The snow storm was as strong as ever when the first ponies returned to the streets. The citizens of the Crystal Empire had a hard time ploughing their way through the white carpet that already went up to their ankles. The prospect of witnessing the Crystalling was still worth it. Even the campers who had waited all night on the castle plaza had been ordered to go home and they were the first to return.
Eclipse, Peridot and their parents were among the crowd that wandered to the castla plaza. The ice could not dampen their anticipation of the great event. What would the royal heir look like? They had heard it was an alicorn. That had to be quite a sight. The announcement of the princesses to fix the Crystal Heart with the love and admiration of the citizens was not only flattering, it was going to be their salvation. Everypony was happy to give all their trust and support to the royal family who, along with their friends, had saved them twice already. Eclipse used his wooden shield to protect himself and Peridot from the falling snow while White Alloy cast a small spell to float bigger clumps out of the way when they got stuck in it.
There was one exception from the crowd. A single, dark grey unicorn with a curved red horn ran away from the castle, towards the barrier. Sombra dashed along the streets so fast that it almost looked as if he was flying. The cold did not bother him much; he was sweating. Steam rose from his nostrils as he used all his stamina and determination to get as far away from the Empire as possible.
He had to get outside the Barrier. He needed to know what he was supposed to do. Only the Umbrum would be able to help.
Sombra reached the edge of the city an hour later. The snow storm hat covered the entire sky and the ice rain was everywhere. It it was hard to tell where the red Umbrum crystal was. Still, he found the formation on a familiar hill.
"Mother!" he shouted against the howling wind.
The crystal formation did not answer.
"Mother!" he repeated, stepping closer and touching the blood red surface.
"Mother, answer me! I have returned! Grant me your powers once again!"
Finally, the crystal answered. A dark presence stirred in the spikes and focused its cold gaze on Sombra.
Oh, look who's come back. It's the failed king, it sneered.
"Please, help me!" shouted Sombra against the wind. "You must know how to get them back. Am I not your champion? I will free you once I have reclaimed my throne!"
Champion? Thousands of hissing voices cackled, their echoes reverberating in Sombra's mind. The Umbrum laughed at him, full of glee and anger and hatred. You are no champion. We unleashed your might, your shadow self, and you managed to fail not once but twice!
"I - I'm sorry! Give me another chance and I- -"
Never! You had your chances! the Umbrum snarled. We have sent a new champion. He will free us! You may rot in Tartarus, good-for-nothing disappointment that you are. Even if we could, we would not awaken you again! Your powers were inside you, not a trinket that can be passed from a pony to another. Fool! If you lost them, they are lost.
"But... but I am one of you! You said I was your son!" Sombra could not manage to keep the panic out of his voice as he caught himself begging.
You are; but what of it? An offspring that cannot free his kin, what is he worth? Go away, Sombra, and die! Die at the hooves of the princesses! They will find you and do away with you, and good riddance, too.
Sombra was speechless. He felt the colour drain from his face. His belly was numb, like a bag filled with ice. This could not be happening! How could his own people cast him away? After having to grow up alone, discovering his powers alone, ruling alone, they would not take him back? He had no place in the Empire and no place with the Umbrum?
"Please, just let me come home to you," he croaked, pressing his hooves against the cold red stone. "Please."
The crystal remained silent. Sombra begged for a long time but no plea and no offer was answered. The Umbrum had left him.
He staggered away from the crystal, his vision blurring. Sombra was all alone, a little grey pony in the snow storm. He had thought that the pain of dying was terrible but, as it turned out, the pain of being completely and utterly left alone was much, much worse.
"As you can see," said Darren slowly, "you really just released King Sombra."
Blaze's reaction was not what he expected. Instead of shock, there was confusion. Blaze stared at him with disbelief.
"What?" he said, a word in a language that Darren did not understand.
"Pardon?"
Blaze said something again, getting a clueless frown from Darren.
