“The vision I saw will come to pass. I have seen it; the Crystal Heart showed it to me, and now mother will help me realize it. I have seen… mountains of rubble… and rivers of shadow… and I... will have… MY… WORLD!”
As the dual voice rang all around, tiny tendrils could be seen coming from the shadow underneath all the prisoners, extending to the towering dark mass.
“I can feel it,” it cackled, “your fears. Even if I had not seen all of them, inhere, in my realm, they’re practically oozing out of you all. Fears born out of doubt, born out of trauma, and born out of… guilt even?”
They all heard somebody in the back making a few steps back at the sound of those words; somebody’s fear was beginning to show, but they were too fixated on their adversary to give it attention.
“Good…” the four-eyed creature answered. “And you can expect things will only get worse for you from here on, because this time around, you have no power to free yourselves. Now… BE CONSUMED BY FEAR!”
And with those words, the towering darkness exploded in a burst of wind and black fog, washing all over them, disappearing. Silence loomed for a while, as everybody waited for something to happen.
“Huh, compare to what we’ve just been this wasn’t half bad,” Applejack finally broke it.
“I’ll say,” a tiny voice said.
They were taken by surprise by the voice that wasn’t part of the group, yet Twilight recognized it, and in dread she looked in the direction where it came from, only to have her fears confirmed. A little purple unicorn filly stood in the place where the broken one was, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
“Although you guys growing this big is a new one,” she added. “Well… except for him.”
She pointed in a direction and a large purple dragon was looking over them.
“Spike?! Not again!” the princess raised her voice.
“I… I’m not in control of this, Twilight,” he said in a deep voice.
“Well, Tempest isn’t either, Spike,” Rainbow Dash answered, “otherwise she wouldn’t have turned back into a kid again."
When the purple unicorn heard her say that, she quickly reached for her head, only to go numb when she realized her horn was back and she had returned to her child form, and that could mean only one thing. A roar came from the nearby woods, and from it, emerged an army of angry ursa minors, charging in their direction, and immediately the panic kicked in, as Tempest started backing away and was about to run off, only for Applejack to stop her.
"Calm down, Shuga’ cube. We ain’t gonna let that pack of imaginary teddies get to ya. Right, gang?" the yellow pony announced.
The mares nodded and stepped in the way of the incoming charge, determined to stop it, with the giant dragon putting his arms in front of them all, blocking the path. Then the ground began to quake, and at first, they thought it was the pack of incoming creatures, but then they saw raging masses of people coming from the town. They were screaming mean words, all the while carrying crossed-out pictures of the party planner, the fashionista, and the country pony.
“This is just gonna keep getting worse, isn’t it?” Pinkie asked.
“Just be steadfast and we’ll prevail,” Twilight instructed.
Suddenly, a portal of dark light opened, and Grogar, along with his three cohorts stepped through, followed by sinister dark creatures, and they slowly began to advance on their position. The moment he appeared, Discord clung on to Fluttershy, who much like him had a tremble attack.
Tell yourself again that these are truly your friends.
A whisper. They all heard it, but could not figure out where it came from.
“Twilight’s right,” the wonderbolt urged all, “even if Sombra’s pulled out another trick, there’s no way he’s gonna-!”
In a moment, Rainbow Dash went silent as she felt the temperature drop to an unprecedented degree, even in her winter clothing, and a strong wind began to blow. They all turned to the sky and watched, as snow clouds began to gather in large quantity before a pair of teal eyes opened along with a giant gaping maw, and let out a bellow. Thoughts brought her back to that one moment in the Everfree Forest, of the towering darkness of the same facial features, and what it had done. She shrieked as panic set in, and in the moment of absolute terror, she dashed away from the group.
“Rainbow Dash, stop! You’re being deceived by the umbrum king’s prop!” Zecora yelled.
The zebra chased after the pegasus, and they were unable to stop her since she was already further away from the rest of the group. Just as they thought that things were going bad, they suddenly turned worse, as something unexpected followed.
Your friends will abandon you.
Twilight had been prepared to fight back, as she’s anticipated what fears of her friends she’s already experienced might pop up and be able to counter them, she did not expect, however, for the element of loyalty to be the first to succumb, as well as a strange shrilling sound. It came from the lake, its water began to bubble up, until it started to rise, forming a pillar, sprouting tentacles, all the while taking a distinct serpent-like shape. Finally, it revealed its glowing azure eyes and opened its jaws, as it let out another shrill. What was that thing? Whose fear did just materialize? And then… it finally came. Darkness all around began to conjugate under the snow clouds, turning into a pillar that connected the sky and earth, spawning five different menacing faces, until the sixth giant one emerged, followed by the sinister laughter.
