//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Adventure Begins // Story: Rise of the Shadow Empire // by Splash Surfer 216 //------------------------------// Although the attack on Canterlot had ceased and the creatures had left, the once lively, elegant capital of Equestria was ravaged, a complete mess. Numerous buildings had been damaged, burned to a near crisp, and numerous ponies and other creatures lay in the streets, writhing in pain and surveying the destruction the invading forces left behind.  The attendees of the gala fared no better. Mares' dresses were torn almost beyond repair and their beautiful manes severely disheveled. The stallions and royal guards, covered in dust, debris and other kinds of battle damage from the attack. Nurses from the local hospital had been called onto the scene to admit those that had been injured. But Canterlot was not the only one impacted by this act of destruction. Its citizens were left in a state of shock as they attempted to recover from the devastating attack. Pastel Colorsplash was among those distraught, mostly because her latest masterpiece had been destroyed. Two whole years of hard work, sweat and tears had been blasted into a charred and torn up mess. She spent most of her time sobbing while others tried to console her. Inside the ballroom, Princess Twilight and her friends, having slowly recovered from the shock, stood gathered together, and deep in thought. "Just what was that all about?" Rainbow Dash brushed the dust from her Wonderbolt uniform and stretched her body and wings. Her left side still ached from being tossed hard onto the floor. "Ah'm not sure, Rainbow..." Applejack replied and pointed outside the window. "But from th' looks of that there black hole in th' sky, this ain’t lookin’ too good..." "Twiley, are you girls alright?" The mares turned to see Shining Armor and several guards re-entering the ballroom. The stain of battle damage cast itself gravely on the Royal Guard. Multiple wounds adorned their faces and legs, feathers were disheveled and out of place, and their once shiny, smooth and polished gold and black armor now dented and scratched. "Yes, Shining. We're all fine," Twilight smiled. "I just wonder how Celestia and the others are faring." “What about our sisters?” Rarity questioned, “Are they safe?” Just as she had asked, trotting out from behind the guards, came Twilight’s protege, Starlight Glimmer and her friend Sunburst, who had also been in attendance, followed by the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  At the sight of their family and friends, the shaken young mares galloped over to embrace them. "Sweetie Belle, thank heavens you're alright!" "Did he hurt ya, squirt?" Rainbow Dash took the orange pegasus in for a comforting hug as Scootaloo quietly began to cry into her chest. "Shh.. it's alright sugarcube..." Applejack cooed in her little sister’s ear, stroking her mane. "It's all over now..." Twilight eyed the young mares, making sure they were all accounted for. "Wait a minute, where's Flurry Heart?" "She’s with her mother, safe and sound," The spectacled unicorn replied. “Cadence said something about teaching her a lesson.”  "Hoo boy, sounds like Flurry's sure gonna get a lickin'...” Applejack intoned. "I honestly don’t blame Cadence," Shining grumbled. "After how Flurry was recklessly disobedient, she's lucky if we don’t ground her for three weeks." "She looked so upset," Starlight sighed, her face full of pity. "I just hope Cadence goes easy on her, she’s just a little kid after all." The unicorn took in the time to look around at the damage around the ballroom, particularly the damaged chandelier, broken glass and spoiled food lying across the entire wing. "Yikes, Whatever those creatures were, they sure made a mess of things..." "And from the looks of it," Twilight added, "Everypony's taking it really hard." And she was right, the entire crowd of ponies that had reentered the ballroom, save for the six mares, were in a state of unrest and panic. Checking each other all over for any injuries or cringing at the damage inside and outside the castle. Most of them were demanding answers. Why was this happening to them? Who or what were those shadowy creatures? Where did they come from? And most importantly, How do the princesses know of their existence? "They were big!" "They were nasty!". "They looked angry!" A loud groan caught everypony’s attention as a gray pegasus mare stumbled slowly into the ballroom. Derpy was in a daze, and had blacked out after being thrown outside and forced to hide during the stress of the attack. "Wh..what just happened?" she asked. “What’d I miss?” "And Derpy made them angry!" Bon Bon angrily pointed an accusatory hoof at the confused  mare. "This whole mess is her fault!" "Yeah! Let’s get her!” The angry crowd turned towards the confused, trembling pegasus, surrounding her like a pack of hungry wolves. Before anypony could lay a hoof on Derpy,  Applejack quickly stepped in front of her and shot a stern glare back at the mob of ponies. "Now wait just a doggone minute!'' The cowpony barked defensively. "Y'all ought ta be ashamed of yerselves! Derpy tried ta warn y'all there was a possible danger! She tried ta save yer lives, but noooo. Nopony ever bothered ta think maybe this klutzy mare was right!” She glanced toward the grey pegasus, apologetically. “Uh, no offense." "None taken..." Derpy replied. “I… think?” "Well what'd you expect?" Lyra argued. "She came galloping in here panicking like some chicken with its head chopped off!" Emotions ran higher as the ponies continued quarreling with one another over who was to blame, even the guards found it difficult to pacify the frantic guests. "BE STIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLL!" The entire floor shook