The Crystalling 2.0: Sombra's True Return

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Return
Chapter 2: Reunions
Chapter 3: Time to Panic!
Chapter 4: Your Worst Fears
Chapter 5: Inner Demons
Chapter 6: Hope
Chapter 7: The Storm Rises
Chapter 8: Sombra's Last Stand
Chapter 9: Peace at Last

Chapter 1: The Return

From the Rulers of the Crystal Empire,
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor,
You are cordially invited to
The Royal Baby Shower of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza
Next Thursday, starting at five
Plan your travels accordingly,
and we await your timely arrival.
Sincerely,
Cadence and Shining Armor

The invitation, which Twilight recieved a week ago, was short and sweet, yet still conveyed the tremendous excitement of the expectant couple. As soon as Twilight found out about her sister-in-law's baby shower, she immediately had Spike cancel all of her plans for Thursday (which, thankfully, was fairly empty to begin with) and began preparing for her trip to the Crystal Empire. Twilight still feels as if it was only yesterday when Shining Armor and Cadence first announced that they were expecting, and she could not be more happy for the two of them.

"I wish this train would go faster," Twilight says excitedly, "I can't wait to get there!"

"Be patient, Twilight," Applejack responds, "We'll get there in plenty of time." She, along with the rest of Twilight's friends, including Spike, were invited to the baby shower, as well. Even Starlight Glimmer was invited, despite almost destroying all of Equestria a few months ago.

"I hope it's alright that I"m coming along," she asks the others, "I know we got off on the wrong hoof, but I want you to know that I'm willing to change and accept your friendship instead of stealing it."

"Of course we are!" Twilight answers, "Right everypony?" The others gave approving yet hesitant replies; unlike Twilight, they had not completely forgiven Starlight for briefly stealing their cutie marks and tampering with time.

"Well, in any case, you've got friends in all of us," twilight says reassuringly to Starlight, who smiles in return.

"Thanks, Twilight," Starlight says, "This really means a lot to me."

"And I'm sure it'll mean even more to you when you see Sunburst again after all these years!" Twilight says enthusiastically.

"Ah, yes - that," Starlight says hesitantly, "Not that I'm not excited," she adds after Twilight gives her a questioning stare, "but I'm probably mostly nervous, too."

"Well, that's understandable," Spike says, "After all, it has been many years since he left you in your sorrow to plot an evil plan to brain-wash ponies into being your friend," he adds bluntly.

"Ok, that wasn't really necessary, Spike," Twilight scolds as Starlight shrinks down in her seat in embaressment. As if on cue, the conductor trots through their train car announcing the Crystal Empire as the next stop, relieving some of the tension amongst the group.

"Ooh, we're almost there!" Pinkie exclaims, bouncing around the car with excitement, "What food do you girls think they'll have? I hope it's lots and lost of cupcakes, candy, cinnamon buns. . ." she continues on listing her favorite foods.

"I'm just anxious to get there and start working," Rarity says.

"Will you have enough time to get Cadence's dress done before the crystalling?" Fluttershy asks, concerned for her friend's schedule.

"Well, I've certainly been in worse circunstances before, darling," Rarity explains, "I have every confidence that this dress will be finished in due time."

"Well, if there's anything we can do to help," Applejack says, "I'm sure we'd be happy to lend a helping hoof."

"Yeah, sure," Rainbow Dash says impatiently, "but I'm definitely setting aside some time to relax and enjoy some spa-er, I mean, um,” she stutters, “d-do some wing exercises,” she finishes, blushing as the others snigger. As everypony chuckles at Rainbow’s expense, Starlight looks out across the frozen lands of Northern Equestria. Amidst the swirling snow, she notices a dark blob which seems to resemble a pony wearing a cloak trudging through the storm. Eventually doubting that nopony would be stupid enough to try and brave the weather, Starlight turns her attention away from the window and joins in her friends’ conversation.

* * * *

Just outside the protective walls of the Crystal Empire, a lone unicorn stallion wearing a thick cloak watches the Friendship Express make its way towards the station before continuing on his way. “I know it’s here somewhere,” he tells himself, “All my research points to this spot.”

Eventually, his horn emits a pulsing glow, signifying something he has been waiting weeks for to happen. “Yes! It must be right here,” he says to himself as he begins digging, “I knew my new spell wouldn’t fail me this time!” After a few minutes of digging, Crescent Star appears to find his prize; a curved black unicorn horn with a soft red tip, broken at the base.

"Crescent Star, you’re starting to amaze yourself with your magical abilities,” the stallion prides himself with his discovery. “I must tell the Princess about this, before the prophecy comes true—” suddenly, the horn levitates off of the ground – only he is not lifting it. Shocked by the sight, Crescent Star backs away as dark shadows appear seemingly out of nowhere and swirl around the horn, materializing into a solid mass. Fearing the worst, he lights up his horn and fires magic into the dark mass of shadow, which bounces harmlessly away.
In no time at all, the shadows disperse, revealing the dark ruler of the Crystal Empire from centuries past in all his former glory. Crescent Star, backs away even further, standing wide-eyed in shock at the events that just unfolded before him. King Sombra inspects himself, holding his forehooves in front of him, and laughs maniacally before striding towards Crescent Star, who lights up his horn again.

“Stay back, you filthy excuse for a leader!” he shouts, his voice full of contempt.

“Well, well, well,” King Sombra says, grinning at the poor stallion’s defense, “After all these years, I’m still not welcome in my own empire? Well, we’ll just have to change that!” He rises up in his back legs, lighting his own horn up; as he comes back down, he shoots a brilliant beam of pure purple and black energy at Crescent Star. The stallion barely has time to react as the beam of magic completely engulfs him; in a matter of seconds, all that is left of Crescent Star’s existence is the cloak he was wearing. As the cloak blows away in the wind, King Sombra laughs darkly and begins walking towards the Crystal Empire.

* * * *

Meanwhile, the train pulls into the Crystal Empire station, where the Mane 6, Starlight, and Spike step out into the lush environment of the empire. Twilight immediately spies her brother, Shining Armor, waiting on the platform to greet them. Everypony notices that he looks a little more disheveled than usual; signs of stubble dot his muzzle and his hair falls unkempt in front of his eyes.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight shouts as she gallops towards him and they embrace each other affectionately.

“Twiley!” Shining Armor says, sounding slightly tired, “I’m so glad you all could make it! This really means a lot to the both of us.”

"Glad to be here too, big bro," Twilight says, "Speaking of which, where is the mother-to-be?"

"She's back at the castle," Shining Armor replies, "She really wanted to be here, but we both agreed that she shouldn;t move more than she needs to. Hope this doesn't put a damper on things."

"Of course not, darling," Rarity replies, "We completely understand; she must be due any day now."

"Yeah, that's what the doctors keep telling us," Shining Armor says, "but it's done little to calm my nerves."

"Before Shining Armor can explain, Starlight spots a familiar-colored coat of fur from across the platform. The orange coat belongs to a handsome stallion with a dark ginger mane, scraggly goatee, thick glasses, and a sorceror's cape. What Starlight finds most noticeable - and most recognizable - is the white patches on his hooves and muzzle; she trots over to the pony she remembers as her foalhood friend.

"Um, hello there," Starlight begins awkwardly, causing the stallion to turn around, "Um, I don't know if you remember me, but we used to be-" suddenly, the stallion pulls her into a heartfelt embrace, tears forming in his eyes.

"How could I forget my longest, bestest friend in all of Equestria?" the stallion says as he hugs the pony he ever truely called "friend". Starlight embraces him as well, a flurry of emotions circling her mind.

"I missed you too, Sunburst," she whispers in his ear as they hold each other for a moment longer, the others looking on, happy for their new friend.

Chapter 2: Reunions

After collecting their luggage, the group of ponies depart from the station and make their way towards the Crystal Castle while catching up on recent events. All around them, the crystal ponies scurry about preparing for the upcoming crystalling, tidying up storefronts and polishing everything that shines.

"Is all this for the baby shower?" Applejack asks Shining Armor.

"Actually, no," he replies, "They are preparing for the crystalling, when the Crystal Heart accepts the baby as the newest member of the Crystal Empire. Cadence and I have been making the preparations for the baby shower - arranging the decorations, compiling the guest list, among other things."

