> Secrets of the Past
>  by CoJoThom98
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Imprisoned
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wakes up in a dizzy stupor. Her head is throbbing with massive pain as if something had struck her over the head. She opens her eyes to see where she is, but even in this dimly lit room, she winces at the light. As her eyes adjust, she sees a giant metal door in front of her with two slots on it, one just above eye level and the other at the bottom. 

She slowly lifts her head up and looks around the room. It’s mostly empty except for a thin bed of hay laying next to the wall opposite her and a bucket stuffed in the innermost left corner of the room. She looks over at the inner wall and sees a barred window that seems to face the outside world. She slowly picks herself up off the floor, one hoof at a time. 

Her headaches flair with every movement but she continues to push herself to get up. She plants her forehooves, pushing herself up, and then gains footing with her hind hooves. Slowly shaking off the pain in her head, she walks over to the window. It’s just above eye level, so she leaps up onto her forehooves and plants them against the wall. Her view of the outside is fuller now, though it’s near impossible to make out the landscape. 

The sky is a rusty, auburn color with black clouds looming in the sky. The horizon is sequestered in shadow and darkness, making it impossible to see what’s beyond. Twilight tries to look down below but she can’t see much, not enough to know where she is. Another headache spikes, causing her to get back on all fours and rub the area of her head most affected. The pain only lasts for a brief minute. Once it’s gone, Twilight begins to try to recount past events prior to her ending up in this room. 

“Alright, think Twilight,” she mutters to herself, “what did you do? I was sent somewhere for a special assignment? No, a test, it was a test from Princess Celestia. Where was I sent? Think!” She paces in the small circles in this small cell. “I was sent to the…something empire. The Crystal Empire, that’s it! Was I alone? No, I had Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy with me; Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were there to greet us. We came here to stop, no, to find something…the Crystal Heart, that’s what it was. Did we ever find it? Why were we looking for it? What happened after we got here?” 

Twilight tries to think harder, pushing her brain to dig deep into her memories. But by doing so, another headache spiked. She rubs her hoof against her where her horn is. However, when she places her hoof there, her horn is nowhere to be felt. She moves her hoof around trying to find it, but it’s not there. She turns around and looks over at the bucket and concentrates on it, hoping to levitate it. The bucket doesn’t move. 

“What’s going on?” she says in a panicked tone. “What happened to my horn? My magic?”

The door behind her becomes unlatched from the other side and creaks open. Torchlight pours into the room but it doesn’t do much to light up the dark cell. Another light, a red aura, appears, outshining the torchlight and blinding Twilight. The owner of the illumination, a tall black unicorn, walks into the room and dims his horn. Twilight’s eyes begin at the subject's hooves and slowly make their way up. 

The hooves are clad in armor, as is the chest but not the main torso. A red cloak with a fuzzy black and white fringe drapes over his torso. A charcoal black mane flows down the of his neck. She looks at his face and notices the red and green eyes with purple smoke pouring out of them. A long black horn that fades into blood-red protrudes from his head. On top of his head sits a grim crown of black and red crystals. Twilight looks at the figure and begins to tremble in horror.

The menacing subject looks down at the little unicorn, his facial expression is neutral yet intimidating. A shiver crawls up Twilight’s spine. “I trust you know who I am?” he asks in a deep and firm tone. 

“K-King S-S-Sombra,” Twilight says nervously. She stands in horrified awe of him. She feels like an ant looking up at a giant. Her legs shake with fear and the color in her face disappears. Both of her eyes, wide open, are fixed on him and won’t separate from him. 

Sombra notices her fearful demeanor and breaks a gentle smile. His smile is off-putting for Twilight, but her emotions don’t change. “It’s good to see your memory is still intact to a certain degree,” says Sombra as he walks past her towards the barred window. Twilight’s fear holds her in her place, her eyes staring out the open door. “I was worried I might have hurt you too severely. Seeing you unconscious on the floor at the top of the tower,” he turns his head to look at her, “you’re a lot tougher than you seem.”

Twilight doesn’t know what to say. Why was the embodiment of dark magic, greed, and evil concerned about her health? She slowly turns around to face the grim creature. She looks at him and sees a proud face looking at her. “Wh-why--,” she tries to ask but is cut off.

“I must say when I first saw you, I wasn’t expecting much of challenge,” Sombra says walking past her again. He stands in the doorway and continues, “But you were able to find where I hid the Crystal Heart and you even decided to go hoof-to-hoof with me. Celestia really knows how to pick her students.” 

“How did you know--,” Twilight tries asking but is cut off again.

“Well isn’t it obvious?” he asks. “The magic you used, all tricks that only Celestia would know. None too different from when she usurped me all those years ago. Well, except I came out on top this time. It felt good to finally have used my old form again and to put it to the test. It’s a shame that the puppet and her colt toy couldn’t give me an equal challenge.”

Puppet and colt toy? Twilight thinks. She then realizes who he’s talking about. “What happened to Cadence and Shining Armor!?” she blurts out, her fear is overcome with worry for her brother and sister-in-law. 

Sombra is taken aback slightly by her sudden change in emotion. Realizing her concern, he quickly comes up with a statement. He walks up to her and puts his right hoof on her left shoulder. “They’re perfectly fine,” he says. “Once I took the Crystal Empire for myself, I sent them and whoever didn’t belong back to Celestia. She somehow found out the empire was lost and sent for all Equestrians to return home immediately.”

“So my friends are safe?” she asks. 

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific,” says Sombra. 

Twilight begins to describe her friends to him; her tone is rapid and riddled with concern. “Two Earth Ponies, one pink the other orange. Two Pegasus’s, one with a light blue coat and rainbow mane and the other with a butterscotch coat and light pink mane. One unicorn with a white coat and violet mane.” 

Sombra begins to slowly nod and slightly chuckles. “Yes, I remember seeing those five ponies leaving with an Equestrian guard escort. Rest assured that your friends are safe.” Twilight sits down in front of him, a wave of relief and emotional exhaustion rush over her. 

Her friends and family are safe and out of reach for Sombra. Celestia can protect them for now. However, there is still one member whose fate is still unknown. She looks up at Sombra and asks, “What about Spike? My dragon friend, what happened to him? He would’ve been a small dragon, he’s still a baby.”

Sombra looks at her confused as if she just asked him a deep philosophical question. He purses his lips together, trying to remember, or at least appearing to. “I don’t remember seeing any dragon, big or small. I’m sorry,” he says in a forgiving tone. 

Twilight gets up, walks over to the window, and looks out towards the horizon. The last thing she remembers of Spike is telling him to get the Crystal Heart to safety. She was caught in one of Sombra’s traps, Spike was the only one who could get the heart to Cadence. That’s all she remembers of him though. She couldn’t see where he had gone or even what happened to him after that moment. Concern for her friend, one who she considers a little brother, strikes her heart. However, a glimmer of hope appears as she knows her friends would never leave Spike behind. If what Sombra says is true, then Spike should already be on that train bound for Equestria along with the rest of her friends and family. 

“It’s okay,” she tells Sombra. “My friends are safe and that’s all that matters right now.” 

“It’s just a shame that they had to leave you behind,” Sombra says. 

Those words from him strike her with anger. He dares to suggest that her friends, ones who have been loyal to her without fail, would forsake her? She turns around and faces Sombra, giving him a stern look. “You really think that my friends would leave me behind?” she says accusing him. “You trapped me here when you stole the throne of the empire. They will come back, along with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, my brother, and the entire Equestrian Army. Your tyranny will be ended, and I will be freed.” 

Sombra is amused by her bravado, but he hides his amusement from her. He looks away for a brief second and clicks his tongue. “Oh, you are most certainly like her,” he says as he looks back down at Twilight. “Not only has Celestia taught you her tricks but also how to act like her. High and just, I used to admire that about her but now it just comes across as arrogant.” He turns around and walks out the door.

Twilight is confused by what he said. “Admire?” How could he possibly admire anything about Celestia? How could he even know anything about Celestia? “You don’t anything about Princess Celestia!” Twilight shouts at him. 

Sombra turns around and gives Twilight a smug look. “I know more about her than you think,” he responds. “Enjoy your stay here at the Crystal Palace, Miss--.”

“Sparkle,” she answers, “Twilight Sparkle.”

“Miss Sparkle,” he says. “If you need anything let one of my guards know. Is there anything else you need?”

Twilight is taken back by his gentlecolt behavior. She’s his prisoner yet he’s treating her, or at the very least pretending to, like she’s a guest. He’s supposed to be a tyrannical and cruel villain, yet he’s shown to be nothing like that. Deciding not to be rude, she asks him one more important question. “What happened to my horn?” 

“It was destroyed in our fight,” Sombra says. “It was mostly shattered, what remained I had removed to ensure you didn’t cause an accident when you used a broken horn. Magic from a broken horn could dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Now, I would ask that you try to get some rest. I know this cell isn’t much but we are still trying to get the rooms redecorated. Until we see each other again, Miss Sparkle.” Sombra bows his head and has the door closed.

Twilight stands there staring at the closed door, she doesn’t know what to feel right now. She wants to feel defeated that she is now all along in enemy territory and is powerless to help herself. She wants to feel angry that the villain Sombra made a blatant attempt to try and turn her against her friends. She wants to feel surprised that the evil king is actually a gentlecolt. This is all too much for her to take in at once. She walks over the patch of hay in the room, lies down, and tries to get some sleep. Hopefully, this will all make more sense in the morning. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Sombra looks over to his left and sees his captain of the guard standing there waiting for him. She was apart of the Royal Crystal Guard but has become corrupted by Sombra’s magic. While she retains some semblance of free will, her loyalties now lie with him. “Have you been waiting there all this time?” Sombra asks.

“Not for long your majesty,” she replies, “just came to tell you that our spies reported that your message for Celestia has safely arrived.”

Sombra quickly looks at the cell door then back at the captain. “Come Silver Vein, let’s discuss this somewhere else,” he says. As they walk down the hall, away from Twilight’s cell, they continue their conversation. “It’s good to hear Celestia got the message. Hopefully, it will be enough to deter her from sending an immediate response, giving us enough time to prepare.” 

“If I may ask, my king,” Silver Vein says, “what exactly did you send Celestia?”

“A note warning her what would happen should she try to cross me again,” he says. “Along with the horns of her puppet, former captain, and her faithful student. Once she thinks all three are dead, she’ll be too distraught to even perform basic royal duties.”  

“Dead? So does that mean you’re going to kill the one in prison as well?” she asks.

“Oh no, I’ve got something special planned for her,” Sombra answers. “She might be a small unicorn but her level of magical understanding is equal to none that I’ve witnessed. I intend to tap into that potential. Is there anything else to report?”

“Yes your majesty,” she answers. “One of the guards found the body of a young dragon. He seems to fallen from the top of the castle tower.” 

“Hm, so that’s what happened to him,” Sombra mutters to himself. “Dispose of the body quickly. Make sure that not a single scale can be found after you’re done.” Silver Vein bows and departs from Sombra. He makes his way out of the dungeon and up into his room. He walks over to a tall standing mirror. The frame is black with red and purple gems dotting around the mirror in a repeated pattern. He steps in front of the mirror and says, “show me, Celestia.” Dark shadows swirl around in the glass and disperse to reveal Celestia in her office, standing over a package on her desk. The package holds the three horns he sent to her as a warning. 

Five ponies enter the office, they fit Twilight’s description of her friends from earlier. He sees a conversation take place between them and Celestia, though he doesn’t hear what they say. He can, though, see the anguish on their face when Celestia reveals to them the note and the contents of the package. Seeing their grief, he knows this will reinforce Celestia’s hesitance. The grief of her subjects for the deaths of Cadence and Shining Armor and the supposed death of Twilight will keep her from wanting to send any more subjects to him. 

