//------------------------------//
// Future Plans 
// Story: The Shadow Returns 
// by BeingFrank 
//------------------------------//

In the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, within the shield, was a train yard. And in that train yard, filled with small fires, shoddy temporary houses, and ponies telling stories of the travels they took on the trains, an old stallion slept. But as he slept, he could sometimes see the most spectacular things. He had visions. Visions of many things. Good things, bad things, amazing things, inconsequential things, any kind of things.

But this vision he had that night was maybe the worst one of all.

He was standing on a green hill outside of the Empire, watching as the Empire burned. Buildings fell, ponies ran screaming, and he stood, silent from shock, watching it all.

And flying above it all was the cause. A purple unicorn, clad in armor and surrounded in shadow, flew through the air, laughing and whooping as building after building crumbled beneath her.

Next to him materialized a pony, an alicorn the color of solid gold. "Do you see this?" she asked in a voice as old as the world itself.

"How is this possible?" The stallion had seen his fair share of apocalyptic visions, but none of them had come close to this. He collapsed on to his knees. "Not even Sombra was as bad as this! Who could have done this?"

"Sombra was very much involved. You see, a mind can be weakened very easily by fear or doubt, no matter how strong it is. Fear can twist a mind until it sees things that aren't there. And out of fear for those things it will turn to the nearest thing for comfort. So Sombra found her, this pony you see above you, and placed doubt and fear into her mind."

"Listen closely, Blind Seer." Her voice was like she was whispering directly into his ear, even though she was a distance away and not looking at him at all. "This is the work of a pony that doesn't know what she is doing. She is strong, but she has been made weak. But there is a way to stop her, to stop all of this from happening. In order to do that, you will need to remember one thing, but it will come at a terrible cost to you. Do you wish to hear it?"

"Of course. The cost doesn't matter, it can't be worse than this." He watched as the mare flew over the train yard, sending a burst of shadows at the place he called his home. Ponies, many of which he probably knew, ran in terror from the explosion.

The world started to dissolve. The stallion's sense of sight began to fade. The alicorn flew off, but not before humming a short tune. Three short hums followed by a longer, higher pitched hum and a longer, lower pitched hum. Quick, easy to remember.

And all too familiar to the stallion.

He sat up, breathing heavily. He was in a familiar place, the sound of talking and train whistles surrounding him. He waited long enough to gather his bearings before reaching to his left and tapping the young pony next to him. "Broken Track, you awake?"

The young pony bolted up. Blind Seer knew him for long enough to know he was looking for anything wrong with their surroundings. After finding nothing, he gave his default response to anything. "Yessir, Seer! You OK?"

"Another vision."

"Anything bad?" he asked, concerned.

"Very. Help me up."

The young stallion lifted the old pony to his feet. He stood next to him, ready to help guide his blind friend. As they walked to the nearest group of ponies, Broken decided to voice his concerns. "Was she in it?"

He nodded. "She showed me the future. A bad one. If any pony but Destiny herself had shown me it, I wouldn't have believed it."

"Do you know when it's going to happen?"

Seer looked up to the sky, feeling the warm, sweet rays of the sun shine on him for what could have been the last time.

"No."


*********************************************************


In the unbearable cold of the Frozen North, the wind howled. The loud, forbidding noise it made scared away even the bravest of travelers. It was here, far to the north of the Crystal Empire, that a lone figure, clothed in a thick cloak that provided little protection against the elements, trudged through a wasteland unwelcome to any pony.

But then again, Twilight Sparkle was no ordinary pony. She was one of the Elements of Harmony, and often considered to be their leader. She had faced the greatest threats Equestria had ever known and lived to tell the tale. If any pony could survive in this wasteland, odds were it could be her.

But she was alone. There were no ponies around for miles. Her friends didn't know why she was out there, and were too busy trying to figure out why to come look for her. It was just as well. She didn't want them with her for once.

As she climbed the crest of a frozen hill, her frozen bones aching from use and her hope of reaching her goal fading, she saw the thing she least expected. A small cabin. With a light on. Hope surging through her, she ran as fast as she could towards her sanctuary.

She knocked frantically at the door. "Is any pony there? Hello?"

Before her hopes could be dashed again, the door opened, revealing a pony covered in a cloak as thick as hers. "It must be freezing out there. Get in, quickly!" Twilight didn't need to be told twice. She ran in as the pony closed the door behind her.

