The pale glow of the moon gave a calm and serene atmosphere across the vast Royal Gardens of Canterlot as a crimson Unicorn walked down a path. It was Rage. He stopped and looked at the moon. He then looked to his side and smiled. He had his wings hidden using illusion magic, knowing many of the Night Watch would have many questions if they saw some alicorn they didn't know walking about.

He thought back to a few days ago. To Nix. He then looked down to the small running stream of water that the bridge he stood on flowed under. His face reflected in it. He sighed deeply as he turned and continued to walk.

As he neared the end of the bridge he stopped as a starry portal appeared in front of him. Out of it came Princess Luna. Upon seeing her he sighed in relief. "Princess Luna. Good evening." He says "What brings you out here so late?"

"We should be the one asking that question." Luna replies. "Only my Night Watch and myself should be up this late."

"Sometimes I just feel like taking a nice walk under the stars." Rage lies with a shrug.

"You needn't lie to us Ragis Chaotic." Luna sighs. "We are aware of your nightmares."

Rage frowned upon hearing Luna's reply. "I much prefer that you don't intrude on my dreams." He says with a grump.

"My apologies but it is uncommon for a pony to be so plagued by nightmares. We couldn't not investigate." Luna apologized. "You worry for the one you call Christain."

"Yeah." Rage sighs. "Twi got me thinking…have I tried hard enough to help him…? I mean it's been almost three years and…I'm no closer to freeing him than the day our-" Rage stopped at the thought of what had happened to their home.

"Whatever happened back then is not your fault." Luna says. "It's clear to us you blame yourself for it."

"In a roundabout way I am…I was the one who promised to Sonic to protect the Chaos Emerald for him…if I didn't do that…maybe none of this would have happened." Rage sighs.

"True, but then you wouldn't have met your new friends." Luna rebuttals. The two began walking side by side and Rage smiled.

"That's true." He says thinking about the fond new memories he had with his Equestrian friends. "It's been a crazy few months."

"Few months?" Luna asks. "It's been close to a year since you first came to Equestria."

"A whole year?" Rage asks and chuckles. "Time sure flies." He sighs as they crest a small hill they see Twilight sitting and looking at the moon.

"Princess Twilight." Rage says happily.

Twilight looked at the two with a vacant look. "Oh. Rage. Princess Luna. Hello." She says distantly.

"You…alright Twi?" Rage asks, looking worried at her. "You're acting a bit weird."

"I'm fine." She says looking to the sky, more specifically to the full moon that was illuminating the sky. "Just…admiring the…moon." She says. "I just had an urge to see it as it peaked tonight."

"Really?" Rage asks, still sounding concerned. He looked at Princess Luna who shrugged. "Normally you complain if you don't get enough sleep." He says sitting and watching as the moon slowly reaches its peak in the sky.

"You're so…judgmental." Twilight says in a more deep and almost rude tone. Rage looked at her and leapt back in surprise. A massive amount of dark energy was surrounding her. Her eyes shifted to an icy blue as her expression turned to a fearful look.

"Twilight?!" Rage exclaims as his eyes are filled with shock, As the aura of energy becomes more and more intense he and Luna began to back up.

"What's going on?!" Luna exclaims as a dark purple aura surrounds Twilight and swirls viciously. Rage reached for it but a jolt of darkness shocked him and he quickly pulled his hoof back.

It was only there for a few moments before it faded and standing in front of Rage and Luna was Twilight but…not. She was as tall as Luna, her fur a much darker purple. Her mane appeared like a flowing plane of stars in a sinister blue-purple field. Her tail was a matching pattern and color to her sinister mane. A pair of amber eyes glowed as a grin of jagged teeth spread across her face.

"Twilight what's going on?!" Rage exclaimed as he felt a rush of fear.

"I'm not…Twilight…" she says coldly as her horn glows with dark magic. She fired a bolt of it at Rage who put a magical barrier up and nullified it. "I am…Midnight Sparkle."

Rage was taken aback by the sudden change. This was similar to what had happened to Sonic once. When they first fought Nix. It wasn't quite the same though.

"Princess Luna go get Celestia!" Rage orders as he puts a wall of Magic up at a charging Midnight Sparkle.

Luna nodded and flew off as Rage dispelled the barrier and was tackled. He struggled as she landed on top of him with a sinister grin. "What a pathetic excuse for a unicorn!" She laughs.