He closes the scene. “I never wanted any of this Celestia,” he says, looking down at the floor with a look regret. “I know you did what you thought to be right. I respected your rule, why couldn’t you respect mine?” He walks away from the mirror and enters his bed.
> Chapter 2: Memorial
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna walks through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Silence fills the airwaves, more so than it has before. It's been a few days since Celestia received the package from Sombra containing the horns of Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle. The deaths of all three were a shock to the nation, but Twilight's death, in particular, has left many ponies grieving her loss. From Ponyville to Cloudsdale to Canterlot, one would be hard press to find a pony who hasn't been affected by the news of her death. However, not a single grieving soul could compare to Princess Celestia's sorrow. 

Celestia has been locked up in her office ever since she got the package. The loss of Twilight, her faithful student, shook Celestia in a way that Luna has never seen before. She hasn't seen her sister all day and it has her greatly concerned. From what the castle servants told her, Celestia refuses to leave her office, refuses to even eat. Luna is headed up to Celestia's office now to see her sister.

Luna gently opens the door and peeks her head in. She scans the room for Celestia and sees her at her writing spot in front of the fireplace. The area where she spent her time writing letters to Twilight and her friends on their friendship reports. Luna opens the door the rest of the way and slowly walks in, moving closer to Celestia. She is kneeling on her large rug, her head bowed, looking down at the box containing the horns in front of her. Celestia's coat is greatly unkempt, her main doesn't flow as much as it used to, and bags weigh heavy under her eyes. 

Luna steps forward and says, "Sister, are you alright?" No response. "It's been days since you've left your office or even eaten something. Are you okay?" 

Celestia closes her eyes and tears well up. "You were right, Luna," Celestia says in a hushed tone.

"Sister?" Luna gets closer to Celestia, kneeling beside her. 

"You were right," Celestia says again a little louder. "I shouldn't have sent her to face Sombra." 

Luna comforts her grieving sister. "We both knew Sombra was going to be a difficult challenge," she says. 

"And you knew that Twilight wasn't ready for him," says Celestia. "We should've just gone ourselves. Instead, I sent Twilight to her death." 

Luna gets in front of Celestia, looking her in the eyes. "Sister, don't say such things," Luna says. "You had every reason to believe that Twilight would overcome Sombra. Chrysalis, Discord, me, Twilight was anything but unqualified for this test. We underestimated Sombra and paid for it, but Twilight's death is his fault, not yours."

Celestia gets up on her hooves and walks over to the fireplace. Her eyes gaze into the flames. "If we had just dealt with Sombra ourselves, Twilight would still be standing here," she says. "I am just as responsible for killing Twilight as Sombra is. I gave her an order, and it ended in her demise. I ordered Cadence and Shining Armor to protect the Crystal Empire, and it ended in their demise. The burden of this crown has never felt so heavy." 

Luna stands up and walks to her sister's side. She places her hoof on her shoulder and looks up at her sympathetically. Celestia looks down at Luna and sees her kind gaze. She turns and hugs Luna, tears begin to stream down her eyes. Luna holds her sister tight, giving her the comfort she needs right now. "You don't have to bear this burden by yourself, Celestia," says Luna in a soft voice. "I am here for you now." Luna's eyes begin to drip tears. 

Celestia pulls away from her sister and gives her a small, tearful smile. Luna's heart leaps, it's the first time since the package that Luna has seen her sister smile. "Thank you, Luna," says Celestia. "I'm grateful that you are here."

"You're welcome, sister," Luna says. 

Celestia walks over to the package and, with her magic, hovers it into the drawer of a nearby desk. She looks back over at Luna and says, "We better start making preparations for their memorial." 

"Of course, but are you feeling up for the task?" Luna asks, knowing that an emotional conversation isn't enough to end her grief. 

"No, but I know this needs to be done," says Celestia. "There are many ponies out there grieving them, including Twilight's friends. Once we've said our goodbyes, we can move to deal with Sombra."



Applejack sits in Donut Joes looking over a blank piece of parchment. Princess Celestia has asked her to speak on behalf of the Elements of Harmony and Ponyville at the memorial. Speaking in front of crowds has never been a challenge for her but trying to find the right words to say is a different story. Applejack wants these words to be perfect for the audience and her, but the page remains blank. 

She rests her head on her right hoof, the other tapping the table, and the quill shifting in her mouth. She dips her head and touches the quill tip to the parchment, then raises her head. She dips her head again, raises it back up. In frustration, she spits out the quill and rubs her face with both hooves, letting out a loud groan. The soft tap of a coffee mug breaks her disgruntled state. 

She looks up and sees Donut Joe standing across the table from her, a cup of coffee is pushed towards her. "Perhaps this will help give you some inspiration," he says, giving her a sympathetic smile. 

Applejack takes the cup with both hooves and sips on the hot liquid. "Thanks, Joe," Applejack says. "I don't know why I'm having a hard time over this. I knew Twilight for three years, ya think I would know what to say." 

"It's a lot different when you're writing about someone who's gone," Joe says as he wipes the surrounding tables. 

"It most certainly is," Applejack says leaning against the table and looking off to the side. "I still can't believe she's gone." A lump in her throat forms. She purses her lips and closes her eyes, trying to hold back tears. 

Joe sees her grief and sits down across from her at the table. "I know what you mean," he says. "She spent many nights in my donut shop. She ordered the same thing every time: a pink glazed donut with extra sprinkles. She used to come around here so often that I would leave the store open just for her. Now, I guess I won't be doing that anymore."

Applejack looks up and sees Joe trying to hold back his tears, though his grief is more subtle. She leans forward and places her hoof on his. "I'm so sorry, Joe," Applejack says. "I never realized how much of an impact Twilight had on you." 

"Twilight touched the lives of many ponies around Canterlot," Joe says wiping a tear from his eye. "Sure she became more focused on her studies as the years went on, but she was a great friend. To me, and many other ponies around Canterlot. It wasn't until she met you five that she became her old self again. I could tell that night after the Grand Galloping Galla that you all showed her that there's more to life than books." 

Applejacks sits back down in her seat. "That's kind of ya, Joe, but Twilight is the real reason the six of us were together in the first place," Applejack says. "Before she came to Ponyville, we all kind of knew each other but we never really considered each other friends until after we faced Nightmare Moon. If it wasn't for her, our little group wouldn't exist, she was the glue that kept us together. With her gone, I don't what's going to become of us now." 

"What are you talking about?" Joe asks. 

"It might be too early to say, but I can already tell our group is beginning to fall apart," she says. "Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and I try to get together but it never lasts very long. Rainbow Dash is the first to seemingly break off. We haven't seen her since the day we were told what happened to Twilight. I'm not even sure if she's going to come to the memorial service. This memorial might be the longest time we'll spend together in a long while." 

"Do you think Twilight will want to see your girl's friendship fall apart after she's gone?" Joe asks, Applejack shakes her head. Joe looks down at the piece of parchment in front of Applejack and looks back up at her. "Well if you're concerned that your friendship with those girls, the friendship she helped create, is going to end now that she's no longer around, I think you already know what to say." 

Joe gets up from the table, walks behind the counter and into the kitchen. Applejack watches him with a quizzical look. What does he mean she already knows? She looks back down at the parchment for a moment, then it dawns on her. She grabs the quill with her mouth, touches the quill tip to the parchment, and begins to write. 



The memorial service is held from the large open gathering area where crowds gathered to see the wedding of Cadence and Shining Armor. Now, crowds have gathered from all over Equestria to mourn the loss of Cadence, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle. There are no cheers, the only music playing is soft and somber, and the sky is grey as if the world is mourning their death. A large stage sits at the front of the area, flowers gather in front lining the entire downstage. Two podiums stand on opposite ends. Three large pictures of the trio with flower frames sit in the center of the stage, between the podiums, on display for everyone to see. 

Applejack waits off stage. The Royal Guard Choir is performing a song for their former captain; it's a song that is sung for every guard who has died in the line of duty. Applejack listens to the song and feels a lump forming in her throat. In a few minutes, she will have to give her speech, and she starting to feel uncertain that she can do it without breaking down. 

From behind her, a voice calls out to her. "Hey AJ." Applejack turns around and sees Rainbow Dash standing there, looking at her with a face of emotional exhaustion. Applejack rushes to Rainbow Dash and the two embrace each other, they both lament the loss of their closest friend together, finally.

Applejack pulls away and says, "I wasn't sure if you were going to come." 

"Well, I heard you were going to speak and I wanted to be here for you," Rainbow Dash says with a small smile. "Look, I'm sorry that I've been gone for a long time. I just needed to be alone and try to process what's been happening."

"I understand Rainbow," Applejack says sympathetically. "What's important now is that you're here, and we're going to need you from here on out."

"I will," Rainbow says embracing her friend again. "I won't leave you guys ever again." The two hold each other for a moment until the song ends.  

"That's my queue," Applejack says. "The girls are sitting in the front row." As Rainbow Dash walks away to join the crowd, Applejack ascends the steps walks behind the podium on stage right. 

She sets down her parchment, looks over the crowd, and then looks down at her friends, who are silently supporting her. She takes a deep breath, clears her throat, and begins to speak:

"Friendship can mean different things to different ponies. To some, it could mean someone who will always have your back no matter what; to others, it could mean sharing a cold cider on a warm summer evening. For me, friendship means family; my family is my friends and my friends are my family. When Twilight first came to Ponyville, friendship didn't mean a whole lot to her, at first. It wasn't until I, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie showed her what real friendship is. Once she had her definition of friendship, she never wanted to lose it. Ever since then, Twilight became the glue that held us all together."

"When Discord tried to separate us, turn us against each other, Twilight was the one who brought us back together. When Flim and Flam tried to swindle my family out of our farm, Twilight rallied our friends in our hour of need. When Chrysalis had us all fooled that she was Princess Cadence, Twilight sought out the truth and made us see the light. Even...even when we didn't know how to save the Crystal Empire, Twilight brought us together and we came up with a plan to help the Crystal Ponies." 

"Twilight may be gone, but her legacy lives on in me and my four dearest friends. I don't intend to see our friendship end anytime soon. I will remember Twilight by making sure my friendship with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash will continue through the ages. Twilight, if you can hear me, thank you for your friendship and your love. I think I speak for the rest of us that we are going to miss you."



Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire, Sombra walks through the dungeon halls on his way to Twilight's cell. When he arrives at her cell door, he asks the guard posted, "How is our esteemed guest?" 

"The prisoner is well guarded and in stable condition," the guard responds in a monotone voice. He wears Sombra's signature guard helmet designed to take away the individual's free will and bind him to Sombra. 

"Has she been well fed?" Sombra asks.

"Yes sire, the prisoner has returned empty food trays," the guard says. 

"Good, open the door," Sombra commands. The guard, behaving like a robot, turns and opens the cell. Sombra walks in, illuminating his horn to help him see. He walks in and sees Twilight sitting against the far right corner, seemingly asleep. Her mane and tail are completely disheveled; her coat is filthy.

Twilight opens her eyes to see Sombra standing before her. "What do you want?" she says in a tired tone. 

"I wanted to ask you something," he says. "A proposition if you will." 

Twilight slowly gets up on her hooves and walks up to Sombra. "What could you possibly have that I want?" she asks. 

Sombra chuckles. "I think you will be very much interested in what I have to offer."  

"What is it?" she asks. "A decent bed? A hot shower? My freedom?" 

"Your horn," he says.

Twilight is caught off guard. She takes a small step back and looks at him with wide, confused eyes. "I don't understand what you mean?" 

Sombra takes a few steps closer and lowers his head to be at eye level with her. "I can teach you how to grow a new horn. Think about it? You will finally be whole and use magic again." He lifts his head and walks behind her. "Plus, the horn I will teach you to make will open up many pathways of opportunity. Some that I'm sure you wanted to explore but were limited in your abilities." He turns around, standing behind her. "It won't be easy, growing a new horn will feel nearly impossible." He lowers his head to where his mouth is next to her ear; he whispers, "but the reward is immeasurable." 

