Sombran Lullaby

Chapters

I. The Black Sun rises
II. Hope
III. Might
IV. Youth
V. Bergentrückung
VI. The Crystal Fire
VII. The Last Hope
VIII. A Final Stand
IX. A Thousand Years, Secured

I. The Black Sun rises

"Enough has been lost this day, let us not lose everything."

The Emperor had witnessed their failure. Sombra had not been allowed the time in his thoughts needed to lament that fact when he had been issued his order. Now, though, marching silently along the road to the Crystal Empire, his mind became filled with the knowledge and regret of his disgrace. Emperor Nicholas, The Master of Time, was merciful and wise, but could even he forgive Sombra's failure?

He should have been there. He should have charged to Luna's aid and been there to save her from Celestia. He should, but he had not. Now he was trapped, Celestia and her armies behind him, with only thirteen of Luna's silent and ever-loyal Companions as guards. All that was in his arsenal was his armour - once resplendent and silver - now dulled, dented, and drenched in blood and dirt; his sword - saved from dulling by its enchantments but similarly soaked in blood; and a vague hope that he could reach the Crystal City in time to fortify it and rally his forces.

Emperor Nicholas would grant him no further boons - sure enough even the simple act of speaking to him through the Companions had drained him of his much needed strength. Still, it was not that he deserved them regardless. What he deserved was to face his failure, but his Emperor had given him a command, and who was he to defy his master?

He did wish, even despite the Emperor's command, that he could have remained to face Celestia alone. She was far more powerful than he, yes, but he may have been able to save his people from certain destruction. Even if it cost him his life, it might save countless others further north. But he had his orders. The Emperor's plan was far more important than his wishes - far more important than even hundreds of thousands of lives.

The first evidence they drew near to the Crystal Empire was the snow, replacing the verdant grasses of Equestria. Usually, the ascent into the Crystal Empire was a pleasant gradient, from a thin and crunchy blanket of snow to a thick sheet about as deep as a pony was tall. Coming up, however, especially wearied from battle and flight, Sombra found himself dragging. He liked snow, especially the snow of the Crystal Empire, but there wasn't any chance to enjoy it with the threat of Celestia looming over him, nor his aching legs and hooves.

Even with his conscious effort to stay firm and upright - he could not allow his people to see him bow his head as if he was defeated - he could not help but lower himself. The trek through the mountains would be a long one, able to be completed by the end of the day if they did not stop, yes, but his lack of energy would likely force a wait. He did not know how long they would have, how long the Crystal Empire would have to prepare itself before an attack. If Sombra and his allies could reach the Crystal Empire in a day, then so too could Celestia. Her armies might reach the Crystal Empire mere hours after Sombra, by which time he still would not have fully recovered and the city's garrison would have made only the most basic of preparations. Or, on the other hand, it could be weeks or even months before Celestia could rally up an adequate response - if she even did at all - or, perhaps, she thought that Sombra was far more prepared than he was. Perhaps, as Sombra hoped, she was as battered and weary as he was. The best way to stop Celestia would be to tire her out.

At the very least, Luna's Elite Guard - who had given their entire force for a rearguard - would buy him some much needed time. Time would continue to be his biggest adversary. With enough time, he could do anything. The Crystal City could be impenetrable given enough time to prepare. But, he did not have infinite time, nor did he likely have even an adequate amount. He did calculations to keep his mind off the pain in his hooves, thinking on how he might be able to resist Celestia with an amount of preparation time he would probably have.

With preparation time of a few weeks, he could mount a defence for a few weeks. But, with the maximum of days he likely had, he could likely hold out for three days at most. Supplies weren't a concern - the Crystal City had enormous stockpiles built beneath it - given the ever present threat of a blizzard; the concern was simply one of fortification, though the Crystal City had walls, they were no where near up to an effective standard. The moment Celestia, or a suitably large contingent of unicorns, took to the field, the walls would be breached and then it was only a matter of time before the city fell.

Time. There were another few hours before they reached the Crystal City. The only noise came from the ever present wind and Sombra's low breathing - with Luna's Companions continuing their infamous silence. Sombra wished they would speak, even just to tell him to stay calm.

Even if the Companions could speak, then what would they say? Would they blame him for Luna's demise? Or would they still just remain silent? Why couldn't Luna's Elite Guard have come with him instead? Why was he even complaining? What did it matter, ultimately, so long as he reached the Crystal City and got the defences sorted?

How long had he been walking? Hours? Days? How many hours or days? His legs felt so light. It was as if he weighed nothing at all. He hadn't felt this spritely since his youth.

A voice cut through the pervasive wind. "Get King Sombra to the Palace, get Doctor Glow to attend to him."

It was all quiet and dark after that. At least he was able to rest.

II. Hope

"Easy now," the voice of Doctor Glow brought Sombra to, "save your strength as much as you can."

He was in the Crystal Palace, that was certain, in his own bed no less. Doctor Glow, a wizened grey unicorn who had been the foremost physician of the Crystal Empire for as long as Sombra could remember, was at his side, a number of instruments on standby, though none appeared used.

Sombra breathed in deep, conscious of his surroundings and sudden store of energy. "How long?" Was all he could ask.

"A day," Glow said, "to be more precise, about twenty-three hours." At Sombra's sudden jerk upwards, he held the King down and clarified. "Relax, you must save your strength. Our defensive preparations began the moment the guards saw you. Do not strain yourself to go somewhere you aren't needed."

Sombra pushed his head back, doing his best not to strain himself. Had it been anyone else, he would have laughed and rose, immediately making for the barracks of the guard, but Doctor Glow was a trusted friend and knew more about medicine than anypony he knew.

"Where are Luna's Companions?" He asked, "those I came with, where are they?"

Glow took a pair of glasses from the trolley next to him, placing them carefully on the top. "Guarding the upper floor of the Palace," he answered, "there are two of them outside the door right now." He pulled a bottle of whiskey from the trolley next, placing it just ahead of and in between the two glasses.

"Have Celestia's armies been seen?"

Glow gave a single hoarse laugh, before pouring out two half-glasses of whiskey. "A pair of her scouts were sighted at the bottom of the pass, funnily enough by a pair of ours. Aside from that, Celestia's forces are staying well clear." He handed one of the glasses to Sombra, whilst drinking from the other himself.

"Thank you." Sombra took a sip of the brown liquid, savouring its feeling and exceptionally glad that he had given Glow the key to the Palace's alcohol cellar. "What's the situation in the city?"

