> The Good King Returning Alive
>  by Misty Shadow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Forgotten Redemption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some time had passed since the umbrum’s plan to take over the Crystal Empire, and Equestria in subsequence, had been foiled. Equestria was now in the most peaceful state it had been in for many moons, and the rulers of it, Princesses Celestia and Luna, were now planning on retiring, leaving Princess Twilight Sparkle in charge. But Twilight and her friends were not the only ones with a story to tell. Our story follows the newly reformed King Sombra, who, once an umbrum himself, was transformed into a normal unicorn following his heroic action against the umbrum. 

Problem is, Sombra’s tale of redemption has been lost to legend...a wicked force has twisted the truth, doing evil while wearing the now good king’s face... 

Equestria’s official record states that King Sombra recently returned as a tyrannical avenger, attempting a takeover of the Empire and then all of Equestria before he was defeated. But how could he? He was dispelled into the ether by the Crystal Heart when he first returned, and that is where the memories most Equestrians have of King Sombra end before this most recent takeover was attempted. Few remember what really happened, that after the umbrum were thwarted, the evil King Sombra, having returned again, was not destroyed, but saved. Since then, he has been gathering the shattered and scattered pieces of the Empire’s original ruler, Princess Amore, in hopes of restoring her with his friend, Radiant Hope. And now that their quest is complete, the good king is returning to the Empire alive…

...but now, a new quest for them has begun…a battle against confusion, a war against the darkness that has come from Sombra’s newfound light... 

“Would you come with us?” 

It did not take long for the now reformed Sombra and Radiant Hope to be greeted by Crystal guards upon their return and escorted to the castle. The two attempted to remain optimistic as they were led to the throne room of the Empire’s current ruler, Princess Cadance, but upon entering, that optimism was gradually diminished by a stern glare from the regent, staring them down with an unsettling frown. 

“You may take your leave.” she told the guards, leaving the two friends alone with the kingdom’s clearly wary leader. Sombra, feeling her distrust could not be too strong if she was willing to be alone with them, decided to speak up. 

“Your Majesty,” said Sombra, “I bring you good news-” 

“Say no more.” Cadance interjected. “First, I want both of you to tell me your name and purpose. Starting with you.”

She said this while pointing a hoof at the pinkish-purple mare with pale blue hair, carrying a brown parcel on her back.   

“My name is Radiant Hope.” Hope answered. “I was Sombra’s aide on his quest to recover the remains of Princess Amore, the former ruler of this kingdom.” 

“...So you mean to tell me this stallion is…” she said while giving Sombra an unconvinced look. 

“Yes, I am Sombra.” he introduced himself. “My purpose is as Hope stated. I’m surprised you don’t recognize me, even granted my new appearance. After all, it was you who helped the other princesses transform me from an umbrum into this likeness.” 

“He knows of the umbrum?” Cadance asked herself in thought, perplexed as she looked upon the gray, black-haired unicorn who now had a normal horn and a green jewel in his headpiece. 

“Though I would love to give both of you the benefit of the doubt,” she told them, “what you speak of, there is no record. What we do have on record, however, is documentation of this kingdom’s other former ruler, King Sombra, invading this land and taking my castle for himself before being banished by the Elements of Harmony.” 

“WHAT?!” Sombra yelled in shock. “That’s-” 

“THAT’S A LIE!” Hope cried. “That record is FORGED! Sombra has been with me the entire time! I know he has!”  

“Though I appreciate the yelling and baseless accusations,” retorted Cadance sarcastically, “my royal recorders do not waste ink and paper on fiction, discounting my 4 o’clock stories. I’ll also have you know that every one of my subjects can corroborate the official story. If you continue with this deception, it will be all too easy to reserve a spot for both of you in the dungeon.” 

“Gah, this can’t be happening!” Sombra exclaimed in his mind, franting. “I’ve CHANGED, CAN’T SHE SEE?!” 

“I don’t care what she says!” Hope stood firm in thought. “If she’s telling the truth, that Sombra must have been an imposter! The real Sombra was with me gathering...wait a minute, that’s it!” 

“Hold on a second!” she declared as she took the parcel from her back in hoof. “If we’re phony balognas, then how do you explain THESE?!” 

Hope opened the parcel and held out a red stone. Cadance just stared at her bemusedly, unmoved. 

“And painted rocks are going to change my mind because-” 

Cadance was interrupted, her expression changed, however, once she felt a strong and familiar light coming from her. She looked at her cutie mark and noticed that it was glowing. 

“No way…” she said, now donning a look of astonishment. “Are those really…”

“Yeah.” Hope confirmed. “They’re the shattered remains of Princess Amore. Sombra turned her into crystal a thousand years ago and broke her apart. But now that we’ve found all her pieces, she can come back to life again.” 

“But that would mean…” Cadance said solemnly, almost wishing now that they were lying, as she turned to Sombra. 

“An apology is not enough.” the good Sombra passively admitted, bowing his head. “This is why we come to you, bearing the key to completing my penance. We’re here because we need your help. Please, even if you do not believe us, we can not restore Princess Amore without the magic of another crystal princess.”  

“I...I…” Cadance stuttered, battling against her conflicted feelings. “I do want to believe you. But this is all just so...mind-boggling.” 

“If you truly can’t trust us…” Radiant Hope said despondently as she looked down at the floor. “...then you can take her pieces and put us in the dungeon. It’s what we deserve, anyway.” 

“No, no, no.” Cadance replied. “I can at least tell that you are a pure-hearted lot. Confused and conflicted as I am, I know for sure now this is not part of some illicit ploy. I will aid you in your cause to bring Princess Amore back.” 

“Really?!” Hope and Sombra both exclaimed gleefully, their faces beaming. 

“Yes…” Cadance answered, now complying, but not sharing their enthusiasm. “Unfortunately though, I can not restore her right here and now.”

“Why not?” they asked, puzzled. 

“This is normally not something I should be divulging to outsiders…” Cadance replied. “But it seems I must tell you that in order for me to restore the princess, my magic must be at its most powerful. That is when the spirits of the Crystal Ponies are lifted...and right now...they are not.” 

“What?!” they exclaimed, startled as Cadance turned her head away in shame. “What could’ve happened to make them lose hope?”   

“It was King So-” Cadance paused before she gave her answer. “...I mean, that monster calling himself Sombra’s return that caused them to lose confidence in themselves. Twilight and her friends needed the Elements of Harmony to defeat him, and now, those Elements are gone, destroyed by him. The Crystal Heart couldn’t stop him from invading either and the reveal of Discord actually having everything under control the whole time was just the final nail in the coffin.” 

“Discord?” Sombra asked in bewilderment. “I’ve not heard of that name in ages. He’s back? Is he good now? Still evil?” 

“No one really knows what to think…” a weary Cadance replied bemusedly. “Regardless, I think it would help you, and a lot of us for that matter, to try and get some answers out of him. First, however, I would suggest making your way to Canterlot and seeking the help of my sister-in-law, Princess Twilight. I’ll write a letter to her explaining everything so that you aren’t met with treatment similar to what you received here...forgive me, please.” 

“It’s no trouble.” Sombra comforted her warmly. “I’d be suspicious too if I was in your place. And after what I did last time, your unquestioning trust is the last thing I deserve.”  

“Whoever this is,” thought a more confident Cadance, “there is no way he could be the Sombra I know. But he also claims that I had a part in reforming him...so why can I not remember...UGH!” 

“Are you alright?” Hope asked as the crystal princess clutched her head in pain. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Cadance hurriedly answered. “Just a migraine from lack of sleep, don’t you hate those?” 

“Uh huh, those are the worst…” Hope replied insincerely, growing suspicious of the presence of a dark force. 

“No one likes sarcasm.” Cadance quoted her sister-in-law, looking right through Hope. “Do you trust me to help you, or not?” 

“Of course I trust you.” Hope answered bluntly. “In fact, I want you to tell me everything that happened here at the Empire when the monster calling himself Sombra invaded. I want all the details from your account.” 

And so, Cadance relayed the entire story to Hope and Sombra, as well as the location of the royal palace in Canterlot that now belonged to her sister-in-law. Even though the two smiled at Cadance, thanking her kindly when the time came for them to leave, it had been hard to hide the fact that they were flabbergasted by what they were told. 

“Can you believe they actually thought that was you?” a disgruntled Hope complained.

“You’re telling me!” Sombra retorted, feeling insulted. “They actually think I laugh like that?!” 

“And then you supposedly stalked Twilight and her friends right after you got banished? Who in their right mind would buy into this garbage?” 

“All of Equestria, apparently. This phony me must pay. Even I didn’t brainwash my subjects this badly back when I was evil.” 

“Well good luck with that, since that phony you is now gone...supposedly…” 

“You don’t think…” 

Both of them had paused to look back at the Empire, sensing that there was something even more wrong here than they initially thought…

“Ha ha ha ha ha…” a green-eyed shadow appearing behind a green-eyed Cadance cackled ominously. “All according to plan. They may think they’re on the right track, but little do they know, I’ve prepared another scapegoat…” 

“Grrgh…” a familiar growl could be heard from the shadows as a hooded gray stallion stepped out from them...
> Remembrance of Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight Sparkle, currently ruling Equestria in a vacationing Princess Celestia and Luna’s absence, was sitting on her throne in Canterlot. She had herself immersed in a book, when suddenly, a guard came bursting in. 

“News from northern Equestria!” the guard, a white stallion with dark blue, light blue-striped hair proclaimed. “Um...your Highness?” 

The guard took off his helmet out of respect as Twilight responded…

“Yes?” 

“I just came to inform you that...IT has returned.” 

“The book festival?” Twilight guessed. 

“No, HIM!” the guard clarified. 

Twilight gasped before saying…

“Hoity-Toity?” 

