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// Darkness Descends 
// Story: The Best Intentions 
// by SpearmintSonnet 
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Chapter 12: Darkness Descends:

Never had the Crystal Kingdom experienced a darker time in its long history. Even the terrors of the Age of Discord could not compare to the depths of hopelessness and misery that plagued the ponies now. The Unicorn King ruled them harshly and mercilessly , blaming the populace for the flight of his princess. He enslaved them, making them mine the crystals he used to make golems, the golems in turn placed an ever greater fear in their hearts.

This ever mounting fear and hopelessness in turn drew the wendigos, drowning the once beautiful city in a suffocating blanket of snow and wind. There was no hope in the Crystal Kingdom, no hope of survival, let alone of rescue. Mirroring the hopelessness in the ponies hearts, the houses were dark and devoid of the brilliant hues that once graced them. Out of the smooth walls jutted blackened crystals, the symbols of the Unicorn King and his hellish rule.

Even the castle, once a symbol of light and hope across the world, was dark as night, its surfaces sprouting the same jagged black crystals, but these were much larger and foreboding. From the front there were dozens that stood straight out from the walls- the crystals that Sombra had used to chase Cadence as she fled the castle. These seemed to glow darkest of all and were a fierce reminder to the ponies of the kingdom that King Sombra was not one to be trifled with.

It was to this snow-blanketed city that Princess Cadence returned, flanked by both Princess Celestia and Luna as well as Captain Storm Fleet and Commander Lightning Dazzle. Only these five ponies entered the seemingly deserted city, their hoof falls muffled as they slowly made their way through the snow-clogged streets. Cadence looked around her, horrified by the darkness and despair she saw around her and she could feel these emotions taking hold of her as well. Her coat seemed the lose its luster with each passing step and soon her mane lay slack against her neck with none of its usual body.

Luna was the first to take notice of Cadence's lack-luster appearance. Stepping up to walk next to her niece, the violet alicorn laid her wing across the pink one's back. “All is not lost, my friend. We can still win back your kingdom. Do not lose hope, for you are all that these ponies have to have hope in. If you give up, so do they.”

Cadence nodded slowly, but her coat retained its lusterless appearance. “I know, but... it all seems hopeless now. No matter how I look at it, the more I see of the capital, the more I can't help but wonder if I was right to return here...”

The purple alicorn paused for a moment before her horn lit up with teal magic. Suddenly a bubble the same color as her magic shimmered into existence around the five ponies, isolating them from the storm of snow and hatred outside. Inside their bubble, the snow melted, revealing the crystal cobblestones beneath their hooves which were no longer dark like they had been, but were bright and shimmering again. Similarly, Cadence could feel hope return to her, warming her heart and brightening her coat. The young alicorn looked to Luna, gratefulness etched into her features. “You must teach me this spell one day.”

Luna nodded, the toll of keeping the magical bubble around them left her unable to speak for fear of losing her concentration. Slowly the procession continued until they reached the base of the castle where Luna released her spell with a gasp, the teal bubble popped and the snow took no time in filling in the space that had been brightened. Again, Cadence could feel the darkness of her kingdom slowly trying to take hold of her, but this time she was ready to fight it. Steeling herself she turned to her guardians, “I do not wish to fight King Sombra and I pray that we come to a peaceful solution. I ask for your assistance and council in this endeavor, whether these proceedings come to a peaceful conclusion or one of war. “

“We are with you, Princess Cadence,” Celestia said formally, nodding to her niece.

“I am with you,” Luna added with a smile on her face.

