"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!!"
Pan chuckled at the reaction to his last statement. The incredibly loud statement had simultaneously been spoken by Straight Arrow (Still present in the room in his role as Pan's new bodyguard), Wild Wing, Pen Stroke, his son Gold Coin, Golden Grace, Ironwood, Nopony, and even King Sombra himself. Shimmering Radiance, surprisingly, was the only crystal pony to keep quiet, but given that during Sombra's rule the young filly had been given meals three times a day (And while somewhat meager, it was still infinitely superior to diving through trash cans for scraps), the young 'Urchin' was one of the few ponies who would have felt at least a little affection towards the tyrant...
Still, it was surprising that even Sombra himself seemed against his immediate return.
Looking over at the assembled ponies, Pan said, "The situation is very quickly escalating beyond our control. At this moment, Luna is significantly weakened, and while Celestia is not injured, her tussle with... whatever that thing was has left her exhausted... at a point in time when she's already tired out from the events of the week preceding her arrival. The army is in no way up to facing down the forces that the enemy is capable of bringing against us." Gesturing towards Pen Stroke, the emperor continued, "My right hoof is bedridden, and his son, while certainly willing, should not be required to shoulder his father's burden alone."
His expression turning grim, he continued, "Meanwhile, our enemies are many, they have abundant resources, and have had years to plan for this day. My allies are few, we have only those resources we can scavenge between now and the point in time when this confrontation comes to a head, and we've been caught unprepared so many times that our luck ought to have thrown up its hooves in frustration and stormed off in a huff by now."
With a sigh, Pan looked at the ponies around him, and said, "We could be facing a large scale attack tomorrow. We could be facing one in the next five minutes. We cannot afford to be picky about our allies, especially one who has as much to lose if we fail as everypony else does."
While the others still looked doubtful about the entire situation, Pan continued. "I'm not saying we give Sombra the key to the city, or throw him a parade. Too much has happened, too recently, for that kind of thing... even after the assistance that he's given us already. All I'm saying is that, if it is possible to bring him back now, when we need all the help we can get, we should explore that option, rather than dismissing it."
Straight Arrow, frowning, said, "I don't like it... but then again, I'm the one who thought it would be a spectacularly great idea yesterday to shoot the chancellor in the face with an ice arrow." With a sad chuckle, he admitted, "I'm probably not the best pony to ask for guidance right now."
Pen Stroke, after a moment's thought, said, "It is said that politics makes for strange bedfellows, and that today's enemies can sometimes become tomorrow's allies." Glancing down at the book he'd just been reading with a look of disgust, the chancellor added, "Until a few minutes ago, I had never imagined that there could be anypony in the world worse than Sombra." Looking over at the mirror, he added, "No offense." After Sombra chuckled and said, "None taken," Pen Stroke continued, stating, "I am horrified to find now that not only was I wrong, but that he did not even rank in the top fifty of this city, and that those ponies are individuals who I've known all of my adult life." Covering his face with a hoof, Pen admitted, "I'd have a list of conditions as long as I am tall, but I will admit, I cannot think of a better idea to help in evening the odds, especially when they're this spectacularly stacked against us."
Gold Coin, frowning, said, "I don't like it. I super, mega, ultra don't like it." Looking at the mirror with a look of serious disdain the likes of which only a young colt can muster, he added, "But he saved the emperor's life today, even though he didn't have to. Stuff like that buys a pony a little... clemency. Not a lot, but a little."
Ironwood kept silent, but Pan had expected that. Wild Wing likewise kept her peace, likely because this decision was ultimately well above her pay-grade. Nopony seemed about to speak, but after a moment, decided to hold his tongue: He knew that he was in the emperor's bad books right now, even if he was coerced into the actions he'd performed on his lord's behalf...
Shimmering Radiance looked at the mirror, and after a moment, she smiled and said, "We need all the help we can get, and I can think of worse ponies than the one who made sure that nopony in the city starved."
Pan chuckled, and asked, "So, how about it, Sombra? Can it be done? Can you bring yourself back right now?"
The stallion in the reflection scowled, and after a moment, he admitted, "It could be done, but there's a price to it." Before objections could be raised, he held up a hoof and said, "Not a price you have to pay. It's... something I would have to go through in order to return right away." Sombra looked away from the assembled ponies, then after a moment, he said, "My regeneration would take a thousand years for a fairly simple reason: My body is saturated with dark magic. While it doesn't quite stop healing magic from working, it slows the process down to a crawl. If that saturation were removed, then the healing effect would be greatly accelerated."
