After what happened on the bridge, Shining made sure that he, his daughter and his nephew arrived to the Light Kingdom as soon as possible. Getting there, Star went to his room to unpack his saddlebags, while Gleaming Shield went to the infirmary so that she could be treated from her wound. Meanwhile, in the throne room, Shining told Twilight, Blue and Golden Paladin what had happened.
"And so I managed to suppress the Nine-Tails’ power and I brought them back as fast as I could" Shining finished. "I'm glad you gave me this sealing spell, Golden Paladin. Otherwise, I don't know what could have happened."
"I knew that we should be prevented" Golden Paladin said. "At this point, leaving Prince Star Knight get out of the Light Kingdom or the academy without the presence of somepony capable of stop him if he loses the control is a great irresponsibility."
"I can't believe this happened again" Twilight said. "And this time, he attacked Gleaming Shield."
"In this regard, I should have been more cautious" Shining said. "I should have stopped my daughter from approaching Star."
"It wasn't your fault, Shining” Blue replied. "You didn't know you'd find Ulysses and Grogar. And we all know how Star has been quite sensitive about the Moonlight."
"This situation is getting out of hoof" Golden Paladin said. "If Prince Star Knight cannot control the Nine-Tails’ power, I don't see the point of continuing to teach him how to control it."
"So you want to stop everything, Golden?" Twilight asked. "We've been focused on training Star for years, in hopes that he could control the Nine-Tails’ power."
"I know that, princess, but the truth is that I only can teach him how to control the power to a certain extent" Golden Paladin said. "It seems that the time has come to focus now on Prince Star Knight’s own abilities."
"And how are you going to convince him of that?" Blue asked. "He's pretty stubborn."
"Don't worry, Prince Blue Sword, I can handle it" the General of Peace replied.
At this point, Mirror Coat appeared, coming from one of the stained glass windows of the throne room.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I have serious news from Aeropolis" Mirror Coat said.
"Don't tell me..." Golden Paladin started.
"Yes, the Jinchuriki of Two-Tails was captured" Mirror Coat confirmed. "Somehow, Chrysalis and her mutants were able to infiltrate and capture it."
"This is terrible" Twilight said. "We have to do something."
"I wish we could do something, but it's not that simple" Golden Paladin answered. "In the case of One-Tail, we had the cooperation of the pony-panthers due to the friendship between us. But this time, things are not in our favor. Last time, we couldn't approach the location where they were until the extraction was complete. The more likely is it to happen again. But there is another factor. Aeropolis, as well as the other kingdoms with a Jinchuriki are sensitive enough towards them. "
"But why?" Shining Armor asked.
"The kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest don't always get along" Mirror Coat explained. "The reason for this has to do mainly with the choice of the kingdom that would be the overlord kingdom of all the Enchanted Forest. Wars were fought for that very reason."
"Because of this, several kingdoms sought and obtained the power of the Tailed Beasts, sealing them inside Jinchuriki" Golden Paladin continued. "Although the wars ended when Falancia was chosen to host the Heart of the Forest, the kingdoms with Jinchuriki continued to maintain secrecy about them."
"That means we can't do anything?" Twilight asked. "That's awful. Maybe if we talk to the king of Aeropolis..."
"It would take a long time" Golden Paladin said. "The Lord of Chaos and his villains are probably sealing Two-Tails as we speak. Maybe that's why Grogar and Ulysses retreated."
In the villains' hideout in Arimaspi’s territory, they were in the middle of the extraction and sealing process of Two-Tails. Gigi was in the same situation as Chief Strongpaw was, with the energy of her Tailed Beast being extracted and absorbed into the Demonic Statue. The villains were in their positions, on top of the statue's fingers.
"I still can't believe we had to come running just to seal the Two-Tails" Ulysses said. "Couldn't you wait, my lord."
"Do you have a problem with that, Ulysses?" the Lord of Chaos asked.
"The will of the Lord of Chaos must not be questioned, my feathered friend" Grogar said to Ulysses. "I already explained that to you numerous times."
"It's just that I was close of defeating Prince Star Knight and, at this point, we would have the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails at our mercy" Ulysses said.
"And tell me, Ulysses, what use would the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails have to me, if we cannot still seal his Tailed Beast?" the Lord of Chaos asked.
That question left Ulysses unwilling to answer.
"And, furthermore, if I recall correctly, Grogar said your fight against Prince Star Knight wasn't going well for you" Adagio said.
"And the state you arrived only confirms that" Moonlight added.
Those comments from the two sirens made Ulysses look at her dangerously.
"Relax, Ulysses, you don't want to stop the extraction process" Medusa said.
"It's hard enough to concentrate on the extraction during three days in a row, you don't want to make the task even harder" Rothbart continued.
"Stop arguing!" the Lord of Chaos exclaimed. "Concentrate on your duties. I'd hate to have my brother’s servants trying to interfere."
"I wouldn't worry too much" Chrysalis said. "Everyone knows how sensitive the kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest are about their Jinchuriki."