Glow chuckled hoarsely again, "ponies are taking it as well as they can be expected to. Even children are joining in the building of the defences, they're relishing in being out of school I think." He swirled his whiskey around, then took another sip. "Old folks' homes are clearing out to join the army. There's a sense of," he paused, searching for the word in his glass of whiskey, "determination. Hope, even."

Sombra took a sip. "Do you think they're right?"

"Hmm?"

"To hope," he clarified, "do you think they're right to hope?"

Glow smiled, but he didn't chuckle. "I'm an old stallion," he said, for the first time since Sombra had met him as a child admitting he wasn't still young, "old enough now to have seen a lot of things. Ponies have hoped for better in far worse conditions."

Sombra nodded. "But," he said, "were they wrong to do so?"

"It's never wrong to hope. Hope isn't something objective. There is a big difference between hoping for success and believing in it."

Sombra took a sip, it was a fiery whiskey, with a nice spice to it. "I don't know if I can do it," he admitted, "I don't know if I can tell them that we can win."

"You don't have to," Glow said, "everypony already knows we can't. Everypony's made their peace with it. You've got the idealistic ones, who see dying for the cause as worth it; the proud ones, who refuse to allow even a thought of surrender; then you've got the old ones, like me, who've already lived so long that it ending now hardly matters. Only thing you have to consider is whether you've made your peace."

Sombra considered saying he had his orders. Truth was, however, that he hadn't made his peace. He hadn't so much as thought about it - especially considering he had hardly had the time since the retreat from the Everfree Forest. What would his peace be? Did it even matter if he didn't make his peace?

"Your silence tells me you haven't."

Sombra was snapped from his semi-trance. Doctor Glow was observing him intently, glass of whiskey in his hoof held low. He shook his head, unable to say anything else.

"You know," Doctor Glow propositioned as he took a sip from his whiskey, "you could always flee the city."

Sombra shook his head again. "Absolutely not." He took a sip of his whiskey, observing the glass was almost empty. "I could not leave you all here. I had not wanted to come at first, but," he paused, thinking of Emperor Nicholas and deciding that trying to tell Doctor Glow about him would not be a good use of his time, "the Companions demanded it."

Glow chuckled, "I had almost thought they were mute," he said, "must have been their guards' discipline."

Sombra nodded. "I had wanted to spare you all from this..."

Glow interrupted him, "there was no way Celestia would have allowed it," he said, "it was not just you who declared for Luna, but this whole city, together. There would have been retribution one way or another."

"Perhaps I could be offered as prisoner?" Sombra said, thinking aloud more than anything.

Doctor Glow chuckled, "yes. Then Celestia could have your head without a fight before she took all of ours."

Sombra gave a morbid, barking laugh, "so she could." He took a sip of his whiskey, the glass emptying into his mouth. "What a failure."

Glow refilled Sombra's whiskey from the bottle, back to the apparently exact half-glass it had been before he started drinking. "If we had been intolerant of failure, we would never have set about this whole venture. We may be in a predicament now, but we saw our chance and took it - either that or live under Celestia's iron-shod hooves forever."

"At the current rate, we'll be back to where we started in a few days."

"And what does it matter? We have gained nothing, true, but we have also lost nothing. We'll be back to where we started, yes, but then others can take our place in the future and carry on as we did. Whether in one generation or a hundred, somepony is bound to succeed eventually."

"You make a good point," Sombra conceded, taking another sip of his whiskey. The fiery taste was starting to subside, he was getting used to it. "Hopefully everypony's alright with that."

Glow shrugged. "They'll have to be. Besides, I'm sure most ponies will be there to carry on the good fight."

Sombra smiled, as genuinely as he could bring himself to. "True. I wonder how the place will look after I'm gone."

"Already condemned yourself then?"

Sombra took another sip. "I guess so."

Glow rolled his eyes. "As your doctor, it's my duty to remind you that you must continue taking care of your health."

Sombra nodded, staring into his whiskey glass. He closed his eyes, breathing deep to allow the stress to wash off of him. With a determined fire in his eyes he drank the entire glass in one. "I will kill Celestia," he declared, "then I can die."

Doctor Glow raised a hoof, stopping Sombra's rise from the bed. "You will kill Celestia, then you will continue to look after your health."

Sombra gave his doctor a flat look. Before giving his friend a smile and a chuckle, "very well."

III. Might

"Commander De Verre!" Sombra shouted into from the balcony over the Palace's barracks. He couldn't explain exactly why he was doing it - as he was almost certain De Verre was leading the fortification effort, likely near the main gate - but he did it regardless.

To his surprise, a cream coloured guard stepped out underneath him, an exaggerated look of confusion on her face. When she saw Sombra, her demeanour immediately changed, "my King!" She yelled out, in a mixture of happiness and reverence, "you're awake! Are you well?"

Sombra couldn't suppress his smile. "Quite well, but I wish to speak with you."

Commander De Verre nodded enthusiastically. "I shall come up, my King."

"No, no," Sombra shouted down, waving a hoof, "I'll come to you."

The Crystal Palace had, fortunately, been designed with ease of navigation in mind - though that would likely turn from a boon to a malus once fighting began. Commander De Verre, despite having been about as far from Sombra as she could get in the Palace, had to wait little more than a minute for the King.

"Looking regal, my King," she said, admiring the newly polished armour Sombra had clad himself in.

"Hopefully morale will improve once they see me," Sombra said, "keep everypony's spirits up."

De Verre smiled and nodded. She maintained the demeanour for a moment, before letting it fall as she sighed. "If you'll believe it, morale has never been higher. Nor have recruitment numbers, even though I ordered all recruitment to stop."

"I believe we must evacuate the city," Sombra said, "I'm afraid, I don't trust the ponies of the city to surrender."

De Verre looked her King over again, before turning to the opening behind her, where a caravan of miscellaneous materials was being transported by an armoured guard and a magenta pony with a book and quill cutie mark - a school teacher, Sombra believed, he thought he'd seen her before. "I echo your distrust," she said, eyes still fixed on the non-guard pony, who didn't even seem fazed by her situation.

"I spoke to sympathisers," he said, "from the Griffon lands to the east. They have offered our ponies a place to live."

"The Griffons would have ponies in their lands? Do they know that they wouldn't be able to return?"

Sombra nodded. "I too was surprised. But their dislike of ponies stems from Celestia. Any opposition to her rule is welcome in their eyes."

De Verre thought on it for a moment. "How would our ponies cross the sea?"

