//------------------------------// // What Doesn't Kill You... // Story: The Return of a King // by Killjoy_Writer //------------------------------// Cadence strolled the halls of her Castle towards he throne room one sunny day in the Crystal Kingdom. Once she approached the doors, she ordered those standing guard to not let a single pony through. One she entered her throne room, she made sure that the doors were secure and the windows, shut. After looking at the floor, her horn started to glow a mixture of black, purple, and green. She was using the most forbidden magic of all: Dark Magic. The floor in front of her shook and parted to reveal a hidden staircase that descended into darkness. She used her horn to illuminate the path ahead of her and began her descent. With every step, it echoed. As she neared the base of the stairwell, she saw a door with a diamond above it. Using her magic, she opened the door and inside was another staircase. I really need to get rid of all of these stairs. she groaned in her head. Instead of climbing regularly, she decided to go upside-down and use the angle of the stairs to slide towards her destination. As she reached the top, she reverted herself and looked about the room. There were a rather small hoof-full, about five to six to be exact, making sure that the windows were completely shut. "Has she arrived?" Cadence questioned one of the ponies. "I'm right here, Cadence." a pony announced from near the staircase. "And I still think this won't work." "That's what you said about Discord, Twilight." Cadence noted. "But this is the embodiment of hate and rage we're talking about, Cadence." Twilight retorted. "I think reforming him will end up back-firing on us." "That's why our operation here will be moved to the Everfree where he won't be able to reach anywhere populated." Cadence announced. "That's why you told me to make sure there's a secure area there." "Exactly." Cadence nodded. "Now this sort of teleportation will do a number on us. We need to be careful." "Agreed." Twilight nodded. Cadence walked to the center of the room where a dark purple fabric covered the one thing that tried to take her kingdom. She removed the fabric and she stared at it. After years of searching, they found it. Cadence and Twilight looked at each other and nodded, giving the signal to the other ponies that they are ready to move. Cadence, Twilight, and the other ponies formed a small circle around the horn and they began to use Dark Magic. They couldn't teleport this normally since he was a being of hate, not love. After a few tense minutes they disappeared, leaving the room empty. Off in the Everfree Forest, ponies patrolled the clearing that they had chosen. One of the ponies looked around and sighed. "When are they going to get here?" she wondered. "The moon almost full." This pony was Princess Luna, second ruler of Equestria and raiser of the moon. "Calm down, sister." another soothed. "They'll be here." This pony was Luna's sister, Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria and raiser of the sun. "They better be here soon. Our window of opportunity is fading, fast." Luna explained. As if on cue, the air near the center of the clearing sparked Dark Magic as the mentioned ponies began to arrive. A ball of the forbidden magic formed then exploded to reveal the arriving ponies and the object. Ponies came to the horn and began with the final preparations. They erected six pillars that could hold a pony on top. "Have the others arrived?" Twilight wondered as she and Cadence walked up to the other princesses. "Not yet but they are coming." Luna announced. "I still think that this is going to backfire." Twilight repeated. "I have my doubts, too." Celestia admitted. "But that's what I thought about Discord." "Agreed, sister." Luna nodded. "Even though he is hate incarnate, I still think that his past self will come to." "We're all ready, princess." a stallion declared. "Now we wait for the Elements." As he finished, Twilight's other friends ventured into the clearing wearing their respective Elements. Twilight turned to the set up and flew up to her spot on a pillar. "I think that we can do this, Twilight." Fluttershy admitted as she helped Applejack to her spot. "Even though this will be harder than Discord, I have confidence that we can help Sombra connect to his past." "But we have the Elements of Harmony just in case things go south." Rainbow Dash added. "We need to steel ourselves for what might happen." Twilight included. "This won't be as easy as Discord." The mares around her nodded. She stomped her hoof twice to signal to the pegasi above them to provide cover. She stomped twice more and the earth ponies lit small fires around the horn. With two more hoof-stomps, the protection spells were activated and the opening was graced by a tense silence. "Ready girls?" Twilight wondered. The five around her nodded, the last signal. Her horn and tiara glowed the color of Dark spells. From her tiara, streams of black connected the other five Elements, locking in the spell. No pony could conjure a spell of this magnitude without destroying their own body. After a few more tense moments, beams shot out of the Elements and struck the horn. A beam shot up from the item as a result. It ascended and hovered in the air above the ponies, vibrating and convulsing. The ponies below, save the Elements, stared in awe at what was happening. The beam subsided as the horn absorbed the magic and detonated. From it, a black watery mass fell to the ground beneath the Elements. "Is everypony alright?" Twilight wondered aloud. The mares nodded and focused in on the mass beneath them. It was motionless for a few seconds before it pulsed. Continually like a heartbeat, it pulsed and began forming the pony who belonged to the horn. A few more seconds later and the mass flattened and a pony ascended from it, absorbing said mass as he rose. The one pony that is truly feared. The being of hate. The infamous Unbrum. King Sombra. He bellowed as his body dripped the black substance from before. He opened his eyes and wisps of purple formed at the corners. He focused is emerald eyes on Cadence and froze. "Hope..." was the only thing he spoke before stumbling and falling to the ground. "Hope? Who's Hope?" Cadence wondered. "A mare from his past." Celestia explained. "The first sign that it's working." "All we need is time." Luna added as the Elements joined them. "Where are we going to hide him?" Twilight wondered. "He is to be held in the Catacombs beneath the Crystal Castle." Cadence answered. Twilight and the other Elements joined Cadence as they approached the unconscious Sombra and proceeded to begin teleporting back the the Kingdom. Upon arriving in the Catacombs, Cadence looked at the six. "Not a word is to be spoken to anypony." Cadence instructed. "Not even Spike. We can't have the public in constant fear. It will only inhibit our mission." "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." the six chanted. This was the Pinkie Promise. Now they can't go back on their word. "Now begins the reformation of King Sombra."