Unity at Dusk

by AlphatheGriffin17

Piecing It Together

Twilight Sparkle liked to think she was pleasant enough and easy to get along with, so long as there was nothing to set her off. She was also willing to admit that, on occasion, she could lose her temper if there was something that really pushed her to her limits. She still recalled that time during the Pinkie sense incident when she'd literally burst into flames with rage. Since then, she tried her best to control her apparently volatile temper.

However, with all that was happening, she was sure it would push her to the limit at any moment. With the way her friends were behaving, the chaos that Discord was spreading, the threat of Dusk's evil brother and the loss of Dusk himself, she was now nearing screaming volumes, especially now that Fluttershy had taken the important book they needed and was now holding it out of her reach.

"Fluttershy, you'd better give me that book!" she demanded angrily.

Fluttershy didn't return it, but smiled devilishly and cried out in a sing-song voice, "Keep away!"

"Hey!" Twilight tried to stop her, but she tossed it to Applejack, who balanced it on her nose. "Applejack, give me that book!"

"I don't have any book," she lied, throwing it in Pinkie's direction.

The cynical pony bounced on her rump, sending it back to Fluttershy. "Pinkie!" She made for the Pegasus, who promptly threw it back to Applejack, then to Pinkie when she ran to her. "You guys! Stop it right now!"

They didn't even desist, apparently delighting in watching her run around desperately, trying to retrieve the one thing that could stop all of this madness. Dusk would help me, she thought sadly, missing him all the more. Ultimately, it was Spike who came to the rescue, knocking aside Fluttershy as the book came to her, so it fell to the floor.

Twilight spotted it and was about to grab it with her magic, when a blue aura surrounded it, lifting it up as Rarity ran past. "Mine!"

"Hey, do you even know what you just stole?" Twilight asked incredulously, as she sprinted after her.

"No, but if you want it, I want it!" Rarity continued to gallop ahead of Twilight, keeping a sizable distance between them.

She jumped over one of the pedestals, kicking down the wooden-carved pony head that rested on top of it to slow her down. Twilight, fuelled by her frustration, jumped over it, unhindered and continued to give chase. She almost reached Rarity, she just needed to get a little bit closer and she would catch her!

"Give me that book!" She made one last jump and landed on top of Rarity, pinning her to the floor. "Give it to me, NOW!"

"Fine! Here, take your precious-" She was cut off when a darker aura surrounded the book, carrying it off somewhere else.

Twilight shot her head up, looking for the source of the magic and she became frozen with fright when she saw who it was that had taken possession of it. He had a horrible smile on his face, his fur as dark as his shadow, that stretched out towards her, like it was an extension of his body. The book was suspended above his head, as he stood in the hole Twilight made with Tom.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" growled Blackhole Doom, his jade eyes passing over them. "Fighting with your friends, Sparkle? Perhaps there is hope for you yet…"

"Twilight," Spike whispered, "who's this guy?"

"Blackhole Doom, Discord's new servant," she whispered back. "He's the reason why Dusk is… is…" She couldn't finish her sentence, bowing her head to hide her tears.

"Him? Why I oughta…" He did an action of rolling up non-existent sleeves and stomped over to him before Twilight could do anything. "Hey, you jerk, what did you do to my buddy?!"

"Your buddy?" Blackhole chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. He was as much your friend as that mop."

Spike was now trembling a little with fear at how much bigger he was compared to him. "Yeah, well um… that's not true! What did you do to him?"

"WHAT DO YOU CARE?!" Blackhole roared back at him, the force blowing Spike off his feet and head first into a bucket, where his legs flailed in the air helplessly. "How pathetic…"

"What do you want?!" Pinkie asked angrily.

"Be quiet, spring-hoof!" He sent a blast of magic at her and she started to bounce up and down, her head smacking off the ceiling hard.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be laughing at the misfortune I cause," growled Fluttershy, as Blackhole laughed cruelly at Pinkie's state.

"Then, by all means, proceed." Another zap of magic and Fluttershy was whisked beneath Pinkie and held in place, so the bouncing pony was constantly hitting her hard on the head every time she shot back down.

"What are you here for Blackhole?" Twilight asked finally, wanting to help her friends but at the same time afraid to act for fear of what he would do.

"Why, I am simply here to do what I enjoy and that, at present, is taking what matters to you, what is most important." That horrible smile widened, his malevolent gaze fixed on her. "Or have I already done that?"

