"There." Sombra stepped away from the pedestal, looking over his shoulder towards Radiant Hope, who shone twice as brilliantly with its power. "Are... you happy?"
She stepped up to his side and gently pressed her side to his. "You're here, so, yes, I am."
A smile almost forced its way onto his expression. "Even if you didn't mean it, back then... why are you so happy to be with a monster? You know what I've done to the ponies of this city, don't you? It isn't just... forgotten now."
Radiant turned towards the city as a whole. "I don't mean to be rude, but that's their problem." She faced Sombra with a determined expression. "It's time you started the next leg of your life. No more monsters. No more trying to keep ponies under your hoof." She reached up and set one of her own hooves on Sombra's chest. "The only pony you need to control is yourself."
A feral sneer spread over his face. "What if I want you under my hoof?"
Radiant shook herself out a little. "Then you're going to have to start treating me right and stop making me cry." She leaned in a little. "I'm willing to face that possibility, are you?"
Sombra met her gaze for a moment before he broke it and looked down, seemingly overwhelmed in thought until the dark streaks of energy coming from his eyes flared and darkness overcame him. With a mighty roar, he defied the magic, resisting the same wave of transformation that took the umbrum at about the same time. When the darkness receded, he was still a pony, still a unicorn. The darkness was expended, and his eyes were clear. In a moment of terribly clarity, he knew.
"Sombra? Are you alright?" Radiant was looking at him with her concerned eyes.
He opened his eyes, and she could see them for the first time in so many years. They were clear and shone with his natural color with a brilliant green that met hers. "I... I am alright. I..." He took a step towards her. "I'm a pony."
Radiant blinked at him, then frowned. "Stupid stallion! You were always a pony!" cuffed him lightly with a hoof. "And don't you forget it!" Her expression lightened quickly as she gazed into his cleansed eyes. "I forgot how pretty your eyes were..."
A blush blossomed in his cheeks. "P-pretty? Truly?"
They had so much to speak of.
Elsewhere, everypony in the tower was coaxed outside to join the others in a great mass of shadow pixies. Cadance emerged from the castle from where she had fled and with her came table after table of much of the kingdom's stores of food. Industrious chefs labored with others to get the tables set up properly with plates, forks, and other implements beside.
While they worked, Luna took up a position central of the gathering. "Ponies of shadow, umbrum, dark pixies, I would address you."
Curious eyes turned towards her booming voice. She had their attention. "You are creatures of the night, this fact is inescapable. I am princess of the night. If you are willing to follow the laws of Equestria, and they are not onerous, I would protect and guide you." She spread her feathery wings wide. "Let one who already lives beneath my gaze step forward."
Night Watch emerged from the crowd and bowed towards Luna, though it was a brief motion. She turned to face the majority of the crowd, her own wings, well, wing, spread wide on display. The other was still injured and bound to her side. "Some of you know me. I am Night Watch, lunar pony. I won't waste your time telling you Princess Luna is a paragon of perfection, what pony can be? Despite that, she is strong, wise, and has been good to us."
The crowd went quiet for the first time, as if considering collectively what had just been offered. One lonely voice called out, "Does that mean we won't be kicked out?"
Luna smiled. "No, you shall not be. I have in mind the perfect place, where darkness reigns, and familiar creatures of the night await to greet you as lost cousins. Some of you have learned to respect Night Watch, I am certain you will learn to love her kin. You will be free to seek your personal fortunes, and have a safe place, for yourselves, and the families you will create." She turned as she spoke, regarding the whole of the gathering. "For now, eat and be merry, for Princess Cadance has arranged a mighty feast for you all!"
They pushed forward and swarmed the tables, sampling the exotic foods presented there. Curious crystal ponies approached on cautious hooves, and found the umbrum to be welcoming enough. Soon crystal and umbrum were together, enjoying their meal. Despite the richness and vastness of the food, the umbrum were not satisfied by it, at least, not completely. A small kernel of angry hunger still rumbled through them despite their bellies being full of delicious food.
A few umbrum suddenly arrived from elsewhere, pushing through the crowd to Cadance and Luna. "The Penny Pony found it! We know what we eat!"
Cadance tilted her head with some confusion. "You don't eat food?"
They all shook their heads at her. "We eat fear."
Luna perked her ears and sat up. "Fear? The emotion?" Her head tilted a little. "Like a changeling?"
A few of those heads bobbed. "The Stick Changeling with her said that! They eat love, we eat fear. Maybe we're related?"
Cadance shook her head. "Well I can't have you terrifying my ponies."
Luna raised a hoof sharply. "Wait! What if we do it voluntarily? Some ponies enjoy a good fright."
Cadance looked confused. "Why would anypony want to be scared?"
Luna flashed a bright smile. "I have had personal experience with this! Tell all the umbrum to meet me just outside the city." She pointed in a direction. "We will make a haunted house that will leave ponies trembling, and squealing with terror and glee both at once. They'll tell stories of us for years to come!"
Almost lost in the crowd, Silver clopped a hoof into his face. He knew exactly what was coming.
Elsewhere in the party, Sombra stood with Radiant hope. Both had a plate to themselves, set before them as they sat on their haunches. Radiant was enjoying her dinner, and Sombra as well, though his attention seemed more on her than the food. "Should we follow them?"
