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(One night, Crescendo is awoken by an intense pain circulating throughout his body. Screaming himself awake, Crescendo flails off of his bed and groans on the floor)
 
Crescendo: What’s happening to me?! What is this!! *Almost uncontrollably, Crescendo flings himself into his bedroom wall and sinks to the floor while continuing to scream*
 
(All the screaming and commotion wake Twilight up, and she races down the hall to her sons room and bangs on the door franticly)
 
Twilight: Crescendo?! What’s wrong?! Unlock your door, let me in!
 
(With Crescendo not being able to hear his mother from beneath is screams, Twilight backs up and races towards the door, bursting through it with a powerful slam)
 
Crescendo: M-Mom! Help me!
 
Twilight: *rushes to her sons side as hes crumpled on the floor* Whats happening?!
 
Crescendo: I don’t know! But it hurts!
 
Twilight: Where does it hurt?
 
Crescendo: Everywhere!! *screaming louder as a sudden dark magic swirls out of his horn*
 
(Gasping, Twilight jumps up and stares at her son and this dark aura with tears forming from her eyes)
 
Twilight: No.. No no no, this isn’t happening again! Crescendo! *takes his face in her hooves and looks him in the eyes* Baby.. You need to stay with me, ok? Fight through the pain, stay with me!
 
Crescendo: I’m trying.. Ugh! *falls from her grip and screams more as his horn begins to shift and red markings with the appearance of blood appear behind his shoulders* Help me!!
 
(Finally, the front door opens from below and Flash Sentry arrives home from a night time patrol. He hears the screaming and instantly races up to Crescendos room)
 
Flash: What’s going on?!
 
Twilight: Something is happening to Crescendo! I.. I think it has to do with the Tenebris again! I think it left something in him last time! *crying still holding her flailing son in her arms*
 
Flash: His… his horn!
 
(The two of them watch as his horn changes shape, and in the dark swirls of magic, Twilight lets out a hard gasp)
 
Twilight: That horn.. Flash! Send for help! We need Shadow Lock!
 
Flash: But I..
 
Twilight: Flash! There isnt much time!
 
Flash: Alright, I’m on it! Keep him safe until we get back! **flies off in search of Shadow Lock* *
 
Twilight: Hand in there, Crescendo.. Stay strong..
 

 
(Within less than 10 minutes, Flash returns, panting)
 
Flash: I ran into Mystic Shadow, she told Shadow Lock is staying with Princess Luna tonight so she will let them know immediately.. How is he doing?
 
Twilight: Well he stopped screaming, but.. *looking down with worried eyes*
 
Flash: What?
 
Twilight: *opens the door and goes back into Crescendo’s room with Flash*
 
(Flash gasps as he sees blood stains on the carpet and sees Crescendo grimacing on the bed, with large wings sprouting from behind his shoulders)
 
Flash: He’s.. changing..
 
Twilight: But not in the good way.. I know those features.. Its the Pony of Shadows.
 
Flash: But thats impossible, that creature is gone!
 
Twilight: Yes.. but you forget.. Crescendo is a descendant of the Pony of Shadows.
 
Flash: … Right.. **pins his ears back in sadness* *
 
(Twilight notices his discomfort, and nudges against him with a soft nuzzle)
 
Twilight: I cleaned the blood off of him while you were gone.. They just sprouted suddenly..
 
Flash: Are they magic or?
 
Twilight: They seem to be… A part of him. Bones, feathers; Just like normal wings… but… look at them. It’s clearly the Pony of Shadow’s genetics.
 
Flash: But why now? He’s gone his entire life without this.. why is this happening now?!
 
Shadow: Because it remained dormant until now.
 
(Startling them, not realizing Shadow Lock appeared at the door, Twilight and Flash turn to him)
 
Twilight: Shadow!
 
Flash: What do you mean, dormant?
 
Shadow: I was worried this would happen… *Shadow trots over to the bed and inspects Crescendo and frowns sadly* I’m so sorry, son.. This is because of me.
 