violently as the entire crowd froze, and turned to face towards the back of the ballroom. On stage stood Princess Luna, her wings outstretched, and a very stern look upon her face. "Your highness, thank heavens! We thought we'd never get these ponies to calm down!" One bat pony guard sighed in relief. "At ease, Nightfall," The princess smiled reassuringly. “I’ll take things from here.” The stern, authoritative look upon her face returned as Luna turned again to face the crowd of ponies looking up at her. "THY BEHAVIOR IS MOST CONTEMPTIBLE!" she boomed, her Royal Canterlot Voice ever so increasing in volume. "WE LEAVE THIS BALLROOM TO HELP DEFEND AGAINST A THREAT ONLY TO COME BACK TO FIND OUR SUBJECTS SQUABBLING LIKE WILD ANIMALS!" With a heavy sigh, Luna relaxed herself and folded her wings back into place as she moved forward to the uneasy crowd. "We are currently unaware of how those creatures got in, nor do we care who's fault it is!" she continued, her volume now at a neutral pitch. "But we can assure our subjects that now is not the time to panic!" "With all due respect, Princess..." one pony chuckled, stepping out into the open to face her. "Have you lost your Celestia-damned mind!?" The entire crowd gasped at such language being uttered toward royalty. "Look around you! The entire Gala is ruined, our city is half destroyed, there's a hole in the sky that is growing in size and we almost all died!" "And to make matters worse," Shoeshine added. "Those creatures gave poor Roseluck, Daisy, and Lily post traumatic-shadow pony-stress syndrome!" She pointed a hoof towards a corner of the ballroom, where three earth pony mares each lay curled up in fetal position, their eyes widened and bloodshot with terror, and rocking themselves back and forth.  "The horror... the horror..." whimpered Lily Valley. "I'm too pretty to be a shadow pony..." Roseluck quietly sobbed to herself while sucking her hoof. Panic erupted in the ballroom again, while Luna’s guards again tried to calm the guests down to a listening level once more. "How will we defend ourselves?"  "We should bar our doors and windows!" Lemon Hearts suggested. “We should go underground!” "Does anyone else have any ideas?"  "ENOUGH!" The princess’s boisterous tone brought silence once more as all eyes turned to focus the dark blue alicorn on stage. "We are aware of everypony's fears and concerns of the situation and we are currently undergoing an investigation into this attack. As for all of you, I suggest that you head home and rest for tonight. Things won't seem so unbearable after you've had a good sleep. You may all move along, everypony. I bid thee all a pleasant rest of the evening." "Alright, you heard the Princess," Another bat pony guard addressed the crowd. "The invaders hath gone, we'll repair all the damage and we shall reschedule the Gala. We can assure you all that everything is now under control." "Easy for them to say..." Bon Bon muttered as the rest of the crowd began to clear out into the city, heading for home. "Alright boys, we've got a lot to get done tonight." Shining Armor rubbed his temples with his hoof. "We have a ballroom, castle and city to clean up and ponies to escort home." The guards began to head off while Princess Luna disappeared into the next room. Amidst the group of royal guards. Twilight spotted Flash trailing behind, also getting ready to head off. Instinctively, she quickly flew over to him. “Flash?” "Oh, Twilight!" The sound of her voice led the stallion to turn and face her. "I was just..." "Listen," She sighed, "I'm sorry about all of this." "It's not your fault, Princess. If it makes you feel any better, I had a hunch that something bad was going to happen. But beyond all that, this was some of the most fun I've had in awhile. It’s not very often a guard gets to dance with a princess." Twilight blushed and let out a small giggle, “I guess you’re one of the lucky ones.” "Hey, Sentry! Are you coming or not?!" The moment between the two was suddenly interrupted by the voice of one of the guards as they were just about to leave the ballroom. "Keep your horseshoes on, Sun Shield, I'm coming!" Flash yelled back. "I should probably get going Twilight, but maybe I'll see you some time around..." As he turned to leave, Twilight held out a hoof to his flank to stop him briefly. "Wait! Before you go..." she slowly trailed off. "Th-thank you, for saving my life..." The orange pegasus smiled warmly, “You’re welcome.” Twilight watched as Flash trotted away to join the other guards, disappearing into the next room adjacent, leaving her and the rest of her friends alone in the ransacked ballroom. For a moment, the princess looked back longingly at the entryway and sighed happily. I really do like him, she thought to herself, her cheeks beginning to glow pink, and her entire face curving into a dreamy expression.  "I think you two got along pretty well tonight..." Starlight chuckled and trotted over to her mentor’s side, snapping Twilight out of her love-struck "Starlight, I'm not in the mood..." the princess sighed irritably. One of the guards stepped towards Sunburst and whispered in his ear before turning away. "Well, I best be going. Cadence wants me to collect Flurry Heart and take her home..." Sunburst slowly turned away and began trotting back the way he came. Twilight trotted over to one of the windows. Her eyes gazed up at the newly formed black hole polluting the sky. The mere sight of the ever so slowly growing hole caused Twilight to internally shake, her body fur standing on end, and her eyes much larger than usual. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that this strange phenomenon, along with everything that she had experienced tonight, seemed very familiar. She thought back to her dreams. I remember seeing a black hole in the sky, she thought. Just like this. Only, it was much bigger than this one is right now. "Ya doing alright sugarcube?” Applejack asked. She and the other ponies trotted over to join their friend, lost in thought. “Yer start’n ta shake like a rattlesnake that just woke up in somepony’s boots." "It's just that, I've seen this black hole before," Twilight’s gaze maintained focus on the black hole. "I just can’t believe it..." The sound of a clearing throat caught the attention of the ponies. They all turned to find one of Princess Luna's bat pony guards standing before them. Twilight smiled and stepped closed to address him. "Oh, hello Nocturne! What can I do for you?" "My lady hath requested that I escort Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends to the throne room,” The guard explained. “She, Princess Celestia, and Princess Cadence seek a private audience with you all..." "Wait, an escort?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I think we can walk there ourselves." "After what just transpired, darling," Rarity turned to the sky-blue pegasus. "One can't take any chances, should there be any more of those horrid beings hiding out in the castle." "That’s right, Rarity," Twilight nodded. "Even though we can easily walk there ourselves, I appreciate the thought of security at these times. Thank you, Nocturne." The bat pony guard smiled and began to lead the way out of the ballroom and into the dimly lit hallway, with the lilac alicorn and her friends following close behind. A few moments before...  Celestia and her sister walked down the halls of Canterlot Castle, followed by Cadence, Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer. Further behind them trotted the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Flurry Heart, whose head and ears were lowered to the ground. A look of utter disgust and shaming disapproval painted itself upon Cadence’s face, and given how her daughter had endangered her own life as well as many others, one couldn't blame her.  Flurry watched her mother whisper in Sunburst’s ear before he began escorting the Crusaders back to the ballroom. Behind him, Starlight shot a pitiful look toward her as she followed Sunburst and the others. The young alicorn immediately felt desperate for their company again, or anypony's company at all, for she could tell that she was in very big trouble. "Flurry Heart!" Flurry heard her mother's sharp voice from within their guest room in the hallway, slicing through the silence within the halls. She began to slowly trot into the room, watching the moonlight outside the balcony outline her mother's powerful, majestic head and folded wings, and feeling very sorry for herself. She had messed up big time, thinking she could easily take on such a powerful, malevolent entity and look where it got her, captured with no telling what would happen to her next. What made her think she was anything like Cadence, and the rest of the alicorn princesses, who had faced many dangers and challenges before she was even born? Flurry Heart drew herself to her mother's side, her shoulders hunched miserably. Slowly, she let her eyes rise up to meet Cadence's. "Flurry," the tall pink alicorn sternly said the moment their eyes met. "I'm very disappointed in you..." Flurry looked down and sighed, "I know, Mom.” "You could have been killed," Cadence continued, her voice rising with mounting anger. "You were disobedient! And even worse, you put innocent ponies in danger!" Unable to hold back her tears any longer, the filly began to cry and shake in between her sobs. "I was just trying to be brave like you and the others," she sniffed, her voice as small as her hoofprint. "There’s more to being a brave princess or warrior for that matter than you think..." Cadence explained in that same hard voice. Seeing the tearful, sorrow filled look on her daughter's face, she continued in a much softer, calmer tone, "Yes, there are times when one must stand up to danger, but Flurry… the most important thing is picking your battles, and not messing with things you have no business with. Being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." The filly looked up, tears still rolling down her cheeks, though the sadness was momentarily forgotten. "That's not fair," Flurry Heart said, this time with a certainty she hadn't shown before. “I’ve heard all the stories about you and the others. You and Dad’s love for each other was strong enough to push back an enchantress queen who threatened both Canterlot and your wedding! You and Auntie Twilight fought a tatzelwurm! You even freed the Crystal Empire from an evil king’s curse! You’re not scared of anything!” Cadence paused for a moment, her gaze straying out to the balcony and looking out at the moonlit sky. "You’d be surprised," she said at last. Flurry's head snapped up, and she stared at Cadence with wonder. "What do you mean?" “Even during those times, I’ve had moments of fear. So have the others, especially tonight…” “Really?” "Yes..." Cadence looked down at her daughter, and a faint smile crossed her lips. Crouching down to Flurry Heart's eye level, she said, "I thought I might lose you, because I love you so much, as much as I love your father, my aunts, and especially, your Aunt Twilight." Cadence’s words amazed Flurry Heart, her eyes widened with wonder. "Oh," she finally said. She then stared down at the ground, trying to ponder her mother’s words. Her mother, the Crystal Queen, the one who faced the most frightening, strongest, and most powerful of villains without a hint of fear, now admitted that she was afraid. Not of the creatures that attacked Canterlot, no, she was afraid of losing her! "I guess even princesses and great warriors can get scared, huh?" she whispered, looking expectantly at her