“...Inky Rose.” the guard frustratedly replied. 

Twilight gasped again before declaring…

“King Sombra is back, alleging that he’s good now, and both he and his friend are coming here to see me!”

“Well, at least she finally caught on…” the guard mused to himself. 

“Just like in Cadance’s letter!” Twilight exclaimed, causing the guard to grunt and put his hoof on his face. 

“She’s normally so smart too…” he thought, disgruntled. “...which makes it even more annoying.” 

“You should already know of the precautions we must take.” Twilight told the guard. “Station more guards inside the castle outside the throne room. Cadance told me that Sombra doesn’t seem to possess dark magic anymore, but we never know. Remain vigilant, guard.” 

“My name is Snow Sentinel.” the irked guard reminded her. 

“My apologies, Sentinel.” Twilight apologized. 

“...I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.” Snow Sentinel said in his mind as he walked away. 

“Oh, and one more thing.” Twilight reminded him before he left. “I know it might be tempting to move guards away from “non-essential” places like the castle library, but even disregarding my contempt for such a classification, my students from the School of Friendship came to visit the library not too long ago. We need guards to keep them safe just in case.” 

“Understood.” Snow replied sincerely, taking his leave from the throne room. 

“Our new princess may be a little loopy, but I can definitely tell that she cares.” he thought to himself in the hall outside. “She must just be tired. Still, that doesn’t eliminate my cause for concern. How can it be that everything on our record about Sombra is a lie? I would think it to not be so easy for a double to infiltrate past royal forces and fool us all…” 

“Is that so?” the hooded gray stallion from Cadance’s palace taunted him from behind, the green-eyed shadow speaking through him being able to read his thoughts. 

Snow Sentinel gasped as the same shadow that appeared by Cadance washed over him.   

Meanwhile, in the library…

“You want to change into Sombra?!” a bemused Sandbar exclaimed, reacting to a cheerful Ocellus’ proposition. He, Ocellus, Yona, Silverstream, Smolder, and Gallus, were all sitting around a round table at the library, each with their own books. 

“Shush!” Ocellus responded, teasing Sandbar by transforming into a librarian, then transforming back. 

Sandbar sighed in response, toning down his voice before asking…

“But why? We have no absolute confirmation yet that he’s actually changed. Not to mention that his evil self that supposedly wasn’t him destroyed the Tree of Harmony we held dear.” 

“Have you already forgotten that school project of mine?” Ocellus replied, referring to the time she transformed into the evil Sombra. “That’s not what matters to me when I transform. Even if he’s not actually turned good, I want to see his good form in person so I can mimic it properly and get better at what I do. It’s just a disguise, after all.”   

“I guess I...kind of get it.” a still puzzled Sandbar said, trying to meet his friend halfway. “You just seem so oddly...upbeat about...becoming somepony evil, even if it’s just pretend.” 

“Can anyone truly profess to know what is good or evil?” Ocellus asked. “Yes, we might be good, and Sombra might actually still be evil, but there’s always more to us than just those words.” 

“Yet neither the Elements nor the light from our teachers gave him a second chance…” Sandbar said. “Doesn’t that prove that Sombra, or at least this purported doppelganger, was pure evil?” 

“Maybe he just wasn’t ready for a second chance yet…” Ocellus proposed. “...kind of like Discord.” 

“You got me there…” Sandbar replied in a deadpan tone, recalling Discord’s recent dubious actions. “...you definitely got me there.” 

“So are we all going to talk to him?” Ocellus asked him and the rest of her friends. 

“If Sandbar in, Yona in!” Yona declared happily. 

“Whenever he’s done chatting it up with the princess, I guess.” Smolder answered nonchalantly as something caught Gallus’ eye. 

“When is that chat supposed to end exactly?” Gallus asked curiously.

“How am I supposed to know?” Smolder retorted. 

“I don’t expect you to,” replied Gallus, “it’s just that I’m pretty sure even Twilight wouldn’t pause an important conversation for a reading intermission...” 

“Hey, you never know Twilight!” Silverstream happily exclaimed, not catching on.  

“No!” Gallus yelled, slapping his face with his claw. “I meant I’m pretty sure totally not Sombra doesn’t have a good reason to be sneaking around the library!” 

He called attention to the hooded gray stallion walking into the library with a mysterious blue book in hoof, pointing his finger at him. The stallion winced in response and fled as the students chased him into the hall.  

“How did that griffon sense me?” he thought. “If he felt my aura of darkness, his childhood must have been hell...not that I can relate. I only acquired my powers from this evil I had to absorb fairly recently…” 

Earlier, in Twilight’s throne room…

Sombra and Radiant Hope were in the middle of their discussion with the princess, trying to work out a compromise for what could be done in order to clear Sombra’s name of the falsely recorded wrongs.

“Trust me you two,” said Twilight sincerely, “I do want to believe both of you, just as Cadance did. Hope, you’ve always been a good soul. Sombra, I can see that you truly have changed. However, you both lack what is crucial for us to see in order to consider altering official, royal records...hardcore evidence.” 

“But we toiled for Princess Amore’s shards!” Hope cried. “Isn’t that proof enough?” 

“Alas, no.” Twilight answered. “This is not about you two being good. This is about your imposter theory only being a theory. Before I can officially state that this marauder did what he did masquerading as Sombra, you have to first prove to me that he exists in the first place.” 

“Challenge accepted, then.” Sombra said confidently. “I know from personal experience that there’s no rest for the wicked. My double will be back, the only question is when.” 

“NOW!” 

Twilight, Hope, and Sombra all jumped a bit as they heard that exclamation from outside the throne room, the sound of somepony being brought to the ground after being tackled from both sides following it. Twilight opened the doors of the throne room with her magic for the trio to see that the Student 6 and Snow Sentinel had apprehended the hooded stallion, pinning him to the floor. 

“Ha!” Gallus gloated before he looked to his side upon hearing the doors open. “We got you, Som...bra?” 

Gallus’ smug demeanor quickly turned to a bemused one once he saw the reformed Sombra standing right beside him. 

“But…but…” he stammered, dumbfounded. “If that’s you...then who’s…” 

He thrust off the stallion’s hood to reveal that his true identity was…

...another good King Sombra. Only this one had blue streaks in his hair. 

“You jest…” a bewildered Hope remarked. “I never doubted Sombra for a second, but I never would’ve thought the proof…” 

“...would show up right to your doorstep?” Twilight joked, trying to inject some humor into this awkward moment. “Eh? Eh?” 

Groaning ensued as Snow Sentinel chimed in. 

“You’re becoming more like Princess Celestia every day, Your Highness.” 

“Celestia…” the once hooded Sombra said worriedly. “Where is she? Don’t tell me…” 

“She’s still around.” Twilight told him. “I’m merely filling in her horseshoes now that she’s on vacation, planning to pass down her duties to me. That’s all I’ll say for now though, since you’re the one who has some explaining to do. Who are you really? Did you attempt to take over Equestria and frame Sombra for your crimes?” 

“Do not be mistaken.” the apprehended figure answered. “It is still I, Sombra. But I am not like the Sombra standing beside you...I am from another world. A mirror world, to be precise. Remember me?”

Twilight gasped. 

“But that means…” 

“Yes. I am Sombra’s opposite from that world. And it is because of my sacrifice that I am now evil. I hope you know what I have been through thanks to you and that loathsome “lord” of chaos...” 

“So Discord called you back and not our world’s Sombra?” 

“Correct. I left your world for the world of darkness as to not be a threat before that insect intruded. With his powers, he made me not only appear to be your world’s Sombra, but brainwashed me into believing I actually was him. After you sent me back to the world of shadows, I was freed from his control and remembered everything. And now, I have returned again of my own accord, seeking revenge on that wretch who used me.”  

Twilight stared at him sullenly, feeling some sympathy for him. 

“I sympathize with what you’ve endured, but revenge won’t solve anything. We’ll request for Discord to come here at once and explain what he’s done. Until then, you will remain here under our watch until we have all the information we need.” 

“Ooh, ooh!” Ocellus ebulliently exclaimed. “Can we be the ones to watch Sombra’s opposite? I’d love to perfectly capture this form of him too!” 

“This form of him is barely different from his other good form!” Smolder protested. 

“To be fair, I’d look more different if I were in my ordinary attire…” Opposite Sombra chimed in.

“See?” Ocellus told an annoyed Smolder. “You know what they say, clothes make the man!”  

“I think it would be for the best if we all watched Sombra’s opposite.” Hope interjected. 

“Indeed.” Sombra agreed. “I don’t want Discord to be excited by any of our presences and encouraged to lie. Besides, this alternate me has aroused my curiosity.” 

“Then it’s settled.” Twilight declared. “Everyone, go to the library. Except you Snow Sentinel, you continue to keep watch outside the throne room just in case Sombra’s opposite tries to slip away again. I trust that won’t happen though, seeing as you and the others just did a great job making sure he didn’t get away the first time.” 

“Thank you, my liege.” Snow said with a bow. “Those kids were the real heroes, I was just doing my job.” 

“Don’t be so modest.” Twilight remarked. “Ha ha ha…”

Snow squirmed, hoping she wasn’t being sarcastic…

Twilight re-entered her throne room and Snow took his position. Twilight was ready to send out a guard with orders for Discord to appear before her as everyone else walked down the corridor, heading towards the library. Soon, however, Opposite Sombra came to a realization…

“Wait...where’s my book?” he thought to himself, looking back at the floor behind. “Ah, forget it. I don’t even remember now why I had it.” 

Snow Sentinel smirked sinisterly, knowing that the book was hidden in his armor, having swiped it while everyone else was distracted by the reveal of Sombra’s double. 

“You’ve done well setting up my next scapegoat, my little lambs…” the shadow possessing Snow thought. “I couldn’t have done it without you…REALLY...”

