//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: A Change of Heart 
// by LolianTriforce 
//------------------------------//

It wasn’t long before Ornate woke up in a cell. She looked around to find the room a little small. She stood up, but immediately found shackles around her ankles. She pulled a little, finding the chains quite sturdy. She knew there was no escape.
That’s when the door opened. Celestia walked in, an angry expression still sitting on her face. She closed the door behind her and began to pace around her. Ornate watched her, unsure about what she might do.
“Where is Sombra?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Ornate responded.
“Liar!” Celestia snapped.
“He abandoned me. I have no clue where he went.”
Celestia glared at her. She was unsure whether or not she was telling the truth. She continued to pace and study her. She stopped as she looked at Ornate’s tattered dress. She had stopped next to her flank where the dress was short. She used her magic to lift up the tattered fabric. Then her eyes widened.
“What is this?” she asked.
Ornate glanced at her. Tears filled her eyes as Celestia lowered her dress.
“A pony with no cutie mark,” Celestia mumbled. “I knew something was wrong with you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Ornate defended.
“Oh, but there is,” Celestia interrupted. “You’re a blank flank, an adult pony, no less. Everyone your age has their cutie mark. Plus there is the fact that you travel for a living. No pony else does that. And you sided with the enemy!”
“He’s not the enemy!” Ornate cried out.
Celestia shook her head.
“Your acts have been seen as treason towards Equestria. As punishment, you shall face banishment. King Sombra will be sentenced with death!”
Ornate gasped. She backed up a little. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Celestia turned and opened the door. She walked towards it, but stopped, glancing back at her.
“You will never be one of us, Blank Flank.”
She exited the cell and slammed the door behind her. Ornate fell to the floor and sobbed. She couldn’t believe that she would never see Sombra again.



	***


Sombra ran down the alleyway. He glanced back to see Ornate behind the fence. He couldn’t bear to leave her, but he had to. He stopped. He was cornered by several guards. His horn glowed black and he vanished. He appeared outside the Crystal Empire limits. He looked around to see the snowy plains before him. He sat down and began to catch his breath.
Sombra knew he would have to return for Ornate, but she could be anywhere by now. He would have to stay in the city until he could find out where she was.
His horn began to glow black once more as his black coat changed to dark red. His mane and tail straightened out, turning white. His eyes went from red to blue. His cutie mark turned into a four leaf clover. He hoped his disguise would last him awhile.
He quickly walked back into town and ran down the streets. By now, the sun was beginning to rise. Everypony was walking out of their houses and beginning their days like normal. He walked over to the main part of town and began to carefully listen. He saw a couple of palace guards walk by and began to follow them.
“Did you hear about the Gala last night?” One of the guards asked.
“Yeah,” another guard spoke up. “Lots of guards had to chase Sombra, but he got away.”
“We caught the other one, though,” the first guard continued. “She’s being contained in the cell Sombra was in. She’ll be banished later today, though.”
Sombra quietly gasped. He had to get in. He ran from the guards and into an alleyway. His horn glowed and he teleported himself to the top of the Crystal Castle. He ran down the long stairs and entered the door. He ran up the dark stairs to the top where the floor stood. He shot a beam at it, causing part of it to disappear. He quickly climbed through and ran down the hall.
As he ran down the hall, he passed a door with a familiar voice coming from inside. He stopped and listened closely.
“You can’t keep me here, sister!” he heard Luna cry.
“Oh, but I can,” Celestia responded. “I don’t need you to mess anything up again!”
Sombra quickly hid behind the door as Celestia walked out. She slammed the door and locked it, without looking. She walked away down the hall. Sombra turned his attention back towards the door. He heard sobbing coming from inside.
He knew he had to get Luna out, but he first had to find a place to hide before he could do anything. He started walking down the hall towards the end of the hallway. He heard hoofsteps, and ducked behind a plant.
He watched as a guard started to walk by. Without thinking, he used magic to knock out the guard. The pony slumped down to the floor. Sombra quickly took off his armor and put it on. His coat turned white using his magic. He stuffed the guard into a closet and began to walk down the hall towards Luna’s room.
Sombra used his magic to unlock the door. He slowly poked his head past the door, only to have him knocked back with a fluffy pillow.
“Ow!” he cried.
Princess Luna ran out of her room and put her hoof on his chest. He looked up at her.
“Luna, it’s me!” he whispered.
She gave him a confused look. Sombra only stared at her.
“How do I know who you are?” she asked.
“Would a guard let you out if Celestia ordered you to stay there?”
“Good point.”
She quickly helped him up. He dusted himself off.
“Ornate is in trouble,” Luna explained.
“I know,” Sombra interrupted her. “I need to know when she is to be banished.”
“Tonight, at sunset.”
Sombra’s eyes widened. He looked out the window to see the sun beginning to get close to the horizon.
“We haven’t a moment to lose!” He cried, running down the hall. Luna quickly followed.


	***


Ornate sat in her cell, sobbing. She couldn’t bear the thought of Sombra dying. It was her fault. She wanted to go to the Gala. How stupid was she to think that they could get away so easily?
The door slammed open. Celestia stood in the doorway. Two unicorn guards walked into the cell and used their magic to levitate her off the ground. She couldn’t move anything.
Celestia turned and walked out of the cell. The guards followed, leading her with them. Celestia walked into the throne room and approached the throne. Cadence was sitting on the throne with Shining Armor sitting by her side. Twilight and her friends were on either side of them.
Cadence looked at Celestia with worry on her face. Celestia only stood there.
“Celestia,” Cadence began, “are you sure this is the only way?”
Celestia nodded. The guards gently set Ornate down, but kept their magic around her to keep her from escaping. She looked around with nothing but fear filling her soul. Tears began to brim up in her eyes.
Twilight and Cadence walked over to Celestia and began to warm up their magic. They casted a spell in the air in front of them; it created a portal. Inside the portal, they could see Tartarus, the darkest prison in Equestria.
Celestia glanced at the guards, nodding at them. They began to bring Ornate towards the portal, ready to throw her in. Before they could lift her up off the ground, the doors to the throne room opened up. Standing in the entrance was Luna and Sombra.
“What?!” Celestia raged. “Luna!! What are you doing out of your room?!”
“Sister,” Luna began. “You haven’t heard the other side of the story. Sombra has turned good. He hasn’t done anything wrong since he got back. He’s been spending time with her.”
Luna pointed towards Ornate. The guards immediately dropped her, their magic disappearing in the process. Twilight and Cadence ended their magic, forcing Celestia to stop her magic and close the portal. Celestia sneered at the Alicorns and turned her attention back towards her sister.
“Luna,” Celestia started. “Sombra was true evil. You can’t change that. And if he was so nice to this pathetic pony, why hasn’t he come to get her?”
Sombra used his magic to take off his armor. His body returned to normal. His coat darkened and his hair fluffed out. His horn was sharp with red at the tip and his eyes became red again. Celestia’s eyes widened, but narrowed in anger.
“I have come to get her,” Sombra growled. “You can’t take her away from me.”
Ornate ran over to Sombra and hugged him. He hugged her tight and spun her around. They embraced each other as tight as they could. Ornate opened her eyes and saw Celestia charging her horn for an attack. She aimed for Sombra.
Ornate quickly pushed Sombra aside. But it was too late. Celestia sent the shot flying, but it hit Ornate, sending her to the ground.