"No, please..." Shine begged, as Miracle's eyes closed.
"I think I know how to help her." Sleight declared. "It's a little risky..."
"Do it." Shine nodded. "Save her, please!"
"First, we have to bind that wound." Sleight tore off a piece of his already ragged suit. "Hold this down."
Shine held the rag over Miracle's wound, and Sleight tied it tight. Miracle groaned in pain.
"Now what?" Shine asked.
"Now it gets tricky." Sleight frowned. "I learned a technique during my travels to counteract the effects of dark magic exposure... But it's risky, for both of us."
"You have to try." Shine urged.
"I will." Sleight nodded.
Sleight leaned down towards Miracle. He touched his horn to hers, and started flowing his magic into her. At the same time, a thin stream of darkness flowed from her into him. Sleight stepped back, staggered.
"Hoo, that was worse then I thought." He groaned, rubbing his head. "What a migraine!"
"What did you just do?" Shine asked.
"I infused her with some of my own magic, while at the same time siphoning off the dark magic still in her system." Sleight groaned. "A little something I picked up along my travels."
"Did it work?" Shine asked.
"Hard to tell." Sleight shrugged. "She seems okay, but we're just gonna have to wait and see."
"Well, we can't do it here." Shine declared. "More shadow ponies could be along any time."
"What do you suggest?" Sleight asked.
"We hop the train." Shine stated. "See if they can outrun that."
"Well then, lead the way." Sleight urged.
Stopping only to pick up Miracle, Shine and Sleight jumped off the train station platform, sneaking around back as to not attract attention. They hopped up on the rear of a freight train, and leapt into one of the carriages, which was packed with various foodstuffs.
"Oh, good." Sleight smiled. "All that running made me hungry."
"Isn't that stealing?" Shine asked.
"Probably." Sleight shrugged. "But we need to keep our strength up. We're no good to anypony starved."
"I guess you're right." Shine sighed. "And maybe a little food will help Miracle's recovery..."
Miracle suddenly sat up, groaning.
"Miracle, you're awake!" Shine smiled, nearly tearful again. "How do you feel?"
"Lousy." Miracle mumbled. "What happened?"
"Well, not to brag, but I pretty much saved your life." Sleight boasted, before rubbing his head, "Got a headache, but I will tough it out."
"Thank you." Miracle smiled. "Wait, what about mom?"
"I'm afraid she was captured." Shine admitted. "She bought us time to get away."
"Oh, no..." Miracle sniffed. "What are we going to do, daddy? That pony with Sombra's horn is going to do awful things… I-I-"
"Don't you worry, baby." Shine comforted her. "We have to keep strong. Not just for your mother, but for our entire family and all of Equestria. Okay?"
"Okay." Miracle nodded.
"How can you say that?" Sleight asked. "Our wives are in danger! We have to go back and save them!"
"No, we need to come up with a plan." Shine declared. "Who knows what Red Eclipse is planning this very moment?"
Meanwhile, in the Crystal Empire, Red Eclipse sat on the throne, or rather lounging in it.
"This was easier than I thought it was." He smirked, as he tapped his horn, "Who knew that having a horn would make life so much easier…"
The shadow ponies brought in Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Twilight and Chrysalis.
"Ladies." Red Eclipse grinned. "So glad you could join me. I hope you are enjoying your new accommodations in the prison cells?"
"What is it you're after, Eclipse?" Celestia demanded.
"Come now, Celestia, I take over one of Equestria's greatest cities and you ask, 'what is it I'm after?'" Red asked incredulously, before chuckling darkly. "I'll tell ya what I'm after… power. Enough power to rule Equestria, if not the world. And the Crystal Sun is what will give me that power."
"How do you even know about it?!" Cadance snarled, "As far as I knew, only us five knew about it!"
"Hmph, you would be surprised by what I know, pinkie." Red scoffed. "Let's just say when I was bunked down at this little town called Maredina in Saddle Arabia, I had a lot of time to catch on a little light reading."
