> Sombra of the Royal Guard
>  by Stormy787
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Why?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irony...

If a pony had to describe all of the events that has been happening within Equestria during the past couple of years in a single word that would be it. At least, from a certain perspective. It did seem like the right word but some how it just felt empty. Like it wasn’t quite strong enough to describe what’s happened to this once beautiful country. Just a few years ago Equestria was a land that pride its self on being a beacon of peace and harmony. A land that outsiders could just take a single glance towards and bask in its euphoria from a distance and If a living being knew of the three main denizens of the land it wasn’t hard to understand why. 

Earth Ponies, Masters of the land. These ponies would use their well documented strength and stamina to farm the lands in order to provide food for the rest of the country. Using their ancestral knowledge to build grand structures; not just living quarters but also monuments dedicated to pony kind as a whole. They could erect statues in their princesses honor, construct roads for ponies and land vehicles to travel on so creatures both foreign and domestic could get from one location to the next quickly and safely. 

Pegasus, Sovereigns of the skies. Using their blessed wings, every time they launched into the strata they would show all how they pulled their own weight. With their natural ability to control the weather they would make sure Nature would move in Equestria’s favor. They would manipulate the various stages of the clouds, from the soft puffy white clouds to raging thunderstorms and on occasion even worse if to calls for it. Earth ponies might be the best when it comes to producing food but without rain, their crops wouldn’t be able to grow at all. It is through the Pegasus’ manipulation of air that the clouds were able to get where they needed to go of course being able to shoot lightning by kicking at a storm cloud was always a fun time. 

Last but certainly not least were the Unicorns, wielders of the arcane. This was the race that pride themselves as the thinkers. These were the ponies who considered themselves the leaders of their kind. They were the ones who was always doing the researching and making decisions on how to best guide the rest of Equestria towards the future. Theses were the nobles, the scientists, the innovators. Perhaps more than any other race they were the ones who always made sure Equestria was constantly adapting in order to stay relevant on the world's stage. With their ability to manipulate magic in its purest form it was hard to actually argue that point. Out of the three tribes, this was the pony race that was capable of preforming the greatest of feats, all one needed was the talent and the knowledge on how to properly use said talent. 

All three of these races. Once cold bitter enemies in ancient times, so much so that if any pony had the slightest inkling of pony history they would wonder how the three tribes didn’t flat out destroy each other so long ago. How were they even able to stomach each other’s presence for even 1 year let alone centuries. Sure it was out of a need for survival but when a pony learns on how the 3 tribes truly despised one another, it seemed that starvation was almost worth it just to crush one of the tribes under their hoof. 

But through many trials and tribulations they managed to persevere and now the results were displayed for all the world to see. Equestria, a shining example of what can happen when even hateful enemies set aside their differences and work together for the greater good. Of course there has been some problems within the country’s history; after all, what country is perfect? But in the end Equestria was Truly a marvel to behold to any pony who would stop and take the time to enjoy its splendor….at least it was. 

“Just a few more hours….Wait for us. Just wait a little while longer.” 

Upon a cloud at the edge of Ponyville’s air space was a single mare Pegasus. Her fur was the color of cyan and her mane, which was flowing in a gentle breeze was the color of a rainbow. Her mane didn’t quite have the beautiful flowing splendor of Princess Celestia but that didn’t take away from her impressive yet exotic look. While normally she would’t be wearing any articles of clothing unless she absolutely had too she was currently dressed in body suit that was lightly padded. It was primarily black with a light blue trim. In truth it was a lot like her old wonderbolt outfit just with slightly more padding. However there were no cool yellow lighting designs on the hooves or the mid section. No, it was mostly just one solid color. This mare was now living in a time where anything flashy could get you killed. At least she had goggles that match the outfit.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as her mind to wonder for a little bit. She allowed herself to go back to a time where things were simpler. A time where she and her friends would go on adventures, fight bad guys, help ponies out with their friendship problems or heck any kind of problem. Just get into all kinds of crazy stuff. Of course it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. They had their fair share of dilemmas but no matter what was thrown in front of them, she and the rest of the elements of harmony would always find a way to come out on top. She could overcome any challenge as long as she had her friends to back her up. There was nothing they wouldn’t be able to defeat with the power of friendship…but this time…..this time she wasn’t so sure. Times were different now, within the span of two years everything seem to have turned completely 180. Now, the entire nation faced a reality that no matter how much ponies wish it was just a nightmare, it just wasn’t the case. 

Equestria, a place that was once the standard for peace was now torn asunder. 

Equestria, the land of harmony was at war. 

