Hours had passed since my friends, and I were rounded up and tossed in the cells beneath the Crystal Palace. Lo and behold, my surprise when the cells were made of crystal as well. I was beginning to worry this was due to a lack of other materials. Wood or stone might be a nice change of pace. If nothing else, It was less dreary than a prison cell should be. It had no leaks or creaks, no roaches or rats. It was clearly cleaned and could have been far more unpleasant overall. I expected at least a skeleton or two.
So here I sat staring out the cell door at the hall beyond. The continued clop of hooves behind me reminded me that Sabre was still pacing. He'd been walking almost as long as we'd been in the cell, from one end of the small apartment to the other. Occasionally, I could almost make out what he was muttering under his breath. I didn't need to, though. I had an active imagination and context to shape it.
Across the hall, Blueblood and Spade sat in their own cell. By choice, Blueblood had spent years hiding in his rooms in the Everfree dungeons. A place he'd rarely left up until recently, the boring compliance he wore as he sat back to the wall was a well-used expression.
Spade wasn't much different. He barely took note of the cell at all. He stood in the center of the cell and seemed asleep on his hooves, eyes still wide open. The rest, even if not the rest the group wanted, was better than none at all.
"Two hundred and six."
Bright called from the cell directly beside my own. Bright had taken to counting each and every time one of Sombra's soldier's marched down the hall. For six hours, that number felt a bit high. On that same note, I doubted the guard had anything better to do. That was the trick with isolated societies under an iron hoof. There was minimal crime and little outside persuasion.
One might ponder what Sombra would ultimately do with us. We could spend the rest of our days rotting in these cells, or maybe he'd have us executed. He might even just toss us out and let the elements handle everything. If we had none of our supplies, we'd be hard-pressed to survive the night.
These were options, all possible, all within reason. So when an opportunity that wasn't reasonable happened. I was left bemused and confused. The ground shook just a little. A stray pebble jumped in place. The shake was followed by a muted boom. Something was wrong if it was loud enough to be heard in the dungeon and strong enough to shake the kingdom's bedrock. I was proven correct when I noticed the sudden surprise of the guard. That guard ended up running back down the hall and passed us about the way we'd entered earlier in the day.
"That's odd," Spade said. It turned out he wasn't asleep or was a very light sleeper.
"Yep," Bright agreed.
A second boom, another shake, this one a bit stronger and closer.
"So, any guesses?" I asked.
"Sombra throwing a fit," Blue said.
"Maybe Shining and Chrysalis coming to save the day," Bright shouted.
"No, The Queen is still in Canterlot. I told her what had happened earlier. I'm sorry," Thorax said with a long sigh.
"The apocalypse," I said with a shrug.
"Shh," Sabre had stopped pacing. He was now very close to the cell door eared, pressed as close to the outside as he could get. Another boom, another shake. Sabre's ear twitched as he listened to the hall and whatever was making the noise above.
"Somepony is coming," Sabre said. He was tensed up, like a spring set to explode. I'd' hate to see what'd happen if a guard got too close to the cell door.
The stride was measured, a consistent pace, clip-clop, the hooves, heavy, and the slight chink of metal meant the approaching pony was armored. The guards had helms and barrel armor but no greaves or boots. That meant the approaching pony was not just any guard. Another boom, another shake. The approaching pony didn't stop. Their stride was unwavering.
Then the walking stopped. The walking stopped because the pony in question had come to a halt right in front of my cell. Sombra looked none too pleased. He looked bordering on biblical. There was another one of those words that didn’t seem to make sense. A fragment of my past, something that, like me, wasn’t from Equis, or so I thought. The aura radiating off Sombra was thick enough to choke on. His horn was seared red, and if not for his explicit attention to detail and life of politics, I would bet his gaze alone would render the cell door to ash.
"Stargazer."
I was surprised. Even Sombra's tone was measured with an immaculate level of care. I would have been impressed if the scenario had been different. So instead, I flippantly ignored the monarch and turned to Sabre. Sabre, for his part, was trying his hardest to out-anger the loathsome king of Crystal.
