Time Bubbles

by Janicethelight

Chapter 31: The Hard Way

The crackling was the first thing that Derpy noticed. The next was the odd sensation of cold on one side of her body and burning heat on the other. Slowly, her eyes blinked open, trying desperately to think back to what happened. All of the loud noises. Spells. She remembered somepony screaming “Teleport!” The sounds around her were muffled and her vision was blurry. Screaming ponies were rushing away from the twisted burning wreckage that was formerly the train. Derpy didn’t move, trapped in a momentary state of shock as she tried to process the scene before her and the events leading up to it. As thoughts whirled through her head, one of them came into clarity for a moment; she was way too close to the flames for safety. She managed to sit up, shaking her head to try to stop the ringing in her ears. Her body was shaking. Reality slowly sunk in. This wasn't a nightmare. This was actually happening. “Doctor?” she murmured, looking around at the panicking ponies for the one pony she knew would take charge of the situation, and not finding him anywhere. “Doctor!” she yelled, looking as she ran about, the adrenaline stopping any pain from being felt. Ponies were trying to help others out of the wreckage. There was screaming, crying, pacing. The ponies that were trying to gain control of the situation weren't having any success. Rhodan limped, leading ponies out of the flames, his back legs badly burned. “Enough!” he shouted; his voice echoing through the frozen tundra. Most ponies turned their attention to him. “There are still ponies that could be alive in there! All hooves that can let's save some lives!”

He lit a fire in their hearts, and the ponies kept at it, pulling out as many as they can. The purple lightning from the dark cloud above them randomly struck the ground. The ponies tried their best to ignore it. Derpy shuffled over to those who were safely away from the blaze. Everypony was burned at least a little. She saw Equestrians and crystal ponies alike helping one another. Topstitch laid on the snow, her tail half burned away, but mostly seemed okay. There was still no sign of the Doctor. Her heart dropped, and she turned back toward the blaze. Fearing the worst, she moved toward the train. Rhodan moved away from the train. A loud explosion shook the ground, train pieces raining from the sky. Rhodan took a look back before rushing with his newest save, grabbing Derpy as he ran. They dodged the pieces as they fell down from the sky, before finally making it out of the debris field. She looked from the unconscious pony to the remnants of the train, sobbing. There was no telling how many ponies lost their lives. With every breath, the truth of the situation became clearer. Rhodan pat her head and then climbed to the top of a snowy hill to look over the destruction. “We can’t stay here. We have to get as close to a warmer climate as we can before nightfall.” he sighed, looking to the wounded, “I know it’s a lot to ask, but those of you capable need to help carry those who aren’t yet able to walk. With every pony’s help, we can save everypony who is with us now.”

An Earth Pony raised his hoof. Rhodan nodded to him. “What happened? By all rights, we should all be dead!”

Rhodan sighed, pacing a moment before he spoke, “From what I gathered from the ponies that were conscious, we were attacked by King Sombra. He seemed intent on stopping anypony from reaching Equestria, and was willing to use any means to do so. Thankfully, unicorns were stationed near the back in case of this very possibility. They worked together, and put up an amazing fight against the new alicorn king. While he was distracted with the attack group, the defense group began levitating any pony they could find out of the train, thus why so many have the energy and stamina to run like crazy ponies!” A flash of embarrassment laid over the crowd, “of course, the unicorns couldn’t get out everypony. Some ponies noticed the commotion, and jumped on their own. Sombra must have noticed some trying to escape, because he unleashed a powerful attack, at least ten times the amount of the ones he did before. I'm not really sure what happened after that. The next thing I clearly remember is waking up to the burning train.” he sighed. “I don't know if I was levitated out by a noble unicorn, or if I was flown out by a Pegasus. All I know is that I-no, that we are lucky to be alive, and if we want to stay that way, we need to get moving. There could be a chance that Sombra will check to make certain there were no survivors. We need to be gone before then. Pegasi, and earth ponies, you need to be in charge of carrying anypony who can't walk. Any unicorns left need to make sure we don't leave a trail. We will follow the tracks to Equestria!” he nodded, “Everypony, let's get moving!” everypony began collecting hurt ponies, or working to hide any evidence of survivors. Derpy put Top Stitch on her back, looking back at the still inflamed crater smoking, purple lightning blasting it. They moved as a group, walking as close as they could to them. Derpy kept her good eye to the ground, her wonky eye noticing Rhodan leading, limping from the burns. As the shock let up, pain set in. Derpy thanked Celestia that she didn't seem burned. Her fur was a bit singed, but the worst pain was on her left side that she woke up on, and even that was minor. Her mind tried to remember the moments before they crashed. She couldn't recall anything. Wrinkling her mouth in thought, she came up with any way the Doctor could still be alive. He could have fallen as the first pony saved, far behind the herd. ‘He's a smart pony. He'll see the tracks and the crater. He'll know to follow them. He may even catch up before nightfall.’ She clung to that hope. The walk was slow and tiring. Rhodan’s legs gave out on him. Another pony carried him along. With the adrenaline spent, ponies seemed to fall asleep standing up, only to shake themselves awake from the frozen wind. The afternoon sun started to set in the sky. Derpy looked behind her. There was no sign of the crater, and the smoke was slowly dissipating from the sky. Even the purple lightning had stopped. In front of them, snow seemed to stretch forever. One pony tested, digging with his hooves. After a few minutes, he looked up, “The snow isn't as deep here. We might be getting close to coming out of it!” Hope soared in everypony.

The sunset, and they kept walking, dragging their hooves in exhaustion. Topstitch groggily opened her eyes to the changing light, bewildered when she found herself on Derpy’s back. “How far have we come since we started?” Topstitch asked after being filled in, walking alongside Derpy. She winced when walking on her left hoof, a light burn on the back showing.

“If I had to guess, we've walked a good 15 miles. Not bad with all the injured ponies we've carried.” Rhodan nodded, slightly embarked by being carried by another stallion.

“and there is no sign of the snow going away any time soon.”

“Wait! There is!” a scout pony cried, “up ahead. It's faint, but there is grass growing through the snow!” it wasn't much, but it was a sign that there they would eventually find dry land. However, too many ponies had fallen over, sleeping from sheer exhaustion. There was no way to make it much further.

“listen up, ponies. We need to make camp. Too many are exhausted. We need to find anything to keep us warm through the night. A cave would be best, but wood will work. Any ponies not too tired go look for wood. Take a buddy, and don’t stray too far. You need to be able to find your way back.”

The ponies spread out. Derpy helped, wanting to find any reason to not think about the worst case scenario. Eventually, they found dead sticks littering the landscape. Other ponies found a few dead trees. Together, they made a decent woodpile, putting a few together, lighting it with magic. The ponies who were unconscious during the day decided to take watched at night. Soon most everypony was asleep. Derpy fought sleep, expecting to see a lone Earth pony come up, freezing but alive. Her eyes dropped close only to snap open again and again until sleep took her.

