//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 - Consequences 
// Story: Kingdom of Friendship 
// by SkyFlare 
//------------------------------//

	“What happened?” Celestia asked, attempting to hold herself up.
“I don’t know what caused it, but the castle collapsed.” Vim replied.
“Where Knight and the others in there when you last saw?” Iron asked the Princess.
“Yes…  They had just gotten to the stairs on the inside.  I can’t see anything now, my sight is still linked with Knight’s, but all he sees is blackness.” Celestia confessed.
“But you’re speaking.  That means that your mind is back in your body, why can’t you see?”
“I honestly do not know, Vim.  But it makes me useless to this effort.” Celestia answered.  “If I cannot see, then I won’t be able to aid in the fight against King Sombra.”
“Is that who I think it is?” Luna muttered under her breath as she spotted a familiar silhouette on the other side of the castle’s rubble.
Luna vanished in a flash of dark blue.  Iron stayed by the blinded Celestia and Vim.  The dim light of the moon lit the dark field as the Heartless teleported away.  There were only five ponies left out in the moonlight.

“Why isn’t that Keyblade coming back?  Why can’t I summon the Crystal Light?” Twilight asked herself after her newest Keyblade vanished from her group.
“Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?” Luna’s voice boomed.
“Princess Luna!” Twilight jumped from the unexpected arrival.  “I’m… I’m…”
“You are supposed to be in Ponyville, not here.  What is the point in my sister and I trying to keep you safe if you just keep escaping?” Luna interrogated Twilight in such a way that made Twilight back up.
“I couldn’t… where’s Mist Valley?” Twilight stuttered.
Luna’s head dropped.  “He had just gotten inside the castle only a minute before its collapse.”
“No…  Why would he go in there?” Twilight shouted, tears running down her face.
“It appears that he did not tell you his story, did he?” Luna replied.  “When Valley was a young colt, he suddenly appeared in Canterlot.  Some concerned ponies brought him before my sister.  No matter how many hours were put into looking up his identity, she could not find anything.”
“She couldn’t find out who he was?  But that’s not possible…” Twilight wiped her eyes in vain as more tears quickly took the place of the old ones.
“Exactly.  He had no parents, no school record.  There were no missing ponies matching his description in any city or town.  She gave him to the ponies who found him so that they could raise him.  Nearly a year after being found, he spoke his first words, telling the ponies that were caring for him his name.” Luna explained.
“How could there be no record of him though?” Twilight asked.
“When Celestia asked about his past, he told her the same thing every time.  He said the he had escaped from the King.  Every time it was the same story.  The King had taken his home and his family was gone.  He had just barely managed to escape as a last effort from a group of hiding ponies.  At first, my sister assumed that it was just the imagination of a colt.  She thought that he was trying to cope with a loss, but now we know the truth.”
“He came from the same place as Vim…” Twilight whispered.
“Precisely.”
Twilight was frozen in place, trying to grasp that idea.  Three ponies were capable of passing between the dimensions; one of them did it twice.  That meant that there was a way to catch him, even if he fled to the other Equestria.  Considering that he was hiding out in his castle where he thought that he would be safe, running wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
“Come back with me now, Twilight.” Luna stated, as she started back toward where she’d come from.
Twilight tripped slightly as she tried to chase after Luna.  They walked through the rubble until they reached Celestia, Vim, and Ironwall.
“You must be Twilight Sparkle, am I right?” Iron asked.
“Yes…  Who are you?” Twilight responded.
“I am General Ironwall.” Iron answered.  “Tell me, what happened over there?  Why did the castle simply fall with no apparent cause?”
“It was because-” Twilight started.
“Twilight, why are you not in Ponyville?” Celestia asked.
“I couldn’t just let Valley kill himself.  He is the only pony that Note has, err, had.” Twilight answered.  “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
“It seems that Knight’s sudden death while our minds were linked cost me my eyesight.” Celestia answered.  “Now, if you do not mind, could you please answer the General’s questions?”
“Sombra gave me a Keyblade that had something to do with the darkness.  When I caught it, the Keyblade automatically summoned itself.  The Keyblade started out dark, but turned into a Keyblade of light, the Crystal Light.” Twilight explained.  “When it changed, there was a light and it made Sombra leave.  I’m not sure if him leaving that destroyed the castle or if the Keyblade did.”
“The Crystal Light?” Celestia paused.  “I’d read stories about that Keyblade, but it was supposedly destroyed when a dark wielder gained possession of it.”
“If I had to guess, it takes a form corresponding to the heart of the wielder.” Luna guessed.
“But if that’s true then… then Sombra is wrong about me.” hope flowed through Twilight, eliminating any self-doubt that she’d had before.