"Wow, that sound like a lloooooott of work for only two ponies!" Pinkie states in astonishment.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Shining Armor says while straightening out his mane, "That plus all the appointments and getting the castle ready for the baby, Cadence and I certainly feel rushed off our hooves." He looks longingly at his sister and her friends, "If you're up to it, we could really use some help finalizing everything."

"Are you kidding?" Twilight says excitedly, "Organizing things is my specialty! Don't you worry, big brother," she says, putting her foreleg around Shining Armor's neck, "We'd be happy to help and let you and Cadence rest."

Shining Armor smiles gratefully, "What would I do without you, little sis?" and they continue on. Starlight, meanwhile, catches up with Sunburst towards the back of the group.

"So, what have you been up to since you left?" Starlight asks him.

"Well, when I got to magic school," Sunburst begins, "I was so excited to learn as much as I could about magic; so, I instantly hit the library. I found out about so many spells I never even heard of - what they do, their uses, and everything else! But when it came time to use those spells. . ." he closes his eyes, almost in pain.

"What happened?" Starlight asks, concerned.

"I can't explain it," Sunburst says, "It was like everything I learned flew out the window, leaving me looking like an idiot in front of the entire class. That's where the teasing only began." He lifts his head to look at his foalhood friend, "My only solace came with the letters you sent."

Starlight gasps, "You got my letters?!"

"Yes, and I cherished those for as long as I was in school," Sunburst says, "But I didn't write back because I was afraid of telling you how much of a failure I had become."

"Well, I'm sure you wouldn't be alone in that regard," Starlgiht sighs, "After you left, I hated cutie marks and how they could take friends away just like that. I hated them so much that I created my own town where everypony was equal and special talents didn't matter. Twilight and her friends defeated me then, and when I came back for revenge, they beat me again." A couple of moments go by where neither of them say anything.

"I'm sorry I left you alone," Sunburst apologizes, "I never knew how much I could have hurt you by leaving."

"And I'm sorry I didn't try harder to stay your friend," Starlight returns the gesture, "Can we be friends now?" she adds, leaning against Sunburst almost intimately.

"Of course," Sunburst says, smiling as they follow the others to the castle. When they arrive, Twilight, along with the rest of her friends, drops her luggage and races up into the castle to greet her sister-in-law. They find her lying on her bed in hers and Shining Armor's quarters, looking tired yet glowing in her pregnancy. Starlight can instantly tell that Cadence is almost at the end, with her belly bulging to her side. Nevertheless, as soon as Cadence sees them, she perks up and slides off the bed to perform a rather slowed rendition of her special greeting with Twilight, then makes her rounds to the others.

"I'm so glad you were all able to make it," Cadence says affectionately to them.

"Of course!" Twilight says enthusiastically, "We wouldn't miss it for all of Equestria!"

"Shining Armor told us all about his and your efforts in preparing for your own baby shower. . ." Rarity begins to say.

"Truth be told, it hasn't been easy," Cadence admits.

"Yeah, and if there's anything we can do to lighten the workload," Applejack continues, "Just let us know and we'll hop to it!"

"Yeah! Just like rabbits!" Pinkie Pie exclaims, then proceeds to bounce around the room, saying "Hop, hop, hop, hippity-hop!"

"Well, thank you all," Cadence says, chuckling, "Actually, there's still quite a bit to do, but we can get to that tomorrow. You all must be exhausted after the long trip here."

"Well, when you put it that way," Spike says, feigning a yawn, "I think I'll hit the hay a little early tonight."

"Even though you slept for most of the train ride here?" Rainbow Dash teases, smirking a bit.

"Hey! Preparing for a trip like this is hard work!” Spike says innocently, only to receive some sniggers from the others.

“Well, we’ll see you in the morning,” Cadence and Shining Armor say to the group before turning in for the night. As everypony separates to their rooms, Twilight asks Starlight about her conversation with Sunburst.

“It was nice,” Starlight tells her, “He seemed to remember me.”

“I’d say,” Twilight says, remembering their heartfelt reunion, “So, was that all?”

“No, we talked about what we’d been up to over the past few years,” Starlight explains, “I know I said we’d lost touch, but I’d say we’re best friends again.”

“Friends? From what I saw, I’d say you might be a little more than that,” Twilight says playfully, raising an eyebrow at her pupil.
Starlight blushes at Twilight’s accusation, not wishing to divulge too much into the subject. Anxious to change the topic, she says, “Hey, do you know why any of the crystal ponies would want to leave the empire?”

“No, why do you ask?” Twilight says, a puzzled look crossing her face.

“When we were on the train, I saw somepony in a cloak walking around in the snow,” Starlight tells her, “Who do you think it could have been?”

“Not sure,” Twilight says honestly, “Probably just has an adventurous spirit or something.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Starlight says as they part ways and enter their own rooms. As Starlight tucks into bed, she wonders if the pony in the storm was just in her imagination, or if it means trouble for the empire.

* * * *

The next day, everypony gathers in the grand banquet hall of the castle to finish preparations for the baby shower later in the day. The only pony not accounted for is Rarity, who insisted that she should get working on Cadence’s crystalling dress immediately. Even Cadence herself manages to clamber down to the hall, despite her husband’s protests.

“I promise not to do too much today, dear,” she assures Shining Armor, “I just don’t want to lay around our room doing nothing while you all break your backs down here.”
“Okay, but please be careful,” Shining Armor warns his wife, “I don’t want anything happening to you now.”

“Alright, everypony!” Twilight, who had taken over her brother’s task of organizing the shower, calls out, “Ready to get started?” After everypony agrees, she continues, “Okay; Rainbow Dash – Fluttershy – these pegasi will show you where to hang the rest of these banners. Applejack – Pinkie Pie – we need some strong ponies to move these tables into place.”

“Oooh, fun!” Pinkie exclaims as she bounces to work.

“And Starlight – you and Shining Armor will help the others with preparing the table settings and centerpieces. I’ll be checking on everything later,” she finishes, looking over at her brother. “Did I miss anything?” she asks, to which her brother smiles.

“Surely not,” he says, “I have every confidence in your abilities,” and he and Starlight head off to work. Cadence walks over to Twilight, beaming at her sister-in-law.

“You never lose your touch,” she says, wrapping her foreleg around Twilight, half for pride in her sister, half for support.

“Thanks,” Twilight says, “I try my best.”

Cadence chuckles, “So, what can I help with?”

Now it is Twilight’s turn to chuckle, “I am going to help you get ready for tonight,” she smiles, “Aaaaand to keep you away from the kitchen.”

“Oh, come on!” Cadence says playfully, “My cravings haven’t been that bad!” Even as she says this, she sniffs the air longingly, smelling all the wondrous delicacies the castle kitchen is cooking up. Twilight laughs and leads her back to her room as everypony else sets to work.

It takes them most of the day, but the team of ponies finally manages to finish setting up and idles around, gazing at their hard work. Twilight checks the last few items off on her checklist, and announces, “Well done, everypony! Now, we’d better get ready; the citizens will be arriving in just a few hours!”

Some time later, crystal ponies gather at the base of the Crystal Castle and enter the banquet hall, bearing gifts for the royal family. Nearly everypony in the Crystal Empire had been invited, so Twilight and Starlight were put in charge of the guest list. Everypony pays their respects to Cadence and Shining Armor before partaking in the festivities in the hall. While everypony enjoys the event, Cadence and Shining Armor make their way over to Twilight and Starlight, who busy themselves with making sure everypony is content.

“Twilight!” Shining Armor calls out, “We can’t be more proud of you and your friends for pulling all this together. We surely wouldn’t have been able to do it all just the two of us.”

“It’s my pleasure, big brother,” Twilight says as they hug each other.

“Twilight, would you like to get some punch with me?” Cadence asks.

“Sure,” she responds, and the two of them trot away, leaving Shining Armor and Starlight alone.

“So,” Starlight says after an awkward silence, “Some party this is, huh?”

Shining Armor suddenly becomes serious, “Listen, I know what you did – and tried to do – to Twilight and her friends.”