"Twilight stop!" Rage shouts "You're not yourself!"

"You can't order me around boy." She laughed as her horn glowed, preparing another attack. Rage then teleported using Chaos Control and appeared a few feet away, now his wings were visible again. Using his Chaos powers had caused his illusion magic to disappear.

Rage's mind was still not entirely focused as he was trying to find out when such a thing had happened. Finally it hit him. He thought back to the spell Twilight had been hit with during their battle with Nix. He didn't recognize any of the magic Nix was using but something had clearly caused Twilight to become corrupted by Dark Magic.

"Are you just going to stand there looking all angry boy?" Midnight Sparkle chuckled sinisterly. "I grow bored of you." She says turning to walk away. "Besides, I have more important plans than entertaining a useless unicorn like yourself."

'I have to stop her…' Rage thought. 'But who knows how much she can actually handle…' he then looked at a hoof briefly 'plus I am still not fully recovered from my battle with Nix…'

As Rage was lost in thought Midnight started to walk away but Rage teleported in front of her again once he noticed. "Move out of the way weakling." She spits flapping one wing out in a dismissive motion.

"I can't!" Rage says defiantly as his eyes narrowed in on her. "I made a promise to my friends to protect them." He says as his horn glows.

"If you defy me then you will be punished boy!" Midnight shouts launching more blasts of dark magic at Rage. The crimson alicorn puts a shield of magic up and defends himself.

He then immediately begins to fly in a circle around Midnight, he keeps firing blasts of magic and evading the ones she shot. "Hold still!" She shouts as he moves. She was focused on attacking and didn't realize as Rage circled he was placing stakes of light in precise locations.

Finally Rage stopped and she managed to strike him. Rage hissed in pain and looked at her 'I hope this works.' He thinks as he glows.

"Give it up. Your friend is gone." Midnight chuckles. "Now get out of my way!"

"Never!" Rage shouts as he puts his front hooves together. "Pillars of Sealing Light!" He states. Midnight looked in shock as the small rods of light formed into large pillars and formed a barrier around Midnight. She made an attempt to escape the confines of the trap but she was not

"What?!" She exclaimed "What have you done?!"

"I'm sorry but this is for your own good." Rage says softly. Midnight charged forward but was shocked with light magic from the cage she was in.

Shortly after Luna returned with Celestia not far behind. "What happened?!" Celestia exclaimed as she looked at the entrapped Midnight who was now out cold and the visibly disturbed Rage.

"Twilight…" Rage says softly looking at the two princesses. "She's..." he trailed off as he tried making sense of what was going on.

"It's like when I…" Luna was unable to speak her full sentence as the thought of what had happened to her still terrified her.

"How…?" Celestia asks, looking to Rage.

"I think it was when we fought Nix…" the crimson Alicorn guessed. "He must have cursed her…"

"Curse?" Celestia asks.

"May I?" Blade's voice echoed as the dragon spirit appeared next to Rage. Rage looked at it and nodded, giving it permission to speak.

Celestia looked a bit surprised to see the dragon. However she was aware of what it was and unlike when Twilight first met him she did not attack. "What do you know, Chaos Spirit?" She asks.

Blade looked at her and smiled, "Princess Celestia it is an honor." he says bowing his head in a formal manner.

"Save the pleasantries for later." Rage orders.

"Sorry." Blade sighs before clearing his throat "This is an ancient Dark Curse known as Noctus Corruptus Shadow if I recall correctly." The dragon sighs "Very old and very powerful. Also very difficult to resist. She'll turn into this every night when the moon peaks and will return to normal at dawn."

"Can she be cured?" Celestia asks.

"I have no idea." Rage shrugged and looked at Blade who put a claw to his chin. "Blade, you sure seem to at least be familiar with it, any ideas?"

"It's possible there is a way." Blade answered nodding softly as if trying to convince himself "The Chaos Archives likely hold some information. However there is a catch."

"What?" Rage asks almost immediately.

"We have until the next full moon to cure her. Otherwise this Midnight Sparkle personality will take over." Blade warns.

"If that happens…we will have no choice but to banish her." Celestia says.

"I'll keep her bound until morning." Rage says. "Then I'll start searching for answers…"

"In the meantime I shall summon the others…we will need everypony's help if we want Twilight returned to us." Celestia says. "In the meantime we should take her somewhere safe. Where she won't harm anypony."