“Grrgh…” Opposite Sombra grunted ominously.
> Judged by the Cover
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before King Sombra and Radiant Hope had completed their quest to find Princess Amore’s scattered pieces… 

It was a dark, starry night in the Crystal Empire, and a normal, quiet night inside the Crystal Palace. The only noises stirring were unheard by the guards, talking among themselves. 

“So when do you think Snow’s coming back?” one of them asked.

The noises they tuned out were the sounds of a shadowy pony trotting on the floor beneath the stairs that were normally hidden in the throne room by the illusion of Sombra’s dark magic. Reaching the door to Sombra’s study, the figure cast dark magic on the crystal hanging above to open it. Entering the room, he looked upon the busts of Sombra and chuckled to himself. 

“He’s a vain one, just like myself…” the pony said in amusement, the green-eyed shadow speaking through him. “It’s no wonder he makes for such a great avatar…” 

He was especially amused when he glanced over at the bookshelf that concealed the door to where the umbrum were sealed. 

“Oh, exactly why I need this one under my full control for now.” he thought. “If his evil was not fully repressed, me having yet to absorb what still remains in him, that would be a problem. No, we’re saving that for when we have him...” 

The pony then spotted what he was looking for, the green journal lying on Sombra’s desk. He picked it up, levitating it towards him with unicorn magic, and read it. 

“Eureka.” he remarked happily. “It’s still fully intact. One can only imagine what a detriment it would’ve been had that fool Shadow Lock gotten to something like this. I’m far too evil for a simple erasure of the truth. Corrupting it, distorting it, that is my pleasure.” 

The green-eyed shadow then let out a familiar wicked laugh as his vessel took out a blue book that looked like a novel. The shadow absorbed both books into himself, a sound akin to that of twigs twisting could be heard, and both books emerged from him, seemingly unchanged. 

“Now then, my little puppet.” he told his vessel. “You will take these books to the fool called Discord and entertain him with a power of chaos greater than his...I’m sure he’s proud of his work...mwa ha ha ha ha!” 

The vessel, having not been in a conscious state of mind, was then teleported by the shadow washing over him, and before long, he found himself regaining conscience and saying…

“Where am I?” 

“The library, where else?” Smolder retorted, rolling her eyes. “I get that it’s boring, but sheesh, you were out like a light!” 

Sombra’s opposite self looked around, realizing that he was still at the library with the Student 6, Radiant Hope, and Sombra, sitting at the table across the room from him. Knowing that this once good Sombra now harbored evil in him, the gang had decided to watch him from a safe distance. While Opposite Sombra had been asleep, they had been mingling among themselves to try and get to know Radiant Hope and the reformed Sombra better. 

Earlier, when they were talking… 

The gang stared bemusedly at Opposite Sombra, who had just fallen asleep at the table.

“What is he, a narcoleptic?” Gallus remarked. “Even I’m not that bad.” 

“Guy doesn’t work or go to school…” Sandbar added. “Being evil must be really draining.” 

“Guess there really is rest for the wicked…” Sombra chimed in, astonished. 

“He’s so cute when he sleeps…” Ocellus muttered dreamily, garnering bewildered looks from the aforementioned three. 

“What?” she responded. “It’s just a girl thing.” 

“Yeah, this girl gets it…” Radiant Hope sarcastically interjected, irritated.   

“What are you so miffed about?” Smolder asked. “The guy only looks like your man.” 

“My MAN?!” Hope bellowed, even angrier now. 

“Shush!” a real librarian pony, an earth pony with a gray coat and black, bunned hair said this time. “Honestly, first that book goes missing, now I have whippersnappers yelling in the library! Kids these days…” 

“...Now that I think about it, didn’t Sombra’s opposite have a book in hoof?” Gallus thought, glancing over at Opposite Sombra suspiciously. 

“Sombra is NOT “my man”.” an annoyed Hope grumbled. “He’s just a-” 

“Friend?” 

Princess Twilight Sparkle, talking to Discord in her throne room, was taken aback by what she heard. 

“You don’t have butter in your ears.” Discord remarked, cleaning his left ear with a stick of butter before he made it disappear with magic. “Sombra’s opposite and I are friends, partners in crime, you can say.” 

“But…but...” a bemused Twilight stammered. “He hates your guts. He told me all about how you brainwashed him to think he was the evil Sombra and used him before we banished him.” 

“You definitely had butter in your ears then.” an unamused Discord replied. “That’s not what happened. Sombra’s opposite was a willing accomplice to my scheme. What I brought back was a shadow of my creation to disguise him, the same kind of shadow I used to disguise myself as Grogar.” 

Twilight paused in a moment of self-questioning.

“I want to believe them both, but…” she told herself in thought. “...one of them is obviously mistaken. Sombra’s opposite could’ve had something happen to his memories when he was possessed...or Discord, with his track record of tricks, could very easily be hiding something from me...or it could be both of them…” 

Taking that into mind, Twilight’s next question was… 

“Have you two “partners in crime” plotted to do anything recently?”     

“I’m SO glad you asked!” a delighted Discord exclaimed, beaming. “Sombra’s opposite recently came to me showing me this amazing new trick! I can’t spoil the fun, but I will tell you one thing, it has to do with your favorite, BOOKS!” 

“...Wait a minute…” Twilight thought, a suspicious scowl forming on her face. “I think I know what’s really going on here now…” 

Meanwhile, in the library, Radiant Hope was still trying to explain to the giggling girls that she and Sombra were not in a romantic relationship, but to no avail. 

“I mean it, we don’t date!” she exclaimed. 

“And we mean it when we say you don’t have to deny it!” Yona replied. “You may think you just friends, but Yona know from Papa that not happen. Papa says that mare and stallion can not be friends! Male find female to be wife! A great wife who can cook! Clean! And of course, chop the firewood!” 

“Uh...no offense to you or your father, Yona…” a disgruntled Hope said. “...but your dad sounds like he’s stuck in a different time. And that’s coming from me.” 

The sound of a drum beat was heard as Hope made a joke about her backstory, being with the umbrum for a millenium. Yona, however, didn’t get it. 

“You not funny.” Yona bluntly told her in bemusement. “But that okay! Papa say mares naturally not funny, except pink one!”  

“Hey, I’m pretty pink!” Hope assertively exclaimed before pausing in a moment of self-reflection. “...Wow, I didn’t expect for that to sound THAT WRONG in retrospect…”  

“Ah, don’t let it get to you!” Silverstream told Hope, trying to cheer her up. “Equestria as a whole is the farthest thing from sexist! Females are greatly respected in hippogriff culture, and certainly in pony culture! It’s just a yak thing! And while I love Smolder and Gallus, there’s a reason we look down on their cultures!” 

“That doesn’t make me feel better…” a still annoyed Hope replied, gritting her teeth. “Aren’t any of you, like, learning not to judge anyone based on their appearance?” 

“Yo!” Ocellus answered, shooting Sandbar a smug look as he rolled his eyes before she turned to Hope. “I’ll have you know that I always trusted Sombra had actually reformed. Even if he actually had been bad, so what? There’s no good without the bad, after all.” 

Hope was stunned at what she just heard, having no idea how to respond. 

“Heh heh heh…” the green-eyed shadow inside of Opposite Sombra and Snow Sentinel’s minds laughed. “I like this girl. Intelligent, pruned, yet easy to manipulate, her mind would surely be easy to control. As if there would be a need, for I have a greater goal. And now that I have a good idea of what to expect from this lot, there is no need for any more stalling from Sleeping Beauty…” 

It was at this time that Opposite Sombra had woken up and been told off by Smolder. 

“And good morning to you too…” he made a sarcastic rejoinder. “I’ll have you know dealing with this evil inside of me is not easy, I sacrificed myself to keep it contained.”

“Hold on a minute…” the librarian interjected. “I recognize that voice. Are you that pony who checked out Me and My Shadow three weeks ago?”  

“So what if I did?” Opposite Sombra talked back. 

“Oh, I only wish your foul attitude was my greatest concern.” the librarian replied. “That was a special edition of the novel you took and I’d like to know when we’re getting it back. It’s due today.”

“Wait...oh, that’s why I had that book.” he mused. “I came here to return it.” 

“You’ve been to this library before?” Gallus questioned. “And no one recognized you as Sombra’s opposite?” 

“He always had his hood on.” the librarian said in defense. “Seriously, with his hood on, he could pass for Shadow Lock!” 

Gallus put his claw on his face. 

“Where’s the security around here?” he asked in frustration. 

“You called?” Snow Sentinel said from behind. “Give her some slack, lots of ponies look similar. Some of my men could pass for me.” 

“Yeah!” the librarian exclaimed. “They all kind of look alike!” 

“RRRGH!” Radiant Hope grunted. “Doesn’t anyone around here know not to judge a book by its cover?!” 

“I do.” Snow answered, holding out the book he had taken earlier. “I know especially not to judge this one.”

Putting it down at the librarian’s desk, he told her…

“Why don’t you have a look?” 

The curious librarian opened the book, started reading, and was horrified by the contents.

“This...this…” she stammered. “This isn’t Me and My Shadow...this is King Sombra’s diary!” 

“WHAT?!” 

This revelation had the entire group flustered as they yelled in unison. Knowing they wanted answers, Snow spoke up. 

“It’s apparent that Discord had something to do with this.” he explained. “And although he denies doctoring the royal records to erase our knowledge of Sombra’s origins, I have difficulty believing him after seeing this.” 

“What does Twilight think of THIS?!” Hope bellowed, banging her front hooves on the table. 

The librarian winced, no longer concerned with the noise in the library as her fear from Hope’s growing anger captivated her.  

