> Creative Vision > by isuckdotcom > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Long ago, in a distant land, there was a Princess. She was a beautiful princess, and a great leader. But one thing was off about this princess. She was a pegasus pony. Unlike the usual princess you might think of, which is an alicorn. But she did become one. All because of a necklace. A jealous colt who wanted the throne of the princess's Mother and Father, created a heart necklace made out of a sparkling sapphire. He impaled it with his dark magic, putting the necklace onto unsuspecting couples and breaking them apart. The young princess knew what was happening, and with the love inside her, she enchanted the necklace, bringing couples back together with her heart. She earned her cutie mark, and her horn in the making. The crystal heart grew because of Equestria's love, creating a field of magic not one pony could break. And thus, the kingdom grew inhabiting many crystal ponies and colorful animals. And they waited for the day King Sombra would return. Years had passed since Twilight had gotten her castle, and she lived in the palace by now, seeing that her poor old library burnt down in that fight with Tirek. Lately, she had been bored. Her friends were out at a party, whilst she had to finish chores around the palace. Even though she had lots of help, It was still pretty big and needed lots of polishing. But Twilight knew how to keep herself occupied. She was quite the daydreamer, and most ponies would least expect that from her. She thought about her future in the palace, and with Spike growing his little wings. After what seemed like 2 days, it was finally finished. The floor was shined, the walls waxed, the books organized A-Z, genre by genre. She headed into the throne room, sitting in her quartz seat, staring at the empty thrones surrounding her. She missed the way it used to be; Pinkie being random, Rainbow being ignorant, Fluttershy being assertive, Rarity being selfish, and Applejack, well, being Applejack! Now they had gone out, gotten proffesional jobs, and the worst of all, her dearest friend Spike had gone out to find his parents again! Tears streamed down Twilight's violet eyes. All she had was herself, and she didn't like to be alone. It used to be her favorite thing, being a selfish unicorn. But now, she had learned many valuble lessons in friendship that changed her greatly. Crouching down in the cushioned crystal throne, she wept. All she could think about was her amazing past, and now just a hard future ahead of her and a lonely present. Twilight pushed away some strands of indigo bangs off her face. The front door of her palace creaked open. In walked an orange unicorn with a wavy red and yellow mane. She carried a black saddlebag on her back, and a small golden tiara with rubies upon her head. It was Sunset Shimmer, Twilight's student from the Human world. She remembered that she kept a small hoof mirror (or hand mirror, whichever Sunset prefers to say) to keep track of the other worldly events. Sunset nervously walked across the shiny crystal floor. "Um, Princess Twilight? We have urgent news, and you may not be happy." She said. "Why, whatever is the matter Sunset?" The purple alicorn replied. "Well, Canterlot has been getting reports of odd vocal noises and strange green gas. Remember about 10 years ago in the battle of the bands we competed in?" Twilight thought for a bit, sitting up. "Yes, with the evil sirens..." Her mind clicked. "Have they returned?" "We aren't exactly sure. These could be symptoms of many things, actually. Some sort of spell from one of Celestia's old books, I presume." Sunset answered. "This could mean anything, Sunset! The colors green and red are symbols of evil slash powerful magic, and many dark magic spells use these shades. In this time of Equestrian History, any spell on this planet can contain it." "Exactly! We need to find more symptoms and research which spells it could be." Sunset said as she and Twilight looked through the crystal bookshelves that lined the walls. She had every ancient book by Starswirl the Bearded in this palace, which was quite surprising to her collection. After many hours of searching, there wasn't a hint of a result. And to make things worse, they still had eight more bookshelves to discover. The two mares were laid back on couch cushions and fuzzy blankets, snoring away. The room suddenly got darker. Sunset slowly peeked open an eye, noticing the light change. She got up, rubbing her eyes. It seemed like night, and day at the same time. Sunset stared out the window in confusion. Then she realized what was