Looking at Sombra for a moment, Pan considered what that meant, then said, "And that would, in the process, reduce your ability to perform magic, at least on the darker half of the spectrum."
"Exactly," the tyrant admitted, after a moment. "While I would certainly still be able to perform spells, I would not be able to use spells like the ones that allowed me to subdue the city as I did before."
Luna read the unease in Sombra's features, it seemed, because she spoke the thought that only occurred to Pan a moment afterwards. "Which would mean, in a way, that you'd be at our mercy once you returned."
Scowling angrily, Sombra admitted, "Yes. Yes it would. I'd still be a wizard, and a powerful one, but I'd not be able to project that aura of absolute invulnerability that allowed me to sleep soundly each night. My fellow ponies, in sufficient numbers, could overwhelm me and beat me to death in retaliation for my misdeeds." With a snort, Sombra added, "Which was part of the reason I had still planned to wait a thousand years before reviving: After that point, I could remove my saturation if I so chose, and not be worried about ponies seeking revenge."
Pan, after a moment's consideration, said, "I know a number of 'stage tricks'; make ups, dyes, and the like, both magical and mundane, that could alter your appearance. Some of those changes would be permanent, and would be sufficient to effectively hide your identity, even from those who knew you personally. If you want, then when this is over I could supply you with a new look, a new identity, and a fresh start. If you want, you can go anywhere in Equestria or beyond and you could sleep soundly in your bed, so long as you don't return to your old tricks."
Sombra seemed genuinely stunned by the offer. After a moment, the stallion said, "I'll need a little time to think about all of this before I say yes or no. May I have a few minutes?"
Chuckling, the changeling replied, "Take all the time you need."
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Sombra stared up at the ceiling of his office in Tartarus, and thought.
Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Sombra. You could have just sat back and watched things unfold, but noooooo, you just had to meddle. You can't help it, can you? You're a wizard, and wizards meddle. Meddle, meddle, meddle, it's practically in the job description. Starswirl himself said so, didn't he? If you start learning magic, he said, you'll find yourself sticking your nose into other pony's messes, whether you want to or not. Even when it would be in your best interest not to...
And now you're in this mess up to your neck, and you've been put on the spot: You can say yes to coming back to life, and risk everything on the word of a group of ponies, half of which have every reason to want you put back in the ground permanently. Or, if you say no, you'll probably get to sit and watch the world freeze.
The main problem was that, having cheated death once, he couldn't do it again. Or at least, he couldn't do it any time soon: The spells that kept him from true death were complex, and had to be cast at very specific places or at very specific times. It had taken the better part of a year to complete the process last time, and that had been without having to watch his back for vengeful ponies. More importantly, he'd not be able to have his spirit transported to Tartarus again to wait out his regeneration without making another deal, something he was now loathe to do, given who he'd made the deal with originally. If things went wrong, or if the emperor and the princesses decided to dispose of Sombra after he was no longer useful...
It would be the end of him.
But then again... was it really that likely that Pan, Celestia, and Luna would betray him? The same Luna who had sat beside him in Pan's theatre while they both struggle to solve the riddle of Pan's psyche? The same Celestia who had thanked him when he had saved her earlier today? The same Pan who had given a small colt permission to jump up on his bed? The same Pan that had picked up a poor orphan off of the streets and elevated her to the nobility, just because he could?
...The same Pan who had poured out a glass of the finest wine in Sombra's memory, in spite of hardly knowing him?
Sighing, Sombra sincerely wished that he was the kind of pony who could trust others easily. Intellectually, he supposed that he could find no fault with his potential 'allies', but a lifetime of paranoia and distrust, combined with the abuse of dark magic, had left the stallion with colossal trust issues...
Sombra was disturbed from his ruminations by a tapping on the mirror. Bringing his gaze to the looking glass in question, he was surprised to see that there was somepony... or rather, someone, reflected in the mirror. It looked like some manner of shaved ape...
That should not have been possible. Then again, Sombra was beginning to learn that the word 'impossible' did not seem to have the same weight it had just a week earlier.
"Um, hey," the 'ape' said, her expression a little worried, "Would you mind telling me what year it is where you are?"
A strange question, but the tyrant could see no reason to refuse to answer it. When he gave her (Well, he assumed she was female, given the pitch of her voice, as well as... other attributes) the year, the ape's eyes widened, and she asked, "Really? Are you sure?"
Sombra, a little confused, said, "Absolutely."
