//------------------------------//
// S4 Episode 32: The Three That Will Rule 
// Story: JTHW: Journey To Hearth's Warming 
// by Lighttone GryphonStar 
//------------------------------//

The overall view of the Batpony Canyons was very different from most lands. Where other places had their houses, palaces, or even cities on solid flat ground, the batponies were forced to opt for a difference in structure, style, and especially placement. Every city, every palace, and even the smallest of houses were built into the sides of massive canyon pillars reaching several miles from the bottom of the misty crater that held the giant hourglass, to above the clouds. The only thing that stopped it was the halfway point of the giant hourglass and the thick icy ceiling that capped off the Pegasi Isle.

The batpony cities were found on nearly every surface of the walls, but never reached the top or bottom as those lands were owned by either the pegasi or the long lost umbrums. As such the batponies were split between two separate realities. One in which they were loyal allies with the pegasi or one where they lived in remembrance of the lost umbrums. Most didn't question their place and even less dared to wander outside of their city limits, let alone move across the many ancient walkways the umbrums abandoned.

Rex knew all these points well, but being away from this land for so long only made things more obvious. He couldn't rely solely on his memories anymore as they continued to find dead ends and broken paths. However, they continued nonetheless. Using Rainbow Dartz flight only when they needed to as they didn't want to waste energy. Clover posed entering some of the small villages along the way but every time either blockade of traps or the sensing of the strange magic would stop them. They continued onward with signs of hope quickly fading by the hour.

Their search for the correct path pushed them on longer than they wanted. But as they slowly got closer, they found more disturbing corpses. It was clearly not all the cities had been affected by this... attack, but the ones that were, completely void of life. And with the amount only increasing in the same east direction they were going, it quickly became clear to assume they were heading straight into the source of this evil.

"How much further?" Clover jumped over another broken pathway.

"Another mile at least," Rainbow Dartz assured them.

"That the same distance it was two hours ago," she complained.

"I can see the pillar attached to the city from up here. Reaching it is just the bigger problem."

"Agreed," Rex commented. "Neither one of us are masters of teleportations so simply knowing where it is won't help. Besides," He stopped at the sight of another body. "We should really confirm our assumptions before entering what could easily be a trap."

"Good point." Clover thought for a moment, "Why not bring the Titan Airship down here."

"Seems reasonable, but first we will need to take down the defense systems." Rex leered at the glass wall in the distance.

"That's impossible, those defenses have been up for thousands of years. And even if you could, that would be insane?!" Rainbow Dartz defiantly spoke. "Those are there for a reason."

"And what reason is that?" Clover questioned, "The pegasi are at war with the griffins, yet the titan airship lies on the opposite side." She faced Rex, "Can't you release it on just one side?"

Rex turned to his shadows. "My species were the ones who designed those defenses long ago. However, it was to keep a far greater danger out. I don't recall what the danger was, but it's clear now," He presented the body as evidence. "That this protection proved utterly pointless."

"So you can drop it?"

"Yes, but only for a moment."

"How?" Rainbow Dartz questioned, making his doubts all the clearer with his louder voice.

Rex narrowed his eyes at the pegasus... or rather his shadow. Rushing to it without warning, he stabbed his chain. "Pegasus, cast your shadow as close to the walls as possible."

Rainbow Dartz felt a twitch flow through his entire body, starting from the very point that matched up to where Rex had stabbed his shadow. "Fi... Fine." He strained his wings. He still didn't know what the umbrum had planned. Little did the pegasus know that the chain kept a tight grip over his shadow the entire time. The further he flew the more it stretched outward. 

Clover gave a small laugh at the sight of it. "He looks like a dog on a chain."

"It's a form of tether magic. I needed to be as close to the walls as possible to shut the defenses down." He held his hand over his shadow and the black moved like water. "Now, Fredricson, answer me." The image of the captain slowly formed.

