• Published 10th Aug 2017
  • 2,278 Views, 127 Comments

Miracle Worker - Dragonfire2lm



A Displaced fic with Mercy from Overwatch winding up as a slave in King Sombra's empire 1000 years before the events of the show.

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Book One Part Two

Author's Note:

ACT 2 compiled into one chapter and renamed Book One Part Two to fit with the new extended story.

Three Weeks Later...

The newly appointed Royal Healer quickly got used to a busy and rather strict schedule, she was given an office attached to small, yet cosy bedroom and quickly discovered that sleep was more of a suggestion than a requirement for her day to day life. The work was fulfilling in some areas and often frustrating in others.

"Healer!" Somepony called out in one of the palace's many halls. "We have an emergency!"

The Valkyrie, dubbed 'Healer' by practically everyone in the empire darted out from her office, staff in hand. she had traded her braid for a simple ponytail and her winged helmet was left abandoned on her desk.

"What is it?" she asked and took notice of the scene before her. It was one of the palace maids, she was barely supporting her fellow staff member, a new recruit judging by the white ribbon choker around the mare's neck. Healer quickly eyed the older mare and spotted a black ribbon around her neck, denoting her as one the king's personal servants.

"What happened?" she asked the maid as the metal wings on her back opened up and allowed large golden feathers made of magic to slip through gaps in the metal as she used the wings to quickly glide to the pair.

"We were assigned to clean the library and she bumped a shelf and..." the panicking maid rambled as Healer inspected her unconscious companion.

With a flick of her wrist the doctor channeled magic into her staff and it locked onto the unconscious and concussed pony, with an extra amount of focus, Healer saw a life bar showcasing the pony's health and name above her head and watched it like a hawk as it rapidly went from 30HP to 100HP. The mare stirred and Healer repeated the process with her worried friend, just to be sure.

When both ponies were on their hooves, she reached into a pocket on her belt and pulled out a small notepad and enchanted quill.

"I'll write a note to the king, hand it to the guards and make sure you both avoid any strenuous work or heavy lifting for the rest of the day," Healer instructed as she handed one maid a piece of paper and quickly began writing on a second. "Give this to the kitchen staff, you're both dehydrated and stressed, get some good food and clean water in you for goodness sake! And tell everyone else to do the same!"

"Yes ma'am!" the maids squeaked in unison and walked away. Healer sighed and walked back into her office where one of the foal caretakers was waiting for her.

"So sorry about that Miss Song, let's check your stats shall we?" Healer asked as she returned to her desk.

Her office was simple with black, crystal flooring like the rest of the palace but she had the benefit of having a nice wooden desk, a chair and a few filing cabinets, some shelves and a large chest of draws for anything she could ever need for her various appointments and duties. Across from her sat a middle aged mare with a faded white coat and dull red mane with purple eyes and a heart shaped harp for- as healer had learnt they were called-a Cutie Mark. With her magic focused and centered around her one good eye, Healer was able to view the health bar of the pony in question and thankfully the flavor text provided additional details.

* ACT> Check
* Heart Song
* 75/100HP
* Status: Stress induced cold.
* A kind pony that tells stories using her songs, though right now, she better get some rest lest that flu turn into something worse.

"Miss Song, I would advise you to take a few early nights and get some extra sleep, if you get worse you could spread it to the foals and we can't have that can we?" Healer asked.

"I can't! Without me taking care of the foals during the evening, the other caretakers don't have enough time to prepare food for themselves and the children, not to mention getting the young ones to take their nightly baths, getting them too sleep....I can't afford a night off!" Heart Song protested.

"What If I found you a replacement?"Healer asked.

"You'd have to ask the king, he keeps us all on a very tight schedule so..." the mare replied and Healer sighed.

"I'll see what I can do," the medic stated and scribbled out a prescription on her notepad. "For now, try and get some rest, I've written a small list of things you could eat to help with the stress as well as a few instructions for the caretakers who take the day shift, just in case this becomes a long lasting issue."


King Sombra gave her flat from behind his desk.

"No, there is nopony else who can cover her shift, she'll just need to endure it." he stated.

"Permission to speak freely?" Healer asked and the king paused in consideration.

"Granted."

"What if she gets worse?" the doctor asked seriously. "I've been working to patch up everything from scrapes to broken bones over these past few weeks and we don't have the staff to treat a cold if it turns into an epidemic and what of the foals? Some of them may not have the strength to simply fight it off, even with my help."

