Flurry always hated the banquet preparations. Rarity did her best to make the gown fitting pleasant, but there was only so much one pony could do to alleviate the torture of standing in one place with her appearance being prodded and scrutinized. Then there was the interminable runthrough of all the formalities, from entering the banquet hall and standing in the greeting line, to practicing where and how to sit and who would say what. On and on it went until Flurry wanted to die of exhaustion and boredom.
Her parents did their best to keep everything brief, but Flurry dreaded every moment of it. Once, a psychologist had speculated that her pre-Faire fixations were brought on in part as an escape from the anxiety of this rehearsal. Every year, Flurry granted the theory more credibility. The unfortunate reality was that she couldn't simply avoid this event. She was, after all, slated to be the next ruler of the Crystal Empire.
"Once everycreature is seated, Shining Armor will give the official welcome," Mom was saying while Flurry played with an imaginary fork. Her place of honor was to Mom's left, and Dad's on the right. From her vantage point at the front of the hall, she would be able to see the entire assembly staring back at her. It always made her uneasy, but she was able to bear the countless eyes so long as Mom stayed next to her.
"I'll follow with the formal recognition of dignitaries," Mom continued. "The list is long this year, so be sure to remind the staff not to rush the meal out to our guests. Some of the hippogriffs might start to worry if it's left sitting too long."
Worry. What was Sombra worried about, exactly? Come to think of it, hadn't he said something about her darkest fear before her calculations distracted her? He must have finished that sentence at some point, but she couldn't recall what he'd said. Not that it really mattered, because right now her biggest fear was—
"After the meal, Flurry Heart will give the dismissal."
Flurry's spine straightened, and her breath lodged somewhere between her mouth and her lungs. The speech. Dad grinned and gave her a nod. Mom watched her, smile small, left hoof pawing slightly at the floor. Worry? No, that's not it. Nervous?
"Flurry?" Mom stepped back from the stand. "Would you like to practice?"
"Uh-huh." The sound had to squeeze its way past a gulp on its way out of Flurry's throat. She stood and walked toward her mother. Dad gave her a wink and whispered, "You've got this, kiddo!" Mom's smile never wavered, but she couldn't contain the swish of her tail. Definitely nervous. And definitely not the only one. But getting a good read on her mother for once, it somehow steadied her.
Flurry took her mother's place and looked out at the hall. The tables were mostly in position, but not yet adorned. A pair of decorators stood in the back, discussing the floral arrangements in a whisper. Flurry cleared her throat and conjured a single sheet of paper. The dismissal. It was the shortest of the three traditional speeches, and in the past, Mom had always given it. But Flurry was an adult now, and expected to take on more official duties. She couldn't avoid public speaking forever.
"Ahem." She held the paper in front of her. Its words blurred. She took a deep breath. "Ahem." She glanced back at Mom, who nodded. "On... On behalf of the Crystal Empire, I..." She gulped. "I thank you for joining us for this... this most important of traditions." Her voice sounded hollow and alien. Her hooves rattled against the floor. "Tomorrow, we shall together enjoy the... the..."
She spotted it out of the corner of her eye. The shadow. She jerked her head toward the pony-shaped void lurking there, but by the time her eyes had focused, it was gone.
"You're doing great!" Dad whispered.
Flurry shook her head and focused on the paper. "T-Tomorrow, we shall together enjoy the delights and wonders of the Crystal Faire." Her voice cracked under the rapid stream of words. "At sunset, the light that shines in everypo—I mean, everycreature will fill the Crystal Heart and... andprotectourkingdomfortheyeartocome."
She resisted the overwhelming urge to teleport to the castle's roof and hurried back to her place at the table. Her chest tightened when she saw the strained smiles on Mom and Dad's face. Even the decorators were frowning at her. She shifted her head so her mane blocked them from view and wrapped her tail around herself.
"Thank you, Flurry," Mom said at last. Flurry was too busy imploding on herself to hear the rest of the rehearsal. Stupid. I should have been practicing instead of dragging Sombra out of the ether. She had no idea what to make of his appearance during her speech. Didn't he say he was always hiding in the corner of your eye? It couldn't have been him. I must be seeing things.
She gasped and jerked away when something touched her shoulder. "Sorry," Dad said. "Didn't mean to startle you. Rehearsal's finally over, so there's some good news."
Flurry stroked her leg with a hoof. "The only good news," she mumbled.
"Flurry, you did very well. Ponies are often their own worst critics," said Mom. Flurry forced herself to look at them. Smiles, raised eyebrows, bright eyes. Pity. Embarrassment, her mind spat out. "I'll make some time to help you practice, if you want," Mom continued.
"Yeah. That's great. Thanks."
Her parents exchanged a glance. "Very well. I'll adjust my schedule for tomorrow," Mom said. She stepped forward and embraced Flurry with a foreleg. After a moment, Flurry returned the gesture. Once again, Mom's steady heart beat against the flutter of her own. "Get some sleep, sweetheart," Mom whispered in her ear. "I love you."
The last thing Flurry Heart could do was sleep. The Faire, the speech, the socializing, she couldn't block it out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw herself stammering in front of a dragon, or accidentally insulting a yak, or confusing a griffon with a hippogriff, and each time the offended party screamed until Flurry was just a tiny ball waiting for a reprieve that would never come.