Twilight once again felt that sense of loss and anger at the mention of Dusk and gritted her teeth, a small growl resounding in her throat. He was going to pay for what he had done to Dusk, that much she would make sure of.

"Well then uh, ya can keep the book. We uh, don't need it anyways," Applejack said fearfully, her eyes twitching from the lie.

"You really are a terrible liar." He shot a spell at her and her hat suddenly crushed her head, weighing her down and preventing her from getting back up. "Do you have a lot on your mind then?"

"Applejack!" Twilight did her best to try and support her friend and glared at Blackhole. "How can you be so cruel?"

"Because I can be… and because I want to. Now, what shall I do now?" Chuckling deeply in his throat, he crossed slowly over to Tom. "Ah, of course."

"Keep away! I'm warning you, keep away!" shrieked Rarity.

"There appear to be quite a few cracks in this stone, chinks in the armour if you will." He traced his hoof around one such crack. "I wonder what would happen if I were to apply just a little more pressure…?"

His horn glowed once more, his dark magic glowing from inside the boulder, whilst Rarity watched in horror. Gradually, more cracks started to appear across the surface, the ones that were already present started to widen. If Blackhole kept that up, the entire boulder would shatter completely from within. Not that it mattered to Twilight, after all it was just a rock.

Rarity, however, was beside herself. "No! Stop! Stop it right now!"

"You want me to stop?" He glared right at her, so much she actually recoiled. "Then beg! Get down on your knees and beg me to stop."

Rarity did so almost immideately. "I'll do anything! Please, I beg of you, don't hurt him! You're ruining his whole beautiful, shining body!"

"That's not begging! You can do better than that!" He roared, grinning at the sight of her, weeping and begging on her knees.

Twilight felt fear grip her whole body, but she ignored it as best she could. As intimidating and cruel Blackhole was, they still needed the reference guide to the Elements of Harmony back, for it would lead them one step closer to defeating both him and his dark master once and for all. And to saving Dusk too…

"Stop it, right now!" She stepped forward, standing defiantly. "Give me back that book, Blackhole!"

"You dare to order me?!" he demanded angrily. "You attempted to defy me before, Sparkle and, as I recall, you failed!"

"Then I'll try and fail again! Now, give me that BOOK!"

"You still don't know your place? Then allow me to remind you who's in control here!" The next blast of magic he sent out hit one of the shelves, the books flying out of their place and circling him in a swarm, like a flock of birds. "You want a book, Twilight Sparkle? Allow me to oblige. ATTACK!"

This last command was to the books, which soared towards her and surrounded her in a flock of flapping pages and covers before she could do anything. They snapped at her like angry animals, knocked her on the head with their hard back covers. Every time she tried to get out, they would force her back into the centre and trap her there.

Through them all, she could see Blackhole Doom, laughing maliciously at her, along with the others, still making Rarity beg before him. She could make out the reference guide, suspended above his head, like it too was taunting her. No matter what he did to her or her friends, she had to get that book back off him.

Somehow.

---

Dusk didn't like being down here, in the darkest depths of his mind in this broken and degenerate state, out of control of his whole body while Blackhole Doom did Celestia knows what with it. He knew what that depraved, rage-filled stallion had been capable of doing to him and he knew he would be doing the same to his friends and the ponies he loved. Dusk was rarely angry and kept his temper in check, but a boiling, seething anger towards Blackhole was developing, as well as towards his dark master, a need to repay them both in kind for what he had done, both to him and his friends. He would do his best to exact payback on the both of them or die trying. Blackhole was going to pay for this.

All the while, he wondered of the dark pony knew what was happening in here. He was in control of both his body and mind, but Dusk was still down here and gradually climbing his way back out to take him on, getting stronger all of the time. Could Blackhole feel him coming back out to challenge him? If so, would he take steps to stop him? If he were to come down here now and face him, Dusk knew that, despite his determination to stop him, he wouldn't be able to match his darker self in this state. He could only pray with all his might that Blackhole wasn't taking notice and that he would be strong enough to take him on.

He turned around the cave and encountered a long, narrow stone bridge across a dark chasm. Across the bridge, he could see the cave that would take him further up and out, as well as the glinting light of another necklace fragment. He set hoof onto the bridge, intending to get across it quickly-

CRACK!

With a yell, he jumped back as a long, jagged gap appeared in the bridge, which then fell away, tumbling into the darkness below. Dusk was breathing heavily, as he stood back and examined the bridge. He placed a hoof lightly on it again and could feel how fragile the stone was. There was no way it would be able to take his weight without collapsing.