Twilight: Shadow, you dont choose your ancestors.. Don’t blame yourself. Just help us figure out what to do-
 
(Almost immediately after speaking, Crescendo begins to scream again, only this time with a much deeper voice, and eyes of pure glowing white light)
 
Shadow: Crescendo! Control yourself! You are stronger than this! **trying to hold his son in place, but gets tossed off and into the wall head first with a hard thud. Shadow Lock falls to the floor, knocked out* *
 
Twilight: Shadow!
 
Flash: You get Crescendo, I’ll get him out of here! *leans down, picks Shadow Lock up and flies him out of the room*
 
(Twilight turns to Crescendo and hes standing on the bed now, looking at his mother with narrowed eyes, not a pupil or iris to be seen. Just a solid whiteness that sent a fearful shiver down Twilight as tears rolled from her eyes)
 
Twilight: Crescendo.. Please.. This isnt you… Come back to me!
 
(Crescendo screams, spreads his wings and knocks his mother over while flying by her and out the door)
 
Twilight: No!! Come back! *spreads her wings and sets off after him only to see him getting blocked by the entrance by somepony*  
Princess Luna!
 
Luna: I had a feeling you would need my help! I heard Mystic explain the situation to Shadow.. I had hoped it weren’t true.
 
(Luna stared at her apprentice as he growled, and dark magic swirled around him)
 
Crescendo: Get out of my way, Luna! *Crescendo growls, in a deep, dark voice that sent fear through Luna’s heart*
 
Luna: Crescendo, listen to me. This isn’t you!
 
Crescendo: You dont know me like you think you do..!
 
Luna: Yes I do.. *taking steps towards him* You are Crescendo. The first born son of my dear friend Twilight Sparkle. The prodigy of magic who has fought hard to earn his place on the throne. You have fought the darkness before and won, you can do it again!
 
Crescendo: This is different.. This is me! This power, I can feel it… It’s so powerful, its unbearable.. Its painful even.. I can feel it in every inch of my being. *growling, he spreads his wings and raises his voice* I am the descendant to the Pony of Shadows! This is my destiny!
 
Luna: No it’s not! No matter what you think about yourself, it is NOT your destiny to fall to darkness! You can fight this Crescendo! **tears forming in her eyes now* *
 
Crescendo: How can I fight what cant be defeated?! This is part of me.. Its different.. *tears escaping his own eyes now* Its so powerful.. This is different.. Its not the same as last time! *charges past Luna and knocks her to the side, racing towards the door*
 
(Luna leaps for Crescendo and wraps her arms around his neck, halting his escape and she hugs him very tightly, crying out loud)
 
Luna: I’m here! You don’t have to run away! You can get through this.. We can get through this.. I know what its like to feel so powerful, to feel like you dont belong anymore because you’re afraid; Afraid to hurt others.. Afraid to hurt the ones you love.. But running away and letting this win isnt the answer.. Please, Crescendo, you’re not alone; And you’re not going anywhere!
 
(Crescendo grinds his teeth and grimaces as he tries to fight the power against him)
 
Crescendo: I.. I dont know how to-
 
Luna: Just find yourself deep down.. The ones you love, the ones who love you.. Push past your impulses and breathe; Ignore the power and focus on you.. You have so many friends, and loved ones, who need you here Crescendo.. *not breaking the hug* We believe in you.. We trust you. We need you. You are strong, Crescendo.. We all know you are.
 
(Crescendo, letting tears roll down is cheeks slowly slows his breathing while listening to Luna. He thinks of Nova, of Quetzalli; Of Apple Spritz. He thinks of his friends and the cheers from the ponies of Ponyville when he survived and returned to the throne beside his mother. He thought of all the nights he spent with Luna, his Mentor, and how much she has taught him. Until finally, the black magic begins to disperse, and his horn returns to normal. Crescendo breaks down into sobs and hugs Luna back)
 
Luna: Shh.. It’s alright. We’re here. Everything is going to be alright.. I’m proud of you, Crescendo. You did it. I knew you could!