//------------------------------//
// Interlude: Unexpected Visitor 
// Story: Bleach: Heart of a Hero 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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Five days had done by since Kirikaze had been contained by Sombra's power, one that he hadn't shown his friends and allies in the past, because he wanted to test his powers as the Dios Hueco against Aizen, and things had been slightly busy for both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Rukia, Renji, and the rest of the Shinigami had continued to work on the ever dwindling list of repairs that needed to be made to the Seireitei, since there had been a few at the time that Kirikaze was attacking the remaining Toju in Rukongai, and so far nothing else had blown up during their repairs. Haineko, Zangetsu, and Muramasa, now accompanied by both Ruri'iro Kujaku and Kirikaze, had done what Sombra asked them to do, as in they gathered what supplies and possessions they had acquired during their time in Soul Society and departed from the building they had been staying in, which was in pristine condition, since Haineko wanted to make a good impression on their Lord's allies. As the five of them departed from the Seireitei they were greeted by some of the Captains and Lieutenants, who wished them a safe journey back to Hueco Mundo, before they stepped into the Senkaimon and headed back to the World of the Living, though upon their arrival they found the gateway back to their home and headed through it.

Sombra, on the other hand, had been extremely busy during the time since they found and converted Kirikaze to his new state, as he spent a good deal of his time making slight changes to Hueco Mundo, to make it better for his subjects as he added in a few different areas to the map, like a ocean and a mountain. He also spent some time making sure that there were enough buildings to house each and every Arrancar that had previously been the Toju that terrorized Soul Society, even though some of them were Hollows that had evolved on their own, to see what was going on for themselves. He was happy to see that his citizens were happy and were embracing their new friends, be they former Zanpakuto spirits or the Hollows that had been living outside Las Noches' walls, and that all of them seemed to be working towards a brighter future for all of them. He still felt that Ruri'iro Kujaku had made a rash decision to abandon Yumichika, when their relationship wasn't as strains as the other Zanpakuto spirits, but seeing him interact with the others, and actually enjoying his new life, made him decide that he might as well not bother the former spirit and let him live his life the way he wanted to, just like he had done for Haineko earlier.

Speaking of which he occasionally spotted Haineko and Zangetsu hanging out when they were off duty, which made sense considering that the two of them had fallen in love during the first few moments of Muramasa's rebellion and had moved on from that point, but at the same time he was happy to see them living their lives to the fullest, just like the rest of the beings that called Hueco Mundo home.

He came to a stop for a moment and stared out at his kingdom from the balcony of his crystal palace, as Las Noches now looked like a perfect replica of the Crystal Empire, though at the same time he thought about what he had been able to do recently, in terms of helping Soul Society out. As of now Hueco Mundo and Soul Society were allies in every sense of the word, meaning that if something bothered one the other would come to their aid at some point, even if his kingdom might not do that since they had him to ultimately defend them, and that was already affecting how the Shinigami operated when they went to the World of the Living. Instead of hunting down Hollows and purifying them, like they used to do, Rukia and the others were in a race against the Hollows to claim the lost souls that lingered around the entire world, because now some souls would go to Soul Society and either linger in Rukongai or become Shinigami themselves, some would be brought to Hueco Mundo and become Hollows, and a few of them were so foul that both sides agreed to send the offending souls to Hell.

In the beginning of his stay on this world, when he had no idea who he was and didn't have access to any of his true powers, Sombra remembered thinking that the possibility of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo living in harmony was slim at best and even then it might not work at all, but that had changed with his discovery of the Dios Hueco and the fact that he now controlled the entirety of Hueco Mundo... and the fact that his true power seemed to frighten a good number of the Shinigami, hence why they allied with him and wanted to stay on his good side.

"You know, it never ceases to amaze me just how much one person can change Hueco Mundo." Sombra commented, though at the same time Yoruichi stepped out of where she had been standing, as she had grown used to there being someone in this world whose speed matched hers and also possessed the skill necessary to know where she was at any given instant, especially since she had trained him to be a match for her, "We all thought that this world was just a barren desert with some forgotten buildings, since that was the extent of the research that went into studying this world, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be the one with the power to reshape this world."

"The power of the Dios Hueco is, as I've heard and seen, one of the greatest powers in our world." Yoruichi said, to which she stepped forward and stopped when she was standing beside Sombra, where she looked out over the kingdom that her love ruled over, this time with a more gentle fist that would rise to defend his citizens if trouble ever decided to show itself to them, "I know Captain Mayuri is still trying to understand the nature of how you are able to manipulate the very essence of Hueco Mundo and create something that, in his eyes, shouldn't be here at all, even though you and some of the others have told me that you're simply restoring this world to how it had been before the first Dios Hueco showed up and took control over everything."

