Sombra cut across the room with brilliantly malignant magic. An umbrum would have been caught if not for the sudden pane of shadow that absorbed the fury for just an instant, long enough for the target to move past. Umbra snorted with the exertion, scowling at the other shadow wizard that seemed so powerful. All her training felt petty in comparison.
"You are better than this." Amore moved to stand at his side. "I know you are. The cycle of hurting and being hurt must draw to a close, Sombra."
Sombra threw a hoof over her, bringing down his leg and with it, her, tightly to his side. "Be quiet and watch as I put this battle to rest." He fixed his eyes on Umbra. "But, first, we take care of their little 'leader'. Little pretender..."
He directed his horn at her, unleashing a nightmare of power, more than he had at any other single umbrum. His lethal intent was naked for all the room to see. It raced and streaked across that chamber, just to fade impotently away with a spreading sphere of light that expanded at a speed that could match shadow, light. The mare he had taken hold of burned like holding the sun itself.
Her fur melted away, the umbrum disguise unable to hold itself together as Anik allowed all the light he had stored free in a titanic explosive rush of light in all directions. Dawn had arrived, and none could stop it. Sombra wailed in agony, awkwardly stepping away from the suddenly agonizing mare. "B-Betrayer!"
"You had your chance, like the last lights of the day," spoke Anik gently, speaking his sing-song poem. "You could have held it, and been held, loved. You threw it aside, and know only pain. A choice, made by you, suffered by you." He took a step towards the reeling Sombra, focusing the light towards him with that passive look of almost pity. "You could have lived with us. Instead, you will die with us."
The umbrum howled with jeering delight at his pain, even if the light was far from comfortable for them. Even Umbra, who was already a day-liver by habit, squinted and held up an arm to ward some of the light away. Still, she could feel it. Anik was putting his all into it, but his all was running low rapidly. She willed her tiara free and zipped it over to him, settling it between his fuzzy ears.
The glow regained its flagging intensity as his mane wafted and waved with a life of its own. Anik fell to a knee, the glow petering out sharply. "All... out..."
But there wasn't a Sombra left to rejoice at this, only a shadow left behind as if where he stood he faced a nuclear explosion.
The room exploded in cheers and cries of victory. They had won over the dread lord.
"Dang it." Stepping out of nowhere, Discord scowled at the lot of them. "Ruined the whole thing."
Umbra raised a brow at the strange creature that was Discord. "Pardon me? We just saved the Crystal Empire."
"Not how that was supposed to happen. Ugh. This is what I get for having plans... At least the next part is far away from you." He jabbed Umbra on the snout with a finger. "So you can just stay out of it. It would have been nice for you, you know. Could have re-united with Starlight, been brainwashed together. Real memories..."
He waved at the swirling Umbrum and the exhausted Anik. "But you get them instead, hope it was worth it. I swear." He vanished with a puff of annoyed smoke.
Umbra shook her head at where the chaos spirit had been. She raised a hoof to her necklace and focused on the vision of Sombra's defeat. "I've told the others, so they can come home. Anik, are you alright?"
"He's fine," assured Morning, patting her tired brother. "He will require rest. Nice job, I hated it."
Anik chuckled softly at that contradicting report. "Did we win?"
"We won." She directed a hoof at the burn mark left of Sombra. "There is nothing remaining of him." She walked towards her mother with a cocked brow. "What was that about? Who was that? Should we be planning their destruction?"
"Tempting... But I don't know them? I don't make it a habit of destructing people I don't even know, at least basically. Everyone, thank you." She dipped her head at the umbrum as her tiara slid into place under her magic's influence. "I have to recharge this... But worth it."
"You owe us," demanded one umbrum, lowering just in front of her. "We lost some good umbrum today. That wasn't an easy battle."
"But we won," howled another, thumping their chest and looking triumphant. "Take that, traitor."
Umbra nodded at the irate umbrum. "I do owe you one. The entire city owes you one, and I'll let them know. You're all heroes today."
"Ew." One umbrum stuck out her tongue. "Do we have to be?"
Morning shook her head languidly. "I'm afraid that's already been done. Mother, may I return to class?"
Umbra blinked. "Oh, yes, of course... You want to, after all that, today?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Showing no emotional baggage from the battle, Morning melted into shadow and fled towards some education.
"I... Hm." Umbra shook her head slowly. "Not sure the rest of her class will be as eager to pick up where they left off. Anik?" She went to his side. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired." He sat up, but didn't stand. "Very tired, but satisfied, mother. We won." He smirked softly. "I lied, but it was the right kind of lie at the right time, I think. I meant what I said. If he had seen sense, I would have defended him, with my life if needed."
Umbra kissed him on his forehead. "I believe that. I would have stood next to you, if that happened. Even that Jerk deserves that much, if he managed to see sense."
"I can't even believe it." An umbrum fled the sappy feelings, back to their dark hiding place.