The cabin was sparsely decorated. It was one room, with a small straw mattress in one corner and a small clay fireplace in another. Hanging from the walls was a massive assortment of fishing poles.

Twilight collapsed on the floor, her legs numb. The other pony, despite her objections, pushed her on to the mattress. He walked to the far side of the room and came back levitating blankets and a pillow, which he handed her. As she started to pull off her cloak, he stopped her. "No, you shouldn't do that. It's even colder at night. That's why I'm still wearing all this."

Upon closer inspection, she noticed he was also wearing a long scarf and a black wool mask that covered his face, and the bulging around his body suggested more jackets or cloaks underneath.

"Th-Th-Thank You," she said through chattering teeth.

"Now don't you mention it." He talked in an old stallion's voice with a slight country twang. The kind of voice that belonged to a pony you could trust. "But there is one thing. I don't often see any ponies come up this way. What's a pretty young thing like you doing all the way out here? And who are you anyway?"

The warmth of the blankets was restoring feeling to Twilight's legs. Her teeth had stopped chattering. "I came here from the Crystal Empire. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

The stallion took a step back. "The Twilight Sparkle? As in, the Element of Harmony, Princess's student, world-saving Twilight Sparkle?" He slapped his knee and laughed. "Whoo-ee! What brings you all the way up here? You and your friends coming to beat up some evil magical polar bear or something?"

Twilight's gaze hardened. "My friends aren't here. It's just me. And I'm not here for some magical polar bear. I'm looking for King Sombra."

The stallion stepped back again, his face a mask of fear. "He's here? Sombra's here? Celestia help me! I have to leave, right now!"

"No, no, it's not like that!" Twilight jumped out of the bed and got between the stallion and his belongings before he could pack them. "I'm just following a trail that went cold. I just have to make sure he didn't go this way." He visibly relaxed. "But why are you here, anyway? There aren't supposed to be any ponies around here."

"I come up here sometimes to fish. There's always good fishing up in these parts. You never know what's going to come passing by. But you're a lot more interesting than that. Now, could you tell me why you're looking for Sombra? And where are your friends?"

Twilight sighed. "I don't really know, I guess. Me and my friends had a kind of falling out. I was spending way too much time in the Crystal Empire, and after a month, they came. But while they were there, I never saw them. They thought I was avoiding them, and I was tired and overworked and I guess I made things worse. Then Sombra attacked. He'd been doing that for a while, always attacking then being driven off, then coming back later for more. But this time, when he left, I followed. I don't really know why. I guess I wanted to make sure he didn't come back. But maybe, I just wanted to get away, and use that as an excuse. I just don't understand myself sometimes."

"Eh, I feel the same way sometimes. You feel like doing something, but you don't know why. Happens to every pony. You just need some help. It just so happens I'm here to give some."

"But why? You already helped me, I'm already in your debt, why would you still help me?"

"We both need help. I can help you, and you can help me."

"Who are you? I don't even know your name. Shouldn't I at least know the name of the pony that saved my life?"

He laughed, but not his normal laugh. His voice deepened, from his old-fashioned country twang to a deep, smooth voice. "Oh, Twilight. I know you haven't seen my face, but after all that we've been through, I thought you would have remembered me. You came all the way out here to find me, after all."

Twilight's eyes widened. Shaking, she backed up as far as she could until her back hit the wall. "You can't be! No!"

Sombra removed his cloak. The jackets, mask, and scarf vanished into shadow. The fishing poles and mattress faded, and the wood cabin turned into a small cave made of ice. It was just Twilight, facing a pitch-black, armor-covered stallion with a red horn.

He laughed his deep, frightening laugh. "You came all this way for nothing. This will end here. It will all end here."

Twilight, still shaking, readied herself. She backed as far as she could into the ice cave, her horn glowing purple as she readied her magic. Sombra didn't move.

Twilight was puzzled. "Well aren't you going to do something? You talk awfully big for a pony that won't do anything."

Sombra laughed. "Oh, you ponies today. You never completely understand what I say. Something will end today, but it won't be you. Let's talk." A wooden bench materialized under Twilight, knocking her back so she fell onto it. Sombra sat down next to her.

She struggled to no avail to get out of the bench. "Let me go! Now!"

"I just want to talk. Like I said before, we both need help, and who better than a pony that needs help to give help, eh?"