You will never leave this place. There is no way home for you.
They all heard Turmoil’s whispers, but it did not matter if they knew their origins, as it kept taunting them, trying to break their resolve.
You have already lost.
At that point, even the princess of friendship’s confidence had begun to flare out, and she could tell that everybody present was in the same position, fear was clear as day on their face. Suddenly, the giant purple face opened its mouth and released a bellow with such a strong force that everybody, including the giant dragon, was swept away and scattered.
After vertigo had subsided, it took Twilight a moment to completely regain her senses. She was standing in Ponyville, or rather its ruins, as the whole place was demolished. But worst of all, there was nobody in sight.
You will be all alone in the end.
Turmoil’s voice haunted her. It was close, so very close, she could practically feel its presence. She galloped away, feeling the sinister force right on her tail. And in the rush, she overestimated her jump over the rubble and fell into ruins under her. She reeled for a moment and then noticed something lying in front of her face. Zecora’s saddlebags… without their owner. How could she have dropped them? She never would’ve left them unattended, especially with what was in them. That thought reminded her to look inside to check on it. She quickly pulled out the jar and sighed in relief that the black mass was still inside, quivering. The princess suddenly felt moisture under her hooves, noticing a small stream was beginning to leak through the cracks in the ruins. The broken-down walls exploded, and the watery serpent she’s seen awaken earlier stood before her, face to face. And in the moment of stillness, Twilight was able to see up close that something was off about this creature: where its head was, there was a shadow visible inside, it was an equine creature for sure, the silhouette could not be denied, and its mane stood up like a mohawk, but the details of its features could not be seen in the thick body of water, other than blue glowing eyes. The serpent bellowed, the alicorn quickly lept in the air with the saddlebags, through the ruins, and flew away. She thought she’d be able to evade the monster out in the open, but its watery tentacles sprouted from the ground, forcing her to dodge at every turn, until the serpent finally thrust its head up through the ruins, its jaw wide open, about to eat her whole. She screamed, knowing she’d be unable to dodge it in time, but just before that happened, something wrapped around her and pulled her away, making the creature miss.
She watched it disappear in the distance as she was flown away from the scene, giving her a chance to finally look up, recognizing a familiar companion who had grown too big for his own good. “Spike?! Where’s everypony else?”
“I don’t know, Twilight,” he answered in a deep voice. “After I woke up you were the only one I saw.”
All of your friends are gone.
Her heart skipped a beat at those words, but she remembered then that she knew better, she knew it was all lies, trying to make her give in. And then she saw it; the towering darkness with six faces was approaching, and the feeling began to sink in.
“Spike, quick! Get us to Canterlot!” she ordered, as it was the only place left she could think of going to, to try and evade it.
He listened and continued to fly, as the castle was in clear sight. However, they didn’t get further than the outer walls, and Turmoil was all of a sudden within the perimeter of Canterlot, and the two were within its reach. A gargantuan claw grew out from the dark pillar, and it smacked the dragon, knocking him out of the air, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.
No one is coming to save you.
The princess opened her eyes, and a familiar sight was before her, the scenario that’s been playing out in her dreams for days. The castle was being devoured by the darkness all around and she couldn’t stop it. The dark force loomed over her, then its faces extended, turning into heads that resembled dragons, and began attacking her companion who was still reeling from the impact. Twilight couldn’t watch this. She quickly lept on top of him and tried to erect a barrier to protect him, only for it to end up being torn through. Suddenly, the yellow face began to grow until it completely overshadowed the others, and stared directly down at the alicorn.
Embrace us.
Hysteria began to take over, and in the moment of terror, Twilight desperately tried to crawl away, and in the process, the zebra’s saddlebags slipped from her grip, causing them to tumble down her giant friend, the jar fell out of it and rolled down the street. However, the sound seemed to have garnered the creature’s attention, as it stopped its approach and turned its head. Another arm sprouted from the dark form and grabbed the glass, bringing it closer to its eye. As it stared at it, the little black blob containing the spark of light stared back at it, barely moving.
Is that…
Suddenly, the speck began to flicker until it finally erupted in a blinding light that enveloped everything.