******************

Returning to the relative warm safety of the Empire’s weather shield did nothing to thaw the Doctor’s heart. He looked back to the billowing smoke, ears drooped. Another companion cut short before her time. But then a swelling anger grew inside of him. She didn’t get trapped in another dimension. She didn’t choose to go. She didn’t sacrifice herself. Derpy - all the ponies - were straight up...murdered. He looked around him to the now empty houses...how many more...how many more ponies did Sombra need before he felt complete? What was he looking for, or more aptly, what was the thing inside of him looking for? The Doctor knew that Sombra was being controlled by an entity, not of this world. That much was certain. It was for this reason alone that he held back his full fury. He would save these ponies. He would save them like he had saved countless others lives, and then he would go off alone, never to be seen again.

But he was at a greater disadvantage than he could ever remember being in. This world worked so differently from any others, and he had no understanding of it. His knowledge of elite science was seemingly meaningless here. He had witnessed incredible power numerous times, yet one of the most advanced instruments in all of history, his sonic screwdriver, was incapable of even registering the existence of the strange energies that were causing these miraculous phenomena. He had no contacts, nobody owing him favors that he could collect on. His reputation was also nothing. This world had no knowledge of him, or any of the enemies he has faced, that were known across the vortex of time and space. And, he was without his TARDIS, or a companion. All that remained were his wits, cunning, and his last remaining drops of sanity. Step one, get close to the king; somehow regain his trust. Step two, learn as much as possible. But before taking another step, the doctor pulled out the TARDIS key from his hair, holding it close. He needed a safe place to hide it. He walked back to the edge of the shield, looking down at the snow. Sombra wouldn’t ever be able to find the key, and a cover story had already brewed in the Doctor’s mind, his cold eyes taking a moment to treat the key as a sort of memorial to his companion. He looked out towards the smoke from the train wreck again. “I promise you, Derpy, I will save them.” He breathed before burying the key in the snow, turning around, and walking towards the castle with eyes ablaze.

As he rushed back toward the castle, forming a plan that would take all his cleverness to pull off. He stopped, hiding against the side of the house when Sombra returned triumphantly. There was a moment, in fury, that the doctor had to list off his own rules in his head to keep himself from going straight to Sombra and ending all of this once and for all. The master would have. The master would kill the crystal king in cold blood, and laugh, probably killing every other crystal pony on the way out just for fun. The doctor shivered for a moment. The Master certainly had a way about him. However, there were moments where the master’s strategies had almost won him the day. Thinking that way gave him the determination he needed to keep going. He would not allow Derpy’s life to have been lost in vain. But thoughts of the Master also put doubt in the Doctor’s mind. He was fully aware this might not work, and Sombra might have him executed on the spot. Step one-point-five. He took out his sonic screwdriver. It had saved his life and the lives of others so many times, but in this world had far fewer practical uses. He removed the housing and began tinkering with the wires and dip switches. A small light came on inside and closed her back up. One more press of the button would trigger a self-destruct that would take him, and everyone else in the room, along with it. If Sombra didn’t fall for the best act the Doctor could manage, he’d still have one last trick up his sleeve.

The Doctor crept into the castle, which seemed desolate with the exception of metal drumming against the carpet. He doctor hid as the guards continued their rounds in their horrid new gear, complete with helmets adorned with spikes and narrow slits revealing glowing green eyes; causing them to look monstrous and menacing. The Doctor swiftly rounded his way up to his chamber, going back through the Derpy-made-hole from the other side. He took a moment, touching the hole tenderly as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He squeezed them shut, refusing for any to be set free. Not yet. He looked around the room. The door to the chambers was open, but nothing was out of place. It seemed like the guards weren't exempt from the fears caused by the curse that Sombra had placed on the room. That explained why nopony had been in there since he and Derpy left. Feigning ignorance wouldn't work now. Sombra knew that they escaped, but nothing more than that. The Doctor stormed back out of the hole, ignoring the void that the sight of the abandoned room placed on his heart. Avoiding the guards only took a few minutes. Before he knew it, he was back in the throne room with Sombra humming some tune. Soldiers at the door stopped him. The Doctor Didn't mind. He wanted to be caught.

“Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. I did think you better than to try the same tactic twice. I do, however, find your second solution for escaping to be... commendable. However, you have nowhere to go. Your mysterious traveling box is in my possession. You are trapped along with-- wait… why are you alone?”

The Doctor thought for a moment. This was the hard part. This was the pivotal moment to gain trust while also not letting on what he knew. “Derpy left.” the words left his mouth, and he felt ten times heavier, “Took the train out.” It was all he could get out without showing anything. He threw up in his mouth ever so slightly and winced as he forced it back down.

Looking the dark king in the eyes, the Doctor immediately noticed the purple flame around his adversary’s eyes was gone, and there a look of horror on Sombra’s face; genuine realization and regret. A moment later, the violet fire returned; the good king’s eyes were gone once again. “She left...on the train?!” he asked.

“Yes.” The Doctor’s two hearts felt like they were being torn to shreds, but Sombra didn’t notice.

“Doctor… I am so sorry to tell you this.” Sombra lowered his head. The Doctor felt a moment of hope. It wouldn't get Derpy back, but if he could help the real Sombra stay in control, then they could work together to trap the monster that was inside him. “The train… it won't be getting to its destination. Celestia learned of my power sooner than expected. I knew she was threatened by our love, but to take such measures-- it’s unthinkable. She wanted to cut off our easiest route to Equestria, and destroyed the train to accomplish it. She truly is a monster.”

At that moment, the hope was extinguished, and replaced with pure rage. The Doctor kept his cold stare locked on the infested Sombra as it continued his venomous lies. This creature held no remorse within it except possibly losing its ticket to other dimensions. He used his own actions, to frame another. The Doctor was fully ready to kill this thing who spouted such lies while simultaneously showing no remorse for the loss of life.

The Doctor kept his anger from showing on his face, but he slowly reached for the sonic, which was now carefully hidden behind his necktie. As his hoof felt the curved surface through the fabric of the tie, playing this possible final moment in his mind, he heard a distinct coo. Distracted for a moment, his head swiveled to the direction of the unexpected sound, noticing a guard rocking baby Amore. Her wide and glassy eyes were fixated on the Doctor’s, almost as if she was concerned for him. Stunned by this behavior, the Doctor walked over to see her. The two of them stared at one another for a moment, almost frozen in time. The Doctor was at a bit of a loss, trying to understand “foal” language. Speaking “baby” was a gift the TARDIS couldn’t grant; he’d had to teach himself that one, but had only done it with a couple of species. The look on her face was sufficient to convey her feelings though. The Doctor slowly moved his hoof away from the tie and took a deep breath. As the Doctor’s anger waned, Amore smiled, reaching for his hoof and hugging it.

“Oh, I see you found our proof of what our coexistence could have brought. She is a product of true love between a crystal pony and an equestrian...the same love Celestia tried to crush. You can feel it, can’t you, doctor? The amazing amount of potential she has. Perhaps that was Celestia’s true fear. If this tiny foal can have this amount of power within her, then Luna’s future children of mine will be far stronger… far superior to even her powers. When our goal is reached, we will need another to help with the responsibility of leading a new regime. With Luna and myself ruling over Canterlot, there will need to be a leader here in the Empire. With time, Amore will become a wonderful figurehead. She already has such power within her. She will prove that we only had Equestria’s best interests at heart.”

