The vault of pain

Moments before the Crystal Faire began, Shining Armor had tasked Dusk Shine with staying in the castle. Specifically, to keep an eye on Sombra.

Unlike everyone else who went out in search of the umbrums, Sombra had felt unwell, almost as if he had suddenly become ill. Then he returned to the castle, saying that the presence of the umbrums affected him more than anyone else, and that he would go see if Radiant Hope was okay. At that moment Shining Armor gave everyone missions, leaving Dusk Shine for last.

“I want to entrust you with what may be the most difficult mission of all.” Shining said, once the others left on their missions and it was just the two of them. “You must keep an eye on Sombra. I think he’s still hiding something else.” Shining added, looking seriously at his brother.

"Why do you say that?" Dusk asked, confused.

“When we were inside the Crystal Heart, I remember he said that there were four umbrums that he couldn't easily control.” Shining responded, remembering his first encounter with Sombra and the umbrums. “But now that the umbrums escaped, he said there were three that were dangerous. That means…"

“That there is a fourth umbrum that Sombra is hiding for some reason.” Dusk responded, following his brother's train of thought. “Why would he hide the existence of that other umbrum?”

“I don't know, that's why I want you to keep an eye on him.” Shining said, with a gloomy look. “He'll never say it, but if he needs help, I think you're the only one who could match the level of his magic.” Shining added, trusting in the magical prowess demonstrated by his brother. Then Shining touched his brother's shoulder, smiled brotherly, and hurried to go with the others. Leaving Dusk with a warm feeling, for the trust his brother placed in him.

After returning to the castle, Dusk hurried to go in search of Sombra, however, he was surprised to see that Sombra seemed to have gone further ahead than he thought. Dusk hurried to Sombra's room, which was closed, and no matter how much he knocked, no one answered. He also couldn't find him in the throne room, so Dusk finally went to Radiant Hope's room, remembering that Sombra had been worried about his sister before he disappeared. Once there, Dusk was left without clues when he saw that Sombra was not there either. In fact, not even Radiant Hope was there.

“Where should I look now? I have already checked almost the entire castle…” Dusk thought, very worried.

"Hi there!!" A female voice suddenly said. Jumping from behind to hug Dusk.

“P-Pinkie Pie!?” Dusk said very surprised. Immediately recognizing his marefriend's voice. "What are you doing here?"

“I was going to help Applejack and the girls with the Crystal Faire, but I remembered that Hope was still sad in her room, so I thought I'd come cheer her up before the festival.” Pinkie Pie answered smiling. Then she looked at the room in front of her and made a surprised face. "Uh!? Hope isn’t here?”

“No, maybe she left the castle.” Dusk said, with a thoughtful look.

“Or maybe she is in Sombra's secret room.” Pinkie Pie said, with an equally thoughtful look.

“Yeah…” Dusk answered calmly. Suddenly opening his eyes in surprise. "Wait! What secret room?”

"Uh? Didn’t you notice?” Pinkie Pie said with a surprised look.

Pinkie Pie stopped hugging Dusk and asked him to follow her. They both quickly went to the throne room, where Pinkie Pie stood in the hallway in front of the throne and started jumping.

“It sounds hollow here, as if there was something else underneath.” Pinkie said, while Dusk approached and put one ear to the floor, verifying what his marefriend was saying. “It reminds me of my secret room, remember? That's why I thought Sombra also had a secret room.”

“Pinkie, you're a genius!” Dusk said surprised, while Pinkie Pie smiled and blushed slightly. Happy to be useful to Dusk. “Now, the question is, how can we enter this secret room?”

After carefully thinking about it, Dusk came to the conclusion that, unlike Pinkie Pie's secret room, which would be with a mechanism, someone as skilled in magic as Sombra, who is so much like his teacher Celestia, would definitely hide the entrance with some magic spell.

Dusk tried several white and elemental magic spells to try to unlock the access that was hidden under his hooves; however, none of them managed to open it. Then Dusk thought carefully again about what kind of magic someone as experienced as Sombra could use to make sure that not even someone skilled in magic like Dusk or Shining could unlock it.

“I wonder if…” Dusk muttered, thinking out loud. Then Dusk illuminated his horn, but this time, it shone with black magic and green and purple flashes.

This time, the entire hall beneath their hooves flashed, and in an instant, it disappeared. Revealing a large spiral staircase that descended from that place towards what looked like a deep cavern.

"I did it!" Dusk said with joy.

“What… What was that magic?” Pinkie Pie asked, with a worried look. Feeling Dusk's magic made her feel a little chill.

“It's dark magic... It's not common for unicorns to use that magic, so I thought maybe it could be the solution.” Dusk responded, smiling to reassure Pinkie. After that, Dusk looked over the edge of the staircase and saw that it went so deep that it was lost in the darkness. “Pinkie, stay here. I think you'll be safer if-” Before Dusk finished his sentence, he was interrupted by Pinkie Pie's strong hug.

"I’ll go with you. I don’t want you to be in danger alone down there either.” Pinkie said, letting go of Dusk and looking at him very seriously. A look that the happy pink pony didn't wear very often, so Dusk knew that there would be no way to change his marefriend's mind.

Giving her a small smile, Dusk asked Pinkie not to leave him, and they both began to descend the extensive staircase to the bottom of that cavern. At any other time, Pinkie Pie would have made a lot of jokes to ease the tenseness of the situation, but this time, she just kept timidly following Dusk. The further they went, the more tense and gloomy the atmosphere felt, and no joke would have been good enough to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling they felt of entering into a very dangerous place.

Dusk Shine illuminated the path with his horn the entire way. A path that seemed eternal and endless, until finally, both could see the bottom of that enormous cavern. Once there, curiously everything became brighter when Dusk illuminated his surroundings. Hundreds of crystals captured Dusk's magical light and made that gloomy cavern more illuminated. The only thing that remained dark was the ground, as if there was a huge shadow covering it.

“It looks like the crystal caves beneath Canterlot.” Dusk thought, beginning to walk along the bottom of the cavern, remembering that the Crystal Empire had been known for the sale of magical crystals.

Suddenly, Dusk was distracted when his hooves collided with something. Looking towards the ground, Dusk saw that there was a black chain there. Dusk bent down to take that chain and immediately felt a chill. It wasn't one, it was hundreds of chains lying on the ground, enough to imprison the entire enormous population of the Crystal Empire.

“Dusk! Look!" Pinkie Pie suddenly said, who had gone in another direction, as something else had caught her attention.

As Dusk approached Pinkie, he saw that his girlfriend was standing in front of a full-length mirror. Curiously, although the mirror reflected the rest of the cave, it didn’t reflect Pinkie Pie, or at least, not how she normally looked. Instead of Pinkie, the image that the mirror showed was that of a mare whose body seemed to be made of pure light. As Dusk approached, he saw that the same thing was happening with his reflection. Instead of his reflection, the mirror returned the image of a stallion made of pure light, with the difference that something red seemed to shine on his chest. Dusk blinked a couple of times to check what he saw, and when he saw himself again, he saw that that reddish glow disappeared and now he only saw a being of pure light.

“What is this mirror…?” Dusk asked, thinking out loud. Remembering the stories of the past he had heard from Luna, associating it with the powerful magic mirrors the Empire had once had.

For some reason, Dusk and Pinkie Pie's breathing began to labor. A change so subtle that neither of them immediately noticed. A physical and mental exhaustion that was increasing as they stepped on that dark shadow that reigned on the ground of that cavern.

“Dusk… What is that door?” Pinkie Pie asked, her breathing heavy. Pointing towards the other end of the cavern.