Umbra snickered at the disgusted shadowling. "Nice job, by the way. I didn't know you were such an actor."
"I don't think I am." Anik rose slowly to his hooves. "I could feel her, Amore, in the shadows that hid me. It was like she was all around, hugging me as I spoke."
Umbra blinked with obvious surprise. "Wow, intense. Did... it feel funny? You alright?"
"Very odd." He went for a nuzzle. "But I feel fine. Just tired, really... I could use a nice, long, sunbath."
Umbra made gentle shooing motions with her hooves. "Then you do that. Go spread out somewhere nice and sunny and don't move until you feel like it. You earned the rest of the day off at least." She started for the door. "I'm going to check how the city's doing."
Umbra emerged into the castle proper to find guards looking dizzy and confused. They had taken off their helmets, the ones given by Sombra. Umbra casually collected them on the way past, creating a pile of the things to be disposed of later. "Ma'am!" One guard rushed her. "Apologies, ma'am, but where are the other? Where is Shining Armor and Princess Cadance? I'm glad to see you, ma'am, but do you know where the others are?"
She put a hoof on the worried guard's shoulder. "Deep breath. They're safe. They were going to get help, but things are resolved. Expect them to return soonish. They're safe."
"Safe..." The guard let out a releived sigh, deflating with the force of it. "Thank harmony... You're in charge, ma'am." There was not a single other pony that could take the job. "Shall I see you to the throne room, ma'am?"
Umbra frowned at the thought. "The city... Fine..." She had to be a source of stability. A lot of ponies were confused. "But my first order is coming before we get there. All guards are to scout the city and look for anyone, pony or not--"
"Creature?"
"Yes, um, anycreature. Find any that need help and give them that help. There are a lot of traumatized people out there that need an understanding presence right now. Be that. If a guard feels they are that, say so. No working in suffering silence."
"Ma'am!" He saluted sharply and strode off to see her will done.
Umbra strode into the throne room and sank onto the comfy chair of dominion. "The odds are low, but are there any petitioners? I am ready to see them."
A guard at the door shook her head. "It's late, ma'am. There are no petitioners, ma'am." She rubbed a cheek. "Permission to speak, ma'am?"
"You're already speaking." Umbra smiled at the guard. "What's on your mind?"
"Ma'am." She dipped her head at Umbra. "Thank you for being here. Do you know what happened? I feel like I... lost a few days..." A few mumbles of other guards rose, that feeling far from unique to her. "Did we do something wrong, ma'am?"
Umbra snorted. "That jerk... Sombra returned." Gasps rose. "But was defeated... He is now destroyed, for real this time." She clopped a hoof down. "The umbrum pressed him into a corner, and Anik finished him off. It was a brave display all around. A few umbrum paid the final price to see it done, but they did it without hesitation."
A hush settled, glances shared. The mare guard raised a hoof. "Ma'am... I have so many questions." The rippled of noise echoed that others felt the same way.
"Shadow." Umbra rose to her hooves, standing on the throne. "It has no feelings. It just is what it is. Those that use it, or even come from it, can turn it to good ends, or bad ones. Anik, a pony of light, can use his light for good, or for bad. Today, shadow and light came together. They unified, to banish evil, and welcome good back to the empire. " She sat with a thump. "One shadow chased another, and the coming of the dawn saw the more wicked of the two melt away." She flashed a smile. "Anik is rubbing off on me. The day is safe, and our homes are safe." A cheer exploded through the throne room with claps and stomps.
"Sorry." One guard stepped forward, his head low. "I only remember it a little... But I saw your face, and you looked... I wasn't helping. What did I do?"
Umbra flicked her ears back at Flash Sentry. "It wasn't your fault. All of you. Every single one of you." She pointed at the base of her throne. "If you feel guilty, come here." Soon she had six guards looking equally miserable. "You did nothing wrong." She stepped down from the throne. "It was my fault. I promised to guard you from shadows, but I couldn't do it alone."
"Ma'am!" squeaked one of the six, a mare guard. "You're not a guard."
Umbra raised a brow. "I'm sorry, when did that ever stop me from entering battle? For that matter, Shining Armor, or Cadance! Sorry for being such a huge pain, but the royal family around these parts can and will get hip-deep in trouble." She smiled gently at the six. "And that's why we're glad we have you around." She spread her wings. "You did nothing wrong."
She spread her wings and stepped in, wrapping those wings around her worried guards. "This fight was beyond you. It was beyond me too. We needed help. That's why Shining and Cadance aren't here. They ran to get more help. Shadow and Light came together to put Sombra down for good." She stepped back. "And we, all of us, won."
Things grew quiet, guards awkwardly accepting the embrace. Things calmed with slow shared breathing.
The battle had ended, and they'd won. "For that matter... Who's the local party planner?" Alas, Pinkie wasn't there to put the job on.