"My predecessor wasn't the nicest Arrancar around," Sombra admitted, as he had taken some time to learn about the Hollow that had become the first Dios Hueco, the one that waged a three way war between Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Quincies that followed Yhwach, a war that they lost when a younger Captain-Commander Yamamoto cleaved his predecessor in half, and supposedly killed the Father of the Quincy as well, "From what I've learned about him, based on the tales that the others have told me, he turned what could have been called a paradise into a barren wasteland, then he made the Hollows hate the Shinigami, apparently putting the blame on them from the 'destruction' of their world, and then, once they had a taste for their enemy's blood, he declared war on Soul Society. There's a number of other things he did to the beings of this world, torture and whatnot, all in the name of strengthening his forces, but at the very least he died quickly after his rise to power, allowing his forces to slowly forget what he had done to him until those events became the history that Grimmjow and the others instinctively know about."

"I'm also glad to see that it didn't take much to change their opinion on the Shinigami he tried to make them hate with every fiber of their being," Yoruichi added, referring to the fact that once Sombra started making his first changes to Hueco Mundo, to see what he could truly do with his newfound power, the Hollows started to calm down and seemed to lose their hatred for Soul Society, instead directing it towards hating the first Dios Hueco, while at the same time praising Sombra, since they knew he'd never do something like that to them, "That even goes for Harribel, because I know the moment she learned that you were in love with me I became something she loathed, as she couldn't imagine the most powerful Hollow, in all of existence, falling in love with a Shinigami, something that existed to purify Hollows and guide their souls to another realm. Over time, however, she's discovered that part of her was still being fueled by the anger she felt as a Hollow, towards the first Dios Hueco, and, just like the rest of your empire, she's put that behind her and has become more likeable as a person, so much so that she actually talks to me like I'm an equal. I'm honestly not sure how you were able to make such a drastic change in everyone that calls Hueco Mundo home, from just turning it back to it's original form, but I'm not complaining at this point, not when Nel, Harribel, and I are content with being equals... not to mention actually being friends with each other as well."

Sombra chuckled at that, because shortly after they returned from turning Kirikaze into an Arrancar, and brought the rest of his forces back from Soul Society, he had an interesting night with two of the strongest female Arrancar in all of Hueco Mundo and the love of his life, who was also quite possibly the strongest female Shinigami right now. Of course he didn't care much for the whole 'strongest' part of the equation, rather he focused on the three ladies that wanted to have some fun with him and made sure that no one interrupted them while they were having fun, especially since no one could get through his magical barriers. Interestingly enough some of the Hollows had taken to calling the three ladies by a name that none of them bothered to stop the spread of, and that was Tres Reinas, meaning Three Queens, showing him that many of his subjects knew that all three of them had shared a night of fun with him and knew that he wasn't going to throw two of them to the side after all that. In fact the name sparked a new bond of friendship between Yoruichi, Nel, and Harribel, as he had seen two or even all three of them hanging out from time to time, showing him that it didn't matter if they were Arrancar or Shinigami, because they had forged a friendship where some would have through it was impossible to do so.

At the same time, however, Sombra was sure that all of the impossible occurrences that happened in Hueco Mundo were driving Captain Mayuri insane, since it ruined a lot of what he and Soul Society knew about the relationships between Shinigami and Hollows, and that was another reason to chuckle.

"You know, after everything that's happened recently, I'm only really surprised by one thing," Yoruichi continued, even though she took a moment to let Sombra think about what she had said and the fact that he was quite happy with his new life, which was a major reason why she had taken so long to bother asking him this, "rather, I'm surprised by your decision to replicate the Crystal Empire in Hueco Mundo and mold Las Noches in the face of your old home. Are you sure that you won't get homesick, staring at a place you called home for so many years?"

"Honestly, that thought never crossed my mind," Sombra replied, though at the same time he thought about what he had left behind, even though the only thing that the ponies of Equestria remembered of him was that he was an evil tyrant and that he had been destroyed by the Crystal Heart after a thousand years of imprisonment, "All I've ever done to my home world is cause pain and suffering to those that I conquered, so much so that everyone remembers me as the 'King of Darkness', a being of unimaginable evil and terror that devours hope, love, and all happy thoughts. I know that I'm not like that anymore, and I've put that past behind me at long last to embrace who I am now, but even then I honestly don't think I'd be welcomed back with open arms... in fact, now that I think about it, it's better that we stay here and not even consider heading back to my home world, not that they'd come looking for me anyway."