Starlight’s stomach drops, “Ah, yeah – that. Look, I don't know exactly what you know about all that-”

"Twilight told me everything," Shining Armor says bluntly, "And from what she said, she's alright with the situation, as does Cadence." He then leans down so his face is inches from Starlight's face, "You may seem different from when you left that town, Starlight Glimmer," he says in a hushed, almost menacing, tone, "but cross my family again, and you'll be answering to me, which I assure you, is no good thing."

Starlight gulps nervously, "I understand, but you must know-" suddenly, the entire room shakes with a thunderous BOOM! Everypony pauses and looks around for the source of the noise. Then, they hear a chilling voice speak from seemingley nowhere:

"Aaahhh, greetings my crystal slaaaaves. Did you miss me?. . ."

Chapter 3: Time to Panic!

Everypony freezes in their spot as King Sombra continues his greeting; "Aw, what's the matter? Why such disappointed and despairing looks? I've been looking forward to seeing all your pretty faces," he says condescendingly.

"Where is he?" Rainbow Dash shouts and shoots up in the air from somewhere among the crowd, "Lemmeattim! Lemmeattim!"

The voice of King Sombra chuckles, "Don't be so keen, young one," he says threateningly, "I'm much stronger than I was the last time we met, and as much as I'd love a little - excitement - I'm afraid I've returned on a different note."

"Just try us!" Twilight joins Rainbow Dash in the air, "We've beat you once, we can do it again!"

"But how, though," Sombra begins to ask, "when I could be standing right - next - to - YOU!" and he suddenly appears in the middle of the crowd. Many of the ponies surrounding him quickly back away, but just as quickly as he materialized, he disappears into the shadows once more.

At the sound of another shuddering BOOM!, chaos ensues as everypony panics and races about the room, trying to escape to the safety of their homes. Shining Armor and Starlight are jostled back and forth as they try to meet up with the rest of their friends amidst the screaming crystal ponies.

"Where did he go?!"

"Why is he back?!"

"Where can we go now?!"

"WHERE'S MY TEDDY BEAR??!!!"

Starlight and Shining Armor eventually find Applejack and Rarity trying to calm everypony down. "Alrigh' ev'rypony!" Applejack shouts in vain, "Now, um. .let's all just, uh. . .get outta here in an orderly, um - fashion, er-"

"Oh, forget about it Applejack, it's useless!" Rarity says, having similar luck as her friend.

"Where are the others?" Starlight asks them above the noises of the crowd.

"Fluttershy and Pinkie are currently trying to corral Rainbow Dash back to her senses," Rarity explains, "Twilight and Princess Cadence, however," she adds, "we lost track of them after King Sombra appeared."

"Waht do you mean, lost track of them?!" Shining Armor exclaims, getting close to Rarity's face, "WHERE'S MY WIFE?!" He frantically scans the scrambling guests, looking for any signs of his family, "TWILIGHT!! CADENCE!!" he calls out numerous times, but realizes that his efforts prove futile against the surging crowd.

"Maybe we should check her room," Applejack suggests as Fluttershy and Pinkie make a crashing appearance with Rainbow struggling against their hooves, "If I were a princess in danger, that would be the first place I would think to hide myself." So the group races up the stairs to Cadence and Shining Armor's room; upon their arrival, they discover that the door to the room is locked shut.

"Y-you don't suppose. . .t-that h-h-he's got," Fluttershy says nervously, but is interrupted when Shining Armor starts throwing all his weight against the door in desperation.

"OH - NO - YOU - DON-!" he shouts with every push until the door comes crashing down, revealling a pile of various pieces of furniture blocking the entrance. The ponies scramble inside and breath a collective sigh of relief to see Twilight and Cadence huddled together on the other side of the room, unharmed. Shining Armor gallops over to them and embraces his wife in a fierce hug.

"I thought I lost you to that monster," he says, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, dear," Cadence says, grateful for her husband's concern over her safety.

"How the hay did y'all get up here so fast?" Applejack asks, "and have the time to block the door?"

"As soon as Sombra disappeared," Cadence explains, "Twilight teleported us both up here and barricaded the door with pretty much everything and anything heavy enough. But, I guess it wasn't enough to keep back my husband, let alone Sombra himself," she chuckles, which turns into a pained moan.

"What's wrong, honey?" Shining Armor asks worriedly.

"I-It's nothing, really," Cadence winces, "Just a small cramp. I guess this is just a little too much excitement for the baby to handle," she adds light-heartedly.

"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one," Rainbow Dash mumbles to nopony in particular.

"So, what's the plan, Twilight?" Pinkie asks enthusiastically.

"Why me?" Twilight asks, taken aback by the sudden address.

"Well, you beat King Sombra before, so you must know how to beat him again! You said so, yourself!" Pinkie continues, bouncing around until Applejack stops her.

"It was the return of the Crystal Heart that defeated King Sombra last time," Twilight says, "but unless there's been anything wrong with it this time, I'm not entirely sure why he's back."

"I'm sure if anypony noticed anything wrong with the Crystal Heart," Cadence says, "they would have surely come straight to us, but nothing like that's happened."

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom crashes open again; everypony turns on a dime to see Sunburst, panting, standing in the doorway.

"There you all are!" he gasps, "I've been looking for you ever since Sombra showed himself. I thought you might have been taken!"

"Don't worry, Sunburst," Starlight reassures her old friend, "We're all okay - for the time being, at least."

"How are the crystal ponies?" Cadence asks Sunburst.

"Things have gone quiet for now," he explains, "Almost all the guests have run back to there houses; there are only a few stragglers still huddled together in the ballroom."

Cadence strides forward as best as she can, an look of fury crossing her face, "I will make him pay for what he's done to my-ugh!" she groans as another cramp hits her stomach.

"You're not going to do anything so long as I'm here," Shining Armor says sternly yet affectionately.

"Maybe we should start with another visit to the Crystal Empire Library?" Rarity suggests, "We did find a lot of good information about the empire's past the last time Sombra appeared."

"You're right, Rarity!" Spike exclaims, a little too enthusiastically, "The collection's probably been expanded since the empire's return, too!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Starlight agrees, so the Mane 7 prepare to head out. Shining Armor is initially reluctant to join them in favor of keeping Cadence and the baby safe, but he eventually complies when Sunburst and Spike promise to guard her with their lives.

As the group gallops through the town, they realize that the fear of Sombra's reign is still within everypony's minds because the streets are devoid of any movement, as the crystal ponies are boarded up in their homes.

"Geez, youd think that somepony's threatened to kill everypony in this place," Starlight comments as they gallop down another eerily quiet street.

"Well, this is King Sombra we're talking about," Shining Armor replies, "so, you're probably not far off from the truth there."

"I just wish there was a way we could get their spirits rejuvenated again," Rarity says, "That's how they defeated him the last time, right?"

"Yeah, but the Crystal Heart's not missing anymore," Twilight answers, "I'm sure something in the library will help us defeat Sombra this time!" So they continue on; when they reach the library, they walk in with little issues, considering all the librarians are huddled in a corner for protection.

"Okay everypony, split up!" Twilight commands, "We're looking for books, pamphlets - anything - that might be about the empire's history under King Sombra. Meet back here with whatever you've found in fifteen minutes!" and with that, everypony goes their separate ways. What they do not realize, however, is a cluster of seemingly sentient shadows following each pony through the never-ending shelves of the library.

Chapter 4: Your Worst Fears

Author's Note

There is a section of this chapter that contains some graphic imagery; I'm sure you will recognize it once you reach it in the story. You have officially been warned; for anyone who might be sensitive to such material, just skip over it and continue with the story. For everyone else, um. . . .enjoy, I guess!

Chapter 4: Your Worst Fears

Shining Armor eventually finds himself in the references section, looking for any sort of history book, all the while worrying about Cadence. I hope Sunburst and Spike take good care of her, he thinks to himself, I don't know what I'd do without her. As he trots on, he notices the light around him darkening until he is completely shrouded in darkness; feeling a sense of urgency, he shoots magic into the darkness, which fails to dissuade it. He continues to fight back until he is eventually completely absorbed into the shadows.