"I run this Empire on a tight leash," Sombra growled. "If she cannot perform her duties then somepony else will have to work double to pick up her slack and still be capable of performing their own duties the following morn."

"Well, I could cover for her," Healer stated. "True, I would be in a rush to return to the palace in the morning but I wouldn't be burdened by sleep deprivation at least, if you allow it of course."

"Are you certain you will be able to perform your daily tasks?" Sombra asked. "If you fail both you and Heart Song will face the consequences."

"I know, your majesty," Healer replied meekly. "I'll do my best not to let you down!"


I have no clue what I'm doing! she thought nervously as dozens of foals ran, played and laughed around the large house she'd walked into. The last worker for the day shift had given her simple instructions to entertain the foals, feed them and ensure they slept soundly throughout the night but as she looked around at the small herd of young ponies, she felt increasingly more nervous.

"Excuse me everyone?" she said as she tried to get the attention of the rambunctious children. the cacophony of noise reminded her of a very loud classroom. So she breathed deeply and decided to simply be louder.

"HEY!" she roared and every colt and filly stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. She noticed quite a few were a bit frightened.

How do I- Ah I know! she thought and cleared her throat.

"Hi, I'm the new Royal Healer, I've volunteered to look after you tonight while Heart Song gets some much needed rest." she said.

"Will she be ok?" one filly asked.

"Will you tell us story too?" A colt called out.

"Yes, she'll be fine and yes I will be telling you a story, but first, why don't we all have tea first?" Healer replied.

"Tea tastes yucky without sugar." a colt grumbled and several other children voiced their agreement.

Oh right, they usually use different terminology here don't they... Healer realized and covered up her blunder.

"Why don't we have dinner instead then?"


With full stomachs the foals gathered around Healer as she sat on the floor with her legs crossed, ready to tell them a tale and she grinned as she knew exactly which story to tell them. She only hoped she could do it justice.

"Alright everyone, I'm going to tell you a story about Ponies and Monsters....Long ago two nations ruled over the earth, ponies and monsters...."

A story of a foal trapped underground in the kingdom of monsters, how they chose to befriend each every one despite the danger they faced. The children hung on to her every word completely enthralled by the epic tale and many of them laughed at a few of the funnier voices Healer was able to pull off. Though to her disappointment much of Undertale's dialogue was sadly paraphrased as she couldn't quite remember the exact lines.

Some however, she remembered perfectly.

"Pony," she said regally with a hint of sadness. "It was nice to meet you, goodbye."

With a flourish she pulled out her staff and wielded it like a weapon and swung it down just in front of the first row of foals, who gasped in front along with the others.

"What then?" one of them asked.

"A strange light filled the room, twilight was shining through the barrier. The pony felt their journey was finally over and they were filled with Determination," Healer said. "The king would not show mercy, nor would he accept it as he had a duty to his people, to claim the last pony soul and free all of monster kind. So the fight for the fate of all ponies and monsters, began."

Hours later the excitement of the story had worn the children out and with the foals asleep in their beds, Healer began the long, lonely task of keeping watch over the foals. She sat on a cushion she had scavenged from a nearby closet, her staff in hand just in case something went wrong and as had been the case the past few weeks, the flavor text summed up her thoughts.

* The thought of doing a good job looking after the foals fills you with Perseverance.


When the first caretaker for the day shift arrived, Healer informed them that the foals were still asleep and wished them a good day's work just before she bolted from the building and ran to the palace. Her gear weighed her down but she scrambled into her office just as Fable, her personal assistant, wandered in with a yawn.

"Did you have fun looking after the foals?" Fable sleepily asked.

"Yeah," Healer replied. "Any overnight incidents that need my attention?"

"Nope but the king wants your help looking over the guards today, he wants you to make sure the stasis spell is still holding." Fable replied.

Healer sighed.

"Reschedule any appointments meant for today to tomorrow, I'll head to the barracks now."

"Alright, will you still be cooking dinner for the staff tonight?" Fable asked.

"I'll try to." Healer replied as she walked out.

She walked down the crystal halls as her empty stomach protested at her lack of breakfast. The absence of food was resulting in mild nausea and a small headache, but she ignored it and kept going. Her trek landed her in the barracks training area, the only space large enough to comfortably have every guard in the Empire stand at attention as King Sombra watched on from a balcony.