Twilight ponders for a moment. The opportunity to grow a new horn is almost too difficult to pass up. Sombra is right to a certain degree, Twilight has felt powerless since she discovered her horn was gone. A big part of who she is has been torn from her, any opportunity to have that piece back would be greatly welcomed. However, Sombra is the one giving her this offer, who's to say this horn is going to be entirely pure? What if he's using this as an opportunity to corrupt her, like the guard outside her door? On the other hoof, this horn will be hers, she will be the only one who can control it. If this new horn will be as powerful as Sombra says, and if she was able to go hoof-to-hoof with him last time, she could potentially escape and reunite with her friends back in Equestria; she will no longer be his prisoner. Perhaps, entertaining this monster's offer will be the key she needs to escape. 

Twilight turns around to face Sombra. She looks up, and says, "I'm listening."
> Chapter 3: Outrage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day before the memorial, near Canterlot Castle, a young unicorn secretary, named Manila, unlocks the door to the entryway of an office. She walks in holding her coffee and the morning paper and turns on the lights. The office is nothing special, professional and bland walls, and a few filing cabinets and bookshelves. What stands out though is a large picture hanging on the wall across from the secretary's desk. It depicts a small group of stallions and mares, all dressed in military uniform, decorated in the general stars and officer bars, and standing at attention. The secretary walks behind her desk, sets down the newspaper, and looks up at the while sipping on her coffee. Her attention narrows on one part of the picture. 

One of the stallions in the picture is Shining Armor, he stands near the edge of the picture. Standing next to him an Earth Pony mare with a dark grey coat and silver mane. She appears to be older than Shining but only by a few years. The shoulders on her uniform bear the single star of a Brigadier General. The mare is the secretary's boss, and one of the Shining Armor's closest friends. 

General Blitz was Shining Armor's platoon commander during his basic training, though back then she was referred to as Second Lieutenant Blitz. Even when he was a fresh recruit, Blitz saw a lot of potential in him and paid close attention to his training. Sure enough, he would exceed her expectations every time. After graduation from basic, she convinced him to enter into officer training once his service as an NCO (non-commissioned officer) was up. The school would prove to be a challenge for him but she was there to offer mentorship and guidance when necessary. It was through his time there that their friendship began to flourish. When he graduated top of his class, making him the perfect candidate for the open position of Captain of the Royal Guard, Blitz was there cheering him on, along with his family and then-girlfriend Cadence. While she always remained his superior, they remained close friends even up to his final days. 

Evergreen sits down in her chair, her gaze still fixed on the picture. She often remembered Shining as being a cheesy but charming stallion. There was never a dull moment in the office when he came knocking. Now that he's gone, a part of the world suddenly feels empty. She moves her gaze away from the picture and to the newspaper on her desk, perhaps some morning news will help clear her head of these mournful thoughts. She takes a sip of her coffee as she opens up to the front page of the paper.

She reads the headline and, in sudden disbelief, spits her coffee back into the cup. She reads the headline again to ensure her eyes aren't fooling her. "Princess Celestia Announces Memorial Plans for Murdered Heroes." 

"Oh dear," she mutters out loud to herself. "The general isn't going to like this." 

"What am I not going to like?" asks a voice from the door. Evergreen looks up and sees General Blitz standing in the doorway, her uniform cap tucked underneath her right foreleg. She looks at Manila with stern confusion. 

"The morning paper, ma'am," Manila says walking the paper over to Blitz. "But I advise that you wait until you're sitting down in your office before reading it." Blitz exchanges a curious look at her secretary but agrees to do so. She grabs the paper with her mouth and walks into her office. Manila sits back down in her desk and braces for Blitz's response. 

A few silent moments pass, the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. And then, "MANILA!!!!" Blitz shouts from her office. Evergreen rushes to the doorway; she sees the general standing over the paper on her desk. Blitz looks up at Evergreen and points at the paper, "How much have you read of this?"

"Only the headline, ma'am," Manila says. 

"I'm afraid it gets worse with every word." Blitz picks up the paper, unfolds it, and begins to read. "'Princess Celestia released a statement to the press yesterday that plans are currently underway to hold a memorial service for the fallen heroes Princess Cadence, Captain Shining Armor, and Element of Harmony Twilight Sparkle. These are the first words we have received from the Princess after three days of silence. Many assumed the Princess would take deliberate and necessary action against the Crystal Empire after the news was received of the three victim's fates.'

When reached for further comment, Princess Luna spoke on behalf of her sister saying, 'Equestria has endured a national tragedy, unlike anything we've ever seen. We need to heal as a nation first before we can begin preparations for diplomatic and/or military actions.' 

One can only wonder what Equestrians across the country will think of the Princess's decision, especially what the Equestrian military will think.' I'll tell you what I think, this memorial is a bunch of crap!"  Blitz throws the paper down in a fit of rage. She turns around in a huff and walks towards the window behind her desk. She takes a deep breath and collects herself. She turns her to the side and says, "Have I received anything from General Black Hawk this morning?" 

As Manila is about to open her mouth, a wisp of magic enters the room from behind her and swirls in the air her horn. The wisp forms into a scroll and unfolds before Manila. She reads what's on the parchment and says, "The general wishes you and the rest of the general staff in office immediately." Blitz grabs her cap off the desk and storms pass Manila and out the door. 

She enters the hallway at the same time as her colleague across from her, Brigadier General Tomahawk. He's a medium build, middle-age unicorn with a light grey coat and charcoal mane and tail. He comes out of his office, sees Blitz, and asks her, "General Blitz, do you know why we're being called to the General's office?" 

"Did you not read the paper this morning?" Blitz responds. The two continue to talk as they walk side-by-side towards Black Hawk's office. 

Tomahawk shakes his head, "I was still waking up on my walk to work this morning. The kids kept me and my wife up all night." He lets out a big yawn. 

"Welcome to the world of having twins," Blitz jokingly responds. "Anyway, Princess Celestia released a statement to the press yesterday announcing plans for a memorial."

Tomahawk looks at Blitz with disbelief. "You can't be serious? Three days we haven't heard a thing, no word about mobilization or any sort of plan of retaliation, and this is what she announces. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against a memorial but..."

"I hear you Tomahawk," Blitz says, interrupting him. "We should be planning an attack against Sombra, we can mourn those we have lost later. I just hope Black Hawk can think of something to respond to this, there's no way the public is going to fully support this." 

Blitz and Tomahawk enter into the reception area for Black Hawk's office. Inside, they find the other two generals of the staff waiting outside, Major Generals Maus and Panzer. Panzer is a tall and bulky unicorn stallion with a black coat and dark grey mane and tail; Maus is a short and medium build earth pony mare with a white coat and salt and pepper mane and tail. It isn't long after Blitz and Tomahawk enter the room that Black Hawk's secretary calls the generals into his office. They file in and line up in front of their commander's desk, saluting him. 

Black Hawk looks up from the newspaper on his desk. He's a medium-large, late-middle age unicorn with a white coat and dark grey mane and tail. He salutes back to his generals, they stand at ease. "If you read the paper this morning," he says in a low and gruff voice, "then your guess as to why I called you here is correct." As he speaks, he slowly walks around in front of his desk. "For those who haven't, the gist is, instead of mobilizing our forces to attack Sombra, or prepare a defense, we are holding a memorial. I don't think I would be wrong in saying that everyone in this room thinks that this is a poor decision. Since we had to find out about this through the news, are there any thoughts as to how we should respond? General Blitz?" 

Blitz clears her throat, "There's only a small chance that the public will be overwhelmingly supportive of this direction. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were popular public figures and Twilight Sparkle was considered a hero. If we are to make any sort of move against Princess Celestia's will, we need to get the public on our side. She will not move ahead with a decision if the public is against it." 

"Excuse me, general." Blitz and Black Hawk turn their attention to Panzer. Panzer addresses Black Hawk, "If we openly object or oppose the Princess, it could potentially shake the public's confidence in her. Now is not the time for division, we are facing an enemy greater than we've ever seen. We need to stand behind the Princess, no matter what." 

Tomahawk looks at Panzer skeptically. "What are you suggesting, Panzer?" 

"I'm suggesting that we play along for the moment," he says. The rest of the staff, except for Black Hawk, look at him as if lobsters were crawling out of his ears. 

"Play along?" Maus speaks up. "We can't simply just go along with this, it's insane. I've been drilling my divisions in preparation for when we are called to the frontlines. We need to win this war first, then mourn our losses." 

"If we allow divisions to grow in our nation, will give the enemy the opportunity he needs to strike," Panzer retorts.

"But sitting around and doing nothing isn't helping us either," says Tomahawk. "We might as well paint a big red target around Canterlot." 

"Attention!" Black Hawk yells. The four generals quit their bickering and stand upright. Black Hawk gets in their faces, "Do I need to take you back to basic training, because you're acting like a bunch of fresh meat recruits, bitching about PT! We do not solve anything by bickering. I asked for suggestions, not a cockfight! At ease." The generals stand at ease as Black Hawk walks back behind his desk and leans up against it. "Now, we are going to play along with Princess Celestia's plans, and I want all four of you at the memorial tomorrow, full Class A uniform." Blitz, Tomahawk, and Maus give him looks of confusion. "But, I want you to listen to what the public is saying. Find out if they are in favor of this memorial. Talk to the guests and hear what they have to say. If there is to be a protest of any kind, seek it out and face them. You are all dismissed." 

The generals salute Black Hawk and walk out of the office. They split off from each other in the hallway, Maus and Panzer going to the right, Blitz and Tomahawk going to the left. “I can’t believe we are playing along with nonsense,” Tomahawk says, a tinge of anger still resonates in his tone. 

“Panzer has a point though,” Blitz says with a cool head. “We can’t confidently act against the Princess unless we have the public on our side. Attending this memorial will give us valuable information. We need to be thinking with our heads here, not our guts.”

“I’m surprised you’re on his side,” Tomahawk says, giving her a side look. 

Blitz doesn’t look back at him. She responds in a tempered tone, “I never said I was, my proposal relies on having public support. If we attend this memorial, speak with the guest in attendance, we might get a good idea about where they stand.” 

Tomahawk swings around and faces Blitz, stopping her in her tracks. “If this is just a reconnaissance mission, why do we all need to go? It would be more practical to just send one or two of the general staff in attendance.” 

Blitz steps around and keeps walking, Tomahawk tags alongside her. “You heard what the commander said, we need to play along. Shining Armor was the most respected high-ranking member of the Royal Guard branch of the Army. It would be an insult or seem suspicious if only one of us showed up. Besides, having all four of us there will greatly expand our information gathering.” 

“Very well,” Tomahawk huffs. “Let’s just hope it proves to be fruitful.”

“I’m certain it will,” Blitz responds



The day of the memorial, after the service, the generals are at the reception. Maus speaks with some members of the Royal Administration, the Chancellor of Education Neighsay, and Secretary of Labor Stallion. Black Hawk and Panzer mingle with the admirals of the Navy and generals of the Air Force. Tomahawk is conversing with some of the upper-class ponies in attendance, though he’s not enjoying it. Blitz is at the refreshment table, pouring herself a cup of punch. She takes a sip and cringes at the sweetness of the red liquid. This could use something strong, she thinks. Not wanting to be rude, she drinks the rest and lets out a “blegh.” 

A voice behind her chuckles and says, “I never much liked the taste of punch either.” Blitz turns around and recognizes the most respectable member of Canterlot high society, Fancy Pants. 

“Mister Fancy Pants,” Blitz says. “I didn’t know that you would be here.” 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Madame General,” he says. “Princess Cadence was well-liked among us, never a dull moment when she attended a gathering.” Fancy Pants looks off in the distance for a brief moment, appearing to remember the fond moments he shared with Cadence. His eyes tear up a little but he holds it together.

“I’m sorry for the loss of your companion,” Blitz says with sympathy.

Fancy Pants blinks a few times to clear his eyes and looks back at Blitz. “Oh forgive me, dear, here I am remembering the past and forgetting that you lost your brother-in-arms as well.” 

“We weren’t so much as compatriots, as we were mentor and student,” Blitz explains. “I taught him through basic and officer school. He was a good soldier, I’m glad to have served over him. He didn’t deserve to die at the hooves of that monster, none of them did.”

