Corruption of Dawn

Chapters

Broken Light
The Right Choice
Futility
Liar
Choices and Regrets
Omen
Dawn's Fear
The Light of Dusk

Broken Light

The ponies of the Crystal Empire were, for lack of a better term, completely freaking out. The dreaded King Sombra was literally at the city's doorstep, and was making his way towards the palace with dark ambition in his twisted eyes.

"Don't worry, ya'll!" Applejack called down to the panicking Crystal Ponies below the palace balcony. "The Crystal Heart's on its way as we speak!"

"I don't know if they believe you," Rarity whispered to the farmpony.

"Ah don't know if Ah believe me," the blond mare admitted. She looked up at the horizon. Sombra was slowly encroaching upon the Crystal Empire, his villainous laugh echoing throughout the air. "Come on, Twi. What's takin' ya so long?"

-o-

Twilight groaned in exhaustion as she finally reached the top of the staircase. Sombra never said anything about more stairs! About halfway up, she had started to think that maybe it was an endless stairway. Thankfully, it wasn't. She looked out a nearby window and saw that she was now apparently at the top of the Crystal Palace. She could see Sombra's smoky form drawing nearer and nearer. She then scanned the rest of the room she was in. In the center was the crown jewel of the Crystal Empire itself: the Crystal Heart floated daintily, suspended by its own power.

Twilight smirked a victorious grin as she approached the great gemstone. As soon as she stepped within a circular emblem on the ground, however, the floor began to darken. She rushed inside as a wall of black crystal surrounded her and the Heart. She was basically trapped in there. She scowled as she grabbed the Heart with her magic, its original purple light having become much darker. She then teleported out of the ring of dark stones. As soon as she exited, the crystals responded to her use of dark magic by receding back into the floor.

She returned her focus to the Heart once again. She then looked out the window and saw Sombra in the distance. He was now much closer than before. She held an unsure expression. Should she really do this? Is this really the only way to prevent that horrible future? Could she really believe in Sombra?

She shook her head. Now was no time for doubt. Sombra had promised that he make sure that nopony would hurt her. He promised to teach her all that he knew. Her desire for knowledge drove her now. She took a deep breath and cast a teleportation spell, exiting the palace and appearing in front of it, facing Sombra with the Crystal Heart held by her magic, and all the Crystal Ponies gathered behind her at the shining tower. The dark king was dangerously close now. He was so close, in fact, that he had returned to his physical form. He looked exactly like he did when Twilight spoke with him in her vision.

"Hello, Twilight Sparkle," he greeted her in that gravelly voice of his. "You have my Crystal Heart?"

"It's right here," Twilight replied as she hovered the Heart directly in front of her.

Meanwhile, upon the balcony, Twilight's friends stared in shock at what was happening. "What is she doing!?" Shining Armor shouted.

"It almost looks like she's about to give Sombra the Heart," Applejack said with a look of fear and panic.

"Maybe she has some kinda plan or something?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "I mean, this is Twilight we're talking about. She's always got a plan, right?"

"Twilight!" Pinkie shouted down to her friend. "If you have some kind of plan or something, say 'yes'!" Twilight gave no response to Pinkie's cry. The pink mare shrugged. "Well, I tried."

The severely weakened Princess Cadance watched as Twilight faced Sombra. "Come on, Twilight," she whispered. "Do something. Please."

Twilight looked back up at the balcony where her friends had gathered. She looked away immediately, facing Sombra again. She dropped the Crystal Heart at his hooves. "It's yours," she said. "Now please… make me your student."

Sombra eyed the Heart with a wicked grin. He laughed victoriously as he raised his forelegs and brought them down with thundering force upon the Heart, utterly shattering the ancient relic. This earned many horrified cries from the inhabitants of the Empire. Sombra smiled at Twilight. "As agreed, child," he said, "I shall make you my student. You shall be my protégé, Twilight Sparkle. All of Equestria will soon be humbled by our combined might."

Slowly, Twilight knelt before the dark unicorn, and rose once again. Her eyes were now like Sombra's, and her horn was just as curved and burned red. "I'm honored to stand by your side, King Sombra."

-o-

Shining Armor, Cadance, the newly arrived Spike, and the remaining Bearers of the Elements of Harmony all stared in complete horror at what they had just witnessed. Twilight had just surrendered to Sombra. None of them in even their most horrible nightmares ever thought that they would see this day.

"Did that… just happen?" Fluttershy asked fearfully, hoping she was just having a very, very, very bad dream. "Th-there's no way that just happened! Twilight would never give up so easily!"

"This has to be some kind of illusion!" Shining Armor claimed in disbelief. He would never be willing to believe that his little sister would just go and give the enemy their only means of stopping him.

It was then that Twilight apparently disappeared from Sombra's presence. The group heard the sound of one of Twilight's teleportation spells behind them. They all turned to see Twilight charging dark magic through her horn. "I won't let it happen," she said a she launched a beam of dark power across the point where the balcony connected to the Crystal Palace, causing the balcony fall from its perch. The non-flying ponies and the weakened Cadance screamed as they fell, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew down as fast as they could to help them.

As she fell, Rarity desperately tried to focus her own magic. Her horn glowed as she did so, hoping beyond hope that what she had in mind would work.

Twilight stood over the edge and watched as her friends fell. Before they hit the ground, however, they were all enveloped in a flash of blue light and vanished from her sight. She frowned at this. She recognized that spell. 'Rarity's cleverer than I gave her credit for,' she thought to herself. But teleporting that many ponies at once must've taken a lot out of her. She can't have gotten far. With that, she turned and made her way out of the palace. She would be the first to welcome her new mentor back to his rightful throne.

-o-

The train station outside the Empire was quiet, save for the snowstorm that was blowing through. The dull noise was suddenly interrupted by a loud pop and a flash of light, through which a group of ponies and one baby dragon fell to the ground. Everypony groaned as they got back up off the ground and shook the snow off their bodies.

"What just happened?" Spike asked.

Between heavy breaths, Rarity replied, "I managed… to use… a teleportation spell… I brought us all back to the train station. I thought we should… get back to Canterlot… as soon as possible…" The white mare then collapsed, but was quickly caught by Rainbow.

"Easy, Rarity," the blue pegasus said. "You're exhausted."

"Just a… little tired is all," Rarity stated with assurance. "I'll be fine… just need to rest a bit…"

"Ah think Rarity had the right idea," Applejack said in a reasonable tone. "We otta head back and warn the princess about all this."

"I'm not leaving my sister!" Shining refused angrily. "Sombra must've cast some kind of mind control spell on her! We need to save her!"

"Shining," Cadance said, getting her husband's attention. "Didn't you see that look in her eyes? I don't think she's under a spell. Either Sombra's manipulated her, or she's always been like this." After that, there was silence. Until Pinkie Pie spoke up.

"Am I the only one still wondering what she meant?" the pink pony asked. "She said 'I won't let it happen.' What's that supposed to mean?"

"M-maybe Sombra threatened to hurt us somehow if she didn't give up," Fluttershy suggested.

"Well, whatever the reason," Rainbow said with an angry tone, "I'm gonna make sure she regrets it! She's a traitor now. There's no worse kind of pony if you ask me!"

"Let's not jump the gun here," Applejack recommended. "Let's all get back to Canterlot. Ah reckon we're in for some trouble ahead." Everypony silently agreed and boarded the train that had brought the Mane 6 and Spike to the Empire in the first place. Before leaving, Spike looked back once at the once beautiful city in the distance.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," he muttered in shame as he stepped onto the train. He couldn't help but feel that this was somehow all his fault.

The Right Choice

Celestia paced anxiously through her throne room, Luna watching her with concern in her dark blue eyes. The white alicorn had been getting more and more stressed as time passed. She really wished she could see what was happening at the Empire, to see how her beloved student was handling everything there. Was she safe? Would be able to stop Sombra? Had she really made the right choice by sending Twilight in to face the villainous unicorn? She wasn't quite as sure as she was before.

Worried, Luna approached her sister and said, "Why are you so distraught, sister? Did you not say that you believe that Twilight Sparkle is ready for this?"

"I did," Celestia said with a heavy sigh. "I just can't shake the feeling that something terrible has happened."

"Perhaps it is simply your imagination?" Luna suggested. "You must stop worrying so much and instead focus on the fact that Twilight Sparkle is your student. She has yet to truly disappoint you. Is that not true?"

Celestia sighed again. "It is true. She's never been one to let anypony down."

Just then, the doors swung open, and the Mane 6 (minus one), Spike, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance all trotted in, all of them looking as though they just gone through Tartarus and barely made it out. Celestia smiled at all of them and said, "Welcome back, ponies. How did things go in the Empire?"

The group all looked at each other, all of them apparently reluctant to speak. Finally, Applejack said, "Your Majesty, we've got a huge problem on our hooves."

The sun princess gave a confused glance and asked, "What would that be?" It was only then that she noticed that a certain somepony was missing. "Where is Twilight?"

Nervous glances were shared once again before an apparently very ticked off Rainbow Dash said, "She's the problem."

Celestia stared at the group before her with confusion, but she soon realized what they meant. She now feared the worst, and prayed that it wasn't true. "Explain."

-o-

The Crystal Empire had completed its transformation back into a bleak, dark, jagged, and overall frightening wasteland of a city, the inhabitants all trapped in heavy iron chains as they trotted miserably through the dark city. King Sombra grinned at the sight. His empire was his once again, and not only that, but he now had a loyal student with the potential to be his heir, come the unlikely event in which he is ever defeated by some lowly upstart. His life was taking a turn for the better.