Despite the fact that she knew that Sombra was happy with his new life, and was focused on leaving his dark past where it belonged by creating a shining future for both Shinigami and Hollows, Yoruichi could tell that there was still some unfinished business that he would like to wrap up, even if it was no longer possible for that to happen. She was likely the only person, in Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living that had a chance to determine what Sombra was feeling at any given moment, or even what he was thinking, but even then there was a chance that she was wrong and that he was merely thinking about the past, before sealing it away. She also knew that with all the powers he had access to at this point, and all the knowledge that had returned to him thanks to Rey telling him everything he used to know, that he might be able to open a gateway to his home world, but he was taking his duties as the King of Hueco Mundo seriously and was putting his subjects first. After a few more moments of considering what she could do, to try and convince Sombra that he should try to head back home and see if he could show the others that he had changed, before coming to the conclusion that Sombra had already considered all of this and felt that it was best if he remained here... to which she said nothing and nodded her head, showing that she, once again, trusted his judgement and his decisions.

Sombra smiled and pulled Yoruichi close, as it would allow them some time to remain alone before he had to return to his duties, though even as he thought about that he knew that it would only be a matter of time until Soul Society told him when their party, to celebrate the repairs and the fact that he saved so many of the Toju, would happen, but until then he'd focus on his tasks and keep his subjects safe.





Sombra had been right in his thinking that there would be a celebration of sorts, though while he expected it to be in Soul Society, since they were the ones that had been under repair recently, he was a little surprised to find that they had set up a large get together in the same place that they had their last party, which was after Aizen's defeat. All of Soul Society's Captains, Lieutenants, and seated members, those that Sombra knew anyway, would be present at the party, leaving those they trusted behind to keep an eye on things, the Visored were invited, as Yamamoto had something that he wanted to ask them before the event was over, and Sombra went as well, along with a number of his Arrancar, since he figured that some of them deserved a break after all their hard work. As one would expect Yoruichi, Harribel, and Nel were some of the first ones chosen to come with him, along with Zangetsu, Haineko, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoko, and a few of his higher ranking followers, though while some would think the military might of Hueco Mundo had been cut in half they were still in good hands with the Espada that remained. Sombra was sure that the others would be safe, since there weren't any foes that would come and attack them while he was gone, so he focused on what he and his group were going to do as they stepped out of the gateway and headed towards the area that the party would be taking place in.

When they arrived, however, Sombra found that Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Orihime, and the rest of his Human friends were present as well, including some of Ichigo's classmates, the ones that could see the hidden world that the others shouldn't be able to see and were still adjusting to what they could now see and interact with.

"Ah, Sombra, you made it." Ichigo spoke up, as he was happy to see that their friend had been able to take some time off from his duties as the King of Hueco Mundo and come have some fun with them, while at the same time making sure to keep a level gaze with Zangetsu, who grinned at him as he and the other Arrancar dispersed around the area.

"I wouldn't miss the celebration of keeping Soul Society intact and stopping another threat," Sombra replied, though at the same time he watched as Kyoko walked over to where Orihime and Taksuki were standing, since that was who she wanted to spend some time with, before he turned back towards Ichigo, "So tell me, how have things been since I took over Hueco Mundo and started improving the lives of both the Arrancar and the Hollows that have become my subjects? Surely something interesting must have happened that you, or those that follow me, haven't told me about."

"Other than racing your Hollows to judge a lost soul, everything has been quiet for the most part." Ichigo stated, and that was the truth, because now he didn't have to worry about actually killing the Hollows that came to the World of the Living, rather he had to keep an eye on the accidents that happened and make sure he found the souls of those that had died in some manner, before the Hollows got to them first, before he looked over at Orihime's group, "Tatsuki's still trying to convince Rukia and the others to let her become a Shinigami, since she's tired of me risking my life, all on my own despite the fact that Chad, Orihime, and Uryu are standing beside me, and she's a little sad that Kyoko died... I mean, you know, 'passed on', since she's one of your subjects and all."

Sombra nodded his head in understanding, because one of the things that they had to do after Kyoko had become an Arrancar, and moved from the World of the Living to one of the afterlife realms, was make it so that those in Ichigo's school thought that she had been transferred to the wrong school and had moved again, while at the same time making sure that no one thought of her as dead. The reason being was because Sombra had stationed her in Karakura Town, so she could help Ichigo, Sora, or the Hollows whenever someone needed assistance, and there was also the fact that she liked to spend time as a Human, allowing her to go out and hang with people that she could consider her friends. Urahara was okay with having a few gigai on standby, for when a Shinigami or an Arrancar wanted to walk around like a Human and hang with Ichigo's friends, or friends that they had made during a previous excursion, which allowed Kyoko to split her time between being an Arrancar and being a Human, even if she knew that she'd have to return to her true self at some point in time. Of course that didn't stop some of them from wishing they had got to her before she gave herself to the Toju that had merged with her body, so perfectly that Muramasa was forced to turn her into an Arrancar, but surprisingly she was perfectly fine with her new life... which was why Sombra was fine with what had happened, because Kyoko was fine with it and didn't blame anyone for what happened to her.