happening. Sunset trotted over to Twilight and woke her up. "Twilight! We've been sleeping for too long!' Twilight woke up. "What is THAT?!" She said as she stared out the large window. A solar eclipse was happening. "CRAP! We slept way too long! Now the dark magic has taken over!" "Ya know, It's not our fault. It wasn't technically up to US to cure the problem. You would think maybe Celestia or Luna would've taken care of it by now." Sunset Shimmer stated. The two ponies ran out the castle doors. The eclipse was so bright, it was dark. Shadows washed over the continent of Equestria, covering the land in fear. Ponies ran out of their homes in panic, seeking the fallout shelter that was made a while ago, after a deadly threat was made. They figured it might've been Queen Chrysalis and the changelings again, but not this time. At least, they hoped. Sunset hopped onto Twilight's back, as she took off with her alicorn wings. This was their best way of transportation, after Derpy crashed into the train system and broke it. Sunset desparately clutched onto Twilight's neck, nearly choking her. "Gak! Sunset! Stop!" Twilight ordered. "Sorry!" Sunset Shimmer said, taking her hooves off of her neck and grasping the top of her head instead. "I'm deadly afraid of heights." "Well, you are going to have to get over it in the next few days with taht stiking train broken." Twilight said, grumpily. They flew over the plains of Ponyville and the fields of apple trees in Sweet Apple Acres. They approached the tall mountains in which Canterlot rested on, rocky purple and topped with glistening snow. The city came into view, golden and violet around tall pillars of white quartz, with a peaceful waterfall and field of blossoms decorating the side. The princess landed on the stone floor, with two guards in front of her. "Come in, Princess Twilight." One said. Sunset and Twilight trotted in. Greenish smoke curled around the floor, making it hard to see and breathe. Twilight cast a magic forcefield around them to protect against the dark magic. It wasn't very effective, but at least they could see. A shadow flew above the two ponies. It lowered ever so slowly, and it came into view. "Princess Celestia! Are we ever so glad to see you! Sunset Shimmer said. "Celestia, do you have any reports of dark magic usage?" Twilight asked. The pearly pink alicorn stood in thought. "Yes indeed. We don't know exactly what it's coming from, but we do know what it is. Follow me." The three ponies flew away in unision, Sunset being lifted by Twilight's magic. > Rarity's Insanity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All my fault...it was all my fault. If I wasn't there, none of this would have happened. I crouched the dark smoke, my heart filling with pain and salty tears rushing down my face. "Is...is that all? Is my life over?" I thought, as millions of other thoughts flooded my head. I felt my body begin to grow numb as I breathed in the ashes. "He's gone, there's no way you can get him back now." A voice said. "HOW DO YOU KNOW! I WAS ALONE!" I fought back. "They all know...they all do." "No, please! It was a mistake! Surely you can forgive me!" I pleaded, nearly passing out from all the energy I put in my words. I saw Twilight, staring at me in disgust. "This mistake cannot be forgiven. You have proven yourself unworthy of out trust." She said. "NOOOOO!" I woke up, covered in ashes and my mane slightly burnt. Twilight rushed up and hugged me. "Rarity, I'm so glad you're okay." For a moment, I was confused. Then I realized what was happening. The voices were nothing but a mind playing tricks, along with Twilight. The fire had been put out, and from all that smoke I probably passed out. "Rarity, what in Equestria happened? I heard a scream, sounded like you. So I rushed over, and you looked dead on the floor." "I-I don't know. Something's happening to me. I can feel it." I said, coughing. "Let's get you to the hospital before you choke or something." "Thanks Twilight, but I think I'm fine." "You certainly don't look it! I know what I'm doing. This is a fire we're talking about." "Fire...be one with it. Use the ruby so that she may no longer be here and your secrets will be kept without hardships," "NO! I WON'T! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I threw myself back onto the floor, dark magic corrupting my eyes. "Rarity..." Twilight whispered. Twilight stared at her friend. "Is this where the dark magic was coming from?" She thought. She helped her up. And then she noticed something. Rarity was wearing the fire ruby necklace, the one that Spike gave her so long ago. "Come to think about it, where is Spike?" Twilight asked. Rarity looked at the floor in despair. "He's gone. He went with the flames." Rarity held back her tears as hard as she could. Suddenly, the necklace began to glow, corrupting Rarity again. "YOU FOOL! YOUR SECRET HAS BEEN REVEALED!" The voices said. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT YOU NASTY VOICES!" Twilight took the first chance she got and swiped the necklace away from Rarity's neck. Her eyes returned to normal. "The voices...they're gone.." Rarity and Twilight hugged each other, both soaking with tears. "You saved my life!" Rarity cried. "How could I not? I've known you too long to let you die with those voices. May I do the honors?" Twilight said, holding up the necklace. "Indeed you shall." Rarity said, watching Twilight smash the jewel to the ground. Seeing it crumble filled Rarity with both joy and sorrow. The voices and dark magic would be gone forever, but so would her memory of Spike. But she had so many other things to remind her of him. Twilight walked off with her friend, marching towards her palace. Hours have passed since Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, and Princess Celestia had destroyed the dark magic in Canterlot. She was still waiting in Twilight's royal bedroom at her crystal-tree palace, peacefully (but impatiently) reading one of her books on Equestrian history. It was her favorite subject, at least. She had gotten about halfway through the leather-binded book when Twilight and Rarity burst through the castle doors. Sunset raced down the steps. "Hi, guys." She said awkwardly, looking down the balcony. "Good afternoon, Sunset." Rarity said to her. Sunset Shimmer smiled. "I like your necklace, Twilight. When'd you get it?" Sunset asked. Twilight stared at the necklace that was on her chest. It had a thick golden band with a fire ruby shaped like a heart embedded in the front. "No...how did it...NO!" Twilight screamed. Dark magic began to flood her body, turning her colorful coat and mane to a darker, grayer shade. "I-I can't." She mumbled, as tears flooded her corrupted eyes. Rarity stepped back, hiding. Sunset ran down the stairs. "TWILIGHT! WAKE UP!" She yelled. "You know nothing of me." Twilight whispered. "I would never." Sunset threw off the necklace, shards flying everywhere, once again. Purple and green smoke rose from the shards. "This is getting out of hoof. What did they say, Twilight?" Sunset asked, helping her up. Her eyes seemed dazed, like she was sleeping with her eyes open. There were small cuts where the necklace was. Twilight! Tell us!" Rarity said. "They wanted me to kill you..." She responded. The next few moments were silent. The three ponies simply stared at the shattered ruby in shock and awe. Twilight's color began to return to normal, meaning that the dark magic had left the crystal palace. "Something tells me that magic will come back to us." Sunset Shimmer said, breaking the silence. "No doubt about it. These may even be our last years." Rarity replied. "Let's try to study more about this magic while we're at it." Twilight said, as she lead them all to the library part of the castle. 1 HOUR LATER "I think I got it!" Twilight cried enthusiastically. Her two unicorn friends rushed to her side, to a small crystal book stand. "Crystal Corupption: A form of dark magic taking the form of shadows and corrupting ponies by taking the form of precious items and convincing them to do bad things." She read aloud. "That sounds pretty self-explanitory..." Sunset said. "Wait! There's more!" Rarity pointed to the next paragraph. "When turned on by their host, they may take over their physical bodies over time and take what they wanted before they were betrayed. Mainly being; Ruling over the land, enslaving ponies and creatures alike, destroying a land, killing a certain pony or many, or entering other dimensions and ruling over." Twilight paused. "What's wrong, Twilight?" "I-it's just that, this could happen to you, Rarity! After all, it didn't want you to tell me that you killed Spike in corruption but you did anyway! This spirit could be very angry with us by now. After all, we destoyed it's way of getting us back TWICE, and you let out it's secret." "Yeah, that is true...I promise to help protect both you and Twilight as best as possible before that spirit comes back!" Sunset cried. "WHOA THERE, SUNSET! No need to get crazy! I'm sure with Celestia, Luna, and Cadance on our side we can be safe enough from that spirit." Twilight said, slightly chuckling. Sunset's head fell in sadness. "But hey. It's still help from a friend. I could never pass down the opportunity for a young