Salvation | Rebirth

Luna’s view narrowed to a pinprick, her heartbeat echoing inside her head. She remembered that deranged laugh spewing forth from Sombra's mouth as he fought, throwing spells around like a foal threw toys in a tantrum. She remembered his eyes, full of hatred and malice, piercing and terrible, lacking anything but the desire to hurt her and her sister, to kill both of them.

Just as quickly as that moment came, Luna came back to herself, her single moment of panic suppressed as a sense of forced calm settled over her. She banished her fear, locked away her anxiety, and focused on her will, the very same will that had allowed her to survive so long without completely breaking. This situation was not the worst she had encountered, and she would not give up before giving a good fight. The dread-locked stillness of her mind receded, her thoughts whirring back to life as her vision once again expanded, her consciousness fully returning to the reality around her. Now, she was planning for a battle, and she needed to recount the most important facts.

Fact one - the Crystal Empire was falling apart at the seams, the crystal ponies barely organized for any common effort, nevermind preparing for a villain’s return. Those who could have organized proper defense with the knowledge of whom to put where were either not in a position to do so or trapped in Sombra’s magic in one way or another.

Fact two - the Crystal Empire was entirely surrounded with no way out for anyone on the inside. Perhaps, with the combined magical might of herself, Cadance, and Wild, the three of them could start an evacuation by teleporting as many ponies as possible as far away as they could. However, this would be a slow process no matter what they did, and it would quickly drain them of energy, leaving them with, likely, at least a half if not two thirds of the Crystal Empire population still trapped and now without strong defense.

Fact three - the Crystal Empire was far away from any reasonably-sized Equestrian population centers that could provide aid in battle against Sombra. Gemstal was the closest, yes, but it was relatively small and almost entirely undefended. Sombra could easily cause deadly avalanches and rockfalls if he was so inclined, and the entire town would be buried alongside everyone within it.

Fact four - Sombra was strong enough to be on equal standing as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna together despite his relative lack of skill and experience. He would not pull punches or restrict himself in any way whatsoever - he had no reason to.

Fact five - Princess Cadance, while more trained than Wild in the art of combat magic, was still far behind Luna’s own experience, had not fought by her side, and so would be a less than effective battle mage when paired with her. Celestia and Luna had trained and fought together multiple times before they faced Sombra, and the lack of the same between Luna and Cadance meant that each would hinder the other, sabotaging both efforts, however unintentionally.

Fact six - the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and Princess Celestia were too far away to get to the Crystal Empire in time even if they hurried.

Done with her analysis, at least for now, Luna could do nothing but come to a single and damning conclusion - the position of the Crystal Empire was precarious, possibly worse than it was during Sombra’s initial rise to power. While there were two alicorns at the scene alongside an untrained yet also quite powerful unicorn, the Crystal Empire itself was in a disarray and, arguably, completely dysfunctional. The government was gone or scattered, the guards turned to statues or trapped in a weakened state underground, the infrastructure damaged and, in places, destroyed, and a humanitarian catastrophe was looming over all that was left. It was only because of the aid constantly sent by Equestria that kept the Crystal Empire more than just words on paper. Should that aid stop coming, should Crystal Empire face siege, things would quickly grow far more dire than they already were.

The best time to strike was before the opponent was ready, and Luna didn’t believe they had enough power to do so against Sombra. If anything, he was in a favorable position, even discounting any tricks he might still have that could completely derail any plans that Luna could conjure up.

“Alright,” Luna finally spoke, nodding slowly, “For now, things will proceed as before. It does not mean that nothing will be done. No, instead things will be done discreetly. Sombra, I believe, must have a reason for not having attacked yet. If he thinks us ignorant of his plans, then we can have time to prepare as much as we possibly can.”

Both young stallions nodded, and Luna could tell her reassurance was working on them. That was definitely better than panicking, considering the amount of chaos that it could cause.

“As for the two of you, for now, get back together with the other volunteers and follow as directed. Wild, after you settle in, I want you to meet me in the tent number one-ought-seven. As loathe as I am to separate you from your lover, you wield a good amount of power that can improve our odds of standing against Sombra.”

With some hesitation, Wild nodded, and then he and Artful returned to the crowd of newcomer volunteers, who had already begun to look somewhat nervous. Luna directed their attention to her, cleared her throat, and spoke a speech that she had already said a number of times. She barely listened to her own surprisingly smooth words while her brain worked on a proper plan. If they were to defeat Sombra or, at least, delay him long enough for support to arrive - and she would immediately go to send a letter to her sister explaining the situation - they needed to act together and act with purpose and direction. Sombra, for all that he was just one person, wielded power great enough to subdue thousands, bend them to his will.

The situation was far from hopeless, but that didn’t mean it was going to be in any way easy.

***

The feeling of frost clung to his limbs, the cold enveloping his mind, tearing at his thoughts even as he struggled to keep them together.

Oh how he hated the cold.

He remembered how it all began, in the cold, among nothing but snow and more snow, and then even more snow. There was nothing but the bone-deep chill and his own name - Sombra.

Sombra, Sombra, Sombra. King of Shadows. That was his name, that was his destiny. Always had been, always would be. To think of anything else was an exercise in foolishness.

He had lost, he knew, but not completely. He was still there, still clinging to a semblance of life even as all that he was had frozen, locked away into glacial darkness. He could have given up, he could have surrendered, and yet he had stubbornly held onto it even when there was nothing.

What mattered was power, and his own had managed to keep him alive and to take away what his enemies wanted, keeping it with him even when he could not feel it at all. Still, the satisfaction of denying victory to his enemies was strong, and relishing in it was one thing that had kept him from losing his mind completely.