"The Griffons have a fleet in the north east, leaving a week from now, heading back to the Griffon Lands proper. They will take as many ponies as we send."

"I would like," De Verre began, before pausing and furrowing her brow. Sombra knew enough about his guard commander to know that her brow furrowed in such a way did not mean thought, but that she was suppressing something.

"You may speak freely to me," Sombra said, "I am your friend, Fleur, if you need something I can see it done."

De Verre nodded, but still held back from speaking. Her breathing was quiet but clearly careful and there was an air of something wrong about her.

"Whatever it is," he said, "you do not have to tell me. I give you my express permission to do whatever it is you desire. You will not be going behind my back."

De Verre shook her head, before taking in a deep and careful breath. "I am sorry, my King," she said, bowing her head, "my emotions got the better of me there."

"It is quite alright."

De Verre rose her head, "my King, with your permission, I would like to assemble a caravan of ponies to head to the Griffon lands. With your permission, I would like to have them ordered to leave, with a group of guards with them."

"Them?" Sombra muttered, before thinking the better of it. "Of course, you may assemble a caravan."

"Thank you, my King." De Verre smiled and bowed again.

Sombra nodded to himself. "Now, there is a matter we must discuss."

"A matter, my King?"

Sombra nodded gravely. "Yes, specifically about the coming defence of the city."

"Well, in regards to defences, I mandated for easily erectable barricade kits placed on every street, whilst placing most of our forces around the main gate, where Celestia will concentrate her forces and from there we can retreat into the streets and force the enemy into choke points..."

"I know you have the overall defence prepared for, Commander. What I specifically mean to speak of is myself, when Celestia takes to the field," Sombra said, hoping that De Verre could understand what was being unsaid.

By her expression, she could. She had her eyes partially unfocused, her mouth slightly open and was nodding vaguely. "I see."

"If you should need me for any of your plans, I would recommend you inform me now."

De Verre thought it over, before shaking her head. "No, my King. We can achieve everything we need to without you."

Sombra had to suppress a chuckle over her attempt at politeness. De Verre may have been a friend, but she took her duty as guard commander exceptionally seriously, especially once she got her uniform on.

"That is good to hear," Sombra said, "I would not have wished to jeopardise anything."

De Verre nodded. Then nodded again. She squinted at the ground, as if debating whether or not to speak. "What are your thoughts?" She asked hesitantly, "my King?"

Sombra chuckled, "in regards to our situation?"

De Verre only nodded.

"Ah, well," Sombra said, looking out over the Crystal City that lay beyond the Palace courtyard, "I am thankful for everypony, but, I am afraid that there is little chance of victory."

"Glad I'm not the only one thinking that."

"If it all goes wrong," Sombra said, "the underways beneath the palace will be open. Should we be surrounded in the palace, retreat through them, I will ensure you escape."

De Verre gave a chuckle, "not a chance, with all due respect, my King."

IV. Youth

"Ma'am, you do not have to give us all of this," the soldier started, only to be immediately interrupted.

"His Majesty's Library will provide." The old mare with a jolly voice balanced another stack of tomes precariously on the cart. "His Majesty learned to share from me so it would be hypocritical to not share myself, wouldn't it now?"

Despite her upbeat tone, she brokered no argument, and the soldier would surely give her none. Amethyst Maresbury had a reputation, a strong one at that, and it was only through a lot of work from Guard Commander De Verre that she had not taken a spear and helmet and gone to garrison the gate.

"Thank you ma'am, His Majesty greatly appreciates your generosity." The soldier half stammered, clearly hoping for a quick exit so he would not have to carry an entire library to the walls.

"Indeed I do." Sombra stepped from behind the caravan laden with books. "Ms Maresbury, was it wholly necessary to weigh down this poor soldier so heavily?"

The librarian gave him an almost furious look. "This library contains twenty-two thousand three-hundred and nineteen books, of which sixteen thousand nine-hundred and four weigh over five kilogrammes and can be used for improvised fortification. The defence of the Crystal City is the duty of all Crystal citizens, and so it is my duty to provide the materials in my possession for the Crystal guard."

Sombra couldn't help but smile. "The guard can make multiple trips," he said, before turning to the particular soldier and whispering, "head off," to him. The soldier wasted no time in making his exit, the heavy load dragging behind him.

"Anyways," the Librarian said, waving a hoof as the guard left, "what does His Majesty require of me?"

"I wish to talk," Sombra replied, "that's all. As a student, not a King."

The Librarian huffed jokingly. "You never wanted to be a King, did you?"

Sombra chuckled. "If only Princess Amore had listened."

"Her Majesty was always so certain of herself," Maresbury said, seeming almost wistful. "Though, she made the right choice."

"There are some who do not think she did."

"Pah." Maresbury waved a hoof. "Poppycock, fools the lot of them. What pony is more perfect to rule than somepony who doesn't want to, mm?"

Before Sombra could speak again, Maresbury continued.

"And don't get me started on that Celestia." The Librarian had developed a curious habit in her old age. Her thoughts came fast but it was as though her mouth waited before it presented each one, leading to conversations that would normally take a minute taking upwards of about five. "When you declared for Luna I must admit I breathed a sigh of great relief." She also had a habit of changing her tone suddenly, sometimes even mid-sentence, further showing how her thoughts were out of step with her speech. "Luna as Queen would have freed us of a great deal of trouble, I tell you such."

Sombra nodded, a half-grin on his face. "True, true. That is just why I declared for her." Best not to inform her of his and Luna's larger aim.

"And how wonderful it would have been!"

He could only nod in response.

"Ah," again, Maresbury's wistfulness returned, "it is certainly nice to think about what could have been."

"Yes," Sombra replied, slowly, "so it is."

The moment of silence did not last long. "Ah, but why dwell on the past, mm? What do you wish to speak of, mm?"

"To thank you," Sombra said, "as a matter of fact."

The Librarian chuckled, "oh, now, whatever for?"

Sombra couldn't help but grin a little. "You taught me since I was young," he said, "surely I should thank you for that?"

The Librarian waved her hoof and laughed. "Oh, goodness, no." Then she paused, her thoughts again seeming to get the better of her ability to speak. "Seeing you have learned manners is thanks enough."

"Did I not have them before?" Sombra asked, raising a brow theatrically.

The Librarian paused, though it was clear from her scrunched up face she was questioning whether what she said next could be considered acceptable. "Manners are learned," she said, believing her vague statement was cryptic.

Sombra could only chuckle.