student like you to learn more lessons." Sunset beamed and hugged Twilight. Rarity joined in, and they cried their tears of joy. > End of the sun's reign > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A green unicorn paced the front of her room. Her minty green and white mane shuffled underneath her newsboy cap, the finishing piece to her costume. While she didn't like fashion out in the public, she loved to express it when she was alone. She wore a tattered suit with a red-brown tie hanging loose. She looked at herself in her bedroom mirror. She looked...rustic, like she was a little human boy during the civil war. She didn't mind the gender, she just thought a war-type outfit might fit the occassion. Lyra walked out the door silently, almost running into Bon Bon, her roommate. The cream colored mare had her dark blue and pink curls twisted into a small bun, and she was wearing a formal black-and-white dress. They stared at each other, examining their clothes. "What are you wearing?" They said in synchronozation. They tried starting the sentence over, but no matter what they said, the other wouldn't stop talking. "Okay, okay, okay. Lemme start. What's up with the fancy get-up, Bonnie?" "Fancy get-up? This is simply formal wear! We moved to Canterlot, and ever since, I've been invited to top-of-the-line parties! But thanks to you and your experiments with the fabric of time, I've missed all of them. I'm hopefully going to go to one in an hour or so, just don't ruin anything. Okay? Also, change your clothes. You look like a rat." Lyra was very unamused. She watched her friend walk away into the kitchen, and she pulled back into her room. It was quite small, a wooden bed frame with a thick air matress, topped with green and purple sheets with golden colored bedspread with orange pillows. On the side of the wall there was a pink mini fridge, and a window with broken, pulled down blinds and beige curtains. The front of the room had a small wall mirror with a wooden dresser underneath. She had a little bookshelf on her wall, filled with human books. She had a strange obsession. Lyra shook off her costume and layed down on her bed. She levitated a book of the shelf with her golden magic and opened it. It was filled with knowledge beyond compare, science that could not be profound in Equestria. Lyra wondered about all the worlds around their own, what type of new things there were to be discovered. Any universe without ponies would do, Lyra didn't like being one. She looked out the window. The air was filled with ashy smoke, and no ponies were to be seen. "Hey Bonnie, where did everybody go?" "EveryPONY." "Yeah, exactly. But seriously, it's more silent out there than Fluttershy with a broken voice!" "Lyra, terrible things have been happening to Equestria. More and more threats come about, and the balance of harmony as we know it is being destroyed as we speak. An evil is after us all, one that wants nothing more than our existance wiped away. And what with Celestia's powers diminishing, not much is there to protect us." "Whoa. You should write speeches or something..." "I know right! I could totally-" The girls were interupted as the door swung open. A tall, cloaked pony appeared in the doorway. Her hood draped off, revealing a sea-blue pony with a mane that looked (and sounded) like a small, running waterfall. She had sea green tinted wings with a tall horn slightly hidden beneath her watery mane. Her cutie mark depicted a drop of water, plain and simple. As the alicorn threw off the cloak, her face showed worry. "Are you two Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon?" She asked. The two mares looked at each other in confusion. "Um...Yes?" Bon Bon answered. The alicorn walked up closer to them. She was about 1 foot taller than they were, aside from the large horn. "I've never heard of another alicorn princess..." Bon Bon said. The alicorn did a facehoof and started to explain. "*Sigh* Long ago, when Equestria was very new, four elemental alicorns reigned the land. They treated their subjects with all the qualities a good friend should have. Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, and Loyalty. The land was very balanced and controlled, full of order. When the ruler's power began to diminish along with their elements that created the world, all the ponies of the land gathered and combined all their knowledge and understanding of the qualities of friendship. They embedded the power into 5 gems: A ruby, an amethyst, a topaz, a sapphire, and a pink quartz. Using a piece of the ancient crystal heart itself, they transformed the last element with all their magic and understanding of friendship. The gem formed into a six-pointed magenta star, so they then made it the symbol of magic to be recognized throughout Equestria." Lyra and Bon Bon had never heard this story before. Perhaps, they either didn't hear that many tales, or this story is extremely secret to certain ponies. The waterfall pony went on. "The use of the six elements was strictly forbidden, because they knew it could do untold things. But one alicorn filly tampered with them. She was Celestia, supposedly the future spirit of day. She had a white coat and a wavy pastel-pink mane. She was but 4 years old, when she stole the elements and hid them in her mother's castle. When she used them, it gave her untold powers of magic and a brief understanding of friendship. When the elements were not in their former place, ponies began to fret and panic. They thought the world would end right then and there. But it didn't. Celestia drastically changed her rebellious ways and used the elements for the good of others, instead of the good for herself. Thousands of years later, at this present day, the four alicorns roam the Earth, keeping their elements in balance: Water, Flames, Storms and Air, Night, Day, and Nature." Well that took forever to explain. the alicorn decided to present herself. "I'm Queen Raina, the spirit of Water." she said. "And I know who you two are. Lyra, Bon Bon, you are needed for a very important mission. Can I trust you enough to recruit you?" Bon Bon thought. 'We just met her, how can we know if we can trust her?' Her mind told her. Different thoughts were going through Lyra's head. 'Keep calm, Heartstrings. Just a legendary alicorn that controls your fave element of life. I mean, come on, you can't go wrong with rivers and lakes and stuff. Being the sea colored pony I am, She can definitely trust you to be on her side for whatever is needed. It's not the pony that counts, it's the heart put into every effort.' Lyra thought. 'Hopefully you two can tele-communicate. Cause I can.' The alicorn's voice went through the ponies' heads. 'That's SO gosh darn AWESOME! Can we just do it whenever or something? Or does someone have to start us out?' Lyra thought, fangirling in her head. 'Lyra, stop being embarassing.' 'YOU CAN HEAR ME TOO?!' 'LADIES! Enough talk. Deal or no deal?' "DEAL!" "NO DEAL!" NEXT TIME ON CREATIVE VISION The sun will soon end. And boy, do I mean soon. Ponies will suffer eternal chaos and night, bowing to my existance! I will rise, and there's nothing you can do about it! What has gotten into you? I thought it left...forever? Well, for the first time, you are INCORRECT! It will stay for eternity. And only one thing can stop it, and that thing hasn't been present for a millenia! HAHAHAHA! What a monster you've become... TO BE CONTINUED! > Vines of Evil > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 YEARS AGO Rarity sat on her couch, covered in soft blankets and surrounded by empty containers of Colt Stone ice cream. She was eating her favorite flavor, vanilla oat swirl. When she thought all hope was lost, Spike ran through the front door. He gave her an enchanted book for her inspiration and creativity problems, and it worked out okay at first. But after a while, she started to lose control. Spike saved her with the only possible way to free her from the spell, "Only with spoken true words shall you finally be set free." From then on, Rarity hoped it never returned. And it almost didn't. If it wasn't for Sunset Shimmer. 20 YEARS AGO Sunset Shimmer finally returned to Equestria, after living many years in the human world. The magic imbalances of her return were almost fatal. It seemed fine at the time, but the disturbance in the balance awoke many dark spirits, releasing hurtful magic into Equestria. Soon enough, strange things began to happen in the land. The once defeated plunderseeds began to sprout, growing over time. It was very slow, and not even Discord noticed. Twilight began to get threat notes. She didn't know it was real, she thought it might've been a prank or something. She simply tossed the notes into the trash. The threats began happening more frequently, and Twilight started to worry about her life. She knew she could not be killed as easily as she used to, but it was still possible. Very possible. PRESENT DAY Sunset Shimmer watched the sun begin to lower after a long day of work. She bid her farewell to Twilight, packed her saddlebags, and calmly walked out the crystal gates. The horizon had a smoky reddish glow, with pink tinted clouds surrounding it. Sunset almost wanted to take a picture of it, but she moved on. Trudging forward