Irony…

This time it wasn’t just a single bag guy coming back just to wreak havoc on the populous. No, it wasn’t something as simple as go here, find bad guy, blast with friendship power, and call it a day. That would be too easy.

“Heh…” Even though it didn’t seem that simple to her back then. It is amazing on how easy it was to summarize those past battles now. 

The cyan mare once again regain her focus, her Magenta eyes narrowed, staring towards the target. From her position she could see Ponyville under Princess Luna’s night sky. To most ponies it seemed the small town was rather peaceful. Like all of its residents were currently resting after a hard day of work, but she knew the truth. In fact all of Equestria knew the truth for this place was now one of the enemy’s strongholds. She quickly shut her eyes tightly and shook her head rapidly, she needed to focus her mind and that meant doing away with her peaceful delusions. She could feel her heart wrench In her chest as she thought of her old home, on how it once was. She needed to face the reality of it’s current situation. 

She opened her eyes once more and instead of Ponyville, she saw a large magical dome in its place. There it was, that was the reality she was currently facing and oh how she loathe it. The dome its self was the color of storm clouds that seemed to be constantly moving in a controlled motion. It was almost like a hurricane was contained in a sphere and used to cover/protect the small town from outside threats. The entire done seemed like a disgusting growth on the world. Like a big zit waiting to be popped. 

“Two years….” She spoke to no pony. Ever since the war started this…this eye sore has been wrapped around Ponyville, trapping the ponies who dwell within. She could only imagine what horrors they were subjected to all this time. Only a handful of the town’s residents were able to escape it’s fate and that’s only cause they all had their own person business out side the now entrapped location at the time. Even the elements of harmony were not safe, as half of them were still trapped within: Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie pie. If it was up to her she would have lead the charge to free them immediately right when the war stated, but there was just so much to do. So many factors, too many battles that needed to be fought first. The beginning of the war so bad that Equestria had to struggled just to get a proper standing army going before they could even entertain the notion of a counter attack. Rainbow Dash clench her teeth, her grip on the cloud beneath her tighten as she remembered all the sacrifice they all had to make in order to get this far. 

Even now she was still wracking her brain trying to figure out how it could all go so wrong so very fast. Ponies who were way above her pay grade spent months trying to figure that out and no pony so far had a definitive answer. Now it seems that after fighting for what felt like centuries, there was a light at the end of this dark tunnel. If they could do this, if they could retake Ponyville then they could finally begin to push back against the enemy. She didn’t know the technical jargon but the higher ups mention that through Ponyville they could reclaim the Everfree Forrest or something like that. She would let the eggheads worry about stuff like that. All she cared about was reclaiming her old home and making sure everypony inside was safe or at least intact.  

Rainbow Dash once more closed her eyes and took several deep breathes, with every fiber of her being she wanted to just charge off the cloud, race down there, sonic rainboom that Celestia-forsaken barrier into oblivion and save all the ponies trapped inside. However, she learned the hard way that in war, patience was one of the pillars to victory and she wasn’t going to be denied it’s sweet taste because of her pigheadedness. She raised a hoof to her left cheek were a V-shaped scarred was place, a grim reminder of what happen when she allowed her baser instinct override her common sense. 

It was time to stop reminiscing and get back to her post. She rolled off the cloud and allowed herself to fall through the air for a couple of seconds before she extended her wings. She felt the wind nestle its self within her feathered limbs as she took off into the air; moving away from the encased Ponyville and headed into the nearby mountain range. She allowed herself to circle the natural structure once before she descend towards her destination. Her current post was a small cave located towards the base of the mountain, not quite at the bottom but near enough.

As she swooped inside, she didn’t allow herself touch ground yet. Instead deciding to slowly proceed through the tunnel while remaining in the air. It didn’t take her long to work her way though and enter a medium sized room. This was the place she was assigned to rest until she received the call from her superiors that they were ready for the assault. Of course she wouldn’t be resting here alone, there was just one other pony assigned to this location and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

Her eyes immediately fell upon the other pony in question. In the middle of the room sitting down in front of a small but controlled fire was a large muscular stallion. He wasn’t a huge as Applejack’s brother Big Macintosh but still a very impressive example to his gender. His fur was dark grey and his mane was the color of a starless night, constantly flowing in a breeze that didn’t exist. This was a characteristic that only 3 living ponies had including the one before her. His bright emerald orbs were currently focused on the yellow and red flame. Normally when a pony was board they would stare into fire just to see what kind of images they could conjure from the small light. She’d seen it plenty of times during all the seemingly endless nights she would camp out with her unit before a battle.

