> Our Darkest Days
>  by Bluecatcinema
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Progress Report
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer woke up in her new apartment in the Crystal Empire. A month had passed since she had taken on her new job, and gotten a new home. A month since her new life in Equestria had truly begun.

'Good morning, Equestria.' She thought as she climbed out of bed. After spending so many years away from her home world, it still felt good to bask in Celestia's sun again.

After breakfast, Sunset took out a quill and some paper, and starting writing a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am happy to report that my new life is proving to be very prosperous. It has been a month since I started studying dark magic at the castle, and I've settled in quite well. I tell you, it has been nothing less than exhilarating working in this field. I understand that nowadays, dark magic is a touchy subject, but it will sure be a brilliant day when dark magic can be considered as good as normal magic.

Echo seems to think so as well. You weren't kidding about how knowledgeable he is about dark magic. I might be inclined to say that he probably knows more than Sombra did when he took up dark magic. However, he does have this lone wolf angle going for him. He never wants to leave his study unless to use the lavatories or inspect any new deliveries.

But despite all of that, he isn't the worst boss in the world, far from it actually. He listens to my opinions, despite my inexperience, and respect them, and he trusts me to get the job done. Though he hides it behind a veneer of aloofness and professionalism, I can tell he is a good pony, and I feel lucky to be working with him.

However, it has come to my attention that not many ponies around the castle seem to like him. Sure, he's certainly not the most sociable pony around, but he is very kind and polite. I can't understand why anypony would dislike him. Nonetheless, working under him is still a wonderful opportunity, and I have learned quite a lot from him. I cannot thank you enough for getting me this job, and rest assured, I will continue to do my best to make you proud.

Deepest regards,

Sunset Shimmer

Satisfied with her work, Sunset placed the letter into an envelope. As she made her way to work, she dropped the envelope off in a postbox. Soon after, she arrived at the crystal castle (which had been fully restored following Black Knight Paladin's attack), ready to continue her studies into dark magic with the Thestral Echo Alchemy, the only known researcher of the said subject that anypony knew of.

As she approached the study at the far side of the castle, she saw posted just outside the study's doors was none other than Sterling Cross. She met him the day she started working with Echo, he having been the one to warn her about the thestral. She had seen him around since then, finding him a pleasant, though somewhat boastful stallion.

"Good morning, Ms. Shimmer." The burly Earth Pony smiled.

"Morning, Sterling." Sunset said pleasantly. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Not as lovely as you." Sterling grinned.

"Thank you." Sunset blushed.

"I will never understand why a beautiful mare like you would want to waste your time cooped up inside some dusty old study all day." Sterling declared.

"Let's just say I like to learn." Sunset shrugged. "Reading's always been a passion of mine."

"Well, I can think of some other, more fun activities." Sterling said suavely. "Activities for two, maybe..."

"I'll bet you can." Sunset rolled her eyes. Sterling hit on her practically every day, ever since she started working. It was more playful than serious, thankfully, so she let him keep doing it. "But right now, I have work to do."

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me." Sterling winked.

Rolling her eyes again, Sunset walked into the study. She found Echo where he usually was, hanging upside-down from the ceiling (when she asked him about this, he claimed Thestrals could think better in that position).

"Hello, Echo." She called.

Echo detached from the ceiling and glided down, landing gracefully in front of Sunset.

"Good morning, Ms. Shimmer." He said curtly.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I just came into possession of the eldritch scrolls belonging to the dark sorceress Sepulchre." Echo declared. "There's a lot of text that needs deciphering. Do you think you're up to it?"

"Count me in." Sunset nodded.

"That's the spirit." Echo almost smiled. "Let's get to work."

The scrolls were written in an ancient script, one that was very difficult to translate. It took them the entire morning to fully decipher half a scroll each.

"Hmm, this last symbol doesn't make any sense." Echo squinted at the end of one line. "There's nothing like it in my cipher." He tilted the scroll, trying to understand it. "No matter which way I look, I can't make heads nor tails of it."

"Let me see." Sunset offered, as she peered closely at the symbol. "Oh, it's just a bit of dirt."

Using her magic, Sunset removed the dirt.

"Ah, yes!" Echo nodded. "Now I see! That's the symbol for water!" He then ran a hoof through his mane. "I guess it never occurred to me that the text could have been marred."

"Well, that's kind of has to be expected with two thousand year old scrolls." Sunset shrugged.

"Indeed." Echo agreed. "For all my knowledge and things I have learned over the years, I had gained this nasty habit of overlooking simple solutions. Good thing I have you to help, my dear assistant."

"No problem." Sunset smiled. She then noticed the clock on the wall. It's hands were both pointing to twelve. "Look at that. It's already time for lunch."

"Oh, so it is." Echo noted. "My, how time flies. I'll see you in an hour, Ms. Shimmer." He then returned to his scroll.

"Actually, I was hoping you could join me." Sunset offered. "We could have our lunch outside, in the park. It'd be a good way for us to connect in a non-work sort of way, more like friends than colleagues."

"I appreciate your offer." Echo declared. "But I'm perfectly fine eating my lunch here. Have been for quite a while now."

"You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to go outside this dusty old study every once in a while." Sunset urged. "Besides, eating something amongst all these irreplaceable documents is a little risky, isn't it? One spilled drop of sauce, or squirt of berry juice, and a priceless artifact is ruined forever."

"...You may have a point there..." Echo sighed, closing up the scroll in his hooves. "Perhaps I can eat outside, just this once..."

"That's the spirit." Sunset mimicked his earlier words.

Stopping only to pick up their self-prepared lunches, the pair went outside, passing by Sterling on their way out.

"Ms. Shimmer." Sterling nodded courteously as Sunset walked by. When Echo walked by, he frowned slightly. "Alchemy."

"Cross." Echo said flatly.

"Surprised to see you out here." Sterling declared. "I thought the sun turned you to ash!"

"Very droll." Echo grimaced, keeping a calm tone. "You seem to think that because I am a batpony, that I am somehow related to a vampony, which is of a completely different subspecies. Somepony has been reading too much of those accursed 'Twilight' books."

"No, that's just for weirdoes like you." Sterling countered.

"I don't think a stallion of your mental calibre would be much of a reader, anyway." Echo retorted.

"Echo!" Sunset called. "Are you coming?"

"Of course, Ms Shimmer!" Echo called back. "If you'll excuse me, Cross."

"You're excused." Sterling snarled.

Sunset and Echo walked over to the nearby park. They sat at a picnic table together, digging into their meals.

"Now, isn't this a whole lot better?" Sunset asked. "The warm sun on your face, the scent of flowers in the wind..."

"I suppose so." Echo admitted. "We Thestrals tend to prefer the night, though. The quiet, the bright stars... Though it wasn't as difficult as I though to acclimate to a day job, I find that too much sun can prove to be a detriment on my coat."

"I wasn't aware." Sunset declared. "Thestrals aren't exactly well-known around these parts."

"We like to keep to ourselves." Echo stated.

"But it doesn't hurt to put yourself out there every so often." Sunset countered.

"Perhaps." Echo agreed.

As they continued eating, Sunset couldn't help but notice some dirty looks thrown Echo's way by passers-by. She even overheard some highly audible mutterings.

"Who let him out of his cage?"

"He's got a lot of nerve being out in public after what he did."

"I didn't think Celestia let her pet beast out for walks."

"He eats pony food? Who knew?"

Echo visibly stiffened, his batpony ears twitching ever so slightly, but otherwise showed no other signs of being affected by their insults.

"What are they all talking about?" Sunset asked.

"Nothing." Echo said bluntly.

"It doesn't sound like nothing." Sunset frowned. "In fact, I've noticed a lot of ponies acting that way around you. What's the matter, Echo?"

"The simple fact is that some ponies lack the capacity to comprehend what they can't fathom." Echo said scornfully.

"You should say something." Sunset told him. "Don't just sit by and take it. Let them know you won't tolerate those kind of insults."

"Why would I bother wasting my time on such small-minded, prejudiced ponies when I have more important matters to deal with?" Echo huffed. "Now, I've finished my lunch. Kindly finish yours, and we can return to the study, where I can work in peace, away from judgmental eyes."

Echo got up and started walking back to the castle. Sunset hastily finished her own lunch and followed, worrying that her attempt to get Echo to come out of his shell had done more harm than good. She had only wished to help him, knowing full well what could happen when one distanced him or herself from other ponies, and was hoping for Echo to avoid that path.

Echo walked past Sterling without saying a word.

"Somepony's grumpy today." Sterling snarked.

Sterling's mood improved as he saw Sunset walking towards him.

"Ms. Shimmer." She smiled. "Good lunch?"

"Not exactly." Sunset sighed.

"Oh, I hate to see a good-looking mare like you with a frown on your face." Sterling declared. "What you need is a fun day out, and I know just where to have one."

"You do, do you?" Sunset raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed, I do." Sterling nodded. "The Crystal Faire's coming up. It'll have all sorts of old-timey artefacts, like King Sombra's very own spell book. You like that sort of stuff, right?"

"Yes, I do." Sunset mused.

"You'll probably love it there." Sterling grinned. "You'll love it even more with somepony to go with..."

"That's a great idea, Sterling!" Sunset smiled.

"Of course it is." Sterling said smugly.

"I'll ask Echo to go with me." Sunset declared.

"Say what?" Sterling's smirk slid off his face.

"It's the perfect event for him." Sunset beamed. "He'll get to come out of that study, and enjoy the things he loves at the same time."

"You're really going to ask Alchemy to go with you?" Sterling frowned.

"And what's wrong with that?" Sunset asked defensively.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, the guy's a reclusive weirdo." Sterling said dismissively. "Ponies don't like him and he don't like them, and he's a total downer to boot. You should go with somepony more social and outgoing."

"Like you, perhaps?" Sunset retorted shrewdly.

"For a start, yeah." Sterling agreed. "I'd be way more fun for you to hang out with me than that leather-winged bookworm."

"Don't be so quick to mock bookworms." Sunset frowned. "I'm a bookworm. Princess Twilight is a bookworm. Are you saying neither of us is any fun to hang out with?"

"Well, no, but..." Sterling spluttered, flustered.

"Good." Sunset glared at him. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Sunset trotted past the bewildered guard. As she entered the study, she found Echo already back at work on the scrolls.

"There you are." He noted. "What kept you?"

"Sterling and I had a little chat." Sunset admitted.

"There'll be plenty of time for chatting after work." Echo admonished her with a grunt. "Speaking of which..." He gestured to Sunset's scrolls.

"Of course." Sunset nodded.

They worked together in silence, Sunset waiting for the perfect moment to put her new plan into action. By the end of the day, they had all but completed the translations.

"I think that will do." Echo nodded. "A job well done, my dear."

"Thank you." Sunset smiled. "Echo, I was wondering..."

"Yes?" Echo asked.

"Well, as you probably already know, the Crystal Faire is coming up." Sunset pointed out. "And I was thinking maybe you and I could attend it together."

"I don't think so." Echo shook his head. "Large gatherings don't really agree with me, I'm afraid."

"That's too bad." Sunset said in a mock-defeated tone. "I hear the Faire will have all sorts of mystical artefacts this year. Some real finds, too. King Sombra's spell book, for example."

Echo perked up at the mention of the spell book.

"Really now?" He mused. "Well, I suppose it would prove quite the informative experience... such untold knowledge to be had in those ancient treasures... perhaps I could go with you... purely for research purposes, of course..."

"Of course." Sunset smiled victoriously. "I promise you won't regret it."

"I daresay I won't." Echo agreed. "It could prove quite the life-changing experience."

"Exactly." Sunset nodded triumphantly.

Little did either of them know just how life-changing that experience would be...
> Faire And Foul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Faire was held the following weekend. Sunset made her way to the Faire's entrance, where she and Echo had agreed to meet. She was surprised to find the Thestral wearing a large trench-coat (one which obscured his wings) and a wide-brimmed fedora.

"Nice look." She snarked. "Trying to make a fashion statement?"

"I said I'd join you." Echo declared. "But I didn't say anything about broadcasting my presence here. Unless you have somehow developed short-term memory loss and have no recollection of what happened mere days ago?"

"No, no, I remember." Sunset sighed. "At least you're actually getting out. Shall we go in?"

"After you." Echo nodded, with a gesture of a hoof.

The Faire was a fairly lively affair, filled with many festivities. A flugelhorn performance assaulted Sunset and Echo's ears as they walked by.

"My, what... interesting music." Sunset remarked.

"If you can call it 'music' at all." Echo cringed. "Personally, I consider an Ursa Major with toothache to be more melodious."

"To each his own, I guess." Sunset shrugged.

A short distance from the entrance, there was a stand selling crystal berry pies and corn. Sunset and Echo bought some.

"Mmm, delicious." Sunset savored the taste of her crystal corn.

"I must admit, this region has some of the best food I've ever tasted." Echo declared, as he finished his slice of crystal pie. "A nice fringe benefit to my coming here."

Their appetites sated, Sunset and Echo moved further into the fair. As they did, Echo noticed a pony in a black overcoat pass them by.

"What unusual attire..." He stopped to glance at the pony.

"What's the hold-up back there, Echo?" Sunset called.

"Oh, nothing," Echo turned to her. He turned back to see the pony had vanished. "Nothing at all..."

As they continued onwards, Sunset and Echo crossed paths with Sterling.

"Ms. Shimmer." Sterling smiled. "And..." He then frowned. "Alchemy. Enjoying your day out?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes." Echo said tersely. "What brings you here? You wouldn't happen to be following Ms. Shimmer, would you?"

"Of course not." Sterling snorted. "There's a lot more to my life than babysitting you five days a week."

"I don't recall asking to be babysat." Echo retorted, "I have a master's degree from Hayvard, and several academic achievements ranging in fields from archaeology to philosophy. Honestly, I do not need somepony to monitor me day in and day out!"

"Well, certain ponies in the upper echelons of command seem to think you need watching." Sterling smirked. "Why do you think that is? Hmm, Alchemy?"

"Why, you impudent-" Echo started.

"Easy there, boys." Sunset stepped between them. "We were all having a good day just now. Let's not ruin it."

"...Fine." Echo sighed.

"If you say so, Ms. Shimmer." Sterling nodded. "Just let me know if you want a change of company."

Sterling walked away.

"Musclebound buffoon." Echo spat.

"Forget him." Sunset declared. "Let's focus on the Faire."

"Yes, and all those ancient artefacts." Echo nodded. "Speaking of which, we really should get to them."

"Ah-ah-ah, not just yet." Sunset waved a hoof. "Let's enjoy some of the other sights first. This is my first Crystal Faire, and I'd like to take in as much as I can. It doesn't always have to be about work, you know."

"I suppose I can wait." Echo sighed. "It is because of you that I even knew about the artefacts in the first place."

"Exactly." Sunset nodded. "Let's check out the jousting first. I've always wanted to see that up close!"

"Seems a little barbaric, but okay." Echo shrugged.

The jousting proved even more exciting to Sunset than she could have imagined. She cheered loudly as the knight in silver armor downed his bronze-suited foe.

"Yay, silver!" She cheered.

"What is it with mares and knights?" Echo muttered under his breath.

"I heard that." Sunset glared at him.

"Sorry." Echo cringed. "Seriously though, what is the appeal of these armored thugs?"

"They not thugs." Sunset snorted. "They're gallant, noble, heroic stallions."

"Like Sterling?" Echo sneered.

"Not exactly." Sunset said awkwardly. "When I was a little filly, I used to dream about having a handsome knight sweep me off my hooves."

"A dream you have yet to grow out of, I see." Echo frowned.

"What, you've never had dreams?" Sunset asked.

"I had one dream." Echo admitted. "To study dark magic and use it to help Equestria. And I'm living that dream right now."

"Okay." Sunset nodded. "I'm going to guess you didn't have a typical childhood."

"You could say that." Echo declared. "Now, shall we move on, or do you wish to see more 'noble stallions' give each other concussions?"

"Yeah, sure." Sunset shrugged. "I've had my fun. Now, let's go check out those artefacts."

"Now that's what I like to hear." Echo smiled.

As they made their way to the dark magic display, they crossed paths with another pony, one whose presence was welcomed by both of them; Princess Cadance. The princess (almost a month pregnant with her second child) was overseeing the festivities.

"Good morning, your majesty." Sunset bowed.

"Hello, Sunset." Cadance smiled, having met Sunset for the first time not long after she started work. "Enjoying the Faire?"

"I certainly am." Sunset nodded.

"And Echo Alchemy." Cadance said, with mild surprise. "What brings you here?"

"I was hoping to get a look at all the dark magic artefacts that were on display." Echo declared. "For research purposes, of course."

"Ah, yes." Cadance mused. "Your work looking into dark magic. That stuff really isn't my cup of tea, but if it can help Equestria in the long run, I suppose I can stomach it."

"I appreciate that, your highness." Echo admitted. "Especially considering my work goes on in your very castle. I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable, especially considering the recent events."

"I'll admit, things were pretty rough, not too long ago." Cadance declared. "That lunatic Black Knight Paladin very nearly used Sombra's magic to ruin this Empire again. But that's in the past now. It's better to focus on our future."

"Speaking of which, how's the foal coming along?" Sunset asked.

"Very well." Cadance rubbed her slightly rounded belly. "And I'm not so gigantic that I can't enjoy the Faire. Speaking of which, I think I'll go get some funnel cake... with mustard. Enjoy the display, you two."

Cadance walked away, driven by her sudden craving. Sunset and Echo moved on, finally reaching the dark magic display.

"My word." Echo gasped. "Look at all this! The wand of Warpos, the stones of Seraph..."

"And is that... the bell of Grogar?" Sunset gaped. "And there's a jar over there with some actual Smooze in it!"

"Be still, my beating heart." Echo stared at an unusual tome. "The actual Necronomicon."

"Speaking of hearts, get a load of this." Sunset glanced at a creepy red heart-shaped mask with two big yellow eyes, "It's the Majora's Mask. I read that it nearly brought the moon crashing down on our world within three days' time. Who would even make something like that?"

"Alas, we cannot comprehend the mindset of the mad." Echo shrugged. "Take this, for example: the Red Horseshoes. Whoever wears them is compelled to dance nonstop for the rest of their life. Only a twisted mind could conceive of something so cruel."

"That's still nothing compare to the pièce de résistance." Sunset pointed to the centerpiece of the display. "King Sombra's very own spell book."

"Indeed." Echo nodded. "Imagine all the pain and misery inflicted by this tome..."

The book was sat in a glass case, open for all to see.

"That's odd." Sunset peered at it. "There are some pages missing."

"Ah, yes." Echo adjusted his glasses. "I once heard that there was an attempt made, some years ago, to tap into the powers of this book. Each and every line in this book was imbued with powerful dark magic, so powerful that they were unable to control it. A major catastrophe nearly occurred because of this."

"What kind of catastrophe?" Sunset asked.

"I do not know, I'm afraid." Echo said curtly. "All I do know is the authorities caught on to what had happened, and ensured that that terrible mistake couldn't happen again by tearing most of the pages from the book and scattering them across the globe, ensuring they would never again fall into the wrong hooves."

"Incredible." Sunset gasped. "But how do you know so much about it?"

"Well, the study of dark magic is my profession." Echo declared. "I would have to keep my ear to the ground regarding all such events."

"I'll bet." Said a crystal stallion, using the deepest contempt. "A dark magic loving freak like you." He knocked off Echo's fedora. "What, you think we wouldn't see through this lame disguise?"

"You probably feel right at home here." Another stallion sneered. "With all the other abominations."

"Now see here..." Echo started.

"No, you see here." The first stallion snarled. "We don't like dark magic around these parts. Dark magic cost this Empire a thousand years, and we don't need some weirdo like you digging more of the stuff up."

"Excuse me? If it wasn't for dark magic, all of you crystal ponies would had been extinct by now." Echo pointed out.

"Yeah, and getting our minds erased was so much better." A crystal mare butted in.

"Who are you to decide what can and can't be researched?" Sunset said angrily.

"And you're just as bad." The second stallion declared. "You actually work for this nutjob. You've got magic of your own, and you spend your time looking into the bad kind? What are you, crazy or just plain dumb?"

Other members of the crowd joined in, berating both Sunset and Echo.

"They're right!"

"Why don't you just leave well enough alone?"

"Or at least take your twisted studies somewhere where it won't hurt the normal ponies!"

"I'll have you know Princess Celestia herself arranged for those studies to take place here." Sunset declared. "If you have a problem with us, you have a problem with her."

"Or not." Another mare countered. "Who's to say that beast didn't corrupt her with his dark magic?"

"How dare you!" Echo yelled.

"How else do you explain Celestia allowing these travesties to continue?" The mare glared.

"He's probably messing with that poor Unicorn's head too!" A stallion agreed.

"No, he's not." Sunset retorted.

"Which is just what a brainwashed minion would say!" The stallion said triumphantly.

"I would never do such a thing!" Echo protested, getting angrier.

"We oughta run this freak out of town!" Another stallion raged.

"But not before we force him to tell us what he's planning!" His compatriot stated. "Don't want him getting into our heads too!"

"Okay, that is enough!" Echo growled. He climbed onto a bench. "Listen! All of you! I am more than aware of what dark magic had wrought upon you. All of you see dark magic as something to be feared and hated, and with users like Sombra and the one they called Black Knight, I don't blame you. But you are failing to see the big picture here! I study dark magic because I see something more. An untapped potential..."

"Yeah, for evil!" One pony cried out.

The crowd announced their agreement.

"He's right!"

"That leather-winged monster's out of his mind!"

"The only potential in dark magic is to hurt ponies!"

"Listen to me!" Echo roared. "If dark magic could only be used properly, it could make life better for all of us! That's what I'm trying to do, make life better! Perhaps if you put your plebeian brains to some actual use, you'd understand this..."

"Ple-what?" A stallion spat.

"Thinks he's better than us, does he?" A mare growled.

"You know who else thought he was better than us?" Another mare asked. "King Sombra, that's who. And look what he did!"

"Dark magic isn't so different than regular magic." Echo continued. "It has its own special properties. If those properties could be harnessed responsibly, dark magic could be used to make things better for everypony..."

As Echo continued his rant, he failed to notice the crowd of ponies parting as a black overcoat clad pony in a red and white mask made it's way through the crowd. 

"Nice outfit." Sunset frowned. "I didn't know this Faire had a costume contest."

"Um, we don't." One of the ponies quipped.

"What's with the get-up?" One stallion glared at the masked stranger. "You another one of these dark magic junkies too?"

"I suppose you have something to say to me also?" Echo sighed, his eyes recognizing the pony from earlier. "Come on then, out with it."

The masked pony raised a hoof. Suddenly, there was a rustling sound. From out of nowhere, hundreds of tiny black crystals rushed out of his sleeve.

"What in Equestria?!" Sunset yelped.

"Fascinating..." Echo declared, mystified by what was happening.

The crystals enveloped everypony around him, picking them up off the ground. The crowd began to panic.

"What's going on?"

"Let us go!"

"I'm sorry I called you a 'junkie'!" The stallion who insulted the stranger quivered. "Please don't hurt me!"

"My word!" Echo gasped, "What is this?!"

"Put us down!" Sunset yelled.

The masked pony swung his hoof, and the dark crystal swarm threw everypony aside. The crowd began to clear out of the display in a panic, utterly horrified.

"Let's get out of here!"

"I knew it! This is what happens when you put on a dark magic display!"

As the others ran, Sunset and Echo got up.

"I'm guessing this isn't part of the Faire." Echo said drily.

"It definitely wasn't in the brochure..." Sunset snarked.

Then, fighting his way through the crowd, Sterling entered the display.

"What the heck's going on here?" He asked.

"I'm not quite sure myself." Sunset admitted. "But I'm pretty sure that pony's trouble."

"Well, worry not, Ms. Shimmer." Sterling smirked. "Your knight in shining armor is here!"

"Oh, please." Echo groaned. "Not this again..."

At the masked pony's command, the dark crystals gathered together and became a hammer, which the pony instantly brought down upon the case of Sombra's spell book, shattering it instantly. The masked pony reached for it.

"Oh no, you don't!" Sterling charged over.

The masked pony thrust his hoof forward towards Sterling, and the dark crystals formed into a massive version of his hoof. They slammed into Sterling, sending him flying into a nearby stand.

"No fair... I wasn't ready." Sterling wheezed in pain.

The masked pony turned back to the book.

"Leave that book alone, you hoodlum!" Echo yelled. He removed his trenchcoat and took to the sky.

The masked pony stared at the Thestral, and then pressed his hooves together. The black crystals turned into a giant set of pincers, snagging Echo in midflight.

"Let him go!" Sunset yelled, firing a bolt of magic at the masked pony.

The bolt caught the masked pony in the side. He stumbled back, and the pincers came apart.

"Much better." Echo grinned. "Thank you, Ms. Shimmer."

"No problem." Sunset smiled. "Best way to break a spell? Break the user's concentration."

"Naturally." Echo nodded.

The masked pony regained his footing, and thrust out his hooves again. The dark crystals formed into several tendrils that lashed out at Sunset and Echo. Echo took the skies once more, dodging some of them, while Sunset blasted the others apart with her magic. Undeterred, the masked pony gestured at the nearby bench. A cloud of dark crystals lifted up the bench, and flung it at Echo, who dodged it.

"Hah!" Echo smirked. "You'll have to try harder than-oof!" An arch of crystals struck Echo from behind, slamming him into the ground.

"Echo!" Sunset gasped, before turning to glare at the masked pony. "You'll pay for that, you masked monster!"

At the masked pony's whim, the dark crystals ripped the roofs off of the displays, flinging them at Sunset. She blasted them to dust with her magic, but a stream of dark crystals rammed into her side, knocking her to the ground.

"Gah!" Sunset growled, gripping her side. "Just who is this guy?"

"I don't know." Echo groaned. "But those crystals... he's using some form of dark magic that I have never seen before."

"Never?" Sunset asked. "I thought you were supposed to be the expert on dark magic."

"I am." Echo declared.

"Than what does that make him?" Sunset pointed to their foe.

The masked pony, confirming that all obstacles were clear, turned to the display once more, and with a wave of a hoof, he picked up the spell book with a small portion of dark crystals.

"Please, stop!" Echo barked.

The masked pony turned and stared at Echo for a moment. Echo stared back, confused by the odd look in the pony's eyes. Then with another flick of a hoof, the dark crystals formed a wave, carrying the masked pony away from the Faire.

"The book..." Echo groaned. "He took the book."

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Sunset asked.

"In deeper trouble than we can possibly imagine." Echo declared, struggling to his feet. "Come. We must alert the proper authorities."

With that, the two rushed off, intending to bring the matter to the highest authority in the Crystal Empire. Echo briefly stopped to pick up one of the dark crystals Sunset had blasted, intending to bring it along as evidence.
> The Journey Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the masked pony's attack, Echo and Sunset, stopping only to help up Sterling, rushed over to the crystal castle, demanding to speak with Shining Armor and Cadance. Shining looked quite skeptical as they explained to him what had happened.

"Let me get this straight." Shining deadpanned. "A pony in a kabuki mask attacked you?"

"Indeed he did." Echo nodded.

"And he attacked you using swarms of dark crystals?" Shining continued. "A magic that has never been seen, or even heard of, in all of Equestria?"

"Right." Sunset nodded.

Just then, there was a loud squeaking sound. A crystal stallion walked into the doorway, a bunch of balloons in his hoof. One of the balloons was leaking.

"Pardon the interruption, your majesties." He bowed. "Could I possibly borrow some of that tape behind you?"

"Of course." Cadance smiled, levitating the tape dispenser over to him.

The stallion patched the hole in the balloon. Seconds later, another balloon started to leak.

"Sorry." He cringed. "Could I...?"

"Keep the tape." Cadance declared. "You need it more than you do."

"Thank you, your highness." The stallion bowed, then left.

Shining and Cadance redirected their attention to Echo and Sunset.

"I think you can forgive me if I find this a little hard to believe." Shining declared.

"We have evidence." Sterling held up the little dark crystal he had recovered.

Shining lifted up the crystal with his magic.

"It's an unusual stone, alright." Shining admitted. "Not a lot to go on, though..."

"Believe me, there were a million of those crystals being controlled by that pony." Echo explained, "It was like, whatever he wanted, they did. They turned into a hammer, spikes, even a wave of crystals, all at a gesture."

"That sounds even less like any magic I've ever heard of." Shining frowned.

"But why would they make it up, Shining?" Cadance asked. "The dark magic display was pretty banged up, and I couldn't help but notice a few ponies running scared..."

"I'll admit something happened." Shining nodded. "But I'm finding it hard to believe a single pony wrecked the display."

"If you don't believe us, you can just ask Sterling Cross." Sunset declared, as she then turned to Sterling, who had came in shortly after them, with a gnarly head bump. "Tell them, Sterling."

"It's true, your highness." Sterling agreed, nursing the bump on his head. "All of it. I tried to stop that masked menace, but he used those little black crystal things to knock me for a loop."

"Okay, I guess I can trust the word of one of our best Guardsponies." Shining nodded.

"Thank you, sir." Sterling smiled.

"You really should be in the infirmary, Cross." Cadance told him. "That looks like a nasty bump."

"I'm fine, Princess." Sterling put on a brave face. In reality, he had a major headache.

"Nonetheless, you should at least get yourself checked out." Shining declared. "Consider it an order."

"As you wish, sire." Sterling bowed, then left the room.

"Now can we focus on the matter at hand?" Echo prompted. "That masked pony stole Sombra's spell book."

"Who knows what that fiend could do with it?" Sunset asked.

"I have a fairly good idea." Echo frowned.

"What do you mean?" Cadance asked.

"On it's own, the book can be trouble." Echo declared. "But if it's reunited with the ten lost pages, it will grant the wielder unstoppable power!"

"Now that, I can believe." Shining declared. "I'll send out some guards to try and track it, and the thief, down."

"No need." Echo declared. "I shall track down the book, and the thief, all by myself."

"You will?" Sunset gaped.

"Of course." Echo nodded. "My knowledge of dark magic makes me the perfect candidate. The thief seeks the other pages, of this I am certain. With the right information, I can get there first, and put a stop to him."

"I'm not sure if that's such a great idea." Shining frowned. "One pony, seeking out the book on his own?"

"I am more than capable, I assure you." Echo declared, affronted.

"It's not that, Echo." Cadance chimed in. "It's just..."

"What?" Echo growled. "You don't think I can be trusted with the spell book, is that it?"

"I didn't say that." Cadance told him.

"You were thinking it, though." Echo glared. "Even you, the Princess of Love, cannot help but think the worst of me."

"That's enough." Shining said firmly. "The truth is, things are getting a little heated out there. The Crystal Ponies were already apprehensive about a dark magic display, and that attack will no doubt make matters worse. They will no doubt level their frustrations at the one pony who was at the display."

"Oh, you aren't honestly holding me accountable for all this, are you?!" Echo snorted. "I would have thought royalty would be above the fear-mongering rabble!"

"I am." Shining sighed. "But that 'rabble' happens to be our subjects, and we must think of them first."

"What exactly are you saying, Prince Armor?" Sunset asked.

"I'm saying maybe it might a good idea if Echo stays in the castle until this blows over." Shining admitted.

"Oh, I get it." Echo spat. "You want to lock me up, so those prejudiced ponies won't have to look at me?"

"I didn't say anything about locking you up." Shining assured him. "Besides, you spend most of your time in the castle anyway, so what's the problem?"

"My problem is that I can't just stand by while the magic of King Sombra himself is on the verge of being used for unspeakable evil!" Echo roared. "If that happens, not only will it set back my research another thousand years, but it could bring about the end of days as we know it!"

"Okay, just calm down." Cadance urged.

"Yeah." Shining agreed. "We all know how you get when you're angry."

Sunset, who didn't know how Echo got when he was angry, frowned in confusion.

"I am calm." Echo seethed. "Though I'd be a lot calmer if you weren't exercising such a patronising attitude!"

"Look, Mr Alchemy." Shining glared, trying to keep his cool. "You can either go back to your study peaceably, or I can have you placed under house arrest. Which is it to be?"

"Neither." Echo glared. "I'm going, and that's all there is to it. Try and stop me."

"Need I remind you that you are still under probation?" Shining growled. "Keep this up, and I'll have no choice but to have the guards throw you in the dungeon."

"They can try." Echo snarled, his breathing getting a bit erratic. "Then I'll just have to show-"

"Echo, don't." Sunset told him. "You'll be no help to anypony in prison."

Glancing at Sunset, Echo took a deep breath, and sighed heavily.

"Fine." He muttered. "I'm going back to my study. But don't think you've heard the last of this... your highness."

Echo stormed out of the room. Sunset followed him.

"Well... that could have gone better." Cadance admitted.

"No joke." Shining sighed, lifting up the dark crystal. "I'd better send this to the records room. Maybe they can find a match for it..."

"Maybe you could have been a little more... understanding towards Mr Alchemy." Cadance suggested.

"My understanding has reached its limit." Shining declared. "We took a big risk just having him here. A risk that hasn't quite paid off yet."

"I know." Cadance nodded. "But antagonising him isn't going to help."

"Then what is?" Shining shrugged. "You heard him. He was ready to fight to go after that book. What else could I have done?"

Cadance remained silent, unable to come up with an answer.

Out in the hall, Sunset caught up to Echo.

"Echo, wait!" She called.

"I apologize for my outburst, Ms Shimmer." Echo told her. "I almost let my temper get the best of me."

"What was all that about 'probation'?" Sunset asked.

"It's a long story." Echo declared. "And unfortunately, I have no desire to talk about it. Now if you'll excuse me, Ms Shimmer, I have a study to lock myself in. You should go back to the Crystal Faire and enjoy the rest of your day. Don't let me get in the way of enjoying your life."

Echo walked off down the corridor. Sunset wanted to follow him, but she could tell he was in no mood for company. With nothing else to do, she indeed returned to the Crystal Faire, but didn't find it nearly as enjoyable as she did before.

As night fell, Sunset made her way back to her apartment. Along the way, she stopped by the side of the castle containing Echo's study. She looked up at it, wondering what was going through Echo's mind at that very moment. As she looked, she noticed a window opening. Echo slid out of it, and flew off into the sky.

"Oh, no." Sunset groaned. "What are you doing, Echo?"

At the same time, Sterling was in the infirmary of the Royal Guards' barracks. The physician had insisted on keeping him around for a few tests, worried some dark magic may have "rubbed off" on him. Currently, the infirmary was empty, the physician checking the results of one of the tests. Sterling's head was still pounding. He was perfectly miserable. Even the news that Echo had been confined to his study did little to lift his spirits.

"Lousy dark magic lovin', mask wearin' freak." He muttered to himself. "Maybe some fresh air'll help..."

Sterling wandered over to the window and opened it. He stuck his head out, breathing in the cool night air.

"Ah, that's refreshing." He smiled. "I feel better already..."

At that moment, he saw a bat-winged figure flying towards the outskirts of the Empire.

"Oh, Tartarus no!" He yelled, rushing for the door. "Not on my watch!"

Echo landed on the outskirts of the Crystal Empire.

"Now then." He pulled out a map. "Where to begin?"

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, as Sunset teleported right in front of him.

"Ah!" He yelped. "Ms. Shimmer, what in Equestria are you doing here?"

"Don't you 'Ms. Shimmer' me!" Sunset growled. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? If Shining and Cadance find out you're out here, they'll lock you up and throw away the key! Seriously, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm Equestria's best hope for keeping the dark magic of Sombra's book from being used for bring utter devastation upon our world!" Echo declared. "I am the most qualified for the job, you know."

"So you know a lot about dark magic." Sunset shrugged. "That doesn't mean you should go off on your own! What's going to happen when you run into that masked pony again? The two of us were no match for them, and you want to chase after him alone?"

"I could have stopped him from taking the book." Echo declared. "But I failed."

Sunset looked at Echo, confused.

"I have to do this." Echo insisted. "It's the only way I can live with myself. And if I end up in a cold, dank dungeon for the rest of my life, so be it. Farewell, Ms. Shimmer."

Echo started to walk away.

"Wait." Sunset stopped him.

"Please don't try to stop me, Ms. Shimmer." Echo declared.

"I'm not going to stop you." Sunset smiled. "In fact, I'm coming with you."

"...Excuse me?" Echo gaped.

"I was there when that masked pony took the book, remember?" Sunset asked. "Getting it back is as much my responsibility as it is yours."

"That is... impeccable logic." Echo admitted. 

"Besides, I'm your assistant." Sunset grinned. "It's my job to help you out, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"But it will be dangerous." Echo pointed out. "And you could imprisoned just for allowing me to escape. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course." Sunset nodded. "That's what friends are for."

"Friends?" Echo glanced at her, confused.

"Sure." Sunset chuckled. "I'm your friend, Echo. And friends help each other."

Echo smiled, touched.

"Thank you, Ms... Sunset." He declared. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"I think I do." Sunset smiled. "I was a lot like you once. Living only for knowledge, not wanting to get close to anypony... but I learned how good it can be to have friends. Trust me, sometimes a friend is all you need."

"I can't remember the last time a pony consider me a 'friend'." Echo smiled. "I-"

Suddenly, a bulky streak rammed into Echo, pinning him against the wall.

"Echo!" Sunset gasped.

"Gah... what in Tartarus..." Echo groaned, trying to push back, only to get his face pressed the wall again.

"So." Sterling snarled. "Tryin' to skip town, are we? Disobeying a direct order from the Prince? That's treason, leatherwings. And pulling poor Ms. Shimmer down with you? Unforgiveable."

"Unhoove me, you brainless brute!" Echo struggled.

"Let him go, Sterling!" Sunset yelled.

"I'm trying to help you, Ms. Shimmer." Sterling frowned. "This guy's poison. You should stay as far away from him as you can."

"Thanks for the advice." Sunset glared. "But Echo is my friend, and I'm going to help him find that book."

"Yeah, no." Sterling declared. "I'm taking this troublemaker right back to the castle. They're gonna lock him up in the dungeon for the rest of his miserable life."

"You're not taking me anywhere." Echo growled.

"Oh, really?" Sterling sneered, flipping him around, putting them face to face. "And why is that?"

"Because if you do take me back, I will reveal to everypony the existence of those lewd photos of Princess Cadance you have under your bed at the barracks."

"...What?" Sterling gaped.

"'Lewd photos'?" Sunset grimaced, "Sterling..."

"How do you know about those?" Sterling started sweating.

"How I know isn't important..." Echo smirked. "What's important is that if you don't release me right now, I will reveal them to all and sundry. I wonder how Prince Shining Armor will feel about one of his 'best' Guardsponies being in possession of photos of his wife, one of which reveals certain bits?"

"You wouldn't..." Sterling whispered viciously.

"Try me." Echo grinned. "If you take me down, I'll take you down with me."

Sterling gritted his teeth in fury... before he then released his grip.

"Okay, I'll let you go!" Sterling snarled, pushing Echo away from him. "You'll probably wind up dead anyway. Not my problem..."

"Excellent." Echo smirked. "Come along, Sunset. We have work to do."

"You're really gonna do it, aren't you?" Sterling smirked. "Going traipsing off after some lunatic and the pages of a magic book?"

"It's the right thing to do." Sunset declared. "Like Echo said, it's our best shot at ending this."

"And here I thought he was smart." Sterling snorted.

"To be honest, I don't really care what you think." Echo sneered. "What we do, we do for the good of Equestria. Our fates aren't important."

"Your fate, maybe." Sterling sneered.

"That's enough, Sterling." Sunset glared. "Personally, I think Echo is being really heroic and selfless."

"You do?" Sterling gaped.

"Thank you, Sunset." Echo smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Mr Cross..."

As Echo and Sunset walked away, Sterling started thinking, and came to a conclusion. He then stepped forward.

"Not so fast." Sterling declared.

"What now?" Echo rolled his eyes.

"I'm coming with you." Sterling smiled.

"Pardon me?" Echo frowned.

"I'm still your babysitter, aren't I?" Sterling grinned. "Besides, I wouldn't want Ms. Shimmer getting killed during your asinine quest."

"I can take care of myself, you know." Sunset frowned.

"Well, I'll take care of you too." Sterling winked. "Plus, I'm raring to have a rematch with that masked weirdo."

"I'm terribly sorry, but I doubt we'll be needing a muscleheaded imbecile on this quest." Echo said derisively.

"Wanna bet?" Sterling sneered. "I'm a Royal Guardspony, remember? I can get you places. Over borders, into vaults, even get us access into restricted areas. And..." He flexed one of his hooves. "I am highly trained in hoof-to-hoof and all sorts of ranged combat. If we meet any unsavory characters along the way, you can count on me to handle them the best way I know how..."

"I hate to admit it, but he has a point." Sunset sighed.

"...Oh, very well." Echo groaned. "You may come with us."

"Terrific." Sterling smiled. "I'll bet the three of us will make quite the dream team."

"More like a nightmare..." Echo muttered.

"We'd better get moving." Sunset declared. "The longer we stand around, the more chances somepony will realize Echo is gone."

"Sound reasoning." Echo nodded. "Now, we go. And make no mistake, the fate of Equestria is in our hooves!"

"Drama queen." Sterling snorted.

"Testosterone anachronism." Echo shot back.

"Bat-winged nerd!" Sterling yelled.

"Troglodyte!" Echo retorted.

Sunset rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long trip...
> The Archive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the Crystal Empire, a guard entered Echo's study, having been sent to check on him.

"Hey, Alchemy." He called. "Front and center. The Prince wants to make sure you're staying put."

The guard looked around, seeing no sign of Echo. He even looked up, but Echo wasn't hanging from the ceiling. The guard soon spotted the open window.

"Oh, no." The guard gasped. "That back-stabbing..."

The guard rushed off to the throne room.

"Your highness!" He bowed before Shining Armor, breathing heavily.

"What is it?" Shining asked.

"Echo Alchemy is no longer in his study." The guard declared.

"He's not?" Cadance gasped. 

"I knew this would happen." Shining groaned. "Summon the rest of the guard. Have them comb the Crystal Empire for him."

"Yes, sir!" The guard nodded.

Cadance recognized the look on Shining's face.

"Shining..." She sighed.

"I must've been out of my mind to let him go like that." Shining berated himself. "I should have had him put under house arrest right away."

"Don't blame yourself, dear." Cadance told him.

"I don't." Shining frowned. "I blame Alchemy. Just wait until the guards find him. He'll be sorry..."

In the snowy mountains just outside the Empire, Echo was leading Sunset and Sterling down a pass.

"Mind telling us where exactly we're going, Alchemy?" Sterling griped. "I didn't exactly pack my ski boots, you know."

"Almost there." Echo declared.

"Almost where?" Sunset asked.

"You'll see." Echo told her.

"You do actually have a plan, don't you, Alchemy?" Sterling frowned. "You're not just having us run around in the snow, right?"

"Of course." Echo growled. "Have a little patience, Cross."

"Tell that to my frostbitten hooves." Sterling shivered. "I'm sure Ms. Shimmer is just as cold."

"I'm fine, Sterling." Sunset told him. "Chilly, but fine."

"Maybe we should... share our body heat." Sterling smirked, sidling close to Sunset. "That should warm us both up, if you catch my drift."

"Thanks, but I think I prefer the cold." Sunset rolled her eyes, pulling away.

Echo suddenly stopped.

"Ah, here we are." He smiled.

Sunset and Sterling looked around. There was nothing but a craggy cliff face in front of them.

"And where's 'here' exactly?" Sterling frowned. "There's nothing here, genius!"

"Echo?" Sunset asked.

"Watch and learn." Echo grinned.

Echo placed both hooves on a jutting slab of rock, and pushed downward. The rock lowered itself, and the cliff face slid aside, revealing a hidden pathway.

"What the..." Sterling gaped.

"Wow..." Sunset gasped.

"Ladies first." Echo told Sunset.

Eager to get out of the cold, Sunset rushed inside. Echo followed, with Sterling bringing up the rear. They walked down a short passage, stopping at a pair of doors. Echo opened them, revealing a room full of scrolls and ancient books.

"What is this place?" Sunset looked around, astonished.

"This is the Archive." Echo announced. "It is the resting place of documents listing the location of some of the most powerful dark magic artefacts in the world. It was built long ago, to keep that knowledge from falling into the wrong hooves. A group of influential historians were even charged with protecting it."

"Yeah?" Sterling asked. "Then where are they?"

"It's hard to say for sure." Echo shrugged. "The group was quite secretive. Their members, and what became of them, are a mystery."

"How did you know about this place, anyway?" Sunset asked.

"I heard of it a few months back." Echo revealed. "I sometimes share notes with my colleagues in the field of dark magic research, and one of those notes pointed out the location of this repository."

"Wait, you have colleagues?" Sterling frowned. "As if one dark magic obsessed loony wasn't enough..."

"Very funny." Echo growled. "Now, there should be a document detailing the location of the ten pages somewhere around here."

"Somewhere?!" Sterling repeated. "Don't you know where it is? You know this place, right?"

"Actually, this is my first time coming here." Echo shrugged.

"Oh, great." Sterling frowned. "You mean we have to go through all this stuff?"

"It shouldn't take too long." Echo shrugged. "Not between the three of us."

"Then we'd better get started." Sunset nodded.

"Terrific." Sterling groaned. "And to think, I left the infirmary for this..."

"Stop complaining." Echo shot back. "The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance. This is no time to be thinking about yourself."

"Whatever." Sterling snorted.

They started searching through the documents.

Back in the Crystal Empire, the guard relayed the findings of their search to Shining and Cadance.

"Any luck?" Shining asked.

"None, sir." The guard apologized. "There's something else you need to be aware of, though."

"What is it?" Cadance asked.

"We went over to Sunset Shimmer's apartment, on the oft chance that she might know where Alchemy is, but there was nopony there." The guard declared. "None of her neighbours could recall her coming in, either. There's a chance she may have assisted in Alchemy's escape."

"So much for Celestia's recommendation." Shining said bitterly.

"I'm sure Sunset had a good reason for helping him." Cadance suggested.

"Good or not, she's going to have to answer for her actions." Shining frowned.

"There's one other thing, sir." The guard added. "Dr Sawbones announced that Sterling Cross vanished from the infirmary sometime ago. As Alchemy's watch guard, there's a high chance that he may be involved too."

"Him too?" Shining gaped. "One of my best guards..."

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Cadance told him.

"It's too late for that." Shining declared. "Send out an alert to all royal guard troops. Echo Alchemy and his associates must be found and returned here immediately."

"Yes, your highness." The guard nodded.

"Don't you think you're being a little rash, Shining?" Cadance asked. "They're probably just trying to help."

"We don't know that for sure, Cadance." Shining pointed out. "Not after what Alchemy did... We just can't take the risk of him backsliding."

"I suppose you're right." Cadance sighed.

After what seemed like hours, Echo, Sunset and Sterling were still searching. They found some interesting tidbits, but nothing remotely close to what they needed.

"That's odd." Echo frowned, looking at an empty picture frame at the rear of the Archive. "The way I heard it, there's supposed to be a picture of the historians charged to protect this place right here."

"I was just down there myself." Sterling said. "Didn't see no picture either."

"I suppose it doesn't matter." Echo shrugged. "Not right now, at least..."

"Let's keep looking." Sunset urged.

They continued their search.

"Now this looks promising." Echo held up a scroll. "There was an incident a while ago involving King Sombra's book. Apparently, there was this group of ponies called 'The Order of Darkness' who took great interest in the book, and actually tried to forge a horn much akin to Sombra's, which could bestow great dark magic powers upon the bearer of said horn."

"Really? You mean like when Black Knight had Sombra's horn attached to him..." Sunset brought up.

"Yes. With the book and the horn, they intended to channel the magic from the book into the horn, making it just as good, if not better, as the real thing. The group had intentions of ruling Equestria with this power..." Echo mused. 

"Incredible." Sunset gasped. "Does it say what happened next?"

"They aren't exactly cleared, but it seems like there were complications and the horn ended up exploding their hideout, and scattering the Order of Darkness to the winds." Echo stated. "Soon after, the authorities confiscated the book, and after much debating, they entrusted one the historians to have ten of the book's pages holding some of it's most powerful dark magic spells torn from the book and placed in ten separate hiding places." He then glanced at the document.

"Well, that's fascinating and all." Sterling said sarcastically. "But does it say where the pages are?"

"Actually... it does!" Echo grinned. "The locations of all ten pages are listed right here!"

"That's great!" Sunset smiled. "We'll be able to find them all before that masked pony does!"

"Finally, we're getting somewhere." Sterling declared.

"Speaking of which, we should get going." Echo declared. "No time like the present."

"Out into the snow again." Sterling groaned. "Yay..."

They turned towards the exit, ecstatic. Suddenly, one of the doors flew towards them. Sunset managed to throw up a force field just in time. The door shattered into pieces.

"What was that?" Sunset asked.

They didn't have to look far for the answer. There, in the doorway, stood the masked pony.

"Him again." Sterling frowned.

"How'd he find this place?" Sunset asked.

"He must have been following us." Echo posited.

The masked pony pointed at Echo. More specifically, the document in his hoof.

"You want this, do you?" Echo growled. "Not a chance!"

The masked pony paused for a moment... and then raised his hooves, and a swarm of dark crystals rose around him. With him standing in front of the only way in or out of the Archive, the trio's only option was to try and fight their way past him.

"I got this." Sterling stepped forward.

"Sterling, don't." Sunset urged.

"Relax." Sterling smiled. "He caught me off-guard last time. This time, I'm ready for him."

Sterling charged at the masked pony, who sent a stream of crystals his way. Sterling side-stepped the stream and tackled the masked pony, then started grappling with him. A stream of crystals pushed at him, but he smashed them with his hooves. At the same time, Sunset leveled her glowing horn at their foe.

"Sterling, get out of the way!" She yelled.

"Are you kidding?" Sterling snorted. "I've got him right where I want him!"

"But I can finish this right now!" Sunset yelled. "I just need one clear shot!"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Ms. Shimmer." Sterling dodged another stream of crystals. "He's all mine!"

"Listen to Sunset, you grandstanding fool!" Echo roared. "Step aside!"

"When I want your advice, I'll ask for it!" Sterling shot back.

Taking advantage of Sterling's momentary distraction, the masked pony had his dark crystals grab him by the legs.

"Hey, lemme go!" Sterling yelled.

Sunset finally had her shot.

"Take this!" She fired at the masked pony's center.

Sterling was suddenly pulled in front of the masked pony, taking the blast himself.

"Yeow!" He yelled.

"Sterling!" Sunset gasped.

Sterling was thrown aside, smashing into a crate. The masked pony sent more tendrils at Sunset and Echo. Echo took off, grateful that the Archive had such a high ceiling, and managed to evade the tendrils.

"Ooh, my achin' head." Sterling pushed away the debris. He found a crossbow among the crate's contents. "Oh-ho! Now we're talkin'!"

As Echo dodged the tendrils and Sunset blasted them, Sterling loaded the crossbow.

"Hey, freakshow!" He called to the masked pony. "Eat this!"

Sterling fired a bolt at the masked pony, who formed a shield to block it.

"Plenty more where that came from." Sterling growled, loading another bolt.

As Sterling made to fire, another tendril lashed out at him, throwing off his aim. The bolt flew towards Sunset, shearing off a single lock of her mane.

"Watch it!" Sunset yelled.

"Sorry!" Sterling cringed.

The masked pony rose up on a mass of dark crystals, trying to get close to Echo (since he was holding the document listing the locations of the pages, he was the villains primary target). More tendrils whipped up to attack Echo. He dodged some, while Sunset covered him with magic blasts.

Sterling tried to fire another bolt, but couldn't get a good shot in.

"I need some altitude." He declared.

Sterling rushed over to one of the bookcases, and started climbing it.

"Sterling, what are you doing?" Sunset hissed.

"Taking care of business." Sterling boasted.

Up above, Echo was strafing around the masked pony, waiting for the perfect moment to dive at him and knock him to the ground. One of Sunset's magic blasts hit close to home, the exploding crystals clouding the masked pony's vision.

'Now is the time.' Echo thought.

Echo dived downward. But at the same time, Sterling had reached the top of the bookcase, and leapt at the masked pony.

"You're goin' down!" Sterling yelled.

The masked pony, alerted by Sterling's yell, willed the mass of crystals to lower him down. Echo and Sterling crashed into each other, and landed on Sunset.

The trio lay on the ground, a painful pile of ponies, while the document listing the page locations fluttered to the floor. The masked pony moved to pick it up.

"No, don't!" Echo tried to disentangle himself.

The masked pony flung a stream of crystals at the trio, sending flying across the Archive. Tucking the document into his coat, he turned and left.

Moments later, the trio struggled painfully to their hooves.

"What is wrong with you, you musclebound oaf?" Echo reprimanded Sterling. "I almost had that fiend until you ran your big mouth off!"

"Me?!" Sterling yelled. "If it weren't for you, I'd have taken that freak down."

"Oh, yes, because you had such a brilliant strategy." Echo scoffed.

"Better than yours, you leather-winged loser!" Sterling yelled. "Where does a brainiac like you get off, thinking you know how to fight? Leave that to the real stallions!"

Echo's breathing grew erratic, and small purple whisps came out of his eyes. His rage was reaching breaking point.

"That's enough, you two." Sunset told them. "Fighting isn't going to fix anything."

Swayed by Sunset's words, Echo took a deep, calming breath. The whisps in his eyes vanished.

"You're right, Sunset." He admitted. "And neither is blaming one another." He glared at Sterling. "No matter how much that blame is deserved..." 

"No kidding." Sterling huffed. "That psycho knows where to find the pages, and we've got nothing."

"Not quite." Echo grinned.

"What do you mean, Echo?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, what are you smiling about?" Sterling growled.

"I know where to find the pages." Echo announced. "Each and every one of them."

"You do?" Sunset gasped. "But how?"

"Did I ever mention to you that I have a photographic memory?" Echo smirked. "I may only have looked at the locations once, but it was all I needed."

"You are amazing!" An overjoyed Sunset hugged him.

"Yes... well..." Echo blushed slightly. "I do have my moments..."

"So we're still in this." Sterling declared, trying to hide the look of jealousy on his face. "We just have to beat that masked menace to the pages, right?"

"Right." Echo nodded. "This is far from over..."

"We'd better get moving, then." Sunset declared. "Our enemy already has a head start."

"Quite right, Sunset." Echo agreed. "We have no time to lose!"

"Just don't get in my way next time, alright?" Sterling told Echo.

"As long as you don't get in mine." Echo shot back.

"Fine." Sterling growled.

"Fine." Echo spat.

The unlikely trio set off to their first target. Their quest had not gotten off to a good start, but there was still time to turn their fortunes around. Meanwhile, back in the Crystal Empire, the Guardspony search party was setting off, determined to bring the fugitives back by any means...
> Trouble In Manehattan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The closest page location was in Manehattan. The trio managed to catch the night train (narrowly avoiding a group of guards) and rode it down to the city, arriving in the early morning.

"Finally!" Sterling groaned as they got off the train. "That was a long trip..."

"At last it got us out of the cold." Sunset declared. "Ah, Manehattan. I've always wanted to come here..."

"Hurry along, now." Echo urged. "Time is of the essence. Our masked nemesis could be right behind us."

"Or ahead." Sterling noted.

"All the more reason to get moving." Echo nodded.

They made their way into the city, towards the location Echo had read from the document; A small antiques store, located in the dankest corner of the city.

"Nice place." Sterling remarked. He nudged Echo. "You must feel right at home, huh?"

"Very funny." Echo snarled.

"Enough, you two." Sunset sighed. "You're sure it's here, Echo?"

"Right inside, my dear." Echo nodded.

They walked into the old store, which was as dank on the inside as it was on the outside.

"So where is that page, then?" Sterling sneered. "I'd like to find it before I breathe in too much dust."

"Impatient as ever..." Echo sighed. "It's over here."

Over in the rear of the store was the page, held in a glass case.

"There it is..." Echo whispered.

"Can I help you?"

The trio turned to see the store owner standing before him. He was an old pony with a gray mane, powder blue body, and a vase Cutie Mark.

"Ah, yes." Echo nodded. "We are interested in procuring that artefact right there."

"Oh, I'm afraid it's not for sale." The old pony shook his head.

"I'm sure we can come to an agreement." Sunset declared. "We really need that page."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot part with it." The old pony declared. "And that's my final word on the matter."

"If you say so." Echo smiled pleasantly. "Come along, friends."

Sunset and Sterling followed Echo outside, utterly confused.

"That's it?" Sterling snorted. "You're giving up, just like that? I knew you couldn't go the distance!"

"Of course I'm not giving up." Echo frowned. "The stakes are far too high for that."

"So what are we going to do?" Sunset asked.

"Much as I loathe the idea, I'm afraid we're going to have to... appropriate the page." Echo declared.

"Wait, you mean 'steal'?" Sunset gasped.

"I didn't sign up for this!" Sterling yelled. "I'm no thief! I'm a royal guard, for crying out loud!"

"Would you rather we allowed the masked pony to take the page?" Echo asked. "He would no doubt demolish that store, and show it's owner no mercy. Taking the page would be doing that old fellow a favor."

"I guess you're right." Sunset sighed. "So, how should we do this?"

"It's almost noon." Echo noted. "Once the old fellow goes to lunch, we'll sneak in and take the page."

"Just so you know, I am really against this." Sterling declared.

"Then why don't you act as our lookout?" Echo suggested. "Leave the rest to Sunset and myself."

"Fine." Sterling nodded.

As noon came, the old pony exited the store, locking it behind him.

"Come, Sunset." Echo urged. "We'll sneak in around the back. Cross, you keep watch from across the street. If there's any trouble, bang your hooves on that trash can over there."

"Yeah, sure." Sterling sighed. "Just don't get caught."

"We'll try." Sunset smiled.

Echo and Sunset snuck around the back of the store. Sunset used her magic to pick the lock of the back door, and they crept in.

Across the street, Sterling's eyes roved the area.

"Crazy smart idiot." He muttered, kicking a can with his hoof. "Gonna get us all arrested..."

Inside the store, Echo gingerly removed the case from the page, Sunset having used her magic to counter any protective spells it could have.

"Got it." Echo smiled, picking up the page, "One down, nine more to go."

"Now let's hurry out of here." Sunset urged.

As they rushed outside, they suddenly found their way blocked by four police officers.

"Well, what have we here?" Said the tallest, a lanky orange Pegasus, in a disturbingly quiet voice.

"Couple a' ponies inna heap a' trouble, that's what!" A stocky yellow Earth Pony with a broad "deep south" accent sniggered.

"Thought you'd sneak in 'round the back, huh?" A medium-sized brown Unicorn sneered smugly. "Didn't know there's a side alley we cops use right there, huh?"

"There's a perfectly good explanation for all this, officers." Sunset said nervously.

"Really?" A short, weaselly-looking blue Unicorn gasped. "Well, that fixes everything... not!"

"My cohort is right." Echo stepped. "As outlandish as it may seem, the fate of Equestria hung on us getting this page!"

"Well, looky here." The Pegasus growled. "A Thestral."

"Is that a problem?" Echo asked.