Tapping at her lip with a finger, she said, "Huh. I guess that mirror messaging between worlds doesn't count against the 'rule of three' for time travel..."
Sombra examined the ape more closely. Her skin was surprisingly pink, with bright blue eyes and purple hair. While he'd been... indisposed during her visit yesterday, the tyrant, after returning from Pan's mindscape, had reviewed the information available regarding her short trip... including an image of the pony who had arrived. Putting two and two together, Sombra asked, "Morning Glory?"
"Guilty as charged," she admitted with a giggle. "Sorry, was I butting in at a bad time? I'd promised my friends that I'd contact them tonight while I was visiting the human world. Looks like I have to account for both spacial and temporal variables when establishing a connection." Her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she seemed to study the frame of the looking glass, she added, "I'm almost certain that I can fix that..." Turning away from the mirror, she called over her shoulder, shouting, "Sonata, could you get me my bag from downstairs?"
"Sure thing, Glory," came a surprisingly perky voice from 'off-frame'.
Startled, Sombra asked, "Wait, Sonata? As in Sonata Dusk? Siren Sonata Dusk?"
With another giggle, Glory admitted, "Yup. Funny story."
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Four hours ago, Morning Glory's time, Human World, The Battle Of The Bands...
"You're betraying us for a taco!?"
Sonata Dusk swallowed her mouthful of sweet, delicious taco stuffing, then folded her arms over her chest, scowled, and asked, "After the 'relationship' the three of us had for the last thousand years? When you three have been treating me like dirt every day of the week and twice on sundays, in spite of all the help I've given you? I'd have betrayed you just because she said please and gave me a hug. Which she did." With an irritated glare at her two former 'friends', she added, "And I'm not betraying you two for a taco." She paused, then took another bite out of the meal in question. "I'm betraying you because, unlike you two, she and her friends have been nice to me. We had a slumber party last night, and you two weren't invited."
The siren stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry, then said, "And would you believe it was the most fun I've had in over one thousand years? We knew each other for half a day, and they still treated me better than you two ever did. We played games. We gossiped. We talked about boy's butts. Oh, how we talked about boy's butts! You would not believe how broad a topic of conversation that can be!" Clearing her throat, she returned to the original topic of conversation, "And Miss Glory promised that she'd take me back with her to Equestria, where I could meet all of her friends, and where we could have that kind of fun all the time! So, sorry girls, I'm leaving the band." With that, she pulled off her pendant and broke it between her fingers. "I'd say I'll miss you... but I won't miss you. At all. Ever. For realsies."
Scowling, Adagio Dazzle said, "Fine, we don't need you. The two of us are more than a match for the likes of your twerpy little 'friends'." Looking at Aria Blaze, she said, "Let's finish this."
The two sirens began to sing, and... nothing happened. There wasn't anything wrong with the song itself, but there was no longer any magic in it...
With a giggle, Morning Glory said, "Sorry, girls, but it looks like you can't sing in three part harmony with only two voices. Too bad..."
Sonata added, "...So sad! We're, like, totes sorry. Except, you know, not really sorry at all."
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"So, yeah," Morning Glory said with a giggle, "Crisis averted. We had a great time last night, and since the portal back won't close until tomorrow night, Sonata, my friends, and I decided we'd have another party tonight to celebrate our victory." Accepting the bag from whoever was off screen, she added, "So much easier than my last visit. Chalk another victory up to the power of friendship."
His jaw hanging open, Sombra struggled to put his thoughts into words. After a moment, he asked, "How... how did you learn to do that?"
Pulling out a bottle of ink from her bag, along with a quill and a piece of parchment, Morning Glory asked, "Do what?" She began scratching something down on the parchment. Strangely, the ink began to glow as she wrote...
Still having difficulty, the tyrant said, "Pull the fangs out of the mouths of monsters that could devastate a nation, and turn them into... allies. How is that even possible?"
Tilting her head to one side, the girl contemplated that question for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Don't tell anypony, but... I learned it from watching you."
Sombra's jaw dropped, this time with enough force that, by all rights it should have detached itself, tunneled through the floor, and went straight down until it drilled out the other side of the planet. "What?"
Giggling, Morning Glory said, "A lot can happen in a thousand years, Unca Sombie."
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While Sombra had been away for the better part of an hour in Tartarus, in Equestria, he was gone for less than a minute. Looking at the ponies around the mirror, he cleared his throat, then said, "Alright. I'm in. And by in, I mean I am all in."
Looking at Sombra with a confused expression, Pan asked, "What, exactly, does that mean?"
