The next morning, Echo and Sunset returned to the library, meeting with Twilight.
"After checking out some... unorthodox books, I think I've come up with an idea that might just work." Twilight declared.
"During the course of our investigations yesterday, I too hit upon an idea that could help." Echo admitted.
"So what are we waiting for?" Sunset smiled. "Let's get to brainstorming!"
While the intrepid trio continued their work, Day Light brought Starlight to the royal gardens. The area abounded with exotic flowers.
"This place is my mom's pride and joy." He declared. "She's been working on it for years."
"It shows." Starlight smiled. "These are some really beautiful flowers."
"Rare ones, too." Day Light added. "Look at this desert rose, for example. Not everypony can grow these, you know."
"No kidding?" Starlight asked. "My friend Posey back in Ponyville's a pretty good gardener. Maybe I could bring back a cutting or something?"
"I could ask my mom." Day Light nodded. "It probably wouldn't work, though. The conditions in Ponyville couldn't support these kinds of flowers."
"Oh, you don't know Posey." Starlight grinned. "She has her own special kind of magic when it comes to flowers."
"You don't say." Day Light mused. "Perhaps you could introduce us, should I ever make that trip to Ponyville."
"Oh trust me, I'll be putting it on the itinerary." Starlight chuckled. "You'll meet all my friends. And I'm sure you're going to love them."
"That's providing I'll ever get to go." Day Light sighed. "Like I said, my father is quite set on keeping me close to home."
"Well, there's always a chance he'll change his mind." Starlight said hopefully.
"Maybe..." Day Light shrugged. He picked one of the more common flowers and placed it in Starlight's mane. "Either way, you'll have this to bring back to your friend Posey, with my compliments."
"Thanks, Day." Starlight beamed.
"Actually, maybe you should take two." Day Light declared. "That flower looks good on you. It really brings out your eyes..."
"You... really think so?" Starlight blushed.
"Yeah..." Day Light blushed back.
For a moment, the two stood there, smiling awkwardly.
'Oh boy...' Starlight thought. 'This isn't good. Gotta stay in the friend zone...'
"That's... nice of you to say." Starlight declared. "You're a good friend, Day."
"Thanks, Star." Day Light's smile lipped a little. "I wish I could say I've had a lot of practice, but we both know that's not true..."
"Guess you're just a natural." Starlight joked. "Now, how about showing the rest of your mom's work?"
"My pleasure." Day Light grinned. "There are some really beautiful flowers just around this way."
"After you." Starlight smiled.
As Day Light and Starlight enjoyed the garden, the garden's tender and her husband were in a less than gleeful mood. Nightshade was starting to worry that the Gemini spell wouldn't work, no matter what the others did.
"What if there really isn't a way to make the Gemini spell permanent?" Nightshade fretted. "What if this has all been for nothing, and I'm stuck with Black Thorn forever?"
"Don't think like that, dear." Red Rose soothed him. "I'm sure our guests will find a way, and we'll be able to say goodbye to Black Thorn forever."
"Let's hope so." Nightshade sighed. "I have this feeling, deep inside, that Black Thorn hasn't even started ruining my life. He's been gradually getting worse over the years. Who knows what he'll eventually do if we aren't separated…"
"It'll be okay, darling." Red Rose told him. "As vile as he can be, at least Black Thorn is never around for long. Once he calms down, you come back."
"Yes, and then I have to deal with the consequences." Nightshade frowned. "All these years of trying to fix what he has broken..."
"I know it hasn't been easy." Red Rose placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"But that isn't even the worst of it." Nightshade admitted.
"What do you mean?" Red Rose asked.
"I can't really explain, but over the last couple of years, I've been starting to... feel Black Thorn's spite and hatred in the back of my head." Nightshade revealed. "Slowly but surely, I've been getting angry more often, giving him more opportunity to emerge. That can't just be a coincidence."
"Nighty..." Red Rose whispered.
"Just having that monster in my head is changing me." Nightshade despaired. "Before long, I may no longer recognise myself, because I will have become the monster Black Thorn is."
"Don't even consider that!" Red Rose admonished him. "You will never be anything like Black Thorn. I know it."
"But how can you be sure?" Nightshade asked.
"I'm sure because I know the kind of stallion you really are." Red Rose smiled. "You are sweet, kind and caring. That's what made me fall in love with you in the first place. And I know in my heart that you will not become the monster Black Thorn is."