"King Sombra," called the voice of Twilight Sparkle, who had just entered the throne room. The dark stallion turned and faced his new protégé. She had a group of eight Crystal Ponies all chained by her magic behind her. "I detected these stragglers trying to get past the barrier that we set up. I took care of it."

Sombra smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Excellent work, my student," he said as he trotted towards the cowering prisoners. He leaned closer to them, and they backed away as far as Twilight's dark magic would allow them, which wasn't much. Sombra's crooked grin betrayed his plan for them. His horn began to glow with dark power. "Let's see how they act after a few days of living through their worst nightmares." With a dark flash, the Crystal Ponies were gone, likely sent to the door that showed one their greatest fears, Twilight assumed. She shuddered silently at the memory.

Sombra took notice of Twilight's reaction and said, "Worry not, my pupil. Soon, they will all come to appreciate our power and our position. They will soon learn to follow us unquestioningly."

"That's not what really worries me," the purple unicorn replied, looking away as if in shame. "I've been wondering… did I really make the right choice in joining you?"

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this and said, "When the only other option was the pain of loneliness, what else could you have done? The flow of time only ever diverges into two roads. No more, no less. Beyond those two options, the future is unchangeable."

Twilight nodded to her master's words. He had a way of making the incomprehensible make sense. She truly admired that about him. "I'll go and keep an eye on the prisoners outside for now," she said as she made to leave the room.

"Wait," Sombra called her. She faced him, and he said, "I'm planning on spreading the Empire's influence throughout all of Equestria, and I'll need your help to do it."

Twilight nodded. "What is it that you need me to do?"

"I understand that your 'brother' is the captain of Celestia's Royal Guard," the dark king answered. "Would he have shared any information on Canterlot's defenses with you?"

"You're planning to invade Canterlot?" Twilight inquired. Sombra nodded, not even attempting to hide his intentions. Reluctantly, Twilight nodded. "I'll write down all that I know for you, Your Majesty."

"Excellent."

Twilight then left the throne room and walked down the halls of the Crystal Palace, heading for the bedroom that Sombra had granted for her. It was a magnificent bedchamber that had been beautifully decorated with only the finest of pretty much everything. Even the bed was softer than just about anything she had ever slept in before. She headed for her desk and took a sheet of paper and a quill and ink with her magic and began writing down all the information that Shining Armor had ever shared with her regarding Canterlot's defensive perimeter. It didn't hurt that she knew the exact layout of Canterlot by heart and memory alone. Her mentor would be proud.

And at that word – mentor – she found her thoughts falling upon Celestia. She stopped writing as she thought about the looks on her friends' faces as she destroyed the balcony, the only thing that held them aloft, before they vanished by way of Rarity's own magic. Had she really made the correct choice? Was this the only other path open to her? She shook her head. She knew she could only trust King Sombra anymore. He was the only one who was certain not to betray her anymore. He was her leader and teacher now. Celestia was far weaker by comparison. She was inferior to the black-coated unicorn's very presence. Twilight continued writing what she knew, shrugging off any further doubts that she had.

When she finally finished, she instinctively rolled the paper up and said, "Spike, send this to…" She stopped when she realized that the baby dragon was no longer with her. She looked around the room, suddenly feeling lost within her new home. She shook her head. "Who needs that useless lizard anyway?" She concentrated her magic and teleported the rolled paper to Sombra's throne room. She then headed to her large, amazingly comfortable bed and laid herself out of the covered mattress.

The ceiling was just as darkly colored as the rest of the Crystal Empire now was, yet despite the darkness of the crystals, she could still see her reflection almost perfectly. Her now curved, reddened horn and green-and-red eyes with the ominous purple haze made her feel as though she was looking at somepony completely different from who she once was. It was scary to see herself like that, but if it meant that nopony could hurt her, she was more than willing to give up a little bit of her original appearance. Regardless, she looked away from the bleak image of herself, now lying on her side. She closed her eyes, hoping she would be able to get a decent night's sleep. And if not, then maybe King Sombra could teach her a spell that would help her with that.

That last thought was proven unnecessary, however, when she quickly drifted off into slumber. She didn't dream.

-o-

The dark king read and reread Twilight's notes regarding Canterlot's defensive measures. She was apparently quite thorough, as she didn't appear to leave a single detail untouched. He rolled up the paper and grinned as he looked out at his Empire, and more specifically, at his cowering, imprisoned subjects. His fanged smile grew as he formulated a strategy. But before he could put his plan into motion, he would need a proper army. And whether they wanted to or not, the Crystal Ponies were going to help in that endeavor.

'It is too soon,' a voice boomed suddenly, catching him unawares. It a took a few moments for him to recognize the powerful tone of the voice.

"Is it not better to have her on our side before she meets her destiny?" Sombra replied, actively trying to keep any defiance in his voice to a minimum.

'She is weak-willed and unsure,' the voice answered. 'She is not ready. You will learn this soon enough, Sombra.'

"Trust me, my liege," said the king confidently. "Everything will go exactly as you have foretold. Just a little sooner than expected."

Futility

The Princess of the Sun was not in a good mood. She was in a mood that was completely opposite that. The scary part was that she wasn't angry; it was more like she was depressed. The usual light of warmth and hope that normally sparked in her eyes had been dimmed tremendously, replaced by a dull speck of sorrow and self-loathing. Things had gone far worse than what she could've even imagined. Twilight had somehow been corrupted by Sombra's dark power, and was now likely his apprentice in the dark arts. And with Twilight, there also came vast knowledge of Canterlot's protection.

She looked out the nearby window to see numerous guards and soldiers rushing to prepare themselves for whatever may come their way. Knowing Sombra, she had decided that it would be best to mount up their defenses as much as possible rather than confront him directly. He was simply too powerful for such a foolish strategy.

"Sister," called the voice of Luna, who had just entered the room. Celestia faced her younger sibling to see her wearing silvery armor that was frighteningly similar to what she had when she was Nightmare Moon. It was… disturbing to say the least. "Are you ready?"

Celestia turned her head to a set of golden armor that lay upon a pedestal. She hadn't worn that armor since she and Luna first fought Sombra, and then again when she was forced to combat Nightmare Moon. She hated wearing it both times, and loathed the very idea even now. Regardless, she sighed and said, "I need just a few moments, Luna. I… I need time to… think on this." She turned away, returning her attention to the window. Just the window. She was simply staring at her own reflection, thinking back to… that day. The day when they had first faced Sombra. It was the most terrifying moment of her life.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned again to see Luna giving her a reassuring look, her smile very slight, but enough to make Celestia smile slightly as well. The Princess of the Night said nothing. After a few moments, she left her elder sibling by herself. Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath as her horn began glowing with magic. Her armor levitated over to her, each piece of equipment fitting onto the proper part of her body. The last piece she put on was her helmet, which her horn slid through easily. She opened her eyes again and saw her reflection once more. Her armor was… intimidating to her. She hated it… but she had to don it, despite her feelings.

And the odds were that she would soon have to fight her own student. Fate was indeed a cruel, cruel mistress.

-o-

Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably in the armor that Shining Armor had given her. She didn't like it. It felt constricting, like it would hold her down rather than protect her. She looked over to Applejack, the only one of her friends who was also wearing armor. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy were the only ones unequipped, due to their lack of actual fighting ability. None of this was sitting right with her. "Do you think we'll see Twilight?" she asked the blond Earth Pony, who sighed heavily.

"Ah don't know," AJ admitted. "And Ah'm not entirely sure if Ah want to. But we could at least ask why she joined up with Sombra."

Rainbow nodded with a look that was a mix of seriousness and apprehension. She was willing to admit that she wanted answers as desperately as the next pony, but she had a feeling that Twilight's reasoning may not be entirely explanatory. Not only that, but she knew Twilight well enough to know that the unicorn was ridiculously powerful. She was probably the most powerful unicorn she had ever met. She would never say it out loud, but she wasn't too thrilled by the idea of fighting Twilight.

An armored stallion entered the room then and said, "The captain is waiting for you two. I hope you're both ready." The pair of friends nodded rather reluctantly, making the soldier raise an eyebrow at them. He ignored it and instructed them to follow him. He led them through the castle's halls and through the courtyard, where Shining Armor and Princess Cadance – both wearing their own armor – were giving specific orders to the lower-ranking soldiers, who left with their commands just as quickly as they received them. When Shining and his wife took notice to the two young ponies, the nodded a brief greeting.

"We need to strengthen the defense as much as possible," Shining said, immediately getting to business. "There's no doubt that Sombra now knows of our measures, so we can't spare any expense in making sure that they don't breach Canterlot's walls."

"Would Twilight really just give Sombra info like that?" Applejack asked worriedly.

Cadance opened her mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. She collected her thoughts quickly and said, "In all honesty, we don't know. We can only hope that she wouldn't, but we can't take that chance."

The younger ponies looked at each other with grim expressions. Cadance had implied what they hoped wasn't really true: Twilight Sparkle was the enemy now.

-o-

His army was complete. His new apprentice stood by his side. He grinned malevolently as he glared down at the majestic city of Canterlot. King Sombra chuckled darkly as he turned to face his hoard. "Soon, my army!" he called out to them. "Canterlot will be at our hooves! The glory of the Crystal Empire will spread throughout the world! Every stallion, mare, and foal shall kneel before the might of our magic and our steel!"