"I think Twilight's translation spell just wore off," he assumed.
Blaze shook his head, trying to signify that he did not understand, either. He turned around and gave a short wave towards the window. The pony with the fiery mane stood up and joined them in the interrogation room.
"Captain," said Blaze, "we have a problem."
"I figured. You've been staring at the creature for an entire minute."
"The spell revealed that Mr Houndslayer was trespassing but did not commit a burglary. Also that he actually captured Sombra."
"What?!"
Blaze's ears splayed back. "Also, the truth spell countered another active spell. Darren can't understand our language anymore. I'm trying to work around it but it would help to find a pony with some lingual expertise." He hung his head. "We actually had him. We had Sombra. But I did not believe that somepony could rise from the dead. Apparently, Darren's sword managed to do just that. We'll have to start a search."
Coral Spark frowned and rubbed his muzzle, deep in thought. He looked at Darren who met his gaze and gave him a polite nod.
"I'm not so sure about that. Did the... new Sombra commit a crime after rising again?"
Blaze hesitated. "None that I know of."
"Well, then I suppose he's innocent."
"Sir?" Blaze was not sure if he misheard the Captain.
"On what grounds would you search for him, hm? The crime of being alive? He died, didn't he?"
Blaze nodded slowly. "I saw him explode. I even told Houndslayer."
"Then he paid for his crimes. Death is a capital punishment in the Griffin Kingdom. We don't even have a death penalty. Sombra just died because the magic of the Crystal Heart blasted him. He may have been a cruel, arrogant bastard but he still would have gotten a trial and, most likely, a life sentence.
"On top of that," Spark continued, "there's the reformation cases. You know, Princess Luna, Discord, Starlight Glimmer... I'm sure you read the news. If Sombra really regrets what he's done, who knows what the judgement will be."
"With respect, Sir, I'm surprised to hear this from you," remarked Blaze.
Coral Spark frowned. "I didn't say I have sympathy for the prick but we have to consider the possibilities. A pony risen from the dead, that would be a first. But Princess Luna's case is a little similar. We can't ignore that."
Blaze hummed, not entirely convinced.
"What about this po-, creature here?" asked Spark. "You said he managed to defeat Sombra?"
"Yes, Sir, and he did not even break a sweat. I think the 'king' is back to being a regular unicorn."
"Okay, Indigo, we're gonna do this: We will keep our eyes peeled, just in case, but if Sombra doesn't stir up trouble we can't arrest him. I will inform the Princess and Prince. We will search for him but that's because we need him as a witness."
"Understood." Blaze saluted. "What about Houndslayer?"
"Did he steal anything?"
"No, Sir. He wanted to hide. I do not know yet how the children are involved. The colt seems to like him."
Spark smiled wryly. "Maybe they invited him without permission from the parents. Rush is off duty tomorrow but interview her and the husband as soon as you can."
"Yes, Sir. There's something else. Houndslayer punched a guard in the castle, to escape when he accidentally found the throne room."
Spark thought about that for a moment. "Then find out who was on duty today and bring them here. We're gonna get to the bottom of this. Tonight, Houndslayer gets a room in the dungeon. And get a notebook until we find a translator." Coral Spark rushed out of the room, leaving a slightly frazzled Blaze behind.
Blaze turned around to face Darren, who looked at him expectantly. He had watched the entire conversation without making a movement or sound. Blaze had not even seen him breathe which freaked him out a little. He wondered how much information Darren had gathered from the gestures.
"Sorry about that," said Blaze. "Wait here," he added, pointing at the desk. Blaze quickly left the room and cantered to the counter. The station had emptied somewhat; most of the ponies who had come here in the panic caused by the snow storm had left again for the Crystalling. A few unlucky guards had to hold the fort, Deep Print being one of them.
"Hey, Print, got a fresh notebook for me?" asked Blaze.
"Sure, here you go. How's the interview going?"