******

In another place within the Batpony Canyons, annoyance grew between two familiar ifrits. Vanity had been watching the monitor for Princess Platinum more closely as the hours went on. It's seemed like she was getting better at first but the last ten minutes had filled her machines with rabid noise. The princess didn't seem to be in pain but rather her mind and body were in constant movement.

"These dark magic users are so confusing." She noted every detail. Unfortunately, it was hard to keep up with the numbers as they were moving faster than any patient she ever had before, "This is madness." She tried to keep a smile.

"Being in this place is maddening. I hate it, all of it." Sage hit the window. 

"You should embrace the madness. Lord Frost said you are just as monstrous as the rest of us."

"Like what?" Sage stepped closer, his rage increasing with each next phrase. "A clown preacher with a sex fetish, hippogriff brothers who feast on souls to survive, an ancient alicorn hiding in the body of a child, a tentacle abomination, a severe drug addict, or a dual gendered mistake." He pointed his rage at the vase. "I... I'm sorry," he quickly apologized for that last comment.

"See... you are a monster." She turned away from him, popping more of her pills regardless of what he said.

"How am I a monster?!" His rage returned in full force. "They forced me into capturing my friends, I was forced to watch them rip each other apart. I betrayed them."

"They weren't your friends, they were your tools," another voice entered the room.

Sage backtracked upon seeing their lord, and master's face imaged within red snowflakes. They had entered the room through the crack Sage made on the window. "Lord... Frost." His eyes widened as the words his lord said replayed in his head. "No, they were my friends... and you killed them."

"No, politicians don't have friends. They have tools to help them succeed in life."

Lord Frost's words struck to the core of Sage's mind. Scenes, actions, and things he had done throughout the years replayed through his head over and over. At the same time, all he could repeat was, "No, you're lying... You're lying... You're lying..."

"Think about it. Have you ever had a real friend?" Lord Frost flowed closer lowering himself to Sage's height. "The ifrits you met in your college, no, simply allies to get you the right places and meet the right kinds of ifrits with the much better power. The many wives you've had before, no, they were no different than whores to you." His words broke Sage down to his knees yet he wouldn't stop. "The sponsors you've held to keep your position and power, the children you've hugged to show off how good and kind you are so no one second guess you are the big mistakes you've kept hidden. How about the honest souls who voted for you, hoping your words could help them at every turn when all of it was just lies." Lord Frost presented the truth to Sage and it crumbled him down completely.

"That's not true!" Sage waled in defiance. "They were my friends..."

The wendigo presented himself, "I've had friends, Vanity has had friends, even Carnival in his twistness has had friends. But you Sage, don't have friends at all."

"No, that's not true," Sage fell back only for Vanity to catch him.

Lord Frost took the ifrit's hand and placed it in Vanity's before wrapping them both in red snowflakes. "Don't worry. You don't need to worry anymore. I will be your friend. Vanity will be a friend. See us as tools as much as you like but soon enough you will see us as friends." He clutched Sage's and Vanity's hands closer. "Take as much time as you need to understand real friendship. We have many things to teach you."

Lord Frost turned away from Sage when he was ready. Flowing over to the bed he looked at Princess Platinum. He noted her wounds and scars. Groups of snowflakes left his forms and flowed over where her arms used to be.

"What are you doing?"

"An experiment." The snowflakes carved into the flesh and reached the bones. The machine gave the louder buzz of all. "Hold her down Vanity."

"What?" The doctor barely had any time to process what was happening before the body shook violently.

"Now!" He roared.

"Right!" She rushed over and pushed the princess down. "Sage grab her legs." He didn't question anymore either and hurried over to help her.

"These snowflakes will connect to her normal magic and become her new arms until her dark magic stabilizes." He pointed out as the snowflakes slowly formed new maroon red limbs. "Once I am finished, bring her the time. He and her mother will take over from there." With that final word, the new arms solidified.