She was an interesting girl, who had adapted to her new life rather quickly and didn't seem to back down from what was thrown at her, though at the same time her ability to see glimpses of the future was also interesting, especially since she felt that something big was going to happen in the next few hours.

"Don't worry, Kyoko is adjusting to her new life and responsibilities just fine," Sombra said, though he smiled as he said that, because it was the truth and Kyoko was happy to be of assistance if she was needed by someone in the area that she was in, before he turned towards the Shinigami that were approaching him, "Rukia, Renji, how are you guys doing?"

"Just fine, especially since our Zanpakuto have returned to us and the Toju are no longer a threat." Rukia answered, to which she and Renji stopped when they got close to Ichigo and Sombra, though once they did that she held her hand out and offered a drink to Ichigo, which was mostly soda or tea since this wasn't the time for sake, while Renji offered one to Sombra as well, "What about you? Has anything interesting happened in Hueco Mundo lately?"

"Nothing much, except reforming Hueco Mundo's landscape to make everyone happy and making sure that the Vasto Lorde ranked Hollow, whose also a dragon, has a nice cave to live in." Sombra replied, though at the same time he noticed that one of the drinks was some tea and accepted it, to which he took a sip from it and let it float in the air near him thanks to his magic, before he shrugged, "Other than that, nothing else has happened."

"A Hollow... that's shaped like a dragon and has the power of a Vasto Lorde?" Renji asked, though when Sombra nodded his head, to confirm that he had said something like that, Renji sighed and rubbed the back of his head for a few moments, showing that the news didn't comfort him that much, "Man am I glad that you're on our side, because at this point I don't think we'd be able to knock a dragon out of the sky, much less even get close to hurting one with all the soldiers that would be protecting it. And that's not counting the fact that there are still four other Vasto Lorde that you haven't found yet, so who knows how much stronger Las Noches will get when you find and recruit the others."

"Actually, there are five remaining Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo," Sombra stated, causing the duo to look at him for a moment, to which he tapped himself, a silent reminder that he wasn't from this world, something that many of the group knew, even if most of the Captains didn't have that information yet, but when he saw some blank glances he decided to be a little direct, "Remember, I'm not originally from this world, so technically there is one more Vasto Lorde running around Hueco Mundo, meaning that there are five left, not four."

"That makes it even worse." Renji said, because he didn't want to think about what would happen if Sombra got his hands on the last of the Vasto Lorde, as his army was already formidable and any further additions would only make them that much harder to defeat if a war sudden broke out between them, not that one would considering the fact that Sombra didn't want one to happen anyway.

"Personally, I think it's great that you've managed to convince the Hollows that we're not their enemies," Rukia stated, as she knew that Renji didn't like the idea of fighting a Vasto Lorde, especially since Zangetsu, who was a Zanpakuto spirit that had become an Arrancar, was stronger than the Primera Espada that had been under Aizen's command, "though it does make things interesting when we come to the World of the Living so we can send the lost souls to Soul Society, since we're also racing the Hollows that are hunting for the ones that are either supposed to become Hollows or those that need to go to Hell."

"All their anger and hatred was caused by my predecessor, the first Dios Hueco," Sombra explained, to which his cup came over to him and he sipped from it, something that he could easily do with his magic and not even bother giving it a second thought, before he focused on the duo in front of him, "Hueco Mundo wasn't always the desert that you were told that it was, rather it had been a paradise of sorts that was ravaged and destroyed, and the blame was put on the Soul Society, even though they hadn't done anything to the Hollows before that point in time. Restoring Hueco Mundo to it's previous state, to the paradise that it had been before my predecessor came along, has lifted the spirits of the beings that all my kingdom home and have caused them to realize that their anger and hatred was better directed at the memory of the first Dios Hueco. Of course, seeing how I have let certain things go since I came to this world, they have gotten their anger and hatred off their chests as well, allowing them to enjoy their new lives as citizens of my growing empire... though based on the number of Hollows and Arrancar that are coming I might have to either expand Las Noches or create more town like areas around Hueco Mundo."

"Sounds like fun." a voice said, where Sombra looked to the side and found that Yachiru was standing nearby, while at the same time Zaraki was elsewhere, as it appeared that the powerful Captain was bored out of his mind and was merely letting her do as she desired.

"Indeed it is." Sombra replied, though as he said that both Rukia and Renji walked over to another part of the party, something that he was fine with since he didn't want to hog all their attention when they could converse with everyone else that was around him, before he thought about something else, which was when he turned towards the Lieutenant that was standing near him, "So, Yachiru, when are you going to tell Zaraki the truth?"