"So, no guesses then, Sabre. The others already made their bets."
"No, sir, I don't."
Sabre hadn't so much as twitched in my direction. His voice was low, and the quaking of his jaw implied very much he'd instead be yelling. Yet, he managed to restrain himself more or less. Sombra ignored Sabre and was being ignored, for that matter. Though if it were possible to be more angered than he was right now, I couldn't imagine it.
"What have you brought to my door?"
What have I brought to his door? A question for the ages, but the booms were starting to make sense. There was basically no one outside of the Crystal Empire that knew where it was that wasn't currently within its wall. Thorax had told the Hive, but this wasn't them. So that left only one other faction that might be on the hunt.
I smiled. A gentle smile of satisfaction. "Oh?" I asked.
"What have you done!"
Sombra stomped, and the crystal beneath his metal-clad hoof shattered like glass. I had to blink away the impression such a feat left. It reminded me of Nightmare Moon, if I were honest. Speaking of Nightmare Moon. Another boom, and the ground shook again.
"You sound worried, oh mighty king."
Sombra turned to Sabre for the first time since he'd arrived. "You would mock me, knave? It is not I who is locked in your dungeon."
“That hasn't stopped the booms, has it?" Spade asked from behind Sombra. It seemed that whatever patience the king did have left was spent. He turned back to me.
"Who is the pink alicorn knocking at my door?"
"Cadance?" I asked.
"Who?" Sombra hissed.
"Nightmare's right hoof, I guess. She must have been stalking us for days now. I'm honestly surprised she found the empire at all. All's the pity, really. This place was enchanting before her arrival. I doubt that'll last."
I could see the numbers running through Sombra's head. What I hadn't expected was the toothy grin Sombra had by the time his calculations concluded. "Is that so?"
"Probably," Bright said from his spot by his cell door.
"Perhaps those visions were less misguided than I thought."
Sombra tapped a hoof to his chin. It was my turn to do some math. The sum total of which amounted to something being very, very wrong. Sombra waited, much as I had for him. He seemed all too happy to let me work the problem out myself.
"What pray tell, would happen should I simply hoof you over to this 'Cadance' pony. I'm sure Luna is far more concerned about you than I as of the moment, yes?"
I did not like where this was going. I didn't seem to be the only one. The cell itself seemed colder. Blueblood and Spade were now at their own cell door, watching intently. I had to imagine Thorax and Bright were as well. The hall was silent as the grave.
"I thought as much. Luna was always so single-minded."
"That wouldn't solve your problem, though," I said.
"It'd only delay the inevitable," Blueblood added.
"Nightmare doesn't do, half measures, Sombra."
Sabre growled at the king, whose smile waned if only briefly.
"And you see me keeping Luna's most wanted as a wiser decision?"
I nodded. "I do."
Sombra leaned in and whispered. "Do tell."
"Why would Nightmare be so obsessed with my friends and me if we weren't a threat. Would you waste so many resources on a ragtag band of nobodies if they were truly powerless?" I asked. Sombra leaned back.
"So what makes you so dangerous, Stargazer. Your dreams, the same dreams that have you now prisoners at my mercy?"
It was time to get to the core of this little game Sombra had going. I wasn't the smartest stallion here. But something had nagged me since I'd been thrown into the dungeon. Sombra had let slip something earlier, something I doubt he even noticed.
"What are the Elements, Sombra?"
There it was, a spark. A deep seeded unparalleled gut-wrenching fear. I'd hit the nail on the head, and Sombra's reaction spoke volumes. The look that followed was a whole other book, and maybe it's countless sequels.
"Tools, a weapon, to shatter kingdoms. The weapon Luna and her infernal sister used to send my empire through space and time. The same tools that Nightmare Moon would no doubt fear. A fear you brought forefront to her attention. You have no idea what the fire you play with could do. Do you, boy?"
"Not a clue," I answered.
"So, the spark yet lives, I see."