"Even so, be alert" the Lord of Chaos advised.
"I have a doubt" Moonlight said. "Why do you want to gather the Tailed Beasts to resurrect Ten-Tails, master? According to what Adagio told me, this creature was uncontrollable."
"It seems that the rookie is trying to stick her nose where it doesn't belong" Ulysses said.
"Just like a certain rookie when he started working with us" Adagio replied, making the griffon look at her coldly.
"It's okay she want to know the reason why we are doing this" Oogie Boogie said. "After all, we don't even know for sure what will happen when Ten-Tails is resurrected."
"The truth, Moonlight, is that Ten-Tails will allow me to conquer all this reality" the Lord of Chaos replied. "Many may think I will make it destroy everything, but the reality is quite different."
"How so?" Moonlight asked.
"There are things about the Ten-Tails that many people are unaware" the Lord of Chaos replied. "My brother did not even tell his disciples about it, afraid that they could use it selfishly. But you shouldn't worry, since nothing bad will happen to you if this happens. Your happiness will be ensured."
And the villains locked at each other, wondering what his master meant by that.
Star was in his room, unpacking his saddlebags when he heard somepony knocking at the door.
"Yes?" he asked.
The door opened and Golden Paladin came up and asked:
"May I come in?"
"Of course."
Golden Paladin came in and said:
"I heard you had a great adventure with your uncle and cousin."
"That’s an understatement" Star said. "Finding two villains was not part of our plans."
"And by the way, I also know that... you lost your temper a little" Golden Paladin said.
Hearing that, Star knew where Golden Paladin wanted to go with that conversation and said:
"I know I'm not supposed to use the Nine-Tails’ power without your supervision, Golden Paladin, but it was something... impulsive."
"Being impulsive isn't exactly something that you should do" Golden Paladin said. "Maybe we should focus our attention completely on your own capabilities."
"But, Golden, I can do this" Star said. "I know I can do this. I may not be able to control the the Nine-Tails’ power now, but..."
"You know, I wanted to talk you out calmly, but it looks like I have no choice" Golden Paladin said. "Listen to me, young prince. The pony who caused Princess Gleaming Shield’s wound... was you, Prince Star Knight."
Hearing that, Star was petrified. He was the one who hurt Gleaming? No, it couldn't be... Knowing that fact made him relive what had happened at the Great Light Canyon, when he get in his four-tailed form for the first time and hurt his father. So all the destruction he had seen had been caused by him…
“So… the bridge then…” he said. “And that giant crater…”
“Yes, it was all you” Golden Paladin confirmed.
“And… Gleaming Shield’s wounds…
“That’s right. She lied to spare your feelings. To protect you from the truth. Your uncle Shining Armor did the same, but only because of her and also because he blames himself for her injuries as well. This is not all on you. The thing is you were only stopped because I was cautious and gave to Prince Shining Armor the ability to use my sealing spell once. I can do that whatever you are not close to me, you don’t have to worry about.
There was a pause and then Golden Paladin:
“But to be honest, I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, but there is a reason why I did it. There is no question this power will get you stronger, stronger enough to hold against the Lord of Chaos’ desire to get the Tailed Beasts and probably will allow you to get Moonlight back. But the strength you gain from depending on the Nine-Tails is not actually your own. If you continue to rely on that power, not only you’ll hurt yourself, Prince Star Knight, but you’ll be endangering the lives of the ones surrounding you as well. Just as you did today.”
That made Star become even quieter, thinking about Golden Paladin had just said.
“But you knew about this already, didn’t you?” the General of Order continued. “You let your impatience get the best on you and unleased the power anyway. Thanks to my sealing spell, Prince Shining Armor suppressed the Nine-Tails’ power completely now. But listen, if you think that will make you weaker, you’re mistaken. I know what you can do. After all, I have been training you for years. You’re powerful enough on your own and the source of your power is not Nine-Tails’ energy. It’s your own that can put the one that belongs to Nine-Tails’ in check.”
The General of Peace started to go to the exit of Star’s room, but then he stopped and said:
“If you want to save Moonlight, then do it using your own power. If you wish to see Moonlight, then look her with your own eyes, not the Nine-Tails’. If you want to protect your family and friends, forget the fox’s energy. Use your own strength.”
Golden Paladin opened the door and prepared to get out when he heard Star said:
“All right, I’ll do it. If you really think I can get stronger using only my own power, then I’ll do it.”
The General smiled and then got out, closing the door behind him.
Golden Paladin pulled away a little from Star’s room and met with Mirror Coat who commented:
"It's interesting how you were the one who suggested to train the young prince to control the Nine-Tails’ power and now you're asking him to stop."
"You know it's for the best" Golden Paladin said. "Who knows what can happen, if Prince Star Knight continued to use the Nine-Tails’ power without knowing to control it completely. We knew we'd get to a time when we couldn't help him any longer. Now, what we can do is get him stronger until the right time comes."