“Yes, a fate I wouldn’t even wish upon my worst enemy,” Fancy Pants says. 

“Rest assured, Fancy Pants,” she says, “the Equestrian military will seek every option to bring justice to Sombra, even if it means going to war.” 

Those last few words cause Fancy Pants’ demeanor to radically change. He becomes a bit squeamish, like a child failing to hide their guilt. His eyes reflect concern and fear. His breathing deepens as if he’s trying to suck every molecule of oxygen. He makes a big gulp before speaking, “W-W-Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Wars can be messy.” 

Blitz looks at Fancy Pants quizzically. “Of course but sometimes they are necessary, in this case, I believe it is. Sombra has proved to be a tremendous threat, no amount of diplomacy will change that. We hope the Princess will soon give the commands to mobilize our nation for war.” Fancy Pants lowers his head, purses his lips, and turns his eyes to the side. Beads of sweat begin to form on his brow, the color in his face drains slightly. Blitz notices this and asks, “Are you feeling alright?” 

Fancy Pants quickly composes himself though it’s still evident something is off. He clears his throat and says, “Uh yes, a thousand apologies, I had a… a rough sleep last night.” He fakes a smile, though it’s not enough to throw Blitz off his odd behavior. “Well I shall bid you farewell, for now, Madame General, there are plenty of other ponies around here I wish to speak to. Good day.” He departs from Blitz in a hurry, disappearing into the crowd of attendees. 

Blitz isn’t sure what to make of that conversation. Fancy Pants is usually the most eloquent and refined gentle stallion in all of Canterlot, if not in all of Equestria. It’s the reason why he’s so respected among the upper crust of Equestrian society. Yet, in that instance, he was the opposite of his reputation. Jittery, stuttering, and shifty, as if he’s a young colt with stage fright. Like his worst fear imaginable just appeared before him. 

“Thank Celestia I never decided to pursue politics,” Tomahawk says as he walks up to Blitz. “I don’t think I can endure another conversation with these high society airbags.” He looks at Blitz and notices that she’s not listening, her mind is off somewhere else. “Um, Blitz?” 

“Hm, oh sorry, I was deep in thought,” Blitz says, breaking her concentration. “I just had a very strange conversation with Fancy Pants. He didn’t seem like himself.”

“How so?” he asks, as he turns to the refreshment table, looking for something to eat. 

“I’m not entirely sure,” she responds, looking off to where Fancy Pants disappeared to. “He started acting strange whenever I mentioned the possibility of war as if he’s afraid of it.”

Tomahawk grabs and munches on a shortbread cookie. “Well, not everyone is going to like the idea of a war,” he says as he eats. “There’s always going to be peace doves, we just have to make sure they’re outnumbered by the war hawks.” He swallows the cookie and grabs another one. He turns back around and motions his hoof out towards the attendees, “Look around you, we are surrounded by the holders of Equestria’s moral high ground. They’re always going to detest anything that doesn’t sound peaceful or tolerant until the threat directly affects them. If they had their way every time, our jobs would be pointless.” 

“I suppose,” Blitz says. Perhaps that conversation was just a weird objection to war, but it still nags at the back of her mind. Her thoughts move away from the strange interaction and back to the reason why she’s here. “Have you been able to get anything about support for a war?” 

Tomahawk shakes his head, “No, I’ve tried raising the topic a few times but before I can finish a sentence, they’ll have already begun a new topic. I did hear there’s a small protest outside the castle, Maus is checking it out, though I don’t think it’s going to give us anything.” 

Blitz rubs her face in frustration and lets out a heavy sigh. “Great,” she groans, “so we pretty much wasted our time here.” 

“Well, we could always try talking to the Elements and Shining’s parents,” Tomahawk suggests.

“There are far too many guests here,” Blitz says. “Everyone is going to want to pay their respects, and I rather not deal with a bunch of complaining silver spoons.” She inhales and lets out an exhausted sigh, “Let’s just go, we’re not going to get anything here. Might as well just wait for further orders.” Blitz begins to walk towards the reception exit. 

“Hold on second,” Tomahawk says. He turns around to the refreshment table and grabs several of the remaining shortbread cookies. He turns back around and receives a judgemental look from Blitz. “What? It’s for the kids.” Blitz cocks her right eyebrow up, knowing his excuse to be fake. Tomahawk rolls his eyes, “Fine, and it’s for me as well.” 

Blitz smiles, chuckles, and shakes her head. “You and I are hitting the gym first thing tomorrow morning,” she tells him. 

Tomahawk and Blitz work their way through the crowd of attendees, giving passing goodbyes as they walk. As they exit the reception, they notice someone running towards them at breakneck speed, it’s Maus. As she runs, she calls out to them, “Blitz! Tomahawk! You gotta see this!” She meets up with them and tries to catch her breath.

“Maus, what’s going on?” Blitz asks. 

“Is it the protest?” Tomahawk asks, Maus nods in response, still not able to breathe. “What happened?” 

Maus collects her breath and says, “It’s not what happened, it’s what’s happening.” Blitz and Tomahawk look at each other then back at Maus with confused expressions. “It’s not a small protest, not in the least. You two have gotta go see it, I’m going to get the commander and Panzer.” She moves around the two and runs into the crowd to get Black Hawk and Panzer. 

Before she disappears, Blitz calls out to her asking, “Where’s the protest?”

“Right outside the drawbridge!” Maus shouts back, then vanishes into the crowd. 

Without a second thought, Tomahawk and Blitz run in the direction of the draw bridge. As they grow closer, shouts and chants from the protest become louder. When they reach the gate, they climb up the tower stairs to get a better sight. When they’re on top of the wall, they are astounded by the scene before them. This is not a protest of ten or twenty ponies, but hundreds if not thousands. Picket signs and poster boards scattered over the crowd say different things but the message is the same: “No Peace Without War,” “Death to the Crystal Empire,” “Justice for Twilight and the Royal Couple.” The chant “Avenge the Fallen, Kill the Tyrant” rings out across the entire mob. 

They look down at the end of the draw bridge and see a line of heavily armored guards blocking. In addition to the normal armor, in front of them are great scuta shields, interlocked to form a shield wall. Attached to their right side are clubs, and on the other side are two-cylinder canisters. Even though they can’t read the writing from on top of the wall, they recognize tear gas canisters when they see them. They back over the crowd of protesters; while it is a peaceful protest, the line of guards armed with riot gear is concerning. 

“Well if this isn’t quite the sight to behold.” Blitz and Tomahawk look away from the protest and see Black Hawk joining them, with Maus and Panzer following. “Never in my life would I have expected Equestrians to come out in droves to declare they want a war.” 

“It’s almost hard to believe, sir,” Blitz says. “If these ponies represent what the rest of the nation is feeling, we can make our case to the Princess.” 

“One protest doesn’t make an argument,” Panzer says as he looks over the protesters. 

“Oh come, Panzer,” says Tomahawk, “you’ve gotta admit that this is a pretty good start.” 

“It’s a start, and nothing more,” Panzer says. “What of Manehattan, Vanhoover, Baltimare, or Cloudsdale, there are still many cities that have yet to speak up. Not to mention the various rural towns and villages.” 

“Which is why we need to get our position out now,” Tomahawk says. He walks up to Black Hawk and says, “Sir, this is just a small flame, we need to stoke. If the public knows we are on their side, our position will become stronger. We’ll have the advantage we need to push Princess Celestia towards war.” 

Black Hawk looks over the crowd, he ponders for a moment, then says, “Maus, Blitz.” The two generals turn their attention to him. “Prepare a statement for the press detailing our position. Tomahawk and Panzer, begin notifying every news agency across Equestria that they’re about to receive something good.” He looks around and sees his generals are still awaiting his dismissal. “What are you waiting for? Get moving!” The generals move pass one another getting to the stairs, leaving Black Hawk alone on the wall. 

He looks over the protest one last time before leaving. He mutters, “Time to prep the hounds of war.”
> Chapter 4: Hopeless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight awakens in her cell, her back aching having slept on the hard ground for who knows how many nights now. It's been hard to keep track of how many days it's been since she first woke up in this cell. If possible, she would be making marks on the wall to keep count, but crystal walls are impossible to scratch with just her hoof. She stands up and stretches her back and neck out, hoping to ease some of the sleeping pain. 

She looks up at the window and sighs, the auburn clouds still cover the sky; she never thought she would ever miss the blue sky. Waking up every day to Princess Celestia's beautiful morning sky is a blessing not many ponies are aware of. It was a subtle reminder that the Princess was still the ruler of Equestria, under her everypony could prosper and feel safe. Even on the roughest of days, a pony can look up and feel a glimmer of hope for they know the Princess still reigns. As Twilight looks up at this auburn sky, at Sombra's sky, her feelings are of a polar opposite. 

This doesn't make her feel secure or hopeful, a pony couldn't possibly feel like tomorrow will be a better day when looking up at this sky. Freedom is replaced with imprisonment, dread overtakes hope. Sombra's sky is a less than subtle reminder that he rules, he is in control. Twilight longs to see even a hint of blue in this sky, just one little ray of hope. But, alas, there is no blue for her to find.

Twilight walks over to the window and props her forehooves on the wall to look out the window. She looks off into a general direction and wonders of her home, Ponyville. It feels as though it's been so long since she's been home. She misses her quiet Golden Oaks Library, being surrounded by the smell of books, each one very distinct. She misses Sugar Cube Corner, helping Pinkie Pie by tasting the newest daily delight or simply sharing a laugh. She misses Rarity's boutique, she'll never forget the day Rarity offered to make Twilight her dress for the Grand Galloping Galla and being given the best dress she's ever worn. She misses the countryside, visiting Applejack at her farm or Fluttershy at her cottage. She even misses Rainbow Dash's sudden and catastrophic entries, always using the excuse of "a new trick."  If her horn wasn't gone, all she would have to do is think of home and would zap herself back there. She closes her eyes and thinks of home. 

Her thoughts are interrupted when a loud knock comes from her cell door. She hops off the wall and turns around. The door opens and standing before is a unicorn mare, slightly taller than Twilight, silver mane and tail, snow-white coat, and dressed in red armor with black trimmings. Her face retains a certain degree of gravitas, her eyes looking at Twilight with a cold glare. Twilight bows her head, looking down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the intimidating figure. 

"His majesty requests your presence, come with me," the guard says in a low, monotone voice. She does an about-face and walks out through the cell doorway as Twilight looks up. She doesn't follow the guard out of her cell, instead, she looks at her confusingly. 

Why is Sombra requesting Twilight out of her cell to see him? Anytime he needed to talk to her, he would come down to the dungeon himself. Now, however, he's wanting her to come up to either the throne room or the royal office as if she was his guest and not his prisoner. Could this be about their conversation a few days ago, concerning her horn? While his proposal was intriguing, she never accepted his offer. Of course, she longs to have a horn again, but if this horn is from Sombra it will surely involve the dark arts. Twilight's exposure to dark magic may be limited, but she's seen enough that it can lead to many terrifying and unnatural abilities. She's seen what it can do to other ponies, she's seen it corrupt Princess Luna and she sees the corruption in Sombra, she wants no part in that kind of magic. 

"It's not wise to keep the King, or myself, waiting," the guard says impatiently. She looks back at Twilight with a cold, stern look in her eyes. 

Twilight walks out of her cell and is greeted by two other guards to her left. Their entire body, except for their upper legs and ears, is covered in black armor with raven mane and tail decorations. Metal spikes line down the spine, on their shoulder guards, and the helmet fangs. Their mouths are muzzled and their eyes are covered with shields except for one small slit that reveals a green glow. She's terrified by their appearance, she worries if this is her fate when she meets with Sombra. 

"We best get a move on," the guard says as she opens up a swirling-green portal with her magic and walks through. Twilight is hesitant to walk through but one of the guards gives her a shove and she stumbles into the portal.