Cadence looked between her aunts and then to the two captains flanking them who nodded their assent and she felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, “Thank you.”

~~~

The darkness inside the castle was complete. Black crystals covered the many windows and galleries that looked out over the once-glittering kingdom, allowing none of the minimal light outside to brighten the halls. There were no torches in the alcoves either, Celestia and the Guard Captain, Storm Fleet, light up their horns to light the way as Cadence lead the procession through the castle. The dark crystals that made up the walls now seemed to drink in the magical light, throwing it back twisted and partial so that no matter how clear or gentle Celestia tried to make the light, it always appeared sickly and dim.

The light wasn't the only thing eerie about the castle. At uniform increments on the walls were pony-shaped statues. They faced outward from the castle and their faces were hidden in shadow. Cadence did know what they were and took to skirting around them whenever they loomed out of the darkness.

As they walked, Cadence could feel the confidence she had collected before entering the castle slowly drain away as her thoughts drifted. Despite her valiant effort to keep her thoughts optimistic, Cadence couldn't help being drawn the the worst possible conclusions to her visit, all of which ended with Sombra winning and plunging her country- her whole world- into darkness and chaos. As these thoughts assailed her, a dark magic began to rise around Cadence and her companions. Sombra had not been ignorant of her arrival and had placed spells and charms along her way to whittle down at whatever armor the young Princess had. It was the specialty his magic had taken since his dark transformation, inflicting fear.

Sitting in his throne room, the dark king waited silently, his spells telling him exactly where Cadence and her entourage were in his castle. His horn flared every few moments, activating more spells to weaken his opponents in a way not even the powerful Celestia would think to protect against. With a twitch of his lips, he smiled to himself, knowing in his certainty that the battle was already swinging in his favor.

He felt as Cadence walked into his chamber and knew exactly where she stopped- halfway between the door and his throne where it sat at the far end of the throne room in front of what had been a beautiful stain glass window before his crystals had covered it. He looked up from his throne and smiled compellingly at his Princess, "Aah, Princess Cadence!  Welcome home!  I was beginning to wonder what had become of you, Your Highness."

Cadence watched him with distrust in her eyes, "I appreciate your concern, Sombra, but though I admit I am surprised. I did not expect you to be so concerned with my well-being." 

The stallion smiled, and this time it looked genuine, "And why would I not be?  You are the ruling Princess of this Kingdom, and more importantly you are my wife; is a husband not supposed to worry if his wife goes missing?"

"Of course a husband should worry if his wife goes missing, but I am not your wife. No matter what you say or believe, you are not the stallion I married." 

"Ah yes, yes... there is the matter of our last encounter... and I apologize.  That was not how I wished you to see me, and as an unfortunate side effect of the transformation I underwent, I..."  Sombra's head drooped in shame.  "...I am ashamed to say that I lost control of myself.  I know I did... things that cannot be forgiven, but... that is no reason we cannot negotiate civilly."  It took all of his self-control not to snarl at her, to sound angry or hurt, but he knew that if she sensed even the slightest division of his thoughts she would withdraw from him; and that was exactly what he did not want... not yet.

The young princess watched the self-proclaimed king as he sat upon his throne, emotions waring inside her. Part of her wanted to believe that Silver Scales was still there, somewhere, under all the anger and malice she could almost see rolling off Sombra in waves. That was the part that still loved the gray stallion, but the rest of her openly rebelled, reminding her that this stallion had killed her Captain of the Guard in front of her; an act so horrible that even if he had come to see the error of the act, it could not be undone. Carefully she kept her features even as she replied, "I see no reason why we cannot negotiate civilly. I am here to reclaim my rightful place as Princess of the Crystal Kingdom. I wish for this to be a peaceful return as this kingdom has not seen violence in generations and I hope to keep it that way.

"You have two choices before you. If you choose to leave peacefully and restore the kingdom to what it was before you took over, you will be allowed to leave these lands under your own power. However, you will be banished henceforth and forever and given no sanctuary while inside the borders of the Crystal Kingdom. If you set hoof on our soil again, you will be fitly punished." Cadence paused a moment to let her words sink in. "You will be free to go where you will outside our borders, however many of the surrounding kingdoms have heard what you have done and you may not be welcome within their borders either, though I cannot speak for their rulers.

“If you refuse... I will be forced to take you into custody to be put on trial here in the Crystal Kingdom for your crimes against us. If you resist arrest, I will use whatever force is necessary to subdue and restrain you. But there is no need for such force, as I'm sure we can negotiate civilly."

The stallion felt his ire rise, but managed to restrain himself as he bowed to the alicorn.  "Your... ultimatum is reasonable," he said quietly.  "I will indeed relinquish the throne to you, Cadence... but..."  His brow furrowed with concern... and yet another tendril of the spells he had woven into the room around them flickered to Cadence.

"But?" The young alicorn arched an eyebrow at the stallion sitting on her throne, not noticing the current of magic that began to flow around her.

"It's just..."  He cast his eyes out the window, out onto the kingdom that spread out before them.  "I worry for your subjects, Cadence."  He turned his eyes back to her, his magic slowly flowing out of himself, into the room and slowly but surely into Cadence herself.  "You left so suddenly, without warning or notice... for many days they weren't even certain you still lived.  They worried for you, Cadence, and begged me to tell them what had happened, but even though I knew why you had left..."  He turned his eyes away from her, looking pained.  "I could not tell them what had happened to their Princess."