Dusk Shine took his eyes off that strange mirror and looked at the door that Pinkie Pie was pointing at. It seemed to be an ordinary door, with the difference that there was a crystal above it.

Dusk looked at the crystal of that door carefully as he felt more and more nervous for some reason. His heart was racing continuously and his mind couldn't stop being nervous. All while imperceptibly the shadow that was under their hooves began to climb Dusk and Pinkie Pie's body.

“That… That crystal is a lock.” Dusk thought, feeling dizzy. Without realizing that his body was swallowed by darkness and a green shadow crossed his eyes. “I must… I must use dark magic again to open it.”

Feeling bad physically and mentally, Dusk used his dark magic on the crystal that was above that mysterious door. As soon as it was affected by the magic, the crystal glowed with a dark light and the door opened, illuminating everything with a bright white light, which blinded both Dusk and Pinkie Pie.

Suddenly, Dusk found himself back in Ponyville, in the middle of an empty street.

"Uh!? What happened? How did I get here?" Dusk said very confused.

At that moment, the sky darkened and Dusk heard strange growls approaching in his direction. Turning around, Dusk saw some horrible and terrifying creatures running towards him. Those appeared to be umbrums with terrifying equine faces and glowing, thirsty eyes, ready to devour him. Dusk stood firm in the face of the attack and prepared to use his magic to defend himself. However, his horn didn’t light up. No matter how hard Dusk tried, his magic didn’t emanate from his horn, and when he looked forward again, it was too late to flee.

The dark beasts pounced on Dusk and fiercely sank their teeth against him. First five creatures, then ten, and more and more creatures pounced on Dusk, biting him and feasting on his flesh.

“NOOOOO!” Dusk shouted desperately. Panicking when he saw that he was helpless, that he could do nothing about his imminent death. Feeling pain throughout his body from every bite as his mind panicked, not knowing what to do.

“It's not real, it's not real, it's not real…” Dusk shouted, trying to maintain what little sanity he had left. Fighting the pain he felt as he was devoured. "IT'S NOT REAL!" Dusk shouted desperately, with a slight red glow in his eyes.

Finally, Dusk was able to use his magic and blast away all those dark creatures that had been eating his body. Releasing a large pulse of energy that left him mentally exhausted. Feeling a momentary madness overcome him, Dusk became enraged and mortally attacked all those umbrums, using dark magic to launch deadly magical rays that pierced each and every one of those dark beings.

With a mixture of euphoria, panic and relief, Dusk stared attentively at those dark creatures that now lay dead under his hooves. Sunlight began to appear from the distant hills, illuminating that dark Ponyville street again. As the sunlight arrived, the shadows surrounding those dark beings faded, showing that they were not umbrums, but simple ponies. Ponies Dusk knew very well... Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Luna, Celestia, Shining Armor, all the ponies Dusk had feelings for, all those ponies, dead before him, killed by his own magic.

“AHHHH!” Dusk shouted in panic, feeling like he was out of breath as his mind almost went crazy at what he saw. "IT'S NOT REAL!!" Dusk shouted with all his might. Closing his eyes as he felt like he was going to faint.

Dusk's heart beat fiercely as his cutie mark glowed. At that moment Dusk felt as if something had hit his chest hard and Dusk fell to the ground.

Opening his eyes again, Dusk saw that he was back in the cavern of the Crystal Empire, with his body completely sweaty from the perverse vision he had had. Dusk tried to get up immediately, but couldn't. He could barely breathe because of how agitated he was. His eyes filled with tears and his body still shaking from what he had suffered.

It took a few moments for Dusk to refocus his mind to realize that that vision had occurred when he opened the door that was in that cavern. Now, in front of him, was the open door. Behind this, Dusk saw a strange figure that he couldn’t distinguish because of how dark the room was. However, he could make out that it was some pony that was writhing and grunting in pain.

"NOOOO!" A hysterical female voice suddenly shouted.

Turning around, only then did Dusk's dazed mind remember that before he opened the door, Pinkie Pie was next to him. The one who screamed in terror was precisely his marefriend, who had also fallen to the ground and was writhing in pain.

“Pinkie!” Dusk shouted in fright, forcing his sore and trembling body to stand up and help his marefriend.

As Dusk approached Pinkie Pie, he looked into her eyes and saw that his marefriend's eyes had a strange greenish glow. Furthermore, although Dusk was now in front of her, it seemed that PInkie Pie's eyes saw something else. She was still in a disturbing and horrible illusion, just as he had been.

Pinkie screamed in terror and squirmed, trying to get away from Dusk. While Dusk used all his strength to try to contain her, so that she wouldn't get hurt. Dusk illuminated his horn with white magic and tried to neutralize the magic affecting his marefriend, but it didn't seem to work. At that moment, Dusk began to panic again, but this time, not because of the dark magic that attacked him, but because of the fear of seeing that he had his marefriend in front of him and he couldn't do anything to help her.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie opened her eyes wide and slowly began to calm down, as the greenish glow in her eyes disappeared. Pinkie Pie was barely conscious, breathing hard, while Dusk hugged her and cried with happiness when he saw that she was better. The reason didn't matter; it only mattered that Pinkie Pie was okay.

“W-What are you doing here!?” The being that had been in the room said. Finally leaving this room to reveal his identity.

Looking up, Dusk saw that the figure that had been writhing in the room was King Sombra. His eyes shone green just like Pinkie's a moment ago, only it seemed that Sombra did see Dusk and Pinkie directly and not an illusion. Sombra's face was all hurt, as if wriggling among the rocks had scratched his face badly. His body was in no better condition, completely injured, so much so that his purple cape seemed to have been dyed red by his own wounds. However, what surprised Dusk the most was Sombra's look, an indescribable face of pain, as if he were being stabbed at that very moment.

Suddenly the shadow that was under Pinkie Pie and Dusk's hooves became clearer, gathering until it went straight towards Sombra. At that moment, Dusk saw that Sombra was using his magic to contain the dark shadow beneath him. He had been the one who saved Pinkie Pie!

“You… Did you absorb that shadow that attacked us?” Dusk asked surprised. Understanding what Sombra had done, and what he must be suffering right now, having his eyes with that green shadow too. “How can you stand it? You must free yourself from that shadow! We must destroy it!”

“No… It cannot be destroyed with any spell.” Sombra responded, closing one eye in pain as he tried his best not to writhe in pain on the ground again. “What... What you saw was only a part of the umbrum... I... I continue to contain it. This… It… It is 'Trauma'… It’s… It’s the umbrum of pain.”

“The fourth umbrum… Fear, anger, sadness and… pain.” Dusk thought, remembering the mission that Shining had given him.

“That's why you didn't want anyone else to take care of that umbrum. It’s the most dangerous.” Dusk said, feeling a shiver of fear just remembering the horrible illusion that that umbrum made him see.

That dark being that Sombra was now trying to contain, not only represented physical pain, but also emotional pain. And if you weren't careful, it could tear a normal pony's mind into madness.

“The pain of an entire Crystal Empire, for hundreds of years…” Dusk murmured on the verge of tears. Being amazed and terrified to see the incredible mental and physical strength that Sombra must have had to contain this. “We must destroy it!”

“No… It can't be done; I already tried!” Sombra growled, who was already finding it very difficult to contain the umbrum in his body and also remain conscious to argue with Dusk. “Get out of here… LEAVE ME ALONE!” Sombra shouted, struggling as the umbrum tried to take over his emotions.

"Sombra... I can't let you carry this alone." Dusk said, finally standing up. Looking determinedly at Sombra. "Let me help you."