"There is no way you could ever, ever, get me to help you!"

"Then I will help you."

"I don't need help! Especially not from you!" She broke away from the bench and moved to the cave's entrance.

"What about your friends?"

Twilight stopped in her tracks. She turned. The bench, with Sombra on it, had moved to right behind her. He tapped the spot next to him, indicating her to sit down. For a reason she didn't understand, she sat down.

"Now, why are you here?"

In an emotionless monotone she replied, "I came to find you."

"Why? And be honest now, you really know why."

"I wanted to get away. I just needed some time to think about what was happening."

"Do you know why you wanted to get away from them?" Sombra moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. Twilight, sullen head hanging, didn't notice. "Did you come because you doubted you and your friends? Did you want to find a pony to help you?"

Tendrils of shadow spread from Sombra and curled around Twilight. They spread into her head, seeping deep enough to place a thought in there that she had never had before. "Yes."

Sombra grinned. The tendrils seeped further and further into her mind until they reached the center. "Do you want revenge on them? Will you help me in exchange for me helping you?"

Twilight turned to Sombra and looked at him with large, demonic green eyes. Her irises had turned red, and shadows seeped from her eyes. "How do you want me to help?"

Sombra laughed, a sinister smile appearing on his face. "Oh, I think you'll find that you and I actually want very similar things."


*****************************************************************


Far to the south of this wasteland lay a very similar one, different only because of a lot less waste and a lot more civilization. In this wasteland lay a massive magical dome surrounding a slightly less massive city. A city where the buildings were crystal and the ponies were very close to it, the Crystal Empire.

Walking through streets full of both the rich and poor, open-air cafes and junk-filled alleys, was a red unicorn, pushing a wheelbarrow with his magic, walking with puzzled determination towards the massive castle in the center of the city. He was wearing a gold helmet in such a way that no part of his mane was showing. Crowds scattered as he passed. Guards saluted. He continued on, oblivious to it all.

No resistance was offered as he walked into the palace. He pushed the wheelbarrow into the kitchen and left it there, much to the confusion of the cook and the worry of every pony else. He walked into the throne room, where a guard met him.

"Commander!" He saluted. The unicorn saluted back. "We've just told the princess you've arrived. You'll have to wait here for a bit."

"Well then, I'm afraid we have a problem." He walked nonchalantly down the closest hall.

The guard wasn't far behind. "But, sir-" he began.

"No buts. Cadence knows I can't wait in one place for too long. Tell her where I'm going so she can meet me there."

"But where are you going, exactly?"

He smiled. "I don't know." He left the guard to wonder as he went into the nearest room.

The room he walked into was a bedroom, books stacked high on every solid surface. Except for the bed. The bed was neatly kept, sheets folded as if the occupant was expected back any minute. He looked at the small, cluttered desk pushed off to the side and noticed a piece of paper separated from all the books. He picked it up and began to read.

Channeling is a very advanced form of magic. It is believed that channeling can unlock the hidden magical energies lying dormant in every pony, unicorn or not. Channeling is only possible if the channelee is completely willing to have their magical energy channeled by the channeler. The channeler then uses that energy to improve the strength of their own magic. Some channeling techniques are, as follows-

"Blaze!" The pony turned around just in time to see a pink blur ram into him and grab him in a bone crushing hug. "I can't believe it! It's been so long!"

Blaze gasped for air. "Can't! Breathe! World! Turning! Black!"

The pink pony let go, causing Blaze to fall to the floor. "I'm sorry, it's just been so long. We need to talk. And why are you wearing that helmet?"

"It makes me look cool." As Blaze got up, he finally got a good look at the pink alicorn. Her mane was a mess. Her smile seemed forced. Her eyes had bags. As she walked, she seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Cadence, what's going on? Are you alright?"

She just smiled again, and once again didn't manage to fool Blaze. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to talk to you, that's all. About Luna. Please sit. I call the bed!" She jumped on to the bed.

As he sat in the desk chair, he eyed his friend suspiciously. He knew something was wrong, but he never knew Cadence to be worried and as energetic as she was at the same time. He decided to put aside his worries, at least for then. "What about her? Do you also have a problem with it?"

Cadence looked offended. "Not at all. I'm the one on your side, after all. But do you know why you're here?"

"Luna said I should go on vacation, and suggested here."

"You do realize that we are currently under attack from a dangerous entity that we don't completely understand, right?"