The Doctor felt something strong from the foal as well. He wasn't sure it was magic, but the hug warmed his soul and calmed his anger. It called up a memory of him and Derpy trying Pinkie’s muffins; a happier time, when he felt like he belonged. It reminded him of who he was, and the good in his hearts. He secretly thanked the tiny foal for her gift and pat her on the head before turning, keeping an unwavering focus on the corrupted king. “Indeed, she shows great promise, your Majesty.”

Sombra was now staring out the window at the setting sun. “Perhaps, by comparison, your companion wasn’t such a tragic loss after all.” Sombra almost had a smirk and glanced slightly towards the Doctor as if he was trying to provoke a reaction.

The Doctor felt his adrenaline rising, but stood motionless and poker-faced. “Perhaps not then. And her sacrifice has revealed to us how dangerous Princess Celestia truly is.”

“Quite right, Doctor.” He turned back to the sun again as its final sliver vanished beneath the tundra, bathing Sombra in a crimson light. “Once our future children have matured, Luna and I will retire, spending the rest of our immortal lives together in peace. No more s-- hiding... from the sun.” The Doctor raised an eyebrow for a moment as Sombra continued. “No more fear, no more retreating from the light. Just… love.” A wall torch near Sombra performed the painful death dance that the Doctor had seen multiple times now with random candles. The flame of the torch changed from gold, to red, before finally extinguishing in a white flash. The sound of the flash was quite audible this time, like a firecracker, powerful enough to knock the torch off the wall. Sombra looked down at it briefly and then kicked it away towards a servant who quickly scooped it up.

The Doctor spoke up. “Your Majesty, it’s true that we have some differences of opinion in the past. I still question your methods; forcing Ponies into a war.”

Sombra snapped his head around with a look of anger.

The Doctor raised a hoof as if to calm him. “However, I agree with why.” He closed his eyes, knowing he had to show he was convinced of the lie he was told. He pounded his hoof hard on the castle floor. “Celestia can't get away with this horror! Murder is something I can not abide by...and...and Derpy.” He didn't have to fake the tears that flowed from his eyes, falling like rain. “She took Derpy from me.” He let the grief overtake him, the feeling of it washing over him until he used the last of his tears. “She will be stopped. I will do everything in my power to make certain that no pony is killed again. Just tell me where you need me!”

“Well, your box could-”

The Doctor gave a long pause, hanging his head, “Derpy had the key. I didn’t realize,” he lied.

Sombra’s eyes seemed to shift again, fighting conflicting feelings. “Of course. A pity. Well, perhaps with all my resources, I will be able to find a way in. But in the meantime, your brain is still useful even if your device is not. You can be my chief advisor, while we make certain all preparations are ready. And once they are, Celestia will feel our vengeance!”

“Yes, and, when it is least expected, we will triumph, for the crystal ponies. And for Derpy!” the doctor nodded, though fully well the “we” in his mind was different than Sombra’s.

“So you accept, Doctor… no more running?”

“Yes, King Sombra… no more.” The doctor agreed.

“Wonderful. Follow me! This land is full of marvels, and you have much to learn. First I shall show you the mines.” Sombra, escorted by guards, led the doctor down into the depths of the castle to what appeared to be a dungeon, unused for centuries. But now there was a haphazardly made hole in one of the walls, leading into a vast cavern echoing with the sound of picks striking stone and the rattle of chains. But the sound that caught the Doctor’s attention the most, was that of foals crying.

Sombra proudly walked into the center of the first chamber. Glowing crystals of various colors were embedded in the rocks, and there were Ponies, some of them in chains, everywhere trying to dig them out as Sombra explained, “This land is a treasure trove of unusual minerals and gems that can be found almost nowhere else. Iron, the bread and butter of any army can be found easily enough beneath the soil here. But the crystals. The wonderful crystals. That is what has allowed this Kingdom to rise to a splendor unmatched in the whole land.” Sombra pointed at one of the walls where some Ponies were struggling to pry one loose, “see that luminous green one there? It is brimming with magical energies. A piece that size could kill a hundred soldiers.” He pointed in another direction at a massive cluster of silvery spires. “There’s half of a geode filled with argenteranite, a metal stronger and lighter than iron, and shines like steel with no need for refining. And the… there… is my Executor.” Sombra sounded less than pleased as he stared over at the Pony flanked by a pair of guards who seemed to be trying to quell an argument with a displeased family of three.

The youngest was still a filly, clinging to her mother. A father protectively stood in front of them, “Please, she is just a filly, and she’s hungry! “I don't mind working down here, and my wife is willing to as well, but my daughter needs to have a childhood,” he begged the Executor.

The Executor seemed motionless, hanging his head. “I-- these are my… orders.”

“Executor!” Sombra roared so loudly that some of the workers stopped to see what the commotion was about. The executor spun around, shocked to see Sombra standing just feet away. The Executor was wearing armor similar to that of the guards, but it was more regal, seemed more copper-colored than silver, and was adorned with a shimmering prismatic cape.

The Executor said, “Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but this is going too far. The foal should not have to remain down here. The working conditions down here; we’re working too fast, the dust; the poisons; these mines are no place for the foals.”

“We do not have time for this, Executor. If we stopped for every foal that cried for missing out on recess, we would never get anywhere!”

“Please, I beg of you,” the Executor said.

“Guards, remove his armor,” Sombra replied.

“What?” the Executor asked. “What are you--” he struggled slightly as he was forcefully pulled out of the armor suit one piece at a time and was now being held in place by the guards.

“Shall we imprison him?” one of the guards asked.

“No,” Sombra said. “Release him.”

“Your Majesty?”

“I said, release him!”

The guards immediately let go and stepped away.

“Executor, tell me, what percentage of the miners here currently still have control over their own minds?”

“Percentage? Umm, wait, where did I put my--”

“You don’t know? Then just give me straight numbers. Out of all of the miners; by my count, there should be close to five-thousand if my taskmasters are keeping up the pace. How many of those workers are being controlled?”

“I… I… I… I’m not sure, give me some time to--”

“Nevermind, Executor, you are relieved.”

“Wait, I am?”

“Yes, I have a new purpose for you, where you will be of much greater service.”

“Your Majesty?”

“I need your light.”

“My… light?”

“The light inside of you. It will make me stronger.”

“What light? How can--”

Sombra lowered his head and fired a beam of purple energy into the Executor. In a flash of blinding light, his body lay motionless on the floor. The flow of energy between Sombra’s horn and the Executor’s body seemed to reverse, and changed from purple to red. As Sombra fed off it, the talisman around his neck glowed with satisfaction. Slowly the Executor sat up on his haunches with a blank empty look on his face. There was no hint of motivation in his eyes. He seemed in even a worse state than those who had been hypnotized. “You can return to your home now,” Sombra said.

“O...kay… Your Majesty… thank… you...” the Executor replied and very slowly trudged towards the exit.

Sombra turned towards the Doctor without any hesitation, as if nothing of interest had taken place. “See, Doctor. If I had more time, then i wouldn't have to use such...drastic measures, but seeing as we no longer have access to your box, then we must take every moment, and use every resource available to start our invasion. That means, unfortunately, every capable hoof needs to be working. If they refuse to work, they need to be made to work. After all, defiance is time and energy taken away from our common goal, is it not?”