The massive hoard of dark-armored soldiers cheered for their king as Twilight looked back to Canterlot, the place she had once called home. She didn't know whether to feel thrilled or terrible. Doing this, she would be able to seat herself in a position that no one could betray. But she may also end up hurting other ponies. Ponies that she once called friend.

She shook her head, removing those clouding thoughts. King Sombra knew best. He was strong. He was wise. He was her teacher. She couldn't trust anyone else anymore. She turned to follow as her master trotted down the path that they were taking to sack the city. Soon, nopony would ever be able to hurt her like in those visions.

-o-

The entire army of Canterlot was ready and waiting at the city's walls. Every possible entrance was under heavy watch by armed guards. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were standing at the main entrance – the southern gate – alongside Celestia and Luna, who both looked more than ready for battle. Shining Armor and Cadance were both guarding the entrance on the other side of the city, keeping a constant vigil on the roads and skies.

Rainbow shifted uneasily in her spot at Luna's left side. She was never really the patient type, but this was practically murder on her entire being.

"This is the worst part," Luna suddenly spoke, getting confused looks from both Rainbow and Applejack. "The waiting. It is like the calm before a storm too powerful for any pegasus to control. It is unnerving to say the least."

Celestia nodded somberly. "I had hoped that no one would ever have to suffer through this ever again. It's like the Griffin-Pony War from before Sombra's original reign. Except that the consequences of this are potentially far more severe."

Luna said nothing, which only served to make Rainbow and Applejack more nervous as they looked out to the roads beyond the walls. All four of them had the feeling that the enemy would appear at any moment. They braced themselves, believing that they were ready for just about anything.

They were proven horribly wrong within moments by a resounding BOOM!

The four ponies all turned with expressions of shock and horror as a massive black cloud exploded out of the center of the city, leaving a gaping chasm in the ground. From that hole, hundreds and hundreds of Sombra's army swarmed out and began ransacking the entire city.

Celestia's mouth hung agape as Sombra's hoard pillaged and destroyed the fair city. "But… but how did they…" Her eyes, if at all possible, widened further than ever before. "The caves beneath the city! How could have forgotten about the caves!?"

"But how could they have known about those tunnels!?" Luna shouted, equally horrified by the revelation.

Rainbow and Applejack immediately knew the answer. "Twilight!" they shouted in unison. "That's where Chrysalis trapped her when the changelings attacked!" Rainbow continued. "She must've really given Sombra what he needed to know to get past the city's defense!"

Celestia muttered something under her breath angrily. "This is bad," she said. "Guards! Move out! Ensure the safety of all civilians and-" She was interrupted by the sound of a war horn coming from beyond the walls, down the roads. She turned with a mortified expression to see more of Sombra's army approaching from the outside. Just then, a pegasus landed from behind the sun princess.

"Your Majesty, Sombra's army approaches from the north, east, and the west!" he informed her. "And more are pouring out of the chasm as we speak! They have the entire city surrounded! What are we going to do?"

In all truth, Celestia had no idea what they could do. If they moved in to fend off the attackers from the hole, they would be leaving the gates unattended, meaning that the army outside could easily break in. And if they stayed to protect the walls, the enemies inside will be able to attack from behind. It was a lose-lose situation, no matter how she looked at it. She sighed almost as if defeated. "We do the best we can," she said finally, "and we hope for the best. That's all that we can do at this point."

The soldier nodded and flew off to rejoin his squad, leaving the princesses and the representatives of the Elements of Honesty and Loyalty with only the other soldiers who were stationed at the gate. Celestia hung her head as she returned her focus to the force making its way to the south gate. She felt a sense of hopelessness take over much of her spirit. She wondered if this is how it felt for the Crystal Ponies while they were living in fear under Sombra's oppressive shadow. It was simply terrifying.

"Sister," Luna said, getting the bare minimum of the sun princess's attention. "We have to protect the citizens. Their safety is our top priority."

Celestia nodded only barely. "Yes. You're right. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, come with us. We're going to face our enemy." With no other explanation, she trotted off, soon breaking into a full gallop. Luna and the others looked at each other, each of them feeling hollow inside, all feeling as though they were now fighting for a lost cause. They followed Celestia into the city, each of them galloping past homes and shops that had already been torn apart.

Canterlot was falling to pieces. And there didn't seem to be a single thing they could do about it.

Liar

She simply watched from her perch at the castle – she had teleported in to take it down from the inside – as her master's army swarmed throughout Canterlot, destroying the city where she had been born and raised. The city that was home to her former teacher, that traitor Celestia. Twilight's now darkened eyes scanned the battle – if it could even be called that at this point – with a feeling of… which was it? Was she enjoying seeing her home being torn apart from its very foundations, or was she feeling… remorse? She couldn't tell. She had never felt this way before, both happy and filled with sudden self-loathing. It was… uncomfortable.

She suddenly heard the sound of several hooves approaching her in a rush. She turned to see a group of armored stallions, all of them members of the Royal Guard. "There's the traitor!" one of them called out to his comrades. "Let's take her down!"

Twilight merely frowned as the stallions charged at her. She charged her horn with dark magic and unleashed a huge shockwave that sent them all flying back, crashing into stone walls and concrete ground and blacking out completely. The purple unicorn then turned her attention back to the rest of Canterlot. She could just see King Sombra making his way into the city through the main gate to the south. He certainly loved being dramatic. She also took notice of Celestia fighting against Sombra's army, though she was completely surrounded. Twilight instantly knew that this was her greatest opportunity to confront her former teacher. She teleported herself out of the castle with a black flash.

-o-

The hordes of invaders were seemingly endless. No matter how many were defeated, more and more just kept taking their place. Celestia knew that this battle was practically lost already, but she couldn't surrender. She needed to find a way to stop Sombra's advance, and then she would need to find Twilight – what will happen when she did find her former pupil, she didn't know.

As the Princess of the Sun fought off a number of enemy soldiers, she heard a sound that made her stop dead in her tracks. A laugh that she recognized all too well. She turned around and saw none other than the dark king himself, King Sombra. He held a malevolent grin on his face, his fangs bared.

"Oh, hello, Celestia," he said in a mocking tone. "It's been so long since I last saw you. Tell me, how are you doing? Aside from the fact that your precious city is about to be assimilated into my empire, I mean."

Celestia shook her head, getting over her initial shock, and glared spitefully at the dark unicorn. "What have you done with my student, Sombra? What did you do to get Twilight to join you?"

Sombra chuckled darkly in response, earning a harsher glare from the sun princess. "I didn't really do much of anything. She joined me of her own free will. Just like another little mare whom I met over a thousand years ago."

Celestia visibly cringed at that statement. She hated the mere thought of that event. The day she had very nearly given into the dark power of her own fear. She narrowed her eyes at the king. "You never had control over me, Sombra, and you never will! I will stop you, even if I have to kill you!" Her horn began to glow with golden magic, and eyes burned with a fiery passion. Sombra just laughed at this.

"Do you honestly think that you can defeat me all by yourself?" he asked with a smug, almost victorious, expression. "You and your little sister could barely vanquish me with the power of the Elements of Harmony! And now that I have the most powerful of the Elements as my student, there is nothing in the world strong enough to stop me from achieving my goals! The world shall be mine!"

Out of nowhere, a rainbow blur slammed into Sombra's side, sending him flying into a nearby wall. "You'll have to get through me first!" Rainbow Dash growled as she hovered over Sombra's prone form. The dark-coated unicorn snarled at her, his twisted eyes glowing with hate. He unleashed a blindingly fast burst of dark magic at the young pegasus, who was knocked away into building, where she fell into a heap on the ground.

Sombra stood back upon his hooves and scowled with pure rage. "Foolish little brat! You think any of you have a chance at victory against me? You are nothing but worms next to my power! You aren't even worth my time." As if on cue, a flash of black energy appeared and was quickly replaced by none other than Twilight Sparkle, who was clothed in armor similar to Sombra's, but modeled to fit her smaller body. Sombra chuckled at her arrival. "Ah, your timing is impeccable, my student. Would you mind taking care of that pegasus for me, while I deal with Celestia?"

Twilight nodded wordlessly, and Sombra returned his focus to Celestia, whom he approached with a menacing grin. The Princess of the Sun just stared at her former student with wide eyes. Twilight's eyes matched Sombra's, and her horn had become curved, red, and much sharper in appearance. It was true then: Twilight had given into her fear, and was now fueled by misplaced anger. Celestia couldn't think of a worse possible outcome if she tried.

Ignoring Celestia's presence, Twilight cantered over to Rainbow Dash, who had just managed to pick herself up off the ground and face her friend – no, former friend – with wide eyes filled with both anger and shock. "Twilight…" she muttered as she attempted to put on a tough face. "You've got some nerve coming here, you backstabber!"

Twilight scowled at that. "You're the backstabbers! You and everypony that I had cared about! There was no way for me to pass Celestia's test, and you were all going to abandon me because of it!"

The light blue pegasus took a step back at Twilight's response, clearly caught off guard. "What are you talking about? There's no way you could've failed a test of any kind! And even if there was, we would never have abandoned you!"

"You're lying!" Twilight shouted as she shot at Rainbow with her dark magic. The pegasus yelped and shot off into the air to avoid the attack. Twilight continued to release beams of evil magic at the winged mare, barely missing her by a hair a dangerous number of times.

The whole time she flew, Rainbow's mind was racing with questions: what could possibly make Twilight go this far off the deep end? What had Sombra done to her? Was she secretly always like this, or was she being brainwashed? She needed to get some answers. She needed to knock some sense into the lavender unicorn before she ends up too far gone.