Dusk felt like he wanted to run away and take Pinkie Pie as far away from that dark place as possible. But he also knew that if he did so he was condemning Sombra. What Sombra was trying to control was too much; there had to be another solution! While Sombra, at Dusk's insistence, finally gave in to the pain, and his being was controlled by the pain.

“Ahhhh!” Sombra shouted, losing control. Charging a powerful beam of black magic and throwing it straight at Dusk.

Dusk Shine was barely able to react, using his white magic to create a shield that barely prevented Sombra's powerful beam from hitting him, destroying itself instantly. Sombra rose into the air, lifted by a dark black mist, and launched dozens of black whips made of shadows at Dusk, which whipped Dusk repeatedly, cornering him against a wall.

Suddenly something colder hit Dusk on his hind leg. Looking down, Dusk saw that Sombra had levitated those same black chains that he had seen when he arrived at that cavern, and had tied one of these to his leg.

“I’ll protect you all… You will all be safer, when you are controlled by me.” Sombra said, controlled by the umbrum. Approaching Dusk to have him face to face. Smiling a cruel, evil smile.

Despite having the terrifying King Sombra in front of him, Dusk was distracted for a moment. Seeing that not far from him, the shadows that were now part of Sombra's body were crawling over Pinkie Pie's fainted body. At that moment, Pinkie's eyes once again shone a terrifying greenish color and she began to scream and squirm again.

“Pinkie!” Dusk shouted in terror. Not caring about anything else in the world but his marefriend.

Dusk's body trembled with horror as he remembered the horrible vision he had, and his heart raced a mile a second as he imagined sweet Pinkie Pie experiencing a similar horror.

“I won't allow it…” Dusk growled, full of terror but also full of conviction, looking directly at the evil Sombra in the eyes. Charging his horn with a brilliant sphere of light. One that became brighter and brighter with every second. "I WON’T ALLOW IT!!" Dusk shouted, deciding to give everything for everything.

Dusk charged all his magic into a brilliant ball of light that illuminated the entire cavern, a light so powerful that it was compared to seeing directly into the sun, so much so that it blinded Sombra. That light of pure white magic was cast while Dusk forced himself to relive all the beautiful happy moments he lived that month with the happiest pony in the world, his marefriend, Pinkie Pie.

Sombra screamed in pain as his body began to emit an immense amount of black smoke out of his body. Dusk fell semi-conscious, due to the mental and magical effort he had made, while Sombra also fell to the ground. His kind gaze returned to him and the smoke that came out of his body emanated over the cavern.

Silence reigned in the enormous cavern as the only thing that moved was the enormous cloud of black smoke that had been expelled from Sombra's body and now swirled over the three semi-conscious ponies. The cloud of smoke finally reacted, turning into a large whirlwind and rapidly spiraling up the stairs, heading towards the crystal palace.

“What… What have you done…” Sombra muttered in terror, forcing himself to stand up as he slowly regained his strength.

“I… I saved you.” Dusk muttered, even more tired than Sombra. For the same reason, being more clumsy to recover and stand up. “That thing… it was controlling you… It was going to kill you. It was going to kill us all.”

"I told you. It cannot be destroyed by any known magic.” Sombra said scared, looking up, where the umbrum that had fled seconds ago could no longer be seen. “I contained it for the good of my kingdom!”

Sombra looked around in fear as he tried to think of some new containment strategy for that dangerous umbrum. However, something at that moment caught his attention. While a trembling Dusk approached Pinkie, and she woke up crying, shaking and hugging Dusk, Sombra found the mirror that he had hidden in that cave years ago and stared at it.

“This… This can't be.” Sombra muttered scared. Opening his eyes more and more as he saw the image that was reflected. Suddenly, Sombra was distracted by feeling powerful magic coming from the surface. “No… There is no time to waste!” Sombra said, finally stopping looking at the mirror. Concentrating his magic to teleport and leave there.

Only Dusk and Pinkie remained in the cave. With the stallion holding his marefriend back while she kept shaking. Dusk didn't need to ask what Pinkie had seen, he just knew that it must have been something horrendous, just like his vision. For this reason, Dusk simply hugged her, knowing that more than words, what Pinkie Pie needed at that moment was to calm her heart with a warm hug.

“Pain… Pain everywhere… Too much pain.” Pinkie Pie muttered, still crying after feeling more physical and mental pain than she had ever felt in her life.

"Calm down, everything will be okay." Dusk said tenderly, stroking Pinkie's mane. “Besides, we know what the remedy for pain is.”

At Dusk's words, Pinkie looked up and understood the answer Dusk wanted to say. He was smiling, and that was precisely the cure for pain, laughter.

After the Crystal Heart shattered, everyone present beneath the great crystal palace was left speechless, the vast majority with looks of astonishment and shock. Especially the ponies from Equestria, who were left speechless when they saw that everything they had worked for that afternoon had been broken into a thousand pieces.

“No… It can't be…” Cadance stammered, trembling, being the first to react. Slowly approaching the crystal fragments to take them between her hooves, with a look full of horror.

Suddenly the aurora in the sky flickered and slowly faded. The next thing was that the snow began to fall slowly on the city, surprising the crystal ponies, who saw snow for the first time in their beautiful and perfect city.

“The barrier has disappeared… The storm will enter the city!” Luna said scared looking at the sky. Then she turned to look at Hope, but instantly froze at the sight.

Radiant Hope seemed to have no reaction to what happened. Luna had turned around in fear to restrain her friend, thinking that she would be terrified. However, to Luna's surprise, Radiant Hope was one of the few ponies who seemed not to be scared by what she saw. In fact, her face was serene, maintaining a sad smile.

“Don't worry, princesses. We knew this could happen.” A crystal pony who was behind Hope suddenly said, walking in front and looking at Luna calmly. That mare was Coral, the pony that had welcomed Dusk and his friends when they arrived at the Empire. “In fact, if Crystal Heart didn't destroy itself, we had already agreed to break it.”

"That's right." Iron Shield said, the captain of the palace guards. Advancing alongside Coral while many other crystal ponies also stepped forward and smiled serenely, with sad looks.

“W-What are you talking about?” Cadance asked, looking at Radiant Hope in confusion.

The princess of the crystal ponies didn’t answer anything. She simply closed her eyes with a sad smile and began to illuminate her horn as tears fell down her cheeks.

“Before the Crystal Faire started, Princess Hope gathered us all together.” Coral said, becoming the spokespony for her kingdom alongside Iron Shield, as the other crystal ponies began walking to join their families. “She revealed to us our true nature and told us how the Crystal Empire was created. She also told us about the true purpose of the Crystal Faire, which was to recharge the Crystal Heart so that it would keep the barrier active over the Empire.”

“All of that was very shocking for us. But as we recovered our memories and feelings, we realized the truth.” Iron Shield added, with a calm smile. “We knew that without the umbrums, the Crystal Heart could become overloaded, and even if it didn't, sooner or later the Crystal Heart would break, because nothing, not even Queen Amore's magic, is eternal.”

With the words of the captain of the guard, both Luna and Cadance remembered what Sombra had said the night before about the Empire being in danger because the Crystal Heart was too weak to maintain the magic that acted in the Empire and that it might not support the union of the Empire with the outside world. For years, the Crystal Heart had faithfully carried out its work, but Amore's death and the escape from the umbrums had been factors that had greatly weakened it, making it fragile and easy to break.

“But… If you knew that, why did you want to break it?” Luna said very confused. Looking at Hope, who was simply remaining silent with her eyes closed. Casting an unknown spell while her horn glowed brightly. “The storm created by Amore to protect the Empire will invade the city without the magic of the Crystal Heart!”

