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// 84 - Return to the Table 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
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As Sombra strode through the castle, Shining Armor frowned at his back. "That wasn't very smart of you. Attacking Luna--"

Sombra snorted derisively. "That was the textbook definition of defense. Your wife clearly did not take you for your intelligence. Come, they await us."

"Defense?!" Shining bristled with building fury. "Twily wasn't threatening you!"

"And I didn't harm her." He glanced over his shoulder. "I did, however, suppress the magic of an extremely bothersome alicorn that has already proven willing to be violent with her magic. She can stand trial for her crimes later." He flashed a feral grin. "I imagine your wife will enjoy presiding over it. Maybe it will teach her ruling is far from all rainbows and fond wishes."

Shining Armor fumed with ill-disguised anger, but they proceeded without further interruptions back up the tower.

Above, Dark Pass approached Cadance. "Do you really think we have a chance?"

Cadance perked an ear up at him. "Of a town, you mean?" She gave a little smile. "I like to think so. We just need to calm everyone down. I know I'd be excited too if I just got out of jail after who knows how long, but we can't get much done with everypony all scattered around."

Silver bobbed his head in agreement. "Other than being a little, uh, surprising, you haven't done anything, as a group. I mean, illegal." He tapped at his chin with a hoof. "Stupid question, but why are you all following Sombra so easily?"

"Because they understand leadership." Sombra stepped up from the stairs, his trademark scowl worn as he led Radiant and Shining into view. "I trust things have been under control in my absence?"

Cadance gave a single firm nod. "Oh certainly. We've been having a very productive conversation."

Shining moved towards Cadance, but wasn't allowed within a few meters of her by the umbrum. He frowned a little, but spoke from where he was blocked. "I saw Twilie and the others."

"Are they alright?" Cadance looked to Shining with some concern. "You don't sound happy about it."

Sombra made an angry wave of a hoof. "They are fine, simply detained, until such time as they can be properly tried for harming others." He licked over his teeth as he fixed his eyes on Cadance. "It is still against the law of this land to hurt others without due cause, I trust?"

Cadance blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. "Y-yes, of course. Let's focus on the more immediate matter first. The Crystal Empire can't support a whole second population, even if you were all perfectly standard ponies, which you're not. I'm not saying you're better or worse, but different we can surely agree on? No ma--"

One of the Umbrum tilted her head. "Are you trying to kick us out?"

"What? No!" Cadance shook her head hotly.

Silver raised a hoof. "We want to get you your own home, where you get to set your own laws, protect your own values, and have a community." He shrugged softly. "You don't even like it here, around all this itchy magic."

Sombra turned to Silver with a smirk. "We could simply destroy the damnable heart. I've... already come this far."

Radiant's ears were pressed against her head, but she spoke despite the urge to otherwise, "If you could destroy it, why didn't you, before?"

The question was one many umbrum in the area agreed with the asking. "Why didn't you?" asked one. "We could have been free a long time ago!"

Sombra flinched back, but quickly suppressed the display of weakness. "I... Just looking at that infernal thing..."

Hope reached out a hoof, setting it on his chest gently. "Was... Was it the memories?"

Sombra glared down at her, but the expression softened. "I... I could see the true monster I was, every time I looked into it..."

Radiant flinched in turn and glanced away for only a moment. "You're not a monster!" She brought down her hoof with a clop. "You are what you want to be." She stepped towards him. "It's time to stop being a monster."

There was a rush of movement from the stairs as umbrum swarmed in, tethered to the Crystal Heart by long bits of rope as they hauled it up the stairs into the room with everyone else. "You can destroy it now!"

Silver raised a brow. "Not that I want to rush anypony, but why did you bring it up here instead of destroying it yourself?"

One of the umbrum squinted at Silver. "Just getting this close to it makes my skin crawl! I'm not touching it. No way! It might explode or lock me away again. Nope, not doing it." The other umbrum made noises of agreement, none willing to come into actual contact with the artifact.

Sombra approached the heart-shaped crystal with some hesitation in his steps. "What are we, Radiant?" He snarled back at her. "If not monsters, then what?"

She kept pace with him. "Ponies." She thrust a hoof at a random umbrum. "See him? Pony."

"Her."

"Oh, sorry, point stands." Radiant smiled sheepishly. "It's not the outside that makes a pony." She put a hoof to her chest. "That's inside. Sombra... You're my friend. You're my best and only friend! No matter what bad things you might have done... I just want you to stop, and be the good pony you can be."

Sombra looked aside at her. "Why? Why did you betray me, back then?" He turned to face her. "If you truly care for me as much as you claim, why would you do that?"