As Twilight fired off blast after blast, Sombra chuckled, much to Celestia's chagrin. "Isn't she just fascinating?" the king asked with a dark tone. "She has so much untapped power. Such a vast potential." He turned to Celestia with a mocking grin. "She's been wasting her talents under your oppressive teachings, Princess of the Sun."

The sun princess scowled at him. "She'll be wasting even more of her abilities under you, Sombra. Release her from whatever spell you have her under immediately!"

Sombra laughed again at Celestia's demand. "Haven't you been listening? She joined me with complete willingness! She wants to learn from me, and I will transform her into the perfect servant! Once I end your life and attain immortality, I will grant her the same gift, and she will forever be loyal only to me! Now surrender to me, and your death will be swift and painless!"

"I will never kneel to you, Sombra," Celestia said defiantly. "Not even the threat of death will keep me from fighting you!" To this, Sombra actually sighed.

He then looked up to Celestia once again, his wicked eyes glinting sadistically. "So be it, Celestia. I will make sure your grave says just how hopelessly defiant you were." He charged his horn and released a beam of dark magic at the sun princess, who quickly responded with her own magical attack. The two royal ponies met a deadlock, each pushing to overpower the other. There was just one major difference: Sombra wasn't using his full power.

Celestia pumped as much magic as she could muster into her horn, but she could already tell that it wasn't going to be enough. She could practically feel Sombra gradually gaining the upper hoof in the struggle – if it could even be called a struggle. Sombra's dark magic was edging closer and closer. She wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. She simply didn't have the power to truly battle King Sombra by herself.

Suddenly, just as Sombra's magic was about to break through her own magic, a blast of blue struck the evil king, stumbling him and making him lose his focus. Princess Luna hurried over to her exhausted sister's side. "Celestia, are you all right?" the night princess asked worriedly.

Celestia sighed heavily, both in weariness and relief at her sibling's arrival. "I've been better, truth be told," she admitted as she stood shakily on her legs. "Your timing is impeccable, Luna. Had you arrived any later… we might not be talking right now… or worse."

"I would have come sooner," the navy blue alicorn began explaining, "but many of his soldiers were attacking civilians. I could not simply ignore that."

The white alicorn's eyes widened at that revelation. She turned to Sombra, a look of complete outrage in her eyes. "You would let your army harm innocent ponies!? Ponies who are not even trained to properly defend themselves!?"

Sombra, now standing again, simply eyed the princesses almost emotionlessly. "It's your own fault for letting them become weak. A true monarch would have all of his subjects become warriors who would fight for his will!"

"There is a difference between being a monarch and being a dictator, Sombra!" Celestia shouted out furiously. Her eyes flashed for an instant, too fast for most to notice, but Luna saw it. For a time shorter than a split-second, Celestia's eyes were just like Sombra's.

"Sister, calm yourself!" the younger princess pleaded with her sister, who only responded with a simple glance. "Sister, he's trying to corrupt you again! He wants you to be angry! You must calm down, or you will succumb!" The Princess of the Sun stared at her younger sister this time, her expression becoming gradually calmer, before she sighed in mere frustration.

"You're right," Celestia said gratefully. "Thank you, sister." She then faced Sombra once again, as did Luna, both of them looking ready for a full-on battle to the finish. "Let us end this once and for all, Sombra!"

To that, the dark stallion laughed. "Then come at me, the both of you. Let's see how long you last." Sombra's horn began glowing with evil magic once again, and both princesses charged their own magic into their horns as well.

All the while, within the Canterlot sculpture gardens, several cracks had formed on one statue in particular. 'Soon…' a voice echoed from the stone monument. Freedom was just moments away.

Choices and Regrets

Fluttershy trembled helplessly in her hiding spot, nervously watching as shadows galloped past behind the door to the closet she was squatting in. She had no idea where Pinkie Pie and Rarity were. They had been separated when the invaders broke into the castle, and she was simply too terrified to go out and try to find them. She just wished that this day would end already. She let out a sigh at that thought. She was a coward, hiding here and hoping nopony would find her. But there was nothing she could do to help anypony. She would only get in the way.

A sudden crash from beyond the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She could here two stallions arguing outside. They sounded like they were about to fight each other. Gingerly and silently, she creaked the door open ever so slightly, peering out with one blue eye at two of Sombra's soldiers, both of them apparently arguing about how to deal with another pony. She couldn't get a good look at the other pony, because the aggressors were standing over her and close together.

"I say we take her as a little prize," the stallion on the left said with a sick grin on his face. "She looks like a screamer! I'd bet that we could have all sorts of fun with her." The mare backed away, but only ended up against the wall, her eyes filled with terror.

"And what if she gets loose?" the second stallion suggested. "I don't wanna take any risks. I say we kill her and get moving."

"But where's the fun in that?" The stallion held a sadistic glare as he grinned malevolently at the helpless mare.

Fluttershy's eyes had widened in horror at the sight. That pony was in serious trouble, and needed help. But what could she do? Her most helpful talent was communing with animals. She wouldn't be able to do anything against trained soldiers. But she couldn't just do nothing! She took a deep, deep breath, bracing herself for whatever she was about to throw herself into.

"Stop!" she called out as she galloped out of the closet, throwing the aggressor stallions for a loop and grabbing the other mare by the mane with her mouth. She galloped off, dragging the other mare across the ground rather roughly.

She finally stopped and released the other mare, and sat down to catch her breath. She suddenly felt somepony wrap their forelegs around her, making her jump before she realized who she had just saved. She easily recognized the purple mane and tail and pure white coat. "Rarity?"

"Oh, Fluttershy, darling!" the white unicorn cried with tears of joy. "I tried to fend them off myself, but they were too strong! I thought they were going to kill me, or worse! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank-!"

"I'm sorry I dragged you like that," the yellow pegasus apologized, noticing a few scuffs on her friend's coat and how messy her hair and hair had gotten.

"Oh, I can clean myself up later!" Rarity stated. "I owe you my very life! How can I ever repay you?"

"It's what friends do, isn't it?" Fluttershy said with a small smile. "I actually didn't even know it was you. I just acted because I didn't want somepony to get hurt when I could've done something to help." Rarity nodded in understanding and released her friend with a nod.

"We'd best get somewhere safe," the fashionista suggested. "Who knows what else might happen?"

Suddenly, as if on cue, Rainbow Dash came crashing through a nearby wall, slamming into the ground in front of the two mares. Her armor had been broken in several places, and she was covered in burns and cuts. She groaned in pain as she sat up, rubbing her head with a pained expression. "That's gonna hurt in the morning," she muttered.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy cried out as she rushed over to her friend's side. "Are you okay? What happened? What's going on?"

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy, then up at the hole she had been blasted through. "She happened," she said with a glare. Fluttershy and Rarity turned to see none other than Twilight Sparkle levitating herself through the hole in the wall, descending gradually and landing carefully, her hooves clicking against the hard floor of the castle. She eyed Rainbow and the others disdainfully, clearly expressing her desire to just be rid of them.

"Fluttershy, Rarity," she greeted venomously. "I was wondering where you two cowards were hiding. Right under my nose it seems."

"Oh, dear," Rarity mumbled as she got a good look at her former friend. Twilight's horn had curved and turned red, her eyes had become a sickly green, the irises dark red pools around snakelike pupils, an eerie purple smoke emanating from her now-evil gaze. Her coat had also darkened greatly, having turned from a bright purple to almost complete black. It was just… frightening.

"T-Twilight?" Fluttershy stammered out in fear. The now dark unicorn approached them as Rainbow finally managed to get back up on all fours, holding a battle-ready pose. "Twilight, why are you doing this? Aren't we your friends?"

Twilight sneered as if in disgust. "I know what you all really think of me!" she shouted angrily, making Fluttershy cringe. "You all think I'm a failure! That I can't do anything right! You were all going to abandon me when I failed Celestia's test! I won't let anypony abandon me!"

"So you betrayed us!?" Rainbow exclaimed indignantly. "That doesn't make any sense, Twilight! We'd never leave you! We're your friends!"

"No, you're not!" Before anypony could say or do anything else, the darkened unicorn unleashed a blast of dark magic at the other mares, who scattered to avoid being disintegrated. Twilight rapidly fired shot after shot, trying to destroy the others and ruining the castle with each missed shot. "Hold still!" she shouted in frustration as she began grinding her teeth angrily.

Rainbow Dash scowled as she made to dive bomb the traitor that was once her friend. Twilight had been facing the opposite direction, so she thought that this would work. It didn't.

Twilight turned around suddenly, her horn glowing with evil magic. The unicorn released a pulse of energy that knocked the multi-colored pegasus away and blew back both Fluttershy and Rarity. Twilight approached Rainbow then, her horn still glowing ominously. She stood over the wounded pegasus with a look of hatred on her face.

Rainbow glared right back at the unicorn mare. "You're not Twilight anymore, you know that?" she said in a matter-of-fact tone. Twilight growled at that. She began to charge her horn with dark power, ready to blast the blue pegasus into oblivion.

BLAM!

Twilight was suddenly blasted away by huge wad of confetti, which hit her so hard that she left an indentation on a nearby wall. "Friends aren't supposed to fight friends!" Pinkie Pie shouted from behind her party cannon. "Friends are supposed to understand each other and laugh and play and sing together!"