Radiant shook her head slowly. "Luna volunteered to help them. Let them handle their own business." She smiled gently up at him. "For once, how about we just go off, together. Besides, we have one more thing we need to do."
"Need to do?" He raised a brow at her. "What might that be?"
Radiant gestured to the castle. "It may have a fine princess now, but that doesn't mean Amore deserves to be... We have to retrieve all her pieces."
Sombra scowled a little. "She still hurt me. She was wrong."
"Being wrong doesn't mean you get to be scattered across Equestria." Radiant rolled her eyes. "It's time to forgive. Besides, imagine the look on her face when she realizes she's been replaced."
Sombra's face split into a predatory grin. "You're right, that is a delicious thought. I... This will be our very own adventure."
Radiant bobbed her head fiercely. "Just to ourselves! Oh! Silver has one of the shards, you just gave it to him, go get it back."
Sombra snorted softly. "He will surrender it if he knows what's goo--" He trailed off at Radiant's reproachful glare. "I mean... I'll ask him nicely?" Radiant nodded at him and off he went. It would take time and patience to fully rehabilitate the stallion, but for Radiant Hope, he was willing.
He approached Silver, weighing the various options to broach the subject. "Ambassador."
Silver looked up at Sombra. "Oh, hey, your eye shadows are gone." He smiled up at Sombra. "You look a lot nicer without them, if you don't mind my just out and saying that."
Sombra did mind, but he kept that to himself. Being complimented by Radiant Hope had felt so nice, but from Silver it somehow felt irritating. "Radiant and I are going to gather all the pieces of Amore, to restore her. May I have the piece back?"
Silver perked his ears. "I gave it to Luna already. She was gathering pieces too, for basically the same reason."
Sombra's hackles rose. "She will not steal this from me!"
Silver blinked at the sudden reaction. "Steal what? You both want the same thing, don't you?"
Sombra glared down at the small stallion that dared defied him, the almost colt. "This is my adventure, with Radiant."
Understanding flashed in Silver's eyes. "Let me talk to her." He rose to his hooves. "I'll be your Ambassador for the moment, if you'll let me?"
Sombra seemed taken aback. "You'd do that? Very well. You know her, convince her and retrieve the shards she already has." He brought down a hoof with a metal clang. "Don't fail me." The or else part of the statement went unspoken, but felt.
He trotted away from the glaring and expectant Sombra, and found Luna speaking animatedly with a group of umbrum. "Luna? Can I borrow you a moment?"
Luna looked down at Silver. "Hm? Of course. One moment." She held a hoof up to the umbrum she was speaking with, then followed Silver to a quiet portion beneath the castle. "What is it that brings you to us? Have you considered our offer?"
Silver stiffened. In all the excitement, he had nearly forgotten about it. "It's not about that. Sombra wants to go on an adventure, with his marefriend, Radiant Hope. I think it's just the right thing for him to finish turning that leaf over."
Luna looked intrigued and rolled a hoof. "Well good luck to him, but why does that involve me?"
Silver pointed at Luna's midsection, where her pocket should be, he thought. "He wants the shards of Amore you might have, and to hunt the others. I don't have the heart to tell him the Warlocks went and gathered most of them up, but I have an idea!" Luna was still watching him, giving him silent permission to continue. "Have the warlocks keep tabs on him, which is a good idea anyway, and hide the shards in front of him. Let him re-gather the shards, and with it, his humanity."
"Humanity?" Luna raised a brow high. "Is there something of him you're not sharing?"
Silver winced and laughed. "Sorry, old saying. I mean I really think it'll help him be a better pony." He held out a hoof. "Give me two shards at least."
Luna hesitated a moment before placing two shards in Silver's waiting hoof with her magic. "I will have the warlocks monitoring him quite zealously."
"As they should, both for his sake, and his safety. Adventure can be dangerous." Silver turned away, crystals hovering beside his head. "I'll give him these. Thank you, Luna."
Sombra wasn't where they last met, forcing Silver to wander the crowd. A wing draped over him and he was pulled in against Night Watch. "Where are you going with those shards?"
Silver smiled up at her. "Hello hon. These are for Sombra. Luna knows, promise. Can you help me find him?"
She pointed the same wing off into the crowd. "That way."
Following her direction, Sombra and Radiant came into view. It seemed the umbrum were talking with them. One stood before Radiant with a remorseful face. "I'm sorry I misled you, before... We were just so afraid you'd run away and never come back if you saw us as we were... back then."
Radiant rested a hoof on the shadow pixie's head. "It's alright. Besides, it wasn't a lie, now was it really? You really were shadow pixies, just even you didn't know it yet." She smiled brightly. "Now the whole world can know it."
Sombra noticed Silver's approach and turned to him. "Have you accomplished the task set before you?"
Silver snorted softly in an aborted laugh. "I asked her and she gave them up." He held up the two crystals in his magic. "She wishes you luck in your adventures. Also! A start, we know for sure there's one more shard within the city limits. I never found it, but you and Radiant, together, I bet you'll do it."
Sombra puffed up in pride. "Of course we will..." He leaned in then, whispering, "Thank you." He turned back to rejoin the conversation with Radiant and the umbrum. It was all the thanks Silver was going to get.
It was enough. Silver trotted back into the crowd, finding his way back to Night's side.