“She’s certainly not as angry as you…” Snow answered. “But she too is growing weary of Discord’s tomfoolery and asked me to call Princess Cadence-” 

“TOMFOOLERY?!” Hope kept screaming. “That’s all this is to YOU?! FUN AND GAMES?! You would CONDONE his behavior?! Do you even care about how Sombra or I FEEL?!”     

“Don’t shoot the messenger…” a frustrated Snow tried to defend himself. “I’m just a third party trying to do his job…” 

“Oh, that’s cool.” Hope insincerely retorted. “I guess you won’t mind then if I do the job that should be getting done for you…”

She gritted her teeth with those words she placed emphasis on as a worried Sombra followed her. Snow prepared to return to his position after apologizing to the librarian while the students simply stared, feeling distressed and unnerved. 

“Maybe she wasn’t ready to hear that…” Ocellus thought, fearing she played a part in Hope’s breakdown.  

There’s no good without the bad…

“That’s bull!” Hope exclaimed in her mind, refusing to believe those words echoing in her head. “Where’s the good in this?! We already worked so hard to recover Amore’s shards, what bad should come from this?!” 

Unknown to Hope, Amore’s shards began to glow ominously.

Sombra, still following her, really didn’t know what to say or think at this point. All he knew was that as much as he wanted to bring Amore back, he didn’t want to do it at the cost of his friend losing herself…losing…

Hope... 

“Amore?” Sombra responded to hearing that word in his mind, noticing the shards illuminating, unlike his companion. 

“Sombra…” Amore continued. “I know you and Hope mean well, but you must know, it is not the impediment of my return you must fear most. I can only tell you so much because of that monster’s control, but know that if you bring back my light…” 

“I understand that changeling’s words.” Sombra interjected in a stoic tone in his mind. “I already know who the other scapegoat is. And I also know…*sniff*...that if you hurt others…*sniff*...they’ll hurt you back…*sob*...” 

“Sombra?” Hope said with concern replacing her anger as she turned to her friend, hearing him weep. “Are you...crying?” 

As Hope hugged Sombra, trying to comfort him, he spoke these words to her in the most heartfelt tone he had ever spoken in…

“No matter what happens to me, never lose the hope you gave me…”
> Harmony's Sacrifice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight Sparkle had summoned Princess Cadance to her throne room with a teleportation spell after having Snow Sentinel send her a message in advance. The instant Cadance heard that Discord was at her sister-in-law’s castle, giving her a hard time, she immediately dropped everything to come help her out. She had no patience for Discord herself after his actions had caused the citizens of the Empire to lose hope and was fully prepared to teach him a lesson. Though Twilight’s resentment for the Spirit of Chaos was certainly not as strong, her patience had surely worn thin. The two were both giving him a firm, admonishing look. 

“Oh my…” Discord said coyly, still futilely trying to defuse the situation with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. “The tension in the air is so thick, you could cut it with a knife! And you two are giving me more than enough edge, ho ho!” 

Cadance and Twilight’s expressions were completely unmoved, not humored or concerned in the least for being taunted as “edgy”. 

“NO. MORE. GAMES.” they told him bluntly. “We just want the straight truth. Did you tamper with our records in any way, yes or no?” 

“...” Discord fell silent for a brief pause, a somber look forming on his face. 

He knew for sure now there was no way out of this. He had tried to be as honest with Twilight as possible up until she had asked him this question, the one he had repeatedly dodged. Truthfully, he had not directly done anything to the royal records. However, he was very worried that he had indirectly done something to the royal records. To lie would obviously be wrong, but to tell the truth would mean selling out a friend…he had to improvise…

“I don’t know.” he finally answered, leading Twilight to groan and Cadance to growl. “But I can tell what I do know.”  

“SO SPILL IT ALREADY!” Cadance shouted, concerning Twilight. 

“Hey, don’t yell at him!” Twilight exclaimed in disapproval. 

“I’ll talk to him however I want, mind you!” Cadance chastised her back. “It’s because you’re too soft on troublemakers like him that we’re in this mess in the first place!” 

Twilight did not even care for making a rejoinder, stunned by her longtime friend’s uncharacteristic behavior. She wasn’t even the first to act in an off putting way lately.
 
Nevertheless, Cadance was right to be concerned for their priority, finally getting answers. So she turned to Discord and said…

“Discord, please. For all our sakes, tell us everything you know, and I mean everything. Lying by omission is still lying and we don’t want to have to punish you.” 

Discord gulped, seeing how grisly Cadance’s look was becoming, staring him down scornfully as if she wanted to blast him with magic any second…

“I acquiesce…” he replied meekly. “My best knowledge as to what has happened is this. I didn’t mess with your royal documents, but I think something I created may have.” 

“Oh, enlighten us…” Cadance said in a sardonic tone.

“That disguise I created for Sombra’s opposite…” he explained. “...I think it’s developed a mind of its own. The shadow that veiled him was actually the spirit of a special Plunder Seed that I planted in a cave below Tartarus. Just a plant that can produce dark crystals, it’s not complex in body or soul...but I think something happened when it came in contact with Sombra’s opposite. The evil Sombra’s opposite absorbed into himself must have fused with the shadow, transforming the plant into something far more menacing…” 

“Like...what?” Twilight replied, she and Cadance both looking very perplexed. “Are you insinuating that neither you or Sombra’s opposite are lying and that there’s another evil force at work here that’s playing us all for saps?” 

“You catch on quick…” Discord answered. 

“Though I’ll remind you that I’m the one who makes the jokes around here…” he thought in response to Twilight’s unintended lame pun. 

“Please believe me, since this is no laughing matter. I may have made another grave error, but know that this is bound to happen because of the world’s nature, not just my nature to cause chaos even when I mean to do good. Wherever there is light in this world, there must be darkness. Just as the Tree of Harmony changes forms to adapt to Equestria’s needs, the spirit of the wicked plants that can spell its demise changes forms too. I believe that what that spirit has manifested itself into, the mastermind behind all this distortion, is...the Tree of Chaos!” 

Discord lifted up his arms for dramatic effect as he exclaimed that, leading both Cadance and Twilight to give him a deadpan glare of disbelief. 

“WHAT. A. CROCK.” Cadance reproached him angrily. “The only grain of truth I could draw out of that gibberish is that you’re guilty of something...and that’s all I need to know...”

Cadance began to charge up magical energy in her horn.

“Th-that’s…!” Discord worriedly exclaimed in thought, remembering the spell Starlight Glimmer used on him to banish him from the School of Friendship. 

“Cadance, what are you doing?!” Twilight demanded answers from her. “You can’t just punish him because you feel like it! This is my kingdom, you’re outside of your jurisdiction!”   

“So what if I am?” Cadance retorted. “I hate to break it to you, but what this cretin has done is my business too! He put all of Equestria in danger with his stupid Grogar trick, my subjects in the Empire lost hope because of what he did with King Sombra, and worse yet, even assuming the least amount of malice in this stupid trick, he got our confidential information messed with, causing all this unnecessary suffering for everyone! He deserves the full penalty for his deeds!”

“But he can’t help the way he is!” Twilight argued. 

“Tell that to Sombra!” Cadance argued back. “How do you think he must feel, having his diary stolen and defaced?!”  

“Oh, I can tell you all about that…” Radiant Hope interjected, entering the throne room. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I was on my way here anyway…” 

“Please!” Discord begged, turning to Hope. “I need somepony, anypony to stand up for me! I didn’t do anything to Sombra’s journal! It was just a joke I was rolling with! And it was supposed to be funny! Please, trust me!” 

“I don’t.” Hope bluntly retorted. “And I’m not sorry. Because you made Sombra cry. You hurt his feelings, and in turn, you hurt mine. That’s all I need to know to know that you’re evil.” 

And with that, Discord fell completely silent, falling on his knees and accepting his fate.

“Now, your sins will be paid for...scum.” 

With one final rebuke from Cadance, the spell from her horn was shot at him, banishing him from Equestria. Hope had been confident she had done the right thing until she saw a tear roll out of Discord’s eye. Before Discord completely disappeared, she heard a haunting whisper echo through her head…

I don’t blame you...how could anyone have hope for a monster? 

Hope felt sick to her stomach, knowing the truth inside. She had become a hypocrite. She always believed in Sombra, even knowing he had hurt others, yet refused to believe in someone who had hurt her and Sombra.  

The whole room was silent, for a while. Twilight turned to Cadance, ready to scold her…

“I know you condemn me for acting hastily on my own.” Cadance abruptly spoke, foreseeing Twilight’s criticism. “But I had to. This is the only way to restore hope to my people.” 

“...Hope can not be restored by taking an eye for an eye…” Twilight solemnly replied. “Making rash decisions from being ruled by emotion will lead you down the path to destruction. Remember what you have forgotten.”

“Oh, I will.” Cadance jejunely retorted, not taking Twilight seriously. “For this is only the beginning. Now that the bad have been punished, it’s time to reward the good. I hope both of us can at least agree that Hope and Sombra deserve to see Princess Amore again, right?” 

“Of course.” Twilight answered in a distrusting tone. “But first, I want to know the plan. How do you intend to do so?” 

“It’s rather easy, really.” Cadance explained. “Once word spreads to the Empire that it wasn’t the real King Sombra who assaulted our kingdom and that Discord has been punished, the spirits of the Crystal Ponies should be lifted again, allowing my magic to regain its full power so that I can reform Amore from her shards.” 

Both Twilight and Hope had looks of suspicion on their face after hearing that. 

“When she puts it like that…” Twilight thought. “It really does sound like she was planning this from the start…” 

“Now that I think about it…” Hope thought. “It was just after Sombra and I left her palace that we started getting a premonition that the rabbit hole went deeper than we believed…” 

Their skeptical musings were soon interrupted, however…

“I-IT’S A MIRACLE!” 

The jubilant cry of Sombra’s opposite self could be heard from the other side of the door before he entered the throne room, now dressed in the normal attire of his blue robe. 