"Pinkie?" Rainbow asked as she stood again. "Not that I'm not glad that you came when you did, but what are you doing here?"

"I've been fighting off bad guys with my party cannon!" Pinkie replied with a wild grin. "They never see it coming for some reason."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and turned to Twilight again, who was trying to pull herself out of her hole in the wall. "We need to beat some sense into Twilight soon. Can you help with that, Pinkie?"

The pink earth pony seemed unsure. "I don't know. It doesn't seem right to fight her, even if she's all mean and nasty now."

"Pinkie, she's going to try to destroy us all if we don't fight her!" Rainbow shouted right into Pinkie's ear. "Do you want that?"

"But…" Pinkie hesitated. She looked over at Twilight, who was now finally out of her hole and glaring at them all angrily and hatefully. "But… she's our friend…"

"Not anymore," Rainbow replied somberly. "We have to beat her somehow. We have to." The young pegasus tried to look tough, but her eyes held a forlorn look, like she felt as though they wouldn't be able to beat Twilight. The darkening mare was considered to potentially be the most powerful young unicorn in all of Equestria, and was the bearer of the Element of Magic. How could they hope to beat somepony that strong?

Twilight snarled at them all. "I'll destroy you last for that, Pinkie!" She began to charge her horn again, when suddenly, a rope was slung from seemingly nowhere and wrapped itself around her horn and tightened. She was pulled off of her hooves and onto the floor where the rope was flung in a way to tie itself around her legs. Applejack had hogtied the unicorn from a distance, and was now standing at her friends' sides.

"Sorry, Ah'm late, ya'll," she apologized. "When I saw Rainbow get shot into the castle, I had to tussle with a few of Sombra's soldiers to get here. Are you all okay?" The others nodded, to which the blond mare sighed with relief. She looked over at the fuming Twilight Sparkle, who was struggling with the ropes on her legs. "Ah can't believe it. This is actually happenin', ain't it?" The others nodded once again.

Twilight screamed in frustration at the ropes and suddenly teleported herself out of them, delivering a death glare to all of her former friends. "So, the gang's all here," she said darkly. "Good. That saves me the trouble of having to hunt all of you down."

Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Twi, you need to take a look outside," she said seriously, everypony else giving her a confused look.

"Why?" the unicorn asked in response. "Are you going to attack me from behind like the weak little cowards that you are?"

"Of course not," the orange mare replied. "Ah just want ya to look outside and tell me what ya see. That's all."

Twilight eyed Applejack intensely. Reluctantly, she headed for the nearest window, occasionally looking back at the other five ponies. She looked out the window, watching the devastation as Sombra's forces sacked Canterlot from all sides. The battle – if it could even be called that – was hopelessly one-sided. "I see King Sombra's army attacking Canterlot."

"Is that what you want, Twi?" Applejack asked. "Do you want Sombra to destroy the city you were born in? The city you were raised and taught in? Do you want countless innocent ponies to have their lives ruined?"

"I… I have to do this," Twilight replied. "Everypony was going to abandon me otherwise. I don't have any choice."

"You always have a choice, darling," Rarity stated as she began walking over to the other unicorn, placing her foreleg around her shoulder. "You could try to make this right."

"There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing!" Twilight shouted, shoving Rarity away with her magic. "This was the only way to stop it from happening! This… this was the only way. He said so."

"Who said so?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight actually hesitated. "King Sombra said so. He said that time only goes two ways. No more, no less. That's all the choice we get. It was either this, or be alone forever."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at that. "And you actually believed that load of baloney?"

"It's not a lie!" Twilight shouted in denial. "He promised he'd never betray me! That he'd teach me everything he knows! He promised…"

"That varmint's a no-good liar," Applejack said in complete sureness of her belief. "He lied to you, Twi. We would never have left you all by yourself."

"But…" Twilight couldn't think of anything to say. She looked back out at the window. Buildings and homes were up in flames as civilians galloped in terror, while the Canterlot guards tried desperately to fight off Sombra's invading army. She could see the fear and panic in the eyes of everypony below, even from where she was standing. Her eyes widened slowly. "N-no… I… I… this isn't what I wanted! I just didn't want to be alone! I… I…" She could see her own reflection in the window. For a brief moment, her image was replaced with King Sombra, grinning evilly and laughing sadistically. She backed away in fear then and pressed herself against the floor, covering head with her forelegs. She broke down, tears spilling from her eyes. "This isn't what I wanted!"

Her former friends gathered around her, Rainbow Dash being the most reluctant. None of them said anything. They simply stood around her, waiting for her to finish.

After several minutes, she finally stopped crying shakily got back onto her hooves. She looked around at the others and hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I was scared and angry and… I let him talk me into joining him… I'm so sorry…" She was about to start bawling again when, suddenly, somepony wrapped their forelegs around her neck. She opened her eyes again to see Fluttershy hugging her closely. "W-wha…"

"You were tricked and bullied into what Sombra wanted you to be," Fluttershy stated. "But deep down, no matter how much you change, you'll always be our friend. There's nothing that Sombra can do that will change that."

"That's right!" Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly. "You can always count on us! We'll be there to pull you up when you're down!"

"We're the best of friends, darling," Rarity said. "If you need a helping hoof for anything, we're your ponies!"

"And that's the truth, Twi," Applejack stated with a wink and a smirk.

Twilight nodded to that and turned to Rainbow, who seemed reluctant to agree with the others. She glared suspiciously at Twilight for several moments before finally saying, "I guess I can give you a second chance. That's what friends do, isn't it?"

Twilight nodded once more, saying, "Thank you… all of you…" Then, out of nowhere, she began to be engulfed in a bright, white light. The others backed away, watching in awe as the light flashed and burst away, leaving Twilight's form as quickly as it had arrived. "W-what just happened?" she asked in confusion. The others just stared at her with dumbfounded expressions. "What is it?"

"T-Twilight," Fluttershy stuttered. Twilight raised an eyebrow and went back to the window rather nervously. Her eyes widened when she saw… herself. Her horn, her eyes, her coat. She had returned to original form.

"I-I'm me again!" she exclaimed. "I'm back to normal! But how did this happen? How did…?" She trailed off and shook her head. "No. Now's not the time for questions." She turned to her friends, a grateful smile on her visage. "Thank you. All of you. I… I don't know how I could ever repay you all for this." She looked back out the window. "But… it might already be too late. I gave Sombra notes regarding the entire city's defense, and now everypony is in grave danger. I… I have to fix this."

"We have to fix this," Applejack corrected her. "We're gonna help ya fix this mess. We'll beat Sombra together."

Twilight smiled. "Thank you, guys," she said quietly, "but this is something that I feel I need to do by myself. I led Sombra here. I have to stop him now." Before anypony could do or say anything to stop her, Twilight teleported away. She had to face Sombra. She needed to right her own wrongs. She needed to do this.

Omen

Sombra had never felt this kind of power before. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced, or even imagined. The light that emanated from Twilight's eyes and horn was unearthly, impossible to conceive through ordinary means. This was the kind of power he sought to have for himself. This was the might of a god.

He backed away just one step as Twilight approached him, murder in her eyes. She was ready to kill him now. He snarled in an attempt to intimidate her. "You little wretch!" he shouted as loud as he could, slamming his hoof down in indignation. "I shall destroy you, even with this new power of yours! I am the ultimate user of magic! No one can surpass me!" He charged his horn with dark magic then, quickly releasing it in the form of a beam of black energy.

Twilight summoned a barrier to deflect the attack, then charged her own horn with gleaming energy. She let loose a volley of magical missiles, which moved too fast for Sombra to be able to evade all of them. Several of the bolts landed on him, knocking him nearly breathless and blasting him away several feet. He landed sprawled out on the ground, groaning in pain from the attack. He picked himself back up off the ground just in time to be hit in the face by a beam of white magic that blasted him back even further.

The others watched in awe as Twilight fought the evil king. Her magic had become far more powerful somehow. Its glow was almost unnatural. Even Pinkie and Applejack could feel its mystical aura, and they had absolutely no aptitude for magic at all! Celestia especially could feel this power. It was beyond any magic even she could hope to perform. It was godlike.

"Twilight…" she said, her eyes wide with both fascination and fright. She didn't know which of those feelings was stronger at the moment.

The young unicorn walked deliberately toward Sombra as he tried to stand again. The dark stallion managed to get back on his hooves again, and stared at Twilight with wide, unbelieving eyes. This couldn't be happening! Where did she get this power? How did she break free of his nightmare sphere? He ground his teeth in agitation at his lack of knowledge on this. "What are you!?" he shouted almost desperately.

Twilight stopped her approach when she was merely four feet away from the king. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I am Twilight Sparkle," she answered, "a unicorn of Equestria."

"I didn't ask for your name!" Sombra cried out angrily. "You are no unicorn! You aren't even a pony anymore! Not with that kind of power! What are you!?"

"I just told you," the purple mare responded. "I'm a unicorn. Nothing more, nothing less." She began to charge her horn, as did an enraged Sombra. They both unleashed powerful beams of light and dark magic that rammed into each other, forcing a deadlock of the two forces.

To his own horror, Sombra found himself struggling against the much younger unicorn's own attack. But that was impossible! He was trained by the most powerful master of dark magic in the world! He knew spells that could shake the foundation of an entire city with ease! He could cause landslides with a mere thought! He was unstoppable! He couldn't be beaten!

"This isn't happening!" he cried out in total outrage. "This is impossible! You are a mere foal! How can you have power greater than mine!?"