"Besides," Maresbury said as she pulled a pair of brick-like leather books from a shelf and set them onto a table, "you have the love of the ponies of the Crystal Empire now, mm?"

"So I am told."

"So you well know!" The Librarian interrupted, grabbing another pair of enormous heavy books as if they were nothing. "We wouldn't have instated you as King otherwise."

"And look where that got us," Sombra said dourly, "trapped in our city with Celestia approaching."

The Librarian stopped, as if Sombra had just said something awful to her. She shook her head vigorously and muttered, "no, no, no," quietly as she turned and approached the King. She grabbed his shoulders and brought her face right up to his. "Have I taught you nothing? Hmm? Putting on a sour expression like that. You were chosen by us as King and we will stick with you through thick and thin. This predicament will pass soon enough, mm."

Sombra sighed. Were it anyone else he would argue, or at the very least disagree, but Maresbury had made it clear over the years he had known her that she would broker no disagreement - regardless of the circumstances. Still, Sombra made a mental note to have someone evacuate the Librarian, probably with the caravan De Verre was off assembling.

"Do you have any particular books you like to read?" He asked, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

The Librarian's demeanour changed immediately. "Ah, yes, yes. Let us go to the fiction section..."

V. Bergentrückung

All cafes save one had been emptied out and even then the only one remaining contained little more than a pair of tables and three chairs. Fortunately it had only been a short walk from the palace.

There were two ponies inside, one of which was waiting on the other. The pony being waited on, by his grey coat and white mane, was clearly Doctor Glow. The other was a young teal unicorn, Sombra estimated he must have been fresh out of school, there was a slight shake in his left foreleg and his gaze seemed long and unfocused.

Neither noticed Sombra at first, though for different reasons. The waiter pony seemed locked in a fearful trance, whilst Doctor Glow was far too aloof to even notice a door opening. Only when Sombra was right behind him did he notice and turn.

"You're blocking my light."

Sombra waved a hoof in mock apology. "Terribly sorry, I have a habit of doing that."

The waiter pony's jaw dropped, no doubt his frayed nerves had been shocked by the sudden - at least in his eyes - arrival of the regal and armoured King. Doctor Glow, on the other hand, hardly gave him pause, save to wave his own hoof for Sombra to step out of the window and sit down.

"Get the King a coffee, lad," Glow ordered.

"If that is alright," Sombra interjected, as politely as he could whilst also shooting daggers at the Doctor, who shrugged in response and took a drink.

The waiter pony nodded profusely, appearing to snap from his trance, and rushed off into the back room. Sombra allowed himself the chance to sit back and relax.

"So," Glow began, taking a sip of his own coffee, "prepared for your mission?"

"I've spoken to Commander De Verre," Sombra replied, "as well as Maresbury. I have most of my affairs in order."

"I have heard Commander De Verre is assembling a caravan," Glow said, as if it was some gossip that would be new to the King, "with a guard detachment to head north east and be taken to the Griffon Lands."

"News travels fast," Sombra mused, though he had not expected it to be a secret.

"Indeed it does."

"I am going to send Maresbury with them," Sombra said, drawing a shocked look from the Doctor.

"Have you told her this?"

The King laughed, "of course not, she'd have killed me."

Glow nodded gravely. "When will you be telling her?"

Sombra looked behind him, over the main street that led through the Crystal City's heart. There was a faint scattering of clouds in the sky, with the shielded borders of the City's sky apparently clear. Had it been any other day, it would have been wonderful.

"I've told her to come here."

Glow heard exactly what was unsaid. "Now?" He blinked. "Courageous."

Sombra chuckled morbidly, "it's not like I'll live with the consequences for long."

"I suppose that's true."

Sombra's coffee arrived. Though the King almost immediately had to save it from dropping from the pony's shaking hooves. After profusely apologising, which the King had to repeatedly rebuff and assist in calming the worried pony, the waiter turned to leave.

"Wait," the King called out, with the waiter freezing where he was. "Do you have any family?"

"Yes," the waiter's voice cracked every few moments as he spoke. "My brother is in the guard, and my mother is a nurse."

"Your father?"

The waiter teared up a little. "He was in the guard too, my King."

"Cold Storm, was it?"

The waiter nodded glumly.

"Your father was a hero," he said, proudly, before his voice quietened, "I am sorry I could not save him."

Cold Storm had been a veteran member of the guard, since the time of Sombra's predecessor. As far as Sombra was aware though, he had not had any fighting experience. He had been unlucky enough to have been on duty midnight of two days before, when Sombra had gathered what few soldiers he could and marched south to the Everfree, to participate in what would become the disastrous Battle of the Two Sisters. Sombra didn't quite know where he had lost his guards, he could hardly remember most of the fighting, only that when he had been reached by the remnants of Luna's army he was alone.

"If you can find your brother and mother," he offered, "there is a caravan going north, to be taken to the Griffon Lands for safety. You three could go with them."

The waiter pony bowed. "Thank you," he muttered, "but we couldn't. Got to stay here, for dad."

Sombra could only nod, words would not do the situation justice.

A huff came from the door, followed by the clomping of metal on wood. Commander De Verre, closely followed by Maresbury, entered. Behind the two had been a caravan of guards, carrying what looked like hundreds of heavy tomes up to the gate. Behind them was a smattering of guards, a group of four pulling a heavy ballista, with another two dragging a cart of stones.

"My King," Commander De Verre saluted, "defensive preparations are proceeding according to schedule."

"They've almost emptied out the library!" Maresbury proclaimed proudly, "they have enough books to build a house now."

"Come, sit, let us talk." Sombra rose from his seat, handing it over to Maresbury, whilst De Verre took up a seat opposite Glow and beside Sombra.

"It has been a while," Glow said, "since we've all been gathered like this."

"So it has."

"If only it were under better circumstances."

"Let's not think about the situation," Sombra said, "let's just take a moment to keep our minds off of it."

They sat in silence for a moment, each trying their best to take their minds off of the situation looming over them long enough to think of a topic of conversation. Surprisingly, it was De Verre who succeeded first.

"Remember the summer of three years ago?" She asked, more rhetorically than anything else. "When Sombra tried to make that apple pie?"

"I remember a lot of burning," Glow said, shooting a glance at Sombra and eliciting a chuckle from De Verre, "then I remember the kitchens smelling of apple for weeks."

"You never did return that cookbook," Maresbury said, "I still sometimes wonder what happened to it."

Glow barked out a laugh, "probably involved in the burning," he said, still laughing, much to Maresbury's horrified look, which only made him laugh harder.

