It was the evening as most of the students had left for their homes many hours ago, but as for the student eight, they decided to stay behind and sleep together as a group to protect Nathan from whatever this greater evil that wanted to come after him. The professors and Twilight decided to have the main five, Spike, and Starlight stay the night in the castle, that way, they would be right next door if the young eight were in any danger. The young eight took a vote and decided to stay in Smolder's room because not only did hers have more room for them, but it would be safe for Nathan.
Nathan was still in fear though because he could sense that this evil was inching closer and that it was going to get worse. Anyway, he was staring out the window looking at the darkened woods and field that surrounded the school, shivering and squealing. Gallus quickly noticed this and approached him.
"Hey Nathan relax, don't be so afraid." he said putting his claws on his shoulder, Nathan turned to see Gallus and still shook in fear.
"Oh ah've gone way beyond afraid, right now ah'm somewhere between bed-wetting and a near death experience!"
"Nathan!" Smolder said, "I told you, we are not letting anything hurt you, you'll be fine!"
"Besides, we're all sleeping together and we will protect you." replied Ocellus as she gave him a kiss.
"And you're our friend." answered Zodiac.
"Yona won't let anything hurt Nathan." said Yona.
Nathan still felt uneasy though, it just seemed like now no matter what they said or did to comfort him, it wouldn't even ease the fear that tingled through his skin. He was sensing badly that this evil was out there and was willing to stop at nothing to get him!
"Guys, y'all haven't been helpin' at all." he said, this shocked everyone.
"What are you talking about, we've been beside you all day." said Silverstream.
"You'd really expect us to just forget about everything, even though we're all together protecting you?!" asked Smolder in an angered tone.
"Nathan, we have been here for you all day, don't think we're going to change our minds over it!" replied Gallus.
"That's not what Ah' meant." Nathan said, "Ah' mean Ah' do appreciate y'all's comfort, but this feeling in me is getting stronger and closer into mah' skin."
"Nate?" Smolder asked as she picked him up, sat on her bed, and placed him in her lap, "What have I told you, we are not letting anything harm you."
"Guys." interrupted Zodiac, "I've been getting the same feeling too."
"Oh great don't tell me this feeling is spreading like a virus." said Sandbar.
"Yona don't think anything's wrong." demanded Yona.
Ocellus and Silverstream looked at each other, "Why is this happening all of a sudden?" asked Silverstream.
Zodiac cringed, "I think Nathan is right, because when I went to Canterlot to pack my stuff, the thought entered my head too and it wouldn't go away."
"Zodi, I think you're just riding the danger bandwagon." scoffed Smolder.
Zodiac stood his ground, "And I think Cozy Glow and Tirek are out there, and I think Nathan is telling the truth!"
"Well we're going to discuss more of this in the morning, in the meantime, we stay in this room together." said Smolder.
Gallus then turned out the lights, "Good night you all."
"Well good night." said Ocellus.
To ensure the safety of Nathan, Smolder saw to it that he would sleep with her. Nathan agreed to this since he and Smolder were now brother and sister-like and snuggled next to her while she placed her arm around him so he would feel comfortable and safe, and within a matter of minutes, everyone was fast asleep, including Zodiac who slept right under Silverstream's wing and Ocellus slept to his other side.
On the outskirts of Ponyville, beyond the horizon, Cozy and Tirek had managed to look at the next step in their list of revenge which was to kidnap Nathan and throw him into the pit of Manticores. They were absolutely certain that this plan of revenge was going to work and that they would be one step ahead of the main cast.
"Where is this kid going to be located?" asked Tirek.
Cozy Glow gave an evil grin, "Well what do you expect when you see your hostage being protected by his friends while they're asleep?"
"Oh, I see, we find his friends and then get him by surprise?"
"Obviously, with a bit of this." Cozy said pulling out a can of knock out gas which will deepen the sleep of a creature or pony, a sleep so deep that they wouldn't even hear anything, even an alarm going off.
"So, we're going to put them in a coma like sleep, that way we can take our hostage with ease."
