The Crystal Empire (Part 3)
The crystal ponies screamed in terror and fled for their lives to the castle for safety, Riku right behind them, defending them from the Pony Shadows closing in around the city. "Keep moving! Head to the castle! Don't look back!"
While Riku continued to protect the ponies, resorting to using magic to take care of the Heartless too far for him to fight at close combat, everyone gathered around the center underneath the castle. Kairi cast spells at any of the Heartless that got past Riku, the crystal ponies all crowding around the veiled "Crystal Heart", the rest of the Mane Six trying to keep them all back.
"We need the Crystal Heart!" one of them said, all the crystal ponies trying to pour what happiness and hope they did have into the ancient relic.
"Hey! Get back!" Rainbow shouted, unable to shove the earth ponies back enough.
One of them managed to get by Fluttershy, unable to keep anyone back, knocking the fake heart over. The heart piece attached to the crudely made pedestal broke off and slid across the ground, the crystal ponies staring in shock at the fake relic.
"This...This isn't the Crystal Heart," a mare said, their hope slowly dwindling as Sombra, their tyrant of a leader, was about to take his place back on their throne.
"Uhh, yes," Rarity said, trying to think of a lie. "That's clearly not the Crystal Heart. The real one-"
"Is on its way!" Applejack interrupted, which only made the crystal ponies worry even more.
"I was about to say 'being polished' to buy us more time," the white unicorn hissed at the farm mare.
Applejack chuckled nervously, wishing she could lie better without her perfect record of being honest. Everyone huddled close underneath the castle, watching the creatures being destroyed by Riku and Kairi, running around in different sections to keep the Pony Shadows from getting closer, using their magic spells if the closest ones were too far to strike. On the balcony, Shining Armor was desperately trying to wake Cadence up, but the magical backlash from the shattered protection spell had knocked the alicorn out cold.
"Come on, Cadence, wake up!" he pleaded, unable to get her to budge. She's exhausted too much magic in one day, and the Elixir Sora gave her seemed like it helped, but Sombra's power was too much and had drained her. The stallion looked out from the railing, watching the mass of black shadows with yellow eyes come from never-ending voids out in the blizzard, spotting Sombra slowly approaching the empire, savoring the moment he would destroy the Crystal Empire. "Sora, Twily, please hurry."
Sora watched from atop the spire, spotting dark, jagged crystals shooting up from the ground as the Heartless ran across the grassy fields, the darkness spreading across the ground and buildings, even creeping up along the castle's walls. With Twilight trapped inside the wall of dark crystal keeping her held hostage inside, he can't free her, but it didn't seem like the smaller crystals shooting up around him and Spike appeared in her cell. Sombra was slowly walking toward the city, wanting to instill as much fear and darkness as possible on the crystal ponies.
"This is not good. We have to stop him!" Sora leapt up onto the edge of the railing, turning his head back to Spike. "Spike, I'm going to distract Sombra! You have to bring the Crystal Heart to Cadence!"
"What!? Why me!?" Spike asked. "Can't you do it!?"
"I need to keep him distracted. If he makes it to the castle, everyone down on the ground will probably get killed!" As he looked back at the stairway they all "climbed" up, the dark crystals blocked the passage, keeping them trapped up on the roof. "It would have taken hours for you to climb down the stairs, so you're going to have to climb down from outside."
"But what about Twilight's test!? I don't want her to fail!" Sora was about to retort, but Twilight beat him to it.
"Saving the Crystal Empire, and all of Equestria is more important than a dumb test!" she said. "I can't escape, and only you and Sora can stop this!...But, Sora, you, Kairi, and Riku said that defeating Sombra's impossible now, even if you fought him together. How can you stop him?"
"With the same form I used to stop Discord." Sora held out his hoof and began summoning all six of the Keyblades of Harmony individually: starting with Loyalty, then Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, and finally Magic. Twilight and Spike stared in awe as he summoned the six Keyblades that represented the Elements of Harmony, thinking he was only able to call them with his Harmony Form. "Whatever Keyblade I need in certain circumstances, I can call forth at any time. I can even summon the Keyblades that hold the powers of the Elements of Harmony, but they're strong when all six come together. And since I mastered using my Drives without the aid of my friends, I can access it whenever I need to. I'm not sure if I can stop him, but if my Harmony Form can at least slow him down, then I'll do anything I can to keep Sombra from getting closer."
"...Just be careful, Sora," Twilight said.
Sora nodded, though he can't make any promises. As the pegasus turned back to the city down below, Spike grabbed the Crystal Heart and leapt up onto the railing, gulping in fear at how high they were.
"Is it too much to ask for a lift?" Spike asked.
"Sorry, Spike," Sora apologized. "But I need to hightail it before he reaches the town."
The Keyblade wielder leapt off the edge and dived down to the earth, picking up speed as he flapped his wings hard. As he tapped into his Drive Forms, everyone down below, even the Pony Shadows looked up as they saw a bright light flash in the grim sky created by Sombra. The dark unicorn looked up and saw the light too, shielding his eyes as the light expanded and shattered like glass, the white illumination shifting to a myriad of colors, streaking down across the sky like a rainbow aurora. The crystal ponies felt the light radiating from Sora's Harmony Form, feeling their hope renewing as their dull coats slowly brightened.
"What the heck was that?" Riku asked, taking this small moment to breathe while the Heartless dumbly stared at the dangerous light above them.
"That's Sora!" Pinkie cheered. "He's in that Harmony Drive Form thingie!...Wait, doesn't he need us, and the Elements of Harmony, too? Did he swipe them from the castle and use other ponies that looked like us with the same personality!?"
"No idea how he's able to do it, but he's gonna kick some Sombra butt!" Rainbow exclaimed. "GO SORA!"
Sora flew out to the fields where Sombra was watching the speeding blur approach him. With his enhanced speed and power, the pegasus teen dove down in front of the dark stallion, Sombra leaping back as Sora left a crater in the ground where he stood. The dust around the pegasus cleared as the two stared each other down, Sora standing on his hind legs as his jacket's colors shifted to that of a rainbow, flowing like an aurora.
