//------------------------------// // Chapter 32 Payback part 3 Return of an Old Friend // Story: Super Stallion // by PioneerofImagination //------------------------------// The rogues gathered together ready for the final phase of the plan. "So we're all here, or what's left of us," a pony said to the rest of the rogues. "So you all know what to do?" The others nodded. "And no more reckless running to do your own thing that wasn't part of my plans whatsoever got it?!" The hooded figure stared right at Weather Warper who was more than aware of what he was talking about. "Yeah yeah," She responded, shrugging it off. Suddenly to everypony's shock the pony tackled Weather Warper to the ground and proceeded to lightly strangle her. "Don't yeah yeah me! Your carelessness cost us Prank Master who'd have been very helpful for this part of the plan. On top of that she told Princess Celestia where the final stage of my master plan would be so that's also on you." The pony then let go of Weather Warper and stood up while she was still on the ground gasping for air.  "Prank Master wasn't my fault," Weather Warper said, still gasping. "Gentleman Thief was supposed to aid whoever needed backup." "As I have previously mentioned I attempted to retrieve Prank Master but she ran off too quickly for me and upon my return you and Mimicry had already flown the coop and I thought it best to do the same." "Uh by the way bro," Mimicry said. "With the Crystal Empire on the lookout for all of us and Inferno locked up, maybe we should put this off." "This changes nothing, it's time to finally make Super Stallion pay for what he did to me." The hooded figure then turned to a stallion quiet and motionless in the corner. "You stay by me, I want to see the look his face when he sees you." ***  The Crystal Empire was in the middle of a crystal fair; some of the ponies that were on the lookout for the rogues were even getting into it, when the rouges attacked. Pony Ivy summoned plant roots nearly as tall as the nearby mountains and started wrapping them around the castle and a few of the nearby buildings causing a panic. Weather Warper used the clouds to make rain, hail, snow, and even hit several buildings with lightning while Mimicry took the form of her sister Inferno and lit a couple places on fire. During all this Gentleman Thief as he usually did quickly and quietly made his way to the Crystal Heart. "Such an astonishing artifact," Gentleman Thief said. Then he did what he did best and stayed out of sight while making his way below the castle to meet up with the new rogue leader. While that was going on Squeaky Clean who came to the Crystal Empire made his change into Super Stallion and flew to the castle. "I think the plant life around here needs to take it down a bit." Before Super Stallion could get to the plants though he was grabbed by Mimicry that once again took his form.  "Wouldn't you rather play with me instead?" "In all honesty, no not really."  "Too bad." Mimicry then flung Super Stallion then hit him in the jaw, the gut, double kicked him in the head, and slammed him into the ground.  "Why did that hurt so much?" Super Stallion asked picking himself up. "I feel like I did the first couple of times I fought, Discord!" "Well from the sound of things you figured it out, after our last fight the master planner that is my brother gave me a boost of chaos magic that was poured into my Mimic Medallion. So now I can do whatever you can with a chaotic bonus. I'm about to go beyond plus ultra!" Mimicry then attacked Super Stallion with a barrage of punches with chaos magic coming out of her front hooves.  Suddenly the changeling army arrived at the Crystal Empire with Chrysalis leading them along with a large group of strange thugs that got off a train. The royal pony sisters who had put out the fires and helped the crystal ponies get to safety noticed as well and would have to focus on them next. On top of that Shining Armor who went to try and get to his wife who was still in the castle was pushed back and knocked out by a large black cloud that soon took the form of none other than King Sombra.  ***  Below the castle Gentleman Thief met up with his new leader who to his surprise was with a mare that he never saw before. "Who might this young mare be?" "Somepony that I set this whole plan in motion just to help her. Did you get the Crystal Heart?" "Naturally." Gentleman Thief offered it to him and in return he gave it to the mare that was known as Radiant Hope. Shortly afterwards she entered a small room where she found her old friend King Sombra. When Sombra escaped from Twilight's body he made it all the way to his old kingdom to lay in wait to recover in a rather secret room. Radiant Hope, an old friend of King Sombra and by use of a spell, brought him back to his physical form.  "My curiosity rather requires me to ask what will such actions accomplish by leaving her alone in that rather mysterious room?"  "You see Gentleman Thief. I came across this mare a while ago and she shared such interesting stories with me. Stories that provided what I found to be very useful information."  ***  "How does something go from okay to bad and then from bad to utterly horrible in such a short amount of time?" Super Stallion asked, still busy with Mimicry.  "That just shows you the massive genius of my brother Payback, oh geez I did it again." "Did what again?"  "Talking too much he specially ordered none of us to mention his name to you because he wanted to do that himself." Suddenly Super Stallion was blasted in the chest by Mimicry whose magic beam had a fair amount of chaos magic. “Not that it matters.” “Why not?” "Because I'm going to beat you so senseless you won't be able to do anything." Super Stallion was then punched so hard he landed on the other side of the Crystal Empire. There Princess Luna was fighting off the changelings and Swift Sweep was backing her up.  Super Stallion managed to get back up and Mimicry appeared right behind.  "Super Stallion! You have a twin?" Wow you think you know a pony." "That's not my twin Swift Sweep, that's Mimicry, she's a rogue that can take the form of anypony and copy their powers and abilities." "Now with a chaos magic bonus," Mimicry added.  "Oh," Swift Sweep said. "Well I don't want to rush you but do you think you can beat her up now so you can help with all the other things going on?" "I'd love to but how do I beat somepony that copies everything I can do?"  "Oh come on don't let that stop you. Think of it this way: she's live action Tiger Prince, your animated Tiger Prince. Sure she's made more bits but you'll always be the immortal classic that may or may not have ripped off The Albino Panther. Honestly it's kind of up in the air. They said it was an original story but even the head writer said it was an adaptation of Lot's of Ham which in itself was also an adaptation of another story. But it kind of doesn't matter since The Albino Panther's creator admitted to taking a lot of influence from Bumbi the Dearest Deer so ultimately it goes full circle and…...what were we talking about?"  "I think I got your point," Super Stallion said as he flew up ready to fight Mimicry and she followed. "Wow I had no idea that you were so passionate about movies," Princess Luna said.  "Well Tiger Prince is one of the all time greats. It's like the most profitable movie the company ever made." "Well actually didn't Insanely Cold bring in a lot more bits?" "Insanely Cold is an over bloated chick flick!" "Well this has been fun, only it hasn't," Super Stallion said. "But it's like Swift Sweep said I need to take you down to help with all the other stuff." "And you think it's going to be that easy?"  "Yes." Super Stallion then charged at Mimicry who tried to uppercut him but he dodged it and gave her a double spin kick with his back legs. Mimicry then shot out several chaos blasts but Super Stallion flew past all of them and socked Mimicry so hard she went through the castle and this time she was the one that landed on the other side of the Crystal Empire. Mimicry got up but right then Super Stallion grabbed her and threw up and blasted her dead on with several spells.  "You'll have to do better than that!" Mimicry said.  "Fine with me, I haven't even brought my A game yet." "Oh yeah!"  "Yeah!" Super Stallion flew up and dodged all of Mimicry's spells and hit her so hard she nearly went past the atmosphere.  "When I get my or rather your hooves on you," Mimicry said to herself but stopped when she couldn't see Super Stallion. This was because Super Stallion flew higher than Mimicry was and did it so quickly she didn't even notice. "Where'd you go?" "Look up," Super Stallion answered. Mimicry flew up to Super Stallion with a huge grin and socked him in the chest with an especially chaos powered punch. But her grin vanished when he not only hardly moved, but it also seemed unfazed by the attack as well. "Discord hits harder, much harder." Super Stallion blasted Mimicry pointblank, forcing Mimicry all the way to the ground in seconds. "That does it," Mimicry said, getting herself up. "Now I'm gonna get serious!" Super Stallion and Mimicry flew straight at each other and hit one another as hard as they could. Their clash created a shockwave that nearly shattered the Crystal Empire. Mimicry and Super Stallion then wailed on each other and despite Mimicry's chaos magic Super Stallion was still holding his advantage.  "If I was you and we both know I am, I'd throw in the towel," Super Stallion said. "I don't understand, I can copy all your powers. How are you winning?"  "Because I'm animated Tiger Prince and your live action Tiger Prince.” Super Stallion then charged Mimicry who didn't even have time to block and the 2 of them flew to the other side of the world once there Super Stallion blasted Mimicry as hard as he could. After that he started flying in the opposite direction and going all the way around the world to attack Mimicry more with all the momentum he got from flying.  "You won't win," Mimicry said, mostly trying to convince herself. "Oh I think I will," Super Stallion said as the 2 were already back to the Crystal Empire. Mimicry was blasted to the ground. When she hit the ground Mimicry reverted back into her original form.  “You may have all my powers but I fought with the drive to protect others. That was something even you couldn’t copy.” "You won't, beat me, I can, still fight," Mimicry said struggling to get up. "I don't think so." Super Stallion ripped the Mimic Medallion right off Mimicry's neck.   "No! It's mine!" Mimicry said, trying to turn back into Super Stallion but only did it for a couple seconds. "Payback gave it to me saying that I was the heart of his master plan. Let me have it!" "What?" "I said let me have it, let me have it right now!" Super Stallion socked Mimicry, finally knocking her out.  "You asked for it," Super Stallion said, who then broke the Mimic Medallion and let the pieces fall on Mimicry. "1 less rouge to worry about," he said just as Rainbow Dash came down carrying a knocked out Weather Warper and her staff. "Make that 2."  “She thought she could best me at what I’m best at but I bested her,” Rainbow Dash said.  “I know what you mean,” Super Stallion replied. Super Stallion and Rainbow Dash then tossed the rouges in a cell. Super Stallion got ready to fight the thugs and changelings when suddenly another army appeared, an army shadow ponies. "You've got to be kidding me."  "What in the wide world of Equestria are those things? Are they here to help us?" Pony Ivy asked himself as even he was shocked to see the shadow ponies flying around. Having already gotten into the castle and restrained numerous crystal guards along with their princess, he ran off deeper into the castle. "I think I better ask that master planner pony what he knows."  Meanwhile Princess Celestia was fighting Chrysalis who had a series of strange scars across her body that Celestia couldn't help but notice.  "What has happened to you?" Celestia asked.  "Used me," Chrysalis answered. "What?" "He used me now, have scars." "Who used you?" "The one that promised me my revenge and now after long time can finally have it, started with you." Chrysalis who struggled just to form a proper sentence attacked Celestia who despite feeling sorry for her didn't hesitate to defend herself. After exchanging several hits the queen and the princess exchanged beams. "Chrysalis stop this, I can help fix your brain."  "Your student was one that broke it in the first place, you expect me trust you?"  "By reflecting the spell you cast at her she was protecting herself," Celestia retorted. Chrysalis pushed her spell further but Celestia was able to overpower it and took her down making land where the heart was taken then used a stun spell to make sure she stayed down.  "Now let's see what I can do about all the other changelings."  "I think you've done enough," Sombra said, sneaking up on Celestia who tried to take down Sombra too but she was too tired from taking down Chrysalis. She was turned into stone, after that Princess Luna as well as Swift Sweep who took down more changelings and thugs arrived and saw what had become of Princess Celestia.  "Sister! What sinister sin have you sown upon my sweet sister Sombra?" "Wow, say that 5 times fast," Swift Sweep added.  "This," Sombra answered as he did to Luna what he did to Celestia.  "No!" Swift Sweep cried out at the sight of Princess Luna getting turned to stone. He tried to attack Sombra but he was pinned down by the thugs and the changelings and forced into a cage where he found Shining Armor, Spike, and the mane 6 with the exception of Twilight. While they all put up a rather good fight except, they were taken down and imprisoned. "Ah geez how the heck are we going to get out of this one?" "Don't worry Swift Sweep," Spike said. "As long as Twilight and Super Stallion are still out there fighting we have nothing to worry about." Meanwhile, Super Stallion was up in the air and tricked nearly all of the remaining changelings into 1 spot near the castle. Once he got there he used a burst of magic that hit all the changelings that chased him and were knocked out.  "Wow nice work Super Stallion," Twilight said who took down a few of the pony goons.  "Thanks," Super Stallion said as he nearly collapsed. "Frankly, I'm just happy to make a difference." "Are you okay?" Twilight asked as she ran over to Super Stallion who she noticed was quite out of breath.  "Yeah that was just quite a lot of magic, plus I had to use a lot of energy to take down Mimicry not too long ago." Super Stallion then managed to get back up again but struggled a bit to do so.  "Well don't worry, I think we got this attack just about handled," Twilight said. "The guards that didn't get trapped in the castle are being lead by Flash Sentry and they're fighting the last remaining trouble makers." "What about those things?" Super Stallion asked, referring to the Umbrum, aka the shadow ponies. "They haven't really attacked yet, probably waiting for something. I think I can help Flash deal with them. I say we split up. I help him out here and you go in the castle and help anypony that needs it there." "Sounds good to me." Super Stallion then flew into the castle using the entrance he made from his fight with Mimicry unknowingly leaving Twilight alone with Sombra. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me."  "Who are you?" Twilight asked as she turned around to face the newly returned King Sombra. "You don't remember me? How can that be when we've been so close to one another?" Sombra then noticed the bandage that was on Twilight's head. "Oh I see you must have had a rather serious loss of your precious memories. Well by all means please allow me to help you recover them." Suddenly Sombra rushed at Twilight and entered her mind as a means to take control of her.  "Stop it!" Twilight said as she struggled but soon found her inside her own head. A seemingly endless black abyss that was shined up by still pictures of moments from Twilight's life. As she looked at them she saw Sombra with her who was also looking at the pictures and saw some were broken or burnt. "Oh my, perhaps this is a bit more serious than I thought. But I suppose we can always take a much deeper look." Sombra then used his magic to repair some of the memories that Twilight was still trying to remember and as he did that they popped right into Twilight's head. "You've had quite a few adventures haven't you?" "Yeah I suppose I have." "Said it before, say it again. You would make a great student for me." "I may still have trouble remembering everything but I do remember giving you a giant no on the offer."  "Why not? You have darkness in you, Twilight. I know you do." Sombra then made certain moments in Twilight's life appear in front of them. The time she exploded at her friends at the almost wedding, the time she fought Chrysalis and knocked her out cold but still attacked her when she lost consciousness, and the time that screamed her head off at Starlight Glimmer. "Stop making me remember things I don't want to remember!" Twilight said.  "It's not just those moments there are quite a few others as well." "Everypony makes mistakes but they don't define us." "Mistakes show us our true nature!" "No they don't! Yes I've done things I'm not proud of, but I've done a lot more things that I am proud of." Sombra then made more and more memories fly by trying to do what he could to corrupt the princess of friendship.  "No matter how powerful the light in you shines it will always make some form of shadow and when the light fades as it always does, all it once touched will belong to the darkness." "Why are you so obsessed with the darkness in ponies anyway?"  "Why? Because that's what I am, an Umbrum, a pony of darkness."  "You were born that way?" Sombra then used his magic to make the pictures of memories appear around him and Twilight.  "No, I was created by my own kind and even though I didn't know that for a long time it was still the truth." "Wait if you didn't know that for a long time wasn't there something else you wanted to be?" "No, well yes but it doesn't matter because I was created to be a monster and that's all I can ever be." The memories started to change and change even faster but neither of them really seemed to notice. "No that's not right, wasn't there somepony that wanted to help you?" "Stop asking me all these questions, what does it matter?" "It does matter! There had to be somepony that didn't see you as a monster, who were they?" Suddenly a huge flash appeared and when it cleared Twilight and King Sombra found themselves back in the Crystal Empire but something was different about it that both of them noticed.  