Cadence felt more than just a pang of regret lance through her heart, indeed it felt to the young alicorn that a spear of anguish lodged deep in her soul at his words. Feeling tears well up in her eyes, Cadence couldn't help a small sob escape her, "I... regret what I did, but at the time I had no choice. I was frightened and... and confused..."

"Oh Cadence, I know," said Sombra, his voice soft and forgiving.  "And I do not blame you for your actions, but... my dear, I fear your subjects may."

Another tendril of magic snapped into place around the alicorn.

She shook her head as fear began to flood her, "n-no... they'll understand... They'll understand I had no choice... That I feared for my life..." Cadence began to shake uncontrollably as she began thinking about what her ponies thought of her after she had left them at the mercy of such a terrible stallion. Her eyes began to glow softly green as she slowly succumbed to the magic Sombra had carefully laid around her. 

"I hope that will be the case, Cadence... but they were terrified.  You saw how I was, how... how angry, how full of hate... and you left me to rule them?"  He shook his head, his eyes full of pity.  "How will they react to you coming back now, Cadence, when you abandoned them in their time of desperate need..?"  He could feel her, now; he could feel her fear, welling up inside her like the swelling walls of a dam filled near to bursting.  His magic slowly closed in around her as he continued speaking, his voice soothing and gentle.  "You wish me to leave, but I was the one who stood where you should have and guided your subjects when they were leaderless.  I only did what I had to do as your hus- I'm sorry, as your former husband."  His eye twitched at the word "former", but he pressed on, his demeanor unmarred.  "But who else was there, after you had fled?"  He gave her a sympathetic smile.  "Of course I understand why you left, but can you imagine what could happen to you now that you've returned..?"

His magic flickered around her, settling between Cadence and the rest of the room like an ethereal prison of frozen lightning.

Unable to see or protect against the magic gathering around her, Cadence felt her courage and righteous indignation fall away in the face of what she saw as flawless logic. She had never thought about how her citizens would react to being left for months at the hooves of Sombra, had only seen herself as the savior returned to rid them of the menace, not as the coward who left as soon as things started to get out of control. What would her grandmare, the great warrior who helped rebuild the Kingdom after Discord was defeated, think of her? Tears fell freely now as she realized that she had done nothing good for her kingdom. They would probably be better off without her... Looking up at Sombra she asked pleadingly, "What should I do?"

Now Sombra's smile was genuine; she was so lost in her fear now that nothing, NOTHING would bring her out of it- not Celestia, not Luna, not ANYTHING.

"Oh, my dear, sweet Cadence," he said gently, his voice dripping with saccharine sweetness and understanding.  "There is only one solution."  His smile grew infinitesimally, and when he spoke again his voice was deep, commanding and absolute.  "Come back to me."

Cadence looked up at Sombra then back at Celestia and Luna. The violet alicorn just nodded sadly, as if it was the last thing she wanted to do, but Celestia spoke softly, "you know he's right. There really is only one option left."

Feeling as if her whole world was beginning to crash down around her, she looked back at Sombra, "Will this fix things? Is this really the only thing I can do now?"

"If you do this, Cadence, everything will be fine again," he reassured her, his pointed teeth glinting in the low light of the room.  "Your subjects will see us, together, united once more beyond the shadows of our... miniscule conflict."  He gestured with his hoof as if to dismiss the matter entirely.  "They will see me, strong and enduring, and they will see you again, beautiful and passionate, and they will be happy again, Cadence!"  He extended a hoof towards her, his eyes intense upon her.  "It is the only way to ensure the happiness of your kingdom, my dear... with the Crystal Heart gone, only our bond to one another can keep this kingdom safe."  The web of his magic closed in on her yet again, squeezing her ever tighter in the bonds of her fear; surely she could last no longer against his coercion...

Something itched at the back of her mind at his words, "The... the Crystal Heart... it's gone?" Glancing to the right of the throne where it usually sat atop a crystal pillar, Cadence noticed for the first time that the blue crystal was missing. She turned back to Sombra, her eyes wide, "What happened to it?"

The stallion's eye twitched, but his voice remained level and calm.  "It is gone, Cadence; what does it matter what happened to it?"

Real fear and worry, not magically spurred, shone through her eyes, "No, you don't understand! The Crystal Heart has protected our kingdom for ages! It is the only thing that can protect the kingdom, short of a standing army, which we don't have! We're peaceful ponies!"

"But I HAVE an army, my love!  The golems you saw in the fields; THOSE are our army!  And with it we will protect our kingdom from all who would threaten it!"  Again his hoof extended to her, more forcefully this time.  "Just come to me, and forget the Heart; it is gone, and you should not trouble yourself over it."

"It matters what happened to the Heart because it's an artifact of great power, if it were to get into the wrong hooves, there's no telling what kinds of things could happen. Tell me! What happened to the Crystal Heart?" Cadence pleaded.

Sombra's teeth ground together audibly, and his hoof plunged back to the floor angrily.  "You... you want to know what happened to the Crystal Heart?!" he snarled, his silken decorum finally tearing away at her insistence.  "FINE!  I'll TELL you what happened to your precious Heart: I HID IT.  I took that blasted hunk of stone and I hid it away, somewhere it will NEVER come between us!"

"You... you stole the Heart..?"

"I DID, and it will never threaten our reign, my love!!"  Suddenly, Sombra's horn exploded to life; a sickening miasma of bubbling green and purple magic flared around the curved red horn, and as it did so all of the magical traps and tendrils he had so painstakingly laid around his beloved's hooves flared to blazing life.  The cage of fear he had woven about her snapped closed, and the unicorn king allowed himself a triumphant smile.  "No magical object nor pony in Equestria will stand between us ever again, my Cadence..."