“Bless the heavens, I’m FREE of the evil!” the delighted stallion declared before looking around the room. “Hey, wasn’t Discord supposed to be here?” 

“Wasn’t Snow Sentinel supposed to be doing his job watching the door, making sure no one can just barge in here?” a frustrated Twilight asked. 

“Didn’t you send him to the library to turn in that book?” Hope questioned curiously. 

“...” Twilight thought to herself before answering, assessing the situation carefully. “I specifically told him to wait until after we had taken care of things with Discord before doing that…something’s not just up with Cadance, but them too...”

Twilight gave a suspecting glare to Sombra’s opposite, leading him to look hurt in response. 

“What’s the matter with you?” he asked in an upset tone. “I expected a much more cheerful reaction to this positive turn of events.” 

“Forgive us,” replied Twilight, attempting to maintain diplomacy, “we are indeed happy for you. We’ve all just been through a lot. Just now, we had to make a tough call and we...banished Discord despite having no proof of his guilt.”

“Well, look on the bright side!” Opposite Sombra exclaimed. “If good has returned to me because of your decision, then you must have done the right thing!” 

“...I guess you’re right.” Twilight said begrudgingly, deciding to play along. 

“Trust me, you’ll definitely have no regrets after Princess Amore returns and restores the Empire’s full glory!” he assured her. “No good comes from a bad mistake!” 

“...Is...that what I want to believe?” Hope questioned herself. “But if I really think that...wouldn’t that mean I don’t value how my bond with Sombra grew stronger from us fixing our mistakes together?” 

“Enough chit-chat.” Cadance interjected. “What’s done is done, we need to move on. Reprimand my actions as misconduct if you will, Twilight, but please at least give me a chance to redeem myself. Will you teleport us all back to the Crystal Empire?” 

“Gladly…” Twilight answered, maintaining caution. “On one condition...Snow Sentinel stays behind.” 

“Hmph.” Cadance grunted. “I don’t see why I’d need him to come in the first place. He’s your guard, after all.” 

“Indeed he is.” Twilight replied in a familiar, innocent tone. 

Snow, having returned to his position, gulped upon overhearing that. 

“She really was being sarcastic that time…” he thought defeatedly. 

King Sombra passed by him on his way to the throne room, having overcome his bout of sorrow, but maintaining a crestfallen look. Noticing Snow’s similar expression, he decided to console him…

“Accept your fate and move on. Even a fate worse than death is nothing to an indomitable spirit given hope. Believe me, I’m ready...” 

“You really have changed…*sniff*” Snow tearfully replied. “I swear on my grave I’ll make this right…*sob*” 

“Sombra…” the green-eyed shadow said angrily as he lost his ability to control Snow. “You’ll pay for this…”

Sombra then entered the throne room, knowing what was in store for him after Twilight teleported him and the others to the Empire…

Once they were gone, Snow knew what he had to do. He wiped the tears from his eyes and marched right into the throne room, ready to face full consequences… 

“Your Highness, I have a confession to make.” he began. “I-” 

“You’ve chosen not to let that thing Discord was talking about control you anymore, haven’t you?” Twilight interrupted him with a revelation he was not expecting as she began charging magic in her horn. 

“What…?” Snow responded in disbelief, feeling a warm, magical light wash over him.  

Meanwhile, inside the throne room of Cadance’s palace…

“You two have no idea how well you’ve served the Empire by gathering all of Princess Amore’s shards.” Cadance complimented Hope and Sombra in an almost sickly sweet tone as she levitated Amore’s shattered remains with her magic. “You deserve no rewards less than the kind that last for eternity…” 

“Thank you so much, you’re too kind!” Hope politely replied. 

“Even as I am now, I could never be so kind as you.” Sombra returned the compliment with sincere, but gloomy modesty.

“Are you okay?” Hope asked in concern. “How can you be so blue after how hard we worked to finally see our friend again? This is the rainbow at the end of our journey!” 

“I do apologize.” Sombra replied. “My mind is just occupied with thoughts about how our next journey will go...because on this one, we can not go together…” 

“...What in the world is going-AAAHHH!” Hope was about to press Sombra for answers before a blinding flash of light signaled what they had all been waiting for. Cadance had used her magic to reconstruct Amore’s body from the pieces and free her from her crystal prison. Standing right before Hope and Sombra was the one they hadn’t seen in over a millennium...Princess Amore. 

“The Princess Amore cometh, behold!” Sombra’s opposite declared. 

Everyone bowed before Amore. She smiled at them before Cadance proclaimed…

“To the balcony! The Crystal Ponies must be witness to their regent returning in glory!”

They all walked over to the balcony, save Sombra, where some still glum Crystal Ponies below noticed Princess Amore above and gasped. 

“The Crystal Princess’ ancestor is back!” they exclaimed. 

The word quickly spread and soon, a large crowd of Crystal Ponies surrounded the palace. 

“No way!” one of them cried upon seeing Sombra’s opposite. “Is that King Sombra with them too? He’s reformed?!” 

“Yes, my subjects!” Amore called out to them. “Thanks to the efforts of Radiant Hope and the now reformed King Sombra, I am now returning to you alive!” 

The Crystal Ponies below were absolutely ecstatic, stamping their hooves wildly. Their newfound hope didn’t just give the Crystal Heart more light, it gave the relic more light than it had ever seen in recorded history, causing everyone in the Empire’s coat to glow brighter than ever. Radiant Hope was so content as she looked down below. 

“A new beginning has finally come…” she said happily. 

*CRACK* 

Suddenly, however, she felt her blood run cold as she heard a familiar sound from behind. She fearfully turned her head to see that Sombra had not come to the balcony, not wanting the Crystal Ponies below to see the cracks running through his body. Making her way towards her friend, she saw light emitting from the cracks, then his eyes as he turned to face her, waving goodbye. Immediately, Hope tried to cast a spell to heal him, but it had no effect. 

“This can’t be…” a mortified Hope whimpered before shrieking…

“THIS CAN NOT BE!!!!!” 

“Calm down!” Amore demanded as she trotted over to them. “I’ve got this!” 

“Thank goodness!” Hope cried. “Please, heal him!” 

“Of course.” Amore replied, charging up magic in her horn. “I’ll do what I should’ve done from the beginning and make sure that he’s healed...FOREVER.”  

“NNNNNOOOOO!!!!!” Hope bellowed in tears. 

“You thought you knew King Sombra better than I…” Amore made one last remark as she did what she did next. “But deep inside, he was still...an umbrum…” 

Hope felt as if her life was flashing before her eyes as she watched her longtime idol blast her longtime friend with a spell that made him completely disappear, leaving nothing but ashes on the floor. She was reminded of all sorts of things…all the times she had spent with Sombra, everything they endured together growing up, their experience with the umbrum, their endeavor to find Amore’s shards...she remembered what Ocellus told her, what she didn’t want to believe, how she ignored the clear signs of this when Sombra broke down in the hall, and finally, how she neglected to stand up for Discord…

“Because he hurt me and deserved to be hurt back.” a heartbroken Hope reiterated to herself in thought. “Amore hurt Sombra back because of what he did and I despise her now. I’m not just bad...I’m not just a hypocrite...I’m the worst…” 

Hope completely broke down on the floor, crying more than she ever had in her life. 

“It was all taken from me in an instant…” she said in thought as she wept. “It was all a lie...there really is no-” 

Hope stopped herself as she realized that she had forgotten Sombra’s words. 

No matter what happens, never lose the hope you gave me…

And so, her next words, she had to say to the idol who betrayed her…

“Why Amore? Please help me understand why you did this evil thing.” 

“It was for good.” Amore bluntly replied with a creepy smile. “Not something so simple as revenge. No, this was to rectify my mistake of taking Sombra in, believing he could one day be good. I know now there are good creatures in the world and evil creatures. Ponies are good, the umbrum are evil. He is evil, always will be. And now that he has at least died feeling remorse for his deeds, he may at least rest peacefully with the shadows where he belongs.” 

“You fraud…” a repulsed Hope rebuked her. “No one in this world truly knows what is good or evil, yet we all still choose... I saw the good side of the umbrum...they chose to be evil. And Sombra chose to be good! You murdered him knowing that all he wanted was to atone for his wrongs! I hate you! Sombra was right about you all along...YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BROKEN INSIDE!”

Amore’s smile faded. She almost looked like she was feeling guilty before Cadance and Sombra’s opposite, having moved away from the balcony now, intervened…

“Stop yelling already!” Cadance demanded. “I’m not explaining to the commoners that somepony’s just getting overexcited again!” 

“And what are you going to do about it?” Hope talked back. “You’ve already taken everything from me after using my friend and I, then killing him!”  

“It wasn’t like that!” Cadance tried to explain. “We just wanted to see Princess Amore again, just like you.” 

“Her light truly will carry the world to a new age of peace and hope.” Sombra’s opposite interjected. “We would never have allowed that shadow to manipulate us if we didn’t believe otherwise.” 

“Oh, what do you know…” Hope retorted as she turned to Amore and scowled. “You’ll willingly sacrifice a “monster” to help an actual monster for the “greater good”. Despicable, all of you!”

“You’ll be sorry if you don’t cease this juvenile slighting…” Cadance threatened. “We can either send you to a comfortable resting room where you can sleep this off for a night, or we can send you to a dungeon where you can sleep for many moons.” 

“I have a better idea!” a still defiant Hope exclaimed. “Why don’t you send me to wherever Sombra is sleeping?!” 

“...Hope, please don’t be this way.” Opposite Sombra pleaded. “You have a good life ahead of you so long as you don’t oppose us. If it makes you feel any better, I can be your friend. So long as you’re good, I’ll let you feel like Sombra’s still here with you as long as you want!” 

