//------------------------------//
// Binding The Threads 
// Story: Reacquiring The Throne 
// by Unknown Ficwriter 
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A year and a half had passed since Twilight and her friends confronted Sombra. Since then Sombra's workload had tripled as Equestria became aware of his redemption efforts. Standing outside his hut Sombra watched as each load of chrystals was hauled off to their respective recipients. Once again alone he entered the hut and opened the chest.

Removing the picture he stared longingly at it, wishing to rejoin the occupants within. Several minutes past before he placed the photo back into the chest. Giving the orb a quick glace he closed the lid before exiting the hut. Breaking a chunk of rock from a nearby ledge, he began to infuse it with magic.

Once saturated, the rock took on a reddish-orange glow as its molecules vibrated faster. Once reduced to a molted glob he shifted its composition as it cooled. With the precision of a surgeon, he removing any imperfections that formed. After studying the finished product Sombra channeled a good portion of his magic into it.

After making an alter several feet from the doorway he entered his hut. After placing the second orb next to the chest he unclasped his cape. Once spread out along the floor he laid upon it. Thoughts about what he needed to do swirled in his mind until sleep claimed his weary spirit.

Seven hours had pasted before Sombra stirred from his slumber. After retrieving his cape and switched the orbs he stepped outside. Placing it into the alter's stony grasp he teleported to the dragon city. Once there he attempted to utilize the magic the laid dormant within the dragons as the medium to gain control over them.

Dragons were known for being able to shake off magic like rain on an umbrella. However, when a considerable amount of magic saturated a dragon's body its magical resistance would eventually fail. By catering to their "sweet tooth" Sombra was able to saturate their bodies with magic.

He stood for several minutes before the first dragon emerged from their cave. Soon he was surrounded by dragons eagerly awaiting his command. Following him back to his hut he ordered them to breathe fire onto the orb. Some dragons landed while others remained in the sky. 

While the dragons did his bidding Sombra entered the hut. While preparing for the task ahead Ember managed to break his sway over her. Due to her restraint of crystal eating Sombra's sway wasn't as strong as the others. After failing to rouse several dragons she ducked behind a rock. After scrawling a quick message onto a broken slab she set it ablaze. To her relief, it dematerialized just as a scroll would have.

With that accomplished, she peeked around the corner to assess the situation. A few small pebbles fell from the rock above but only after her vision went dark did she realize what they foreshadowed.

Meanwhile, in the Crystal Empire Cadence was tutoring Flurry Heart on controlling her magic. Although surprised to have a rock appear from the magical vapor Cadence caught it with ease. Surprise turned to fear as she read the plea for help. Realizing the deep etches were from Ember she excused herself to find Shining Armor.

As luck would have it Shining Armor was in the barracks. Once informed of the situation on Dragon Isle they and every unicorn prepared to confront Sombra. A bizarre sight met their eyes as numerous dragons littered the ground encompassing Sombra. He appeared to be projecting a green energy beam onto the door frame of his hut.

The hope of having arrived undetected was shattered as Sombra vanished to reappear in front of them. No longer obstructed Cadence saw the green stream of magic originated from an orb. Returning her gaze to Sombra she noticed his mane flailed wildly with magic. While he stared at them through spheres of purplish flickering flames.

With a stomp of his hoof, Shining Armor demanded an explanation. Humoring their desire to talk, Sombra revealed his plan to free the Umbrum. Having heard the nightmarish tales of the Umbrum, every pony gasped in horror. Cadence asked why he'd want to burden Equestria with such vile monsters. With a disdainful expression, he reminded them that he as also an Umbrum.

The absence of any reaction told him the guards also knew of his heritage. While Shining Armor continued to glare, Cadence took a few steps forward. Her attempt to persuade him to stop fell flat as he teleported away. Noticing the connecting stream of energy had dissipated he flashed them a toothy grin before dashing through the portal.

Hoping to find a way to close the portal Shining Armor and Cadence made their way to the pedestal. As they trotted they attempted to formulate a plan in case they had to fight. Slowing their pace Cadence encompassed the orb in magic. "That's odd, this orb seems to radiate the same energy as my mother's diaries," Cadence mused.

Plucking it from the pedestal she passing it to Shining Armor before approaching the portal. Heeding his warning she prepared a spell in case something came out. Directly in front of it now, Cadence extended her magic to touch the outer rim of the portal. After determining its magical composition she allowed her magic to blend into the vortex.

Once saturated she attempted to destabilize it by overcharging her magic. Unfortunately, the swirling energies began to fluctuate before any progress could be made. Before she could retreat an Umbrum emerged from the portal. It was twice the height of an average equine, its body swirled and folded into itself like smoke in a bottle.

Spotting Cadence, the Umbrum summoned its magic. As a barrage of magical bolts flew from its vaporous horn Cadence utilized a teleportation spell. The two actions were almost perfectly synced together that it appeared Cadence was vaporized. Tears streamed down Shining Armor's cheeks as he stared at the spot where she'd once stood.

Anger soon took over as he set his sights on the Umbrum. Before he could take a step something heavy struck him in the back. Rolling whatever it was off he spun around and froze. A motionless Cadence laid before him, her shoulder, front leg and back were blackened from the attack. A rush of relief flooded his soul as he detected her pulse.

