In the Dark of the Night

The wild winds of the Frozen North threatened to blow Twilight Sparkle off course, but the violet alicorn was so close to her destination—she could not simply give up now. With the Two Sisters missing and winter encroaching on Equestria’s summer, Twilight refused to let a little turbulence best her. Her wings were weary and leaden, but urgency fueled her aching body onward.

The rest of the Council of Friendship had convened in Canterlot to oversee the assemblage of the Royal Guard and coordinate their efforts to beat the windigos back. Still, Twilight wished she had asked them to accompany her. Celestia’s letter had been grave indeed, but coupled with the missive sent by Cadence all the way from the Crystal Empire… Twilight shuddered. Dark times awaited Equestria, of that much she was certain. But Equestria would not be alone. Word had been sent to Griffonstone, to Yakyakistan, to any and every nation. Together, they could face this winter war.

But will we survive? Twilight swiftly pushed such dark thoughts aside. She needed to focus. Cadence and Shining Armor were waiting for her. The windigos had attempted to invade the Crystal Empire, but Shining Armor’s magic was holding them at bay. For now. Twilight believed in her brother and his abilities; nevertheless, she was worried. This all felt too much like the reappearance of the Empire after Sombra’s curse faded. Except, this time, Celestia and Luna were wholly unable to intervene. Had Twilight and the Council been unable to defend the Empire then, she knew the Two Sisters would have come to their aid. But now they were gone, and no-pony knew what had become of them or the soldiers that had accompanied them.

The Crystal Empire finally came into view, shielded by a glittering dome of magenta magic. As Twilight Sparkle soared through the barrier unhindered, the full glory of the Empire was unveiled. Gleaming structures of crystal lined the paved streets, amid a sea of grass that was eternally fresh and green in light of the power of the Crystal Heart. The palace was itself a spectacle to behold, a shining spire in the center of the beautiful city.

But the crystal ponies who normally filled the streets were all gathered in the courtyard beneath the palace. A few soft murmurs arose from the crowd as Twilight alighted in their midst. Many, however, remained kneeling, channeling their love into the Crystal Heart to help banish the winter demons and shadows threatening their homeland.

“Your Highness,” said a Crystal Knight, stepping before Twilight and bowing briefly, “the Princess awaits you inside.”

“Thank you, Sir Knight,” replied Twilight, folding her wings. She began to leave, but then paused and rested a fore hoof on the knight’s shoulder. “I would ask a favor of you,” she said. “Send word to Canterlot of my arrival. After the Sisters’ disappearance, I’m sure news of a safe journey will set them more at ease.” It was a small comfort, but Twilight hoped her friends would appreciate it.

The knight bowed. “Of course, Your Highness,” he stated, and then withdrew to fulfill the order.

Then Twilight made her way inside the palace. She had expected to need to meet her brother and Cadence in the throne room, but instead she found them and a number of Crystal Knights not far from the entrance. The knights were in full armor, some bearing spears and lances, a couple bearing the banner of the Crystal Kingdom, and all of them bearing steely, grim expressions. Shining Armor, too, wore his Guard Captain armor over his white coat, with his blue mane threaded through the helm. Cadence wore a few pieces of simple barding over her soft pink coat, and her trailing curls had been braided for battle.

“I won’t allow this, Cadence,” Shining Armor argued. “It’s suicide! If Celestia and Luna couldn’t stand against him—”

“Enough,” countered Cadence coolly. “We know nothing about what has become of Celestia and Luna, and we shall not start making assumptions now. Besides,” she continued, lowering her voice so the knights could not hear, “we can’t afford to show our subjects that we’re as worried as we are. If they lose faith in us, then Sombra has already won.”

“What’s going on?” asked Twilight, joining them.

“Cadence wants to venture into the arctic,” answered Shining Armor, glaring at his wife, “to follow the windigos to wherever they run to hide when we repel them.”

“Why do you sound like that’s a bad idea?”

Shining Armor stamped a fore hoof. “Because she wants me to stay here, when she knows perfectly well that it’s too dangerous for her to go alone.”

Cadence rolled her eyes. “I keep telling him that I won’t be alone. I’ll have two companies of the knights and you, Twilight, by my side—that’s why I asked you to come here. We’ll need your magical ability, as well as mine, to quell Sombra’s dark magic. The knights will be there to keep the windigos from advancing on us.” She turned back to her husband and tenderly touched her horn to his. “I know this is hard for you, Shining Armor, but you’re needed here. Without your protection spell, the Empire will be overcome. The crystal ponies need their prince.”