“Twilight…”
She heard Spike’s voice, but she couldn’t see a thing. It was only after a few moments that her eyes finally readjusted, but even then, all she could see was an empty white plain of existence before her.
“Twilight…”
“Spike? Where are you?” she asked.
“Under you…”
She lept on her hooves when she realized that her little brother had shrunk back to normal and she was laying on top of him this whole time. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, Spike! Are you okay?”
“All things considered… I’ve been worse,” he answered, and crawled back on his feet. “Where are we anyway?”
“STAY BACK! I’VE GOT A PINKIE PIE AND I’M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!”
The two’s attention was grabbed. They turned their heads and noticed Rarity holding the party planner over her head with her hooves, with Applejack cowering behind her.
“She ain’t kiddin’, y’all! Just do what she sa-!” the country pony stopped herself when she finally realized her surroundings. “Twi? Spike?”
The fashionista finally put the pink earth pony down. “Oh thank goodness. For a moment we thought the angry mob was going to do us in.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe the language we just heard,” Pinkie Pie concurred.
“Discord!!!”
Another familiar voice called out. The shy pegasus was running about calling for her companion’s name, yet he would not answer.
“Fluttershy, you’re here too?” Pinkie Pie addressed her.
She finally noticed them. “Girls? Have you seen Discord? I had him in my hooves a few moments ago and then he just vanished!”
“Trust me, Fluttershy, he’s not the only one who just disappeared,” Spike pointed out.
The five elements have gathered, and only one was missing now. And they didn’t have to look for long to notice her. The wonderbolt was curled up on the ground, shivering, making quiet whimpering sounds. Applejack walked over to her and poked her rump, and in a moment, she screamed and leaped backward, madly flailing her frontal hooves at them before she realized things were not as they seemed.
She looked about. “Guys, what is this place?”
“That’s what I’d like to know as well, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight explained. “The last thing I remember was that Turmoil got hold of the jar containing the blob that consumed the spirit of the Tree of Harmony, and after that, a bright light erupted from it.”
“Oooooooh, that explains what that thing is.” The party planner pointed with her hooves.
They all turned in the said direction. A spark of light was levitating a few hooves away from them, surrounded by blackened essence. As they slowly approached, the light began flashing brighter until its source could no longer be seen. And when the light finally dissipated, a figure revealed itself to be standing in its place. It was a unicorn pony; her fur was purple, with a light blue mane, and arctic blue eyes, all the while the whole body was emitting radiant light.
“The Elements have gathered,” she spoke. “Good. I’m glad I was able to finally reach you.”
“Excuse me, miss, but who are you?” Fluttershy asked.
But Twilight had already figured it out. She spotted the mares cutie mark: an image of a yellow staff with two snakes coiled around it, with a pair of wings on top; she’s seen that image several times now, she knew who the mare was.
“You’re Radiant Hope, aren’t you?”
“WHAT?!” the rest collectively shouted.
The mare lowered her head. “I was… a long time ago. I’m little more than a memory now. And it was only thanks to the actions of your two friends, that the spark of light had preserved the last vestiges of what I was, princess, that I can be present here before you now.”
“Wait!” the wonderbolt halted her. “Where are Zecora, Tempest, and Discord? Why are we the only ones here?”
“Your friends are still out there,” she explained, “but I called for the elements specifically, and here you are.”
“Hold on,” the dragon interrupted. “Why am I here then? I’m not one of the Elements of Harmony.”
The mares looked at him; he made a good point.
“I do not know, little dragon. Perhaps your connection to one of the elements is so strong that you got dragged in here?”
“But that means that they’re still out there being tormented by Sombra!” Rainbow Dash urged.
Hope shook her head. “Do not worry. Whatever is happening out there has been put to a halt. They’ve all been frozen in time… including them.”
Suddenly, a gargantuan form materialized behind the group, and Twilight fell on her back in shock. Turmoil’s massive form stood there, frozen in the same pose when it picked up the jar.
“Ah shudder to think how we can beat that when it’s practically real at this point,” Applejack commented.
“It is still just an illusion,” the mare said, “and once it’s been stripped, you’ll see for what it is.”
Her horn glowed, surrounding Turmoil’s image. Some of the features began disappearing while revealing others: five of the faces disappeared on the dark body, leaving only the yellow present, and in the depths of its dark mass, the umbrum king was levitating.
“Is that Sombra’s mom? Taking over Sombra?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Yes,” Hope answered. “He willingly submitted himself in a moment of fear, and that’s when it took over him.”