"You really want to know, Sombra?" Twilight inquired in a tone that bordered on mocking the king. "It's because I have something meaningful to fight for! I won't let you hurt my friends and loved ones anymore! All you want is to conquer and enslave others! A goal like that can make you strong indeed. But I get my strength from my friends! And that is a magic more powerful than you can ever hope to master!" Sombra's beam of dark magic was now being forced back further and further, closer to the king than he would've liked. "It's over, Sombra!"

"No!" The blast swallowed Sombra's body entirely. "NO!" He felt impossible agony as his body was torn apart by the beam of light. He was utterly disintegrated by the blast.

As the beam faded away, there was nothing left of Sombra. He had been completely annihilated by the beam. Twilight closed her eyes and gave a deep breath. Then promptly fell over to her side. She could hear the voices of others around her. She wasn't able to respond. She gradually faded into unconsciousness, a small smile on her face.

-o-

It was dark. She felt warm. Was she dead for real this time? She couldn't really tell. Wait. Her eyes felt like they were closed. That's why it was so dark. She could hear faint voices. Curious, she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, and she was nearly blinded by a bright light above. Her eyes soon adjusted to the light. She could now see her friends all gathered around her. They were all covered in bandages, and Rainbow Dash's left wing was wrapped in a cast. Fluttershy had the least physical damage, having not truly entered the fight.

"Twilight!" they all shouted as they closed in on her.

"Oh, you had all so terribly worried, dear!" Rarity exclaimed overdramatically. "I was positively distraught!"

Twilight looked at all of her friends with a confused stare. "Wait, what happened?" Her eyes suddenly went wide. "What's going on in Canterlot!? Where's the princess!? Is anypony hurt!?"

"Calm yourself, Twilight Sparkle," said the voice of the sun princess, who had just entered the room. The others moved so that Twilight could get a clear look at her. The princess was covered in bandages. She was practically a mummy. "Everypony in Canterlot was able to evade capture or worse. It's strange, though. When Sombra was defeated, his entire army suddenly transformed into regular ponies. Do you know what may have caused that?"

Twilight hung her head in shame. "Sombra's army was… it was all of the Crystal Ponies from the Crystal Empire. He used his magic to turn all of them into mindlessly obedient soldiers. And I didn't do anything to stop him."

"I see." Celestia approached the brooding young mare and smiled down at her. "You need not blame yourself, my little pony. You were not yourself. You were under Sombra's dark influence."

"But that's no excuse!" Twilight shouted in response. "Innocent ponies were hurt because of me. Because of the choice that I…" Her eyes went wide again. "Wait… choice… Princess, do you know of somepony called 'the Accursed One'?"

Celestia's eyes widened for just a split-second. "Where did you hear that name?"

"I heard it from… somepony. I don't remember much of it, but while I was in that black bubble, I had… visions. And I heard something… like a warning. I think…" She struggled to remember. "'Ashen snow will burn the skies, rivers will run red, and sun and moon will fade.' I don't know what it means, but it doesn't sound good."

Celestia seemed genuinely worried now. She looked away for a few moments, as if gathering her thoughts. "Then it really is happening," she muttered to herself, earning a confused look from everypony else. She sighed and looked back to Twilight. "That is a part of a prophecy that I heard when I was very young, before my sister even earned her own cutie mark. The Accursed One… no one knows his true name. Only that he is the ultimate incarnation of evil, and that all masters of dark magic and all monsters are his servants. If he is truly going to rise again soon…" She trailed off, leaving everyone wondering what she was going to say.

Suddenly, a guard charged into the room, a look of panic on his face. "Princess! I have dire news! Discord is gone!"

"What!?" everyone shouted in unison. Celestia cursed something under her breath. "He must have been freed by the chaos of the battle in Canterlot. If he is allowed to roam freely, chaos will spread throughout Equestria like a plague! We need to-!"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me just yet, Tia!" called out the painfully familiar voice of Discord himself. "I don't plan on wreaking havoc on your precious little kingdom just yet. Just thought I'd let you know! Ta-ta!" His voice faded as quickly as it had arrived.

"Discord!" Celestia called out. When she received no answer, she muttered yet another curse. "Guard, spread the word that all able-bodied soldiers are to prepare themselves for anything. It may not be immediate, but Equestria is in grave danger as long as Discord is free. Go!" The guard saluted and hurried off to do as he was told. Celestia faced Twilight again. "Do you remember anything else?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, Princess, but that's all I can remember. I can barely remember my fight with Sombra."

"I see," the princess said with a sigh. She turned to leave. "I must go and make sure that the proper measures are taken to combat Discord, should he attempt to attack us directly. Rest well, Twilight Sparkle. I have a feeling that you will need all of your strength for what's to come." That said, she left the room, leaving Twilight with her friends.

All six of them looked at each other worriedly, most of those worried glances being passed over to Twilight. The purple unicorn held a face of concern, fear, curiosity, and hope. She looked over at her friends. She had a feeling it would take something greater than their friendship to best this new evil, whatever it may be.

Dawn's Fear

Twilight Sparkle released a breath of slight exhaustion and looked up at the crystal that she had just activated. That was her first time using that kind of magic, the same dark magic that she was told that King Sombra used. She doubted she would've had much other choice, considering weighing any other possible options would've eaten up what precious little time they had before Sombra breaks into the Crystal Empire.

Her efforts were rewarded, thankfully, as a dark wave flowed out of the crystal and throughout the shimmering throne room. Spike, her dragon assistant, stepped back from the shadow in fear, as did Twilight. The shadow quickly covered most of the floor and revealed a magically hidden spiral staircase. Twilight clapped her hooves together in excitement. "It worked!" she cried with a large, victorious grin on her face.

"Uh… yeah," Spike said with a reluctant gulp.

"I'll be back soon, Spike." The purple unicorn started down the stairs. Spike took a hesitant step towards the steps. "You stay here!"

Spike took a step back and laughed nervously. "If you insist!"

Twilight trotted down the steps carefully, not wanting to accidentally trip and possibly fall down into the seemingly endless abyss. As she walked, she nearly slipped, sending tiny pebbles over the edge. Curious, she used her magic to pluck a piece of crystal off the wall and dropped it into the darkness. She leaned in to hear the crystal as it hit the ground. For a few seconds, she didn't hear anything. She cleared her ear with her hoof and focused on the abyss.

She heard a very slight clink, signaling that the crystal had hit the ground. She gulped nervously. 'That's a long drop,' she thought. She got up and continued down the stairs. The instant she took a step forward, however, she tripped and collapsed down the staircase. She was able to catch herself with her magic before landing on her head at the bottom of the pit. She sighed in relief and teleported herself upright and landed on all fours. She looked around the room she was now in, and discovered a door directly behind her.

"Aha!" she shouted with a smirk as she approached the threshold. Suddenly, the door shot off along the wall to her right until it was on the opposite end of the room. "What in the…?" Twilight ran over to the door, but it again moved away from her. She kept chasing it, and it kept fleeing her. She was getting very irritated now, her horn glowing with slowly darkening purple energy. "Hold still!" She shot a blast of black magic at the crystal that was atop the door's frame, stopping it. She galloped over to it and swung the door open before it could move again. She was welcomed by a blinding white light.

When the light faded, she opened her eyes to behold… the Canterlot Castle throne room. Princess Celestia was dealing with some paperwork in front of her throne, rolling up completed sheets and tying them with the royal insignia.

"P-Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, getting the white alicorn's attention. "What happened? One minute, I was in the Crystal Palace looking for the Crystal Heart, and the next thing I know, I'm back here! What's going on?"

Celestia gave the young unicorn a spiteful glare, a look that made Twilight back up. She had never seen the princess like this. "There's a simple explanation for that, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said with disdain in her voice. "You've failed your test!"

Twilight's eyes went wide in shock and horror. "W-what? But I-!"

"Not only will you not advance to the next level of your studies," the princess continued, "but you will no longer continue your studies under me at all!"

"WHAT!? But you didn't say anything about no longer being your student!"

The princess seemed to give little bit of thought to this. She wrapped her wing around Twilight, as if to comfort her. She then shoved the purple mare out of path and said, "Didn't I?" She then walked away, completely ignoring Twilight's pleas.

The young unicorn could only watch as the doors to the throne room slowly began to shut behind the princess. She fell on her rump as tears began to spill from her eyes. She looked to her left, and was mortified to see a stained-glass window with an image of her on her back, cowering as the ghostly form of King Sombra claimed the Crystal Heart and re-conquered the Empire. Malevolent laughter filled the air around her.

This had to be some kind of trick! An illusion! A nightmare! Celestia would never just give up on her! … Would she? She was kind and benevolent! … Right? Maybe she could find comfort in her friends?

That was when she heard six voices, all laughing hysterically. She turned around to see her friends, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and even Spike, all laughing at her expense, like she was just some kind of joke.

"Look at her!" Rainbow said mockingly. "I think the baby's gonna cwy some mowe!"

"What a loser!" Fluttershy taunted.

"A sack of potatoes is more useful than her!" Applejack claimed with hearty laughter.

"And her mane is just so hideous!" Rarity said with a look of disgust. "I can't believe I even associated myself with somepony so repugnant!"

Pinkie Pie just laughed cruelly as Spike made mocking expressions at the purple unicorn, who slowly back herself up against the wall. This couldn't be happening! This couldn't be real! All her worst nightmares were coming to life right before her eyes.

"Please…" she begged. "Stop!" The others simply continued laughing and taunting her, but they were now leaving the room. The doors were now a third of the way closed at this point.