Nevertheless, she knew him well enough to know that what he was actually looking at wasn’t the flame it’s self but what was burning within it. Namely some parchment that was slowly shriveling up and turning black. No doubt it was the battle plan for the upcoming assault. This was standard procedure after all. When outside a base or stronghold, you memorize then quickly destroy any evidence that consisted of tactics etc. It didn’t matter how far into friendly territory you were, there was no exceptions to this rule. 

“Lieutenant Sombra.” 

The Pony’s twisted horn glowed with crimson magic and for a moment she was mesmerized by it. His power caused the small flame to increase in size; although it had the effect of making sure the battle plans were nothing more than ash at this point, the real purpose was to make the room brighter, to bathe it in some much welcome warmth. With a deep voice that spoke of friendly authority the dark pony replied. “Sgt. Dash.” 

Rainbow Dash slowly trotted closer to get a better look at him. She didn’t bother saluting him, she knew that they didn’t have to stand on ceremony with each other. The former tyrant was currently wearing an outfit much like her own, with the exception that his trim was gold instead of light blue like hers. These outfits were required for all military personnel to wear even if they were ‘off duty’. The outfit themselves while incredibly light and did offer some protection so a pony wasn’t completely helpless when facing an enemy. In fact they were surprising sturdy and could take even some weapon damage. She couldn’t count how many pony owed her friend Rarity their lives thanks to her brilliant design. If she wasn’t so dang generous she would be an incredibly wealthy mare when this war was finally over. Easily surpassing most of the noble houses of Canterlot.

Of course the crown insisted that they compensate her for her efforts and Rainbow dash was glad to hear it. She needed some form of thanks beyond verbal consolation. Of course the mountain of thank you letter the ivory mare received on a near weekly basis seemed to be more enough for the element of generosity but Rainbow still felt she deserved something a bit more tangible. 

~Leave it to Rarity to create under armor that was not only lifesaving but also fashionable as well.~ The thought of her ivory friend safe back in Canterlot brought a little smile to her face. 

The idea behind the under armor system was simple enough. The hash reality is that Equestria was fighting a war deep within its own soil. Any cities and/or towns throughout the country could be attacked at any time. So these outfits, which primary served as under armor when in battle also had other functions. The outfits let civilians know that a solider was near by. If nothing else it gave them peace of mind that some pony was around to protect them even when taking some leave. They also served to let active soldiers know that in case a town was being attack, enemy forces were near by, or perhaps some other kind of emergency they will have visual confirmation of ponies they knew they could trust right away. Even if the local authority couldn’t help with a situation; Citizens could quickly run to an off-duty solider and receive instructions from them quickly. In this way there would always be ponies in place that could respond in a crisis. This really helped in forming fast evacuations, quickly organizing militias and Luna knows what else. 

The system was rather simple but ingenious. To think that such a useful idea would come from the once tyrant king of the north. Yet another example on how awesome Sombra has become during the war. 

The cyan pony continued to scan the dark stallion and saw on his right shoulder were two patches; strongly stitched to the fabric and displayed proudly for all to see. At the top was a tiny depiction of the Equestria’s flag. The royal sisters circle each other, forever chasing the other in a perfectly balance ring. In the center of the image were their two symbols, the sun and the moon and the sisters flying around them in a circular pattern. This was the patch that every solider pony would wear, this was the symbol of their national pride and showed that each one of them were part of the Equestrian military. 

While that patch was universally worn throughout the military forces of Equestria. There was always a second patch worn, and it was this patch that revealed which branch of the military an individual would belong to. Just below the first one this patch revealed a white shield with the sun placed in the middle. Whenever a pony would see this particular patch they immediately knew that this pony was part of the branch that was Princess Celestia’s Elite Royal guard. On his collar was his insignia, a lone silver bar symbolizing his rank and level of authority within the Equestrian military. 

Dash herself had a similar set up. What's different is that instead of her second patch showing she was part of Princess Celestria's royal guard, hers showed a single yellow lightning bolt with a pair of white wings attached with a sky blue background. This revealed that she was a member of the wonderbolts. Once known as Ariel entertainers; dazzling ponies far and wide with their perfect coordination, now an elite special forces unit within the Air Force. Her own collar showed the rank of Sgt. Everyone knew that she would have easily made commission were it not for her own commanding officer Lt. Spitfire. There was no real room for advancement within the special forces, they kept it tight and close knit and she was fine with that. Being second in command of her squad still filled her with great pride. She could learn directly from.a more seasoned leader and if she had to step up she was more than willing. There were a few times when she had to do just that and she would like to think she did a pretty decent job so far all things considered. 