“It?” the animal caretaker wondered.
“Fear,” Radiant Hope resumed. “Sombra was born from it, and that is why he commands such great power over it, just like the rest of the umbrum do. Yet despite all that power, without a host, Fear is unable to exert it to the full extent. And that is the only way for you to break out from his nightmare realm: you must sever his connection to Fear.”
“An’ then we’ll be able to destroy him?” Applejack asked.
To their surprise, her answer was different. “To free him.”
Curiosity got to Rarity. “Wait… you’re not seriously suggesting that we HELP Sombra?”
She nodded in response.
“HOLD ON!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “You’re actually asking us to help a spawn of terror, who just put us through nightmares?!”
“I don’t like that idea either!” Pinkie Pie added, along with the rest, except for the princess and her companion.
Hope sighed. “I understand all of you. I was in the same position once. How could I possibly trust somepony who had turned Princess Amore to stone and then shattered her, and afterward enslaved the crystal ponies… Which is why, before this goes any further, you need to see… what I had witnessed in the end.”
The mare closed her eyes and her horn began to glow until it blinded everybody.
Radiant Hope walked through the crystal tunnel in the dim lighting. At the end of it, she finally saw a light source and quickened her pace. Eventually, she stopped as she passed the threshold, when she discovered a large crystal room, being illuminated by a pool of strange green liquid she was familiar with. But there was nothing else; the room was simply empty.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is anypony here?”
She was met with silence. It seemed that she had hit a dead-end. If there was no other place left to explore, then the best she could do was to return to the crossroads and try to figure out how to escape this frozen underground.
Yet just as she turned to walk away, a feminine voice whispered to her throughout the cavern. “Welcome, child.”
She stopped in her tracks and quickly turned. “Who said that? Where are you?”
The room began to rumble, and from the magical pool, pillars began to rise, creating a pathway across the mass of liquid, to the other side.
“Don’t be shy, child. Come closer,” the voice said.
As she moved there was an unsettling sense of dread in the air, the same kind that she felt earlier when she originally tried to come here, but without invasive whispers this time. As she crossed the bridge and got to the other end of the room, she saw an oddity in the wall, a strange purple shape was stuck under a layer of crystal, and she could hear the voice coming from it now.
“Are you frightened, child?”
“A little…” the pony answered.
“Perhaps not enough,” the voice resumed. “Tell me, what have you seen on your journey through forgotten realms?”
The mare began to recount what she witnessed in the frozen underground, though unsure what good this would do. “I ended up in the unicorn kingdom of Monoceria. Then I traveled to the farmlands of Soiliana. And in the end, as I predicted, I ended up in the fallen pegasus city of Ptolemeya.”
“Good,” the whisper said. “And do you know what caused their downfall?”
“Well, from what I understand it was windigos, the spirits of winter that caused all of this.”
“You are partially correct, child. But there is something you have to ask: where did windigos come from?”
It was an odd question, and for it, there was only one answer she could offer. “They were born… of magic?”
“Correct, child. But even spirits do not have the power to simply spring out of the ether unless powerful magic is involved.”
The mare’s curiosity got piqued. “But what kind of magic?”
“Come now, child, surely you can figure it out by yourself? With what you’ve seen from your journey, including this room, should give you some inkling of what it is.”
What could the voice be talking about? There were so many things she’s seen when she investigated all the realms, it would be too many things to try and pick apart. And this place she was in right now, there was nothing in it; the only thing it contained was the gemstone trapped within the crystal wall and a body of… It finally came to her. She’s seen it several times but didn’t consider it to be significant, even though it was strange to her that these green rivers were not frozen.
She turned to the lake. “What is this strange water?”
“It is called the lifeblood of the world, child,” the voice explained. “It is the concentration of magical energy from the world itself, and from it, under the right condition, the elements can draw on its power, so far as to be able to manifest functioning bodies.”
“So… windigos were born from it? But how? How are such creatures even born? What does this have to do with anything?”
“Everything!” the voice raised its tone for a moment. “You are a healer, and yet you don’t try to seek the causality for an illness?”
Hope got caught off guard by the voice, forcing her to look for an answer through the view of her life’s purpose. She went quiet for a moment, trying to think. But she didn’t know much about these creatures of ice and snow, they only appeared once and it forced the entire population of three pony tribes to leave their homeland.
She tried to remember what was said about them, but in the end, she could only come to one possible farfetched conclusion. “Hatred… created them?
