"Goodness, Twilight!” remarked Rarity. “She certainly is smart for such a little filly!"

Spike had returned with Rarity not long after Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash's arrival. Twilight, however, was far too busy perusing a letter from Celestia that Spike had also brought her. She simply raised a hoof. "Just a moment."

After she finished reading, she looked up at her friend. "Sorry, Rarity... I had to read that letter right away."

"Oh, it's quite alright,” said Rarity with a smile. “I understand completely. I apologize for having interrupted you."

Twilight smiled and shook her head. "It's alright,” she said, “but... if you would excuse me for a moment, there is something I must do quickly."

She turned towards the stairs. Celestia had confirmed to her that the book she had taken into her possession was dangerous. She couldn't simply leave it on show like she had. She headed upstairs and levitated the book from her desk.

Hmm... where should I hide it? There aren't many good hiding spots here...

She sighed and decided to slide the book under her pillow for now; the most horribly obvious place to hide something. She shook her head and concluded that finding a proper place to hide the book would have to wait until her guests had departed.

Twilight sniffed the air, having detected the scent of something burning. "Oh for the love of..." she performed a firm facehoof before rushing downstairs again to find smoke billowing from the kitchen.

"This dumb oven gets too hot!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed through a coughing fit. “How could anypony bake anything with this?!"

She had attempted to make cupcakes with the few ingredients that had been available to her. Twilight's oven, however, had proven to be a bit too much. Little did Pinkie Pie know, the temperature dial had been broken for some time.

Rainbow Dash covered her mouth with a hoof as she coughed, rushing about the house and opening windows to vent the smoke.

"It's probably enchanted with magic or somethin'! Shoulda known better than to try to cook anything at Twilight's house!"

Little Kryssie was on her back, laughing hard at the whole fiasco.

"Well at least somepony can find humor in this!” Rarity exclaimed, keeping her distance from the source of the smoke as she coughed. “Oh, this is simply awful! I'll have to wash my mane at least five times over to get that dreadful smell out! Pinkie Pie, what were you thinking?"

"How I was I supposed to know this dumb thing was busted? Ohhhh, my cupcakes are ruined!" complained Pinkie, before noticing the little laughing filly nearby. She immediately cheered up and smiled widely.

"Awww! At least it made Kryssie happy! I guess its not so so bad now."

Twilight shook her head before addressing the others. "Alright. If you're all finished destroying my kitchen, I have some very good news to share!"

Everypony looked to Twilight with interest. Satisfied that she had their attention, she continued.

"Celestia has informed me that as long as Kryssie can hide either her wings or horn, and remains under my supervision, she may go outside. I was thinking we could all go to Sweet Apple Acres and introduce Kryssie to Applejack! It would give the place some time to air out, and Kryssie a chance to finally experience the outside world as she should."

Pinkie Pie began to jump up and down with the typical excitement one would expect from her. "Omigosh, Twilight, that's great news! We should go now! Come on, everypony!" She squealed excitedly, already bolting for the door.

"Can I... can I really go outside, now?" Krys asked as she stood herself up, looking up at Twilight with an expression of joy and excitement.

Twilight nodded and smiled. "Yes... so let's go! There is a lot to see out there, Kryssie!"

"Yeah, c'mon! Let's go!" Dash exclaimed with a wide grin before running out through the door.

"Oh, I wish I could come along as well... but I have ever so much work to do... and I am in bad need of a shower now, on top of everything else!" Rarity pouted, looking rather regretful that she couldn't come along. However, business had picked up tremendously as of late, and she had only just found the time to make a brief visit.

"Oh, it's alright," Twilight said with a smile. "I understand perfectly, Rarity. I hope we'll see you again soon."

Rarity nodded. "Good luck with the little one, dear. I'm sure you'll need it... after all, taking care of a little Unicorn is a hoofful in itself. I cannot imagine trying to care for a little Alicorn!" She chuckled.

"Thanks again, Rarity. I think I can handle it,” Twilight said. “The Princess entrusted the care of this little filly to me, and I will do everything in my power to make sure she is safe and taken care of."

She was about to leave with Krys when she turned back to face Rarity again. "Oh, good luck with your work as well... I understand you have quite the workload."

Rarity sighed. "Yes... and i'm constantly running out of supplies. Would you mind if Spike helped me a bit longer? He's been helping me quite a lot."

Twilight nodded. "Of course... i'm sure he's very eager to help." She gave a knowing chuckle.

Spike zipped to Rarity's side, his eyes gleaming with joy. "Oh, it's my pleasure to be of assistance to you, Rarity!"

"Why thank you, Spike... we certainly have our work cut out for us today," she said, trotting off in the direction of her boutique. Spike followed closely, undeterred by the prospect of the workload.

"Hey! Come on, slowpokes!” Dash called back to Twilight and Krys tauntingly. “Last one to Sweet Apple Acres is a rotten egg!"