"You never could bake very well could you," De Verre turned to Sombra, stood next to her, who rolled his eyes.

"I happen to think that pie tasted rather nice," Sombra retorted, only for the entire group to laugh at him.

"You tasted it?" De Verre asked.

"I tasted it on the air," Glow interjected, "tasted like ash."

For a moment, all four forget their present situation, allowing the joy of the moment to wash over them. However, their brief merriment would be short lived.

"My King," a soldier burst through the cafe's door, "scouts have spotted Celestia's troops, they're marching up the pass!"

De Verre shot to her feet, helmet on and sword ready in an instant. Sombra was close behind her. With his voice bearing as much authority as it could he gave his order, "rally every soldier to the gate. De Verre, get your caravan moving, now."

"Yes, my King," the two soldiers chorused as both charged out, knowing their respective duties.

"Amethyst," Sombra addressed the Librarian, "I want you in De Verre's caravan. I won't accept an argument."

Maresbury only huffed, though Sombra had already charged out, sprinting to the gate as fast as his legs could carry him.

VI. The Crystal Fire

Celestia's arrival had been heralded by a rainbow.

However, unlike the natural rainbows, which were little more than a nice feature in the sky on a rainy day, there was a physical aspect. With a furious roar, it appeared just behind the gate of the Crystal City, with purple and magenta lights appearing all around it. Some ponies had approached it, their natural curiosity demanding they at least get a closer look, though they soon found themselves wreathed in the same flickering lights.

"Magical fire," Sombra yelled, "keep everypony away from it!"

Those who came within a few metres of the lights were instantly completely engulfed in flame. It stuck to the skin and fur like a hellish glue, impossible to remove. When a pony came to assist their screaming fellow, they would quickly find themselves afflicted similarly. Within minutes, there were several dozen ponies beyond saving, with only Sombra and Doctor Glow's healing magic enough to extinguish the others - though even then covered in unhealable burns.

"Retreat," Commander De Verre cried out over the din of her surroundings, "fall back to the secondary positions. Stay away from the fire!"

They had not even engaged Celestia's army and already they were being forced to retreat. Sombra was furious with himself. He did not even have the power to defend his city, how could he hope to defeat Celestia? He forced the defeatist thoughts from his mind, he would kill Celestia - for Luna's sake and for his ponies.

"Barricades up, don't let them pass!"

De Verre had taken up the left flank of the gate, where the streets were older and at their thinnest. Her lieutenant, a blue pegasus by the name of Dust Wing, had taken the right, where the streets were wider but shorter. Sombra, meanwhile, had taken the centre, where there was only one street, which led under the Crystal Palace. It was wide but there was enough flanking buildings to hide a variety of weapons.

"Ensure the caravan north escapes," he ordered a pair of guards - hopefully he could save at least them - "Celestia may have led a trap, go quickly."

He would get out everypony he could without jeopardising the defence of the City. Most of the guards had taken up positions on the left or right of the gate, with the centre being left to the thirteen Companions and the few volunteers who could be fully equipped.

"Cobalt," he yelled to a sergeant manning a barricade behind him, "take a squadron into the palace, secure the underways."

"Yes, my King."

Hopefully the chaos didn't get anypony killed. He was fortunate, in a way, for the chaos, in that he could use it as a pretext to get ponies to either evacuate or secure evacuation routes - where they could quickly leave the City when it came to it. He would kill Celestia, yes, but that wouldn't stop her armies.

There was a general, once a lieutenant of Celestia's Solar Guard captain - who had been killed at the start of the rebellion - Sombra couldn't remember her name; but, he knew that she was brutal. Celestia had reprimanded her multiple times in the past, before the rebellion, for her less than discretionary actions. Now, though, with her mentor dead and thrust into a position of immense power, she would likely relish in the execution of Celestia's orders for the Crystal Empire. He had to make sure his ponies escaped.

The sun grew larger in the sky. Yet, it gave out no extra light. If anything, it made the land only darker. What sort of magic was Celestia using now? Another terror weapon, no doubt.

He looked up into the sky, past the rainbow crackling with lightning, up to the sun. He looked up into the sun and saw that it was black.

The most effective terror weapon, no doubt.

Sure enough, several of the volunteers were visibly shaking. Even amongst what few veteran guards he had with him there was fear.

"I know you fear," he called out, "I know you fear and I cannot blame you. But, this is a fight not for our lives, but for the lives of our families. We make our stand here, not to win, but to show the ponies of Equestria that even the fearful can resist, that even the weak can rise up and throw off those who oppress them. I will not ask you to fight, there is still time to retreat, but for those who will, we will show those who would enslave us why they call us the Iron North!"

There was a roar from the soldiers around him. All their fear seemed to melt away, if only for a second. For a moment, there was courage under the Black Sun.

VII. The Last Hope

Celestia's armies had been furious.

They had begun their attack with a bombardment of the gate. Projectiles ranging from simple arrows and stones to ballista bolts the size of ponies and boulders that were even larger crashed into the gate and the walls surrounding it, some spilling over into the empty courtyard.

It took two hours for Celestia's forces to make their first attack, led by grey armoured Equestrian Army ponies climbing over the walls on ladders, only to be greeted by an apparently empty City. There was confusion in the ranks, though it did not last long.

The gate had been jammed shut, crushed and fused together with unicorn magic, interdicting the movement of troops into the City greatly. Solar Guard were forced to climb the walls, or carefully teleport inside, with special areas cleared by advance unicorn troops. The Solar Guard commanders recognised why there were no defenders, ordering their underlings to make ready for street-to-street fighting and prepare for potential ambushes.

Sure enough, the Equestrian Army were quickly hit by ambushes. Soldiers fired crossbows or ballistae from shop fronts and windows, whilst unicorns lobbed spells and set off gunpowder barrels in alleyways. When an excursion down the left flank returned with a single living pony - herself badly burned and missing most of her armour - the Solar Guard realised that they would need more preparation.

Celestia's Lieutenant climbed the walls, with most of the rest of the Solar Guard with her. In the small area secured by the Celestia's army, ringed by a wall of Equestrian Army troops, Celestia's Lieutenant set to work preparing a plan.

She ordered small excursions on the left and right flank, whilst the majority of the force would advance down the centre, from there they would simultaneously advance on the Crystal Palace and surround the two flanking streets. The two smaller excursions were, in effect, sacrificed, whilst the major force advanced forwards - using sheer force of numbers to force back the centre.

"Down with the tyrant!"