Twilight moved herself into the nearest corner and cried. The salty liquid burned her cheeks as it abandoned her eyes. Her teacher had left her. Her friends had mocked and abused her. Maybe her family…?

"She's such a pathetic disappointment," she heard a familiar stallion's voice say. She looked out to see her parents, brother, and even Cadance all standing in a circle. Her father had been the one who had spoken. "I'm glad we can finally wash our hooves of her!"

"I know!" her mother agreed wholeheartedly. "I can't believe I gave birth to such a hopeless failure!"

"I can't believe you paid me to watch her all those years ago," Cadance chimed in. "Just looking at her makes me want to vomit! What about you, Shining Armor? What do you think about your sister?"

"I don't have a sister anymore," the white stallion said with glare. The four of them left the room then, none of them apparently aware of Twilight's presence. The doors were now halfway closed.

That was it. Twilight's entire life had just been uprooted in a matter of minutes. Her friends, family, and beloved mentor… they had all abandoned her. She had nothing now. She laid herself out on the floor and bawled her eyes out. She wanted to scream, but her voice was choked by her sobs. As she cried, she could hear the sound of hooves coming closer. Probably somepony else who was about to berate her.

She suddenly felt something touch her head gently. A hoof went through her mane. She didn't know why, but… it felt comforting. Curious, she slowly looked up, her eyes puffy and red. A dark-coated unicorn stood over her, his body covered by plated steel armor and his horn curved and red. He wore a regal red cape upon his back, and his teeth were frighteningly sharp. His eyes were bizarre, having red irises, and the whites of his eyes being sickly green. A strange, purple smoke flowed out of his green and red orbs, giving him a very… intimidating appearance. Despite this, however, Twilight felt oddly at ease seeing his warm smile.

"Poor little filly," the stallion said with a tone of pity in a deep, gravelly voice. "So sad… so lonely… so scared. What makes you so frightened, child?"

Reluctantly, Twilight said, "Everyone… everypony I know… they all hate me now… I didn't do anything wrong… what did I do?"

"Nothing, child. Not yet. This is merely a vision of the future."

"A… a vision?" Twilight inquired. The stallion nodded.

"This is one of two outcomes, young one," he explained. "If you do not wish to suffer like this, then you must choose the only other road available to you."

Twilight wiped her eyes. "What do I have to do?"

"It's quite simple: join me. Unlike Princess Celestia, I will never abandon you. Unlike your friends, I will never mock you. Unlike your family, I will never stop watching over you. Let your anger take hold, and you will have the power to avoid this course of events."

Twilight stared at the stallion. "You… you're King Sombra, aren't you?"

The dark unicorn nodded. "In the flesh… so to speak."

"B-but, you're evil! This is probably all just some trick!"

"Evil?" Sombra replied. "Is it 'evil' to simply want to once again lead and guide one's own kingdom? Is it considered instead 'good' to banish that kingdom's rightful leader? And besides, you and I both seek the same the thing."

"You won't get the Crystal Heart!"

Sombra chuckled. "That's not what I mean." Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. "We both seek power. And the best way to obtain power is through knowledge. And I hold more magical knowledge than any other unicorn in Equestria's history. You do wish to master all forms of magic, don't you?"

The young mare hesitated. "I-I… That's none of your business…" She immediately knew that her voice sounded unsure. There was a part of her that admitted to what Sombra had said. She had an endless thirst for knowledge, which in turn would lead to an unquenchable need for power. And all of her being admitted… using the same magic as Sombra made her feel… powerful. Like she could bring down an entire mountain range with a single spell, or turn a full-grown dragon into a harmless newt. It was intoxicating.

Sombra could sense the conflict within her. He leaned in closer to her and said, "Join me, and no one will ever hurt you. All you need to do is give me the Crystal Heart. A simple task, no?"

"Give you the Heart…" Twilight muttered. "You're right. It does sound simple." And with that said, the throne room doors finally sealed shut.

-o-

Twilight finally snapped back into the waking world. The door that had tried to escape her stood wide open, revealing an endless plain of white stretching out before her. Spike was probably still at the top of the staircase above, likely too scared to come down and help her. She rolled her eyes at the thought as she exited the chamber. Spike was the useless one, she thought. Not her.

She found another set of stairs and sighed. This might take a while.

The Light of Dusk

Celestia was blown back by a powerful burst of dark magic, sending her clean through a stone wall and crashing against the ground. Luna didn't fare much better, as she was struck by a pulse of energy that very nearly broke both of her wings when she hit the ground. The princesses stood shakily, their bodies and armor heavily scarred and littered with burns and scrapes. The battle against Sombra wasn't going so well for them.

The dark king held a sadistic grin on his face, his fangs bared and his eyes burning villainously as he trotted towards Celestia, who was breathing heavily with a look of desperation in her eyes. The evil stallion laughed in amusement. "You have grown weak, Celestia," he pointed out in a tone that made it sound like it should've been obvious. "Your precious kingdom as well. Why can you not simply learn to kneel as your former student has?"

The Princess of the Sun sneered at the question. "You are a liar and a manipulator, Sombra," she said with venom in her tone. "I will not allow you to claim victory this day. I will stop you, even if I have to kill you."

Sombra merely smirked at her statement. "You certainly don't lack for confidence, Celestia, I'll give you that. But it is sorely misplaced. You overestimate your own abilities. A mere princess can never defeat a king." He began to charge his horn once again, a black aura enveloping it and green sparks shooting off. Celestia attempted to charge magic into her own horn, but it only fizzled weakly. She wasn't strong enough to fight back anymore. All she could do was brace herself for what could be the final blow.

Suddenly, just as Sombra was about to launch his attack, a blast of purple magic struck the evil king, sending him spiraling away and into a building that collapsed over him. Celestia turned her shocked gaze over to her savior… and her eyes went even wider. "T-Twilight?"

The purple unicorn galloped over to her mentor and hugged the white alicorn tearfully. "I'm so sorry, Princess," she said woefully, her voice laden with regret. "I made a stupid decision, and now everypony I know is getting hurt because of it."

"Twilight," the sun princess said with almost a disbelieving look. She soon gave a small, warm smile to the young mare. "I understand, Twilight. Sombra can be cruel and convincing. You are forgiv-"

"No," Twilight interrupted, pushing away from the confused alicorn. "I don't deserve forgiveness. I don't deserve redemption." She turned away from her teacher and faced the area where Sombra had been buried by debris. The stallion was already making his way back to sunlight. "All I can do is clean up the mess that I caused. I'll accept whatever punishment you give to me when I'm done. If I'm alive, that is."

Celestia watched as Twilight walked toward Sombra's place, her eyes wide with disbelief, shock, joy, sorrow, and so many other emotions that she couldn't name all of them. Her student was finally free of Sombra's influence, but she was going to fight the evil king by herself? This had to be some sort of cruel joke. Twilight wouldn't stand a chance against Sombra in a one-on-one battle. She would be torn apart like a wet tissue against a hurricane. But she knew that in her current state, she would fare no better. All she could do was pray that Twilight would be able to stop Sombra. Somehow.

The king burst his way out of the rubble, his eyes flaring with rage and annoyance. "Who dares to attack-!?" He stopped when he saw Twilight approaching him, her eyes, horn, and coat having returned to their original appearance. She had a look of determination in her violet gaze. Sombra frowned at this, knowing what her differing appearance meant. "So, you've betrayed me, have you?"

"The only ones I've ever betrayed were my friends, Sombra," Twilight replied as her horn began to glow with purple magic. "I only just realized what I lost."

Sombra actually chuckled at that. "So, you're going to try and win it back, are you?"

"No. I don't deserve what I used to have." Twilight's eyes flickered pure white for an instant. "All I can do now is fight you, and try right my wrongs."

Sombra narrowed his eyes at the mare, who was now in a battle-ready stance. He chuckled again and gave her a bone-chilling glare. "Then let us begin." Out of nowhere, he unleashed a blast of dark magic that nearly caught Twilight off guard. The young mare managed to erect a barrier around herself just in time to deflect the attack. She lowered the barrier when the attack faded, only to be greeted by a hoof planted onto the left side of her head, knocking her away several feet. Sombra laughed arrogantly as he rubbed his hoof on his chest. "I expected you to betray me at some point. Better to deal with you now anyway."

Twilight groaned as she picked herself up off the ground. Her cheek burned painfully, and it felt like it was already beginning to swell and bleed. That blow had left her dizzy. She hadn't expected Sombra to attack at close range. She wouldn't be able to fight that way. She could only rely on long-range tactics. This would prove far more challenging than she could've imagined.

She began charging her horn with magic, and quickly released a volley of magic bolts at the dark king, who teleported in puffs of black smoke to evade the attacks. He held a mocking grin on his face the whole time. He was toying with her.

He suddenly appeared in front of her, towering over her with a disapproving look in his twisted eyes. "You still have a chance to surrender, Twilight Sparkle," he said. "I can easily forgive this minor transgression."

"Never again!" Twilight growled as she attempted to strike the elder unicorn with a magical beam from her horn. He deflected the attack with ease and created a black ring of smoke around Twilight's hooves. She looked down at the ring with wide eyes. "What the?" The smoke rose like fire, turning into a sphere of darkness.

Sombra grinned ominously. "Say farewell to your sanity while you're in there for me, will you?" he requested darkly.

The last thing Twilight saw before the sphere closed completely was Sombra's vile gaze. She couldn't win. The sphere closed completely.