"We don't like yer type round here, boy." The Earth pony glared. "Right, Taser?"

"Right, Mace." The Pegasus nodded.

"And what's wrong with Thestrals?" Echo asked.

"What's right with 'em?" The blue Unicorn snarked. "Am I right, Cuffs?"

"You bet, Nightstick." The brown Unicorn nodded.

"Meaning?" Echo glared.

"You're bat-winged freaks of nature." Taser sneered. "Yellow-eyed, cave dwelling throwbacks. Somepony oughta round you all up and dump you on an island somewhere, so the normal ponies don't have to look at your leather-winged ugliness."

"How dare you!" Sunset gasped, disgusted.

"Hey, he's just tellin' it like it is." Cuffs said defensively. "Not his fault if he's right."

"Even if he is, you can't arrest me for what I am." Echo retorted.

"No, but we can arrest you for theft." Taser grinned. "Both of you."

"Ready to come along quietly?" Nightstick asked. "Please say 'no'."

"Now you see here!" Echo flared his wings, "We have no time to abide to your-"

"Echo, please..." Sunset whispered. "We can't fight the police. It'll just draw attention to us. Let's play along... for now."

Echo glanced at Sunset for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"Very well." Echo murmured, bringing in his wings and holding up his hooves. "I surrender."

"That's a pity." Mace pouted. "I wanted to have some fun with 'im!"

"There'll be plenty of time for that at the precinct." Taser declared.

"Aww, yeah..." Mace sneered. "Still these here could be dangerous. Ain't no harm in bein' a little rough with 'em..."

Mace suddenly twisted one of Echo's legs in a hooflock.

"Gah!" Echo yelped. "You uncouth..."

"Leave him alone!" Sunset moved forward, only to be pulled back by Nightstick, who had grabbed her mane.

"Easy there, sweetheart." He smirked. "You don't wanna make this harder than it already is. Me, on the other hoof, would love that. So do try."

As Echo and Sunset were led away, Sterling saw them from across the street.

"How did..." He gaped. "I knew this would happen! Guess it's up to me to save the day...hang on, Sunset, I'm comin'…"

Sterling followed after them, being sure to stick to the shadows, so he wouldn't be spotted.

The cops dragged Echo and Sunset to their precinct, and placed them in neighboring cells.

"These conditions are revolting." Echo grimaced.

"What's the matter?" Nightstick sneered. "I thought you Thestrals liked dirty little spaces."

"That is a totally untrue stereotype." Echo glared.

"Ah, go hang from the ceiling, or eat some bugs, or whatever." Cuffs spat.

At the same time, Taser was looking at a recent piece of correspondence, fresh from the Crystal Empire.

"What's up, boss?" Mace asked.

"Just got word from the Crystal Empire." Taser declared. "Turns out a Thestral named Echo Alchemy is wanted for something."

"Ya don't say?" Mace smirked. "Looks like we got us a fugitive here."

"Imagine if we bring him out there." Taser grinned. "We'd all get promotions for sure."

"Sweet potatoes, I'd like that!" Mace grinned.

"Not to mention we could use the good press." Taser declared. "Don't want word spreading about what we do... after dark, right?"

"Right, boss." Mace nodded.

"Once word gets out that we brought in a fugitive of this caliber, nopony'll think ill of us again." Taser smirked. "We'll take 'im down tomorrow. And for now, get Nightstick to take that paper they were trying to steal to the evidence locker."

"Will do, boss." Mace nodded.

Echo struggled against the bars of his cell, to no avail.

"I don't believe this." Echo groaned. "Our quest is over, after barely even starting!"

"It's okay, Echo." Sunset assured.

"No, it's not!" Echo retorted. "That masked pony, once he figures out that the page is here, will squash those four poor excuse for cops flat and take the page, and easily take the nine other pages with little to no resistance! With those pages and the book in hoof, he will bring total destruction upon us all!" Echo let out a heavy sigh. "I'm such a fool..."

"Don't blame yourself..." Sunset told him.

"I'm not." Echo growled. "I blame Sterling! That idiot was supposed to be keeping watch, and now he has probably abandoned us!"

"I'm sure he's on his way to help." Sunset declared.

"I highly doubt that." Echo frowned, as he lowered his head. "I'm so sorry, Sunset... because of me, you will probably be charged for associating yourself with this forsaken quest..."

"It's not your fault." Sunset smiled. "I chose to come with you. I knew the consequences, and I did it anyway. I couldn't let you do this alone."

"And I appreciate that, Sunset." Echo smiled back. "In truth, having you here with me actually makes this horrible situation a little less unbearable."

"Same here." Sunset nodded.

"All the same, it's going to take a miracle to pull us out of this jam..." Echo frowned.

At that very moment, Sterling was climbing the scaffolding on the outside of the building.

"Ugh, the things I do for Equestria..." He groaned, "From assisting a robbery to breaking into a precinct to break out a beautiful maiden and a geeky batpony and getting that cruddy page... they don't pay me enough for this."

Back at the cells, Mace wandered over.

"Don't get too comfortable, Mr Fugitive." He told Echo. "We'll be taking your bat-winged hiney up to the Crystal Empire."

"Pity, if you ask me." Cuffs sighed. "We never got to have any fun with you."

"Maybe we could have some fun with the mare." Mace sneered.

"Excuse me?" Sunset frowned.

"Now there's an idea." Cuffs chuckled darkly. "She looks like a proper little show mare. I could show her a good time..."

"Boy, the ideas that horn gives me..." Mace sniggered.

"Now really, that is too much!" Echo glared. "Insulting my species is one thing, but you cannot talk to a lady like that!"

"Oh, yeah?" Cuffs snorted. "What is she, your marefriend or something?"

"Well, no..." Echo blushed slightly.

"Course she's not." Mace growled. "No mare would wanna be with a freak like him. I'll show her what a real stallion can do." 

Echo's indignant snarl faded, the insult giving him an idea.

"You know, you could still have some with me." He smiled.

"What?" Sunset gaped.

"What are you gettin' at, hoss?" Mace asked.

"You could give me a good once-over before the night is over." Echo declared. "If anypony asks, you could tell them I was 'resisting arrest' and you can leave Sunset out of this."

"Now there's an idea." Cuffs grinned.

"Don't even think about it." Taser declared, having been drawn to their conversation. "We handle this right, we could come out looking like heroes. We don't want to risk messing things up by getting charged with police brutality."

"What's the matter?" Echo sneered. "I thought you hated Thestrals? Don't you want to teach me a lesson?"

"I'd love to." Taser smiled. "But I can't take the chance."

"That's funny." Echo pointed to Mace. "I thought he was the yellow-bellied pony."

"What?!" Taser snarled.

"You heard me." Echo glared. "What's the real reason you won't attack me? Are you afraid to fight me?"

"You low-down-" Mace stepped forward.

"Quiet." Taser stopped him.

"Well, are you the boys in blue, or the boys in pink?" Echo asked.

"Echo, what are you doing?" Sunset hissed.

"Are you calling me a cissy?" Cuffs growled, his smugness fading.

"I'm calling you all cissies." Echo declared. "Each and every one of you."

"Aw, that's it!" Mace roared. "Come on, boss, let 'im out!"

"Okay, fine." Taser agreed. "Somepony needs to shut that big mouth of his, and you're ever so good at that."

"Yeah!" Mace yelled.

Echo grinned as the cell door opened.

Meanwhile, Nightstick was in the evidence locker, preparing to store away the page for the night. He stared incomprehensively at the script.

"What kinda gobbledygook is this?" He frowned, "And why anypony, let alone a filthy batpony, would want to steal it?"

"Maybe he's just an avid reader with too much free time on his hooves?"

Nightstick turned to see Sterling standing in the doorway.

"But nevertheless, I'm going to have to take that from your custody."

"Who are you?" Nightstick yelped. "And whaddaya want?"

"Sterling Cross, of the Crystal Guard." Sterling announced. "I am here to collect that page, as well as the two ponies you just arrested."

"So you're friends with that bat-winged freak?" Nightstick snorted.

"'Friends' is kinda stretching it." Sterling shrugged. "But he is with me."

"Too bad." Nightstick glared. "We got him now. And you are way out of jurisdiction."

"Well, that can change." Sterling declared, "Surely, as we are both stallions of the law, we could sort all this mess out-"

Sterling noticed something on the nearby table; a pile of notes.

"Huh, what's this?" He noted, before his eyes widened. "Confiscated money, out on the desk, instead of an evidence locker?"

"We help ourselves to some every now and again." Nightstick shrugged. "It's not like anypony's gonna miss it."

"Oh no... you guys are dirty cops, aren't you?" Sterling grimaced.

"Got a problem with that?" Nightstick asked.

"Actually, I do." Sterling glared. "And if you don't give me that page and release the girl and the 'bat-winged freak', I will have no choice but to alert the proper authorities of your actions..."

"Oh yeah?" Nightstick set down the page on the table. "And what makes you think I'm going to take orders from some rock pony?"

"Look, pal, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." Sterling sighed with frustration. "And trust me, you don't want to take the hard way."

"Wanna bet?" Nightstick held up his hooves. "Put 'em up!"

"Oh, I really don't have time for this." Sterling groaned.

"Well, have time for this!" Nightstick charged at him.

However, as soon as he came into punching distance, Sterling simply slugged him hard with a right hook, slamming him into the table, scattering the bills.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Sterling scoffed, as he picked up the page. "I'll take that." He then picked up some of the bills. "And some of these…" Then he noticed a quiver of bolts on Nightstick's body. "And probably some extra ammunition for the road."

Back at the cells, Mace circled Echo menacingly.

"You ever cut the ear off'n a baby cow?" Mace asked. "They screeeam and screeeam... It's funny."

"I fail to see the humor." Echo deadpanned.

As Mace continued circling, Echo's mind started planning for the fight ahead, the whole scene flashing before his eyes:

'This must not register on an emotional level. First, distract target.' Echo flared out his wings in Mace's face. 'Then block his blind jab. Counter with cross to left cheek. Discombobulate.' He boxed Mace's ears. 'Dazed, will attempt wild haymaker. Employ elbow block, and body shot.' Echo blocked with his elbow and delivered a body blow. 'Block feral left. Weaken right jaw, now fracture.' Echo provided a cross to the jaw, which fractured the bone. 'Break cracked ribs. Traumatize solar plexus. Dislocate jaw entirely.' He delivered two more body blows, and a right hook to the jaw hinge. 'Heel kick to diaphragm.' A buck to Mace's chest sends him crashing against a nearby wall. 'In summary: ears ringing, jaw fractured, three ribs cracked, four broken, diaphragm hemorrhaging. Physical recovery: six weeks. Full psychological recovery: six months. Capacity to be a horrid thug: neutralized.'

Mace charged Echo, who enacted the entire scene he had concocted flawlessly. Mace crumpled to the floor, defeated.

"My gosh..." Sunset gasped.

"What the-" Cuffs gaped.

"Don't just stand there." Taser spat. "Get him!"

"You got it!" Cuffs nodded, launching into the fray.

Cuffs launched blow after blow at Echo, but he swatted them all away, and threw in some karate chops of his own.

"I see you're favouring your right hoof." Echo declared. "Fast movements, but not very accurate ones."

"I'll give you 'accurate'!" Cuffs roared.

As Cuffs made to land a particularly powerful blow, Echo ducked and swept his feet, knocking him down.

"All too easy." Echo smirked.

"We'll see about that." Taser growled. "My turn."

Taser charged at Echo, landing a blow on his nose.

"And I thought that last one was fast." Echo admitted. "But you don't have much in terms of hitting power. Would I be correct in assuming you have your underlings handle most of the physical action?"

"Usually." Taser snarled. "But I can get my hooves dirty if I want to."

"Then bring it on." Echo urged.

Taser rushed at Echo, and the two exchanged a flurry of blows. Taser managed to back Echo against a wall.

"Got ya now." He sneered.

"Think again." Echo smiled.

As Taser made to land the final blow, Echo ducked. Taser's hoof rammed into the wall, becoming stuck.

"Here, let me help." Echo smiled, as Taser struggled to free himself.

Echo threw a haymaker that sent Taser flying.

"Hmm, and you call yourselves enforcers of the law? Even Sterling could put up a better fight than-" Echo scoffed as he turned... only to be faced with a crossbow wielded by Mace.

"Time to die, bat-freak." Mace growled, enraged.

"Ah, bollocks..." Echo cursed, as he closed his eyes, knowing the end was probably near.

He heard the sound of a bolt being released. However, when he opened his eyes, he noticed he was unharmed, and Mace glanced at him funny, before glancing down at his chest, where a bolt impaled him.

"Uh..." He teetered backwards, growing weary. "No fair... you cheated..."

A bolt struck him in the head, killing him. Echo turned to see Sterling with a raised bow.

"How's that for an entrance?" Sterling smirked.

"Sterling!" Sunset smiled. "I knew you'd come!"

"Better late than never, I suppose." Echo sighed. "Thank you for the timely assist."

"No problem." Sterling smiled. "I can't stand racist slime like that."

"Really?" Echo frowned, grabbing the keys from Taser's prone body. "I'd have thought you'd fit right in, considering the way you treat me."

"No way." Sterling frowned. "I hate you because of who you are, not what you are. I can't stand weirdo brainiacs. Thestrals, I have no feelings for either way."

"Good." Echo nodded awkwardly, as he opened Sunset's cell. "Are you okay, Sunset?"

"I'm fine." Sunset nodded. "You were incredible back there. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Yeah, seriously." Sterling added. "Didn't think you were the brawlin' type."

"Oh, I sometimes partook in unofficial boxing matches during a stay in Trottingham." Echo shrugged. "I trust you recovered the page?"

"Right here." Sterling held it aloft. "I also got us some money."

"Should we ask where?" Sunset frowned.

"Not really." Sterling shrugged. "But like one of these bungholes said, nopony's going to miss them."

"That money should come in handy for where we're going." Echo declared. "We need to get to the docks. The next page is overseas. Specifically, Chineigh."

"Then let's get going." Sterling smiled.

"Another place I've always wanted to see." Sunset smiled.

"Yes, and the sooner the better. That masked pony might be on his way there right now..." Echo muttered.

They rushed down to the docks, catching the first boat to Chineigh they could find. Unbeknownst to them, the masked pony was watching their departure. His eyes narrowed menacingly...

Back in the Crystal Empire, a guard was reporting to Shining and Cadance.

"We followed a trail of hoofprints to some sort of depository for knowledge of dark magic." He revealed. "And we found this."

The guard held the lock of Sunset's mane that Sterling had accidentally clipped during their fight against the masked pony.

"So... Sunset Shimmer is with Achemy." Shining frowned.

"But what were they doing there?" Cadance asked.

"I don't know." Shining admitted. "But I intend to find out." He turned to the guard. "Continue the search."

"Yes, your highness." The guard bowed.

Back at the front of the precinct office, the surviving cops were nursing their wounds, having regaining consciousness.

"Well, this is just great." Taser groaned. "Me and Cuffs get our flanks handed to us by some freaky no-good leatherwing, Nightstick gets owned by some military officer and lets him walk out with evidence and the money we were going to steal for ourselves."

"And now Mace is dead." Cuffs added.

"You don't think they're going to blow the whistle on us, do you?" Nightstick asked.

"Naw, the guys up north are lookin' for them." Taser declared. "Ain't no way they'll blow the whistle on us without blowing one on themselves. I just hope nothing else goes wrong tonight."

"Like what?" Cuffs asked.

"Like maybe a bunch of ponies outside?" Nightstick glanced through one of the windows.

Suddenly, a hailstorm of bolts burst through the windows and walls of the precinct. Cuffs took one in the chest, dying instantly, while Nightstick got one in the hoof.

"Ah, my hoof!" He danced around in pain, allowing a bolt to hit him in the backside. "My butt!" A third bolt drove itself into his ear. "My ear..."

Nightstick collapsed.

Taser did his best to protect himself from any lethal hits, but still took enough bolts to mortally wound him.

Soon, the bolts died down, and a big burly buffalo in a fancy suit walked in, and stood over the dying Taser.

"What in Faust's buck with wrong with you?!" Taser roared, spitting out some blood. "Do you know who I am?!"

"Not really." The buffalo shrugged. "All I know is Murray Napoleon wanted me and the guys to come and clean house at a precinct filled with dirty cops. Sounds familiar?"

"You filth." Taser spat. "Nopony messes with us. We mess with them!"

"Either way, I'm here to say: the Napoleon Family sends their regards." The buffalo declared, aiming his own crossbow at him.

The color drained from Taser's face…

"Aw f-"

Taser was cut off by the sound of a bolt swishing through the air.

And with that, the four corrupt cops of Manehatten were no more. And Echo, Sunset, and Sterling's quest for the ten pages continued.
> The Wrath Of Rancour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a long boat trip (and a short storm), the trio arrived at a harbour in the country of Chineigh. They disembarked, Sterling doing so a little shakily.

"I hate traveling by sea." He groaned, a little green around the gills.

"What's this?" Echo smirked. "A little seasick, are we? I wouldn't have guessed such a big, tough guard could have such a delicate constitution."

"Zip it, Alchemy." Sterling growled. "Or I'll throw up all over you."

"Knock it off, you two." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Let's focus on the mission."

"Very well, Sunset." Echo nodded. "According to the document, the next page is hidden in a zen garden in the small town of Zhire, only a couple of miles from here."

"Then let's get to it." Sterling declared, his seasickness starting to wear off.

"There's a coach service around here." Echo remarked. "It shouldn't be too difficult to reach our destination."

Unfortunately, Echo couldn't have been more wrong. The trio suffered all manner of delays on their journey. They had to push their way past a crowd of ponies, wait what seemed like forever for the right coach, and then having to endure a detour due to roadworks, and the shaking of their coach as it rumbled across rough terrain.

"Oh, so many delays..." Echo groaned. "It's as if the universe itself seeks to hinder our journey."

"Nopony ever said this would be easy." Sunset sighed. "But we still have one page, which puts us one ahead of our masked friend. And if all goes well, that number should go up to two by the end of the day."

"Hopefully, yes." Echo said sternly. "If we ever get to it."

Meanwhile, back in the Crystal Empire, Shining and Cadance had just received word of the fate of Taser's precinct in Manehattan.

"...We were told the officers had Echo and his accomplices." The guard announced. "But when we got there, we found nothing. No Echo, no officers, nothing. The whole place was wiped clean, sir."

"I know of only group of ponies who could pull that off." Shining growled. "Curse you, Napoleons..."

"You don't think the Napoleons are connected to this in some way, do you?" Cadance wondered.

"Of that, I cannot be sure." The guard shrugged. "But we did get word of ponies matching Echo and his accomplices' appearance boarding a boat bound for Chineigh."

"Chineigh, huh?" Shining mused. "Well, no boat can outpace flight. Ready the carriage, and send as many guards as you can."

"Yes, your highness." The guard bowed.

"It doesn't matter how far you run, Echo." Shining declared. "We will find you."

Back in Chineigh, the coach finally stopped at Zhire. The trio got out and made their way into town.

"So, this page is in a garden?" Sterling asked. "Nice hiding place. Real secure."

"A zen garden." Echo clarified. "It is also under the watchful eye of Mǎ Rancour, a distinguished stallion who was regarded as trustworthy enough to protect the page."

"Let's hope we get to this 'distinguished stallion' before the competition does." Sunset declared.

As they walked through the streets of Zhire, the trio couldn't help but notice several ponies arguing with, throwing Chineighse insults at, and even fighting each other.

"Jeez, so much for small towns being quiet and friendly." Sterling remarked, wincing as one stallion punched another in the face.

"No joke." Sunset frowned. "What's got them all so riled up?"

"I have a thought or two on the matter." Echo admitted. "None of them pleasant. Let's just keep moving, and avoid eye contact if possible."

The trio dodged between the irate denizens of Zhire, until they finally arrived at the Zen garden.

"What kind of garden is this?" Sterling snorted, glancing at the white gravel. "There's a ton of dirt, but hardly any plants!"

"A Zen garden doesn't traditionally have plants." Echo explained. "They are for quiet contemplation, not gardening."

"Whatever." Sterling shrugged. "Don't suppose that list said exactly where the page is?"

"It did indeed." Echo nodded. "It is under a gazebo at the south end of the garden."

"It shouldn't be too difficult to get it." Sunset shrugged.

The trio headed toward the south end of the garden. As they rounded the corner, spying the gazebo, a voice rang out.

"Enter, grasshoppers."

They looked up at a gazebo to see a Chineighse Unicorn stallion, meditating in an odd stance on the roof. The stallion had a dark red coat, and a gray mane, with matching beard and moustache. He wore orange robes. Underneath them, a symbol of a spear adorned his flank.

"Find sanctuary in peaceful garden..." The pony muttered.

"Say what?" Sterling frowned.

"Who is that?" Sunset asked.

"I can't be sure, but... I think that's Mǎ Rancour, the page's guardian." Echo remarked.

"Correct." The stallion nodded. "That is I, Mǎ Rancour. And who are you, who know of such a great secret as a page from King Sombra's own spell book?"

"I am Echo Alchemy." Echo announced. "These are my colleagues, Sunset Shimmer and Sterling Cross."

"'Sup." Sterling waved.

"An evil pony seeks the page that is hidden here." Echo declared. "We came here to recover it, and keep it out of his hooves."

"So if you could show us to the page, we'll be on our way, thanks." Sunset smiled.

"Oh, but I'm afraid I can't do that." Rancour frowned.

"Why not?" Echo asked.

"Because I'm using it." Rancour grinned.

"Using... Oh, no." Echo gasped.

"Sweet anger goes through us. It's how universe tells us who target should be." Rancor announced.

"Look, you know, just because you're talking all funny like that, it doesn't mean it's making any sense." Sterling frowned.

Rancor gazed upwards.

"Universe has slaughtered my happiness, and so..." He glanced down at them. "I must slaughter their happiness too... all who disrupt my garden of peace shall know no happiness!"

Rancour glared at a stallion walking down the street, his eyes developing the same purple wisps Echo's had. His horn glowed blood-red, and emitted a plunge of crimson smoke towards the stallion. The stallion groaned with agony as the plume enveloped him. The plume vanished, leaving the stallion's face contorted with rage. With a primal scream, he started lashing out at some nearby trash cans, knocking them over. He picked up one can and hurled it at the window of a store. The owner emerged, irate at the stallion's behaviour, and the stallion began to attack him. He knocked the store owner out, kicked him a few times for good measure, then raced down the street, still spewing screams of rage.

"That was... dark magic!" Sunset gasped. "That's why all those ponies are so angry!"

"So, you're doing this... Rancour, you are playing with fire here!" Echo roared. "That page was entrusted to you to protect! Not to be used like some toy!"

"You think me a child?" Rancour sneered. "This is no game. I do this to make a point."

"What point is that?" Sunset asked.

"That we are all beasts of rage." Rancour chuckled darkly. "All it takes is a little push, and so-called 'civilized' ponies will eat each other alive."

"You don't know what you're doing." Echo declared. "But I do. It is the spell of Wrath. The power to instill blind rage in others. You may think you're in control of it, but you're not. In time, it will consume you, just as your victims were consumed by their rage."

"Consume?" Rancour snorted. "I think not. I am master of the magic, and soon, I will be master of all that is peace and happiness!"

"But what you're doing is wrong! You have no right!" Sunset barked.

"I have every right!" Rancour screeched. "They deserve to suffer, and I will be the instrument of that suffering! The master of Wrath!"

"Oh, gimme a break." Sterling snorted. "You're master of nothing."

"What?!" Rancour spat.

"You're just one senile old whackjob." Sterling smirked. "And a cowardly one at that."

"You dare..." Rancour growled.

"You heard me." Sterling sneered. "Without that Wrath spell, you're probably nothing."

"Ah, Cross?" Echo added nervously.

"Such insolence." Rancour snarled.

"Wanna prove me wrong?" Sterling grinned. "Then get down here and fight us!" He struck a nearby gong with his hoof. "Game on!"

"As you wish." Rancour glared.

Rancour leapt from the gazebo, landing gracefully on the ground. He pulled out a bladed staff (otherwise known as a nagi) and swung it around expertly.

"I will fight without my magic." Rancour declared. "Not that it will change the outcome in any way!"

"I was just about to tell you: Rancour is a master in the martial arts." Echo told Sterling. "Especially Buckwando."

"Ah." Sterling gulped.

"It's still three against one." Sunset declared. "We can take him!"

"Banzaiii!" Rancour charged at them.

Rancour's first target was Sterling. Sterling dodged the blade, then swung a punch, which Rancour dodged. Sunset fired a beam of magic at Rancour, but he spun his nagi rapidly, deflecting the beam. Sterling fired some crossbow bolts, but Rancour swatted them aside with his nagi. Echo then jumped Rancour from behind, aiming a kick at him. Rancour dodged, but not fast enough, allowing Echo to wing him. The irate stallion stumbled back a few paces.

"Not bad for amateurs." Rancour sneered.

"Those two may be amateurs, but I'm a fully-trained guardspony!" Sterling boasted. "It'll take a lot more than some pointy stick to stop me!"

"We shall see, braggart!" Rancour swung his nagi again.

Sterling wasn't as fast that time, the blade nicking his side. Capitalizing on his success, Rancour thrust his staff forwards. Sterling managed to catch it between his hooves. For a moment, the two struggled. Then, a magic blast from Sunset knocked Rancour aside. As Rancour fought to steady himself, Echo rammed into him from the side, sending him crashing into the soil.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Rancour." Echo declared. "Just give us the page, and this can all be over."

"Oh, it'll be over, alright." Rancour growled, his eyes developing wisps again. "Because I'm done playing with you."

Rancour released another crimson plume from his horn, which was headed straight toward Sterling.

"Sterling, watch out!" Sunset yelled.

"Ahh!" Sterling yelped, as the cloud enveloped him.

"You shall perish like the others!" Rancor screeched. "Ikari koso, washi no seigida!"*

In an instant, Sterling's eyes lit up in rage.

"My Faust!" Sterling growled. "That isn't even Chineighse! Get your language right, you buckin' weirdo!"

Sterling charged at Rancour, blinded by anger. Smirking, Rancour knocked him away with a single swing of his nagi. Sterling got to his hooves, and roared.

"Sterling, get a hold of yourself!" Sunset urged, trying to hold him back with her magic.

"Let me go!" Sterling spat. "That old whacko's going down!"

"Your turn, my dear." Rancour smirked, taking advantage of Sunset's distraction.

Sunset was also enveloped by a plume of smoke, and succumbed to rage.

"What am I doing?" She spat, releasing her hold on Sterling. "I should let you run to your doom, you reckless idiot! It'd be better for everypony if you weren't around anymore!"

"Oh, like you're so great?" Sterling snarled. "Spending all your time following Alchemy around, always stickin' up for him? What, do you just have a thing for creepy, bat-winged ponies?!"

"It's called 'being a friend', you insensitive jerk!" Sunset spat. "Besides, Echo needs all the support he can get! Just look at him!"

"Pardon?" Echo frowned.

"Blah, blah, blah!" Sterling mocked, "You're always yackin' about something! A pretty little thing like you should be seen and not heard!"

"And you just plain shouldn't be!" Sunset fired a beam of magic at Sterling, hitting him square in the chest.

"Not smart." Sterling seethed, rubbing the scorch mark left behind.

Sterling charged at Sunset, but she threw up a magic barrier, blocking him.

"Lemme in there!" Sterling roared, banging his hooves against the barrier.

"Not a chance." Sunset sneered. "But I've got some outgoing mail for you!"

Sunset fired another blast of magic, which passed though the barrier and struck Sterling, sending him flying.

"Yes." Rancour cackled. "Destroy each other!"

"Sunset, Cross, please stop!" Echo yelled. "You have to fight his influence!"

"Ah, zip it, brainiac!" Sterling spat.

"Just because I'm your assistant doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do!" Sunset sneered. "So back off!"

"And now it's your turn." Rancour advanced on Echo.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't think that would be wise." Echo held up his hooves in defence.

"Why not? You seem very insistent on harnessing the power of Wrath... so, as the mortal pony say, you want Wrath, you got Wrath." Rancour mused.

"No, please!" Echo trembled. "I'm telling you, you don't want to do this. You have no idea what will happen when my stress level reaches a certain capacity."

"But I'll see it, soon enough." Rancour grinned, as another plume of crimson smoke emerged from his horn.

"No, please..." Echo groaned, as the plume enveloped him.

"Yes." Rancour smiled. "Give in to rage. Let it consume you, as the fire consumes the forest."

"I... can't..." Echo held his head, struggling to resist. "Can't... let it... happen again..."

As the bile rose in his throat, Echo's eyes developed their purple wisps, and his breathing became labored and ragged.

"Come now, my winged friend, release the beast inside!" Rancour chanted.

"NO!" Echo roared in a drastically different voice, as the wisps around his eyes grew worse and his skin was beginning to crawl, as if it was changing. "Stooop..." He groaned, his voice shifting between the new tone and the old one. "I'm begging yoooouu...!"

At the same time, Sunset and Sterling continued their own squabble. Sterling managed to check Sunset before she put up the barrier again, and the pair struggled, kicking and punching like there was no tomorrow.

"Hitting a lady, huh?" Sunset spat. "I always knew you were low."

"I don't see no ladies around here." Sterling sneered. "Just some old nag!"

"I'll show you 'nag'!" Sunset headbutted him.

"And I'll show you this!" Sterling kicked her in the side.

As they continued their brawl, they became ragged and exhausted, and their fighting become…rather pointless, reduced to slaps and shoves. But still, they lashed out at each other with as much force as they could muster, throwing out the most hurtful insults they could think of.

"Mud-crawler!" Sunset yelled.

"Horn-headed hag!" Sterling roared.

"It can't... end like this..." Echo groaned, his resolve starting to fail him.

"Ah, but it will." Rancour taunted. "It is in your nature to lose yourselves to anger, to destroy yourselves. I'm just helping things along."

"No..." Sterling crumpled, knowing what was about to come. "Not again..."

"Goodbye, little grasshoppers." Rancour smirked. "Prepare to drown in the stream of your own anger."

Rancour heard a sound from behind him. He turned around, finding himself face-to-face with the masked pony.

"...Who the buck are-?" He started

The masked pony waved his hoof, and a spear of dark crystals drove itself into Rancour's chest. Rancour froze, dropping his nagi. The masked pony reached into Rancour's robes, pulling out the page. At that moment, the Spell of Wrath broke, freeing all who had fallen under it's thrall.

All across Zhire, ponies who had been at each others' throats suddenly released each other, confused and ashamed at what they had done.

"What the..." Sterling gaped, realizing his hooves were inches from Sunset's face. "Were we just...?"

"Yes, we were." Sunset said, mortified. "…Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Sterling shrugged. "Wasn't exactly my finest hour, either."

Echo gasped loudly, the anger leaving, wisps disappearing and his body stop shaking.

"That was too close..." He panted. "Much too close."

With another gesture, the crystal spear pulled itself out of Rancour's chest. Rancour stumbled, holding his wound.

"No... no... why have you forsaken me, universe?!" Rancour spluttered, raising his hoof to the sky, his voice faltering. "It's not fair! I get fired from my job, my wife leaves me for a guy who sells refrigerators, my kids grow up to be disrespectful brats..."

"What's going on?" Sterling asked, a bit confused.

"I think he had anger issues of his own." Sunset suggested.

Rancour glanced at his mortal wound.

"And now this?! I get shanked by some Faust-cursed Yokai wannabe?!" He gave a look of utter disbelief. "Seriously?!"

He glanced at them all, and then pointed at the trio. "Screw you, you pieces of dung!"

Rancour started to laugh manically, echoing out all around the garden... and then fell to the ground dead, his face stuck in a stupefied gaze. The masked stared blankly at him, then turned to leave.

"Not so fast, you." Sterling growled.

"We're not letting you leave here with that page." Sunset declared.

"Not a chance." Echo agreed.

The masked pony inclined his head to one side, then flung a swarm of dark crystals at them. The trio were too exhausted (Sunset and Sterling physically, and Echo mentally) to dodge them, and were sent flying into the gravel. The masked pony waved mockingly at them, then departed.

"So much for improving our numbers." Sterling groaned. "Now that masked nut has the book and a page."

"And we couldn't do a thing to stop him." Sunset sighed.

"We mustn't blame each other." Echo declared. "We had no way of knowing how powerful the Spell of Wrath was. Let's just cut our losses and be thankful that we didn't do anything drastic in our anger."

"Hopefully, the next page won't be so troublesome." Sunset remarked.

"Speaking of which, we'd better head out." Sterling urged. "We can't let that slimebag get another page!"

"Of course." Echo nodded. "But first, we must bury Rancour."

"Say what?!" Sterling spat.

"It's the right thing to do." Echo declared.

"Buck that!" Sterling snarled. "Aren't you forgetting what he did to ponies? To us?!"

"Echo's right, Sterling." Sunset sighed. "Rancour only did what he did because of how badly his life turned out. And besides, the dark magic no doubt made things worse. He deserves our sympathy, not our hate."

"Seriously?" Sterling frowned. "Forget that old psycho!"

"We cannot fall victim to our hate as he did." Echo declared. "We must rise above it."

"Fine." Sterling huffed. "Let's just make it quick."

Together, they dug a makeshift grave in the gravel. Echo lowered Rancour's body into the grave, and Sunset placed the gravel on top of it with her magic.

"Farewell, Mǎ Rancour." Echo said solemnly. "Perhaps now, you will be free of your anger and hatred."

"How poetic." Sterling said sarcastically. "Now can we go?"

"Yes, we can." Echo nodded. "The next page is located in Russiaddle. Let's get going."

Sunset looked at Echo as they made to leave. He seemed so much more shaken by the experience then she and Sterling were. Though overwhelmed by her own rage at the time, she could vaguely recall Echo's terrified reaction to being made angry, like it was the worst possible thing to happen to him, and the struggle he went through when he was afflicted by the spell.

"Are you okay, Echo?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Sunset." Echo said curtly. "And even if I wasn't, it wouldn't matter. We must find those pages, no matter the cost."

"You're right." Sunset sighed. She knew Echo was hiding something, but he wasn't about to tell her.

'What aren't you telling me, Echo?' She thought as they continued onwards.
> The Greed Of Zhadnost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a dark, empty cave in the middle of nowhere, the masked pony held up a black mirror. The glass showed, not his reflection, but the image of a cloaked pony.

"What have you to report?" The cloaked pony asked in a gravelly tone.

The masked pony merely raised part of his mask to reveal his snout. "I have obtained the page containing the spell of Wrath." He announced, in a sibilant hiss.

"Excellent." The cloaked pony nodded. "Was it any trouble?"

"No." The masked pony replied. "The corrupted keeper was busy with Alchemy and his cronies. I managed to come in from behind and slay him."

"And what of Alchemy's group?" The cloaked pony asked.

"They were too exhausted from fighting the spell's effects to put up much resistance." The masked pony recalled.

"Keep up the good work, my friend." The cloaked pony smiled, as his image faded from the mirror.

"Oh, I will..." The masked pony nodded as he exited the cave. "Moscolt or bust..." With a flick of his hooves, dark crystals surrounded his legs, and carried him off towards his next destination...

The trio arrived in Russiaddle, specifically, in the town of Moscolt. A blizzard was bearing down on them.

"Great, more snow." Sterling grumbled.

"Stop complaining, Cross." Echo snarled. "We're all cold, but you don't hear Sunset and myself moaning about it."

"So, where's the next page?" Sunset asked.

"In the care of one Dr. Zhadnost, MD." Echo announced. "His home is not far from here."

"Good." Sterling smiled. "It'd be nice if we could get one of those pages easily for a change."

"We can only hope." Sunset shrugged.

After a short walk, the trio found themselves at Zhadnost's home, but it appeared deserted.

"Hello?" Echo knocked on the door. "Dr Zhadnost?"

Sterling peered through the window.

"Doesn't look like anypony's home right now." He declared.

"Or for a while." Sunset added, pointing out a pile of old newspapers on the lawn.

"This may pose a problem." Echo frowned.

"So what now?" Sunset asked.

"We could check at the hospital Dr Zhadnost works at." Echo suggested. "They may know what happened to him."

"Whatever gets us out of the cold." Sterling shivered.

They made their way to Moscolt General, and made a request for Zhadnost at the reception.

"I'm afraid Dr Zhadnost hasn't come to work for quite some time." The receptionist declared.

"I see." Echo nodded. "Any reason why?"

"No clue." The receptionist shrugged. "One day, he just didn't come in, and we never saw him again."

"Thank you for your help." Echo said politely.

"So now what?" Sterling asked.

"We keep looking." Echo declared.

"Seriously?" Sterling frowned. "With no leads? No idea of where to look?"

"What would you suggest?" Echo asked. "That we simply give up? I don't think so."

"Echo's right, Sterling." Sunset agreed. "If there's even a chance that Zhadnost is still out there, we have to take it. Otherwise, we may never find the page."

"Or worst yet, the masked pony could find him and do the same thing to him that he did to poor Rancour." Echo sighed.

"...Fine." Sterling pouted, "But if this S.O.B. turn out to be a whack-a-doodle like Rancour, I am going to kick somepony in the ba-"

"Balalaikas!" A street vendor called. "get your Balalaikas here!"

Their ongoing search lasted almost a week. They saw no trace of Zhadnost, but noticed quite a few 'missing ponies' posters strewn across town.

"Looks like Zhadnost isn't the only one MIA." Sterling remarked when he first saw one of the posters. The picture was of a young Pegasus mare. He tore it off the wall, intending to hang on it for reference.

"You don't suppose that Zhadnost might be using his page for evil like Rancour, do you?" Sunset frowned.

"Well, I wouldn't put it pass him." Echo supposed. "Dark magic is like a mystery box. You never know the possibilities you could realize with a spell from the libraries of the dark arts."

"And you wonder why Shining doesn't like you." Sterling scoffed.

"I don't wonder. I know... and I find it rather pitiful." Echo frowned. "He should be rather grateful I am doing this. Given his track record of getting trumped by every known threat to Equestria thus far, knowledge on how to combat the dark arts could do him a bit of good."

"Hey, watch it, pal." Sterling glared. "That's my boss you're berating there. Honestly, do you ever think that what you say to Rancour might apply to you? You know, about the whole 'playing with fire' thing?"

"Rancour and I are different. Rancour used the spell because he was dissatisfied with his life and sought to take it out on others, regardless of the recoils that the spell could have. I, on the other hoof, study dark magic with the utmost precaution." Echo smirked.

"Oh? If that was the case, then why are you on probation then?" Sterling raised a brow with a knowing smirk. "Huh?"

"Again with the 'probation'." Sunset frowned, "What did Echo do exactly that draws everypony's ire nowadays?"

"Funny story." Sterling smirked. "You see-"

"It doesn't matter right now." Echo cut him off.

"You always say that." Sunset sighed. "You'll have to tell me sooner or later, you know."

"I choose 'later'." Echo said firmly.

"How'd I know you were going to say that?" Sunset rolled her eyes.

They also found objects such as tin cans and bottles, otherwise utter garbage, had it not been for their golden hue they possessed. None of them could think of an explanation for it.

"This is weird." Echo picked up a bottle, though with a bit of strain. "This bottle..." He glanced at it closely. "It's solid gold."

"A gold bottle?" Sterling asked incredulously. "No way. There's no such thing."

"See for yourself." Echo passed the bottle to him. Sterling stumbled a bit as the weight caught him off guard.

"Whoa... it certainly weighs like gold." Sterling frowned.

"But why would there be a bottle made of gold? And who would throw one away?" Sunset mused.

"I don't know, but this is starting to feel more and more like a mystery." Echo mused.

"That or a video game following a mechanic stuck in a middle of a zombie-infested city seven days from being bombed with other survivors and psychopaths based on the seven Deadly Sins." Sterling deadpanned. Sunset and Echo glanced at him oddly. "What? I play a little."

"Sounds more like a lot." Sunset snarked.

"Hey, can't be a Guardspony twenty-four/seven." Sterling shrugged. "Gotta have some downtime. And I spend mine gaming."

"Yes, fascinating." Echo snorted. "Now can we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sterling snorted. "It's all work with you, ya know that?"

"With good reason." Echo retorted.

On the sixth day, they were searching the outskirts of Moscolt, where the city's richer ponies made their homes in fancy, extravagant manors. As they checked the individual houses, asking the owners if they had seen Zhadnost, they came across a golden statue of a pony on a lawn.

"Whoo, now there's a work of art for you." Sterling whistled. "It's so lifelike!"

"Yes." Echo nodded, noting the horrified look on the pony's face. "Maybe a little too lifelike."

"It's a real beaut, isn't it?" The Earth Pony owner of the house smiled.

"Where did you get this... work from, if I may ask?" Sunset frowned.

"I found it." The Earth Pony shrugged.

"You? Found a golden statue? Worth a whole lot of bits?" Echo deadpanned. "...Forgive me if I have trouble believing that."

"...Okay, you got me..." The Earth Pony frowned, "I bought it off some creepy dude. He was selling a lot of these statues for a really good price. Everypony around Moscolt's buying them. It's a real steal."

"Where exactly?" Echo urged.

"Near this warehouse, just outside of town." The Earth Pony clarified. "Why?"

"No reason. Thank you for your time." Echo said quietly. "Come along now Sunset, Cross."

Sunset and Sterling followed Echo as he left.

"So... what?" Sterling frowned. "Did I miss something?"

"I believe we just found ourselves a lead." Echo smiled.

"Huh?" Sterling gaped.

"Just keep moving, Sterling." Sunset urged.

The trio reached the warehouse twenty minutes later. It seemed a small place, but when they opened the door, they found a staircase leading downwards. They walked down the stairs into the storage area. The place seemed deserted. It was very cold.

"Hello?" Echo called, looking around. "Anypony in here?"

Nopony answered.

"Nice place." Sunset joked. "Vey homey."

"Why are we here again?" Sterling asked. "I mean, what would a gold statue have to do with Zhadnost?"

"That was no ordinary statue." Echo said solemnly.

"It's true." Sunset nodded. "That statue looked exactly like one of those missing ponies."

"Probably just a coincidence." Sterling shrugged. "If you ask me, we're just wasting our time here."

"Well, coincidence or not, this is the only lead we had all week." Echo frowned. "The missing ponies, the golden garbage, and the statues... there's got to be a connection somewhere."

"Sounds like kind of a stretch, if you ask me." Sterling declared.

"But not if you ask me." Sunset retorted. "I checked the dates on those 'missing' posters. All those ponies went missing after Dr Zhadnost vanished. That can't be a coincidence."

"I still say we're just wasting our time here." Sterling frowned. 

Suddenly, sounds were echoing through the halls, clanging all around.

"You think so?" Echo glared.

The trio glanced around, a bit perturbed. They walked into a nearby room, and they found more gold pony statues, each with expressions of terror on their faces.

"That's a lot of gold..." Sunset frowned. "I can't help but wonder where it all came from."

"Not to mention all these 'statues' are life-sized..." Echo added.

"You guys are probably just being paranoid." Sterling declared. Suddenly, he recognized a face in the crowd. "Say, isn't that..." He pulled out the missing poster and held up to one of the mare statues. "...Oh buck..."

"What in Faust's name is going on here?" Echo gaped.

"We have to get out of here." Sunset declared. "Something isn't-GAH!" She yelped as somepony stabbed a syringe in her back.

"Sunset-ACK!" Sterling froze up as a syringe was injected into his neck.

"Sterling, Sunset, what's going-UGH!" Echo felt a syringe in his own neck, clutching it as he fell to the ground along with his colleagues. As he slumped to the ground, all he could see was the hooves of a pony before everything went black...

Meanwhile, back in the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor and Cadance received word that the Guardsponies sent after the trio had discovered Rancour's body. The message indicated that the wounds were inconsistent with anything the trio could have done, adding that the masked pony had very possibly struck the killing blow, as they had found another dark crystal near there.

"This is getting worse by the day." Shining sighed. "Not only do we have three fugitives on the loose, but they've gotten involved in a game of cat and mouse with a madpony."

"We can only hope the pages don't end in the hooves of that masked menace." Cadance declared. "His goals have to be worse than Echo's, right?"

"The jury's still out on that one." Shining said skeptically. "Who knows what's going on in that Thestral's head right now..."

Back in Moscolt, Echo began to wake up, his eyes seeing a flickering light overhead.

"Sunset... Cross..." He groaned, clutching his head.

As he looked around, Echo realized he was lying on a slab, as were Sunset and Sterling (though Sterling was bound to his).

"Echo... what happened?" Sunset said woozily.

"Yeah... did somepony drug us...?" Sterling asked. As he lifted his head, he realized he was bound. "...And why am I the only one bound here?" He added, annoyed.

Suddenly, they heard crying. They glance over to see a Pegasus doctor in a smock lingering over a mare, forcing her into a particular position. He was pale orange, with a black mane, and a syringe Cutie Mark. He wore medical scrubs, golden rubber gloves, and had an insane amount of jewellery around his neck. He had a crazed look in his silvery eyes as he approached the mare.

"Come now, dear, the stallions love it best when their prize is showing all she has to offer..." The doctor hissed.

Echo struggled to get up, rubbing his head. The doctor's ears perked up, knowing who he was.

"Oh, you're in no shape to get up." He told Echo. "Neither of you are."

Echo glanced at Sunset, who was trying to get up. He then wiped his eyes.

"Uh... are you a doctor?" He asked.

"More of an entrepreneur these days." The doctor grinned, not bothering to look at him. "Dr. Zhadnost, at your service."

The bound mare continued to cry, as Zhadnost peeled off one of his rubber gloves, and then, with his other, gloved hoof, put a syringe to her neck.

"Do try to smile." He smirked. "I get bigger bucks for a smiling trophy." He plunged the syringe into the mare's neck, and her face was contorted into a smile. "There we go!" His eyes grew wispy as he touched her with his bare hoof, and the mare screamed as her body turned into gold.

Sterling, Sunset, and Echo's ears perked up in shock, as they gazed over at the mare's now golden body.

"Another perfect masterpiece!" Zhadnost remarked, as he put his glove back on.

"Wait a minute..." Echo struggled, trying his best to get off the slab.

Zhadnost walked over, gesturing him to lay back down.

"You just lay down and wait your turn." He said softly.

Echo finally got off the slab, but the drug had left him woozy; He bumped into a group of golden statues, obviously Zhadnost's past victims. Zhadnost, immediately becoming agitated, ran over.

"Hey, that's mine! You hear me?!" He yelled.

Echo tried to shake it off, but he was still woozy.

"You... you are taking innocent ponies... turning them into statues... you're killing them!" He growled.

"You don't get it, do you, Thestral?" Zhadnost snarled, pointing at him. "You have to seize the opportunity, or you lose the profit. Simple, the free market at it's finest."

Echo rubbed his eyes, and glanced at Sunset, who was struggling to get up. Suddenly, Sunset's body flickered into that of Zhadnost, the drug causing him to hallucinate. Echo shook his head.

"You're... you're a murderer!" He said, still struggling to get his bearings.

"I'm a businesspony." Zhadnost countered.

Sunset finally got up, but Echo kept seeing her turn into Zhadnost. Zhadnost paid her no mind as he looked darkly at Echo.

"And you're my next export, sunshine." Zhadnost peeled off his glove and held up his hoof, which was glowing a golden glow.

"Just try it." Echo glared.

Zhadnost rushed forward, seeking to plant his golden hoof on Echo. Echo took off, dodging the attack.

"That's not going to help you!" Zhadnost sneered, as he took flight also.

An aerial game of cat and mouse ensued; Zhadnost trying to plant his hoof on Echo, with Echo dodging him. Echo was still woozy from the drug, so his flying was a little unsteady, which actually worked to his advantage, as his haphazard movements made it difficult for Zhadnost to get to him.

"Don't hog all the fun, Alchemy!" Sterling called, struggling to free himself. "Once I get... out of this... I'll show you... how it's... done!"

With one lunge, Zhadnost almost got Echo, but he dodged just in time, with the wall behind them turning to gold instead. Echo then lashed out with a kick, knocking Zhadnost into a pile of notes and coins.

Echo landed, feeling dizzy. He shook his head, then saw Zhadnost heading towards him. He grabbed a pipe from the floor, and swung it at him.

"Echo! What are you doing?" Zhadnost yelled in Sunset's voice.

"What?" Echo gaped. He blinked twice, and Zhadnost blurred into Sunset. "Sunset? I'm sorry, that drug is interfering with my perception."

"Try it and shake it off." Sunset urged.

"Here's a thought: Maybe one of you could get me out of this!" Sterling yelled, still unable to break his bonds.

Echo's vision started to blur again, and Sunset was replaced by Zhadnost.

"Echo?" Sunset said, acknowledging the look in his eyes. "Echo, stay with me..."

Meanwhile, Zhadnost had just crawled out of the pile of money, and leapt towards Echo.

"Look out!" Sunset yelled.

Sunset fired a magic blast at Zhadnost, knocking him into the wall. From Echo's point of view, it seemed like the blast had come out of nowhere. Echo's vision cleared once more, his body starting to purge the drug's effects.

"Thank you, Sunset." Echo smiled. "Now, if you would kindly free Cross?"

"Finally!" Sterling sighed.

"No problem." Sunset nodded. "But what about you?"

"Me?" Echo glanced at a cabinet full of syringes. "...I'm going to give the doctor a taste of his own medicine..."

Zhadnost struggled to his hooves, unaware of Echo hiding the syringe behind his back.

"Just for that, the mare goes second." He snarled.

"I think not." Echo rushed over to the golden ponies, placing his hooves on them. "I doubt very much she'd want to become one of these gaudy things."

"Hey, hooves off the merchandise!" Zhadnost yelled.

"How long have you been doing this?" Echo asked, indicating all the golden ponies.

"Long enough." Zhadnost groaned.

"But why?" Echo inquired. "Why do all these terrible things?"

"For the wealth, of course." Zhadnost wheezed. "I worked my wings off at that hospital, but all I got in return was having my pay cut, time and time again. It was getting so I couldn't even support myself. Then my wife realized that she only ever loved me for my money, and tried to leave me... I was in a dark place, and I just about gave up hope. Then I remembered the page... Boy, did that thing change my life. Now, I never have to worry about money again."

"And your wife?" Echo asked.

"Sold that little bimbo's flank off to some horny rich teenager in Scoltland." Zhadnost snarled. "That got me inspired; Why not do the same with all the noponies in this town? All those pointless fools who do nothing with their lives. It's not like anypony was going to miss them, anyway." He snickered darkly. "How things change; Not too long ago, I was practically destitute. Now I have a booming business, and more money than I can count."

"At what cost?" Echo growled. "All these innocent ponies."

"It's a small price to pay." Zhadnost sneered.

"Speaking of which, I hope you bought some polish." Echo glared. He poked a statue lightly, causing it to tip over onto the dusty floor.

"Whoops." He said sarcastically.

"You fool! That is 24-karat gold you're messing with!" Zhadnost snarled, gripping his mane with his gloved hoof. "If you get it dirty, it loses half it's monetary value!"

"What a shame." Echo sneered. "Looks like you'll have to sell this one for half-price... or as part of a two-for-one sale. But you're making enough money already, right?" 

"That's it!" Zhadnost charged Echo.

Echo sidestepped the charge, jabbing the shoulder into Zhadnost's shoulder as he passed by.

"Ah!" Zhadnost yelled, clutching with his gloved hoof. "You... you..." He started to sway as his reflexes and vision faltered.

"What's the matter, doctor?" Echo smirked. "Don't like my prescription?"

"No! No! That's gonna kill my profit margin!" Zhadnost roared. "They want to get their hooves on what is mine!" He started convulsing, hallucinating ponies that aren't there. "Get your hooves off what's mine! Mine!" He tried to swat at the ponies.

"It's over, Zhadnost." Echo frowned.

"Ugh, what do you want from me?!" Zhadnost said hysterically. "If you want money, I have loads of it!"

"You know what I want, Zhadnost." Echo said angrily. In Zhadnost's mind, he transformed into a hulking monster. "Give it to me."

The statement was delivery at normal volume, but to Zhadnost's drug-addled self, it was like a roar, the sound warped and distorted.

"No, get away!" Zhadnost trembled.

"The page, Zhadnost." Echo demanded, as he approached the mad doctor. "Now."

"No!" Zhadnost roared, swinging his bare hoof around, his eyes growing wispier. "The page changed my life! I would rather die than give it up!" A bolt shot by, nicking him in the cheek. "GAH!" Zhadnost clutched his cheek.

Echo gasped, as Sterling walked in, crossbow in hoof.

"Gah..." Zhadnost pulled his hoof from his cheek, looking at the blood... before realizing he touched himself with his bare hoof. "No... no..."

Sunset limped in, as Sterling rushed to help her along. Echo stood there as Zhadnost began to panic as his body slowly turned to gold. He held his hooves up to the sky in horror as he let out one last scream before turning to gold. Suddenly, out of his now golden clothes, the unaffected page slipped out.

"Well, well." Sterling cocked his crossbow. "Guess he wasn't up to the... gold standard." Sunset and Echo glared at him. "Too soon?"

As Echo picked up the page, the golden ponies returned to normal. They were understandably confused.

"What the...?"

"What's going on?"

"Where are we?"

"Why is one side of my face covered in dust?"

"Relax, folks." Sterling stepped forward. "Everything's okay. Trust me, I'm a Royal Guardspony. Now, please head to the exit in an orderly fashion."

The confused ponies filed out of the room. The trio noticed that the only pony who hadn't returned to normal was Zhadnost himself.

"Talk about still life." Sterling cracked another joke. Echo and Sunset glared at him again. "Seriously? The guy drugged us and tried to turn us to gold! What's wrong with a little joke at his expense? ...Heh, expense... that's a good one."

"So... is he stuck like this?" Sunset asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Echo shrugged. "There may be a counter-spell out there, but we are certainly not at liberty to look for it."

"Then what do we do with him?" Sunset inquired.

"We'll drop him off at the local police station." Echo declared. "Perhaps they'll be able to do something for him."

"Either way, now we have two pages." Sunset smiled.

"Indeed." Echo nodded. "The tide is starting to turn in our favor. Speaking of which, we should head down to the docks immediately after. Our next stop is Zebrica."

"Great." Sterling grinned. "'Cause I've had enough cold weather to last a lifetime."

As they got outside, they saw that another blizzard had descended on the city.

"Me and my big mouth." Sterling groaned.

The masked pony arrived on the scene just as they left. He searched the warehouse, and found nothing. It was clear that he had arrived too late.

"Faust damn it." He growled, using his crystals to smash Zhadnost's medical cabinet. "Enjoy your victory while you can, fools. I'm right on your tails. We'll see who wins this little scavenger hunt in the end..."

With that, the masked pony left the warehouse, heading for the same location as his foes: Zebrica.
> The Gluttony Of Uroho
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio arrived in Zebrica, greeted by a blazing sun in the cloudless sky.

"Geez, it's hot." Sterling mopped his brow.

"Seriously?" Sunset frowned. "You said in Moscolt that you wanted a little heat."

"Yeah, but not this much!" Sterling groaned.

"There really is no pleasing some ponies." Echo sighed. "Now, our next page lies in the town of Marerakech, under the care of the Zebra Uroho Gourmand."

"I suppose it'd be too much to ask for Gourmand to not be nuts?" Sterling snarked. "Because I'm kinda seeing a pattern here."

"It's hardly the fault of the previous guardians that their lives deteriorated to the point where they felt they needed to invoke their respective pages' power, now is it?" Echo pointed out. "Nopony could have foreseen that happening."

"If you ask me, all this dark magic stuff is way too dangerous." Sterling frowned. "Instead of 'researchin' it, why don't you just leave well enough alone?"

"Because of the potential for good, of course." Echo answered.

"'Good'?" Sterling snorted. "Dark magic is only good for causing destruction!"

"Sterling..." Sunset growled.

"It's true!" Sterling insisted. "It's dangerous! Every user was rotten to the core! Sombra, Black Knight, Seraph, Grogar, Whippos. Each one of them nearly destroyed Equestria on several occasions!"

"First off, it's 'Warpos'." Echo corrected. "But I do agree with you."

"You do?" Sterling said in confusion.

"You do?" Sunset echoed.

"Indeed, dark magic has a bloody and horrific history, and yes, almost every known user of dark magic had every intention of subjugating the masses and causing great destruction." Echo admitted. "I can say without a doubt that dark magic is certainly something not to be used by ponies of weaker minds."

"...Meaning?" Sterling frowned.

"You saw what it did to Rancour and Zhadnost. They thought that the page they had was a ticket for a better life, and nothing could go wrong... but dark magic has a property about them that finds it's way into the user's mind and causes them to lose their grip on reality and what is right and what is wrong. It is nothing short of a miracle that the poor shopkeeper from Manehatten hadn't succumb to his own desire. Dark magic is like a parasite." Echo declared. "Plain and simple."

"Thus bringing me back to the point that dark magic is dangerous." Sterling glared. "Didn't it cross your mind that what happened to those two psychos might happen to you... again?"

"Again?" Sunset frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It does." Echo nodded, ignoring Sunset's question. "But dark magic is simply something I cannot walk away from. One cannot get honey without getting stung a couple of times."

"But even so, why risk getting stung by a bunch of bees, especially if they are deadly?" Sterling retorted.

"To sate my hunger, of course." Echo replied wisely. "There is so much we can learn from dark magic, and if I were to ignore it, I would be left with an undying thirst, unquenchable by any liquid in existence."

Wow..." Sunset murmured, no longer wondering about the 'again' Sterling mentioned. "That's deep."

"Yeah, sure..." Sterling huffed. "Can we just get to Marekakech already?"

"Of course." Sunset nodded.

"A fascinating place it is, too." Echo smiled. "It's inhabitants include Zebras, Antelopes, Wildebeests... And the Zebra are apparently so progressive that they have eschewed the rhyming speech of most of their brethren."

"Yeah, yeah, real interesting." Sterling scoffed. "Let's just go, already."

When the trio arrived in Marerakech, they noticed something wasn't right. There were weak emaciated Zebras, Wildebeest, and Antelope everywhere. Some were nibbling desperately at small patches of grass.

"Whoa... this doesn't look anything like the brochure." Sterling frowned.

"Those poor things." Sunset gasped sympathetically. "They look like they haven't eaten in days."

"There must be some kind of famine going on." Echo observed. "Alas, such a thing tends to happen in this part of the world."

"A part of the world that so happened to be where a page from Sombra's book, huh?" Sterling frowned knowingly. "...I smell a rat."

Sunset took a sandwich out of her saddlebag (the trio having stocked up on food during their stay in Moscolt).

"Here." She gave it to a nearby Antelope. "You need this more than I do."

"Bless you, kind lady." The Antelope smiled gratefully. "Your help is most appreciated."

"I have some food, too." Echo offered.

"And me." Sterling stepped forward.

The starving Marerakechians gathered around, grateful for whatever food they could find.

"Thank you so much." A Zebra smiled.

"You're welcome." Sunset smiled back.

"I just wish we could give you more." Echo admitted.

"So do we." The Antelope sighed.