Suddenly King Sombra saw a small black coated colt running off with a crystal pony the same size as him. "It can't be," Sombra said as he rushed after the 2 little ponies and Twilight ran after.  "What can't be?"  "That's me when I was just a colt and that's my best friend Radiant Hope." "You did have a friend!" Twilight said and being the clever pony that she was put 2 and 2 together. "I get it now, this is your memory." "My memory? But how? I went inside your head? I was looking through your memories?" "I guess you tried so hard to get into my head I kind of got into your's."  "Radiant Hope don't be so fast, Sombra can't run as fast as you can."  "Oh come on you were doing a rather good job," Hope replied and before long they made it to the Crystal Heart where a tall unicorn approached them.  "Who's that?" Twilight asked. "She's beautiful." "That's Princess Amore, she was the princess of the Crystal Empire." "So what happened to her?" I don't remember her coming back with the rest of the Crystal Empire." "That's because she couldn't." Suddenly everything started to speed up around Twilight and Sombra and when it stopped it showed Sombra trying to take the Crystal Heart and when Princess Amore tried to stop him. "Even now, it's not too late for you, Sombra. You can return the heart and walk away."  "Princess Amore! What are you doing here?"  "Somepony needed my help so I came."  "She told me that I didn't have to be one of those monsters, that I had the potential to be better. But I didn't listen and in my anger." The Sombra from the memories blasted the princess turning her into a statue and the statue shattered into pieces.  "You killed her?!?"  "No I didn't kill her, I trapped her in stone that scattered all over. Not too long after that Celestia and Luna arrived at the Crystal Empire and the rest as they say is history." Twilight then saw the memory Sombra get banished to the frozen north while the entire Crystal Empire vanished, leaving Twilight and Sombra in the middle of a snowy wasteland. "There were ponies that tried to reach out to me but in the end I betrayed them. Because I'm a monster and that's all I can ever be." Sombra then used a spell that made him and Twilight leave their memories. "Discord," Twilight said, getting the attention of Sombra and snapping him out of his rather depressive state. "What?"  "Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony he tried to take over Equestria but now is trying to be friends with ponies and actually help us out from time to time." "What? That's not true, you're making that up." "No she isn't," Discord who appeared right out of nowhere above them said. He then disappeared before either of them could say anything.  "Wait, if he helps ponies why didn't he stay to help just now?" "Well, he helps in his own way. My point is he made a change and so can you. Sure ponies have darkness in them but they have light too. You are who you choose to be Sombra." Just then Radiant Hope managed to get out from under the castle and looked like she had been seriously hurt.  "Sombra," Hope said before she fell to the ground. Sombra in shock ran over to her and sat next to her lifting her head and back with his forelegs.  "Hope, what happened to you?" Twilight was shocked to hear that name. Hope, his friend before the Crystal Empire disappeared 1000 years ago. "I wanted to help you, help your kind, but I was betrayed."  "Betrayed?" But before Hope could answer she passed out and upon closer inspection Sombra and Twilight saw a blast mark suggesting that she was hit by quite a nasty spell.  *** Once Super Stallion got inside the castle he cut more and more of the plant roots to freeing the guards and eventually Cadance while trying not to use too much magic. "Thanks Super Stallion, you always lend a big helping hoof." "Thanks, glad to know that but where the heck is Pony Ivy Princess Cadance?"  "I'm not sure, I couldn't see all that much up there. But he may have gone below." Super Stallion then made his way below the castle while Cadance freed the others.  "It's time to take down the last of the rogues," Super Stallion said to himself as he found Pony Ivy in no time and right in the jaw sending into a crystal wall. "What's the big deal hitting me out of nowhere?" "The word karma comes to mind for what you've been doing here." "All I do, I do for the glorious green. And by the way I learned a new trick." Pony Ivy then made plant roots surround him and when many of them gathered they took the form of a large green snake. "What do you think of my new trick, Super Stallion?" Pony Ivy asked through the roots.  "What do you think of mine?" Super Stallion asked casting a fire spell that made fire surround himself and then he charged at the plant snake as a fire spear.  "No don't!" Super Stallion then pierced through while the fire stayed and spread. Pony Ivy tried to put the fire out but it was too fast for him to stop it and his root snake fell into pieces causing him to fall out. "Don't worry I'll put out the fire," Super Stallion said, casting a frost spell that put out the fire and freezing the plants as well. He then forced Pony Ivy into the wall. "Do you really care about the green?" "Huh? Of course I do."  "Then why do you never actually help it?! Why do you have to be a criminal when you can just use your powers to help a forest regrow after a fire or something like that. You could actually do a lot to help the environment but you never actually do it do you?"  “You…Actually have a point.” “Well food for thought,” Super Stallion said before knocking him out and restrained him with magic. Super Stallion then flew off not noticing the Gentleman Thief above him. "It appears all I was led to believe from my childhood days were correct after all," Gentleman Thief said as he followed Super Stallion. Super Stallion made his way further down the castle and came across the new rogue mastermind. "Super Stallion at long last we meet again." "Payback I presume."  "Who told you? Oh who am I kidding it was Mimicry wasn't it? I swear that sister of mine has the biggest mouth."  "So what's your story you want power, bits, or just revenge?"  "Actually all 3." "So what do I have to do with your plans?" "You don't remember me do you?"  "Should I?"  "Let me help jog your memory, it all started when Canterlot was attacked by an Ursa Major. Some thought it would destroy all of Canterlot but a miracle appeared in the form of an actual superhero of all things. After he saved the city a simple thief figured it would be the perfect time to grab a big bag of bits. He had big plans to come from those bits but as fate would have it he was stopped by the very same superhero." "It's you, you're the very first thug I took down," Super Stallion said, putting the pieces together.  "Yes and ever since then I've been plotting my revenge against you."  "Wow, that's just sad." "Excuse me," Payback said, clearly enraged by Super Stallion's comment.  "You were only locked up for petty theft, you couldn't just get on with your life?" "I had no life to go back to," Payback said, confusing Super Stallion. "My sisters and I grew up on the streets with no bits to our names. Even when I was young I was determined to get the best of life, the bits were part of a much larger plan." Payback then blasted Super Stallion through a crystal wall with a magic beam.  "I see you have your share of chaos magic like your sisters," Super Stallion said on the ground. Payback then jumped on top of Super Stallion and blasted him up close with an even bigger beam of chaos magic causing him to scream from the sheer pain.  "Quite powerful isn't it? I sent Inferno and Mimicry after you first while they tried to help the other rogues get the bits I needed while also giving you a hard time. All building up to me finally taking you down while all the others had their fun wearing you down." Super Stallion then pushed Payback off but Payback made himself levitate and blasted Super Stallion again. "Why not just make them all attack me at once?" Super Stallion asked rather struggling to get up. "I have my reasons." Payback then fired another beam but this time Super Stallion countered with one of his own that actually managed to push his back and nearly forced Payback through a crystal wall.  "All your planning and your chaos magic and I'll still beat you." "You can probably beat me but can you beat us?" Suddenly Super Stallion was blasted from the back.  "I'm getting sick of these sneak attacks!" Super Stallion then got up ready to attack but when he turned around he was shocked to see his attacker. "Stone Wall?!?" Super Stallion was then blasted again by a chaos magic beam. "Poor stallion, he was wandering the desert in such a bad state. It took a while to get him on my side." "He would never help somepony like you, from what I've heard about him."  "Not at first so he needed a little push. See this little doodad around my neck, it's a portable brainwashing device." Payback and Stone Wall then blasted Super Stallion at the same time. Super Stallion flew and tried to blast Payback and stun Stone Wall but they dodged his attacks. "The bag of bits I tried to steal were going to be used to pay for the research I needed to complete this but only after we sold that stolen statue was I able to finally do that."  "And you thought Mimicry was a blabbermouth?"  "I've worked on this thing for years," Payback said. "It was more than effective at getting Stone Wall on my side and a couple of desperate thugs. When he joined me he shared certain secrets with me, secrets that are mine alone to know, Squeaky Clean."  Super Stallion was so shocked he froze which allowed Payback to blast him again and force him to the ground. “Ow.” "When I was first told I could hardly believe it, some nopony that just luckily came across some powerful magical relic."  "That's the reason isn't it?" Super Stallion said less worried about the fact his secret identity was exposed because he figured out what Payback was planning. "You want to take it for yourself and become Super Stallion. That's why you had me attacked in small groups to fight me when I'm tired and take it for yourself."  "You figured it out, give the pony a prize." Payback and Stone Wall blasted him in unison once again. "Once I figured out how to use it for myself, Super Stallion will save the entire Crystal Empire once he uses the Crystal Heart to take out the Umbrum."  "Wait what?" Super Stallion asked with hardly a leg to stand on. "You went through all the trouble of making those things get here and now you want to be rid of them?"  "I figure you'd have defeated most or all the other rouges before getting to me so I needed something villainous to defeat to maintain the image of you. I planned to make a disaster or 2 after taking your power, but this works much better. And don't worry too much about your friend once you're out of the picture. I'll just wipe his mind and toss him in prison with the other rogues."  "What? Didn't you help them break out?" "I'd like to imagine so since I pretended to be a guard for a while just to put the escape in action, but now I don't need them anymore. Super Stallion is gonna have other things to focus on."  "What about your sisters when all this is taken care of will you just let Mimicry get taken away and leave her and Inferno in prison?" "Yes it's sad really, but I can't risk Super Stallion being seen working with criminals. I wonder how long they'll all rot in prison before they realize nopony is coming to their rescue?"  "Not long," Gentleman Thief answered as he snuck up behind Payback and hit him with his staff. He then reached into his jacket and grabbed the Crystal Heart. Stone Wall was about to attack but he was imprisoned in a shadow cage that came out of nowhere.  "What's going on now?" Super Stallion asked. "I guess you can call it back up," Sombra said as he appeared on top of the cage. "Sombra? What are you doing here?"  "Making a choice. Put the Crystal Heart back in place, it will banish the Umbrum."  "But aren't you one of those things? What will happen to you?" Super Stallion asked. "Like I said I made a choice." Super Stallion then flew at Payback who was getting back up and forced him against the wall. Payback counted with another beam and suddenly Umbrum came out through the walls and Stone Wall broke free of his cage. Stone Wall was ready to attack but Sombra teleported the 2 of them somewhere else. "Gentleman Thief, do you think you can put the heart back on your own?"  "Naturally." "Then go, I'll handle Payback." Gentleman Thief flew off, Payback tried to blast him but Super Stallion blocked it with a shield. "You won't ruin my plans!" Payback said as he blasted Super Stallion again then removed his portable brainwashing device. But before he could use it Super Stallion blasted it and sent it all the way to another wall next to a wall. "I think I will," Super Stallion said, who hit Payback back with a beam of his own.  "Even if you stop the Umbrum I'll still win as long as I get your powers. Come to think of it, I'm sure I still can. You've gotten so pathetic that you're relying on enemies to help you." "I'm not ashamed to ask for help when I need it, and besides that's rather hypocritical coming from the pony that's been making the other rogues do his dirty work." They then clashed beams and Super Stallion summoned a burst of energy and won the clash. He then hit Payback several times but he was so tired and beat up they hardly hurt.  "Well looks like you hardly have any energy left, my vengeance ends now!" Payback then blasted Super Stallion so hard he was flung all the way into a corner. "You can barely move anymore can you? Perfect." Payback then prepared to grab the chest to pull him up but that caused his sphere to come off. "NO!" "So that’s how it comes off. Time to finally pass on your torch." Payback was about to put it on but Squeaky grabbed his sphere and they struggled over it. "You don't deserve it." "Don't get all high and mighty, you found that thing by accident. You aren't some great chosen one." "Maybe it was dumb luck, but I used this to help ponies and make the world better and that's what the important part is. Heroes are chosen because they're worthy of being heroes." Payback and Squeaky struggled while hitting one another with spells and Payback was about to blast Squeaky up close to force him to let go. As Squeaky prepared to endure the spell he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Payback, wait stop!" Payback blasted Squeaky and it sent him forward with the sphere, a costly mistake. His head bumped into his own brainwashing device and Payback started to scream in pain. Squeaky grabbed a crystal rock to break the device resulting in a broken device, and a broken rogue.  ***  Gentleman Thief restored the heart and as a result, a giant flash of magic appeared that forced away all of the Umbrum. Super Stallion picked up the braindead Payback and flew up and saw not only were the Umbrum gone, but the brainwashed thugs were rounded up. And a now normal Sombra was with Radiant Hope. "Princesses, I'm truly sorry for all the things I have done," Sombra said as he bowed to the princesses to their surprise. "Most of all to you Princess Twilight and offer you my deepest gratitude as well."  "Well it wasn't all bad, helping you see the light made all of my memories return at last. And you did go down there to help Super Stallion so I think I speak for all the princesses when I say helping save the Crystal Empire makes up for what you did."  "Not quite," Sombra said. "But I have an idea on how I can." "Gentleman Thief helped out as well. He was the one that put the heart back," Super Stallion said. "He did?" Celestia asked. "But where is he?" The ponies looked around but he was nowhere in sight. "He never was one for the spotlight," Super Stallion said and laughed. "Another rogue got away yet again all things considered, 1 out of a ton is pretty good. "By the way, who's that pony you're carrying?" Princess Luna asked.  "The pony that set all this in motion." Super Stallion explained everything & Hope filled in a few things. Such as her plan to round up ponies for a distraction so she could help her friend Sombra and he in return could help his fellow Umbrum. That was how she came across Payback. The Umbrum were the reason Hope was able to stay around for so long but they were deceiving her the whole time and were just using her as a means to an end like how Payback was going to do with them. "Wow so he betrayed the prison guards to help the rogues, he betrayed the rogues to help the Umbrem, and he was going to betray the Umbrem to help himself," Cadance said.  "That’s what I call 1 serious messed up stallion," Twilight said.  The last of the troublemaking ponies were rounded up including Stone Wall to Celestia's surprise. Sombra explained how he was brainwashed by Payback and the Crystal Heart's magic reversed that. Nopony was quite sure how that happened but just figured magic is as magic does.  “Well that’s just lazy writing,” Discord said to himself as he was relaxing by the castle. "Payback!" Mimicry called out to her brother. "What did you do to him?" "He did it to himself." Shortly after that the rogues were all taken away. *** Sombra and Hope headed off to collect the pieces of Princess Amore to bring her back 1 day. Along their way out they came across a certain pegasus. "Who are you?" Sombra asked. "Somepony who like you, seeks redemption," Gentleman Thief answered. "I overheard your goals and I have come to believe it best for me to help you along the way in any way I can be of service." Sombra and Hope weren't sure what to think at first but then he showed the 2 a black crystal shard. “Where did you get that?” Hope asked. “I have acquired it in my adventures. This and much more like it.” Sombra and Hope agreed he would most likely come in handy and the 3 journeyed off to the adventure just beyond the horizon.