“They need their princess more. Please,” begged Shining Armor, “let me go in your stead, if not with you. You can defend the Empire as easily as I.”

“Your magic isn’t strong enough to defeat Sombra. I’m sorry, but this is the way it must be.”

After a moment, Shining Armor sighed. “Fine,” he relented, removing his helm and letting his forelock fall into his eyes. He embraced both Cadence and Twilight tightly. “Stay safe.”

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Twilight assured him, though Shining Armor did not seem convinced.

As she and Cadence began discussing strategy, Twilight glimpsed her brother take one of the knights aside—the commanding officer, by the looks of his armor—and heard Shining Armor whisper, “Make sure they come back. Protect them with your lives.”

The knight nodded. “Of course, Sire.”

* * *

“Down there,” announced Twilight Sparkle. She, Cadence, and the Crystal Knights had had a time scaling the frozen mountainside, but that had been their only real hindrance since the expedition began. While the eternal winter of the Frozen North was constantly assaulting them with frigid gales and scattered storms of snow and sleet, it was no more inhospitable than usual. The windigos had fled at the sight of the force exiting the Crystal Empire to meet them in battle, but Cadence found that more suspicious than anything.

They’re leading us, she had realized not long into the march. The windigo horde had remained just one step ahead of them, with a few stragglers almost always within their sight. The windigos had wanted Cadence and Twilight to follow them, no matter how many knights accompanied the princesses. It had been troubling, to say the least, but Cadence had known that to abandon the mission so early was to give the windigos yet another opportunity to attack her kingdom.

Now they stood upon an icy ridge in the arctic mountains, staring into the mouth of a cave. The windigos had taken refuge inside, and it was time to route them out at the source. Whatever else lurked down there, Cadence knew Sombra would be waiting. Patience had always been his game. Well, it was time for Cadence to finish what her ancestor Amore could not.

“Be on your guard,” she warned, stepping into the gloom. Her voice echoed against the glacial walls. Cadence summoned a sliver of magic to light the way. Beside her, Twilight did the same, adding magenta light to Cadence’s seafoam. The illumined passage wound deeper into the mountain in a steady, downward slope. Behind them, the synchronized hoofsteps of the Crystal Knights unleashed a cacophony of echoes. One of the commanders muttered an order, and a unicorn among their ranks cast a spell to silence their steps.

“Cadence,” murmured Twilight, too soft for her voice to carry beyond the sister-in-law beside her, “what if this is a trap? We’ll be walking right into it.”

“It is a trap,” Cadence replied, lowering her voice as well, “but, sometimes, a trap must be sprung. We can’t afford to wait. Every second we delay, Sombra grows more powerful.”

Twilight nodded soberly. “He’s been back longer than we thought, though. Celestia and Luna…” She trailed off, averting her gaze.

Cadence settled a comforting wing over Twilight. “Don’t think about that. We’re here for each other, no matter what.”

“No matter what,” agreed Twilight, returning the brief embrace.

It was soon clear that the cavern had not been formed naturally over time. The floor was smooth, the walls chiseled. The only stalactites and stalagmites that had not been chipped away were those that stood where a natural underground passage connected with the carved tunnel. A few crossroads revealed other magically excavated passages, but not many. Then the crystals appeared, sprouting from every angle in small clusters of red and purple. They glowed dimly, swimming with dark magic. When a knight accidentally brushed against one, the unholy gems instantly grew and latched onto him. Fortunately, the fellow managed to scramble out of his armor before the crystals spread to his flesh, for the armor was completely consumed seconds later. Everypony made sure to give the dark crystals a wide berth after that.

Then the passage opened into a great chamber, hollowed out of the heart of the mountain and illumined by more clusters of the deadly crystals. The walls stretched ever-upward into darkness, converging at a single point so far above it was but a speck of sky in the black. Ridges had been gouged along the graven walls, forming paths that spiraled to dark doorways at all levels, presumably leading to other passages. One crystal cluster sprouting from the floor was larger than the others, and it cast an unnatural shadow on the opposite wall.

Formed into the jagged shape of the cluster’s eerie shadow was a throne of obsidian crystal, standing upon a raised dais. It was almost as if the throne were made of the shadow, not the crystal. Four braziers carved of ice bore magical flames of black fire, two each to frame the stairs leading up the dais and the throne itself. Somehow, they cast the chamber in deeper shade while simultaneously illuminating the figure seated upon the throne. His midnight armor reflected the dim glow of the surrounding crystals, a robe of royal crimson rested upon his shoulders, and a steely crown graced his brow.