“In addition, the Crystal Heart kept the Empire and its citizens alive!” Luna thought, terribly scared. Thinking that the crystal ponies didn't know that big detail.

“We don’t want the Crystal Empire to remain isolated from the world, therefore, the barrier must disappear.” Coral said smiling, knowing what Luna was thinking. “Even if we can't, at least our descendants will be able to be part of the real world.”

“Higher granny, what do you mean?” Elder Amethyst Maresbury suddenly said, arriving with the rest of her family.

Slowly the bodies of all the crystal ponies that had been crystallized began to glow. Instantly, hundreds of sounds of breaking glass began to be heard, as the bodies of all the crystal ponies who had ever died, whose bodies were recreated by the Crystal Heart, began to crack.

“We are just memories etched in crystal, of ponies that once lived here.” Iron Shield said, smiling at the youngest of the guard recruits, his youngest descendant, as all the other guards began to glow as well. “All of us have had a more than long and happy life with all of you here. But, for new generations to be one with the world, nature must take its course, and the old must disappear.”

"No… You can't do it!" Luna said scared. Understanding that the crystallized ponies were sacrificing themselves.

"It's... What they have decided." Hope said crying, as she continued to invoke her magic.

Quickly the families of all the crystal ponies began to gather with their young descendants, with most of their members with their bodies glowing and their crystal skins cracking. The younger ones looked scared and crying at their parents, uncles and grandparents while they hugged them and said goodbye smiling. Iron Shield gave the captain's badge to the youngest of the guards as he burst into tears and hugged who had been his role model for years. Meanwhile, Coral's enormous family hugged each other tenderly, crying for fear of the unknown, but also, happy to be able to completely remember their long life, and to leave a better world for their descendants, no longer isolated from the world.

"Don’t cry, everything will be fine." Golden Quill said, the last crystal pony to be crystallized, who was Amethyst's husband. Lovingly touching the cheek of whoever was his wife in life for so many years. “We lived a long and happy life together. Now it’s time for me to rest and for you to move on for both of us.” The young figure of Golden Quill said, his crystal skin cracking as Amethyst burst into tears.

The cracked pieces of the crystal ponies began to fall and float, flying right over Radiant Hope's horn. Slowly, thousands of crystal pieces floated, slowly forming the primeval shape of a heart.

“This… Is it a new Crystal Heart?” Cadance said shocked. Recognizing what Hope was forming.

“My mother's magic has not disappeared, it has remained stored in the crystals that form the bodies of the ponies that live here.” Hope said, finally opening her eyes. “The barrier will fall and the Empire will once again open to the world, but the storm must pass. Therefore, we need the crystals of our ponies. A new Crystal Heart will be born, a stronger one, no longer with the will of my mother, but with the will of all our ponies.”

Finally, the light above Hope shone like a small sun and expanded a huge wave of light that pushed and blinded everyone for an instant. Opening their eyes, all the remaining ponies saw many things in amazement. The first was that there was no longer an aurora or a storm in the sky, instead, the sun was shining like it had never done before in that place. The second thing was that all the crystal ponies had disappeared; in their place, there were some species of ghosts of white smoke, which were slowly fading while they smiled at what was left of their families, the last remnant of the souls of those ponies. The millions of crystal fragments that remained after the explosion remained floating and went up Hope's horn, who kept her magic active.

Crystal's heart continued to form, brighter than ever. However, what surprised everyone the most, especially Luna and Cadance, was realizing something that left them speechless...

'Luna Flashback.'

After the Crystal Empire was reopened, Luna and Celestia had gone to visit them many times, since it was impossible for Radiant Hope and Sombra to leave, due to their connection with the Empire and the Crystal Heart.

Due to their heavy workload as guardians of their own kingdom, it was very difficult for both alicorn princesses to leave their jobs to visit the Empire for a few days. Even more so, after facing great threats that devastated those lands, such as the powerful Discord and the terrible Tirek. However, sometimes the princesses managed to leave space in their agendas to go to the Empire. The one who especially had a hard time going to the Empire at that time was Luna, since Celestia seemed to be obsessed with wanting to go whenever she could to visit Sombra.

"Enough! You won’t fool me again!” Luna said annoyed, one day when Celestia asked her to take care of her duties for a few days. “The last four times you’ve visited the Crystal Empire. Now it's my turn to visit it. I have a friend there too, I want to visit Radiant Hope!”

"You don’t get it." Celestia replied distressedly. “Sombra… He is more than my friend.” Celestia added, looking away blushing.

“Well, Hope is also more than my friend, she's my best friend!” Luna said annoyed. Not understanding why her sister looked away every time she talked about Sombra. “This time you will take care of the extra work and I will visit the Empire, and that’s all!”

After that argument, Luna traveled alone to the Crystal Empire. There, she smiled as she saw a cart of merchants leaving the Crystal Empire. Although the crystal ponies didn’t leave their city, now that it remained open, a few merchants from the north traveled to that beautiful city to trade with the residents. Although it was not at all the commercial center of the world as it was in its time, since magical crystals were no longer exported, it was still an area of interest for a few merchants who ventured to that distant place.

Upon arriving at the palace, the guards warned Luna to wait, as Radiant Hope was taking a bath and Sombra was busy in his room, and had asked not to be interrupted unless Celestia arrived to visit him. That bothered Luna, who was still upset with her sister, so, after telling the guards that she would wait, Luna smiled mischievously and used her teleportation to appear near Sombra and Hope's rooms.

Upon reaching that hallway, Luna thought about entering Hope's room and scaring her. However, upon seeing Sombra's room, she frowned, annoyed to remember that he always wanted to be next to Celestia and not with her.

“What does my silly sister have that I don't have?” Luna thought annoyed. Deciding to go to Sombra's room, just to bother him.

Arriving at Sombra's room, Luna quietly opened the door and slowly entered the room to scare Sombra. There, she saw that Sombra was standing in front of a large mirror, which curiously seemed not to return Sombra's reflection, but instead showed the reflection of a dark shadow.

“No matter how many times I see it… I always see the umbrum.” Sombra murmured with a worried look. “Danger stalks me whatever I do. That umbrum will attack someone again!” Sombra growled in frustration, looking away. “I should close the Empire again like mom did, but Hope insists we leave it open.”

“Wait, that's a magic mirror? I thought everyone was lost!” Luna thought, surprised by that revelation. “So, that's the warning mirror?” Luna thought, craning her neck a little more to see better. Remembering the times she had seen those mirrors with Star Swirl, when she was just a filly. “What is an umbrum?”

As she got closer, Luna accidentally tripped over a shelf, causing a book to fall, revealing her presence. Instantly, Sombra turned around in fear and immediately covered the mirror in front of him with a blanket.

"Luna!? What are you doing here?" Sombra asked nervously.

“What is an umbrum? What danger was the mirror warning you about?” Luna asked, looking suspiciously at Sombra.

“I-It's nothing to worry about. I have everything under control.” Sombra smiled nervously. Approaching Luna and inviting her to leave the room. “More importantly, did Celestia come with you?” Sombra added, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

After leaving Sombra’s room, he guided Luna to Hope's room, with an obvious look of disappointment when he found out that Luna had not come with Celestia. Just then Radiant Hope came out of her room and jumped up to hug her best friend upon seeing her. While Sombra simply went back to his room with his head down.

“What's wrong with Sombra? Does he also get this sad when Celestia comes alone and I don't come?” Luna asked her friend, feeling annoyed by Sombra's attitude. Without realizing that each time her jealousy towards her sister grew more and more.

