, Pinkie Pie," said Princess Celestia. Pinkie's face lit up and she bounced on the spot.

"But, this still leaves us with some questions," said Twilight.

"Yes. Three, in fact, at the least. We know there are two cursed ponies as they can not have more than one curse each, but are more in the group also cursed?" If so, what are their powers? They can be powerful or weak. The most worrying question, however, is how did they find out that it was me? How do they know I'm to blame? I made sure to keep this a secret for these six years, very much so.

"Maybe one of them has a curse that can make them see secrets?" suggested Fluttershy.

"Possible, but, how did they find each other in that case? And how did they find out about... Never mind. It's not important. What is important is that they are here now, and they have to be stopped," said Celestia. The ponies and dragon was about to loudly agree when Luna stepped in.

"Sister, this is still a very serious crime you have committed. You knew about the risks, and you ignored them to merely study evil in an effort to fight it. This is not what I expected from you," said Luna.

"I did what I felt was necessary. I knew you would be returning, and... and I wanted to see you. I wanted to help you."

"I know, but this does not excuse that you have potentially ruined the lives of at least two ponies," said Luna. Twilight realized this was the first time she had seen the Princess she looked up to so much actually emote shame.

"Wait, they get cool powers and they want to kick you off the throne or something? That doesn't make sense," said Rainbow Dash.

"Curses are also very often impossible to control. They usually happen to a victim whenever some sort of condition is met, such as hearing a particular word, or maybe even be touch by the pony carrying the curse. They have been given powers through evil magic, such powers often hurt if not used properly, and there is rarely a proper use for them. I can not simply remove the curses, neither can the Elements of Harmony. There is only... Never mind. In any case, they threaten order in Canterlot and Equestria such a short time before the meeting. That is enough to warrant punishment. I am willing to give them compensation now when I know who they are, perhaps that will be enough. I would rather avoid further conflict," said Celestia.

"Compensation? Is that truly everything you are willing to give up?" asked a voice somewhere in the room, from where was impossible to say.

"Random," said Celestia quite serious and stood up from her throne. Twilight looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.

"I've personally never suffered because of my particular curse, but I'm hardly the only one affected by your mistakes," said the voice again. "Tell me, Princess Celestia, can compensation get ponies their lives back? One of them is a pony that has been forced to push away his own beloved family and friends. Another is a pony that will never even be able to see her own family again. One can never do what she loves in front of others without harming them. One is a pony who's curse made him fight his best friend, and he almost lost his eye. Can you get them back what they have lost? Can you heal their wounds? Can you look a pure innocent pony in the eyes, explaining to her why nopony around her is ever happy?" asked the voice again. Luna walked down from next to Celestia and stood in between her and Twilight and her friends. Suddenly, she burst into green flames and disappeared. In her place stood a pony fitting Random's description.

"Random! Where's my sister?" asked Princess Celestia.

"Sleeping comfortably in her bed. Didn't you find it a bit odd Luna was up so far into the day? Your thoughts seem to be scattered. Did you enjoy my performance?" asked Random. Rainbow Dash flied at him, trying to kick him, but she somehow simply missed, hitting the floor instead.

"How can you transform like that?" asked Twilight.

"I have a particularly powerful curse. I used it to get the power to transform from a changeling, she'll be expecting it back later today. Want to know what my curse is?"

"I want you to leave, that's what I want," said Applejack. Twilight hushed her, this could be important.

"Why would you tell us your power?"

"Charming friend you have there, Twilight Sparkle. I'm telling you this because we want you to know that we are not afraid of you. We are confident, we might not be many, but we have strength and conviction. What I'm about to tell you is merely the tip of the iceberg. In any case. My curse fits me, as I am a gambler. My curse, is more like a power, therefore I like it. I am able to bet everything on a game. I can win entire concepts about anyone I want. I can get power, magic, friends, memories. I can get whatever I want, with a little luck. I live for the excitement, which is why I'm here now. Its limits annoys me, however, like that I can't affect other curses."

"Prove that's your power!" said Spike. At first, Twilight wanted to object to that idea, but she realized it might actually be a good thing, at least that way they would know if he was lying or not.

"Very well. I bet on a coin toss. If you win, I'll tell you where my group has been staying so far. If I win, I'll get a single memory from you," said Random. Spike stood tall, not afraid in the slightest.