“Not a chance.” Hope bluntly told him off, looking him straight in the eye. “I will never, NOT EVER, live a lie. I refuse to benefit in any way from my friend being killed. Do whatever you want to me. Even in death, I will forever believe in my friend...and I will forever believe that he deserves to return here alive!”  

“GGGRRRAAAGGGHHH!” the green-eyed shadow cried furiously, temporarily losing his control of Amore, Cadance, and Opposite Sombra’s minds. “Just you wait, wench! When I’m done with Sombra, YOU’RE NEXT!” 

Princess Amore, feeling temporarily sober in thought now, immediately took advantage of the moment to cast a spell that allowed her to speak to Hope inside her mind, similar to how she had spoken to Sombra in his thoughts before. Thus, Hope got to hear the real explanation for why her idol did something so reprehensible…

“Now I understand…” Hope said solemnly. “That’s what you actually did...he manipulated you the same way he manipulated Sombra...so you have a plan...and Sombra is…” 

Below the throne room, at the end of the staircase that led to Sombra’s study, a familiar figure cast a spell of dark magic to open the door. Angrily barging in, the green-eyed shadow possessing him told himself…

“I’ve lost all control of Snow Sentinel now, and I no longer have total control over the others. Were it not for the fact that I’ve finally fully absorbed the evil from that loathsome double of yours, I would be in deep trouble right now…” 

He then eyed the bookcase from before again, sinisterly smirking as he pulled it back this time…

“Oh, who am I kidding. Now that I have you, there’s no way I’m going to lose…ha ha ha ha ha...FWA HA HA HA HA!”

“Forgive me…” the figure said sadly. “It was never death that was my greatest fear...it was accepting who I really am deep down...a monster…” 
> Hope's Comeback, Remembrance of Redemption
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope...please forgive me...you have always been too good for me...that’s how you’ve always been deep down...and deep down, I’ve always been evil…

“NO!” Radiant Hope angrily shouted in response to hearing those words, spoken by King Sombra, go through her mind. “How have you forgotten what I taught you?! No one is destined to be good or evil! You need to remember that you’ve been redeemed!” 

In her mind, she was surrounded by darkness, trying to call out to her lost friend. 

But Hope, I’m worried...my greatest fear has finally been realized...you were wonderful in how you didn’t let my apparent death shake your faith...but now I worry that what I have become…

Radiant Hope stood still in terror as she saw a familiar face slowly creep out of the darkness, one with beastly teeth and sickly white eyes…

...may finally make you lose the hope you gave me…

Hope loudly gasped, awakening from a nightmare as she thrust herself up from her bed. After what had transpired with her and the trio of regents who had been manipulated by the green-eyed shadow, she had since conceded, agreeing to retire to a resting room in the castle. She knew that the shadow’s hold on them would soon return, but trusting in what Amore told her, she decided it was best to lay low for one night. 

Now, however, she was becoming more nervous. Her anxiety grew even further once she heard her bedroom door creak open slowly…

“AH!” she cried, startled. 

“Ssh!” the one opening the door shushed her, revealing himself to just be one of Cadance’s guards. “Keep quiet!” 

He came into the room and shut the door behind him slowly before he approached Hope’s bed. Hope was still feeling tense until the guard calmly told her…

“Please, relax. Everything will be just fine. I’m not a pawn of that shadow controlling them. At least not anymore…” 

“Hold on…” Hope responded, recognizing this guard’s voice. “You’re…” 

“Yes, it’s me.” the guard replied, taking off his helmet. “Snow Sentinel.” 

“I thought you were one of Twilight’s heralds…” Hope said in confusion. “Why are you here?”

“I’m actually one of Princess Cadance’s guards…” he answered guiltily. “I infiltrated Princess Twilight’s castle as a spy.” 

“...Why?” a bemused Hope asked. “Was it the shadow, or…?” 

“Through the crystal princess,” explained Snow, “the shadow gave me the order to spy on Twilight, posing as one of her guard overseers. At the time, I had no idea, but I see now in retrospect that I was being manipulated by charisma.” 

“Charisma?” Hope questioned. 

“Do you believe it was only Sombra’s dark magic that got his subjects to cater to his every whim back when he was evil?” Snow asked in turn. “No, he himself has always carried with him charisma, a strong aura that can manipulate even the purest of hearts to believe they’re better off being in submission to evil. It was passed on from Cadance to me, which is how the shadow was then able to track me and control me completely. However, thanks to the efforts of Princess Twilight, I am now fully free of him. If only the same could be said for those three…” 

“So are you here under Twilight’s orders?” 

“Affirmative. I’m no longer a double agent, but a loyal servant to good. And now, we shall discuss the plan to stop the shadow and bring back your friend…”    

“Do you know any of the shadow’s secrets that would help us prepare?” 

“Unfortunately, while Twilight and I do believe Discord’s bizarre elaboration on his background was actually accurate now, our knowledge of the fiend is still woefully limited. One once occult truth that is now crystal clear though is that his power is weakened by...charisma. Not the evil kind I just spoke of, but the good kind. The evil kind manipulates those with weak hearts into servitude, but the good kind awakens the latent powers of weak but well-intentioned souls, driving them to banish the darkness from their minds.” 

“Thanks for the info,” said Hope with a cocky grin, “but I kind of already knew.” 

“Hmm?” Snow responded bemusedly. “How?” 

“It was Amore.” she answered. “When I made it clearer than ever that the stand I took for Sombra was on an eternal oath I would die for, the shadow temporarily lost control, and she was able to enter my mind, talking to me like she was her ordinary self. It was then that we were able to formulate a little strategy of our own, a little trick that shadow will surely never foresee…” 

“Do tell…” Snow requested. 

Meanwhile, Princess Amore had also retired to a resting room. She was sitting on the velvet carpet on the floor, brooding over a burning fireplace. 

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions…” she reminded herself of this old saying solemnly. “But I was not simply manipulated because of my immature belief that the ends justified the means so long as we meant well in our shady tactics...no, both Sombra and I have always been more alike than I ever could have imagined. We are both so easily manipulated...by guilt.” 

Amore’s horn began to light up ominously… 

“I felt bad that Sombra had suffered all those years in the light because of me and my foolish hope, so I sent him back to the darkness I took him from...but I was a fool. I played right into that shadow’s scheme...so I will rectify my mistake through this sacrifice. Not to make myself feel better, but because I want to save him for real this time…” 

Amore looked deep inside her heart, which was growing, becoming like the Crystal Heart…

“Tomorrow, hope will make a comeback. Tomorrow, real hope will be known again by all…” 

And so, when day broke, the time came for that prophecy to be put to the test. Standing on the outskirts of the Empire in V-formation were seven hooded figures, the one in the center, the leader, being a familiar heliotrope unicorn…

“Oh, young ones…” the leader spoke to her subordinates in a familiar tone of voice. “It is only out of reluctance that I beseech you to suffer together with me as we bear the symbol of evil…”

“Don’t talk to me like a child…” a cheery, reformed Changeling said forebodingly. “Hee hee hee…” 

“Know that we are not here to senselessly cause chaos in the name of our ego-driven “truth”…” the leader declared, prepared to pull back her hood for a brief moment. “We are here…” 

*DING* 

The sound of a light twinkling could be heard from inside the leader’s brown parcel, as she pulled back her hood to reveal that she was Radiant Hope. 

“To conquer this Empire’s evil.” she finished as a light shining from the top of the Crystal Palace revealed that the other hooded figures were Twilight’s six star pupils from the School of Friendship, Sandbar, Silverstream, Yona, Smolder, Gallus, and of course, Ocellus… 

“Of course.” Ocellus replied in a seemingly innocent tone.  

“Granted, I have used this tactic before and it involved causing mayhem then too,” admitted Hope, “but that was only for diversionary purposes. Just like back then, this is a heist for the Crystal Heart. But again, it’s not plundering for profit, we only mean to keep the Heart out of evil’s hands. So long as the light shines ever more brilliantly in the Empire while that thing reigns over the minds of the Empire’s leaders, the power of the darkness grows in tandem. If the Crystal Ponies are to ever realize that they’ve been lied to, a fate that is inevitable, the darkness will overpower the light. Soon after, all of the Empire, and in turn, all of Equestria, will be overtaken by the green-eyed shadow and turned into his mindless slaves...before that happens, we must teach the Crystal Ponies to stop depending on the Heart and start having hope in themselves!” 

“Are you certain that his plan is really that convoluted and contrived?” Gallus asked, bemused by the long monologue as he felt like his head was spinning. 

“Snow most certainly knows from Twilight that there will always be darkness in the world, leading others to find the light.” Hope answered. “The reverse is definitely true too, we’ll always possess a reckless lust for a light of false hope, leading others down the path of darkness, and it’s the only thing that makes sense. There’s no way that odious demon would do something good if it were not to aid his evil...and I can’t shake the feeling that he has something else up his sleeve…” 

Inside Sombra’s study, Hope premonition was proven to be true...

“Heh heh heh…” the green-eyed shadow snickered sinisterly. A sound akin to water being pumped inside of something could be heard as he hovered above the door where the umbrum were sealed. “Whoever sealed the umbrum here thought they were so slick...putting them behind a wooden door! That is just sad! Mwa ha ha ha ha!”   

“Gah...agh...why...Sombra...why must you continue to torture us?” 

Sombra began to cry, knowing what his kin were suffering through behind the door, being drained of their energy. 

“Even you don’t deserve this…” Sombra said despondently. “And I know I don’t deserve this either…so why do I continue to hate myself?”

Sombra then saw his ghastly appearance in the reflection of the shadow’s eyes. 

“Because it’s not the umbrum, but this monster that embodies what I really am…”  

Meanwhile, in the town square of the Empire…

“Step right up, everypony!” Sandbar gleefully proclaimed to a crowd of Crystal Ponies. 