The wendigo again vanished back through the window just as quickly as he appeared. Sage and Vaniity got no more words from him on his reasoning or what he was even doing. They didn't even know when he woke up just to do this or why he left just as quickly. The strange quick interaction left them both very confused. Despite that, they took his words to heart and followed his orders nonetheless.

******

Back on the titan airship things were calming down with the siren fillies. Nighttime would soon arrive so Lady Cat was taking the last check on them. She entered the room quietly and admire the two. They were fast asleep, so cute clutching onto the picture of all three of them. A disheartened Lady Cat noted that Sonata Dusk was the only one missing. She could only hope this mission would bring them that much was closer to reuniting them. Lady Cat carefully removed the picture to ensure they didn't damage it in their sleep and replaced it with a goat plushie Starswirl had left for them. That old wizard was trying his best to reunite them so all she could do was wait.

"Burp!!" a loud belch echoed down the hallway. Lady Cat facepalmed and hoped the children wouldn't awake. She smiled at their silence and quietly exited the room. Once the door was closed, she stomped her way to the source of the echoes.

It was followed by slurping and gargling. Lady Cat huffed in annoyance and hurried down the hallway. Seeing Fredricson chugging down a beer rather loudly she was quick to remove it from his hands. "Will you quiet down?!"

"Sorry, I thought it was break time finally."

"It will be when you don't wake them!" She sat down beside him. Lady Cat smiled at him before stealing a drink from his beer.

"Not fair..." He grumbled and pulled out two more.

"Like you care what's fair," She gave a soft laugh and wrapped one arm around him. Taking another swing she relaxed. "I am starting to see what my sister saw in child care."

"Really?" he questioned.

"Yeah." She leaned her head against his.

"Yeah..." he grumbled, "I'm not giving you one."

"What?!" She nearly screamed. "Like I want one!"

"Oh..." He wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic there or not. The room got quiet as he clearly didn't get her other hint. Lady Cat huffed and crawled over him, straddling his belt. "Oh!" He hummed upon realizing.

"Not wanting one doesn't mean I don't want to have fun trying!" She laughed and leaned down to his lips. The two locked mouths and wrestled in the chair, pulling at each other's clothes. Not even waiting for everything to be off before the chair started rocking.

"Am I interrupting something?" another voice entering the room stopped them cold. "Fredricson, retreat or at least cover up!!" the voice roared bringing them to attention.

The two lovers slowly turned their heads to the source of the voice. It was coming from Fredricson's own shadow. Lady Cat went beet red and pulled her corset back up. "What the fuck? Rex?!" She screamed at the image of the umbrum.

"Your timing is horrible..." Fredricson took another swing of his beer.

"I know," Rex leered away from the image. "I'm about to use my connections to the old umbrum magic to disable the defense systems for a few minutes. During this time teleport the Titan Airship inside the Batpony Canyons side of the giant hourglass."

"What about Starswirl?"

"Leave him up there. The alathar will be safer there, anyway."

"According to the map details you left, there should be two alathar in the Batpony Canyons."

"Now I'm unsure on both accounts. Either way, bring the Titan Airship and the map to the land just outside the capital."

"What about Front Station where the elevator is?"

"Everyone in Front Station is already dead." Rex's words for so cold to them he sent out his arm and shadows flew off in every direction from him. Images they saw sickened both of them instantly.

"So are several other cities," Clover confirmed. "We are unsure how far the attack spread or even what happened. We need you to land just outside the capital in case we need more weapons and supplies."

"And hurry, things are getting more confusing by the second," Rainbow Dartz answered in the distance of the image. "We're closer than I thought."

"What do you mean--" Rex was stopped from asking the pegasus by an unknown sight just beyond him, "...Impossible..."

"What happening?" Lady Cat questioned.

"Rex?!" Fredricson shouted as light consumed the image.

"Get here now!" Those were the last words given as static consumed the image.