"What are you...?" Yachiru started to ask, though before she could complete that sentence she noticed that Sombra had a hand on his Shinigami Zanpakuto, where she sighed and sipped on the drink that she had been carrying, "I should have known that you would have noticed what I really am... but don't tell Ken-chan what you know. I'm waiting for the best opportunity to tell him the truth, he just needs to discover something first."

Sombra nodded his head in understanding, as he knew that there were times where someone had to do something specific before they could gain a specific piece of information, and the reason he knew that was because when he was learning the secrets of Dark Magic he had to go through something similar. The lessons were painful and horrible, so he would never tell anyone about what he went through to become the King of Darkness, but he did understand that there were times where one had to do something before they gained some information or an item in return. While he thought about all of that, even if he didn't think about everything that he had been through, he felt a slight shift in the air and glanced over at the punch bowl that was in the middle of the party, one that Orihime and the other Humans had been drinking from since none of them wanted any sake or tea. The vibration he had felt reminded him of his home world, or more specifically a being that had been the reason he had been teleported to this world in the first place, to which he raised an eyebrow as he stared at the punch bowl for a few seconds, causing Yachiru and some of the others that were near him to glance at the bowl as well, though they were confused as to what was going through his mind.

As a good number of the people that were attending the party turned and looked at the punch bowl, so see why Sombra was so interested in it, the bowl started to shake for a moment, causing the people near it to back away from it in surprise, before a very familiar chimera being burst out of the bowl... though at the same time Sombra watched as Discord fell face first onto the ground and moaned for a moment, all while both the Shinigami and the Arrancar grew their weapons, save for the Captain-Commander and himself.

"Hopefully that's the last time I botch the entrance into another world," Discord commented, though at the same time he picked himself off the ground and stood up, where he focused on himself for a moment as he got rid of the dust and dirt that had gotten on his body, before he even bothered to glance at the area that he was in, "Now then, it's time I got started... looking for my... oh, hello."

"What in the name of Lord Sombra are you?" Harribel inquired, though even as she said that she had her sword at the ready, because if the creature tried anything, with all of them standing around it, she was sure that they would come out on top, especially since their Lord was standing near them.

"That, Harribel, is a Draconequus, a chimera creature of incredible power," Sombra replied, to which he took a few steps forward and the people between him and Discord parted, as they could tell that this was someone that he either knew or was someone that only he could deal with, before he came to a stop near the spirit that had apparently come looking for him, despite his earlier thoughts on the matter, "Everyone, allow me to introduce Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, who can manipulate reality with a snap of his claws, or even mess with the minds of those that he's going up against."

"You know me so well, Sombra," Discord replied in kind, though at the same time he smiled for a moment, as while it was unusual for him to be introduced to the people that a displaced pony had encountered, before he could even say his own name, there was one part about what he had said that was actually wrong, "though you may want to rethink how you introduce me from this point forward, as I'm not longer just the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, rather I am the God of Chaos that messes with reality for fun."

"Really? Then congratulations on moving up the ladder," Sombra said, as he wasn't sure if there was any difference between a 'Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony' and a 'God of Chaos', since some ponies did consider Discord to be a primal force that never really went away, despite him being sealed some time after the Crystal Empire disappeared due to his most powerful curse, "I, too, have become a god. I have become the Dios Hueco, the Hollow God as it were, and I am the King of Hueco Mundo, an ally to Soul Society, and I'm also the worst nightmare of any villain that seeks the end of this world, though if you'd like confirmation on my feats you can ask my friends or followers if you'd like."

"It seems your arrogance hasn't changed at all, since you aren't on the same level as Sunset and the others," Discord stated, showing that he had information about something that Sombra had never thought about before, though not even a few seconds later his expression changed to one of confusion as he thought about something that Sombra had said in the last few seconds, "Wait a second... did you just say you had friends? I must have messed up if that's the case, since I know for a fact that Sombra, the dreaded King of Darkness, had no room in his heart for friends, instead he had the desire to conquer everything around him and enslave his defeated enemies."

"Look moron, don't say anything bad about our Lord," Zangetsu replied, to which he moved his blade in such a manner that it was resting close to the being's neck, waiting for their Lord to give the word so he could take the creature's head clean off for insulting him, "Sure, he may have started out as a villain in your world, but since coming here he's been nothing but a warrior of justice, protecting the innocent from those that would seek to do them harm, and he even beat up Aizen, a guy whose plan would have resulted in the destruction of this world had he killed the Soul king. Lord Sombra is no longer the same person that you might remember, as he has put his past behind him, conquered the darkness in his heart, and has become a better person that Shinigami, Hollows, and Arrancar admire and respect."