He considered his options, but knew that only way across before the bridge collapsed from his weight was to run. His legs were still rather painful, though he had mastered walking and his lungs and chest still hurt from some exertions. It would push both of them to the limit of he tried sprinting and he didn't think it would be enough to get him across before it collapsed. There had to be another way… if he could only get to that fragment, he was sure it would be able to give him the strength to run…

"This seems to be quite a predicament you find yourself in, Dusk Noir," said a soft, yet strong voice from his side.

He looked and saw that it wasn't a pony who stood there, but a buffalo, a calf about his height, with tanned brown fur, bird feathers attached to a headdress on her head and a friendly, yet determined expression on her face.

Remembering the custom, he raised his neck to her. "May the ground stay strong beneath your hooves, Little Strongheart."

"And may it stay strong beneath yours, Dusk," she returned, finishing the greeting with a head butt. "I heard about your quest and decided I should come to lend you aid."

That stirred something in his memory. "Isn't that a tradition that members of a buffalo tribe always lend help to other bison in their tribe or friend to their tribe if they need it, especially in matters of honour or life and death?"

"Once again, your surprise me with your knowledge of my people," she noted. "There is that but… I couldn't in good conscience leave you to manage this task, a friend of my people and to me, without help of some kind. It just wouldn't feel right."

"I'm most grateful for that," he said sincerely, marvelling again at their closeness as friends, despite being part of two different races.

Friendship truly was a powerful, wonderful thing.

She looked him over and nodded admirably. "You certainly look stronger than the last time I saw you."

Dusk chuckled dismissively. "Have you seen the state of me? I still have trouble walking on my own four legs. I'm no stronger or fitter than when we met last..."

"I wouldn't say that." She gestured to some of his more severe bruises and cuts. "Despite all the afflictions that torment your body and weaken you, your spirit has remained unbroken. You still had the strength to get back up and start moving again, making your way out of here to wage your battle with a mighty foe"

"Not without help though…"

"That does not make it any less significant. Many find it difficult to accept help from others, but taking it is not a sign of weakness, far from it. All it shows is that you can take the strength of those around you, that there are those who care about you so much that they offer help and still have enough of your own to make it all of this way, without help. That is truly admirable and shows the strength you have, not here," she said, gesturing to her muscles and placing a hoof on his heart, "but here."

Dusk looked down at her small, black hoof that felt warm against his fur, stared at it for a few minutes and looked up at her, smiling and gripping her hoof in return. This was true praise, coming from one who knew true hardship and challenges from the life that she had led among her people, from surviving the many feats that she had completed by herself as part of the traditions of her tribe, yet at such a young age.

She returned his grip, just as hard enough to make him wince, but she returned his determined smile, echoing his silent expression of thanks. They didn't need words to say that they had understood each other. They let go and returned their attention to the bridge.

"Now, on the subject of that," she said, looking at the bridge, "it looks like you could use my help here."

"If you'd be willing to give it."

"If you'd be willing to accept it."

"I am."

"Then I will help. If you ask nicely."

They shared a laugh at this, but soon returned their focus. He pointed to the other side. "I need to get over there and continue on, while also getting that stone, but the bridge is too fragile to support my weight. Would you be able to run over and get the stone?"

"If I were to run, the bridge would still crumble and you would be trapped over here. Besides, I have another solution."

"What's that?" He saw a glint in her eye and her legs begin to tense. "Wait, what are you-?"

He didn't have time to finish as she suddenly jumped out onto the bridge. He tried to call out, to stop her, but she was too quick. His shock heightened further, landing neatly on a part of it. Instead of crumbling and falling, it remained stable holding her weight and still supporting her. She smiled at Dusk's gobsmacked expression.

"How… how did you…?"

"You could rival a desert viper with how wide your mouth has opened," she remarked, with a giggle.

Dusk blushed and closed his mouth, but he was still wide-eyed from her achievement. "How did you manage that?"

"As you know, we buffalo have to learn well the ground beneath our hooves. Some parts of this bridge are more stable and stronger than other parts. It's merely a matter of finding the right part," she explained, tapping the ground with her hoof. It didn't even shift.

"Incredible," Dusk whispered, then louder. "But how does that help me?"