Radiant shrunk under his accusing glare. "I was wrong! I got scared, and I ran... And everything just got worse for it." She lowered her head. "If you want to punish me, go ahead, just... please, I want to be friends again."

Things were quiet for several long moments. Even the umbrum could feel the importance of their exchange. He reached a hoof to her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. The dark angry trails from his eyes lightened, growing fainter. "I was hurt, you know. I thought you had forsaken me, and wished no more to be around me. I was... ready to be the monster you obviously saw." He turned away from her and focused instead on the Crystal Heart. "But every time I looked at it..."

She came up beside him and shook her head. "Look at it."

"It hasn't changed."

"Really look at it," she demanded.

So he did, looking into its depths. What looked back at him was no ravenous beast, but a sad stallion. One who wanted his friend back. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. A single tear ran down his snout and dropped  to the floor.

Radiant came up under him and bumped the top of her head into the bottom of his chin. "What did you see?"

Sombra trembled, licking over his lips if only to delay responding a moment. "I saw..."

"A monster?"

"Myself..." Sombra slumped to the ground, seated on his haunches and head hanging down.

Radiant hugged him gently, and the two went quiet, along with the rest of the room.

Silver vanished in a puff of silver magic and appeared beside Cadance. "I think they're having a moment."

Cadance jumped slightly in surprise. "Oh! Yes, they certainly are. We should let them have it. It looks like a good kind of moment." She leaned in closer. "I didn't know you could teleport."

Dark Pass approached the two. "Neither did I. Why didn't you do that earlier?"

Silver shrugged. "A token of good faith?" He flashed a bright smile. "I was captured, after all. It wouldn't do for me to go teleporting away."

Sombra rose to his hooves. "Perhaps I should just put it back where it began."

Cadance looked up sharply. Her horn glowed a fierce pink and she hefted the Crystal Heart away. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but no. You don't get to do that. The Crystal Heart is not to be placed anywhere near its pedestal for now."

Sombra glared at Cadance. "And why--"

Cadance held up a hoof at him. "Think. The umbrum will be shoved right back into that place, possible you with them. Let's be rational about this. I appreciate you going with your heart, and that means a lot to me, but no."

Sombra snorted, smoke billowing from his nostrils. "Yes... perhaps I was a bit... too emotional. Radiant, my friend... What do you suggest?"

Radiant bounced to her hooves, beaming with a resplendent joy at being called a friend. "I say we get all the umbrum together, and we take that pony's offer." She pointed at Silver. "We can make a nice place, just for the umbrum, away from nasty jails."

Shining coughed into a hoof. "Is that before or after Sombra turns Princess Luna back from being a statue?"

Cadance jerked with surprise. "What?!"

Silver felt a raw fury well within him he hadn't expected. He argued against the emotions even as they threatened to overwhelm him. ~Stay calm,~ he thought to himself. ~Keep cool. We can handle this with cool heads, no freaking out!~

He forced a smile, even as a tremble ran through his form. "Sombra... Please undo that magic."

Sombra glared at Silver. "Ready to battle? I know that expression well, small threat. Why would I restore her just now? She is as much a threat as ever she was. She was ready to attack, and did not accept imprisonment."

Silver stepped forward. "I'm an Ambassador, fighting is the last thing I want to do, but that doesn't mean I can't. Sombra, let her go."

Cadance reached forward and pulled Silver back easily, sliding the smaller stallion across the floor. "I swear that I will keep auntie from doing anything rash, but you simply must restore her, immediately."

Sombra glanced to Radiant, who nodded quickly in reply. With an annoyed sigh, he moved to the window overlooking the city. Dark magic flared around his horn.

Nothing seemed to happen as he turned and returned to the conversation, at least until Luna appeared at the same window and landed inside. "Stop right there!"

Cadance quickly put herself between Luna and Sombra. "Enough! Auntie, thank you, but this is my castle. Stand down."

Luna looked at Cadance with obvious confusion. "W-what? Is he controlling your mind?"

Silver moved up with Cadance. "No, we're handling this." He flashed a smile. "Like ponies."

Luna snorted at that. "Very well..." Her eyes wandered over the many umbrum in the area. "We don't like this, but we will wait, for now..."

General Dark Pass clopped his forehooves together. "There is a single matter preventing this from being resolved. Though Cadance has, graciously, protected us from the heart being placed in its place of power, the moment it is... we're all doomed again. Moving us away won't change that. How do we release its grip on us?"

"Dark?"

Dark looked up as an umbrum entered the room, Under Rock at her side, dancing around her with joy. "Dark!" The stranger rushed him and tackled him to the ground.

"Mommy's back! Mommy's back!" sang Under Rock as she bounced around the pair.