Between Princess Celestia’s Royal Guard, Princess Luna Royal Guard, and the wonder bolts, ponies had long standing betting pools on which one was actually better. Which individuals members of certain groups could win in a fight, how quickly could they preform a mission, etc. As a result there was a bit of a three-way rivalry between the elite factions. Each member was well trained in various types of combat, from hoof to hoof, to weapons, anti-air combat, even anti-magic combat, they were the best of the best of the best. Every pony who fought in this war was a force in their own right but if a single squad of one of the three units show up. It could literally turn the tide of a single battle. 

Perhaps it was a little bit bias but Rainbow Dash felt that the wonderbolts were the most impressive of the three. After all, the two royal guard factions had variety on their sides. They each consisted of earth ponies, unicorn, and pegasus so they were more versatile, but when you consider the fact that the wonderbolts only had pegasus in their ranks and still was on the same level of skill as the royal guards it was damn impressive. 

“Did you manage to clear your head?” 

Sombra’s voice managed to snap the wonderbolt out of her stupor. She let out a frustrated sigh as she walked along the room. She didn’t reply right away she was still trying to put her thoughts in order so she could find an appropriate respond. 

“No……I mean YES! I mea-“ 

Rainbow growled and in her frustration kicked at a near by wall. It wasn’t too hard but there was enough force to leave a small crack in the rock. 

“I don’t know! I mean there is just so….I mean it is all…” 

Sombra waited for her to continue but he could tell that she was too irritated to continue. His lips curled in a humorless smile before speaking once again. 

“It seems like it should be an ending but it isn’t…” 

“YES!” Rainbow exclaimed. His hoof striking into the air as if trying to punch the face of an enemy that wasn’t there. “I mean after months of fighting. All the battles I had to go through, all the blood, sweat and tears that I had to produce I am finally back here. We are finally in a position to finally retake Ponyville, I know it is not the case for most ponies but to me it is like things have come full circle. No matter what I did and……” 

She had to pause for a moment. She really didn’t like talking on what she was about to say next. Sure the war had made her harden but there was some things a pony couldn’t get use too to matter how much time passes. “Now matter how many….lives I have taken. One of the few constants was my drive to get back to Ponyville. While I would never willingly leave Ponyville hanging, it seemed that for so long it felt like I had abandoned it.” 

“You know it is not your fault what happened, you weren’t even there when it was captured.” 

“I know!….I know” She sighed, her head lowering as she walked over to Sombra and sat down next to him. Her eyes now turned to a small corner of the room to find both of their full armors placed carefully against the wall. Her own wonderbolt light armor and his heavier royal guard armor, both heavily modified and not just for the sake of appearances. “But it doesn’t make it any easier or less annoying. I mean it is like what you just said. It feels like this should be the end. We swoop in, liberate Ponyville, get our 100th hero song and that’s that…but instead…” 

“Instead it is just the prelude to the real battle.” Sombra calmly replied. His smirk melting away with his face once more showing a neutral expression. “If this operation is an success-“ 

Sombra paused as Rainbow Dash gave him a pointed look, he quickly cleared his throat before he corrected himself. “My apologies, WHEN this operation succeeds….” 

“Damn right.” 

“When we are victorious here, the real fight will begin. WE will no longer be on the defensive and counter attacking. We will be able to drive the enemy forces back from Equestria.” 

“Got that right,” Rainbow replied under her breath but still loud enough for Sombra to hear. Once they took back Ponyville they could work on the major cities, Manehattan and Phillydelphia. Her eyes went back to the two armors placed side by side next to each other just like the ponies they belonged them. 

Both where modified with special crystals from the crystal empire interwoven into the metal. Somehow Rarity discovered a way to transform the crystals and integrate them into the metal which give the armors a slick crystal shine but also made them twice as sturdy. Of course only the special forces had this feature so far as the process was a long and difficult but Rarity was already working on a way to make a cheaper less taxing method so this technique could be mass produced to the rest of the military. She was told that the end result wasn’t going to be as strong as both royal guards and the wonderbolts’ armors but they were going to be far stronger than they were currently. She swore if Rarity didn’t walk away from this war a VERY wealthy mare, both princesses were going to have to answer to her. 

“Be honest with me Sombra.” She began, she didn’t bother calling him by his rank when addressing him because there was no pony else around and truth be told there was no need for such pleasantries when it was just them. “How long do you think this battle will take.” 

“Princess Twilight’s plan is sound and judging from the Intel we gathered from the diamond dogs combined with the resources committed to this. If all goes accordingly, this battle should be concluded in a good solid day. If there are complications no more than a day and a half at most. Ponyville is a very small town in the grand scheme of things so whatever battle we fight here should decide the victor quickly. Then we can truly begin driving this resurgence of the late Storm King’s forces out of Equestria.” 