"Just like the Sirens and Chrysalis," Discord commented, though while he had tried to keep his voice low Sombra was still able to determine exactly what he had said, but the part of the statement that interested him the most was the mention of Chrysalis, someone he barely knew, despite the fact that she was the younger sister of the changeling that he had grown attached to before he gave into the darkness and became the terrible king that he had been, "Well, seeing how he's not telling me that he'll enslave me and my friends, along with the rest of Equestria, and the fact that I don't actually sense any malice or dark feelings from him, I guess you'd be right in saying that he's changed... Celestia and Luna aren't going to believe this when we get back home."

"Discord, I have no intention of going back to Equus," Sombra stated, as he had this conversation with Yoruichi earlier and he was sticking to his decision, because he was positive that the Princesses would rather run him through before even giving him the chance to speak his mind, "I'm just fine living here, on this planet, protecting the souls of the dead and making sure that no one tries to disrupt the balance between the four realms that make up this world, since I'm positive that there's a foe waiting to do just that. Go back home and tell whoever your superiors are that I'm staying here, in the new kingdom that I've established in Hueco Mundo, and inform them that it's better if they forget I even existed..."

Sombra stopped before he could finish his statement, as Discord decided to be brave and get really close to him, so he could rest his hands on both of his shoulders, but he sensed that this wasn't in a threatening manner and moved his left hand a little, to which the Shinigami and his followers backed off for the moment.

"Look, Sombra, as much as I want to leave you here, to continue down the path you've started walking down, the reality is that I can't do that." Discord said, to which he looked off to his left for a moment and found a point where two trees formed an arch with their branches, which was perfect for him to use, before he glanced back at the displaced pony he had come to find, "As terrifying as you might be, since I don't have a full understanding of what powers you've gained while you've been here, there is a being that is so much stronger than you that even thinking about what she could do to me... well, let's just say that getting on her bad side is something that I don't want to do. She told me to locate all of the ponies that were displaced by the crystal mirror, make sure that all of you have finished your individual journey's, and then bring you back so you can see what sort of changes Equestria has gone through since you left."

Sombra raised an eyebrow to that comment, as he recalled that there had been a list of names in the library that the crystal mirror his soul had been shoved into, meaning that there were a number of displaced ponies that he knew nothing about and, if he were to believe what Discord was telling him, some changes had happened to the place he had once called home. There was also the fact that there was a displaced pony, a lady by the sounds of it, that had the power to make the likes of Discord shiver in fear, or at the very least acknowledge that he wasn't the biggest dog around, which peaked his interest, since that didn't match up with what he remembered. He had to admit that it was sounding like it might be in his best interest to head back to Equus and see what the changes were that Discord had mentioned, despite the fact that he knew this could be a set up to get him away from the world he was now calling home, though when he peered into the spirit's eyes he knew that he wasn't lying. As much as he didn't want to head back to Equus, and see what happened when he arrived, it wasn't hard for someone to see that he was interested in observing everything that Discord had told him about, so much so that he could tell some of his followers were smiling and nodding their heads, as they knew that he had done nothing wrong and suspected that he'd be welcomed with open arms.

"Very well, Discord, you have peaked my interest enough to make me reconsider my previous decision." Sombra said, as it was rare that he did such a thing, because he generally made one decision and stuck to it until he found an obstacle or some piece of information that made him change his plans, and this time it was the fact that there supposedly was a being that was even stronger than he was, "I take it you would like to leave for Equus immediately?"

"As much as I hate to interrupt this party of yours, Sunset told me to get you back to Equus the moment you agreed to come along," Discord replied, though at the same time he waved his arm towards the arch between the trees, which was followed by a tear in the fabric of reality opening before them, one that would take them back to the planet they were both originally from, "Come along, we don't have time to waste on standing around."

"Now wait just a minute." Zangetsu stated, to which he and some of the Arrancar stood between Discord and the portal he had opened, because while they knew that their Lord would be okay on his own it didn't sit right with them to just let him leave on his own, "Did you really think that Lord Sombra was going to go anywhere without a military escort? Especially since the first thing that came to your mind was that he was the same person you think he once was?"

"In fact, I was actually going to ask that same thing," Sombra added, because while he knew that Discord wouldn't do anything stupid, since he feared the response of the mysterious pony that outranked him if he became damaged in some manner, it never hurt to have a few guards with him, just in case, and seeing Discord nod confirmed that he could take some of them with him, "Yoruichi, Harribel, Nel, Zangetsu, Grimmjow, you five shall accompany me to Equus and act as my escort for the time being, though despite the fact that I don't think any harm will come to us it's better to be safe than sorry, especially given the mysterious nature of the pony that Discord mentioned."

"You mean the six of us." Ichigo stated, to which he stepped forward and came to a stop beside Sombra, because if his friends was going back to his home planet, where danger might be waiting for him, he wasn't about to let him face it alone, not after everything they had been through.