She comes out on the other side into a familiar hallway. She recognizes it as the hall that leads to many of the guest rooms and the royal office. The structure and color scheme hasn't changed, though black banners with green and purple diamond crests hang along the walls. Twilight looks down the hall and sees that the silver mane guard hasn't walked very far. She decides to follow her rather than risk any more aggressive behaviors from the other two guards, who are now coming through the portal. 

They walk down to the end of the hall where they end up in front of a large, violet crystal door. The silver mane guard turns her head back to Twilight and says, "Wait here." She turns back to the doors, knocks on it three times, and enters the room, leaving the door ajar. 

Twilight stands there patiently and fearfully waiting to be called. She looks up at a banner to her right and studies the crest. A long white diamond stretched out on its side with three other diamonds standing in front of it. The center diamond is colored with dark green, and the other two are a faded purple. To Twilight, the crest looks like an eye always looking at her, watching her every move. A subtle reminder that Sombra is always watching. She feels a sense of uneasiness coming over her, a feeling of her security being violated. She looks away from the banner, but she can still feel it's stare. 

The double doors open wide, catching Twilight's attention. The silver mane guard walks out and stands in front of Twilight, looking down at her. "The King will see you now, alone," she says in disdain. Twilight looks past the guard and into the room and gulps hard. She slowly walks into the room, the guard eyeballing her.  When she's inside, the doors behind her slam shut. 

"I apologize if Captain Silver Vein was a little harsh towards you." Twilight looks to her left and sees Sombra sitting at his writing something down with his quill. "She's always been distrustful of outsiders," he says. "She never agreed with my mother's decision to form diplomatic ties, especially with Equestria." Twilight walks towards his desk and doesn't say anything, though his comment does have her intrigued. 

Sombra looks up from his work and chuckles a little, "Well, I didn't bring you up here to bore you with tales of the past." He pushes himself away from the desk and walks over to a small table near the fireplace. It holds a few glasses and a large glass container of liquor. He uses his magic to pour himself a drink. 

"Why am I here Sombra?" Twilight assertively asks. 

Sombra sips his drink, lowers his glass, and grins at it. "Even after being locked up in that dreaded cell for days, your will is still strong." He looks over at her impressed, "That is certainly admirable." 

"What's going on?" Twilight asks. "You didn't bring me up here to serve me compliments, did you?"  

"That depends, is it working?" he jokes, Twilight glares back at him. He looks away from Twilight and into the roaring fire. "No, I've brought you up here for a better reason. I wanted to tell you that your room is now ready and you no longer have to stay in that ghastly cell anymore." 

Twilight walks over to Sombra, she stands on the other end of the fireplace. She looks at him with suspicion, "A room, with a real bed? Are you being serious?" Twilight asks, Sombra nods in response. "You're just giving me a room? Even though I'm your prisoner?"

"Well first off, you're not my prisoner, you're my guest," he explains. "Second, I'm not just giving you a room, I expect something in return." 

"I knew there was a catch," Twilight mutters loudly. 

"Everything has a catch, Miss Twilight," says Sombra, he turns his head to face her. "In exchange for a room, I want you to become my apprentice."

Twilight's eyes widen in shock, she figured he would make such an offer but never expected him to be so blunt or bold in his proposal.  Once she collects her thoughts, she lets out a quiet laugh of amusing disbelief. "You expect me to become your student, in exchange for a nice room? I am not so easily bought by feather pillows and fancy dresses. You certainly have underestimated who you are bartering with. " 

"Perhaps I have," Sombra says as he takes another of his drink. "But you may want to consider this, refuse my offer and you will be treated as my prisoner. You will remain in your cell and my guards will be less than hospitable with you." 

Twilight walks over to him and looks up at him with sternly. "Do what you can, Sombra," she says harshly. "I will never be your student. I only have one teacher that I am loyal to, Princess Celestia. I will never betray her trust or her teachings for you." Sombra doesn't say anything in response, instead, he begins to chuckle. Twilight, confused, asks, "What's so amusing?" 

Sombra turns away from the fireplace and walks over to a standing mirror. "Such loyalty to a princess who sends others to do her job," he says. 

"What are you talking--," Twilight begins but she's cut off by Sombra. 

"Tell me, Miss Twilight, why were you and your friends sent to stop Nightmare Moon?" he asks, turning around to face her. 

"How do you know about that?" she responds. 

He turns back to the mirror and says to it, "Give her the answer she seeks." In the mirror, black clouds swirl around then separate to reveal that night from two years ago. Twilight walks over to the mirror and is amazed by what she sees. She witnesses her and her friends wandering through the Everfree Forrest, encountering the numerous obstacles during their trek. She sees their battle with Nightmare Moon, concluding with them using the Elements of Harmony. 

"I've been studying you and your friend's many victories for the past few days," he explains. "You six are an impressive team. It seems you only fail when you are separated from each other." 

"How is this even possible?" she asks both marveled and perplexed. "I only know of a single time travel spell and that only sent me back a week." 

"This mirror has been in my family for generations," he says. "It's not time travel, rather it's a window that lets me see what was and what is. Recently, as I have said, I've been viewing your victories: Nightmare Moon, the sleeping dragon, parasprites, Discord, even Queen Chrysalis. While an impressive list, they all seem unnecessary." The image dissipates and shows their reflection. Sombra turns away from the mirror and walks towards his desk. 

Twilight turns to look at him, confused. "What are you talking about? If it wasn't for us, Equestria would've been doomed." 

Sombra stops and looks back at Twilight. "Yes, but if Celestia did her job as 'Protector of the Realm,' you wouldn't be needed. If Celestia truly cared for the security of her nation and her ponies, she would deal with the dangers herself. Instead, she endangers her subjects just to give you a lesson in friendship." 

"That's not true," Twilight protests. "Princess Celestia would never be so careless with the safety of her citizens." 

"Would she? When Discord returned, he flipped the world upside down with his chaos powers, not only creating problems for Equestria but for other nations around the world, yet she did nothing and left everything up to you," Sombra argues, slowly walking closer to Twilight. "When Queen Chrysalis infiltrated her niece's wedding, Celestia made no effort to snuff out the bugs. Let's not forget that she was nowhere to be found when Nightmare Moon began her brief reign of terror, throwing the entire nation into violent chaos."

"You-You don't know that," Twilight responds with shaking confidence.

Sombra walks past Twilight and up to the mirror. He tells it, "show me Canterlot on the night Nightmare Moon returned." The black clouds swirl around then dissipate to reveal a chaotic scene. Ponies panicking and rioting in the streets, looting shops and houses. The Royal Canterlot Guard quell the rioters with clubs and tear gas, violently attacking them.

Twilight looks on the scene with horror, she had no idea this had happened two years ago. She's been to Canterlot many times but has never heard a single pony talk about it. How can such brutality be forgotten? As the event plays out, her eyes focus on one particular scene. An old friend from Canterlot, Lemon Hearts, is pinned to the ground by two guards, who are cuffing her hooves with zip ties. She tries to squirm away from them, claiming that she wasn't looting. One of the guards shouts at her to be quiet and quit resisting arrest. She begs them to stop, tearing streaming from her eyes. The other guard, a unicorn, raises his club with his magic and whacks the back of her head, knocking her unconscious. Once the binds are on, the guards grab her by her forelegs and hall her away. Twilight looks away, distressed and trying to hold back her tears. It is in vain as she begins to weep for her friend. 

The scene in the mirror vanishes. Sombra looks upon Twilight with sympathy and regret. Perhaps he was too cruel in making his point. He raises his hoof and, slowly and gently, places it on her back in an attempt to comfort.  

Twilight doesn't know how to respond to what she just saw. She wants to lash out of Sombra, accuse him of making the mirror lie to her. It's impossible Canterlot would have descended into such chaos. Celestia would never allow her city to fall into anarchy. Yet the truth is right in front of her. Nightmare Moon's return caused more trouble than initially realized. She fears how many more of her Canterlot friends were hurt that night, and whether they were just as bad or worse than what Lemon Hearts received. 

Sombra lowers his hoof, seeing as it does not an effect. He slowly walks to the door but stops mid-way. He looks back at Twilight who hasn't moved at all. He looks down at the ground, contemplating for a moment, looks back up at her and says, "You may stay in your new room for the night. You don't have to agree to my proposition just yet. I will show you to your room." He looks forward and continues to the door. Twilight looks over to him, wiping tears from her eyes. Without a second thought or hesitation, she follows him out of the room. 

As they walk down the hallway, Twilight trails behind Sombra. Her head is bowed, her thoughts fixated on the scene from the mirror. Sombras looks back at her, wishing to say something to bring her comfort, but he doesn't. 

After a few minutes, he stops in front of a pale purple door and opens it. Twilight looks inside to see an elegant and luxurious crystal bedroom. The purple and white crystals glisten in the auburn light from the window. The beauty, though, is lost on Twilight. She walks into the room and appearing too preoccupied in her thoughts to care about the room's decor. 

"If you need anything," Sombra says, "pull the rope by the door and a servant will come up to assist you. I will leave you alone to get comfortable." 

The door closes behind Twilight. She walks over to the bedroom window and looks up at the sky. Though Sombra's clouds still cover the sky, she spots something breaking through it. A single ray of sunlight breaking through the murk. She focuses on the ray of sun, longing that it may give a glimmer of hope. But she feels nothing.
> Chapter 5: Deception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening streetlights of Canterlot light up, providing visible paths for its citizens during the evening. Fancy Pants follows these lights to his home as he walks from work, the Ministry of Public Relations.

The day has been rather busy, especially since he is the minister. Ever since the protests began a week ago, his department has been working at full speed. Support for a war against the Crystal Empire has been growing, the most recent Gallop poll projected war support at 48%, fifteen points up since the memorial. It hasn't helped either that a branch of the Equestrian Military has announced their support for the protesters. 

Two days after the memorial, General Black Hawk released a statement to the press complimenting the protesters. He said, "These are true citizens of Equestria who wish to see justice for the three ponies they looked up to. They know the only right course of action is a war against Sombra and his corrupt regime. It is the duty of Equestria's leaders to deliver justice, there is no avoiding it." It took only three sentences to give the minister the worst headache in recorded history. 

For the past five days, he and his team have been on damage control, trying to reinforce the message that Princess will be meeting with her Royal Council of Ministers soon to develop a plan. It hasn't been easy; at every single press briefing, the question of whether the Princess would consider war has popped up a minimum of ten times a day. Unfortunately, he doesn't know if war will be considered nor what to say to the press, so he's frequently relied on a placeholder answer. "The Princess and her Council are close to delivering a response towards Sombra's aggression." He's given them the same answer so much that he sounds like a broken record.  However, that position isn't entirely true. 

The Princess hasn't called her ministers to work on any sort of response for Sombra. Fancy Pants is honestly surprised the Princess hasn't called the Council of Ministers together, especially after General Black Hawk, who is also the Minister of Ground Defense, released his statement. But it's likely the Princess' still mourning the loss of her niece, nephew-in-law, and student. Under normal circumstances, he would wish that the Princess either pull herself together and run the nation or temporarily give Princess Luna charge until she's fit to lead again. However, Fancy Pants does not find himself under normal circumstances. 

As he walks down the dimly lit street, he notices a figure standing underneath a street light outside his house. A knot begins to form in his stomach, he knows who's waiting for him. As he nears his home, he walks up to the dark grey unicorn with a charcoal mane and tail. Her back is turned to him, he clears his throat to get her attention. She turns around and looks at him; her eyes are green with red pupils and purple smoke pouring out. A chill crawls up Fancy Pants' spin, he takes a deep breath before speaking. 

"I-I-I wasn't expecting you tonight," he says, his voice shaking. 

"The king demands a progress report," she says in an authoritative and monotone voice. 

"Ah, I see. W-well there hasn't been much change, but I assure you, everything is well under control." He flashes her a nervous smile, hoping she's satisfied enough to leave. But her expression doesn't change, instead, she glares at him with displeasure. His smile fades away, realizing that she's not leaving. 