Rainbow nodded in agreement. Along with Sombra and her there was a small company of soldiers assigned to this battle and all of them were placed throughout the surrounding area with their own tasks. Each squad were in their own hiding spots, they were all awaiting the word from the pony who would lead this assault; Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. Oh how she remembered the arguments that Twilight and Princess Celestia had over this decision.

The very thought that the princess of friendship herself ‘insisting’ that she would be the one who would leave their forces into this battle seemed unthinkable to the sun monarch. The princess of the sun tried to argue that as a Princess of Equestria, Twlight’s life was far too important to risk so recklessly. She personally knew that Celestia was grateful that her faithful student committed herself to planning strategies and kept herself far away from the front lines. It was bad enough that she had to worry about her younger sister Princess Luna out there leading ponies into battle. She didn’t want to think about her dear Twilight doing the same. However, Twilight wasn’t going to be denied this. She was determined to be the one who would lead this assault. It didn’t take much to convince Princess Luna to remain behind in Canterlot this time. Luna knew all to well what twilight was going through and that the princess of friendship needed this more than anything else right now.  Besides, Princess Luna needed to prepare herself for the future when she would lead the bulk of their forces in retaking Manhattan. Once they reclaim Ponyville then that would be the next task. 

Rainbow allowed a smile to grace her lips. It will be good to fight alongside her friend again. 

The plan Twilight devised was a rather simple one, Twilight, Sombra and herself would fly up to the barrier and challenge the ‘baron’ of Ponyville directly with Sombra and herself providing backup. During the distraction a squad of Wonderbolts would work their way through a secret tunnel that the Diamond Dogs constructed during the past several weeks. A tunnel that would lead them to the main barn of sweet apple acres and take out any enemy soldiers in the surrounding area and establish a perimeter and use the farm as a base. From there they would rescue any near by civilians and if the element of surprise was still on their side would lead more of their standing forces through the tunnel. Slowly retake Ponyville right under their noses using sweet apple acres as a Base of operations, of course that is if the baron kept the barrier up. If he let it down, it would still be a stealth operation but much less complicated. 

Based on the join efforts of the Diamond dogs and the changelings they managed to get some juicy intel and knew that the leader of the opposing forces inside the protective barrier would indeed take the bait. The warrior simply known as 'the Baron' always boasted with pride his lust for battle and conquests, he hated the fact that he was assigned to a ‘pathetic no where’ location like Ponyville and longed for some action. He only accepted the assignment because he though he would be able to face all six of the elements of harmony in combat and prove his superiority, but when half of them weren’t even there he felt cheated. Sure he took over Ponyville per his orders but it was a bittersweet victory. 

Now, whenever he would hear about a battle being fought without him he would whine and complain that he wasn’t there to partake in the glory. He yearned to crush ponies underneath him rather than submit to this fate of him and his men being nothing more than glorified babysitters guarding the magi while they did Celestia-knows-what inside the castle of friendship. Twilight knew that the Baron wouldn’t pass up the chance to battle one of the Alicorns of Equestria. Despite his better judgement he was starved for combat and a princess was the ultimate challenge, add another element of harmony and the infamous king of the crystal empire himself? He will be drooling with anticipation when appeared in front of the barrier.

The cyan mare didn’t know what was going on but from what she was allowed to read from the current reports it wasn’t good. At times there would be ominous rumblings throughout Ponyville and there would be descriptions of corrupted magic seeping from the structure. Not like dark magic, no this was something different...a wrongness that couldn't be described. She wasn’t even a unicorn and even she felt a foul magic in the air whenever she got within a certain distance of Ponyville. It was like the magic was….dead yet still quite active. It just didn’t make any sense. It seems that even the baron knew better than to take his frustrations to the magi. Whatever that was going on in that cursed bubble she knew it couldn’t be good.  

Her eyes turned themselves away from the armors and down to the burning flame that seemed too dance within the small pony-made pit. She didn’t know what it was about the small flame that enraptured the former tyrant so. For the most part he hasn’t moved an inch not even before when she left the cave in order to think and clear her mind for the upcoming battle. He was just like a statue never moving but always there. She swore if she didn’t notice his steady breathing she would have sworn that he was carved out of onyx instead of being a living breathing stallion. 