“I am not aware of what Sombra had said to you, but you must know that he never speaks the truth.  He is an expert at manipulating the emotions of his foes, making them more…. compliant.” Celestia explained.  “What you need to do, is turn his own words against him.”
“Do you mean manipulate him?” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“No.” Celestia shook her head.  “While he is trying to trick you, strike.  That is when his guard is weakest.  To manipulate him, that would require him having the emotions to care about what is thought of him, or the wellbeing of others.”
“If you don’t mind me saying, isn’t that a bit straight forward Princess?” Ironwall asked.  “Most of the advice you’ve given me over these years has been on riddle after another.”
“We do not have time for such things now.  I feel that this war is drawing to a close.”

Spike walked the populated streets of Canterlot, hoping to catch the princesses before Twilight had a chance to get herself into trouble.  It made him feel more at ease to see that some ponies were getting back to their normal lives.  There was a little hope that he and Twilight could get back to their real lives soon.  No more fighting Heartless, just relaxing with their friends and letting the occasional pony check out a book or two from the library.
He eventually found himself at the castle gates, passing the pair of ponies that were standing guard there.  One pony met him as he entered the throne room.  The pony was dressed in a formal looking suit with a black bow tie.  His brown mane was slicked back and his white coat had a shine to it.
“Can I help you?” the pony asked, glancing down at the dragon.
“Yeah.  Where is Princess Celestia?” Spike asked.
“She is currently occupied with a matter that has taken her away from our city.” the pony answered impatiently.
“Princess Luna?” Spike hoped that she would still be there.
“She went with Princess Celestia.”
“They went after Sombra, didn’t they?”
“I am not at liberty to say.  Anything that you need to say to them, you can say to me, seeing as in their absence, I have been placed in charge.” the pony explained.
“I really wish that you could help.” Spike sighed.
The dragon turned around and started back to the door.  He would need to get to the Crystal Empire before they left.  As Spike reached the large door to exit the throne room, he heard a voice behind him.
“Wait.  I might just be able to help you get there.” the pony stated, drawing Spike’s attention.
“How?” Spike glared at the pony.
“I could teleport you.” the pony offered.
“That would be grea-” Spike was cut off mid statement as he felt something grasp his leg.
The pony let out a gasp as he witnessed black tendrils reach out of the castle’s floor and take hold of the small dragon.  A black portal appeared on the ground as Spike was pulled in.  There was a crushing darkness within the portal, making Spike shake with a surge of dark emotions.  He found it difficult to breathe as his head was taken into the darkness.
“Spike…  It has been a while.” a familiar voice stated as Spike found himself deep within the Everfree Forest.
“Sombra!” Spike tried to climb to his feet and run away, but his legs didn’t have the strength to hold him.
“There is no use in running; I cast a spell on your legs making them useless.” Sombra smiled.
“Where’s Twilight?” Spike growled.
“She’s with the princesses.  She is remarkable isn’t she?”
“A thousand times better than you.”
“I only say that because she is falling in line with my plans.  Soon she will end the princesses’ lives and she will come to me.” Sombra turned away from Spike and used his magic to pull over a stone.
“You’re lying.  She got away from you before.  She came back to us because she cares about us and not you.  You are just a monster who can’t get over the fact that she can’t stand you.” Spike argued.
“Really?  How do you know that she hasn’t turned back to the darkness?” Sombra sat on the rock and looked down at Spike.  “She can’t resist the call of that magic, its power is… addicting.”
Sombra sat there for a minute while Spike was silent.  The silence was not his own will though, Sombra was done letting the dragon speak.  He’d cast a spell, stealing Spike’s voice.  There was a short while where all Spike did was glare at the King of Shadows, but he couldn’t bear to look at the monster for long.  He soon found himself doing anything that he could to avoid looking in Sombra’s direction.
Sombra sat calmly, waiting for Spike to begin doubting in his dear friend.  The King of Shadows always had a contingency plan.  In this case, his backup plan was Spike, using his feelings for Twilight against him and hopefully turning him to the darkness and using him as bait.
Spike’s attention was drawn by a flash behind Sombra.  He saw a familiar silhouette walk up to the king.  As the newcomer’s horn began to glow, he was able to see Twilight standing there.
“Twilight, how are the princesses fairing?  Are they dead yet?” Sombra asked. 
Twilight said nothing, but shook her head.  Her expression scared Spike somewhat, it was cold.  Spike was still unable to speak; otherwise he would have called out to her.
“Go back then.  I don’t like failure.” Sombra said coldly.  “And Spike, I’ll return your voice so that you may tell her good bye.”
“Twi!  What’s going on?” Spike shouted.  “You would never side with Sombra now that you know what he really is!”