"We would suggest the dungeon." Luna suggests. "We could keep her there in the meantime."

"As much as I hate to see it used again...and on somepony like Twilight...I'm inclined to agree." Celestia says in a soft tone looking at Twilight. The dark alicorn snorted in anger.

"I'll find my way out eventually." She scolds. "Then this whole kingdom...no...the world will be mine!"

"Enough..." Rage says with a gruff tone as his horn glows and Twilight then passes out. "Let's go." he says as he picks her up "This spell won't last long."

Celestia and Luna looked at him as he walked past them. They then looked at each other. They didn't have to say anything to know they both had the same concern. Celestia sighs and follows Rage before making sure that she led him to the dungeon.

The dungeon was larger than Rage expected. A total of about 10 cells lined the wall. 5 on the North and 5 on the South ends of the room. The only light was that of the moon that peered through the bar windows that were much too small for anypony to ever fit through. Each cell was just large enough for a single pony, maybe two.

Celestia casts a spell and a magical lock on one of the doors is opened. "Here." Celestia says as Rage placed her down in the cell. "These cells have magical locks, even I couldn't break out if I tried." she says as the door closes and a glow of magic briefly covers the entirety of the cell as if to signal the barrier was up again.

"What about her friends?" Luna asks. "It won't be easy telling them what's happened."

"It's my fault." Rage says in a sad tone. "I never should have let them come with me to that cursed land." he says closing his eyes as a few tears rolled down his cheek.

"It's not your fault." Celestia says looking at him. "I've known Twilight for years...she would have come along with you no matter what you said to her. Besides that's in the past." She tells him and looks at Luna. "We can't be held back by the could haves or the pains of the past. What's important is what we do in the days to come."

Rage looked at her, her words were meant to help sooth him but it didn't. "I am supposed to be the one people like Nix fear. The Light that defends the weak. Some Guardian I am...I can't even protect my own friends..." he sighs.

"Enough." Luna says with a frustrated echo to her voice. "We will not dwell on mistakes. What you need to do is focus on correcting it." she commands.

Rage looked at her. Deep down frustration surged in him, he knew she was right. His thoughts then turned to Twilight. "I'm more worried about what we tell her when she wakes up..." he says softly.

"We tell her the truth." Celestia says. "She needs to know the gravity of this situation as well."

"What of nights to come?" Luna asks, looking at Celestia with a concerned look.

"It may be for the best if we have to keep her here." Celestia sighs. "We cannot risk this...twisted version of her being allowed to roam free."

"...and in the meantime I have to try and find a way to cure her..." Rage says softly.

"...and if you can't we'll need to start to think of contingencies..." Celestia sighs.

"If I can't?" Rage asks as his brow furled. "I WILL return her to normal Celestia. There is no failing this." he insists. "I'll go to hell and back if I have to..." he says looking at the still unconscious Twilight. As the rays of sun peeked into the dungeon a cloud of Dark Magic enshrouds her and she returns to normal. "I promise..."

"Rage, you shouldn't be so adamant about such things." Blade says. "What if there is no way to help her?"

"Then I make a way." He says stubbornly.

"Rage...?" Twilight asks as her eyes open, back to normal again. "Is that you...?" she asks as her vision comes into focus. It was a slow realization though. Her head was foggy. "What's going on?!" She exclaims in shock. "Why am I in here? Rage? Princesses?!"

"We're sorry Twilight...we didn't have any other choice..." Celestia says softly.

"You changed." Rage says distantly.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asks in fear.

"You...changed." Celestia says. "Became like...Nightmare Moon."

"What?!" Twilight exclaims. "How?!" she panics.

"Nix..." Rage says in a dark tone. "You were corrupted...but don't worry I'll make sure you're cured."

"Cured?" Twilight asks "Rage stop speaking nonsense! I'm not sick!"

"Twilight..." Celestia says softly.

"Twilight...what do you remember from last night?" Rage asks looking back at her.

"I...went to bed...I woke up and couldn't go back to bed...so I went to take a walk...then...I woke up here?" she says.

"You attacked us." Luna says looking at Rage. "You were overcome by some Dark Magic and went crazy."