"Healer, You orders are to scan each and every guard to ensure my stasis matrix still has its hold on them, am I understood?" the king barked.

I just have to keep doing what I can to remain useful, don't think about the 'what if's' and just do your job. She thought.

"I'll see to it at once, your majesty." She replied and walked over to the first guard in the front line.

* ACT> Check
* Crystal Guard #1
* 150/150HP
* Matrix Array Condition: Stable.

She moved to the next guard. As the hours passed, the work became repetitive, mind numbing and boring but she did it without complaint but as she reached the final row, her concentration wavered yet she pushed on wards despite the growing migraine and the pain in her back.

* You feel unwell but the knowledge that someone else will go down with you if you fail now fills you with the perseverance to keep going.

* You reach the final guard, he's stable as well.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she turned her attention to the king.

"All of them are stable, your majesty." she stated, her voice steady despite her condition.

"Good," he stated gruffly and peered down at her. "You're dismissed for the rest of the day, return to your chambers."

That caught her off guard. she could only nod in response and kept her composure until she was out of sight. Once she was in the clear, she slouched and shambled back to her quarters. She stepped into her office to find Fable working on some embroidery on a blue piece of cloth.

"I told the others they'll have to feed themselves tonight." the mare stated as Healer plopped down onto the large cushion she kept stowed away in the corner of her office.

"No I can still cover the dinner rush." the Valkyrie protested.

"You don't look too good, anything I can do to help?" Fable asked and put down her work as she glanced over at the medic.

A knock sounded at the door, Healer groaned quietly and made to go answer but Fable was faster. On the other side of the door stood a maid wearing a grey ribbon, a sign of an experienced member of castle staff. she wheeled in a food trolley laden with various dishes.

"His majesty asked me to give this to the Royal Healer," she stated softly. "Enjoy your meal ma'am."

As the maid left, Fable and Healer stared at the food.

"Can I have some?" Fable asked as Healer walked over to the cart.

"After I eat," Healer grunted and began to pick and choose bits and pieces of the various dishes to pile onto a spare plate. "I guess I impressed him or something..."

"He's been making you work almost non-stop ever since you landed the job, I think you were overdue for a reward."Fable stated.

"If you say so." the Valkyrie grunted as she wolfed down her meal.


That evening Healer walked down to the kitchens in a much better mood. When she entered she noticed many of the regular staff were already there, preparing the kitchen to cook meals for the themselves and the rest of the palace staff now that the rush to cook the king's dinner was behind them.

"I take it I have you all to thank for my wonderful surprise brunch?" Healer asked.

"Of course Ma'am. What the king says, goes after all." a pastry chef replied.

"I just wanted to thank you all, so I got you these," Healer said and pulled out a large basket filled with crystal berries. "I heard your supply of these was getting a bit low."

"Thank you," the chef replied. "You'll be coming in next week to help cook for the foals right?"

"Well given that they'll be getting their first annual check up from me, it would rude not to have something to give them for their good behavior," Healer replied with a shrug. "Might as well pitch in where I can."

"How did you convince the king to let children into the palace?" another cook asked.

"I just suggested that it would be more efficient to have then come here instead of the other way around." she replied with another shrug.

"You're not scared of him?"

"A bit," Healer admitted. "But if I don't do what I can to help the Empire, what would be the point of having me around?"


With her goodbyes said to the kitchen staff and a sleepy Fable, Healer walked into her modest bedroom utterly exhausted. Feeling mentally and physically drained for the first time in weeks, she fumbled with the leather belt and leather straps to remove the blue shield and the metal wings it was attached to from her back. The strange metal contraption landed on the floor with thunk and she felt as if a weight had been lifted.

There was the sound and feel of displaced air as a large pair of golden wings, made of solid, glowing magic unfurled from her back. Healer jolted with newfound alertness as she realized they were a part of her, she could feel them, wings! The magical appendages were just as much a part of her body as her arms or legs.

.....The Fuck? Was the only thought her scrambled brain could process.

Healer sat on her bed in shock at her newly discovered wings. As the minutes ticked by the shock gave way to exhaustion and her tired mind gradually accepted the new appendages as a part of herself and she mentally filed away her curiosity about for later.