mother. Cadence's soft smile widened, and she nodded. Flurry returned the smile hesitantly, her ears coming back up as she wiped her eyes clean of any more tears. "But you know what?" "What?" "I think that warlock was even scareder!" Flurry grinned and was delighted to hear her mother laugh. The princess' eyes gleamed, and she looked playfully into Flurry's eyes, "'That’s because nopony messes with your mom. Come here, you!" She then suddenly scooped Flurry into the air with one hoof hugging her rather tightly. "Oh, no, no!" Flurry gasped as she wiggled around in her mother's hooves, struggling to get free. She then pushed against Cadence's hard flank and managed to slip out just in time to leap back for a counterattack. She shouted triumphantly as she crashed into her mother's side but the next moment, the princess was racing to the other side of the large balcony. As they finally met on that side, their eyes matched face to face. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake," the two alicorns both sang in unison, hopping up and down on their hooves. "Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" they finished, and fell to the floor both rolling and laughing at their own merriment. Cadence’s heart filled with warmth, she had fond memories of when she and Twilight would do their special handshake and was proud that both she and Twilight could pass down the symbol of their bond to her daughter. Flurry Heart rolled over to Cadence's side and nuzzled her, while looking up at her proud, forgiving mother. "Mom?" she asked. "Hmm?" "We're pals, right?" Cadence let out a light chuckle. "Right."  "And we'll always be together, right?" Flurry expected her mother to laugh again but the next moment, the older alicorn didn’t respond. "Flurry," she began. "Let me tell you something that my Aunt Celestia told me a long time ago..." Flurry Heart swallowed and kept her eyes fully fixed on her mother's as Cadence leaned back her head and looked up softly at the night sky, ignoring the black hole polluting the majestic view. "Look up at the clouds and the stars," she continued, and the smile slowly returned. "There exists an inner-dimensional plane, a powerful, righteous kingdom, that belongs to a great ancient tribe of alicorns that watch over us from those stars." Flurry Heart fixed her eyes on the distant white dots twinkling in the night sky. They seemed so far away… "Really?" she whispered. "Yes," Cadence said, matching Flurry's soft tones. "Now there will be times when I won’t be around, but I want you to know that whenever you feel alone, just remember that these great alicorns will always be there to guide you." Her voice grew softer and softer, and Flurry had to strain to listen. "And so will Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, your aunt Twilight, and especially me..." "Cadence?" The pink alicorn turned to see Celestia standing in the doorway, a guard standing behind. Her aunt’s serious, concerning gaze informed Cadence of great importance. "Mom? What's going on?" Cadence then turned to her daughter, looking her in the eyes with seriousness on her face. "Flurry, I need you to stay here, pack your things and wait for Sunburst. He'll be taking you back home to the Empire." "But what about you?" "Your father and I have some business to take care of here in Canterlot for a little while. While we're gone, I want you to listen to Sunburst and stay out of trouble, understand?" "Yes, Mom..." Flurry nodded her head. "We'll be home before you even know it, alright?" Cadence nuzzled Flurry’s forehead before leaving the room with Celestia. "Alright." As she watched her mother disappear down the hallway, Flurry grabbed her saddle bag and started packing her belongings. A few moments later, while the six ponies and dragon followed Nocturne down the hallway, the events of the night began to invade everypony's minds once more. "I mean, what was all that about?" asked Rainbow Dash. "With those dark coats, green eyes, and those tongues and teeth, and what was with that staff ‘Maldork’ was carrying?" "It's 'Maldark', Dashie," Applejack corrected. “I know what I said.” "You're both saying his name wrong!" Pinkie Pie piped in. "It's not 'Maldark' or 'Maldork', it's 'MAAAAALLDAAARRRKK'!" Her friends couldn't be sure, but they thought they could hear the pink earth pony's voice growing deeper and the sound of faint thunder and lightning flashing outside the castle right as she said that. "Search me," Starlight replied. "But something tells me that we won’t be seeing the last of them." "All I wanna know is why were those ponies such unreasonable meanie-mean pants?" "I have no idea, Pinkie," Twilight shook her head, still feeling quite disturbed. "What exactly were those creatures, anyway?" asked Spike. "I’m wondering the same thing," Rarity replied. "And why do the princesses seem to recognize them? Was there something we missed after all these years of handling threats against Equestria?" "I don't know, Rarity." The agitated princess sighed as they entered the throne room. The room was dark and quiet, except for the soft glow of candles and the soft, trickling sound of the fountains connected to the princesses’ thrones. There was no sign of Luna or the others in sight. "I've read every single book about every species of pony and other creatures in Equestria, from Changelings to Hippogriffs and even the felines of Abyssinia, but there's nothing in any of the books that covers anything like the monsters we encountered tonight!" "They're 'Umbrum'," Twilight and her friends turned towards the voice and saw Celestia, Luna and Cadence stepping out of the shadows to face them.  "Princess Celestia," Twilight began to ask, "what did you say they were?" "The creatures we faced tonight were Umbrum, spirits of pure shadow, brooding with emotions of anguish, fear and hatred," her mentor continued. "Beggin’ yer pardon, Princess..." Applejack stepped forward. "But how do y'all know so much 'bout these 'Umbrum', when we've never heard of them until jus' now?" "The topic of the Umbrum has been very controversial in Equestria for over one thousand years,” Luna explained. “But given the recent events, we believe that it is time that you were told the truth about them." "Yes," Her older sister nodded. "You see, long ago, around the time the three pony tribes united as one, the Umbrum were once real, living ponies like all of you, They lived their lives in peace and harmony. But then, Maldark, a wicked unicorn sorcerer, tricked a clan of ponies into thinking that Luna and I were their enemies and led an army to try and overthrow us." "Why would he do such a thing?" asked Spike. "Maldark wanted to kill my sister and myself so that he could take over the throne and rule Equestria himself in his power hungry greed," Luna replied, her eyes closed as she reflected on the conflict between them and their ancient foe. "Indeed," said Celestia. "However, with the Elements of Harmony, we were able to defeat Maldark and his army, turning him and his followers into what their hearts were, nothing but pure shadow, and banishing them to a void created from our magic, known as the Shadow Citadel." "The Shadow Citadel?" The ponies all asked simultaneously. "The Citadel is another dimension far away from Equestria, a prison far worse than Tartarus, where all hope goes to die," Luna explained. "A dark and foreboding place where lost souls wander aimlessly, wallowing in hatred, anger, and fear." "Before he was defeated," Celestia sighed, "Maldark vowed that he would return and seek revenge. And judging by what happened tonight, he and his cult were nearly successful, but it's only the beginning." "The Citadel?" Twilight was surprised, it seemed as though the visions she’d been having were more real than she thought. She finally decided it was time for the truth to come out. "I... I've seen that place before... in my dreams. Actually, they’re really more like nightmares." "Twilight Sparkle," her mentor’s expression grew stern, "You’ve been keeping secrets..." "I'm sorry, princess.… I thought the nightmares would go away eventually, but then they only got worse. I was honestly planning to discuss them with you in private at the Gala, but then the entire invasion happened and it was too late. What puzzles me more is why Princess Luna never appeared in my dreams.” "I did try to visit your dreams," The dark blue alicorn said. "But unfortunately, some sort of barrier of dark energy prevented me from entering." She turned to the lilac alicorn. "Just what exactly do you see in these dreams?" Twilight took a moment to reflect on her dreams again, and at last it all came out, everything she had previously told those she trusted the most, from the happy memories of her coronation as Princess of Friendship, to her otherworldly encounter with Sombra, ending with the mysterious visions that plagued her mind. As they listened, the rest of her friends, especially the two sisters grew increasingly disturbed and intrigued by Twilight’s story. "I also remember seeing a strange cloaked figure standing in the distance on a hilltop," She said, finishing her story. "And at that moment before the darkness engulfed me, I saw one final image. It looked like a tall snowstorm-drenched mountain. That’s when I always wake up..." Luna looked towards her older sibling. "Sister, do you realize what this all means?" "Yes,” Celestia nodded. “And it's exactly what I feared the moment after we fought Maldark." "Wait a minute," Dash interrupted. "If you two were able to banish Maldark and his cult over a thousand years ago, and keep them locked away inside another dimension, how was he able to suddenly break free and start wreaking havoc for a little while?" "I was hoping you'd ask that question," came the older princess’s reply. "Maldark and the rest of the Umbrum are serving a new master, somepony whom we thought was long gone. It pains me to say this, but it seems that... King Sombra... has returned." Immediately, gasps from everypony filled the throne room. Fluttershy covered her eyes with her wings, shivering at the mere mention of his name. Rarity fainted to the floor in sheer shock. Applejack put her hooves over her mouth, while Pinkie Pie jumped into Rainbow Dash's hooves and started shaking. "Th-that's impossible!” Spike stammered out once recovering from his shock. “We saw King Sombra get blown to smithereens when I brought the Crystal Heart to Cadence and the Crystal Ponies were able to restore its magic!" "That's what we all thought too, Spike," Cadence sighed regretfully. "But it appears that when King Sombra was defeated, not all of him was destroyed." "We're not sure how it was possible," Her older aunt continued, using her magic to display some images above the group of ponies. "But it seems as though the Umbrum finally grew strong enough to cut a hole in between their dimension and ours and retrieve the one piece of Sombra that survived his defeat: his horn." "That was the one essential piece they needed to revive him," Luna confirmed. "And now with Maldark and the rest of the Umbrum serving him, Sombra, while still in a weakened state after being gone for so long, is slowly growing stronger. Strong enough that the Umbrum have been able to open a gateway between Equestria and the Shadow Citadel." The group of ponies looked out the stained glass windows of the throne room, and gazed up at the sky. They could see the black hole that the Umbrum had created, which now looked a lot less small than it was before. "That portal will continue to increase in size for about seventy-two hours," Cadence said. "If that hole gets any bigger, King Sombra and his entire Umbrum army will be able to escape. The sun and moon will be blotted out, and Equestria will be ravaged, a kingdom of pure shadow and fear." "Time is running out, a night of eternal darkness approaches..." Luna intoned grimly. Twilight immediately began pacing the floor, while she tried to maintain her emotions and not have a panic attack, she had no idea about what their first idea would be to prevent such a potential devastation from becoming reality.  