"...You're that child that blindsided me earlier," Sombra said, Pony Shadows dragging themselves up from the ground around them. "Those weapons you have are familiar to me."
"Yeah. I read in your journal." Sora pulled out the black and red book, though it seemed to not phase Sombra. "You used to have a good life, despite being ridiculed as a unicorn in the empire. And it fell because of someone who used those weapons on you for the worst reasons."
"...Ah, yes. I recall..." The unicorn chuckled as the Heartless drew closer to Sora, the teen doing nothing but keeping his gaze on Sombra. "There is no possible way somepony could live for a millennium, unless they were deities themselves. I should thank him for giving me life in this pathetic stallion's heart. Such a pathetic stallion."
"How exactly was the real Sombra pathetic!?" Sora shouted, stashing the book back in his pouch as he pointed at the Heartless stallion. "He had a perfect life with what he was able to have when no one appreciated him! He didn't let anything bother him, he was a member of the Crystal Guard, and he and Luna were a couple! You destroyed that life of his because of that Keyblade wielder that came to your world a thousand years ago and brought you to life!"
"Keyblade...So that's what those odd blades were called...How amusing..." Sombra grinned, the aura of his sword glowing darker with the power in him. "And also weak. That bit of light in you will not be enough to kill me."
"I know...but I don't care. One way or another, I will stop you, and try to free the real Sombra deep inside your darkness infected heart!" The unicorn stallion laughed maniacally at Sora's claim.
"He's dead! I'm the real Sombra, now! Darkness is the supreme power anypony could ever use, and his heart was too weak to fight me!" He thrust his sword down into the ground, the Heartless rushing at Sora and building a wall around the teen.
The darkness from his weapon rushed through the ground and struck the Pony Shadows, trapping the teen inside an impenetrable block of dark crystal. Sombra smirked as he trapped the pegasus inside, only for it to fade as lights began to crack through his mineral barrier of darkness. Three slashes to his left hacked through, then three on the right, until it finally broke through in the center of the slash marks. The crystal shattered, revealing Sora with seven Keyblades in his possession: the Keyblades of Harmony, all in their respective places by the original bearers' of the elements race, two in his forehooves, two as a second pair of wings, and two hovering over his head like horns, and the Ultima Keyblade held firmly in his mouth, having thrust it through to free himself.
"You know, someone else told me the exact same thing, and he was a Heartless that controlled my best friend's heart." The Keyblades of Harmony began to hover behind him as the Keyblade wielder held his powerful weapon in a hoof. "Dark beings like you never understand, so I'm going to repeat what I said when given that statement full of horseapples. The heart may be weak, and it may give in to the temptations darkness gives...But I know, deep down in that darkness, there's a light that never goes out!" He aimed his blade at Sombra, the six floating Keyblades mimicking his motions as they pointed at him. "There has to be a sliver of light in your heart, Sombra! I will find a way to bring him back, and you won't get any closer to the castle until you're defeated!"
"...Your pitiful attempt will be futile...but, if you wish to be my first victim for my return, then so be it."
The Keyblades flew back in position as Sora and Sombra charged forward. The seven blades of light and harmony clashed against the blade made of pure darkness, white and black sparks flying off the weapons as their power tried to overwhelm the other. Both sides were evenly matched as the older and more experienced ex-soldier and the younger and greatly skilled teen pushed against each other. The two soon began teleporting around the field, blades clashing as they reappeared in different parts of their battlefield, creating shockwaves with each connective strike.
Back near the top of the castle, Spike carefully slid down to the side of the palace, taking small breaks on some of the stable, jagged platforms as he held the Crystal Heart tightly in his claws. He had to be careful with the dark crystals that began shooting out of the walls and platforms he stood on.
"Why wasn't I born with wings!? I'm not built for climbing something so steep!" Spike looked down, starting to feel like he was getting vertigo at how high up he was, steadying his nerves as he held the powerful relic to his chest. "I can't complain. Everypony's depending on me to bring this down to them all safely...I can do this."
Filled with confidence, feeling the light radiate from the Crystal Heart, the baby dragon continued slowly making his way down the side of the castle. Twilight was depending on him, unable to escape from the dark crystal prison she was trapped inside, as well as the crystal ponies down below and the rest of their friends. He suddenly stopped as a dark crystal nearly impaled him, instinctively breathing his fire at it to destroy it, the flames turning a brighter shade of green as it was powered by the Crystal Heart he held. Thankful to know the relic was helping him fight back to return to its rightful place, Spike continued on, destroying any other crystals that tried to knock him off or bar his path.
Down below, the Pony Shadows grew in number as they tried to attack the defenseless ponies cowering in fear. Kairi was doing her best to try to distract them by unleashing her light, baiting a majority of the Heartless to attack her. She and Riku had run out of mana and need to recharge, resorting to using physical attacks, but with the never-ending numbers still coming in, they weren't going to last much longer.
"This is insane," Riku said, slashing a few more Heartless, only for ten more to appear in their place. "Sombra's like some sort of portal to darkness. There's too many."
"We need help, but none of the others can fight back against them." Kairi staggered back as one of the Pony Shadows got a hit in, only to be hacked through, disappearing into black mist. "And there's no way we can get in contact with anyone else here."
Outside of the large mob of Heartless, an erratic light fell from the sky landed behind the dark equines. The light exploded as repeated slashes sped through a large section as it was coming straight for the castle. The Heartless in front of Riku were all destroyed, the white pegasus spotting a glimmer of gold through the mist that was the Pony Heartless' forms. As it disappeared, his eyes widened, recognizing the gold Kingdom Keyblade held in a small anthropomorphic mouse's gloved hand.
"Your Highness!?" Riku exclaimed, Kairi turning to face the unexpected ally.
King Mickey still kept his original form, the magic used to transform one to fit into a new world not applied to the royal mouse. "Need a little help?"
They soon heard a whooping sound nearby as Goofy rode on his shield like a board, slamming into Heartless as he approached the castle. On the other side, powerful blasts of Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells were shot out, sending Heartless flying and evaporating into mist. Donald came walking in casually, twirling his staff around as he stood beside his king along with Goofy.