Sombra's forces were determined, but had neither the numbers nor ammunition to hold back the attackers. With Sombra and the Companions acting as a wall in the centre, breaking the waves of Equestrian troops, the defenders threw everything they had into the sea they were facing against. Everything from rocks to crossbow and ballista bolts.

Yet, they were still forced back. Sombra had ensured that his soldiers knew that once they were out of ammo, they were to retreat. He had sent half of his force to the intersection of the three main streets, where a barricade had been set up. As he and the Companions made a fighting withdrawal, he ordered a messenger to each of the two other streets, to order them back to the Palace.

A shriek echoed throughout the City, with a streak of lightning passing in front of the Black Sun. With a thunderous roar of impact, Celestia emerged, facing Sombra.

"You," she growled, a murderous rage burning in her eyes, "you were the one who took my sister."

Sombra brought up his sword into a guard. Celestia's sword must have been destroyed during the Battle of the Two Sisters - she did not have it with her - so she was limited to magic, which Sombra could defend against easily enough so long as he could get his own sword into the way of it.

Two of the Companions stepped in front of him.

"Inauspicious," both declared, "retreat, we shall cover your escape."

Sombra couldn't keep his guard from falling. Once again, Emperor Nicholas was speaking to him through the Companions - two of their number anyhow. He was still watching.

"At once, my Emperor."

He had to drag himself back, with only the weight of Emperor Nicholas' orders enough to stop him simply charging Celestia. Though she could have simply charged after him, the challenge of the Companions to her directly was enough to force her to fight.

With a roar and a bolt of fiery lightning, she commenced her assault, met in kind by the Companions - whose only duty was to buy their leader time.

The intersection was a mess. Debris and injured ponies lay everywhere, with what few veteran guards were there attempting to organise the situation long enough to fix a retreat to the Palace. On Sombra's arrival, there was more than a collective sigh of relief.

"My King." A purple coated guard, Bright Lamp, he believed she was called, came up behind him. The armour on her left flank had been ripped open by a bolt, though she seemed uninjured. "Captain Dust Wing is dead. The right flank is starting to collapse."

"Retreat everypony you can to the Palace, head into the underways. There's a squadron waiting there already. Get everypony out of the city and to the north east."

Bright Lamp, now Captain, saluted. "Gather up, retreat to the Palace, veterans at the back, protect the wounded."

Sombra, now with only eleven Companions, would head up the rear once again. As soon as Commander De Verre arrived, that was.

"My King, Celestia is coming!"

Sombra thought on Nicholas' orders. He had ordered him retreat, yes, but he had done so - would it be wrong of him to duel Celestia now?

"My King," came the shout of another guard, a yellow unicorn with a blue mane - Meadow Spring, was he called? "There's a pony in the library, we can't get her to leave."

There was only one pony who would hole up in the library and refuse to leave.

"Amethyst!" Yelled Sombra, bursting through the doors of the library with his magic. "I ordered you to leave!"

He was greeted by silence. "Find her," he ordered, as a squadron of guards passed by him.

"I could not in good conscience abandon you," Amethyst said, revealing herself from behind a stack of books, "especially not with the knowledge this book contains." She held a surprisingly clean and fresh looking blue tome in her hoof, which she brought forwards to Sombra.

"It's far too dangerous for you here! Why didn't you leave with the caravan?"

The Librarian simply waved her hoof. "This book is far too important. Besides, Glow didn't either."

"He is in the medical station in the Palace," Sombra said, "close to the underways so he can escape quickly. What if we'd evacuated now and you'd been left behind?"

"You couldn't evacuate now," the Librarian said, "not without the knowledge of this book."

"Enough about the book! Your life is at risk!"

The Librarian fixed him with a powerful stare. "The spell in this book is important enough to warrant it. Just look."

With his displeasure evident on his face, he took the book, opening it to the page the Librarian had placed her marker in. He shook his head at her and looked down into it, expecting to find nothing of any sort of note.

"What? Who wrote this?"

"It's an ancient tome," she answered, "written anonymously from before Celestia ruled Equestria."

The writing style was simple, deceptively so for such an advanced spell. It was very logical, treating magic as a science. He had read something very similar, treating magic in a similar way - though theirs was far more detailed and had a more romantic prose. If he was not mistaken, it was the work of someone in Nicholas' group.

"A shadow world," he muttered as he read, "we could hide the Crystal Empire?"

"The magic is sound," the Librarian stated, "but it would need a lot of power."

"The magical nexus of the Palace," Sombra muttered, to which the Librarian nodded.

"Precisely."

"But even with the nexus there still wouldn't be enough, this spell is expensive." Sombra considered his options - to say they were limited would be an understatement - as it was, the spell might be their last hope.

"I'll see what I can do."

VIII. A Final Stand

"Where is Commander De Verre?"

The guard Sombra was addressing was a veteran - Flash Sentry, he believed he was called - who had been on the left flank with De Verre. "Don't know, my King. We got separated with her when Celestia took to the field."

That was an ill omen for her survival. If she was still outside of the Palace, then it was likely Celestia's armies had gotten to her.

"Get the wounded and medics down into the underways," he ordered, "get them out of the city. Everypony who can't fight or doesn't have a weapon, too, for that matter."

The guard saluted and moved off, passing on orders to the various medics. Sombra, meanwhile, was left partly listless. De Verre was missing, Amethyst and Glow were being moved out of the Palace as he thought, and the Companions weren't exactly much for conversation.

The only benefit to being left in his thoughts for a moment was that he could try to work out how best to utilise the spell Amethyst had showed him. The magical nexus under the Crystal Palace gave him a vast reserve of magic to work with, alongside his own, but according to the calculations given in the tome it would still not be enough to move an area the size of the Crystal Empire - which is what he needed.

It would, however, be possible if he sacrificed himself to it.

There was not a magical energy supply more dense or potent than that of life. Perhaps he could use his energy, combined with that of the nexus? According to his - admittedly rudimentary - calculations, it would be enough. Although, if it failed and his life wasn't enough, it wouldn't be reversible.

An explosion echoed from the west of the Palace. The shouts of various guards followed. There was a sudden sense of panic, which was not helped by a guard appearing from that direction.

"It's Celestia's Lieutenant," she shouted, "she's broken through!"

"Hold here," Sombra ordered to the Companions, though only nine seemed to listen. "Get yourself aid," he ordered the guard, who saluted and moved behind him.

