In Canterlot Castle, Sombra was pacing around muttering to himself. A feeling of something's not right, coming to him and growing the longer he paced around.
Finally out of anger that he could not work this out Sombra shot one of his dark beams at the wall a large black crystal growing out of it spouting smaller ones at the edges.
"My what a temper you have there Sombra," Chrysalis's voice said coming up behind him after coming through the window since he locked the door for privacy.
"May I ask what do I owe the pleasure for Chrysalis?" he asked trying to stay as calm as he could but still be strong.
"I just want to know what is wrong, to make sure you're alright and such," Chrysalis said looking around the room that once belonged to Princess Luna seeing and loving what Sombra had done with it.
Instead of blue there was now black, all the star maps were gone replaced by beautiful and expensive looking crystals, and the newest new thing, the giant crystal on the wall.
"Your prisoners down in the caves are giving off less fear than before." Sombra said going back to pacing the room "Which means that they are dead, or they have found someway to lessen the fear with happiness and light." he cursed.
"Well I think this shall make you happy then," Chrysalis said lying on the bed watching him go back and forth in front of her. "A couple of my scouts came back to me a few minutes ago, and said that Twilight and her friends and that Changeling we placed in there are finally here in Canterlot.
"After that some more came in saying they saw her fire one of your Dark Magic shots at that mixed up boy firing him into a wall and they started to sense fear and pain come off him."
"So? I know Twilight can do my magic," Sombra said not stopping "How else do you think she and that puny little Dragon found that stupid Heart to destroy me."
"It was not the fact that she could do it," Chrysalis said "It was the fear that came off of the boy that had them confused enough that they thought it needed to be reported."
Knowing that he wouldn't be left alone again until he answered her questions, Sombra explained.
"With Darkness comes Fear." he said looking towards her. "If someone is hit with a Beam of Darkness, the magic seeps into their memories and worst fears and brings them out for that person to, relive them, as it were.
"Sadly the spell does not last that long. But it's power leaves the one who got hit unable to do anything for at least 24 hours." he concluded looking at her. "Happy?"
"Yes." she said in a one word answer "Now getting back to the prisoners. I can not be to blame if they die down there or find someway to fight off your fear."
At this Sombra gave her one of his dark looks showing his fangs at her.
"Alright, I'm going," Chrysalis said walking to the window and flying out of it using her magic to close the doors after her.
Down in the streets, everyone had just made it to the library and made it inside.
After Twilight and Rarity made a 'book-bed' Eric gently placed Jack down, who thankfully didn't look in so much pain anymore, but still was now what looked to be in a deep sleep.
After Jack was set down and Fluttershy said she'll watch over him, the others made their way to another part of the library to work out or discuss what happened outside.
"So what exactly happened out there Twilight?" Eric said standing next to Sarah trying not to show nerves or knowledge he knew she wasn't her.
"You saw what happened," Twilight said "He made me mad by joking about my brother, I got mad, he got me more mad by avoiding my shots..."
"Then you blasted him into a wall with a beam that has set him up like this." Sarah said trying hard not to say she knew what it was.
"Ok, so now we know what happened," Applejack said stepping in between them "One is he alright, and two if not can we do anything about it?"
"I don't know," Twilight said "The only other times I used Dark Magic was at the Crystal Empire on the throne to find the Heart, and then on Sombra's stupid door to make it stop moving."
"Well there must be an answer or a counter curse somewhere in at least one of these books right?" Eric said looking at the shelves upon shelves of books.
"Or we can ask for advise." Discord's voice rang around the library before he zapped into existence on one of his cotton-candy clouds.
"Ok," Eric said rubbing a headache away from how more confusing things had just got. "Repeating AJ's questions... Is Jack alright, and if not can we do anything about it?"
Discord came down, now wearing a doctors outfit, making a nurses one appear on Fluttershy, standing next to Jack's book-bed looking him over.
After a while he stood up and asked straight to Twilight.
"How long ago did you hit him?"
"I don't know," Twilight said looking through the books with the rest of the girls. "Five to ten minutes I guess."
"I have the answers then." Discord said happily.
"You going to tell us?" Sarah said trying to act like she cared over her 'cousin'.
Discord turned to her sensing something was different but carried on.
"Jack's fine, the fears the spell had brought forth have stopped playing. But you will have to wait..." here he brought out a giant hour glass a single grain of sand falling each second, and placed it next to Jack's head. "twenty three hours, fifty minutes and twenty two seconds, before he wakes up again."
"So because of Twilight we've lost a whole day of looking for everyone?" Sarah asked "Great."
"We have not lost a day Sarah," Eric said annoyed that this bug thinks that she can imitate Sarah. "Jack and whoever stays here to look after him and tell him what's going on when he wakes up, just won't be along for the ride. We can still go, and get everyone out of there and get rid of the big fat parasite and that Lord of Darkness like we originally planned."
For a moment Sarah's eyes flashed green as she ground her teeth at the words this boy was saying about her queen. But stayed in character.
"You're right." she said "I'm sorry Twilight. I'm just scared for Jack. Family and all that."
"It's alright Sarah." Twilight said smiling. "So who's going to be the ones to stay?"
While the girls were sorting this out Eric relaid what he and Jack were talking about earlier to Discord.
"I thought she seemed even more feisty." Discord said playing with his beard looking over at the girls concerned most for Fluttershy who was volunteering to stay behind, only to be put down by Rainbow saying they'll need her to use the Elements.
"Yeah well, Jack said we just need to make sure that she doesn't find out that... 'We know she's not the she she says she is'. But I don't want, for a reason I can't explain, the girls to be put in danger." Eric said eyes on Sarah watching her every move. "To be honest I'm slightly surprised Pinkamena hasn't seen through her yet." he whispered.
"Well, even though Pinkie has a sort of sixth-sense, she's not that good at seeing through Chryssy's hench-bug disguises." Discord said.
Seeing that the girls were not getting anywhere, Eric took a bold move.
"Sarah and I will watch over Jack and you girls go and find those caves." he said stepping forward causing them to stop arguing.
After the six looked at each other mentally asking each other if this was alright they nodded.
"Alright." Twilight said as appointed leader. "But be careful."
"Yeah and don't draw the bugs attention with all that lovey dovey stuff you two may do once we leave you alone." Rainbow said smirking and heading for the exist.
"Get real Cloud-Butt we're on a serious mission here." Eric said rolling his eyes. "Do you really think we'd do anything like that?"
"Stop calling me that!" Rainbow swirled fire in her eyes at Eric.
"Just be careful you guys." Twilight said pushing Rainbow out the door. "And don't let anypony in here once we're gone. You don't know who you can trust with Changelings around."
"You have no idea Twi," Eric said to himself quietly as they left, leaving him a Changeling posing as his girlfriend, an unconscious Jack in the corner, and a going through the joke-book section of the library Discord.