"Donald! Goofy!" Kairi said. "What are you three doing here!?"
"Master Yen Sid called us," Mickey said. "He said you my have needed some assistance in this world from the princess. I think her name was...Celestia, right?"
"Celestia asked Yen Sid to send more help?" Riku asked.
"And it looks like you need it!" Donald shot more Blizzard spells, keeping some Heartless off of them as they talked.
"Where's Sora at?" Goofy asked, he, Mickey, and Donald turning their heads to the clashing shockwaves out in the distance, spotting Sora appearing randomly in the sky against Sombra as they continued fighting. "Oh. That's where he is."
"That's a lot of darkness coming from one being," Mickey said.
"The only thing that we think can stop that pony Sora's fighting is the Crystal Heart," Kairi said. "One of our friends here, Twilight Sparkle, and Sora were trying to find it, but we have no idea where she went."
"Then we'll help you out and hope Sora can buy some more time against Sombra." Mickey dug into his pockets and pulled out a Megalixir, tossing it in the air as the golden healing light replaced the powerful bottle, rejuvenating Riku and Kairi's energy. "Let's go! We've got a kingdom to save!"
Riku and Kairi went back to fighting while Donald, Goofy, and Mickey ran off in separate directions to help and ease the burden off of the young Keyblade Masters. As they fought, the ponies being protected were shocked as they had seen an odd looking griffon and diamond dog, along with the unknown walking, talking mouse whose height reached up to their necks if they included the big round ears.
"Hooray! More help!" Pinkie cheered. "And wow, was that a big rat!"
"Actually, he looks more like a mouse," Fluttershy corrected.
Sora and Sombra finally landed after trying to strike each other down in the air, the dark unicorn roaring as he shoved his sword into the ground. The aura flowing from his body flailed erratically as he poured darkness through the ground, sending a trail of sharp crystal pillars to shoot up toward Sora. The pegasus backflipped away, the Keyblades of Loyalty and Kindness providing backup for him as they slashed the crystals getting close to him. He quickly leapt up into the air as one of them rose up underneath him, diving back down toward Sombra, firing off powerful magic spells. The unicorn slipped into the ground like a shadow, hidden underneath the crystals as his shadow split apart.
As Sora landed back on his hind legs, seven of the crystals shattered as clones of Sombra broke free, charging straight for the teen. Each Keyblade of Harmony floated around Sora to fight back against one, while he held the Ultima Keyblade in his hoof, the six clones of the unicorn deflected by the hovering Keyblades while the real one attacked Sora. Both stallions parried each other's strikes, evading and blocking stray blows, neither side backing down as they both managed to fight for so long without sustaining any damage. The Heartless clones of Sombra were not as strong as the actual stallion, each one destroyed by the hovering Keyblades of Harmony.
They clashed again, trying to push each other back, but Sombra was clearly defenseless. The Keyblades floated over the dark unicorn, aimed right at any vulnerable spots on his body not protected by the little armor he wore. Sora had the chance to end this, to stop Sombra right here and now, and free the crystal ponies from this pony infected with a thousand years worth of darkness. He had the opportunity, but he couldn't do it. Sombra sensed his hesitation, taking Sora's distraction to his advantage as he shoved the teen back. Sora staggered, but was saved as Sombra's thrust was blocked by the six Keyblades, Sora leaping back as he panted heavily, growing exhausted while the unicorn stallion barely broke a sweat.
"...You hesitated," Sombra said. "You had a chance given to you, and you let it slip away. You're pathetic as a warrior if you can't finish off your opponent!" Sora winced, not in pain, but at his failure to kill the unicorn. Sombra noticed the expression on the teen's face, shaking his head as he chuckled darkly. "You can't be serious. You still think you can save him? You're wasting your breath. There's no chance of saving him. That stupid speech of yours about a light that never goes out is all talk. There is no light left."
"There has to be..." There was one other way he could try to spark the small glimmer of light that has to be shrouded under all the darkness in Sombra's heart, and it was a last ditch effort that he hoped would work. Sora reached a hoof out to him, hoping he won't have to kill him if it fails. "Sombra! I know you're in there! You have to fight back against the darkness!"
"What are you doing?" Sombra asked, growing frustrated at the pegasus's attempts to free him.
"You had so many goals in life to try to make the Crystal Empire a better place!" Sora continued, ignoring any complaints the Heartless had. "Everything you wrote in your journal, all of the moments you wanted to write that were all happy memories, you have to remember! Your time as a soldier in the Crystal Guard, wanting to prove you can help the empire despite being different compared to them! Think about Luna! She misses you and still cares about you! Think about her love for you! It'll strengthen that spark of light in your heart, but you have to fight back!"
Sombra rolled his eyes, Sora's words failing to reach out to the stallion lost to the darkness. "Just give it up, you pathetic foal! Like I said! He's dead! The stallion I used to be will never come back!"
"...I can save him..." Sora had no choice now, but with the powers of the Elements of Harmony in Keyblade form, there might be a way to awaken that light in his heart. The Keyblades of Harmony twirled in midair, stopping as they aimed at Sombra as the tips of the blades began to charge a powerful glowing light, each light shining similar to the colors of the gems they represent. The teen aimed his Keyblade at Sombra as well, a bright and powerful white light shimmering at the end as his eyes began glowing white. "I will save him!" The floating blades fired their beams in front of Sora, the lights shining to create a large orb of multicolored light. "I'm not giving up on you, Sombra! I'm not going to let Luna down!"
The Ultima Keyblade fired a white beam in the orb, causing it to explode as a rainbow of light shot out and flew straight toward Sombra. The stallion didn't move as he eyed the light, the beam connected with his body as the harmonious magic exploded, kicking up dust around the dark stallion. Sora panted heavily, having unleashed all the energy and magical power he had in his Harmony Form with its strongest attack, reverting him back to normal as the Keyblades disappeared, leaving his Kingdom Keyblade to return to his hoof. As soon as the dust and colorful energy dissipated, there was no sign of Sombra, the power having killed him and left no trace of him.