"Simple. I shall go first and see which part of the bridge is stable, while you follow behind me." She started to walk back towards him, with only small cracks following in her wake, before returning to where she'd jumped to. "Still, we should move quickly as we can. Even with these parts, the bridge isn't entirely safe."

"Right… okay, I'm coming." Slowly, cautiously, Dusk stepped onto the part of the bridge Little Strongheart had indicated.

He could feel a slight rumbling below his hooves, but other than that the bridge remained in place. He let out a small breath of relief, then proceeded to follow Strongheart across the bridge, still moving slowly and carefully. Though she had said to move as quickly as possible, she moved at a reasonable pace to let him keep up, due to his state.

Every now and again, Dusk couldn't help peering down the bottomless gorge below and shivering slightly. Even though he trusted Strongheart, he still couldn't help but feel a little scared at travelling across the bridge. It was the fear that maybe she would get it wrong and he would end up stepping on a more fragile part of the stone. He didn't know how far down the gorge went, but he was sure he wouldn't be able to get back up if he fell. Then he'd never be able to get out of here and stop his darker self…

It was when he felt like this that the cracks seemed to increase and the stone appeared to be a lot less stronger than it should be. Luckily, Little Strongheart was a source of great comfort for him. Whenever he jumped or yelled at a breaking bit of stone, she would calm and remind him that she was here to guide him and that he had nothing to worry about. This instantly made him feel better and braver to be able to cross the bridge.

They were soon close to the end, Strongheart making it safely off the bridge before Dusk did, who was still close behind her. The minute she stepped off, however, Dusk became scared again, began picturing himself falling into the blackness below… and that's when the stone cracked again and he heard a distant rumbling.

"What was…?" Strongheart looked behind him and her eyes widened. "Dusk, look!"

He did so and discovered much to his utter horror, that the last crack was enough shatter the bridge entirely. Now, the whole thing was crumbling and falling into the dark… and it was swiftly catching up to him, so he would fall too.

"Dusk, quickly, run!" she cried out.

Dusk tried too, but the pain was too much and he ended up collapsing. "I can't! I don't have the… the strength…" The bridge was almost up to him, he would soon fall.

Strongheart fretted from the other side, trying to think of something. Then, her face hardened and she held out her hooves. "Then, you must jump."

"What?! I can't-"

"Don't worry, I'll catch you! Trust me." He gazed at him imploringly, her eyes boring into his.

Realistically, Dusk knew that he barely had the strength to jump, let alone run. But in that moment that he gazed into her eyes, Dusk stopped listening to that part of his mind and began to believe what she was telling him. Regardless of what his strength might be, she was still his friend and she wouldn't let him fall. He had to trust her… he had to jump.

His legs coiled like springs, he could feel the ground give way beneath him. With one, painful move that made him cry out, he jumped, just the bridge fell away beneath him. He soared towards her, holding out his hooves, willing himself as he sailed over to her that he would make it. He reached out, so did she…

… And he made it! With an iron grip, Strongheart held him, dangling off the edge as the last of the bridge fell away. Heaving with all her strength, she hauled up to the other side and he collapsed in a heap next to her, drawing long, painful breaths.

"I… I did it…" he panted, raising his head to look at her. "Thank you…"

"Well, I wasn't just going to leave you." She helped him back up to his hooves, swaying a little but still standing. "I told you to trust me."

"You did… and that was what gave me the strength. Now then…" He staggered over to the beam of light, where the next fragment was suspended.

It had a splash of orange against the black, reminding him of the peach-coloured farm pony. It seemed that Strongheart was just as honest and truthful as she was. Maybe that was part of what drove me, he thought, taking the stone and attaching it to the rest. Once again, he felt a boost in strength when it made contact.

One less one to find, he thought, turning back to her. "Thank you for your help, Little Strongheart. I need to continue on now… there are still other fragments to find."

"I understand. I have done all that I can and am proud to have done it." They butted their heads again, raising their necks to each other. "May the spirits of my ancestors watch over you, Dusk Noir."

"Likewise, Little Strongheart, until next time." He watched her as she sprinted off down another passage, then continued up the more upwardly inclined route.

Now, he was far stronger than he had ever been since he was down here. That last fragment had restored to him the ability to run, as he was now galloping down the tunnel, the sounds of his hooves echoing off the walls. Hopefully, he would be out of here in no time now, especially once he regained the ability to use his magic, though he wasn't sure what effect it would have in here.

