Upon his return to Twilight's castle, Darkness found her, in her library, awaiting his return. Upon seeing him walk into the room, she immediately asked, "So, what did the princess want to talk to you about?"
Darkness replied, "Whoa, easy, I just walked in, give me minute to process all that she talked to me about."
Twilight nodded, and said with sadness, "I'm sorry, Darkness, I didn't mean to..."
Darkness said, "It's okay, that's all the time I needed anyways. Anyways, I can see why she wanted to talk to me first."
Twilight said eagerly now, "What is it? It has to be of some huge importance, if she wanted to tell you about it first."
Darkness nodded and said, "Indeed it is. First off, she told me about your foal sitter, Cadence and her own efforts to try unseal the entrance to the castle." Twilight said nothing, she just sat down, and listened intently. Darkness continued, "The spell that was cast is no ordinary spell, I didn't tell Celestia that, because it is a spell only I recognized, a spell that only I've ever casted. To think somepony else can cast that spell, troubles me."
Twilight interrupted, and said, "Darkness, you really do keep a lot of things to yourself, you are so secretive!"
Darkness replied back, "Its none of your business why I keep secrets, besides...... the world is not ready for such power. Look what happened two years ago! I don't need that kind of knowledge falling into the wrong hooves, so yes, I am, only to protect Equestria, and all those that are within it. But.....it seems somepony has found something they probably shouldn't have."
Twilight said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I guess I didn't realize why you did that."
Darkness , "No need for all the apologies. At any rate, it's okay, my motives and my actions have always been rather unclear to many, it"s easier that way, less complicated, keeps me and anypony from getting too close, there's no pain or loss that way. Whew, I got off subject, anyhow, seems, that's not the only problem at hoof. On top of the Crystal Palace being inaccessible, is the fact that something was stolen from it, that much is known, for now anyways, there seems to be a rather foreboding disturbance, that all the princesses have been detecting lately, and they don't know what it could be, 'it's different from two years ago', as Celestia said it. She came to me about it, because of how ancient, and old it felt, I have to admit, I felt it too, but to me, it was so much stronger, to me, it felt very, very familiar, which it a great cause for concern and worry. Anyways that's all I have, I was then asked by Princess Celestia if I wanted to help with all this, and I said yes, and now, I have returned here to get started on some research."
Twilight said, "I see, the problem is worse than I thought, I suppose we better get started, yes?"
Darkness said, "Yes, but before that, there is one thing I need to look up on first, I've already told Princess Celestia about this, and she said it would be a good idea to start my problem first."
Twilight asked, "And what might that be? You look fine to me."
Darkness shook his head and said, "Ah, yes, physically there is nothing wrong with me, I am immortal, after all. No, this is something quite different. You see, I have been having the same vision, over and over. I am placed in front of some sort of portal-like object, and a partially completed phrase echoes in the distance, and it goes something like this: 'When two worlds meet, the reformed sorcerer will have to choose between two different fates'. So now I ask, does any of that make any sense to you, Twilight? I know, deep down, that this is of great importance, otherwise the vision would've faded off long before now."
Twilight said nothing for a really long time, her head down, deep in thought, then finally, she looked up at Darkness, and said, "Hmmmmmmm, this is very important, that much is clear, but as far making any sense out of the phrase, I'm afraid I cannot help you in that respect. However, I have been able to figure out that the portal-like object that you are placed in front of, maybe it has something to do with the immediate future, when that is, I do not know, I am sorry Darkness, but I don't think I'm going to be of much help to you."
Darkness said, "I understand, you did what you could."
Twilight said, "Hey! I know! Why don't you try and go visit Zecora? If anypony could help with that sort of stuff, it would be her, she might be able to help you, and help to get a clearer picture on all of this, and who knows? You might find something that will help us out with our current problems. I shall stay here, and begin research on what we can do about opening the entrance to the Crystal Castle."
Darkness agreed, "That's a good idea it would be best. We will be able to find out more this way. Anyways, I shall go and visit Zecora, and see what I can find out. Oh, and also, wouldn't it be a good idea, to invite your other pony friends along, to aid you in your research?"
Twilight said, "Yes, that would be a great idea, they have been such a good help in this sort of thing before, I'll invite them over, we will all be here when you return. And be careful, ever since what Darkness Night did to the forest, it's never been the same, it's still healing, the forest is still very sick, so watch your back, only Celestia and myself know what creatures have been created because of it."