Besides she had work to do in the morning, which much to her annoyance, arrived far to quickly for her liking. With a groan she got up and looked down at the metal wing armor she had taken off the previous night. Too tired to really care she ignored it and shuffled over to the vanity, she had to crouch to see herself in the mirror but soon she had her hair presentable and with a quick check of her clothes to ensure nothing was out of place, Healer wandered down to the servants mess hall.

A small gathering of tired and slightly frazzled ponies waited her, each one wearing coloured ribbons that showed where their place was among the palace staff. The hall was mostly silent with only the sound of ponies eating their morning meal and Healer quickly grabbed her tray of food and found a quiet corner away from the rest of the palace workers to eat in peace.

Fable plopped down next to her a few minutes later. Wordlessly they ate as Fable hoofed over a file, Healer paused her current mission of inhaling her food and opened the file up to revel her orders for the day. She sighed and stored the file away in her inventory and returned her attention to her food.

She growled a warning when Fable attempted to steal some of it. Fable huffed and smiled in amusement as the mare kept to her own plate of food. When she wasn't looking, Healer slipped an untouched portion of her meal onto Fable's tray and left to begin her duties for the day.

As she walked she began to make a mental checklist of things she could do to improve the lives of the palace staff and she inwardly groaned as she realized she would have to forego sleep to make it work. She sighed in resignation. A piece of parchment and of all things, a ballpoint pen appeared in her hands and she began jotting down notes as she walked.

I don't exactly sleep much these days anyway. She thought and went on with her day.

By the time night had fallen, Healer patrolled around the palace halls one time in search of any in need of assistance or advice. As she passed the door to he King's office, she noticed the light was still on. The metaphorical gears in her mind whirred at what to do, her nervousness rising like a tidal wave but with a deep breath and no small amount of fear, she knocked on the door.

She heard King Sombra grant her entry and walked in to find him still working hard with a mountain of papers and several stacks of books organised around him. The king looked at her and in the silence the medic summoned a thermos of tea and a couple of tea cup from...somewhere.

She found she had the capacity to summon items that she needed in the heat of the moment after realizing on her second day at work that she missed using ballpoint pens and had no clue how to use a quill and inkwell, only to find a pen already in her hand. Now it just came naturally, such providing a hot drink for herself and the tired king as they both spent a good deal of the night pouring through books and papers, deep in a discussion of magic.


The palace was abuzz with activity, jittery maids and other servants darted here and there in a frantic effort to complete their daily tasks while down in the palace kitchens the chefs worked to provide food for both the staff, the king and the dozens of foals that were now being guide on a personal tour by the king.

"You will see here we have the royal armory, wherein my dutiful guards are fitted with their armor and in the case of the Empire coming under attack, they will be given weapons to defend it." King Sombra stated as he looked over the crowd of frightened and wide-eyed colts and fillies.

Healer stood at the back of the group, her golden wings half open in a relaxed posture. She looked genuinely interested in the tour and she appeared to be the only one who was.

"Any questions?" He drawled, though he knew full well who would actually have any motivation to ask.

As if on que, Healer raised her hand as a mix of confusion and curiosity danced across her features. Sombra nodded in her direction and the doctor voiced her question.

"How exactly do the guards function?" she asked. "I've noticed they seemed almost autonomous in nature."

"Magic." was Sombra's curt reply and Healer looked crestfallen.

"Oh...."

The king wondered if perhaps he should sate her curiosity at a later time. He found her reactions to almost everything confusing and interesting all at once. The ponies of the Empire were fearful, skittish things even before he placed his spell on them to keep them complacent and the arrival of the Valkyrie was nothing but a boon to solidify his rule as she worked to ensure his subjects would be more efficient in their tasks than ever. Yet the way she had adapted to life here was astonishing and Sombra found himself taking the time to give her challenge after challenge just to see the limits of her abilities.

Each challenge, be it healing the kingdom or overseeing a key aspect of it's economy she passed, sometimes by the skin of her teeth and each victory made the king wonder something.

Why wasn't she afraid? She was bold enough to bring valid concerns to his attention yet considerate enough to offer a hot drink or a warm meal when she found him still in his office in the early hours of the morning when she came in to recieve her orders for the day. It puzzled him to no end at how well she had adjusted and fit in to Palace life despite it only being two months since she had first arrived.

Everypony else feared him and they had every right too. So why was she being so nice to him?