“It is,” The Doctor agreed nervously, having a sickening feeling that he knew where this was going.

“Glad to hear you agree.” He motioned with his head to the Executor’s armor. “Congratulations, Doctor, you’re being promoted. That armor is yours now, and it demands respect. Put it on.”

After a moment of hesitation, the Doctor did as ordered.

Sombra explained, “The armor is imbued with a shard of my own magic. You only need to think of what you need it to do, and it will obey within the limits of my law. Now, Executor, this family is being defiant. Indulge me. What are you going to do about it?”

The Doctor had finished with the suit and now placed the helmet over his head. He breathed, turning to the family that now saw him as just another Executor. “I'm sorry,” he murmured as an odd energy shot from the helmet and into eyes of the three family members, who stood stunned for a moment before autonomously going back to work.

“Good. Glad to see you have joined the right side, Doctor.” Sombra patted his back. “Stay by my side, do what i say, and you won't end up like the Pony you replaced,” he mused. “Now, the Executor’s guards will answer to you now. Spend some time down here, get acquainted, and get some solid numbers on the workforce and their progress. When you are finished, come back and see me. I need to… debrief some soldiers who were trying to stop Celestia, and make sure there was no damage… or spell she used to confuse them…” he murmured. Sombra and his guards exited the mines back through the dungeon.

The Doctor worried for those soldiers that he knew did not try to stop Celestia….or even see Celestia. He could only hope that those innocent ponies didn't end up losing their lives as well. But for the time being, the monster using Sombra’s body as a vessel was gone. The Doctor took a deep breath and sighed. He could tell from the two remaining guards assigned to him, even with their armor on, that they were slightly less tense. “Phew, well it’s a bit stuffy in this thing, I don’t think I need this right now.” The Doctor yanked the helmet back off and tossed it into the corner. “Well, the King said for us to get acquainted, what are your names?”

The guards looked at each other, each waiting for the other to say something.

“Well come on, I’m not going to bite,” the Doctor prodded.

The first guard spoke. “Lathus.”

“Stalica.”

“Lathus and Stalica, nice to meet you both!”

“Executor, I--”

“No, no. No need for that. I’m not a big fan of formalities except when necessary. Call me Doctor.”

“Exe-- Doctor, forgive me for asking. What are you doing?”

“Getting acquainted. Sombra’s orders. Well, now that we’ve got that taken care of, let’s see what we have in here.” He took out his sonic screwdriver and began reconfiguring it to its former state.

“What is that?”

“A little magic of my own,” the Doctor replied. “It will tell me more about what is in this mine, I hope.” He coughed slightly. “Whatever is in this air, I can even taste it.” He began waving the screwdriver around, which was now drawing some attention from the workers. “Hm… sulfuric acid, selenium, unweathered silicate particles, coal dust, oh yes, just everything a growing body needs if you want your lungs to fall apart.”

“Anthracite coal dust.”

The Doctor spun around and saw a colt staring at him.

“Say again?” the Doctor asked.

“Anthracite coal dust, not coal dust.”

The Doctor looked at his screwdriver again. “Yes, anthracite. My bad.”

“And the silicate dust is mostly from the lumacite. That attractive lime crystal that the… another Executor has had us focusing on.”

The Doctor was impressed that this worker even had the courage to speak to him, but also by his apparent desire to share knowledge.

“Lumacite. Rrrrright.”

“You don’t know much about geology, do you?” the stallion asked.

The Doctor chortled. The witty bluntness of this courageous Pony was a welcome distraction after everything that had taken place. “Well, normally I do, but I’m actually very new to this place.”

“Obviously.”

“Hedron Pyrite! Are you trying to get us all into trouble?” an older stallion yelled and began dragging the colt away. “I’m sorry about this, Executor, he doesn’t know when to shut up.”

The Doctor laughed. “No, no, it’s fine! Don’t worry. I’m not going to zap him or you. So, your name is Pyrite… so, I suppose that means you like pie, am I rite?”

Had a cricket been present, it most certainly would have seized this moment to play a tune.

“Wow, tough crowd,” the Doctor said.

“Executor, my name is Trigon Pyrite. And this is my son, Hedron.”

The Doctor offered a hoofshake. “Nice to meet you, Trigon.”

Trigon was about to accept when he pulled his hoof back to cover his mouth, letting out a wheezing cough. The Doctor immediately scanned him. “Yes… these lumacite silicates are doing nothing good for our breathing; not to mention it seems to be unstable, but for us, that’s actually good, the particles should break down within weeks if we stop being exposed to it. If not, everypony in here is going to get some kind of nasty black lung.” He looked to all four Ponies. “Is there any other route out of this mine?”

“There’s the dumping pit, but it leads nowhere but into an underground chasm,” Hedron said.

“Show it to me,” the Doctor replied.

The Doctor threw his helmet back on and followed the Pyrites, and his guards Lathus and Stalica following closely behind until they reached a large opening. Beyond was a downward slope that ended at a sharp cliff. The Doctor cautiously crept to the edge and looked down, able to see nothing below him. “Well, this looks safe.”

“Two Ponies have already been lost down there,” Hedron said.

“Why not put a fence here?”

“The Executor feared it would take too much time,” Hedron said.

“Well, not this Executor,” the Doctor replied. “So, we’re going to put a fence here so no other pony accidentally falls down to… wherever that goes. I’ll take an educated guess that nopony dug this out?”

“These caverns were here before the kingdom even existed,” Trigon said.

“Any idea where they lead?” the Doctor asked.

“Unexplored. Early in the kingdom’s history, miners stumbled upon this by accident and just started throwing rocks in here to save them the trouble of cluttering the surface with a dump site.”

“Well, that’s not much use now. And I don’t feel any air moving either. Bugger.”

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Trigon asked.

“Trying to think of a fast way to make the air safer in here.”

“We could if we had ever planned for this many miners.”

“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked.

Trigon pointed back towards the some of the ponies who were still working. “See how a couple of them have masks? Those are made using purfa stone. It attracts nearly everything to it except air.”

“So it works as an air filter. Why weren’t you all given one?”

“Those that have them are the original miners before this war business got started.”

“And there isn’t enough of this purfa to make more?”

“It’s very hard to find,” Hedron said. Veins are rare, and one hasn’t been found in years.”

“Oh, well we’ll see about that,” the Doctor said, trotting over to one of the miners wearing a mask. “Pardon me, good sir, may I see that for a moment? It will be returned to you swift--” He was unable to finish his sentence as the miner had already removed the mask and tossed it to him, seeming very afraid. “Returned to you swiftly.” He scanned the curious gray material that lined the inside of the mask to determine its chemical composition, and then gave the mask back.

The others had caught up to the Doctor now as he turned around to face them and said, “Alright! Now, let’s see if there’s any more of it hiding around here.” He waved his screwdriver in all directions and quickly locked onto something. “Ah ha!”

“You found something?”

“About fifty paces that way! Plenty for everypony! And so close to the dump, we can clear away the rubble easily. How long do you think it will take us to get there?”

“About three months.”

“Three months? It’s right… over… there!”

“It’s not the digging itself, it’s the lumacite. If we hit a lumacite shard while digging down here, it will explode. When we find one, it has to be very carefully cut around and then removed. That’s why everything has to go so slow down here. We’ve already had a number of accidents.”