Twilight glanced over at Spike, her face barren of any emotion.  She looked almost like she was dead inside.  She didn’t speak to him, instead, she teleported away, presumably back to where she came from.
“Terribly sorry, Spike.  It seems that she isn’t terribly into speaking with a coward who hides in the light.” Sombra smirked.
“Shut up!” Spike shouted.  “I don’t know what you did to her, but it won’t work for long!”
“What I did to her?  I’m afraid I don’t know what in Equestria you’re talking about.  I did nothing to that dear unicorn, except offer her a chance to be my queen.” Sombra leaned in close to Spike.
“Liar!” Spike shouted as he attempted to stand again before remembering the spell that Sombra had used on his legs.
“Me?  A liar?  That’s completely absurd.  Oh wait, no it isn’t.  I do lie, but only to help others see the benefits that the darkness can offer.  This however, is complete truth.” Sombra raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
Spike summoned his Keyblade and aimed it at Sombra.  His hands were free to move, even if his feet were not.
“Ah, it seems that you are also a wielder of the Keyblade.” Sombra mused.
“Let her go!” Spike growled.
“What is she to you?  A friend, a sister?” Sombra asked.
“She hatched me from an egg, she’s my family.” Spike growled back.  “I love her, a feeling that you could never understand.”
“So she is your mother?  She raised you from birth, just like your biological mother would have, had Celestia not taken you from her.  She protects you and gives you a purpose.”
“I… I never thought of it like that…” Spike paused, releasing his Keyblade.

“So we’re going to meet Spike in Canterlot?”
“Yes Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash grunted.
“And Twilight should be there too?” Pinkie continued as she hopped around the train.
“Yes Pinkie.” Applejack was starting to grow impatient of Pinkie’s repetitive questions.  “Just like the last five times ya asked, they should both be there.”
“Have I really asked five times already?” Pinkie asked.
“Six, counting that last time, it makes six.” Rarity groaned.
“What if more of those creatures come out?” Fluttershy worried.
“Then we’ll take ‘em out.” Rainbow Dash sighed, hooping for action of some kind.  So far Twilight and Spike were the only one’s who’d gotten to do anything and she was going crazy from boredom.
The train slowed to a halt as it reached the station in Canterlot.  The five ponies left the train car that they had spent the last couple of hours in and set out in the city.  They made their way to the castle, despite a few distractions for Pinkie Pie.
As the ponies entered the castle they were happy to see a certain purple unicorn resting her head on a table that was placed in the middle of the throne room.
“Twilight!” they all shouted in a mess.
“Girls.” Twilight slowly rolled her head over to face them.
“What’s wrong Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, noting a couple of dark streaks in her coat beneath her eyes.
“I screwed up…” Twilight tried her best to smile, but it quickly turned to a frown and she began crying.
“What happened?” Rainbow launched over next to Twilight in less than a second.
“I tried to stop Sombra before Valley had a chance to go in a fight him, but I made it worse.  The castle fell and… and…” Twilight sobbed.
“It will be all right, Twilight.  Don’t you worry, we’re here to help.” Fluttershy placed a hoof on her friend’s back.
“When we got back, Posh Ensemble told us that Spike was here.” Twilight started.
“Yeah, where is he anyway?” Pinkie asked.
“Sombra…” Twilight tried to continue, but couldn’t even bring herself to speak.
“We’ll get ‘im back, Twi.” Applejack stated.  “What happened at the castle anyway?  Where’re the princesses?”
“Celestia can’t see anything anymore.  She’d cast a spell so that she could see everything that a pony named Knight could see, but he died while the spell was active.  Luna hasn’t left her bedside since we got back.  Vim is trying to come up with a new plan, but so far she hasn’t had any luck.” Ironwall entered the room.
Twilight sniffled quietly as she looked up at Ironwall.  “I thought you were helping Vim...”
“She sent me up here to tell you that you need to rest.  You won’t be any help like this; you need to get your emotions in check.” Iron stated.
“You could stand to be a bit less rude!” Rainbow snapped at the stallion. 
“No.  He’s right…  I’m useless as long as I’m like this…” Twilight stood up from the table and started to walk away.
“Great…” Rainbow Dash glared at the stallion, angry for him making Twilight feel even worse than she already did.  “You’re a real jerk, you know that?”
“You must be Rainbow Dash.  The princesses wish to see all of you.  It would appear that they have some sort of plan.”

Twilight flopped down onto her old bed.  She was in the bedroom that she had used while studying at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.  It was a place that she had once called home, but when she was living there, she was never alone, Spike was always right there with her, and now Sombra had taken him.
The purple unicorn buried her face into her pillow and began to sob quietly.  She felt useless.  She couldn’t fight Sombra, she couldn’t save Mist Valley, and she couldn’t protect Spike.