Darkness said, "I'll be careful, and what could happen? I'm sorcerer pony, for crying out loud, but then again, I understand, I'll be careful, just in case."
As Darkness got closer to the entrance to the Everfree Forest, the air around him grew cold, and fog surrounded him everywhere, and as he stood there for a second, he could hear a distant scream, and his eyes grew heavy, and closed, and he began to have flashbacks. It showed him of Darkness Night's awakening, and what he did to the forest, and just as fast as the flashbacks started, they ended all of sudden, and his eyes returned to normal, and somehow, he had been hovering a little in midair, and as he opened his eyes, he fell back to the ground. He felt weak, and fell down, and for a while, he just layed there, his eyes wide with fear. For what seemed like hours, he was finally able to get up, and he said to himself, "So, that's what he did, no, this is what I did to this forest.....unforgivable!!!!!......one more reason I'll never forgive myself for what happened.......arghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" Darkness stood there, lifted his head up high, and screamed at the top of his lungs, at himself. and said, "Unforgivable!!!" As he finished, he began to cry, and said, "How can I ever be forgiven? I am the cause of so many deaths...so much destruction......."
Zecora must've heard, for she began to walk out of her house, and she said, "That sounded like......I wonder what he could be here for? No matter, I shall wait till he gets here." As Darkness finished, he wiped his face, and stepped into the forest. He looked around, and all he saw was many of the trees were dead, dying, or sick. All Darkness could do, was put his head down, and shake his head. He pushed on, trying to not look at all the damage the forest had suffered, and continued to suffer, until he reached Zecora's house.
A voice rang out, "Come in, Darkness, I have been waiting for you."
Darkness opened the door to Zecora's house, and there Zecora was, meditating on her stick, and she saw Darkness, she got off, and asked him, "Darkness, is it? Why have you come here? Something tells me this is more than just a friendly visit, yes? What is it that you seek? Answers? The Future? Present? Or the Past? And I assume that was you at the entrance of the forest that I heard?"
Darkness said, "Actually, I came here to try and see if you might be able to help and see if you might know of a way to get into the entrance of the Crystal Castle, and maybe further insight on the strange disturbance, and maybe an answer to a vision I have been having, and yes, that was me, some things don't leave a pony like myself alone, constant reminders and hauntings of a much.......darker past....and other sad memories......"
Zecora shook her head, and said, "No need to explain, you cannot forgive yourself, can you? You blame yourself for what Darkness Night did to Equestria, correct?"
Darkness bowed his head down, and said, "Yes......it is something I can never atone for...."
Zecora said, "I see....and the answer to the disturbance, I have been feeling it as well, and I will tell you, from what I can tell, this disturbance, is only something you can deal with, and yes, it is a great, ancient evil. And yes, you do know who it is, think about it, you will remember in the right time but the only way you can deal with it, is you have to realize that what happened two years ago, was not your fault, it wasn't even you, we all knew that it was Darkness Night. When you come to grips with this, this ancient evil will not stand a chance against you, Equestria's final hope."
Darkness said, "I see, so what about the Crystal Castle?"
Zecora walked over to her pot, began putting some ingredients together, and began to stir, and she motioned Darkness to come to the pot, and she said, "There is a pony that has discovered one of your magic secrets, perhaps this pony already knew, all of your magic secrets and more, its almost as if......strange...I'll look into that further.... However, it looks like this is also the same pony who stole the Mirror to the human world, this much I know. The only way to open the entrance is by you, and by an item that your ancient civilization once had, 'The Talisman Of Dreadnaught', but it seems it has been lost. Seek this item, use it on the entrance to the Crystal Castle, and the way will be open."
Darkness said in shock, "Hey, I know that talisman! I remember now! My father wore it when he was fighting those three sorcerer pony elders, in the great war! My mother left me everything that happened before I was born, in her diary, and I remember reading that. She said in her diary, that after my father defeated those elders, a massive magic explosion engulfed them all, including my father, and it blew the talisman off his neck. She was nearby, she was going to help, but after seeing the magic blast, she was forced to flee, for it was coming towards her, but not before she saw where the general direction and area the talisman might've landed!"
Zecora pointed her hoof towards him and said, "Tell Twilight and the others about the talisman, and begin to search for it."
Darkness nodded his in agreement. Zecora said, "For the vision you have been having, you may not have known this, but you and I are distant cousins."