Sora fell back on all fours, heavily exhausted and feeling extreme guilt, trying his hardest to save Luna's long lost lover. "...I couldn't save him..."
"I told you." The teen gasped as his ears flicked up, too late to react as Sombra, miraculously unharmed, slashed the tired Keyblade wielder with his dark sword. Sora was unable to defend himself as the Heartless stallion was faster than him. Any chance he did have to swing at him only ended with slashing at air, Sombra sinking to the ground like a shadow to avoid the teen and appear behind him, putting every ounce of power he had into each strike. "Your light is far too weak to even leave a scratch on me! Anything you or anypony else will try to do to stop me will be futile!"
"H-How?" Sora asked, his question unanswered as a pillar of dark crystal shot him up high into the air.
Sombra slashed through the crystal, shattering it to shards as he transformed them into dark blades similar to his own. Throwing his head up, the swords flew up and surrounded the knocked up Keyblade wielder, and as he snapped his head down, the blades flew into Sora, repeatedly slashing him as he screamed out in pain. One last blade flung him back down to the ground, his body tumbling across the ground until he skidded to a halt. His body was covered in deep cuts from the several blades that pierced through him. He struggled to get up, only for Sombra to kick his chest hard, knocking the wind out of him and kicking his Keyblade far from them.
Another swift kick rolled Sora on his back, the same hoof slamming down on the pegasus's chest, holding him down as the dark sword hovered over his face. "Ponies like you don't know when to just give up when everything you struggle to fight for will be fruitless. You're only delaying the inevitable." Sora weakly tried to shove Sombra's hoof off him, but he didn't have the strength left in him to fight back against an impossible foe. "The Crystal Empire will fall, and this kingdom will be mine. Nothing can stop me. Not even your friends, and not even the-" Sombra went silent as a gleam of light caught his peripheral vision, which came from the crystal castle. Halfway down the spire, he noticed Spike climbing down, the Crystal Heart in his claws. "What!? That's impossible! My fail-safe was supposed to keep the Crystal Heart trapped along with whoever steals it!"
"You remember when I said I'd stop you?" Sombra turned his head back to Sora, the teen grinning as he saw the expression on the stallion's face. "I meant stopping you from getting closer to taking the Crystal Heart back. Your security's not good when the relic you tried to hide could get knocked out of the trap's perimeter."
"...No...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Sombra ignored Sora and ran toward the castle as fast as he was able to.
Using his magic, he spread more dark crystals out on the side of the castle, one of them managing to shove the baby dragon off as he slid down to the next platform. His scream alerted the ponies and fighters stopping the Heartless, watching Spike and the Crystal Heart falling from several hundred feet in the air.
"SPIKEY-WIKEY!" Rarity yelled out, no one able to do anything as he fell.
Sombra summoned a massive crystal pillar, lifting himself off the ground as he rose after the relic of light. As he readied his sword to slice the Crystal Heart in two to destroy its power forever, Cadence began to wake up, groaning as her head began to throb.
"Cadence, are you ok?" Shining asked, helping his wife up on her hooves.
"What happened?" As she looked up, she saw the Crystal Heart falling toward Sombra, her eyes sparkling as the relic had been found. "...Shining, throw me."
"What?" Cadence spread out her wings, not wanting to answer her husband's confusion as the fate of the Crystal Empire, and all of Equestria, depend on that heart.
"Throw me!" she shouted, Shining quickly obeying as he lifted the alicorn over his head in his forehooves, throwing her hard into the air like a javelin.
Spike tried to reach out to the Crystal Heart, gasping in horror as Sombra was getting closer as he fell. Before the unicorn could reach it, Cadence snagged the relic and baby dragon before he could hack them in two.
"NO!" Sombra shouted, suddenly knocked off his pillar as it was cleaved in half.
Bouncing off from the castle wall, Sora flew straight into Sombra, tackling the stallion in the air and dive-bombing the both of them to the ground. With what strength he had left in him, the tan pegasus managed to fish out a potion from his pouch, healing his injuries and giving him a little boost of energy. He only needed to give Cadence a little more time to fly back down and set the Crystal Heart. Sora slammed Sombra down hard to the ground, the crash landing barely stunning the unicorn as he struggled to hold him down.
"You should have finished me off," Sora said. "It's too late now."
"Get off of me, you brat!" Sombra kicked Sora off of him, pouncing on the teen and pressed his hooves down hard on his neck, choking the pegasus to death as the dark aura grew dangerously wild. "You are the biggest pain in my flank! I'm going to kill you!"
While Sora kept distracting Sombra, struggling to breathe as he tried to shove the unicorn off of him, Cadence flew back around to the bottom of the castle, avoiding the Pony Shadows below as she carried Spike on her back and the Crystal Heart in her telekinesis. The crystal ponies watched as the princess landed in the center, smashing the fake heart under her hoof.
"Citizens of the Crystal Empire! The Crystal Heart has returned! Use the light and love within you all to power the Heart, and release its protective power to defeat Sombra!" The crystal ponies all willingly obeyed, their bodies turning bright and transluscent as they bowed before the alicorn.
The crystal pony mares had their manes tied up while the stallions' manes looked smoother and combed neatly. As Cadence placed the Crystal Heart in the center underneath the castle, blue crystal spires shot down from the bottom of the crystal palace and underneath the heart, keeping the relic in place. The light from the ponies poured out to the ground and roamed over to the Crystal Heart. Sombra ceased strangling Sora as he felt the light coming from the castle.
"No. No!" The Crystal Heart began to spin rapidly in its resting place, unleashing the light gathered by the crystal ponies into a protective barrier. Those deemed friendly to the empire were left unharmed, their bodies turning to crystal just like the denizens of the kingdom, their bodies shimmering in the sun, the sky cleared out by the Crystal Heart's power. The ones that weren't so lucky were the dark crystals around the empire and the Pony Shadows, all of them obliterated by the light. Up on the spire, Twilight was freed from her crystal prison and turned crystal as well, running over to the edge to see what had happened while trapped. The light passed through Sora and Sombra, the former turning to crystal and his injuries healed while the dark stallion felt immeasurable pain. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Sombra was flung off of Sora, the darkness around his body fizzling out from the light as he tumbled across the ground, slowing to a halt on his side out in the fields where the two fought. The energy from the Crystal Heart shot up into the air, unleashing peaceful magic out into the sky as it spread out to every part of Equestria.