Krys seemed to perk up upon hearing this, taking off after Dash and Pinkie Pie like a little red bolt of lightning.

Twilight coughed from the dust cloud little Krys had kicked up, twitching a bit before taking off after them.

"Hey, wait up!" she called. She found herself wondering how Krys could run so fast, but quickly dismissed it. The little Alicorn had already demonstrated far more impressive feats.

"What the?!" Dash stared at Krys wide-eyed as she covered the distance between them in a mere moment. "Wow, Kryssie! You're a speedy little thing! I can't wait til you're flyin'!"

"Hehehe! She might even be able to outfly you someday, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

Twilight was panting as she finally caught up with them. She was far from an athletic pony, and preferred to take things at her own pace. However, for Kryssie's sake, she resolved to stay within fifty hooves of the little filly. After all, it was her job to make sure she was safe, no matter what.

Venara sat at her computer in her quarters, playing some mundane puzzle game to try and focus her mind on something other than what had been going on. First those flashbacks, and now... the looming threat of an enemy that could pose a serious threat to them. She had to escape for a while. Even though the game was able to adequately distract her for a while, it wasn't enough to quell the lingering storm of dread in her mind.

"YOU LOSE!" a robotic voice boomed through the integrated speakers on either side of the screen.

She sighed and shook her head, shutting the thing off. "I just cant focus on this right now..."

Bridge to Captain Draelin!

Venara felt a sensation of worry and fear shoot through her as she heard the comms system call for her.

“...Yes? What is it?"

Something... strange is happening with the central planet's moon. You should come and take a look at this.

Venara sighed in relief. At least it wasn't them yet.

"I'll be right there," she responded, standing. She left her room and once again headed for the teleport hub on her deck. She stepped into it, and moments later was standing in the bridge.

She tilted her head to look at the viewscreen. "Now what in Krysallus' name is that?"

One of the officers looked to her. "We're... not sure. It seems to be some form of energy resonance."

Venara stared for a moment at the bright blue glowing spot on the moon, rubbing her chin in thought.

"Perhaps... it is simply the empress signaling to tell us that she arrived safely?"

The officer shook his head. "There isn't much we can do from this side of the barrier. Let us hope that's all it is."

Venara sighed and sat heavily into her chair, staring for a while at the anomaly. She instructed the officer to magnify the image as much as possible. He did so, though it proved futile. There was no magical runic writing or anything within the brightly glowing spot. It was just... a brightly glowing spot.

Venara knew there was little else she could do. So, she simply waited, wondering what might happen next.

It had been a long day for little Kryssie. She had done so many things, and met several new interesting ponies. Applejack had at first seemed a bit nervous in her presence, having assumed she was Celestia or Luna's offspring, but soon warmed up to her after she had displayed some affection.

Kryssie sighed softly as she nuzzled into Twilight's side, her eyes closed as she tried to get to sleep.

Twilight had already fallen asleep, and had the most peaceful smile on her face. Kryssie, however, had things on her mind... or rather one thing in specific. That strange book had been the subject of her thoughts for quite a while. She didn't know why, but it had been calling to her somehow. She felt somewhat bad, since Twilight didn't want her to read it, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.

She felt the book under Twilight's pillow. She had completely forgotten it was there. Kryssie sighed softly and used her magic to gently pull the book from underneath the pillow, slowly pulling away from Twilight and sliding off of the bed, as quietly as she could.

Twilight rolled over, but didn't awaken. Kryssie finally headed downstairs, passing Spike on her way, also fast asleep.

Setting the book down on the floor, Kryssie created a little sphere of light above it and opened it, turning to the first page.

The book was written in some odd, ancient form of runes that, for some strange reason, she found herself able to read. She read page after page, slowly making her way through the book. Her eyes widened at several of the pages, and before she knew it she had read through the entire thing. By the time she had finished, it was around midnight.

Her eyes still wide with shock, she closed the book and left it. She turned and headed for Twilight's front door, opening it slowly and sidling outside. She spread her wings, expertly taking flight as if she had done so a million times before, and headed straight for the very place almost everypony feared to tread and hardly ever dared venture near, let alone at night.

The Everfree Forest.

Twilight awakened sometime around two in the morning. She sighed and headed down to the bathroom.

"I knew I shouldn't have drunk all that applejuice before bed..." she muttered below her breath, closing the door behind her.

After completing her 'business,' she exited the bathroom, returning to her room and yawning. Finally, it hit her.

"...Kryssie?"

She was gone! How could she not have noticed this sooner?!

Twilight was overcome with a powerful wave of fear as she galloped downstairs and began searching. She noticed the book on the floor and began to tremble.

"Oh no... no no no..." She crept over to the ominous volume.

The book lay quietly on the floor, cover-side down. Twilight knew what had happened, and yet, she could hardly bring herself to acknowledge the reality of it.

Kryssie had read the book that she herself could not even bring herself to open... the book that Celestia had told her to keep hidden away... the book that supposedly contained dark secrets of devastating power... all of which had been read by such a young little filly.