“A natural minefield. I see. Alright, I can find those just like I did the purma. I’ll be right back!” He darted out of the room with the guards chasing after him and returned a couple moments later. He approached the wall they would have to start digging to reach what he was after. After activating the screwdriver on again, he said, “Well you’re right. There’s a pumacite crystal in the way. A little more than ten paces directly ahead. We can avoid it if we go a little to the right.”

“So that way is safe?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure.”

“Absolutely.”

“Alright, ten paces slightly right, and then turn back towards the purma. Ready, pop?”

“I just hope this Executor knows what he’s doing,” Trigon said. He turned to the Doctor momentarily. “No offense, to you, sir.”

“None taken. Carry on.”

The two ponies immediately started digging and the Doctor lost his view of them in the massive dust cloud that filled the air. The noise was deafening like the roar of jackhammers. After about a minute, the noise stopped, and the ponies emerged in the settling dust, coming out of a newly-formed tunnel.

The Doctor looked stunned and ran up to the opening, looking down it. “You… you… dug all of that... so quickly? Amazing!”

“It’s only the lumacite that is slowing us down. With that divining rod of yours, we can work so much faster!”

The Doctor looked at the ground at the small pile of displaced stone. “Where’s the rest?”

“Rest? Of what?”

“The rock you dug out?”

“That’s all there was.”

“In a tunnel that deep? Wait… you can… destroy… matter?”

“If that’s what is happening when we dig a tunnel… I… guess?” Trigon said.

“That’s amazing!” The Doctor bounced excitedly. “Now--” he paused, remembering he was under guard. “Would you two be so kind as to see if you can find me some crystal corn? I’m having a craving.”

“Execu-- Doctor, do you think it wise for us to leave you here, unprotected? The miners could rise up against you.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m about to make this air safe for them all to breathe, and mining will go much faster with my help. Now, hurry along. That’s an order.”

“It will be done at once!,” and the guards quickly scampered off.

The Doctor turned back to the family. “Pyrites, kindly step into my office for a moment,” he said, leading them into the tunnel they had just made. Once they reached the far end where the vein of purma was, he removed his helmet. “I have an important task for you. You’re quite proficient at tunneling, and I have a special project I want you to focus on. He simply pointed in a general direction beyond the purma. “I’m going to get masks for all of you now that we have the purma for it. But there is something important I need you to focus on. My sonic-- divining rod tells me there are a lot of resources in a pretty straight line in this direction. But digging the tunnel is going to take quite a while. I’m going to show you how to use the divining rod, so you can easily locate any lumacite. We’ll extract everything we find, and can zigzag some if we want, but keep going in that general direction. Do not go up or down. Go straight. The rod will help ensure you don’t stray too far off. This tunnel is very important, and I’ll let you know when you’ve gone far enough. Is that understood?”

“Of course, Executor.”

“Good. Now let’s get to work on getting this purma out of here.”

---

The next day, Derpy woke up shivering. The large fire had died down to embers, and the watch ponies had succumbed to sleep as well. Worried about the cold, she checked on everypony she could, waking them. Slowly, the freezing ponies awoke, and groggily, the group put out the fire and kept moving. As the day went by, the setting became more and more lush. By the time night fell once more, the snow was completely gone. It took days to reach the borders of Equestria, and the entire time, Derpy regularly looked back in hopes that the Doctor would be coming from the horizon. He didn't. From there, the group encountered small towns with ponies who gave what they could to the group, helping the refugees. They rested, and walked to the next town and the next, getting what they could from the ponies in them. The days turned to weeks, and near a month passed before they reached a town that had a station with a semi-regular schedule, and took the next train towards the heart of Equestria.
************************

The Doctor was as alert as ever and behaving like a seasoned manager of a mining company. “No, it’ll be fine, we just need to put some support beams in before we dig it any wider.” He pointed to a pile of lumacite. “Keep that right there, we’ll take it up on the next load. The lift is filled with that... Mythrilly... stuff!” He darted to the entrance of the long tunnel he’d ordered to be created. “How’s the new rail system coming, Hedron?”

“We’re still waiting on more steel to be brought down. We’re digging faster than the forge can keep up.”

“Well we’re making excellent time, slow down a little and take a break if you need to.”

The Doctor looked around at the mines. All of the workers now had masks protecting them from the toxic air. They looked strong and efficient. And there wasn’t a foal among them any longer. With his help, productivity had soared far beyond expectations, and he allowed the foals to return home. Families were being granted brief breaks to return to the surface as well to maintain the households. It was looking less and less like a slave mine. While they still had no choice but to work, under the Doctor’s care, the conditions were far more humane. Over time, he had gotten onto a first-name basis with many of the workers, and all but a couple had taken to calling him, Doctor. The guards, Lathus, and Stalica both admired him as well and considered him a friend. The difference in morale from the time he had arrived at how things now were amazing. Sometimes the Ponies were even able to forget what was happening up on the surface. But that was about to change.

The Doctor noticed a lot of picking had been replaced with muttering near the dungeon entrance to the mines. The voices were slowly becoming louder. It was a sound that the Doctor was very familiar with and he knew that it had the potential to turn bad very quickly.

“What’s going on?” Hedron asked.

“Let’s go find out, quickly!” the Doctor said, and the two of them galloped towards the main entrance to see a large group of ponies gathered around.

“How could that happen?!” one of the workers asked.

“Who would do that?!”

“We’ll all freeze to death!”

The Doctor ran up to the edge of the crowd. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“The Crystal Heart is gone!”

“What?!” the Doctor asked.

“I just found out during my break. It vanished sometime last night!”

“A thief couldn’t just take that in the middle of the night, could they? It’s been heavily guarded since this war business started.”

“Nopony knows anything! It’s like it just disappeared!”

“King Sombra hasn’t said anything about it?”

“No, and he’s been silent all week.”

“Perhaps I should go speak with him, and try to get to the bott--”

Suddenly there was a commotion within the dungeon.

“No, Your Majesty, I had permission from the--”

“Silence!” a familiar voice boomed from beyond view. A moment later, a struggling pony floated into the room, suspended by levitation magic focused solely on the neck.

“Back to work, all of you,” the Doctor ordered, much more harshly than usual, not wanting any of the workers to get caught up in this. Knowing fully well that Sombra was about to enter the mine just behind the victim, he bowed deeply. As Sombra emerged with multiple guards behind him, the Doctor begged, “Your Majesty, please release him. I gave him permission to leave the mines momentarily. I accept full responsibility.”

Sombra released the pony who fell to the ground, choking and gasping for air. The Doctor wanted to ensure he was OK but didn’t dare move from his current position.

“Executor, you had better hope for your soul that you have a satisfactory explanation for this. Thus far, I have accepted your reports as fact, and now I hear that you’ve been giving the slaves--”

“Slaves, Your Majesty?”

“Do not interrupt me, I will only warn you this one time!”

“Your Majesty, please, think about this… when did you start referring to them as slaves? These are your subjects!”