Sombra's visage of power and rage gave way to a very tired stallion, one carrying far more than any pony should alone. The raging greens and purples around his eyes dimmed. The look Sambra gave was one that few could understand. I certainly didn't, but for all his bravado, Sombra wasn't an alicorn. He was a pony, a strong one, but still very mortal.
"You could help us. You could stop Nightmare and free Equestria. You could prove you’re more than the king you think you are. Sombra, this doesn't have to end with all of us dead and gone. Nightmare can be beaten. There's a reason our dreams called to one another."
I sounded desperate. Hell, I felt desperate. I might not be a king, and perhaps I wasn't as alone as Sombra, but I'd be damned before I pretended I wasn't afraid. I was terrified. I feared what Nightmare would do, what Cadance would do, what Sombra could do.
"The voice in the dark," Sombra said.
"Sombra, what are the Elements? What do they do? Where are they?"
I pressed my head to the door's bars. Sombra looked to me, an expression of disdain, but for whom, I couldn't say. The shaking and explosions were getting louder and longer. Our chance was slipping us by.
"Why would I care for Equestria or your opinions?" Sombra asked.
"Because you're afraid of being alone."
Sombra turned back to Blueblood, who'd spoken before I could.
"What would you know of solitude?"
“Because a year ago, It was all I knew and all I deserved. I lived in a prison of my own making. because there was nothing worth seeing left in this world. I was alone and afraid. I was my own prisoner. I was wretched and deserved it. When Nightmare came, she claimed the world and a noble of the sun, somepony like me, had no place in it. That stung, but what followed was worse. All my power and wealth gone, and all that was left was me. It turns out, those who’d I thought cared for me, valued me, that me, myself was not worth the trouble."
Blueblood's gaze didn't waver. Sombra snarled but did not interrupt.
" I was arrogant and brash and selfish to no end. Who would bother sticking by somepony like that? In hindsight, I don’t even blame those that left me. That, however, was then. That was months ago. Something changed, something I can’t rightly explain.
Blue pointed past Sombra to me. I offered a smile, if only barely.
“They, Stargazer, Light Sabre, Bright Pitch, gave me something I'd thought long lost. I no longer believed I was worth knowing, worth giving a chance. I feared my past had all but consumed me. Then, when others would have left me, they didn’t. Day by day, they returned and, minute by minute, shattered the world I thought I knew. Their generosity showed me a path forward. There was still a choice to make. So, Sombra, make one and quit with this roundabout farce."
"Alright, Blue, that was awesome. That’s our navigator," Bright said. "I won’t pretend I had it all that bad. I mean, I’m a thestral, one of Nightmare’s chosen. These years when somepony like Blue was falling apart, I was being lifted up. I was taught Thestrals were the best, and since I was a thestral, that meant I was the best. But it never felt real. So, I wore a mask, I was the proud noble at court, and only really me at home, alone. We all hide away part so ourselves. But it only takes a little honesty to see past the cracks, to learn who you truly are. The longer I hid who I was, the worse I felt. So when I saw Star and Sabre for the first time, I took a chance. Then, for better or worse, they accepted the real me, and the fake me disappeared. So, come on, Sombra, take off your mask. It’s no fun hiding in the dark alone."
There these crazy ponies were backing my play at the drop of a hat. The explosions probabaly dind’t hurt though. I truly didn't know what I felt at all. Sombra clearly didn't either.
"Way to knock em dead, Bright. Heck, I'm not sure how to follow these two," Spade said and waved a hoof dismissively in Blue and Bright's direction. "I'm not some fancy hero or a noble on a quest to free the world. I dig holes. I see more tears than most. But it was back when this whole dark age thing started. I saw a filly and her family crying over the grave I just dug and the tombstone I'd just chivvied. It was as simple as it is true. It was then that I made a promise. I saw a family, the family that stuck the first shovel in the dirt of my home. I saw them pack up and leave. I watched their home become a cemetery. I promised I'd do my best to cheer everyone on. I'd devote myself to seeing their smiles. IT was the least I could do. So, If you truly love your people, isn't that what you’d want to?"