Blaze rolled his eyes. "Made some progress but now another problem popped up. Gotta deal with it somehow."
"Good luck, then."
"Yeah. Thanks."
Darren waited patiently for Blaze to return. After two minutes, the pony was back with a book in his magic. He slapped it onto the table without much of a care. Pulling his chair around the table, Blaze gestured for Darren to stand up. Blaze positioned both seats next to each other, facing the window. Both sat down again - with a bit of distance between them. Blaze's horn lit up and the fountain pen reappeared.
Now Darren understood where this was going. He nodded and pulled the notebook closer.
Blaze opened the book and drew a sketch on the first page. First, a simplified castle and a stickpony lying inside it. Then, next to the pony, a stick version of Darren with a sword. Blaze also drew a group of tiny birds and spirals that circled around the pony's head. Darren snorted as he recognized the birds. Then, he grew serious again. He nodded and pointed first at the stickman, then himself.
"Yes, I did that. I'm sorry."
Blaze kept drawing. Another stickman appeared on the paper, this time, in a box. As Blaze added vertical lines to the box, Darren sighed and nodded again. He was not surprised to get into jail for this. For how long, though? And would he get a proper trial? What did the ponies consider a proper trial anyway?
"May I have the pen?"
Blaze tilted his head and hesitated. Darren pointed at the pen.
After getting the writing instrument, Darren pointed at the detained stickman and added a sun and moon, then another sun. Before he could draw more, he was stopped by Blaze's hoof. To Darren's relief, the pony crossed out all celestial bodies except for one moon.
The page was full so they turned it over. Blaze drew a big castle and inside it a stickman, flanked by two ponies. A third pony stood before a stylized throne. The pony had a horn, wings and a long mane and tail. Blaze gave the alicorn a crown - she was a princess. One foreleg pointed at Darren. He hoped that this meant that he would get a fair trial for his trespassing. Was it normal that they went to the rulers for something like this? Was the crime rate so low in this country that they did not need a judge? This could either mean very harsh or very harmless punishment. Darren had no way to tell. Still, he understood that he was meant to remain in custody for a while longer until this was sorted out. Darren just hoped that he would find a way to contact Twilight before this got out of hand.
Blaze began another sketch. He drew a stickman, then, next to him, an apple, a stylized loaf of bread and a block with holes, probably cheese.
Darren shook his head. He did not need to eat. Blaze looked at him incredulously so Darren took the pen and crossed the food out, then gave the stickman a smiling mouth. He usually did not smile but he hoped that Blaze would get what he meant with this.
"I will be alright without food," said Darren, leaning back in the chair.
"If you are sure about this..." Blaze magicked the pen and notebook away and stood up. "Let's get you to the dungeon."
Darren had the impression that Blaze wanted him to follow. They left the interrogation room. There was a flight of stairs at the opposite end of the corridor. They followed it downwards, into the bowels of the station. The basement corridor had smaller windows just below the ceiling; no one would be able to crawl through them. The left side was seamed with heavy doors. Blaze opened one of them and led Darren inside. A bed, table and toilet were the only furniture. A single window and a crystal lamp under the ceiling provided some light. As Darren entered the room, he saw that the other side of the door lacked a handle. He dropped his backpack on the table and sat down on the bed.
Blaze smiled awkwardly and left the room. The door closed with a metallic clanking. A key turned in a lock. Darren listened as the hoofsteps grew quieter and trailed off eventually.
Blaze was sure he had missed the beginning of the Crystalling when he gallopped to the castle plaza. He could hear the happy cheers of the crowd over the howling wind of the snowstorm. Thankful for the coat he had gotten used to wearing, Blaze had still taken the time to go home and get a hoodie. That had cost him valuable time; he dashed through the streets and came to a skidding halt behind a surprised family in the back row.
"Sorry," he muttered, brushing the snow off his coat and trying to catch his breath. "Has it started yet?"