to her Ponyville cottage, she noticed something odd. The colors around her began to dim, getting blacker and blacker by the second. It was then pitch black. Sunset worriedly paced in the empty space. "Twilight?" She called. "What is going on?" She felt a warm sensation grow behind her. She heard the crackles of a warm fireplace, flaming ashes hitting the ground then dissolving into dust. She turned around. She saw a tall alicorn stallion, with fire for a mane. His coat color was a silky orange, almost white. His eyes were glowing along with his mane. "Who in the wide world of Equestria are YOU?!" She cried. The stallion smiled. He was at least 4 feet taller than her, making Sunset grow scared as he grew closer. "I am King Blazer, the element of heat and fire. I know perfectly well who you are, Sunset Shimmer." The stallion answered. He turned around, his large flaming tail almost touching Sunset's skin. "Please be careful! I don't want to end up in the hospital again!" King Blazer paused and laughed politely. "You have not been taught as well as I thought. You were created from a part of my essence. making you my daughter. When you were born, you were granted resistance to extreme heat." Sunset carefully processed his words. As she did, the king blew a bonfire before her. She hesitantly stuck her hoof inside the flame. Soon enough, she was standing in the center of the fire. Her body filled with sensation, a feeling she had never had before. As the fire depleted, she remained speechless. "Dad?" "Yes, Sunset Shimmer?" "Teach me more..." "Training, day one." Queen Raina spoke. Lyra looked around herself. She had been blindfolded and had no idea where she was and what she was doing. She felt the aura of the queen's magic lift her. "Stay calm, Lyra. This will only hurt a bit." Lyra began to fret. She felt a pulse in her stomach and lungs, she could barely breathe enought to survive. She felt cold water sinking into her coat, filling her veins. She could not speak. She was choking on her breath and even tears. Suddenly, the magic dropped her into a pool of water. The blindfold fell off. She was in a closed tank, a large one. She desparately pounded at the wall of the tank, wanting-and needing-to be let out. Suddenly, she could breathe. The water became warm and her vision was clear. Her hindlegs merged together, forming something like a tiger-fish tail. Lyra was more angry than she was surprised. A pony was bad enough, she wanted feet to walk on. Now she had none. She used all her force to pound through the glass, shattering it all over the floor. Water flooded the basement floor. Lyra tried to yell at the queen, but no words came out. She could not breathe as easily as she could in the water. She realized something awful. Without the tank, she couldn't live. Raina used her magic to try and turn her back. After a while of confusing spells, she was almost back to normal. "I figured you would break out." Raina remarked. Lyra opened her mouth once more, but was interrupted. "This was a very important spell for your survival in this damaged era. Whenever you go into water, you will transform. You will experience many times when you need to be able to breathe underwater and swim faster. I know your future, and without this spell, it will not be an easy task. Do you understand?" Lyra nodded. "I will try my best to suceed." She answered. > The Four Elements > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The four elements-Water, Flame, Storms, and Nature. Or, as Celestia and Luna call them, Raina, Blazer, Thunderbeat, and Serenity. Those four ponies who controlled the most important things to maintain balance, were pratically not balanced at all. Raina was the born-leader, Blazer was the orderly king, Thunderbeat was the insecure and unstable one, and Serenity was the only sane one. Of course, as families go, they fought many times. Who controlled the most, who owned the most power, things like that. But there was one particular day they lost control... TWO MILLENIA AGO Storms rumbled throughout the skies, lightning hitting the course of land and sea. Rain controlled all, it seemed. A dark-grey colored alicorn with misty black hair stood, untouched. Angrily staring into the horizon, her flowing mane glistening with lightning. Her yellow eyes seemed to be burning into the ground, as her rain washed it away. "THUNDERBEAT!" A pony yelled above the wind. "PLEASE STOP!" The alicorn turned at the sound of her name. "What did you expect, sister? Everyone loves the sunny days, never the rainy, cold nights." The other pony thought, her green mane rapidly swaying in the wind. "It's not my