The tour ended as it had began with a bunch of scared foals and one ever curious Healer. The King stood in front of his throne as he addressed them.

"That marks the end of the tour, I leave you all in the capable hands of the royal healer."He stated and walked back to his office. He unlocked the door with a spell and upon stepping inside, a red crystal jutted up from the ground and sat waiting for him in the corner of the room.

"Sombra...How goes your progress?" a feminine voice cooed from the crystal.

"We are ahead of schedule Mother, if work continues at this pace we will have a functioning gateway to The Void by the end of the year," he stated. "Soon our people will be free."

"Good, continue your work," his 'mother' stated. "The Umbrum will soon be free...."

A knock on the door drew his attention and Sombra waited for the red crystal to sink back into the ground before he acknowledged the disturbance.

"What is it?" he asked gruffly and turned towards the door as it opened and Healer stepped inside his office with a rolled up scroll in hand.

"Forgive my intrusion, your majesty but the foals asked me to give you this." she explained and handed him the scroll.

Sombra rolled his eyes and opened it to find crude drawing of some kind of robe.

"What is this?" he demanded. "I don't have time for trivial nonsense."

"The foals noticed during their check up last month that I didn't really have a uniform so they decided to draw a design and asked me to give it to you for approval." Healer said.

"Hm...I'll think about it," Sombra grunted. "Return to your duties at once."


"Stop fidgeting," Fable chided Healer as the crystal pony helped her into her new uniform. "You don't want to tear it and ruin all my hard work do you?"

"Sorry," Healer replied meekly as she sat on a stool. "I'm just nervous, the king asked me to oversee the miners working the re-opened tunnel today. what if it caves in again? what if everyone dislikes me and doesn't ask for help? Do you realize how many things could go wrong-ow!"

Healer rubbed the spot on her upper arm that Fable had pricked with a pin as the mare made the final adjustments to the robe that served as Healers uniform.

"You'll be fine, it's been what four months? You're well liked by everypony in the palace, you have the ear of the king and things are finally starting to look up for us. You're doing great so far." Fable replied as she sewed.

"I highly doubt I'm that important." the Valkyrie stated.

"The king certainly seems to think so," Fable commented. "Doesn't he actually ask you for advice now?"

"Well sometimes yes but he only follows my advice if I can convince him it will benefit the empire in some way."

"From the looks of things you've been successful a few times right?"

"I never thought I'd have to get good at explaining things via speech..." Healer admitted with a smile. "I find it easier to just write things down."

"If the palace gossip is anything to go by you're doing something right." Fable stated.

"Wait gossip? What are they saying? Is it bad?" A very concerned Healer asked and Fable chuckled.

"No, nothing like that, just that the ponies have noticed the king doing small things to make life easier and that you two have been spotted talking late into the night," the young mare explained with a grin. "Keeping a secret are we?"

"King Sombra has a habit of staying up late to do more work on the guards stasis field or the empires schedule, things like that," Healer replied in tone reminiscent of a lecturer. "He's been showing me how it all works and I've been helping with improvements. I understand the theory behind most spells but I can never pull off practical application unless I reverse engineer one of my existing spells to produce a similar effect."

"Oh right, you spend most of your evenings in the royal library don't you?" Fable asked.

"I just started reading all night to have something to do when everyone goes to bed," Healer replied. "It's productive at least, so that's something."

"Alright, I'm done, stand up and let me have a look at you." Fable stated and stepped back as the Valkyrie carefully stood up in fear of ripping the material.

She was wearing a long purple robe, with white sleeves and a white collar reminiscent of a turtleneck top. the robe was plain and simple with room for her wings to fully extend and comfortable enough to go about her duties unhindered. Healer had a sneaking suspicion that the outfit was alluding to something but she didn't really mind.

"You look great!" Fable said and hoofed over a pair of white shoes. "Here I had a friend make these to go with it."

"Huh, comfy." Healer commented as she slipped the shoes on.

"I thought you might say that, you complained a lot about those boots of yours," Fable replied with a cheeky grin before a questioning look overtook her features. "Say, do you know how to use those wings of yours?"

"Nope, I do have a free day coming up, so I was going to practice then. Wanna watch?"

"Sure!" Fable happily said.


"You can do it Healer!" Cheered Fable as Healer flew for the first time.