"How...?" Twilight asks. She was shaken by the reveal and was fearful of what she could have done and knowing that they wouldn't have locked her in here without good reason.

"I think one of NIx's attacks ended up corrupting you." Rage sighs. "You'll change every night till you're cured."

"Rage..." Twilight whispers. "I don't want to..." she cries.

"Don't worry." Rage says with a smile "I'll find a way to cure you. Just leave everything to me and the others."

"The...others know?" Twilight asks worried about what they might think.

"No, not yet." Celestia says.

"Don't tell them!" Twilight exclaims. "Please..."

"We have to." Rage says. "They'll start asking questions sooner or later."

"Then let me do it." Twilight says. "Let me go see them!"

"No can do." Celestia says softly. "Until you're cured I can't risk letting you out...I'm sorry..."

"You're going to leave me in here?!" Twilight exclaims "You can't do that!"

"We don't have a choice!" Luna exclaims.

"Twilight...I'm sorry." Rage says softly before he runs out of the dungeon.

"Rage-" Twilight calls but to no avail.

"He blames himself." Celestia says to her looking at the stairs that lead up and out of the dungeon. "He thinks if he had kept you all at arm's length none of this would have happened."

"It's not his fault though." Twilight says and she frowns. "He's clearly still not used to having others willing to be at his side...his heart is closed off."

"Rest Twilight..." Celestia sighs sadly. "I'll be back after a while with something to eat."

"Yeah..." Twilight says laying on the small bed in the cell. Twilight closed her eyes.

Luna and Celestia looked at each other and frowned. They weren't sure what to say to cheer up the purple Alicorn. Both went up the stairs before Celestia stopped and looked at Luna. "Sister, what do you think about all of this...honestly?" Luna asks.

"I'm not sure." Celestia sighs. "It's clear that whatever happened something has...changed her. It's not Equestrian and Rage's theory makes sense. I just hope it can be fixed. I don't know if I can handle the stress if we're wrong about this."

"Well, I trust him." Luna says softly. "It's clear he cares about her. Much like he does the rest of his friends. I am sure he'll find a way..."

As for Rage, he had made it up to the courtyard and was casting a spell to return to his normal Mobian form. Blade was hovering in the air next to him as he casts the spell. "So what's your plan?" Blade asks.

"First I'll talk with Chaotix, see if he has any ideas. If that doesn't work then the next stop will be the Chaos Archives. There has to be something on this kind of spell, I know this isn't the first time something like this has happened." Rage says.

"...What if you're wrong?" Blade asks.

"Then we go from there." Rage says. "I'm not going to rest until Twilight is back to her old self..."

"...and the others?" The dragon asks in a more curious voice.

"I'm sure Celestia will end up filling them in. However...if the solution is something that's not too dangerous...I'd like them to help..." Rage answers as he pulls a Chaos Emerald out of his belt pouch. Blade smiled and chuckled at Rage's response prompting the hedgehog to look at the dragon spirit. "Did I say something funny, Blade?" he asks.

"No, it's just...the Rage a year ago would have taken the full weight of this on his own. It's nice to see you opening up more." Blade says.

Rage smiled as he opened a small portal to the Chaos Realm. "You think?" he asks before the dragon nods and vanishes. Rage got ready to step in when he heard some hoofs behind him and he turned to see the Princesses.

"Are you heading to the Chaos Realm?" Celestia asks and Rage nodded.

"I am." He says "I shouldn't be too long. Are you planning to tell the others in the meantime?" he asks.

"Yes. It would be wrong to not say anything to them." Celestia confirms. "I'm not sure what to do with Twilight though."

"Your guess is as good as could only have her in the dungeon when she's that...Midnight Sparkle. She will only be a problem at night in that case...but you know as well as I do what happens when she gets buried in work. All it takes is one thing that interests her enough and before you know it she loses track of time. Not to mention you'll have to constantly lock and unlock it." Rage comments crossing his arms. "If Sonic is around, could you bring it up to him as well. I am sure we could use his help as well." he requests.

Celestia nods and Rage waves at her and Luna with both of them waving back. "Good luck." Luna says as Rage steps through the portal and it closes. "We must rest now..." she yawns.

"Go and rest now sister." Celestia says putting a hoof on her back. If anything happens I will be sure to wake you."

"I'll see if I can pull anything out of her dreams as well." Luna says as she walks off.