The lower part of the castle that contained the pedestal of the Crystal Heart had been hidden by heavy curtains. Eerie lights shone through the cloth as if there was a silent disco party going on behind it. Some ponies looked at each other in confusion. Then, everything became clear when the royal family finally appeared. They stepped onto a platform which was decorated with a large heart-shaped frame. Another pony, a yellow unicorn who was probably the crystaller, held a baby in his hooves. That had to be the heir. Six other ponies accompanied the family. Blaze recognized all of them; the purple alicorn was the famous Princess Twilight Sparkle and the other five mares were her best friends, the Element Bearers. And, of course, there was Spike, the young dragon that defeated Sombra. Blaze had only seen him from afar; the crystal statue of Spike was definitely much larger than life, though.
The parents lit their horns to cast a spell. The heir giggled with delight when their magic slowly lifted her into the air. The crystaller announced her as the newest member of the Crystal Empire. Blaze noticed that he did not mention her name. The alicorn baby spread her wings widely and smiled at the crowd, radiating with golden magic as if she was a little sun shining upon the city.
"She's so pretty!" sighed Peridot happily, pressing her hooves together. She could not keep her eyes off the heir.
The tiny alicorn baby floated in front of the gathered city state, radiating joy and benevolence. Eclipse wondered if she was flying of her own accord or magically supported by her happy parents. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband, Prince Shining Armor, were both magically adept ponies, as Dad always said. Eclipse believed they had to be. One day, he would stand among the guards beside them, protecting the heir with his life. The thought made him giddy with anticipation. Now that he looked at him, Shining Armor seemed kind of exhausted; his wife, too.
"Is it just me or are they looking tired?" said Eclipse.
"Well, they do have a baby at their hooves," laughed White Alloy. "Also, they probably stayed awake until they found a way to fix the Crystal Heart."
The cheers and exclamations of admiration throughout the crowd grew and reached an apex when everypony bowed and kneeled down before the heir. Eclipse's family bowed along with everypony else. He felt as if his heart had grown to twice its normal size. The love of all the ponies around him washed over him like the biggest hug in the world, except he felt hugged inside his soul. It felt almost a bit weird, maybe because he had never experienced anything like this before.
There was a tiny shiver than ran down his spine; Eclipse could not place it. For a short moment, he wished that the blue glowing magic that spread over the plaza would die away. He shook his head and stood up again.
"Look," said Feather, "everypony's love is manifesting!"
"Mani-what?" asked Eclipse.
"It's becoming visible. There, the crystaller has this small shard in his magic, see? He's absorbing the love into it. That blue magic."
"Probably to restore the heart," muttered White thoughtfully. "I don't know how they do it, though. He must be some kind of important wizard."
The crystaller, a yellow stallion with orange hair, was wearing a blue cloak embroidered with stars. After the love magic had been absorbed by the crystal shard, he quickly ran into the part of the castle that was hidden behind a heavy curtain.
Another wave of light washed over the city and changed everypony.
"Mom! Look - I've become a real crystal pony!" cried Peridot happily. She waved her hoof in front of Feather. Her mother hugged her and smiled widely. Her eyes were shinier that usual. Eclipse looked at his own hooves, and found that he, too, had turned into an actual crystal pony like everypony else. His coat was now slightly see-through and his usually ruffled, wavy black mane was now well-groomed. He could see his own reflection in his father's coat. Everypony glittered and shone, thus reflecting the powerful magic of the Crystal Heart.
And really, the Crystal Heart had been restored! The snow storm slowed down almost immediately; the wind stopped blowing ice into everypony's faces and the cold streets warmed up again. Eclipse joined in the cheering of the citizens that had somehow managed to grow even louder. He tackle-hugged Peridot and waved his shield to greet the heir and the Prince and Princess. Eclipse felt as a part of something greater; he was now a crystal pony among his own kind.
This was the best day of his life.