"Don't you worry, pal." Sterling declared. "I have a sneaking suspicion your problem is connected to our reason for being here. If I'm right, things are gonna change around here pretty quickly."

"Then for our sake, I hope you're right." The Antelope declared.

"Me too." Sterling said solemnly. "Me too."

"Come along, then." Echo urged. "According to my sources, Uroho Gourmand runs a diner in the center of town."

"A diner?" Sunset frowned in confusion. "If there's a place that sells food around here, then why is everypony starving?"

"If I had to make a guess, the same reason ponies were angry in Zhire, and turned to gold in Moscolt." Sterling glared.

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Echo declared. "Even very likely conclusions..."

Echo, Sunset, and Sterling walked over to the diner. Inside was a lot of food lining two buffet table as well as tables and booths, as per usual food establishments. It was deserted, save for a lone Zebra attempting to get the door to the back room open. He was thin, like the other inhabitants of the town, and unlike most Zebras, opted to wear more modern attire then the 'tribal' look often favoured by them, a style chosen by a significant amount of the species.

"Hey." Sterling called.

The Zebra turned and glanced at the trio.

"There's food in here, guys." He whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Echo asked. "We aren't the authorities. We aren't going to turn you in."

"That's right" Sunset agreed.

"'Sides, we have bigger fish to fry..." Sterling declared.

"What is your name?" Echo inquired.

"Ziggy." The Zebra replied.

"And what's your deal?" Sterling asked. "Why are you trying to get in?"

"You saw what's going on out there." Ziggy pointed out with a scowl. "The whole town is starving to death, and there's this guy here that stockpiling enough food to feed all of Zebrica and keeping it locked away from us."

"But why? Who would do such a thing?" Echo frowned

"You don't wanna know, man..." Ziggy gulped.

"Well, I d-UGH!" Sterling suddenly slipped, hitting the ground. He got up and lifted his hooves, as he realized he had slipped in some very old, rancid leftovers.

"UGH!" He gagged, wiping himself off. "Oh, gross! What, did somepony empty a trashcan here?"

"Keep it down, he'll hear you!" Ziggy hissed.

"Hey!"

"Now you've done it..." Ziggy trembled.

"Who the buck is that?!"

The squeaking of wheels echoed, as an extremely obese Zebra in a muscle shirt came in on a scooter. Echo, Sunset, and Sterling all gaped in shock and disgust, as the fat Zebra chowed down on a tofu chicken leg messily. His fur and shirt were splattered with grease, sauce and fragments of food, some of it going bad, and his mane was long and unkempt. A symbol of a mountain adorned his flank, and tucked into the shirt was an old piece of paper that was miraculously clean.

"Is that..." Sterling shuddered, horrified.

Echo swallowed his bile and nodded.

Uroho Gourmand." He said in a strained voice. "The one we've been looking for."

"...Holy crud, he's put on a lot of weight." Sterling hissed silently.

Gourmand breathed heavily, then let out a bit of gas, as he pointed with his tofu chicken leg.

"Get away from my food!" He yelled, before digging back into the chicken leg.

"Look, there's plenty in here for everypony!" Sunset declared. "They're out there starving!"

"Too bad! All the food in this diner belong to me!" Gourmand growled with a full mouth, causing chewed up food to splash from his mouth, "I am not going to stand by and have vultures like those losers out there eat my food! Especially since I have this pretty little number here..." He tapped the page tucked in his shirt. 

"Is that..." Echo gaped, his eyes twitching. "Are you seriously using a rare and delicate page of a powerful artifact as a napkin?!"

"Yeah, so?" Gourmand sneered, "It was given to me! So I'm using it!"

"Using it?" Echo gaped, as he inspected the morbidly obese pony. "How?!"

"Like this!" Gourmand roared, as he opened his mouth wide and swallowed the half-eaten tofu chicken leg whole, bone and all, gargling it down. As he did so, however, wisps began appearing from his eyes. Within seconds, the leg suddenly slip into his throat, and with a gulp, it was gone, and Gourmand let out a loud burp.

"Oh Faust..." Sunset felt bile rising again.

"So he's a whackadoo, just like the others." Sterling sighed. "Only way grosser..."

"I'll admit, this is one application of dark magic I do not care for." Echo shuddered.

"Oh, up yours!" Gourmand barked. "This spell makes it where I can eat as much as I want! It's like my stomach became a black hole or something."

"How is this guy still alive?" Sterling cringed.

"The better questions is how can you just let all those others starve?" Sunset asked. "They need this food way more than you do!"

"Ah, I used to think the same way you do once." Gourmand shrugged. "I was part of this group that helped folks in need. Buildin' bridges, makin' vaccines, all that stuff. When I was all done, I came back home, and opened up this diner to feed all the folk here. I was so happy back then! But then my doctor said I needed to lose some weight! Saying that three hundred pounds was unhealthy for a guy my age! He put me on a diet of rice crackers and parsley sprigs. Meanwhile, all the others were piggin' out at this diner, free to eat whatever they wanted, and as much as they wanted. It was absolute torture! In the end, I just couldn't take it anymore! I was tired of low carbs! I was tired of celery! I'm hungry, and now with this page, I won't have to go hungry ever again!"

"And leave the others without food?" Echo growled, "Are you that much of a pig that you would let them die from starvation, all because you didn't want to eat healthy?"

"I figured I'd done enough caring about others for one lifetime." Gourmand shrugged. "Now, I'm looking out for number one." He glanced at Sunset lecherously. "Although, I wouldn't mind a plus one... Whattaya say, good-looking?"

"I say 'you make me sick'." Sunset spat.

"What?!" Gourmand growled. "Oh, don't tell me; You only go for skinny or buff guys, like the nerdy bat and the draft horse in the guard get-up over there! It's because of mares like you that us fat guys never get laid!"

"Just calm down." Echo told him, trying to ignore the insult. "The magic of the spell has clearly warped your mind. We can help make you well again. All you have to do is give us the page."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Gourmand snarled. "Sorry, I'm done giving hoofouts!"

As they talked, Ziggy sneaked over to the pile of food on the buffet table. Suddenly, Gourmand rounded on him in a squeal of tires.

"I thought I told you to get away from my food!" Gourmand yelled.

"It's not like you can eat all of it." Ziggy countered.

Gourmand blocked his way.

"Hey! You just watch me!" He yelled.

He then began eating from one of the food bins on the buffet table, stuffing his face with some garden burgers, his eyes becoming wispy again.

"Oh, lord..." Sunset groaned.

"I'm gonna puke..." Sterling grimaced.

"Such a travesty..." Echo retched.

Then, Gourmand belched loudly, causing Echo to step back in revulsion, knocking over a plate from the other buffet table. Gourmand gasped in shock.

"No! No, no, no! No!" Gourmand panicked, as he scooted over to that buffet table, prompting Echo to back away from him as he then began chowing down on the snack foods, his eyes gaining their wisps once more.

"Oh, to Tartarus with this." Ziggy snarled, as he went back to the food bin he was trying to gather from. However, Gourmand was quick to notice him.

"No!" Gourmand screamed, as he started throwing nearby plates at Ziggy.

"Hey, stop it, I'm starving!" Ziggy yelled, shielding himself from the plates as they shatter against him. "Me, my wife, and my three little girls need food! One of them is only a foal!"

"Get away from my..." Gourmand pulled up a metal spork.

"Oh, sweet mercy." Ziggy went pale.

"Food!" Gourmand cried as he charged at Ziggy, stabbing him repeatedly. The trio was horrified.

"No, stop!" Sunset yelled, appalled.

Gourmand threw Ziggy aside, as the famished zebra clutched his wounds, groaning.

"You skinny dudes just think you can take whatever the buck you want, don't you?" Gourmand spat. "World on the platter!"

Sunset ran over to the zebra, checking on him.

"What the buck is wrong with you?!" She yelled at Gourmand. "He has a family to feed!"

"Good Faust, dude, he was just hungry!" Sterling added.

"Well so am I, bunghole!" Gourmand retorted.

"Well, I think you've had plenty already." Echo declared with a cold glare.

"That's an understatement!" Sterling snickered.

"You odious fat-flank!" Sunset snarled, trying to stop Ziggy's bleeding.

Gourmand started to get angry.

"Are you calling me..." He growled.

Echo and Sterling's eyes went pinprick small, and Sunset stiffened, as they realized what they did.

"Oh, buck." They said in unison. If there was one thing that you should never call a pony of Gourmand's stature, especially one who is psychotic, it's:

"FAT?!" Gourmand screamed out loud, his mouth nearly unhinging.

With a screech of tires, Gourmand charged at Echo and Sterling, spork drawn.

"YAAAAHHH!" He screeched.

Echo and Sterling managed to leap out of the way, but Gourmand turned, and made to charge at them again.

Meanwhile, Sunset was continuing to apply pressure to Ziggy's wounds.

"Oh, being stabbed to death by a spork... what a way to die..." Ziggy cursed.

"You're not going to die." Sunset assured him. "Not if I can help it."

Sunset looked around, trying to find something she could use as patch up Ziggy's wounds. She caught sigh of food wrappers, napkins, and paper towels, and, using her magic, fashioned them into makeshift bandages.

"That should hold for now." She smiled.

"Thanks." Ziggy smiled.

"Come on." Sunset helped him up. "Let's get you to safety."

As Sunset pulled Ziggy to one side, Gourmand continued trying to run down Echo and Sterling.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sterling taunted.

"I'll show you my best!" Gourmand roared.

Gourmand grabbed more plates as he drove by the buffet table and began chucking them like crazy at the Thestral and guard.

"Look out!" Echo ducked.

"Seriously?" Sterling dodged a plate, which smashed against the wall. "Let me show you some real firepower!" 

Sterling drew his crossbow and fired some bolts at Gourmand. However, while the bolts did hit their target, Gourmand's excessive fat practically made it seem like they'd hit marshmallows... and it only made the obese zebra madder.

"Grrr..." Gourmand growled darkly.

"Okay, that most certainly didn't work." Sterling gulped. 

Gourmand let out a roar as he steered his scooter towards Sterling. However, as he did, the scooter ran over a puddle of sauce. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Gourmand stammered as his scooter veered out of control towards Sterling.

"No, no, no!" Sterling gaped.

Within seconds, Gourmand toppled out of it and landed on Sterling.

"MMMMFF!" Sterling's muffled voice emanating from under the rotund Zebra, his back hooves flailing like crazy.

"Help!" Gourmand groaned, struggling to right himself, before letting out another burp. Sterling's muffled screams grew louder, "I've fallen and I can't get up!"

"Allow me to help!" Echo rammed into Gourmand, knocking him aside and off Sterling.

"Ahhh!" Sterling gasped for air, the upper half of his body all sticky and dirty (not to mentioned sweaty), and his mane sticking out in places. "He smells like a landfill... a sweaty landfill! And I could hear 'Wrecking Ball'!" He then gripped Echo. "Wrecking Ball I tell you!"

"Again with the insults, huh?" Gourmand snarled, as he struggled back on to his scooter. "I'll shut you up for good this time!" He then pulled out his metal spork again.

The fight continued, neither side making much headway.

"Come and get it!" Gourmand roared, charging towards Echo.

Echo took off, and Gourmand crashed into a wall.

"No fair!" Gourmand groaned. "Get down here and fight!"

"Oh, I will." Echo smirked, proceeding to divebomb Gourmand.

Gourmand grabbed Echo's leg.

"Gotcha!" He sneered, before throwing him at Sterling.

Echo collided with Sterling and they both collapsed on the floor.

"Guys!" Sunset called from across the room.

"They need you." Ziggy told her.

"So do you." Sunset declared.

"I'll be okay." Ziggy assured her. "Go. Help your friends."

"I will." Sunset nodded.

Sunset rushed over to Echo and Sterling.

"You two okay?" She asked.

"Yes, but not for Gourmand's lack of trying." Echo admitted. "I'll give him this: For an overweight fellow, he is quite a fighter."

"Any ideas, smart guy?" Sterling asked Echo.

"Just one." Echo smiled. "We give him what he wants: Food."

"Say what?" Sterling gaped.

"Just look at him." Echo pointed. "He's already a massive mound of fat. If we overfeed him, he'll be too stuffed to fight."

"Worth a shot." Sterling shrugged.

Let's do it." Sunset smiled.

As Gourmand charged them, they dodged again, and raced to the buffet.

"Get away from there!" Gourmand yelled. "That's my food!"

"Well then: Bon appetit!" Echo declared, grabbing a hoofful of nachos and thrusting it into Gourmand's mouth.

"Mmm, cheesy!" Gourmand grinned, his eyes regaining the wisps as he chowed down.

"How about some chilli?" Sterling rammed an entire plateful into Gourmand's face.

"Or some churros?" Sunset stepped forward, using her magic to fling them at Gourmand.

"Ohhh, so good!" Gourmand moaned, too enraptured by the food to even question why they were feeding him. The wisps around his eyes grew stronger.

Echo and Sterling continued forcing food down Gourmand's throat. Sure enough, the rotund Zebra's stomach began to rumble.

"Urghhh..." He groaned. "No more..."

"But we haven't even gotten to dessert yet!" Echo shoved some pudding down his throat.

"Stop it!" Gourmand roared, swinging his spork weakly, "Something's wrong with my spell!"

Sterling then charged at Gourmand, leaping onto the front of his scooter.

"Hey!" Gourmand barked.

"I'll be taking that!" Sterling smirked, as he pulled the page from his shirt. Then, with a back flip, he reared his back legs and bucked him away. "Eat it, fatso!"

Gourmand reeled back. His body began groaning more loudly, the absence of the page having unfortunate repercussions.

"I feel really bad." He whimpered. "Oh my Faust... Like super bad gas..." The trio looked on in disgust and disdain. "You gave me indigestion." His body groaned more. "You little... pigs..." He then got angry once more. "Time to..." Echo, Sunset, and Sterling stepped back, a bit unsure as to what he was going to do next. "PURGE!"

The trio braced themselves as Gourmand charged at them with his scooter... and then, the masked pony broke the front door down, much to their shock.

"What the?!" Gourmand gasped, stopping his scooter instantly.

"Oh come on, now?!" Sterling groaned.

"Hey!" Gourmand turned to face the masked pony. "Who are you?! More skinny dudes to take my food?!"

The masked pony stared at him... but it was obvious he was as disgusted as the trio was.

"Well, bring it on!" Gourmand sneered, ignoring the pain in his giant stomach. "I will kill YO-AHH!"

The villain, with the flick of his hoof, knocked Gourmand off with a well-placed punch of his microcrystal formed into a giant hoof.

"ACK!" Gourmand groaned, the sudden attack not helping his stomach problem, "Why you little…" He struggled to get up, but he was too fat to do so, "I kill you!"

With more waves of his hoof, the microcrystals were beginning to envelop the fat zebra.

"You want a piece of me?!" Gourmand roared, as he then took a mouthful of the crystals and swallowed them, "Well, do ya?"

However, the masked pony's eyes only narrowed more in disgust as he waved his hoof once more and the microcrystals all began to swarm into the zebra's mouth.

"Gah?!" The zebra gasped, as the microcrystals flooded into his mouth like a geyser. "No! Gah! Stop...!" 

"Oh no..." Sterling murmured.

Gourmand's body was beginning to bulge, the crystals poking through his skin.

"He's going to blow!" Echo yelped.

The trio ran out of the diner, with Ziggy being carried by Sterling, not wanting to stick around for the end. They ducked behind a fence, peeking though the gaps.

Inside, the masked pony continued forcing the crystals into Gourmand.

"No... more..." Gourmand wheezed, his body reaching its limit. "I'm... full..." His eyes rolled back into his head.

Shortly after, there was a dull "boom!" and the diner's windows were splattered with unspeakable slime.

"Oh, my Faust..." Sunset shuddered, utterly revolted.

"That was certainly the most horrid way to go as far as crazy dark magic using ponies go." Sterling admitted. "Hooves down."

The masked pony soon walked out the diner, half of his body covered in that same sludge, straightening his jacket. The townsfolk surrounding the diner glanced at the masked pony... but then glanced at the open doors.

"Hey, the diner's open!" A Wildebeest declared.

"Oh, jolly day, I'm starving!" An Antelope cried.

The townsfolk charged into the diner, ready to feast, paying the masked pony no mind. They didn't seem to be phased that what remained of Gourmand splattered the walls, nor did it do anything to affect their appetite. The masked pony then glanced around, searching for the trio. Believing they had escaped, he left on a cloud of crystals, shaking the stuff off his coat.

"That was a close one." Echo declared, as they emerged from behind the fence.

"For him, that is." Sterling smirked.

"Thank you all." Ziggy smiled, still wincing a bit from his wounds. "You have saved this town from starvation."

"Happy to help." Sunset smiled.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab some food for my family." Ziggy declared. "Farewell!"

As Ziggy rushed into the diner, the trio departed.

"So, another guardian was corrupted by the page he was supposed to be protecting." Sterling said smugly. "I hate to say 'I told you so'..."

"Nopony likes a gloater, Sterling." Sunset frowned.

"It's alright, Sunset." Echo declared. "Cross's taunts shall not deter me from my beliefs."

"You're no fun." Sterling pouted.

The group walked in silence, when Sunset suddenly said:

"So... Echo..."

"Sunset, I am in no mood to explain to you the whole 'probation' matter." Echo frowned. "So perish the thought."

"Not that..." Sunset shook her head, though it was still a question in her mind. "It's something else... why did you want to study dark magic in the first place? With all the animosity towards the subject and what you said about dark magic being a parasite, I can't help but wonder what your reasons are."

"You and every single pony in the world." Sterling rolled his eyes.

"Funny." Echo glared at Sterling, but then letting out a sigh. "But I do believe a proper explanation for my choice of field of research is warranted."

"This ought to be good." Sterling murmured to himself, before Sunset elbowed him.

"Well... it goes way back, about fifteen years ago, in the town of Flankaster. I was between jobs, and I was taking an evening stroll. Back then, I was unsure about what to do with my life. As far as I could remember, dark magic had always fascinated me, but at the time I lacked the gall and drive to pursue the field. It was during this stroll that I came across an awful scene... a stallion that was attempting to...'force himself' upon a young mare." Echo recalled.

"Oh my..." Sunset murmured in shock.

Even Sterling was beginning to take actual interest. "Really? What happened next?"

"To be honest, I was at a loss as to what to do. This was before I taught myself how to properly combat ruffians, and this stallion was about a head taller than me. I would had surely stand no chance against him..." Echo mused, frowning with remembrance. "I was moments away though from seeking help from the authorities when he came forth."

"Who?" Sunset asked.

"A Thestral, just like me." Echo explained, "He was a lot older than me, white maned, pale grey coat, notched bat wings, had a pair of circular sunglasses, and a four-winged bat cutie mark... that was as much as I knew about him. I watched as he came from the shadows, demanding that the stallion left the mare alone. The stallion said 'no' of course... but then, something absolutely shocking happened..."

"More shocking than a pony with a four-winged bat cutie mark?" Sterling joked. "Who ever heard of a four-winged bat?"

"There was one instance of a bat like that, but that's aside the point." Echo shrugged. "The point is... the Thestral merely lifted his glasses and wisps came from his eyes instantly. His hooves became raveled in this purplish smoke and within seconds, he trapped the stallion in a veil of it, rendering him unconscious instantly."

"Purplish smoke... why does that sound familiar?" Sunset mused.

"Because it should." Echo declared. "For it was a 'dark smoke' spell, straight from one of the old dark magic spell books. It was a spell often used to torture ponies, whether it be for interrogation or for laughs... just breathing in an ounce of it was supposedly like breathing death itself... yet when this Thestral used it, the despicable stallion, despite his cruel intentions, didn't feel a thing."

He then glanced at both Sterling and Sunset.

"Don't you get it?" Echo smiled. "A pony just like me had somehow managed to take a dark magic spell solely meant to inflict pain and suffering and use it to incapacitate a pony, no more, no less. If such a spell as the 'dark smoke' could be used for the sake of altruism... then maybe dark magic as a whole could be used to change the world... for the better. I never did see that Thestral again after that night... but it is because of him that I see dark magic for what it is today... and it is because of him that my belief in dark magic will never be shattered... no matter what."

"Wow." Sunset smiled. "You really do impress me sometimes, you know that?"

"Thank you, Sunset." Echo grinned. "I do try."

"Well, goody-goody for you." Sterling snorted. "Now can we please leave this country, before I get baked to death?!"

"Complaining again, I see." Echo smirked.

"Well, I never did get that water..." Sterling frowned.

"Guess in all the excitement, we forget." Sunset shrugged.

"We can at least take solace in the fact that we now have three pages." Echo smiled. "Victory is within our grasp."

"I'd rather a nice, cool smoothie was in my grasp..." Sterling groaned.

Back in the Crystal Empire, Shining and Cadance received word from Moscolt via letter.

"'The fugitives dropped off the golden body of Dr Zhadnost at the local police station'." Shining frowned as he read the letter.

"That's not something you read every day." Cadance noted. "Does it say whether they could change him back?"

"Apparently, nothing they've tried has worked." Shining sighed. "Pity, really; They could have interrogated Zhadnost. We could have finally gotten some idea of Echo's true intentions. But instead, we're still in the dark."

"Well, at least that page didn't fall into the hooves of that masked pony." Cadance offered.

"I know." Shining sighed. "But we still can't sure of Echo's goals. Until then, nopony can rest easy."

"Let's just hope their intentions aren't as bad as they could be." Cadance declared. "And that our Guardsponies catch up to them soon. At the very least, they can straighten this whole thing out, so we know for sure whose side they're on."

"Those Guardsponies are the best we have." Shining said confidently. "If they can't catch up to those three, nopony can. Echo and his friends can't run forever. One way or another, we'll get to the bottom of this..."
> The Lust Of Eros
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio arrived at the island nation of Minostan, ancestral home of the Minotaurs.

"Whoa, check out all the two-leggers." Sterling noted, looking at all the Minotaurs. "Why would a page be hidden here?"

"Probably because it's the last place anypony would think to look." Sunset argued.

"Speaking of looking, this is a pretty nice place." Sterling glanced around.

"We're not here to sightsee, Cross." Echo declared. "We have a page to collect."

"And where might that page be?" Sunset asked.

"In the possession of Venus Eros, a Unicorn archaeologist who currently resides here." Echo revealed.

"Ponies live here?" Sterling frowned.

"Of course." Echo nodded. "Just as a small amount of Minotaurs call Equestria home, so do a few ponies call this island home."

"I can see why they'd want to live here." Sunset smiled, feeling the balmy breeze run through her mane. "The weather's great."

"Oh, yeah." Sterling agreed. "Finally, a decent temperature."

"Let's not dilly-dally." Echo declared. "The most likely place we'll find Ms. Eros at is the dig site she's currently working on, just due east from here."

"Then let's get to it." Sunset smiled. "Maybe we can score four pages."

"Here's hoping." Sterling nodded.

As they made their way to the excavation site, they saw a mare wandering around, carrying a photo of a stallion.

"Excuse me, have you seen this stallion?" She asked them worriedly. "He's my husband. I haven't seen him in days."

"I'm sorry, miss." Echo shook his head. "We haven't seen him. And besides, we've only just arrived here."

"I understand." The mare sighed. "Thanks, any."

"A missing pony..." Sunset frowned. "I'm getting a serious sense of deja vu..."

They arrived at the site to find it empty. No soul was in sight, whether they be pony or Minotaur. Though it was clear there had been ponies there recently. There was even a photo of the crew with their head archaeologist, a handsome stallion. There was only one female pony in the group; A pink Unicorn mare with a yellow mane, purple eyes, and a Cutie Mark of two hearts overlapping each other. A note beside the photo read:

Thanks for all the hard work, guys!

-Venus

"That must be Eros." Echo surmised.

"Hubba-hubba." Sterling grinned. "What a hottie!" He then Sunset glaring at him. "For an archaeologist, I mean..."

"Watch it, Sterling." Sunset rolled her eyes. "I don't think the crew would appreciate you drooling all over the picture."

"Which begs the question: where is everypony?" Echo frowned. "This place should be packed with workers. I suppose they could all be on their lunch break..."

"I doubt it." Sterling frowned, glancing at all the artefacts lying on tables, half-cleaned. "No self-respecting archaeologist would leave their discoveries out in the open like this. That's just asking for robbers to steal them. And these look like some valuable artefacts."

"You know about archaeology?" Sunset asked, amazed.

"Oh, yeah." Sterling nodded. "It's kind of a hobby of mine, actually. Before I became a Royal Guardspony, I used to go on digs just like this."

"Well, I am impressed." Sunset smiled. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"There's a lot you don't about me." Sterling smiled. "This place remains me of a dig site I was at a while back. We found all sorts of great stuff. Even a genuine saddleskrit scroll."

"No kidding?" Sunset gasped. "That's amazing!"

"Sure was." Sterling grinned. "And this other time-"

"Perhaps we should move on." Echo interrupted. "Standing around here is accomplishing nothing. We must continue our search elsewhere."

As the trio left the site, Echo pulled Sterling aside.

"I know what you're trying to do." He growled. "Trying to get on Sunset's good side, so you can lull her into some sleazy tryst."

"Say what?" Sterling growled.

"You heard me." Echo snarled. "I know you've been leering at her all this time. You probably only see her as a pretty face and a shapely flank, don't you?"

"And what do you see her as?" Sterling retorted. "Just some lowly assistant with a decent brain you can use to help your little mission?"

"I see her as a friend." Echo glared. "And as her friend, I will protect her from your unseemly advances. She is too good of a mare to be associating herself with somepony like you."

"Now that is going too far." Sterling growled. "Sure, I may come on a little too strong sometimes, but believe it or not, I actually care about Sunset. She's a real sweetheart, and one beautiful mare. Or can't you see that?"

"Well, I..." Echo suddenly spluttered.

"The bottom line is, you've got nothing to worry about." Sterling declared. "Even if something did happen, I would be a perfect gentlestallion. I give you my word."

"...Fine." Echo said grudgingly. "I suppose that's good enough."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Sterling snorted, "But honestly, don't you know a gorgeous mare when one is right in front of you? Because for another stallion who doesn't want me messing around with her, you don't seem to be making any advances yourself. Why is that, Echo?"

"Simple. Sunset is my assistant. She was not chosen by Celestia herself for me in hopes of me achieving physical pleasure with her." Echo grunted, "She was chosen because her knowledge and intellectual capacity regarding dark magic was almost equal to my own. And you know what they say: don't mix work with pleasure."

"Come on, Alchemy, you mean to tell me that you don't feel a bit of sexual attraction towards her?" Sterling gestured to Sunset as she walked further ahead. "Not one bit?"

"Well..." Echo hesitated. "...No. Not one bit."

"You disappoint me, Alchemy." Sterling shook his head.

"Hey, guys!" Sunset yelled, far ahead of them. "What's the hold-up?"

"Coming!" Echo and Sterling called together.

As they re-entered the town, they couldn't help but notice more news of missing stallions. They came across even more mares, who were trying to find their husbands and coltfriends, and even some stallions missing their wives.

"More missing ponies." Echo frowned. "What could have happened to them?"

"Maybe some tentacle monster got 'em." Sterling shrugged. "You know how grabby those guys are."

Sunset actually chuckled at Sterling's joke.

"Good one!" She nudged him lightly.

"Thanks." Sterling grinned. "I'll be here all week."

Echo frowned again.

"Let's check out the local bar." He suggested. "Perhaps somepony there has seen Eros."

The trio made their way to The Asterion, a fairly large bar, and started questioning the patrons about Eros. None of them seemed to know anything about her whereabouts; She had apparently vanished some days ago.

"Another dead end." Sunset sighed. "What now?"

"I don't know." Echo sighed. "Where could Eros be?"

"Looks like you three are a little stressed out." A male Minotaur sidled over to them. "I know how to fix that."

"You do?" Sterling asked sceptically.

"Oh, yeah." The Minotaur grinned. "There's this Unicorn mare who hangs out at this old photo studio at the edge of town. She's great at... relieving stress." He handed Echo a card with the address on it. "You should drop by sometime."

"We'll keep that in mind." Echo frowned, reluctantly taking the card.

"Oh, please do." The Minotaur chuckled, as he left.

"What a sleazebag." Sterling snorted "Relieving stress... I know what he really meant, and I don't go for that kind of filth!"

"Yes, it's..." Echo trailed off as he glanced at the card. "Wait. This writing... It looks exactly like the kind on a note I saw at the dig site. The one signed by Eros! This is where she is!"

"Well, whaddaya know?" Sterling smirked.

"Let's get going." Sunset declared.

Not long after, the trio walked into the abandoned studio, where they discovered a few tied up mares and stallions.

"What the..." Echo gaped.

They looked around, and soon found the archaeology head from the photo, with his mouth duct-taped shut.

"Mmmph!" The stallion said through his gag. "Hmmmmph!"

"What are you guys doing in here?" Sterling asked. "Are you alright? Do you need help?"

"Hmmmmph!" The stallion mumbled. "Hmmmmmph!"

"Oh my..." Sunset gaped.

"Everything is going to be fine." Echo reassured him. "We are not here to harm you."

Echo moved to free him, before he tripped on a piece of rope, his rear in the air. The head began to panic as he glanced up. Suddenly, they heard a dark chuckle, as Sunset and Sterling glanced up to see Venus Eros in the rafters. She looked almost exactly like she did in the photo, save for a messy mane, and the fact she was wearing red-and-black striped socks on her hooves, one of which had the page poking out of it.

"My, just walked in the door and already presenting." The mare smiled. "Venus Eros. Nice to make your acquaintance." She gazed at Echo's rear. "Truly, it is..."

The mares and stallions and the head began to panic more. Echo got up and looked up at the mare, a bit perturbed.

"Sorry about that, ma'am." He straightened his glasses. "There's no need to get all excited. We are just here for the page you have... so, can we have it?" 

"Dear me, I've never had a Thestral before." Eros remarked, ignoring Echo's question. "Is it true that you nurse on the blood from your mate's neck when having relations?"

The trio were caught off guard by the question. Echo was mortified, while Sunset and Sterling were bemused.

"Um, well, sort of." Echo said awkwardly, trying to regain poise. "It's a rather old and archaic mating ritual. Most Thestrals don't even do it anymore nowadays, for their loved ones' sake. You know, since we have that negative vampony stereotype going for us?"

"You don't say?" Eros mused. "Then, maybe you wouldn't mind demonstrating it by biting that sweet little mare's neck next to you, for me?"

"What?!" Echo gasped, trying not to blush.

"Me?!" Sunset spluttered.

"Hey lady, my pal here isn't biting anypony's neck." Sterling said firmly.

"Maybe a little lick?" Eros pouted, taking a nearby pulley and riding it down to their level.

"My apologies, ma'am, but I am in no mood to engage in... well, anything right now." Echo declared, still a little flustered. "We just want the page and everypony in here, and we can just act like nothing happened."

"Oh, don't you worry, you will be in the mood..." Eros grinned as she sauntered towards them, her horn glowing as the exit locked up, much to the trio's discomfort. "That door won't open again until you start being a little more... obedient." Her face contorted darkly as the hostages grew more scared. "If you don't listen to me... then I'm going to be..." Her horn started glowing viciously and her eyes became wispy. "...One, angry... lady!"

Her horn glowed red and unleashed some fire, which swirled as she swished her horn around, much to the trio's horror.

"Why are the hot ones always so crazy?" Sterling bemoaned.

"Hey." Sunset glared sideways at him.

"Now... why don't you try taking some of my suggestions?" Eros stepped back a bit as she gave an evil smile. "Maybe you'll find me a bit more..." She did a sultry pose, patting her body in the right place. "...Cooperative?"

"I think we should just calm down." Echo declared. "No need to resort to violence..." Then he added quickly, "Or anything coitus-related."

Eros then let out a crazy laugh.

"Guess again!" She cackled. "I happen to get a real kick out of violence!"

A stream of freezing vapour burst out of her horn, which the trio narrowly dodged.

"You know what they say: The best ones run hot and cold!" She shrieked.

"Not bad." Sterling admitted, as he pointed his crossbow. "But you're still outnumbered."

"Oh, am I?" Eros sneered, her horn glowing a sickening green.

The captive stallions were suddenly freed from their bonds. Before they could attempt to escape, they were enveloped by the dark magic.

"You see that, boys?" She put on a wounded look. "This brute's trying to attack a poor, defenceless mare and take me for his own…are you going to let him?"

"Defenceless?" Sterling snorted. "Seriously?"

The stallions glared at Sterling venomously, and started throwing insults as they advanced on him.

"Where do you get off, attacking that poor mare?"

"Somepony should teach you how to treat a lady!"

"Get him!"

The stallions charged at Sterling en masse. Sterling lowered his crossbow, and attempted to face them physically.

"Nothing better than having guys fighting over you." Eros sniggered, turning to leave. "Have fun, boys!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Sunset yelled, giving chase. "Come on, Echo!"

"Right behind you!" Echo followed.

"Don't worry about me, guys." Sterling said sarcastically, as he punched a spellbound stallion in the face. "I'll be fine!"

Echo and Sunset following Eros up to the rafters and scaffolding.

"You can't get away, Eros." Sunset declared.

"Oh, I think I can." Eros tittered, her eyes growing wispy again. "Something tells me you're going to be a little busy..."

Before either of them could react, Eros fired another beam of dark magic straight at Echo.

"Echo!" Sunset gasped. "Are you okay?"

Echo shook his head, then stared at Sunset, his eyes glazing over.

"I'm fine." He smirked. "And so are you..."

"Excuse me?" Sunset gaped, hoping desperately that she had heard that wrong.

"I've never really noticed before, how the red in your mane brings out your gorgeous eyes." Echo strutted over to her. "Or how long and slender your legs are..."

"Um, thanks..." Sunset said awkwardly as he backed her against the railing. "But this really isn't the time..."

"How could I not have seen what an attractive, and quite frankly, desirable mare you are?" Echo pondered, reaching out and stroking her mane. "No matter. I can simply make up for lost time..."

"Echo, try and fight it." Sunset urged, a blush tinging her cheeks. "We have a mission to complete, remember?"

"I've got a new mission now." Echo purred. "Satisfying your every need."

"Echo, please..." Sunset cringed.

"Remember that blood-nursing thing Eros mentioned?" Echo grinned, baring his fangs. "Maybe we could try that..."

"Oooh, this is getting interesting." Eros sniggered. "I planned to run after I bewitched him, but this is just toooo good to pass up."

"Echo, please, snap out of it!" Sunset pleaded, only to be caught off guard as he pushed her back against the railing (eliciting a yelp), gripping her by the hips.

"What a wonderful body you have, my dear." Echo purred, as he slowly lapped his tongue along Sunset's neck. "And that face... I've been wanting this for so long. So very long..."

"Echo, don't..." Sunset pushed Echo's head away from her neck.

Down below, Sterling was still fighting against the bewitched stallions.

"Come on guys, don't let that crazy mare tell you what to do!" He tried talking sense into them.

"Don't you call her that!" One stallion yelled. "She's an angel! An angel, I-"

Sterling knocked the stallion out.

"So much for reason." He remarked. He then glanced up at the rafters, which were too dark for him to see anything. "What's going on up there?"

Up above, Sunset was still struggling to fight off Echo's advances.

"Come on dear, don't resist him. Give me a good show..." Eros giggled darkly.

"Release him!" Sunset demanded, simultaneously trying to push Echo off of her and not give in to that little voice that was actually enjoying this 'attention'. "He doesn't deserve to be one of your mindless thralls!"

"What's the matter, girlfriend?" Eros winced. "Is he not your type? Maybe I should take him instead. I'll bet we could have a lot of fun together... like a little pet 'bat'..."

In that moment, something snapped within Sunset.

"THAT'S IT!!" A blinding rage suddenly erupted in Sunset. She pushed Echo off her, stopping only to rub her neck, and charged at Eros, striking her across the face.

"Ugh!" Eros gasped, as she rubbed her cheek, before chuckling. "Oooh, a little girl-on-girl. Nice."

"What is wrong with you?" Sunset yelled. "Why are you doing this to those ponies?"

"I'm helping them, of course." Eros declared, firing off a stream of flame

"Helping?!" Sunset sidestepped the flame and fired a bolt of magic. "How is this helping them?"

"I'm bringing love into their hearts." Eros shot off a cold beam, which was only repelled by a well-timed shield of Sunset. "Treating them to sensations that they would never feel in their lifetime."

"You call that love?" Sunset spat.

"Of course." Eros nodded. "And I oughta know. See that dreamy stallion down there? " She pointed to the archeology head, who was in the middle of fighting Sterling.

"This! Is! What! They! Mean! When! They! Say! Love! Hurts!" Sterling declared, punctuating each word with a punch.

"I was in love with him for the longest time, but I was always too shy to even have a conversation with him... but I thought if I persevere, I would get him. So I eventually did confess my feelings to him..." Eros mused... before her face contorted into rage. "And then he comes and tells me that he was already married to some old hag back in Prance! I was so heartbroken! I never loved any other pony beside him! No other ponies would had loved me! But then I remembered this!" She held up the sock that held the page. "With this page, I could use this pretty little love spell to win not only his heart, but his mind and soul. Same goes for all the other boys and girls down there."

"That isn't love!" Sunset retorted. "Not even close! If Princess Cadance saw all this, she would be appalled!"

"What would you know?" Eros countered. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Well... no!" Sunset admitted. "But I've seen ponies who are, and they're nothing like you! Love doesn't control you! Love is kind! Love is selfless! But most of all, love is mutual! And you can't force it on others!"

"You're just jealous!" Eros said petulantly. "And you're not gonna stop me!"

"We'll see about that!" Sunset growled.

What followed was a series of back-and-forth volleys from their horns, as fire, ice, and pure magic collided atop the rafters. Echo stepped over to Sunset.

"Now, now, my darling." He embraced her. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Sunset struggled to free herself, but was unable to, forcing her to take extreme measures.

"Sorry about this, Echo." Sunset sighed.

Sunset kicked Echo in the face, knocking him out.

"Well, look who likes it rough!" Eros sneered.

"You'll pay for that, Eros." Sunset sneered.

"What?" Eros shrugged. "It's not like he's complaining."

"But you'll soon be!" Sunset roared.

Their clash started once more, more volleys of magic fired from both sides. Then, just as Sunset dodged a fireblast, she fired a beam to Eros's left. As Eros moved to dodge it, Sunset slid to the right, and punched Eros hard enough to know her off the rafters and down to the floor below. As the twisted mare collapsed, the green glow in her horn sputtered, and her spell was broken.

"What the-" Echo frowned, having snapped out of his trance.

Eros, badly injured, pulled herself up, as Sunset took another pulley down to face her. Meanwhile, Sterling had just finished beating up the last of the stallions.

"That's right! Stay down!" Sterling yelled. "I got two words for you guys: Speed. Dating!"

"Easy, Sterling, I think you beat the dark magic spell out of them." Sunset told him.

"Good." Sterling nodded. "Where's Echo?"

"Right here..." Echo flapped down triumphantly, though a bit ashamed. "Sunset, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine, Echo." Sunset gave him a forgiving smile. "Really..."

Eros laughed hysterically.

"Oh, naughty girl... you got me all riled up, you tease..." She purred, though grunting from her injuries. "How about you come and give me some sugar?"

"I am sorry, Ms. Eros..." Sunset began, as she walked over to Eros, the lusty mare giving a perverse grin... before Sunset then slugged her hard in the face, sending her to the ground, and then pulling the page from the sock, as she spat. "But I don't swing that way."

"Ooh, nice one." Sterling smirked.

"Thank you." Sunset smiled.

"Bad move, girlfriend..." Eros grunted, as she struggled to get to her hooves again. "I'm gonna have to give your pretty flank a-"

Eros had no chance to finish that sentence as suddenly, a column of dark crystals tore through the ceiling, crushing Eros, causing a bit of blood to splatter.

"GAH!" Sunset gasped, horrified by the mare's sudden death.

A second later, a giant crystal hoof blindsided Sunset, sending her flying and causing her to drop the page.

"What in the-" Echo gasped.

The masked pony suddenly emerged from the shadows. With one swift movement, he sent the trio flying with a stream of crystals. He then picked up the page, gave them a sarcastic nod, and left.

"Get back here, you..." Echo tried to get up, but his efforts were futile. Eros's spell had left him disorientated, and Sunset and Sterling were too tired to do anything.

"So much for four pages." Sunset groaned, once they'd recovered. "Now our enemy has another one."

"That can't be helped." Echo sighed. "But I must admit, Sunset, you were incredible back there."

"I was?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, yes." Echo nodded. "Though I wasn't in my right mind at the time, I saw it all. You are not just a sharp mind. You are quite the fighter."

"Thanks." Sunset smiled.

"Get a room, you two." Sterling joked.

Echo and Sunset blushed heavily.

"Anyway..." Echo said awkwardly. "We must depart for the next page..."

"Of course." Sunset coughed. "Right away..."

The trio, stopping only to inform the authorities of the locations of the missing stallions, got on the next boat out of Minostan, the next page in mind. But Echo had something else on his mind. Somepony else, in fact...

'What is wrong with me?' Echo thought. 'The spell is broken. I shouldn't still be feeling like this. And yet... I can't stop thinking about Sunset. Was Sterling actually right about me? No, of course not. Just some residual effects from the spell. It should wear off, sooner or later...'

On the other side of the boat, Sunset rubbed her neck, trying to make sense of what had just happened. As uncomfortable as it had felt having Echo all over her, there was a part of her that actually liked it. That worried her for some reason, as did her sudden rage when Eros spoke of taking Echo from her.

"Hey." Sterling joined Sunset, snapping her out of her musings. "Weird day, huh?"

"You can say that again." Sunset agreed.

"What happened up in those rafters, anyway?" Sterling asked.

"Eros got Echo with her magic." Sunset admitted. "He came on to me. Pretty fiercely, actually."

"Seriously?" Sterling gaped. "Who knew he had it in him, even with magic in the mix."

"I just hope things won't be weird between us, now." Sunset declared.

"I wouldn't worry." Sterling shrugged. "You know how 'professional' Alchemy can be. And besides, you can do a lot worse."

"That's certainly true." Sunset admitted. "You, for instance."

"Easy..." Sterling frowned.

"Just kidding." Sunset chuckled.

"And I thought I was the joker around here." Sterling smiled. "We're learning all sorts of things about each other today."

"Yeah." Sunset nodded. "And hopefully, we'll learn a lot more."

"I'd like that." Sterling grinned.

"Me too." Sunset agreed.

The two stood together, watching the sun setting over the ocean.

Meanwhile, back in the Crystal Empire, Shining and Cadance received word about what happened in Zebrica.

"They saved an entire town from starvation?" Cadance smiled. "Maybe they are on the side of good, after all..."

"Maybe." Shining shrugged. "Or maybe that was just a by-product of their real goal. I mean, look what became of this 'Uroho Gourmand'." He glanced at the paper. "They say he 'exploded into chunks and bits'."

"I still say they're out to do good." Cadance firmly. "And while Uroho's death was tragic, he had clearly lost all grip on reality."

"I guess the evidence is piling up." Shining admitted.

"We believe we may know where they'll be going next." A Guardspony announced. "We can send in a squad ahead of time and catch them as they arrive."

"No." Shining declared.

"Sir?" The Guardspony frowned.

"I'm done just sitting on the sidelines." Shining stood up. "I'm going out there myself."
> Auction Action
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere beyond Equestria, a cloaked pony was walking beside a small thicket. From the shadows, the masked pony emerged behind him.

"It's me." The masked pony declared. "Don't stop. Don't turn around."

"Well, well." The cloaked pony smirked. "I was beginning to think that you weren't going to show. Progress report?"

"Things are going well, Agent Flatfoot." The masked pony declared. "Another page is ours."

"Oh, yes." Flatfoot nodded. "That makes two to Echo's three... Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to pat yourself on the back."

"True, Echo and his companions have given me some... complications." The masked pony admitted grudgingly.

"That was to be expected." Flatfoot retorted. "They are a tenacious bunch. Especially Echo... All the same, you were expected to handle them."

"Perhaps I could have handled them better if I were allowed to use lethal force." The masked pony growled. "Holding back against them hasn't been easy..."

"And you will continue to do so." Flatfoot instructed. "For now, we need our troublesome Thestral and his companions alive."

"I still don't understand what Echo's part in all this is meant to be." The masked pony remarked.

"All will be revealed in time, my friend." Flatfoot remarked.

"That time had better be soon." The masked pony snarled. "I don't like being kept in the dark."

"That's ironic, coming from you." Flatfoot snorted. "Quite amusing, in fact..."

"Yes, hilarious." The masked pony said flatly.

"You'll learn the truth soon enough, I promise." Flatfoot pledged. "For now, just keep up the good work."

"Oh, I will." The masked pony nodded, before slipping back into the shadows. "For the Order Of Darkness, it shall be so."

"And nopony will stop us." The cloaked pony added.

Elsewhere...

Echo was walking down a dark long corridor, rather confused about what was going on.

"Hello?" His voice echoed. "Hello? Sunset? Sterling? Where are you guys?"

He continued down the long corridor, where he heard faint, sensual music.

"What is this?" He frowned. "Where am I? What's going on?"

Echo eventually arrived at the end of the corridor, finding himself in a... spacious bedroom, with candlelight and rose petals.

"Okay, this just went from ominous to strange real quickly." Echo noted.

"Oh, Echo..." A familiar voice called out, tinged with sultriness.

"Huh?" Echo looked up, and was stupefied to find Sunset, her mane groomed and let down, lounging saucily on the bed. "Uh... Ms. Shimmer?"

"I've been waiting for you, Echo..." Sunset purred.

"Uh, what is going on here?" Echo asked. "Where's Sterling... where are the pages?"

"Forget them, love... why don't you lie down with me?" Sunset smiled.

"Now, Sunset, we don't have time." Echo said, flustered. "The masked pony is on his way to the next page as we speak, and if we don't do-"

"Please, forget all your worries, Echo... and lie with me. Please?" Sunset pleaded, her eyes having a certain glint to them.

"Um... okay..." Echo gulped, unsure, as he climbed on the bed. "Look, Sunset, I know what you're thinking, and I really don't think it is appropriate that I would be doing this with my assistant..."

"But why?" Sunset asked. "Why deny that you have wishes to become one with me?" She began nuzzling his neck.

"I don't... well, maybe...it's complicated." Echo said awkwardly. "And I don't wish to get you mixed in those complications."

"Really? Even if I do this?" Sunset suddenly captured his mouth in a kiss. Echo tried his best to push her away... but his body just went limp as he got into it.

The two continued to make out. Echo tried his best not to give in, but found him enslaved enraptured by Sunset's touch, the warmth of her body next to his... He just couldn't resist, and quickly found himself returning her affections. Soon, Echo laid her on the bed.

"Remember what almost happened in Minostan?" Sunset exposed her neck. "Nursing on my blood? Do it. Do it now."

"Are you sure?" Echo asked with concern.

"More sure than I've ever felt in my life." Sunset grinned.

"Okay." Echo shrugged. "Here goes..."

Echo bit lightly into Sunset's neck, inducing a slight twinge of pain. Then came the lapping of the blood. Sunset enjoyed it at first... but it started getting uncomfortable.

"I think that's enough for now." She declared, trying to get Echo to stop.

But Echo couldn't stop. He knew Sunset wanted him to, but he couldn't. His body seemed to be beyond his control. He felt his body starting to change. He realized with mounting horror that his expanding jaw was tightening around Sunset's neck.

"Echo...!" Sunset gasped, unable to breathe, "P-please!"

Sunset scrambled to push him off with her hooves, but Echo only pinned them, his now bigger hooves crushing them, eliciting a high-pitched squeak from the choking mare, as tears of fear stream from her eyes.

However, Echo was unable to stop himself, as with a loud snap, Sunset fell limp. Echo felt himself pulled away, looking at the dead mare below him... before letting out a loud beast-like roar.

"Nooooo!" Echo suddenly woke up, sitting upright in his cabin bed. Sunlight streamed in through the porthole. Echo glanced at his body, feeling his jaw and his hooves, only to sigh in relief. "Just a dream..." He gasped. "It was just a dream... a horrifying nightmare... but a dream no less."

Sunset then entered the cabin.

"Oh good, you're up." She smiled. "We've arrived in Bitaly. Come on, let's go!"

"...Right behind you." Echo put on a brave face, still shaken by his nightmare.

Sterling was waiting for them outside.

"There you are." He noted, before spotting the sweat on Echo's brow. "Lemme guess: the AC in your cabin is on the fritz?"

"...Yes." Echo nodded.

"There'll be plenty of time to cool off later." Sunset urged. "Don't forget the mission."

The trio disembarked from the boat into Bitaly.

"Alright then." Echo declared, trying to put his nightmare behind him. "The next page is in the possession of Top Bid, an upper-class stallion."

"Who wants to bet this guy'll be totally nuts, too?" Sterling sighed wearily.

"That does seem to be the trend, doesn't it?" Sunset agreed.

"Not necessarily." Echo retorted. "That old fellow in Manehattan wasn't 'nuts', now was he?"

"Guess not." Sterling shrugged. "Boy, that seems like a long time ago."

"Indeed, it does." Echo noted. "Now, Top Bid runs an auction house. He'll most likely be there."

They arrived at Top Bid's auction house shortly afterward, elated to notice along the way that nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on.

"Maybe we've finally caught a break." Sunset said hopefully.

As they entered the auction house, they spotted Top Bid in a corner. He was a copper-colored stallion with a silvery mane, green eyes, and a gavel Cutie Mark. He was in the middle of talking with Larceny "Lars" Napoleon. The upcoming auction involved several items donated by the Napoleons, and Lars was there to make sure everything went smoothly.

"It's always good to see you Lars, but your visit just wasn't necessary." Top Bid declared.

"I'm just making sure the money goes where it's supposed to." Lars retorted. "Some of this stuff's been in our organisation's possession for generations. Can't blame me for being cautious...."

"Excuse me." Echo stepped forward. "Forgive the interruption, Mr. Bid, but I am Echo Alchemy, and we have a matter of great importance to discuss. If we may talk privately?"

"Make it quick." Top Bid shrugged.

The four of them entered a side room.

"So, what brings you here?" Top Bid asked.

"We have come for the page of King Sombra's spell book that was entrusted to you." Echo announced. "I must ask that you give it to us, post-haste."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that." Top Bid shook his head.

"Why?" Sterling asked, readying himself for a fight.

"Because that page is the star attraction in my auction tonight." Top Bid revealed.

"Auction?" Sunset gaped. "You're going to auction off a page filled with dark magic to the highest bidder?!"

"Yes, I am." Top Bid nodded.

"But you're supposed to be the page's guardian." Echo frowned. "You're supposed to protect it!"

"Yes, well, I've heard over the grapevine that the other page guardians have been having some... trouble lately." Top Bid remarked. "I'm not looking for trouble, so I'll just pass it on to somepony else. Feel free to come and bid on it tonight. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Top Bid departed the room, leaving the trio alone.

"Looks like we're going to have to join the auction..." Sunset sighed.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Echo frowned. "Our funds are quite low at the moment. An item of the page's caliber could go for thousands, if not millions of bits. We just don't have enough for that."

"Then we'll just bust in and take the page!" Sterling declared.

"Absolutely not." Echo countered. "We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves."

"Then what do you suggest, smart guy?" Sterling said irritably. "That big brain of yours got any ideas?"

"Just one." Echo nodded.

"What is it, Echo?" Sunset asked.

"I'd rather not discuss it here." Echo whispered. "You never know who could be listening..."

They left the auction house and made their way to a small field, where Echo relayed his idea.

"I will take part in the auction." He declared. "Sunset, you will hide yourself and use your magic to keep the other bidders from raising their hooves or speaking. With no competition, it will be relatively easy to buy the page with the funds we have."

"Pretty sneaky, Alchemy." Sterling grinned, showing genuine admiration. "I didn't you had it in you."

"Thank you... I think." Echo nodded. "Do you think you can do it, Sunset?"

"Trying to hold back a lot of ponies at once may be tricky..." Sunset mused. "But I think I can handle it. Can't be any tougher than fighting psychotic, corrupted ponies... And if we're lucky, there may not that many other bidders at that point."

"Excellent." Echo smiled. "Then we're all set."

That evening, they returned to the auction house. Echo took a seat amongst the other bidders, while Sunset slipped behind a curtain, ready to play her part. Sterling stood by the door, on the lookout for trouble. On the platform at the front of the room, Top Bid and Lars stepped forward

"Welcome to our little auction." Top Bid declared. "Before we begin, I'd like to thank my benefactor here for making all this possible."

Lars nodded curtly.

"Now, without further ado, let's get started." Top Bid smiled. "First item up for bid, a marvelous set of silver daggers..."

And so the auction went underway. As Echo had surmised, Top Bid was saving the page for last. Echo sat patiently in the back row, as other items were warred over by the other bidders. Those who had won the items picked them up and departed. Before long, there were barely a dozen ponies left.

Finally, the moment arrived.

"And our final lot for bid is something special." Top Bid announced. "An actual page from the spell book of King Sombra himself. A must for all collectors of mystical artefacts. Shall we start the bidding at five hundred bits?"

"Five hundred!" Echo called.

It was at that point that Sunset went to work, using her magic to hold down and gag anypony who looked to be making a bid. The would-be bidders struggled with shock, unable to move. One, however, was stronger than the others, and managed to break free.

"One thousand!" He called.

Echo panicked for an instant, before reining himself in.

"One thousand five hundred!" He countered.

Concentrating harder, Sunset managed to pin down the troublemaker.

"I have one thousand five hundred bits going once!" Top Bid declared. "Going twice... Sold, to the Thestral in the back row!"

Triumphant, Echo stood up to collect the prize. At the same time, a suspicious guard edged over to the curtain, having caught a glimpse of Sunset's glowing horn. Sterling moved in to intercept.

"Something up, pal?" He stood in front of the guard.

"None of your business!" The guard said brusquely.

"My, aren't we inhospitable?" Sterling smirked, continuing to block the guard's path.

"Wait a second!" The bidder who had managed to resist Sunset's magic yelled. "Something weird's going on here!"

"No kidding!" Another added. "I was going to bid, but I couldn't move! Couldn't speak!"

"Me too!" A third bidder added. "There's some kind of scam going on here!"

"Now, now." Echo snorted, as he prepared to take the page. "Nopony likes sore losers."

At the same time as Echo's hoof neared the page, the guard tired of Sterling's interference.

"Out of my way!" He yelled, shoving Sterling aside.

Sterling fell against the curtain, instinctively grabbing it and pulling it to the side, revealing Sunset.

"A Unicorn..." The guard gaped. "It is a scam!"

In the blink of an eye, Echo snatched up the page. He then flew over and kicked the guard away from Sunset and Sterling. Together, they ran to the exit, but found it blocked by more guards.

"I don't suppose you planned for this?" Sunset asked.

"Not exactly." Echo admitted.

"Remind me to take back my earlier compliments." Sterling quipped.

"Did you really think you could steal from me?" Top Bid growled. "Well, you were wrong. And now you're going to pay the price!"

"Hold up a sec, Bid." Lars declared. "One of them's a Royal Guardspony. Do you really want that kind of heat on your back?"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Top Bid sneered. "Looks like the rumors are true; You and your brothers have gone soft!"

"Excuse me?" Lars frowned.

"You heard." Top Bid glared. "Even that nutso little brother brother of yours. He's become a nark for royalty, just like that clown over there."

"Watch your mouth, Bid." Lars growled. "Nopony's gone soft. I'm just saying, whacking these three might not be the best idea."

"And I'm just saying that I don't care!" Top Bid yelled. "Guards!"

The trio were surrounded by security guards and irate ponies.

"Nice knowing ya, guys." Sterling sighed.

"It's not over yet." Echo declared. "I have an idea. But it's not exactly a perfect one." He held up the page. "Sunset, invoke the spell on this page."

"What?!" Sunset gasped. "You can't be serious! The dark magic-"

"I know it's dangerous." Echo admitted. "But it's our only chance. And from what I've seen, you may have the power to control it."

"Are you nuts?" Sterling growled. "You'd expose her to the dark magic, after what it did to all those other ponies?"

"It's not like we have a choice here, Sterling." Echo retorted. "Sunset, I know it's a lot to ask, but it's our only chance of getting out of here."

"...Okay, I'll do it." Sunset took the page. Her horn lit up, as did the page, and her eyes became wispy.

A stream of dark mist emitted from Sunset's horn, enveloping the entire room.

"What the-?" Top Bid gasped. "What is this?"

"I can't see!" Lars yelped.

With his ability to see in the dark, Echo alone was able to navigate the darkened room, guiding Sunset and Sterling past the stumbling, blinded ponies, and outside to safety.

"What was that?" Sterling asked.

"A spell of dark mist." Echo declared. "A mist so dark, no light can penetrate it."

Sunset suddenly collapsed from the strain.

"Sunset!" Sterling gasped. "Is she-"

"No, just exhausted." Echo clarified. As he spoke, the window to the auction room showed the mist dissipating. "We have to go."

"I'll carry her." Sterling declared, lifting Sunset's unconscious body onto his own.

They rushed out into the night. By the time the auction ponies made it outside, they were gone from view.

"They're gone!" Top Bid roared. "Those lousy thieves! Heads are gonna roll for this!"

"Cool it, Bid." Lars declared. "They can't have gone far. Besides, I reckon they did you a favor. No good can come from that dark magic stuff."

"Speak for yourself!" Top Bid spat. "I was going to make a small fortune from that page. Those three are going to pay for this!"

As soon as they were a good distance from the auction house, the two stallions came to a halt.

"We have to stop somewhere, so Sunset can rest." Sterling declared.

"Agreed." Echo nodded. "If I recall, there's a small inn near here. It will do for now."

They made it to the inn, quietly paying their way. Once they got to their room, Sterling gently placed Sunset on the bed. Moments, later, she woke up.

"Did it... did it work?" She asked weakly.

"It worked perfectly." Echo held up the page. "How are you?"

"Honestly? Not great." Sunset groaned. "My head is killing me."

"That's a common side effect for first-time use of dark magic." Echo declared. "It should pass."

"I sure hope so." Sunset rubbed her temples.

"I had no doubt you could pull it off." Echo smiled briefly, before switching to a frown. "I'm just sorry you had to go through with it at all. ...You know I would never do anything to hurt you, right?"

"Of course I do." Sunset smiled. "And it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"It certainly did." Echo smiled.

"That's enough talk." Sterling groaned. "You need to rest more, Sunset. I'll go get you some ice."

"That sounds great." Sunset sighed. "Thanks, Sterling."

"No problem." Sterling grinned.

After picking up some ice at the front desk, Sterling made his way to the room, when he was tackled by a shadowy figure.

"Gah! Let me go!" Sterling struggled. "If you don't, I-"

"You'll what?" The shadowy figure leaned into the light revealing himself to be Shining Armor.

"Prince Armor?!" Sterling gasped. "What-how-why are you-"

"Silence! Shining yelled, causing Sterling to clam up. "I'll be asking the questions here! And trust me, you better have a good explanation for why 'one of my best' guards is associating himself with a pony who had went against my orders and gone AWOL!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I assure you, I have not gone AWOL!" Sterling protested.