Levitating her up gently they teleported behind a rock far from the battle. Placing Cadence on her side he kissed her cheek before rejoining the fight. Reappearing next to the pedestal he fired at the Umbrum. Only after discharging his magic did he notice he still held the orb. Even more, surprising was the amplification of his magic. His attention turned to the Umbrum as it screamed in pain.

A grin of satisfaction formed on his lips as Shining Armor rushed to assist his troops. Although holding their own the Umbrum was wearing them down. Shooting another beam into its face Shining Armor called the guards over to him. Erecting a barrier as soon as the last guard joined them he explained their adjusted strategy.

Before dropping the shield he revealed the condition of Princess Cadence. The fact that she was moderately ok seemed to revitalize their spirits. Two groups of seven broke from the group to attack the Umbrum from the sides. Since Cadence was unable to participate Shining Armor had asked two unicorns to remain with him. At his command, the three of them channeled their magic through the orb.

The resulting beam electrified the very air as it rocketed toward its target. Striking the Umbrum in the snout it stumbled backward to smash into the crystal hut. Realizing what had happened it leaped to its hooves to inspect the damage. The hut itself crumbled while the damaged portal remained standing. The vortex began to fluctuate rapidly but remained intact.

With an angry roar, the Umbrum began to gather a copious amount of energy. Guessing what was about to happen Shining Armor, flanked by the two unicorns, rushed toward the Umbrum. While not intentional the other two groups joined him thinking it was an aggressive maneuver.   

With only a couple of feet between them, both parties launched their attacks. The colliding energies sheered the ground away at the point of impact. While appearing evenly matched the Umbrum was slowly overpowering them. Realizing this Shining Armor advised the rest of the guards to channel their powers through the orb as well.

Lifting it high above his head, every pony stopped their individual attacks to channel their magic instead. The resulting blast tore through the Umbrum's magic like tissue paper, smashing hard into its chest. Fighting the urge to cover their ears from the banshee-like screeches of pain they poured more energy into the orb.

Streaks of purifying light burst from the point of impact to creep along the Umbrum's body. Only after the light had covered its legs did the Umbrum become unbalanced. Despite its struggle, the Umbrum was propelled backward to smash through the already damaged archway.

With nothing to contain the portal's energy, it burst forth in several explosions of brilliant green. Now assaulted by two sources of magic the Umbrum was soon vaporized. Realizing they'd won the unicorns disengaged to regroup around Princess Cadence was. To their relief Cadence had regained consciousness.

Once Cadence had been informed of the situation, Shining Armor asked the guards to search for any trace of the Umbrum. After an hour the only thing they'd discovered was a chest in the collapsed hut. Recognizing it as the chest Sombra took Shining Armor opened the lid. Inside he found a rolled-up scroll, an orb, and a picture.

Suspicious of the orb he withdrew the picture first. Even though Sombra hadn't regained his memories when the photograph was taken seeing him smile seemed strange. While unable to identify the unicorn next to him, the one behind them was unmistakably Princess Amore. Passing the picture to Cadence, Shining Armor picked up the scroll.

By reading the message he learned that the Umbrum wasn't initially evil. It was during the construction of the crystal castle that equine and Umbrum encountered each other. Explaining how an accidental experiment resulted in contacting the Umbrum. It also described the erection of the barriers between their worlds, Alazard's exile to the Umbrum dimension, his plot against the king, and how he corrupted the Umbrum.

Shining Armor's eyes widened as he read about Alazard becoming an Umbrum after his soul was extracted from his body. He also learned that Sombra was created by the Umbrum combining their powers and placed inside the vacant body. It also detailed how Sombra was able to pass through the barrier once his powers were suppressed.

Skimmed the parts where it described how he ended up in the Crystal Empire and about his memory loss. While informative it wasn't until the last two paragraphs that garnered some sympathy from Shining Armor. They relayed how the repetitive exposure of the Elements of Harmony and the Crystal Heart had cleansed him of Alazard's corruption.

Once freed Sombra expressed his desire to return the Umbrum to their peaceful nature. Although hurried the last paragraph expressed his regret in using whomever Ember reached out to. While Rabia, Alazard's adopted name, was his burden to deal with. Sombra knew Rabia held the loyalty of the Umbrum.

By allowing Rabia to travel through the portal, he'd have a better chance to accomplish his mission. Furthermore, the use of the orb gifted to him from Princess Amore as his channeling medium would saturate the portal with purifying energies. Since Rabia was a creature of hatred and strife he wouldn't arrive at full power.

With no idea or indication about the orb in the chest, they left it alone. Placing the other items back into the chest they closed the lid. While Cadence was taken to the hospital to receive treatment. Shining Armor and a group of guards remained with the dragons. Thankfully the dragons thought the whole experience was a walking-dream brought on by an over-indulgence of crystals.

The only exception was Ember who needed a helmet to be under Sombra's control. After a lengthy discussion Ember agreed to keep the whole affair a secret. With a farewell, Shining Armor and the guards teleported to the Crystal Empire with the chest. That night Cadence and Shining Armor silently wished Sombra good luck in his endeavor as they stared at the stars.