While some ponies were put-off by such behavior, she wasn’t one of them. It was quite rare when they would get a chance to be alone like this and just bask in each other company, but when they could she would enjoy it. Boy, it was amazing how things seemed to change over time. The two shared quite a few deep conversations during the war and through their talks there was always one thing on her mind that she would always forget to ask. They talked about his time during his take over of the crystal empire. The reason he took it over in the first place and after listening to the REAL reason on why he did what he did, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would have done the same thing herself if she was in his hooves. They's also talked about her time in Wonderbolt academy and how she became the element of loyalty, but no matter the subject there was always one thing about the stallion she was always curious about…..ok there were actually a LOT of things she still wanted to know but right now only one question came to mind.

“Sombra?” 

“Hum?” 

“I was wondering….” She paused for a single moment in order to swallowed some saliva she didn’t even know was building in the back of her throat. “I was wondering, Why did you decide to join the royal guard? I mean I know the rumors of the Princesses drafting you when the war began but you and I both know that you submitted yourself to joined three month before the war even broke out. Your class was the last class to go through proper training before the horse apples hit the fan."

For the first time Sombra turned his head slightly towards the Rainbow Pegasus and raised a curious eyebrow towards her. “Why do you ask?” 

“I don’t know.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Ever since our battles in the north I’ve been wondering. I mean when you became reformed, my friends and I always wondered what were you going to do with your life. Would you go into business? Become an adviser to Princess Celestia and/or Princess Luna but instead you became….” 

“A Royal Guard.” 

“Exactly!” Rainbow began turning her body more towards him. “That is what I mean! Why become a member of the Royal Guard? I mean if you had a change of heart, why not be a civilian? A regular Equestrian citizen no more no less. Why actually dedicate your life to protect the princesses?” 

Sombra’s turned his head, his attention going back towards the flame. He didn’t look into the fire this time, it seemed that he was looking past the flame, almost like he was actually looking at a reflection of his very soul. His face softened even more, his eyes while still firm with discipline gave off a hint of sadness. She was beginning to wonder if she crossed a line she shouldn’t have when the dark pony finally began his reply. 

“I once told Princess Celestia that I tormented and enslaved purely for the sake of it. That I delighted in making other ponies suffer because of my actions. I wanted to make her hurt me you see because when she hurts others even if they deserve it, she hurts herself.” His eyes closed as if he was trying to go into his own memory archive in order to gain references on how he would continue this explanation. “She puts up an excellent poker face but I have known and fought Princess Celestia for a VERY long time. It is incredibly subtle and most ponies could spend an entire lifetime trying to find a single crack in her demeanor and never succeed but to me she might as well be an open book. So taking any victory that I could against her even if there was a price attached was worth it.” 

She saw his emerald orbs once again but this time they were directly looking into her own eyes. His face displaying a calmness that riddled her body with goosebumps. 

“The thing is, when those words were in my head….I didn’t think I meant them.” His eyes turned away from her, like he could no longer look her in the eye and when he spoke his next line she understood why. “But when they left my mouth. I realized that I did….” 

She felt her breath hitch and her eyes widen slightly, they had similar conversations like this before but this was perhaps the first time since she’d known him where the dark unicorn seemed so….vulnerable. She was so surprised that she almost didn’t catch him continuing. 

“If the world thinks your a monster, what does it matter? The world is wrong. But when you start to think of yourself as a monster…. In my own twisted logic I came to believe that what I was doing in the crystal empire was some kind of justice for what was done to me. Vengeance against ponies that weren’t even directly responsible for what happened to me. It got to the point where it didn’t even matter if they were a crystal pony or not, I wanted them all to pay. It was King Sombra against the world and the world had it coming. 

I came to hate the Pony I’d become, so when the Princesses found me in the frozen north still recovering from the crystal’s heart’s attack. I decided that the best way to leave that pony behind…maybe the easiest way…was to join the royal guard. To repay pony kind for my sins even if it takes an eternity.”  

Rainbow took a moment to look up at the unicorn's curved horn, at the base was an anti-magic ring. The device it’s self was only semi-activated. The dark unicorn had already more than earned the right to use the full extent of his power long ago but he kept it on and active for himself more than any pony else. It’s current setting allowed him to use the full extent of his regular magic but he kept his dark magic mostly block. He still had some access to his dark power but he didn’t want to resort to such power unless it was truly necessary. He was the only pony who had access to the ring but he kept it on; not only so he wouldn’t rely on dark magic as heavily as he used to but would always give surrounding ponies peace of mind, for the most part it worked but there were times where he was ordered by one of the princesses to unleash the full fury of the dark tyrant of the north. 

Rainbow’s eyes fell back towards the small fire, she didn’t trust herself to speak right away. What she heard was rather heavy and she needed a moment or two to process it all. It was another layer of the former tyrant she had come to know and it was something that couldn’t have been easy to talk about. She must have been one of only a handful of living ponies who knew this unspoken truth. Feeling rather exhausted from all the information she obtain today, she leaned over and rested her head against the stallion’s shoulder. 