Sombra took a deep breath and seemed to show a bit more composure. The room felt as tight as a rubber band about to break. None of the workers were digging now. All eyes were focused on the verbal standoff between Sombra and the Doctor, as the King spoke again, “I hear that you have been giving… them… time to rest, rest, other than sleeping. You’ve allowed them to depart from the mines in shifts. You have appropriated a great deal more resources than you have let on in your reports.” He looked around. “These masks, when did you find time to make enough for all of them? How much time was lost?”

The Doctor slowly rose to his normal posture. “Far less time than having them work without said masks, Your Majesty. The weak and the sick do not dig well, and the dead do not dig at all.”

“And the extra breaks?”

“Morale is important. As both you and your taskmasters have regularly pointed out, free minds are far more suited to powering the crystal heart. These workers are far more content than they were before you put me in charge, the mining process far more streamlined, and you can’t argue with the results. We are pulling nearly three times the original quota per day. We’ve been mining so fast that we had to install extra tracks, to keep up with it. And we also even have a lift to deliver raw metal directly to the refining forges instead of having to carry it out on hoof through the winding dungeon path. Have you seen how well-stocked the armory is now? Or how much pumacite we’ve been able to process without a single accident?”

Sombra’s rage was tempered, and he nodded. “While I do not appreciate you making such changes without consulting me first, your efforts in the mines are… commendable.”

The Doctor and Sombra both glanced over at the stallion still struggling to get to his feet. The Doctor trotted over and fished a mask from the stallion’s saddlebag and helped him put it on. “Just rest here for now until you’re able,” he said gently but sternly.

Sombra looked at the stallion, appearing to almost be appraising him. “Let him rest, Executor. He is too weak to continue here, but he can still be of great use.”

“What do you--” the Doctor dove out of the way Sombra’s horn spat purple energy into the wounded stallion. As he had seen before, Sombra then siphoned a red light out of the stallion, channeling more power into the talisman. The stallion was now empty and lifeless, like a body still moving, but with no mind or spirit actually inside of it.

“Go home,” Sombra said. “But take delight in knowing that though you will no longer see your use, the sacrifice you have given to me is great.”

The stallion simply bowed and then shambled slowly out of the mine.

“He is more useful to me this way,” Sombra said.

“Your Majesty, what did you do to him? I witnessed this… magnificent display... used on your former Executor as well. But I never got the chance to ask. What is it?”

“I simply appropriated their light.”

“Light?” the Doctor cocked his head to one side.

“Yes, their light. Surely you understand.”

“Body heat? Potential time energy? Bio-electricity?”

“These strange Equestrian terms… no, no, no, the light of their spirit!”

“You mean… their souls?”

“If that’s what they call it in Equestria,” Sombra said.

“Whatever for?” the Doctor asked.

“Well Executor, it is time for another test of my powers, so I will show you.”

“Executor? Your Majesty? May I go as well?” Hedron asked, approaching from deeper within the mine and taking a bow.

The Doctor turned his head to look at Hedron. He logically should have been disappointed that Hedron didn’t stay where he was asked. But that would be hypocritical. It’s the same thing the Doctor would have done in his horseshoes. Hedron clearly had a curiosity that could easily get him into trouble repeatedly. It reminded the Doctor of himself, and also most of his companions. “I have no objections.” The Doctor looked back to Sombra. “This is Hedron Pyrite and he has proven himself to be a valuable asset down here. He has been my right-hoof pony since I arrived. With your permission, I wish for him to have the freedom to accompany me when I am outside of the mines.”

“Your request is highly dubious, Executor, but very well. Your stunning performance in the mining operations is worth a… few… privileges. Both of you, follow me.”

The Doctor and Hedron followed Sombra through the dungeon and up to the surface into a sealed off the courtyard. The Doctor looked with confusion upon a large bonfire in the middle of the courtyard. The blaze was already immense, and ponies were all around it, clearly fighting the pain of the heat, still tossing more logs onto it. Even from dozens of paces away, the Doctor and Hedron could feel the heat radiating from it.

“What is that for?” the Doctor asked.

“Observe, but stand back,” Sombra warned, as he boldly walked towards the inferno that stood before him. All that could be seen of Sombra now was a black silhouette against the dance of flames. Sombra simply stared at the flame, and then a strange high-pitched hissing sound, almost like a scream became audible. The flames became more erratic and changed from yellow-white to orange. The Doctor could feel that the heat was less intense than before, as the fire eventually became crimson red. As it was with the candles and the torches, the image triggered a sense of Deja Vu in the Doctor’s mind that he couldn’t pinpoint. Either way, he had a feeling he knew what was about to happen, and he slowly nudged Hedron to step backward, just as the cool red flame burst forth into an enormous explosion of white light that sent hot ashes and splinters of wood in every direction. Both Sombra and a couple of other ponies were thrown by the blast into a wall of the courtyard. The Doctor and Hedron were far enough away that it only knocked them over. Not daring to get up immediately, they both stared at the intimidating cloud of heat and smoke that was heading towards the sky.

All eyes looked towards Sombra, who was folded up in front of the courtyard wall. For a moment, he seemed to not be moving, but then suddenly, as if nothing had happened at all, he rose to his feet and approached the Doctor, somehow looking even more dangerous than before. “Excellent. I am becoming stronger, and I will be ready soon, but I still need more. Executor, your mining is proceeding so far ahead of schedule, how many of the workers can you spare?”

“Spare? What do you-- you mean for their souls?!”

“I will have need of many, and I cannot sacrifice the warriors so easily as the workers. But once I have enough, I shall not need to worry much about either.”

“This doesn’t sound like anything to do with the war, Your Majesty, what is this all about?”

“To learn what I am fully capable of, and how much further I need to go. Now, hurry along and decide who among the miners are the least effective in their duties. We will start with 1/3rd. According to your reports you will still be operating above expectations.”

“But--”

“That is not a request!”

Both the Doctor and Hedron were shaken, but still, the Doctor pressed. “You will endanger the nation if you do this.”

“Questioning the war effort again? This is becoming tiring.”

“I refer to our protection against the winter.”

“Your Majesty, may I speak to you privately for a moment,” the Doctor asked. “ If I am correct, I suspect this is a matter of some sensitivity.”

“Yes, Executor.” Sombra led them back into the castle and into his private chambers, leaving the guards outside.

“Your Majesty, the difference in the moods between above and below ground are drastic. You’ve not spent nearly any time in the mines. The workers are… satisfied, for better or worse. And the morale there is far more positive than on the surface; due to the fact that they have not constantly had to face the reality of what is coming. The emotional state of the miners is far more stable, which makes them indispensable to the Crystal Heart.”

“Yes, yes, of course. This is why I keep you around, Executor. To focus on trivial things I have no time for.”

Hedron almost scowled but managed to keep a straight face.

“And speaking of the emotional state here, there is a great concern in the Empire. Do yo-- surely you have heard, the Crystal Heart is missing?”

“Ah yes, the Crystal Heart. It is of no concern to you.”

“Your Majesty, I am your Executor. I cannot perform properly as an advisor if you are unwilling to confide in me.”

Sombra looked to Hedron. “Leave us.”

Hedron bowed and left the room. As soon as the door was closed, Sombra said, “I have moved the Crystal Heart to a secure location.”

“But why?”