The unicorn summons a spell from her horn and she shoots a beam at Fancy Pants. He winces, shutting his eyes and stepping back in reaction. When he opens them up, he finds himself in a black void. A plume of green and purple flames burst before him, and from the flames steps out King Sombra. Fancy Pants trembles in fear, his legs weaken as Sombra walks towards him. 

Sombra looks down on the little stallion. "You haven't been honest with me," Sombra says. "The reports from my agents are telling a different tale." He begins to walk around Fancy Pants, creating an encirclement of intimidation around him. Fancy Pants' legs begin to shake as if they were the tails of rattlesnakes. "They say that the situation is getting out of hoof for you. More pro-war protests are popping up in every city. Support for a war against my kingdom is rising. If things haven't changed much since our last meeting, then why does the majority of your nation want a war?" 

"Well it's really more of a plurality but--," Fancy Pants' correction is cut off when Sombra casts a sudden terror spell on him. Fancy's eyes glow lime green as he is showed images of his worse fears. The torturous imagery causes him to let out blood-curdling screams, screams that might make one think he is trapped in eternal damnation. The spell only lasts a few brief seconds, but for him, it might as well have been an eternity. He falls to the ground, gasping for every molecule of air he can breathe in. His eyes stretch wide and his brow becomes coated in sweat. He looks up at Sombra, tears beginning to drip. 

Sombra glares at him as a master would glare at a disobedient dog. "Choose your next words carefully, and remember your place," Sombra scornfully warns him. "That spell was only a taste of what is to come should you decide to cross me. I chose you because of your position and the power it wields, not because of your charisma or your wit, for which you certainly lack." Fancy Pants slowly stands up and composes himself, taking in one more breath and blinking the tears away. "Now, tell me the truth!" 

Fancy Pants breaths in one more time. "Your agents...are correct, your royal highness," he admits, though hesitantly. "Support for war is on the rise, the protests gain more supporters with every passing day. It also doesn't help that the Minister of Ground Defense even expressed his support for the protesters. Well, not explicitly but it certainly was phrased to be interpreted that way. I'm surprised he hasn't considered a career in politics."

"You seem to admire the minister," Sombra notes. He paces around Fancy Pants while he digests his reports. His eyes don't turn to look at Fancy but stay locked in a forward position, and his lips purse with concentration. 

"On the contrary, but the war hawk does have his moments," Fancy Pants says. "Yet even at his best he still gives me headaches. My department has been on damage control ever since; everyone wants to know if Princess Celestia supports the minister, but no one has seen her since the memorial and I am hounded by the press every single day. It becomes less manageable by the minute." 

Sombra softly chuckles. "Oh Tia, you have hardly changed," he mutters to himself. He stops in his pace to look at Fancy Pants, who looks down at the ground to avoid his gaze. "You need not fret about what to do, Sir Fancy, for the solution is right in front of you." 

"I don't understand, your royal highness," Fancy replies. 

"Then use that tiny brain your mother gave you and think," Sombra says in annoyance. "How long has it been since Equestria had a war?"

Fancy Pants tries to remember way back to his school history lessons. "If I'm correct, the last war we had was the War of the Two Sisters, when Nightmare Moon and her Thestral servants rebelled against Princess Celestia. That was well over a thousand years ago, no pony alive today has a living memory of that war." 

"Precisely," Sombra says with a smirk. "A thousand years of peace, while impressive, has made your ponies arrogant of their own strength. For the past few years, all their major problems were solved with the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses. Now that the Magic Element is decommissioned, and your Princess has done little in terms of leading, they see war as the only option. It seems they have forgotten the real reason why Equestria has maintained peace with her foreign neighbors for so long, you should remind them. 

Fancy Pants thinks over Sombra's advice for a minute and realizes what he is implying. He nods and says, "Yes, I will make sure to remind them tomorrow." 

A sinister smile grows across Sombra's face. "Good. I will allow you to leave now, and be sure to tune into the news tomorrow morning, some of the protesters are going to turn violent tonight."

With that said, the black void and Sombra begin to dissipate around Fancy Pants and the real world returns to him. He is still standing in front of his house, underneath the streetlight, with the dark grey unicorn standing before him. It doesn't seem that much time has passed as the night sky still hangs above. Fancy Pants thanks the dark unicorn, whose eyes are now normal, and walks into his house. 

As the unicorn watches Fancy enter leave, Sombra's voice mentally speaks to her. "Obsidian, gather a few of the other agents around Canterlot, we need to cause some destruction." 

"Yes, your royal highness," Obsidian replies and vanishes into the dark street. 



The sun rises over the horizon, ushering in a new day in Equestria. At Sweet Apple Acres, a rooster crows his loud holler to wake the residents. Applejack gets up from her bed, picks up her hat from her nightstand, puts it on, and makes her way outside the house to begin her chores before breakfast. She tends to the cows in the barn, cleans out their hay, and fills their feed and water troughs. After she's finished with that, she heads over to the chicken coop and does the same routine. Her chores tend to take her at least an hour or two. Her siblings have their own morning chores, rendering them unavailable to help. Applejack doesn't mind, as much as she loves her family, she appreciates the alone time the morning gives her. It allows her to get lost in her thoughts, something she feels is needed these days.

It's been almost two weeks since Twilight's passing and Applejack has become more and more preoccupied with her work on the farm. It's been her way of coping with what's been happening, trying to retain some semblance of normal when everything else around you is drastically changing. Two of her closest friends have died, she barely escaped that monster, and all of Equestria is ready to tear itself apart. Working on the farm and doing her daily chores are the only things keeping her sane anymore. While she would usually retreat to her friends during such chaotic times, things between the five of them haven't been the same. 

She hasn't seen any of her friends since the memorial. With Twilight gone, there wasn't much holding them together. She was their lynchpin. They each went their separate ways. Like Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie retreated into their work at their respective shops. Fluttershy isolated herself in her cottage, only coming into Ponyville for the occasional supply run. Rainbow Dash moved back to Cloudsdale to continue training for the Wonderbolts. Why she continues to chase after that dream during these times is beyond Applejack. 

Now, this is not to say things have grown cold between the five of them. If they see each other in the streets, they will say hello and exchange small talk, but nothing beyond that. They hardly get together anymore and conversations last no more than a few minutes. Things aren't necessarily cold, rather lukewarm. But she does miss them, and she hopes she might be able to reignite her friendship with them someday when things go back to normal. 

When Applejack finishes her chores, she heads inside where she is greeted by the smells of breakfast. She walks into the kitchen to see Apple Bloom and Granny Smith cooking up a storm. Used bowls and measuring cups are scattered across the counters, eggshells and spilled milk are also found among the chaos. On the counter closest to Applejack, a hot griddle cooks four slices of bread that have been soaked in an egg, milk, and spice mixture, which sits in a bowl next to the griddle. The scrumptious smell lifts Applejack's tired spirits, even before she's had a chance to get her coffee. 

"Mornin' y'all," Applejack greets them with a yawn. 

"Mornin' Applejack!" Apple Bloom says in a joyfully loud voice. "We're having sourdough French toast for breakfast!" 

"Smells awfully tasty," Applejack politely replies. In truth, she's grown tired of Apple Bloom's strange fixation with sourdough. 

Ever since the memorial, it's been the one thing that she and her friends can't get their minds off of. At first, she thought it was just another scheme to get their cutie marks, but usually, their schemes last a few days, sometimes only half an hour, but never two weeks. Initially, Applejack didn't mind, she quite enjoyed the bread Apple Bloomed made and was quite impressed by her skill. Then she made sourdough waffles, sourdough pancakes, sourdough cookies, and sourdough brownies, so much sourdough that Applejack is now sick of it. Either this is a new phase for Apple Bloom or a strange coping mechanism to handle these chaotic times. Regardless, she hopes Apple Bloom finds something else to cook besides sourdough, preferably something with apples.

Applejack pours herself a mug of coffee and goes back into the living room. Before she sits down, she turns on the radio and tunes it to her favorite news station, EPR. She turns the knobs to set the dial to the correct number, the scratching noise of changing stations comes through the speakers. Once on the right channel, the scratching noise is replaced by the soothing professional tone of the EPR news anchor. 

Live from EPR News in Canterlot, I'm your host, Cookie Roberts. Applejack takes a seat on the couch as she listens to the morning report. 

The Canterlot guard were awoken early this morning when one of their stations was suddenly attacked by an unknown group of assailants. At around 3:30 this morning, between five to seven ponies attacked the station in the commercial district. At least two of the attackers were identified as unicorns and allegedly cast fire spells at the station, causing damage to the front of the building and inside the lobby. The two night guards posted out front reported to have been clubbed over the head and knocked out when the attack began. The attackers quickly dispersed once the rest of the night guard sprang into action. There have been no reported deaths or anymore reported injuries, but significant damage was done to the station and none of the attackers were apprehended. 

Lieutenant Frisk of the station claims that the attackers were pro-war protesters due to several slogans belonging to the protesters painted on the undamaged walls and asphalt. At a press conference in front of the scene, the lieutenant said this to reporters: 'These protesters are cowards for having committed such heinous acts. Instead of taking their grievances directly to the Princess, they instead attack the mares and stallions that swear an oath to protect and serve the Princess and her subjects. We have heard their vicious slurs towards us and the Princess, now they have turned to violent actions. If they wish to make enemies of their own kind, they do so at their own behest.'

Applejack looks down at her coffee and gently shakes her head in disapproval. Ever since the protests began, she has felt conflicted about the whole ordeal. One the one hoof, she knows far too well how evil King Sombra is and that he needs to be brought down. He murdered her friends and enslaved all those poor Crystal Ponies, he shouldn't remain in power. On the other hoof, however, is war really the best option? If a war was to break out between their two kingdoms, her and Big Mac would most certainly be drafted, leaving the farm in the hooves of Granny and Apple Bloom. In fact, most of the soldiers that will fight will consist of draftees, barely trained, and unprepared for combat draftees. Equestria might win the numbers game, but Sombra's military could have the training and equipment to render the numbers moot. 

She sips her coffee and continues to listen to the news. That same morning, the Minister of Public Relations, Fancy Pants, delivered a short speech regarding the attack and the situation with the Crystal Empire during the morning press briefing. 

Robert's voice is replaced by Fancy Pants' as he delivers his statement. Harmony, that has been the key tenant behind our entire culture. Our nation symbolizes what harmony means, we are all different races of pony yet we work together to achieve greatness. But we do not just practice harmony at home, but abroad as well. We are surrounded by neighbors who are very different from us. To the west, the Deer of Olenia and the Changelings; to the far north, the Griffins of Nova Griffonia and the Yaks of Yakyakistan; to the south, the Buffalo tribes of Appleloosa and the Dragon Clans on the Isles of Dragons; and most recently, the Crystal Ponies of the Crystal Empire. I won't deny that tensions between our two nations are high.

The actions committed by their ruler, King Sombra Umber, are certainly horrific. Many feel that these actions are just cause to declare war, but Equestria has never sought war, for that is not who we are. Applejack looks up from her coffee and glares at the radio with surprise. This is the first time that she's heard the government or at least someone who represents them, take an opposing stance on this issue. When General Black Hawk praised the protesters, she thought it would only be a matter of time before war was officially declared. Now it may seem the government is just as split on this issue as the rest of the nation is. 

She continues listening to the minister. Equestria has been at peace for a thousand years with her neighbors. The last war we fought was the War of the Two Sisters, our only civil war against Nightmare Moon and her minions. Since then, our master diplomats and ambassadors have found ways to keep the peace and strengthen harmony with our neighbors. Whenever there's a conflict of interest, we compromise and we work out deals. That's what we have always done and that's what we will do moving forward.

When the Royal Council of Ministers meets with Princess Celestia, she will depend on our advice, which will be cool, collected, and constructive, not hot, temperamental, and destructive. We will search for a solution that will deliver justice and avoid war. Should anypony who wishes to oppose the Princess' decision through violent means, you do so at the risk of provoking the royal guard. Thank you.