. . . he walks through a set of double doors into a bright hospital hallway, completely devoid of any other signs of liveliness. No patients moaning, no doctors or nurses hurrying about - nothing. He begins to believe he is the only inhabitant until he hears a frantic shouting coming from inside one of the rooms. He trots in the direction of the shouting until he reaches the source; doctors and nurses are crowded around an operating table, bloody tools lying on a smaller table. The sight of the tools is not what makes his heart fall into his stomach; Cadence, his wife, lies motionless on the operating table.

"What's happening?" Shining Armor asks the ponies clustered around the table. They immediately freeze in their spot at being addressed; one of the nurses turns around and tries to lead him out of the room.

"Please, Mr. Armor, you'll have to wait out here-" one of the nurses pushes him back out the door.

"No, I need to know what's going on!" he demands as he tries to resist, but she doesn't budge.

"There have been some complications with the birth," the nurse says nervously, "but the doctors are doing the best they can." Before Shining Armor can say anything else, the door to the room closes, shutting him out. A little while later, one of the doctors exits the room, a somber look on his face.

"Well?" Shining Armor asks him, praying for good news.

The doctor shakes his head, "I'm sorry, Mr. Armor," he begins solemnly, "we tried everything we could, but nothing worked. We - were - unable to save your wife - or the child."

Shining Armor looks dumbfounded for a moment, taken aback by shock. As the realization of the situation sets in, he collapses to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably and calling out to his deceased wife and unborn child in the other room.

* * * *

"Um, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy says, "I don't think we'll find anything helpful about King Sombra here."

"Don't be silly - of course we will!" Pinkie Pie says as she bounces through the foal's section of the library, "Do you have any idea how much my life depends on these books?!"

"I can only imagine," Fluttershy chuckles, then returns to her timid demeanor, "But honestly, how can you be so cheerful, knowing that King Sombra could show up at any moment? Don't you remember what he did last time he was here? Pinkie Pie?" She continues her line of questions but eventually stops receiving feedback, causing her to worry even more.

"P-Pinkie P-P-Piiee," Fluttershy calls out again and again, but her friend has seemingly vanished into thin air. All the while, Fluttershy does not notice the air around her getting darker and heavier; too afraid to move, she allows the shadows to take her as she loses consciousness.

. . .Pinkie Pie bounces through the center of Ponyville, waving a friendly "Hello!" to everypony she sees, but for some reason, nopony returns the gesture. "What's going on with everypony?" she thinks to herself, "Did I miss some super big important town meeting or something?" As soon as she sees her friends, however, her doubts immediately dissipate, "Hi girls!" she greets cheerfully, "Why's everypony in Ponyville so mean and grumpy and, like - the opposite of fun?"

When her friends turn around, however, Pinkie notices something strange; they wear scowls on their faces similar to the townsponies. Twilight speaks up, "Maybe it's because of you."

Pinkie gasps, shocked at such a conviction, "Me?? Why?"

"Oh Pinkie Pie," Rarity sneers, "Poor, pitiful Pinkie Pie. Of course you'd be soooo clueless!" she adds with a cackle.

"I-I don;t understand, guys," Pinkie says, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rainbow Dash says bluntly, "Nopony likes you anymore. They've gotten over your stupid shenanigans long ago."

"B-B-b-but not you guys, right?" Pinkie asks, her voice quivering, "You're still my friends, right?" At that question, everypony in town - including the five ponies before her - starts laughing maniacally. Pinkie Pie tries to shy away from the teasing, but it just seems to follow her no matter where she goes.

"Gosh, it must feel awful," Applejack chimes in, "being the most hated pony in all of Equestria."

"No, please," Pinkie pleads, but to no avail; as scenes of ponies all across Equestria pass before her eyes, she crawls into a ball, sobbing and exclaiming, "What did I do wrong?!"

. . ."Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy calls out as she trots along a dirt road. She recognizes the path before her and realizes she is trotting towards her cottage at the edge of Ponyville. "Maybe I'll find her there," she says to herself and continues along her way. When she eventually reaches the front door, however, she notices the eerie silence hanging thick over her house like a wool blanket. With a wildlife caregiver being a 24/7 job, she rarely finds her house quiet at all with her animals constantly running around.

"M-Maybe they're just sleeping," Fluttershy says nervously, then looks up and realizes it is the middle fo the day. Fearing the worst, she approaches her door and opens it, discovering it to already be unlocked.

The sight before her can only be described as the most gruesome and cold-hearted act Fluttershy has ever witnessed in her life. She gasps and screams as she looks out across a sea of animal bodies lying motionless on the floor, their eyes yielding no signs of life whatsoever. She picks up a dead squirrel, takes a whiff, and gags as she smells hints of the poisonous Nighthowler flower - the deadliest plant to most species of animals in all of Equestria. She weeps furiously for the loss of her most beloved friends in Equestria, wondering who could possibly possess such a horrible attitude against animals to commit such a crime.

Her query is soon answered as she hears clattering coming from her kitchen, and Rainbow Dash flies through the door, a Nighthowler flower in one hoof, and a dead Angel Bunny in the other. Fluttershy gasps and bursts into fresh tears.

"RAINBOW DASH!" she screams again in agony, "H-H-how c-c-could you d-d-d-do t-this?"

"Because I didn't like how much more attention you were giving your stupid animals than to me!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, throwing Angel's body on the floor in front of Fluttershy.

"But why, Dashie?" Fluttershy asks her foalhood friend through her tears, clutching Angel's frail body, "After all we've been through together? After w-we t-took you in as one of our own. . .?" Rainbow Dash only cackles maniacally as Fluttershy continues to weep over this tremendous betrayal.

* * * *

Rarity trots along through the aisles, grabbing books every now and then which she think will help in their search. She is almost ready to get back to the others when she walks by the fashion section; she pauses, looking on earnestly.

"Nonononono, not today, Rarity," she tells herself, "There are more pressing issues at hand right now." She almost continues on her way, but her last shred of willpower eventually gives in as she races down the aisles, admiring old trends and textiles of the Crystal Empire.

"Ooohh," she ogles, "I think I'll reference this in my next line of coats." She is too busy looking through the books that she does not notice the creeping shadows.

"Hmm? Who turned out the lights?" she asks nopony in particular when she is suddenly surrounded by darkness. The last thing she sees before she blacks out is a page concerning ancient robes and crowns for stallions with the tagline "Fit for a king!"

. . .Rarity finds herself standing on a stage in front of a large audience, consisting of prestigious designers fashionistas, and potential buyers, most of which she recognizes from magazines. She feels extremely nervous as she displays her latest line of clothing, which took her months to develop, to the audience, who seem to give mediocre feedback concerning various aspects of the dresses.

"Just keep it together Rarity, it's almost over," she keeps telling herself until her rival, Suri Polomare, struts out onto the stage with a display that causes the alabaster unicorn make a double-take. Suri's display is essentially a carbon copy of her own line, with only a few minor cosmetic adjustments Rarity can politely describe as "questionable".

"Suri!" Rarity exclaims, "You can't do this! These are my designs!"

"Well, they don't know that," Suri responds snootily, gesturing to the audience, "And it seems like they don't care, either!" she adds as several designers in the front row trample over Rarity's display to reach Suri's. As Rarity is pushed aside by the surging crowd, the scene suddenly changes to the inside of a large factory with assembly lines of labor ponies fixing up the same dresses Suri presented to the audience. Rarity looks down and realizes she wears the same uniform as the other ponies on the assembly lines.

"Hey! You there!" a voice comes from above; Rarity looks up and sees an angry-looking Sassy Saddles yelling into a megaphone, "Did I call break time yet? Didn't think so, now get back in line!" she screams at Rarity, who immediately moves back to her position along the assembly line.

"Well done, partner," Suri Polomare, who appears alongside Sassy, congratulates, "Way to whip this lot into shape," she adds as they exchange a hoofshake together. Rarity turns back to the frock she is supposed to be working on and buries her face in it, hiding her tears from her coworkers, who pay no attention to her and her sorrows.

* * * *

Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash scout the various aisles at random, unsure of where to find any information about King Sombra - and how to kill him. "These darn shelves are too big," Applejack says, "How can anypony find anything in this place?"

"Beats me," Rainbow Dash says, aimlessly following her friend, "What we should do is go after Sombra and kick his sorry butt once and for all!" she adds enthusiastically, waving and kicking the air.