Darkness scoffed and said, "Cousins? Not possible!!!! Hahahah!! How can that be? Only those with wings, a horn, and with a pretty potent magic power were the only inheritants of the sorcerer pony legacy! How is this possible?"
Zecora said, "My family was once just like you, we were sorcerer ponies, yes, but, long before the great war, my ancestors abandoned their sorcerer ways, for they had visions that their race was going to be completely eradicated. Cowardice..... perhaps, from something that may or may not have happened. But, to save themselves from this terrible fate, just in case in happened, they left the sorcerer pony city capital, and moved to a far distant land where they lived their lives as a Earth pony would, and, in time, they lost their powers, their wings, their horns, and finally, their immorality, over thousands of years. And just in time too, because a couple of years later, the great war began, and the sorcerer pony race was wiped off the face of Equestria, with the exception of you and your mother of course."
Darkness was stunned a little by this new info, said," I see...I didn't know, nopony did."
Zecora laughed, "Of course not, you really think my family would just blurt out that they were once sorcerer ponies, and lost it all, to avoid a possible end to their race, to everypony they met along the way? Ha! No, they kept it a deep family secret, and they made sure to keep it that way."
Darkness nodded, and said, "Makes sense, I wouldn't have said anything either, so this explains why you can see certain things?"
Zecora responded, "Yes, but it is limited, despite my family's efforts, we still possessed some sort of special ability, in a particular field of study in some way, shape, or form, as in my case, it is obviously potions, and the like."
Darkness only said, "Makes sense."
Zecora said, "Anyways, we have gotten off of subject, I just thought that this was something you needed to know. You are the last, true sorcerer pony, after all. Now on to the vision. What does the vision show you?"
Darkness began to recount the vision once more, and said, "Well, I am in it, and I am standing in front of a portal-like object, it's all very blurry around me, but in the distance, I hear: "When two world's meet, the reformed sorcerer will have to choose between two fates', and then, the vision ends."
Right after Darkness ended, she said, "Think about that vision more, close you eyes." He did as commanded, and Zecora said, "Try to see if you can't look around, can you see anything else?"
As Darkness closed his eyes, and focused on the vision, and began to look around, he said, "Actually, I do.......Twilight......and the rest of her friends are....standing right by my side...and.....the portal.....is beginning to have sparks flying out everywhere....the ground begins to shake.......as the portal begins to suck everything into it, then lifts the ground from underneath all of our hooves....uhhhh!!!"
Zecora began to shake him and said, "Stop! That is enough! Even for the most powerful sorcerer pony that ever lived, which I have just witnessed the longest time ever in a vision, and control one's consciousness at the same time. Despite that fact, being able to do this, can take much of a pony's energy away in a matter of seconds. You was in that vision for about thirty minutes! Are you alright?"
Darkness staggered to his feet, shook his head, and said, "Yeah, I'm alright, and little lightheaded, but otherwise okay, it's nothing. I'll be fine, I just need to sit down for awhile."
Zecora said, "That would be best, would you like some tea?"
Darkness said, "Normally, I'm not a tea drinker, but in this case, I'll drink some tea, just this once."
Zecora said, "Oh, this is no normal tea, this tea will help you recover from the exhausting effects from how long you were in that vision." As Zecora began making the tea, and moments later, finished and as she handed the special tea to him, she asked, "So, did that clear things up? Did you get the answer you seek? Or at the very least, understand you vision better?"
Darkness drank the tea, and as he finished, he said, "It helped clear up a couple things, but it still does not answer how Twilight, her friends, and myself got there."
Zecora said, "Only in time, will the answer come to you, the answer will reveal itself when it is the right time, now, go back to Twilight's Castle, Twilight, her friends, as you have much to do, and it seems time is our enemy once again, because, we do not know how much time we have until the ancient evil will fully awaken, and if that happens, you will have to face it, and vanquish it. If you cannot come to terms, with what happened, two years ago, Equestria is doomed, there will not be a single living thing on this planet by the time this ancient evil is done. So hurry, we have limited time!"
Darkness shook Zecora's hoof, and said, "Thank you for everything, I really am honored to have you as a as a cousin, and don't worry, I won't tell anypony, your secret will remain safe with me."
Zecora said, "Good, now, get going! Time is running out! You must hurry!" Darkness said no more, as he quickly left Zecora's house, and trotted as fast he could to Twilight's Castle.