“No, he only reacts like that when Celestia doesn't come. And I think I know why.” Hope laughed, amused to see that even though Luna had it in her face, she still didn't realize what Sombra and Celestia felt for each other. “Speaking of which, come with me. I want to tell you a secret."

Both mares went to the balcony of the castle. There, Radiant Hope told Luna her big secret, her greatest wish, an idea that had been on her mind for a long time, but now she finally couldn't contain it anymore.

“You want to be a mother!?” Luna said surprised, after Hope told her her secret wish.

“Shhh! Don't shout it. I want it to be a surprise, even for Sombra and mom.” Hope said, rushing to shush her friend, putting on a big smile.

“But… Did you fall in love with someone?” Luna asked confused.

"Uh? Well, no. I just want to be a mother, I'll see who will be the father later.” Hope responded with a shrug. “Crystal ponies have always seemed very boring to me. They just smile at everything. But there is a merchant pony from Equestria that visited us the other day and he is more interesting than the other ponies, plus he’s quite handsome.”

“I don't understand, why would you want to be a mother if you're not in love?” Luna asked, even more confused. At that question, Hope looked away and put on a sad smile.

“You may not notice it, but I… I feel like I'm getting older.” Hope said looking at her hoof. “I suppose that being the daughter of an alicorn, I achieved eternal youth, but inside I feel tired. I… I want to leave something more in this world. I want to be a mother and create a new life within me. I feel like it's always been a desire I've had, and now it's growing more and more inside me.”

Seeing Hope's gaze full of life and emotion, Luna approached her and touched her gently.

“If that is your wish, you know you can count on my support.” Luna said smiling.

Upon returning to Equestria, Luna told her sister about the conversation she had with Hope. Celestia put on a nervous look when she heard her.

“I… I'm not sure that's a good idea.” Celestia said with a worried look. “After all, Radiant Hope is the daughter of an alicorn. Maybe being a mother is difficult for her too.”

“What do you mean, Queen Amore was able to be a mother without problems. Why would Hope have trouble being a mother?” Luna asked confused.

At her sister's question, Celestia simply looked away and remained silent. That bothered Luna because Celestia always kept secrets for herself to, according to her sister, protect her. Every day, Luna became more upset with her sister's attitude, negative feelings that little by little were feeding an evil that would one day emerge and take control of her.

Although Celestia and Sombra advised Radiant Hope not to risk becoming a mother, Hope simply ignored them, and for Luna and Celestia's next visit to the Empire, she had a big surprise for them. When they got there, both alicorns were left with their mouths open when they saw that Hope was pregnant.

Luna ran to hug Hope, happy to see her friend fulfilling her dream, both laughing with happiness. While Celestia remained with an incredulous look, looking askance at Sombra, who only looked back at her with concern. Both Celestia and Sombra knew that Hope had alicorn blood running through her veins; however, she was not an alicorn. That kept them worried about Hope's wish, since they knew about the alicorn curse and what Amore had to sacrifice to give birth. For the same reason, both were unsure about Hope's fate in this new adventure since it was something new, even for them.

“I've never seen you so happy.” Luna said smiling, while Hope hugged her with all her strength. Happy to see her dear friend so happy.

“I have never been so happy!” Hope responded, laughing her heart out, without letting go of Luna, as if she wanted to pass on part of her enormous joy to her. “I'm going to be a mom!!” Hope shouted excitedly, as if she still couldn't believe it.

At that moment, something important arose in Hope's mind. Something that she almost forgot, as if she had been slowly forgetting something, and now, seeing that she would be 'mom', it resurfaced strongly in her mind.

"Come with me!" Hope suddenly said, putting on a very serious look.

Hope led Luna, Celestia, and Sombra through the hallways of the castle until they stopped in front of a door she hadn't visited in a long time. Seeing where Hope took them, Sombra put on a tense look. That was the door to their mother's room, behind which Sombra had maintained for years the façade of having their mother sick, to hide the truth from Hope until the trauma of her death completely healed in her heart. In recent years, Sombra hardly had to do anything, as Hope visited her mother's room less and less, as she slowly forgot about her. However, now that she was going to be a mother, Hope remembered her own mother forcibly, becoming scared to realize that she almost forgot her.

“Mom, I'm going in.” Hope said, her look filled with determination.

"No!" Amore's voice said scared. A false voice that Sombra conjured using his magic. A detail that Celestia noticed and made her look sad, also knowing the truth.

“Mom, this is the happiest moment of my life. I'm going to be a mother, just like you!” Hope begged, bringing her hoof closer to the door. “I don't care if you're very sick, I need to see you!”

“For your foal, you must not open this door.” Amore's voice responded, causing Hope to freeze on the spot. “My illness can infect your future foal… As a mother, you must ensure that nothing harms it and that it is born safe and healthy.”

Hearing that warning, Hope froze with an uneasy look. She wanted to see her mother with all her heart, hurt to realize that she had been a bad daughter by not visiting her in years. However, her new maternal instincts screamed for her to take care of her unborn foal. Just as her mother said, she had to do everything possible to protect the new life that was growing inside her.

“When my baby is born, I’ll enter this room no matter what. I don’t care about your illness.” Hope said with a look full of determination. “If you refuse, I’ll come in to see you right now.”

This time Amore's voice didn't answer anything for a few seconds. Luna and Celestia held uneasy glances while Sombra just had his eyes closed, having an internal debate as he continued to use his magic, hiding it from Hope and Luna as he used it.

“Alright…” Amore’s voice finally responded. Causing Hope to smile again, while behind her, Sombra put on a pained look.

'End of flashback.'

Back in the present, Luna remembered what happened the previous afternoon, on her return to the Crystal Empire and her dinner with Cadance, Hope, Dusk Shine and the others. After revealing what she had done to Celestia during her years of exile on the moon, Luna had run through the castle until Hope caught up with her. There, they both talked about many things, remembering their time together until that moment, when they remembered the day Hope told her that she was pregnant. That day was the last day they had seen each other, and it took more than a thousand years to see each other again, just that same day.

At first, Hope was confused, thinking that this had all been a dream. After all, she had never had a foal. She always believed that it had been a beautiful dream, without knowing that she had forgotten it due to the magic of the Crystal Heart. However, Luna confirmed it to her, all that was real. At that moment, Hope knew she must be hurt or confused about not knowing what happened after that, since she didn't remember any of it. However, instead, Hope smiled full of happiness, realizing that she had fulfilled her dream and that it had not been just a simple fantasy.

That same unbreakable smile that Luna always saw in her dear friend Hope, was the smile that she saw right now on this new day, after the old Crystal Heart broke and the new Crystal Heart floated above her friend's horn. All while Radiant Hope's body also began to crack.

“What… What is happening!?” Luna said scared, with a terrified look. Seeing that Radiant Hope was being affected by the same cracking process that had affected the crystallized ponies. “You… You're not a crystal pony… Sombra said it! Neither Amore, nor him, nor you are part of the resurrection cycle! You three are ponies of Equestria!” Luna cried crying, approaching her friend with a look full of fear.

“I think I knew, ever since I heard the story about the origin of the Crystal Empire and I saw that my fur now shone like crystal.” Hope responded with a sad smile, raising her hoof high and seeing that it was not skin like it had been in her youth, but crystalline, like that of crystal ponies. “I guess at some point I died, and somehow I also revived as a crystal pony.”

"Why did you do it…? You… You knew this would happen if the Crystal Heart broke.” Luna cried, touching her friend as Hope's body cracked more and more.