He and Gallus were now dressed like vaudeville performers, each boasting the classic hat, suit, cane, and mustache as they posed for a crowd gathering around a stand they had put up.

“Witness the magic happen with the game of the century…” Gallus introduced said game by pointing his cane to their stand’s sign above…

“Look alive, look alike! Where we find out just how much we all kind of look alike!”

“Oohs” and “ahs” were heard all over the crowd as one upper-crust mare just rolled her eyes. 

“Today,” continued Sandbar with the explanation of the game, “we’re going to find out for just two bits, how much you would look like this guy only wearing his hood!”   

During his explanation, he had held out a picture of Shadow Lock. Curious muttering ensued among the crowd. 

“So who will be our first participant?” Gallus asked the crowd. 

“Pfft, not me.” the upper-crust mare retorted, walking away. “What feeble-minded lout could be amused by something so simple?” 

“Step right up, everypony!” Silverstream declared to her own crowd from her own stand. “And be razzled and dazzled by the Crystal Empire’s first...sand stand!”  

She held out a jar of glittering sand, causing the upper-crust mare’s eyes to sparkle. 

“How exquisite!” she cried jubilantly. “We don’t even have a beach here!” 

Watching the scene, Sandbar chuckled to himself. 

“A sand stand…” he said to himself. “We really have our jobs cut out for us here…” 

Not far from there, close to where the Crystal Heart was being monitored by guards, Smolder was seen eating crystal...from Spike the Glorious and Brave’s statue. 

“No offense, bro…” Smolder consoled her friend. “Seriously, it’s a complimentary snack.” 

“Hey!” a nearby guard yelled in protest. “Stop biting our statue!” 

“Take a bite out of this!” Smolder taunted them by slapping her butt before she flew off. 

“After that delinquent!” the guard called out orders for other guards nearby to follow her. 

Once those guards had left, Yona entered the scene, “practicing her dance moves”. 

“1, 2, 3, WALTZ!” she exclaimed as she stomped the ground, giving the remaining guards a shake. “1, 2, 3, WALTZ! 1, 2, 3, BAM!” 

“Enough of-” the guards who followed her demanded before they got interrupted by a tremor. “-THAT!” 

These distractions gave Radiant Hope an opportunity to sneak closer to where the Crystal Heart was. With only two guards left in front of the pedestal holding it now, coming from behind was a cinch…

“Hee hee hee…” Ocellus snickered from behind a building, the only one left of the Student 6 yet to fulfill her role. “They really will never foresee this…” 

“I got it!” Hope exclaimed to herself victoriously after snatching the Heart and swiftly retreating behind a building. 

She looked at her reflection inside of the Heart and smirked with triumph...until she saw the scowling face of Princess Amore appear in the Heart as well. 

“I’ll show you what you got…” she said menacingly.

Meanwhile, back in the town square… 

“Woah!” one of the stallions who took part in Gallus and Sandbar’s game exclaimed upon looking in a hand mirror. “I really do look just like Tempest Shadow!” 

“Shadow Lock.” Sandbar corrected him. 

“Who’s Stygian again?” the oblivious stallion asked, leading Sandbar to roll his eyes. 

“Alright, who’s up next for our game?!” Gallus proclaimed to the crowd. 

“Not me or anyone else!” Princess Amore retorted, stomping a foreleg to the ground to make her arrival known. 

The crowd of Crystal Ponies gasped as they, Gallus, Sandbar, and Silverstream turned to face Amore. She, now joined by Princess Cadance, King Sombra’s opposite, and two guards who had apprehended Smolder, Yona, and Ocellus, was clutching Radiant Hope by the neck. 

“The jig is up!” she declared to Gallus, Smolder, and Silverstream. “This marauder has confessed to you three being complicit in her scheme to steal the Crystal Heart! Did you really believe we’d allow you to abscond with it?! Surrender yourselves now! We don’t want to have to do anything to your friends!”

Amore clutched Hope’s neck tighter, leading Silverstream to bite her nails while Gallus and Sandbar growled. They had no choice. They ditched their disguises and slowly walked towards Amore begrudgingly…

“No…” Hope said in her mind. “It’s not going down like that!” 

With that, she bit the foreleg of Amore’s holding her hostage.

“Ow!” Amore cried in pain as she pulled her foreleg to her mouth, giving Hope a chance to escape. Running towards Gallus, she pulled something out of her cloak. 

“OH, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!” Cadance and Opposite Sombra yelled angrily as they charged up magical blasts in their horns. Cadance fired her blast first with Opposite Sombra’s blast following shortly after.

“Gallus, cat-” Hope was about to call out to Gallus to catch what she had pulled from her cloak before Cadance’s blast shot her in the back, leading the object she pulled to go flying past Gallus. 

“Wait, that’s…!” Opposite Sombra exclaimed in his mind fearfully, realizing what the object was. “...The Crystal Heart! Amore didn’t have it confiscated before she called us over?! IMPOSSIBLE! WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?!” 

“I have it!” Silverstream exclaimed gleefully, catching it in her claws and holding it out. However, Opposite Sombra, unable to stop himself in mid-blast, accidentally shattered the Crystal Heart with his magic. 

“I mean...I had it…” Silverstream said defeatedly as she watched the Heart’s remains fall to the floor. Everyone stared at the ground speechlessly. A long moment of silence was had…

“Fwa ha ha ha ha…” 

Until a familiar evil laugh broke it up… 

“MWA HA HA HA HA!” 

The laughing continued as the green-eyed shadow manifested itself from out of Cadance and Opposite Sombra’s minds, materializing as a dark cloud.  

“So, are you clowns enjoying the pinnacle of the Empire’s restoration to glory?!” he mocked them. “HA HA HA HA HA!” 

All around, the Crystal Ponies screamed and panicked, fleeing the town square. Even the guards let go of the three students they had arrested and deserted their posts, leaving only Hope, the Student 6, and the Empire’s regents at the mercy of the shadow. 

“W-w-was this…” the dumbfounded and terrified rulers stammered. “A lucky moment you took advantage of, or…?” 

“If you believe I was ever truly abetting good, I’ll sell you some swampland in the outer reaches of the south!” he continued deriding them. “Too predictable is the path of self-righteous fools...of course I planned this from the start! No matter how much power I had over your minds, I still had influence over your actions with my charisma! What you’d call “bad luck” was just me subconsciously influencing you to act hastily! I’ve always had the reins, and how easy it would be for me now to fully control you again…” 

The regents gasped as they saw vines protrude from the shadow. 

“As if there’s a need.” he scoffed as he abruptly retracted the vines. “For in your stupidity, you delivered me a greater pawn than all of you combined…with him, I will surely be able to conquer all of Equestria, for he is the spitting image of me...” 

The shadow then made a swishing motion from the ground to the air, and from the shadows that formed below him, there materialized...King Sombra.  

“No…” 

This was all Hope could mutter as she felt faint, watching the visage from her nightmare appear right before her. Sombra’s face...was that of an umbrum’s. 

“WWWHHHYYY?!” she shrieked at the shadow. “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM?!” 

“Why don’t you ask him?” the shadow nonchalantly retorted. “He’s the one who chose this new form. He grew weary of your anguish, forcing yourself to cling to false hope of him not actually being a monster. Now that he’s accepted himself, you may both be free.” 

“...” Hope began to calm herself down, realizing that this was just another test of her hope. Hardened by greater trials before, she saw the grain of truth in the shadow’s lies...she did have to ask him. 

“Sombra…” she spoke to her friend sincerely. “Please tell me what you really want. Not what you think you have to want because of what you’ve been told about good and evil. I only want to know what you want from the bottom of your heart. Your words gave me hope...and when you give others hope, they hope in you too…” 

A light from Hope’s parcel shined in Sombra’s eyes. Feeling like he was reliving that moment in the hall again with hope rather than despair, he cried even harder than he had then. 

“I WANT TO NOT BE ALONE ANYMORE!” he cried out from the bottom of his heart. “I JUST WANT US TO BE HAPPY TOGETHER! BECAUSE YOU’RE THE FIRST FRIEND I EVER HAD!”

Everyone was awe-inspired by Sombra’s emotional honesty. Everyone except Hope, having already expected this, who was crying tears of joy. 

“I never doubted you for a moment…” she told him lovingly.  

“This can’t be...THIS CAN NOT BE!” the shadow cried in disbelief, feeling his power abate from the influence Hope’s good charisma had on Sombra’s mind. “I-I HAVE THE UMBRUM’S ENERGY IN ME NOW! I HAVE AN INFINITE SOURCE OF POWER!” 

“Darkness’ power is not infinite.” Hope said with a confident smirk. “It’s limited by the power of light. Evil wins when we lack humility, understanding, and faith. But so long as there are good ones in the world willing to accept when evil triumphs and learn, darkness doesn’t stand a chance!” 

“Oh, give me a break!” the shadow returned to his slighting. “You’re just one little pony with a retinue of losers at your side! I can sense the difference in our strength, and you’re still no match for me!” 

“Way to miss the point entirely…” Hope retorted as she shook her head. “I’ve learned from my past experiences of evil triumphing that the good must be willing to make personal sacrifices. If it means that Sombra won’t suffer in solitude anymore…” 

“HOPE!” Sombra cried in concern, feeling his aura being drained.

“She wouldn’t!” Sombra’s opposite, shocked, exclaimed in thought, sensing what she was going to do as she charged up magic in her horn, drawing dark energy from Sombra towards herself.

“I will gladly sacrifice myself.” Hope finished as the dark energy poured down from her horn to her body, wrapping itself around her and transforming her into…an umbrum-pony, just like Sombra. 

Everyone was amazed by how much Hope really cared about her friend. With them all feeling moved by Hope’s charisma, the shadow’s power decreased even further, driving him to desperation. 