"Rosie..." Nightshade smiled, touched by his wife's faith in him. "Where would I be without you?"
"Wallowing in despair." Red Rose grinned.
"True." Nightshade nodded, a weary look on his face. "You're right about myself and Black Thorn, of course. I will never be the kind of twisted he is. And the minute we're separated, I'll make sure he can never hurt anypony ever again..."
"Are you alright, darling?" Red Rose asked worriedly. "You seem... tired."
"I haven't been sleeping well these past nights." Nightshade admitted. "These constant failures have really stressed me out..."
"Oh, my poor, sweet stallion..." Red Rose nuzzled him. "Just try and hang in there. You never know, today could be the day."
"Yeah, maybe..." Nightshade smiled hopefully.
Later, in the dining room, the delegates were getting ready for lunch, and discussing their failure to make the Gemini spell from working.
"Is anypony else starting to think this is a lost cause?" Chrysalis asked bluntly. "We've been here almost a week. While I sympathize with Nightshade's problem, none of us can stay here indefinitely. We do have kingdoms to run, after all."
"So does Nightshade." Cadance pointed out. "And he can't properly run it when his mind isn't even all his own."
"Maybe Chryssy's right." Sleight admitted. "Sometimes, you've gotta know when to fold your cards."
"You call it 'knowing when to fold', I call it 'quitting'." Shining said derisively.
"If you're too stubborn to see when a problem beyond fixing, that's your problem." Sleight growled.
"And if you're too gutless to see a problem to the end, that's your problem." Shining shot back.
"You callin' me a coward?" Sleight growled. "Pretty high-and-mighty, coming from a stallion whose special talent is hiding behind a shield..."
"It's better than having nothing but a bunch of card tricks up your sleeve, that's for sure." Shining snarled.
"We gave our word to help Nightshade." Celestia declared, interrupting the confrontation. "And I intend to keep that word."
"As do I." Luna added. "I know what it's like to have a darkness within you, and I won't let Nightshade suffer any longer than he has to."
"An admirable sentiment, auntie." Blueblood admitted. "But sometimes, we have to face reality. You've tried this three times already, with no luck. Maybe we should throw in the towel."
"Really, Blue?" Dusty frowned.
"I'm just saying..." Blueblood gulped. "Nightshade seems to be... deteriorating. I'm no psychologist, but even I can see he's barely holding it together. Every failed attempt just makes things worse for him."
"And that's why you think it's worth abandoning him?" Dusty growled. "Where would Caboose be if nopony helped him to deal with O'Malley?"
"Not every split personality is like O'Malley." Blueblood declared. "O'Malley wasn't the most likeable stallion, but even on his worst day, he couldn't hold a candle to Black Thorn."
"So you're saying we should give up?" Dusty frowned.
"Basically, yes." Blueblood said bluntly.
"I know it's been tough, but we can't give up now." Shine stated. "Who knows? Maybe the fourth time will be the charm."
"That's the spirit, uncle Shine." Constell grinned.
"Well, as long as Twilight thinks there's a shot, I'm in this for the long haul." Flash declared.
"We all made a promise, and most of us are going to keep it." Shining declared. "If you want to leave, go ahead. But do so knowing that you let down a pony in need."
Chrysalis looked around at the disapproving face. For a moment, she scowled, before sighing.
"Fine." She pouted. "I suppose Sleight and I could at least stay until the week is out. But not a day more."
"You sure about this, Chryssy?" Sleight asked.
"Even a Changeling is not immune to conscience." Chrysalis admitted. "Nightshade welcomed us into his home with open hooves, and the least I can do is help him with this Black Thorn problem."
"I'm glad you're seeing things our way, Chrysalis." Celestia smiled approvingly.
"You really are a caring monarch." Luna added.
"Yeah, Chryssy." Sleight nodded. "I'm proud of you."
"Yes, yes, I'm a wellspring of compassion." Chrysalis muttered angrily. "But like I said, I'm not willing to keep this up forever. Once the week is up, we're leaving."
"No kidding." Sleight nodded. "I remember what happened the last time we left Sazh and Wizel in charge for more than a week..." He shuddered violently. "What a mess that was..."
"What happened?" Flash asked.
"You don't wanna know." Sleight said grimly. "Trust me. I still have nightmares sometimes."