“I would never have asked to the ponies of my kingdom if I didn't know that I would also share their destiny.” Hope said smiling. Looking at the ghosts of the crystal ponies around her, whose crystalline bodies no longer existed, and instead, only ghostly clouds of soul remained that were slowly diluting. “Don’t worry, Luna. We want this. We want it so that our descendants have a future, and Equestria and the Crystal Empire can finally be one.”

While Luna cried, seeing that she was losing her best friend again, Hope caressed Luna's mane and began to sing a beautiful song to calm her down. Near Luna, Cadance heard that song and opened her eyes in surprise. That song was the same one Hope had sung while she was passed out, when she fell into the palace. The same song Cadance mistook for the song her mother sang.

“That… That song. Where did you hear it?” Cadance asked nervously, slowly approaching Hope as she felt her heart tremble.

Looking at Cadance, Hope simply smiled, happy to see Cadance give her that beautiful parting gift before her end. Apparently, her song had survived for generations until reaching Cadance.

“I'm sure you feel it too. We are family.” Hope smiled, shedding a happy tear. “My daughter must have survived my death and you are her descendant. That's why you're an alicorn, we both have the blood of Amore through our veins. I wasn't sure, but yesterday we talked about it with Luna and we came to the same conclusion... Do you remember how I told you that you looked a lot like my mother?

“And… I said you were the one who looked a lot like her…” Cadance said with her voice shaking, remembering the moment they both met.

'We both cried for the same thing...' They were the words that Hope had said to her when she saved her from the umbrum of crying, when Cadance remembered her first cry, when she was in the hoof of her dead mother. Finally, Cadance understood the meaning of those words.

“She cried when she knew that someone in her family died, her distant granddaughter. But she also smiled because she knew that even so, I was alive.” Cadance thought, covering her mouth in amazement as she began to cry, seeing the cruel play of fate. “She didn't know her daughter nor did I know my mother. Hundreds of years and mares that we didn’t know, but that unite us by blood. ”

Not far from where the new Crystal Heart was being created, Sombra finally appeared, after teleporting there from the caverns. When he arrived, he saw what was happening and his body froze. Before him were all the crystal ponies gathered, but nothing remained of his ponies. The bodies of the crystal ponies had disappeared and in their place, part of their souls remained, which little by little were disappearing into the air.

Sombra had little time to react, since just at that moment, a dark cloud advanced quickly and sank into the ground under the hooves of thousands of ponies present there, merging with their shadows. The umbra of pain attacked them all together, and Sombra had arrived too late.

Suddenly the spirits of the remaining crystal ponies raised their gazes high and were paralyzed with looks of terror. That surprised Cadance and the others, who didn't know if that was also an effect of the new Crystal Heart or not.

“Something bad is coming…” Hope murmured, for the first time stopping smiling. Feeling that an external magic was affecting her feelings.

“AHHHH!” Dozens of terrified screams began to be heard, quickly turning into hundreds of screams. A horrible chorus of heartbreaking screams made by the light ghosts of the crystal ponies, which scared all the living ponies there.

The scare was greater when Luna and Cadance saw that Hope also made a face of pain, unstabilizing for a moment the magic that held the Crystal Heart. Instantly, Cadance and Luna went to support her to help her control the Crystal Heart that floated above her.

“Don't mess with my sister, you evil monster!” Sombra suddenly shouted, jumping in the middle of that place, with his horn shining an intense gold.

Quickly the shadow that was under the hooves of all the ponies began to shrink, concentrating under Sombra. Then, it completely covered Sombra and slowly entered his body. Instantly, Sombra fell to the ground in pain, gritting his teeth as unimaginable pain filled his body, struggling to contain it.

“Sombra, what was that!?” Shining Armor asked. Being the first to react after that horrible spectacle of souls screaming in pain. “That… That's the fourth umbrum you mentioned, right? Where is Dusk Shine?” Shining asked worriedly, quickly approaching Sombra.

“What… What did you do to my kingdom… to my ponies!?” Sombra shouted, partly trying to contain the pain he felt. Looking at the ghostly ponies around him, who were slowly recovering and almost completely disappearing.

“They got their feelings back.” Shining answered seriously. “That was the only way to contain the umbrums, making the ponies return to normal beings.”

“No… You don't understand.” Sombra growled, holding back all the pain he felt. “Queen Amore made it like this because the revived ponies couldn't stand negative emotions, especially… Especially this one!” Sombra shouted, writhing as he fought the pain he felt. “The trauma… The trauma of death prevents souls from reviving. That's why I endure that pain within me. A revenant cannot control the shock of death! I... I couldn't contain them all, but at least I contained the most dangerous of all… Hnng! Inside of me…"

Understanding what Sombra was telling him, Shining took a step back in fear. He had suffered with the umbrum of fear, so imagining an umbrum of pain filled him with terror. Not even imagining what Sombra must be suffering at that moment.

Near where everyone was, Dusk Shine also reappeared along with Pinkie Pie. He had taken longer to recover, and even longer to reassure Pinkie Pie after what she suffered. In fact, the pink pony was still trembling, however, Dusk hurried back, knowing that something very bad must be happening outside the castle, after the umbrum of pain fled.

When he reappeared, the first thing that surprised Dusk was seeing hundreds of ghosts. It took a couple of seconds for Dusk to understand that somehow, those ghosts were the crystal ponies that lived there. Something that he was finally able to confirm when he was able to recognize some of those ghosts that had almost disappeared. That ghost was the ghost of Coral, the kind mare who had welcomed them into her house the day before.

Seeing Coral, she also turned to look at him. At that moment, the ghostly mare's gaze was filled with fear and she raised what remained of her ethereal hoof to point at Dusk, specifically, Dusk's cutie mark.

“Run away… Run away!” Coral screamed in terror. Being the last words that that mare said, just when she, along with the founders of the Crystal Empire, were the first to finally disappear from this world.

Slowly the more than a thousand spirits began to disappear. Finally finding peace after a second life in that crystal prison. Meanwhile, the body of Hope, the last crystal pony to remain standing, was already almost completely cracked. Her gaze had been stunned after being attacked by the umbrum of pain. And it had stayed that way even after Sombra reabsorbed the umbrum.

“I remember… I finally remember my whole life.” Hope murmured in amazement. Then she lowered her gaze and looked at Sombra, who was writhing in pain. She couldn’t bear it and began to cry, realizing the cruel fate that both siblings had in their lives.

Hearing Hope's cry, Sombra looked up and for the first time realized that Hope's body was cracked. That served to make Sombra momentarily paralyzed, scared to know what that meant.

Then, the gazes of both siblings met, realizing that finally they both knew the truth.

'Sombra Flashback.'

Sombra had been by Hope's side throughout her pregnancy. He was worried about whether the alicorn curse would have any effect on her or her foal, so he didn’t leave her alone at any time. There were only a few days left until the baby was born and Sombra was more paranoid than ever. He spent days and days looking at the warning mirror, and every time he saw it, he saw the umbrum that had ended his mother's life. That filled him with terror, thinking that it didn't matter if that monster attacked them in the distant future; he just didn't want it to attack Hope in as delicate a state as she was at that moment.

“If the umbrum takes a life again, as compensation for the new lives that have been created in the Empire, this time I’ll give my life if necessary.” Sombra thought determinedly, after looking at the mirror one last time, walking through the halls of the palace.

Suddenly Sombra felt an enormous weight on him. Instantly, he knew it was his dear sister, who always threw herself at him as a surprise. With the difference that she was now carrying quite a considerable extra weight.

“Don't jump around like that, Hope.” Sombra said smiling, looking back to see his sister and her bulging belly, already about to give birth. “It can hurt the baby.”