In Canterlot, Celestia paced impatiently back and forth in the throne room, hoping things are going well in the Crystal Empire. Even though she did have confidence in Sora, Riku, and Kairi's abilities, knowing how dangerous Sombra was now compared to back then left her worried. She hoped the Keyblade wielder wouldn't be cross with her for asking for backup from his other friends through their master Yen Sid. Suddenly, she felt a powerful wave of magic spread over Canterlot, looking to the north to see a colorful aurora of magical light spread out across the land.
"...They did it...The Crystal Empire is saved..." She should be happy. The Crystal Empire had returned and was back to its former glory. But if they had won, then that could have meant two different fates for Sombra: he either returned back to normal, the light purging out the darkness in his heart, or he was killed, unable to be saved. She prayed that the latter wasn't the right answer, the alicorn looking out at one of her castle's spires, where Luna's room was. "...Sora...please bring back good news. For my sister's sake..."
Sora squinted his eyes as the bright lights temporarily blinded him, along with the sun glaring down on his face. He sat up, feeling no pain as the Crystal Heart's power had healed his injuries and gave him back his strength. Looking down at himself, his body shimmered in the light, as well as his clothing, having turned into a translucent pony made of crystal. Testing his new skin, he still felt his fur, so his body wasn't really as hard as the minerals used all over the empire. Even his hair felt a little different, feeling the spiked mane feel soft and smooth while keeping his hairstyle in place.
"Whoa..." He looked back at the castle, hearing the crystal ponies all celebrating as their ancient relic was returned to them by their new ruler and defeating the Heartless and Sombra. Sora gasped, remembering Sombra had been blown away by the light, looking out to the fields he was flung out into. Getting back up on his hooves, he ran out of the city and out into the grassy plains, spotting the unicorn laying unconscious, but what made him worry was the dark and light aura floating out of his body. "Oh no. Please no!"
Sora ran up to Sombra's side, fearing the worst as he rolled the stallion on his back, lifting his head up in his hoof. There was nothing that he could do, just watch as the unicorn's life was about to fade. Sombra weakly groaned and opened his eyes, no longer red, but green. He looked up at the bright, clear sky, a small smile appearing on his face as a tear slowly fell down his cheek.
"...Sunlight...I-I see light again..." He was oblivious to his body fading away, happy to be freed from his dark torment. "A thousand years of darkness...I'm finally free..." Sombra looked up at Sora, remembering him from deep inside of the darkness of his heart as the monster that came from that darkness fought him. "...You...saved me...Thank you..."
"...I only tried to stop you," the teen admitted. "The Crystal Heart destroyed your darkness."
"...I see..." Sora soon heard a light cracking sound that almost sounded like glass lightly shattering. He looked down at Sombra's legs and tail, staring in shock as the light of the Crystal Heart began to make lines of light appear on his body. "I can...die happy, knowing I'm no longer a monster."
"No! Don't say that!" Sora summoned his Keyblade and cast Cure over Sombra, the healing bellflowers sprinkling its magical powder over the unicorn. Unfortunately, his magic wasn't able to stop the cracks from forming on his body. "It's not working...This can't be happening...I promised Luna."
"Luna?" Sombra asked, weakly clutching Sora's foreleg with a hoof. "She's still alive?" Sora nodded, the dying stallion giving out a joyous chuckle as more tears streamed down his face. "Thank goodness...I could never forgive myself if I had done anything to her..."
Sora heard more cracking as the light began crawling its way up to Sombra more, the teen tearing up as he couldn't save him. "She really misses you...Luna and Celestia fought your darkness a thousand years ago, and when they banished you...they had no idea they only strengthened that side of you and snuffed out your light...She blames herself for doing that."
"...Luna...The fault was mine, not hers," Sombra said. "She did what she thought was right...Did she rule peacefully with Celestia, at least?"
"No...She had darkness take over her heart, and she changed into Nightmare Moon, some time after you were defeated." The unicorn gasped in horror, looking up at the sky as he felt guilty, his promise to help her unfulfilled so long ago as her anger festered in her heart. Without him, she had no outlet to release her frustrations, nopony to seek comfort and understand her problems, and sending her a letter that was only meant to keep each other apart because of what had become of him only upsetting her all the more. "She's fine now. I saved her...I only wished I could have done the same for you...but..."
"...The darkness had consumed me for too long..." The light crawled up his forehooves, Sombra wanted to embrace that light, let it take him away to pay for his sins. He wished he could see his beloved's face one last time before he disappeared, but he didn't have the strength to move, or any time left to make the long journey to the princess' castle. "...What is your name, warrior?"
"Sora," the pegasus said.
"...Sora...I have...a last request I wish to be granted." Sombra strained to use his magic, a bright shade of red as his original aura flickering to life as he pulled out a black box from underneath his red cape. He levitated it in front of the teen, Sora holding his hoof out for it to land in. "Please...give this to Luna...I found this rare gem when I was assigned to overlooking the crystal mines a few days before I was tricked...I know she would love it, and...I was going to propose to her with it one day."
"P-Propose?" Sora's tears began to fall, hearing Sombra was going to ask Luna to marry him if none of this had happened.
"Yes...sadly, there won't be any wedding bells for us." The cracks of light began appearing around Sombra's face, the stallion weakly laughing sadly as he looked back up at the sky. "All I ever wanted to do for her was make her happy...For others to see she's just as important as her sister. The night as equally accepted as the day...My only regret now...is that I will only make my love more upset than ever..." The cracks began to grow more and more as light began to shine from his body. "My dearly beloved princess of the night...Forgive me..."