Soon after, Nightshade and Red Rose entered the dining room.
"Good afternoon." Nightshade declared, trying his best to keep up a positive attitude. "I trust you're enjoying the food?"
"It's top-notch as always." Shine smiled.
"Excellent." Nightshade grinned. "I understand that your stay here is lasting longer than any of us thought. The least I can do is ensure you remain comfortable and sated. I do apologize for any inconvenience your extended stay has caused."
"It's okay, Nightshade." Flash told him. "We promised to help you fix your problem, and that's what we're going to do, no matter how long it takes."
"And I thank you for that." Nightshade smiled. "Your dedication and compassion means a lot to me."
"Think nothing of it." Celestia declared. "Doing what's right is nothing to celebrate. It should come naturally."
"Nonetheless, we can never thank you enough for this." Red Rose replied. "Especially if the spell actually succeeds this time."
Moments later, Echo, Sunset and Twilight entered the room.
"Everypony, we believe we have found a new way to make the Gemini spell work for us." Echo announced.
"Wonderful." Chrysalis smiled. "Perhaps this time it will work, and we can all go home."
"That's the plan." Sunset nodded.
"To the courtyard, please." Twilight urged.
The delegates followed the trio outside. Some had high hopes that they might finally succeed, while others were glumly anticipating another failure. Along the way, they crossed paths with Starlight and Day Light.
"Hey, dad." Day Light smiled. "Starlight and I are just headed out to the market. Be back soon."
"Yes, very good." Nightshade nodded, more than a little distracted.
"Where are you guys all going?" Starlight asked.
"Just taking a trip to the courtyard." Twilight declared. "The fresh air will help us discuss... trade agreements."
"If you say so." Starlight shrugged. "See you later."
"Have fun, Day." Red Rose smiled.
"I'm sure I will." Day Light nodded.
While Starlight and Day Light headed for the palace's front doors, the others reached the courtyard
"So, what are we doing differently this time?" Constell asked.
"After Sunset and I took a... break from our research, I came upon a new way to do things." Echo declared. "This time, my crystals will play a far larger role. Rather than acting as a conduit, they will soak up your magic, and slowly inject it into the page."
"And you really think it will work this time?" Celestia asked.
"It should do." Sunset nodded. "Like our last try, it revolves around not forcing too much magic in at once."
"And I figured it might help if there's no continuous stream of magic this time." Twilight added. "A simple on/off procedure. That way, there's little chance of an overload."
"Makes sense." Luna admitted. "But can Echo's crystals contain so much power?"
"Oh, they are quite durable, believe me." Echo smiled. "But if anything starts to go wrong, I can quickly retract them and expunge the magic. An added side benefit, you see."
"Looks like you've thought of everything this time." Constell smiled, impressed.
"Okay, let's do this." Cadance declared.
"Gladly." Chrysalis nodded. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."
The Alicorns and Chrysalis gathered in a circle around Nightshade and Echo.
"Here we go." Echo raised his hoof, and a swarm of crystals rushed down his body. It split into five, and flowed up the others, only stopping once it reached their horns, which they coated entirely.
"Alright now Princess Celestia, you start us off." Echo instructed. "Try and conjure up as much magic as you can."
"Very well." Celestia nodded. She charged up her horn. Seconds later, the crystals soaked up the magic. It was slightly discomforting, and caused her to wince.
"Are you okay, cherry blossom?" Shine asked worriedly.
"I'm alright." Celestia declared. "Just a little more..."
"That should be enough." Echo declared. "Remember, the goal is not to use too much power."
As Celestia powered down, the crystals flowed off her horn and back to Echo. With a gesture, he had them flow up to the page, infusing it with her magic. The page glowed brightly.
"Alright, Princess Luna next." Echo instructed.
One by one, their powers were absorbed by the crystals and funneled into the page. The page was glowing all colors, and even vibrating slightly.
"Now for phase two." Echo nodded, as he angled the page towards Nightshade.
"Do it." Nightshade nodded.
With another gesture, Echo began flowing the magic into Nightshade. Nightshade winced as the combined energies flowed into him, slightly altered by their mingling. As before, he began to split into two. His doppelganger came into being, and stood before him, seemingly there for good.
"I think they've actually done it." Blueblood gasped.
"Great." Sleight grinned. "Now we can all go home."
"At last." Nightshade smiled, looking upon his duplicate.