“Well, aren’t you perceptive, child,” the voice applauded her. “You’re absolutely correct. Your forebearers were the architects of their own demise. From a lasting doubt, fear was born, it lingered, eroding one’s sanity, until it evolved into anger, which like a festering wound, inevitably turned into hatred. In this case, the windigos are little more than a symptom of a problem that’s been brewing for a long time. From small acts of evil, greater ones were born.”
This wasn’t new information for Radiant Hope, but it reaffirmed what was said, yet this also prompted a question from her. “How do you know all of this? You’re not a pony. Are you also some sort of a spirit?”
“In a way,” the voice solemnly answered. “But I’m not here because I wanted. I was trapped here… after I was prompted into existence, we all were.”
“We?” the mare questioned. “We who?”
“Me, and the others alike. We were once whole, one entity. And we were awakened into existence… by the pain of the world.”
“What… what are you talking about?”
A gentle laugh echoed through the cavern. “How about I show you?”
Suddenly, strange whispers began to invade the pony’s mind, growing louder by the second, so much that she writhed in pain, losing all her senses. Her eyes weren’t open, yet she could see moving images, they looked more like shadows on the wall. She saw what looked like an alicorn princess, facing up against a giant dragon, who, in its grasp, held another pony without any particular features. A battle erupted between the alicorn and the dragon until a strike from both of them send the other falling. The noise finally stopped, and her senses returned.
“This is what we felt,” the voice in her mind said. “We felt the pain. We felt it in the lifeblood of the world, and it prompted us to act. We sought out its source, to silence it, and then… we were broken. We were scattered. And I... became trapped here, alone and forgotten in the cursed north.”
Radiant Hope was still reeling from the experience. The images that were shown to her were moving extremely fast, too hard to comprehend as if this communication wasn’t meant for creatures of flesh and blood.
“But luckily,” the voice continued, “the lifeblood of the world was in my reach, and throughout several cycles I’ve managed to absorb it and put it to use, expanding my influence through growing crystals, until a fracture of it finally reached the surface. Yet the pain we felt was still fresh, and I was determined to silence it, but I could not move from this place, even if I spent all of the lifeblood’s power. And so… I severed part of myself into pieces, used the magical source to give them life, and release them upon the world, to terrorize your kind, child.”
She thought about it, of creatures of terror, that once attacked Crystal Ponies, and she understood. “The umbrum... they’re part of you?”
“Yes, child,” the voice confirmed, growing shrill. “Through them, I could see, hear, and feel… feel the fear and horror of those they terrorized.”
A sense of dread was beginning to build in her. “Who are you? What are you?”
It cackled. “That lump in your throat? That’s panic slowly beginning to set in. Search your feelings, you already know what I am.”
How could she search her feelings? She couldn’t possibly concentrate in a moment when all she could feel was…
“You’re… Fear?”
It laughed. “Yes, child. And it is unfortunate that my actions then, unlike now, didn’t bear fruit. My “children’s” voice went silent, overshadowed by a brilliant radiance that I could feel even this far. “
“The Crystal Heart?” the unicorn realized. “Of course! It’s the one that stopped them.”
“Yes. It was quite a predicament. It was clear that the manifestation of my essence simply wasn’t strong enough to approach the heart. Which is why a great amount of magic had to be consumed, in order to fashion an agent who could approach it and remove it, while still being made of my essence.”
The moment she heard that she knew who it was talking about. “Sombra…”
A chuckle escaped the voice. “He came here, as you found out, child. To the place where the crystals broke through the surface. He was so desperate for answers, he wanted to know why he was that way. I opened his eyes, and as I gazed into his memory, his thoughts, I saw everything, including the vision that had driven him here. But there was still something that was holding him back…”
The noise invaded her mind once again, but this time she saw events play out clearly. She saw a grey unicorn with a crimson horn, the mane of ash, his eyes red and green, purple smoke escaping from them, and just then, he transformed into a shadow.
“What do I do with this power?” he asked. “Why am I the only one with it?”
“You aren’t,” the familiar voice in the crystal spoke. “There is an army of umbrum waiting below the city. They only wait for you to dig down and set them free. But first, you must destroy Amore’s weapon.”
He turned with a hesitant look. “But if I try to destroy the Crystal Heart, I’ll lose the only friend I have.”
“You no longer have a choice, Sombra. If you have not removed the heart by the next Crystal Faire, it will destroy you.”