“Welcome, young Princesses,” intoned King Sombra, “to my humble hall.”

Cadence and Twilight stopped several yards away, the Crystal Knights halting in unison behind them. The ranks still filing out of the passage immediately took up flanking positions, their numbers easily filling the chamber.

“Now, what poor diplomacy is this?” Sombra asked, an evil grin quirking his lips. “Bringing an invading force into another sovereign’s territory without even a declaration of war? I thought Celestia would have taught you better.”

“Princess Celestia did,” Cadence snapped. “You, however, are no sovereign. These lands belong to Equestria, and it is you who have raised invading forces against us.”

Sombra chuckled. “Why so spiteful, Cadenza? Should you not present a more dignified model for your beloved sister-in-law?”

He has been waiting a while, thought Cadence, scowling, spying upon us all until he was ready. “Let Twilight be. She has no part in our blood-feud.”

“Oh, but she does. I have been watching her most carefully, her and her little group of… friends.” He spat the final word, as if it left a foul taste in his mouth. “Besides, I am not the one who brought her to the field of battle.”

“Enough of this, Sombra,” declared Twilight, flaring her wings in warning. “What have you done with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?”

Sombra sneered, and he laid his ears flat against the back of his head. “I am the once and future Crystal King. You shall address me as such, young Twilight.” His scarlet eyes glared a shade brighter. “Your precious monarchs are well enough, I assure you. But you must not speak so boisterously,” he added with a devilish grin. “You would not want to wake them from such… pleasant dreams.”

Dark magic seeped from Sombra’s horn. The knights braced for an attack, but Cadence and Twilight remained cool and collected. Seemingly amused by the dissimilar reactions, Sombra glanced to either side of his throne, extending his oily aura in each direction. The air rippled where the black art touched it, shimmering as an illusion was unwoven. On Sombra’s left, Princess Luna appeared, straining against bonds that no longer held her, recoiling from some terrible attack that left her eyes wide in horror. To the right of Sombra appeared Princess Celestia rearing upon her hind legs, wings flared and a single tear clinging to her cheek. She was just as frozen as her sister, as though they were nothing more than crystal statues.

“You see?” said Sombra, returning his bloody gaze to Cadence and Twilight. “They are quite well. Let it never be said that the King of All Monsters is inhospitable.”

For a moment, Cadence could not fully grasp what she saw. How could Celestia and Luna survive such a curse? Were they really alive at all? As far as the fate of Equestria was concerned, they were no more than the faceted statues they appeared to be. Even if his claims were true that Celestia and Luna were only sleeping, Sombra had killed them just as surely as if he had run a blade through their hearts. Celestia had been like a mother to Cadence since her ascension from common pegasus to alicorn princess. Cadence simply could not reconcile the fact that the kind and beautiful Celestia who had taken Cadence under her wing was… gone.

Without thinking, Cadence loosed a raging torrent of seafoam magic to unmake the monster lounging upon his throne. She poured all her grief and pain into the shining tide. The devil would not last the night. He deserved no mercy for this atrocity!

The gleaming sea washed against an invisible shield. When Cadence cut off the flood of magic, Sombra smirked. “You are not so much like Amore as I once thought, Cadenza. You have the same fire in your heart as your dear Celestia.”

“Silence!” screamed Cadence, launching into flight and unleashing a second cascade.

Below her, the Crystal Knights advanced. The pegasi took to the air alongside their princess, and the unicorns fired bolts of magic every color of the rainbow at Sombra. Twilight joined them, magenta fire blazing forth to consume Sombra where he sat. The attacks all splashed harmlessly against Sombra’s magical defenses.

Twilight raised a fore hoof, forestalling further waste of magic. “Watch the exits for windigos,” she commanded. “Princess Cadence and I will deal with Sombra.”

Though reluctant, the knights did as they were ordered, breaking rank to take up posts at the surrounding doorways.

Sombra laughed. “Indeed, Knights of the Crystal Empire, heed your sovereign’s warnings, lest you fall prey to the dead of winter!”

As if on cue, snow and ice blasted out of the passages on howling gales. The phantom figures of windigos were not long in following, streaming from the bowels of the mountain to flood the chamber with winter. They whirled all around, shrieking and conjuring a violent blizzard that slammed several pegasi into the walls. Cadence held her position, casting a spell to calm the air around her. Twilight and the forces on the ground were hard-pressed to maintain their balance as well, battered this way and that by the storm made even more ferocious in the confines of the hollow mountain.