"... understood," the two lovers answered in unison. As the image in the shadow slowly vanished both of them grumbled loudly before forcing their clothes back on.

******

Meanwhile, Rex, Clover, and Rainbow Dartz were left utterly confused. The previous scenes had left them shaken and disturbed. But now they were left even more confused than ever. There was no blockade or traps anywhere. The pathway was now completely opened the moment Rex dropped the defense systems.

The capital was suddenly right in front of them. With not a flash or even a disturbance of the air, the image of the city just appeared. They arrived at the capital. However, there was no sign of carnage at all. The batponies were moving around peacefully unhindered and undisturbed by the insidious events just outside of their sight.

"How did we get so close?!" Rainbow Dartz shouted upon landing. "You two could have got that far in the few moments I was gone."

"We didn't, we haven't moved an inch since you left," Clover answered in disbelief.

"This makes no sense at all" Rex concurred as he stopped the message.

"But how?!" Rainbow Dartz stopped and raced over to the nearest batponies and ask them, "Sir and ma'am, have you seen anything strange?"

"Outside of a random pegasus walking up to us and asking that?" the stallion joked.

"I'm serious." Rainbow Dartz clarified.

The stallion took a moment to think about it, while the mare answered, "No I don't think we've seen anything strange lately. In fact, its been very peaceful today."

"No agony, warfare... intruders?" Rainbow Dartz didn't know how to word everything he saw.

"What do you mean exactly?" another batpony approach them seemingly unhindered by what they were saying. "The only intruders I see are you!" He tightened his grip on his weapon. Rex and Clover put up their defenses only for the batpony to laugh at them, mocking their tension. "I'm only kidding," the soldier laughed. "There is no warfare here."

"What about that happened outside--"

"There is nothing outside at all!" He laughed aloud in what seemed to be an attempt to interrupt Clover's question. "There is nothing happening outside at all," he repeated making them all raise an eyebrow in confusion.

Rainbow Dartz landed in front of the soldier and grabbed him gently by the shoulders. "I'm not sure how to describe it." He to articulate his words correctly around the soldier. "It was murder, no, a massacre just outside your city, within many cities in fact."

"Impossible we are at peacetime," the soldier quickly dismissed him with the same calm tone as before. Never once batting an eye as Rainbow Dartz repeated them with more detail. "We are in peace times, there is no war," the soldier repeated as the pegasus finished.

"Hold on," Rex pulled Rainbow Dartz out of the way and grabbed the soldier by the face with no warning at all. "Odd?"

"Odd?" Rainbow Dartz argued. "Don't just grab a pony by the face like tha--"

"No, I mean he's not raising his weapon." Rex raised an eyebrow and stepped closer. He looked deep into the batpony's eyes and saw something even strange. "Are you... are you in pain?" His sight strained at something the others weren't seeing.

"There is no pain. There is no agony. We are all at peace. There is no war here, there is no slaughter there is no massacre." The more the soldier seem to repeat himself the sterner his voice got.

"Fine, we will talk to someone else." Rainbow Dartz conceited.

Rex released his grip and turned away from the soldier, "Do you know where the mayor is?"

"Oh, she's in the Church. She's a sweet child." The soldier left giving no more words. This left the more perplexed, especially to Rainbow Dartz.

"This is even more confusing."

"Why? We don't know where to look now?" Clover affirmed.

"No, I read the files the mayor is a stallion. And there have been no elections recently."

"I also don't recall the batponies ever putting a filly in charge," Rex noted the last comment the soldier made. He stopped by Clover and gave another comment that caught them both off guard. "All these clues lead me to believe that not only is Twilight in this place but this city is the source of the massacres."

"What?!" Rainbow Dartz jumped back in confusion. "Impossible, there is no way we could know that after just arriving."

"Actually, I knew the moment I looked into that soldier's eyes." Rex gave no more words to Rainbow Dartz and instead whispered to Clover the obvious answer. "They had no life in them at all."

