She looked down the street and saw him as he walked away. “Oblivion!” She called out as she trotted after him. “Please wait. Can I talk to you?”

Oblivion stopped to wait for the mare to join him. He paused as she drew up next to him. “I know you are here to either convince me to do as Shining requests or you’re here to understand. But for the record, I will not destroy Sombra. It is not even an option.”

“I know.” She said to him with a bright smile. “I’m not even going to try to convince you. I know you well enough to know that nothing will stop or change when you set your mind.”

He gave her a slight smile. “Then why chase me down?”

“Because I want to understand. We have always been able to talk to each other, and I want to do just that.”

Oblivion chuckled. “Very well, Aine Saov. Ask your question.”

“How do you plan to save him? As far as I can tell, he does not have a body to save. From what I know, the Princesses sent him away, and he was removed and is now only made of shadows.” She asked, her tone calm.

“A body only means a physical form. Sometimes, there are ways to save a pony without needing it. But I suppose I can understand you’re questioning.”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“Did Celestia mention if Sombra was always the way he was or was just another pony?”

Twilight looked thoughtful. “She didn’t say actually. That is an excellent question, though.”

“I will say that as far as ending him is concerned, that is easily doable. Can I? Yes.” He admitted.

“But you won’t?”

“Correct.”

“I know Sasa said you plan on leaving the safety of the shield and going out there. What do you plan on doing when you’re out there?”

“I plan to confront him.”

“And do what?”

“Once I have purged his corruption, I can see what is left over. If there is a body left behind, then I can try to heal what has been done to him.”

“But I can’t help but wonder what happens after that.” Twilight admitted to him.

“Meaning?”

“The Crystal Ponies will be terrified of him if he has a body you can bring back here. What will they feel?”

He looked thoughtful as he considered her words. “There is merit to that thought.”

“What’s the plan for that then?”

“I will need to make it up as I go.” He admitted with a chuckle. “Can I count on you?”

“Of course,” Twilight immediately assured him as she snuggled up to his shoulder. "I’ll always have your back.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” He said to her as he dipped his horn and tapped it to hers.

Twilight stepped back and smiled brightly. “We have something we can do to help as well.”

“Which is?”

“It’s called the Crystal Fair.” Her horn lit, and she gripped a book in her magic and held it out for him to see. “According to this book, the Crystal Fair is held every year for the Crystal Ponies to renew the love in their hearts and protect the Empire from all harm. We need to make one for them. And with you holding the shield, Cadance can keep resting, and Shining can calm down and stop fixating on it. Sombra.” She said quietly.

Oblivion said nothing momentarily as he looked at the book hovering in her aura. “Very well. What can I do to help?”

She gave a happy noise and threw her forelegs around his neck, hugging him tightly. She nuzzled his neck and then let go. “All you need to do is keep the shield up and running and ensure things are going okay.”

“I should probably stay out of sight anyway.” He said as he tapped her horn with his again.

“Why?”

“The Crystal Ponies seem to be more scared of me than the rest of you.” He reasoned. “I also am taller than the average pony.”

“That’s true… hmm.” Twilight admitted as she tapped her chin with her hoof. “He also has a curved horn, from what I’ve heard. I was going to say to try your silver armor, but he also wore armor. So that’s not a good idea.”

“If I wanted to terrify them, that would be perfect.” Oblivion teased.

“Okay, but it might be a good idea to wear the armor.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it can help with your magic.” She reasoned.

“Fair point.”

“Maybe wear your cloak, the pretty one.” She said.

“The one Rarity altered?”

“Yeah, that one would look nice.” She said to him. “Sombra was a dark grey pony so that it might hide some of your coat.”

“I see what you were thinking now.” He chuckled in reply to her. “Very well.”

He summoned his armor, and it slid easily over his body. Its silver glow was bright against his black fur. His horn glowed brightly as he summoned the cloak that Twilight had mentioned. Twilight nodded, and she smiled as she began to lead him back to the others. They were standing outside waiting for her to rejoin them. They saw Oblivion with her, and Sasa purred loudly. He suddenly stopped a few feet from them. His horn was still alight as he pushed magic into the shield once more as he could feel that it was under attack. His magic blazed as he used his flames to drive the corrupted pony away from the shield. He started as the shield was suddenly under attack from several points.