Sombra watched in fascination as the Valkyrie slowly and shakily flew around one of the palace's towers. Her nervousness was as clear as day yet every few seconds the king would catch her gaze drifting over to him and... He wasn't sure what to call her expression, embarrassed? Determined? Both? Yet he kept watching and one thing became clear.

She was trying to impress him. With this knowledge King Sombra thought back to her now increased workload, her sincere desire to make his job easier even if it caused her no end of stress or inconvenience.

Her attitude with the palace staff showed yet another side of her, a creature Tartarus bent on preserving the well-being of others, even if it meant disagreeing with any and all under her care.

As Healer touched down with the grace of a fledgling bird, Sombra felt she was ready for one final test and regardless of the outcome, he would be one step closer to achieving his dream.

She is loyal, she is powerful and intelligent. If anyone can aid in giving my kind a home in this world, it's her, the king thought and walked over to her. It is time she knew the truth.

"Impressive Healer, for a first attempt. Clean up and see me in my office, I have an important task for you." He ordered and made his way back into the palace as his Royal Healer shared a look of confusion with her assistant.

As he stepped into his office, Sombra couldn't help but notice the changes it had undergone since Healer's arrival nearly six months ago. The room was larger due one the medic's many useful spells, sported a second desk, a bookshelf stacked with reference tomes and a chair for when Healer would spend night's plowing through paperwork on his behalf.

Sombra walked over to a more discreet addition, a small compartment built into the floor with the lid indistinguishable from the wooden floor of the room. Keyed to his magic, the lid slid back to reveal a large wooden chest, nearly as large as the king himself, which Sombra carried in his magic and set it in the center of the room.

As the compartment it was hidden in closed shut he sighed, the reminder of his aggressive takeover staring him right in the face as he opened the chest and set about carefully arranging the crystal shards that lay within. With a careful, delicate use of his magic, the pieces slowly came together in the middle of the room, first was a leg, then two, a tail and more until a pony took shape.

The terrified face of Queen Amore stared back at him as the last shard fell into place. A knock at the door heralded Healer's arrival, Sombra let her inside without a word and waited for her reaction, his face a mask of calm and neutrality.

"That looks like the Crystal Queen, forgive my confusion but what did you do?" she asked and marched over to the queens'petrified form, a hand glowing green as she scanned the remains of the Empire's former ruler.

"Can you revive her?" He asked curtly and she blinked owlishly.

"I can try," She replied and looked over the Queen and muttered something about souls. Eventually she stopped and frowned in confusion. "That's different."

She went into an explanation before Sombra could ask for clarification. "My magic revolves around the soul, in combat I can summon an opponent's soul into this plane of reality to immobilize or damage them but I also need a soul to be present for my healing abilities to work and this...Her soul is somewhere else. She's only mostly dead from being petrified for so long, so if we can track down her soul I'd be able to bring her back perfectly fine."

"How curious, you won't ask why she's in this state?" Sombra asked.

"It's not that hard to figure out, from my time spent wandering around the Empire, the stories from various crystal ponies and what facts I've been able to dig up from the library, you need the crystal mines for something, asked Amore for help, she declined you so you took over. You uh, don''t seem the type to simply go after power for power's sake,"Healer replied. "I can't figure out what you need this all for though and I just figured it wasn't my place to know."

"Indeed that was the case when you first arrived but your eagerness to please and cooperation in convincing the citizens of My Empire to accept the transition of power has made you a most valuable individual. To that end, I believe it is necessary for you to understand my plan to ensure your full cooperation towards it's completion," Sombra explained and began to pace around the room as he talked. "I was not born into this world but created, a hybrid of pony and umbrum magic given form as a young foal. I was raised in an orphanage here in the empire and throughout my youth I was ostracized as being different from the joy filled crystal ponies of this place."

"Furthermore they hold a festival to protect the empire using a powerful artifact and this proved...incompatible with the umbrum side of my heritage but alas I would not discover the truth for many moons when in a fit of rage I fled the empire and ran head-long into a blizzard where I was soon found by a talking crystal."

"Wat?" Healer replied flatly.

"Strange, I know but it was my mother, the queen of the Umbrum herself who was using what little power she had to communicate with me via the crystals scattered about the region. She spoke of how a war long ago had left the Umbrum trapped within the Void yet now they seek freedom, they seek peace and despite my arguments Queen Amore refused to accept the notion of coexistence," Sombra growled. "I trapped her with the intent of releasing her once my vision has been brought to life! An empire where pony and Umbrum walk together in peace for the first time in centuries!"