“Don't worry, everything has been going well with this baby so far.” Hope smiled, full of confidence. “Also, in a few days Luna will come and stay for a few days until I give birth. It’s a shame the baby isn’t born before the Crystal Faire, I would have liked to show everyone my little baby at the festival.”

“Yes… The Crystal Faire…” Sombra murmured, touching his chest and lowering his gaze with concern. Seeing Sombra's look, Hope got off her brother's back and looked at him seriously. Knowing what Sombra was worried about.

“I know that you have had the illness you had when you were young again, and that it gets worse every year. But you must have hope.” Radiant Hope said with a small smile. “I'm sure you'll be fine this year! And if not, remember that I’ll be by your side, taking care of you.” Hope added with a big smile.

For several years now, Sombra had once again suffered from the illness that filled him with pain, the one that only affected him on the date that the Crystal Faire was celebrated. Celestia herself had tried to help him, but the only thing that could partially ease Sombra's pain was Hope's healing magic. However, even in recent years, it seemed like not even Hope's magic was enough to control all the pain he felt.

“Hope doesn't know it, but I felt this way when the umbrum attacked mom and ended her life. This is a sign! My body feels when that monster is going to attack.” Sombra thought, faking a smile to reassure his sister. “No matter what I do, I must endure this pain. I think if I endure it, that beast won't attack.”

Finally, the date of the Crystal Faire arrived, and Sombra's memory became blurry. That day he woke up with enormous pain, one of the greatest he had ever felt in his life. At that moment, Hope ran to his side to restrain him, again using her magic to try to heal him. At that moment, Sombra lost consciousness, and to his complete terror, just like that fateful day when his mother died, the last thing Sombra heard before he fainted was an evil laugh.

“Don't fall asleep, Don't fall asleep! WAKE UP!” Sombra shouted in his mind, unconsciously feeling that he had to wake up. Something he only partially achieved. “You must protect Hope!!”

Sombra couldn't open his eyes or move, but he felt something move him and take him away.

"Stop it! Give me Sombra back! Give me back my brother!” Hope screamed desperately, while Sombra remained in the shadows.

“Run away Hope… Run away!” Sombra wanted to scream, but his mouth couldn't move. Something surrounded him and imprisoned him, preventing him from doing anything.

Finally, Sombra heard a loud scream and fell into the darkness. However, this time was different than the time he fell unconscious after the attack on his mother. This time Sombra fell unconscious, feeling like he was sinking into a great dark pit. One that seemed to have no end, one that made him lose all notion of time around him.

Slowly Sombra recovered and felt the light return to his body. He was finally able to open his sore eyes and see where he was. For some reason, he was no longer in his room, but in his secret room, where he had his wishing garden, where he spent his secret time with Celestia.

“Why am I in this room?” Sombra thought in confusion, finally being able to move again. Sombra suddenly opened his eyes in terror as he remembered the last thing that had happened.

“Hope!” Sombra shouted in fright, rushing out of the room.

As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, Sombra looked around, still very confused. Then, his fur stood on end with fear when he saw that on the floor, next to the door of the room, there was a large stain of blood, which seemed to be already dry. A few drops of blood seemed to move away in the direction of the hallway and Sombra hurried in that direction.

Finally, Sombra made it to Hope's room. There, he shakily opened the door and entered. His breathing froze as he saw that Hope seemed to be sleeping in her bed.

“Hope!” Sombra shouted in relief, running to wake up his sister. However, as soon as he reached Radiant Hope's side, Sombra's smile faded instantly, as he felt his stomach sink and his skin freeze.

Radiant Hope seemed to be asleep, but her face was pale and she didn't react at all upon hearing Sombra's voice. The gray unicorn knew in his heart the truth, but still, he tremblingly approached his sister's face and touched it gently. There was no trace of life in her.

Sombra stood paralyzed as his mind struggled to deny what was before him. With a shaking hoof, Sombra lifted the sheets covering his sister's body and his eyes widened in horror as he saw a large wound on his sister's chest. A wound almost identical to the wound he had seen on his mother's body when she died.

“Oh, K-King Sombra! I didn’t know you would be here.” A female voice suddenly said.

Breaking him out of his daze, Sombra turned around and saw that the person speaking to him was one of the few maids in the palace. They were normally only in the kitchen and went around the castle when it had to be cleaned. Sombra imagined they did it to avoid encountering him, since he made them nervous for some reason, just like all the crystal ponies in the kingdom. Therefore, he was surprised to see that mare in Hope's room. However, what surprised Sombra the most was seeing that the crystal mare was holding a small newborn filly in one of her hooves.

Sombra tried to formulate a word, but his chest still hurt so much that he could only open his mouth, unable to say a word. Feeling like he was on the edge of an abyss after losing his beloved sister.

“Is the princess still asleep? She has slept a lot these last ten days.” The castle maid said. Approaching Hope's bed with a nervous smile. Avoiding approaching Sombra as much as possible.

Sombra was still stunned by everything that was happening, so he closed his eyes for a moment to calm his pain while his mind struggled to stay calm, to try to understand what had happened while he was passed out.

“The magic of the Crystal Heart makes this pony believe that Hope is just sleeping… She doesn't understand that she is dead.” Sombra thought, understanding why the crystal mare was so calm in front of Hope's corpse. Then, Sombra opened his eyes in surprise when he noticed another great detail.

“Y-You say Hope has been sleeping for ten days?” Sombra asked scared.

“How long was I locked in the wishing garden?” Sombra thought, remembering that time in his secret garden was faster than time in the Empire.

"That's right. A few days ago I found her resting outside a strange room. She could barely keep her eyes open. She… She had a big red spot of…” The maid responded, remembering the moment she found Hope semi-conscious with her chest bleeding. However, as she tried to remember, her mind omitted that tragic encounter and she seemed to freeze for a moment. Then her fur shined for a moment while the magic of the Crystal Heart prevented that crystal mare from having bad memories and feelings. “Yes… The princess was very tired… So I brought her to her room and put her to bed… There… She said to take care of her baby.”

"Her baby?" Sombra asked confused. Then he quickly focused his gaze on the baby the mare was carrying and opened his eyes in surprise.

Sombra's legs weakened and he fell to the floor, covering his face as he could no longer control his emotions. Crying as he remembers that from the shock of seeing Hope dead, he almost forgot that she was pregnant. That baby was Radiant Hope's daughter! His worst nightmare had come true. The umbrum had attacked the Crystal Empire again and claimed a life just when Hope was at her weakest. Like her mother, Hope sacrificed herself in his place and gave her life to save his.

Sombra cried inconsolably, not sure if Hope had even caught a glimpse of her cute foal before she died. Meanwhile, the maid had a restless look, as if she didn't know what emotion to feel at that moment, because all her life she had only felt happiness, and just as it was happening now, as soon as she felt sadness, her reborn body shone and she completely forgot her bad memories and feelings. So the maid simply gave a blank look, expressing no emotion, while Sombra cried with more pain than he had ever felt in his entire life.

After several minutes, Sombra finally managed to control himself a little and stood up again. Then he approached the baby that the maid was holding and took her in his hooves. As he held her, the baby smiled and Sombra did too, shedding a tear as he recognized Hope's beautiful smile reflected in the smile of that tender baby.

"You can go now." Sombra said to the maid. Which the crystal mare quickly did without hesitation.

“She will forget my crying, just like she forgot Hope's death.” Sombra thought with a sad look, watching the crystal mare walk away. Then, he opened his eyes in surprise when he realized another important thing.

Approaching the bedroom window, Sombra put on a frightened look as he confirmed what he feared. Even though the Crystal Empire had recently held the Crystal Faire, the aurora in the sky was barely shining, just as it had when his mother died.