Oblivion looked up at the shield, gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes to focus. The curved horn lit further as the flame went over his fur, mane, and tail. The mares backed up and watched. Twilight looked up as a pulse of flame started at the top of the shield and billowed down the sides of it. The shield brightened as he poured magic into it to drive Sombra back. Oblivion inhaled, then released it after a moment. The magic goes back to the usual glow around his horn.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked as she set a hoof on his shoulder.

“I’m fine. He attacked several points around the shield. It was easy enough to push him back by sending a pulse of magic over it.” Oblivion explained.

Sasa nuzzled against him as he took the weight off one hind hoof and cocked his hip. He looked at Spike and the mares as they watched him. “Yer magic, okay?” Applejack questioned.

“It can easily keep up with him.” He informed her as Sasa leaned up against his hip and purred.

Twilight nodded and looked at each of their friends. “Okay, everypony. We have a Crystal Faire to set up, and the Crystal ponies need a boost.”

He watched as they all cheered, and Twilight began to give each mare their tasks. Oblivion stepped back and allowed them to do their tasks without him getting in the way.

Oblivion opened his eyes and shook his head to clear it from the meditative state he had gone into. He walked out from under the castle and looked up at the shield above him. There had been no attacks against it since hours earlier. His magic flowed effortlessly from his horn to the shield and kept up the constant azure flames on the outside of it. Twilight and Pinkie trotted past him and up the main stairs that led into the castle. Sasa rejoined him and stood at his side. He looked up and watched as Shining Armor, Cadance, Pinkie, and Twilight walked out onto a balcony above him a few minutes later.

Sounds blared above him, and he jumped, startled by the odd noise. He stared up, and his eyes went to Sasa, who giggled beside him. “Flugelhorn.” She explained. “It’s a musical instrument that is common to the Crystal Empire.”

“Hear ye…” Twilight began to call out, her voice made louder due a spell. The instrument blared again, and Oblivion saw a flash of irritation in her spirit for a moment. “Hear ye! Hear ye! Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor cordially invite you all to the Crystal Fair!”

Oblivion looked out to the city, and he could see the spirits of the ponies suddenly brighten at the mention of the Fair. He watched as they came out of their homes and approached the stalls the mares had erected. ‘Interesting.’ He thought to himself. His ears flicked as he could hear Applejack trotting to meet the ponies approaching them.

Applejack led them toward the stalls. “Come one, come all! We got ya some food and drinks over there, games and crafts over that way, and the Crystal Heart is in the back by the Princess.”

Oblivion watched closely as the pony’s spirits lit up further at the mention of the Crystal Heart. “Crystal Heart.” He said aloud. He looked at Sasa, who shrugged next to him. He pushed himself away from the column that he was standing close to. His magic flowed into the shield, and he set a portion of it to search for anything that could cause spirits to revert to the broken ponies of the Empire. His magic flowed back to him, and nothing came back to him that could cause such a change. He looked to the stairs and waited as Pinkie and Twilight returned toward him and the others. Pinkie burst through the door first and took off at a run to the Fair. The purple mare was close behind her, and he walked over to her, hidden in the castle's shadows above them.

“What exactly is the Crystal Heart?” He asked her, his voice low and quiet.

Twilight gave him a bright smile, and she walked toward the center under the castle. She pointed down as he approached her, and he could see a design etched into the floor. He said nothing about the design to her and focused on the mare. He looked behind her, and a monolith of green stone sat just behind her. A heart-shaped stone had been carved into it, standing at the top of the small monolith. He pulled his head back slightly as the idea of this being able to lift their spirits so much didn’t sit right with him.

“It’s a centerpiece of some kind.” She explained. “We couldn’t find it in the other fair stuff, so I made one. I made it out of a crystal block, and It looks pretty good if I say so myself.”

He could see how proud she was of the carving, and he said nothing immediately in reply. “Hmm.” He made a noise as he scanned the piece. He looked over his shoulder to see the ponies mingling quietly around the fairgrounds.

Twilight came up to him and patted his shoulder. “Don’t look so intense. You’ll scare them away.” She teased.

He looked at her, and his eyes went to the fake heart. “Is it just a random hunk of crystal? It’s hard to imagine that it could be it.”