A flurry of questions from reporters follows the end of Fancy Pants' speech. Applejack turns off the radio, deciding she's heard enough news this morning, especially after what she heard. For days she was all set on awaiting the inevitable. She never put her full support behind a war but expected it to come any day, especially after General Black Hawk. Now, the future seems more uncertain. An uneasy feeling settles in her stomach and makes her slightly nauseous, she doesn't know what's going to happen now. 

"Breakfast is ready!" Apple Bloom shouts from the kitchen. Applejack takes another sip of her coffee and stands up. Perhaps some breakfast will help settle her nerves. 



In Celestia's study at Canterlot Castle, she rests on her rug in front of a roaring fireplace. A radio on a stand sits next to the rug, playing the EPR News, but she's not listening. Hearing her own Minister of Public Relations has caused her to fall into her thoughts. She stares into the fire, watching the flames dance and lick the brick inside, while she ponders something. 

There's a knock on the door. A servant enters the study with a cart that has a covered plate of food on it. "Your breakfast is here, your royal highness," the servant announces as she enters. Celestia doesn't respond, nor does she acknowledge her presence. 

The servant has grown used to it by this point. Ever since the memorial, Celestia hasn't been herself. The servant is the only pony Celestia really sees anymore, though it would be more accurate to say the servant has been the only one to see Celestia. While she would normally have more roles as the Princess's personal servant, delivering food has been all she's done these last several days. The servant wishes she could do more for her, but she knows there's only so much one can do to help someone who is mourning. At least the Princess is eating, that much the servant can make sure of. 

She leaves the cart of food by Celestia and begins to leave. "Lileth," Celestia calls out to her. The servant called Lileth stops and turns around with surprise, this is the first time she's heard the Princess speak in days. Celestia stands up and turns to Lileth. "Would please send a notice to my ministers? I wish to meet with them at 1:00 today." 

"Yes your royal highness," Lileth responds with a bow. "Might I ask for why you wish to meet them?" 

Celestia turns back towards the fireplace and looks up at a small box that sits on the mantel. The box that holds the horns of her niece, nephew, and star student. "It's time we find answers to our problems."
> Chapter 6: Field Trip
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

15 A.D. (After Discord)...

Celestia and Luna travel in their royal carriage on the road north along with an entourage of guards and servants traveling on hoof. Luna gazes out the window watching the world pass by while her sister reads a book to pass the time. Every few minutes, Luna lets out a sigh of boredom and protest, but Celestia ignores her sister’s pouts. 

They’re on their way to visit the newly coronated ruler of the Crystal Empire, a nation that very recently opened its borders and began developing diplomatic relations. They have cut themselves off from the rest of the world for some time, largely due to being protective of their vast resources of magical crystals. These crystals are known for having a variety of magical properties, such as storing energy or the souls of living beings, having powers that can heal wounds and illness, and can enhance the effectiveness of certain spells when consumed. Any nation would be envious of such powerful deposits belonging to another nation. To keep their mines a secret, the Crystal Empire has practiced a policy of isolationism, baring all traders, emissaries, and immigrants from within their borders for hundreds of years. 

What’s different now is the new ruler, Empress Vestra, wants to expand the empire’s influence and make it a bigger player on the world stage. She believes the best way to do this is to establish strong alliances and trade agreements with their neighbors. While the decision was controversial among her court, the Empress rule is final and several emissaries were sent out across the continent. 

When one of the emissaries arrived in the Court of Equestria, Celestia was eager to meet the Empress and to see if the stories about the empire bear any truth. She had heard many tales about the Crystal Empire throughout the years from travelers who claim to have been there. More importantly, after several years of turmoil from Discord, Tirek, and Scorpon, their crystals could be the key to stabilizing their kingdom. Shortly after the arrival of the emissary, she made plans for her and Luna to visit the empire. 

While her sister is more than excited to visit the empire, Luna is less than thrilled at the idea. She has nothing against the empire, nor does she dislike the idea of having access to their crystals. What she doesn’t find appealing is her sister putting all their hopes in these crystals to help their kingdom. She believes they should be focusing their efforts on rebuilding their agriculture, industry, and infrastructure. Pursuing a trade alliance with the Crystal Empire should be close to the bottom of the list of priorities right now. She tried to convince her sister to leave her in Equestria, that way there’s at least one sovereign to lead the reconstruction efforts. Celestia, however, insisted that they both go so the Crystal Empress can see how serious they are about establishing a diplomatic relationship between their two kingdoms. 

Though defiant at first, Luna reluctantly agreed to go. Perhaps humoring her sister’s whims, for now, will allow her to later focus on reconstruction. Nevertheless, she is not enjoying the journey and fully intends to take on a passive role when they arrive. 

“I still bethink t isn’t necessary f’r both of us to wend,” Luna says in a huff. 

“Oh did quit thy puling, lief sister,” Celestia responds while still reading her book. “We has't already did discuss this at length ” 

“Thee couldst've did allow me to stayeth in Equestria,” says Luna. “Aft'r disc'rd and tirek, our subject art looking f'r stable leadeth'rship. One of us, at the least, shouldst beest backeth home even but now.”

“Might not but we very much argueth this again, sist'r?” Celestia asks in an exhausted tone. 

“Aye, we wilt,” Luna retorts. 

Celestia lowers her book and looks at Luna. “V'ry well, if 't be true thee insist. As I has't toldeth thee bef're, the empire hast access to crystals yond can holp rebuild our nation. In 'rd'r to receiveth those crystals, we needeth to f'rm a diplomatic relationship with the empress. Having both princesses of Equestria visiteth h'r shall showeth we fully intendeth to pursue such a relationship between our two kingdoms.” 

“Our subject needeth not crystals, those gents needeth food, roads, shelt'r, and security,” Luna retorts. “We shouldst beest helping those folk rebuild their homes, farms, communities, not spending our timeth with an empire yond hast been seclud'd f'r centuries.” 

“We art arriving at the capital, thou art royal highness!” the lead stallion pulling the carriage calls back to Celestia. 

“We shall continueth this conv'rsation lat'r. F'r anon,” Celestia closes her book and lays it by her side, “putteth on a smiling visage, the Crystal Empire awaits.” 

The Princesses entourage arrives in the Crystal City. They see what seems to be thousands of Crystal ponies that have come out to meet them. Their shiny coats glimmer in the sunlight, like a sheet of fresh morning snow. The two princesses exchanged confused looks, they had never seen ponies with such glistening coats. They ponder what makes their coats shine, do they cover themselves in crystal dust or did these crystals change their nature? Though confused by their appearance, Celestia was nevertheless enthralled by their beauty. Luna, however, wasn’t enchanted and looked at them with suspicion, for a unique society would always want to remain so. 

The train pulls in front of the Crystal Palace. Celestia and Luna exit their carriage and are greeted by the triumphant sound of trumpets and drums. On both sides of their path stands a row of Crystal guards, their coats and armor also glistening in the sun. They walk side by side and are greeted at the end by two unicorns.

The older, female unicorn walks up to greet them. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, t is a most wondrous pleasure f'r thee to beest our first guests in our empire,” she says in a mature and regal tone. She is slightly shorter than Celestia but her physique is certainly more athletic and sturdy as opposed to Celestia’s slender and elegant physique. Her coat is light grey with a snow-white mane and tail that sparkles. Her attire is everything regal, with crystals from across the empire decorating her. 

She continues her greeting. “Alloweth me to p'rsonally introduceth myself. I am Empress Vestra, daught'r of f'rm'r Empress Yasha, third of mine own nameth, Rul'r and Protecteth'r of the Crystal Empire, and Guardian of the Crystal Heart. And this is mine own son, Prince Sombra, heir to the empire.” 

A younger Sombra steps forward and slightly bows his head to the Princesses. He seems to be in his early twenties, and very little appears different about him, except for his horn has a normal shape and bears a solid black color. His eyes are also a normal shade of red, and his attire is standard for a prince. He flashes a handsome smile at the two Princesses, which causes Luna to feel a little flustered. 

“A pleasure to finally meeteth the Sist'r Princesses of Equestria,” he tells them. “I desire yond aft'r thy timeth h're, our two kingdoms shall beginneth a friendship yond shall lasteth a thousand years.” 

“Yond is mine own desire as well, young prince,” Celestia responds. 



 

Present-day…

“Enough, I wish to see no more,” Sombra orders the mirror as the memory from a thousand years ago swirls away. He paces through his office, a storm of frustration rages above him. 

It’s been three days since his meeting with Fancy Pants and he has heard nothing new from his agents. He had hope that intervening directly could help tip the balance in his favor. He trusts his agents and knows they are more than capable of their jobs, but now and then he feels the need to get involved, especially when things aren’t moving fast enough. He knows patience is necessary on his part, even though it’s starting to wear thin. 

He needs something to occupy his thoughts, to take his mind off of Equestria for a little bit. He thought revisiting his first meeting with the Princesses would do that, but hindsight certainly proves that doing so only kept his mind on that kingdom. Perhaps a book will help. Yes, a good book is always helpful during stressful times. 

He walks over to the far end of his office, opposite the door. A few steps lead to a circular part of the room. A table sits in the center with an ornately decorated flower pot sitting on top and a crystal-like floral arrangement fills the pot. The table itself is a white, round table with blue and white crystals embedded on top that forms a snowflake pattern. Two chairs sit to the left and right of the table, slightly pulled out as if the persons who were sitting them just left. Surrounding half of the circumference of the floor are large bookshelves, each cabinet having seven shelves that are filled to the brim with books. Some of the books are in mint condition as if they had just been bought from the store, others look worn and well-loved. On the spines of these books, the titles and authors are written in many different languages. Very few are written in the modern tongue, the vast majority are written in languages that are either ancient or older dialects of current languages. 

Sombra scans the shelves, hoping to find something that will spark his fancy. His eyes come upon a worn, navy blue spine that reads “A Study of the Dark Arts, Starswirll.” A tinge of nostalgia comes over him. “I’ve forgotten about this old thing,” he mutters. He grabs the book and flips through its dusty pages. Though the pages are slightly crumpled and torn, the material itself is still intact. As he flips through, he notices his notes written in the margins of the pages. Most of them are academic notes, written to help him with the material, but there are a few that are humorous. He chuckles at a rather immature comment he wrote on a page that covers the topic of enlargement spells. 

A knock on the door breaks his attention from the book. “Enter,” he shouts across the room, then returns his attention to the book. The two double doors and Captain Silver Vein walks in. She approaches Sombra and takes a bow when she’s within ten feet of him. 

“Your royal highness,” she says. “Doctor Wolfenstein has requested your attendance. He wishes to show you the progress he and his team have made regarding the project.” 

“Hm,” Sombra grunts. He continues to look through the book, he seems to have barely noticed the captain’s presence. She clears her throat, which lifts Sombra’s gaze to her. “Oh yes, of course, I’ll be there soon.” The captain bows her head once again then, right as she turns around to leave, Sombra speaks up again. “Captain, inform Ms. Sparkle that I wish for her to meet me here, right this instance.” The captain turns around and bows her head again, acknowledging his request. She turns and leaves through the double door entry. He closes the book and sets it on the round table. 

A few minutes pass when Silver Vein and Twilight enter the room. Sombra walks over to them and says to Silver, “Thank you, Captain, you may leave us.” She bows her head and turns to leave Twilight alone in the study with him. Sombra looks down at Twilight with a warm grin, happy to see her again. She doesn’t give him the courtesy in return, instead looks at him with a cold glare. 

“I’m glad that you’re here, I want to show you something before I give you today’s lesson,” he says. 

“I am not here by choice, Sombra,” she responds. “And I never agreed to become your student. I haven’t even thought about your offer.” 

Several days back, Sombra gave Twilight an offer that she will sleep in one of the royal guest rooms while she stays here in the capital. In exchange, she will become Sombra’s student and learn from his teachings, lessons that will likely cover dark magic. She has yet to make a decision, and her loyalty to Princess Celestia, though shaken a bit several days, is still strong. It will take more than a scene from the past and a luxurious room to shake her foundations. 

