Chrysalis' group arrived at the small chain of islands described by Bon Bon, the largest of which housed many worn-down buildings in the middle of a barren wasteland. Apparently, the island was once inhabited by a small tribe, before being overrun by Tirek's men and used as a base of operations. It was legally owned by an American billionaire, who was forced to lend it to Catrina after she had blackmailed him with evidence of immoral activities.
Upon their arrival, the group was immediately greeted by an army of soldiers, wielding worn-down firearms. The Dazzlings, armed with jewels that granted them access to their magics, make swift work of these troops, singing an enticing song that captivated any who heard it, and then sucked the life energy out of them.
Chrysalis and Blueblood avoided the song's deadly allure by means of special earplugs that would block out any and all sound. The troops fell, the group pressed on, and more enemy soldiers emerged. The Dazzlings sang, and the bodies piled up.
It wasn't long until the group had reached a bunker, guarded by a steel door that was locked with a passcode. "I'll handle this," Blueblood said, taking out a small stick of C4 and attaching it to the door. "This should be enough."
"So, the rats have come to rescue their comrades." The Dazzlings turned around, prompting Chrysalis to do the same as Blueblood continued to work, unaware that Catrina was standing behind them. "I am surprised, though. You're using magic, yet according to Lord Tirek, you shouldn't be able to cast magic of this level. Even I can only accomplish so much."
Adagio stepped forward. "Too bad your master never knew about us. We're not from this world, you see."
Catrina cast her eyes over the three girls, gazing at the jewels at their necks, each glowing green as they brimmed with magical energy. "Interesting… So, this is how Hydia was defeated. I thought it strange she would resort to using the Smooze against mere soldiers, but now, it all makes sense… Well, it seems I must thank you for eliminating the competition for me! How about I do that by showing you something nice?" Catrina reached behind her back, drawing a broom and pointing it at the girl. The wood of the broom was grey, and the bristles were long-dead. "Do you know what this is?"
"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Sonata said, bouncing up-and-down with her hand raised. "A broom, right?!"
"A magic broom, and one made of wood that is over two thousand-years old."
"Okay?" Aria replied. "And like, why should we care?"
Catrina grinned. "It seems you don't know. In this world, a magic broom is used to cast all manner of spells. And the older the wood…" Catrina's broom glowed purple all of a sudden. "The stronger the spell!"
A purple beam shot forward, and would have blasted Aria had she not jumped backwards out of the way. She, Aria and Sonata sang their song, but when it reached Catrina, it had no effect. Instead, all that happened was that a purple barrier around her shimmered.
"That won't work on me, girls!" Catrina fired a blast at Sonata, striking the siren and tying her to the ground with magical restraints. A second blast to the head knocked her out.
"Sonata!" Adagio cried, before hearing a gasp to her left. She turned and found Aria falling to the ground face-first. Behind her, she saw a girl holding a gun, blood dripping down the butt. The same blood trickled from the back of Aria's head. "Aria!"
The girl turned to Adagio and pointed her gun at her head. She fire, but Adagio deflected it with a screech that distorted the air. The ground shook as the screech grew louder, and the girl was forced to retreat. As she did so, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned suddenly, finding a tall figure in a dark robe standing over her.
Chrysalis, holding her stomach as it ached from the waves produced by Adagio's voice, observed the figure and noticed the streams of black smoke coming from the hood. She removed her earplugs and said, "Sombra?"
The figure removed its hood, confirming her suspicions. Beneath that hood, Sombra's face had been consumed by smoke, and his eyes had turned a sickly-green with red irises. "Radiant Hope. You look well."
"You…" The girl pointed her gun to Sombra, but he did not even flinch. "Why are you here? I gave you a chance to run!" she hissed in a whisper.
"Because there is something that I must do…" Sombra turned to Chrysalis in the distance, who was glaring back at him with her own gun pointed at his head. "Cadance and Gilda are further inside. If you wish to rescue them, do so now."
Chrysalis tilted her head. "Oh? I didn't realise you still cared," she said, her finger pressing down ever-so-slightly on the trigger. "After all, it's not they're friends of yours, 'King Sombra'."
Sombra simply shrugged. "I… am not sure who I am anymore. But, even after I betrayed her, Cadance still showed me kindness and mercy. I want to at least repay her, before I decide where I stand with her."
"There will be no rescues today!" Catrina hissed, firing a blast of energy at Sombra. Radiant jumped out of the way, but Sombra remained, raising a single hand – jewels pierced into his skin – and creating a shadowy barrier that protected him from the attack.