“It’s just a centerpiece. But what do you mean it’s hard to imagine?”

“Their spirits brightened at the mere mention of the Crystal Heart. So I’m finding it hard to believe that it’s this.” He admitted to her and he pointed his horn at the fake heart.

“It’s nothing, I promise.” She said with a laugh. “I’m certain of it.”

“Hmm.”

He looked out to the fair behind him as the sound of rapidly flapping wings tore toward him. Rainbow streaked past them; he could see her spirit rolling as she gripped a green cloth and tossed it over the fake crystal heart. Twilight looked affronted as the rainbow mare held the fabric tight and kept it in place. He sighed as he realized that he had been right.

“Not the right kind of heart?” he deadpanned to her as Rainbow cast a panicked look at the pair of them. He looked over at Twilight, who was upset that he had been partially correct. “Where is that book you had?”

She looked at him, and her magic flared as she brought the book up. “Here, why?”

“Let me see it.” He said as his magic took it from her grip and hovered before him. His claws moved the pages until he reached the one mentioning the Crystal Faire. It mentioned the Crystal Heart and its location. His eyes scanned the page, and nothing stood out till he looked at the seams of the book. “Shit.”

“What? What's wrong?” Twilight asked as she reared up in front of him.

He flattened the book to allow her to see what he was pointing to: “It’s missing a page. It looks like it was torn out some time ago. You can see the ripped section curling in age.”

He watched as Twilight paled. Rainbow stayed on top of the fake heart. She was desperately holding the green blanket in place. Twilight took the book from him and sat down to stare at the remnants of the missing pages. She looked closer to the binding and saw what he meant by the torn pieces. She looked up at him, and he watched as she got to her hooves. He tapped her horn to his and ran for the stairs. He knew without asking where she was going. Sasa watched her vanish into the castle, and she looked up at him.

“Chosen?” She spoke up as she bumped his hip. “What do we do?”

“You will stay here and support her as best you can. Stay with Twilight as much as possible. She can hear you.”

“What will you be doing?”

“I will be acting as a distraction. Use the time well.” He said to her. He began to walk away from her and into the Fair.

He glanced back in time to see Sasa run for the stairs and vanish into the castle. His hooves were silent on the polished roads of the Empire. He walked with a clear purpose toward the front gates. He stayed focused ahead as he entered the Fair and caught sight of Pinkie as she bounced around the Fair in a clown costume. She saw him, and her smile widened as she jumped toward him. The Crystal Ponies backed away from him quickly, nervousness overrunning them. She bounced to a stop before him, and he paused as she put a hoof on his chest. His black cloak flowed over him, covering his silver armor under its black color.

The pink mare smiled and bounced around him. “Hey, everypony! This is the one pony that is keeping that shield over you. He’s here to protect you!” She said in a sing-song voice.

Oblivion managed not to wince at her volume and said nothing in reproach of her. A young mare stepped forward and looked closely, regarding him with caution. He could see that her coat was a very pale purple and her mane a bright gold, the same color as her wheat-shaped cutie mark. She paused a few feet away from him.

“Are you truly the one protecting us?” she asked him, her voice quiet. Fear still dominated her gaze as she looked at him.

The World Spirit hummed under his command, reaching out to him to soothe her as best as he could. He lowered his head slightly to try to appear less intimidating. “Yes. I am the one maintaining the shield.”

She looked back to the others behind her, and after several seconds, she looked back at him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to him.

“For what?” He asked her, perplexed by her apologies.

“I saw you walking around earlier. I should have spoken to you. But I was too scared to come out. If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that the shield is the same as the magic from your horn, the same fire. It’s keeping the storm out?”

Oblivion said nothing in reply. ‘They have no idea that Sombra also came back and is out there trying to get back in to conquer them once more. I will keep that to myself to avoid inciting panic. They are frightened enough seeing me.’ He looked to the mare again and then to the others slowly surrounding him. “Yes, it is. The storm will calm in time, and I will release the shield.” He saw Pinkie open her mouth and cast a quick glare at her. She closed her jaws with an audible click of her teeth. The Crystal Ponies slowly began to smile and stomp their hooves. He watched as the Crystal Ponies smiled and began to mill around him, their focus once more on the Crystal Fair around them.