He then sat back up.
"But here's what I know. I know that about thousands of years ago, Cadance's ancestors had forged the Crystal Sun, with hopes of using it's power for the 'betterment of ponykind'. Pfft, as if…" Red Eclipse scoffed. "But then your and Luna's father decided to have it divided, so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hooves, really dark times, back then. Then they decided to share the pieces among themselves and their fellow Alicorns. One for them for Cadance's ancestor, another for Twilight's, and for reasons I cannot understand, they decide to give the last piece to this wench's grandmother." He gestured to Chrysalis.
"How dare you…" Chrysalis snarled.
"Why now do you seek these pieces?!" Luna barked, "Why not before?"
"Well, Luna, as it turns out, the Crystal Sun, while being real powerful in it's own right, requires a tremendous amount of magic to even get it operational… before this horn and I became one, I planned to find a Unicorn that had the magic power… and then I would have to gather up an army to storm cities looking for the shards, and that costs a pretty penny… just too many hoops to jump through for me. But with Sombra's horn and these shadow ponies…" He gestured to the shadow ponies, who only nodded in acknowledgement. "I just saved myself most of the trouble… and you five can save me the rest of it by telling me the locations of the pieces… right now…"
"Never!" Twilight roared. "You think just because you have Sombra's horn that we'll lay down and let you walk over us?! Well, you've got another thing coming!"
"We would never allow a fiend like you to gain such power!" Cadance declared.
"Oh, no!" Red gasped dramatically. "My whole plan's ruined! I guess I'll just have to call off this whole thing. It's obvious that you mares seemingly hold all the cards…" The Alicorns glared deeper. "Ah, well, guess I'll have to go back to my old style of hurting anypony I feel like hurting. Like the Crystal Ponies, for example. Or maybe I could even finish what I started with the Changelings... and this time, not have my army scared off by cheap tricks!"
"No!" Chrysalis yelled.
"Heck, why not all your loved ones?" Red shrugged. "I do have most of them here, after all. There's plenty of kids for me to spank, husbands to put through the wringer.... Maybe I can make some of the older gals into my... concubines."
"You monster..." Luna seethed.
"Call me what you want, Luna, but as far as I can tell, I am running this show now, and there's nothing you can do about it." Red grinned. "Either give me what I want, or I will make good on my threats… I'll promise you that."
The princesses (and queen) shared frantic looks with each other, before coming to a unanimous decision.
"Very well." Celestia growled. "We shall tell you where to find the pieces."
"My piece is hidden in the basement of my castle." Twilight stated. A while after she had gained her title of the princess of friendship, Twilight had been given one of the pieces by her father, who (while unaware of it's true importance, due to it being passed down for so long) believed such an artefact would be safer with her.
"Our is in the vault of our castle." Luna added.
"You'll find my piece behind the portrait of the master bedroom, also in a vault." Cadance declared.
"And the final piece is in the caverns of the old Changeling territory." Chrysalis growled.
"Now was that so hard?" Red taunted. "Okay boys, take 'em back to the dungeon."
The shadow ponies obeyed.
"Hold it." Red suddenly declared. "You know, having you all here, imprisoned, kinda reminds me of that guy Tirek... and d'ya remember what he did?"
"No… you're bluffing!" Chrysalis snarled. "If I recall, Sombra didn't have the power to take magic!"
"Wanna bet, Queenie?" Red chuckled.
His horn glowing once more, Red Eclipse send out tendrils of dark magic that latched onto Chrysalis' horn.
"GAH!" Chrysalis gasped, trying to break free of the tendrils.
"Chrysalis!" Celestia gasped.
The dark tendrils began tightening around her, as it drained out her magic. Chrysalis collapsed to the floor, her body becoming thin and haggard.
"Chrysalis, no!" Twilight ran to her side.