And then the gaps filled up, as Hope’s memories were brought forth and they connected, forcing her to rewatch the events that she witnessed, events that broke her: Sombra stealing the Crystal Heart, turning Princess Amore to stone, shattering her, even after she begged him to stop it. She didn’t want to see it, it hurt her heart so much she started crying, and eventually, the vision ceased.
“So, that’s what happened on the other end,” the whisper said, “even after his true nature was awakened, for a brief moment, he still cared about you.” A chuckle escaped it. “Well, it was never meant to be anyway. He has become the creature of darkness he was always destined, and you… you’re the princess who would stand in his way in the end.”
“But… I’m not a princess…” Hope refuted under her tears.
“Oh now don’t sell yourself so short, child,” the voice mockingly coddled her. “He was simply superior-“
“No! I’m not a princess, PERIOD!” she yelled in frustration while trying to combat tears. “I went to the school of Princess Celestia, but I felt horrible for giving up on him in a heated moment and causing him to erase my home from existence. I left the school so I could find answers and maybe find a way to make things right, and here you-“
The silence after that lasted a considerable time, and the presence picked up on it. “I what, child?”
Something was going through Hope's mind. With the outburst of emotions and spelling it out, it brought her realization; of something that the umbrum’s mother had mentioned, but only now did she find it significant.
She wiped her tears away. “I’ve known Sombra all my life. He was my best friend, we were inseparable, he was so full of joy and life, even when the signs of Crystal Heart having an effect on him were beginning to show. And we both were revealed a glimpse of the future that awaited us, but Princess Amore told us that we can change the future, that there is no predetermined path. Because that’s what future is: something, that has not yet come to pass.”
“Very philosophical of you, child. But what does that have to do with-?“
“When he came to you and you awakened his power, you told him that, in order to free his siblings, he first has to destroy the Crystal Heart, or it will destroy him. But if that’s the case, how did the other umbrum survive the Heart's power in the first place?”
Something unexpected followed: silence. For the first time, the voice went completely quiet, as if it didn’t have an answer to the question.
But Hope knew. “You lied to him… You had to. Sombra’s not like the other umbrum. He had to be, in order for him to be resilient to Crystal Heart’s power, but that also meant that he could not be directly controlled. And even if the Crystal Heart was hurting him because of his nature, he could’ve left and lived elsewhere, and enjoyed a fulfilling life… I would’ve gone to the ends of the world if it meant I could be with my best friend. But you couldn’t allow that, could you? You had to convince him that his path was already set and he couldn’t deviate from it, that it was his destiny… so he would do as you desired.”
Eventually, the silence was broken. “… the sole purpose of his existence was to liberate others. Nothing more. And the reason was already told. The umbrum… we, are a symptom of what was done. I have given you the truth-”
“The truth? Do you mean the truth that only you can comprehend? Or a lie that suits only you?” the mare interrupted her.
A crackling sound suddenly filled the air, and the unicorn noticed sparks forming on the surface of the crystal wall. In the last moment, she quickly raised a shield around her, blocking bolts of lightning that came flying at her.
“IMPIDENT CHILD!!!” the voice shrilled. “Regardless of what you think, at this point, you’re already too late. Sombra has accepted his purpose. And one day he will return, he will do what is expected of him.” The mare struggled to keep the protection up, but the power of the sinister force was simply too great, and then the atmosphere grew dark, while the voice became gentle again. “You cannot save him anymore, child… but that does not mean you should abandon him. There is still a chance that the two of you can meet again. All you have to do… is give in. Give in to doubt, the realization that what you know is a lie, let it fester, and turn to fear. You’ve tasted the pain I had shared, it is real. You know… that I’m right.”
It could be seen on Hope’s expression that she was struggling. The lightning strikes were simply too much to handle and her magic wasn’t suited for this.
But then, after several attempts of getting assaulted, the look on her face calmed down. “No…” was the only word she uttered.
A bright light lit up on her horn and began to expand enveloping her surroundings and growing, dispelling the lightning bolts that were aimed at her until it enveloped the whole room.
“WHAT?! WHAT IS THIS?!” the voice raged as its power was dispelled.
“I have seen and heard too much, Fear,” the mare explained. “I would be a fool if I gave up now that my vision has been cleared. I know the truth… and you cannot stop me.”