Pinkie smiled and did tricks around the Unicorn. Oblivion started as the ponies moved closer to him and began chattering to him. As much as he was pleased to see that their fears had dissipated, he knew that unless they found the Crystal Heart, the real one, then this peace was temporary at best, and he couldn’t be holding a shield above them for the rest of their days. He had to take care of Sombra and do it quickly. He knew that the pony within that corrupted form would not be able to last too much longer in that state.

“Oblivion!”

The black stallion paused and looked over his shoulder to see Shining trying to reach him. The ponies parted and let the Prince through. The Alicorn pulled up beside him and smiled as he leaned toward Oblivion. The black stallion lowered his head to allow them to speak quietly.

“I know we are in the midst of an argument, but thank you for seeing that the rest of the book was missing,” he said quietly, and Oblivion nodded in reply. She has Spike and Sasa with her while she tries to find it.”

Oblivion knew he was talking about the Crystal Heart but was making it sound like a simple issue of a book instead of the reality of the situation. He nodded in reply once more and looked to the Alicorn. “Understood. I’m sure she will have no trouble deciphering the missing page contents.”

The Prince fell in beside him as the Witcher moved again. “Look. We disagreed, and I wanted to apologize for how I reacted. I am grateful for all that you are doing. No pony I know would have been ready to overtake the protection of the entire Empire without a moment’s hesitation.”

“I could see that she was tired. There was no reason not to give aid if I could. I can hold it for a time, so there was no need not to act.” He replied to him as they left the fairgrounds behind. He had slowed his pace to allow the Prince to walk slower due to his injured leg. “I have powered the shield enough to allow it to hold its own even if I am not channeling into it. Nothing will interrupt it now that it has been given the strength to withstand on its own.”

Shining looked at the gates as they approached slowly, and his blue eyes went back to the black Unicorn at his side. “So you are going to go outside the shield?”

“That’s my plan, yes.” Oblivion bluntly replied. “I will not destroy him, but I have an idea for him.”

Shining was quiet as they reached the gates. Twily and Sasa keep telling me that you do not act unless you are confident of the outcome.”

“True.” Oblivion replied as he looked past the shield and out into the tundra. “Unless I am certain of the outcome, I will not act. There is a chance I could be wrong, but I can adjust as needed.”

“So, what is your plan?” Shining finally asked him after a long pause.

Oblivion looked at him, a somewhat grim expression on his face. “I plan to confront him.”

“There’s no stopping you, is there?” Shining asked.

“No.”

Shining Armor was quiet as he stared out the gates as well. “I can’t stop you; I know that. I wouldn’t say I like the idea of you going out there, and I think we should all act to find the Crystal Heart. But if I know you as well as I think I do, your mind is already made up.”

“I will act as a distraction to him. If he is focused on me, then going after the ponies will be the last thing on his mind. That way, she has all the time she needs.” He said as the black cloak was covered in his magic and sent back to the wardrobe at the farm.

Shining stayed several feet behind him and kept his weight off his injured leg. Oblivion turned his focus entirely to the shield and began to push more of his magic into the shield. The shield was constantly shifting and undulating as magic was pressed into it. The black Unicorn looked over his shoulder to the Alicorn behind him.

“Go ahead and return to the Fair and keep the ponies calm. They might notice the shield waver and shift at times. It will not fall, but it will look like it is shifting more than before. Your wife will need to know as well. The shield is fine, she does not need to worry about it and do not let her try to take it over. It will hold until I change it.” Oblivion informed the other stallion as he looked up to view the height of the shield once more. Another wave of magic went through it at his command.

“Are you sure about this?” Shining asked as he walked forward a step. “Sombra is no slouch. If he can command that kind of evil… Then what more can he do? I know you’re a strong fighter; I’ve seen that, but Sombra enslaved the ponies of the Empire once. What if he manages to attack you before you’re ready for him?”

Oblivion scoffed. ”I’ve been ready for him since before we exited the train. I might have if you had not confronted him before we got here. Don’t worry about him being able to get in. The shield will not permit anypony to enter, nopony will be allowed into the Empire.”

The black Unicorn walked to the shield's edge and stepped past it. It flowed over his body and allowed him to leave its confines. The shield pulsed and undulated for a moment before it flattened. Shining walked up to it and pushed a hoof against it. His hoof met a flat surface.