“Then you should not have accepted the room then,” he says. “That was part of my offer. But back to the matter at hoof, what I want to show you has nothing to do with the deal. Consider it a...field trip, one that you might find interesting.” 

“As if anything you have to show me will even arouse my interest,” Twilight snarks. 

“Trust me, Miss Twilight,” Sombra responds. “Where I intend to take is nothing for you to be afraid of.” 

“Why should I trust you, you’ve done nothing to earn it.” 

“Nor have I done anything for you to not trust me. If you are afraid I intend to punish you for failing to live up to your end of the bargain--”

“I wasn’t thinking of that,” Twilight abruptly interrupts him. She isn’t entirely honest with him. The thought of Sombra eventually unleashing his wrath against her has crossed her mind a few times these past days. 

A smile grows across his face. “That is relieving to hear.” He turns away from her and summons a portal before him. “Now follow me, I wish to show you what my research team has been working on.” He walks into the portal, briefly leaving Twilight alone. 

She is hesitant to walk in at first, still unsure if this is a ruse. But her curiosity gets the better of her and she slowly walks towards the portal. She walks through and on the other side she finds a large, bustling laboratory with all manner of scientific trinkets, tools, and samples. Crystal ponies of all three races dressed in lab safety equipment work on various assignments at their stations. Accompanying their tools are samples of crystals separated based on their properties. 

Her jaw drops to the floor, gazing upon the spectacular sight before her. She never imagined that an empire ruled by a supposedly tyrannical despot would have such a flourishing research environment. Sombra looks down at the little pony and smiles amusingly at her bewilderment. 

He gently taps her on the shoulder, directing her attention up to him. He holds out his right hoof in a presenting manner. “Allow me to give you a brief tour of the C.E.R.D.” He begins walking through the lab, Twilight willfully follows him now that she knows, or at least believes, she is perfectly safe. 

As they walk, King Sombra exposits a brief history of the department: “Long before the Crystal-Equestria War of 35 AD, the Crystal Empire Research Department, or C.E.R.D, was a leading force in magical and scientific research. Largely due to our vast and numerous crystal mines, we’ve made advances in defense, medicine, engineering, agriculture, you name it.” 

“How is that even possible?” Twilight questions. “Surely you’re not able to make such advances with just a single type of crystal.” 

Hearing her question, Sombra walks her over to a table where a young, female unicorn with a light blue coat and snow-white mane and tail works. “Excuse me, Doctor Eckle,” Sombra says to her. The professor looks up from her work and notices the King standing before her. 

In a hurry, she gets up from her seat and bows to him. “King Sombra,” the professor says, “I had no idea you were coming today. I’m afraid my team isn’t quite done yet, your highness.” 

Sombra lightly chuckles and raises his hoof to tap her shoulder, intending to calm her nerves. “You have nothing to worry about, I fully understand you’ve just begun.” Eckle raises her head and stands upright, appearing more relaxed. Sombra turns to motion toward Twilight, “I do however want you to answer a question of our guest here, she is curious about what makes our crystals so unique.” 

Eckle’s face lights up with excitement and passion; this seems to be a topic of great interest to her. She turns to Twilight and says, “Well throughout our empire’s existence, our mines have uncovered numerous families of crystals that provide many benefits to our society. For example, my team works on researching the property of Agriculture Crystals, or, in their less formal name, crop gems.” She turns around and grabs two different crystals from her desk, then holds them up for Twilight to see. “This green gem, when crushed into a fine powder and mixed in with the soil, acts a sort of super fertilizer to greatly improve crop quality and yield. This blue one, when crushed and mixed with water, can keep a crop fresh longer, allowing travel from the farm to the market much easier.”

While Eckle continues her exposition about her department’s research, Twilight listens to her with interest. In all her studies of magic, she has never known of crystals that possess such magical and powerful qualities. She knows of items in the world that have magical characteristics but those items are considered to be incredibly rare, these crystals are a different case. An empire with numerous deposits of magical crystals, no wonder Sombra is jealous of others possessing them. 

“Thank you very much for enlightening my guest, Doctor Eckle,” Sombra says, interrupting the professor. “But Doctor Wolfenstein is expecting us.” 

“Oh, certainly your highness,” Dr. Eckle says with a bow. “There’s been plenty of talk about Doctor Wolfenstein’s project. He’s incredibly excited to show you his results.” 

“I certainly look forward to it, come along Miss Sparkle.” Sombra turns away from Eckle and walks further down the aisle. 

Twilight doesn’t follow him, instead, she pauses him with a question. “I’m wondering if I could remain here with Doctor Eckle? I want to hear more about her team’s work.” 

Sombra halts in place, turning back towards her. He looks at her with an expression of surprise and slight disappointment. “Well, I was hoping you would join me,” his expression changes to a warm smile. “But I see no problem if you wish to stay here. I will fetch you when it’s time to return.” With that said, Sombra turns and leaves. 

“So, Mrs. Sparkle, what else about our work would you like to know?” Eckle asks. 

“Doctor, I want to ask you something else,” Twilight says. Eckle looks at her confused, did she not just say that she wanted to stay to learn more about her work? “I’m wondering if you could tell me about King Sombra?”

Eckle lets out a chuckle. “You have a certain fancy for our King?” she jests. 

“What! No, I didn’t mean like that!” Twilight responds in shocked disgust. “I mean what is he like, as a ruler? Does he treat you well?” 

“Of course he treats us well,” Eckle replies. “Any ruler who fails to treat their subjects fairly is asking to be overthrown. No, King Sombra has always been a fair ruler.” 

Twilight is having a hard time believing what she is hearing. Does she not understand that Sombra is a tyrant? Perhaps she’s been brainwashed or is under Sombra’s magic, but her eyes look normal. Maybe she’s too afraid, that’s gotta be it. 

Twilight leans in closer to Eckle so no one else can hear them speak. “You can speak freely, he’s not here right now,” she says in a hushed tone. “You can tell me what he’s really like.” 

“I have,” Eckle responds, sounding offended. Twilight, looking perplexed, steps back from her. “What are you trying to get from me? I’m not going to speak poorly of my king, especially when it’s undeserved. You Equestrians tried to breed sedition in here before, it didn’t work last time and it won’t work again. We are loyal subjects of the crown, nothing will change that.” 

Feeling small from receiving that scolding, Twilight composes herself and apologizes to the doctor. “I’m sorry, I crossed a line. I’m just having a hard time understanding him, especially what I’ve been told about him.” 

Eckle expresses regret, shaking her head and sobering her eyes and mouth. “I’m sorry as well, I shouldn’t have been so crossed with you. You’re new and an outsider, I know it can be hard to see our king as nothing more than an ‘enslaving tyrant.’” 

“Wait,” Twilight says, tilting her head upon hearing that description. “How do you know that?” 

“Because that’s what some of the propaganda against us was during our first war with Equestria,” Eckle explains. “It was a magical projection that showed our capital as this happy little utopia where we would prance about with little animals, then it was corrupted when King Sombra appeared and enslaved us all.” Eckle laughs, remembering the ridiculousness of that piece. “If I am to say one good thing about Equestria is they have a creative propaganda team.”

The description of the media is rather familiar to Twilight, too familiar. Before she can speak to ask the doctor further questions, Sombra walks up to them. Noticing his presence, Eckle breaks from the conversation and bows to Sombra. 

“I trust you two had a fruitful conversation?” he asks. 

“More or less, your majesty,” Eckle answers, remaining in her bowed position. 

“Well I’m afraid I’ll have to cut it short, it’s time we return,” Sombra says. “Good luck with your work Doctor Eckle. Miss Sparkle, if you would follow me.” Sombra turns away from the doctor and opens up a portal in front of him. Twilight thanks the doctor for her time and follows Sombra through the portal. They reappear in Sombra’s study, the portal closes behind them. “So what did you think of our research department?” 

“It was...certainly unique,” Twilight says, her mind somewhat distracted by her brief conversation with Dr. Eckle. She breaks from her thoughts and redirects her attention back to Sombra. “I also must admit that it was rather fascinating.”

A sense of appreciation comes over him causing him to smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He walks over to the circular library and picks up the book he set on the table earlier. “Now before I give you your first lesson, do you have any questions for me?” 

“I do, several,” Twilight answers. Sombra turns around and listens intently. “If I am to become your student, what will I be learning?” 

“An excellent question.” He walks down the steps of the library and towards Twilight. “Seeing your skill from when we first encountered each other, I will not be teaching you anything you already know. You seem to be an advanced student, Tia has taught you well. What I intend to teach is a subject that I doubt she has taught you: the dark arts.” 

“I only know a little about it,” Twilight says. “But I don't know enough to control it. Not that I could control it now.” She lowers her head away from Sombra and with her right hoof, she gently rubs the spot where her horn used to be. Its absence is a feeling she is still not used to. 

Sombra looks upon the former unicorn with empathy. He moves closer to Twilight and brings her head back up to meet his. “We’ll discuss fixing your horn another time. I know it feels like you’ve lost part of your identity, but you will recover it, in time.”

Twilight takes a step back, wiping away a tear forming in her eye. “That’s good to hear,” she says. “What’s my first lesson?” Sombra holds out the book in front of her, the cover in plain view. Twilight’s eyes widen when she sees who the author of the text is. “Wait, this is written by Starswirl the Bearded!? He studied the dark arts?”

“Starswirl studied all magic,” Sombra explains. “Light and dark, healing, combative, summoning, even blood magic. It’s what made him so famous back in the day, he wanted to make sure that every magic-user understood all aspects of magic. I want you to read the first three chapters of this book, it will give you a basic understanding of dark magic. Our first set of lessons will cover the theories, what is dark magic, what sets it apart from all other magics, and so on.” Twilight grabs the book and hugs it to her chest with her left hoof. “Now if there are no more questions at the moment, I will let you go to begin reading. You may read at my library table over there or you can return to your room, whatever makes you feel comfortable.” 

Sombra bids her a good day and walks over to his desk, where a small stack of new reports sits. As he sits and begins his work, Twilight slowly turns and walks towards the exit. When she comes face to face with the door, she stops and glances back at the king. Another thought nags at her mind. 

She turns around and says, “I do have one more question, Sombra.” He sets down his quill and turns his attention to her. “When you first offered me my room in exchange for being your student, you said that I would be treated as a prisoner if I refused. These last several days, I never really accepted your offer, yet you still treated me hospitably. What changed, and why do you want me to be your student anyway?” 

“Well, technically, that’s two questions but I’ll answer them both, starting with the second,” he says. He gets up from his desk and walks around to the front, leaning up against it when he stops. “I see a lot of potential in you Miss Sparkle, and most of that is due to Celestia. She has taught you very well, but I want to teach your benefit, not hers. With my help, we can forge you into a powerful unicorn beyond your wildest dreams.” 

The reasoning is tempting; to become a unicorn again would be renewing for Twilight and a possible way out. She longs to be home again, to be back at Ponyville with her friends, eating cupcakes and sipping on frothy mugs of hot chocolate. To be back in Canterlot, enjoying the day with her parents, brother, and sister-in-law. If she plays along with Sombra’s intentions, it just might give her the power she needs to escape the Crystal Empire and return home. 

“As for the first question,” Sombra continues. “I’ll admit that my attitude has not been entirely kind. My frustrations with Celestia and Equestria were taken out on you, which was greatly unfair of me. I took my anger out on a pawn when the blame lay entirely with the king, and I apologize for that. From now on, I will be more patient, fair, and kind.”

Twilight is surprised to hear this from him. His tone doesn’t sound deceitful or condescending in any way. He sounds like he wants to make a genuine effort to treat her better. Not unwelcoming but certainly surprising, given what little she knows about him. Perhaps there’s more merit to Dr. Eckles's description of him more than she realized. 

“Well, that’s… good to hear,” Twilight says. “I better get to reading this. Have a good day, Sombra.” 

“And to you as well, Miss Twilight,” Sombra replies. 

Twilight turns around and exits through the doors.