A bright light the color of Cadence's magic blazed from the magical cage and it splintered, sending Sombra's magic flying in all directions, leaving the pink alicorn standing tall, surrounded by a shimmering glow of magic, her eyes glowing the brilliant white of a magical flare. "You stole the Heart?!" Her voice was tinged with horror, but no longer was she the cowering filly she had been. Now she was filled with fury towards the stallion who had attempted to ensnare her once again in his devious magic, "Do you understand what that Heart alone means to these ponies? The Crystal Kingdom can survive without me, without this castle, without anything or anypony, but without the Crystal Heart, the kingdom will not survive. You must return the Heart!"

Now Sombra let his smile widen, and his eyes flared with purple mist.  "...No."

"Do you not understand me?" Cadence took a step forward, her eyes still glowing brilliantly, "The Crystal Kingdom cannot stand without it's Heart, even if you were to rule instead of me! You must return it to it's proper place!"

"Do you think I care ONE BIT ABOUT YOUR KINGDOM?!" Sombra screamed, his teeth bared like a rabid animal.  "DO YOU?!  Because I do not care if it crumbles into DUST!  I do not care, I have NEVER CARED ABOUT THIS WRETCHED KINGDOM!!!!"  His eyes flared again, a brilliant emerald green that flashed brightly in the room, and when he spoke again his voice was hushed and quiet.  "I have only ever wanted YOU, Cadence... you, and you alone, are what I desire..."  His voice slowly rose again as he took a step towards her down the pedestal.  "I want you, Cadence; I want to have you as I had you before, and only by surrendering to ME will your precious KINGDOM be safe..."  His pointed teeth glinted in the light once again.  "And I will rend your world to SHREDS to have you."

Standing tall against the onslaught of words Sombra spewed, Cadence narrowed her eyes, "You lost me the moment you forced me to take that love potion, Sombra. You will never have me, nor this kingdom. I would destroy you before I become again what I was before, and I will destroy you if you do not return the Crystal Heart!"

"Then you have sealed your fate and that of your kingdom!" he snarled, his mane flying around his face as he shook his head angrily.  "If I cannot have you, then YOU will have NOTHING!!"

Sombra's horn bubbled with purple and green magic as he jumped forward, closing the last few yards of space between himself and Cadence in two bounds, barely giving the young alicorn the chance to raise up a defense against him. His magic lanced forward and clashed against the sky blue of her own in a blaze of white light that left the onlookers dazed. Blinking stars from her own eyes, Cadence barely had time to lift her horn again as Sombra lashed out with yet another lance of magic.

This time two waves of magic, one golden as the sun the other the soft teal of moonlight on the water, rolled over Cadence as both Celestia and Luna stepped forward, "You are not alone in this fight, Cadence," Celestia declared as she turned her magic against Sombra, throwing her own spears of power at him while Luna kept their magical shield in place. The dark unicorn dodged Celestia's magic bolts and continued to concentrate his efforts of Cadence. He did not even seem to notice that the other two alicorns had stepped into the fight other than to occasionally jump to the side to avoid being struck by magic. His eyes bored into Cadence as his magic continually struck Luna's shield, battering their defenses. It was quickly apparent that Luna, not nearly as skilled in magic as her sister, was losing the fight and would soon be unable to protect against Sombra's magic.

Cadence looked between Luna and Celestia, both valiantly fighting for her, but it wasn't them Sombra wanted. It was her, and she was putting them in danger while doing nothing. Part of her reasoned that she couldn't fight him on his terms- his magic, while not as powerful as hers, was better honed. He knew how to wield his magic to suit his will even if his prowess did not lie in battle, she couldn't even lift a stone for more than a moment at a time. There was no way for her to fight him alone and expect to win.

"So this is how it is, Cady?!" Sombra shouted as he dodged Celestia's magic, his eyes never leaving the youngest alicorn.  "You let your aunts do the fighting to win your kingdom back for you?!  A valiant way to win!  I'm sure your subjects will just LOVE to hear how you were too WEAK TO STOP ME!"

"My strength does not lie in battle," Cadence said softly, "my ponies know this. Our strength has never come from war, but from peace and protection. I told you before, we are peaceful ponies. My subjects will understand."

Celestia flew back to stand near Luna and Cadence, "This is accomplishing nothing," she said quietly, "Luna, lend me some of your power so we can end this now."

"Of course, Sister," Luna agreed, allowing her shield to encompass Celestia so she could draw power from it. Slowly Celestia gathered magic, her horn glowing steadily more bright as she concentrated. Soon not just one umbra, but three could be seen glowing around the thin length of her horn. When she could hold no more power, Celestia lanced forward out of Luna's protective barrier and released all her magic at Sombra.

Golden light jetted along the length of the throne room, lighting up the room brighter than the noon day sun. Sombra had only a moment to react to the blast of alicorn magic, but it was not enough time to avoid it. He pitched backwards into the crystal wall behind him, the fractured remains of his throne embedding themselves into the wall before the wave of Celestia's magic shattered it and threw Sombra out into the courtyard several hundred feet below.

All three alicorns along with their guards stepped up to the gaping hole in the palace, a soft snowfall a stark contrast to the howling blizzard they had walked in to. Below on the cobbled walk, massive chunks of crystal had embedded themselves into it giving off the strange air of a sort of burial ground with too many tombstones for one body. 

"Is... is that it?" Cadence couldn't help asking as she continued to scan the rubble below her. "I wish it had not come to this... but I am eternally grateful you were both here," she smiled only slightly as she turned to her guardians, "things would have ended very differently, I'm afraid, if you had not been here to help."

Luna draped a wing across Cadence's back, "We wouldn't have had it any other way..." She hesitated when she noticed a house across the courtyard begin to shake, "What is going on over there..?"

Both Celestia and Cadence only had time to notice the weirdly shivering building before the whole upper floor exploded outward, throwing brick and mortar in all directions, some even landing at the hooves of the ponies standing in the throne room. Out of the rubble of the building a shadowy form appeared, innumerable cuts and lacerations across his coat leaking blood that showed starkly against his black coat.

"It can't be..." Celestia murmured.