Suddenly, the copy started to shudder and spark. It glowed a sickly green, then disintegrated.
"No!" Nightshade roared. "Not again! No, no, no!"
"Nighty, watch your temper!" Red Rose declared.
"Noooo..." Nightshade groaned, clutching his head as he let out a roar. His head remain limp…before it rose up to show Black Thorn's sneer.
"Well, well." Black Thorn smirked, as he looked around. "What's all this?"
"None of your business, jerk." Constell growled.
"Looks to me like you're using some kind of spell to try and get rid of me." Black Thorn glanced at the page containing the Gemini spell. "Dark magic? Boy, old Nightshade must really be desperate... Then again, it wouldn't be the craziest thing he's done to try and get rid of me. Like when he hired this swami guy to try and 'coax my spirit out' or when he called upon some old priest to 'exorcise' me ... please."
"We may have failed this time, but we will not stop until you have been cast out, and Nightshade's mind is his own." Luna declared.
"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that." Black Thorn sneered. "I'm here to stay."
"Don't be so sure." Twilight glared at him. "We'll keep on trying until you're gone."
"Please do." Black Thorn smirked. "Nothing amuses me more like constant failure. Just ask Nightshade..."
Black Thorn's smirk faded as Nightshade returned. The Unicorn Prince was breathing heavily.
"Shut up, Black Thorn!" He yelled, panting heavily.
"Make me!" Black Thorn sneered.
"What's going on?" Dusty asked. "I thought Nightshade can't remember what Black Thorn does."
"Residual energies from the spell must be creating a temporary divide between their personalities." Sunset surmised.
"It would appear so." Echo nodded. "It would be fascinating if it weren't so morbid."
"You should talk, bat-breath." Black Thorn gave Echo a ghastly stare. "Think just because I'm stuck in this loser's mind most of the time that I'm not well-informed?"
Before Echo could ask what Black Thorn meant, Nightshade shot back.
"I've had enough of you." He told Black Thorn. "I swear I will finally be rid of your vile presence this day!"
"You'll never get rid of me, you weak, useless-" Black Thorn snarled.
"Enough!" Nightshade yelled. For a moment, he stood there. Everpony in the vicinity feared Black Thorn's reply. But there was none. The residual effects of the spell seemed to have passed.
"I'm sorry, your highness." Echo declared. "I don't know what went wro-"
"Again." Nightshade hissed.
"Your highness?" Echo gulped.
"Nighty?" Red Rose gasped.
"Again!" Nightshade yelled. "We were so close, I could feel it! Do it again! As many times as it takes!"
"So soon?" Sunset asked. "Your body may not be able to handle repeated tries..."
"You said it was safe, did you not?" Nightshade growled. "Then do it!"
"I suppose one more try wouldn't hurt." Echo admitted. "What say you all?"
"I suppose we've come this far." Celestia nodded.
"I'm in." Luna agreed.
"Me too." Constell added.
"So am I, if for nothing else than to see the smirk wiped off that fiend Black Thorn's face." Chrysalis snarled.
"Count me in." Cadance said grimly.
"Then we're agreed." Twilight nodded. "Do it, Echo."
The procedure went as it did before, with each participant's magic funneled into the page. As the page's energies flowed into Nightshade, he once again cringed in pain, his pain increased by a significant margin. Just as it had done moments ago, the doppelganger appeared, then vanished.
"Not again!" Nightshade roared, as Black Thorn once again emerged.
"Ooh, not bad!" Black Thorn cackled. "I actually felt that!"
"You demon!" Red Rose yelled. "Get out of my husband's head!"
"Not today!" Black Thorn sneered.
"Yes, today!" Nightshade yelled as he returned. "Again!"
The group complied, and their magic surged into him for the third time that day. That time, he felt as if a hammer had just slammed into his chest. The doppelganger once again emerged, then disintegrated.
"Yaaargh!" Nightshade screamed. Head bowed, he struck the ground with his hoof. When he raised his head, Black Thorn had once again emerged.
"Oh, what a shame." He mock-pouted. "Another failure. Fancy that."
"Why do you keep showing up?" Flash demanded. "Are you just mocking us?"
"What was your first clue?" Black Thorn sneered. "Face facts, you fools. This is never going to work, so you might as well give up."
"We'll never give up." Sunset retorted. "Not until you're gone."