Sora flinched and shut his eyes as Sombra's body shattered, leaving only his heart behind as he faded to the light. When the teen opened his eyes, he saw the stallion's heart, still tainted by darkness, but only by a little. The hope he had disappeared as quickly as Sombra had when he heard the heard crack, lights appearing over it like it had to him. The darkness in it disappeared, but the heart shattered to pieces as well, the light floating up into the sky.
Sora stared at the sky, watching the last of the lights disappear beyond the sunlight. There would have been a slight chance for Sombra to come back one day, his Heartless and his Nobody would one day reunite, just like it somehow had for Xehanort, and even Lea, formerly known as Axel from Organization XIII. But that won't ever happen; his body had shattered, destroyed by the light of the Crystal Heart, along with his heart. He still kept his body as he became a Heartless, but he never lost his heart. The darkness had completely taken over, Sombra forever gone as the light destroyed every piece of him.
He looked down at the box with Luna's ring inside, the only other thing left as a memento of Sombra along with the journal of the happiest moments in his life and his final message to the world before the darkness overtook him. He had no idea how long he sat there, looking at the object that held the "saved" unicorn's dying wish, his well-being worrying the others back at the castle. Everyone ran out to the fields and found Sora, still translucent by the Crystal Heart's light magic.
"Sora!" His ears perked up as his friends approached him, wiping away his tears as he hid the box in his pocket.
When he turned to face everyone, he was surprised to see Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey was here, his best friends and the ruler of Disney Castle shimmering like himself and the ponies. "Donald? Goofy? Your Majesty? When did you three get here?"
"We came by to help you!" Goofy said.
"Master Yen Sid spoke with the princess of this world, asking for some extra help to stop a dangerous darkness threat that could destroy Equestria," Mickey explained. "And boy, did you all need the help. I haven't seen that many Heartless since the Heartless invasion back in Radiant Garden. I'm quite interested in meeting her."
"...Thanks...We really needed the help," Sora said, though he sounded downhearted, even though he looked genuinely glad. "Sombra was...a really tough opponent."
Kairi approached him, able to tell something was wrong. "Sora, are you ok?"
"Yeah. I'm fine," he assured, though his girlfriend didn't really believe him. "I just...wanted to make sure Sombra was really...gone..."
"Sora..." The pegasus winced at Kairi's tone, the pink unicorn not going to let him hide anything from them if something that's depressed him had occurred while they were at the castle. "What happened?"
With the Crystal Empire saved, everyone boarded the train as Cadence and Shining Armor stayed to rule over the kingdom, helping the crystal ponies catch up to modern times and return their peaceful way of life under the protection of the Crystal Heart. Before they left, Sora had told everyone what had happened earlier with Sombra once the relic was returned to its rightful place. It was depressing for the others to hear that Sombra wasn't that bad of a pony before he became a tyrant, and hearing how he and Luna were once in a relationship only made it that much sadder. As much as they should celebrate, the train ride back to Canterlot was filled with silence.
Once the train stopped in the capital city of Equestria, the ponies lead Mickey, Donald, and Goofy to the castle, many of the Canterlot nobles giving the new, otherworldly guests odd looks. They reached the entrance, but Sora, Kairi, Riku, Twilight, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy walked inside while the others stayed outside. Twilight lead everyone to the throne room, Princess Celestia having been waiting for them eagerly for the news. She was introduced to King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, the newcomers showing their respect to the ruler after hearing from Yen Sid how reliable his oldest pupil and his comrades were. Twilight soon began retelling everything that had happened in the Crystal Empire, leaving out Sombra's fall for Sora to tell.
"I am happy to hear that the Crystal Empire is safe," Celestia said as she praised Twilight. "I know it was difficult for you to try to find the Crystal Heart and bring it back to its rightful place, but having Spike bring it for you while you were trapped in the tower was the right choice. Better to show the meaning of self-sacrifice than to focus on benefits made only for you."
"Really?" Twilight asked. "Does that mean...I passed my test?" The princess nodded, the lavender unicorn gasping in surprise. "I passed? I passed!" She pulled the closest pony next to her, that pony being Riku, under the mercy of her death grip as she celebrated her passing her test. "I passed my test!"
Twilight let go of Riku before he suffocated, quickly running out of the throne room to tell her friends she passed. "She really gets excited over anything involving studying," Riku grumbled. "You have to tell her saving a kingdom is a test just to get her motivated to do anything?"
"Actually, Riku, it was a test for Twilight, but for something much more than just returning a kingdom to its former glory. She is destined for something greater, and I believe she is ready for what is to come." Riku scratched his head in confusion, unable to tell what Celestia had in mind for Twilight with her vague statement. "Now...I believe there is more news I must hear about a certain...somepony."
Sora sighed, knowing the inevitable was going to come. "...Is Luna around?"
"I am here." Entering the throne room was the princess of the night herself, though she didn't look good. Luna looked tired, her eyes red and puffy from crying, greatly depressed over her and Celestia's mistake of banishing Sombra to the shadows when his heart had been shrouded in darkness. "I saw the lights come from the north a while ago...The Crystal Empire is saved...and that means...Sombra was slain, wasn't he?" Sadly, Sora nodded his head, the alicorn looking down as she stood next to her sister. "...We doomed him...He died long before we took action...What made him turn to darkness?"
"Luna, did Sombra send you a letter before you and Celestia confronted him a thousand years ago?" the spiky-haired pegasus asked.
"...Yes...I still remember it," Luna said. "He said he didn't want to see me anymore. I don't understand why...After sharing so much with each other, everything he had done to help me in my time of need...You know why he sent it?"
Sora nodded as he pulled out Sombra's journal from his pouch. "Sombra wrote in this, holding onto it when he got it as a kid." Luna took the journal in her aura, getting a closer look at it. She opened the first few pages, being mostly his writing assignments when he was in school. "There were a lot of memories he had that were happy, never letting any of the bad ones bother him. His last entry...explained what had happened, and why he broke up with you by a letter."
The alicorn skipped over the other pages, Celestia reading over her sister's shoulder as they found the last journal entry. Just from seeing the slightly crumpled pages told them something terrible had happened to him. As they read his last thoughts, both alicorns were appalled to know that someone from another world, with a Keyblade, had forced the power of darkness on him, changed him into the Sombra they banished, and all the things he had done under its control.