"Really?" Shining sneered. "So you mean to tell me that you were dragged along by Echo against your own will?"

"No!" Sterling refuted. "It's... could you please let go of me? I'll explain everything."

Shining grunted as he released Sterling.

"Thank you..." Sterling groaned, getting to his hooves.

"Start talking." Shining demanded. "From the top."

"Okay, it's like this." Sterling sighed. "After that masked freak's attack, I spotted Alchemy making his getaway. I followed him, and found him with Ms. Shimmer. I thought he was kidnapping her, but he wasn't. They were going to go after those pages together."

"Care to tell me why you didn't stop them?" Shining asked. "And for that matter, why you joined them?"

"They were pretty... convincing, sir." Sterling declared. "What they're doing is on the up and up, for real. They're doing all this for the good of ponykind, especially Alchemy. I wasn't sure of him at first, but now I'm sure he's one of the most purehearted stallions I've ever met."

"Really?" Shining frowned. "If he's so pure, than why is he so determined to go against my orders?"

"All due respect sir, but Echo knows what he's doing." Sterling declared. "I've gotten the measure of him, and he's a pretty stand-up guy. Maybe even our best hope to stop whatever that masked menace has up his sleeve."

"And you expect me to trust him?" Shining asked. "Must I remind you of what happened ten months prior?"

"I am aware of that. But Echo hasn't turned ever since." Sterling replied. "And Echo has shown great control of his temper."

"But there were times that Echo didn't. And there were many instances over the past several months that Echo had those wispy eyes, the erratic breathing, his body shifting…" Shining sighed. "Look, I'm not saying Echo is a bad pony, but he's a ticking time-bomb. The longer he is on this quest of his, the higher the risk we run of him turning again. And if he was to turn while touring all of Eurodeo, we could have an international incident. Everypony's still on edge from Black's attack."

"He won't turn, sir." Sterling stated.

"And how can you be so sure of that?" Shining asked. "And what of Sunset? Celestia entrusted her to us to have her work with him. If something were to happen to her… I don't know how I'll explain it to Celestia or Twilight."

"Trust me, your highness." Sterling pleaded. "Didn't you once say I was your best Guardspony? Well, I still am. Believe me when I say this situation is well in hoof."

"But what about the masked pony?" Shining asked. "And the couple of ponies that are now dead because of this hunt? How many more lives are going to be risked and taken before this is all over?"

"That I don't know." Sterling admitted. "But I know more lives will be lost if whatever that masked pony is planning comes to fruition. Echo is our best chance at making sure that doesn't happen."

"That's the part that worries." Shining frowned. "You claim to know him, but how can you be sure? Who's to say he isn't just playing you to get what he wants?"

"With respect, your highness, I refuse to believe that." Sterling declared. "Everything Echo's been doing is for the good of Equestria. If you'd seen what I've seen, you'd know that too."

"And you're certain you can keep the situation under control?" Shining asked, ignoring what Sterling had just said.

"I'd stake my life on it, sir." Sterling proclaimed.

Shining looked at Sterling, remaining silent for a moment.

"Okay." Shining nodded. "You've twisted my hoof. I'll let you three continue on your quest and I will have my stallions lay off... but only on two conditions: One, I expect you to keep me posted on your movements at all time." He patted Sterling on the back (slipping something into his armor). "You don't go anywhere without my knowing."

"Done, your majesty." Sterling nodded.

"And two: Bring Echo back to me as soon as all this is over." Shining continued.

"...Okay." Sterling frowned. "But... what exactly will you do to him when this is all over?"

"Just worry about meeting those conditions." Shining dodged the question. "Can I count on you, Cross?"

"Yes, your highness." Sterling nodded.

"Good." Shining said quietly, "Happy hunting." As he turned to leave, he then looked back at Sterling. "Oh, and Sterling?"

"Yes?" Sterling asked.

"Be careful. Echo may have good intentions, but from what I've observed, he's a pony who's willing to risk everything to achieve his goals." Shining warned. "That makes him dangerous."

"I'm not worried." Sterling said sternly. "I trust Echo."

"Well, everypony trusted ponies like Sombra and Black Knight, and where did that get them?" Shining ominously declared. "Keep that in mind."

"I will." Sterling nodded.

With that, Shining disappeared, leaving the royal guard rather perturbed. He returned to the trio's room soon after.

"What kept you?" Sunset asked, wincing from her head-ache.

"Long line." Sterling lied. "Here's some ice for that head of yours.

Sterling put some ice into a pack, and placed it on Sunset's head.

"Ahhh, that's better." Sunset smiled.

"Once Sunset has recovered, we should get moving." Echo declared. "The next page awaits."

"Yeah, sure." Sterling nodded, still thinking about Shining's words. "Look, it's been a long night. I need some shut-eye."

"Night." Sunset nodded.

After Sterling fell asleep, Sunset and Echo sat together in silence.

"...Sunset?" Echo said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Sunset asked.

"Listen, about what happened in Minostan." Echo said awkwardly. "The things I did and said..."

"I know." Sunset nodded. "You weren't in your right mind. Eros's spell messed with your head."

"It did indeed." Echo nodded. "I would never try to... force myself upon you like that. Even if I did... you know..."

"That's... good to know." Sunset yawned, tiredness creeping back in. "Let's just leave that awkward little moment in the past, shall we?"

"Agreed." Echo grinned.

"Good." Sunset suddenly leaned against him, giving in to exhaustion. "Night..."

Sunset fell asleep on Echo's shoulder. Echo gently moved aside, laying her on the bed. In spite of himself, he couldn't help but stroke her mane tenderly.

"Good night, Sunset." He whispered.

Later that night, Top Bid and his guards were talking in an alley way.

"What do you mean 'we haven't found them yet'?!" Top Bid yelled. "Keep looking!"

"Yes, sir, Mr Bid." One guard nodded.

Suddenly, the guards were blasted away by a stream of dark crystals.

"What th-" Top Bid gaped, turning to see the masked pony emerge from the shadows. His expression changed to one of abject terror. "Oh no. It's you... The one who's been killing the others..."

"I see my reputation precedes me." The masked pony said smugly. "Now... where is the page?"

"I, I... don't know!" Top Bid trembled.

"Don't lie to me!" The masked pony roared, lashing Top Bid with a crystal whip, and knocking the stallion to the ground.

"I swear!" Top Bid yelped, as he was whipped again. "It was stolen from me by a trio of thieves!"

"Thieves?" The masked pony stopped. "Tell me everything." He speared the wall behind Top Bid with a crystal spike. "And I do mean 'everything'..."

A couple of nights later, the masked pony stood outside the door to the trio's room. Correctly surmising that Sunset would need to rest after casting the spell, he had searched every hotel and inn he could find. The front desk had described the trio perfectly, and the masked pony was ready to pounce.

The masked pony kicked the door, open, discovering that the room was empty (the trio having left the day before).

"You got lucky this time, fools." He growled. "Next time, you won't be so fortunate..."

The trio were already on their way to the next page, unaware of how close they had come to another clash with their masked nemesis. Another page was theirs, and the next was in their sights.
> The Pride Of Hubris
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio arrived in the Griffon nation of Aerovis, a region heavy with hills, mountains, and tall trees.

"Whoa." Sunset gaped. "Good thing I'm not afraid of heights..."

"Before we begin, I must point out that Griffons are, by and large, a prideful species." Echo declared. "They don't take kindly to slights, even accidental ones. So please watch what you say around them."

"Will do." Sunset nodded.

Sterling didn't answer. He was still thinking about his conversation with Shining Armor.

"Sterling?" Echo asked. "Are you listening?"

"Huh?" Sterling blinked. "Yeah, sure. No bad-mouthing the birds, sure."

"Are you alright, Sterling?" Sunset asked. "You seem a little... lost right now."

"Oh, I'm fine." Sterling sighed. "It's just... we are doing the right thing here, aren't we?"

"Of course we are." Sunset declared.

"No offense Sunset, but I'd like to hear that from Echo." Sterling turned to the Thestral. "We're doing the right thing, right?"

"Indeed we are." Echo needed. "The only way to keep Equestria safe is for us to get to those pages first."

"Yeah, I know..." Sterling sighed, not fully convinced.

"Do not lose faith in the mission, Sterling." Echo urged. "Not now. Not when so much is riding on it."

"Speaking of the mission, who's got the next page?" Sunset asked.

"Stolz Hubris." Echo declared. "An Earth Pony, son of the ambassadors Hans and Olga Hubris. From what I've heard, we can find him in a gym, not too far from here. Word is, he likes to work out."

"Then let's go." Sunset nodded.

"Yeah, sure..." Sterling sighed.

The trio made their way into the town of Skyridge, a joint pony/Griffon settlement. As they made their way to the gym, Sunset saw an elderly female Griffon drop her bag, and rushed to pick it up.

"Excuse me, ma'am." She held up the bag. "You dropped this."

"What? You think I can't pick this up myself?!" The Griffon snarled, snatching the bag out of Sunset's hooves. "When I want your help, I'll ask for it, so just mind your own business!"

The Griffon departed.

"Boy, you weren't kidding about Griffons being prideful." Sunset told Echo. "I was just trying to help, and she bit my head off."

As they continued, they saw more Griffons showing excessive amounts of pride and arrogance. One refused to step aside for the other when they crossed in mid-air.

"I was there first!" He yelled.

"You don't own the skies!" The other snapped.

"Sez who?" The skyhog spat.

"Methinks this is more than simple pride at work..." Echo frowned. "Alas, it appears Mr. Hubris is using his page for ill as well..."

"And we're just going to walk right up to him and ask for the page?" Sterling asked. "Like that's worked so well for us up 'til now..."

"Sterling has a point, Echo." Sunset agreed. "Maybe we could try some other strategy. How about we take him by surprise?"

"It's better if we at least try to reason with him." Echo insisted.

"Even if he doesn't want to be reasoned with?" Sterling frowned.

"Just this once, can't we try it a different way?" Sunset asked.

Echo felt himself growing indignant. Who were they to question him? He was clearly the brains of the outfit.

"Why are you questioning me now?" He growled. "Don't you trust my judgment?"

Sterling wasn't so sure at the moment. Shining's word about Echo's motives raced through his mind.

"Nopony's questioning you, Echo." Sunset said, starting to get irritated. "We're just offering alternate solutions."

"Well, kindly don't." Echo declared. "Now, we must hurry."

They finally reached the gym. In the front hall, there were a picture of the Hubris family, who had apparently donated money to the gym a few years back. In between Hans and Olga was a short, royal purple-coated, brown-maned Earth Pony with small-scale muscles, and a distinctively profound chin, and a Cutie Mark of two crossed barbells.

"That's Hubris?" Sterling snorted. "What a shrimp..."

"Indeed. For a pony who works out, he seems a little on the small side." Echo agreed.

"Shh." Sunset suddenly hissed. "Listen."

As they pricked up their ears, the trio heard the sound of music drifting in from down a hallway. They followed it to the main workout room. Inside, a motivational speaker CD was playing, as a large, overly-muscled version purple stallion was working out, lifting dumbbells. The page was sticking out of one of his sweatbands.

"That's what I'm talking about..." The stallion did a rep. "Faust, you are incredible, Stolz..."

"Um, excuse me, sir?" Echo asked. "We're looking for a Mr. Hubris."

The stallion ignored them, as he continued to rep.

"Hey, pal, do you know where that shrimp Hubris is?" Sterling asked.

The big purple pony instantly stopped what he was doing, as he then turned around, his face fraught with fury. Despite the extra muscles, there was no mistaking his profound chin of that of Stolz Hubris.

"What did you say?!" He roared.

"It's him." Sunset gaped.

"Did I say 'shrimp'?" Sterling gulped. "Because I meant... I got nothin'."

Hubris dropped one dumbbell and threw the other at the ground in front of them, which created a small crater. He then stomped towards them.

"I am no shrimp!" He roared. "I am Stolz Hubris, son of Hans and Olga Hubris!" He grabbed Sterling, much to his shock. "I am about to take home the Mr. Gigantic Muscle trophy! Nopony and nothing is getting in my way! Do you understand me?!" He threw Sterling across the room.

"Whoa, listen, Mr Hubris." Echo stepped forward. "We have no intentions of stopping you from... whatever it is you're doing. We just want the page that was given to you. The one from Sombra's book?"

Hubris ignored his question, as he glanced at the mirror next to him, flexing and posing.

"Faust, you're good looking." He said to his reflection. "You know that? You winner, you."

The trio looked at the mirror with him.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Echo smiled.

"If you're thinking we should play to his vanity, I'm way ahead of you." Sunset grinned.

"Let's do it." Sterling nodded.

The trio approached Hubris.

"You know, you really are gigantic, sir." Sunset smiled, doing a small flex.

"Yes, you must be the envy of every stallion here." Echo added.

"Yeah, you certainly are no shrimp!" Sterling blurted out. As he realized what he just said, Hubris angrily stared at him. "Ah! Not a shrimp! You're big and strong!"

"No!" Hubris yelled. "You aren't going to mock me anymore! I am Stolz Hubris, son of Hans and Olga Hubris!"

Hubris picked up a barbell, slinging it on his shoulder, as he took a fighting stance.

"You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?" Echo glared at Sterling.

Hubris charged at them, swinging his barbell. The trio dodged.

"Let's see how the musclehead handles some magic!" Sunset said confidently.

Sunset tried blasting him with her magic, but it barely scratched the brawny hulk.

"Step aside, Sunny." Sterling readied his crossbow. "I got this."

Sterling fired some bolts at Hubris, but he deflected them with the barbell.

"Well, that didn't work." Echo snorted.

"You got a better idea?" Sterling growled.

"Naturally." Echo smirked. "Our musclebound friend may be big, but he's slow." He spread his wings. "I just need to outmaneuver him."

Echo flew up towards Hubris. The brute swung at him, but Echo dodged, and struck back, striking his side.

"Think you're pretty clever, huh?" Hubris sneered. "I don't think so!"

As Echo dived, Hubris swung the barbell hard enough to create a powerful breeze, sending Echo flying into the wall.

"Yeah, great idea." Sterling snorted.

Hubris charged again. Sterling sidestepped him, then rammed into his side, knocking him off-balance.

"My turn!" Sunset fired a concentrated beam of magic, pushing Hubris back.

"I'm not letting you get all the glory!" Echo growled. He flew into Hubris, knocking him off his hooves. "Not so tough now, eh?"

Their success only lasted a moment, for Hubris got back up.

"Okay." He snarled, his eyes growing wispy. "No more Mr nice guy."

Hubris's body started to glow, and his muscles expanded further.

"Oh, boy." Sterling gulped.

"Round two!" Hubris yelled.

With a swing of his barbell, Hubris sent Sterling flying into Sunset, the two crashing into the wall. One brutal backhoof later, and Echo joined them.

"You wimps want more?" Hubris taunted.

"Trust me, we're just getting started." Echo said defiantly.

"Maybe I should come up with the next plan." Sunset suggested.

"Oh, please." Echo said, with irregular contempt. "We all know I'm the brains of this outfit. Stop trying to cut in on my moments!"

"Excuse me?" Sunset gaped. "I'm not too shabby in the brains department myself, you know."

"Of course you're not." Echo admitted. "Just not to the extent of myself."

"Well, pardon me." Sunset said sarcastically. "It must be so difficult, lowering yourself to the level of lesser minds like mine."

"You said it, not me." Echo smirked.

"I was being sarcastic." Sunset glared. "I'm easily as smart as you, you pompous jerk, if not more so."

"Oh, please." Echo snorted. "You may be smarter than the average pony, but your intellect is no match for mine."

"I doubt that." Sunset growled. "Need I remind you I was once Princess Celestia's personal student? She chose me above all others! I was even on the fast-track to becoming a Princess myself!"

"Oh, really?" Echo glared. "From what I heard, you ended up getting dropped as her student and banished from the castle over some mirror! You, the only mare to ever fail as Celestia's student!"

Sunset took a step back, actually genuinely hurt by such a comment.

"No... no, you're wrong!" Sunset barked back, her eyes growing misty.

"Oh, here comes the waterworks." Echo sighed in frustration.

"That was completely below the belt, Echo..." Sterling frowned.

"Oh, sure, you would take the whimpering mare's side." Echo spat. "Honestly, why did I ever take her up as my assistant? She's nothing but a washed-up has been, an outdated model, a complete failure!"

"Shut up!" Sunset yelled, sucking in the tears. "So I made some mistakes! At least I wasn't being held against my will because everypony is afraid of me!"

"For your edification, Shimmer, I could have left whenever I felt like it!" Echo snarled. "But there was work to be done! But you wouldn't know! You spent most of your life in Faust knows where, living a cushy life, while our country suffered by the hooves of megalomaniacs!"

"Uh, guys..." Sterling frowned.

"Work?" Sunset sneered. "All you ever do is hang upside down and write stuff down! And for what?! Nopony is ever going to allow dark magic to be used! I spent years regretting ever coming near the stuff because it cost me my one chance at happiness!"

"Dark magic is what's going to move the pony race forward! I had spent my entire life studying it! I have more knowledge of the dark arts in one hoof than you have in your whole body!" Echo countered. "The only thing you're good for is carrying my bags!"

"Why, you..." Sunset quivered with rage.

"Come on, guys!" Sterling groaned. "Fighting over who's smarter? In case you hadn't noticed, there's an angry stallion with a three-hundred pound barbell staring at us!"

"Stay out of this, Sterling! You can't possibly understand what we are talking about! That requires a brain!" Echo spat.

"Hey, leave him out of this!" Sunset barked. "He has enough brains to see what a total bunghole you are!"

"How can he?! All he ever thinks about is how to get on top of you!" Echo sneered.

"Well at least he is honest with his attraction towards me!" Sunset fumed. "He doesn't bottle it up, because he's afraid to get close!"

"Oh, please! Like I'd want to get close to a stuck-up Unicorn like you!" Echo snarled.

"HEY!!" Hubris yelled, having been dumbfounded by their descent into bickering. "Don't ignore me!"

"Oh, butt out, freakshow!" Sunset spat.

"Can't you see we are busy here?!" Echo glared.

"No!" Hubris shrieked. "All my life, I've been made fun of, belittled! All the local Griffons mocked me for not being able to fly! My parents always looked down their nose at my interests! They refuse to have a son who is into colts! They refuse to have a lanky shrimp of a son! That's why I got into bodybuilding, so I could stand out as the awesome stallion I am! But I wasn't getting results fast enough!"

"So you used the page." Echo noted. "Some sort of spell to grant you the body mass of a giant!"

"Ya got that right!" Hubris grinned. "It made me the strongest, toughest pony around. Nopony's ever gonna put me down ever again! Not my parent! Not those griffons! Nopony, not when I can flatten 'em!"

"Don't be so sure of that, you spineless fool." Sunset growled.

"Yes! It will give me great joy in returning you to your poor humdrum life!" Echo snarled.

"That's it!" Hubris swung his barbell, which the trio dodged.

"Stay out of my way!" Echo told Sunset. "I'll handle this!"

"In your dreams, professor." Sunset sneered. "I'll deal with this freak."

"How about focusing on not getting killed!" Sterling panicked.

Echo and Sunset attacked Hubris separately, but he was easily too strong for them, swatting them away like flies. As they tried to regroup, Echo and Sunset bumped into each other.

"I told you to stay out of my way!" Echo yelled at Sunset.

"And I told you I'll deal with this freak!" Sunset shot back.

"Don't flatter yourself." Echo growled. "If you couldn't succeed as Celestia's student, what makes you think you can succeed here?"

"Don't go there, you bat-winged freak!" Sunset roared.

"Freak, am I?" Echo snarled. "At least I'm not a total disgrace to Celestia herself!"

"Enough!" Sterling roared, prompting Echo and Sunset to glare at him. "Don't you see what's going on here?! It's what happened with Rancour! The spell he's using is bringing out your inner pride! Making you blind to your own fault and reason! Come on, you're both better than this!"

"What do you know, you..." Echo started, before starting to consider Sterling's words. He was still a pony of logic and reason, and he knew Sterling had a point. He fought back the urge to deride his companions. "You... you're right. This isn't the way I act, not ever...."

"You believe this rock-brained idiot?" Sunset sneered.

"Please, Sunset." Echo implored her. "You have to fight it. This isn't you."

"Echo's right." Sterling nodded. "You're not a prideful, self-aggrandising pony. You're kind, and considerate. Remember..."

"I... I... "Echo shook her head, trying to fight off her negative thoughts. "I know. I'm not a prideful pony. I may have been once, but I changed. And I'm never going back to the way I was again."

"Thank you." Sterling sighed in relief."I would hate to have to slap you, Sunset."

"We've got to get that page away from Hubris." Echo declared. "Doing so should negate its effects. But we can only do it together. Are you with me, Sunset?"

"Yes." Sunset nodded. "I'm with you."

"Me, too." Sterling smirked. "Let's do this!"

"Together, then." Echo nodded.

"Come on!" Hubris waved his barbell.

"Now!" Sunset fired some magic at Hubris.

As Hubris batted the blasts away, Sterling moved to the side, and fired some bolts. As Hubris deflected the bolts, Echo flew in from behind, taking the page.

"Got it!" Echo smiled. "Our troubles are over!"

"No!" Hubris roared. "Give that back!"

"Or not." Echo gulped.

"Let's get out of here!" Sterling barked.

"Right behind you!" Sunset nodded.

The trio raced out of the gym, as they were fortunate enough to see a taxi carriage up front. They quickly slipped into it.

"Good afternoon, travelers, where will it be?" The Earth Pony stallion pulling the carriage asked.

"Anywhere but here! Go, go, go!" Sterling barked.

"Okay, okay!" The stallion frowned as he began pulling the carriage away from the gym.

As soon as they were a good few feet away, the trio let out sighs of relief.

"Hoi, glad that's over with." Sterling smiled tiredly.

"Yes, this page nearly turned out the same way as it did with the Wrath spell, uh, Sunset?" Echo turned to Sunset.

However, Sunset remained silent, her expression rather cold.

"Sunset?" Echo frowned, "Sunset, what's wrong?"

"Back there... you called me a complete failure..." Sunset glared. "A disgrace to Celestia."

"I did, didn't I?" Echo realized, "Ms. Shimmer, that spell, it messed with both our heads. I would never had called you that."

"But you were thinking it. Why else would you say it?" Sunset frowned. "...Believe it or not, that day Celestia stripped me of my title was the worst day of my life, and you had the gall to mock me with it."

"I... I'm sorry." Echo apologised, immensely guilty.

"I know." Sunset admitted. "But it'll take more than a simple apology to fix this."

An awkward silence hung over the carriage.

"Uh, Echo, you said taking the page was supposed to stop Hubris, right?" Sterling frowned, as he glanced out the back window.

"Yes, that was the theory, why?" Echo asked.

A loud guttural roar echoed, much to the Echo and Sunset's horror, as the two glanced out the window with Sterling to see none other than an extremely peeved Stolz Hubris running after them, barbell in tow.

"Give me back my page!" Hubris roared.

"I think you might want to rethink your theory, Echo!" Sterling frowned.

"Um, sir..." Sunset ran to the front, addressing the puller, "You might want to run a little bit faster."

"Okay, but wh-" The stallion glanced back, only to be horrified by Hubris charging at them. "What the buck is that?!"

"Long story! Just run!" Sunset cried.

The taxi puller did not hesitate as he began running faster, pulling away from the angry purple stallion.

"Don't run away from me! I'm going to buck you!" Hubris screamed.

"This isn't good!" Echo gasped.

"No kidding." Sunset agreed. "All this is bound to draw attention to us..."

Suddenly, a carriage crashed down in front of them.

"Lauren Faust!" The taxi puller gasped as he narrowly dodged it.

"Where did that come from?!" Sterling gaped.

The familiar sound of microcrystals gathering ensued, as the trio glanced out behind them, as following them not far behind Hubris was none other than the masked pony, riding on a wave of crystals.

"Aw, great!" Sterling growled. "Just what we need!"

"What is going on?" The taxi puller demanded.

"Nothing much." Echo said airily. "We're just being chased by two psychotic ponies with dark magic powers."

"What?!" The taxi puller yelped.

"Just keep going!" Sunset urged. "For all our sakes!"

"I knew I should've stayed in bed today." The taxi puller groaned, as he sped up.

The chase continued, the masked pony and Hubris pursuing them through the streets of Skyridge. The masked pony lifted himself onto the rooftops, and fired streams of crystals at the trio, which Sunset and Sterling dispersed with magic blasts and crossbow bolts, while Hubris simply smashed through all obstacles, sending innocent Griffons flying away in terror.

"Hard left!" Echo told the taxi puller.

The taxi puller complied, and they swerved violently.  The masked pony matched their movements, while Hubris, reacting too slowly, skidded past the turn.

"Hey, get back here!" He followed after them.

Suddenly, the taxi pulled to a stop.

"Why are we stopped?" Sunset asked.

"The light's red." The taxi puller pointed out.

"There are no red lights in a carriage chase!" Sterling yelled.

The light turned green, and the taxi puller started moving again. With one hoof, he turned on his blinker lantern.

"Did you just turn your blinker on?" Sterling asked incredulously.

"I have to indicate my turn." The taxi puller remarked.

"That's. It." Sterling declared. He yanked the taxi puller out of his harness (who made a shrill shriek) and took his place, pulling the carriage as fast as he could.

As the masked pony raised a wave of crystals, Sterling turned into an alley, scraping the side of the carriage as he ran through. As another wave rose up, Sterling swerved, and the carriage slid up the wave, and flew up to a nearby bridge. After that came a train crossing. A train was already nearing the gates lowering. Sterling picked up speed.

"What are you doing, what are you doing-ah!" The taxi puller yelped, as Sterling leapt through the crossing, the carriage narrowly avoiding the train.

"Did we lose him?" Sunset asked, looking for the masked pony.

"I don't think so." Echo gulped, spotted their nemesis on the top of the train.

The masked pony sent his crystals flowing all around them, creating a tunnel, the end of which was rapidly closing.

"Hold on!" Sterling yelled, rushing towards the shrinking gap.

"We're not gonna make it!" The taxi puller yelled.

"We're gonna make it!" Sterling countered.

"We're not gonna make it!" The taxi puller shrieked.

"We're gonna make it!" Sterling insisted.

As they neared the edge, Sterling leaned back into the carriage. Just as the gap closed, they smashed through it, flying straight into the town square. It featured a small marketplace, and several statues of historically influential ponies and GriffonsThe ponies and Griffons scattered as the carriage dived to the ground.

*CRASH*

The carriage splintered into pieces, sending the trio and the puller sprawling across the ground.

"Ugh... that really hurts..." Sterling groaned.

"At least we made it though." Sunset winced, rubbing her side.

Suddenly, the masked pony jumped from the nearby rooftop, using the crystals to land himself safely in front of them.

"That's it!" The taxi puller ran away. "I'm outta here!"

Echo immediately hopped to his hooves, gripping the page tightly.

"You're not getting this page, masked one!" Echo declared, though grimacing from the pain. "You hear me?!"

"You'll have to go through us first!" Sunset added.

"Yeah, what they said!" Sterling agreed.

The masked pony paused, and seemed to give off a frustrated sigh, as then, he lashed out with a crystal-formed whip. Exhausted as they were, the trio were unable to put up much of a fight. The whip struck Sterling first, sending him into a nearby cabbage cart.

"Not my cabbages!" The vendor despaired.

"Ah, quit whining." Sterling groaned. "Nopony likes cabbages that much anyway..."

Then the masked pony swung his whip against Sunset, smacking her against the wall.

"Gah..." Sunset groaned, slumping to the ground.

With one last swish, the masked pony struck Echo dead on.

"GAK!" Echo gasped, dropping the page as he skid along the ground. The masked pony reached to pick it up.

"Oh no, ya don't!" Sterling charged at him, but was knocked back down by the whip once more. "Oof!"

It was then that Hubris caught up with them. He eyed the page in the masked pony's hoof.

"Hey, that's mine!" He yelled. "Give it to me! I deserve it! Me, and only me!"

Hubris swung his barbell at the masked pony, who created a crystal shield to block it. The masked pony then lashed his whip at Hubris, causing him to stumble.

"Oh, that's it!" Hubris roared. "I'm gonna squish you like a bug!"

Hubris swung his barbell again, but the masked pony caught it with a whip, then, using a crystal spike, sliced it in half.

"My favorite barbell!" Hubris gasped. "Now you're gonna get it!"

Hubris swung a hoof at the masked pony, who blocked it with a giant dark crystal hoof. He created another, slamming them together.

"An old-fashioned fistfight, huh?" Hubris sneered. "Alright, put up your dukes!"

The two lashed out at each other. The masked pony's crystal were more than a match for Hubris's hooves, raining down blow after blow, while blocking his foe's strikes.

"This can't be happening..." Hubris said woozily. "I'm the strongest there is..."

The masked pony struck Hubris again and again, pounding him to pulp.  He hit him in the head, the legs, and the sides, backing up against the statues in the centre of the square. As Hubris teetered, barely able to stand, the masked pony delivered a powerful right cross, shattering the last of his resolve.

Hubris struggled to a nearby statue, trying to keep conscious, but the blows proved too much for even the big stallion. He glanced up at the statue he was faced with, only to frown at the sight of his father, which the statue happened to represent. He whimpered, as he gripped the side of the statue.

"You are worthy... you are unique... you deserve happiness..." He despaired, as he looked up one last time. "Didn't I?" His eyes rolled back, as he fell back, bringing the statue down on himself.

The masked pony gave a nod, satisfied with his work. As he turned to leave, Echo struggled to his hooves.

"No you don't..." He growled. "Not this time..."

The masked pony gestured, and a wave of dark crystals knocked Echo aside. He then departed on a wave of crystals.

The trio got up, the knowledge that they had lost another page burning in their minds.

"I don't believe this..." Sterling groaned.

"Another page lost..." Sunset sighed.

"Buck up, my friends." Echo declared, trying to stay chipper, "We'll get the next one... right, Sunset?"

"Don't talk to me, Echo." Sunset said coldly.

"Sunset, I'm sorry I said those things." Echo sighed in exasperation, "But you can't just shut me out. We need you!"

"Just don't, Echo..." Sunset brushed him off. "Let's get out of here before the cops come..."

"But..." Echo murmured.

"She's right. Stolz was the ambassador's son." Sterling pointed out. "There's going to be Tartarus to pay if we are anywhere near the body."

Echo frowned as he glanced at Sunset, who wouldn't even look at him, and let out a sigh of defeat as the trio fled the scene.

Later that night, as they rode a boat to their next location, the trio split into two separate cabins, with Sunset by herself, and Sterling and Echo in another. Sunset was trying her best to shake off today's events.

"I can't believe I said all those things..." She bemoaned, as memories of her past failures flooded back into her mind.. "I thought I'd grown past all that. But I haven't. It's all still in there, under the surface." She sighed again. "I shouldn't have been so hard on Echo. He really had me pegged..."

In the boys' room, Echo was just beside himself with grief.

"I cannot believe I did that to her." Echo bemoaned, slouching on his bed. "She hates me now..."

"Hey, don't be like that, Echo." Sterling frowned, trying to console him. "Sunset will come around. She knows that you didn't mean what you said."

"Really? Cause right now, she won't even talk to me." Echo groaned, hitting his head back against the wall. "Has been, failure, disgrace... how could I have say these things to her? She's anything but. She's a wonderful mare. Open-minded, kind-hearted, intelligent, caring, loyal, beautiful..."

"'Beautiful', huh?" Sterling smirked.

"What I'm saying is that I shouldn't have said all those awful things." Echo continued, brushing off Sterling's reaction. "That blasted spell overwhelmed me... You seemed to have a better grasp of things, though. Why were you able to shake it off so easily?"

"Just lucky, I guess." Sterling shrugged.

"Perhaps." Echo said skeptically.

"Look, just take my advice and sit on it a few days." Sterling advised, "I'm sure things will be back to normal in no-"

Suddenly, Sterling felt a vibration within his armor.

"What was that?" Echo's ears perked up.

"I don't know." Sterling shrugged in confusion, before the vibration continued.

"Is that coming from you?" Echo turned to Sterling.

"I don't know…" Sterling frowned, as he got up. "Excuse me."

Sterling left the cabin quickly, much to Echo's confusion. The Royal Guardspony made his way to a secluded part of the boat, as he then began frisking his armor for the source of the vibration. Soon, he found it, as he pulled out... a pocket mirror.

"What the..." Sterling raised a brow. "What is this all ab-"

The mirror suddenly began glowing, as the glass faded to show Shining.

"Ah!" Sterling jumped. "Prince Armor?!"

"Oh, good." Shining smirked. "You found the pocket mirror I slipped in your armor."

"What is this thing?" Sterling inspected the mirror. "I never seen anything like this."

"Oh, something that the scientists back here whipped up." Shining shrugged. "Something to keep us in touch for the remainder of this quest."

"I see..." Sterling gave a frown. "And I guess letters don't do it anymore for you?"

"I feel safe knowing that I can contact you at a moment's notice." Shining rebutted.

"I'm not sure I feel the same way, sir." Sterling admitted.

"Nonetheless, it's the most efficient method we have of communicating. Look, do you have anything to report?" Shining asked. "Where are you now?"

"Well, we're just leaving Aerovis, your highness." Sterling announced. "I'm sorry to say, we lost this page..."

"Oh, Sterling." Shining frowned. "After our talk in Bitaly, I expected better. You made it seem like the three of you had things under control."

"It was a pretty rough spell." Sterling admitted. "The guy who had the page gave us the business, and by the time everything was said and done, we were all pretty banged up, and the masked pony kicked the crud out of Hubris."

"Hubris? As in the ambassadors?" Shining asked, his eyes widening.

"No, just their son." Sterling shook his head. "He was the one with the page. It went and messed his mind up, turning him into this raging piece of veins and muscles. But he stood no chance against the masked freakshow... he's dead."

"Dead?" Shining frowned. "No, no, no... what are the ambassadors going to say about this... what will the Prime Minister think?"

"Look, we gave it all we had, and it wasn't enough." Sterling sighed.

"And now, that spell is in the hooves of the enemy." Shining said disapprovingly. "This is not acceptable, Sterling. I know you're trying your best, but it just isn't enough. You need to try harder, for all our sakes."

"Don't worry, your majesty." Sterling assured him. "I'm sure we'll get the next page. Don't forget we still have four to his three."

"I know." Shining declared. "But none of us can breathe easily until all the pages are accounted for. Don't forget; The fate of Equestria lies in your hooves."

"Trust me, I know." Sterling groaned.

"Okay, contact me when you had secured the next page." Shining nodded.

Shining vanished from the mirror, leading Sterling by his lonesome. He sighed heavily, it was truly a mess. After what had happened today, it seemed that Sunset and Echo were going to need time to overcome the insults that were exchanged today.

"And it was all going so well." Sterling groaned. "Stupid Pride spell..."
> The Sloth Of Lethargy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio arrived in the country of Fetland, ancestral home to the Reindeer species, getting off the boat in the town of Antlerville. After what had happened in Aerovis, their moods were tense. Echo and Sunset were still reeling from what happened when they were overwhelmed by the Pride spell. Sunset needed time to get over what Echo had said to her, while Echo couldn't think of anything to say other than "I'm sorry" (which had already been proven to be insufficient), and Sterling couldn't get his mind off his conversation with Shining.

"The next page is in the possession of a young stallion named Lethargy Laiskiainen, son of a local business tycoon." Echo declared. "His stately home lies just ahead. Who knows? This may just be a simple retrieval."

"Whatever." Sunset muttered.

Echo made to say something, but stopped himself. Not being the most sociable pony, he had no idea of what he could do to make things right.

Sterling took note of this with worry. He knew they wouldn't be very effective if they lost their sense of camaraderie. They had already lost one page due to fighting amongst themselves, and they couldn't afford to lose another. Sterling knew he had to nip this in the bud.

"Come on, guys." Sterling declared. "Let's not let what happened back in Aerovis get us down. We all said some things we regret."

"You didn't." Sunset pointed out.

"Not the point." Sterling said quickly. "What say we all just shake and make up? You two can go first."

"As usual, Sterling, things aren't as simple as you think they are." Echo sighed. "What happened between the two of us will take time to work through. I advise you to just leave well enough alone."

"Aw, come on!" Sterling groaned, as Echo walked ahead of them. "We're supposed to be a team, remember!" He turned to Sunset. "Sunset, I hate to see you so down. You gotta perk up. A pretty face like yours wasn't meant for frowns."

"I know you're just trying to help, Sterling." Sunset declared. "And trust me, we will settle things. But you can't force it. ...Though it's sweet of you to try."

"Yeah, well... I care about you, Sunset." Sterling admitted. "Your happiness means a lot to me."

"Why, thank you, Sterling." Sunset smiled. "It's refreshing to see a stallion open up and talk about his feelings."

"Aw, shucks..." Sterling said modestly. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Sunset nudged him playfully. "You should show this side of yourself more often."

"You know, I just might." Sterling grinned.

Echo looked back at them. He snarled at the idea of Sterling getting close to Sunset.

'Unbelievable.' He thought. 'How dare that brainless oaf put the moves on my Sunset... Wait, what am I thinking?' He mentally shook himself. 'Snap out of it, Alchemy! You don't have time for this! Focus on the mission!'

"Let's not dilly-dally!" He called back. "The estate is just up ahead!"

As they made their way through town, they couldn't help but notice several ponies and Reindeers laying down in the streets, some fast asleep.

"And I thought the term 'sleepy little town' was just a saying." Sterling quipped.

"What's wrong with them?" Sunset pondered.

"Pardon me, my good sir?" Echo asked a Reindeer. "Is there anything the matter?"

"So tired..." The Reindeer muttered. "Can barely move..."

"How long has this been going on?" Sterling asked, pointing out the others.

"Must be about... a week." The Reindeer groaned.

"Not a good omen..." Echo shook his head.

"So much for an 'easy retrieval'." Sunset snorted. "It seems we're in for another fight..."

"Nothing the three of us can't handle, right?" Sterling said confidently. "I mean, how tough can this Lethargy guy be?"

"Not very." Echo answered. "from what I've heard, he's your typical 'trust-fund baby'. All he does is sit around his parents' manor, playing games and watching television. I doubt he'll put up much of a fight, even with the page."

"We'll see..." Sunset muttered.

Soon after, they reached their destination: the somewhat old mansion of the Laiskiainen family. Walking up the main path, they saw what appeared to be the gardener, flat on the ground like everypony else.

"Excuse us." Echo knelt down. "Is the... young master Laiskiainen home? You don't need to speak, just move your head. "

The gardener nodded, pointing to the front gates.

"Thank you for your assistance." Echo smiled. "If all goes well, we'll be repaying you before long."

The trio made their way to the front door. Echo knocked, but received no response.

"Looks like we're gonna have to let ourselves in..." Sterling declared. With one good kick, he smashed the door open. "Ladies first."

"Thank you, Sterling." Sunset smiled.

Echo growled under his breath.

As they entered the mansion, they couldn't help but notice how empty and deserted the place looked.

"Where is everypony?" Echo frowned

"Yeah, you'd expect these rich types to have a bunch of servants." Sterling pointed out.

"Forget the servants, it doesn't look like anypony's home." Sunset declared.

Suddenly, a glow from a nearby television set covered the three. The screen showed a slouching, somewhat obese Unicorn, messing with a TV remote. He was wearing a bath-robe over his gray coat, had a brown messy mane and beard (with a pair of sunglasses on his head) and a recliner Cutie Mark. But he wasn't staring directly at them from the screen. He was staring off at something else in the screen. Moments later, he noticed the trio.

"Oh, hey, finally." He smiled. "I've been calling the service for days."

"Service? Sir, are you okay?" Sterling asked.

The stallion glanced at them.

"Yeah, the help took off days ago." He declared. "You're like, super late." He sighed. "And I'm not ok, ok? I need you to run down to the store and get me, uh..." He gestured to the remote. "Some batteries for the remote and..." He pulled up an empty bag of chips. "A bag of chips."

"Look, we don't really have the time or energy to explain, but according to the documents, you might have a page from King Sombra's spellbook." Echo declared. "We are collecting them."

"Yes, and we should point out that there's a madpony out there that's after those pages and isn't above killing to get them." Sunset added. "Four ponies are dead because of him."

"Oh, uh... I think I might have heard about it somewhere..." Lethargy glanced off-screen. "Oh, right..." He glanced at Echo. "Say, aren't you wanted for treason or something?"

"Don't get off topic, please." Echo said tersely. "We want the page that was entrusted to you. Think you could give it to us?"

Lethargy merely glanced off-screen, messing with his remote some more.

"Hey, pal, the bat pony is talking to ya." Sterling glared.

"Indeed I am!" Echo agreed, getting annoyed. "You need to give us that page! We know you have it, and that the masked pony that my colleague Ms. Shimmer talked about will be here any minute to take it from you, by any means necessary!"

Lethargy ignored them.

"Listen!" Sunset urged. "These pages are bad news for the ones who protect them. That page you have will make you go crazy! And masked pony or not, it will get you killed!"

Lethargy let out a frustrated sigh as he spun around.

"Actually, you know what? I think I'm going to need a little down time." He announced. "You know? All this talky-talk is just..." He yawns. "It's making me kinda sleepy. So, I... I think I really need you to go now, ok?" He turned away, his eyes growing wispy.

"Aw, buck." Echo gulped. "We're too late..."

"What the buck is he going to throw at us?" Sterling asked.

Suddenly, from the shadows, crystal-like pony golems emerged, crystal crossbows growing from out of their backs, aiming at them.

"Well, that's new." Sunset noted.

"Wouldn't couldn't you just let me nap?" Lethargy asked. "Now this is happening."

The golems fired their crystal bolts. Thinking quickly, Sunset produced a forcefield to block them. Sterling then returned fire. He shot one golem in the head, shattering it.

"Nailed it!" Sterling cheered.

The headless golem stumbled backward. Then it started to glow darkly, and reassembled itself. Outside, the gardener groaned with pain.

"Oh, no." Echo gasped. "The spell is feeding off the energies of the ponies and Reindeers in town. That's why they're all so exhausted."

"Ooh, somepony's clever." Lethargy said lazily.

"How can you do this to all those innocents?" Sunset asked.

"I didn't want to." Lethargy claimed. "My parents forced me to."

"Your parents?" Sterling asked.

"Yeah." Lethargy shrugged. "They were really gettin' on at me to 'quit layin' around' and 'do something with my life'. They even threatened to cut me off. I couldn't let that happen, so out came the page. Now I don't have to do anything ever again."

"And neither does anypony else, with the spell draining them." Echo added.

"Big whoop." Lethargy snorted. "They're not me, so why should I care?"

More golems came into being. The trio ducked behind an upturned table, which acted as a temporary shield.

"Fighting these things is a waste of time." Echo stated. "We need to find Lethargy, and take the page from him."

"Great idea." Sterling said sarcastically. "But how do we find him? He could be anywhere in this place!"

"We'll have to search the entire mansion, while simultaneously fighting off the golems." Echo declared.

"Oh yeah, that sounds easy." Sunset snorted.

"Do you have a better idea?" Echo asked.

"I don't know, am I allowed to have ideas?" Sunset growled. "You seem to be calling the shots all the time. Maybe you don't think I'm smart enough to think for myself!"

"Oh, of all the things to say." Echo frowned. "We're in a life-or-death situation, and you're bringing up something so trivial?"

"So you think my intelligence is trivial?" Sunset snarled.

"I didn't say that." Echo shot back.

"I'll bet you were thinking it, though." Sunset glared.

"No, I was thinking about how petty and pointless this argument is!" Echo yelled.

"We wouldn't be arguing if you'd just hear me out!" Sunset yelled.

"Geez, you two!" Sterling groaned. "Save it for Jerry Stabler, will ya? Crystal golems about to kill us over here!"

There was a brief silence (save for the crystal darts striking the table).

"You're right, Sterling." Sunset admitted. "This isn't the time for arguing."

"Indeed." Echo nodded. "This is the time for action."

"Now, any idea where Lethargy is?" Sterling urged.

"I think he's in some kind of panic room." Sunset surmised. "Those things are always hidden away. You open them by pulling a hidden switch."

"So we have to find that switch." Echo realized. "Good thinking, Sunset."

"It's about time you noticed." Sunset said sourly.

"You guys are really starting to bore me." Lethargy griped. "Come out and take your lumps already."

"Okay, so all we gotta do is fight our way past these clowns, and search the mansion for any secret switches." Sterling summarized. "On the count of three... one, two, three!"

The trio leapt from behind the table and went on the offensive; Sunset blasted the golems' legs, crippling them, which Sterling continued with the headshots. Echo, on the other hoof, lifted them and dropped them, causing them to shatter on the floor.

"This way!" Sunset called, as they raced into the library.

Another video screen flickered to life, as Lethargy watched them.

"Chill out, will you?" Lethargy frowned. "All this running around. I'm getting tired just watching you." He yawned. "Wake me up when you find me..."

Ignoring the commentary, Sunset rushed over to the only bookcase that was standing against a wall.

"Ah, I see what you're thinking." Sterling smiled. "The old 'hidden lever in the bookcase' trick."

"Cover me while I check them." Sunset declared.

"And she gets the easy part." Echo sighed.

As Echo and Sterling held off the golems, Sunset pulled out every book. Halfway through, she seemed to find success; One book tilted down, and the bookcase moved away to reveal... a room full of comic books.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Sterling groaned.

"Careful, those are in mint condition." Lethargy called.

"So much for that idea." Echo shoved a golem aside. "Next room!"

The search continued, the trio fighting off golems while simultaneously searching for any sort of switch that could reveal the way to the panic room. In the kitchen, they found that a mounted candelabra opened a doorway... to a room full of spray cheese cans, with a spray cheese sculpture of Lethargy in the center.

"Seriously?" Sunset gaped.

"I like cheese." Lethargy smiled.

In the kitchen, they found a hidden doorway to a room packed with soda cans. In the lounge, there was a secret passageway leading to a pit full of plastic balls.

"I'm not even gonna ask." Sterling shook his head.

The trio fought their way into the lounge, shattering golems as they went.

"Leave my toys alone..." Lethargy whined.

As they scoured the room, Echo found a switch behind a painting of Lethargy and his parents. The switch opened another passageway... which led to a laundry room.

"Really?" He groaned, exasperated. "Why would you even need to hide your laundry room?"

"Come on!" Sunset blasted a golem. "Let's keep moving!"

The search continued, yielding few results.

"This place has way too many secret rooms." Sterling noted, as they finished checking the ground floor.

"And so frivolously used." Echo sighed.

"This is really turning into a total snoozefest. Lethargy moaned. "Hurry up and die already."

"Not today, you lazy lout." Sunset shot back.

"Ouch." Lethargy said dully.

"Come." Echo stated, as he threw a golem out of the window. "Let's check upstairs."

Lethargy was still lazing back as the trio struggled to find him.

"What is with you guys?" Lethargy groaned. "You're messing up the whole place, and for what? Some piece of paper?" He glanced at the page, which was taped to the side of the TV screen. "So not cool..."

Suddenly, a door leading outside, next to where he was, burst open, and the masked pony entered.

"What?!" Lethargy turned, shocked. "Who are you?!"

The trio glanced at another TV screen and saw Lethargy faced with the masked pony.

"Oh no..." Echo gasped. "Come on! Where is that panic room?!"

The trio rushed to find the room. Meanwhile, the masked pony slowly approached Lethargy.

"No!" Lethargy yelped. He spun around in his chair, pushing himself away. "No! No, no, no, please don't hurt me!"

As the masked pony came closer, Lethargy suddenly seized up, clutching his heart.

"Yuuurgh!" He collapsed, having suffered a fatal heart attack.

The masked pony glanced at him oddly, but shrugged as he then noticed the page taped to the side of the screen. He reached for it, when Lethargy suddenly jumped up.

"Crayolo!" He yelped, before collapsing, dead. At that same moment, all the crystal golems shattered, and the citizens of Antlerville found their vitality restored.

"Hmph, that's what you get when you don't exercise more." The masked pony sneered, as he picked up the page.

Suddenly, the trio burst in.

"I can't believe the 'hidden' switch was just on the wall of this guy's bedroom!" Sterling moaned.

"I can't believe it had a note saying 'Switch To Lethargy's Panic Room, Do Not Touch Except For Lethargy' on it." Sunset shook her head. "It's like he wanted us to find it..."

"Stop!" Echo yelled at the masked pony.

Sunset and Sterling opened fire, but the masked pony simply dodged their attacks and flew out of the room on his crystal wave, much to the trio's anguish.

"Not again!" Sterling cried.

"Another page lost..." Echo groaned.

"Wonderful." Sunset shook her head. "Could things get any worse?"

Things could get worse, as it turned out; Later, after reeling from their failure at the mansion and dealing with Lethargy's corpse, when the trio reached the docks, they found the boat they needed was in for repairs, forcing them to extend their stay.

"I don't believe this." Echo rubbed his temples. "Not only did we lose another page, we're effectively stranded."

"Only for a couple hours." Sterling pointed out.

"Two more hours our masked nemesis will gain on us." Echo countered. "We're stuck, like a beached whale!"

"Hmm, that gives me an idea." Sunset smiled. "Follow me, guys."

Sunset led Echo and Sterling to Antlerville's beach.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Echo frowned. "Because if it is, isn't very funny."

"Look, we can either sit around and whine about being stuck, or we can take the opportunity to take a load off, and relax." Sunset declared. "And there's no place like the beach to relax in."

"Preposterous." Echo snorted. "We don't have time to lay about. Right, Sterling?"

Echo turned to see Sterling stripping off his armor.

"Really?" Echo groaned. "You too?"

"Sunset's got a point." Sterling pointed out. "We're stuck for now, so we might as chill for a while."

"I do not 'chill'." Echo frowned.

"Do you even know how?" Sunset chided.

Echo chose not to answer the question. Instead, he wandered over to the shade (Thestrals not doing well under prolonged sunlight), and pulled from his saddlebags his research notes, and a golden cylinder that he was keeping the rest of the pages in (the cylinder having been specially enchanted to contain their dark magic).

"What are you doing?" Sterling asked.

"I'm making some constructive use of this period of downtime." Echo said grumpily. "I'm writing notes on the pages we've already gathered."

"Suit yourself." Sunset rolled her eyes. "the rest of us are actually planning on relaxing. Coming, Sterling?"

"Right behind you." Sterling nodded.

Sunset and Sterling lounged about the warm sand, taking in the sun's rays.

"Ah, that feels good." Sunset sighed. "It's been a long time since I've had the chance to kick back like this."

"Me neither." Sterling smiled. "And I can't think of a better pony to relax with."

"Thanks." Sunset chuckled.

"So... how about you and Echo?" Sterling asked. "You guys really let each other have it back there. And you didn't even need a spell..."

"I know..." Sunset sighed. "I just... lost it for a moment. All that stuff Echo said to me in Aerovis really struck a nerve, and I'm finding it hard to move past it all."

"I'm sure you'll get there soon enough." Sterling declared. "You're way too kind a pony to hold a grudge."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Sunset beamed.

"Maybe, but it doesn't hurt to try." Sterling joked.

"Seriously though, thanks for the words of encouragement." Sunset added. "You're really a sweet guy, and I'm glad you tagged along with us."

"So am I." Sterling smiled at Sunset.

The two moved a little closer together, as they continued to soak up the sun's rays.

"Hoo, it's hot." Sterling said after a while. "I gotta cool off."

Sterling leapt into the surf.

"Ah, that's the stuff." He grinned. "Come on in, Sunny. The water's great!"

"I'm good, thanks." Sunset shrugged.

"Oh, yeah?" Sterling smirked. He thrust his hoof into the water, fling a spray of sea right at Sunset. "How about now?"

Sunset glared at him, her mane a mess.

"Oh, it is so on." She smirked.

Sunset charged into the water, and the pair engaged in a splash fight. They giggled and laughed like children, clearly enjoying themselves. Sterling stepped on a shell embedded in the sea floor, and slipped, falling on top of Sunset. The two froze up, realizing that their snouts were almost touching.

"Sorry." Sterling blushed. "I-"

Without warning, Sunset grabbed Sterling's sides, and flipped him around, so she was on top of him.

"Don't be." She smiled mischievously.

Before Sterling could react, Sunset kissed him. He resisted at first, but quickly returned the favor. Eventually, they separated.

"What was that for?" Sterling said breathlessly.

"What do you think?" Sunset grinned.

"I'm not sure what to think right now." Sterling admitted.

"Then let me help you." Sunset purred, leaning in for another kiss.

Unbeknownst to them, Echo was watching. He snarled, baring his fangs... then took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"It's none of my business who Sunset chooses to be... romantic with." He told himself. "Now, back to work, Alchemy..."

Echo tried to continue his notes, but his quill snapped the second he put it to paper.

"Unbelievable!" He roared, tossing the quill aside. He quickly realised that his anger was starting to build up. "Don't lose it, Echo. Don't lose it..."

Not long after, they returned to the dock, their ship having been repaired and ready to go. Echo acted as if he had been too wrapped up in his work to notice Sunset and Sterling, though he was distinctly icy with them both.

"So, how did the note-writing go?" Sunset asked, loosened up enough by her fun at the beach to actually be civil with Echo.

"Fine." Echo said tersely.

"...You feeling okay, bookworm?" Sterling asked, perturbed.

"Of course." Echo lied. "Why would I not be?" He glanced at the setting sun. "If you don't mind, I think I'll take a single cabin tonight. I could do with some alone time. I'm sure you and Ms Shimmer wouldn't mind sharing a cabin, would you?"

"I guess not..." Sterling shrugged.

"That's what I thought." Echo snorted, as he walked away.

"What's with him?" Sunset frowned.

"Who knows?" Sterling shrugged. "Anyway, guess we're roomies tonight."

"I'm not complaining." Sunset smiled.

Once they settled into their two-bed cabin, Sterling waited until Sunset was asleep (which didn't take long, considering the events of the day), then stepped outside. He pulled out his magic mirror, and made contact with Shining Armor.

"What news do you have, Sterling?" Shining asked.

"I'm sorry to report that we... lost another page, sir." Sterling confessed.

"Another one?" Shining gasped. "How could you have let that happen?"

"That latest guardian was a tricky one." Sterling declared. "Hid away in a panic room, sicced his dark magic flunkies on us... is it any wonder that masked creep beat us to the punch?"

"I can forgive one of two pages lost to the enemy, but not four." Shining declared. "Now the number of pages both sides have is equal. The next page will tip that balance."

"I know, your majesty." Sterling nodded.

"Then you must also know that you cannot allow the balance to tip in our enemy's favor." Shining continued.

"Of course." Sterling declared. "We'll do everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen."

"And what about Echo?" Shining asked. "Anything... okay?"

"Oh, he's, uh... fine." Sterling shrugged.

"Just 'fine'?" Shining prompted.

"As fine as you can expect a guy like him to be." Sterling declared. "He's still totally focused on the mission, no worries there."

"So you say." Shining narrowed his eyes.

"Trust me, your highness." Sterling urged. "We're doing our very best to handle the situation."

"I suppose that's all I can ask for, really." Shining sighed. "Let's just hope it's enough..."

Shining's face faded from the mirror, and Sterling, who had been happy and jubilant hours ago, was now feeling worried and apprehensive. The next page could decide everything, and they had to be ready. Silently, he cursed himself for what happened on the beach. Kissing Sunset definitely wasn't the way to patch things up between her and Echo. He could only hope Echo hadn't seen it happen...
> The Envy Of Argent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a dark cavern, the masked pony pulled out his magic mirror, and spoke with his hooded ally.

"Well?" The hooded pony asked.

"Another page is ours." The masked pony announced.

"Excellent." The hooded pony chuckled darkly. "Now only two remain. You cannot allow Echo and his underlings to gain those last two."

"Oh, I won't." The masked pony boasted. "Their fellowship has been fractured by their last few quests. They will no longer pose much of a threat to us."

"That remains to be seen." The hooded pony declared. "And besides, now is not the time to get complacent. The fate of those next two pages will decide the balance of power for what is yet to come. You must not fail. Is that understand?"

"Perfectly." The masked pony nodded.

"Good." The hooded pony stated. "Now, go. Seize the next page."

"At once." The masked pony bowed.

The hooded pony's image faded from the mirror, and the masked pony set off for his next target.

"It's almost time." He hissed. "Almost..."

The trio arrived in the country of Haygypt, home to the great pyramids of Grassa.

"Ah, home sweet home." Sterling sighed, as they stepped off the boat.

"This is your homeland, Sterling?" Sunset asked.

"That it is, Sunny." Sterling nodded. "It's been too long since I've been here." He sniffed deeply. "It's good to be back."

"Yes, that's all very interesting." Echo said sourly. "But can we please focus on the matter at hoof?"

"Go easy on Sterling, Echo." Sunset admonished him. "You can't blame him for being happy to be home."

"Perhaps, but we cannot allow ourselves to get distracted." Echo stated. "There is too much at stake. Now, the next page is in the possession of a Unicorn stallion named Brody."

"Brody?" Sterling asked. "As in Brody Bronze?"

"You know him?" Echo frowned.

"Oh-ho, we were pals back before I left for Equestria..." Sterling chuckled lightly, then frowned. "But why would he have a page?"

"I don't know... but if he's a friend of yours... then there is no doubt that he is using the page for his own selfish needs." Echo said disparagingly.

"Come on, Echo, I know this kid." Sterling protested. "Brody wouldn't do something like that..."

"And how long ago was it when you last saw this stallion?" Echo demanded.

Sterling hesitated.

"Does it really matter?" Sunset asked. "If Sterling says Brody's okay, that's good enough for me."

"Of course he is." Sterling smiled. "I've known him for years. He's a nice guy."

"Well, for all our sakes, I hope he's still nice." Echo declared, incensed at being outvoted.

The trio walked into the city. All three of them hoped and prayed that the citizenry wouldn't be acting strangely, but this was a false hope; Wherever they went, there were ponies arguing in the street.

"You think you're so great, just because you've got a bigger house, huh?" One spat to his neighbour.

"What about you?" The neighbour growled. "Lording that fancy carriage over the rest of us!"

"You two can both stuff it!" An old lady yelled. "Showing off those original hips of yours!"

"And it begins..." Echo said wearily. "Looks like your friend isn't as pure as you made him out to be, Sterling."

"Well, let's not go that far." Sterling growled.

"He's right." Sunset declared. "We all know how those other pages corrupted their protectors. Brody's probably a victim in this."

"Perhaps..." Echo said grudgingly.

"Let's just hope that spell doesn't mess us up too." Sterling stated, before turning to Sunset. "Though I have to admit, the green-eyed look is good on you. Maybe it'll work on me."

"Smooth, Sterling." Sunset teased.

"Admit it, you're flattered." Sterling chuckled.

"Maybe a little." Sunset admitted. "But it'll take a lot more than one compliment to win me over."

"No problem." Sterling grinned, leaning in close. "I like a challenge."

