It was noon. Sombra had just left the Forbidden Archives. His mind a blur. Had he really just agreed to train with the enemy of his dear beloved Luna? He had felt like his body had taken over. Not his mind. He could feel a magic still engraved in his head like a tumor. It spoke thoughts in his own head, turning his mind against him. A dark voice whispered in his head.

' You can't honestly believe the beautiful mare you call Princess Luna could Ever. Love. You. ' It taunted.

"Shut Up!" Sombra yelled. He quickly closed his mouth, regaining himself.

"Sombra?" A familiar voice responded from the doorway he passed.

He looked behind him. It was Luna, her eyes filled with worry.

"Sombra? Are you OK?" She asked, her bright blue eyes shadowed by concern.

He put on a smile, hoping it would fool her.

"I-I'm ok. Sorry, I was just asking myself why those spells were cast away." He said.

'Do you truly believe you can fool HER?' The dark voice said.

Sombra jerked his head back in response. Upon seeing this, Luna narrowed her eyes.

" Don't Lie. I've never doubted you, in such, I have never seen into your dreams. We'll see what makes you lie to me. In your own dreams." She said menacingly, she turned towards the courtyard. Her wing stretched outwards, directing towards him then herself. "Come. We must begin your exam."

The courtyard was lush with flowers and trees. Animals ran around the grass, birds sat in trees, and fish splashed in the pond. Nature sung out as Luna and Sombra walked out. As soon as the sun's rays hit Luna's mane, the normally solid blue color erupted into a rainbow of purples and blues. Sombra couldn't help but stare in awe. His envy grew as the sun hit his mane, only revealing a sleek black mane. Noticing this, Princess chuckled.

"Do I look like my sister now?" She teased.

"No." He replied bluntly. " You look better."

Luna's cheeks burned with embarrassment. ' You have got to be kidding me. He's about to take the exam that proves if he can be a worthy ruler and he thinks about how I look.' She thought, then pausing. ' He thinks about how I look. And said I looked better than Celestia! '

"Luna?" Sombra said, snapping the reality back to the princess. " Um, we're here."

Once more, the night ruler blushed.

"I-I knew that! Okay. Let us begin." Luna replied. " What is the goal of the rulers of Everfree?"

"To be a fair, honest, kind, loyal, generous, and likable ruler. To never make others feel underneath you. To treat everypony with respect." He said with emotion.

' Perfect. ' Luna thought.

"Now, what do we do in case of any......... emergencies?" She commanded.

"We use a signal spell. To summon all the other rulers."

"yes." She responded.

" Now Sombra. We're are through with the talking." Luna said dismissively." But, your combat needs studied."

"But that would imply that I fight somepony." He responded. " Surely not you."

"Oh no. Of course not. I have somepony else in mind." The night ruler said.

As if on cue, a dark cobalt figure stepped out of the castle doors. Her purple mane brushed neatly, and put up in a "ponytail". Her scalene eyes filled with determination. When she reached the pair, she extended her wings.

"Sombra. I want you to meet Nyx. Celestia's apprentice." Luna commented. " As well as your fighting partner."

Nyx bowed before them.

"Luna. Sombra." She said respectively. "Shall we begin?"

"Isn't she a little young to be fighting me?" Sombra said. "No offense."

"None taken. I've been fighting all my life. That's how my village works." Nyx said coolly.

"Alright. Lets head to the arena." Luna said.

"Arena? Where's-"

The trio disappeared in a flash. They then reappeared in a round arena that looked abandoned.

Nyx gasped.

"T-This place. I know this place! Luna. W-Where are we?" Nyx stuttered.

"Only a few miles from your village. Why?" The princess asked.

"This was where fillies and colts went through a 'Right of Passage' Battle. But I destroyed it." Nyx replied, her head tucked behind her hair.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Sombra spoke up.

"Well, we're here to battle right? Not stand here." He said teleporting to the far side of the arena. "SO LETS BEGIN!"

Luna flew up to a seat on the top row.

"I agree."

Nyx teleported to the side opposite of Sombra. She never spoke. But as she looked straight at him, Sombra could hear her voice in his head. Saying one thing.

" There is a darkness in you. One I've only seen once. Tread the path of destiny carefully. "

"BEGIN!" Luna yelled.

"BEGIN!" Luna yelled.

Nyx was the first to move. Her horn lighting up with a purple aura. Luna couldn't see what was effected by that or if she was simply using a power spell. Luna's flowing mane was swirling violently against the wind. 'a wind spell. Smart.' She thought.

Soon fast moving clouds shrouded the sun, leaving the arena dark. Sombra, battling against the wind, lit up the area using magic. He created an orb of light and shot it up to the sky. The orb made the area brighter. Sombra prepared a lighting spell.