"W-What!?" Luna exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this!? I thought those with Keyblades were supposed to be saviors and vanquishers of darkness, not side with it and cause harm unto others!"
"Please don't blame us, your highness," Mickey said out of respect, hoping to keep the disgruntled alicorn from striking. "Light and darkness war against each other, and have done so for many years. And several hundred years ago, there was a devastating war that cost thousands of Keyblade wielder's lives, two sides fighting over Kingdom Hearts. There were those on the side of light, wanting to keep the heart of all hearts protected from dark and evil forces, while there were those who sided with darkness, wanting to take control of Kingdom Hearts and cover all the worlds in darkness. The war was fought on a world we call the Keyblade Graveyard, the aftermath of the deadly war apparent with all the Keyblades that were left in the wasteland of that world.
"Even back then, some Keyblade wielders who were with the darkness wanted to destroy any worlds they could come across. They start out small, finding someone or summon Heartless to slowly cause trouble, then, as the years progress, that world could end up destroyed by the darkness. I'm sure whoever did this to Sombra had taken part in the Keyblade War and had died in the conflict." The explanation didn't help calm Luna much, wanting to avenge Sombra and hunt down the person that did this to her stallion, causing them both pain. "Just know that we're all on the side of light, striving to keep the peace of each world and fight back against the darkness."
"...What pony in their right mind would do something like this?" Luna asked, her tears renewed as she stared at the words of torment Sombra had written before he lost to the darkness. "He suffered...and hid this from me...I could have helped him...but instead...I-I..."
Celestia draped a wing around her sister and held her tightly as she wept. "He only wanted to protect you. It would have been too late for us to try anything, Luna."
"T-This isn't fair...Why did this have to happen?" Luna buried her muzzle in her sister's shoulder, clutching Sombra's journal tightly against her chest as she cried for the loss of her beloved stallion.
Sora's ears drooped against his head, wishing he had found a way to save him. He still intended on granting Sombra's request, pulling out the black box he gave him that was for Luna.
"Luna...I'm really sorry," he said. "I wished I could have saved him before it was too late...Before he...passed on, he asked me to do something for him, and he wanted me to give you this."
Luna looked at Sora, staring at the black box he held in his hoof. She took it in her magic and held it in front of her, her hooves shaking as she dreaded to see what she believed was inside it. She opened it up, gasping in shock as she choked back a sob, her tears flowing more as she pressed a hoof to her lips. Inside was a ring with a very special gem Sombra had found: a dark blue gem expertly cut into a crescent moon, though what made it special was it was like a reflection of the night sky, stars shimmering in the gem when the light shone down on it. Celestia was just as shocked, never seeing anything like it, the ring able to fit perfectly around her sister's horn.
"Oh my goodness," Celestia said as Luna levitated the ring out of the box.
"...S-Sora," the emotionally shocked alicorn stammered. "...I-Is this...? W-Was h-he...?"
The teen nodded, answering her questions about Sombra's final gift to her, quite obvious with the small box holding a beautiful ring for the mare that stole his heart. Luna's lips quivered as she looked at the ring the unicorn intended to propose her with, her legs shaking as her emotions shifted from happiness and sorrow. She couldn't hold back her tears as she cried, Celestia hugging her tightly as she grieved over her stallion that could have been her fiancé if everything back then never happened.
Sora backed up next to his friends, Riku and King Mickey bowing their heads, Donald and Goofy getting misty-eyed as they watched Luna mourn for her loss, and when he looked at Kairi, the mare hugged him tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks at the heartbreaking scene. Sora hugged her back, holding her closer as he he couldn't hold back his own tears. He only wished he could have saved Sombra, found some way to pull him out of his darkness without the Crystal Heart destroying him along with it.
It was late in the night, Luna sitting in her room as she stared at Sombra's journal and the ring he made for her resting inside of the opened box. She was emotionally drained, but even after all her exhausted crying, she couldn't fall asleep before she raised the moon. Her eyes were glued to the majestic crescent gem, the moonlight shining down through her open balcony doors and reflected off the ring, the stars twinkling back to her night sky. It was almost as if the gem was Sombra's way of saying how much he loved the night, forever reflected off of the rare, but beautiful gem, reminding her that he would always care about her, no matter what may happen.
She levitated the ring and brought it up to her horn, sliding it through until it fit snugly near the base. Luna stared at her reflection, her starry mane matching with the starry gemstone. She shed a few tears, happy to have met somepony like Sombra, but sad to know she will never see him again. He had done so much to prove his worth as a member of the Crystal Guard, but he would mostly be recognized by the Crystal Empire as a monster only by the monster that controlled him.
She looked out to her balcony and stepped outside, looking up at the night sky she had made this evening. The moon shone down on the land, but there was a lack of stars in the clear sky. Her horn began to glow, her dark blue aura reflecting off the gem on her ring as it shimmered with stars, and she began to create and move the stars to a unique design that only a pony with her power could master. After a while of arranging them, her work was complete as she made a constellation of both her and Sombra facing each other, hooves held as they looked in each other's eyes.
"Sombra...you were the only stallion who had truly cared about me a thousand years ago," she said, hoping her voice would reach him up in the heavens. "Now I understand why you did not wish to see me...I wish you didn't have to suffer so much, and I only made it worse for you when my sister and I saw what you became. And, if things were different...I would have said yes in a heartbeat when you would propose to me." Luna brought a hoof to her lips, kissed it, and blew on it, her magic sending more stars up into the sky as they turned into a heart, resting above the constellation of them. "I love you, Sombra...May you rest peacefully, free from the darkness that bound your heart for so long."
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Figures, someone's cutting onions while i'm reading fanfiction again...
This is the last time I eat onions while waiting for the cavalry.
That is so sad.
That...was really really sad...
AUGH!!!!!