Many knights were overcome in the initial onslaught, but those who were not charged the windigos with all the more fury. Cadence soon lost track of them. Twilight joined her in the air and hovered flank-to-flank with her so they could watch all directions. Cadence kept Sombra well within sight through the swirling snow and sleet. Whenever windigos attempted to approach, she and Twilight took turns searing them to slush.

“Is this not what you wanted?” boomed Sombra from below, his voice reverberating over the roaring blizzard and through Cadence’s bones. “Did you not come here to wage war?” He cackled, black fire gathering around his horn. “Fight well this battle, Amore, for it shall be your last!”

For some reason, the use of her ancestor’s name in place of her own fueled Cadence’s ire. Clenching her jaw and drawing her wings close, she dived. Dimly, she heard Twilight cry for her to stop, but it barely penetrated the red haze fogging Cadence’s mind. An icy inferno burned in her heart, and she gave form to it, releasing the fire within her in crackling bolts of lightning that arced from her horn to obliterate Sombra.

A few holes smoked in his shield, and another sneer distorted his features. Rearing, Sombra unleashed a crimson beam wrapped in vines of shadow. The dark magic rocketed for Cadence, but she conjured a pillar of white flame and pure crystal to meet Sombra’s attack. The two forces collided with a thunderclap, flooding the whole chamber with blinding light and sending a shockwave quaking through the mountain. Unprepared for the fallout, Cadence was cast down, and she tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Sombra stepped out of the smoke and snow before her, untouched. “For one whose magic is founded in love,” he said, “you bear much hate. It shall prove your undoing, Cadenza, just as love broke Amore.”

A shadow rose behind Sombra—a monster of both windigo and umbrum blood. It towered over Sombra and Cadence, but Cadence was the only one recoiling from the beast. She scrambled away, regaining her hooves and readying her magic. Sombra simply stood there, cruel eyes leveled on her.

“The Heart cannot save you here,” snarled Sombra. “Once you are gone, I shall reclaim my empire and make of the Crystal Heart what I made of Amore—shards.”

Cadence lunged to smite Sombra where he stood, horn and heart afire. The hybrid rushed her with a roar, eyes glittering like the tainted red crystals sprouting from the walls. Shadows swarmed from Sombra, reaching for Cadence. She burned them to smoky wisps with barely a flicker of magic, spreading her wings and taking flight. She evaded the windigo-umbrum easily, and they both swerved midair. The hybrid shrieked, darting for Cadence once more. Cadence dived for Sombra, magical fire erupting from her horn. In an explosion of shadow and flame, the three were consumed.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle coughed as she picked herself up, dust coating her throat. The chamber was unnervingly silent, filled with clouds of smoke and the stench of burnt hair. Where were the windigos, or the knights? Why was no-pony fighting? Had Cadence…? Twilight cut the thought off, conjuring a gentle breeze to clear the smoke and dust. She had to keep faith. Cadence was a powerful alicorn, almost as strong as Luna. A skirmish such as this was nothing for one like Cadence, surely.

Through the haze, many figures stood still as stone. Slowly, Twilight realized that the Crystal Knights—all of them—were either encased in ice or turned to crystal like the Two Sisters. A number of windigos had been caught in the crossfire, for their frigid forms were frozen in crystal as well. Most of the windigos remained, however, hovering silently in place and watching the last small space by the throne that was still wreathed in smoke. Twilight stared, too, hoping against hope that Cadence had vanquished Sombra. If their new leader were no more, perhaps the windigos would disperse, and Twilight and Cadence could begin healing what knights they could for the journey home.

Two silhouettes regained their details as the last of the smoke cleared. The first was Sombra, breathlessly straightening, his crown askew and his royal regalia marred by scorch marks. The second was Cadence, wings flared and face contorted by hatred—a crystal statue.

Twilight’s horrified gasp echoed in the heavy silence. Sombra’s glower instantly fixed on her, and his fangs flashed in a smile. The windigos around them stirred once more, shifting their attention to the last Equestrian princess.

In a burst of magenta magic, Twilight Sparkle teleported out of the chamber. Where exactly it was that she winked back into existence, she had no clue, but the passage was mercifully devoid of windigos. She cast a spell to silence her movements and darted down the crystal-illumined tunnel. She tried to still her deepening dread, but nothing could quell her seizing heart.