"Don't be ridiculous," Applejack ridicules, "Surely ya know better than to simply go after somepony that powerful, right?" she asks, but receives no reply. "RD?" she asks again, whipping her head around, but seeing nothing but shadowy darkness before her, "Hey, where'd ya go? If this is another one of your pranks, it ain't funny!" she calls out again, but the shadows continue towards her until she is engulfed in darkness.

. . ."RD?" Applejack asks again, but Rainbow Dash does not hear her as she floats through an ethereal fog towards a closed door labeled "Spitfire; Wonderbolts Commander." She looks down and she is wearing a Wonderbolt's Reserve uniform; in that moment, Rainbow realizes, all of her dreams and aspirations could come true. She marches through the door and sees Spitfire herself sitting at her desk, leafing through some paperwork.

"Ah, Rainbow Dash," Spitfire says, looking up from her papers, "There you are. I have something to tell you."

"Sure thing, ma'am!" Rainbow responds, feeling a little anxious, but mostly excited.

"Listen, I know you're a great flyer," Spitfire continues, looking back at her papers, "One of the best I've seen in my time as commander. I would've certainly recommended you for the academy sooner if I'd known any better."

Rainbow cocks her head, doubt creeping into her mind, "Ma'am?" she asks nervously.

"But, the truth is. . ." Spitfire pauses, looking up again, "I'm pulling you from the Wonderbolts - permanently."

Rainbow's face contorts in shock, "What? Why?!"

"I just don't think you have the right dynamic to be part of a team," Spitfire answers, "I'm sorry, cadet, but from here on out, you're no longer an official member of the Wonderbolt Academy."

"But ma'am. ." Rainbow Dash starts to say, but the scene suddenly shifts from Wonderbolt headquarters to the Wonderbolt Academy graduation ceremony. Once her head stops spinning, she faces her former peers laughing at her sitting in the stands; as she turns away from them, she suddenly spies her parents "cheering" her on with disappointed expressions.

"Yay Rainbow Dash!" her mother shouts, "You've finally failed us as parents! Congratulations!"

"You're truly the worst daughter we've ever had!" her father adds with scorn.

"B-But. . ." Rainbow Dash begins, but her friends suddenly appear behind her, bearing similar looks of disappointment as her parents.

"Oh Rainbow," Twilight says, "What are you gonna do now? Because we can't be friends with somepony who can't do the one thing she was practically born to do."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie adds, "We can't be friends with a loser like you." As her friends, family, and the rest of the audience continue to throw insult after insult, Rainbow Dash curls into a ball with tears in her eyes, begging for the nightmare to end.

. . . The last thing Applejack remembers before blacking out is calling out to her friend, only to have herself be cloaked in shadows. She closes her eyes and sees a jumbled mixture of images and scenes from her life, specifically all the horrible memories of her childhood. Her first day of school, when the fillies made fun of how shabby her outfit was; the nightmares she would have whenever she fell asleep - everything, all leading up to the death of her parents.

When she opens her eyes again, she finds herself walking through a dark hallway towards a green wooden door. "This looks familiar," she thinks to herself; suddenly, the realization hits her: she is at Sweet Apple Acres, walking towards Applebloom's bedroom door. As she creeps closer, she can hear sobbing coming from the other side of the door; afraid of what she might find, Applejack slowly opens the door to her sister's room. Once inside, she sees Applebloom sitting in the middle of her room, crying her eyes out, a framed picture of their parents lying next to her.

"Applebloom, what's wrong?" Applejack asks. Her sister turns around, her eyes red and tears staining her cheeks.

"AJ!" she exclaims, "I-I. . .i-it's nuthin'," she says quickly, wiping her eyes.

"Come on, now," Applejack says sternly, "What's got yer mane in a twist?"

"Well, i-it happ'ned again," Applebloom admits.

Applejack gasps, "With those two fillies? Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?"

"Yeah," Applebloom confirms, "Only this time it was over mah parents," she adds, to which Applejack's eyes widen. "AJ?" she continues, "Where are our parents?"

Applejack gulps nervously, "We already told you about that."

"I know ya did," her sister says, "But what really happened?"

Applejack knows she has to tell her the truth; being family, Applebloom deserves to know. So she tells the entire story about how her parents died, how Applejack had inadvertently caused their own parents' deaths. When she finishes, Applebloom grows silent for a minute; then, she explodes.

"How could ya keep somethin' like that from me of all ponies?!" she screams in frustration, fresh tears pouring from her eyes, "I can't believe mah own sister - the Element of freaking honesty - would lie to ME!" and she gallops out of the room, sobbing. Applejack eventually breaks down and sobs even harder for her sister, clutching the picture of their parents with all her heart, which feels torn in two.

* * * *

Chapter 5: Inner Demons

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 6: Hope

To her surprise, the force does not come; instead, she feels a pause in the battle. She lets the shield fall to reveal that all of the shadow ponies have disappeared; standing in their place are four aggressive-looking crystal ponies, two Earth stallions, one unicorn stallion, and one unicorn mare. They all appear to be holding golden scepters, each crowned with a red jewel, which Twilight faintly recognizes.

"W-Who are you?" Twilight asks warily, "Where did the shadow ponies go?"

"What does it look like?" the unicorn stallion asks sarcastically, "We got rid of them, of course."

"Okay, now answer my other question," Twilight demands in a condescending tone.

"Oh, forgive me," the stranger says, immediately changing his demeanor from cocky to concerned, "Where are my manners? My name's Crescent Star. This is Shadowluck and Walnut (pointing at the other two stallions) and here's Toffee Dove (pointing at the mare). We're here to help you save the Crystal Empire!"

Starlight stands up, "I though all the crystal ponies were too afraid of King Sombra to stand against him?"

"Well, I guess we didn't get that memo," Shadowluck responds, "I've wanted revenge on him for what he did to my ancestors since I could speak!"

"What he means to say," Walnut interjects, "is that, while most everypony cowered at the sheer mention of his name, we've been looking out for the signs ever since you defeated him the last time."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asks, to which Toffee Dove speaks up.

"Not long after Sombra's defeat," she begins, "a select few of us received a prophecy in our dreams that said King Sombra would rise again, and we would hold the key to stopping him."

"When the prophecy first came out," Crescent Star continues, "many of the others joined the rest of the empire in hope that it was a false lead, but the rest of us - the four of us included - tried to debunk the prophecy by looking for signs that Sombra might return. I perfected a spell I'd found that could be used to find even the tiniest traces of dark magic, which allowed me to find King Sombra's severed horn outside of the empire."

"Oh, so you must have been the pony I saw when we arrived on the Friendship Express!" Starlight exclaims.

"Indeed," Crescent Star agrees, "Unfortunately, Sombra decided to show himself again at that moment, but I teleported away before his magic could affect me."

"We've been protecting the empire as best we can since his formal return," Shadowluck says, "Slaying shadows and such with these babies!" he adds, glancing at the scepter in his hooves.

"Speaking of which," Twilight asks, "What are those things?"

"They're ancient relics from the Crystal Empire museum," Walnut explains, "Originally only meant as a decoration for the empire's royalty, I engineered them with some Crystallite, a rare element only found in this frozen tundra."

"I think I've heard about that," Twilight says, "Isn't it supposed to be the most powerful naturally-occurring element in Equestria?"

"Indeed it is!" Walnut says proudly, "These scepters can slice through any form of magic, including Sombra's shadow ponies, which you two unfortunately stumbled upon."

"Wait, back up for a minute," Starlight says, "You said that more of you received the prophecy, right?"

"Yeah, but they all backed out pretty early," Shadowluck explains, "And it was only a handful of us; the majority of the population still fears Sombra and his powers."

"Twilight!" Starlight exclaims, "I figured it out! I think I know how we can defeat-" she is suddenly interrupted when she notices something strange about the ground. "Um, is it just me, or are these shadows moving again?"

The other look and realize she is right; every shadow within their vicinity fly along the ground, all headed for one location - the Crystal Palace.

"He's moving fast!" Toffee Dove exclaims, "We have to move quickly!" and with that, the group of ponies gallops hard towards the castle, fearing they are not too late to stop Sombra's terror.

* * * *

"There! That should do it!" Sunburst exclaims, finishing the last of his healing spell.