She tossed aside the covers and threw herself onto the floor with a pitiful grunt. Her bookshelf, desk, and bed were only shadows in the darkness. She needed something to distract herself, or—failing that—an answer to the question that plagued her. With a groan, she righted herself and cast the spell. Soon, King Sombra stood in her room once more.
"You again? Haven't you become an old mare yet?" Sombra rolled his eyes. "Go on. Let's hear what inane inquiry you've brought for me now."
"Tell me how to defeat fear."
Sombra blinked. Flurry stared back, illuminating him with her horn. "You're joking."
"I'm not. You were rambling on earlier about how you're fear incarnate, or whatever, so that means fear can be beaten."
"Don't waste my time, insolent whelp. You ponies solve all your problems with heart-shaped crystals or rainbow lasers. Give that a try."
"Power of friendship, I know," Flurry said. "What else? You've been around for a long time. Something else must have bested you before."
"I assure you, nothing has come close," Sombra growled with a stamp of his hoof. A moment passed, and his snarl turned into a wicked grin. "You're terrified," he said, voice soft. "Full of fear. Hah! How delicious."
Flurry turned away from him. "You're right. I am afraid. I don't know why I thought talking to you about it would help."
"Indeed. One would think an alicorn, of all creatures, would turn to her friends." Sombra practically spat that final word. "I, of course, am strong enough to stand on my own, but you pathetic, sentimental insects have this annoying need to cling to each other for support. Pah." Flurry's shoulders slumped. Her heart felt like it would crush itself and explode at the same time. "Go on, little pony." Sombra's voice was barely a whisper. She could practically hear his fangs glittering in the dim light. "Go running to the magic of friendship."
"But... I don't have any friends."
Something about Sombra's wicked cackle snapped inside her. She whirled around to see him lying on his back, chest heaving for breath between laughs. "An alicorn... with no friends!" He peered at her with one eye. "It's no wonder you've conjured all these wards. You wouldn't last a second against me!"
"Oh, shut up!" Flurry snarled. "What about you? The king of shadows, beaten by rainbow lasers? That's a pretty pathetic way to go for a pony with an ego the size of... of... something... really big!"
Sombra chuckled as he stood. "Clearly, speaking isn't your strong suit."
"Clearly, competence isn't yours!" Flurry glared at him. "You talk big, and you have some creepy tricks, but what have you ever accomplished, huh?"
"I ruled the Crystal Empire," Sombra answered. "This castle was mine, and so it shall be again."
"Blah blah blah. 'This castle was mine, der de der.'" Sombra's head jerked back at her impression. "I've read the history of your 'reign of terror.' You were here for, what, a month before Celestia and Luna stomped you out? All your tricks and traps couldn't even stop a baby dragon from snatching away the one thing in the whole Crystal Empire that could beat you."
"I destroyed the Elements of Harmony!" Sombra shouted.
"And you still lost!" Flurry shouted back. "To rainbow lasers! Twice!"
Sombra's eyes twitched. He stood back, one hoof in the air. "Talk all you want, but I'm not scared of you," Flurry said. "And not just because of all these wards. You can't stand on your own because all you have is tricks and illusions. You're not real. Nothing about you is. It's all just an act you put on because deep down, you're just as afraid as anypony else."
Sombra's chest heaved as he blinked down at her. Her calculus began to assert itself. Wide eyes. Contracted pupils. Open mouth. What does it mean?
"Hmph." Sombra shook his head. "In all my life, nopony has ever dared to speak to me as you have."
Flurry smirked. "Nopony since Grogar's time? I'll take that as a compliment."
"Grogar? What does he have to do with any of this?" Sombra glared down at her. "That old goat is probably still hiding in his swamp with the rest of his pathetic band." He shook his head. "I wasn't surprised when that annoying pegasus joined him, but Tirek and that changeling queen? Tch. They might have had some potential."
"Tirek? Chrysalis? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you don't know?" Sombra grinned. "They're out there now, plotting revenge against Twilight Sparkle and her miserable friends."
Flurry held up a hoof. "Sombra, they were turned to stone almost 20 years ago. And Grogar wasn't even Grogar. It was Discord in disguise."
A long silence stretched as the two watched each other, eyebrows furrowed. "That's not possible," Sombra said at last. "I saw them only a few days ago."
Flurry's mind raced to reconstruct the timeline of Sombra's last invasion, from the time of his sudden appearance in the Crystal Empire to his defeat in Canterlot. Those events took place over a span of days, and yet 20 years later, he thought...
"Sombra," she said, "how old are you?"
"I'm 24," he said. "By far the most accomplished unicorn of any other my age. Surely this is common knowledge?" She watched him carefully, gathering every bit of information she could. Neutral tone. Steady gaze. Even weight distribution between all four hooves. Her mind churned out an answer she hoped was right. He's telling the truth.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.
"Because..." She took a deep breath before finishing her answer. "You've been gone for 20 years, and you have no idea. How can that be?" An answer formed in her mind. She could see Sombra had reached the same conclusion.
"Time must move slowly in the ether," he murmured. "Every time you beat me, I lose decades." His eyes widened. "Duskfall. My home. What has become of it?"
Flurry shook her head. "I've never heard of any place called Duskfall."
He sat, eyes staring at nothing in the distance. Flurry stepped hesitantly closer. His breaths came deeper. His eyes twitched from side to side. "Gone..." His voice was but a whisper. Her calculation was swift.
Defeat.