“Wait, not allow anypony in? Does that mean he is trapped out there?” Shining whispered to himself. “Oblivion!” He yelled and beat a hoof on the shield. The black pony turned as the wind whipped his mane and tail. “Oblivion, you can get back in, right?”

The black stallion looked over his shoulder, and a rare grin went over his muzzle. he winked at the shocked Prince before rearing up and galloping away from the shielded Empire.

“Damn you!” Shining yelled as he reared to his hind legs and beat his hooves against the shield, ignoring the pain from his twisted hoof. “You stupid lunatic!”

Shining let himself fall back to all four hooves and panted as he realized that Oblivion was now entirely alone out in the snow. He turned back to the Empire; his horn flashed as he teleported to the Fair and ran to the castle, where he knew Cadance was waiting. He ran as fast as he dared up the stairs, where he saw Twilight, Sasa, and Spike waiting. His leg gave out, and he had to stop halfway to get to them. He felt fur against his shoulder and looked up to see that Sasa had come to help him. He smiled at her and received a toothy grin in response from her. She supported him as he began to walk forward once more to rejoin them.

“Shiny? Where is Oblivion?” Cadance asked him as he reached them.

Shining paused in response. “He…umm…Well.”

Twilight tilted her head for a moment before her attention went to Sasa. The young mare looked uncertain for a moment. “Shining. Where is he?”

“He’s outside.” He replied to her.

Cadance smiled and looked to the balcony. “He’s out with the others?”

Shining shook his head. “No. He’s outside.”

Cadance was startled as she understood what he meant, and she rocked back on her heels. “He’s what?”

“He went outside the shield. He said that it will hold no matter how it looks. It might occasionally look flickering, but it’s in no danger of failing. It won’t fall until he commands it. So don’t try to take over it.” He said back to his wife.

Cadance blinked at the information, and she looked back to the balcony window and then back to her husband. “He went outside? We need him to maintain the shield, and he left to go outside to face Sombra, I assume?”

Shining nodded. He could tell that his wife was becoming furious. He knew that she was right to be angry, but at the same time, he had been asked to tell her the information from the black Unicorn, and he had done that, but now he had to watch what she was going to say. The pink Alicorn began to pace angrily as she processed what had been said.

“How can he be so irresponsible? He knows that the Crystal Ponies are terrified, and if they find out that their protector has left them, what will they think? We need them to be able to fill the Empire with the light and love within them, not their terror. What is he thinking?” She raged.

Shining cringed. Cadance was slow to anger, but it was possible to do. He watched as Twilight stepped up and halted her pacing with a hoof to her shoulder. “Cadance. According to Sasa, whatever he is doing, he will succeed, and it will give us time to find the Heart. I think that is the main reason for his actions. By distracting Sombra, Oblivion forces him to use his energy to go after him, not trying to get into the Empire. Oblivion is a lot of things, but he’s never irresponsible. He knows the cost of his actions, and he weighs them all. If he chose this, then it would be the best option.” Twilight said to her sister-in-law.

Shining looked at his sister as she finished speaking.

“Trust in his strength. And the knowledge that the Element of Spirit does not know how to fall.”

Sasa was still at his side and began to purr loudly to them. “What did she say?”

Twilight smiled. “She said to believe in him and remember that the Element of Spirit does not know how to break or fail.”

Cadance sat down, placed her hooves on her chest, and breathed in and out for several moments before getting to her hooves again. “I just don’t want the Crystal Ponies to feel the same terror they did when he was in power. They have been through enough.”

Twilight looked at Sasa as she purred once more. “She says I agree. Oblivion knows that better than anypony, he can sense their fear and has chosen this avenue to remedy it. It may not seem like the best idea, but he does not act without reason. Trust in him once more.”

The ponies assembled looked to the cat, and Spike petted her foreleg as he joined her in place. Shining sighed in defeat and bumped the cat with his shoulder. “Okay, I will trust in him again. But if he fails, so help me, I will beat him like a drum.” He vowed, much to the amusement of the others.

Author's Note

Okay, it was easier to do this one. I found an old outline for it on my phone. It is a detailed part, and I could build it off easily enough. Maybe it is a good thing I can't afford a new phone. Lol.