"Urgh, wha' happ'n?" Shining Armor asks groggily, shaking away his stupor. He looks around and sees the rest of Twilight's friends in similar shape as him; waking up as if from a bad dream.

"I never-ever-ever want to feel like that again," Pinkie says solemnly.

"Me neither," Rarity agrees, "What happened to us?"

"It looks like you all fell for King Sombra's dream-enchanting spell," Sunburst explains, "It makes you experience your worst fears as if they were real."

"Well, that certainly makes sense," Fluttershy says, tears still in her eyes from her dream.

"Wait, how did we end up back here?" Rainbow Dash asks, "Weren't we at the library before?"

"Twilight brought you all here by teleportation," Sunburst says, "As I understand it, she and Starlight are on their way here now."

"So Starlight wasn't affected by Sombra's spell?" Rainbow Dash asks again.

"Well, I-I don't know, r-really-" Sunburst stutters.

"I knew it! My suspicions were correct!" Rainbow exclaims.

"What suspicions, exactly?" Applejack asks.

"She's still one of them! How do you explain that Sombra didn't put her under his spell?" Rainbow Dash explains, "He wants to recruit her!"

"Now that's just crazy talk!" Applejack says defensively, "How can you say such a thing?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Dashie here, AJ," Rarity speaks up, "How can we say that she wouldn't join King Sombra? It is certainly something she would have done a few months ago."

"Exactly!" Rainbow says confidently.

"Now look," Fluttershy pipes in, "I know how you both feel about Starlight, but from what we've seen so far, she does seem desperate to change her ways. I'm sure if you just show her some support, she won;t revert back to her former self."

"Well, when you put it that way," Rarity begins when Shining Armor interrupts.

"Hold on!" he says, "If we're all down here, then who's guarding my wife?" he finishes just as they all see shadows mysteriously creeping up the walls towards Shining Armor and Cadence's bedroom.

"Come on everypony!" Sunburst shouts, "Hurry!" and they race up the stairs to protect the expectant princess.

Chapter 7: The Storm Rises

"I hope the others are alright," Princess Cadence says to herself, pacing about her room. She had been on edge ever since Sunburst left to help Twilight's friends and her husband after Twilight returned them in a comatose state. Cadence sighs heavily, not only due to her physical condition but also because she hates feeling useless in life-and-death situations; being confined to their bedroom only diminishes her sense of worth even further. She looks over at Spike, who had fallen asleep at his sentry position by the door, and chuckles; the princess did not want to bother him, and in any case, she figured he would wake up as soon as the others arrived.

Suddenly, Cadence feels the floor shake similarly to in the ballroom; she topples over and notices shadows moving across the floor and walls to the center of the room, materializing into King Sombra right before her eyes. Instead of feeling frightened, she stands up and glares menacingly at the ancient king, her horn flared up and ready to attack.

"Get out of here!" she shouts to the intruder, "You're no longer welcome here!"

"On the contrary," Sombra says coolly as he walks towards Cadence, "Seeing all these terrified ponies running around makes me feel right at home again."

"Stand back!" Cadence shouts again, "I'll make you pay for what you've done to my subjects!"

"Oh, really?" he mocks, "In your condition, I doubt you could manage a single spell, let alone prevent what you have coming to you." Cadence moves awkwardly around him in her state, causing Sombra to chuckle darkly, "Moving a bit slower than usual, hm? Well then, defeating you should be easier than I thought."

"I can still kick your sorry flank across Equestria," Cadence replies vehemently and shoots a beam of magic at Sombra, whose eyes widen in surprise. Instead of flooring him, however, the spell merely bounces off his breastplate, which makes him cackle evilly; Cadence, on the other hand, buckles slightly under her added efforts.

"Is that it?" he asks mockingly, "Then this will really be easier than I thought!" and fires his own magic at the crystal princess. Cadence barely has time to fling herself to the side before Sombra's magic hits the spot on the floor where she was just standing. As she tries to get back to her hooves, she feels a sharp pain in her abdomen; Oh no, not now! she thinks to herself as Sombra turns towards her again.

"Come on, princess," Sombra growls, "You cannot delay the inevitable; now BEGONE!" he shouts and shoots a beam of dark energy towards her; Cadence flinches and braces for impact.

Instead, a flash of light appears before her and Sombra's magic is sent through the ceiling of the room, resulting in a shockwave that sends Sombra flying across the floor. When he stands back up, he whips his head around to see Starlight Glimmer, encased in her shield spell, standing protectively over Princess Cadence. "YOU! Traitor!" Sombra exclaims in anger, "You will regret this," he adds menacingly.

"I won't regret anything," Starlight says confidently, "You put my friends in danger, you'll have to go through me," and begins shooting a volley of magic at Sombra before he can act; as they pummel Sombra and push him back, Twilight and the crystal rebels barge into the room, causing Spike to wake up.

"Woah, what happened?" he asks nonchalantly, then sees the scene before him in the room, "Holy Celestia, GO STARLIGHT!" he shouts in encouragement, temporarily breaking her concentration. Sombra takes the opportunity to shoot a beam of magic, which connects with Starlight and sends her flying into a wall; he then disappears into the shadows again, making the room grow silent.

"STARLIGHT!" Twilight exclaims, spreading her wings and flying across to Starlight laying in a crumpled heap on the floor. At that moment, the Mane 5, Sunburst, and Shining Armor burst into the room, panting from racing up the stairs.

"Cadence! Are you alright?" Shining Armor calls out, galloping immediately over to his wife.

"I-I'm fine," Cadence stammers as he helps her to her hooves, "Sombra appeared out of nowhere and attacked me; I defended myself as best I could, but it was Starlight who protected me in the end." The Mane 5 look over at Starlight, who begins to stir after her encounter with Sombra, and all at once their doubts about her start to dissipate.

"Oh my, are you okay Starlight?" Fluttershy asks and flies over to her and Twilight, concerned for her well-being.

"I-I think so," Starlight says weakly, "Ooh, that hit took a lot out of me, though," she adds as she winces in discomfort.

"We're terribly sorry for how we've treated you, darling," Rarity admits, bowing her head in respect, "I didn't believe you could have truly changed your heart, but you certainly proved us wrong." The Mane 5 murmur and nod their heads in agreement, which makes Starlight smile gratefully. As Twilight and Fluttershy tend to their fallen friend, the crystal rebels catch the others up on what happened since Twilight and Starlight left the library.

Suddeny, Cadence let's out a yelp and a moan; "What is it, honey?" Shining Armor asks.

"With all this activity. . .ooh. .I-I think it's time," Cadence groans, "The baby's coming!"

"Oh, Celestia, we need to get to the hospital immediately!" Shining Armor exclaims.

"Then let's go-" Starlight begins to say, but stumbles a little as she tries to stand.

"You shouldn't do more than you have to," Fluttershy advises, "You've already done so much to help; let us take it from here."

"Yeah, it's kinda what we do best," Rainbow Dash brags, "We'll make sure Sombra doesn't get anywhere near you two," she directs at Starlight and Cadence.

"We'll help, too," Crescent Star speaks up, to which his fellow crystal ponies agree. As Cadence lets out another painful moan, everypony quickens their pace and makes their way to the royal chariots. Shining Armor quickly arranges teams of guardsponies to pull three chariots: one carrying him, Cadence, and the crystal rebels; another for Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike; and another for Twilight, Fluttershy, Sunburst, and Starlight.

"Twilight, wait! I need to tell you something," Starlight says as Fluttershy and Rarity help her into one of the carriages.

"What is it?" Twilight asks urgently.

"The crystal ponies," she says, "They're the only ones who can stop Sombra!"

Chapter 8: Sombra's Last Stand

"What do you mean, the crystal ponies are the key?" Twilight asks Starlight as their chariots fly across the empty streets of the Crystal Empire.

"The prophecy that Toffee Dove talked about," Starlight explains, "I realized it after Crescent Star said there were more like them. We have to convince the crystal ponies to stand up against Sombra, once and for all!"

"I don't understand," Sunburst says, dumbfounded, "What makes you think anypony besides these four-" she gestures at the crystal rebels, who stand guard over the royal couple, "-are willing to help our cause?"