Sombra growled, his eyes and horn lighting up once more. "Who are any of you to reach down to me? What do you know of the burdens of the throne?"
The silence was palpable. That was until a hoof reached through the cell bars and waved for attention. The only non-pony didn't stop until Sombra moved to stare at the changeling. I couldn't see Thorax from my position. I could, however, see Sombra, and he looked murderous.
"You, bug? Speak your last."
"Oh, um, sorry. I don't know what it means to be a king or Queen. But, the Hive, we all know what our Queen feels. When she's happy or mad, sad, or tired. We all feel it. That's what being a Hive is. Changelings were alone for a long time. The Nightmare, the eternal night. That changed everything. Mostly for the worse, but a few things for the better."
What is your point, bug?" Sombra seethed.
"My Queen, she found love, a mate, a purpose beyond just the Hive she had. She helped it grow, but it wasn't just changelings now. It was ponies too, and griffons and even a dragon or two. The Hive grew because a single pony showed Her Majesty a little kindness. So, maybe if we all do the same, things will be better one day. Being angry doesn't make you feel better. I can taste it. I can taste your fear and sorrow too. There's no shame in any of it, you know?"
Sombra stood silent, then he reached back a hoof and brought it to the cell door with a sickening crunch. Thorax's scream and Bright's gasp were not helping. Sombra took a step forward, and he entered the cell.
"Enough of this madness."
"Sombra!"
My heart went to my throat as I leaped back in front of the cell bars. Sabre had yelled and screamed at the top of his lungs. Sombra had clearly heard it too. The king slowly retraced his steps and looked over to the one who'd called to him.
"Does the traitor have something to add? The one who left his station, the one who plays a soldier, do you have something to say?" Sombra asked. Sombra's voice was oddly calm, though the look in his eye was still very disconcerting.
I expected Sabre to yell or rave or something. Instead, he took a deep breath and took a step closer. Sombra raised a brow.
"You're not wrong. I hate that fact, but you're not. I left my station. I lied and hid and aided known conspirators. I did all of that. I did all of it because of my values, not despite them. I may be many things, Sombra, but I am no traitor. I pledged myself to Equestria, not to Nightmare Moon. I betrayed my beliefs and country when I allowed myself to work for a tyrant. These ponies are giving you a chance to be more, to prove why you deserve to be king. I have no idea why, but they are. I trust them more than I hate ponies like you. All of them have stayed by me, risked their safety and hopes for a dream. A dream that led us here. So, if you need proof of my loyalty, fine, open this cell. If you need a pound of flesh, then you can take it from me. If it keeps them safe and their dream alive. Then, by all means, do what you will. I'll die with no regrets. Can you say the same?"
Sombra said nothing. He looked between Sabre and me and back over his shoulder at the cell he trashed.
"So, Sombra, what will you die for?"
"Yet, no spark. Alone in the dream, a spark alights the world," Sombra said.
"A spark I followed here. A spark that lit the crystals, the same ones that led me here. So if there isn't a spark, then make one. What do you have to lose? You saw it all too. You saw my, no, our dream. Someone believes in us, the voices. You heard them, too, right? I heard them. I heard yours. So please, hear mine now."
I was breathless, and my cheeks damp with shed tears. I stared at Sombra, and he at me. I don't know how long passed. I didn't really care. Then a boom that rocked the dungeon shook us from our trance. That last one wasn't close. It was at the door. The shield, barrier, or whatever had kept the cold at bay wasn't stopping this.
Sombra cursed and stomped and hissed. Then his horn glowed softly, and the cell doors opened. Sombra said nothing, just trotted past us and back the way he'd come. I sighed and, without a word, followed. I could hear the others behind me. I didn't need to check. There was nothing left to say.
Tomorrow we'd deal with Nightmare Moon. Here and now, Cadence was calling. It would be rude not to answer. No sooner had we climbed the stairs to freedom than everything was drowned in chaos and bodies, ponies running, and the sounds of battle.
"Stargazer, follow. We'll need everything you know of this alicorn if we are to save my kingdom. We'll need far more if we are to save yours."
Yes, yes, we would.