"I'll bet you do." Sunset nudged him playfully. "Gotta admire a driven stallion..."

As Echo looked at the two of them, a powerful surge of envy overcame him. It took a considerable amount of willpower for him not to punch Sterling in the face.

'Calm down, Echo.' He told himself. 'Focus on the mission...'

They soon arrived at Brody's residence. When nopony answered his knocking, Echo broke down the door, grateful for something to let out his frustrations on.

"Overkill, much?" Sterling frowned.

Echo ignored him as they entered the house. Together, they searched it, but found no trace of Brody.

"Nothing." Echo frowned. "Nopony's been here for a while, I'd gather."

"Funny." Sterling snorted. "This is Brody's mom's house. He lives in her basement. But there's no Brody, and no mom..."

"Are there any other places he could be, Sterling?" Sunset asked.

"I can think of a few." Sterling shrugged.

"Then by all means, lead the way." Echo declared, stepping beside Sunset.

Sterling lead all across town, to places such as bars and sports arenas, but to no avail. Though they did run into some old acquaintances of Sterling, who revealed that Brody had been experimenting with dark magic recently.

"Yeah, he really got into it." A bar patron revealed. "Totally obsessed. His mom went on vacation just to get away from him..."

"You don't say?" Echo frowned. "That's another knock against Cross's judgement..."

"I would never have guessed." Sterling sighed. "The Brody I knew would never do that..."

"It's not your fault, Sterling." Sunset declared. "No matter what some ponies may think." She glared at Echo.

"Thanks, Sunset." Sterling smiled, before sighing. "Boy, this all brings back memories. When we were kids, me and Brody were tight. We trusted each other. But now, I'm not so sure..."

As dusk descended upon Grassa, they decided to book into a hotel for the night.

"Night, Sterling." Sunset smiled.

"Night, Sunny." Sterling smiled.

"Good night, Echo." Sunset said flatly.

"Yes, yes, good night." Echo frowned.

Sterling was beginning to grow concerned. The animosity between his companion seemed to be increasing, rather than decreasing.

"Easy there, guys." He declared. "Huh, good thing we've got separate rooms, or I'd worry about you two tearing each other apart.

The single rooms concept pleased Echo, as the thought of Sterling and Sunset sharing anything was utterly repugnant to him at the moment.

"I happen to think some time apart would be good for us right now." Sunset declared.

"And of course, we know where to find each other if there's trouble." Sterling added.

"You mean I know where to find you if there's trouble." Sunset smiled.

"Well..." Sterling chuckled.

Echo could take no more. He stormed into his room.

"Okay..." Sterling sighed. "Night, then."

Sterling and Sunset both entered their own rooms. In his own room, Echo was pacing angrily.

"Who does that muscle-bound buckethead think he is?" He muttered angrily to himself. "Thinks he's so great, just because he's athletic, and handsome, and good with the ladies... Gah! I hate him!"

Some time later, Sunset teleported into Sterling's room.

"How are you holding up, Sterling?" She asked.

"Not good." Sterling sighed. "I thought Brody was better than this... I mean, I knew the kid since grade school. This isn't like him one bit."

"Don't beat yourself up." Sunset told him. "Whatever Echo says, it's not your fault."

"Still having trouble forgiving him for what happened in Aerovis, huh?" Sterling noted.

"Not just Aerovis." Sunset declared. "It's just... all this time I had spent with him, studying dark magic with him, I still don't know a thing about him."

"Oh, come now, that can't be true." Sterling protested.

"It is." Sunset frowned. "Day in and day out, we always worked in silence, and whenever we did talk, it was about work. And when I do try to get him to open up and do social things, he just clams up."

"Well, he's a bat pony, Sunset. Bat ponies don't really talk much." Sterling shrugged.

"Still, a part of me thought if I helped him with this quest, I might be able to learn more about him... but instead, he continues to keep more secrets from me. Like why is everypony so nervous about him getting angry? What is with those wispy eyes when he does get angry? And what is about this stupid 'probation' I keep hearing about? Every day with him, more and more questions pops up and I don't have a single answer!" Sunset fumed. "It's so dang frustrating!"

"And I understand that." Sterling nodded soothingly. "But I don't see why this is such a big deal to you, Sunset. You didn't seem to mind before..."

"You missing the point, Sterling." Sunset shook her head. "He and I are supposed to be friends, yet he can't trust me to tell me one thing about himself. So, how am I to trust him if he cannot trust me?"

"...I really don't know, Sunset." Sterling sighed. "But you have to know that Echo does care about you. Maybe you just gotta give him time. He's bound to come around..."

"Well, I'm not holding my breath." Sunset grunted, before glancing at Sterling. "...Perhaps you could tell me about this probation Echo is on."

Sterling pondered the idea for a moment. There was a chance that Sunset knowing the truth about Echo would actually repair the rift between them, but there was a greater chance that it could ruin their relationship once and for all.

'Best not to risk it.' He thought.

"Well?" Sunset asked.

"I can't tell you, Sunset." Sterling sighed.

"You were willing to before." Sunset pointed out.

"Yeah, but things have changed since then." Sterling admitted. "I've actually come to respect the guy. I can't betray him by blowing his secrets like that. It's best that you let Echo tell you when he's ready."

"...Fine." Sunset growled, "Suit yourself. I'm going to bed."

And with that, Sunset teleported out of the room.

"What, no goodnight kiss?" Sterling joked to himself.

Later, as Echo slept, he had a dream. Sunset and Sterling were in bed together, kissing.

"Mmm, you're such a good kisser." Sunset purred.

"You're not so bad yourself." Sterling smirked.

"No, no..." Echo groaned in his sleep.

In his dream, the two moved closer together, embracing each other...

"Oh, I've been waiting for this for so long..." Sterling declared, caressing Sunset's curves.

"You and me both." Sunset added, as she kissed his neck.

The two leaned even closer together...

"No, please! Unhoof her!" Echo, in his dream state, stepped forward.

However, he was suddenly being pulled back. When he glanced behind him, he was treated with a horrifying sight.

Rancour, Zhadnost, Uroho, Eros, Hubris, and Lethargy were all dragging him back.

"Ancient Chineighse proverb: There is no love for the outsider!" Rancour cackled.

"Shush now, leatherwings." Zhadnost sneered. "Silence is golden, you know!"

"Yeah, what are ya, a peeping Tom?" Uroho belched. "That's disgusting!"

"Forget her." Eros grinned. "You could always have some fun with me..."

"Like she's worth your time, anyway." Hubris sneered.

"Yeah, she's not worth the effort." Lethargy yawned.

"No, let me go!" Echo struggled to escape their grasp, staring at the bed ahead of him.

Suddenly, the masked pony appeared.  He stepped in front of the bed, blocking it from Echo's view. Then he lashed out with his crystals, and everything went black...

"No!" Echo suddenly bolted awake. "Just a dream... He sighed. "Just a dream..."

Sterling drew back the curtains on the window. It was morning outside.

"May as well go wake them up." Echo sighed. "The sooner this wretched chase is over, the better...

Echo went to Sunset's room first. He knocked on the door, but got no answer.

"Sunset?" He called, with still no answer.

Starting to worry, Echo forced the door open. Inside, the room was a mess, with no sign of Sunset.

"No..." Echo gasped. "No, no, no, no, no!"

In his own room, Sterling was sleeping peacefully, when he was suddenly and violently shook awake by Echo.

"What are you doing?!" He yelped, annoyed. "Let go of me!"

"Where is she?" Echo growled. "What have you done with her?"

"Who?" Sterling wrenched free of his grasp.

"Sunset!" Echo yelled. "She's not in her room!"

"She's not?" Sterling gasped. "Where is she?"

"Don't try and play innocent with me!" Echo snarled. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" Sterling yelled. "Get a hold of yourself! Losing your head isn't going to help Sunset!"

Echo's anger softened at the idea of helping Sunset.

"Yes." He nodded. "She needs us."

"What could've happened to her?" Sterling pondered.

"I saw her room." Echo declared. "There were definite signs of a struggle. She was most likely kidnapped."

"How can we find her?" Sterling asked. "She could be anywhere!"

"I believe I have something that can help in that regard." Echo smiled.

In Echo's room, Echo took out a small stone from his saddlebag.

"This stone is attuned to Sunset's unique magical signature." He declared. "It should lead us right to her."

"And you have this... why?" Sterling asked.

"For just such an emergency." Echo declared. "I actually have one that's attuned to your Earth Pony magic, too."

"Okay..." Sterling frowned, a little disturbed. "And how exactly did you... 'attune' them? And when?"

"There'll be time for that later." Echo shrugged. He moved the stone around, the item glowing as it changed directions. "Now, follow my lead."

The two rushed off to find Sunset. They followed the stone's directions to the shore, where it pointed them to an abandoned schooner in the middle of the Nile.

"She's over there!" Echo flared his wings. "And I'm going to save her!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Sterling grabbed Echo's back hoof as he took off.

"What do you think you're doing?" Echo growled, as Sterling dangled below.

"I've got a stake in this too, remember?" Sterling pointed out. "And besides, you can't expect to save her alone! Not if the guy behind this is who I think it is!"

"Alright, fine!" Echo growled, his envy overcome by logic. He pulled Sterling up and grabbed his sides. "Hang on!"

Echo flew off in the direction of the schooner.

Sunset was tied to a flagpole (her horn disabled by a sealing spell) atop the boat's top deck, struggling as a chubby neon green Unicorn pony with a powder blue mane, square glasses over orange eyes, a bronze medal Cutie Mark, clad in dusty royal guard armor, was trying to read the page.

"Help! Get me down from here!" Sunset yelled.

"Would you mind keeping it down?" The chubby pony groaned. "I'm trying to read this!"

"Stop!"

Sterling, being carried by Echo, dropped onto the top deck, as Echo landed aside him.

"Sunset, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Echo asked.

"No. Thank goodness you're both here." Sunset smiled.

Echo frowned at the word 'both', as he glanced at Sterling.

"Don't you worry, Sunny, we'll get you down." Sterling pledged.

"Hey!"

Echo and Sunset turned to face the stallion.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The stallion demanded. "This is my par-Sterling?"

"Brody Bronze?" Sterling gasped. "What the bu-"

"You're ruining everything!" Brody screeched.

"Ruining?" Sterling spluttered. "What's going on?! What are you doin'?!"

"I don't know, but he's trying to infuse me with dark magic and make me like that masked freak!" Sunset revealed.

Echo frowned deeper, Sunset's attitude towards dark magic concerning him.

"Freak?" Brody snorted. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..." He got between Sunset and the two stallions. "Lady, you're going to be kicking flank once I'm through with you. Once I get a bit of practice in, we'll be good to go." He turned to Echo and Sterling. "Don't you worry, guys, the mare is just having anxiety issues, she will be fine once the dark magic infusion process is done."

"What the heck are you doing, Brody?" Sterling growled. "And what is this about dark magic infusion?"

"Yes, I doubt somepony of your caliber has the capability to do so." Echo said bluntly.

"Are you saying I'm dumb?" Brody growled.

"Actually, I was leaning towards 'recklessly irresponsible'." Echo clarified.

"You gonna let your buddy talk to me like that, Sterling?" Brody asked.

"Yes, I am." Sterling declared. "This isn't the Brody I know. You've gone off the deep end, pal.

"Oh, that's nice." Brody growled. "We haven't seen each other in ages, and this is how you treat me!"

"Come on, Brody, let the mare go and give us the page." Sterling ordered.

"You know what, Sterling? Just run along with this bat-guy, ok?" Brody shooed them. "Just walk away. Because you both seem a little intimidated by my unmistakable confidence and charisma." He started to turn away, before realizing something. "Oh hey! Did you know? I'm changing my name! It's gonna be called "Argent Kick!" He kicked at the word 'Kick'.

"Argent Kick?" Echo frowned.

"Argent is another word for 'Sterling'." Sterling rolled his eyes. "This obsession with me is getting out of hand, Brody.

"Hey, I'm not obsessed!" Brody protested. "If I was, I would be going with 'Argent X', the 'X' being another word for Cross! But no, I'm going with Argent Kick! For Argent Kick-flank!"

"Oh, if I wasn't tied up, I would kick your flank!" Sunset said angrily.

"Oh, the gratitude!" Brody spat, frustrated.

"Look, I can care less about your fanboyism, but if you think I'm going to let you do anything to Sunset, you got another-" Echo started.

"Easy, Echo..." Sterling turned to face Brody. "Look, Brody, pal, you really need to cool it. Dark magic is not something you should be messing with! You're still a kid!"

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Brody said indignantly. "I have been working my butt off over the years since you left! I joined the militia! I got knife training! Heck, I even got a hoof in into that organization you're into!"

"Organization?" Echo and Sunset said together, before turning to Sterling. "Sterling?"

"What are you talking about, Brody?" Sterling asked, a bit confused.

"Oh, as if you don't know!" Brody began trying to pull out something out from under his armor. "You really think you can just walk in here and, you know, do everything? It's... no... you can't go around sucking up to the big boys, Sterling! No, no, no!" Sterling glanced at Brody worryingly. "That's me, ok?! That's me. I'm the guy who's going to impress Flatfoot! Me!"

"Flatfoot?" Echo repeated.

"I'm the one that's been training in my mom's basement for this bull-crud! Me!" Brody slipped the page into a seam in his armor, then pulled out a somewhat large knife, waving it around, much to Sterling and Echo's concern. "I'm the one, just watch me! Anything you can do, I can do better!"

Brody charged at Echo and Sterling. Echo took to the skies, while Sterling sidestepped the attack.

"You think you know Sterling?" Brody snorted. "You don't know him at all! But I do... Just wait. Before this is over, Flatfoot will be singing my praises!"

"Who is Flatfoot?" Echo frowned.

"No clue." Sterling shrugged.

"Wrong answer, Sterling!" Brody sneered.

"What exactly are you planning to do here, Brody?" Sterling growled, firing with a crossbow bolt.

"I'm going to turn your lady friend here into a copy of that masked pony working for him." Brody declared, zapping the bolt with his magic. "Then I'm gonna give her to the Order."

"Order?" Echo frowned, divebombing Brody. "What order?"

"Beats me." Sterling declared.

"Seriously, Sterling?" Brody snorted, swinging his knife. "You know what I'm talking about. After today, I'll be welcomed into the Order. Probably become one of the bigwigs. Heck, someday, I might even be running the whole joint!"

Sterling dodged the knife swings, then lashed out with a punch.

"Ow!" Brody cringed. "You'll pay for that!"

Brody struck back, but was easily repelled by Sterling.

"Typical Sterling." He snarled. "Always gotta show me up. It's not fair! You've had your time in the spotlight! Now it's my turn!"

Sterling dodged Brody's latest swing, but was unbalanced by the attempt. Brody capitalised on it by ramming into him, knocking him down.

"Yes!" He yelled. "Who's the best now?"

"I don't what you're talking about, but it ends here!" Echo charged Brody.

"You can't stop me." Brody declared, as they clashed. "I will turn that mare into a living weapon!"

"We'll see." Echo swung a hoof at him.

"You know what that means?" Brody continued, dodging Echo. "A guaranteed promotion to the big leagues!"

"And what about Sunset?" Sterling growled. "How do you know she'll even survive the experience?"

"There's a little risk, sure." Brody shrugged. "But the reward outweighs it."

"Not in my eyes." Sterling declared. "See, I happen to care about that mare... a whole lot, actually."

Echo suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"I knew it." He growled, glaring at Sterling. "You're trying to take her away from me!"

"Say what?" Sterling gulped.

"Don't even think about pretending otherwise!" Echo roared. "It's not fair! You don't deserve her, I do! I'm the one who spent a whole month learning everything I could about her!"

"You... did?" Sunset gasped.

"Yes." Echo said, his voice strained. "I love everything about you, Sunset. Your sharp mind, your kind heart, your beautiful face, your shapely flanks... and I won't let this musclebound neanderthal take you from me!"

"...Um, am I missing something here?" Brody asked.

"No, you're not." Sterling grunted, as he then eyed Echo warily, "Echo, listen, now is not the time-"

"No, you listen!" Echo snarled savagely. "I won't just stand by and let you take the pony who matters most to me! No pony, not you, not Shining, not this stupid kid-"

"Hey!" Brody said indignantly.

"-Is going to get in my WAY!" Echo barked, his voice taking a monstrous tone at the end, as his eyes grew wispy.

"Echo..." Sunset gasped, recognizing what was happening to Echo from Chineigh.

"Oh, crud…" Sterling muttered nervously.

Even Brody wasn't liking the look of things.

"Whoa, easy, bat-dude!" Brody approached Echo, "Let's take it down a notch, okay-"

Suddenly, Echo gripped Brody by his chest armor, the sound of metal crushing under his clutched hoof crinkling in his ear.

"...Uh oh." Brody gulped.

With a snarl, Echo, with strength far beyond what was capable for him, lifted Brody and chucked him towards the bridge.

"With my last breath, I curse Stableberg!" Brody cried as he crashed through the window of the bridge. "...Ow."

Giving off a grunt, Echo then turned to Sterling with a vicious glare, prompting Sterling to step back a bit in caution.

"Echo, please, calm down! You're letting your anger get the better of you!" Sterling trying to diffuse the situation, holding up his hooves. "I know you care a lot for Sunset... I'm not trying to take her away from you!"

"Oh, really?!" Echo snarled. "What about what happened on the beach in Fetland? And all the other times you've flirted with her?"

"Look, I never meant to hurt anypony." Sterling declared. "And I get that you love Sunset. But I love her too, and I'm not gonna apologise for that!"

"You should." Echo snarled. "Because I won't let you have her."

"That's not your call to make." Sterling countered. "If she wants to be with me, that's her choice."

"I'll kill you before I let that happen!" Echo grabbed Sterling by the throat and lifted him up.

"Don't make me do this..." Sterling croaked.

"You started it!" Echo spat.

Sterling kicked Echo in the face, causing him to let go.

"It's the spell." He declared. "It's filling you with envy. You've gotta fight it!"

"NO!" Echo roared, his anger growing worse by the minute, as his body began to 'quiver' underneath the skin, as parts of his body began to grow muscular, namely around his hooves and his face, his bottom jaw's features growing harder.

"What's happening to him?!" Sunset panicked, growing deeply concerned for the Thestral.

"He's close to turning!" Sterling replied. "I can't let this happen, not again!"

Echo charged at Sterling with a monstrous roar, and the two began to fight. Echo lashed out like a savage beast, while Sterling used strategy, attempting to wear his opponent down. He holstered his crossbow, not wanting to hurt his friend.

"You don't wanna do this, Echo!" Sterling declared, as he dodged one of Echo's blows. "You don't wanna go past the point of no return!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Echo roared, his voice seeming quiver with rage... and something else. "Sunset was the one bright star in my prison of a life, and I will rather die a hundred deaths before I let you take that from me!"

"Echo..." Sunset whispered.

"Think about your equinity!" Sterling urged. "You don't want to lose all that again."

"Why? It's not like I have anything else to lose!" Echo growled.

As the fight wore on, Sterling was the one being worn down. He dodged most of Echo's blows, but the ones that landed were devastating. Before long, Sterling found himself buckling.

"You're mine now..." Echo hissed.

"Don't... do it..." Sterling groaned, clutching his battered body.

Echo answered with a kick, sending Sterling flying across the deck, and landing in a crumpled heap against the side of the deck.

"Goodbye..." Echo grunted, approaching the down guard.

"Echo, please, don't!" Sunset pleaded.

But her pleads fell on deaf ears as Echo continued towards his prey... when suddenly...

"LEEROY WINGKINS!" Brody screamed, as he charged out of the bridge, a bit worse for wear, but still kicking, as he swung his big hunting knife with much force as he could muster...

Only for Echo to quickly turn around and catch it with one of his hooves.

"What?!" Brody gaped.

"Nice knife..." Echo sneered, as with a squeeze of his hoof, the knife shattered to pieces, prompting Brody to step back and glanced at his broken blade.

"Hey! This knife cost me a thousand bits!" Brody whined. "You'll pay for that, you fr-"

Before Brody could finish that sentence, Echo slugged him hard in the face, sending sprawling across the ground.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Brody whimpered, clutching the side of his face as well as his nose, the latter being broken, "That's no fair! I wasn't ready!"

"My apologies..." Echo apologized mockingly. "How about now?!"

He suckered punched him in the guts, causing the chubby pony to wheeze.

"Agh!" Brody groaned, gripping his injured stomach. He glared at the Thestral as he approached him menacingly. "Why you..." He charged and punched Echo in the face, only to cry out in pain, having broken his hoof upon hitting Echo's altered chin. "Gah! Uhh... time out?"

Echo smirked darkly, then started pummeling Brody. He knocked the hapless Unicorn across the deck, picking him up when he fell, and beating him down again, until eventually...

"I'm getting bored." Echo growled. "Time to end this..."

"No, please!" Brody begged, his face bruised and swollen, and his glasses broken.

"Echo, no!" Sunset yelled. "Don't do it, please!"

As Echo raised his hoof, he was tackled from behind by Sterling, who had recovered enough to fight again. Sterling rammed Echo headfirst into the ship's guard rail, and punched him repeatedly. Echo lashed out with a hoof, but Sterling grabbed and pinned it, following up with a headbutt.

"Urgh!" Echo snarled. "You vile thug!"

Echo managed to push Sterling off, but was clearly showing signs of fatigue. Sterling recovered, and stod firm.

"Want more?" Echo snarled breathlessly.

"No, you do." Sterling struck Echo on the head with the butt of his crossbow, knocking him out. "You'll thank me for this later, pal."

Brody struggled to his feet, his body being in immense pain.

"You know what, Sterling? I'm gonna take it easy on you." Brody fell to his knees, as he coughed a bit of blood. "Because you look like you could use a break..."

"Come on, Brody, what was the point of all this?" Sterling sighed.

"...Dang it, Sterling, I only wanted to be the one to make 'them' happy." Brody groaned.

"Who happy?" Sterling asked.

"Oh, you know who I am talking about!" Brody growled. "You're only one of their senior members! I just wanted to be up there with you! Being the big bads that run the Order!"

Sunset glanced at Sterling confused.

"...Seriously, pal, I have no idea what you're talking about." Sterling said firmly.

"Come on, I'm talking about the-" Brody started.

Suddenly, landing on the deck, was none other than the masked pony, the crystals cushioning his landing.

"Is... is that-?" Brody quivered.

"Yep." Sterling nodded, glaring at him and the masked pony. "And I think we both know who he's gunning for."

"No!" Brody yelped. "Help me, Sterling! Please!"

"After what you've pulled?" Sterling snorted.

"B-but I can help you!" Brody declared, as the masked pony summoned his crystals.

"I doubt it." Sterling frowned.

"Hey, maybe, maybe you need a... maybe you need a sidekick, huh?" Brody said desperately. "What do you..." He realized the pun. "Kick! Get it? Get it? Because my name is Kick!"

The masked pony's crystals begin to surround Brody.

"Make an answer right now, because he's going to kill me!" Brody squealed.

Sterling was of two minds. His wanted to save Brody, but his mind said  'Ah, screw it.'

Just as the crystals closed in, Sterling tackled Brody out of their path. But as he did, the page slipped out of the armor, and onto the crystals, which carried it over to the masked pony. For a moment, Sterling considering making a grab for it. But he knew he was in no shape to fight. Echo was still out, and Sunset was tied up. He had no choice but to let the enemy have the page. The masked pony nodded mockingly, and departed.

Sighing deeply, Sterling turned to Brody.

"...You saved my life..." Brody gaped in shock. "Even though I acted like a total jerk..."

"Yeah, you did..." Sterling agreed.

"Why'd you do it?" Brody asked.

"Because we were friends once." Sterling declared.

"I'm sorry." Brody sighed. "I just wanted to be a big shot. Like you..."

"I know you did." Sterling sighed.

"So... now what?" Brody asked.

"Now you give all this up." Sterling growled.

"Say what?" Brody gaped. "No way!"

"You almost died today!" Sterling declared. "Unless you want that to happen again, you're gonna have to disappear!"

"Disappear?" Brody repeated.

"What, you think you've seen the last of that masked goon?" Sterling growled. "Think again!"

"But, but... the organization-" Brody shook his head.

"Forget it." Sterling interrupted. You gotta book, bro. Fast!"

"Okay, I will." Brody trembled. "Thanks, Sterling. For saving me. I'm sorry for-"

"I know." Sterling said bluntly. "Now beat it before I change my mind."

"You got it." Brody nodded. Stopping only to unseal Sunset's magic, Brody departed.

As Sterling untied Sunset, Echo awoke. His eyes had returned to normal, as well as his body shape, as the thestral clutched his head.

"Oh, my head..." He groaned.

"Sorry about that, pal." Sterling apologised. "You gave me no choice."

"I understand." Echo sighed. "I can't believe it that I almost let myself…"

"Almost let yourself what?" Sunset asked. "Echo, please. I know there's something you're not telling me, and I can't stand it anymore. No more secrets, please."

"You gotta tell her, Echo." Sterling agreed. "She has a right to know."

Echo sighed deeply.

"Very well, I guess you do deserve the truth…" Echo sighed, "You want to know how it is that I'm on probation? How it is I'm despised and distrusted back home? Why Shining is so insistent on keeping me cooped up... well, there was this incident back in Canterlot…"

"In Canterlot?" Sunset mused, recalling Celestia mentioning how Echo didn't 'make a good impression'.

"Yes... I don't really remember much about it, though... my memories were drawing nothing but blanks, but something had happened to me... something that had caused me to do something awful. The last thing I remember before everything went blank was I was sitting at a bar, in Carris... I had just gotten my fourth rejection from an institute, for they refused to allow some Thestral to do his research on dark magic there. I was just sitting there, moping... and then a stallion sat next to me..."

"Who?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know." Echo declared. "That's when it all went blank. I don't know how long it had been, but the first thing I remembered after that is finding myself in Canterlot Castle, standing in front of Princess Miracle Morningstar. I learned that I had become some kind of feral beast, and had kidnapped and imprisoned many ponies."

"You did?" Sunset gasped. "Why?"

"I don't remember." Echo sighed. "From what I've been told, I was a savage, ruthless creature. The same creature that I almost became just now…It was thanks to her that I was able to come to my senses and returned to normal. And that would be the end of it... I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Sunset frowned.

"Allow me." Sterling stepped forth. "You see, Echo was moved to the Crystal Empire for his protection. Many ponies weren't happy that a pony who was studying dark magic and had unknowingly kidnapped half a town full of ponies only got off with a slap on his hooves. At first glance, everything seem fine... but then there was another incident..."

"Another one? What happened?" Sunset questioned.

"Well, some of the Royal Guards found it funny to mess with the Thestral." Sterling frowned. "They began harassing him, pushing him around, calling him names... but then they began messing with his research..."

"That was what sent me over the edge." Echo growled. "It turned out that Miracle's magic had only supressed my beast form, rather than getting rid of it altogether. Before I knew it, I had blacked out again..."

"He nearly killed those poor guys." Sterling recalled.

"That I did." Echo sighed. "Once again, I had caused great harm to other ponies, bringing myself even greater regret."

"Oh, Echo..." Sunset sighed.

"That is why I was on probation." Echo declared. "Beast or not, I had to answer for my crimes. It was only thanks to the Princesses' intervention that I didn't end up behind bars or euthanized. Though there are times when I think that was what I deserved..."

"Don't say that." Sunset declared. "You're no monster. You're a good, kind stallion."

"You still believe that?" Echo smiled. "After everything I-"

"You're not the only one who's made mistakes." Sunset declared. "I've made several; Betraying the trust of my mentor, manipulating the denizens of a parallel world, turning into a raging she-demon..."

"What?!" Echo and Sterling gasped.

"Long story short, I knew what it's like to lose yourself to the darkness within." Sunset smiled.  "And I also know what it means to be an outcast."

"You do?" Echo gaped.

"Of course I do." Sunset nodded. "I guess I forgot that for a while. But I won't again."

"Thank you, Sunset." Echo smiled. "And about what I said earlier-"

"No need to explain." Sunset smiled. "It was the spell. The real question here is: What was that Brody guy talking about? All that stuff about an 'Order'."

"Yes." Echo mused. "And he seemed to think Sterling was involved... Why would that be?"

"I wouldn't put too much stock into that." Sterling shrugged. "He must've got it into his head that he and I are a part of some non-existent group. As for me, I've always dedicated my life to the Royal Guard. Ain't any other organization I would serve."

"So he was off his nut, huh?" Sunset declared. "I can believe that."

"So can I." Echo nodded. "You're a good stallion, Sterling, and I trust you. Now, let us be away from this place."

"Lead the way, pal." Sterling smiled.

Sometime later, as evening fell over the city, the masked pony met with his hooded ally atop a roof.

"Greetings." The hooded pony declared. "What news have you?"

"Page acquired." He declared. "No thanks to that fool, Bronze. He almost blew our whole operation wide open!"

"Calm yourself, my friend." The hooded pony declared. "For we now have five pages. If the final page can be made ours, victory will be all but assured."

"But what about the pages Echo and the others have?" The masked pony asked. "And how does Echo fit into the endgame?"

"You'll see soon enough." The hooded pony declared. "Once all the pages are accounted for, our master plan can finally be set in motion. Just be patient for a little while longer."

"Very well, Flatfoot." The masked pony sighed.

"For now, all you have to do is focus on getting the final page." The hooded pony declared.

"Consider it done." The masked pony chuckled. "I'm on quite a roll lately..."

Meanwhile, the trio stopped back at the hotel for the night.

"I'm sorry, Echo." Sunset declared. "I shouldn't have given you such a hard time lately."

"That's alright." Echo smiled. "I should have trusted you enough to share my past with you."

"So we're both to blame." Sunset nodded, offering her hoof. "Let's call it even, and move on."

"Gladly." Echo took her hoof and shook it. "You know, I missed being able to talk with you. There's nothing quite like conversing with a like-minded and fair-hearted friend."

"Same here." Sunset smiled. "And I promise, we'll be having more talks soon."

"I look forward to that." Echo chuckled.

"Good night, Echo." Sunset beamed.

"Good night, Sunset." Echo beamed.

Once she'd retired to her room, Sunset started thinking about what Echo had said before.

'He said he loves me.' She thought. 'And I was so worried when he almost changed. Do I feel the same way? ...I just don't know. I've never been in love before, so how can I be certain?'

Meanwhile, Sterling slipped outside, and activated the mirror, having to tell Shining the bad news.

"I don't believe this." Shining groaned. "I trusted you, Sterling. You and those others... and you let me down…again."

"Your highness, there's still one page left." Sterling protested. "I'm sure we can-"

"I'm sorry, Sterling." Shining interrupted. "But I can't leave the fate of Equestria in your hooves anymore. I'm sending in a battalion of Guards to secure the last page."

"But what about us, sir?" Sterling asked.

"Remember our agreement, Sterling?" Shining reminded him. "You are to bring Echo back to the Crystal Empire post-haste. Is that understood?"

"But sir, what are you going to do to Echo?" Sterling frowned. "Because if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"That is no longer your concern. Just do as I command, understood?" Shining glared.

Sterling remained silent.

"Understood?!" Shining demanded again.

"Understood." Sterling nodded begrudgingly.

"Good." Shining faded from the mirror.

"Rrrah!" Sterling snarled angrily. He almost threw the mirror over the railing, but composed himself in time. "I'm sorry, your highness." He declared. "But that's an order I cannot follow."
> End Of The Line
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the sun rose over the sea, the trio were on their way via boat to Maretonia, hot on the heels of the final page.

Sunset sat in her cabin, contemplating the events of the last few days. She had finally gotten over her anger at Echo, but now felt herself feeling something else entirely. After Echo (under the influence of the Envy spell) had finally revealed himself to have feelings for her, and finally told her his darkest secret.

Since that day in Haygypt, Sunset found herself seeing the Thestral in a new light. The knowledge that Echo had lost himself to a monstrous form for so long, and had been inadvertently driven to do terrible things, incurred great sympathy within her. She had never realized just how much misery the Thestral had endured. The fact that he was still going, rather then succumb to despair, was nothing short of admirable. But it wasn't admiration she was feeling for him right now.

The realization of how deep Echo's feelings for her were had struck a chord. Sunset couldn't stop thinking about he had said; how he loved everything about her, how he had spent a month learning everything he could about her. It would have been easy to pass all that off as a result of the spell, but Sunset knew differently; Echo truly was in love with her.

Truthfully, Sunset didn't know how to respond. She had never been the type for romance. She had experienced a few flings over the years, but nothing close to real love. Then there was Sterling, and the kiss (or rather, kisses) they shared on the beach in Fetland. It was mostly due to impulse, but Sunset couldn't deny she had come to care for the burly Guardspony. He was truly a knight in shining armor to her.

'I care about them both.' She thought to herself. 'But how can I possibly choose between them?'

Just then, there was a knock at her cabin door.

"Sunset?" Echo's voice called. "We're about to dock in Maretonia."

"Uh... coming!" Sunset replied, flustered.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Sunset exited the cabin, joining Echo and Sterling on the deck.

"What kept you?" Sterling asked.

"Just tidying the cabin up." Sunset fibbed. "Leave it the way I found it, you know?"

Once the boat docked, the trio disembarked, making their way into the city of Hoofistan.

"This is it." Echo declared. "The final page. We must secure it. We can't afford to fail again. Not for the fourth time in a row."

"So we're having a run of bad luck." Sterling shrugged. "No big deal."

"Bad luck?!" Echo shot back. "WE ARE FAILING!! Or don't you care?"

"We all care, Echo." Sunset stepped forward. "But getting angry isn't going to help anypony."

Echo took a deep breath.

"I suppose so." He admitted grudgingly. "But we're at the tipping point. If our enemies get the final page, that will make six. Six spells with which to torment the innocent."

"That's not gonna happen." Sterling declared. "Trust me."

"If only it were that simple." Echo sighed.

"So, who's the guardian of the final page?" Sunset asked.

"A Pegasus named Gasket Gearhead." Echo declared. "He's an inventor, which is part of the reason he was chosen to protect the page; Nopony would suspect a tinkerer to be in possession of powerful magic."

"Pretty smart thinking." Sterling nodded. "Too bad that masked jerk already knows."

"Which is why we must hurry." Echo declared. "Gasket lives in a small cottage to the west of here."

The trio headed over to the west of Hoofistan as fast as they could. As they neared the cottage, they noticed that everything seemed okay. There were no ponies acting strangely, no signs of trouble, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, look at that." Sterling noted. "Maybe we finally caught a break at last."

"I wouldn't hold my breath..." Sunset said sarcastically.

Once they reached Gasket's cottage, Echo knocked on the door. To nopony's surprise, there was no answer. Echo picked the lock, and they entered.

The inside of the cottage was a mess, papers and machine parts littering the floor. On a wall was a photo of Gasket accepting an award for his scientific research. He was a middle-aged stallion with a rust-colored coat, a silvery, messy mane, brown eyes, and a Cutie Mark of a light bulb.

"I'm guessing he can't afford a maid..." Sterling quipped.

The trio made a quick sweep of the house, confirming that Gasket and the page weren't here.

"He must have heard about fates which befall the others and fled." Echo despaired. "We'll never find him now!"

"I'm so sorry, Echo." Sunset placed a hoof on Echo's shoulder. "I guess we were just too late."

"Nothing we can do about it now..." Sterling sighed, before spotting something out of the corner of his eye. He pushed aside some junk on a nearby desk, revealing a train schedule for that very day, with the departure time of one train circled. "13:00... hey, that's not too long from now! We could still have a chance!"

"Yes!" Echo cheered, briefly hugging Sunset. "This isn't over yet! Let's go!"

"To the train station!" Sunset added.

The trio charged out of the cottage, and toward the train station. Mere seconds later, a squadron of Royal Guardsponies descended (quite literally, as the Pegasi members were carrying the others on a carriage) on the scene.

"Looks like somepony was here before us." The captain (a Unicorn) remarked, as they searched the premises.

"I don't think anypony's home, sir." Said one of the Guards. "But I believe we have a lead." He held up the schedule.

"Good work, private." The captain smiled. "Let's move!"

While the trio rushed to buy tickets for the train, the guards flew over to another station, hoping to get onboard ahead of Gasket.

The captain's armor began to vibrate. He pulled out a pocket mirror, just like Sterling's, as the glass plane revealed Shining's face.

"Captain, report." Shining ordered.

"We just landed at the next station, your highness." The captain declared. "We are standing by, ready to intercept the train and the pagekeeper."

"Excellent." Shining nodded. "But be sure to stand firm. If what happened to the last page keepers are any indication, there's a chance that this one might be packing dark magic."

"Copy that, sir." The captain confirmed. "What of the trio? Alchemy, Ms. Shimmer, and Lieutenant Sterling?"

"...I don't know. I hadn't the chance to speak with Sterling since our last talk. I can only hope that they are on their way back here." Shining frowned.

"You don't think that Sterling might go AWOL again and have all three of them disappear, do you, sir?" The captain asked.

"If that is the case, then we will have to deal with it after this whole dark magic nonsense is over." Shining declared. "Just keep on your toes."

"Don't you worry, sir. Whatever this pagekeeper throws at us, we can take it!" The captain reassured him.

"Oh, that will be the least of your worries."

The Guards turned to see the masked pony approaching, just walking casually.

"Who's that?" Shining asked, the mirror still running.

"It's him..." The captain muttered, recognizing him from the reports, before holding the mirror closely. "Sir, we have visual of the masked pony that attacked the Faire."

"What?!" Shining gasped. "Restrain him immediately! He must be brought in, and the pages he holds recovered! This could be our best chance to end this!"

"Soldiers! Crossbows and horns at the ready!" The captain barked, as the soldiers made to surround the masked pony (who had stopped), the Earth Ponies and Pegasi pointing their crossbows, and the Unicorns pointing their horns, alight with magic.

"Oh, a welcome party, for me? Ah, you shouldn't have." The masked pony chuckled darkly.

"Quiet, you!" The captain barked. "You are under arrest for breaking and entering, theft, assault, murder, and illegal use of dark magic."

"You really should have led with that first one." The masked pony joked. "I've done that a lot more than the others..."

"Don't move! Put your front two hooves in the air slowly, and no funny business!" The captain snarled.

"Very well..." The masked pony rolled his eyes, as he raised his hooves. "Just business then?"

In a flash, crystals flew out of his trench coat and at the squadron, catching them all off guard, and prompting the captain to drop the mirror.

"Captain?!" Shining gasped, as the mirror remained on. But since it landed glass-first on the ground, there was nothing but the sounds of crossbows and magic firing all around. "Captain!"

A flurry of mystic bolts and crossbows flew in the masked pony's position, but he easily deflected by throwing up a shield. As the Pegasi took dived, he created a whip, knocking them out of the sky. Some crashed into trees, while others landed hard on the rocky ground around the tracks. The masked pony ensured they would stay down by flattening them with giant pillars. As the Earth Ponies charged, the masked pony formed a giant fist, and pounded them into pulp one by one. The Unicorns fired another volley of magic, but the masked pony raised a wave of dark crystals that protected him as he circled around. He then brought several crystal spears into being, and launched them at the Unicorns, the spears tearing right through them.

Most of the Guards, collapsed, dead. But the Captain had survived. He struggled to get back up, a gaping hole in his side. The masked pony hoisted him up with his crystals, bringing them face to face.

"You won't get away with this, you demon scum..." The Captain spat in the masked pony's face.

"Oh, but I already have." The masked pony sneered.

With a flick of the hoof, the masked pony impaled the Captain on a crystal spike, the life fading instantly from his eyes. He then unceremoniously dropped the captain's body onto the floor, wiping the blood from his enemies off his trench coat. He was about to leave when he heard something.

"Captain? Captain?!" Shining yelled. "What's going on? Somepony respond!"

"Well, what have we here?" The masked pony smirked, as he then picked up the mirror, showing Shining's face again. Needless to say, Shining was not happy.

"You..." He gasped. "Where are the guards?!"

"Dealt with." The masked pony declared. "Really, Prince Armor. You simply must get better help. I barely broke a sweat."

"You monster..." Shining growled. "You'll pay for this..."

"I highly doubt that." The masked pony taunted.

"Whatever it is you have planned, it will not work!" Shining declared.

"I doubt that, too." The masked pony chuckled.

"Doubt all you want, it's still going to happen." Shining growled. "I'll save you a cell right next door to Echo."

"Echo?" The masked pony raised a brow (hidden by the mask of course)."On what charges?"

"Because he's a danger to everypony, just like you!" Shining retorted. "You both toy with dark magic, and it always leads to the same outcome!"

"Ah, so the cowardly prince wants to jail a hapless Thestral just because he has dark magic powers, is that it?" The masked pony growled, actually showing outrage. "I never took you to be prejudiced, Prince."

"Cowardly? Prejudiced?" Shining glared. "You misunderstand me. What I do with Echo is to simply protect the populace from him, and him from himself. My opinions of him or his accursed studies have no place in his punishment."

"Yeah, keep lying to yourself, let's see how far that will get you..." The masked pony snarked. "To protect the populace, you say? This, coming from the same pony who failed to protect his country from a Changeling invasion, a tyrant king, a rampaging centaur, and recently, an ex-general turned war monger. With your track record, it's no wonder you are so desperate to contain a meagre threat."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shining seethed.

"I can hear it in your voice, Shining." The masked pony muttered. "You fear ponies like me and Echo. Because you know that you can't hold a candle to dark magic."

"What?!" Shining spluttered. "You think I'm jealous of-"

"So you hide behind your title, your guards, and your own high-horse of a morality to suppress those who has witnessed it's true powers. Isolating us and treating us no better than the real 'monsters'." The masked pony continued, cutting him off.

"What I 'suppress' is the chaos that dark magic represents." Shining declared. "It's been nothing but trouble for centuries, and I highly doubt that's going to change any time soon."

"And you punish those who think differently?" The masked pony asked.

"Not 'punish', restrain." Shining declared. "For their own good."

"For their own good?" The masked pony sneered. "Please. You call yourself a knight in shining armor, the paragon of all that is just and true... but in reality... you are nothing but a coward... just like the rest."

Shining remain silent... but his hoof on the mirror he had back at the empire clutched tightly, threatening to crack the glass, as his body began to shimmer with rage, and his teeth clenched tightly.

"What? Are you going to get mad, Prince?" The masked pony mocked. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"...Mark my words, you dark magic-loving psychopath." Shining snarled severely. "When I get my hooves on you, I will end your worthless husk of an existence."

"Yeah, yeah, you do that." The masked pony shrugged off the threat. "But in the meantime, I would end this little manhunt for Echo you have going while you still have the chance. This is strictly between me and him, as well as my employers and his little followers. You are just the weak little pawn in this game of chess, and you are easy to take off the board..."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Shining snarled.

"No, it's a promise." The masked pony smirked, "And I always keep my promises. You think you will be able to protect your wife, your son, or your unborn foal from me? Given how you failed to do so four times, that's a big no."

"How dare you." Shining growled. "You think you can kill my troops, insult me, and now, threaten me?!" His voice rose to a roar. "What is so special about Echo?! Tell me that!"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." The masked pony sneered. "But you will learn soon enough. For now, I bid you adieu."

"Wai-" Shining was about to scream, before the masked pony crushed the mirror in his hoof, and departed on a cloud of crystals towards the same station as the trio.

Meanwhile, back at the Empire...

"YAAAARRRGH!" Shining screeched. He threw the mirror to floor, shattering it.

Over at the Hoofistan train station...

After buying their tickets, the trio waited for the train. At the same time keeping an eye out for Gasket amongst the crowd.

"Stay sharp." Echo declared, "Gasket might be here somewhere."

"But what if we do spot him?" Sunset asked. "We can't exactly pick a fight. Not without drawing attention to ourselves."

"From what we've seen, I doubt Gearhead will be in a fighting mood." Echo declared. "There's no evidence that he has been corrupted like the others."

"And even if he does resist, so what?" Sterling smirked. "It's not like some egghead can cause us much trouble anyway... They're wimps!" Echo glared at him. "Present company accepted of course."

The train arrived moments later. The trio boarded at the rear, intending to search each car for their quarry. But it turned out they didn't have to...

"There he is!" Sterling pointed at Gearhead, who was sitting on an aisle seat.

"Great Scott!" Gearhead gasped. "They've found me!"

Gearhead leapt out of his seat and raced out of the carriage.

"Wait!" Echo called out as the trio gave chase. "It's not what you think!"

"We're not here to hurt you!" Sunset added.

"Don't try selling me your lies!" Gearhead yelled back. "I know what's been happening to the other guardians! You won't get me!"

"Slow down, ya whacko!" Sterling shot back.

"Never!!" Gearhead screamed.

The chase lead to the front carriage. Gearhead soon found himself with nowhere to go.

"You'll never take me alive!" Gearhead pulled an odd contraption out of his saddlebag. With a push of the button, it started firing coins at the trio. While the passengers ran for cover, Sunset threw up a forcefield around the trio, which easily withstood the barrage. After a few moments, the stream of coins petered out.

"Curses!" Gearhead growled. "I knew I should have brought more change."

"Now, why don't we all calm down..." Echo urged.

"Not so fast." Gearhead growled. "I'm not done yet!"

Gearhead pulled a new weapon out; A trio of axes, connected to a metal disc.

"Here, catch!" He threw the unusual weapon.

In such close quarters, Echo was barely able to duck in time. The triple-axe sheared a part of his mane, and embedded itself in the wall behind him.

"And there's more where that came from!" Gearhead taunted, taking out a crossbow with a spear tip attached. "I came prepared!"

"Where is he hiding all this stuff?" Sterling pondered.

Gearhead swung the cross-spear, holding the trio at bay. He fired a bolt at Sunset. She dodged it, and returned fire with her horn, destroying it.

"Please stop." Sunset urged. "For your own sake."

"Never!" Gearhead yelled, dipping back into his saddlebags. "The best is yet to come!"

Gearhead pulled out a sphere made out of various pointy metal objects.

"Ha-ha!" He yelled. "What say you now?"

The trio stared, dumbfounded.

"...What is that?" Echo frowned.

"My Junk Ball!" Gearhead smirked. "Tremble, you cads!"

"Yeah, not impressed." Sterling frowned. "Seriously, a big ball of spiky stuff? Some inventor you are..."

"Hey, I didn't much time to figure this one out." Gearhead defended, "I only did just realize that there's ponies after me for this page just this morning!"

"No offense, Mr. Gearhead, but I expected more." Sunset declared.

"And more you shall get!" Gearhead threw the ball.

Sterling used his crossbow to deflect, sending it crashing onto a seat.

"Ah..." Gearhead gulped. "Well... maybe you should try..." He fished in his saddlebags for something else. "This!" He held up a coffee pot.

"Seriously?" Sterling frowned.

"Why are you even carrying that around?" Echo asked.

"Well, my work has me up at all hours..." Gearhead shrugged. "I need the energy, you know..."

"There is no need to continue this." Echo declared. "We simply wish to recover the page in your possession, so that it may be kept out of the wrong hooves."

"Echo's right." Sunset added. "We're not your enemies."

"Oh, really?" Gearhead challenged, "Then who is?!"

Suddenly, the side of the car was torn open by a giant black claw. The masked pony had arrived.

"He's your enemy." Sunset pointed.

"Okay, I believe you." Gearhead gulped.

The masked pony reached for Gearhead, but was blocked by Sterling and Sunset, who held him off with magic and crossbow bolts.

"Come with us if you want to live." Echo offered Gearhead his hoof.

"Done." Gearhead took the hoof.

The trio (plus Gearhead) raced back down the train. The masked pony followed, the other passengers shrinking in terror as he passed by, using his crystals to spike and tear each carriage apart as he followed them. As they reached the final car, the trio realized they were trapped.

"Now what?" Sterling asked.

"I must admit, I didn't think this far ahead." Echo admitted. As he turned back, he saw one of the seats flying towards Sunset. "Look out!"

He pushed Sunset to the ground, the seat crashing into one of its (mercifully empty) brothers. When the dust settled, he realizing he was leaning on top of her.

"Are you... okay?" He blushed.

"Yeah, thanks to you." Sunset blushed also.

"Hate to interrupt this fuzzy moment, but we've got trouble coming!" Sterling pointed, as the masked pony came closer.

Echo and Sunset stood back up as their nemesis approached, the terrified passengers running past him.

"If I may make a suggestion, perhaps we should try the roof?" Gearhead offered. "It's dangerous, but there's far more room to manoeuvre up there."

"It's better than being cornered down here." Sunset admitted.

"Agreed." Echo nodded.

"I was hoping for some fresh air, anyway." Sterling joked.

They opened the door to the end car, and climbed up to the roof from there. The masked pony followed them seconds after.

"Don't hold back." Echo ordered. "We cannot lose the last page. Give it everything you've got!"

"You got it!" Sterling yelled.

"Let's take him down!" Sunset added.

The trio charged the masked pony. Echo divebombed him, Sterling fired his bolts, while Sunset unleashed as much magic as she could. The masked pony was momentarily surprised by their newfound ferocity, but quickly adapted, throwing up shields, whips and spikes. For a short while, they fought evenly. Then, as the trio charged him, he rose up on a wave of dark crystals. The crystals engulfed the trio, trapping them, while at the same time carrying him over to Gearhead.

"Oh no..." Gearhead gulped.

"Run!" Sunset called, as she struggled to free herself.

"You can't let him get that page!" Echo added.

"Move it, brainiac!" Sterling urged.

Gearhead stepped back, trembling, as the masked pony approached, reaching out to him. Then, without warning, he threw his coffee pot at him. The pot struck the masked pony on the head, stunning him long enough to lose focus, causing the crystals the trio were trapped in to dissipate. Eyes narrowing in anger, the masked pony lunged for Gearhead, only to be tackled by Sterling, and sent tumbling across the train.

"Never turn your back on your enemy, pal." Sterling chided. "Especially when it's me!"

The masked pony rose, ready to strike back. He was unaware of the tunnel up ahead. The trio and Gearhead all ducked, to his confusion. As he turned around, the masked pony saw the lip of the cave rushing towards him. There was a sickening crunch, and when the train emerged on the other side, he was gone.

"Looks like he just reached his stop." Sunset declared.

"My word." Gearhead gasped. "That was more excitement than I ever want to have again."

"Nice throw back there, pal." Sterling smiled. "You've got quite a leg for an egghead."

"Thank you... I think." Gearhead smiled.

"Mr. Gearhead, if you would be so kind to give us the page?" Echo asked. "Rest assured, we will keep it safe."

"Well, I suppose I owe you that much." Gearhead nodded, pulling the page out of his saddlebag. "Blasted thing's always been more trouble than it's worth..."

"Thank you." Echo smiled. "Now, let's get back inside, before another tunnel comes up."

"The trio went back into the train, jubilant over recovering the last page. They celebrated by having some food at the snack cart. While there, Echo and Sunset accidentally touched hooves as they reached for the same thing. They pulled away from each other, blushing profusely. Sterling took notice of that sight.

'Well, what do you know...' He thought.

That night, as the train continued its path to Prance, Echo and Sunset laid on a fold-out bed. Sterling was opposite them apparently having already fallen asleep.

"Another victory, at last." Echo smiled. "I was beginning to forget how it feels to have things actually going my way."

"Yeah." Sunset smiled. "...Hey, Echo?"

"Yes, Sunset?" Echo asked.

"Thanks for saving me back there." Sunset smiled. "It was very... gallant of you."

"Think nothing of it." Echo blushed. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. You transformed my lonely, hate-filled existence into something better. Your friendship has made a better pony. Life without you seems... pointless."

"I feel the same way." Sunset grinned, nudging him lightly.

"And I suppose I could say the same for Sterling." Echo admitted. "Dim-witted as he is, he has some personable qualities also."

"That he does..." Sunset said jokingly.

"Though I can't help but wonder." Echo frowned.

"Wonder about what?" Sunset asked.

"Back in Haygypt, when we faced off about Brody." Echo declared. "He mentioned somepony named ' Flatfoot', as if he was somepony important. I know Sterling said he was just making things up, but I couldn't help but notice the look on his face when Brody brought 'Flatfoot' up."

"So you think there's something Sterling's not telling us?" Sunset asked.

"Perhaps" Echo nodded.

"Well, I'm sure he has a good reason for it." Sunset said fairly.

"I suppose we owe him the benefit of the doubt." Echo yawned. "Now, let's get some sleep."

"Right." Sunset smiled. "Good night, Echo."

"Good night, Sunset." Echo grinned.

The two ponies laid down, falling asleep within minutes. After that, Sterling suddenly slipped out of his bed, having been feigning sleep. He sneaked down the train, and to the outside of the rear car. Once he was sure nopony could hear him, Sterling activated the mirror.

"Sterling?" Shining frowned. "I hope that you're on your way home."

"Actually, sir, I have news." Sterling declared. "We've recovered the final page."

"You what?!" Shining growled. "I thought I told you to back off!"

"Sorry, your majesty, but we just couldn't do that." Sterling said firmly. "We started this mission, and besides, those Guards you said you'd send didn't show. What's up with that, anyway?"

"Never you mind." Shining growled. "You should be focusing on the consequences for your disobedience."

"I am sorry to have defied you again, but this is something that we had to do." Sterling said firmly. "You can yell at me all you want, but you can't argue with results."

"I suppose not." Shining sighed. "Good work, Sterling."

"Thank you, sir." Sterling smiled.

"Now, return to the Crystal Empire as fast as you can." Shining ordered. "We need to lock those pages away as soon as possible."

"Understood." Sterling nodded. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

"And we will have to deal with Echo." Shining frowned.

"Again with Echo, sir?" Sterling sighed. "Why are you so against the guy? He's a decent stallion."

"That is none of your concern." Shining said sternly. "Just do your job. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your highness." Sterling begrudgingly agreed.

"Excellent." Shining gave a nod, as he vanished from the glass.

Sterling let out a sigh, as he glanced over at Echo and Sunset, who were resting against one another, Sunset actually nuzzling against the sleeping Echo.

"But first, I think we have to make a short stop..." Sterling smirked. "Just one last piece of unfinished business..."
> Amour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train arrived in the city of Carris, Prance in the early hours of the morning. The trio disembarked alongside Gasket Gearhead.

"Well, it was... a thrill to meet you all." Gasket smiled. "Good luck to you on your mission."

"Thank you, Mr Gearhead." Echo smiled. "And the same to you."

"See ya, egghead." Sterling smiled.

"Until we meet again." Sunset added.

"Safe travels!" Gasket waved as they parted ways.

"So, what now?" Sunset asked.

"We must return to Equestria." Echo declared. "These five pages must be secured."

"What's the rush?" Sterling asked. "That masked clown's finally out of our manes. I say we take a day or two to just chill and relax."

"Relax?" Echo frowned.

"Sterling's got a point, Echo." Sunset declared. "We got the pages, and the masked pony is no more. We deserve to celebrate. And besides, when's the next time any of us are going to be in Carris? We should enjoy it!"

"Well put." Sterling smiled. "Come on, Alchemy. Loosen up. You've earned it."

"I don't know..." Echo sighed.

"Please, Echo?" Sunset pleaded.

The look on Sunset's face was too much for Echo to resist.

"Well... I suppose staying for a day or two couldn't hurt." He gave in.

"Great!" Sunset smiled. "Thanks, Echo."

"No problem." Echo blushed lightly.

"That's the ticket." Sterling grinned. "Now, what say we put the last of our funds to good use, and book into one of those swanky hotels?"

"That sounds wonderful." Sunset grinned.

The trio made their way to a suitably fancy hotel and checked in; Echo and Sterling shared one room, while Sunset got another. As they were settling in, Sterling walked over to Echo.

"Hey, Alchemy." Sterling said quietly.

"Cross." Echo smiled, as he hid the cylinder containing the recovered pages under the bedside cabinet.

"So... it's been quite the crazy journey we've taken." Sterling declared.

"Indeed it has." Echo nodded.

"Still, we'll be heading home soon." Sterling shrugged.

"I expect you'll be informing Prince Armor of our arrival, yes?" Echo asked.

"Sure wou- wait, you know about that?" Sterling gulped.

"Of course." Echo smirked. "I'm no fool, Sterling. I know full well you've been in contact with the Prince for some time now. Since Bitaly, by my guess."

"Whoa, you are smart." Sterling nodded, impressed. "Still, I think you should know-"

"That the Prince wants you to bring me back to the Crystal Empire?" Echo interrupted. "He no doubt seeks to imprison me for my actions."

"Right again." Sterling sighed. "Look, Echo. I wasn't going to but-"

"No, it's fine. I don't blame you." Echo said firmly. "You have a duty to perform. And I knew what consequences would await me the night I left the Empire. I accepted them, and I am willing to face them."

"…You're one brave stallion, Alchemy." Sterling nodded, impressed.

"Thank you." Echo smiled.

"Now, I've got something to lay on you." Sterling declared. "That is, if you can spare a minute?"

"Of course, my friend." Echo nodded. "What is the matter?"

"You and Sunset is the matter." Sterling grinned.

"Pardon?" Echo frowned.

"You should take the opportunity to ask her out." Sterling smiled.

"A-ask her out?" Echo stuttered.

"Yeah, why not?" Sterling nodded. "You are in one of the most romantic cities in the world, you know. It's your best chance."

"B-but..." Echo struggled to retort. "I thought you were interested in 'courting' Sunset."

"For a while, yeah." Sterling admitted. "But since then, I've realized that it's you she's really got her eye on."

"It is?" Echo gasped.

"Yep." Sterling nodded. "Which is why I'm giving you my blessing to court her."

"That's very... magnanimous of you." Echo admitted. "But as much as I would like to court Sunset... I can't."

"Why not?" Sterling asked.

"Because... because the mission isn't yet over." Echo declared. "And we have no time for romantic entanglements. And she's my assistant. That just..that just wouldn't work…"

That wasn't the whole truth; Echo had never been a very sociable pony. In fact, he had never even had a marefriend before. The idea of actually asking Sunset out downright terrified him.

"Come on, pal." Sterling urged. "She really likes you. You gotta seize the day, make it one to remember before you're locked up back at the Empire. Take a chance and ask Sunset out. If you don't, you might end up regretting it."

"You...you really believe she has feelings for me?" Echo asked.

"I know it, bud." Sterling smiled. "Trust me, she'll say 'yes'. All you need to do is be brave enough to ask."

Echo thought it over for a moment. His feeling for Sunset overwhelmed his doubts.

"Alright, I'll do it." Echo smiled. "I will ask Sunset to join me on a tour of Carris."

"Atta boy." Sterling smiled.

Echo exited his room, and headed for Sunset's. He paused outside the door, hesitating for a moment, then knocked.

"Hey, Echo." Sunset smiled as she opened the door. The smile faded slightly when she saw the serious look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Echo declared. "I, er... wanted to ask you something. Something... important."

"You can ask me anything, Echo." Sunset declared. "What is it?"

"Well, since you seem so pleased to be here..." Echo hesitated again, before pressing on. "I was wondering if you would like to join me in a walk around the city. Just the two of us, I mean..."

"Wait just a minute." Sunset said, and air of surprise in her voice. "Echo Alchemy, are you asking me out on a date?"