"Go ahead! I don't know anything!" said Spike proudly.

"I got that impression, but I didn't want to assume," said Random. Spike took out a coin.

"I since I have a tail, I call tails," said Spike.

"Well, if you have a head you certainly aren't using it," said Random and waggled his pony tail from side to side. Spike flipped the coin and caught it as it went back down.

"Tails," said Spike, smiling confidently at Random.

"Interesting, but I don't accept defeat so easily when it comes to coins. Little Spike, would you kindly show me the other side of the coin?" asked Random, a wide smirk spreading across his face as Spike tensed up. "So, does the coin have a single tail, or a forked tongue?" said Random. Spike hesitated, but he turned the coin around, showing the duplicate side.

"You not-so-sneaky little cheat," said Random and smirked. He pointed at Spike with his hoof. "I know exactly what I want from you!" exclaimed Random. The young dragon tensed up, and then relaxed a bit. "Since you're a child, I went easy on you. I just took something you can easily get back within a day," said Random, holding something in his mouth, like a coin, which he swallowed. He then turned towards Celestia. "The only hope my friends have to get back a normal life, is Cesom. Mark my words, Celestia. We will get it, and we will punish you, unworthy ruler, for ruining the lives of some ponies for nothing! J'accuse!" said Random. He suddenly ran right past them and towards a window. He quickly opened it and and jumped out, sprouting a pair of insect wings in the process. Within moments, he was gone.

"Rainbow Dash! Follow him!" said Twilight.

"Yeah! Right! Of course!" said Rainbow Dash and flew out before they even had the time to blink.

"Are you alright?" asked Twilight to Spike, looking at him worryingly. He just looked at her.

"Of course, Twilight. I'm fine. I don't know what that guy took from me, but it couldn't have been important," said Spike.

"What were you thinking? You could have ended up in some horrible trouble!" said Rarity.

"Relax, I'm fine. I'm better than fine, in fact! Because, you see, everything went according to plan," said Spike with a wide smile on his face.

"What?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"You see, I believed him when he told us his powers, but we couldn't be sure. So I made sure to know he didn't lie. Now I know for sure. I know we will find out who all of them are soon enough, but for now I wanted to know what Random's powers could do, and if they had a weakness. So I cheated. Didn't you notice that I didn't lose right away when I cheated? He had to actually find out I was cheating. You can cheat with this guy as long as he doesn't find out!" said Spike.

"But we could have figured out who they were right there and then," said Twilight.

"I don't think so, I think they have already moved, and we would have just found their old, but for now useless hiding place. I'm sure he just tried to play me for a sucker," said Spike. Twilight sighed.

"I suppose that's possible. To be honest I'm just glad you're not hurt. I wonder if you really lost something. Hm, we better take a test just to make sure. Come on, Spike, let's make one," said Twilight, walking away, towards the door, actually excited to make a test herself for once. She would question him on everything he knew.

Rainbow Dash flew back in through the window.

"Sorry, girls, but he flew down and I lost him in the crowd after he transformed," said Rainbow Dash.

"It's alright, you tried your best. Spike, come on," said Twilight and kept walking. Spike didn't move, however. He just started to talk to Pinkie Pie. "Spike, come on," said Twilight again to the little dragon. He looked around in the room.

"Who's Spike?" he asked, scratching his head.

"What's your name?" asked Twilight, realizing just what had happened.

"It's... it's... I know it's... Woah," said the dragon who had forgotten his name.

"It's Spike," said Applejack and put her hoof on his shoulder.

"...-Y Wikey," added Rarity under her breath.

"Wait, my name is Spike? That's the dumbest name ever! Can't it be something cool, like, Drake, or Dragonan, or Scalerclaw?" asked Spike to them. Twilight stared at him for a moment.

"Your name is Spike. That's that," said Twilight and pointed at him.

"Ugh, fine!" Spike said. "It makes me sound like a dog," he added and huffed a weak green flame. Applejack walked up to Princess Celestia in the meanwhile.

"So, Princess, what's this Cesom he talked about?" Celestia looked at her.

"I don't have a freaking clue," answered Celestia. Twilight and Spike both noticed her particular use of language, and what it signified.