Sure enough, in the west wing of the Palace, duelling an injured looking unicorn, was Celestia's Lieutenant. She was a pegasus, with a marble white coat and a pinkish mane. She had wicked looking wing blades - custom made by the looks of it - and her Solar Guard armour was covered in various weapons, with doubly armoured hooves for crushing. The unicorn she was faced with was only holding their own by virtue of the Lieutenant allowing it. She was toying with the poor lad - he was barely out of school.

Before she could strike the killing blow, she was met with Sombra's sword.

"Retreat," he ordered the unicorn - a teal boy who hardly knew how to handle a spear, his forelegs shaking violently - before turning back to the Lieutenant, "do not dare touch my ponies, you scum!"

"Well lucky me," the Lieutenant licked her lips, "Celestia ordered me to hunt you, and you've fallen right into my lap. Don't even need to look for you."

The Companions formed silently in an arrow formation behind him. Ten against one seemed almost unfair, but given the Lieutenant's demeanour fairness was not on Sombra's agenda.

Suddenly, the battle was equalised.

Celestia, her mane practically ablaze, burst through the barricade, casting flaming debris all around. Her hoof armour was dented - quite badly in some areas - though she seemed to ignore it. The Companions had evidently put up a fight.

"Excellent work," Celestia praised her little rat, her voice haughty but still clearly enraged, "I knew I could trust you to lure him out."

The Lieutenant was clearly very glad to accept praise, basking in it like its presence was physical. Sombra did his best to calm himself - anger was where rash decisions were made, ones that could very easily get him killed and end the battle in an instant.

"What are our directives?" One of the Companions asked, her voice monotonous and seemingly automated - as if a golem was speaking.

"King Sombra is to be protected at all costs," another answered, their voice almost identical save a slightly higher pitch, "escalate the battle to the upper floor. Our remaining sisters will ensure the protection of the nexus."

"At once, as He watches over us," they all saluted in unison, falling again immediately silent.

The sudden realisation that the Companions could actually speak relatively normally threw Sombra off his guard. Fortunately for him, Celestia and her Lieutenant seemed just as perplexed, though for different reasons.

"We are revealed," one of the Companions said.

"There is a magical energy focusing agent close by, it is magnifying our telepathic signals. This is not conducive to success."

"The focusing agent must be found and eliminated."

Celestia bellowed out a laugh at that statement. "Ah, it appears you have discovered my latest creation. Made specially for the Crystal Empire."

"The enemy is aware of our knowledge, all efforts must be made to destroy the focusing agent."

She bellowed again. "You do not have a chance. Within minutes, the Crystal Heart will be activated, and with it, all traces of your rebellion will be eradicated. Finally, there will be peace in Equestria."

"Redirect all efforts to locating and eliminating magical energy focusing agent."

"How does it feel Sombra?" Celestia continued to gloat, "to have all of your actions be for nothing? Soon, your precious Empire will know that you were always the villain of this story. And my sister shall be avenged!"

"Battlefield sacrifice not recommended, magical energy reserves are inadequate for successful summoning."

"Make them be silent!" Celestia ordered, angrily, "they're spoiling my moment." Her Lieutenant shifted awkwardly, itching for a fight but clearly collared and prevented from doing so.

"The enemy's magical reserves would be sufficient for sacrifice."

"Pah," Celestia spat, "as if you could sacrifice me."

Surely the Companions knew they couldn't sacrifice Celestia - they were fighting a losing battle as it was - they almost seemed to be time wasting.

That was it! They were time wasting. Buying time and distracting Celestia long enough for the others to escape into the underways. The longer Celestia was kept as she was, the more and further those still in the Palace could escape.

"Local energy reserves could be amplified using magical energy focusing agent and used for battlefield sacrifice."

It was as if they were reading from a list - each one ticking off an item out loud.

"Silence!" Celestia roared.

The Companions ignored her. "Successful summoning could be completed with an energy density of seven times increase."

Sombra wasn't exactly sure why Celestia didn't just attack - unless she believed they had set a trap. Either that, or she wanted to finish her monologue. Presumably, if the latter, she had read in a dusty old tome somewhere that the best way to defeat an enemy was to demoralise them and had misinterpreted exactly what that meant.

Celestia stared at Sombra, making constant gestures to the Companions around him. "Make them be quiet!" She half begged, half ordered. "Even just for a minute."

"Current pattern is very auspicious."

With a sudden movement that surprised even Celestia, the Companions launched forwards. Six were on top of Celestia in the blink of an eye, with the other three leaping at her Lieutenant. Celestia was forced back, whilst her Lieutenant spasmed forwards a little, clearly unsure of what exactly was happening but letting her adrenaline simply drag her around.

Sombra wasn't exactly certain how he should get involved, even after the shock of the Companions' sudden attack wore off. Celestia was being attacked on all sides, able to only just defend herself. Her Lieutenant, meanwhile, was essentially just spinning in one place, using her rapid wing blades as a shield. If he joined the fray, it might force the Companions to change their attack pattern, which may allow their opponents to regain some sense of balance and awareness and actually fight back.

All he could do was awkwardly watch, hoping for a chance to open up for him to attack.

It wasn't long before one did.

One of the Companions was thrown aside by Celestia, barrelling into one of their comrades fighting her Lieutenant. Though both recovered almost immediately, it gave Celestia's Lieutenant a chance to recover, though she was quickly forced back again by Sombra's own blade.

"Companions," Sombra shouted as he scraped his sword along the Lieutenant's wing blades, "focus on Celestia, this one is mine."

Almost surprisingly, those fighting the Lieutenant broke off, joining the others around Celestia. The flaming princess was being swarmed - it was as if she was fighting a horde of wasps, though far larger and more dangerous.

Her Lieutenant, meanwhile, was duelling Sombra. Though the Lieutenant was an excellent fighter, clearly well versed in the use of her worryingly large arsenal of weapons, she was not superior to her opponent. King Sombra was not a military pony - that was true - but he had still been well trained in the art of sword-fighting. Emperor Nicholas had given him a multitude of tips and books on the subject, allowing Sombra to build up an extensive and impressive repertoire of techniques.

His favourite technique was his most commonly used one. It was deceptively simple, as many of Nicholas' creations were, utilising fast and fluid movements to disorient and slow the opponent down. It was especially useful for opponents like the Lieutenant, whose style was very powerful but tiring. Every swing she made tired her out a little more, slowed her down slightly, with the edge gradually moving to Sombra as a consequence.