******

The titan airship creaked loudly upon landing. Fredricson thought it was weird that it would give any kind of reaction to landing here. He walked over to the window to look outside and saw nothing but solid ground. "That's odd."

"What do you mean?" Lady Cat questioned.

"The titan airship is never creaked like that?"

"I'm certain you just crashed it."

"I've been piloting this thing for 20 years now. Never once has it made this kind of sound even while crashing."

Another loud booming echo tour through the entire airship. It was so massive the entire ship shook wildly. Both were thoroughly confused and grabbed hold of the nearest thing is it continue to shake. Fredricson made his way to the controls, tapping them, wondering what was going on.

"Systems are fine. The engine is working, fuel is full. And yet that noise won't stop."

Another booming echoed by as the airship wrenched and tightened. It was so intense that pieces of metal started shooting off the walls. Fredricson finally caved and turned off the engines completely. The creaking stopped without warning.

"If you won't listen, then I'll prove you hit something." Lady Cat ran to the door and attempted to open it only to be stopped. "Unlock the darn thing."

"It's not locked." Fredricson ran over and pulled the door with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. "I never hit the auto-lock. Even then when the engines turn off, it should have automatically opened. This makes no sense."

"Fine, I'll force it open!" Lady Cat kicked at the door with all her might. "Damn it, open!"

"Stop it you'll hurt her."

"If this ship was truly alive, it's being an asshole." She took three steps back and charged forward only to fail.

"Just stop--" Fredricson was interrupted as the creaking returned this time even louder than ever before.  The sound was so intense it was painful to their ears, bringing them both down to the ground.

"It's going to hurt the children!" Lady Cat's eyes widen and she ran over to their room. She was stopped and shocked by the sight.

Fredricson ran over as well only to find just as much confusion. "They're still asleep?"

It was true, not a single sound had affected them at all. They were unmoving and untouched by the noise. And yet it was getting louder and louder by the second. Fredricson and Lady Cat couldn't stand anymore. They grabbed their ears and pressed tightly but the noise cut through.

"Get us out of here!!" Lady Cat finally screamed. "Turn on the engines now."

Fredricson couldn't agree more than he raced back to the control room, flicking on everything. He brought the titan airship upward off the ground and suddenly the sound stopped. "What?"

"Oh thank you," Lady Cat struggled to enter as the pain was still throbbing her head. "How did it stop?"

"I don't know. It just happened as soon as I left the ground... It was as if the airship didn't want to be here at all." He fell back in his chair in disbelief.

"There you go again acting is as if this old bucket of bolts is alive," she laughed at him.

"I know what it sounds like, but it was like it was reacting to something," Fredricson argued. "You know, like how the body reacts to an infection."

"Whatever..." she walked over to the door. To her surprise, it popped open with ease. "I guess we can just drop down from here--" without warning, she screamed violently.

"Lady Cat!!" Fredricson rushed over and jumped back at the sight of a batpony trying to force its way through the doorway. Lady cat trying your best to push it back.

The attacker looked broken and distorted twisted and mangled. Yet it appeared as if he was wearing a soldier's attire. The captain rushed over with his sword and stabbed the soldier. Slicing its arm off of Lady Cat. They both kicked it out of the door and closed it. "What the hell is that?"

"I'm more questioning that!!" Lady Cat screamed again pointing towards the arm that he had chopped off as it flailed across the ground.

"What is going on here?" Fredricson stabbed his blade into the arm several times before it stopped. He pulled out the blade and took a moment to catch his breath, "Damn it--" However, that moment didn't last as the arm jumped up and grabbed him by the throat.

"No!" Lady Cat struggled to pull it off of him. Yet it felt like it was being held in place by a giant and immense power. "I can't get it off!!"

"Stabbed it, again!!" Fredricson choked.

Lady Cat picked up the blade and stabbed the arm several times trying her best not to hurt Fredricson. The arm released and pulled back trying to go out to her too. Yet as it did Fredricson kicked it towards the door. Lady Cat open it and the two struggled to push it back outside.