"Still better than Fillydelphia."

"You have a point, but haven't you noticed? Your marefriend sends you to a city under attack from one of Equestria's most dangerous monsters just to talk to the princess of love. Doesn't that strike you as the tiniest bit odd?"

Blaze, shocked, nearly jumped out of his seat. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, back up a bit. You're the princess of love? I thought you were just the back-up they called when one of them has to take a sick day."

"That's the part you focus on? Really Blaze, sometimes, most times actually, I can't understand what she sees in you."

"We really understand each other. We each did some terrible things that no pony else understands, but we really come close."

Cadence had a feeling that this would take longer than she had thought. And she had thought it would take a while. "I never knew that about you. And I've known you for ever. Can you tell me what it was you did, exactly?"

"I can't see how that would be important."

"Aunt Luna wants me to talk to you about something. But first, she wanted my opinion on if it is a good idea or not. The only way I can figure that out is to find out why you two are together."

"The thing is, I don't know exactly what I did. All I know was that it was during the war, but not exactly when. The last thing I remember about it is Luna giving me a drink that she said would make me forget. All I know is that it worked."

"Then how do you know you did something bad, let alone something as bad as her? I know she would never say it."

"It's hard to explain, it's like-" he groped for an answer "- It's like when you're in front of a massive wall that you can't see around, but you can hear something on the other side. You know something's there, but you don't know exactly what. And I know it's worse than hers because whenever she starts talking about it, I can't help but think, 'I've done worse.'"

Cadence was lost. "So you two are together because you both did something horrible, but you don't know what you did? If that's it, then I'm surprised you lasted this long."

"Who said that was it? There's more than that. How much do you know about us?"

"Nothing before that Hearts and Hooves Day. Except that you never knew she liked you until then."

"Then you've missed a lot. I'll start at the beginning. After the war ended, I did the only thing a soldier can do. I went and became a royal guard. But I was all mopey and depressed so they made me one of Luna's guards, because Celestia didn't want to get rid of me and they needed Lunar guards. Then one night, when I brought her dinner, she was crying. I talked to her, we talked about what we did, and then I started coming to her more and more often. We became friends. Then, Hearts and Hooves Day came around. We had nowhere to go, so the two of us just stayed in her room and talked. Then, well, you know the rest."

Cadence shuddered. "That would be romantic if I didn't remember those eggs you made."

"They were very romantic eggs."

"Those shapes you made them into were anything but romantic! But I get it now, and she's right. I'm going to try to put this delicately, because I know how bad you are at understanding this kind of stuff. It's been two years, Blaze. Luna wants something more than just being your marefriend."

For a pony with the romantic knowledge of a teaspoon, Blaze was very quick to grasp what this meant. "So you're saying that Luna sent me here to talk to you, because she wants me to propose?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well, um, this is, well, um, hmm." Blaze was showing approximately twenty emotions every second, enough to make his face look emotionless.

"Are you done with your grunting noises?"

He added some exaggerated hoof motions. "Uh, hmm, uh, eh, ah, ooh. Yes. But why would she want me to come here?"

"Because she knew that you wouldn't be able to notice. You didn't know she liked you until Hearts and Hooves Day. You've even said that you didn't know your mortal enemy hated you until he told you himself. Celestia knows you would never notice unless some pony told you."

Blaze was silent, trying to come to grips with this. But he still didn't know everything. "But why didn't she at least hint at it? Something subtle even?"

"She didn't want to put you on the spot. She thought that you would need some time to figure out what you'd want to do. And she thought an old friend might be able to help you. But you need to think about yourself on this. Are you ready for this? Are you at a point in your relationship where you feel comfortable doing this?"

"It was never about how I felt. I could have done it any time. I was just afraid of rejection"

Cadence's eyes widened. "Does that mean?"

Blaze smiled. His eyes were practically glowing from excitement. "Yes."

Cadence grabbed him in another bone crushing hug. She was crying. "I can't believe it! I'm so happy for both of you!"

"You know," Blaze began, wasting his precious oxygen. "Every time something good happens, you don't have to kill the pony that tells you."

She let go. "I'm sorry. It's just, right now, it's so good to have something to- where are you going?"

He was rushing out of the room. "The train station! If I'm going to do this, I'd better do it before I change my mind!"

"Blaze, wait a second!"