She was the last. Twilight Sparkle was the last surviving leader of all Equestria. Celestia, Luna, and now Cadence—they were all as good as dead. Twilight was the last flicker of light in this war of shade and winter, but how could she hope to succeed where the oldest and most powerful alicorns in Equestria had all failed?

Visions of her friends flickered through her mind’s eye. That’s it! Twilight realized, turning down a side passage. The ground here was on a slight incline, leading upward and, hopefully, to an exit. But this place was a labyrinth of rock and ice—it would take a great deal more than luck for her to work her way through the maze. If my friends and I can defeat a monster like Tirek, we can certainly stand against Sombra!

But first she had to find a way out.

* * *

When the youngest Equestrian princess vanished, the windigos shrieked and whirled in frustration. King Sombra let them, calmly brushing the dust from him with a few crimson tendrils of magic. Waiting for the windigos to wind down was far easier than attempting to bellow over them, and restraining their movements with magic was a waste of strength. They were chaotic spirits of winter, not the disciplined ranks of a military. In truth, Sombra had found them more like children than beasts, acting on trivial desires and throwing a tantrum when things did not go their way. Once the initial outrage was out of their system, the windigos would calm of their own accord.

Readjusting his crown with another magical wisp, Sombra turned to the crystalline figure of the once Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. He had expected her to be so much more like Amore—patient, empathetic to a fault, and quietly deceitful, spying on the fates of others and then telling them they still had a choice. Not that Sombra had been disappointed. No, he admired such fiery spirits, how they attacked life with vigor and passion, how they refused to yield when their flames were threatened to be snuffed out. Such wild spirits were the most pleasurable to dominate.

“Rest now, young Cadenza,” Sombra murmured, smiling. “You fought well; Amore would be proud, I think. Soon, your beloved sister shall join you, and I shall have my revenge.” Chuckling, he embraced his true magic—the magic of shadow and fear—and summoned a pair of umbrum from the milling horde beneath the mountain. He teetered on the verge of his full might, but Sombra knew the power would be put to better use later. It would not do to squander the element of surprise. “Place her beside Luna.”

The two ever-changing figures of roiling shadow bobbed their heads obediently, ruby eyes glittering with the delight of finally being freed from the earth. Sombra knew that feeling well. It would not be long now before all their umbrum brothers and sisters also reveled in the open air.

As the umbrum began to shift the crystallized Crystal Princess, Sombra returned his attention to the windigos. Their tantrum had finally reached its end, for the most part. Now the bulk of them swirled lazily around the chamber, silent and awaiting their king’s command. A spare few, however, still raged and whined.

A dark, icy aura shivered the air beside Sombra. Pravus had recovered from the battle with Cadenza.

“You have done well, Pravus,” said Sombra, glancing toward his masterful creation. The windigo that had sealed its race’s allegiance to Sombra had proven more intelligent than its brethren. For its initiative, Sombra had given it a chance to become more than any windigo, and it had not hesitated to accept. When Sombra contacted his umbrum brothers and sisters and asked for the strongest among them to step forward for a similar opportunity, his own mother instantly volunteered. Now, neither windigo nor Sombra’s umbrum parent remained. Instead, a new creature had been born, and it was power and loyalty given shape. Pravus’s heart was as black and cold as death, and it wielded the combined magics of winter and shade with ease.

“You humble me, my King,” Pravus hissed, its voice warped and raspy—a death rattle compared to the dread knell of its war cry. Its wine-red eyes flickered toward Cadenza, and it growled hungrily.

“Patience, Pravus. Once we have soothed young Twilight to her eternal rest, all Equestria will be your feast.”

Pravus dipped its head. “My King.”

The last whisking windigos grew still, thousands of glacial eyes fixed upon Sombra. He raised his voice so they could all hear. “The age of shadow and winter is nigh, my friends. Equestria is vulnerable, and only their one princess remains. She is still within the mountain. Seal off the exits—find her!”

As the windigos rushed to their task, Pravus asked, “And what of them, Sire?” It gestured vaguely toward the frozen and crystallized Knights of the Crystal Empire with a cloven hoof.

Sombra did not give the casualties a second glance, returning to his throne. “Shatter them.”

A gleeful hiss slithered past Pravus’s lips. “As you command, my King.” It darted forth with an unearthly howl, falling upon the immobilized knights in a flurry of snow and shade. The ensuing cacophony was not unlike the smashing of hundreds of glass panes.