When he came to be again, when the chilly air brushed against his form, when his mind reassembled itself from the crystals scattered inside the deep ice, he knew that he had another chance at it, another chance at making them all pay, to make them submit to him, to make sure they had no choice but what he chose for them.

It was only just.

On shaky legs he could not feel, his lungs stabbing in pain from the cold, his eyes barely seeing, he continued on. Among the shadows, he moved, observed. The Crystal Empire was there again, his curse slipping away, fading into nothingness, yet not all was for naught - they were bleeding now, their eternal cheer gone. It almost brought a smile to his face to know that they would one day break like he was broken by them. Some, he had already hurried along, their pieces scattered far and wide. Perhaps someone would bother to find them all, to reassemble them, and bring them back... but none of them were worth the effort, now were they? Ponies would live on and then eventually forget the fact that they abandoned their own for the sake of comfort and ease. Little did they know, those pieces still contained a consciousness, and a consciousness could have emotions. Fear was one Sombra was especially good at feeding.

Sombra could still feel Princess Amore, her terror at his actions etched forever into her, pummeling at her like she had pummeled him with the truth. Truly, her own suffering was brought by her alone.

It was only just.

Sombra had seen the arrival of two alicorns, only one of them familiar to him. Princess Luna, still there after all these years, looking exactly the same as when he had fought her. Still so self-righteous, still exuding an air of that wounded superiority and hidden bitterness. He might not have been able to feel it then, but he was still sure of it. People like her did not change. Perhaps one day he would convince her to drop the facade and to join forces with him. He could tell she had been wronged once, that someone she trusted had betrayed her, and it was something that changed a person. Perhaps he would only need to nudge a little, to push at a proper time, and then Luna would realize the true reality of things.

The sheer potential of her own fear was intoxicating, and it was not the kind of fear that he caused. Her own feelings were so ripe for exploitation and direction. He needed but a single chance...

The other alicorn set his blood alight when he heard her name announced. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. A descendant of that vile hypocrite. He had wanted to tear her apart piece by piece right there and then, in full view of everyone, already imagining their sweet terror as their last hope for salvation died before their very eyes, yet he had restrained himself. He had still been far too weak, too feeble, and he knew his own strength. He had always known, he had always needed to know. No, he needed to recover, and only then would he strike. Princess Amore’s line would be erased from existence and then from memory, doomed to oblivion as the remains of their consciousness drowned in fear forevermore. Their legacy would be nothing but forgotten pieces scattered where none would ever find them.

It was only just.

As his power slowly trickled back, building up to its former strength and glory, he continued his observations even when the itch to act, to punish, to make them submit grew stronger. However, he could be patient, as much as it pained him to be so. His interest was piqued when he realized more and more ponies were trickling into the Crystal Empire. Supplies were delivered by... he wasn’t sure what it was. Some metal contraption, a series of oversized carts that used metal wheels and rode on long metal beams. He could see their efficiency, easily carrying tons of cargo and hundreds of ponies. With those things under his control, his reach would be so much greater, the expanse of his revenge so much more compared to before.

His own Empire would be built so much faster if he could carry everything on those carts, resources that were mined, sawed, nailed, as well as resources that lived and breathed. It was a dream worthy of realizing. Perhaps when his control expanded as far as those metal paths led, his greatness would be enough for none to wish to cross him, to even think of trying to mess with his life in any capacity.

However, before his grand plans could become reality, he needed to start small... again. Oh, of course it was no longer as small as it had once been, for he had the power. Yet still, there was much to do.

Princess Luna alone without the elements would not stand against him. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza - who oh so humbly insisted others call her ‘Cadance’ - was not a fighter, he could tell, and she would be dealt with easily.

Oh how much it grated on him to even look at her. The same arrogance, the same fake humbleness, and yet he could see, he knew she was not what she pretended to be. Just the same sort of hypocrite as her ancient ancestor, and he would one day find out her secret and force her to face her fears, to experience them again and again.

It was only just.

Sombra forced his hatred down. As useful as it was as fuel for his power, it would not do to lose himself to it unintentionally. He needed to wait still, and his power would return to him in full, and only then would he strike. By the time he regained all that he had lost, Equestria would have foolishly sent possibly thousands of ponies to their own doom, right into the chains he prepared for them. They would forget Celestia and Luna, and their ruler would be him alone. They would know what it was to be afraid, they would know what it was to obey. And, unlike himself, they would never have the power to break free. All their brightest dreams, he would crush them. All their deepest fears, he would relish in them.

He remembered when he looked into the Crystal Heart. He remembered how its warmth almost burned his skin for all that he was not touching it, and he always remembered the images it seared into his mind. It told him of his fate, the destiny he had once feared but now welcomed.

Ponies were nothing but hypocrites, more than happy to kick those who were already down, especially those who were not like them. He didn’t shine, he wasn’t all bright and colorful and cheery, and that was enough for them to turn away from him in disgust.

All save for one-

She was gone, she had forsaken him too. It was best not to dwell on her fear of him, on her rejection, on her lack of understanding, on her... unwillingness to see the truth.

What mattered what was Sombra would do now, not what he had once felt, not what he had now pushed down and down until it was nothing more than a tingle and a tiny spark. He would smother it all in time, replace it with the rage and hatred that had given him more life and power than he had ever felt before.

He had come so far now, he could not, would not give up. Ponies deserved what was coming to them.

All that they wanted to have, he would take for himself. All that they feared to lose, they would no longer have. All that they were afraid to face, he would grant it to them.

It would be only just.