"...I know, it's ridiculous." Echo sighed, turning to leave. "I shouldn't have asked..."

"Wait." Sunset placed a hoof on his shoulder, stopping him. "I'd love to go with you."

"You would?" Echo turned back, smiling.

"Of course." Sunset smiled. "I can think of worse ways to spend an afternoon than touring Carris with you."

"I... thank you, Sunset." Echo beamed. "You won't regret it."

"I know I won't." Sunset smiled.

The two exited the hotel. Sterling watched them leave.

"Have fun, you two." He grinned. "As for me, I've got business of my own to attend to..."

Sterling exited the hotel shortly after, departing for parts unknown.

Meanwhile, Echo and Sunset's first stop was at a small café. They bought a croissant and a cup of coffee each, and starting talking.

"So, exactly how long have you had... feelings for me, Echo?" Sunset asked.

"It's hard to say." Echo admitted. "It was such a gradual thing. But I think I first noticed it after the incident in Manehattan. Something about the way you carried yourself against those hoodlums resonated with me."

"Since way back then?" Sunset frowned. "Why didn't you mention anything until now?"

"To be honest, I was... unsure of how to express my feelings." Echo confessed. "I've never had much luck with mares. Even as a child, I was a solitary figure. Ponies gave me a wide berth, and I did the same."

"I can sorta relate to that." Sunset nodded. "Though I actually chose solitude. All I ever cared about back then was my studies. And it only got worse when I became Celestia's student. I would shun other ponies, thinking they were beneath me. The only thing that mattered to me was my magic."

"It sounds like you were quite... driven back then." Echo noted.

"More like hungry for power." Sunset frowned distastefully. "Things really came to a head when I discovered an enchanted mirror. When I looked into it, I saw myself as an Alicorn, and I wanted to make that vision a reality. But Celestia refused to allow me to study the mirror. Ultimately, I took matters into my own hooves, and passed through the mirror, into another world."

"Another world?" Echo gasped.

"Yes." Sunset nodded. "A world full of two-legged, mostly hairless creatures."

"Sweet Faust, that sounds revolting." Echo grimaced. "Yet, strangely fascinating..."

"Try being one of them." Sunset chuckled. "That's what happened when I entered that world."

"So what did you do next?" Echo asked.

"I set about putting myself in a position of power." Sunset declared. "I put myself at the top of the local food chain. Whatever I said, went, and anypony who challenged paid the price. But it still wasn't enough for me. I sneaked back to Equestria and stole Princess Twilight's crown, intending to use the Element of Magic to give me the power I believed I deserved."

Echo nodded, in awe of the story.

"Twilight followed me, and I harnessed the Element's power." Sunset continued. "But I didn't anticipate what happened next. The Element's power overwhelmed me, magnifying all my worst traits, and transforming me into a demonic creature. I planned to hypnotize the denizens of the mirror world, and use them to invade Equestria."

"My word..." Echo gasped.

"But I underestimated Twilight's connection to her Element." Sunset reflected. "She was able to tap into its power and revert me back to normal, at the same time ridding me of my dark impulses. After that, I was overcome with guilt for what I'd done. And yet, Twilight still extended the hoof of friendship to me. She and the friends she had made in the mirror world stood by me, helped me to redeem myself. Thanks to them, I had learned the true power of friendship."

"Remarkable." Echo noted. "And... you chose to stay in the mirror world?"

"I felt I had to atone for what I did there." Sunset admitted. "I stayed there for over twenty years. For a time, I was a pariah, shunned by the others."

"I know that feeling." Echo said sadly.

"But with help from my new friends, I turned things around." Sunset smiled. "My former victims eventually forgave me. Eventually, I realized that the time had come to return home. I went back through the mirror, and made a long-overdue apology to Celestia. Not long after that, she set me up with the job as your research assistant."

"An incredible tale, Sunset." Echo declared. "I imagine this is what you were talking about when you said you knew what it was like to fall prey to the 'darkness within?"

"It is." Sunset nodded. "But enough about me. What about you? What was the young Echo Alchemy like?"

Echo took a deep breath, and sighed.

"That is a sorry tale, to be sure." He declared. "As far back as I can remember, I was but a humble orphan. I grew up in an orphanage, just outside Trottingham."

"You don't know anything about your parents?" Sunset asked.

"None at all." Echo declared. "I was told that I had been recovered from the aftermath of an explosion at what must have been my family's home." He sighed again. "Even back then, I was an outcast, not just because of my Thestral heritage, but also my intelligence. I was bullied and taunted constantly, called all sorts of demeaning names, like 'bat-freak' or 'spawn of Nightmare Moon'."

"I can't imagine how you managed to cope." Sunset said, compassion in her voice.

"It wasn't easy, but I survived." Echo said sullenly. "But there was a light at the end of the tunnel; Not long after turning ten, I was adopted by an old Unicorn professor by the name of Nocturne. He was both wise enough and kindhearted enough to look beyond my form, to the soul beneath. He didn't see a 'freak', he saw a colt in need of a loving home, and he provided it. He became my parent and my teacher, helping me grow into the Thestral I am today. Aside from that heroic dark magic-wielding Thestral I mentioned to you some time ago, Nocturne was the main reason I took up the field of dark magic research. Nocturne also studied it, you see. Oh, he was ostracized by his peers for it, but he didn't let that stop him. He told me once that the pursuit of knowledge was well worth the taunts of your peers. That stuck with me for all these years."

"He sounds like a wonderful and enlightened pony." Sunset smiled.

"He was." Echo said sadly. "Alas, he passed away some years ago, just before all my... unpleasantness."

"That's a shame." Sunset sighed. "I'd have liked to meet him. To think there was another pony out there who also believed that dark magic can be used for good, and not simply corrupt its users."

"You know, I've long posited that it is not dark magic that corrupts ponies, but the ponies themselves." Echo declared. "All the page guardians suffered from neuroses and demons in their heads long before they came into contact with the pages. The pages' magic only played off that."

"That's a very good point." Sunset agreed. "And even regular magic can be corruptive. The Element of Magic turned me into a raging she-demon when I harnessed its powers."

"Exactly." Echo nodded. "Whether the magic is standard or 'dark' does not matter. It's the pony using it that counts."

"Wow, we really do have a lot in common." Sunset smiled. "We both carry the weight of a bad past..."

"True." Echo agreed. "I never believed in fate before, but perhaps we were brought together for a reason."

"I'd like to think that myself." Sunset placed her hoof on Echo's.

After the café, Echo and Sunset went to a local park. They laid on the grass together, Sunset leaning against Echo. It was a warm day, with a light breeze. Echo felt as he should say or do something to express his admiration of Sunset, but he struggled to do so. Suddenly, something landed in front of him: a rose. Looking around to see where it came from, he saw nothing. Shrugging it off, he gave the rose to Sunset.

"Here." He smiled.

"Oh, Echo..." Sunset sniffed the flower. "Who knew you had it in you?"

"I'm surprised myself." Echo chuckled.

After the park, they continued their tour of Carris. As they passed by the town square, they encountered a dance party, several pony shaking their hips.

"Ooh, I can't remember the last time I danced." Sunset smiled. "What do you say, Echo? Want to give it a try?"

"I don't know..." Echo mumbled. "I'm not much of a dancer..."

"It's easy." Sunset smiled. "Just follow my lead!"

Taking Echo by the hoof, Sunset dragged him onto the dance floor.

"Do as I do." Sunset instructed, performing some simple moves.

Echo repeated the moves, but in a jerky, haphazard style.

"...I'm terrible, aren't I?" He sighed.

"I've seen worse." Sunset noted, Twilight's own dance steps springing to mind. "Try to be a little less precise and more fluid in your movements, like me."

Echo complied, showing some improvement.

"That's it." Sunset nodded. "Let your body do the thinking!"

To Echo's amazement, dancing proved to not be as difficult as he thought. He and Sunset danced up a storm, to the enjoyment of the crowd. After a while, they grew tired, and sat down on a bench together.

"Perfect!" A voice suddenly called. "Don't move!"

They turned to see an artist Earth Pony nearby, readying his easel.

"I must capture this moment!" He declared. "You are such a lovely couple!"

"Oh, um, thanks." Sunset blushed.

"I've never been a model before." Echo remarked. "Another first for me..."

The two sat as still as they could until the painting was finished.

"Voila!" The artist remarked, as he showed them the finished project. "Magnifique, no?"

"It's a lovely painting." Sunset agreed.

"You have quite a talent, sir." Echo nodded.

"You flatter me." The artist said modestly. "With such excellent models, how could I do any less then perfection?"

The next stop on their tour was the Eyeful Tower, Carris's most famous landmark. To their relief, there was no line for the elevator.

"What a view." Sunset smiled, as she gazed over the city.

"Indeed." Echo smiled, glancing at Sunset.

"Smooth." Sunset grinned, nudging him playfully. "Then again, I guess seeing things from this high up is old hat for you, right?"

"It can be." Echo admitted. "But at last I don't have to put in the effort of flying to see this." He glanced at Sunset again. "Or this."

"Strike two, mister." Sunset chided him. "You really oughta be more creative."

"I'll have to work on that." Echo smiled.

As dusk fell, Echo and Sunset sat on a bench in another park, watching the stars come out.

"Ah, such a wondrous sight." Echo sighed. "Sometimes it pays to sit back and enjoy the little things in life."

"So true." Sunset agreed, leaning against him. "Still, we probably should be heading back soon."

"Yes." Echo put his hoof around her. "Soon..."

A while later, they returned to the hotel. Echo walked Sunset to her room.

"Thank you for accepting my offer, Sunset." Echo smiled. "This has been the most wonderful day of my life."

"It doesn't have to end just yet." Sunset smiled mischievously.

"How do you mean?" Echo asked.

"Well, Sterling isn't back yet, which means your bedroom's open." Sunset purred. "It'll be just the two of us."

It took Echo a moment to comprehend.

"Oh!" He gasped. "You... you mean..."

"Yep." Sunset nodded.

"Well... I..." Echo fidgeted.

"It'd be the perfect way to end this day." Sunset urged.

"I... I suppose..." Echo admitted. "But, like dancing, I've never really done it before..."

"And like dancing, it's about letting your body do the thinking." Sunset smiled.

"Well... okay then." Echo smiled.

"Great." Sunset smiled. "Just give me a second to clean up."

As Sunset briefly returned to her own room, Echo entered his. As he too prepared, he reflected on what was about to happen. He had never been 'intimate' with a mare before. He had never been close to one before now. There were times on his bad days that he would fantasize about it, but to actually come close to do it, it excited him... but it also frightened him.

He still remembered that dream he had after his bout with Eros, where he transformed and killed her just before having relations. Mating did increase stress levels, after all, and if it got too much, that nightmare could become a reality.

Sunset entered the room, her mane and coat perfectly groomed.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hello." Echo said nervously.

The two sat together on the bed.

"So... how should we start things off?" Echo asked awkwardly.

"Easy." Sunset grinned, planting a kiss on Echo. "Like this."

"Okay, here we go..." Echo smiled, returning the kiss.

They started bombarding each other with kisses, each one becoming more and more passionate. As Echo leaned Sunset back on the bed, he stroked her mane. She returned the favor, and they both started caressing each other. Echo had never felt so excited before. As their fondling grew more sensual, he started to feel the change coming on. His eyes starting growing wispy.

"No..." He groaned. "Not now..."

"Echo?" Sunset frowned, pulling away from him. "What's wrong?"

"It's happening again..." Echo groaned, shaking his head vigorously. "Too much... excitement."

"Easy, easy." Sunset placed her hooves on Echo's face. "Just relax."

"I... I really don't want to..." Echo quivered, "I don't want to... hurt you..."

"You can never hurt me, Echo." Sunset gave a small smile, as she gently licked him on the nose. "I trust you, Echo... I love you."

Sunset's gentle touches and words seem to had a calming effect, as Echo felt his breathing slow down and the wisps dissipated...

"That's it." Sunset whispered. "Let it all go..."

"I am..." Echo declared, the change receding. "I really am..."

"Better?" Sunset smiled.

"Better." Echo nodded.

"Good." Sunset smiled, "Now, what say we get back down to business?"

"With pleasure." Echo grinned.

They embraced one another, indulging in more kissing, with generous side orders of nuzzling and cuddling. Soon, Echo found himself atop Sunset, staring down into her green eyes, blushes plastered on both their faces.

"Wow." Sunset smiled. "For somepony who's never done this before, you seem to know what you're doing."

"I'm a fast learner." Echo said modestly. "And for the record, I love you too."

"Prove it." Sunset teased.

"Gladly." Echo grinned.

They came together for their heaviest kiss yet.

Meanwhile, Sterling was walking down the hallway, humming to himself... only to stop at the front of his room to find a 'Do Not Disturb' sign.

"Well, how do ya like that?" He huffed. "Help a guy out with his love life and he locks you out."

Sterling's anger dissipated, as he made a small sigh.

"Atta boy, Echo." He chuckled. "Give her one from me..."

The next morning, Echo awoke. He let out a big yawn, and took a moment to stretch... before realizing that he was not alone in the bed. He glanced over to see Sunset, cuddling against him.

'It really happened, didn't it?' He thought to himself. 'What a wonderful night...'

Echo gingerly slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake Sunset. He gave her a small kiss on the forehead, as he snuck out of the room. As he entered the hall, he almost tripped over Sterling.

"Wha-what?" Sterling jerked awake. "...Ah, there you are. Had a fun night, did you?"

"...You could say that." Echo blushed.

"You sly old Diamond Dog!" Sterling smirked. "Way to go! I told ya Sunset would be up for it!"

"Indeed you did." Echo nodded. "Thank you for the words of encouragement, my friend."

"Anytime, pal." Sterling grinned "...I take it she's still in there?"

"I'm afraid so." Echo nodded. "I'm afraid your stay out here will be lasting a little longer."

"Oh, joy..." Sterling groaned. "Still, I guess it's a small price to pay for knowing my pals have finally gotten together. Congrats, bud."

"Indeed." Echo nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse, I think I'll go for a walk. Let Sunset know I'll be back soon."

"Sure thing." Sterling smiled. "Have a good one."

Echo exited the hotel and took a small excursion. Everything seemed brighter, more incredible than it had been yesterday. He felt like he was walking on air, without even using his wings. Soon, he stopped aside a river.

'Such an incredible experience.' He thought, as he stood by the railing bordering the river's edge. 'A suitable "last day" activity.' He let out a sigh. 'Before I am imprisoned for the rest of my life...'

He slouched against the railing... before coming to a realization.

'Wait, it doesn't have to be this way.' Echo lit up. 'Who says I have to go back to the Empire? Sunset and I could run away together, live a new life, just the two of us... I'm sure she'd agree, though I'd better ask her first. It will be perfect…'

"Hello, Echo."

Recognition flashed across Echo's face. He turned around instantly, only to met with the face of the masked pony, quite alive and well, albeit with a jagged crack across his mask.

"You..." Echo gaped, as he stepped back. "You can't be... the train... you're..."

The masked pony threw his hooves forward, and in an instant, everything went black...
> Darkest Side Of Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset awoke in Echo's room, with a warm smile on her face.

"Morning, Echo." She sighed. "Last night was amazing. You were so gentle, and caring...."

As she turned, she realized Echo was no longer beside her.

"Echo?" She asked, looking around. "Where'd he go?"

After checking the bathroom, Sunset decided to look outside. Before she did, there was a knock on the door. She answered it, finding Sterling standing outside, nursing a nasty head wound.

"Sterling!" Sunset gasped. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine... just got a nasty bump on the head." Sterling frowned, clutching his wound.

"What happened to you?" Sunset asked, "And where's Echo?"

"I was getting to that." Sterilng frowned. "Echo slipped out earlier to get some fresh air. He was gone for an hour and I was starting to worry, so I went out to look for him... only to get ambushed by that masked freak!"

"The masked pony?! But how?! I thought he was dead!" Sunset gaped.

"I don't know how! All I know is he's alive and he got Echo!" Sterling groaned.

"No..." Sunset pleaded.

"He wants the pages we collected." Sterling continued. "He said he wants them brought to a warehouse, deep in lower Carris." He held up a piece of paper. "He was 'nice' enough to provide directions. He says if we don't give him what he wants, we can say goodbye to Echo."

"We can't let that happen." Sunset said firmly. "We have to give him the pages."

"You sure?" Sterling asked. "I don't think that's what Echo would want."

"I'm sure he won't want to die." Sunset declared.

"But-ah!" Sterling cringed, his wound flaring up.

"You're not really in a position to argue." Sunset placed a hoof on his shoulder. "You need to rest."

"But, I can't let you go al-" Sterling started.

"No 'but's." Sunset said firmly. "You get into bed and rest."

"Yes, ma'am." Sterling sighed. "By the way, Echo hid the pages under the cabinet."

"Thank you." Sunset smiled.

"You be careful out there, okay?" Sterling urged.

"Of course I will." Sunset nodded. "Everything's going to turn out okay. Trust me."

Sunset grabbed the cylinder containing the pages, and departed.

"Who are you trying to convince, Shimmer?" Sterling sighed, as he laid on his bed. "Me, or you?"

Sunset made her way through Carris, following the directions, all the while trying to keep herself from fearing the worse.

'If that masked monster's done anything to him, I'll- no, stop it, Sunset.' She told herself. 'Echo's okay. He has to be. The masked pony's no fool. He knows Echo won't be much use to him dead... right?'

Shortly after, she reached the warehouse. She knocked on the door.

"I'm here!" She called. "I have the pages!"

The door slowly opened. With some trepidation, Sunset entered the warehouse.

It was dark inside the warehouse. Suddenly, a flash of light illuminated it. After her eyes adjusted, Sunset found herself surrounded by cloaked ponies. Some wore hoods, masking their appearances. But a few were unmasked. Earth Ponies, Pegasi and mostly Unicorns were among their number. The masked pony stood to one side, a chained-up Echo beside him.

"Sunset, no!" Echo called, "What are you doing here?!"

"Silence, you..." The masked pony hissed.

"What is this?" Sunset frowned. "Who are all you ponies?"

"Oh, where are our manners?" A voice echoed from the shadows. "I believe a proper introduction is in order…"

Then, stepping from the shadow, was a middle-aged dark blue Unicorn stallion, with a groomed black mane and piercing silver eyes, with a silver-tipped cane levitating aside him, wearing a cloak just like the others.

"My name is Silas Nebudis Necross, leader and founder of the Order Of Darkness..." He announced.

"So, you're the ones behind all this." Sunset frowned. "The ones tugging at that masked menace's leash. The 'Order' Brody was talking about... you're Flatfoot..."

"Correct." Silas nodded. "Though Flatfoot is such a droll name. I prefer 'Silas'."

"Why?" Sunset asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why, to make Equestria better, of course." Silas smiled. "But more on that later. Now, hand over those pages, and we will let Mr. Alchemy go."

"Don't do it, Sunset!" Echo pleaded. "Don't give the pages to him!"

"I'm sorry Echo, but I have to." Sunset declared. "I can't lose you. Not after everything that's happened."

"Good girl." Silas smirked.

Sunset gave Silas the cylinder.

"Sunset!" Echo yelled.

"Now, let Echo go." Sunset declared.

Silas started cackling. At the same moment, Sunset was levitated off the ground by the combined magic of half a dozen Unicorns.

"No!" Sunset yelled at Silas. "You said-"

"I lied." Silas smirked. "We still have need of Echo, and you might come in handy too."

"Why Echo?" Sunset struggled. "What does he have to do with any of this? In fact, what does any of this have to do with anything?"

"Well, since you two seem to be so... close, perhaps I should enlighten you." Silas declared. "Bring her over, brothers and sisters."

The Unicorns levitated Sunset over to Echo, and two Earth Pony…

"How could you do that, Sunset?" Echo groaned, "After all that work…"

"They were going to harm you... I didn't want anything to happen to you." Sunset frowned.

"Compared to the fate of Equestria, my life isn't important." Echo declared.

"It is to me." Sunset said firmly. "If the situation were reserved, can you honestly say you'd do any different?"

"...No." Echo admitted. "I couldn't bear to lose you, Sunset. I love you."

"I love you too." Sunset placed her hoof on his.

Silas opening the cylinder, and glanced at the pages within, as the ones the masked pony collected were added to it.

"Ah, the spells of Enslavement, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony,  Lust, Darkness, Pride, Envy and Magic Draining, together at last." He gloated. "Hard to believe so much power could be contained within ten pieces of paper..." He grinned darkly. "Soon, we will use the power of the great King Sombra to rule Equestria in his stead!"

"What?" Sunset growled. "How is conquering Equestria going to make it better?"

"Equestria as it is now is weak, and complacent." Silas declared. "Under our rule, it will become strong and powerful. A force to be reckoned with."

"How dare you use dark magic for evil!" Echo spat. "It's because of ponies like you that my research has suffered such setbacks!"

"Oh, is that what you think?" Silas glared. "I thought you believed it was the ponies to blame for misuse of dark magic, not the dark magic itself."

"...How do you know that?" Echo asked.

Silas didn't answer, instead gesturing to the Order ponies.

"Bring in the projector." He ordered.

Moments later, an old film projector was brought in, a screen set up on the wall.

"Time for some home movies." Silas remarked.

The projector whirred to life. As the images on the screen came into focus, a slightly younger Echo appeared, studying some ancient scrolls. There was no sound, only images.

"Echo? Is that you?" Sunset squinted at the picture.

"No... no it can't be." Echo frowned.

"Oh, but it is." Silas snickered.

The screen quickly turned to a letterbox, saying:

'Echo Hyperion Alchemy'

'Head OOD Researcher'

"W-what?" Echo gaped.

"No way..." Sunset whispered.

"That's right. Echo was once our lead researcher." Silas revealed. "His studies boosted our knowledge of dark magic tenfold. His brilliance and intelligence was unmatched by any of our other scientists."

"Echo?" Sunset frowned. "You were part of this... order?"

"I... I don't remember that..." Echo frowned. "I don't remember any of it."

"Well, maybe these scenes will refresh your memories…" Silas pointed to the screen.

Various scenes were shown. One featured Echo and his fellow researching casting a spell on a wounded pony. The wounds vanished instantly. Another involved the creation of an electrified shield spell that repelled any and all attacks. Yet another depicted the transforming of water into an acid strong enough to melt stone. Another still involved the transformation of simple plants into snarling beasts. The last scene involved a spell that made the test subject break out in hives, which then started erupting... popcorn. The Order members laughed their heads off at that one, while Echo and Sunset watched with stern dignity.

"Yeah, we had some good times, Echo." Silas smiled... before he frowned. "But then came the day of our master plan... funneling the power of King Sombra's spell book into a well-preserved Unicorn horn."

An image of Unicorn members of the order (Silas included) gathered around the book and horn appeared.

"You see, we had this big takeover planned, where we would use a Unicorn horn infused with every dark magic spell imaginable to bring chaos and anarchy upon Equestria and overthrow the Princesses." Silas explained. "A plan that was years in the making…"

As the image showed dark magic flowing from the book into the horn.

"Wait... it was you..." Sunset realized, as she stared at Silas. "You were the ponies that were trying to tap into the powers of the book... the ones that nearly caused the major catastrophe."

"That we were..." Silas nodded. "But you don't know the whole story... you see, just as we were moments away from achieving our goals, Mr. Alchemy barged in..."

On the screen, Echo stormed onto the scene, obviously confused and outraged by what he was seeing. Ponies were attempting to sooth him as he was 'yelling' at Silas and the others, but then, the Earth Ponies made to drag him off... only for Echo to break free and pushing Silas aside, grabbed the book, in hopes of breaking the circuit, but instead, the dark magic began flowing into him, as Echo let out a scream that went unheard thanks to the lack of sound. Then there was a massive explosion, everything going purple and green.

"Interrupting that ceremony could have destroyed us all." Silas declared. "But instead, something else happened. Something...  unexpected..."

As the light cleared, the camera angle was sideways, as the camerapony himself was on the ground, as everything was hazy. Then Echo stumbled around, his coat and mane singed and bruised, his glasses broken, as he clutched his head, his breathing uneven, his body shaking.

Suddenly, his eyes grew wispy, then his body began shifting. The camera then immediately darted upright (presumably because the camerapony did) as he increased in size, his frame growing massive, his mane turning shaggy, his wings becoming like a dragon's, his teeth becoming long and sharp, and his wispy eyes turning bloodshot. Everypony in the room let out murmurs, as present Echo and Sunset looked on in mortification. The Echo on scene let out a silent roar as he charged at the camera. The camera view became shaky as the camerapony began firing magic while trying to keep away from him to no avail, as the beast lunged at him, knocking the camera to the ground, as the jaws of Echo tearing into the camerapony was the last thing that was shown before the screen cut to static.

"Poor Lenny. He was a week from retirement before you went and ruined everything." Silas shook his head.

"So... this beast inside of me... this curse... my transformation was your fault." Echo gasped.

"Hardly." Silas retorted. "We offered you unlimited research opportunities. We didn't force you into our group, you came willingly. That day, in that bar in Carris... it was I who offered you the chance to make a difference with dark magic... and it was you who accepted my offer. It was us who had given you everything you could have wanted... and in the end, you betrayed us. What happened that day was your fault, all of it. Your sense of morality and pride was the product of all your misery since then, not us."

"Echo stepped back, horrified.

"Don't listen to him, Echo!" Sunset declared.

"But in a way, he is right." Echo acknowledged. "You saw me on that screen. I was willingly doing research for them. I chose to work under this Order. That decision set it all in motion."

"As you can imagine, Echo's little outburst really set us back." Silas sighed. "Not only did we lose a few members to his savage form, but it caused enough commotion for the authorities to become involved. They confiscated everything, forcing us to start again from scratch. It's only now that we'll finally set everything in motion for a second attempt."

"Second?" Sunset frowned. "After what happened the last time?"

"Of course. We couldn't give up after only one try." Silas nodded. "It wasn't easy, but we've managed to put together a replica, much akin to that horn that was lost in the explosion." He lifted up an artificial horn. "This faux horn will do the job just nicely. And thanks to you, my dear, we now have everything we need to get underway. My compliments."

"No!" Sunset struggled to escape her captors' hold. "I won't let you!"

"You have no say in the matter, Ms. Shimmer." Silas taunted.

Using his magic, Silas reattached the pages to the spell book, which glowed a deep purple as it was made whole again. The Unicorns released Sunset in order to take part in the ceremony, with two burly Earth Ponies holding her down instead.

The book and horn were placed on pedestals, just as in the recording, and the Unicorns' horns lit up.

"At last." Silas declared, as the book began to glow. "A new age for Equestria will finally begin!"

However, all of the sudden, the masked pony made his way towards the circle...

"Um, what are you doing?" Silas glanced back at him without noticing at what he was doing. "This ceremony doesn't concern you…"

"Oh, that's where you're wrong." The masked pony stepped forward. With a wave of his hooves, a surge of dark crystals knocked them all away from the book.

"What is this?" Silas groaned, as he got up. "What are you doing? You obey me! I'm Flatfoot! Your master!"

"Sorry, 'master'." The masked pony shrugged. "Consider this my resignation."

At the masked pony's urging, crystals formed around Silas's hooves, then thrust him upwards, slamming him into the ceiling. As Silas collapsed to the floor in a daze, the masked pony walked over to Echo and Sunset. The other members of the Order tried to stop him, but were knocked aside with crystal whips.

"What are you doing?" Sunset asked. "I thought you were with them!"

"Please." The masked pony snorted. "This ridiculous Order was just a means to an end."

"What do you mean?" Echo asked. "What's your real reason for being here then?"

"Why you, of course." The masked pony declared.

"What?" Sunset gasped.

"Me? Why me?" Echo asked.

"Allow me to explain." The masked pony chuckled. The pony clutched his mask and took it off, throwing it aside, and removed the cowl covering the back of his head...

"What the..." Echo gaped.

"No way..." Sunset gaped.

The masked pony's face was certainly something to be shocked about. His face looked hauntingly similar to that of Echo, albeit a bit older, his mane mussed up, and a jagged scar running along his cheek...

"Impossible..." Echo whispered, "Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself at last." The formerly-masked pony declared. "I am Synchro... and I am your twin brother..."

Sunset's and Echo's jaws dropped lower.

"No, no it can't be..." Echo frowned, before growing angry. "I don't have a brother!"

"Oh, but you do." Synchro countered, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"But that can't be!" Echo insisted. "I remember the explosion! The destruction of my home! I would have known if I had a brother! Because if I did, I wouldn't have been left alone in the ruins!"

"You were lucky, Echo..." Synchro muttered.

"Lucky?" Echo glared, "I was thrown into an orphanage and ostracized by everypony around me. Those were the worst years of my life! I spent nights trying to remember what my mother and father looked like, but I couldn't... I was alone..."

"Trust me, Echo, those memories are best forgotten." Synchro declared.

"Why?!" Echo yelled, "I demand to know why!"

"You wanna know why?" Synchro growled. "Fine... ours was a noble Earth Pony family in Trottingham. At least, it was... Our mother, who was in a loveless and possibly abusive marriage, had an affair with a Thestral, and ended up pregnant with the two of us."

"Who was that Thestral?" Echo asked.

"I don't know. To my understanding, he bailed and left the country... leaving us with..." Synchro paused, as if trying to refrain himself from growing angry. "Nero... our stepfather. A wolf in pony's clothing..."

"What do you mean?" Echo frowned.

"Heh, how you think I got this scar?" Synchro gestured to the scar on his cheek. "Our stepfather, upon realizing what our mother had done, was furious. He hated us from the very beginning. Ever since he found out, he'd try to get us aborted, and when our mother refused, he tried to stage a miscarriage... he was so determined to have us gone... but here we are…"

"I still don't believe any of this." Echo glared.

"Oh, but it's the truth... but being honest, I wish it wasn't." Synchro declared. "The moment we were born, Nero's hate for us grew even more. He would beat us, starve us, treat like dogs... and I mean that literally. He forced us to live in kennels outside for a while. And let's not even get into all the insults and put-downs he barraged us with daily."

"No... that can't be... our life couldn't have been that awful..." Echo whispered.

"You actually believe that?" Synchro sighed, as his voice grew cold. "Let me show you what our lovely stepfather did to me one fateful night…"

He turned away from them, and began taking off his trenchcoat down to his lower back...

Echo and Sunset immediately turned away from what they saw.

"Dear Faust..." Echo whispered.

On Synchro's back, where there should had been two leather wings... there were only two stubs, along with a few fading scars.

"Not a pretty sight, is it?" Synchro pulled his coat back up, as he turned to face him. "Nero did that to me as punishment for the abominable crime of sneaking food from the pantry. He brought me to the attic, tied me up by my hooves, beat me around a little... but then he saw my wings... and it set him off... he began grabbing one of them and began pulling. In that moment, I realized what he was going to do, and I cried and screamed for him to stop... but you know what he did? He laughed... he laughed, and laughed... and tore it off. I was in so much pain, that I could barely feel it when he went for my other wing, and the pain grew worse when he ripped that off too."

"Good lord..." Echo gasped.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Sunset grimaced.

"Well, none of that compared to when he cut me down. The last thing I remember that night was laying there, trying to flap my bloody stubs of wings, seeing that god-awful smile of his... and hearing that laugh... it was the worst day of my life." Synchro mused, his eyes growing misty.

"But our mother... why would our mother allow this to happen?" Echo asked, trying to make sense of all this.

"Our mother?" Synchro glared at him, "Our mother was no better. Even after we were born, our mother just let him do what he wanted with us. All through our childhood, she just stood by while her 'sons' were beaten, tortured, and humiliated by that bucker... and you want to know what she did when that dunglicker tore off my wings?" He slammed his hoof down, his microcrystals strengthening the blow, making a crater. "NOTHING!"

"...No... it's... it just... cannot be..." Echo murmured.

Suddenly, flashes of his past started running through Echo's mind. Jolts of fear and pain, interspersed with a face he thought he'd never seen before, cackling madly.

"Echo, what's wrong?" Sunset asked worriedly.

"Starting to come back to you, huh?" Synchro said with dismay. "A real nightmare, wasn't it?"

"No, please..." Echo pleaded to a stallion who wasn't there. "Stop... please..."

"It was from that day forward that I wasn't going to take it anymore." Synchro declared. "I was going to wipe that smirk off that stallion's face and kill him right where he stand before you suffered the same fate. It just so happened that in our library that there was a dark magic tome, ripe for reading. I began studying into it, looking for a spell that would help me kill him and let me get away with murder, spending weeks after weeks trying to find it... but then, our loving stepfather found out... and he was willing to do unto me what I was going to do unto him."

"He was going to kill you?" Echo murmured.

"Not just me. When he grabbed me, he told me that he was going to kill you as well, so he could rid himself of us once and for all... and then... he said something to me... called me something that pushed me over the edge..." Synchro explained, as he then whispered "A monster..."

"What?" Echo gasped.

"That's right. The stallion who abused us, tortured us, and was going to kill us out of sheer hate, had the audacity to call me, a poor wingless Thestral, a monster!" Synchro snarled. "It was there and then that I decided I was going to rid myself of him once and for all! Using the first spell I could think of, I impaled him on a crystal spike like THIS!"

He brought his hoof up, as a spike formed instantly.

"And I kept summoning spikes after spikes, stabbing him over and over, even after he drew his last breath..." Synchro seethed, before calming down, prompting his crystal spike to dissipate into microcrystals. "However, I used so much dark magic that my body couldn't handle all the stress... in a flash, everything went boom."

"So that's why....." Echo gasped. "That's why I'm an orphan... you destroyed our home, killed our mother..."

"Yeah, wasn't exactly my proudest moment." Synchro continued. "That explosion really did a number on me. It put me in a coma for years... when I woke up, I was alone, nopony to help me. I thought you were dead, just like the others, for a long time. I wandered around Equestria, trying to figure out what to do now with my life, but no matter where I went, I was shunned. Shunned by the ponies for being a Thestral, and shunned by the Thestrals for being a wingless freak, caused by something beyond my control. I was just a lonely poor boy with nothing, but all they saw was a monster and a freak!" Synchro snarled, his hooves shaking, "However, it soon came to my attention that that explosion changed me..."

Synchro pulled open his jacket, showing the microcrystals coursing around his body.

"When that explosion happened, a part of the magic that was in that book somehow infused itself in me, and gave me the power to control these crystals." Synchro explained, holding up a hoof covered in the coiling crystals. "When I realized I could control them... I realized that I didn't have to stand around and be shunned and hated by everypony no more. I was going to make them all pay... I soon found this Order, and 'Flatfoot'..." He glanced at the still dazed body of Silas, "Flatfoot took me in, helped me master my magic... when I learned that they were attempting to use Sombra's spell book to create a new horn... I realized that the time for my vengeance had arrived."

"So what are you going to do? You're going to absorb it's power?" Sunset asked. "After what it did to Echo? After what it did to you and your mother?"

"Of course not." Synchro snorted, as he then had his crystals carry the horn and book to him. "My goal is not to become more powerful....." His eyes grew wispy, as suddenly, the book's magic flowed into the horn, much to Echo and Sunset's shock. "And it is not take over Equestria..." After a bit, he shut the book, cutting off the flow, as the horn now glowed with a dark green hue. "My true goal is simple... the corruption of the Crystal Heart."

"What?!" Echo blanched.

"Corruption?!" Sunset gaped.

"You see, you two, the Crystal Heart spreads light and love across the lands of Equestria, filling each and every one's heart with joy and all that stuff... but, if something like this horn." Synchro held up the horn. "Were to find it's way into said heart, the light would become tainted, and instead of 'light and love', it will spread dark magic!" He then gave a insane smirk. "Every pony in the land will become infused with dark magic. They will know what it's like to be a monster, just like us!"

"Us?" Echo gasped.

"Ponies with dark magic." Synchro remarked. "You and I are special, Echo... that explosion that should have killed me back then... that explosion that should have killed you in the film... it changed us! It gave us the power to use dark magic at a whim! Me, with the power of 'Swarm', the spell of the microcrystals, and you, with the 'Berserker', the spell that transform you into that beast! We became cursed... tainted. And the world has made us suffer for it. But soon, we won't be alone in our suffering! We will curse them with dark magic just like us, and they will come to realize that they are monsters... just like us! The age of dark magic will begin with the chaos that will consume everypony! Every stallion, mare, and foal..." He spread his hooves wide, as crystals formed around him. "We're all just savages!"

"You won't get away with this!" Sunset stepped forward. "I'm sorry about all that has befallen you, but I won't let you bring everypony down to your level because of it!"

"Wanna bet?" Synchro sneered, before turning to Echo. "It's not too late, brother. Join me, and we'll have our vengeance together! No more will ponies call you the monster they fear you to be!"

"Never." Echo growled. "I would never ally with a pony like you. Even if you are my brother..."

"Oh no?" Synchro smiled. He summoned a wave of dark crystals, ensnaring Sunset "What if your lady friend's life was part of the bargain?"

"You wouldn't..." Echo growled.

"Wouldn't I?" Synchro pointed a crystal spike at Sunset's head, "Either help me... or she dies."

"No, don't!" Echo yelled. "See reason!"

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm beyond reason now." Synchro grinned wickedly. "I thought you'd be smart enough to realise that!"

Suddenly, there was an explosion, blowing the three ponies back, and sending the horn flying. The wall of the warehouse blew apart, as a squad of Royal Guards, led by Shining Armor, arrived on the scene.

"Shining?" Sunset lifted her head, "How did you..."

"That doesn't matter." Shining declared. "Just stay down and leave this to us."

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the prince." Synchro mused, the blast only pushing him back a bit, as he rubbed off some rubble. "Had any trouble finding the place?"

"That voice..." Shining glared, "It's you... the masked pony..." He then noticed his face, "...So the monster finally rears his ugly head..."

"Monster?" Synchro sneered. "Can't say I'm surprised you'd use that word to describe me..."

"I call them like I see them." Shining growled. "As it is, even a blind pony could see your evil..."

"Funny how such a noble Prince would be so judgmental." Synchro sneered.

"Funny how mad in the head a stallion can get nowadays." Shining retorted.

"You want mad?" Synchro made his crystals rise up. "I'll show you mad!"

"Attack!" Shining ordered.

The Guardsponies charged in.

"What...?" Silas groaned, as he finally recovered. He realised what was happening. "No, no! Not now! Brothers, sisters, defend yourselves! For the glory of the Order!"

By this point, the rest of the Order members had recovered, and found themselves fighting against their intruders. Shining himself took on Synchro, using his incomparable shield spell to block the mad Thestral's crystal attacks.

"Your tricks won't help you, fool!" Synchro yelled.

"Funny, that." Shining sneered. "I was just about to say the same to you."

"Thank Faust for that." Sunset sighed with relief. "Some nice timing on Shining's part, right, Echo?"

As Sunset turned toward Echo, she was aghast to find him seizing up on the ground. The explosion had elevated his already-aggravated stress levels to beyond breaking point.

"Sunset..." He groaned, his eyes becoming wispy. "Get away..."

"But I can help." Sunset urged. "Like last night, remember?"

"Won't work..." Echo clutched his head. "Not this time..."

"I can still try-" Sunset started.

"Run!" Echo roared, his voice deepening.

Echo's roar drew the attention of the combatants. As Echo transformed, they looked upon him with mounting dread.

"Oh, no..." Shining gasped. "Not now..."

"Brother..." Synchro stared, amazed at seeing his transformation for real.

"Lauren Buckin' Faust..." Silas gaped, "Not again..."

"Synchro, get ready to die!!" Echo growled, charging into the fray.

"Guards, restrain him!" Shining ordered.

"Brothers and sisters, kill it!" Silas demanded. "Kill it now!"

Echo charged across the battlefield, savagely attacking anypony, Guard or Order member, who got in his way. He broke the spine of one Guard, and biting into the neck of an Order member. As he reached Shining, the Prince threw up his forcefield.

"Don't bother trying." Shining declared. "This forcefield kept out an army of Changelings. You can't possibly-"

Echo brought his hooves down on the shield, shattering it.

"Impossible." Shining gasped.

"Get out of my way!" Echo backhoofed Shining, knocking him into the way. "I want some quality time with my brother!"

"Brother! Control yourself!" Synchro ordered, "You're letting the spell control you!"

"I don't care!" Echo roared.

"Keep back!" Synchro fired a stream of crystals, but Echo shattered them with one hoof.

"Why so hostile, bro?"Echo jeered. "I just want to make up for lost time! All brothers fight, right? I figure we've got a lot of that to make up for!"

No matter what Synchro did, he couldn't stop Echo. Echo tried to stomp on Synchro, but he dodged. As Echo tried to attack again, the Guards and Order ponies leapt into the fray. They jumped on him, grabbing onto to his hooves and back.

"Get off me, losers!" Echo swung and threw them away, and continued his chase.

As Synchro slipped through some support beams, Echo smashed through them with his bare hooves. The other ponies tackled him, trying to push him back.

"Back off!" Echo yelled, kicking them away. "You can run, Synchro, but you can't hide!"

Synchro found himself in a dead end, Echo bearing down on him.

"Gimme hoof, bro!" Echo thrust his hoof downwards.

Synchro leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed. But he ended up in a corner, with no way out.

"No!" Synchro snarled, as he turned around to face his brother. "It won't end like this!"

"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter, Synchro." Echo sneered, as he stepped forth. "You murdered our mother, who was innocent! She loved us!"

"She didn't love us! She was no better than our stepfather was! As far as I'm concerned, she deserved to die just like him!" Synchro roared.

"Wrong answer..." Echo snarled, as he closed in.

Synchro attempted to escape by elevating himself with his microcrystals, but before he could get far, Echo slammed his hoof against him, pinning him to the wall.

"Echo!" Synchro gritted his teeth, glaring viciously. "Let go of me! I'm your brother! You wouldn't kill your brother, would you?!"

"I lived all my life without a brother." Echo spat. "So I won't really be missing anything."

"No!" Sunset rushed to his side. "Don't do it, Echo!"

"Stay out of this!" Echo yelled. "This is between me and my brother and it is time for him to perish!" He raised his other hoof.

Sunset used her magic to hold back Echo's hoof.

"No! I won't... let you..." She strained.

"Let... go!" Echo pulled his hoof free. "Now you're gonna get it!"

Echo hit Sunset hard, knocking her down. He un-pinned Synchro (prompting the wingless Thestral to fall to the ground unceremoniously).

"I think it's time we broke up... and when I say 'me', I mean 'you'!" Echo raised his hoof, prepared to end Sunset.

"Echo... please..." Sunset pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. "Don't do this..."

As Echo glimpsed down at her, into her fear-filled eyes, all the rage began to dissipate, as well as the wisps around his eyes. He soon realized what he was doing…

"Wait, what am I..." His voice started reverting back. "Sunset..."

"E-echo?" Sunset murmured.

"Sunset..." Echo whispered, as tears began filling his eyes. "I... I..."

Suddenly, Echo was struck in the head by a magic blast from Shining.

"Gah!" He tumbled to the side.

"All at once, troops!" Shining declared, leading the charge of the surviving Guardsponies.

The Guards Diamond Dogpiled Echo, punching and blasting him with all they got.

"Echo!" Sunset screamed, as she tried to stop them, only to be stopped herself by Shining. "Leave him alone!"

But her pleads fell on deaf ears, as Echo, without any will left to fight, soon fell unconscious. His body then reverted back to normal, albeit with bruises and his glasses broken.

"Echo!" Sunset ran over to him, checking to see if he was alright... before glaring at Shining. "What's wrong with you?! You could have killed him!"

"We could have killed him?" Shining frowned. "He was going to kill you! This is what we were afraid of the moment Echo left the Empire!"

"It wasn't his fault!" Sunset insisted, "He... Synchro..."

"It doesn't matter." Shining frowned. "As of now, Echo Alchemy is under arrest."

"No!" Sunset yelled. "You can't!"

"I can and I will." Shining declared. "Echo almost killed us all. For the safety of all ponies, he must be contained!"

"Echo..." Sunset fell to her knees. "It can't end like this... not after everything we've been through..."

One of Shining's Guards walked over to him.

"We are currently in the process of securing the book and the cult, sir." He announced.

"Good." Shining nodded. "Make sure to get all of them."

"You won't get me!" Silas suddenly charged towards Shining, waving his cane. "In the name of King Sombra, I will crush-"

Shining struck Silas with his hoof, knocking him out.

"Especially the one who was wearing the mask." Shining continued, as if nothing had happened.

As Shining turned to where Synchro was, he found the spot empty. As they glanced around, they saw that the artificial horn was gone as well.

"Oh boy..." Shining murmured.

"This isn't over..." Sunset gasped. "Far from it..."
> Savages
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining and his guards dragged the unconscious Echo outside the warehouse, Sunset following behind.

"Stop this!" Sunset yelled.

"Back away, Ms Shimmer." Shining growled. "You should count yourself lucky that you're not being dragged away too."

As Sunset made to retort, she saw Sterling nearby, a bandage on his head.

"Sterling?" She frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"They picked me up at the hotel." Sterling declared.

"But how did they know-?" Sunset started.

"I'd advise you to stand still." Shining declared, as he pulled an odd crystal out of his armor. "This could get a little rough."

"What could-" Sunset started to ask.

Shining touched the crystal to his horn, which started to glow brightly. There was a blinding flash, and suddenly, Sunset found herself standing in the Crystal Palace's throne room. For a moment, Sunset look around, surprised. She quickly gathered her wits.

"So that's how you got to Prance so fast." She realized.

"Shining!" Cadance rushed over, embracing her husband. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am." Shining smiled. "Guards, escort Alchemy to the dungeon."

The guards made to follow the order, but Sunset stepped in front of them.

"No! You can't just lock Echo away!" Sunset roared.

"I can and I will." Shining declared.

"But our mission-" Sunset started.

"Is over." Shining interrupted. "And now Echo has to face the consequences. He went and violated his probations, after I explicitly put him under house arrest!"

"But he only did that just so he could stop Synchro, you know, the pony who stole the book and went after those pages!" Sunset snarled.

"And how did that turn out?" Shining mocked. "You ended up giving up your five pages, and now a precinct of cops, a downtrodden gardener, a doctor, a ex-Pony Corps member, an archaeologist, a son of two ambassadors (who are really upset, by the way), and some rich guy are dead, no thanks to Echo or that masked pony!"

"That's not fair!" Sunset barked. "They were all off the deep end before we got to them, and their deaths were not our fault!"

"That may be so, but it proves my point that dark magic is nothing but a curse upon anypony who uses it!" Shining declared. "I knew it for the longest time, but did Celestia listen? No! Did Shine listen, especially when it was his uncle that went mad with dark magic and almost took over Equestria? No! Did the others like Sleight, Blueblood, or Luna listened?" He stomps his hoof. "NO! They all kept on thinking that there might be some sort of use for this stuff! And so they let Echo resume his studies, forgetting how he practically kidnapped half of Canterlot as that horrid beast! And how did he came to be that horrid beast?! Because of dark magic!"

"Will you just get over yourself?!" Sunset growled. "That happened a long time ago! And for your information, Echo only became that beast because he was trying to stop the Order form using dark magic for evil! Like he did now!"

"And that just brings us full circle!" Shining glared. "Echo tries to do good by dark magic, only to somehow get involved with this 'Order', who ended up using it for evil. Echo tries to stop them, only for him to do evil with dark magic. And now, there's another pony out there that's going to use dark magic for evil, and like it or not, Echo had a part in it."

"What is with you about Echo?!" Sunset demanded. "You always had it out for him! Echo had nothing but good intentions the whole time! He-"

"That's bullcrud!" Shining spat. "If he had 'good intentions', then he wouldn't had been messing with dark magic in the first place! But no, he let his own selfish greed for knowledge get the better of him, just like Sombra did!"

"No, don't you even go there!" Sunset snarled. "Echo is nothing like Sombra!"

"Oh, really? 'Cause now, because of him, I have to tell a couple of families why their husbands are never coming home." Shining growled. "Echo is a fool. A reckless, naïve fool that is a danger to Equestria, danger to this Empire, danger to everypony in this room, and a danger to himself!"

Sunset stood there, appalled by his words.

"...Why do you hate him so much?" Sunset growled. "I demand to know! Because this obviously goes far beyond Echo! Let's get it all out there! Tell me why do you hate Echo so much! Why?"

"You want to know why?!" Shining spat. "I tell you why... over twenty years ago, I was powerless to do anything when a certain Changeling took the form of my wife and messed with my head to the point of helplessness. Canterlot nearly fell because of my uselessness that day. Shortly after that, I was again powerless when Sombra disabled my magic and nearly took over the Empire again. And not long after that, when Discord and Tirek went on that rampage, I was powerless to stop them! And if that wasn't enough, just this last year, I was unable to defend my kingdom against Black Knight Paladin. Four times I had failed to fulfill my duty to protect everything I loved, because I was powerless to do anything!"

"So, this isn't about Echo, this is about your stupid pride!" Sunset snarled. "And trust me, I got enough of that from Hubris back in Aerovis!"

"THIS GOES FAR BEYOND PRIDE, SUNSET!" Shining roared. "You would never understand what it's like, to have almost lost everything you love, be they your kingdom or your family, because of ponies like Echo, like Sombra, like Black Knight, and not being able to do a thing to stop them. It's... awful, the feeling's just awful..."

"Shining..." Cadance whispered. "I never knew you felt so strongly about all that..."

"That is why... that is why I am not going to just twiddle my hooves while I let Echo threaten the things I care about once more!" Shining declared. "As far as I'm concerned, he's a threat, just like Synchro, and I am going to see to it that he and his work won't do any more harm!"

"Meaning what?" Sunset glared.

"Meaning I'm going to have all his research on dark magic destroyed." Shining said coldly, "And once this whole mess with that masked pony ends, I will have those artifacts, including the spell book, dealt with once and for all!"

"You can't!" Sunset yelled. "That is his life's work! If you take that from him, it will destroy him!"

"I must do what I believe is necessary!" Shining declared. "It's the only way to make sure his mistakes are never repeated. I had humored the others' decisions in letting him continue this fruitless search for 'good' dark magic here, but as I can see, there is no 'good' dark magic... as there are no 'good' dark magic users."

"That's enough, Shining!" Cadance suddenly stepped forward. "I've had quite enough of this!"

"Cadance, what are you talking about?" Shining glanced at Cadance.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Cadance yelled. "I had to stand by and listen to you tear into Echo these past months, making him out to be some criminal or madpony in the making. But no more! I won't stand for your baseless hate anymore!"

"You can't be serious." Shining gaped. "You can't be honestly taking Sunset's side on this! You of all ponies should know what dark magic had brought upon us!"

"That may be so!" Cadance glared. "And I might not like dark magic... but I do believe there is good for it! And perhaps, that there are good ponies who uses them! I had observed Echo throughout the year he had spent here under our watch, and I can say that it's obvious that Echo isn't like the others. Not once have I ever heard an impure thought regarding dark magic from him! He holds a good heart, and in spite of all that had happened to him, he never lost sight of it. Like it or not, the fact is Sombra and Black Knight were once decent ponies, as Echo was, but unlike them, Echo hadn't lost a shred of his equinity."

"But he's a danger to-" Shining retorted.

"I refuse to believe that." Cadance snapped, cutting him off, as she gestured to Sunset. "Just look at the love Sunset has for him! I hadn't felt love like that in quite some time. And it's sure as hay isn't love you would give to somepony like Sombra. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

Shining fell silent, though a disgruntled frown remained on his face.

"Say what you will, dear, but that doesn't change the fact that Echo still changes into a raging beast that could harm countless other ponies." Shining finally declared, without a bit of empathy in his voice. "My duty is clear. Echo must remained imprisoned, and his work destroyed."

"So, that's it then?" Sunset seethed, "You're just gonna lock Echo up like some wild animal, while the true animal is out there!"

"Make no mistake, Sunset, when I do meet Synchro again, it will be the last time..." Shining murmured, "But as long as Echo has the spell within him, he will remained caged. For life, if need be. And that is my final word."

"...You're a coward." Sunset whispered.

"...Excuse me?" Shining glared.

"You heard me." Sunset glared. "Echo is a good stallion, one of the best I've ever known, in fact. He can't help what he's become, but he's done everything he can to make up for his mistakes."

Sunset started tearing up, to Cadance's dismay.

"But all you see is a threat." Sunset continued, her eyes streaming. "Because of your own jaded history with dark magic, you won't even give him the benefit of the doubt, you prejudiced, judgmental bu-"

"Sunset!" Shining snapped, as he struggled to contain his anger. "You... are treading on very thin ice here... don't think I've forgiven you for when you came and stole my sister's crown all those years ago. I don't care if her or Celestia have forgiven you, I will not hesitate to throw you in prison!"

"I don't care!" Sunset yelled, her temper reaching its peak. "I won't let you do this to Echo!"

Sunset raised her hoof, about to strike Shining, but Sterling grabbed it, pulling it down.

"Let go of me, Sterling!" Sunset roared.

"Sunset, calm down!" Sterling urged. "This isn't helping anything! Punching the Prince won't help your case!"

"Well put, Cross." Shining nodded, before glaring at Sunset. "Please escort Ms. Shimmer outside. You're both dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Sterling nodded.

"Sterling, don't you da-" Sunset growled.

Sterling hefted Sunset over his shoulder and carried her out of the throne room.

"No, put me down!" Sunset struggled to escape.

"Can't do that, I'm afraid." Sterling said flatly. "This for your own good."

Sterling left the room with a struggling Sunset in tow. As soon as they were out of the room, Cadance cast a glare at Shining.

"Do you feel proud of yourself, Shining?" Cadance frowned. "Proud of what you are doing to her and Echo?"

"No…no, I don't." Shining frowned, "But I am only doing this to protect the ponies. To protect you, Anthem, and our foal."

"Is that really the reason?" Cadance challenged. "Because when did protecting our family involve ruining a stallion's life and breaking a mare's heart?"

"Dammit, Cadance..." Shining growled. "How many more ponies must suffer at the hooves of dark magic before it all stops? I just..." He rubbed the bridge of his snout. "I just want it to end. All this looking into dark magic. Nothing good will come of it. I don't want..."

"I know you don't." Cadance sighed. "But don't you dare confuse protecting your family with imprisoning an innocent pony."

"I'm not confused." Shining declared. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"And that's the problem." Cadance shook her head.

"I have to do what's best for the Empire, for Equestria." Shining told her. "No matter how unfair it may seem..."

Outside the room, Sterling put Sunset down.

"You idiot, Sterling!" Sunset spat. "How could you?"

"I had to stop you from doing any other stupid things." Sterling said sternly.

"Who does that Prince think he is?" Sunset snarled. "Barging in on things like that, persecuting Echo like... Wait, how did he even know we were there? I mean, the documents listing the locations from the Archive were taken by Synchro, and even with the events hitting the news..."

"Actually, I have an answer for that... I'm the one who called in Shining." Sterling declared.

"You what?!" Sunset gasped.

"I had to." Sterling shrugged. "I couldn't risk both you and Echo falling into enemy's hooves. And from what I've heard and seen, it looks like I was right to do so."

"But how could you even-" Sunset froze, her mind reaching the only conclusion. "You've been in contact with him all this time?"

"Not all this time." Sterling admitted. "Just since Bitaly."

"Since then, and you never told us?" Sunset frowned. "How could you keep this from me? From Echo?"

"Echo... already knew." Sterling cringed.

"He did?" Sunset gaped.

"Yeah, he told me yesterday, just before your big day out." Sterling nodded.

"...Why didn't he tell me?" Sunset stepped back, aghast.

"He probably didn't think it mattered." Sterling shrugged. "We were pretty much done with the mission, or so we thought..."

"You... you..." Sunset trembled with anger. "You did this. Echo is in prison because of you!"

"I'm sorry, Sunset." Sterling sighed. "But I didn't have a choice. I had a duty to perform and after defying orders the first couple of times, I could defy this one..."

"Shut up!" Sunset beat her hooves on his chest. "Just shut up! You filthy traitor! I trusted you! Echo trusted you! How could you betray us like that?"

Sterling didn't resist, feeling he deserved the assault. Sunset kept it up for a few seconds more, before finally giving to despair. She collapsed against Sterling, weeping onto his shoulder.

"...I love him, Sterling..." Sunset bawled, "I don't want to lose him..."

"I am sorry, Sunset." Sterling comforted her. "Believe me, I never wanted this to happen..."

Down in the dungeons, Echo had finally awoken.

"...Sunset?" He groaned He looked around, and realized where he was. "Oh, no... no, no, no... it finally happened."

Echo walked his cell, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"The last thing I remember was... my brother... I have a brother..." He said to himself. "He was threatening Sunset, and then... and then..."

Echo froze, as it started coming back to him; Shining's sudden appearance, his transformation. The memories were hazy after that, but he recalled chasing after Synchro, determined to kill him. He remembered Sunset trying to stop. And most horrifying of all, he remembered hitting Sunset, and being on the verse of killing her.

"No..." Echo gasped. "I didn't... I wouldn't... but I almost..."

Echo lay back on his bed, and cried into his hooves.

"Sunset, I'm so sorry." He sniffed. "I brought this on myself... this all happened because of me and wanting to study dark magic. The Order, me turning into that beast, all those ponies I terrorized... and now, my brother... he's going to hurt ponies... all because of me. At least... at least I got to be with you one last time, even if it was only brief... and now, we will be separated forever. This cell is nothing, compared to being apart from you, Sunset."

Echo continued crying, his misery reverberating off the walls of his cell.

Meanwhile, at the front gates.

This was it... the moment he had been waiting for. Years working under the Order and for Flatfoot has been all leading up to this. With the tool necessary to achieve his goal finally in his possession, the 'apocalypse' was surely on it's way.

Synchro, after taking one last breath, marched through the gates of the Crystal Empire, not bothering to use his crystals this time. The civilians didn't take kindly to him, noting the similarity between him and Echo.

"Another one?" One Crystal Pony frowned. "They're like cockroaches..."

A handful of Ponies were bold enough to approach Synchro.

"We don't like your kind around here, pal." The ringleader, a burly stallion growled. "Get lost."

"My, how inhospitable." Synchro sneered, "You think that being so close to the Crystal Heart, you ponies would be a little nicer."

"Are you deaf or something?" Another stallion asked. "Beat it!"

"I get the distinct feeling that I'm not welcome here." Synchro smirked.

"You're not." A mare snarled.

"And that makes me angry." Synchro sneered. "And you know what? It makes you angry too."

"Say what?" The ringleader frowned.

Synchro slipped a hoof into his jacket, and pull out the artificial horn, which had absorbed the magic of the spell pages. The Crystal Ponies backed away, realizing that the horn resembled Sombra's.

"What is that?" The ringleader asked.

"Allow me to demonstrate." Synchro smirked, his eyes becoming incredibly wispy.

Then, the horn glowed, causing a magical surge to travel from the hoof that held the horn to his other front hoof, which he then aimed at the ringleader, as a pulse burst from the hoof, striking the ringleader. His face contorted into a mad snarl, and he attacked one of his fellows.

"Raaarrrgh!" He roared, trying to strangle his victim.