The former tyrant sighed sadly, then said, "In the time before my defeat, I was... supremely paranoid. I created a number of tricks and traps to prevent anypony from taking what was mine, and while I suspect the items that were contained within my personal chambers have been ransacked, I did not keep all of my eggs in just one metaphorical basket. Before I pursued the road to rule, I amassed a significant personal fortune through... semi-legal means, and then took steps to hide it for later use. I kept a large number of hidden caches scattered about Equestria... as well as a few here in the Crystal Empire. More importantly, I placed charms upon each of those caches so that they could be transported back to the palace at need."
Celestia, having finally finished tending to Nopony's daughter and rejoining the group, asked, "And what, pray tell, would be contained in those caches?"
"All manner of things," Sombra said, his expression neutral. "Gold, gemstones, and easily sold trade goods, for a start. More importantly, there are materials that could be used to create magical charms, armor, weaponry, and more. All told, there would be enough to outfit a small army... like the one you currently have." At the surprised expressions on the faces of the ponies assembled, Sombra chuckled, then added, "These caches were meant to be my means of securing an escape, and potentially working my way back into a position of power if I were defeated. The chests containing them were even designed to be able to last for a thousand years or more, so that I could even make use of them after my regeneration. I am willing to offer, in addition to my own substantial magical prowess, the contents of every last one of those caches. While I cannot guarantee that they would be enough to truly turn the tide, given the... severity of the opposition you face, they will certainly help move things a little more in your favor. There are also other things that I might be able to provide, but we can discuss those in more detail at a later time. Suffice to say, I am offering you every resource at my disposal, in order to help you."
Straight Arrow, immediately suspicious, asked, "What's the catch?"
"I will require an oath," Sombra said, flatly. "I am putting all my cards on the table. If I give to you all of the resources that I currently possess, then I will be putting my life and my future fully in your hooves. If things go wrong, I will reap the same consequences that everypony else will. However, if we succeed, and you decide to betray me afterwards, I would have nothing left that I could use to ensure my own survival. If you were to kill me, I would not be coming back again. Period. Even if I were to escape the city, and somehow survived the trip through the frozen wastes between here and the rest of Equestria, I would be forced to live the life of a wanted fugitive, and a bitless vagabond to boot."
"So you want the emperor's word," Pen Stroke deduced," that he will make good on his promise that, if you give us your aid, you'll be given the opportunity for a new life, free from your past."
Looking the changeling in the eye, Sombra said, "No. I want Pan's word, not just as an emperor, but as Pandinus Imperator, the changeling whose life I helped save earlier today, that he will make good on that promise. While kings and queens may twist the meaning of their words to suit their own needs, a promise between two stallions is a completely different thing. If he will swear to abide by both the letter and spirit of the agreement we strike today, then I will give all that I possess to ensure the survival of the city." Looking over at Luna and Celestia, he added, "And I would expect a similar promise from the both of you as well."
The changeling glanced at both Celestia and Luna, who both nodded in agreement. Pan stood, then walked over to the mirror, and placed a hoof upon it. "Very well. I say this now, both as Emperor Pandinus Imperator The First, Ruler of the Crystal Empire And All Who Doth Dwell Within, and as somebuggy who owes you a life-debt. I do hereby swear the following: Should you aid me in the defense of the Crystal Empire against the forces that are currently threatening it, both from outside and from within, then I shall do all within my power to ensure that you will be able to live a life free from from reprisals for your past misdeeds. I say this on the following three conditions: Firstly, you shall forswear any and all claim to the throne of the Crystal Empire, and you shall swear that you will never attempt to usurp the rightful claim of another ruler. Second, you shall swear to never again use your magical powers against another pony, save only in direct self-defense, or in the defense of others. Third, you will be required to work on behalf of Equestria in general, and the Crystal Empire in specific, for a period of time to be determined after the end of the current crisis."
At the surprised look that Sombra gave the changeling, Pan chuckled and said, "I am requiring you to make good for everything you've done to the Crystal Empire. Saving my life, and Celestia's, was a good start, as will helping us save the city. However, you'll still have some ways to go before you've balanced the metaphorical books. When I, and the princesses, agree that you've paid the citizens of the Crystal Empire back fully for what you've done to them, you'll be free to go with our blessing. If you work hard enough, you may well be on your merry way by this time next year." A small grin crossing his face, the changeling asked, "Deal?"
Without hesitation, Sombra placed a hoof against the mirror and said, "Deal."