Chrysalis struggles to get up, as she glanced at her now ragged hooves.
"No…NO!" Chrysalis howled, as she broke down.
"How could you?!" Cadance roared, about ready to charge, only to held back by the shadow ponies.
However, Red ignored her, as he gave a satisfied grin.
"Hmm, I gotta say, you were a lot tastier then I thought you'd be, bug. Tastes like chicory." Red smirked, before turning to the princesses. "I wonder how well you four will taste..."
"You won't take my magic without a fight!" Luna growled.
"Suit yourself." Red fired his tendrils at his her. She struggled to free herself, crying out in pain. "But as you can tell, it hurts more when you resist."
As Luna stumbled, Red moved on to Cadance.
"You won't get away with this..." Cadance groaned, as her magic was leeched.
"Watch me." Red sneered.
Cadance fell to her knees, completely drained. Then came Twilight.
"It doesn't matter how much power you steal." Twilight gritted her teeth as he drained her. "Good will always prevail."
"Not for long." Red taunted.
Twilight collapsed, just like the other princesses. However, none of them shared Chrysalis's thin, haggard look. Finally, Red turned to Celestia.
"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this…" Red smirked darkly.
He fired tendrils at Celestia, who didn't resist at all… but as he began sucking the magic… none came out.
"What the-?" He gaped. He tried tightening the tendrils' grips, but there was no magic left. "What did you do? Where'd all your magic go?"
"My magic now lies with my husband." Celestia declared. "You'll never find him, or our daughter."
"We'll just see about that, sunbutt." Red growled. "To the dungeon with all of them!"
After the royals were led away, Chrysalis's sobs echoing through the halls, Red conjured up more shadow ponies.
"You guys, fetch me those Crystal Sun pieces." He ordered one group, as they quickly vanished, and he turned to another group. "As for you, find Celestia's husband and her daughter... I need as much Alicorn magic I can get… and whatever you do, bring them back alive!"
The shadow ponies nodded, and slid out of the room.
"As for me, I have business of my own to attend to..." Red declared.
He simply walked out of the throne room, to attend to his 'business'…
Far away, Caboose groaned, as he found himself lying on the ground in the middle of nowhere.
"Ugh... what happened..." He struggled to get up, and looked around. "Shine? Miracle? Anypony? Where am I?" He got no answer, as he growled, "Oh, great, I'm lost... hooves don't fail me now..."
Caboose made to move in one direction, getting some distance, before suddenly, his horn glowed, and he popped back where he started.
"What the?" Caboose gasped. "I didn't say to teleport!"
Caboose tried moving in the same direction... before being teleported back farther, and a bit higher, falling to the ground.
"Okay, this is weird..." He looked up at his horn. "What is going on here-"
The horn shot off a powerful blast, recoiling Caboose into the ground.
"Ow..." Caboose got back up. "This is freaking me out... I gotta find Shine..."
Somehow, his horn heard his request, and suddenly, Caboose took off into the air.
"AH! WHAT THE BUCK?!" Caboose screamed.
Caboose was sent rocketing through the air, zigzagging left and right, soaring miles, before coming to the very train Shine, Sleight and Miracle were on...
"I'm telling you, we should head back!" Sleight insisted.
"And I'm telling you, it's just not safe!" Shine retorted.
Their argument was interrupted by the sound of screaming, which was getting closer.
"What's that?" Miracle asked.
Suddenly, something crashed through the side of the carriage.
"Heads up!" Sleight yelled, pulling out his cards.
"Did they find us?" Shine asked, ready to defend his daughter.
They were ready to fight the new intruder…when…
"Oh boy, did that hurt..." Caboose emerged from the cloud of dust, rubbing his back.
"Caboose?" Shine asked. "You're okay?"
"If you can call it that." Caboose groaned.
"How did you do that?" Sleight asked.
"Do what?" Caboose asked dumbly.