Once it was all over they both fell to the ground unable to stand. It somehow had drained so much strength for them not just from fighting it but merely touching it. It felt as if their own life force was nearly taken purely from it being near it.

"I don't know what that was but we need to warn them."

"Exactly." Lady Cat crawled towards the conference room. She typed out a message, but all they got back with static. "Rex, are you there? Clover answer me?"

Fredricson soon followed her just as confused. "No answer at all."

"Nothing, as if their signals were being blocked."

"They're... on their own--" that was the last words Fredricson gave as he fell to the ground. Lady Cat quickly loss consciousness too.

In the other room, silent to everything that happened, the siren siblings slept. Just as before they were unhindered by the silence and by the sounds outside. They were so peacefully into their slumber. If everyone was out cold, it seemed the ship would go into silence. However, that was far from true. 

A soft chuckle from what seemed to be a mare echoed through all the rooms. "The curse of the umbrums has returned.  Be warned last child of the umbum race,  the curse of the umbrums has returned."

******

Back in the capital, Rex, Rainbow Dartz and Clover finally reach the center of town. An old church building just as the citizens said.  However, once they glimpsed it, Rex stopped cold in his tracks. He grabbed his chest as his heart shook erratically. Laughter, tears, flames, all echoed in his head upon seeing that all Church. His eyes widened, and he backstopped several times till nearly falling over.

"Everything okay?" Clover caught him. She stopped upon finding him in a cold sweat.

"That's impossible." Rex struggle with the image of the church. The dark blue walls so tall they blocked out the Sun, the black and silver pillars so thick they felt like tentacles wrapping around him, and on top of a golden bell bellowing so loud that it felt like his eardrums were about to burst. All these images were so real that it was utter torture to every part of his being. "They couldn't have..."

"They couldn't have what?" Rainbow Dartz noticed them stopping.

"I don't know," Clover question when Rex didn't answer. "What do you see?" she shook him trying to get a response. "Does this have to do with the strange magic? Is this the source of the magic?"

More voices echoed in his head from memories long-lost as the images in his eyes started spinning. "... They actually rebuilt it." Rex's eyes went blank, and he fell back completely. The Dark Alicorn Amulet glowed brightly. A voice answered for Rex, "The home of the pedestal has been resurrected."

"Pedestal, what do you mean?" Clover screamed at the amulet demanding it give back Rex control. "As in the alathar!"

"Yes, the next alathar is just ahead of us," This was the last word spoken from the dark alicorn amulet as it stopped glowing too. Rex's body fell to the ground limp and unmoving.

"Rex!" Clover called out as he didn't respond. He lay as cold as a corpse. "Rex!" she screamed out.

Rainbow Dartz walked back over and checked for a pulse. "He's alive but his heartbeat is getting slower by the second."

"I... don't know what to do? Rex!!" Clover screamed louder. She gave no care at all as everypony stared at her. She shook him demanding an answer, "Rex!! Please wake up!!" 

"Clover we need to--"

Rainbow Dartz stopped as Clover's fear turned to rage. She punched at the dark alicorn amulet. "Don't you dare take him away?! Give him back!! Now!!" Yet it seemed to ignore her demands. She hit harder and harder until her hands start to bleed. "Don't you take him from me?!"

Without warning, a bright maroon red darkness shined from the amulet. It was so massive it consumed both Clover and Rex in an instant. A sheer force of unknown power pushed away Rainbow Dartz. However, just as quickly as it happened it vanished, taking Clover and Rex with it.

Left in their place the dark alicorn amulet without an owner.

Everypony murmured at the sight of it all. Rainbow Dartz could barely process what he saw. He stepped closer to try and clear his confusion only for it to increase. A cacophony of sound echoed back and forth within the amulet as he picked it up. Listening closer he heard soft screams, a mix of rages from multiple beings. Some he recognized, others he did not. 