“YOU MORONS!” he bellowed. “THIS CHANGES NOTHING! I STILL HAVE THE POWER TO MANIPULATE AMORE WITH MY CHARISMA! I’LL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER GUILT FOR YOUR PAIN AND USE THE POWER OF LIGHT AGAINST YOU!” 

“Just try it!” Amore exclaimed, goading the creature. “I’ll even open up my mind to you! I’m going to prove that you can’t control me anymore!” 

“And I’ll show you that pride goes before the fall, mwa ha ha ha ha!” the shadow retorted with an evil laugh as he entered Amore’s mind with great haste. 

Watching the scene, Hope smiled...and so did Sombra, who used his magic to levitate something out of Hope’s parcel…

“Hope...thank you.” he said before he did what he did next. 

Meanwhile, the shadow found himself beyond bemused at the scene he arrived to in the mind of Amore...the purported mind of Amore. He was in a Changeling hive facing Queen Chrysalis, who was lounging on a body pillow of King Sombra, below a poster of Sombra’s opposite striking a dramatic pose, and staring up above at a ball of darkness and a ball of light harmoniously floating in a circle. 

“Yo.” Chrysalis unceremoniously greeted him before she changed into Ocellus. 

“.....” the shadow could only stare blankly for a while before he could speak again. “Is this some kind of a joke? You can’t be Amore...who are you?!” 

“I am what I am.” she answered. 

“DON’T PLAY MIND GAMES WITH ME!” the shadow shouted. “IF YOU’RE THAT INSIPID GIRL, THEN WHO’S THAT?!” 

Through “Amore’s” eyes, he looked over at a grinning Ocellus, who reached for a zipper on the back of her head. Unzipping it, she revealed herself to actually be...Discord. 

“Surprise!” he exclaimed tauntingly. “Twilight reversed the spell that banished me! Bet you weren’t expecting to meet your maker today, ho ho hoo!”

“I don’t believe it!” Cadance exclaimed in her mind, shocked. “I really was wrong to banish him!”

Mortified, the shadow instinctively turned to Hope and Sombra, realizing his doom when he saw what had been done...Sombra had thrown the Crystal Heart back into its pedestal. 

“HOW IS THE CRYSTAL HEART BACK TO NORMAL?!” the shadow shouted. “IT WAS DESTROYED!” 

“You never noticed…” Hope replied, revealing her scheme. “...but its restoration was already prepared ahead of time by the spirit of the Heart. The Heart was just a symbol. Only real light and love will restore the Empire to its glory...that’s the truth Amore realized!” 

From inside the Heart, Amore’s soul was crying tears of happiness. The night before, the spell she had cast on herself transformed her into a new Crystal Heart. The whole day, Ocellus had pretended to be Amore while Discord pretended to be Ocellus. Realizing how he had been bamboozled as the Heart began to spin and light up, the shadow completely lost his composure. 

“HOW STUPID AND DESPERATE CAN YOU SCUM GET?!” he roared at Hope and Sombra. “DO YOU NOT REALIZE THE HEART WILL DESTROY YOU BOTH TOO?!” 

“That matters not.” they answered solemnly. “Because we have hope. Hope in an eternal bond that death will never undo…” 

“PREPOSTEROUS!” the shadow yelled. “I’M AN IMMORTAL BEING OF PURE, EVIL ENERGY! If you destroy me, I can always return to this world when the time is right in a newer, better form! Your sacrifice means nothing! DARKNESS CAN NOT BE DESTROYED!”

“You really are the worst kind of loser…” they retorted. “You can’t accept that we’ve accepted that fact. As our souls are formed under adversity, so are our bonds. For eternity, we shall endure evil and grow stronger together as a result. We won’t destroy you forever...BUT WE WILL SHOW YOU THE DOOR FOREVER!”  

With that, the Crystal Heart finally finished settling in place, and a light even stronger than the light from the Heart before it began to radiate all across the Empire. The Crystal Ponies were no longer in a panic once they felt the touch of a light from Amore’s spirit that gave them their crystal coat. The shadow, on the other hand, was franting, watching himself dissipate in Ocellus’ mind. 

“Good to have you!” Ocellus told him innocently, waving goodbye while closing her eyes and smiling. 

“NNNNNOOOOO!” the shadow screamed as he was pulled from Ocellus’ mind by the light and thrust toward the Crystal Palace. He ended up in Sombra’s underground study, where he would be sealed inside the umbrum’s door. As his spirit and the door merged, his avatar of Sombra was frozen into a pose of Sombra crying in terror while holding out his forelegs from the door. And so, his final words were…

“I...couldn’t make them pay. I could never actually break...a true bond…” 

The shadow finally accepted his fate, realizing that this door would not forever depict the defeat of Sombra or a shadow with no identity, but only the defeat of him. The spirit of The Tree of Chaos… 

Hope and Sombra, however, would soon meet their fate too. Now umbrum-ponies, the light from the Crystal Heart was causing them to become purple mist destined to dissipate, and a weeping Amore thought there was nothing she could do to stop it. 

“Don’t cry, Amore…” Hope attempted to console her. “You made your sacrifice, it’s only fair we make ours…” 

“I always felt I got off too easy the first time, anyways…” Sombra joined in. “I’m just glad I was wrong about our next journey not being together…” 

“You better believe you’re wrong!” Cadance and Sombra’s opposite cried in protest, shooting magic at Sombra and Hope respectively, encasing them in bubbles. Sombra and Hope appeared as shadows with eyes inside of their magical essences. 

“You two have changed too?” they questioned. “You’d fight against the power of the Heart’s light to save us?” 

“You really think I’d just let you die after I was wrong about you, Discord, and everything?” Cadance told Sombra. “If I was right about one thing, it was giving you a second chance back then...now I’m the one who should be asking you for a second chance!”  

“There was a time when I arrogantly believed that I was a victim of the darkness, that no one else would’ve made the sacrifice I made…” Opposite Sombra told Hope. “But then you not only showed me my way was wrong, you showed me that no hero who makes a sacrifice like that has to be alone!” 

“We’re here for you, too!” the Student 6 and Discord exclaimed, giving Cadance and Opposite Sombra more strength to fight against the Heart’s power. In turn, this sight gave Amore’s spirit more charisma, good charisma powerful enough to enhance Cadance and Opposite Sombra’s magic even further, making it stronger than the magic of the Heart. Soon, their magic was able to transform Hope and Sombra back into ponies, leaving everyone relieved and joyful. 

“You did it!” Hope cheered, ever grateful. “You saved us!” 

“What about Amore though?” Sombra asked in concern. “How does she feel?”

“Never better.” Amore bluntly replied, her spirit speaking to all of them in their minds. “I want none of you to feel any guilt towards me. Not because of the bad I did, for this is not a punishment. This is a reward for the good I was finally able to do, thanks to you. I lived my earthly life a thousand years ago and never even died. It only gives me joy to move on to this ethereal form, allowing me to give light and love to all...you have no idea how much I wish I could’ve been like this back then, Sombra…” 

Sombra teared up, smiling with tears of joy in his eyes. He knew that they had both finally been fully purged of their guilt, as the light from the Heart beamed ever so brilliantly across the land... 

The next day, in Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle… 

“News from northern Equestria!” Snow Sentinel uttered a familiar exclamation as he entered Twilight’s throne room. “Your Highness.” 

“Yes?” Twilight replied with a smile. 

“I just wanted to inform you…” Snow answered, smiling back. “That IT has returned...better than ever before.” 

“I knew our strategy was immaculate.” Twilight remarked. “Obviously, I’m not a perfect planner...but I know exactly how friendship always finds a way…”

Of course, Twilight also knew that friendship would always include quarrels…

“A BODY PILLOW?!” Radiant Hope cried indignantly. 

She, the Student 6, Discord, and King Sombra were at the library in Twilight’s castle. A giggling Ocellus had just let it slip what was happening in her mind while she was impersonating Amore, and Hope was once again agitated. The librarian, on the other hand, no longer cared about the noise from the lot. She was simply tuning everything out by listening to the dictionary on CD. 

“Hey, you wanted to sleep where he was…”  Smolder chimed in, guffawing. “Friend, right? Hot dog! Bwa ha ha ha!”

Hope just sighed. 

“These kids still have so much growing up to do…” she mused in her mind. “But we wouldn’t have beaten the shadow without their help. Despite our disagreements, friendship worked out in the end...because we all chose to have hope…” 

“All that matters is that you found good man!” Yona proclaimed. “Papa don’t even mind that Yona interest in pony! So long as he love to shave Yona’s back hair!” 

Sandbar went red as a tomato. 

“Yakkity yak, don’t talk back!” Discord playfully teased him. “Hoo hoo!” 

“Speaking seriously, what are you and Sombra going to do now?” Silverstream asked. 

“Yeah,” interjected Gallus, “are you guys at all worried about what you’re going to do for your next journey?” 

“We’re confident we still have loose ends left to tie.” Sombra answered as Discord winked behind him, holding out his diary and the special edition of Me and My Shadow. “Just as darkness will always be present in this world, we’ll always have a journey to embark on.” 

“I’m glad this journey has finally concluded on a good note though.” Hope said happily, knowing Sombra’s sentiments reflected hers. 

“Definitely.” Sombra responded, smiling warmly. “This is only the ending of the end, the beginning of a true beginning.” 

“Because not even death will stop you…” they all proceeded to say sincerely. “...so long as you have hope in…”

Discord revealed that he had restored Sombra’s diary to normal, discounting a new entry he had added at the end of the book that described the adventure they had together. The last page showed them all together in a photo with Twilight, Snow, Cadance, Opposite Sombra, and Amore’s spirit hovering over the new Crystal Heart, and the page was titled what the group finally exclaimed…

“The good king returning alive!” 

The End.