"What did you do to him?" The mare gasped.

"You should be more concerned with what I'm about to do with you." Synchro sneered, hitting her with another blast. "You don't want to hurt me, now do you?"

"No..." The mare smiled, overcome by lust. "I love you!"

"Of course you do." Synchro smirked. "And I would love it if you attacked that clod there."

"Me?" The second stallion blanched.

"Anything for you, handsome." The mare kicked the stallion in the face.

More Crystal Ponies came on the scene.

"Stop that creature!" A mare yelled.

"Creature?" Synchro put on a wounded look. "Now I'm hurt!"

"You'll be even more hurt when we run you out of town!" A stallion snarled.

"But you don't want to run." Synchro smirked, blasting the stallion with another pulse. "That's too much work."

"Yeah..." The stallion said slothfully. "I'm too tired for that... I'm gonna take a nap..."

The stallion lay down in the street, and started sleeping.

Synchro zapped another stallion before he could react.

"I'll give you a bag full of bits to go away." He offered, grabbing a bag from his coat.

"Done!" The greedy pony nodded, as he caught the bag and ran off.

Synchro zapped another mare.

"Forget this." The mare frowned. "I'm gonna get something to eat. I'm starving....

"What are you doing to them?" Another stallion yelled.

"That's none of your concern." Synchro zapped.

"You're right." The suddenly prideful pony declared. "Why am I lowering myself to dealing with the likes of you! I have much better things to do with my time!"

As the stallion walked away, two more tried to charge, Sycnhro, who zapped them both. They stopped in their tracks, and glared at each other.

"You think you're so great, just because you have that cushy job at the spa!" One shoved the other.

"And you're always lording your connections over everypony!" The other yelled. "Yeah, so you know Coco Pommel. Quit rubbing it in our faces!"

"This is so entertaining..." Synchro smirked.

A group of Guards arrived on the scene.

"Hold it right there!" One roared.

"Yeah, we want payback for what you did to our pals!" Another snarled.

"Enough games." Synchro's smirk faded, as crystals began forming around him. "Time to get serious."

"Down on the ground!" The guard demanded. "Now!"

Synchro clutched the horn tighter, and flick his free hoof, sending a wave of darkness that smothered the guards, blinding them.

"I can't see!" One guard said, as they stumbled around the inky cloud.

"Why so worried?" Synchro sneered. "You ponies have always been blind..."

Another group of Guards, Unicorns, rushed forward, horns pointed at Synchro.

"Halt, or we'll fire!" One declared.

"By all means." Synchro sneered raising the artificial horn. "Give me all you've got."

"Fire at will!" The lead guard ordered.

The Unicorns fired beams of magic at Synchro. With a grin, Synchro held up the horn, which started sucking the magic into itself.

"Can't... stop..." The lead guard groaned, as more magic was pulled out of him.

In mere moments, the guards collapsed, drained of magic.

"Thank you for your contributions." Synchro declared, flipping his horn a bit, as he saw more Guards heading his way. "But your service to me isn't over yet."

The horn glowed, as well as his free front hoof. Soon, magic began enveloping the Guards. With a rise of his free hoof, the guards, to their horror, found themselves standing up, their bodies out of their control.

"What is this?!" A guard stammered.

"An enslavement spell." Synchro smirked. "Ironically, the spell that your comrades died trying to secure." Then he feigned a yawn, and with a shooing gesture. "Now, make yourselves useful and deal with those fools for me, would you?"

"No..!" The lead guard yelled, as he and the others charged toward their comrades, their bodies moving of their own accord.

The other Guards were too shocked to do anything but gape as their comrades tackled them. In moments, they were unconscious.

"Good." Synchro nodded. "Now, to the castle."

Synchro moved forward, his unwilling slaves following. Spotting some more civilians, Synchro decided to have some fun. His powers greatly enhanced by the dark magic, he combined the crystals with the Sloth spell, draining the Sloth-induced ponies' power to create a massive crystal dragon. The creature let out a blood-curdling roar.

"Beautiful." Synchro smirked.

The dragon began stomping around, crushing things underfoot, and breathing more crystals, sending the Crystal Ponies running. Some of them tried to take shelter in a flower shop, but the dragon tore off the roof with one swipe of it's tail. As the ponies fled, it picked up the rest of the building in its jaws, shook it around, then threw into the distance.

"Ah, what fun!" Synchro cackled madly.

Up on the castle balcony, Sunset, Sterling, Shining and Cadance rushed out, drawn by the sound of the commotion outside. They spotted Synchro and his slaves making their way to the castle.

"It's him." Shining frowned. "What's he doing here?"

"He's planning to poison the Crystal Heart." Sunset revealed. "He wants every pony in Equestria corrupted by dark magic, just like him..." Then she whispered "Like Echo..."

"Not while I'm breathing." Shining declared. "Sterling, take my wife to safety. Ms. Shimmer, I need your help to fortify the defenses. Your experience fighting that monster could prove useful."

"I suppose I have no choice..." Sunset growled, not exactly in love with the idea of working with Shining at the moment.

"Good luck, my love." Cadance kissed Shining. "Be safe…"

"I'll try." Shining nodded.

"This way, your highness." Sterling led Cadance to safety, as he pulled his crossbow, "Good thing I hung onto this."

"I'm just glad Anthem in Mihaymi at the moment..." Cadance admitted.

Synchro continued his march, either swatting aside those who challenged him, or inflicting the spells upon them. Before long, his goal was in sight; the Crystal Heart.

"It won't be long now." He smirked.

Another group of guards emerged to defend the Heart.

"For the Crystal Empire!" Their leader called.

"Oh, please." Synchro rolled his eyes. "You fools don't know what you're up against. But I'd be happy to show you."

As the Guards charged, Synchro unleashed a combination of his crystals, the darkness spell, and the magic draining spell, taking out a significant chunk of the Guards.

"How about a little Wrath?" Synchro offered, striking two Guards with the spell. The Guards immediately started fighting each other like animals. "Or some Greed?"

Another Guard was struck.

"I do not get paid enough for this." The Guard took off his armor. "Hmm, I might get a few Bits for this stuff..."

"Time for a little Gluttony..." Synchro smirked.

Seeing a small café nearby, he blasted a trio of Guards with the Gluttony spell.

"They've got a special on hayburgers other there." He pointed.

"Let me at 'em!" One Guard rushed over.

"Me first!" The second one pushed past.

"No, me!" The third ran behind them.

"A hint of lust..." Synchro sniggered.

Another Guard was hit. They spotted a pretty Crystal mare running past, trying to get away from the dragon.

"Hey, baby!" The Guard chased after her. "Goin' my way?"

"A dash of Pride..." Synchro zapped more Guards.

"What am I doing?" One Guard sneered. "I was top of my class during training, and they've got me acting as a glorified security guard?"

"No kidding." Another nodded. "I'm outta here!"

"A touch of Sloth..." Synchro hit more Guards, who simply yawned and curled up on the floor. At the same time, their energy surged over to the dragon, strengthening it.

"And a pinch of Envy..." Synchro struck three more.

"Why are you always the one who gets the best assignments?" One berated the other. "I'm just as good as you!"

"What are you complaining about?" The third spat. "I'd give anything to have your position, you jerk!"

"At least you two don't have a ton of paperwork to sift through every day!" The second pony yelled.

"Huh." Synchro sighed. "Toying with these fool's emotions isn't as much fun as I thought it'd be. In fact, it's getting real old, real fast..."

To Synchro's dismay, more Guards arrived on the scene.

"Handle the rest." He told his slaves. "I've got bigger fish to fry."

Meanwhile, Sunset raced out of the castle, and beheld the crystal dragon, still mobile (and destructive) despite its creator's focus elsewhere.

"Oh, boy..." She gaped.

The dragon roared at her, and followed up by spitting a stream of crystals. Sunset threw up a forcefield, protecting herself. As the dragon stepped forward, Sunset moved to the side, blasting its leg. A considerable amount of crystal were shattered, but the dragon kept going, breathing another stream. Sunset blocked it, then retaliated. The dragon tried to swipe at her with its claws, but she ducked away, following up with another blast. The back-and-forth continued for a while, until Sunset noticed something; the dragon was getting smaller.

"How... of course!" She realised. "There are only so many crystals that make up its structure. Without its master to replenish it, it's running out of... itself! All I have to do is speed things up..."

Sunset fired rapid bursts of magic from her horn, blasting away more crystals. The dragon roared. It tried to step on her, but she jumped aside.

"Come on!" She taunted it. "Is that the best you're got?!"

The dragon released a burst of crystals, but a magic blast from Sunset obliterated them. The dragon whipped its tail at her. She barely managed to duck in time, the tail shattering a crystal column.

Undeterred, Sunset continued blasting and goading the creature until it had expended almost all its crystals; By that point, it was barely her height.

"You're done, shorty." She blasted the dragon again, shattering it completely.

Meanwhile, Synchro was approaching the Heart, horn in hoof, his eyes wispy as all get out, but found Shining stood in front of it, clad in armor, and bearing an angry look to boot.

"Ah, Shining, glad you could make it." Synchro said affably. "Love what you've done with the place. It's like that Black feller never came and wreck the place."

"...I know all about what you did." Shining snarled. "And I won't let you do it again."

"Is that so?" Synchro sneered. "Have you forgotten our earlier conversation? I've got your number. You're nothing but an ineffectual coward who couldn't stop a bug, let alone a Changeling if you wanted to."

"And you're nothing but a monster who toys with dark magic." Shining countered. "And now playtime is over."

"Monster...?" Synchro frowned... before smiling."You know, Shining, you remind me of my dear old stepdad... he hated me just like you did, for no good reason."

"No good reason?" Shining growled. "You murdered many innocent ponies, including a squad of guards, many of whom had wives and kids."

"Yet I can tell that you hated me the moment you heard of me." Synchro smirked. "What you fail to realize though is that in order for a pony see a monster, he himself has to be a monster."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Shining seethed.

"Need I spell it out? It's no secret that you loath everypony who uses dark magic. You see them as abominations, ponies that should be rounded up and caged like animals. It doesn't matter if that abomination is a stallion, a mare, or even a foal, if their eyes went wispy, you would have them locked up." Synchro explained, as he pointed at him. "It's because of ponies like you that ponies like me and Echo are ostracized and hated."

"I bear no blame in how you were treated in life." Shining glared, "And it's more than likely that you deserved it..."

"Really?" Synchro stifled the urge to kill the pony where he stood. "Me, a poor Thestral who grew up being beaten, treated like an animal, and having his wings ripped off, all for just being a Thestral, deserved to be treated less than a pony being? I wasn't always a monster, you know... I was just made by one much similar to you..."

"Are you expecting sympathy?" Shining said indifferently. "You probably let yourself the victim. Did you ever think of fighting back?"

"Actually, yes." Synchro nodded. "Though it didn't go the way I planned, I finally freed myself from my tormenter. ...Not that you can say the same."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shining growled.

"You really want me to spell it out for you?" Synchro smirked. "Your track record when it comes to fighting villains is appalling. Every time some great evil reared its head, you had to be bailed out by your little sister and her friends. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that you've never won a fight in your life!"

"Shut up." Shining snarled.

"How you got to be captain of the Royal Guard, let alone the Prince, is beyond me." Synchro sneered. "Perhaps Celestia just felt sorry for you. And perhaps Cadance just has a thing for weaklings..."

"That's enough!" Shining yelled. "Since you won't shut your mouth, I'm going to shut it for you... for good."

"Oh no." Synchro mock-quivered. "Are you going to kill me now?"

"You're Faust-damn right I am." Shining growled.

"Well, then." Synchro took a battle stance, and gestured with a 'come hither'. "Give it your best shot."

Shining fired a blast of magic at Synchro, who dodged it. Synchro retaliated with a stream of dark crystals, but Shining's shield spell still managed to hold against the enhanced onslaught.

"Why are you doing this?" Shining asked, as he fired another blast of magic. "Why do you want to corrupt innocent ponies?"

"Innocent? Please!" Synchro spat, dodging the beam. "We're all just savages, deep down. Trained to be afraid. We're animals that can't be tamed, but ponies like you delude yourselves into thinking otherwise. The truth is, we're all the same. We're all monsters on the inside. We are full of wrath and greed, we are lustful and gluttonous, we reek of pride, and acts like sloths, and we envy each other like none other. However, we somehow keep it all locked inside, just waiting for the right time to let it out. Well, no more. I'm going to help all of Equestria realize the truth!"

"Not if I can help it!" Shining yelled, renewing his assault. "I knew you were mad, but I didn't think you were this mad!"

"More labels, eh?" Synchro sighed, sidestepping Shining's attack. "So sad..."

"Don't you dare talk down to me, you fiend!" Shining punched Synchro in the face.

"Thank you for proving my point." Synchro smirked, spitting out a bit of blood. "We all have darkness inside us, even the great and pure Crystal Prince. When I am done, everypony will have dark magic, just like me. And when they realize that they now have the power to do as they will without resistance, they will release their deepest darkest desires upon Equestria. There'll be no more hiding what we truly are."

"That's not going to happen." Shining growled. "The blight of dark magic ends now!"

"If you say so, little Prince." Synchro taunted him, firing a burst of crystals.

Shining conjured his shield to protect him.

"Not this time." Synchro sneered, using the magic draining spell to absorb the shield.

"No!" Shining yelped, as the crystals slammed into him.

"It'll take more than a one-trick pony to match the magic of King Sombra." Synchro smirked. "But then again, you already knew that. Didn't you, you pathetic failure?"

"Raah!" Shining charged at Synchro, his anger flared.

"Temper, temper." Synchro chided, blasting Shining with more crystals.

Shining struggled to get up, and was encased in the darkness spell. Synchro then leapt into the cloud of blackness and pummelled the blinded Prince. The cloud dissipated, and Shining tumbled to the ground. Synchro kicked him in the side, then stabbed him in the lower-abdomen with a dark crystal spike.

"Ahhh!" Shining screamed.

"Have I made my point yet?" Synchro twisted the spike, inducing more agony. "This is a taste of the pain I've felt since the 'real' monster took my wings..." He then leaned in close to his face. "Excruciating, isn't it?"

"Aghhh..." Shining groaned.

"Now, watch carefully, foolish Prince." Synchro taunted, as he pulled away and turned to the Heart. "You're about to see your precious Empire go down in flames."

"No...!" Shining cried, as Synchro walked towards the Crystal Heart.

"Say hello to a new Equestria..." Synchro held up the horn, ready to jab it into the Crystal Heart.

Suddenly, a blast of magic knocked him aside.

"What the…?" He turned.

Sunset Shimmer stood before him.

"You'll have to get through me first." Sunset declared.

"Well, well, my brother's main squeeze has decided to grace us with her presence." Synchro mocked. "Very well, there is one piece of unfinished business I have to take care of before making ponies realize that we are all just savages..."

"Then let's finish it." Sunset glared, ready to fight to the end, not just for the sake of the Empire, but to honor Echo's sacrifice.
> Always Darkest Before The Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the prison, Echo was laying on his cell bed, still lamenting, completely unaware of Synchro's attack going on above ground...

"What a mess I've made..." He groaned. "All the innocent lives ruined, because of me..." He glanced at his hooves. "I only wanted to find a use for dark magic, a use that wasn't to inflict harm upon others, or for one's selfish gains... I just wanted to make a difference... but all I had done had done nothing but helped the wicked and hurt the innocent..." He sighed deeply. "Why did I have to be so interested in dark magic? So good at researching it? So blasted smart?! I'm a fool, is what I am. My so-called talents turned me into a monster. And now they've helped doom everypony in Equestria. Well done, Alchemy. You've outdone yourself this time..."

Echo violently pummelled his pillow, imagining it to have his face.

"Maybe Shining was right... maybe they were all right... I should have never gotten involved in dark magic... maybe I should spend the rest of my days, locked up like the monster I am..." He felt a tear drop from his eyes. "Oh Faust, I am so messed up..."

"So, is that it?" A voice called out, "You're going to just going to sit there, crying like a foal, and give up?"

"Wha..." Echo immediately shot up, as he stood up and looked out of his cell. To his shock, somepony was occupying a cell across from him... a Thestral... a Thestral with round sunglasses...

"It's you." Echo gasped, recognizing him. "The Thestral... the one who used the 'smoke' spell to save that mare all those years ago…"

"You remember me." The Thestral smiled. "I'm touched."

"Of course I remember you." Echo nodded. "How could I forget somepony who had inspired me to continue my research into dark magic in face of opposition? I had longed for the day that I would finally meet you again..."

"Really?" The Thestral mused. "Never realized that I had a fan. I'm flattered."

"However..." Echo frowned, as he clutched the bars of his cell. "I had hoped that we would meet under much different circumstances... it seems like you and I both had trouble with the law..."

"'Trouble' would be putting it mildly." The spectacled Thestral shrugged. "Couldn't help but overhear your woes."

"Oh, you heard that." Echo sighed, as he sat back down on his bed. "Then surely you understand that it would be better for me to remain here for the rest of my life."

"You shouldn't give up so easily." The Thestral told him with a sympathetic frown. "Not on yourself. Not on life. And certainly not on dark magic."

"Why not?" Echo sighed. "I and my work have brought nothing but trouble to everypony around me. Not only had I had assisted an evil cult in almost taking over Equestria, twice even, but I hurt ponies... lots of ponies... This curse of mine has ruined everything..."

The spectacled Thestral sat there in silence for a moment…

"You know, I once thought the very same thing." The Thestral chuckled. "I was like you... young, spry, and ready to give to the world... then…an incident happened and I found myself being able to fire smoke from my hooves..." He emphasized his point by unleashing bits of smoke around his hooves. "Thanks to these and my heritage, I became the 'monster' that they claim me to be, and at the time, I was willing to believe them. I had tried to find a way to rid myself of dark magic, thinking that I would only bring misery upon the ones I cared about... but in the end, the three most important things in my life suffered tremendously... I would have given everything to take those years back..."

"I know the feeling." Echo sighed. "But... what changed? How did you come to be the Samaritan I saw all those years ago?"

"I came to realize that I was wrong." The Thestral declared. For so long, I let my fears control me, make me afraid of what I was capable of... but then I thought of what I was capable of... my dark magic, vested in these hooves... could help ponies. In fact, I could change the world for the better with them. Dark magic, which I saw as a curse, ended up becoming the best thing that ever happened to me... And so can yours. You just have to figure out how to use them."

"Use them?" Echo frowned. "Sir, I don't know if you are aware, but there's a beast inside me! A beast that slaughtered other ponies, and kidnapped others, all for crud and giggles. You don't... you can't use something like that!"

"That is what you think." The Thestral declared. "This spell, 'Berserker', I take it?" Echo nodded. "You fail to see the true potential of this spell, because you have either fought it, or been overwhelmed by it."

"What are you getting at?" Echo squinted.

"Seek the middle ground, my friend." The Thestral smiled. "Do not fight the beast, but do not give yourself to it, either. Balance yourself. Only when both sides of your nature are in harmony can you truly be at peace."

"Easier said than done." Echo snorted. "You probably haven't had the same year I had been having…"

"Look, like it or not, the beast is a part of you. Dark magic is a part of you." The Thestral declared. "Instead of resisting it, try accepting it. Surely a pony as smart as yourself can tame mindless instincts?"

"I don't know..." Echo sighed.

Suddenly, the cell was rocked by an explosion.

"What's going on out there?" He frowned. "Wait, is it... oh no."

Up above, Sunset was doing battle with Synchro. She put up a good fight, but Synchro's new powers were pushing her back against the wall. It was taking much of her strength to avoid getting hit by the spells from Sombra's book, and Synchro's enhanced crystals were proving even more of a challenge.

"And here I thought you were smart." Synchro taunted her, as she barely dodged a crystal whip. "You couldn't beat me before, even with the help of my brother and that armored oaf. Yet you thought you could beat me now, with the power I've acquired? Fool!"

"This time, the stakes are way higher!" Sunset retaliated with a magic blast.

"Which will make your impending failure all the more spectacular." Synchro sneered, creating a crystal shield to block the blast.

"I don't think so..." Sunset growled, charging forward.

"Give it time." Synchro smirked. "I think you'll come around

As the clash continued, Synchro started to gain ground. He unleashed the darkness spell, blinding Sunset. Then, just as he did with Shining, he leapt into the cloud and pummeled Sunset. As the cloud dissipated, he covered his hoof with crystals, and punched her in the face, knocking her down.

"Ugh..." Sunset growled, wiping the blood from her snout, as she struggled to get up.

"Pathetic." Synchro spat. "You're just like all the rest: a weak, meaningless pawn, manipulated by the higher intellect. You have no idea how long you've been playing into their hooves..." He formed a crystal spike, and pointed it at Sunset's stomach. "It's time I relieve you of that burden and take you off the board."

"No... please..." Sunset gasped, her body held in place by Synchro's crystals. She did the only thing she could. "HELP! ECHO!"

In his cell, Echo froze, recognizing the scream.

"Sunset..." He gasped.

"She needs you." The smoke powered Thestral declared. "The only pony who can stop your brother is you. The power you hold within may prove the key to turning the tide."

"You're right..." Echo admitted, before realizing something. "Wait... how did you know it was my..."

He turned to the Thestral's cell, only to see him gone, nothing but a bit of purplish smoke remaining.

"Where did he..." Echo gasped. "...Was he really there, or am I just losing it?"

He shook his head.

"No matter. Sunset needs me. I have to get out of here, and there's only one way..."

Echo took a deep breath. He had never conceived of willingly transforming before, but he was aware that stress and anger had provoked him to change in the past. All he had to do was recreate those requirements. And he knew just how to do it.

'Think, Echo.' He told himself. 'Think of what will happen if Synchro wins today. Dark magic will become the blight everypony thinks it is. Thousands will suffer...' His eyes grew wispy. 'Sunset will die...'

His body began shifting within, as his breathing grew erratic.

'I can't let those all ponies turn out like those pagekeepers did... angry like Rancour, greedy like Zhadnost, gluttonous like Uroho, lustful like Eros, prideful like Hubris, slothful like Lethargy, and envious like Brody... and what of those we saved? They will all burn... I can't let dark magic harm any of them again... I won't let dark magic harm any of them again...'

Soon, he felt his body grow in size and muscles, his wings beating the walls of his cell, his hooves expanding, cracking the stone floor below, his eyes becoming more and more wispy...

"Don't give in..." He told himself. "But don't fight it, you'll need the anger. Find the balance. Focus on the mission..."

Echo struggled with himself for a moment. He almost lost it again, but thinking of the consequences of Synchro's victory kept it in check.

"Easy there, Echo... you are in control... you need to stay in control... not just for everypony's sake... but for Sunset... especially Sunset...'

Soon, his transformation was complete, and with a loud roar, Echo blasted the cell's door off it's hinge. The now feral Thestral stepped out of his cell, glancing at the exit.

"Alright then..." He sighed, cricking his neck. "Time to go to work."

Up above, Synchro was savoring his upcoming kill, Sunset's scream only whetting his appetite.

"Ah, I only wish my brother were here to see this." Synchro sighed, hovering his crystal spike over her, pressing it gently along her stomach. "Ah, well. I'll tell him later when I bust him out, after I've made every other pony like us."

"You won't win..." Sunset groaned. "Not as long as ponies like myself and Echo are out there..."

"Well, if I do or not, you won't be around to find out" Synchro grinned.

He raised his crystal spike, ready to finish her off... when suddenly...

"Rarrrrghhhh!" Echo roared, as he burst through the castle wall and onto the scene.

"What the-" Synchro gasped.

He hadn't the chance to finish, as the beast rammed him head on. Synchro was barely able to regain balance, as he quickly stumbled to his hooves. He glared up at who had struck him, as Echo stood over Sunset, his big bulky body overshadowing hers.

"Leave her alone." He said firmly, letting out a feral growl.

"E-Echo?" Sunset murmured. "Is that..."

Echo glanced down at her, his eyes, for the first time in his state, not being of a killer, but of the same Thestral she came to know and love.

"It's me..." Echo whispered, his voice losing its beast-like tone. "It's me, and I am in control this time... I won't let anypony hurt you..."

"I knew you'd come..." Sunset smiled, nuzzling his chin. "I can always count on you..."

Suddenly, clapping ensued, as Echo glared up at Synchro, who was doing said clapping.

"Bravo, brother dear..." Synchro clapped mockingly. "Looks like somepony has perfected anger management... I'd be more impressed if I weren't so annoyed by your untimely intrustion."

"I came to end this, brother!" Echo declared. "I will not allow you to use dark magic to wrought evil upon this land again."

"Who said you've been allowing me?" Synchro snarled. "And why do you even care? You should be standing by my side, as we bring upon a new era!"

"A new era?!" Echo roared. "An era where ponies are turned into monsters of their own designs and turning on one another like dogs?! Is that truly your vision of a new era?!"

"Hey, I didn't say it was ideal." Synchro seethed. "But it will teach them of the pain and suffering that ponies like us had to endure under their prejudice!"

"Again with us! You talk as if there are more of us!" Echo glared.

"There is more of us!" Synchro declared, "What, you think that it was by some unholy miracle that I survived that explosion at the mansion, or that explosion you endured in the film? We are special, Echo! We have something in us that gave us these powers! And we aren't the only ones! All over the world, there are ponies who can use dark magic at will! Dante, the Dark Mage of Eurodeo! Fetlocke the Feral, warlock of Shetland! And so many more! Once the dust had settled and my message had been received, I will gather these ponies up, and we will control the masses as they had controlled us! And together, we can rule over what remains of this forsaken land! Think about it, Echo, we can have better lives!"

"I'm sorry, Synchro... but that is something I cannot allow to happen." Echo shook his head. "I can't let you harm these ponies... hurting them won't make those horrifying memories go away, Synchro..."

"You are seriously defending them?!" Synchro snarled, outraged. "These ponies, as you call them, hate you! They want you ra#un out of town, flogged, and hung! Yet, you are rushing to their defense?! Especially him?!" He gestured to Shining, who was struggling to get up, but his abdominal wound made it nearly impossible. "The very stallion who imprisoned you because of his sheer disdain for you and all that you stand for! Why should these ponies deserve our forgiveness for their prejudice and ridicule?!"

"...Because..." Echo began, his voice turning to normal for a moment. "...Because, if I did just as you ask... I would be proving them right. That we are indeed monsters..."

"Hence why they need to suffer!" Synchro snarled."They make us out to be monsters, when ponies like Nero... like Shining are out here making our lives a living Tartarus! How could you not want that?"

"You don't think I do?" Echo growled. "Back before this whole mess started, I had something of a life, graduating from Hayvard, hoping for a career suited to my intelligence…but ever since I became…this, I lost all that, and I had to deal with ponies like Shining hating me day in and day out. I would have wanted nothing more than to give them a taste of what I feel... but..." He glanced down at Sunset, "But then... I remember, that in spite of everything, that they are ponies, just like me. Dark magic or not, if I began seeking revenge against all those who had wronged me, I would never stop.... and I would lose the bit of equinity I had left."

"And would that be such a bad thing?" Synchro sneered. "Look where your so-called 'equinity' has gotten you. Nothing but pain and misery."

"Of that, I will not argue." Echo admitted. "But all the pain and misery is better than simple feeling anger, and hatred."

"That's a matter of opinion." Synchro countered. "Anger and hatred have been the only that kept me going during the hard times."

"If that's then I pity you." Echo shook his head.

"Keep your pity." Synchro spat.

"It's not too late to stop this, brother." Echo declared.

"And why would I stop? Tell me that!" Synchro asked.

"Because reducing everypony to our level won't make the pain go away." Echo declared. "You'll still be you, with all the pain and misery…what Nero did to us... to you... it was in-equine. No child should had lived through that..."

"Yet we did!" Synchro snorted. "You had gone far too soft on me, brother, not to mention naïve! This world is a cold and ugly place, and there will never be a place for ponies like us, not as long as ponies like Shining continue to live!"

"Brother, please…don't surrender yourself to hate." Echo urged, as he glanced back at Shining. "I will not lie, it is true that ponies like Shining may never understand us... and they probably never will. But it's their loss, and their choice to live in ignorance. If they want to be intolerant, small-minded fools, that's their business."

"Small-minded?" Shining groaned.

"However, that doesn't mean all hope is lost for them." Echo continued. We can make them see that dark magic is not evil, we can make them see that it can coexist with normal magic, that we can coexist with them. We can make them see that we are ponies just like them, that bleed and cry just like them. Not through force and intimidation, but through reason and understanding. We could do it together, you and me. Please, brother, how many ponies must we make suffer like we had all those years ago?"

Synchro remained silent, lowering his head in contemplation. Echo was not sure if what he said had gotten through to him...

Then, Synchro glanced back at him, his eyes showing no signs of understanding or compassion, but of fury and anguish... "I am sorry, brother." He declared. "But I haven't come this far just to turn back. They need to burn for this. All of them. They need to feel the pain I've felt, when that monster ripped my wings off, when those ponies called me the freak. I am going all the way, with or without you, and I'll slaughter all who stands in my way. Even you..."

Echo's heart sank, as he let out a heavy sigh.

"Then it seems I have no choice." Echo murmured, "Brother or not, I can't let you do this."

"Well then, let's end this, right here, right now." Synchro clutched his horn tightly, as he adopted a battle stance.

Echo pulled himself from over Sunset, as he then glanced down at her.

"Sunset, I need you to help Shining and get to safety." Echo ordered.

"But Echo..." Sunset murmured.

"Please." Echo urged, his eyes saying all that Sunset needed to hear. "Go."

Sunset nodded silently, then ran to Shining's prone form, helping him up with her magic.

"Your majesty, we have to leave.." Sunset told him.

"But the Heart..." Shining winced, "You can't expect me to trust-"

"He's not expecting you." Sunset glared, "He's ordering you."

"A Prince doesn't take orders." Shining insisted. "Especially from-"

"JUST GO!" Echo roared in his beast voice.

"...Okay." Shining murmured. "No need to yell..."

Sunset and Shining quickly left the area, with Sunset acting as Shining's crutch. Then Echo turned to him.

"Now, it's just you and me." Echo glared.

"Fair enough, but to make sure..." Synchro smirked, as his eyes grew more wispy and his body glowed. With a roar, Synchro stood on his hind hooves and spread his front hooves as dark micro-crystals came out of his coat like torrents, and began surrounding the area around the Crystal Heart. Soon, a big dome had formed, locking in both Synchro and Echo, "No more running…let's see how our powers match up, shall we?"

Very well." Echo let out a growl.

They stood there for only a moment, before in an instant, Echo and Synchro charged toward each other.

"On to victory"/"On to death!" Echo and Synchro roared at once, as Echo's hooves collided with Synchro's crystal, creating a small explosion...

Meanwhile, outside the dome, Cadance and Sterling met up with Shining and Sunset.

"Are you okay?" Cadance asked Shining, as she tended to his wound.

"I'm fine." Shining groaned, "Synchro really got me good though..."

"What's going on?" Sterling asked. "What of Synchro?"

"He and Echo are in there." Sunset pointed to the dome.

"Echo?! But how, he's in prison!" Sterling gaped.

"Not anymore." Shining shook his head. "It seems Echo has somehow got the hang of his beast form. I don't know how, but he did."

"And now he's going to fight Synchro." Sunset declared. "But I don't know how he can beat him. Synchro is supercharged with dark magic. With that horn in his possession, Echo can't possibly defeat him."

"Oh, geez..." Sterling frowned. "Is there anything we could do to help?"

"I think I might know a way." Cadance smiled. "Hey Shining, remember how we dealt with Sombra?"

"Of course." Shining grinned. "Cadance, you're a genius!"

"Care to fill the rest of us in?" Sterling asked.

"We can use the Crystal heart's light to combat Synchro's darkness." Cadance declared. "As the Crystal Princess, I know how to invoke the power. To my understanding, Synchro has a tremendous amount of dark magic within him. The light from the Heart should be able to weaken him enough for Echo to defeat him."

"Better yet, if we're lucky, Synchro will start to crack under the light." Shining explained further. "Too much of that light and he's history!"

"But won't that light hurt Echo too?" Sunset pointed out, "He has dark magic in him, just like Synchro."

"Not as much." Cadance assured her. "Miracle cleansed him of most of his dark magic when she struck him with her light magic. At most, it could strip Echo of his beast ability. He will barely feel a thing."

"Besides, this could be our only chance to save Equestria." Shining declared. "Do it, Cadance."

"Here goes..." Cadance screwed up her eyes in concentration. Slowly, her horn starting sparking.

Inside the dome, Echo, despite his efforts, was getting throttled, as Synchro had the horn and his crystals.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Synchro spat, using the Wrath spell to increase his strength. He kicked Echo hard, breaking his shoulder.

"Gah!" Echo roared, clutching his shoulder.

"As for me, I feel just golden!" Synchro laughed insanely, as his horn glowed again, and his hoof developed a golden touch, and he darted forward.

Echo recovered, and, just before Synchro could tag him with the golden touch of the Greed spell, took to the air, dodging Synchro's lunge.

"You think that'll give you the advantage?" Synchro growled. He rose up on a platform of dark crystals, as he continued firing an array of the book's spells from his free hoof

Actually, yes." Echo taunted, dodging the spells with ease (despite his size). "Those long-lost wings of yours would certainly come in handy now."

That struck one of Synchro's nerves. "You stupid..."

Suddenly, the dark crystals rose up, catching Echo in mid-flight.

"Graaagh!" Let me go!" He roared.

"You dare mock my pain, Echo?!" Synchro screamed, "Had I not killed Nero, you would had ended up just like me!"

"If you hadn't killed him, then we would have never lost our mother... or each other!" Echo pointed out.

"I can live with that!" Synchro snarled, clutching his hooves, as the crystals began coiling around Echo, "Just as I can live with killing you!"

"Uggghhh....." Echo groaned.

"This ends now!" Synchro roared, as he was about to send crystal spikes at him.

However, just before the deed was, the Crystal Heart began to glow viciously. The light was blinding, and it began to have an adverse effect on Synchro.

"Ahhh!" Synchro covered his face, as burns began appearing on him, the light burning holes in his trenchcoat. "It... burns! What is this?! AUGH!"

The pain was beginning to disrupt Synchro's focus, as the crystals holding both him and Echo up fell apart.

"Ahhh!" Echo yelped, as he dropped to the ground. The light was hurting him too, but not to the same extent as Synchro. It was still enough to ensure a rough landing.

"Yarrh!" Synchro screamed. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

The two landed on the ground with a big thud. Echo struggled to his hooves, his body beginning to sizzle, but not as much as Synchro, as he glanced at the light.

"Is this... is this the power of the Heart?" Echo murmured.

Suddenly the light intensified even more. Echo winced, letting out a roar of pain, before, like mist, his beast form faded away, leaving a normal Echo in its wake.

"Ugh..." Echo groaned, glancing away immediately. As soon as he did, he realized that he was normal again. "The beast... it's gone... I can feel it... I'm..." Echo felt tears of relief striking his eyes. "I'm cured…"

However, his joy was short-lived, as Synchro struggled to his hooves, his body still burning from the light. The dome around the heart began falling apart due to it's master's agony, but held firm, as Synchro turned to face Echo.

"Augh... I don't know what you did, Echo... but I am going to end this right now!" Synchro snarled, as he then thrust his firing hoof forward... however, no spell came out. "What?" He tried thrusting it again. "What... no..."

He glanced at the horn in his hoof. All the dark magic that had been funneled into it from the book had all but dissipated when it was exposed to the Heart's light, rendering it completely useless.

"No....." Synchro seethed, shaking the horn impotently. "Noooo!"

"It's over, brother." Echo declared. "Give up now, before it's too late. I can see that the light is hurting you."

"I won't quit." Synchro snarled, ignoring the burns on his face. "No matter what. As long as there is dark magic in my body, I will not yield!"

"Don't be a fool, Synchro!" Echo demanded, "If you don't leave now, the light will destroy you, as it has destroyed Sombra!"

"I don't care!" Synchro screamed. He grabbed his tattered trenchcoat and ripped it clean off him, the coat turning to nothing in seconds. His body was a scarred, ragged mess, with his mangled, uneven wing stubs twitching disturbingly from the pain. His mane and tail were mangy and unkempt, and his Cutie Mark was that of a black king chess piece. "I could have given you everything, Echo! But your insistence to protect those who loathe you had ruined everything! But I will not let this stand! To my last breath, I will kill you!"

"You would kill your own brother?" Echo asked.

"Yes, I would." Synchro snarled. "And for seconds, I'd put that marefriend of yours out of her misery."

"I won't let that happen." Echo said firmly. "No matter what."

"Surely you realise that when two objects collide, there is always damage of a collateral nature?" Synchro asked.

"If you attempt to bring destruction down on me, I will not hesitate to do the same." Echo countered.

"Then prepare yourself, brother." Synchro declared. "Only one of us will walk away from this."

The two stood fast, observing each other.

'His advantage: my injuries.' Echo thought. 'My advantage: his rage.'

As before, Echo predicted Synchro's attacks before they happened.

He blocked Synchro's first one-two punch with his hoof, and then shoving his right shoulder away, and then punching him in the face with the same hoof.

'Incoming assault.' He thought. 'Feral, but experienced.' Synchro then punched him left and right in the face. 'Use his momentum to counter.' He then parry his next two swings. He then punched him in the chest and then in the face.

"Come now." Synchro interrupted his musing with his own, giving a sinister smirk. "You really think you're the only one who knows how to play this game?"

Synchro went through his own mental plotting.

'Trap leg, exploit weakness.' He thought, as his mental self caught his bad leg and swung him around against a nearby pillar. 'Follow with haymaker.' He swung at Echo.

'Somepony's been practicing boxing.' Echo thought, as their mental battle continued, as he blocked the haymaker and the punch afterwards, getting another hit in the chest...

'Confident, but predictable.' Synchro mused, as Echo caught his right hoof on it's swing down, then slugged him in the face, spinning him around. But he caught Echo's follow up punch and brought it down 'Now, allow me to reply.'

Echo attempts to strike, only to be blocked by Synchro's hoof, as he then pounded him in the chest and threw him against the same pillar, clutching him by the neck.

'Arsenal running dry.' Echo thought, as he mentally struggled. 'Just strategy.'

Echo kicked Synchro's hoof, unbalancing him, as Synchro kicked back. But Echo managed to push him back as he tried to punch him in the face with his bad leg, but Synchro dodged it and then caught it, punching it, prompting a cry of pain from Echo.

'Wound taking its toll.' Synchro thought, as he parried Echo's attack, twisting his broken shoulder.

'As I feared, injury makes defence untenable.' Echo reflected, as Synchro struck him hard in the back, and then followed up with a kick in the side. 'Prognosis: increasingly negative.' Synchro threw him onto his back, as Echo manages to nick him in the face, before he retaliated with a harder blow to the chest. Echo attempted to block his second punch, but Echo managed to elbow him harder, catching his bad leg.

'Let's not waste any more of one another's time.' Synchro thought, as Echo glanced up at him with fear. 'We both know how this ends.'

Flipping his horn with the sharp point pointing downwards, Synchro stabbed him in the heart. Echo let out one last groan before he fell limp, as Synchro gave a huff of victory. At that point, things snapped back to the present.

'Preclusion, inevitable.' Echo thought. 'Unless...'

Echo kicked some crystal dust into Synchro's eyes, blinding him, and causing him to drop the useless horn. He then started pummelling his brother with right crosses, left hooks, and haymakers. Regaining his sight, Synchro retaliated.

His powers had been severely weakened by the light. He couldn't form any real constructs with his crystals, only able to use them to wrap around his hooves and strengthen each blow he made. Echo, trying to hone in on his advantage, took to the air as he struck with several aerial kicks and punches. Seeking to level the playing field, Synchro launched himself upwards with his crystals to block and parry each blow.

Their fight raged on, as the light continue to burn Synchro's body, but neither he or Echo would quit. Soon, the battle came to a standstill, as the two, wearing down a little, tried bashing their heads together, creating a resonating thud. The two stepped back, both woozy and suffering from their injuries.

"Give it up, brother..." Synchro panted angrily. "Without your dark magic, I hold the advantage here. You can't hope to win..."

"Can't I?" Echo smirked.

Outside the dome, a guard rushed over to the others, Sombra's spellbook in hoof.

"Your highness, a page of Sombra's spell book is missing!" he declared, showing the torn part of the book.

"What?" Shining gaped. "Who could've..."

"Echo." Sunset glanced at the dome. "What are you thinking?"

Back in the dome, Echo stood firm.

"I only need one thing to beat you..." He pulled out the missing page, having made a quick pit stop before leaving the castle. "The Gluttony spell."

"What? Of all the spells you could had taken out, you took that one?" Synchro sneered. "Are you going to make me go on a feeding frenzy? In case you haven't noticed, there isn't a crumb of food in sight.

"Oh, you misunderstand me and this spell, Synchro." Echo smiled. "This spell does not make one ravenous, but rather literally make their body a void in which all things disappear... and I don't intend to use it on you."

With a thought, Echo activated the spell, his eyes going wispy for a second, as a wave of dark magic headed toward to the Crystal Heart.

"That's it?" Synchro sniggered. "Your ace in the hole? You're just doing my work for me!"

"Guess again." Echo smiled.

Suddenly, a hole formed in the Crystal Heart, and started sucking everything in. The micro crystals went first, as all the pieces on the floor as well as from the broken dome around them began traveling into the hole. Soon, Synchro began to feel the pull too.

"What?!" He struggled to resist the pull. "No! You won't win this easily!"

"We'll see." Echo charged him.

The two brothers locked in battle again. Echo struck Synchro in the face, and Synchro kicked him in the stomach. Synchro pushed Echo to the ground, trying to choke him. But Echo took advantage of their position to kick him into the air. He then took flight, catching Synchro. Synchro brought his hooves down on Echo's back, trying to get him to let go. Echo almost dropped, but kept going, and retaliated with a headbutt. Echo then, no longer fighting the pull, threw him and Synchro forward against the Crystal Heart, Synchro's body landing right on top of the hole.

"GAH! RAUGH! AHH!" Synchro screamed in pain. With his dark-magic filled body pressing hard against the light-filled Heart, his body began to show blue cracks. "It hurts, it hurts so much!"

"...I'm sorry, brother." Echo frowned deeply, struggling to hold his anguish. "I didn't want it to come to this..."

"...Why did you try to stop me?!" Synchro glared at Echo, his eyes starting to tear up (whether it was from the pain or his emotions, Echo could not tell). "I only wanted a better life for us! Like we should have had all those years ago!"

"But at what cost?" Echo demanded, "Synchro, you could hurt as many ponies as your heart desired, but it would never make your own pain go away. What Nero did to you was unforgivable. What all those ponies did was nothing short of cruel... but no amount of bloodshed would ever justify your vengeance."

"How can you be sure?!" Synchro spat. "You were too weak to try. All you did was try to prove them wrong, thinking all you had to do to gain acceptance was show that dark magic could be used for some mundane, pointless activities... You should have risen up against your oppressors, like me! Shown them that you would not take their prejudice any longer! You should've... should've..." The pain became too great for Synchro to speak.

"Synchro... I'm sorry you had to endure so much pain all those years." Echo whispered, as his tears soon started coming. "If only I had remembered you... I would have looked for you... you wouldn't have had to be alone..." He then thought of something. "Why hadn't you looked for me, when you learned I was still alive?"

Synchro did not respond at first, as he couldn't bring himself to look at Echo in the face. Then, at the corner of his eyes, he saw the artificial horn, which was now clinging onto the Heart due to the gravitational pull.

"...Because... I was ashamed..." Synchro began, as he reached for the horn, grabbing it. "I... I had this spell inside of me for a long time... and with everypony shunning me left and right, I couldn't put that burden on you... as a matter of fact, I was afraid... if I had managed to kill our mother and that monster... I could have killed you as well... I almost did kill you."

"That was an accident, brother." Echo whispered. "I know that now. You were only trying to protect me and mother... no pony could had predicted this happening. But you still could had let me know that you were still alive..."

"I could have..." Synchro muttered, as with the last of his mental strength, the horn in his hoof began to glow. "But there was one thing I was truly afraid of..." He faced Echo, his face reading of true anguish. "I was afraid that if you saw me for who I was... you would hate me for what I have become... this... this monster..."

"Brother..." Echo murmured, "I would never had hated you... for Faust's sake, you are my brother..." He then gave a small sob. "I didn't want to do this to you... I'm so... so... sorry."

"...I am too..." Synchro nodded. "I know... there is nothing I can say..." He winced in pain, as the cracks worsened. "That can make anything right... but... I only ever did all of this... for you and me..."

"I know, Synchro..." Echo frowned, as he brought him in for a hug, much to his shock. "I love you, brother..."

"...I love you too." Synchro sighed, as he then clutched the horn tightly. "I guess... there is no room in the world for two freaks..."

Before Echo could ask what he meant, his voice got caught in his throat. He glanced down at his abdomen, where the artificial horn was plunged into him. Dark magic surged through him, causing tremendous pain...

"...W-why..." Echo whispered.

"Goodbye, brother... see you on the other side..." Synchro muttered.

Synchro pushed Echo away, sending him to the ground. Soon, Synchro's entire body was covered in blue cracks, as his eyes went white.

"AAAARRRRGGGH!" Synchro screamed.

Synchro's body exploded, and everything went white.

Outside, the others watched as the dome was suddenly blown apart by a white light. Ponies covered their eyes so to not be blinded. But as soon as it appeared, the light vanished, leaving nothing but dust in the air...

"Is... is it over?" Sterling asked.

"I think so." Shining observed.

"Thank goodness." Cadance finally powered down, exhausted.

"You were great, Cadance." Shining smiled.

Sunset scanned through the dusty battlefield, looking desperately for Echo. When she finally saw him, a chill ran down her spine. He was sprawled on the ground, unconscious, and bleeding.

"Echo, no!" Sunset rushed over to him. "Echo, please wake up!"

"Is he..." Sterling gasped.

"I'm afraid it doesn't look good." Shining declared.

"Sunset, I'm so sorry..." Cadance bowed her head.

"No..." Sterling muttered. "It can't end like this..."

"He saved us all." Shining admitted. "After everything he'd been through, he gave his all to save the Crystal Empire, and Equestria..."

"Don't say that!" Sunset yelled. "He's not gone! He can't be!"

Sunset started crying into Echo's body.

"Echo, don't leave me again!" She wailed. "Please..."

Echo had saved the Crystal Empire, and all of Equestria, from Synchro's dark design. But it seemed as if the unlikely hero had paid for this act with his life...
> Thirty Pieces Of Silver
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Echo didn't know where he was, or how he got there. Or even why he was there. There was nothing but darkness all around him. The Thestral glanced around, trying to make sense of this dreary atmosphere... however, his head was feeling all sorts of hazy, causing him to nearly lose his balance at points.

"...Hello?" He asked, rubbing his head. "Is anypony here? Where am I?"

"Echo..." A voice whispered. "Echo..."

"Huh..." Echo squinted, as something approach him from the darkness.

Before Echo's eyes, Sunset appeared.

"Sunset?" Echo gasped. "What's happening? Synchro... is he..."

"You did it, Echo." Sunset smiled. "You saved us all."

"I did?" Echo frowned.

"You sure did."

Approaching him from the side was none other than Sterling.

"Sterling?" Echo frowned. "You too?"

"Way to go, buddy." Sterling appeared also, "I always knew you had it in you."

"But... where am I?" Echo asked. "I was in the Crystal Empire. Synchro... exploded, and now I'm here. It doesn't make any sense."

"Who says it has to make any sense?"

Echo looked behind him, as a plume of purple smoke arose before him, revealing none other than the sunglasses-wearing Thestral.

"It's you again..." Echo murmured.

"I knew you could do it, Echo..." The Thestral smiled. "All you had to do was have faith in what you believe in. Because of that, you have defeated your own demons..."

"Okay, now this is getting strange." Echo shook his head. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"This? It's nowhere, but everywhere. Well, not really, but it seemed like the thing to say."

Echo perked up at the sound of the voice.

"That voice... I'd know that voice anywhere..." Echo muttered, turning towards the origin of which the voice came.

Emerging from the darkness came a dark purple Unicorn stallion with blue eyes, a gray mane, and matching mutton chops. He had an old, college-like professor appearance, complete with tweed jacket. He had glasses, and a Cutie Mark of a crescent moon. Echo's knees grew weak as the old stallion smiled at him.

"...Father." Echo whispered. "...Father, how are you... why are you..."

"Well done, my boy..." Nocturne smiled. "You have done what no other ponies had and used dark magic to protect all that was good. A hope that ponies like me hadn't the pleasure of doing in our lifetime..."

"But I don't understand..." Echo shook his head. "Any of this... I... I only did what I thought was right..."

"And in doing so, saved all of Equestria." Nocturne smiled. "You're a hero, my boy."

"No..." Echo shook his head. "Really, I'm not..."

"Yeesh, so humble." Sterling rolled his eyes.

"You are a hero, Echo." Sunset smiled. "You saved me, you saved Sterling. You saved everypony."

"She's right, Echo." Nocturne nodded. "After all your pain and misery. after being made an outcast, shunned by others, you still brought it upon yourself to the right thing. That makes  you a hero in my book."

"Ours, too." Sunset grinned.

"No doubt." Sterling added.

"Indeed." The mystery Thestral agreed.

"...I ...I guess I never thought of it that way..." Echo mused. "...But what do I do now?"

"Well there is one more thing you have to do." Sunset declared.

"What?" Echo asked.

"Wake up." Sunset declared. "You have to wake up."

"And how do I do that?" Echo raised a brow.

"...Synchro will help you." The smoke Thestral declared.

"Synchro?" Echo asked.

"Yes, Synchro." Synchro appeared. "Nap time's over, bro."

Synchro punched Echo in the face.

Echo suddenly woke up, his eyes feeling bleary and his body aching. As his sight began to clear, he found himself to be in a hospital bed, with one of his legs in a sling and bandages around his abdomen. The steady beep of his heart monitor was the only sound in the room, causing his ear to tick with each sound.

The Thestral felt a bit uneasy, confused by his new surroundings, glancing around... until he saw the smiling face of Sterling.

"...Sterling..." Echo murmured.

"Hey." Sterling smiled. "Welcome back to the land of the living, pal."

"Sterling, how... Ah!" Echo yelped, feeling a jolt of pain in his body. "Where am I? How did I get here? How long have I been out?" He winced from the pain. "Why am I hurting so much?"

"Take it easy, Echo." Sterling soothed. "You're in the Crystal Empire's hospital. We found you by the Crystal Heart after the dome blocking you and that psychopath in gave way with the artificial horn jabbed in your guts. You were stuck in a comatose state for a couple of days."

"Couple of days?" Echo groaned. "What about Sunset? And Shining Armor? Are they okay?"

"They're both fine." Sterling smirked. "Shining needed some stitches and Sunset needed patching up, but they'll make it."

"Oh, thank Faust." Echo sighed in relief, as he glanced at his body. "My, I did quite a number on myself."

"No kiddin'." Sterling chuckled. "The doc said you were lucky to have survived the ordeal. That horn that stabbed you just barely missed your vital organs. Just an inch off, and you would had been a goner."

"I see..." Echo rubbed his abdomen, letting out a sigh. "Synchro... why didn't you just stop when you had the chance?"

"Boy, Sunset is gonna be relieved." Sterling smiled. "She hasn't slept a wink since they brought you in here."

"Sunset..." Echo smiled. "I thought I'd never see her again."

"Well, think again." Sterling smiled. "She'll be here soon enough to congratulate on your epic victory."

Echo suddenly slumped back against his pillow, a grim look on his face.

"What's the matter, pal?" Sterling asked. "You should be happy. You saved the entire Crystal Empire! You're a bonafide hero!"

"Yes, but at what costs? I killed Synchro." Echo frowned, as he looked at his abdomen wound. "And he tried to return the favor..."

"Hey, you did what you had to do." Sterling declared sternly. "It was kill or be killed."

"Perhaps." Echo sighed. "...But I wish I could had done something to circumvent it. He was a poor misunderstood soul who was never treated with a bit of kindness, and he ended up becoming this messed-up individual. I thought when I talked to him... right before he died, that I might had saw good in him... but he..."

"Echo, you did what you could. But there was no saving your brother." Sterling shook his head, as he glanced out the window, admiring the panoramic view they had of the Empire. "For crying out loud, he murdered your mother and that monster of a stepfather Nero and not shown an ounce of remorse for all his other actions. Far as I am concerned, he had it coming..."

Echo nodded sombrely.

"I suppose you're right. It's just... it's just that he was my brot-"

The Thestral stopped, as a chilling realization had come over him. Slowly, he gazed at Sterling, who noticed Echo's sudden silence.

"I... I don't think I said anything about Synchro being my brother, Sterling..." Echo murmured.

Sterling remained silent, though he seem to had tensed up.

"...For a matter of fact, I don't recall saying anything about my mother or Nero... and you weren't there when... Synchro revealed everything..." Echo felt his mind racing, as a bad feeling began to rise up within. "...How could you have known... unless..."

Within seconds, Echo put all the pieces together, and he glanced warily at Sterling, who gave a small shrug, as he turned to face him... but gone was the happy go-lucky face of the royal guard he spent the last couple of months with... in it's place was something cold and sinister.

"So... you finally put all the pieces together, didn't you?" Sterling said with cold indifference, then adopting a snide smirk. His voice became more polished and refined. "Good show, Echo. I knew you would catch on eventually."

"I don't believe it..." Echo shook his head in disbelief, "You're... you're..."

"Indeed, I am, Echo Alchemy." Sterling smiled, as he then declared proudly. "It is I, the one and only Flatfoot."

"No... no, that can't be. It just can't be..." Echo gasped, unwilling to comprehend such a shocking revelation. "Silas... he-"

"Oh, yes, Silas Necross does seem perfect for the role." Sterling sneered. "A mastermind in his own right. Aside from him, who would suspect that the..." Sterling started flexing, mocking himself. "...'Great and mighty Sterling Cross' had the brain to put all this together...but alas, Silas was simply a red herring, a little disposable pawn."

"Pawn?" Echo gaped, as he recalled Synchro's allusion to chess, adding more and more to his horrid realization, "You... it was you from the beginning... you're the one who Synchro was working for, not Silas... you... you really are Flatfoot... but... but..."

"Bu-bu-bu-bu..." Sterling mocked him playfully. "Oh come on, Echo. Did you honestly think that what had transpired these past couple of months were by fate's design?" Suddenly, he slammed his hoof on the side of Echo's bed, adopting a fierce glare. "No! Everything that had happened to you over these past couple of months did because I made it so. Years and years of meticulous planning had went into this. Every piece had to be in the right place if the goal was going to be achieved in a timely manner. All those years I spent working up the ranks of the Crystal Royal Guard just so I could be trusted to look after you. All those months I spent, studying you and Sunset from afar... all of it leading up to the ultimate conclusion that I had sought for so long..."

"Sterling... I..." Echo had trouble putting together the words. "I... I don't understand..."

"Then allow me to elaborate." Sterling smirked. "For you see, you had been an extremely vital part of a plan that was years in the making…and it all began with that day at the Faire…"

Flashback...

Sterling, draped in a hood and cloak, watched as the Crystal Faire was being put together. He paid particular attention to the display for Sombra's spell book. From his cloak, he pulled out a magic mirror... which then lit up to reveal Synchro...

"What is it, Flatfoot?" Synchro asked.

"The time has come, old friend." Sterling announced. "Sombra's spell book is going on display this weekend at the Crystal Empire Faire. You'd best prepare yourself. You've got only one shot at this. Fail, and the book will be destroyed, and this entire plan will fall apart... no pressure or anything."

"Do not worry, sir." Synchro smirked. "I've been training for this day since we met. Is my dear brother all set?"

"Just finished telling Sunset about it. No doubt she will convince Echo to come out of his cave and enjoy the festivities." Sterling smiled... before getting serious once more. "But I must remind you how important it is that you don't let him know who you are…"

"Don't you worry, Flatfoot." Synchro scoffed, as he then placed his red and white kabucki mask upon his face. "He won't even recognize me."

"Excellent. Now, you best hurry over here." Sterling ordered. "Once we set this snowball rolling, there's no stopping it till it crashes."

"Consider it done, sir." Synchro nodded. "Soon, we can put our grand plan in motion..."

Sterling smirked as Synchro's image disappeared.

"My grand plan, maybe..." He chuckled.

The present...

"So, you're the one who had Synchro attack the Faire and steal the book." Echo pointed out. "And you knew that me and Sunset would be there, and that we would try to stop him. And with you as the Royal Guard who watched over me, you would be there too."

"Precisely." Sterling smirked. "I knew when you saw that book get stolen by Synchro, you would stop at nothing to make sure that the spell book was not used for malicious intent again, even if you didn't remember what had happened before. And Sunset, being the caring mare she was, would follow you endlessly."

"Her too?" Echo asked. "How could you bring her into that nightmare?"

"I'll get to that in a minute." Sterling shrugged.

"But... you tried to stop me from leaving the Crystal Empire." Echo pointed out, "You were ready to drag me back by my wings back then."

"Hmph, I only tried to stop you from leaving without me." Sterling smirked.

Flashback...

After spotting Echo flying outside the infirmary window, Sterling raced outside.

'I knew he'd go after the book, but not this fast!' He thought. 'Without my supervision, his little quest could be over before it begins. I'd better catch up, quick!'

The present...

"But those pictures of Cadance I blackmailed you with..." Echo muttered.

"Oh come now, Echo... I do appreciate the body of a gorgeous female every now and then, but I am not stupid." Sterling smirked. "I
planted those pictures you found under my bed so you would not appear suspicious of my motives when I decided to come along."

"What about the Archive?" Echo challenged, "Did you somehow had a part in what happened there?"

"Why, of course." Sterling smiled cockily. "You think any of your so-called 'colleagues' would have ever known about the place, had I not been the one to tip them off? It was only way for me to get you to the Archive without raising suspicions."

"How did you know about that place anyhow?" Echo asked. "It was supposed to be a secret, held by the historians who built the place."

"Exactly." Sterling pulled out a piece of paper. "That's why I knew about it..." He passed it over to Echo, the Thestral instantly inspecting it. To his shock, it was the photo that was missing from its frame back at the Archive. There were five stallions in it, all of different statures and sizes as well as breeds... but one of them stood out. The one on the left was the youngest of the five, and bore a striking resemblance to none other than Sterling, whose mane was groomed and who wore a scholar's coat.

"You were one of them?" Echo stared, shocked.

"Like I said back in Minostan, I studied archaeology..." Sterling boasted. "However, that was just an extra-curricular activity. My true passion?" He bopped Echo on the nose, much to his dismay. "Dark magic, just like you. I had been studying the dark arts for as long, if not longer, as you. Transformation, shadow-crawling, Occlumency... My works were without equal, and when the historians decided to build the Archive, I was one of their first choice. And you can probably guess by now who was the one  tasked with scattering the pages..."

"...You." Echo frowned. "But why? That would seem counter-productive to your plans."

"I had to keep up appearances, Echo." Sterling explained. "Besides, I had to if you and Sunset were going to go after them. And how else did you think those ten 'certain' ponies would had come to possess those pages? Hmm?"

