//------------------------------//
// The Search For The Talisman Of Dreadnaught Part 2 
// Story: When Two Worlds Meet 
// by Darkness 1 
//------------------------------//

	As everypony walked down the path, it wasn't long before they all came to an opening and as the haze cleared, they all saw a horrible sight: the ground where the waterfall had fallen and crumbled to pieces all the plant life had died and there were cracks everywhere, as parts a pieces of the waterfall were all over what had once been a beautiful, lush grassland. Everypony was horrified at what they saw, all except Darkness, who just stood blankly looking out over all the damage that had been done, and then without warning....his head began to hurt horribly and his eyes closed. Everypony saw this as Twilight and the others kept calling out his name, his mind flash-backed and it showed him what had happened here. It showed him Twilight and others entering the grassland, the waterfall, finding Snowshy's Element Of Harmony, and as they began to try to leave the waterfall, they got split up by Darkness Night's evil magic, as he blew the waterfall apart into three pieces while Twilight and her friends were still inside trotting for their lives, and barely escaping from being crushed from the falling rocks and rubble as it all crashed to the ground, crumbling into many pieces.
As the memory ended, Darkness regained his senses once more, as  his eyes opened and he found himself on the ground shaking and weakened as Twilight and the others were looking at him with concern. 
Fluttershy was the first to ask, " Are you okay? It was so sudden, we were all quite startled." 
Darkness got up, and said, " I'm fine...." 
Applejack said with concern, " Are you sure? You don't  sound like it." 
He looked at them all with his deep blue eyes and said, " I'm fine, but then I don't know anymore...." 
Nopony said anything they all just stood there with worry and then Twilight started to say, " Darkness..." 
All of a sudden, in a flash of emotion, Darkness trotted off into the middle of the dead grassland, and shouted out to them, " Look!!! Look at what I've done!!! I almost killed you all!!!! There is no forgiveness in what I've done to any of you........or.... to anypony!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Darkness started to cast massive explosions of magic power in random directions as he shouted out, "UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And with a flash, Darkness made the explosions dissipate and subside as he stood there breathing heavily, with a streams of tears going down his face. Thankfully everypony had found cover, and came out as soon as the explosions stopped and went as fast they could to Darkness. 
Rarity was the first to say something this time, as she said so with a tearful voice, " Darkness.....it's okay......it wasn't you. Please don't blame yourself, don't......don't suffer by yourself.....we all are here for you..." 
Darkness looked at them all with tears still streaming out of his eyes,  and looking at the ground and said, " Despite how I've treated you all, you....still....don't leave me...you all still don't blame me.....why? WHY I ASK?? Why do you all still remain here? Following and trying to support my like this?"
Rainbow Dash replied, "Because friends never abandon each other, no matter horrible they are treated, it's the loyalty and friendship they have with each other that helps them see through the darkness, and show each the light. At least, I think so." Everypony shook their heads in agreement with bright smiles. 
Twilight then said with determination, " Rainbow's right, so no matter how you treat us, we will all stand with you no matter what, until the very end, and even then, we will all continue to be here for you, even in the next life, if it must be so." 
Darkness just stood there, eyes full emotion, looking at everypony, not knowing what to say, and then, what seemed like a long time, he nodded in respect, and said, " I guess I'm stuck with you guys then, now let's get going as soon as daybreak, too much time has passed to look for the talisman now, let's make camp here. It's safer this way, in case something tries to attack us, at least one of us will see whatever it might be before it gets too close." Everypony agreed, and Darkness said, " Then it's settled then." Everypony began to take out tents and Darkness put up his left hoof and shook it, and said, " Wait! Allow me." And with a flash of his horn, seven tents were assembled, but as everypony began to look at them, they were not ordinary tents, they looked...different.
Twilight asked, " Ummmm, might I ask what all these exactly are?" 
Darkness said, " I'm not surprised you all do not know, very well, I shall tell you: these are tents from the golden age of the Sorcerer ponies, they are enchanted to protect the one inside of them from danger of sort and alert any one of us, in case none of us are on watch, the tents will be. These tents will see and record everything it picks up, while we are all asleep." 
Rainbow Dash said, " That is so cool! Sounds good enough to me!" 
Darkness said, " Just in case any of you ask, I have also marked each tent with each pony's cutie mark, and each one is personalized to each individual pony, myself included of course, not like I need one, but just in case." 
Twilight said, " I was just about to ask that." 
Darkness replied, " Well, now you know, now, you all should get some rest, time is against us......all of us...again. See you all at daybreak. I'll keep watch, I don't sleep much till later." 