Sombra seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Protection. From potential saboteurs. There could be spies among us, Executor, and you never know what could happen. Posting guards around the heart is not enough. One well-placed shot from a clever unicorn would possibly destroy it, leaving us vulnerable to the elements. The winter would destroy us all within days.”

“Your Majesty, keep its location secret if you want, but I strongly recommend you let the Empire know that it is safe. I have already seen the results in the mine. It is causing unrest. The Ponies look to it as a sign of comfort and strength and if we’re going to war, that is very important.”

“That won’t be relevant soon.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“In due time, Executor. But I shall address the Empire and inform them of the situation. And I will also instruct them to be doubly on the lookout for any acts of treason. Bring the miners up to the surface tomorrow morning as well so they may also hear the address.”

The Doctor didn’t like the sound of that. He wasn’t sure if Sombra was getting suspicious or was just paranoid. Either way, this didn’t bode well. “Your will be done, Your Majesty.”

“Now, if there isn’t anything else?”

“Just one. The “souls” you are taking for power. When your work is done, the light of these ponies… will you restore it to them? Make them whole again?”
Sombra seemed to analyze the question for far longer than he should have needed to. “Yes, of course, Executor.”

The Doctor sensed a lie in Sombra’s tone but pretended to overlook it. “Thank you, Your Majesty. You are most gracious.”

“Well then, if we are done here, return to your former task, Executor. One of my Taskmasters will choose the Ponies that will be offered up to me.”

The Doctor fought to show any sign of anger or concern. He simply bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He departed the room and frantically motioned for Hedron to follow. None of the guards were trailing them, and the Doctor meandered through the castle for a bit until he found a corridor where he was certain he was alone. And then he said to Hedron, “Sombra has the Crystal Heart.”

“What?! Why? Where?”

“I don’t know where it is. He says he fears it being destroyed by spies. But something is off. There’s something he’s not telling me.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know yet, but I intend to find out. I don’t want you being caught with me, so just return to the mines and continue with the tunnel.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“There’s something I need to investigate. Don’t tell anypony why I’m up here. Just feign ignorance. I think somepony is snitching on us.”

“Snitching? Why? You’ve done so much to make the mines better.”

“Loyalty, I reckon. Patriotism. Honor. All of the above? I heard Sombra as he came down to face me. He said that he received word of the things I had been doing. Things I had intentionally omitted from my reports. And I’m ninety-nine percent certain it wasn’t that poor stallion who told him. This game is becoming more dangerous, and Sombra is clearly building up to something. Something more than simple warfare, and I don’t like it. It scares me, and I don’t scare easily. You have privileges granted by the King now so don’t be afraid to tell anypony that if you are questioned. But I’d rather you be as far from me as possible with what I’m about to do. Now go, and try to be discrete about it.”

Hedron trotted off and the Doctor meandered through the castle to the entrance to Sombra’s secret passageway. Repeating the waltz in the proper order on the floor tiles, he was quickly able to open the hidden door, making sure to close it behind him. Making his way through the dark corridor, hope grew in his heart. Perhaps not just one, but two missing items would be there, and his anticipation reached a climax as he entered the sacred chamber where Sombra had traded his soul for a pair of Alicorn wings. Nothing. No Crystal Heart. No TARDIS. Nothing but the extinguished candles, the dormant crystal structure, the altar, and the tome. The Doctor cocked his head to one side when he remembered it. The tome still sat on the altar where Sombra left it. He knew it contained the spell that Sombra had used to meld with the amulet. He hesitated, feeling a little crazy about the idea of entertaining a literal supernatural solution to the problem, but he was out of options. “Alright, magic, fine, I’ll try it your way.” Perhaps there was something he could learn from the book. He quickly grabbed it, made his way back out and brought it to his personal quarters, concealing it well behind the headboard of the bed. He wished he could start reading immediately but that would have to wait until nightfall. Satisfied that his task hadn’t been completely wasted, the Doctor returned to the mines.

*************************************************

The view of the landscape through the windows of the train became more and more familiar, and then Derpy spied the somewhat familiar Canterlot city situated on a mountain face, but something was clearly missing.

“Where’s the castle?” she asked, pointing at Canterlot.

“Not there. I guess you’ve never been around these parts before. The Castle of the Two Sisters is to the south of here,” a random Earth Pony said with a shrug.

“Not in Canterlot?” Derpy asked.

“My dear Pony, all of this is Canterlot. From the city proper on the cliffs all the way through the forest.”

The train came to a stop at Ponyville station, or at least what she thought was Ponyville station. This confusion was caused by the fact that there was no sign of Ponyville. The caravan of Crystal Ponies and a small hoof-full of Equestrian ones who had decided to see them to their destination, all followed a dirt path through fields of tall grass. To Derpy’s surprise, the path led into Everfree forest, and nopony seemed concerned about following it. The forest proved to be much tamer than the forest Derpy knew though and was quite beautiful and serene. In a clearing up ahead, their destination became visible. The stone structure was a rustic and secluded place, with well-kept flowering vines crawling up the walls here and there. The Ponies all entered the castle that Derpy never knew existed, eventually finding the throne room containing a very worried Princess Celestia. She was pacing back and forth across the room until she noticed the large group of weary ponies staring at her. Rhodan slowly approached and bowed with difficulty, his burns still healing. The princess looked at the group, could easily tell they had already been through something and opted to address them without her magic-enhanced Canterlot voice. “What brings such a large group of ponies here unannounced?”

“Your Highness, we apologize for the urgency of our visit, but time is of the essence. We've come from the Crystal Empire.” Rhodan explained.

“Its chaos!” another pony interrupted.

“Sombra has gone crazy!” a third yelled. And the group talked over one another.

“He’s enslaving ponies!”

“Mares and foals have been forced into the mines!”

“He’s threatening war!”

“He tried to kill us!”

“Enough!” Celestia’s royal Canterlot voice boomed. Silence filled the room. Celestia breathed, “So, much has happened since we departed.” She began pacing again, “Does my sister know?”

“We aren't sure.” Rhodan cast his eyes down.

“She has some idea...I think.” Derpy spoke up.

“Why do you say that, Pegasus?”

“well...I have- I had a friend by the name of Doctor Whooves. He saw Princess Luna before she left, and believed she was on her way here to get help. Isn't she...I mean, didn't she come and tell you something was wrong?”

Celestia squeezed her eyes shut, “Luna was trying to tell me something about Sombra in a rage, but I assumed it meant he just didn’t take kindly to rejection.”

Derpy felt a twinge of anger. “Rejection?” she thought to herself.

Celestia continued, “She was furious and she shut herself in the library and hasn't said a word to me since. I have tried to get her to come out. She barely eats. She slams the door in my face every time I try to talk to her. If I ever thought that it would come to this,” Celestia lowered her head, her ears drooping.

“Where is this library?” Derpy asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“If she won’t talk to you, maybe she will talk to me. Sombra had befriended me before everything went crazy. I’ve seen what is happening.”

Celestia leads the way to the library, avoiding the traps laid out for Luna to enjoy. The door was large and shut tight. Celestia knocked, but no answer came. “sister, please, ponies have come from-”

“I AM NOT LISTENING, TIA!!!” Luna shouted.

“I am terribly sorry.”