King Sombra rose inside the house, his teeth bared like a wolf as he stared hateful daggers up at the three alicorns.  Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but the stallion stood straight and tall as he faced them; it was clear that he was not defeated... far from it, in fact.

"Is this all you have, Cadence?!" he shouted up to the throne room, his voice cracking as the insanity in his eyes became evident in his voice.  "Is THIS the vaunted power of your family?!"  He took a step forward, crushing debris beneath his hoof.  "If that is how you wish this to be done, I will level this entire city as I fight you!  Even if I die, your subjects will suffer the consequences of your stupidity!"  His horn erupted to life one more, his bubbling magic shifting as if it were boiling along its length.

Cadence stood dumbstruck as Sombra emerged from the destroyed house. No pony should have been able to survive Celestia's spell, let alone have the energy to keep fighting afterwords. Looking at the other two alicorns, she saw the same looks of disbelief mirrored on their faces. Sombra was no longer an ordinary pony, they could not underestimate him again. Celestia did not plan to as she stepped forward, her horn lighting up again with her golden fire.

Luna put a hoof forward to stop her sister, "Celestia, did you not hear him? He'll level this city if we continue fighting him! We have to think of a better way!"

"What better way is there, Luna?" The white alicorn asked, her horn dimming slowly. "We MUST destroy him or Cadence will never be free of him, this kingdom will never be free, and we do not have the Elements of Harmony with us to turn him to stone like we did with Discord."

"I don't know... maybe there's a spell or something." Luna shrugged her shoulders, thinking desperately, "You know magic better than I do, isn't there some kind of spell to, I don't know, turn him into something harmless? A puff of smoke, a field mouse? Maybe a way to banish him that doesn't involve turning him to stone?"

At the word 'banish' Celestia flinched minutely, but her sister jumped on it.

"You do know one!" Luna exclaimed, feeling some of her fear recede. "What is it? Can we do it?"

"I don't know!" Celestia cried, the levels of her calm demeanor finally breached, "Yes, Luna, I do know of a spell like that, but it's only a theory I read about once in Starswirl's manuscripts! The spell he described was one that would banish a pony to the shadows, but I do not know if the spell would even work or how it would work or what effects it would have! Starswirl even said himself that it was an experimental spell he would not even attempt! He forbade me from attempting it while I studied with him, for fear I would kill myself in the casting!"

Luna was quiet for a moment, "You were just a unicorn then, and a young one. We are alicorns now, with power imbued into our blood that even a wizard like Starswirl could only dream of! I'm sure that we could do it now, if you can still remember the spell... you can remember it, can't you?"

Very quietly, Celestia said, "yes, Sister, I do remember the spell. I do not think it is a good idea, but it is a sight better than having Sombra bring this city down."

Down below, Sombra was gathering power to him, just as Celestia had done before. His magic pulsed and bubbled violently as he concentrated more power into his horn. The dark unicorn knew this would be his last stand against Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, and he planned to make the most of it. He wanted to cause as much damage to Cadence before he was killed, as much damage to the city that had stolen her away from him. Quietly he began to chant as above him he watched Celestia and Luna begin to gather their power as well.

The pink alicorn watched silently as Celestia began muttering to herself the first in a long line of chants and incantations that would culminate in Sombra's demise, they hoped. Luna, they had decided, would serve only as a power source for Celestia, a kind of battery she could draw power from if the spell proved to be too much for her. She also saw Sombra gather power around him, could see his mouth moving silently as he, too, began the spell he would use to destroy her.

She watched him closely and soon she began to hear his word ringing in her ears, quietly at first and then slowly louder. Startled, Cadence looked around at Luna and Celestia, but they were too deeply ingrained in their spells to notice anything strange. Instead, she turned to Storm Fleet. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, Princess?" the young guard captain had been watching everything that happened between Sombra and his Princesses, silently awaiting any orders they might give. "I did not notice anything strange."

"Nor did I," Lightning Dazzle agreed, her white and blue mane waving in the breeze.

"It must have been nothing," Cadence murmured, her gaze turning back towards Sombra, but as soon as it did, she heard it again. "There! That!"

Again the captains looked confused, "we didn't hear anything, Princess."

"Unless it was the wind," Dazzle tried to sound helpful. "It is quite breezy up here. Perhaps what you heard was the wind?"

"Perhaps," Cadence agreed, though she didn't really believe it. In truth, she was hearing Sombra as he chanted his spells through the magic that still bound him to the very floor she stood on, the very wall her wing tips brushed as she began to pace. And as she paced, his words became clearer, as if she was moving closer to him rather than farther away.

"...the memories of the Crystal ponies are what keep them strong, and in turn it is the memory of the Crystal Empire that keeps the rest of the world strong."  Sombra's eyes began to glow brightly as his magic flared.  "Take from them their memories!  Take from the world the memory of the Crystal Empire, and may it be forgotten for all of time!  May the world forget its colors and spires, and may they forget the love and power that once resided here!"

The pink alicorn looked around again, her eyes gazing out over the snowy courtyard below and up into the ruined house where Sombra stood. She could still see his mouth moving as he chanted, his horn glowing and pulsating with magic. Silently she prayed that Celestia would be able to finish her spell before Sombra finished his.

Sombra's mouth curved into a predatory smile.  "But most of all... take from these ponies their own memories- their memories of hope, of love, and most of all... their Princess."

She pulled up short, Cadence turning her full attention to Sombra. "Please tell me one of you can hear this..." she glanced at the two pony captains who stood near her, but both shook their heads. Fear gripped her heart as she turned her full attention to Sombra's words, however she was hearing them.