He was too slow. Before he knew it, Nyx used a fire spell, burning his hoof. Gritting his teeth he cast a self healing spell, a light red aura covering his wound. He immediately summoned a crystal sword. It was made out of black and red gems. He raised it high above his head.

Nyx had no time to use a defense spell, she flung herself out of the way, her wing was cut. Sombra let the sword disappear, absorbing the extra energy. Nyx's horn lit up, her eyes filled with pain and shock. Her purple mane and tail began to flow. Her eyes glowing white. Sombra quickly readied a shield against the attack. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Ice pillars grew from the ground like death itself. Dust blew up, blurring the scene. Once it cleared out, Nyx's form dropped to the ground, Sombra understood from the determined look he got that she had meant for that magic outburst.

"Is that all you've got?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same thing young prince." She rebuked, her gaze never changing.

"Princes." He said calmly.

"What?" She asked quizzically, processing what he had said.

Once she realized, a sharp pain came from the back of her neck. Her injured wing not helping. The Sombra in front of her disappearing like he'd never been there, his form replaced with dust. A heavy hoof pinned her to the ground.

"Well Nyx, Give up?" The grey stallion asked.

"You're too cocky." She said grinning happily, her horn lit up.

Sombra looked to the sky, figures of ponies rained from the sky. Their features black out, they looked like dark silhouettes. Each of them held a type of weapon.

One, a pegasus had ice swords on her wings. The second, a unicorn held a battle axe in his magic. Another had a war hammer in his mouth. But Sombra noticed only one thing, Nyx's horn remained lit up.

'So she can't continue the spell without her magic going at all times. Perfect." He thought. ' But, what spell do I use?'

Sombra was too lost in thought that he got tackled by the pegasus shadow. The ice swords freezing his shoulders, he jumped back in agony. Nyx teleported up to a pillar of ice. Two pegasi guards soon were by her side. On the right, a smaller pegasi had claws on her armored boots. The one on the left, had pair of daggers sheathed in pouches on her flank.

'Okayyyyy. That makes it a little bit harder. ' He thought.' These things aren't ponies. They're just shadows.'

An idea came to his mind, one he had to make. Sombra readied his magic, he ran into the horde of shadow ponies. The shadow ponies lifted their weapons. They each ran towards each other. The wave of 'ponies' slowly morphed together, dropping their weapons. Sombra only grinned at this.

With a flicker of magic, Nyx ordered the swirling mass of darkness to engulf him. Doing as told, the shadows crashed down to the earth, the apprentice disappeared underneath it.

Watching this, Luna stood up, prepared to call off the fray. Her eyes filled with sadness. If he couldn't win,.... they would never be...

As if in response, a fiery red glow erupted from it. A beacon of light reached up to the sky. As it dissipated, the shadows focused onto the area Sombra disappeared. The ball of darkness lifted into the sky. Its energy surging through, the shadows turning on each other like a storm. Luna looked at the pony below it, Sombra lifted his horn to the black abyss. The red aura reaching out to it. And slowly, bit by bit, it got smaller and smaller. Until it was the size of a ball.

Sombra had absorbed all of the dark energy.

Sombra opened his eyes. The arena was clearer now, he had absorbed ALL the shadows. Regaining himself, Sombra faced Nyx. Satisfied to see a look of horror. He blasted a magic beam straight at her. Surprised to see that the beam was black, not red, Sombra paused after he hit Nyx. Who was now on the ground.

He walked over to her, he seemed a bit taller now. He looked down at the figure. She looked weak, vulnerable.

'Finish her. She's no use. ' The voice was back. And stronger.

Sombra didn't snap back at it. He just stood there.

"Sombra? W-When did you learn to do that?" Luna said as she landed by him.

"I don't know." He said simply.

Luna levitated Nyx onto her back. "Well, you won. Lets go home. Prince."

Luna teleported them back to the garden, it was night now. The pair opened their eyes. Sombra headed towards the door, but Luna stayed back for a while. She loved to outdoors. She began to walk. She went to the pond.

She listened for anything.

nothing.

The lunar princess sat under a huge oak tree. A few leaves fell, Luna listed the color in boredom.

'green, light green, dark green, teal.' She thought , closing her eyes. Then it hit her. 'TEAL?'

Luna looked up immediatly. She gasped in terror. A pegasus pony was hanging from a branch, her body limp, her breaths short, and she had blood coming from a hit to the head. Her armour was badly damaged and her wings were a mess.

The mystery mare was none other than Illusion Flight, the princess's friend.

Luna teleported her to the ground. She paniced and beg for her to speak.

Hearing her crys, Illusion Flight muttered one thing.

"D-Disco-ord."

Author's Note

Ok OK. So I got lazy on this. The others wont be like this. I've pulled all my focus on my story from now on my bronies! Lets get down to business('');

From,
Illusion Flight.