She looked towards her mentor as she continued pacing. "Princess Celestia, surely there must be something we can do!" "We've saved Equestria 'bout a dozen times," said Applejack. "There's got ta be a way ta prevent this nightmare from comin' true!" "Yeah!" Pinkie Pie piped up. "I'm sure those creepy, spooky-ooky shadow ponies will be no match for us, what with Twilight's new super-smoldering fire blasts!" "Yeah..." Rainbow Dash chuckled. Then she froze, remembering what had happened earlier. "Wait a minute, Twilight, I almost forgot, you blasted fire!" “What are you all talking about?” Cadence raised an eyebrow. The rainbow maned pegasus flew over to the princesses, excitedly. "You won't believe what happened to Twilight!" she said. "So I was almost ready to bust us out of that cage and kick those jerks’ flanks, when Twilight let loose with some serious flames. No joke, Flames. Coming out of her horn!" "We all saw it,” Applejack laughed. "Ya nearly burned us ta ashes, sugarcube!" Twilight felt her lavender coat turning a light shade of red and smiled nervously. She wished that they would stop making such a fuss over the mysterious powers she had harnessed unknowingly.  "Princess Celestia! Luna! You should’ve seen her!” Dash continued. “She came out spewing fire! Alright, I tell ya, it was crazy and the single most coolest thing we ever saw!" For a moment, the three alicorns just stood there, silently eyeing one another in a peculiar vibe. Rainbow’s ears drooped and her jaw dropped, confused at their blank reaction. "You don't believe us? Uh, Twilight, you tell them what happened!" The lavender alicorn stepped towards her mentor. "It's true, Celestia, I swear! I'm not sure how it happened, but when I was being restrained by Sombra's dark magic and saw my friends being threatened, I just got really mad. I started to have feelings of fear and hatred towards those creatures, and I used dark magic against them to break free. But once that happened, I rose up into the air, lowered my horn and then, whoosh! Flame city. It’s funny though, I don’t remember ever practicing..." "It's not that, Twilight," Celestia held up a hoof, stopping her explanation. "I believe you all. It's just that... Luna and I never thought that the day would come..." "What day?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "The day..." Celestia stared down at the ground in reflection before raising her head back to face Twilight. “When another pony would be able to harness Elemental magic." Twilight couldn't believe her ears, she had never before heard of such a power. If anything, she would’ve studied it if there was known documentation of this phenomenon in one of the many books she had in her private collection. The other ponies were just as surprised as well. "What exactly is this ‘Elemental magic’ you speak of?" Rarity stepped forward, her eyebrow raised. "Elemental magic is an extremely rare power that not many ponies are aware of," The older alicorn explained. "Even our knowledge of it is also unfortunately limited,” Luna continued. “Yet we do know that Elemental magic is connected with the Elements of Harmony. My sister and I were once able to wield its power, but once our link with the Elements faded after my imprisonment in the moon, our ability to master it vanished as well." "However, there was an old ally of ours," Celestia closed her eyes as she began to reminisce, "that not only assisted us in defeating King Sombra, and locking away the Umbrum, but also helped in training us to control Elemental magic back when we were able to use it. He vanished long ago after Nightmare Moon's defeat, but recently I’ve been sensing his presence. And now, thanks to your dreams, we now have an idea of his whereabouts." She lowered her glowing horn towards the ground, and a large, three dimensional model of Equestria, just like the one in Twilight’s castle, appeared. Celestia then proceeded to focus her eyes towards an almost barren valley showcased on the map, in the undiscovered west, just near the Smokey Mountains and White Tail Woods. "Right about here..." she pointed out. Twilight focused her eyes on the western area on the map where her mentor was pointing towards. “So what you’re saying is…” "Yes, Twilight," came Celestia’s reply. "If my hunch is correct, if you seek out this ally presumably at the mountain in your dreams, he will be able to teach you about your new powers as you continue to unlock them, and if he can assist us once more in defeating King Sombra and his Umbrum army, there may be hope for us all." "Then we will accept this mission," The lilac alicorn boldly declared. "We'll find this mysterious ally and stop King Sombra before he even has a chance to break free." The rest of her friends nodded in agreement. The other fellow alicorns smiled. "Very good, we'll be staying in Canterlot for the time being," Cadence trotted to join alongside her two aunts. "Buying you some time, should you be unable to find the ally before the portal grows too big by combining our magic together to create a shield around most of Equestria. That way, if Sombra’s army escapes before you return, it won’t be easy for them to take over." Starlight looked towards her teacher. “What can I do to help, Twilight?” "Starlight," Twilight eyed her pupil. "I need you to send all the students back home to their families, then get on the next train to the Crystal Empire in the morning. Help Sunburst take care of Flurry Heart and make sure the Empire stays protected. There's no doubt that Sombra will try to take control of it again. I also believe that Yakyakistan and the other neighboring kingdoms within Equestria should be informed of what’s going on."  