"Let them forget her joy, her radiance and her love!  Let them forget the power she once held to keep them safe, and let them remember only my power to bring them pain, and never-ending torment!  Let these ponies WALLOW IN THEIR DESPAIR FOREVER!!!"

Sombra stared up at Cadence, his eyes glowing green, his horn bursting with his bubbling, evil magic.  Above him, Celestia began to glow brightly as the power of her spell finally reached it's peak, and with an arched eyebrow at the pink alicorn who had once been his bride, he intoned the last part of his spell- the part that would seal his curse to the land and make it suffer forever.

"per et potestate odium et tenebrarum
Ego præcipio tibi, de ex abyssum anima meus
tollere hoc Inperium, abs terrenum ex memoriam
sic ut erit perdidit in aeternum.
Accipe eorum spes... et fac eos obliviscor.
E unum qui tradens ego."

Celestia's glow threatened to blind them all, but as her power grew Sombra locked eyes once more with Cadence, and in her ears she heard one final breath of his words:

"Vale, Filia Regina. Regnabis quaeso in aeternum."

Cadence watched as Celestia's blinding spell lanced down at the unicorn stallion. This time he didn't even try to avoid being struck down. As his black misty magic spread out around him, the golden arrow of Celestia's power struck him in the heart and wrapped around him. In the same moment a cataclysmic shudder shook the earth as the courtyard split open and Sombra was hurtled into it's untold depths. As he fell, he did not scream or cry or wail, he only closed his eyes and sighed contently, his work completed.

Another earthquake shook the ground as the chasm snapped closed, leaving not even  a seam in the crystal pavement to show it had ever been there. Celestia wavered on her hooves, her knees buckling slightly as if unsure if they could still support her weight after using so much of her magic. Storm Fleet hurried to his princess's side to steady her. Luna also looked exhausted, though she did not need support to stand.

"It is done," the dark blue alicorn sighed, "Your kingdom is restored to you, my friend, and all is well."

Cadence, still stunned by what she had seen, didn't say anything, just looked wonderingly at the place where Sombra had stood moments ago. She didn't move until she felt somepony nudge her gently. It was Lightning Dazzle.

"You should address your ponies, Princess. They will want to know what has happened and that King Sombra is no more."

"Y-yes. Yes, of course." Cadence nodded and forced herself to smile. Magic could never outlive the caster and Sombra was dead. Any magic of his could not stick to the kingdom now that he was gone. There was very little about magic that the young alicorn knew, but she took comfort in this small thing she remembered her father telling her once upon a time.

The pink alicorn walked from the throne room flanked by Luna and Lightning Dazzle, Celestia and Storm Fleet remained in the throne room so the older alicorn could regain some of her strength. The three ponies crossed the hall and stepped out onto the large balcony that overlooked most of the capitol city. Below, Cadence could see many of her subjects were milling in the streets, shouting in confused voices as they tried to piece together what had happened. Cadence stepped up to the banister that circled the balcony and flared her wings.

"My little ponies! You have nothing to fear anymore. Sombra is gone! He has been defeated and no longer holds sway over you or your homes. I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, have returned to take my rightful place as ruler." Cadence spoke loudly, but didn't need to shout. Ancient spells on this balcony made any spoken words reach all across the city, making it the ideal place to give such speeches.

Down on the ground, ponies looked up, confusion on their faces. Most began muttering to themselves again, but one voice rose from among the masses, though it was impossible to tell who is was. "But... we have no Princess! She abandoned us and Sombra said she will never return!"

Cadence felt her chest tighten, "But you are mistaken! I am here, Princess Cadence! Daughter of Princess Frostfall! I did leave, for a time, but I have come back! Sombra is gone!"

A different voice rose from the ground, "Sombra may be gone, but our Princess has not returned. Whoever you are, you play a cruel joke with the lives of honest ponies. Leave us now, we have no need for your lies."

Cadence stepped back from the banister, her eyes flooded with tears. Somehow, Sombra's spell had not dissipated and still very much had a hold of her ponies' hearts. Luna began to step forward, her eyes hard and strong words on her lips, but Cadence stopped her. "It's no use... can't you see, they're spelled. Sombra cast a curse on them... they do not remember me."

Luna was torn between berating the citizens of the Crystal Empire for their obvious foolishness and finding answers to her own questions. The alicorn's innate curiosity won out and she turned around, “Perhaps Celestia can shed some light on this.”

“Perhaps,” Cadence agreed. The two left the balcony and returned to the throne room where Celestia was standing on her own, wings folded at her sides.

“I heard everything,” the exhausted monarch sighed, staving off the explanation. “but I do not know why Sombra's power might still be tied to the land. Perhaps his final curse lingers and will dissipate in time.”

Cadence fidgeted nervously, “maybe... but somehow I don't think that's it...”

Celestia and Luna both turned to look at the young alicorn, “What makes you say that?” the elder asked.

“Well...” she paused, rubbing her hoof on the ground as she tried to explain what she didn't understand herself. “During the fight, I kept hearing a voice. It was Sombra... at first I couldn't understand what he was saying, but eventually I could. It sounded like a spell...” the princess shuddered as she recalled the unicorn's chilling words. “He said things about forgetting me and the kingdom and love and joy and how the ponies here would only remember him... I guess I thought it was an artifact of the spells he had laid on me before, but... but what if it wasn't?” The young ruler looked up into the eyes of her supporters.

The white alicorn looked puzzled for a moment then began to pace, slowly as her weakened condition did not allow her to move quickly. Luna also looked confused and wondered aloud, “It's possible what you heard was a spell.. but if so, how could it outlast his lifetime? Even beginning spell casters know that no magic can outlive their ability to sustain it. If a pony dies, so to does their magic... isn't that right, Sister?”

Celestia nodded, though she seemed lost in thought, “there is only one answer then, isn't there?” The alicorn looked between her the others who stood around her, “Sombra is not dead and his magic lives on.”

“I thought you said that spell would destroy Sombra!” Luna exclaimed, “I thought you said...”