He brought it next to his ear and heard Clover's echoing defiance, repeating the same words she said before vanishing. Along with the words from another, completely unknown voice, "Enter the Church of the Dark City."

Rainbow Dartz had no other choice. He followed the orders, and enter the church with the dark alicorn amulet in hand. He didn't know what lied ahead of him. Nor truthfully he did know what lied behind him. For as soon as the door is closed and sealed him away from the rest of the city something else changed.

Reality seemed to flicker like a light switch. The beautiful city that they had seen and explored switched to crackling ruined buildings. The same ragged corpses outside replaced the citizens they talked to. Only these were really moving unhindered by the pain in their eyes. Speaking only in grunts and growls they went back to their work as if they'd never seen them enter the church at all.

******

Inside, Rainbow Dartz was stopped by the incredible beauty inside. The walls were a softer shape of blue and seemed to hug tentatively around everything. The long golden silk chairs popped perfectly with the foreground. And finally, a completely spotless red carpet led toward the center, almost inviting him to walk along, give thanks and sit down to commune. The stark difference in the warmth of the inside compared to the cold harsh out was startling to say the least. While the pegasus was never the religious type, everything in this place filled him with so much trust.

He had stopped himself from relaxing and stepping forward. He carefully moved through the prayers and soft songs until he reached the front. A filly sat in the front-facing a giant egg. Towering over them was a statue of a mighty dark blue goat. The image showed strength as well as protection.

"Are you here to pray for them?" the filly's voice brought Rainbow Dartz to attention.

"Pray for who?" He looked around, there was nopony near him. Turning his attention to the dark alicorn amulet the filly's eyes lit up. "This?"

"Yes, yes, bring it over."

Doing as he was told he got a close look at the filly. It was a light blue siren with blue hair and purple highlights. "Who are you?"

"Me..." she pointed to herself. "I'm surprised they didn't tell you about her." She seemed to speak of herself in that moment as if in the third person. "Not even your earth pony ally."

"Silver Pear?"

"Yes, I'm very certain he and Starswirl have a lot to say to me for a variety of different reasons." The filly laughed with a deeper voice and admired the amulet. "Well, since you brought something I haven't seen in several, several millennia, I'll tell you. She is known as Sonata Dusk..." She kept the third person going but spoke with a deeper voice more akin to a male.

All of this caught the pegasus completely off guard. He raised his weapon demanded she give the amulet back. "What really going on here? Who are you really?!"

She raised an eyebrow, "Huh, you're smart enough to stand among them... but stupid enough to aim your guard at the wrong targets."

"What?!" Rainbow Dartz was stopped as two of the singers rushed over and grabbed him with incredible strength. They pushed him to the ground and removed his weapons. "Let me go!"

"No, no, no." The filly kicked him in the snout. "The more you struggle, the quicker they will drain you."

"What?!" The pegasus's eyes widened upon seeing through the illusion and the broken shattered bodies reaching over. He riled around despite the filly's warnings.

"I said, calm down!" The filly kicked his face even harder. "Your friends will be fine." She held the dark alicorn amulet up to the statue. "I wouldn't dare harm his children in his presence, right front of his great image. Especially after the days, it took to rebuild him and this place." She laughed louder with the male voice.

"Where are they? Rex and Clover?"

The filly leered back down at him. "They should be in the same place your other friends are."

"Other friends..." Rainbow Dartz's eyes slowly widened. "Wait, you mean Twilight?!"

"Exactly..." with that she sat back down, facing the egg once more. The filly placed the amulet in front of it and it glowed brightly in response. "Soon it will begin. Once I have given the new alathar to that annoying wendigo and I can claim my own prize."

"Alathar, wendigo, prize..." Fear grew within Rainbow Dartz with each word he spoke. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Aitym and I am waiting for the Heart of Darkness to finally hatch."

******