fault! Destiny decides who you are, not I! Stop this storm, you are killing my element!" Thunderbeat laughed maniacally. "You honestly THINK I'll stop for the sake of your life? WRONG! This is my game now, and I'm about to win." Thunderbeat walked closer to Serenity. "In order for my triumph, you must lose." Thunderbeat coursed all the power she could through her veins, aiming the source to her gray hooves as the grew brighter. "And you lose now." Thunderbeat shot a wave of magic, electricity and power rushing to the sight of Serenity. But the wave stopped. Thunderbeat saw a glowing rainbow appearing from her sister. With the wave finally diminished, she saw the sight: The elements of harmony. "I never wanted to use these, Thunder. But you have given me no choice." "WHOA WHOA WHOA WAIT! SLOW DOWN!" Lyra cried. "This sounds an awful lot like the story of Nightmare Moon!" "Yes, it is very similar. But the reason why was Destiny. Destiny is an pony, not known to be mare or stallion. They decide what your future is based on your choices and thoughts. Luna and Thunderbeat are connected to Destiny-Both banished to terrible places for a millenia because of their jealousy." "That's...strange but cool." Bon Bon stated. "But more strange than cool, I guess." "Why exactly are we talking about this again?" Lyra asked. "You two were bored." Raina answered. "Oh, right...forgot that...guess I'm not bored anymore!" Suddenly, the three ponies heard an explosion outside the window. "HAHA! This feels so GOOD!" Rarity cried. Green magic filled her veins, corrupting her mind and power sources. Crystals adorned her hooves and ears, a golden crown atop her head. She shot a beam of magic at the ground, changing it to pure gold. Ponies rived in agony at the sight of it, the light nearly blinding them. "RARITY!" Twilight cried. "What in Equestria are you doing?" She said as she trotted to her side. Rarity shot her a smirk, her eyes filled with crazy sensation. "Why, I'm redecorating the place, that's all." "You DON'T want a repeat of the Inspiration spell! Nopony wants this! Stop this nonsense!" "Whatever do you mean, Twilight?" Twilight stepped back in shock. "The spell should have broken!" She thought. "Only when true words will you finally be set free, that's what the spell says! Why is it not working?" Twilight felt something cold and hard on her hooves. Suddenly, everything went dark. "What the-?" She said. She looked down at her hooves. There were golden hoofcuffs embedded with black crystals, smoking with electricity. "How did I get here?" She was in a dark, cold stone room with but a small window for light, partially covered with iron bars. She tried to use her magic to break out, but something was blocking her signal. Her horn had the same black crystals stuck in it, blocking the source of magic. Her wings seemed to be broken, feathers torn. "Rarity?" She cried with a raspy voice. "Where are you? Where am I?" "Up here, Twilight." Rarity's voice said. Twilight looked up at the barred stone window. Rarity's face was looking through the bars. "Miss me?" "How could I miss you if you were only gone for 2 seconds...?" Rarity laughed manically. "Oh, you silly filly! That wasn't 2 seconds. I have new spells, dear friend. I took over Equestria hours ago!" Many thoughts rushed through Twilight's mind. She was confused, stressed, and tired. How did she get here? What did Rarity mean? She needed to know. In the meantime, she rested on the stone floor. The hoofcuffs seemed to grow tighter at the moment. It was hard, but she finally fell asleep after it was well needed. Sunset Shimmer's vision blackened once again. Every so often, King Blazer would visit Sunset in what they called "The surreal world". The black became a heavenly, dreamy landscape, sparkling blue with stars shimmering about. She could float here, and do things she couldn't do in the normal world. King Blazer, in all his glory, appeared in front of the orange mare. "How's life?" He asked. Sunset thought. "Well...good, I guess." "It always is, Sunset. Have you practiced your new abilities?" "Yes! I've gotten quite good at them, in fact." "Prove it to me." Sunset smiled. She lifted up her horn from her crimson and yellow mane, bursting energy through the tip. Her teal magic aura grew brighter, emitting a flame. She waved her horn about, creating a heart image with the flame in front of her. More fire grew around her; she lifted it all up and made herself a flaming tiara. "You have grown quite fond of your power, Sunset Shimmer." King Blazer commented. The crown remained, but the other flames didn't. Sunset dusted off her coat pridefully but gracefully.