"Oh yeah!" smirked Cozy Glow, "Now let's go, we've got revenge to seek!" and they went down the hill to Ponyville, everypony fast asleep completely oblivious as to what was about to happen to their magic.
Meanwhile back in Canterlot, Princess Luna was walking through the hallways of the castle levitating a cup of tea she had made for herself. As she neared the doors that led into their quarters, her horn suddenly stopped glowing and the tea cup dropped to the floor and shattered, causing the tea to spill on her.
"What the..." Luna said in surprise, she tried to light up her horn again to see if it was just a slip of her magic, but had no avail in lighting up her horn. She could soon sense that something wasn't right, seeing the doors that led into Celestia's chambers, she quickly opened them to reveal Celestia asleep. Luna ran up to her bed and started shaking her.
"Sister, Sister wake up!" she pleaded, Celestia turned over and opened an eye to see Luna staring at her with great concern.
"Luna what is it?" Celestia asked in a raspy voice.
"Sister, my magic stopped working!" she said in terror.
"What are you talking about?" asked Celestia.
"Look!" she shouted, showing Celestia her now magicless horn as it couldn't glow and lost its aura.
"When did that happen?"
"Only a few seconds ago, I was sipping tea on my way to my quarters when it just stopped."
"Let me see something." Celestia said climbing out of her bed and walked over to a bookshelf containing tons of magic books. But as she lit up her horn to levitate one of them off the shelf, her horn too stopped glowing and the book dropped to the floor the same way the tea cup dropped and shattered. Celestia couldn't believe what just happened, it had been only three months, and now it was happening again!
"Whatever shall we do sister?!" Luna pleaded.
Celestia didn't answer, but could sense that something was causing this, something even worse than the last. She then flapped her wings and went out.
"Sister, where are you going?" Luna asked.
"Luna, you stay here and with whatever magic you still have, write a letter to Twilight and her friends. Have the guards head down to her school to protect it at all costs!"
"Yes, my sister." obeyed Luna and Celestia took off while Luna went to alert the guards of what had just happened.
As Luna went out to alert them, they had approached her with worry over what they had just experienced.
"Princess Luna, I'm afraid our magic is failing again!" one guard said.
"I know, Celestia has gone out to find what's causing it, in the meantime, she says for you all to head down to Ponyville to protect Twilight's school while I write a emergency letter to her."
"Yes your majesty." one guard said, and they quickly headed out of the castle and to Ponyville while Luna went to try and send a letter to Twilight.
Back in Ponyville, Cozy Glow and Tirek managed to locate the room Nathan and the others were sleeping in. Tirek quietly opened the door while Cozy Glow threw a smoke pellet that contained the knock out gas, once it hit the floor, it sprayed a powerful substance that quickly affected the young eight and Cozy Glow quickly found Nathan sleeping beside Smolder and easily removed him from her grasp.
"Hello buddy." she said evilly, "You're all mine!"
She and Tirek then headed out the door where they opened up a portal that showed a pit with seven hungry manticores who were starving and wanted something to eat. Tirek and Cozy Glow then threw a motionless Nathan into the portal.
"Now, now my pets, you only eat him if the ponies don't surrender their power to me and Cozy Glow." said Tirek as he closed up the portal.
"Now let's get out of here and wait for our moment." said Cozy Glow, and she and Tirek then left the school, but not before quickly vandalizing it.
Back in the fields, Princess Celestia managed to find the Tree of Harmony, or what was left of it lying helplessly on the ground. It had been knocked off its roots, the elements of harmony removed and gone, she gasped in horror by the sight of what she saw.
What was worse, there was a note stuck to the dead tree and Celestia took it off, and it read an eerie nose-dripping message.
"SAY GOODBYE TO NATHAN AND YOUR MAGIC FOREVER, AND COME OUT TO PLAY............."
Celestia quickly figured it out, and that Nathan's feelings were true. So she stared at the distance in anger.
"Where is he?!" she asked herself.........