Oh come on, you sure you couldn't have saved Sombra someway, maybe like have Sora shift to his Heartless form to try and stabilize his body so it wouldn't fall apart like that, maybe then he could have come back later, like say that after he was stabilized he got pulled into a sub-space world where he would need to remain to fully stabilize then and could have returned later. Other then that part about Sombra I loved the rest of this chapter, it was really well done and I can't wait to see what happens next to Sora and the others.
wow man this chapter was wow man so let season 3 begin aka the birth of princess twilight sparkle and also season 3 didn't really big episodes besides the princess luna and the last episode so this season you can really make alot of orginal chapters before the last chapter then after the last chapter the movie begins. do you have plans for sora or siku to become a prince?
I just do not know what I am feeling right now. I wanted this to have had ended with a happy ending but I knew it was not going to..... It still dose not make me want to stop from yell and scream at the choose you made but I understand why you did it. This chapter is beautiful piece of art, it made me feel alone it made me feel loss it made me feel what the characters where feeling and that is a sign that this story is one that once you finish it, this will be in my favs. And to you Writer I must say good job. Now I think I need to read a happy story now or else i will start to not be able to hold back the tears any more.
7391101
7391136
What? Onions? I have no idea what you are talking about...*hides knife and bag of onions behind desk*
7391503 Well, with your theory for Sora to save Sombra using his Anti Form, that would be impossible. One: that form appears by unfortunate luck when he shifts to his other forms, aside from Final Form. Two: Anti Form is unstable and Sora can't control it, as mentioned in previous chapters when he explained his fears and when the act happened showing off his Drives, knowing the risk of it showing up but giving into the pressure of teaching everyone. And three: while inside the Crystal Empire, after the Crystal Heart had just unleashed its light to fend off the darkness that threatened the kingdom, Sora could have been killed if he wound up in that form along with Sombra, especially when the powerful relic was just powered up and bathed the kingdom in the pure light. Riku may have used darkness, but he's no longer tied to it after Kingdom Hearts 2, despite wielding its power with the aid of his light, which was why he was safe. It destroyed the physical dark threats, and since Sombra had this darkness for a thousand years, his body, and heart, couldn't have been saved. He was basically a Heartless, and any light that could purge it would kill him regardless.
Besides, Sombra pretty much died in the season three premiere from the Crystal Heart's power. I know, in the comics, he was revived, but those aren't canon with the show, as much as I would have loved to keep him alive and free from darkness. But, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this story so far. A lot more on the way, though my uploads will be scattered throughout this month because of school and stuff.
It might sound bad, but I think that it is better that Sora failed to bring Sombra back. It makes Sombra more meaningful as a character and helps to both keep Sora from Gary Stu status. Given that I gotta say it is heart wrenching to see this unfold the way it did. Still right in the feels.......
I *sniff* felt so *sniff* emotional. I *sniff* I can't contain mu*sniff*mmmy *sniff* tears of true sorrow. It's *sniff* like my heart is squeezed from *sniff* their perfectly written *sniff* scene, it makes you feel like c*hiccup*
crying and w*hiccup*wallow in 
sad of symphony th*sniff*at breaks your heart.
If *sniff**hiccup* theirs a chance you can write another story that has this kind of scenario, you would be rated 10/10. 
Sombra....I hope you may have a second chance...
*gets up and walks away from the computer, needing an emotional brake after reading that chapter.*
7796971 Whoops...Got another person with a case of the feels from the outcome of this chapter...Nailed it!
That was sad.
And moving on, loved the portrayal of sombra here. Having the cause of his decent be a keyblade wielder was admittedly pointless and you could have used something else. Basically unless your having that same keyblader reappear either as a cause to something else or appears himself as xehanort then you could have used something else entirely. This logically should damage the trust the equestrian princesses have for the keybladers.
7398531 I agree
Oh man..
IM NOT CRYING!! NOT A TEAR TO BE SHED HERE!! THAT WATER IS JUST LIQUID PRIDE!! IM NOT SAD!! EVEN THOUGH YOU BROKE EVERY SINGLE ORIFICE AND CORNER OF MY HEART, IM NOT CRYING!
Wonder what his nobody would have been like
7391503
No matter how hard you try, you can't save everyone.
8250135
I'm crying now while listening to dearly beloved.
9056744
Shut up if you don’t like it don’t read it
after reading this chapter i acetyl cred
keep up the good work.
Who is this mysterious Keyblade wielder?
Ok Sombra is tecnically back in season 9 and is banished in a ethereal plane, (apparently) so could be a chance to brig him back?
by the way, I ALMOST CRIED while i rode this chapter.
9677253
mayebe the Master of Masters or Luxu... but who knows
What? No, that doesn't make any sense. Going back to this chapter, I realized that sort of implies that the events of the Keyblade War happened a few thousand years ago, which makes no sense, because, before the Keyblade War, the world was whole, in other words, there was only one world. Now, I know you can visit other worlds in KHX, however, those worlds and its people are mere illusions caused by the Book of Prophecy or as I like to theorize by the Chirithy themselves.
So how could Mickey imply that he died during the Keyblade War? Is this implying that Equestria was part of the whole world? Cause that wouldn't make any sense since characters such as Celestia and Luna would have known this, considering the war was basically an entire restructure of the freaking universe.
I understand that Ventus was there during the events, which I know makes no sense, but in this AU, you have already changed a lot, so I'm kind of hoping you retcon this line because of it really underminds the great stakes at hand. The Keyblade basically collapsed the entire universe, but through the light inside the heart of children, it rebuilds it, creating many different worlds in the process, with the many years that have passed slowly diminishing the tale of once whole world as simply fairy tale.
This is your story, so you can do with it as you please, you can easily just fix this as an unknown keyblade wielder who could have died during those years, without mentioning the keyblade war, because let's face it, it makes no sense. I love this work, keep on creating it, though this line has been really bothering me.
9876061
You almost cried? I practically shed a few tears, and I'm a guy for crying out loud! Still, I felt really bad for Luna now. Let us have a moment to mourn for Sombra's death.
9677253
Who cares it was a thousand years ago he's probably long dead
11125069
So uh what about the people with the animal masks at the end of 3 how old are they along with xehanort they seem old but still alive