He stopped. "Come on! You've got me dead set on this. I have to do it, you can't stop me!"

"I'm not done, I still need your help."

Blaze rolled his eyes and walked back, closing the door again as he walked in. "That's me, always ready to help."

"It's not much." As she talked, her speech slowed, and her eyes started to close. "It's just-" Before she could finish, she collapsed onto Blaze.

"Cadence!" he shouted as he tried to support her. "Are you all right? Guards!"

"I'm fine," she replied weakly.

"No, you're not." He carried her over to the bed and placed her onto it. "You're not distracting me any more. What's wrong?"

She struggled. "No, you have to let me go! I need to find her!"

"Cadence you need to rest. Who could be important enough for you to do this to yourself for?"

"Twilight Sparkle. Remember her?"

"The filly you used to foal sit?"

"She went outside the shield after the last attack. She hasn't come back yet. And it's so soon before the coronation. Every pony's worried. Me more than most."

"So she's the new princess? Talk about a small world. So she has wings and everything now?"

"No, this one is something different. During the coronation, Aunt Celestia will release her magic, which will be able to connect with Twilight and, to put it in your terms, unleash her inner princess. I think the spell has something to do with giving her the ability to be a princess, then she just has to let it. It's pretty complicated, and the fact it seems impossible helps that."

"Trying to figure that out is giving me a headache. But more to the point, why would she go out there, especially at a time like this?"

"I don't know exactly. Her entire visit she had been caught up in studying here in her room, at least until her friends arrived. They had some kind of falling out, and then she left." Her eyes turned upward, like she was staring, unfocused, at nothing. "But why would they do that? What they had, I didn't think anything could break. It must have been something evil, Blaze. There's something evil here, and It's going to ruin everything. It's happening right now, Blaze. Can't you feel it?"

Blaze moved closer to his friend. "Cadence, everything's fine. You just need some sleep."

Cadence's eyes returned to normal. "I guess you're right. But it's just so strange. Where are you going now?"

Blaze was once again about to open the door. "I assumed you wanted me to help you find Twilight."

"That's not it. Trust me, I have it covered." She got out of the bed. "It's something a lot less important than that. I know you don't like getting involved in what doesn't concern you, but I don't think it's that hard."

"Well I owe you one. Like you said, I never would have known what Luna wanted. What do you need?"

"Are you familiar with how the ponies in the crystal empire can sometimes appear to shine like crystals?"

"Vaguely." Blaze was taking this opportunity to put the paper on Channeling into the small sack he carried.

"Well, whenever this occurs, there is one pony that it never happens to. She is always the only one."

Blaze was puzzled. "That seems odd."

"I keep noticing. It would give me peace of mind if you could try and figure out why."

Blaze was even more puzzled. "How am I supposed to figure out something like that?"

She sighed. "I really don't know. But there may be something. Something that seems odd. Something she has. There's probably nothing, but it want to at least try and help her. And if there's nothing wrong, then at least I tried in case there was."

"Good philosophy." As Blaze neared the door again, he almost tripped on a rogue pile of books. "There's a lot of books here. What was she studying?"

"Everything she could get her hooves on. The last thing I can remember was an idea about using the crystal heart as some kind of purification bomb to kill Sombra completely. It had something to do with putting some kind of DNA in it, and when it came in contact with something similar, would explode. Obviously, the guards never let her get close enough to test it."

He was surprised. "I never would have thought her to be the destructive type." He picked up the paper on channeling and put it into a small pouch he carried around his neck.

"She wasn't. At least, at first. The longer she stayed here, the darker and stranger she became. I can't believe I never really noticed."

"Sometimes the last things we notice are the most obvious."

"Good philosophy. It's always nice to see you Blaze. Hopefully, I'll see you at the coronation."

"Probably not. I was never one for big parties. But maybe I'll stop by to grace every pony with my presence. But, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Do you think I'm making the right decision? With Luna."

Cadence stood in front of him. "Let me tell you something. I may not have known Aunt Luna for long, but I have known you for ever. And in all the time I've known both of you, I've never seen either of you two happier than when you are together. What with the Canterlot-wide prank wars and whatever she did to your mane, I really think you get each other. So as your friend, I think you're making the right choice."

"How did you know she did something to my mane?"

"You would never wear a helmet unless she did. Come on, let's see."

Blaze lifted his helmet off with his magic, revealing a blue mane that was mostly stained black. "How does it look?"