"Considering the size of the other groups, this is acceptable." Discord commented, indicating that whoever had made the trip back to Equus had come with larger groups than what Sombra was bringing with him, though at the same time Sombra nodded his head and the rest of his forces stood back, showing that they knew that they would return to Hueco Mundo and keep it intact while he was gone.

Sombra knew that some of Ichigo's friends wanted to come with as well, but considering that there were seven of them already, and there was no telling how long the gateway between worlds would stay open, he decided that six of his closest friends was more than enough. As he approached the portal Zangetsu and the others bid farewell to those that were around them and, one by one, joined him in standing near Discord, so that the moment they were all ready to go he ushered them inside the gateway between worlds and they set off for a planet that only Sombra knew about. Not even a few seconds later the group stepped into what appeared to be a tunnel of sorts that connected the world they had been in to Equus, though at the same time there were a number of other entrances and exits scattered throughout the passage they had found themselves in. There was even a straight path for them to follow, one with rails and laid out like an actual walkway that Sombra had seen in Soul Society and used in Hueco Mundo, to form bridges between buildings, meaning that they were able to advance along the path that Discord had created for them quite easily, all while the spirit floated in the air near them, making sure that they reached their destination intact.

It did take the group a few minutes to reach the other side of the passage between worlds, giving them more than enough time to observe the area around them, but when they reached the second portal Discord flew through it and the others followed Sombra as they stepped into the unknown together.





When they stepped through the other side of the portal, however, Sombra glanced around for a few moments and took in the sight of Ponyville, a place he had only seen when he had come to use the crystal mirror for his own purposes, though he found that it matched his brief memories, as it was a medieval village of sorts that had bits of modern technology mixed into it. Off in the distance he spotted a familiar crystal palace, the same one that housed the crystal mirror he had used, and even further away he could see what appeared to be a school of sorts, one that just so happened to have a varying degree of reiatsu coming from it, or rather magical energy since this was his home planet. He heard a number of gasps as the rest of his group walked out of the portal and joined him, as most of them had seen what lurked in his inner world, an image of the original Crystal Empire, and knew that none of them were expecting such a town to be the area that they would appear in. Ponyville was impressive, especially considering that it had one been the home of ponies, since they had been replaced by humanoid beings that resembled the body that he now possessed, but even as Ichigo and the others took in their surroundings there was something else that he kept his focus on, besides the fact that the portal had dropped them off some distance from the edge of the town.

What Sombra was keeping track of was the group of powerful energy signatures that were coming their way, with at least three of them feeling familiar to him, since two of them belonged to the Princesses that had defeated him and the third was one of the ponies that had defeated him when he returned from his imprisonment... but he could faintly sense the presence of a fourth figure accompanying the trio, one that was much stronger than anything he had encountered so far since he woke up in Hueco Mundo.

It only took a minute for the four energy signatures to arrive at the area that they were standing in, causing his group to reach for their weapons for a moment, but Sombra raised a hand and stopped them from doing anything, since he wanted to see what the beings did when they landed in the area near them. The first being that Sombra noticed, as they landed nearby, was a tall lady with a light fuchsiaish gray coat, who had long hair, which was made up of multiple colors and flowered with some power that wasn't the wind, though she was wearing some sort of black cuirass over a golden yellow robe and carried an interesting scepter with her. The next being that Sombra acknowledged was the slightly smaller lady that stood next to the first one, at a height that made sense considering that they were sisters, though she had a dark blue coat and long hair that was moderate cobalt blue colored, which moved in the same manner that her sister's did, and she was wearing a silver dress that was fit for royalty to wear, along with being able to be worn in battle as well. The third member of their group was definitely Twilight Sparkle, as Sombra recognized her purple colored hair that had a few streaks of different colors mixed into it and, like the other two, had a tail that matched, though she was wearing some sort of attire that made her seem like there was more to her than he remembered.

Once he observed the three of them, and took note of how all of them looked, Sombra turned his attention to the fourth being that was standing nearby, a lady that, despite being slightly shorter than Celestia and slightly taller than Twilight, was wearing a set of attire that made her look like an Egyptian god. Her coat was amber colored, while her hair and tail possessed a brilliant amaranth color that had light apple green colored stripes to it, but even then Sombra could tell, from just a glance, that her power was no laughing matter, even if he had no idea what sort of power she possessed or how strong she really was, since he could only feel a fraction of her true might... and, just like the trio that were standing near her, she had a horn on her head, just like he still had his horn.

"Sombra, former king of the Crystal Empire, it is good to see you again," Celestia spoke up, though at the same time he could tell that she was choosing her words with care, since she clearly wasn't sure if he could be trusted or not, which might be because she might be cautious of his escort, since some of them were powerful in their own right.