"I have to agree," Twilight adds, "You heard it yourself; Crescent Star said himself that other ponies who got the dream backed out before they could do anything about it."

"I'm telling you, it makes perfect sense," Starlight continues, "Don't you remember what happened when you six defeated me in that village? All it took was a few ponies to go against the grain to fuel the rebellion, which eventually led to you freeing them from my reign. These crystal ponies-" she too gestures towards the crystal rebels, "-are the fuel for the rebellion; everypony else just needs to see what can happen when they decide to go against Sombra themselves!"

"I guess we can try, but how will we convince the entire empire?" Fluttershy asks when they are suddenly thrown to the ground as their chariot gets flipped over by some unseen force. The other chariots stop in their tracks as their passengers disembark to inspect their friends.

"Jumpin' June bugs, what in tarnation happened here?" Applejack demands.

"I don't know," Twilight says, "Something knocked us clean off our carriage."

"It's Sombra again," Shadowluck states, "He's conjuring up more shadow ponies!" and in the distance, the group sees shadows swirling into dark, pony-sized figures.

"Alright, here's what's going to happen," Crescent Star explains, "Toffee, Walnut - you, Sunburst, and Spike take the captain, princess, and Starlight to the hospital; the rest of us will stay here and fight until every last one of Sombra's creations is history."

"We're on it!" Walnut agrees as he and the others pile onto the chariot, "Don't worry, Your Highnesses, we'll protect you al the way!" Once it pulls away, Twilight relays what Starlight told her in the chariot to Crescent Star.

"We won't be able to hold them off for long," she explains, "If there really are more of you who are part of this rebellion, you need to convince them to fight!"

"Hm, that gives me an idea!" Crescent Star exclaims, "Will you six be able to handle yourselves for a little while?"

"Depends on what you mean by a 'little while'," Applejack says, glancing over at the ever-increasing army of shadow ponies.

"Just trust us, we'll be back shortly. Here, take these," Crescent Star says reassuringly as he hands over their scepters, "Come on, Shadowluck, it's time for Operation: Sneak Attack to commence!"

"Finally!" Shadowluck exclaims with an eager grin on his face, and together they take the other chariot towards the middle of the empire. The Mane 6, meanwhile, turn to face Sombra's enormous army of shadows; they part ways to reveal King Sombra himself, standing tall amongst his shadowy creations.

"Are ya'll sure we can do this ourselves?" Applejack asks nervously, "The odds ain't in our favor."

"Are you kidding, AJ?" Rainbow asks, holding her scepter confidently, "I was practically born to do this!"

"As long as we have each other," Twilight agrees, "We'll never surrender to evil!" and with that, the Mane 6 race towards the group of shadows just as Sombra gives his creations the order to charge.

* * * *

"Just keep breathing, dear," Shining Armor says calmly to Cadence, who is anything but calm, as their chariot bounces along the streets towards the hospital.

"It's not right," Starlight thinks out loud, "I should be back there, helping the others with the fight."

"You've done all that you can," Sunburst tells her, "There's nothing else you need to help with."

"That's just it; I don't feel like I've 'done all that I can'," Starlight says, anger seeping into her voice, "Heal me quickly so I can get back there!"

"But we're almost to the hospital," Sunburst urges, "Besides, even if I tried, I might not be able to get rid off all the effects of Sombra's spell."

"It doesn't matter," Starlight says, "Anything that gets me back on my hooves will do. It's the only way I can be honest with myself and my abilities."

Sunburst hesitates a moment longer before finally giving in; once her health is fully restored, Starlight tells him to remain with the others until they arrive at the hospital, then hops off the chariot as it careens down the streets. Not long after it leaves, however, another chariot comes racing towards her and screeches to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Starlight?" Crescent Star calls out as he steps down from the chariot, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be on the way to the hospital!"

"I feel better now; at least, better enough to help you guys," Starlight explains briefly, "What are you guys up to?"

"Take a look," Shadowluck says, gesturing behind the chariot, where Starlight sees a group of ponies gathered, looking hungry for action.

"Are they willing to fight?" Starlight asks.

"And then some," Shadowluck answers excitedly.

"Come on, we've got no time to lose," Crescent Star says, hopping back into the chariot, "Starlight, come help us, we're almost done here."

"What do you have planned?" she asks again.

"You'll see," Crescent Star replies, donning a wicked grin that could give Shadowluck's a run for its money.

* * * *

After Twilight blasts another few shadow ponies away with her magic, she briefly takes in the battle scene before her. Rainbow Dash taking on three or four creatures at the same time with her scepter; Applejack whipping her lasso around, slashing shadow ponies to dust; Pinkie Pie firing off her party cannon and Rarity using the other scepter to her own advantage. Even with all of their efforts, Twilight realizes that at the rate Sombra creates his minions, they will overrun the former Element bearers soon.

"Keep it up, everypony!" she shouts in futile encouragement, "We will-" she is suddenly interrupted as King Sombra materializes directly beside her, startling her and causing her to lose her balance.

"Silly ponies!" Sombra exclaims, lighting up his horn with his dark energy, "When will you learn that you can never get rid of me so easily!" Just as he is about to lay waste to the Princess of Friendship, he is hit from behind by a beam of turquoise magic, distracting him and allowing Twilight to scramble away. She turns around and sees the chariot carrying Crescent Star, Shadowluck, and Starlight return; she sees movement behind them and sees a large group of very aggressive-looking crystal ponies gathering around them.

"That's what you think, Sombra!" Shadowluck retorts.

"What's this?" Sombra says, chuckling, "Finally come to join my side again, my crystal slaaaves?"

"Not quite," Crescent Star joins in, "We're tired of your tyranny and fear, and it's time we take back what's rightfully ours!"

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Sombra laughs as he summons even more shadow ponies to the scene.

"Um, yeah," Starlight whispers, "how will we do that?"

"Just watch," Shadowluck whispers back when all the surrounding crystal ponies abruptly bow their heads down to the ground, causing it to illuminate the entire area around them. The Mane 6 watch as the pulsating magic suddenly shoots toward a more concentrated spot - right underneath Crescent Star, who gets lifted up by some unseen force as he absorbs all the crystal ponies' magic. When the transfer is complete, the crystal rebel looks the same, but changed; his body, legs, and horn all grow longer, a pale blue aura emanates from his eyes, and his entire being shimmers and sparks with fierce energy. Even King Sombra feigns a brief look of stupor as he watches the magic transfer occur.

Crescent Star smirks and looks up at the former leader, "We've grown tired of your antics, Sombra," he speaks with an echo, as if a thousand voices now fill his own, "Now, you will feel OUR wrath!" With that, Crescent Star fires a powerful beam of pure white energy at King Sombra, who counters with his own dark energy; the two are soon locked in a battle of strength as they push against each other's auras.

"Come on, everypony!" Starlight shouts to her friends as she adds her own magic to the mix, "We ALL have to fight back!" Twilight and Rarity soon follow suit and shoot their magic at Sombra while the others keep the shadow ponies at bay; even Shadowluck and Rainbow Dash join the unicorns with their scepters. With one final surge, their magic overtakes Sombra's, cloaking him in the white energy and unleashing a powerful shockwave that disintegrates the last of his shadowy minions but leaves everypony else unharmed. When the smoke clears, all the crystal ponies sigh collectively, as if a large weight had been lifted off their shoulders; in the midst of all this, King Sombra, the former leader of the Crystal Empire, lies unconscious in a deep crater in the field.

"Is he finished?" Fluttershy asks nervously.

"I'd say so," Crescent Star replies as he lets the crystal ponies' magic flow out of him and back to its owners, reverting him back to his original physical form. "We owe you all our utmost gratitude and thanks," he directs towards the Mane 6 and Starlight, "Without your help, Sombra would certainly still be a threat to us and the royal family."

Twilight suddenly gasps, remembering her brother and sister-in-law, "Cadence and Shining Armor! I hope they're okay; come on, everypony!" so the Mane 6, Starlight, and all the crystal ponies gallop away to the hospital to learn the fate of the royal couple.

Chapter 9: Peace at Last

"Cadence! Shining Armor!" Twilight calls as she bursts through the doors of the hospital, followed by her friends and the crystal rebels. They eventually see Sunburst sitting on a bench outside one of the rooms and screech to a halt.