Cadence barely stifled a laugh. "Ink shampoo again?"

"You know, it was only really funny the first time. And the second time."

"Which time is this?"

"The second."

They both laughed. "Well, I really think it suits you, commander." She made a mock salute.

"Please don't call me that. And while we're at it, can you make sure your soldiers don't call me that?"

"Why? It's your rank, they're just trying to show respect."

There was a silent anger in Blaze's eyes. "I'm not an actual commander. It's just honorary. There is no real leader of the Lunar Guard. I do about as much commanding as I do painting flowers on buildings."

Cadence felt a little offended. "All right, fine. I was just making a joke."

"I know, it's just you know I don't like being called that. I'm sorry if I was overreacting."

"it's fine, I just forgot how much you hate it. Now, why don't you leave before we end up fighting each other?"

"Just like always. I like it. Thanks for everything Cadence. Next time you're in Canterlot, be sure to stop by. But only if you bring drinks." He walked out the door.

Cadence was surprised. He had opened the door plenty of times, but nothing had happened at all. She walked through the open door, looking up, and saw a bucket of water fall on her face. As the bucket fell off of her head, all she could hear was Blaze's laughing. "Thanks for setting that up," he said between laughs.

Cadence couldn't help but laugh with him. "How did you know I planted that?"

"I noticed your guard put it on top of the door, then I levitated it whenever I opened the door. I figured I should play at least one prank on you while I was here, and this was a lot better than what I had planned."

Cadence grabbed a part of her mane in her magic and squeezed it to wring out the water. "As much as I love pranks, you should probably run before I stop laughing."

Blaze didn't need to be told twice. "Thanks for everything!" he shouted as he ran down the hall. "Especially the laughs."

As he ran away, a thought came to Cadence. "Blaze, wait! Can you still hear me?"

A shout of "I'm within shouting distance!" echoed down the hall.

"I have some advice! When you propose, don't try to reenact any movies! Or do it when it looks like you're going to die! Trust me, she'll secretly be mad at you forever! And she won't really know why!"

"All you seem to do is ruin my plans!"

"And if you want, I can help you with the ring!"

"A real ring would be nice! A lot better than onion rings, at least! Those were all I could afford!" With this last reply, Blaze left the part of the castle he and Cadence could hear each other from.

Cadence could only roll her eyes. "Honestly, sometimes I can't believe him! Really, onion rings!" She fell onto the desk chair, which caused the whoopee cushion Blaze had placed there to deflate. "Blaze!" she yelled as loud as she could.

From where she sat, she could faintly hear: "You can't beat the classics!"

She got up, and before she fell on the bed, she felt around for another cushion. When she felt nothing, she fell onto it.

"You know what? Despite everything, I'm happy for both of them."

As Cadence closed her eyes, she heard something that made her shoot straight up.

"Marriage, eh?"

She shot up, ears pricked, as she looked around for the source of the voice.

"Another good stallion bites the dust, I suppose. Then again, I've only known him for a few minutes. And you never introduced us in all that time! How rude of you Cadence!"

Cadence couldn't see any pony. But that deep, unsettling voice was unmistakable. But it couldn't be. "Who's there? Where are you? Show yourself!"

The voice laughed. "Oh, Cadence, you know me. You felt my presence not too long ago. But you were wrong. I'm not just a feeling. I'm not all in your head. And I'm definitely something to worry about." There was another laugh.

"Guards! Guards!"

"They can't help you now. They can't find me. No pony can, until it's too late."

As a guard ran into the room, Cadence felt the presence leave. "What's wrong, Princess Cadence?"

"Didn't you hear it?"

The guard cocked his head. "Hear what?"

She looked over the room. "I don't know, exactly. It was some kind of voice, but I couldn't tell whose." As she scanned, her eyes fell on an open book. "That's strange. Wasn't that book closed before?"

"I never noticed." The guard examined the book. It was turned to a page showing a picture of two ponies bowing to a white unicorn casting a spell. "This book is called Advanced Summoning and Dark Magic. Does that ring any bells?"

She shook her head. What the voice had said was already fading from her memory. "None. I guess it was nothing."

"Maybe it's just your lack of sleep getting to you. You should get some rest. Follow me?" The two ponies left the room and walked towards Cadence's bedroom.

Behind them, the unicorn in the picture turned black. A low laugh sounded throughout the room.