“What good am I?” she asked herself between tears.
She rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, trying to answer her question.  In the past she had stopped Nightmare Moon, reuniting Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.  Discord was stopped before the damage he had done would be irreversible.  Her brother’s wedding and all of Equestria had been saved thanks to her.  She had helped to stop Sombra once, but it was Spike who returned the Crystal Heart to its place.  This time, instead of her needing his help, it was he who needed her help.
“I can’t let him down.” Twilight wiped her eyes before leaving her room.  “I have to talk to Princess Celestia.”
Twilight galloped down the halls of the castle.  She darted by a group of guards that were going through their appointed rounds.  She couldn’t afford to waste any time, it was Sombra that they were dealing with.  She saw what he did to those who tried to resist him in the past, how quickly they died.  Now was not the time to contemplate on whether or not she was of use, now was the time to prove to everypony, herself included, that she was capable of fighting Sombra.  She would be risking her own life, but since she’d moved to Ponyville, that had become somewhat of a hobby of hers, a weekly thing.
Twilight could hear voices as she approached the door to the room where the princess was resting.  She could make out Applejack speaking.  It was hard to tell what she had said, but it sounded like something about Twilight.
“Princess Celestia…” Twilight opened the door, trying her hardest not to shout.
“Twilight Sparkle, do you know what we have been discussing in your absence?” Celestia asked, lifting her head from her pillow and staring with her blank eyes at the unicorn.
“No, I don’t.” Twilight responded.
“We were discussing who we will have leading the fight against Sombra.  Your friends here are saying that it should not be you.  That he has hurt you too much and that you would not be able to keep your actions in line with what needs to be done.” Celestia explained.
“I’m inclined to agree with them.  However, something that I cannot do is what both you and Princess Luna have been having me do every step of the way.  Hiding is not an option.  He will find me, it’s only a matter of time.  I want to help fight him.” Twilight stated.
“You have just proven my point.  That despite all of this, you can make unbiased decisions.  Because of that, I want you to lead this fight.  You are the only pony capable of stopping Sombra, but you cannot do this alone.” Celestia placed her hoof on a box next to her.
A box that Twilight was very familiar with.  Inside of it were five necklaces and one crown, the Elements of Harmony.  Twilight looked around the room at each of her friends.  Pinkie Pie, the spirit of Laughter; Applejack, the spirit of Honesty; Rainbow Dash, the spirit of Loyalty; Fluttershy, the spirit of Kindness; and Rarity, the spirit of Generosity.  Together, they had saved Equestria a number of times, and this time would be no different.
“The Elements.  Are we going to use them on Sombra?” Twilight asked, thinking back to her very first trip to the Crystal Empire and how they didn’t use the Elements against him.
“No.  That would only be a temporary solution.  This calls for a solution that is more permanent.  You are going to use the Elements on yourselves.  You will see why in a moment.” Celestia explained.
Luna stood calmly next to her sister, opening the box and letting each of the young mares claim their Element of Harmony.  Once they were each armed with one of the most powerful weapons in all of Equestria, the jewelry began to glow.  They shot out small beams of light that met in the center of the circle of friends.  Seconds later, the beams faded away and a small piece of metal hit the floor.  A Keychain that had the circle that showed each of the Elements of Harmony in their crystal form, just like in the old story that Twilight had read.  The one that led her to the knowledge of Nightmare Moon’s return, 
“That Keychain will give you the Keyblade called Harmonious Retribution.  Vim told me about when you used two Keyblades against her and this one is part of my plan.  You will need to find Discord and take the Keychain that he carries.  These are the two most powerful Keyblades that I know of.”  Celestia explained.
“But how are we going to find Discord?” Twilight asked, levitating the Keychain with her magic.
“We will be searching the old castle that Sombra was in possession of while you were with him.  That is Discord’s last known location.  With any luck, we will be able to pick up on a trail and find him soon.”  Luna stated, speaking for the first time since Twilight had entered the room.
“Where do ya want us ta search, Princess Luna?” Applejack asked.
“I have already dispatched a squad of guards to search the castle and their search has led me to believe that Discord may have fled to Baltimare.” Luna explained.
“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed.  “I’ve never gotten to go to Baltimare.”
“This won’t be a pleasure trip, Rare.” Applejack stated.
“I know…” Rarity frowned.
“We’ll catch the next train there.” Twilight smiled looking at her friends.
“You might want to hurry, it’s leaving in ten minutes and the station is a fifteen minute walk from here.” Vim walked into the room.
“Oh no!” Twilight ran out the door as fast as she could.  Rainbow Dash launched over her head moving as fast as Twilight had ever seen her, without the Sonic Rainboom that is.