Starlight nodded her head in acceptance. "Very well then." Luna smiled. "The rest is all up to you all." The princess focused her horn to cast a spell. A piece of paper, a quill, and an inkwell appeared, levitating in her aura as Luna sketched out a map of Equestria, directing towards the west, and when she had finished, presented it to Twilight to take. It had been some time since Twilight and her friends had been anywhere near the undiscovered west beyond the Smokey Mountains, so both Twilight and the princesses knew that the map would be quite useful. "I wish you all good luck, my little ponies," Celestia called, as the six equines slowly exited the throne room one by one. Just as Twilight was halfway out of the doorway, her mentor trotted over to her. "And Twilight..." she warned, The young alicorn turned her head to look back and face the older alicorn. "Remember, If King Sombra escapes, a shadow will fall over the land. And there's no telling what will happen after that." "I won't let you down, Princess," Twilight said, a look of determination painted on her face. The older alicorn smiled and nuzzled her old protégé's face, then said with a voice like silk, "You’ve never once let me down, my faithful student. And you never will..." And with that, Celestia used her magic to close the doors behind Twilight. "So, are you girls ready for another adventure?" Twilight asked, turning toward her friends. "You can count me in, sugarcube!" Applejack exclaimed. "I was born ready!" Rainbow Dash said, determined. "Ya hoo!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "This is gonna be so much fun!" "I agree," Rarity nodded. "Let's stop that horrid unicorn king and his army before it's too late!" "I really don't have a good feeling about this." Fluttershy shivered nervously. "But okay..." "Then it's settled," The lilac alicorn and her friends put their hooves (or in Spike’s case, claws) in together. "Tomorrow morning, we leave to find this mysterious Equestrian ally, within three days! Now let’s go save Equestria!" The journey, it seemed, was to be a strong one for the Princess of Friendship and her friends. Their homeland was in danger again and needed their help, its magic wouldn't last forever. They knew that they could do it if they once again worked together. They had to get this right, yes they had to make them see! They could defeat those shadow ponies and solve this mystery! Maldark and the other four Umbrum leaders roamed quickly through the halls of the Citadel, on their way to the throne room by commandment of Sombra. Upon entering the throne room, they found the king on his small throne, his back facing towards them, and gazing once again through his magic mirror. A glimpse of Twilight and her friends could be seen within its reflection as the image faded away into darkness. “You summoned us four back to discuss things further, my lord?” Nightshade asked, uncertainty in his tone. “Yes, now come forth…” King Sombra slowly turned to face his subjects, who took a few steps forward, their heads bowed to the ground in respect for their master. “You may now rise.” He continued, and they did so, their eyes now focused solely on him. “Our surprise attack on Canterlot went for the most part, swimmingly. I shall admit there were some unexpected surprises.”  "That pesky little alicorn and her friends are much stronger than we thought," Shadowdancer snorted indignantly. "Indeed, my dear," Her lover put his hooves around her back, stroking it gently. "It seems as though we'll have much more of a challenge on our hooves." "I have just found out that the alicorns are planning defensive action while Twilight Sparkle and her friends go off to search for an important ally." Sombra explained. "That is certainly something we cannot allow. Unfortunately, having just been resurrected, I am weak and my magic can only do so much for my subjects." "The new armor and weaponry you've given us is of utmost practicality," Nightshade spoke up. "And they fit perfectly. Why, Shadowy refuses to take his off." "Shineny! Shineny!" The deranged, demonic earth pony babbled, admiring his brand new armor. The armor consisted of metal hoof gauntlets, a grey helmet with a built in communicator and a voice changer. A red horn-like marking that matched that of their king encrusted the helmet’s forehead. From the top of the helm protruded a faux black mane. The torso was also metallic and sharp spikes protruded on the shoulders and back. "Yes, but that is still not enough." Sombra sighed, his expression furrowing with seriousness. “If our conquest against Equestria is to be a success, we’ll need to go over the many phases of my master plan." “Which is why you summoned us here?" asked the Umbrum’s commander. "Precisely.” Sombra grinned a small, yet venomous smile. The unicorn king closed his eyes as he focused his magic. Purple and green mist engulfed his horn. Maldark and the others took a few steps back as a large ring of green fire erupted in the center of the throne room. When the flames had settled, in their place was a large sprawling map of Equestria. “Canterlot is our main goal,” he continued. “But from what I have gathered, Equestria has doubled in size since we’ve been gone. That means we have much more ground to cover, so many places to conquer and spread fear. I shall send divisions from our army to secure these locations, from the far north of the