Flashback...

Some time ago, Sterling, his face hidden under a metal mask, gave the page containing the Enslavement spell to the old (slightly younger at the moment) stallion in Manehattan, having explained the situation to him first.

"Guard this with your life." He declared. "There are ponies out there that will surely kill for this page."

"Oh, I shan't think anypony will think to check my little shop for such an important artefact." The old stallion grinned.

"Which is exactly why I chose you." Sterling declared. "Good luck."

In Zhire, he offered Wrath spell to Rancour, who was tending his zen garden.

"Can I trust you to protect this page?" He asked.

"You have my word of honor." Rancour bowed respectfully. "I will guard it with my life."

"Just what I was hoping you'd say." Sterling smiled, passing on the page, and then bowing. "May the fates watch over you."

Not long after, Sterling offered the Greed page to Zhadnos at his office in Moscolt.

"If it's for a good cause, I suppose I can handle it." Zhadnost smiled.

"That's the spirit, doctor." Sterling grinned.

"Too bad this gig doesn't pay anything." Zhadnost sighed. "I got a pretty nasty pay cut lately."

"Hang in there, my friend." Sterling assured. "I'm sure things will get better soon."

In the town of Marerakech, Sterling gave the Gluttony page to a (much thinner) Uroho, who was cleaning his diner.

"This is truly an honor." Uroho smiled.

"Well, you were the logical choice." Sterling smiled back. "A Zebra with your equinitarian background seemed like a fitting candidate for such an important role."

"Thanks." Uroho nodded, before his stomach started growling. "...Sorry. It's this blasted diet my doctor has put me on..."

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but you could stand to lose a few pounds..." Sterling admitted.

In Minostan, Sterling passed on the Lust page to Eros, who was taking a break from the dig while the others worked.

"Good luck, my dear." He declared.

"Heh, the only luck I need is for my love life." Eros snorted. "That dishy professor still hasn't noticed me!"

"I'm sure he will eventually." Sterling said supportively. "Just keep at it."

"Oh, I will..." Eros grinned.

In Bitaly, Sterling gave Top Bid the page containing the Darkness spell.

"I cannot stress enough that you treat this with the utmost respect and care." He told him. "Never be too far from it, okay?"

"Of course." Top Bid smiled dishonestly. "If you can't trust a stallion like me, who can you trust?"

In Aerovis, Sterling gave a very lanky Hubris the Pride spell.

"Boy, you must think I'm pretty special, to warrant guarding something like this." Hubris smirked.

"Well, as the son of the ambassador, you do have some sway in terms of politics..." Sterling admitted.

"And I'm pretty awesome, to boot..." Hubris chuckled, before getting a little insecure. "Right?"

"Anything you say, kid..." Sterling said under his breath.

In Fetland, Sterling had a hard time convincing Lethargy, who was lounging in his mansion, to accept the Sloth page.

"I dunno..." Lethargy yawned. "Seems like a lot of work."

"Not really." Sterling shrugged. "You just have to lock it up in a safe place nearby. Nothing to it, at all."

"Okay, fine." Lethargy sighed. "Whatever lets me get back to my game the fastest..."

"Oh, trust me." Sterling barely contained his annoyance. "I'd like this to be over just as fast as you do..."

In Haygypt, Sterling, posing as 'Flatfoot' had little trouble convincing Brody to accept the Envy page. In fact, Brody was a little too enthusiastic for his taste.

"Oh, boy!" Brody cheered, jumping up and down. "You really think I'm ready for this?"

"Sure, why not?" Sterling shrugged.

"I won't let you down!" Brody grinned. "I'll keep this page safe. If I do a good enough job, will you put in a good word for me?"

"We'll see..." Sterling said sarcastically.

Finally, in Hoofistan, there was Gasket, who was working in his workshop.

"Me?" Gasket frowned. "Look after a page from a spell book? I'm a scientist, not a sorcerer!"

"Exactly." Sterling nodded. "Nopony would think you had the page. You would be doing all of ponykind a great service."

"Oh, I suppose I should." Gasket sighed. "The only real danger here is losing it amongst this mess."

"Fabulous." Sterling smiled, passing on the page of Magic Draining.

The present...

"So, you were the reason that Brody and the other six went off the deep end..." Echo growled. "Have you any idea the suffering they had wrought upon the populace because of you?"

"Hey, I'd only given them those pages because I had thought that somepony like you could convince them to give you the page, especially if their safety was at risk. They were all push-overs as far as I knew." Sterling glared, before letting out a small groan. "But, as luck would have it, they somehow figured out how to work the pages and... well, you know the rest."

"Oh, I know, alright..." Echo glared.

"Fortunately, however, I had a contingency plan on the slim chance that something did happen with them." Sterling smirked.
"Synchro... you had him kill them and take the pages when they got too much for us." Echo surmised.

"Correct." Sterling nodded, "Though I couldn't have him do all the work, as I specifically told him to hold back on the first page. You remember those racist cops from Manehatten, right?"

"Don't tell me you actually arranged for our arrest?" Echo said, disgusted.

"Of course not." Sterling snorted. "That would have been counteractive to my plan. But I did anticipated their arrival, and had a plan for dealing with them from the start."

"But how did you getting affected by the Wrath spell figured into the plan?" Echo wondered.

"Never was." Sterling answered simply. "I brought a resistance tincture from a shaman that would counteract the effects of the pages. I had to act like I was getting angry, all for the sake of appearances."

"That explains why you weren't affected by the Pride spell..." Echo murmured.

"Exactly. And that incident on the train?" Sterling smirked, "Thanks to a little tip from yours truly, Gasket got a heads up that Synchro was coming, and thinking that his life was in danger, he hopped on that train... where we and Synchro were destined to meet..."

"But Synchro, we saw him get hit by the tunnel!" Echo stammered. "He should had died!"

"Actually... about that..." Sterling hinted.

Flashback...

In the night following the confrontation on the train, Sterling, having just finished his report to Shining, was waiting at the end of the train, or what was left of it after Synchro's attack. He messed with his crossbow, till he heard a thud, followed by a bunch of dripping noises.

"Ah, Synchro, glad you made it." Sterling smiled, as he turned to face a rather peeved Synchro, who was drenched, and had a big crack on his mask.

"Stow it, Flatfoot!" Synchro snarled. "Would you mind telling me what the point of all that was? I could had easily taken them and their pages right there and then. Yet you have me throw the fight?!"

"Hey, you should be proud. You played your part well." Sterling smirked. "Honestly, when I told you to 'take a dive' once we got to the tunnel, I didn't think you'd be so literal."

"You're lucky that this mask took the full brunt of that hit." Synchro seethed, water dripping out of the crack. "Or else I would be done with all these hoop jumping you've been having us do!"

"I'm sorry you're angry, Synchro, but it was a necessary tactic." Sterling said. "Now, Echo and Sunset think you're dead. We both have five pages, so spirit is high. And we will be in Carris, the city of love. The next time you meet Echo, everything will be in place, and you'll have the element of surprise."

"Well, there is that, I guess." Synchro admitted. "Though it doesn't make this migraine go away..."

The present...

"Of course, I had to take some precautionary measures during our trip." Sterling declared. "Like when we were in Aerovis..."

Flashback...

The day before the encounter with Hubris, Sterling approached the carriage puller.

"Here, pal." He tossed him a wad of bills. "Park outside the gym at around noon tomorrow. Be ready to pick up some fast departs."

"You got it, mac!" The puller eagerly grabbed the money.

The present...

"...But why?" Echo asked. "What was the point of all this orchestration? Just so you could deliver us to Silas?"

"Oh, hay no." Sterling shook his head. "That was all Silas's doing. I had instructed Synchro in working with him, giving him the spellbook and the pages, as well as you, and calling him Flatfoot just so it would take any suspicions off me. Silas was all for having a dark magic-powered attack dog under his belt. But as far as I was concerned, Silas' plan was simply focused on world domination. However, my plan was focused on something else."

"Like what?" Echo frowned.

"Why, you and Sunset, of course." Sterling smiled. "My true goal throughout the entirety of our journey was to get you and her to Carris, Prance, having developed a strong bond throughout your trip, to that very night, to get you to mate with Sunset. And you played that part gloriously."

"What?!" Echo gasped. "Hold on! That makes no sense! You mean to tell me, that all this time, and all the things you put us through, was just you trying to get me laid?!"

"Eeyup. But it wasn't easy, though." Sterling sighed. "As hard as I had tried to ensure that nothing would go wrong with this plan of mine, there were still plenty of complications. Like when Shining decided to step into the fray..."

Flashback...

After Shining's encounter with Sterling in Bitaly, Sterling contacted Synchro.

"What is it?" Synchro asked.

"Bad news." Sterling declared. "Shining Armor has insisted on being informed of our movements. It could pose a problem..."

"Not if I kill him." Synchro snarled.

"No." Sterling said firmly. "Killing Shining will cause an uproar. With the loss of their Prince, the Crystal Empire will be up in hooves. They'd go to war with us, and our plan would be ruined."

"Fine." Synchro huffed. "He lives. As long as you keep him out of my way."

"I'll be sure of that." Sterling nodded.

The Present...

"I knew that Shining wouldn't be that big of a problem." Sterling continued. "But we ran into a bigger complication, all because of that big oaf Hubris and that Pride spell..."

Flashback...

After their encounter with Hubris, Sterling was disheartened to see Echo and Sunset not speaking to each other.

'This is bad.' He thought. 'My whole plan could go up in smoke if those two don't kiss and make up. Oh, why did I give the page to that musclehead? Why didn't I give it to somepony in a wheelchair? That would've made it easy enough to recover... damn Echo and his stupid silver tongue. Well, I'm not about to let my hard work go down the drain because of this snafu. I'll get those two back together, even if it kills me...'

The present...

"And then..." Sterling put a hoof to his lip, taking a deep breath. "Things got more complicated when Sunset kissed me..."

"No... no... you're not telling me that your feelings for Sunset were nothing but lies, are you?" Echo murmured.

"Actually... no..." Sterling frowned.

Flashback...

Seconds after their tryst on the beach, Sterling was cursing himself, as Sunset cuddled against him. There was no doubt in his mind that Echo had seen him and her kissed. This was making the situation caused by Hubris even worse.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' He mused. 'This was not part of the plan! Your flirting and advances towards Sunset was supposed to repulse her, not attract her! Though she is quite a lovely mare... no, stop that! Don't let your emotions get in the way of your plans. Stupid hormones...'

However, Sterling took a deep breath, as he glanced at Echo, who was still continuing his studying of the pages, albeit with a really peeved expression, then glanced back at Sunset.

'Get it together, Cross.' He told himself. 'You might be able to salvage this and use this to your advantage. If I can get Echo jealous enough, I could easily drive him to fight for her and get them to make up... that will work...'

Sterling then gave a small sigh as he rubbed Sunset's mane, with a small smile.

"That will work..."

The present...

"Make no mistake, Echo, I still love and care for Sunset... but my plan had to come first, and with that plan, sacrifices had to be made…" Sterling said grimly.

"...Those guards in Hoofistan..." Echo came to another chilling realization, "You had Synchro kill them.." He then felt a pang of anger. "They were your comrades."

"Hey, if it was anypony's fault, it was Shining. He was unwilling to let us do our job, and he was going to ruin everything by having those soldiers take the page into custody." Sterling sighed. "And Synchro was more than willing to carry out the order to kill them."

"I really thought you were better than this." Echo gasped. "I thought we were friends..."

"We are, Echo." Sterling smiled. "That's part of the reason I did everything I could to help you."

Echo was unable to come up with a retort.

"Fortunately, by the time we got to Prance, you and Sunset were coming along nicely and were in love." Sterling smiled. "But you still needed a couple of nudges. So, when you went on that date with Sunset, I had to doubly assure that you didn't buck this up. You left much to be desired in the social department..."

Flashback...

After Echo and Sunset left the hotel, Sterling followed them in secret. As Echo and Sunset sat on the grass, Sterling could tell Echo was still a little hesitant. Seeing a flower sprouting by his hooves, he picked it, and threw it over to Echo. He watched with glee as Echo picked it up and gave it to Sunset.

"That's it..." Sterling grinned.

A little while later, while Sunset and Echo were dancing, Sterling sidled over to the painter.

"Hey pal, I'll give you twenty bits to paint the portrait of those two over there." He gave him a pouch of coins, "And be sure to compliment them."

"With pleasure." The painter smiled. "Though the compliment comes free."

Sterling nodded approvingly as Echo and Sunset posed for the painting.

Later, after realising that Echo and Sunset were doing the deed in Echo and Sterling's room, Sterling walked down the hallway, pulling out the mirror.

"It's go time." He told Synchro.

"Finally." Synchro declared. "Time to enact our end game. I should be there by morning."

"Good." Sterling smiled, as Synchro's masked face disappeared. "After all these months, it's finally time..."

The present...

"But none of this still makes any sense..." Echo frowned. "What could you possibly have to gain from me sleeping with Sunset? In fact, what did you have to gain from me to begin with?"

"You're not seeing the big picture here..." Sterling sighed.

"What picture?!" Echo demanded. "And what did this have to do with Silas and the Order of Darkness? And Synchro, for that matter?! How did your 'big plan' figure with any of them? Tell me that!"

"Calm yourself, Echo." Sterling soothed. "I admit, this is a lot to take in. But believe it or not, I needed Silas and his 'Order' to bring it all together. In return for their assistance, I had to see to it that they got the book and the pages so they could carry on with their plan for world domination."

"And you were willing to put all of Equestria in jeopardy just for your plan?" Echo glared in disbelief.

"Of course not." Sterling smirked. "Especially when your brother planned to turn the tables on them. Why you think I entrusted him to Silas to begin with?"

"Wait, so you knew that Synchro would betray the Order? And that he would try to infect everypony with dark magic?" Echo frowned.

"Sadly, yes." Sterling shrugged. "I could see it in his eyes when we first met... he had eyes of a pony who had punished endlessly and mercilessly by the world, and was going to make it burn for it. When I told him of Silas's plans, I knew that Synchro was planning something big. And lo and behold, I was right... but fortunately, you pulled through and stopped that crazy psychopath. You were the one thing I couldn't prepare for in my planning. My plan depended on you winning…and you exceeded all my expectations."

Echo remained silent, as he then glanced at Sterling warily, trying to make heads and tails out of things.

"But why all the interest in me?" Echo asked. "And Sunset? What were you hoping to happen with us that would make or break your plan?"

"It's simple..." Sterling declared. "I wanted... needed you and Sunset to mate... so that you both would conceive a foal together."

Echo's jaw dropped, and his heart skipped a beat.

"...W-What?!" Echo gaped. "Bu- You- I- She- What in buck's name does a foal have to do with anything?!"

"Let's start at the top." Sterling sighed. "Did Synchro mention anything to you about you two being... 'special'?"

"He did, yes." Echo nodded. "But I still don't understand."

"Well, I believe a history lesson in order..." Sterling cleared his throat. "You see, a long while back, when a group of scientists were studying the use of dark magic to control animals, there was an accident, and one of the scientists, a Thestral by the name of Tenebros Wheatley, was hit with tremendous amount of dark magic-laced lightning. Somehow, he had managed to survive 10,000 volts without barely a scratch... however, in the days following the accident, Tenebros began to experience some abnormalities: his colleagues kept getting words of random objects being struck by lightning whenever he was near... but things came to a head when somehow, he set off the sprinklers. In that moment, he began crackling with dark electricity... then it became clear to the others... Tenebros could now harness 'dark lightning'. Does any of this sound familiar to you?"

"...He was able to use dark magic at will... like me and Synchro." Echo murmured.

"Exactly. It was at that time that the 'Tenebros' gene. was discovered." Sterling declared. "Named after the first one discovered with it. They were uncertain as to what to make of it, or whether or not Tenebros was the only one... but as it turns out, many others shared this gene. The scientists did more tests and found that seventy percent of the Thestrals they tested had this gene. Then they found that the gene was not limited to Thestrals, as fifty percent of the ponies we had tested also had the gene. Could you imagine how many ponies are out there right now, going about their humdrum lives, not knowing that all they need is a full charge of dark magic energy to realize their full potential?"

"I'd prefer not to." Echo said warily.

"And that was just focusing on those whose gene hadn't be activated yet." Sterling smirked, "As it turns out, there are hundreds upon hundreds of ponies out there whose gene has been activated, and now, are out there, with dark magic powers of their own. Kallus, warlord of Maregolia... the mysterious Dark Thorn of Haygypt... Soon, they came up with a name for you ponies: 'Nightcrawlers'. Given how most of the ponies that had the gene were Thestrals, it seemed fitting."

"So... me and Synchro are a part of some sort of super-species that can control dark magic?" Echo glanced at him in disbelief.

"Exactly. But things got interesting when an influential group of ponies heard a rumor about a particularly powerful Nightcrawler. Apparently, he got into affair with the wife of a unruly Earth Pony noble, and it seems like the wife had gotten pregnant... with twin colts..."

"Twin colts... wait, you mean... you actually met my father?" Echo gaped.

"Unfortunately, no." Sterling shook his head. "By the time they got there, he was gone. Apparently, Nero had a conniption about the affair and actually held a manhunt to try and find him. All we knew for certain that ponies called him 'Deathgaze'. Oh, what a glorious day it would have been to meet him... however, it wasn't till years later that they discovered something shocking... the Tenebros gene could be passed down to their children... and with collaboration with the 'Order', they came to realize that Deathgaze's boys can use dark magic, just their father..."

"That's why..." Echo frowned. "It seems so implausible, yet..."

"Trust me, when it was first discovered that Tenebros could shoot lightning from his hooves, it was like something out of a video game." Sterling mused. "But nonetheless, when I learned the gene could be passed down through generations, and when I met you... I knew you were perfect for my plan."

"But that doesn't explain why it had to be me and Sunset..." Echo frowned. "You had Synchro with you, and probably an unlimited supply of mares you could get him with."

"Because, as I stated before, Synchro was a psycho." Sterling shrugged. "He had no interest in the opposite sex, or sex in general. You, however, I could work with. And while I could had easily try to get you with any mare... I had a theory."

"A theory?" Echo raised a brow.

"Yes... you see, reason you don't see many 'active' Nightcrawlers nowadays is because they need a huge dark magic intake to be able to get their powers." Sterling revealed. "It was my theory that if a foal was to be birthed to a pony with the Tenebros gene and a pony with powerful inner magic, like you and Sunset, not only would your foal be guaranteed to be a Nightcrawler, but there lies a chance that they could be born with their Tenebros gene activated. Furthermore, there has been talk that Nightcrawlers could actually develop dark magic powers that can't be found in any book. I had put a lot of work just so I could help breed a powerful Nightcrawler..."

"But why? What use could you have for a baby foal?" Echo asked.

"Why, for military purposes of course." Sterling smirked. "Just imagine: dark magic had proven to be a powerful weapon, but insanely difficult to wield. Then you have your Nightcrawler, a pony who can use dark magic at will, but are often too difficult to rein in, due to their naturally rebellious nature. And that isn't taking into account the difficulty of making one. But with your foal, we have a supersoldier that can be trained to follow orders of any pony. And if things goes according to plan, when he or she is of age, we could use the foal to create more supersoldiers. It will pave a new frontier in Equestrian warfare, where there's money to be earned, and wars to be won." Sterling stood up, psyched beyond all reasons, "Don't you see? As of now, we are on the verge of a new era, a renaissance! And it's all thanks to you!"

"What madness is this?" Echo grimaced, disturbed. "'Nightcrawlers'? 'Tenebros'? 'Supersoldiers? You had put me and Sunset through easily one of the most difficult ordeals ever known, just so you could use our child as a breeding cow for your asinine dreams?! And that's even if Sunset is pregnant! We only mated once!"

"Oh, Tenebros carriers are supremely fertile. You think yours and Synchro's conception was purely bad luck?" Sterling grinned. "Trust me, one night was all it would take."

"Madness..." Echo shook his head. "Sheer madness... how could you do this to us, Sterling? I mean, it's as if I don't even know you anymore... just who are you?"

"Just a stallion working for a higher cause." Sterling declared simply.

"What higher cause? You mean like the Order of Darkness? Are you some higher honcho than Silas?" Echo demanded.

"No. The Order in which I belong to is that of a much grander scale. But in a way, the Order of Darkness does work for me and our organization. But I already said too much as it is." Sterling explained.

"So…what now?" Echo frowned. "If I am to believe you, your plan has succeeded."

"That it did...." Sterling nodded solemnly. "...Which brings me great pain to say this..."

"Say what?" Echo perked up, not liking the grim expression on Sterling's face.

"You see, earlier today, I had reported the success of my operation to the organization." Sterling sighed. "While they are pleased, they were perturbed by how you had taken out Synchro. And according to them, if our Nightcrawler Supersoldier project is ever going to gain traction, I would have to dispose of any dangerous and unpredictable threats... and unfortunately, they consider you one. As one of their elite members, I have no choice but to carry out their order... to kill you."

"What?" Echo gasped, suddenly very aware of his frail condition. "No... no... Sterling, you wouldn't..."

"I'm sorry, old friend." Sterling sighed, as he approached Echo menacingly. "I really have grown quite fond of you. I had tried to reason with them, but your foal is the herald to a new age of soldiers, and father or not, they can't have you messing things for them... or me."

"Sterling, don't do this..." Echo pleaded, as Sterling pulled out a needle. "Please... I'm your friend. Did those past months we spend together mean nothing?"

"No, those months meant a lot to me. Which is why this will be quick and painless." Sterling said stoically. "It's the least I can do."

Echo grabbed Sterling's leg, struggling to keep the needle away.

"No, please... I beg of you!" Echo pleaded, trying his best to not cry in fear, "Sunset... what would Sunset say? What will she think when I'm gone?! And our foal?!"

"Don't worry about Sunset and the foal." Sterling said solemnly. "I'll take good care of them. I'll make sure that your foal know what a hero you were, and how you and Sunset had conceived him with hopes of him making a change in the world. Because y'know, he's going to have a lot of work ahead of him when he grows up..."

"No... he won't!" Echo growled, too angry to notice something crawling on his skin, "I won't let you use my child as a weapon of war, not like you used Synchro!"

"Don't fight it, Echo." Sterling urged, as the needle was about to enter Echo's neck. "Accept your fate with dignity! Your brother knew what he was getting into the moment he stepped in, and so will your foal! I will see to it that no harm comes to Sunset or the foal, I promise you that!"

"And your promise is supposed to have meaning?!" Echo snarled, gripping Sterling's needle-holding hoof tightly, "You lied to me! You used me! My brother is dead because of you! You buckin' traitor!"

Echo's heart monitor began beeping rapidly, as an odd rustling sound began echoing around the room, not that either of the stallions noticed it.

"I did what was necessary!" Sterling roared. "I'm going to bring change to the world, and your child will help me do it! You done your part already, so stop fighting me!"

In a flash, Echo's eyes went wispy, much to Sterling's shock.

"Never!" Echo screamed.

Suddenly, a stream of gray crystals emerged from under Echo's hospital gown and his bed, throwing and pinning Sterling against the wall.

"Gah! What the-?" Sterling groaned, as he felt his entire body enveloped in the micro-crystals, "How... what..."

Echo was just as surprised as Sterling as he climbed out of the bed. On a hunch, he opened his gown, seeing more crystals flowing over his skin, just like they had with his brother. With grim understanding, he waved a hoof in Sterling's direction, a crystal spike formed, pointing toward Sterling's throat.

"How... how is this possible?" Sterling murmured. "Never in my studies had I seen something like this..."

"I don't understand why you'd do this." Echo seethed. "Manipulate me, use me, send my own brother against me... But it doesn't matter anymore. Your little game is over, you understand. You will never meddle in my life again!"

"Well, if you want to kill me, then do it." Sterling muttered. "I won't blame you. It's what I deserve."

Echo stood there for a long moment.

"...No." He said firmly, retracting the spike. "...Killing you won't change a thing..."

At the same time, Sunset and Shining entered the room, having heard the alarm from Echo's heart monitor.

"Echo, you're awake?"! Sunset gasped, before glancing at the pinned Sterling. "What is going on here?!"

"Those crystals..." Shining gaped. "...And what are you doing to Cross?"

"Sterling... Sterling has been manipulating us all along." Echo revealed grimly. The crystals flowed away, and Sterling dropped to the ground. "He orchestrated this whole mess with Sombra's spell book. He used Synchro and all of us as a means to a selfish end. All of this happened because of him..."

"Sterling?" Sunset frowned. "You... caused all this?"

"What?!" Shining gaped. "Cross, tell me this is some kind of joke!"

Sterling was silence for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"I'm afraid what Echo says is all true." Sterling nodded, "I did it all. I set everypony up, as part of my plan to use dark magic to usher in a new age for Equestria. I took no joy in hurting all those ponies, but I did what I thought was necessary."

"Sterling... how could you..." Sunset murmured.

"I... I trusted you." Shining whispered, just as bewildered as Sunset.

"Well, I'm afraid you placed your trust in the wrong pony." Sterling sighed, as he held up his hooves, "Do with me as you will..."
For a moment, Shining was crestfallen. Then his face hardened.

"It looks like I have no choice..." Shining signaled the Guards outside. "Guards... arrest Cross. He is to be tried for treason and attempted murder."

Sterling put up no fight as the Guards led him away. In fact, he didn't speak. He did briefly glance at Sunset, but she turned away, a look of betrayal on her face... Sterling only let out a sigh as he hung his head low, as he and the Guards left the trio alone in the room.

"What a mess..." Shining sighed. "My best guard..."

"Even I can't comprehend what could have driven him to this." Echo shook his head. "I only wish that it wasn't true..."

Suddenly, Sunset embraced him.

"Oh, Echo, I was so worried..." She sniffed, nuzzling Echo. "I thought I'd lost you for good this time..."

"Hey, you can't get rid of me that easily." Echo joked, pulling Sunset in for a kiss.

Meanwhile, Shining picked up a hoof-full of the micro-crystals that Echo had fired.

"Interesting." He mused. "How is it you were able to create these, when Synchro was the one with the magic?"

"I can't imagine how. The last thing I remember was Synchro stabbing me in the abdomen with the hor-" Echo stopped mid-sentence,
recalling how Synchro had stabbed him with the horn, and how he felt a surge before he fell. "The horn... holy Faust, Synchro wasn't trying to kill me..."

"Then what was he trying to do?" Sunset asked.

"I can't really explain it... but Synchro must had charged the horn with all of his remaining dark magic energy, and when he jabbed with the horn, he subjected me to all that dark magic... and since it was his magic, it must had passed his powers on to me."

"But why would he do that?" Shining asked.

"I don't know..." Echo admitted, as with a raise of one of his hoof, a small pillar of micro-crystals rose before him. "Maybe... maybe I might had actually gotten to Synchro after all, and he gave me his power so I could continue on with my life. I could be wrong, but..."

"Well, whatever the reason, I know that power will be in better hooves with you." Sunset smiled.

"It's better than the last power I had, I tell you that much." Echo shrugged.

"What do you mean, 'had'?" Shining asked.

"That monster form of mine, the 'Berserker' spell." Echo revealed. "The light of the Crystal Heart burned it out of me when me and Synchro were fighting. It's gone. That's probably one of the reasons I have this new power now."

"Well, how about that?" Shining nodded, with a small smile. "Look's like Cross's machinations had one good result after all..."

The mention of Sterling reminded Echo of what he had said.

"Oh, right..." Echo then turned to Sunset. "Sunset, I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about. I will help you get through this..."

"Get through what? Sterling's betrayal?" Sunset wondered, "It came as a shock, but I'm not that heartbroken over it."

"No, I meant our foal, Sunset. The one we made in Caris." Echo elaborated.

Silence ensued, as Sunset and Shining both went wide-eyed at Echo's comment.

"Foal? What are you talking about?!" Sunset stammered.

"It was all part of Sterling's big plan." Echo explained. "He wanted us to have a foal together because a gene that gave me and Synchro the ability to use dark magic would pass down to him, and he theorized if the mother was you, the foal would be more powerful... it's rather hard to explain-"

"Echo, I'm not pregnant." Sunset frowned, ever so confused. "I think I would know if I was with foal."

At that moment, the doctor entered.

"We've completed our analysis on your blood tests, Ms Shimmer." He announced. "And I have some wonderful news for you... you're pregnant."

Silence greeted the room again.

"What?!" Sunset gasped. "But... I... I... Ohhh..."

Sunset fainted.

"Oh, my." Echo cringed.

"...Um, congratulations?" Shining awkwardly replied.

A few days later, Echo, finally out of the hospital, was called to the throne room. He found Sunset standing with Shining and Cadance and Sunset.

"You wanted to see me, Prince Armor?" Echo asked, though with a bit of dread. He wasn't sure what to expect from the prince. Was he going to send him back to the dungeons? Because he doubted that saving the kingdom would give him a pardon for what he did in the past...

"Yes, Echo." Shining nodded. "I've summoned you here... so I can apologize."

"...Excuse me?" Echo asked, dumbfounded.

"I've never given you a chance." Shining sighed. "I let my own failures and grudges cloud my mind into thinking that you were as bad as all the dark magic users out there, but after seeing how you defended my and Cadance's kingdom in spite of what I said and did, I realized that it was wrong of me to do so, and you didn't deserve it. I know that now. Will you accept my apology?"

"I shall." Echo nodded. "Honestly, you had every right to feel that way. After all the mistakes I made in the past and all that had befallen you before, I don't blame you one bit. I fear that dark magic still has a long road ahead of it before ponies will ever fully accept it. And it would be wrong of me to assume that you would too."

"Either way, I still want to make things right." Shining said firmly. "As much as I hate dark magic, I know you can be trusted with it. Which is why, as a token of my trust and support, I am placing Sombra's spell book and all it's pages in your custody."

"You are?" Echo gasped.

"For research purposes only, of course." Shining added tersely. "Now, regarding his imprisonment, I believe my exact words were that you were to be caged for as long as you had that monstrous spell within you. But since the spell has left you, I will allow you to go free, with a full pardon granted to you for all past misdeeds."

"Really? But are you perturbed by my new dark magic?" Echo frowned.

"I'll admit, it is a little unnerving to know a power used for evil is now in your hooves." Shining admitted. "But I have faith that you will not abuse it.

"And besides, everypony knows that dark magic is only as bad as the user." Cadance added, nuzzling against Shining.

"So true." Shining nodded.

Sunset run over and hugged Echo.

"Well, thank you, your highness." Echo bowed. "It's more than I deserve."

"Not in my eyes." Shining smiled, as Cadance embraced him. "Now, go and enjoy your freedom."

"You heard the stallion." Sunset nuzzled him. "Let's go and enjoy the new day."

"Of course." Echo smiled.

As Echo and Sunset left the castle, Echo found the Crystal Ponies once again looking upon him. But there was something different about their looks; They were friendlier, less hateful.

"It's him!" One stallion pointed. "The one who saved us from that monster!"

"He's a hero!" A colt added.

"You hear that?" Sunset whispered. "A hero."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far..." Echo blushed.

"Why not?" Sunset asked. "You saved us all from an evil pony. Protected Equestria from a terrible fate. Isn't that what heroes do?"

"Well, technically..." Echo admitted.

"Ergo, you're a hero." Sunset smiled. "It's the logical conclusion. You don't want to argue with logic, do you?"

"It's never steered me wrong before." Echo shrugged.

"And neither have I." Sunset kissed him on the cheek.

Soon after, they returned to Echo's old study.

"Ah, it's good to be back." Echo smiled, walking around the room, glancing at all his notes and scribbles. "Still so much work to be done..."

"Is everything okay, Echo?" Sunset asked.

"Whatever do you mean, Sunset?" Echo smiled. "Everything's fine."

"You can't fool me, Echo." Sunset declared. "I know you well enough to know when something's bothering you. Now, out with it."

"Huh, can't get anything past you... it's just..." Echo sighed. "I'm not sure if I deserve all this. All my mistakes almost brought ruin upon Equestria, and those I care about. And everypony just seems to had forgiven me for it, and I don't understand why."

"I know what you mean." Sunset said compassionately. "I felt the same way after my lust for power was quenched. The guilt of what I had done... I felt like I didn't deserve my new-found friends. But eventually, I realized that my past did not define me. And your past doesn't define you, Echo. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Echo asked.

"Because your past is not today." Sunset smiled.

"...Pardon?" Echo frowned, lost.

"That's what really matters: Today." Sunset declared. "Instead of dwelling on what came before, you should focus on what you have now. You have acceptance, you have your freedom, you have me..." Then she grabbed Echo's hoof and guided it to her stomach. "And you have our foal... our beautiful foal..."

"Perhaps you're right." Echo admitted. "If I always focus on the past, I lose sight of the present."

"Now there's the genius Thestral I know and love." Sunset kissed him on the cheek. "And if you need help focusing on the present, I'd be happy to lend a hoof."

"Yes." Echo smiled. "Today is a brand new day. Today is the beginning of a new chapter in my story. One I'd be happy to share with you."

Echo kissed Sunset deeply.

"Sounds like a real page-turner." Sunset joked.
> A New Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset woke up in the apartment she now shared with Echo. Echo was still snoozing, his wings draped over her. Deciding to let her beau sleep, Sunset gently slipped out of his grasp, walked into the living room, and began writing a letter.

'Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry I haven't written to you in a while. Things have been pretty busy at the Crystal Empire lately. It's been six months since all the craziness with Synchro and King Sombra's spell book, but it still seems like it all happened yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget those terrible moments when it looked like Synchro was going to win, or when it looked like I had lost Echo forever.

But, despite all the trials and terror, we made it through. Echo and I were reunited, and life for both of us has become far better. For starters, Echo's social standing in the Empire has greatly improved. Gone are the days where they would say malicious things about him, or give him those cold glares. Echo attributed this to the fact that he no longer had that 'beast' in him. But I knew better. Him defending the empire had changed most ponies' opinions of him… Of course, I said 'most', as not every citizen of the Empire has quite accepted him…'

Barely a week after being released from the hospital, Echo was walking though the marketplace, having run out for groceries. It was honestly his first time doing so since he had the Berserker spell within him, not wanting to draw ire with anypony who had despised him (and not risk setting off his beast form). Now that ponies had started to take a shine to him, Echo felt that now was a better time than any to re-integrate himself with society.

"I'll have some amethyst apples, my good stallion." He approached a nearby grocer.

The grocer complied, placing the apples in a bag.

"Thank you kindly." Echo reached for his wallet.

"They're on the house." The grocer smiled. "It's the least I can do after you saved us all from that lunatic in the coat."

"Oh... you're welcome." Echo said awkwardly, the memory of Synchro still a sore spot for him. "But you really don't have to. I'm happy to pay..."

"I won't hear of it." The grocer declared. "From now on, you eat free here. It's my way of saying 'thanks'."

"What are you thanking him for?" Another stallion asked. "It was probably because of him that the Empire was in danger in the first place. Have you forgotten how he turned into that monster and hospitalized those guards?"

"Seriously?" A mare running a fruit stand snorted. "He saved the entire Empire, and all of Equestria. Does that sound like something a 'monster' would do?"

"What if that's just what he wants us to think?" The stallion suggested. "What if he's just stringing us along, waiting for the right moment to pounce? I heard he can now do what that guy in the coat did with those crystals! For all we know, he will finish what he started!"

"I don't believe that." The grocer declared. "Echo Alchemy is a hero, end of story."

"Please, don't fight." Echo tried to calm them. "I'm not a monster or a hero. I'm just a pony, like you."

"And modest, too." The mare said admiringly.

"Pah!" The stallion walked away. "We'll see..."

'Of course, Echo has endured far worse in his time. Worse as in being betrayed by somepony he thought was his friend. I cannot begin to describe how mortified I was when Echo told me the truth about Sterling, and the plan he had for our foal. It was like the Sterling we had come to know... the Sterling that I kissed on the shores of Fetland... was gone, replaced by this calculating, professional mad scientist. Ever since his betrayal, Prince Armor had been trying to get him to talk about the 'organization' that he mentioned to Echo before he... he tried to kill Echo. However, Sterling practically clam up afterwards, refusing to talk to anypony... except a certain few...

A month after his imprisonment, Sterling was returned to his cell after another fruitless interrogation. This was what his life was reduced to after that fateful day in the hospital; Locked up in a cold dark cell, forced to eat disgusting prison food, and periodically taken to his former comrades in the Crystal Guard, who didn't hide their disgust at his betrayal during the interrogations. Sterling let out a sigh as he sat on his prison bed... but then, he glanced out the cell, to see a peeved Silas across from him.

"Oh, hello, Silas." He said flatly.

"Hello... Flatfoot." Silas growled.

"Please, just Sterling would do." Sterling declared.

"As far as I'm concerned, you are scum!" Silas roared. "You and your stupid lap dog ruined everything for me! I worked long and hard to put my Order back together after that blasted Thestral ruined everything all those years ago, and I was so close to achieving my goal once again, but then, lo and behold, another Thestral comes along and bucks it up!"

"My apologies." Sterling told him. "I had no idea that Synchro would act-"

"Cut the bull-crud, Sterling!" Silas snarled. "I know you! You always have a reason for every move you make. You damn well knew that your attack dog would double-cross me and ruin my plan! And I know for a fact that you had something to do with those blasted guards being there just as Echo transformed! I wouldn't be surprised if you were the one who called them there!"

Sterling smirked.

"Okay... the truth then..." He got up and wrapped his hooves around the bars. "Your plan was destined to fail."

"What?!" Silas spat. "Of course it would fail, you ruined it!"

"No. Whether I interfered or not would have never changed a thing." Sterling clarified. "Your plan was flawed, riddled with holes, too far-off the ground, and honestly, it's unoriginal."

"I-it is not unoriginal!" Silas stammered.

"Come on, using dark magic to bring darkness upon Equestria? Does the name Nightmare Moon, Sombra, and Black Knight bring anything to mind?" Sterling sneered.

"Screw you!" Silas yelled. "At least my plan wasn't some convoluted scheme focused on a freak of a Thestral mounting a bucking mare and conceiving some Faust-damn hybrid brat!"

"Well, at least my plan actually worked!" Sterling shot back. "In ten months time, Sunset will give birth to a healthy foal, and he or she will be able to use dark magic, just like his or her father. My plan, unlike yours, was nothing extravagant. I knew exactly what I was aiming for, and I knew the means to attain it, and took into account for anything that could wrong."

"Oh yes, because that worked out so great for you in the end... but it's too bad you will be unable to mold that foal into a supersoldier from in here." Silas mocked him. "Because no matter how well your plan worked out, you are now trapped in here, just like me! Which I am, thanks to you!"

"Hey, consider yourself grateful!" Sterling snarled. "Even the organization found your plan stupid! They wanted you to crash and burn with it. Had I and Synchro not intervened, you would had easily gotten the death penalty for attempted takeover of Equestria. I saved you the embarrassment from failing and from certain death!"

"And I am so grateful." Silas sneered sarcastically. "Because now, I am stuck in here for life! Death would surely be far greater than suffering in my own indignity!"

"Oh, quit your blubbering." Sterling huffed. "I'm sure in time, once things had cooled down, the organization will come for us. I doubt they would let an 'elite' rot in prison."

"Oh, you think you're all that, because you're the 'Father's' favorite, that you are above me?!" Silas proclaimed. "Might I remind you that you are not much higher on the food chain then me?!"

"And might I remind you that the only reason you are a part of this organization is because you wouldn't give the location of Echo and Synchro unless we funded your plans." Sterling countered. "Aside that, you are no better off than Brody. At least with him, the higher members enjoy his blunders!"

"How dare you!" Silas yelled. "I will not be talked down to by some... two-bit charlatan!"

"I'd rather be a charlatan than an over-reaching buffoon!" Sterling shot back. "You're nothing, Silas. Always have been, always will be!"

"Would you shut the flap up?!"

The two glanced at the cell that was between them, as a fuming Lunard Cloudskipper (recently transferred from Alfalfatraz) was glaring at both of them.

"This Griffon is trying to sleep!" He yelled. "And to be honest, you're both flapping morons! Dark magic, please, what a bunch of horse-crap!"

"Oh, please..." Silas sneered. "As if an uneducated brute like you could ever understand what we're trying to accomplish!"

"On that much, we agree." Sterling nodded. "Butt out, feathers. Don't worry your tiny mind about things above your station."

"Come out here, and I'll give your minds something to worry about!" Lunard yelled.

"Quiet, all of you!" A guard yelled, as Echo entered the dungeon. "Cross, you've got a visitor!"

Echo entered the dungeon, his face impassive.

"Ah, Echo." Sterling smiled. "Nice of you to visit. Not to mention unexpected."

"Spare me the false pleasantries, Sterling." Echo glared. "I am not here to listen you pretend to act like you are my friend. That bridge had long since burned."

"Then why are you here?" Sterling asked, his mood dampening, his face actually registering... hurt, "You can tell me. I'm still Sterling. you know. The same Sterling who had your back during all that mess. The same Sterling who saved your life more than once. The same Sterling who helped you and Sunset get together... Tell me why."

"Because I want to understand." Echo sighed. "Why would you do this?"

"You know why." Sterling frowned, "To bring about-"

"The new age of Equestrian warfare, I know." Echo frowned. "...But, even after becoming my friend... why would you still choose to use me like that? And then try to dispose of me like garbage? And what kind of friend would try to use my own child like you did me?"

"I'll admit, not a good one..." Sterling sighed. "But I did what I had to do, Echo. I had an opportunity to revolutionize our military. Because we can't always rely on the 'Elements of Harmony' or stand up guys like our Prince Paladin to fight battles for our country. I did what I was ordered to do as by my superiors. I'm sorry if you think I'm some kind of monster, but you have to believe I never meant to hurt you."

"I believe you." Echo said sternly. "I believe you believe that. But I don't believe it." He then glanced closely at Sterling, with his eyes growing a bit misty. "Because if you never meant to hurt me, then you wouldn't had tried to kill me. If you had just told me your plans and decided to have a change of heart at the last moment, I might have gotten past it... but in the end, you chose this... 'organization'... over me and the mare you swore to have loved. I trusted you, Sterling. Despite our shaky beginnings, I actually grew to see you as a friend. A pony of whom I could trust my life with... a pony whom I could trust Sunset with... but now..."

"Echo... please..." Sterling murmured, "You two... you two are both important to me. Sunset... there'll always be a special place in my heart for her, even if she's meant to be with you. You and her are the best friends I've ever had. But you've got to understand... the ponies I work for... they've done for me what no pony else could ever have done in a lifetime. I couldn't simply say no to them because I'd grown attached to you and Sunset."

"Really? If me and Sunset are so 'important' to you, then why don't you tell us whom you are working for?" Echo asked sternly, but with a hint of concern. "Sterling, if they are threatening you, or holding something over your head, we can help you, maybe even cut a deal..."

"I'm sorry, Echo, but I can't do that." Sterling shook his head.

"Oh, and why is that?" Echo glared, "Honestly, at this point, you have nothing to lose. You are stuck in a nine by five cell. You've lost your position as a guard. You've lost your own friends. All because of your allegiance to this 'organisation'. Don't you think you should reconsider?"

"Even after all this time, Echo, you are still so naïve." Sterling growled. "These ponies I work for, Echo... I don't say diddly-squawk, because they will kill anypony that even knows their name. I keep my mouth shut not out of defiance, but for everypony's safety. I do not want any more ponies getting killed because they stuck their snouts where they don't belong. If I told you, you and Sunset's lives would be over. Because I've seen what 'they' can do, and what 'they' are willing to do, and I cannot in good conscience allow that to happen to the both of you. Because like it or not, that's what a good friend does."

"...Just who are you fooling, Sterling?" Echo sighed in frustration. "The only reason you ever took an interest in me was because of a little gene. And the fact that you would use a foal as a figurehead for a line of supersoldiers at your hooftips just proves that you see ponies like me as nothing more than live weapons of mass destruction."

"No... no, that is not true." Sterling glared, "You think I don't want what you want, to redeem dark magic? Well I do, but you gotta understand that we must make sacrifices to get what we want."

"You mean like Synchro?" Echo muttered. "You willingly sacrificed a pony who turned to you for guidance, and used him as a means to an end..." Sterling began to notice tears coming from his eyes. "Synchro was the only family I had left... and because of you, I had to put him down like a mad dog. How is it a sacrifice to you when it was me who had to make it? Explain that to me."

"Echo..." Sterling frowned, Echo's tearful gaze making him uncomfortable, as he tried to look away. "I... I... I'm sorry... it was never my intent to have Synchro killed. But there was simply no way for the plan to work in a way where both of you would survive, and not have everything go to crap. I know what I did is beyond forgivable, but I was doing what I believe is right."

"...You keep telling youself that." Echo muttered coldly, taking his glasses off to wipe his eyes. "...You wanna know the most ironic thing? It is because of you that I finally have a family of my own, and while I am grateful for that... I can never forgive you for what you did... I shouldn't have even come down here..." He then turned to leave. "I hope you enjoy this life you created for yourself..."

With that, Echo left the ex-Guardspony by his lonesome. Sterling glanced after him, not sure what to say, except for this:

"...Tell Sunset I said 'hi'..." Sterling called after him, though his voice seem weak and obviously impossible to hear, despite Echo's good hearing.

"That's some company you keep." Lunard sneered.

"What do you expect, with such a winning personality?" Silas taunted.

"Just don't..." Sterling muttered, no longer in a mood to argue.

"Why not? Don't you see, Sterling? You are just like me." Silas snarked. "This is what our organization does. We use ponies, for they are nothing more than tools to achieve our dreams. The reason you are in here with me is because you tried so hard to believe that worthless spineless Thestral was anything more than a piece in your 'little game'."

"Shut up." Sterling glared. "I am nothing like you."

"Then why are you here then, hmm?" Silas smirked.

"Because I belong here." Sterling admitted, actual hurt over Echo's words and the end results of his actions in his voice. "Locked up in a dungeon, with filth like you..."

"Watch it, pal!" Lunard growled.

"No matter what good intentions I had, betraying a friend's trust is unforgiveable..." Sterling lay down on his bed, his head in his hooves.

As Echo left the dungeon, feeling lower than low. He thought talking with Sterling might make him feel better about his betrayal, but it only made him feel worse. As he walked up the stairs, he crossed paths with Shining.

"Echo..." Shining stated. "Any luck?"

"No...Sterling still won't talk." Echo murmured.

"I see..." Shining frowned. "To be honest, I didn't really expect him to talk to you. You shouldn't even bother with that traitor."

"I know." Echo sighed. "He lied, manipulated, and betrayed us all, but... I really thought he was my friend... One of only a few I've ever had..."

"Don't blame yourself." Shining told him. "There's no way you could've known. Sterling had us all fooled."

"That he did." Echo nodded. "Did the interrogation yield any results?"

"Not much." Shining admitted. "Cross wouldn't tell us a thing. Neither did Necross. But we did happen to find these when we were frisking them..." Shining produced two pendants with an odd emblem; two Fs connected by the bottom facing opposite directions, with a black bird in the background. "Does this image ring a bell?"

"I'm afraid not." Echo shook his head. "I've never seen it before."

"Nopony has." Shining admitted. "We've had all our experts looking for any record of it, with no luck."

"Hmm..." Echo took the two pendants into his hooves, glancing at them both, "Well, if anything, I think it might have connection to this 'organization' that Sterling works for. But they must be like ghosts, for nopony to have heard of them before."

"Yeah..." Shining let out a sigh. "I plan to contact the ponies over in Royal Defense Legion, see if they might have any idea about this."

"Let's hope so." Echo declared. "I shudder to think what other heinous plans those fiends may be concocting..."

"Well, it's best to not worry about it now." Shining noted. "By the way, can you swing down by the throne room tomorrow afternoon? I have some... business I'd like to discuss with you."

"Business?" Echo asked. "What kind of business?"

"I can't tell you much right now, but I think you'll find it interesting." Shining said cryptically. "What do you say?"

"I'll be there." Echo nodded. "If only because you've piqued my curiosity."

"Terrific." Shining grinned, as he walked away. "Trust me, you won't regret it."

'It was hard to believe Shining Armor was the same stallion, considering how drastically his opinion of Echo of changed. But I would never have guessed just how far he had come...'

The next afternoon, Echo entered the throne room. Both Shining and Cadance were there.

"You wanted to see me, your highness?" Echo asked.

"Yes." Shining nodded. "I've been working on a new project. One where I think your talents will be most appreciated."

"I don't follow, your highness." Echo admitted.

"Well, I was examining the notes you showed me a while back, and I had decided to put together a new task force of Crystal Guards." Shining announced, "One that will be trained in using dark magic as a form of defense. I was rather intrigued by the amount of spells that could be used in such manner: a smoke spell, for example, could be used as an excellent security measure. And a spell that could drain magic would come in useful in dealing with antagonistic Unicorns. And that crystal magic you recently 'acquired' has quite a few benign applications of its own. With that in mind, I cannot think of anypony but you to head the force."

"Me?!" Echo gaped. "But how could you find anypony to join such a force? Those ponies in Hoofistan... they died because of dark magic."

"Which is why some volunteered for this force." Shining explained. "They want to be able to combat dark magic and they feel the only way to do so is to fight fire with fire. And I agree with them."

"But do you really think that I am up to such a task?" Echo murmured.

"Of course." Shining nodded. "You've always said that dark magic can be used for good, and now you have a chance to prove it."

"I... I don't know what to say..." Echo muttered. "It's an honor, truly..."

"It's the least I can do after the way I treated you for all those months." Shining declared. "You were right. Whether dark magic is used for good or bad depends on the pony. And with your help, we'll show all of Equestria that truth. What do you say?"

"Say 'yes'." Cadance grinned. "He'll just keep badgering you otherwise."

"...Yes, I will." Echo nodded. "I'll do my best to make you proud."

"I know you will." Shining smiled.

Later that evening, Echo told Sunset the news.

"That's incredible, Echo!" Sunset hugged him. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Sunset." Echo smiled. "...But you know, with all this talk of dark magic lately, it got me thinking about what Sterling said about Nightcrawlers and the Tenebros gene..." He glanced out a nearby window, "What if there really are others out there, like my brother and me? What if my father is still out there? Maybe... just maybe, I should try and find some way to seek them out. Help them come to grips with their powers and let them know that they are not alone. Anything to keep them from experiencing the same fate as me and…Synchro."

"I believe that is a noble idea, Echo." Sunset nodded. "But aren't you already a little overworked? There's your research, your new job training the new task force... And of course, our 'private time'..." She purred.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten that." Echo grinned, embracing her. "I suppose I could put some of my research aside for the time being..."

"Now you're talking..." Sunset kissed him.

The two cuddled together, ready for a night of romance.

A few days later, in a bar in Manehattan, business was going as usual. Ponies, Buffalo, Griffons, and more were enjoying their libations and chatting amongst themselves when a radio broadcast caught their attention.

"...Prince Shining Armor has begun to form a new branch of the Crystal Guard division, presumably in response to a recent attack by an unknown terrorist who wielded a high intensity of dark magic. The division itself has revealed that as part of the training regiment, they will be trained in using dark magic themselves. It was also said that the division will be headed by an Echo Alchemy, a dark magic researcher who was charged and pardoned for mass kidnapping in Canterlot nearly a year ago, and recently had been the one to had thwart the terrorist's plot a month ago. Controversy began to stir up in the Empire and the capital city of Canterlot, as many decry the formation of such a division. Here are some statements from ponies from around Equestria."

"It's an outrage!" The voice of Jet Set rang out. "That monster kidnapped my wife and I, and now they're putting him in charge of a military force?"

"The Prince should have put him behind bars, where he belongs." Upper Crust added.

"I get where the Prince is coming from." Spitfire's voice remarked. "But still... dark magic's a little unsavoury for my tastes... I just hope this Alchemy guy knows what he's doing."

"Our son is dead because of that terrorist!" Hans Hubris spat. "Dark magic ruined our family, and now they think it can be used for good? I don't think so!"

"Royal Guards? Using dark magic?" A random old, moustached stallion snorted. "Gimme a break..."

"However, many more ponies began to actively support this decision made by the Prince. They seem to think Shining Armor has a valid point. Here are words from some of them now:"

"As a former member of Princess Luna's Guard, I know dark things can get." The Thestral Nightwing declared. "Times have changed, and sometimes it takes darkness to fight darkness. I say good luck to them."

"It sounds perfectly logical to me." Lars remarked. "At the very least, it should even the playing field..."

"I have faith in the Prince's decision." Fancypants said firmly. "If he believes this will lead to a safer Equestria, who are we to argue?"

"Oh, yeah!" Caboose chuckled. "I agree! Totally! ...Wait, what are we talking about?"

"We tried to get statements from the royals in Canterlot and Ponyville, but none of them were available for commenting. No further information has been released regarding this task force, except that the head had decided to give the name 'Project Synchro' to the team. Whether you think it's a good or bad idea, you cannot argue with the boldness of the Prince's decision. What will they be thinking of next? Turning to sports..."

"Can you believe that?" One of the pony patrons snorted. "Dark magic being used for good. Please. It's even got the word 'dark' in the name!"

"I dunno." The bartender shrugged. "I met the Prince once, back when he was captain of Canterlot's Royal Guard. Seemed like a pretty sharp stallion. If he thinks it'll work, that's good enough for me."

"Ah, you've gone soft in the head, Tapper." A Buffalo sneered.

"Hey, I don't care about any of that stuff." A Griffon admitted. "Just so long as they keep it away from me..."

"Amen." The pony finished his drink. "Yo, Tapper, same again!"

Sitting at the end of the bar, a familiar sunglasses-wearing Thestral only smiled as he heard the news...

"Well done, Echo..." He whispered proudly. "I always knew you'd achieve great things... son..."

'Though things were going well for us, we took care not to forget those who had fallen to Sterling's machinations. Echo personally wrote letters of condolences to the families of the page guardians who had perished, along with what little money we could scrounge together to cover their funeral costs. After what those poor souls had been through, it seemed like far too little...'

In the Crystal Empire's post office, Echo posted off the last letter, addressed to Lethargy's parents.

"Such a pity..." Echo sighed. "If Sterling hadn't used them as pawns in his game, perhaps things would have turned out differently for them..."

"I'd like to think so." Sunset admitted. "Everypony deserves a second chance at life."

"So true." Echo nodded. "And thanks to Sterling, they never had that chance..."

'But, despite all the heartache, life goes on. And speaking of life, our foal is coming along nicely. Both he and I grow a little more every day. Oh, yes, we found out that our foal was going to be a colt, as Echo was insistent on knowing everything about our foal. His size, whenever he kicked. He's spent most of these last few months buying cribs, bottles, clothes, toys... I never managed he'd be so excited about being a father. As for me, I'm think I'm handling the pregnancy quite well (the occasional mood swing not withstanding). I'm getting bigger every day, and it makes me so proud and happy. A lesser stallion might be put off by my increased size, but not Echo. The bigger I get, the more he seems to adore me. Which of course, leads up to my best piece of news, one I've been saving for last. Last Saturday, Echo and I were out on a picnic in the park...'

Echo and the six-month pregnant Sunset were lying on a blanket, enjoying their food. Sunset's pregnancy had given her an odd craving for blood orange and prune smoothies, and she was currently finishing her fifth one that day. Echo seemed a tad subdued, even nervous.

"Ah, what a beautiful day." Sunset sighed. "For a while back there, I was worried we'd never see days like this again."

"Yes, things were looking bad for a while there..." Echo muttered.

"But we made it through in the end, didn't we?" Sunset smiled.

"We certainly did..." Echo agreed half-heartedly.

"Echo, is there something wrong?" Sunset asked. "It looks like your head is kind of... elsewhere."

"For good reason." Echo took a deep breath. "Sunset, I... I..."

"Yes?" Sunset prompted.

"You... knowing you has..." Echo fumbled, reaching for something in the picnic basket."I-I've never known a pony like you before... n-never felt this way about a mare before... and, well, I w-would like to... that is to say..."

"Pardon?" Sunset frowned.

"S-sorry..." Echo stuttered. "It's just... hard to get the words out..." He pulled something out of the basket, hiding it in his hoof. "I-I would be most honored... I mean, nothing would make me happier... Oh, curse it all!"

"Echo, calm down." Sunset urged.

"I'm sorry." Echo sighed. "I really want to ask you something, but my blasted mouth just can't get the words out!"

"Hmm, would the thing you want me to ask involve you wanting to marry me?" Sunset said slyly.

"H-how did you guess?" Echo gasped in shock, as a small velvet box dropped out of his hoof.

"Call it a hunch." Sunset smiled, as she opened the box, revealing a topaz horn ring. "Oh, it's beautiful, Echo."

"S-so, what is y-your answer?" Echo stuttered. "W-will you..."

"Yes." Sunset kissed him. "Of course I'll marry you."

"Thank you so much, Sunset!" Echo kissed her back. "You've made me the happiest stallion in the world!"

"Well, you've already made me the happiest mare in the world, so I guess that makes us even." Sunset chuckled.

Echo took the ring out of the box and placed it on Sunset's horn. The two then kissed again, far more passionately than before.

'I told you I was saving the best for last, didn't I? After all these years, I've finally found my soul mate. Echo and I plan to marry before the foal comes. We haven't set a date yet, but it should be soon. I hope you can find the time to attend. It wouldn't feel right to marry Echo without the Princess who helped me meet him in the first place. I hope to hear from you soon.

Your friend,

Sunset Shimmer'

After finishing her letter, Sunset went down to the mailbox on the corner and posted it. As she returned home, she reflected on how much things had changed for her, and how she had never felt happier.

Echo was awake by the time she got back.

"Good morning." He kissed her.

"Great morning." Sunset beamed. "With a wonderful stallion like you, how could it be anything less?"

"So true." Echo rubbed Sunset's bulging stomach. "And how is our little foal today?"

"Doing great." Sunset grinned, as the foal kicked.

"I can tell." Echo smiled. "We've got a real scrapper on our hooves."

"He's tough, just like his dad." Sunset beamed.

"Hopefully, he'll inherit some of his mother's spirit." Echo declared. "Your fortitude always impressed me, my love."

"And your kindness always impressed me." Sunset nuzzled against him.

After breakfast, Echo headed off to work.

"Take care, you two." He hugged Sunset and gave her a kiss. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to either of you."

"You won't get rid of us that easily." Sunset chuckled.

"I should hope not." Echo remarked, as he used his newfound crystal powers to pluck a ruby rose from the window box, and gave it to his fiancée. "I've finally found a family, after all these years. And I have no intention of letting go now..."

Sunset watched as her fiancé went off to work, ready to prove to the world that dark magic had a place in it. Not so long ago, she had felt so out of place in Equestria, having been gone from her world for so long. But now, she knew she was where she was meant to be, and so was Echo. It was a long and harrowing road, filled with shocks, lies, and betrayals, but in the end, it brought them, two lonely souls, together in a love that was both strong and beautiful. She sniffed the ruby rose, happy and content. Together, she and Echo had come out of the darkest days, and emerged into a new dawn, with all kinds of possibilities on the horizon.

The End.