"Oh, thank goodness you guys are alright!" Sunburst exclaims when he sees the ponies racing down the hall.

"Sunburst!" Starlight pants, "Where are Princess Cadence and Shining Armor?"

"They're inside here," he says reassuringly, "They're both okay, the birth went without any complications, which is a miracle considering everything that's happened."

"When can we see them?" Twilight asks; as if to answer her own question, a nurse exits the room and gasps when she sees the battle-weary group of ponies before her.

"Oh, you must be the family," she says, "You're welcome to visit the royal couple - and their little foal - now." Without hesitation, Twilight marches through the door with everypony else swiftly following her hoofsteps. Shining Armor sits proudly next to a hospital bed upon which his wife and their new unicorn foal lay. All the mares instantly crowd Cadence, trying to catch a better glimpse at the bundle of cuteness, as the stallions congratulate Shining Armor and fill him in on the details of the battle.

"Incredible!" he says after hearing about Crescent Star's transformation, "I'd never have thought a magic transfer like that would be possible."

"I read about it in one of the library's ancient spell books," Crescent Star explains, "Apparently, it was used thousands of years ago against an aggressive tribe of Yetis."

"So, does that mean he's gone for good?" Fluttershy asks.

"I don't think so," Walnut says, "He must just be unconscious for the time being. As powerful as the spell was, Sombra was even more so; it's gonna take a lot more than this to completely destroy him."

"What about the Crystalling?" Sunburst asks earnestly, trotting over to the other stallions, "Now that the baby's here, the empire should be able to fight back with its acceptance."

"That could work," Twilight comments, "I've read that a crystalling is one of the empire's most powerful rituals, so it should be more than enough to rid the empire of Sombra once and for all!"

"It's certainly worth a try," Starlight agrees, so while everypony else ogles over the baby foal, Shining Armor, Twilight, Sunburst, and the crystal rebels form a new plan for the Crystalling.

* * * *

Not long after Sombra's defeat, Twilight and her friends aid the crystal ponies, who become invigorated by a new sense of accomplishment, in preparations for the upcoming crystalling. The crystal rebels accompany their fellow townsponies in clearing the damage Sombra left behind while The Mane 5, Starlight, and Spike replace the broken decorations with new ones. Since Cadence has to stay in the hospital until the doctors clear her, Rarity moves all of her work on the crystalling dress to the hospital room so she can finish it in time.

As for Sombra, Shining Armor immediately calls for a strict perimeter of guards placed around the weakened king, encased by an impenetrable magic shield created by the captain himself. When King Sombra came to, he lashes out against the shield to break it, but to no avail. Shining Armor personally sees that Sombra remains imprisoned until the crystalling by reinforcing the shield every so often, never leaving the site, much to the appraisal of his wife.

Only a few days after Cadence gives birth, the crystal ponies gather around the base of the Crystal Palace in anticipation of the day's most important event. Everypony buzzes with excitement as the Mane 6 and Starlight lead the procession of Shining Armor, Cadence, and their foal in their chariot. Sunburst, who read up on the traditions of the crystalling, waits on a grand stage underneath the canopy of the castle as the royal family ceremoniously climbs up to stand next to him.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" Sunburst exclaims, signaling the start of the crystalling, "In a similar fashion as this empire's predecessors once said, it gives me great pleasure to welcome the arrival of the newest member to the royal family." Everypony stomps their hooves in thunderous applause, as Sunburst continues his address. "Before we begin, however, I think we must extend our congratulations to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, as well as Crescent Star, Shadowluck, Walnut, and Toffee Dove, for saving the Crystal Empire once again from King Sombra's clutches," so the crystal ponies pound the ground with their hooves as the ponies addressed bow with honor.

"Now, if the royal crystal bearer could present the purity stone, we may begin with the proceedings," he continues as Spike, carrying a sharpened crystal on a pillow, walks up to the stage.

"I'm so proud of all of you," Cadence whispers to Twilight as Sunburst continues his speech, "You've really outdone yourselves this time."

"It's nothing, really," Twilight responds with a blush, "So long as there's anything we can do to make you feel safer, we'll always be there for you guys." Cadence smiles as Sunburst calls her, Shining Armor, and the foal to the front of the stage.

"Have you a name for the foal?" Sunburst asks the royal couple.

"Yes we do - Flurry Heart," Shining Armor replies.

"And a crystaller?" Sunburst asks again.

"Well," Cadence begins to say, "We were hoping that Starlight Glimmer could be her crystaller," she finishes, looking over at the purple-maned unicorn.

Starlight, clearly surprised, gasps, "M-Me?! A-Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Cadence continues, "After all that you've done to protect us, the empire, and our foal in the past week, I couldn't think of anypony more qualified than you." Starlight, with tears of pride in her eyes, joins Sunburst and the royal couple on the stage. Flurry Heart looks up at her, her eyes full of curiosity and joy, as Starlight blushes even harder.

"Citizens of the Crystal Empire," Sunburst addresses the crowd again, holding Flurry Heart above the crowd with his magic, "I present to you the newest addition to the Crystal Empire - Flurry Heart!" The crystal ponies admire and adore the foal and bow their heads to the ground; as more and more ponies follow suit, the roads of the Crystal Empire begin to light up with love and energy. Sunburst then places the purity stone on the ground, which absorbs the energy, then takes it to the Crystal Heart, which accepts the stone and spins faster than normal. Suddenly, it unleashes the energy in the form of a powerful shockwave that enhances the crystal ponies' coats as well as making the visitors crystalized.

As for Sombra, he watches everything unfold from his crater, and when he sees the shockwave, he realizes the inevitable. "NOOOOOoooooo. . . ." he screams as the shockwave hits him, causing the shield bubble - as well as himself - to start disintegrating until they are both no more than dust on the wind. Once Sombra is completely gone, all the crystal ponies close their eyes in bliss, for they finally feel at peace with the threat of the tyrant king's reign voided.

After the ceremony, ponies celebrate in the streets for hours on end, partaking in the various activities of the largest Crystal Faire in the history of the empire. During the festival, Twilight and Shining Armor's parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, find their children and offer them their congratulations.

"We only just got into the empire," Night Light explains, "and we heard all about what you two did to protect it. You really are the best son and daughter any parent could ask for."

"Indeed," Twilight Velvet agrees, pulling them both into a fierce but friendly hug, "I know we're not around as much as we were when you were younger, but just know that we're always so proud of all your endeavors. We love you both!" Twilight and Shining Armor chuckle and give their thanks. As the festivities wind down to an end, Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Sunburst gather at the train station to see the Mane 6, Starlight, and Spike off to Ponyville.

"I can't wait to come back and hang out with this little one when the fate of the empire doesn't hang in the balance," Twilight says, nose-booping her newly-born niece, who gurgles and laughs in response.

"Well, I'm sure she'd enjoy that very much," Cadence says, chuckling. Meanwhile, Sunburst and Starlight share one last hug together before the train departs.

"Promise me you'll actually write back this time," Starlight teases.

"I promise," Sunburst chuckles as they pull apart, "And promise me that you won't enslave any more towns if I don't."

"Yeah," Starlight says, hanging her head a bit.

"I-I'm sorry," he says, looking concerned, "Still sore about that?"

"No, no, it's not that," she answers, "It's just - I hope this means that things start to change for the better."

"What do you mean?" Sunburst asks.

"Well, before we got here," she explains, "I knew the others still didn't trust me or anything I did. I know they apologized for how they treated me later on, but how do I know it's not some ruse? How will I ever know if they completely trust me?"

Sunburst ponders her query for a little while before responding; "Well, I may not have been all that great at friendship when we went our separate ways," he begins, "But, I do believe that you've got a really special group of friends here," he looks over at the Mane 6, who motion warmly for Starlight to join them on the train. "If you think they still don't trust you, then all you can do is give them more time. But from what I've witnessed in the past week, I can tell that they've already forgiven you."

Starlight smiles and gives her foalhood friend another warm hug. "Thank you," she says before pulling away and joining her friends on the train. As the Friendship Express pulls out of the Crystal Empire, the Mane 6 and Starlight talk and laugh about their adventures this time around in their quest to spread and protect friendship to all borders of Equestria.