Crystal Empire, to the southern hemisphere where the Hippogriffs rule. With that in mind, we should take time to address any potential obstacles. Celestia thinks that she can match my wits and tackle us head on, correct?” Nightshade raised a hoof to speak, “Well, the truth of the matter is…” “WRONG!” Sombra’s loud roar greatly shook the throne room. His servants staggered on their hooves to not collapse on the floor. “As I mentioned before, my magical capabilities may be too limited to do much for all of you, however, there is a way for you to help me restore the remaining half of it. An old artifact that I used back in my final days ruling the Crystal Empire, an amulet that holds a power far greater than any of the four alicorn princesses and their little helpers combined. After I was banished, my amulet went into hiding. But half of its power remains within me, I still feel it. Once our portal grows big enough and we can finally escape this prison, you will find the amulet and bring it back to me. With this talisman, I will crush all who oppose me, destroy all who stand in my way until at last, Equestria is under my control!" The adrenaline of planning out his conquest grew to the point where the king finally let out a psychotic cackle of triumph. "What about after we overthrow Celestia and the others?" Shadowdancer asked. "The thrill of anarchy shall continue. Putting Celestia's subjects and the other inhabitants to work as our slaves. Should any try to protest or refuse to comply, we shall imprison them in the darkest depths of the Citadel." "Absolutely genius!" Nightshade snarled maliciously. "And it's guaranteed to work." Shadowdancer nuzzled romantically against her partner’s mane. "Now comes getting Twilight Sparkle and her friends out of the picture." King Sombra smiled, "We shall remove them all together, and lock them away in the Citadel for an eternity. To do all that though, we first need to set up a trap." Sombra held out his hoof, his horn igniting with dark magic. He conjured up in a ball of bluish green flames a scroll of paper that looked just like the map Luna had given Twilight. "Shadowy Eclipse," he said, addressing the inept earth pony demon obediently sitting as if he were a trained guard dog. "Listen to me, boy, I still have enough magic to transport you back to Equestria for a short amount of time, in that time limit, I want you to swap out Twilight's map for this one." He levitated the fake map over to Shadowy Eclipse, who grabbed the piece of rolled up paper in his mouth as if it was a bone. Sombra then turned to the dark cloaked unicorn sorcerer. "Maldark, my most loyal subject, you shall accompany Shadowy to Equestria. I’m counting on you to spring the trap, I don’t care what you do, as long as you bring Twilight and her friends to me." Maldark obediently bowed his head. “As you wish, my lord.” "Very well," Sombra’s smile faded, morphing into seriousness. "I believe everything is going according to plan. You have your orders. You are all dismissed until further notice." Following his command, the four Umbrum spirits exited the throne room. Sombra himself returned his focus back onto his magic mirror. Closing his eyes, he cast a beam of dark magic at the dark crystal encrusted above it.  "Show me the princesses." He commanded. Instantly, the image within the mirror changed, obscuring his reflection. Now he had visual access to Canterlot Castle. Sombra watched as Princess Celestia and Luna gazed up at the pre-dawn sky from their balcony. The younger sister having just finished lowering the moon, giving way for the older alicorn's bright, shining sun peeking over the horizon. "Sister, are you sure we can guarantee that Twilight Sparkle and her friends will be able to find him?" Luna asked, once her horn had finished glowing. "We must have faith, Luna," came her sister’s reply. "With Twilight's new powers being essential, and with him as the only one to teach her, we shall be able stop Sombra before he succeeds." The dark blue alicorn gave a deep sigh, "I know, it's just that I still have a bad feeling deep within me. You and I both know the reason why Maldark became the way he is now and most importantly we know what Sombra really wants deep down..." "Yes," Celestia said, and then firmly eyed her younger sibling. "And it is something that we both agreed long ago must never again be spoken of..." Luna nodded with reluctance and followed her sister back inside where Cadence was waiting. Sombra watched as the three alicorns stood together, and lowered their heads until their horns were intersecting one another and then ignited with magic. Once they had built up enough power, a surge of energy erupted from their horns into the sky before spreading out to the many corners of Equestria, forming a magic dome around the kingdom. As he continued his watch, Sombra's expression changed, a look of forlorning, sadness, and uncertainty creased upon his face. Gazing at the image of the three alicorns together, the dark-coated unicorn focused his attention more so on Princess Luna, and let out a heavy sigh. The king shook his head and lowered his horn to blast at the mirror’s crystal again. “Now show me Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends.” The image of the three alicorns and the rest of Canterlot Castle faded away, and the image of Twilight and her friends took its place, Sombra moved closer towards the frame and continued to watch over them, glaring with a purely maleficent grin. "You and your friends certainly are very strong adversaries, worthy of my recovering, yet vast power. I'll leave you all to your happy thoughts for now and make myself busy preparing for my next visit. I just hope you and your friends will be ready in time as you say you will be, for things are just beginning..."