The next chamber he entered was almost the same as the last one, except this one had stone pedestals set up above the gorge. Each one had varying heights and just enough space for a pony to stand on, all of them leading higher up to the top of the cave. Across the other side, he could see the next fragment, like a beacon in the darkness calling out to him.

So, it looked like he would have to jump up to each one in order to get out, which seemed simple enough. He stepped up to the first pedestal and tried to jump for it. A stab of pain shot through his body and he ended up missing the edge, falling back down and hitting the ground hard. The result was the same whenever he tried it. It just hurt too much, he still had a lot more recovering to do.

How was he going to get out of here, without some kind of help?

"Looks like… I'm stuck here…" he muttered dejectedly.

"You cannot give up, from this little slip-up, not now you have come so far, Dusk Noir," a soft, yet deep voice spoke near him.

When he turned, his sight beheld a zebra, her mane done up in the style of her people, adorned with golden jewellery, a kind smile upon her face.

"Zecora!" The two of them exchanged a hug. "Oh, I've never been happier to see you."

"As I am to see you, that much is true." She pulled back, looking up at the pedestals. "It seems you could use my assistance to overcome this rocky resistance."

"I certainly could," he agreed. "I don't suppose you have something?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, as for you, I have prepared this special brew." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a beaker of green, smoking liquid. "Drink it at this time and it will give the strength to climb."

Dusk took it, staring at it warily. He had no reason to doubt Zecora as she was certainly gifted at her trade, but he still wasn't all that confident about drinking this strange potion. But, it wasn't like he had any other options and he needed all the help he could get.

He uncorked it, tried to ignore the strong smell that emerged from it and drank it.

---

Twilight was still taking shelter from all of the books that were attacking her, yelling out in pain whenever one of them swooped in and attacked, Blackhole still laughing away at the horrible torments he had put them all in.

At first, fear had dominated her and prevented her from striking back against him, especially after what had happened last time. But now, after enduring all of this and still having the solution kept out of her reach when she was so close, she felt nothing but a determination to bring him down and anger for what he had done.

Now was the time for action!

With a loud cry, she performed a spell that surrounded her in a shield, pushing all of the books outwards and away from her. Before Blackhole could comprehend what she had done, she charged right at him, jumped through the air and smacked into him, forcing him to the floor.

"Give me back that book!" she ordered, raising a hoof to strike him-

"AGGGGGGGGHHHHH! MY HEAD!" His scream made her pause for a moment, long enough for him to strike her hard, sending her flying backwards to the floor. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Her cheek throbbing, she looked over at him to see him writhing and screaming like an animal, clutching his head and roaring in pain. The magic he had inflicted on the others suddenly wore off and ceased to have an effect and the book dropped to the floor. All the while, he continued to scream and screech in pain, a horrible graining sound.

"What… what have you DONE TO ME?!" He locked his gaze on her, growling and snarling. "What have you DONE?!"

With one last roar, he galloped away out of the library, still bellowing about his head and whatever she had done to him.

Twilight stared after him and looked down at her hooves in amazement. That had happened in the instant that she had touched him, that brief moment of contact she'd had with him. What had she done to him and why had she affected him so adversely?

"Twilight?" Spike, now having freed himself, had joined her at her side. "What just happened?"

"I don't know, Spike…" She stared back down at her hooves. "I just don't know…"

---

The minute that he swallowed the potion, which to his surprise tasted very sweet, Dusk felt a great surge of energy shoot through his body, far greater than what the stones so far had given him. Far from beating Blackhole, he now felt he had the strength to climb a whole mountain whilst also carrying several huge stones and Pinkie's pound cake that actually weighed far more.

Without a moment's hesitation, he crouched and sprang up to the first ledge, pulling himself up triumphantly and turning to face Zecora.

"Coming? I could use the company," he said to her.

"To proceed together would be my pleasure." Making an equally effortless bound, she jumped up to join him, careful that none of her ingredients and potions fell out of her bag.

So the two of them began their game of ascending leapfrog in a sense, with Dusk jumping up first and waiting to help Zecora make the next leap, holding out his hooves to pull her up. Thanks to the effects of her potion, Dusk found what would have been exerting exercise surprisingly easy. However, he knew the power wouldn't last forever and he made sure to keep at a reasonably quick pace.

Zecora seemed to be managing just fine without the need for a potion. Dusk knew that, due to the life she led back in her home and the many dangers that existed, she would have been required to remain in pique physical condition. Apparently, she also took part in a form of meditation that involved balancing on bamboo poles in a state of perfect balance. She had tried to teach it to him, but Dusk only ended up smashing a large quantity of her work. Luckily, she hadn't held it against him.