"That! I 've known you for a few years now, and not once could you fly without wings!" Sleight stammered.
"Just what happened to you, Caboose? One moment you were right behind me, and the next, you were gone!" Shine asked.
"No clue." Caboose shrugged. "I was following you guys when something hit me from behind and sent me flying out into the tundra before I blacked out! It was weird…" But he shook his head. "But enough about me, what's going on with you guys?"
"Well, Shine's having us run away." Sleight said derisively.
"It's the best thing we can do at this point." Shine declared.
"Could somepony tell me what exactly we are running from?" Caboose asked. "Because I wasn't there when everything went crazy!"
"I'll tell ya what happened…" Sleight growled, "Red Eclipse… the pony who tried to kill the Changelings, had come back, with a bucking horn on his head and captured everypony!"
"Red Eclipse?" Caboose gaped. 'That's the guy my bros were talking about!'" He shook his head again. "What about my wife? My kids? Blueblood? Dusty?"
"I'm sorry, Caboose…they were captured too." Shine frowned.
"Poor Vito, Hurricane, and Pureblood…" Miracle whimpered.
"And princey here finds it smart to run away while Red has everypony we love under his hoof!" Sleight glared at Shine.
"What?! No way!" Caboose snorted. "My wife and kids are back there. I say we take the fight to Red Eclipse! Nopony messes with the Napoleons, especially me!"
"Good stallion." Sleight nodded.
"Look at us!" Shine urged. "Two Unicorns, a Pegasus, and a wounded Alicorn filly. We won't last five seconds without a plan, and maybe some backup! Tell me, what good can we do if we're captured too?!"
"Well, maybe you have a point..." Sleight said grudgingly.
"And of course, the humble guard doesn't get a say..." Caboose grumbled.
"So, where are we headed again?" Sleight asked.
"I know a place down south we can hole up in for a while." Shine declared. "They won't think to look for us there…"
A few days later…
In a bar in Fillydelphia, business was going as usual. So far, the happenings at the Crystal Empire had been contained, and nopony was aware of the dark machinations that were occurring just up north.
One of the pony that was there was none other than Twitch Cardinal. Since the snafu with the changelings ten years back, Twitch had been laying low, now hiding from Red Eclipse as well as the Napoleon Brothers. So far, he had been succeeding, although his disguise was rather odd. He was currently playing cards with some friends, donning a black moustache that deeply contrasted with his blonde mane, which was now paling.
"Say, Twitch, whatever happen to that feller you worked for?" One of them, an Earth Pony, asked.
"Oh, him?" Twitch shrugged. "I left him. He was a crazy old bat who hated Changelings. I only ever worked for him because he promised lots of bits... but it just wasn't worth it. He was fighting a losing battle…"
"Really now? That's not how I remember things..."
Twitch jumped at the familiar-sounding voice. The door to the bar was blown open, and Red Eclipse, wearing his cloak, stepped forth, with anger in his eyes.
"I-is that the time?" The Earth Pony gulped. "Gotta go. I have a soufflé waiting in the oven!"
"You win!" One of the other card players threw down his cards.
The other ponies ran off, scared. Twitch was too scared to move.
"R-r-r-r-r-red Eclipse?!" Twitch stuttered. "I t-t-thought you were d-d-d-"
"Dead?" Red finished his sentence. "You underestimated me, Twitch... among other things."
"L-look, pal, you aren't still m-mad about the w-whole Changeling thing a couple years b-back, are you?" Twitch asked nervously.
"Mad?" Red chuckled. "Why in Equestria would I be mad? You only left me alone to be captured by a bunch of wanna-be Godfathers and held in their danky basement for ten years..." His voice suddenly turned menacing. "You know, Twitch, old friend, if there is one thing I hate more than weaklings and Changelings... it's cowards like you."
Red Eclipse lowered his hood, revealing his horn.
"W-w-w-where'd that come from?" Twitch gasped, as he slowly backed away.