"Princess Celestia, it is good to see you and your sister, Princess Luna, as well," Sombra replied, to which he bowed his head in respect, no doubt surprising the sisters for a moment, since the last time they had seen each other had been on the battlefield as enemies, before he did the same to the duo that he hadn't mentioned yet, "Twilight Sparkle, it's also nice to see you as well, despite the last time we saw each other when the Crystal Empire returned from when I cursed it, and, um... I'm sorry, but I don't think we've been introduced to each other. I, as you no doubt know, am Sombra, the new King of Hueco Mundo and the Dios Hueco, the Hollow God if you prefer, even though I think I'll need to explain what those things to are to all of you."

"Indeed. I am Sunset Shimmer, the God of Destruction for our entire universe," the fourth lady said, though at the same time the group behind Sombra stiffened, as hearing that she was a god, much less one that ruled over the realm of destruction, had been quite a shock, before she turned her head towards them and beckoned to the trio near her, "Allow me to introduce Celestia, my Angel and personal trainer in the aspects of magic that I might not know or fully understand, Princess Luna, the sole ruler of Canterlot during the time that Celestia and I are off world, and Twilight Sparkle, the God of Creation, or Kaioshin, for our universe. I'll explain everything in detail later, when you get around to explaining what you went through, but for now you've got me curious... who are the soldiers that you've brought with you?"

"Allow me to introduce Zangetsu, the Primera Espada and the strongest Arrancar under my command," Sombra said, where he moved his hand towards the people that had come with him, mentioning who they were just as his hand was level with them, "Tier Harribel, the Tres Espada and leader of the Tres Bestias, who are three powerful Arrancar that serve under her and follow her orders, though these days she makes sure that any order she gives is one I agree with, since I am the one that rules over Hueco Mundo. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, the new Quinto Espada to replace the deceased Nnoitra, though she prefers to go by 'Nel' these days, followed by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the Sexta Espada and the first one that realized that I was in the middle of taking over Hueco Mundo when I arrived with some of my friends to stop Aizen Sosuke's plans, not to mention save the world. This lovely lady, that's standing close to me, is Yoruichi Shihoin, a Shinigami whose skilled in hand to hand combat and personally trained me when I first found myself in the world that I was sent to, even though I had no memory of who I had been and forged a new persona, and she's one of my lovers. And finally we have Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami for Karakura Town, the place I called home for some time, and he's one of the closest friends I have in the world I was sent to."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Twilight spoke up, though while Sombra had been talking she noticed that all of the people that Sombra had brought with him had weird masks on their face, some of them had holes that went all the way through parts of their chests, and their individual powers seemed quite strong, exactly like Sombra felt, before something else came to mind, "Wait, you said that you made friends with Ichigo and some of the other people in the town you were sent to, and you even mentioned that you stopped someone's plan, since that man was trying to destroy the world that you found yourself living on... does that mean you're not the same Sombra that ruled over the Crystal Empire?"

"I am still the same Sombra that you know about, but I have put my dark past behind me," Sombra stated, though he couldn't fault Twilight for thinking about that, since she knew that he had been horrible towards the ponies that had called the Crystal Empire home a thousand years ago, "I am no longer the dark and evil being that you once knew, rather I am a force of good that protects the innocent and tears down villains that want to destroy the world."

Celestia and Luna stared at him for a moment with shock on their faces, showing Ichigo and the others that they knew of Sombra's past, which made sense considering that they were the ones that had beaten him in the past, but hearing that he was a completely different person than he had been a thousand years ago, and saved people instead of tormenting them, was quite a shock for the two of them.

"Is that so?" Sunset asked, because that was interesting, since she knew about Sombra's past as well, but at the same time something came to mind and she was curious as to whether or not Celestia agreed with her, only for her mentor to nod her head for a moment, "Before we sit down and start going over what happened to you, to bring you to the point where you put your dark past behind you and took up being a force of good, how about we head out and see how well you do in a battle against Celestia?"

Sombra raised an eyebrow for a moment, as he wasn't expecting someone to issue a challenge to him while he was here, but at the same time he had to admit that the thought of engaging in a battle with Celestia, whose power was greater than what he remembered, interested him greatly.

"Sure, I'm up for a short battle." Sombra answered, though at the same time he knew that the battle to come was going to be an interesting, since he knew that Celestia was strong and that she would test him to the limits of his new powers, which would actually allow him to understand the true power of the Dios Hueco.

Sombra watched as Celestia waved her scepter and formed a large spherical barrier around them, showing that they were apparently heading off world when they broke through the atmosphere of Equus, though at the same time he was actually interested in seeing what was going to happen next... and he was sure that, despite her calm exterior, that Celestia was thinking the same thing, meaning that they were going to enjoy the battle they were heading towards.