Settling comfortably upon his ashen throne, King Sombra waited. He had waited so many years already, but he would not allow haste to ruin him this time. Only a little longer, and then he could safely march on the Crystal Empire. Once his kingdom was again his, he could conquer the rest of Equestria with ease. Without their precious princesses to order their days and guard their dreams, without their champions of love and harmony, Equestria would fall.

Conjuring a new cluster of black crystals, Sombra gazed into the flat facets with a small smile. His reflection was no longer that of a weak and outcast demon. Now, the face in the mirror was his own, kingly, resplendent. His power was his again. He was once more, now more truly than ever, the King of All Monsters.

Sombra chuckled to himself. If only Radiant Hope could see me now…

Something flickered at the edge of his vision. Sombra locked onto it in the crystal mirror—a violet figure cringing upon one of the upper levels behind him, creeping silently from one black doorway toward another.

In one smooth motion, Sombra whirled around and unleashed a bolt of crimson fire. It screamed through the air to the mountain wall, exploding against the rock supporting the elevated path. Twilight Sparkle plummeted, her wings battered closed by the avalanche of stone and ice. She tumbled violently to the chamber floor, winded and disoriented. Before she had a chance to recover, Sombra swarmed her with oily shadows.

When Twilight finally regained her hooves and fought her way free of the clinging gloom, her horn was covered by sprouts of black crystal. Her magenta aura struggled fitfully around the base of her cursed horn, but the crystals dispersed the magic faster than she could conjure it. Her eyes grew wide, pupils shrinking to pinpoints. Then, spreading her wings, Twilight launched into flight, soaring over Sombra and ascending toward the opening in the mountain peak far above.

“Fly, young Twilight!” roared Sombra, black fire gathering around his horn. “Fly, for your death is upon you!”

Winter incarnate erupted from every entrance into the chamber as the windigos rallied to Sombra’s call. At their head galloped Pravus, raising a battle cry to still the heart. Twilight was swift in the air, but Sombra’s windigos were the wind itself. They soon closed the distance, spiraling higher and higher in pursuit of the last Equestrian princess. The ice and snow of their chilling magic clawed across the space between them and Twilight, frosting her plumage. Unstable, Twilight crashed into the wall above one of the climbing paths. She scrambled into a desperate gallop as the windigos closed in, only barely regaining her lead.

Watching the glorious spectacle from below, Sombra laughed. No matter how fast she ran, no matter how long she fought, she was finished. But, oh, to see her strain against her fate! To see the fangs of inevitability latch onto her!

Then a chasm suddenly yawned before Twilight as she came to a break in the path. She barely paused long enough to gather her hooves under her and leap the gap. She only just caught the opposite ledge with her fore hooves, nearly descending into oblivion. With the windigos gaining on her, she scrabbled up onto the path and resumed her mad dash. Sheets of ice flowed in her wake as the windigos extended their wintry reach. Even at such a distance, Sombra could see the realization of futility flame in her tearful eyes.

There was no more path. A ridge jutted out into open space, away from the wall, as close to the circle of sky above as Twilight could get on hoof. She galloped straight to the end of the outcropping and pushed off into flight. Her iced wings pounded the air shakily, shivering with the biting cold overwhelming the hollow mountain.

Embracing the umbrum within, Sombra delved into the earth beneath his hooves with a flash of dark magic and burrowing drills of pure shadow. Cracks and faults sprang all across the surface, and from them streamed hordes of black smoke. The umbrum were formless but for their scarlet glares, but they were strong—and, at long last, they were free. At Sombra’s bidding, the army of shadows ascended in a blur of elated cries and endless shadow. Higher they flew, faster than any windigo, writhing among the forces of winter and bearing the icy demons upon their obsidian cascades. Pravus sailed ahead of them all, jaws parted in a wild, alien howl.

All at once, Twilight was overcome, wreathed in shade and winter. Her scream was drowned by the victorious roars of Sombra’s armies as they engulfed her. Black fire exploded outward in all directions, the umbrum and windigos rejoicing.

Sombra could not restrain the wide smile that split his face. His armies withdrew, letting fall the crystallized Princess Twilight Sparkle, frozen forevermore in her valiant but vain attempt to escape. Surrounding her in cushioning clouds of burgundy magic, Sombra gently lowered his prize to the empty place beside Celestia. The Four Princesses of Equestria now flanked his throne, and they would soon adorn his true seat of power in the Crystal Empire.

With the howls of both umbrum and windigo filling the hollow mountain in triumphant symphony, King Sombra stepped up to the youngest sovereign and whispered, too soft for any but him to hear, “Sweet nightmares, young Twilight.”