"A better question: Where are you going?" Red sneered.
In a blast of dark magic, Red sent Twitch flying across the room. Before the Earth Pony could hit the wall, he was caught in a magic field.
Twitch was about to sigh in relief, when he found himself thrust across the room.
"Aaah!" He yelped.
Red began tossing him around the room, smashing him against anything and everything.
"TEN YEARS, TWITCH!" Red roared, as he threw him against the wall. "Ten years I had been confined to a 10x10 cell! I was rotting away in a buckin' prison cell while you were up here, hiding like a filthy rat!"
"Ow… how did you even find me?!" Twitch groaned.
"Simple. I followed the stench of utter betrayal…" Red sneered. "That, and I had you implanted with a tracking crystal."
"Wait, wha-AHHH!" Twitch was sent flying again, this time into the bar cabinet, shattering glasses.
"You know, Twitch, when I made you my lieutenant, I expected the utmost loyalty…" Red Eclipse snarled. "Instead, you deserted me to be defeated… by insects no less!"
Red then threw him against the counter, scraping the side of Twitch's face along the bar, before throwing him to the ground.
"P-Please, Red…" Twitch coughed, hurting badly. "I didn't want to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-"
"ENOUGH!" Red roared, as he dragged him along the floor, throwing him at his hoof, as Red pinned him and raised one of his hooves, "You know, I have a very strict death penalty for deserters, Twitch… heck, I should punch your head into the floorboards right now…"
"No, p-please!" Twitch begged, growing teary-eyed, but Red was about to bring his hoof down. "GAH!"
*SMASH!*
Twitch winced and whimpered, as he opened one eye to see Red's raised hoof smashed into the floorboard, mere centimeters from his head. Twitch looked back up at Red, as he sadistically chuckled.
"Lucky for you, I'm in the mood to offer you a second chance…" Red declared.
"Um… w-why?" Twitch asked, finding this uncharacteristic for the war-monger.
"Because, while you may have left me to my fate… it wasn't you that imprisoned me…" Red admitted, "Before I was locked away, I heard that you have a bit of a history with the Napoleon Brothers…"
"Napoleon?! Where?!" Twitch gasped, as he looked left and right.
"Ah, so it's true, huh? Got into a little trouble with the mob, Twitch?" Red smirked, pressing a little harder with his pinning hoof.
"Well, you see, I kinda did something awful-" Twitch began, before being jabbed in the chest by the pinning hoof.
"Look, I don't know what you did to them, and I honestly don't care." Red scoffed. "All I do know is that I want them dead for wasting ten years of my life! And since you have beef with them as well, I will give you the satisfaction of killing them."
"Wait, really?!" Twitch perked up.
"Really." Red smiled, as he then brought Twitch to his hooves, leaving him a bit shaky. "They made you run and hide for so many years, it's only fair that you fight back. And I am going to be busy with my own project, so I will leave you to take care of 'unfinished' business."
"O-okay, boss!" Twitch nodded wildly. "You can count on me!"
"Good." Red summoned more shadow ponies. "Take these guys for a spin. And rally up any of our merc buddies from ten years back, we are going to need a lot of ponies for what we are about to do…"
"You got it, b-boss!" Twitch saluted, before frowning. "Do what exactly?"
"In due time, Twitch." Red smirked, as he gestured to the hole in the wall. "Now get to work." Twitch, not wanting to make him mad again, made his way to the door, before the stallion stopped him again. "Oh, and Twitch? If you ever get the bright idea of running away again... you might want this..." Red passed him a hammer. "It'll be easier on you then I'll be..."
"U-understood, boss." Twitch gulped. "Come on, y-you shadows, let's move out!"
"Wait." Red stopped him again, as he then ripped the moustache off Twitch's face.
"OW!" Twitch clutched his snout.
"Next time, get yourself a better disguise." Red rolled his eyes. "Now, get to work."