"That is admittedly a noble goal, though you could have...done things differently?" Healer sheepishly said as she watched Sombra warily.

"Hm...You words ring true Healer but I have done what I must, I only took the throne when all other options failed," The king replied calmly, though a hint of regret still seeped through. He regained his composure and stored the remains of the Crystal Queen back in its chest and returned the large wooden chest to where he had stored it. "Come, now you know the why of my endeavor it is time I showed you the how and why the crystal ponies spend so much time in the mines."

Healer's expression was one of sympathy and trust as she wordlessly followed him out of the office.


He walked at a steady pace to the throne room and cast a spell on the throne room floor to reveal a hidden stairway that spiraled deep into the earth with fork in the path at its end. Sombra walked down the right path as Healer, who had chosen to glide down the stairs, darted forward to catch up to him and soon she hovered beside him.

"You seem to have grown quite accustomed to those wings," he idly noted. "They suite you."

"You really think so? I'm honestly trying not to crash right now," she replied with a grin. "Sustained flight is a bit trickier than imagined but I'm getting there. This is good practice at least!"

"I find it hard to believe you're having trouble with this, you seem fine to me." the king noted.

"Ah, well the mechanics of flight are all fine and good but when you grow up with one set of instincts and suddenly most of what your body perceives as normal is thrown out the window by a pair of wings. Well let's just say I'm having trouble getting over the idea that I'm flying and not say, falling with style." Healer explained.

"In that case you're doing well, for a first attempt." Sombra commented

"Eh, talking with you is a welcome distraction, distractions help." Came her simple and honest reply.

The pair continued their conversation as they walked and eventually the subject to magic studies.

"You spend your nights reading correct? I've been curious as to why," He asked. "It's more than a simple fascination with magic, so what exactly are you trying to do?"

"I've been trying to get home, I-I don't how or why-" Her wavered as she spoke and began to fiddle with her robe's sleeves. "I just-"

She smiled, it wasn't happy as it was more of a creature baring its teeth than an expression of joy. Judging form how quickly it appeared and how fast she was to correct herself, the king deduced it was a reflex, a defensive mechanism.

"I've left friends and family behind, I just want to find out why I'm here or who sent me here so I can ask them if they could send me home." she explained.

She took a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. the underground hallway went silent, save for the sounds of her raged breathing as she tried to calm down. Sombra stood patiently as Healer regained her composure over several minutes until finally she muttered an apology.

"Sorry, you didn't need to put up with all of that...I just wanna go home..." she said in a small voice.

"You will, The Void is a place between words once we create a gateway there to free the Umbrum, we can use the same method to send you home, " the king stated confidently. 'I'll make sure of it."

"Are you sure?"she asked meekly. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"You have been nothing but a boon to me and my Empire, it would be a discredit to all your hard work if i couldn't repay you properly," Sombra stated. "I may not be a pony in the traditional sense but I value loyalty and respect when I see it."

"Thanks...I don't really know what else to say" Healer admitted.

"No matter, we're here." He replied and motioned to a large stone door with a picture painted onto it. drawn in golden ink, it depicted ponies fighting against thinner, taller equine like creatures with flowing manes, tails and fang filled maws. above the battle a wolf watched from atop a cliff with the sun at its back while a four winged dragon floated above as if to descend to the surface to quell the fighting.

"There is a debate concerning what the mural depicts, either a battle of the war between Umbrum and ponies or a grim warning of what is to come should the Umbrum be released," Sombra explained. "If it is a warning, then it is my duty to see it never comes to pass. The Umbrum will know peace!"

He pushed the door open to reveal a large cave fit to house several full grown dragons. A massive marble archway lined with gold and studded with emeralds rested atop a gargantuan rune circle that had been carved into the stone floor. Large metal tubes were positioned around the circle as powdered crystal cascaded from each one to slowly fill and eventually power the massive example of runic spell work.

"A rune circle powered by raw crystal linked to an archway stepped in enchantments pony kind hasn't seen in millennia! With this I will create a doorway into the Void, free the Umbrum and have them walk as citizens in a new era for The Crystal Empire!" King Sombra announced.

Healer smiled in encouragement, her perseverance to help him plain as day on her face.