"Then I hope you're ready for a long stay, because I'm not going anywhere!" Black Thorn cackled.
Echo was about to reply, when he noticed something; The gem on Nightshade/Black Thorn's headdress was glowing dully. He hadn't realized it before, but it was also glowing when they first saw Black Thorn emerge.
"Feel free to keep trying, though." Black Thorn told them. "All this anger and misery Nightshade is feeling is just heavenly. I can't remember the last I got to come out so much!"
Black Thorn fell into mocking laughter, which gave way to Nightshade's return. The repeated attempts, coupled with Black Thorn's appearances, were taking their toll on him; the Prince looked like he could barely stand.
"Again." He wheezed.
"Maybe we should stop." Twilight suggested. "You don't look so good."
"One more try." Nightshade pleaded. "Please...."
The participants glanced at each other.
"One more try." Celestia nodded.
"Here goes..." Echo sighed.
For the fourth time, the magical energies flowed into the page, then Nightshade. Nightshade grit his teeth, doubling over in agony. Blood started trickling down his nose. The duplicate appeared, then vanished. This time, instead of giving in to rage, Nightshade fell to his knees, weeping loudly.
"Nighty!" Red Rose ran over and embraced her husband. "Oh Nighty, I'm so sorry..."
"Why... won't... this... work?" Nightshade said between sobs.
"I don't know." Red Rose declared. "I just don't know."
"I'm sorry, your highness." Echo bowed his head.
"Sorry?" Nightshade growled. "You're sorry?! You're an idiot!"
"...Excuse me?" Echo frowned.
"Why can't you get this right?" Nightshade growled. "You're supposed an expert in dark magic, a genius!"
"I am." Echo declared. "That's why you asked for my help."
"Well, clearly I was wrong." Nightshade snarled. "Because I'm not seeing any of that 'genius' here!"
"With respect, your highness, Echo did his best." Sunset declared. "We all did."
"Well your best wasn't good enough!" Nightshade roared. "All of you have done nothing but fail since we started!"
"Kinda harsh, don't you think?" Constell frowned.
"Getting angry isn't going to help." Sunset retorted. "It'll just make things worse."
"How can things be worse?" Nightshade demanded, tearing up again. "Black Thorn is still inside me! I can hear him laughing at me! He won't stop!"
Nightshade used his horn to lift over a bucket, and started slamming it against his head.
"Shut! Up! Black! Thorn!" He yelled, his words punctuating each strike.
"No!" Twilight cried.
"Nightshade, stop!" Celestia gasped.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Shining yelled.
"Beating your brains out definitely won't help!" Flash added.
"I hate to say 'I told you so'..." Blueblood frowned.
"Then don't." Dusty scolded him.
Sleight and Shine combined forces, one pulling the bucket away, and the other pushing Nightshade back to Red Rose. Nightshade slumped against his wife's side, utterly defeated. Red Rose held him tenderly.
"There, there." Red Rose whispered. "Just try and relax..."
"Poor fellow." Chrysalis sighed. "I fear he may not last much longer... mentally speaking."
"What does that mean?" Shine asked.
"If this keeps up, it won't be long before he stops playing with a full deck." Sleight mused.
"You mean... he may lose his mind?" Cadance asked.
"It would appear so." Luna agreed. "All this stress would be too much for most ponies..."
"He just needs to hang in there." Constell declared. "We'll get it eventually, right? ...Right?"
The royals were silent for a moment.
"Maybe we should call it a day." Twilight said solemnly.
"Maybe we should." Sunset agreed. "Right, Echo?" She noticed Echo was suddenly lost in thought. "Echo?"
"...Oh, sorry." Echo snapped out of it. "I was just... considering something. A variable I hadn't considered before now."
"What kind of variable?" Sunset asked.
"I'll tell you later." Echo declared. "I don't think Nightshade can handle another try at the moment. And if I'm wrong, it wouldn't be right to needlessly raise his hopes..."
"I'm sorry, Nightshade." Twilight apologized. "I really thought we had it this time..."
"It's not your fault." Nightshade hiccoughed. "You were right, you did all you could. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm cursed to be stuck with Black Thorn forever..."
"Don't say that." Red Rose urged. "Let's get you to the royal physician, then to bed. You need rest."
"What I need is to get rid of Black Thorn." Nightshade said desperately.
The group left the courtyard, the dark shadow of failure upon them once again...