As Twitch and the shadows left the Bar, Red took a sip from one of the abandoned drinks.
"Ah, whiskey. How I missed ye." Red chuckled.
Back in the Crystal Empire, the Napoleon brothers had almost fully recovered. By then, shadow ponies were swarming all over the Empire, enforcing Red's rule.
"Hoo boy, this is bad." Murray watched events through the window, as they attacked innocent bystanders and broke into homes.
"Good thing our gals are in Ponyville, away from all this." Sonny sighed with relief.
"You guys don't think Caboose is..." Vinny fretted.
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Grimoire declared. "Caboose may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's pretty tough. I'm sure he's okay."
"He'd better be." Salt growled. "If those things have hurt him..."
"Those 'things' may not be the crux of the problem." Lars noted. "Judging by their movements, I'd hazard a guess that they're just drones, serving the real villain of the piece."
"Yeah?" Slot snorted. "Wait until that guys gets a load of us."
At that moment, they heard the hissing sound of several shadow ponies outside their door…
"Uh-oh, here they come…" Grimm muttered.
"Today's a good day to die…" Salt cracked his hooves, ready to get out of bed to fight.
However, a darkly familiar voice echoed through the door.
"Okay, it's time we end this!" Twitch's voice declared. He had found the brothers by researching the best places for dark magic treatment. The Crystal Empire's hospital was at the top of the list, and thus, the best place to start.
The brothers' jaws dropped.
"Twitch?!" Murray gaped.
"He's here?!" Vinny gaped.
"And in league with those things?" Salt frowned.
"Typical." Lars groaned. "All that time searching, and he wound up coming to us."
"L-light up the place!" Twitch yelled. "Leave no pony alive!"
"Duck and cover!" Grimoire yelled.
Thinking fast, the brothers rolled off their beds, and took cover under them.
A barrage of dark magic blasts fired through the walls and door, razing the entire room, tearing up everything they could hit. Soon, the room was destroyed and filled with smoke. The now hole-ridden walls and door collapsed, revealing the room to Twitch and his comrades, ready to fire more.
"Hold your fire!" Twitch ordered.
As the smoke began to clear, Twitch stepped into the room.
"Where are you, boys?" He smirked. "I wanna see what's left of ya..."
Twitch overturned the charred beds, finding nothing underneath.
"What?! This can't be." Twitch frowned. "Where'd they-"
Twitch suddenly realized that the window was open.
"Noo!" He roared in frustration. "N-n-no way can this be happening. I had those f-f-f-f-f-fools! I was so close to getting some p-p-p-p-payback!"
Down in the streets, the Napoleons were running at full speed, which was quite a challenge, as their wounds burned with pain.
"Now what?" Sonny asked.
"Beats me." Slot shrugged.
"We should head to Ponyville." Grimoire instructed. "Protect our ladies. The way things are looking, those shadows could spread everywhere."
Meanwhile, back in the hospital, Twitch managed to calm down.
"Okay, Twitch, you can figure this out. Their home is gone, thank you, Red…" Twitch muttered to himself, as he then got an idea. "You." He pointed to one shadow pony. "Bring me their medical records."
The shadow pony complied, heading down to the reception area and bringing back the desired paperwork (but not before scaring the poor receptionist, who had already been paralysed with fear by their mere arrival).
"Let's see..." Twitch perused the documents. "Medical insurance info... Past injuries... Current health specs... Wow, does Vinny really weigh that much? Go on a diet, chubbo... Aha! Personal contacts..." He looked closely at the information. "Well, well, well! The boys have all got lady friends! Whattaya know? Better yet, most of them live in Ponyville!"
He gave a sinister smile, as he turned to one of them. "You, tell the boss that I will go to Ponyville to get whatever it is he wants from there!" The shadow pony gave a nod as he slithered away. Twitch glanced at the rest of the group…
"Boys, we're goin' on a field trip!"