She was sure that she had succeeded; she resisted the temptation of a dark force and she won out. But then, the pool of magical green liquid began to bubble up, and one after another, crystal pillars rose in clusters and pinned the pony in place, immobilizing her and causing her light to fade.
“Such disappointment,” the voice dropped any pretense of acting subtle anymore. “I had hoped that one of your kind, somebody as small and frail would easily submit… but it appears that you are… incorruptible, paragon of virtue. And if that’s the case, you’ve become a dangerous liability. The best thing you can do now, IS TO WITHER AWAY INTO NOTHINGNESS!!!”
A pillar suddenly emerged from the wall and shot directly at the incapacitated pony. She managed to conjure a shield right upon impact, but it still sent her flying across the room and into the tunnel, causing her to slide for a distance. She hurt all over, but she had to leave this place at once before the dark force got the better of her.
She ran as fast as she could, hoping that she’s be able to get away. Yet as time passed, the tunnel didn’t seem to end, and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on her. She collapsed in a soft patch of snow on the icy floor, her eyes heavy.
“You are the only one who knows,” a soft soothing whisper entered her mind. “And that is what you will take with you. You have fought enough, paragon of virtue. Now… close your eyes… and sleep…”
The soothing voice, on top of exhaustion, the cold, and hurt, was causing her consciousness to drift away. She desperately tried to fight it, but she was simply too tired. And the darkness took her.
Her horn stopped glowing, and the bright light disappeared. To say that the princess and the rest of the Elements of Harmony were shocked would be an understatement, they were flabbergasted. This was how Sombra’s only friend had met her end.
“Then my suspicions have been confirmed,” Twilight spoke. “Now I understand how he overcame us when we used the power of friendship on Sombra. There was only one creature who had the power to stand up against it, and it lurks in the depths of the Everfree Forest.”
“Because…” Spike added in, “because Sombra’s mother is…”
“It’s one of Turmoil’s missing aspects we’ve come to look for, Spike. It’s Fear.”
Radiant Hope solemnly nodded. “And through her words, my friend has been led astray… and I wasn’t there to help him. And now I’m gone, unable to tell him what I saw. And that is why I’m now placing my hopes into you, Elements of Harmony.”
“To help Sombra? As if!” Rainbow Dash spoke out.
“Ah’m with Dash on this!” Applejack concurred.
But before the rest of the mares could voice their rejection, the princess stopped them all, facing the image of the long-departed unicorn. “Radiant Hope, I searched the Crystal Castle and found Sombra’s old journal, describing his growing up, the mention of you, how close the two of you were, and the tragedy that followed when he became what he is today. I want to be on your side, WE want to be on your side… but we can’t. We’ve experienced firsthand what he’s done. The moment the Crystal Empire returned he tried to take over it, and it was only thanks to the Crystal Heart that he was stopped. When Discord brought him back, the first thing he did was assault the Crystal Empire again and enslaved its population, including my brother, my foalsitter, and my niece. He destroyed the Tree of Harmony and the Elements, and then placed our hometown under mind control, including Spike, and then seized Canterlot. He’s done so many horrible things to us, Radiant Hope, and he’s never shown any signs of trying to repent for his actions. I think his mother may be speaking the truth that he’s too far gone, that he’s simply embraced being what he was from the start, but how can you, despite everything, think that he can still change if he was given an offer?”
All was said what needed to be. They were all in the same boat. For a creature of darkness, who was born of fear itself, after all the horrible things he had done, how could anyone possibly believe that he could be redeemed, without making it look like naivety?
And to their surprise, the radiant unicorn simply smiled. “Because I believe. In the final moment, I have attained clarity I never had before. Princess Amore knew from the start what Sombra was, and she believed until the last moment that he could change his fate, she knew the truth the whole time. And if I couldn’t believe in him; me, who was by his side all his life, and knew him through and through, when she did… then what kind of a friend would that make me?”
With those words, a thought came to the princess’ mind, of something that Zecora had said:
Courage? You speak as though it’s the only partner in a marriage. Its counterpart is Fear, knowing this one first allows the latter to be brandished like a spear. The same is true if you compare Clarity and Doubt, the former springs from the latter, after a bout.
The mares and the dragon suddenly saw the alicorn shrink, while making a cringing sound. “Twilight? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.
“Girls, I…” she had difficulty speaking but she had to force it out. “I’m so ashamed of myself right now.”
“What? Why?” the fashionista questioned.