“Calm yourself, Sister. I said no such thing. I said I knew of a spell that would banish Sombra to the shadows. I had no idea if it would kill him or not, but it seems as though it has not.”

“Then what do we do? Can you bring him back so we can destroy him?” Cadence asked, though she did not sound hopeful. The kind of magic Celestia had performed was not something just any pony could do.

The pink alicorn felt her heart sink as Celestia shook her head, “no... I'm afraid that if Starswirl did have notes on how to undo this kind of magic, I do not remember them. And it is possible there were never any notes to begin with. I could attempt to undo the spell upon him, but it would take time... time I do not believe we have.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven't you noticed, the castle is still just as dark as it was before. Sombra's black crystals are gone, but the luminescence has not returned. Nor have your ponies regained their shimmer. I fear that without the power of the Crystal Heart, Sombra's magic will weigh heavily upon the kingdom and upon the rest of the world.” Celestia shook her head sadly, “And if this is true, time is something we cannot waste. We must find the Crystal Heart without delay.”

“But Sombra could have hidden the Heart anywhere! There is no possible way we can search the entire length and breadth of the world before darkness envelops us!” Cadence felt her as if everything was spinning out of control once again and she was beginning to wonder if she had ever had control to begin with, or if she had just imagined it all along. “It doesn't matter what we do, Sombra wins...”

“It seems like the only way we could get out of this on top is if we could stop time long enough to find the Crystal Heart.” Luna sighed, shifting her wings into a more comfortable position. “But that isn't possible. It's not possible to just stop time...”

Celestia hesitated, opening her mouth half way to say something, then closing it again. The spell she was thinking of was even more powerful than the one she had just used to banish Sombra, and it required something even more powerful than magic- a focus. A pony who would potentially give their life to tie the kingdom to reality. Without a focus, the kingdom would disappear into a magical aether, never to be seen again. She was going to let the thoughts pass and search for another solution, but Luna saw her hesitation.

“Sister, please, if you have an idea, tell us!”

The white alicorn sighed and ruffled her wings, “Very well, but I'm not sure the spell would work. Later in Starswirl's manuscripts he talked about being able to lock something in time, or to propel it forward or backward in time without moving it's place in the physical world. Most of his later work was dedicated to the art of manipulation. But the spell he spoke of was for small objects or artifacts. Nonliving things that would not be affected adversely from being transported through time...”

“We wouldn't have to send the ponies themselves, would we?” Luna asked, “just the kingdom? That's what's affected by the magic...”

This time it was Cadence who shook her head, “Sombra cursed the ponies here just as much as the land. I'm not sure how good it would be to let these ponies leave without giving them a place to go. This is their home and without a Princess to guide them... I fear they would rebel against being forced from their homes, even if it was for the betterment of the world. Whatever we do to the kingdom, we must do it to these ponies... to keep any of Sombra's magic from spreading.” As she spoke, the pink pony felt tears fall from her eyes. A horrible hopelessness filled her heart and she knew it wouldn't be long before she succumbed to the same lackluster appearance of her subjects. “Celestia, whatever you must do, do it now. We can't sit here debating forever.”

The elder Princess of Equestria spoke quietly, “I do not know what will happen, Cadence. Your kingdom may disappear forever, never to be seen again. You may be lost in magical currents, becoming the energy that unicorns use to power their magic. I cannot even predict where you might come out again, if you did. And... there is one other thing.” Celestia paused for a moment before continuing, “I'd need a focus. Something tied to the kingdom to keep it in place. Something to tie it to this plane so that it hopefully doesn't get lost in the magical currents. It would have to be something that is already tied to the kingdom, so it couldn't be just anything. Under normal circumstances I would say we use the Crystal Heart, but... well, if we had that, there wouldn't be this problem.”

“I see,” Cadence was quiet while she thought. After a few moments, she asked, “what about me? Could I be used as the focus? I'm the Princess here... my cutie mark IS the Crystal Heart, if there ever was a pony more connected to this kingdom... I don't know who that would be.”

Luna caught her sisters eyes and slowly shook her head, selfishly wanting to find a different solution, but time was rapidly running out. She did not have a better solution and Celestia knew it. Turning away from her sister, the white alicorn spoke to Cadence, “I'm not sure what it would do to you, Cadence. Usually a focus is inanimate so it can't feel anything. I have no idea whether or not this spell would cause you pain or even kill you in the casting. If we had any other choice, I would say we seek it out... but as it stands, this appears to be our only option...”

“Yes,” Cadence nodded, squaring her shoulders and standing tall, “it appears to be, and I am willing to make whatever sacrifice I need to to save my kingdom. It's my fault this happened, I aim to make it right.”

“Very well,” Celestia turned to her sister, but the blue alicorn was gone. She had run out of the throne room while her sister and Cadence spoke, unable to bear losing her young companion and friend after such a short time. “I would love to take time to rest and complete this spell myself, but time is not on our side. I will return to our camp outside the city and enlist the help of the unicorns there. Between us, I'm sure we will have enough energy to complete the spell...”

Silence stretched between the two ponies. There was nothing left to say, but both felt that something needed to be said. Finally Cadence reached out a hoof and wrapped it around her aunt, drawing the older alicorn into a tight embrace. “I will miss you, Celestia... and Luna as well... please... tell her I don't make this choice lightly and that I wish there was a better way...”

Unable to keep tears from her own eyes, Celestia nodded, holding her niece close, “of course I will tell her. And... if you return... I promise we will be waiting for you.”

The two alicorns stepped back from each other and nodded to each other before Celestia turned and left with her two commanders leaving Cadence alone in the castle.