"By Celestia, this is high," Dusk remarked, as he pulled her up onto another ledge.

Zecora nodded, staring up at the end. "It seems for every obstacle you overcome, another comes along to spoil your fun."

"Hard to argue with that." He paused to make the next jump. "I'm starting to think I'll never make it out of here."

"Indeed, the road you take is long and it seems to go on and on." She placed a hoof on his shoulder firmly. "But you must take heart and continue, or your foe will destroy all you knew, not just all you see here, but those you love and hold most dear."

Dusk sighed and shook his head. "I know what's at stake, Zecora, but… can I really beat him?"

Zecora was silent as she considered this carefully. "For certain, I cannot say, if you can best him on this day. But though this seems your darkest hour, know you possess a greater power, one against which he cannot compete and, using that, he will be beat."

"But…" Dusk stared up at the sheer heights he still had left to climb, feeling more diminished than ever, "he defeated me and threw me down here like I was nothing. I can't even hope to match that, how can I compete with that?"

"Now that, I say is wrong, for what fails to kill simply makes us strong." She gestured at him. "Why, just look here, for despite your doubts and fear, you are climbing up and out, ready for another bout. Just when he beat and threw you to the floor, here you are back again and stronger than before."

"I… I suppose you're right," Dusk nodded, thinking about all he had been through so far.

"Indeed, for as somepony once said: if the fall does not bring our demise, then our greatest moment is when we rise."

Dusk stared at her, dumbstruck by her words and feeling deeply affected by how much he was strengthened by them, perhaps even more so than what her potion provided.

"Very profound," was all he could comment, only one jump away from the end.

"Yes," she agreed, as he hauled her up, "a good quotation is a diamond to a pony of wit, whereas it is a pebble in the hooves of a twit."

"True enough," Dusk chuckled, jumping up at the last stage and helping her up for the final time. "Look at that, we made it!"

"Yes, but I would rate that it is not yet time to celebrate," she said warning. "Now, as part of the journey on which you rise, it is time to claim your prize."

Dusk took the next fragment, which had a hint of purple to it, but deeper than the Magic fragment. Generosity, like how Zecora was when she gave him that poster and stuck by him until they reached the top. The strength it gave him was fading now, but he regained some of it when he reattached it to the rest of his necklace.

"Now I regret that, for the next part of this zone, you must go on alone," Zecora said sadly.

"I know," murmured Dusk, hugging Zecora gently. "Thank you, for all your help."

"For this problem, more large than small, it was no trouble at all." She bowed her head to him. "Farewell and good luck to you, my friend Dusk."

Dusk waited until she left, then sprinted on ahead, knowing that it wasn't far to go now until he faced Blackhole Doom. Hopefully, he'd be ready.

---

"What… what is happening to me?!" the dark-furred pony demanded to no-one as he rolled around on the ground

Blackhole was still screaming, still feeling the agonising pain in his head, piercing him like a thousand knives were being forced into his skull. It had died down a little now from before, but it was still pounding away at his head painfully.

This headache, it had lingered after his battle with Luna and now, far from dying down, it just seemed to keep getting stronger, to the point where even he was having trouble coping with it. In that moment Twilight touched him, he'd felt an incredible spike of pain when she made contact, so much so that he had to leave in case she caught on.

That magic she'd performed, when Luna had touched his horn… she'd done something to him, something to cause this. He didn't know what it was or why it was doing this or what it would ultimately do, but now he would try and focus, find the source of what was causing it and when he did…

Well, it was going to get a little messy!

Author's Note:

Here's another double post folks! Remember to comment and thumbs-up please.

Comments

[SaxPon3]

Yay! Double updates all the way across the interwebs!

[Witchery]

I love this story.

[Pencil Lead]

I forgot what was the stone the crusaders helped get? Magic, Laughter, or Kindness?

[Dark_Night]

i just realized something, each of these trials that dusk faces relates to the trials the mane six faced while on their way to defeat nightmare moon

[Stellar_]

Go Dusk!

[Truthseeker]

And I feel like I've been pummelled and beaten by Hoofacles with his club

Now THAT reference took me a minute. Nice one though, the Pony version of Heracles (the original version of what we know today as Hercules). I am impressed, good sah. Seems you're not a numpty after all.