She inhaled. “You saw what Radiant Hope just showed us, right?” They all nodded in agreement. “She had clearly found out the truth about Sombra, she realized the reality of what was happening, all her doubts have been purged. That’s why Fear couldn’t corrupt her. She knows she was right.”
“But why are you ashamed of yourself?” Pinkie Pie wondered.
“Earlier, when we came out of Discord’s nightmare and he was at our mercy, I…” she cringed again, “I said that he was an irredeemable monster. I actually pushed him into begging for his mother’s help…”
A heatwave washed over all of them, as they too were pretty much in agreement with what she said back then. They were all ashamed of being so full on emotion at that moment in time, without even trying to consider an alternative, when they were supposed to be the Council of Friendship.
“Do not blame yourself so harshly,” the unicorn stopped them, “after all, you couldn’t have known the truth of the matter. But now you do, and there is still time, to make things right.”
They all regarded her, and were prepared to do the right thing this time, but not before one of them still had a question to ask. “Wait, something I don’t get, though,” Spike questioned, “you said earlier that you WERE Radiant Hope once. So… what are you now then?”
As he asked that, her body began to glow, emitting bright light that kept growing stronger. “I am the embodiment of what she left behind; her memories, but most importantly, virtue – I am the Spirit of Clarity. And with my help… you will pierce the darkness, Elements of Harmony.”
And the blinding light enveloped them all.
Turmoil recoiled. The Nightmare Lord who posed as it was confused as to what had just happened. He was holding a strangely mutated piece of shadow and light contained in a jar and now… it was gone. His sight redirected itself back to his victim but could not comprehend what followed. The giant dragon and the alicorn it tormented were gone, in their place, two bright lights stood, shooting a pillar high in the dark sky, and soon, six other pillars erupted from across the different parts of the realm of nightmare, piercing through the darkness, revealing the starry night sky. They flew up and approached the Nightmare Lord at increased speed. Seeing that, he split, as more and more of his victim’s manifested nightmares sprung from it, hoping to deter them all.
And then, a soft voice began to sing:
Fear not this night
You will not go astray
Though shadows fall
Still the stars find their way
Distant sounds of melodies
Calling through the night to your heart
Auroras, mists, and echoes dance
In the solitude of our life
Darkness spreads throughout the land
And your weary eyes open silently
Sunsets have forsaken all
The most far off horizons
Nightmares come when shadows roam
Lift your voice, lift your hope
The lights cut through the Nightmare Lord’s form, and the noticeable feminine voice roared in agony.
“Mother?” the male voice noticed. “Mother, what’s wrong?”
It grunted, trying to recover. “This light… I know it, but… HOW?! HOW CAN THE PARAGON BE HERE?!”
“Who?”
The lights quickly turned around and pierced through the Nightmare Lord once again. This time they caused a rift between the giant form, revealing a dark shadow and its host that was being fueled by it.
Fear not this night
You will not go astray
Though shadows fall
Still the stars find their way
And though the night sky's filled with blackness
Fear not, rise up, call out and take my hand
“Sombra, don’t listen to it!” Fear’s voice shrilled.
He noticed the separation between them, only a few tendrils were still attached to him. He quickly ran back to his maker to rejoin with it, but it was already too late, as the flying lights quickly came back and severed the last vestiges of their connection. With their link broken, Fear was no longer connected to the realm that Sombra had formed, and it began to phase out of existence.
“MOTHER, NOOOOO!” he cried out in desperation, but she would not hear him, and a few moments later disappeared.
Fear not this night
You will not go astray
Though shadows fall
Still the stars find their way
And you can always be strong
Lift your voice with the first light of dawn
On the distant horizon, the sun began to peek, and its light began to burn the umbrum king. He was the king of monsters, the embodiment of darkness, and as such, the light hurt him, just as the Crystal Heart once did. This was his fear, and now he was trapped in the realm of his own making, no longer in control of it. He roared in pain as the flames began to consume him, he watched in dread as the lights that had separated him from his mother began to amass in front of him into a singular being of light. It obscured the morning light from hurting him, yet its radiance was still unbearable to behold for him. It reached out to him, and the umbrum king winced in fear of getting hurt. He felt a gentle tap on his forehead, as the creature of light touched it with its own. He felt a warm soothing feeling, one that he felt before… a long time ago. He finally opened his eyes and met a pair of familiar arctic blue ones.
“You…”
Dawn's just a heartbeat away
Hope's just a sunrise away
And the realm of nightmare began to disappear, overtaken by the radiance of clarity.