With her by my side I can make my dream a reality Sombra thought as they watched the makings of a new era.

With her by my side, I can do anything


Hours later, when Healer had retreated to the library for the night and the palace staff dismissed, Sombra was back in his office and conversing with his mother.

"She has proven to be a capable individual, I have told her of the plan and we have her full support. With her working to maximize efficiency with the well-being of the crystal ponies in mind we should have the gateway ready before the year is done." he explained.

"Perhaps we should ensure her loyalty, she could be useful to us once the initial influx of Umbrum begin and it would be wise to have her assist you for as long as she is able." The Umbrum Queen suggested.

He sat in silence as he thought about the idea, about his promise to help her return home. The two suggestions clashed not only in his head but in his magic, his horn sparked in a flash of pain a burning sensation began to spread throughout his body. He growled and tried to wrestle his magic into submission, fueled by the hatred of his condition, he smothered the conflict with a burst of dark magic and the pain faded to a hollow ache.

"The sooner I am free, the sooner I can see to your health my son," The Umbrum Queen cooed. "Your Royal Healer could be of use in helping me do so, together we could help you, together we could make you whole."

"What must be done?" he grunted.


It had been a few days since the successful flying attempt, the sight of Healer hovering, flying or gliding around the palace quickly became a common sight and even increasing the medic's efficiency in doing her day to day tasks. As the Royal Healer's assistant, Fable Weaver was responsible for the general well-being of the Valkyrie as well as keeping her to a less self-destructive work ethic which didn't turn the empire's resident displaced into a grumbling, short tempered mess the morning after a night long reading binge in the library.

The young crystal mare had everything set up for a nice, quiet breakfast in Healer's office with a bowl of oatmeal, some toast, a crystal berry muffin and a pot of drinking chocolate set aside to put the normally tired and unresponsive Healer into a more agreeable mood.

Fable did not expect her friend to burst into the room a panicked mess. Healer had ignored the basics of grooming as her orange hair hung loose to reach halfway down her back, her robe was a crumpled mess and the crystal pony could see that whatever had worked her friend up into this stressed out state had to be remedied as soon as possible.

"What happened?" she asked and Healer grinned nervously.

"The king asked me to marry him!" her friend exclaimed in a panic. "I dunno what to do! Help!"

"Isn't that a good thing? Did you give a reply?" Fable asked.

"I told him I needed time to think about it but- Him! Me! married! Why?!" the Valkyrie rambled and began to pace around the room. "What if I mess up? He's my boss so it's bad enough but my husband? This is just- I don't- What do I do?"

Fable walked forward and guided her friend to her large cushion. The two sat down and the crystal pony found herself wrapped up in hug, a rare sign of trust and affection from the frazzled woman.

"I...Don't handle change well, I need to be eased into it or I uh, freak out," Healer admitted with a reflexive grin which slowly vanished as she continued to talk. "Back home I looked after my mum, she was injured in an accident at work and needed me to run errands and help her around the house and stuff...Before I was sent here I was at a gathering, a festival so to speak all dressed in the costume you saw me in when I first arrived my friends had saved up money to send me there and we were all going to meet up for the first time ever, heh...they even raised enough money to hire a nurse to look after mum while I was away and one minute I'm shopping for gifts for my friends and next I'm here with no way to get back."

"I threw myself into my work hoping I could find a way home or find someone who could send me home, you know?" Healer said. "I don't know what to do anymore this too much, too soon."

"So...Would marrying the king help?" Fable asked.

"I guess, I mean I respect him enough that we could get along without any issue and I'd have more authority in the Empire...it might help?"

"It would be good for the Empire at lest, then you'd have more time to find a way home right?" Fable suggested. "How about we take break from all of this and head over to my place for a snack?"

"Ok..." Healer replied softly.

I've spent months trying to distract myself just so I can make some semblance of progress towards a way home Healer thought as Fable helped her to her feet. Maybe this is the opportunity I need to really get somewhere with all of this. I guess marrying King Sombra wouldn't be all bad, it'll be a beneficial political marriage at least. Once the Empire can function without me I can put all my effort into getting home...

I just can't lose hope. I have friends here, Sombra promised to help me.

I can get through this!

* The thought of seeing your loved ones again fills you with perseverance
* Healer LV 1
* 200/200 HP
* FILE SAVED!