“If Princess Luna is unwilling to listen, then it is up to you, Princess Celestia.” Rhodan nodded, walking off to talk strategy. The other ponies followed. Derpy stayed by the door. When everypony was gone, she knocked on the door again.

“GO AWAY, TIA!” Luna yelled.

“Princess Luna. You probably don't remember me, but I was at the Crystal Fair with the Doctor. My name is Derpy...I want to let you know that you aren't alone...there are ponies from the Empire who know Sombra isn't like this. But we also know that we can't let whatever dark magic that has imprisoned his mind to run rampant. Maybe, with your help, we can all work together to stop him, and then save him.”

Silence followed for a few moments before Luna spoke, “If you are truly this Derpy, then where is your Doctor?”

“.......I don't know. I haven't seen him since Sombra blew the train up.” She admitted before realizing she probably should have said it more delicately. There was a canter, and the sound of locks pulling away before the doors were thrown open.

Luna looked down at the gray pegasus, “Tell me everything!”

Derpy recounted every detail of her experience that she remembered. With Luna’s gaze, she didn't leave anything out, talking about something important being stolen, her odd talent that didn't make sense, the declaration of war, everything that she saw of the Crystal ponies and Melody. She stumbled through their escape attempts, and finally, the train ride, and the long travel here. Luna listened intently. When Derpy finished she walked up, hugging Derpy close. “I am truly sorry, my little pony. I should have fought harder. I thought I had time to find a cure before things got out of hoof. For him to do all of that in such a short time… there’s no telling what he’s doing now. In my research, I have found no mention of a dark magic powerful enough to change any pony to an alicorn. I have failed you twice.”

“Nopony blames you, Luna. You went for help when you saw he wasn't himself. No pony could have seen him change so drastically that quickly.”

“One thing is certain. As angry as I am with my sister for not listening and helping me in the first place, it is time to put that anger to the side for the moment. Together, my sister and I can detain him.”

“I want to come with you!”

“Don't be ridiculous. You have already shown tremendous courage to come to us. You have done more than enough.”

“But the Doctor is still missing. Please, let me find him. He’s a lonely stallion, and I'm worried for him.”

Luna nodded, “I understand. Rest for now. Eat, and drink your fill. I will make certain everypony who came from the empire is given every hospitality. We will speak more of your Doctor when you regain your strength.”

Derpy nodded. Before she knew it, she and the rest of the group were given a banquet fit for a king. They ate until they felt sick before sleeping in the ballroom, adorned with pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags. Derpy cuddled among softness, falling asleep almost instantly.
*************************************

… that it be clear as ice so as to cast no shadow, shaped into the symbol to show it was crafted in love, reflecting all colors so that it could welcome all, and enchanted to channel the spirit of any who show their respect and offer unto it, and in exchange, restore the spirit of those who have lost it. Most important of all, it may be the foil of any Vanguard that comes in the name of the True Dark. For this reason above all else, I have fashioned it, using the same magic as the earliest crystal sculptor ponies.

“That’s why the entity has hidden it!” the Doctor thought to himself, his eyes widening with excitement. “It knows the Crystal Heart is a threat!”

There was a knock at the door. “Executor, are you in there?”

“Just a minute,” the Doctor said, shutting the book and hiding it behind the bed once more. He then trotted to the door and opened it. “Yes, what is it? I’m not due to make another report until mo--”

“His Majesty requests your presence immediately.”

“So late?”

“He says he’s ready.”

The Doctor didn’t like the sound of those words and hoped he didn’t know what they meant. But far too often he ended up being right when he did not want to be. He threw on his official garments and followed the guards out of the palace to a newly-formed staging area.

Sombra looked joyful and proud. Surrounding him and his royal guards were countless tents and equipment. Crystal soldiers were marching to and fro. Sombra seemed to sense the Doctor’s presence as he approached and quickly spun around to meet him.

“Executor, welcome! I’m glad you’re here to partake in this most auspicious occasion!”

The Doctor looked at his surroundings and then back to the King. “Your Majesty, what is all of this?”

“I should think that would be obvious.”

“It’s an invasion force, isn’t it?”

“As I said. Obvious.”

“Your Majesty, you’ve made your point. Give me just one chance to solve this peacefully. We don’t need a war. We can still resolve this!”

“The Princess Celestia should have thought of that sooner. But she is also wasting my time. Surely she must know what is coming but is still content to sit on her sunbutt. We need to explain it to her. The time for talk is over, and that is why I have brought you here. I am offering you a great honor!”

“Honor? What honor?”

“Executor, I intend to make you a Champion, to lead my forces against Equestria. You will be blessed with a fraction of all of my powers, not unlike an Alicorn, as powerful as an entire army!”

The Doctor felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. For a minute he considered taking it, and then using the powers against Sombra, but he also knew the King was no fool and would have installed a failsafe of some kind. Any attempt to turn on him would no doubt be lethal, or worse. But he also knew he already had another duty. The situation was about to spiral out of control. He had to get back to the mines while there was still time.

“Your Majesty, I am honored that you chose me for this task, but I must respectfully decline. My place is here, in the city, with the Crystal Ponies, and you.”

“Disappointing, to say the least, but your loyalty is commendable. Very well.” Sombra turned. “Onyx Blaze, Captain of the Guard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Will you accept the honor of being my Champion, to lead my armies against the tyranny of Princess Celestia and her nation?”

“Of course, your Majesty. My blade is at your command.”

“Then accept this blessing, and prepare to go forth!”

Sombra’s horn ignited a magnificent violet and an equally bright aura formed around the Captain. The Captain appeared to collapse into convulsions. The Doctor’s first instinct was to help but Sombra ordered him to stay back. The Captain’s armor began changing. Crystals grew forth from the metal like spikes and glowed with energy. Strange shadowy wings, dancing like wisps of smoke emerged from his back. A white crystal point forced its way through the front of the helmet and all at once, the Captain fell unconscious. Seconds later, he opened his eyes, and they glowed green with the same purple vapor as Sombra’s. He staggered to his feet and let out a brief manic laugh. “Equestria… will… fall!”

The Doctor nervously backed away slightly as Sombra commanded, “Mobilize the army and proceed as soon as possible. Take the nearest settlements and send a message when that task is finished.”

“Your Majesty,” the Doctor said, “I apologize, but I was very tired when I was brought up here. With your permission, I would like to get some sleep. From what I am seeing here, I suspect I won’t get much rest going forward.”

“Rest, Executor. And be ready, for tomorrow comes the dawning of a new day, and it will be the last.”

The Doctor bowed humbly and then trotted away back into the palace. But he did not go back to his quarters. He went to the mines, careful to be seen as little as possible. Quickly he located Hedron, overseeing the long tunnel they had been digging.

Hedron saw him approach. “Doctor, what are you doing down here?”

He tried to catch his breath. “I had to warn you. We need to finish this as soon as possible, and we need every available Pony who has the strength.”

“What about the spy?”

“No time for that now. Sombra is massing, and I’m going to tell you what this tunnel really is. Had we tunneled in any other direction, we would have hit just as many resources. This isn’t just for mining. It’s a way out of the city. And we need to finish it, very soon.”

“What happened? What do you mean massing?”

“Directly above us is an army of Crystal Ponies. By tomorrow we’ll be at war.”