"I guess you're right" Mirror Coat said. "Besides, this gives us time to concentrate on other things."
"What do you mean?" Golden Paladin asked.
"I just ended processing the information that we obtained from the Changelings’ old nest" Mirror Coat said. "And, believe me, what I found... it is just creepy. Well, it is better for you to see for yourself."
And, having said that, he created a mirror in front of Golden Paladin and began to show him something. Golden Paladin’s expression started to become increasingly surprised until finally, he exclaimed:
"Oh... my... Lord!"
"I know, I was so amazed as you are now when I saw this for the first time" Mirror Coat said. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"Yes, I know, but first I want to confirm this" Golden Paladin said. "We don't know if this could be a way of the Lord of Chaos to confuse us."
"Changing the memories of the reflections is a type of magic that I would certainly feel" Mirror Coat said.
"I know, but the Lord of Chaos is known for being unpredictable" Golden Paladin said. "We have to act. And there's only one pony able to give us the certain of this fact... Heartbeat."
"But she's in one of her trips that to us seem ridiculous" Mirror Coat said. "Who knows when she returns."
"Then we wait" Golden Paladin said.
Mirror Coat rolled his eyes and then said:
"How is it possible for someone to rely more on the General of Affection than in the General of Knowledge?"
He went through the mirror he had invoked that disappeared when Mirror Coat passed thought it.
Three days passed, with Star going back to the academy. There, he found Galena, who, in his opinion, was very saddened, even more when Moonlight was corrupted, although he didn't know the reason.
At the Lord of Chaos and his villains’ hideout, the extraction process was finished with a new iris appearing in one of the statue’s eyes. Without the energy that kept her in the air, Gigi fell on the floor, apparently unconscious.
“Now the Two-Tails has been sealed away as well” the Lord of Chaos said. “Now we have seven more to get.”
“Finally…” Ulysses said, while massaging the shoulder. “I hate staying at once place for so long.”
“I have to agree” Moonlight said. “Staying three days doing nothing except concentrating in this statue is very tiring.”
“Don’t worry, soon you’ll get used to” Adagio said.
It was then that they all heard a moan and saw that Gigi was still moving.
“It seems the Jinchuriki is still alive” Oogie Boogie observed.
“So let me finish her off” Chrysalis said, passing her tong through her lips. “I was the one who captured her, along with my minions. Furthermore, I can smell a lot of love on her, almost as much as the one the former Jinchuriki had.”
“No way, bug” Ulysses said. “I deal with her, as I wasn’t able to kill the other.”
But before the two could have the opportunity to argue any longer, the Lord of Chaos extended his hand to Gigi and launched a dark beam that hit her, making give some mortals in the air and then hit the ground again, with force. This time, Gigi remained completely still, seeming she wasn’t breathing at all.
“There, now you don’t have any reason to argue” the Lord of Chaos said. “Since you all failed to kill the One-Tail’s Jinchuriki, I decided to kill this one myself. Now I think we won’t have anymore survivors. It’s time for you to go. Find the next Jinchuriki as soon as possible, but try to not take any attention.”
And, having said this, he disappeared, taking the Demonic Statue with him. The villains landed and Chrysalis said:
“I better go now. I have a hive and subjects to rule.”
“What about her?” Moonlight asked, pointing to Gigi’s body. “We can’t let her there.”
“Why?” Ulysses asked. “Don’t tell us you still have some compassion.”
“It’s not that!” Moonlight exclaimed, offended.
“We must show some respect, even for our enemies” Grogar said. “Furthermore, I don’t think our master would like to have the bodies of all the Jinchuriki we captured decaying here.”
“I get rid of it” Rothbart said. “I don’t have any important matter to attend.”
“Do as you want, but I won’t get my hooves dirty” Medusa said.
And the villains started to get out, with Rothbart and Medusa staying behind to get rid of the Gigi’s body. Moonlight still gave a last look to Gigi, before going with Adagio.
Heartbeat returned to the Light Kingdom and, after being informed by Golden Paladin the reason he needed her help, she took him to her room saying:
"Wow, what you're saying is pretty incredible. Although I don't believe that is true."
"That's what we'll see about, Heartbeat" Golden Paladin replied.
Heartbeat removed the tapestry that was hiding the door to the Room of Souls and they get in there. The numerous luminous souls illuminated it, while the dark souls offered the contrast.
"Now, summon his soul" Golden Paladin said to his youngest sister.
"I still think that something like this is unlikely to happen" Heartbeat said, while accessing her magic and tried to summon the soul that Golden Paladin had told about. "I mean, I think I would notice if a soul as noble as it became..."
But something appeared suddenly, hitting Heartbeat’s head who exclaimed:
"Argh! But what the... "
And she became astonished when she came across with a dark soul. Heartbeat extended her hoof and touched it and she was invaded by memories of the owner of the soul and then said, not wanting to believe:
"It can't be…"
"Looks like I got the confirmation I needed" Golden Paladin said. "I need to tell Princess Twilight and Prince Shining Armor what I just found."