It was then that Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity finally arrived at the scene. They had only seen just enough to see Twilight be trapped in a black ball of some kind. "W-what is that?" Fluttershy asked fearfully.

Sombra turned to the newcomers with a smirk. "One of my personal favorite spells," he bragged gladly. "She will face all her worst nightmares, one after the other, each far worse than the last. Eventually, if she has a strong will, she will come out a broken shell of her former self. Otherwise, she might just die of sheer terror."

"That's… that's just horrible!" Rarity proclaimed with a very unladylike scowl on her face. "We demand that you release her at once!"

"And why would you want that?" Sombra inquired. "She betrayed you all to join me, then tried to kill me. She's nothing more than a lowly deserter. Why would any of you wish to associate yourselves with someone so untrustworthy?"

"Because she's our friend!" Pinkie declared confidently with a sure and wide beaming grin. "And friends don't leave each other behind!"

Sombra chuckled in amusement at that. "Friends? How quaint. It's almost adorable how naïve you all are. 'Friendship' is little more than a distraction. I learned as much from my own mentor."

"Your own mentor?" Rainbow Dash parroted with a raised eyebrow. The others looked just as confused.

The dark king sighed and looked up at the sky. "Perhaps I've said too much already." He returned his attention to the five young mares. "You all should focus on the now. And right now, I feel like gutting someone." His horn began to glow with dark, magical power. "And the five of you look like you'd make wonderful playthings. Please, don't die too quickly. I want to enjoy this."

-o-

She opened her eyes to see nothing but empty blackness. It was cold. She shivered from the chills that ran down her spine. Something didn't feel right about this place. It was eerily silent. Dead even.

'Am I dead?' Twilight asked herself. She tried poking herself a bit roughly. She felt it, clear as day. She doubted she'd be able to feel even that slight discomfort if she was dead. Where was she?

"Twilight…" whispered a harsh voice from seemingly nowhere. Twilight's head darted around, trying to find the speaker. She couldn't find anypony.

"H-hello?" she called out timidly, almost afraid of what might answer back. "W-who's there? Who are you?"

"Who am I?" the voice answered back. It was deep, throaty, and masculine. It was the kind of voice that sent chills down one's spine and scared those chills right back up. "I am no one that you know of, nor does anyone know of me anymore. Not even your precious Princess Celestia remembers me."

Twilight gulped nervously. "You know the princess?"

"Yes. I know her. I was there when she was born. I was there when her sister was born. I was there when their parents were born. And I was there when their parents were born. I am nothing if not aware of when something great arrives in this world. I was there when you were born as well."

"You… what?"

The voice hummed slightly. "I am unsurprised by your reaction. You have a great and noble destiny ahead of you, little mare." Suddenly, a pair of massive, blazing red eyes opened right in front Twilight, startling the young unicorn. "Your fate is intertwined with that of this entire world. However, my disciple turned you over to our cause before you were ready."

"Your disciple?" Twilight asked as she backed away slowly, the eyes still drawing closer to her. "You mean… Sombra?"

"Yes," the voice replied, the eyes narrowed as if disappointed. "He was a wonderful student. So eager to learn the ways of my magic. He was always one of my favorites, right after that draconoquess that you ponies call 'Discord'." The eyes lifted up a little, as if they were looking at something above. "It would appear that my time here is shorter than I expected."

"What? Wait, you were Discord's teacher as well? Who are you?"

"I have no more time to answer petty questions, Twilight Sparkle," the voice answered in annoyance. "But I shall leave you with one message…" Suddenly, the entire space lit up like a bonfire, and before Twilight stood a beast enveloped in dark fire, blood-red eyes gleaming like rubies in the sunlight. It opened an enormous maw of fire, where she saw her friends and family screaming and writhing in agony. "My return is inevitable. When I rise again, after so many eons of imprisonment within my own domain, I shall again walk the earth. When I rise, ashen snow will burn the skies, rivers will run red, and sun and moon will fade. Farewell, Twilight Sparkle. We shall meet again."

And with that, a piercing light enveloped the scene, tearing it away and blinding Twilight almost completely. The purple unicorn could just barely keep her eyes shielded from the rays that permeated the darkness. Soon, the light faded just enough for her to be able to see without going blind. She lowered her foreleg to see that she was now in a vast, wide-open field, with flowers of infinite colors blooming everywhere she looked. Above was a blue sky, filled with gently moving cumulus clouds. There was no sun, but there was still light.

"Hello, young one," said a soft, gentle voice that came from seemingly everywhere. It was calm, feminine. Twilight instantly felt a little bit at ease by the voice she heard now, she was still tense.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked, her horn glowing and ready to fight. "Sh-show yourself!"

The voice giggled a little bit. "Very well, child," it said. A flash of light burst into existence before Twilight, and transformed into…

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked with a dumbfounded look. "But… but how…?"

"Celestia" chuckled at Twilight's confusion. "Forgive me for this, but I am not Celestia. I have merely taken on her form so as to make you feel more at ease."

"But… who…?" Twilight couldn't quite think of any words.

The Celestia imitator chuckled lightly. "I am known by many names, child. But you may know me as 'Mother Faust'."

Twilight's jaw dropped. "Y-y-you're Mother Faust? The World Mother?" The elder mare nodded. The purple unicorn had no idea what to say. Was she really in the presence of the being who had created the entire world? Was this real?

"I can assure you," the elder mare said with amused little grin, "that this is all very real." Her expression suddenly became deadly serious. "I must warn you, Twilight Sparkle, that what you saw before I arrived was no mere nightmare that Sombra cursed you with. The Accursed One seeks to again rise from his prison in Tartarus, and wreak havoc upon the world. It is your destiny to confront him."

"I… you want me to face that… thing?" Twilight asked in a shaky voice. "But… why me?"

Mother Faust hung her head as if in shame. "If I knew why Fate chose this course of events, I would tell you, child. And I fear it is not as simple as you fighting him. You will choose the destiny of this entire world: you will choose between Light and Darkness."

"Choose? But I've already made catastrophic choices! What if I make the wrong decision again?"

"There are no wrong decisions, young one," said the World Mother in a wise, knowing tone. She raised her head toward the sky, her horn glowing with a pure white light. "You must go now. Your friends need you. I shall grant you the strength you need to face Sombra. Farewell, Twilight Sparkle. I wish you the best of luck."

Before Twilight could say or do anything, there was an explosion of light, blinding her almost totally.

-o-

He thoroughly enjoyed doing this. He loved beating away arrogant little whelps like these five mares who thought that they could be a challenge for him. He had easily overpowered each of the four who tried fighting, while simply standing in place was enough to terrify the little yellow pegasus into trying to hide herself in vain.

He laughed sadistically as he once again blasted that insolent blue pegasus with the rainbow mane into the ground. "Is this all you have to offer?" he asked. "How very pathetic. You are all less than trash compared to me."

Rainbow Dash stubbornly tried to get back onto all fours again, glaring exhaustedly at the dark stallion. She didn't have much strength left in her. She wouldn't last much longer. She eyed the black sphere in which Twilight was trapped. If only she could get to that sphere and somehow free Twilight, they might be able to beat Sombra. She tried to fly, but her wings gave out almost immediately. One of them felt like it was broken. She cursed silently under her breath. Without her wings, she was next to useless.

Sombra was only amused by this. "You still wish to fight, do you?" He laughed a little. "I must admit, I admire your determination." He levitated Rainbow up off the ground so that they were at eye level. "Although, I feel I must also tell you… that I do not envy your intelligence." He slammed her onto the ground, earning a pained cry from the young pegasus. He did so again. And again. And again. He repeated the process until he grew bored and dropped the mare onto the ground, leaving her still alive, though just barely conscious.

Fluttershy's eyes went wide at the sight as she pressed herself against a nearby wall. She looked over at her other friends, who were all scattered out on the ground, all of them battered and beaten into submission. Tears welled up in her eyes as it became clearer and clearer just how hopeless this was. Sombra was too powerful. He was going to win.

"No…" she whispered in terror, which drew Sombra's attention to directly to her. He grinned maliciously at her, making her shrink away in fear.

"Ah, I almost forgot about you," he said darkly. "How rude of me. I suppose it would only be fair that I deal with you in the same way that I dealt with your little friends." His horn began to glow again, that vile dark light flaring up and oozing menacingly. Fluttershy tried to back away, but she was already pressed against a wall. She could only watch and cower as she was levitated off the ground. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could, bracing herself for the worst.

Just then, a loud crack was heard. Anyone who was still awake turned to look at the source of the sound: the black sphere that held Twilight prisoner. Sombra's eyes went wide when he saw a large, glowing crack in the ball. "But… but that's impossible…" he said in disbelief, releasing his magical grip on Fluttershy, who backed away from Sombra without taking her eyes off the sphere. Everypony watched with shock as the sphere continued to break open, eventually exploding in a shower of light. From that light, Twilight Sparkle emerged, hanging her head low.

Sombra's eyes went even wider then. "B-but that's impossible!" he shouted. "Nopony should be able to escape from that trap! No soul has ever escaped!"

Twilight raised her head then, shaking it slightly. "King Sombra," she said in a tone that barely sounded like Twilight. She opened her eyes then. They glowed pure white, gleaming with power. "You manipulated me into your service. You used your magic to force your own people into slavery. You hurt the ponies that I care for the most." Her horn began to glow with a brilliant, radiant light. "It's time that somepony stopped you once and for all!"