Blueblood removed his earplugs and shouted, "Chrysalis, if we don't go now, we might miss our window!"
Chrysalis turned, finding that the door had been blasted open already, and grunted. "Guess we have no choice. We'll have to let Sombra go for now!" She ran towards the bunker, catching up with Blueblood.
Catrina pointed her broom towards them, but Adagio sped towards her position, forcing her to change her focus on the girl. Adagio screeched, and Catrina channelled magic through her broom.
Meanwhile, Sombra walked towards a panicking Radiant Hope, who was firing shot-after-shot at the man, only for every single bullet to bounce harmlessly off of him. "S-Stop!" she shouted.
"Radiant… It's me. It's Sombra…"
"No! You're not him!" Radiant argued. "The Sombra I knew was weak. He was helpless! Shy and lonely, but full of light! You… You're a monster!"
Sombra sighed. "Yes… It is true. I am not how you remember me. But, the same can be said of you."
Radiant reloaded her gun and took another step back, only to find herself pressed against a wall. "W-What do you mean?" she asked.
"The Radiant Hope I remember was… kind, and loyal, and the only one to approach the lonely, shy child that everybody else ignored."
Radiant glared. "I was only a child."
"And yet, you showed more character than most adults around us. You made the right decisions, even if they were not always so easy to make. I recall you suffered a lot for being my friend, and yet… you endured. So what changed, Radiant?"
"You left me, remember?!" Radiant fired another shot. "You left, and I had nobody to fall back on!" She fired two more shots. "I sacrificed my social standing for you! I became an outcast for your sake, and then you just leave!" Another shot. "You left me with nothing. It was easy to fight if I had somebody at my side, but what can I do all by myself? Nothing. That's why…"
Sombra noticed the tears falling down Radiant's face, and he extended a shadowy tentacle to wipe it away. She simply stood motionless as he did so. "I see… Things really played out differently for you here than they did in Equestria, didn't they?"
"W… What do you mean?"
"Some time ago, I inherited the memories of a great, powerful being, who had it all. An entire empire, slaves to do his bidding, power beyond his wildest dreams… But he had lost it all, to a group of heroes, and thus, his life ended, empty, forever remembered for his evil ways, never for his virtues.
"However, there was one who never gave up for the man. She kept hope, even when all hope was lost. She gave him chances even when he discarded them every time. Because she knew that it was the right thing to do." The darkness coating Sombra's face dissipated, revealing his humanistic features below. "That man's name was 'King Sombra', a version of me from a world that runs parallel to this one. And the girl? Her name was Radiant Hope."
Radiant gulped, and lowered her gun. "What happened… to the girl?"
Sombra shook his head. "I don't know. He died while she still lived, so her fate is thus unknown. However, before it happened, Radiant tried one last time to appeal to him. Before the curse that locked them away for a millennium, the girl pleaded for King Sombra to come to his senses, for he was treading down a path that would only lead to his suffering and demise."
Radiant lowered her head, and did not move as Sombra stepped closer to her. "He should have listened. And now, I bear witness to a similar situation. I, too, let power and hatred guide my soul, and I almost lost everything. It's one thing for it to happen to me. But you, Radiant Hope… You should never lose that light that makes you special."
Radiant shook her head. "I'm not special. I'm just afraid."
"Everyone is. Trust me, I know all about fear. I use it to control people, as does Catrina." Sombra leaned closer, and whispered, "Everybody is afraid, but that is why people like you are needed. You can drive the fear away and replace it with hope."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can. You did so with me. Thanks to you, I am now able to separate my own mind from King Sombra's. And now, the path I must take is clear to me." Sombra turned around, watching as Catrina stood over a downed Adagio, raising her broom into the air and preparing to finish the girl off. Sombra held out his hand. "I will rescue you. I will see to it that you are pardoned for your crimes. I will finish serving my time and then I will rejoin my comrades!" Sombra cast a spell to teleport Adagio a safe distance away. "If a lifetime of servitude is the price for protecting you, then I will gladly pay it."
Radiant looked down at her hands. They trembled as her mind ran wild. "Sombra, I don't…"
"If you are unsure, then simply stay here and mull it over." The darkness shrouded Sombra's face once more, and he stepped forward as Catrina moved towards him quickly. "There's no rush. Take your time, and find the right answer that you always found before."
Sombra raised his hand and fired a cloud of black smoke at Catrina.