~~~

Outside the palace, Celestia immediately took off and flew to the camp outside the city. Without delay, she gathered the dozens of spell casting unicorns in her tent and explained what she was going to attempt to do. Most were hesitant, but all eventually gave their aid. The alicorn wished her sister would help, but the blue alicorn had not returned to camp after fleeing the castle. Unable to take time to locate her sister herself, Celestia sent Commander Lightning Dazzle and a squad of her Wonderbolts to look for her. In the meantime, she and six of the most powerful unicorns spread out in a wide circle around the capitol city of the Crystal Kingdom.

Chanting, they created a bubble of energy that kept ponies inside while other unicorns began layering spells to contain any magic that was inside the bubble, hopefully trapping Sombra's spells before they escaped out into the rest of the kingdom. The bubble didn't just stretch high over the kingdom, easily encasing even the high parapets of the crystal castle, but also reached equally deep into the ground creating a perfect orb around the city proper. It took several hours to lay all the necessary spells, but eventually Celestia began chanting the long and involved spells that would remove the crystal city and everyone inside her magical bubble from reality as they saw it.

Cadence spent her time pacing in the throne room, the most central point in the castle that was also the center of the capitol. She watched as the protective bubble formed around her, creating a false sky that was much closer and shifted in color from beautiful blue to golden to pink and on again. She knew all she could do was wait for Celestia to finally cast the spell. Idly she wondered if she would even know the spell was cast, or was Celestia right in worrying that she might die as the focus.  

Magic gathered in waves and layers around Celestia as she pulled more and more power to her. It would take an enormous amount of power to transport the entire crystal city into another dimention, and the white princess was beginning to wonder, even with the help of all her spell casters, if she would be able to harness that power, especially in her weakened state. Still she pushed on, even as two and then three umbras of magic radiated from her horn, her coat streaked with sweat from her exertion.

Unexpectedly she felt the weight of magic shift and she latched down on it, worried that it would escape her and radiate out in a catastrophic wave of uncontrolled magic. She felt another tug and opened her eyes to see Luna standing next to her, their horns crossed. In her mind, through their magic, she heard Luna's voice, I want to help, Sister... you cannot do this without me. Celestia gasped in relief as she released her tight grip on the magic and allowed Luna to shoulder some of the burden. 

Together the two sisters were able to gather the energy they needed and Celestia spoke the final chants to seal the spell and the Crystal Kingdom-

“Caress of time that touches all,
release this city from your thrall!
I cast it to the Aether bright,
let it return e'er the time is right!”

From her horn, power blazed and like a cannon it shot directly at the heart of the crystal palace where Cadence stood. It was over in an instant; after the beam struck there was a blinding flash of white light that left every pony around blinded for minutes on end. When they were finally able to see again, the Crystal City was gone, only a crater the same size as the city was left in it's place.

Celestia turned to Storm Fleet who was running up to her from his post around the city, “Fleet, keep a contingent of soldiers here to watch for the City's return. I will send reinforcements to you as soon as I return to the Everfree Castle.”

The unicorn bowed, “As you wish, Princess.”