Everypony nodded, and went to their separate tents, and as Twilight was heading to her tent, she stopped in front of Darkness and asked, " Are you sure you'll be fine? I could always keep watch over everypony." 
Darkness said, " Don't be concerned about me, my sleep cycles are different from all of yours, if need be, I could stay up for a week if need be before needing rest, I'll be fine, now, no more questions, we all need to be in top form tomorrow." Twilight nodded in respect and headed for her tent and then Darkness said, " Twilight?" 
Twilight stopped and said, " Yes, Darkness?" 
Darkness, kindly instead being cold about it, said, " Good night, sleep well, all of you, tell the others that for me, will you?" 
Twilight said with a smile, " Of course, I will, and are you beginning to care about us now? That's not like you." 
Darkness simply walked past and said, " Hmph, that's none of your business." Twilight had a confused expression on her face for a moment and then went to the others to relay what Darkness had asked her and went to her tent. Darkness walked up to a high cliff, overlooking the camp, and stared with an sad expression into the moonlight sky, and said, " Will I ever be free? Only you have ever understood anything I do.......I really could use your support, your smile, and you right next to me right now......." He said nothing else as he just sat there, keeping watch over the camp with a somber expression on his face.
Day broke out hours later, and Darkness stood up from where he was, he had dosed off for a while, it looked like, and he looked at the camp: everything was still there, and soon he saw one after the other come out of their tents. 
As Applejack came out of her tent, she looked around, and saw that Darkness's tent was not there. With a worried tone, she asked everypony, " Did of you see or hear Darkness leave? Don't tell me he's abandoned us?" 
Rainbow Dash shook her head no and said, " As cold as he is to all us, I don't think he could bring  himself to abandon us." 
Twilight agreed and said, " Rainbow's right, Darkness may not the friendliest towards any of us, but he would not abandon us, he's probably within the area, still keeping watch. Besides, I feel like he's near us." 
Fluttershy said, " I feel the same way too Twilight, in fact, it looks like Darkness is on that Cliff behind us, look!" A bright, blue light shown on top of the cliff, and a black figure began to fly and move closer to their position. 
Twilight said, " I can't tell if that's him or not, but whatever that is, it's heading towards us, prepare yourselves, just in case!" 
Fluttershy began to say, " But..." 
Rarity cut her off and said, " No buts dear, just ready yourself, or hide." 
Fluttershy started again, " But there's nothing to afraid of..." 
Twilight said, " Enough!! Here it comes!!!" Everypony prepared themselves, and got into fighting stance as the figure drew closer. As the sun began to shine brightly and rose up behind the figure, everypony could clearly tell what it was: Fluttershy had been right: It was Darkness, with his black coat, black mane, deep blue eyes, large, beautiful black wings, and a sharp-pointed horn, he flew closer to them and then his wings began to slow, and he descended and landed in front of them all, as they all could now see his cutie mark, it had a book, with a quill on it, and a very long sword, that ran across, and beside the book,  and Darkness had an amused look on his face. 
Darkness said, " Look at all of you, you all look like you are ready for a fight...at what? Me? It's me isn't it? Do I look that threatening?"
Everypony relaxed and Fluttershy responded, " Not exactly, they just couldn't tell who it was, from how far away and how high you were, but I tried to tell them it was you..." 
Twilight said, " We are sorry, Darkness, we should've listened to Fluttershy..." 
Darkness said, " Enough, I get it, now let's be on our way, we have much to do. Follow me to ruins of the waterfall." 
As they all walked along, Rarity leaned over to Applejack and said, " It is just me, or is Darkness saying 'we' more often than usual?" 			
Applejack replied, " Yeah, I noticed that too, I think he's beginning to care about us a little, that much I can tell. But I can also tell that he's still keeping us all at a distance, and I haven't heard him once say or call us his friend's." 
Twilight walked beside the two and said, " Yeah, I noticed that as well." They all sighed and Twilight said, " I wonder if he will ever open up to us? I wonder, will he ever accept and call us his friends? Or will he simply leave us all behind once this is all over?" 
Applejack replied, "I know how you feel Twilight, I feel the same way, and one can only hope. We can help him break free from his torment and not just us, Celestia wants to help too, but she can't and neither can we till he comes to terms with it himself first." 
They all looked down with sad expressions, and Twilight said, " I hope someday, he lets all of us, Luna, and Celestia set him free." 
Rarity replied, " I know, we all hope so too." Nothing more was said as they all continued to follow Darkness towards the ruins of the waterfall.