“Hope was very emotionally attached to the Crystal Heart.” Sombra thought scared, while still carrying his niece. “Neither she nor I are in the Crystal Heart resurrection cycle, but without her… I don't know how the Empire will survive!”

Sensing Sombra 's nervousness, the little baby began to cry, which immediately brought Sombra out of his thoughts. Then he rocked the little baby to calm her down.

“You… You need a mother.” Sombra said, calming his little niece. Looking askance at his sister's body. “And the Empire needs Hope… I need Hope!” Sombra added, looking up determinedly.

At that moment, Sombra carried his niece next to him. Going to a room he hadn't visited in many years, his mother's room. There, he would find what he needed to keep the kingdom alive.

As Sombra headed to Amore's room, the Empire was closing again, and would remain closed for many, many years.

'End of flashback.'

“I remember… Now I remember that day.” Hope said, back in the present. With her crystal body shattered into thousands of pieces, almost on the verge of breaking completely.

Sombra looked at Hope and his tears didn't stop falling. Meanwhile, Hope smiled weakly and raised her hoof to caress her dear brother's cheek. Upon touching Sombra, Radiant Hope's brittle body could no longer take anymore and it finally broke, starting from the hoof and slowly moving towards the rest of her body.

“It's not your fault, Sombra.” Hope said as the crystal pieces from her broken body rose and joined the rest of the new Crystal Heart, finally completing it.

“Hope… Don't leave me too…” Sombra cried, watching as his sister's body disappeared and only part of her head remained.

"It's not your fault." Hope repeated with a weak smile, just as her face began to break. Then, one last memory came to Hope's mind and her gaze changed, taking on a look of fear as she finally remembered a key memory from her life. In that instant, Hope looked at Sombra with a frightened look and with one last scream, she cried. "It's not your fault!" It was the last thing Radiant Hope shouted, before disappearing completely.

The last crystals from Hope's crystallized body joined the Crystal Heart and it began to shine and spin intensely, just as the old Crystal Heart did when it was filled with joy after the fair. The Crystal Heart released a very bright light that blinded everyone again. However, this time, everyone felt something very strange.

Everything they had just experienced had been very intense. The few ponies that still remained had lost a lot in just a few moments. Of the more than a thousand crystal ponies that had been in the city, there were less than a hundred crystal ponies that had not been crystallized because they had not died. All of them had lost family and friends they had had throughout their lives. Furthermore, none of them had experienced sadness and pain before that day. And not only had they been terribly affected, Luna mourned the loss of her best friend. Cadance cried upon discovering the tragedy of her family's past. Even Shining, Dusk and their friends had not been able to avoid their tears upon seeing how everything had ended, sharing the pain that everyone felt. However, feeling the magic of the Crystal Heart made all that sadness go away for an instant.

Opening their eyes again, everyone saw that their fur was shining like the ancient crystal ponies. And although it was a temporary magic that was quickly fading, what did last in the hearts of all the ponies present was the serenity and happiness that invaded them. Everyone felt a pleasant inner peace coming from all the former crystal ponies that were now part of the new Crystal Heart. Dozens of generations with beautiful memories and feelings that, for a moment, relieved the sorrow that everyone felt. As if that were the last gift from ancient generations to their descendants.

In the sky, the magic of the new Crystal Heart was so strong that finally, after more than two thousand years, the storm disappeared, letting bright sunlight reach the entire beautiful crystal city. Reflecting both in the houses and the castle, and in everyone's fur, which little by little stopped shining like crystal to return to normal.

“This magic… It's incredible.” Dusk murmured. Raising his hoof and seeing how it slowly stopped glowing. Fascinated with how powerful the magic of the Crystal Heart was, and also, terrified when understanding the great sacrifice that such power required.

“I… I have felt the magic of the Crystal Heart in many fairs before.” Amethyst Maresbury said, who was close to where Dusk was. Who was now officially the oldest mare in the Empire. “This is definitely a new magic. I feel that this new Crystal Heart is much stronger, and will protect us all for a long, long time.”

With the magic of the Crystal Heart shining, everyone smiled. Knowing that it had been hard for everyone, but it was finally over. However, suddenly Dusk, Shining, Cadance and Luna turned around in fear when they felt a dark magic behind them. As they did so, they saw that Sombra was crouching, right where he had been before Hope disappeared. With his body shaking, as if he were dying of cold.

“Sombra…” Cadance said scared, approaching him. Feeling great pain in the gray stallion's heart.

“GAAAHHHH!!” Sombra suddenly shouted, his eyes glowing green. A scream full of pain that expanded a huge dark aura around him, which for an instant rivaled the white magic that the Crystal Heart had released.

Sensing that dark aura, everyone took a step back. Trembling as they felt the powerful and dark magic that emanated from the king of the Crystal Empire.

'This affects me more than anyone else.' Those were the words Sombra had said when the umbrums had freed themselves. Words that now came to Dusk's mind, seeing what Sombra was suffering.

“For some reason, the Crystal Heart's magic has the opposite effect on Sombra.” Dusk said scared. “In addition, he still carries the umbrum of pain within him. This isn’t over yet!”

“GAAAHHHH!!” Sombra shouted again, full of pain. Releasing another blast of dark magic that made all the ponies present tremble in fear.

"We have to do something!" Shining said, taking a step forward. Looking scared at Cadance and Luna. “If we don't do something soon, the dark magic inside Sombra will consume him and tear him apart from the inside.” Shining added, understanding that Sombra's cries of pain were because he was still struggling to maintain control of hundreds of moments of pain and death trauma from hundreds of ponies that once lived there. And now it was worse, as he struggled with his own pain of losing his dear sister.

"I don’t know what to do." Cadance said shaking. Involuntarily feeling with her gift what Sombra felt in her heart, causing her to tremble as well. “The anger, grief and fear returned to the souls of the crystallized ponies, but Sombra prevented the trauma of death from returning to them. He didn’t want their souls to leave this world with pain in them… Now he can’t get rid of that pain!”

“The more powerful the magic, the higher the price that must be paid.” Luna muttered scared. Remembering one of Star Swirl's famous phrases. “Crystallization is a spell of immortality, it goes against the natural law of life. The umbrum is a dark being created as a counterpart... Only more powerful magic could be able to destroy it.” Luna added, looking at Dusk scared. While Dusk also had a scared look, understanding Luna's look.

“An ancient and powerful alicorn, Queen Amore, created that spell… What magic exists that can overcome that magic?” Dusk thought scared. Thinking of only one possible solution.

“GAAAHHHH!!” Sombra shouted again for the third time.

This time, instead of spreading a dark aura, the opposite happened. A swift gust of wind came from outside, swirling around Sombra and being absorbed by him, as if a huge vacuum had been generated from nowhere and all the air had been absorbed by him. In just an instant, everything suddenly calmed down and absolute silence reigned.

No one dared to move, or blink, or even breathe. It was as if time had suddenly frozen, leaving only the most terrifying silence in existence. Slowly , the sky began to turn crimson red and Sombra stood up, as a dark and evil aura radiated from his entire body.

“Do you know what happens to a 'shadow' when it loses 'hope'...?” Sombra said with his head down. Then he looked up, revealing fearsome green eyes with red pupils and a purple aura surrounding them. “Only darkness remains…” King Sombra added, being completely controlled by the darkness within him.

In an instant, the dark being released a dark aura that made everyone present tremble, causing them to fall to their knees. All bowing against their will before their king, the king of monsters.

End of chapter 39

Author's Note

Many thanks to 'Silveranon' for his great help