He didn’t flinch, moved away or even jump at the contact, he merely accepted the closeness and after a few seconds, she felt his head gently resting on top of her own. The two weren’t special some ponies or anything like that but they were far closer than mere friends. Ever since last year when Sombra literally saved her life in the battle for the crystal empire they had this deep unspoken bond. Through their reports only a hand full of ponies and superior officers knew what went on when the two ponies plummeted down into the dark caverns below the frozen north. Neither of them spoken about certain details surrounding it to any pony mostly because he knew Rainbow dash would make good on her promise to castrate the former king if he so much as breathed a word of it to any pony. 

They felt they could be completely open with each other and didn’t need to present any false images. Even with her friends she would still put up a front at times but Sombra had already seen her at her absolute worse and vice versa, there was nothing to hide. He knew her on a deeper level than even most of the other elements. Of course some ponies tried to poke fun at them. She didn’t know what it was like for Sombra to face the other Stallions as they tried to get him to ‘talk’ but many mares would constantly hound her, wanting details on what Sombra was like in bed. One of the common questions was. 

“What is he like? Is he a demon KING in the sack?”

Of course this would be follow up by blushing and light giggling. Oh, how she hated those stupid little puns. Of course if they were lower rank she would put them on clean up duty and that squash that line of thought quick. Of course if they were of a higher rank then she would just have to grin and bear it and unfortunately for her, it was almost ALWAYS a superior officer. Trust is, Lt. Sombra was actually quite the heart throb in Equestria. He was really good looking in that 'bad boy/forbidden fruit' type of way. Plus he was a war hero, one of the leaders defending Equestria against an invasion force. 

The funny thing is that, they didn’t actually do anything like that when they were both trapped in that darkness. It was rare when they would get together like this but they never crossed that line. Oh, they could cross it, even at this very moment she could feel their energies feeding off each other. She knew that all it would take is one tiny advance from either one of them and they would be all over each other in 2 seconds flat. They still had a couple of hours left, it would be easy to just give in but neither side did. There was no need for that. They were content in the close bond they shared, knowing that no matter what or wherever they went there was a pony out there that would understand them in a way few others could. That they could always seek the other out for comfort no matter what and it had nothing to do with sex. Of course there were other factors to consider. They both had special some ponies of their own, neither of them were married or anything but still to pursue such a relationship even in secret would eventually hurt many ponies in the end.  No, this was fine, they was happy with things being like this. 

“Well…” She finally began having rediscovered her voice. “I am not going to lie to you. What you did before was really REALLY bad and it might take a very long time before your debts are fully paid but you are on your way. After the crystal empire, even the crystal ponies have all but forgiven you and ponies everywhere are coming around more and more.” 

“Yeah, it only took an epic war and the defeat of another lesser tyrant to get this far.” Sombra chuckled. 

Rainbow rolled her eyes and raised her head off his shoulder only to bap him in the arm. “Take your victories where you can get them and stop all this brooding crap.” 

Sombra laughed over her reaction and nods his head. “I am kidding Dash I am kidding. Of course I am thankful for their forgiveness and I treasure it.” 

She huffed and looked at him, still annoyed over his tasteless sense of humor before finally resting her head back on his shoulder. “My point is that it may take forever to fully atone for your crimes but luckily for you, you have just enough time to do so.” 

“Since when did you become wise?” 

“Oh I always have been wise, you are just too thick-headed to notice.” 

Once again, she caused Sombra to give a genuine laugh, it always brought a smile to her face when she managed to get the former tyrant of the north to actually laugh for real. She wondered if Pinkie Pie would be able to do so when the two officially met face to face.  “Oh yeah and don’t forget...” 

“What’s that?” 

Rainbow couldn’t help but smirk. She was just dripping with anticipation over his upcoming reaction from what she was about to remind him of. “When this battle is over you still owe me a wing preening.” 

The silence that followed was absolutely delicious, She could just feel it when that dark unicorn’s eyes shot open before she could even finish her sentence. 

“I see. I will schedule an appointment at that fancy spa in Canterlot so you can get a professio-“ 

She raised her herself from his shoulder once again and shook her head, a huge shit-eating grin on full display. “Oh no no no Sombra. You know the deal. You have to personally preen my wings.” 

She stood up and turned herself fully to him and extend her wings, flexing them in a mocking manner. “Yeeeep ahh. Being the best at taking out all those Storm freaks can take a lot out of a pony. I mean all that dirt and debris from expertly dispatching wave after wave of bad guys. Nothing less than ROYAL treatment will be enough to properly clean and massage these bad girls. Of course you have to do it the NATURAL way no tools involved.” 