She began to panic, hurrying to the door, throwing it open to look outside. Not a single pony was there. She slammed the door shut and ran to one of the many bookshelves, scanning it hurriedly.

She finally found what she was after and, using her magic, yanked the book violently from the shelf, lowered it to hover in front of her, and illuminated it, frantically searching through it.

"Come on, come on,” she grumbled, “I know it's here..."

Finally, she found the spell she needed. She took a gulp, turned, and approached the tome of forbidden knowledge.

She stooped and touched it with her horn. The book glowed brightly for a moment, before a trail of light shot from it along the floor, a trail which only Twilight was able to see. It led out through the door.

She headed outside and looked up; her mouth agape as it left the ground to disappear high into the air. She was barely able to make it out, but she could follow it, and she did so hastily, galloping beneath the faint slither of light, before coming to a sudden halt.

She panted heavily and looked ahead of her; an expression of sheer horror upon her visage as she realized where Kryssie had gone.

"Oh no...” she panted. “Anywhere but there..."

She gazed into the darkness of the forest in front of her. Her first thought was to go back and get her friends for help, but there was no time. Little Kryssie could be in serious danger. She took a gulp and slunk beyond the treeline, doing her best to ward away her fears with her determination to find Kryssie.

There was no danger she wouldn't face for Kryssie's sake. Even if it meant facing a Hydra again, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was the safety of the little filly.

She followed the trail hastily as it weaved around the trees within the forest, moving as quickly and quietly as she could, so as not to draw too much attention to herself.

After about an hour of trotting, she had delved deeper into the forest than she had ever been before. She could see the piercing gazes of yellow and red eyes around her, leering down upon her silently. She ignored them, pressing on, until she found herself before the enormous, gaping mouth of a deep, dark cave entrance.

"Oh... oh, dear Celestia..." she whimpered in horror as her gaze fell upon the savagely dismembered corpses of several beasts. Manticores, from what she could tell, though the mangled remains were difficult to identify with any certainty.

The silvery trail she had been following went straight past them and disappeared down into the vast blackness of the tunnel.

Could Kryssie have done that to those massive beasts? Or perhaps... something else... something worse that had been after her?

There was no turning back now. Swallowing hard, Twilight forced herself onwards into the cave, shaking off the fear that had been causing her to tremble. Screwing her eyes shut to concentrate for a moment, she created a small, magical ball of light that hovered in front of her, illuminating her path.

The tunnel was a long one, descending steeply for a considerable distance. She must already have been several hundred metres beneath the surface. As she hurried down the gently winding passage, it slowly widened, opening into dank, eerie chambers, thin stalactites and stalagmites hanging and rising either side of her, the light of her magic causing spindly shadows to dance behind them as she passed, before the trail disappeared once more into narrow tunnels.

Eventually, the tunnel opened once more, and she emerged into the largest underground chamber she had ever seen, illuminated by glowing gypsum crystals that hung from the roof of the cavern like vast, spiked chandeliers. Slithery rays of light fell what must have been dozens feet onto a massive ruin. It looked to be an ancient, subterranean city of stone, carved from the living rock itself.

Twilight gazed in awe at the scene before her, having never once before come across anything quite like this. She crept carefully underneath a massive stone arch as she ventured into the ruined stone city, suddenly stumbling on something. She looked down and had to stifle a scream. It was unmistakably the ancient skeleton of a pony, but it had been there for thousands of years at least, parts of it crumbling to dust where her front leg had hit it. Gingerly, she stepped around it.

In the center of the ruins stood a large building. It looked to be a temple of some sort, a soft blue glow emanating from the massive doorway cut into its front. She approached it with caution, making sure not to trip over any more skeletons... there certainly were a lot of them.

She stepped inside and made her way along a tight, high-ceilinged passageway which, not unlike the natural cave outside, opened into a huge, circular, central chamber.

She stopped dead in her tracks. Little Kryssie was right there ahead of her, standing before a large, blue glowing orb at the center of the chamber. White veins glowed across its surface, as did the same cryptic runes as were written in the tome. Though Twilight, of course, had never opened the book, and had never seen the runes before.

She wanted to call out to Kryssie, and yet she feared to. What if the sound of her voice resonated with the chamber and caused it to topple in on top of them?

She began to approach little Kryssie, but stopped once again as a bright blue beam of light shot upwards from the glowing orb, up into a large hole in the center of the ceiling within the chamber. As this happened, Twilight could feel the magical power resonating from the orb. It was... tremendous. Far beyond anything she had felt before.

"Fehta Vudoz Ix Oreth Ei'Vas!" Kryssie shouted, though not in a young Filly's voice... no, her voice resounded in a much deeper tone, with all the volume and power of Luna's own Royal Canterlot voice.

Twilight took a few steps back, terrified, before a blinding flash of light engulfed the room.