He could beat her, yes, but then what? The Companions had planned to "escalate the battle to the upper floor," though he was unsure as to why. He could just as easily defeat the Lieutenant on the ground floor, moving up to the nexus only added danger.

The nexus.

The spell, that would protect the Crystal Empire, it required the nexus. Had the Companions known of it? Surely they had, if it was a creation of someone close to Nicholas as Sombra suspected. The upper floor was the centre of the nexus, where the magical energy was at its densest, and where the spell would have to be used.

The stairs up sat just behind the Lieutenant. He could easily push her back, though the Companions would likely need to follow.

Sure enough, they noticed his intentions the first push he made. In a rotating block of three, they attacked Celestia's flank, driving her back towards the stairs behind her. The Palace had been built with ease of navigation in mind, so pushing them up the stairs would be a relatively simple task.

They were over the balcony within only a minute, with the final pair of Companions appearing behind Celestia and joining in their comrades' attack, perfectly slotting in. Celestia was planning to use the Crystal Heart - whatever that may be, but her description of it made it out to be something Sombra would not want her using - though presumably she had left the task of its use up to some unicorns. She had specified minutes earlier, so Sombra did not have long to enact his plan.

With a final attack, he struck the Lieutenant's nose, sending her tumbling backwards - disoriented and confused as to where the sudden attack had come from. With the aid of both his magic and hooves, he lifted her up and threw her off the balcony, where she landed on the ground with a hollow thud and subsequent groan of pain. Celestia, reacting to the sound, was similarly caught off guard and tossed down, the combined magical strength of eleven unicorns enough to lift her and throw her off the edge, where she landed in a confused daze.

Both Sombra and the Companions rushed forwards, to the King's chambers, where the magical nexus was centred. Sombra had memorised the spell, quickly lighting his horn and setting about working with it. The framework was a simple set up, little more than a pair of preparation spells he could cast in his sleep should he have needed to. The final step came with the transference of his energy, combined with that of the nexus.

The moment the transference began, he felt it, like a nail being driven straight through his chest. He doubled down, focusing hard and trying to forget he was winded. There was a searing pain from the inside of his legs and his breathing soon stopped entirely, his lungs unable to take in any more air.

"King Sombra is to be protected at all costs," the Companions chorused, "protect King Sombra."

The pain suddenly vanished, leaving only the after effects of aches in all of his muscles. One by one, the Companions collapsed, their bodies little more than husks as they fed their energy into the spell, Sombra tried to react, though he did not have the breath or strength to stop them. He could only watch as they collapsed. All the while they chanted, "King Sombra is to be protected at all costs. Protect King Sombra." Until the last one fell, expended.

The walls became like liquid, then all of the furnishings of the room followed suit. Within moments, everything had taken on a dark, flowing, liquid quality. The spell had worked, the Crystal Palace, and with it the Crystal Empire, was suspended in a shadow world - hidden.

IX. A Thousand Years, Secured

The Companions' bodies had vanished. All the better, really. Sombra wasn't quite sure what he would have done had they not. As it was, he could pretend they were still alive, or that the weight of his failure hadn't taken absolutely everything.

He thought of Amethyst Maresbury, of Doctor Glow, of Fleur De Verre. Two had made it out - he had decided they had - whilst the latter had - Sombra wasn't quite sure what she had, so he preferred to leave it blank.

He, meanwhile, was trapped. In essence. Had it been worth it? He had decided yes. Worth it to deny Celestia access to the Crystal Empire and its resources; worth it to deny Celestia access to the magical nexus - who knew what she could have done had she had access to it.

He was alone. But, what matter was it, really? Better alone than dead.

The Crystal Empire was secure and at least the majority of its inhabitants had been evacuated to the north, where they would safely board the waiting Griffon ships and escape. Those that may have remained behind - Sombra didn't want to think about them.

He wasn't exactly sure what the spell had done, only that it had made everything shadowy. Though his surroundings took on a fluid form, everything still felt solid. The ground beneath his hooves had not changed its consistency at all, nor did anything appear to have been moved around.

He felt tired, likely a consequence of the initial magical sacrifice. His legs ached, but no part of his body felt heavy. If anything, he felt incredibly light. Rising to his hooves fully, he swayed slowly from side to side.

He groaned as he took a step, the ache in his legs made it difficult to stay upright. The spell had weakened him badly, had the spell failed then Celestia would have killed him long before he was able to recover. That was perhaps the only upside of being alone in this shadow world, Celestia couldn't get the jump on him.

"Well, well, well," Celestia said, tone both mocking and impressed, "isn't this interesting."

Sombra felt his legs give out, but he couldn't feel the impact on the floor.

Celestia chuckled, "you would rather plunge your entire Empire into darkness than face justice." She shook her head in what seemed to be disappointment. "I almost admire your dedication."

"How? How?"

"Your spell did not discriminate," Celestia said, "everypony in the Empire is in this shadow now."

She looked at him with what could almost be considered pity, though there was a clear hatred and disgust behind it.

"You took my sister," she muttered, before raising her voice once again, "and now you would trap thousands of ponies in this place? I suppose I should thank you, though. Before all of this, I had no idea that the harmony of Equestria was so degraded. Had it not been for Starswirl's accidental vigilance, I might not have discovered it until it was too late. What drove you to do this? What possessed you to start this rebellion? To corrupt my sister and so many good ponies?"

Sombra couldn't answer - his throat felt like it was being constricted.

"Will you not answer me?" Celestia's anger wasn't at the forefront anymore. She just seemed sad. "Please, at least tell me why?"

The invisible noose became tighter, until Sombra's vision began to disappear.

"Please," she asked again, until she shook her head and rose to her full height once again. "History will condemn you, King Sombra, as so many already do."

She brought forwards an object, a light blue carved crystal. It was quite beautiful in a simple way, clearly carved by a master. The Crystal Heart pulsed slowly, almost as if beating.

"There is a spell," Celestia continued, "one that will take away the magic of the ponies you led astray. They will become reliant on the Crystal Heart." She seemed almost disgusted in herself. "Then, over a thousand years, they will realise the pain that you brought them." She didn't seem sure of what she was doing. "And they will become good ponies, away from your dangerous influence."

Sombra wanted to say something. He was desperately trying to say something. Not even a groan could escape his throat, only a terrible silence that made him painfully aware of his coming death.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, turning to leave, "I don't think I can stay here much longer."

"Help me," Sombra screamed, though it came out as little more than a hacking wheeze.

Celestia straightened herself up. All that Sombra could see was her vague outline through the darkness.

"Goodbye, Sombra."