It took everything she had to not fall on her back laughing when she saw his right eye twitch over what she was insinuating. “You and I both know that during our last joint operation you had one enemy over me. ONE.” 

“Yep yep yep ahhh. It is amazing what second best would say to try to justify their failures.” She then began to do some mock exercises in the cave as if she was displaying to the dark unicorn what a superior specimen looks like and she was just eating up his reactions. “I mean it doesn’t matter if it is 1 or 1000. The best….” 

She stopped in order to flex her wing and a satisfying pop echoed through the cave room. “Is still the best.” 

Sombra stood up and was about to retort when a third voice entered the room. 

“Excuse me sir! Corporal Flash Sentry reporting.” 

For a split second Sombra’s face looked like it was holding a wrestling match against its self. She didn’t even know it was even possible to go through the full spectrum of emotions in a single moment and it was all she could do to keep herself contained for the sake of appearances in front of the corporal who just entered in the cave. Finally Sombra went back to his trademark neutral expression as he turned his attention to the younger pony who was currently saluting his superior officer. He was clearly Twilight’s liaison tasked to let all the units know that it was now time to prepare the operation. 

“Report.” 

“Princess Twilight Sparkle has arrived at point A. You and Sgt. Dash are expected there within 10 min.” The young solider quickly stated. 

“Very well, we will be there shortly.” 

Flash once again saluted Sombra and vice versa, he turned to leave but stopped and turned back around. “Sir, if I may be so bold. I know we've had our....differences in the past but I just want to say that despite everything, it will be an honor to fight along side a hero such as yourself in the battle ahead.” 

Sombra was taken aback when Flash Sentry bowed in respect. Flash nodded towards Rainbow Dash before turning and leaving the cave in order to continue on his assigned task. Rainbow trotted over to Sombra and elbowed him in the ribs effectively bringing him back to reality. 

“Like I sad, little by little you are earning it day by day.” 

Sombra looked at her and they both shared a smile. He didn’t say another word on the subject, he didn’t need to. She understood perfectly and it was good to get this out of the way before they head into battle. The two ponies went over to edge of the room and begin to put on their respective armors, they were getting their game face on but Rainbow was still feeling a little playful. 

“Remember Sombra. After the battle...~” Rainbow purred.

“Double or nothing on today’s operation. The bet PLUS any one favor the other pony ask no matter what it is.” 

Rainbow’s smirk grew into a grin. “Ooohhhh really. Don’t come crying the you loose.” 

“The same goes for you…” 

Their eyes locked on each other, both filled with determination. Each of their faces sporting a challenging grin or rather SHE was grinning while Sombra was giving her a little smirk. Neither one of them missed a beat in putting on their armor. Oh they both knew that this was going to be a VERY fun day. In the past when ponies discover that before an upcoming battle if these two made some kind of wager with each other, they would almost feel sorry for the enemy….almost. 

Once their helmets were on and locked in place, both of their faces became deathly serious. The time for jokes was over. They were both now prime examples of the discipline and ruthlessness that Equestria’s soldiers were known for. With a final nod to each other, they made their way towards the exit of the cave. Sombra’s horn blazed with magic snuffing out the fire. As they both felt the gentle embrace of the night’s wind; the dark pony's eyes transformed from green to burning red. 

This was it, the battle that would decide on where the tide of the Equestrian war. Even though it was still night, they both knew dawn would soon be upon them and that’s what it felt like, Dawn. Like the long night was going to be over soon and the new day would shine its glorious rays upon Equestria once more. Of course even after they retake their country there was still so much to do. The war was bigger than just them as the Dragons, griffons and hippogriffs were dealing similar problems in their own lands. The trust was Equestria was only a small part in this expansive war and there was something else….something that rainbow dash herself witness before the war even officially began. Something that still sent shivers throughout her body even to this day. This was all just a prelude as she knew there was something MUCH bigger over the horizon.

Sombra’s magic flared and his body was engulfed in a small cloud of shadows. He left the mountain opening, moving his shadow form along the ground in a speed that would rival most flyers. She took a second or two before she flapped her wings and followed along with him. She kept low to the ground as to not draw attention as they moved to rendezvous with Twilight Sparkle. She needed to focus on current task at hand. One thing at a time, one step at a time, they will deal with whatever was coming in the future but right now, she needed focus on what was in front of her right now.  

“Ponyville, I know it has been a trying time for you these past couple of years. But just wait a little bit longer. We have finally come for you, just be okay, Just a little longer. It is all going to be okay now.” 



I Promise……